The date was quickly approaching, the date of the most important day in the history of the Cosmos Corporation. The Interdimensional Data Detector Interface, or rather, the ID3I, was a technological marvel that had yet to be properly tested. It was built to hop between worlds, transverse through dimensions, break the limits of reality. Its only purpose was to find Cyrus, a man lost within the "reverse world" for nearly thirty years.

The date was tomorrow. For the first time, the Cosmos Corporation would officially activate the intricately built machine in an attempt to reach the distant world. The sun was setting, the sky was slowly darkening, as nine of the Cosmos admins waited in the meeting room. OZone had yet to arrive, and Arc was absent as well. The admins all assumed that the two were together, as Arc was often considered OZone's right hand man. Still, everyone wondered what could be the cause of their tardiness. The meeting's importance could not be overstated, as with such an important event on the horizon, tension was high. Everyone was dead silent, waiting as patiently as the could, thinking to themselves about what the next day will hold.

Well, it was silent for a while, at least.

The sound of sudden laughter filled the room. Everyone was pulled out from their own thoughts as their attention shifted to the three youngest admins. Molly, Daichi, and Rōzu were lost in their laughter, each of them holding a piece of paper as they struggled to catch their breaths.

"And there they go again," Belle scoffed. "How annoying."

Serenity raised her head with curiosity, glancing at the three as their laughter began to calm and finally stop. She cleared her throat as she went to speak.

"Now Belle, no need to be so sour. But please, Molly. Daichi. Rōzu. Might I ask... what's so funny?"

"This outta be good," Tony said. He had a slight smile.

Molly opened her mouth to speak, but as soon as she went to explain, she lost all self-restraint. She tried to hold her breath, but her hysterical laughter returned nonetheless. Shortly after, Daichi's laughter returned as well, leaving only Rōzu to answer Serenity's question. However, even he had a hard time keeping himself composed.

"Heh... sorry, sorry. It's just pretty damn funny."

"Please..." Mitsuki spoke up with her soft voice. "Don't leave us in mystery."

"I gotcha, I gotcha. See, we decided to have a little drawing contest—" Rōzu began.

"It was my idea! It was my idea!" Molly threw her hand up the air. "I'm super great at ideas! So it was my idea!"

"In case you haven't been notified beforehand," Rōzu continued. "The contest was, in fact, Molly's idea. Anyway, we decided to see who could draw the most accurate... angry Arc."

"What? Angry Arc?" Serenity tilted her head.

"See it for yourself!" Molly stood up, and held out her drawing for everyone to see. The two boys quickly followed her lead, standing up themselves.

Rōzu wore a confidant grin. "Behold. My masterpiece."

Daichi beamed with earnest pride. "I'm no artist, but didn't I do a good job? Didn't I? Looks just like him!"

The illustrations the three showed off to their peers were creative, to say the least. Each drawing depicted an Arc who has lost his temper, but they varied in execution. Rōzu's drawing featured the man with a knife in hand and smoke coming out of his ears. Daichi's drawing had Arc literally burning with rage, fired up to the point where his surroundings were engulfed in his flames. Molly's drawing was the most bizarre, as she drew an Arc so heated that he melted into a pile of sizzling goop.

The entire room, once again, became dead silent.

Well, it was silent, until Tony began to cackle.

Cypher jabbed his elbow into Buzz's side. "Are you seeing this crap?"

"Ack!" Buzz flinched with a small yelp. He rubbed the stricken area, looking back at the man with agitation. "Could you not interrupt my studies, please? I'm currently setting up my hypothesis for my next experiment!"

Buzz turned away from Cypher and hunched over his notepad. As he vigorously scribbled his plans with his pen, he perked up with a chipper attitude.

"It involves some Chargabugs this time!"

He was sucked right back into his own studies, which didn't surprise Cypher one bit. Buzz was just being Buzz. It was just like always, not that it really mattered to Cypher. He simply rolled his eyes and leaned back into his seat, silently observing the scene playing out before him.

"...Uh." Serenity was still baffled by the drawings. "How... imaginative of you guys."

"Yes. Imaginative." Mitsuki was slack-jawed, but she still managed to spit out her words of agreement.

Tony swept his hair back as he nodded, his laughter having quite a charming sound. "Correct, ladies. Imaginative indeed."

Belle continued to wear her usual scowl. "No. Not imaginative. Idiotic is the word I would use. Though, I guess I shouldn't expect anything more. Those three are idiots."

Rōzu shrugged with a smirk. "Can't deny that."

