I stumble down the stairs and see that Miki and Morty are already up and have finished breakfast. While Morty flashes me a smile, Miki's gaze is cool. "We need to be going." she informs me.

I rub my eyes. "Really? Where to- Oh." My heart drops, remembering the mission for today. Some part of me keeps trying to forget any of this is happening, but I've been remarkably unsuccessful.

Miki interrupts, "No, not where you're thinking, though there will be time for that. We need to procure you the Master Ball first." She hands me a bag of berries. "Eat."

I eat a few Oran Berries, thinking of my still sleeping team all the while. I bite my lip. "You have food for the team, right?"

"Yes. Obviously." Miki snaps. "Stay on focus. Now, Lance is going to meet us at the Whirl Islands near sundown, just in time for a proper ceremony, but he sent us an assistant to help with the process in the meantime... mainly for transportation. I can return to my Pokeball, as can your Pokemon, and that should leave enough room for Morty and you on our ride."

"Our ride? Who? Wait, Miki has a Pokeball?" I know that she was by technicality Morty's Pokemon, and he had helped to raise her when he was a trainer (making her far younger than she appeared), but somehow the idea still disturbs me.

Miki's cheeks burn.

"Just for transportation. It's a Premier Ball, so it's pretty weak. If anything happened, she'd be able to break out." Morty explains.
    "Forget it," snaps Miki.  "Let's get on with the journey- your Pokemon can eat before our trip to Whirl Islands. We'll have to travel to New Bark and the Whirl Islands in one day. Even for Bella, this will be a taxing trip."

"Bella's here?" I ask. Though I don't know the Dragonite well, having her sheer power on our side is quite the asset. It's reassuring to know we'll be packing her muscle and calm intelligence along for the ride.

"I told you Lance sent us an assistant, didn't I?" True to her word, when I glance out the window, and Lance's trusty Dragonite is there with its entire snout pressed up against it. Her nostrils flare and steam fogs up the glass until it looks frosted. "Now, let's go." She hands Morty a large bag, which Morty stuffs into his incredibly dorky travel backpack, and then she turns into a Flareon in a blaze of fire.

"I'll get my Pokemon." I tell them before rushing up the stairs. I throw the door open and the team stares back at me, hardly awake. Minerva is actually sitting right on top of Fang, whose ears flop sideways in mild disappointment. Ten is preening himself and Reginae is staring out the window pensively. "Hey. Today's going to be tough... but no matter what happens, we need to keep it together. It's going to be okay."
    "Are you going to be okay?" Reginae asks, turning.

I try to smile but I can't quite manage it, not today. Instead, I just nod. "For all of us with hearts of gold, right? We're family. That includes him. If worst comes to worst..."
    I don't know what to say. No one does. Ten casts me a knowing and sad gaze and all four of them disappear back into their Pokeballs. It's no use sitting around here feeling sorry for ourselves. There's a world to save.

Pokeballs stuffed neatly into a zipped portion of my bag, I swing down the stairs and arrive next to Morty, just outside. Bella sniffs me and then exhales, blowing my hair up around me. Her eyes are bright gold.

"Can you see us, Lance?" I ask, pressing a hand to the Dragonite's snout.

Bella nods.

"You can do it at a distance like this?"

Morty shrugs. "I can't. Lance, though, he's on another level."

And he failed too. That makes it even worse, somehow... knowing all these qualified people have all had their asses handed to them by Red. I narrow my eyes. Morty climbs onto Bella's back and reaches a hand out to pull me up into a saddle on her back. That's not the problem today. Focus.

Once I strap myself in, making sure to tuck my bag in as well out of pure paranoia, Bella takes flight at a rate Rose, Ten, and Sky could only dream of. She doesn't corkscrew or anything ridiculous, she just moves and she moves fast. My hair feels like someone is trying to tug it off my head and I duck down, happy to feel even the slightest relief from the currents of wind.

