"It knows..." Liz said darkly, feeling her mind cloud with the dark images. "It knows where we are, and it may know what we have planned. It sees the others. Lugia will be the next to be swallowed in darkness."
Something stirred in the recovery room. Liz Eevee sprinted in to find Bill had awoken. The Eeevee licked his face affectionately, and Liz ran in after, relieved.
"Bill!" she cried, throwing her arms around him, tears coming to her eyes.
"Don't worry, Liz, I'm ok," he assured her, managing a smile. "Though I am afraid I won't be able to leave for a few days. I've been giving it a lot of thought..."
He trailed off as she raised her head to look at him, tears running down her face. She knew what was coming next.
"You should go on without me," he told her firmly, reaching up to brush the tears from her cheeks. She only sobbed harder. "It will be alright. I don't have the Sight, but I always have had good intuition. You'll make it through this."
"But...what if...the world...what if it ends?" she quivered. "I don't want you to be by yourself! I want you to be with me...you've always been with me..."
"I don't think I am meant to be with you this time," he told her gently. "But I know I will be with you again."
Liz lay her head on his chest, closing her eyes.
"Liz," he said, softer than before. He gently raised her head to look at him. "I will always have fond memories of you to tide me through this time. Every moment we were together...even when one of us or both of us were angry with each other...they are memories I will cherish forever...I lo-"
The words seemed to catch in his throat, but Liz stayed silent and unmoving. Bill smiled, bringing her face down to his and planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
Liz felt life. She felt life coursing through her as his lips made contact with her forehead. She blushed a light pink, and for a moment, she could feel it. She could feel happiness. The light within her that had been glowing so faintly had emerged to banish the darkness, even for a small while.
"Go on," he told her. "I will be fine."
Eevee, who had taken to the floor after Liz had thrown herself on Bill, looked on sadly. Liz picked the little creature up, looking at Bill with a little more color in her face than the previous days. She called Eevee into a pokeball, and waved farewell to Bill. She exited the room to find K'tol waiting.
"Let's...get going," she said, almost bravely.