"I do! I renounce that! Or I... announce that?... Um." Daichi became flustered as he went to defend himself, scratching his head aggressively as he tried to make his statement.

Molly felt pure second-hand embarrassment. "Um... I think you mean denounce? Or resent?"

"Oh! I totally meant—! Uh..."

The sudden sound of a door creaking open interrupted the conversation. The younger admins fell back into their seats on impulse, crumbling up their papers to hide their "artwork" from the eyes of its muse. All the admins looked up to see OZone stepping inside, Pikachu riding on his shoulder. Arc was right behind him, carrying a heavy stack of papers along with that constant sour disposition.

"I apologize, everyone. I had to make some last minute arrangements," OZone said. "For tomorrow to be successful, everything must be perfect. Everything must be in place. This is a major, major step."

OZone walked to his seat right at the head of the table, but he remained standing. He placed his fists on the table as he bent over it, his forehead nearly touching its surface. He released a long, loud breath of exhaustion as he felt sweat creeping down his face. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and onto the table, tilting its head in its obliviousness.

"Pika...?"

Serenity folded her hands and pressed them against her chest. She leapt up from her seat, crying out to OZone. "Sir! Sir!... Please don't tell me you've been pushing yourself too hard."

"You need to relax," Cypher said. "You're gonna make yourself sick."

"Quack!" His Ducklett lifted its wings as it sat on its trainer's shoulder, quacking as if to back up its trainer's statement.

"Not an option. Not an option." OZone hung his head. "Just not an option."

"But..." Mitsuki attempted to refute OZone's statement, but the words wouldn't leave her open mouth. She felt like knew what she wanted to say, but she just couldn't put it into the correct pattern of words.

"You all should know this by now." Arc sat down in his own seat, dropping his pile of papers on the table with a thud. "Actually, you all already do know this. Even the trio of brats know this—"

"Hey!" Molly shouted.

"I—! ...Uh. I resent that!" Daichi shouted.

Molly and Daichi cut the man off, fully prepared to start an argument. Rōzu was just as annoyed, if not more so, by Arc's condescension. However, he only crossed his arms and watched silently.

A vein began to swell on Arc's temple. "Listen here—"

Everyone prepared themselves to witness a screaming match, but OZone had no patience for it. With the impending date quickly approaching at an alarming rate, in his mind, there was no time for nonsense.

"Enough."

OZone's stern voice was enough to nip the fight right in the bud. He finally sat down as he gestured Pikachu to sit on his lap. Pikachu happily obliged, the cheerful fluffy mouse quickly bringing a smile to the man's face. He began to stroke the Pokémon's back as he heard Arc clearing his throat.

"As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, everyone here knows OZone's objective. Everyone knows that he will not rest until he has completed it. If you want him to 'relax', then be useful, and assist him in achieving his ultimate goal."

"I have to agree with Arc. Assisting OZone is what is required of us, after all." Belle raised her hand, throwing out her own input with confidence. "We all wish to help him, so let's just do our jobs, plain and simple."

Arc nodded. "Sharp as ever, Belle."

OZone put his hand to his chin, listening intently. He was a bit startled to hear Serenity's worry and Cypher's advice, but regardless of his stress, he was a man on a mission. Arc reminded him of that fact.

"I appreciate all of you being here for me at this time. I also appreciate that some of you took it upon yourselves to feel... concerned for me. But I assure you, I'm alright. There is no way I would let myself fall apart before I take Cyrus back. Speaking of, let's get down to business. This shouldn't be a long meeting, I just need to go over a few things with you all. Arc?"

"Yes sir?"

"Have the calculations been finalized?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Then tomorrow, at seven o'clock sharp, we activate the machine. If all goes well, we'll be staring straight into deep space. Specifically, we should be staring right into a world opposite of ours."

"Yes boss!" Buzz, with his nasally voice, shouted out with excitement. "We'll be up bright and early, ready to expand our minds by witnessing an entirely different world! I wonder if there will perhaps be bug specimen to collect and analyze..."

"Oh god, please no." Daichi shivered at the thought of alien insects.

"I'll be ready too! With some crisp, bodied wine," Tony said as his perfect, dazzling, white teeth sparkled. "We've got to party the right way if we succeed! Maybe we could have some music! You know, a little singing would be nice. I would love to hear your sweet voice sing, lovely Mitsuki.~"

Tony leaned towards Mitsuki, and reached out for her long, pale blonde hair. He ran his fingers through it with a light touch. His smile seemed to shoot a dagger through Mitsuki's heart, as she brightly blushed. With her tiny, shaking voice, she answered the man.

