Chapter 16
Mark stared down the strange purple figures that seemed to peer into his soul. The main figure resembled a young lady with long hair, while the others looked like Pikachu and Alolan Vulpix, but with most of their colors turned purple and their eyes glowing a blood red. "What's the problem you need to discuss, ma'am? Who are you, anyway?" Mark asked, as the eyes gazed directly at him.
"First, call me Voidlie. I was originally known as Lillie Aether in my home world," the main figure stated, making Mark both concerned and curious.
"Voidlie? Wait, what do you mean by 'your home world' and being Lillie Aether?" Mark pressed, as Voidlie just stared back coldly. "Listen, you better not try anything suspicious—"
"Chill out, I'm here to help you with your... Lil-vee problem," Voidlie interrupted, "But first, I suppose you have some questions about me, right, Mark?"
"Uh, yeah..." Mark sighed, still feeling a bit uneasy about this lady knowing his name. "First, explain this whole 'home world' and 'being Lillie Aether' thing." Voidlie sighed and began to explain her story.
"It began in a time long forgotten. In my world, Pikachu, Snowy, and I were kidnapped by Team Rocket after Ash returned to Kanto from defeating Leon in the Masters Eight Tournament. They discovered we had special auras and used them to power a machine to turn the world against Ash. Eventually, Ash found us, killing Giovanni in the process, and freed us. While Pikachu and Snowy were easily forgiven, his attitude towards me changed. Our classmates and my brother Gladion accused me of believing Ash was a cheater, which I never did. From that point on, our relationship became, to put it mildly, quite strained."
"What? It can't be that bad, can it? I heard that Ash cared for you a lot when he was in Alola. How bad could it be?" Mark questioned, a bit skeptical as Voidchu, the Pikachu, scoffed.
"I may be Ash's Pikachu, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let it slide!" Voidchu growled. "First, he had Arceus punish her by transforming her into a Nihilego. At that point, her human form only reminded him of the pain he endured, even though she did nothing wrong. Ash just let it happen, and no one on his side even bothered to call her anything other than 'Nihilego' after an entire month!"
"What?! He...he wouldn't do that," Mark stood firm, then whispered, "Ash is my brother, and he's one of the most caring beings I've ever known. There's no way that's true!" This seemed to trigger something in Voidpix, the Vulpix formerly known as Snowy, as she used Iron Tail to smack him to the ground.
"Oh really? Did your Ash even try to defend Lillie when she was wrongfully transformed against her will?" Voidpix growled. "At least your Ash had the excuse of trying to save her and being unconscious during it! Ours was fully aware and didn't even bother to defend Lillie when Arceus was about to transform her, just telling Arceus to hurry up and do it."
"H-how did you...?" Mark gasped as Voidlie's eyes glowed, shifting the scene with an illusion to Ash's bedroom in the castle. Ash and Serena were asleep in the bed, while Lillie-Vee lay in a Pokémon bed on the dresser. Pikachu, Sylveon, and Snowy slept soundly on the floor alongside Serena's Sylveon. However, Lillie-Vee was wide awake, her gaze shifting between Ash and Serena and the peacefully sleeping Pokémon. She covered her mouth with her tail, her ears drooping as she muttered something that shocked Mark.
"Oh, who am I kidding? I never had a chance to begin with..." Lillie sighed, curling up in the bed, tears streaming down her face.
"What...? Why is she crying?" Mark muttered, trying to understand the reason for Lillie's distress. "I don't understand, why is she like this?"
"Heartbreak," Voidpix sighed. "She loved Ash and planned to confess at the party, but then the betrayal occurred. When Serena appeared, Lillie's hope began to fade, not realizing her chance had already vanished long before she met Serena. We first noticed her emotional state during meditation, and that night was the first she spent in her Eevee body. At that time, we just wanted to warn her not to be so trusting towards Ash."
"For some context, without our knowledge, a time reset occurred, and this time we were kidnapped and transformed into what you see now," Voidlie explained, acknowledging her altered appearance. "We thought Ash would come to rescue us again, but this time, he never showed up, and I assume we were killed in the collapse of Team Rocket's base. Then another time reset happened. This time we remembered all the previous timelines and decided to escape on our own, giving up on the hope of Ash learning to treat me better."
"Wow, and I thought being transformed from a human into a quadruped Pokémon against your will was harsh," Mark sighed. "If I had to choose between being in my Lillie's situation or yours, I'd probably pick the former..."
"Same," Voidlie sighed. "But enough about that, how do you see Lillie-Vee?" The Void Trio watched Mark intently as he was lost in a memory he shared with Lillie.
