Alright. This is me.

Hi, my name is Akari. I’m nearly seventy years old at the time of writing this. Sometimes, I feel older. Other times, I feel younger. It depends on the day I guess.

Rei asked me to add some of my own perspective into this stupid book and I vehemently argued against it at first. We’re going to be ridiculed for it and I’ll get strange looks from our neighbours. But I guess it’s the truth or whatever. Not that the truth ever matters if nobody believes it. But Rei is Rei. Always the hopeful one.

Where do I start? I’ve read what Rei has written so far and I look HORRIBLE in it. I swear I was not as edgy as he portrays me. Or maybe I was, actually? I don’t know. Anyways. Uh, reading over what he went through on Livespy shore or whatever it was called was actually kind of strange. Obviously, he’d told me what had happened and all that, but I’d never gotten such a vivid recollection before. Irida really was a nutcase back then.

Maybe I was that edgy then, too.

I had my reasons. But it’s whatever. I’ll start with going over my life before Hisui, I guess. Maybe you’ll understand me a bit more, then. Not that I expect you to. My burn hurts. I got it on Spear Pillar to that guy’s Houndoom. It’s small, really, not even that bad. But the pain never fades. It waxes and wanes sometimes. Some days I don’t even notice it’s there. But the scar has never faded. And my skin aches as if I’d burnt myself only yesterday. All of the Pokémon Centres and hospitals in Sinnoh can’t treat it. I mean, come on guys. We have so much cool technology and we can’t even treat a Houndoom burn? Sometimes we’re so backwards even with all this magical technology. Like, what have we been doing these past thousand years?

I’m rambling. Oops. I’ll just, you know, do what I’m supposed to and get into it.

Here goes.

Feels official, you know? Kind of like a testament, or something.

Right…

The events that led to my arrival in Hisui started a long ways before I was even born in a continent known as Unova (gasp). According to people who are long dead and therefore have no credibility, a giant meteorite fell from the skies one night and landed in the northeast embankment of civilisation far from the nearest tribe or whoever lived there at the time. The impact was so large that the tremors could be felt all the way on Unova’s south shores. The icy meteorite had come to rest in a great chasm of its own creation and quickly encased the impact site in ice. Some of the early denizens who went to see what the heck was going on never returned, and though most somehow think they were eaten by the meteor, I personally think they just froze to death along the way or something. But anyways, people eventually saw the chasm and started to investigate. All was quiet in there, like life had completely abandoned the area in fear. Dead trees lay burnt underneath layers of thick, unnaturally blue ice, and the jagged rocks were so sharp you could impale yourself simply by tripping. At the epicentre of chasm lay a powerful, but dormant, Legendary Pokémon so strong that it could blah blah BLAH.

You’ve read the history books and probably don’t care. Moving on, this Legendary Pokémon was dubbed the Original One by those who clearly had no originality in naming things. Historians say the people who found the meteor knew the stationary rock was a Pokémon because they could hear a heartbeat, but I bet you anything that’s just retconned to cover up a plot hole in their account of events. Either that or the ancient scriptures or wherever they get their info from were being dramatic. Does it matter, anyways? They somehow found out the meteorite was actually a Pokémon. And it took over one hundred years to respond to somebody. A king- though he was just another man at the time.

The king totally had a pure heart and was just the nicest guy in the world and was absolutely not evil in any way shape or form or had no flaws or demeaning qualities, obviously. The meteorite awakened and transformed into the Original One. There are apparently ancient artifacts with depictions of the thing in all reaches of Unova, but they all differ and nobody can agree on what it actually looked like. Maybe it was a shapeshifter or something.

Anyways, eventually the king died after using the Original One to unify all of Unova’s tribes into a thriving civilisation. The Original One- a being that’s supposed to be perfect and unmarred- found its mind stained by grief at the king’s passing. Its solution? To tear a third of itself away and toss the husk into Giant Chasm to rot so that the remaining two-thirds wouldn’t have to deal with its emotions. What a lovely Pokémon.

Don’t know what happened for the next five hundred years. Don’t care. But, eventually, two brothers- two princes- were recognised equally by the Original One. That was the first time that had ever happened, apparently. Guess the Original One got bored of choosing the same golden boy over and over and decided to shake things up a bit. The two princes, however, weren’t all as goody goody as the Original One thought and started to bicker amongst each other over differing opinions. One prince was a jaded little snit and thought the truth of Unova was the complete separation of humans and Pokémon. The other was more of an idealist and dreamed of a world where humans and Pokémon worked in harmony as equals- much like what we have today. Well, apparently the Original One didn’t want to take sides in THAT debate, so it ended up just tearing itself in half as you do. And thus, Reshiram and Zekrom were born. A physical embodiment of two concepts.

During my time, though, they were known as the White Beast and the Night Terror.

Once again, the now halved Original One had a brilliant solution to its little conundrum. Mediate between the two princes? Divide Unova into halves where both princes got their way? Or decide that the best course of action was to kill and murder everything in Unova so that the argument over humans and Pokémon couldn’t exist anymore?

Guess what it chose.

