Elron clenched his fists as he stood in front of the one who he once loved.

Flora held her eyes down as she prepared herself.

Ira stood off to the side of them, looking back and forth between the two.

He spoke up with a slightly irritated tone. "Alright, tell me. What is it about your past that could possibly have justified leaving me and faking your death?"

She couldn't even pretend to be angry as well. "What? You sound like you think that I could have possibly been out there, journeying around, for so long and not have more badges than what I did?"

The uncomfort built up in Ira's chest. What's going on here? What's she talking about?!

"Just out with it, please," said Elron. "It'll be easier for all of us if you did."

"Alright, I'll tell you everything." She looked at him with eyes tearing up in the moonlight. "I'll tell you why I'm not who you thought I was."

-----

It started several years before I met you. Being caught by the effects of youth, I excelled at what I did, and had an endless amount of pride from it. After I had reached my eighth badge before anyone else that I knew did, I got too cocky. I felt like I could do anything without consequence. Something was wrong in my head, because I thought that my next step in my journey was to step up in the world and seize it for myself.

Yes, that is when I joined the Hoenn division of the then thriving Team Rocket.

I rebelled against the world, and regrettably I loved it. My Ninetales and I did whatever we were told, and slowly but surely rose up in the ranks of grunts in the organization. It started off as things of lesser degrees of horrible, such as stealing things from banks and pokecenters. I knew that it was wrong, but that sinking feeling in my stomach from causing so much trouble exhilarated me. That is, until I hit a certain assignment.

"I want you to go to Fortree City and get a certain drug for me," said my superior. "It's rather expensive and rare, and since it's usually used controversially in regenerating stem cells the people at Fortree won't give it to us willingly. We need that drug for an ongoing experiment in Kanto, and are entrusting this important task with you. As usual, do whatever it takes to fulfill the mission."

I willingly accepted the task, and flew there that night. When I arrived everything was quiet in the dark of night. Everyone was sleeping, which was perfect for me. I stepped quietly across the wooden floors of the tree house. My heart jumped after I had the floor creak loudly from beneath me, but after I judged that no one had heard me I continued forward to the back of the store. I rummaged through the drugs and herbs until I found what I needed, which I stuffed into my bag. Suddenly, a heard a step behind me.

"Put your hands up, thief!" shouted a large man's voice. I turned slowly to face him, and to my surprise saw that he was not wielding a pokeball, but rather a gun. A cold sweat broke out on my body when I saw that it was pointed at me.

"I said, put them up!" He raised his hand to fire off some warning shots, and then the adrenaline took over. I used the chance to release my Ninetales and attack the man. "Fire Blast!"

The wave of fire shot straight into the man, setting his clothes on fire. He rolled on the floor, screaming all the way. "Serves him right for interfering with me of all people," I thought to myself as I stormed out of the house and into the jungle that surrounded the town. I hid and made sure to send a message of success to my leaders.

That's when I heard the screaming. I looked back and to my horror I saw the entire town catching fire. Families ran from their homes as they fell apart in flames. The fire sped up and grew to consume most of the city before people were able to put it out.

During the entire event my eyes were glued to what I had done. The moving shadows of people and pokemon struggling from within the flames burned into my memory a show of what proud ignorance had given me. And the screams. The screams still terrify me to this day.

I later found out that that man died, as did several others caught up in the firestorm.

I had caused such destruction, such absolute devastation in all of those people's lives. I ran from everything. I understood at that point that no amount of repentance could make up for what I did. I fell into a long spell of depression.

I forget how long exactly I lived on the streets after that, as those horrible days blur together. I struggled to survive, as I couldn't let anyone help someone as terrible as me. It wasn't until I was on the brink of starvation did I decide to do anything about my life.

I destroyed my badges and released my pokemon, all except for one. Something about my Ninetales made it eternally bound to my fate, so I merely sealed her away in her pokeball for years to come.

I went home. My parents saw my state and nursed me back to health. They asked lots of questions, but I would answer none. Eventually they decided to not press me anymore after they saw the suffering in my eyes anytime they brought up my past. That's the strange thing about parents, they can put aside their own desires for those of their children when they find out how they can best help them.

One day, I know not when, I decided to start over. With my Ninetales kept out of use, I started on a new journey. This one was not one to conquer the world, but rather to experience it. I let the world of nature engulf me. The trees could not judge me, and even though the wind would chill me I felt at home in the world away from the lights of the civilization.

I did several times go back briefly into cities and towns for supplies of course, and even a few times allowed myself to participate in gym battles. However, I would never let myself battle like I once did. In fact, I no longer felt that I had the capacity to do so. I pressed on in life slowly yet surely.

After allowing myself to get my fourth badge I went home to visit my parents. I wasn't happy, but I was a lot happier than I once was, and my parents saw this. They welcomed me back home, but did not press me to stay.

That was when I met you, Elron.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I went to go visit Professor Aspen, who I had not seen in years, in hope that she might be able to point me in towards some legit work in the wilderness. You were there, Aaron's pokeball in your hand. When you saw me I could tell that you had a little bit of a crush on me. I wondered why, especially since you knew me so long before and had not seen me in years, so I humoured you a little. When you let out Aaron from his pokeball though, and I saw how much he inherently liked me as well, I couldn't help but want to take a chance with you two. We set out on our journey the next day.

