Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Chapter 39

Where… Where am I?

What…?

I can't… Hold on… Wait… What's happening…?

Nothing felt right. My stomach felt like it was twisting in on itself, my lungs were full of water that I couldn't cough up, my arms felt disconnected from my body… But was my mind even connected to the rest of my body? Everything felt so foreign and strange, like I was a million pieces floating in space.

All around me, I could feel darkness and emptiness. I didn't even know that such a feeling as darkness existed, but it felt like… cold, wet, pressurized air and the whispers of a thousand lost souls, trailing tendrils of ethereal blackness across my skin. Through my disillusioned mind, I vaguely remembered what had happened to me.

There was the rescue mission from the Subway, and Themis had gotten me out. Then, she told me to run away to the Amusement Park, where I had fallen into the bleak, swallowing lake.

Did I die?

Had I finally run for the last time? Breathed my last breath of air? Seen Luxio and Audun before I passed on to the next adventure?

Was this what death felt like?

But even as I tumbled through the nothingness surrounding me, a strange presence in the back of my mind seemed to convince me that I was still alive, by some miraculous occurrence. How on earth I survived that fall into the water, I would never know, but now, I couldn't seem to get my bearings right. The cold, dark breeze that seemed to blow against my face told me that I was moving forward, but the feeling of stability that my body had as if I were on solid ground convinced me that I was laying down somewhere. I almost felt as if I were…

Distorted.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

When my eyes finally opened, I truly did think I was dead, and that perhaps that swirling darkness was just my journey to the afterlife.

But I was, indeed, alive, because the second I regained consciousness, I turned on my side and vomited out all of the food in my stomach and the water in my lungs. Even after I was done retching, my head pounded ferociously and I could barely breathe.

Yep, I was definitely alive.

Groaning, I sat up slowly and held my head in my hands. That mere act sent a wave of vertigo shuddering through my body, and it took all of my self-control not to lay back down in the fetal position and sob my heart out. But I didn't know what I wanted to cry over.

It was much better to hold it in right now and figure things out.

"So you finally decided to arrive."

I startled at the sound of the intense, permeating voice that suddenly echoed through the air, resonating deep within my chest and pounding inside my mind. But as I opened my eyes, I couldn't see anything, and I began to panic.

Apparently, the owner of the mysterious voice saw the obvious panic on my face and chuckled — I think it was chuckling? It was more of like a distant, roll of thunder — and began to speak again. "Calm down, young one. The sights of this World will be revealed in due time. Allow yourself the chance to acclimate and adapt to the ways of this World."

This World?

Squelching the wave of anxiety and hysteria inside of my, I spoke aloud to the person in the midst of my blindness. "And where, exactly, am I?"

The roll of thunder surrounded my ears once more. "Why, you're in the Distortion World."

Then my sight came back.

And then, the world I had seen in my dreams, the one I had yearned to see, the one that many believed did not exist, unfurled in front of my very eyes.

Standing mechanically on shaky feet, I stared in slack-jawed awe at my surroundings.

Immense columns of layered rocks floated in air, seemingly suspended by sheer will. Everywhere I looked, I saw vaguely familiar, crumbled buildings situated on different pieces of floating land. To my utter awe and amazement, I looked to my left and saw a waterfall falling up, forever flowing until my eyes could no longer see that far. There appeared to be no sky or any sort of atmosphere in this place, rather a wide expanse of darkness that faded into nothingness when I looked up.

The entire world was bathed in a hypnotic grey and a dense navy, with splashes of shadowed green and rocky brown. But little bursts of light color caught my eye, and I could see crystalline structures everywhere, some resembling the columns of rock, while some floated aimlessly as clusters of crystal. Despite the absence of wind, small pieces of crystal and rock flitted through the air, and I could no longer hold back the smile on my face.

