FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Brim: I blame the heat.

Fox: Thank you for reading. Also, I'm not entirely sure if the beginning deems this chapter the adult tag. I don't think it does, though it's probably borderline. We'll see.

Disclaimer: Pokémon is copyright of Nintendo, Game Freak, etc. Individual characters are my own imagining, and are not intended to be any part of main cannon / plotline. Individual characters like Aaron, Song, Zin, etc, are my own creations, so please ask before using. Thank you.

Chapter 32: Dredge

Waking up was something that could go on without me. It didn't help that I was already awake, though. It just felt like everything else could keep moving on.

With Nurse Joy's permission, I was on the rooftop of the Pokémon Center. She provided me with a metal fold-out chair so I didn't sit on the ground. Unfortunately, it was slightly broken or something. It wouldn't hold my weight for some reason because it kept creaking ominously. I was currently balancing on the back legs and leaning back against the wall that housed the stairway back down. The sun kept me warm, but it looked like clouds were beginning to block out the warmth of above. A cool wind was blowing, making me shiver. In all honesty, it was the perfect time for a nap.

My mind wasn't ready to rest at the moment.

Yesterday's events kept spinning through my mind, no matter how much I forced them away. I don't think I've been through such a traumatic experience before. Nothing really compared. Life in Solaceon was mostly quiet. Nothing really happened there. Sure, the Lost Tower had its fair share of sad stories, but what cemetery does? Honestly, I haven't seen someone to be really happy to bury their dead.

So what was that blue Mew's role in all this? It didn't make sense. Was he just an ends to a mean? He was planning this for three hundred years! Well, that was only his word on it, but somehow I don't feel like someone would lie and do the things he did. The pink Mew didn't argue against that fact. Maybe it was true? There were too many variables right now.

I've never seen anything like this before. At least any reports have mentioned walls decorated in Unown. There was a plan behind all this shit. SOMEONE had to be pulling the strings. I didn't like how Giratina didn't answer my questions. Why? Something was going on. I leaned forward, standing up to avoid falling with the chair. The metal clanging behind me set off something in my mind. I walked towards the edge of the building. My fists pounded on the metal railing.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" I screamed out loud.

My body shivered, the tension that was coiling inside me being released. My knees buckled as my body slid down. I rested my forehead against the cool steel, my arms hanging at my sides. Someone yelled up at me, but I ignored it. Giving them the middle finger wasn't worth it right now.

What bothered me? I closed my eyes, concentrating on figuring this out. It centered on that blue Mew. Was I right in doing what I did? A wave of anger flowed through me. It took a few breaths to calm myself, my fingers clenching on the cloth of my pants. I bit my lip, tapping my forehead against the metal that it was resting on.

What I did, was it justified? Was killing that Mew the right thing? The answer came as a furious yes. Somewhere I felt like it was justified, no matter how horrifying the truth was. It still didn't stop bothering me, though.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. It wasn't doing me any good to get worked up too much. There's no changing what happened any more. I raised my eyes up, the metal bars in front of me dividing my vision. Small homes and larger buildings were to my left. In front of me were trees that stood in the way of some giant tower that stood in the city. At least, I think it did. I wouldn't know.

"Master?"

I stiffened at the words as Zin brushed next to me. Looking down at the Houndoom, her red eyes looked straight into mine. She didn't move, sitting next to me. She stayed still, almost like a statue. Her tail would twitch every now and then, but nothing else moved. Her eyes roamed over me as I shuffled to face her. It was only then that she moved again, jumping into my arms. A soft whine came from her throat, her tongue bathing my face and lips. For once, I didn't hesitate to return the gesture. I gently held her horns, pressing her face against mine. She pushed her tongue past my lips, our tongues wrestling against each other. Her weight leaned on me, the soft but insistent pressure in my mouth allowing me to stay with her. It felt like electricity was running up and down my spine, but without losing control.

She pulled back after a moment, allowing the two of us to catch our breaths. Her tail hit my legs as it wagged enthusiastically behind her.

"You looked like you needed that." she said with a smile. Goodness, she has sharp teeth.

"I did." I whispered. "Thank you."

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that something's eating at your tail." she said, making herself comfortable on my lap. Her tail wrapped around my left wrist, as my right hand scratched between her horns.

"It's pretty obvious, huh."

"We all heard you through the building." she huffed.

I shook my head, but kept scratching. "Sorry."

"No, you better not." she barked out. "You're angry. You should be able to express it freely. But what has you all tense?"

"Did I... did I do the right thing? Killing that Mew?" I asked softly.

She didn't answer immediately. "What do you think?" she asked back.

"I don't know. That's why I'm wondering."

"You don't understand. At that specific point, what was going on? I wasn't... around."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I was thinking about it. It wasn't pleasant living through it once. I didn't want to speak about it ever again for the rest of my life. My arms wrapped around Zin, holding her close to me. Bringing her body against my chest, I rested my face against hers. She didn't fight against my grip, though it probably wasn't comfortable to her. I leaned backwards, resting my back against the floor. She didn't move to adjust herself, leaving her belly exposed to the air.

"I was so angry." I answered finally. "Scared, angry, confused. I didn't know what to think. After that blue Mew let go of Joy's body from whatever barrier was surrounding it, she had no pulse. She wasn't breathing, and she wasn't moving. Somewhere along the line, Jon opened Song's Pokéball. She was exactly the same. One after another, as fast as Jon opened the Pokéballs."

"And me?" she asked softly.

"Quiet and cold, just like everyone was."

Neither of us moved from our current position. At most, Zin's tail twitched, or her tongue would come out to lick her nose. My hands moved through the fur of her belly. She squirmed a little bit, but her tongue on my cheek let me know that she wasn't displeased by the attention. The slow rise and fall of her chest made me feel oddly at ease. It was like I needed to feel her next to me, alive and well. I knew that she was fine. Hearing her voice was proof of that. But holding her in my arms right now seemed to solidify that fact.

"What are you thinking?" Zin asked softly.

"That I'm glad that everything worked out in the end." I said, burying my face in her fur. "I'm happy that you're here."

"If your fingers keep exploring further, you'll be in for a surprise."

"Aroused?" I asked

"Plenty."

"I think that Iolanthe has taken it from under you."

"What?" she asked, before laughing. "You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head. "Nope. She asked if I knew if anyone had claimed me recently, and I answered that I didn't know."

"I'll have to talk to her soon." Zin stated. "There's an order to these things!"

I chuckled as I sat up, my arms still clutching tightly to Zin. I brought her down gently onto my lap. She turned to me, smiling up at me.

"Better?" she asked.

"A little bit." I admitted.

"Talk to everyone." Zin suggested. "But if it makes you feel better, I think you did what was right."

I blinked, feeling slightly confused. She shook her head, her paw rubbing down my arm.

"You fought for me." she stated. "Not only for me, but for your Pokémon, Joy, her Pokémon, and Jon. It drove you to a point that I don't think you've ever been to. Of all the times Song spoke of you, it was how you are always so calm and understanding. I always hoped there was something fierce in you, that if you had to fight tooth and nail for it, you wouldn't let anything or anyone get in your way.

