Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For all his power as a deity of time, Dialga could not see the future.

More specifically, Dialga could not see the future of his own timeline. He lost that ability a long time ago; the injury did not heal completely, but it was a sacrifice that he deemed necessary. While he had long since forgiven his sister for the loss of his eye, there were some moments - few and far, far between - where he wished he could undo the past.

Watching several alternate timelines unravel into oblivion was one of those times.

In lieu of being able to see the future of his own timeline, what he could see was a myriad of possible futures across other timelines. While this method of divining the future had its uses, it was also very unstable. Timelines branched off from each other - some intertwining, some never touching, each of them flowing into a whole new world of possibility and potential. So it was, and so it would be until the moment his heart stopped beating...or at least, until they unraveled.

Dialga would normally dismiss the death of one timeline as a fluke - with infinite versions of himself branched out into just as many timelines, it only made sense that one would fail every once in a while. Two timelines unraveling at once was a coincidence at best. But he had witnessed five unravel in quick succession - this was immediate cause for concern, and so he began investigating.

What little knowledge he gained from those scattered timelines did not ease his concern in the slightest. All of them ended in the same way - with someone using the Red Chain to manipulate the power of time or space.

The sight of the Red Chain was alarming in and of itself - the artifact's power was great, but so was the cost of using it. To think a mortal would actually use it to-!

"DIALGA!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" 

Dialga's concentration was swiftly broken by the sudden screech. Before he could comprehend what was happening, he was suddenly face-to-face with a magenta light - one that faded away to reveal a furious Spirit of Emotion.

"Mesprit?!"

Had it been any other member of the Pantheon, perhaps Dialga would have been angered by this intrusion. This was an exception: he knew better than to knowingly cross a being whose temper surpassed his own. Mesprit was a flighty creature in the best of times, but she was not one to be trifled with.

After all, this was one of the three spirits that birthed and molded humanity to what it was today; they who provided the capacity to think, feel, and do. As the Spirit of Emotion, Mesprit was known for her extreme compassion...and for her ruthless protection of those she cared about. She was loved by the people surrounding Lake Verity, and she loved them in turn. That area was known for being the most peaceful in Sinnoh, due to her influence.

Suffice to say, Dialga was bewildered. To his knowledge, he had not done anything that would have angered her so.

"What did you do?!" Mesprit demanded again, positioning herself so that she could make direct eye contact with him.

"What are you-?!"

"Don't use that tone with me, you giant lump of scrap metal!" Mesprit screeched. Then she aimed small bolts of psychic energy at him. Dialga made no effort to dodge; such an action would likely fuel her anger. Each word she said was punctuated by a bolt; "WHAT! DID! YOU! DO?!" 

"Mesprit, I truly do not know what you refer to!" Dialga shouted, shaking off the psychic bolts as they bounced harmlessly off him. Mesprit glared at him, and he continued, "As I am certain you are aware, I have not set foot upon your realm in centuries. Now if you will excuse me, timelines are unraveling as we speak. Whatever concern you have can surely wait."

"It can't wait because it involves you, dummy!" Mesprit responded. "If you really haven't been in my realm, then how come one of my favorite humans nearly died because of your power?! You think a matter like that can wait?!"

As if Mesprit's fury wasn't unsettling enough, her words were downright confusing. The implied use of Roar of Time was not the confusing part: it was possible that one of his fallen alternates had used it in a last-ditch effort to save what was left. A human getting struck by a shockwave from Roar of Time was one thing; but Mesprit's words implied that this human somehow survived.

As urgent as the situation was, Dialga was intrigued.

The boy looked just like Rei.

While the resemblance stung, Dialga managed to put the thought aside. He only followed Mesprit to observe the situation at hand, not to reminisce about a friend long gone.

As the boy left the hospital with his father, he gingerly held his right arm to his chest. He was careful not to let anyone touch it. Watching the boy's actions, Dialga surmised that he was afraid that his arm would snap in two with just one wrong move. Was such care truly necessary? Humans were fragile beings, yes…but Dialga had no reason to believe they were that fragile.

"You really didn't cause this?" Mesprit deadpanned, as she and Dialga watched on. Dialga fidgeted - not just because of the strange situation, but because he was in his human form for the first time in centuries. Gravity weighed upon it in a way he was not used to. 

"Not in this timeline, at least," Dialga responded, via telepathy. "But I cannot deny that Roar of Time influences his Aura. Perhaps..."

Could one of his fallen alternates have done something? Did their use of Roar of Time somehow reach this timeline to strike the child? It was the only explanation he could think of, but that gave way to even more questions.

If Mesprit's fury was any indication, the boy did not appear to have aged from the blast - surely her rage would have reached a new high if that were the case. Not just that, even a mere shockwave of something that powerful should have left a scar. What other physical or mental changes could that kind of power create within a human?

As he and his father passed the two deities, the Rei-lookalike glanced in their direction. To anybody else, it would only appear to be a human man sitting at a cafe table. Nobody accompanying him, least of all the Spirit of Emotion - she was in her astral form, meaning that he should not have been able to perceive her.

Despite this, the boy flinched like he had been staring into the sun and quickly turned away. This struck Dialga as odd, although confusion quickly gave way when a startling thought came to mind.

Was it possible that he had memories of one of the unraveled timelines-?! 

When the realization hit him, whatever Mesprit may have said next went unheard. Perhaps it would be wise to monitor the child. Not just for Mesprit's sake; she had always been one to worry herself sick over her mortal friends.

There was nothing Dialga could do to fix what had already unraveled, but perhaps the boy was the key to saving this timeline.

Chapter Text

Dialga quickly learned four things about the time-branded child.

The first was the boy’s name; Lucas. Mesprit held a soft spot for anyone living within the area of Lake Verity, particularly those from the small town called Twinleaf. She was all too eager to tell Dialga about him once her anger had subsided.

( Mesprit had actually told him much more than just the boy's name, but Dialga cared little for what else she said. Why should he care that Lucas' first Pokemon was a Turtwig, or of his four years living in Johto? Such details were meaningless for the matter at hand. ) 

Second, Lucas did not seem to have any memory related to the Red Chain. Surely there would be an added sense of urgency in his actions if he had. A disappointment...but perhaps that was for the best. Dialga wished to know how to prevent the Unraveling of this timeline, but not at the cost of a human's sanity. There were some boundaries that he was not willing to cross.

The third thing - perhaps the cause of the boy's partial amnesia - was that he had latent Aura sensitivity. At least, it was latent. Roar of Time must have awakened that ability within him. The mental backlash from such an awakening must have been harsh, so Dialga ultimately could not fault him for losing those memories (not that he was going to do so anyway). 

The fourth - and the most concerning - was that Lucas had trouble adjusting to his newfound ability. Dialga half-suspected this much when he flinched at their presence the other day. As time passed, it became more obvious that Lucas had no way to stop the mental onslaught of light and color that came to the newly awakened. 

That was not to say it was impossible for someone to teach themself how to manage this ability. Dialga would not be this concerned if the boy had the resources to do so. The problem was that resources had become woefully scarce in recent centuries. To his knowledge, the only place a human could actually find anything concerning Aura was a small island that was closer to Kanto than Sinnoh. (Or, was it closer to Hoenn than Sinnoh...?) Did the boy even know that it was Aura he was sensing?

The point was this; if Lucas was to be of any help, it would not do for him to struggle with Aura. It would be impossible to stifle his ability now that it had been awakened, but at the very least he needed to learn how to manage it.

What to do about it, was the question.

"I don't know why you're asking me this," Mesprit huffed, when Dialga told her as much. "You're the one who feels responsible for what happened to Lucas."

As accurate as it was, the Lord of Time chose to ignore Mesprit's quip. "You are the one who has known him for most of his life. He does not even know that Roar of Time is what struck him that day. Unless you told him?"

"I don't see why I should. It was your power that nearly killed him, not mine. Don't you think you should be the one who tells him?" 

"But I thought-?" Given how Mesprit clearly viewed this mortal in a favorable light, it was easy to assume that Lucas knew of her true identity. Dialga was frankly surprised to realize that might not be the case. He sighed, "...I take it he does not know your true identity?"

"He doesn't. He's started suspecting it, though!"

Dialga quirked an eyebrow. "Truly?"

"Yep! I think the phrase humans would use for him is 'sharp as a tack'. Like, I'm not surprised to hear that he can sense Aura. But he's still human at the end of the day, and we both know how they can be. Always finding their way out of common sense," the Spirit of Emotion giggled. "Jokes aside, whether he does find out or not is fine by me. I know I can trust him, but Uxie would never let me hear the end of it if I'm not at least a little careful."

With a sigh, Dialga looked out over the expanse of Lake Verity. He knew that most humans would be asleep at this time of night, so there was no chance that someone would walk into the area. Even so, Dialga chose to visit in his human form; he was a careful creature to the very end, and he knew there were always exceptions when it came to humanity. 

From what he gathered in his observations, the lake had become a popular year-round attraction for visitors; ideal for swimming in the summer and ice-skating in the winter. It was certainly a peaceful spot, the source of many a happy memory. Perhaps this was why Mesprit was so fond of those living in the Twinleaf area; the lake had become vital to their way of life, and vice versa.

The grim thought crossed Dialga's mind; if nothing was done about the Red Chain, this place would not be the only casualty.

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of rustling grass. Dialga looked over and was surprised to see an Eevee making its way towards the edge of the water. Those haven't been found in the wild here for centuries...what was one doing here now? 

Curiously, Dialga approached the little Pokemon and picked it up. The Normal-type squeaked, but did not struggle. In fact, she seemed to enjoy being lifted into the air. What a strange little Eevee.

("So this is what it's like to be tall!") she exclaimed, looking out over the horizon. She tilted her head to look behind her with a happy chirp. ("Thanks!") 

Dialga couldn't help smiling. There was no way for her to tell that he actually wasn't human, was there? That she was talking to him like he could understand likely indicated her youth - she must have been hatched no more than a month ago.

"Well, you better figure out what you're gonna say to Lucas real quick," Mesprit suddenly said, a mischievous smile on her face. "Because he's coming here right now. Probably looking for that Eevee you got there~!"

Mesprit's words immediately got Dialga's attention, and he nearly dropped the Eevee. "What?!"

Lucas was actually relieved to be out here at night. The lab was starting to get a little unbearable, but he couldn't bring himself to leave without a good reason. One of the Pokemon slipping out of an open window was about as good a reason as he could get. As if that wasn't enough, it just happened to be an Eevee; one of many that Professor Rowan brought back from Kanto. 

While it was on Lucas' mind, he should probably let someone know he was gone. So he got his phone and typed as he walked. He had his Turtwig with him just in case, but anything can happen.

Lucas (22:49): Hey Dad, letting you know that one of the Eevees escaped. Looks like someone left the window open.

Lucas (22:49): I just slipped out of the lab to look for it. I took Kale with me.

Dad (22:50): That's good to hear, thanks for letting me know.

Dad (22:53): The Eevee that escaped is named Blair. She's the more relaxed one of the group, so she shouldn't give you too much trouble (if any at all). Let me know if anything happens, though.

Lucas (22:53): I will. Thanks. 

With that out of the way, Lucas continued his search for the little Eevee. The more he explored the route, the more he felt like he should go to Lake Verity to look. It felt like a tugging in the back of his mind telling him to go there. He didn't know how long it had been since the Eevee escaped, how did he know she wasn't in Lake Verity? It couldn't hurt to look, right? 

Besides, it might be as good a time as any to look into his suspicion regarding the legend of the lake. 

Upon entering the lake, Lucas was startled to see that someone was already there. The stranger standing by the lake's edge was tall, and Lucas supposed he could be in his late-twenties or early-thirties. The fact that he wore an eyepatch added to the intimidation factor, and even more alarming was the little Eevee he held in his hands. 

"No way. Blair?" Lucas called, incredulous. The Eevee - completely unfazed by anything happening around her - gave a happy chirp in response.

As Lucas walked over, he was struck by the sudden intensity in the air. He never got this feeling in Lake Verity before…could it be because of the stranger?

Mercifully, the stranger handed the Eevee to him without question. Lucas accepted her instantly, looking her over for any injuries. It was only when the Eevee leaned forward to lick Lucas' face that he was assured of her safety. What a relief!

"Thank you," Lucas said, taking a few steps away from the stranger. He made sure that Blair was secure in his hold. Better to not risk her running off again. "She belongs to Professor Rowan. He just came back from Kanto, and brought some Eevees here with him. If I couldn't get her back...I really don't want to think about what might've happened." 

"It was no trouble," the stranger responded. His movements were stiff and awkward, as if he didn't know what to do with his arms until he let them fall to his side. Did he not talk with other people often? As if he could read Lucas' mind, the stranger continued, "I was merely caught off-guard. Eevees are rather rare creatures."

"Yeah…" Gods, what could Lucas even say? It was obvious that this newcomer was the source of the intensity in the air - just looking at him felt like staring into the sun. It was strange how familiar that felt.

There was also the fact that Twinleaf wasn’t a town that often got new residents. The last time anyone moved into the town was when he and his father moved back from Johto, and that was four years ago. Could anyone really blame him for being curious?

"I haven't seen you around before," he tried. "Are you visiting a relative?"

"...You could say that," the stranger responded. After a pause, he continued, "I just finished speaking with her, actually. She was telling me about a friend of hers that got attacked recently. Or something among those lines, I was not paying attention. Do you know anything about that?" 

Lucas flinched. Of course the town would still be fixated on that. He loved Twinleaf, he really did...but did a small town really have to hang onto gossip the way it did? It had been two weeks since it happened, and he would much rather forget about it.

The stranger must have noticed Lucas' response and connected the dots, because he said, "I apologize if I said something unpleasant." 

"Yeah, well...that person you're talking about was actually me," Lucas admitted. "I'd rather not think about that so soon." 

Especially since it didn't really feel like an attack. While he wasn't certain what else it could have been, it just didn't feel completely accurate to call it that.

Lucas recalled that there weren't any Pokemon in the area that could have caused any of it; from the loud cry that echoed around him to the indescribable pain on his right arm. The pain was so great that the next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital.

The most unsettling part was how he recovered like nothing had happened. Physically, there was a scar on his arm stretching from the back of his right hand to his elbow. It was faded, but Lucas had taken to wearing gloves in addition to long sleeves regardless; how was he supposed to talk about the scar if he didn’t even know what caused it?

There was his photophobia as well, although there was more to it than what his father knew. Sensitivity to light was one thing, but Lucas had no idea how to talk about the colors that he could see emanating from everything and everyone.

Nor could he figure out why he found himself wanting to divulge that to a total stranger.  It could be the fact that they were in Lake Verity of all places - the lake always helped him feel somewhat at ease. 

His thoughts were broken when he felt vibrating in his pocket. Right, he had to get back to the lab! Balancing Blair on one arm and grabbing his phone with his free hand, he was able to check his messages and type.

Dad (23:05): Did you find her yet?

Lucas (23:05): Yeah. I managed to find her in Lake Verity. I'm heading back now.

Dad (23:05): Great! Thanks so much, Lucas.

Dad (23:06): You can go home after you drop Blair off, if you want. 

Letting out a relieved sigh, Lucas pocketed his phone and nodded at the stranger. "Thanks again for your help. I gotta get her back to the Lab."

"Of course. Good night." It was only when Lucas turned to leave that the stranger spoke up again; "Wait."

Lucas turned back, curious. The stranger pursed his lips before speaking up; "Take care of yourself. It is common for those in your situation to start perceiving Aura - light and color that surrounds every living thing. The unprepared are easily overwhelmed.”

"How did you-?!" Lucas managed to cut himself off, despite the shock he felt. Was this guy a psychic or something? It was the only explanation; Lucas was just thinking about the colors he saw, and the stranger felt the need to comment on that?! "Um. Okay. Thanks for your advice. Have a good night."

With a nod, Lucas turned and left the lake. As he made his way towards Sandgem, he glanced down at the little Eevee in his arms. To his surprise, she wasn't asleep; she just looked up at him curiously. Was she awake that whole time?

"Hey, Blair," he asked her. "That guy we just met. What do you make of him?"

Blair hummed before letting out a happy chirp. Lucas snorted, a smile on his face. If there was one thing he learned from helping Professor Rowan and his dad, it was that a lot can be said about a person by how Pokemon feel about them. While Blair was still rather young, that probably made her approval all the more genuine. 

"I think so too," he responded. "He's a little intense...but if he was willing to help us out, he can't be all bad. Right?"

Blair nodded, letting out a happy cry. Lucas nodded and started to jog back to Sandgem.

The sooner he got Blair back to the lab, the sooner he could go home and look into this 'Aura' stuff. 

Chapter Text

Dialga never took teleportation very well. It always caught him off guard, and made him somewhat dizzy. So when he suddenly found himself in what could only be a dimension created by Palkia (there was a telltale purple glimmer in the air - a contrast to the blue that marked his own dimension), he was quite irate. 

While it was just as well - he had wanted to speak with them anyway - he was hoping to track them down himself. 

"Mesprit told me to expect a visit from you," Palkia explained, once Dialga noticed their presence. "So I thought it best to save you some time and invite you here. This better be important."

"...Very well."  When Palkia phrased it like that, Dialga supposed he could let this annoyance go. There were more important things to worry about than where he was and how he got there. Taking a moment to re-orient himself, Dialga took a breath and explained; "As of late, I have been seeing timelines unravel into oblivion, at an alarming rate. Whenever I look into these timelines, I see the Red Chain.”

Palkia was quiet for a moment. But only for a moment. They then said, "I've seen similar things. Universes collapsing into themselves, and new ones forming in their place. I haven't looked into them at all; the only thing I know for certain is that the Red Chain is involved."

That was news to Dialga; there hadn't been any new timelines forming in the place of any of the unraveled ones. Then again, space was not his domain. Unlike time, space was an ever expanding and ever flowing force. While time was not easily manipulated, space was a malleable force; Palkia could create new universes as easily as breathing. Of course they could see things that Dialga was not privy to. 

But that eliminated a theory Dialga had and brought a revelation in its place; whoever planned on using the Red Chain clearly wanted to create something. He had only seen the destruction it could cause within his timelines, but Palkia's words shed some light on the situation that he hadn't even considered.

"Interesting," Dialga muttered. "Might I ask a favor, then? These new universes that you say are appearing; could you look into them? I want to learn everything I can about this situation, that I may take the steps to prevent it from happening to this timeline."

As he spoke, Dialga could not help thinking of the past. Once upon a time, Dialga and Palkia wouldn't bump into each other without fighting. Each of them blamed the other for their sister's banishment, and then for their Mother's disappearance. Even centuries after they set their feud aside, that they were able to talk like this still felt surreal.

"I'll satiate your curiosity if you do the same for me," Palkia spoke up. "Mesprit also told me you nearly killed a child?"

Dialga rolled his eyes. "Of course she did. Woe to any who harm the children of Verity, even unintentionally."

"So it's true?"

"It is...and it also is not. I personally have not used Roar of Time recently, but its influence on the boy's Aura is plain as day. I believe that the Dialga from one of the unraveled timelines did something."

"You and your timelines," Palkia muttered. "I will admit, I am impressed that the human survived that."

"As am I. I suppose I should not expect less from-" Dialga cut himself off when he realized; he had no idea why Lucas and Rei were so similar to each other. Was he Rei reincarnated, or was it a mere coincidence that the two looked so similar? "...An Aura-sensitive human."

Dialga knew Palkia well enough to know that they could see right through that slip. He could sense their hesitation before they spoke.

"Mesprit also told me that the boy's a spitting image of Rei," they said. Their tone indicated how carefully they approached the subject. "But...You know that doesn't necessarily mean that there's any connection between the two, right?"

"Of course I know that," Dialga snapped. "What do you take me for?"

"I take you for the kindest of us three, Aevus. That, and the most sentimental." Palkia's tone was not unkind, even as they used the alias that Dialga had taken all those years ago.

Before Dialga could respond, Palkia cut him off; "Deny it all you like, but who was the first to lend his aid when the spacetime distortions continued to appear across Hisui?"

Dialga said nothing.

Two years had passed since Lucas met the mysterious stranger in Lake Verity, and a lot had changed for him in that amount of time.

For one, Lucas dove into researching 'Aura' when he could. The more he read about it, the more tempted he was to just ignore it. Aura was described as the 'spiritual life force that all living beings possess.'  If he hadn't been experiencing it himself, he would've written it off as total nonsense. 

But since he had been experiencing it, Lucas had no choice but to at least try to follow some of the advice he came across. Desperation can drive a person to push out of their comfort zone, and he was desperate to understand what happened to him. If that meant humoring some eccentric spiritual blogger about mindfulness and breathing exercises, so be it. 

Lucas didn't know what to expect when he got into the habit of meditating in his free time. He wasn't expecting it to actually help with what he was going through, but one day he opened his eyes to see that everything seemed to be muted compared to before. His head stopped hurting, and he didn't have any headaches when he went out that day. There were a few odd quirks he could feel from time to time, but other than that it was like the freak accident never happened in the first place.

Lucas had no idea if he was annoyed or relieved that those stupid meditation and breathing exercises actually helped. But they did help, and he was able to graduate from Jubilife's Trainer School with no further delays.

For another thing, Dawn and Barry finally got Pokemon of their own. While Lucas was outraged that Barry had the idea to run into the grass without Pokemon (and nearly dragging Dawn into danger with him, no less!), he couldn't complain too much if it meant his two best friends were finally able to meet Piplup and Chimchar.

Lucas even got a new addition to his team to commemorate the occasion. Given how attached Blair had gotten to Lucas over the years, it could be argued that her addition to his team was all but inevitable. That detail didn't make Blair or Lucas any less happy to be traveling together, though.

Now, Lucas and his friends were off on their own Pokemon journey. Lucas had promised to wait until Dawn and Barry got their own Pokemon so they could travel together. There was just one more thing Lucas wanted to do before he set off, and that was to visit Lake Verity one more time. 

He was surprised to see Dawn and Barry already on their way there, though. "What are you two doing?"

"Perfect timing, Luc!" Barry crowed, slinging an arm around Lucas' shoulder. "I was just done explaining to Dawn. You know how they say there's a legendary Pokemon in Lake Verity?"

Of course Lucas knew the legend, and he couldn't help the amused smile that crossed his face. He knew Barry well enough to know where this was going. "Don't tell me."

"You got it! The three of us are gonna catch that Pokemon!" Barry said, as he practically pushed Lucas in the direction of the lake. "That'll make Professor Rowan happy, right?! Come on! With the three of us, we got nothing to fear!" 

"If there's a mirage Pokemon there at all," Dawn pointed out as she walked alongside her friends. "Even if the legends are true, this Pokemon is said to be incredibly careful around humans. I doubt it would show itself for just anyone."

"What do you mean 'if'?" Barry questioned. "I know I'm right about this, Dawn! If we can become Trainers in a matter of minutes, then I figure nothing's impossible! You can't tell me you're not excited to see what you and that Piplup of yours can do!" 

Dawn didn't say anything more - which Lucas noted wasn't a denial. 

As the three approached Lake Verity, the first thing they saw was a man standing by the lakeside. At first Lucas thought it was the same man that he came across years ago; he had the same stature. It was only when he turned to leave the lake that he realized it wasn't the case. There was no eyepatch, and there was a stern look on his face that was completely absent in Aura Guy's case (because what else was Lucas supposed to call him when he didn't even introduce himself that night?). 

"Allow me to pass," the man commanded as he approached the three. "Step aside."

The three trainers did, and Lucas felt an inexplicable wave of nausea and anger as the man passed them. What else could it be - he felt sick, and there was a burning in the back of his mind (not unlike how he felt when he heard about Barry's plan of running into the grass without Pokemon). 

The sensation left as quickly as it came; it was gone the moment the stranger was out of view. Lucas still stared at the spot that the man had been, though. He felt uneasy, like he could pop back up again at any minute. Why did he feel so tense around a complete stranger?

He hadn't noticed that Dawn and Blair were staring at him until he felt a gentle nudge on his right hand. When had it clenched into a fist? 

"You okay, Lucas?" Dawn asked, peering into Lucas' face. Worry was clear on her face. "You look a little sick."

Lucas couldn't give an answer right away, even as he crouched to scratch behind the Eevee's ears. He felt sick, but how in the world could he explain that?

What just happened?

Blair was the one who noticed him first. As Lucas exited the Pokemon Center, the Eevee took off and only stopped in front of two tall adults. Lucas recognized one of them as that International Police fellow that he and his friends met upon entering Jubilife City. He called himself Looker, didn't he? The person he was talking to, though...Blair had stopped by his feet, so of course Lucas approached.

As he got closer, was no mistaking it; this was the same stranger that helped him find Blair two years ago! 

"Hey, wait a minute!" Lucas called, and he jogged over before he could stop himself. Aura Guy seemed just as surprised to see Lucas here, and Looker glanced between the two. 

"Young man," Looker spoke up. He eyed the stranger with suspicion before turning his attention to the Trainer. "You know this shady fellow?"

"He helped me find this Eevee a few years back," Lucas responded, tilting his head in Blair's direction. "He does look shady, but I promise he's not."

Blair made a noise and nodded, agreeing with what Lucas said. Looker glanced between the Trainer and his Pokemon before nodding. 

"Very well...I will trust your judgement for now, Mister Lucas." Looker then jabbed a finger on the stranger's shoulder. "But just know that I will be watching for any wrongdoings! The minute you toe out of line, I will be there!" 

With that, Looker took off. Lucas sighed; being part of the International Police must be a hard job. He had to wonder if Looker had ever angered anyone with his approach to tracking down thieves. 

"...We meet again," the stranger lamely greeted, which got Lucas' attention. "Thank you for intervening."

"No problem," Lucas commented, as he picked Blair up. "I feel like that just evens things out."

"You took my advice, then?"

"Yeah, I did. Which brings me to my question; how did you know?" It was the one question that haunted Lucas in the past two years. He crossed his arms as he continued, "I hadn't told anyone I was seeing Auras that time. Heck, I didn't even know what Aura was. How did you figure that out so quickly?" 

"Well..." The stranger hesitated. How could someone with such a strong Aura be this awkward? The thought made Lucas feel a little bad; the guy went from being interrogated by Looker to being interrogated by him. "I have just seen it happen before, is all. I cannot say I was completely certain in your case, so I…made a lucky guess."

"That's a weird thing to have seen before." Lucas wasn't sure if he completely bought that explanation, but he had no reason to question it. "I guess it doesn't matter now. You actually helped me out a lot, so thank you."

The stranger let out a humorless laugh. "This world has countless mysteries to uncover, and your journey has only just begun. I am glad to have helped."

Before Lucas could ask what that meant, he heard Barry calling; "Hey Luc! Move your Slowpoke butt before we leave you in the dust!" 

If Lucas didn't know any better, he'd have thought that the stranger looked relieved for the interruption. "You should go. It would not do to keep your friends waiting."

"I guess," Lucas admitted. There was one more thing he wanted to say, though; "Could you teach me more about Aura? I mean, at some point in the future. I feel like I can learn a few things from you."

The stranger's answer was immediate; "I have a very busy schedule. I do not imagine I will be able to."

Lucas practically deflated hearing that. The reason he asked was because resources about Aura were woefully scarce; he knew he would get a better idea on what it was if he had some sort of mentor helping him out. There wasn't any harm in asking, at the very least.

"However," Aura Guy spoke up again, after a moment passed. "If we meet again, perhaps I can spare a moment or two. I cannot make any promises." 

"That's all I ask!" That was a good enough answer for Lucas, and he beamed. "Thank you so much! My name's Lucas!"

A beat, before the stranger finally introduced himself; "You may call me Aevus." 

Aevus, huh? That was a strange name, but who was he to judge? 

"Nice to officially meet you, Aevus," Lucas nodded. "See you around!" 

With that, Lucas walked off towards his friends. As he did, he couldn't help reflecting about how much had happened in just one day. The thought made him grin; he had no way of knowing what awaited him and his friends, but he had a feeling that it was going to be nothing short of extraordinary.

Chapter Text

Mesprit really didn't care much for Dialga's concerns. Her primary concern was the here and now, particularly when it came to humanity.

Conversely, Dialga and Palkia seemed to prefer keeping their distance from humanity. While she could understand their logic in doing so, that did not make the situation any less infuriating. 

While it was good that Dialga felt some measure of responsibility for what happened to Lucas, she still felt like he couldn't ever truly comprehend how drastically Lucas had changed because of that incident. The only reason she saw fit to speak with Dialga at all was because she knew it could help the boy in the long run.

Mesprit's neutrality on the whole thing quickly gave way once the tall man approached her lake. The man introduced himself as Cyrus and proclaimed that he would control space and time in the same breath, which was only the least of her concerns.

There was something in his Aura that frankly terrified her. Not because she could see that he had a particular disdain for the mere idea of human emotion; he was far from the first to take that stance, and it always hurt Mesprit to see. Of course sorrow and anger felt terrible, but how could one know happiness and love without them? Positive and negative emotions were two sides of the same proverbial coin.

No, he seemed to reject the idea of emotion as a whole. He was one of those that put more stock into 'willpower' and 'knowledge,' which could make for a deadly combination if one decided on where to direct it. And it seemed like he had set his sights on controlling Dialga and Palkia - on constructing the Red Chain - a long time ago.

What really got her attention was the fact that something about Cyrus seemed hauntingly familiar. At first she thought she was seeing things due to a prolonged slumber. That was not the case; there was clearly something in his Aura that she had seen before, and it didn't take her long to realize what that could be.

Lucas had been momentarily consumed by nausea and anger when he saw Cyrus - so there was no way that he could have seen Cyrus observing him as he passed. There was no way he could have seen the flicker of surprise in Cyrus' Aura. No matter how he may try to mask his emotions on the outside, mortals can never hide their Aura. 

Mesprit saw, and she had to figure out a way to contact Celebi. If there was anyone within the Pantheon who would be able to confirm Mesprit’s suspicions and inform Dialga, who better than his time-traveling daughter?!

Barry didn't have much time to lament his recent loss to Lucas; something collided with his back as he healed up his Pokemon. He let out a scream (that he would never admit was more of a shriek), whirling around to confront what had crashed into him.

"Hey, watch where you're-!" Barry stopped, getting a better look at the Pokemon in question. "Oh, it's just a Zubat." 

Strangely, the Zubat made no move to attack Barry or the other trainers. Rather, it fluttered around the three trainers while making chirping noises. Dawn and Barry moved away from it whenever it got close to them, while Lucas stood still. 

"What's it doing?" Barry questioned, watching the Zubat as it seemed to land on Lucas' left arm. In response, Lucas held his arm up so that Zubat couldn't just slide off and fall to the ground.  "Does it even want to fight?"

Dawn answered, "If I had to guess, I'd say it's looking for a place to hide...or something to eat."

