With Tapu Bulu fallen, we rushed in to surround it before it could wake up. Forced sleep rarely lasted long, so we had to be ready to act if it wasn’t calm when it woke.

All of our strongest Pokémon were sent out: Azumarill, Cherrim, Florges, and Vileplume. Both Altaria and Venusaur stayed out too, with Hope and I using our emergency Hyper Potions to ensure they’d be in good shape. As for Ryuki, he too, had his Garchomp move forward. The Dragon Type stood in front of everyone else, almost as if to proclaim this result was its victory.

As we stood on guard, Kartana finally peeled itself off of Tapu Bulu’s face to return to float next to Hope. She saw the state of its injuries and made a cooing sound as she sprayed it with what Hyper Potion she had left. Thankfully, the human-invented liquid worked on Kartana’s alien biology.

Other than the heavy snores coming from Tapu Bulu, the clearing was set in total silence as we all stood on edge. As we waited, I quietly nodded to Ryuki out of respect. Even though I was the one to propose the sleep strategy, I hadn’t thought it would work as well as it did. I had to admit his Garchomp was strong, but it still didn’t hold a candle to Cynthia’s Garchomp. Though, that was an unfair comparison to make.

It felt like forever passed, but there was a single snort eventually. Its lethargy faded away as a hoofed arm flopped down to press against the ground. A moment later, it was up and rubbing the sleep out of its eye, and it froze when it was recovered enough to notice all of us.

I could see our Pokémon tensing up in response. They were all ready to jump the Tapu if pressed. However, despite our worries, that act never came. Tapu Bulu simply snorted once, and then it began to laugh.

Its mouth wasn’t visible, but it was still somehow obvious it was smiling.

“Are you kidding? Is that it? We went through all that effort to take you out, and when you wake up, you laugh?”

Tapu Bulu leaned forward as if it was grinning. Ryuki looked like he had sucked on a lemon, but eventually, he slumped.

“Ugh. I guess it was a good fight,” he grumbled with a sigh.

With that, all the Pokémon here took his words as permission that it was finally over. A thud shook the ground as Venusaur sat back, and Altaria flapped his wings as his Mega Evolution faded. Tapu Bulu looked around, seemed satisfied with this result, then it politely asked Florges and Vileplume to step aside, seemingly intent on retrieving something from its home.

Like a bull in a china shop, except that bull has enough prescience of mind to avoid breaking everything around it.

When it returned from its curtained cave, Tapu Bulu dropped a bundled sack on the ground. A flick of its arm sent a gust of wind forward that pulled the cloth back, and an absolute pile of berries was revealed on the ground.

Our team members made noises of amazement, and their stomachs audibly growled. We’d all been traveling through a harsh desert for a week. Altaria didn’t even wait to grab what he wanted, he hopped forward and snatched up the first berry he could see into his mouth.

Everyone else moved forward at that, and, understanding what was going on, Hope and I released the rest of our teams to join in. Ryuki reluctantly sent out his Flygon, too, who was quick to grab a few Sitrus Berries as those would help it heal.

There was no music playing, but the situation after that nerve-wracking battle had somehow devolved into a party. Pokémon chatted, Tapu Bulu floated around, and, at this wild, wild shift in tone, Ryuki ended up numbly walking all the way to the edge of the clearing to sit down on a rock.

I decided to just not think about it. Hope seemed to do the same as we followed Ryuki to his spot.

“So, Ryuki?” Hope asked as we both approached. “How does it feel to have a taste of victory against a Legendary Pokémon?”

He didn’t look at us right away. His gaze lingered on the sandy floor as he released a breath.

“This isn’t at all what I expected. There was hardly a moment where we stood victorious over it. It’s... It’s turning to cheer far faster than I’d ever thought possible.”

His brow furrowed, and we looked over. Flygon and the Tapu itself were engaged in an active conversation. With the motions they were making, it seemed that Tapu Bulu was giving the Dragon Type advice on how to better perform in battles in the future. Flygon animatedly nodded along as it popped Sitrus berries one by one into its mouth.

“Well, why not?” I said.

“Excuse me?”

