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esprei · 2 years

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VOLO TIME *cue piano* OK SO... I’ve been meaning to write this up for a while now - my thoughts, observations and general musings on Volo (and maybe a headcanon or two?) (please keep in mind this will be very jumbled - literally just me trying to talk about why this character has grown on me and why I love him so much now so without further ado, let’s go! also, big shoutout to @sunnyluma for helping grab most of these screenshots tyyyyyy ;-;)

((under a cut because this will be loooong))

Ah, Volo... where do I even start? I was pretty indifferent towards him at first and the same can be said as I played through the game. I honestly thought that he was just a Legends Arceus version of Cynthia, nothing more nothing less (since, y’know he had similar looks, mannerisms and things, not to mention the whole various characters as ancestors bit). For some reason gen 4 is the gen that resonates with me the least (I’ve uh... never actually finished a gen 4 game or fought Cynthia 😬), and while I do think Cynthia is a really cool champion and character in general, I definitely don’t feel a lot of the same hype for her that others do. So that, in turn, applied to Volo for me as well. It was like a... he’s just there kind of situation. But fast forward from finishing the game to hyperfixation on submas to maybe... two months ago? Three now? I dunno, can’t remember the timeline, but what I DO remember is looking at Volo one day and being like... wow. He’s cool. I like him. More specifically, I was looking at his character design sheet at the time. And in that moment it really sank in that, wow this guy is freaking tall. 190cm? equivalent to 6′3″? What in the world. And just... something about that cocky smirk of his in his artwork, coupled with the fact that it’s right next to his goofy Arceus cosplay with that hair... He hooked me. Seriously. Look at him:

(This outfit has also grown on me btw I unironically love it because look at him he’s in his Arceus cosplay and he confidently rocks it like i can’t-) Anyway part of it is probably because I love characters who have crazy or sinister expressions. They can be fun! So then I rewatched the cutscene that happens after you win against him and Giratina because I couldn’t quite recall the sequence of events that happened there and I was curious. And MAN I was shocked... I did not really remember ANY of this?? Seriously, there’s so much packed into these last few lines before he walks away (forever... sobs...). I feel like I really see a glimpse into Volo’s complexity during this whole cutscene. Or, at the very least, his insecurities. Just take the following for example:

HE LOOKS SO SAD... SERIOUSLY, this particular little scene always gets to me. Like... ok. Yeah, he not too long before this ordered Giratina to strike you down to get the plates because he said he wasn’t above using force to get them from you, but it’s here where I really see a guy who’s questioning himself in this moment. It’s like he’s putting so much worth into Arceus’s view of him, he’s so convinced that he’s the chosen one because of his bloodline that when Arceus doesn’t choose him he’s lost. Confused. Surprised Pikachu face even.

I dunno... we unfortunately don’t have a lot of backstory on him, but I feel like this guy has (or feels like he has) a lot of pressure on his shoulders due to the nature of belonging to a bloodline that has pretty much since died out, save for himself and Cogita. Or maybe even that he put that pressure on himself? Which brings me to this... a scene that REALLY caught my attention when watched it again because I actually read what he says???

If you follow me over on twitter, you might have seen me talk about this scene a while back - more specifically what he says in the first two screenshots. It’s honestly one of the ones that led me to look into Volo even more because seriously... Volo. Who or what hurt you. What happened. Talk to me. PLEASE...

In all seriousness though, the lack of backstory kills me because I like to imagine something tragic happened to him in the past for him to have this viewpoint. And to not only have this viewpoint but to be driven enough to make a change in the world... err... rather, just make a new one!

But. Back to the lines after you defeat him and Giratina... what stands out to me here as well is Volo’s admission and acceptance of defeat. Watching it back the first time I was honestly a little caught off guard. He really kinda humbles himself and gives you the last plate, the Spooky Plate, admitting that his journey ended when lost to you. I don’t really focus too much on the other Pokemon villains admittedly so I’m not sure if others did this, but this sequence just stuck out to me because he gives it up after being so aggressive right before this. Like before he was confident, smug, hellbent on doing everything that he could to get you out of his way, you outsider, then when he Giratina ran off he was at first angry, then confused, questioning Arceus about it all, left with burning questions that he can’t bear not knowing the answer to... It’s like this man goes through the five stages in grief all in the span of like... 30 seconds.

Seriously, this man looks tired here. Done. Defeated. He knows it’s over.

He accepts it all, even if it’s just for a moment. ...Then right after that the Azure Flute forms for you and he’s right back to being an angry, petulant brat about it all... But that’s why I love him! He’s morally gray. He fights with himself, he fights with the internal emotional turmoil that he’s feeling about you being the one Arceus wants to see rather than him, about him not being good enough for Arceus to spare him even a second of its time, him thinking that he was doing something that needed to be done, rebuilding a new world free from pain and strife and other horrible things he’s had to experience, that others have no doubt experienced... (at least, this is what I see asfkldfj) And all of that, at least to me, makes him more interesting than the Volo I had first impressions of. Makes him feel more human to me. More than just “oh shoot, he’s the Cynthia ancestor who’s actually the villain instead of Cyllene!” Like... yeah. He made bad choices. He tried to use Giratina to strike you down. He wanted to subjugate Arceus and force it to create a brand new world, erasing the current one. Not a good look. I’m not trying to excuse any of that, and I’m not the best at organizing these thoughts probably, and I will admit that I also saw Volo as the manipulative, conniving guy early on because for me it was such a twist that he was the villain, so that’s what I focused on. And why he was such a great twist villain for me was because of the setup. By that, I mean you already had a well established character in Cynthia right - an all good, helpful, friendly and strong person - then you apply that to Volo and... boom. HE’S NOT THAT?? I was thinking at a certain point it was just going to be Kamado as the big bad because of the events that unfold, which is why with Volo it was EVEN BETTER because you had that sort of fake out I guess (for lack of a better term)? Kamado banishes you from Jubilife, Volo finds you in Obsidian Fieldlands and helps you, takes you to Cogita to help with the lake spirits and the Red Chain and all, you eventually hear that Kamado is going up to the temple to deal with the rift, then after those events Volo gets kinda sus at the Giratina statue riiiiight before you go up to the temple and then when you get up there... JACKET COMES OFF, OUTFIT CHANGE, etc etc. And like... I get why some people just do not like Volo and never will. I respect that. Trust me, I did NOT like Melli during the main game at all, I’ll tell you what. The little bit of background we get on him in the daybreak update was what changed my view on him, though. And for me what changed my general view on Volo were these scenes. I dunno, maybe I’m a broken record at this point, and maybe I’m a little biased now because I adore him, but I now see him as someone who maybe in the beginnings had noble intentions and just ended up going down the wrong path unfortunately.

Like... look. Right after he questions Arceus about what he’s lacking he asks this:

To me, he’s doubting it all now. And like the moments I mentioned above, him questioning the grand ol’ creator what it is he’s lacking, what makes him not good enough, we see a bit of his human side. Scenes like these and scenes like when he gives you the Spooky Plate lead me to think he has a lot of insecurities hidden underneath that confident (and other times cheery and playful) demeanor. Whether it’s a burden, an expectation, his own self-imposed pressures... there’s just a smidge that we can see and so much more that could be possible if he had more story elements focused on him. (WHICH IS WHY I WANT PLA DLC SO BAD I KNOW IT’S WISHFUL THINKING BUT PLEASE) I’d also like to mention that I think it’s very very interesting that his trainer class for his last battle is “Pokemon Wielder” rather than the “Ginkgo Guild Member” class he has for his other battles. I don’t feel like “Pokemon Wielder” is negative in its connotation - rather, I’d like to think that it derives from his bloodline, the Celestica people, and the thought that perhaps they were the first tamers of Pokemon in the land of Hisui. This thought is due to the fact that he’s excited to see another person (you) who uses Pokeballs for their Pokemon (rather than the Diamond and Pearl clans whose leaders and wardens do not use Pokeballs at all - with Ingo being the (other) exception to that rule of course). That coupled with the fact that he looks genuinely disappointed that more people don’t use them (this line here):

And, of course, how can I fail to mention his Pokemon team itself? Look. Really. If you know anything about me lately it is that I ADORE the idea of Volo adoring his Togepi. Which then would evolve into a Togetic through high friendship. And then into a Togekiss through use of Shiny Stone, but you get my point right? Budew into Roselia, Riolu into Lucario... Yes, I know, I know, Volo is Hisuian Cynthia so the team matches for the most part outside of H. Arcanine, and the joke about him gaslighting his Pokemon into evolving is funny on the surface, but in reality I think he genuinely loves his Pokemon. For goodness sake, there’s a photo of him and Togepi outside of the photo booth! And and and the standee that was recently announced as merch?!

LOOK AT HOW HE HOLDS LITTLE TOGEPI. YOU CANNOT TELL ME THIS MAN DOESN’T LOVE HIS EGG. LOOK AT HOW HE HOLDS EGG. EGG DAD. ...Sorry. Got a little carried away there. But yes! I think he loves his Pokemon, genuinely. Which is why it kills me when he says this:

Like bro. Your Pokemon were right there in that battle. VOLO PLEASE- (ALSO JUST A QUICK MENTION ABOUT THIS LINE, it also leads me to think that he’s kinda... always been alone for the most part, outside of his Pokemon team maybe 🥺 probably more of a headcanon than anything but that’s just how I feel sdflkjsdlfkj) Alright... I think I’ve said enough at this point and it’s a mess and I’m not too sure I can ever put quite how I feel about Volo into proper words because I’m not the best at this kind of thing but... I just want to say that he’s a character that I have accelerated in love and appreciation for because he’s just... I dunno, he’s got a lot going on. And I think maybe some of that gets missed because of his ties to Cynthia and his betrayal. But I’m reaaaaaally hoping to see him again in the near future. A random house in one of the cities either in the new region or in Unova (if we get B/W remakes) will suffice 🥲 So uh... YEAH. tl;dr I think Volo is a great character with a little more under the surface than just the villain reveal twist at the end of the game and I’m rooting for him all the way. Him and Togepi (Togekiss?).