Barry made an indignant noise and placed his hands over his neck. "It's not getting a drop out of me!"

"Barry, I think the little guy would have taken some blood already if that's what he wanted," Lucas responded as he watched the Zubat's actions carefully. It made no moves to bite his arm or anything - it just seemed content to get a sense of where it had landed. It seemed to be shaking, too - did Barry startle it? Or was he just cold? "Looks like he's too distressed to even think about eating."

Slowly, Lucas reached a finger to scratch the top of the Zubat's head. He could tell that the little guy was surprised by Lucas' actions. That surprise quickly gave way to joy, and the Zubat nuzzled Lucas' hand with a delighted trill. Then it did the strangest thing; it crawled up Lucas' arm to settle closer to his shoulder, wrapping its wings around his arm with a smile on its face. Was it...hugging him?

"Well, it's warming up to you real quick," Dawn noted with a smile. "You gonna catch it?"

Lucas hummed, glancing over at the Poison-type. "If it's okay with Zubat, I think I will. I know we haven't reached Eterna City yet, but he could really help me out in the Gym there with a little training."

If Zubat had eyes, Lucas had a feeling that they would be sparkling right now. He didn't need to be able to sense Aura to figure out that the little guy was happy to hear that. Still, he felt the need to ask; "How about it, Zubat? Want to come with me?"

If it were possible, Zubat hugged Lucas even tighter. Lucas laughed, grabbing a PokeBall from his bag. It didn't take much to persuade Zubat to go into the PokeBall, and it took even less time to think of the name 'Arty'. It was a random name, but one that felt right for the little guy. 

"Man, how do you do that?" Barry asked, as Lucas clipped Arty's PokeBall to his belt. "You make catching Pokemon look so easy! My Starly gave me the toughest time when I was trying to catch him!"

"Um...sorry about that?" Lucas said with a sheepish chuckle. "It does take a while to get the hang of it." 

"You don't need to apologize, Lucas," Dawn said with a sigh. "You're the one with more experience than us."

Lucas nodded. He was aware that Barry didn't mean to say that out of malice, anyway. Catching Pokemon was one of those things that was easier in theory than it was in practice. 

Still...something about Dawn's word choice made him uneasy.

"We better get going," Lucas said, walking past his friends towards Oreburgh Gate. "The Gym isn't going to beat itself, right?"

"Right!" Barry grinned, running past Lucas. He only stopped to face his two friends. "Last one to Oreburgh gets a huge fine!"

Lucas' unease was quickly forgotten as the three ran towards Oreburgh Gate. 

Barry had managed to catch himself a Budew on the way to Oreburgh City. Thus, each of the trio now had a Pokemon that could effectively counter Roark's Rock-types. 

There wasn't even a question of where to train. Oreburgh Mines wasn't too far away from where the Pokemon Center was, and they could always go into Route 207 if anyone wanted some fresh air. All in all, they had no problems finding wild Pokemon or Trainers to battle. Experience is the best way to learn, after all!

Lucas didn't even realize something was off until Dawn made a sudden comment; "You're kind of a magnet for Steel-types, aren't you Lucas?"

That threw Lucas off, and of course he had an eloquent response; "Huh?"

"I've just noticed that you've fought a lot more Aron than Barry or I have," Dawn responded with a shrug. "Those are pretty rare here, right? But with you, it seems like that's every other wild encounter."

"Now that you mention it," Barry added, jumping onto his feet. "I've only seen an Aron once! And yet every time I look over at you, you're fighting an Aron! How do you do that?!"

Lucas raised his hands in self-defense. "I-I don't know? It just happened, it's not like I'm doing anything that you two haven't been doing."

Barry huffed, but he was quick to accept that answer. "Well, next time we go into the mines, we gotta find some Aron! I'm sticking with you the whole time, or else it's a huge fine!" 

"I'm okay with that," Lucas commented. "Aron can be pretty tough opponents, so I could use the help. I actually managed to catch one for my PokeDex, and he gave me a lot of trouble when I fought him."

As Lucas spoke, an odd thought crossed his mind; since when could Aron be found in Oreburgh Mine?

Thankfully, Barry and Dawn moved on to the next subject. That gave Lucas ample time to ponder on that odd thought.

At first, it wasn't much to think about. It made sense that a Pokemon like Aron could be found in a mine like this. Now that he actually thought about it, though...it felt off. Not in a way that was necessarily bad...but in the sense that he just couldn't make sense of it. It would be one thing if there was a wild outbreak, or if Aron was recently introduced to the area. It wouldn't be the first time either case has happened. But he surely would have heard about it by now, with his dad working for Professor Rowan over the years. Right?

Two questions popped into mind; Was there ever a point in time where Aron couldn't be found here? And if there was, what changed to make it that way? 

At that thought, he made a reminder on his Poketch: "Ask Professor Rowan about recent wild Pokemon outbreak. Could Aron be one of them?"

Chapter Text

None of the three Trainers had bikes of their own, even after they won the Coal Badge. So the only way to get to Eterna City from Oreburgh was to loop back to Jubilife and go through Floaroma Town. A longer route, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing on a journey like this. At least, Lucas didn't think so.

Besides, the fact that they had to return to Jubilife meant that they were around to stop three strangely dressed people from taking research from Professor Rowan. They called themselves 'Team Galactic' and tried to intimidate the Professor...which ultimately failed. Professor Rowan had greeted the three as easily as if they were just passing each other on the street, and even admonished the Grunts for interrupting them. The Grunts took it personally, and they were quickly challenged and defeated in a battle.

As Lucas watched the Grunts run off, though...he couldn't shake an unsettling feeling. 

"Lucas?" It was only when he felt a hand on his shoulder that Lucas was able to snap out of his thoughts. The sensation startled him. He jumped, and Professor Rowan retracted his hand at the sight. Surprise was clear in the Professor's expression and his Aura. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong, I just-" Lucas knew he was talking a little too fast for that to sound believable. After a breath, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. He may as well voice his concern in a way that made sense.

"Their uniform," he finally said. He hesitated before explaining, "I can't place my finger on why...but something about it strikes me as familiar."

Lucas really hoped that nobody would question it, because he had no idea how to answer. Much to Lucas' relief, Professor Rowan spoke up.

"Now that you mention it," the Professor mused. There was a moment of contemplation before he said, "Perhaps it's the yellow emblem? I believe the Galaxy Team had a similar logo, before they disbanded." 

When Professor Rowan mentioned the Galaxy Team, it clicked in Lucas' mind. Of course there was mention of them in Trainer's School. It was due to their efforts that Sinnoh had become the region that it was today. The Survey Corps in particular were praised, because of two member's efforts to save Hisui in a time of crisis. There were conflicting stories of what crisis it was, and how they solved it...but the impact the two heroes made could not be denied. 

Thinking about it that way, it made a lot of sense that this 'Team Galactic' would get some inspiration from the Galaxy Team. The names were similar! How did he not think of that?

"That makes sense," Lucas admitted. "After seeing them so often in history books, it's a little jarring to see something similar."

"So, what? This team took inspiration from that team?" Barry questioned. 

Dawn nodded. "With how crucial the Galaxy Team is to Sinnoh's history, I doubt Team Galactic would be the first."

"Yeah..." As he nodded his assent, Lucas couldn't help but wonder if that really explained why he felt so unsettled. 

( It wasn't until they were halfway to Floaroma Town that Lucas realized that he had forgotten to ask Professor Rowan about the Arons in Oreburgh Mine. He promised himself he'd ask next time. )

Lucas could barely believe what Barry had decided to drag him and Dawn into. This was a fairly common occurrence for him and Dawn - Barry always dragged one or both of them into whatever escapade he could think of - but this was an entirely new level of unbelievable.  

See, there were times in a Trainer's journey - specifically those traveling through Sinnoh - when one can come across a reporter from Jubilife TV. These particular reporters act as hosts for a small quiz show, which promises a fabulous prize for the winner. 

Lucas honestly didn't think he would ever come across something like this. And yet here he was, plunging headfirst into a quiz whether he liked it or not. 

"Barry, I don't think I can do this," Lucas protested as the three approached the reporter and cameraman.  "I'm getting nervous just thinking about it-"

Wrapping an arm around Lucas' shoulders, Barry responded, "Are you kidding? Luc, you totally got this! You know Johto. You've lived there. Who better to take part in this than you?!" 

The theme caught Lucas' attention. While it was true that he had lived in Johto for a few years...that was really the most time he spent outside of Sinnoh. His knowledge of Johtoan-related anything was shaky compared to Sinnoh...but he may as well give it a shot. For Barry's sake, at least. 

"What he said," the reporter said. It was clear from her Aura that she did not want to be here. She didn't even try to hide her boredom in her expression. "Answer five questions and you get a fantabulous prize. If you three are ready, we can do this now." 

Lucas pursed his lips. As nervous as he was at the thought of taking part of this kind of thing, he shouldn't have too hard of a time with the quiz...right? He did have a fair amount of knowledge when it came to Johto...

"Come on," Barry pleaded, seeming to sense his best friend's hesitance. "With all three of us here, that prize is as good as ours! So there's no pressure, right?!" 

"He's got a point," Dawn supplied. "I don't know about you, but any chance to get free stuff is a good one."

Lucas sighed; with Dawn taking Barry's side, he felt outnumbered. But they did have a point...if the three of them all did this, they'd probably get the prize no matter who won. What harm could there be, really? "Fine, I'll do it." 

With that, the show started. Barry was quickly left in the dust; between Lucas' experience and Dawn's knowledge, the two were tied. Lucas was having a little more fun with it than he expected; some of the questions seemed downright nostalgic, given his childhood. 

And then came the final question: "Is Tohjo Falls located in Kanto or Johto?"

Lucas could all but feel his brain short-circuit. Tohjo Falls...that name rang a bell. He must have heard the name a handful of times while he lived in Johto. Cherrygrove and New Bark were close to that place, wasn't it? Kanto itself was supposed to be pretty close too, right? Of all the questions that could have been asked, why did it have to be a geography question?!

As he wracked his brain to think of an answer, Dawn stepped in; "It's in Kanto."

"Correct. And we have a winner. Woo." The reporter really didn't want to be here, did she? In fact, it was easy to tell that she was relieved that the show was over. "Congratulations, here's your prize."

None of the trainers knew what to expect, but it definitely wasn't an egg. Dawn was handed an incubator, within which was a blue egg with red triangles and a yellow V-shaped stripe. The three trainers stared at it with wide eyes as the reporter and her helper made a hasty retreat.

"An egg," Barry breathed, almost awestruck. "I wonder what's inside?!"

"Given the color, I'm gonna guess it's a Water-type," Lucas answered. It wasn't just the egg's color that tipped him off; he could see the flicker of an Aura in the Egg, and it reminded him of water. At the very least, it was a safe guess. 

Dawn seemed very pleased by this; both by her victory and Lucas' deduction of the Egg's type. "In that case, I think I'll keep it. If there aren't any objections?"

Lucas and Barry had no objections; they knew that Dawn had a mile-wide soft spot for Water-types, and far be it from them to take the Egg when she was the one who won it in the first place.

Dialga remembered the Galaxy Team. How could he not, when Rei and Akari had such a central role in the crisis that endangered Hisui? During his and Palkia's time with the two, they had gotten to know each of the other members of the Team. 

That said, the humans dressed like astronauts were nothing like the Galaxy Team. The emblem on their uniforms may be similar, but that did not mean they were the same. The Team had disbanded decades ago...or at least, the Survey Corps did. Dialga cared little for the groups outside of the Survey Corps (seeing as that was where Rei and Akari were situated). If there was any trace of the Galaxy Team within this Team Galactic, Dialga was not aware of it. Perhaps he should look into that the next time he was in his dimension. He always did learn more from looking into the past, anyway.

But that was not his issue right now. His issue was the little girl that had approached him - the one who brought him into this train of thought in the first place. This 'Team Galactic' had taken her father hostage and kept him in the Windworks on the road ahead of them. Apparently 'Aevus' was the first 'person' she saw while looking for someone to help...? This is what he got for traveling around this world in his human form, he supposed.

In short: all Dialga wanted was to find his way to Lake Acuity without getting help from Palkia. He got turned around, and this was the result.

Dialga sympathized with her plight, he truly did. While it would be easy for him to freeze time and rescue the girl's father that way, there were several complications that he could come across. The biggest of them being; how was he to know that he wouldn't give himself away in the process? Most humans would jump at the chance to obtain a creature of legendary power.

"Apologies, but why ask me?"

"What do you mean, why?" the girl responded, as if it was obvious. "You got an eyepatch, so you gotta be a pirate! A pirate can easily beat up a few spacepeople, right?!"

She seemed so enthusiastic about her logic that Dialga had no idea what he was supposed to do. Talking with Lucas and that Interpol fellow in Jubilife was stressful enough, how was he supposed to talk to a human child?! 

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice calling; "Aevus?"

Dialga was surprised to see Lucas and his friends here. Were he not a deity of time, he would have thought the timing seemed a little too perfect for it to be a coincidence. 

"You know this guy, Luc?" his blond friend questioned.

"Yeah," Lucas responded with a nod. An odd expression crossed his face as he took in the situation. "I'll explain later."

The three then approached, with Lucas glancing between Aevus and the little girl. Dialga watched his expression carefully as the little girl explained her situation. It was strange how it shifted from curiosity to irritated. Perhaps it was because of Mesprit's influence that the boy was so easy to read. His friends matched that energy; apparently the three children were familiar with this 'Team Galactic' as well. 

"We shouldn't leave the situation alone," the Akari-lookalike (apparently named Dawn) said. "Besides, we've confronted Team Galactic before."

"Yeah! Just point me in their direction and lemme at 'em!" the loud blond responded. Before any of them could say anything, he ran towards the Valley Windworks to confront the Team Galactic member in the nearby area. Dialga was immediately reminded of Azelf.

"He is...certainly energetic," Dialga commented. "Do you suppose he will be okay?" 

"He should be," Dawn responded. "Like I said, we've fought them before. Going off the Pokemon they had before, Barry's definitely got this."

True to Dawn's words, Barry returned within minutes. However, he was pouting as he walked back. "I beat the Grunt that was outside, but the coward locked himself in the Windworks. So not fair!"

"You can still get a key! I saw some spacemen go into Floaroma Town before I met Mister Pirate," the little girl supplied. "They still gotta have a key to get in!" 

"I was just going to say we should check town," Lucas responded. His gaze flickered towards the little girl. "...Although, I'm hesitant to leave her alone to do that. Safety in numbers, right?"

"Ohhh, yeah," Barry responded. "This is why you're an important part of the team; that keen attention to detail!"

Lucas chuckled sheepishly before the three children played a quick round of janken. Barry lost, so he was to stay and keep an eye on the little girl while Lucas and Dawn went into town to get the key. 

As for what Dialga was going to do? After a moment's consideration, he decided to follow Lucas and Dawn. His goal was to find his way to Lake Acuity, but Mesprit had asked him to keep an eye on Lucas whenever he got a chance. She had told him about Lucas' encounter with the man called Cyrus, and it piqued Dialga's curiosity. If nothing else, he could pick up on something that Uxie would be able to help elaborate.

Chapter Text

The situation didn't concern Palkia nearly as much as it did Dialga. This was because spatial balance had been maintained this whole time. For every universe that had collapsed, another one grew to take its place.

Like right now, for instance. As Palkia watched over Dialga's interactions with the children, they saw something shift in the corner of their eye. From their perspective, every alternate universe was perceived as an orb. Most of them were purple, others were pink. Palkia watched as one such universe collapsed into itself, and then was replaced by something new.

The sight reminded Palkia...how long had it been since Dialga had asked them to look into the new universes? Could have been a day, could have been a century. Such things did not matter to Palkia as much as they did Dialga, but it would not do to keep him waiting for too long. Thus, Palkia decided to observe these new universes while it was on their mind.

The first thing Palkia noticed about the new universe was the lack of color. Granted, they did not expect too much from a brand-new universe. Each was its own creation, and some were slower to flourish than others. Palkia was not sure how much time would need to pass before this new universe would flourish with spirit, but they knew it would happen.

At least, they were certain until they saw one of the first new universes that had appeared. Its color had not changed at all; it still retained the shade of gray that marked it when it appeared. While Palkia was not sure how much time had passed within this universe...the lack of color for this long had a troubling implication behind it.

Palkia didn't want to come to a conclusion too soon, but perhaps they could keep an eye on the newly formed universes a while longer. Just in case.

Before any of that, they had to make sure Dialga would not get side-tracked for longer than he actually had.

Lucas was the one who ultimately confronted Mars - with Dawn and Barry confronting the other Team Galactic Grunts in the building, taking down the leader (so to speak) simply fell to him. It was a tough battle, but he and his Pokemon somehow managed to win. Mars could only stare in disbelief as her last Pokemon fell.

"I lost?! How can that-?! How did you-?! You uppity brat!" she shouted, taking out her PokeBall and returning the Normal-type. "Ughhh, I messed up. I enjoyed our battle, but still..."

Lucas had a feeling that Mars had lied. Curse was a life-saver of a move, and Kale made really good use of it the whole fight. Few things are more frustrating than facing a physical wall when your whole team is made of physical attackers.

The older man beside her - who Lucas could only assume was another Commander - seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"I doubt you did. Lose to a child, will you?" The older man scoffed. Lucas couldn't help noting that she seethed at the mere sound of his voice. "No matter; we have plenty of electricity. Even with this much, we can do something spectacular. So says I, the genius-"

"Will you shut up!" Mars shouted, whirling around to face the scientist. "How many times do I need to say it?! The Master is the only one who gets to boss me around! You're not important; don't forget that you only joined recently, Mercury or whatever your name is!"

"How many times do I need to say it?! It's Charon!" the old man shouted back. "We don't even have a Mercury in our ranks!"

Mars snickered, although her mirth didn't last long. She sighed, "Ugh, whatever. I guess it's time to say good-bye for now!"

As she walked past, Mars shot Lucas a nasty glare. "You got lucky! If you get in our way again, I won't be so nice!" 

As the two Commanders left, Lucas immediately went to check on the scientist that they left behind. The uniform he was wearing indicated that he worked in the Windworks. Maybe this was the girl's father. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks," the scientist responded. "They kept saying something they had to gather Pokemon and energy no matter what."

"Did they say for what?" Lucas couldn't place a finger on what compelled him to ask that particular question. It felt a little like instinct.

"Something about creating a new universe? Or something like that. It didn't make much sense to me, so I just tuned it out."

Lucas was not prepared for how the scientist's words felt like a punch to the throat. A new universe.

As he watched the following chain of events - Dawn and Barry checking on the scientist, the little girl tackling her father into a hug - Lucas knew that he should be feeling proud of himself. He was definitely proud of his Pokemon for putting up a good fight; that Purugly in particular was no joke. They pulled through in the end, saved the day. He was glad that he, Dawn and Barry made it through that whole thing in one piece.

No matter how many times Lucas told himself that, it wouldn’t assuage the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Part of the reason Dialga decided to stick around and watch the three children confront Team Galactic was to get an idea on how they battled. He understood that Pokemon battling had changed in recent centuries; what used to be a rarity was now a commonplace occupation. To actually see it in person (so to speak) was a rare treat.

Besides, he found that he would feel much more at ease if the children could take care of themselves. That would be one less thing for him to concern himself with.

This is why he allowed himself to be on 'lookout duty'. Strictly speaking, he wasn't a Trainer - confronting them himself was out of the question.

The girl seemed to be thankful for the company, at least. She sure did like to talk, though. Were all human children like this? He certainly knew that Celebi wasn't this chatty when she was young.

"Mister Pirate?" she questioned. When he looked down at her, she continued, "How come you're not in there with them, beating up the spacemen?"

"Ah..." Dialga had to think fast. What kind of answer would be best?! "I...left my sword at home."

It was a flimsy answer. The flimsiest he could think of, and he was surprised that the little girl actually accepted it. She nodded sagely, "Ohhh, okay. I guess pirates are pretty useless without their swords. Unless they got a hook for a hand, but you don't have one."

With a weak chuckle, Dialga shifted his focus when he heard the door opening. One by one, the members of Team Galactic filed out of the Windworks. The last two were a woman with red hair and an older man with purple hair. Their outfits were different from the other Galactic members...their leaders, perhaps? The redhead's loud complaints about 'those meddling brats' caught his attention. So Lucas and the others were successful?

"They're gone!" the little girl cheered. "Now I can see my papa again!"

Before she entered the Windsworks, she stopped to face ‘Aevus’ and waved. "Thanks for your help, Mister Pirate! Bye-bye!"

Not even three seconds after the child entered the Windworks, the ground suddenly opened up beneath Dialga's feet, and he fell. 

As if the sudden falling sensation wasn't bewildering enough, he landed in a pile of snow. There was water close to him, and if he squinted he could see what looked to be an island...a lake, perhaps? Definitely not Lake Verity...Acuity, then? How did he get from the Floaroma area to Lake Acuity?!

Looking up, Dialga soon had his answer. Above him was a shimmering purple portal, and he could see Palkia's face looking down at him. Dialga scowled; the absolute nerve of them!

"You could have warned me!" Dialga shouted into the portal.

"You're lucky I didn't drop you into the water," Palkia deadpanned, rolling their eyes. "Now hurry up and talk with Uxie. They've been practically dying to pick your brain."

 Dialga sighed. "Is there anyone within the Pantheon who does not know what happened?"

"Please tell me that question was rhetorical."

Before Dialga could answer, he could make out a small yellow light floating towards them. Stopping just in front of him, the light manifested itself into Uxie's astral form.

"Dialga," Uxie greeted. "I've been waiting for you. Hello to you too, Palkia."

"Hello, Uxie," Palkia responded. "Unfortunately, this conversation doesn't involve me. So I'll leave you two alone."

With that, Palkia's portal closed. As agitated as Dialga was that they had pulled him here, he didn't have much choice but to let it go. 

With a sigh, Dialga decided that it was best to get straight why he was here. "I assume it would be pointless to ask how much you know?"

"Actually, there is one thing I don't know. Tell me about this Lucas."

This caught Dialga off-guard. "I thought Mesprit would have-"

"She did," Uxie interjected. "My apologies. I simply wish to know your perspective."

"My perspective?" Dialga could see why Uxie would be curious about that. After all, Lucas wasn't nearly killed by Mystical Power, was he? "Very well. He is...a unique case. Not many humans can survive something like Roar of Time, and even fewer come out relatively unscathed. He does not even remember anything connected to what is going on-"

"Are you sure about that?"

"...What do you mean?" Had anyone else in his family asked him this, Dialga would not have considered the possibility. But when it came from Uxie, with that tone... "I watched as he carried on like nothing happened. Surely there would have been some urgency in his actions the moment he recovered-"

Uxie shook their head. "Memories are much more complex in humans than you think. It may be true that he cannot recall anything connected to what is going on, but do you truly believe Roar of Time would leave such a small impact on a human? It could have easily left an impact on his body, or even his spirit. These things remember, even when the mind cannot."

Dialga was stunned. He wanted to say that this was ridiculous. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he could not bring himself to say them. Of course he knew that Roar of Time drew its power not from sound, but from his own Aura. How had he never thought about how it could affect a human?

Strangely, he thought of Rei; how he avoided the dark and flinched at every shadow in the aftermath of the battle against that damned merchant, even years after the fact. Could Lucas be experiencing anything similar to that?

Uxie clearly sensed Dialga's surprise and insisted, "Tell me something: have you noticed anything strange in Lucas' demeanor lately?"

"Anything-" Did they mean anything out of the ordinary? How should Dialga know that, he had only met the child a grand total of three times! 

Dialga had a feeling that Uxie was rolling their eyes. "Palkia told me before they brought you here - you were with the boy and his friends, weren’t you? Tell me about that."

This was starting to feel less like Dialga coming to Uxie for advice, and more like a lecture. Not an uncommon occurrence when it came to Uxie. Nonetheless, he relented; "The three of them had come across a mockery of the Galaxy Team. Team Galactic, I believe it was called? They took some scientists hostage."

"And? How did Lucas act?"

Dialga recalled how Lucas' expression shifted as he learned what was happening - curiosity to agitation. While he was no expert in the spectrum of human emotion...was such a drastic shift normal? Based on what little he knew of Lucas, it might not be. The boy had proven to be polite, and somewhat soft-spoken on top of that. Like he would sooner avoid conflict than dive head-first into it. Dialga would find it hard to believe that Lucas would ever get angry if he had not seen it actually happen.

"He acted like it was not a question of if he would confront them," Dialga realized, "but a question of how."

The following revelation was a surprising one. Perhaps Lucas did retain some memory connected to the Unraveling...as unconscious as they may be. If that was the case, and he acted so agitated when it came to Team Galactic...does that mean that they would be the ones to try creating the Red Chain?!

Satisfied, Uxie hummed. "You look like you've figured something out."

"I think I have," Dialga responded, giving his sibling a polite smile. "Thank you for your help, Uxie."

As glad as he was to have a new lead...the thought lingered in the back of his mind. There was little doubt he would see the boy and his friends again. If Dialga's hunch was correct, Lucas in particular would feel compelled to fight Team Galactic any way he could. He may be compelled to fight back just as strongly as Dialga was, without ever knowing why.

Was it strange that the thought made Dialga anxious?

Chapter Text

Eterna Forest was cold and dark. There was beauty in that cold darkness, but a chill in the air kept Lucas from relaxing completely.

It was dark, but Lucas somehow knew that it was still late morning. The dense greenery overshadowed everything, allowing only the barest slivers of sunlight to peek through. Here, daytime was as dark as the night, and the night was said to be even darker. Frankly, Lucas had no desire to see that for himself - he was uneasy being here as it was.

"You feeling okay, Luc?" Lucas jumped - how did he not realize that Barry was so close by?! The blond's expression clearly showed his concern. "You've gotten quiet since we stepped in here. I mean, quieter than usual!"

"Kind of?" Lucas responded. "It's a little hard to explain."

Barry took a moment to examine Lucas' face. "...Is this one of those Aura things?"

In response to the question, Lucas clamped a hand over Barry's mouth and hissed, "Barry, not so loud!!"

Amid Barry's muffled protests, Lucas looked over at Dawn and their new companion. Cheryl's eyebrows were raised as she watched the boys interact, but Dawn spoke up and got her attention back to whatever it was they were talking about. Lucas was grateful for Dawn's intervention, really. He had trusted Dawn and Barry with his sensitivity to Aura - and only those two. He didn't want a total stranger knowing he could sense stuff like this if he could help it.

At least Barry had the sense to calm down by the time Lucas removed his hand. In fact, he was downright sheepish.

"Sorry, buddy," Barry said, and Lucas appreciated the effort it took for him to whisper. "I just think it's so cool! You've got this superpower that's like something out of a comic book! Why keep that a secret, anyways? Isn't there like, a whole group of trainers dedicated to that kinda thing?"

"You're thinking about Psychics," Lucas answered, making sure to keep his voice low. "And from what I was able to learn on my own, there's a difference between psychic power and Aura sensitivity. Something about the difference between the mind and the spirit? I wouldn't be able to explain it any better than that."

He really couldn't. Aside from eccentric spiritual blogs, information regarding Aura was woefully scarce. As it was, the only way he could actually learn anything about it was to find someone else who could sense it. It was unfortunate that Aevus had seemingly disappeared after Team Galactic was chased out of Valley Windworks, because he was the only one that Lucas knew could provide any insight on it.

"The point is," Lucas said, in an effort to keep from drifting off into thought. "You're not wrong...about it being an Aura thing. I dunno, it just feels like something's been watching us since we entered this forest. But I can't place my finger on what."

"Behind you!"

Lucas practically gave himself whiplash from how quickly he spun around. All he could pick up on were a sparkle of green light and the sense that something had disappeared. Despite these things, Lucas shot a glare at Barry. "Barry, don't do that!"

"I wasn't trying to scare you! There really was something floating behind you!" Barry protested. When he saw that Dawn and Cheryl were watching them, he asked them, "You two saw it, right?!"

"Saw what?" Dawn questioned.

"I didn't see anything out of the ordinary," Cheryl added. "This forest is rumored to be haunted, so maybe it's a ghost playing a prank on you?"

"What?! No! It didn't look like any ghost I've seen!" Barry insisted. He waved his arms, gesturing towards the empty air just past Lucas’ head. "It was green! What ghost type do you know that's green?!"

Strangely, Lucas got the sense that Barry wasn't lying. That only made less sense than if he had tried to play a prank on him. If Barry was telling the truth, then he did see something watching Lucas. A green ghost-type...it couldn't have been a shiny, could it? The only green shiny he could think of that would fit was Misdreavus...and somehow that didn't seem to fit.

Dawn walked over to Barry and led him a little further up the path - presumably to help him calm down. Barry never did like ghosts, although Lucas could only assume as to why that was. Dawn seemed to have more knowledge on that than he did, so it made sense for her to be the one to step in.

It did leave Lucas with Cheryl, though. Cheryl was a good person, he could tell that much. It was just that he didn't quite know what to say around total strangers, especially with his Aura sensitivity.

Thankfully, Cheryl started the conversation; "Never a dull moment, huh?"

"Yeah," Lucas sighed. "Not with Barry around, anyway. Don't get me wrong; he's like a brother to me. It's just a little exhausting sometimes, you know?"

"I get that," Cheryl giggled. "The two of you actually remind me of some old friends of mine."

"Really?" Lucas questioned. He didn't need to be able to sense Aura to pick up on Cheryl's nostalgia. He wasn't going to pry on the matter; he got the sense that it had been a long time since she saw those friends of hers. That kind of separation can be pretty painful. He would know; moving to Johto and back was difficult going both ways. While it was true that he could still keep in contact with Ethan and Lyra through emails or phone calls, it just wasn't the same.

"Yes. Which brings me to what I wanted to say," Cheryl said. There was a kind smile on her face. "The friend you remind me of can sense Aura, too."

To say that Lucas was surprised would be an understatement; he was downright shocked. So not only did Cheryl hear what Barry had said earlier, but she actually knew someone who could sense Aura as well?! Her Aura didn't indicate that she was lying; he liked to think he could pick up that much. Still, hearing that he wasn't alone in experiencing it...that was heartwarming for Lucas.

"What can you tell me about this person?" Lucas questioned. "Is there any way I can contact them?"

"His name's Riley. I actually lost touch with him some time ago, so I don't have a phone number or anything to give you," Cheryl said, apologetically. "I'm not even sure where he could be right now. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone in being able to sense it."

While it was disappointing that he had no way of contacting this Riley, that didn't matter as much to Lucas. He knew that he wasn't alone in being sensitive to Aura. That was proven to him years ago, but he had not realized how badly he needed to actually hear it.

