FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Fox: I'll just leave this here. There's a few nods to things. Don't worry if things go over your head. They may be explained at a later point in time.

Brimcon: "I who stand in the full light.."

Chapter 28: Gilded Cage

"So let me get this straight." Joy said, stopping the current conversation. She grabbed her soda and slurped some noisily before continuing. "She battled you, not the other way around, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And she gave you her badge, fully knowing that it's against all Pokémon League regulations to do so when you told her that you were a breeder."

I nodded, confused as to where this was going.

"Fuck yes! You can challenge other gym leaders now, you know that? Officially, you're recognized as a challenger!" she said excitedly. "Think about it! You could go to the Kanto League and fight Lance!"

"Why would I do that?" I asked, perplexed. "I don't want to fight the guy. All I want to do is get some answers."

"I think she means that by going this way you can get the chance to talk to him." Jon explained, leaning back on his chair.

I shrugged. "Maybe. They could just as easily tell me that they can't get in contact with him and postpone the match."

"We won't know until we try!" she exclaimed. It sounded like something Zin would say.

"I still think we should investigate the Cerulean Cave. At the very least it will clarify, to me, what Lance was looking for inside."

"Do you think it matters?" Joy asked.

"I think it does. Whatever keeps happening, it's around us all the time anyway. We might as well know at least what the champions are looking into." I answered.

"And what if it's just a pile of shit." Joy said, narrowing her eyes at me.

I hesitated for a moment, but settled on shrugging. "If that's the case, then at the very least we know that was a dead end and Agatha gets the laugh of her lifetime."

Joy sighed, shaking her head. "You're not dragging me in there, if that's what you were thinking."

"You don't have to come." Jon said with a laugh. "I'm not going either. So whenever you decide to go, good luck."

"Thanks." I said, rolling my eyes. "Somehow, I think I'll need it. Anyway, it's starting to get late, so I'll see you two in the Pokémon Center."

They nodded as they turned their focus onto their food. Though I ended up talking more than they did, my food was served first. Either way, it was good to know that they were both safe. Better in Cerulean City than in the middle of Victory Road. Especially with those guards around the airspace, too.

It was already late afternoon. The once blue sky was now painted with vivid shades of orange and magenta. A soft breeze kept the temperature on the cooler side of things. I wasn't complaining, that's for sure. The restaurant, oddly enough, didn't promote Pokémon within the premises so it was just me for now. As much as the company would be appreciated, the thought of an angry female Pokémon settled in favor of leaving them be.

My thoughts drifted as I walked back to the Pokémon Center. The park wasn't as populated as earlier today, but perhaps that's due to how late it is. Either way, people were still walking around. A group of people, either family or friends, gathered around a few tables and having a good time. Pangs of loneliness hit me, but were quickly suppressed. The sight made me miss my parents. I wondered if they've finished that last book yet. Either case, the urge to give up on this wild chase was high. But as much as I wanted to see my parents, what would be the odds of more weird things happening around me? Putting them in danger would be inexcusable.

Also, I'm pretty sure that there has to be some world-wide Pokémon trainer and breeder registry. If there would be any reason for Kanto or Johto to put me down as a Poképhiliac, there would be no way that I'd be able to even visit Sinnoh. Thinking about it, I don't know how anyone would tell. Unless one of the Nurse Joy's said something behind my back.

I'm pretty sure that Joy wouldn't be able to contain herself if she knew. If anything, just to get some kind of reaction from me.

The walk was uneventful. When I reached the doors to the Pokémon Center, my feet stopped moving. It didn't stop them from opening automatically, but I turned around and walked back into the growing night. Street lamps illuminated the darkness, but the sun was already hiding beyond the slopes of Mount Moon. It would be only a matter of minutes before the sky was fully enveloped in night.

For a moment, the thought that Mist was making me do this came to mind. I sadly remembered that no, she wasn't inside of me. She was still within her Pokéball. My hands wandered to my belt, where the devices were fastened securely. How did my hands know which Pokéball to grab? While I still walked, my fingers went to one of the devices. Here was hoping that my choice was the correct Pokémon.

The bright red flash blinded me momentarily, leaving behind blinking spots in my vision. They finally settled down on two glowing yellow spots in the darkness. I sighed in relief, knowing that I released who I intended to. Akalia rubbed against my legs, her purring making my legs shake under the attention. She didn't question why, standing next to me. Her glowing eyes were the only indication that she was paying any attention. I kneeled down and ran my hands through her fur. She continued to purr loudly until I stopped.

"Lux?" she asked.

"I just thought you would like the walk." I said with a chuckle. "You're more than welcome to lead the way if you want."

Her star shaped tail sparked momentarily before settling to glowing a bright yellow. I followed the bobbing yellow star as it walked forward ahead of me. It didn't seem that Akalia had anywhere specific in mind. She would stop and turn to make sure that I was still behind her. Her tail would stop moving while she turned to look at me with her glowing eyes. It would be an unnerving experience for me if it was another Luxray.

The street lamps were allowing me to see easily now, but Akalia's glowing tail didn't disappear from view. She continued walking and I followed through the darkness that was all encompassing. The sky was devoid of any glow from the sun and only the street lights and Akalia's tail shed any light. Building lights slowly turned on, the city night life beginning to awaken. Time seemed to pass by quickly as I followed Akalia wherever she wanted. People and their Pokémon passed by us, some ignoring us while others greeted us with a kind smile or a nod.

My arms were grabbed from behind me. I struggled immediately, but stopped when Misty laughed.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" she asked from behind me.

"Let me go and I'll answer."

"That's alright. I'm sure that your Luxray can answer for you."

Looking around, Akalia wasn't in sight. Something soft rubbed against my leg. My eyes traveled downward, spotting the Luxray next to me. One of her paws pressed against my leg as she shook her head. Misty let go of my arms, and I had to fight the urge to retaliate or run. Turning to face my assailants, Misty and her three sisters were standing behind me. All three of them were wearing shorts and a matching shirt to go with their hair. Neither of them struck me as Noctowls, but neither was I and look at me.

Misty looked at her sisters for a moment. "Let me talk to him for a moment. I'll be back."

She grabbed me by the arm, dragging me along the sidewalk. Akalia let out some kind of annoyed growl, but she quickly walked ahead of us. Her tail still glowed brighter than the lights above. It looked like we were walking in random directions, taking a right turn to go behind some buildings and and left to cross the road. As we walked, more people became visible as the night life started up by its own accord.

Sooner than I thought, the buildings began to thin out with the lights associated with city life. Only Akalia's light brightened the immediate area. Misty pressed closer to me for a moment as my body shivered. Arceus above, please don't tell me what my overactive brain thinks she'll say.

"I know that you're thinking about going inside the Cerulean Cave and all. I just wanted to give you my thoughts on the matter."

I sighed in relief. At least that fear is put to rest.

"The Cerulean Cave used to be under lock and key by the Kanto and Johto Pokémon League. Dangerous Pokémon used to live there. Wild ones that wouldn't mind killing a human. Only the strongest trainers were allowed in, and even then some don't make it out.

"About three years ago, almost all activity inside the cave stopped. No Pokémon were reported coming in or out, and exploring the caves yielded little to no information about their whereabouts. No bodies were found and signs of life were few and far between. It just looked like every single Pokémon residing inside decided to up and leave at the exact same time. During these investigations, odd writings were discovered where there was previously none.

"Here in Kanto, there are no Unown experts to translate. Even Professor Oak was stumped when asked about what was going on. Bringing in Professor Elm from Johto only complicated the problem. The translation, according to Professor Elm, was a single sentence. 'He is coming'.

"Anything else you find in there will be news to me. Nobody else has gone inside since Professor Elm went inside or before Lance. Maybe some strange things happened in that time. I have no idea. Whatever you find, all I want is that you be careful."

I stood silent next to Misty, absorbing the information as quickly as I could. He is coming. What would that mean? Is it connected to Arceus? It is written in the language of the Unown, after all. It could have many meanings, but normally other deific Pokémon have some kind of honorific or are outright named.

"Something on your mind?"

Misty's questions shook me out of my reverie. "I was thinking as to why it just said 'He', is all. Normally, when referring to a deific Pokémon in Unown, it's either written with a name or title. With just the 'He' though, it's harder to pin down. Maybe physically seeing the writing may give more clues."

From the light of Akalia's tail, Misty smile could barely be noticed. "Good. Don't want you dying before I can kick your ass thoroughly."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Misty." I said while shaking my head. "Your audience would be disappointed if we didn't give them the chance to watch."

Misty turned and walked back into the city proper. We followed her, seeing as we had nothing else better to do at the moment. She turned to us and smiled again.

"I'll leave you two alone." she said, waving my way. "My sisters will end up wondering what's taking so long and think we ended up having sex in the woods or something."

I could feel the warmth on my cheeks when I stopped moving. She stopped me from saying anything with a very childlike giggle.

"Didn't know you were hot under the collar for me."

"I haven't even said anything!" I exclaimed.

"It's what you don't say that's sometimes the important things." she said gently. "Though I can tell that there's someone else that you care about. You don't strike me as one of those kinds of guys, either."

I took a deep breath, feeling the air fill my lungs. My breathing was ragged. Must have been holding my breath there for a moment or two unconsciously.

"You should get some rest if you're serious of going in there, though." Misty warned as she turned away from us. "Regardless of what's been reported, it's better to be prepared. Going exhausted would be a death wish."

