Part 3 of 3: Crobat

They were all crowded together on the ceiling of the cave, moving about and grooming each other in preparation for a night's worth of flying. It could have been any group of zubats, but she felt like it was her old flock. On finding a stalactite that was near them, she landed on it. "Hello," she said. She had thought about what she might do or say upon returning, but all those ideas had seemed to fly away.

"Hi stranger!" one of the zubats called out to her. "Wow, you seem really strong!"

"Thanks, but I'm not a stranger. I was once a part of this flock, but then I got captured by a human."

"Really?" That got the interest of a lot more, getting them to turn their ears towards her. "That's awesome. I bet that's how you got really strong then. Have you figured out how to turn into the ultimate bat form?"

"Don't call it that," another zubat hissed.

The question made her feel embarrassed. "Um, no. I'm working on it, though." Happiness didn't seem appropriate in the face of getting replaced with a mythical pokemon, but that was the only clue she had.

"Aw, that's too bad. I'm working on it too!" He beat his wings, "I'm trying to impress every human I come across and..." and he smacked his wing into one of his neighbors.

"Cut that out! You klutz," she snapped, pushing him away.

"There's something strange about you, golbat," another zubat said. "When I listen closely to you, I hear tears and pain… blood and death."

The one klutzy zubat had slipped off the ceiling and was now flying. "You hear the weirdest things."

"But she hears the dead," another said.

Seeker twisted her ears towards this hearer of the dead. "You can hear that? You've been blessed."

The spirit hearer zubat shifted uneasily on her inverted perch. "You have been enslaved by the power of three lost souls. You have broken the laws of nature. You have killed a human in cold blood, for the love of a human who will not return that love."

At that revelation, there was an eruption of flapping wings. All of the zubats hanging from the ceiling with her flew away, frantic and frightened. She could hear a scattering of exclamations about it: a killer in their midst, perhaps descended from their flock? And if she would kill a human, then she might kill anyone. Only an insane pokemon would kill like that.

That is, all but the hearer zubat flew off. Seeker pulled her wings in closer around her body. "It had to be done. It's what he needed to be done, but he couldn't do it himself."

"I'm not scared of you," the hearer said. And from her scent, she really wasn't. "I feel sorry for you. What he's done to you must be something terrible."

"He's not terrible," Seeker said, before the thread could hurt her. "He's going to make everything better. And I'm going to help him with it, even if he doesn't see me as that important."

"When you say that, your heart dies a little more."

"Seeker," Cyrus called out, not shouting but speaking in a strong tone.

"May the gods have mercy upon your soul," the spirit hearer said, then flew off to join her flock.

Feeling unsettled, Seeker left the stalactite and flew down to Cyrus. "You will make the world better," she said to him. "You'll make it without pain."

"The atmosphere has shifted from the last time I was here," he said quietly. "I think this place anticipates my ascension as much as I am. If only it could be today."

"Hey mister!" There was the hurried footsteps of a boy about Maylene's age approaching them (although he wore shoes). By his side, there was the furred paw steps of a luxio. "Yeah, it is you, with the golbat."

"Excuse me?" Cyrus asked. "I don't have much time to waste on nonsense."

"It's for research, sir," the boy said. "I'm Lucas, one of Professor Rowan's student researchers. I saw you back in Eterna with your golbat, only she didn't register as a captive pokemon. But she seems to follow your orders just fine."

"She's specially trained," he replied. "There are more ways than one to train a pokemon."

If he was put off by Cyrus' blunt demeanor, Lucas didn't show any signs of such. "I see. The thing is, she also reads as being unable to capture. Why is that? And how does she do with being raised and trained like that? There's a lot of things you can't do with a non-captive pokemon. But it would be interesting to know other options than just using a pokeball, even some that might be better for some people."

This response caused some shift in Cyrus. There wasn't the disdain or facade he gave other people. Instead, the boy triggered a small amount of respect. "So you've noticed. I'm afraid that I can't reveal everything; she was a test subject for a new methodology of training. Huh, but you really are a researcher, even at your age."

"I won the regional youth science fair earlier this year, for a report on the biology of rock and steel pokemon. I had no trouble with the dissections." He seemed rather proud of it, whatever he was talking about.

It did impress Cyrus further. "Interesting. I won that myself when I was about your age, for re-designing solar panel energy systems. I may speak with you later, but I have business to handle now. Oh, but a word of warning: you ought to speak quieter and more respectfully when around Mount Coronet."

"Really? Why's that? I doubt avalanches and rockfalls would start to normal conversation."