Lucas recognized the man standing by the statue, and he immediately wished he hadn't. He was already starting to feel sick at the very thought of seeing him again. Just like in Lake Verity.

"Isn't that the same guy we saw in Lake Verity?" Dawn questioned, her gaze flickering between Lucas and the stranger. "What's he doing here?"

"I wish I knew," Lucas answered. The three trainers could only watch as the man departed from the statue and walked in their direction. Unlike last time, he took the time to examine the three trainers in front of him.

"Tell me," the man said. "How much do you know about the Pokemon of time and space?"

Lucas couldn't say anything even if he wanted to; anger and nausea kept him rooted to the spot, especially since the question seemed to be more directed at him.

The man didn't give the Trainers any time to answer anyway; he walked past them before they could utter a word. Lucas kept his eyes downward, focusing on his feet. That he felt nausea and anger whenever it came to Team Galactic was one thing, but why would it feel the most intense with this guy? What connection did he have with Team Galactic? Did Cyrus even have a connection in the first place?

Another thought crossed Lucas' mind, perhaps the most concerning of all; how would he know the man's name was Cyrus-?

Lucas' train of thought was derailed when he felt something harshly tugging his sleeve.

"Snap out of it, Lucas!" Barry exclaimed. "There's cracks in the eggshell! The Egg's starting to hatch!"

That got Lucas' attention immediately. "Wait, already?!"

Sure enough, Dawn had already put the Incubator down on the ground and removed the lid. The three watched as the Egg's shell started to fall apart, revealing a small crocodilian Pokemon. It yawned and stretched its arms, nearly stumbling out of the Incubator as a result.

Lucas recognized it right away. It crossed his mind that the Egg probably contained a Water-type from Johto; the quiz they got it from had a Johto theme, he would have been surprised if the Pokemon originated from any other region. But this still came as a surprise to him.

Barry beat him to the punch; "Isn't that a Totodile?!"

Carefully, Dawn picked the Pokemon up and examined it. Totodile stared back at Dawn before squirming happily within her grip.

"Feisty little thing, aren't you?" Dawn laughed. "They weren't kidding when they said it'd be a fantastic prize. I wonder how Jubilife TV was able to get a hold of this."

"Same," Lucas answered. "And I'd be careful. From what I've heard, their bites can cause serious injury."

"I don't doubt it," Dawn responded, her gaze now focused on Totodile's teeth. "Didn't Kale bite everything he could when you first got him, Lucas?"

"Yeah, he did. You should be able to get chew toys at the PokeMart; that's where I got all of Kale's chew toys."

"I guess that'll be my first stop," Dawn decided. "And then my next stop'll be Mt. Coronet. I heard there are a lot of Rock-types there, which is gonna be perfect for training my team up."

Barry snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, the Gym here specializes in Grass-types. You don't have as many answers for that as Luc and I do."

Lucas took a moment to think about the Pokemon in Dawn's team. Because what Barry said was true; the only other Pokemon he had seen Dawn capture were a Tentacool, a Shellos and a Wingull. Adding her Piplup and Totodile, that made five Water-types in Dawn's team.

Not that he was surprised by that pattern; something about Dawn's Aura always brought the ocean to mind. It wouldn't have surprised Lucas at all if she had decided to specialize in Water-types.

"You want us to come to Mt. Coronet with you?" Lucas questioned.

"Maybe another time. Don't let me keep you two from beating the Gym," Dawn responded. "Besides, I also really want to try looking for a Feebas. I know you can find them somewhere in the mountain, but since they're so rare..."

Lucas took a moment to imagine them waiting as Dawn fished for the mere chance of finding a Feebas. More specifically, he imagined Barry complaining about how long they were taking and potentially scaring all of the Pokemon off. "Yeah, probably a good call. You can call us when you're done, then."

Dawn beamed, and took a moment to hug her friends. "Thanks, guys! Let me know how battling Gardenia went, alright?"

Dialga made sure to stay out of sight as he observed the three trainers. He didn't get a good look at the man they had briefly conversed with, but it seemed to affect Lucas greatly. It seemed there was some truth in Uxie's implications of Lucas' memories being almost exclusively subconscious. That he hadn't thought of it that way was an oversight on Dialga's part.

"Papa! Over here!"

Dialga turned, and was surprised to see Celebi sitting on a nearby tree branch. She waved, and Dialga approached the tree without a second thought. What kind of father figure would he be if he didn't?

"Celebi," he greeted. "I am surprised and happy to see you. I was not aware you were in Sinnoh - I would have thought you were still in that forest in Johto. Ilex, yes?"

"I was there, until recently. Auntie Mesprit told me something was up, and she told me where to find you," Celebi explained. "And she was right! I saw the funniest thing. There was a human in Eterna Forest today, and his Aura reminded me a lot of you!"

Of course Mesprit told Celebi. This time, Dialga was thankful for his sister spreading the news. Celebi had as much of a right to know about the oncoming threat as himself and Palkia.

Dialga knew exactly who Celebi was talking about, but he felt the need to ask anyway. "Are you talking about any of the humans by the statue?"

Celebi floated closer to Dialga, following his gaze. After a moment of observation, she nodded. "The one with the blue jacket is the one that reminded me of you. The blond actually saw me while I was trying to observe his friend."

"Truly?" Hearing Celebi's report on Lucas' Aura didn't surprise Dialga at all. What had surprised him was that Barry had caught sight of Celebi. The Lord of Time wasn't sure if that constituted remarkable luck, or remarkable reflexes on Barry's part. "You need to be more careful, Celebi."

"I was careful! It's not my fault that Blondie saw me!" Celebi huffed, crossing her arms. "I could have mistaken that other human for you, you know! What the heck happened?"

"Simply put, Roar of Time happened."

Celebi gasped. "You used Roar of Time on a human?! Papa, what the heck?!"

"Not me specifically! I believe it was the Dialga from another timeline that did this to him."

"...Yeah, you're gonna have to explain, because I'm even more confused."

With a sigh, Dialga led Celebi to a spot that was further away from the town. They risked getting spotted the longer they lingered in town, and frankly Dialga did not want that. Especially not with that Galactic building so close to where they had been.

On the other hand, Route 211 was a somewhat quiet route. Not a single person could be seen in the immediate vicinity, at least. Surely this would be a better location to tell Celebi everything.

When Dialga had finished his explanation, Celebi shuddered. "Timelines unraveling...that's scary. Is that why you're in your human form? To not draw attention to yourself while you figure things out?"

"That is part of the reason, but not the entire reason," Dialga admitted. "It also may be the best way to gain the boy's trust. I have reason to believe that he has some memory related to the Unraveling, repressed as they may be."

"Ohhhh," Celebi said, crossing her arms. "That makes more sense. I've never known you to be particularly close with humanity, unless you absolutely had to be."

As accurate as the assessment was, did Celebi have to put it like that? That just made Dialga feel even more anxious about the whole Lucas situation. The few times he interacted with Lucas were short (and somewhat awkward on his part). He knew that his plan would go much smoother if Lucas trusted him, but how was Dialga supposed to gain that trust?

"...So, random question," Celebi spoke up. "Does this whole Roar of Time thing mean I have a little brother now?"

The question was indeed very random, and it caught Dialga off-guard. He doubted it worked like that (it was not like Roar of Time actually turned him into a Celebi), but the question did give him an idea.

Why not interact with Lucas in the same manner that he did with Celebi? In the same manner that Mother did with him? 

While Dialga did not have any clue as to where to start...if it was for the sake of his timeline's stability, he was willing to try.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The boy won the battle, and Commander Jupiter was a woman of her word. The stolen Pokemon were returned to their Trainers, and the Feebas they had captured were to return to the wild. Nobody would be harmed.

That was what she promised; she just didn't say anything about rewriting their memories.

The Elgyem and Beheeyem made life so much easier; if anyone saw Team Galactic do anything untoward, it would be a simple thing to make them forget what they had learned. Why, numbers in Team Galactic have grown exponentially. The latter was just a bonus, really.

Given the limited time her Beheeyem had, he was only able to wipe Jupiter's face (and that of the Grunts) from Rad Rickshaw's memory. The bike shop owner was known for being a gossip, and it wouldn't do for him to recognize anyone involved with stealing his Clefairy.

That was fine. In fact, that would only make it easier to go into her casual attire, track the boy down and rewrite his memories. He was foolish enough to face them alone, so he was the only loose end that needed to be taken care of. Finding him was no issue; of course he would run to the Pokemon Center. While he won the battle, Jupiter's Pokemon gave his quite the thrashing. If his Golbat hadn't forced itself to evolve right in the middle of the battle...

One of the lesser-known facts about Pokemon that evolve through friendship is that they always had a risk of evolving too early. Golbat in particular were susceptible to this; the Zubat line wasn't very popular among humans, so they tend to be fiercely loyal to anyone who showed them even the slightest bit of kindness. Surely the boy knew that, especially if his affiliation with Professor Rowan was to be believed.

As annoying as it was that the evolution led to her defeat, Jupiter laughed to herself as she recalled the events of that battle. The boy looked on in horror as the Crobat pushed himself through evolution, and even tried everything he could to stop the evolution. It was laughable, how much he cared for his Pokemon's well-being. While she would admit that perhaps such compassion was the boy's strength, what a laughable strength it was!

Peering into the window of the Center, Jupiter was proven correct. The boy was there, seated at one of the waiting room chairs. There were two more children with him - one she recognized as having a Totodile hatch within her care. Jupiter hadn't heard any report as far as the Totodile's extraction, so she ultimately assumed that that mission was also a failure.

No matter. The Totodile wasn't important right now - she had to make sure she left no trace of her identity.

"It's that one," Jupiter whispered to her Beheeyem. "The one with the red hat."

Beheeyem nodded, and held a hand up in the boy's direction. The process was usually a quick one - thirty seconds at most, before he reported that the deed was done.

Instead, the psychic-type recoiled (as if his hand had been burned). After a moment of clear bewilderment, Beheeyem tried again. He strained for a few more moments before ultimately putting his hand down. Already, she was on high alert; what could possibly make a Psychic-type so anxious?

Beheeyem finally spoke, via telepathy; "I'm sorry. This is a unique case."

Jupiter stared. "What?"

"I tried to rewrite his memory, I truly did," the psychic-type responded. "But something is preventing me from holding onto a memory long enough to rewrite it. Just the act of looking into his mind proves difficult."

Beheeyem was silent for another moment - perhaps to attempt another look into the boy's mind - before he continued, "To provide you with a better visual, I would liken his mind to a kintsugi bowl - something seems to be holding all of his thoughts and memories together. Whatever that something is, it's powerful. I've only seen something like this once before."

Jupiter's mouth became a straight line. She didn't like unexpected developments, especially when it put the operations of Team Galactic in jeopardy. Whatever was lurking in that boy's mind was both, which meant that he had become the greatest threat she had seen. He was one to keep an eye on.

"Fine," Jupiter muttered. She shot a glare towards the children before walking away. "We'll deal with him later. For now, we need to let the Master know."

If anything had happened outside of the Pokemon Center, Lucas wasn't aware of it. Nor did he particularly care. Kale and Blair were healed quickly, but the nurse needed to run some tests on Arty. That battle did a number on him in particular, and that wasn't even getting into the fact that he forced himself to evolve into Crobat. Kale and Blair were worried as well - it hadn't taken long at all for Arty to be like a brother to them. Blair in particular seemed distressed about the whole situation.

He felt guilty about going to a walk at a time like this, but Blair had been the one that practically pushed him out the door. The Umbreon wanted some time in the night air, and far from Lucas to deny her that. Besides, he wanted to clear his mind as well. It was only when Dawn and Barry had agreed to keep him posted that he had no complaints about stepping out.

The two saw the strangest thing within a half hour into their walk; a Feebas determinedly flopping down the street. The bewilderment wouldn't stop there - the minute she saw Lucas, the Feebas practically launched herself right at him, and he fell to the ground with a shout. Blair let out a concerned noise as well, sniffing over the Trainer and fish Pokemon. Possibly to see if they were okay.

"Hey, what are you doing-?!" he asked, taking the Feebas into his hands. The fish Pokemon proved to be a little heavier than he thought. Now that he thought about it; he had seen this Feebas before. Was she one of the Feebas that Team Galactic had gathered?

It was odd how she seemed to relax the moment Lucas fell over. It must have taken a lot out of her to be get all the way here from that building - if his hunch was true, anyway. At a first glance it would be easy to assume that she had a bold nature, but that didn't seem to be the case anymore. In fact, her movements seemed almost gentle as she fell asleep right there and then. Blair watched the Feebas' actions closely, before looking up at Lucas' face with a quirked eyebrow.

Before Lucas could think more about it, the sound of heels against pavement registered in his mind. He looked up, and was floored to see Cynthia looking down at him and Feebas. Of course Lucas knew who she was - what self-respecting Trainer wouldn't recognize the Champion of their region?! Lucas could pick up amusement from her Aura, followed by surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that Feebas yours?" she questioned with a polite smile. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but Team Galactic had been holding her and several wild Feebas in their lab. We've been working on bringing them back to the wild, but this one didn't seem to want to go."

"She's actually not mine," Lucas admitted, carefully getting up on his feet. There was no sense in lying - not to Cynthia. Besides, Lucas felt a little guilty that Dawn hadn't found a Feebas while one had quite literally fallen right into his lap. "I know about what Team Galactic was doing, though. I confronted them about it earlier today."

"Oh, really?" Cynthia was silent for a moment. "Do you happen to remember why they were gathering Feebas?"

What a strange question, but Lucas answered anyway; "The Commander said something about how Feebas can evolve into Milotic in more than one way. I think they wanted to study that."

Lucas was baffled to pick up surprise in Cynthia's Aura again.

"That does makes sense..." Another moment of silence passed before she continued, "I know I've already asked a lot of you, but this is important. Is there anything else you can tell me about Team Galactic? I've been looking into them as well, and an associate of mine told me about a Trainer that's confronted them. I assume that Trainer is you?"

"Do you mean Mister Looker?" Lucas had been wondering who brought Interpol to look into Team Galactic, but he didn't think it would be Cynthia. "I actually saw him earlier today too. He told me that the Grunts didn't seem to be aware of what their boss' goal was."

"Is that right..." Another moment passed before Cynthia gave him a smile. "Thank you for your help. And your name would be...?"

"Lucas." He looked down at the Feebas in his arms and let out a sheepish chuckle. "I'd shake your hand, but I don't want to risk dropping Feebas."

"Fair enough," Cynthia laughed. She then rummaged into her bag, pulling out a Dive Ball and holding it out to him. "Speaking of...I have an unregistered Dive Ball here. If she really is wild, why don't you take her with you on your journey? I've heard about some Pokemon choosing their Trainers, and it seems like Feebas picked you."

Lucas' jaw dropped. As if he wasn't already feeling bad enough that a Feebas had approached him, he now had the Champion encouraging it?? What was Dawn going to say?

He looked down at the Feebas, who was still sleeping. Definitely exhausted. He couldn't wake her up and get some kind of confirmation now, could he? Then he looked down at Blair - she looked back up at him with curiosity clear on her face.

"Um..." Lucas realized that he had to swallow his doubt this time. Dawn would probably understand, given the circumstance. She was always pretty understanding. "Sure. Thanks, Ms. Cynthia."

It was a bit of a struggle freeing up a hand for Cynthia to place the Dive Ball into it. It was only when Lucas sat back down on the ground that he was able to take the Ball from her. When the Feebas was called into the Dive Ball, it clicked immediately to indicate a successful capture.

As Cynthia departed, Lucas looked down at the Dive Ball. He couldn't shake the feeling of guilt - as if what happened to Arty wasn't enough, there was the fact that he got a rare Pokemon so easily.

About an hour after the Feebas situation, Lucas could hear his phone ringing.

He was surprised to see the name on the caller ID: Ethan. There were many reasons for him to be surprised, but the first one to come to mind was the time difference. Johto wasn't too far away from Sinnoh, was it?

So he didn't hesitate to accept the call. He sat on a bench, while Blair had hopped onto it to place her head on his lap. Lucas scratched behind the Umbreon's ears as he answered, "Ethan? What a surprise! I didn't expect to hear from you."

"Yeah, I finally got my PokeGear back from the shop. This isn't a bad time, is it?"

"No, it's not that!" In fact, Lucas would admit that hearing Ethan's voice was a welcome relief. "It's just that the time difference between Sinnoh and Johto isn't a lot. It's pretty late where you are too, isn't it?"

"...Yeah, you got me," Ethan admitted. "I couldn't sleep. Lyra's usually out like a light this time of night, so I thought I'd try my luck with you. Besides, you're on your journey now, right?"

Lucas perked up. "Didn't you start your journey recently too? Your mom told my dad. I'm traveling with Dawn and Barry right now. We already cleared the second Gym in our run."

"Seriously?! I'm preparing for the second Gym! What's your team like right now? Tell me everything!"

"Right now my team has three Pokemon. Grotle, Umbreon and Gol-" Lucas stopped himself, and he couldn't ignore the pang of guilt as he corrected himself; "Crobat. And not three Pokemon - four. I just caught a Feebas, too."

Lucas hoped that bringing up the Feebas would divert Ethan's attention from the slip. His hopes were quickly dashed, because Ethan said, "A Crobat, already? That's...quick."

"I know," Lucas answered, distressed all over again. "He wasn't even a Golbat for a full day, he forced himself to evolve, everything just happened so fast-"

"Hey hey, calm down. Isn't that a common thing with Golbat?"

"It is, but-" Lucas ran a hand through his hair. "I should've given Arty an Everstone when he evolved, it's my fault-"

"Shhh." Ethan's voice was surprisingly gentle as he said, "Just breathe, alright? I got you."

Lucas took a moment to breathe. Ethan was always the kind of person to look after the people he called friends - Lucas considered himself so lucky to be one of those people. Being friends with him and Lyra made those few years of living in Johto so precious to him.

"...Thanks," Lucas said, after that moment passed. "I really needed that."

"'Course, Luc!" Ethan's voice was cheerful again. "I'll admit though, I'm a little surprised you're taking the Gym route too. Barry didn't want Dawn for a rival or something?"

"What's that mean?" Lucas said, with a quirked smile. "You saying I'm not tough?"

"Hey, that's not what I meant. I just figured you'd be a breeder, or some kinda researcher like your dad. Isn't there a Galactic group over there that has scientists, you'd fit-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT."

Lucas' answer came out much sharper and louder than he had intended. A few people glanced towards him as they passed by, and he tried his best to ignore them. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled out his mouth. Anything to quell the feeling of anger rising in the back of his mind (because it wasn't like Ethan knew that Team Galactic was part of the reason for Arty's condition in the first place).

"That is..." Lucas swallowed. "Sorry for the outburst, Ethan. I just...Team Galactic's starting to become a sore subject for me. Even if I wanted to be anything but a Trainer, they wouldn't want me anyways."

"...You wanna talk about it?" Ethan asked. "Or should I leave the subject alone?"

"That is..." Lucas was glad that it was Ethan he was talking to right now. He always was a bit of a chatterbox, but his heart was definitely in the right place. "Team Galactic...they're not good people. Not entirely, anyway. My friends and I have fought them a couple of times - think Team Rocket with disco fever. I actually should've mentioned this when I told you about Arty. I was fighting one of their members when he evolved. So..."

"Ohhh." Lucas heard a soft sigh coming from the other end. "Sorry. Subject dropped. But uh...keep me posted about Arty, yeah? Going off what you told me, it sounds like he loves you a lot."

"I will," Lucas answered, and he felt like crying all over again. He could just feel his voice wavering as he quickly followed it up with; "Um...Sorry again for the outburst. I just...I really appreciate you calling. I'd like to hear more about your journey, when you can."

"Course." Lucas could hear a yawn coming from the other end. "I should probably get to bed now, though."

"Okay, don't let me keep you. Good night, Ethan."

"G'night, Luc."

The call ended, and it was only then that Lucas realized that he had a pretty strong grip on his phone. Would it snap it half if he applied just a little more pressure? He couldn't say.

The nudge against his arm snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked down at the Umbreon by his side. Blair looked up at him with what could only be concern, and he started to scratch behind her ears again.

"Rei-?!"

The name was not familiar to Lucas, but the voice was. He looked up and was surprised to see Aevus. His visible eye was widened - although Lucas couldn't tell if it was from surprise or embarrassment. A moment passed where the two just stared, not knowing what to say or do.

"Lucas," Aevus corrected himself. His movements were rigid as he nodded at the two. "Forgive me. I mistook you for someone else. He...also had an Umbreon."

"Hi to you too," Lucas greeted, a little awkwardly. It seemed like Aevus, Looker and Team Galactic all seemed to be connected to each other - whenever he saw one, the other two wouldn't be far behind. Was Aevus investigating them too, like Cynthia and Looker were? Or was Aevus' presence just a weird coincidence?

"I see you are preoccupied," Aevus said, turning on his heel. "Excuse me-"

"Aevus, wait."

Aevus stopped and turned, a curious expression on his face.

A moment passed, then two. Lucas was tempted to dismiss the thought that had crossed his mind - to just tell Aevus to forget it. It would have been so easy to just do that and get back to the Center to check on Arty. It was clear that Aevus wanted to leave - why else would he excuse himself so quickly? But the thought crossed Lucas' mind that he should at least tell someone about what he was going through. As for why Aevus? Well...

"Have you ever looked at something, or someone...and thought they were weirdly familiar?" he started. Once he got the question out, it was like a dam had burst; "Like, you know you've never seen them before in your life. Not a single trace of them, but you recognize them anyway."

After a long moment of silence, Aevus answered, "I have experienced that in the past, yes. Unless I am mistaken, the phenomenon is called deja vu."

"That sounds right," Lucas nodded. It was strange; now that he had actually brought up the subject, it seemed easier to keep talking. "I asked because...I've felt that every time I see Team Galactic."

"...Have you?"

Lucas didn't know if he was frustrated or relieved that Aevus had given such a short answer. But he took advantage of it anyway; "Like...I feel sick, and I get angry. I felt that in the Valley Windworks, and I felt that today when I saw their building here. I don't think I can bring myself to ignore them, and I don't know why."

He let out a short, humorless laugh. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I haven't even told Barry or Dawn."

Because it wasn't like Barry or Dawn could really get it. Could they? It had surprised Lucas how easily they accepted the Aura thing, but would they accept this so easily?

There was also the idea that maybe - just maybe - Aevus had some idea. He had known that it was Aura that was overwhelming Lucas two years ago. In the back of his mind, Lucas would admit that he was hoping that Aevus had some kind of answer for this as well.

As intense as Aevus' Aura was, there was a strange familiarity to it as well. Maybe that was why he could pick up on the conflict within it. Conflict...and dare he assume guilt? Followed by a sharp realization. Followed by dread - Aevus had to have realized that Lucas could pick up on it.

"About that..." Aevus swallowed. A long silence passed before he said; "I am sorry."

Before Lucas could ask what that meant, he felt a nudge on his side. Blair had his phone in her mouth, and the screen had lit up. When he extracted the phone from the Umbreon's mouth, Lucas could see that he had a message waiting for him.

Dawn (22:59): We got news about Arty. He's alright. The nurse does want to talk to you about him, though.

Dawn (22:59): It's nothing bad, at least it shouldn't be.

Lucas (23:00): Thanks so much, Dawn! I'll be right over.

When he looked up from his phone, Lucas was surprised to see that Aevus wasn't there anymore. It was like he vanished into thin air. He really had somewhere he needed to be, huh...

As much as he didn't want to (as much as the idea stung), Lucas had to resign himself to asking Aevus the next time they bumped into each other. He hoped that was sooner rather than later.

Because why would Aevus apologize, if he didn't know what was happening to Lucas?

Dialga had been careful to not mix Lucas up with Rei up until now, but seeing him with an Umbreon caused a lapse in his judgement. If it had been any other Eeveelution that the little Eevee had chosen for herself, Dialga was sure that the mixup would not have happened.

He knew from the Lake Trio that Roar of Time would have affected Lucas drastically, but it wasn't until Lucas actually said something that Dialga realized the gravity of what had occurred. He also realized the anxiety he had been feeling the past few weeks was guilt. Even if it was an alternate of himself that had used Roar of Time...what did it say about him, that he remained ignorant of the ramifications until now?

What was worse was that Mesprit was right; Lucas had proven to be quite perceptive. Dialga was certain that Lucas had some awareness of the situation. While there was no way for him to realize that 'Aevus' was actually Dialga, Lucas certainly now knew that 'Aevus' had some knowledge of what was happening to him. 

For that reason (and so many others), Lucas deserved to know the truth. How Dialga would go about that...well, that was a mystery to him.

But Dialga knew that he had to try. He hadn't known guilt like this since Rei, and Lucas wasn't even dead.

Chapter Text

The minute he walked through the PokeCenter’s door, Lucas heard the nurse call his name. He immediately walked over.

"Arty will be fine," she said as she handed Arty's PokeBall and a plastic bag to him. "It's going to take time, though. Between his age and how quickly he evolved from Golbat to Crobat, he may experience some pain if he pushes himself too much. That can be managed with some Protein and Iron. I went ahead and prescribed some for you - and some Carbos, for good measure."

Lucas peered into the bag, and found three bottles - Protein, Iron and Carbos. Not that he doubted what the nurse had said, but he wanted to see it for himself.

Lucas looked up at the nurse. "Thank you so much for all your help."

“Of course!”

Lucas then meandered over to Dawn, whose relief seemed to match his.

“That’s better news than I was expecting,” she admitted. "I knew he'd be okay, but..."

Dawn trailed off, and Lucas understood. 

"Yeah, same," he said softly. "I'm so glad."

Dawn placed a hand on Lucas’ back - an attempt at comfort - when she noticed it. "Isn’t that a Dive Ball? Where’d you get one of those?"

Lucas froze. Of course Dawn would notice that, if she was specializing in water types! "Uh, yeah it is. And, uh…don’t be mad?"

Dawn was bewildered, at least until Lucas explained what happened with Cynthia and the wayward Feebas. Thankfully, she took the news far better than he anticipated; especially when he added what Team Galactic had been doing.

"No wonder I couldn't find a Feebas," Dawn huffed. "I knew they were rare as it was, so I didn't get my hopes up. But with how long I searched, you would think I'd find at least one."

"So, you're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? That Feebas picked you, didn't she?"

"She did, yeah...but I know how much you wanted one." That, and Lucas could detect the sting in her Aura. It wasn't a strong one, but it was still there. One look at his face must have given him away, because Dawn flinched.

"Sometimes I forget how perceptive you are," she sighed. Her hand still on his back, she took a moment before admitting, "It is hard not to feel a little jealous. I actually found something much rarer than a Feebas, so I promise I'll get over it. I might need a little time, though."

Lucas could understand that. If their positions were reversed, he would probably feel at least a little jealous too. With that said, he was curious about what she could have found that would have topped a Pokemon as rare as a Feebas. Try as he might, he couldn't think of anything that fit the bill. Unless-?!

"Did you find a shiny Pokemon?!" It was the only explanation that made sense - shiny Pokemon were supposed to be unbelievably rare - most people could go their entire lives without even seeing one in the wild.

Dawn grinned. "I did! And not just any shiny! Do you remember when Barry saw that Red Gyarados documentary and decided to drag us out to Lake Verity to look for one?"

Lucas nodded - who in the world could forget about that? 'Search for the Red Gyarados' was an old documentary that had been produced some decades ago, but that didn't stop Barry from being completely enraptured by it. Since they lived so close to Lake Verity at the time, he insisted that there had to be something similar lurking within the lake's depths. That didn't explain why Dawn would bring it up now. UNLESS-?!

"You did not," Lucas gasped. 

"I did!" Dawn gushed. "I found a shiny Magikarp!"

Lucas didn't even try to hold back his laughter. The absolute irony of Dawn finding a shiny Magikarp after that whole debacle about the Red Gyarados was not lost on him. He could just see Barry's bewilderment upon hearing the news.

(Perhaps it was a little mean having a laugh at Barry's expense, but Lucas considered it payback for every time the blond crashed into him.)

"Did you tell Barry yet?" he wheezed.

Dawn shook her head, similarly amused. “I wanted to tell you both at the same time, but you looked like you needed a pick-me-up.”

Lucas appreciated that. He couldn’t recall the last time he laughed so hard, and it wasn’t until just then that he knew how much he needed it.

Barry did not disappoint when Dawn released her golden Magikarp from its PokeBall. Disbelief quickly turned to indignation, to genuine happiness for his friend.

"Are you kidding me!" he exclaimed. Despite his words, there was a thousand-watt grin on his face. "After that whole thing with the Red Gyarados, you found a freaking shiny Magikarp?! Why didn't you tell me about that sooner?!"

"I mean...you didn't ask," Dawn responded, a sly grin on her face. "Besides, back then I wanted to break the news to the two of you at once. Then everything happened with Arty, and..." 

"Oh yeah...he's doing okay though, right?"

"He will be," Lucas supplied. "The nurse gave me some vitamins to feed him, and suggested I keep track of his progress."

"That's good." Barry reached over to pat Lucas' back. "Arty's kinda grown on me since you caught him. It would've sucked if anything bad happened to him."

Lucas nodded, not really sure what to say in response to that. Not that Barry's heart wasn't in the right place...but he just wished he could put the situation behind them as soon as possible.

As if he could read Lucas' mind, Barry said, "Ooh, I just remembered. I've been meaning to ask; that guy we bumped into in the Valley Windworks...Aeber, right?"

That was a sudden change in subject, and one Lucas would wholeheartedly embrace. "You mean Aevus?"

"Whatever. I just remembered that you said you'd explain how you knew him, and you never did. So come on, spill!"

"Oh, right!" He did say that. Between their immediate goal of expelling Team Galactic from the Windworks and Aevus' sudden disappearance that day, it had completely slipped his mind. "Remember when I first told you two about how I can sense Aura? Aevus was actually the one who first brought up the concept to me."

"Wait, that was Aura Guy?!" Barry exclaimed, completely incredulous. "But he's so awkward!"

"What did you think he'd be like?"

"I dunno..." Barry kicked some dust. "I guess I always imagined him like the old sages you see in movies - the really wrinkly old ones that meditate on mountaintops, only coming down to impart his wisdom to a select few! Not...awkward steampunk pirate."

Lucas choked on a laugh. It couldn't be denied that Aevus was awkward - their very first interaction was proof enough of that. Still, that didn't mean he could be all bad.

"He doesn't look like it," Lucas agreed, "but I've never seen an Aura like his. At first it was a little like staring into the sun. It's still just as intense now as it was then - kind of like the inside of a giant clock."

Dawn tilted her head. "Like that one movie with the Maushold?"

When Lucas nodded his assent, Dawn commented, "Strange. I guess that just means you should never trust a book by its cover."

