Hey guys, NightFall here with the next chapter of HDD. Last time, we got a bit more into Gibson's character which is something I should've done long, long ago. Anyway, we're going to continue with that thread, along with something else that I've wanted to do for a while, pretty much since I figured out where this story was going to go. There's actually not much I want to say in these notes for right now, so I'll probably just jump right in. But as a little side-note, at the bottom, there is a description one of my different stories I'm giving serious consideration for writing after I'm done with this. I've said it before, I probably won't continue writing fanfiction after this. I was never that into it to begin with, but this story has just become so much it's own thing I really want to see it all the way complete. At any rate, if you feel like it, read the summary, blurb, idea things at the bottom and shoot me a PM if you have an opinion, suggestion, comments, feelings, concerns, threats, anything (except that last thing).

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKÉMON, BECAUSE IF I DID, GHOSTS AND DRAGONS WOULD NOT BE WEAK TO THEMSELVES.

Chapter 88: The Truth is Revealed

How many of you are the kind of person who just rips off the band-aid? It's something we get told a lot, that just ripping it off will make the pain quicker, and overall less excruciating. Extrapolate that, and you get the famous saying that basically boils down to "Just get it over with quickly." In many ways, it's actually one of those adages that does make a lot of sense. Worrying about something and all the ways it can go wrong are so often just within our own heads. The only thing truly stopping us is our own fear of the unknown, and potentially even embarrassment. Anyway, when we linger on something, when we let it simmer for too long, it becomes harder and harder to just be done with it. The adhesive anchors too deep, and every micro-pull hurts more and more. It's the opposite of short-term gain, long-term loss. And in the end, one option gives people time to work through the pain and have it be over quickly, the other lets it sit and become impossible to take away.

That woman's voice still echoed in Gibson's mind. Her stepmother constantly talking about her daughter, day-in and day-out. It was always Hiyoko-this and Hiyoko-that. Hiyoko always got good grades, Hiyoko never got in trouble, Hiyoko was an angel. By the time Gibson was eight, she learned that it was possible to hate someone who she'd never met, and never would get to meet.

The future poison trainer already had a despondent look in her eye, having to follow next to her father and his girlfriend, as they looked around the shopping boutiques. The adult woman walked towards a section with dresses and pointed to one that was definitely too small for her. Gibson started getting nervous when she mentioned Hiyoko again.

"Hiyoko loved these kinds of clothes," she said. The woman turned to Gibson, and as she remembered it, her head moved like a ratchet, clicking as her neck twisted. "Why don't you try it on?"

Gibson felt that urge to run away again. She gave her father a desperate look and he responded. "Gibson's never been much for these kinds of clothes." Thank god, she breathed out.

"But don't you think she she'd look so cute in this?" the woman kept insisting. "It won't hurt her to try, will it?"

"Well…," her father thought. The eight-year-old girl felt like a wrecking ball of betrayal hit her stomach as she was already being taken into the dressing room.

When she was forced out, her father didn't really say anything, instead giving her an apologetic look. Gibson's fists were balled up. She wanted to tear that stupid thing off and walk straight home. The man kneeled down and put a hand on her shoulder.

"She really loved her daughter. She's just going through a tough time after what happened. I'm sure once she gets to know you, she'll figure out that you're not the same person." He gave a kind smile that Gibson managed to return.

"Hiyoko!" the woman called from the dressing room. "I have something else for you to try on."

Gibson's expression dropped as she tried to put on a brave face and walk in there. A mistake she wouldn't soon forget. For weeks on end after that, the woman would show up right at Gibson's door and hold up another skirt, another dress, another blouse, nothing that the young girl liked to wear. Strange to say, but she'd almost forgotten what it was like to wear jeans. Still, this would get better eventually.

…Right?

"You little brat!" a woman's voice shrieked, followed by a loud smack across the cheek. "How dare you get Hiyoko's clothes dirty like that!"

"I fell down!" Gibson shouted back, rubbing her face as a red hand mark appeared. "It's not like I wanted to get this thing dirty."

"Don't lie to me!" The woman slapped her again, this time the metal of an engagement ring hitting Gibson's cheek. "I know you constantly complain to your father about it. I know how much you hate wearing these clothes. You did this on purpose!"

Gibson didn't get straight up this time, and just held her cheek where the ring hit her. A few tears showed in her eyes that made her soon-to-be stepmother roll her eyes at.

"You think that's going to save you from punishment?" she questioned, almost sounding like a mock. "If your father hasn't done anything about this by now, you think it'll change when we're married? You're just a stand-in for my daughter."

The girl managed to stand back up, still holding her cheek with a harsh glare. "He'll never abandon me. You're just his rebound. He can have any girl he wants. But he only has one daughter." For a brief second, Gibson finally felt like she was back in control of things. But once it was over, a closed fist connected with her face.

"You're nothing!" the woman shouted, full of anger. "The only reason you're still here is because I allow it! So do as I say, you stupid girl!"

She walked away while Gibson just stayed on the ground. Blood was coming out of her nose, and tears had filled her eyes. Was this what things were going to be like from now on? Was she really just a stand-in for some girl that died?

No. This would get better eventually.

…Right?

Gibson's eyes opened in the present, her closed surroundings reminding her she'd paid for a night-cap at an internet café. Golbat hung from the ceiling and looked at its trainer with a concerned look in its eyes. The poison dorm head just waved it off and sat back up. She took out one of her games and started playing, more than content to kill off something for a few hours to get this out of her mind.

The only problem is that it stayed. She remembered standing in that stupid, flowery dress at a reception that was completely filled by her father's side of the family. Her stepmother's side was empty, save for the photographer. She told herself that the newspapers would read that her father, a successful CEO at the time, had been married for the second time. Thankfully, she didn't have to deal with the press. But maybe that was preferable to "twenty-four/seven stepmom bonding".

By this point in her life, everyone had an idea of what was going on. On more than one occasion, Gibson would show up with some kind of bruise on her cheek or shoulder, always giving the age-old "I fell down the stairs," answer.