"Research the legends of Sinnoh at some time," Cyrus advised. "This place, this is where it all began. The whole world. The most powerful pokemon of a legends are said to dwell here, and we must respect them by not disturbing the peace." Then he left, heading for the east exit of Mount Coronet. Lucas stayed where he was a moment, as if just now realizing the truth of what Cyrus had said.

It had been a busy time, with Cyrus traveling all over getting the pieces of his red chain together. Seeker went with him as always. While he was busy dealing with people and constructing his ultimate project, she kept trying to be more like him, hoping that would unlock the secret of her next evolution.

Happiness was such a vague concept, she reflected, like he always said. What made one person happy might make another mad. It was so fleeting, a pleasant warm feeling that was gone all too quick. What was its purpose in life? What purpose did it have in evolution? Maybe it was a certain mind frame, a total devotion and loyalty. Although, Seeker didn't know how she could be more loyal and devoted than she was.

If she could figure it out, then today would be the perfect time to evolve. Cyrus had brought her back to the place where he had met her, back to the little cave in Celestic. Being here made her wings tingle. Was it the memory of that day, or was it her new knowledge that this place was significant beyond just that? But then, that day had been painful. Necessary, according to the red thread, painful but necessary. She wouldn't be who she was if she hadn't gone through that experience.

"Then nothing new has been found out," Cyrus said, his voice calm as usual but still displaying that he was displeased to hear this. "I had hoped to hear that there would be some worth to what we've spent on getting and studying this site further."

"I'm sorry sir, but we have yet to find better clues," the worker said. "Maybe if we had more time…"

"I know what I need to know from here," Cyrus said, cutting off any hope of that time. "Right now, our resources need to be focused elsewhere. You'll be reassigned. And what is that racket out there?" He started out, but paused to hold his hand up to the worker. "No, you get your tools together. We will leave as soon as possible."

"Sounds like a pokemon battle," Seeker said, taking a few flaps to get closer to the entrance with him.

The person who had been left to guard the entrance was battling his pokemon against others. And it seemed the opponent trainer was Lucas. Although the boy was fifteen years younger than the guard at least, his pokemon were clearly winning the match.

For a couple of minutes, Cyrus watched quietly. "That boy reminds me of myself in some ways," he said, half to himself and half to Seeker. "He has the innocent appearance of youth, but watch his eyes. They analyze the battle as it progresses, taking in information about the pokemon he uses, the pokemon his opponent uses, how the strategies of each move work against each other. And he seems to be planning ahead, at least by three moves. He's like how I was before I realized the cruelty and unfairness of the world."

"His pokemon seem pretty happy," Seeker noted, listening as the luxio withstood a move that should have knocked him clean out, determined to make Lucas proud. And the boy responded in concern for his pokemon although he still had the upper hand in the battle. While she would have done the same for Cyrus, he would not have said or felt a thing.

"He should be glad then," Cyrus said. "I'm doing him a favor in undoing the world before he gets his heart and soul crushed by reality."

"Crushed?" Seeker wondered what he meant by that. Had Cyrus experienced something like that overwhelming attack by sound that happened when she had gotten the red thread attached to her?

And if he had been like that boy once, how would it have been to have been trained like that instead?

Then the battle was over. The guard got flustered and ran back into the cave, only to nearly collide with Cyrus a few steps in. Outside, Lucas was tending to his luxio, reassuring him with loving words. Inside, her trainer had intimidated the guard. "Don't make a fool of us," he said, then pushed the guard aside to go out before him.

When they came out, along with the site worker, Lucas got up. His scent revealed that he was wary but not afraid. "You?"

"We met back in Mount Coronet," Cyrus said to him. "The young biologist. I am Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic."

"You are?" Lucas asked, but only with mild disbelief.

Cyrus stepped away from the cave. "There is nothing more here of interest to us, so we will be leaving. You may find what's in there interesting, however. It's up to you whether you go or stay; it matters not to me." Then he motioned his two subordinates into leaving town with him.

"Galactic…" Lucas turned and watched them go. Seeker stayed a moment, trying to see if the boy really was anything special. But she wasn't a spirit hearer. She didn't need to be one, as he yelled out his next question, "How could you do such terrible things? I saw what you were doing to the pokemon in Eterna. Why would you do a cruel and heartless thing like that?"

Cyrus didn't respond to that. He only snapped his fingers and silently called for Seeker to hurry along. "It's for the better of the world," she said, then flew off after him.

They were back in Veilstone now, back on the streets talking to people. Cyrus was waiting on something that needed time with his machinery, so he used that time to bolster public opinion. And it was then when they came across her again. "It's been a while, Maylene," Cyrus said.