Running forward with renewed energy and strength, I yelped in delighted surprise as my feet seemed to barely graze the ground, as if I weighed no more than the breeze. My body felt lighter and more free than it ever had before, and I could barely stop myself from soaring right off the edge of the land mass I was standing on into the expanse of air in front of me.

This was the place that I had dreamed about seeing. This was the place where my freedom flew. This was the place that many scoffed at, merely laughing it off as a legend.

This was the Distortion World. And it felt like home.

From behind me, I heard movement, like the gentle hum of fresh rainfall and the perpetual sound of wind weaving through the trees. Even before I turned around, I knew what I would see, but the thought could never prepare me for the deity that was behind me. As my grey locked with his red, all breath left my lungs, and I was utterly speechless.

To say Giratina was intimidating was an understatement. There were so many words that could describe him, but no word existed that could completely encapsulate what he really was. Majestic, yes. Awe-inspiring, undoubtedly.

But if I only had one word to describe Giratina, one thing that I could tell people if I ever got back to the real world…

Chaotic. He was pure, unbridled chaos.

"You have the most amusing expressions," he said, his voice a brusque grating against my ears, but the sound was not unwelcome. I didn't even know if he spoke or if I was hearing the echoes of him inside my head, but no matter how he communicated, I found solace in his voice.

He slithered in the air toward me, his immense, serpentine body reacting and flowing with every movement. A harrowed, haunting darkness filled his beaming red eyes, and I tensed up in a wave of creeping fear. "You have nothing to fear, Child of Man," he said. "I was the one that called you here, after all. Why would I have the desire to harm you?"

I tried to reply. I really did. But seeing the true Giratina for the first time — the demon, red eyes, the tendrils of black tentacles from his back, the glinting gold plates on his head — left me scrambling to even think about how to react.

Finally, the words came.

"W-we-well," I stuttered out miserably, "i-it's all just a bit of a shock… Seeing as how no one's ever seen you or this place before."

He regarded me with what appeared to be humor in his eyes. "Now that is amusing." Maneuvering his massive body in a circle around me, he said, "What makes you so confident that you are the only human I have made contact with?"

I gulped and tried to still my shaking legs. Heart beating erratically, I stared straight ahead at the ruins of a building as I replied. "Surely if someone had seen you before, then the entire world would know, and everyone would finally understand that you, that this place," I said, gesturing around me, "really does exist."

He came to a halt ten feet in front of me, the rest of his body still circled around me. "Just because I have been banished to this place does not mean that I am forced to stay here every moment of my existence." Raising his proud head up, he looked off into the distance at a floating crystal. "Once you have lived here for a couple millennia, you tend to discover every secret this world holds. Occasionally, I roam along the barren parts of the earth, and in rarer instances, an unlucky human will stumble upon here."

"Surely if people have ever been here before, then the whole world should know of this place's existence, right?" I questioned, a hint of caution in my tone.

If Giratina had eyebrows, I was certain that he would be raising one at me right now. "I don't take kindly to trespassers, even if they arrive by accident."

Ice, cold fear dripped into my veins at his tone. Did that mean he killed all of those people? But in order to keep my mind off that horrible thought, I decided to say something. "But you said yourself that you brought me here, so I don't have to worry about anything."

His low chuckle reverberated in my chest. "If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done that in your slumber." I relaxed a bit at his words, but I still kept my guard up in case he really did decide to kill me. "The only thing you need to worry about is grasping how to operate in a world not shackled by neither time nor space. If you are not careful, then you could float up into the darkness," he gestured with a tentacle toward the sky, "and then you would really be lost."

"Lovely," I muttered under my breath. But even in my terrified, anxious mood, I couldn't stop myself from turning around and looking out across the expanse of the Distortion World.

"Incredible, is it not?" Giratina said in an almost reverent tone beside me, and I surprised myself that I didn't flinch away from him when I noticed that he was barely a car length away from me. "When I came here for the first time, everything was in chaos: the crystals were shattered, rocks were everywhere, and no matter where I went, I could never figure out which way was up and down."