Alright. That’s all I got! Byeeeee y’all 👋

#pokemon volo #volo #ginkgo guild volo #sorry i tried my best to make this.... sorta organized #and i did my best to get the sequence right so apologies if i missed anything #i prrrrrobably forgot something #but that's ok! ;w;#anyway yeah this man ruined my marriage my life he toOK EVERYTHING FROM ME #he lives in my head rent free #send help please

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animefu · 2 months

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Pokémon Horizons - The Sudden Turn (Part 6)

Characters: Amethio, Liko, Friede, Roy, Molly, Orla, Murdock, Spinel, Gibeon, Zir, Conia

Pokémon: Sprigatito, Hattena, Cap, Charizard, Ceruledge, Corviknight, Umbreon, Skarmory

The Brave Asagi now headed north of Paldea, exactly where Friede and Cap had previously sighted the Explorers' base. After they had finally crossed a wall of dense clouds, it was now clearly visible. About 20 meters in front of them was a large building, which stood elevated on a mossy mountain.

In terms of appearance, it almost looked like a knight's castle, but without the typical towers. Nevertheless, you could immediately tell, that it definitely belonged to a large organization of villains, because at the very top of the roof there was a huge blue, white and black logo, that looked like an 'E' and was illuminated on the outer edge.

After the airship was parked in a safe location, Friede, Liko, Amethio and Roy buried themselves off board, while the others remained there.

"Please promise, that you guys will be careful." Orla said. "And also let us know, if you get into trouble." Molly then added as well.

"We will, you can count on it." Friede assured the two and now looked at the three children. Well, realistically speaking, Amethio was no longer a real 'child', but the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers still felt responsible for him too, aside from Liko and Roy. "Are you all ready?" he asked one last time.

All three looked at each other briefly before Liko finally spoke up: "Yes, we are ready." she said firmly. Sprigatito agreed with its Trainer. "Nyaohja."

Friede nodded one last time. "Okay, then let's get started now. Just remember to stay together." he said and now led the way, as a leader should, while Amethio, Liko and Roy simply just followed him.

~~~

After a few meters of walking, the 4 of them arrived at the bottom of the mountain, at the top of which was the Explorers' base.

"So... what happens next? I don't see a really ideal way, to get up there without support." Liko said, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

Now Amethio intervened. Logical, because after all he knew best about the Explorers. Well, at least almost. "I have an idea. Why don't we just use Corviknight and Charizard? At least that way Friede and I have an option, while one of us then just simply carries Liko and the other Roy. In theory, this is the best way we can get there." he then made a suggestion.

"He's not entirely wrong. That would at least be an uncomplicated method." Liko said, following the 16-year-old's suggestion.

Friede seemed to think about this for a moment, but then finally agreed. "Okay. Then we'll do it like that." he replied and took Charizard's Pokéball out of his jacket pocket, whereupon Amethio did the same with Corviknights ball and both of them called out their Pokémon at the same time.

Both of them directly climbed up their backs and Amethio took Liko in front of him again on Corviknight, while Friede took a seat on Charizard and then instructed his partner, to carefully take Roy between its claws.

"Good, then let's go." Friede said and already took off. Amethio did the same after making sure, that Liko was sitting safely in front of him and that she couldn't fall down. After about 5 minutes they reached the top of the mountain and the Pokémon were called straight back into their balls, while the quartet hid behind some small rocks, so that they wouldn't be noticed hopefully.

"Alright, then we've managed that. Now the only question left is, how we're supposed to get in there unnoticed. All entrances are strictly guarded." Roy said, as he briefly inspected the situation.

"Not all of them." Amethio spoke up, once again. "In fact, there are two secret entrances, that only the most experienced Admins know about. If we have any really top secret meetings, every member has to go through one of these entrances, to really make sure, that no one unauthorized can gain access." he explained now.

"In the name of Arceus, Amethio!! You are a genius!!! I could give you a cuddle right now!" Friede said in an almost childish voice and grinned broadly at the black and silver-haired, whereupon he grimaced slightly in disgust. "Not necessary, thank you very much."

"Could we perhaps postpone that to later and just concentrate, on getting into this building?" Liko was slowly losing patience. "Show us these secret entrances, Amethio." she said now, turning to the teen.

The black and silver-haired just nodded and briefly peeked out from behind the rock, to make sure, that really none of the guards was watching them.

"Very good, the coast is clear. Just follow me." With these words, the teenager walked forward, always in a crouched position, followed by Friede, Liko and of course Roy simply mimicking his movements, while meandering between some trees and rocks, to avoid, getting noticed by the guards.

~~~

So the quartet crept unseen past the countless guards, until they had all made an almost complete circle around the building and finally arrived at the back, where they could see a place, that initially seemed quite inconspicuous at first sight.

"Okay... And where is this secret entrance supposed to be now?" "You'll see that in a moment." Amethio answered Liko's question and took a step forward. Then he pushed aside a few low-hanging branches and some moss, so that a door appeared behind it, which was almost barely visible hidden inside the wall. "It's right here." the teen said afterwards and then pushed the stone in the middle a little inwards, which triggered a mechanism, so that the door slowly opened.

Roy, Friede and Liko all widened their eyes. "Impressive..." was all Friede brought out of his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. We can rave about it later, now let's finally go in there." Liko said, who was becoming more and more impatient with every second.

Amethio nodded, but still had a serious face on. "Okay, then let's do it. But I have to remind you, that Spinel is not to be trifled with. In any case, always stay close behind me, do you understand?" he said and looked at everyone intently again.

"Understood. And if something does happen, I'll be there as well." Friede said, positioning himself briefly next to Amethio.

With that, all three finally slowly went inside the building. The two children actually felt a bit uneasy, while wandering trough the dark hallway. "Well I have to get one thing off my chest, everything here is a bit scary to me." Liko uttered and even Hattena trembled slightly in her hood as well.

"Don't worry, we're with you." Friede said and briefly gave his two protégés a reassuring look.

Liko took a quick deep breath, but she still called Sprigatito back into its Pokéball just in case. After a while, all 4 finally arrived in another hallway. Roy was about to continue walking, when he was suddenly stopped by Amethio's hand on his shoulder. "Wait! Don't go any further! Someone is coming." he hissed in a whisper and looked around the corner for a moment. Then he suddenly saw a face, that was all too familiar to him. Because Spinel was standing at the other end of the corridor and seemed to be talking to Zir and Conia. 'Shit... What is he planning this time now?'

He observed the situation for a while before turning back to the other three. "Ok, let's go over the plan one more time. Liko and I will try to distract Spinel for as long, as possible. In the meantime, you, Friede and Roy, will go down the aisle to the right, then left again and then straight ahead. This way you should be able, to sneak up on Spinel without him noticing." he explained, how to proceed and quickly had Friede save his contact in his Rotom Phone.

"Got it, understood. Let's go then, Roy." the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers said and walked with the boy in the corresponding direction.

~~~

After they both were out of sight, the teenager now turned his attention back to Liko again. "Give me your pendant." he demanded her in a calm tone. "Excuse me, I should do what?" Amethio hissed quietly. "Don't ask, just do it. Trust me, this is all part of my plan." he assured her. "And you do trust me now, don't you?"

"Yes, of course I do, I never said, I wouldn't! It's just..." Liko kinda had her doubts, but... Amethio was actually right. After all, she had said something similar to him before. If he could trust her, then she simply should just trust him as well.

After a short while of hesitation, the girl finally gave in. "Okay, fine." she said and now took off her pendant, which Liko then placed right in Amethio's open hand. "I just hope, you know, what you're doing." she added anyway, because she still wasn't completely convinced. However, it was always worth a try, even if it shouldn't work out in the end.

The black and silver-haired just nodded slightly and let the pendant disappear into his pocket for now. Then he put his arm around Liko, so that it would look like, he had captured her and slowly walked with her in Spinel's direction.

When he turned around, shortly after he heard someone's footsteps, he was indeed very surprised, when he suddenly saw Amethio coming towards him with the girl in tow. "Well look, who do we have here? Looks like, you're not completely useless after all." he said and still had his mischievous smile on.

However, Amethio wasn't very impressed by this, so instead put on his monotone, natural face again. "Apparently, I'm more capable of carrying out a mission more flawlessly, than you first thought." he said with pretending triumph and then carefully pushed Liko forward a little, so that she still hit the ground unharmed.

She made a pretend sound of pain. "Try what you want, but I will never hand over my pendant to you, so it's best, to forget about it right away again, you idiots!!" she growled. "Plus, I don't have it with me right now anyway, so no matter, how much you would try, to get something out of me, it's not gonna work, so you have no use for me either way." she added, while briefly glancing sideways at Amethio, who just threw her an encouraging look, wich Spinel luckily didn't seem to notice.

"Well, looks like, you found your way here after all. I'm really impressed by that." he said in a slightly diabolical tone and knelt in front of her. "One thing has to be said thow, you're not exactly that kind of a person, who's extremely easy to crack. I noticed that two days ago, when you so strictly refused, to hand over your pendant." he said and turned his face even more towards her, whereupon she backed away slightly in fear, but she still remained steadfast.

"But it looks like, you're not as strong, as I had originally expected." the green-haired said with a slight grin and then, to Amethio's relief, walked away from Liko again. "Be that as it may, it was clear to me from the start, that you wouldn't cooperate so easily." Spinel then added with an undertone, that was extremely strange, even for Amethio's liking, which made the teenager and the girl feel a little uneasy in their stomachs.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, the black and silver-haired noticed Roy and Friede slowly trying, to sneak up on Spinel from behind. However, he seemed to have just been waiting for it, because he suddenly snapped his finger and the two Rising Volt Tacklers suddenly fell unconscious, whereupon both Liko and Amethio widened their eyes in shock.

"Roy, Friede!" Liko called out and instinctively wanted to run over to her two friends, but then Spinel grabbed the unsuspecting girl tightly in his arms. "Oh no, you won't do that!" he said, smiling triumphantly.

Amethio gritted his teeth, while now stepping forward as well and throwing a death glare at his rival. "Let her go, you bastard!!" he growled, Ceruledge's Pokéball already firmly in his hand.

However, Spinel didn't seem to be particularly care about this in the slightest. "I'd rather not do that, if I were you." he said as he snapped his fingers once again and before Amethio could react any further, he was surrounded by dozens of guards. "I know, you have the pendant with you, Amethio!! Hand it over or I'll do even worse to your sweet and precious little girlfriend here, than I already have." Spinel now said in a more serious tone and it really seemed like, he now wasn't messing around anymore at all.

This only made the black and silver-haired even angrier, than he already was. There was even a slight frown line on his forehead now. "Tch... You little... You wouldn't dare, to even lay a finger on her! And just, that we understand each other correctly, she's not my girlfriend!" Amethio hissed angrily, while looking forth and back between Liko and his rival.

Spinel just shrugged. "But I'm afraid, I've already done that. And apart from that... Why are you suddenly concerned about her well-being? Could it be, that you taken a liking to the little one?" he asked teasingly and it was immediately clear, that he was trying, to provoke the teen again.

However, this time this attempt clearly failed, as the 16-year-old didn't make a single change of his facial expression once. "I know what you're trying to do, but unfortunately it won't work on me anymore! I won't repeat myself a second time... Let. Liko. Go. Now!!"

"I'm really extremely sorry, but that won't happen anymore, you've already lost your chance!" his counterpart replied and suddenly took Liko in a headlock, causing her to gasp in shock. "The pendant, immediately!! It's entirely up to you, Amethio!! So you better decide quickly, otherwise..." he said threatening and demonstratively increased the pressure on Liko's neck, which increasingly made it even more difficult for her to breathe.

