//------------------------------//
// 22. Shed Skin 
// Story: A New World, A New Family 
// by Lance Skyes 
//------------------------------//

	Somewhere in the Everfree Forest, the lifeless corpse of Breeze lay. Thawed in the morning sun, but still seemingly forgotten. It was at this point that a Nincada burrowed out of the ground right next to it, immediately coming face to face with the lifeless eyes. “Oh dear…” Nincada said to himself. “I fall asleep for seven days, and I wake up to a dead Butterfree.” With a sigh, Nincada approached the corpse. “Well, I guess I am hungry…”
“I'd stop right there if I were you!” a voice called, startling Nincada. The Trainee Pokemon turned around to find a Chandelure approaching him.
“WAH!” Nincada shouted as he leapt back. “I-I had nothing to do with this Butterfree's fate, I swear!”
“Oh, I'm not worried about that,” Chandelure said. “I just wanted to let you know that you're not allowed to eat my friend there.”
“Oh…” Nincada said. “Wait, did you kill him!?”
“Please,” Chandelure said. “I'm a lover, not a fighter. I just don't want this particular Butterfree to get eaten, that's all. But if you're hungry…” Chandelure flicked one set of his candles, and a Rare Candy appeared in one of the rings. “…it just so happens that I've got a treat for you.”
Nincada gasped excitedly. “Is that a Rare Candy?” he asked.
“That depends…” Chandelure said, eying his Rare Candy. “How close are you to evolving?”
“Um…” Nincada started, thinking for a moment. “My sensei told me I only had a little bit more training left before I finally evolve into a Ninjask. But if you're offering that Rare Candy…”
With a giggle, Chandelure tossed the Rare Candy onto the ground before Ninjask. “Eat up, kid,” he said. “But know that I'll want you to do something for me in return.”
“What is it?” Nincada asked, suddenly a little nervous.
“I can tell you right now that I'll leave your soul where it is,” Chandelure replied with a voice that would suggest a smirk if he could do facial expressions. “Just trust me, you've got nothing to worry about.”
Of course, Nincada was skeptical, but he eventually shrugged it off and ate the Rare Candy, wrapper and all. Upon finishing it, he instantly began glowing. “I'M FINALLY EVOLVING!” he cheered as he began rising into the air.
“And now for the payment,” Chandelure said as he reached into the light emitting from Nincada and starting to pull. After a moment, the light split into two, one backing away from Chandelure, and one staying in his grasp. When both lights dimmed, there was a Ninjask flying where Nincada once was, and a Shedinja in Chandelure's grasp. “Look at that. My plan worked.”
Ninjask spent a moment looking at and admiring his new body before realizing that Chandelure had his old shell in the form of Shedinja. “Uh… Mr. Chandelure?” Ninjask asked. “Can I please have my Shedinja back?”
“Of course not!” Chandelure said with a sinister giggle. “What? Did you think that the Rare Candy was gonna be free?”
“But… but that's practically my brother you have…” Ninjask said, deflating a bit.
“And now he's mine,” Chandelure said. “So, do you wanna skedaddle? Or should I tell your sensei that you skipped out on the last part of your training?”
“But…” Ninjask tried to say.
“It's called a hustle, sweetheart,” Chandelure said with a giggle. “Now, I'll ask again…” Chandelure raised his free “arm” towards Ninjask and flared the flames on that one. “Do you wanna skedaddle?”
Ninjask screamed and flew away at high speed, leaving Chandelure alone with the Shedinja in one hand, and a Butterfree corpse on the ground before him. “Well…” Chandelure said to himself, “that was certainly one of the more pleasant exchanges of this sort I've done before. Now then…” Chandelure looked over the Shedinja before turning it so that he was facing its back. “Alright Shedinja, I know you're actually sentient and have some semblance of a soul in you, but right now, your services are needed elsehow. Sorry about this.” Chandelure then raised his other “arm” and stuck the candles into the hole on Shedinja's back, filling the husk with an odd blue flame. After filling the husk for a moment, Chandelure dropped Shedinja to the ground, where it lay motionless for a time before a purplish light flashed in the eyes and it began shaking.
