That’s what he thinks you are. Someone to wipe the drool off the kid’s chin while he goes out and hunts down the quarry. You stare up at the armored man with your brows raised, shock evident in your face.
“Are you kidding me? It’s ‘not my job’?” you ask, quoting his own words back to him. He doesn’t respond, only staring back at you through the visor on his helmet.
“You know, I was doing fine before I met you; I know how to fight. I’ve done bounties in the past. Sure, it doesn’t really compare to the amount you’ve done, but I’m not helpless,” you spit back at him, furious. “Need I remind you that I was the one that went back for the kid after you dumped him into Imperial hands? I was halfway to him before you even showed up!”
“I know you can fight. That’s why I trust you to keep the kid safe while I’m gone,” Din starts, but you cut him off.
“I can do more than just babysit! You’ve had too many close calls and you could use an extra hand on some of these bounties. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to stitch up knife wounds or cauterize blaster shots.”
“We can’t leave the kid alone, it’s too dangerous. Someone could find him,” he snaps back, but you’re not having it.
“Then we can take him with us! It wouldn’t be for every quarry, but you could use some help-”
“You want to help? Then stay on the ship, watch the kid, and quit asking. My job is to hunt bounties. Your job is to protect him while I'm gone,” Din yells at you, shoving a finger in your face as he leans over you. Your face falls and he stares at you for a moment before straightening his back. When neither of you speak, he looks away and walks past you silently. You turn your head and watch as he climbs into his bunk, the door sliding closed after him, most likely to get some sleep before he heads out in the morning.
You don’t really know what to think. Part of you wants to cry from having such a large man yelling in your face. Your eyes threaten to spill tears, but you compose yourself, willing them away. You’re stronger than that.
You quietly make your way to your own bunk across the hull, head hanging slightly. You sit down on your cot and prop your arm on your knee, resting your chin in your palm. His words play on repeat in your mind.
You hope you didn't piss him off too much, that wasn't your intention. You just want to help, you worry about him. A lot. Probably more than you should. You want to prove to him that you aren't just a liability.
Glancing over to the side, you spot your holsters. A deviant idea pops into your brain. You chew on your bottom lip, considering it.
Din usually keeps the tracking fobs in the cockpit.
You start plotting a way to sneak up there without alerting him and giving yourself away, but as you contemplate, you realize something that makes a smirk crawl its way into your face.
He set this one out by the armory closet for tomorrow morning.
You grab your holsters and strap them on, quietly. You put your knives in their respective places and grab your cloak. Peeking out into the hull, you make sure Din is still in his bunk before stepping out. Your eyes land on the armory closet and trail down to a small box on the ground. On top lies a pile of ammunition, some cloth, and the tracking fob.
You smile as you tiptoe over and snatch it up, turning around to head towards the exit. You freeze mid-step as you quickly realize a major error in your plan.
Din is totally going to hear the hatch open.
You mentally curse as you rack your brain for an alternative. There’s no way to get off the Crest without him knowing about it. You look up at Din’s door, afraid your plot has fallen apart.
Then, a sneaky idea reveals itself in your mind. You feel a little bit of guilt at the thought, but you remind yourself of how he made you feel earlier.
That could work.
You set the fob back down in its spot and take off your cloak, as well as your holsters. You stash them behind the little box, hidden from view, and make your way over to the hatch, taking less care to hide the sound of your footsteps. You take a deep breath and open the door.
Just like you suspected, you almost immediately hear rustling in Din’s room from behind. You wait for it to fully open before sitting down at the top of the ramp. You try to look natural, moving your gaze up to the night sky and bringing your knees to your chest, wrapping your arms around your legs.
Finally, you hear his door slide open and his boots thud against the floor with each step as he makes his way into the hull to investigate. You wait a beat before glancing behind you, staring into his visor, and then returning your gaze to the sky.
“What are you doing?” his low, modulated voice questions.
“Needed some air,” you lie, speaking quietly to try and sound like you're upset.
Which, you still are, but not in a go-cry-about-it way.
He doesn’t respond. You hear metal shift, and you sneak a glance behind you. Sure enough, Din is looking over his shoulder at the little box in front of the armory, making sure the fob is still there. He knows how you can be sometimes. Stubborn. Hard to control. Doesn’t take orders well. Kind of like him.
You look back up to the sky before he can catch you staring at him. You can feel his gaze boring into the back of your head and you resist the urge to squirm. An uncomfortable silence settles over the two of you, but you continue to stare out at the sky above.
“I’m... sorry. About before. What I said.” Din admits quietly. This kind of takes you by surprise, and you turn your head to look at him. “I realize what I said was a little... harsh. I apologize.”
You give a small smile and look away, not saying anything.
“I just... don’t want you to worry about the bounties. I can handle it. The kid is much more important,” he says gently. You look back at up him.
“But I worry about you. I can help. Really,” you yell him softly, not trying to start another fight. Din’s shoulders sag as he exhales.
“You can help me most by staying here while I’m gone.”
You sigh and look down at your boots. You were hoping he might change his mind.
After a few moments of silence, Din realizes you aren't going to say anything and he turns to head back to his bunk, but he pauses before opening the door.
“Get some sleep, please?” he asks softly. You give a small nod, refusing to look back at him. Once you hear his door open and close, you finally turn, making sure the coast is clear.
You sit there for a few more minutes so he won’t get suspicious before quietly standing up and tiptoeing over to the armory closet. Once again you strap on your holsters and knives, grabbing the tracking fob and shoving it into your bag. You throw on your cloak and pull up your hood as you quietly step over to the lowered ramp. You glance back at Mando’s door, second guessing if you really want to do this, but you shake away the doubt. You feel a little guilty for tricking him like that, but you have to prove you can help him.
You straighten up and tighten the hold on your bag as you try and muffle any sounds from your movements. Pressing the button to close the hatch, you silently tiptoe out onto the ramp, jumping off when it starts inclining.
Your boots land on the ground with a hard thud, but luckily the sound of the hatch closing muffled the noise. You pull out the fob and switch it on, heading off into the surrounding woods to find your quarry.
~~~
Trudging through the forest, you notice sunlight beginning to bleed through the leaves of the trees. You wipe your hand on your cloak, trying to get some of the sweat off to better your grip on the rope. Luckily, the quarry wasn’t too far from the Crest, but just far enough to be a hassle.
It wasn’t the easiest bounty you’ve ever done, but you weren’t badly injured, so it’s not like you regret doing this. The quarry got some good hits in, as well as a small knife wound to your shoulder, but it’s nothing you couldn’t handle. Most of the blood you’re covered in belongs to the dead Devaronian you’re trailing behind you on a small slab of wood you found. The bounty didn’t require him to be alive, so when things started to go south you were less careful in trying to keep him breathing.
There's blood all over your hands, mostly from your shoulder wound. You have a piece of cloth pressed against your skin to keep the pressure on it. You need to hurry back to the Crest otherwise it'll get infected.
Your hair is a mess. You didn't bother to fix it after the fight, and you're pretty sure there's some blood caked on your face. You're trying to hurry back, not wanting Mando to realize you're gone and go out looking for you.
You hope he doesn't get pissed at you for doing this. Yeah he might be a little upset, but look at you! You're fine! Mostly. But when was the last time he hunted a bounty and didn't get a scratch?
Finally, the Crest’s engines popped into view over some trees and you breathe a sigh of relief. You trudge into the small clearing and make your way over to the hatch, punching in the code to lower the ramp.
You move out of the way, and as you wait for it to lower completely, you can hear blasters charging inside the hull. You throw your hands up to show you aren’t an intruder as Mando steps up to the top of the ramp.
“Easy there big guy, it’s only me,” you shout to him. His blasters lower almost immediately, but you can tell he’s shocked. You can see his helmet slightly turning as he takes in your appearance, as well as the dead bounty behind you. He doesn’t move for a few moments, standing on the ramp completely frozen.
“What the hell,” Mando mutters, finally coming back to his senses and making his way down to you in a manner of seconds. He’s grabbing your shoulders, checking you over for wounds and mumbling words you don’t recognize as Basic under his breath. His grip is a little hard, considering you have a knife wound in one of your shoulders, and you wince at the contact: a movement not gone unnoticed by a certain Mandalorian.
He moves your cloak out of the way and peels the collar of your shirt back, exposing the wound.
“What in Maker’s name were you thinking?!” he yells at you, making you wince again.
“I got the quarry,” you answered, plain and simple. You shrug his hands off and brush past him, dragging the bounty up the ramp. You make your way through the hull and over to the carbonite chamber, prepping the machine. You can hear Mando trailing behind you, his footsteps getting closer.
You manage to get the Devaronian into carbonite, and as you turn around, a hand clasps around your wrist, tugging you over to the center of the hull. Din forces you down onto a crate and pulls out the medical supplies. As he gathers the necessary items, you glance over at his bunk and see the Child asleep in his little hammock. It’s still quite early, so it doesn’t surprise you.
“Take your shirt off.”
Your head whips around, almost knocking into his helmet.
“It’s in the way of your wound,” he states, harshly. You nod slightly and grab the hem of your shirt, slowly pulling it up and over your head thanks to the aches in your muscles. Heat fills your face, now sitting in only a breast wrap and pants in front of a fully armored Mando. It’s not like he hasn’t seen you like this before. You two have fooled around once or twice, but you can’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
You draw in a breath as Din cleans the wound, grabbing onto his pauldron instinctually for support. He wraps your shoulder in a clean cloth and stands up, staring down at you. Picking at your nails, you avoid his gaze, knowing what’s about to come.
“That was stupid,” he says down to you. Remaining quiet, you look off to the side. “You could have gotten killed. I didn’t even know you were gone.”
Finally, you look up to him.
“I’m fine Mand-”
“You got stabbed in the shoulder.”
“It’s nothing compared to what you-”
“I can handle those sorts of things.”
“And I can’t?”
“I didn’t say that-”
“Yes you did!”
“What you did was reckless and irresp-”
“I’m tired of playing the babysitter!” you shout, standing up. “I’m always stuck in here, not being able to help when I know I can. After what you said yesterday, I just got so angry. I wanted to be the one to hunt down the quarry, and I wanted it to be your turn to play the babysitter.”
Din remains quiet. He just stares at you, unmoving. It's hard to read him right now. Sometimes you can guess what he's thinking, but the air between you two is thick, clouding your judgement.
He suddenly moves closer to you, your chests inches apart. You draw in a breath and tilt your head up to look at him where you think his eyes are.
"So you want to be in charge?" his deep, modulated voice whispers, sending a shiver down your spine, "I'll show you who's in charge."
Goosebumps erupt over your skin; you suddenly feel very small and exposed standing this close to him. Amused by your reaction, he roughly grabs your waist and hauls you over his shoulder. You squeal in surprise, your bare skin coming into contact with his cold beskar.
You squirm, not fighting him, but trying to adjust on his pauldron digging uncomfortably into your stomach. Before you can get situated, he's already ripping you off his shoulder and setting you down on your cot, slightly gentler than the way he picked you up as he’s being mindful of your healing wound. You crane your neck, staring up at his towering form. His gloved hands reach out and land on both of your shoulders, gently pushing you onto your back. He's being careful, but you can still sense urgency in his actions.
Now laying down, propped up on your elbows, you watch as he wastes no time in trailing his hands down to the waistband of your pants. He quickly unbuttons them and yanks them down your legs, pulling your body lower on the cot with the sudden movement. The pant legs get caught at your boots, and Din legs out a small sound of frustration. Sloppily untying the laces, he rips them off your feet and throws them over his shoulder. They land on the metal ground with a loud thunk.
He turns his attention back to your pants, grabbing a fistful of the bunched clothing at your ankles. He pulls them the rest of the way off, taking your socks along with it, leaving you in just your underwear and breast wrap. Your heart's been racing this whole time, rendering you speechless. He's never taken this kind of control when you two messed around, but you have to admit, it's really having an effect on you.
His hands quickly find their way around your back, searching for the clasp of your breast wrap, rushing to undo it so the cloth falls to the side. Trailing his hands back around to the front, his large, gloved fingers grasp your breasts, squeezing them. Your breath hitches at the contact and your eyes shift up to look at his helmet.
His hands leave your chest and you’re about to whine in protest, but the sound gets caught in your throat when two of his fingers press against your underwear right where your slit is. The sound that does come out of your mouth sounds more like a strangled cry, and you can hear Din chuckle through the modulator.
“So wet for me already, sweetheart? I haven’t even started yet,” he whispers. Normally you would knock him down a few notches for being cocky, but your brain couldn’t think of anything to say that didn’t involve you begging him to fuck you senseless, and you didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.
His fingers hook into the sides of your underwear and he quickly pulls it down and off your legs, discarding it to the side. He leans back for a moment, taking in the sight of your naked body splayed out in front of him. You realize how he’s completely clothed, armor and everything, and heat floods your cheeks as you stare up at him. His chest heaves as his breathing starts to pick up, and your eyes trail down towards the growing bulge in his pants.
Something in him snapped seeing you like this. Exposed, blushing, waiting for him to take charge. It triggers something deep inside him, something primal. His fingers twitch at his sides just thinking about it.
Suddenly, Din reaches out and lifts your legs, spreading them to rest on either of his shoulders. His hand moves directly to your pussy, trailing a finger up your bare slit. You gasp at the rough texture of his gloves, grabbing a fistful of the blanket you’re on top of. Din brings one hand up your mouth and places the other one on your leg, squeezing it. You look at the hand in front of you and then back up to his helmet, confused.
“Take it off,” he orders.