At the reception, Gibson sat in the corner away from everyone else to just get some time alone. All around her, people whispered about her father marrying "that woman", and how she was just trying to get at his money. Admittedly, Gibson had thought of that. She never had to worry about her actual mother since she was already successful in her own way. But she'd never actually seen her stepmother do anything. She never cleaned the house, never went anywhere. Did she even have a job?

When she had the opportunity, Gibson would leave the house while her stepmother slept, sneaking out in the early hours so she couldn't be dressed up, blamed for anything, or anything like that. Some days, she'd be able to keep from encountering her at all. It almost turned into a game, just with much more dire consequences if she got caught.

"Where were you?" she would ask, trying to sound like a real mom. "You know I need help cleaning and cooking. You should just stay where I can keep an eye on you."

Gibson would make some snide remark about how she does all the work anyway, so why not be honest and say you want a slave you can keep on a leash. Always in her head, of course. If she got mad at someone just telling the truth about what happened with a patch of dirt and clothing, who knows what she'd do.

The poison dorm head managed to shake her head free and then stand up in the tiny, rented room. She grabbed an apple from her bag and walked out, snapping her fingers for Golbat to follow. At this point, fresh air and a cup of coffee was what she needed. She crunched down on the fruit, thinking about how she really only eats so many of these because they were easy and quick for a bit of nutrition. Actually making something increased the chances of that woman catching her. Of course her teachers always asked why she wouldn't bring much else for lunch.

Teachers…

God, why did he have to go sticking his nose in her personal business? Last thing she wanted was another person pretending they care. At least Castor knew when to drop something. A few more months, and all of this would've been over. If none of this Underground business had never happened, she would've graduated, her promise would be kept, and she'd be free of that woman for the rest of her life. She'd never have to talk to anyone else about her and things could finally be normal.

It was like she said. She just wanted to protect her own reality. And now that was being destroyed, and everything she wanted to keep to herself was bubbling up to the surface again.

"Stupid kid," she growled as Golbat flew behind her, still concerned about what was going on.

Speaking of her underclassman, Natsu was still standing in silence, scythe clasped in his hand. Inside his mind, though, the dorm head had fallen to the ground, curled up in the fetal position, no scythe anywhere to be seen. He just sat there, no words, no expression on his face, no…anything. It was like looking at a fresh corpse. It still looked human, but nothing that actually makes one.

Around him lay piles of bones, each of the skulls pointed at him with mandibles left slightly open. It was like they were speaking to him. Vague whispers of people that Natsu couldn't even begin to remember. One of them talked about a best friend, but it became too gargled to understand past that. Another was trying to speak to him about being his family even if no one else would. Again, it just didn't make sense to him.

In a strange moment of motion for the broken trainer, he managed to bring himself up to his knees. He saw the skeletons, their randomly placed parts, gaping injuries from when the Reapers had killed them from his memories.

It would make sense that he knew them. At least, he thought. He definitely remembered the past incarnations of the Reaper shooting them, slashing them, choking them, but as for who they actually were…big ol' blank. The boy's strength left him as he fell back to the nonexistent ground and just waited for…anything.

He didn't care what it was, just something happening would be nice. He looked up at the void of a sky that hung above him. Or was it below him? He really couldn't be bothered to figure it out. Not like he had anywhere to go.

Was there really no one else in this head of his? Him, Reaper, Him, Reaper. The only people left was just him and Reaper. And even then, Reaper was out there, and he was in here. Not much chance for conversation anymore. Wasn't there someone else? Anyone?

"Well, you've certainly landed in a pickle," a voice said from the side. Natsu rolled his head, expecting it to just be another of the skulls talking at him.

Strangely it…wasn't. It was a person. For a moment, the color came back to Natsu's eyes and he sat up. An older man stood in front of him, emphasis on the old. His hands were shaking as he walked over with a cane to keep his balance. Natsu managed to get up to his face and his wrinkled mouth was already locked in a smile.

"Gramps?" Natsu said weakly. He immediately marveled at the thought of remembering someone. "You're still in my head?"

"Reaper can't kill someone from your head that's already dead," the elderly man Izanagi said. "He can never get rid of me."

The ghost trainer stood back up, hands held over his mouth as his eyes watered the ground. In between them, the ground beneath started to form a wooden floor, tables constructing upwards from it. The shadows of other people sat in the other chairs as the one in the center created a checkered board, thirty-two chess pieces erupting from it.

"How about a game?" Izanagi offered. Before he could even get a few more feet to the table, Natsu rushed him with a hug, clinging to him for dear life.

"Thank you," he said quietly, fighting back against the tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he repeated. Over and over again until he'd said it nearly fifteen times, his old friend's memory returning his embrace.

"I've missed you, too," he said. "But don't worry," the man said, leaning over to look back at Natsu. "Whatever problem you have, we can figure it out."

Natsu nodded and sat down at the table, giving his friend the time he needed to do the same. His joints clearly weren't that great, even in Natsu's memory, appearing to move independent from the rest of him, almost like one of those articulated dolls. Once he managed to get to the table, he reached out and fumbled to move one of his pawns forward.

"This is certainly a fix you've found yourself in, though," the old man said. He looked around at the surroundings able to see where Natsu's memory wasn't perfect. The corners of the room were incomplete, some of the boards were warped and twisted, and through the gaps, the dark void was still visible. "I wondered how long Reaper was going to just lay low."

Natsu shifted a pawn as well and looked up. "You couldn't stop him?"

"I'm just a memory," Izanagi said, his rook sliding up behind the pawn. "Reaper…he's something else. I don't know how you ended up with him, but he doesn't want to let go."

"He just sort of happened when I was in trouble," Natsu said, taking a bit longer to make his move.

"Ironic." The old man waited for Natsu's knight to advance over one of his other pawns before surveying the board. "He saved your life, but now continually kills you in your own mind."

"He wants control." Natsu's voice was starting to become more distant. "And I think he's close to getting it. There are times when I don't even feel alive anymore. It's just nothing. Like being aware that you're asleep, but you can't wake up."

