The Hollow

The Hollow is the living realm Pokémon believe their souls have come from. There are many interpretations of what the Hollow is actually like, but the most popular description says the Hollow is like a vast sea of life essence that lives above those who have forms on earth. Space and the stars seen at night are often interpreted as the Hollow becoming clearer to see with the setting of the sun, and that all the stars in space are the additional suns or "lights" Arceus had made to keep the Hollow bright.

## The After Life

To the Pokémon of this world, the Hollow represents what came before and also what comes after death. When a form eventually fails, a soul will return to the Hollow and rejoin the other souls who are patiently waiting their turn to come back once again to one of Arcues' many worlds she had made for them. So essentially a lot of communities feel strongly about the concept of reincarnation. Some also believe they are able to tap into their past lives with enough practice and gain some insights about the world through these old memories. This is also further solidified by the concept of ghost Pokémon.

Ghost Pokémon are often understood to be the remnants of life forces that had died, but whose souls felt strongly that they had not had enough time to do what they wanted, or that they had died tragically and without warning and did not receive their fair share of life on an earth. Some ghost Pokémon are also the result of experiments. Some Pokémon and Champions are more entuned to the flowing life essences of the Hollow and are able to direct them in their own custom made vessels. Golett is a common example of this practice. A Golett has a inner core that is said to be powered by soul trapped inside. Sometimes the soul inside is in complete control of these Pokémon made vessels and appear as normal individuals with full personalities. Other times the vessel is restricting and the powers that guide them often have them behaving more like robots. Claydol is noted as being especially gifted at controlling life forces and some myths say it was because a powerful Champion had made them countless life times ago and in turn shared the secret of bending life with them.

## Hollow's End

Hollow's end is a special holiday spanning a few days that is celebrated in the fall. Pokémon use this time to pay respect to the Hollow and the souls that have come and gone all these eons. It's usually tradition to wear costumes of notable Pokémon in history and even champions as a form of remembrance. This holiday is also used to celebrate the birth of Arceus and how she came to bless the souls of the Hollow with worlds and forms for which to live freely.

Praireville’s Hollow's End traditional speech as was presented by Annabel:

*“It is said that In the beginning, the universe was vast and dark. We were alone, cold, and shapeless. It was only when Arceus was born that the night sky was filled with stars and our spirits given shape.*

*It is for that reason that we gather year and year out. We gather to give thanks to Arceus and her many sacrifices. It is her light that blesses our world so we do our best in turn to deliver our own onto the world.*

*\*\* lights the massive bone fire which shoots up into the sky- the crowd cheers\*\*\**

*It is said that when the universe was filled with stars, Arceus next set out to fill the world with color and life.*

*Now that she is gone, it is up to us to fill our worlds with life, so together we feast on the food brought forth from the earth, and mark the world with beautiful colors.*

*\*\* food is being disrupted and the excited kids finally get to throw the colorful purple-orange-green sand\*\*\**

*It is said that when the world was filled with life, Arceus gave shape to us so we too could live and share in that life. She provided us with strength and power and created the world’s many Champions and Deities.*

*Our* *costumes represent the many forms found on this earth.  We pay tribute to our shared histories and stories. We use these costumes to pay respect to those who spent their precious days on this earth helping others; to show respect to the many champions and deities; or to be grime reminders of those trapped in the dark, those who have chosen to do great harm. We remind ourselves so that we may word off that darkness from within.*

*Let us spend our days being generous and protecting each other to make the most of Arceus’ many gifts. Children, go and enjoy your youth and the old, reflect on what has been given. Tonight is Hollow’s End!!!.“*

*\*\*\* crowd cheers \*\*\**