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"You seem upset," Celebi says.
Dusknoir doesn't respond. Under the moonlight, he's more visible than he's ever been - much like Grovyle's leaves glow in the natural light as they photosynthesise, the yellow rings, face and antenna on Dusknoir's body all glow in the moonlight. Unlike Grovyle's green glowing leaves, this yellow glow can't be seen nearly as well in the sunlight, hence why Celebi takes the time (ha!) to take in the sight before she flops down next to her former enemy.
The ground is icy cold, as is to be expected of Vast Ice Mountain (once Mt. Polar, though that was before the Planet's Paralysis). It's almost enough to make the Time Travel Pokémon wish she had a scarf to keep herself warm, like Dusknoir's red Unlucky Sash.
If Celebi squints, she can see the mainland from her resting place most of the way up the mountain. What is it like, she wonders? What would they find if they travelled there?
Dusknoir still isn't answering. Celebi glances up, and up, until she sees his red eye staring into the middle distance. It's as if he's looking for something that isn't there.
"I don't think anything is going to spontaneously materialise in the air," she says, breaking the silence. Dusknoir swears and almost hits her with a Shadow Punch.
Almost both because she uses Protect and because he stops himself just before he would have hit the shield.
"Good to see you too!" Celebi says brightly. She gets an annoyed look, though Dusknoir quickly returns his attention to the middle distance. "No, seriously, I don't think you'll find whatever you're looking for there. It's just thin air."
"Is that what it looks like to you?" Ah. Maybe she should give him more credit. Dusknoir's intelligent, and he does have a natural advantage around here.
"Pret-ty much." Is he going to ask her? Or will he leave it at this?
On the one hand, Celebi hasn't made any attempts to hide her continued distrust of him. How Grovyle managed to sway him she still doesn't fully understand, and there's the nagging worry that Dusknoir will turn and try to bring the darkness back.
Around here, he may even succeed.
"It's like a curtain," Dusknoir elaborates. Oh, so he's going to ask.
Because on the other hand, Celebi are known for their travels to all sorts of time periods and she may well be his only chance at finding the answer short of tracking down his Master - who seems to have vanished, presumably to work on stabilising the world they're in.
"A curtain?" Celebi repeats. "I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate. Someone like me simply can't do with such lackluster information!"
The Ghost-type glances at her, then back at the curtain. "If I look far enough into the distance, it looks like the sky ends at some point. There, a painted curtain creates the illusion of a horizon. However, if I examine it closely, I can see the way the curtain is woven."
"Riiight." Celebi fills her voice with doubt as she glances at the perfectly normal sky. "And you just so happen to be the only one who can see it?"
Dusknoir's voice turns icy. "I wouldn't know, would I? I don't exactly go around trying to convince people that we're standing on a gigantic stage."
Whoops. She should dial back the animosity a little. She's still going to have a little fun teasing him, though. "I know, just kidding. So what do you think's behind the curtain?"
For a moment, Dusknoir's eye unfocuses. "It's... irrelevant."
With a start, he regains his focus and shakes his head. "What..."
Celebi holds in a giggle as Dusknoir tries to answer again and the process repeats. Twice, then he raises his fist and slams it on the ground.
Celebi quickly stops giggling and floats as cracks spread around the point of impact.
"Ah," Dusknoir says, eyeing the widening cracks. "Perhaps I overdid it."
He floats off the ground just before it breaks off, a chunk of mountain falling down and hitting the ground before it splinters into pieces.
"Definitely overdid it," Dusknoir concludes sourly. "...what were we talking about again?"
Part of Celebi wants to tell him just so the cycle will repeat again. The sensible part takes control of her mouth and says, "Are you going to investigate that curtain?"
"No." The answer is so immediate that even Dusknoir is surprised by it. "That is..."
His eye unfocuses again. "No."
Celebi can't quite hold in her giggle, only to yelp and dodge as Dusknoir reaches for her.
"You know what's going on," he accuses.
"I miiiight." Celebi cocks her head, grinning. See, this is much better than answering Grovyle's questions about what to do and who brought them back and all that. Here, she doesn't feel bad about mocking her conversation partner with her refusal to answer.
Dusknoir glowers at her before he visibly switches approaches and schools his look into a more polite one. "Then perhaps you'd be willing to tell? Keeping secrets like this is hardly any fun, after all."
"Funny you should say that, mister 'let's not mention that that Chikorita's Cassie until I'm sure I caught everyone!'" Celebi retorts. "I'm feeling pretty good about keeping quiet."
The Gripper Pokémon watches her for another moment to see if she'll budge, then shrugs. "Very well. You do have a point; keeping secrets that could hurt people won't do anymore. Would you rather I hold a speech or write an elaborately faked letter to tell Grovyle you love him?"
The grin that appeared on Celebi's face after the first two sentences freezes. "You wouldn't."
Dusknoir looks smug. "You implied it yourself, dear. I can hardly insist you tell me your secrets if I simultaneously insist on keeping mine."
"My feelings for Grovyle are not your secret to tell!" Celebi snaps, summoning an Ancient Power. Behind her, she hears the sound of Hone Claws and a Nasty Plot being used.
Figures. Even now, the Sableye insist on following and protecting Dusknoir. With the Spiritomb they somehow befriended, that makes seven Pokémon whose only weakness is the Fairy-type - of which she only knows Dazzling Gleam.
How come she missed this group when she arrived, anyway? Six murder gremlins plus a keystone full of doom aren't exactly easy to hide. Then again, they hid from her until they sprung that trap with Primal Dialga.
"The fact that I know about your relationship drama is." Dusknoir shrugs lightly. "What was that about not keeping secrets?"
Celebi twitches. The fact that Dusknoir knows should be something he's just keeping secret from her, but he's also keeping it from Grovyle by proxy. "Ugh. You're impossible."
"So I've been told." The Ghost-type remains calm. "I suspect I'll be told quite a few more times, too."
Annoyed, Celebi dissipates her Ancient Power. Stupid conversation. She should be delighting in her new chance with Grovyle, not wandering Vast Ice Mountain for hours and arguing with Dusknoir.
At this point, it would be easier to just dump her knowledge on Dusknoir and leave while he has an existential crisis. But that's what he wants (aside from the crisis, maybe), and what Celebi wants right now is to not play into his hands.
But she also wants to have peace and quiet after this and something tells her Dusknoir is already planning to hound her until she tells him everything she knows.
