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"Um, I should be fine since Squall's more used to these kind of conditions, but..." Amaranth was just about to send out her Braviary when she looked at Dagobah. In that moment, her hand faltered and she remembered just how cold it was out here. With a sudden shiver, she nodded at Aile's question to the Ursaluna. "...warm bear... yeah, thanks, Aile." She'd join Aile on the bear's back, letting herself have a chance to warm up for a little bit.

She'd keep an eye out through the ride to the group out here, looking around as she got off and Chaksu started talking to everyone. She looked at Sub after the remark that he couldn't reach his mind, then nodded as she looked to Chaksu again. "We are, yeah..." After that was when he started talking verbally, given pause immediately when he said about the cost of Uxie's apparent knowledge. To give up a memory entirely, ripped away from everyone alongside like it never happened. She looked down, not recalling a ton of fonder ones. Her amnesia still meant most of the memories she had were nightmares with Ein and then her days as a Snagem. Her year off and on in Paldea and Sinnoh, studying and trying her hand as a coordinator... many calmer nights with Cera, the two finding a lot of common ground with their pasts...

...her brother... if he actually was one.

Would she even have a choice at the memory to be offered? Would it ever be returned?

"It's... it's alright, Sub. Really," she spoke up as she stepped closer to Chaksu. "I'm not sure if it's a fond one, and a lot of it's a haze that I can't cut through yet. Honestly, most of the memories I do have are within the last few years. But if anyone can pierce through that haze, see things as they truly are so we might have a future..." She'd lower her head again, allowing Chaksu to place a hand upon it if he deigned to do so.

"...I'll offer the memory trying to come back to the surface. Good or bad, let Uxie judge it for all to see."

Beau had been quietly following along with the others, huddling on the back of his Charizard near the tail flame in order to try and keep some semblance of warmth even as the snow increased around them all. He barely could participate in the conversation with how cold he was feeling, but he could still listen and debate out himself what precisely he could do for any of this. What kind of memories was this thing searching for? It said fond memories but it was specifying it would be gone from the team's collective consciousness. Was Uxie trying to get a memory of the team?

Well, he could certainly give a strange one that would be interesting bait in that case. "I-I ooooffer my memory ooooofff getting rid of the sword in Hiiiisui." Beau stammered out from his position on his Charizard, attempting to be as loud as he could through his shivering and chattering teeth.

As Sub protested and the rest of the team started to try to figure out what memory they were going to offer up for Uxie's proverbial consultation fee, Freth hovered there as a memory of her own started to nag at her rather profusely...



"Freth? Freth!?" Eris would speak up from the reaches of her mind. "You can't be that choosy over what memories you have here; I mean, I know you don't have much worth anything noting fondness over other than Blizzard and Tristen perhaps, but beyond that it's pretty slim pickings. I would know, I've been reading into it. So hurry up and offer something already. It's not like you got all day.

You're right about one thing...we don't have all day." Freth would reply to Eris. Back in the physical space, she looked over towards the other Snagems. "Guys, shut up. You're doing no such thing. Sub, we're done here. Chaksu, sorry for getting you caught up in this and effectively wasting your time."

"Wait, what!? Freth! Honestly! I swear, every time there seems to be an insurmountable price tag to you on something, you're going to fight tooth and nail over it! When really, it's a bargain of bargains! Its just like with Blizzard! You're going to just doom everyone because you're too prideful to give up something!?"

Eris's rant would just fall on proverbial deaf ears. "Chaksu, I don't know if this is a test or this is an actual legit price set by Uxie, but if it is the latter, then either the Order has realized they completely misunderstood Uxie up until within the past couple of years or the Order ended up changing their outlook rather drastically. Both, being an applicable answer too. I distinctly remember being told that knowledge at the expense of facets of ourself is no knowledge at all. You said that right in your dinner hall." She said, motioning towards the door they came in. "These 'fond' memories you are telling us to give up, memories that each of us are not going to remember either, are facets of ourself. They're our experiences and lessons learned. That's just part of what shaped who we all are. What guides moral compasses and what have you."

"Freth, it doesn't matter! He was just saying they weren't going to know. The things that happened still happened regardless! Uxie isn't Dialga or whatever the hell is Aden is doing! There will still be things written down, documented, known by others out of Snagem circles! You can simply be told or shown or even find these lost memories."

"Can you just shut up!? Do you really think Uxie wouldn't think about that!?" Freth said, snapping at her mental resident. She would then continue on in the physical space for the others to hear. "Because tell me something, Deo, would you think that whatever experiences you had on the police force had no bearing on who you are now? What of your family, Rachel? So, you want to walk around like you just "poofed" into existence and with it, how their actions guided you to be the way you are now? Amaranth, what about your feeling of freedom from when you came to the surface? And bear in mind, you've not a lot to your name anyway, something you sought to rectify. How do you know that you wouldn't still have those motivations should you give that one memory up?" Freth would go on to explain. "That's not even getting into the underlying issue. The more we give up, the more we don't know collectively about ourselves. And even if we find out about it by some external means, we wouldn't have context because we wouldn't remember the experience. We wouldn't have the motivations to fight for the things we fight for, or at the very least, not in anywhere near of the greatest extent."

"Freth, I doubt Uxie is one to care about philosophical drivel."