You obey, sinking your teeth into the thick material as he pulls his hand out. His now-bare hand returns to its previous spot, but this time he sinks one finger into your cunt. You gasp in surprise, the glove falling from your teeth and onto the cot. He slowly pumps the finger in and out and you throw your head back against the pillow, your eyes fluttering closed as he adds another finger. Your mouth hangs open as another finger presses against your clit, forcing a moan up your throat. He adds a third finger, stretching you while your walls squeeze around him.
He continues a steady rhythm, curling his fingers inside to hit that one spot at just the right angle. You’re panting beneath him, grasping onto the sheets for something to hold onto since you can’t reach him. Your hips start to buck into his hand, needing more friction. You can feel the heat start to pool in the pit of your stomach.
“Fuck, Din, I need- Fuck!” you whine, gritting your teeth together.
“What do you need, pretty girl? Tell me,” he coos, making you let out a breathy whine. You know he’s just trying to get you to beg for him, but you can’t fight this much longer. You peel your eyes open and find him staring right at you, waiting for your response. Your breath hitches and your eyes widen as he hits a particularly sensitive spot deep inside you.
“Din I- I need, Fuck! I need you,” you finally give in.
“Need me where?” he teases, trying to get you all riled up. You throw your head back into the pillow again, arching your back as you feel your orgasm rising.
“Inside! Please? Oh please Din I need your cock inside me please-” you beg as your hips stutter into his hand, cumming over his fingers. He pulls out of you as your body comes down from the high, pulling your legs off his shoulders, but he isn’t finished yet. He wipes his fingers on your stomach, spreading your juices over your skin.
You open your eyes and watch as he fumbles with his belt, opening his pants just wide enough for his dick to spring out, already hard. He brings his hand up to your mouth, palm up.
“Spit.”
You hesitate, looking up at him, lips slightly parted.
“I said spit.”
You do as he says, spitting into his hand and watching as he brings it back to his cock, wrapping his fist around it and spreading your saliva over the skin. He hooks his hands under knees and pulls you to the edge of the cot, situating himself between your thighs. Without any warning, he grabs your waist and starts pushing himself into your cunt, your walls already squeezing against him. You instinctually reach out and hold onto his arm as he pushes deeper inside.
A lewd moan finds its way out of your mouth as one of his hands roughly grabs onto your breast, rolling your nipple between his fingers. As he bottoms out inside of you, he pauses as if to collect himself. Then, he slowly starts pulling out, just to slam all the way back in again in one swift motion. Your hips buck and your back arches, his grip on your waist tightening, surely leaving a bruise.
He sets his pacing, picking up speed as he ruthlessly fucks into you. His bare hand wanders up to your collarbone as his fingers ghost over your throat. He starts to squeeze lightly, feeling your pulse against his fingertips. You whine and pant beneath him, your hand moving up to grasp his wrist, not knowing where else to hold onto.
Your hips move up and down to meet his thrusts, allowing his cock to hit even deeper inside of your cunt. Each time you moan his name it seems to send him further into his frenzy, his primal feelings consuming his thoughts.
Your legs wrap around his waist, pulling your bodies even closer. Your toes curl as he rails into you, showing no sign of restraint.
“Din, fuck, I’m- I’m-” you say, but the constant pounding of his cock prevents any coherent thoughts from forming.
“You want to cum on my cock, pretty girl?” he asks. You can’t form any words, so you just nod your head feverishly. He holds onto your hips with both of his hands as he thrusts even faster into you, causing your back to arch up as the heat once again pools in your stomach. You can hear him muttering your name as you tip over the edge, cumming for the second time. Not far behind, you can feel his cock twitch inside of you and a lewd sound fills the air from his cock pulling out of your cunt.
He cums over your breasts, pumping his cock to completely empty himself on top of you. Breathing heavily, you collapse onto the cot. Din doesn’t move, his hand still wrapped around his cock. You look up at him, watching his chest rise and fall in time with yours. He finally straightens his back and tucks himself back into his pants, fixing his belt. He retrieves his discarded glove and puts it back on, lowering his arms to his sides as he studies you.
You feel slightly embarrassed. Last night you were going on about how strong and independent you were, yet here you are, completely naked underneath a fully armored Mandalorian, who just finished railing you into the next cycle after you begged for his cock.
Heat fills your cheeks as you turn away, looking for your clothes that are now scattered about your tiny bunk.
Din seems to notice this, and he finally speaks up.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he orders, referring to your little stunt you pulled last night. You turn and look back up at him, frowning.
“If you would just let me go in the first place, we wouldn’t have this issue,” you mutter. He turns his head to the side, wordlessly. You exhale out of your nose and move to keep searching for your clothes.
“I’ll think about it.”
You freeze as you’re reaching for your breast wrap, whipping your head back in his direction. You must have a shocked expression, because when he turns back to you, he crosses his arms.
“I’m not promising anything, but if it’ll prevent shit like last night, then I’ll consider letting you come along. And if you do, you have to follow my orders,” he argues, pointing a finger in your direction. You smile up at him and give a short nod. He stares down at you for a moment longer before answering you.
“Good.”
Satisfied, Din opens your door and walks out, leaving you to clean off his cum from your body while he goes to punch in the coordinates for the next quarry.
alright you thirsty b!tches i'm almost finished with another smutty one shot ;)) i'll be posting it tonight so watch out for that this evening !! i rly like this one idk i was craving some angst and shouty mando makes me 🧎🏼♀️ so yeah love y'all see you tonight when it drops
also feel free to send me asks whether it's requests (which i encourage bc i get writers block and don't know what to write) or if you're curious about anything else i might write or if you just want to know more about me lmao
DO NOT read fics marked 18+ if you are under the age of 18!
Din Djarin
You Done? (Oneshot) by @triangularjuice Din Djarin x F!Reader, Din leaves the reader and the Child to go hunt a bounty, when he comes back things getting heated between Din and the reader. Warnings: 18+, smut, language.
Dad and the Dog (Oneshot, 4,7k words) by @dincrypt Din Djarin x Reader, the Child gets a puppy and the Mandalorian’s dislike for the animal isn’t as it seems. Warnings: fluff, SPOILERS for the Child’s name
Francisco “Frankie/Catfish” Morales
dreamboat (Multiple Parts) by @mudhornchronicles Greaser!Frankie Morales x F!Reader, set in the 1950s, the Reader moves to a new school where she meets Francisco Morales and his friends who call themselves “The Bandits”. The Reader finds that she’s willing to bind a few rules in order to be with Frankie. Warnings: language, drinking, smoking, mentions of racism, death, and war, suggestive comments, fighting.
Javier Peña
Hope that it’s Hopeless (Oneshot, 1k words) by @norcula Javier Peña x F!Reader, the Reader and Javier have a rocky relationship and tenstions between the two get high. Warnings: 18+, language, smut
Rule (Oneshot) by @nikkixostan Javier Peña x F!Reader, the reader has a rule on dating, a rule that Javier has yet to hear of and questions things. Warnings: language, drinking
love me, sweet (Oneshot, 0.9k words) by @pedrosbish Javier Peña x Reader, Javier realizes the type of feelings he has for the reader. Warnings: fluff and angst.
Marcus Pike
the portrait of love (Oneshot) by @writings-of-a-hufflepuff Marcus Pike x Reader, Marcus and the Reader go to a gala for his job, while there he has worries that the reader may not be interested in art works but that isn’t necessarily the case. Warnings: none
A/N: So sorry this list is so late, I’ve been busy all day today and yesterday!
You've been sitting on the Razor Crest for days, confined within the metal walls that creak and groan under the weight of the wind howling outside. The quarry that Mando is after chose a dangerous planet to hide out on. The weather is unpredictable, making it so tracks can disappear within minutes, hindering any kind of hunt after the wanted creature.
Din left as soon as you landed, not wanting to give the quarry any time to hide whatever tracks were still exposed. He said it might take a couple days, but as more time passed, you couldn't help but grow slightly worried.
Babysitting the kid was simple enough, but it can only do so much to pass the time. One minute he's obsessing over that tiny silver ball of his, and the next he's disappearing every time you turn your back, creating a not-so-enjoyable game of hide and seek.
After wrestling him down and putting the silver ball back on the handle in the cockpit, you pull out the provisions and divvy out some dinner for the two of you.
Eating in silence, your mind starts to wander, eventually landing on thoughts of a certain broad-shouldered, metal man in your life.
The relationship you had with Din was... complicated. You've been hanging around for a while, watching over the kid and tending to Mando's wounds when necessary, but the air around you and Din has changed lately.
Some flirty banter here, a brush of the arm there, and sometimes you could swear he was sneaking looks at you out of the corner of his visor.
Of course, it could all just be your imagination. Then again, he's a man of few words. Everything he does has meaning behind it, and-
"What the-!" you shout in surprise, censoring yourself at the last second when a thick substance lands directly on the side of your head, dropping onto the floor with a gross splat.
The kid, still feeling defiant to your authority, thought it might be funny to toss the food he didn't want to eat right at your head with his little baby magic that you still don't understand.
You turn to him, unamused, mentally preparing the lecture you're about to give when it dies in your throat, seeing the kid giggling and clapping his tiny hands- claws? Whatever they are.
You sigh, defeated.
"What are we gonna do with you, huh?" you mutter, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips when he flashes a toothy grin up at you.
After wiping up the mess from the floor, you turn to pick him up, but freeze when your eyes meet nothing but the empty crate he was sitting on.
"Kid?" you ask out loud, "Listen, I'm not in the mood for another round of hide and seek. Come on out."
You turn around, searching for the little green gremlin.
"I'd really like to get your dinner out of my hair, so if you would be so kind as to show yourself so we can get you to bed, that'd be great," you bargain, but there's no response. While you're peeking behind some storage units, you hear a slight rustling and the hiss of a door opening behind you.
Whipping around, you catch the tail end of a little brown robe disappearing up to the cockpit. You suppress a smile, quietly tiptoeing over to the ladder.
You follow him up and through the cockpit doors, catching him as he's reaching up towards the silver ball on the main console. He turns to you, making a small sound in surprise.
Scoffing, you put your hands on your hips and give him a pointed look.
"All of that, just to get your little ball back?" you question as you walk over to the console, unscrewing the tiny sphere. You drop it in his baby hands and scoop him up. "You could've just asked, instead of so graciously donating your dinner to the side of my face."
You place him down in his floating pram, tucking his blankets around his small frame.
"Goodnight little monster," you whisper as you rub his head. You turn the cockpit lights off, letting him look at the stars as he drifts to sleep.
Climbing down the ladder, you reach up and feel the food from earlier has already crusted to your hair. You sigh, grabbing a towel from your little area on the ship. As you step into the fresher, you waste no time getting into the hot water to free your hair from the dinner incident.
As you're finishing your shower, your stomach drops when you hear something outside the fresher. Sounds of buttons being pushed and hissing machinery can be heard, and at first you thought it was just the kid.
He wouldn't be able to reach those buttons. And even if he used his baby magic, he wouldn't be getting into that kind of stuff, he knows better.
You quickly shut off the water and wrap a towel around your body. Lucky for you, Din always makes sure you're prepared for unexpected visitors. You reach into a small compartment behind the sink and pull out a blaster: not huge, but big enough to do some damage.
You turn off the fresher light and quietly open the door, peering out into the hull. Someone shut off the main lights, and you can hear heavy footsteps silently making their way around.
You slink through the door and settle behind some cargo boxes while you let your eyes adjust to the darkness. The only light around is coming from the various buttons and little bulbs scattered on the walls and ceiling. You were trembling slightly, your heart beating against your chest, and you take deep, quiet breaths in an attempt to calm yourself down.
Looking out into the hull, a figure with their back towards you stands by the armory, fidgeting with something in their hands. Creeping forward, you take extra precaution with your steps, making sure not to slip on the water dripping from your freshly showered body.
As you creep closer, you hold the blaster up to your chest. You hide behind a tote and wait until they're completely turned away from you to tiptoe up and press the blaster against their back, immediately sensing them tense under the barrel of the weapon.
"Don't. Move." you whisper with as much intimidation as you could muster. After a beat, they raise their hands slowly, and after their arms are held up in surrender, you realize how large this person is. "Now drop- drop whatever you're holding," you stutter, losing your nerve.
The stranger obeys, tossing some hunk of metal on the ground with a loud thud.
Neither of you move. You aren't quite sure what to do next.
What would Din do in this situation?
...
He'd probably just shoot the guy.
Before you could do anything more, the stranger whips around, grabbing the blaster right out of your hand. You backpedal, bringing your arms up as you prepare to be fired at, but nothing happens.
"You done?" a familiar modulated voice asks.
You drop your arms and look up at the figure. Sure enough, standing there right in front of you is an armorless Mando, wearing only his undershirt, pants, boots, and helmet.
"Fuck, Mando, I could've shot you! What the hell were you thinking?!" you shout as you cross your arms, frustrated he let that go on for as long as it did.
"Doubt it," he said quietly, and you rolled your eyes.
"I had a blaster pointed at your spine, what makes you think I wouldn't have pulled the trigger?" you question, staring into where you think his eyes are. He stands with an arm on his hip, holding the blaster up in the other hand.
"You hesitated. If you were planning on shooting me, you would've done so from the beginning; and you left too many openings to be easily overpowered," he listed off as you roll your eyes.
"Plus, you left the safety on, Sweetheart," he adds as he holds the blaster out for you to see, and you throw your hands up in defeat. You can practically hear the smirk on his face.
"Whatever Pretty Boy. I'll work on it. Did you get the quarry?" you ask him, placing your hands on your hips.
