"I was once like you. A Pokémon. I was a Shelmet. I belonged to a group of warriors known as the Lances of Valor. We were composed of Escavaliers, Accelgors, Karrablasts, and other Shelmets like me. I was best friends with another Karrablast, and respect was shown to everyone in the group. One day, my friends and I encountered a great rival by the name of Tooth Grinder, ancestor to Kira, whom you might be familiar with. He was the greatest warrior in Wistryla at the time and leader of the Hounds of Instinct, but for this encounter, he came alone. I knew something was off. The way he was acting was different. He fought us single-handedly, but not in the same way he usually did. This time, his movements were vicious, and despite our best efforts, he slaughtered us. I was the last of the group to die. As I looked around, taking my last breaths, I saw my friends. Dead. I screamed. But it made no difference. Tooth Grinder couldn't undo what he did to us. To me. With the last of my strength, I picked up a smooth, teal stone, and held it tight. It belonged to my closest friend. As my spirit left me, I looked down. The stone shone in the sun. The last thing I'd touched. I wanted to take it with me. I wanted to keep it. I wanted some tangible connection with my friend. So, I went down and picked it up. As I squeezed it, I could feel it. I could touch it. I felt real. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to fulfill what my friend never could. But it hurt to stay. Solemnly, I took my helm, and placed it on my head, and I was a Pokémon once more. I had become like a Yamask, holding on to the stone, the last thing I'd touched." "But that was almost a century ago. The first 10 years of my new incarnation, it hurt. It hurt more than ever, it did. My helm weighed down on me like a mountain. Often I screamed. Often the stone turned red with pain. Often my helm faded black from the darkness it bound me to. But eventually, the pain became a numb sensation. I still feel it. It still hurts. I just lost my will to care." "I never did understand the cruelty Tooth Grinder thrust upon me. I don't think he ever understood the consequences. But why kill us? And why did no one intervene? It didn't make sense. Fortunately, he never came back. I never once saw him after that. I only ever heard his name. He was feared across all of Wistryla. He had many names. Some called him Tooth Grinder the Furious; others called him the Great Killer. I once heard someone call him Tooth Grinder the Keyhunter. I asked what they meant, and they told me that he had charged up to them and demanded to know where someone he called a keyholder had gone, and once he had his information, he left, the thirst for blood radiating from his eyes. Neither of us made any sense of it, so we chalked it up to insanity. He was very old, after all. Only 17 years after that name was given to him did he eventually die. I was glad to be rid of him, but then I had a thought. What if I were to forgive him? What if making restitution could free me from this eternal prison of pain he locked me in? It wasn't entirely his fault that he Obscured. I could've let go. But I refused. The damage he had done was irreparable. Forgiveness was not possible in my eyes. Evil is not something you can just forgive." "Now, I've settled into a sorrowful routine. Every day, I wake up, and ask myself questions. Every day, I answer those questions, but end up with more questions. I begin to understand. I get close to truly grasping it all. Then, one question rips it all away." "What is it worth? Is it worth continuing to fight back and forth to understand? Is it worth living under the shadow of existential dread, trying to piece the answer together? Is it worth living your life as a psychological thriller, trying to forgive or forget a horrible act that may never receive restitution? Is it worth being the only one who will ever fully be able to comprehend the answer? This one question will never be answered. Not by you. Not by me. The one thing that has the answer is the last corporeal feeling you will ever experience. Only then will you truly understand."
