After the Gwen family's visit to Professor Birch's lab, which they accomplished on their second day in Mossdeep, the family spent the rest of their stay in the city sight seeing, exploring, and doing touristy things.

It was their first time in Mossdeep City, their first vacation in Hoenn, and certainly their first vacation together as a family after Zachariah filed for bankruptcy for Gwen Group Realties. Needless to say, it was a long-awaited trip by the Gwens.

A day after their visit to the lab, their third day in Mossdeep, the family went Wailmer Watching and island hopping. As was usually the case in Hoenn, Mossdeep had several small, uninhabited islands around it that tourists could visit with a guide.

"Hoenn boasts 1107 islands," their tour guide recited dispassionately, "107 of these disappear during high tide. Only 421 islands are inhabited at last count. The main island houses 72 percent of the human population in the Hoenn Region. Mossdeep, being the 5th largest city in Hoenn, just barely out-populates its Sister City, Sootopolis."

With half an ear to their tour guide, Amaris contentedly observed her family as they sat around their rented private yacht. Although small, a yacht is a yacht, and Amaris could not recall having ever ridden one in her fragmented memories.

Garrick and Galene, her twin ralts, were sat in front of her on the left side of the yacht. Next to Amaris was her father with his hand casually leaned against the yacht's railing. Behind her father sat Rocky, his machamp, his two front arms crossed against his chest while his two hind arms gripped the railing. Rocky, fully at ease in his seat, was wearing sunglasses and beach shorts, appreciating the breeze. There was a small smile on his face as he tilted his head upwards, soaking in the sun. Her father was wearing a matching outfit. When Amaris had first seen the two, she couldn't help but giggle.

Minxy, her father's vulpix, and Terra the infernape opted to stay in their balls. Being surrounded by so much water probably made them uneasy.

On the other side of the yacht, Azure, her brother's dratini, made no effort to hide his pleasure at the whole situation. He was luxuriating in the wind as the boat sliced across the waters. Behind Azure, vibrating in his seat (and held in a death grip by their mother), Amadeus was clutching at the railing, his face to the sea. Next to Amadeus, their mother seemed all poise and grace in her beach attire and sunglasses, were it not for the telling, white-knuckled grip she had on Amadeus. Amaris wondered why she didn't just tell her twin to sit properly, if she was this anxious to see him remain seated in the yacht. At their mother's feet sat the ever-nonchalant Poochie the furfrou, who had taken a nap and was not at all bothered by the vibrating intensity of the small, rented yacht.

Amaris brought her attention back to Garrick and Galene, who were also enjoying the trip in their own way. Galene was staring at everything in wonder, as was Garrick (although, when caught, he desperately tried to hide it).

Carefully, so as not to let go, Amaris steadied her camera and took a discrete photo of her twins. Then she started taking photos of her family. Rocky deigned to grin and send her a peace sign when she pointed her camera at her dad and his pokemon. Her dad, not to be outdone by his own 'mon, shaped his fingers into a heart.

When she turned her camera to her brother and mother, she called out to her brother who turned a smile in her direction while their mother gave them a dignified smirk. Azure posed as well, but Poochie could not be bothered.

It was, after everything, worthy of being a core memory.

After taking pictures, Amaris closed her eyes and felt the wind and the sun, smelt the salt of the ocean, and listened to the whipping air and the loud hum of the yacht— and she believed, deep in her soul, that life (no matter how abruptly and violently cut short in her previous one, or confusing and disconcerting in her current one) was good.

The multiverse may be mad, but these moments of perfect clarity grounded Amaris.

Life was, ultimately, good, and that was a fact.

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Their fourth day in Mossdeep was spent spelunking in Shoal Cave. There were a pair of tour guides that led the Gwen family: one to quietly talk about the cave, and the other to shepherd curious stone collectors (who, in the case of the Gwen family was Amadeus) to the designated areas for tourists. Both guides were experts in every nook and cranny of the cave, knew where every geodude herd burrowed, or zubat clans congregated, and were appropriately strict with who could go deeper in the cave.

"Rumor has it, there are two or three glalie deeper in Shoal Cave," said the chatty tour guide, "Not to mention the golbat and zubat. And only trainers with 8 badges, or AR 45 trainers, are allowed to venture in the deepest parts."

"And... how about froslass? Are there any rumors of them in this cave?" asked Felicity with a tremor in her voice.

The tour guide shook their head, "Although there are a lot of snorunt in this cave, and maybe a couple of glalie, Hoenn will never be home to a froslass. There's just not enough snow."

Her mother seemed to relax at that.