He doesn't answer. He just... stares at you. In fact, the man doesn't even look like he's breathing. You furrow your brows.
"Hello? Crest to Mando?" you question, regaining his attention. He straightens his posture and looks away, clenching his fist.
You're about to question him when you glance down, realizing why he froze.
You're still dripping wet, only covered by a thin towel from your shower right before his arrival.
Heat immediately floods your face and you bring your arms across your chest.
"Oh, oh shit I- I'm so sorry, I was showering when you got back and I just-"
You stop rambling as you watch him step closer, slowly closing the gap between you. Flustered, your lips part slightly as your heart beats against your chest, looking up at his visor.
He lifts a hand to your shoulder, hesitating, before gently pushing a damp strand of hair behind your ear. He trails his gloved fingers down your cheek, resting beneath your chin.
You know you could stop him if you wanted to.
He knows it too.
"Where's the kid?" he asks. His voice sounds different. Deeper. If that's even possible for him.
"In his pram. In the cockpit. Sleeping," you answer awkwardly, not daring to look away.
Oh shit.
Oh shit.
Is this going where you think it's going?
He doesn't respond. He simply trails his hand down your neck painfully slow, his fingertips ghosting around the curve of your throat. His hand splays out across your collarbone, feeling your warm, damp skin.
He stops right above your breasts, where the towel is creased together. Neither of you move, debating on whether or not to actually go through with this.
You swallow thickly and reach your hand up, loosening the towel with your shaky fingers as he watches you. The towel drops to the floor, fully exposing you to the Mandalorian.
You can hear his breath hitch through the modulator as he looks you up and down. Without warning, he grabs your wrist and you yelp in surprise as he hauls you over to your living space, putting you down on your cot.
He reaches around the corner for a brief moment and fiddles with something, cursing under his breath, and then the remaining lights in the hull cut out, leaving the two of you in complete darkness.
You hear him return to the cot as a loud thud echoes in the tiny space like something was dropped on the floor. You feel him crawl on top of you as his hands roam your hips, and you reach up to ghost your fingers down his waist until you grasp the hem of his shirt.
He helps you lift it over his head, and in doing so, your fingers brush against his hair.
Hair?
Holy shit, did he-?
"Did you take off your-?"
The question dies in your throat as Din's lips attach to yours, silently answering your question. His hands, now without gloves, trail up your stomach to cup your breasts, giving them a squeeze. You moan softly into the kiss as your hand finds it's way into his hair, threading it through your fingers and pulling ever so lightly.
He groans at this action, and his hands pull away to mess with his pants as he tries to free himself from them. After successfully doing so, he returns his lips to yours and settles between your legs, wrapping your ankles around his waist. You can feel his cock press up against your thigh and squirm.
He pulls away from the kiss, breathing heavily as he lines himself up.
"Are you sure?" he asks quietly, and it makes you smile. You respond by pushing yourself against him, rubbing your folds along his dick. A deep, guttural groan rips through his throat, and he thrusts up and into your cunt in one swift motion.
You throw your head back against the cot and let out and embarrassingly lewd moan at the new sensation. Din takes this opportunity to attach his lips to your neck, sucking and licking dark spots onto your skin while his hands grip your waist. Your hands reach around his shoulders and claw down his back as you stretch around his cock.
"Fuck, you're so ti-ight," he mutters against your neck.
He slowly pulls out and you can hear how wet you are for him as he starts thrusting slowly, in and out. His lips travel down your neck and to your breasts, stopping to suck one of your nipples into his mouth. You arch your back as you moan, one of his hands reaching up to knead the other breast.
You move your hips in a rhythm matching his, your toes curling behind his back. He releases your nipple from his mouth and moves over it the other one to give it the same attention, and your hand glides up to grip a handful of his hair.
"Fuck, Din, right there- please, don't stop-!" you ramble, tugging on his hair.
Hearing you whine his name like that makes him groan, and he stops his thrusting to grind into you deeper than he was reaching before. The moan that ripped out of you made you blush, and Din moved his head up to capture your lips in another kiss. He bites your bottom lip, tugging on it gently.
"You like that, Sweetheart?" he asks, breaking the kiss. His voice is low and unmodulated, making you whine. You nod, forgetting how dark it is in here. Din slowly grinds up into you again, making you arch up into his chest. His hand trails up to the base of your neck, while the other holds your hip.
"Answer me," he whispers, moving his fingers around your throat, squeezing gently.
"Yes, oh fuck-!," you whisper, mouth hanging open. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoes through the tiny room.
"Din, I-I'm gonna-" you start, unable to form a coherent sentence. He understands, and he grinds deep into you once again, sending you over the edge, moaning as you feel your orgasm rip through you.
Din groans as he feels you clench around his cock as you cum, and he leans down to kiss you again. You hum against his lips, bringing your hand up to cup his face, feeling his stubble on his cheek.
He thrusts into you a few more times, mouth hanging open against yours as he's pushed over the edge.
"Wh-where?" he asks, desperately.
"Cum inside me, Din, please," you moan against his mouth, and almost instantly you can feel his cock twitch as it releases inside you. He groans deeply, grinding against your cunt.
"Osik, oh Sweetheart-" he mumbles into your neck. He kisses up to your jaw and back to your lips as he rides out his orgasm, moaning against your mouth and swearing under his breath.
As he empties himself, he starts to slow down, and he pulls away from the kiss, breathing heavily. He stills inside of you, but doesn't move to pull out, savoring the moment.
"You done?" you ask him with a smirk, mocking his statement from earlier.
He scoffs, leaning down next to your ear and whispers:
Solgaleo looks down at you, waiting. You take one last deep breath and squeeze your dad's hand.
"Take it out," you say, trying to keep a steady voice. Immediately, the Legendary Pokémon's mane heats up and its head shines brightly. You recoil at the light, closing one eye as the other attempts to adjust. The pain starts out small, only slightly noticeable. You can feel an uncomfortable weight in your veins, like something else is coursing through it. The pain quickly escalates, once again making your blood feel like it's boiling, and like your veins are going to burst from your skin. You grit your teeth, trying not to scream. Your legs give out from underneath you, unable to hold your weight any longer. Your dad catches you and carefully lays you down on the ground, still holding your hand as he kneels over you.
You look down to see your veins start glowing faintly. It's almost like your skin is translucent and the blood flow inside of you turned a bluish-gray color. In that moment, your muscles tighten as the bluish-gray color seeps out of your skin, almost like a mist that has a little more solidity to it. Your eyes widen as you realize that this is the DNA from the two Pokémon. As the essence leaves your body, everything starts going downhill. Electricity starts discharging out of your hands, draining the remains of Xurkitree, and you start to feel weaker. You clench your jaw, withstanding the pain. As more and more of the electricity and DNA leaves your body, you can feel yourself losing strength. The illness your dad talked about is returning already.
Finally, the electricity disappears, and you feel an empty weight in your chest. You breathe heavily, trying to get in as much air as you can, but it's getting harder to breath. Your lungs are already starting to fail. With one last wave of heat from Solgaleo's mane, the Legendary Pokémon jerks its head upwards, pulling the last remaining foreign DNA from your skin. You look up at the thick, twirling mist floating in front of you as a wave of exhaustion falls over you. Letting your head fall back onto the ground, you let out a weary breath. You try to bring your knees up, but you realize you can't move your legs.
Your body is already failing. The illness is already catching up after all these years of being dormant. You stare up at the sky, a thick gray covering the stars. You can feel everything in your body slowing, and you know that this is it. You turn your head slightly to look at your dad. He's biting his lower lip, trying to keep himself together. Cato is sitting next to him, looking down at you. Your breath hitches as you try to breathe, and you swallow thickly.
"Did it work?" you ask quietly. Sycamore nods down at you, a small tear escaping the corner of his eye.
"Oui, it worked, mon coeur. The universe is already starting to fix itself," your dad says as he puts his hand on top of yours. You give a breathy laugh as blink slowly, your eyes burning. Before you get too weak, you reach up and cup Cato's face, smiling. In return, he pushes his head down into your cold hand, closing his eyes.
"Cato," you rasp, "I need you to take good care of Dad, okay? He's gonna need it."
You breathe heavily and smile up at your best friend as tears well up behind your eyes. Cato nods his head into your head, and you can feel his tears dripping onto your fingertips. Your arm becomes numb and it drops slowly from his face, too weak to hold itself up. You can feel your heart slowing with each beat, and your breathing becomes more ragged with each passing second. Sycamore puts his hand on yours once again, pulling it to his chest.
"(Y/N)," he says quietly. You turn your head slowly to look at him. You can see the tears that he had been holding back finally break free and run down his cheeks. "I love you, ma chèrie," he whispers, holding your hand against his heart. You smile at him, your breathing shallow with tears slipping down your face as you whisper back.
"I love you too, Dad."
And with those words, you feel yourself start to slip. Your breathing slows alongside your heartbeat, and your hearing starts to fade. You could make out your dad mumbling to you, but his words are lost behind a dull hum. As you take your shallow breaths, you look up to the sky again. The gray slate covering the air has disappeared, and you can see beautiful stars shining above. The corners of your lips turn up into a small smile as you look at the lights.
For a brief moment, you feel at peace.
Darkness creeps up from the sides of your eyes as your heart slows, and with one last exhale, your chest lowers and you close your eyes, the illness finally claiming your life after failing so long ago.
~~~~~
Sycamore lets out a sob as he watches you take your last breath. He drops his head between his shoulders as tears drop from his cheeks and onto the ground beside you. Ash and the Professors stand behind Sycamore quietly, unable to break the silence. After a moment, Professor Kukui steps up and gently puts his hand on Sycamore's shoulder, but your dad simply brushes him off. The moments that followed hung heavy, and felt like they lasted a lifetime. Even though the fabric of reality had been repaired, the heartbreak and hopelessness that surrounded this small group was thick.
Off to the side, Solgaleo lets out a deep growl, gently forcing everyone's attention. Sycamore looks to the side at the Legendary Pokémon and instantly straightens up. Solgaleo had separated the two DNAs and managed to manipulate what was left of Xerneas's into a ring with a small, blue crystal on the top. Sycamore quickly reaches out and takes the ring, staring at it for a brief moment before grabbing your small hand. He slides it onto your finger, his heart racing. When nothing happens, Sycamore turns back to Solgaleo, who merely gives a small gesture to your body.
Your dad looks back down at you and slowly reaches down to your neck, checking for a pulse. When his fingertips feel a small heartbeat, he nearly faints. A grin makes its way onto his face as he laughs, disbelief written in his features. Tears once again run down his face, but this time from happiness.
"Why isn't she waking up?" Ash asks quietly from the side. Sycamore turns to them, his smile fading slightly.
"This small amount of essence from Xerneas is enough to bring her back and keep her heart beating, but it isn't enough to wake her up and keep her functioning," He says to them, turning back to Solgaleo, who nods in confirmation. Sycamore looks down at you, hope bubbling in his chest and ideas materializing in his brain.
"She needs more of its life essence."
~~~~~
Professor Sycamore sits at his desk, scribbling away at yet another useless study. His mind is occupied with more important matters, but he was unable to drop his studies when he returned, so here he is, still completing menial experiments for his job. He wears his usual look: colored shirt, dark pants, and messy hair. He left his lab coat in your room on accident, and he reminds himself to grab it next time he goes in there. Suddenly, the Professor's thoughts are interrupted by an assistant carelessly rushing in. Sycamore groans, leaning his head down on the desk.
"I've told you people a million times, stop barging-"
"We found it," the assistant says, interrupting him. The Professor abruptly lifts his head, staring at the young man.
"What?" he asks deeply.
"It worked. We found Xerneas."
Augustine hastily jumps out of his chair and brushes past the assistant, shoving the door open. He maneuvers his way through the familiar halls and into the other laboratory. The room is chaotic, filled with assistants running around, papers flying everywhere, and a loud beeping covering their voices. When Sycamore enters, everyone stops and turns toward him, waiting for him to speak, but he merely looks up to the giant monitor in the middle of the room.
On the screen, a map of Kalos is visible, and in the corner, a set of coordinates blinks. The location they describe is lit up on the map. Once again, Professor Sycamore rushes out the door. He runs through the halls, trying to avoid knocking into anyone. When he reaches your door, he grips the handle and quickly enters. Cato jolts upright in his bed on the floor, startled. Grabbing a chair, Sycamore sits down next to your bed. Your small frame is tucked under the sheets, and an IV is hooked up to your arm. The small ring with Xerneas's power is visible on your hand, and Sycamore smiles at it before turning to you.
"Mon coeur, we found Xerneas," he says, "We're going to bring you back, and everything will be just the way it should be."
He reaches out and grabs your small hand, holding it tight in his large one.
"You'll be right by my side when we finally create our pure, beautiful world with Xerneas and Yveltal," he states, "Just like how I told you when you were little."
Another lab assistant opens the door to your room, irritatingly gaining your dad's attention.
"Professor, shall I send word to the boss?" he asks flatly. Sycamore lets go of your hand, standing up and turning to the assistant.
"Oui, contact Lysandre right away. He'll be thrilled to know we've located the last piece in our little puzzle," your dad says, sending the assistant away. Sycamore leans over and grabs his black lab coat from your desk, putting it on as he goes to leave your room. Before he exits, he turns back to you and smiles.
"I can't wait for you to see it, ma chère," he says, closing your door.
You're frozen momentarily, unable to react due to the shock of being in the presence of a Legendary Pokémon. You stare up at this large beast in awe as it towers over your group with an intimidating glare. You can feel heat radiating off its body, warming your skin from the cold temperatures of Ultra Megalopolis.