(Flashback, almost six years ago...)
Mark was at Greeny Seaside with his Lucario, Snowy, and Lillie, who was in her Vaporeon form. The four were enjoying a walk together while Ash and Serena were at the hospital with Chase and Sarah, their newborn twins. Everything was going smoothly when Lillie suddenly stopped and began to cry. Mark, Snowy, and Lucario quickly gathered around her.
"Whoa, Lillie, what's the matter? Are you okay?" Mark exclaimed, placing a hand on her head as she sobbed, using the Water Type move, Bouncy Bubble.
"I don't understand, why did they... they..." Lillie stammered, her words muffled by tears. Lucario turned to his trainer with a look of concern, and Mark pulled out an orange handkerchief to gently wipe Lillie's tears.
"Calm down, Lils, what's bothering you?" Mark asked gently, using her nickname, which made her blush in embarrassment. Sighing, she transformed back into an Eevee.
"It's just... why didn't they want to take me to see the babies in the hospital?" Lillie whimpered. "They took Pikachu and Sylveon with them... Did I upset them somehow?" Snowy looked worriedly at Mark, who was trying to figure out the right words to comfort her.
Mark paused, recognizing the weight of his next words. 'Okay Mark, what you say next could drastically impact her thoughts on how she believes others perceive her, so choose your words carefully...' he thought intensely. Taking a deep breath, he spoke gently, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure, but don't take it the wrong way. I know for a fact that Ash didn't mean it like that. If I had to guess, it's probably because Ash and Serena didn't want too many people there so they could spend time with the twins. I'm sure he'll be excited to show you his children when he returns, Lillie."
"I know, but I really wanted to be there to support them in person..." Lillie whimpered. Snowy then explained how Lillie had tried so hard to help whenever she could, allowing Serena to relax as much as possible, and how she wanted to be there to offer her support, "I don't understand, did I... did I do something wrong?"
"What, are you crazy, Lillie?" Mark gasped in surprise. "Of course you didn't do anything wrong. After all the effort you've put in to make things easier for them? There's no way they think you misbehaved. If anything, they probably thought you deserved a break and wanted you to have some time to yourself after working so hard."
"Yeah, don't sell yourself short, Mom!" Snowy exclaimed, nuzzling Lillie's neck affectionately, while Mark gently placed his hand on the right side of Lillie's face.
"Lillie, I can never fully understand what it's like to be in your situation. You never deserved this fate," Mark sighed, deciding to share more personal thoughts with Lillie. "I'll be honest, at first, like Minami, I was confused why Ash let you sleep in his room instead of the castle yard with most of his Pokémon. Pikachu I understood because he's his main partner and small enough. Snowy as well, for being small and viewing him as a father figure. But you, Lillie—I was judgmental. Me and Minami saw you as responsible for Ash almost getting killed. It annoyed me mainly because... do you mind if I explain more about my past?"
"Um, sure, Mark, go ahead..." Lillie sighed, her expression wary.
"When I was taken to a five-star hotel, I was treated like garbage by the owner. He was abusive and forced me to do the worst jobs, or else he'd end me. When Ash reached the Masters 8, the owner tried to dispose of me, only for my mom to save me from drowning in a coffin in the ocean," Mark revealed, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Lillie's eyes widened in horror at his tale. "After that, I had a low opinion of you at first; it felt like another wealthy human taking advantage of me or the ones I care about..."
"Mark, I... I didn't know you felt that way," Lillie said, her ears drooping to the sides. "I understand now, after hearing about your trauma, why you'd have such a negative view towards wealthy people..."
"But that doesn't change the fact that I didn't want to give you another chance until Ash defended you when Minami snapped," Mark sighed, lowering his head while still kneeling at Lillie's level. "What I'm trying to say is, I'll never truly understand how you feel, in fact, none of my family ever will. But that doesn't mean we should act like your past life never happened." Feeling the weight of his own words, Mark then gave Lillie a comforting hug.
(Flashback ends...)
"And from that point on, I've always tried to help Lillie with anything, but I feel like I screwed up recently," Mark sighed, receiving understanding nods from the Void Trio.
"I'm glad you were able to form a connection with her and gain her trust," Voidlie sighed, then turned away, a note of sadness in her voice. "Trust... something our Ash broke a very long time ago..." Mark sighed in response to her words.
"Anyway, do you know what's happening to Lillie-vee?" Mark asked, sensing that Voidchu might have insights due to their knowledge of Aura. Voidchu nodded and began to explain.
