It was a funny thing, Metchi thought, not having enough money to pay the people who'd just saved her life. Almost enough to make her sick to her stomach, which she was, though for a completely different reason than her ill-timed conscience sprouts.

The shape of the makeshift hospital grew smaller behind her as she made her way toward Pastoria's northern border, looking over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure no one was following her. Not that it would've been hard, considering she was almost comatose and there were two incredibly distinct Pokemon walking behind her.

Shadows fell over them as they passed the threshold of the city's borders, venturing onto the wild flora of Pastoria's outskirts. Metchi tried to be careful as she walked –as much as she could with her head throbbing anyway– lest she trip and fell on top of any of the myriad of colorful and possibly poisonous plants littering the ground.

"Try to look around," she said, voice barely a whisper. "See if you find a stream or a clean spot to rest."

She could feel two pair of eyes on her back, half judging and half concerned. The sound of crinkling leaves became louder as Lyserg hurried toward Metchi and placed her head on top of the girl's shoulder. A low whine reverberated through her throat.

Metchi bit her lip. "I can walk by myself, thanks. Besides, there's nowhere I need to fly to yet," she spat out, tone bitter. "We'll stay here for a while. Try to recover our strength."

"Free…" she heard Monferno scoff behind her. As she looked over her shoulder, she found him with his arms crossed, glaring at her.

"Shut up," she scoffed back. "I told you to stop following me."

He didn't move an inch. There was no anger in his eyes, just disappointment and expectation.

"Stop staring at me!" she bellowed, turning toward him with her hands balled up into fists. "You paid me back already, so just go back to your trainer! I don't want you around!"

She started walking away before she even finished speaking. Her eyes began to sting, and her voice had wavered for a moment, almost cracking.

Luckily, she found a distraction pretty fast. Less than a stone throw's away she noticed the gleam of water past a tall berry bush, and headed there without delay. She made her way through it, staining what was left of her clothes in sticky berry juice, and set foot on the other side, barely a few inches from a large pond of crystalline water. It didn't seem big enough to be considered a lake –about twice her height in width–, but it would suffice for the time being.

A smile teased at the edges of her lips. At least she had something to drink. After having survived being punched, stabbed, burnt, slashed, poisoned and almost exploded, dehydration would have been like a pretty lame way to go.

She knelt just before the edge and dove both hands into the water, its cold sending a blissful chill throughout her arms. Behind her, she still felt the two Pokemon's glares on her back.

"Come drink," she said. "The smudges of dirt near the shore mean other Pokemon come here, so the water's safe."

Cupping water in her hands, she splashed her face gently and rubbed off the disgusting scent of antiseptics off it. The breath she took right after, as droplets fell down her chin and into the dirt below, was so pleasantly cool and deep she almost fell asleep on her knees. Dear Mew she needed a nap.

The ripples on the surface of the pond ceased after a few seconds, reflecting Metchi's face with uncomfortable clarity as she parted her eyelids open. The picture was almost familiar enough to be comforting. She read every scar, every crease and wrinkle like the lines of her own palm, like the withered pages of her favorite old book.

However… there was an oddity about the reflection. Something that didn't fit with the rest of her face, something that didn't belong.

She scurried to her feet before her mind had a chance to ponder more on the subject. As she regained her balance and turned around, she found the Monferno and Tropius still staring at her, their gazes unrelenting.

A sigh escaped her lips, prickles of anger washing over her body.

"What do you want me to say?" She threw her hands up slightly, letting them fall again on her hips. "I fucked up, okay? I had my one chance to be a hero and I blew it. I can't take on Team Galactic anymore, not without Azelf anyway." She spat the name out as if it were a mouthful of poison. "I'll just… deliver these blueprints to Rowan and pray the Association can do something about it."

Looking away was all she could do at the looks they gave her. What did they think, that she was okay with all this? That she was stoked because she finally got a vacation from trying to save the world? That had been her life, what she looked forward to every time she woke up. Now that Azelf was gone… what was left for her to do?