"Solgaleo, can you help us?" Ash pleads as he steps toward the Legendary. Solgaleo doesn't move, it simply stares into your eyes, like it's reading you somehow. You shy away behind your dad, unsure of what Solgaleo is going to do. Then, the beast moves forward, slowly making its way over to you laying on the ground. Cato moves closer to you, warily watching the giant Pokémon get closer. You strain to see its face as it towers over you, its eyes staring deep into yours. Your heart races, but as you stare into its eyes, you can't see any hint of ill-intent.
"Solgaleo," your dad says from in front of you, his voice laced with desperation, "can you get the Ultra Beast DNA out of her?"
Without breaking eye contact, the Legendary Pokémon slowly nods its head. Your dad squeezes your hand, turning to you. You look up at him and give a slight nod. Sycamore gives you a small smile as he kisses the back of your hand, stepping away. You turn back to Solgaleo, ready for whatever needs to be done, and ready for all this to be over. The Pokémon closes its eyes as the starscape on its head lights up in a brilliant blue. You can feel a wave of heat hit you as Solgaleo's mane lights up. The world around you seems to melt away as all you can focus on is the prickling sensation crawling up your spine.
With no warning, the small prickling suddenly morphs into a violent pierce. You cry out as every muscle in your body contracts and every joint locks up. It feels like someone took a hammer to every bone in your body and is proceeding to pull every bone out of socket. Your skin crawls and goosebumps erupt all over your body as the pain spreads. Your blood feels hot, like it's boiling in your veins.
"Stop! Stop it! You're taking out the wrong one!" you hear your dad scream. A huge wave of relief washes over you as most of the pain stops, but the ghost of it still lingers, tingling at the top of your skin. Your dad kneels down to you, making sure you're still breathing. Solgaleo has a brief look of confusion on its face, but the puzzlement disappears when it turns to look at your dad. Following the Pokémon's movements, you stare up at your father.
"Dad? What did you mean by that?" you ask him. Sycamore runs a hand through his messy hair as he lets out a long sigh, looking away.
"Well... ma chèrie, you have more than just Ultra Beast DNA inside of you," he says quietly. You look at him with a confused expression, silently urging him to elaborate.
"When you were young, you suddenly fell very ill," he starts, "I took you to the best doctors in Kalos, but none of them could help you. They said it was a rare illness that causes the body to completely shut down. They all said there was nothing that could be done. They said I should enjoy what time we had left," he muttered grimly. "Well, I wasn't going to take that as an answer. I had already lost your mother, and I was not about to lose you too. So, I took you to where stories described the residence of the legendary Pokémon of Life, and somehow, I managed to find it. I plead with Xerneas to heal you, to give you another chance at life. Granting my prayer, Xerneas gave you a piece of itself that absorbed into you. It strengthened you, and has kept you alive."
Professor Kukui puts two and two together:
"So now that the Ultra Beast DNA mixed with Xerneas's DNA inside of her, the only way to get rid of the Ultra Beast DNA would be to-"
"-would be to remove the Xerneas essence as well," you say, cutting Professor Kukui off. Your dad looks down at you with so much sadness in his eyes.
"Without the power from Xerneas, your illness will quickly cause your body to shut down, and you'll..." Sycamore trails off, unable to finish his sentence, but everyone knows what he was implying. You look down to the ground, your fingers playing with the hem of your shirt. You swallow thickly as tears start well up behind your eyes. You know what has to be done.
"Well, it looks like we have two options here," you say, turning back to your dad. Tears are already starting to spill out of his eyes.
"(Y/N)-" he starts, but you ignore him.
"One: We take it out. We stop all this destruction and suffering and I go down in history as a legend who sacrificed herself to save the world, even though I kinda broke it in the first place.. but we won't mention that part," you say lightheartedly, your voice cracking slightly at the end. Sycamore gives a small laugh as a few stray tears roll down his cheek.
"Or Two: I selfishly leave the DNA alone and I die a slow and painful death, ultimately destroying the universe in the process," you say quieter as tears starts to slip out of the corners of your eyes.
"We can figure something out," your dad whispers as he grabs your hand, "there has to be another way."
"Dad-" you start, but he's not listening.
"We could-we could find Xerneas and ask it to help."
"Dad we can't-"
"It might still be there, we could just go real quick and-"
"Dad!" you say loudly, snapping him out of his rambling. He looks into your eyes, and you give him a small smile as another tear rolls down his cheek. "I'm not making it out of this one, Dad," you whisper, your heart aching. He looks down at the ground, closing his eyes as he lets out a shaky breath. "I'd rather not drag everyone else down with me," you say quietly. Sycamore looks back up at you with glossy eyes.
"If we just had more time..." he whispers, and you wrap your arms around him, wincing at the ache in your muscles. He returns the hug, holding you tighter than ever before.
"(Y/N)?" you hear Ash say above you. Your dad pulls away and reluctantly gets up, allowing room for Ash to kneel down to you. He avoids your gaze, so you put your hand on his shoulder and pull him in for a hug. His arms wrap around you as he lets a few tears slip.
"I'm going to miss you, (Y/N)," Ash says quietly. You nod, unable to form words due to the lump in your throat. You can feel Pikachu hug your ankle and you give a breathy laugh out of your nose. Ash pulls away and you clear your throat.
"Thank you Ash, and Pikachu, you've done so much for me and I can't thank you enough," you say, smiling at them. They give you a sad smile in return and back away as Professor Kukui and Burnet step forward. You can see that they're trying to keep it together for Ash, but their façade is cracking.
"(Y/N), we just want you to know how proud we are of you, and how much we'll cherish the time we had together," Burnet says with a small smile.
"You may have been a bit reckless, but I wouldn't have changed a thing," Kukui says with a small chuckle. You laugh and smile at them both, wrapping your arms around Burnet before doing the same to Kukui.
"I know it was a weird few weeks for you guys, and I don't know how I could ever thank you for how much you've done for me," you say, a few stray tears rolling down your cheek.
"There's no need," Kukui says, a lump forming in his throat. You smile at them as they step back to Ash, letting Professor Sycamore and Cato back in.
"Hey bud," you whisper as Cato pushes his head into your chest. You run your hand through his mane as you let out a small hiccup. You bury your head into his fur and hug him tight, not wanting to let go. "You've always been there for me, Cato. Even when I did stupid things you always stuck with me. You're my best friend," you say through your tears. You can feel Cato pushing against you, trying to hug you for as long as he can. You don't want to let go, because when you do, you might not ever get to hug him again.
"I love you, Cato," you whisper as you squeeze your eyes shut, letting the tears fall. Your Luxray makes a small noise in response, and you know what he's trying to say. When you finally force yourself to pull away, the ache in your heart hurt far worse than the pain from the Ultra Beast. You look Cato in the eyes and smile, planting a small kiss on the tip of his nose and petting his mane one last time.
When you turn to your dad, he quickly envelops you in a tight hug. You bury your face in the crook of his neck, just like you used to when you were little. His long arms wrap around your smaller frame, one hand resting on the back of your head. Tears run down his face as he holds you close for the last time.
"I just got you back," he whispers, broken. "I love you, ma chèrie."
You can hear so much sadness in his words.
"I love you too, Dad," you choke out, your eyes burning from the tears. You know you're running out of time, and you breathe shakily as your grip loosens. Reluctantly pulling away, Sycamore kisses your forehead, trying to stretch out these last fleeting seconds. You look up to Solgaleo, who has been respectfully waiting for you to finish your goodbyes. You give him a small nod indicating that you're ready. The Legendary Pokémon steps forward as your dad takes hold of your hand. You look up to him with a brave face.
The Ultra Recon Squad is all over the place, firing at you. They don't want to just capture you, they want you dead, and they'll gladly kill the others if they get in the way. As you run, you can see things change the way Phyco described them back in the lab. Tremors shake the ground and basic laws of physics are being ignored. The buildings around you crumble, only to fall upwards instead of down. Strong winds appear out of nowhere, and the temperature feels like it dropped at least 20 degrees. Your dad is in front of you, pulling you along so you don't fall behind, and Professor Kukui leads your party, taking you back to Burnet and Ash. Cato runs at your side, helping you along.
You can hear shouts from the Ultra Recon Squad not too far behind, their high-tech weapons just barely missing as they fire at your bodies. You stumble a few times, causing Sycamore to look back at you. Your legs are aching. You just want to lie down and sleep. You can tell your condition is worsening. It feels like everything inside of you is slowly stopping, but it also feels like something inside of you isn't letting that happen.
Suddenly, you cry out as hot pain burns through your veins. Your dad looks back at you again, trying to pull you along faster. You feel a painful buzzing in your chest, and before you had time to react, electricity painfully sparks out of your entire body. Professor Sycamore pulls his hand back, recoiling from the sudden shock. The sparks shine brightly as you collapse to the ground, pain tearing through your body.
"(Y/N)? What's happening?!" you hear your dad ask, panicking at the sight.
"It's the electricity from Xurkitree," Professor Kukui says, "There's too much, it's discharging, just like Phyco said back at the lab."
Cato leans down to you, using his mane to absorb some of the electricity. After a few excruciating moments, the pain subsides, along with the sparks. You gasp out for air, uncurling from your fetal position. Your dad reaches down and grabs your hand, pulling you up.
"Are you okay?" he asks. But before you can answer, a shot from an Ultra Recon Squad member goes right over your head, just barely missing. You flinch, turning to look at him as your dad pulls you away, running. The four of you weave throughout the streets of Ultra Megalopolis, dodging the Ultra Recon Squad, trying to get back to the others so you can get out of here. A particularly strong tremor suddenly causes your shaky legs to give out beneath you, your hand slipping from your dad's grasp. He turns around quickly and reaches for your hand, but a thunderous crack from behind you causes your reflexes to turn and look.
Your body is completely frozen as you watch the fabric of space literally tear apart right in front of your eyes, opening a hole into another universe. You stare into it, seeing a top view into their world, as if you're in the sky. As you look down, the air feels like it's knocked out of you as you watch their universe being destroyed. The sky around you is a dark red, and the ground is completely flooded. You can see people bobbing in the water, trying to stay alive. Tears well up in your eyes. You can hear the screams of people and Pokémon as their homes are torn apart and loved ones are lost to the unnatural disasters that are falling upon their world. Someone grabs your arms, tearing your attention away and pulling you upwards, spinning you around. Your dad looks down at you with wide eyes.
"We have to keep moving, ma chèrie," he says, his voice laced with fear. You nod as he pulls you forward, and you take one last glance behind at the hole, tears staining your cheeks.
I'm sorry.
You can see more realities coming into view through cracks in space that you run past. You don't have time to look in them, but you can almost feel the pain and sadness coming from each universe.
It's all my fault.
You finally reach the outer parts of the city and see the citizens running frantically from the destruction, trying to avoid getting caught up in the crumbling buildings. The four of you try to blend into the crowd, but it's not easy since the people who live here look nothing like you. Your body aches as you push forward, not wanting to be trampled by the masses. As you look around at the other people, you spot a familiar black, cable-like arm behind someone's head. Your heart races as more of these arms appear out of nowhere, floating around. It looks like they aren't even attached to anything. Everyone around you starts melting away, their small forms being replaced by cold, metal ones. Tons of Xurkitree have appeared around you, their lanky arms floating everywhere, grasping at you.
'I have to be hallucinating,' you think to yourself, 'This isn't real, no one else is reacting to this.'
You close your eyes trying to block everything out, just focusing on breathing and running. You can still hear the electric hum of the Xurkitrees around you, but you grit your teeth and squeeze your dad's hand.
It's not real.
Goosebumps erupt all over your body as one of the cable-arms brushes up against your skin.
It's not real.
You whimper silently as the cold metal wraps around your waist, with more arms reaching out to wrap around your limbs.
It's not real.
You feel your dad pulling you into a different direction, calling your name softly. His hand squeezes yours tightly, and the feeling of Xurkitree's arms around you vanishes. You open your eyes to see Ash and Burnet in a small alleyway just ahead. Your dad basically drags you the rest of the way, and when you finally reach them, you collapse. You lay on your back, wheezing, trying to get any air to fill your lungs. Your airways feel constricted, and it's hard to breath. Your body is losing the fight.
With terrible timing, electricity once again discharges itself from your body. You cry out, rolling over onto your side from the sudden pain. Tears start to well up in your eyes as Cato nudges his head into the crook of your neck, absorbing it once again. When the pain subsides, you breathe heavily and look up, tears streaming down your face. Oh what a sight you must be right now.
"I can't do this anymore!" you cry, pleading for the problem to somehow magically disappear. Your dad kneels down, taking your hand in his.
"I know, I know mon coeur, but you just need to hold on a little longer until we get you out of here," he says to you.
"Yeah, um, about that," Ash says from behind as Burnet clears her throat.
"While I was getting the machine set up, the building next to us just.. fell apart," Burnet says quietly, "Ash, Pikachu, and I are fine, but the machine wasn't so lucky."
She gestures to her side as your eyes all land on a pile of scrap metal.
"So we're stuck here?" Sycamore says with a defeated tone. Their words fade out in your mind as you focus on something suddenly growing in the background. A small ripple behind them grows larger as colors fill the surrounding air, giving off a low hum. You flinch as the ripple opens, a large, white creature jumping through. It lands with a thud right behind your group, causing all of them to shut up and quickly turn around, eyes wide. The creature has a tall, white mane with yellow and orange marks. The top of its head is a dark blue, with a sort of galaxy look to it. Its light blue eyes stare deep into yours, as if it knows who you are.
Augustine Sycamore paces back and forth across the cluttered floor, one hand running through his dark hair, while the other is placed on his hip. Cato is sitting beside him, watching his movements.