So. Does she simply summarise in a few sentences and leave Dusknoir to process everything alone or does she try to explain this properly?
"How come Grovyle isn't with you?" Dusknoir asks abruptly. "I didn't expect you to leave without him... or without confessing your devotion, for that matter."
Celebi twitches again. "It's... complicated."
The Ghost-type stares at her impassively. "So?"
Uuugh. She didn't come here to receive judgement! "So when he started asking questions I couldn't easily give him the answer to-"
"Couldn't or wouldn't?" Dusknoir interrupts her.
"Do you want to hear or not?" Celebi fires back. "Look, it's been less than a day. I want him to be able to have this, and he couldn't have had it if I told him the truth."
"So you made your excuses and left." Dusknoir glances back into the middle distance. "Very well. I'll leave it at that."
Right, he also sputtered something about checking up on the Sableye before he left...
Maybe they're both trying to hide from Grovyle. Just one day, one setting and rising of the sun, when they can all ignore the curtain hiding the horizon and the answers they have. That's all they need.
Movement catches her attention. Dusknoir has returned to the path on Vast Ice Mountain, glancing between the paths up and down before picking down.
"Where are you going?" Celebi asks, thrown. Didn't he want answers?"
"As I said, I'll leave it at that." Dusknoir shrugs. "I'm sure I'll get the answers out of you eventually. If nothing else, you can't avoid Grovyle forever, especially once I tell him about the curtain."
Ah. That's... kind of... hm. Celebi doesn't know how to feel about this.
"You know how reality works?" she asks before she can stop herself. Oh well. She guesses she's doing this now.
"Hm?" Dusknoir glances at her, slowly drifting to a stop. "Naturally. Reality is made up of space and time, with knowledge, emotion and willpower driving the actions of the creatures that reside within reality. It's where everything truly alive lives."
"Right." Celebi exercises her wings, fluttering until she's caught up with Dusknoir. "That's pretty accurate. Thing is, reality doesn't automatically know how it's supposed to work. Especially if Dialga and Palkia get busy - they can't actively monitor reality forever, so they need a way for reality to stay the same way without their full attention."
She waves a hand, flapping her wings to stay beside Dusknoir as he begins to move again. "That's where their sibling, Giratina, comes in. The distortion deity lives in a place called the distortion world that is everything reality isn't. Time flows wobbly, space twists and turns, and you can't exactly say there are any living inhabitants."
"So Grand Giratina's distortion world defines what reality should not be," Dusknoir mutters thoughtfully. "And, by extension, what reality is."
"Exactly!" Celebi nods. "Giratina's world and Giratina's existence in said world keep reality stable even if Dialga and Palkia stop working or fight or anything along those lines. And, uh, if anyone tries to destabilise reality, Giratina notices because the distortion world becomes closer to what reality is like. Usually the culprit or culprits end up trapped in the distortion world."
"It sounds like the ironic kind of punishment." Dusknoir picks up a rock, then uses Poltergeist and lets the rock float in midair. "They're in the kind of world they asked for, but there's no going back if it's different to what they expected."
"Yeaah. That tends to drive people insane." Celebi twists in the air, wondering if she should bring up the last guy who tried to control the creation deities and what became of him. "Even if they like it at first, death has no meaning in the distortion world, so they're stuck forever. Sooner or later, the punishment part always sets in."
"So they're forced to wander like lost souls." Dusknoir considers. "It reminds me of folktales from the real world."
Celebi suppresses her initial reaction to that sentence. Does Dusknoir really not notice? Is the influence that strong?
"Funny you should say that," she says out loud. "Those lost souls aren't supposed to exist."
That statement gets her a doubtful look from the Gripper Pokémon. "Surely those tales of people turning into spirits aren't all make-belief?"
"Not what I meant." Maybe he does notice, in a way. From what she knows, it isn't like Dusknoir to misunderstand her like that, so something must be distracting him. "And... it's complicated."
She turns upside-down, trusting her Psychic to hold her up. "You've done plenty of research on all sorts of things. I'm sure you've heard of Xerneas and, uh, let's pronounce it Ee-veltal."
Dusknoir nods. "They're said to be the deities of life and death as well as part of a trio with Zygarde. Supposedly, a blessing from Xerneas will let you live forever while a blessing from the death deity will kill you and never let you return."
Celebi sniffs disdainfully. "Yes, people come up with all sorts of stories. Well, Zygarde does control their powers, and they can influence lifespans, but not in the way you described."
Dusknoir nods calmly, though the Time Travel Pokémon can see the curiosity brimming behind his eye. If she didn't already plan on elaborating, he'd definitely make learning this information from her his next goal after this.
"Zygarde is sort of a keeper of order." Celebi explains. "I say sort of because they mostly focus on the ecosystem and whether or not it's healthy. Basically, whenever too much of one species is born or dies, Zygarde intervenes to evaluate whether or not the species is required for the ecosystem anymore. And if Xerneas or Yveltal make use of their powers and destabilise the ecosystem, Zygarde reigns them back in."
"That sounds as though they have considerable power," Dusknoir muses. "However, you focused on birth and death. Am I correct in assuming that Xerneas' main focus is the creation of life?"
"Yup." Celebi sighs. "Think plants sprouting and births ocurring instantly where Xerneas goes. Of course, fi never reigns in fir power, so wherever fi goes, life seems to explode. Yveltal doesn't do any better at that part, they also don't limit their powers. Imagine a place where everything simultaneously drops dead, Pokémon and plants alike, and you understand what I mean."
That draws another nod. "Xerneas and [Y]veltal cause the beginning and end of life, respectively, but they act irresponsible with their powers, requiring Zygarde to mitigate the fallout."
Celebi stares at him. "Yeah, that's pretty much it... how did you just pronounce Yveltal's name?"
Dusknoir looks distant for a moment. "How did I pronounce what? I'm sure my pronunciation is as accurate as always."
Ah dangit. She wishes she could do that, but apparently 'how to pronounce Yveltal's name without settling for a pronunciation of the Y' is also filtered. "Forget it."
She doesn't need to tell Dusknoir that, she suspects, but it doesn't hurt to say. It helps her feel at ease, at any rate.
"Thing is, people didn't get that for a long time," she says, shaking it off. "They thought Xerneas is also the deity of the living - that's actually Mew - and that... Ee-veltal is also the deity of the dead."
Dusknoir nods along. Now that she's paying attention, she can see the way his eye glazes over slightly when she names Yveltal.
