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Ben took a deep breath. The idea was awful. But he had to try. For his conscience. "We link psychically so it acknowledges us too. It was made for one person, regardless of how powerful it's getting. We never had someone fully affected hit it, but its passing to others is clearly a physical thing." after all, they had been connected before. This could be different but it was still one curse, and he could cure his pokemon from it by returning them. So long as he didn't take part in the link, it was safe.

"If it's changing, that might mean it can be hurt. And these two have just the tools if that's the case."

Ben glanced at Alexa and sighed. "Then there's no point to it." He said out loud.

He didn't have another plan. "We don't learn anything from him just connecting. Unless your plan is to get an exorcism, we need to do more to try and deal with it." He was exasperated by this point, having a hard time focusing on more than his frustration with the day.

"We can't risk losing you with this thing, so we need to deal with it. It's too dangerous not to, and if you get caught we lose any chance at that story being told. And then everything we just did was pointless." Everyone who had just died had died in vain if that happened.

Ben clenched his teeth. She was right to be mad. He shouldn't have said that. "I'm sorry too." He frowned at her. "We can't lose you. You've been writing on the run, and I'm sure you've gotten plenty done. Except you'd have more done if you were anywhere comfortable. Anywhere not here."

He bit his lip. This was the moment. He could tell her what he wanted it for. "I know some foreigners. If one of them has a teleporting pokemon, we might be able to get you somewhere not here for a while. Somewhere out of region. Then you come back when you're rested. Or I can take the curse, and I can go out of region. Your friends back there..." He shook his head.

"I know you want to keep up with them. And frankly, if I can't find any other way to get rid of it, I'm pretty sure that thing wasn't the last one that's going to try killing me. That Curse is a bullet in a gun, and Darkhorse Hunters aren't all non-lethal. That monster used to be one after all." It was a less blunt way to explain it, but he was sure she had a better chance of understanding than the other two. They hadn't been there.

Alexa had. She knew what the stalker was like. And she was a noble, so he was fairly sure she knew that the hunters weren't just rumor and superstition. "It's your choice what you want to do from here Alexa. Francis can fly us out of here at the very least if you need time to think." He tapped his pokeball, and if she showed a want to fly away there, he would release the pokemon to carry them.

Not that Francis was much less tired than them, but he was probably less tired than that Fearrow.

It was her choice. "I can fly you there, yeah..." He looked at where his spare x-transceiver was stored. It was tempting to let her have it, so she could contact others. Calmly, he looked back up at her. He couldn't let her. Instead, he gave her his spare's number. Not that she didn't already have it. "Contact me here anytime you want an update, or if you dig anything up. I got an upgrade to deal with anyone watching us."

He found himself smiling. Somehow, it was a weight off his shoulders not to have the option of the bullet that was the Curse. Francis was released, and Manny returned. Once both of them climbed on, they would start to fly. "I'll see if I can get back in contact in person later. Maybe I'll be able to convince her to upgrade yours too."

Assuming they could get Alexa back to Kalos. That was an issue for later. "And yes. I'll make sure they're alright. Already asked the police to keep me in the loop."

"Her Pokemon cut that path of destruction through to it, but she never mentioned vines attacking or anything like that. I think it didn't expect her to get that far, or maybe it felt she wouldn't care considering." Ben replied. He didn't want to think the angry person had been the cause for their misfortune.

"She didn't seem like anything but an angry teenager throwing her knowledge in a sibling's face. But she's also a foreigner..." She couldn't have known Nostrad or anyone else who would trick them.

"At least, she didn't warn us about it." It was a very worrying thought, but bringing it up to Zack and Sal might well lead to another fight.

Ben nodded. He could trust Sal, probably. She was another native, and she was pretty clearly passionate about all of this. And then Alexa was on the scent.

"If I'd taken anything, the cops would have gotten it, most likely." He said at last. It was a pretty difficult problem to solve. "But I looked at it. Once Manny is stronger, he might be able to get some of the data from my head, but I'm not sure it'd be anything we could use." Or, rather, anything Alexa could.

Stories needed facts, and there was no way to back this up that wasn't in his head. "It was our only chance to get something, but everything was exploding." He bit his lip. That sounded like a cop out.

Coumarine Airport

Francis would let them down, Ben climbing off as well. The flying type needed a rest, even a short one. Then he would go and meet with the twins. He could rest after.

"I'll tell you once they let me in to see them." Usually, non-family wasn't invited in this early after an incident. As it was, he wasn't sure if it would be easy to face them.

When Alexa's hand reached out, he stared at it a moment, as if not sure what she wanted. And then he would reach out and shake her hand. "I'll try. You take care too, alright?" If Sal had her way, this might get a bit worse than Alexa would expect. But then, that was what Ben was working for too at this point.