What was left of the hero she'd been trying to become? Nothing, except for a few memories. Nothing, except…

One last time, she looked over her shoulder. Her reflection stared back, almost defiantly, though it was probably just the oddity which had been following her ever since she'd woken up.

Why? She asked no one, a deep sadness washing over her. If Azelf's gone, then why are they still…?

The reflection blinked as she did, perfectly mirroring the golden light in her eyes.

----------------------------------------

Inyssa didn't mean to make a big, dramatic entrance to Floaroma, but it was kind of hard to avoid while dropping in the middle of town atop a gigantic dragon Pokemon.

Okay, she might have landed with a bit of a flair, flipping her hair to the side and shoving her hands into her pockets, staring back at the surprised citizens with an aloof, nonplussed look that had definitely been rehearsed once or twice. However, the convenient gust of wind as Palmer's Salamence flapped his wings –making the landing infinitely cooler– had been entirely accidental, though appreciated.

Barry landed next to her with a deaf thump, much less graciously than she had. He stood up and smiled, his disheveled mess of blond hair completely spiked upwards thanks to the supersonic speeds at which they had just traveled.

"I wanna do that again," he said, voice hoarse and eyes wide open.

She smiled back and bumped her shoulder against his, "Cool your jets. The last thing we need is for you to become an adrenaline junkie, on top of being already addicted to sugar."

"Man, I'd be unstoppable." He sighed dreamily, gaze lost someplace else.

They waved their goodbyes to Palmer as he took to the skies once more. While Barry stared at his and Salamence's ever shrinking silhouettes –a wistful look on his face– Inyssa looked around a bit.

Their entrance seemed to have been already categorized as 'one of those things', since most people who'd looked up curious as they landed now went about their day with the characteristic carefree nature she remembered from her last visit. The town itself –or at least the square she was in and the surrounding hills– hadn't changed much, though there was a noticeable decrease in summer outfits all around. Floaroma might've been one of the region's warmer towns, but that meant nothing in the face of a Sinnohan winter. If there was one thing every person in the region knew, it was that once the cold came it would strike indiscriminately, no matter where one lived.

Inyssa closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath, her nose assaulted by a myriad of sweet, musky aromas. The flower plantations were a few miles away, but the wind was good at carrying their scent. Last time she'd been in Floaroma the smell had been a tad too overwhelming for her, but now, mixed with the clean, cold air, she could almost begin to enjoy it.

Almost, because as much as she would have loved to, she hadn't forgotten the main reason for their visit.

She sighed as she opened her eyes again. Almost shuffling her feet, she looked all around the square while trying to locate someone. She said she would be there as soon as they arrived, right? What was taking her so l–

"Niss! Barry!"

…Speak of the devil.

The voice came from behind them, amidst the crowd of people gathered in front of one of the many cafés littering the town square. They turned to see Johanna trot toward them, a crooked yet relieved smile on her face.

Inyssa stared, waiting for any kind of reaction within her. However, no anger nor pity nor any kind of emotion came to answer, and she didn't know whether to find that relieving or upsetting.

"Hi, Miss Dawn!" Barry waved.

"Hey, mom."

They exchanged a hug and a kiss on the cheek, gestures which, again, Inyssa failed to be irritated by. She even smiled back, for how much that was worth.

"It's so nice to see you two," Johanna whispered, out of breath but still beaming. "How are y– I mean, how was your flight?"

She didn't fail to notice the question she had almost asked, nor the way her gaze kept darting toward Inyssa's covered arms. Still trying to give her space, still trying to avoid overstepping her boundaries. She didn't know why, but the thought made her uncomfortable.

Her mother looked… better, if she was any good at judging these sort of things. Her skin had gained back a smidge of color, and now the only wrinkles visible on her face were those caused by age. The bags under her eyes had shrank significantly, too. All in all, she seemed to be keeping her promise of staying clean.

For now, a bitter part of her said. She shook her head and pushed that voice back to the depths of her mind.

"…and that's why my hair looks kinda anime right now," Barry finished explaining. "It was really, really cool."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves," said Johanna. "You two deserve a break after… everything that's happened." Inyssa noticed the woman's hands fidgeting, her fingers curling around each other. "Speaking of which, Niss, I adore your new outfit! The mix of styles and colors gives you a beatnik, almost kalosian vibe, don't you think?"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Uh… sure." Inyssa squinted, having no idea what any of that meant. "I just picked whatever looked cool."