"Though I don't really approve of how it came about, I know I picked the right male to be my mate. You fought a Mew, practically bare handed, and kill him because of what he did to you."

"How did...?"

"Iolanthe told me what happened." she answered, cutting me off instantly. "Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that you fought like a true Houndoom. Our pups would be something to be scared of for sure! But I'm happy. Happy that you were brave enough to do what needed to be done."

I wasn't sure how to respond. Zin's snout pressed against my nose, preventing me from talking.

"I know that what happened there wasn't you." she said. "You're one of those gentle individuals, but you know where the line is. I'm glad to know that you'll defend us from those that cross it."

I nodded, not sure of what to say. Her eyes met mine, encompassing everything I could see. Was I really like that?

She pulled away from my face, her tail raised high. Her steps were slow, hips swaying from side to side as she walked away from me. My eyes were shamelessly fixated at the wet entrance under her tail. She wasn't joking when she said she was aroused. My eyes focused on the spot, as I held myself in check. Finally shaking myself out of staring at her body, I focused on looking away from her. Zin's laughter made me face towards the source of the sound. She batted her eyes at me, her tongue going over her lips.

The sight was one that I wasn't quite used to. Regardless, it was working on me. My pants were beginning to grow uncomfortable. She walked back towards me, her front paws going in front of the previous one as she moved forward. Her tail moved with her hips, swaying from side to side. When she reached me, her paws teased at my pants.

"That looks like it hurts." she whispered knowingly. I nodded mutely.

"Do you think you can control your voice?" she asked.

This couldn't be good. "What do you have in mind?" I asked.

She grinned, flashing her sharp teeth as she looked up to me. With her front feet on my lap, she got enough height to reach my face. Her tongue went over my cheek, her teeth gently nipping on my ear. When she pulled away, I was following her on my hands and knees. We passed by the fallen chair that I was previously sitting on. I stood up, grabbing it and propping it against the door. It wasn't a lock, but it was the closest thing. Looking back towards Zin, she gave me a huge grin before turning and running out of sight around the corner.

When I reached where she had disappeared from view, she was on her back. Her legs kicked the air as her pointed tail curled in the air. She gave me a fanged smile as I looked at her.

"Do you like what you see, Master?" she asked playfully.

I nodded, moving on top of her. As our faces aligned together, she leaned up. Her tongue met my lips as my fingers explored her body. I could feel her legs twitch as my hands moved down her belly. She shook her head.

"Stop teasing me already." she growled. "Take those pants off before I burn them off."

I hesitated for a moment, before shaking my head and pulling away. No, this wasn't supposed to be how we should do this. Zin growled at me, standing up as I sat against the concrete wall.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't want this to be out of pity." I said, frowning. "You might be in need, and you might see it as a reward to me, but as much as I want to, this doesn't feel right."

She frowned. "Your crotch says otherwise." Zin pointed out.

"I know, Zin." I said, sighing.

She walked next to me, placing her paws on my lap. I quickly scooped her up, pressing my lips against hers. She struggled for a moment before lying still. Her tail moved along my legs, as if trying to get my attention. When I pulled away from her, she practically lunged forward to keep our lips in contact. This time I didn't try to pull away from her, enjoying the company of my Houndoom.

Zin pulled away from me, finally allowing me a chance to take a deep breath. That seemed to get a chuckle out of her.

"But I'm really horny." she whined while sticking out her tongue.

I smiled, sighing. "You're always horny." I pointed out.

"More reason for us to have sex." she stated with a nod.

I shook my head. "Not while this is bothering me." I said, frowning. "But I'll take you up on that offer."

"I've heard you say that a few times now." she growled playfully. "I'll hold you to that."

"Trainer's honor." I said, smiling.

She didn't say anything. The look on her face softened as she shook her head. It looked like she wanted to say something more, but decided against it. Her tail shook as she leaned on my left shoulder. My arms wrapped around her body, holding her tightly against me. The warmth coming from her body kept me at ease. I could feel my eyes close on their own accord. My thoughts were going at the speed of a Dragonite at full speed, leaving me feeling exhausted.

I leaned my head forward, resting against Zin's body. Her unique scent stayed strong in my nose as I slowly fell asleep.

============================//////////////////////======================

"You still look like shit." Joy muttered, pushing me down into a chair.

"I still feel like shit." I agreed, holding the ice pack against my head.

"Do you feel unwell, Master?" Iolanthe asked.

"My head started to bug me after walking outside." I said, waving her concern away. "Probably has to do with the kink in my neck. It should go away soon."

Everyone except Jon and his team were present at the moment. I wasn't entirely sure where he was, except somewhere inside the Pokémon Center. He was probably doing a report with his superiors or something. He didn't tell me so it was left to speculation. The sound of a chair being shifted reached my ears. Looking towards the sound, Joy sat down next to me. It felt strange sitting next to her. It's not like this was the first time. I guess it's due to the circumstances that took place not that long ago. We were inside our room, with our Pokémon listening in to know what happened.

"So, what happened yesterday?" Joy asked.

I sighed. I knew she was going to ask about it. Still, it felt a little too soon to be talking about it so casually. Regardless, I did agree to tell her in the morning.

"Well, it started when we came back to the Pokémon Center after talking with Zapdos." I said, beginning with it all. "That's when I left you with everyone."

Everyone nodded. "When we came back to the Pokémon Center and I opened the door to our room, there was Unown written all over. It looked like some kind of struggle took place, at least. Jon took off as I inspected the room, trying to make sense of what the words said. When Jon came back, he found out that his Pokémon disappeared as well. At that point, whoever did the act left a rather obvious calling card in Unown.

"They weren't subtle in the slightest when it came to Unown language. I grabbed my backpack, told Jon to let Zapdos out, and we flew straight to Violet City. I... Jon pulled me towards the Ruins of Alph, which was where the Unown writing specifically mentioned to come to. That's when, eventually, found you after running into a group of Unown. I'm not entirely sure if they were helping us all along. We had no idea where to go once we were inside.

"Eventually, we found the chamber where you were. There wasn't any sign of anyone else except..." I said, trailing off to look towards Joy. She blinked after a moment, pointing silently towards herself. I nodded. She made an audible gulping sound.

"When we approached you, that's when that blue Mew appeared. I don't remember anything specific as to what he said. After that, everything is just a blur to me. This morning I was trying to figure myself out, and all that I remember is just feeling angry and terrified."

"You fought the Mew, right?" Joy asked.

"We didn't just fight him." I clarified. "I killed him."

Silence echoed around me as those words left my lips. Everyone's eyes were on me. Zin nodded proudly. I already knew what she thought of this. Iolanthe didn't look like she was actively listening to what I was saying. It looked like she was more interested in everyone elses thoughts. Looking over at Joy, her head was shaking from side to side.

"I didn't see a body." she claimed.

"That's right. Giratina took the body away after he showed it to me."

"Giratina?!" Joy exclaimed with a gasp.

I shrugged. "We talked."

"Is there anyone else that showed up?" she asked, frowning.

I nodded. "The same Suicune that showed up to save Xola appeared there, too. Also, Mew and Mewtwo were present. They mentioned something about 'exemplar', though I have no idea what that means."

