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Kieran’s eyes flashed open as he shot upright on the frigid floor beneath him. He blinked until his eyes adjusted to the new conditions, but even when they did, he couldn’t make out much of his surroundings. The floor was icy and hard—like tile that had been left under an air conditioner for far too long. There was a dense, black fog that seemed to envelope him all around, preventing the ability to see anything within a certain radius. The only vague shapes he could make out were the various tall, leafless trees that loomed around him out of his peripheral vision.
Slowly, he agonized his way to his feet. His limbs felt as if they were weighed down with tungsten—each movement needing to be perfectly precise or it would be an irreversible waste of energy. With a determined huff, he had pushed himself upright and began to make his way through the dense brush.
Kieran noted a distinct lack of color. Every object seemed to be a shadow, just barely darker than the oppressive fog. The trees and their branches were all a sickly shade of black, their details impossible to make out.
“What…” He attempted to speak, but the words were barely louder than a whisper. His mouth was dry, throat tight, and his voice was raspy. He tried to think, but the fog seemed to be attacking his brain, not allowing any coherent thoughts to form. Hell, he wasn’t even moving on his own at this point. It took him a few minutes to realize that he had walked a great distance from where he had woken up and was headed for a clearing in the treeline.
Breaking through the edge of the forest, Kieran surveyed the sight around him. The same black trees outlined the large, circular clearing before him; however, the grass in this clearing was a stark contrast to the plant life around it: it was white. Of course, it didn’t look white under the fog, but he could tell it was.
As his eyes strained to scan the clearing in spite of the fog, Kieran could swear he felt them land on something whose shade matched that of most other things in this strange world. Finally seizing control of his movements, he began to take big, clunky footsteps towards it. The closer he got, the more he could make out what it was…
A shadowy figure.
Kieran’s golden eyes widened for a moment as a breath got caught in his throat. Panic, which he fought in vain to stifle, began to rise in his chest as he remained frozen, his eyes locked on the figure. He took a breath to calm his nerves before squinting and trying desperately to get a better look at its silhouetted features. He didn’t entirely trust his eyes right now, but he thought that any information was better than none.
Before long, the details began to clear up for him. That signature side pony, the rough outline of a jinbei, the sandals, the bag… He recognized it all right away. It had to be…
“Jules?” he rasped, able to project his voice much louder than he could previously. Without warning, the figure whipped around and stood perfectly still, staring him down with white glowing eyes. The sight sent a horrific shiver down Kieran’s spine as his blood froze on the spot. He wanted to say something, do something, anything else to get more information, or even just to get away from whatever this was. He couldn’t.
The figure turned its head to one side slowly, like a curious dog. It seemed to be sizing him up. His eye twitched as he felt its gaze pierce through his very soul like a horn drill that hit its target.
“Kieran…” the figure addressed him, its voice a cruel mix between that of Juliana and something…inhuman. The level of scorn that dripped from that one word was nearly enough to make Kieran sick to his stomach, but he persisted nonetheless.
“Y…yes?” Kieran stammered, the right to move being signaled in him by his entire body shaking uncontrollably. What the hell is goin’ on here? he thought desperately. The fog had receded, it seems.
“Why have you come here?” the figure asked, the question sounding rhetorical. Kieran didn’t see its legs move, but he swore it was moving closer towards him. “This place was not made with weak-willed trainers like yourself in mind. It is a miracle you made it this far.”
Sharp pains like a barrage of Power-Up Punches seemed to ring through his mind with every syllable the false Juliana uttered. That thing didn’t even talk like her… He put all his willpower into reaching down and grabbing one of the Pokéballs. His movements were slow as a Slowpoke wading through a sea of the thickest Vespiquen honey, but eventually, he grabbed one. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the spherical device, the weight in his muscles seemed to release their hold. The knot in his throat finally untangled as he found himself able to speak again.
“That’s enough!” he shouted. “I don’t know what your deal is, but I’m not itchin’ to find out on your terms.” He wasn’t sure why, but he thought he saw one of the figure’s tiny white eyes twitch.
“Your willpower has returned,” the figure bellowed, “but will that be enough?” It reached behind itself, pulling out a silhouetted Pokéball from its back.
Kieran’s eyes narrowed. Guess this is it.
As if it was mocking him, the shadow copied Juliana’s throwing style perfectly, sending out a shadowy imitation of her beloved starter from Paldea: Meowscarada. Kieran threw his own ball with a yell, releasing his Dragonite out with a massive burst of red light that lit up and colored the dreary world around them.
Before Kieran could get a single move off, the figure in front of him commanded its Pokémon to attack. “Flower Trick.”
The Pokémon obeyed without question, performing the desired move like usual; however, what was not usual was that it was not aimed at Dragonite…
It was aimed at him.
Kieran screamed and tried his best to jump out of the way, but the attack trailed him and eventually caught up, slamming into his head with full force and making everything go black.
“Knock knock!” a jovial voice followed a set of friendly knocks on the front door. Carmine nearly jumped out of her own skin, both from the surprise of the sudden noise and running to open the door for her guest. When she opened the door, there was Juliana, just as expected. She had her hair tied up in one of her favorite styles: the Kitakami ponytail, and she had on her signature yellow sundress that Carmine absolutely adored.
“Jules!” Carmine shouted with delight, the two embracing for a time. “You sure know how to keep your friends waiting!” she laughed, taking a step back and admiring Juliana’s outfit.