"Is it though? Tell me something, Eris, where do you think you would be if you lost memories of being from this world? Do you think you would have had the will to fight Blizzard still? Or would you just merely go "as is life" and go on another asinine mission Phyco sent you on in order to track down that Necrozma or just some random Ultra Beast?"

"I mean-..."

"What reason would you have to come back anyways? Hell, even now, why did you really want to come back? You had the cosmos, and yet you came back here for retirement. You claim "better the devil you know" but was it really? Whatever that reason is, you needed Blizzard out of the way to make sure he didn't ruin it for you. There was a resounding silence in Freth's headspace, Freth having found a proverbial loose thread in her tapestry of Eris's explanations. Freth would only turn around, giving the wave of the hands to open the doors back up. "The short of it, if we gave up what ever fond memories we have, we effectively lose a lot of the reasoning why we were here to begin with. And question yourself one more thing, if these are such fond memories to you, were they really that fond to begin with if you were so willing to part with them? Sub, let's go."

Chaksu would look at each of the Snagems as one by one they offered up a specific memory to the Being of Knowledge, the Medicham hybrid placing his head on each of their heads to judge their memory for Uxie. While Chaksu had his eyes closed, judging Aile's memory he would hear Freth speak up, the man stirring a bit physically but didn't break the mental dive he was on.

Sub would look from Chaksu and then to Freth and consider her words for a moment. It did make sense, if you were truly fond of something you wouldn't just willingly let it go, he couldn't fault her logic. The Snagem leader would look back to Chaksu who was now pressing his hand on Beau's head, lingering there for a just a second before, way quicker than the others, before moving onto Odd soon after. He didn't respond to Freth all while doing this, just looking at her silently when going from one Snagem to the next.

"I guess we'll be...going. Come on guys." Sub said as he followed after Freth, a little confused as to what was going on. It wasn't until Sub took several steps after Freth that he realized something was wrong. "Guys?" He called out to his team as he turned around, noticing that they were all frozen in place, their eyes closed, still standing upright. "What did you do to them?" Sub asked Chaksu as he looked towards the Medicham hybrid that was approaching them before Sub even thought to turn back.

"I have done nothing. The Great Custodian and bestowing upon them knowledge as we speak." Chaksu said, eyes drifting to Freth. "You have learned much, my student. Hopefully your friends will be as receptive to the lesson. Now come, Uxie wishes to meet you."

-----

The Snagems, sans Darts, Freth, and Ogerpon, would all be forced into a deep dive into their own minds, put into a dream-like state. While their physical bodies were immobile they were imagining their lives as they would be had the events that made up the memories they selected never occurred. How would they have changed? Would they still be the same person or someone completely different? In this dream-like state they would simultaneously be a first person and a third person viewer, forced to live as this person lacking that memory while also watching it play out. Once it was all done and their lesson learned, that is how important that memory and all their memories were, they would open their physical eyes once more, released from Uxie's influence.

-----

All the Snagems, evening the 'dreaming' ones, would be teleported into Uxie's cave, Chaksu joining them as the Lake Guardian teleported them here. Sub quickly glanced around, confused by the sudden move and how his immobile teammates came with them. It wasn't long before Sub took notice of the floating Pokemon in the middle of the cave, its eyes closed and yet very much awake.

"Uxie, the Snagems." Chaksu said with with a bow and then gestured at the Snagems.

"Well met again, Snagems. Uxie spoke into their minds, except for Sub's. "Chaksu, stand before me so I might use your mouth to communicate with their leader, please." Uxie continued. Chaksu would nod before approaching Uxie, standing right in front of him and turning to face the four awake Snagems. Uxie's body would give off a faint pink glow, that same glow appearing in Chaksu's eyes. "This is better, now the psychic among them won't have to translate for the Dark One." Uxie said through Chaksu, the hybrid's mouth moving but Uxie's voice coming out of it. "Let me first commend you, Freth, you have become wise through all your trials and tribulations. I am pleased to see there are still mortals who truly value their memories, the very pieces of what make you an individual. Knowledge does not just guide us but it makes us who we are. You have my respect." Uxie complimented Freth.

"And you two. I sense it, yes. You both value your memories a great deal, you guard them jealously. Even the awful ones, as you both have many. But you wouldn't trade them, would you? It's some of the bad that brought you together, is it not?" Uxie spoke to Darts and Ogerpon.

"Uxie!" Sub spoke up, causing the little sprite to jump, slightly startled. "I'm sorry for yelling but I don't think I can wait any longer, we need answers, please." He implored the Being of Knowledge.

"Yes, that is why you're here, for knowledge." Uxie began as Chaksu and him turned to face him. "What does the Dark One wish to know?"

"Well first off, that, why do you call me the Dark One? Who is the Dark One?" Sub asked of the Lake Guardian.

"There is not much I am willing to divulge in the way of details concerning the Dark One at this time, forgive me. I can tell you that he was a terrible but powerful man, a Dark Channeler who sought dominion of all there is. His conquest would lead him into war against the Grand Masters of his time, engaging him in what was once known as the War of the Elements. It is in this conflict when the Dark One, a once imposing figure that had caused so much destruction over countless lifetimes, would finally meet his end. Or so it was thought. The masters of yore believed they cut the Dark One's reincarnation cycle, that is until you came into existence. You are the current incarnation of the Dark One, the first in many years. But fret not, leader of Team Snagem, you are still in control of your fate, never forget that." Uxie answered Sub, the Snagem leader stirring a bit as he listened to the legendary Pokemon.