Every day was brighter than the last when I was with you guys. I was so entangled in your day to day shenanigans that I got caught up in them and participated in them as well. I couldn't believe it, but I was enjoying myself again, and I felt like a new person.

I also felt that I was slowly falling for you.

The months went by as we grew closer and closer, stronger and stronger.

Then came the day that I was fully unprepared for. In front of the eighth gym, right before we were to go in, you proposed to me. My heart burned in confliction. I was reminded of my crimes against humanity, but before I had time to properly react I said "yes." I wanted to accept you, I really did, but I couldn't let myself. If I was to marry you then I would surely have to tell you of my past.

In that moment my mind burst into a fit until it reached a dark solution to end my suffering.

I panicked and used Ninetales in my next fight, beating Wallace handily. The entire fight for me was not a fight on the battlefield, but rather one with my pokemon. Eyes of scorn looked at me each time she got a chance, and each time I felt worse. The immense hate that erupted from that pokemon took control of me, but I tried to act like it didn't matter. I needed Ninetales' power to fulfill my plan.

We would soon travel to Sinnoh and get ourselves wrapped up in the plot to awaken Regigigas. I could tell what was going to happen, but I allowed it to happen for my plan. The night before we would go deeper into the temple to find Regigigas, I whispered my instructions to Ninetales' pokeball as you stirred in your sleeping bag, struggling to sleep. I made my deal with the devil. It was now or never.

We reached the bottom of the temple, and set free the Regis onto the world. As the rest fled when they broke from our control, I made my move. I let out Ninetales and she created an illusion of us stepping forward. People often forget about Ninetales' ghostly side because of its lack of a second type, and so did you, because you fell for it.

I fled behind a pillar and watched you fight for your life with the legendaries. I trembled as I watched even those who I thought were strong run, leaving you all alone. My heart broke as I watched you see the illusion of me fall through the cracks formed by the collapsing temple, getting sucked into the abyss below. I wavered, almost ready jump out and help you, but it was too late. The deed was done.

And somehow, you won. You beat not one, but four legendaries, thanks to your pokemon. I was in awe, but also in shame. I once again threw away all of my pokeballs except Ninetales, except this time I threw them into the crevice that you saw me fall into for you to discover later.

And then I ran. I cut my hair. I changed my outfit. I caught new pokemon. I changed who I was to hide from the world. I had to start a new life.

I also had to fulfill my deal with Ninetales. I tried to release her, to let her tear up the world as she saw fit, but to my surprise she did not leave me. Instead, I heard a ghastly voice projected into my mind.

"Ha! Why would I leave you? Despair follows you wherever you go, and if I stick with you I'll have a front row seat!"

I physically couldn't make her leave, so I carried the momento of my past with me.

I fell into my second fit of depression, and fled to the region of Alola, thinking that its exotic wilderness would bring me comfort.

Then a special thing happened. It was winter, and the cold tore over the region. I clung stubbornly to the world away from humans, rather freezing than dealing with others, for I would eventually have to expose my true self. It was a miracle, what I saw. Across an icy plain, I saw a Ninetales helping a freezing Pidgey, stranded from getting separated from its flock, get warm again by providing its body heat.

This Ninetales was a special one. It was a light blue, somewhat unlike my silver-grey Ninetales. It looked graceful in all of its moves and radiated a pleasant aura. It was a polar opposite of the Ninetales I knew. It was beautiful in every way.

It was in that Ninetales that I saw myself. I saw that I could change, no, that I had changed, and that my life did not always have to be lived the way that others thought it should be. If there could be two completely different Ninetales, then there could also be two completely different Floras in this world. While I can never be forgiven for what I have done, I can at least move on and become something way different than what I once was.

Because of that moment I stand here today. I am torn, Elron. Torn at which "me" is the real me. Torn about which one you will choose.

-----

With a destiny so black,

Even fire looks white.

There is no turning back,

Back to the light.

The sins of my past life

Always catch up.

Filled with such strife,

They freeze my pup.

Despite the pain I know,

Take my eighth tail.

I'll hide in my grotto,

Cold, scared, and frail.

I know like none other:

Ninetales're tough.

I could lose another.

Seven's enough.

Yet rising from the ashes,

I grew anew.

The world turned cold in flashes,

This I now knew.

The Fire, my Storm,

Clears from above.

If my world is to warm,

It's through my love.

I have survived this far,

So I must live.

Lead by the North Star

I seek to thrive.

My own life I will knit,

Though it is tough.

Ninetales are obstinate.

Seven's enough.

-----

The world went silent for the three of them, silent except for an ominous cold wind that blew over their bodies.

Flora gritted teeth and tears of shame started rolling down her face. Words could not describe the anguish she felt.

Elron unexpectedly walked up to her and immediately hugged her. He whispered in her ear. "You put me through all that loneliness for something as little as that? You should've known better."

It was in that moment, with Elron and Flora in each other's arms and Ira watching, that Flora healed and Ira broke.