Johanna stroked her chin, smiling to herself. "As I told you before, comfort begets style. Though…" She leaned forward on the ball of her feet, squinting at Inyssa. "While the colors of your outfit are mostly complementary, I can't help but feel that the pink of your hat looks somewhat out of place. Have you considered getting one that's completely white or…?"

"Not getting rid of the hat, mom," she said, tone irritated.

"…Yes, of course." Johanna sighed. "Anyway… I know it's not quite lunch time and it's a bit too late for breakfast, but would you like to get something to drink back at the Pokemon Center?"

"Something to drink sounds good," Barry nodded, his smile a bit too forced. "How about it, Niss? You want some tea?"

"No more cheap tea for me. It smells great but I'm always disappointed by the taste," she said. "Anyway, you two can go on ahead and I'll join you later for lunch. There's something I gotta do first."

As a token of appreciation, she decided to ignore the uncomfortable silence following her statement, along with the concerned looks of both Barry and her mother, set on her.

"Darl… I mean Niss, are you sure you want to do that now?" Johanna's lips pursed as she spoke, forming a bright red line across her face. "I don't mean to pry, it's just…"

"It's fine," she said. "I'd just like to get it over with as soon as I can, so I don't have to be thinking about it all day."

Johanna froze for a moment, then nodded. "Y-yes, of course. We… we'll be waiting for you with something tasty for lunch, then. I'll go ahead and order."

"Thanks," she replied. Then, a couple seconds after she added, "Uh… it's, really nice to see you again, too."

Johanna shot her a tiny, appreciative smile, then turned and began walking toward where she remembered the Pokemon Center was. She was left alone with Barry, who placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuringly.

"Good luck with… that." He smiled. "Anything you'd like me to order for lunch?"

She wasn't paying much attention, though she did feel the uncomfortable rumble in her stomach. Maybe skipping dinner last night had not been as wise a decision as she had believed it to be.

Besides, looking at what she would be doing for the next hour… maybe some food would be nice.

"Anything with lots of meat and cheese and carbs," she said. "And tomatoes. No lettuce, though."

"So… a burger?"

"…Yeah. I could go for a burger. Or three." She shrugged. "Anyway, see you later."

The feeling of Barry's concerned gaze set on her back did not leave her until almost a minute after she'd started walking away, heading directly toward the northern flower fields of Floaroma.

----------------------------------------

Inyssa was not able to find Bertha's grave.

She stood completely still, powerful gusts of wind dancing around her, carrying a myriad of sweet and musky scents which made her head swim a little. She welcomed the dizziness. It helped distract her from the heartbreaking truth that, after making such a big deal out of coming back to Floaroma to pay her respects to Bertha, she could not for the life of her remember where she'd buried her.

The nurse had been right; the flowerbeds had changed a lot ever since last time. No matter where she looked, a more vibrant and explosive field of colors met her gaze, almost an eyesore really. And since she stood atop the town's hill, the contrast as the colorful horizon met with the bare, empty blue of the sky was hard to ignore.

It would have been a beautiful sight, in other circumstances. Right now, it simply felt as if the world were making fun of her.

Probably should've marked the grave with something other than a flower, she thought. Kind of a bad idea, in retrospect.

"I don't wish to interrupt." Uxie's voice sprouted from the depths of Inyssa's mind, startling her. "But I might be able to help you."

Inyssa hurried to clear her throat, while rubbing her eyelids on the fabric of her sleeve.

"This is a private moment," she said. "I'd like to be alone."

"I understand. However, remember that I have access to your memories and, as such, would be able to locate the place you're looking for without trouble."

Inyssa bit her lower lip. Part of her wanted to refuse out of pride alone; she would find the grave herself, and if she couldn't then she would live with the shame and anger, wearing them as punishment. However…

She was also tired, and sad and just not feeling great overall. Maybe getting help just once wouldn't hurt, maybe she could leave the shame and anger for another day and instead focus on paying respects to poor Bertha. Maybe… maybe she didn't feel like feeling like shit.