Song was shaking her head. The Gardevoir was looking at me with a fearful expression. Her eyes refused to meet mine when I looked at her. Spirit held onto the Gardevoir, hugging her against her body. Aurora, sitting on top of Baast's head, was looking at me pensively. Baast herself had a frown on her muzzle.

"Master?" Mist called.

"What is it, Mist?"

"Do you require aid?"

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"You haven't stopped shaking since you started recalling the details of yesterday." she pointed out. "You're wringing your hands constantly, and there's a small twitch on your right eye."

I opened my mouth to protest, but it wouldn't have been a good idea. I could feel the shaking. The twitching was a little harder to ignore, but it didn't mean it didn't happen.

"I'm not alright, Mist, but thank you." I answered her finally. "I'll handle it."

She floated over everyone, resting her thin 'arms' around my neck and coming to rest against my chest. The sudden chill of her entering my body pushed away a lot of anxiety. It took a moment to notice that my body wasn't almost out of my control. You didn't have to do this, Mist.

"Actually, I did." she responded in my mind. "Please continue."

I sighed. There's no talking Mist out of doing something once she decides to do it. The faint echo of laughter filled the back of my thoughts for a moment.

"So, what happened after you... killed... that Mew? What, was it a different color or something?"

I nodded. "It had blue fur, while the 'exemplar' that appeared afterwards was pink. As for what happened afterwards, I tried to get some answers from Giratina. He admitted, at least in my mind, that the Darkrai were sent by him. Though apparently getting me killed or hurt wasn't part of the original order. When pressed further, he said something about a mistranslated order. Mew almost killed me, but Giratina stopped her.

"I started walking away when Suicune called out to me. Between her and Giratina, they did some special mumbo-jumbo and brought you all back. You know what's happened since then."

Joy's Ampharos was in between Akalia and Victini. Her Sandslash was muttering something in the Sawsbuck ear. The silence was starting to get to me. I stood up suddenly, much to the surprise of everyone.

"That's all I remember. I'm not too comfortable talking about this. Io can answer any more questions you might have. So could Jon or Zapdos, since they were there as well. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

I turned away from the group, leaving the room and closing the door behind me. It felt like something had a hold on my lungs. My chest felt odd, and this weird tingling sensation ran up and down my arms and spine. A gentle touch swept over me. It was like being hugged, but from the inside. I wrapped my arms around myself, as if to return the hug from my ghost. Slowly but surely I calmed down.

It was a miracle I didn't fall down. My left hand left my chest and touched the wall. I leaned over, dropping my weight against the wall. I didn't know what to think or feel at the moment. I felt... lost.

A chill went up and down my spine. "You're never lost, Master." Mist whispered in my mind. "We're here for you."

I looked around for a moment, seeing if anyone was around to overhear. "I don't think everyone will stay after today." I muttered.

"I will." she stated. "There are not many things that will make me leave. This isn't one of them."

"How so?"

"You defended yourself and the ones you treasure most." Mist stated. "I understand that this isn't how you normally operate. Have you ever thought of doing things like this before?"

I shook my head. "No. Never." I whispered.

"Then you will be alright." Mist whispered soothingly. "That was very courageous of you. I honestly do not know of anyone that would have done the things that you did."

"People might think I'm insane." I pointed out.

"Then let them." she answered primly. "We know the true story."

"You're not coming out anytime soon, are you?" I asked.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, actually you don't. I just wanted to know if you were planning on staying there for any longer. I think I'm alright now."

"You do not feel 'all right' to me just yet." Mist said. "I think I will stay here for a bit longer until I'm satisfied with your condition."

A chuckle came out of me as my hand pushed me off the wall. Maybe it would be a good idea to get some air? Maybe Jon would like to tag along. At the very least, getting some fresh air might clear my head.

=======================/////////////////////============================

Baast, Zin, Aurora, Song, and Iolanthe approached me while I was on the roof of the Pokémon Center again. Song held her staff gently in her grasp, while Baast and Iolanthe looked to be in some kind of silent argument. Zin walked with the confident air of self-assuredness. Though then again, that was her normal confidence being portrayed. It seems to take quite a lot to shake her. Apparently me killing a Mew is not one of those things. I know that she's proud of it, but I wish she wouldn't openly display it so much.

Song didn't look happy coming along with everyone. It made me a little nervous. I don't think I've seen the Gardevoir so focused. Well, perhaps focused is the incorrect term. Was she angry? I'm not sure yet. While it wasn't late night yet, some of the nearby buildings had their lights on already. There weren't any power fluctuations happening. Not yet, anyway. While she might have most of her powers, teleporting to Johto from Sinnoh shows she still has access to it. This fact triggered a memory where she blew out the light bulbs outside because I told her I wouldn't be able to come in the next day when she was a Ralts.

"Master, may we speak with you?" Song asked.

I nodded, putting my attention on the newcomers. Spirit looked terrified at the moment. It bothered me that it might be me that's making her uneasy.

"Of course. Is something the matter?"

Silence followed my question for a moment. Thankfully, it didn't last long when Song stepped forward.

"What you said... did that really happen?"

I blinked and immediately kept my temper in check. "Yes, it did." I answered.

"What did you use to kill Mew?"

Here we go. "Your staff."

She looked at the implement in question, before letting it drop. It rattled against the roof under our feet. Aurora let out a hiss at the sound.

"It never occurred to you that this tool wasn't supposed to be used for those ends."

I stayed silent. This felt like one of those moments where I'm damned if I say or do anything. Not saying anything might damn me just as much.

"Answer me." she demanded.

"No, it didn't. You didn't mention anything about your training since you've been back."

She frowned, stepping over the fallen weapon. "Why didn't you mention it during your retelling?"

"I've been holding that staff ever since we left for Johto." I answered, frowning. "It slipped my mind, so I apologize."

"Do you?"

"The next time you get kidnapped out from under me, I'll try to be more nonchalant about it."

She didn't have an answer to that. "What's really bothering you, Song?"

"I didn't think you would do such things." she whispered.

"You and me both." I said, nodding. "It's still a little too surreal for me. I know that it happened, but I'd rather wish that it all didn't."

"Do you regret it?" she asked.

That's a double-edged question. "I don't think what I did is excusable by any means. That doesn't mean I regret it. It might be stupid now, but I thought you were all dead. I did what I thought was right."

"And what if you're wrong?" she asked. "What if you killed someone innocent?"

"Believe me that the possibility has been eating at me for a while." I said, shaking my head. "Regardless, what's done is done. It's not like anyone stopped me, either. Suicune, the pink Mew, and Mewtwo were already present. Who knows if Giratina was there already. Anyone could have really stopped me, but they didn't. I'm not sure why, either. I'm not saying this as an excuse, but as a ways to think of the situation that IF he really was innocent, don't you think that someone would have stopped me?

"It's not that the exemplar Mew was weak. She did try to kill me. But that was after the fact. Mewtwo didn't react much, if at all, to what was going on around him. He didn't stop me, either. Suicune appeared as soon as the final blow was about to land. A lot of mist appeared out of nowhere, and after the deed was done she was there. Giratina appeared after everyone was arguing. I could have been stopped by any of them, but I wasn't. Why? I don't know. There's more to this than what we see. What, exactly, I have no idea."

