Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

He looks at me.

I think I know what I want to say now, but I’m afraid to say it.

He takes a step forward.

Because even if this is what I want, I don’t know if it’s the truth.

He tries to reach me.

I wonder if I’ll ever know the truth, or if I’ll be able to make my own truth and believe it.

He can’t quite reach me.

“Who am I…?”

Ari snapped his eyes open, immediately forgetting whatever dream he was having. His neck felt sore after sleeping in a weird position. Once he realized he was still pressed against the Cyclizar with his arm wrapped around his torso, he knew why. Oh well, it was definitely worth it.

It’d been such a long time since he’d gotten such nice sleep. After all, even if Uxie was a good friend to have around, he was quite busy most of the time. And it’s not like he was gonna ask him to sleep with him. It was a miracle he did so with Asher, given how embarrassing it was to even think about it.

A look at the little ‘window’ told him that it was time to get going, since the Sun was already peeking on the horizon. It was training time, once again. He had gotten used to waking up so early, as painful as it was. Now he just had to get up without disturbing Asher’s peaceful sleep.

The Riolu carefully crawled out of Asher’s grasp, placing his scaly arm on the ground as softly as he could while trying not to shake the hay bed too much with his movement. However, that made Asher stir, and Ari froze. The Cyclizar groaned softly until he opened his eyes slightly, staring at the Riolu that just cringed as he had failed his escape mission.

“Ari…?”

“Hey, Asher, sorry for waking you up, heh…”

Asher rubbed his eyes. “Where are you going so early?”

“I gotta train with Zion, like every morning. You can just stay here and sleep.”

However, the Cyclizar didn’t seem to want that, since he stretched and yawned, slowly getting up. “Nah, if you get up, I get up. You think everyone else is already up too?”

Ari stretched a bit, too, then crouched to grab his scarves from his bag and spoke while tying his usual ponytail with the neck fluff. “Usually, everyone is already up by this time, or at least those I know. I have no idea about Marsh. Why?”

“I’m thinking of going to hang out with Liria. We have more stuff to talk about, after all,” Asher responded.

“Oh… Right, Liria…” Ari almost frowned at that, but tried not to show it. “I guess… Have fun with her, then!”

“Thank you!”

Both of them got out of the room, and Asher stopped him one more time before leaving.

“By the way, Ari.”

He stopped. “Yeah?”

“I like your new look. You look really fluffy,” Asher said with a smile.

Ari smiled back, even if not being fully genuine. “Thanks…”

With that, both of them went their separate ways, and Ari headed to the lake to train there. Uxie was busy somewhere else, so Zion was taking care of training Ari, while Marshadow decided to watch, sitting at the shore. The shadows in his body flared with each hit, most of them being landed on Ari, since he still couldn’t catch up with Zion’s speed.

It was really impressive. Ari’s speed was usually unmatched, but Zion was a legendary pokémon and he was at another level entirely. That made the situation too unfair, but Ari couldn’t complain, or Zion would scold him again. Again, a familiar feeling.

Ari jumped to dodge Zion’s tackle and took his chance to throw an Aura Sphere at him, but Zion dispelled it with just a quick swipe of his front leg. Ari was left speechless as he landed, but didn’t stop to ask how the hell he did that. Instead, the Riolu continued his attacks, this time relying on his Rock Smash to practice his accuracy.

The Zygarde dodged punch after punch, but Ari didn’t stop. He just needed to predict where Zion was going to move next; there had to be a pattern somewhere. Judging by his moves, he usually moved to one side or the other, instead of getting back, so maybe he could hit him if he aimed at a spot next to Zion. But he needed a feint.

After a few more missed hits, Ari found the perfect opportunity. He had cornered Zion against a wall, and there was only one way out: to the left. Ari pretended to prepare a Rock Smash directed at him, but the moment Zion moved out of the way, Ari’s attack went in the direction where he was moving, finally landing a hit.

Zion quickly recovered from that and stared down at the Riolu, as if analyzing him. Then, without a word, he generated an avalanche of green arrows that were thrown upwards, before they plummeted down and rained on the whole area. There was no way he was avoiding that, so it was time to use Psychic.

Ari concentrated on the arrows that were falling right on top of him and squeezed his mind as much as he could, trapping the arrows in a pink energy. He wished Asher could see that; he would be so amazed with his new powers.

Right, Asher. He was with Liria.

The psychic energy faded, unable to stop the arrows, and they ended up hitting him. A puff of dust coated the area for a few seconds, and once it was lifted, Ari lay on the ground with a few injuries, eyes squinted. He coughed and tried to sit, holding his arm in pain.

“H-how…?”

“You were distracted, again,” Zion said as he approached him, while the cells that formed the arrows quickly returned to his body. “I must admit you’re getting better at accuracy, even if that Rock Smash is still weak. But the psychic power remains the same. Get yourself healed, we’re done for now.”

And with that, Zion left.

Ari was used to failure at that point, so this was nothing new to him. And yet, he couldn’t even find the energy to stand back up. What was the point? He couldn’t control his psychic energy, he couldn’t develop the power to cure ferals, he couldn’t-

“Hey.”

Ari blinked and raised his head to see a shadowy hand extended to him. Marsh was offering to help him, so he took his hand and stood back up.

“Sorry you had to see that. As you can see, I’m still a weakling,” Ari said.

Marsh shook his head and rested a hand on the Riolu’s shoulder. “I don’t think you’re weak; remember that you’re against a legendary pokémon, so you’re already doing a lot. Besides, I saw you moving, and it was pretty impressive.”

“Thank you…”

“But I think this confirms my theory from yesterday. You’re not okay.” Ari looked at him with a frown, but Marsh only offered an oran berry in return, smiling softly. “Wanna get patched up while you tell me about it?”

That was an interesting offer coming from a pokémon he barely met a day ago. But somehow, Ari felt at ease with him. There was something about his tone and his eyes that felt nice and comforting. Because of that, and also due to the fact that Ari was at his limit, he decided it was okay to vent to him.

Now that the sun had fully risen, the cavern had taken on a more welcoming vibe, and the lake glistened beautifully. Ari and Marsh sat by the lake, staring at their reflections on the water while Ari munched the oran berry.

“It’s just… a lot’s happened. After I got kidnapped and almost died, I had to stay here on my own for weeks, and I didn’t have anyone to talk to. Uxie isn’t always around, and it gets lonely with how often he has to head out, and Zion is… well.” He lowered his voice. “He’s a jerk.”

“Mhm, I can see why that would make you upset,” Marsh responded, looking at him.

“And then there’s Liria, who I can’t even talk to because she hates me. All because I’m the same species as someone who traumatized her years ago.”

Marsh crossed his arms. “Well, that’s unfortunate. But I guess you can’t control how someone feels about you, even if it’s undeserved. Just think it’s nothing personal, she has a deep trauma after all.”

Ari groaned. “I… I know, but it sucks. I wanted to be her friend.”

“Why, though? You just reunited with Asher, right? Isn’t that enough for you?”

“Yeah, I did, and he’s great… But even so, he’s with Liria right now. They have more history than I do with Asher, and it feels like he wants to be with her more than me.”

“And you don’t think he’s spending enough time with you? It sounds to me like you don’t want to be alone at any time.”

There was a brief pause as Ari contemplated that. It was almost as if Marsh were a psychic-type Pokémon capable of reading his mind, or like he was definitely too wise. Whatever the case, he couldn’t deny that.