"So you made all of this, then?"

"Indeed, I did. The initial loneliness was suffocating, almost enough to turn me into insanity, and if that ever happened…" he trailed off, and I was awestruck by how easily he conversed with me and confided in me. "Well, let's just say that the whole world would fall apart if I went insane." Then, to clear the tense atmosphere around us, he began to talk.

"After a couple hundred years, I finally came to the conclusion that 'down' was wherever my feet were located. Then, I began to redesign this entire world, into one that could balance the chaos and harmony of your world." We both watched as a crystal about the size of a car floated toward us. When it got close enough to us, Giratina reached one of his tendrils out and gently brought the crystal right in front of me. "I discovered that these crystals were portals and mirrors into your own world, and I consolidated them together. Here: look closely at the surface."

Confused, I edged close to the crystal, and an almost inaudible gasp escaped my mouth when I looked deep into it.

Although the edges of the crystal were rough and jagged, the inside was clear and unblemished, providing the perfect image of a large forest back on earth. As I leaned closer and adjusted my perspective, I could see small Pidgey flying in the air and the leaves moving in the breeze.

"That's incredible!" I exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Giratina smiled at me. "I like to think that it is. Makes balancing the chaotic parts of the world easier, but these crystals are more fragile than the petal of a flower. One small scratch or bump can change the entire geography of one place." As an example, he pushed the tip of a tendril into the crystal, and immediately, the image reacted and I saw Pokemon fleeing the forest as a massive crater suddenly developed in the ground.

"So all of the disasters that happen in the world," I began to say, gesturing to the crystal, "are results of something happening to these crystals?"

"Occasionally. I pride myself on my ability to maintain control of all the crystals, but one may slip out of reach temporarily, and that's when most of your earthquakes happen. But sometimes, your natural disasters occur simply because one of the other Pokemon Deities has been provoked and lost balance within them," he replied as he let the crystal float off in another direction.

I frowned and furrowed my brows as I watched the crystal containing an image of the earth float away. How wondrous and how cruel the world could be. "I am sorry. It must be a lonely existence here."

"It surprises me to hear you say that," Giratina said. "After all, the Distortion World is the culmination and tangible evidence of that freedom that you desperately crave." When he saw my stunned expression, he chuckled, and I decided that it was the most lovely and soothing sound I would ever hear. "I see you are truly empathetic. Before I called you here, I began to doubt that you paid any care or thought to me at all, except on the truly rare occasion."

"You knew about my interest in you?" I asked, surprised.

"I see everything that happens on the earth," he replied, sweeping his gaze across the world. "But I pay more attention to those that try to understand me."

This entire world was confusing. Giratina was confusing.

"I have been watching Unova for many years now, watching as it slowly spiraled into destruction and chaos. Just like the other members of your Rebellion, I waited to find the one person that could bring Unova back to its former glory," he explained, slithering into the air in front of me. As he moved forward, breathed in an ancient scent of dust and moisture, but it was not unpleasant. Sitting on the ground at the edge of the land, I listened to Giratina.

"But the years began to pass, and while the rest of the world thrived, Unova fell more and more into despair, and the Rebellion began to lose hope. But then, as I was looking over Unova one day, I found you," he said, a nostalgic tone in his voice. "You were quite young, and almost passed on until I heard you say my name. Of course people have called out to me before, but they usually speak with disdainful, calculating voices. Yet, you whispered to me with such confidence and hope, like nothing I have ever heard before."

My face flushed in embarrassment, but I couldn't stop the smile that crept on to my face. When I was younger, all I wanted was for Giratina to take me away so I could live in freedom, but he never did. I thought he never heard me. So I gave up on those wishes, and I sought my escape through books.

"From then on, I decided that I would follow you, keep an eye on you and help you," he said. "When you were finally old enough, I knew immediately that you were the one that was destined to lead the Rebellion. So, I sent you dreams of Unova's leader, President Javan, and did everything in my power to instill a passion in you to set the Unovians free."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So every feeling that I had towards Unova… It was all fake?"