"So, what are we going to do now?" Zin asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure yet. We need to get answers somehow. It bothers me that we've come this far and learned nothing. We've just been reacting to what happens around us. This time, we'll act first. Once I actually come up with a plan to act on."

The Houndoom laughed, making Song look at her and frown. I shook my head, frowning at Zin. Song probably did not appreciate the humor. Though what humor was to be taken from this was up to debate.

"Do you want to leave, Song?" I asked.

"What?"

"You heard me. Do you want to go back to the monks?"

She walked forward towards me, her eyes glowing. The sound of a light bulb popping didn't escape my hearing. My attention was brought Song as the impact of her hand against my cheek. It stung, and to be honest, she hit pretty hard. The impact left me momentarily dazed. She was definitely no slouch now.

"I'll take that as a no." I said, smiling as my hand rubbed my cheek.

"Why would you suggest such a thing!?" she exclaimed.

"It didn't sound like you wanted to stay here any longer." I answered. "I don't think that, even if you came with me willingly, I should hold you against your will."

She physically wavered, swaying slightly side to side as she stood in front of me. I reached out to her, my arms wrapping around her body in a hug. The prominent red 'spike' on her chest poked against me. Her arms reached up, grabbing hold of my shoulders. She shivered against my body, soft whimpers reaching my ears. The grip on my body only tightened, threatening to throw me off balance.

Something climbed up my legs and arms. Sharp claws gripped my hair, Aurora pulling herself up. More bodies surrounded us, slowly but surely surrounding me. Baast's spike pressed against my back, while Spirit's audible humming filled my hearing as she approached. A snicker came from below, signaling that Zin found this extremely amusing.

"I'm sorry, Master." Song whimpered.

I shook my head. "You don't have anything to be sorry for." I said, holding her tightly. "Don't worry about it."

Eventually, I could feel the circle opened up. Song looked down at me, leaning down and pressing her lips against mine. Her fingers held my head in place. The gentle kiss seemed to help calm her down. It helped me calm down alongside her. She smiled, her fingers going through my hair.

"It feels like you need your hair cut." she teased.

"Here we go again." I said with a chuckle. "Come on. Let's rest for today. We'll talk more tomorrow. I have some ideas."

"And what would that be?" Zin asked.

"Not entirely sure just yet." I admitted. "It's a half-baked plan, but I'll let you know when things start coming clearer."

==========================////////////////////==========================

Isabella and Jon were with me this morning on the rooftop. It quickly dawned on me that I didn't want to be seen in the public eye. Not many comers and goers looked up. There was plenty of traffic into and out of the Pokémon Center. Large crowds were beginning to make me nervous.

"I keep hearing that there's someone looking for you, Aaron." Joy said with a frown.

"Do you know who?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No. Just that someone is. I overhead someone ask some questions that one guy that you apparently beat up."

I frowned, but shrugged. "Can't be helped now, I guess."

"I imagine that happened when you weren't thinking clearly." she said.

"You could say that." Jon said, frowning. "Anyway, why did you want to call us?"

"I want to investigate the Ice Path again." I stated without preamble.

Joy blinked. "Why? What's there?"

"When we went through, I ran into Suicune. She said that she lived there, or at the very least uses it often. I want to investigate if that's true, and if so, get more information out of her."

"And what makes you think it'll be that easy?" Jon asked.

"I don't think it'll be easy. That's why I'm telling you the plan and asking if both of you would come with me."

"You're crazy."

"Better than me just sneaking off and going by myself." I responded. "That was the original thought, but it didn't sit well with me after thinking about it."

Isabella's hands curled into fists before shaking her head and turning her back to me. Probably not the smartest thing to say. It was better than lying though.

"Where are your Pokémon?" Jon asked suddenly.

"Well, Mist is still inside of me." I said, tapping my chest. "The rest are on my belt except for Song, Baast, Iolanthe, and Zin. They should be coming up soon. Zin wanted to talk to them for a moment."

"Well, what's your plan?" Joy asked, turning around quickly. "What is it that you want answered from her?"

"What is it that she knows about Arceus, and what does it have to do with us." I answered. "I'm tired of roaming around blind. If we're going to get answers, it has to come from the source."

"And do you think that she'll just answer you like that?" Jon asked.

I shook my head. "No, but I can hope. Either that or we move on to do... whatever you guys have planned. Unless you guys have a plan that I don't know about."

Joy shrugged. "I was going to suggest that we head over to Hoenn. The farther away we are from Indigo Plateau, the more time we have to react to when they eventually send for us."

"Now that I think about it, that doesn't make any sense. Can't they trace us using our Pokédexes?" I asked, confused.

"Technically it's possible." Jon said with a shrug. "Though that's only used for high profile crimes. At least, that's been my experience."

"When was the last time it was used around here?" I asked.

"The last time it happened? Well... the Team Rocket crime spree was about fifteen years ago. Then there was that one crazy hacker that scammed most of the major PokéMarts for a few billion. That was five years ago. That should be the last case that's actually needed to actually dig through all registered Pokédexes to find how the money was being passed along. That I know of, anyway."

"So that means it's unlikely, right?"

"Very unlikely."

"Good. Going to Hoenn sounds like a good idea." Joy said, nodding. "At the very least it would throw off the trail that we have here in Johto. Still, it seems odd that they wouldn't resort to that to find us quickly."

"It requires the authority and permission of every professor from every region. The problem is that all the Pokédexes are linked to individual professors. My Pokédex is from Johto, for example. In order for the League to track how I spend my money, it has to get permission from all three hundred professors that study Pokémon here in Johto."

"Why's that? That seems like a completely arbitrary way to do things." I said, frowning.

"It's how the system is set up. All of the information that the trainer gets is sent directly to the professors for categorizing and study. The League's only reason of existence is to keep rules in between gyms and the citizens in order to keep competitions fair. So, if the League wants to do a full on investigation, it has to get the permission first."

"And judging by the fact that it's only occurred a handful of times leads me to believe that doesn't happen very often." I said.

"Got it in one." Jon said, nodding. "We shouldn't have to worry about it. Not as long as we don't actually start hurting countless lives."

"Let's hope that me punching that one guy will have any negative effects." I said, cringing slightly.

"It probably won't. Not with me backing you up." Jonathan said, nodding. "You don't have a criminal record either."

"At least that's taken care of. So, at the end of the day, what should we do? Should we investigate the Ice Path?" I asked once more.

"It's really your call." Jon said. "I don't see any real harm in it. We shouldn't really stop anywhere else before going there though. Minimize our exposure as much as possible."

"I still don't think Suicune will answer your questions, if it is there in the first place." Joy said. "They have their own agenda don't they."

"It seems like it, at the very least. At the very least it doesn't look like all the legendary Pokémon get along. Especially not Giratina and Suicune."

"Why do you say that?" Jon asked. "They worked together at that last moment."

"That might have been to some law, custom, or something else that got in the way." I said, frowning in thought. "They were almost at each other's throats for a while before Suicune seemed to snap herself out of her frenzy."

"Suicune was yelling at both of them, right?" Jon asked. "At the pink Mew and Giratina, I mean."

I nodded. "Yeah, from what I remember."