“Maybe…? I don’t know! I’m just jealous because Asher is one of my best friends, and while he gets to talk to Liria about whatever is going on with her, I can’t even come close to her.”

“And why do you want to be friends with Liria so bad? Why can’t you accept that she doesn’t like you?”

Ari sighed. “Because… Well…” He threw a pebble at the lake, distorting his own reflection as he admitted the truth. “I feel like I need to be liked by everyone. Otherwise, I feel awful with myself. I thought I had moved past that point, but maybe I’m still too dependent on others. Nothing has changed. Just like I haven’t stopped being a spoiled kid. Zion was right, I keep playing the victim to draw attention, just like I did when I was supposed to be there for Nimb when we visited his family…”

Marshadow listened and nodded, letting the Riolu calm down a little and process his thoughts. His eyes appeared to be studying Ari’s shadow attentively, as if that was gonna tell him everything he needed to know.

“It’s hard to let go of some habits that fast, but as long as you don’t do that every time something goes wrong… It’s not that bad to be a victim sometimes. You did go through a lot, after all. But if you really want to stop doing that… What do you think is stopping you?”

“I’m… not sure. My emotions, I guess? I’m like… the being of emotion or something related, and yet I can’t control my emotions. Anything bad happening to me makes me unfocused, and I hurt others because of that.”

“Hmmm… You think evolving would make you have better control of your powers or emotions?”

“Hah! That’s a funny one, because guess what? I can’t evolve!” Ari said, extending his arms sideways almost comically. “I’m stuck in this body and, like some stupid irony, I won’t ever change!”

“Oh…” Marsh hummed while deep in thought before he rested a hand on the Riolu’s shoulder. “Do you really think that’s the case? You sure you didn’t change at all?”

He shrugged. “I mean… I sure feel like I wouldn’t be so upset all the time if I had gotten better. And it didn’t help not knowing who I am at all. Like, I’m Mesprit? But at the same time, I’m not? And Ari is dead? I just…” He sagged and rested his cheeks on both paws. “Maybe Zion is also right about… everything else.”

Marsh frowned.

“So you’ve been thinking about it?” Asher asked, resting his chin on both arms as he listened attentively. The bed he rested on was made out of leaves, but it was surprisingly comfy. He just hoped the torches wouldn’t burn it.

Liria the Ogerpon sat with her legs crossed on another bed, in front of him. She was unreadable as always, because of her mask.

“A bit. I was really anxious at first, but after a while, I realized I felt… a bit more liberated after yesterday’s conversation. I didn’t realize I had so much going on in my head all this time.”

“Nice! So that means you feel okay now?”

“No.”

Asher pouted. “W-why? I thought…”

She didn’t let him finish. “Asher, how do you expect me to be okay? I might feel better after that conversation, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna forget everything. It’s… so much. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to disappoint you…”

“Ah- no, no! You’re not disappointing me! This is… this is about you, not me.”

“I… I suppose you’re right,” she said, gripping her mask like it was about to fall off. “But even so, I feel like I don’t deserve the help. If you’re gonna be here listening to my pathetic stories, then I wish I could make up for it somehow.”

Asher lifted his head with excitement. “And you can! The only thing I want… is for you to move on and live your best life!”

Liria winced. “I… I know, and… I want to…”

“Then? If you want to, then do your best and keep going! I know it sounds easier said than done, but usually the problem is that we’re not determined enough to become better. I think a big part of this is about really wanting it.”

A long silence implied that Liria was indeed thinking about it, even if she didn’t seem too convinced. Eventually, she sighed.

“That sounds good and all, but… How? How am I supposed to do it?”

Asher’s smile didn’t go away. If he needed to be the light that guided her, then he had to be the first to stay determined. And he wasn’t going to give up. As cheesy as it sounded.

“Start with small things, like the conversations we’ve had so far,” Asher finally said. “And then, something bigger. It’s about going step by step. For example… Why don’t you try taking your mask off?”

Liria did flinch at that, getting up and taking two steps back. “What? B-but… no! I look horrible, I d-don’t want you to see that…”

“Liria.” Asher’s face went serious for the first time, and Liria stopped. “I promise you, no matter how you look, no matter if you think it’s horrible... It’s not gonna change how I see you. And if you regret it, you can put it back. This is just a small step, not the whole way, but a step nonetheless. Would you take it?”

“I…”

Her grip on her mask remained firm, but her legs trembled slightly. Her breathing was a bit erratic, but she was taking deep breaths to try to calm down. Asher didn’t move, and his expression remained neutral but serene. Time seemed to stop as a decision, a question, lingered in the air.

It was a moment to answer it.

“Okay.”

Liria took her mask off. A rounded orange face stared back with big, starry eyes that betrayed fear, and a noticeable mark around them. It was a big scar in the shape of claws that covered most of the left side of her face, taking on a more rugged texture.

Asher didn’t say anything. Instead, his serious expression slowly gave way to a beaming smile, one that not even the light of the torches could imitate. It almost seemed like his eyes were vibrating with joy and excitement.

“W-what?” Liria asked.

“I’m… so happy to see you again, friend.”

Liria’s fear turned into confusion, and she slowly stopped shaking. Her mask fell from her grip and dropped to the ground, its noise reverberating through the cave.

“You need to give it all to actually make a change, Ari. It’s not easy, but it all comes from you. You don’t want to stay like this, right?” Marsh asked.

“No, I… I want to change. But can I? Am I not stuck as I am because I can’t evolve, and that means my brain isn’t going to change either? What if that means there’s no progress to be made?” Ari responded, followed by a sigh.

“Evolution isn’t the only way your body and mind will change. I’m sure you know pretty well how much you’ve changed in the last few years, especially at your age. You grow up, and you never stop changing, no matter how old you are.”

“But I hate my body… I… I HATE myself so much. I can’t get behind those feelings…” Liria said, her expression of distress finally clear without her mask.

“Your body is a part of who you are, and it’s wonderful as it is. Because… well, because it exists. Because it’s yours. Don’t let others turn it into something different. It doesn’t belong to them,” Asher responded calmly. “I know it might take time to accept how you are, but it’s a matter of going one step at a time.”

“I know, but… How do I even move on? How can I change something I’ve been so sure about for so long? It feels easier to just hide and not have to deal with those thoughts…”

“It always feels easier to stay the same, but it’s also hard. Because you know there’s a different reality where things could be better, and that’s why you gotta evolve, but in a different way.”

Ari tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Marsh offered his hand.

“Let me explain.”

Marsh: Seasons come and go

The sky has been painted gold

Complex shapes, abstract thoughts

Time only gave new meanings to your soul

Asher: Evolution comes in many forms

Take a shape you’ve never even known

Don’t be scared if you think you have lost your way

Your core remains the same

Marsh: Let me share with you the will that

beats the fake comfort of memories

Think of all the feelings that have

stopped you from defying gravity

Asher: You keep turning all the pages

of the book you chose

Be yourself and much more when you evolve

Ari: I used to hide my wounds,

but now I use them as an excuse

Liria: Pain and guilt, regret and doubt

were not supposed to define me now

Ari: Far from home, it made me strong

even when the lake reflects all the flaws

Liria: It feels so right when it changes

and distorts with the throw of a stone

Asher: Let me share with you the wheels that 

cross this rough terrain of memories

Marsh: Think of everything that changed and 

why it matters so much to you

Ari: I’ll keep turning all the pages

and questioning my thoughts

Asher: (Are they real or not?)

