How to Conquer Kanto in Eight Easy Steps - Chapter 100 (2024)

Chapter Ninety Nine: Soul Sisters

"Close your eyes. Shut out everything around you, everything except for my voice. Focus entirely on what I'm saying. Focus on me, my voice, nothing else. Hone in on that. When you're ready, just nod. Are you sure? Okay then – open your inner eye."

Alaska felt her breath evaporate from her lungs as a rush of images flashed through her head. Kris playing in her garden. Kris picking Chikorita as her starter. That Chikorita battling against a Totodile. Then a Croconaw. Then a Feraligatr. Kris meeting her grandmother for the first time, Kris searching through a cave for the voice in her head, Kris arriving at Champion's Park. Kris battling a red-haired boy, then Lance, then Red.

Each image was a mere flicker, existing in her mind for barely a second, flashing there and then enveloped by some other thought or memory.

All except one. Floating beneath all the other images was Kris kneeling in a field of snow, screaming as energy flowed through her body, her veins glowing a shade of red that did not belong on a human body.

"Alaska, come back to me. Alaska! Get her out of there!"

There was a blue flash and Alaska's eyes were forced open. She gasped for air as the real world re-appeared; clear blue skies, salty sea air, the gentle lull of the waves. Her own thoughts and memories returned, yet phantom feelings lingered. Alaska shivered from a cold long since passed, and her eyes were drawn to her hands, half expecting the palm lines to crack open with blood-red light.

"Maybe we should have chosen a less traumatic mind to try this on."

Alaska smirked. "I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone like that on this boat."

"True," Kris snigg*red. "There's a Slowpoke floating out there, maybe we can examine what few thoughts he has."

Alaska followed Kris' gaze up and saw what looked like a pink blob smeared across an otherwise cerulean oasis. The candy coloured-creature was the only Pokémon Alaska had seen out there all day, the sole being disturbing the otherwise calm, crystalline surface of the ocean. She looked around to see if the rest of its pod was near, but the Slowpoke seemed to be alone and unfazed, simply letting the current carry it along.

Easy life for some, isn't it? Alaska let the thought gestate for a moment before regret hit her like a car. Oh my god, am I really jealous of a f*cking Slowpoke?

"I've been jealous of worse Pokémon than that," Kris sighed. "A Drifloon got tangled in the branches outside my house once, and I remember watching the staff try to free and thinking… sorry, force of habit, I really shouldn't have…"

It took a moment for Alaska to work out what she was implying. "Oh, don't apologise. I've been doing it myself, so… I know the…the… I want to say guilty feeling, but that doesn't feel right."

"Because you don't have any control over what you're doing, so how can you feel guilty about something you didn't mean to do?" Kris smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, I've been there. It takes a while to get used to."

Alaska simply smiled. She was sure it was possible – Kris appeared to be coping well, after all – but Alaska wasn't sure how she would ever live with these thoughts. It had barely been twenty-four hours and already she was sick of it.

An hour spent with the Champion had not improved things. Kris had barely introduced herself before she pulled Alaska into a training session, getting her to meditate and clear her mind as if it was all that simple. Alaska had been willing to try, but nothing could stop the thoughts from crawling through her brain like parasitic insects, sucking away her energy and free will.

She and Kris were at least alone at the prow of the boat, many inches of steel separating them from Leaf, Janine, Looker, everyone, but Alaska could still hear their whispers permeating through the walls, memories trying to get under her skin.

"I have to be honest." Alaska had been sitting on this question all day, but now seemed as prudent a time to ask as any. "I don't know how it was for you, but this gift or power or whatever we're calling it, I would give anything to be rid of it. I know you are just here to help, and I do appreciate it, but rather than trying to help me control it, can't I just give it back and move on?"

Alaska had barely finished speaking before Kris laughed, a high-pitched snort that quickly turned into a gasp, hands flying to her face as if they could catch the sound. Words failed Alaska, and she simply tilted her head and stared quizzically at Kris, whose face rapidly filled with guilt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she said finally after a drawn-out pause.

"You don't look very sorry," Alaska retorted.