"...Kay."

"Hey. Hate to interrupt, but why are we doing this first thing in the morning? I'm totally going to be trying not to fall asleep the entire time..." Rōzu rubbed the back of his neck as he lowered his head.

"I would just dismiss you as lazy, but honestly, I do love sleeping in," Cypher muttered.

"How about I dismiss you both as lazy, then?" Belle asked.

"Everyone, enough."

Just like before, the room silenced at OZone's command. Many of the admins expected him to roll his eyes or let out an exasperated sigh. Instead, to everybody's surprise, he chuckled.

"You all are something else, but I'm afraid we're getting a little too off-topic." His laughter stopped. "I expect you all here on time, I can not understate tomorrow's importance. It will also be immensely dangerous. I need you to wear your protective clothing and gear, goggles included."

"So we're all going to have to look like the stay puft man?" Molly asked.

"Quiet!" Arc snapped at the girl instantly.

"...I also expect everyone to be prepared mentally for whatever we may encounter," OZone continued. "Mitsuki, I expect you to be filming the experiment as planned."

"Yes." The girl nodded obediently.

"Buzz. I need you to take notes."

"Got it boss!" Buzz cheered.

"And Arc. In the case that something goes wrong, you and your Pokémon will have to act as our defense."

"Of course, OZone," Arc said.

OZone grinned. He glanced at all the people who surrounded him, his employees, his admins, his soldiers. They were a mix of personalities, some who he struggled to keep in check. But still they were there for him now, and he had no fear of what tomorrow held.

It was 6:49 in the morning. Everyone was already in the Cosmos Corporation's main laboratory, wearing goggles and their specially-made white, puffy jackets. OZone stood in the center of the room, lost in thought with closed eyes. Mitsuki tampered with her boss's camera, attempting to get the best picture quality for her assignment. Buzz stretched his fingers, performing his "pre note-taking exercises." Belle stood next to Cypher, the two enjoying each other's silent, wordless presence despite the lack of eye contact. Daichi and Rōzu sat with their backs against the wall, leaning on each other as they peacefully napped. Serenity spoke to Tony in a hushed voice. She admitted how apprehensive she was about the experiment and its potential hazards.

All the way on the other side of the room, Molly felt the exact same way.

She had yet to mention it to anyone, but Molly had a horrible feeling building up inside her chest. She felt that something was bound to go wrong, she feared someone would be put straight into harm's way.

As eager as she was to go on an "space adventure", a strange anxiety overtook her. She was never a cautious person. She was born reckless, and has remained that way for her entire life thus far. However, the sudden, unexplainable sense of fear forced her to set her adventurous nature aside.

She needed to assure the safety of the experiment, she felt that was her only option. With her quick little feet, she rushed towards the ID3I in the center of the laboratory. Arc was at the machine's side, checking its current calibrations. The child pulled at his lab coat, which he ignored.

"Arc? Arc?"

Molly called out his name to no avail. The man continued to inspect the machine's programming until he felt a pair of hands wrap around his arm.

"Stop ignoring me!" Molly shouted. "I wanna talk to you!"

"Not now! As you can see, I'm in the middle of something important. Unlike you."

Arc ripped his arm away from Molly's grasp, nearly causing her to lose balance. She caught herself before she fell, and latched herself onto Arc's leg.

"The hell?!—"

Arc's looked down with his scrunched up face to see Molly clinging onto his leg like a toddler. He raised his leg and shook it forcibly, but the girl refused to let go. She lifted her head and looked him directly in the eye, her cheeks puffed out like a rodent's.

"I'm not letting go until you tell me what I need to know!" Molly tightened her grip. "So tell me! That machine is safe right? It's totally not going to blow up and kill everyone in a five mile radius, right? Oh, and it won't like turn us into giant mutant piles of alien goop? Right?"

Arc rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion before stomping his foot back onto the tile floor. He bent forward and pried Molly off of his leg. With blatant disregard for her well-being, he dropped her onto the ground. She landed on her rear.

"....Ow," Molly whined as she stood back up. "...You could've been a bit more careful with me, you know. I'm fragile!"

"You're such a baby, I swear. It's your own damn fault." Arc massaged his temples, trying to ease the stress infesting his mind. "Look, I don't have time to listen to your childish fears. The test is to begin only a few minutes from now, and I need to make sure the ID3I is ready."