“Yeah, sorry,” Juliana apologized, chuckling softly and scratching the back of her head. “I lost track of time a bit with battles, hunting, all that…”
“No big deal!” Carmine was quick to wave Juliana’s concerns away. “I’m just glad you’re finally here! The festival’s going to be great this year!”
Juliana smiled warmly. “I have no doubt!” She paused for a moment, surveying the house around her. Besides Carmine, there was a distinct lack of movement and sound. “Hey…” she began wearily, “where’s Kiki?”
“Oh, he’s been in his room for Arceus knows how long,” Carmine stated lethargically. “Neither me, grandma, or grandpa have been able to get him out of his room. I’m not entirely sure what his problem is…”
“Oh…I see.” Juliana’s face dawned a mournful expression.
“Maybe it’s ‘cause he missed you?” Carmine teased.
“Oh, probably,” Juliana sighed with playful defeat. “Maybe seeing me will get Ogerpon’s fighting spirit back in him so he can make it to the festival.”
“Well, you’re more than welcome to try,” Carmine laughed half-heartedly. “You’re the only hope we’ve got left.”
“Right then,” Juliana declared, leaving the few things she brought with her by Carmine and marching to Kieran’s door.
Knock, knock, knock…
Nothing.
“Kiki?” Juliana called. “It’s Julie… Is everything okay in there?”
Faintly, Juliana could hear a voice that sounded like Kieran’s. No matter how hard she strained her ears, she couldn’t make out the contents of his speech—she could only tell he was muttering to himself. That doesn’t sound good… Juliana thought sullenly.
She glanced down at her pocket for a moment, letting a deep breath enter and exit her lungs before she reached her hand in and withdrew a keychain from it. She fiddled with them until she found the one she was looking for: a key with Kieran’s syrup-stained smiling face engraved onto it. She stared down at it for a moment, frozen with the decision she was about to make. I know this might be an invasion of privacy, but…Kiki’s not opening up. I’m worried. She rationalized what she was doing in her head as she stuck the key into Kieran’s bedroom door.
Click. It opened.
Juliana could hear Carmine gasp from behind her, but at that moment, she didn’t care. She slowly crept into the room, taking in the sight of it for the first time in many months. It was a lot less messy than she was expecting. His desk was slightly cluttered, but whose wasn’t? The floor had a few clothes scattered about, but nothing piled up to unhealthy degrees. On his bed, under its protective covers, was the shut-in himself. Kieran seemed to be muttering and squirming in his sleep, a distressed look plastered on his face. Juliana’s heart rate quickened as she knelt down next to the bed.
Do…do I wake him up? she thought to herself. I don’t know what to do…
Before she could answer her own question, Kieran’s eyes began to flicker open. In a flash, they snapped open and he jolted upright in bed with a yell. The sudden scene was enough to make Juliana yelp and stumble backwards.
Kieran’s breath was coming in raspy gasps as he desperately tried to calm himself down. Once he was a little more lucid, he turned to his left and his eyes somehow got wider. “J…Julie?” he croaked, the sleep and seeming fear straining his voice.
“Hey…” she offered an awkward smile and wave, “surprise.”
Kieran practically leapt out of bed towards Juliana, wrapping her in a crushing bearhug as tears began to flow down his face uncontrollably. His body quaked with each sob as they wracked him violently.
“Woah, woah!” Juliana squeaked, instinctually wrapping an arm around him and running a hand through his hair. “Hey, hey…shhh…it’s okay. I’m here, Kiki, it’s okay…”
The two stayed like that for minutes as every emotion Kieran was keeping locked away came spilling out onto Juliana’s chest as she held him. Finally, once he calmed down, he looked up at her with misty eyes and offered a weak smile. “I missed ya.”
“I missed you, too, Kiki,” Juliana grinned reassuringly, brushing tears from his eyes and kissing his forehead. “Now, what’s the matter?” Her tone switched to a mix of assertive and comforting. “Your folks and I have been worried sick about you. Carmine was telling me you locked yourself in here for so long that she lost count.”
“Well…I…” Kieran tried, the tears threatening to break loose again. He took a deep breath, getting a hold of himself. “Things haven’t been the same since you were gone. Most of the time I can handle you leavin’ me for a while, but this year was different… I don’t know why. Every day felt empty and incomplete without you, an’ I…just missed you. Real bad.”
“Oh, Kiki…” Juliana cooed, pressing another kiss on his forehead and rubbing his back.
“An’ it doesn’t help that I just had a nightmare…about you, Julie.”
Juliana’s eyes shot open as she felt a gasp rocket out of her lips. “What?!”
Kieran smiled dejectedly. “Yeah… Nothin’ against you, really, I just… I guess I’ve been feelin’ down on myself lately. That thing…what did you call it? Something-something complex?”
“Inferiority complex?” Juliana guessed mournfully.
“Yeah, that. I guess that’s been actin’ up again. You were, like…this mean shadow figure. You and your Pokémon. I tried my best to fight, but your first attack was sent straight at me… A flower trick.”
“Meowscarada was there too?” Juliana’s voice broke.
“Yeah…”
“Kiki, I’m…I’m so sorry.”
Kieran chuckled. “Don’t be. Not your fault. I’m just glad you’re back now…”
Juliana’s smile returned as she locked eyes with him. “I am, too.” Then she glanced at the bedroom door that had re-shut after she fell into it. “Say, I think we should let your family know you’re still alive, huh?”
“I guess so…” Kieran laughed softly, getting to his feet and helping Juliana get to hers. They interlocked their hands as Juliana opened up the door and the two made their way out.