"That's true, I guess," Barry agreed. He then shoved his hands into his pockets. "Man, I really wanna watch that movie now. You think they'll have it in the next Center we crash in?"

As the conversation continued, Lucas thought on the subject some more. Aevus was definitely eccentric - and somewhat contradictory. If the two of them had never interacted before, Lucas would have assumed that he was some kind of king, with how he presented himself. Not many people had an Aura like his, not even Cynthia. Why wouldn't royalty make sense?

Then again...there were no kings in Sinnoh. And Aevus definitely didn't act like a king anyway - they wouldn't just run off after apologizing for seemingly no reason. (And Lucas realized at that moment that the memory still stung.)

Even stranger than their last interaction was the fact that he still wanted to trust Aevus - whoever (or whatever) he turned out to be.

The foot of Mt. Coronet had a surprisingly cold feeling. Lucas couldn't be sure if it was due to its connection to Route 216's perpetual blizzard or some other reason connected to the legends of the Creation Trio. Given what happened in Eterna Forest, he wouldn't be very surprised if it was the latter.

Unlike in Eterna Forest, Cyrus was there. If Lucas didn't know any better, it was like he had been waiting for them.

This time, Cyrus acknowledged the three Trainers. Lucas tried to ignore how his gaze seemed to linger on him a moment longer than his friends.

"According to one theory, this mountain is where the Sinnoh region began; with the birth of time and space," Cyrus suddenly said. He didn't let the Trainers have any room to respond as he continued, "In a newly created world, where time flowed and space expanded...there should have been no strife. But what became of that world? Strife was introduced, because the human spirit is weak and incomplete. This world is being ruined by it. A deplorable state of affairs."

"Psst," Barry whispered to Lucas. "What does 'deplorable' mean?"

"It means he condemns it," Lucas whispered back, trying to assuage the sick feeling growing in his stomach.

It was then that Lucas realized that Cyrus had fixed his gaze on the two of them. "Any questions?"

Before he could stop himself, Lucas called out to the man: "I got one."

To his surprise, Cyrus nodded. Was that his way of letting Lucas speak? Either way, he took the opportunity; "What do you mean when you say 'incomplete spirit'?"

"...It means exactly that," Cyrus answered. "For something to be incomplete, it must lack a necessary-"

"I know what the words mean," Lucas seethed. He did not like being patronized, and Cyrus' answer felt exactly like that. "I mean, what makes spirit as incomplete as you say it is? "

Cyrus' expression didn't change, but his Aura did. He could pick up traces of surprise...and frustration? As he moved to walk past the trainers, he was silent...until he reached Lucas.

"Of all people," Cyrus muttered, just low enough for Lucas to hear. "You should best know the answer to that."

Lucas turned to watch him go, unable to shake off the surprise and unease. There were so many questions; why would Cyrus say that? Should Lucas really know the answer to that?

Did Cyrus know something that Lucas didn't?

Chapter Text

While Dialga could not see a clear future, he could still look into the past. He could easily look back and bear witness to the history behind Hearthome City. The city had surprised him. When was this city set up? He could still remember when this area overlooked the Crimson Mirelands.

So he did. As he walked through the city for the very first time, Dialga watched everything he could.

Not a single moment escaped him. He could see everything - starting with the gossip brought about by Fantina's induction as a Gym Leader, five years ago-

("What was the League thinking, allowing someone like that to fill the position? Do they think it's Halloween?"

"Right? I much preferred the previous Gym Leader; his type specialization is a much better reflection of Hearthome. Not...ghosts."

"She's a Contest star too, remember? I'll bet that had a hand in the League's decision."

"Still...I don't like that she specializes in ghosts. If it were any other city, I'd be fine with it."

"Yeah, the kids aren't going to like that...")

To the construction of the Foreign Building, a century and a half ago-

("It's so elaborate, and for what? Do outsiders really need these ornate windows to commune with nature and the gods? It just seems counter-intuitive to me."

"I dunno. I can't say I fully understand it either. Maybe it’s to help outsiders feel less homesick?"

"I suppose. But what about all these candles? "

"Please, you'll make my head hurt more than it already is.")

To the...aftermath of Rei’s...

("Dialga, I thought you would have known. Rei used the Red Chain, his death was inevitable. Please, take comfort in the fact that he no longer feels pain, and that his memory has been preserved."

"But for the curse to affect him in the first place, even after everything he'd done to save Hisui?! Was there truly nothing else that I could have done?! Was there truly nothing you could do?"

"The Red Plague does not discriminate. If there was a way to remove it, I'd have done it long ago. Rei had already accepted it as his fate."

"But...even so…why did it have to happen so soon?"

"Oh, my child. Come here...I am sorry. I had hoped to spare you the grief, but-")

Dialga was brought back to the present by a stranger bumping into him. He was glad for it. Ruminating on that part of the past didn't just hurt, it caught him completely off-guard. He hadn't realized that he was so close to Solaceon Ruins. The memory filled him with dread; Dialga had not been in the Ruins since that day, and he didn't even want to think that he may have to return.

That was not to say that he wouldn't, if it was to find out how to protect this timeline. The possibility of reliving his worst memory was a daunting thought, but what was a little bit of grief with a whole timeline at stake?

...He did find himself wishing that he would not have to do it alone.

The Trainers had decided to split up shortly after their arrival to Hearthome. Barry had wanted to get his Gym Challenge over with, so he immediately took off in the direction of Hearthome's Gym. Dawn had helped a contest star recover her Buneary, so she was whisked away to the Contest Hall.

As for where that left Lucas? He didn't mind wandering the city for an hour or so. It gave him time to get to know the newest member of his party; it didn't take Alger long at all to evolve into a Kirlia, so he probably needed a chance to get used to his new form anyway.

Alger was the one who noticed the crowd first. He got Lucas' attention straightaway. Curious, the Trainer walked over to get a better look at the scenario. In the middle of the crowd were two Psychic trainers. The two were picking up tarot cards that had been scattered across the ground. Standing above them was an older man - it was hard to say if he was a Trainer at all, with the fancy suit he was wearing.

"These two are frauds," the man crowed, an almost smug smile on his face. "They couldn't tell me what I had for breakfast this morning, let alone what my future will bring!"

"I told you before, our powers don't work like that!" one of the Psychics shouted. "We can only divine what your future can hold!"

"What it can hold, not what it will hold," the man responded. "So long as I'm under Arceus' protection-"

Lucas stopped listening after that. Now, he never considered himself a religious person; not after the move to Johto. He never mentioned it to his father, but he remembered those few months after their initial move to Johto. While Lucas was too young to understand exactly what was going on at the time, he always assumed it was just grief that kept his father awake at night. But then...if it were that simple, wouldn't he have heard from anyone from his father's side of the family since his move to Johto?

So, hearing the man mention Arceus' name like that (just like his grandparents used to) made Lucas' blood boil.

So many nights he couldn't do anything to comfort his dad when he needed it, so many times he asked Arceus why his mom had to die and got no answer for it-!

"You had Kalosian toast, a sausage patty and scrambled eggs."

Lucas was quickly brought back to reality. All heads turned towards the newcomer, and the Trainer was surprised to see that it was Aevus that spoke up. The most surprising part of the situation was that Aevus had none of the awkwardness he had in the past. He seemed calm at a first glance, but Lucas could feel a twist of anger coming from his Aura.

Aevus either didn't notice that Lucas was in the crowd, or he didn't care. His visible eye was closed as he addressed the man; "You also had Pecha Berry juice and coffee with two...no, not two. Three cubes of sugar."

The man gaped at him, and stammered, "Well. I see you had the Center's breakfast spread too..."

That caught Lucas' attention, and he had to speak up; "But the Center didn't serve Kalosian toast this morning."

The two glanced over at the newcomer. Aevus was clearly surprised to see him, while the other man was bewildered...and Lucas could also detect dread and a looming sense of desperation. Despite that, Lucas addressed the crowd, "We got chocolate chip waffles and a fruit cup."

"And if that is not enough proof that you did not have your breakfast at the Center," Aevus continued, without missing a beat. "The room you were in was...I believe the term is minimalist? So tell us; where did you have your breakfast?"

"I don't have to explain anything," the man seethed, pointing a finger at Aevus. "If you can't tell me where it was, then you're a fraud just like those two!"

Aevus' visible eye narrowed, before it closed again. "Wherever you were, it took you seventeen minutes to get from there to here. Not just that, you happened to leave your hat at that location. Do not be surprised if she comes around to return it to you within the next ten minutes."

Lucas had no idea who 'she' could be, but the man clearly knew. The dread that had been present within his Aura had turned into a sharp realization.

"You stay the hell away from me," the man demanded, backing away. "I don't know what sick game you're playing, but it's not funny and you'll get what's coming to you!"

With that, the guy ran off. With a sharp exhale, Aevus turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction.

Lucas watched. It didn't take long for Aevus' prediction to come true; the nameless man was approached by one woman, who demanded an explanation...and then another woman, with a hat in her hand. It didn't take a genius to know how that was going to go.

Before he could stop himself, Lucas turned heel and ran after Aevus.

As Dialga walked away from the growing crowd, he admitted to himself that this was not his best moment.

Initially, he was going to stay out of the conflict between that man and the two Psychics. There were far more pressing matters on his mind than a petty squabble between humans.

But then the man had the nerve to invoke his Mother's name, and Dialga acted before he could stop himself.

The way Dialga saw it, religion was a strictly human experience; that which was a mystery for humanity was common knowledge for one such as him. While he could certainly appreciate its potential for community and goodwill, he was also aware of its potential for arrogance and misery.

The Diamond Clan was one example of the former - while Dialga was at first surprised to find that there was a clan that worshiped him, he appreciated that they used their devotion as a way of appreciating the time they had in this world. He remembered that Palkia appreciated the Pearl Clan's way of living for similar reasons.

That damned merchant was one of the latter. Dialga's blood still boiled at the mere thought of that one. In fact, it was that memory specifically that spurred him to act this day. As if Dialga didn't have enough that haunted him from that day.

He was aware that only a handful within the Pantheon shared this opinion. While he could not speak for the others, Dialga could hardly call himself worthy of the title 'Temporal Pokemon' if he saw it any other way.

After all, the word temporal is not just defined as 'relating to the concept of time'. It also describes that which is connected to the physical world, where nothing lasts forever. This city that he stood in - and every building within it - could very well return to the mire within a few hundred years. The very nature of time is to provide potential for change, for all things that begin in this world must come to an end. For Dialga to deny that potential would be to defy himself.

His musings were interrupted by a sharp shout; "Hey! Aevus!"

Dialga was surprised earlier by Lucas' intervention, but he was less surprised to see that he had befriended a Kirlia. Mesprit always held a soft spot for the Ralts line, so her influence on the boy could easily be indicated by the Psychic-type's presence.

The Lord of Time paused, giving Lucas and his Kirlia a chance to catch up with him. He was surprised to see Lucas so agitated; it reminded him of the Valley Windworks (which was strange, because he did not think there was anyone from Team Galactic in that crowd).

Lucas spoke in a hushed voice, "Where the hell did that come from?!"

"Where did what come from?"

"What do you mean-?!" Lucas inhaled through his nose. After a loud exhale, he raised his arm to gesture behind him. "That!"

The crowd had become much more dense - but Dialga could tell that in the middle of it all was the arrogant man. Not just him, but there were two women screaming obscenities and accusations at him.

"You didn't just put that guy on the spot - you aired his dirty laundry for everyone to see!" Lucas explained. From his expression, it was hard to tell if he was angry or bewildered. "How did you do that?!"

For three seconds, Dialga didn't know how to answer. He wanted to be absolutely sure he could trust Lucas with the truth of his identity, so he did not want to reveal himself just yet. But at the same time...

Thankfully, Lucas followed up with a query; "Is that something you can do with Aura?"

"That is one thing," Dialga answered, perhaps a moment too quickly. Now that he thought about it; if Roar of Time got its power from his Aura, would it not stand to reason that he could look into someone's past by reading their Aura? "I have picked up a few tricks in my time."

"How long did it take for you to learn that one?"

"...Why do you ask?"

"I dunno," Lucas admitted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I guess...I wanted an idea on how long it would take to be as good as you."

Dialga did not know what to say for a moment. It was strange, he thought; that Lucas would treat it like some kind of competition. To his recollection, that was not how the Aura Guardians approached the development of their ability. It was different for everyone, so it did not make sense for any two Guardians to go about it the exact same way.

Then he remembered; knowledge on the subject had become scarce in recent centuries. Of course Lucas wouldn't have known that.

"It is not wise to compare your progress or growth with others, especially when it comes to Aura," he finally said. "It is an ability that grows with the user. In other words, it is different for each being that can sense it."

Lucas' expression gave away his surprise, and his curiosity. Thus, Dialga continued, "Some are able to actively utilize their Aura - that is, shape it into barriers or other things, to directly interact with the world around them. The move Aura Sphere is one example of this. For others, their senses are sharpened to an almost supernatural degree. With enough practice and persistence, these wielders of Aura are able to uncover even the most well-hidden secrets."

"Like Detective Scarlet?"

"...If that example works for you," Dialga said, even though he did not know what a 'Detective Scarlet' was supposed to be. Was it some kind of mortal realm trend? "My point is...while I can do certain things with Aura that you cannot, the same holds true in reverse."

"Really?" It was hard to tell what Lucas may have been thinking. Was he surprised to hear that, or unsettled? "I...wonder what I could be capable of. Although, I can't think of anything I could do that you can't."

"Keep doubting yourself like that, and you may never know."

It was only when he saw Lucas flinch that Dialga realized how harsh that came across. That was definitely a weakness of his…and possibly the best example he could give. "For example...I do not have the talent of perceiving the emotions of others."

While Dialga could not perceive the emotions of others through Aura, it was reasonable to assume that Lucas could. Mesprit’s presence in the boy’s life could very easily have factored into how his abilities would develop.

From the surprise on Lucas’ face, Dialga could only assume that he was right.

"That makes sense," the boy said, more to himself than to anyone. The Kirlia by his side - who seemed much more interested in watching Lucas than the conversation at hand - tugged on his Trainer's pants leg. That seemed to snap Lucas out of his thoughts, and he looked down at the Kirlia with a weak chuckle.

"Sorry, buddy," he said, crouching to meet the Kirlia's eye level. "And thanks. I'm feeling a bit better."

Was that statement aimed at 'Aevus,' or the Kirlia? Either way, it piqued Dialga's curiosity - he had wondered why Lucas stepped in earlier. While it would be easy to look into Lucas' past, he found the idea almost abhorrent. It was clear that the arrogant man had agitated him somehow. Perhaps Lucas had been hurt by similar people in the past - those who would use his Mother's name to justify making others miserable?

Something about that thought stung.

Chapter Text

Lucas lost his battle against Fantina.

He should have guessed something like that would happen, though - throughout the entire gauntlet of fighting the Gym Trainers, he couldn't shake the unsettled chill that crawled up his back. While he couldn't be sure if it was an Aura thing or just the fact that the Pokemon were all ghost-types, it didn't help him at all when he finally reached the Gym Leader. That Mismagius of hers was no joke.

Of course he healed his Pokemon right away, but how could he face them? Of course he had lost his fair share of battles, but that loss was particularly bad. And it was his fault, to boot!

As he ran his hand through his hair, something caught his eye. It seemed to be resting on the sign for the PokeMart - more specifically, it was resting on the 'R' in 'MART'. Lucas might not have noticed it if the Pokemon's color hadn't clashed with that of the sign. It even looked like the letter 'R' too.

Strangely, he thought of his time in Johto - he had seen pictures of this kind of thing, hadn't he? Or at least, heard horror stories about them. What was one of these doing all the way here, though? He carefully pulled out his phone and opened the camera to snap a picture.

Just as he pressed the button to take a picture, he was startled by a random query: "Hey! Are you alright?"

Lucas was startled by the sudden question, and was even more startled to find that the one who addressed him was a little girl. She looked up at him with vivid green eyes, and her Aura was...not intense, but it stood out in its own way. There was a strange familiarity to it, too. Had he felt something like it before?

"Yeah," he said, sparing a glance towards the sign again. The R-shaped Pokemon had disappeared - he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

The little girl didn't seem to notice; she sat on the bench next to him without a care in the world.

"You ran your hand through your hair," she explained. "And you were slumped over. My auntie told me once that people who do that are usually distressed about something. So, are you sure you're okay?" 

"Don't worry about me." In an effort to change the subject, he continued, "Are you lost?"

"Oh no, I'm not lost!" she responded. "I'm waiting for my...um. Auncle? Untie?"

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Like. They're my papa's sibling, but they don't like being called an auntie or an uncle. You'd think there would be more words for a parent's sibling by now. What's taking so long?"

"That-?" Lucas cut himself off as he absorbed the little girl's question. Not because he didn't understand what she was saying - it was just that the girl's question was something he hadn't thought about before. "That's a good question. Sorry, but I don't know either."

"It'll happen. Don't worry about it too much," the girl responded with a wave of her hand. "And don't change the subject. I'm not lost, and you're clearly sad. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn't help out?"

Her choice of words threw Lucas off a bit, but he had to remember that this was a child. Was she going to be a big sister soon, or something? Even with all that, he couldn't just dump his worries onto a little kid.

"If you're not gonna tell me, I'm gonna guess," the girl continued. "I know there's a Gym here that's full of ghosties. Those are pretty scary, so I'm guessing you were just there?"

Reluctantly, Lucas nodded. He wasn't going to dump his worries on a kid, but he couldn't just lie to her either. He'd be annoyed at her persistence if there wasn't a clear desire to help in her Aura.

"Well, my papa always used to say that time wasted is lost," she said. She swung her legs as she questioned, "So, are you gonna waste time moping about what happened, or are you gonna prepare for the next time?"

Lucas had to admit, he was surprised. That was really good advice. "Um...I never thought of it like that. Thanks."

The girl hopped off the bench, but only to step back onto it. That gave her the height boost she needed to reach over and pat the top of Lucas' head. Before Lucas could say anything in response, she seemed to snap to attention.

"Ooh, there they are!" she exclaimed, hopping off the bench and running over. The person she approached seemed surprised to see her. Surprised...but not completely bewildered. The two clearly knew each other, at least.

Really, Lucas had no idea what to make of the relative. There were people that dressed to stand out, and there were people who stood out without even trying; this person was somehow both. They wore a plaid flannel shirt, but one could see the frilly tank top underneath it. They wore cargo pants and heeled boots. Were those glitter freckles on their face? No wonder she had a hard time figuring out what to refer to them as!

Not that Lucas was judging. He actually thought it was kind of cool.

Lucas couldn't hear their conversation from where he was. It didn't last long, though - after a few moments, the girl approached him again with a big smile. She reached a hand into her bag and pulled out what looked like a TM.

"Before I forget, I want to give you this!" she said, handing the item to Lucas. He accepted it, and was surprised to find that it was indeed a TM: more specifically, one that contained the move Snarl. "You gotta teach this to your Umbreon - it'll help out a lot in the future!"

"Thank you so much!" The smile on Lucas' face was genuine, and the girl grinned.

"Of course!" she said with a wave. "See you later, Lucas!"

Lucas smiled as he waved...but as he watched the two walk off, three things occurred to him.

The first: the girl's relative somehow reminded him of Aevus.

The second: Blair was in her PokeBall, so how could the girl have known he had an Umbreon?

The third was that Lucas never actually introduced himself.

The area surrounding the Lost Tower was full of spirits - human and Pokemon alike.

Dialga was aware that they lingered, but he could do no more than acknowledge them. His sister was always more adept at conversing with the spirits than he was...and she would probably refuse to tell, even if she could wander the mortal world without someone to carry the Griseous Orb.

The Spiritomb sealed within this stone didn't even cover a fraction of the spirits haunting the area. Curiously, it was a different Spiritomb than the one that Rei had befriended all those years ago; that one was comprised mostly of innocent souls that met their end within the wilderness of Hisui. This one had a unique malice to it; one that warranted being sealed away by a powerful Aura Guardian.

"It was a perfectly reasonable question!"

The statement was not directed at him, but Dialga was surprised to recognize the voice as Celebi's. He tilted his head, and was even more surprised to find not just her, but Palkia - both in their human forms and walking in this direction.

"My entire life I've known you, and I don't have a title-slash-nickname-slash-whatever for you!" Celebi huffed. "Did you forget how long my life has been by this point?"

"I keep telling you," Palkia answered, in a hushed voice. There weren't many humans in the surrounding area, but it was good that they were being somewhat cautious. "In this form I'm just Vesper."

"That's not what I meant, and you-"

"Puck," Dialga interjected, after a moment. The alias that Celebi chose was an unusual one, but she had insisted upon it. "We have talked about this before. Do not be rude."

Celebi perked up, immediately running over to give Dialga a hug. "Papa! There you are, I was worried sick!"

That threw Dialga off. "Were you? Do I have reason to be concerned?"

She released her hug, her brow furrowed. After taking a moment to look her father over, she said, "Ohhh, right. Sorry, I got mixed up. You understand, right?"

Dialga did understand - while he personally preferred not to travel through time unless he absolutely had to, he could still remember when he tried it as a young god. It was one thing to know what would happen in the future, it was a whole other thing to watch events unfold right before one's eyes. It was overwhelming, and easy to lose track of what was 'present' and what had yet to happen. Celebi was much more adept at the art, but even she was not immune to mixing up present events with those of the past or future.

"Which reminds me," she continued, "I gotta go find a Chansey! Let's meet in Solaceon Town later, okay?!"

With that, she departed in the direction of Solaceon Town. Dialga had many questions about her actions, but she always had been tight-lipped when her mind was set on something. It was important to remember that through her time-traveling, Celebi could (technically) see the future that Dialga could not. If she thought talking to a Chansey or two would set off a beneficial chain of events, then Dialga trusted her judgement.

That didn't explain why Palkia was here. Their human form stood out like a sore thumb.

"So, what brings you here?" he questioned, choosing his words carefully. "I thought you would be content to watch from afar."

"I'll have you know I come here more often than you do," Palkia responded, hands on their hips. "You never know what you can come across in this world. It's rather inspiring, in its own way."

"Truly?"

"Hold that thought," Palkia interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder. The sudden switch to telepathy immediately got Dialga's attention - it was clear that they didn't want anyone to overhear this. "Turn around, and look at the sign pointing to the Lost Tower. That'll explain what I wanted to talk to you about, at least."

Dialga obeyed, and saw it immediately. There, resting on the 'E' in the word 'Tower'-?!

"An Unown."

The Unown are the one thing that remained a mystery to humanity and the Pantheon - at least, in terms of what they could truly do, or what their purpose was. Some believed that they were created to act as Mother's eyes and ears to the world, others believed that they have been around since the beginning of everything. The only thing that could be known for certain was their power; while they were weak individually, a large group of them could achieve things that Dialga and Palkia could only dream of.

Throughout history, there have been humans that have had encounters with the Unown, and each had taken their story to the grave. It almost pained Dialga to remember that Rei was one of them, two years before he-!

Dialga had to remind himself that it was only one Unown. But given their proximity to Solaceon Ruins...

The two watched as the Unown - having realized that it was seen - moved from its spot and blinked out of existence. Dialga asked, "Was that the only Unown you have seen?"

"No. We've seen a few in Hearthome."

The thought crossed Dialga's mind; were Lucas and his friends still in Hearthome, or had they already moved on? He hoped it was the latter. The thought that they could encounter the Unown was not a pleasant one, especially with what he had seen Rei go through.

"What of Celebi?" Palkia's words implied that the Unown were not the reason for her presence. Not that her actions did not already indicate this, but perhaps Palkia knew more about this. "Did she tell you why she was here?"

"Other than her search for a Chansey, no," Palkia answered. They pursed their lips as they continued, "Although, she did ask some questions about Rei. Just a heads up, you understand."

Hearing that, Dialga only felt dread. Celebi was always an inquisitive creature, so her asking about Rei was inevitable. He knew that, and yet...between their close proximity to Solaceon Ruins and the subject of conversation, he found himself wondering;

How much does she know?

Lucas was glad to see that Blair took to Snarl like a Ducklett to water. She had a lot of fun using it too; Lucas amused himself with the thought that she must have had a lot to rant about. Considering everything that was going on, he wouldn't blame her for that. At least she had some sort of outlet.

As Blair trotted over to Lucas and rubbed her head against his leg, he crouched to give her a scratch behind the ears.

"Good work, Blair!" he praised. "This'll definitely help against Fantina. She won't know what hit her!"

The Umbreon let out a happy noise in response. Lucas couldn't help it; he absolutely had to take a picture. It was typical of Lucas, really; he loved his Pokemon, so what kind of Trainer would he be if he didn't send his friends the occasional picture of them?

Naturally, he sent the picture to his friends - Dawn and Barry, Ethan and Lyra. He also sent one to his father - Lucas knew he'd be glad to get updates about her growth. It was just as he sent the picture to his father that Lucas saw a notification from Ethan.

Lucas (21:35): [blair.jpg]

Lucas (21:35): Look who just learned Snarl! :)

Ethan (21:37): WHAT A STAR!!! [hearteyes emoji]

Ethan (21:37): pls scratch behind that umbreon's ears on my behalf

Lucas (21: 38): Consider it done! :)

Ethan (21:38): thank u, you have done the world a great service

Ethan (21:39): [riley.jpg]

Ethan (21:40): you're not the only one with an eeveelution! he evolved this mornin

Lucas (21: 41): WHAT A CUTIE!!! [hearteyes emoji]

Lucas was about to send another message, when something caught his eye. He looked and was shocked to find another letter Pokemon - this time resembling the letter 'I'. The Pokemon seemed to be more alert than the one he saw earlier; it immediately fled upon locking eyes with Lucas. Strange...but it did remind him. It was actually a good thing Ethan had answered so soon.

Ethan (21:42): no request for scratches on your behalf?? luuuuuuc

Lucas (21:42): Oh, *absolutely* give scratches on my behalf. That should go without saying.

Lucas (21:43): Also I was distracted by a weird Pokemon. They've been appearing around Hearthome today.

Ethan (21:43): weird? what kinda weird??

Lucas (21:44): I tried getting a picture of one earlier today. Let me see how it turned out.

Lucas took a moment to look through his photos, eventually finding the one he was looking for. The subject was a little more blurry than he would have liked, but it was better than nothing. He sent it over to Ethan, and wasn't prepared for how he would've reacted.

Lucas (21:45): r.jpg

Ethan (21:45): WHAT THE FUCK

Ethan (21:46): WHAT'RE THE UNOWN DOIN IN SINNOH

Lucas (21:46): That was an Unown?! I thought those were the stuff of horror stories and creepypastas!

Ethan (21:47): oh they're real alright. i know a guy that went into the ruins of alph some years back and was gone for like three days after that

Ethan (21:47): it was THE most stressful time of my life

Lucas (21:48): Three days?! Is he doing okay?!

Ethan (21:48): he's fine now, thank ho-oh. he was real quiet and withdrawn immediately after, though. Still won't tell anyone about what happened to this day.

Ethan (21:48): sometimes i wonder if he even remembers what happened.

Ethan (21:49): and from what i've gathered, he was one of the LUCKY ones.

Lucas (21:49): That's so wild...glad everything's okay. That doesn't explain why they're here, though. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

Ethan (21:50): i remember hearin somewhere that the ruins of alph aren't the only place you can find the unown. maybe there's a spot like that in sinnoh?

Ethan (21:51): either way...please be careful. don't go disappearing on me, okay? I still need to see pictures of the rest of ur team!

Lucas (21:52): Don't worry, I'll be careful. Thanks, Ethan. :)

The conversation ended there. Lucas thought it was a little strange that Ethan didn't message back with 'of course' like he always did. Then he realized; was it possible that only showed that Ethan was worried? Based on the texts alone, that was a possibility; he seemed to have some experience with the Unown (as indirect as it was). That did make Lucas feel a little guilty. He was the one who brought the subject up, but how was he supposed to know it was an Unown?

That unsettled feeling didn't go away, even as he finished training and met up with his companions.

It didn't let up as he rested his Pokemon and got ready for bed. Even as he tucked himself in, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread and dare he say fear? He didn't think he could be able to get a wink of sleep. How could he? All he could think of was the possibility that the Unown could cause something to happen.

With all of these worries on his mind, it should have been suspicious how quickly he fell asleep.

Chapter Text

After what felt like a century of falling through stars and void, Lucas landed on gravel.

He scrambled to get a better view of his environment. The wall seemed to somehow glow, so it wasn't too dark. As much as he hoped that he could still be dreaming, this was very much reality. He could feel a chill up his spine - like if something was watching him. He could feel the gravel underneath his feet. Just for good measure, he pinched his arm until it stung.

Once he made sure he was in one piece, he shouted only one question: "What just happened?!"

The words echoed back at him, but no other sound was heard. Lucas then looked down at himself; he was still in his sleepwear. Not exactly ideal for traveling, but it wasn't like he had planned on whatever it was that happened.

The worst part was that he didn't have his Pokemon with him. To his knowledge, everything he had was still with Dawn and Barry in Hearthome. At the thought of those two, Lucas felt a new layer of dread. Did they even know he was gone?!

"Hey!" Hoisting himself onto his feet, Lucas shouted into the open air. He didn't know if the Unown were even willing to listen, but really...what other choice did he have? "Not to be rude, but you can't just drop someone here like this with no explanation!"

He stopped, and placed a hand to his chin. "I mean. You just did, so I guess you can. But it's pretty inconvenient for me! I was sleeping before all this happened! Would it be too much to ask for something to help me out of the situation that you put me in?!"

Lucas didn't expect anything, least of all for the Unown to heed his request. So he was quite caught off-guard when a soft something landed on his head. It didn't hurt, but Lucas was still bewildered to find a satchel on the ground in front of him. He opened it and was relieved to immediately find a pair of slip-ons and a coat. After putting them on, he took a moment to marvel how they actually fit before rising to his feet.

"Oh, uh...thank you?" he called. He could still feel something watching him...maybe it was his mysterious benefactor. He wasn't going to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth, but he wasn't going to be impolite about it, either.

Looking into the satchel again, he found a candle and a matchbook. It took a bit of struggling to light the candle, but he managed. It provided just enough light for Lucas to read the words on the wall.

FRIENDSHIP
ALL LIVES TOUCH OTHER
LIVES TO CREATE SOMETHING
ANEW AND ALIVE

Lucas had no idea if that was supposed to be ominous or comforting. On one hand, he got the meaning of it. On the other hand, it was Unown lettering. And given what he had just experienced with the Unown, the thought definitely made him skittish.

What even happened, anyway?! No matter how he replayed the events in his mind, he couldn't be sure if it was a dream or if it actually happened. But there was no way it couldn't have actually happened, otherwise why would he have been dumped in the middle of nowhere?!