"I see...I have more questions concerning that but if that's the best I can get right now I'll have to accept it." Sub answered. "Okay then, what about Aden? Can you tell us where he is? That's not too much, is it?" He asked of the Lake Guardian.

"No, it's not, I am willing to answer that question in earnest. Your friend Aden is currently on a journey in search of the Adamant Orb, a journey which is taking him across time itself, the one called Cruxias giving him the means to control his time travel abilities to obtain the orb." Uxie answered.

"Is there any way we can get to him? We can't let Cruxias get the other orb." Sub said, asking further.

"There is. You will need the same power Aden is utilizing. You will need the power of a Celebi. You will need a Time Flute." Uxie explained. Sub would begin to point out they don't have such a power on their side and that the Time Flute were all gone, save for the one Cruxias made, only for Uxie to cut him off. "You will need to forge one of your own. In the village of Agate in the Orre region there is an elderly man who has kept up with the maintenance of the Agate Shrine, a devotee of Celebi. In his possession is a piece of a Time Flute. Obtain the fragment from him and seek out a skilled alchemist of the Tanoby Clan to forge for you a Time Flute of your own. With it summon a Celebi at the Agate Shrine and convince it to aid you in your quest to track down Aiden."

Sub would nod at Uxie, understanding what they had to do. Before he asked another question he looked back at Freth and Darts. "You two have any questions before I continue?" He asked them.

It's at this point that the 'frozen' Snagems would begin to move again, opening their eyes to find themselves in Uxie's cave with Sub and the others.

The second Beau was hit by the immediate wave of lethargy and weakness from Chaksu's motion, the Bug hybrid could already tell this was going to be another mental dive like he was thrown into the last time they had been dealing with these little...elves. And there he was, in a world where he completely forgot his own intentional disposal of the sword he and Larrimore had spent so long fighting over. And watching as things slowly progressed from Hisui, Larry's resentment at this lack of knowledge for where the thing had gone and believing Beau to still have it grew and grew, the Pinsir hybrid once again building an emotional instability before he would once again snap and attempt to take out Beau during their time in Paldea. But it was hard to see any real change, it only flavored a few events differently. Which....was about what Beau had expected. While it was certainly a memory that had generally fit the criteria, he had picked it after the others had made more sincere offers to the actual criteria that had been told to them. He knew how important removing that albatross around both of their necks was, if only for making it so Larrimore would have to actually let go instead of holding onto some hope that he could gain that sword and all it was supposed to grant.

That didn't mean it didn't still hurt to play witness to his friend, his brother, once again treading down a path that a noble knight shouldn't ever approach.

As much as he had hoped that using a memory that might be tempting to Uxie for its uniqueness and that he could predict the result of it disappearing resulting in, getting to witness it all so directly was....something else.

----

His eyes would snap open in the cave that they had been taken to, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before speaking. "Uxie, you and your relatives are all the south ends of a northbound Mudsbray. If you wanna play the whole 'cherish what you have' lesson, could you just say it instead of telling a bunch of desperate people that they need to sacrifice something so that you'll give them the first leg up they've had in a while?"

Aile watched as a red headed woman wearing borrowed black clothes was hiding in an alleyway, keeping an eye on her surroundings. They were in Viridian City, after having made a sudden flight from Mt. Silver, somehow timing it when most of the team was out. Those clothes were all she had, too, outside of a set of shoes she had managed to steal somewhere in the city. At this point, she was looking for a locksmith’s place, so she could try and remove the damned cuffs she was still wearing. And it was quite possible she found one, just a bit busy at the moment. Now, she needed to wait for a good moment, while she had an amount of headstart from the rest of the team. Without any Pokémon, she needed all of the headstart she could get….

The next day, she found herself in Vermillion City, somehow making her way through Diglett Tunnel and notably avoiding the harbor. She had caught sight of a couple of Snagems over that way, probably banking on her trying to flee the region. Instead, she’d keep to the northern end of the po, finding people to pickpocket and acquire survival money. The worst part of all of that was seeing a Flygon in the air, something attached to its chest. Her chest, if Aile had to guess. The Flygon was furiously searching around, like she was trying to find someone specific, and the look on her face was one of concern. “Tati,” Aile whispered, doing her damnedest to keep out of sight. The fugitive could only assume that they were trying to use her as bait to make her emerge, and the object on the Flygon’s chest was probably a camera, hooked up to GRAY. “Damn you bastards… I’m so sorry, Tatooine. I just…” Aile shook her head, regretting that she didn’t take more time to figure out where they had stored her Pokéballs. She didn’t feel like she had the time, honestly, but she also didn’t quite know the luck she had stumbled on when she made her escape attempt. Maybe she should have. But, that’s how she made the play, and she had little faith that she could reclaim her previous Pokémon at this point. Not unless she wanted to get locked away again. Her time as their trainer had to be over if she wanted her freedom. Bringing her focus on how she was going to escape the port city, she’d wait for Tatooine to leave the immediate area before continuing on, deciding she was going to take a bus out. Counting up her pilfered money, she would begin to find the bus station, finding herself a ride to… Celadon, based on what she had accrued.