"How long is this going to take?" he mutters impatiently.
"It should be done soon, we just need to be patient," Burnet says, trying to calm him down. Unfortunately, it doesn't help much.
"What if they've already done something to her? What if we get there and it's too late? What if-"
"Professor, you can't torture yourself with 'what ifs'. You're just going to have to trust that she can make it until we get there," Kukui starts, "(Y/N) is strong. She's been through a lot, but right now she needs you. She needs you to be calm so you can help her."
"You don't understand, there's something else about (Y/N) that you don't know," Sycamore starts. However, his words are drowned out from the shrill, computerized beeps that sound off behind them.
"The coordinates," Burnet says as she types a few more things into the computer, "We just need to start it up." As she breaks off towards the machine, Kukui turns to Ash, who has been extremely silent throughout all of this.
"Hey, Ash? Are you alright?" Kukui asks, worried. Ash has never been this quiet.
"Yeah I'm okay," he says with a small smile, "Pikachu and I are just worried about (Y/N)." Kukui nods, looking at the ground.
"Yeah, we all are," he agrees. Kukui looks at Ash and kneels so he's eye level with the young boy, putting his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Ash," he starts, "I don't know if you should go. It might be better if you stay here," the Professor suggests.
"What? No way!" Ash counters, "(Y/N) needs our help, and I'm not going to sit back and wait for you to bring her here!"
Kukui draws back, looking awkwardly at the ground.
"It's just... I'm not sure what's going to happen in there," he admits, looking back at Ash, "I don't want you to see things that you don't need to see."
"You don't need to worry about me," Ash says, "We're going to get (Y/N) back, and everything will be fine."
Kukui sighs, nodding as he looks to the side.
"Alright then, just stay close to me, okay?" the Professor asks. Ash nods, smiling. Kukui returns the smile and ruffles Ash's hat, eliciting a laugh from Ash and Pikachu.
"It's ready," Burnet says, drawing everyone's attention. The six of them all step forward to the machine as it whirs to life, creating a wind current that blows through the room. "I made sure to fix everything we did wrong when we tried to send (Y/N) home, so this should work!" Burnet shouts over the noise.
"Anybody else worried about the 'should'?" Kukui jokes, earning a glare from his wife. He sheepishly looks away, rubbing the back of his head. The machine erupts, spewing a mass from its center. The mass rips a hole in the air right in front of them, causing the wind to pick up speed. Colors blend together and flow gracefully in a single direction.
"It's stable!" Burnet shouts.
"Everyone remember the plan?" Kukui yells to the others. Everyone nods in agreement, bracing themselves for what's to come.
"Let's go!" Ash pipes up, as well as a small shout from Pikachu. Sycamore puts his hand on Cato's head, taking a deep breath.
"We're coming, (Y/N)," he whispers. They all step into the wormhole as the computer flashes two words behind them:
Ultra Megalopolis
~~~~~
A wave of nausea hits you as you jerk awake, propping yourself up on your elbows. The room swims as you look around. You screw your eyes shut, trying to make it stop.
'Geez, why do I pass out all the time?' you ask yourself. Lying back down, you slowly reopen your eyes, trying to prevent the room from spinning again. You notice that you're lying on some sort of bed in a small room. A door is visible in front of you that's heavily barred. The room is relatively empty, with nothing else besides a small window at the top of the far wall. You can hear faint voices outside of your door. Straining to listen, you can hear the same men from earlier talking about you. More specifically, how they're going to "dispose" of you.
Laying back down, you shudder. Normally, you would try and find some way to escape, but you're too weak to do anything. A dry coughing fit comes up your throat, and you bring your hand up to cover your mouth. When you can finally breathe again, you can see drops of blood in your palm, causing you to panic. Not knowing what to do, you wipe your hand on your shirt, probably increasing how terrible you look right now. A shiver runs down your spine as you curl up into a ball, goosebumps erupting all over your arms and legs.
'Dad.. where are you?' you desperately call out in your mind, wanting nothing more than to just be with him again. Your clammy hands brush your hair out of your face, sweat lingering on your fingertips. You clear your throat, wincing at the pain from dehydration.
'I don't want to die alone,' you think. Reaching down, you feel your backpack against the bed. You unzip it and weakly pull out the one thing that helped connect you to your dad. Pulling the Mega Evolution book close to your chest, you groan at the ache in your muscles. It feels like your body is shutting down. You close your eyes and breathe in the scent of the old book. Memories flood your mind, recalling the times your dad would read to you, or when he would brush work aside so he could help you with whatever you needed, no matter how small. He even cancelled meetings and appointments so he could play with you and Cato. He never liked pawning you off to one of his assistants. He's your father, and he wanted to make sure you knew that he loved you with every fiber of his being.
He would do anything for you.
A tear escaped your eye as you pulled the book tighter, trying to get as close to the memory of your dad as possible. You can feel your heartbeat slowing, and you let more tears escape down your cheek. Your breathing becomes ragged and your body feels like dead weight. Clutching the book with all the energy you have left, you prepare yourself for what comes next. However, you suddenly feel a strange sensation in your veins. It feels warm, and it spreads all over your body, easing the pain. You whimper at the relief, yet confused as to what it is. Unfortunately, the feeling is short-lived. The pain returns, but you feel... different?
'What just happened?'
You don't have much time to dwell on it because the wall to your right suddenly crumbles to pieces. A figure rushes in, engulfing you in a tight hug.
"Dad?" you croak out, your voice strained.
"We have to get you out of here, ma chèrie," your dad says, holding you close to him, "Can you walk?"
You nod and he grabs your hand, pulling you behind him.
Your stomach drops as the words leave his mouth. You can feel your dad's hand softly grab your arm as he steps in front of you, protectively.
Neutralize?
Does he mean..?
"What do you mean 'neutralize'?" Ash questions, his innocence showing.
"Terminate, eliminate, eradicate, nullify," Dulse lists with a metallic voice. Ash has a confused look on his face, not understanding.
"(Y/N) cannot live anymore. Her existence is destructive," Phyco says coldly. Ash looks stunned; fear is evident on his face. Professor Kukui puts his arm in front of Ash, protectively pushing him behind. Your dad's grip tightens as he shields you from their view. This movement unfortunately catches the attention of one of the men. He looks over at you, noticing your attempts to remain hidden. You peek over your dad's arm, looking up at the man, and he stares deep into your eyes. You can't see any life in them. They look cold and dead.
"We would very much appreciate your cooperation," he says, lacking emotion. Cato lets out a low growl from beside you, but the men pay no attention to him.
"Will you come quietly?" Dulse asks you flatly. You tense up as their cold eyes bore into your skin.
"She's not going anywhere," your dad says, answering for you. Phyco and Dulse straighten up, their facial expressions hardening.
"(Y/N) will be taken back to Ultra Megalopolis for extermination," Dulse says with a lower voice.
"Over my dead body," your dad spits back, holding onto you even tighter. Phyco stares at him with a dead look in his eye.
"We do not wish to increase the death toll in order to preserve the balance, but we will do whatever it takes," Phyco says, his voice laced with venom. In that moment, a huge jolt of pain shoots through your head, causing you to cry out as your legs give out from underneath you. Clutching your head, you curl up into a ball on the floor. You can hear your dad frantically calling your name, but it sounds like it's underwater. You feel his hands on your arm, trying to give you some sort of comfort. Your heart races, and with each beat, a throbbing pain beats through your skull. You groan, holding your head in your hands. Your entire body starts aching. Everything feels hot. It's like your blood is literally boiling in your veins. The hot pain spreads all over the inside of your body, making you cry out as your limbs convulse, your back arching up off the ground.
"She's farther along than we initially thought," one of the men state coldly. Cato whines and nudges his head against your hair.
"What did you do to her?!" you hear Kukui shout, causing an extra jolt to stab through your skull.
"Nothing," you hear a metallic voice say, "This is the work of the universe fixing itself."
"I swear to Arceus if you don't tell us what's going on I'm going to kick your a-"
You cry out and interrupt your dad's threat, the searing pain blossoming in your body worsening.
"Ultra Beast DNA is incredibly toxic to any creature that comes into contact with it. The longer it sits in (Y/N)'s bloodstream, the more it poisons her," you hear Phyco roughly explain. "The added problem of excess electricity in her veins from UB-03 Lighting, aka 'Xurkitree', just makes things worse for her, since the human body isn't capable of withstanding that much electricity," Phyco says, "the combination of the two is basically burning her body from the inside out."
"If (Y/N) comes with us, she will be neutralized quickly and painlessly. But, even if she doesn't, she will still die. And trust me when I say it will be a very long and painful end," Dulse says, letting the last few words roll off his tongue slowly for emphasis.
"Plus, the longer you wait it out, the more unbalanced the universes becomes. Eventually, it will get to the point where she will cause permanent damage, even after she dies," Phyco adds. You take in his words, trying to wrap your head around them. It's weird listening to someone explain in great detail how you are going to die. You open one eye to see your dad above you, clutching your arm. He looks down and you can see tears brimming in his glossy eyes. Despite the pain, you sit up, leaning on one arm to keep your balance. You cough a few times, feeling your dad's arms around your shoulders. You look up at the men, wincing.
"What kind of damage will I cause?" you sputter. Phyco looks down at you, coldly.
"Enough to change the way of life for everybody," he starts, "Ultra Space will become unstable, causing realities to crack, destroying basic laws of physics, and disrupting nature. People and Pokémon will perish because of you."
You look to the side, guilt wracking your mind.
"And there's no way to get it out of her?" your dad pleads, his voice cracking at the end.
"Negative. If there was, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Dulse states. You look up to your dad. He's staring at the ground, mouth slightly open, and his eyebrows are furrowed. He's desperately trying to find a way out of this that doesn't involve your death.
"What if something stronger is injected into her blood to cure the poisonous DNA?" he asks, his scientific mind already searching for some way to save you. The two men falter for a moment, but quickly return to their confident stances.
"It would have to be incredibly strong, more powerful than an Ultra Beast, and finding that would take too long. We are already out of time," Phyco says.
"But-" your dad starts, however, he's interrupted by a shrill whine and a powerful gust that appears out of nowhere. You look up to see a wormhole open behind Phyco and Dulse. The gust strengthens and your dad's grip on you starts to loosen, pushing him away. The two men make their way towards you, unfazed. Looking over your shoulder, you see the wind push your dad away, tearing you from his grasp.
"(Y/N)!" you hear your dad shout. A cold set of hands grabs you under your armpits, picking you up. Dulse roughly carries you in his arms, turning to exit through the wormhole. You can hear everyone calling out to you from behind. Tears prick the corners of your eyes. You flail weakly in his arms, unable to break free. You lift your head and reach out behind you.
"Dad!" you scream out, frightened. You can see him and Cato frantically trying to push against the wind, along with the others, but it's too strong.
"(Y/N)! I'll find y-" he says, but his words are cut off. Everything spins, and it feels like you're falling. The wormhole colors are blinding, and the intense pressure makes everything worse. The burning pain becomes too much, and you can feel yourself slipping away. The colors bleed around you, and the familiar cold of the unconscious wraps around your mind, pulling you into the darkness.
The man is facing away from you. He's laying on his back, propped up on his elbows. His black, disheveled hair sticks out wildly in different directions, and his clothes are wrinkled and unkempt. His dark colored shirt is partially tucked in, causing the other half to hang down unevenly to his side, while his pants are crumpled and disproportionate. His movements stopped when you spoke out to him. You can't see his face, but you can imagine the expression he's wearing.
"Dad?" you repeat, a tremor in your voice. You can see him visibly tense when you speak. He slowly turns his head, stopping just before he looks over his shoulder at you, hesitating. A moment or two passes before he finally glances behind him. The second he meets your eyes, he scrambles to his feet. His eyes are wide, and his mouth is slightly hanging open. Your heart feels like it's going to jump out of your chest. He takes a step towards you, hesitant to go any further.
"(Y/N)?" he whispers. His voice is hoarse and cracked. You smile lightly and can see his eyes gloss over like he's about to cry. He takes a few more steps and shakily kneels down in front of you, looking into your eyes. He slowly reaches a hand up to your face and runs his thumb against your cheek. His eyes scan your face, taking in every feature that he last saw almost two years ago. He looks back to your eyes, staring at the beautiful colors that he could never forget.
"Ma chérie," he mutters. A tear falls from the corner of his eye as he lets out a breathy laugh, his face breaking into a smile. He grabs your shoulders and pulls you into his chest, his long arms engulfing you into a tight hug. You return the gesture, wrapping your much smaller arms around his neck. You can feel his tears against your shirt as he buries his head in your shoulder. You hear him mutter your name over and over as he puts a hand on the back of your head, pulling you tighter against him. You can feel your own tears running down your face, and you can't help but grin like an idiot.
You don't know how long you two sat on the ground like that, but when he finally pulls away, Cato comes bouncing up to him.
"Cato!" he exclaims as your Luxray pounces on him. Your dad strokes Cato's mane, laughing. "Look how much you've grown," he says as he gets up, still petting Cato's fur. He looks back down at you, but this time with a slightly pained expression, tears still evident in his eyes. "W-where.. where have you been?" he quietly asks. You look to the side, sheepishly.
"It's a long story."
~~~~~
After introducing your dad to Ash and the Professors, you had told him everything that happened in the last two years. You told him about how you couldn't remember anything at first, but when you fell off a cliff, your memories started returning. You told him about your theory on Xurkitree taking you into Ultra Space and the interrupted "death encounter" that still haunts your mind, allowing Xurkitree to appear in your head at any moment. You also told him about your ability to harness the excess amount of electricity generated in your cells. You told him about how you traveled to Kalos to find him but he didn't recognize you, which lead you to the realization that you aren't from this reality.
