A/N: General trigger warning, this chapter gets somewhat dark and some scenes might be unpleasant to read.

DISTORTION II

The scream was long and drawn out, changing in pitch and volume all throughout. The Distortion World made it difficult to tell what kind of scream it was. I believed it to be fearful at first, given the fact that she was waking up in an unfamiliar and terrifying place, but her face said otherwise. Etched on her pale visage was something I could only describe as pure relief, and as her voice cracked and her lips curved into a smile that instinctively fanned the flame of rage inside of me, Mars' shoulders sagged and she panted loudly, thanking the Legendaries under her breath.

"That was nice," Mesprit said. "I love it when people are so emotionally overwhelmed that they just scream."

The new Mars was, as I'd described, the same as the last, if a little less perfect. Her brownish amber hair was nowhere as popping red. It reached down to her shoulders in waves and her body— her naked body was covered in deep and shallow scars that revealed to me she had been a fighter of my kind. Most of them were cuts like the ones on my left arm, but there were puncture scars on her stomach, and teeth marks on her right thigh and waist as deep as Cecilia had on her foreleg. Honestly, I found it a miracle that her face had been left unscathed besides the small scar above her right eyebrow. As soon as the weight of her situation settled in, the new Mars' hand went to Pokeballs that weren't there and her eyes sharpened like steel.

I knew people like her, because I was her.

This was a killer.

She cleared her throat, never losing her slight smirk. "Well, hello there Grace," she said, eliciting a frown. I hadn't expected her to know my name, let alone be this confident. "And Mesprit, of course. How could I forget?"

The Legendary waved. "Nice to meet you! I always enjoy interesting people," they said. "I must commend you, you're good at putting on masks to hide being terrified."

The woman's eye twitched, as did her fingers, but she recovered immediately, swaying her head from side to side. "That might be because I'm facing my judge, jury and potential executioner with no means to defend myself. I don't even have clothes! How embarrassing!" She placed her hands on her cheeks and squealed.

The bashfulness was clearly faked. She didn't care that she was naked one bit, but I still took off my coat and threw it at her. "Here."

She caught it, though not as fast as Mars would have. There'd been clumsiness to her movements. She touched the fabric with widening eyes, as if she'd forgotten what it felt like, then draped it around herself. It was big enough to reach her thighs, so it covered pretty much everything. "So are you going to kill me, or what?"

I crouched until we were at the same eye level, since she was sitting on the ground. "That's up to you, Mars. That trick Dusknoir pulled—"

"Natalia."

Stunned, I shook my head. "What?"

"Mars isn't my name. It's the name Cyrus picked for my clone after he found her," she said, lips flattening for a moment. The fact that this place was making it difficult for me to hone in on what she was truly feeling was pissing me off, but the texture of Mimi's soft body in my arms brought me back to earth. "I'm Natalia Ivanova. Now, may I ask where we are?"

"I wouldn't look up if I were you," Mesprit warned, right before Mars— Natalia observed the forest around us. "In fact, I would focus on Grace or myself. This is too entertaining for you to be distracted by how horrifying this place can be to your feeble human mind."

Mars looked down—

I caught myself. Thinking of her as anything else but Mars was proving difficult, but Mars looked down at her feet and pursed her lips. "Is anyone going to answer my question, or…?"

"I'll ask the questions around here," I growled. That damn smug look of hers was going to get on my nerves really fast. She was just like her. Yet I contained the rage within, and instead of asking 'give me a reason I shouldn't kill you right now', I clenched a fist. We were wasting time here, and I was considering having her walk with us to Azelf, but would she figure out a way to run? No, no, she needed us to escape and get back to the real world, but did she know that?

Mesprit's face was a few inches from mine to the side, as if they were enjoying this very much. No, first it was best to have this woman understand that without my word, she was doomed to rot in this hellworld for Arceus knew how long, where she would inevitably grow mad. Ten years at most, Mesprit had said, but I didn't know how time worked here, let alone death.

"Dusknoir spit you out by pulling energy from… from this world's ruler." No matter his motivations, saying that name out loud felt dangerous, especially when he was so close. "He's dead. Permanently. He sacrificed himself to bring you back."

She slowly ran a hand over her leg. "I figured he was gone when I had my body back. Tell me something I don't know."

I took a step forward and ground my teeth together. The urge to find one of the edges of the islands and to dump her over was something I could barely contain, with how confident she was acting. "I don't think you realize the position you're in. You're trapped in the Distortion World. That's the Dusk. Without me, you'll be stuck here, but maybe if you cooperate, I can—"

Damn it.

Damn it, damn it, damn it, I'd given the game away. I was acting way too desperate when I should have been the one in control, and she knew it. Had she pushed my buttons, used my hatred of Mars to get information out of me? It wasn't… the end of the world, but it was still annoying.

"You mean without me," Mesprit corrected with a huff. I ignored them.

I needed to get Mars off her feet. To have her take in this place so her mind could fray.

"Get up." I brusquely motioned at her with a hand. "You're coming with us, and I'm going to question you."

"How straightforward," she said with a shrug. "Sure."

Seeing her stumble when she stood brought me great pleasure. Not only had she not actually had a body in who knew how long, the Distortion world made it difficult to put one foot in front of the other. She leaned against one of the nearby trees to support herself and groaned when she realized how slimy they were. Then, she looked up at the twisted form of what this place called vegetation and her already pale skin turned as white as a sheet of paper. It was the little moments of weakness like these, that gave me the confidence to push on. Mars or not, she was defenseless, and her brain was just as human as mine. My fingers nervously kneaded over Mimi like dough until she was finally ready to walk.

Remember. You're in control.

"Follow me. We'll get Azelf back, and then be on our way," Mesprit said, before floating around both of us. "But don't let me interrupt your wonderful conversation and clash of emotions!"

"Get in front of me. Don't turn around, or I'll assume you're planning something and sic an angry Tyranitar at you so she can treat you like a chew toy," I said.

Mars innocently raised her hands, but she wasn't fooling anyone. Mesprit led us both deeper into the woods, whatever 'deeper' meant. It wasn't like I could tell the difference or the environment was changing. If I had to guess, Cyrus' order might have been to hide in the most annoying spot Azelf could find on short notice.

"Ask away, kid," she said.

"First off," I took a deep breath, "what's the deal with you and Dusknoir. And you better tell me everything, because I know when you lie."

Of course, I couldn't actually tell since it would send me into a panic attack, but she didn't need to know that. Mesprit's tails twitched, seemingly pleased with my half-truth.

"So you want my entire life story?" Mars asked, seemingly amused. "There's a joke in there about wining and dining me before getting everything out of me, but alas, you're too young."

My nose wrinkled in disgust. "Stop fucking playing." My hand hovered over Sweetheart's Pokeball, to Mimi's dismay. "Last chance."

Thankfully, she flinched first. Her giving up was accompanied by a disturbing creak in the trees despite none of them having moved even a centimeter, and I inched a little closer to her and Mesprit.

"Okay, I'll tell you… everything," she sighed, looking older than she, or at least her body was. Late teens, if I had to guess. "First, I guess you should get some context, if this is going to be a proper story."

"Great, she loves those!" Mesprit beamed with a little twirl.

"I was born in… well, I don't really know the exact year, but it was in Johto near the end of the war. Never knew my parents." I rolled my eyes thinking I was going to get some sort of sob story, but let her go on. "Pretty sure they died due to a bombing during Kanto's breakthrough around Mount Silver's flanks late in the war, or maybe the Zapdos that fried parts of Goldenrod, it was never really confirmed, but that doesn't really matter." She waved a hand and snorted. "I grew up in an orphanage, but I ran away when I was twelve or so. There are thousands of stories like mine, but I lived off the streets of Goldenrod and made friends with a Jigglypuff who'd perform to people in exchange for food."