"Those people were wrong, then," he correctly assumes. "Xerneas and [Y]veltal are only responsible for the beginning and end of life itself, not for those who are alive or dead."
He tilts his head. "We appear to not be discussing how lost souls come to be."
"I'm getting there," Celebi says, annoyed. "Patience would suit you quite well!"
She gets an annoyed blink in return. "I assure you I'm quite patient. However, I'd also like to get to the point. We can discuss the, ah, Aura Trio another time."
Oh she is so going to take him up on this offer. The term 'Aura Trio' itself is so full of things to talk about, there's no way she'll stay quiet about it. It's true that she should return to their original tangent, though.
"When people die, they usually die," she says. "Their aura merges with that of the world once more. It's possible their aura gathers again in a newly born person, if the person was born close enough in both time and distance, creating a sort of reincarnation. But some people's aura refuses to merge with the world or gather again in another body. That's how spirits are created."
Dusknoir nods, though it's clear from his slack posture she's not telling him anything new.
"Those spirits can be kind or cruel," he says, taking over for the moment. "They can help people or scare them, live peacefully or cause mischief. Usually, they're brought to the world of the dead sooner or later..."
Celebi holds up her hand, stopping him. "You were right up until now, ...dear. What happens to these spirits depends on their disposition towards others."
Up ahead, she sees a crossroads with one path leading into a cave while the other leads further down. Instead of choosing, Celebi comes to a stop. Next to her, Dusknoir follows her lead.
"As spirits are, they defy the definition of reality," Celebi continues. "By existing when they should be dead, they spread the idea that you needn't be alive to be a real creature, which threatens the stability of reality. To prevent a redefinition of the world, one of two things happens to spirits."
She holds up a finger. "Kind spirits become Ghost-types. I'm sure you're aware of what Ghost-types are, being one yourself."
"One of the eighteen types, nigh-immune - once fully immune - to Normal and Fighting, weak to Dark and Ghost," Dusknoir confirms. At least he has the basics down. Including that Normal- and Fighting-type moves used to do no damage to Ghost-types at all, which is such an old and obscure piece of information Celebi can't help but be impressed.
"It's also the type most commonly said to fly in the face of common sense as Ghost-types feed on emotions as easily as real food, levitate whether they have the ability or not-" he indicates his own position about a meter off the ground, "-and sometimes seem to be born out of nowhere like you said and live for however long they want, among other things. In short, Ghost-types seem to follow their own rules for reality! ...Ah."
"Yep!" Celebi says brightly. "They're even weirder than Psychic- or Fairy-types since we Psychic-types are 'just' mental powers and Fairy-types are still bound to the laws of life and death no matter how loosely they follow all other rules. And that's because the Ghost-type exists to define what kind of spirits can exist - because otherwise, the existence of any spirit at all would be enough to destabilise reality and we don't want that. Also, it's Giratina's primary type, and as we've already established, Giratina is the one who looks at reality and asks, 'is anyone else gonna deconstruct that?' and doesn't wait for an answer."
"So benevolent spirits become Ghost-types believing in Grand Giratina's idea of how the world works," Dusknoir nods. "The malevolent spirits do not seem to get this benefit, though..."
Celebi doesn't say anything, this time. She simply waits - and soon enough, Dusknoir snaps his fingers.
"I understand now!" he says, then gives the dimensional hole that formed a baffled look. "I assumed I needed my Master's permission to create these?"
"If you did, it wouldn't have formed," Celebi points out. Dusknoir nods absently and snaps his fingers again to get rid of the dimensional hole.
"The stories claimed that [Y]veltal was the deity of the dead, and by extension the ruler of the spirit world," the Ghost-type continues. "However, they were wrong. Malevolent spirits are brought to the distortion world where they cannot harm reality with their continued existence. Here, they..."
He trails off, his eye unfocusing again. "Where was I?"
"In the distortion world, they," Celebi provides, frowning.
It was funny at first, but now she's getting concerned. Dusknoir's subconscious is clearly filtering his perception of reality according to his Master's wishes, but someone like him can't be deceived forever. After spotting the curtain and the perception filter being readjusted - leading to the upset that caused Celebi to approach him to begin with -, he needed her to ask specific questions to trigger the filter, but now, he seems to have learned how to spot the discrepancies himself... leading to the filter removing his awareness again.
Maybe she should go track down the benefactor of their new world and demand that the filter be lifted for Dusknoir. It's starting to look like he's growing aware of the filter, and either he'll be able to let go...
Or, and to her understanding this is much more likely for him, he'll continue to push and risk some sort of harm to himself. After everything that's happened since he switched sides, she can't bring herself to hate him enough to be okay with that happening.
"Of course," Dusknoir says slowly. "In... the distortion world, the spirits are free to wander, unable to affect reality. They're just like the people we talked about earlier."
"Ding ding ding!" Celebi beams at him. "That's exactly it!"
Dusknoir isn't finished, though. "Of course, those spirits are unlikely to leave reality voluntarily. They couldn't let go of the world of the living, after all. Grand Giratina needs someone to round these souls up in order to keep reality safe..."
He trails off. "I know I researched Ghost-types known for their habits of taking souls, for... reasons. Litwick drain lifeforce, as do Honedge..."
Uh oh. "Uh, well, that species isn't really important. Why don't we..."
Return to the original topic. Except that was Dusknoir wanting to know what's going on, and by extension - though he can't focus on that question - what's behind the curtain. But can he even process the knowledge like this? What if he can't and tries anyway?
"I know I researched them extensively," Dusknoir growls, one hand going to his head. (The grey thing on top, not his body.) "I didn't research many Ghost-type Pokémon, only... ugh..."
"OH, THERE YOU ARE," a voice says.
Celebi nearly sags with relief. Dialga lands in front of them, leaning forwards slightly to inspect the duo. "CELEBI. DUSKNOIR. SABLEYE CLAN. SPIRITOMB. GROVYLE."
Wait.
There's a small thump as Grovyle hops off the ledge he was crawling on just above the main path, leaves glowing as they absorb even the weak moonlight like a sponge. Heavens, Celebi isn't looking forward to summer when she and Grovyle have to deal with the sun shining down on their bodies that are still used to total darkness with the occasional Sunny Day Orb. "Hi."
"How long have you been there?" is the first thing that leaves Celebi's mouth, followed by, "oh no how much did you hear?"