As he looked around, he was startled by an 'O' Unown. Unlike its brethren, it was blue and seemed to stare at him with curiosity. It circled around him once, and then floated out the exit. Lucas looked around - it didn't seem like there was any other exit, but he wasn't sure about following the Unown.

The blue Unown floated back in and gave an encouraging chirp in his direction.

"You...want me to follow you?" he questioned. The Unown moved up and down - what he supposed was the equivalent of a nod - and floated back through the exit. This time, Lucas followed.

As the Unown led him through several staircases and rooms, Lucas couldn't help looking around. The air had a chilling quality to it; he couldn't be sure if it was because of the location or because he got still the feeling he was being watched.

A flash caught his eye, and he looked down. There seemed to be a piece of paper on the floor. Shooting a glance at the Unown guiding him, Lucas took the opportunity to pick it up. It wasn't just a piece of paper; it was a photo. And to say he was surprised would be an understatement. "What the-?!"

A chirp caught his attention, and Lucas looked up at the Unown. The Pokemon didn't seem surprised or annoyed that he stopped so suddenly. Rather, it seemed curious.

"Sorry," Lucas said, pocketing the picture and glancing up at the Unown. "Let's keep going."

As he followed the Unown again, Lucas decided that he would have to worry about the photo (and the familiar faces on it) later.

It was dark out when Lucas finally stepped out of the cave. Thankfully, it didn't seem like civilization was too far off - there were small buildings in the distance. At least there was that...but with the candle nearly out, he didn't think there'd be enough light for him to work with. So he blew it out - as a safety measure, since there seemed to be a small forest in front of him.

Having completed its job, the blue Unown nodded in Lucas' direction before disappearing.

"Thanks!" Lucas shouted after it, even though he didn't know if the Unown could hear him. Then he turned his attention to the town in the distance. It definitely didn't look like it was Hearthome, much to his dismay. At this point, he could only hope that it was close. If he missed his rematch with Fantina because of a bunch of psychic letters, he wasn't going to be happy.

As he stepped out into the open, Lucas tripped on something and fell to the ground. Scrambling to get into a sitting position, he was relieved to see that nothing was broken...he was less relieved to see that there was a large scrape on his knee. It was bleeding too, if he wasn't mistaken.

"Okay. Blowing out that candle, not my best idea," he muttered, moving to reach into the satchel. "Please let there be bandages in here."

Lucas jolted when he heard a Pokemon's cry, and was prepared for the worst. He didn't think there was tall grass around here, and at the worst possible time!

He didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't a Chansey. She made no moves to attack, just watched Lucas carefully. After a moment of observation, the Normal-type rushed over. Before Lucas could even respond, the Chansey held out an egg to him. Lucas took it into his hands, watching it carefully. He looked between the egg in his hands and the Chansey - she was looking at him expectantly. Did she want him to eat it?

"Are you sure?" he questioned. Chansey nodded with an encouraging chirp. With a nod, Lucas bit into the egg. Almost immediately, it burst into flavor in his mouth. He felt himself smile immediately, and it didn't take him long to recognize that his knee was already feeling better. It wasn't even bleeding anymore!

"Thank you so much! I feel better already," he said. Chansey let out a happy cry, and then her expression shifted again. She circled Lucas, looking him up and down. It was clear that she was not only curious, but concerned.

"Oh, uh..." Guess he should explain what happened...even though he wasn't actually sure of that himself. Shoving the satchel into his coat pocket, he continued, "I'm actually not sure how I got here. I got separated from my Pokemon and my friends."

Lucas hesitated - while he knew that Chansey were kindhearted Pokemon by nature, the last thing he wanted to take advantage of that kindness. Asking for help felt selfish...but what other choice did he have, really? "I hate to ask, but do you think you could help me out a little more? Just until we reach the nearest town, at least."

Strange how Chansey seemed to understand something when he said that. She nodded and lifted him into the air effortlessly before taking off.

"Hey, woah!" Lucas shouted as he was carried towards the town. How could a Chansey be this strong?! Was this how Helping Hand worked?? "You don't need to go that far, my leg's not hurt anymore-!"

Lucas took a moment to thank his lucky stars that he wasn't prone to motion sickness when he heard a familiar voice; "Lucas?!"

It crossed his mind that he and Chansey made quite the sight; the Normal-type carrying the Trainer around like a sack of potatoes, with said Trainer wearing a heavy coat, a pair of shorts and slip-ons.

The fact that he recognized the two that had seen him did little to ease his embarrassment. Especially since one of those two happened to be Aevus. His visible eye was wide as he took in the sight, and it couldn't be certain if he was worried or downright afraid. Maybe it was a mix of the two, which was really strange.

Even stranger, the little girl from Hearthome was there too. Unlike Aevus, she didn't seem surprised at the current circumstances. If Lucas didn't know any better, he would say that she was oddly satisfied. She smiled up at Aevus, and their Auras seemed to fluctuate a little bit. Lucas couldn't know if that was some communication thing she could do, but Aevus' jaw dropped as the girl skipped away.

"Ce-?! Puck, wait! How dare-!" Despite Aevus' protests, the girl skipped over to Route 210 without any care in the world. The girl's actions bewildered Lucas like nothing else - he had only seen her twice, and she had proven to be just as much an enigma as Aevus.

Once it was clear that Puck wouldn't be returning, it didn't take long for Aevus to return his attention towards Lucas and the Chansey.

"Are you alright?" Despite Aevus' best efforts to appear calm, Lucas could tell that he was worried. Which in turn made Lucas worry - just how long was he gone? "That is, the Unown. They did not...hurt you, did they?"

Lucas pursed his lips. How could he even begin to explain it? What happened before he found himself in the Ruins was starting to get fuzzy, and that was saying nothing about the photo or satchel he found within.

"I'm fine...all things considered," Lucas answered, as the Chansey set him down. "But I do need to get to Hearthome as soon as possible. I don't know what happened, or how long I've been gone. Dawn and Barry must be worried, not to mention my Pokemon..."

"If I recall correctly, Hearthome is not very far from here," Aevus interjected. "But if you do not have your other Pokemon with you, that is cause for concern. I will walk you there."

"But you're not even a Trainer," Lucas pointed out. "What's gonna happen if we run into a wild Pokemon?"

"...Ah. Um..." Awkwardly, Aevus cleared his throat. "Is that Chansey not a companion of yours?"

"Huh?" Lucas would have thought that Chansey would have left by now, but he was swiftly proven wrong. She seemed to be glancing between him and Aevus with interest. Perhaps wishing to see if she could be of any more help. Lucas felt bad asking again, but again...he didn't really have a choice.

He turned towards Chansey. "Sorry, I know I said I'd need your help just until we reached this town...but it looks like we're both gonna need your help. Do you happen to know where Hearthome City is?"

Chansey nodded with a kind chirp, and Lucas found no further reason to argue. But man...first Chansey, and now Aevus? That was twice now that he needed to rely on someone else instead of the other way around.

As grateful as he was for the help, Lucas couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he didn't deserve to be this fortunate.

It was an awkward walk to Hearthome, and Dialga did not know if he wanted preserve the silence or break it.

On one hand, Lucas clearly did not wish to talk about what happened to him. While that was not anything new with humans that had encounters with the Unown, the knowledge did little to ease Dialga's concern. The fact that there didn't seem to be any drastic change within the child's Aura was a very, very small comfort.

The Chansey was a surprise as well, albeit a much more pleasant one. Contrary to what Lucas may have apparently thought, she was adamant on staying with him even after they reached Hearthome. That much was obvious from Lucas' gentle protests once her intentions were made clear. Chansey was stubborn, however - stubborn enough to wear at Lucas' resolve.

It crossed Dialga’s mind; perhaps this was why Celebi was so set on finding a Chansey earlier. The Unown were a force to be reckoned with - perhaps the most she could do was to prepare for whatever they were planning. A kindhearted Pokemon like a Chansey would be perfect for a situation like this.

Mercifully, Lucas was the one to break the silence; "Um...thanks for walking me back to Hearthome. The both of you. Sorry to be a bother."

Lucas couldn't understand Chansey's chirps, but Dialga could hear them as an enthusiastic, ("Of course, dear!")

"You are not being a bother," Dialga added. "If anything, Chansey and I are doing what anyone else would have done. Is that not right?"

"I guess...but I did literally just appear out of nowhere," Lucas said. Once he started, he just seemed to keep going; "I'm not sure how it happened, really. It just seemed like one moment I'm in my bed, and the next I'm in the bottom floor of some ruins? It's all kinda fuzzy - like a dream, but I knew the Unown were involved-"

"I believe you."

"So I yelled at them and - wait, what?" Lucas cut himself off, staring up at 'Aevus' skeptically. "You...believe me. Just like that?"

What kind of response was that? Puzzled, Dialga questioned, "Did you truly think I would not? If nothing else, I can tell in your Aura that you are not lying."

"I mean...Well-" Lucas seemed at a loss for words. He stammered, "I mean, it's not that I don't trust you or anything, it's just..."

Lucas' words trailed off, and he rubbed his arm. "Just forget it."

Dialga thought that this was strange behavior from Lucas; not quite like the polite and soft-spoken child that he met in Lake Verity two years before. What could have changed in that much time?

It didn't take long for the realization to hit; perhaps nothing changed in the past two years. Perhaps Lucas was simply not used to being believed, at least when it came to things like this. Had Lucas even told his traveling companions about his Aura sensitivity?

"Lucas, I told you before," he started. "This world has many mysteries, and I have seen more of them than you can imagine. This is not the first time I have seen a friend-"

Clearing his throat, he corrected himself; "That is...I am familiar with what the Unown can do."

Would it be hasty to call Lucas a friend? Dialga realized that it might be, and he mentally cursed himself for it. It wasn't like his friendship with Rei, which also formed slowly; over the course of a month. The difference was that Dialga had worked more closely with Rei, due to the nature of the spacetime distortions appearing in Hisui. It wasn't touch-and-go like it was with Lucas.

Strangely, he recalled something Rei said; "Intent doesn't erase impact, Aevus! Not for us!"

Between the sudden memory and the situation at hand, Dialga couldn't bring himself to look at Lucas. He couldn't tell what the boy may have been thinking. The Chansey, on the other hand, muttered a quiet, ("Oh, dear...")

"When you say you've seen many things," the boy questioned. "Does that include, uh...what I told you about in Eterna City?"

Eterna City. Of course Dialga recalled what Lucas was referring to; how he inexplicably recognized Team Galactic and felt drawn to fighting them. Dialga would readily admit that he hadn't responded in the best way at that moment. In a way, he was glad that Lucas brought it up.

"Yes, it does," he said, carefully. After a moment's hesitation, he continued, "I apologize for my sudden departure at that time, by the way. I was caught off-guard. I had no idea that was happening to you."

To not know was becoming more of a common occurrence than Dialga would like to admit. Even though it had been centuries since he lost his future sight, he had become no more accustomed to the sensation of surprise than when he first lost it.

For the first time in centuries, Dialga felt some measure of regret regarding his self-isolation. After what happened with Rei, Dialga saw no other way of coping with (what he did) what happened...but he could see now that it was detrimental in the long run. Would this entire situation be any easier if he had visited the mortal realm as often as Palkia did?

"Oh, um...no worries," Lucas answered, a little awkwardly. Was he not expecting an apology for that? "In hindsight, I did kind of spring that on you. I sprung that on myself, really."

'You seem very eager to take the blame when you least deserve it.' Dialga wanted to say those words, but that would derail the conversation. Now that the conversation had just started to get into the subject of how Roar of Time affected Lucas, Dialga knew he couldn't change the subject (as tempted as he was to do just that).

"You need not blame yourself," Dialga said instead. After a moment, he admitted, "I may not have known what was happening, but I do know the cause. I have known for quite some time...but I confess, I find it hard to put into words."

"You do?!" From Lucas' tone, it was clear that the sentence was more statement than question. "Why's that?"

Why indeed, Dialga thought bitterly. Guilt? Fear? Perhaps it was the situation at hand amplifying both of these things. All he was certain of was that there would be consequences if he were to falter here. While he was sure the consequences would be far less dire than the timeline unraveling, he was also aware it might hurt just as much. (Would it feel like Rei's death all over again?)

"I fear it may be...a lot for you to take in." Before Lucas could respond, Dialga quickly added, "Do not misunderstand; I do not doubt your intelligence, nor your capability to comprehend it. It is just that…I can barely comprehend it. That is another thing about Aura - there is a limit to how much information one can glean from it. You could be able to see what affects someone's Aura, but you would not be able to know how or why."

Where was he even going with that? Rubbing the back of his neck, he continued, "If that made sense. I have been told I can get carried away when trying to explain something. For that reason, and many others...I ask that you be patient."

A long moment passed, and Dialga finally glanced at Lucas' face. He was surprised to see a contemplative expression on the boy's face. Chansey had clearly been listening on the conversation with interest, and nudged his side after another moment of silence.

"Alright, I can wait," Lucas finally said. After a beat, he added, "But it had better be a good explanation."

Despite everything, Dialga let out a weak chuckle.

At this point, Hearthome City skyline could be seen in the distance. Lucas' face brightened, before he jogged ahead.

"There it is!" he exclaimed. He then turned towards 'Aevus' with a smile. "Thanks again, Aevus. You too, Chansey."

Chansey let out a happy chirp, before she did something strange; she handed an egg to Dialga. Confused, the Lord of Time took it into his hands and looked down at the Normal-type. "Um, thank you?"

The Normal-type chirped again before walking back to Lucas' side. It was clear that Lucas had gotten used to the idea of making a new friend already, because he had no objections. It was a bittersweet feeling; Lucas seemed like the kind of human to make friends easily (possibly another factor of Mesprit's influence), but Dialga found himself wondering where he stood in that respect. The last thing he wanted was to overstep boundaries in a situation as delicate as this.

"Before I go, Aevus," Lucas called. He then questioned, "Do you want to be friends, too?"

For a moment, Dialga stared. He had hoped that Lucas wouldn't have caught his earlier slip, but for him to make that offer? Even knowing that he would have to wait a little longer for the truth behind his situation? Dialga didn't even hesitate in his answer; "I would like that."

Even as he agreed, Dialga knew that this could very well complicate his investigation. But between the egg and the realization that he somehow gained Lucas' trust, he scarcely found it in himself to care.

Chapter Text

The minute Lucas and the Chansey were out of eyesight, Dialga turned heel and walked. The next hour, thirty seven minutes and seventeen seconds were spent just walking and paying no heed to his surroundings. He did not know where this walk would have led him, all he knew was that he had to get out of the Solaceon area. It was strange, how desperate he was to get away.

...Or was it? The memories of that day came to mind vividly - as if it had occurred in the past few hours rather than some centuries ago. With those memories came a dull ache in his throat; like he had swallowed an Applin and it had gotten stuck there.

Dealing with this was easier in his home dimension; Dialga was not a creature that could afford to linger on grief - there was too much to be done to properly address it.

While he was in the mortal realm, in this form...he found that it was much harder to deal with. No matter how hard he tried, he could not just ignore it like he had always done. He could not make it go away. 

(It would only be in hindsight that Dialga would realize that the fog surrounding him was not helping matters. Having nothing to focus his sights on only seemed to make his grief even more prominent.)

"...It had to be done," Dialga told himself. He doubted that a mortal could hear him - very few would dare venture this far from civilization in this late hour. So perhaps, if he spoke the words aloud... "Rei's memory was preserved. I kept my promise."

The thought crossed Dialga's mind before he could stop it; Then why does it still hurt after all this time?

"...Dialga?"

Dialga's attention snapped to the presence that had made itself known. Even in the thick fog, he could see a gentle green glow. Not like Celebi's - his daughter's light was strong, but it could not pierce the fog like moonlight could. The unmistakable shade of purple only confirmed Dialga's suspicions.

"Cresselia," he greeted lamely. He wiped at his eye before continuing, "This, ah...this is a surprise."

"I could say the same of you," Cresselia answered. She said nothing of Dialga's emotional state, which he was thankful for. "How long has it been since you walked this realm? And in your human form, no less? You know, you've become the talk of the Pantheon."

"I do not doubt that." Between Mesprit's gossip, Celebi's involvement and the very nature of the situation at hand...Dialga would be shocked if any member of the Pantheon wasn't aware at this point. "How are you faring?"

"I have been feeling a little weak as of late, but that is simply to be expected with the new moon's arrival," Cresselia sighed. "That is actually what I wished to talk to you about."

Immediately, the sinking feeling of dread returned. The new moon. Darkrai.

Dialga recalled that the Pitch-Black Pokemon was also quite fond of Rei; the first human to face his nightmares and not run away. It was a rare human that could face the stuff of their nightmares and not show outward fear. At that point in time, Rei had already proven to be just as compassionate as he was brave. He was the first to recognize that Darkrai was lonely, and offered him friendship despite any fear he felt.

For Mother's sake, how had Dialga never taken him into consideration?

As if she had read his mind, Cresselia spoke again; "Darkrai has been rather agitated recently. That may be because of the new moon's approach, but I suspect there is more to it this month."

Dialga suspected he already knew the answer, but he asked anyway; "What do you mean?"

"I mean Rei," Cresselia answered with a gentle sigh. "I am certain you remember how fond Darkrai was of him. He was devastated upon hearing of Rei's passing, and he only recently learned the truth about the Plague."

"What do you mean, recently?!" That piece of news alarmed Dialga. How did Darkrai not know?! He was not even informed by-?! "How did this happen? I thought the Plague's effect on the afflicted was common knowledge, especially among those of us who were close to Rei!"

"It was an error on my part," Cresselia spoke softly. "I wrongly assumed that if your sister had not informed him about how the Plague would have taken Rei, then Azelf would have. I hadn't the heart to tell him myself. I am sorry."

As frustrating as it was, Dialga found himself admitting that this was typical of Cresselia. She was always a gentle spirit, even when it was to her own detriment. It was no secret among the Pantheon that Cresselia's dearest wish was for her brother to be happy. She must not have found it within her to crush that fragile bit of solace in Darkrai's heart, no matter how often she may have tried.

Still, if he only just learned the truth about how the Plague would have thoroughly destroyed any trace of Rei's-!

"You should have realized that to have remained ignorant for so long would have hurt Darkrai more. That said...apology accepted." With that thought in mind, Dialga dreaded asking. He knew the words needed to be said, but he also would have been glad for an interjection from Cresselia. He found the strength anyway; "Does this mean he also just learned-?"

"It does," Cresselia admitted, "which is why I came to warn you. I am almost certain he will come after you when the new moon arrives. The most I can do for you is to provide a Lunar Feather. Just in case the child gets caught within Darkrai's nightmares."

At least Cresselia had made that offer...not that Dialga had any reason to doubt the sincerity of her words. Seeing as a Lunar Feather was one of the few things that could ward off Darkrai's nightmares, it was best that he take her up on that offer. Dialga couldn't be sure how Darkrai would react to seeing Lucas, especially since he only recently learned what truly happened. "Thank you, Cresselia. I will take you up on that offer."

"Please don't thank me, Dialga. It's partly my fault that you will have to confront Darkrai's wrath. I don't believe I can ever apologize enough for that."

Dialga said nothing.

Dawn pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a soft sigh.

"So let me see if I got this right," she said, pointing at Lucas. "You got spirited away by the Unown, and they stranded you in Solaceon Ruins. You got a pouch from which you got that coat and those slip-ons."

"A candle, too."

Dawn stared at Lucas, who promptly shut his mouth. "And a candle. The Unown then led you out of the Ruins, and that's when you found April? And then - of all people - you bump into Aevus, who also helped you back to Hearthome. Did I get all of that?"

Lucas nodded, glancing at the Chansey by his side. As glad as he was to find that he was only gone for a couple of hours, he couldn't help the twinge of shame. He had been gone long enough for Dawn and Barry to notice, after all. They were bewildered to suddenly find him approaching the Center with a Chansey in tow, so the immediate course of action was an interrogation.

"That's what happened," Lucas confirmed. "I know it's a little hard to believe, but-"

"We believe you," Dawn answered. With a sigh, she continued, "We're not your grandparents, Lucas. You don't need to prove every little thing you say to us."

"But-"

"You think Barry and I didn't notice the Unown hanging around Hearthome?"

Lucas was struck silent at this. If he could be honest with himself...he thought that might have been the case. Nobody had mentioned ever seeing the Unown in the first place, so Lucas just assumed that he could see them because of his Aura sensitivity. He mentally kicked himself at the thought.

"Besides," Barry interjected. "You're like a magnet for this kinda stuff, aren't ya? Like...I dunno how to put it. I get that there's a difference between Aura stuff and Psychic stuff, but I figure they both kinda attract overall supernatural stuff, right? Like ghosts, and that thing I saw in Eterna Forest."

"You're still claiming that wasn't a ghost?" Dawn asked, a small smile on her face.

"I didn't feel a chill in the air!" Barry jumped to his feet. "Neither of you felt a chill in the air! I just tilted my head, and there it was! How could that have been a ghost?!"

April - ever the peacekeeper, apparently - approached Barry with an egg in hand. That seemed to calm him down, and he shot the Chansey an appreciative smile as he accepted it.

"There is one thing I don't get, though," he continued, even as he bit into the egg. "You said you pulled the coat from the satchel, right?"

"Yeah. Where else would I have gotten it?"

"Well, it's just..." Barry took a moment before pointing at the coat. "That coat, the slip-ons, and a candle...all out of that tiny satchel?"

A moment passed as Lucas absorbed the implication behind Barry's question. The candle was small enough to fit. The slip-ons were another thing; they might have been able to be squeezed into the satchel. But how was the coat able to get into it?!

"You know what? You're right," Lucas said, picking the satchel up. Holding the satchel up to the coat only highlighted how impossible it seemed - there was no way it could have been folded to the point it could fit. "How did I not think of it at the time?"

"Getting suddenly stranded can do that," Dawn reassured him. "I'll bet you were just thinking about how to get out of the Ruins in one piece. Anyone would have been thinking the same."

"Is it bigger on the inside?!" Barry's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Like in that one show with the blue box - the one that has the library and a swimming pool! What else could be in that thing?!"

"Don't you think a swimming pool in a satchel would be a bit of a stretch, though?" Dawn questioned, amusement clear on her face. "That flap doesn't look like a person could pass through there."

"You know that's not what I was getting at!" Barry huffed. "And anyway, we won't know by not checking it out! So come on, Luc! Open that bag!"

Lucas didn't need to be told twice; he opened the front flap and reached in. He pulled out what looked like a notebook, a couple of medium-sized pouches (filled with their own smaller items), a second notebook, a Rare Candy, a Nugget, a Max Revive and more.

With every item taken out, there was a growing sense of disbelief and bewilderment between the three. It was only when Lucas pulled out a jar of honey that Barry broke the silence; "Dude, how much can this thing even hold?!"

"I don't know!" Lucas exclaimed, as he reached further into the bag. To everyone's shock, he was able to fit his whole arm through the front flap. Despite how far Lucas reached into the bag, he could feel some sort of space around his hand. "It does feel like Barry's theory was right - about it being bigger on the inside."

"That's so cool!" Barry's eyes sparkled again. "Think about how much stuff we could fit in there! Can you feel anything else?"

Lucas felt around as much as he could. His hand did touch upon what he supposed was some kind of wall, but he couldn't seem to hold it in his hand to pull it out. Anytime he tried to wrap his hand around it, he was met with some resistance and it slipped away.

"Not really," Lucas said as he slowly pulled his arm out of the bag. "I did feel some kind of block, but I think that's just the bottom of the bag...so to speak."

Barry pouted, but his initial disappointment didn't last very long at all.

"Guys," Dawn interjected. Clearly, she had already begun to look into one of the notebooks, and she held a picture in her hand. "You might want to see this."

Lucas and Barry obeyed, and were floored by the contents.

The boy in the picture looked just like Lucas. There were two Pokemon in the picture as well - an Umbreon was draped over the boy's shoulders, and there was also a Decidueye standing on his right. At least, Lucas thought it was a Decidueye - it didn't look anything like the pictures he had seen of the Alolan grass starter, but it also looked far too similar to not be related somehow. 

"Was that in one of the notebooks?" Barry questioned, squinting at the photo.

Dawn nodded. "It was. I originally thought that Lucas might've done one of those antique photo booths, the resemblance is so uncanny. But I'm pretty sure he'd tell us right away if he had a Decidueye like that one."

"Yeah." Lucas nodded, gently plucking the photo from Dawn's hand. Looking at the photo, Lucas had a feeling that he knew who it was. The name Rei popped into his mind too quickly to not mean anything. It should have struck him as strange, but at the same time it made sense. It came to mind like it was a fact; the satchel belonged to Rei, at some point in time. Whatever the Unown did...

He recalled Ethan's words - about how his friend never said anything about what they experienced because of the Unown. Ethan never mentioned his friend's name, but Lucas found himself sympathizing with them regardless. Were there even words that could describe that kind of experience? How could he ever hope to explain what happened (what he saw, who he met) in a way that would make sense, if it all seemed like something from a far-off dream?

With that in mind, Lucas chose not to mention the photo he found in the Ruins. At least, not yet. There were a few things he needed to figure out first.

Battling Fantina the second time was a lot easier - Snarl really was the difference between victory and defeat. It was Blair's proudest moment, taking on that annoying Mismagius all by herself. Lucas was proud, too - not just of Blair, but of the rest of his team. (And okay, maybe he could be proud of himself too. Baby steps.)

Lucas' victory in the Gym meant that the three could finally continue their journey. To celebrate, Dawn had suggested that they have lunch at a bakery that she found the previous day. A quick round of janken decided that Lucas would pick up the group's order once their number was called. This was how Lucas came back to the table - with everyone's food in hand - to find his friends staring at Barry's phone with a sense of surprise and bewilderment.

"What are you looking at?" he questioned. He immediately got his answer when Barry practically shoved his phone into Lucas' face.

"You have to see this!" Barry insisted, as Lucas set the food down and took the phone into his hand. "It's that guy Aether! He read this guy to filth and just about ruined his life!"

"Aevus," Lucas and Dawn corrected in unison. He immediately knew what Barry was talking about, but he played the video anyway. Sure enough, everything from that incident had been recorded; from Aevus' stepping in, to the man's increasingly panicked reactions. It even showed the aftermath. After Aevus could be seen walking away, the man was immediately confronted by his wife, and then by a girl carrying a hat that matched the man's suit. It didn't take long at all for both women to gang up on him.

Dawn took a moment before she said, "You know, I will admit I had some concerns about Aevus before."

"Did you?"

"Yeah. Between your stories about him and how he just randomly appeared and disappeared that one time...I think anyone would find him at least a little odd. That said, he never really struck me as a bad guy," Dawn admitted. "Not like that guy he called out, anyway. I met him once - he was a Contest Judge, and he gave me a really bad feeling when my mom introduced me to him. It's good to know my hunch about him was right."

"I was actually in the crowd when that happened," Lucas admitted. Before Dawn or Barry could respond, he continued, "The video doesn't show it, but the guy was harassing a couple of Psychics before Aevus stepped in."

"Oh, really?" Dawn glanced between the screen and Lucas' face. "Any idea why?"

Lucas suddenly found it very hard to look at Dawn's face. "...I don't know."

"You hesitated."

"I wasn't paying much attention," Lucas admitted. Rubbing the back of his neck, he continued, "He, um...claimed to be under Arceus' protection, and I tuned it out until Aevus stepped in. Sorry."

"Say no more," Dawn sighed, as she gently extracted the phone from Lucas' hand. "There's bad berries in every bunch. If he's one of them, I'd say he had it coming."

"Yeah..." Still, Lucas wracked his brain for something (anything) else to talk about. As cynical as he might be about the whole 'organized religion' thing, he was aware that it couldn't be all bad. After all, Dawn thrived in that kind of community. While he couldn't be sure if he'd ever be comfortable in that kind of environment, the last thing he wanted was to diminish the comfort someone else found in it. That was doubly true if that someone happened to be a close friend.

Despite his desperation for a change in topic, Lucas returned his gaze to the video. It was then that he finally caught sight of the title; 'CONTEST JUDGE CAUGHT IN AFFAIR BY WANDERING PSYCHIC?! WATCH HIS LIFE FALL APART!'

"Well...that title's not click-baity at all," Lucas muttered, craning his head to get a better look at the video. With the phone in Dawn's grip, he got a clearer sense of what was being said.

Wait a minute, Lucas realized, his eyes widening. Aevus never denied that he didn't know where the guy had been. So how could he-?

Before he could voice his thought, Barry spoke up. "You know what we should do?! Let's go looking for Honey Trees!"

"Wha-? Honey Trees??" That certainly snapped Lucas out of his train of thought, and for good reason. The Honey Tree method required just as much patience as fishing...if not more so. So, it surprised Lucas to hear the suggestion coming from Barry. Judging from Dawn's Aura, she was also stunned. "What brought that on?"

"You got that jar of Honey from that magic satchel, right? What other use is there for Honey?!" The more Barry talked, the more animated he became. "We can just slather it on every tree we find as we make our way to Veilstone! I've heard that if you're lucky, you can find some really rare Pokemon that way! That'd be good for, uh...the PokeDex! Yeah, that thing. Wouldn't it?"

Hearing Barry talk, Lucas immediately caught onto what he was trying to do. It was the perfect topic change, even if it made Lucas realize that he put filling the PokeDex in the backseat. Whoops. "Yeah, let's give it a shot! I do need to fill up as many pages as I can..."

"I do too!" Dawn was just as eager to take up Barry's offer. "Why don't we make a game out of it? Whoever finds the rarest Pokemon using that method gets the next lunch paid for by the other two."

"You're on!" Barry was already enthusiastic, but Dawn's suggestion had kindled the competitive streak in him. "I'm feeling lucky! Just watch, I'm gonna find something that'll blow you two out of the water! Like a Heracross, or even a Munchlax!"

"Barry," Lucas said, before he could stop himself. "If you find a Munchlax specifically, I'll give you that Nugget we found in the satchel last night."

"Oho!" Barry's expression was downright gleeful as he shook Lucas' hand. "It's rare to see you so competitive! You got yourself a bet!"

Lucas grinned back. Whether he was still feeling the high of winning against Fantina, or if it was just Barry's enthusiasm being contagious making him this happy...he felt like nothing could spoil his good mood.

After the last twenty-four hours, Lucas wanted to treasure that happiness for as long as he could.

Chapter Text

"I can't believe you actually found a Munchlax." Despite his words, Lucas had a wide grin on his face as he handed the Nugget over to an overjoyed Barry.

"Well, I can believe it!" Barry crowed. "Between Dawn's shiny and your Chansey, I figured it was my turn to have some good luck! Now, we're all even!"

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Perfectly balanced, as all things should be?"

"You know it!"