"Fake?" he replied in a baffled tone. "Fake? By no means is your drive and passion for freedom fake. I merely encouraged the feelings that were already there. And then, I opened up the Hero of Unova's eyes to see the potential in you."

Hero of Unova?

But Giratina didn't see the confusion on my face, and continued to talk. "Of course, she latched on to the idea of you being the leader immediately, but it was her husband, that green-haired man, that accepted the idea and encouraged the rest of your Rebellion—"

"I'm sorry, but who are you talking about?" I asked, rudely interrupting him. Yeah, it probably wasn't the wisest decision I've ever made, but I didn't know who he was talking about.

He turned toward me with large, soul-shattering red eyes. "So you do not know…" he trailed off in a quiet voice. Then, he used two of his black tentacles to lift me up suddenly and place me right behind his head.

I yelled in fear, desperately trying to grab onto anything that would keep me safe on him, but I had no time to find a handhold before Giratina flew off through the Distortion World. We wove through the columns of massive rock, slithered past waterfalls that flowed in every direction, and passed by chunks of crystal, showing us images of the real world. But the true terror and wonder that I felt came from flying on Giratina.

I was flying on a Legendary Pokemon.

But I couldn't marvel at that fact for long before he began to speak, a low rumbling sound in my chest.

"With all of your cleverness and instincts, I would have thought you would've figured this out by now," he said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Have you never considered the possibility that your neighbors, Tavon and Arabella, are the great heroes of Unova, N and Touko?"

The realization floored me. I tried to speak, but no words would come out. Just silent gaping and processing.

Tavon and Arabella? The Heroes of Unova? There was just no way…

But then again… That could explain so much: Why Clay and all of the other leaders trusted their judgment so much. Why Pokemon flocked to them like Combee to honey. Why Tavon seemed to know what all Pokemon were feeling. How the got Luxio across the Unovan border.

"They are some of the brightest and cleverest humans I have ever seen," Giratina said, soothing my mind out of its shocked and confused state. As we flew toward a massive piece of land floating in the sky, he continued to talk. "They knew that Unova was heading toward a time of turmoil and confusion. So, they devised a plan to save the Legendary Dragons, along with the other hero, Mei."

He slowly stopped, hovering right above the landmass we had flown to. As I jumped from his back, I landed on the springy grass and stared in wonder at what sat in the middle of the land.

A massive crystal, probably as big as an apartment complex, was fixed into place in the middle. Skirting along the edges of the crystal, towering columns of rock were transfixed into place. A gentle hum filled the air, and I could tell that it was coming from the crystal. Moving towards it with tentative steps, I was surprised to see that no images reflected in its depths. Only the strange, low hum emanated from it. As I looked closer into it, I thought that I could see a strange lump in the middle of the crystal.

Without turning toward Giratina, I asked, "Do you know what they did with the Legendary Dragons?"

"Yes."

Whirling around to him with wide eyes and a frantically beating heart, I practically yelled at him. "Can you tell me where to find them?!"

His red eyes regarded me for a few moments, gazing at the crazed, desperate look on my face. Then he sighed, and I almost thought I saw a bit of him fade into the shadows. "I can tell you where they are, but it's the Dragons that must accept you." He closed his eyes and sighed again. "Even if you get the stones, there's no telling that they will recognize you as a true hero."

"But I have to try." I said, clenching my teeth and my hands.

"And I know that you will try your absolute hardest," he replied. "Now, turn around, and look upon the Dark and Light Stones."

Narrowing my eyes, I turned around slowly and looked back into the crystal, straining my eyes to make out the shapes in the middle of it. Then my heart skipped a beat.

There, in the middle of the Distortion World in a crystal, were the two stones that would determine the fate of Unova. They were right there.

Stuck behind ten feet of solid crystal.