I nodded as we watched Misty continue on her own back into the city proper. Looking over to Akalia, she nodded in Misty's direction approvingly. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity when she shook her head and growled at me. Any words that were to be said died in my mouth. She immediately looked hurt, rubbing against my leg and purring loudly. Smiling at her, I knelt down to scratch behind her ears. After a moment, she pulled away from me as her tail moved to and fro. Like a moth bound to flame, I followed Akalia's lead back into the city.

We took our time, enjoying the walk and each others company. Akalia would look back to me on occasion, as if to make sure I was still following her. People began to appear as we delved back inside Cerulean City. Passing the PokéMart, the time was displayed next to the building. As it read around nine, Misty's words echoed about having enough rest. It looked like Akalia had the same thought process when she looked at the time. Her pace quickened, and I was glad to be able to keep up.

At the very least, I didn't have to haul around all my stuff this time.

Entering the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy waved at us with a smile. I waved back as the phone rang. She answered it with practiced ease, smiling at me as she put her attention on the caller. Akalia continued to walk in the direction of our room. The door opened at the slightest touch. Taking a look inside, relief flooded in me when all was quiet. Akalia's glow brightened enough of the room to let me see that neither Joy or Jonathan were here. My Luxray jumped on our bed, quickly making herself comfortable.

I sat next to her as she shook her head. She climbed on my lap, her head pushing against my chest until I lay flat on the bed. She calmed down only when my eyes closed and my hands scratched her head. Her rumbling purrs helped me relax quickly, and sleep overtook me.

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

Song, Akalia, and Iolanthe all insisted that they accompanied me inside the Cerulean Cave outside of their Pokéballs. In truth, everyone did. Zin being one of the more vocal ones, and Mist constantly reminding me to think about everyone. Song eventually came with the compromise that three would accompany me and summon everyone as soon as trouble hinted its face. Zin didn't readily appreciate it, but at least she agreed. She came extremely closeto burning my pants, though. The only thing I brought with me was my flashlight, as we weren't leaving Cerulean City yet.

Just as Misty claimed, the cave seemed entirely empty. The only sounds I could hear came from us. No one was standing guard outside, either. Zubats, notorious for their overpopulation in cave systems, didn't make any appearance. I half expected a gigantic Pokémon to move from the shadows but nothing appeared. My thumb clicked on the flashlight, the light displaying more of the ruined cave than anything. Signs of inhabitation were there, but how long ago is up to discussion. Alongside a wall of rock taller than Song is, steps led the way. Looking upwards and pointing my flashlight to the ceiling, numerous stalactites could barely be seen. Curiously, not many counterpart stalagmites were on the ground. Cleared, perhaps, by the previous residents?

"Something feels odd, Master." Io mentioned, standing next to me.

"I agree. It feels very strange that this place be so clean." I said, nodding.

We continued forward, going up the steps and into another open area. It was small, compared to the previous area back down the stairs. However, there were more stairs leading back down again. Walking towards one of these stairs lead to a tunnel blocked by a cave-in. The deed seemed purposefully done, as chunks of stone were missing from the walls above and around the entrance. My hands touched the boulders, pushing lightly. The smallest stones above didn't flinch, and I didn't want to actively find out what would be on the other side.

We went back up and tried our luck going down another set of stairs. I was grateful that the entrance of the Cerulean Cave was visible on our way back up. The thought of some kind of weird fantasy loop that would make this a death trap sprung up and quickly suppressed. Iolanthe's eyes were quickly drawn up to me but I shook my head. A smile and a deep breath seemed to ease her worry as she took a more relaxed stance.

Going down this set of stairs led to a flat area with a few boulders around us. Song gripped her staff tightly as she stood next to me. The light from the flashlight would go over a rock or two, but nothing else obscured our vision. Again, no signs of life could be detected. Looking down at Akalia, the Luxray seemed confused. Admittedly, I felt the same way of this place as well.

We took a left turn, following the stonewall forward. Spotting what looked like another cave entrance, we walked towards it in hopes of finding out what happened here. At the very least, finding where these mysterious Unown writings were. Maybe I should have asked Misty where they were, or if she knew the general layout of the cave.

Scratching my head with my free hand, we discovered that the entrance wasn't blocked. My eyes met Song's briefly, and she nodded. Her grip tightened on her staff, taking the first steps forward. Akalia walked next to me as one of Io's tentacles rested on my shoulder. My footsteps echoed loudly in the cramped tunnel. I didn't have trouble walking through it, but all three of my Pokémon were walking almost on top of me. Iolanthe's body was almost pressed against my own, and Song's staff kept hitting my legs on accident.

Reaching the end of the tunnel, a few stalagmites were immediately visible. As we approached them, some had very odd markings carved on them. It wasn't Unown writing, but it was similar to it. Song stood next to me, her fingers roaming through my hair softly. I raised an eyebrow at her, but continued to focus on the odd markings.

"Do you think we found what the other humans saw?" Song asked.

I shook my head. "This isn't Unown writing, as far as I can tell. Maybe a copy of the original, but not sure what it is."

"Though the first words do look like a 'He'." she said, tapping her fingers against the words. "Though it's only due to them looking like it. Nothing else looks like the original line we're looking for."

"It keeps repeating, too." I said, frowning. "The same characters are repeated over and over again."

I pulled out my Pokédex and opened it, to see what time it was. We entered just before noon, and only a bit under an hour has passed by. We still have plenty of daylight outside before we're left outside in the night. Continuing forward, more crude handwriting was on either more stalagmites or on the walls themselves. The light from the flashlight went over more blocked tunnels or caves. The soft patter of dripping water could be heard whenever we stopped and looked around. Oddly enough, the writing began to get more cleaner and discernible the further we walked.

My skin crawled for a moment, making me shiver. The odd feeling of being watched made me stop and look around. I looked over to Song, who was giving me a worried look. Akalia pawed at my leg, her golden eyes concerned for me as well. I turned to Iolanthe, who was looking around as well.

"Did you feel something just now, Iolanthe?" I asked.

She nodded. "I did. There is a strong psychic presence here, but I cannot tell from who. It is a different energy signature that what I have experienced."

"Could it be residual energy?" I asked. "Misty did mention that one Pokémon. Mewtwo? Whatever that is."

Iolanthe shook her head. "No, this isn't residual energy. Someone is actively watching us."

I shivered again, but suppressed the awkward feeling as much as possible. "Come on. Let's keep going as far as we can. I want to get out of here as quickly as possible."

All three of my Pokémon nodded as we pressed onwards. We began to see signs of previous habitation. Cut stone covered in dead grasses seemed to act as bedding. With no need for shelter from the elements, there were no roofs over these areas. Large groups of these beds were clumped together, indicating some kind of social structure. More beds were grouped together in a similar fashion to the first grouping. It was difficult to say if this was made for one kind of Pokémon, or was this some kind of communal area.

As fascinating as this was, I made a mental note to tell mom and dad what I've seen. Curiously, I checked if my Pokédex had some kind of camera feature. It had a lens somewhere, of that I'm certain, to scan Pokémon. Could it take pictures as well? After some fiddling around, I did find that yes it can. It wasn't the best quality I've ever seen, but it did the job. As we continued onwards, I took more pictures of the crude writing. The mental note was corrected to send these pictures to mom and dad as soon as I got out of this place.

The pictures were of better quality for the odd text on the stone due to being close up. They were getting closer to recognizable Unown text, and I could begin to decipher what they said now. Stopping in front of one such text, it wasn't a copy of what Misty said, but something else entirely.

I read it aloud, my Pokémon standing next to me. "We leave this for you, the next line. Beware the Witch of the Night, for she claims the souls of the living."

What in the world does that mean?

Again, the odd feeling of being watched returned. Song's staff hissed through the air as she took a fighting stance. I spun around myself as well, the light from my flashlight wildly tracing through the darkness. Blood pounded in my ears, nervousness making me jitter in place for a moment or two. As my breathing calmed down, I noticed that my Pokémon were actively looking for something as well.

"Io?"

"It is the same presence once more." she said stoically.

Who would it be? What kind of psychic type would be around these parts? Two questions that didn't have an immediate answer at this moment. Either way, Iolanthe slowly relaxed her stance once more. My eyes passed over Song and Akalia, both Pokémon actively looking for what may have caused the disturbance. It takes them both a few more moments to finally relax properly.

"Iolanthe, do you recognize the source?" I asked.

After a moment of looking around, she shook her head. "No. It isn't a signature that I recognize. It is powerful, though."

"Interesting. What kind of psychic type would do this?"

"A curious ghost?" Song suggested.

Iolanthe shook her head. "The energy is different from a ghost. It isn't nearly the same as a ghost. Mist's energy, while powerful in her own right, doesn't begin to compare to the scope that is peering in our direction."

The Gardevoir looked a little put off, frowning for a moment. She shrugged after a moment, nodding towards Io. "You're right, I think."

I looked down towards the Luxray standing next to me. Her eyes met mine for a moment, as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. Looking over to the two psychic types, they seemed to come to some kind of unspoken agreement. Song stood even closer to me, one hand gripping her staff tightly while the other held my shoulder. Iolanthe looked at me for a moment before nodding. My mind couldn't come up with any idea how she could look so satisfied without a mouth.

In either case, I turned my attention back to our immediate surroundings. There wasn't anything like this in the ruins near home. Mom and dad have never mentioned things like this either. While mom has mentioned before that groups of Pokémon would live together, this seemed too organized for just an isolated tribe. There was a society here at one point or another, intelligent in its own right. But what would cause them to leave? Human presence didn't deter them before, or so Misty claims. Misty also claimed that there were guards here. Were the Pokémon here some kind of experiment?