Dawn had a smile on her face as she watched the two banter. "Wait up, guys. I'd like to find some shelter before it starts raining. We don't want to get soaked to the bone."

With matching grins, Lucas and Barry stopped and waited for their friend to catch up.

Lucas let out a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry, Dawn. I guess we got a little into our competition..."

"It's fine," Dawn said with a shrug. "You completely left me in the dust, anyway. I didn't stand a chance."

Lucas was going to say something in response, when he heard Barry's voice; "What's that you got there, Chunky? Some kinda berry?"

He turned just in time to see Barry gently pluck a strange blue-green object out of his Munchlax's hands. It seemed to be made of leaves, and Lucas couldn't help staring at it. Either it was his imagination, or the item was legitimately glowing. Could it even be called a flower? It definitely didn't look like any kind of flower he recognized.

"Doesn't look like any berry I've seen," Dawn said, squinting at the object.

"Can I get a closer look?" Lucas requested. Barry nodded and held it out without a fuss. The minute Lucas took it into his hands, the petals opened to reveal a small ball of light. It expanded before anyone could react, and their surroundings changed. Images moved around them as if they were standing in a hazy dream, but sounds could be heard loud and clear.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"It's about the Red Chain...surely I'm not the first one to have used it, right? Can you tell me about the previous users?"

"...Their names have been lost. And before you think about asking Dialga, I must tell you that he would not remember them either."

"What?! I thought he remembers everything, he's literally the Lord of Time!"

"There is no easy way to explain this, especially to a human. But I will say that the price you pay for using the Red Chain does not just stop at your life. The true price is what the Plague takes after it kills you."

"Does that mean...if it does kill me..."

The image faded away, and the flower disintegrated in Lucas' hands. He couldn't shake the inexplicable pang of sadness. He didn't recognize the woman that Rei had been talking to, but he supposed that didn't matter. He was much more concerned about was what was said. It was strange that the words 'Red Chain' brought up some measure of unease, but what was that about a Plague?

Barry's voice broke the spell of melancholy, but didn't alleviate it completely; "...I am so confused."

"Judging from Lucas' expression," Dawn started, her gaze flickering towards his face. A moment passed before she scrambled, "Actually, never mind. Lucas, are you okay?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I'm just as confused as the two of you. This is the first time I've heard of any kind of plague."

"...So what about that Chain they were talking about?"

"That's..." Lucas shut his mouth. He really should have expected Dawn to catch that. "...Maybe? It feels like I should know, but I know there shouldn't be a reason for me to know."

"That makes no sense."

"I know it doesn't. I don't know how to explain it," Lucas admitted. He hadn't expected to have to tell Dawn and Barry about his weird deja vu at all, but that flower really twisted his arm. "But don't get me wrong; it isn't that I think you won't believe me. I told you about my being able to sense Aura, and I should've been more upfront about seeing the Unown in Hearthome. I just..."

He put a hand to his mouth, gaze shifting towards the spot where the image of Rei had been. "I just...I haven't thought of a way to explain it. All I can tell you guys right now is that it's different from how I can sense Aura. It's like...a weird kind of deja vu."

( If Lucas closed his eyes long enough, he could still picture it; a Survey Corps member staring right back at him, so similar and yet so very different. )

At that thought, Lucas took a few steps back. "Um, is it alright if I take a walk by myself? I need to clear my head."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned heel and walked towards Route 215.

In hindsight, Lucas realized he should have taken an umbrella. The rain had started a lot sooner than anticipated...or was it that he had walked for a longer time than he had wanted?

It was strange how warm the rain was, but that only served to heighten the strange melancholy Lucas felt. It wouldn't be the first time strange things had been happening around him. He somehow knew it wouldn't be the last, especially if people like Aevus were going to be involved.

Speaking of...Lucas recalled the guilt and anxiety rolling off of Aevus in waves. Whatever history Aevus had with the Unown (or maybe even the area in general), it had to have hit him hard. Those emotions were far too intense to not indicate some kind of traumatic history. Lucas found it a wonder that he was able to stay on his feet, but he supposed that was only because he had April by his side.

While Lucas appreciated that Aevus seemed to realize just how much he had to explain, he couldn't help feeling frustrated. What was Aevus so scared of?

"How long?" Lucas said aloud, looking up at the gray sky. "How long am I going to have to wait for the truth, Aevus?"

Something in his pocket let out a loud chime. This threw Lucas off for several reasons, including the fact that his phone was set to silent the last time he checked. Even more confusing was the fact that there was no indication of tampering. The most unsettling thing of all was the message that awaited him.

Unknown Number (10:35): Rather than simply wait for the truth, perhaps you should seek it out for yourself?

Unknown Number (10:35): Smart as you are, surely you would have thought to do so already.

Lucas didn't know how to respond to that. Was someone watching him?! He looked around - the only other people he could see were a couple of Ace Trainers in the distance, and they didn't seem to be focused on him at all. Other than the two Marill playing in some nearby puddles, Lucas couldn't see anything or anyone that could've been watching him.

His phone chimed again.

Unknown Number (10:36): Lucas...I understand that you are young, but it is rude to say nothing when someone addresses you. >:T

Lucas (10:36): That rule only applies to in-person meetings. Getting a text from a strange number would put anyone on guard.

Lucas (10:36): Who are you? How do you know my name?

Unknown Number (10:37): Do you know of a ghost Pokemon named Rotom? They are said to possess human devices from time to time.

Unknown Number (10:37): Perhaps something similar happened to your phone? :3c

Lucas (10:40): You're bluffing. My phone hasn’t acted up at all. I think I'd know if a Ghost-type possessed my phone.

Unknown Number (10:41): Because you would have sensed it, yes?

Unknown Number (10:41): While it is good of you to trust your instincts, you should know that some beings are strong enough to conceal their Aura.

Lucas (10:41): Are you serious?!

Unknown Number (10:42): Does that truly surprise you to learn? You may be more sensitive than the average human, but never forget that you are still human.

Lucas (10:43): I know. Not like I want to be anything else, anyway.

Lucas (10:43): ...That said, I appreciate the reminder. Thanks.

Unknown Number (10:43): d(￣▽￣)b

Lucas (10:44): Seriously, who are you? You know my name already, it's not very fair that I don't know what to call you.

Unknown Number (10:45): A very good point.

Unknown Number (10:45): You may call me Pen, for I am mightier than any sword. (•̀ᴗ•́ )و 

Despite the absolute strangeness of the situation, Lucas laughed out loud. He was an absolute sucker for wordplay and puns, so this Pen character was already in his good books.

Lucas (10:46): LOL! That's a good one!

Unknown Number (10:47): Thank you. :)

Unknown Number (10:47): I must be quick, so getting to the reason I contacted you - I merely wanted to vouch for the one you call Aevus. I happen to know him quite well.

Lucas (10:48): Really?

Unknown Number (10:48): Indeed. Time Flowers - like the one you and your friends watched - are truly useful artifacts, but they can cause misunderstandings if one is not careful. Think of my reaching out to you as a preemptive strike against that possibility.

Lucas (10:49): Time Flowers?

Unknown Number (10:50): Do your research.

Unknown Number (10:50): My point is...go easy on Aevus when you do come across the truth. He has been through far more than his fair share of trouble (not that any of it is my business to tell you). I am certain you are aware of the guilt he carries.

Unknown Number (10:50): I believe any other member of the Pantheon would be similarly hesitant, were they in his position.

Lucas (10:51): THE PANTHEON?!

Lucas (UNSENT): What do you mean by that?? That was an autocorrect error, right?!

[NUMBER NOT IN SERVICE.]

Lucas' last message may not have gone through, but he was far too shocked to care. He just read through Pen's last text over and over again. No matter how many times he read it, the words never changed.

The Pantheon. Of course Lucas recognized the phrase; as an umbrella term for legendary and mythical Pokemon. These were Pokemon that were so powerful that they could be considered deities.

While Lucas wanted to take Pen's words with a grain of salt - he still wasn't sure why he even answered the mysterious texts in the first place - he couldn't ignore the implication that Aevus (of all people!) could very well be a deity.

Before anything, he had to find Dawn and Barry. His first stop to find them was the small house he passed while clearing his head - it was the best shelter he could think of.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for Lucas to find his friends - the little house turned out to be a small restaurant. Barry noticed him immediately and waved him over.

"Took you long enough!" he huffed as Lucas approached. As Lucas shrugged off his jacket, Barry continued, "We were worried when the rain started. Don't scare us like that!"

"Sorry about that. I didn't think the rain would start that quick," he admitted, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Thankfully the chat history hadn't been mysteriously wiped, so his conversation with Pen could still be read. "Just look through this real quick."

Dawn took the phone in her hands. As she scrolled through it, Barry looked at the screen from over her shoulder. It was clear when she was done, because she looked up at Lucas with wide eyes.

"The Pantheon?" Dawn breathed. "They're implying that Aevus is-?"

"Keep your voice down!" Lucas hissed, a finger to his lips. Their table was then approached by the waiter - the only other person in the room - who then held a menu in Lucas' direction. With a shake of his head, he told the waiter, "Just a Moomoo Milk for now, please."

When the waiter departed, Barry questioned, "You two don't actually believe this, do you? How do you know it's not actually a Rotom messing with you?"

"I don't really want to believe it," Lucas admitted with a shake of his head. "If what Pen said is true, it would turn everything I thought I knew about the Pantheon on its head!"

"But it would explain a lot," Dawn answered. "At the very least, we shouldn't ignore the possibility."

Not just a lot, Lucas realized. It would explain everything.

Lucas had learned that a Pokemon's Aura was vastly different from a human's - if only because it was easy to tell what typing they had just from getting a feel of their Aura. Having godlike power - the kind of power a legendary would have - would definitely explain the sheer intensity of Aevus' Aura. 

Speaking of Aura...despite the overall scarcity of information about the subject, Aevus clearly knew a lot. Looking back on their conversation in Hearthome, Lucas did think that was a little odd. But if Aevus happened to be immortal, that would mean he was still alive during a time when Aura sensitivity was less of a taboo.

And as far as Aevus being everywhere without being a Trainer himself? That might have been the strangest thing of all, but if Aevus happened to be a Pokemon himself...

Lucas didn't want to acknowledge the possibility, he really didn't...but all of these things pointed to Aevus being a member of the Pantheon. In fact, not only did Pen's implication answer almost every question Lucas had about him, it only created more questions. Which member would he be, hypothetically? Why disguise himself as a human in the first place? Why...

"If Aevus really is a member of the Pantheon," he said aloud, before he could stop himself. Upon seeing Dawn and Barry's curious expressions, he was half-tempted to take the words back. But he pushed through; "Why would he bother helping us out?"

'Why would he bother helping me,' he wanted to say. 

"I always say that some members of the Pantheon are kinder than your family made them out to be," Dawn pointed out, placing a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "They're way more powerful than us, yeah. But that shouldn't mean that they're emotionless, or that they can't be kind. Should it?"

Lucas didn't answer, but he knew she had a point. Leave it to Dawn to make sense of something he couldn't.

If what Pen said was right, then Aevus contradicted everything he thought he knew about the Pantheon. Lucas always imagined them to be somewhat distant when it came to human affairs - even if they did exist and were watching them, they would never actually get directly involved. Distance might not be completely inaccurate when it came to Aevus, but at least he seemed to be trying. That was way more than Lucas could have ever expected from a member of the Pantheon.

Still, Dawn's logic wasn't enough to completely quell the nagging question of why.

Chapter Text

Between Arty's recovering strength and Alger's sudden evolution into a Gardevoir, Lucas was more prepared for Maylene's Gym than he was for Fantina's. The only hiccup was the fact that Maylene's ace was her Lucario. A steel-typing meant that Arty couldn't do anything more than a scratch, and also put it on a more even playing field with Alger. It was only because Kale had Bulldoze that the Grotle was able to get the upper hand, and Lucas won the Cobble Badge with no futher issues.

That was to say, Lucas didn't dread that Gym battle nearly as much as what he was planning on doing afterwards.

Scrolling through his phone history, he saw not one but several missed calls and messages from his dad. Not just him, but Ethan and Lyra as well. Knowing Ethan, he probably contacted Lucas' father after not hearing from him for a few days. That did sound like something he would do, and Lucas would be more glad for his concern if it wasn't for the entire situation at hand.

After their last conversation about the Unown, Lucas almost dreaded telling Ethan about his experience. Not that he didn't have every right to know...but he was worried, right? The conversation had ended a little too suddenly for Lucas' liking. The thought of people disappearing because of the Unown was spooky enough, but to actually have it happen? While he was glad that he wasn't gone for nearly as long as Ethan's friend, that didn't make him feel any less guilty.

That said, he waited until he separated from Dawn and Barry to do that. He wanted to support his friends during their respective Gym battles. Now that they all beat the Gym, Dawn had gone to the Department Store while Barry made a beeline towards the Game Corner. No better time for Lucas to give Ethan a call, right?

The phone only rang once before Ethan's voice could be heard; "Finally! Lucas, are you doing okay?!"

If there was ever any doubt that Ethan was worried, it had been thrown out the window completely. Lucas responded, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just...been a really busy few days."

"Oh...right. Trainer life. That makes sense." A sigh could be heard, before Ethan continued, "Sorry. After we talked about the Unown, and I didn't hear from you for a couple days...I was starting to get worried."

"You don't need to apologize. I'm sorry for not contacting you sooner," Lucas admitted, as he sat on a nearby bench. "It's just been...a lot. This isn't a bad time for you, is it?"

"'Course it isn't! Tell me everything."

"Well...and I want you to take a deep breath..." Lucas took a breath, and waited until he heard a deep breath from the phone before he continued, "Well...that night we talked? I did get spirited away by the Unown..."

"You were what?!" Lucas had to move the phone from his ear, Ethan's shout was so loud. "Why'd I have to be right?! I mean, are you okay?? What did they do to you?!"

"Nothing! At least, I don't think they did anything," Lucas admitted, returning the phone to his ear. "It's a little fuzzy, but I know I wasn't gone for more than eight hours. I fell asleep in Hearthome City, and ended up in the Ruins in the next town with just the clothes on my back."

"That's wild..." Ethan paused before he spoke up; "Wait, does that mean you didn't have your Pokemon with you? How'd you manage to get back in one piece??"

"That part I do remember..." From there, Lucas explained everything; the space-bending satchel, the Unown that led him out of the Ruins, and April. He even mentioned Aevus and April helping him get back to Hearthome. Ethan listened, only asking the occasional question before Lucas was done explaining it.

"Aevus...I don't think you've mentioned him before," Ethan pointed out. He seemed to choose his words carefully as he questioned, "A friend of yours?"

"Yeah. He helped me find Blair a couple of years ago, and we've been bumping into each other ever since I started my journey," Lucas answered. "You wouldn't know it from a first glance, but he knows a lot - maybe even more than Professor Rowan does. He's a good mentor."

It was surreal to say that about someone who could be a member of the Pantheon. Lucas still couldn't quite wrap his head around that, but it made too much sense for it to not be a possibility. He felt bad about leaving that part out, but that would just raise the question of why Aevus was helping him so much in the first place. Lucas still couldn't think of an answer for that.

"A mentor?" Ethan's voice seemed a lot more relaxed. "That's good. I mean, it's tough sometimes...being a Trainer. I know you have Dawn and Barry, but it can't hurt to have people look out for you, right?"

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "But I think that's enough about me. What about you? How's your journey been?"

As Ethan filled him in, Lucas found himself becoming more and more at ease. Even with the thought of contacting his dad looming in the back of his mind, he was able to focus on the conversation.

Cynthia pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sharp exhale. She doubted that the headache would be going away any time soon.

When she got news of the Pokemon Mansion being invaded by Team Galactic, of course she chose to intervene. What kind of Champion would she be if she didn't? She had more than enough reason to look into Team Galactic's actions, and an infuriating lack of information. The Mansion itself was a famous hotspot in the region; the owner had opened it up to act as a museum of sorts. Aside from the garden attracting rare Pokemon, he was said to be a collector of fantastic artifacts.

All that was to say that being a target for Team Galactic was almost inevitable. The only thing that couldn't be certain was when they would strike.

It was lucky that she was in Hearthome City when she got the news of the Mansion's invasion - it gave her the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. When Lucian had told her that the Elgyem and Beheeyem had been introduced into Galactic's ranks for a reason, Cynthia was admittedly skeptical. But the facts couldn't be ignored; the number of witnesses that hadn't conveniently forgotten anything related to Team Galactic could be counted with one hand. Even Looker had forgotten a few key details from time to time!

The Galactic Grunts stood no chance against the combined might of Cynthia and Lucian, but they were only there as a distraction. Even when the two managed to push through enough to actually corner and defeat the Commander, he managed to get away.

That was when her headache started. As infuriating as it was, Cynthia had a choice in front of her; chase Saturn or see what information can be gained from any witnesses. She didn't think she saw any Elgyem or Beheeyem in the area, so maybe...

"We're going to let him get away," Lucian deadpanned, as he recalled his Espeon into his PokeBall. It was more statement than question, and Cynthia nodded.

"What choice do we have?" she questioned. "You know as well as I do that time isn't on our side. If we can get anything from the witnesses, that'll be a victory in itself."

"Indeed. Information is half the battle, and we're severely lacking in it," Lucian admitted. His eyes narrowed as he continued, "That you managed to get anything about their operations in Eterna City is a miracle."

Cynthia frowned. It wasn't the first time Lucian had mentioned Eterna City, and it likely wouldn't be the last. On top of that, she knew exactly what Lucian was getting at; while she was relieved that Jupiter somehow overlooked the Trainer that confronted her, the last thing she wanted was to get the poor kid involved in all of this.

"I told you before, I'm not getting a newbie trainer involved in this," she huffed. "Not when this could be another Team Rocket."

"I knew you'd say that," Lucian sighed. "I don't like the idea any more than you do, but what if Team Galactic hadn't overlooked that Trainer? What if his memories are intact for a reason? You've considered that, surely?"

Cynthia had considered that. With her knowledge surrounding legendary Pokemon and Hisuian history, how could she not? If there was anything that reading her ancestor's journals had taught her, it was that nothing was as it seemed at a first glance. Even with that knowledge, she still couldn't bring herself to drag Lucas into this mess.

"You read the journals, too," she sighed. It was more statement than question - the voracious bookworm that he was, of course Lucian was eager to read them. "You know why I don't want to involve him."

Lucian didn't say anything for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh. "Fine. But without Interpol's...assistance, it's only the two of us against a whole organization. If something were to happen to either of us-"

He trailed off, and Cynthia couldn't help feeling guilty. Of course the rest of the Elite Four had become aware of Team Galactic's actions, but the reason she chose Lucian in particular to act as her right hand was because he specialized in Psychic-types. That meant he had mental fortitude that the other three members did not possess. Not to say they weren't strong Trainers, but they would be powerless against a Pokemon known for rewriting memories. The only other person she knew could be of help was Riley, and Arceus only knew where he had gone to!

If only I could find him-!

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud chime coming from her bag. She took out her phone and read the message that awaited her.

Unknown Number (12:39): Your psychic friend is not wrong. That Trainer could very well be the key to the answers you seek, whether you like it or not.

Cynthia (12:39): Not you too.

Unknown Number (12:40): Yes, me too. You of all people should know there is no shame in asking for help where it is needed. If I must nag you to your deathbed, I will. >:T

Cynthia (12:41): We are talking about a rookie trainer! I'd never forgive myself if I got him involved and he ended up getting killed!

Unknown Number (12:42): And if I were to tell you that the child is sensitive to Aura? Would that change your stance?

Cynthia stared at her phone screen, reading the last message again and again. What could she possibly say to that? If that was true...it would mean that Lucian was onto something concerning that Trainer. She didn't know much about Aura that Riley didn't already tell her, before he up and vanished...if she could just learn a little more about it...

"Lucian," Cynthia spoke up. "Do you know anything about Aura?"

Lucian let out a bitter huff. "Only that knowledge on the subject is scarce. I'm sure I don't need to explain whose fault that is. It's not as much of a taboo as it was a century ago, but that just speaks volumes about how little is currently known about it."

Cynthia gave him a sympathetic smile. "So, it's impossible to find any information on it?"

"I said knowledge was scarce, not nonexistent," the psychic sighed. "You may not be surprised to hear what some people will do to obtain a rare tome, and books that cover Aura in depth are as rare as they come. I have some idea on where to ask around, so I know I'll find something. It just won't come easily or cheap." 

"I'll ensure you're reimbursed." That was a part of their agreement, so that went without saying. Still, Cynthia was nothing if not a woman of her word.  "You're the best, Lucian. Be careful out there."

"I know I am." Lucian placed a hand on Cynthia's shoulder and nodded. "I trust that I don't need to remind you that you're the Champion, so all eyes are going to be on you; friend, enemy, and everything in between. So you need to be even more careful."

Cynthia said nothing more as she and Lucian parted ways. She knew that he was right; if her suspicions regarding Team Galactic's recent actions turned out to be true...how was that possible? Previously, they had cooperated with the League to provide a better quality of life for Sinnoh.

Sirius - her main contact for the collaboration - had proven to be polite and punctual in their interactions, so it was concerning when he suddenly ghosted her. Days of radio silence turned into weeks, and then months...and that was when she first heard about suspicious activity coming from Team Galactic.

Was all that talk about improving Sinnoh a lie? Or did something change? If something did happen, then what?

The only way for her to find out was to keep digging; no matter how good they had become at covering their tracks. She knew that sooner or later, they would slip...and with any luck, that slip wouldn't involve a rookie trainer.

Cynthia's musings were interrupted by another chime from her phone.

Unknown Number (12:47): Meet me in the parlor. You may be interested in what I have to show you. ♡

Lucas stared down at his phone as if he expected it to burst into flame. The screen was set to his father's contact information, and his thumb hovered over the 'Call' button. No matter how he psyched himself up, he couldn't bring himself to press it.

"I mean, what could I even say?" Lucas spoke aloud, pacing in a circle. "If I tell Dad about what happened with the Unown, he'd freak and say something about how that's why he didn't want me to be a Trainer in the first place. And that's not even getting into how I've been fighting Team Galactic all this time...he probably thinks that incident in Jubilife City was a one-off."

Lucas shuddered at the thought. Not that his father's concerns weren't valid...but this was the path he wanted to take. While Lucas knew it wouldn't be easy, he always did like a challenge. The only reason his father let the issue go in the first place was because Dawn and Barry were going to be journeying with him.

With a loud groan, he pocketed his phone as he sat back down on the bench. Running a hand through his hair, he muttered, "What a mess..."

"I see no mess. On the contrary, this area is quite clean."

Lucas jumped off the bench and twisted himself to face the newcomer. He really shouldn't have been surprised to see Aevus, but he was. How in the world did he sneak up on him like that?! Was he really that far into his head, that he wouldn't have noticed anyone coming?

Aevus took a step back, clearly startled. "Forgive me, I should have spoken up sooner."

"No, it's fine," Lucas muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm a little embarrassed to be caught off-guard like that. That hasn't happened in a while."

As he spoke, Lucas' gaze drifted towards the Galactic building - large enough to be seen from just about every point in the city. He was tempted to ask if Aevus had the same experience with Team Galactic as he did, or even if he was looking into them like Ms. Cynthia.

And he would have, if Aevus hadn't spoken up; "You did seem rather distressed. Would you...like to talk about it?"

"Really?" Lucas would be lying if he said he expected that. "You're usually busy, aren't you?"

Aevus tilted his head, and for a moment Lucas was reminded of a little kid trying to figure something out. "True...but is that not what friends do for one another? Help them with their troubles, that is."

Lucas said nothing. He found himself wishing that Pen had never contacted him in the first place - he wouldn't feel so awkward about trusting Aevus if it weren't for the possibility that he was a member of the Pantheon. His grandparents claimed to have trusted Arceus with their lives...and seemed to take great delight in pressuring others to do the same. How did he know that Aevus wouldn't...?

I won't know for sure unless I actually talk to him, Lucas reminded himself. I just have to act like I'm not aware of the possibility that he's an actual freaking legend. No pressure, Lucas.

"It's my dad," Lucas admitted, as he sat back down on the bench. "I don't know if you know this, but he's Professor Rowan's research assistant. Being a researcher is kind of a family thing, so a good number of people were expecting me to follow in his footsteps after I graduated from Trainer's School. When I told my dad that I was going to take the Gym circuit instead...he wasn't happy. I'm his only kid, and I made that choice pretty impulsively...so I can understand his point of view. But the more I imagined what my life would be like as a research assistant...the thought eventually became unbearable."

Aevus took a moment to absorb the words before questioning, "What was it that changed your mind in the first place?"

"You remember when you helped me with Blair, two years back?" Lucas responded. "We talked about that...attack I went through."

It still felt strange actually calling it an attack, and even stranger was the sharp sting in Aevus' Aura. "I recall. I take it...you never found out what caused it?"

"Got it in one," Lucas sighed. His gaze moving to his right arm, he continued, "No matter how many books I read, no matter how many websites I looked through...nothing added up. By the time I graduated, I realized I couldn't find the answer if I just stayed a research assistant. I needed to actually look for it myself. Taking the Gym circuit was the best solution I could think of. It lets me visit just about every city in Sinnoh, as opposed to an as-needed basis."

As he spoke, he recalled the messages he got from Pen. It crossed his mind that he should ask Aevus about that - not the implication that he was a member of the Pantheon, but he simply wanted to know if (and how) he knew Pen.

"You could always become a researcher later in life," Aevus pointed out. "That is not impossible, just because you are a Trainer now."

"That's what I said to my dad, but..." Lucas shifted his gaze to his hands. He didn't want to think about his father's response to the news - not because it made him angry, but because it made him sad. Dad might have thought he did a good job of hiding his sadness, but Lucas knew. He sighed, "I don't know. When I think about what happened with the Unown, and everything with Team Galactic...sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice."

"You are the only one that can answer that question."

The words caught Lucas by surprise. Eyes wide, he watched as Aevus walked towards the nearby statue. His expression was surprisingly serious as he scrutinized it. Almost instantly, Lucas was reminded of Hearthome - Aevus' explanation of Aura practically come out of nowhere.

"What others think of you and your choice is a decision only they can make," Aevus said, as he traced his fingers along what Lucas supposed was a plaque. "Life is...complicated like that. What truly matters is whether you can go into the future with no regrets...or at least, as few regrets as possible. That is why it is important to question even yourself."

"Question...myself?" Lucas needed a moment to absorb that concept. "You mean, like self-reflection?"

"Yes. Asking yourself questions only opens the door to realizing what you truly care about," Aevus answered, as if lost in thought. "To move forward in spite of doubt while looking back on your past actions - that is what it means to live in the present moment. In doing so, you shape your ideal future."

Lucas stared. For the second time in six minutes, Aevus' words surprised him. He recognized them from a story that he hadn't thought about in years. He blurted, "Did you just quote the story of the Twin Kings?"

"You know that tale?" Aevus turned, and his surprise was clear in his expression and his Aura. "I was not aware they taught such things in Sinnoh."

"They don't," Lucas admitted. "They did offer a class about Unova in Trainer's School, as an elective...but it wasn't a requirement, you know? I just took it for an easy A."

Not the proudest choice of his academic career...but nobody could blame him for wanting to take it easy after a near-death experience like the one he had. Especially since he still didn't know what hit his arm to this very day. The more energy he could dedicate to studying up on Aura and trying to figure out what that inexplicable shockwave was, the better.

"Easy...?" After an awkward pause, Aevus cleared his throat and pointed out, "Your words imply familiarity with the subject - enough to recognize it from just a line. How?"

Lucas pursed his lips. He knew the subject would be approached the moment he recognized Aevus' reference. Heck, it was probably inevitable since he started talking about his family in the first place. That didn't make the topic sting any less, never mind the fact that it had been more than ten years since...

Aevus seemed to sense Lucas' hesitance, because he said, "Never mind. You do not have to answer if-"

"My mom." After a moment, Lucas tried again; "That is, uh...my mom was from Unova. When I was a kid, she had this big book of Unovan legends that she would read from to put me to sleep. The story of the Twin Kings was always my favorite. That, and the one about Meloetta. Mom could never carry a tune, but it never stopped her from coming up with little ditties - for what Relic Song might've sounded like."

Aevus clearly picked up on the past tense; to Lucas' surprise, anxiety and horror quickly followed that revelation.

"I am so sorry," he breathed, taking a step back. "If I had known-!"

"Aevus, it's fine. How could you have known?" Lucas questioned, completely baffled. "You would've found out eventually, so it's just as well you learned it from me."

"Even so, I-!" Aevus covered his mouth with his hand, and turned away - from both Lucas and the statue. After a moment, he let out a shaky sigh. "It hurts to think about...does it not? That...I never intended..."

"Aevus...?" This felt like Solaceon all over again. But that didn't make sense at all. Why would Aevus react that way when it was Lucas that experienced that particular loss? Looking at him at that moment, Lucas had a hard time believing that Aevus was a member of the Pantheon - surely a god wouldn't act like that at the mere mention of death.

Wait...what if he's acting like that because he's a member of the Pantheon? Lucas realized, his eyes widening. As much as grief sucks, it’s gotta be worse for an immortal. Aevus isn't empathizing to that extent, is he?

"I mean...it does hurt, when I really think about it," Lucas admitted. He quickly added, "But that's natural! It's been over ten years, and that's...a long time, you know? I can't rightly say that I'm completely used to it or that I ever will be, but all I can do is live with it. And anyway, I like to think that's proof of how good a person she was, and how much my dad and I loved and cared about her. I mean...you can't really grieve a stranger or an enemy, right?"

( Lucas couldn't quite remember who told him that, all those years ago...but he could have sworn he saw a gentle magenta light flicker out of the corner of his eye as he recalled them. )

The following silence was unbearable, and Lucas didn't know if he should keep talking or stay quiet. So he settled for attempting a read on Aevus' Aura. The grief and guilt were as strong as ever...but there was surprise there, too. Lucas could only hope that meant at least some of his words got through to him.

"I...never thought of it like that." Aevus inhaled through his nose. Despite his calm demeanor, his voice seemed to waver as he said, "I will...try to keep your words in mind. Thank you, Lucas. Excuse me."

As Lucas watched Aevus go, he moved his left hand so that it circled his right wrist. With how he made a habit to wear long sleeves and gloves whenever he went out, the scar from that shockwave was almost easy to forget about most of the time...but right now he felt almost hyper-aware of its existence.

In an effort to distract himself, Lucas spared a glance towards the nearby statue. It seemed to depict a nameless hero in the middle of a dodge roll - there were no recognizable features on the statue's face. Before Lucas could wonder who the statue depicted, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

Barry (12:46): [flip.jpg]

Barry (12:47): dude u gotta come to the game corner and see this!

Barry (12:47): dawn is absolutely DOMINATING voltorb flip! look at how many coins she won!!

