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Ochi Tsukimitsu was having a very peculiar week. When he first woke up on Monday, he felt that something was missing. He spent a good hour tearing up his dorm room to look for it, but couldn't seem to find what he lost. He had this strange feeling in his gut that he was supposed to have a roommate, but they weren't sleeping in the other bed in his room. He scratched his head trying to rack his brain to figure out where these false thoughts were coming from, but ultimately let them fade away as he had to get ready for tennis practice.
"Save me!"
Periodically, he'd hear that strange cry in his head. Though the voice was familiar, he didn't know who it belonged to. He had begun to wonder if he was losing his mind. He always felt as if something beside his shadow was following him, which made him shudder. It didn't help that he was doing things that made his friends question his sanity. It first started off with Ochi always saving an extra seat at the table for someone that was never going to fill it. His friends found it slightly strange, but didn't think much of it. But when they were playing cards later that night, he kept dealing for six players even though there were only five of them.
"Tsukki? You're doing it again," Tanegashima called him out.
"Ah. Sorry," he mumbled
"There's only five of us," Oomagari groaned. "Why do you always deal for six?"
"...I can't help but feel as if there was supposed to be someone else here," he responded.
"You do seem rather exhausted as of late, Ochi-kun. Perhaps you should get more sleep," Kimijima sighed as he pushed his glasses up his face.
"...I suppose."
Toono took a glance at the door to the room and noticed a lone middle schooler standing there with his mouth agape and staring intently at the five of them.
"How long do you plan on standing there like an idiot?" he spat.
"Who, me?" Kirihara asked for clarification.
"Who the hell else?" was his annoyed response. "If you got something to say, then fucking say it or get out!"
"...Must you be rude to the poor middle schooler, Toono-kun?" was Kimijima's equally annoyed addition. "Unfortunately, I must agree with you. Do you have business with us?"
"N-no," he stuttered, "I just... Weren't there six of you?"
The five high schoolers all looked at each other in bewilderment before shrugging.
"No, it's always been us five," Tanegashima recalled. "But it does feel less lively than I recall."
"That's because you're not on one of your sugar rushes," Oomagari groaned.
"I do feel like something is missing," Ochi added, "but... I don't know what that is."
Kirihara has a look in his eyes that Ochi couldn't shake from his mind. "No way... You don't remember him?"
"Remember who, exactly?" Kimijima inquired.
"Nevermind," he brushed off. "Sorry to bother you all."
That brief interaction stuck with Ochi as he went to bed later that night. There was something off about what that middle schooler was saying, but he just didn't know what. When he opened his eyes again, he never imagined he'd be waking up on a sunny beach the next morning.
"What is this place...?"
As he sat up to take a look around, a strange jumping mouse-like creature hopped onto his chest. Flames burst from its backside, scaring the man into a panic.
"Whoa...!"
"Cyndaquil, don't!" a shout from afar commanded, which immediately calmed the beast. "Oh, Heavens! Are you alright?!"
The tiny fire creature immediately jumped off and scurried back to an approaching man in a white lab coat and purple knitted hat. Ochi nodded slowly as he got up from the ground and dusted himself off.
"You're quite massive!" the person in the lab coat said in surprise. "Here I was thinking that Mouri-kun was tall, but you've gotten him beat by a mile!"
That name sounded very familiar to him. "...Mouri?"
"Ah, my apologies," the man laughed. "I seem to be rambling about people you don't even know... I'm Professor Laventon, by the way. And you are...?"
"Ochi," he answered. "Ochi Tsukimitsu."
"Ochi-kun, then," Professor Laventon decided. "Hm! First, we had that Pearl Clan warden, then Mouri-kun, Kirihara-kun, and now you... What is going on with that strange rift in the sky?"
Now, Ochi was definitely concerned when he heard that name. "Kirihara?"
"Oh, I've done it again," the professor sighed. "Anywho, let's get you back to Jubilife. You can decide what you want to do once we get to a safer location."
Not really sure what other options he had, Ochi decided to follow Professor Laventon back into town, where a very grand building stood in the very center of it all. As they entered together, they were immediately greeted by a stoic and intimidating woman pacing around the front office while lost in thought.
"Good day, Captain Cyllene," the professor greeted her. "Unfortunately, there seems to be another civilian from another time caught up in the strange happenings of this region."
The woman stopped and took a very long look up at Ochi before saying anything. "You're quite tall."
"Thank you...?" was his confused answer.
"Forgive me for being rude," she began, "but I am preoccupied with the disappearance of one of our Supply Corps members."
"Who went missing?" the professor asked.
