Getting to Turnback Cave proved to be more of a challenge than N had anticipated. Apparently both the body of water that Sendoff Spring was named after and the entrance to the cave were inside a large ring of cliffs, like someone had drawn a circle around the spring and elevated the outline into the sky, requiring that anyone who wanted to visit first climb up the steep cliff face and then descend on the other side.

  The many Staravia and Starly that flew overhead only made him a tiny bit jealous.

  But with flight out of the question, it had turned into a multi hour process of carefully maneuvering up and down the rocks with some guidance from the local Gravellers. He had heard of a move called Rock Climb, which assuredly would have been extremely useful if someone like Torterra were capable of it, but the disk for the technique wasn’t currently in Lucas’ vast collection and none of the locals were familiar with it either.

  Taking his final step onto the solid ground that lined the edge of the spring, N let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

  “You’re all so inefficient. This is why everyone should levitate like Rotom!” His flip phone buzzed.

  “Rotom?” N prompted.

  “Yes?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Noted and denied!”

  Dusclops laughed. “You lot are a riot! Well, anyways, you just wait here while I try and hunt down the old man for you. Shouldn’t take me too long, I don’t think.” With a short wave, the Ghost walked into the entrance of the cave, leaving them behind.

  The group waited quietly for a minute. And then another minute. Eventually, when he realized that it wasn’t just a short trip, N decided to ask some questions that had been gnawing at him for the entire hike.

  “This old man that Dusclops mentioned, what sort of Pokemon do you think it is?”

  Rotom buzzed. “The options are limited. Restricting the list to Ghost types, as would make sense in these circumstances, Rotom would think that it is a particularly old Haunter or Dusclops, given the known species in the surrounding area.”

  Mimikyu did an adorable approximation of a nod. “That sounds ‘bout right. I don’ think there are any Shuppet or anythin’ else ‘round ‘ere…”

  …maybe going through Lucas’ Pokedex at some point would be a good idea. Sure the blurbs were more fiction than fact, but he would at least be able to put some faces to unfamiliar names.

  Though one that had been mentioned earlier was a bit more pressing, considering the gravitas surrounding it.

  “And this King that Dusclops mentioned? I seem to recall that title being used some time back. Giratina, I think you said? Or is there another King in Sinnoh that happens to be in an area with a lot of Ghost types?”

  Lucas perked up at that mention, stepping away from the water's edge and putting away… had he been fishing? They were on an important mission to help Mimikyu and the boy was collapsing his simple yellow rod to stuff it back into his bag. That boy really needed a lesson in social norms. There’s a time and place for things!

  “Bzzrt! Correct! The King of Distortion, Giratina, is the third member of Sinnoh’s Legendary trio. Officially referred to as the Pokemon of Myth in scientific circles, but more commonly known as the Creation trio, The Mythical Pearl, Diamond of Creation, and King of Distortion are said to be some of Arceus’ first children after hatching. Rotom has heard that in other regions there’s some debate over that, with claims other Legends actually came first, but… well, in Rotom’s opinion the Sinnoh version makes the most sense. Palkia controls space and Dialga controls time. How would everything else work if those concepts didn’t exist?”

  N nodded along. He imagined that most people had heard the story of Arceus creating the universe, but anything beyond that was a bit new to him. It was hard to tell if that was due to differences in Unovan culture or if it was just a matter of his upbringing, however. He couldn’t help but notice that Rotom’s explanation had strayed, though. “How exactly does Giratina fit into that then? Does distortion really sit at the same level as space and time? I realize that it’s important for Ghost types, but it seems a bit odd when the other types don’t get that sort of treatment…”

  “Well that’s because… hmmmm….” Rotom buzzed, “Rotom… is not sure? Rotom never gave it much thought. Rotom uses distortion, so of course Rotom thought it very important, but now that you frame it like that, Rotom is realizing that it would only make sense if space and time were associated with a type as well, at the very least. You could argue that they both have a relation to the Psychic type, but that just leads to a different oddity…”