Morty is staring straight ahead.

"This is it, huh?" I ask, breathless.

"I always thought I'd be the one to summon a legendary, and even then, I never imagined something like this. It feels wrong."

"I know." I say solemnly. I can't see over the edge of Bella, so I have no idea where we are, but it seems like our time up here is stretching on forever. I stay low and let the wind pass over us, wondering what it would be like to fly myself without the aid of Pokemon.

You could, once.

I sigh. The clouds above are so thick today that the whole world is immersed in shadow. They aren't dark purple-gray, but rather just a mass of pure whiteness that somehow feels even more suffocating. Still, there's not a trace of rain.

As we descend, I realize truly and fully where we are and my heart picks up immediately, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I unlatch my 'seat belt' and fall right off Bella's back, barely missing her tail. Getting to my feet, I look around at New Bark Town with new eyes.

The air smells different today. It's not acrid or by any means unpleasant, but it doesn't quite smell like home. Home... There's a light on in my house.

"We need to get out of here quickly." I snap, grabbing Morty's arm.

"What?" he asks. Bella tilts her head sideways.

"I kind of made a lot of incredibly shitty decisions." I tell them. "This isn't the time. Not like I'm suggesting we do this or anything... but... can we possibly calm down Lugia without a Master Ball?"
    "No." Morty sounds incredulous, not quite angry.

"I can't be here." I'm already panicking. I pace in the dead leaves by the side of the street. "I need to go." I pull him back towards Bella, my arm shivering.

"They're not going to give us a Master Ball without you!" Morty's whisper raises to a hiss, pulling away from me. "You have to have won the League to receive one, which I never did!"

I stare at him. "You what? Are you kidding me?! Isn't that the prime qualification to be a gym leader?"

"There are no qualifications! Most of the 'facts' about our positions are lies made up by the government or local rumors." Morty throws his arms out. "Can we just run in there and run out?"

"Fine." I say, cheeks red from cold and the shame.

Morty opens the door to the lab and I walk in. It's dimly lit and all the assistants are away. This is the place, though, I'm sure of it.

"We already approved your visit." Morty tells me. "Go on."

"I-I'm the trainer that won the League, Ashley Hart. I'm here for a Master Ball." I say, my voice echoing around the room.

Ashley, Ashley, Ashley...

Insubordinate child.

"Funny. Do you know an Aster Hart?" asks Elm, sitting in a chair in the back. He's staring out the window but the reflection of his face within it is stern.

I clench Morty's hand, my worst fears confirmed. My heartbeat picks up and Morty glances at me and puts his hand out as if to say, What?! "N-no, sir." he replies, staring back at Elm's head.

"Aster Hart. Lovely woman. The two of us have spent many long nights together over the phone and in person. She's been recovering from the shock of having her sole child cease communications with her and disappear into the woods. Had it not been for several news articles pertaining to Team Rocket and a new Johto League challenger, she might not know if she was alive at all." Elm turns around in his chair. His glasses are pale with the fluorescent light from above and his expression is grim, though his eyes betray sadness. "It's been a long time, Ashley. Welcome home." In his outstretched hand rests the legendary purple Pokeball, an M engraved in silver over the top.

I step forwards. He moves back, holding another hand over the Master Ball. "Not so fast. You're coming with me first."

My breath shudders and catches in my throat. "Please don't make me do this." I tell him. I don't know what this is anymore. I have the power and the legal obligation to take it, but I have the moral obligation not to burn any more bridges.

No green energy flickers around my hand. A battle has been fought and won in my mind.

Elm rests a hand on my shoulder and slides the Master Ball into his pocket.
    I walk with him out the door, Morty holding it open like a proper gentleman. It's beginning to snow and Bella shivers, her eyes still a bright gold. She has a kind of sad sympathy in her eyes as I trudge away.