"I am!" Kris protested, though even as she said it her lips started twitching again, a giggle clearly waiting to slip out. Alaska simply raised an eyebrow, and Kris let it free with great reluctance. "Okay, I am sorry for laughing, but what you said sounded just like me back in the day."

"You wanted to give up this power as well?" Somehow, Alaska couldn't imagine Kris – the Johto Champion, this unknown figure that was both revered and reviled – handing away whatever it was that they had.

"See, that's what got me. You keep talking about 'power' like we've just been injected with a special serum and now we're superheroes. So, first things first, we don't have a power – they do."

Kris pointed to the sky, and Alaska obediently turned her gaze in the same direction. Unsurprisingly, there were Latios and Latias, still floating in circles above the boat as they had done for the last hour. She knew they were listening in – that blue flash could have only come from one place – but a soft, distant voice whispering in the corners of her mind told her that the two were deep in their own conversation, one she would not be privy to.

Yet, despite herself, Alaska longed to know what they were saying. The rush that had come through Latios when he saw his sister, the flashes of memory that felt eerily familiar; theirs was a connection stronger than any other, and Alaska found herself strangely envious to think that two creatures could be so powerfully devoted to each other.

"How much do you know about him and his origins?"

Kris' voice echoed from what felt like the bottom of a deep well, and reluctantly Alaska pulled her gaze away from the gods. "Nothing at all."

"Ah…" Kris pondered this for a moment before smiling and dropping into a crouch. "Well, I guess it's time for the history part of today's lesson! Sit down, come on."

"Fine, but I didn't come on this journey to learn things," Alaska said as she lowered herself down, "so there better be a murder or two to keep things interesting."

"Wow, you really do know nothing – about them," Kris added quickly. "It's not your fault, people know very little about them. I've tried to find texts, paintings, monuments, anything to fill in the gaps in our shared knowledge, but there isn't a lot out there.

"What is known and generally accepted is that the two of them were created essentially to serve as universal peacekeepers. This was back when humans and Pokémon were still at war, decimating one another as they pointlessly tried to defend their territories.

"Arceus knew something needed to be done, so he created Latias and Latios to try and placate the masses. He did this by giving them a unique mix of powers; draconic abilities to make them stronger and more invulnerable than most ordinary Pokémon, balanced with psychic skills that made them peaceful and gentle.

"He also carved off pieces of their essences and placed them into two rocks. Two humans were then selected by some divine lottery system and were bonded to one of the twins. They would be allowed to share in their gifts, and in doing so prove to everyone else that humans and Pokémon could cohabitate together without, you know, killing each other."

As Kris spoke, Alaska saw images flash across her eyes; burning villages, armies advancing on one another, and then what looked like a theatre carved into the earth. The flashes made her head spin, and she struggled not to flinch. "What does this have to do with their gifts?"

"Right… so, we all know that Psychic Pokémon can enter the minds of those around them. It's as if we all have a little door at the back of our brains, one that only Psychics can see. They can open it at will and step inside, but most can't do anything more than look around and leave again. That makes sense?"

Alaska nodded, thinking of Hestia prodding around inside her head.

"Well, for the two of us, the door goes both ways," Kris continued. "When Latios fought his way back into this world, he opened that door and left it unlocked, allowing you to move through it at will. The more his strength grew, the more he was able to travel through your door and through the minds of those near you.

"That probably seemed like a handy little skill, something that made defeating certain gym leaders a little easier," Kris said, a twinkle in her eye. "However, now that you've met, the pair of you entered each other's field of reception. So now everything, all the information you want, all the thoughts you didn't want to hear, you can pick up on all of them. You've gained that ability to open any door near you, whether you want to or not. You need to learn to go back and shut them all so that only a few are left open, the ones you actually need."

"I think your metaphors got a little jumbled there."

Kris smirked and shrugged. "Probably. You're the first person I've ever had to tutor in this, so cut me some slack."

"Well, who tutored you?"

Kris' smile faltered, and her eyes flickered fretfully towards Latias. "No one," she said after a minute. "It was just me and her having to sort it out together. It… it wasn't fun."

Alaska nodded; she didn't need to hear anything else, she understood that pain all too well. "So, how did you manage to shut all the voices out?"