  “It’s cuz ya don’ understand Giratina,” Mimikyu chimed in. “Distortion is part of it, sure, but if yer lookin’ at it in the way that Palkia does space an’ Dialga does time, what yer really lookin’ for is that Giratina does antimatter. Distortion is… hmm. Does it ‘ave a relation ta antimatter? I would say it’s jus’ the fact that Giratina’s a Ghost, but Palkia an’ Dialga don’ really ‘ave any strong connection ta Water ‘n’ Steel, do they? Or, no, there was that theory that it’s cuz’v the states of matter…”

  N looked down at the cute Pokemon in his arms with an unsure smile. “That’s very nice to know Mimikyu, thank you, but um… What exactly is antimatter? You lost me pretty early on there.”

  “Rotom is also unfamiliar with this term…” his phone crackled.

  N spared Lucas a glance, but the boy seemed even more confused than they were. He wasn’t sure how much of the conversation Lucas had been able to follow.

  Despite being unable to read any sort of expression through Mimikyu’s disguise, N got the feeling that he’d let the charming little guy down with that response. “...right. How would I even begin ta…” He let out an adorable little defeated sigh. “Ya know what? Nevermin’ on that front. Whatcha need ta know is that yes, Turnback Cave is technically home ta Giratina, but more likely than not we ain’ gonna need ta worry about that. Giratina lives in the Distortion World, ‘n’ Turnback Cave is like… I s’pose ya could consider it a natural connection to the Distortion World? It’s where ya get booted out so… ‘n’ if we’re talkin’ that version…”

  “Man, you guys really are weird!” Dusclops laughed, giving N a bit of a fright as he appeared out of nowhere.

  N frowned. “Did you really have to sneak up on us like that?”

  “Sneak up on you?” Dusclops sounded surprised. “All I did was walk out of the cave. You must have been really engrossed in your friend's little story to not notice me at all.”

  Had he really been so unaware of his surroundings? That wasn’t good… but before he could devolve into a bout of self depreciation, Lucas stepped up, looking around Dusclops and even into the mouth of the cave. Dusclops let out a defeated sigh at the sight.

  “Yeah…. Unfortunately the old man is being pretty obstinate about leaving the cave. If you want help with the whole… reghosting thing or whatever we’re calling this, you’re gonna have to come in with me.”

  N frowned. “Didn’t you specifically warn me that it was a bad place for humans to be? On top of Nurse Joy’s warning against entering?”

  Dusclops did another of his little hands-only shrugs. “I could take Mimikyu in myself if you’d prefer? I’m just trying to help out, I don’t know what else I can really do for you.”

  Biting his lip, N considered it. Dusclops seemed quite nice, but they’d also just met. Could he really trust Mimikyu in his care when the enchanting little fae couldn’t even defend himself in this state?

  “Rotom could go as well!” Rotom chimed in. That would admittedly be a lot better than just Dusclops, but even still, passing off such an important responsibility…

  With a sigh, he turned to Lucas. “I’m going in. There’s no need for you to take the risk, so you should stay here.”

  Lucas raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if he were insane, before rushing inside Turnback Cave on his own, each footstep echoing.

  Dusclops blinked. “Well, someone is excited! Let’s get going then, I didn’t even get a chance to explain how the caves work yet…”

  “I really should have expected that.” N facepalmed. An area that humans stayed out of? Of course Lucas would be all over that. Less human activity meant less competition for his looting habits.

  Following after Lucas and Dusclops, Rotom’s electricity lit the way in the dark cavern. Except, upon entering, N realized that it was less of the natural cave system he had been imagining, and more of a ruin. Carefully cut brick lined the walls, the floors were even, and on a second level he could see doorways leading deeper into the so-called “cave”. Directly in front of them, however, was an inscription written in Unown.