Grovyle just gives her a mildly irritated look. "A lot, thanks."
As he shivers and wraps his defense scarf tighter around himself, the Sableye also scurry out of their hiding spots, most glancing worriedly at Dusknoir.
"Hiya, uh, Master," Sabra, the leader, pipes up. "Where were you?"
"I WAS STABILISING THE WORLD," Dialga shrugs. "AS YOU DO."
The deity glances at the group of Pokémon. "I SEE YOU ARE TAKING THINGS SLOWLY."
"That's one way to put it," Grovyle mutters, frowning at Celebi. Okay, so he definitely heard her say that she didn't want to tell him for a while.
But heavens, his frown looks so cute...
"Are you responsible for Dusknoir's inability to notice certain things?" Grovyle adds, raising his voice and glaring at Dialga. "Because if so, you should stop it. It's causing him distress."
"What do you mean?" Dusknoir asks, though his voice sounds strained. "I'm... fine."
That's such a blatant lie everyone simply stares at him for a moment.
"AH." Dialga leans even further forward, inspecting the Ghost-type closely. "YES, I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN. clearly i missed a step in the filter."
The switch from an extremely loud voice to and inexplicably quiet-but-audible one is so sudden that Celebi almost misses the last sentence. "You what?!"
"it happens to everyone." Dialga looks around, red eyes momentarily eyeing the horizon (or rather, the curtain in front of it). "well, there is no point in hiding it from you. dusknoir, a dimensional hole, please. it'll destroy your perception filter, so you don't need to worry about breaking your mind."
Dusknoir bows, twitching at the mention of the filter, but not showing any suspicion or doubt otherwise. "As you wish, Master."
Celebi absently drifts closer to Grovyle as the Ghost-type snaps his fingers and summons another dimensional hole. She can't quite bring herself to look him in the eye, so she watches as Dialga pokes Vast Ice Mountain to prod for any instabilities. "So... I'm sorry I tried to deceive you. I wanted you to enjoy your new life, but it didn't work out and now we're here..."
"You can say that again," Grovyle mutters, giving Dusknoir a worried look. "I appreciate the thought, but I don't need to be coddled. It was too good to be true, anyway."
Hah. Right. They may have returned the light to reality, but the darkness in their hearts still exists. It'll take a long time until any of them can move on from their bleak lives in the paralysed world.
"I need to go last," Dusknoir reminds them, gesturing at the dimensional hole the Sableye just finished hopping into. "Remember, you'll likely be knocked out when you arrive. And..."
He trails off, then squeezes his eye shut. "Gah...!"
"i suggest you cut your advice short," Dialga suggests, "all it does is give you a headache."
Dusknoir shakes his head once, then twice, trying to focus. Finally, he succeeds, though not without a slightly pained expression.
"We're going, don't worry," Grovyle says, giving the Ghost-type a reassuring smile. "See you then."
"See you," Dusknoir echoes, nodding. "And see to it that you and Celebi sort yourselves out."
Oh that little-
"Okay," Grovyle says, then turns to her. "So what kind of love was Dusknoir talking about? Familial, platonic, romantic, or some secret fourth thing I missed?"
Celebi chokes on her spit, then doesn't even get time to answer as Dusknoir shoves her into the dimensional hole. "Grovyle!"
Dimensional holes, Celebi quickly discovers, are much less pleasant to travel through than the Passage of Time. She's knocked out almost as soon as she enters.
If there's one thing Celebi doesn't expect to wake up to, it's the sight of several Dusknoir gathered around the one she knows, antennas glowing as they broadcast messages through their own private network.
Dusknoir himself looks fairly overwhelmed as he tries to respond, tugging at his Unlucky Sash and looking like he's one unexpected comment away from dissipating. Every now and then, he sneaks glances at Grovyle, Celebi or his Master.
Thinking of which! Celebi looks up and up and up, until her blue eyes meet the red ones of 'Master Dialga', who has at last ended a certain recent impersonation act.
Coiled around an undersized upside-down mountain, Giratina gives Celebi a cool, smug look as if to say, bet you'd like to be able to hug a whole mountain. Every now and then, the distortion deity's eyes flick to Dusknoir, making sure he doesn't actually leave. (Those moments often coincide with when Dusknoir looks at Giratina.)
"There's kind of a lot of them, isn't there?" one of the Sableye asks. "I always wondered why we only ever knew Master Dusknoir, but I guess the others were all hiding in this... distortion world."
"They must have," Celebi replies, trying to rise and wincing when her body insists gravity turns sideways if she flies. A burst of Psychic, and she's floating at the same angle as the Dusknoir.
A look around reveals that the Sableye are scattered across what appears to be a mix between a forest clearing and the inside of a laboratory. Celebi herself is floating above a broken tank, while she can see Grovyle spread out on a bed, guarded by Sabra.
With everyone accounted for, she returns her attention to the Dusknoir. They're still broadcasting in their network, though Primal Dialga's former servant has noticed her return to consciousness.
He broadcasts some more messages, then dissipates and reforms next to her.
"So you take longer than the Sableye, but not as long as Grovyle to wake up," he says thoughtfully. "Very interesting."
"Oh, you're awake," one of the other Dusknoir says. "How are you? Do you need anything?"
Celebi blinks at the Ghost-type, processing its high-pitched voice. "Not right now, thanks."
The Gripper Pokémon shrugs. "Suit yourself."
The cluster (herd? group?) seems willing to give them some space for the moment, so Celebi turns to Dusknoir. "And how are you?"
"I'm no longer attempting to break a perception filter placed upon me by a deity impersonating my old master," Dusknoir replies, casting a short glare at Giratina. "So that's an improvement."
"Uh-huh." Celebi doesn't let herself be distracted. "And the rest? Finding out that we're actually in the distortion world and that Giratina has been impersonating Dialga since we woke up?"
"I can manage that." Dusknoir's eye gleams. "Especially since I got a Poltergeist off before Gra- the Distortion Deity forbade me the usage of my moves."
Celebi blinks, glancing at Giratina again. Now that she's looking, she can see the laboratory equipment and trees partially phased into the Ghost-Dragon-types abdomen equivalent.
"Huh." she summarises. "That was one Poltergeist?"
"Quite impressive, isn't it?" Dusknoir looks extremely proud of himself. "Of course, it helps that I was quite upset about the deception."