"Practice. Meditation, sleep therapy, hard training. Of course, it was made a little easier thanks to this."

Kris reached into her bag, ferreting around for something inside. Even before she pulled it out, Alaska could tell that Kris had been waiting for this moment all day. There was an eagerness in the Champion's face, a sparkle in her eye and fidgeting energy around her that radiated anticipation.

Finally, she pulled out a small wooden box. Kris held it out silently, and Alaska accepted it with the same ominous hush. As her fingers brushed across the wooden surface engraved with Arcethian symbols, the whispers in the back of her head picked up. Alaska winced as she tried to ignore them, but they were now louder than ever, screaming in her head. It felt as though there were dozens, maybe even hundreds, of people talking to her now, and she could barely keep her eyes open as her fingers ripped open the lid.

Blue light radiated from the box, and Alaska screamed as her vision went dark. She felt her head tip back and hit something hard, but all she could see were memories, memories that had no business being inside her head. Army training, gym battles, funerals, weddings, birthdays, school exams, anger, devotion, intimacy, depression; Alaska could see it all and she was certain it was killing her.

"GET THEM OUT, GET THEM OUT!"

Alaska, breathe!

A blow with the force of a punch hit Alaska across the head, and she lurched forward faster than her brain could process. She almost rolled forwards before she was even aware of what was happening, but a pair of hands pulled her back, the touch snapping her brain back into place. The images vanished as quickly as they had appeared, though the voices, reduced to hushed whispers once again, remained.

"What… the f*ck… is that?" Alaska wheezed.

This is the Enigma Stone.

In her jolted state, Alaska hadn't even noticed the twins approach. She cautiously glanced upwards, afraid one look from Latios might send her back, but the legendary was staring at the box that was now floating between his hands. His gaze rested on it for nearly a minute before he looked at Kris. You should not have brought her this today.

"Why?" Kris asked, her face slack with confusion and distress. "I was given my Enigma Stone before I had even met Latias."

Yes, but I had never re-entered it, Latias explained. Her voice was softer and more soothing than Latios', and Alaska relaxed as her words drifted over her. Latios has always been the harsher of the two of us, the connection between god and human harder to forge. His stone is still fractured from him having to break through it, and –

And Alaska does not need to see it just yet. It is not a playing card used to win a game, this is a jewel with power incomprehensible to mortal minds.

Kris glowered at Latios. "I know, I've had to comprehend it."

Then you should have known it was too soon. Latios watched Kris briefly with a dark stare close to a glower before he looked at Alaska. The Enigma Stone is the bond between our human counterparts and us. Part of my soul resides in here, a piece of me that serves as a gateway to a higher plane of existence. In a different reality, you may have pulled me out of there, instead of me having to force my way out.

"Can it stop the voices?" Alaska asked, her exhausted, pained state making her sound weaker than she intended.

Latios nodded curtly. If you have it on you, the power within will stop all voices but mine. However, the stone was not designed to be worn – there is untampered energy within, which, left uncontrolled, can be harmful.

"How do you control it then?"

Alaska knew before she had finished speaking she would not like the answer. No one said anything or even exchanged a look, but it was the forced, stoic silence that spoke volumes. The atmosphere changed, and Alaska watched the other three cautiously, wondering if there was some discussion going on that she was not a party to.

Finally, Kris met her eye. "Those visions you saw before, of me screaming in pain?"

"Hard to forget," Alaska said stiffly.

Kris nodded, smiling weakly. "Same here. What you saw happened three years ago on Mount Coronet. That was when Latias and I performed the ceremony that re-distributed the energy from our Enigma Stone between us."

"Re-distributed? Like –"

The energy within the stone is only there until we perform the ceremony, Latias explained. It is a commitment between both parties, one Arceus devised to ensure the humans were worthy to share our power.

And that is the purpose of the ceremony – it gives the human greater access to our gifts, while fully unlocking our own,

Latios added, his gaze firmly locked on Alaska. He twitched his hands slightly, and the box opened, blue light shining across his face. The ceremony is a symbol of earned trust on both sides and was meant as a sign to prove to our warring ancestors that cohabitation was possible.