“Why not celebrate? Tapu Bulu got a battle it enjoyed. We got to fight a Legendary Pokémon. The only thing missing is an apology from Tapu Bulu to Kartana for its assault, but other than that, things worked out just fine.”

Ryuki blinked.

“You’re kidding, right? You’d be willing to drop all of this that fast?”

Hope shrugged as well.

“What Alex said. Why not?”

Ryuki was flat out unable to respond for a full half minute before he finally let loose a single, barking laugh.

“Ha! I think I’m starting to truly understand why you say I have the wrong mindset. I’m too focused on battling and chasing raw strength to react to something like this.”

His words were almost like a declaration. He wanted to change, and this was a start. I took that as an excuse to glance at Hope, and we moved to the side where he couldn’t hear us.

“I hate to say it, but I think we’re being a little unfair to Ryuki,” I said.

She scratched her head and mumbled something under her breath that almost sounded like an agreement.

“Yeah...” she sighed. “I think I know what you mean. We’re testing potential Gym Leaders for both mindset and strength. If we’ve given basically everyone else time to grow stronger, Ryuki deserves to have the time to adjust his mindset, too. It’s the same situation, just reversed. Our jobs demand us to be both impartial and fair.”

I hummed in agreement.

“You said my thoughts exactly, but I’m still bothered by how he treats his Gym, though.”

“You know what? Yeah!” Hope paused and turned back to Ryuki, who had stood up to move to his Garchomp's side. “Hey Ryuki!”

He turned around.

“What?!” he shouted back.

“Why don’t you spend that much time at your Gym?! And why is it so expensive?! We’re worried about your lack of commitment and how it's run!”

Can she really ask so directly like that?

Turns out, she could.

“That’s... That’s because it’s not an official Gym?” Ryuki offered. “I have no outside funding. The high price is to ensure I can pay my employed trainers. Not only that, but as much as I claim it to be a Gym, it’s still just a tourist attraction. I have fewer true responsibilities tying me there than you think.”

“He’s kidding, right?” I ended up stuttering for a few moments, my jaw hanging open. “...Right?”

“You know what? That’s fair,” Hope said with a laugh.

Ryuki’s response was far too reasonable. What he said made perfect sense, I just couldn’t believe it at first.

As Hope laughed at my reaction to Ryuki’s response, it wasn’t too long until I started to laugh, too. Somehow, nothing about this situation ended up going how I expected. Even then, I couldn’t say I disliked the results.

The very next day, I clasped Hope’s hand at the entrance to Tapu Bulu’s domain. Ryuki had already parted ways, leaving just me, Hope, and both Tapu Bulu and Kartana behind her.

“You better make the most out of this chance,” I said, shaking her hand.

“Considering this is the first time I’ve got the chance to train with a Legendary Pokémon, I’m not going to let it slip through my hands,” she replied.

Hope had a wide grin on her face as Tapu Bulu there with its hoofed arms crossed. It kept sending awkward glances to Kartana before it eventually just decided to close itself off from the world by entering its enclosed, bull-totem form. If I hadn’t seen Tapu Bulu bow to Kartana in apology, I wouldn’t have believed it. After the way it rushed so aggressively towards us, I would have never expected it to act so... polite?

The thing is, Tapu Bulu wasn’t supposed to attack visitors who were effectively invited to its home. We weren’t aggressors—it had literally called out for challengers to come its way. In the Tapu’s battle-ridden mind, it seemed to come to the conclusion that the best way to apologize was to give us an offer.

At the end of the berry feat last night, Tapu Bulu approached Hope, Kartana, and I and had managed to communicate its wishes to train us. Hope, of course, accepted right away. Not only that, but Kartana had accepted, too!

Just remembering that moment, I had to shake my head.

Imagine that. A Tapu training an Ultra Beast. I don’t think anything like this has ever happened before.

With Hope agreeing to train alongside the Legendary Grass Type, I imagined that growth would go both ways for the group. Not only could Tapu Bulu help increase the power of Hope's team, but Hope’s knowledge of the Grass Type itself meant she could provide Tapu Bulu with advanced techniques from an outside expert. Kartana would benefit from both, too, and everyone involved would be that much more powerful for it.

As for me, well...