My fingers freeze as they touch the doorknob. This is my house and it isn't my house. I think of my mother, erased from existence. I think of a room where the posters are slightly off-kilter. I think of everything I've broken and everything I've ruined for myself again.

I turn the doorknob and open the door.

The kitchen, just off our family room, is visible through the door. The house is sparsely decorated and the hearth is out. There's a plate of pancakes on the kitchen and an overturned bottle of wine on another.

Inside is a single woman. She looks like a phantom herself. When she sees us, the glass in her hand falls against the floor and breaks. She rushes up to us and wraps her arms around me. Her tears are warm against my shoulder, even through two layers of thick fabric. She clutches me the way I'd clutch a dead teammate after their final moments.

She is fragile as the glass on the floor.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Her voice is shaking. She pulls herself away from me, fingers red and fave more so. "How could you do this to me?"

Oh shoot here it comes.

"I... Mom, I'm not who you think I am." I tell her.

Morty pinches my hand. If he could make swinging motions across his neck without making it too obvious, he would be doing so.

"The journey has changed me. I've lost a lot of friends. Too many to quit. If I had come home then... I don't know what would have happened to me. I'd seen too much by then. When you threatened taking all of that away, I panicked. I was so, so incredibly wrong." I pause.

This room beneath a dark sky.

A boy in his house not too far away.

In a better timeline, I would have been taken away with it.

I would have disappeared from existence discontent but still happy, a small girl in a small town surrounded by symbols of her naivete and an incredible amount of fanfiction.

The journey really has changed me.

"I love you." I tell her honestly. "I missed you so much."

She holds me again for a quiet eternity and then, when she lets go, it feels like leaving again. "Please take care of yourself." she tells me.

"I will." I say. "First... would you like to see my team?" I release four out of my five Pokemon, a respectable team even without Pisces, and she bends down at their level.

"They're beautiful." she pets Minerva's flowing gold-white fur, stroking her head with such reverence that even the sarcastic Ninetails seems satisfied. She turns to Reginae next, and her eyes grow into soft pools of deep brown. They remind me of my own, only kinder and sadder. "It's been so long since I've seen a Meganium."

I'd almost forgotten that she lost to the Blackthorn Gym as well. "Oh." I say.
    Reginae stares straight into my eyes. We understand each other without having to say a word.

This is touching, true, but my Pokemon are all really hungry (and anxious).

"I... I need to go." I tell Mom.

"I know. Whatever you need a Master Ball for, it can't be pretty, but I'm trusting you. Now, promise you'll unblock me?"

I open up my Pokegear and do it in front of her.

She seems satisfied. "You may have agency now, but that doesn't mean you can just cut yourself off like that!" She looks towards Reginae and Morty both. "As for you two- take care of my daughter."

Morty smiles. "No offense, madam, but I think your daughter has proved perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

Damn right I have, I think, but I dare not say a word. "Love you," I repeat, sure of the resonance in those two perfect words, and the team files out behind me, obscuring my view.

The door slams and I exhale. It wasn't easier than I thought it would be- if anything, it was harder, but more importantly, I did it. It feels like the gravity pushing down on me has grown a little lighter. I stand up straighter.

Elm hands me the Master Ball. I feel its raw power beneath my fingers. I could subdue gods with a weapon like this. I'm about to, as a matter of fact. The gray and purple luster of it reflects off Elm's glasses. "As your new stepfather, I feel obliged to tell you not to do anything dangerous."

I almost drop the Master Ball on the spot. "My what?!"

"It turns out you miss a lot when you go off the radar for half a year." he says snidely.

I nod briefly. "Right."

"Hey! Ashley!" Morty calls from afar.

"I should go." I say.

"Take care of yourself." replies Elm, and I'm gone. My Pokemon disappear in a wide arc, to appear once again when we finally reach the islands, and I saddle up on Bella.

Morty nods to me, putting an arm on my shoulder. I reach my hand up to touch it and then Bella jolts forwards, almost snapping his neck. Any and all sentimentality is immediately lost as we charge through the sky together.