"And yes, we're aware of the irony," one of the Sableye - Sybil, she thinks - adds. "Honestly, though, it looked awesome. I woke up just before the Poltergeist hit and my mouth was on the floor! You should have seen it!"
"Maybe some video cameras were running," Celebi says to herself, eyeing the computer monitors. It's unlikely, but if there's any place where cameras can run without electricity...
Finally, a groan signals Grovyle's return to consciousness. And reminds Celebi of their conversation just before Dusknoir pushed her through.
Wait. Nonono she is not ready for this. What if Grovyle says no? What if he's in love with someone else?
"I need to stop going through these things," Grovyle grumbles out loud, pushing himself up. "Whoever thought of these holes did not want the users to be awake..."
"that's just because you're not a dusknoir," Giratina comments idly. "they use these for transport and it helps if the spirits are unconscious when they're released here. they're significantly less likely to attack if they're unconscious."
"Glad to know Master Dialga lied when they said they were the reason I can create dimensional holes," Dusknoir pouts grumbles.
"To be fair, you need some assistance in aiming them," the high-pitched Dusknoir comments. "We don't always reach our exact destination if we create the dimensional holes on our own. Without the time deity corpse, you'd have ended up either too far in the past or not far enough!"
The former agent of darkness glares at his kin for that way of describing Primal Dialga, then turns to Grovyle. "Weren't you and Celebi having a conversation? Is there any chance I can bear witness to it?"
"Absolutely not!" Celebi snaps at the same time as Grovyle says, "sure, why not?"
There's an awkward moment as they stare at each other and try to work out who should retract their answer.
"ohh, the relationship's off to a great start," Giratina says. The mountain the deity is wrapped around trembles, then twists and turns itself into a bowl of popcorn. Giratina doesn't hesitate to slither into the bowl and slurp the popcorn from the bottom like a slushie.
Celebi stares at the display in undisguised horror while Grovyle makes a confused noise and Dusknoir drifts closer curiously.
"I'm so glad Giratina can only do things like that in the distortion world," Celebi mutters.
"I wonder how it tastes," Grovyle admits.
"like chesto berries," is Giratina's reply, sounding like the deity is speaking from very far away even though Giratina is (visually?) less than twelve meters away.
"Huh." Grovyle considers that, then shrugs it off. "I remembered that I meant to ask another thing."
"Go ahead," Celebi says slowly. What is it this time...
Grovyle looks just a bit too innocent to be sincere. "Do you also love Dusknoir? Is it in the same way or a different way?"
"What?" Celebi says, at the same time as the Dusknoir in question.
"Where would you even get the idea?" the Ghost-type adds, sounding every bit as baffled as Celebi feels. "What makes you think she could possibly have such feelings for me?"
"You both disappeared from Vast Ice Mountain shortly after we returned," Grovyle defends himself. "I know now that you left because Giratina didn't hide the rest of the distortion world well enough, and that Celebi left because she didn't want to answer my questions, but back then it seemed like she was going to go after you! I know you didn't trust each other until the end, but I didn't know if your opinions changed after we were brought ba-, er, to the distortion world."
Then he shrugs. "Also, I got you both to sputter. After the last few hours, I feel I deserve that."
Even Dusknoir can't help but admit that that's a pretty good point.
"Again, I'm sorry," Celebi agrees. "But, uh, do you love Dusknoir in any way?"
Grovyle blinks. "You mean beyond just as a friend?"
"Uh. Yes." Part of Celebi wishes she could just... not ask this. But if she doesn't ask now, she never will, and she'd rather know than not.
Her fellow Grass-type considers the question. "So, as a special best friend, right? That's what romantic love is if I recall correctly."
Celebi hesitates. "I'm pretty sure it's more than- hmmpf!"
"I'm sure you meant to nod and say yes," Dusknoir says calmly, clasping his hand around most of her head. "After all, otherwise, you might convince him that you don't count as a person he loves."
"Mmmph," Celebi complains, using Psychic to open Dusknoir's grip again. "Do you mind?!"
The Ghost-type lets out a booming chuckle. "Mind what? Matchmaking you? Not in the slightest!"
"Giratina is right," one of the Sableye - Sam? - mutters. "This is pretty entertaining."
"I don't really see why not," Grovyle says, still mulling Celebi's question over. "You can date two people at once, right?"
"Hm?" Dusknoir glances at him, eye slowly widening as he processes the Grass Gecko Pokémon's words. "Oh, there's no need to include me. Celebi and I wouldn't be able to share, anyway."
"You can't just say that without asking me!" Celebi objects, feeling quite a lot of different things, including gratitude for being able to distract herself from said feelings. "In fact, I insist we could make it work!"
Wait, what's she arguing for again?
"Great!" Grovyle beams, ignoring Dusknoir's sputtered objection, then pauses. "Wait. You never told me if your feelings are romantic."
"Oh dear," an Alpha Dusknoir giggles and is promptly reminded by the other Dusknoir to keep the commentary to their private network. Celebi's Ghost-type friend(???) glares at the lot, then returns his focus to Celebi as everyone waits for an answer.
"Are they?" Celebi sputters. "Are they? Grovyle, my dear - of course my feelings are romantic! Why would... why would I take so long to admit to them otherwise?"
There. It's out. This is as close to a confession as she'll get, she thinks.
The Sableye are cooing quietly. The Dusknoir she can't hear, but judging by the irritated reaction of the one she knows, they're doing much the same thing.
Giratina may or may not be trying to be quiet. The result, a loud "AWW," can easily be heard by everyone present, though.
"Right," Grovyle says, nodding. "So I date both of you and you can sort out your relationship in your own time. Does that clear things up?"
"I don't know how I became part of this," Dusknoir admits. "But... fine. I see no reason to object!"
Glancing at him, Celebi blinks at the sheer glee in his eye. When did that build up? And how, for that matter? He's only been on their side since Icicle Forest!
Nevermind. She doesn't want to think too much about that. Grovyle - sweet, wonderful Grovyle - is still waiting for her reaction.
"I'm okay with it if you are," she says, and that's when it hits her.
She (basically) confessed to Grovyle. And he reciprocates - and suggested they date!
Without really willing it, Celebi yeets herself into Grovyle's arms and squees. For a while, during which Dusknoir drifts close enough to reach out and take Grovyle's arm.
The one that isn't gently patting her head, for which she's eternally grateful for.
It's not until Celebi realises she's drifting off that she so much as tries to extract herself from Grovyle's arms. Her boyfriend(!) lets her go, smiling cutely at her.