“BUTTERS!” Shedinja shouted before rolling over onto its back, where it found itself staring up at Chandelure.
“Alright, Breeze,” Lord said, “I cheated and granted you mercy. Happy?”
“What…?” Breeze asked, shaking helplessly in his new body. “What's going on? Where am I? Why can't I move? Why are we back at the forest? What do you want with-?”
“Please shut up,” Lord interrupted. “In order, your answers are: I cheated death to put your soul in a new body, the body of a Shedinja, which you're not used to, which answers your first three questions. We're back at the forest because there's something important we need to do here, and since you've been… we'll use the term 'associated' with a shiny Froslass as I've been, that makes you useful to me.” Lord paused for a moment as he watched Breeze continuing to struggle on the ground. “But this… I don't even know what to call this. I want to call it a “display” but…. Either way, it's making me rethink my plan.”
“Well I'm sorry that I just died, you made me think you were incinerating my soul, and I've just suddenly woken up in a limbless body!” Breeze shouted. “Why don't you try that sometime, hmm? It's not as fun of a ride as you make it out to be.”
“Well look at that,” Lord said with a chuckle. “You've got a much different attitude about your death than before. I'd say you're adjusting to being a Ghost-type well on a mental level.”
Breeze was silent for the longest time. “Can you please just teach me how to get myself off the ground?” he asked, trying to change the subject.
“You were once a Butterfree,” Lord replied. “Just imagine your wings are still there. Picture, in your mind, that you're flapping them. Concentrate really hard on the concept of flying, and it will turn into hovering in no time.”
“And I'm supposed to believe that will work?” Breeze asked in an irritated tone.
“Well, looks like it's working fine to me,” Lord replied with a shrug, indicating for Breeze to look down. Sure enough, Breeze had managed to get himself off the ground and start hovering on the same level as Lord without realizing it.
“I'm starting to really hate you,” Breeze said. “Do I look angry? I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do expressions.”
“That body doesn't do expressions,” Lord replied. “And just a warning, you won't do 'emotions' that well either.”
“Why do you say that?” Breeze inquired.
“Take a look behind you,” Lord said. With some difficulty, Breeze turned himself around to see his old body lying on the ground, lifeless.
“Oh… oh Arceus…” Breeze said, hovering towards his own corpse. Breeze was overcome with a strange emotion as he looked on at his body, which now felt like some foreign Butterfree whom he'd never seen before. “What… what is this…? Is this some kind of cruel joke?”
“I wouldn't put it past myself to pull something like this,” Lord replied, “but sadly, this isn't a joke. That really is you, Breeze.”
“That's not what I meant…” Breeze said as he tried to touch his corpse, but to no avail since he had no limbs. “What is this I'm feeling. I want to be sad, angry, sorrowful… but everything feels so strange.”
“You're a Shedinja now, Breeze,” Lord answered. “Shedinja aren't designed for emotions. Their bodies are husks for a weak half-soul to reside in alongside the Ninjask. That's why what I did is called cheating. Some things aren't supposed to happen the way they you want them to for a reason.”
Breeze felt the emotions welling up inside of him until he felt he was going to burst. “I can't…” he started, seeming to wobble in midair. “No… it's not that I can't…”
“You don't want to,” Lord finished. “You don't want to live like this, do you? You don't want to suffer emotions that you can no longer express. Move in ways more restricted than before. Live in a body you weren't born in.” Lord looked off to the side. “Every type of Pokemon has their curse, and now you know the curse of the Ghost-type.”
Breeze was silent for a moment before all his pent-up emotion boiled over and took the form of immense rage. “YOU!” he shouted as he turned around and charged towards Lord. He wasn't trying to use any particular move, he just wanted to cause Lord harm and nothing more. However, Lord stopped the charge with his candles. “WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO GAIN FROM MAKING ME SUFFER LIKE THIS?”
“You can't save your family if you're dead!” Lord shouted back, causing Breeze to pause.
“What…?” Breeze asked, taking a “step” back from Lord.