Liria: I’ll be myself and much more when I evolve

Marsh: (When you evolve)

Ari: I don’t want to blame myself

Liria: Gotta love who I’ve become

Asher: (It’s love you’ve got)

Ari: I’ll be myself and much more when I evolve

“Hah… that was really cheesy,” Ari admitted, unable to hide a silly grin on his face. “But… I think I needed to hear that. You really think I can change?”

Marsh gave a gentle squeeze to the Riolu’s shoulder as he nodded. “Of course. Just gotta know what needs to change and what doesn’t. Gotta keep your essence, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s not gonna be easy, but… I want to be better, so my friends and family can see the best version of myself when I get back home. Even if I’m Mesprit… Maybe I can be more than that, and hopefully stop letting my emotions control me.”

“I want to believe that I can do this, I really do. You’ve made me think that I’m not that bad, even if just for a moment… Thank you, Asher,” Liria said, smiling softly.

“That’s what I like to hear!” Asher exclaimed. “And you don’t need to thank me. I just hope you can love yourself even without the need for others to do it first.”

The Ogerpon reached for her mask and put it back on, sighing. “Either way, I don’t think I can just go around without my mask just yet, but… I promise I’ll try. I’ll show my face to Zion, and maybe Uxie… and then I’ll see.”

“Mhm! Take it one step at a time; there’s no rush. Just remember: what you are today doesn’t need to be represented by what you were in the past. You’re much more than that.”

She nodded. “Yes… You’re right. Hah, to think I’m supposed to be the adult here…”

“Hey, I’m an adult too!”

Liria chuckled. “Yes, you are.”

“Anyway! I think I’m gonna go get some air now, this room is nice, but I miss windows and stuff,” Asher said as he approached the entrance. “You wanna join me?”

“Hmm… I think for now I’m gonna stay here. I have some thinking to do.”

Asher gave her one last look, debating if he did the right thing. She was still wearing the mask, but… for now, that was enough. He had done everything he could, and he trusted she would know what to do.

“Okay! See you later, then!”

The lake felt so comforting now. Ari hadn’t noticed how peaceful it was in there, since his mind was always clouded with bad thoughts before, but now… It felt different. In a way, it was like another home, despite everything. Was it because of the part of him that was a lake guardian? Or perhaps it had something to do with the time he spent there with Uxie and the talks they had?

Either way, the sound of the water eased his mind and made him think of Cora. Since… she was a water type. It would be cool to be able to communicate with her team with the GD, but that was out of the question for now. Maybe he could ask Uxie if he could fix it, but… he could imagine the answer.

Speaking of Uxie…

“Am I interrupting something?”

His voice reverberated through the chamber, and both Ari and Marsh turned to the source from where they were sitting, still relaxing after their talk.

Ari smiled. “Uxie, you’re back! Don’t worry, we were just vibing.”

The pixie floated towards the duo, but stopped at a safe distance. “I see… Well, I had some time to think, and… I wanted to talk to you, Marsh.”

Marshadow perked up. “Hm? What is it?”

“Should I… leave you two to talk in private?” Ari asked.

“No, it’s okay, you can stay,” Uxie said, floating in front of Marsh, above the water. “Marsh, do you… hate me?”

Marsh seemed a bit surprised by that question, but he answered almost as calmly as always. “Hate is a strong word. I don’t like using it too much. And in your case… no, I don’t hate you. Do you think I’d have returned here if that were the case?”

“I don’t know. I had the feeling that it was either that or you feared me. Not just for what I did… but because I have an immense power. With the help of my siblings, we could even summon Arceus.”

Ari’s eyes went wide. “W-wait, you can do WHAT??”

“It’s not like you would do that out of spite,” Marsh said, ignoring Ari’s reaction. “I know you take your role very seriously.”

“That I do. But… that’s another question I had. Why did you return?” 

Marsh rubbed the back of his head. “That’s… a good question. I guess I really never moved on from that. I wanted to see you again, despite everything. See if you were doing okay, you know?”

“That’s… nice. I don’t know if I deserve that kindness, however.” Uxie took a moment to think on his next words, but raised his hand to stop Marsh from speaking. He still had something important to say. “I’m sorry, Marsh. For what I did. I realized I still hadn’t said it. I’ve always regretted it, even if I tried to tell myself that it was the logical solution to the problem.”

Marsh smiled. “I forgive you.”

Uxie’s visible tension seemed to morph into confusion. “Wait, what? That easy?”

“I know it’s a big deal and all, but I don’t feel like holding grudges. I just want to see you do better next time and talk things out instead of doing something rash. Do you think you can do that?”

"Well, I already promised Ari I would. But... um..." He hesitated for a moment before tilting his head down slightly as he gripped his arm. "I uh... actually, never mind. I will."

“Then I’m glad I’m back,” Marsh said with a nod. “I hope we can still be friends.”

"Yes... I'd appreciate that, I-I guess," Uxie responded, forcing a smile but unable to quite look at Marsh's eyes.

Ari frowned. Something about Uxie's tone felt... unsure. Maybe it was still too early to know if he had changed, but... at least he was open to trying. In a way, he could relate to that. Maybe he just needed someone to believe him. 

But Uxie already believed in him, after all. Even before Asher came along.

“Uxie… Can I say something, or should I wait until you two are done?” Ari asked.

“Oh, I’d say we’re done,” Uxie said, exchanging a nod with Marsh. “What is it?”

Ari fidgeted with his paws, averting his gaze as he felt the other two staring at him expectantly. Just when he needed to say something embarrassing, oh well.

“Just… thank you for being there for me. I feel like throughout the past weeks I haven’t… been appreciative enough of your support. Kept telling myself I was alone when all this time you were trying your best to be there for me.”

Uxie’s smile went brighter this time. “Aw, Ari… It’s no problem! I just want you to be okay, you know? I just wish I weren’t so busy most of the time…”

“That’s okay, I understand! But now that you’re here… There is something I wanna ask of you.”

The pixie tilted his head. “Hm?”

Ari stood back up and took a step back from the lake shore, adopting a more defiant stance.

“Please, train me! This time, without Zion. Maybe this is what I need, and I think I have my head in a better place at the moment.”

Uxie’s eyes went wide… is what Ari would say if he were about to lose his memories, but Uxie just looked surprised to see him so decisive.

“Of course! I think it’s a good time to test your Psychic.”

As Marsh got up as well, some footsteps echoed in the cavern, and everyone turned to the source of them. Asher came walking on two legs, waving at them with his usual cheerfulness.

“Hey guys! Are you going to train now? Is it okay if I watch?”

Ari looked at Uxie as if asking for permission, to which he nodded. “Of course!”

Said and done. Once they were at the same rocky area outside of the mountain, Marsh and Asher sat on the sidelines and watched as Ari and Uxie went to opposite sides of the arena, stopping after a bit and turning to face each other. The Sun cast its bright rays upon all of them, bathing Uxie’s serene look and Ari’s determined face.

He was ready.

Uxie started by waving his tail to create a set of stars that flew towards Ari, which he tried to avoid by running around with Quick Attack. The attack, however, wouldn’t stop chasing him, so he had to change his tactic. He charged a big Aura Sphere and launched it at a specific angle, destroying several stars in a row, but a few of them were still coming for him.