It was rare moment whenever Izanagi didn't have some kind of advice to give. In his long life, he'd encountered almost everything. This situation, on the other hand, it wasn't something he'd ever experienced or heard about. Ninety-nine years-old and he'd finally found something that was new to him. A strange sense of excitement washed over him that seemed to bring him back to life, pushing his bishop through the gap of two pawns.

"So, what do you think's going to happen when he takes control?" Another exchange occurred, Natsu's pawn moved in alignment with Izanagi's bishop and was taken.

For a few seconds, it felt like Natsu nodded off, losing consciousness for a brief moment before returning to…wherever he was.

"He'll probably do whatever he wants with my body. Let me go every now and again so I can plea insanity and he won't get punished, and then he'll just take over again so it can happen again and again." The thought terrified Natsu. Reaper having full control over his body, able to force himself out over and over without Natsu's permission, consent, willingness, whatever.

"Weren't you doing the same, though?" Izanagi asked as Natsu froze. "You just used him as a way of getting more power, didn't you? Whenever something bad came up, you'd just bring him out to take care of it instead of using your own power."

It wasn't something that Natsu had ever really figured on. But, wasn't it true? Sure, Reaper always wanted to come out and battle for him, but did that matter? Natsu just turned into the Reaper whenever it suited him. The biker that came to the school on the first day, when Judai was kidnapped, there were plenty of times when Natsu just let Reaper out for the power boost.

Was that fair?

Natsu shook his head and tried to keep a sense of perspective. Reaper had invaded his body and was trying to take full control to be some kind of avenger that the world probably didn't need.

But it's because of him that Natsu was still alive.

But he just used people all throughout history, and Natsu was unlucky enough to have him now. If he really wanted to, he could just go to someone else that was up for the challenge of carrying him for the rest of his life.

So…why didn't he? Why didn't Reaper just go out and find someone else? Was Natsu special somehow?

What did that matter? Natsu never asked for this, and clearly it hadn't always been the greatest thing in the world for him.

The ghost trainer shook his head again and grabbed his next piece, managing to push it forward.

"He's trying to get you to see his side of things," Izanagi said.

"What…do you mean?"

"You've only ever seen Reaper from your own perspective, and now he's trying to show you how things are from his point of view," the old man explained. "In his mind, he saved you from death, gave you power to defeat your enemies, and gave you the chance to live a new life."

"And on the flipside, he kept me bound to a world that's tried their damnedest to kill me, he made me enemies I never had up until then, and now, he's trying to destroy the life I'd built," Natsu returned.

"But his intentions were to save you," Izanagi said. "Do you blame a man for breaking your bone in the process of saving your life? Whatever side-effect there's been since you became Reaper's host, the underlying goal was to keep a child from dying prematurely."

"So what's he doing now?" Natsu asked after some thought.

"In his own way of thinking, he's probably doing this to save you again," the elderly man said, grabbing his piece again and jerking his hand forward. "As you, you wouldn't be able to defeat this Don and his cronies, so he wants to completely take you over so he can stop them once and for all. If anything, he's trying to get you to become a hero and make the honorable sacrifice."

As always, Natsu found it hard to actually argue with his old friend, especially now after having not seen him for months. It was a comfort for the most part but saying that made Natsu think again.

Was he being selfish? If he had the chance to stop the Don and the others by just giving himself up, didn't it just make sense? One person in exchange for countless dying at his hand. Simple math told him it was the better choice. And it's not like he'd be completely gone. Reaper still needed his body to move around in the world wherever they'd go and be whatever crusaders for justice Reaper wanted to be. It really did make sense.

So, why did it still feel wrong? Self-preservation? Maybe Natsu just didn't want to give up living anymore. That made sense, but wasn't he already dead? Technically speaking, of course. But to the outside world, Reaper was the one in the proverbial driver's seat. Clearly, Natsu was still conscious in the back of his own mind, so maybe it was just a trade-off. Natsu spent the first five years in front, now it was Reaper's turn.

But it still wasn't right. If Izanagi was right, Reaper wanted to keep Natsu alive because he liked him. Why would he act this way if that was the case? Maybe it had something to do with the person who gave him the cloak. Maybe they were the previous Reaper and just passed him off.

A smack on the table suddenly rang out, breaking Natsu's concentration. He looked up and saw Izanagi's hand had fallen limp, slowly coming back up, but the wrist still hanging.

"Sorry," his old friend said. "I can't tell if this is how I actually was, or if you just really remember my condition."

His hand came back to life, and grabbed the next piece, capturing another of Natsu's pawns. The ghost trainer felt his consciousness wane again, but it came back, so there was no real trouble.

…Right?

Back with Gibson, the poison trainer grumbled to herself as she and Golbat walked towards a coffee shop still open in the late hour. The bell rang as they walked in, but almost immediately, she backtracked out when she saw someone else at the counter. Before she could escape, Koichi turned around and called out to her, following her outside.

"God, you're like a bad cold," Gibson hissed at him. "I think you're gone and then, bam, you show up right when I need you the least."

"Gibson, please, just listen to me," the teacher pleaded.

"How about no?" The poison trainer started to walk away when a blast of energy exploded in front of her. She stopped as Cofagrigus rose off the ground, arms unfolding. "What's this?"

"I'm not letting you leave until you've gotten everything off your chest," Koichi said, Jellicent and Trevenant on either side of him. "Battle me."

"I could just call for the police about an old man harassing me," Gibson threatened, holding up her phone.

"But would that satisfy you?" Koichi asked. "All that pent-up rage and frustration with me. Don't you just want to hit me?"

Gibson didn't react at first. The only lights between them were the lampposts, illuminating a makeshift battlefield in their minds. Without a single word, Cofagrigus was pushed directly into the center by a glowing, purple tail. Seviper hissed, and Gibson turned to Koichi with a determined look in her eye.

"I'm gonna do than just hit," she promised. "If you want everything I've been holding in, you're in for a lot of pain."