~~~

After a few minutes had already passed, Liko's eyelids gradually became heavier from second to second, she wouldn't last much longer, Amethio also noticed that. 'Damn it, what am I supposed to do?! I can't let him do anything worse to her!! Think, Amethio, think!!' he heard his mind talking to him after quite a while again, while keeping his focus still on the fearfull Liko, who was still being held tightly in his rivals grasp.

"Sorry to say this, but your time is almost up. So tick-tock, Amethio! You better want to decide right now!" Spinel said again with a provocative tone.

He then increased the pressure on Liko's neck once more, whereupon the teenager finally gave in. The risk, that Liko would suffer even more damage from his rival, just because of him, was simply far too high. "Wait!! You won... I... You'll get the pendant. Just please... let Liko go." he said resignedly, but still begging and briefly slipped his hand into the pocket of his trousers, from which the 16-year-old took out the object in question shortly afterwards and held it up demonstratively for his counterpart clearly to see. "Look, that's what you want, isn't it?"

Spinel then grinned triumphantly, but still slyly. "I see, we understand each other after all. Why not like that from the start? Throw it over." he demanded and tapped his left foot up and down waiting.

Amethio still hesitated one last time, but then did what his rival asked of him and threw the pendant over, whereupon the green-haired caught it with ease. "There you go, you should just always do exactly, what is asked of you, then there won't be any problems." he said and gave a short, spiteful laugh.

Then he finally let go of Liko, who collapsed weakly to the ground and shortly afterwards instinctively grabbed her neck while coughing. Of course, Amethio immediately rushed to her side and directly pulled the young girl away from his rival, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Are you alright, Liko, he didn't hurt you further, did he?!" he asked worriedly and let his eyes scan over her briefly, looking for further possible injuries. Fortunately, no others seemed to be visible at first glance.

Liko was a bit surprised by his reaction, but didn't say anything against it at first. Instead, she only gave a weak nod in response to his question about whether his rival had hurt her even more. "Luckily not, thanks to you. But it still hurts a little." she replied, while rubbing her neck a bit, which was a little red, probably caused by the enormous pressure, that Spinel had put on it earlier.

This statement made the black and silver- haired teen breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank God... I'm really glad, you're okay." he said and pulled away from her again.

"I really don't want to bother you two lovebirds, but unfortunately I don't have much time forever. Lock them up!" Spinel now gave the order and a few guards took the troop through a door and then down into a large room, which was obviously some kind of dungeon. There were spider webs everywhere and it generally made a very uncomfortable impression around it to express carefully.

So everyone was more or less 'thrown' into a cell and the door was immediately locked. After the guards had left, Amethio's rival came into view again. "You'll stay down here for a while, but don't make yourself too comfortable." he said coldly and turned to Amethio again for now.

"And as for you, Amethio... I'm very curious to hear, what Master Gibeon will think of your betrayal or should I say... your dear father?" he laughed spitefully again and then turned on his heel. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have important things to do. See you!” With that the green-haired man also disappeared, leaving all 4 behind.

~~~

After everyone was alone, there was pure silence at first, in which none of them spoke a single word.

"It's over... We failed... This is all my fault." Liko slumped her shoulders and leaned desperately against a wall. Amethio, who was sitting right next to her, sighed briefly and carefully stroked her shoulder in a reassuring manner, which the young Trainer allowed much to his surprise.

"It's not your fault, Liko. We simply couldn't predict, that the plan would actually go this wrong." he tried his best, to calm her down a little.

But the girl just shook her head rapidly. "That's not true! It was my idea from the beginning, mine alone!! I insisted so desperately, on getting you out of this organization and now look, where this has led us!!" she replied, sobbing and completely exhausted. "Now Spinel finally has my pendant, there's nothing we can do against him anymore, absolutely nothing!! Do you understand Amethio?!! We've lost, completely lost!!" she whimpered, burying her face deep in her hands, while she really started to cry now.

Then the 13-year-old was suddenly wrapped into two slender arms, while held timidly against a warm chest. "Shhh... There's no need to cry, Liko. Everything's fine!" Amethio said in a whisper and gently ran his hand, which by the way was not hidden in a glove, over her back extremely slowly, while the other ran through her hair and scratched her scalp a little. Apparently he wanted to calm her down with this method. At least, that's what Amethio was hoping for.

However the girl just sobbed even more now and instinctively clutched the back of his shirt, as she let her tears flow freely. It was sad, but true, she actually blamed herself for everything, after all Liko had made this whole suggestion in the first place.

"What have I done? It shouldn't work like that! I... I'm such a good-for-nothing, completely useless! I... I don't deserve it, to be a member of the Rising Volt Tacklers at all!" she continued, to sob and know even got a flow of small hiccups coming from time to time as well.

"No, you shouldn't even think that far! You're completely wrong about everything, are you even listening to, what exactly you're saying to yourself?!" Amethio now asked the question and couldn't actually believe, that the black-haired, the girl he fell in love with, was really questioning herself at this current moment.

The teenager now carefully grabbed her by both shoulders and turned her slightly towards him, so that he could look straight into her face. "Now listen to me very closely! What you're saying, is complete nonsense, so it's best, to get it out of your head straight away, Liko!" he said in a firm voice and looked deep into her eyes.

"What happened earlier, is definitely not your fault, do you hear me? Spinel must have expected, that we were trying, to trick him. I know him well, he always knows exactly, which leash he has to pull, to achieve his goals. But you aren't responsible for that in any way! So again, get that out of your head quickly!" he demanded and initially maintained eye contact.

"But Amethio, why..." Liko couldn't get a sensible sentence out at the moment. At the moment she didn't understand in the slightest, what the teenager was trying to tell her.

"Shhh, just don't say anything now." the 16-year-old said in a whisper and cut her off, by putting a finger onto her lips. "You're such a smart girl, Liko. You care about your friends, your Pokémon, everyone around you. You have a very special ability, you can understand other people's feelings, something like that isn't natural. And that's exactly, what makes you so special as a Pokémon Trainer. So please... Don't always try, to put obstacles in your way by doubting yourself. Because you won’t be able, to achieve your goals that way." he finally finished and then wiped away the girl's remaining tears with his thumb.

Liko let him finish in patiently and then took a deep breath, before exhaling again. "You're right. But what should we do now? Spinel has the key to the cell and he certainly won't give us back my pendant that easily." she said now and scratched her chin thoughtfully, after the teenager had pulled away from her again.

"I already thought that, that's why, I have an idea." he said and now leaned over to her ear, to whisper everything to her. Meanwhile Friede and Roy were now conscious again and were also listening to the conversation with half an ear at.

~~~

After the teen had pulled away from her ear, once again, Liko looked at him still with a slight unconvincing expression. "OK and you really think, that's gonna work?" she asked again, to make sure.

"Trust me, the plan is literally foolproof. Just try, to play along for as long as you can." the black and silver-haired said, to which Liko just gave a nod. "All right, then let's do it!" she said and suddenly fell to the ground, wincing. "Ohhh, it hurts so much!! Please, I need a doctor immediately, oh please quickly!" she whimpered, which of course was just an act, but that was exactly part of Amethio's plan.

And the bait seemed to have actually been taken, because as expected, two guards came into the dungeon and straight to the bars. "What kind of riot is this?" one of them asked, visibly annoyed.

"I'm really sorry, to have disturbed you, but my friend here isn't feeling well, you see." Amethio said with mock concern and pointed down at Liko, who was rolling around on the ground, still whimpering.

"She probably got a bladder infection from the very cold ground. That's why, we would be very grateful, if you guys could let us out for a moment so that she could quickly go to the toilet, would you?"

The guards looked at each other suspiciously for a moment. "If that's the case. But first we have to let our boss know." he said and was about, to take out his Rotom Phone to make a call when suddenly a yellow tail appeared behind him.

Shortly after, a quiet command was heard for "Thunderpunch!" and both guards collapsed to the ground unconscious, after they felt a brief pain in their necks and Cap appeared shortly afterwards grinning triumphantly. "Pika."

"Excellent work, Cap." it suddenly came from Friede, who was standing proudly next to Liko and Amethio. However, they initially gave the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers a confused expression. "Friede?! But how did you?..."

"I regained my consciousness just a few minutes ago and overheard with Roy, what you were up to with Amethio. So I thought, I'd just join in." he said, still smiling proudly, crossing his arms in front his chest.

"Whatever, we don't have much time, before they wake up again." Amethio said with a quick gesture to the two unconscious guards. Then he called Ceruledge out of its Pokéball. "Ceruledge, use Psycho Cut on the bars!" he gave his partner the command, which the Pokémon immediately carried out. In less than two seconds, the bars of the cell were divided into two and the path to escape was clear.

"Wow, that was really quick..." Roy remarked with fascination, which Amethio, however, skillfully ignored. "Yeah, we can rave about it later. Let's just get out of here!" he said and returned his Pokémon straight back into its Pokéball. So now all 4 of them carefully stepped over the still unconscious guards and slowly made their way up the dark stairwell all the way back to the top of the large Main Hall, where their previous plan had failed miserably.

"Good, now we just have to find Spinel and get my pendant back." Liko said and looked around a bit.

"Good idea, but unfortunately we have no idea, where he could be. The building is huge, it would probably take us hours, to find him in this labyrinth." Roy was indeed a little unconvinced.

"We'll never find out, as long as we don't try." Liko said now and took Sprigatito's Pokéball out of her bag. "Sprigatito, it's your turn." With a pop, the Grass Cat Pokémon materialized in front of everyone. "Nyaohja!"

"Listen, Sprigatito. It all depends on you now. You have to help us, find Spinel. Do you think, you can do it?" the 13 year-old asked her Pokémon and gave it a quick scratch. Sprigatito then nodded with a short meow and began to sniff around with its delicate nose. At some point, it seemed, to have found a track, because it now headed purposefully in the right direction, wich lead into another hallway.