Alaska let the words wash over her without paying attention. She was too engrossed by the blue glow, a shimmering light that seemed to be calling out to her. Despite the pain that she felt as the voices picked up again, Alaska wanted to reach out and grab hold of what was inside. An ancient power that was able to stop the greatest war the world has ever known, and it's my destiny to possess it. All I have to do is touch that rock, and then –

The images came instantly. Alaska gasped and stepped away as Kris' screams echoed through her head. She could feel pain like fire burning through her veins, and Alaska's vision wavered between the concerned faces in front of her and the shocked, bloodied faces of strangers she somehow knew.

"No, sorry, no thank you." Alaska wasn't sure if it was herself or the boat that was lurching, but she basically stumbled across the deck, trying to find the door through her shaking vision.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't want any more power or responsibility, thanks for offering." Something looked like a door up ahead, but Alaska blinked and she could see only a redhead clutching an umbrella walking through the snow. "Just take the voices out of my head and we can all go our separate ways, no harm done!"

Alaska, you cannot run from this.

"I could if my muscles weren't on fire!" Alaska raised what she hoped was her middle finger in what she hoped was the direction of Latios, and the thought made her smile as her knees gave way and she sank to the ground.

"Don't," she barked, sensing all three of them closing in. Alaska gripped onto a rivet and used it to steady herself, and without a second glance, she pushed herself around the corner, heading back for the door she had come through.

"Alaska, you can't just walk away!"

"f*ck off, Kris, I don't need any more meditation lessons from you."

Alaska was nearly at the door when Kris grabbed hold of her, pulling her around so they were face-to-face. "You may not want to hear what I have to say, but I'm the only person in the world alive who knows what you're going through. I can help you through this."

"You think we're sisters in arms just because of these stupid rocks?" Alaska snapped, pulling her arm free from Kris' grip. "Just because you were willing to go through that doesn't mean I have to be."

"Willing?" Kris scoffed. "You really think I wanted to do that? Did you actually listen to my memories while you were in there, or were you too focused on what was happening around you?"

Alaska was never one to give up on an argument this easily, but as she tried to counter Kris' bitter, fiery glare, she knew she had nothing to say. Kris was right, she had been too consumed by the pain she had felt that she hadn't realised that the pain wasn't even hers.

As she processed this, Kris stood watching her with a glint in her eyes that was glumly triumphant. As the minutes dragged by in silence, she sighed and sank back against the railing, letting her gaze drift across the ocean.

"Very little in my life has been my choice. My father left us, my mother ostracised us from his family, and then she got sick. I left on my journey thinking it was my chance to take control, but then Gold –" Kris hesitated, and Alaska could sense the shiver that ran through her body. "Ethan came along," she continued with bite, "and he ensured that I never had a chance to be at peace.

"I never wanted to go to Mount Coronet. If I'd had a choice, I would have stayed home, let all those with more experience fight it out. Even when I found myself in the thick of it, I didn't know what use I could possibly be. And then… then there was a moment, and I knew then why I was there."

Kris fell silent as her voice cracked. Alaska did not need to read her mind to know what she was thinking; Kris' hands had turned white as they gripped the railing, and her eyes shimmered with tears. She was not crying, though. The look in her eyes, dark and bitter, belonged to someone remembering something that they didn't want to.

"I know your anger. I have been there myself, months, years even, wondering why me, why I had to do all this, why I had to risk my life. And I can't fault you for fearing it – you'd be an idiot not to. If I had known it would hurt that much, I never would have agreed.

"I had loved being connected to Latias until then, but at that moment I wish I had never been given my stone, I wished I had never found her. It felt like someone was ripping me slowly in two while shoving a car battery through my chest. I can't tell you how long the pain lasted in seconds. It felt like weeks for me, and that whole time all I could think was I wish I was home, I wish I had never left.

"Do you know how selfish that is, though?" Kris glanced at Alaska, her tear-filled rage unchanged. "Do you? Because I didn't. Not for years. The thought never crossed my mind until I saw Cynthia a few weeks ago. She talked about how there is so much she hates about her life, but she would have hated the life she would have led even more. And I agree. Being Champion has been torture, but how would I have lived with myself if I had lost to Ethan, or to Lance? The emotional torment of a life spent wondering 'what if' is far worse than any physical pain I've been through."