Finally, you told him about your efforts to open a direct wormhole to take you home, which didn't really go as planned.
"So, apparently, direct wormholes to other realities can only be opened in one direction, and we accidentally opened the one to your reality backwards, bringing Professor Sycamore here instead of sending (Y/N) there," Burnet explains. You look up to your dad and stifle a laugh. It looks like his brain just exploded from all of this. He hears your small giggle and looks down at you, nudging your shoulder and smiling.
"So how can we get back home?" your dad asks the Professors.
"We're going to have to find a way to open the wormhole in the right direction, but it could take some time," Burnet admits.
"Well, any chance we could just stay here instead of trying to find a way back?" you joke, eliciting laughs from the others. In that moment, a sharp pain racks through your skull. You wince, bringing your hand up to your forehead.
"(Y/N)? What's wrong, ma chérie?" your dad questions. You hold a hand up, waving away his worry.
"Ah, it's nothing, I've just been getting these killer headaches," you tell him. It's not a total lie, you are having really bad headaches. You just chose to leave out the parts about feeling nauseous and how your muscles are aching.
"(Y/N), I think you should sit down," Professor Kukui suggests. You shake your head.
"No I'm.. I'm fine, I promise," you stutter, swaying a little bit. As the headache worsens, you can hear their voices swimming around your head, barely able to make out any words.
"...right before-"
"...nauseous..."
"- should lay down..."
You can feel yourself being guided onto the couch from earlier. When you sit down, you curl up into the soft material, cradling the back of your head with your hands and bringing your knees up to your elbows. Unsure of what's going on, you try and speak, but this only throws you into a coughing fit. You cover your hand with your mouth, not wanting to cough everywhere, but when you pull your hand away, you can see little speckles in your palm.
Is that... blood?
Before anyone can say anything, a sharp crack pierces through the air. Startled, everyone turns to see a brightly colored wormhole closing behind two unknown figures. Through your squinted eyes, you can see they're dressed in strange uniforms of white and blue, and their skin is a pale gray.
"Who are you?" someone beside you demands. You wish they wouldn't be so loud. It's making your headache worse.
"I am Phyco, captain of the Ultra Recon Squad, and this is Dulse," you hear one of them say, "We are part of an organization that has been tasked with the protection and preservation of Ultra Space."
You cough dryly once more, not trying to draw attention to yourself, but you can feel their eyes shift towards you.
"(Y/N) Sycamore, you have been found to contain UB DNA inside your blood. Your human DNA has fused with an Ultra Beast's, and therefore your existence is upsetting the balance of Ultra Space. It is our duty to find the source of the instability and neutralize it. We hope you understand."
You inhale sharply, opening your eyes, but only to be met with darkness. The sweat on your skin makes your (h/c) hair stick to your forehead. Your knuckles turn white from your grip on the sheets. You find yourself laying in your bed in the Professors' house. You bring a hand to your forehead, rubbing your temples, trying to shake off whatever just happened. It seems like Xurkitree appears in your mind more frequently when you're asleep. It makes it a lot more challenging to get a good night's rest without having to worry about being attacked by a creature made of cables and zip ties.
You glance to your left at the small alarm clock. It's still pretty early, but there's no point in trying to get any more sleep. You swing your legs over the side of the bed and stretch. Cato stirs at the base of the bed, but doesn't get up. You stand up and head for the door.
You slip out of your bedroom and walk silently to the front door. You try your best not to wake anyone: especially Ash, since he sleeps on the loft in here and not in a bedroom. You crack the door open and quietly exit, sighing as you sit down on the porch's top step. Your head aches and your whole body is sore. You close your eyes, trying to ignore the pain. You feel the soft Alolan breeze brush against your face, and the smell of the ocean wafts up from the beach.
You breathe in the crisp morning air, listening to the sound of Pokémon around you. Your muscles relax, enjoying the quiet sounds of nature. Your small moment of peace was soon interrupted by the sound of a door pushing open behind you. Glancing over your shoulder, you see Cato sit down beside you. You smile at him and put a hand on his back, feeling his soft fur between your fingers.
"Quite a mess we've fallen into, huh?" you mumble. Cato gives a small sound of agreement, looking over at you.
"I've been thinking," you start, "If we find a way to go back to our own world, does that mean we won't be able to see Ash, Pikachu, and the Professors ever again?" You look over at Cato, and he stares back at you with sad eyes.
"I don't want to leave them behind," you say quietly, "but I don't think we have a choice if we want to go home."
You lean against Cato's tall frame, wrapping your arm around him in a hug. He leans into your side, and you rest your head against his. He's always been there for you, and you've always been there for him. Your mind wanders to the times when you were little and you would hide from the scary scientists your dad worked with. Cato would stand guard at your hiding spot, making sure you felt safe, even if there wasn't a real threat. You smile at these memories, and you wonder how much you've missed out on by being kidnapped. You two sit there, watching the sunrise, until the door behind you opens once again. You and Cato turn and see Professor Kukui standing there.
"How long have you two been out here?" he asks, yawning. You shrug, not really knowing for sure.
"Well, better get up and around, we're heading to Aether Paradise in a little bit. Burnet thinks she found a way to send you home," he says. You look over at Cato with wide eyes, and then back to the professor.
"Really?" you ask him cautiously. He smiles down at you two.
"She told me she has an idea," he says, cryptically. You and Cato stand up, but your head spins and the world feels like it was pulled out from under you. You clutch your head and regain your balance, wincing at the growing headache. Professor Kukui grabs your arm, holding you up.
"Whoa, are you alright (Y/N)?" he asks you, concerned. You brush it off, not wanting him to worry.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good. I just have a killer headache, that's all," you mutter. He gives you a look, obviously not believing you, but he decides to leave it for now. You follow him inside so you can gather your things, but you pause. The thought suddenly crosses your mind that this could possibly be the last time you and Cato are ever here. If this plan of Burnet's works, then you'll probably never step foot here again. The thought makes you slightly upset, but you push the feelings down into the back of your mind, not wanting to dwell on it.
~~~~~
When you finally arrive at Aether Paradise later that morning, you're about as nervous as a long-tailed Glameow in a room full of rocking chairs. The six of you start heading to Burnet's lab, and you keep fidgeting with your sleeve, unable to keep still. Ash picks up on this and tries to calm you down.
"Hey, everything's going to work out! You'll be home in no time," he says. You glance over at him and give a small smile.
"I know, it's just... now that we know what's going on and we maybe found a way to get us back, I'm really nervous. I mean, I haven't been home for almost two years. What if he doesn't care if I ever come back?" you ask quietly, referring to your dad.
"(Y/N), from the stories you've told us, there's no way your dad would ever stop looking for you," Ash says with confidence. You nod, looking at the ground.
"Alright, here we are," Burnet says, unlocking the door. You all file through the door, but as you walk in last, a wave of nausea hits you. You close your eyes for a moment until the feeling passes. No one seems to notice, so you just keep walking.
"So, (Y/N), when we were here last time and I studied your blood and anatomy, I saw something else that was a little strange, but I didn't think much of it at the time," Burnet starts, "When you went to Kalos, I studied it a little more closely. It seems that your body's energy signature is slightly different from ours."
Staring at her blankly, she continues.
"Now, my plan is to scan your energy signature and trace it throughout Ultra Space to find the wormhole that has the same energy signature as you. Then, we enter the coordinates and open a direct wormhole to your world. You'll be able to walk right through and straight to your reality," she explains. You nod slowly, staring at the ground.
"So, are you ready?" she asks. You look up and see everyone staring at you, waiting for your answer. You take a deep breath and nod once more.
"Yeah, let's do it."
Professor Burnet directs you to stand inside a sleek looking tube. The door slides closed, trapping you inside. You stand as still as possible as the walls light up with bright colors. The piercing light hurts your eyes as they move all around you. After a few long, torturous minutes, the lights finally turn off and the door opens. Stepping out, your eyes readjust to the darker room, and you sway a little. Ash grabs onto your arm, helping you stand.
"You okay?" he asks. You nod, holding a thumbs up.
"Yeah, just a little dizzy," you say. Ash guides you over to the couch by the door and helps you sit down.
"You did great, (Y/N)," Burnet says, "Now, I'm going to try and find a match to your energy signature. I don't know how long it's going to take, though. Ultra Space is presumably infinite."
You nod again and close your eyes, another wave of nausea hitting you. It's stronger this time, and you can feel it coming up your throat. You quickly stand up and run a couple feet to the bathroom door, throwing it open and sticking your head right in the toilet. Your stomach empties its contents, making your muscles feel weak. You flush the toilet and sit back on the floor, the cool tile against your hot skin.
"(Y/N), are you okay? What happened?" Professor Kukui says from behind you. Humming in response, you stand up on shaky legs.
"There's some extra toothbrushes under the sink for overtime in the lab you can use," Burnet offers. You thank her and close the door so you can get washed up. When you exit, Kukui comes up to you and puts the back of his hand against your forehead.
"Geez, you're burning up!" he says, removing his hand.
"We need to get you some-" Burnet starts, but she's cut off by an aggressive beeping sound. You all look towards the computer monitor and see two green words flashing across the screen:
Coordinates Located
Burnet looks over at you with concern.
"(Y/N), we don't have to do this right now, we can wait," she suggests, but you're not having it.
"No, I want to do it now," you say. She nods hesitantly and walks over to the device next to her computer. She enters the coordinates from the screen and the machine starts up with a loud whirring sound. A ray of colors shoots out from the machine and creates a rip in the air. The rip grows wider until it becomes a hole filled with beautiful colors. The wormhole starts sucking in air, blowing papers everywhere and making it hard to hear. You were too busy admiring the sight to notice Burnet's concerned look.
"Something isn't right, look at the flow of the wormhole!" she shouts over the wind. You shift your focus on the patterns inside. The colors are flowing in the opposite direction that they normally do.
"It's like the flow is backwards!" you shout back, and Burnet nods. She looks down at her screen for a moment before her eyes widen.
"I think we accidentally opened a one-way portal, and we're going the wrong direction!" she yells. The portal starts making all sorts of strange noises, and none of them sound good. You cover your ears, the shrill sound of ripping a hole in reality pierces your eardrums.
"Shut it off!" Ash yells. Professor Burnet types frantically on her computer, but the wormhole stays open.
"It's not working, I can't close it!" she shouts. The wormhole starts shining brighter and brighter and you shield your eyes from the light. A loud crack rips through the air, and then the blinding light is gone. The machine makes a low whirring sound as it shuts off, and the room is filled with an eerie silence.
"Is everyone okay?" Kukui asks, "Burnet? Ash? (Y/N)?" The other two respond, but you stay silent, staring at the spot where the wormhole closed.
"(Y/N)?" Kukui says again. You ignore him. You're too focused on the figure that sits on the floor where the portal was. Your words catch in your throat as you try and call out to them. You swallow thickly.
"A different... reality?" Ash questions, bewildered. You look over to him and give a slight nod.
"That's gotta be it," you say with determination. Professor Burnet clasps her hands together, getting everyone's attention.
"Well, in that case, you all better start making your way back to Melemele Island. We have some work to do," she says with a wink.
"We'll be there as soon as we can," you promise her. Burnet nods as she ends the call, and the screen turns dark. You turn around to face the others, sighing. Professor Kukui walks over to you and gently puts a hand on your shoulder.
"(Y/N)... are you sure? I mean, this is huge. If you're wrong about this, and we send you off to a different dimension, we might not be able to get you back," he says, concerned. You look up at him. You understand the gravity of the situation, but you know this has to be it.
"It all makes sense, Professor. I don't recognize any of Lumiose City because this isn't my Lumiose City. My dad- I mean.. Professor Sycamore didn't recognize me because he never had any kids in this universe," you say to him.
"Yeah, but-"
"I don't exist here," you interrupt. He looks to the ground and sighs.
"Alright," he says as he looks back up to you, "then let's do this." He shoots you a smile, and you give one in return.
"We need to get back to the airport and see if we can catch a flight back to Melemele Island," Kukui says as he stands upright, looking over at Ash. You both nod and follow Kukui out of the private room and through the front doors of the Pokémon Center. Cato walks next to you, his presence comforting. You look around at the strange city. Everything feels so different now, knowing that you're not supposed to be here.
You all walk in silence, partly because no one really knows what to say. A few minutes pass before you notice a certain building coming up ahead. Your heart starts to race and you try not to look at it, but how could you not? Your pace slows as you walk by the Sycamore Pokémon Lab, a lump forming in your throat. You stare up at the building. It looks so different from your home, even though it's in the same spot.
"(Y/N)?" you hear Ash say. You turn and look ahead of you to see that Ash and the Professor have stopped, noticing your absence.
"I'm coming," you say flatly. You turn your head and take in the sight of the lab one last time before continuing forward, catching up to Ash and Kukui.
~~~~~
You've been on the plane for a while now. You find yourself staring out your window once again, watching the moon reflect off the water. You aren't really focusing on the natural scenery, so your mind wanders to every nook and cranny your brain has to offer. You wonder what else in this world is different from your own. Back in your world, you never really travelled. You mostly stayed in Lumiose City, though sometimes your dad would take you to different places around Kalos for fun. You never travelled outside the Kalos region, however, so there's really no way of telling how the other regions here differ from the ones where you're from.
Your thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a finger poking your arm.