"Looks like, it picked up a scent." Roy said and so he quietly followed the little Pokémon together with Liko, Friede and Amethio. After a while, everyone finally came to a halt in front of a large double door, as Sprigatito pointed its nose purposefully at it. "Nya!"

"And you're really sure, that Spinel is in there?" Friede asked, still looking a little unconvinced. "If one of us has a good nose, then it's definitely Sprigatito. We should just trust it." Liko said and scratched her Pokémon proudly behind its ears, before recalling it back into its ball. "Good work, Sprigatito. You've earned some rest now." With that, she put the Pokéball back in her yellow bag.

Now Amethio stepped a little closer to the door, before something occurred to him. "I know this door. Behind it is the meeting room, where the mission reports are always held." he explained, carefully pressing an ear against the door, when he thought, he heard a few voices behind it.

At first, the others looked at each other a little uncomprehendingly, but then they simply copied the teenager's movements in order to listen to, what was actually being discussed behind the door at that moment.

~~~

"Good work, Spinel. Apparently, I completely misjudged you. You're actually much better, than my incompetent son could ever be. From now on, you will always carry out the important missions and Amethio is welcome, to look for a new job." That was clearly Gibeon's voice.

All four of them continued to listen, their eyes wide, after what they had just heard. Liko and Friede in particular were completely flabbergasted. "Wait, does that mean, that your boss is actually your father?!" the black-haired asked, looking at the 16-year-old in disbelief.

However, the teen didn't react to this at first, but simply ignored the question for the time being. "Later. For now, let's concentrate on getting your pendant back." he said instead.

"Good idea, but you do realise, that we can't just barge in like that, don't you?" Friede asked, crossing his arms slightly in front of his chest.

"I'm sorry, but I'll do it my way." With these words, Amethio suddenly lashed out with his foot and kicked the door in with full force, causing it to literally burst off its hinges. As expected, this loud noise did not go unnoticed. In a few seconds, several guards had moved back into position.

Friede and the two children blinked perplexedly for a moment, but then quickly regained their composure, before taking up their positions to the left and right of the black and silver-haired.

"What's all this about?" Now Gibeon appeared in his true form for the first time. And it really had to be said, that he was one of the reasons, why Amethio had never fully spoken about his past.

He was a tall man, even taller than Friede, with an extremely frightening expression on his face. He had extremely dark and thick eyebrows and otherwise, he looked anything but friendly. He wore black clothes, almost identical to Amethio's, with the difference that he also wore a long, black cloak with a high collar. He also wore high, black boots with pointed studs on the ankle and black gloves, also studded. His hair was also cut extremely short and almost looked, as if it consisted of black and white stripes, that had only been shaved into the surface. The overall look was rounded off with a dark and thick full beard around Gibeon's mouth.

"Spinel, I demand an explanation!" he said, not sounding particularly enthusiastic.

Spinel, however, waved his hands nervously, at least as surprised. "I... I have no idea how this could have happened, Master Gibeon, my guards were downstairs watching them the whole time, I swear!" he said awkwardly, pointing his finger at the quartet. "How on earth did you manage to escape?"

Liko and Amethio grinned slightly triumphantly. "Well, let's put it this way, with a little ingenuity and excellent acting." Amethio replied, before his face became serious again. "The game is over, Spinel. Hand the pendant back over right now!" he said, only to receive a spiteful laugh from his rival.

"Oh no, I'm already shaking with fear. You haven't the slightest chance against me, my dear." he said, obviously trying, to provoke the teenager again, but he was no longer impressed by this at all. "I'm very sorry, but your little tricks no longer work on me." he hissed and took a Pokéball out of his right trouser pocket. "Ceruledge!" he exclaimed and shortly afterwards, the Fire Swordsman Pokémon materialised in front of its Trainer immediately in a fighting stance.

"Well, son, I really didn't think you could actually be serious. I'm surprised, because you were never like this, when you were a child back then." Gibeon remarked, but this only made Amethio even angrier.

"You have nothing more to say to me, 'Father'! You've never really been a father to me anyway! Shortly after Malu died, you changed completely for the worse. You simply left. Then mum died too and I had nowhere to turn! Until one day I met Hamber and joined the Explorers. I finally had recognition, could prove myself, but you never recognised it!!! You only ever used and manipulated me!!! I always tried, to prove to you, that I was capable of carrying out missions flawlessly, but you just never realised it!!! I'm so sick of all this!!!" he growled and now Friede, Roy and Liko could see the real, angry side of Amethio for the first time. Even Zir and Conia, who were also present, were very surprised by the teenager's sudden behaviour. "Amethio, sir..."

"Do you even know, what you're saying right now, Amethio? How dare you, go against me, your own father?! Without me, you're nothing, nobody! You'll never make it out there on your own!"

"Oh, and I think, that you're incredibly wrong with that. Because I am simply appreciated by Liko and the others! I am treated like a real person, as a human being, someone with feelings and needs and not like a piece of dirt or a puppet, that you can do, whatever you want with, whenever it suits you! I've finally found real friends, Liko has opened my eyes! I finally have the chance of a real, better life than I could ever have with you!!!" he replied, snarling.

"If that's really the case... You are no longer worthy, of being treated as my son! Spinel, put an end to him and his so-called 'friends'!" he said, taking a step back.

The spoken one grinned diabolically and stepped directly opposite Amethio and Ceruledge, his Umbreon already summoned from its Pokéball.

When Liko realised, what was about to happen, she now stepped into the 'battlefield' as well with Sprigatito next to Amethio. "Sprigatito and I are going to help you, aren't we, Sprigatito?" she asked, her gaze briefly fixed on her partner. "Nyaohja!" it meowed in reply.

"Oh, now your sweet little girlfriend has to help you too? How cute." Spinel just grinned mischievously.

"For the last time, you lightning bolt, she's not my girlfriend! And now you'd better concentrate!" Amethio hissed, visibly annoyed, and stretched out his hand. "Ceruledge, use Bitter Blade!" he commanded his partner, whereupon the Pokémon sprinted forward with both blade-like arms lashed out, to hit Spinel's Umbreon, but the Moonlight Pokémon dodged the attack with ease.

"Pah, is that all you've got?! How pathetic. Umbreon, Dark Pulse!" Spinel now gave the order. Umbreon, of course, did not resist in the slightest and fired circular beams from its forehead, aiming directly at Amethio.

"Amethio, watch out! Sprigatito, Leafage, quickly!!!" Liko called out. Sprigatito jumped straight into the air and fired dozens of small leaves from its fur collar, which shot like several bullets in all directions towards Spinel and Umbreon. And it succeeded, as the storm of leaves caused the Dark Pulse to dissipate, before it could actually land a direct hit on Amethio and Ceruledge.

"Tch, he's strong, very strong!!!" Amethio muttered quietly before ordering Ceruledge again, to use Psycho Cut, which was actually a good strategy. As the attack hit the ground with a somewhat loud thud, Spinel was thrown off balance by the force, causing the pendant to fall from the pocket of his cloak, in which he kept it.

"My pendant! I guess, it's now or never... Sprigatito, now use Quick Attack!" Liko shouted to her Pokémon, whereupon Sprigatito sprinted off at lightning speed and managed, to catch the pendant with its teeth and throw it in the direction of its Trainer, who quickly caught it with her hand.

"Good work, Sprigatito!" the black-haired said and gave her Pokémon a quick scratch under the chin, before immediately putting her pendant back around her neck.

"Tch, don't think, I'm just going to let you get away with it that easily! Umbreon, use Snarl!!!" Spinel finally had enough. His Pokémon immediately launched an attack, firing a red-ringed stream of smoke from its mouth, directly targeting Liko and Sprigatito.

Amethio watched the scene unfolding directly in front of his eyes in horror, before immediately rushing straight towards Liko and Sprigatito. "Liko, look out!!!" As soon as he reached them, he yanked the girl down with both arms mid jumping, pressing her protectively tightly against his body, and squeezed his eyes shut, probably waiting for the attack, to hit him instead.

~~~

But before that could happen, Liko's pendant suddenly began to glow brightly, causing the teenager to quickly pulling himself away from her. "What the...?" he asked himself, but now the pendant began to glow even more brightly, before a green, hexagonal shaped protective barrier formed around him, the girl and Sprigatito shortly afterwards, which in turn ensured, that Umbreon's attack bounced off it and couldn't score a hit anymore.

Friede and Roy, who in the meantime had managed, to overpower Gibeon and Spinel and keep them at bay with the help of Charizard, now also became aware of what was happening. Liko's pendant, which was still glowing, and a green hexagonal shield, which had erected itself protectively around her, Amethio and Sprigatito. Even Zir and Conia, who had just been standing there motionless, couldn't believe their eyes.

After about 5 minutes, the protective shield slowly dissolved again and the pendant also stopped glowing. Liko's hand instinctively reached for it, holding it tightly. Slowly, the girl looked at Amethio, who was still looking at her, completely dumbfounded, before the teen regained his composure after a few seconds. The 16-year-old slowly stood up again and offered her a hand. "Are you alright, Liko? Nothing happened to you?" he asked in a voice full of concern.

The young Trainer nodded slightly and finally took Amethio's hand, whereupon the black and silver-haired immediately pulled her to her feet and then let his eyes wander over her for a moment, to really make sure, she wasn't hurt in any way.

"No, I'm fine. But that was really reckless of you, you know? Just imagine, if the attack had really hit you..." she murmured quietly, sounding worried now as well.

"There's no need, to worry about me. I've been in far worse situations, than this one. What really matters, is that you're okay." the teenager replied. Then he took a step closer to the girl and suddenly hugged her tightly, while burying his face into the crook of her neck, deeply inhaling her scent. This sudden action caused her eyes to widen slightly in shock. After standing there perplexed like that for a few seconds, Liko finally simply returned Amethios embrace and hugged him back, just as tightly.

After they both separated from each other after a short while, Amethio couldn't take his eyes off Liko and instead looked deep into her beautiful blue eyes. Then his gaze lingered on her lips, which seemed to him, as if they were just waiting for what the black and silver-haired had in mind. Slowly, he closed the distance between himself and Liko, getting closer and closer to her rosy lips, and when the girl made no effort to stop him, Amethio finally placed his lips gently on hers and kissed her carefully and slowly.

Contrary to all expectations, she returned his gentle kiss and carefully intertwined her hands with his, which made Amethio smile a little into the kiss. At some point, he pulled away from her again, his lips still tingling from the incredible feeling, so that he didn't make a single sound at first.

"You wouldn't believe, how much I've wanted to do this all along..." Amethio admitted in a breathy voice, having gradually regained his speech.