"How can we possibly know that though?" Alaska joined Kris by the railing, following her gaze out to sea. "See, I've had that same voice in my head for weeks. 'You may hate this now, Alaska, but you hated that town more, didn't you?', it'll say, and I agree and try my best to grin and bear it all. But as much as I hated Viridian, everything I've been through… I just… wouldn't it have been easier?"

"Maybe. You'll never know now. Maybe it's simply that I would not wish this life on anyone else. The pain, the suffering, it's been hell, but it's been my hell. I have survived it, something few others would have, and there has to be something in me that makes me different from all those others. So I have to survive, I have to carry on."

Alaska struggled not to scoff. "That's easy for you to say. You and Cynthia can both look back and second guess everything because you both survived, you have lived despite what happened."

Kris was not as restrained in her derision. "Do you think it's been easy?" she snapped. "I've survived, sure, I didn't die on Mount Coronet as countless others did. But I have suffered, I did not stroll down that mountain and get to carry on living my life as if nothing has happened. I've lost friends, family, Pokémon. The circle of those I've trusted has gotten smaller, at the same time that all those who want to see me defeated have become louder and stronger.

"You know people think I am only Champion because of Latias? I'm constantly being told by the press, by other elite trainers, by f*cking randoms on the internet, that I only won because of her. It hurts, and I hate it, mostly because I know it's true. I managed to defeat the Elite Four without her for the most part, and then Gold, but Lance…"

Alaska solemnly nodded. She had the battle briefly in Kris' memories, but she remembered it clearly enough from watching it live: the brutality of the clashes, the screams of the Pokémon, the ferocity of the attacks, moments people would scarcely forget any time soon.

Kris seemed to be thinking on it as well, as it took her a few moments to recover and carry on. "All that darkness weighs down on me. For years, I've wished it would go away. In my blackest moments, I wish I had never met her. If I had won on my own merits, people would nothing to attack me over. If I had lost, I could have gone home with my head held high and started afresh.

"But I met Latias, and I am so glad I did. I would never trade her companionship away for anything. In time, you will feel what I feel with Latios, and then you will see why it is all worth it. I have spent years longing for a better life, but what Cynthia said made me realise in order to have all this good stuff, I have to accept my role in all this mess and all the horrible responsibilities that come with it."

"And you're fine with your life being dictated by fate?"

Kris let out a single, dry laugh dripping with exasperation, almost tipping over the railing as she let her head tilt back. "We're all dictated by fate, most of us just don't know it. You're in the lucky minority of those who have a chance to prepare for what's coming ahead. You know a fight is coming, you know you and Latios will have to bond, you get to prepare.

"You said before that I've survived, I get to move on. But I don't. I survived one day, but I don't get to live forever. But sitting in my house feeling sorry for myself as I have the last three years isn't going to help anyone, certainly not myself. I don't know why you and I were chosen out of the billions of people on this planet to fight alongside them, but all I know is I have to actually change my situation and find out why I've gone through all of this."

Kris stood back, not quite composed but her face lighter than it had been five minutes ago. She looked at Alaska and exhaled, the beginnings of a smile crossing her face. She looked free and unburdened, as though she had been holding that all in for years and had finally released, and Alaska wanted to be happy for her, but everything Kris had been holding in now sat squarely on her shoulders.

"But what if you can't save anybody? What if you do die and it doesn't mean anything? You've gone through all of this and you just… die pointlessly at the end of it?"

Kris shrugged, smiling in a way halfway between serenity and sadness. "I have to believe I've gone through this for a reason because if I get to the end of whatever path I'm on and it's all been for nothing, that might just be what kills me. But I won't know until the end, will I?"

Alaska couldn't let it end there. She wanted to say something, to ask all the questions that had been stirred up, questions she knew had to be asked while the walls were down between them. But before she could, the door behind her creaked open, and Alaska spun violently towards a nurse standing in the gap.

The woman looked startled for a moment but coughed to compose herself. "Your Pokémon have finished being treated, Miss Acevedo. Miss Oak thought that you would be worried about them and would like them back."