He would return Francis to give the pokemon a break and start walking away from Alexa. He needed time to think.

Coumarine Pokémon Center

Hurricane waves dragged her into the depths. Terror, elation, confusion. Each new thought ripped into her, pulling her one way, dragging her another, batting her around until the best she could manage was to keep quiet. Keep staring. Serene dared not move, even as her master fought in the cafeteria-arena.

Master? Masters.

'Like it or not, I'm the only chance you have.'

...

'Lift this Curse. Or we won't have anything to lose.'

...

'My dear Salieri, you've already lost.'

Cofagrigus peeled itself from the ceiling, landing behind the masters with its shadow arms outstretched. It grasped their held hands, surging with Destiny Bond. Their thoughts blurred. Furious echo became harmonious rhythm, a fine clear note. But like a still lake's surface, the currents surged below. Serene stared, gasped, and it dragged her under.

---

As Dune crept along the deserted hallway, he might notice that one of the vending machines was not like the others. More coffin than cuboid. If he didn't see it right away, then by the time he looked back it would already be gone, creeping back the way they came on its four spider shadow arms.

If Dune chased it, he would spot it on the verge of disappearing out the open window in the other corridor, scaling the side of the pokémon center, desperate to reach the very top.

---

Robin squeezed Zack's neck. Her knees pinned his arms at his side but he didn't fight it. Her breathing was ragged, almost sensual, as she choked the life out of him.

'Robin?'
'Don't start,' she said, a thousand miles away. He couldn't see her.
'I am sorry.'

'No! No, you don't get to be sorry! You b*****d. I thought we were friends!'

The world shimmered and swayed, the ocean curling like light above a flame, dissolving into black nothingness before the horizon. Kelly bore his bloodstained teeth, his nose busted, his blood dabbed on Zack's forehead. They drew pokéballs and prepared to battle.

Zack watched himself, heavy with shame. He glanced to the beach-side terrace where Esme stood, her face melted into a featureless blur. The battle finished already. Zack stared blankly at his hands. Kelly stood over him. In a blink he was on Hydreigon's back.

'You got off easy this time, but I'll be back. You can count on that, Zack.'

Sand kicked up in a blinding cloud. Zack dropped his hand, the sunlight peeking through his fingers. Planes roared overhead, taking off and landing from the strips behind the massive, ornate building.

'The air smells different. Flowery,' Helena said as she got away from him. Zack held their bags, followed her down the steps.
'It gets like that outside the city,' he said. Short distance to Lumiose. Zack felt sick, but he wouldn't show it. Too long out of the saddle. Would he even be good at this anymore?

'I'm saying she can win, but she needs me to show her how.'

His mother looked at him sightlessly, unable to find the words to talk him out of it. They were home, in a crummy Castelia apartment, Houndour barking in the alley outside. The tap dripped like a hammer to the brain, compounding the cold, the emptiness, the lack. Zack couldn't breathe, couldn't move.

'Oh baby, I'm sorry,' his mother said, feeling her way across the living room. She found the couch, slid onto it, looped her arm over Zack's shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. 'I know how much they meant.'
'It's fine,' Zack said. 'They were just animals, I can always train more. Once we're up and running obviously. Some rich kid bought them. It's fine. We'll be fine now.'

He stared at his feet. His mother held him.

'Zack, it's mom,' Helena said. Her voice shook, on the verge of crying. Maybe she was crying. Zack sat on a bed in the pokémon center, some girl's clothes on the floor, the shower running loud in the next room. He stared into his Xtransciever display, dark rings under his eyes. 'She was driving. There was an accident. Zack, she got hurt. Where are you? We need you here. Please. I don't know what else to do.'

Zack pinched his brow, sighed.

'Alright.'

Zack watched Zack climb off the bed. He couldn't look, couldn't open his eyes. No no no no no. Don't show me, don't show me. Robin got him by the throat. Her glasses steamed. She threw him to the bed and he didn't fight it.

'I'm so sorry, he didn't say he had a-'
'Get OUT.'

Zack cowered in a ball. No, he sat upright, tried to get to his feet. Robin cracked him across the face and he fell.

'Me! You do this to me! How ******** dare you!'

'You lookin for someone?'

Zack started at the sound of her voice. He thought the medical tent was empty. Most people had been discharged after the eruption. Over the past few days, the commotion died down, the news crews grew disinterested. No more smoke, no more fire, just Zack and an empty row of beds.

'Maybe,' Zack half looked over his shoulder. Pretty girl with a twisted smile. 'I think I missed him.'
'You seem down about it.' She touched the back of his neck with the very tips of her fingers. Skin on skin felt electric. 'I think I know how to fix that.'