I was… surprised that she would just go over meeting her first Pokemon so quickly, like it didn't even matter. Her being originally from Johto wasn't something I'd even begun to expect, given that neither she or Mars had had a distinguishable accent.

That was ignoring the bigger fact that she was… over seventy years old, technically. Either that, or right under.

"I joined him for a while. I'd dance and do tricks while he sang. Flips and the like." A seemingly genuine smile slipped on her face as she reminisced. At least that explained Mars' athleticism and coordination. "It worked for a while until you know, one thing leads to another and I realize Jigglypuff's good at making people do what he wants with his voice, and suddenly, I'm a wanted criminal for stealing around a bit!" she feigned a gasp, which was a horrible sound with the distortion on her voice.

"So you just immediately became a criminal?" I said.

"Well, yes. It was more money than I'd ever seen in my life. Unfortunately, when one becomes a criminal, it gets exceedingly difficult to actually get out of that life. You know I wasn't about to go to prison."

"Prison? Weren't you a kid?"

"I was twelve, but this was also post-war Johto. They don't fuck around," Mars said. "Or I guess didn't. Though looking back, I might have been offered an olive branch to put my skills to work, but I was a child. I was scared. So crime leads to more crime, and you know, I catch more Pokemon. First, an Oddish that was mighty useful at knocking people out en masse with powder moves, and I rob a breeding home and get myself a Vulpix. Wanted to sell her back at first, but I got attached."

"When does Dusknoir come in?" I asked, impatient.

The woman touched her fingers with a hand, and I could already picture the smug smirk on her face. "I thought you wanted everything? I'm trying to survive, here, it's important for you to get the full context so you judge me adequately."

"I was going to skip ahead anyway," Mars kept going with a shrug. "I guess I was around fifteen or so? When people started coming to me for jobs. I had a reputation around Johto for being good at stealing things." Her story kind of reminded me of Abel's, though the path they took was wildly different. "Most of my employers were other criminals, but sometimes I'd even get the clans to hire me for… well, you know."

"No. I don't know."

"Right, I forget that decades have passed. Kidnappings, mostly," she sighed. "I wonder if they still do those. Oh, I wasn't good enough to raid their strongholds or clan halls— I mean, the Blackthornes live in a fortress built into a mountain, and that's just one clan. But when they were in transit, they were free game. Tough work with their bodyguards, but nothing I couldn't handle. They liked to use kidnapped children prodigies as bargaining chips, especially when they were recovering their numbers from the war. Most of it was just play fighting, really, except when they asked me to go after the Kantoan clans. Their governments were supposed to be working toward unification, but you don't remove centuries of bad blood with a fucking treaty." She turned her face slightly sideways, so she could see me out of the corner of her eye. "I guess I was around your age when I committed my first murder."

I swallowed. "And what are you implying?"

"I'm just trying to find some common ground between us."

I pushed her forward, and she nearly bumped against a tree. "Keep looking in front. I'm nothing like you."

"Okay. Can I continue, at least, or are you just going to slit my throat already?"

I grunted in affirmation.

"Now me, I had no loyalties. I was basically a mercenary, hitman, cleaner, or whatever you want to call it. So eventually the smell of money attracted me to Kanto, where I did some jobs for Team Rocket, who was blowing up in the post war years. Nothing like misery and poverty to make organizations like them swell in members. Never joined 'em, mind you. Once they realized I wasn't, they tried to kill me to eliminate the competition, and I did a little oopsie that kind of forced me to flee the region entirely."

"What little oopsie?"

"I, uh, killed an Administrator, and Madame Boss put a hit on my head that had even some of the clans looking to kill me." Some clans had been working with Team Rocket? What a mess. "Anyway, next thing I know I'm running for my life every day, and this is where I got the majority of these." She turns my way again and points toward a scar on her leg, but before I could say anything her back was facing me once more. "I get on a boat to Sinnoh. I mean it's either that or Hoenn, but Hoenn's a bitch to get to while Sinnoh had their borders basically open because there was a famine going on after an Articuno wrecked the place, and there had basically been a little ice age up there." She laughed, pausing for a few moments. "I get it, though! Better shirk off your masses to Johto so you can actually feed whoever remains."

I didn't know very much about history outside Sinnoh and some Unovan thanks to having read some books with Buddy, but even then I knew who Madame Boss, or Sidonia Campione, was. She'd been Team Rocket's founder who had seen the post-war chaos and used it as an opportunity to get rich, and she did, becoming one of the wealthiest people to have ever existed. That was, of course, until her son Giovanni coup'ed her and turned Team Rocket into a fascist, ultranationalist Kantoan organization angry at their 'equal' status with Johto that still kept its mafia roots. Him being the leader was something that was only discovered much later, though. He'd been the Viridian City Gym Leader. The thought of a country with such disunity made my head spin.

A funny thing was, the change in leadership was when the government actually started to try dealing with them, and even then, it was only Lance who had ripped off the band-aid and started a campaign to end them no matter the cost just two years after ascending to his position.

"Fire, Ice and Thunder can get a little feisty sometimes," Mesprit said before stopping. They closed their eyes, which shone so bright they were visible through their eyelids, and pointed to the left. We followed after them. "They held back because extinction was off the table, since that's against the Rules. Still, I really thought they were going to wipe you lot back to the stone age!" Mesprit giggled. "Fire and Thunder wanted to, but Ice would have tattled and involved Lugia."

Mars' face darkened at that, and I rubbed my neck uncomfortably. Information on Lugia was a lot more obscured than what experts called its counterpart in Ho-oh. People did see it every few decades all over the world when it came back up from the depths of the ocean. The last time it had surfaced was before I'd been born. I remembered from history class that Leo Florentius had been the Champion, both during and after the war. I remembered seeing his portrait when I'd visited the part of the Hall of Fame at the League, or at least the bit available to the public. He'd been a dark-eyed man with sleek, pulled back hair and a Salamence by his side. Somewhat like Craig, if a little more sinister looking.

His legacy had been tarnished by how badly he handled the famine, but it would still take decades for Gabriel Radetic to take his place.

Even though I hated Mars, it was at times like these that I realized how chaotic the post-war years must have been. All of the dead, the lawlessness, the disarray, having to bring humanity back from the brink of societal collapse, and having to go to sleep at night knowing that it might happen again any day now. And to think that had been them holding back. Today, humanity knew better than to start a senseless war over some border dispute, or at least I hoped so.

And to think that we were currently dealing with forces above those who had nearly ended us. At least the conversation was distracting me from this horrifying place. It was maybe just me, but the forest was subtly changing. The trees were growing thicker and the space between them tighter, almost like they wanted to suffocate us.

Mars explained how her arrival in Sinnoh was marked with her deciding to lay low. She lived in a cabin off-route near the woods east of Sandgem, which was the city she'd arrived at. Instantly, I was reminded of the cabin I'd been in when fighting her over control for Mesprit, with all the trinkets and heirlooms from people she had killed.

"I was still doing some work, but I was laying low. There are two kinds of mercenaries, you know?" She held up her hand in a 'V' sign. "Those who foster a reputation to get more jobs and money quickly. A lot of them want to retire early in Alola or some bullshit like that, but it's not like their old rivals and enemies won't pay to see them killed. Tropical paradise full of war criminals or not, you'd have to stay on your toes the rest of your life to see if someone you screwed over comes knocking some day." She shuddered when a tree pulsated next to her. "Though I guess these days, those war criminals must have croaked. Their kiddies and grandkids must be running around, though. Isn't that a funny thought," Mars snorted. "Second, there are the mercs who don't care about any of that. The ones you never hear about, who are only hired through word of mouth. They make money slower, but it's a lot safer overall. I decided to go with the second option, this time, since the first one nearly bit me in the ass. Or wait, it did!" She lifted her jacket, showing off the massive bite mark on her.

