Chapter 27

If Lane hadn't been so exhausted, she would've wanted to follow Elisa through the ruin, in case some danger lurked that a human might miss. But she didn't have the energy to stay up for such a search. They made it through the door together, and she was already looking for somewhere to lie down. Elisa's pockets would've been fine, if she had any. But without one…

This far from civilization, there was no sign the old building had been ransacked, as she might've otherwise expected. All the damage to it seemed the result of many years of moisture and weather, cutting into the walls and peeling off the ceiling. But the structure still stood. Elisa shoved on one wall, and the roof didn't budge. So maybe they were safe?

"This is sketch," Elisa muttered, shivering again. "Why would it be abandoned? Seems like there should be some rangers out here."

The house was well-equipped enough, though in the way of hotel rooms and corporate retreats. There were no family photos, no artifacts of the people who lived here. It was all landscape art and the same metal furniture. There was a couch tucked into a corner of a room where the roof hadn't fallen in, with blankets and cushions intact. She drifted towards it, waving one weak paw at Elisa.

"I need to…" She stretched, yawning. "Don't let anything eat me while I'm asleep."

"Sure." Elisa patted her once on the forehead. "I don't think that fox would eat you, though. Sounded like he wanted to do something else with you." Was that… jealousy? Maybe if Lane hadn't been so tired she would've asked about it. But in her exhaustion, she could probably wait. She yawned, tucking herself into the little gap between the cushion and the side of the couch. It was old fabric, musty-smelling and stiff.

Never thought I'd miss Starfall. Did you really not know this could happen, Korina? How could Dominic get himself into so much trouble?

It was hard to believe all that had happened today—it felt like it belonged to someone else. But the memories were still sharp. It was hard to forget watching a friend die, even if the ending hadn't gone quite as expected.

For the better.

She wasn't sure how long she slept. It wasn't a particularly restful sleep, punctuated by more confusing dreams. She didn't see vast spaces and incomprehensible shapes this time—now all the visions were her own. She saw herself together with Elisa and Dominic in those ruins, as Korina punished them a dozen different ways. Yet none of it felt authentic. Despite her threats, Korina seemed like a Pokémon who did care about Lane. She couldn't help believing it.

Eventually Lane woke, her body stiff and uncomfortable for the strange position. I hope Starfall is still intact, even if the drive section is gone. No human has ever invented a blanket as soft as the mew could make.

She rose into the air, shaking herself out. She hovered there, expecting Korina's touch any moment. Maybe a comforting pat on the forehead, maybe a few licks at the worst of the dirt to help clean her up.

None came. When Lane finally opened her eyes, she saw only a dreary living room. There were bookshelves on the wall, but they were mostly bare.

Only a few actually held any books, while the majority held knickknacks, many of which looked handmade.

You people must've been pretty bored living up here. But who were you?

Lane inspected the old television against the wall. It was twice as thick as anything she'd ever seen, thick enough that she could land on the edge and walk comfortably along the upper rim. Says something to how long ago this was. Were they still using plasma TVs back then?

An intact dirty window permitted a steady shower of amber light around her, suggesting it was afternoon outside. Not surprising, considering Lane could sleep far more than any human. She didn't have a watch, but it felt like at least twelve hours. Maybe more?

"Korina? Are you gonna come out now?" Lane asked, voice timid. "I know we didn't agree about everything, but I'd feel better if you came back."

Only silence answered. Lane called a few more times, but if there were psychic powers she could use to actually get Korina's attention, she'd never learned them. The Pokémon had kept such a close eye on Lane that she probably hadn't even considered what to do if they were separated.

Too bad you don't know how computers work. You could send an email.

But just because the big mew wasn't here didn't mean Lane was alone.

Elisa was close, she could feel her. The human might've been naked and freezing outside, but she wasn't helpless.

Lane found her in the kitchen, spooning stew from a blackened can. She smelled like a campfire, but that was probably an improvement from the day before.

"You found something to wear!" Lane exclaimed, landing on the table beside her can. It was easily as big as she was, with a warm, inviting smell. Old, sure—but Lane was hungry enough not to care.

Elisa sat up in her chair, jerking just slightly as Lane landed. She wore a plain uniform of sorts, with long sleeves and dark boots. It didn't fit well, but she'd folded the legs up a little, and tightened the top across her chest with a few extra belts.

The proper, human Lane probably would've thought she looked ruggedly attractive. The mew Lane just nuzzled at her hand.

"Yeah." Elisa stopped, eyeing her. "Not sure why I should share with you, sleepyhead. You didn't help me start a fire. I had to make a lens with old chocolate and a can."

Was that really the best you could find? "How about because I'm… nice?"