“Please give Lillie my best wishes. I’ll meet you two at the Lake of the Sun and Moon,” Hope said.

I nodded at Hope’s temporary farewell. I didn’t accept Tapu Bulu’s deal. As nice as it would be to train alongside a Legendary Fairy Type Pokémon, my team had their share of experiences with Legendary Pokémon in the past. Plus, I had my own responsibilities to get back to. I refused to leave Lillie behind.

“You better treat her well, got it, Mr. Bulu?” I said, eyeing the Legendary Pokémon behind Hope sharply.

It snorted in amusement. I snorted right back.

Hope and I finally let go of our handshake and gave one another a final nod. She’d be absent these next few weeks, but she’d grow immeasurably powerful in exchange. I didn’t blame her for taking this chance, as this was the best option for her in her own personal journey.

“Then, I’ll see you soon. Good luck with your training,” I said.

“Psh, Alex. We don’t need luck. We just need dedication and a can-do attitude, both of which we have in spades!”

I chuckled as she laughed. With a wave of my hand, I headed out. For the first time in Alola, I’d be traveling without Hope, with Lilie and I as the only humans in our little group.

It was much easier to leave the Haina Desert than it was to enter it. Rather than traveling through splitting paths in an ever-growing maze, they frequently converged with all options leading back to the start. It was almost as if the Pokémon here wanted people to be able to leave, a fact that I wouldn’t be surprised was true.

Upon emerging back onto the oasis spring of Route 13, Hapu, still on guard, gave me a respectful nod and didn’t even question the absence of Hope. Lillie, who I had sent a message to on our respective devices, was standing nearby, and she jumped and waved to get my attention.

Besides her, there was a Pokémon that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

It was big, tall, pudgy, and pink. It had a simple looking face and two tiny wings on its back. I’d seen it before, but that was back when it hadn’t evolved. It seemed that while we were gone, Lillie had finally put that Moon Stone to use to evolve her Clefairy into a Clefable.

“Alex!” Lillie shouted in greeting. “Welcome back! You can take your Moonstone back now!”

She flung her pack over her shoulder and started to dig through it, but I held up a hand tog et her to stop.

“Keep it. It was a gift. Who knows what other Pokémon you might catch that’ll need it?”

It looked like she wanted to argue, but she just let out a breath and nodded to accept what I said. Her backpack was pushed back into its proper evolution.

“Anyway, congratulations on the evolution, Clefable, Lillie. It seems you two have been hard at work while I’ve been gone.”

Clefably smiled at me in thanks.

“Thank you!” Lillie added as well. “We wanted to be more than just prepared for the Ghost Type trial soon! I mean, if Hope gets to train with a Legendary Pokémon, I don’t want us to fall too behind!”

I laughed.

“Don’t worry. You’re catching up incredibly quickly. Let’s head to the Pokémon Center. I really want to shower and sleep in a real bed for once.”

It went without saying just how many places sand could creep into while traveling through a desert.

Soon enough, my Pokémon were properly healed, and I swapped around a few team members, too. Florges went back home to give Ribombee a chance to train on his own, and Mawile came in since it’d been a while since she’d been around. Azumarill was sent back too, likely to be sent to Sinnoh right after to continue her fights at Crasher Wake’s Gym. In her place, Rapidash, but Altaria had to be returned due to a new limit on my carrying capacity.

After all, the current status quo was about to change.

See, with Clefairy having evolved into Clefable, Togetic decided to show off a rivalrous aspect of herself that I hadn’t seen before. Upon being sent out in the Pokémon Center, she took one look at the evolved Pokémon and made eye contact with me as if to make a point.

Our team was rapidly growing stronger, and it was time for her to reach her next stage. With us leaving the desert, Togetic finally wanted to evolve, and I wasn’t going to stand in her way.

Gathering up outside the Pokémon Center, I went ahead and sent out what Pokémon were with me. Ninetales, Mawile, and Rapidash moved off to the side to watch, with Lillie’s team and the others moving in a bit closer than that. Ribombee buzzed with the pride of a Pokémon that had recently reached their final form as well, and Eevee could not stop squirming at the sheer amount of jealousy he felt at Togetic’s impending evolution.