"Let me make sure it's ready, too! Let me take a look at it!"

Molly squirmed her way past Arc to take a peek at the controls. She only caught a glimpse before Arc snatched the back of her lab coat's collar, yanking her away from the device. He only released her collar once he dragged her three feet away from the machine.

Arc clenched his teeth. His blood boiled. "You're really, really getting on my nerves. Do you honestly think I would let you wreck the hard work of the Cosmos Corporation all over again?"

"But... but Arc! You don't get it!"

Molly was desperate to be heard, crying out in frustration. Suddenly, she felt a hand grasp her own. She turned her head to see Serenity standing above her.

"Forgive my intrusion." Serenity smiled weakly.

"Oh no, Serenity. You never intrude. Please, do me a solid and get that child out of my face."

With a dismissing wave of his hand, he turned his back to the woman and returned his attention to the ID3I. Serenity took a sigh, as Molly squeezed tightly onto her hand. The tiny girl was silent.

"Molly. I understand," Serenity said. "I'm worried too."

Despite both Serenity's and Molly's concerns, things proceeded as planned. At seven o'clock sharp, everyone was up and ready. Arc remained the machine's side, alongside OZone. The other admins were on standby, keeping a safe distance away from the experimental technology. Buzz had his notebook in hand ready to go, and Mitsuki had already begun filming with the camera.

OZone had a sense of pride as he saw his admins all lined-up with their backs straight. They were ready, and so was he. He looked to Arc. Both men nodded to each other in understanding.

All OZone had to do was say one word.

"Activate."

The experimental trial was officially underway. Arc pressed a series of buttons before pulling one of the machine's levers. A low humming sound echoed throughout the laboratory, confirming the ID3I's successful start up. Then, and only then, did Arc type in a set of coordinates into the machine's control panel.

For an instant, all that was heard was the continuing humming. Only for an instant.

The machine began to rumble and shake, a high-pitched screeching sound forcing most of the admins to throw their hands over their ears. Arc and OZone stood still, watching the machine's colorful lights flicker and flash. That light, that noise, it continued relentlessly. It was a sensory overload, each passing second becoming more unbearable for the eight admins watching.

Until it stopped.

The room went silent, nothing made a sound. No one dared to speak, no one dared break the silence. The air was still, nothing moved.

"Um." Suddenly, Cypher spoke up. "Is that it... or—?"

A wave of energy rushed through the room like a powerful wind. The admins lost their footing, several of them falling to the ground. Arc and OZone regained their balance as they looked up to a small ball of purple mist, slowly forming above the ID3I. A beautiful pattern of bright, vibrant pink lights flickered from the machine as the mist expanded wider and wider. The mist began to swirl inward, creating a flat, circular shape that proudly stood in the air, looming over the crowd below.

"Oh my stars!" Buzz gasped as he vigorously scribbled his notes.

"More like holy shit..." Belle muttered. "It's actually working!"

"It's a real portal!" Serenity shouted. "But... am I the only one who thinks that it looks like... it might be opening?"

In the center of the purple mist, a small opening grew. Nothing could be seen through the hole, only a deep, pitch black emptiness. The machine's lights slowly dimmed as the opening expanded to the point where a person would be able to easily slip through. Then, there was a blinding light.

"A-amazing!"

Molly, who wore tainted goggles, was the only one who was able to see past the bright flash of pure light. The others turned their heads away and shut their eyes on instinct.

"What are you talking about?" Tony held up his hands to shield his eyes. "I can't even look!"

"It... it has to be some... s-sort of alien!"

Molly stuttered with disbelief, before the light faded away. As the rest of the admins opened their eyes and hesitantly looked back to the portal, they were met with that same shock. Floating above their heads, shivering as if it were cold, a beast of some sort swayed side to side.

"That... that thing isn't... isn't right!" Serenity shrieked as she wrapped her arms around little Molly, hovering over her like a protective parent. The beast made her stomach twist and turn with an overwhelming sense of danger.

It was an odd creature. It was similar in appearance to a squid, or at least similar to a squid made out of golden jello. It didn't have a head nor did it have eyes, but the top of its body was identical in shape to a woman's beach-hat. It's torso was made out of round tentacles, four of which appeared to be its arms and legs. It shook erratically, as if it barely had control over its own movements. It was like something ripped straight out of a sci fi-horror film.

"Can somebody please explain what the heck I'm looking at?!" Daichi eyes darted to his peers, who all wore the same awe-stricken, bewildered expressions. The exception was Buzz, who slid his notes under his arm as sweat slid down his forehead.