"Um, yeah," the girl said, nervous but with some purpose. "Running a gym is a lot of work. I'm not really sure if I'm doing everything right."

"You'll get settled in and things will become clear," he said. "How are you doing?"

"I've had some challengers come about every day. But only one of them actually earned a badge. Lucas; he's a strong trainer even though he doesn't fight himself." Then she paused. "Oh, you mean about me? Sorry. I'm working on things, I guess. I'm not so sure what to do now that Craig's gone." She was sad now. "How are you and Seeker doing?"

"We're busy as usual; taking advantage of a short respite." He turned to her, so she twisted her ears in his direction. "I figured that she was depressed, but she seems to be pulling out of it. It may be a while yet before she's ready to evolve."

"I hope she does cheer up fully. She seems to work so hard for you. But, um..." Maylene hesitated, then gave a small sigh.

"What is it?" Cyrus asked, mimicking concern.

She spoke as though she was worried, but uncertain what she should be worried about. "I heard from some people that the group you lead, Team Galactic, they were doing some terrible things to pokemon in Eterna City, and holding a man hostage in the power plant near Floaroma. What really happened?"

"Some people blew things out of proportion," he replied. "We've been running tests with energy and new technology, and there were some misunderstandings. I'm sure it'll clear up in time."

"Oh, okay," she said, still uncertain. "You've been nice to me and I didn't think you'd do something bad like that. But then... never mind. Sorry for taking up your time. I'd better get back to the gym." then she ran off.

Cyrus shook his head. "She suspects something," he said quietly. "Or someone told her. At least she's easier to intimidate than Craig."

There was singing.

It was strange; there was never any music in the Galactic headquarters. Certainly not singing, as the people here did their work and maybe talked between each other. Even stranger, it was some kind of spiritual song, a trio of beautiful pokemon voices singing to keep brave in the face of adversity. There was even some cheeky cheerfulness, as if their captivity could do nothing to keep down their spirit.

Listening to it, Seeker felt strange. She knew it was trying to be encouraging and defiant, but she felt nothing on hearing it. She could remember feeling happy singing with her flock. This time, she didn't wish to join in. She just wanted to know why it was. For that, she flew along the halls, using the teleport pads to go straight there.

It was down in one of the labs where Cyrus had built a lot of machinery. They were like what was in the Eterna building, but bigger and linked into one unit rather than a dozen. While she made her way down the hall, she passed by other humans who helped Cyrus in this project. They were trembling, upset and fearful. "I didn't realize he wanted to use this on them," one said.

"You can feel the pain," the other said. "They were just supposed to be afraid, not in pain. I don't know if I can keep doing this."

"It doesn't matter if you can't; he will."

Seeker went on, but her flight was slowed by psychic transmissions that were coming from the lab. It wasn't the sort that would hurt her. Instead, it tried to make her feel sympathy for another's pain. It spoke of suffering that the singers felt, even though they sang to fend it off. But like the song with it, she didn't feel the emotions the transmissions tried to provoke. Maybe she was close to what she needed.

When she entered the lab, she found Cyrus there. He was standing in front of his machine which had three pokemon attached to it. And it was them who were singing, a trio of small pixie pokemon that were alike and yet distinct. They kept in perfect harmony with each other, even if they were singing different parts.

"The singing won't help you," Cyrus said, also unaffected by it or the transmissions. "It will only waste your energy. I see no point to it."

They continued to sing.

Since they did, Cyrus ignored them and went to work on the machine. Seeker flew closer, but not too close. Cyrus had warned her that these machines might prevent her evolution. When she got close, one of the singers stopped. "Hi!" she said (at least she had a feminine voice). "Funny to see something like you in here."

She didn't even seem like she cared. "I'm one of his pokemon, so I'm around here a lot," Seeker said.

"Really? Do you have a name? I have one. I'm Mespirit."

"He named me Seeker of Heaven."

She laughed in delight, even though her scent indicated tension and pain. "Oo, how glorious. It's normally a sign of great respect and pedigree that a pokemon gets a name like that. Or irony. He doesn't seem like either, though."

"He's a good man," she said automatically. She had to defend him to a lot of pokemon, even those on his team. "He named me that because when I was a zubat, I tried to fly through the sky when I couldn't hear the reply of my radar."

"Why would you do that?" Mespirit asked.

"Because I wanted to know if there was something on the other side of the sky. The older zubats said there wasn't, and it's so hard no matter how many times I try. But I keep trying."

"That's an impressive persistence," a second one of them said, leaving just the one to keep singing. "Most would have given up on failing once. But if you do wish to find heaven, or the other side of the sky, up may not be the best direction to fly."