“I may burn and consume souls for a living, but I'm not a monster,” Lord replied. “I want to help you save your family just as much as you want to see them again. I can't do that without your help, and you'd be dead without me helping you. Do we have an understanding?”
Breeze was silent for a time longer. “Why do you want me to help you?” he finally asked.
“Because I didn't know who else could help me,” Lord admitted. “For six years, I've been lost, alone, and despite what my appearance may suggest, cold. So very cold. I can't stand this cold sensation that I know you have as well.”
“What…?” Breeze asked. “Now that you mention it… I am cold! What the heck is that all about?”
“Aria,” Lord stated. “It was her who killed us both. How? Freezing us to death. Fun fact about Ghost-types: however we died, if we weren't born Ghost-types, we suffer an echo of our death for the rest of eternity. It drives most of us insane.”
“Oh…” Breeze said. “But back to my previous question, why me of all Pokemon? Couldn't you just get another Ghost-type to help you? Like a Sableye or something? You know, something whose life you didn't have to ruin?”
“No,” Lord replied. “It had to be someone else who suffered Aria's wrath.”
Breeze looked down. “It had to be me…” he said. “Why did it have to be ME!?” With that shout, he unleashed a powerful Shadow Ball into the air that exploded like a firework of darkness. Lord was unfazed.
“The best I can do is offer my condolences,” Lord replied. “But I can do no more for you. I can only beg you for help in my plight.”
“What exactly is your plight?” Breeze asked coldly.
Lord sighed. “I made my plight yours as well,” he replied. “I want to die.”
Breeze looked over at Lord with a look that he'd intended to be quizzical. “Run that by me again?” he asked.
“I've already explained to you what the curse of the Ghost-type is,” Lord answered. “I don't want to live like this any more than you do. But the only way I can do that… is by finishing the unfinished business that's bound me to this world.”
“Killing Aria…” Breeze realized. “That's why you need my help? To get you close enough to kill her?”
Lord nodded. “I'm sure you know her, but I can't live like this anymore,” he said. “I've never been this close to her before, and now that I'm so close to death, I'm desperate to feel its warm embrace.” He then turned toward Breeze. “And now you're in the same boat.”
Breeze turned towards Lord. “What does that mean?”
“Something you could stand to learn about Shedinja…” Lord said, “their life force is connected to their host. Now, that's a term that's not supposed to be used, since the 'host' is supposed to be the Nincada – now Ninjask – that they were evolved from. But like I said, I cheated to get you back in the world of the living, so things got wonky. My assumption is that your life force is connected to mine now. That being said… you don't die until I can.”
Breeze was silent for a moment. “I never thought I'd hear that used as a bargaining chip against me…” he said.
“On another note, I'm curious about something…” Lord said. “You don't seem very… vengeful. I shouldn't make generalizations, but most Ghost-types that are brought back from death are vengeful. You know… wanting revenge on those who wronged them in life.”
“Is that something I'm supposed to feel?” Breeze asked. “Or is that something that I'll start feeling with time?”
“Could be the latter,” Lord said with a shrug. “I dunno. It was just something that occurred to me.”
Right then, there was a rustling sound nearby. Breeze and Lord turned around to see three Pokemon come towards them. An Ampharos, a Zoroark, and another Butterfree. Breeze instantly recognized the Butterfree as-
“BUTTERS!” Breeze shouted as he rushed up to his brother, despite Lord trying to hold him back. Breeze Tackled Butters to the ground, doing his best to hug him. “Butters, I'm so, so happy to see that you're okay!”
“Wah!” Butters shouted. “Someone get this Shedinja off of me!”
Breeze moved back, allowing Butters to get airborne again. “Butters, it's me,” Breeze said. “It's Breeze. I'm sorry I'm… it doesn't matter what happened to me. I'm just glad my sacrifice was worth it.”
“What's wrong with that Shedinja?” the Ampharos, Drake, asked. “He's just staring at Butters.”
“Yeah… could you please not stare at me silently?” Butters asked. “No offense, but you're kinda creeping me out.”
“What?” Breeze asked. “But I'm talking to you clear as day! Butters, can't you hear me?”