Her 'humor' was getting on my nerves.

So she had worked quiet jobs. That, plus her being so old explained a lot about Sinnoh's government not knowing about who she was. The fact that she skimmed over a lot of them, it was easy to see that murder was involved. When she spoke about it, she seemed proud of her job. "I liked it, for a while. I was good at it," she would say with a wide smile. She seemed oblivious to the fact that I was judging her for it, or maybe she just didn't care, which was surprising. I believed she would have been better at manipulating me, but talking about her job appeared to be a blind spot of some sort. She couldn't keep herself from looking satisfied with what she'd done, and her steps gained confidence with each success story.

"Eventually, I stumbled across a Duskull when I was working on scoping out a job near Hearthome. Figured he was a spy at first, so I killed him and bailed, but he somehow found me again a few months later. He was just… hanging around in the cabin, really. Later, when I asked what about me intrigued him, he said that I had an aura of death around me. Like, he could tell I killed a lot of people, and he wanted someone like that because he was too weak to do it himself. 'Figured he was funny and I wanted someone like that. Ninetales could always translate whatever the hell it was he was saying."

I bit my lip when she stopped to take a shaky breath. Even she wasn't immune to the pain of recounting painful events.

"The reason he wanted me was because he could harvest the souls of the people I killed to make himself stronger faster. For around two years, everything went well, and he was a Dusclops when it all went wrong." She swayed her head to the side and sighed. "I can't blame it entirely on him, though. I was at fault, too."

"What happened?" I demanded.

"He wanted more souls, he wanted to grow faster, and I accepted. I took more jobs without laying low in between because everything had been easy up to that point, and that implied more risk. You know, it only takes one bad job. One bad decision for it all to blow up in your face." She exhaled heavily before continuing. "I got a cold splash of water on my face and came across a trainer who was stronger than I was. It got Wigglytuff killed."

I blinked. "You didn't die?"

"Not yet. I didn't even get hurt. But my starter's death made me decide to retire. It's enough to knock the wind out of your sails and make you go from the top of the world to the deepest depths of hell. Dusclops had other ideas. He wanted to evolve, and he was just so close, but I forbade him. I told him that if he went out without my permission and came back a Dusknoir, he'd be on his own from now on for endangering us."

For endangering us, not because she was done with killing. As harsh as it may have been, I believed that the death of a Pokemon might have changed who she was, and could be.

"Now it's getting interesting!" Mesprit clapped their hands. "Go on!"

"Dusclops had grown obsessed with me. He never connected much with the rest of the team other than me, and that was partly my fault. He was split between the need to evolve and wanting my attention and love," Mars said dryly. "So he decided he would have both. I would always use him as a guard at night so he could keep watch around the cabin, and even more so now that I thought I had someone after me, but when I woke up, he was a Dusknoir standing right next to me. The next thing I know, I'm dead."

"Just… just like that?"

She snapped her finger, a twisted sound that carried further than it should have. "Just like that. I don't know why he waited for me to wake up. Maybe he was psyching himself up to do it, but in the end, he stole my soul, and he did the same for the rest of my Pokemon later. He'd even taken Wigglytuff's, which he hadn't told me." Her first clenched, digging nails into her palms. "I knew he lusted for power— I knew it was why he had joined me in the first place, but I never thought he would go this far. Now he and I were linked forever."

"We're almost there," Mesprit said. Azelf was close.

"So you've been trapped inside Dusknoir since then?" I asked.

"Yes. He was less of a dick about it than he could have been. It didn't hurt, and he let me see through his eyes most days. He liked using that as a bargaining chip later on. Sometimes I'd get to talk to the people who fell in, too, before the pain started for them. You go a little insane when all you have is you and your thoughts… but I held on. For Mars."

Right. Natalia. She was Natalia. Her being able to see and hear from Dusknoir's perspective explained the fact that she knew my name, though. Mars no doubt blabbered about me non-stop to any who would listen.

"Dusky used pieces of me to recreate his ideal version of me. The first few attempts were… abominations. Barely human, malformed and they looked like they'd fit right in here." Natalia gestured around the woods. "They only ever lasted a few hours, but he got better at it, slowly but surely. Every instance of her, he would wipe her memories and drop in shitty situations so he could swoop in and save her to better control her from the jump. He would bring back my Pokemon, too, though none of them behaved like they used to. I could never talk with her unless he carried her inside of him, which he almost never did, and even then, he just made her forget every time, so I gave up."

I wanted to fight her on this, but how? There was nothing she could have done.

"So I gave in, much to Dusky's pleasure. I played the role, acted like I supported everything he did in hopes that I would at least get some leniency. And I did… I did really support every Mars. They were just kids who didn't know any better."

"They were mass murderers."

"Who were manipulated and groomed by all around them," she sharply answered. "But it doesn't matter, now. They're gone."

"How many of them were there?"

"Twenty-three in total," Natalia said. "The latest was the best iteration and might have actually made it twenty years before shriveling up and dying. I don't think I'll last that long."

We killed Mars before she could even hope to die of old age, thank the Legendaries. "And where does Team Galactic fit into this? How did Dusknoir meet Cyrus?"

"Dusknoir still wasn't satisfied with the clones he made of me. Not only was he trying to make them immortal, they were too… too cartoonish. He wanted a killer, yes, someone he could manipulate, yes but not a child, and he was going to use the New World to change her to what he wanted. To really make me without any of the bits he disliked. As for Cyrus—"

"There!" Mesprit screamed with a hand pointed forward.

This place was no different than the endless stretch of forest which had come before. There was no clearing, no extra spacing in the trees, no light shining down Azelf. Instead, the Guardian was floating next to one of the trees, curled up in a ball with their eyes closed. They were perfectly still. Not even their two tails were swaying. Mesprit dashed their sibling's way with bright eyes and happiness eschewed on their face.

"He met Dusknoir by complete coincidence," Natalia finished. "He found Cyrus while he was exploring some ruins dedicated to the Lake Guardians near route 216." She nudged her chin toward the two Legendaries. "Cyrus beat him, but you know how he talks a fuck ton?"

"Uh, I guess?"

"Dusknoir heard about this New World thing while he was being beaten to death and it intrigued him. The rest is history, even if they never did fully trust each other. Dusky couldn't have cared less about the world itself. Just me."

Just like Mesprit, the world around Azelf filled in with brilliant colors as the Guardian slowly blinked and awoke. Before they could even talk, Emotion grabbed them by the neck— never mind, that was a hug, albeit a forceful one. Azelf's annoyed groans were overshadowed by Mesprit's giggles as they tumbled through the air.

"Azelf, Azelf, Azelf!" Mesprit laughed. "I missed you!"

Finally, Willpower managed to tear their sibling's hands away. They didn't look annoyed like I figured they'd be. In fact, they looked quite satisfied. I thought there'd be some catching up to do, but Azelf instantly grasped the situation, as if just being in the Distortion World was enough to understand everything what was happening.

"None of this would have happened if you hadn't been a meanie to your Shard." Mesprit hung on Azelf's shoulder from behind, their cheek rubbing against their sibling's head. "You picked her already, what's the point of giving her the cold shoulder?"

"She died. She is no longer a Champion," Azelf brusquely said. "Shards leave you after death. In my controlled state, I simply could not recognize her. Of course I would have opened the door had I done so. And she no longer properly embodies Willpower, now. Her mindset has drastically changed."

"She—" I stopped when the God stared at me, tongue-tied. It was hard to defend my girlfriend when I was getting glared at by the embodiment of Willpower. Mimi hid behind strands of my hair.