And what about that Mewtwo that Misty mentioned? If she was right, did that being have an impact here in this society? More likely than not yes. That is, of course, if she was telling the truth. Still sounded like a bunch of trash. Then again, weirder things have happened.

We walked forward again, my eyes focusing on trying to find more of that strange writing. It seemed the farther we went the less we found. The same quote appeared etched on a stone tablet as tall as Iolanthe stood. It was neatly written, but nothing new to me at this moment. We passed by it, paying it little to no mind.

We found another tunnel, leading downwards. My mind kept playing out different scenarios on how the tunnel would collapse on top of all of us. I shook my head, focusing on walking. This one ended abruptly however. The soft sounds of moving water echoed through the chamber. It looked almost like an underground lake. The walls were adorned with similar crystals from the Ice Path, except these glowed a dark purple instead. The crystals pulsed in determined intervals, almost as if they were breathing. They would glow brightly enough to negate the light coming from my flashlight. When they stopped glowing, it seemed to absorb all the light in the chamber. If it wasn't for everyone having a hand, paw, or tentacle on my person, it would be hard for me to believe that I wasn't alone.

There weren't any sort of pillars hanging from the ceiling of the chamber that reached the ground. The crystal formations were lumped together, either alongside the walls or attached to the floor. As we moved forward, the chambers initial depth was deceptive. It was more like a glorified hallway, the crystals distorting my perception with the light coming in and out. Water splashed underfoot suddenly, as my foot stepped into a shallow puddle. Surprisingly, the water wasn't cold. It was warm, but walking in soaked shoes wasn't a good idea.

My eyes roamed over to Iolanthe, her gaze locking into mine instantly. In between the light pulses, she shook her head.

"No, I have not felt the presence again." she answered.

Strange. What would stop it from following us further? Though that is to say it hasn't attempted to mask its presence more thoroughly from prying eyes. My eyes were becoming more adjusted to the pulsing lights, though. Going back outside was going to be a pain in the ass.

Every now and then Song's hand would stop me from moving. Her eyes roamed frantically throughout the room, looking for anything that looked displaced or odd. "Song?" I finally asked, speaking softly. My voice echoed loudly anyways, making the Gardevoir's eyes stare right at me.

When she didn't respond, I smiled reassuringly at her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded silently, her face disappearing and reappearing with the pulsing light. "I'm fine." she said stiffly.

I didn't think so, but decided not to mention my observation. My fingers wrapped around the ones on my shoulder, her smooth skin gracing my touch. Her tight grip loosened slightly, but the worry was still there. She looked determined, a focused look gracing her features. It was one that Iolanthe shared with her, too. Akalia looked a bit more relaxed, but not by much. Her paws splashed playfully on the water. It looked like Song wanted to scream loudly for the Luxray to stop doing that.

Before any of that actually happened, the formations began to grow more concentrated. These large groups, while emitting more light, also seemed to absorb more ambient radiance from their surroundings. We avoided touching them, sometimes resorting to Iolanthe and Song working in tandem to get me to the other side.

"What do you think they are made of?" Song asked casually, catching me.

"I have no idea." I said truthfully. "They look similar to the ones in the Ice Path in Johto. Best be careful that we don't wake up something though."

"Better safe than sorry." Song said, nodding.

Iolanthe landed beside me, her tentacles coming to rest around my waist. "I think that our destination is near." Iolanthe said confidently.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"There is some kind of platform ahead."

"By the way, thank you for lifting me and Akalia over the crystals, Io."

She nodded, tightening her hold on my body and looking pleased. We continued moving as I gave a silent prayer to Arceus that we would find what Misty claimed was in here. I fell forward suddenly, losing my balance as my foot went through a hole of some kind. Water soaked my pants, but thankfully Io saved me from meeting the floor with my face. Song also helped me stand, brushing off my shoulder gently.

"Are you al..." was all that came from Song's mouth. I was alright physically. Mentally was another story.

The path ended abruptly in front of us, but the letters that Misty told me before I ventured inside the Cerulean Cave were emblazoned. The words might as well be written in bold, the letters carved deeply into the stone walls. My legs wobbled slightly, my knees weak at what was before us. It had the feeling of business, and the mental image of a psychic type carving out the letters with their mental powers wouldn't leave my mind.

"What does it say, Master?" Song asked.

"It's not Unown, but it's close to it." I said, frowning for a moment. "The part that Misty mentioned is, but everything else is something else entirely."

"Can you read it?"

"I can try. How accurate it'll be is up to debate." I answered with a shrug. "Give me a second to mull it over."

My eyes narrowed as I began to process each word and letter. It bothered me that this Professor Elm could only decipher the last sentence of the entire paragraph and not guess at the rest of it. Ignorance!

Calm yourself, Aaron. Deep breaths, one at a time. In, hold, and then release slowly through the mouth. I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again. The first sentence was easy enough to translate. That is, of course, assuming that I was reading it correctly. The following sentence was a bit more complex, making me double check a few letters from the first and last sentence. I shrugged after a moment, beginning to speak so as not to keep everyone waiting.

"To He who reads the last language. We ask that you... take heed to this warning. Beware the Witch of the Night, for she claims the souls of the living. Do not trust the winged ones. He is coming."

Silence followed my words as they echoed from the stone walls. Song looked at me dubiously. "That's it?" she asked.

I nodded. "Unless I messed up somewhere, yeah. My hesitation was due to not recognizing the words used here. It's almost like the words were jumbled on purpose and looked different."

"What do you mean?" Iolanthe asked softly.

"Take for example the word 'beware'. The double-u is at the beginning of the word in the writing, instead of where it should be in the word. Completely different to Unown or basic writing forms."

"But who would write this down here?" Song asked, frustration clear in her voice. One of the ends of the staff hit the stone, the sound echoing around us. "What's the point?!"

"I don't know Song, but be careful with your staff. We don't want one of these crystals shattering."

"Too late." Io intoned.

I was about to ask why she said that when a loud cracking sound echoed in my ears. The next moment passed by and my vision faltered as a hard blow hit the back of my head. My vision was blurry, movements being extremely hard to track. I could hear muffled sounds. Footsteps at the most, if that much. Akalia's glowing tail was the only thing my mind could identify easily. The yellow glowing star blurred in a nauseating display as it moved back and forth quickly. Two hands were placed at the sides of my head as my body was lifted off the ground.

The sound akin of glass shattering made my head pound. My face was pressed against cool skin as limbs tightened around my head, torso, and legs. It must be Iolanthe that's carrying me, then. The air rushed around us as we moved. The walls of the cave were a blur to my eyes. A feeling of nausea passed over me suddenly, threatening to empty meager lunch of earlier today. More sounds of those crystals exploding echoed inside my head. Light still filtered through my eyelids, quickly engulfed in darkness.

My hands clenched, trying to feel if I still had my flashlight on me. Unfortunately, I must have dropped it when I was hit from behind. Idly, my thoughts wandered if the injury was serious. A blow to the head isn't a good thing. Can't be too serious, though, if my thought processes were coherent enough. Maybe it was a small object that ended up striking me. It was a mystery enough to me and probably the others as well. It didn't take long for everything to finally settle down. I was placed in a sitting position, my head being cradled gently between smooth skin. Io's face entered my vision, her mouthless visage blurry to me. A stinging sensation creeped up on me suddenly as the feeling of something being pulled out of my head came into the forefront.

"Io?" I asked.

"If you speak once more, I will see it personally that you be knocked unconscious." Iolanthe intoned. "For the sake of your mental well-being, I want you to focus on breathing and staying awake."

I acknowledged her by doing just that. My shirt was pulled a few times as Io and Song spoke. The sound of cloth ripping could easily be heard, Io's dexterous tentacles worked around me.

"Will he be alright?" Song's worried voice echoed in... wherever we were.

"He should be fine." Io stated. "His mental activity is still high, though the blow looks to be mainly superficial. Either master has a hard skull enough to rival a Golem or it was a glancing blow. I am more leaning towards the glancing blow theory."

Thanks, Io. Appreciate the subtle humor.

"You are welcome, Master." she said, patting my shoulder gently. "Before you ask, we are safe at the moment. We are in the previous chamber before we went into that deathtrap."

Right. I took a deep breath, trying my hardest not to close my eyes in front of everyone. The temptation was high, but did my best to refrain from doing so. My eyes itched like mad, though.

"You can blink." Iolanthe assured me. "Just do not go to sleep."

I sighed in relief, relaxing slightly and doing so. My body felt tired, but I resisted the urge to sleep. Taking deep breaths, I thought of the words inscribed on the wall before this insanity happened. 'Beware the Witch of the Night'. There is only a handful of Pokémon that could be the reference to this title. I've known for a fact that Raikou and Moltres have been referred as these titles more than a handful of times. There is, of course, Cresselia as the actual manifestation of the moon itself.

"Cresselia?" Iolanthe asked suddenly.

"What about her?" Song asked.

"Master was thinking about her in reference to the title of Witch of the Night." Io explained.

The Gardevoirs eyes widened, shaking her head. "Cresselia is a force of good in our world! The monks taught me that!"

I frowned, forcing myself to speak despite the warnings from Iolanthe. "Unfortunately, that isn't always the case in the legends. She has been attributed to cursing human and Pokémon for centuries. Speaking Cresselia's name is almost a curse to many people."