A couple hours later, they were done with their tour and were circling back. There was a shorter passageway that would only take them around 20 minutes to traverse before they would be back at the entrance. However, at the climax of their trip, the group noticed a man standing at one of the entrances to go deeper in the cave that was cordoned-off. From the distance, Amaris noticed that he had six pokeballs attached to a belt on his right hip: an assortment of regular, great, and even ultraballs.

The man looked up from what he was perusing as the family and guides neared him, and gave them a polite nod. Situated a little bit closer to him now, Amaris could tell that his hair was unusually silver despite his young-looking features.

Amadeus let out a little gasp: "It's Steven Stone!"

Amaris blinked in surprise as Steven Stone— the Hoenn Champion himself— smiled awkwardly at a rapidly-approaching Amadeus. Their mother's cries to behave went unheeded as Amadeus went full-blown fanboy mode. He ran ahead and barely stopped in front of a clearly uncomfortable Steven Stone.

"—I know all about you! My friend, Daisuke, at school he—!"

Amadeus' excited chatter could be heard all the way from where Amaris sat near the back of their group. She was trailed behind their father, and behind her was the other tour guide, in a deliberate formation that ensured that no one would be left behind.

The only pokemon out and about from their group was her father's Terra and Rocky, and one of the guide's zubat, who they introduced as Sophia.

Terra and Rocky eyed Steven Stone with wariness, walking a bit faster to catch up with Amadeus. When they reached the still-chattering boy, Rocky picked him up by the waist and deposited her twin firmly behind him, crossing two arms while the other two held Amadeus back. Terra bounced on both feet behind Rocky and Amadeus, tense.

When their group finally reached Amadeus and the other two bipedal pokemon, their father was the first to speak: "I'm so sorry about my boy, Mr. Stone—"

"Please," Steven Stone's smooth voice interjected, "There is nothing to forgive. The boy did no harm," but Amaris and no doubt everyone could see that the Champion was uncomfortable with Amadeus's gushing.

"Mr. Stone, I—!" started Amadeus, peering behind Rocky's legs and moving to get closer to him again. He was stopped by their mother's grip on the back of his collar.

"Behave, Amadeus!" said their mother in Kalosian.

At the foreign language, Steven Stone's attention shifted to their mother, "Visiting Hoenn for vacation?" he asked conversationally in Common.

"No, we reside in Lilycove City," answered their father in the same language, "But we've moved here from Kalos, yes. We're currently vacationing."

"New residents of Hoenn?" Steven Stone said with a small smile, "Then I welcome you to our lovely region. It must be very different from Kalos."

"Different, yes, but we've adjusted. Although for my wife and I, our Hoennian is still very bad," their father demurred.

"I'm sure you will improve in no time at all," encouraged Steven Stone, "But I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Mr...?"

"Apologies. I am Zachariah Gwen, of the Guren Hospitality Group, and this is my wife, Felicity." introduced their father, "You've met my son, Amadeus, and this is my daughter, Amaris."

Steven Stone blinked when Amaris was pushed forward. Hidden behind Rocky, Amadeus, and their mother, Steven Stone could not see her before.

Their eyes met.

And Amaris knew, without a shadow of doubt, that this was not a human she wanted to mess with.

There were six of them with him, she could feel it: and beyond the six, four more. A total of ten. One soul bearing the weight of ten. She was no match. She'll be crushed. She'll die again—

A strong shiver went up her spine, and she immediately ducked her head and hid behind her father, unaware that she had let out a plaintive little cry.

"Amaris, what is it?" asked her baffled father.

Steven Stone took a step back from them and explained: "My apologies, but your daughter seems to be sensitive to AuRa. This is probably her first time meeting a trainer with an AR level of over 50. If she has pokemon, release them now to help comfort her."

Amaris was shaking. Her spine seemed to want to break in half. Her rib cage seemed to refuse to expand. She had a headache. There was a deep ache in her bones. She could not breathe. Goosebumps erupted on her skin. She felt all of these simultaneously.

And then: twin bursts of something in her soul.

"Ralts!" her twins cried in alarm as they saw her.

"Just give her a few minutes to adjust. Keep her pokemon near her."

Her spine hurt. Her rib cage refused to expand. She could not breathe. Her head felt like it was about to split open.

There was a funeral in her brain.

A sound, then: a bell, tolling in the Space all around her.

Ding

Dong

Ding

Dong

And then she was 4 and a few months, newly awakened in this world.

And then she was 22— there was someone over her. Violence, the kind that gave wounds that would take more than a lifetime to heal.

And then she was 21 with a firm conviction to stay and fight.

And then she was 20 with news of war and rumors of war.

There was a bell tolling in the Space all around her.

And then she was nothing.

She was nothing at all.