"I... I can't believe it! It's... it's really one of them."

Everyone instantly turned to Buzz and stared, but he didn't say anything more. He glared at the floor, as if chaos wasn't erupting right in front of him.

"Um, Buzz." Rōzu narrowed his eyes. "Can you be any more vague about this? What exactly is that thing?!"

Buzz took a deep breath, before his eyes darted back to the squid-like creature, its golden body sparkling. "This might just be... no. This must be an Ultra Beast. There is no doubt about it."

Buzz was correct. The golden parasite before them was an Ultra Beast, its name and very existence a mystery to most. Though, a select few knew it by the title—

"UB-01 Symbiont. It's just like my cousin described," Buzz uttered. "So it must be an Ultra Beast. There's no doubt."

"An Ultra Beast..." OZone struggled with his own disbelief. "What in the world...?"

"At least we confirmed one thing. The machine worked." Arc grinned at the machine's success, paying no mind to the disaster brewing. OZone paused, putting his thumb to his chin as he processed Arc's words.

OZone laughed.

"Yes! Yes! It worked! We accessed another world! It... it really worked!" OZone felt a light flutter in his chest, nervousness and happiness mixing together. Once he started to laugh, he couldn't stop, throwing an arm over his stomach as his face flushed red.

Cypher's fists tightened. "Seriously?! No disrespect to you, boss, but we have a serious problem right now! We've got an ultra... whatever it's called flopping around—!"

There was a timid thump. A camera dropped to the ground. Mitsuki's eyes watered as her silent voice murmured the only thought in her mind.

"...Poor thing."

She took short steps toward the beast, extending her pale hand outward. The creature continued to shake uncontrollably as if terrified by its new surroundings. It made her feel pity.

"Mitsuki! What are you doing?!" Serenity cried out.

"It's scared."

Time seemed to stop, her heart beating a slow pace. Mitsuki dismissed Serenity's concerned call and reached out to touch Symbiont. It lowered itself, creeping closer towards her fingertips. The young woman smiled.

"It's okay. You must be a fragile thing."

The slimy texture of the beast's arm made contact with Mitsuki's hand. She didn't flinch, nor did she stagger in the slightest. Symbiont's shaking stopped, making her smile. She thought that she must be looking at some sort of reflection. This beast must be just like her. It had to be something lonely, something needy, something that needed somebody. Anybody.

As he watched, Buzz felt an ice-cold alarm freeze his body. The beast was still, much too still. Piece by piece, he recalled the horrors his cousin told him about, forcing him to realize what was about to happen. The beast was about to strike its prey.

"Get away from it, Mitsuki! Run!"

"...Run?"

By the time Mitsuki listened to Buzz's warning and went to withdraw her hand, it was too late. The beast's limbs wrapped around the girl and pulled her close. She plunged face first into its liquidy body, and soon found herself completely submerged inside of the bizarre creature.

She struggled with all her might. She couldn't breathe inside of the gooey beast, she was forced to hold her breath as she fought for air. It was only a waste of her energy, her struggles fruitless. She felt a tingling, burning sensation on her skin, as if an acid was slowly eating away at her body.

The pain increased. She went to scream, but no one could hear her from within Symbiont.

"Mitsuki! Hold on!"

OZone charged towards the beast, but without warning, Symbiont spat out liquid venom from its pores. The man stumbled back, barely dodging the violet-colored toxin. To his horror, he heard sizzling once the toxin hit the ground. The floor began to slowly dissolve, the toxin proving to be acidic.

"Shit..." OZone bit his tongue, freezing in place. "Shit!"

"Buzz! Do something about this!" Tony shouted. "You're the one who told us what this monster is! Now fix it!"

"How would I know? I would help her if I could, but I barely know anything about these... aliens." Buzz grit his teeth, feeling utterly powerless.

"We can't just stand here and do nothing!" Serenity's eyes watered. She was barely able to keep herself calm, holding back a scream as she continued to cling onto small Molly.

Molly, however, pushed herself away from Serenity's grasp.

Surprised, Serenity hesitated to speak. "Molly?"

Molly didn't answer. She dashed forward, heading straight towards Mitsuki and Symbiont. Before she could get too close to the toxin, she heard a series of footsteps chase after her. She turned to see Rōzu, who grabbed her wrist.

"Hey! Let go of me! I've got to go help her!" Molly ripped her hand away. "I've got to go help Mitsuki!"