"Mouri. He was last seen near the Temple of Sinnoh, but I haven't heard anything since. And we're short on personnel that it'll take a considerable amount of time and resources to look for him."
"Oh dear..."
A neuron in Ochi's brain finally fired, triggering a release of memories that felt sealed off deep within his brain. He remembered who Mouri Jusaburou was. The guilt welling up within him for even forgetting something as integral as that made him sick to his stomach. Knowing that he was now lost in this strange land he had no knowledge of only made that feeling worse.
"Let me look for him," he blurted out without a second thought. "Please."
"I'm sorry, but I can't possibly let someone who just fell out of the sky with no training or prior experience dealing with Pokemon go on a search and rescue mission for the Galaxy Expedition Team," Cyllene scoffed. "And, who are you, exactly?"
"Ochi Tsukimitsu," he answered firmly. "Mouri is someone I know from my world."
This statement intrigued both the professor and the captain.
"Ochi-kun, you know Mouri-kun?" the professor asked.
"Very well," he confirmed. "Please let me go find him."
"Again, I cannot possibly allow a civilian like you to conduct this mission," the captain denied.
"I'll learn," he said with determination. "Please."
Seeing that he wasn't going to waver with his conviction, Cyllene sighed. "Given that this situation is dire, I will take it upon myself to train you to ensure that you are battle-ready for this mission. Be prepared."
True to her words, Captain Cyllene did everything she could to wear Ochi down to the bone, but he kept getting back up every time. It was a testament to the hell he had gone through at the U-17 training camp, but an immense determination to be as ready as possible for any dangers that this precarious mission will put him in. Even after a whole week of training non-stop, Ochi was somehow still able to stand on his own two feet.
"Your unwavering determination truly is remarkable," Cyllene commented. "You must really care about him if you're willing to go this far."
All he could do was nod as he tried to catch his breath.
"I've taught you everything I could about engaging with and capturing Pokemon," she continued. "It will be up to you to use what you have learned to protect you out there."
"Understood," he answered.
"Time is of the essence," she reminded him. "We have scouting reports that suggest Mouri has not left the Coronet Highlands, but he is no longer at the Temple of Sinnoh. Make haste. Abra will take you there, but you'll be on your own after that."
"I'm ready," he said, unfazed by the known dangers ahead of him.
Cyllene nodded in affirmation before she let her Abra take over the rest, depositing Ochi at the Mountain Camp on the easternmost part of the area. All he had on him was a satchel full of Ultra Balls, Revives, Max Potions, and a single PokeBall occupied by his new partner, Typhlosion. The battle-hardened pair set out in search of Clamberclaw Cliffs, which was where Mouri was allegedly reported to be last seen. He summoned the noble Braviary to help him quickly get over the mountainous terrain and into the area.
"Please be safe," were the words he repeated to himself as he soared through the sky.
As he reached the entrance to the area, his eyes immediately zeroed in on something crimson red deep in the back of the dead end. He hopped off of Braviary and sprinted towards it.
"Mouri...!"
Lying face down in the dirt was the body of another man in Galaxy garb. Though he tried to get closer, an Alakazam sprung out of nowhere and knocked Ochi back, causing him to stumble onto the ground.
"Stay back, Tsuki-san!" Mouri strained as he struggled to get up. "I'll hurt you if you get any closer...!"
"Mouri, where have you been?!" Ochi pleaded. "You've been missing all this time!"
Mouri glared directly into Ochi's soul as an uncharacteristic grin formed on his lips. "Hah! You couldn't even remember that I was gone from our world!"
"M-mouri...?"
"Gah! Stop using me!" the other man shouted as he thrashed around. "Save me, Tsuki-san!"
"Mouri!"
Ochi tried to get closer, but was still being repelled back by Alakazam. All he could do was watch helplessly as a shadowy figure with menacing red eyes and wings formed out of the ethos and take control of the Mouri's entire being.
"How pathetic," came the insult from 'Mouri'. "Even after being forgotten by you, he would still give his entire heart to you."
"Who are you?!" Ochi demanded to know.
"Hmph, clearly you haven't studied up," came another insult. "The name Giratina should strike fear into anyone who knows me."
The man was confused. "Giratina...?"
"If you wish to save your precious lover boy, fight for him at the Temple," the Pokemon spoke, using his vessel to deliver the message. "I'll make sure he stays alive until then."
"Wait!"
Before Ochi could even get closer, a cold shadow swallowed Mouri whole in the blink of an eye, returning the terrain to normal. In place of where he was, five PokeBalls were there. Ochi went over to pick them up, only to realize that they were each occupied.