"It's called Violet Depression, a disease that Aura users contract when they're severely broken mentally, draining their life force and potentially making them incredibly violent if out of control," Voidchu explained, alarming Mark. "Only creatures that have Aura powers in every alternate reality version of themselves can get it, so Ash, you and your siblings, the Sevestar Elite Four member Alice, our old selves—we could all potentially contract it if we become too depressed or mentally broken."
"Is there any way to cure this?" Mark inquired, deeply concerned for his friend. "I'd hate to leave her like this, especially since it's mostly my fault."
"There are only two known cures," Voidlie stated, sitting down next to Mark. "First, Violet Depression only exists in worlds with 18 different gems, each corresponding to a Pokémon type. They're called Infinity Gems. Each has special powers. For example, the Electric gem can combine the DNA of two beings to create a child that appears out of thin air, aged between 3 and 7 years old, and biologically belonging to those two beings. The Rock Gem, known as the Gem of Revival, can resurrect anyone with a new body, provided they deserve a second chance and accept it. These are just two examples. If you possess all 18 gems, there are two possibilities: you essentially get seven wishes from two loving beings as a source. However, if those beings have dark hearts, the fulfillment of these seven wishes will also result in their demise."
(Note: This is because in my story, Sevestar Prince Darker Version, Ash and his friends almost bring Delia back to defeat a demon, twice, but she doesn't get revived fully as she thinks she doesn't deserve a second chance after she murdered people.)
"What's the second possibility?" Mark asked, his Lucario nodding in agreement. "Please, we'll do anything to help Lillie."
"With a sacrifice, you can cure one to nine people of Violet Depression," Voidchu sighed. "But it always requires the sacrifice of someone's life."
Mark, skeptical, questioned, "Also, how do you know this?"
"We've experienced it ourselves," Voidlie explained solemnly. "After the fall of Team Rocket, one grunt who survived was unfortunately the one we used to cure ourselves. We suffered from Violet Depression due to the accumulated pain from Ash abandoning us and my neglect. We obtained the Infinity Gems and kidnapped that Team Rocket grunt to cure ourselves." Hearing this, Mark stood and embraced the trio.
"I'm sorry you were forced to endure that pain, Voidlie, Voidchu, and Voidpix," Mark sighed. "Nobody deserves to be abandoned like that. I don't want to consider sacrificing anyone just to cure her. Is there another way?"
Voidpix sat down and lowered her head, "There's one other method, but it's almost impossible to achieve."
"Please, tell us. We'd be willing to do anything if it means we can help her," Mark pleaded, his urgency evident as Voidchu prepared to explain the alternative.
"The living being must find inner peace within themselves and reach a state of satisfaction or peaceful acceptance," Voidchu explained, which seemed to confuse Mark. "Basically, Lillie needs to repair her broken bonds with your family and her own human family. A good starting point might be her birthday tomorrow."
"Okay, that makes sense," Mark stated. "We can start with that. I also need to talk to Ash and Serena about Sarah using Lillie as her personal dress-up doll, which is probably traumatizing her."
"Yeah, that could definitely contribute," Voidchu sighed, facepalming. "So, any more questions?"
"Well, I might regret asking this, but why didn't you at least try giving your world's Ash a second chance? I'm sure he wouldn't hold a grudge if you tried to talk it out," Mark wondered, only to see Voidlie, Voidchu, and Voidpix lower their heads. "What's wrong, did I say something?"
"Mark, in worlds where Ash is betrayed, it mostly turns him into many things," Voidchu sighed, his left paw clenched into a fist. "A person who doesn't hold grudges? It's a miracle if he forgives someone who was forced to betray him. A version of Ash who forgives everyone who has betrayed him? It's not even worth considering that it could potentially happen."
The Void Trio walked away, leaving Mark to ponder their words. He decided to go to his mother to discuss the new information he had collected.
Meanwhile, Trenor was with Minami, about to meet up with Goh, when suddenly, an Ultra Wormhole opened directly above them. Two figures in suits emerged, accompanied by a Lunala.
"Is this... Sevestar?" one of the figures questioned, removing their helmet to reveal a startling identity— a younger Ash Ketchum and Lillie Aether!
(UltimateGoomba: Boom, cliffhanger! Also, yes that last part is a reference to one of Ray's works, since I did a reference earlier, I figured I'd do something for his works.)
(Ray: Nice, that was from my Ash's Story Part 8, where Ash and Lillie were trying to find their way home from the Ultra Metropolis)