"Nothing I'm not used to at this point," Koichi said. "Shadow Ball!"

The four hands on Cofagrigus' body converged in the center and created a ball of ghostly energy that fired at Seviper. Once again, the venomous serpent threw its blade around and sliced the attack in half, its own weapon coated in a pitch-black aura. The remains of the ghost attack exploded on either side and Seviper rushed at Cofagrigus with its Night Slash.

Gibson's pokémon spun around and flung its tail at the ghost type but found itself tangled up by three out of the four hands along its entire body. With the free hand, another Shadow Ball formed and blasted Seviper in its belly and launched it onto the rain-soaked ground. Only needing a second to regroup, Seviper recoiled itself and made another loud hiss at Koichi's pokémon.

"Haze…," Gibson said quietly.

Seviper's jaw opened as wide as possible with a thick black fog coming out, covering the dampened pavement. Cofagrigus stopped to looked around at the battlefield, now blanketed in dark clouds that stuck low to the ground.

"Not a normal strategy by any means," Koichi noticed. "Haze eliminates the status changes of a pokémon, but this early on, it would only account for Shadow Ball lowering Seviper's defenses. It's also too low to act as camouflage, right?"

Cofagrigus quickly shot out another Shadow Ball right where Seviper was, but as it exploded on the ground, only the singed pavement was there. The ghostly sarcophagus looked around at a trail in the clouds, seeing a long zigzagging motion before Seviper leapt out, blood red fangs bared. The ghost type was about to strike back when Seviper seemed to spit something up. A yellowish-green liquid shout out from its mouth and covered the gold-encrusted pokémon.

As soon as the attack fell, Seviper flattened itself out again and sped around the battlefield. The liquid on Cofagrigus seemed to be disappearing, making Koichi question its purpose. Before he could think further on it, Seviper's head popped out of the clouds, tongue flicking at its opponent. Koichi ordered his pokémon to attack, but then saw the other end of Seviper's body jet out and attack from behind.

Koichi's pokémon fell forward directly into the open mouth of Seviper as it bit down hard. Cofagrigus recoiled back as a single sweep from Seviper's body took the clouds away.

"Haze to take advantage of your pokémon's body, Night Slash as a basic attack to damage, and I assume Gastro Acid to keep Cofagrigus' Mummy ability from taking hold," Koichi identified.

"Guess you are good at something," Gibson said. "Too bad it's not letting things go."

Seviper made another assault, pointing its tail like the end of a spear to stab Cofagrigus. This time however, the ghost pokémon just clapped on Seviper's blade and stopped it immediately. Both Gibson and Seviper seemed surprised as they looked towards their opponent.

"I am sorry for getting involved in something that wasn't any of my business," he said. "I'm sorry that no one else in the school is willing to look past your personality and learn what created it. And I'm sorry that even your own family didn't respect you enough as a child to make your own decisions."

"Doesn't change anything," the poison trainer said. "Doesn't change the fact my stepmother hates me for being different from her own daughter. It doesn't change the fact that after her accident, my dad tried to steal money from his own company to pay for the expenses and got pushed out by his board of directors. Definitely doesn't change the fact that I'm never going to forgive anyone for what happened. My mother, my father, my stepmom. They can all go to Hell, and I hope they burn for what they put me through."

"I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like you, Gibson," Koichi said. While on the battlefield, Cofagrigus and Seviper were engaged in another bout, trading blows with each hand or tail. "Sometimes I forget that you are just a teenager. And one who's gone through a very hard situation to get out of. I think if people knew what you went through…"

"It wouldn't make me much better in their eyes," the dorm head finished for him. Seviper leapt up on the tip of its tail and swung straight down, striking Cofagrigus in the face before getting struck in the side by another Shadow Ball. "The things I do just because I'm me aren't made better by me having a hard life. I still do pretty despicable things. And it's because those are the things I want to do." She chuckled to herself a bit. "I guess part of it's because that devil-woman pushed me so far in the other direction. Like a pendulum."

"But even something like swings both ways," Koichi responded.

"It's what I do," Gibson said, her normal, albeit creepy grin returning. "The only time I ever won against her was when I told 'em that I don't care what sex someone is." She laughed again. "Dad saw me walking home with a girl from school, and when he figured out it wasn't as friends…," she trailed off, with the largest smile on her face.

"What do you think you're doing!?" her stepmother yelled as Gibson stood in the doorway of the woman's room. "Girls shouldn't be looking at each other that way! It's disgusting!"

By now, the woman was lying in her bed, a wheelchair next to her that she needed constant help to get in and out of. Gibson, now able to dress as she chose to.

"Dear, it's not that big a deal," her father tried to say. One of the few times in their marriage he tried to defend Gibson.

"No! My daughter does not look at girls that way!" the adult shouted, covering her ears before hitting the mattress underneath her. Gibson just rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Do you realize how this would look if people knew!?"

"Well, according to some people, I don't even look like a girl, so I think it balances out," Gibson said with a smug grin, both of her guardians shocked at her sarcastic comment. "Besides, it's not like she wanted to be subtle about it. Apparently, I'm hot." Behind her, her newly acquired Golbat started fanning her with its wings to add emphasis.

"I will not let you date girls!" her stepmother continued yelling. Honestly, sometimes it felt like she'd swallowed a megaphone at some point in her life. "My daughter is not some sick freak!"

"I mean, I wouldn't mind dating a guy," Gibson considered nonchalantly as her parents both stared at her. "Guys, gals…, whatever's in between. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me."

"Gibson…what are you saying?" her father asked.

"Look it up online if you're that curious," the poison trainer said while rolling her eyes. She turned on her heel and started to leave when something flew at her head and bounced off. Gibson slowly turned around and saw her stepmother holding the follow-through pose.

"You are my daughter. I will not let you sully that," she said, oddly quiet, Gibson thought. "Hiyoko is not a despicable creature, like that."

