Only the rustling of leaves swayed by the wind and the brunches snapped by their steps accompanied Selene and Komi through the solitary path. They weren’t completely sure that was the right path, but it was the only one that lead them through the forest. Not that Selene had time to doubt about it. Her mind was focused on her goal ahead. She had to reach the Guardians before they left. She was only a few steps away from getting back her memories, from remembering who she was and where she came from. The distant light among the trees showed an opening. That very same light blinded her once she stepped outside. When her eyes got used to sunlight, she was marveled at the sight in front of her.

Contrary to all the ruins she had seen so far, the Altar of Sunne and Moone was far more impressive. A huge square made out of worn-out bricks, with narrow canals that still transported water from who knew where. At the very center, dominating the square, there was a tall tower, much taller than some buildings in Hau’oli City, with big metal symbols of a sun and a moon. It could have been an attempt from the ancient tribes to reach the stars, to let them know people’s pleas. Selene could feel a strong aura, that from solemnity, coming out from the tall building. Such a place was not often visited by humans nor Pokémon unless there was a very good reason to do so. And the girl sure had one.

Accompanied by her Pokémon, Selene walked slowly to the center of the square while inspecting her surroundings. There was so much to see, with each small detail accompanied by its own set of questions. None of them weren’t of her interest at that time though. She was looking for the Guardians, but there were no sign on them.

“Hello?”, dared Selene to ask. “Tapu Fini? I’m here like you asked. Where are you?”.

Selene waited patiently, but nobody answered her call. But patience has its limit and Selene reached it, becoming anxious by the second. Was it too late? Did Tapu Fini leave? Or maybe… it was never there to begin with? What if the Guardian didn’t believe Selene would reach the place, and such, it never planned to wait there? If that were the case, how could they be so mean?

“You better be here. You better be!”, exclaimed Selene a bit angry. “If not…”.

“If not, what?”.

A sudden voice from above scared Selene and Komi, who quickly looked up. Three figures descended from the sky, which the girl knew very well: Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu, the Guardians that belonged to the other islands. And truth was… they didn’t seem really happy to see her.

“You’ve come far, young human… Maybe TOO far”, said Tapu Koko with threatening voice.

“It’s time to put an end to this”, said Tapu Lele with a mischievous laugh.

“You won’t annoy us anymore!”, exclaimed Tapu Bulu angrily.

Even though she challenged some of them before, the Guardians weren’t as hostile as they were at that moment. Selene stepped back a bit, her heart beating really fast. Was it a trap? A revenge for chasing them? She only wanted to get her memories back. That kind of punishment was unfair, especially after defeating Kommo-o. Even though they were exhausted, Komi and she took on an offensive stance, ready to fight again if necessary. A huge tension filled the air, with no band willing to back down. That was until…

“What are you three doing? Stop”.

A new voice made everybody look behind the three Guardians. There stood Tapu Fini, but unlike its fellow creatures, it looked confused, frowning slightly at its partners. Trying to talk in low voice, Tapu Koko murmured:

“What are YOU doing? You’re ruining it”.

“We have to make her flee. Wasn’t that the plan?”, murmured Tapu Bulu as well.

Selene was surprised at Tapu Fini’s reaction to their words: sighing deeply with a paw in its head, exhausted, like she was hearing the biggest nonsense in its life.

“Look, just… stop. It’s over, got it?”, asserted Tapu Fini with resignation.

“What?”, exclaimed Tapu Lele in shock. “We can’t give up now! After everything we’ve done…”.

“And after everything she’s done, it doesn’t make sense to avoid her. She deserves to know”, admitted Tapu Fini.

To the surprise of Selene, all the Guardians seemed frustrated at the idea of ‘giving up their plan’, whatever that could be. Tapu Fini moved forward and bowed to the girl.

“It’s nice to see you again, Selene”, greeted Tapu Fini.

Selene was shocked at the change of attitude of all those Pokémon, which so far kept their distance towards her. Being openly welcomed felt strange, but familiar. For the first time during all that adventure, she could finally relax in front of them, but there was something intriguing about the Guardian’s words.

“You don’t mean this morning, right? We actually met before, me and you all”, asked Selene, thinking about the dream that hounded her for the last months.

“That’s right. We met once, before you arrived to Alola”, explained Tapu Fini.

Finally, a confirmation. That dream wasn’t just a dream, it actually happened. But that only made her mind come up with lots of questions, each one as important as the other. So many doubts that paralyzed her, unable to ask anything else. However, instead of rushing her, the Guardians waited patiently, giving her time enough to assimilate whatever news they shared to her. When looking at Tapu Bulu, Selene remembered her conversation in Ula-Ula Island, rising her curiosity about its words.

“What Bulu said… is true? I… I asked you to take my memories?”, asked Selene a bir nervously.

“Yeah, or kinda”, continued Tapu Koko. “What you actually asked was much worse: you wanted your memories fully gone. Erased. But we don’t have that kind of power, so… we blocked them”.

Selene didn’t know what was worse: wanting her memories be ‘erased’ or whatever ‘blocked’ meant. Tapu Fini noticed her confusion, so it explained further.

“All this time, your memories were within you, but they were sealed. You couldn’t access them”.