About a week later, Aile found herself in the bar of the Celadon Game Corner, nursing the contents of a brown bottle. She was staring it down, thinking over how the week had gone for her. Getting into Celadon somehow without catching the attention of Snagem, and quite quickly trying to learn how the darker side of the city functioned. Continuing to pickpocket people where she could, which was helped by the Game Corner’s offerings of beverage. Finding herself a place to hunker down, lay low from at least Snagem. Finding someone to give her false ID credentials. And finding out that she probably shouldn’t pop up on the radar of Team Rocket if she valued her life. Well, she was going to attempt to do that while figuring out her next steps from here.

As the woman turned to look out over the casino from the bar, starting to look for a potential next mark, another woman wearing an all white dress, with slits up the side would walk up to the bar and take a seat next to her, ordering a cosmopolitan. Once she had it, she’d join Aile in casino watching, deciding to strike up a conversation. “Busy night, tonight. Taking a break from playing?”

“Hm?” Aile turned her head slightly to see the woman next to her, a fellow red head with slightly longer hair than her own, with red eyes to match. “Ah, just loosening up beforehand,” she bluffed, having no intention of playing any of the games on the floor.

“Fair enough, fair enough,” the woman replied smoothly. “Always nice to have a little buzz before you start playing. Should be careful, though. Word is we’ve started to get a series of pickpocket thefts around here, and I’d hate for you to lose any valuables of your own.”

The rogue raised an eyebrow, but didn’t take her eyes off of the floor. “Really? Well, it’s probably a good thing that I carry very few valuables on my person.”

“Indeed, rather convenient. Baroness.” Aile was close to taking a drink of her cider when she paused, bringing her full attention to the woman now. What was she just called by this woman? Her drinking partner smirked as she turned back around, facing the bar now. “Baroness Alysandra Clemence Martine de Wyndra,” she said quietly. “What brings Kalosian nobility to our humble game parlor?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Aile bluntly replied, narrowing her eyes. “Last I checked, my name isn’t nearly that ostentatious.”

“Really? Oh, my apologies Aile. What brings the traitor of Snagem here?”

“Tch.” With one final look of the game floor, Aile would also turn around, leering at the woman next to her. “What the hell do you want?”

Aile’s companion grinned. Smirked more like, rather smugly. “Well, the last time we heard of you being around, you were in Alola. And then nothing for about six months, until you dropped in on our doorstep.” She held up a hand as Aile was about to say something, stopping her in her tracks. Her smirk would drop as well, before taking a drink of her cosmo. “We’ve noticed you around, and while you haven’t directly interrupted any of our operations, we’ve noticed the heat you brought in on Veridian and Vermillion.” Mentally, the thief cursed. It seemed like her mere presence had put her onto their radar. And six months. She was locked up in there for six months? Arceus…

“Well, what are you all going to do about me, then,” Aile hissed, mentally ready to jump up and flee the Game Corner.

“First off,” the Rocket woman would turn to look at her, eyes giving a more serious look as she continued, “you’re going to tell us what Flare wants with either Rocket or with Kanto. Second-”

“I couldn’t tell you,” Aile interrupted, answering truthfully. “The reason why you haven’t seen hide nor hair of me for six months is because I hadn’t seen the light of day for six months. When you last heard of me in Alola, the Snagems captured me. Been holed up in there since, until about a week ago or so.” Aile would turn to look at this woman, dark green eyes staring straight into this woman’s red ones. “I haven’t had any contact with Flare since Alola, so if they want something here, I’m completely ignorant of it.”

This woman looked over the former agent in front of her, trying to discern whether or not she was telling the truth. Finally, she’d turn her head to take a sip of her drink, coming to a decision. “Well. If that is true…” She’d put the drink down again, giving Aile a side glance. “With everything else happening, you’re completely alone.”

“Not the first time I’ve had to figure out how to survive on my own. This time might have been impromptu, but I can do it again.” Aile would take another swig of her own drink, once more staring at the back of the bar wall.

“What if you didn’t have to?”

Aile paused. This… sounded like an invitation. Or at least was leading to one, at least. Her attention was grabbed again though.

“You can't go pickpocketing everyone and being a bog standard thief. Eventually, your luck will run out. And once that does and you get caught by the police you’re just a sitting duck for Snagem to find you again. We can give you that support network everyone should have, though.”

“I’d be operating underneath Snagem’s nose, though.”

“Not precisely. There might be jobs that take you to other regions, though they are rare, yes. But you wouldn’t be restricted to just jobs in Kanto and Johto.”

Aile thought for a moment, her face softening slightly. This set up… It would give her a consistent stream of income, and if they already knew what she was capable of, then she could just get to work nearly right away… And the worst thing happening probably would be just arrested or captured again by Snagem… Well, she didn’t see anything worse than her current situation from taking up the job offer. “I’ll need Pokémon. I wasn’t able to retrieve my team from Snagem during my escape.”

The woman’s smirk returned as she finished her cosmo, leaving the empty glass on the counter. “Oh, you know we can help with that. Now then. Why don’t you finish your drink, and then we can go and get things started? Oh, and it’s been terribly rude of me to not give you a name. Ariana.” She held out a hand to shake, the smirk seeming to grow into a full grin.

Aile nodded, shaking Ariana’s hand. “Alysandra,” she responded, which caught the Rocket Admin off guard for a brief moment. Quickly, though, she composed herself and called for the bartender, asking for him to put Aile’s drinks on her tab as the once rogue thief finished her drink. One final drink a farewell to her life as Aile. She should have known that her past would have come back to bite her in the a**, and it had. At least she knew that kind of freedom from it for a time. Those skills were still going to be useful, though. As soon as Alysandra finished her drink, the pair would leave, Ariana leading Alysandra to the Rocket’s base for her initiation.

