Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Seasons of Heaven

Nymphina

I'm still here... Sophitia thought to herself. Or at least, that was what it felt like. She couldn't tell where she was or what she was doing, just that her thoughts came aloud. The words echoed through whatever was her consciousness.

She shuffled and opened her eyes. Everything had a warm, golden filter over it. Not that there was anything else around her as is. She was in a transparent orb made of the golden light that had taken away her Pokémon body, but beyond that was a strange void filled with stars and darkness. It looked like outer space, only prettier, warmer, and more fantastical.

Oh, right. I had to say goodbye to everyone. I'm going to go back to being a human, soon, she thought, and closed her eyes again. I managed to make them all smile, I hope. But it was all so abrupt.

She opened her eyes. Nothing had changed. The way the stars around her moved, it was as if she was slowly rising. She sighed and closed up again. It's no use complaining about it now. But I hope they're doing alright.

A strange, elevating sound took her attention, and she opened up once more. She wasn't expecting to find anything, but someone did show up. They had their own glowing orb, just like her. She made a sound and reached out, but leaned back when that orb began to take form. It took the shape of a Floette, and then coloured in to reveal a Pokémon she knew. Floette? Is that really you?

"It is. I'm not supposed to be here, and nor are you supposed to be awake. But... something told me. Just by an extreme hunch, something told me to stop you here, on the border between worlds," Floette said. She paused, and Sophitia didn't say anything. "You are moments away from discarding everything and returning to your original human life. Your old memories, your old friends, your familiar world. Everything would be returned to you as if you had never been in our world."

Another pause.

"And yet, I... do pardon me for making a great assumption here. But you have regrets, don't you?" she said.

Sophitia made a sound.

"You don't want to leave, do you?" she asked.

It's not that I don't want to leave. I have to, don't I? That's the way things have to be, Sophitia thought. Floette was the one hesitating, now. It's best if Lute gets the chance to grow up, and find love in some other Pokémon. And where I came from, I'm sure I have so many people waiting for me. Who miss me, and are wondering where I am. I need to go to them, too.

"You have regrets, but you have resolve. If I may say, you truly are the hero of Aseria." Floette put her hands together.

Sophitia didn't reply.

"... I will not waste any more of your time. I am here because I owe you one favour. In the names of Diancie and Artemis, we all owe you one great favour. To complete that, I would travel even here, to the border between worlds," Floette said. "Once you cross, you will never be able to see anyone from this world ever again. This is the only chance we have to truly repay you."

Sophitia remained quiet.

"Sophitia. You are leaving this world reluctantly, your heart full of regrets. If – and this is entirely hypothetical – but if there was some kind of way that you could perhaps... stay here? Tell me... would you decide to stay?" she asked.

Sophitia felt herself shiver hard.

"I know what you're thinking. Since your memories began to return and you learnt of your destiny, as a human who had been brought here by Diancie and Artemis, you have resigned yourself to the fate that you would have to leave this world abruptly. That is why it was so easy for you, and yet so painful at the same time. You always knew that this was inevitable, so you saved yourself the pain by never once considering if there was a way for you to stay," Floette said. "So let me ask you once again. If there was a way in which you could stay, above all laws and forces, would you take it?"