He tried again, but this time could only destroy one star, leaving a couple of them behind, and was finally hit. He got pushed back a bit, but luckily that wasn’t enough to deal a lot of damage. Now that Swift was out of the way, it was his turn to attack.

Ari tried to get close to Uxie, but he floated higher, impossible to reach with a melee attack, so the Riolu had to resort to an Aura Sphere. Uxie didn’t even try to avoid it; it barely made him flinch. Landing a good hit on him was gonna be a tough task if he could just fly away every time.

As if reading his mind, Uxie got down again and aimed a Psybeam at the Riolu, who was caught off guard. He barely had time to jump above the beam that trailed horizontally through the arena. Once he safely landed, he took his chance to close the distance with Uxie by using the power of his pearls combined with another Quick Attack.

This time, the pixie couldn’t react in time and was hit on his torso by a Metal Claw at full speed, which caused him to yelp and stagger while in the air. He shook it off and moved away from Ari without turning his back on him.

“Why didn’t you use bite? It’s more effective against me,” Uxie suggested.

“Because… this is a training, not a real battle... I don’t wanna hurt you,” Ari explained between pants.

Uxie couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “No need to worry about me, I’m a legendary.” Without wasting another second, Uxie trapped Ari in a psychic grip and launched him upwards. Ari found himself in free fall, desperately trying to come up with a way to save himself from that situation. Uxie seemed to be taking the training more seriously today.

Then, as if he were illuminated by divine knowledge, he threw several Aura Spheres to propel himself towards Uxie. He flinched once he saw the Riolu falling onto him, but quickly caught him in another psychic grip to prevent being squashed. He then released him, and Ari took some steps back to put some distance between them.

“Hah… You knew I would stop your fall with Psychic if you were to fall on me, huh? Good tactic,” Uxie complimented.

“Yeah, but let’s say I also had the hope that you wouldn’t let me get turned into a pancake,” Ari said with a hint of playfulness.

“Maybe you’re right… But you still need to toughen up. So it’s time for a dose of your favorite attack!”

Uxie’s psychic grip this time wasn’t aimed at Ari. Instead, several rocks and pebbles in the terrain started levitating, covering the whole area with floating fragments that hovered in place, ominously.

Ari gulped.

All at once, the rocks were thrown at him at a blinding speed, obscuring the view of the whole arena for Asher and Marsh, who were watching with concern. Ari could swear he heard Asher yelling something, but he couldn’t focus on that now. He could try to punch every rock on his way, but there were too many.

Besides, he was sure Uxie wanted something different out of him. Now the thing was, would it work this time?

Time seemed to freeze as Ari extended his paws and concentrated on the fragments thrown at him, treating his mind like an extension of his body. He started glowing red, and some of the pebbles and rocks were surrounded by this red aura, even if only those who were going to hit him straight. Now he just needed to…

Deep breath.

It was fine. Asher was here. Uxie supported him. Marsh was right.

He wanted to change.

The rocks stopped. Some of them went past him, but the ones in front of him remained in place, levitating. Ari felt a sharp pain in his head that only lasted a split second, but it was enough for him to lose focus and drop the rocks.

‘It’s okay, you’re doing well. You stopped the attack, that’s what matters. Just try again, there’s no hurry.’

Once again, he concentrated on the rocks until they glowed red, levitating them one by one. Now, he just needed to push. It didn’t matter if the result was too soft; as long as he kept his mind clear of bad thoughts, then he would consider it a win.

‘This is my power… And I wanna use it to help the ones I love. I wanna use it to save Nimb.’

Then, he whipped his arm forward.

FWOOSH

Suddenly, the rock fragments shot forward way faster than Ari and even Uxie had anticipated. The pixie watched as it came for him and yelped, unable to react in time. He was definitely not expecting that to work.

The arena became a mass of dust as the rocks hit the ground, and for a few seconds, Uxie was nowhere to be seen. Ari had covered himself with his arms, but then peeked to look for any signs of the pixie, worried about him.

“...Uxie?”

There was no immediate response as the crumbling of rocks and pebbles settled down, until something came out of the debris.

Uxie floated while coughing, his movements being somewhat uncoordinated, until he regained his composure and locked his gaze on the Riolu.

“Ari… That… That was amazing!” He praised, a wide smile plastered on his face. “I think you’re finally in control of your psychic power!”

Ari brightened at that, paws covering his mouth as he gasped. “Really?? I did that all by myself??”

“YEAHHHHH LET’S GO, ARI!!” Asher cheered.

“You sure made a lot of progress there,” Marsh added, his usual calm tone now having a hint of pride and amusement.

Uxie floated closer to Ari. “All that training has paid off. I think you’ve got the hang of it now.”

“It’s hard to believe… The fact that I can actually use Psychic…” Ari said, his voice full of emotion. “I… I need to make sure.”

He concentrated on some rocks and immediately lifted them off the ground, paws glowing with the red aura. Then, he did some gestures with his paw, and the rocks followed swiftly, dancing like leaves on a windy day.

It actually worked. Ari knew how to use Psychic.

“Are you seeing this? I’m using Psychic like it’s nothing! And it’s doing what I want all the time, not just when I’m about to die!” Ari let out an excited chuckle. “This is awesome!”

“It’s rather unexpected, I must say.”

Ari froze as he heard Zion’s voice, turning around to see the Zygarde approaching.

“Huh? Y-you saw that? How long have you been…?”

“Since the training started,” Zion said matter-of-factly. “This is quite unusual. You were so uncoordinated last time we trained, it’s like you had weeks of training in just a day…”

“That’s because he wasn’t in the best mental state,” Marsh explained, getting a curious look from Asher, who soon after gasped as realization hit him. “But surely you noticed that, right? Since you’re the tutor.”

Zion went quiet. It was hard to tell if he was annoyed at that implication or not, with his usual dead stare.

“W-well, that aside… Aren’t you proud of him, Zion?” Uxie asked, leaning on Ari’s shoulder.

The Zygarde arched an eyebrow. “Of what? She did what she had to do. It’s her responsibility. Besides, she took too long to master the move.”

Ari flinched. In fact, he could even feel Uxie’s hand tensing on his shoulder. Zion was stone-cold, like always. It was as if he were talking to…

“You’re just like my father.”

Ari’s eyes went wide as he realized he had muttered that, loud enough for anyone to hear. Zion shot him an angry glare.

“What was that?”

As soon as the bravado came, it was gone. Ari let his arms slump and looked away.

“...Nothing. I’m sorry.”

“I figured. Anyway, now that you’re finally able to use Psychic… I think it’s time.”

“To… cure Nimb?” Ari said, already getting his hopes up.

“What? No. You don’t know how to do that yet.” Ari pouted. “There’s something more important to do, and I think it’s been long enough to consider it’s the right time for it.”

Uxie gasped. “Wait, you don’t mean…?”

Zion nodded. “Yes. We’re going to the Forest Guardians’ base.”

Everyone reacted at the same time, getting closer and opening their mouths to speak up.

“W-wait, isn’t that where Ari was held captive?” Asher asked

“Isn’t it too dangerous?” Marsh added.

Uxie showed his own concern. “Are we… bringing Ari for this?”

“I-I don’t want them to find me…” Ari said.

The Zygarde huffed in annoyance and stomped a foot to quiet them down.

“Silence. They won’t lay a finger on you. First, because you’ve trained a lot to defend yourself, and second, because we’ll be there, and the moment it gets bad, we’ll teleport away with Uxie’s help.”