"Are these his?" he wondered as he let each of the Pokemon out.
The same Alakazam from earlier—along with a Luxray, Lucario, Togekiss, and Garchomp—each came out and looked to the man, as if pleading for help. Ochi knelt down and examined each of them, somehow understanding that all of them were trying to convey the same message to him.
"We'll save him," he promised. "I swear on my life we will."
There wasn't anything he could do except return to base camp to report what had transpired. Professor Laventon was worried when he saw the dark expression on Ochi's face.
"Ochi-kun," he waved. "Did you find anything?"
"Professor, who is Giratina?" he asked.
A shiver ran down the professor's spine. "The Shadow?"
"The... Shadow...?" he parroted back.
"There is one Hisuian verse that tells of a powerful light creating a deep shadow," the professor explained. "I imagine that this deep shadow is Giratina... What does this have to do with Mouri-kun?"
"I... was able to locate him," he recounted, "but... Mouri was possessed by this Pokemon, I presume. It said its name was Giratina."
"A possession?" was his confused reply. "This is quite the development. I haven't heard of a case where a Pokemon could take over the body of a human and use it to speak to you."
"What does that mean, Professor?" he pleaded. "Are you saying we can't save him?"
"These are uncharted territories, Ochi-kun," he spoke frankly. "And with a being as fearsome as Giratina... This might not end well."
"Please, we have to try something," he begged. "We can't just leave him like this."
"Let's return to Jubilife for tonight," the professor suggested. "I will consult the literature I have in my lab and see what our options are."
After making haste back to civilization, Ochi and the professor spent all night combing through the dozens of scrolls and texts in the lab and archives, searching for anything that may pertain to the legendary Giratina and its origins. Ochi found himself diving deep into a rabbit hole about ancient peoples and cases of demonic-like possession of a human by Pokemon, only to discover that all of these cases ended tragically. Severing a Pokemon's grip on a human's soul was just something that had not been done before; and with something as powerful as the Creator's shadow bound to Mouri, there was only one option—death.
"Surely, there has to be another way," he kept mumbling to himself as he skimmed more texts. "Please... There has to be something...!"
Professor Laventon gently rested his hand on the distraught man's shoulder. "Ochi-kun, I'm sorry. I don't know what else we can do."
"No!" he shouted. "I won't kill him!"
"I know," he nodded. "I don't wish for Mouri-kun to die either, but staying up all night to search for an alternative solution is not ideal. Let's get some sleep and try again when we're more rested."
"No, I won't give up," he stubbornly refused. "There has to be a way. I just need time."
"Ochi-kun, from what you have told me, Giratina plans to keep Mouri-kun alive," Professor Laventon tried to reason. "If it's using Mouri-kun as its vessel, it wouldn't make sense for it to let Mouri-kun die. We have time to figure this out, but it would do you some good to get some rest. You've been training non-stop for a week and need to recover your strength if you want to face Giratina head-on."
"...Face it head-on. That's it!" he shouted before sprinting out of the lab.
"Ochi-kun!"
But before he could even get through the doors of the headquarters, Captain Cyllene stepped in his path to stop him from going any further.
"Ochi, I will not allow any team members to embark on dangerous quests they are not adequately prepared for," she warned him. "Do not make me regret giving this mission to you."
"But, Captain...!"
"You have been working non-stop ever since you arrived here," she stated. "You will fail to save Mouri if you confront him in the state you are currently in. Return to your quarters and sleep. At least eight hours."
"Captain!"
"Now," she hissed. "For your own sake and his."
Ochi gritted his teeth as he reluctantly accepted the order. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep well knowing that Mouri was out there, but didn't have much of a choice. As he tried to drift off into a slumber, a swan-like being that glimmered like the full moon appeared in his dream, calming all of his thoughts to a halt and allowing him to rest properly.
Waking up the next morning fully refreshed, Ochi quickly got out of the village and made his way back to the Highlands in search of the Temple of Sinnoh. He travelled quickly through the camps and up Cloudcap Pass to the tunnel entry into the temple. The guards that were typically stationed there were nowhere to be found—an ominous sign for what was ahead. He wasted no time climbing up those hundreds of steps until he reached the summit, where Mouri laid with his loyal Samurott beside him.
"Mouri!"
"Tsuki-san! I told you to stay away!" he shouted.
"I can't do that," he replied.
"Save yourself from me," he warned. "You can't defeat Giratina on your own. Not even with the team I left you."
"I love you too much to just abandon you now," he confessed. "I left you alone here all this time and I'm not leaving without you!"
Mouri's exhaustion with the circumstances had finally caught up to him as he let his emotions out. "Tsuki-san..."