Lucas (12:49): Think that'll be enough to pay for all the fines you've inflicted on us over the years? :3c

Barry (12:50): lets not get ahead of ourselves here >:P

Barry (12:50): get over here quick and i MIGHT consider taking 10000 off ur debt tho

Lucas (12:51): On my way!

After a final glance at the statue, Lucas turned and ran in the direction of the Game Corner.

At times like this, Lucas was glad to be traveling with Dawn and Barry. They always did a good job of helping him focus on the present moment, even when they didn't realize it.

Chapter Text

The city outskirts of Veilstone were quiet, which made it perfect for Dialga to ruminate. From here, Lake Valor could be seen - which meant that what used to be the Diamond Clan settlement was not too far off. While Dialga's sense of direction was notoriously terrible, he wouldn't forget that if he tried. ( What was less certain was if the knowledge made things better or worse at that moment. )

As terrible as he felt at that moment - he hadn't meant to bring up a painful instance from Lucas' past - there was a strange sense of relief. While ten years was but a grain of sand for him, it was a still a majority of Lucas' entire life. If grief was as natural as he implied...if that was just the end result of losing a dear friend like Rei...

"Don't tell me you thought the grief was a curse!"

Dialga didn't need to turn around to know it was Mesprit that had approached; he felt her presence as Lucas spoke earlier. The Spirit of Emotion - in her astral form - flew over to intercept Dialga's path. Clearly a bit guilty, she said, "You did, didn't you? I should've made more of an effort to check on you back then, after I was done talking with Azelf. If I did, then maybe..."

Dialga snorted. He could not say outright that she was correct, but he also could not lie. Not about this, not to Mesprit. "To be fair, I did not make myself very easy to find back then."

"Well yeah, but it never occurred to me that Rei was your first mortal friend. That's hard enough for any of us to go through, and for it to happen the way it did..."

Mesprit's words trailed off, and Dialga could scarcely look at her. Before the spacetime distortions in Hisui, Dialga only visited the mortal realm once in a blue moon. Even then, he did not stay long enough to make connections with those dwelling within it. Rei's experience with these distortions was really the only reason Dialga chose to team up with him. He would not admit to feeling lonely, watching over the steady stream of time but never being a part of it himself...but Dialga frankly surprised himself with how quickly he started to look forward to those outings.

Of course, that made what happened in Solaceon Ruins all the harder.

"...What Lucas said by that memorial, it sounded like something you would say," Dialga accused, arms crossed. It was an attempt to change the subject, one he knew Mesprit would take. "Am I right in assuming you spoke through him?"

"Hey, don't accuse me of something like that! So rude!" Mesprit huffed, crossing her arms. "And anyway, you're only half-right. I did tell him all that when we first met. That was a long time ago, though - he was still really small. I'm surprised he remembered so much of it!"

Dialga snorted. "Are we sure he is not a child of Acuity?"

"One would think so, but he was definitely born in Twinleaf." A moment passed before Mesprit huffed again. "Are you saying that children of Verity can't be smart? Rude again! Emotional intelligence is a thing, you know!"

Despite the situation, Dialga managed a small smile. Already he was starting to feel a little better. "That aside, I am surprised to see you. Is this because Lake Valor is nearby?"

"That is one reason. I wanted to check on Azelf," Mesprit admitted. "I got curious when I saw you and Lucas talking, so I decided to eavesdrop."

Mesprit clearly felt no shame in admitting to her eavesdropping. Frankly, Dialga couldn't blame her for that. Considering all this started from Mesprit breaking into his domain in a fit of rage, how could he get mad? She had always been one to fuss about the mortals she called friend, and Lucas was clearly not an exception to that. Why else would she have contacted Celebi for assistance?

"While it is on my mind," Dialga said. "Thank you for getting in contact with Celebi - with the strangeness of the situation, it had not occurred to me to get her involved."

As much as the thought of his daughter's involvement caused him concern, Dialga had to admit that Celebi was already a great help. Would Lucas have been able to find that Chansey without her? He never would have thought of the Unown doing what they did.

"I'm glad to hear that! You know, Celebi told me that she could've mistaken Lucas for you," Mesprit told him. "And now that I got a better look at his Aura, I can kinda see it. Roar of Time really did a number on him, and I don't just mean the fact that it nearly killed him."

The pang of guilt that Dialga felt clearly didn't go unnoticed, because Mesprit quickly added, "I didn't say that to make you feel guilty! I just meant that you two are a lot more alike than I thought you'd be."

This baffled Dialga. "What do you mean?"

"When you see something wrong or off, you can't bring yourself to ignore it," Mesprit hummed. "You get antsy if you can't take some kind of action. Even if it's just investigating to get to the truth of the matter, isn't it better than doing nothing?"

Dialga thought back to how he could not ignore the spacetime distortions appearing across Hisui, and said nothing.

Dawn huffed as she watched Barry squirm. Her grip on his wrist tightened - not to the point where it hurt, but definitely enough that he could stop moving.

"Would you hold still?" she scolded. Her other hand had a brush of nail polish, which she smoothed onto Barry's fingernails. "Botching this paint job is only gonna make this worse for both of us."

Barry pouted. Even from his position, Lucas could see that he was regretting that bet he made...although he was being a little dramatic about it.

Honestly, getting a manicure from Dawn wasn't the worst consequence for losing a bet. As Dawn’s closest friends in a town as small as Twinleaf, Lucas and Barry were usually her first targets for manicure practice. It was just that - for someone as perpetually antsy as Barry - the sitting still part was torture.

Barry grumbled, "Do you always have to be so slow about this? I know you like it perfect but come on."

"Lots of people don't like their nail polish smudged, you know," Dawn shot back. "Just be thankful the weather's nice. I think that's why it dried so quickly for Lucas."

"Dawn, you could fine him for every smudge," Lucas pointed out. A teasing smile stretched across his face as he continued, "That kind of nail polish is pretty expensive these days."

"Broooo." Barry shot Lucas a dramatic look of betrayal. "Easy for you to say. You could read that thing while getting your manicure!"

"I did offer to let you read it like I did." 

"You said yourself that it was practically a PokeDex! What's the point of reading that thing if I barely use the one I got?!"

Lucas had to admit that Barry had a point there. Shrugging, he carefully flipped through the journal's pages. Maybe he was being a little too careful - the pages were surprisingly sturdy, and the cover was a beautiful kind of leather - but how else was he supposed to treat a relic of the past? Because what else could it possibly be? There was information on several Hisuian Pokemon within its pages, and even some legendary Pokemon! Once he realized that this was a PokeDex, the first thought that crossed his mind was that he should show Professor Rowan.

The second thought on his mind was that he should leaf through the pages and find any information that he could input into his PokeDex. Or at least, information on members of the Pantheon. Maybe there was something in this journal that might point to Aevus' identity. 

So far he couldn't find anything that jumped out at him, but only because he couldn't help marveling at the attention to detail in some of these entries. Each page had at least a few pictures of the Pokemon in question (some of which depicted them in battle). There were even sections specifying their height, weight and favorite foods! 

The very last entry in particular caught his attention. The first thing he noticed about it was the handwriting; while all the other entries were neat and easy to read, this entry was sloppy - clumsy lettering and a smudge or two. And then there was the Pokemon itself - it was one that he remembered hearing about during his time in Johto.

No. 243. Celebi. Time Travel Pokemon. Psychic/Grass.

Preferred Foods: Dazzling Honey, Hearty Grains, Springy Mushrooms

Can be seen in healthy forests and grasslands. It can make these artifacts called 'Time Flowers'. Professor Laventon hasn't seen this Pokemon as of me writing this. The only ones who have told me anything about Celebi are Cogita, Celebi itself, and - oddly enough - [ILLEGIBLE].

The rest of the entry was illegible - not only were there blots of ink covering what else could have been written, but it was just as possible that the writer ran out of space. Still, one thing caught his attention.

"Celebi can make Time Flowers?" he murmured, placing a hand on his chin. Did it make the one we found in Route 210?

The sound of jeering caught his attention, and Lucas looked up. Barry and Dawn had been approached by an Ace Trainer. Condescension dripped from his Aura as he looked down at the two. In the distance, Lucas could see three other Ace Trainers watching the scene - a mixture of exasperation and amusement could be felt from them.

"Letting your girlfriend paint your nails?" the Ace Trainer sneered. "Dude, where's your pride as a man?"

"Even if she was my girlfriend, what's it to you?!" Barry shot back. It was clear as day that the only thing keeping him from getting up was Dawn's grip on his wrist. "Ever hear of minding your own business?!"

"Woah, cool it. I'm just looking out for you." The Ace Trainer shrugged, a smug smile still on his face. "People'll just make fun of you if you let her paint your nails like this. I'd never let anyone near my nails with that, even if she was my girlfriend."

Dawn looked at the Trainer's hands. "That's a shame. This shade of pink would be a good color for you."

"Don't even think about it, girly." Flustered, the Ace Trainer looked around until his gaze landed on Lucas. "And then there's you! You're really going to sit there and let this happen? Man, this is just pathetic. You know, I saw your battle with Maylene yesterday. I was going to ask if you wanted to join my crew...but you'd have to ditch the girly stuff. That kinda stuff isn't cool or manly."

"I'll pass," Lucas answered. "I wouldn't want to ruin my fun."

The Ace Trainer crossed his arms and straightened himself - clearly daring Lucas to speak up again. "What was that?"

In any other situation, Lucas would have backpedaled and apologized. Perhaps he would have stopped himself from saying what was really on his mind. He usually never spoke up like that, not even in school - he was usually more subtle in how he stood up for himself and his friends.

"It's just..." Lucas took off one of his gloves and showed off his nails - already painted in sparkling pink. Before he could stop himself, he continued, "You say you're more manly than we are, but we're not the ones making a fuss over nail polish."

Immediately horrified, Lucas clamped a hand over his mouth with enough force to sting. Did I really just say that?!

It was like a bomb had been set off. Barry's loud laughter could have easily been mistaken for a Murkrow's. Dawn very nearly dropped the bottle of nail polish, but still had the biggest grin on her face. One of the Ace Trainer's friends laughed out loud and was quickly elbowed by another member of the group.

The Ace Trainer was the most shocked of all. His face turned bright red, and his fists were clenched. At first Lucas thought he was going to punch him. What actually happened was a surprise; the Ace Trainer stammered and eventually let out a frustrated noise before pointing in Lucas' direction.

"I won't forget this!" he shouted as he retreated. "This isn't over!"

As the three watched them go, Lucas couldn't help noting that Dawn's gaze flickered between the retreating trainers and Lucas.

"That really just happened, didn't it," Dawn said, clearly awestruck. "Lucas actually roasted someone."

"That was amazing, Luc!" Barry wheezed. He then rose to his feet as he shouted at the the retreating Ace Trainer. "Yeah, you better run! Wouldn't want a splash of pink on top of that burn!"

"Barry, if you don't sit back down-!"

For Lucas' part, he just wanted the earth to swallow him up where he sat. While he was proud of himself for sticking up for his friends, looking back on his tone made him anxious. This was going to come back to haunt him later, he just knew it.

...He hardly found it in himself to care, though.

Some time later, Lucas found himself sitting in front of Veilstone's Department Store. Almost right away, he had an odd feeling about it.

What was I doing before?

He tried to think back. The last thing he remembered was the nail polish incident - after that, the three had agreed to split up and meet back at the Pokemon Center for the night. He could have sworn that they did just that...so why was he back by the Department Store this late at night?

Speaking of...

Lucas looked down at his fingernails. His nails were perfectly trimmed, just like how Dawn did it...but the nail polish was gone. There was no way it could have chipped away - Dawn would've had his head if it happened that quickly. Heck, the fact that he wore gloves on a regular basis meant that very few people could see that he had nail polish on anyway. What would be the point in getting rid of the nail polish if very few people knew he had it on?

Suddenly alarmed, Lucas looked around. Veilstone City was completely empty - there wasn't a single other person in the area. That should have been impossible; Veilstone City was one of the busiest cities in Sinnoh (if not the busiest city). It even had a lively nightlife, so how could it be that he was the only one here?

Every footfall seemed to echo around him as he observed his surroundings. He couldn't feel anything around him - just a strange chill.

Pen's words came back to haunt him - some beings are strong enough to conceal their Aura - and he shivered.

"Hello?" he called. "Dawn? Barry? Anyone?!"

No answer.

"...Aevus?"

No answer, but Lucas did feel a chill up his spine. Surely it wasn't a reaction to something he said...right?

He heard footsteps rapidly approaching him, and was startled to find a very familiar face. Normally he would be relieved...but given that this was his father, Lucas was honestly a little more alarmed than relieved. What in the world was he doing in Veilstone?!

"Dad?!"

"There you are! It's been so long!" His father seemed overjoyed to see him, and Lucas was immediately pulled into a tight hug. It was cold.

After a moment of uncertainty, Lucas gently pushed himself out of the hug to look at his father's face. Strange...nothing seemed off, but he still couldn't shake the feeling of unease. "Where's Professor Rowan? You're usually with him."

"Huh? Oh, um...he's fine. Don't worry about him." His father gave a wave of his hand that seemed downright dismissive, which was a huge cause for concern. Before Lucas could bring it up, his father spoke up again; "I came here to warn you. No matter what happens, keep your distance from Aevus."

Now, Lucas was prepared for anything his father could have said at that moment - but that raised alarm bells in his mind. "What?!"

"I know he helped you with Aura, and I know your Umbreon seems to like him as well - for some reason." His father's expression showed some level of frustration - as if the idea of Blair warming up to Aevus was offensive - but he continued, "But please, please heed this warning. He is not to be trusted."

"But-"

"No buts! He's going to hurt you, if he hasn't done so already. Just trust me on this. You trust your father, don't you?"

"How do you even know about Aevus in the first place?! I never told you about him!"

His father's face fell slack.

"You never told-?!" He stammered. Just from his expression, it was clear that he was just as surprised as Lucas had been. "Um...Excuse me? You don't trust...?"

"You should know how complicated that is!" Maybe his movements were becoming exaggerated - but what else can he do upon suddenly recalling certain parts of his childhood? Every single instance of feeling small and scared in his childhood came back to the surface, and the only thing he could do was talk; "Your parents - those sad excuses of grandparents - you saw how bad they treated me and Mom, just because they never liked her! Those two shut us down every time we had something to say. And while their hostility never got to Mom, it did get to me. You didn't even see how they treated us until Mom died and you took me to Johto! I know it's been a decade since they cut us off, but how do I know you wouldn't have shut me down the moment I try to say something about any of it?!"

"But I-?!" Despite the rush of adrenaline and anxiety he felt, Lucas noted that there was a clear bewilderment in the air - in his father's Aura. Was it even his father in the first place? Wouldn't Dad feel more ashamed if this was brought up...or at least, defensive? There shouldn't be bewilderment and shock in his Aura...as if...

"I thought...I had no..." It was clear that 'Dad' was at a loss for words. "Rei, I-"

"That isn't my name!" Now Lucas was certain - there was no possible way this was actually his dad. Even if there was any sliver of a chance that he could've told his dad about Aevus or Aura, how could even begin to explain Rei? "If you're calling me that, then there's no way you're actually my dad. What exactly are you?!"

Before either of them could respond, Lucas suddenly felt a gentle warmth wrap around him. A small ball of light formed in front of him - Lucas held his hands out, and he felt his mind clearing. Almost like he was about to go to sleep...or was he about to...?

"No!" the imposter shouted. There seemed to be a sad expression on his face - sad and desperate. "Please, don't leave-!"

Lucas ignored the imposter's tone and took the light into his hands.

The moment the light solidified into the shape of a feather, Lucas found himself seated on a bed. He looked around. It was dark, but he could still hear snoring coming from the other bed - Barry was clearly still asleep. Was Dawn still sleeping in the other room? The thought of checking on them crossed his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to right now - he was too rattled, still trying to catch his breath as he tried to ascertain what just happened.

Was all that a dream? It had to be...but the feather that was clutched into his hand told a different story. Where had it even come from?

A light was suddenly turned on, and Lucas screamed.

Chapter Text

Darkrai felt the boy's awakening - like the breaking of a violin string - and he was not certain if he should have been angered or relieved.

It was a strange relief to learn that the boy he tried to warn was not Rei. The two looked so alike that Darkrai was nearly fooled. But there were key differences that, in hindsight, he should have picked up on. At least, he should have on a night like tonight.

Would Darkrai have picked up on so many key things from the boy's subconscious if it really was Rei? Between his monthly visits to New Moon Island and the fact that Rei never recalled his life before Hisui, Darkrai couldn't be sure. He did try to unearth Rei's memories once - dreams have always been the product of a human's subconscious, and that went double for their nightmares - but all he could find were memories connected to Hisui.

The two had the exact same face, though! If it weren't for the fact that Not-Rei's eyes were a strange shade of blue, Darkrai would have had a harder time believing that this was an entirely different person.

Dialga's influence on him was another factor to consider, one that made Darkrai seethe. It was stronger on Not-Rei than it ever was on Rei - which made sense, because Rei had befriended many members of the Pantheon. But Not-Rei brought Roar of Time to mind.

If one were to add that to what Darkrai learned about the Red Plague, surely they would understand his anger towards Dialga. Surely they'd understand his drive to get back at the Lord of Time...no matter what it took.

The light turned on, and Lucas screamed. He had already fallen out of his bed by the time he realized who had turned the light on.

Puck stared back, confusion clearly present in her Aura. There seemed to be something glowing from within that bag of hers, but Lucas could hardly bring himself to care about that. He noticed that her eyes darted back and forth, between him and the window. Lucas followed her gaze, and was alarmed to see the window was open. He knew he had closed it before he went to sleep, so how-?!

"Oh..." Puck's weak chuckle got Lucas' attention all over again. "You're...already awake..."

Lucas sprang to his feet, holding the feather in his hand like it was a lifeline. "Yeah, I'm awake! As if there's a reason I shouldn't be right now?!"

"No!" Puck paused. "Well, ah...actually yes. But I promise it's not what it sounds like!"

"What is it supposed to sound like?! I'm surprised Barry isn't awake yet-!" Lucas cut himself off when he realized; Barry would have heard him shouting at this point. He should have heard Lucas shouting. How come there was no response?!

"Barry?" Lucas rushed to the bedside and shook his friend's shoulder. Barry didn't stir - his eyes remained closed, and his breathing was even. It couldn't be that he was gone - his Aura alone told him that much - but there shouldn't be any reason that Barry would have slept through the chaos. "Barry, can you hear me? Wake up! Barry!"

No response.

Lucas glanced towards Puck - the only one who seemed to know what was going on. He couldn't be certain if he was mad, scared or confused - maybe it was a mix of all three. "What's going on?"

"He's alive!"

"That doesn't answer my question!" Lucas shouted. He really didn't want to shout, not at a kid...but was there anyone else he could turn to at that moment? "What the hell's going on?!"

"Okay, okay!" Puck shouted, holding up her hands. "I know you got questions, and I promise I can answer them. I just...I'm gonna start by doing something drastic, and I need you to keep an open mind. You can do that, right?"

"An open mind?!" Lucas repeated. "That may as well be my default at this point!"

"Fair enough," Puck admitted. She took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes..."

She closed her eyes, and was soon enveloped by a gentle light. Nothing could have prepared Lucas for what he'd find once the light faded - gone was Puck, and in her place was a very sheepish-looking mythical Pokemon. And not just any mythical - it was the one he had read about not even twelve hours ago. To top it off, Lucas saw no way that this could be a trick - outside of a very sheepish glint to her Aura, there were no other changes.

Lucas stared. It was one thing to read about Celebi. Even if it (she?) had an entry in the Hisuian Pokedex, to read about something was completely different from seeing it for himself! 

Suffice to say, Lucas was stunned.

"You're Celebi," he squeaked. "Like...the mythical Pokemon. You're real."

"Yeah, that's me." Celebi let out a weak chuckle, and Lucas noted that her voice seemed to echo in his mind as opposed to him actually hearing it. He wasn't unfamiliar with telepathy - Alger had done it sometimes, to communicate with him - but to experience it now of all times just highlighted the sheer shock he felt.

"So all of the stories about the Pantheon are actually true?? Like, they actually exist?!"

"Um...yeah we do. Not all the stories are accurate, though. Could you calm down now, please?"

"I don't know if I can!" Lucas ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know why I thought I wouldn't be shocked! Between my experience with the Unown and everything with Aura, I shouldn't be as blown away as I am! What the fu-?!"

Lucas felt something soft brush against his cheek. It only took a moment to realize what had happened - his red hat was suspended in midair, and Celebi had her arm stretched out towards it.

Getting lightly smacked with a soft hat by a mythical Pokemon really should not have snapped him out of his crisis...but it somehow did just that. He took a few breaths and tried to ignore the flicker of magenta in the corner of his eye. One thing at a time, Lucas.

"Thanks." Lucas sat down on the floor. What Celebi had done didn't hurt in the slightest, but he raised a hand to his cheek anyway. The sensation kept him grounded. "I really needed that."

"I'll say you did," Celebi huffed as she floated into a sitting position in front of him. The hat fell to the floor as she continued, "I should apologize, though. The circumstances aren't ideal, but I figured it'd be better if actually meeting me was what confirmed the Pantheon's existence to you. Better me than, well…what's going on now."

"What circumstances?" Lucas recalled that he still held the feather in his hand, and held it up. "It's to do with this, right?"

"Ooh! You just reminded me that I still have this one!" Celebi reached into her bag - the only thing that hadn't disappeared when she shifted forms - and pulled out a feather identical to the one Lucas held. "I don't know who gave you your feather, although I can guess."

Celebi huffed, and Lucas had no way of knowing why she shot the open window a dirty look. That look lasted only a moment, anyway; she easily returned to her cheerful tone as she continued, "So I can give this one to one of your friends!"

Lucas would have asked who gave him the feather (if not Celebi), but he was far too worried about the second thing she said. "Just one? Why can't I give someone my feather?"

"I mean, technically you could...but I don't recommend it. You'd fall right back to sleep. Not just that, you'd definitely have another nightmare." 

Lucas stared. Going off what he remembered, Celebi was best known for its (her?) ability to travel through time. That power had nothing to do with any kind of dreams...right? "...How do you know I had a nightmare?"

"Hang on a sec." Before he knew it, Celebi had the Hisuian PokeDex opened in front of her. The pages seemed to flip of their own accord, and Celebi watched attentively until she appeared satisfied. "Aha!"

The book then moved until it was positioned in front of Lucas (and it was only then that he realized that Celebi had used telekinesis again). Taking it into his hands, Lucas scanned through the pages. The entry spoke about a village that experienced nightmares on a moonless night. And the source of those nightmares was...

Lucas then looked up at Celebi. "You're saying Darkrai's behind this?"

"There's no doubt about it," Celebi answered, floating towards the open window. She sat at the windowsill as she continued, "Tonight's the night of the New Moon - when his power is at its strongest. His presence alone can bring nightmares even on any other night, but tonight his power can be felt for miles. A Lunar Feather is one of the very few things that can actually ward them off - that's why you have one. I hate to say this, but you might be the only mortal in Veilstone with a Lunar Feather right now." 

"Does that mean Darkrai's here?!"

"Mhm. And he's not happy. Usually he hides in a faraway island on nights like tonight, but-"

Celebi was cut off by a loud chime coming from Lucas' phone. Baffled, Lucas picked the device up and stared at the screen.

Unknown Number (1:39): Use the second feather to awaken Dawn.

Unknown Number (1:39): Between your situation and your location, it would be better if she were to wake up first.

Lucas (1:40): Pen??

Lucas (UNSENT): What do you mean, 'better'?!

[NUMBER NOT IN SERVICE.]

Lucas felt something settle on his shoulder. He tilted his head and found Celebi - leaning on his shoulder and peering curiously at the phone.

"A friend of yours?" she questioned. Her face scrunched together as her eyes darted across the screen. "A really...really nosy friend of yours?"

"I don't know if I'd say that. If this is who I think it is, I've only been contacted by them once before." Lucas really couldn't count Pen as a friend in that case, could he? In fact, Pen was much more of an enigma than Aevus. Realization hit him then - he didn't see anything named 'Pen' in the Hisuian PokeDex, but maybe Celebi knew. "You don't happen to recognize the name Pen, do you?"

"Sorry, but no. It's probably safe to assume that they're a member of the Pantheon, but I think I'd know if anyone took such a weird alias," Celebi admitted. Putting her hands behind her back, she continued, "To tell you the truth, not many members of the Pantheon interact with humans unless they really have to...not the ones I'm more familiar with, at least."

"There are members you're not familiar with?"

The look Celebi gave Lucas could only be described as incredulous. "Did you think the Pantheon's some kind of intricate hivemind where everyone knows everyone? What idiot told you things were that simple? We're more similar to your human families than you think...we just live way longer and can do way more. Not even my Papa knows everyone in the Pantheon on a familiar basis, and he's one of the oldest members!"

"Papa? You have a father?" Lucas remembered Hearthome - Puck had mentioned her father during their conversation, hadn't she? Lucas didn't think much about it back then, since he thought she was just an odd little girl. But with the knowledge that Puck was actually Celebi, Lucas couldn't help wondering about that more. What member of the Pantheon could technically be Celebi's father...?

Celebi must have been reading Lucas' train of thought - how else could he explain how her eyes widened?

"OH WOW, LOOK AT THE PHONE!" she practically shouted. Lucas winced as the mythical Pokemon rushed to the door. "I should wake Dawn up now! Bye, Lucas!"

"Hey, wait-!"

The door opened, and Celebi flew out of the room. Before Lucas could catch up, the door slammed shut behind Celebi. The loud noise made Lucas flinch and - on reflex - he looked over at his friend. Barry was still sleeping - he seemed strangely peaceful for the moment. Had he not had a nightmare yet, or did that just not show...?

At that moment, Lucas contemplated giving Barry the feather - he really didn't want his friend to be locked in that kind of suffering. And maybe he'd get answers - if the imposter in his dream was who he thought it was...

At that thought, he recalled something Barry told him some time ago; "It’s a one hundred million dollar fine if you do that self-sacrificial crap for my sake!"

That was when Lucas realized; even if he did give the feather to his friend, that didn't guarantee that Barry wouldn't just give it back. That was just the kind of person Barry was - always looking out for his friends, even if it meant he was the one that got punished. Lucas recalled when Barry and Dawn got their Pokemon - how he didn't hesitate to take the blame, if it meant Dawn would get a Pokemon of her own.

Lucas could hear a startled shout coming from the other room. Before long, the door opened again. Dawn marched into the room, holding a feather in her hand.

"Lucas, what the hell is going on?" Dawn's tone was surprisingly even. Lucas knew that was an indicator that she was close to actually freaking out - and who could blame her? Lucas could barely believed the events of the past ten minutes, himself.

It was then that he realized; this was going to be a long night.

Celebi had promised that she'd watch over Barry. Lucas really hadn't wanted to leave Barry alone on a night like tonight, so that promise was one of the few things that gave him any comfort. The feather in his jacket pocket was another. There was a gentle warmth in its Aura; a silent reassurance that things would turn out okay. 

Lucas and Dawn stepped past other victims - sleeping deep, trapped within their own nightmares - in quiet and hurried steps. Lucas might have thought he was back in his nightmare, if it weren’t for Dawn's presence.

It crossed Lucas' mind that maybe that was the reason there were two Lunar Feathers. He was inclined to suspect Aevus, but he couldn't ignore the magenta glow he saw in the hotel room. Looking back on it, that glow seemed almost familiar. Had he seen it before? Was that a member of the Pantheon as well?

"Can you feel anything over there?" Dawn whispered. In her hand was a small compass - one that Lucas never saw her without. She smoothed her thumb over the compass' face, before saying, "That's where this thing's pointing."

Lucas wanted to ask about the compass - its origin was something that she always kept under her hat - but he realized that this would have been the worst time for it. Instead, he followed the arrow's direction and took a few steps forward. He focused his senses as best as he could.

"I think we're close. There's a weird chill in the air - like what I felt in my nightmare," Lucas answered. "It's like if fear was a sensation, it would be this kind of cold. Does that make sense?"

"Kinda...?"

"I'll try again. Um..." Lucas paused and pursed his lips. "How cold would you say Snowpoint could get?"

"Very cold," Dawn answered immediately. "Especially in the nighttime. Off the top of my head...I'd say minus eleven degrees. Minus thirty in really bad conditions."

"I'll take your word for it," Lucas nodded. "I want to say it might be even colder than that. Like...Snowpoint is cold because of a lack of warmth. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is the kind of chill that comes from a lack of light. Does that make sense?"

It seemed to; Dawn's only response was a low whistle. A moment of silence passed before she spoke up again; "I can't believe we're about to confront a member of the Pantheon."

"You're taking this way better than I am," Lucas admitted. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I still can't believe we've met a member of the Pantheon."

"Are you talking about Celebi," Dawn questioned, "or Aevus?"

Lucas shook his head and swiftly denied; "You still don't know for sure that Aevus is a member."

"You're right, I don't." Dawn paused, and Lucas immediately recognized his slip of the tongue. It wouldn't have been the first time Dawn caught onto something that Lucas hadn't said; out of everyone he had ever known, she was always the best at reading between the lines. If there was anything Lucas couldn't figure out, it was almost certain that Dawn would discover the truth.

Thankfully, she didn't hound him. Instead, she continued, "But if Celebi can take on a human form..."

Lucas said nothing. Dawn didn't finish her sentence, and she didn't need to. Who was to say that Aevus wasn't disguising himself as well? It would be pretty wild if a legendary just approached someone in their true form...but if Lucas were to be honest, he found himself wishing that Aevus had done that. Lucas already had one giant shock that nearly killed him, what would one more have done to him?!

"You doing okay, Luc?"

"I don't know. I..." Lucas stretched his arm out - his best attempt at gesturing to everything going on around them. "This is all real. Like...Aevus, Celebi and the Pantheon...they're all real."

"Looks like it, yeah," Dawn said, a little awkwardly. She pursed her lips before continuing, "I'm a little surprised you're so wound up by this."

"I just..." Lucas took a breath, and then another. "It's my nightmare. Even if it was just Darkrai trying to warn me, it still brought back some really bad memories. Between that...and now that I know for sure the Pantheon is real..."

Dawn tugged on his shoulder, placing a finger over her lips. Lucas was hurt, but only for a moment. Nothing was said as Dawn gently turned him around - so that he could see the being that caused all this in the first place.

Darkrai clearly hadn't noticed the Trainers - his gaze was more focused on what was in front of him - which brought Lucas some relief. He didn't want to know how he would have reacted if Darkrai had noticed them. It was easy to believe that he would have frozen in fear, and he second-guessed his decision to face Darkrai. What was he even doing?