“I… Okay,” Ari said, followed by a heavy sigh. “I hope you know what you’re doing…”

Asher awkwardly stepped between the many rocks that lay on the ground as he got closer to Ari.

“Sooo why exactly do you need to go there?”

“I’m imagining it’s to rescue Mesprit, right?” Ari suggested.

“Indeed,” Zion responded. “If we’re lucky, she might still be there. However… I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”

Uxie frowned. “Right… It’s been a while, and they know that we know of their location now.”

Ari rested a paw on the pixie’s back, trying to reassure him. “Either way, doesn’t hurt to check, right?”

“Yes…”

“Can I go with you?” Asher asked, prompting Ari to look at him with surprise. “In case there’s any danger, I don’t want Ari to face it alone.”

“Then count me in too, if that’s not a problem,” Marshadow added.

Zion stared at both of them, ignoring the pleading look coming from the Riolu, as he pondered that. He didn’t respond right away, but when he did, he sounded hesitant.

“...Fine.”

“Yayyy!” Asher hoisted Ari up to his left arm and pressed him against his side. “Finally, a mission together!”

“Haha, yeah…!”

It felt safer to have the Cyclizar around, at least, and Marsh was also a welcome addition. If only he wasn’t going to the same place where he almost died, he would even be excited about it.

“I suppose it’s settled, then. We’ll be teleporting there at night, when most pokémon should be asleep. First, we’ll attempt stealth, but we’ll fight if necessary. Prepare whatever you need for the raid, and make sure to keep training that Psychic in the meantime, Ari. You might need it.”

Ari nodded. “I will.”

Ari, Asher, Marsh, Uxie and Zion were gathered at the lake, some of them looking more prepared than others. Ari and Asher carried their bags with them, but looked pretty anxious, while Marsh was pretty calm, albeit determined, while carrying nothing with him. Uxie and Zion were both unreadable, but it was hard to tell if that was because they already had experience fighting dangerous enemies or they were just good at hiding their feelings.

The plan was simple. They just had to be stealthy for as long as they could and try to find Mesprit, and only fight once they were spotted. However, that plan relied on them being lucky enough not to be teleported right in front of someone.

For now, they could only hope.

“Alright, is everyone ready?” Uxie asked.

“As ready as I can be…” Ari responded with tension in his voice.

“Same as everyone, I suppose,” Marsh said.

“Okay then, let’s go.”

Ari suddenly felt a tug on all his senses. What was supposed to last a split second felt like way longer as his reality shifted and twisted around him, a feeling he had experienced before but still couldn’t get used to. He could swear he heard unsettling voices calling for him in the middle of the psychic chaos, but Uxie already warned him about hallucinations and such caused by the spatial warp.

Then, it was over. The air felt humid on Ari’s fur, and his eyes needed to adjust before he could decipher where he was, which… never happened. All he saw was black.

“Aaaahhhh! I’m blind!” He heard Asher say.

“That’s not it, we’re in complete darkness,” Uxie explained.

“Ah.”

Ari sighed in relief as he got the confirmation that the teleportation didn’t mess with his eyes. After a brief moment, a light bathed the area, and he flinched, but then realized it was the flashlight from Asher’s Gholdevice. With the help of that source of light, they could see a set of rudimentary beds lined up against a wall and a large wooden closet, all in a room that had rocky walls that felt like the inside of a cave. That was a bedroom.

“Okay, there’s no one around, at least,” Asher said. “It’s a good thing I brought my GD.”

“This is definitely the right place,” Zion declared, being the first to move forward as he examined the room. “From now on, we’ve got to be extra careful.”

“Wait, before that,” Ari called out, stopping Zion in his tracks. Then, he closed his eyes and concentrated, tassels rising as he tapped into his aura powers and felt his surroundings. He immediately noticed the tense auras of his companions, while Zion’s was mostly determined, but aside from that… “There’s nothing. Like… Not a soul nearby. And I can sense auras from a long distance.”

“Huh? That’s… strange,” Uxie said. “Could it be some kind of trap?”

Zion shook his head. “If it were a trap, there would be someone around, but she said there’s no one, so that’s that. However, this place is big, so they might be somewhere else.”

Ari sighed, and that seemed to be noticed by Asher.

“You okay, Ari?” The Cyclizar asked.

“Oh… Yeah, don’t worry. We should start looking now.”

“Well, if you say so…”

The group silently left the room, looking left and right to see if there were any pokémon around, but it was totally empty, just as Ari said. They found themselves in a dark hallway that Ari could already recognize from that one traumatic experience. It was hard to see with just the flashlight, but it had already triggered all his alarms. At the same time, he didn’t remember the place being so dark, since it at least used to have luminous orbs that felt too advanced to have in a place inhabited by wild pokémon.

“This feels abandoned…” Ari commented. “How are we even supposed to explore with just one Gholdevice as a source of light?”

“Well, I can see just fine,” Marsh said casually. “I’m literally a shadow, so this is my realm.”

“And my eyes are always closed, how do you think I can usually see what’s in front of me?” Uxie asked.

Asher brought a claw to his chin as he thought about it. “Uhhh… Psychic magic?”

Uxie chuckled. “Something like that.”

“What about you, Zion?” Ari asked, turning to him and squinting his eyes in the dark.

Zion walked past him without quite looking. “My eyes adjust easily to the dark, so I don’t need anything else.”

Oh… That would explain why Zed could find him in that lab room even after he destroyed the light sources. In hindsight, that was such a bad plan, to be honest.

The group continued exploring the facility, keeping quiet just in case and checking every room they could to ensure there was nobody, and Ari kept using his aura just to be sure, but still, no one was around. It was really strange.

They didn’t take long before they came across a room that Ari recognized quite well. It was the same lab where Zed revealed the full truth to Ari, in the exact same state as Ari left it that one time. Broken crystals on the floor, damaged tools and capsules, dried blood, broken lightbulbs. A reminder of that horrible moment that was never truly gone from his mind.

“It… It was here. Mesprit was in this room,” Ari confirmed antsily, pointing forward. “Somewhere at the back.”

Zion nodded and took the lead, following a path that avoided the debris caused by Ari’s encounter with Zed all those weeks ago. The group went behind without saying a word, tension being palpable as they approached a specific glass capsule. There, right where Ari remembered it, next to a strange machine that seemed completely out of power…

It was empty.

“Just as I feared…”

Ari turned to Zion. “What is it?”

“This place was likely abandoned right after we found it,” Zion said, raising his voice a bit more now that he was sure of his theory. “They took everything and left, since they knew we already had pinpointed its location. They were risking a lot by staying here.”

“Don’t tell me… Then we came for nothing??” Asher asked, letting his shoulders slump as he stood on his back legs.

“Not for nothing. If we’re lucky, there might be something useful to find here, be it information, items, or other clues.”

“Oh, right!”

Marsh shrugged. “If they really abandoned this place, I doubt there will be anything left, but it wouldn’t hurt to try, now that we’re here.”

“Right… Yes, we should do that,” Uxie said. He seemed out of it, staring at the empty capsule, which left Ari a bit concerned.

“Great! Let’s do what we do best, Ari!” Asher said, nudging Ari with the Gholdevice. “Investigate!”

“O-oh, yeah! Let’s get to it,” the Riolu responded, turning to his friend after a bit of hesitation.