"Sure. Go ahead."

Nothing happened at first. The only sound besides that of the wind was Uxie's voice as it muttered to itself, probably busy digging through her memories, trying to find the right one. Any other day she might have felt horrified by the invasion of privacy, but now she couldn't care less.

"Ah, here we go. Walk northeast for a minute or so and you should find it. I'll guide you."

Inyssa did as she was told, too numb to even try arguing. She walked slightly downhill at a brisk pace, zigzagging as to not accidentally step on any flowers. As they approached what looked like a mini-valley in between two of the small hills, a memory teased itself from the edges of her mind, faintly. She'd been here before.

"Hopefully you will be able to search your own memories in the future, along with those of others and the environment itself," said Uxie. "All you need is practice, and the will to improve. Once you get accustomed to my abilities you will…"

"Uxie."

There was a beat of silence. "Yes?"

"Not now, okay?" She looked over her shoulder at its transparent body, her expression blank. "I'm up for talking about this stuff later. But I'd like to be alone now."

"…Of course. I apologize."

She nodded absentmindedly, then turned again toward the flower field. After a few seconds of looking she noticed a rectangular patch which looked slightly more elevated than the rest of the soil around it, covered in smaller, younger flowers than most. And in the very center, standing out like a sore thumb, was the one Barry had helped her place on top of the grave. Half red and half pink, the six petals of the gracidea moved gently with the wind, as if cradled by it.

Almost a minute passed before she came back to reality, her gaze distant and the green of her eyes faded. Slowly, and gritting her teeth at the pain stinging her scars, she lowered herself and knelt in front of the grave, placing her palms on top of her thighs. She stared blankly at the gracidea, the usual chaos inside her mind strangely quiet and calm.

With nothing else to do, she wondered. Should she have brought something? The normal thing –at least as far as she knew– was to bring a bouquet of flowers to the grave, but she couldn't begin to imagine where she would get one more beautiful than the flowers all around her. Gracideas didn't exactly sprout from trees… or at least she didn't think so. If they did, then they were probably very rare trees.

Well… what else could she offer? Maybe her words? What could she possibly say? All options were…

Inyssa paused, eyes widening, then sighed as she looked over her shoulder.

"You're still here."

A couple seconds passed, and then Uxie spoke. "Evidently."

"Why? I told you to..." Her voice trailed off, and she sighed. She didn't have the energy to argue. "Whatever, do what you want. Not like I'm making much progress here alone anyway."

"You seem to be doing well, considering the situation," said Uxie. "I may not understand most human customs, but the act of mourning for the dead is one which I'm quite familiar with. From experience, I've found that a bit of company tends to help, even if it's not the company the mourner expects."

Inyssa sniffled, blinking rapidly. "Is that what I'm doing? Mourning?"

"Are you not?"

She thought about it for a moment. "I don't know."

A few seconds passed in silence. Consecutive gusts of wind hit her on the back, slightly ruffling her hair and making a wave on the landscape as it pushed the rows of flowers before her. The already strong scent became even heavier, and she couldn't help scrunching up her nose. Her clothes would probably smell of flowers for the next few weeks.

She took a deep breath, scratched her cheek and –before she even registered what she was doing– began to speak.

"Wanna know what's the worst part?" She noticed the way her voice was cracking, but decided to ignore it along with everything else. "Like, about all this."

Despite not being able to see Uxie, she felt it raise an eyebrow. "Hm?"

"I don't… feel as bad as I was expecting to. I can't even bring myself to cry." She let out a low, heavy chuckle, shaking her head. "Isn't that fucked up?"

"Is it?"

"Yeah, it is," she said. "And I hadn't considered it until now but… it's been a while since I thought about what happened here in Floaroma, and about Bertha. There's been so much crazy stuff ever since. And now that I'm here, it feels like it happened a lifetime ago."

"That is not surprising. What you have just described is the process of grieving," Uxie explained. "From my experience, time heals all wounds. Some sooner than later, though it depends on their gravity."