"Hiyoko isn't anything, is she?" Gibson returned. Her stepmother's eyes suddenly went dead when she heard that. "You said it yourself. I'm just a replacement. But isn't that just because you can't get over the fact your precious little daughter died?"

"How dare you!" the woman screamed at Gibson and threw another, heavier object, this one sliced in half by Seviper's approaching tail from the hallway. "Hiyoko is…"

"Dead!" Gibson yelled back. "Wake up and smell the headstone, lady! Your daughter killed herself in some back alley because she couldn't take it, anymore! And with you for a mother, I can't say I blame her! I'm almost worried that when you kick the bucket, you end up in the same place because that'll definitely be her eternal torment!" Her father's eyes remained wide open as her stepmother's filled with tears. Gibson's hands shook from the rush of adrenaline in her body. "You will never control me. As long as I live in this house, I will fight you, I will defy you, and I will make it very clear where you stand in my eyes. Well, as much as you can stand," she smirked, Seviper purposefully pushing the woman's wheelchair back and forth.

"That's when we made our little deal," Gibson said, stroking Seviper's face as both pokémon remained out of breath. "I go to this school, she leaves me alone. It was going great for a while. That was until…," she trailed off, giving Koichi a knowing look.

"Again, I'm sorry," the teacher said. "But if you won, why does it still matter?"

"Because in the end, I had to leave everything behind," the poison trainer said. "She still has our house, our money, my dad," she finished with a bit of a quiver in her voice. "I can't go back with my mom, anymore. The few friends I managed to keep over the years are all off doing their own thing." She sat down on the pavement, not really even caring about the water. "I won that battle, but it's hard to not feel like she won everything else."

Koichi didn't have anything to say for that. It actually made sense at the end. This woman essentially drove Gibson out of her home for no good reason. She hated Gibson for being herself. And even if her other parent wanted to help, they couldn't do anything about it. Maybe that was why he was starting to feel sympathetic for her.

…In another life, she would've ended up just like Natsu.

But if that was the case, he would be there for her all the same.

He ordered Cofagrigus to attack and the possessed coffin flew forward, Gibson turning with a sharp look in her eye. Seviper advanced without a word and flipped its entire body to slash its opponent. The two pokémon impacted, holding each other back until Koichi simply smirked. Before Gibson could react, Cofagrigus tossed her pokémon in the air and unleashed a powerful Ominous Wind. Seviper stayed suspended for several seconds before hitting the ground with a splash.

The poison trainer stood back up and was honestly surprised at how powerful Koichi's pokémon actually turned out to be.

"One hit?" she questioned. "That's all it took?"

"I think I've finally understood you, Gibson," Koichi said. The poison trainer knelt next to the giant serpent and looked up at him. "Your story is like Natsu's. But who you'll become…is someone like me."

Gibson didn't say anything, returning her pokémon before switching it out with a new one. Scolipede snorted and lowered its head ready for battle as Cofagrigus rubbed its hands together.

"You've become isolated," the teacher started up. Gibson shouted at her pokémon to attack as the two creatures rushed each other. "Everyone has made it their goal to blacklist you. Whether you deserve it or not isn't the point. The point is you will have to make a decision at some point in your life and regardless of your answer, you will carry consequences until the day you die."

Scolipede and Cofagrigus smashed into each other, the ghost type holding Gibson's pokémon by the horns. In a quick exchange, the bug and poison mix's horns lit up with toxic power, forcing Cofagrigus to let go and get struck by a quick twirl. As it fell backwards, Koichi's pokémon let loose another Shadow Ball that struck Scolipede, sending it back as well.

"You'll have to choose to either forgive your stepmother, and regain your family, or leave her, and everyone else, behind as you move to something else."

Gibson glared down the way at Koichi. She took a breath and straightened her stance.

"I don't need friends," she said. "I don't need my family. I don't need a mother, a father, a brother, or anything one else in my life because I can do just fine on my own!" she finished with a shout. "I don't care if it hurts for the rest of my life, because it'll just remind me that it's not worth it to get so attached. As long as I keep to myself, I'll never end up like you. Still obsessed with a kid that brought all of this on himself."

"No," Koichi quickly responded. "Natsu didn't bring all of this on himself. And as long as I draw breath, I will protect him. That's my job as a teacher. I will prepare him for a world ready to accept him and help him when he needs it."

The poison trainer pursed her lips and took a few harsh breaths through her nose. "I really hate you." Koichi looked at her a bit confused, but saw her mood drop into a slight depression. "Why do you have to be this way? Why're you such a good dad to someone who's not even your son?"

"It just happened, honestly," Koichi admitted. "When I first met him, my goal wasn't to be a surrogate." Cofagrigus slowly backed away and back to its trainer's side. "It was to apologize."

"For what?"

Instead of answering right away, Koichi looked to his other pokémon. "You asked me so many questions about the Underground. Why I joined, why I stayed, and all that. But you never asked me one thing. Who was I?" Gibson looked a bit concerned. "You never asked what name I went by in the Underground."

Back in Natsu mind, the chess game between him and Izanagi continued at its normal pace. With every piece taken, Natsu noticed that his old friend paused like he did. For a bit, the young boy thought of just stopping the game, but his arm instinctively grabbed another piece and slid it forward.

"So…," Izanagi began, startling the ghost trainer. "Can you remember anyone else?"

Natsu didn't answer for a bit. Aside from Izanagi, who else was there? Him, Reaper, Izanagi, Him, Reaper, Izanagi. It was just the three of them.

"Who else would there be?" Natsu asked.

"I see," the old man said. "Do you remember anything from before you were Reaper?"

Before Reaper? Natsu thought for a while on that as well. Why would that matter? Reaper's in the driver's seat, it's not like he needed to remember every insignificant person in the world.

Natsu shook his head again and tried to come up with something. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes and then felt a sting of pain. It was like his cheek was one fire, and when he looked up, a man's fist had been embedded into his face.

"You pathetic excuse for a man!" an angry voice shouted at him, throwing another punch.