"Did you forget what I told you, Master?" Iolanthe asked in an oddly neutral tone.

"No, but I think it's best that I speak for myself instead of you for me." I said, frowning. "I'll stop talking if I feel nauseous or dizzy, I promise."

Silence followed my promise as I caught my breath. Thankfully, my eyes could see relatively well again. Akalia's tail was still shining brightly, illuminating our surroundings plainly. Song's face betrayed anxiousness, a complete contrast to Iolanthe's indifferent stare. She was probably interested in what I had to say. It just that it didn't look like it at all. The Luxray seemed a bit indifferent at the conversation. Her ears were moving around on their own as her eyes bore into my own.

I shook my head slowly, feeling slightly light headed at the act. Io leaned forward and pressed a tentacle against my lips. "You will not speak any more until we get out of this cave. That is my final verdict!" she said loudly. The echo of her voice made my head hurt. She must have known, as she immediately took hold of my body, and before anybody else could have a word in, lifted me up and continued walking.

Akalia and Song caught up quickly, avoiding my vision to drift back into darkness. I was just glad I could see Io's colors clearly again. At least my vision wasn't shaking as we moved towards the exit of this Arceus forsaken place. I didn't see the appeal of this place. If there were murderous Pokémon here, no one could force me in here. Doesn't matter what ancient knowledge you've thrown at my face as bait.

I continued to breathe and stay awake, slowly noticing our surroundings changing. The tunnel lit by Akalia's light would suddenly open up to another spacious, the light disappearing in the vastness of the space available. We stopped moving again as Io placed me down once more. Two tentacles pressed against my face, widening my eyes as the light from my Luxray's tail glowed brightly.

"He's still conscious." Iolanthe stated. "Explain yourself, Master. Song has been practically ready to bash your brains in."

I sighed, thinking of how to put my words correctly. Song's staff hitting the stone beside my head stopped that train of thought instantly.

"I want an explanation, Master. Now." Song said sternly.

"Fine. But please don't threaten me. I wasn't trying to mask my information from you, just figuring out how to say it without sounding one sided or like I know everything."

As she removed the staff away from my face, I felt a bit more relaxed. I rubbed my eyes gently with my thumbs, trying to sort out my thoughts quickly.

"Cresselia is, and has been, described to have many titles. Witch of the Night is one of the more rarer occurrences for the lunar Pokémon. Darkrai has also been known to carry the title, as well as Moltres and Raikou. I don't know exactly why Moltres is included, but from what my parents and I have managed to piece together is that Moltres would come in moonless nights in a flash of fire to steal the heat from every home and village it would encounter. Raikou would steal the firstborn of a family, human or Pokémon, didn't matter."

"And what about Cresselia?" Song asked.

"According to records, a Cresselia would kill whomever looked upon the full moon, stealing their soul and sending it to the hereafter."

"To Giratina, you mean."

"Yeah, to Giratina." I confirmed.

"What is Cresselia's role in the grand scheme of things?" Song asked, confusion in her tone of voice. "Were the monks wrong?"

"I don't know, Song." I said, sighing. "My information can be completely incorrect, and Cresselia could have true benevolent feelings for other Pokémon. But going by what both Darkrai's have mentioned and my knowledge of Cresselia, I'm going to be cautious."

"Until we know better." Io supplemented.

"Indeed. At the very least, that's the intention."

"Master, you never make things simple."

"It's not my intention to make things more complicated." I offered. "Things are normally complicated when we find out that things are more in-depth than we originally thought. Which tends to encompass everything."

"Sometimes you disturb me, Master." Iolanthe stated.

"I apologize, if that's the case. Hope it hasn't changed my opinion of me too much."

It was a very lame attempt to lighten the situation, but thankfully Io got the message. Either that or she understood the message by reading my mind. Either way, her soft laughter breathed new life into our surroundings.

"How much further do we have to get out of here?" I asked. "It's too dark for me to make any specific features out."

"Not much further now." Iolanthe assured. "Do you feel well enough to walk?"

"Maybe. I'll give it a shot as long as you three make sure I don't fall."

The three ladies around me affirmed their participation. Song held tightly to my right arm as Iolanthe held my left. Akalia brightened her glow slightly, allowing my eyes to see the ground around me. My steps were unsteady, but slowly gained in strength as we continued to walk. We managed to stumble to the outside world once more, Song and Io practically dragging me due to my stubborness. It was nice to hear the Gardevoir finally laugh like she meant it, though.

The sky was already tinged in oranges and deep purples. Was it that late already? My hands went to my pockets and pulled my Pokédex. Opening it up, the time ticked exactly five-thirty in the afternoon. Exploding crystals, mysterious text, and bodily injury. That's enough excitement for me for one night.

"I think Master wants to rest for the day." Song said with a laugh.

"Well, things have been quite eventful." I said in my defense.

"That's what I hear, as well."

We all stopped and looked to our left, as I immediately identified the reporter girl that interviewed me the other day. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." she said, walking towards us. "It's not often that someone goes inside of the Cerulean Cave for fun."

"Well, let me tell you that it sure wasn't because we felt like it." I said, sighing. "By the way, we noticed that there was something following us inside. Our best guess was some kind of psychic Pokémon, but we couldn't identify the energy source."

"Interesting. And who made such bold statement?"

I pointed to Io. Our mysterious companion clammed up instantly. Silence settled around us, broken when I coughed.

"If you don't mind, we'll be headed off to the Pokémon Center. I've had enough adventuring for one day, thank you very much, and not in the right mindset to answer questions."

"And who said that I was here to ask questions?" she asked.

"Well, you're a reporter, right? Isn't asking questions part of your job?"

"You got me there, unfortunately." she said with a smile. "So, saying that, can I ask you a question?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed, but relented. "As long as it's one. I don't think I can handle a barrage after today."

"Are you ready to meet The Soulkeeper?"

Before any words would formulate out of my mouth as a response, an impact sent me flying from Song and Iolanthe. I landed on my back against the ground, the air leaving my lungs on impact. Scrambling to stand up as quickly as possible, what little air was in my lungs quickly left as the girl was wrapped in shimmering dust. Bright yellow, purple, and blue colors began to emanate from the center of the bubble that encapsulated the young girl. A wave of air suddenly passed over me, knocking me back on my ass when it hit me.

Getting my bearings back, I was finally able to see what was happening. Dust hid anything from sight, and making breathing slightly difficult. The veil of obscuring dust slowly parted, revealing a majestic glowing being. Whatever it was, it floated serenely over the ground. The face of the mysterious figure was in the shape of a crescent moon. When the figure looked my way, I could see its two eyes burning red. The newcomers body was glowing a bright purple, revealing that the entire head wasn't a moon shape. It was close enough to me.

Ethereal purple bands appeared from the new arrival, connecting to both sides and meeting at the front. A strong amount of pressure made my eyes water instantly. It felt like all the air in my lungs was forced out.

"BEHOLD, HUMAN, AND DESPAIR! YOUR FINAL MOMENTS HAVE ARRIVED AT LAST!" the voice echoed loudly inside my skull. "TAKE COMFORT IN THE SOLACE OF YOUR PAINLESS DEATH. I, CRESSELIA, WILL-!"

The poorly devised speech ended abruptly as Song and her staff connected against Cresselia's head with a loud thwack that made me wince. Immediately, the pressure lessened around my chest. Akalia was immediately next to me, alongside Iolanthe. They both helped me get up, though my feet were unsteady. My left hand gripped Io's shoulder as my right went to each Pokéball and released my friends. Song made her way next to me, supporting me instead of Iolanthe.

"WRETCHED CREATURES...ABOMINATIONS TO LORD ARCEUS' NAME!" the voice boomed loudly inside my skull. "I, CRESSELIA, WILL SEND YOU ALL TO GIRATINA TO BE JUDGED FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!"

Insolence? I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. Now is not the time to be thinking about what a psychotic being is rambling on about. Before I could say anything, Io spoke.

"We need to take this fight somewhere else. We cannot risk getting innocents being caught by accidental fire."

I looked behind me, noticing that Cerulean City wasn't really that far away. If this thing really was Cresselia, I'm pretty sure it would level a mountain without much effort. My eyes locked onto Io's as she nodded.

It seemed that Io became impromptu leader. She immediately began giving orders. "Spirit, Aurora. I want you both to stay with Master at all times. Mist, I wish for you to stay in the air and maintain eyes on both combatants and Master. Everyone else, follow my lead. We're headed northwards. There seems to be an open area there were we can fight without much interference or harm to bystanders."

Everyone turned to look at me, as if to confirm what Iolanthe said. "What are we waiting for?" I asked. "Let's move!"

Spirit took Song's place at my side, before six out of my nine companions dispersed to keep Cresselia away from me. Spirit didn't allow me to walk. She lifted me up into her arms, cradling me like a child as Aurora jumped on top of my chest. My Flygon's wings lifted us up from the ground ever slightly, enough so she didn't need to walk. Sparks of electricity and gouts of flame told me that Akalia and Zin were doing their best to keep the mythical beings attention. A pulse of purple light would appear, followed by shouts of some kind.

As much as I wanted to know if everyone was alright, turning around would make me a target. Spirit's 'goggles' were slightly damp on the inside. Was someone injured? Dammit! Aurora's claws were at my throat instantly, stopping my movements. A soft hurt sound came from Spirit, but Aurora only dropped her stance when I finally calmed down.