She held out a tray and Alaska practically lunged for it. There were all six of her Poké Balls, held neatly in place by the plastic mould. She hadn't realised how scuffed they were looking – one in particular looked scratched and scuffed, and Alaska knew that belonged to Darwin, having sat unused at the bottom of her bag for so long.

"Thank you," she said with an apologetic smile. The nurse merely nodded and accepted the empty tray. Alaska watched her go and kept staring at the door long after she had left, clutching the cold capsules in her hands.

"You have a Pidgeot, right?"

Kris' voice sounded far away again, and Alaska nodded without looking at her.

"You should let her out, I'm sure she'd like to come with us."

Alaska blinked in confusion. Had she missed something amongst all that bleakness? "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm sick of arguing and debating concepts that we have no control over. So I'm going to do what I came here to do, and that's teach." Kris said all this as she climbed onto the railing, her bloodshot, teary eyes at odds with her suddenly sparkling smile "You keep focussing on the negatives, don't you want to experience some of the joys as well?" She winked as she swung her legs over and jumped off.

Alaska was too stunned to shout. She ran to the edge and peered over, expecting to see Kris bobbing face-down in the surf. Instead, she was nearly bowled over as Latias shot up the side of the boat, Kris nestled on her back and whooping with joy.

She is right, you know. You have endured a lot today. You deserve the right to distract yourself.

"What, am I supposed to forget everything she just told me?"

Of course not. Remember it, think about it, hold onto it. But don't forget to live.

The irony in that statement was so richly obvious Alaska wanted to laugh. She turned to Latios with a comeback on her tongue, but remained silent as she found those piercing eyes were only a few feet away; Alaska stared into those endlessly deep blue eyes and saw the face of a much older, more defeated woman staring back.

"You win this time." Alaska moved to the railing, unsure how she was going to achieve this, but Latios lowered himself until he was nearly laying on the deck. Alaska nodded in appreciation as she grabbed his neck and swung a leg over.

She had expected some layer of fur or feathers, but Latios' skin was bare, just taut flesh that felt warm beneath Alaska's touch. It was almost like plastic, but it was vibrating with an energy that felt completely natural. "What am I meant to hold onto?"

Trust me, you will be fine.

"Yeah, 'cause that's worked out really well so far."

She seems to be doing just fine.

Alaska couldn't sass her way out of that one: Latias soared above the boat, moving so fast she was less of a blur and more a flicker caught in the sunlight. You only knew where she was because Kris' gleeful cries stretched from port to stern, rumbling across the sky like joyful thunder.

"Alright then," Alaska said, leaning into Latios with an elaborate sigh. Yet she knew he would be able to see through that and sense the spark of joy that had risen up inside her. The last week had been nothing but fear and suffering, and any more time spent Why shouldn't I relax? What harm is five minutes of fun going to do?

The deck flashed red, blue and yellow as Alaska released her Poké Balls. Her eyes drifted over each one of her Pokémon, relieved to see that they all looked far better today than yesterday. Bluebell was haughty, Darwin sour, Frances fretful and Nadia surly, all as she'd like. Shelley, sitting in Alaska's lap, even glistened as her eyes excitedly glanced around their new surroundings.

Alaska never wanted to show favourites, but as Paige leapt onto the railing, she couldn't hold back her grin. The Pidgeot fluttered her wings in a stretch, revealing a thick paste coating her bullet wound but no signs of pain or wear.

"You want to go for a race?" Alaska asked, overcome with relief.

Paige tilted her head curiously and looked between Alaska and Latios, clearly uncertain, and Alaska laughed. "Latios, if you will."

Latios said nothing as he rose away from the deck. Alaska yelped as she slid backwards, her thighs jolting as they hit Latios' wings. She leant forward so her hands clutched his arms, and tightened her legs so Shelley was secure. There was a squawk as Paige pushed off and flew after them, and only then did Alaska realise how far away the deck was. "Are you sure this is safe?"

Of course not, Latios replied, and Alaska caught a hint of a smirk on his face before she felt the wings tighten, and then her whole world vanished.