The ghost trainer was suddenly thrown back into the abyss, tumbling on the ground when a hulking monster appeared before him. It looked somewhat human, but with terrifying muscles, no expression in its eyes, and a constant look of anger on its mouth. The beast shouted again and swept its hand across Natsu's entire body, sending him back.

"I will never recognize you as my son!" the monster growled as it ran at him, fists raised above his head and smashed directly downward.

Natsu felt all of his insides spill out as he fell down further into the void headfirst. While in midair, he thought about what the monster said. He called him… "son." That thing was his father? He came from a monster like that? Did that make…him a monster, too?

His descent continued until he heard a whistle blowing from the side. Natsu turned and saw a subway train barreling towards him. Without another thought, the ghost trainer tried to shield himself, but immediately felt his body pass through the steel structure and onto the floor of the train, crawling on his hands and knees.

He was out of breath, ready to pass out when he felt a kick land on his stomach. The sudden pressure forced him awake as he struggled to get back up.

"That's right, cutie," a synchronized pair of voices said. "No sleeping for you until we're done."

Natsu staggered when he reached his footing. In front of him now were a pair of identical demons, horns twisting as they climbed their heads from the side. He tried to put up a fighting stance, about to fall over asleep when one of them flew at him and slammed his head on the wall.

"Isn't it cute when they try to fight back?" one of the demonesses asked her twin.

"I prefer them to be a bit more obedient," the other remarked, picking him up by the collar. "Like a pet."

She threw Natsu across the train car and he hit the door at the very end, barely able to stand up now. But he knew he had to get up. What other choice was there?

The twins separated from each other in front of the opposite doorway and the muscular beast from before ripped it off. It's eyes locked on Natsu as the demon girls just laughed ready to watch the carnage ensue. As the only thing he could do, Natsu curled into a ball on his knees, and just hoped it would be over quickly.

The three all made a run at the boy, two powerful fists, fingernails like needles, each with an evil expression attached.

"That's enough," a distant voice said. Natsu looked up and, from a blinding white light, a fourth person walked into view.

A long coat and scarf whipped in the wind as the man, completely cloaked in black stood before the three.

"You will not harm this boy any longer," the man said, snapping his fingers. Without warning, the doors to the train cars ripped off their hinges, the wind pressure quickly sucking out the two girls. Natsu watched as they flew out the train, their forms becoming more human.

"Out of my way, little man!" the hulk roared, about to bring his fist down, stopped by a single finger.

A disappointed click of the tongue followed as the mysterious man flicked his forehead and sent the beast hurtling back through the train cars until he was blasted out as well. Natsu quickly moved to the window to watch, and once again, the monster turned back into a regular human and then skeletal ashes. From behind, the man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I-I think so," Natsu said, sitting down on one of the benches. "How did I even get here? I was playing with my old friend, but suddenly, I was here."

"Memories get a bit jangled every once in a while," the man explained, sitting next to Natsu, keeping his hand comfortably on the boy. "When we remember one thing, we start to remember things that were similar, even if they happened years apart."

"Well, thank you for saving me," Natsu said. "I thought everyone left in my head just wanted to kill me."

"Well…, the Reapers are all different from each other," the man said, making Natsu's eyes widen. "Some of us try to gain power, and some of us just want to help."

The young ghost trainer's first instinct was to get as far as he could from this man. If he was the Reaper, he would just kill him like the other two. He just did the same to that thing that said it was Natsu's father. He couldn't trust him.

"I see," this alternate Reaper accepted. "At the very least, I'll let you go back," he said as the train came to a steady stop and the doors slid open, leading directly back to the senior center where Izanagi was waiting. "If you ever want to talk again, please don't hesitate."

Seeing his old friend again, Natsu burst out of the door and tried to hide away from the Reaper. The man sighed and let the train roll right through the front of the building, not even leaving a skid mark on the floor.

"So how was your trip?" Izanagi asked. "Did you remember what your life was like before Reaper?"

Natsu sat back down and slid another piece forward, taking time to catch his breath. "It was painful," he answered. "For whatever I can remember about my life before Reaper, I was always being beaten up, kicked around. I thought I really was gonna die from it."

"And after Reaper?" Izanagi asked, his continually jangled movements pushing his queen into the open.

Natsu's mind suddenly flooded with memories, appearing around him like TV screens. It showed him beating opponents, people running away from him, for a change, and for the first time in any of his memories since before and after he could remember, he was smiling.

Izanagi watched Natsu carefully as he lowered his head. The sight of himself apparently happy at any point in his miserable life definitely meant something. Whether it was really good or bad, Reaper at least made his life bearable. More than that, Reaper made it…livable. He didn't have to worry about people beating him or forcing him into battles. He could choose for himself what he wanted to do. He was finally allowed to have a life, and all thanks to that little voice in his head.

…And all he wanted was a chance to help other people like he helped Natsu. What was wrong with that?

"What right do I have to refuse him now?" Natsu wondered. "The only reason I have a life is because of him. Doesn't it just make me ungrateful by not giving him something, too?"

"I can't argue against that," the old man said, flicking his queen across the board to one of Natsu's pieces, practically turning it into dust as Natsu's shoulders started to relax.

"He just wants to help people," Natsu continued, his voice becoming more distant. "If I don't let him, how many people are gonna die just because I'm too scared?"

"Flawless logic," Izanagi agreed. His queen struck another piece from the side, again, reducing it to just a puff of smoke. "It does sound selfish."

Natsu had basically slumped over in his chair by this point, only his king piece left on the board. He managed to look up and see Izanagi's unwavering focus on him. Directly across from the old man, Natsu nodded and managed to force himself back up.

"Not with his face," the ghost trainer suddenly said. "Please don't kill me with his face. I'll do whatever you want, but just let me keep him."

The man from before stepped out from behind Izanagi's body that immediately fell over limp like a puppet. Natsu teared up when looking down at his friend's face, expressionless and dead. Directly behind the shadowed man, Reaper himself floated just above the ground, his entre body just a cloak and a pair of red eyes within the hood.