"Why would that be?" Seeker asked, turning her ears towards him. "The sky is up, so the other side of the sky should be up."

"It is like the horizon. If you try to reach the horizon, you will never get there as the horizon is always around you. But if you look at it from a different way, you can reach the horizon by picking a place on it to aim for. Going through the sky won't work by going straight up. But if you listen for a place that does not sound or feel like the sky around it, or anything you know, then you could reach the other side of the sky through that place."

"What's the horizon like?"

He flicked his tails in front of him. "Well..."

"She can't see well enough to know the horizon," the third said. "The horizon is like when you send your radar along the land and most of it comes back, but there is one small part that does not go back, leaving your knowledge silent there. The horizon is the furthest part of that silence."

"But when you fly closer, then you can hear the radar there," Seeker said.

"Exactly," he agreed. "But if you listen again, there will be yet another part of silence you cannot hear. The horizon, always escaping you unless you pursue one part of it."

"I guess that makes sense."

"You're not connected to a pokeball," the third one said. "I find it peculiar that you address him as your trainer when this is so."

Noticing that all three had stopped singing now, Cyrus paused.

"He is my trainer," Seeker said. "But he caught me with some red thread instead of a pokeball. I'm still wearing it too."

"I didn't think anybody knew how to do that kind of thing these days," the second one said. "It's been at least a century since the rites of blood completely faded."

The third one seemed to agree. "It is strange. Tell me, does he mention anything about a red chain?"

"You don't seriously think it's about that, do you?" Mespirit asked.

"He does talk about it," Seeker said. "He wants to get Palkia with it, since I won't be enough to do what he wants."

"Oh dear," she said, floating away. The wires kept her from going too far. "Well it does take a very long time to craft, like last time it was years..."

"Technology has advanced," the third said, concerned.

"He's been working on it since before he got me as a zubat," Seeker said. "I don't know how long that is, but it's a long time."

"And what does he want to do with Palkia?" the second asked.

"He wants to remake the world to be perfect, without pain and suffering." She scratched one of her ears with the finger-nubs on her wing. "I hear his words and feelings clearer than anyone else, but I don't quite get everything. He says something about getting rid of the imperfect spirit, whatever he means by that."

There was silence in response to that at first. The psychic transmissions had shifted too, from tugging at sympathy to a dread of something terrible. "Well it makes sense that you would be able to know his feelings," Mespirit said, with a nervous tone making her voice waver. "The thread ties your heart to his. Does he feel much?"

"No, he controls his emotions really well," she said. "He's mostly calm all the time, and every now and then something calls out. I'm trying to be like him, so that he likes me more."

"Can he give you orders by thought?" the second asked.

"Yeah, he does," Seeker said. She thought about what happened with Craig, but didn't say anything about it.

Nevertheless, the room seemed to get tenser. "Can he control you through the thread?" the third asked.

"Um, maybe?" She considered it. "He flies with me sometimes, well not exactly, but his mind is there. And he tells me what to do then. I guess so."

"We won't have a lot of time then," the third said. "It is authentic."

"You pokemon are strange creatures," Cyrus said, leaving the machine for now. "Seeker, come."

"Yes," she said, and flew after him.

Once they were out of the room, Mespirit and the other two pokemon began singing again. But any sign of cheerfulness had deflated. The song sounded more like something was being mourned.

The only thing Cyrus was feeling was a mild disappointment. Thankfully it wasn't aimed at her. It was aimed at Lucas, who was battling Cyrus in one of the gathering rooms of the Galactic Headquarters. The boy was radiating determination, but he didn't have the pride that most trainers had. He seemed like he was pushing himself and his pokemon to their limits, as something he strongly believed in. On the other hand, Cyrus didn't seem to feel this was that important.

Seeker didn't feel much either. She recognized that the pokemon she was fighting were really strong, perhaps stronger than any others she had faced. However, she had to keep stoic to impress Cyrus. As she faced the boy's luxray, she was concerned but didn't let it scare her.

An electric bolt coursed through her body; her pain senses screamed to the point where she nearly didn't feel her wings. But she couldn't lose quite yet. She'd already taken out one of the boy's pokemon. She had already poisoned the luxray, so if she held on for just a little longer, she would have defeated this one too.

And then something unexpected happen. Cyrus became concerned, for her. He brought his hand up. "Stop. I'll give this match to you. Seeker, come here."

"Back," Lucas said to his luxray. To Cyrus, he said, "If you want."

"You're throwing the match for me?" Seeker asked, puzzled. When he gave her a potion that completely healed her, she knew that was true. There was some cover excuse that time was wasting, but the truth was underneath that. He didn't want her to fall unconscious.