"Whatchya thinkin' about?" Ash says to you with his usual bubbly attitude. You smile at him, thinking of the best way to convey your thoughts. There is one thing that's been bothering you for some reason.
"I wonder why, in this world, my da- uh, Professor Sycamore.. never had a kid," you think out loud, "Like, so many other things are only slightly different, so why did my entire existence disappear in this world instead of him having a daughter slightly different from me, or maybe a son?"
Ash glances away, not knowing what to say. You look back out the window and sigh, not really expecting an answer anyway. You decide to change the subject to something lighter before it gets too awkward.
"Do you think the Alola we're going to now is different from the Alola in my world?" you say to him. Ash looks back to you, smiling a little.
"I'm not sure," he admits, "have you ever been to Alola back in your world?" he asks. You shake your head.
"No, I've never been outside of Kalos. Until now, of course," you laugh softly. Ash looks surprised.
"Really? Wow, so seeing Alola must have been all new to you," he says. You nod, giving a small yawn.
"What about you? You said you've been to Kalos before, but where else?" you ask, curious. Ash grins as he recalls all his adventures he's had in different regions.
"Well, you know I'm from Pallet Town in the Kanto region, but after exploring Kanto I went to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and now here I am in Alola!" Ash lists off. You stare at him for a moment, shocked that this boy has been to so many different places when you've barely even left Kalos. And you're older than him!
"Wow, you must have some good stories," you laugh. He nods his head, opening his mouth to start telling one, but he gets interrupted by the pilot announcing our arrival in Alola.
"Well, maybe some other time," Ash yawns, then laughs as Pikachu nuzzles his head into his neck. Professor Kukui stirs next to you two, stretching as he wakes up. He looks over at you and Ash, yawning.
"Burnet should be outside, she said she would meet us here to take us home," he says. You nod and grab your backpack, reaching down to gently shake Cato awake. He paws at your hand, protesting.
"C'mon bud, I'm tired too, but we need to get off the plane," you say, trying to get him up. Cato finally rolls over and stretches, groaning as he sits up. You pat his head as he follows you out the door and down the steps. You feel the warm Alolan air brush against your cheeks as you make your way onto the ground. You spot Burnet leaning against a jeep and she waves you all over. When you get close, she scoops you up into a tight hug.
"It's good to see you again, (Y/N)," she says.
"It's good to see you too," you laugh, smiling into the hug. You all pile into the jeep and start making your way back to the Professors' house. You, Ash, Cato, and Pikachu are in the back while Burnet and Kukui are up front. You lean against Cato's large frame, your head resting against his soft fur. The wind brushes gently through your hair as you look up. The stars shine brightly against the dark sky, and the large moon illuminates the trees below.
Although this isn't where you thought you'd be tonight, you feel at peace. You can't help but let your eyes flutter shut as the sound of waves against the beach below lull you to sleep.
You and Cato stand in the main room of the Sycamore Pokémon Lab while Sophie, the woman who answered the door, went to find the Professor. You had asked Ash and Kukui to wait outside for a couple minutes, just to give you some privacy for the reunion with your dad. As you wait, a horrible feeling gnaws at your gut.
Something feels wrong.
Very wrong.
Looking around, everything feels different. This is supposed to be your home, so why does it feel like you've never been here before? Ever since you got your memories back, there's been something bothering you. Almost like something is... still missing. It feels like you don't belong here. Cato pushes his head against your arm, trying to make you feel better. You look down at him and pet his mane.
"Bonjour!" a voice says from down the hallway. You freeze, heart leaping out of your chest. You're facing away from him, but you can hear his footsteps grow closer. "My name is Professor Sycamore," he says as he stops behind you. Something about his voice sounds different than you remember.
You finally turn to look at him. He has a bright blue shirt on underneath a clean white lab coat. His dark hair is combed neatly into large curls, and his facial hair is well kept. He's tall and slender; you have to crane your neck up to look him in the eye.
"What can I do for you?" he asks, politely.
Something isn't right.
You don't see a single hint of recognition on his face when he looks at you, and you start to panic internally. This is not what you were expecting to happen. He shifts awkwardly at your lack of response.
"Um.. can you tell me your name, ma chère?" he questions. Your tongue suddenly feels too large for your mouth, and you struggle to form a response. How is he going to react when you tell him your name?
"(Y/N)," you finally manage to say, holding your breath.
"Well (Y/N), how can I help you?" he says sweetly.
Your heart sinks.
He doesn't know who you are?
You look up at him with wide eyes, your heart hammering in your chest. You have to say something.
"I-um.. This might sound weird, but uh.." you stammer awkwardly, looking down at the floor. "Do you.. um, do you have a daughter?" you manage to ask with a shaky voice, looking back up to him. He looks surprised, and he laughs awkwardly.
"A daughter? Um.. no, I don't have any children," he says, looking at you curiously.
Now you really panic.
You need to get out of here. Get back to Ash and Professor Kukui.
"Oh, uh, okay. I was just curious. I'm really here because, ah-" you start, trying to think of a cover up, "my-my Luxray, Cato, he has this weird thing on his front leg! Yeah, and uh, I didn't want to bother Nurse Joy because the Pokémon Center was really busy," you stutter. He smiles down at you, oblivious to your lies.
"Well, let me take a look then," he says, kneeling down to lift up Cato's paw. Cato shoots you a look and you shrug, not knowing what else to do.
"Hm, well I don't see anything unusual," he says as he looks back at you.
"Oh really? Well it must have went away then. Sorry for bothering you! Bonsoir!" you quickly tell him as you rush over to the door, Cato hot on your heels. Professor Sycamore didn't even have time to answer before you and Cato were already out the door. You look behind you as you run down the steps to make sure he isn't following, but you collide with a large figure, causing you to fly backwards.
"(Y/N)? What are you doing?" you hear Professor Kukui say as he grabs your arm, helping you up. You look up at him with a panicked expression.
"Something's not right. Something is not right," you mumble over and over.
"Wait, (Y/N), what's going on? Are you okay?" he asks you, his voice laced with worry.
"No, I'm not okay! He didn't recognize me!" you yell frantically.
"What do you mean he didn't recognize you?" Ash says to your right. You shake your head, looking down at the ground, Kukui still holding onto your arms.
"He's not my dad! He looks and sounds just like him, but he's not him!" you cry out, tears threatening to spill.
"I don't understand," you hear Ash say. You look over at him, and then back to Professor Kukui.
"Everything has felt wrong ever since we got here," you start, "The city, the people, and now this? What is going on?!"
"(Y/N), what happened in there?" Professor Kukui asks. Ignoring his question, you rack your brain, trying to think of any explanation for the fact that this is not the Lumiose City you remember, and that the man in there who is supposed to be your father didn't even recognize you.
Why is everything so different from when you left?
Why did everything change?
In that moment, an idea pops into your brain.
"What if it didn't change?" you mumble to yourself, but Kukui still heard it.
"What?" he asks, completely lost. You pull your arms out of his grasp and backpedal.
"I need to talk to Burnet," you tell them before dashing off in the opposite direction. You can hear them yelling after you, but you ignore them. Luckily, the Pokémon Center is just down the street, so you don't have to run very far. You bolt through the automatic doors and head for one of the private video chat rooms in the back. You nearly trip over your own feet when you stop in front of the screen. Dialing the number Burnet gave you before you left, you hope to Arceus she picks up. Suddenly, the door opens and Ash, Pikachu, Cato, and Professor Kukui tumble in, gasping for breath.
"(Y/N), you have to stop running off like tha-" Kukui starts, but the other end of the video chat finally picks up.
"(Y/N)! How are y-" she greets, but you don't want to waste any time.
"Professor Burnet, is it possible that Ultra Wormholes could actually connect different worlds, allowing things to pass between them?" you interrupt.
She pauses, staring at you through the screen.
"Uh, well-" she mumbles.
"Like, if something was in one reality, could it travel through an Ultra Wormhole and into Ultra Space, and then from there it travels through another wormhole and ends up in a different reality, instead of going back to the one it came from?" you ramble to her, gesturing wildly with your hands to illustrate it better.
She thinks for a moment, concentrating on your words.
"I've never really thought about it before, but I guess it is possible," she admits.
It feels like the air was just knocked out of you, and you bring a hand to your forehead, pulling your (h/c) hair out of your face.
"Wait, (Y/N), what are you saying?" Kukui asks from behind. You turn your head to look at him, the realization sinking in.
"I think Cato and I are from a different reality."
~~~~~
Augustine Sycamore trudges down the hallway from his lab to the entrance of his home. He brings a hand up to his head and runs his fingers through his messy black hair, trying to make his headache go away. His untucked shirt ruffles with each step, and he nearly trips over his shoes as he shuffles down the hall. When he enters the main room, he sees a small man standing there, waiting for him.
"Bonjour! Are you Professor Sycamore?" the man says, cheerfully.
"Oui, how can I help you?" the Professor asks, apathetically.
"I have a delivery for you, Monsieur! Lots of new lab equipment, but I need your signature. This is very important stuff," he says, holding out a clipboard with a pen attached.
"Ah yes, of course, how could I forget? I was told this was on its way," Sycamore mumbles, mostly to himself. He reaches out and grabs the clipboard. Picking up the pen, he lazily scribbles his name at the bottom. Wanting to get back to work, he asks one of his assistants to take the equipment down to one of the laboratory rooms. With the noisy sounds of the delivery fading behind him, Augustine Sycamore heads back down the corridor to his lab so he can bury himself in his work once again, keeping his mind from wandering to the things that keep him up at night.
Clouds pass by your window as you stare out at the vast ocean beneath you. Wingulls glide through the air, soaking in the warm sun above. The sunlight reflects off the ocean waves, creating a beautiful crystalline shine. You turn away from your small window and lean back in your seat. Earlier in Aether Paradise, you told Ash and the Professors that you remember your home in the Kalos region and that Professor Sycamore is your father. You were expecting them to be thrilled, but instead they were all... confused.
"I wasn't aware that Professor Sycamore had any children," Kukui had said as he glanced over at his wife, "We're not really close friends, but we professors stay in touch to compare research."
"Yeah, I met Professor Sycamore when I travelled around Kalos," Ash piped up, "I never saw you at his lab, and he never said anything about you either."
You had hesitated, not really knowing what to think, but you had asked Ash how long ago his adventures in Kalos were, and when he told you they were fairly recent, you figured your dad just didn't want to talk about his missing daughter. Everyone seemed to go with that, but you could still tell Professor Kukui and Burnet were hesitant.
So now here you are, sitting next to Ash and Kukui on Skarmory Airlines flight #131 headed for Lumiose City in the Kalos region. You're sitting by the window, with Ash to your left in between you and Professor Kukui. Professor Burnet wanted to come more than anything, but she had work obligations that held her back. You two shared your goodbyes before you boarded the plane, promising to keep in touch.
A voice over the intercom system suddenly disrupts your thoughts.
"Good afternoon everyone, this is your Captain speaking. We will be approaching the Lumiose City Airport in about 30 minutes."
In that moment, your stomach drops when you realize what's about to happen.
You're going home.
Taking a deep breath, you look down at Cato and Pikachu playing with each other at your feet. Watching Cato, your mind wanders to what it's going to be like to be home again.
'Will it be weird?'
'Will any of the lab Pokémon remember me?'
...
'Will anything ever be the same?'
These thoughts filtered through your mind, causing knots to form in your stomach. Ash must've noticed, because he tried to make you feel better.
"It's going to be so great to get you back home, (Y/N)," he says, smiling. "You don't have anything to worry about! Right, Professor?" You both look over at Professor Kukui for reassurance, but he's out cold, snoring the ride away. You give Ash a weak smile, trying your best to calm your nerves. You reach down and grab your backpack from underneath the seat, trying to find something to distract yourself with for the remainder of the flight.
~~~~~
Stepping out of the airplane, you take in your surroundings. You see the huge skyline of Lumiose City, people rushing around trying to get where they need to go, and Pokémon wandering everywhere.
"Huh.." you mutter to yourself, a little concerned.
"What is it?" Ash questions you, apparently noticing your confusion.
"It's just... It's different than I remember," you say quietly.
"Well, maybe you were just too little and you remember it differently," Kukui suggests. You frown and look over at him.
"I was twelve," you retort. Kukui pauses, unsure what to say.
"Oh.. well, um, then maybe it's just been a little too long since you've been here. I'm sure it'll feel the same when you spend a little more time in the city," he quickly recovers.
"Yeah.. you're probably right..." you say quietly, gazing back at the large city as you make your way down the steps. The five of you start making your way into the depths of Lumiose. Kukui takes the lead, followed by Ash and Pikachu, and then you and Cato take up the rear. You look down at Cato, and he seems to be feeling the same way you are.
"Does any of this feel the same to you?" you whisper to him, making sure the others can't hear it. Cato shakes his head, letting out a small sound of worry.
"Yeah, it just feels... different. Like it's a whole different city," you say quietly. As you turn a corner, you see a young girl climbing on a Gogoat at a signpost. Perplexed, you stare at her, and she takes off down the road. Looking at the sign, you can read a label that says "Gogoat Shuttle".
Is that some sort of... taxi? With wide eyes, you look down to Cato, who has the same expression on his face.
"I definitely don't remember that," you whisper. Ash and Kukui don't seem bothered by it at all, so you keep your mouth shut. After a few more strange minutes, you all turn onto South Boulevard. The Sycamore Pokémon Lab is just down the road.
The closer you get to the lab, the slower your pace becomes. Your stomach is filled with Butterfrees, and you can't help but feel slightly nauseous. When you finally make it to the front steps, you stop, unable to move any further. Ash and the Professor notice your sudden absence behind them, and they stop to look back at you.