As for Tinkatuff, for once, she actually seemed to be paying direct attention. Holding her hammer tight, her gaze did not leave where Togetic stood on the ground.

"Are you ready?" I asked the eggy Flying Type in front of me.

Togetic’s smile told me all I needed.

I started to hold out the Shiny Stone for her to touch and begin this process, but Lillie suddenly called something out.

"I'm ready, too," she added. Where I was holding an evolutionary stone, she was holding a journal. Both Togetic and I saw that and laughed as Lillie prepared herself to write.

“Well, here we go,” I said.

The moment Togetic pressed her hand to the offered stone, she drew on the energy contained within. It shined, signifying the process beginning, and Togetic’s body was filled to the brim with environmental Type energy.

With this stone, she didn’t need to live in a certain environment for years to evolve, which was what most wild Pokémon had to go through. Instead, the change was triggered right away as Togetic grew up—literally. This evolution meant her height practically doubled, and her small body expanded out into the feathered chest of a much more avian creature. The crest of her head lengthened to be a trio of blue-white-red spikes. Her arms and wings became one, too.

When the light finally broke, a tip of her new wing was laid on the stone instead of a hand. Togekiss, no longer Togetic, blinked and looked down at her newfound height. During the process, I even had to raise the stone up to ensure she'd never stop touching it.

"Congratulations," I said.

Togekiss withdrew her wing and puffed up in pride. She let out a trill and met my smile with a brilliant grin of her own.

And then, all the Pokémon cheered.

Togekiss didn’t wait. She struck out her wings and flapped once to leave the ground. Both her flight and control over the wind came much more naturally to her, as she didn’t even need to flap to enter the air like most birds. Almost like a jet, she took off, only gliding to increase both her height and to swoop down. Immediately after her evolution, she was already putting on a one-Pokémon airshow, bringing cheer and smiles to everyone who watched.

Her laughter rang out like the ringing of a bell.

"You know, I think if she hadn't spent that time as a Togetic, she wouldn't have been able to adapt so quickly," I said as I moved to Lillie’s side.

The girl looked up from where she was furiously writing and blinked several times.

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked.

I let out a laugh. It was hard to not feel happy with Togekiss around.

"Nothing, nothing. Go ahead and keep writing your observations."

She shoved her head right back into her book without complaint.

Togekiss went ahead and took the initiative to offer a few Pokémon rides, too. Gripping, terrified, on Togekiss’s back, Pokémon like Lillie's Brionne, Eevee, and the never-before-in-the-air Tinkatuff got to feel what it was like to take to the skies. Honestly, if I hadn't sent back Altaria earlier, he probably would have joined in. After all, bringing others into the sky was kind of his thing. Togekiss was now his competition.

Everyone who could fit got at least one turn on Togekiss’s back. Eevee even came back to be taken into the air several times over. Many of them were now wobbling in place on the ground, recovering from their trips into the air. Seeing that, Togekiss finally turned away to look over to where one Pokémon in specific stood watching.

Rapidash stood completely and utterly still, taking in every single detail of this scene. He saw Togekiss looking at him, and he turned away, nervously trotting in place. When Togekiss approached, he didn’t look back towards her immediately, either. But, when he finally did look, the pair stared at one another for several long seconds.

Finally, Togekiss made a single, happy noise and smiled at him. He snorted, looking away once more. His eyes closed as moisture tinged them, but then they snapped open when something touched his back.

Just like how he used to give her rides when she was young, Togekiss perched on Rapidash’s back. He looked at her, almost in shock, but her smile easily lessened his fears as he began to walk forward in an imitation of what they both did before they were evolved.

Honestly, Rapidash looked properly satisfied.

With Togekiss’s final evolution completed, my team was full once more. While Ribombee, who was also in his final form, was still in the process of being trained, I could no longer consider Togekiss could be part of that portion of my team. Since she no longer counted as an “in-training” Pokémon, she took up the full number of “team slots.”

I had seven Pokémon with me—four “strong” with three “in-training.” I had room for once more, but I didn’t have plans to catch any other Pokémon soon. It seemed that this would be my team for quite some time.

Eventually, when the celebrations ended, I returned my Pokémon.