"What exactly do you base your pokemon training on?" Cyrus asked Lucas.

The boy had healed his pokemon too; his scent showed that he was wary, what with all the Galactic members around him. But he still answered honestly, "Compassion. I know them scientifically and personally."

This disappointed Cyrus further. "Compassion? You still have flawed ideas. Compassion is a weakness. Emotions are a weakness, and I intend to eradicate them from the world. Then what brought you here? Compassion for the three illusion pokemon?"

"Yes."

Cyrus paused. Seeker noticed that he was uneasy and wondered why. The three pokemon has stopped singing not that long ago, or it had gotten too quiet for her to hear from here. In the last few hours, the sympathetic transmissions had sharpened and he had been in that area. Maybe it was finally getting through his defenses?

"I have no more need for them," he finally said. "Take them if you wish. I think you're foolish, yet you do have some merit to you, more than most people have. Take this too." He pulled a pokeball out of his bag and tossed it over to Lucas. The boy seemed puzzled. "That is no ordinary pokeball. That is the Master Ball, one that will catch any pokemon without fail. It was given to me by someone who apparently had no faith in me. I have no need for it either. Use it wisely. I must be off to Mount Coronet."

"That place..."

"Yes, where we first met. It is time to meet our destiny." He then waved to Seeker and the various Galactic members who were there, ordering them to follow him out of the building.

"Sir?" one of the lesser Galactics asked. "Are you sure you should give hm something that powerful?"

"He won't have time to make use of it," Cyrus said. "And those three are weak, before you ask. They won't make a difference. Now I don't want any waste of time, understand?"

They all agreed, including Seeker.

The path up Mount Coronet when in and out, up and around. It was long; Seeker could have flown up to the peak easily. However, she followed after Cyrus and his human followers. Even when the air turned cold and ice began to fall, she didn't complain. She did notice that the air got thinner. Was this something those illusion pokemon had been trying to tell her? It might be easier to find a way through the sky when the land reached up into it.

"We're stopping to rest, not sleep," Cyrus told those with him. It was a smaller group than he'd started with. As the climb wore on and on, several had stopped as they weren't able to go on. Too tired, injured, with their Pokemon unconscious, or something like that. "If you're asleep by the time we move on, you'll be left behind. I'll be doing something over there, so don't bother me unless it's important."

Some in the group grumbled or sighed, but others admonished them. Cyrus went to the far exit of the cave they were stopping in. While he had told the rest he was doing something alone, he was actually going to do something for her and his other pokemon. So she went with him, even though the chilly wind blew stronger over there.

Then another Galactic worker came running into the cavern. He passed by the group and approached Cyrus. "Sir, I..." he gasped, out of breath.

"What?" Cyrus asked, his tone hinting that he wasn't going to tolerate nonsense.

He handed over a pokeball. "I finally got... your magikarp evolved, and leveled some for a... gyarados. I know you said that this mission on the mountain was most important... but I was told to get it to you as soon as... it was at the right level."

He accepted it back. "I knew it took a long time to work with, but you seem to have taken exceptionally long."

"Sorry sir! I... didn't have much to train it with."

"You've done your job. Go back and rest with the others. I want to work with my pokemon alone."

The man nodded and went back, soon to be fast asleep on the cave floor. Cyrus studied the gyarados with his device, then released it. "Oh, it's you," the large psuedo-dragon said to him. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"It's not been that long," Seeker said as Cyrus released Sneasel and Murkrow as well.

"And you, the weird bat that got me," Gyarados said. "Hah! You won't be able to beat up on me now! I'm probably more powerful than any of you."

Sneasel got worried. "Hey, hey, hold up!" he said. "Don't talk to her that way."

He snorted. "And why not? You friends with her, huh?"

"No, not that. It's just, a bad idea."

"She's a killer!" Murkrow squealed, flapping his wings although not leaving the ground. "She killed a human."

"Cut that out," Sneasel hissed.

"I don't mind if you tell him the truth," Seeker said. "Makes no difference to me."

"But we shouldn't," Gyarados said, nervous.

Cyrus spoke up, disturbing their conversation. "This may ultimately end up being unnecessary, but I don't want to get caught in a situation where it was necessary. You take this." He handed a long claw to Sneasel, longer than his own.

"How nice," he said, taking it and looking over its edge. "Don't expect me to like you for it, though. Give me more battles and I might change my mind."

"Uh, you sure...?" Murkrow started to say.

"And this is for you," Cyrus said, bringing out a glossy black stone of salt and holding it out to black bird.