“I wonder why it's shaking like that…” the Zoroark, Mangol, wondered.
Breeze quickly backed away and went back to Lord, who was just watching the whole time. “You wanna tell me why they can't hear me?” he asked.
“Yeah… one other thing about Ghost-types…” Lord started while rubbing the back of his head with one of his candles, “you might lose some bodily functions in the eyes of the living. Like… some of us are completely invisible to the naked mortal eye. Or in your case, you can't communicate with the living, even though they can see you. The list goes on, but it's not very relevant.”
“OH MY ARCEUS!” Butters suddenly shouted, rushing past Breeze and Lord to Breeze's corpse. “BREEZE!”
Drake and Mangol instantly rushed over to Butters' side, followed by Breeze and Mangol. “We found him…” Drake said, his voice shaking a bit. “I'm so sorry, Butters.”
“Butters… please hear me…” Breeze said, floating over to Butters' side. “I want you to know that I'm still here.”
“I'm sorry for your loss,” Lord said to the group. Apparently, they heard him, since they all turned around towards the Chandelure. “I didn't know him, but I knew there was someone looking for him, so I kept what was left safe.”
“Okay, do you really have to do this?” Breeze asked.
“Thank you…” Butters said, his voice shaky. “You deal with souls, right? Where… where is he now?”
“I'm sure he's watching over you still,” Lord replied. “You were brothers, right?” Butters nodded.
“Lord, please have a little respect,” Breeze pleaded.
“I'm not telling him any lies, am I?” Lord asked aside to Breeze.
Butters turned to Drake and Mangol. “Could you two please leave?” he asked. “I need some time…”
“Of course,” Mangol replied with a nod. With that, she and Drake got up and left, leaving Butters to grieve.
“Are you two just going to float there?” Butters asked Lord and Breeze.
Breeze took his opportunity. “Lord… tell Butters that I want to be buried here.”
“You sure about that?” Lord asked. “An obscure grave in the middle of the woods? Then again, I had worse when I was killed.”
“Well, let him know that I want some kind of burial,” Breeze said.
“Fine,” Lord replied. He then turned to Butters and relayed the message.
“How would you know that's what he wanted?” Butters asked.
“Let's just say I know,” Lord replied. “You don't have to believe me.”
Butters sniffled and rubbed his eye, despite that he was biologically incapable of crying. “It has to be here,” he finally said. “With his immediate family. I know Felix and the others won't like it, but…”
Breeze moved a little closer to Butters. “Yes,” he whispered. “If that will make you happy, that's exactly what I want, little brother.”
Butters took a step back. “That couldn't have been…” he said. “Lord, did you say something?”
“What did it sound like?” Lord asked.
“It almost sounded like…” Butters trailed off, but recomposed himself. “It almost sounded like Breeze said 'yes,' but I could barely hear it.”
Lord nodded. “Trust yourself to know what the right thing to do is,” he said.
“I think this Shedinja knew how to use Dig,” Breeze said to Lord. “I'll do the burying.”
“Are you sure about that?” Lord asked. “Can you handle it emotionally?”
Breeze took a deep breath. “I don't have emotions anymore, remember?”

The actual process of burying was short. Breeze was able to dig the hole easily, and Butters had no trouble lowering the body into the hole. “I'm going to say a few words,” Butters said to Lord. “Thank you, both of you, for your help, but you don't have to stay.”
“Well?” Lord asked Breeze. “Do you think you can do it?”
Breeze was silent for a moment before replying. “I have to,” he said. “For Butters.”
Lord turned to Butters. “I'm going to see this through to the end,” he said. “I gave him all the protection I could while he was waiting for you. And my colleague… he's staying too. Just trust me, he wants to stay for you.”
Butters turned to Breeze. “Thank you,” he said.
“You're welcome,” Breeze replied, even though he knew he wouldn't be heard.
