Hideo backed away from the voice, terrified. How did his mom find him? When did she get here? Was she going to take him back? "Mom, I-"

"It's all right, Hideo. We aren't mad with you."

Another form appeared close to him, also a featureless shape of a person. It also knelt close to him, speaking with a much more masculine voice.

"You never needed to do all this. We always loved you, and we always will."

Hideo recognized that voice, backing away from it. "Dad..." He muttered to himself, clinging tight to his Meltan.

It was wrong. All wrong. He knew his parents wouldn't say things like that. They wouldn't just let him back away. They'd yell at him, tell him he shouldn't put himself in danger like this. That he should never have run away. That they were doing their hardest to keep him safe.

"You don't need to prove anything to us."

"You've grown so much. You aren't a little kid anymore."

He could hear another voice. A familiar voice, but not that of his family. He couldn’t immediately recall who it was, but he knew who it wasn’t. He walked towards them, the two humanlike-shapes turning as he passed between them.

"H-hey! What's going on?! Why are they - why do I hear my parents?"

Cardamom Bliss , open to more

He can recognize that voice after hearing it again - more so because she named herself. “Oh thank goodness,” Hideo muttered to himself, before raising his voice once more. “I-I don’t think it’s really them! They’d never say that kind of stuff.” Not honestly.

It was more obvious to anyone else that these weren’t really his parents; his parents weren’t human-shaped clouds of mist.

Hideo approached her, unsure exactly how far Cardamom was, but he just wanted to get away from whatever it was that was mimicking his parents’ voices. But just as he thought he was getting close, he could hear a litany of other voices. He couldn’t recognize any of them, and they were all singing praises of Cardamom and her family’s bakery.

“I think...I’ve heard of that place,” Hideo said. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever visited it before, or if he heard it in passing from someone. Maybe from Cardamom herself.

“You’ve made such a wonderful friend, Hideo.”

“We can visit there, if you’d like. Or you could go yourself.”

The two shapes had followed him, staying close. Hideo’s fist clenched, once again hearing words he knew his parents would never honestly say to him.

“You can get whatever you want, Hideo.”

“They must have those cinnamon rolls you like.”

“It’s fine if you want to go.”

“You can come back home whenever you want.”

Cardamom Bliss , open to more

Cardamom's explanation didn't help all that much; "Interdream zone?" Hideo repeated, confused. "Never heard of something like that before. Is it really just a lot of mist, like some kind of Misty Terrain?"

The shapes of his parents looked towards the one that approached them.

"Oh yes! He's always been such a wonderful child!"

"But it's his choice. He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to."

Hideo grit his teeth, focusing his attention on Cardamom. "Oh yeah, they'd say it. Sometimes. But I know they never really meant it." There'd always be a tell uncovering their insincerity; hesitation in their speaking, attempts to dissuade him, subject changing, last-moment word changes. And he'd overheard enough of their conversations to know how they truly felt about him and his accomplishments.

But these things talking to him right now? The ones using his parents' voices?

Not a single tell.

"They could barely trust me to go down the street on my own to pick up bread. Even when I had my Pokemon out with me. I always had to keep my phone on me, so they knew where I was. And if they could, they'd make me wear that jacket I know had a chip in it."

"You're old enough now to go out on your own."

"There doesn't have to be any lies between us."

Hideo's cheeks reddened a little upon hearing that. He walked forward, trying to get away from them - but they just followed, staying by his sides the whole time.

He could hear a few distinct voices in the distance. Two of them he didn't recognize, but the third, he definitely recognized as Eris Halla . "Eris is here too?" he asked aloud. She also got caught in the interdream zone?  Hideo had to wonder how many other people were here.

"Hey, Eris!" Hideo shouted, trying to get her attention.

"He's made so many wonderful friends, hasn't he?"

Cardamom Bliss , Eris Halla , open to more

Cardamom seemed to be well aware that this was all just some weird illusion...but Eris seemed completely caught up in hers. Guess some were more convincing than others.

Still, he listened to who she was talking to, and she seemed to know them pretty intimately, even describing the Mastermind game the three of them had been a part of. The one his own parents blew a gasket over him nearly “falling to his death” in (he was certain there was some precaution there to save him from actually getting hurt).

"I remember watching that! You did well making it to the end, Hideo."

"You were brave, never giving up. Even when a killer came after you!"

"This...has to be what you said," Hideo said to Cardamom. "This can't be real. None of it is. It has to be some Musharna stuff." But that meant he'd have to do something he knew was going to end in sadness - but the longer it went on for, the more it would hurt. "We have to tell Eris and get out of here."

But right as he put on foot forward, the two clouds moved in front of him.

"Why won't you accept us, Hideo?"

"Is there nothing we can do to make you happy?"

Hideo clenched his fists, but continued moving forward. The clouds remained in front of him, their attempts to stop him remaining verbal.

"Do you hate us?"

"What do you want, Hideo?"

Hideo's face reddened a little, but he kept moving forward towards where he heard Eris.

"You won't even listen to us, will you?"

The two clouds lost their forms, moving into one another and mixing together.

"Then will you listen to me?"

Hideo stopped, recognizing the voice in an instant. Cardamom and Eris would probably recognize it instantly as well: it was Hideo's.

The new cloud formed a shape. It was smaller than its parents, even a few inches shorter than Hideo, but it was much more developed; its body had color, from brown hair to that unmistakable striped sweater, to even the skin. Its face was clearly defined, those closed eyes and wide grin impossible to miss.

It was the spitting image of Hideo - though a little younger. Almost two years younger.

"What...what are you?" Hideo - the real one - asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm you! If you won't listen to mom and dad, you'll listen to me, right?"

"Because it's me you want something from, isn't it? Not Mom or Dad?"

Hideo opened his mouth, ready to object, but it was as if there was something stuck in his throat stopping him from speaking.

Cardamom Bliss , Eris Halla , open to more