His question was answered when he heard a familiar shout; "Leave these mortals out of this! This matter is between you and me, you have no right to-!"

Seeing Aevus wasn't a huge shock. Lucas knew that he was in the area, and he doubted that he could have gotten too far since their previous encounter. What shocked him was that Aevus was here and awake.

Not just that, Darkrai’s attention seemed entirely focused on him - it seemed to cut Aevus off to respond. Lucas couldn't understand what Darkrai might have said; if shadows could make a noise, then Darkrai's voice would definitely be it. Aevus seemed to understand it well enough - his face contorted, and Lucas felt a gradual burning on his right arm.

The realization hit the two trainers at once, and they whispered in unison; "Darkrai's after Aevus."

Lucas didn't know what Dawn’s nightmare was about, although he did notice some tension on her shoulders. Was it similar to Lucas' nightmare?

Aevus spoke again; "What happened that day could not be helped! I am sorry that no one told you, but if you would just listen-!"

Darkrai cut him off. Whatever the Dark-type said clearly struck a nerve in Aevus - the pain on Lucas' arm quickly became unbearable, and anger came to him like a swift punch to the throat.

Everything around Lucas became blurry - it was like he was dunked underwater, only able to hear a loud pulse ringing in his ears. He could barely breathe, and how could he feel this much anger all of a sudden? Lucas wasn’t sure which was more terrifying; the intensity of the rage he felt or the knowledge that he had no reason for it.

Lucas was aware of warmth on his face - someone’s hands - and he opened his eyes. (When had he closed them?)

Worry and confusion were clear in Dawn's expression, and Lucas managed to take a breath. It wasn't enough. He reached into his pocket - he didn't even know whose PokeBall he took into his hand, he just threw it. The screech sounded far away, but Lucas could still tell that it was his Crobat he had thrown into the fray.

"Back Arty up," Lucas begged. He knew Dawn could hear him, but he still wasn't in any frame of mind to be battling. He could still barely think. "He's rested, but he can't-"

The warmth moved from Lucas' face, and he felt something gently comb through his hair. He then heard the sound of a PokeBall opening.

A loud roar ultimately brought Lucas back to his senses, and he could breathe again. The loud heartbeat already felt more like a distant memory.

It didn't even take long to recognize the roar. Dawn definitely chose Jordan. What used to be a rambunctious Totodile was now a triple threat of a Feraligatr: cunning, swift and strong. Jordan must have decided to ambush Darkrai.

Lucas watched as Jordan and Arty teamed up; the Feraligatr took a more direct approach in confronting Darkrai, using Aqua Tail to knock him away. Arty circled around them, using Air Cutter whenever he had an opening.

"Lucas!" Dawn's voice snapped Lucas out of his thoughts, and he glanced her way. Concern was still present in her expression. "You okay now?"

Lucas nodded, a weak smile on his face. She smiled back and said, "Good. Now make sure Aevus is okay - he seemed furious just now, and I don't think anything good would've happened if we hadn't stepped in."

"He was?" Lucas had always been able to read Aevus fairly well, but that level of rage he felt surprised him. If Aevus was the source of it...

It was a relief to find that Aevus had snapped out of his anger - in fact, he seemed almost dazed as he watched Arty and Jordan gang up on Darkrai. The relief only highlighted just how much Aevus needed to explain to him, because what the hell was that?!

Lucas used the chaos to run past - and as he did, he decided that he had no idea how much longer he was willing to wait for Aevus' explanation.

Not for the first time, Dialga cursed the loss of his future vision. While he would never regret the circumstances leading to the loss of that ability (nor would he go back in time to change that outcome), that did not mean he was never frustrated. In this case, he was certain that the New Moon would not have blindsided him in any other instance.

The realization that that tonight was the New Moon was not a pleasant one for Dialga. While Cresselia had warned him that Darkrai would go after him the first chance he got, Dialga knew that he should have been more prepared.

Dialga was not certain of the range of Darkrai’s power - he was not certain if Lucas and his friends would have been caught in it, even if they had left Veilstone. That was why he decided to entrust the Lunar Feather to Celebi. If any in the Pantheon would have found them, it was her.

Darkrai found him not long after midnight. An hour and forty-three minutes of arguments and fighting brought them to this point. Dialga was exhausted - he dared not revert to his true form, or even his altered form. He was not willing to cause that much destruction to Veilstone while the mortals slept.

Surely Darkrai knew that. Why else would he make sure to confront Dialga in the most crowded city in Sinnoh?

"Leave these mortals out of this!" Dialga shouted, after he blocked a particularly strong Dark Pulse. "This matter is between you and me, you have no right to-!"

"No right?!" Darkrai shouted. "That's rich coming from you! You certainly didn't mind getting mortals hurt all those years ago, did you?!" 

"What happened that day could not be helped!" Dialga had to remind himself that there were details surrounding Rei's passing that Darkrai lacked. While it did not take away from the agitation he felt, it kept him grounded. "I am sorry that nobody told you what happened, but if you would just listen-!"

"Oh, I'll make sure you're sorry! The time for listening is long gone," Darkrai seethed. "You know, I never thought you the type to build bonds with humans only to hurt them in the end. You certainly had Rei fooled - your performance in the Temple of Sinnoh was a fantastic touch."

All rational thought immediately left Dialga’s mind - all he could do was feel.

"How dare you," Dialga snarled. "You know exactly what I lost that day, so to say that like I ever wanted to-!"

In that moment, anything that Darkrai may have said seemed muffled and far-away. All Dialga could hear - all that filled his mind - was his own roaring heartbeat. Everything that he was burned, and the only thought on his mind was-!

Three sounds brought Dialga back to reality; a screech, a shout, and a roar.

The roar came from a Feraligatr - a confounding sight in and of itself, because Dialga knew that the Totodile line hadn't been found in Sinnoh...at all. Just the sight of it was enough to bring Dialga to his senses, and he could only watch as the Water-type launched herself at Darkrai with a mighty swing of her tail. The source of the shout was obvious; if Dialga was startled just by the sight of the Water-type, Darkrai must have been blindsided from that attack.

The Crobat - the obvious source of the screech - was what really caught Dialga's attention. Something about him struck Dialga as strangely familiar. It was hard to tell what that could be, if only because Crobat was moving too fast for Dialga to properly watch him.

In trying to observe the Crobat's movements, Dialga failed to notice anyone approaching him. At least, until a familiar voice spoke up; "Aevus! You okay?"

Dialga was not shocked to see that Lucas was awake. That only meant that Celebi was successful in giving him the Lunar Feather. What shocked Dialga was the fact that the boy was awake and here.

"Why are you here?!" Dialga was still rather tense, and shock quickly gave way to concern. There was no point in asking Lucas what he saw - if he and his companions saw fit to intervene, he had probably seen enough. Celebi should have informed him regardless, so why-?! "Darkrai is at his strongest tonight, you are in no way ready to face strength of that caliber!" 

Lucas was clearly taken aback, but he quickly recovered.

"You just answered your own question!" As he spoke, Lucas pulled out Lunar Feather from his jacket pocket. "Unless there's something you're not telling me, you're less prepared for Darkrai than we are!"

"I can take care of myself, Lucas! I am not a hatchling that requires assistance at every turn!"

"Is that what you think of me?" There was a momentary flicker of hurt in Lucas' expression before it returned to indignation. "I know there's a lot of things I still need to learn, but I'm not a child! Don't tell me you just helped me out because you thought I couldn't take care of myself!"

"What?! No, that is not the reason!" Dialga knew that to argue about this was not wise - not with Darkrai at his strongest - but neither was Lucas' decision to be out here in the first place. The reason he had Celebi give Lucas the Lunar Feather was because there was no telling what Darkrai's power would have done to someone as sensitive as Lucas. While he regretted that he could only procure one Lunar Feather before the New Moon, it was still enough to put Dialga's mind at ease. "I know perfectly well you can take care of yourself, but I cannot allow you to get hurt for my sake!"

"What's wrong with wanting to help you, like you've helped me?!" Lucas shouted. He crossed his arms. "Isn't that what friends do for each other - help them with their troubles?"

"You-?! How dare you turn my own words against me! That is-!" Dialga placed a hand over his mouth with enough force to sting. It was strange how the sting kept him grounded. He nearly said too much. 

Dialga nearly said not fair.

Because it was not fair that even after (what he did) what happened, Dialga would still receive assistance from humans like Rei. Humans like Lucas. Did he even deserve Lucas' friendship in the first place? He had been the one to turn the boy's life on its head. If Lucas knew the truth...

Dialga was terrified to realize; I am a soft-hearted fool. All I needed was for Lucas to trust me, so that I could identify and thwart the maker of the Red Chain. To actually care - like I care for Celebi, like I cared for Rei - was never part of the plan, and yet-!

Dialga inhaled through his nose. Before he could apologize, he heard footsteps. If Dialga had any trace of anger in his mind, it was completely dashed by Dawn's arrival. It was no secret among the Pantheon that Lunar Feathers only worked for the human that held it - the item could not be shared. If she and Lucas were both awake, that could only mean there was a second Lunar Feather between them. He only provided the one Feather, so how-?

The realization came to him quick; Mesprit. Was that another reason for her presence in Veilstone, or was that merely a case of serendipity? Either way, Dialga was glad for it.

The Crobat had flown closer as well - it did not seem like Darkrai had bested him, but he still seemed rather tired. He collapsed onto Lucas' back, wrapping his wings around the boy's shoulders as if giving him a hug.

"Good work, buddy," Lucas whispered, giving his friend a Sitrus Berry. "Take a short break. Dawn, what happened?"

"Darkrai retreated," Dawn answered. There was a smug tone to her voice as she said, "I told you the Shell Bell was a good idea."

So the Feraligatr was a companion of Dawn's? Dialga supposed that made sense. Before he could ruminate on that further, he remembered that Jordan would eventually grow tired. As strong as a Feraligatr could be, to confront Darkrai at full strength was half madness and half bravery. Hopefully, they realized just how much effort they would need to put in order to keep Darkrai at bay.

With that in mind, Dialga decided that he would protect them any way he could. Even if it meant revealing who he truly was.

"Darkrai must be plotting his next move," Dialga mused. As he spoke, he noticed that Crobat's head immediately perked up. Lucas nearly dropped the half-eaten Sitrus Berry in his surprise, but Crobat did not seem to care. There was a strange expression on the Poison-type's face as he stared at Dialga. The nagging sense of familiarity grew, but Dialga knew he could not afford to dwell on it.

In an effort to put the thought out of his mind, he continued, "If you two are truly adamant on keeping Darkrai at bay, you must not hold back. You must put everything you have into the fight. Is that understood?"

The children nodded, and Dawn spoke up; "Maybe we should have some fliers scout the area. There might be other people with Lunar Feathers that could help us out."

"That is not a bad idea." Dialga nodded. "While the odds are low, more impossible things have happened. It would certainly be worth the effort."

Before Lucas could say anything, Crobat pushed himself off Lucas and hoisted himself into the air. The Trainer was clearly surprised. "Are you sure, Arty? You're not too tired?"

It did not take much for Arty to convince Lucas, especially after Dawn promised that she would send her Pelipper out with him. Once they took off, Dawn turned her attention healing Jordan and giving her a chance to rest. The Feraligatr had fought admirably, but it was clear that Darkrai had worn her down considerably.

The Lord of Time glanced in Lucas' direction. This was the calm before the storm, so he decided that this would be a good time to say what was on his mind.

"Lucas. I apologize for my earlier outburst. Make no mistake...I appreciate your concern." Dialga pursed his lips before continuing, "Darkrai is referred to as the Eidolon of Fear - that is to say, his power is that of fear and nightmares. It appears that even I am not immune on a night like tonight."

"I feel I should apologize too," Lucas answered. Dialga watched as the boy placed a hand on his right arm. "I don't really regret helping you out, but I don't think I've ever seen you that angry. I won't lie, it was kinda scary."

Anger. That was what Dialga had felt - an alarming realization in itself, but even more horrifying was the revelation that followed.

If it was a simple confrontation Darkrai wanted, would he have pursued Dialga to a crowded city like Veilstone? Would he have taunted him? Would he have brought up the Temple of Sinnoh? Would he have waited until the night of the New Moon, when his power to create fear would affect even the strongest members of the Pantheon? Of course not.

Darkrai - in his own way - was trying to send Dialga into a frenzy.

Chapter Text

Arty knew firsthand what nighttime was much quieter than the daytime. Before he met Lucas, he recognized nighttime as soothing sounds: the sounds of other wild Pokemon sleeping, and the occasional rustle of leaves. For a creature that relied primarily on sound, Zubat thrived on hunting at night. Arty wasn't an exception to that.

After he evolved, the night still brought the bat Pokemon solace. The sun didn't do Arty any favors as he adjusted to his new eyes and quick evolution. It was something he had in common with Lucas: the Crobat had no way of knowing what 'Aura' was, but Lucas had once admitted to Arty that it was the reason he found the sunlight harsh at one point. Having someone relate to his struggle ultimately helped Arty adjust. While he still got tired if he ever pushed himself, it wasn't too bad with the knowledge that he wasn't alone.

If there was anything Arty had learned since he met Lucas, it was that things could change in an instant.

Because tonight was...different. The silence was unsettling. The sight of humans scattered across the area was terrifying. While he knew that they were only sleeping...Arty couldn't help wondering if that could change for the worse. This would only be for one night...but how long would it take for the sun to rise? How could anyone have predicted that a Pokemon capable of putting an entire city to a fitful sleep would be in the area? On top of that, how could anyone have predicted that it would go after a friend of Lucas'?

Arty wanted to help Lucas fend Darkrai off, he really did...but before that, he needed to think. That was part of the reason he was so eager to look for help; he didn't know what he would have done if he had stayed. Just who was that friend of his?

As Arty rested on a tree branch, a nudge to his side broke him from his thoughts. He almost forgot that he wasn't flying alone: Dawn's Pelipper was a good companion at times like this. A little quiet for his kind, but Arty never minded that.

("You're bein' awful quiet,") Wilbur murmured. Arty couldn't blame him for being cautious; just a few minutes backing up Jordan against Darkrai was enough to put him on edge. Wilbur had seen Jordan's condition after that fight, and that was with the Shell Bell. ("Berry for your thoughts? It might help if you talk about it.")

Arty hesitated. He didn't know how he could explain it in a way that made sense...but a different perspective never hurt, right?

("It's about that guy...the one with the cloth covering his eye. Our Trainers call him Aevus, right?") Wilbur nodded, and Arty took a moment before continuing, ("He didn't seem...familiar to you, did he?")

("Familiar? In what sense?") The Pelipper's expression gave away his confusion, which told Arty everything he needed to know. ("Why do you ask? I mean, you've been with Lucas longer than I've been with Dawn. And Lucas is the one that looks up to Aevus. If either of us would have met him before, wouldn't that have been you?")

("That's the thing. I have met him. Or at least, I've heard his voice before. Like, before I even met Lucas.") Arty figured that he may as well get right to the point. He hesitated, and his voice lowered as he continued, ("So I'm pretty sure Aevus isn't actually his name.")

("...You what.") A moment passed before Wilbur spoke up; ("What does that even mean? Aevus' voice is pretty unique, but are you sure you didn't just imagine that you've heard it before?")

("If you were kin, I'd take offense to that,") Arty snapped. After taking a breath, the Crobat then said, ("Sorry, Wil. It's just...I've never met a Zubat that was capable of forgetting a voice.")

Hell, it was impossible for him to forget a sound. Every sound leading up to meeting Lucas, he could recall vividly.

It started with Aevus' voice, issuing a warning to someone named 'Rei'. A second voice - similar to Lucas' voice - assuring 'Dialga' that they were almost done with something. The crackling in the air, the rumble of the world around him, the whoosh of several PokeBalls as they missed him, the giant gust of wind that blew him off-kilter and right into Lucas' lap (so to speak).

Of course it caught Arty's attention immediately, when Aevus spoke the first time. It was Arty's first time seeing his face, but the voice rang far too familiar for it to be any different.

Whatever the man's identity was - Aevus or Dialga - it didn't matter to Arty. He knew that Aevus wasn't a threat, but he was also certain that Aevus was one of the voices he heard in the Fieldlands that day. He didn't need to be a psychic-type to figure any of that out.

What he couldn't wrap his head around was how.

("Suppose that's fair. Sorry, Art.") Wilbur paused. ("Maybe ask Alger? Even if he can't figure it out, he can still let Lucas know what you just told me. Psychic-types can do that, right?")

("Oh, yeah!") How did that not cross Arty's mind? The Crobat had reason to be intimidated by the Gardevoir...but he had to admit that telepathy ability could be really useful. Even if Arty couldn't make heads or tails of who or what 'Aevus' really was, maybe Lucas and Alger could. ("Thanks, Wil.")

("Don't thank me yet,") the Pelipper answered, nudging Arty again. ("Let's get through the night first, yeah?")

Arty nodded, stretching his wings. ("Yeah. I think I've rested enough, let's-")

A sound caught Arty's attention. He trained his senses onto the sound, barely allowing himself to believe it...but those were definitely words being spoken. A plea for someone to wake up. A human voice?!

("Someone's awake!") he exclaimed. ("I think it's a human. They're close by, c'mon!")

Arty took off, leaving a bewildered Pelipper trailing after him. He ignored the growing ache in his wings. 

Three hours had passed since Lucas and Dawn's departure. Three more hours would pass before sunrise. Celebi knew that much - she was as much a deity of time as her father.

Nothing was happening. Celebi told herself several times that the silence was a good thing, but she still couldn't stand it.

She promised Lucas and Dawn that she would watch over Barry, and she was a sprite of her word. In all that time, Barry didn't seem to stir. That meant he wasn't having a nightmare right now, didn't it? 

Not for the first time, Celebi wished that her psychic power extended to reading minds. At least she'd be of more help in that case. Knowing how each little choice could affect the timeline was a handy gift in most circumstances, but with Darkrai's power enveloping the whole city...

Tap, tap, tap.

Celebi almost teleported in her surprise, but then she noticed Azelf's Aura. It was then that she remembered; Lake Valor was a twenty-minute walk from Veilstone City. Of course he would want to check in on things. It didn't explain why he was here, though. Celebi wondered if Azelf was looking for Lucas or one of the others. 

Azelf tapped the window again, and Celebi stared. Was he...not in his astral form? Even if that was the case, why not just teleport inside? Regardless, Celebi opened the window and watched as Azelf showed himself in.

"Not that I'm not glad to see you, and I know this is your territory," Celebi started. "But if you're looking for Lucas or Dawn, they're not here. I imagine they're with Papa right now."

"I appreciate it, but I'm actually here to help you out." As he spoke, Azelf sat at the foot of Barry's bed. "Your power isn't like Cresselia's, after all."

Celebi stared. "You're not exactly a goddess of dreams, either."

"Well, yeah." Azelf shrugged. "I can't prevent Barry from getting nightmares, but I can help him get through the worst of whatever Darkrai throws at him."

Celebi's surprise was clear on her face. It had to be, because Azelf fidgeted and sighed; "It was something I often did with Rei."

"Rei...?" The name was starting to become more and more familiar to Celebi. Other than the fact that he looked just like Lucas, there was precious little she actually knew about him. She did know that his passing was downright unbearable for her father. She never asked Dialga about it directly for precisely that reason, but it crossed her mind that since Rei had started to become relevant...

Focus, she reminded herself. Don't do anything before you know how it'll effect tonight.

Despite her train of thought (or perhaps because of it), Celebi asked, "Is Rei related to why Darkrai's here?"

"I thought that was obvious. Darkrai cared about Rei as much as Dialga." Azelf stared at Celebi, a puzzled expression on his face. "Do you...really not know? What about the Time Flower I saw on my way here? I could have sworn you made it."

"What Time Flower?" It wasn't a secret among the Pantheon that Celebi could make Time Flowers. She was one of the few that actually could. But she would have known if she had made one in the area. Unless...?

Celebi suddenly felt a chill crawling up her spine. A shadow passed over the room, and Barry whimpered.

The streets of Veilstone City were eerily silent. Anyone in this situation could have been startled by a pin falling to the ground.

Lucas couldn't help wondering: was Darkrai waiting for a chance to ambush them, or was this some kind of game?

Can't be a game, he reminded himself. If that was Darkrai's aim, he wouldn't have been so focused on Aevus. It wouldn't explain why he called me Rei, either. 

Lucas wanted to ask, but knew that this wasn't the time. It was always clear that Aevus knew more than he let on, but this was important. Lucas and Dawn literally jumped into danger to help him out. What if Lucas asked now, and Darkrai took the opportunity to attack while Aevus explained? That would be the worst-case scenario by far.  

As Lucas glanced at his friends - Dawn occasionally wringing her hands and Aevus observing their surroundings like a Braviary -  he had a realization; I should not be this calm right now. On top of all of this, Barry's still sleeping. Darkrai could get to him at any moment. While I am worried...I'm not paralyzed by that fear. I really should be. So why am I not?

As if on cue, Lucas felt a strange warmth crawling up the back of his neck - something familiar, something he could trust. He turned his head, and saw something glittering. The magenta light from before. Seeing it felt like like seeing an old friend. Where could he have seen it before, though?

"Lucas?" Lucas felt something grab his arm, and he jumped. He turned his head. The magenta glimmer disappeared, but the warm sensation lingered. Huh.

Dawn retracted her hand, just as startled. "You okay? You got really quiet."

"I'm...fine." Freaking out, insecure, neurotic, emotional? Any of that made more sense than the sense of calm he felt. "I thought I saw something, that's all."

Aevus spoke up; "Do you believe it was Darkrai?"

"No. It was like a glimmer of light. I could only see it out of the corner of my eye, but, um...I don't feel alarmed? I just feel this strange sense of calm." Lucas looked up at Aevus, carefully observing his face. "You said Darkrai's called the Eidolon of Fear, right? If that's true, I don't think he can replicate that."

Aevus seemed to contemplate this. Not for the first time, Lucas wondered what he could have been thinking. Given how much he knew, maybe he had some idea as to why Lucas felt so calm now. Was it because of the Lunar Feather he held, or something else?

"A light out of the corner of your eye?" Dawn repeated slowly. After a moment, she questioned; "It wasn't yellow by any chance, was it?"

"No, it was pink." Lucas paused. "Dawn, have you seen a yellow light?"

"Before I moved, sometimes. I was just curious." She shrugged. Curiously, Lucas glanced at Aevus. Judging from his Aura...he seemed only half-surprised to hear any of this. 

The pink light flickered again, and Lucas took another step towards it. "I just saw it again. I...think it wants me to follow it? Could you two keep close to me? Maybe it'll give us a hint about how we can make it through the night."

"The odds of that are incredibly low, Lucas," Aevus said. His tone was gentle, and oddly resigned. "Even if Darkrai did not form that light, there is no guarantee it will help."

"There isn't a guarantee that it won't help, either," Lucas insisted. "You're the one that said we should use everything we have if we want to fend Darkrai off. Shouldn't that include accepting any kind of help we can get?" 

Aevus said nothing to that. His Aura said more than enough - grief, guilt, and a little bit of fear. Lucas recalled that it was like the time he told Aevus about his mom, which made him wonder...what did Darkrai say to him that affected him the way it did? 

Aevus' gaze flickered - from Lucas to the direction of the magenta glow. Realization sparked in his Aura. Strange. 

"Very well," Aevus finally said. "Lead the way."

So Lucas followed the glow, occasionally glancing behind him to see if Dawn and Aevus were following. True to character, Dawn looked up at Aevus. Lucas couldn't pick up on what she was saying; he was too focused on following the magenta light. Whatever she asked, Aevus didn't answer. Lucas remembered Solaceon; how hesitant Aevus had been in admitting that he knew what was going on. Was he choosing his words in a similar manner now?

The magenta light lingered, and Lucas immediately recognized the blue-green artifact glowing underneath. He felt a force on his back, gently pushing him towards the Time Flower. He then heard a voice echo in his mind, "Don't hesitate. If nothing else, this should help you understand Darkrai."

Lucas glanced towards Aevus and Dawn. Both of them seemed as surprised as Lucas...but Aevus' surprise bordered more on shock. Did he know what a Time Flower was?

Before he could let himself question it, Lucas took the flower into his hands and watched as it opened. Like the previous flower, images were dreamlike but sounds were crystal clear.

"You befriended Darkrai? For all your accomplishments, you continue to astound me with your recklessness."

"What do you mean? He was lonely. Offering friendship is kinda the human thing to do."

"A 'human thing' that could very well lead to your downfall."

"I don't see an issue. I promised I would 'seek out all Pokemon,' doesn't that include Darkrai?"

"I suppose you are correct, but you still must remain cautious."

"I didn't get this advice when I befriended Dialga and the others. Don't they all - how do I put this - aren't they all way more powerful than Darkrai?"

"Yes, but the main reason for that is Darkrai cannot control his own strength. Unless you possess a Lunar Feather, not even you will be completely immune. Mesprit and Azelf can only do so much for the mortals they like."

"..."

"Do not misunderstand; if you are truly adamant on befriending Darkrai, far from me to stop you. But you must set clear boundaries within this friendship - for his sake as well as yours. This may surprise you to hear, but he is one of the youngest members of the Pantheon. That makes him naive to the way of the world...and you are the first mortal to befriend him."

"...What are you saying? And why tell me this in the first place?"

Before an answer was given, the images flickered out of existence. The flower disintegrated. Lucas was left with more questions than answers.

Like the last Time Flower, it was Rei speaking with a woman who seemed to know a lot about the Pantheon. It was the same woman, too. Whoever she was, she seemed to have a lot of knowledge on the Pantheon. Lucas couldn't blame Rei for picking her brain, no matter how tense he had been in her presence. Could she have been a member of the Pantheon herself? Or was she one of those Celestic heroes? 

Curious, Lucas glanced at Aevus. It was hard to say what he could have been feeling. The grief was still there. But there was confusion there, too. What could Lucas even say to that?

Thankfully, Dawn was there. She glanced between Lucas and Aevus before asking, "...Pokeyen for your thoughts? Anyone?"

Aevus cleared his throat, swiftly swiping a hand over his visible eye. "I, ah...I am surprised. It has been a long time since I last saw a Time Flower. And its contents..."

"Yeah," Dawn muttered with a nod. "I wasn't expecting a Darkrai lore-dump. I wonder if this would help in any way?"

Lucas hummed as he walked closer to the two. Now that he thought about it: Rei was in the Time Flower, wasn't he? 

"I just realized," he mused. "I don't know if I told you about the dream I had before I woke up. I didn't think much about it at the time, since the only person I actually saw was my dad...but he called me Rei shortly before I got my Lunar Feather. He said some other things that didn't make sense, but my actual dad wouldn't have made a mistake like that." 

"No, but Darkrai would," Aevus muttered. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I assume you have figured this out already, but he is...capable of inhabiting the dreams of mortals. I have seen him do this before." 

Like that one episode of The Midnight Sector, except it's a god of nightmares and not a demon, Lucas thought bitterly. He always knew that his fascination with the horror genre would eventually come back to bite him, but not like this. "Great. Just the knowledge I needed."

"But why, though?" Dawn questioned. "Based on what Lucas said, it's like Darkrai's trying to get us to be scared of Aevus...or at least be wary of him. The Time Flower didn't exactly explain why."

"The woman in the Time Flower said that Darkrai was naive compared to the rest of the Pantheon," Lucas mused. "Maybe-?"

A horrible screech echoed through the city. The three jumped, and barely had time to recover before they saw Celebi flying towards them. 

"Good, you three are together!" she exclaimed.  She stopped in front of them, pausing to catch her breath. "That makes things so much easier!" 

"Celebi?!" All three of them shouted the same thing, although Aevus' tone didn't go past Lucas unnoticed. It was less shock and more worry. It brought to mind that brief moment the two of them were together in Solaceon Town. Lucas pushed the thought out of his mind. 

"What happened?" Lucas said. "You said you were going to keep an eye on Barry!"

"I was! Barry got targeted by Darkrai, but he-!" 

Lucas felt it before he saw it - a chill creeping up his neck. Before he could say anything, a ball of dark energy struck Celebi from behind. It didn't seem to hurt her, but her eyelids drooped close, and she fell. Dawn caught her before she hit the ground. It was obvious that she was asleep - her steady breathing told him that much at least. But how did-?

Lucas looked up, and there Darkrai was. He seemed even more angry than he was before. Not just that, but frustrated. Furious. Of course, Lucas was worried when he heard that Barry was targeted...but Darkrai's anger didn't line up with that.

Did it?

Before Lucas could voice his thought, he felt another chill running down his spine before he felt something closing around him. He couldn't breathe. Something lifted him into the air, leaving him kicking his feet as he struggled. The breathless sensation didn't last long - Darkrai practically launched Lucas down the block. His eyes were scrunched shut, and all he could do was scream. The sound of Aevus and Dawn screaming his name only barely registered in his mind. Lucas' arms were stretched out in front of him, and the only thought on his mind was that he had to stay close to them. Even if he couldn't protect them, he just wanted to support them.

More than anything, Lucas wanted to reach out and grab their hands. Remind them that they weren't alone.

Lucas' fall was suddenly broken by something grabbing the back of his jacket. The familiar sound of wings flapping confirmed his immediate suspicion. The movements seemed to be guided by a gentle force - not unlike what Darkrai used to separate Lucas from the others. Strange, but it didn't seem like something he should worry about at that moment. 

Once he was settled, Lucas opened his eyes and immediately saw the worried expression on his Crobat's face. Relieved, Lucas hugged him. "Thanks buddy. You couldn't have come at a better time!"

He looked around, and found that Arty's search party was one member short. Strangely, there was a Mr. Mime in the area. Lucas guessed that was what helped Arty settle Lucas' trajectory...but it didn't answer the pressing question on his mind. "What happened to Wilbur?"

"If by 'Wilbur' you mean the Pelipper, he flew off in that direction."

Lucas jolted. He hadn't even registered that someone was there until the stranger spoke up. Mr. Mime's Trainer, no doubt. And Lucas could only stare - because he recognized him. It wasn't Cynthia, but it was an Elite Four member. But the timing was just way too convenient. Lucas didn't know what Darkrai was trying to do, targeting Lucas the way he did. Unless-?!

Urgently, Lucas patted himself down. How did Lucas know that Darkrai hadn't tried to take the Lunar Feather from him? For all he know, he could have fallen asleep right now. 

As if he had read Lucas' mind, Lucian reached into his pocket and pulled out a Feather of his own. "Check your inner pocket. You can relax, you're awake. Just tell me what's going on."

Lucas opened his jacket and checked - sure enough, the feather was safely tucked into the inside pocket. Arty nudged him urgently, and Lucas clutched the feather in his hand. 

Relieved and fearful at the same time, he filled Lucian in.