Butters then turned to the grave. “Ever since we hatched,” Butters started, “he was everything I could ask for in a brother. We never knew our parents, so he was all the family I had. He took care of me, practically raised me himself. Even when we were Metapod, he made sure I was safe no matter the cost to him. But now that cost… has finally become too much. Thank you for everything you've done, Breeze. I never imagined it would end like this, but you giving your life to save me… that and everything else you've done for me… that's a debt I could never repay in a million years. And for what it's worth… I never thought you were the boring Butterfree.” Butters then used Confusion vainly to lift the dirt pile that would bury his brother. He struggled for a moment, but suddenly, the dirt moved. Butters looked to his right to see the Shedinja also using Confusion to lift the dirt. “You're… helping me?”
“I just wanted to help you one last time, little bro,” Breeze said with what was supposed to be a smile, but the whole thing was just a blank stare to Butters. Even still, Butters seemed to understand to an extent.
“Thank you,” Butters said. “It's almost as though Breeze sent you here to help me one last time.”
The two then buried Breeze's old body. Together. “Now we'll take our leave,” Lord said when all was said and done.
“I can't thank you two enough for your help,” Butters said. “I know Breeze wouldn't be too thrilled about you two being here, but I still can't help but feel like he wanted you here anyway.”
Breeze couldn't take it anymore. He once more rushed up to Butters and held himself against his brother's chest. He was silent, of course, but this time, Breeze didn't even say anything. He just stayed there, desperately hoping Butters understood.
“You knew him, didn't you?” Butters asked as he embraced Breeze. “That's why you wanted to help.”
“More than you know…” Breeze replied.
“Well I'm happy you could be here for the last farewell,” Butters said, as he released Breeze. “Um… do you two have names?”
“Lord,” Lord said. “And this one's… Nensei.”
“Nensei?” Breeze asked. “Out off all the names you could have given me? Like, I don't know… BREEZE!?”
“It was nice to meet both of you,” Butters said. “Maybe… we'll see each other again someday.” With that, Butters turned and flew back to where Mangol and Drake were waiting.
“Why didn't you tell him who I was?” Breeze asked Lord.
“Rule number 1 of cheating: don't get caught,” Lord replied. “If word gets out that there's a dead Butterfree walking in someone else's body, there's a lot of pain in store for both of us. The only one besides us who could possibly know what I've done at this exact moment is Arceus himself, and we're not in his jurisdiction.” Lord sighed. “Besides, do you really wanna risk putting Butters through that kind of emotional stress? 'Butters, I know we just buried your brother, but he was actually standing right next to you the whole time, watching it happen! I just forcefully moved his soul into another body through an unnatural process. April fools!' Do you really want him to suffer that?”
Breeze looked down. “I guess not…” he said.
Lord put a candle around Breeze's back. “Come on, let's get going,” he said. “We've got work to do.”
Breeze took one last look at Butters as he disappeared into the forest. “Alright,” he surrendered. “Where are we going?”
“First and foremost, we'd better repent,” Lord said. He then pointed into the distance. “We're going to Spear Pillar!”
Lord then began moving forward, but Breeze remained motionless for a time. “Hey Lord?” he called, causing the Chandelure to turn around.
“What is it now?” Lord asked.
“You told me you had a life before you became a Chandelure, right?” Breeze asked.
“Well, technically I became a Litwick,” Lord replied. “But go on.”
“Who were you before all of this?” Breeze asked.
Lord took a deep breath. “I don't remember much,” he said. “Four things, to be exact. First, obviously, it was a shiny Froslass, Aria, who killed me. Second, I was human before I died. Third, I died in a cave somewhere on Mt. Coronet. And fourth, I was with an Umbreon when it happened. I can't remember what his relationship to me was, though I always assumed I was his trainer.” Lord sighed. “Hang on to your memories, Breeze. One day, you'll wake up and realize you can't remember a thing about who you once were.”
Breeze tried to frown, but remembered that he couldn't. Even still, he said, “I'm sorry, Lord.”
“We'll have plenty of time to feel sorry about each other after we finish this,” Lord said with a shake of his head. “Come on. We should get moving.” Lord then turned around and started moving forward again. Breeze followed for a bit, but before he left the clearing, he took one last look back at his grave.
“This isn't what I wanted…” he said to himself. “But it's what I had to do.” He then turned around and began following Lord again.