After a minute of uncomprehending observation, Wiggles manages to steady Holly and Dusty, then formulates a plan of action.

“What should we do? I say whatever this is, we head for the nearest Pokécenter,” she says, pointing to the city for Holly’s benefit. “It is always a rallying point for trainers to organize.”

I think quickly before the decision is made for us. In the games, Cynthia and the protagonist stop Giratina and defeat Cyrus. If events continue to follow those memories, there’s nothing we should do other than wait for them to succeed, and realistically, nothing we could do to affect the outcome. The question, then, is where will we be safer? The crazed swarm of Combee comes to mind. A forest of panicking Pokémon is not something I want to experience.

“Rayn, I’m thinking we follow them. The forest’s population will be agitated and dangerous.”

He thinks for a second. “And the humans?”

“Some of them are trained to protect other humans during conflict, most will hide or flee.”

“The humans, then.”

We set off at a run, quickly catching up to Holly and her team. Dusty is slowing them down significantly.

“Dusty, in the ball! You are slow!” Rayn calls out, and the Snover looks conflicted.

“Holly is in danger-“ “I’ll protect her,” Wiggles interjects, “But we need to run now.”

Dusty’s mouth thins into a line, but he nods in acceptance.

“Holly!” he calls out, and she turns back to him.

He points at her coat. She nods. Anticipating what will happen, I brace myself and keep my composure as Dusty is returned to his prison.

We speed up considerably, the limiting factor now Holly.

Running east around the edge of the lake, none of us can dodge the eldritch distortions that ripple from Mount Coronet. Distant buildings bend and buckle like funhouse mirrors. Then the wave is upon us.

I'm back at the campsite, staring up at the sky.

What? Where...

Looking around, I spot Holly and Rayn where I just was, and Wiggles further ahead somehow, looking back at them. Like they lagged behind or something.

Another ripple. We're all back to where we were seconds ago, but the orientation of our bodies is scrambled. We Pokémon mostly get off lightly, only Rayn having to twist himself to land on his feet. Holly isn't so lucky.

With a yelp, she falls on her head from her inverted position, and struggles to stand back up.

"Come on honey, be strong! We need to move!" Wiggles shouts. Holly doesn't understand the words, but she understands the paws that lift her to her feet and hold her hand through our mad dash for a semblance of safety.

After stopping and skipping and going back to the begining, we finally near the white picket fences of Eterna’s lakeside neighbourhoods. Sinnoh’s skies have succumbed to the turbulent chromatic storm.

A pink tint colours the world momentarily, locking everything in stasis for an instant.

Then reality settles. The landscape has its proper proportions, and no more waves emanate from Spear Pillar. Hopefully it stays that way.

Rayn speaks up again. “There is a Staravia, is there not?”

It takes me a few seconds to parse his non sequitur, then I berate myself for forgetting.

Wiggles scoffs. “He’s as likely to hinder as help right now.”

You don’t get to choose that for him. “Hey Holly, what do you think of getting Staravia out?”

She’s looking around frantically in search of a Pokécenter but snaps out of it and turns to me.

“Huh? Why?”

“This is a big deal. He should get to decide what to do about it.”

She shakes her head. “We’ve got issues to work out. Now’s not the time.”

I sigh, frustrated. I can’t really afford to preach to her right now. I drop the subject as we run through the streets of the city.

After a couple minutes, Wiggles calls out and turns north. A bright red roof peeks from between the surrounding buildings, a haven. We redouble our efforts.

As we approach the Pokécenter, another building becomes visible, towering over the surrounding district. A monolith of glass and steel. Great metallic lettering proclaims to all just who owns Eterna’s skyline. Galactic Corporation.

We reach a wide paved plaza, lined with abandoned stalls. The Pokécenter is a bare hundred meters east, to our right, but from here we see the ground level of the next block north, dominated by the Galactic building. It’s swarming with red and blue lights. A police cordon encircles the entirety of the visible façade, and presumably the rest. Distant shouts and sounds of battle are constant.

A window crashes on the top floor.

Drawn to the sight as if magnetically, I see a green-haired figure fall through the air.

Holly gasps.

The figure twists itself into an upright position, then a flash of red light reveals an insectile monstrosity, catching the figure on its back. I belatedly identify an enormous Yanmega, three meters long at the least, with Aaron, I now realize, riding on its back effortlessly.