Zion started leaving the room, and Marsh and Asher followed suit. Ari was going to do the same, but noticed Uxie was still distracted, and decided to approach him.

“Hey, Uxie? What’s wrong?”

The pixie didn’t respond right away, putting a hand on the glass in front of him, until he sighed. “I got my hopes up. I… I really miss Mesprit.”

Ari frowned. “Right… I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s okay. You know, when I met you, I got so excited because you reminded me of her, and it was the closest I had to being reunited with her again.” He smiled at the Riolu, but it wasn’t fully genuine, and it faded quickly. “But she’s still out there, suffering, just like Azelf is too…”

“I’m sorry, I was so close that one time and I couldn’t save her,” Ari lamented, fist balled as he looked down. “If only I had been stronger, I could have-”

“No, Ari, it’s not your fault,” Uxie interrupted. “It’s Zed’s. And I was here too, but didn’t save Mesprit at the time. Either way, she wouldn’t want us to blame ourselves…”

“I guess she wouldn’t, hah…” Ari stepped closer to the glass, avoiding the broken shards on the floor, and stared at the same capsule where Mesprit once was. “Hm… Actually, I guess I really don’t know much about her. You say I remind you of her, but even with a similar personality, I probably have a bunch of differences due to our different upbringings. What is she like?”

Ari stole a glance at Uxie and noticed how a soft smile crept up his face.

“She’s emotional, soft, gentle… Really considerate, always putting others first, but… she also knows when to care about herself. She gets reeeally angry at those who are mean to others for no reason, especially if someone gets hurt, and well… she loves playing. She had way more friends than I do, but nobody actually knew she lived in Deepsoul Lake, so she somehow kept a low profile like the rest of us.”

“Wow, she sounds like an amazing pokémon…” Ari said, eyes wide in awe.

“Hah, yes… She’s also obsessed with being clean and tidy, to the point that she panics when she gets some dirt on her body, and loves taking a dip in the lake.”

Ari could almost picture her in his mind. Each thing he heard Uxie say about her changed something deep inside him, as if he were trying to find a common ground with the way he was, and yet…

“Anyway,” Uxie said, interrupting Ari’s thoughts. “We shouldn’t make the others wait.”

“Oh, right… Let’s go.” Ari and Uxie started heading outside of the lab, but the Riolu didn’t want to leave things like that. “Don’t worry, Uxie… We’ll rescue her. And Azelf, too.”

Uxie didn’t look at him, but Ari could feel his smile. “Thank you.”

Once reunited with the group, their focus went back to the investigation at hand. Asher was looking around with his GD to check for anything left behind, but that was a bit aimless, to be honest. Still, it was inspiring to see him so devoted to his job. Maybe he should do the same.

Ari and Asher both led the way, following the light of the GD as they traversed the empty hallways while checking on some side rooms they ran into, finding absolutely nothing in them. They really did evacuate without leaving any trace. It made them wonder if there was any point in exploring that hideout at all.

Eventually, the path widened and led to a big metallic gate with a handle on the side.

“Huh, I guess the lab wasn’t the only room with stuff made out of metal,” Ari commented with curiosity. “How can someone who uses metal to build a base be considered a wild pokémon?”

“You can be if you also consider yourself a hypocrite,” Zion said with a hint of contempt, not for Ari, but for his Zygarde brother.

“Right…”

Asher approached and pulled the handle, revealing it to be a sliding door that opened without much resistance. Inside, they encountered a big room with metallic walls that felt too big for what it actually had. It was pretty much empty, except for another door and an important detail that was probably the main attraction.

A huge set of tree roots protruding from the middle of the ceiling.

“What is this room for? It seems like a huge nothing…” Asher asked as he went inside, followed by the rest.

Marsh hummed for a moment, glancing at all sides of the room. “I’d say this was a good place for meetings. The walls probably were a good noise isolation due to the material, and it was big enough to hold a large number of pokémon.”

“Aside from that, there’s nothing else to do here…” Uxie said.

Ari noticed Zion staring at the roots for a long time, pensive, while everyone else just walked around trying to check every corner for clues.

He decided to approach him. “What’s wrong? Is there anything in those roots?”

The Zygarde didn’t stop looking up, as if lost in thought. Once he snapped back to reality, he shook his head.

“... No. This isn’t important. Let’s keep looking.”

With that, he walked away, this time going for the other door. Ari was left confused, but decided it was a waste of time to try to get any information from him. He always hid all the important stuff from him and everyone else; that wasn’t new.

Ari followed him to the other side of the room, and Asher caught up with him.

“There’s not a single thing left here, besides traces of other pokémon,” the Cyclizar stated. “If my GD wasn’t busted, I’d send the samples to Louis, and at least we’d get an idea of what species were here.”

“I can tell you that already… the traces are gonna be from Zygarde, Gothitelle, Inteleon, Spidops, Toedscruel and some others, I guess,” Ari listed dejectedly.

“Oh… never mind, then.”

Uxie and Marsh followed suit, and the group continued exploring the empty hideout. Even without any danger this time, the place had this unnerving vibe that unsettled Ari. When it had pokémon around, and he was being chased, that place was a nightmare, but now that it was empty and even darker than before, it felt as if there was a dark presence watching him, knowing the kind of stuff that was done in there.

What if something jumped him from the dark? His aura sensors already told him there was not a soul around besides his companions, but his heart was racing nonetheless. He experienced some horrible things there and hadn’t recovered emotionally yet.

Ari stuck to Asher most of the time, not only because he had the flashlight, but because he felt comforting and… well, he was big. Could be a good protector. And yet… Why was he thinking that? He was usually braver than this. He didn’t need Asher to protect him; he was strong and experienced enough.

As he kept thinking about it, he realized they had already gone through most of the empty rooms of the facility, but there was a specific room they were just passing by that Ari remembered quite well. He stopped and separated from the group, entering a tall doorframe with no door that led to a rustic kitchen.

Ari stood there, staring at the countertop with scattered tools as he drowned in a mixture of fear and melancholy. He felt his paws trembling slightly, but he couldn’t stop staring. He heard some footsteps approaching from behind until a familiar claw rested on his shoulder.

“You okay, Ari?” Asher asked.

The Riolu took a deep breath, trying to calm down as he didn’t even look at him.

“This is where I watched Spike die, Asher.”

The Cyclizar gasped. “Damn…”

He pulled Ari into a side-hug, and Ari leaned into it. His paws stopped trembling, and he shook his head as if trying to remove the bad vibes from his body.

“Ah, thank you, dude. I just… started to remember everything I felt in here, and it wasn’t pretty.”

“Don’t worry, buddy, I get it. You didn’t deserve to see something like that.”

Getting a better look now, Ari saw how clean the kitchen looked at that moment… at least regarding blood, because otherwise the countertop had a layer of dust from being abandoned for weeks.

“I wonder how his teammates took the news of his death. If they mourn him or… they weren’t that close.” His eyes darted away from the kitchen and met Asher’s eyes. “You think Zed would have even cared? I’m sure the others would have, but that guy…”

Asher sighed. “I don’t know… He sounds like a monster to me. Compared to the rest of the Forest Guardians, who were told a lie to keep working for that twisted cause, he’s literally the main problem. Maybe Spike was just a tool for him.”

Ari stood quietly after hearing that, humming softly as he looked away. He got a tighter grip on Asher and bit his lip, but he eventually decided to speak up.