'Oh my gosh, it so shiny!" he cried out, hopping over and snatching it in his beak. "Mmph, amph tasfty tooff." He took a moment to break it up better to eat it.

"And you just go and eat it," Sneasel teased him.

"I always knew he'd give me a present intentionally one day," Murkrow said. "And tasty."

"That needs a few minutes to get working," Cyrus said. "And I'll have to fight with you for a bit. Seeker, you go fight on your own, or whatever." He then took Sneasel, Murkrow, and Gyarados with him out into the snowy ledges.

Seeker decided to leave the cave too and fly into the icy winds. As she'd come up slower than when she'd tried before, her body wasn't working as hard to keep up with the thin cold air. Maybe that was the secret, to get used to the thin air little by little. But then how long would it take to fully break through the sky?

Finding a rock jutting out of a wall, she landed there and listened around her. Not that far below her, Cyrus had already found a fight for Sneasel in a snover. Gyarados was complaining about the cold and ice, while Murkrow was suddenly hyper and energetic, fluttering around the group. However, Cyrus didn't feel anything for them, not even annoyance. They were like parts of his machines: not as important as the whole, just things to use. Did he feel the same for her?

No, definitely not. He had been pleased with her at least once, and he allowed concern to lead him to throw a battle rather than knock her out. Maybe she had just been a part of his designs once, but Seeker was pretty sure that she was more important to him than that now. He just didn't let those feelings and thoughts rise above his internal defenses.

The sky was full of moisture, in the form of snow and clouds. There were more clouds overhead, so it wasn't a time she'd usually try to fly into the sky. Then again, what if the presence of all that moisture helped her? She would have a full radar view of the air around her and could notice something unusual. Maybe she could succeed now.

Even as she thought of it, she had to wonder why. Why did she want to go through to the other side of the sky? It was just curiosity at first, to know what was there. And then it was because she had always failed and hoped that she might just make it this time. But then, what was the point of it? Whatever was on the other side of the sky... it didn't matter. And it didn't matter because Cyrus was on this side of the sky.

It was her dream, but it didn't really matter. Only what Cyrus wanted mattered. Even if he wanted to replace her, it didn't matter. It was okay.

There was a tinge of sadness when she thought of that, but that passed away into numbness quickly. It was a relief to think that she didn't need to worry about what her goals should be, because they'd end up passed over in favor of his goals anyhow. As long as she was near him, she was... happy wasn't quite the right term for it. Content. It wouldn't matter if there was silence or noise around her. When she heard him and knew his thoughts, she would know what to do. Even if her own heart was silent.

And that turned out to be the breakthrough she needed.

A few minutes later, Cyrus had the other two members of his team evolved. They had sounded pleased, but hopeful that he might let them go soon if he didn't feel anything for them. Seeker wasn't bothered by this. He still had some use for them, so she would tolerate their foolishness. Once they had been recalled, she flew over to meet with him.

"A little late for the effect I wanted in having a crobat," he said, reaching over to rub her ear while she hovered by him. "But good. It proves the falseness of what was believed." And he smiled.

Seeker's eyes were getting a clearer view of things, but her mind was still scrambling to figure out how to interpret it all. But the red thread told her everything. He might be trying to clamp it down, but he was pleased to see her fully evolved.

And that worried him. He didn't want a loose thread in his mental defenses. "I never got into raising Pokemon. I only did so to blend in and get the acceptance of others; those without Pokemon are seen as strange loners. But I never felt a real connection to any of them. They were just there. Except you."

"I didn't want to go far from you," Seeker said.

Cyrus put his hand to his chin, thinking. "I did have you around almost constantly. I suppose it's only human nature to seek out companionship. It used to help us survive. But it's one of the worse flaws in the world. A person wants the love and attention of others but wants to see themselves as most important, producing two desires that conflict constantly. Biology tries to reward us for making connections. But when those connections break or are taken advantage of, it is crushing, painful to the point of cruelty."

Those words seemed to stir something in him that Seeker had only felt on rare occasion, but stronger and more distressing than ever. It was like a bad memory, but instead of one incident it was a whole string of them rolling into a perfect disaster. Sometimes a thought or bit of those memories slipped through, but nothing that made much sense to her. "I won't leave you," she said, wishing that he could know that for certain.

For a moment, nothing was said. The cold icy winds blew around them, but Cyrus didn't seem to feel them. Then he got control of his feelings once again. "That pain is not worth what little happiness comes out of companionship. Although in having you around, it is good to have someone I can speak to freely, without a need for all the masking to be socially acceptable. Perhaps that is part of why people owning pokemon has become so widespread with the advent of pokeball technology. Whatever reason there is, it isn't important. The peak isn't far off now," he turned to look up the mountain. "I didn't want to stop so close."