Aaron circles the police forces on the ground, calling out inaudible orders, before flying back up to the top floor. Clusters of rock are ripped from the earth to follow him. He pauses before the window he fell out of, the salvo of boulders catching up, then smashing through the windows of the entire floor. He and the Yanmega dart back in.

The spell is broken.

“Stop gawking and move!” Rayn calls out, and we hustle the remaining distance to the Pokécenter.

Inside is chaos. Trainers and Pokémon flood the lobby, all shouting out questions toward figures my stature will never give me a chance to see.

We step off to the side, close to the entrance.

After another minute of this, a piercing shout cuts through it all.

“ATTENTION PLEASE!”

The Center falls silent. Standing atop the counter is the resident Nurse Joy, prim, proper and pink haired.

“The current situation is being seen to by the Elite Four and our Champion. Elite Aaron is leading a raid on the Galactic Corporation building north of here with the help of the police and a few Ace Trainers, and the situation is not critical.”

The tide of questions threatens to surge again, before Nurse Joy continues. “FURTHERMORE, the duties of registered trainers will be assigned as follows: Volunteer Trainers with six Regional badges or above, follow Ace Trainer Melanie to assist in the police cordon. She will explain in more detail. Volunteer Trainers with four Regional badges or above, follow Ranger Amy to assist the Rangers in patrolling the Eterna Forest and the Route into Mount Coronet; she will gather you in the plaza outside and divide you into squads. The rest, you are strongly advised to stay here and assist in medical care only if called upon. There are rooms upstairs, settle in and keep all doors open. Trust in our Elites, and keep a cool head. Thank you.”

About a third of the crowd soon leaves to join one group or another, and I spot Amy leaving to organize the volunteer patrols, but she’s too focused to pay me any mind. I don’t bother her.

Our impromptu group migrates into a room upstairs, a spartan dormitory room with bunk beds and a television, and we resign ourselves to wait. And stew in our nerves.

-0-

Over an hour in, Holly lets out Staravia to explain the situation to him. He is not happy.

After giving him a few minutes to cool down, I call out to him.

“Hey.”

“What.” He doesn’t look in the mood to talk. I push through.

“I think it’s fucked that they dragged you along without asking, just because they couldn’t be bothered to.”

“Good for you.”

I ignore his vitriol. It’s not about me.

“What are you going to do about it?” I prod.

“What am I supposed to do? I’m the one who agreed to join,” he spits bitterly.

“Did you?”

He side-eyes me. “…She asked. I’ll at least give her that.”

He appears to be done with the topic, but after a while turns back to observe me.

Soon he can’t contain himself, words pouring out like he’s vomiting up spoiled food. “It wasn’t meant to be like this. I’m supposed to grow under a trainer, evolve and compete and do great things. Not sit here doing nothing while real teams with real Trainers regurgitate food into my mouth like a newborn Starly.”

I consider his outpour, and soon spot the problem. “Holly is a casual trainer. She’s doing her journey this season, but will probably pursue a different career.”

“I thought I would go all the way to the top…”

Wiggles has noticed our conversation, and watches Staravia with a mixed look, too complicated for me to parse.

“I speak human.”

“What?”

“I speak human. I could tell Holly about this. You don’t have to settle.”

Hearing my words, Holly stops scrolling through her phone nervously, and focuses on us.

“Cleo? What do you mean?”

My eyes are on Staravia, waiting for his choice.

He gapes at me.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“…Why do this? You gain nothing.”

I shrug. “I lose nothing, and this kind of thing is my goal. What I’m supposed to do.”

I give him a minute.

“…Fine.”

I turn to Holly. “Staravia is unsatisfied because he joined a Trainer team to be competitive. He wants to be strong, and no offence Holly, but you strike me as a casual trainer.”

She looks at Staravia. “Oh. OH. Oh my god, Staravia! I’m so sorry! I had no idea.”

“Yeah, it’s not really my business, but you might consider discussing your plans with him. If they don’t line up, maybe trading or releasing. Up to you guys.”

Holly nods absentmindedly. “Yeah… yeah we should do that. Wow, how could I not notice?”

She proceeds to call Staravia to her lap, and after hesitating, he joins her. A whispered conversation ensues, with the raptor nodding or shaking his head occasionally. I avoid taking advantage of my hearing to listen.

This is right.

It feels good to put my ideals into practice, even in a small way. It would have been easy to avoid involving myself, tell myself it was none of my concern. In a way it wasn’t. But I changed something just now, shifted the course of the world ever so slightly in my chosen direction. A smile creeps onto my lips.