Time would blaze by running through Alysandra’s life past here, going through her missions with Team Rocket. She was given a Koffing to start, but eventually gained a Bellsprout, Gligar, Dewott, Alolan Grimer, and an Absol, with all of her Pokemon fairly quickly evolving into their final forms. Of note in particular, her Dewott would evolve while on a rare mission in Sinnoh, giving her the Hisuian variant of Samurott. Her hair and eyecolor would shift a lot in these memories as well, living as a phantom outside of Rocket. Within, though, she had a rising star, quickly getting promoted through the ranks until she reached a similar level as Petrel and Proton. Most of her work at this point was solo, as she was trusted enough to handle stealth missions solo. Those continued to be her expertise, and she preferred the silence, anyways. No one to rely on, no one to have to immediately rely on her.

The trip down not memory lane would slow down at another infiltration mission, this one located in Hoenn. She was currently inside Devon Corp, within their R&D department. in front of a computer and typing away on the keyboard. Next to her, her Absol would be keeping watch, making sure her trainer wasn’t sideblinded by anyone. “Just need a couple more minutes,” the thief commented, watching the file transfer. Suddenly, though, her Absol perked up, heading to the door of the room to look around. “...Absol?” Normally, even if someone was nearby, Absol never really moved unless they were both about to leave; this time piqued her interest. “.....What disaster is coming?”

“Sol… absol.” The Disaster Pokemon’s gaze turned to her trainer, staring her down. Alysandra would meet that gaze for a moment, then turn to look out a nearby window. Did Absol pick up on someone showing up? Or… maybe multiple? Not seeing anyone outside, she’d step back and take a look at herself in the dark reflection of the glass. She was mostly covered in a tight fitting, all black ensemble, with a good handful of pouches strapped on, along with leather gloves. She had a gaiter as well that covered the lower half of her face, along with a hood that covered up most of her hair. However, she currently was in the rare state of actually looking like herself, with no contacts in, and her hair was… mostly red. So, if this wound up being the group she expected it to be, then there was probably no way to avoid being found out. If certain people on the team didn't already know, at least. Who would all be here, though?

A small sound from the computer would tell her that the file transfer was done, Alysandra jumping to it so fast. Ejecting the device, she’d pocket it in one of her pouches before nodding to her Absol. “Where to?” Thinking quickly, the Absol would point her head up, before bounding out of the room. Along the way, she’d bring out her Weezing, who would almost immediately belch out a smokescreen for cover. Strangely, thankfully, she didn’t encounter any opposition on her way up to the rooftop. That’s where her luck ran out, though. A few seconds after the door behind her closed, she could hear a pop behind her, followed by a Focus Blast into Absol. The Pokémon was sent flying across the rooftop, struggling to get back up once she did land. “Absol!” Muttering a curse, she’d quickly recall the Disaster Pokémon, only to turn around to get a fist in her face. Alysandra would also go for a tumble, though not as far as her Pokémon. “Merde…” Holding her face as she rose back onto her feet, she looked to see just who the hell threw that punch. It didn’t take her long to figure out, though, once she saw a silver arm on this man. Quickly followed up by red hair of his own “...Reno. I’d ask what you’re doing here, but I’m sure I could guess.”

“Aile. It’s been a while.” The Snagem Co-leader frowned, tilting his head slightly. “How have you been? Working with Rocket, I assume?”

Alysandra blinked, confused on why he was being so friendly after all of this time. And Aile. She hadn’t been called that in a few years. “Aile… Pretty sure she died back in Kalos. Just never realized it at the time.” The thief would then take a brief glance down at her right chest area, where, in the light, you could see the smallish stitching of a capital ‘R’ resting there. It wasn’t red, to avoid standing out, but it also wasn’t the hardest to see if you were looking closely. “And yes. At least I get to pay my bills without getting caught up in some world ending conflict between Sub and Ein. Where’s everyone else? I know how a Snagem Op goes.”

“It’s just me, Aile. For now, at least.” Briefly, he looked to his side after Alysandra seemingly rolled her eyes. Soon after, an Alolan Raichu would show up from the side of the rooftop entrance and Psychically blast the Weezing trying to float in behind her former friend. “Really?” With a leer as the Poison Gas Pokémon was recalled as well, Alysandra scoffed.

“You can’t blame me for wanting a way out.” Admittedly, she was starting to get nervous now, trying to figure out some way out. She’d gone so long avoiding Snagem, keeping herself out of that damned cell. “...It’s really just you?”

Reno nodded, looking at the Alolan Raichu that came to his side. “Just me and my Pokémon. Aile, I’m not here to bring you back. Though, we could really use you. Use your help, I mean.” Alysandra stared in silence, confused. Use her help? Seriously? She was kept in a cell for six months, and they would have needed her help? Why not sooner? “You’ve been keeping up with world events, right? Then you know that Lysandre and Ein have made huge global moves. We could have used your help in countering them. The day you made your escape, we were dealing with Ein making his first big move in a while. We were even planning on giving you a proposition when we got back!”