Liko smiled a little sheepishly and had indeed turned a little red around the nose. "And you don't know, how long I've been waiting for this." she replied and then looked at him with a dreamy smile.

The teenager continued to smile with relief and gently placed a hand on the girl's cheek. "Listen, Liko... There's something I need to tell you..." he spoke a little uncertainly, but before he could continue, the pleasant moment was interrupted by a clearing of the throat, causing both of them to jump apart, slightly startled.

They both looked towards Friede, who had a slightly mischievous grin on his face. "I really don't want to interrupt you two, but I think we should get out of here, don't you think so too? " the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers said.

"Yeah, but what's happening to them over there?" Roy asked, pointing his finger at Spinel and Gibeon, who were now sitting on the floor tied together.

"Oh, don't worry about those. Officer Jenny will take care of that. Now let's go." he said and called Charizard back into his Pokéball, before he set off. But then Zir and Conia joined in. "Just wait a moment longer. If it's all right for Amethio sir... We would also like to leave the organisation. We want to change our lives too." they both said somewhat uncertainly.

Amethio just nodded with a smile at their request. "If that's what you want, I won't stop you. It's entirely up to you." he said, as he put an arm around Liko's shoulders, whereupon she just simply leaned against him.

Both nodded shortly afterwards and bowed briefly in gratitude. Then everyone finally marched out of the building, while Friede quickly informed Officer Jenny about the situation. As soon as everyone was finally back outside, they all called out their Pokémon almost simultaneously, with Zir and Conia of course calling out their Skarmory. Liko naturally took her place on Amethio's Corviknight again and shortly afterwards, the entire team took off to the skies, as quickly and swiftly as possible, far away from this place.

~~~

After everyone had landed safely on the Brave Asagi again, they were all welcomed by Mollie, Orla, Murdock and Dot and pulled into a big hug.

"In the name of Arceus, you're all well!!! We thought you weren't coming back at all!" Murdock sobbed with relief and actually cried a few tears of joy.

Friede simply had to smile in response. He knew his comrade all too well. "Don't worry, we'll explain everything calmly. But now let's go inside." the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers said and, with Cap on his shoulder, went straight down into the interior of the airship and directly into the meeting room, where the others arrived a little later too and took their seats at the table.

"Well, now you really have to tell us everything down to the smallest detail." Orla finally spoke up and leant her elbows on the tabletop.

Everyone just giggled and Friede put on his big grin again. "Don't worry, you'll find out everything as soon as possible." he assured them and turned his attention to Liko for now, who was sitting on Amethio's lap and leaning relaxed against his chest. "But first, I think these two have a lot to explain to us as well." he said, giving Amethio a casual thumbs up and even a little wink.

Liko and Amethio both turned bright red, as everyone turned their eyes on them, looking extremely knowingly at the pair shortly after Friede's statement.

"Well... You know, the thing is..." the black and silver-haired began and it was clear to see, that he seemed a little uncomfortable talking about the current situation. "It's not that easy, to explain really..." he started and scratched his neck a little.

"That's right, there was something important you wanted to tell me, earlier, wasn't it?" Liko now spoke up, also expecting an answer from the teenager.

Finally, the 16-year-old had to sigh deeply, after realizing, that he no longer had a chance, to deny his feelings for the young Trainer. "Ok, ok! You've won, you're already getting an explanation." he said and ran his hand trough his hair for a brief moment. Amethio already knew... This was definitely going to be a very long night for him...

~~~

To be continued...

Sidenotes: And here we are again already at the end of the 6th Part of this Story. This time, it took me a little longer, to write it, as I had announced at the end of the last Part, that there would be another Pokémon battle in this one, including further events.

I really tried, to make it as realistic as possible, so I really hope, you found that and the rest of this Part exciting enough.

But all of this aside now, what did you think of Part 6? I'd also like to know, what you guys thought of my portrayal of Gibeon and also wich 'dramatic' moment you liked the most, as I've included quite a few. As always, feel free to write that in the tags down below, so gladly have them coming.

So far there's nothing more for me to say, except that I would be really happy, if you guys could give this Part a like, as well as gladly reblogging it in addition to your opinions in the tags. Also please let me know, what you'll think, is gonna happen in the next Part.

Thank you so much, for following me this far and I really hope, that you'll be also back again soon for Part 7 of:

'Pokémon Horizons - The Sudden Turn'

Your dearest @animefu

#pokemon horizons #fanfic #amethio #liko #rising volt tacklers

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blaiddraws · 1 year

Note

Is there a summary of the fulcrum au?

undoubtedly but i don't feel like looking for it so. quick recap!

twin dragons au -- ingo is Zekrom and emmet is Reshiram. the way it works in this is that they can be Either human Or dragon but not physically both at the same time. zero dragon traits in human form, etc.

which is why it's Really Freaking Weird And Alarming when emmet finds himself half-reshiram'd one day. (especially once he later realizes ingo is missing--)

anyway. ingo gets eeby deebied and something about the trip to hisui smushes his human and pokemon form together. and since he and emmet/reshiram are so closely connected it kinda. pushed back to him as well.

various side notes under the cut;

- ingo arrives in hisui with no memories, but does have a somewhat easier time regaining them, especially once akari shows up and helps him

- dad ingo. adopts akari. we love to see it

- he also isn't technically a warden but the pearl clan lets him do what he wants. they treat him like a person, for the most part, but not really like a Human, if that makes sense. he's treated normally but there's always a strange tone to most of his interactions with the residents of hisui.

- pearl clan also decided he must be a gift from sinnoh. adaman saw this, decided ingo is a gift from HIS sinnoh and actually belongs with his own clan. ingo ignores this and hangs out in the highlands the majority of the time. but does spend a lot more time with the pearl clan because they're the ones that found him and took him in

- meanwhile. emmet stays out of public eye for a hot minute. and by that i mean a month or so. which isn't that surprising considering his brother disappeared. people figure he's just trying to cope.

- but. he's driving himself insane he can't stay away from the subway that long he has GOT to get back. or he will die. (he says this, dramatically, to elesa). and there's no leads on getting him back to normal.

- (technically, he could take a trip to sinnoh and call up arceus. but with ingo missing he feels that leaving the region would be a bad idea and totally irresponsible.)

- so he just. Shows Up At Work One Day. all half-reshiram'd. as if there is nothing wrong. depot agents, after a moment of baffled staring, have to just roll with it.

- the Public, however. dhkshsksbsksjd

- all he can say is that he has No Idea why he is Like This (true) and it happened when ingo disappeared (true). "But why do you look so much like Reshiram?" "you expect me to know the answer to that?? i'm a train conductor." (blatantly skirting around the truth without directly lying).

- eventually unova accepts that. yeah okay their subway boss is fluffy now. weirder things have happened tbh.

- surprisingly enough, the whole thing stays pretty well contained within unova, ESPECIALLY nimbasa. emmet is THEIR subway boss and he's Going Through It. he deserves to be treated well. etc.

- ANYEEWAYE. cut back to hisui. ingo adopts akari etc etc etc. she starts helping him regain his memory. and the more things he remembers, the easier it IS to remember.

- once akari finishes the pokedex, he remembers a significant amount of his human life. not quite enough to be Normal, but a fair amount. (he also remembers some stuff from being a legendary dragon, but a legendary dragon is a LOT more long-lived than a human. there's a Lot there to remember. and is a lot more... nebulous of a mind than a human's.)

- akari takes him with her when she goes to fight arceus. ingo has a little chat <3. arceus puts ingo and emmet back how they were before, because they cannot exist in the long-term with their forms smushed together like that.

- (Emmet wakes up one day human again, doom-brains himself into thinking ingo died despite how that would be impossible (considering zekrom is literal deity, the embodiment of the concept of ideals.). spends like two hours like that before elesa and drayden and iris have to knock some sense into him.)

- arceus. like. because Ingo asked nicely, arceus retcons (not Really retcons because it knew ingo would ask this when it did it. time is weird) kyurem into having a human form. caveats of this includes. kyurem doesn't Know or Remember that they're kyurem. they can't shift into kyurem. etc. because kyurem shouldn't be able to have a human form in the first place because of their. them-ness. their existence. makes it impossible. but arceus makes it possible because ~hadwavey seals their power away and uses its own to keep the human form intact idk~ Arceus-ness.

- ingo and akari spend the next few weeks tying things up and saying goodbyes before they go home. (ingo goes around saying his goodbyes and expressing his gratitude to people. COMPLETELY forgetting to mention the very important fact that he was that one dragon guy. he goes around to the same people a second time, significantly more mortified, and explains.) (akari was there most of the time and let it happen. it was hilarious.)

- ANYWAY eventually ingo and akari go home. happy reunions time!!!

- (and then, of course. we get into what is almost like the postgame plot equivalent of the au dkshksdhksjsjd. Who Is Kyurem?)

#answered #fulcrum au #''various side notes'' was supposed to be. side notes. but then i started rambling lol #''quick recap''. sigh #not art

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boxylocks · 4 months

Text

The Shaymin Messengers ft. Eta (Aludra)

Random lore dump time ✨

The Shaymin's were created by Xerneas to act as Messengers between the gods, their small and shifting form allowed them to be the perfect size for crossing between realms quickly and efficiently. At first, they all belonged to the god Xerneas but soon they began to be given to other gods when the Deity war started.

The introduction of the U-gate's made it even easier for them to get around, though they often found themselves caught in the Deity war's crossfire. Typically they dressed in attire to represent their god but this was changed during the war to keep them safe.

This did gradually shift back after the war however.

An example of the pre-war attire was Eta, the messenger for Xerneas. Much like all the shaymin they dressed in a similar look to their gods. They always bared the sigil of the god they represented.

During the war, they shifted to a standard brown outfit and often removed any indication of what god they worked for. This made it a mystery to what god was communicating to the others.

Arceus was one of the few gods that did not and still doesn't have a Shaymin messenger that works for them. Most to all gods have a Shaymin who works under them now. They typically live in the god's main temple and work closely with each temple's Cresselia (or darkrai) priest/priestess to keep peace between all of the gods.

Speaking of Eta and pre-death Aludra here she is as well!!

(Image 1: Pre-death - Image 2: Post-death, reformed)

Aludra was a Shaymin demi-god before death, she was killed by the god Arceus in an act of annoyance. Arceus basically ignored the "Don't shoot the messenger." saying and killed her anyway. She was delivering one of the final messages before the war ended.