I sit back to wait, satisfied.

I look at the digital clock above the television, reading ten fifty-three in segmented red lines.

Then I blink.

It reads eight fifty-three.

I blink again, confused. An incredibly strong feeling of déjà vu washes over me. The others notice something off as well, and look about in bewilderment.

Wait.

I rush to the room’s window and look outside. It is a beautiful, cloud-dotted morning.

I push the window open and lean my head outside to catch a glimpse of the Galactic building. All the windows on the top floor are still smashed.

So all the events of the last couple hours still happened, but the day just turned back to before the breach? But the clock changed to eight fifty-three. I feel a headache rapidly developing.

Dialga is bullshit.

-0-

In the ensuing commotion, Rayn and I leave Eterna city. We say our goodbyes to Holly’s team, exchanging well-wishes, then head east towards the tunnel to Celestic town. We reach the entrance into the mountain mid-afternoon, the Ranger patrols and trainers having seemingly dispersed, and Rayn and I take the opportunity to rest a bit outside the mouth of the large tunnel.

Finding a crack in the mountain wall to unwind and process the longer/same-length-as-always morning, Rayn is the first to break the silence.

“You need to talk.”

“ ’I’ need to talk? Not ‘we’?”

“I think I will have much to say, but first you will talk.” His gaze bores into me, familiar in its intensity, but for the first time, angry. “You knew of the breaking of the world. You knew it would happen, and who was responsible. You said nothing. Talk.”

Well… shit. I steel myself for a tough conversation.

“I… knew- no, I thought it was possible, but I wasn’t sure. It’s not that I knew it would happen, but-“ “Stop.” Rayn’s scowl darkens.

“What is this dancing, this mewling? This is not Cleo. Do you take me for some simpleton who must be coddled and carried by the neck?” His voice steadily rises throughout, but he reigns himself in.

“We made a bargain. I have honoured it. ‘Tell me what you know, and how you learned it’. Do this, and we will train, then sleep, then proceed in the morning. Do not, and we will not. That is all.”

I rub my hands along my face. Fuck.

“You’re right. I fucked up.” He doesn’t look mollified.

“I think I was afraid that you’d just think I’m crazy if I told you everything, that you wouldn’t believe it.”

“Why would I not?”

“BECAUSE IT’S INSANE!”

My words echo through the mountainside, thrown back at me. -sane, insane, insane…

He stares into my eyes and waits.

“…God.” I take a breath. “Ok. My memories? Of life as a human? Not one of these humans.”

He flicks an ear, unimpressed.

“Not one of this world’s humans. A different world, with only humans. No Pokémon.”

“You gained great knowledge of Pokémon from a world with no Pokémon?”

“That’s the thing though! There are no real Pokémon, but there are stories. Games. Little representations with approximations of our skills. That’s how I knew what Wild Charge was, because in the stories, if a Luxray becomes strong enough they gain that move.”

Rayn looks more confused by the second, and I stop talking before I ramble any more.

“…So a distant future, where Pokémon have disappeared and only legends remain? This is how you knew what would happen?” he asks, proving his acuity.

I’m about to refute him, but stop to think. Could it be? The Regions are shaped like places in that world, but there was no evidence of our existence. And this society is advanced, surely traces would have remained?

I shake my head. “I don’t think so. There is absolutely no trace left of us in that world, and yet there are accurate renditions of people and events happening now. I don’t know. I wasn’t trying to lie, Rayn, I wasn’t. I just don’t know.”

He thinks, perfectly still.

“…How accurate?”

“Names of things and people are perfect so far, abilities of Pokémon are good but incomplete, geography was stylized, laws and customs were rarely represented so I don’t know much. Events are somewhat accurate, but I’m confident some parts are not. Which is why I wasn’t sure.”

“How?”

“How am I confident, or how everything?”

“Clearly you know nothing of the second,” he says, but the heat is gone from his words.

“The story of Sinnoh is told through the eyes of a child. They are present at every major event, and single-handedly save the region, catching or defeating many Legendary Pokémon on the way.”

“Impossible.”

“What, that a kid on their first circuit would catch the being that just made a mockery of linear time? Yeah.”

…

“Is that all?”

“You want more?”

“I have said what I want, but we must be practical. Fifth Rule: For as long as we travel together, every night you will tell me more of the other world and of their representations of us for one hour, until I am satisfied.”

“I…what? Seriously? …Wow, I can’t believe you’re getting me with the ‘no reaction’ again.”