She flew a few feet in that direction. "Why don't we just go? Do you need any of the rest of them?"

"The ones that aren't strong enough would have been whining and complaining," he said. "And that would have started arguments, which I don't want to deal with at this stage. Give them a moment of rest. The unworthy will fall asleep."

"Of course you'd have it all figured out," Seeker said, confident in him.

Having a fully evolved team turned out to be a good thing. Cyrus' ceremony to summon Palkia was interrupted by Lucas, a friend of his, and an older man called a professor. As the other members of Galactic weren't dedicated pokemon trainers, the two boys defeated all of them soundly. That included Cyrus.

While he called her out before gyarados, he did order her to fall back before she got knocked out. He even had her healed up while the psuedo-dragon fought. And he had not healed any of the other three when they were defeated. They had no real connection to him.

At the end of the match, Cyrus backed up, clutching the red chain to his chest. It clinked and clanked in an odd way, mostly metal but with a tone like a psychic move. "I expect you want me to give up now," he said.

"Do you really want to erase emotion from the world?" Lucas asked. "You seem to have a lot of compassion for your crobat."

He got a little angry at that, as if it was something he didn't want noticed by someone else. But it didn't show in his voice, as usual. "It doesn't matter. I was only humoring you by agreeing to the challenge. The rite is complete. All that's left now is to set it in motion." The others were shocked to hear this, giving Cyrus time to turn around and call out, "Palkia, hear my words across the dimensions! Come to me now and fulfill my greatest wish!"

And the air itself split apart as the red chain began to emit light. Through the split in the sky came a pokemon larger and more powerful than Seeker had ever heard, or imagined. Palkia screamed incoherently, as if caught in cacophony of painful sound. "It will be worth it," Seeker said quietly, remembering but feeling numb to it.

Palkia probably didn't hear her, as it lashed out against the sudden calling. It was out of reach of them, though, with Cyrus and Seeker being nearest. In the meantime, the red chain floated out of Cyrus' hands and slithered into the air, seeking to connect to Palkia.

"See?" Cyrus said, anticipating his success. "I already control it. See the beginnings of my perfect new galaxy!"

"Heeee-ey!" a cheery voice called out from near Lucas. "It's not fair to start doing this without us!"

Seeker sent out a call of radar and recognized the pokemon speaking. It was Mespirit, with the other two. Although they seemed weary, they had come. "The lake trio?" Cyrus asked. "What are you doing here?"

"This is a part of the sacred duty we were charged to keep," one of the others said.

"Although we should have caught on sooner," the third said. "Sorry." They then sang out a melody which did not seem to have meaning.

But it did have a power that Seeker heard and felt. It carried itself in a contained fashion, vibrations reaching her ears but not the full impact. That hit the red chain as it was halfway to reaching Palkia. Once it did, the chain shuddered and crumbled into dust. Cyrus was caught in total shock when that happened.

"What of Seeker?" one of the lake pokemon asked.

"She is too far gone," Mespirit said, sad to admit it. "Sorry."

"I found my purpose in life," she said. "I don't care about anything else."

The three spirits then vanished. A second later, Mespirit appeared in front of Lucas. "We trust you with Palkia. But make sure to come play with me later, okay?" Then she left as well.

At that point, the shock wore off. Cyrus briefly experienced a boiling rage that was even fiercer than what he'd experienced with Craig. But it wasn't focused at any one thing. It was directed at everything. "They broke the red chain," he said, his true feelings roughening his words. "And then it... why did Mespirit appear in front of you?" It nearly focused into hate entirely on Lucas.

Before it could, there was an enraged scream behind them from Palkia."What the hell is going on?" it demanded in tones that shook Seeker to her bones. "Why are you trying to enslave my heart?" And the split in the sky began to fray further, threatening to rip apart everything before Palkia could come to its senses.

Cyrus' rage ended at hearing that. He realized that it didn't matter what he did or Lucas did, or any of them did. In not that long, everything would end and a new world would probably not come about. But he accepted that. If he couldn't have his perfect world, then ending everything suited his purpose. Seeker knew that and it did not scare her either. If it was what he wanted, it would be so.

And then there was the running footsteps of Lucas, his sneakers scattering loose stones on the ground. He went past Cyrus and closer to Palkia, throwing a pokeball at the immensely powerful Pokemon. Seeker didn't expect it to take hold; even a zubat could fight off a pokeball's hold if he or she wanted, so it should be impossible.

