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“Wait here.”[break][break]

Luka shifted from foot to foot as she waited outside a small house in a village she did not recognize. In fact, she had no idea where she was at all.[break][break]

Cresselia hailed from Sinnoh, so it was safe to assume this was where she found herself. But somehow, the assumption didn’t sit right with her. This place felt removed from any region she had ever visited, as if it existed outside of normal space and time.[break][break]

Perhaps that was appropriate. This was a different world, and it clearly followed different rules. Even in her universe, she had never seen people- not even avatars- transform with their Pokemon like they had here.[break][break]

As she waited, the pointed stares and whispers continued. She tried making eye contact with some of those around her; a young woman and man with stark white hair. The woman seemed ready to approach her, but the man tapped her foot with his cane, and she pulled back.[break][break]

Eventually, the door opened. The blond from before looked down at her, then gestured for her to enter. With a deep breath, Luka followed him inside.[break][break]

The room was small. A sliding door stood halfway open, and the tatami flooring leading into it was stained with smudges of crimson. On instinct, Luka took off her shoes before entering, and left them neatly by the door.[break][break]

She hesitated before she pushed the door all the way open. On the other side, a man sat with his back to her. He was tending to fresh wounds, wrapping gauze over and around his arm with a practiced fluidity. Luka couldn't see the extent of his injuries from here, but from the way blood already started to seep from the bandages, she could imagine how deep they cut. Had he been there before, during all the fighting? She hadn't noticed.[break][break]

A shiver crawled up the back of her neck as she stared at the back of his head. The curve of his neck, his shoulders. They looked too familiar— but different somehow, like a faded photograph where the edges of features started to blur. On the small table in front of him was an orange crystal, similar in shape and size to the one that had held Cresselia. It flickered gently under the light, like a flame.[break][break]

He turned then, glaring at her with green eyes that had been nothing but warm in her memories.[break][break]

She almost screamed.[break][break]

---

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“You died,” he told her.[break][break]

“That wasn’t me.”[break][break]

“You took her face.”[break][break]

Luka frowned. “It’s mine too.”[break][break]

It was so, so hard to keep her voice steady. Every syllable threatened to shatter as she twisted her hands into knots behind her back. The pain of gripping her fingers too tightly was the only thing that kept her tethered in place.[break][break]

“I’m so sorry,” she continued. “F-for your loss, I—”[break][break]

“That’s enough.” His tone was sharp. In all her years, Luka could count the number of times he raised his voice like that on one hand. “Who are you?” [break][break]

A demand.[break][break]

“My name is Luka Ch—”[break][break]

“No.” His voice cut through hers like a razor. Eugene Chêne stood to his full height and Luka shrank before him, feeling much like a child again.[break][break]

"Who are you?" he thundered. "Why are you here?" Desperation dripped from the fury that colored his voice. When Luka managed to meet his eyes she found in them a sadness so deep and wild that it made her heart ache.[break][break]

"I'm—"[break][break]

"Get out," he demanded suddenly. "You need to leave. Immediately."[break][break]

"But I don't—"[break][break]

"Now."[break][break]

And Luka did. She had always listened to her father.[break][break]

---

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For two weeks Luka lived outside the village.[break][break]

She found herself an abandoned shed to shelter in at night. For the first few days she kept to herself, but eventually she started to venture out. Even if it had been a mistake to stay, there was no way to get back. For better or worse, she was stuck here.[break][break]

The villagers didn't trust her at first. She couldn't blame them. It must have been hard to watch a ghost wander among the living.[break][break]

But every so often she caught glimpses of the people that lived here. They were strange; they weren't Pokemon, but they weren't fully human either. At least, not all of the time. She watched a woman dig herself a well with Excadrill claws, and a courier on Pelipper wings flew overhead every morning with his sachet of mail. Once, when she visited the river to collect water, she could have sworn she saw a mermaid, with dripping red hair and a tail that shone just like a Milotic.[break][break]

After a fortnight, one of them came to visit her. It was the young woman from before. She looked nervous, her mousy brown hair spun into twin braids as her eyes darted about. Her nose twitched.[break][break]

Her name was Samantha. "You look just like her," was the first thing she said, surprising Luka with her bluntness. She didn't seem surprised by the concept of other universes when Luka tried to explain things to her.[break][break]