“If you were wise you would not make the same mistake twice.”

I sigh. “…Yeah, right as usual.”

“Naturally. Now stretch. I will ensure the lesson is not forgotten.”

If his attacks are a little more vicious than usual, neither of us mentions it. I have to dip into my supply of dried Oran that night. I still fall asleep smiling.

-0-

As we awaken the next day and get ready to enter the mountain, Rayn locks eyes with me.

“Do you know the way through?”

I shake my head. “It was portrayed as a short tunnel, but to cross to Celestic town on the other side of Mount Coronet we’ll have to walk much further.”

“I will lead, then.”

I nod in acceptance. It’s the least he could ask for.

“Not because of yesterday, but because you lack instinct.”

I tilt my head in confusion. “…What do you mean?”

“The human perspective has changed you. You do not fear me as Buneary should, and you are blind to the ways of territorial creatures. The Combee would not have stopped until the edge of the forest. But had I retaliated with Shockwave, I would have asserted myself as superior, and they would have retreated.”

“…Really? But you’re clearly an Electric type, they must have known they were in danger.”

“That is human thinking. From what I have seen, humans think of the future and prevent risk. For a Combee, if death is not certain, try. They are many, and value the Vespiquen above all else.”

Huh. I guess I wasn’t giving him enough credit. I have got to stop doing that.

“Ok. Lead on.”

We cross the threshold. The tunnel is wide and tall, but looks artificial, smooth. Electric lights line the walls at large intervals, and we walk in unchanging monotony.

After an indeterminate while, the tunnel opens up, and we emerge into the true cavern.

Like an ancient hall of the dwarves, the space continues beyond sight. Stalactites and stalagmites drip water onto damp ground, and the cavern floor is slick and uneven. Rocky formations of various shapes can be half-seen emerging from the gloom, and I spot a small strip of light in the distance, likely a halogen lamp.

Distant screeches and cries echo through the space, distorted beyond recognition.

“What can we find here?”

I think of how to provide the possibly inaccurate information on the game’s encounters usefully.

“Rock types, a few Psychic and Fighting types, and the Zubat line.”

“Zubat are here too?”

“Zubat are everywhere.”

“True.” Rayn resumes our trek, heading toward the light.

We pass a few trainers along the way, heading the opposite direction from us, most looking upset. We hide to let them by, to my relief. I’ve had a few positive experiences, but I’m not strong enough yet to roll the dice on everyone.

Eventually, we discover the source of their frustration. A group of Rangers and Pokémon are clearing rubble from what seems like a collapsed tunnel, the rocks marred with all manner of marks. The miniature hill of broken earth fills the space ahead. I spot dried blood on the floor under their feet, and several body bags containing what are probably Galactic members… and unlucky participants in yesterday’s operation.

Rayn stops us behind a stalagmite, out of view of the Ranger’s efforts, then thinks.

“That is probably the way forward.”

“Most likely.”

“Is there another way to Veilstone?”

“Going south to Oreburgh, then through Hearthome, but that’s more than double the distance, and will take more than a month at least. Certainly longer than they’ll take to clear this.”

He ponders for a few seconds.

“Ask if there is another path.”

…I could make that work, but his phrasing irks me. It’s my turn to glare.

He meets my gaze.

“It goes both ways. Don't overstep.”

Slowly, he nods.

“Can you ask if there is another path?”

I relent, then step further from the Rangers. Throwing my voice and deepening it as much as I can, I try not to sound like a child.

“Hey guys! Is there another way through to Celestic?”

My voice echoes in the cavern.

“We told you people already, just turn back! Wait until we’re done!”

“I have a family emergency in Celestic Town. Isn’t there another way?”

Several sighs from the public servants combine into a communal expression of exasperation. A different voice answers.

“Look miss! If you’re that desperate, try the natural caverns. We don’t patrol those, and Pokémon territories are dangerous and unpredictable. We don’t have the manpower to escort people right now, so if you’re set on risking your life, we can’t stop you. We strongly suggest that you just wait like everyone else.”

I return to Rayn’s side, the question clear on my face. Do we risk it?

He thinks for a moment.

“The Snover, Dusty. He seemed weak. If that is three badges, and four was the least for Ranger work yesterday, we are capable.”

I shake my head. “That’s why I asked which Gym she beat third. It was Rock type. Wiggles seemed more experienced, and probably did most of it.”

He pouts briefly, forgetting to convert it into a scowl for dignity’s sake, then thinks some more.