Spirit put me down without hesitation. Aurora was standing on my head as Mist floated next to me. A soft touch made me look to my right, noticing Mist's worried expression.

"We are not going to be safe for very long." Mist said. "They are heading this way at quite the pace."

I looked over my shoulder, seeing bolts of lightning and gouts of fire bouncing off a bright purple barrier. A huge amount of pressure was put on me suddenly, making me double over. It felt like a migraine, except ten times worse. A wave of nausea threatened to empty what was in my stomach. My cheeks bulged, though I swallowed in reflex. The horrible taste of bile washed down my throat, and my body shuddered in response.

"Mist, are you hiding me?" I asked.

"I am doing my best to do so." she answered curtly. "It is why Cresselia has not ignored everyone by now."

I shut up after that. Aurora slid down from on top of my head and into my arms. She pressed a long claw against her lips, and I nodded to the Weavile. Another wave of pressure washed over me, my legs buckling under the unseen force. Spirit's claws grabbed me, making sure I didn't lose my balance. Looking at her, she didn't look like she was in pain.

"Spirit, did you feel anything?" I asked softly. She shook her head.

It looks like Cresselia is specifically targeting me. Looking at the unfolding battle, it was quickly moving in our direction. I'd give it about another thirty seconds and everyone would be right on top of us.

"We have to move." I said, looking at Mist.

"Not yet. I am waiting for Song's signal."

Knowing the Gardevoir, it would be something extremely obvious or elaborate. Song quickly ducked under Cresselia's left wing. Her staff bounced off the shield surrounding the Pokémon. At the same time, Akalia and Zin fired off beams of lightning and fire. Iolanthe and and Baast used their physical prowess to hammer against the shield. A high pitched scream erupted inside my mind, accompanied by a cracking sound.

Cresselia's eyes were on me. That's all I knew or had to know at the moment. A purple beam was headed to me. My legs refused to move, no matter how much effort was put towards the task. Something grabbed me from the side, hauling me away with it as I was lifted off the ground again. I met the ground hard, my world tumbled over a few times. Sharp claws grabbed hold of my arm, attempting to lift me up. Looking over, Aurora was doing her best to help. As soon as I managed to kneel, Mist floated over to me. Spirit's eyes, shielded behind her goggles, stared at me in my peripheral vision.

"Get up! Stand! Don't just sit there!" she screamed loudly.

I ran forward into the open grassland in front of me. It was better than waiting or questioning what she was screaming about. A loud thud from behind me made the ground shake, making me stumble. Looking behind me, Iolanthe was picking herself up as Zin stood on shaking legs. Io looked in my direction, giving me a swift nod as she bolted towards the fight. Zin looked worried, staring off in Io's direction.

"She's really trying to kill you." she said flatly.

"Are you alright?" I asked. She stared at me and rolled her eyes.

"No, but I'm still alive. That counts, right?"

I grimaced at my tactlessness. Zin shook her head, walking towards the battlefield.

"Spirit, Aurora, take care of Master." Zin said. "Mist, we need you."

"But what about the barrier?" the ghost asked.

"We'll handle it if Cresselia switches targets. Right now, Song is doing a good job at keeping her attention."

Mist looked warily between me and the Houndoom. Zin sighed. "Fine, but don't make me wait too long. We all need you right now."

Without waiting for a response, Zin dashed back towards the fight. Sparks flew through the sky. No doubt was in my mind that Akalia was doing her best to give Cresselia all she could muster. Spirit's claws lifted me up and holding me tightly against her. I looked over to Mist, her face betraying worry or indecision. It was the first time that came to mind that she showed any sign of hesitation. My hands reached out to the hovering ghost, bringing her to my chest.

"You should go." I whispered.

She immediately pushed against me, going through my arms and hovering dangerously close to my face. "No!" she screamed. "My place is to protect you!"

While surprised by her outburst, it wasn't out of context. "They all need your help, too. Spirit and Aurora will keep me safe. Don't you trust them?"

Her mouth was a thin line against her face. She nodded, but her eyes narrowed. "If you die, I'll make sure to haunt you for the rest of your undeath." she said acidly. "As soon as I leave, the barrier hiding your presence will fall. Spirit, Aurora, please be careful."

She hovered in front of me for a moment after saying those words. I nodded once, and she flew towards the battlefield behind us. Cresselia instantly turned to us, ignoring everyone and charging straight for me. Meeting Mist halfway, the two Pokémon clashed, invisible waves physically pushing me back. The air felt thick as it was accompanied by an unbearable pressure around my chest and head. Relief would come in waves. It was as if Cresselia was trying to reach me with her powers, while Mist systematically cut her influence once found.

The rest of the group caught up with our opponent. Song and Baast were the first to attack, jumping on the back of the great floating Pokémon and delivering blows to the head and neck. Cresselia's eyes glowed bright purple, matching the same outline that was around both my Gardevoir and Lucario. Both of them were lifted up above Cresselia's head and thrown at my direction.

"Spirit, catch Song!" I yelled, forcing my body to move away from my Flygon. She flew past the Lucario and catching Song. The impact almost knocked both of them to the ground, but Spirit looked like she was still alright.

Somewhere in my mind, it hit me that I was trying to catch the one with spikes coming out of her chest and arms. My mind comes up with the best ideas!

As Baast came quickly to me, she tried to exert some control over her body's position. Her arms flailed, turning her back to me as our bodies impacted together. The impact sent us both tumbling in the dirt. My vision darkened instantly as what little air I could actually breathe was better used for more important purposes. Baast moved off me quickly, relieving the weight from my chest. It felt as if at least something was bruised at best, broken at worst. It wasn't anything deliberately painful at the very least. Not in the sense of a lung being pierced or a rib breaking.

Still hurt a lot though.

Baast's paws helped me stand up quickly. The sound of something shattering around me made me look for Cresselia. What I saw instead was Mist falling. My body struggled to move, but Baast was faster. The Lucario was a blur, catching the falling ghost safely in her arms. Before I could say anything, two tentacles grabbed hold of me and dragged my body backwards. A wave of energy hit the location I was just at a few moments ago. The ground began to glow from underneath before exploding in a weird combination of ice and fire.

Io's tentacles held me close to her chest. My eyes met Cresselia's as three beams began charging, each a different color. Iolanthe's tentacles grew in front of my eyes, distorting to something larger that I've only seen once before. As the three beams launched simultaneously towards us, my vision was blocked by Io's now enlarged limbs. Only the sounds of my hearing and heartbeat registered in my mind. My breathing was heavy with anticipation and fear. I really didn't want to see Cresselia.

"I was not hit by anything." Iolanthe said.

I nodded slowly, trusting Io to protect me. It's pretty obvious by now that I'd have no hope by myself.

Iolanthe lowered one arm down, slowly revealing the world around us once more. The first I noticed is that we weren't on the ground anymore. Well... technically we still were, but something made a hole deep enough for us to be under the surface. It wasn't far down enough to not be able to see Cresselia still staring at us, though. Though it was a mystery to me why Cresselia wasn't taking any advantage of the present situation.

"YOU!" Cresselia's voice echoed loudly inside my mind. "INVADER! HERETIC! DEFILER OF ARCEUS! LEAVE THIS PLACE AT ONCE!"

Who was she talking about? A soft chuckle echoed around me, as if to answer my unvoiced question. My eyes met Iolanthe's, who shook her head. A piece of black dust drifted past my vision, another landing on my nose. I rubbed it with my fingers, but immediately noticed that it wasn't dirt. Instead of it being wiped off it smudged against my skin. Looking at my fingers, it stained them jet black. It was then that I noticed that more were falling around us.

Also, the large wings that were made of fire.

Following the fiery wings to their origin point, what flew above us wasn't something I was expecting. Only one Pokémon was like this, and they weren't all shy of being seen or interacting peacefully with humans. Moltres, known in legends as The Everflame, was above us.

Its great wings beat the air around us, the air feeling slightly warm around us. It wasn't stifling as my fears lead me to believe. The flame Pokémon landed behind us and it allowed me to get a good look. One thing caught my complete attention, and that was the Pokémon's eyes. They were a mesmerizing blue, radiating a sense of calm. Before I could say anything, Moltres shook its head side to side. It was a bigger surprise when Moltres spoke.

"Now Cresselia, what have I told you about attacking humans?" the Moltres said in a motherly tone.

Arceus above, please don't tell me that Moltres is actively goading Cresselia.

"BLASPHEMER_! YOU DARE QUESTION MY MOTIVES?! YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS TO BE PUT TO TRIAL! INTERFERING WITH THE WORK FOR THE FATHER!_"

"He's gone, Cresselia!" Moltres snapped, flames licking their way out of her beak. "Wake up from your crazy dreams and think for yourself for once. You're not the Prime. Let them handle this as they always have."

"NEVER!" Cresselia bellowed loudly, making my head pound. "I WILL COMPLY WITH THE TASK SET OUT BY MY PRIME, AND ERADICATE THOSE WITH THE MARK ON THEIR SOULS. THIS IS THE HUMAN DARKRAI ATTACKED BEFORE US! HIS SOUL MUST BE PURGED!"

For a moment, fear was at the forefront of my mind. Having Moltres behind us and Cresselia at the front wouldn't make this situation any easier. Fighting both is asking for a death wish. Thinking was a luxury that wasn't in my timetable. I couldn't see anyone from my position. Even if they could distract Cresselia, Moltres would be on top of us instantly. My heart beat against my chest painfully.