“I also feel like a tool for Zion…”

“Uh… Ari, but…” Asher pulled away from the hug and held both of Ari’s shoulders to stare at him directly. “How bad is it, really?”

“You’ve seen part of it, but… it gets worse. Nothing I do is ever good enough for him; training has been too intense, and he doesn’t protect me because he cares, I’m just ‘important’ for the future of this world. He doesn’t give a shit if I’m not okay, as long as I don’t die.”

Asher frowned. “Ari…”

The Riolu shook his head in distress. “And don’t get me started on the way he’s been calling me. I’m just ‘Mesprit’ to him, I’m a ‘she’. I don’t even know what I am anymore. Every time he calls me like that, I feel… like I’m slowly losing what I am.”

There was a moment of silence while Asher looked at him in the eyes, mouth opening and closing as he clearly didn’t know how to make him feel better. Their breath filled the quiet ambience of the underground kitchen as the moisture settled in their throats, causing Ari to cough weakly.

“Listen, you need to confront him about this.”

“...What?”

“Yeah, talk to him! But do it seriously, let him know how you feel!”

“Asher, I can’t change his mind, he’s too stubborn and… he’s a legendary! What if he gets mad at me and hurts me? Or…” He lowered his head and sighed. “What if he’s right?”

“Nonsense!” Asher shook Ari’s shoulders as if trying to wake him up. “He doesn’t know more about you than you do, okay? And if you want change, then you gotta fight for it. Do you want a change or not?”

Ari finally stopped being shaken and stared back. “I… I want a change…”

Of course he wanted change. He wanted to evolve, in a different way. And in order to get there, he needed to…

“Okay, I’ll think about it. I’ll… try to talk to Zion once I find the right moment,” Ari said.

Asher shot him a bright smile. “Great! I’ll be there to support you if you need me.”

Ari smiled back. “Thanks.”

Another voice came from outside, interrupting them.

“Are you two done wasting time? There are a few rooms left to check,” Zion said, half-stepping into the kitchen.

“Oh… R-right, let’s go,” Ari said.

Ari felt a frown on the Cyclizar’s face, but didn’t comment on it. He knew what he was thinking, but maybe that wasn’t the best moment to confront Zion. Instead, they reunited with the group once again and proceeded to explore the remaining rooms, now with almost no hope of finding anything useful.

One of the rooms was just a small one with a water hole that was now dry. Another one was just an empty room that seemed to have been used for storage, and then a few more bedrooms with empty shelves and closets. All of them were checked one after the other, until a certain bedroom happened to have a specific detail that set it apart from the rest.

Asher was pointing the UV light at the floor, trying to find anything at all, but all he got was traces of fur and some footprints.

“Nothing here?” Ari asked.

Asher followed with a sigh. “Nothing here. They really didn’t leave anything behind.”

“Knowing their position, they wouldn’t want anyone to find out about their plans or identities,” Uxie commented, floating past the duo and to the door. “And they’re quite smart, I’d say.”

“Yeah…” Asher did one last scan on the whole floor quickly before he went to turn the UV light off, but… “Wait a minute.”

Ari perked up from the bed he was inspecting and turned to him. “What is it?”

“I… I think I saw something.”

Ari quickly went to his side, as well as Marsh, and Asher turned the UV light on once again. He pointed at the wall this time, which was made out of several rocks stacked on top of each other. On one of them, there were several fingerprints, as if someone had been touching that one specific rock many times.

“Hmmm… You think that could mean…?” Marsh asked.

Before that question was answered, Ari concentrated on the rock, and a reddish aura enveloped it, only for it to be removed with Psychic and levitated down to the ground, confirming it was loose compared to the rest of the wall. Asher pointed the flashlight at the hole in the wall and revealed a dusty notebook.

“Oh, finally SOMETHING!!” Asher yelled, quickly fetching the item and holding it in front of his companions, while Uxie and Zion entered the room, alerted by his sudden excitement.

“What did you find?” Zion asked.

“This notebook! Maybe there’s something in here that could be useful…”

“Let’s temper our expectations, just in case…” Uxie advised.

“A notebook is uncommon for a wild pokémon, knowing they usually don’t learn how to write or read… But let’s see,” Marsh said, which brought up the question of whether he was a wild pokémon or not. Ari had assumed he was, but now that wasn’t that clear, though that wasn’t the moment for questions like that.

Asher opened it and started reading some entries out loud.

“I miss my old life… Being here has proven to be more stressful than I thought. I keep telling myself that I made the right choice, that this is for a good cause, but even writing this diary has become something I’m forced to keep secret. They really don’t like it when someone expresses disagreement with their ways…”

“It’s a diary!” Ari exclaimed, pointing out the obvious.

Asher read another segment.

“Today we went on another recruitment mission. I’ve noticed a pattern here. Though there are wild pokémon that do hate civilized pokémon for past experiences, there are many others that weren’t happy but didn’t focus all their hate on every civilized. They said they met some who were nice. However, we convinced them to hate them either way, just so they had a reason to join us. I keep teaching others to hate… Just like I was taught when I lived in Apex City as a civilized pokémon. They wanna make us hate each other, but I wonder… why?”

The room felt silent as Asher finished reading that, and Ari found himself reflecting on that. This pokémon had doubts, but kept being here no matter what. And the thoughts they shared… felt familiar.

“Is there anything else?” Zion asked, breaking the silence.

“Oh, let me check…”

Asher flipped the pages until he was at the very last entry.

“We’re being relocated to the Gamma Base. I would have preferred Beta, since I’ve heard they have a lake, and I’m all for swimming, but… I don’t have the guts to ask for that. Anyway, apparently Base Alpha isn’t safe anymore, so this place is gonna be abandoned. I guess they have more than enough with just two hideouts, but this feels kind of a waste. I already got used to this place and accepted my new life, but honestly… maybe this is my chance. With all the chaos of moving out, I might be able to escape and live as any other wild pokémon. However, if I do… I know I wouldn’t be safe. No matter what I choose, things are gonna get bad. Real bad. And I can either enjoy the last moments of peace in full freedom, or keep going for longer in the hands of this twisted cause. I’ll see what I do once the time comes, but for now, this is the end of this diary. I can’t take it with me, or they’ll find it, so… this is it. If somebody ever finds this, then… well, I’m sorry you had to read this. Goodbye.”

Ari could hear Asher swallow and Marsh mutter something under his breath. He just coughed a bit before he turned his attention to Zion.

“Well… So there are two other hideouts.”

Zion nodded. “It appears that’s the case.”

“What now? We’ve searched every other room; there’s nothing else,” Asher asked.

“Now, we leave,” Zion said, moving back towards the door.

“W-wait, that’s it? Shouldn’t we keep investigating?” Asher insisted, going back on all fours after giving the diary to Ari. “We’ve barely found anything!”

Marsh put a hand on Asher’s side, stopping him. “We’ve found that diary, and now we know there are two other hideouts. I’d count this as a successful investigation.”

“If… If you say so…”

Ari looked at the diary in his paws and then held it close to his chest, turning to the others. “At the very least, we could take a look at the rest of the pages in this diary once we take it back with us. Maybe there’s some other important info.”

“Sounds good,” Marsh said with a smile, but it did falter after a moment. “It’s a shame we couldn’t find Mesprit in the end, though.”

Uxie sighed. “Yes… And we don’t know the location of the other hideouts-”

“It’s fine,” Zion interrupted and pointed his head towards Ari. “We have her, so they’re not in full control. As long as we have a part of her soul, we have a way to fight back.”