“Really? Only then? There wasn’t anything else you could do to get me out before? I’m sorry, last I checked, everyone else seemed quite content to let a traitor rot,” the woman exploded, hearing enough. “Darts had to make a scene of showing me he was done with me, and almost everyone else decided that they weren’t even going to bother with me! My Pokémon and I were just going to be forgotten about like all the others down there!”

“You think you have a leg to stand on?! You left them behind when you fled! Tatooine spent so much time trying to search for you when we told her! Kayvaan as well!” He looked at Nalu before recalling the floating Electric type and bringing out an old, beat up Pokéball. “Speaking of Tatooine.”

Pressing the button, the old capture sphere would open to bring out a Flygon, one that looked around in confusion for a moment before locking eyes with the trainer in front of her. “....Fly?” Hovering closer, she’d try to take a closer look. “...Fwygon?”

Aile stared at the Flygon in pure shock. Of all places, to see Tatooine again, it was on one of her jobs. Hell, she hadn’t even planned on seeing her again period, written it off long ago when she was trying to figure out her next steps after fleeing Snagem. The woman’s breath caught in her chest, and she found heat rising in her cheeks. Feelings she hadn’t felt in such a long time rose to the surface like it was nothing. Shame and embarrassment, over how her former Pokémon and best friend now saw her. Pain that she betrayed her. And all Tati probably wanted to do was reconnect and understand what happened. Dammit all! Looking down and away, unable to keep eye contact with the dragon any longer, she would mutter, “Reno… that’s low.” Her voice shook, now bearing more emotion than she’d let herself feel in quite some time. The appearance of Tatooine honestly shook her more than she would have ever expected now, and trying to compose herself was taking a lot.

“Fly? Flygon!” Tatooine would try to get closer, but she stopped as soon as Aile took a step back. “...Gon?”

“Aile, you can come back from this! Just drop what you stole, and come back with us! I promise that-”

“Promise I won’t be in a cell again? Non, it’ll just be house arrest this time, maybe,” she jabbed bitterly, at this point The Rocket Elite would pull out another Pokéball of her own, throwing it out to her side. “I have a job to do, Reno, so get out of my way! Samurott!” Emerging would be the black and blue variant of Samurott, looking around before staring down the opponents before him.

Tatooine, looking wounded, would turn to Reno, looking for guidance on what to do next. “I think we’re going to have to do this the hard way, Tati.”

“At least we’ve come to that conclusion together.” Looking once more at the sand dragon, Aile watched as the pained expression she wore turned into grim determination. Realizing that Tati was bound to try and stop her friend at any cost, the thief would turn to the Hisuian Samurott and nod. “Avalanche, Samurott.” With a nod, the Formidable Pokémon would grab and toss over one of his waved seamitars hilt first, Alysandra catching it with an ease that showed that this wasn’t just some off the cuff idea. The weapon would come up to block a punch from Reno’s prosthetic arm while the Flygon came in with a glowing blue tail…

—------

Aile’s eyes would jump open, her breathing short and sharp, like she was coming out of a nightmare. Her whole body was trembling, and it would take more than a moment for her to comprehend what had just happened. Eventually, the woman would finally catch her breath, but the shaking wouldn’t stop. Were those events what happened if she hadn’t been dropped off in Orre at all? Abandoning her Pokemon, becoming colder, more willing to fight old friends. And Tatooine… The hurt and confusion in her eyes, over how Aile was acting and treating everyone. It was like a knife had buried itself in her heart. How could she do that to her? They had gone through hell and high water together, and to suddenly lose her best friend, of course she would be hurt. And to have to fight Aile after finally seeing her in at least a couple of years… Aile felt sick to her stomach, if she had to be honest. Everything about that whole alternate reality, effectively, just churned her stomach. It really was a betrayal of everything they had stood for up until that point, at least until they turned on the team. She had left Flare because she was starting to go down that path, and Tatooine had been the catalyst for that decision.

The feelings she felt personally during all that as well: the fear, worry, the need to always be on guard, which eventually faded into resignation, monotony, and a hollowness. Alysandra just felt like a shell of a human after a while, without Tatooine or any of her other Pokémon. Just living to work and train. That kind of life…. Was it worth ditching her Pokémon and any chance of redemption? Aile couldn’t believe it was. The life she lived with Tatooine after Flare but before Snagem, it wasn’t glamorous, it wasn’t extraordinary. But it was fun. She felt light, almost carefree at times. And with Snagem, it also wasn’t easy, hell it was rather tough at times. But it certainly was rewarding. Helping the region of Hoenn, helping to end Lysandre and Ein’s reign, even down to helping Poggle become purified in a more unorthodox way, all of those felt amazing.

All of which reminded her of something else, too. Something that was in the memories that she not realized weren’t taken after all, something that Robert, the old man that took her in in Orre, told her as she was trying to pick herself back up. 'Focus on teh Pokemon yeh have. Dey might beh all yeh got right now, but yehr all dey got, too.’ And even when she was back with the team, she’d still admit he was right about that. She and her Pokémon were a team, and they needed to rely on each other. …Just like Snagem, especially right now. They needed to rely on each other. If something drastic happened to them, how could they be relied upon to have their back. Like their memories being altered somehow. The events everyone had built each of them up into the person they were today. Realizing all of this, Aile began to feel a bit of shame that she had offered up something so pivotal. Holding her torso, she looked down, refusing to say anything. Hopefully, the others had gotten the information they needed.

((Rachel will be called Eve or Evelyn by her ‘parents’ in this memory, just to avoid confusion.))