That was the call for Arceus to stop their attack on the others and end the war. Fun fact: Eta actually died a few years after pre-death Journey died, much like the Hoopa she was dumped in the space realm (Lunala's kingdom) because that Arceus bastard just got rid of most of their problems like that.

Aludra can still change into her deity form but she mostly prefers to look like an H.Zoroark as that was the form Lunala created for her. She looks about the same minus a few details which are changed.

#blindfold to limit any of their reactions they have to messages they read out ✨They can still see I promise

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a-spy-in-hisui · 25 days

Text

Dimensional Discussion

"Hey, Marc."

"?"

"Have you ever thought about... well, before ?"

"... You mean, my life before Hisui ?"

"Y-yes. If you don't want to talk about it, I understand ! I was just nosy-"

"It's alright, don't worry, Akari. And as for your question, yes I do. Every night, for one hour before going to sleep, and almost everyday, when something reminds me of them."

"L-like what ?"

"I dunno. Situations, people, my Pokemon, the colors..."

"Colors ?"

"Yes. Red, yellow and pink. I don't know what they represent exactly, but one thing for sure is that I love them very much and never had a dull time with them."

"Wowzers, really ?!"

"Yup ! But enough talking about me. Let's talk about you."

"M-me ?!"

"Yes. We're in the same boat, except that you don't even remember your name. I'm sure that if we talk a bit, something will come back."

"How d'you know for sure ?"

"I don't. But at least we will try. So, you told me that Cyndaquil reminded you of something. Was it due to the shades, or..."

When Marc fell into this parallel Hisui, he was surprised about the differences, but the main one was that Rei doesn't have a twin sister and that he didn't fall from the sky, no. Instead, it was a child named Akari, who landed on Prelude Beach and not the Obsidian Fields. He thought that this Akari would look the same as the one back here, but Arceus, he was wrong.

Instead of a bold girl with black hair and grey eyes, instead he finds a shy and quiet child a bit older than him with black-purple eyes and piercing yellow eyes.

Because the two are not good at breaking the ice, it took the two starters to push them to each other to begin to talk. And once they did, it really blossomed, with Akari asking most of the questions while Marc (being the usual know-it-all he still is) gladly answers while the two Pokemon run behind them.

Akari (well, this one) belongs to @applesjuice, with their permission.

Marc is not my character officially, but the story and idea is mine.

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imfluentinfangirlandgay · 6 months

Text

A Father's Resolve - Ch 3

Ingo returns after a decade - with two extra cars in tow. Years later, his kids are swallowed up by time in the same way he was. Will he be able to find them? Will they be able to make it out alive?

Word Count: ~1200

Rei blinked his eyes open, groaning. The voice above him finally stopped yelling. Boy, he had a headache.

"Oh thank goodness, you're awake."

He sat up and looked around. Where had that creature gone? The one with the light? He was laying on a beach, sunlight beating down on him. Waves lapped lazily at the sand. Not a cloud was in the sky.

A chirp caught his attention. Three pokemon stood before him. One he had seen a few times before, with a white head and a light blue body. What was… Oshawott, a water type. There was a bird pokemon next to it, round, with large eyes. And the third had a large head and an awkward, waddling gait, with a long, thin snout. Behind them was a pair of shoes, attached to a pair of legs. Rei stared at them for a moment, then looked to his left.

His sister was sprawled out on the sand next to him. He nudged her. "Hey. Akari, get up." She tried to slap his hand, but he grabbed her wrist. "Come on, get up. We're… I don't actually know. It's not Castellia, though"

She cracked her eyes open and looked around. Her brow furrowed as she felt the sand in her fingers. She sat up, sand falling from her hair as she took in the scenery. "Where are we?"

The figure next to them spoke again. Rei blinked as he realized the language he used. It was not Unovan. "Oh perfect, you both seem unharmed. You just had a nasty fall from the sky." The man gestured to a mountain in the distance with some kind of swirling hole over it. That in the name of Arceus was that?

Arceus.

He was pulled from his frantic thoughts as Akari looked at Rei and whispered in Unovan, "Why is he speaking Hisuian?"

Rei shrugged. He truthfully had no idea. "Just go with it for now," he whispered back. That seemed like the best idea to get answers.

"Y-yeah, I feel alright," Akari said finally, switching her tongue. She blinked as she noticed three small pokemon around. They all stood around the two of them, watching them with large eyes (except the one with the long snout. Could it open its eyes at all?)

The man wore a long white coat and a knitted purple hat with a big pom pom on top of it. His skin was an olive color, some stubble in his chin. He seemed like an agreeable person.

"W-who are you?" Rei asked him. "Where are we?"

"Oh goodness, where are my manners? My name is Laventon. I'm something of a pokemon professor," he grinned.

"I'm Akari," his sister said, "and this is my brother Rei."

"Good to meet you!" the man smiled. "As to where you are, this is Prelude Beach. Might you have anyone in the area you might know to stay with?"

The twins looked at each other and shook their heads. They highly doubted that.

The Professor's face fell a little. "No one at all? And nowhere to even spend the night? My, it seems we might be in a proper pickle…" He rubbed his chin.

"Oh, but I forgot! I'd just caught up to these three runaway pokemon when you both fell from the sky… it was as if they knew you would appear here!" He gestured proudly to the pokemon around them. "You do know what pokemon are, yes?"

They both nodded immediately. That was an odd question. They'd grown up with them. Hasn't everyone?

"That is a relief, even if you came from the sky, it seems we have some common ground. These three belong to me! I am hoping to deepen out understanding of these creatures-"

Rei wanted to ask him more questions, his head swimming, but then the pokemon bolted and Laventon started yelling for them to come back. Rei looked at his sister, who shrugged, and they had no choice but to follow. They jogged to keep up. Despite the fact that he looked around their father's age, he could certainly put some distance between them.

"Rei, look." Akari had paused and was staring at something on the ground. It was glowing. And it was beeping at them. How had he missed it? She reached down and plucked it out of the grass. It was a phone, white with golden rings. It kind of looked like the emergency phone they kept on them at their father's request, in case something happened to their Xtrans.

The screen flashed with a text message. I bestow upon thee this Arc Phone and thy mission: to seek out all pokemon.

"It's just like the light in the dream," Rei breathed.

"Rei, that wasn't just a light, or a dream." Akari inspected the phone, looking at the backside. "That was Arceus. It wants us to find all the pokemon."

"Arceus?"

"Don't you remember?" Now that she mentioned it, he did remember early in the (very one-sided) conversation that it mentioned its name.

"Why us? Isn't there someone more qualified?" Rei cocked his head as he stared at the phone.

"I have no idea." Akari shrugged. "We'd better go see what Laventon wants, anyhow. This seems a good enough way to get to know what's going on. Maybe we'll learn why it sent us here in the first place."

It was banking on a lot, but Rei relented. They ran after Laventon, who was still chasing around the three baby pokemon.

‐—-------

"You mentioned that Hisui is riddled with space-time distortions, yes?" Juniper looked at a book in front of her.

Ingo nodded his head. He had a book open in front of him. The more he read about these ultra wormholes, the more it just didn't feel right. The actual falling was different. It wasn't a tearing sound witnesses reported, more of a vanishing. A burst of light and poof! They were gone.

Emmet looked at his poor brother. He had lost weight. He was refusing to eat or sleep, hellbent on finding the twins now. He had large dark circles under his eyes, his hair was unkempt. He had been wearing the same clothes for the last couple days. Emmet worried for him.

"Well," Juniper said, looking across the table at them, "it seems that it would make sense for them to have been taken to the same time, yes? I can find no other place in history that has that kind of instability. And I'm seeing some records of two siblings by the same names-"

"Those are the heros," Ingo said tiredly. "They are who the twins are named after. Their mother said she'd never been beaten in battle like that before and admired them."

"Hmm." Juniper flipped a page, looking through the book. "I still feel like this makes the most sense. I believe they may have been taken back to Hisui."

"Hisui is dangerous," Ingo fretted. "Tons of wild pokemon… alphas… sudden cliffs and floods and avalanches… what if they get dropped right in an alpha's den?"

Emmet squeezed his brother's shoulder. "If they are in Hisui, I daresay they are better equipped than you were. Not only do they have their pokemon teams and each other, they also know the language. They have to remember something."

Ingo sighed deeply and rubbed his hands along his face. His beard was growing long and unkempt. Emmet knew they had many more long nights like this awaiting. He hoped that they really were alright.

[First] - [Previous] - [Next]

#submas #subway boss ingo #subway bosses #pokemon legends arceus #my writing #ingo #pokemon #subway boss emmet #professor laventon #pokemon rei #pokemon akari

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teamconductors · 2 years

Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Lost Tracks of Time, The Final Stop

Summary: After Ingo and Emmet meet with an unexpected guest, they travel back to the PMD future.

Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU @furiouskettle! They are the one who conceptualized Ingo and Emmet as Sneasels in the PMD verse, and this whole fic has been me running with the idea. They are the reason we got here, so thank you!!! I cannot say it enough!!

(Shippers DNI)

Ingo audibly gasped. “Emmet, that’s Volo!”

Volo looked behind Emmet. “Oh! Good to see you again, Subway Master Ingo! Or maybe I should say, good to see you again, Warden Ingo.”

Something hurt in Emmet’s chest. That sounded like when they met Togekiss. This was Togekiss’ trainer. Volo was the cause of Arceus kidnapping Ingo. Volo was the trainer Team Wish tried to resurrect, even if it meant destroying lives. The Red Chain. The Distortion. Giratina’s destructive blood. It all started from him. Emmet’s time in Hisui and Unova made the events from the future feel like an ancient destination, but it all flowed back to him. He was tortured. Ingo was tortured by watching him. They learned that from somewhere. It had to be from their trainer. It had to be from Volo.

Volo got a chill down his spine like when a wild pokemon plotted to attack him.

Emmet Mega Punched Volo in the face. Volo flew into an adjacent wall of the twins’ living room.

“EMMET!” Ingo covered his mouth as he ran down the stairs. His shout drew the attention of the pokemon playing in the backyard.

Two of Volo’s handmade pokeballs on his belt opened on their own.

“Don’t attack Volo!” Togekiss said. Though she still looked old for a Togekiss, her body looked strong, and her face lacked most of the wrinkles her future self had.

“How dare you!” Spiritomb said. He looked no different than he did in the future.

“You.” Emmet pointed to Togekiss and Spiritomb. He didn’t bother to hide his animosity.

Togekiss Moonblasted and Spiritomb Dark Pulsed Emmet. Spiritomb’s attack was no worse than a scratch, but Togekiss made Emmet fly into the couch, which itself was pushed back and dented another wall.