"Clove says I shouldn't talk to you," she mentioned the next day, "But I think they're overreacting. You kind of saved us, right?" She smiled. "So thanks for that. I'll try to get Felix to come by tomorrow."[break][break]

The blind boy, she learned, was Felix. The one that had led her away from Cresselia's shrine had been Clove. There were others as well, names that Luka tried her best to remember, but it was impossible without faces to put them to. None of them came to see her.[break][break]

There were two others that stood out above the rest. Eugene Chêne, the village leader and head burst fighter, whatever that meant. And Sebastian Lavigne, another name that made Luka's heart stick in her throat.[break][break]

After another week, Samantha invited Luka to stay with her family. If she wasn't tired of sleeping in the cold ever night, she might have politely refused. She didn't want to endure the stares and whispers, but the allure of a warm bed was far greater than her personal discomfort.[break][break]

It took a month before she saw her father again, standing outside his home. This time, he didn't say anything. But with a silent nod, he beckoned her inside.[break][break]

She hesitated, but eventually followed him.[break][break]

---

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The silence that passed between them was long and poignant. In the end, it was Luka who broke it.[break][break]

"Where I'm from, you..."[break][break]

Even now it hurt to say. "You died."[break][break]

Her father's gaze haunted her. He was younger than she remembered, but his eyes- her eyes- held more suffering and grief than she had ever seen in him before. It took everything in her power not to throw herself across the room and into his arms, like she had as a girl.[break][break]

Another uncomfortable beat passed. But then, he surprised her with a smile. It was weak, as though he had forgotten how. "Figures," he scoffed. "Surprised I lasted this long here."[break][break]

He struggled to keep his tone casual, just as he struggled to look directly at her face. It was hard for Luka too, but she had had years to cope with her loss. To him, his daughter's death was a fresh wound, and the sutures opened far too easily.[break][break]

"I'm...sorry," she murmured again, though she wasn't exactly sure what for. She was sorry for everything, she supposed.[break][break]

---

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Their conversations were never easy at first. They were stilted and short. Uncomfortable. But an understanding eventually grew between them, and with it came a certain kind of fondness.[break][break]

And as it grew, Luka continued to learn about the world she had trapped herself in. She learned about the burst fighters, people whose very hearts connected with their Pokemon, allowing them to take on the powers and physical characteristics of the creatures they soul bonded with. It reminded her of the avatars back in Hoenn, though simultaneously more powerful and more mundane.[break][break]

That was the connection she had shared with Cresselia, however briefly. Luka visited the shrine again months later, the lunar wing she had been blessed with dangling around her neck, but the celestial didn't appear. She never did on any subsequent visit either.[break][break]

"Well, you busted her burst heart," Samantha explained over lunch. "Besides, you're not a fighter. You shouldn't have even been able to burst the first time. It should have killed you."[break][break]

Even so, Luka wanted to try it again. She desperately wanted to feel that sense of power again, and the sense of agency that came with it. Her lunar wing, she found, was able to superficially recreate the experience, but that was just a pretty dress and a few sparkles. It wasn't the same.[break][break]

There was something else bothering her. She had seen Sebastian Lavigne a few times— little more than glimpses. He seemed heaven bent on ignoring her as much as possible, and though Luka understood, the need to see her best friend again was selfishly persistent.[break][break]

But first time she managed to catch him, his expression was so full of rage and hate that she almost staggered back.[break][break]

"Ah...um! I-I'm sorry, but..."[break][break]

"Fuck off." He turned and stalked away, though his shoulders were trembling.[break][break]

"Sebby, wait—"[break][break]

"Don't you dare. He whirled on her. “You think you can just waltz in here and take her place like n-[break][break]

“That’s not what I-“[break][break]

“Like nothing happened?” He finished over her.[break][break]

“I’m not trying to! I-I understand that you’re hurt, and you miss her, but I’m not-”[break][break]

“Just leave it.” His eyes were hard. “Go back to whereever you came from. We don’t want you here.”[break][break]

He turned to leave again, and this time she didn't stop him.[break][break]

---

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She left Sebastian Lavigne alone after that.[break][break]

But she couldn't simply ignore his presence. She found out from Samantha that he was a burst fighter too. He wielded a Staraptor, while she- the she that was born here- used a Musharna. Luka wanted to know more, figure out how everything worked, to properly integrate into this world, but she was met with roadblocks at every turn.[break][break]

