38: Home Again

…White… Only white… That’s all I see. Absolutely nothing but a white void all around me. Where am I? 

“Alex?” I hear Thunder say from behind me. “Are you there?”

“I’m here, Thunder.” I respond. “What do you make of this?”

“…I think this is the Spirit World…*

“You mean, the afterlife?”

“Yeah… I think we died…”

“Not exactly.” A soft, feminine voice calls from all around .

“Huh?! Who’s that?!” I call out in surprise. 

“I am called Xerneas, the legendary Pokemon of life. And I owe you all a great debt.” Suddenly, a blue and black deer appears with multicolored gems on their massive antlers. I think it’s safe to assume this is Xerneas. “ You saved the lives of everyone on Pokèmar. The life that I care so deeply for. And to show my gratitude, I have taken your spirits to the border of life and death instead of letting them ascend to the Spirit World. I will restore your bodies to perfect health and return your souls to their vessels to live out the remainder of their years.”

“What about the others in the palace?” Thunder asks.

“Do you wish for me to revive them as well?” 

“Yes. All of them. Please. Well, if that’s not too much trouble.”

“No, no trouble at all. I shall revive the rest who perished in the palace. Now go. Lead prosperous lives.”

“We will.” I respond. “Thank you, Xerneas.”

I begin to feel a dizzying sensation before losing consciousness. I can only assume that’s her reviving us. That’s another entry to the list of things I never expected to happen to me.

I begin to feel myself come to. My body feels… Good. No pain, no aches, it’s in perfect health. Just as Xerneas promised. Looking around I identify where I am. The crossroads between Post Town and Pokemon Paradise. And right next to me was none other than my good friend Thunder. 

“How’re you feeling, Thunder?” I ask.

“I’m feeling good. So… We won?” He asks in response.

“What… Happened?” A confused Emolga asks from behind us.

“Long story short, we were all revived by Xerneas and apparently pulled from the palace.” I respond. “And judging by the Rainbows of Hope on the horizon, I’d say we succeeded in defeating the Bittercold.

“What about Munna and the gang?”

“I think it’s safe to assume they were rescued as well. Here’s hoping they can go back to their old lives.”

“That’s all well and good, but there’s still a question to be answered.” Virizion adds. “Keldeo, what were you doing in the palace?”

“Oh man… Where to start… Well… I was doing research on the great glacier, you remember? We planned on going there at some point so I was reading up on it. And I came across some very frightening and disturbing prophecies about it and how it would be the staging ground for the end times. So naturally I dug deeper. I realized that something needed to be done. But Virizion… I couldn’t drag you into such a dangerous situation… So… I did the only thing I could… I cut you out.”

“So that letter…”

“…was meant to protect you. I knew you’d try and find me. And so I had to dissuade you from doing so. You have no idea how hard it was to write that… It physically hurt me to do so. But I did it for you. So, from the information I got from you two during our meeting,” he gestures to Umbreon and Espeon. “I reverse engineered your Entercards and improved them. That’s what I used to get there. Unfortunately I was captured by Kyurem and locked in a cell before I could do anything. The many, many days I was there I used whatever was handy to create another set of Entercards.”

“Wait, hold up.” I interrupt. “You’re telling me that from scraps of materials in a holding cell you created functional copies of Entercards?”

“Trust me. With enough ingenuity, you can create almost anything with your environment. Anyways, shortly after the palace took flight, I could see you all down below me. And I saw a Magnagate open. So I know that whoever you were, you had Entercard tech. So I did what I considered the next logical step: send my Entercards down to you so you could infiltrate the palace, free me, and finish what I tried to do.”

“So that was you… Well… We owe you the entire mission.” I say. “Without those Entercards, we would have never gotten up there. So on behalf of all of Pokèmar, thank you. It’s… So strange… Actually… Everything fit so perfectly into place… As if… Something or someone was guiding us…”

“Alex, I think you’re reading too much into this.” Thunder tells me.

“Yeah. You’re probably right. Anyways, I think this occasion warrants a celebration! We party like there’s no tomorrow because there is a tomorrow! …Wow, that sounded so much better in my head.” Well, I got a few laughs out of that at least.

That’s another question to scratch off the list. It seems the Pokèmar does, in fact, have alcoholic beverages. Though they don’t have that high of an alcohol content as far as I can tell. Because otherwise the entire party would be drunk. So there’s that. Anyways, Swanna’s Inn is packed. Everyone celebrating and enjoying themselves, knowing that today is far from their last. All that energy feels a bit much for me to handle. So I ask to go out and get some fresh air. And indeed, the cool night breeze does help to clear my senses. I can finally hear myself think.

Today was a freaking insane day. We just fought a legendary Pokemon, won, and prevented the end of the world. The thought of it alone makes me feel tired. And to think, not that long ago I was a confused, panicked mess falling from the sky. How things have changed. I’ve made a name for myself here. I feel like I belong here. That I’m one of them. And I love it. This is a life I can be satisfied with. When I inevitably find myself on my deathbed many decades from now, I can say with certainty that I truly had a life worth living.

“Alex!” My thoughts are interrupted by a voice. A familiar voice…

“Hydreigon!? You there?” I call out. Turning around I see the ghostly form of Hydreigon. Like he had faded away partially. 

“It’s good to see you again, Alex. I managed to conjure up an incomplete physical form, but I can only maintain it for a few days before I have to recharge for a few years.”

“This is amazing! You’re alive! Come on! We should tell the others!”

“Alex…” His voice turns somber. “I have some bad news to tell you…”

My smile immediately fades, wondering what he means. “And what’s that?”

“You can’t stay here. I have to bring you back to earth. You see, the physical laws of the universe dictate that it is impossible for a human to live on Pokèmar. To bring you and everyone else in, I had to warp the rules a little. As a result, if you stay here, space and time will unravel. The Pokemon universe will be destroyed.” My heart sinks. I have to leave this life behind? And Thunder… He’s like a brother to me… But… The consequences are severe. I cannot stay. Not if I want to keep this world safe. I let out a saddened sigh.

“If there’s no other option… Then I will. I guess I’ll say goodbye to everyone tomorrow. No reason to dampen the festivities tonight.”

“There’s another thing… And this one’s more my fault. You see, the way I brought you here. Through your dreams. If I send you back the same way… No one here will remember you even existed. You will be wiped from everyone’s memories.” That was a complete shock to my system. So not only do I need to leave Pokèmar behind, but the impact that I had on so many… Gone… The thought that my own friends would forget me… Why? Why does it have to be like this?

“You can’t bend the rules a bit more?”

He shakes his center head. “I’m sorry, Alex. Not without risking disaster.”

“…then I guess I won’t tell them… It would be just pointless pain for them. …I guess I’ll meet you on the hill tomorrow morning. I’ll… Wrap things up on my end…” 

“Alright Alex. And I’m truly sorry. I really wish there was another way.” My heart feels heavy with this realization. How do I describe the feeling that comes up when you learn that those you love won’t even know your name? Won’t remember everything they did with you? The joys, the sorrows, they won’t remember any of it… But, like Hydreigon said, there’s no other way… This must be done. …I’m so sorry, Thunder…