Lane asked, halfheartedly. "And I carried you halfway here."

"That's why I let you sleep," Elisa said, before lowering the spoon down towards Lane. She lapped at it greedily, taking a chunk of meat almost too big for her mouth and falling sideways to tear it into tiny bites.

It tasted old and strange to her mew tongue—even the machine in Starfall hadn't made food taste anything like this. But she was too hungry to think about it for very long.

Lane said nothing while she ate, or even when Elisa stroked her back with two gentle fingers. Instead she stretched, purring quietly. It made her ears flatten and her face grow hot, but she couldn't stop it. If she was comfortable, she was comfortable.

Besides, it wasn't like she could take very much of that meal. Elisa was huge, and she could probably eat several cans that size.

They said little until the meal was done, and Elisa tossed the empty can into a bin across the room. It rattled as though several others were already

waiting inside. "You know, this isn't Guyana," Elisa said, scooping Lane up with both hands and carrying her towards a stairwell.

Lane mewed in protest, but couldn't escape her grasp without using her powers. She didn't want to do much of that, otherwise risk harming Elisa's thin human fingers. The stairs creaked under Elisa's weight, but Lane was ready to catch her if something broke. It didn't.

The top floor had been a workroom of sorts, with many tables and rusting old equipment lining the walls on both sides. Strange for an observatory. What did they need all this stuff for?

But Elisa wasn't there for the machines. She stopped in front of a yellowing map, pointing at the X.

"We're in Sinnoh?" Lane squealed, squirming out from Elisa's grip to hover near the page. She floated up the side, claws slicing through the old paper where she touched. She pulled back before she could get scraps of paper caught in her claw. "Damn. It teleported us thousands of kilometers. I've never even been to Sinnoh."

"We're a little far north to be part of the region for real," Elisa said. "But yeah. Pretty far from home." She lowered her voice to a nervous whisper. "Do you think Dominic will be able to find us up here? As a… Celebi." Her voice went strange, and there was that unfamiliar emotion in the air again. Sour and overripe envy, with just a twinge of embarrassment underneath. She was ashamed she even felt it.

"I have no idea," Lane said. "But I think something like this was…" How could she even say it? "When I first changed, I had these strange dreams every night. Like I was… seeing the other legendary Pokémon in the world, so big and strong compared to me that they would kill me if they saw I was there. Forces of nature, wild and dangerous.

"Except for him. Her? Them. A celebi, but I didn't know that until I saw them in person. They… recognized me. Or… that's not quite right. They were expecting me. They seemed to think I was heading towards something. Then Dominic got burned, and… I saw them again. I did what they expected. Dream hasn't come back since."

Elisa whistled, then scooped Lane up again. She didn't hold her this time, just settled her up against her shoulder. The cloth of her jacket was thick enough that Lane didn't fear digging her claws in for grip, so she didn't fly off.

Not right away.

"Does it seem fair to you? He's with them right now. Learning whatever…

it is celebi do. They're real this whole time. They took him, not me. At least Korina knew which one of us would make a good mew."

Lane was silent for a long time. She didn't have to question Elisa's sincerity—she could feel it. Elisa felt more pain than she had when she learned Lane was female.

Should that bother me? It didn't, but Lane was also a kitten. Maybe she'd be more upset when she grew up. "Dominic died," she said. "Right in front of us. It looked like an agonizing way to go. And… he must've completely lost his mind, going all the way down to the drive section and tinkering with mew machines. I wouldn't want that to happen to you."

"I…" Elisa opened her mouth to argue, but no confident sounds came out. "Obviously that would suck. It's not like I want to be one of them, really.

Dominic didn't either… he was the loudest voice arguing that we should escape!"

"Maybe you'll get both of us on your team after all," Lane muttered, voice wistful. "I wonder how Starfall knew to change you back, but not me.

Doesn't that seem strange?"

"Lots of things seem strange," Elisa agreed. "Why did Dominic go down there? Where was Korina? Why are there hundreds of legendary Pokémon living out here, hiding in flowers? Who left this house behind, and why?"

Something banged from downstairs, and the stairs rumbled in a series of light shakes. Elisa backed away from the door, fishing for something, but Lane nuzzled up against her neck. "Relax, it's Lopunny."

The Pokémon came through the door a second later, her face confused.

But unlike Korina or that shaymin outside, basic Pokémon like her seemed capable of only basic emotions. Lopunny wasn't complex— she cared about Elisa, and that was about it.

"Something's coming!" she said. "Big in the sky… metal. Coming fast."

" Rescue!" Elisa beamed. "That's great news!"

"White one flew up to warn me," Lopunny went on. "Said I should warn you to hide. Very dangerous."

"Oh."