Her decision to stay was one she often regretted. It was a lonely existence. Her relationship with her father was strained and uncomfortable, and her friendship with Seb was nonexistent. She felt homesick, though she wasn't quite sure where home was for her anymore. She missed Remiel Calcifet. She regretted leaving her prince behind, though she often wondered how badly he actually missed her. They had barely just begun to see each other, after all.[break][break]

At first, she had entertained the idea that she would bring Cresselia's powers back to Hoenn. Then, she figured it would be good enough just to bring this bursting business back. But time continued to pass and she made no progress, stonewalled wherever she went. The shrine remained empty. The villagers still barely tolerated her. She was getting nowhere.[break][break]

She couldn't have trapped herself here for nothing. Eventually, she had enough.[break][break]

"I want to learn," she told Eugene one day. She stood in his doorway with an expression as firm and resolute as she could muster. "This burst stuff. I want you to teach me."[break][break]

Her face softened, the desperation she felt threatening to spill over. "Please?"[break][break]

---

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Training sessions were grueling.[break][break]

Every muscle in her body screamed in protest. Every joint was sore. Her Pokemon trained with her but she was the one who suffered the most, unaccustomed to so much intense physicality.[break][break]

More often than not she would end sessions completely numb, her body as use and limp as overcooked spaghetti. She lay on the training field after one particularly bad day, blinking up at the sky and only half-listening to her instructors.[break][break]

"You have to train your body," Clove scolded. The star-tipped point of his tail swished with impatience. "Otherwise it'll reject the burst."[break][break]

"You need to keep your mind clear too," Samantha piped up, tucking one cotton-fluffed ear behind her shoulder. "It's not just about muscle. If your brain can't handle it..." she shrugged. "Remember Marquis? He went, like, totally nuts."[break][break]

And so Luka continued to push herself, stretching her body and mind to its limits. Day after day she found herself back on the pitch, sharing it with fighters who shifted forms so easily that it almost made her angry.[break][break]

Occasionally, she crossed paths with Sebastian Lavigne there. He usually ignored her. However, sometimes she would feel his eyes on her, and she got the feeling he delighted in her suffering.[break][break]

He was open with his disdain, and Luka couldn't blame him. She could never bring herself to return the sentiment; he was grieving, and the sight of her face was an ever-present reminder of his loss. Even so, she hadn't realized that her dear friend carried such a mean streak until it was focused on her.[break][break]

Once, a spar with Samantha landed her face-down in a heap, and she heard him bark a laugh. She looked up, shaking dirt and grass out of her eyes, and his smirk was visible from across the field. He seemed to delight in her suffering.[break][break]

[break][break]

She continued to stare as he pulled out a dark crystal and held it over his heart. With a flash of light, deep black wings burst from his back. Taloned feet dug into the ground before he ascended with practiced ease, circling the field once before he became nothing but a speck on the horizon.[break][break]

---

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Time continued to pass. And though it took ages, she finally heard what she'd been waiting for for months.[break][break]

"I think you're ready."[break][break]

---

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After a year and a half, Luka was ready to receive her first burst heart.[break][break]

Even after all this time, she barely understood how it worked. It was one of those things one had to experience rather than hear about, she supposed. Like getting on a bicycle; theory was all well and good, but muscle memory was far more valuable.[break][break]

But even though she'd spent months putting her body through grueling training and almost as long meditating to sharpen her mind, there was one last step.[break][break]

"You need to choose," Eugene told her. He gestured to the small huddle of Pokemon that sat before her. Her team had grown up right along with her, and now they all sat at attention, staring at her expectantly.[break][break]

"You'll keep one burst partner for your entire life," he explained. "So choose carefully."[break][break]

Luka glanced over at the heart that contained her father's partner, Helios. Back in her universe, the two had made quite the formidable pair. Seeing them bonded in this one was something else entirely. Luka craved that kind of connection; the power that came with it was merely a bonus. To be so deeply bonded with another living being was too beautiful to be viewed selfishly.[break][break]

"Plum," she decided eventually. The Musharna blinked sleepily at her. "We've been together my entire life. It doesn't feel right with anyone else but you."[break][break]