"But you still dislike her when she's entertaining, at least!" Mesprit smiled, clinging tighter to Azelf. "You should be friends!"

"Absolutely not."

Mesprit sighed. "You're such a killjoy!" They flew my way, snatching Mimi from my shoulder. "Here, hold this ingot, it'll make you feel better and cheer you up!" Mesprit shoved Mimi into Azelf's hands.

"Wha—" Azelf held the steel type, staring at them intently. Mimi trembled under their gaze with distressed squeals. Azelf's face turned utterly calm, and their tails intertwined together until they realized what was happening. "Mesprit, what is this?! Why does it hold so much power over me?! It's just Meltan!"

"That's ingot."

"They're Mimi, actually…" I tried to correct. Meltan shrunk in Azelf's grip. Being so close to their judging eyes was uncomfortable. "And I'd like it if you gave them back to me."

"Ingot's a very nice and soft Pokemon," Mesprit said, ignoring Mimi's name. They grabbed the steel type again and gave them back to me. "But it doesn't like you, apparently. Not like it likes me."

"Wh—what?"

"Our connection is special. Don't be jealous, Azelf," Mesprit chided in a condescending tone. "Not everyone can be as charming with mortals as I am. I'll be your ingot from now on!" They latched to their sibling's back once more.

While the two played around a bit, Natalia offered me a passing glance. "So? Do I pass and get to live?"

I closed my eyes and listened to Mimi warble in my ear.

Break the cycle. That was what our bond meant.

Yes. I would be a hypocrite if I just killed her now after telling Zoroark to give up on his endless war. "I'm handing you off to the League." Hopefully they'd keep her for a while.

Natalia didn't look entirely satisfied with that answer, but she knew it to be better than the alternative, so she simply grunted in affirmation.

Now that Mesprit was finally done, Azelf sighed. "Fine. Then let's go find Uxie…"

—

This place.

The endless expanse of sky was a gradient of darkening hues, from soft silver at the horizon to a charcoal canopy overhead that masked the shapes of the swirling clouds. Cecilia could see the thin, blackened veins that littered this place, hiding under every rock, floor or tree. They throbbed and vibrated with each of her steps, though she had long stopped walking. For all this place made her feel at ease and welcome, like a rest stop after a long, arduous walk, even she could not hide from the madness that lurked in every corner. When she had first scouted the edges of the moderately-sized island she was currently on, she had gotten the urge to JUMP JUMP JUMP JUMP JUMP JUMP YOU ARE UNWORTHY YOU ARE WORTHLESS NO ONE WILL EVER LOVE YOU AGAIN YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED DEAD— she clenched at her forehead and closed her eyes so she could stop her head from spinning. She'd almost gotten up on her lonesome, but Toxicroak and Talonflame were here for her. With a retracted claw, Toxicroak held a hand over Cecilia's shoulder while Talonflame gently pecked her leg.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

They were so good to her, even after she had betrayed them. Was she deserving of such love, after failing them again and again?

Those thoughts were thankfully not as loud as they had been, so she chased them to the corner of her mind, but she found that keeping the negative sentiments in a locked box had grown exponentially more difficult after her resurrection. It was as if they could act independently and come out of her mouth by their lonesome, now.

"Thank you, darlings," she said, stroking Talonflame's back. She would have done the same to Toxicroak, had the fighting type not been prickly about physical contact due to her dry skin. Plus, she was rather jumpy, as one should be in this place. Talonflame was handling the mental toll of being in the Dusk much better than her companion.

Yes, she had figured it out. Beyond her gut feeling, it had been easy enough after she'd seen a group of ghosts hiding below an overhang that swallowed all light. She had tried to talk to them, but they'd let her know that she was not welcome. That had been expected. She was, after all, an abomination stuck between the mind of a ghost and a girl. That thought was another one she would have usually kept to unfurl later. Her clawed face stung when she grimaced.

"We can't stay here, can we?" No, she could not. Just as she was stuck here, the others were as well, and they would grow mad, sooner or later. There was no particular direction she had in mind, nor did she actually know where she was going, but having a plan and doing something was better than rotting here with her thoughts.

Mira's hyperfixation on that waste of oxygen of an uncle was worrisome, but unlike Grace, at least she was fresh. She had made it up the mountain with minimal fighting, and the mental fatigue wasn't as high. Grace, though, was tired. The kind of tired that gnawed at your very bones and spirit like a parasite.

Maylene…

The worry that should have been there for her was completely absent, as if it had never existed in the first place, and she could not conjure it either. It was not as if Cecilia wanted harm to befall upon her, even if that niceness of hers was so grating (that might change when, or if she saw her again). She wished that she was safe and sound. It was simply as if Cecilia had forgotten how to worry for her.

The Unovan stood, pushing herself up with her cold, numb hands, and worked to keep her feet steady against the throbbing earth. Talonflame tilted her head and squawked, as if to ask how she was going to navigate.

"It will have to be Zolst," she deadpanned. Her Talonflame was, after all, too small to fly on. "We'll have to go slow and use you as a lab Rattata, I'm afraid, but I'll recall you if anything goes wrong. I'm sorry to ask so much of you again."

Hydreigon's name had Toxicroak shiver in doubt, then croak out what Cecilia had learned were obscenities. Even Talonflame, as level-headed as she usually was, appeared skittish. Her talons sharp scraped harshly against the ground.

"He will be angry," Cecilia agreed. "It is his right to be angry and to never think of me as a worthy trainer again, but he is our only hope."

They knew she was correct. Before heading to any edges, she would have to familiarize Zolst with this place, which was going to be tough. The dragon's Pokeball felt heavy with the weight of her sins, yet he was released all the same. The last thing the Hydreigon remembered was being released on the seventh layer to be told that she had indeed survived, but before that, he had thrown his entire body toward Lehmhart for daring to execute her plan, or in other words, her suicide.

Fury lined Zolst's eyes, and the dragon snarled at her, sending globules of spit at her clothes and bandaged face. Teeth snapped inches from her face, and she could see the beginning of a Dragon Pulse gathering in his central head. This was, of course, all for show, so she barely even flinched. When he noticed where they were, he stopped, eyes squinting, and stared at his surroundings with his six wings fluttering nervously. His heads twitched uncomfortably, and it was her hand on his cheek that calmed him for a moment.

"I don't expect you to forgive me. That's okay." His scales were coarse and rough, but they centered her. Her finger passed over the groove of a wound given to him by Skuntank on his neck. "But at least help me. Please."

His eyes stayed cold and angry at her, and one of his mouths pulled her hand away from his neck. She felt the teeth dig into her, poking through the fabric of her coat and inner layers. Yet Cecilia knew from the look in his eyes, that he had accepted to help, even though their issues were not over.

She didn't deserve her Pokemon.

"Thank you. This place, it's…"

Cecilia explained to him that this was the Dusk, with Talonflame and Toxicroak's help, and she warned Hydreigon of the way it could affect him. Their species were unstable Pokemon, often prone to bouts of rage and destruction, so crossing was going to be tough. She might need to recall him after each one so he could rest and recuperate in his Pokeball.

The nearest island they'd spotted was a similar side to this one, with rivers that went nowhere, yet everywhere, and that changed positions every time she stopped paying attention, reshaping the landscape on a whim in a way that made her head hurt. Trees grew out of the water, their hair-like leaves barely above the riverline, but she couldn't pay too much attention. Out of sight, out of mind. Not a very accurate statement, given that this place had a way of worming its madness into you even if you weren't paying any attention to it. Everyone had their limit. Eventually, you would go insane. It was just a matter of when.