Rōzu quickly argued back. "You won't be of any help to her if you get acid spat in your face! Molly, don't be stupid!"

Before Molly had a chance to recklessly take off towards the Ultra Beast a second time, Rōzu grabbed onto her and held her back. She fought against his grip relentlessly, stubborn in her aimless attempt to help her friend. Daichi ran forward to give the struggling Rōzu a hand. At the same time, Serenity watched with a bleeding heart.

"...Goodness...Molly." Serenity bit her lip. "Silly girl..."

"Silly girl? She has the right idea!" Tony grew more frustrated by the instant. "Why is she the only one actually doing something! Are we all idiots? We're just going to watch Mitsuki suffer?"

"No. We will not. But acting upon raw emotion will not help. I'm certain you're aware of that fact, Tony." Belle stepped forward, seemingly composed. However, there was no mistaking the fact that she was restraining herself, her balled up fists shaking. "That thing is poisonous. That much is clear."

"And?" Cypher asked.

"And what's an effective weapon against poison?" Belle's eyes darted to the other side of the room. "Arc?"

Belle stared at the man, who remained silent. He nodded his head in understanding before taking out a Pokéball. Symbiont was a poisonous creature, and although it was alien, one could assume it shared similarities with the Pokémon of their own world.

Arc threw the ball into the air. "Alakazam! I need your power!"

Arc's Alakazam popped out from the ball and landed on its feet, twirling its spoons in its hands. It immediately hopped into a fighting stance, ready for any fight coming its way.

"Wait! Hold on! You're not thinking of attacking it are you?" Serenity cried out. "Mitsuki is still inside of it! You'll hurt her!"

Belle put his hand on Serenity's shoulder. "The beast's body should take the blow for her."

"B-but!..." Serenity wanted to argue, but she couldn't even find the words to say. Her horror and fear clogged up her throat, making her feel as if she might just begin to choke.

Arc pointed to Symbiont, Mitsuki within it continuing her fight to breathe. His booming voice echoed throughout the large laboratory.

"Psychic!"

A purple, psychic energy began to swell around Symbiont's body. With one motion of Alakazam's hand, the beast was sent hurtling into the wall. A high pitched screech was heard, as if it were crying in pain. It zoomed back and forth through the air, its movements having no rhyme or rhythm. It was as if it were glitching, unable to handle Alakazam's psychic attack.

The screeching continued until Symbion spat out Mitsuki. She went limp as she landed, falling onto her stomach. With the exception of Arc and OZone, all of the admins rushed to her, kneeling down beside her as she gasped for air.

Arc and OZone watched the beast continue its bizarre movements, before it darted back towards the portal. Slipping through, Symbiont fled out of sight, returning to its world. The machine spewed dark smoke as the portal's misty edges began to dissipate into thin air. The portal went out with a whimper, fading away like a fog. The machine overheated and stopped its operation, leaving everything silent.

Mitsuki slowly sat up. Her skin was covered in red marks, or rather burns that luckily weren't too deep. She heard the admin's trying to talk to her, crying out to her, but she could barely pay attention to what they were saying. She only felt relief, as well as fear, overwhelming her senses.

As she grew more aware of what was happening, she was hit with a shock. The seven admins, her coworkers, were worried about her like they were her friends. Actually, they may very well be her friends, thought she never took the time to think about it. She wondered why they would care so much for her. Still, gratitude replaced her surprise.

And then she felt sadness.

"I... I couldn't breath," she murmured. "It burned so much..."

Then, she erupted. She spoke louder than she ever has.

"I thought I was going to die! I really did! It.. it was a living nightmare! I couldn't escape... I just felt the pain get worse and worse! It was... it was a thing of nightmares! Worse than nightmares!"

She broke down into sobs and wails. Tears ran down her reddened face as her voice cried out, something the other admins have never heard from her before. They were stunned, several of them felt like crying themselves. Tony took initiative and put his arms around her, hugging her close. She was warm to the touch, unnaturally warm.

OZone himself began to feel overwhelmed with emotion, asking himself a single, simple question. How could he let this happen to his employee? Arc saw the tension growing within the man, and the inner anguish forming.

"This isn't your fault, sir." Arc went to pat OZone's back, but before he could, OZone stepped away.

"Thank you, Arc. But I have no use for blatant lies just to make me feel better."

As Mitsuki calmed down, her tears beginning to slow their pace, she heard the sound of soft footsteps. She looked up to see OZone standing above both her in the other admins, a somber expression haunting his face.

"Mitsuki... I am so sorry."