HIROKI! —☆

ALT around him. Perhaps it likes him. He doesn't know why; how did he garner its attention so much? (During his journey, before everything, he had gotten incredibly lost in the forest. He stumbled upon the shrine and, knowing who it was for, offered some berries in exchange for help out of the forest. It had worked, and he was forever thankful. He leaves berries every so often ever since.) (Perhaps there is more than one CELEBI. Since his records, once he looked it up, suggest that CELEBI are green. But CELEBI, at least the

ALT one who helped him, the one he befriended, has always been pink. Strange.) It pulls away, looking at him sadly. Perhaps, it is seeing a future wherein Hiroki never comes back to see it, he thinks. Its expression changes to something more serious, then reaches to grab onto his backpack. "C—CELEBI, did you want to be caught?" CELEBI shakes its head, tugging more incessently on the zipper.

ALT Ah. "You want to— to travel with me? Are you sure...?" It nods rapidly. Hiroki opens the zipper. CELEBI doesn't wish to be inside a POKéBALL, but it does want to be with Hiroki. But... "CELEBI... what if someone catches you...? What if THEY catch you?!" CELEBI pauses climbing inside. It picks up a ball and inspects it. ... the GS BALL, one that he had found many years ago, and had

ALT meant to give to Kurt, but got so busy that he had forgotten. It holds it, inspects it. And tears it apart, putting the two halves inside the shrine. Hiroki doesn't say anything. He simply watches as it picks up another ball — a FRIEND BALL this time — and inspects it. Nodding to itself, it presses the button against itself, and... catches itself inside it. It didn't shake. But it clicked immediately. 【 Gotcha! CELEBI was caught! 】

ALT corridor, and he couldn't *not* follow the POKéMON. He ended up at a clearing. The UNOWN are uneasy. CELEBI is uneasy. A shot echos through the ruins, right through his arm and into the CYNDAQUIL. "NO—!!" He runs further into the clearing, holding a rag to the bleeding. "HURRY, HURRY, I have to HURRY— No, no, no—" He holds the CYNDAQUIL close to his chest, ignoring the blood

ALT seeping from his own arm. A person appears from the shadows. "You—?!" "Do you know why you're here, ██████?" "You said— you told me some kid went missing, everything here is restless, and look, CELEBI isn't happy—!" (CELEBI is hurting. CELEBI is crying. The tears are Red.) He desperately holds the CYNDAQUIL. He needs to HURRY

ALT this up. She doesn't have a lot of time. (Neither do you.) A gun is in front of his face. "You know too much, ██████." "I— I'm sorry I looked, I promised not to tell, I haven't told a soul—!" Step back. Step back. (There is a weak spot in the floor. The UNOWN are gathering around it.)

ALT "██████." "Y...Yes?" "Consider this to be your formal resignation." The shot echos across the ruins. The CELEBI is shaking, shaking, shaking— A bright light. He falls onto the ground. The ground cracks, and he falls and falls and falls and falls some more. And he still hasn't stopped falling.