  “Hey, excitable one! You should come back if you don’t want to die a slow and unpleasant death!” Dusclops cheerfully called out to Lucas.

  As N marched up to Lucas and grabbed him, half ready to put a leash on the kid, Mimikyu asked a doubt-filled question. “Death? How exactly would the cave kill someone?”

  “Starvation!” Dusclops happily replied. “Not all of the rooms are occupied at all times, so if someone gets lost or injured or whatever else, there’s no telling how long it might take them to find their way out.”

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  N’s grip on Lucas’ arm tightened. “Stay with me.”

  “Starvation?” Rotom buzzed. “How deep does this cave go? If it’s all as neat as this room, getting lost should be difficult.”

  “How deep?” Dusclops pondered for a moment. “I’d say… infinitely? The cave isn’t made of normal rooms. You could say that it has… oh, I don’t know, around twenty… maybe twenty-five-ish unique rooms, but you could enter each of them countless times. With the exception of the entrance to the cave, none of the doorways are normal. Walking through one links the room you were previously in to the one you’re entering, but once you pass through another, the past link is lost.”

  N paled. “So you could just be trapped in here forever?! Constantly entering room after room just to end up in a loop that never ends?”

  Mimikyu scoffed. “It ain’ infinite. If ya don’ reach the end of ‘em by the thirtieth room then it boots ya back ‘ere the next time ya move on.”

  Frowning, N looked down at his cute fae friend. “Why do you sound so sure of that?”

  “The inscription. It’s pretty worn out ‘n’ all, but there’s still ‘nough ta make out the impor’an’ details. Past three pillars, offer up… uh… somethin’ or other… before thirty is surpassed.”

  Dusclops made an iffy gesture with his hands. “In most cases, you would be correct, yes. If you don’t reach the King’s room within that limit, the next doorway will lead you back to this room. But these doorways run on some sorta weird implementation of distortion, and distortion, well… It distorts things! Weird things can happen. The old man has lived here for a long time, and he claims that he’s had to go through over a hundred rooms to get out before, and that it didn’t even lead him back to the entrance!”

  “Where did it lead out, then?” Rotom buzzed.

  Dusclops hummed. “He didn’t say, actually.”

  N let out a sigh of relief. An old man insisting on things that didn’t really have any verifiable evidence? So it was just an old tale, like the garbage in the Pokedex. That was reassuring. “I think we’ll be fine, then. Could you please lead the way to this old man you spoke about?”

  That singular eye gave N an evaluating look, but eventually Dusclops did his little hand-shrug thing again. “Sure! He’s set up camp in the third pillar room, so it might be a while…”

  Of course it would. N just hoped that they could resolve things quickly and get his cute friend back to normal.

  Seventy-four rooms. That was N’s current count, and frankly, he wasn’t sure how accurate it was.

  That wasn’t to say that they’d somehow ended up in the scenario that Dusclops had described, not at all. The unfathomable room layout had merely sent them back to that first room on a couple occasions, setting their progress back to zero once they crossed the thirty-first threshold. They’d become quite familiar with these brick walls over that period, as well as the inhabitants within. Some Golbat screeched at them, some Gastly gave them rude looks, some Bronzor stared at them unblinkingly, but none dared to approach. N assumed it was due at least in part to their guide, but he couldn’t be certain.

  Lucas had long grown bored, once he realized that there was nothing for him to loot from the cave. Dusclops and Rotom were idly chatting about various mundane things as they explored. Mimikyu was still held within his arms, looking like he’d be ready to fall asleep at any moment, were it not for the sense of unease that ran through all of them with every single doorway they passed through.

  It made him curious how it all worked. Yes, they’d gotten the boilerplate “it’s distortion!” from Dusclops, but that was beyond vague. Was it a move? Some sort of ability innate to certain Pokemon living here? Did it have to do with the fact that this place was supposedly “naturally connected” to the “Distortion World”, whatever Mimikyu had meant by that?