Having recalled Toxicroak so she could take a breather, and looking directly at Hydreigon instead of the emptiness ahead, Cecilia ordered Talonflame to fly to the island in front of them, Pokeball in hand. It was now, that she was forced to LOOK at it, as if her face had been wrested and locked in one direction. LOOK, the Dusk yelled at her. LOOK and allow despair to take you, and why not? Who else would she have after this was over? What had all of this fighting brought her other than opportunities to disappoint the people she cared about? She should JUMP and get it over with—

A roar from Hydreigon snapped her back to reality. Flight in this dimension was an awkward and difficult affair, and even taming the winds could only do so much against an ever-changing gravity. Talonflame took it slow, but even then, she was flipped on her head and starting falling upward until Cecilia recalled her. It was awful and time consuming, but they needed to figure out a safe passage— and that was if the air was going to sit still and not permanently change like it looked it was doing.

After ten minutes or so of trial and error, a somewhat stable corridor was found. Not wanting to let her chance slip her by, she hoisted herself on top of Hydreigon and the dark type took flight.

Ever so suddenly,

Every direction she turned looked the same, an infinite expanse of nothingness that offered no solace, no escape, no sense. The feeling of emptiness was profound, a gnawing void that settled deep in her chest. It was as if the very essence of the Distortion World was leeching away at her soul. It was a soul made of COWARDICE, for she had seen the possibilities lurking within. Three other paths laid out in front of her, when she had witnessed Dialga. The silence was absolute; a deafening quiet that pressed against her ears and made her own thoughts echo painfully within her mind. There were no sounds of life, no whispers of wind, just an all-encompassing void that swallowed every noise but the whispers of the distant spirits that tormented her. Cecilia did her best to ignore the confusing geometries below of islands folding onto themselves as gravity pulled her and Hydreigon to the side. Her hands tightly gripped his upper wings and she nearly hurled when Zolst was thrown like a ragdoll, yet her grip was made of iron.

Zolst crashed into a river, and the force of the impact sent her tumbling deep into the water. It was dark, so, so dark. Opening her eyes only revealed a swathe of dark gray currents and bubbles swarming every inch around her head. Water seeped past her bandages, into her wounds and became a part of her, something fuzzy wrapped around her ankles and wrists.

FACE IT.

YOU BELONG HERE.

She fought against it. Pushed and pulled in every direction until exhaustion took hold of her and all of the air in her lungs was gone. She yelled for Zolst, a wordless scream swallowed by the seemingly endless water. It was dragging her down, down, down into the depths that never ended.

BREATHE.

Cecilia thrashed, but she was going to have to. Her chest felt like it was caving itself in, her lungs begged for relief, the pounding of her heart echoed in her ears and her muscles felt so tight.

BREATHE.

What was going to happen when she did? Not just drown. This water wasn't normal, it would take her and change her. What was happening to Zolst?

BREA—

Something cold spread across her body, focused at the end of her limbs, and her slimy shackles shattered like glass. Screams spread throughout the water, and Cecilia gazed upwards. She was no longer sinking— in fact, the surface was growing closer to her on its own. She could tell with the subtle gloom the sky above carried, a light gray to clash against the blackness around her.

She emerged from the water and slumped against the harsh shore, hard enough to nearly scrape the skin off her elbows and arms. She felt a nibble on the back of her head and sighed in relief when she recognized the pattern of Zolst's teeth. He was okay. She coughed for what seemed like an eternity, unable to chase the strange aftertaste out of her mouth. Neither her clothes nor her skin was actually wet, but countless slimy fibers of dark hair left the back of her throat with each cough. Around her wrists and legs were the frozen remains of the same hair-like substance making up the leaves of the trees. Her hand went to her Pokeballs and was glad to see them still on her belt.

When Cecilia finally turned around, she found the outline of a familiar face, fading at her edges. Froslass hovered barely an inch above ground, her spectral form flickering with an eerie, diminished light. Spirits and darkened smoke continuously bled off of her like a sieve leaking water, but with a heavy… well, not breath, but something akin to it, they solidified and clung to her form.

She had nearly died again, or worse, but Cecilia barely reacted. She knew she was still flesh and blood, that she could still die just as easily as a normal human, but the fear of it was gone, so there was no elation or relief when she spoke. "Froslass?" It was a species' name, yet the word carried specific meaning. The difference between a name and a Name. "Is that you?"

The ghosts' head nodded a fraction of an inch, as if each movement conserved energy.

"Thank you for saving me, but how—" Another series of coughs interrupted her. "How did you find me?"

Froslass lethargically moved an arm up and pointed her way. Me? Cecilia thought. Had she had another ghost, they might have been able to communicate, but as it stood, she had no idea what Froslass was saying. Slowking could have perhaps worked, but he was unconscious and severely wounded. Hydreigon growled at Froslass, not aggressively, but in a curious, less gravely tone, and she slowly motioned at the ground, as if to tell them to stay put for the time being. So they listened, and since there was strength in numbers, she released Talonflame and Toxicroak again, who were glad to see that she was still alive after her crossing.

She did not know how much time passed, and they spent it by having Cecilia talk about her trek up the mountain, but Froslass was looking a tad healthier now. More solid. Still, she had possibly delayed her revival by days to save her, and it showed in how weak she still appeared. The ice type slowly raised an arm and traced a letter in the air. Then another, and another, and for once, Cecilia was glad that Lopunny had been so engrossed in online culture that the rest of Denzel's team had acquired bits and pieces of it through osmosis. It helped with the shortened letters.

Ppl not sposed 2 b here. Spirits talk, like mind melds, lashing out. They point me the right way.

"Okay. Okay," she repeated, with a bit more force. Exhausting, when not directed at hating someone else or herself. "There must be news about the others, then?"

Froslass' tired eyes twitched, and she looked annoyed that she would have to use her arms again.

Heard Grace and Mira r traveling with Guardians. Safe. Maylene and Charon solo.

Cecilia clicked her tongue. Why even bring Charon into this, as if she would waste her energy trying to find him? Mira, bless her heart, was going to go after him regardless. Years of her quest had culminated to this very moment, and she would not let even the Dusk get in-between her and her uncle.

"Are you implying," she coldly began. "That I should try to find Maylene?"

Froslass slowly shrugged, while Talonflame cawed while flapping her wings, as if to say that obviously they should go after the defenseless girl without her Pokemon with her. Even Toxicroak, that traitor, just crossed her arms and nodded. Since he was still pissed at her, Zolst also agreed, knowing that it would annoy her. Cecilia felt the bones at her neck give, and her head tilted to the side more than what was healthy as she breathed out a heavy, tired sigh.

"Do you know where she is?"

Froslass answered with a coy smirk. I can figur tht out 4 u =)

How like her, to expend energy on a smiley.

—

Nowhere to stay.

Nowhere to hide.

Maylene's efforts to make a place to stay hidden had been met with failure. Through her fear, she channels aura to her fingers. Wisps of cold, blue light that seems to chase away the faded colors of this place. Her fingers dug, dug, dug into the stone like it was made of sand, yet it kept reforming around her. She needs a hole to crawl in. A hole to stay still. A hole to stay away from THEIR EYES. The feeling of being seen was everywhere at once, all around her. She hated being seen, hated being the center of attention, hated the way they talked about her performance. Was she worthy? Was she enough? Did she live up to the expectations of her father? Day in and day out spent working, and she still felt like she didn't. That she never would.

She heard them laugh. Giggle like they enjoyed her suffering. The threats, the hatred, the way she could feel each individual stare when she battled, it all came back like a wave crashing over her.

So Maylene dug, and when that stopped working, she punched until the ground shook and lashed out at her with the twisted laugh of her audiences back at the Gym. She could see their faces in the earth, smiles stretching up unnaturally long. How much time had she been digging? Her hands and fingers felt numb, but again, she was too strong to feel any pain beyond discomfort. So fake. You're like an egg, her father would say. You look tough, but you're soft inside and too easy to crack, and just with words at that. Get up. Start over. Her head hung in shame, and she replied, "yes sir!"