Celebi exchanges a look with Dusknoir, who is still holding Grovyle's hand. He doesn't seem inclined to move at all, though he gives her a short nod.
Yep. It's decided. Celebi is officially in heaven.
One of the trees spontaneously ungrows into a sapling, reminding her that actually, it's the distortion world, and the sheer difference between how time works here and how her senses insist time works really ticks her off when she thinks about it.
Actually, a lot of trees seem to have turned back into saplings. And the laboratory appears to be slowly morphing into a children's hospital.
"Huh," Celebi says, watching the changes and trying to ignore her inherent annoyance.
"mh?" Giratina looks up, plated head lifting up from the massive pillow that used to be a popcorn bowl that used to be a mountain. "oh, you're done cuddling. well. a third of you."
Dusknoir simply stares back at his Master calmly, not budging in the slightest. Grovyle glances at his boyfriend, then shrugs and doesn't make any attempts to withdraw, either.
"since you're already aware, i might as well tell you the rules," Giratina adds, then blinks as a cloud-shaped alarm goes off in the sky. "oh, nevermind. it appears i need to go do anything else elsewhere."
The distortion deity shrugs, a peculiar motion that ripples along Giratina's snake-like body, and slithers into the oversized pillow to presumably travel elsewhere.
Maybe.
"The Grand Giratina, everyone," the Alpha Dusknoir says, amused. "Oh well. It's not that much to go through."
"Are you in charge of the others?" Grovlye asks. "Your eye is glowing."
"That's the telltale sign of an Alpha," Celebi tells him. "It means this Dusknoir is larger and stronger, but is more susceptible to super effective moves."
"I see you're familiar," Alpha Dusknoir observes. "May I ask your age?"
"I'm younger than the Planet's Paralysis," Celebi shrugs. "I had some friends that travelled to the far past, though. Back when we didn't know what caused time to freeze. They encountered some other Celebi, they got to talking, and eventually I had a whole house's worth of books to read! Most of them were about history, but there was some really specific stuff as well... my friends loved going through them and sharing their experiences."
Dusknoir looks away, presumably remembering his own part in said friends' executions. "They were very formidable rebels."
"That's the group Blitzle was part of, right?" Grovyle checks and gets a nod. "He was nice."
Alpha Dusknoir gives them a moment of silence, then resumes. "To answer your question, Grovyle, yes. I'm Alpha - she/her -, the one in charge and will be until I grow so weary of life I pass away. Then someone else will claim the Alpha title."
Dusknoir tilts his head. "So the power is passed on to the successor, rather than inherited? Interesting."
"We find it easier to work this way," Alpha agrees. "Of course, we're lucky in that we can ask Grand Giratina to change the way it works if we want. Such things should not be requested lightly, though."
She taps her hand with the other. "Now, as for the rules... there really isn't much, like I said. About the only rules we can enforce in the distortion world are who is allowed to leave and how far someone can travel from their point of origin. The latter doesn't always work, though, since space spaces about as well as time times in here."
"Obviously we cannot enter the real world," Dusknoir says thoughtfully, running a finger up and down Grovyle's arm. "That would mean redefining reality as a place where Pokémon like us can exist."
"More or less." Alpha shrugs. "Admittedly, Dialga muddied the waters when they returned your human acquintance to life for their Chosen. However, I wouldn't simply walk into reality and expect it to go well because of that."
"H-huh?" Grovyle startles. "Cassie's alive? In reality?"
"Like I said, Dialga returned her to return the favour for being saved." Alpha waves her hand dismissively. Grovyle watches the movement, mesmerised, then shakes his head slightly as Dusknoir tightens his grip to snap him out of the weak Dusknoir-line-specific hypnosis.
"Lucky her," Celebi admits. "I wonder how she's doing now, without us around."
"If nothing else, it's unlikely she'll be to miss you much," Dusknoir tells her, sounding like he's trying to reassure her. "Unless her memories were restored, of course."
Next to him, Grovyle squeezes his eyes shut. Celebi looks away, blinking away her own tears.
"Uh, I don't think those words did what you wanted them to," Sabra points out. "...Master."
To his credit, Dusknoir doesn't defend himself when he realises his mistake. He simply lets out a quiet "ah" and lets go of Grovyle's arm.
He doesn't leave, though. Mostly because Grovyle grabs his arm again immediately and hugs it, still not opening his eyes.
After a moment of internal debate, Celebi gives in and flies over, nuzzling her boyfriend even as she fails to keep her tears contained any longer.
"My apologies," Dusknoir says softly. "I forgot how close you all were."
Grovyle presses his head further into Dusknoir's arm. Even fully corporeal, the Ghost-type's skin is just intangible enough to let Grovyle's head sink in slightly. It isn't much, but Celebi feels him tense as he gets ready to pull away. When he relaxes again, Dusknoir carefully wraps his available hand around the gecko's torso and holds him close.
Celebi doesn't know how long they stay like this, either. Eventually Alpha clears her throat, drawing their attention.
"As I said, I wouldn't advise visiting reality anytime soon,' she says in a gentle tone. "However, that doesn't mean you can't visit at all. We'll need some trial runs, and it's likely Dusknoir will be the only one of you allowed to leave for a while, but with your friend's presence in the real world, backed by Dialga no less, you should be able to be there without causing any major problems. Just... don't stay too long, or bring too many people from around here. And make sure to be prepared for the more mundane dangers as well, like being sunburnt quickly or colliding with anything because your eyes couldn't adjust to the light."
"A-ah." Celebi tries to go for calm and fails miserably. "So eventually, we can go."
"Eventually." Alpha confirms. "Thanks to the nature of this world, you should even be able to visit while your friend's still alive."
In that case, the typical time travel rules should apply. Don't tell anyone what happened or will happen - people overestimate the impact of all sorts of events on the future, but it's very much possible for two identical futures to have different pasts - and don't do anything if you don't think it'll help your goals for this journey.
Just in case, though, Celebi decides to confirm this with their guide.
"I suppose?" Alpha says, tilting her head. "Yes, I believe these rules are fairly accurate. Of course, we have less to worry about. We can see realities where the moon is made of cheese or Pokémon don't have aura, after all. We'd need to try very hard to gain knowledge of the specific part of reality we're visiting."
