Could an eight foot tall dinosaur, born millions of years ago and only recently revived from the dead, possibly feel guilty? While it seems impossible, strange to say the least, here I am and there he is, fidgeting with his claws. Chrona is smacking herself with one of her own Vine Whips as I stand there, tears welling in my eyes to the thwip, thwip of vine on durable skin.

 "I..." Crypt starts. I look up into his eyes, no longer the big, innocent Tyrunt eyes I knew but somehow so similar. He stops, closing his jaw, having nothing to say.

 Am I really that bad?" I ask, almost choking on every word.

 "Well, there is a very strong probability of dying on this team. I wouldn't attribute it to you, it's just... there." Chrona mutters, looking over at a nearby park bench as if it was far more interesting than the conversation.

 "Oh Arceus, I'm so sorry." I say, heart breaking. "I'm so sorry. I'm... I'm..."

 Chrona reaches out a Vine Whip to comfort me. "Lilly, it's not your fault.""

 Yes it is! He blames me!"

 "This is extremely uncomfortable and I would just like to point out that I don't hate you, I'm just frightened of your general attitude towards death and how it could be applied towards me." Crypt says, muttering some words as he looks down at the ground, fidgeting with his tail.

 "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." I keep repeating, no longer paying attention.

 Chrona lumbers up to me, gently placing me on her back. It's an intimate moment- Venusaur usually only do this for their young, keeping them safe beneath the comfort of the flower. She lets out a deep, cat-like purr, calming me until my sobs are reduced to hiccups.

 Crypt looks down at me, breathing in some of Chrona's soothing pollen. "I'm sorry too." he says, although I can barely make out the sharp edges of the words as they all blur together into one soft mass. "I was... a coward... shouldn't've run... away."

 "You're both okay now." Chrona states. I can feel her vibrate as she says the words, I can hear her heartbeat. "Crypt, Gaile's death was an accident and she's still beating herself up over it. If you don't want to deal with it for Xerneas's sake just stop associating with Bronze. Lilly, stop beating yourself up and get a hold of yourself."

 "No." I say, like an indignant child.

 "No?"

 "No, I'm going to stay here under this flower and never come out again." I say, curling around the large trunk in the middle.

 "You can sit there from time to time if you want." Chrona sighs. I move myself up near her neck and lean so I'm lying on her head, and scratch right behind the tiny stubby ears. She makes the purring noise again, and Crypt just watches.

 "Maybe I shouldn't join back. I made her cry." Crypt says nervously, clearly to Chrona and not me.

 "Oh no you don't." Chrona holds her vines around Crypt's feet. "You are not backing out of this. Stop being so indecisive. You wanted to do this, didn't you?"

 "You didn't have to tell her it was because of her."

 "I didn't have to conveniently cut out that I was meeting with you, either. I did that for you. You're going to return the favor and choose to go or stay right now."

 Crypt bites his lip and whimpers like a puppy.

 Chrona's eyes bore into his, terrifying and intimidating.  I feel her anger, her power, overwhelming him and the tiniest hint of his fear. Our bond isn't completely gone either, but any moment now, it's about to break or-

 "I'll stay." Crypt spits the words out. "Alright? Just please stop staring at me."

 "Well, we have some other things we need to work on, if that's all settled now." Chrona says, dropping the vine whips and neatly placing them by her side. "Rune and the others are training right now. Unsupervised. There's only so well that could go."

 "They're doing what exactly?!" I say, standing up and then falling over with a loud yell of distress.

 "Sorry. We got bored while you and your boyfriend were chatting." Chrona says, helping me up and dusting me off.

 "Where are they?"

 "Near the marina. They figured that Silver could join in too if they went there."

 "But I didn't give them..." I reach for my Pokeballs and find that Silver's is missing. I groan. "Alright, I'm heading over there. Crypt?"

 "I guess I'll come." he says, avoiding eye contact.

 We walk over to the marina, Chrona tromping ahead, Crypt awkwardly trailing behind. A few Pokemon Trainers, those with somewhat smaller Pokemon, stare in awe of my massive Pokemon army. A small kid, about 8, with a Bunnelby comes up and asks if he can pet them.  

 After a few pets from the local children and possibly a phone call from an onlooker inquiring as to why the children are petting the possibly feral giant Pokemon, we make it to the marina.

 Pich flies over the water like a majestic Wingull, Rune clings onto Silver's neck and Nico throws a fast Aura Sphere at any passing Pokemon. Behind him, knocked out Pokemon lay in the surf, making me wince. Bronze's words ring in my head.

 "We were raised to be killing machines..."

 "Stop it!" I yell. Rune notices me first, his ear fur blowing in the wind for a second before Silver stops and Rune slams into his large, meaty neck.

 "What's up?" yells back Silver, floating in the water.

 "Guys, please stop doing that. You can't just knock out everything you see."

 "Why not?" asks Rune.

 "Someone might eat them or kill them if their passed out. You might kill them. They're just other Pokemon, they don't deserve this."

 Pich is resting on Lapras's head and has something in her beak that looks suspiciously like a tentacle. Rune looks up at her and calls back, "It's a bit late for that."

 "I like seafood!" Pich calls after the tentacle has disappeared into her mouth.

 I feel sick to my stomach. Silver pulls up to the shoreline. "Everyone off the Lapras express."

 Rune steps off Silver, placing one paw in front of the other like he's afraid of the ground. Pich flies off of Silver's head and Nico jumps swiftly off, landing besides Rune. "That was totally rad." Silver says.

 "So, gym time? Will be my first go."

"And with the amount of training we did, definitely not your last. We have an ice, flying, and fire type against a grass type gym. I think we have this in the bag." Pich cooes.

 "Right. I guess it's time we go in. Let's show them some fireworks." Rune grins savagely. Fire flickers across his eyes, his heart, his soul, and my own mind.It's so much like Bronze's fire. I never realized how dangerous fire was until now. I was warmed by it. Protected by it.

 Now, watching Bronze- no, Rune- swing the doors open, brandishing his fire-covered stick like a chainsaw, I am neither. I am afraid of fire... and the gym trainers seem to be mortified.