Eugene smiled, but in it was a sadness so deep that Luka almost changed her mind. She knew his daughter had made the same choice. But she kept resolute and held her hand out to Plum, who floated gracefully over to her.[break][break]

Dream mist spooled around them, enveloping the pair in a haze of pinks and purples. Luka placed a palm on Plum's forehead and allowed her eyes to flutter closed, focusing solely on the connection between them.[break][break]

It started as a spark, a tiny, flickering flame in the tips of her fingers. It traveled down her arm, towards her heart, and she could feel it thrumming in time with her Musharna's. "Thank you," she whispered as a violet light enveloped them both. "I love you so much. We're going to do amazing things together."[break][break]

The light pulsed so bright that even behind her eyes it was nearly blinding. When it faded, Luka held a purple crystal gently in her palm.[break][break]

---

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"Are you ready?"[break][break]

"This is soooo exciting!"[break][break]

"Be careful."[break][break]

Her nerves were abuzz. Her head felt light. Luka stared down at the crystal in her hand, both enthralled and terrified by the power she now possessed. The first time she had done this, it had been on instinct, and it had almost killed her.[break][break]

Now, she was doing it with purpose. Not with a legendary, but with her trusted friend. Somehow, that made it far more special.[break][break]

She lifted the stone to her lips, anointing it with a gentle kiss. A sudden warmth bloomed through her and her body was wreathed with light as the change began.[break][break]

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Childhood fantasy was made manifest in her little transformation. She was all sparkles and glittering aureoles, a stardust girl made of dreams and childhood fairytales. Her body was cocooned in a nightdress of ribbons and soft chiffon, and the tips of her fingertips were stained purple, like she'd been eating mulberry pie. Her eyes flashed purple as they slowly blinked open, and the freckles dotting her cheeks had become tiny stars.[break][break]

She hovered a few inches above the ground, toes curling as she tested this new buoyancy. Her hair spooled around her like clouds of dream mist, and from her body that same energy pooled and curled around her. She held out her hands, carefully, and felt energy rushing through her palms. It was overwhelming; the first burst of psychic energy came so quickly that she nearly fell backwards. It exploded into purple clouds halfway across the field, but she found herself laughing in delight despite the lack of control.[break][break]

"This is so, so..." She turned back towards her companions, her face glowing with a too-bright smile. "Thrilling! Exiting? Oh my goodness, I can't...does it feel like this all the time?"[break][break]

Luka giggled and tried another attack. Focusing hard, and forcing her racing heart to calm, she lifted her palm. From it burst a beam of psyshock, this time far more controlled and easier to manage. It blasted across the field and neatly severed a broken down fencepost in twain.[break][break]

This kind of power was new and unfamiliar, but it felt right somehow. Like she was always supposed to be like this. Like she was finally, finally, home.[break][break]

---

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"Do you miss her?"[break][break]

Quiet moments between battles were becoming rare. The return of the DRK TRIAD assassins in their universe meant there was little time for rest, but Luka couldn't help but fill their downtime with chatter.[break][break]

Now, as she dressed some of Eugene's wounds, she voiced something she'd been thinking of for quite some time.[break][break]

"All the time. And you?"[break][break]

Luka hummed absently. She had never been able to call this man father, even after all this time. But there was no mistaking that the bond between them had become familial; or perhaps it was always that way. They were two lost souls who had somehow managed to find each other again.[break][break]

"All the time," she echoed with a smile. "But I'm glad I have you." She paused. "Even though my Eugene could have kicked your butt."[break][break]

He barked a laugh, but it turned into a wince of pain. Luka frowned. He'd been pushing himself too hard lately.[break][break]

"I'm glad you're here," he said, speaking with an ardent sincerity that surprised her. "At first it didn't feel right. I thought entertaining your existence would be a betrayal, somehow. But having you here, training you, watching you grow...it's how I felt the first time around with her. It's not a replacement, but it keeps her memory alive. I guess I should thank you for that."[break][break]

Luka reached over and squeezed his hand. "For what it's worth, I'm glad I ended up here. With you, and everyone else. If I could help a little bit...well, I'm very grateful for that, honestly."[break][break]

Back in her own universe she had been nothing but a shadow. A husk of a girl who floated through people's lives without ever touching them, not really. Here she was strong. Here she had people she wanted to protect, and the means to do so. Here, she could save the world.[break][break]