Should be. It wasn't. No battle, no fuss, no fight, just one pokeball and Palkia wasn't there anymore. The fraying of the rip in the air slowed, and then stopped. While the split was still there, it was of no threat to the world now. Lucas slowed his pace to fetch the pokeball and come back.

"The Master Ball," Cyrus whispered, now regretting giving that to the boy. When Lucas passed by him again, he spoke up, saying, "So you have control of Palkia now. What are you going to do with it?"

"Wait until it calms down," Lucas answered, not showing a hint of pride. If anything, he was in awe of what he was holding in his hands. "Make sure it's okay. Then, I'll bring Palkia back up here to get that fixed and release it to go back to doing whatever it does. Couldn't you feel it? Palkia is a force of nature. It doesn't deserve to be held captive by any means. But it doesn't seem to be thinking clearly now. I'll ask it to forgive me. What are you going to do?"

As smart as he was, this baffled Cyrus. He didn't see how anyone could really be like that, but there was evidence in the way the boy sounded and the way his Pokemon responded to him. But that gave him enough time to regain his mental footing, returning his feelings to numbness. "This may have failed, but that does not mean that I will give up. I will disband Team Galactic for now." Those who had managed to follow him up this far made sounds of being shocked, but Seeker just accepted it. "I will have my way in the end." Then he left the area before anyone could stop him, Seeker following as always.

Seeker flew around in the icy winds. They hadn't gone too far. In fact, this place was where she had evolved. True to his word, Cyrus had sent the Galactic members away ahead of him, and had released his other three Pokemon onto the mountainside. Then he carefully made his way down a steep slope, ending up on a lower ledge. Nearby, there was a cave entrance.

She followed him into the cave. "You can't release me," she said, knowing that was true.

"I would tell you to leave me as well, but I'm sure there would be no point in it," he said. "The red thread would simply draw you back to me." He continued on into the tunnel.

"I wouldn't have a purpose if I was without you."

Once they were out of the way of the incoming winds, Cyrus dropped down to sit on the floor, his back to the rock wall. He seemed to be exhausted. "I know the paths of Mount Coronet well. This is a hidden path. Once all the rest of them clear out, we can return to Spear Pillar. That tear in space makes me wonder. I've read some things about a hidden world. Back when everyone was superstitious, they used to say it was on the other side of the sky."

Seeker perked up her ears, surprised to hear this. "Really? So there is something there! We just had to go a different way than just up."

"And once there, there may be something I can still do." He clenched his fist. "I won't stand for anyone else being there this time. I should have known better. Don't rely on others, because they're stupid. All of them in Galactic under me, they were fools and I could use them as fools, or so I thought. But I was foolish too, getting attached to that boy enough to let him take the lake trio and the Master Ball. I thought someone of his intelligence deserved some kind of boost in this cruel world even if it wouldn't last long, but then he turned them both on me.

"Maybe he thought he was saving the world, but it will turn on him too." He then hit his fist against his thigh. "And it's always like that! Always at the end, after you've studied, experimented, run models on, planned, prepared... at the end, it all becomes a disaster, ruined by that one factor you thought was unimportant and everyone laughs at you, leaving you alone to pick up all the pieces."

She landed on the ground beside him and gently nipped at his hand. It was an awkward poise to have, but it might help relate to him better. "I'm with you."

Cyrus began rubbing the base of her ears, absentmindedly. "I wasn't going to wait on them to laugh this time. And I'm not going to put up with their foolishness anymore. I tried to act normal and seem compassionate to get others to do much of the work. That was just a sign that I still am imperfect. I will find a way to become perfect, and from there, the whole world will have to follow."

"And you'll do it," she said, pushing her head into his hand.

That action caused him to pause and look down at her. His words had been strengthening his view of the world. But that action caused an uncertainty. An unknown. "He did say that I had compassion for you," Cyrus said, caught in a discrepancy and not sure what to make of it.

Seeker pulled her wings to the back of her and relaxed. "I sacrificed my heart and dreams for you. If you wish to be perfect, then I will sacrifice my life as well. You are you whether I am here or not. But I am nothing without you."

Bringing his hands to his chest, Cyrus closed his eyes and considered things. Without anything to work on now, with his plans ruined, he soon fell fast asleep. Seeker stayed awake and made sure that he stayed safe and undiscovered.

And that's the end of it.

There were lots of questions on my mind while I developed this story, not just way Cyrus has a Crobat. There's also why Maylene acts the way she does, and why Cyrus gives the PC the Master Ball and lets you free the lake trio. And other things, like why nobody seems to do anything about Team Galactic before you step in. Oh, but that's standard game formula, so yeah.

I hope you liked this story too.