START OVER.

She dug.

START. OVER.

She dug.

START! OVER!

She failed to dig and sobbed.

TOO EASY TO CRACK. WE'LL CONTINUE TOMORROW.

"There you are."

Maylene froze, but she had been too entranced to scream. For what had felt like an eternity, she had forgotten where she was, and that her Dad hadn't even been behind her. Why would he even want her to dig? Maylene's hand went up to her face, which she found out was wet. The Gym Leader turned sharply and raised her fists and found Cecilia standing behind her, her Hydreigon, Talonflame and Toxicroak in tow, along with what looked like an exhausted-looking Froslass slumped against the ground.

"No need to act all threatening," Cecilia said. Her voice was… wrong, but seeing a familiar face was still more than Maylene could have hoped for. "Or are you going to strike me?"

The displeasure on her face was clear. In other, non world-defining event circumstances, Maylene might have said something, but not only that, but she had also died and came back. That fact, plus the fact that they were in some kind of strange dimension (the dilapidated Froslass had her thinking it was the Dusk, but she wasn't certain) meant that she could always forgive.

Having already lowered her fists, Maylene answered, "I'm… sorry, I was seeing and hearing things. You startled me."

Cecilia frowned. "Maybe I should have waited for you to tear your fingers off, then."

"That's not what I—"

The dark-skinned Unovan took a few commanding steps forward. Cecilia towered over her, even when her back and shoulders were hunched and her neck was craned down at her. Maylene remembered doing some reading on Cecilia's family, before she even got involved with the League, because her brother was Mark Obel. Anyone would have been at least somewhat curious. The Obels were a family of giants, with even the women often growing over six feet tall. Cecilia had not been an exception to that rule, and the white eyes and the bloody, bandaged face made her even more intimidating.

Maylene could have snapped her in half if she wanted, even in her tired state, but she was still unnerving.

"Listen, I— we've gotten off the wrong foot since your death." Arceus, it felt weird to say that, but was true. To Grace at least, she was still relatively normal, though with some quirks, but to her? "But like, I think we can start over and figure out—"

"No."

"...no?"

"No," Cecilia said again. "Now, there are two options available to us. I have petitioned Denzel's Froslass—" Who was dead, so this was definitely the Dusk. "—and she can communicate with dead ghosts or spirits to figure out where the others are. They are safe."

Maylene's breathed a sigh of relief at that. She hadn't had the opportunity to worry, but the thought of Grace going as insane as she had been made her queasy. That girl had many demons ready to be unburied. She felt bad for not worrying for Mira as much, but she knew her far less.

"She needs time to rest regardless, but we either we wait here for them to reach us, which they should be able to with Mesprit and Uxie, or we could use the last of their energy to try to get closer to one of them."

Froslass rolled her eyes and slumped even further, but nodded.

"What about Azelf?" Maylene asked.

She saw her Pokemon freeze first, and then Talonflame patted a wing on her trainer's lower back. She only realized she'd put a foot in her mouth when Cecilia's face contorted into a mixture of pain and rage.

"Why, thank you for reminding me of my failures," she sharply hissed. "No matter what happened to Azelf, they won't come for me. They hate me. The little potential I had, I squandered by giving up when fighting Jupiter, and I lost nearly my entire Shard for it. I might have doomed the world because of it."

She stared down at her feet. "Sorry. That's not what I meant, I was just wondering."

Silence settled in. Creeping doubts came back to haunt her, and she hugged herself in a search for comfort.

"Just… decide," Cecilia said.

For the first time in a long while, Maylene gazed past Cecilia and observed the expanse beyond her small, featureless island. A pit in her stomach formed, and she felt a sudden pull. In a way, her nightmarish visions of her father might have saved her from a worse fate. And she'd crossed it on her Hydreigon? Without a harness, or without losing herself to… to everything?

Maylene wasn't sure if she was capable of that feat.

"We can wait, if that's not too much. I don't think I can handle going out there," she muttered.

"I offered you the choice, so yes, you're good," Cecilia said. She dropped down on the floor so suddenly Maylene thought she was passing out, but instead, she decided to sit. The floor vibrated below her, but she didn't seem to care much.

After her episode, Maylene wanted the least amount of contact with the ground possible. Cecilia stayed silent, hugging her knees and eyes blinking too few times to be natural. It reminded her of Grace in battle, though the cause was different here. Maylene had seen how intense her stare could get when she was fighting during the battle with Mars or with Saturn, where she managed to keep track of so much it would have been dizzying for her without aura.

Silence settled in for the two of them, though the Pokemon kept speaking among themselves. Hydreigon kept sneaking in enraged stares at his trainer while Talonflame and Toxicroak mostly chatted together in a way that made her miss her own Pokemon. Even if it felt good being around people, the silence was awkward. Maylene had always been an extrovert. She had to be, or her father never would have let her hear the end of it. Silence in a conversation, to her, was the sign of her screwing up somewhere.

"Did you… did you see those visions? About, um, alternate timelines, I think those were?" She fiddled her thumbs and fingers, waiting for an answer, but Cecilia just quietly stared up ahead. "I did. It was— it feels like a dream now, but I know the three other me's were real. I spoke to them."

Finally, a reaction, though a subtle one. Cecilia glanced her way. "You too, then? What… when did it split, for you?"

"It's a bit weird," she said. "Actually, thinking back on it, it makes sense, but in the moment, I guess I didn't know she had such an impact on me. Grace, that is."

Her companion's eye twitched, and she went back to staring off into the distance. "Of course, that's it," she muttered, just loud enough to hear. Then, she scoffed. "Your Gym Battle."

Just when Maylene had been about to keep going, their island began to shake and move, as if it had a mind of its own. It was difficult to tell which direction it was going exactly. Maylene struggled to figure out if it was up, down, right or left. She'd lost all sense of direction. It was too late to even contemplate moving, now. Getting off the island when it was moving was basically suicide, according to Cecilia, and she'd been the one to travel in-between them, so Maylene was inclined to believe her.

"I kept— kept ending up different depending on how Grace battled me, I guess. One of them, she was nice and lost, the other, she…" Maylene stopped. It hadn't been her, that beatdown had happened to, but it still angered her just thinking about it. "She did something way worse than what happened in our timeline. I don't want to talk about it or believe that was her." She gulped, remembering how that Maylene had screamed at her for even daring to think of Grace as a friend. "The other, she didn't come to battle me at all," Maylene finished.

"And?"

"And what?"

Cecilia ran a hand over Talonflame's feathers, and the flying type let out a satisfied coo that the Distortion World turned into an unpleasant, awful grind. "Did it teach you anything about yourself?"

"Well, that I made the right choice taking a break regardless, given how the one that didn't ended up so… hollowed out." Maylene barely recognized her own self, with how exhausted she had carried herself. "And that Grace could have been my worst enemy or one of my best friends. Closer than even Nia or Candice, apparently." That Maylene had really, really liked Grace.

Though implying that she wasn't already one felt unpleasant. She had to hold back, though, they'd only really gotten to know each other for a week.

Arceus, a single week— or even less if you only counted their ascent up the mountain when they'd met up. It felt like years.

"What about yours?" She quickly cleared her throat with a fist in front of her mouth. "If you don't mind sharing."

Again, Maylene was met with silence, leaving her only with the Dusk's discomforting, howling winds, but it only lasted about twenty seconds until Toxicroak shook her head in disappointment.

"It's not like there's anything else to do," Cecilia said. "Mine is, for better or worse, not linked with Grace at all," she finished that sentence through gnashing teeth. "Though she was present at the time. I used to have this friend, Amy Saunier, who I grew up with. It would be more accurate to call her a Seviper."