A sudden jerk almost made me lose my balance. Joy grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me towards her. She didn't look any different, but it felt like she wanted to hear anything else but what we were talking about. I felt like an idiot.

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head before letting me go. I wanted to give her a hug, but it didn't seem appropriate. Also, I wasn't sure how she felt about public displays of affection of any level.

"Alright. If there isn't anything left to discuss, we should head-"

A loud ring interrupted me. Jon looked puzzled as he pulled out and opened his Pokédex. His eyes widened suddenly before his fingers moved around quickly. He moved away from us as he brought the device to his ear. My gaze moved towards Joy who gave me a shrug in response. The door opened, revealing my Pokémon moving towards us. Baast was carrying my backpack in her paws. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Is there something I should be aware of?" I asked to the newcomers.

Song shook her head. "No. We were just trying to find an order to things."

"Somehow, I don't think we should discuss this in public. If there isn't anything else, we're going to the Ice Path again. The idea is to hopefully meet up with Suicune there."

"Master, we ran into her by accident." Iolanthe said.

I nodded. "I know. But I'm hoping that we can retrace our steps. If anything, I just want to make sure we've gone through all our options. She did mention that the Ice Path was her home. It's close enough, so I wouldn't doubt that she's there or has passed by."

Baast nodded. "It makes sense. Who thought of this plan?"

"Cute." I said, rolling my eyes. "If there aren't any immediate concerns, we'll probably be leaving soon. Unless there's anything we have to do here in Violet City."

Joy shook her head. "My sister helped sort us out with extra medical supplies and some extra packs of food. We might need them. Also, I got some extra blankets."

"Do they fit in your backpack?" I asked.

She nodded. "Mine needed to be replaced anyway."

I nodded as Jon grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. His eyes had a look of a maniac. Or someone that got told really good or exciting news.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Cynthia."

"Who?"

His grip on me tightened as he shook me about. "Cynthia! The Sinnoh champion is here!" he hissed.

"That's a good thing, I take it?"

He looked at me like I was insane. "ISN'T TALKING TO ONE OF THE CHAMPIONS ONE OF THE REASONS WE'RE RUNNING AROUND IN THE FIRST PLACE?!"

"Oh yeah..."

=========================/////////////////////////======================

"So, what's up?"

Cynthia was definitely not the person who she showed herself to be in the television. In the times that I've seen her televised, she always appears cool and collected. When she issued commands to her Pokémon, they were direct and decisive. Silk hiding steel, if there was such a thing.

The person in front of us was none of that. Cynthia was wearing her traditional black overcoat that reached to her legs. It matched with her black shirt and pants. Her hair was a startling contrast, being of a golden or blonde color. Strangely, her hair was unadorned from the usual black clips that I remember seeing on the television. We were inside a private booth in some kind of fancy restaurant.

"I got a call that you were sighted in Violet City, and we wanted to hear about what's going on?" Jon said without preamble.

She raised an eyebrow. "And who are you affiliated with, if you don't mind me asking? And who told you about where I was?"

"Johto Rangers, Lightning Unit. My boss sent me the information." he answered.

Cynthia nodded, looking impressed. "Nice. I hear that most die in less than four months of being in there."

That must have stung. Jon didn't show it, though.

"Anyway, I suppose it makes sense. It isn't like I've been stealthy of where I've been. Not like Lance. Somehow, that bastard can make a Dragonite be as quiet as a Whismur when he flies around.

"Anyway, I wanted to re-investigate the Ruins of Alph when I heard that an odd mist appeared over the area. You three wouldn't happen to know about that, would you?"

I looked over to Joy, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but where we were right now. She grabbed hold of my arm tightly when Jon nodded. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, we know pretty much what happened. It happened two days ago." I said, glaring at Jon.

"This is personal, isn't it?" Cynthia asked.

Joy nodded. "A little bit."

"I'd like to know, if you three don't mind." she said seriously. "A legendary Pokémon being active in the world isn't normal. Well, interfering with human affairs at least. I'm pretty sure that you all know about the spree of deaths that have been reported. We're trying to stop that."

"So, why isn't the League sending more people to help you guys? You shouldn't have to be in exile until otherwise stated." I said.

Cynthia laughed, shaking her head. "I'm not exiled." she said. "The Leagues in general want nothing to do with it because it's not their jurisdiction. Being a champion means that you follow their policies, not the policies of the professors."

She opened her mouth to speak but didn't continue. I was about to ask if something was wrong when the waiter came in. "Your drinks." he said, putting a glass of water in front of us and leaving.

"Sorry, don't want more people to overhear if I can help it." she said, taking a sip of water before continuing. "But yeah, that's the basic gist of it."

"Why did you investigate the ruins, and what brought you back?" I asked.

She grinned at me. "Straight to the point. Alright. Celestic Town has the ruins inside of its borders, right? Have you been there before?"

I nodded once. I didn't feel that I had to go into details of that encounter again.

"You saw the mural, right? The one with the back with the gems?" she asked. I nodded. "That's the key to all this. Well, one of them, anyway. After doing some research through some archives in the Sinnoh Pokémon League, there were a lot of Unown references that point towards the Ruins of Alph. I came here first before anywhere else to see what all the ruckus was about. The only thing that the Ruins of Alph resemble is the Solaceon Ruins in Sinnoh.

"What I found in the archives was a picture of Unown, translated by some crazy Unown researchers and their kid. It read something about the 'End of Time and Space', or something silly like that. That was found in the Solaceon Ruins. When I came here for the first time to the Ruins of Alph, the Unown writing on the walls are pretty much identical. The ones here in Johto say 'Beware the Fall of Innocence'. Again, whatever that means.

"And now I come back hearing that the ruins were filled with mist, and the sounds of fighting could be heard. Something's going on, and I want to find out."

My throat felt like I swallowed glass. Joy was holding my hand tightly, while Jon was looking pensive over everything. With my free hand I grabbed hold of the cup of water and downing the entire thing. It didn't make me feel better, but at least my dry throat was taken care of.

"You wouldn't happen to be down there when it happened, would you?" Cynthia asked.

I wanted to slap Jon when he nodded. He looked way too damn happy to answer. I settled to kick him under the table. His only response was to give me a look that only said to stop it. I kicked him again for good measure.

"Yeah, we were there." Jon said. "A blue Mew took our friend Joy and-"

"And it wouldn't be prudent to talk about it." I snarled, cutting Jonathan off.

Cynthia coughed politely. "Are you alright, little girl?"

We turned towards Joy, who was shaking her head. "No. But Aaron, let's tell her, alright?" Joy pleaded.

My hostility left me. I sighed, letting Jon continue where he left off. My attention was mostly on Joy, making sure that she was alright. For her part, Cynthia didn't interrupt much. She asked for clarification with my interactions when the other legendary Pokémon appeared. Her reaction to me killing the blue Mew was to stare at me.

"So, what did Giratina tell you? About Suicune?" Cynthia asked.

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What did Giratina say about how Suicune and Mew were interacting?"

"He asked if they were fighting. I answered saying yes, and that they've been at it for a while now."

Cynthia frowned. "Well, that rules out one of my ideas." she muttered to herself. "Anyway... wow, that's really some story."