"Thank you," the Reaper Natsu just met said, holding out his hand. "Welcome to our hierarchy, Natsu. You will be known henceforth as Reaper, the Puppetmaster."

Natsu looked back at Izanagi and then at the cut strings on all of his joints, some of them extending from the Reaper spirit's fingers.

"I am Reaper, the Chessmaster," the man said. "I promise, you will never be hurt again."

The ghost trainer slowly, but eventually took the man's hand. But in that moment, he felt something. There was something about how he grasped Natsu's hand that felt…familiar. But, the only people in this place were Natsu and Reaper. Why did this feel like someone else he knew?

"It's a pleasure to meet you again after I passed on my power to you," the man said. "I doubt you remember me that well." Natsu watched as the man removed his hat and scarf, the Reaper spirit chuckling off to the side.

The feeling on Natsu's hand started to bring something back. A memory he thought had been killed off. Someone was taking care of him. But this was long after he became Reaper. It felt like maybe a few months ago. Where the hell was he that he would've met this man by random chance?

A face started to form from both the shadows covering the man's face and the fog in Natsu's memory. They both morphed into the same person as Natsu immediately pulled away from him, but the phantom-like Reaper grabbed him from behind and forced him forward. He breathed harder, scared of what was going to happen if he was right. And as the hat and scarf hit the ground, Natsu's eyes flooded with tears.

"No…"

"Oh, but it is, my boy," Reaper taunted. "The man you thought you could trust more than any other. The only other person who will remain in your memories is this traitor who forced me out and into you. You will remember this moment when he chose to inflict the Reaper upon a child to save his own hide and nothing else."

"Koichi…," Natsu said weakly, water falling from his eyes like rain as the man looked back at him. While his face was younger, it was still his. It was still his teacher. Koichi slowly moved to the table and grabbed the queen piece from before.

"Checkmate," he said, and knocked over Natsu's king.

As soon as the cross-topped pillar fell flat on the board, Natsu felt a surge of pain in his heart that made him double-over. He cringed in pain, trying to keep from screaming. The two others watched him for a bit before the ghostly Reaper gripped Natsu from behind by the neck and held him up in front of Koichi.

"I promise, this won't hurt a bit," Koichi said kindly, now holding the Reaper Scythe. "After this final death, you'll be complete."

"No!" Natsu pleaded but was immediately silenced by one of the folds of Reaper's cloak covering his mouth. His muffled screams fell on deaf ears as his teacher readied the weapon. A small cloud of smoke covered him, though, Natsu watching as he seemed to age in front of him…exactly as he remembered him now.

It was only for a brief moment that Natsu saw Koichi's face, the adult believing what he was about to do was a mercy. And then…it was done. Natsu's body fell limp on the ground, the ghostly Reaper taking a deep breath before touching the ground with solid feet. All the while, Koichi looked down at the boy he'd just killed, a bit confused by something.

"I wonder if I got to meet him again," he said aloud, passing the scythe to the Reaper Natsu knew. Large billowing cloak, gloved hands, and a silent demeanor. "I felt a connection right then."

"I can say you met this boy later on in your life," the Reaper said, both overlooking Natsu's dead consciousness. "But then, that doesn't matter to you, does it?"

"I guess not."

Koichi's body began to fade away as Reaper picked up Natsu's body and started to walk deeper into the boy's mind.

"Thanks for the body."

Back in Nimbasa, Gibson was on the ground, head held between her hands as Scolipede stayed in front of her for comfort.

"You were the Reaper?" she asked. "Black cloak, flies around with a scythe?"

"I never was much for the 'cape' look," Koichi admitted. The adult was also seated as he talked to the student. "I was Reaper from the time I was in the Underground until long after I got out." Gibson looked at him a bit confused. "Unlike every other title in the Underground, Reaper isn't something people just call themselves. He's a wandering spirit that attaches to people. And for as long as the Underground has existed, he's made it his home."

"He's a literal ghost?" Gibson said, more than a little skeptical.

"More like a living Aura," the teacher corrected. "Reaper is just what we've called him over the years, but he's the spiritual essence of death in this world. An Aura that chooses hosts to be his representative or reminder to people that their mortality is always there. When people have gotten too big for themselves, Reaper and his host body show up and remind them that they'll decompose all the same at the end of it all."

"Gross," Gibson interjected. "And you were one of the lucky few?"

"'Lucky' isn't the word," Koichi said. "He can only attach to people who feel death stronger than others. People who've come close to actually dying themselves and lived to tell the tale. That intense adrenaline that's released in the midst of a near-death experience alerts him somehow and he zeroes in on you. If he doesn't already have a host body." Koichi looked at his own hand, able to remember the time when he, too, held the scythe currently clutched in Natsu's hand. "He infects your existing Aura. Kills every part of you until he's the only one left. So even if you can get away from him, he leaves you with that."

"What happens to you then?" Gibson asked.

"You feel like dying," Koichi said. "You die over and over in your mind until you don't exist. The first person named Reaper used that scythe and slowly lost his mind. Whatever magic or alchemy was used to make it, it drains away the rest of you, and leaves only the Reaper."

For the first time, Gibson looked forward at Koichi and saw that he was…shaken. His eye twitched, fearful of what might be just around the corner. As much as she didn't want to admit, it was something she could relate to.

But then, a different thought popped into her head.

"If you were the Reaper before Jailbait, how did you get free of him?" she asked, her tone practically accusing Koichi of murder.

"I'm sure you can figure that out," the teacher said. "I passed him off to Natsu."

Gibson would've said more, but immediately she saw the man across from her thrusting his fist into a streetlamp out of frustration.

"When they told me to cut off any and all ties to the Underground, I knew that Reaper wasn't going to let that happen unless he had another host," Koichi explained, a small dent in the metal pole after he moved away from it. "I waited until I heard about anyone that would be suitable."

He could still see it like it was yesterday, scrolling through the Underground site five years ago, looking for any kind of chatter of anyone that might be able to handle Reaper. Then he came upon a post about the Gemini. Koichi only had a vague memory of them when they first started as trainees, a pair of twins that ended up homeless after the…"mysterious" death of their parents.