I know I know it didn’t actually choose that. Reshiram and Zekrom were more of a weapon than anything else. It was the princes whose war caused all those casualties. I think the princes could’ve been arguing over whose hair was nicer and the two Legendaries would’ve ruined the world to ‘fight for their truth or their ideals’ or whatever.

But regardless, that was how the White Beast came to my village on the night I lost it all. I was a twelve-year-old girl unaware of the eleven-year war that had been plaguing Unova. We lived in a village in the middle of nowhere that had wooden cottages which let the wind in during winter. We hunted game in the forests. I was taught to read and write by my mother who was our village’s tutor for what little education we had. My dad helped out chopping down trees and occasionally made traps for the wildlife. I think we were happy. It's hard to remember. We had no idea almost three quarters of the continent was a burning wreck at this point. The armies kept throwing up fortresses like Bibarel would dams, only for one of the princes to catch wind and destroy them.

I don’t know how the White Beast found us. Maybe we were the only signs of civilisation in a sea of trees. Maybe there was a castle nearby or something that it had found. It doesn’t matter. What mattered was that it came and it ruined my life.

Why did it do what it did to me? WHY?! The question burned in my mind as I grew up until it cascaded into a veil of misery over my eyes. We weren’t hurting anyone. We were even questioning whether these two Legendaries EXISTED. We’d only heard whispers and rumours from travellers and the like.

I ran after the White Beast destroyed my home. I fled south into the forest as the lone survivor. I didn’t even say goodbye to my parents. I couldn’t even FIND their charred corpses among the mess of black and red. I don’t know how I survived. But I was found at some point by a group of migrating escapees that had been attacked north of where I had lived. They took me in and helped me reach the shoreline. But our plan to flee was thwarted by the third army- those who had crafted Golurk to fight off the two Legendaries. They blocked our path and demanded we submit to their army because it was our ‘duty’ to protect Unova- those hateful, spiteful, dastardly…. EUGH.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

It was a man in the end. Victor was his name. He stepped forth and told us he’d join if they’d let him send the children off Unova to safety. Then, another man stepped forward. And another. And another. Until all of the adults had volunteered themselves. I don’t know what happened to them in the end. But they all sacrificed their safety for two children.

The boy died in the boat on the way over. He just up and… wilted one day, I guess. I didn’t know his name, but I was kept company by his lifeless eyes. Blaming me. Angry at me. When I reached Jubilife, I think I cried for three hours straight in relief. I never saw his body again.

People in Jubilife talk. Most of them were immigrants from Unova, like me, but there was the oddball here and there like Laventon, who was from Galar. Everybody had a sob story to cry about to each other. To smile and speak about how ‘brave’ they were. To mourn over dead spouses. But when they asked me? I never said a word. My experiences were mine to bear alone. MINE. Nobody could compare to what I went through. Nobody could understand.

And so, I was just a kid who had it easy to them. I was quiet because I was weird and obviously if I went through any pain worse than a twisted ankle, I’d share all the gory details for everyone to hear and offer their false, vapid platitudes.

I was shunned because I didn’t fit the mould. But what did I care? All who I touched eventually perished. Who knows who my next victim would be?

It was a woman who took me in. She was a stern looking lady with the coldest blue eyes I’d ever seen, but her monotone and emotionless voice was like an island in a stormy sea. She never judged me for the recluse I was. She didn’t care what I experienced or who I was or how I came here. She just wanted results.

And so, I joined the Survey Corps.

Cyllene said I had potential. That I was different to everyone else. When I did well, she praised me. And when I did poorly, I was met with indifferent silence. It was like a drug. My life became revolved around wanting to impress her. I NEEDED to keep my only ally on my side.

When I was introduced to Laventon, I thought the sad-looking man looked a little like a Watchog. He didn’t make much of an impression on me, but nobody did back then. They were all losers. My ill-humour grew only worse when Cyllene told me I was to work with him. Like, WHAT?! Was she actually abandoning me?! What did I do?! How could I be better?! How can I make it right?! But then Cyllene told me if I worked hard that she’d promote me to her right-hand woman, and all my worries was replaced with harsh determination.

Working with Laventon was like working with four people. His intelligence was staggering and he just knew so much about so many strange Pokémon. Some days he’d be excitable and eager. Others he’d get all in the dumps when something went wrong. Sometimes he was on it with a quick wit and a sharp mind. Others, he was forgetful and out of it. But what never changed was the way he treated me.

I was smart. I was brilliant at drawing. I asked the right questions. I worked harder than any assistant he’d previously had. With Laventon I went from a quiet weirdo to a valued friend. I started to adore the man I once looked down upon. I even struggled to keep myself from calling him ‘dad’. When I told Cyllene how much I enjoyed the work, she simply looked at up me from her papers and said in a bored, non-committal tone; “I’m happy you’re happy.”

Cyllene was happy and I, yes, I, was the one who’d made her that way.