"Tell me about it." I muttered. She raised an eyebrow but didn't press for more information.

"Look, you three got lucky." Cynthia said gently. "You should all just do whatever it is that you're going to do, and leave everything to us. We'll figure this all out before more people get hurt, alright?"

Jon nodded. "And that's what we'll do." he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "And what about going to the Ice Path?"

"Why would you go there?" Cynthia asked.

"To finally get the real story out of Suicune." I answered as I stood up. "I met her there once before. I'm hoping that she'll be there for me to interrogate."

"Why do-"

"She's helped me twice before, three times counting what happened in the Ruins of Alph. I don't know, but I feel like she has answers. If she's willing to respond is another issue, but I have to try. Sitting around with my thumb up my ass hasn't done shit for us."

I stood up, giving a polite bow towards Cynthia. "Thank you for inviting us here and helping us. I'll be going now. Jon, if you don't want to come along to the Ice Path that's fine. Joy, if you want to stay I'll understand, too. I'll be back here as soon as I can."

I turned around, opening the door to leave and closing it behind me. A waiter came up to me, asking if there was something wrong. I shook my head, telling him that I was just on my way out.

Leaving the restaurant, it was still daylight outside. Morning was turning to midday by the looks of the sun. I grabbed my Pokédex, confirming the time to be just past twelve-thirty. Good. Sounds like I have plenty of time. My fingers traced over Spirit's Pokéball, grabbing it and releasing the Flygon. She turned to face me, looking surprised.

"Are you alright, Spirit?" I asked, slowly approaching her.

She nodded slowly as she lowered her head to be at my level. My hands touched her green scales as her eyes closed. I could feel her muscles tense as my fingers went down her neck. She was clearly lying, and that's not a good sign.

"Spirit, you do know that I can feel your neck tense as I'm touching you, right?" I asked, patting her neck.

My Flygon took a step back, shaking her head to deny my question. I stepped forward, taking one of her claws in my hands and walking forward. It must be a slightly humorous sight, seeing a dragon being pulled gently by a human. She didn't resist, though, falling in step next to me. I only stopped when we reached a bench next to a sign that proclaimed that it was a bus stop. Sitting down, I patted next to me. Spirit hesitantly sat down, the bench holding our weight easily.

"You don't seem to like how everything happened." I guessed.

She looked away from me for a moment before shaking her head.

"Allow me to translate for you, Spirit." Mist's voice echoed in my mind. The Flygon's eyes widened for a moment before slowly calming down.

The bus rolled in front of us. It took me a moment to signal the driver we weren't getting on. The bus pulled away from us when Mist started speaking.

"If I understand her correctly, Spirit is just very surprised to hear of what you are capable of. She seems to be afraid of you becoming that angry at her as well."

I sighed. "Spirit, you've never given me a reason to be angry with you. I highly doubt you will. Is that really what's bothering you, though?"

Silence followed my question for a moment before Mist responded. "She is just worried about you."

"If we don't find out why this keeps happening, it might happen again." I said. "Casually investigating hasn't worked, and it all started innocently enough before Darkrai showed up the first time. I'll extend the same th-"

Spirit's claws were on my mouth, stopping me from talking any more. She shook her head, speaking rapidly. It was all I could do in trying to keep her calm enough so she didn't hurt me. Her claws were beginning to dig into my cheeks.

"I don't think that will be needed, Master." Mist whispered, sounding amused.

I held Spirit's claws still, taking a moment to let the world stop spinning around me. After making sure that Spirit wasn't going to shake me around again, I wrapped my arms around her. She stiffened for a moment, but returned the gesture quickly. We held each other for a few moments until she pushed away from me. Spirit smiled down at me, her cheek rubbing against mine in a sign of affection.

"You think you can take me outside the Ice Path?"

She nodded, standing up and spreading her wings wide. I carefully climbed on, making sure to settle myself comfortably. We were about to leave when Joy ran towards us.

"I didn't know you wanted to come along." I said.

She frowned. "I'm not leaving you, you're not leaving without your Gardevoirs staff, and I can't stand Jon going all sappy over Cynthia."

"Spirit, are you comfortable lifting two people?" I asked. My Flygon nodded, lowering herself as Joy passed me Song's staff.

"Did I leave this at the restaurant?" I asked.

"Yeah, you did." she said, frowning. "I'll keep quiet, so you don't get into trouble."

I nodded, silently thanking Joy by wrapping my arms around her. She squirmed slightly, though that might have to do with the staff resting against her more than the physical contact. Spirit flexed her wings, taking a leap into the air to get us airborne. We moved around in a circle for a brief moment. I imagined that it was Spirit getting used to two people riding her back. With a nod, Spirit leaned forward and picking up speed as we headed towards the Ice Path one more time.

=========================/////////////////////==========================

We landed outside the Ice Path. We weren't in Blackthorn City, so this was the other entrance. I nodded, thanking Spirit as my feet touched the ground. She didn't look too winded, either. The Flygon smiled at me, nodding.

"Did you want to stay outside of your Pokéball?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I thought so. Don't worry, I'm not going alone." I said with a smile. She nodded as I recalled her into her device.

Putting back Spirit's Pokéball, I grabbed two more off my belt and opened them. Zin and Iolanthe stood in front of me after materializing. They both looked around momentarily before nodding in unison as they looked around.

"You know, now that I think about it, calling this the Ice Path isn't very creative." Zin said, frowning.

I snickered, shaking my head at her assessment. Who knows who the person who named it this way was. It's pretty obvious how it came about. Looking inside, it felt like our immediate surroundings were getting colder. It may just be me, though. Joy walked up to me, grabbing my hand.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

I shook my head. "It's either that or we start running more." I answered.

"No, I mean what if the answers aren't what we expected?"

I shrugged. "It's better than not knowing."

"Sometimes ignorance is a good thing, though."

I turned my attention at her. "Darkrai has attacked us more than once. Cresselia appeared, and so did Moltres. Jirachi has openly spoken to us. Giratina and Suicune brought all of you back to life. There's a reason why all this crap is happening. I need to find out what's going on."

She grabbed two Pokéballs from her own belt, Skadi and Victini appearing in a flash. The giant ice Pokémon huffed out a puff of white as she walked towards us. Her glare was extremely intimidating. When Zin growled towards Skadi, the giant Beartic only rumbled to match the pitch. It was extremely tempting to pull on the Houndoom's tail to get her attention.

Skadi thankfully ignored the Houndoom's actions, moving towards me and lowering her body to the ground. Joy walked up to the giant Beartic and climbed on her back. I followed Joy's lead, touching the giants white fur and lifting myself up behind Joy. Joy turned to face me, a questioning look on her eyes.

"What are we looking for?" she asked.

"The same place where we split up." I described. "It's the large room where Jon said that we would all meet up at the same place."

"Alright, I'm pretty sure that Skadi remembers the way." Joy said, patting the large Pokémon underneath us.

Skadi walked forward at a quick pace, Victini floating next to me while Zin and Iolanthe kept pace beside us. The sound of our breathing was accompanied by the sounds of feet or claws hitting against the stone and ice on the ground. It didn't take long to reach the room where we split up in. When we passed by the first time, this was a very beautiful place. The crystals looked like something had crawled inside of them. Something murky that tainted the clearness of them all.