The Everflame's wings folded around me and Io in a protective gesture. "No, Cresselia." Moltres said gently. "This isn't a decision to make lightly on information you know little of."

"MISBEGOTTEN FOOL! I ACT IN ACCORDANCE TO MY PRIME. YOU, ON THE OTHER WING, ACT AS A REBEL AGAINST OUR CAUSE!"

"You're leaking thoughts again." Moltres said teasingly, a clicking sound coming from her. "This human can hear you."

"LET HIM! HIS OWN DEMISE WILL COME SOON ENOUGH!"

"And that's where you're wrong, Cresselia."

I turned to face Moltres as her eyes were on me. Finally getting a moment to register her presence, she was much larger than I thought. She stood at least a few hands above my head, and her wings were gargantuan. Moltres lowered her face to meet mine. For a moment, I could swear that a hint of a smile was on her beak. If beaks were that malleable. Either way things still didn't look like they were on my side. All Moltres presence meant was that there was a third party looking for their own end.

Moltres spread her gigantic wings wide, the air around us instantly turning stifling. Both of Io's arms wrapped around me in their protective embrace as quickly as possible. As much as I wanted to know what was going on outside, it was probably for the best that it remained a mystery. A sense of weightlessness, like falling, settled in me before it left with a shock. Iolanthe's arms slowly transformed back into the tentacles I was used to. They looked a bit thinner than normal though. The colors of her main body were turning black. A large section above her legs, her face and tentacles were the same original colors. Her face looked more aerodynamic, with just one long protrusion coming from the back of her head.

"Hold on." Io said simply, both her tentacles holding me against her chest. The next moment, my face was being pressed against her body. Not due to her tentacles, but because we were moving so fast.

Before anything more than blurred shapes registered in my peripheral vision, we stopped suddenly. My legs felt weak as Iolanthe let me stand on the ground afterwards. It felt like my body was made out of jelly. With my legs giving out underneath me, Io grabbed me to make sure that I didn't fall.

"Is Master alright?" Xola said, slithering next to me.

Iolanthe gently placed me go into the Milotic's coils. Xola wrapped herself protectively around me. She faced the same direction as I did, resting her head on my shoulder. The rest of the group made their presence known. Song and Baast quickly made a bit of fuss over how my present situation was. Mist and Zin both shook their heads at this display. Akalia and Aurora walked towards Iolanthe. I was about to ask what they were looking at, but the bright purple flashes and waves of fire reaching high into the night sky made that question obsolete.

Spirit landed next to us, speaking in frantic tones as she pointed around her. Io calmed her down quickly, however, nodding a few times and putting her tentacles on the Flygon's shoulders. Zin was the first to speak out of us.

"They're headed this way."

Looking over towards the flashing lights, they slowly became larger as they approached. Stars shaped projectiles flew alongside fireballs, lighting up the night sky. Why weren't any authority figures showing up? It wasn't like Cerulean City wasn't too far away. Looking back for a moment, I was surprised that Cerulean City wasn't in sight. Darkness loomed over the horizon as no lights from the city came into view.

"We're in some kind of illusion." Mist said. "I can feel something blanketing around us, but it is too powerful for me to alter or decipher."

Iolanthe nodded. "I feel it, as well. My powers also cannot interfere with this field that we've been wrapped on. For all intents and purposes, the outside world doesn't know we are here."

"We don't have a lot of time to decide on what to do." Zin warned. "They'll be on top of us soon enough."

"There isn't much to decide on. We can't get out until Cresselia drops the illusion, right? The match between those two looks too even, so we have to tip the scales in our favor. At the very least, side with the Pokémon that hasn't tried to kill us yet."

"Do you think Moltres will?" Song asked.

"I don't want to think of that right now, but no." I said. "She had the chance the moment she appeared in front of us. All she had to-"

"No more time for small talk!" Zin yelled as a purple beam flew towards us.

Everyone scattered as Xola concentrated and conjured up her Aqua Ring. Her eyes opened, glowing a deep blue. Even if it was just a stray attack, the power behind it was unmistakable. The impact of the beam looked like it would crumple the shield. My hands trembled against the Milotics scales as the blue shield began to discolor around the impact point. Instead of the Aqua Ring turning pink, it turned a brighter shade of blue.

"No one hurts my Master." Xola whispered softly before the water bubble glowed brighter and finally absorbing the entire attack.

Xola's coils tightened around me. "It's my turn to keep you safe." she whispered in my ear. She turned to everyone else before raising her voice. "All of you, get to it!"

Nobody argued with the Milotic's words, rushing past us without a look back. Zin hesitated for a moment, looking at both of us. Xola stared back at the Houndoom before Zin ran off towards the fighting. I was allowed to stand but Xola was still curled around my legs. I wasn't running anywhere, no matter how much it was desired.

Cresselia screech echoed inside my head, making me double over in pain. It came and went in an instant, but it was enough for me to almost black out. Lights danced in my vision along the grass and dirt. The feeling of constant nausea was beginning to take its toll. I was beginning to hear indistinct sounds. Not the sounds of conflict, that's for sure. I was already familiar with the sounds of Zin's fire, Akalia's lightning, and Song's staff. This was a completely different sound. All I knew is that it made me extremely uncomfortable.

Zin, Akalia, and Spirit seemed to work as a core group. They would all attack together, though it seemed to impede Moltres in attacking. Perhaps she really was on our side. At least she taking caution in when to attack. Cresselia turned her attention towards me, and another wave of pain began to swell. Moltres launched a full offensive, disregarding if someone was in the way or not. Though I couldn't see if anyone was injured in collateral damage, everyone looked fine when my vision finally cleared.

I could finally get a good look on Cresselia's face. While distracted by Baast, Aurora, and Mist, I spotted that the right side of her moon shaped face looked cracked. It had actually come together across her face, as if to guard her from any damage. Song did seem to prefer to aim high with that staff. Speaking of the Gardevoir, both her and Iolanthe came after Spirit flew by to grab a falling Baast.

Both Pokémon were repelled by a large wave of flames. My first thought was that Moltres had protected Cresselia. The truth was a lot scarier than that.

Four large spheres floated above Cresselia, glowing with their own power. Smaller ones began to appear in consistent wave pattern from Cresselia's sides, spitting out what looked like fireballs.

"Everyone, scatter!" Moltres commanded loudly.

Nobody had to be told twice, all of my Pokémon dividing into small teams of two. The fireballs were easily dodged, as they made gaps on their own accord. I could see a few retaliatory attacks being sent towards Cresselia every so often. The problem were the lights coming from above Cresselia, specifically from the four original spheres that weren't doing anything. Until they began to fire their own beams of energy.

The battlefield quickly became one sided as Cresselia's attacks bombarded and overwhelmed everyone. The small fireballs didn't do much to deter anyone, but the constant fire of the beams quickly brought any kind of counter-attack out of the question. Iolanthe, Mist, and Spirit tried going over the waves of fireballs to moderate success. With only the beams to worry about, and the grounded Pokémon had more opportunities to attack with impunity. My eyes wandered, quickly finding the flaming wings of Moltres in contrast to the dark sky. I'd hazard a guess that she was twenty feet above the ground. A loud cry echoed through the night as the sky turned slowly from black to red.

As if fighting fire with fire, Moltres brought her own powers to bare. In a similar display, small circular satellites appeared with every beat of her wings. Though in contrast of Cresselia's seemingly predictable barrage, Moltres' attack looked to have no gaps in between each fiery projectile.

"They're all going to get caught in the crossfire!" I shouted.

My feet were instantly caught in Xola's coils. "No! You're staying put!" she screamed at me.

"But-"

"But nothing. Your safety is my priority. You go out there and you're going to get killed!"

That's a hard point to argue. Still didn't make me feel better about the wave of fireballs headed towards Cresselia and my team in the middle of it all. Struggling against her was only making her muscles coil tighter around me.

Moltres' projectiles flew at different speeds. If that wasn't enough, larger fireballs were being thrown straight at Cresselia. My Pokémon moved out of the way quickly as Cresselia turned her attention to counterattack Moltres. Lights as bright as the sun flashed across the sky multiple times as fireballs collided against each other. The air didn't grow warm oddly enough. Perhaps it was the Aqua Ring still encasing me that shielded the heat, but I had no idea.

The slower moving projectiles from Moltres weren't stopped as easily as the mass wave she shot forward. It took a barrage of Cresselia's beams to stop it. When it exploded, the air expelled outward and pushed me off my feet. Unfortunate for Cresselia, that wasn't the only one. Behind that first one that exploded, at least three more followed.

My team began to take advantage of Moltres' distraction. Like a swarm, they all attacked at once. Mist and Spirit bombarded from long range, drawing some fire to themselves but leaving more openings in our targets defenses. Streaks of lightning and fire from below further distracted Cresselia as they hit her from her blind spots. This allowed for Io, Baast, Aurora, and Song to physically get through the orbiting spheres and attack Cresselia physically.

A wave of pain made me cry out as I grasped my head. It felt like a rock fell on top of me, except worse. It didn't go away as quickly as before, either. Xola's eyes stared at me as if to figure out what was going on.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"Something's going on. I don't know what though." I said, wincing at the effort.