A glance up shows the concentrated look on Dusknoir's face as he absorbs his kin's words. If Celebi had to guess, which she does because she doesn't know the answer, she'd say the Gripper Pokémon doesn't know as much about his own species as he'd like. This is as much a meeting with his new coworkers as it is an opportunity to learn.
"It sounds as though there is more than one set of reality," Dusknoir comments, watching his (presumably) elder for her reaction.
"Not quite." The Ghost-type waves her hand again. "Reality is what the distortion world isn't, and like our home, it needn't be restricted to one world. There are infinite timelines and infinite places, so we always have work to do."
She chuckles. "Luckily, there are enough of us to handle the workload. But we tend to stick close to our homeworlds, so you don't need to visit, say, Unova if Ghetsis won."
Dusknoir hesitates, trying to place the reference. "Ah... I'm afraid I don't recognise the event you're referring to."
Celebi thinks for a moment, then makes a face. She didn't hear much, but she knows what region Unova is and that it had a problem with people arguing for human-Pokémon segregation. No thanks.
A pair of claws on her back catches her attention. Grovyle has let go of Dusknoir's arm with one arm to hug her. Celebi smiles, not quite able to suppress the giddiness despite the circumstances.
"Let's just say Ghetsis is an awful human being and leave it at that." Alpha shakes her head. "The sad thing is, there are timelines where half the region is actively rooting for him... but I digress."
"Your job is to collect evil spirits," Grovyle says abruptly. Oh, so he's able to talk again. That's nice. "Are you going to have Dusknoir do that?"
For a moment, Celebi fears that he's remembering what happened in Icicle Forest. Then she looks at her boyfriend's face and sees how relaxed he looks, finally recovered. Whatever is on his mind, Icicle Forest isn't it.
"I certainly don't see why not," Alpha replies. "He's one of us, and Dialga never did anything to irrevocably alter his nature. There's no harm in teaching him how to collect spirits and travel the boundary between reality and distortion."
Her eye gleams. "Of course, if you'd rather not have an occasionally long-distance relationship..."
"I never said that!" Grovyle protests, raising his voice to be heard over Dusknoir's sputtering. "I was just curious."
The Grass Gecko Pokémon glances at his boyfriend. "What do you think?"
Dusknoir takes a moment to calm down before he answers. "It's an intriguing offer, I'll admit. And it would bring you two one step closer to seeing Chikorita again."
Grovyle tilts his head at the Ghost-type. "You don't want to see anyone again?"
"I'm sure I'm quite unwelcome in Treasure Town these days." Dusknoir shrugs. "I see no reason to bother them."
"You're no longer the Pokémon who took advantage of their trust, though."
Dusknoir hesitates. "That doesn't change the fact that I played my role perfectly and they can't tell if I'm even telling the truth. I certainly wouldn't believe anyone who told me I switched sides and saved your soul from being molten at the last second."
Alpha snaps her fingers. "I knew I forgot something! Grovyle, before you leave the distortion world, we'll need to take a look at your soul. It might still be mostly molten, in which case you might abruptly lose control over your own body if you visit reality. Things always get so messy when souls are involved..."
Grovyle blinks at her, then visibly decides to ignore the comment for now. "Celebi and I can vouch for you. I'm pretty sure Wigglytuff would give you a chance, too-"
"As opposed to the rest of the guild," Dusknoir cuts in.
"-so you could stay at the guild or work with them to prove your change of heart." Grovyle gives his boyfriend a mildly irritated look. "Just try it, okay? I promise the worst that will happen is that you leave and never return there. And if that happens, we'll be there with you. Right, Celebi?"
Completely taken in by the discussion, it takes Celebi a moment to realise she's being addressed. "Uh, of course! We'll go with you."
"But you'd leave Team Sun," Dusknoir argues.
"Who only know us as allies." Celebi waves her hand dismissively. "And as we established - no need to look so sorry, Dusknoir, you're right, after all - Cassie doesn't remember us, so she only thinks of us as sort of friends, too. I'm sure they'll be fine if we leave."
Dusknoir continues to protest, but it quickly becomes clear that it's less to try and win the argument and more because snapping out a response to gain time to think seems to be his go-to reaction for being overwhelmed.
Finally, they're able to calm him down to the point he lifts Grovyle up to hold him and goes quiet. Celebi lets out a sigh of relief and cuddles against her boyfriend.
She makes the mistake of releasing her Psychic hold, almost falling at a 39 degree angle to where the ground is, then quickly catches herself again. And squees when Grovyle grabs her and holds her close.
Wow, it is so much easier to show her emotions now that she's no longer trying to hide them. Why didn't she ever do this before?
"We never really got your answer," Grovyle says, once he thinks Dusknoir is receptive to basic conversation again. "Do you actually want to, uh, work for Giratina? Ignoring the part where we'd be able to visit reality if you do?"
"Define 'want'," Dusknoir requests. "There's a part of me that fully accepts Grand- the Distortion Deity's authority and my duty."
He lets out a throaty chuckle. "The rest of me still wants my Master dead for impersonating Master Dialga and attempting to limit my perception."
Celebi glances at Alpha, searching for her reaction. The Ghost-type rolls her eyes, though it seems to be less out of irritation and more in a 'fondly exasperated older sister' way.
Around them, the Sableye are still watching closely, Sybil still carrying the Spiritomb's keystone. They don't really get involved - if Celebi understands correctly, they're used to being quiet and standing aside and letting Dusknoir handle the matters that require direct communication, so they simply watch silently for any sign that they might be needed.
From the looks on their faces, though, it's clear the situation has long since turned into an outside context problem for them all. How are they going to react if Grovyle and Dusknoir - or Celebi and Dusknoir, for that matter - get into an argument now? Does Grovyle get any sort of authority now that he's dating Dusknoir?
"Is there anything the Sableye can do?" she asks before she can stop herself.
Dusknoir blinks, then casts a guilty glance at his underlings. Grovyle counts them, frowning as he comes up one short before realising that the sixth must be behind Dusknoir.
"I was planning on sorting them out later." Alpha inspects the little murder gremlins critically. "However, we can start gathering a few ideas now. Same for you and Grovyle, really, you should be able to do something beyond wandering the distortion world."
"I'm surprised by how empty it looks so far," Grovyle admits, glancing at the sky. "Our home can't be the only one where time stopped. There should be all kinds of Pokémon, shouldn't there?"