Robin placed her arms around Zack's neck, drawing him into a reassuring hug that stung his burns but he didn't care. 'He woke up last night.'
's**t, for real?' Zack flooded with relief. Kelly was alive. 'We gotta go see him.'

Robin tensed. Zack could feel it throughout her body as it pressed against him. He drew her away from him by her hips, looked her right in the eye.

'He said he doesn't want to see you.' Robin stared at his chest. 'He blames you for what happened.'

Zack felt sick. He saw Robin in his arms, the other him. The him this happened to. She pressed her hand to his cheek but he stepped away, letting her arm drop.

'Just leave me alone.'

'Don't leave me.'

'Don't!'

'Zack, please, you gotta help me! I can't- I can't get out.' A plume of fire. A falling rock. The earth quaked and smoke choked them half to death. Zack tried to steady himself as the volcano fell apart around them. Kelly's leg was trapped in the next chamber. Maybe he could get through, lift it, pull him out of there. It's what Kelly would do. And it would get them both killed.

A jagged rock fell, the size of a car, ploughing the earth at Zack's side, almost crushing him. He took too long to decide. The wall collapsed, sealing the chamber, lava flowing through the gap. Choking on smoke, heat searing his skin, Zack ran.

Trainers fell, one after the other. Zack watched himself win battle after battle, saw himself happy. Never in the spotlight. Better that way, he thought. Too much attention meant no freedom, and he could never give this up.

'Heeeeey, you see anything?'

'Not much,' Zack called back up, making out Robin's silhouette overhead. He was suspended by a rope, dangling in the darkness. The chamber had been dimly lit by the crack in the rock above, letting through just enough daylight to grow weak plants and vines across the ruins.

The torch strapped to his head cast a bright circle around the cavern, at the flowing water beneath him, at the scurrying cave-dwellers who fled his light. He looked dead ahead and his jaw went slack.

Rows upon rows of ancient pokémon statues, their pedestals worn away by centuries of water damage. They formed an avenue toward a greater stone temple, guarded by gargoyles and wards carved into the stone. Exactly what they'd set out to find. Zack grinned and called back.

He flew up the rope, toward the light, his hand reached out, broke into steaming open air. Cold, so cold, his skin dead, his bones stone. He breathed ragged, reaching upwards, until someone grabbed his hand.

'I got you. I got you,' Robin pulled him from the snow, into her arms. He shivered, the pain in his leg a distant memory. The heavens glowed brighter than any sky he'd seen. A live mosaic of shooting stars. Tears welled and tumbled down his cheeks as her breath heated him to his core.

Aggron ground to a halt at his feet. The brute got one massive hand underneath it, pushed against its weight, but not fast enough. Robin's Azumarill landed on its chest, brought its arm back and unleashed a Huge Power Superpower. The force travelled through Aggron's chest, drove into the floor, shattering the forest's grass carpet into concentric rings, leaving the steel type limp.

'Ouuuch, I hope you don't end up crying about this,' Robin grinned, tossing her pokéball up and down and giving him a wink.
'I don't cry,' Zack grumbled, recalling Aggron.
'Oh, I don't know about that,' Robin recalled Azumarill with a smirk. 'Franklin tells me everything.'

'Guys!' Kelly's voice screeched across the camp site. Dead of night. Even if they didn't have a fire blazing between their sleeping bags, wild pokémon wouldn't dare get close. 'Please can you wait until you're at the center. I can't sleep under these conditions.'
'Oops,' said Zack. Robin snorted into his shoulder.

Zack stood over them, the fire warming his back. He looked around, walked between the sleeping bags, at the people frozen in place. He looked at his best friend. Already his face was fading. The edges of the forest grew darker, the trees wavering, dissolving into black-green into nothing into the ocean lapping at a beach.

He saw his hands. Younger now. Much younger. His broken reflection in the waves. A boy of fifteen, staring out at the sea.

'Something on your mind?' Kelly asked, grinning. He was chubby, soft, kind. Nothing like Zack really.
'Kelly,' Zack said, his throat like sandpaper. 'Kelly, I'm sorry. I don't know what's happening but if there's even the smallest chance-'
'Dude, what are you talking about? You've nothing to apologise for. I don't think? Or did you tell Amber I wet the bed cause I swear that was one time and I need her to like me.'
'I left you to die, Kelly.' Zack grabbed Kelly's shoulders. Wouldn't let him budge. 'It was my fault. We shouldn't have been there, but it was me.'

'Relax, man. Seriously, what's got into you?' Kelly peeled himself from Zack's grip. 'I'm alive aren't I?'