Song and Baast, with the aid of Io and Spirit, stayed aloft as Cresselia began to gain altitude. It didn't look like a good idea, except when the spheres around Cresselia finally disappeared when Baast delivered a blow to our opponent. All four left the area as soon as possible, leaving Moltres to reach Cresselia with impunity. A few of the orbs finally reached Cresselia, the Witch of the Night crying in shock and pain as each exploded against her body. To my surprise, Moltres didn't keep up this barrage and instead brought herself into the fray. She dove from her position, a sheen of fire going around Moltres that made her much more larger than she really was. As the last projectile hit Cresselia, Moltres' attack landed. The wave of pain that slammed into me was indescribable. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing, trying my best to stay conscious. Blacking out sounded like a really good idea though.

"Iolanthe! Something's happening to Master!" Xola cried out.

"Mist?"

The familiar ghostly tendrils touched my forehead. Relief was immediate, but it still felt like something heavy hit my gut. When I opened my eyes, Mist was shaking her head.

"I do not know what's going on." she said softly. "Something to do with Cresselia. I can feel her power affecting him. But how is something else entirely."

Xola was surprisingly not tied around me, but the Aqua Ring wasn't in place anymore. Looking up towards the two legendary figures, they were still fighting. I couldn't have been out for too long, right? The ground looked scorched, though that wasn't all that surprising. They both were shooting large amounts of fire around.

Generally stating the obvious. It made me feel better.

"What was that attack?" I asked. "I've never heard or seen anything like it before."

"Neither have I." Io said, shaking her head. "This is something beyond us, that much we know."

No kidding. I've never seen any kind of Pokémon throw so many projectiles at once. Maybe a Charizard when it's really mad... and that was once during a tournament match on the television. Even comparing the two, the Charizard paled in comparison. That Charizard covered a quarter of a thirty foot arena. This had to be easily three times that coverage area. At least from my perspective. The only vegetation visible was behind me. Everything that I could see was charred.

"What's going on?" Zin asked. "Why is Master in pain?"

"Don't worry about it." I said, waving away her concern. She looked at me and did my best to smile back. "See? Perfectly fine."

I stood up under my own power. Everything felt fine, although the painful echoes were still there. Suddenly, another nauseating wave washed over me, my knees buckling instantly. My eyes hurt inside their sockets, and it felt like something was squeezing my throat. Someone prevented me from meeting the bare ground. As soon as everything stopped hurting and caught my breath I struggled to stand. Aurora didn't seem to want me arguing, though, especially with her claws so close to my face.

Iolanthe stopped her gently, drawing her claws away with one of her tentacles. "That is not the way to treat your Master." she said softly. "I understand you mean well, but that's not how to do it. Please."

I sat up as my body protested the movements. "Regardless of what's going on with me, we have to help Moltres." I said grimly. "Cresselia can beat her."

All of the Pokémon around me looked at me in confusion. I wanted to laugh at their expressions, but decided against it. I pointed to the sky instead. The answer was clear enough without me diluting it. Moltres was losing altitude quickly as Cresselia hovered in the sky. The ground shaking impact even made me wince. I stood up even against my friends protests, and made my way towards Moltres. She needed our help, and it was obvious that Cresselia wasn't the one to give it.

The impact point is too far away to reach before Cresselia turns her attention back towards us. Cresselia's body and face were discolored due to burns and impacts by my team. Black tinged the blue of her body, while the pink linking energy was a vibrant red. The yellow coloration was smudged with black as well. The moon shaped protrusions that covered Cresselia's face had numerous cracks in them.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS INSOLENCE, HUMAN CHILD!" Cresselia bellowed, her voice making me wince. "YOU WILL-"

"Who said anything of our little discussion being done?"

Like a scene of legends, a large plume of flame appeared suddenly. The heat was stifling in its intensity and appearance. I could easily see the whites and blue colors inside the flames, mixing with the usual yellows and reds. Out of this inferno, Moltres appeared with a mighty flap of her wings. The air shimmered around the legendary firebird from the heat of her being. If she was injured before, her body didn't show it. It was as if she was renewed.

"Surprised? I thought you'd be used to this by now, little sister." Moltres said with a haughty tone. "This isn't the first time we've fought."

The idea of these two Pokémon fighting on a constant basis sent a chill down my spine. Wait a moment... did she really say...?

"YOU DARE... YOU DARE! HOW MANY TIME HAVE I TOLD YOU NEVER TO CALL ME SUCH! YOU HAVE FORFEITED THAT RIGHT MANY A MOON AGO. MUST I CONSTANTLY REMIND YOU?"

"No, dear, you don't." Moltres responded lightly. "It's just nice to see you get all huffy over such a trivial matter."

"TRIVIAL!? I'LL SHOW YOU TRIVIAL!"

At that, Cresselia abandoned all interest in us. Cresselia's ire was quickly turned to Moltres, who seemed all too pleased with herself. Beams of multicolored lights lanced towards Moltres almost at point blank range. Moltres just flapped her wings, flying over the attack and retaliating with her own attack that I was more familiar with. The Fire Blast that Moltres launched was much bigger than I anticipated, lighting up the sky as it traveled to Cresselia. What made things odd was that the Witch didn't do anything to dodge the attack in the first place.

"What are you all waiting for?" I asked. "We can attack, too!"

My friends all looked at each other, before rushing forward. All but Song, who stayed by my side. Beams of ice, fire, lightning, and ghostly energy soared to their mutual target. The tell-tale sign of an Aura Sphere would occasionally be seen against the brightness of the other attacks. The first few surprisingly missed, crossing in front of Cresselia's face. She immediately reacted by moving away from both Moltres' Fire Blast and my Pokémon's attacks. Cresselia went on the counter-attack, shooting her own beams of multicolored light towards my Pokémon.

Moltres dove towards to Cresselia, immediately initiating close ranged combat. All my Pokémon stopped attacking soon after, taking caution not to hit our flying defender at this moment in time.

Like the screeching of nails on a chalkboard, both Pokémon in the sky made noises that made my ears hurt. The sound of glass cracking made me look around. Song grabbed my shoulder, and when I turned to her she pointed skyward. Looking up, the sky looked like it was shattering. Cracks that projected a pink color contrasted against the black sky. The last time I looked, that wasn't normal. Was Cresselia's hold on this area weakening?

Cresselia's voice echoed around me, my heart leaping to my throat at the sound. She flew up high into the sky, probably trying to undo whatever damage may have been done. My Pokémon regrouped at my location, Song grabbing hold of my body possessively. Moltres herself landed among us, her blue eyes once again grabbing hold of my attention.

"You're all a lot more stronger than I thought." she mused. "Maybe I should pay attention to the Prime more often."

Prime? I opened my mouth to ask, but Moltres shook her head. "Before you ask, no, I can't tell you. You don't strike me as an idiot. You'll figure it out."

They sound important, at least. "At least, I won't tell you." Moltres mused, clicking her beak at the sky. "Cresselia might just blurt it all out anyway. Even though we're forbidden to speak of them in any more detail."

"About who?" I asked.

"The Primes, silly. Perhaps you aren't as smart as you seem to be?" Moltres chuckled at her question, shaking her head. After she calmed down, she nodded at me. "I understand your frustration, but it's part of our laws. For the last five thousand years, at least."

"And how do you know all this?"

"I was there."

Anything else that could have been said was interrupted by another loud cry inside my skull. Moltres shook her head sadly.

"She's like a child that just turned eight hundred." she said sadly. " A bit pathetic, when you know she's been alive for the last two thousand years."

When thinking about the situation like that, I guess it made some sort of sense. Perhaps Cresselia was just really angry. It was probably not my place to know about these things. Definitely not my place to ask for details.

Another anguished cry echoed in my mind as Cresselia wept over whatever ruined her perfect plans. I looked over to Moltres, who shook her head. I focused back to Cresselia, seeing her form glow an oddly looking white. Moltres squawked in surprise, her wings beating at her sides.

"And this is why I've come to call her The Lunatic Princess!" Moltres yelled. "Take cover, human! Cresselia may get her wish yet!"

I was about to ask what Moltres meant by that, when the sky started to turn blue. Not the shade of blue that you would see during the day in the sky. The light bathed everything around us blue, as well. Before anything left my mouth, thin beams of matching blue raced in our general direction. Song grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my stupor, forcing me into Io's tentacles. No words were exchanged as everyone went their separate ways. My arm reached towards Song as Io transformed quickly while holding tightly to me. The Gardevoirs face showed a mixture of concern and fear as our fingers touched. An explosion next to us made Iolanthe react quickly, pulling me away from Song.

The first explosion was joined by more, quickly increasing in accuracy. Explosions is an odd way to put it. When the beams hit anything, they covered everything in ice. The thought crossed my mind if Iolanthe could launch a beam back towards Cresselia. She looked down at me, and I swear I could see her grin. Her eyes looked mischievously at me for a moment as we slowly came to a halt. Her form changed to one that was more her usual. She put me down gently as the transformation completed. The two tentacles on her right side began to glow similarly to the sky above as a few beams flew towards us. She swung, meeting her targets directly.

An explosion of ice quickly knocked me back. My body tumbled on frozen ground, the air feeling like it could chill my body from the inside out. I landed on my ass, my world spinning around. Finally getting my bearings, I was able to see that Io's entire right side of her body was encased in ice. Panicking, I rushed over to her. As she moved towards me the ice covering her body began to crack and break apart. While it looked fine at first, that thought changed when one tentacle completely broke off her body.

Her body transformed back again to her slim figure transformation. With her free tentacle, she shattered the other remaining frozen limb before holding me tightly against her chest.

"Never tell me to do so again." she said before we rushed away.