"Ah, no." Alpha shakes her head apologetically. "I'm afraid you're the only ones both from your home and from any similar one. The Grand Giratina wasn't even going to save you, but I hear someone else intervened... someone important enough to our Master that you were awakened in the distortion world before any of us were notified."
"That would explain why... Master Giratina claimed we were saved by a more powerful force," Dusknoir mutters. "I wonder who we have to thank for our survival."
Celebi has a suspicion. She doesn't know, though, and the mere thought is so intimidating she doesn't even consider voicing her idea.
"You can just say Grand Giratina, you know," Alpha says with an amused tone of voice. "It's literally the title we all know to use. You're just inconveniencing yourself by trying to avoid it."
"I'll give in to that reflex when I'm over the deception," Dusknoir retorts cooly. "Until then, I don't mind watching my tongue."
His elder shrugs. "If you insist."
"We could keep an eye out for any places that function too much like reality," Grovyle says absently, apparently deciding to ignore - or avoid - Alpha's comment about the higher force that saved them. "Giratina may sense a lot, but even deities can't pay attention to everywhere at once."
"evidently," Giratina disagrees. Grovyle swears, jumping out of Dusknoir's arms and launching an Absorb up at the Ghost-Dragon-type, who turns out to (maybe) be just outside his range.
"your offer intrigues me, though," the deity adds, coiling around thin - nope, visibly thick air. "you are aware that the distortion world is as vast as reality?"
"We can't be everywhere at once, either," Grovyle says, getting over his surprise. "It would give us something to do, though. I think I need something to do that isn't just 'whatever I want'."
"i seeeeeeeee..." Giratina turns upside down, causing the thick air to hail down on the unfortunate Pokémon below. "i receive a provisional warning system, you receive something to do... very interesting. WHY, I MIGHT JUST TAKE YOU UP ON THAT OFFER!"
Celebi hisses as the sudden loud volume of Giratina's voice assaults her ears. "You couldn't have given us a warning?!"
"You sound like my siblings whenever I do something," Giratina says, lazily flirting the deity's entire body. "They tend to forget my entire job is to fly in the face of their idea of what is appropriate. After all, how can creation be improved if nobody is ever willing to doubt that it's fine as-is? Without me, we'd likely live in a world full of cowardly humans who oppress Pokémon for their own good without realising how much more they could achieve together."
Dusknoir frowns at his new Master. "If you are referring to the crisis I am thinking of, then history must have missed a lot. It is said you were a villain who came to realise that this world deserved protection."
"yes, well, people tend to trust me more if they think I had a redemption arc." Giratina shrugs. "i was honestly quite miffed, though. how come my siblings get ages-old statues while i never even got a clan? when the insane person with the deity complex showed up, it was as good a time to test creation as any. the champion of sinnoh rose up to the challenge, saved the world and then didn't even want to go back home. what more do you want?"
"A healthy sibling relationship?" Grovyle suggests.
"True friends?" Dusknoir adds.
"Equals who are also friends?" Celebi offers.
Giratina stretches thoughtfully, incidentally also twisting into a pretzel. "i will choose to ignore the sassy comments from my faithful servants."
"So you accept their proposal?" Alpha checks and receives confirmation. "Very well. Is there anyone who doesn't want to partake in this job?"
Celebi and Grovyle glance at each other, then at the Sableye clan. The Sableye are also looking at each other, as well as at the Spiritomb.
"You can say no if you want," Sybil tells the 108 souls. "Nobody will think any less of you for it."
Celebi can't hear the Spiritomb's quiet answer, but Sybil nods and holds their keystone closer. "Spiritomb accepts as well."
"Great!" Sabra says brightly. "I think that's all of us. Unless, Master Dusknoir...?"
The Ghost-type considers, then shakes his head. "No thank you. I'll learn what I should already know from the network."
Celebi perks up. Is that what they call their groups? How fun! It must be dreadfully confusing to talk about the network either as the broadcasting system or as a group of Dusknoir, though.
"It's not your fault Dialga couldn't teach you," Alpha notes calmly. "Nonetheless, we will all do our best to teach you."
It's a bit funny and also sad, Celebi thinks, how little most Pokémon know - or knew - about their own species. Grovyle looked at her like she was insane the first time she suggested he climb a tree, Dusknoir doesn't know how to collect spirits, Blitzle never learned how to communicate through electrical discharges in his mane...
At least two of them can indulge in their natural instincts now. Ironically, it's Celebi who can't - all her instincts are about travelling to peaceful time periods in the past, which she can't do from within the distortion world.
She can try to make plants grow, though. Maybe that's what she'll practice, now that there are plants that are both alive and not frozen. It'll probably take her a while to determine what counts as healthy plant growth in the distortion world, though.
"We're all settled, then?" she checks and gets a series of nods. "Great! Then, if Alpha is done telling us whatever we should know-"
"As if I'll live long enough to do that," the Ghost-type laughs.
"-I suggest we take a look around," Celebi finishes. "There's got to be something fun to do around here! And then we can get started on our new missions once we're settled in. All in favour? Great!"
"You didn't let us vote," Dusknoir protests.
"I'm Psychic, I don't need to wait for you to speak." Celebi winks at him. "So which direction do we go in?"
Grovyle glances at Alpha and Giratina - the latter is already gone - before he answers. "Can we go down?"
Dusknoir glances at the ground below them. "It would appear so, yes. How far down we can go is a different question."
"Then let's go down and see if we can hit rock bottom," Grovyle suggests.
Celebi considers the ground, then nods. "Fine by me! Let's go!"
Almost without thinking, she presses a kiss against Grovlye's cheek. The Grass Gecko Pokémon blinks, then boops her head with his snout affectionately.
Celebi giggles, not minding the lack of a return kiss. Grovyle doesn't have proper lips (or teeth) anyway, so booping is all he can do. Not that she minds at all!
This is already more than she could ever ask for.
Then Grovyle turns to Dusknoir and she holds in a laugh. Celebi does not envy the two for having to figure out how they're going to show their affections when one has only one gigantic mouth that can't even move aside from opening and closing.
Grovyle eventually settles for climbing on Dusknoir's arm and gently nuzzling his head, pressing a bit harder when Dusknoir voices his assent with the gesture.
"I thought you'd take longer to work something out," Celebi admits. "Are we good to go now?"
Dusknoir glances at the Sableye, receiving salutes, and nods. Grovyle does the same.
"Great!" Celebi pumps her fist into the air. "Then let's go, everyone! Let's live a worthwhile life in the distortion world!"