Inyssa leaned back and hugged her legs, unconsciously shrinking into herself. She felt a weird ache in her chest. "That's not how it should work."

"What do you mean?"

"People shouldn't forget the people they loved just because they died. Doesn't matter how long it's been." She looked down at the grave, wincing. "We should have to carry their memories and that pain of loss with us until we die."

She couldn't usually tell when Uxie was feeling something specific, but after she said that it became painfully clear that she had startled the legendary Pokemon. For a moment she felt a tinge of sadness, though it was quick to conceal it.

"That… would be a torturous existence, don't you think?"

"Maybe. But that's the kind of respect Bertha deserves." She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against her knees. "I'm the only one who knows how brave and wonderful she was, the only person who can mourn her, and I can't even do that right."

"It can't be helped. This kind of pain always eases, sooner or later."

A slight crease formed on her forehead. "Not always. What about my sister?"

"Has that pain not eased as well?"

"Not like this, with Bertha," she said. "There's rarely a day when I don't think about Shadi."

"That is to be expected. She was an incredibly important part of your life, even if your memories surrounding her are somewhat hazy." Inyssa frowned at that comment, though she didn't feel like asking what Uxie meant by it. "On the other hand, you knew Bertha for less than a month before she died. Your grief toward her passing is, understandably, not as powerful."

"Maybe it should be." She looked up at Uxie again, frowning. "I was everything to her, so why isn't it the other way around? What kind of fucking person am I that I can't even suffer her death right!?"

The wind carried her scream throughout the flowerbeds, leaving behind an echoing silence. It immediately dawned on her that she had said too much. Then again, it wasn't like Uxie couldn't read her mind and emotional state whenever it wanted, anyway. Not much harm in letting it all out in its presence.

Maybe you can find another way, that familiar voice said from inside her mind. If you can't hurt enough emotionally, you could always…

A terrible chill ran down her spine, and unconsciously she grabbed onto both her wrists, as if wanting to protect herself. She gulped, scrunched up her face and prayed to every deity she could think of that Uxie had not heard that intrusive thought. She promised she would not listen to them, anyway. They had no power over her anym–

"Inyssa." Its voice rang in her mind, and she felt a rush of panic wash over her body. "I understand your point of view, but I believe you are looking at this problem the wrong way."

"Y-yeah? How so?"

"Instead of thinking about how you would like to pay your respects, how about you try to imagine what she would have wanted?"

She raised her face from her knees, furrowing her brow. "What… she would've wanted?"

"According to what you have said, that Bidoof seemed to have a powerful affection toward you," said Uxie. "If so, don't you think she would have wanted you to move on from her death, and be happy? I can't imagine your suffering would bring her any kind of closure, wherever she is now."

"'Dunno." She tried to shrug nonchalantly, though it looked more like a spastic shake of her shoulders. "Still doesn't feel right."

"I don't blame you for thinking so. However…" Uxie deliberated for a moment. "In truth, I doubt you will ever fully forget those who have passed away, those whom you have loved. Even if the pain eases, you might find traces of their memory in your day to day life. The color of someone's eyes might remind you of them, or perhaps a certain sound or scent will trigger a dull ache in your chest without you knowing why. Such is the power of memories. As my apprentice, I hope you'll learn not to dwell on them, and instead focus on how to extract their strength. I'm sure you'll understand, in time."

Inyssa rolled her eyes. "And you're back to talking about that. You're like a really shitty sales pitcher, you know that?"

"…Again, I apologize."

Forcing herself to look up, she let her gaze fall on the gracidea once more. For some reason, the color of the petals looked less faded now.

"It's okay."

A grunt of effort escaped her lips as she placed a hand on the ground, pushing herself to her feet. The world spun for a moment, her back flaring in pain, and when her vision adjusted she could've sworn the light of the sun felt brighter. She had to squint to find the way she'd come from.

"I think that's enough mourning for today." Her voice came out thin, and tired. "And… thanks. For what you said. You're not as annoying as I thought you'd be"

There was a pause, and then she felt Uxie smile. "Always at your service, my liege."

She pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. "…Fucking dork."