Ochi tried to get closer, only to be repelled back once again as Giratina assumed control over his vessel. It manifested itself into its physical form, leaving Mouri's body unconscious on the ground.
"You've returned," Giratina greeted.
"Let him go," Ochi demanded. "Your fight is with me."
"Do you really think this is how it all works?" it laughed. "This isn't a fictional tale. He serves as my vessel to exist in this world."
"Find another one," he spat. "He doesn't belong here."
"Neither do you, but that damned Arceus brought you here," it snarled. "If you wish to save him so badly, then defeat me."
Ochi wasted no time dragging out his Pokemon to try and fight a monstrous deity on his own. He knew how much of a disadvantage he was in, but he had to do whatever it took to save the man he loved. He hurled every attack all six of his Pokemon could use at the beast, severely weakening it in the blink of an eye. Just when he thought he was in the clear, Giratina changed formes in front of his eyes—now morphing itself into a draconic being with nightmarish tendrils and more invigorated than ever. Ochi stumbled back as he rummaged around his satchel for those Max Potions to get his team standing upright.
"Is that all you have to show?" it taunted.
"Get a good look at this!"
"Huh?!"
Ochi watched as Mouri stumbled to pick himself up off the ground. He immediately walked over to the other man on the ground, grabbed him by his robes and kissed him hungrily on the lips. Ochi felt himself melt into it as his body forgot how much it had missed this sensation. The kiss seemed to have done significant psychic damage to the draconic beast as the Pokemon unleashed the last of their energy to silence Giratina once and for all.
"I can't believe this kiss is doing something," was Mouri's surprised remark.
"Keep kissing me, then," Ochi demanded.
"With pleasure."
While the barrage against Giratina continued, all either of them could focus on was each other. There was so much they both wanted to say to each other, but none of that seemed to matter. But just as victory was within grasp, Ochi felt that same cold shudder once more. But the time he realized something had pierced him through his chest, it was too late.
"Tsuki-san!"
Ochi looked down to see his clothes being slowly dyed crimson with his own blood as the tip of one of the draconic tendrils appeared in the middle of his chest. He fell into Mouri's arms as Giratina withdrew itself.
"Tsuki-san!" Mouri kept screaming. "Tsuki-san! Tsuki-saaaaaaaaaaan!"
"I'm... I'm so sorry... Mouri..." he heaved as his body slumped over. "I... couldn't... save you..."
"No... Tsuki-san...!" Mouri began to panic as he held his lifeless body in his arms. "No no no no no no no no no no! Tsuki-san!"
"Pathetic," the beast scoffed. "Did you seriously believe that would work? Our souls are one. You can't sever our ties so easily."
Mouri felt numb as his entire body gave in. All of his Pokemon were long gone. There wasn't anywhere to run. All he could do was weep.
"I never got the chance to tell you how much I love you, Tsuki-san," he choked. "How much you meant to me. That you were everything to me..."
"He had forgotten you," Giratina reminded him. "The resentment you had in your heart for him was why we were able to form this connection."
"Tsuki-san never forgot me," Mouri responded in a hushed voice. "He just wasn't allowed to recall I existed."
"Humans are such pathetic creatures," it laughed.
"Tsuki-san gave up his life to save me," he stated. "I'm not gonna let that be in vain."
"How do you plan on striking me down when you have nothing left, my vessel?"
Mouri's beloved Samurott, who had been diligently protecting his trainer, struggled to rise back up on its feet. He reached over and gently scratched it under its chin, smiling fondly.
"Ever since we became buddies, I always knew your eyes would be the death of me," he chuckled. "They always reminded me of Tsuki-san's."
His Samurott looked at Mouri with a pained expression in its teary eyes. They both nodded at each other without saying another word.
"Wait for me, Tsuki-san," he whispered into the ear of his lover's corpse before kissing him one last time.
"Do you plan on defeating me with that?" Giratina mocked him.
"Samurott, use Ceaseless Edge," he commanded.
Before Mouri could even close his eyes, Samurott's sharp shell blade pierced right through his chest from his back. A weak smile formed on his lips as he fell over. The splinters buried themselves deep into his body, destroying everything in its path and leaving no chance at recovery.
"You damned creature...!" the draconic beast cursed as its powers became weaker.
Samurott used its quick reflexes to unleash one final attack at the legendary dragon, sending Giratina right back to where it came from before its own body ceased to function. Mouri took one final gasp for air as he looked fondly at his beloved Pokemon partner.
"It really was a curse to pick you as my starter, Samurott..." he sighed as his vision began to fade to black. "Thank you..."