I inadvertently let out a small groan. Turning toward the ever-so-majestic Giratina, I asked, "Is there any way that I can get them out easily?"

If a Legendary Pokemon could lift an eyebrow, then Giratina did the equivalent of it. "Are you so eager to leave the Distortion World?" He regarded me with a serious, contemplative look, lacking any sort of mockery or deception. My heart clenched when I saw a look of… Loneliness. Quiet desperation. Longing.

A small part of my mind shouted out at me from the depths of my sub-conscience, but I couldn't begin to understand my own thoughts. I could only pay attention to Giratina as he floated closer to me.

"Think of it, my child," he said, and I swore that I heard the rumble of a thousand thunderstorms in his voice. "What have you always wanted?"

In a voice as quiet as darkness, I whispered. "Freedom."

"This world can be whatever you want." Sweeping a shadowy tendril across the horizon, he looked at me with desperate fire in his red eyes. "You have the freedom to be anything, do anything, go anywhere, and see everything you want! This world is mine, but it can be yours, too."

I walked mechanically to the edge of the floating land, sitting down with my legs dangling off the side. Unbidden tears threatened to push their way out of my eyes. "It all sounds too good to be true."

I felt Giratina's presence float next to me. "You've lost everything in your life: your parents, your brother, your Pokemon, your freedom, and the one you love," he whispered gently, never pressuring me. "But here? Here you will have a home. You will have the power to change the world in safety. You will have me. And I will never let you down."

He watched as tears traced down my face, allowing me to take everything in.

But how could I possibly choose? Even the thought of going back to Luxio seemed too tedious and empty. The Distortion World was everything I had dreamed of and more. And Giratina… I always knew that he was never as heartless and malicious as everyone feared him to be. And I could stay here for the rest of my life with him. And that made me happy.

But…

"What about the Rebellion? Unova? My friends?" I asked through shaky breaths.

Silence answered me first, then Giratina began to speak. "I am not at liberty to say how things will conspire should you choose to stay here." When he saw that his answer did not comfort me at all, he took a deep breath and began to explain.

"Life is like the wind. No one understands where it comes from or how it is made, but we all understand that it is there. The wind blows wherever it wants, just like how life goes wherever it wishes. Occasionally, life will meet obstacles, just as the wind will collide with barriers." He sighed and looked at me before continuing. "Yet despite these obstructions, there is one thing that you need to know: It goes on.

"So what if you don't return to Unova? Life goes on. So what if you decide to return and help the Rebellion, but you fail? Life goes on. So what if you decide to return and win this battle? Life. Goes. On," he punctuated every word, but nothing in his voice sounded frustrated or malicious.

Life may go on, but what of the quality of the life? The people of Unova deserved better lives, but I had everything I ever wanted in the Distortion World. No one in Unova ever helped me. I didn't owe them anything, especially not my life.

"What path do you choose, child of the shadows?" Giratina asked, his flame-red eyes staring straight into my soul. "Will you stay with me in the Distortion World, where you can have all the freedom you want? Or will you return to your world with the Stones, where you can try to lead a Rebellion to liberate an entire Region, never guaranteed freedom or success?"

I breathed deeply, brushing the tears from my face. "I choose…"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Words cannot describe how truly sorry I am that you have not heard from me in almost two months. And I won't make excuses, because you all deserved so much better than this. But I will say that most of it stems from college preparation and writer's block.

And I know that this chapter is more explanation than anything and it's much shorter than what you all are used to, but I guess the important thing is that you finally have a chapter. Again, I apologize from the depths of my heart for how long this took. I promise that the next chapter will not take this long at all.

As I've said before, the story is winding down to a close, along with the possibility of a short sequel! I just hope that the ending is everything that you all were hoping for, along with a few twists to keep it interesting, of course :) And because I want to get this chapter out as soon as possible, I won't reply to reviews, but I will next chapter! You guys are all fantastic humans and I've missed you all. I can't wait to hear from you guys :)

With all my love, Comet