“These Pokémon… are Buneary found here?”

“No, we wouldn’t settle here. Not enough green, and the ground is too hard for burrows.”

“Then we may be fine. Are you willing to try?”

He clearly has some plan here, and I resolved not to underestimate him. I nod.

We commit to our path.

As we circle north of the Rangers, Rayn spots signs of an old trail, probably from before the artificial tunnels were made. His night vision is unsurprisingly much better than mine. The caverns slowly turn nearly pitch black, and I cannot tell where the walls or ceiling are, or where we’re going. I’m completely at Rayn’s mercy. Strangely, this doesn’t bother me. I know myself well enough to know that I would never give a trainer this kind of power over me.

I contribute by listening for movement in the dark. We’re soon avoiding families of Machop, sleeping or fighting among themselves, a pair of Nosepass doing Arceus knows what, reorienting themselves in some kind of arcane dance, and the occasional Zubat.

Rayn’s footsteps are perfectly silent, his hind paws landing exactly where the front paws left the ground. I resist my instinct to walk by hopping and step where he steps. His wrist bands produce just enough light for me to see him, and vague outlines further away.

At one point a faint light reveals a side path, leading to a small cavern with a great shaft of sunlight bathing the room from somewhere above. The effect on the damp ground is beautiful. A group of Chingling and Chimecho surround the light, their melodic chimes and rhythmic movements giving the scene an unearthly feel.

It looks almost religious.

We pass them by.

Soon we reach a widening in the faint trail, and I freeze.

“Rayn,” I whisper, “there are many Pokémon ahead. From the sharp sounds, I’m guessing Geodude.”

“They are Ground as well.”

“Yeah.”

He clicks his tongue.

“When I flick my tail, demonstrate a Jump Kick.”

“Ok.”

He saunters forward, looking unhurried.

As the sound of rocks rolling toward us begins to multiply, the space lights up with crackling Sparks. Rayn sets himself alight in electric arcs, and the Geodude revealed back away, wary.

Why? They’re immune.

But that’s human thinking. I realize what Rayn was getting at. They’ve never seen a Shinx, or a Buneary. They don’t know what to expect. And as we walk forward, looking straight ahead, not even acknowledging their existence, most decide to play it safe.

Most.

A Graveler steps into our path, looking barely larger than the largest Geodude. Freshly evolved? Or just small?

He claps his four hands against his body, then puts on an imperious look.

“Not so fast. This here’s our cave. You want to pass, you pay the toll.”

Really? Really? That’s your line?

I have to cut him some slack, he’s been literally living in a cave, but still.

Rayn flicks his tail. Ah.

I step forward, and look up to the Graveler. He looms over me, trying to appear imposing.

I Jump Kick him in the mouth.

The rush of Fighting energy fills my body, an energy drink to Normal’s water. Reinforcing my legs like I would for a Quick Attack, I then concentrate the entirety of my lead leg’s reinforcement in the upper leg and knee. This is why Jump Kick is a dangerous move. My lower leg and foot are completely unprotected, devoid of even the base energy that usually suffuses them. If I land badly, I could easily hurt myself.

This time, I don’t have that worry. The thug doesn’t even register what’s happening before my knee sends him tumbling through the cave, only stopping when he bumps into one of the watching Geodude.

My posture turns casual, and I sweep my eyes over them. None meet my gaze.

I retake my position behind Rayn, and we continue to walk forward.

A few minutes later, back in the uncertainty of the dark, Rayn whispers to me. “Well done.”

“I get what you mean now. It’s a dominance display. You were an unknown, and confident looking. The Graveler had something to prove. I knock out the big guy, and me being behind you implies you’re even stronger. No one will try anything.”

“If you understand, then make use of it. You have styled yourself a small human, to make them see what they do to those similar to them. Wild Pokémon are not humans.”

It is impossible to keep track of the passage of time, but eventually I feel hungry, and an alcove appears along the path, unoccupied. Rather, unoccupied once Rayn makes clear to the resident Chingling that it will become unoccupied, one way or another.

We settle in.

“Hell, I hope this doesn’t last much longer. I have no idea what time it is outside.”

“I am following the path. We will succeed.”

He says it like it’s a fact, but I’m wise to his tricks. I know encouragement when I hear it.

Rayn’s light dims, and then there is only black.

The tunnel is silent, for a while.

“Tell me about Sinnoh.” His voice is low.

I think for a minute, then start talking.

The darkness is filled with soft-spoken tales of Hisui's Legends.