Rachel flinched slightly when Chaksu walked over and touched her head lightly. Immediately, her mind flooded with images, ones she didn’t recognize. There was a large house, with children outside playing. She could see her younger self, as child of roughly five years, mixed in among them, laughing and playing happily with the other kids. There were two adults siting on the porch of the house, one that she recognized now as a house that her father had never let her go near when she was younger. ”They’ll turn you to their way of thinking,” he’d told her once, when he’d been somewhat sober. ”They’ll convince you that Pokemon aren’t monsters.” The couple that lived in that house had always been kind to her, somehow able to sense that she wasn’t getting the love and attention she needed. In this memory, however, she looked… happy, content. Like everything wasn’t going wrong in her world.

A sound from nearby caught her attention, and she found herself in her younger self’s body as she turned to see a Luxray walking over to her. The other kids shied away from it a bit, slightly scared of the large feline, but Rachel found herself reaching up to touch the fur, giggling at the static she could feel running across it. ”Hello, Mr. Cuddles!” she heard herself say. The Luxray gave a soft noise, almost a purr, and laid down next to her, wrapping his furry body around her and making her giggle again as she snuggled into him. The other kids, seeing this, cautiously crept closer, and Mr. Cuddles didn’t move, not wanting to frighten them.

Rachel blinked, and when she opened her eyes, it seemed a few years had passed. She looked to be about ten now, her brunette hair down to her shoulders now. ”Eve, dear, will you go and fetch the other kids?” asked the woman she’d seen. ”Sure, Mom!” Rachel said, turning to go get her siblings. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew without a doubt that the kids she’d seen before were her brothers and sisters. She was apparently the youngest of six, as her parents hadn’t planned to have more after her youngest sister. Rachel had been a surprise, but her parents didn’t love her any less. When all six kids were gathered in the kitchen, her parents, Richard and Emma, addressed them as one.

”Now that Evelyn has reached ten years, we wanted to speak to all of you about what your plans are for the future,” Emma said. ”I know that a few of you kids have expressed interest in becoming trainers.” ”I want to be a coordinator!” Rachel’s oldest sister, Arabelle, said. ”I’ve always loved how beautiful coordinators can make their Pokemon moves look, and how much they’re able to bond with their Pokemon.” “Trainers can bond with their Pokemon, too,” James, Rachel’s oldest brother, commented. ”Trainers just go more for raw power than making their moves look flashy.” The banter went back and forth for a few minutes, each of her siblings expressing they either did or didn’t want to do something involving Pokemon. The two youngest of her siblings, twins named Abby and Asher, both expressed that they would rather attend school to become a doctor and a lawyer, rather than training Pokemon. The middle two, Jessica and Destiny, expressed interest in Pokemon breeding, though Destiny said she would likely use whatever knowledge she gained as a Pokemon breeder to become a Pokemon doctor.

When Emma and Richard looked at Rachel, she shrugged. ”I don’t really know what I want to do,” she said. ”I don’t mind training Pokemon, but really, I just want to travel the world right now.” Her parents smiled. ”That’s perfectly fine, Eve,” Richard said, nodding. ”Not everyone knows what they want to do right away. It took me a few years before I decided to become an instructor in caring for Electric-type Pokemon. Most young trainers don’t know how to safely care for them, so I wanted to ensure that they had everything they needed to make sure they didn’t get hurt accidentally.” “I’ve always known that teaching was my calling,” Emma explained. ”Not just instructing children about how to safely approach Pokemon or people they don’t know, but also teaching them what they would need to know should they decide to become trainers or coordinators.” It was true; Rachel had learned a lot from her mother that she likely wouldn’t have known otherwise. A noise at her feet had her looking down, and she smiled when she saw a small Shinx sitting there. Seeing this, both Richard and Emma smiled. ”It looks like Whiskers wants to go with you,” Emma said, making Rachel look at her mother in surprise. ”Why not take him when you start your journey? I’m sure he’ll be an invaluable ally for you.” Rachel couldn’t argue with that, and she looked down at Whiskers, who was looking up at her expectantly. ”Well, Whiskers, what do you think?” she asked. ”Want to come with me on my journey?” The Shinx gave a cry of affirmation, causing Rachel’s family to laugh a bit.

The scene shifted again, and when it cleared, Rachel saw herself as a teenager. During the years she’d been a trainer, she’d made many friends, along with a few friendly rivals. She’d made a bit of a name for herself, traveling and battling all different kinds of trainers, as well as challenging the gyms around Sinnoh, Hoenn, and Kalos. She’d entered the Leagues in all three regions, placing in the top 16 in both Kalos and Hoenn, and getting knocked out in the semifinals in Sinnoh. Most of her team, she saw with amusement, was Electric-type, though she did also have several that were Dragon- or part Dragon-type, as well. She’d decided that being a single type specialist wasn’t for her, and had chosen to go with two types, instead. Very few trainers that she knew had two different type specialties, so she’d chosen to give it a try, and it had worked out very well for her so far.