They almost looked like the ones from the Cerulean Cave, or the ones from Cerulean Cave looked like the ones here. Almost. It felt like we were being watched. I kept this observation to myself, though I did point out that the crystals didn't look normal.

"I think so, too. They were clear when we passed by the first time, right?" Joy asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, and for some reason it scares me." I said, frowning. "Something had to do this, right?"

"Well, let's find this 'secret path' you took or whatever." Joy said.

"Io, do you remember where it was?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, I do. Please follow me."

Zin and Victini followed right behind Iolanthe as she headed toward her target. Skadi wasn't far away, the Beartic's claws allowing her to keep stride in the slippery ice. When we reached the others, there was a large block of clear crystal against the stone walls.

"It's through this wall, Master." Iolanthe said, touching the crystal.

"Skadi, smash it." Joy said.

The Beartic casually walked forward as Iolanthe moved out of the way. She seemed to assess the wall for a moment, before standing up on her hind legs. My arms grabbed hold of Joy tightly as she laughed. Song's staff dropped out of my hands in an attempt to stay on the giants back.

"Sorry. I didn't warn you properly, huh." she said with a laugh. "Don't kick her, though! Unless your plan is to get Skadi angry."

I managed to stop myself from flailing around too much. A rumble came from the giant Beartic as she placed her front paws on the crystal. The sound of something clicking reached my ears. Though curiosity wanted me to ask, the sound of something breaking made me keep my mouth shut. It didn't happen just once. Loud crunching sounds reached my ears as pieces of crystal landed on my head. After one final growl, the world moved around. The entrance of the cavern loomed in front of us as Skadi shook her head.

"Well, that's one way to do it." Victini said with a nod.

"I'm pretty sure I could have melted it." Zin said with a huff.

I smiled down at Zin. "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure we've made enough noise to make anyone down there hear us." Iolanthe stood next to us with Song's staff in her grasp. She passed it to me wordlessly, but I thanked her quietly.

"Well, what now?" Joy asked. "Barge in?"

I shrugged. "I got nothing. It's a slide down. Don't know how the other paths are laid out, but this one should be quite the ride."

"Well, I guess that answers that question. Let's go, Skadi!"

Before I could protest, the Beartic ran forward. We picked up speed as we slid forward. Skadi's claws did little to slow us. They seemed to be more used for direction than traction at this moment. I could hear Zin yelling behind me as we continued forward. Victini appeared over Joy's shoulder, giving me a wide grin.

"How much longer until we get to the end?!" she yelled out loudly.

"We should be pretty close!" I said, raising my voice.

The small Pokémon gave me a thumbs up before falling back in Joy's arms. My left arm wrapped around Joy as we dipped further down. Did it go this far when I first passed by here? The memory was a bit hazy, and all the bumping about wasn't helping much.

We eventually reached the end, coming to a stop in a familiar opening. The snow was piled higher than I remember it being when we last passed by. One thing that stood out to me was that there wasn't a sleeping Suicune this time. There wasn't just one Suicune, either.

There were at least ten of them standing at us, staring pointedly at us.

Skadi moved to a standing position almost immediately, but Joy kept the giant in check. Iolanthe and Zin appeared next to us after a moment, a loud groan coming from the Houndoom.

"HUMAN!" someone shouted loudly. "YOU WILL LEAVE RIGHT-"

"Oh, for the love of Arceus will you PLEASE SHUT UP!"

Two Suicune faced each other. One was, or seemed to be, taller than the other. The taller one also had a crack in its head adornment. They seemed to be at odds with each other.

"Exemplar!" the male voice declared. "This shouldn't be happening."

"Don't you think I know this?" a female voice responded.

"My intention wasn't to insult your intelligence!" the male said, his cracked head adornment shaking as he shook his head. "I was-"

"You're just stating my mistakes and wanting to take the position for yourself!" the female roared.

The male instantly backed away from the advancing female, shaking his head and trying to make himself as small as possible.

"You think that I don't know that!" she roared again. "Do you think that what I did was against our Father's laws laid out thousands of years before you were even born?!"

The male stood up a little straighter. "You weren't there, either."

A blast of water and ice hit the male in the face, making him tumble towards us. It was only then that the female Suicune looked at us.

"What are you doing here?!" she bellowed, her voice echoing around us.

"I'd like to ask you the same question, but I know this is your home." I said as I got off the Beartic's back.

"But there's a really good reason why I'm here."

"If it's about bringing back your friends from death, you can thank Giratina." she growled out. "I didn't have much to do with it other than coercing him to actually do it."

I shook my head. "While I'm thankful for your help, that isn't why we're here right now."

She walked up to me, a breeze swirling around Suicune. I walked up to her, closing the distance between us. She didn't move any closer, but the wind didn't buffet me at any point.

"Then why are you here?" she asked.

"You're the one that was in the Ruins of Alph, right? The Exemplar or whatever it was?"

She stiffened visibly. "Yes?" she hissed out.

"What does Giratina have to do with all of this?" I asked. "Why are the Darkrai chasing me?"

For a moment, Suicune stood in silence. She turned around, her tails swirling around her. All the others of her kind rushed forward.

"Be still!" she roared out. The charge came to a sudden halt with those words.

"This is my mistake. I will rectify it."

Suddenly, it didn't seem so much of a good idea to be here. A plume of flame engulfed Suicune as Iolanthe grabbed hold of me and pulled me back. I was brought next to the attacking Houndoom, only being released when Joy grabbed hold of me.

"Are you crazy?!" Joy exclaimed.

"Probably. Not entirely sure just yet. I'll let you know when it happens." I said, untangling myself from her grip. She still held my hand tightly and refused to let go.

"Why are you here, human? I will not ask again."

"I want to know why all this is happening." I said. "Giratina didn't answer anything, and I figured that since you said this was your home we could find you here. The lives of everyone I care for are in constant danger because of other legendary Pokémon."

Suicune shook her head. "You don't make this easy, do you?" she asked with a calm voice.

"Exemplar!" a male voice said, two others of her kind standing at Suicune's side.

"Stand down!" she exclaimed, staring at one. "I forbid you to harm him!"

"They're trespassing in our home!" one yelled back.

"No, he truly isn't." she answered back a bit more calmly.

The response left everyone in silence. I wouldn't be entirely sure how to respond to that either. The familiar Suicune walked up to us a bit more calmly than before. She sat in front of us, bowing her head down.

"Welcome home." she said softly.

"Home?"

"Though I shouldn't be happy that you're here, it's hard not to be." she said, confusing me further.

"You're not making any sense."

"Then I will. Your body houses the last shard of Arceus. If Giratina or any of his accomplices get their claws on you, Arceus will be allowed to return."

"That still doesn't make any sense!" I exclaimed, frowning. "Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Suicune shook her head. "This is our penance for our hubris. We wanted to be recognized above all others, and for that we pay the ultimate price."

"So the legends are true then." Joy said softly. "About how Arceus sacrifi-"

"You do not have the right!" a high pitched female voice shouted. "You will show our Exemplar the proper respect, and respect for our Father!"

