A Quick Stop and Gym Badge [Open~]

Uxie looked at Artemis walking over to her. "Your answer was golden," she said before things got even stranger. She walked straight through Artemis, forcing her onto her hands and knees making her mind think she was a suicune in the cave. Thoughts of crying over losing a valuable friend passed in her head.

Am I in Suicune's-Uxie's memories now... Artemis wondered before a great wave of sorrow flowed through her, and she wept for her lost companion, though if it were weeping for Uxie's or herself remained unknown. She continued this, hoping the horrid vision would end soon. She felt helpless and utterly alone.

An apparition of Uxie appeared again in front of Artemis. "You weren't the only one that lost something valuable that day."

Artemis nodded, her tears now receding slightly. "I never should have thought it wouldn't hurt you when I left. But it was necessary, I couldn't live at the lake forever. I'm sorry for the anguish I caused you." She took a step toward the apparition, a move to try and comfort it.

The apparition turned into the real deal when articuno woke Artemis up from the dream. Uxie was sitting a bit away from her, looking at one of the cavern walls. She wasn't thinking that the articuno would do what it did, so she was just sitting there teared up a bit, thinking of Artemis living with her in the old cavern. "You are close to passing your test," the articuno said as she woke up.

Artemis nodded to Articuno, and took a step toward Uxie. "U-Uxie," she said, "I'm so sorry for the pain I caused you." She was hesitant to approach, not knowing how Uxie would react.

Uxie didn't really turn her head towards Artemis. "Just, don't," she said to her, it obvious she was fighting just crying there. She didn't let her emotion effect her voice though, and she still sounded strong and proud. "I don't want an apology."

"Okay," Artemis replied, her eyes growing a bit moist, "what do you want?" she asked. It was a question she should have asked long ago, before she left the cave. It could have prevented the heartbreak they were feeling now.

Uxie's head went down a bit, and she started shivering a bit as she cried. It wasn't really a typical sight to see a legendary pokemon crying, but this was a special case. "I would've wanted you to stay with me in the cave," she said to Artemis. "Some humans spend their entire lives living in the natural world with pokemon, unknowing of the human race. I wouldn't have kept you from that," she said to her. "I want you to return to the cave with me so we can continue having happy lives."

Artemis stood rigid for a moment, a cloud of Deja-Vou rushing over her, as the experience in her dream had mirrored this moment. She wrapped her arms around Uxie to help comfort her, and a stream of tears ran down her face.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but I can't. Before I lost my memory, you could have convinced me to stay, but I'm different now. I have too much of a life in the real world now. I've made friends," the thought of the young boy named Chase who helped her catch Rune came across her mind, "as well as rivals," she thought of the collector. "I can't leave those things behind. I'm sorry."

It was one thing to say it in a dream, it was another to state it now. Artemis was torn in two, and she started shaking before muttering "I'm sorry," once more.

"Release me from my pokeball," Uxie cried to Artemis. "Please, just release me." She was clearly upset about everything, and she continued to cry to Artemis before breaking away. "I want to go back to the cave. I want to sit there until I pass, if I can."

"It doesn't have to end like this," Artemis said, taking Uxie/Suicune's ball from her belt. "You can keep traveling with me, we can still have a life together." She looked at the ball a bit sadly. "If you truly want it, I will release you."

The suicune turned around, and she looked at Artemis. "Just, let me think," she said sorrowfully, clicking the ball and going inside. "You have failed your test," the articuno said to Artemis.

"How?" Artemis asked. "I'm not going to force her to stay! Your test is idiotic if you believe I should have had a hard heart about it and forced her to do anything."

"I am an ice pokemon [hopefully]," the articuno said to Artemis, looking at her. "You would do well to recognize that even a cold heart can be good in some instances." The articuno touched Artemis with its wing, sending shivers through her body. "You'd do well to remember that," it said before flying off.

Artemis watched Articuno fly off, and sighed. Rune looked as well, and waved goodbye to the bird, though it was probably too far to see it. Where do we go now? she asked, floating onto Artemis's head.

"I'm not sure," Artemis replied, wiping the remainder of her tears away. "Anywhere but here. There's too much emotion here."

She sent out Lykouleon, and silently climbed onto his back. He took flight, and they set off with no destination. They were flying aimlessly, and a small part of Artemis wanted the collector to show up, just so she could be annoyed instead of miserable.

The pokeball containing Uxie made a loud noise, the pokemon inside in conlict with itself. If Artemis tried, Uxie wouldn't come out of the pokeball.

Artemis cringed at the noise, but knew Uxie wished to be alone. She wished she hadn't had caused so much pain, but couldn't dwell in the past. A wave of exhaustion hit her, and she had Lykouleon land back in Pewter.

She got off and returned him before walking to the Pokemon Center. She went inside, and sat on one of the lounge couches provided for trainers who needed to rest. She sat there with Uxie's ball held lightly in her hands, and thought. She thought of many things, the most being her newly recovered memories. She also thought of her family and the strange turn her life had taken.

Uxie's pokeball shook lightly every once in a while, Uxie's screaming in anguish sometimes escaping it.

Artemis gritted her teeth, then Articuno's words echoed through her head. Cold heart... She looked to Rune sadly. "I-I wish Uxie made her decision now. And I wish it is the one that will cause her the least amount of pain and sorrow, even if it's not the decision I want." She would have a hard heart toward herself, and not Uxie. She wanted what was best for her friend, even if Articuno did not like it.

Rune nodded, and since it was a wish of a larger magnitude, the eye on her stomach opened and glowed like her ribbons did. She was attempting to make it so, while also exhausting herself by doing it.

Uxie's pokeball broke, the suicune being released and looking at Artemis. The pokeball had broken because of Rune's rather large amount of energy used to make the wish come true. "So now you want me to make a decision and forcing me to by wishin," she asked Artemis with tears in her eyes. She popped into another pokeball and stuck there, that being her decision.

Artemis held the new Pokeball and placed on her belt. Exhaustion hit her, and she laid down, quickly falling asleep. Rune wedged her way against Artemis's stomach and fell asleep as well.

A trainer came by during Artemis's rest and set a blanket over her so she wouldn't freeze.

The next day, Artemis awoke with odd energy. She yawned and gently shook Rune awake, who still seemed exhausted from granting the wish. The little Jirachi groggily floated onto her shoulder, managing to accidentally swerve and hit Artemis straight in the nose.

Thankful that her nose didn't start bleeding, and appalled by just how hard Rune's head was, Artemis left the Pokemon Center. A cool wind whipped by, reminding her of the bird she had not pleased. Deciding not to dwell on what could have been, she decided to look around for any other Kantonian legends. Her original thought was the library, and that is where she now headed, whistling as she went.

The library was locked, it still too early. Uxie came vrom her pokeball, walking down the pathway awau from Artemis.