Was she alright? Arceus, part of her body was shattered! Before I could voice any concerns about Iolanthe's well-being, the sky began to change color. Looking upwards, a green light floated high above. In place of the Ice Beams being shot towards us, it looked like a storm of leaves blowing through the air. One passed too closely to my own face. Touching my cheek, I could feel something wet under my fingers.

Io took a sharp turn to her right, throwing me off balance momentarily. A barrier appeared around Io and myself as Mist appearing to ride with us. Without any spoken words, Io seemed to move with more purpose now. Even in her injured state her speed didn't seem affected in the slightest. I wanted to ask where are we headed to, but a sharp look from my Mismagius stopped me from voicing any concerns. Where was everyone else?

Looking up to the sky, Moltres was doing her best to redirect any attention from us to herself. At least, that's what it looked like. What we were getting was anything that was either deflected or accidental fire. Though I don't know how much is accidental when it looked like exploding beams of ice and leaves as sharp as knives flew through the air.

We stopped suddenly, the nauseating experience of stopping immediately after going however fast going over me. Song's hands wrapped around my neck as soon as Io let me go. I shook my head, pointing towards the injured Pokémon. Iolanthe shook her head.

"I will be fine. Listen to what Mist has to say first."

I looked over to the ghost, nodding when she had my full attention. Everyone else was here and accounted for. Odd, having a meeting in the middle of a death field.

"Akalia has an idea that should work." Mist said without preamble. "The problem is that Cresselia will pay more attention here with an easier target to get. Master needs to stay here to be safe, and I need to be here to help shield this area."

"Why can't we all stay here?" I asked.

"Besides casting a flag saying that we're hiding?" Mist asked sarcastically. "No. We need a distraction."

"You're asking everyone else to get in danger again, while Akalia-"

"Do you have any other suggestions, Master?" she asked. Everyone was staring at me, curious of my answer. I shivered slightly, but shook my head.

"Now you see our problem." Mist continued, nodding to me. "Is everyone still in favor of the plan?"

Everyone nodded, including Xola. I feared that she might be more vulnerable to anything due to her speed. Though perhaps she could offset that with her Aqua Ring. I wasn't sure at all, but not knowing didn't make me feel better. One by one they left. Baast grabbed hold of my face and kissed me, sticking her tongue inside my mouth. I couldn't react quickly enough before she left, running out into the barrage that was going on outside.

Hands grasped on my neck and turning me around. Song's eyes entered my vision, her lips pressing against mine. Just like the Lucario before her, she ran before I could say anything to her. One by one, my Pokémon walked up me. Aurora and Spirit hugged me before they went together before leaving towards the darkness. I kneeled for Xola to have an easier time to reach me. Likewise for Zin, the Houndoom's paws scratching at my pants for more attention. It didn't take too long for them to go their separate ways out into the darkness.

I stood up, meeting her eyes. She looked unconcerned about the plan. She still didn't look worried that she was missing part of the right side of her body. Iolanthe quickly wrapped her remaining tentacles around me, pressing my body against hers. I could feel her shivering, slight motions that were invisible to the eyes but obvious when pressed together. Without hesitation my hands brought her face closer to me and kissed her. Io stopped shivering instantly and her grip tightened for a moment. We slowly parted but no words were exchanged. Her eyes widened after a moment before she left.

Mist and Akalia both stood next to me as I watched Io dodge whatever fell from the sky. The hairs on my neck stood on end, the crackling of electricity drawing my attention to my left. Akalia's fur was tinged yellow with the electricity going around her fur. Sparks flew out of her open mouth, a ball of electricity condensing between in her fangs. Soon after, she dropped it on the ground. Against all possibilities, the ball of lightning didn't disappear. Akalia shook herself, her tail tracing a line of electricity to her new stopping point. The process repeated once more as electricity began to course along her body once more.

I looked around, finding Mist floating over my right shoulder. "Mist, what is she doing?" I asked.

"Watch and don't get in the way." Mist advised.

With no idea what to say to that, we stayed in silence. It looked like this wasn't easy to prepare for but the Luxray was doing her best to hurry along. I looked upwards, seeing the sky a bright yellow instead of the green. The green leaves were replaced with by yellow stars. Some landed near our hiding place, sparks traveling along the surface. My focus turned back to Akalia as she placed her third marker on the ground.

I honestly hoped that Cresselia didn't think that anything suspicious was going on. The sky above us was a fiery red once more. The all too familiar form of fireballs were flying all around the air. A fourth ball was placed by Akalia on the ground, connecting the four orbs in a square. As she finished, she drew another rectangular shape. It looked more like a diamond inside the square, but all the same.

Looking upwards, the sky had turned purple. Waves of pulsing purple energy came in staggered bursts. They varied in shape, but at least they didn't shatter the ground on impact. Akalia was in the middle of the formation now, charging more electricity around her. The air felt heavy, the figures of electricity on the ground taking a life of their own. Whatever Akalia was doing, it was something big. Four lights coming from the balls of lightning shot upwards, meeting in the middle above Akalia and headed skywards. Cresselia was now a multi color ball in the sky as she fired all the previous projectiles in more numbers than I care to count.

A wave of pressure hit me. I closed my eyes, trying to hold in any kind of vocalization that could distract Akalia. The skies above slowly turned back to normal, now that Cresselia was apparently done with her light show. I looked over to Mist when I heard someone talking. The ghost shook her head as she pointed towards the Luxray.

"Tenkou mitsuru tokoro ni ware wa ari, yomi no mon hiraku tokoro ni nanji ari, ideyo, kami no ikazuchi!"

The lights on the ground rose up, spinning around the Luxray at a frightening speed. Looking skyward, it didn't look like there were any signs of the original four points of light that shot upwards.

"What the heck is that!?" I whispered, holding my head.

"Kore de owari yo! Indiguneishon!"

The familiar sound of lightning rumbled from above. My world suddenly became white, the odd feeling of electricity flowing over us. Cresselia's familiar scream echoed inside my head. Looking skyward once more, it was obvious that she was hit with whatever it was that Akalia used. Turning my attention to the ground, I made my way over to the Luxray. She walked towards us, a good portion of her fur standing up on end.

"Are you alright?" I asked, worried about her.

She simply nodded, a huge smile on her face. I was thankful for that, at the very least. The shaking of the ground shuffled my priorities around though. Turning around, Cresselia's body was laying on the ground. Her body had numerous burns everywhere I could see. My Pokémon slowly appeared around me, all bearing some kind of wound. Superficial wounds I hoped.

Moltres landed next to Cresselia, shaking her head side to side. It didn't look like she had suffered much damage throughout the exchange. Either that or she was doing a good job at hiding it.

"I think it's time you gave up for today, Cresselia." Moltres said. "Tell your Prime that she will have to rethink her strategy."

"That... is not for me to decide, and you know this." Cresselia whimpered. Her imposing voice was gone now. "You know this. You only... only postpone the inevitable!"

"Perhaps." Moltres admitted. "But perhaps now is not the right time, either."

Cresselia didn't respond to Moltres statement. The Everflame shook her head. Out of pity or spite I wasn't sure.

"The barrier is about to fall, human." Moltres said, nodding towards me. "Walk and you'll reach your destination. I'll see to it that this Witch gets her lashings."

Nobody had to tell me twice to get out of this nightmare. "Thank you, Moltres." I said. "But what did she mean by the orders of the Prime that she received?"

Moltres' eyes widened momentarily, but she shook her head. "It isn't my place to tell you. You know too much already. Trust me when I say that you are better off not knowing."

I frowned. "This involves more than me." I pointed out. "Is there really nothing else you could tell us?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't want to truly die just yet." Moltres whispered.

My eyes widened as she shook her head. "Now, if there aren't any more pressing questions perhaps you should worry about your friends and less about your enemies."

She had a point there. We all turned towards our backs, heading towards Cerulean City. The familiar sights of stars began to fill in the darkness above us. Song grabbed hold of my left arm, her grip almost making me lose balance. Io's tentacles grabbed hold of my right arm. She was still missing the tentacles on the right side of her body. She looked happy, though. How is another question but it wasn't up to me to argue.

The lights of Cerulean City began to appear ahead of us. Out of curiosity I looked behind me. It still surprised me that neither Moltres or Cresselia were there. The how was another matter that I didn't want to think about.

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

Opening the doors to the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy was outraged at the physical state of myself and my team. She took everyone to emergency care, including myself, and made it extremely clear to not leave the room under penalty of death.

Good to know that Nurse Joy, who's trying to save us, will kill us just as easily if you break the rules.

Now that I was laying down on a bed, and my immediate safety was guaranteed, I wondered what just really happened. I had silently hoped that Song was right and Cresselia would be on our side. Perhaps it's just her, but this 'Prime' wasn't working for our interest, either. There's more to it, that's for sure. We didn't have enough information to piece this puzzle together. I heard the door open slowly. Turning to see if it was Nurse Joy, I was surprised to see Song standing at the doorway.

"Song?" I asked, surprised.

"Nurse Joy just checked me out." she assured me. "I didn't have any extensive injuries."

She walked over to me, sitting on the bed. Her left eye was covered in a white patch. My worry must have been easily visible, as she smiled and shook her head.

"Just a scratch." she said, touching the eye patch.

It didn't make me feel any better, but I trusted her. She leaned over to me, wrapping her hands around my neck. The gentle rising and falling of her chest told me that she was done talking for the night. I didn't even know what time it was, but exhaustion was beginning to claim me. Deciding that resting is the better course of action, I closed my eyes.

It would be decisively better than being awake when Nurse Joy barged in.