Ari clenched his fist.

“Either way, we shouldn’t put so much pressure on Ari. We can fight as well, like we always did,” Uxie said as he followed outside, as well as the rest of the group.

“But she has been training for weeks, so it’s about time she proves to be useful,” Zion insisted.

…Fuck it. That’s the right time to talk about it.

“Don’t call me that.”

The Zygarde stopped and slowly turned to the Ari.

“What?”

“I… I said don’t call me that. Don’t refer to me as ‘she’, please.”

Asher’s GD light pointed at the Riolu, showing his annoyed yet firm glare. Meanwhile, Zion’s deadly stare could also be seen, reflective eyes piercing the dark.

“...I’m calling you what you are. And you’re Mesprit,” Zion stated, as if that was an undeniable truth.

Ari shook his head. “I… I don’t care what you think I am! I don’t want you calling me that.”

“And since when is this about what I think?” Zion’s voice went down a few tones. “You know the truth as much as I do. I’m not calling you something that you are not.”

“...You’re worse than your brother, then.”

Zion was having none of that. He stomped a foot down, which echoed through the dark hallway, and made Ari flinch. “Who are you to say that? Do you have any idea of what you’re saying?”

The tension was palpable for everyone, and Ari could tell how Uxie and Asher were gritting their teeth, fearing the confrontation. Marsh, however, looked serious, unreadable. And Ari himself was trying so hard not to tremble.

“Y-yes, I know what I’m saying. You only see me as a tool, and guess what? Your brother did the same. I see no difference, except that at least he called me Ari.”

Zion took a step forward, and his darkened figure felt even more menacing.

“Watch your tone. I suggest you stop talking now.”

Ari took a step back. He was having second thoughts about this. Zion was scary, and this wasn’t going to go anywhere, right? It was all a waste of time. And he was talking to a legendary pokémon. He didn’t have any chance.

And yet…

‘I want a change.’

Ari stepped forward.

“Or what? You’re gonna hurt me? You need me alive, so the worst you can do is beat me up.” Ari’s voice didn’t waver, and his gaze turned dead serious. “Well, guess what. I’m used to it. I had to grow up with two other authoritarian figures that took care of that.”

Zion growled. “You…”

“Go ahead. Attack me. What is it going to prove?” Ari’s trembling subsided, while his eyes remained fixed on the Zygarde and his fists relaxed. “I’m just asking you to respect me. That's all.”

“You think I don’t respect you? Just because I call you for what you are?”

“Yes. I’m asking again, Zion.” Ari took a deep breath, his gaze softening. “Please. Call me Ari.”

Zion narrowed his eyes. “Why.”

The word echoed, and the question lingered in the air for a long moment. The Riolu closed his eyes, reminiscing about something that came to him so many times in his dreams. He could almost see a small figure in front of him, reaching out.

‘Make my own truth.’

Ari opened his eyes and… smiled.

“Because that’s who I am.”

Zion remained silent for longer than usual, and his menacing stance slowly returned to normal, while still staring back. Analyzing, looking for any weaknesses. Waiting.

The hideout became completely quiet, like nobody was even breathing. Time had stopped. 

“...Zion?” Uxie eventually asked shyly.

Finally, Zion looked away. His body language didn’t betray defeat, but it didn’t seem like anger either. He simply turned around, not wanting to look at anyone again.

Until he spoke.

“...There’s nothing left to do here. Uxie, teleport us back.”

Everyone exchanged some confused looks. Asher shrugged, and Ari tilted his head, unsure if any of that conversation had served for anything. Maybe it didn’t, but… it felt good to say what he was thinking. It felt good to be free.

Even if nothing changed, at least he had tried to change things.

The group returned to Farheart Lake almost empty-handed. The only thing they could find in the end was that diary, and it didn’t have much more than what they already saw in that final entry, but it was worth a try. At the very least, they didn’t have to fight, and nothing bad happened, which was a relief.

Uxie and Zion went to do their usual chores outside, and Marsh decided to tag along with Uxie this time. Uxie seemed a bit awkward when Marsh asked to join, but didn’t oppose the idea. Ari wondered what was going on in that pixie’s mind.

Meanwhile, Asher was resting in Ari’s room while the Riolu meditated at the lake. It was now easier to tap into his Psychic core when there was no one around, instead of needing someone to be there to support him all the time.

That was progress.

Maybe he could learn how to cure feral pokémon soon enough. He could only hope.

For now, he decided he had been meditating for long enough to deserve a rest. Zion had been… surprisingly quiet after coming back from the Alpha Base, and he didn’t even order Ari to train this time. So he was going to take advantage of that by spending some quality time with Asher.

Ari got up and headed down the tunnel that connected with the rooms. Through the holes in the wall, the orange crepuscular sunrays marked the path that the Riolu was following, as he squinted slightly to see the end of the tunnel ahead. Right there, another figure approached.

Liria stopped, and Ari stopped. The Ogerpon stood on the other side of the hallway, wearing her usual mask and not saying a word, while Ari opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself.

For a moment, they only stared.

Then, Ari tilted his head as a salute, and both Ari and Liria kept walking, passing by each other as if nothing had happened. Liria didn’t run away this time, and Ari didn’t say anything.

They both continued with their lives.

I’m in a familiar place. Not because I know this from before, but because it feels like home. There’s nothing around, just an endless horizon. The sky looks like a blend of blue and pinkish red, and the floor seems like pristine water that I can somehow walk on. It’s reflecting everything: the clouds, the colors, myself, and the other figure I can see further ahead.

The figure looks at me. The little Riolu that I know well, the same one I’ve been fearing for so long, stares peacefully at me as I’m gaining control over my movement. I tense my paws, then relax. My head tilts, and his head mirrors mine. Then he speaks.

“You… and I… are…”

I feel strangely calm now. I know what he’s going to say.

“I… I get it now. You and I are the same, right? That’s what you wanted to say all along?” I ask.

The eyeless Riolu nods.

I take some steps forward, then stop. The colors in the sky seem to blend in a beautiful mix that mirrors my own soul. The path that separates me from Ari looks shorter and clearer than ever, inviting me. And so, I keep walking ahead.

“I have so many questions, but I doubt you can answer them…”

He looks at me and doesn’t respond this time. For the first time, I can see his fur blowing in the wind, as if he were alive again, even if it’s just one last time.

“I’ve been ignoring this for too long, but I understand. You’re Ari, but I’m… I’m also Ari. I’ve always been Ari,” I say with a subtle smile.

“Yes…” He whispers.

The water flows gently, its soothing sound filling and echoing in this vast, dreamy world, where bad thoughts turn into a gentle breeze that never ceases to caress my fur.

“And to think I was so scared of you…” I shake my head. “All because I couldn’t face the truth. The one that I had to make for myself. I’m Mesprit, but I’m also Ari.”

I lean forward and wrap my arms around the little Riolu, embracing him, accepting him. He hugs back, and in that moment, I feel complete. I feel like I found the answer that had been right in front of my eyes the whole time. I feel found.

Right now, nothing else matters.

“You’re a part of me. I promise… I will carry your legacy, even if I don’t remember how you used to be,” I calmly say, tightening the hug. “I will live for both of us.”

“Thank… you…” He responds.

This is what I’m supposed to be. I’m myself and much more.

I’m Ari the Riolu.