Bella seems to be going even faster this time. We swoop over Cherrygrove and head on towards the Illex Forest. The snow is coming down faster and combined with the atmosphere, the land is bitterly cold.

All the sensitive parts of my body burn red and numb. I watch the clouds above and for a second, I can see a red-and-blue patterned shape above me, fluttering along with her wing blades wide. She moves at impossible speeds, a mirage among the flakes of snow.

I don't realize I'm crying until it begins to burn my cheeks. I press myself into my clothing and clutch the saddle, feeling every jolt as Bella struggles to continue.

Suddenly, she almost falls out of the sky, and then she skids to a stop on the sand. Cold water sprays up around us from the sheer speed of the descent and then she falls over. I struggle out of the lopsided harness, thanking every legendary I can think of that my bag has remained on my back. Morty and I release our Pokemon and I set out a bowl for the moderately sized Pokemon to eat from while Pisces goes fishing in the ocean.

Several mouthfuls of Oran Berry mash and one Lanturn later, the team seems about satisfied. From the dark of the cave, Lance emerges. He has a bright blue fire hovering just above one hand.

The other kimono girls follow. Miki turns back to her human form, carefully dusting the sand off her kimono. "Sorry, sisters. There was some... difficulty."

"Let's get inside." Naoko has her hands about her arms. "It's cold."

"It won't be much better in the cave." Kuni tells us. "We should get along anyways. Do you believe the Gyarados will fit?"

"I believe so." I tell her, staring up at the cave entrance. It's actually far larger than I expected, the entrance covered in scratches. It's as if something massive was trying to make its way out. Sure enough, Pisces fits behind the rest of us, but her head almost hits the ceiling.

It's only a few minutes before I can hear the breathing. As we gather everyone inside, I sense a distant presence and the sound of labored breathing fills the hallways.

"What do we do?" I ask, once we're all inside. "What... is that him?"

Lance nods. "I haven't gone much further than this. The way is clear, but still... I have a feeling that we don't want him to wake up before we're ready."

"I can't do this." I tell them. I feel pain inside my skull, strong as when we went into the Team Rocket Headquarters. "I c-can't."

Morty holds one hand and Miki holds the other. "Don't let go of us." she tells us.

We descend into the darkness.

***

"We're finally here!" I cry, racing ahead. "Come on, let's hurry up! Lugia isn't going to catch itself!"

Bronze pulls himself along on all fours, practically snorting fire. "Oh yeah? Personally, I don't see why we're even catching it. Bet I could take the entire Elite Four out myself!"

"Sure." Reginae says. "You wish."
    I turn."You aren't supposed to be here."

"Neither are you."

***

We're walking along a dark hallway. On either side, glass surrounds us. Morty and Miki are still holding my hands and the team is behind me, silent in our shared mission.

The glass reflects a fifteen year old walking alone.

A girl and her Typhlosion.

Six eeveelutions.

Morty.

Us.

Celebi, trailed by a pregnant woman. Her face is familiar but I don't know where I've seen her before.

Rose passes behind the glass. I recognize her from earlier.

A thousand images pass through my mind and I scream as the memories flood my mind. I let go of Miki's hand. The noise in my head grows and Lugia's cry echoes down the halls. It almost sounds human. "Stop!" I call. "Please... please... I need to stay here."

"What's wrong?" Morty asks. He withdraws his hand as well.

"They're everywhere." I say. "I've never been this far before. I-"

The floor opens up beneath me and I fall into darkness.

***

Celebi flickers in the distance. This is the Celebi who found me in Illex, the Celebi who pulled me from the darkness... and now we sit at the verge of convergence.

A thousand voices call my name at once.

"Ashley."

***

"Ashley?" asks Reginae. I jolt to my senses.