“Yeah, imagine we put all your memories inside a Poké Ball and put that Poké Ball in your head”, added Tapu Lele with some joking, but sympathetic tone.

Her memories were still there? Caressing her head, Selene thought about it. It made sense. She always suspected that, given that dream. Still, the idea that she wanted to erase her memories was too cruel, bringing back to her mind one of the things she feared the most.

“But… why? Why did I want to do that? Did I…”, muttered Selene nervously. She was scared of asking that question, or rather, she feared the answer. “Did I do… something horrible in my past?”.

From all the possibilities she expected, the girl never thought the Guardians would giggle at such a question.

“Don’t worry. You were nice, with your little mistakes, just like any living creature”, explained Tapu Koko.

Even though that was the truth, it was not enough for Selene, who still looked confused and scared. The joyful moment between the Guardians was brief, with them turning worried about her reaction.

“Truth is… you lived good moments in your life, but… you suffered a lot as well”, explained Tapu Fini. “That pain was too much for you. You believed you wouldn’t enjoy your life here as long as you remembered your past. That’s why you made such a request”.

Selene remembered what Tapu Lele told her about ‘being free’. It probably meant that: free from that supposed ‘pain’ from her past. Fini’s revelation also confirmed that she never belonged to Alola, explaining why Officer Jenny never found any traces about her past.

“So making me forget… You tried to help ”, thought Selene aloud. “But I remembered that first time with you all. Maybe it didn’t work well…”.

“We actually warned you about that. We never wanted to do this, but you insisted…”, explained Tapu Bulu.

Hearing such a contradiction, Selene looked at the Guardians confused. If she only wanted to get rid of that pain, why didn’t they want to help her? Seeing that Bulu’s explanation was not enough, Tapu Lele interfered.

“Here’s the thing. Every Poké Ball can be opened. The one with your memories is no different”, explained Tapu Lele. “Your memories wouldn’t be gone forever! They would come back one day, along with that pain, but who knew when? But whenever that happens, you’ll relive that suffering again. It was better that you got used to that pain and leave it behind one day, but you didn’t listen”.

“So I’m getting my memories back? But after all these months, all I got was that dream with you all”, complained Selene.

“Yeah, and that sure was a surprise”, exclaimed Tapu Koko. “I didn’t expect to meet you at my lair, but worse, you recognized me. I knew something was off and told everybody else. That’s why we came up with all these challenges to keep you away from us. But you’ve grown a lot since then”.

The more she learned, the more confusing everything was. If she was bound to remember sooner or later, why going through the extent of locking her own memories, even against the Guardians’ advice? How could her past be that horrible to go that far? She couldn’t imagine what could have happened, but she also knew the Pokémon in front of her didn’t have any reasons anymore to lie. There was a new conflict then: her current willingness to remember against her past interest in forgetting. Who should she trust: her past self that wanted to protect herself or the current one, who needed answers? The Guardians could perceive Selene’s struggle as she meditated in silence with her eyes closed.

“…loc…”.

Selene murmured something, but it was too low that nobody heard her. Tapu Bulu approached her with curiosity.

“What did you say?”, asked Tapu Bulu.

“…lock them. Unlock them! Unlock all my memories, right now!”, ordered Selene firmly.

It took the Pokémon a while to process that request. They heard Selene’s words right, but they couldn’t actually believe them. However, the girl looked at them all with determination, which only added sincerity to her request.

“WHAAAAAAAT?”, exclaimed the four Guardians in unison.

Nobody could believe what Selene just said, but there wasn’t any doubt in her voice. She had made her decision, although the Pokémon were not actually happy with that.

“Selene, listen. You should go back with your friends”, asked Tapu Fini. “Focus on enjoying your present. Your memories will return eventually, and when that happens, you-”.

“And what would be the point?”, asked Selene interrupting Tapu Fini. “You really expect me to go back and just wait for… who knows how long? How can I focus on the present? I won’t stop thinking about my past, wondering when I’ll remember. Also, I can’t keep living from everybody’s generosity. Professor Kukui can’t take me forever, right? I need to prepare for my future”.

“But you don’t need those memories to do that!”, exclaimed Tapu Lele.

“Maybe, but if my past was so horrible, what will happen when it catches up to me? Will I lose everything I build once I remember?”, protested Selene. “You were right: there was no point in forgetting. I must learn to live with that past, however it is. But as long as I can’t remember, I can’t move forward”.

Selene had already made up her mind. If she had to face her memories at one point in her life, it was better to do it right there, with the help from the Guardians. Waiting any longer would be pointless for her. However, her words didn’t seem to appease the Guardians, who looked at each other worried.

“Selene, if you do that, it won’t be just your memories. All your pain and fears will come back at once. It may be too hard for you”, said Tapu Fini trying to dissuade Selene.

“I… I know”, said Selene with nervous voice. Then, she looked back at Komi and smiled at her. “But I won’t be alone. I have my friends. I can count on them if things get really hard”.

Even if they wanted to insist, they knew there was no way to change Selene’s mind. The girl had already made a choice and, given the courage and determination she showed during all her journey, they knew she wouldn’t back down. That didn’t stop them from being frustrated and worried about her well-being. However, they had already tried everything they could to stop her. They could only trust her, and still, Tapu Fini shared one last warning:

“You better not forget what you just said”.