“Should we go?” I asked Lillie.

She looked up from her book once more.

“Yes! To the Ghost Type trial! No point in waiting any longer!" she cheered.

The reminder made me grimace.

"...yeah. Let's go to the Ghost Type trial, I guess," I mumbled.

And then we began our trip to the town next door.

The exact location of the Ghost Type trial was actually relatively unknown. Asking around about where it was, we mostly received blank stares or the general response of “Tapu Village.”

The village itself was only a day’s trip away from Route 13, located almost immediately nearby. Thankfully, we wouldn’t need to search for the Ghost Type trial, because I had a pretty good memory of where it was located in the games: the Ghost Type trial was set within the abandoned Thrifty Megamart that had once been the final straw for the fate of the village in the past.

When it came to a place destroyed by the very Legendary Pokémon we had just faced, the ruins of Tapu Village were surprisingly full of life. Skeletal remains of old, stone houses sat around here and there, with overgrowth spread between them.

Pokémon were common here, living in the destroyed town as if it were just part of nature. Pikipek and Trumbeak flitted between the buildings, and a few Alolan Raticate stalked through the grass. Strangely enough, a few Snorunt wandered around, too, sticking to the shade. Likely, they had wandered in from the icy Mount Lanakila nearby. That place was filled to the brim with Ice Types.

Despite what I knew, given this place was an entire ruined town, after a while searching, Lillie and I struggled to find where exactly the old Thrifty Megamart was.

“I haven’t seen anyone around to ask,” I mumbled. In this town, humans were effectively absent.

“We could ask a Pokémon?” Lillie offered.

“We could, but which one could we ask without scaring it away?”

While there were a lot of Pokémon here, they were still wary of our presence. We’d see them watching from a distance, but they’d flee when we neared. I chalked it up to rumors of why Tapu Bulu had destroyed this place. After all, if humans started showing up again, who’s to say their home would not face another tragic crisis?

We continued along, practically traveling through this place randomly, desperate to find our way forward. Togekiss got to practice her flight by staying in the air above us to keep watch and help search, and Nebby sat in Lillie’s backpack the whole time to keep a Psychic eye on the area around us.

Eventually, our solution came in an unexpected form. Lillie suddenly stopped and gestured to a Pokémon crossing the road ahead.

"Is that a Pikachu?" she asked.

The Pokémon on the road froze at her question. I squinted my eyes to better make out what species it was.

“No, not a Pikachu,” I mumbled. The Pokémon almost seemed to slump in defeat when I said that. “Actually, hold on. That’s a Fairy Type! Look how scruffy it is! It’s not a Pikachu. It’s something way, way better.”

The wild Pokémon turned to us at that, revealing what it actually looked like. While from behind it had the general shape of a Pikachu—two pointed ears and a jagged tail—it was actually smaller, a Pokémon covered with a cloth costume that mimicked the famous Electric Type’s form.

Two eyes were scribbled on a stuffed head that bounced around on its top, but the Pokémon’s real eyes peeked out through tears on the costume’s “stomach.” They were pitch-black—dark—but they had a surprising amount of emotion to them as they stared out in shock. I went ahead and talked about what I knew about this species, using this opportunity as a teaching moment for Lillie.

“This is a Mimikyu," I said, far too happily for what it was. "It's a species that imitates Pikachu, but, honestly, it doesn’t really need to. Not only is it a Fairy Type Pokémon, but its specialty is its ability, Disguise, which allows it to trick its foes into attacking its fake head. Disguise allows it to solidly tank a single hit, which gives it room to set up at least one, strong, self-buff.”

Lillie somehow found time to take out her book to scribble down what I was saying. The wild Mimikyu continued to stare, almost in disbelief.

“It’s best at physical attacks, as the species is capable of learning both Swords Dance and Z-Splash. If you really want to get cheeky, you can have a Mimikyu hold onto a Focus Sash, which gives it room to use a self buffing move twice. Overall, it’s an incredibly powerful species if used correctly, especially since it gets Play Rough and the quick-to-use Shadow Sneak. That’s a Ghost Type move, so—”

The word caught in my throat as I nervously turned back to the Pokémon. Yes, I had fond memories of using a Mimikyu in the games, but the fact it was a Ghost Type had failed to settle in my mind. Sure, it was a Fairy Type with an exterior, cute appearance, but one of the biggest quirks of Mimikyu was that no one could even imagine the horror that lurked underneath its disguise.