The cavern opens up before us into infinite darkness. The five kimono girls surround the entrance, the sacred guardians of a tomb defiled.

I step forwards.

Lance lights another fire, this time much larger.

The landscape is simple.
    A rock.

A waterfall.

Water all about us.

Past that, darkness.

"Where is he?" I ask.

The breathing grows heavier. A wire dances before us in Lance's firelight. As he shines it about, more and more begin to emerge, all of them shaking slowly. The thin, white things wave back and forth with each breath. The air around us is damp and moist, shuddering with them.

Lance slowly moves the light up to reveal a giant, white figure, pale as the moon on a clear night. Its body drapes over the entire room and it isn't moving. Giant nails hold its body against the ceiling and its head is untethered, hanging down just feet above our head. I jump back and one of the kimono girls starts weeping.

My ears ring with faraway static.

"That's not him."

Not him.

Not him.

Not him.

It echoes around the room like an accusation.

"What's breathing?" asks Fang uneasily.

All of the wires swing around us with another breath. The whole room seems to shake with it.

Lance points his fire up. There, in the center of the corpse, is Lugia's ribcage. All of the wires seem to be threaded in and around it, and the giant creature's lungs move as if it was still alive.

"There's something inside it." Miki can barely breathe. Her voice comes out as a strained whisper, incredulous in pure terror.

My hand slips into the pocket of my bag. The Tidal Bell is cold as ice in my hand.

I lift it up and ring it.

The bright, jubilant sound echoes around the room. It bounces off the walls, growing more and more distorted as the acoustics carry it around.

The noise grows stronger and stronger, as if the room is whispering to itself.

There's a defined silence as it stops, and then the ribcage cracks open.

Covered in embryonic slime, a giant shape falls onto the rock. Its too-human eyes fix upon us, unnatural in their sockets.

I know those eyes.

It huddles around the rock, still heaving, and everyone moves back. As I approach, my feet having abandoned reason, the dim light from Lance's fire and Fang's rings (which have illuminated in his fear) reveals every detail of the grotesquely mutated corpse. The mouth reveals few human teeth, layered with fangs grown directly over them. Its arms are long and thin, with every bone in them showing. Each finger has every individual joint pressing against the flesh, aware of its mutation. The body itself is thin, and the dark spikes on its back dig into his back as if they were thorns and not a part of its own body. Dark blood rains down from the corpse of Lugia above us, dripping slowly around us.

As I stand below it, the deformed but still massive creation stares at me. Slowly, its mouth opens, the tongue sloshing about within it and trying to form words.

"A-ashley." the last syllable is like a low wail, somewhere between humanspeak and Pokemon language. He goes between the two as if unable to decide, but I can still hear remains of Ethan's voice. It's as if they pulled out his vocal cords and attached them to this.

I reach for the Master Ball.

The almond-shaped human eyes are on me now, staring into my soul. His whole chest heaves and his ribs press against his flesh. His voice comes from deep in his throat and he struggles with even a single consonant. "Youuuuuu came."

I throw the Master Ball and it hits him right in the neck. The whole body glows blue and retreats inside. Wires fall to the ground, free of his body, and blood falls on my left shoulder.

I take the Master Ball and place it on the ground beneath my foot, careful not to reopen it. My leg shudders and I try to apply pressure, but the cold metal stays firm. I fall to the ground, slipping in blood, and it clatters against the rock, still closed. "I can't do it."

Lance moves for it, stupefied. Bella is behind him, her mouth full of smoke.

"No!" I screech, picking it up.  My entire body is sopping now but I won't move. I hold the silver prison in my arms, cradling it like a child. "You c-can't kill him. Please. He's my friend. He's in there!"

Lance crouches beside me. The team fills in.

"What do we do now?" asks Ten.

All of us stand beneath the body of Lugia, holy flesh defiled, and the Pokeball in my hand grows cold as dry ice.

"I don't know." I whisper, voice hysteric. "I don't know."