Amy Saunier… didn't really ring a bell.

"Who she is doesn't matter," Cecilia said, as if she could read her confusion. "What she did to me is what matters, and how I responded to it."

Maylene had known about Cecilia's attempt to escape to Mount Coronet back when she'd been in Eterna City, since it had made the news. Trainers lost in a cave with no confirmation of whether they were dead or alive made for a very good story, as awful as that sounded. She also knew now that Cecilia had spent so many months talking about her father's abuse that it was him, who had pushed her to run.

What she hadn't known, was that it had been a failed suicide attempt. She'd never mentioned that in any of the interviews or online posts she'd made on the matter.

"Amy, that snake," she seethed, "told me that Abel was going to come for me, and that I could either surrender or be subject to mind control. My reaction to this news is where the split happened." A clenched fist shook above her thigh. "Did you know, that of the three, I am the only one who gave up?"

Before Maylene could even say anything, Cecilia kept rambling, more animated than she'd been since she had found her. "Oh, all of them ran away, of course, but not to die. One took Grace with her, and they stayed on the run for months while our friends helped us with supplies by dropping them off for us. The other went alone, without saying anything— planning to fake her death to protect her friends, and the last also went alone, after telling her friends why she was doing so." She was nearly out of breath. "All of them hoped to come back eventually, when they were stronger or the government or police actually did something. I ran off in hopes of dying. I just… gave up."

"But you fought back!" Maylene tried. "You—"

"Don't give me that. You don't know a thing about me."

Maylene's head jerked back, as if she'd been struck. "I know a thing or two about bad fathers," she glowered. Calling him abusive… no, that felt wrong. It made her feel guilty. "I—I understand being suffocated until you want to run away, even if— even if it never got as far as mind control for me."

Cecilia's face returned to its neutral, blank expression. "I suppose you do. I'd kill mine next year, if I could get away with it, but that's never happening."

Oh.

Right.

Sometimes she forgot who it was, she was talking to. In a way, Maylene wished she was as free from her dad as Cecilia was from hers. She seemed so… what was the word? Independent, maybe. She didn't care what he thought of her any longer or what he had to say about her.

The island had stopped moving, by now, or at least she thought so. The conversation had ended in an awkward spot. Maylene was content to chat with Cecilia's Pokemon instead, even if she barely understood what was being said. Better that than let the thoughts come back. It was a sudden reaction from Cecilia, that had her turn toward the vast expanse of nothing beyond their flat, little island.

Something— no, a path stretched up from under them, but it looked wrong. All bendy and twisty, as if the material had been molded like fabric. Grace followed suit soon after, walking upside down on the path with Meltan in her arms, and she beamed at the sight of them. A glad, yet weary smile that was difficult not to return. So bright. It looked good on her. Sheer relief flooded Maylene's veins, though that could only last so long in the Dusk, apparently. Even Cecilia's face turned pleasant, and she allowed a smile of her own to stretch across her face, one that faltered as soon as she saw who else was with Grace.

Following her were Mesprit, Azelf, and a woman who Maylene didn't recognize— no… that was Mars! Had she regenerated in the Dusk since she was kind of a ghost? Since Grace didn't look worried, Maylene didn't get into a fighting stance. Cecilia could barely stand to look straight when Azelf was staring at her with a piercing gaze that made even Maylene want to look away. A nudge from Mesprit made the Guardian huff.

"Human," Willpower greeted.

"Legends above, I was so fucking worried," Grace sighed. Meltan jumped off her, and she went to hug Cecilia first, a tight and long affair that the Unovan eagerly reciprocated. "Are you okay? Did you see anything— uh, bad? Visions and the like?" She turned to Cecilia's Pokemon. "How are you guys? And Froslass! I hope your first trip to the Dusk is treating you alright."

The ghost, as tired as she was, giggled with a slight nod. They all made small talk while Mesprit hung onto the back of Azelf's neck. Maylene couldn't help but glare at Mars, who met her gaze with a sickening, haughty smirk.

Grace clicked her tongue. "Don't mind her— here." Maylene froze when Grace hugged her, and as one and done and friendly as it was, she barely had time to react.

The warmth stuck around, buzzing inside of her.

Grace clapped her hands. "I guess I have some explaining to do! Here's what happened…"

—

Finally, Mira had found him. Despite being wounded and his body hurting all over, Uncle Ernie was standing upright. His body swayed like a blade of grass in the wind in-between two of those creepy ass trees, and he kept muttering things under his breath. Ordinarily, her other selves would have crowed within her mind, but they were all but gone, as if the Distortion World had scared them away. Like it had wanted her to be alone. She hesitantly approached her uncle, who seemed to not even be able to see her, even when she waved a hand in front of her face. Dried blood had dribbled down his chin— from those coughs she'd been worrying about. They really needed to get that checked out as soon as possible. Magnezone emitted a low, resonant hum that she could barely recognize, in this place. He had been her primary companion before Uxie showed up. Psychics like Alakazam and Gardevoir were too vulnerable, here, and Gengar kept wanting to go explore on his own, swearing that no, he totally wouldn't get lost.

"I'm sorry Marie. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, Marie, please forgive me—"

Pain spread throughout her chest. That was her mother's name, but was he actually seeing her?

"We took too long. He was alone and couldn't keep the wool over his eyes forever," Uxie said, hovering around Charon's head.

They'd found Mira not long after she had appeared here and filled her in on everything she needed to know about the Distortion World, or Giratina's realm. Of the countless spirits swarming this place, a lot were prone to grow jealous of seeing life again, which was anathema to this dimension, so they would group up and harass you. Make you see, hear, taste, smell or feel things to make your mind fray, and that wasn't even counting the dizzying and maddening way this world functioned. Sometimes, these spirits amalgamated, joining as one to create a true ghost, but that was rarer than not and required coordination and agreement that was rarely ever there. They weren't actually people. They were all of the negative remains a person or Pokemon would leave behind after passing on. The more tragic your death was, the more weight you left behind.

Yeah, Uxie liked to rant and teach people about new things.

"Hold on, let me…"

Mira closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her uncle's brain shone like a star—

"Mira, do not!" Uxie's yell broke her concentration and wrested her out of Charon's memories.

"Wha—"

"I'm protecting you," the Guardian chided, flicking her forehead. Ow. "It's not just about memories of your deceased parent, but also about not being able to handle what he's seen."

"Can't you just wipe those memories like we've been doing?" she asked.

Supposedly, she'd been shaken by the Distortion World's effects three times, now, but after each instance, Uxie had insisted on ridding her of those traumatizing visions. She hadn't refused. It made navigating through this a whole lot easier.

"If I want to change him when this is all over, than I need practice!" It was difficult not to let anger reach her tone, which Uxie could parse through. "It sucks, but you aren't—" She sucked in air through her teeth. "You aren't going to be here forever. I wish you were, but you aren't."

Uxie quietly observed her through closed eyelids before running a ceramic-like arm through her hair and around her ear. Mimicry, she told herself. They just want to be like Arceus, to be able to love and care for every living being, but they didn't really care that much.

"If you really want, I can do it right this instant. I could go beyond just returning him to a sane state and put a geas in his mind that would have him forget Team Galactic as soon as he exits the Distortion World, or after a certain amount of time passes, or as soon as you say a specific word."

The words took a few seconds to register. Of course, she'd known as soon as Uxie found her that this was an option. There would only be a narrow lapse of time where they would be freed from their slumber, and there was quite literally no better person to ask in the entire world. This wouldn't be like the hasty, brutal processes done by the League's Kadabra. It'd be like… well, just forgetting. Permanent memory loss, and maybe filling in the blanks with new, fake stuff so he wouldn't question where the last few years of his life had gone.