  It was as those thoughts went through N’s head that they finally, finally, found the third pillar room.

  “Thou hast kept mineself waiting.”

  All eyes fell on the room’s sole occupant. Not a Pokemon that N had ever seen before, but there were enough clues to gather that it was an evolution of Dusclops. The bandages that wrapped around its body had smoothed out into something that looked more like skin. The teeth like protrusions had doubled in number and moved to more resemble a longcoat’s collar. The wispy flesh had disappeared, replaced only by a golden bell on top of the head. The legs were gone, leaving the Pokemon floating in the air, and now the hands were actually attached to thick arms. It wore a dark grey coat with golden detailing and furry cuffs, with a face design on the front of it.

  Towering above everyone present, it floated over to them from the pillar, inspecting the group.

  “This is old man Dusknoir, everyone!” Dusclops cheerfully supplied. “He’s a bit rough around the edges, but-”

  “Quiet thyself, jester.”

  N was a bit taken aback by the fact that the words were spoken from the giant mouth on the coat’s front, revealing that Dusknoir’s insides were a black void, but he knew better than to speak up about it. Lucas was eyeing the Ghost curiously, so N sent him a glare. If Lucas started poking at Dusknoir like he had those Psyduck north of Solaceon, he was going to lose it.

  Dusknoir’s eye landed on Mimikyu, slowly panning up to N’s face. “Thine companion is the being suffering from such afflictions, correct?”

  N nodded. “Yes. We’re not quite sure what happened, but-”

  Dusknoir held up a hand, silencing him. “There is no need for thee to tell such fanciful tales. Allow mineself to inspect thy companion’s spirit.” With no further warning, he grabbed at the torn end of Mimikyu’s Mime Jr. disguise and lifted it up, peering inside.

  “Woah! Are ya fuckin’ crazy?!” Mimikyu shouted, and N jerked back. Dusknoir’s grip on the disguise was too strong though, so he couldn’t make much progress if he didn’t want to just drop his friend. The Dusknoir scoffed. “That could’ve killed ya, first of all, and secon’ of all it’s pretty damn rude ta upskirt me!”

  Dusknoir… seemed fine, though. The rudeness of that sudden move aside, had they really spent all this time worrying about an unfounded fear? Maybe they could ditch the disguises all together…

  Dusknoir’s single eye rolled. “Dost thou think mineself a simple creature? Many centuries have seen the border between Distortion and Normality serve as mine home, and many more before that hast these lands been graced with mine presence. No matter the purity of thy Distortion, what hast been gathered in a mere blip of eternity is a triviality when compared to even the shadow of the King. As for the matter of impropriety… thou art free to suffer on thine own, if thou wisheth to refuse mine services.”

  “Bzzrt. So you can build up an immunity to it?” Rotom asked.

  Dusknoir gave the Electric type a side-eye. “Thou should not expect such an occurrence for a great many years.” Then, the eye narrowed. “Thine appearance is not quite as remembered, yet… hast thy kind not roamed these lands before? Mineself seemeth to recall similar creatures for a short time as these lands were first tamed by humanity, though not since then hast mine eyes fallen on such until thyself.”

  “No clue!” Rotom buzzed. “You’re asking the wrong Ghost!”

  Dusknoir sighed before turning back to N. “Well? Shall mine inspection continue?”

  N frowned. Why ask him instead of Mimikyu? If Dusknoir was able to so easily discuss the times when Sinnoh’s first humans were around, then shouldn’t he know better than to default to a trainer, or at least a human who could be mistaken for one?

  “Yeah, yeah, go ahead,” Mimikyu agreed. “Ya jus’ gave me a bit of a frigh’, that’s all.”