A bump came when Laventon offered me Oshawott to keep in a Poké Ball. He said it’d be useful to trial them in everyday use. But a Pokémon? The same, horrible creatures that uprooted my life and sent me to this place? Why would I have a Pokémon?! But Laventon told me that Oshawott had been abandoned by his parents. He said he had nobody- like me. And that with him, I could put out any fire that I lay eyes on.

I argued a lot though. I didn’t want a Pokémon! But then Cyllene told me to accept little Oshawott and I did. Anything to please her.

All was well. For the first time, I’d found my place in life. Cyllene depended on me and Laventon was always so friendly. Laventon’s Cyndaquil horrified me because she could spew fire from her back, but ‘Cyndy’ was smart enough to know it scared me and I eventually got used to that tiny amount of flame. Still, it didn’t stop the nightmares. The crushing, endless guilt that came from that night under the White Beast’s fire. Why me? Why did I survive? If I could go back and die instead of my parents, I’d have done it in a heartbeat.

It took until I was nineteen before that freak in the merchant clothes came and said something to Cyllene and everything went downhill. Apparently, his ‘source’ or whatever decided that some sort of portal would open up at the peak of Mount Coronet, above the Temple of Sinnoh. Cyllene was sent to investigate because she was so strong and wonderful, but all I cared about was that she was leaving me again. Why? Why did this have to happen?!

Cyllene told me that I couldn’t come with her. That it was too dangerous. But, if I worked extra extra hard, she’d be able to come back sooner. I didn’t understand how that worked at all, but I didn’t care. I flung myself into my tasks with a fervency I never thought I could muster.

Despite her best efforts, though, the portal did open up. I remember the night I first lay eyes on it. It was flashing and evil and swirling. I was so scared something had happened to Cyllene. But I worked so hard that she returned four days later. I was so HAPPY! I had to eagerly wait for her to return to her office- Cyllene hated it when I was affectionate in public- but when I get her alone, I flung myself into her arms and sobbed my relief that she was okay.

“Of course I’m okay,” Cyllene said with a scoff. She looked down at me with a disbelieving frown. “Why wouldn’t I be okay, Akari?”

I was stupid. So, so, so, so STUPID. I’d upset her. I’d offended her. I told her I was so sorry and that I shouldn’t have doubted her.

“It’s fine. You’ll make it up to me with hard work.”

And that, I did.

A month later, a boy was found on Prelude Beach. Some kid came across him passed out by the shed and one of the guards dragged him to Pesselle’s. I was out on a survey trip at the time with Laventon, so I didn’t get to see him. But Cyllene caught me up when I returned.

“The boy is out of his mind and is a liar,” Cyllene told me. “Never trust him.”

“Why?” I asked, slightly disbelieving that Cyllene could speak like that about someone. What a nasty piece of work he must’ve been.

Cyllene’s face saddened. “Do you not trust me? I thought you trusted me?”

I rushed to assure her that I trusted her with all of my heart.

When Rei came to me that evening and asked about Giratina, I was confused. What the heck was a Giratina?! But then Volo reacted in a way I’d never seen from him before and everything spiralled into a mess. Laventon was fascinated by him. The boy somehow knew all these things about the clan deities and Volo was enraptured by him. I hated it when Beni, that old dastard, refused to serve him food. That damnable cook always treated me like dirt, too, before I joined Cyllene. I hated it even more, however, when I realised Laventon was going to try and recruit him. I’d been swamped with work and even though I wanted to impress Cyllene by doing it all, I did have a moan to Laventon about it on occasion. Still, that didn’t mean I wanted some other kid to hog all of their attention!!

Cyllene hated Rei, thank goodness. It was only later that evening when I figured out that HE was the crazy boy Cyllene told me to avoid. Why was HE the one joining Laventon?! Joining me?! Didn’t he care how much Cyllene will be disappointed if I even ventured near him?!

It all became so twisted. Commander Kamado wanted Rei on. But Cyllene was against it. When Kamado cautiously accepted Rei in, however, things changed. For the first time in months, Cyllene actually called ME into HER office and spoke to me one on one. It made me feel so special I almost beamed, but I knew Cyllene hated it when I was affectionate so I kept myself calm. For her. “That boy isn’t to be trusted, Akari,” she told me. “His crazy ramblings about Dialga and Palkia and Giratina are all false. He’s crazy. He’s a danger to this village.”

“But why was Volo so weird around him?” I was fraught with worry. Cyllene was upset and there was nothing I could do.

“If you were in Volo’s position, would you not sprinkle in some lies with the truth to sway some people to do things that’d benefit you?” Cyllene asked.

“How could Volo benefit?” I stared up into her cool eyes. They had the answers.

“I don’t know,” Cyllene admitted. How devious of Volo to hide his intentions even from her! “But just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

We. She just said WE. I was so happy I could barely contain myself.

Then, came my new task. “I’ll make sure Laventon’s too busy to set up Rei’s trial,” Cyllene’s gaze drifted from his office to me, and I felt a surge of glee when her eyes met mine. “When he puts you in charge… make sure he fails, Akari. I’m trusting you to do this. For the safety of our village. And, for me.”

I would do that for her. Cyllene needed me, and I wouldn’t disappoint.