"(Y/N)... you okay?" Kukui asks gently. You don't say anything, you just look at the ground with a worried expression.
"Hey, I know this hard, but just think about your dad in there," Kukui says as he kneels down to eye level, putting both hands on your shoulders. "He's been missing you for almost two years. If he knew you were outside right now, he would be out here faster than an Abra could teleport!"
You give a small, breathy laugh out of your nose, smiling lightly.
"I know you miss him. You've come so far and done so much to get your memories back," he says gently, "So, what do you say?"
You look up to his face, tears brimming in the corners of your eyes.
"Let's get you home," he smiles at you. Your head bobs up and down, nodding at his words. You find the courage to walk up the steps and ring the doorbell. You take a deep breath, and the door opens after a few moments to reveal a young woman wearing a white lab coat.
"How can I help you?"
~~~~~
Augustine Sycamore is sitting at a small desk in his laboratory working on his bi-weekly report when he hears a knock on his door. He sluggishly brings his hand to his forehead, rubbing it as he closes his eyes.
"Yes?" he says, drowsily. He hears the door open, but he doesn't move to look at them.
"Uh.. sir? There's someone here to see you," the assistant states. Sycamore brings his hand back down to the desk and looks up at the young woman. He probably looks like a mess, with his unkempt hair and dark, disheveled clothing.
He doesn't care.
"Who is it?" he tiredly asks.
"I'm not sure, but it seems important," the woman says.
Sycamore sighs as he gets up from his desk and follows the woman out of the laboratory, not bothering to put on his lab coat that's hanging on the door.
You pass door after door, your heart racing. Your lungs start burning; you won't be able to run for much longer. Your head pounds with every step, and you can feel tears brimming in your eyes. You glance up at the labels on the doors you're passing by.
Lounge.
Office 31.
Lab 28.
Infirmary.
Storage.
All the doors have keycard locks on them, so you don't bother to stop and try to open any. Instead, you just push yourself forward. There's no one around. The only sound is the squeak of your shoes against the tile floor. You turn one last corner and quickly come to a stop. You've reached a dead end. Too fatigued to turn back, you slump against the wall. You pull your legs up and wrap your arms around them, burying your head in your knees. You breathe heavily, body aching, while your thoughts race in your head.
'If only I could remember,' you think, frustrated. You screw your eyes shut, once again digging to remember anything. You focus on the things you have remembered, but still nothing new comes to mind. You groan loudly and lean your head back against the wall, growing angrier and angrier at your failed attempts to find your hidden memories. You know you can find them. You can feel it. It's like they're tucked away in a box, locked up.
And all you need is the key.
You furrow your eyebrows, recalling what you learned about Xurkitree. More specifically, you think of how Xurkitree held you captive for nearly two years, trying to "fuse" with you, or whatever. Its attempts overloaded your body with electricity. That's where your memories were cut off.
'If electricity was a factor in my memories being lost, then maybe it can help me find them,' you think to yourself, a plan hatching in your mind. You look down at your hands, focusing on the pulse of electricity in your body. It's faint, but you can still feel it. You clench your fists, straining to bring the electric power up to your fingers. You can feel the tingling sensation in your veins. It gets to be too much, and you groan as you open your fists, muscles loosening.
'I can do this,' you tell yourself as you shift and hold your hands out once more. Closing your eyes, you reach out for that buzzing in your veins. You can feel it growing in your body, and you focus on sending the currents to your hands. You open your eyes and see your trembling hands glowing slightly. You push harder, forcing more electricity to your fingers, and with one last hard breath, your hands shine brightly with sharp sparks, illuminating the darkened corner you're occupying.
Your eyes widen at the sight. Electricity is bouncing between your fingertips, jumping through your skin and into the air, and then back to your hand. You refocus your attention on your plan and swallow thickly. Your heart races as you nervously bring your hands up to your head.
'It's only going to be a small shock,' you remind yourself, 'that's it. Nothing dangerous.'
You poke your pointer fingers out and bring them closer to your temples. You can feel the sparks jump around in your closed palm, making their way up to your extended finger and out into the air.
You take one last deep breath, feeling the heat coming off your hands, and bring your fingers to your temples. A sharp jolt of pain passes through your head and down through your body. You feel all your muscles tense up, locking in place. A sudden darkness swims up from the back of your mind, taking over your senses. You unwillingly let it take over, and unconsciousness takes you from the physical world.
~~~~~
You feel dizzy, and your body slightly aches. Opening your eyes, you see that there's nothing around you, and you can't move, almost like your body is paralyzed. It stays like that for a few moments until everything around you suddenly comes alive. The darkness turns into a blinding white, like someone flipped on a light switch. You squint as your eyes adjust, and the area around you begins to change. A sharp pain jolts through your skull. You want to bring your hand up to clutch your aching head, but you still can't move.
You watch as your surroundings transform, colors swirling and objects materializing. A desk appears, along with a bookcase, a dresser, and a bed. The details of the room start forming, and you realize this isn't just any bedroom.
It's your bedroom.
This is your bedroom from back home. Back home in Kalos. In Lumiose City. Your heart skips a beat as it comes flooding back to you. You don't feel pain anymore. You feel as if your body changed, like it got smaller. You start walking around, picking up random toys, but you're not the one controlling your body. You can feel and see yourself moving, but you're not the one doing it. It's almost as if...
...
...as if you're watching your own memory.
You watch from your younger self's perspective as you go around your room, doing random things. You guess you were around 7 here, and after a few more moments, it melts away to reveal another memory.
Swirls of green and blue materialize into a little backyard. There are trees surrounding you, creating a little sanctuary away from the big city. It's raining hard, but you find yourself outside playing with a Luxio. You feel yourself throw a ball, and you watch as young Cato chases after it, landing in a pile of mud. Your younger self laughs as the rain picks up, thunder rolling in the distance. A warm sensation blossoms in your heart, and you smile. This was only a year or two before you were taken.
"(Y/N) Sycamore! You better get out of that rain right now or your father will be angrier than a Gyarados!" an assistant yells, poking her head out the door. You feel yourself groan and head back towards the door.
"Look at you two! You're soaked and covered in mud!" she complains. "Go get washed up, and try not to let your dad see you like this." Your hearts hurts, but before you can dwell on it for too long, the memory changes once again.
Colors of gray and black come together to form a dark hallway, and your tiny body is making its way down it. You must've been really little in this memory, because you don't really recognize it. You stop before a tall door and watch your chubby arm quietly push it open. Tiptoeing in, your eyes land upon a very tall frame facing away from you. The man is wearing a dark shirt and dark pants, and has black, curly hair. He's face down in a book, and is mumbling quietly to himself. Your breath hitches in your throat, but your old self keeps moving forward. When you get close enough, you feel your small self lunge forward and latch onto the man's leg.
"Gotcha!" you hear your child voice say, trying to scare him. You can feel the man tense up and lift his leg, but then he relaxes when he realizes that it's you.
"You scared me, ma chérie!" he says. Your heart drops when you hear his voice.
"I've been practicing, Daddy," your little self says as your dad picks you up, and you finally look to his face. He has a bright smile, and his gray eyes gaze at you with a look of pure adoration.
"Well, you're as sneaky as a Purrloin, mon coeur," he says as he brings your tiny body tight against his. Your little arms wrap around his neck, latching onto some of his black curls. You notice your surroundings start to fade, ready to change to another memory, and you panic.
'No! Don't go! Please don't go!' you scream internally at no one in particular, frantically trying to keep reliving this memory. It doesn't work. A new memory takes its place, but they start speeding up. Your memories start going faster and faster, until it gets to the point where it's all just a blur in front of you, yet you can still feel all the emotion coming from each one.
You're speechless as you watch your memories playing before you.
Your life is literally flashing before your eyes.
Then, in the blink of an eye, everything disappears. A few moments pass before your head swims, feeling as if the world was just pulled out from under you. Everything spins and your entire body aches, but you're finally thrown back into consciousness.
~~~~~
You can feel someone's hand on your shoulder, gently shaking you. Your eyes fly open and you jolt upright, breathing heavily.
"Hey, hey, calm down. It's okay," a voice says. You focus your attention and see Professor Kukui in front of you, along with Pikachu sitting on Cato's back to your left. Ash and Burnet stand behind Kukui, looking down at you with worried faces.
"What happened?" Kukui asks, and you look up at him with wide eyes. Trying to think of the best way to explain what just happened, you swallow thickly.
You open your mouth and just let the words fall out:
You stare out a small window, a few raindrops from last night's storm lingering on the glass. You watch the city grow smaller and smaller as you ride further from the island. After your 'incident' some hours ago, Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet came to the hospital to find out what happened after a frantic phone call was made to their home. You told them your side of the story: that Xurkitree attacked you in the hallway. They had given each other a worried glance, and carefully explained what really happened.
"(Y/N)... we saw the footage from the hall cameras. Xurkitree was never there," Kukui had said.
To put it simply, you freaked out a bit. You thought you were going crazy, but Burnet had told you there might be an explanation. She hypothesized that since you had direct contact with Xurkitree when it abducted you, it was able to enter your subconscious when you almost died, but since you were resuscitated, the encounter was interrupted and left you and Xurkitree with an unnatural connection.
So basically, Xurkitree has a direct line to your brain, making you see it when it isn't really there. Then they had to address the other elephant in the room: the weird electricity that shot out of your body.
So that brings you here, on a boat headed for Aether Paradise. Burnet has some lab equipment here that she wants to use to run some tests. You're sitting below deck with Ash, Pikachu, and Cato, while Kukui and Burnet are up top. You aren't a fan of the water, so you're upsettingly watching the land shrink farther and farther away.
"How are you feeling?" Ash pipes up, trying to break the heavy silence. You turn from the window and look over at him.
"Okay, I guess. I don't know why they're making me wear these, it doesn't really hurt," you say, gesturing to your wrist and ankle braces. Ash smiles slightly.
"Maybe because you almost died," he says in a teasing way. You give a small laugh and shrug.
"That's true," you admit. You look down and see Pikachu playing with Cato, a smile tugging at your lips. You haven't seen Cato play in a while. Then again, with everything going on, how could anyone want to play? Your smile falters as you start thinking about your Dad. Ash notices and speaks up again.
"So.. have you ever been to Aether Paradise?" he questions, trying to distract you.
"I don't know, but I doubt it," you say, flatly. Ash nods slightly and turns to look at Pikachu and Cato, giving up on his efforts to take your mind off everything happening. You turn back to the window, watching the fast-approaching Aether Paradise.
~~~~~
You follow Professor Burnet down to a lab full of different scientific equipment. You look around nervously, wondering what these machines are meant for.
She asks you to take a seat on a large chair, and you obey. Burnet walks over with a syringe and you clam up. Not wanting to admit another fear, you just look away as she draws some of your blood. You let out the breath you were holding when she walks away, though you feel a little lightheaded. She takes it over to yet another machine you have never seen before, and inserts the vial.
Burnet goes on to take some scans of your body, getting all the information she can on your biology. You wonder if this is all really worth it.
After a while of being poked and prodded, she finally seems satisfied. As she studies her findings, you and the others find something to distract yourselves with. Ash and Pikachu are busy messing with machines they probably shouldn't be touching, and Kukui is sitting in a corner reading a book. You're sitting on the floor, leaning against Cato. You yawn as you stare off into space. Sleep hasn't been something you've gotten much of, lately.
You close your eyes as you lay your head on Cato's back, his soft fur becoming a substitute pillow.
~~~~~
You hear someone calling your name, gently shaking you awake. You open your eyes and see Ash's worried face above you.
"Burnet found something," he says. You get up, quickly making your way over to her at a computer. As you approach she gives you a small smile, and turns back to the monitor.
"After looking at all the data I collected, I think I figured some things out," she starts. "The human body has naturally occurring electrical currents that run parts of our body, like the nervous system. Our cells conduct this electricity to send signals throughout our bodies and to the brain so we can feel and move. Well, something's different about (Y/N). Looking at her cells, it seems like there's an excess amount of electrical currents present in her body. And when I say 'excess', I mean a lot. Enough to send out a surge like she did in the hospital," she explains. You stare at the images, unsure of what you're hearing.
"It seems like (Y/N) can manipulate this extra electricity inside her cells," Burnet states, glancing over at you. You just stand there, mouth slightly open, trying to wrap your head around this.
"H-how did this happen?" you stutter, looking down at your hands. Burnet turns back to the computer and pulls some other images up, including one of Xurkitree.
"You said that you have been gone for almost two years, and Ash found you in Ultra Space not too long ago. This means you were in Ultra Space that whole time, in some sort of cryogenic sleep. So, my theory is that Xurkitree was the one who put you to sleep there, and it was trying to fuse with you like Nihilego did with Lusamine," she explains.
You look at her, confused, not sure where she's going with this. You vaguely remember overhearing something about Ash's friend's mom in Ultra Space.
"But, it couldn't fuse with you for some reason. So, being in Ultra Space, the amount of electricity it used on you was absorbed by your body instead of coming and going, like it would have in our normal dimension," she finishes. You stand there, speechless, staring off to the side.
"(Y/N)?" you hear someone say, though it sounds far away. You feel a hand on your shoulder, but you quickly flinch away, taking several steps backwards. Your heart starts racing, and you begin to take rapid breaths. You look up at the others, their worried faces staring back at you. You can't stand the way they look at you anymore. The looks of sympathy and helplessness.
You turn on your heels and run out of the lab, needing to be anywhere but there. The ankle brace makes it a little difficult, but the adrenaline numbs any pain. You can hear them yelling your name, but it only makes you run faster.