  With not a further word, Dusknoir lifted the disguise once more, peering into the darkness beneath. “A Fae? To think that such foul creatures have returned to these lands. And yet, Distortion clings to thee so tightly, even in meager amounts…” Dropping the disguise, Dusknoir brought a hand up to his… collar? Which both made sense and was odd, given that his chin was the bottom of his belly… “The Truth has been made clear to mineself. The cure for thy affliction can be found this way.” Floating towards one of the room’s doorways, Dusknoir led the way.

  “Wait, there’s still some distortion in there? And ya can tell I’m a Fairy just by lookin’?” Mimikyu asked, bewildered.

  Dusknoir shrugged. “Thou may be an unfamiliar creature, but mine eyes shan’t fall victim to any chicanery. If any creature is so heavily mingled with distortion, it is no simple feat to rid oneself of it completely. Mineself shall freely admit, however, that thou art definitely one of the most peculiar creatures mineself hast come across in mine many years.”

  “...is that s’posed ta be an insult or somethin’?”

  “Make of it what thou wilt.”

  As they entered an unfamiliar room, Dusknoir led them down a set of stairs to what looked to be some sort of altar made up of the same bricks that the walls were. It looked empty, though, save for a large mirror propped up against it.

  Mimikyu seemed to grow a bit nervous as they approached it. “Uh, Dusknoir, not that I don’ appreciate the help ‘n’ all, but what exactly is the plan for this ‘cure’ yer talkin’ about? ‘Cuz I’m startin’ ta get some ideas ‘n’ I’m not too sure that I like ‘em…”

  “Oh?” Dusknoir had an amused tone. “Thou art familiar with the workings of the boundary? Surprising, given how long it hast been since the barrier last rippled. As for the cure to thine ailment, unfortunately a scant amount of exposure to Distortion is unlikely to yield significant change. Thus, thou shalt be cured by a method most direct. Observe.”

  As the group followed him up onto the platform before the altar, Dusknoir tapped on the mirror with a fingertip, and to N’s surprise, the surface of it rippled like the Ghost had just touched the surface of a pond. The reflection took on a purple-ish hue for a moment before it settled back down, looking like a normal mirror again.

  Lucas being Lucas, he immediately stepped forward and poked at it, causing another ripple to run across the mirror before N could pull him back with the hand not holding Mimikyu. “Would you stop touching everything you see?!”

  The little brat had the nerve to stick his tongue out at him.

  “Neat trick, but what does this have to do with the ‘direct’ method you mentioned?” Rotom asked as N’s flip-phone floated closer to the mirror.

  “Uh, old man, you’re not planning what I think you’re planning, are you?” Dusclops hesitantly asked.

  “N, I’m not sure I trust this,” Mimikyu whispered, “maybe we should get out of here, find someone else to help.”

  Before N could do anything about it though, Dusknoir decided to elaborate. “It is most simple! If thy companion requires a great amount of Distortion, then the source is most ideal!”

  With that, instead of the small tap from before, Dusknoir bashed his fist against the mirror before quickly floating out of the way.

  With no time to react, there was little they could do when the mirror first rippled violently, and then opened up completely, showing purple skies, red dirt, and teal water. A sudden gust of wind pulled at them incessantly, strong enough to lift N’s feet off the ground, and the lot of them were violently pulled into the mirror, falling through an unknown sky, hurtling towards the ground.

  “Fare thee well!” Dusknoir shouted from behind them before the portal shut.

  N tried to brace for the impact, hoping that they’d only break a few bones in the fall and trying to protect Mimikyu in the process, but as they approached the ground, it was as if an outside force halted their momentum, slowing them to a stop gentle enough that he even managed to right himself, landing on his feet. A quick look around showed that everyone else was much the same.

  Dusclops awkwardly laughed. “Ah, so… sorry about that! I really wasn’t expecting the old man to pull a stunt like this until the last minute there…”

  N looked around at the unfamiliar landscape. No. Not just unfamiliar, but alien. He looked up at the sky, where the mirror portal had closed.

  “...Fuck.”