“What was that for?!” Eelektross asked as he flew into the scene with Chandelure in tow. He raised his voice as best he could.

“We want to know the same thing!” Spiritomb said as he got into Eelektross’ face.

Chandelure’s flames burst and burned with an intense energy. Ingo, Emmet, and Eelektross all knew it as Chandelure attempting to drain their life force.

Ingo ran and stood between Emmet and Volo’s pokemon. If this train continued its path, Emmet, Volo, or any of their pokemon would injure each other in a location not suited for major pokemon battles. “Everyone, please cease!” Ingo said, pointing between Togekiss and Spiritomb and Emmet.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” Volo said with a cheerful tone for a human that just flew into a wall. Despite taking a pokemon attack to his face, there were no bruising or any sign of injury. “I appreciate you guys fighting back for me, but I probably deserved that one!”

“Why isn’t it working…?” a shyer but familiar voice said from behind Volo. It was Elgyem, holding onto his trainer’s leg and trying to use Psychic on Emmet.

“Oh, you wanted to help, too? How sweet.” Volo took out the pokeballs belonging to the three pokemon and recalled them back. He turned to Emmet and laughed. “Wow! You’re pretty scrawny, but what a punch!”

“What are you doing here?” Emmet stood back up and readjusted his uniform.

“Well, you two went missing, and now you’re back! I wanted to say hi and also, you know, get back the book I let you borrow,” Volo said.

“…Volo, could we ask you to remain at this station so all three of us can discuss some things?” Ingo asked.

“Sure! The only place I gotta be at is some ruins, and those can wait another day out of a couple thousand years,” Volo said.

After he and Emmet moved the couch back to proper position, Ingo put on a pot of coffee. Emmet sat on the couch while Volo sat in one of the guest chairs. Eelektross draped himself over the back of the couch. Chandelure hovered above everyone, shifting their gaze between Volo and Ingo.

“Oh? You’re not putting away your pokemon. That’s fine, but then I get to keep one of mine out. Just to keep things fair,” Volo said. He opened a pokeball to release Togekiss.

Togekiss looked at Emmet out of the corner of her vision. “Hmph.” She hopped onto Volo’s lap and walked on him in circles before nestling down. Volo began petting along her back in broad strokes.

Emmet needed to play ignorant on Volo’s immortality. He needed to follow the rules and drive this conversation safely. He broke enough rules by punching Volo. That said, he could bend the rules since Volo knew Ingo time travelled. “How are you alive? Ingo went to the past. How are you here now?”

Volo laughed, though something was off about it. “Straight to the point, huh? Well, here’s one thing you should know about me: I love learning history. I like visiting ruins and ancient civilizations. Just thinking about learning all the mysteries of the past gets my heart pumping. I spent so much time looking at relics that I became one, too!”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Emmet said.

“Not everything does, even after you spent over a century trying to unearth the truth. For example, I can’t help but notice how similar you and Ingo look.”

Emmet blinked. “We are twins.”

“I know! That’s not what I meant.” Volo’s eyes narrowed. A smirk remained on his face. “When I met your amnesiac brother 150 years ago, he looked at least 10 years older than how you look now, Emmet. Despite that, he now looks like he hasn’t aged or changed a bit. Sure, maybe Ingo went missing in a different disappearance that hasn’t happened yet, but just now Ingo recognized me. How is all that possible?”

Emmet kept his smile on as wide as he could. “I don’t know.”

Ingo heard the entire conversation. His heartbeat drummed against his chest. He placed three cups and a pot of coffee on a serving tray along with sugar and cream. Volo’s mere presence transformed the air of their home. He recalled Akari telling him that Volo ordered Giratina to “strike her down”. The phrase unnerved him for nights. But Volo now was not an immediate threat, so Ingo was happy to prepare refreshments. If Volo was a threat to Emmet or their pokemon, this meeting would occur very differently.

Ingo took the tray to the living room. He poured a cup for Emmet, Volo, and then himself before sitting down next to Emmet and Eelektross. He also prepared Emmet’s coffee how he liked it (with sugar) before preparing his own (cream and sugar).

“Volo, Emmet said that he found my station after he received the book you sent,” Ingo said. “I thank you for helping us reunite, but why did you send the book to him? What do you gain from that?”

“Am I not allowed to help people? Especially those screwed over by Arceus like myself?” Volo raised the brow of his visible eye.

“”Screwed over”?” Emmet asked.

“You heard me. I don’t know what Akari told you about me, but I wanted to meet Arceus so badly my life depended on it. My life back then, back in the Gingko Guild, was hell. I only cared about learning about history, but…” Volo sipped his black coffee. “I fixated on one pokemon – the Almighty Pokemon, the one that created all of existence. If I could meet it, if I could catch it, then I’ll turn this world into my own.

“…Obviously, that didn’t work out. How amazing that Arceus chose a teenage girl and a lost man over one of the ancient Sinnoh people’s descendants! And not only did I lose, my own partner Giratina betrayed me. They didn’t just leave me, no. They wanted me to “walk the earth until I learned why I suck”. That’s their exact words, by the way. So yeah, that’s the real way I got immortality. I’ve been around for 150 years, just hanging around, checking out ruins, going all over the place, and watching humanity and pokemon become more intertwined…”

“So imagine my surprise when I saw a familiar face grace the screens. Warden Ingo, a man so depressed that his own pokemon doubled as therapy buddies, was once a battle frontier brain! Well, it’d be more accurate to say I saw two familiar faces.” Volo chuckled. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

“But that made me think… If Ingo was here, that would mean that, one day, he would disappear and end up in Hisui. And I was right! That day came. Boy, that was a day.” Volo paused his soliloquy to sip his coffee. “I remembered something Ingo said to me, when we first got to know each other I asked Ingo if he felt from the space-time rift… Do you remember your answer, Ingo?”

“I have no cause to think the rift is to blame... but then again, I hardly remember a thing, so it's difficult to say with certainty. I can't remember my own home, nor my family, if I had any...”

Ingo’s stomach became queasy. He remembered that conversation. He remembered the comment. The Pearl Guild relied on him, and his pokemon were the closest thing he had a family. But that deep-seeded loneliness never left Ingo while his station was in Hisui.

Volo laughed for a second. “And did he have a family! So, not only was Ingo’s friends and family left to wonder where he went, not only was Emmet driven mad from grief, but Ingo was stripped of his memories and left in Hisui as a shell of his old self! Yeah, that is one cruel creator.”

“It was your fault it happened,” Emmet said. “You tried to destroy the world. Ingo was taken because of your plan.”

“True. But did Arceus really need to rob Ingo of his memories? Or leave you behind without a single explanation, Emmet?” Volo asked. He basked in the lack of response from the twins. “All three of us have been screwed over by Arceus. I figured it’d be nice to give Emmet some answers about where – and when – Ingo was. Can’t say I expected you to disappear the next day, though! And why was your friend Elesa screaming about you dying...?”

“Don’t ask,” Emmet said, averting his gaze.

“If I may ask, Volo, do you still have meeting and surpassing Arceus as your destination?” Ingo asked.

“Nah.” Volo shrugged. “Well, I’m still pissed at Arceus. If it showed up in front of us right now, I’d battle it! But I’m not gonna go out of my way to summon it. Not again. It’s just not worth it. I may not have destroyed the world, but the world I came from is long gone. That’s good enough for me!”

“Then what is your current destination? What journey do you want to take?” Ingo asked.

“Well, right now I’m just checking out as many ruins and relics I can possibly find and maybe witness some history along the way. You know, I saw one guy try to do what I did. He summoned and tried to control Dialga and Palkia. He kinda looked like Cyllene now that I think of it. You wanna know how that ended? My former partner Giratina appeared and struck him down! That was hilarious to watch,” Volo said.

“Regardless of your past actions, thank you for helping Emmet,” Ingo said. “We are approaching our final stop for this trip.” He stopped to ponder Team Wish’s actions. “I recall some words from Miss Akari, about how you called yourself a ‘pokemon wielder’ as opposed to a ‘pokemon trainer’. Do you think that title still applies to you?”

“Hm, good question,” Volo said. He finished the rest of his coffee in one gulp. “What do you think, Togekiss?”

“I think you’re good,” Togekiss said. She nuzzled into his free hand. “Better than you think, that is.”

Emmet struggled to contain his dread.

“In that case, just make sure you treat your pokemon well. Even if you somehow had your lifetime extended by extraordinary means, I doubt that the same occurred for your pokemon. Please cherish them while teaching them to accept loss,” Ingo said. “As you said, the world very different now compared to Hisui. Not everything will and should be the same. Trainlines change to fit passenger needs, and the same should be of you.”

Volo smile changed. It sent a chill down Ingo’s spine. “What? Do you know something I don’t?” After he stared at Ingo and Emmet and the latter’s horrified face, he broke and laughed. “Ha! Just kidding. But no, really, what brought this on?”

“Just some parting words. Please reach a higher state where you are more content with yourself, okay?” Ingo pointed to Volo and the ground.

“Sure thing, Ingo. Good to meet you and your right hook, Emmet!” Volo waved as he and Togekiss walked to the front door, which Ingo opened.

“And one last item before we can allow you depart: you went out of your way to meet with Emmet and I. Will you or have you done the same for Miss Akari?” Ingo asked.

Volo huffed. “Akari hasn’t been born yet. But I might know who her parents are. As for what I’ll do the day she disappears… not sure. I need to see what her folks are like. If they’re cool, I’ll get them something nice. If they’re not…” Volo laughed again. “I may be envious of her ability to meet pokemon of all types, but she’s still a respectable trainer. Was. I’m assuming she stayed in the past, unlike you.”

Ingo hummed. “Very well then. Please have a safe journey.”

“You forgot something.” Emmet presented the book to Volo.

“Oh, thanks! Nearly forgot, I enjoyed out chat so much.” Volo took the book. “You know that Laventon took all these photos? He did a good job with that camera, I gotta say. Well! Thanks for the coffee!”

Ingo stared at Emmet.

“…I am Emmet. I am sorry for punching you,” Emmet said.

Volo laughed. “And I’m sorry for… everything else. Well, everything that happened to you, anyway.” After one last wave, he and Togekiss left the twins’ home.

Ingo closed the door behind Volo. He and Emmet visibly relaxed, but they waited a full minute before discussing what just happened.

“Emmet! It is against the rules to harm guests! And when did you learn Mega Punch?” Ingo asked.

“Last night when I was looking through my TMs,” Emmet said.

“You… punched him…?” Eelektross asked.

”What? Volo is immortal,” Emmet said.

