The Trial of Dreams and Memories (TMM 2)

I Did It

"Morai!" Morai called. She had appeared in the Realm of Dreams once again. With a bit over a day left remaining until she left for Alola, she had to get some things in order. 

Past Morai appeared, stumbling down the walkway from what Morai assumed to be the Outlands. She was all beaten up and relied on her staff to walk with what looked like an injured leg. 

"It seems you can't win over there, hm?" Morai asked. 

"You usually don't care to see me," Past Morai answered, ignoring her comment. 

Morai didn't answer, but instead lunged at her counterpart as soon as she was within range. There wasn't much Past Morai could do to stop it in her state. Her nearly-broken mask flew off of her head as she hit the ground. Morai sat on top of her, pinning her arms to the ground. Her eyes glowed red as she tried to take hold of her mind. 

"I need you to show me a memory," she said, digging her claws into Past Morai's skin. 

"By your action I'm guessing it's not one I'd like you to see," Past Morai replied. 

"Show me the day I was arrested."

"You want to see how the serum works," Past Morai said with rattling breath, "so that you can falsely replicate its effects and pretend to be under its influence. Then you'll go to Alola and make your escape, psychic powers intact."

"Precisely," Morai replied with a grin, feeling her hypnosis slowly taking hold as her counterpart fought back.

"It's not a bad plan, if you can fool everyone."

"Well? Are you going to comply, or am I going to have to force it out of you?"

Past Morai sighed and closed her eyes. 

"I suppose it is my duty to take you to the past," she said. The world around them faded and a new one took its place. They were right by this memory's Morai. The real Morai got up and circled this version of herself curiously. 

"This is what is feels like to be alive," the memory said. This Morai, fueled by the red serum, had pure cruelty in her eyes. She didn't care whether she lived or died in this fight against Looker if it meant she died doing what she loved. Perhaps it was because her choices had closed off any sort of future, blurring the past and making the path ahead so foggy that she was simply doomed to exist in the present, bending to any impulse and living as the strange creature she had become. 

She continued to fight and exchanged a few words with Looker, planning to knock him out, until she was shot by Ingo. The current Morai saw the look of utter shock and agony in her memory's eyes as she screamed out in pain. She thrashed around as handcuffs were placed around her wrists, refusing to accept that what was happening was her true reality. Mewtwo appeared and left the scene. Ingo walked to stand before her and watched with sorrow as the life seemed to drain from her frightening form until she looked blankly ahead, her mouth hanging slightly open. A black tear formed in her eye and rolled down her deathly pale face. 

Everything paused, and Morai was left to stare into the face of her memory. It was a sight out of a horror movie. She felt her heart beating within her chest, the feeling of something wrapping around her throat so tightly that she couldn't breathe. Her legs had grown weak. 

"Can you replicate that, Morai?" Past Morai asked. 

"It's...not supposed to be this painful this time around," Morai said, without looking away from her memory. 

"This is the day we met," Past Morai continued. "I read you the letter I had written the day I first took the serum. Do you remember that?"

"I do," Morai said. It had been the last bit of comfort she had experienced that day.