As that thought made me freeze, the wild Ghost Type never once looked away, even though my brief lecture on it had halted in its tracks. The Pokémon began to inch forward towards me, almost questioningly, and it was only due to my sudden, intense fear that I didn’t step back.

"So Mimikyu's pretty amazing then, yeah?" Lillie asked, not bothering to look up from her book.

My throat felt uncomfortably dry.

"Y-yeah," I said hoarsely. "It's one of the best.”

That was all the permission it needed. The Mimikyu gained a hidden grin before suddenly rushing forward. Horrible shadows left its base that pushed it over the ground. I was frozen, unable to react before it jumped, flew through the air, and sailed right at my face.

I screamed. Togekiss might have been out, but she didn’t bother to react. With no one around to stop it, nothing prevented the Mimikyu from impacting my chest.

"Mi mi! Kyu, kyu... Mimikyu!"

The Pokémon latched against my shirt and started to fondly nuzzle its face against me. It made sounds of pure affection, and I could tell it was completely overjoyed. Not only that, but something was dripping from the tears it could see out of. I would have said those were tears, except the liquid was unnaturally dark.

Despite everything, experiencing this would have been “fine,” except Mimikyu had grabbed onto me in a very simple yet disturbing way. A clawed hand made out of solid, pitch-black shadows extended out of its base to latch around my side, and that terrifying, chilling limb was what held it up in a semblance of a hug.

To make matters worse, the Mimikyu didn’t stop there. To my horror, using that hand, it pulled itself up to bring it closer to my face. I could see every carefully-crafted stitch of its costume, every tiny tear and every bit of dirt. The holes in its shaggy cloth twisted up as if to mimic a smile, and for the briefest of moments, I caught a glance of what lurked in the darkness under its veil.

I simply could not understand it, and that was terrifying enough.

"Aw! I think it likes you!" Lillie said.

There were tears in my eyes.

"Y-yup.”

As the Mimikyu continued to affectionately rub against me, it almost sounded like it was purring. Except, where feline purring was a cute noise that expressed contentment, this was something else. The sound was unholy in nature: a sort of raw, guttural, vibration. It shook me to the core, and I felt as though this was the end.

Unable to move without disturbing it, I did my best to withstand the affection the Ghost Type was giving to me unprompted. Lillie just found the whole thing exceedingly amusing. Her smug expression mocked me.

"Excuse me? Mimikyu?" she asked.

The Ghost Type stopped rubbing against me and hopped off my shoulder. I wanted to collapse to the ground, but I at least had enough sanity left to know that it would be wrong to go through any actions that would insult it.

Now released from my body, the wild Mimimkyu tilted back to look up at Lillie, who knelt down to better meet Mimikyu in the eyes as she spoke.

"We're trying to find the old Thrifty Megamart. I don't suppose you know where it is?"

Mimikyu bobbed in place, as if thinking, then that same claw from before left its body to give her a salute as it bounced, causing its fake head to nod.

"Mimi, mimikyu!" it cheered.

“Can you show us, please?”

Mimikyu quickly turned to do as requested, humming merrily to itself in a scratching tune that sounded like something from a skipping record. Lillie stood up and gave me a big smile as she hurried to follow. She waved to me as she left.

"Come on, Alex! Let's go!"

I swallowed the spit in my mouth and wiped away the moisture in my eyes.

"O-okay," I said.

Lillie skipped along while I did my best to still look confident for her sake.

Turns out, the Thrifty Megamart was located right at the edge of town, along the coastline. A few rocky hills separated it from the rest of the ruined village, which meant it was in a decently secluded location. This area had been cleared out a bit, as if the developers had intended to eventually create a luxurious mall. However, with Tapu Bulu’s rage being made known at the end of the construction process, that plan had been abandoned, and the place was left in ruins. As a result, it was just as overgrown as the rest of the town, but the building itself was still in a solid state.