Apparently, they're absence from the Underground had been causing a stir until one witness saw them with a kid going into the Unova Labyrinth near Driftveil. The kid was just another trainee, didn't even have a name, but did have a Litwick.

Koichi scanned the post for a bit longer and steeled his expression. Tonight, he said to himself, the Reaper would be reborn. And he…would be free.

"I waited until the right moment to pass Reaper on to that boy," the teacher said, head held between his hands. "I watched him suffer in that maze for almost an hour before he was…ready." A small tear started to fall from Koichi's eye. "And in the end, Reaper came back into my life. Every time I saw Natsu, I saw him as well."

"So, the first time Natsu even stepped into your building…"

"I knew it was him." Koichi shook his head a few times and placed his hand back on the post. "At first, I was scared because Reaper was back. But then I was also happy that the boy I inflicted this curse on was still alive. I decided that I'd do anything to help him. He deserved that much."

"Fat lot of good it did," Gibson said.

"And that's why I'll find him," Koichi returned. "I will find Natsu, I will bring him back, and I will help him get rid of Reaper. I will do anything for Natsu, even at the cost of my own life."

Gibson took another breath through her nose and let it back out with a bit of frustration. "Seriously, why'd you have to be such a good dad?"

"Like I said, that's not my goal." Koichi walked over and placed a hand on Gibson's shoulder. "I just want to be a teacher. And I'll teach Natsu to get rid of Reaper, I'll teach you how to deal with your anger and resentment, and I'll teach anyone who is willing to learn."

The poison trainer heaved with air again. "Fine. I'll stay."

"What?"

"That's what you wanted, right? You wanted me to stay with you so I can be safe and not have to deal with the riffraff of the city?" Gibson grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "On the plus side, I don't have to pay rent while I'm there, right?" She started to walk past Koichi, back in the direction of the subway station leading to the school. "Just do me a favor and don't push your nose in where it doesn't belong. It's seriously gonna get you killed one day."

The teacher looked at her, still a bit confused by how fast this was moving.

"And…, I can speak for the rest of us that of all the overinvolved, sentimental, fluffy crap teachers we have to deal with at this school, you're not that bad," the poison trainer said. When she looked back, there was a smile on Koichi's face which just made her purse her lips. "Tell anyone that I said something that nice, and I will draw a mustache on the floor in that dorm of yours, and you won't know it where it is."

"Thank you," Koichi said. "I think you helped me as much, or maybe even more than I set out to help you."

"God, my reputation's gonna take a hit from that," Gibson said as her back arched over. "So, you got any other plans on finding Jailbait?"

"I find it unlikely the Don would move his entire operation out of Unova," the teacher explained. "So, he's probably, to a certain extent, still here, but in a place that would be extremely difficult to find, even on a map."

"What about the others?" Gibson asked. "Bunch of them went off searching for the kid after this whole thing went down. Maybe we should try getting in touch?"

"Do you have any of their numbers?" Koichi asked.

"For some reason, they didn't seem to trust me with 'em," the poison trainer sneered. "Guess we're back to square one."

"I'm not giving up, though," Koichi said. "I made a promise to myself that I'd help free Natsu of Reaper's control, and I will do just that."

His triumphant tone, however, would be rather misplaced with how the ghost dorm head was actually doing, standing quietly in his cell. All alone in the dark, Natsu's hand began to rumble against the bonds that held him to the cage.

For a few seconds, it seemed like just a nervous tick, maybe just his own body adjusting or finding a comfortable position. But instead, the movement stopped for a split-second before the boy jerked his arm upwards, and the handcuffs broke immediately. His eyes opened, and it was more than obvious this wasn't Natsu.

Reaper shifted his neck from side to side and slowly brought the scythe inside the cell with him. At the same moment, Jackie and Kazuo rushed inside and saw the seen. The broken cuff was still around the ghost trainer's wrist as he swung the scythe between his fingers.

"Now, it's time for some fun."

Chapter Eighty-Eight Complete: Ah, finally. Admittedly, I'm not one hundred percent satisfied, but that's gonna have to be the theme for the rest of this season as I finish up the story. It must be some kind of curse that long running stories always start to get worse as they linger towards the grand finale. Not bad, mind you, just there's a dip somewhere. Anyway, this gets into one of the things I've wanted to do since like Season 2, which is Koichi revealed to be the Reaper previous to Natsu.

In terms of the original characters, I really only had Natsu, Izanagi as his mentor and friend, Asuka as the school headmistress, and then Koichi. But he's changed since the original conceptions. The original idea was to have Natsu as a professional battler that goes to the school to work on his social anxiety that renders him incapable of battling with covering his face, hence Reaper. The school was supposed to be more of a setting, less of an actual place, and Koichi wasn't even a teacher, he was Natsu's agent, publicist, whatever. Technically his legal guardian due to Natsu's family situation, he would come up with different stunts, appearances, and other things for Natsu to appear in and eventually reveal who Natsu was to the world when he could battle without the get-up. Eventually, he would come to treat Natsu as his son instead of his paycheck.

So yeah, that's about it. I did want to get this chapter out before Friday since Sword and Shield is coming out. I know there's been a lot of people who are either disappointed or angry about the game due to the National Dex situation, and the only thing I want to say on the matter is…be yourself. If you want to play the game, play the game. If you don't want to, don't play it. I won't think any less or more of someone for their decision, and it shouldn't even matter what anyone else thinks, anyway. The only opinion on the game that matters to you, is your own. You decide if you like the game, you decide if you want to play it, and you decide your answer.

Well, sorry for getting on the soap box, but because of how involved with Pokémon I am, I do see a lot of this just in general. I am disappointed that we're not going to be able to use certain pokémon in this game, but I'm also excited to use the new ones. I'm not a huge fan of some of the new pokémon, but I'm sure I'll find my team for this game in due time. Well, thanks for reading and until we meet again, be kind, stay healthy, and chart your own course. Ja na.