"Be silent!" a male Suicune snapped.

Joy tugged at my arm to get my attention. Her face was a mix of fear and surprise, though mostly surprise. Iolanthe appeared behind Joy, her eyes darting between me and the Suicune around us. I wasn't sure how I was reacting to it all. Disbelief with a dash of confusion.

"So, at the end of the day this is it? That's the whole reason why that blue Mew wanted everyone dead? To gather souls?"

"I wouldn't be able to ask him. You killed him, remember?" Suicune snarled. "It's what Giratina has always looked for, and will always look for, until Arceus returns."

Somehow this wasn't making any sense. Memories were being triggered about what was said during our stay at the Lucario village and my own knowledge of the legend.

"So, Arceus has never returned since he died." I said.

Suicune shook her head. "No, Arceus has not. It's been like this since the light of creation."

"You were there for that?" Joy asked.

"I... my predecessor was. But that's not important. The important part is that you stay safe now."

I rolled my eyes. "Safe? Safe where?! From Giratina? Cresselia? Darkrai? Or you?"

A low growl came from Suicune as she dashed close to me. Bright motes of light came from the center of the prominent crest attached to her forehead. We glared at each other until she backed down. This wasn't making any sense. Two Suicune's moved forward, making me back away from their snapping jaws.

"You need to go, humans." the high pitched voice demanded.

"Not until your leader answers my damn question!" I demanded.

One of the Suicune snapped forward only for Joy to pull me away. Sharp teeth gnashed in front of my face for a moment only for the Suicune to be stopped by another jumping on top to subdue the attacker.

"If he dies now, all we're doing is handing him to Giratina and speeding his plans."

This just gets weirder and weirder. "Make some damn sense already!" I yelled.

The leading female stepped forward. She looked far too exhausted, and this was all starting to get on my nerves. Before she started talking, I stopped her. "Do you have a name?"

"What?"

"Do you have an individual name? So I can stop thinking of you as Suicune in the midst of ten others of your kind."

"Why you little insignificant human!"

One of the Suicune jumped towards me. Iolanthe was on top of him instantly, all four of her tentacles wrapping around him while in the air and slamming the Pokémon into the snow.

"Call me Exemplar, if it helps you." she said.

"Fine. Exemplar. Could you explain what you just said? What would happen if I died?"

"You would go to Giratina's realm, just like everyone else. Except for you, there would be no salvation like every other soul. What makes you who you are would be stripped away to find the shard of Arceus that's hidden somewhere in you."

"And what would happen to me."

"Who knows." the Exemplar said. "You would be outside the cycle of life and death. From my understanding, at least."

"You're not making any sense. Everyone dies at the end. What's the point of dying now? Giratina will get what he wants later rather than sooner, right? This is hopeless!"

The Exemplar shook her head. "No, it's not. If you die a normal death, the cycle of rebirth is kept intact. It's the only reason why Giratina hasn't brought Arceus back sooner than now."

"And why is that a bad thing?" I asked. "Why wouldn't you want your Father back?"

"We don't deserve it." the Exemplar stated. "Our ancestors did something ignorant and we live with that guilt. We continue our duties to Him, because that is the very reason why He created us."

This is making less sense the more I try to make heads or tails about it! I shook my head. "Wouldn't you think that you've waited long enough? Don't you think Arceus would have forgiven you?"

The Exemplar didn't have an answer for my questions. "I've given you the answers you wanted. I will be in contact if word reaches me if you are in danger. But before you go, you might want to see the Watchers of Gold and Silver. They might give you more than you bargained for, though."

The world around me swirled in snow as the Exemplar spoke her last words. I almost grasped towards her, but the wind and snow pushed me away from the outside world. Being blinded didn't help my mood, and it didn't help when it all stopped we were outside of the Ice Path. This time we appeared in the first entrance and not the one near Blackthorn City. I sighed, feeling incredibly frustrated. What now? What can we do?

I turned to Joy and my Pokémon for help, but they all stared at me. Skadi and VIctini were whispering to each other while Zin and Io stared quietly. Even Joy had a look that she couldn't believe what was going on. A cold feeling seeped through me, making me shiver.

"Skadi, we're leaving." Joy said, pulling out a Pokéball and recalling the giant Pokémon. With a swift motion, she pulled another one, releasing Zefyra from her confines.

"Let's go, Aaron." she said. "We have to get back to Goldenrod City so we can plan to leave for Hoenn. That's still the plan, right?"

"Maybe." I said, frowning. "Unless we want to investigate what Suicune said."

Joy shook her head. "We better get Jon from Cynthia before they go off and make babies or something. As much as dead weight I feel the guy can be sometimes, he's useful to have."

A part of me wanted to laugh at the attempt to joke about the situation, but the feeling wasn't there. I grabbed Io's and Zin's Pokéballs from my belt and recalled the two. Walking up to Joy with Song's staff in hand, the Hydreigon leaned down to allow me and Joy to get on her back. Victini seemed oddly pleased with herself, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing. She smiled at me as my free arm wrapped around Joy's body. With a loud roar coming from Zefyra's three heads, we lifted off the ground and headed back towards Violet City as quickly as possible.

=========================/////////////////=============================

We reached Violet City when it was already past sunset. The sky was clear, allowing the moon to wash everything in silverlight. We landed in front of the Pokémon Center to find that Jon was outside.

"What took you two so long?" he asked as we landed.

"What are you doing up this late?" I asked back.

"I was worried about you. Also, Cynthia wanted to look through the Ruins of Alph. Official business and all that. She could have at least let me hold her flashlight, right?"

"You're hopeless, Jon." Joy said, shaking her head.

"What about you two? What happened? Did you find Suicune?"

"Yeah, and ten more." I said, frowning. "I... I'm not entirely sure what happened."

He looked at me curiously, but I couldn't meet his gaze. It was probably wrong of me, but it felt like I shouldn't tell him right now. Especially where anyone could hear us talk.

"Come in." he said, grabbing my shoulder. "Let's get you some sleep. It sounds like you need it more than me."

I nodded. "I'll explain what happened. Hopefully it'll make sense to you. I'm still having a hard time believing it all."

No one spoke as we entered the building. Nurse Joy waved at us cheerfully. I did my best to return the friendly gesture. It was my hope that it didn't look too automatic. Joy took me from Jonathan as he opened the door for us. We walked in, with Joy turning on the light as I propped Song's staff against the wall. She pushed me down onto the bed, not bothering with clothes. Her arms held mine, her fingers interlocking with my own. Her hair tickled my nose as she adjusted herself on top of me. I wanted to look away, but there wasn't much I could do without pushing her away. At this moment, it was the last thing I wanted to do.

She twisted around, her back to my chest as she leaned back to rest her head against mine. Our fingers interlocked again, my arms wrapping around her body. My heart beat loudly in my ears, a mixture of emotions vying for attention. Just trying to make sense of yesterday was bad enough. Add today to that, and it was all I could do not to run away screaming. It took all my willpower to not shake. Sleep crept up to me slowly. The occasional footstep outside was the only sound that would startle me awake.

Joy's slow breathing kept me calm. It was the only thing that kept me sane until sleep finally blurred my consciousness from the waking world.