Vines clawed up the sides of the warehouse-sized building, and where there were once windows, there were now wooden boards. What metal laid exposed was covered in rust, and the entrance was wide open, almost as if to beckon us in.

“Are you... are you sure this is where we need to be, Alex?” Lillie whispered to me as we made our way through an empty parking lot. “We’re the only people here.”

“I mean, it fits what I remember,” I said, doing my best to ignore the Mimikyu happily holding onto the leg of my pants. “Though, I don’t remember it looking this out of shape.”

At our side, Mimikyu spoke up again, making a noise to affirm that yes, this was the Thrifty Megamart. It didn’t have a mouth, but I could tell it was smiling. It looked both confident and satisfied it had found a way to assist us.

“Then... I guess I’m going in. Wish me luck,” Lillie said cautiously.

“Good luck," I replied.

Slowly and carefully, she moved to the open entrance, pausing briefly at the door to take in the building looming in front of her. On her back, Nebbie ducked down to hide within her backpack, and she took out a Pokéball to send Clefable out at her side.

She whispered something to her Pokémon before stepping into darkness. I stopped being able to see her after she moved only a few feet inside.

With Lillie gone, I was now left alone.

Outside.

With Mimikyu.

Oh, why did I return Togekiss?

Minutes passed and neither of us said a thing. Mimikyu’s clawed hand never left my pants as it seemed to be happy to just be here. I put all my focus into trying to make out what was happening within the building, but my gaze could not pierce the darkness. I did my best to not think about how many Ghost Types were probably lurking not too far away, but, as the silence progressed, I knew I had to make some noise, otherwise I’d go insane.

"So, uh, do you... Do you live here?" I asked.

I glanced at Mimikyu only briefly. It was already looking up at me, and I snapped my gaze back to the entrance.

Don't think about it grabbing you. Don't think about it grabbing you. Don't think about it grabbing you.

Mimikyu made some kind of high-pitched noise that I took as saying “yes.”

"A lot of other Ghost Types?” I asked, even though I really shouldn’t have.

Mimikyu made another noise to confirm my question. For some reason, I got the vibe of it trying to express “more.”

I hate that.

More silence persisted. A rumbling left my throat as I stared at the building.

“Uh...” I said, just to say something. “You help manage the Trial?”

I felt the claw tense on my leg. I looked down only to see that the Mimikyu was suddenly staring at me with fearful eyes. It didn’t answer the question.

“You know, the trial. The Ghost Type Trial in the Megamart?”

Somehow, the holes in its rags widened, and Mimikyu violently shook its head to communicate “no.” Something cold settled into the pit of my stomach as I looked back to the building once more. The horror I felt spiked to levels not felt before.

“...Wait, this isn’t the Trial location?”

Mimikyu shook its head to deny that even more.

The motionless darkness felt all-consuming as I realized my horrible, horrible mistake.

This was not a Trial. This was a nest of Ghost Types. Specifically, this was a nest of Ghost Types I had sent Lillie into completely on her own.

"Oh. Oh no," I breathed.

Nothing moved for a long moment.

"I have to save her," I said with a dawning realization.

I rushed forward, my leg breaking free of Mimikyu’s grip. The Pokémon called out to me from behind, but I was already running towards the door.

Ninetales’s Pokéball was in my hand, and I was distinctly aware of where Mawile’s Pokéball was on my waist. The pair were both capable of using Dark Pulse, a move super effective against Ghosts.

We’d need that.

I didn’t send either of them out right away, though, as I froze in the doorway of the building. A cool breeze left the Megamart’s interior, and the faintest bit of fog drifted off the floor.

I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. There was no mincing it—I was terrified—but I couldn’t just leave Lillie on her own inside.

“We’re... we’re going in,” I said out loud, just so I could hear my own voice.

Mimikyu was still desperately shouting at me from behind, but it was my duty to ensure Lillie didn’t get into danger— a duty I just supremely screwed up. I had to make sure she’d be safe.

Gulping, I waited no longer. I sent Ninetales out, who stiffened upon seeing where we were heading. I took one step forward, her besides me—

And a door that was not there a moment ago slammed closed behind us, plunging us into complete darkness.