The memories ended there, and when Rachel opened her eyes again, she found her cheeks were slightly damp. Had she been crying? Rainer, having sensed his trainer’s distress, had let himself out of his Pokeball, and was now riding on her shoulder, making small sounds until she looked over at him and gave a smile as she reached up to scratch his ears fondly. ”Don’t worry, Rainer, I’m still here,” she said. The Eevee leaned into his trainer’s touch, cooing softly at the feeling of her fingers in his fur. The memories she’d seen flitted through her mind, showing her how different her life could have been, but at the same time, reminding her that she wouldn’t be who she was now without them. ”I’ll never take my memories for granted again,” she murmured, thinking about all the Pokemon and people she’d befriended during her time with Snagem.

“Hello, Father.” Sterling greeted, standing over the bed containing the prone form of Father Clancy, bladed hands aimed at the man’s chest.

“So the Church of Arceus wants me dealt with at last, do they?” Father Clancy asked, knowing with certainty that this is what was happening.

“So it would seem.” Sterling replied coldly. “I jumped at the chance to take on this job, too, you know.”

“And why might that be?” Father Clancy asked, carefully sitting up in his cot, pressing his chest softly against the tip of the burning blade held toward him.

“Don’t you recognize the ‘odd little boy’ the lot of you teased relentlessly for his entire childhood?” Sterling asked, sneering at the elderly monk. His crimson eyes glowed with supernatural energy as he watched Clancy process those words.

“Sterling? What happened to you?!” Father Clancy asked as realization dawned upon him. The young man before him had purple skin like flames and wore a set of ancient armor, deep purple, nearly black, with hands that formed into blades with greater ease than breathing.

“When I ran away from the priory at eight years old, I nearly died on the mountainside, no thanks to the lot of you not bothering to come after me.” Sterling replied. “And now, thanks to a Sister from the Church of Arceus who found and saved me, I’m here to return the favor. Only you won’t have that savior coming for you.” He threatened, the blades his hands had become slowly lengthening as he spoke.

“We did look for you.” Father Clancy announced, feeling the hateful, bitter blade begin to pierce his flesh. “There was a blizzard that day and we couldn’t find you…”

“And so you gave up on the 8-year-old you all thought too odd to deserve a proper life.”Sterling insisted, withdrawing his hand blade from Father Clancy’s chest. “And now that boy has gotten his closure.”

As the light left Father Clancy’s eyes, Sterling turned to leave. One more target to complete the job and to finally close this long-lost chapter of his life for good. Thinking back to how he’d ended up here again after so many years, he recalled how he had run away in the first place only to be found, starving and nearly frozen, in a ruin he’d never seen before by an acolyte of the Church of Arceus. He had never learned exactly why she was on the mountain that day but the Sister had taken him in, warmed him up, fed him and brought him back to the Church in Hearthome when she returned. And from that day onward, he’d just been Sterling. The last time he’d been called ‘odd’ by anyone had been that last day at the priory.

Unfortunately for them here, now, that day had also been the day he found the armor. He’d touched it, drawn toward it by a vicious, deep shimmer he couldn’t explain and from that moment, he began to change. His skin had turned red, his hair wild and fiery and he could sense even more than before the depth of the world around him. It took many years after that before he found his way to another set of armor that called to him in such a way and in the space between seeing the two, he had received a lifetime of love and belonging in the Church. When the second set changed him again, his skin turning purple as the armor practically bonded itself to him, he felt the rage in his heart begin to burn for escape. It was after the second change that he learned to form his hands into blades and that his hate for these people could fuel the flames of hell he had gained command over.

“Sister Mary Catherine.” Sterling spoke, approaching the now elderly woman from behind.

“Hm?” Sister Mary Catherine asked, stopping her scrubbing and straightening up. Sterling had found her cleaning the dining hall floor. This had been her task of choice all those years ago, as well. “Do I know you?” She asked as she turned around, looking into the crimson eyes that now looked at her with malice.

“No.” Sterling assured her harshly.

“Oh…” Sister Mary Catherine breathed out, looking into those eyes. “I had hoped you might be my odd little boy come home, at last.” She told him, tears at the corners of her eyes. “I should have told him how much I loved him back then…” She said more to herself than to Sterling.

Sterling paused for just a moment. “Then why do you call him odd? If you loved him, you might think calling him something like that would be hurtful.” The hybrid pointed out.

Sister Mary Cathering nodded. “Yes… Yes, I should have known how it made him feel. I loved how strange he was and I so looked forward to seeing him grow up…

“Then you got your wish. And now I get mine.” Sterling stated as he stepped forward, closing the gap between them and plunging his blade into the woman’s flesh. “So many years I’ve looked forward to silencing the lot of you… All because of that damned word!” He barked out as Sister Mary Catherine gasped for breath.

“Sterling… My odd little boy…” The sister realized. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you when you were small. I called you odd out of curiosity and I always said it with love in my heart but I was clearly hurting you.” She rushed to get the words out. “Please… Let the pain go, my boy.”

Several minutes later, the armored hybrid walked out into the snow, smoke rising from the now truly empty Priory of the Renegade Faith as its fireplaces burned their final fires. Walking away from the priory for the last time, he felt the rage and hatred in his heart continue to burn and now, that fire was joined by a new ember that would surely grow in time: Anguish.

He blinked back tears as he left his past behind. Or tried to, at least. And then, suddenly, he blinked one last time and found himself standing in his usual void occupied by colorful souls. He said nothing as he tried to process the vision he had been given. It made little sense to him, though. How could that one memory have changed him so much? He was certain his memories held great value but this felt like it was little more than Uxie trying to make a point. He could sense a powerful soul before them and assumed without context that that must be the sprite.