The reason she hadn't asked was, well.

It was scary.

It wasn't about what was right or wrong, or not having his consent. The truth was, she had let go of that long ago, though the thought of her friends judging her for it was still uncomfortable. She wasn't reluctant to use her powers either. She'd fiddled around with it far too much to care any longer, and she wasn't about to become a criminal, digging around strangers' memories.

It was a conversation she'd had with her other selves, that had given her pause. The ones she'd seen because of Dialga.

"It would be best if you hurried. My siblings are nearby and moving fast, and bringing your friends along."

Would he really be the same person, after it?

At first, she fought. Of course, he would be. He would be the same person he'd been before Galactic.

But then, she thought about it. Really thought about it. Let's say, she took the memories from before he ran off to join Team Galactic. That was still the same person who had been depressed, hurt, bitter enough to join the organization in the first place. The same man who had neglected her for months and left her starving so much she stole school lunches in her backpack to eat for dinner, always cold, tasteless and soggy. Ok, then what about going further, when he'd still been trying to code an AI of her mother with his Porygon's help? Would he keep doing that, until he gave up and realized that there was no path forward? Was the right answer then, to take away memories of that project too? How far back would they need to go? Until he didn't even remember who Mira's mother had been? Or maybe, make him forget how much he loved his own sister.

And at that point, well, her own words rang out in her head again.

Would he really be the same person, after it?

It was just… a whole can of worms that she wasn't ready or qualified to deal with.

She was beginning to think that—

That the best path forward was to heal.

"Um, just… get him back to how he was before the Distortion World, please," she said. The words tasted like ash in her mouth. Months of planning, suffering and hard work just to give up at the finish line. "Erase whatever he's seen to make him like this."

"Are you certain?" Uxie pondered.

"Yeah…"

"Very well. I do not understand, but I will respect your choice, Mira. That is what He would do," Uxie said with the hint of a smile. "Look away."

She hastily listened, as did Magnezone, turning away from Uxie as fast as they could. She imagined the Guardian opening their eyes and staring into Charon's, making him forget whatever they wanted with a glance.

Terrifying.

She heard a slump.

"It's done."

Just like that? It hadn't barely taken three seconds! Ernest was lying on his side, having collapsed to the ground and gone unconscious.

"No matter how careful I am, altering memories remains a traumatic event," Uxie said. "Combined with the wounds he suffered, your uncle will most likely be unconscious for the next few days."

Mira nodded, and her eyes went blurry. "Uxie I— thank you so much."

The Guardian's eyeridge rose a smidge. "Was that really enough to warrant tears of joy?"

"I think so," she cried.

It wasn't what she'd wanted at the beginning of everything, but it was…

Closure.

—

Now that we were in such a large group, Pokemon, people and Gods included, there were no incidents the Distortion World could throw at us we weren't capable of solving. Azelf and Mesprit handled travels (it took a few crossings to get Maylene over the fear of falling), and if a person found themselves enthralled by something, be it a strange tree or rock formation, the void or anything, we were here to pull them out of it. According to Mesprit, we were getting close to Uxie, and both they and Mira were approaching us, too, at a slower pace.

The situation was tense, as I'd expected. Telling Maylene and Cece about Natalia had assuaged their worries some, but just like me, they knew they were facing a killer for hire who had been evil enough to birth Mars. After seeing Beast in Dialga's dimension and having a little time to think, I was a little less quick to judge her for that 'mistake', even if I still despised her guts and how smug she was about everything. Every time I confronted her about it, she would just respond with "I'm just so happy to be alive," in a way so obnoxious I could actually hear it some.

At least Cecilia wasn't picking on Maylene anymore. I'd been surprised to find them together, but Froslass had really pulled her weight.

To fill the dead air and chase the madness away, the topic of timelines came up. Cecilia seemed reluctant to share, even if she did so, and her recounting showed me that I really needed to be there for her after all of this was over, which would hopefully be sooner rather than later. I'd hang on her arm and give her reassurances, which had her smile, but that was a stop-gap measure. She needed to learn how to love herself again.

Maylene's timelines had been intrinsically linked to mine, it turned out. She had seen herself interacting with Beast and Virtuous, or not interacting until the very end, in Anguished's case. She'd been such a footnote in her life that Anguished hadn't even bothered remembering her.

Her idea that we'd been best friends and she hadn't gotten a crush on Virtuous was unexpected. Maybe the Maylene in that timeline hadn't even realized it, and that was why? Either way, I didn't bother mentioning it, since it didn't matter. We were never going to see those timelines again, and those were people very different from us. I was nothing like Virtuous, even if— and it hurt to think this— I sympathized a little. It'd be awkward handling a crush with so much going on. Actually, it had been an emotion even deeper than that. I wasn't a good person like Virtuous was. Trying, yes, but I was not there.

Plus, we'd just reached Mira, Magnezone, Uxie, and an unconscious Charon that Cecilia sneered at. The old man was getting carried by her Gengar, who seemed right at home here and whose grin was as wide as his entire body. I was glad that he was in on of his more… presentable, non-horrifying forms.

I clasped Mira in a hug, and she quietly thanked me. Physical contact was still something she craved. The idea that this was nearly over was giving me some sort of second wind. I just wanted to get out of here at all costs, and see the sun again. Uxie groaned when Mesprit tackled them at full force, saying that they would teach their sibling the greatness of hugs while Azelf grumbled that this behavior was below them.

I hadn't seen them complain when Mesprit had been riding their back, though.

We caught each other up on what had been going on as fast as possible, and Mira was the only one who seemed okay with Natalia's existence. The mercenary was content to stay quiet while we spoke about plans, unwilling to push her luck that much. That self restraint wasn't something Mars would have had.

"So, Uxie, I'll let you do the honors," Mira said.

A hint of a smile flashed on the God's face. "To leave the Distortion World in a rift large enough to fit us, we will need to petition Giratina." Maylene shuffled nervously at that idea, and Natalia swore under her breath. "With me and my siblings, it will be possible. It will just be a matter of how well we've conducted ourselves during our stay, and from your memories, I see that no one has misbehaved that egregiously. Mesprit, you have done well guiding Grace Pastel."

Woah. It felt weird having them just use my name like that. Also, I decided to ignore the fact that they'd scanned our memories so quickly or without asking anything. I held onto Cece's hand, knowing that it would be unpleasant for her.

Mesprit pouted and crossed their arms. "Why did you expect the worst from me? Azelf was too busy brooding in the woods."

"I was being controlled, you—"

"Do not worry, Azelf," Uxie interrupted. "You did well, too."

Willpower looked away, satisfied with the compliment but unwilling to say so. "Hmph."

Strangely enough, they became more personable when interacting with each other. It was like seeing three actual siblings interact. Uxie explained that since Giratina was hanging about, it was only a matter of getting his attention to get an audience. Of course, we'd be a few islands away with our heads turned. Just being near his true body was enough to go insane, and if possible, no one wanted Uxie messing with their brains, unlike Mira.

"I guess that only leaves us with finding Cynth," Maylene said, much to Natalia's displeasure. She wanted out, and yesterday. "Since Froslass found Cecilia, she can do the same thing and communicate with the spirits to ask."

"I could have just made them tell us," Azelf grouched. "Giratina wouldn't like it, though, so go ahead, ghost."

Just those words had been enough to make me want to go, even if it hadn't been a command using the Voice or intended at me. Froslass lazily floated away toward an alcove, having somewhat recovered some of her energy. That bit of ice she had used to save Cecilia had taken a lot out of her, and I hoped the effect in our world wouldn't be too bad.

The question was:

How was Cynthia doing, and where the hell was Cyrus?