Alaska wanted to scream, but there was no air left in her lungs. She wanted to wave to Paige for help, but even if the pressure wasn't forcing her arms against Latios, Alaska couldn't see where to wave. The sky, the sea, the boat, her Pokémon, they were all just smears on the peripheral edges of her vision. Anything beyond Latios and Shellder looked like static on her old TV, a giant undefined mass with some reality hidden beneath.

Of course, Alaska was barely looking. If she kept her eyes open too long, the wind stung like knives and hit like a brick, pushing the organs into the depths of her skull. Alaska's skin seemed vacuum-packed around her muscles, which now seemed to exist several metres behind her. Latios swerved slightly, and Alaska felt her whole centre of gravity rotate entirely.

Is this supposed to be fun? I feel like cheese going through the grater.

"You're experiencing it on the wrong plane of existence."

Alaska reluctantly opened her eyes and nearly let go in shock; Kris and Latias floated alongside, appearing still while the blurred world moved behind them, and Alaska wasn't sure what optical illusion this was. "What do you mean?"

"Shut your eyes and open his," Kris said a second before she vanished, Latias swerving back into the nothingness.

Alaska was getting sick of hearing about her third eye, but if she was going to go through this, she might as well try and do it right. After a quick glance to make sure Shelley hadn't fallen off – from the look on her face, she probably wished she had – Alaska nestled back into her safe spot and shut her eyes. Alright, open sesame, abra kadabra, alohamora, show me a whole new world why don't you.

A shudder passed through her brain, and Alaska willed her eye open.

The world returned, though it was not yet at a normal speed. Instead, Alaska was viewing things through the tunnelled perception of Latios' vision. Everything seemed to be in a fish-eye state, everything curving away as Latios moved. Streaks that she guessed was the wind blowing in the sky distorted the world, leaving off-white gaps that stood out in the blue tint that Latios seemed to have.

Yet when they passed over the boat, everything made sense. Alaska grinned as she saw her Pokémon trying to follow them, their eyes tracing them slowly as they moved beyond their perception. Alaska finally managed a cheer and wondered how long it would take for them to notice.

In the distance, she saw Paige, still chasing after them but about several minutes behind, still trailing their starting position. Alaska wanted to reach out and touch her, but she knew enough about speed and force to think that was a bad idea.

You can't touch her, simply move the wind around her, Latios' voice echoed. We would kill her if we hit her untampered, but touching another Pokémon or object would force me out of this state and back into your normal speed.

My normal? Is this your normal?

It is my natural state, yes. We both prefer it here.

Latios glanced around, tracing his sister as she and Kris moved further out to sea. It is quieter here, something I am sure you can appreciate.

Alaska knew what he was talking about. The only thoughts in her head at the moment were his. All the voices, the whispers, the haunted memories, she had left them on the deck. She couldn't even feel the wind now that she was looking through Latios, completely immersed as she was inside his head.

Is this what it will be like when we bond? As they swerved over the boat, Alaska thought of all the people inside. Leaf, Janine, Looker – never again would she have to see inside their heads. Her thoughts would be hers again, and in return, she could stay here as well, escape the harshness out there. If I survive, I can finally be alone again. No more fighting, no more arguing, not with Leaf, not with Sandy –

The thoughts came out of nowhere. They seemed to literally fly into Alaska's mind, appearing with such surprise her head physically jolted. Alaska gasped as she felt a rush of grief and exhaustion, and suddenly she was seeing a mist of blood shrouding a laughing face.

Alaska, you must force them out.

I can't!

Alaska could see a Caterpie crawling up a tree, a Metapod spraying String Shot, a Butterfree dutifully protecting her trainer. She longed to cry, she wished she could go back asleep and crawl up in her bed and force the thoughts away. She wished it had been her that had been shot, not Butterfree, not her Pokémon, not her, anyone but her.

Alaska wasn't even aware her grip had loosened until it was too late. One second Latios' body hummed beneath her, the next she was hurtling through the air but felt strangely weightless. She could feel blood vessels bursting through her body as force hit her, her entire chest compacting so her organs seemed to condense into one. But all Alaska could see was Butterfree lying in what felt like her arms, her still warm blood pouring over her body, not even seeing the ocean until the water was well over her head.