---

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"What was she like?" Luka asked Sebastian Lavigne between one of their spars.[break][break]

"Stronger than you," he quipped back, wiping his face with a towel. "You need to train harder if you're going to keep up."[break][break]

Luka bumped his shoulder with a scoff. She knew she was prodding a sore spot, especially when her relationship with this Sebastian had been tumultuous for the first few years. But she couldn't keep herself from asking.[break][break]

"I mean it," she said, fixing him with a gaze that he tried to shy away from. "I've heard things from everyone else, but not you."[break][break]

Sebastian sighed. Without a word he slumped down into the grass and waited for Luka to join him. For a while he stared at her, then turned his gaze outward.[break][break]

"She was like the sun, I guess. I dunno any better way to say it. She was bright, and she drew people in. She could make them feel better just by existing." He cast his eyes skyward, squinting against the sunlight.[break][break]

"Sometimes I felt like I'd burn up if I got too close, though. But she was too kind, so I don't think she'd let me. She was funny like that. She'd have rather seen herself burn instead." His voice sounded thick, but he swallowed it down.[break][break]

"You're a lot like her," he admitted after a moment. "That's why I hated you so much. I hated that you were here and she was gone. It wasn't fair."[break][break]

Luka did him the favor of not staring. Instead, she mimicked his heavenward gaze, watching carefree clouds drift above them. But below the expanding skies, her hand found his and squeezed.[break][break]

---

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The lunar wing started to glow as she approached the shrine.[break][break]

It had been four years since Luka first set foot here and put the moon back in the sky. Four years since she made the decision to stay and cultivate a life here.[break][break]

Last time, it was Cresselia who had needed her aid. This time, she was the one to come looking for help.[break][break]

She had made the trek to the shrine since then, of course. But her call had always gone unanswered. It took longer than she'd like to admit to understand that it was due to her own vain ambition; personal validation was not enough. Striving for power was not enough. Seeking a friend was not enough.[break][break]

This time, she knew it would be different. Because this region that was now home, this was enough. The lives of her friends were enough. Love was enough.[break][break]

She stood by the half-moon pool, looking at the reflection of the stars in it's clear, glassy surface. Under the moonlight it glowed an ethereal silver, guiding her way up to Cresselia's shrine.[break][break]

Luka glided up them, her feet barely touching the ground. Years of being with Plum had changed her; they shared not only their souls, but her body as well. She floated when she walked, and puffs of dream mist gathered around her, like clouds.[break][break]

Once she reached the shrine she pulled the lunar wing from around her neck. It was awash in soft shades of golden light, and it seemed to tremble slightly in her hands, like a tiny heart. Luka closed her eyes, said a quick prayer, and placed the feather in front of the shrine: an offering.[break][break]

[break][break]

It was the light that came first. Blues and purples and greens swam across the sky as an aurora bloomed upon it, like watercolors bleeding onto a canvas. From above, with the moon as her backdrop, Cresselia descended with the same celestial grace Luka remembered. She hovered above her shrine, gazing impassively down at Luka, and waited.[break][break]

"Hello," Luka whispered softly. She suddenly felt so small. "Do you remember me?"[break][break]

She didn't expect an answer, nor did she need one. The air between them sparked with a mutual understanding, and slowly, Cresselia bowed her head.[break][break]

For a moment, Luka almost wanted to protest. She wanted to ask why this creature would trust her innately, without any explanation. Was their plight truly terrible enough to warrant it? Or had her heart simply called to the other's in a way that couldn't be ignored?[break][break]

Luka had held Cresselia's heart before, after all. Their souls had been linked. Perhaps she had just never known how to use that until now.[break][break]

She lowered her head as well, stepping forward until their foreheads touched, same as when they last parted. It felt warm and comforting, like an embrace. A soft, roseate glow enveloped the pair of them, just like it had with Plum, growing in intensity until Luka was sure it rivaled the moon above them.[break][break]

When it faded, another crystal sat in her palms. Luka held it to her heart, and whispered a quiet, "Thank you."[break][break]

She didn't know if they could save the world again. Nothing in life was ever a guarantee. But as Luka hurried away from fullmoon island to rejoin her friends, she knew that at the very least, she had hope.[break][break]

She had hope, therefore, she lived.[break][break]

---

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