“Our meeting could have gone much differently if he noticed you used a pokemon move! He even noticed how I look younger than I did back in the Hisui station!” Ingo said.

“It was a risk. But it was worth it.”

“Just… please don’t do something like that again.”

“Alright.”

“Now, with that established, I need to admit… I had to stop myself from laughing. Only because he wasn’t hurt.”

Emmet smiled wider. “My only regret was not attacking Togekiss or Spiritomb.”

“But… that was a close call. I sincerely urge you to never do a stunt like that again.”

“Okay. I am sorry. Not for punching Volo but for almost endangering us.”

Ingo nodded. He then hummed as he mused over the pokemon in the room. Eelektross nudged his head into Emmet’s hands, and Chandelure went back to squeezing his torso. But someone was missing.

“I miss Sneasler. We should return to our station in the future soon. Should we depart before or after the Battle Subway returns to full operation?” Ingo asked.

Emmet began pacing about to think. “We should depart when her gift is ready.”

Ingo nodded. “That sounds like a good route to take.”

***

That evening, Ingo and Emmet entered the Distortion World. Both landed on their feet with minimal sliding. Ingo carried two presents stacked on the other in one hand and held the Spike Maul of Space in the other hand. Emmet held a single present in addition to his Rail Spike of Time.

“We have arrived,” Emmet said.

Giratina flew close into Ingo’s and Emmet’s faces, intentionally blocking their view of the Distortion World. They smiled. “Ingo and Emmet, my saviors. I have a surprise for you.” Giratina brought their wings around to cover the twins’ eyes.

“You made a surprise for us?” Ingo asked. “Thank you very much!”

“I am Emmet. I want to see the surprise.”

Giratina wound up and drew back their wings. Ingo and Emmet gasped. Reaching into the distorted sky was train tracks. The tracks appeared bare – just the steel beams and wood with the Distortion World visible between the beams instead of being supported by a ground. The tracks led to the island, and in front of Ingo and Emmet was a two-car minecart train. The two ran to get a closer look at the makeshift train.

“You constructed a train system?!” Ingo asked. He looked inside the front minecart and found a series of levers and a simple control panel. The cart seemed to double as the engine.

“Yeah, I made it while you two were practicing your shapeshifting,” Giratina said. “I liked your point about me needing to fly you around constantly, so this can carry you around the Distortion World while I do my own thing. And I still get to help you out!”

“Excellent! Bravo!” Ingo said.

“That is verrry convenient. Thanks!” Emmet said.

“Yeah, but before you go, one question: what’s with the boxes?” Giratina asked.

“These are presents for Sneasler, my Chandelure, and Eelektross,” Emmet said, pointing to the boxes with both hands.

“You’re bringing it to the future, right…? Let me see what they are, just in case it might throw Dialga or Palkia into a fit,” Giratina said.

Ingo told Giratina what their presents were.

“…I can see no possible way that can cause a space-time problem. If one of the other two take issue, I will fight them on your behalf. Anyway, let me change you into Sneasels and send you on your way,” Giratina said. Shadows hands manifested to hold the twins’ gifts. Giratina initiated the transformation for both Ingo and Emmet, as they weren’t confident with the transformation to do so on their own yet.

For Ingo, the transformation was no worse than a simple line transfer. Ingo’s heart no longer strained from Giratina’s magic and the anxiety it once caused him. Giratina was no longer Chained. Though he and Emmet were vulnerable, Ingo could trust Giratina fully. He laid his memories of their attacks in the past.

For Emmet, it was his normal now. He recalled the horrific sensation of Giratina warping his body when they were Chained and didn’t suppress the pain. Though he disliked the spinning and pushing sensations on his body, he couldn’t deny the ends it allowed him and Ingo to reach.

Ingo and Emmet opened their eyes, and they were Sneasel-shaped once more. As a test, Emmet shook his sleeves to feel the fabric shift its weight.

“Thank you again, Giratina,” Ingo said with a bow. “Now, let us depart and see what this train can do! All aboard!”

Ingo and Emmet jumped into the first car. Giratina shrugged, having expected them to go into one car each. Instead, they followed along, and the helping hands placed their boxes into the second cart. It only took Ingo and Emmet a few seconds to figure out how to start the cart’s motor. After a brief rumble, the minecart train began following the track.

Ingo and Emmet held onto the edges of their car as the train picked up speed. The stilled distorted air formed a wake of wind as the twins drove, though they had no doubts that them and their coats would not fly out. The railroad track through the Distortion World resembled a rollercoaster more than a typical train system, but it was Giratina’s thought into the gesture that counted.

Before they knew it, Ingo and Emmet arrived at a familiar island with a waterfall. In the water was the image of Sneasler, Chandelure, and Eelektross at Icebound Falls.

Ingo and Emmet shared a look and nodded. “All aboard!” With the tools and boxes in hand, they jump into the waterfall.

***

Ingo and Emmet jumped out of the Icebound Falls and faceplanted into the snow. Despite the tumble, the three boxes they carried suffered no damages or dents.

“Are you okay?!” Eelektross asked. He and Chandelure hurried to pick up their trainers.

“I am Emmet. He is Ingo. We are fine,” Emmet said as he stood and shook the snow off his sleeves.

Ingo brushed the snow off the two presents he held. “If I may ask, how long have we been gone in your eyes?”

“Uhhh like an hour? Two hours?” Sneasler asked.

“Hm. What a peculiar time discrepancy. Perhaps that accounted for the times we opened the portals but didn’t enter through?” Ingo said.

“Yes. The time is from our training,” Emmet said.

“Training…?” Eelektross asked.

“Yes! Emmet and I began to with Giratina to better control our shapeshifting abilities!” Ingo clasped his hands as he talked. “Between our time in Hisui and time in Unova, we spent a total of 10 days away from this station!”

Sneasler raised a brow. “Huh, impressive.”

“Ingo, we need to connect the tracks,” Emmet said. He had the Rail Spike of Time ready.

“Of course! My apologies for the delay. Sneasler, Chandelure, please carry these for a moment.” Ingo handed Sneasler the box.

“Here you go.” Emmet gave Eelektross the box he held.

“Okay… Uh, what’s in the boxes?” Sneasler asked. Chandelure watched her shake the box and try to hear what was inside. Something thudded around inside and brushed the cardboard, but the sound was dull. Before she could begin to guess the box’s contents, an iridescent flash of light attracted her attention. Pink, yellow, and blue lights shined and glittered against the snow as the image of the Distortion World disappeared from the ice.

“Connection complete,” Emmet said as he and Ingo returned the tools to their place somewhere inside their coats.

“Cool. But again, what’s with the boxes??” Sneasler asked.

“Open them,” Emmet said.

Eelektross scratched open the box. Inside were several mocha and spice poke puffs. One sniff confirmed his suspicion. Back when Ingo and Emmet were Subway Masters, there was a bakery specializing in poke puffs that Eelektross loved. They only went once a week, but Emmet took Eelektross to get puffs. Eelektross felt a tear run down his face. “…Th… Thank…”

Emmet petted Eelektross. He gave his pokemon a soft smile, accepting the thanks.

Chandelure gently burned the paper of their gift. Inside were several dry poffins, which came from the same bakery as the poke puffs. Chandelure’s flames danced happily as they took some poffins and made them float in their flames. Chandelure made eating motions with their mouth as the flames consumed the treats.

“I am glad you enjoy them, my Chandelure! I know you aren’t that fond of poke puffs like Eelektross is, so I am glad to see these are satisfactory for you!” Ingo said.

“Okay… so what’s in mine? Poffins? Puffs?” Sneasler asked.

“Sneasler, do you remember the day we set off for Cobalt Volcano? I was determined to follow the request, even though I lacked the qualifications to survive in such a mystery dungeon. Despite barely knowing me, you boarded my train and turned a perilous journey into a safe one. Because of you, Emmet and I were able to reunite in record time. You rescued us when we were lost in a Distorted Floor, you taught us how to climb as Sneasels, assisting us in battling the Chained Nobles and Team Wish, and these are only things I can recall immediately!” Ingo smiled. “I cannot emphasize it enough. Emmet and I may have been the ones tasked to rescue Giratina, but we could not have reached the destination without you!”

“So there’s a gift,” Emmet said.

Sneasler tore the wrapping paper apart and opened the box. Inside were two items. She first took out the cap. It had the same type of hat that the twins wore, including the Subway Battle badge on the front. However, the fabric was gray instead of black or white.

“Wh-What is this?” Sneasler asked. A nervous smile was stuck on her face.

“It is a conductor’s cap,” Emmet said. “It is your cap.”

“Are you serious?” Sneasler asked.

“Why wouldn’t we be? You’re not just a member of Team Conductors anymore. You are part of our family,” Ingo said.

Sneasler turned to Chandelure and Eelektross. “Are you guys fine with this? Don’t these clothes, like, mean something special or something? Won’t I, a non-train person, taint the meaning of the cap or something??”

“You have done the poses… You have said the train terminology… I heard you were even the one who invented the ‘ticket punch’ thing… Accept you fate,” Eeleketross said. Next to him, Chandelure’s flames danced in a regular pattern. “They’re chanting “join us, join us”.”

Sneasler turned the cap around in her hands. With a sigh, she accepted her fate. Sneasler slowly raised the cap to her head and put it on. Unlike the twins’ caps, her hat accommodated her ears.

“Bravo! We estimated the correct size!” Ingo said.

“But your uniform is not complete,” Emmet said, pointing to the box and to the ground.

“”Uniform”? …Oh no.” Sneasler looked into the box again. She forgot about the second item for a moment. A piece of folded fabric shared the same shade as the cap. Sneasler already knew what it was. She picked up the fabric and let it unfurl. It was a coat identical to Ingo’s and Emmet’s coats, though it was completely undamaged and gray just like the cap.

“You are similar in height to our human shapes,” Emmet said. “Put it on. It should be perfect.”

“You two are ridiculous…” Sneasler took off her basket. Much to her horror and chagrin, Emmet was right. The sleeves stopped short of meeting her claws, and the coattail did not drag on the ground.

“Excellent! Bravo!” Ingo clapped. “The uniform perfectly fits!”

“As it should. That is the uniform of a Subway Boss,” Emmet said.

“I haven’t even BEEN to a subway, Emmet! I’m not a conductor!” Sneasler really tried to get these two to change their minds about the gift.

“You are now,” Ingo said. “Oh! Some time in the near feature, we should visit Anthe! I’m sure she would gladly customize your cap to increase your already-great strength, Sneasler!”

Sneasler tried to force back her nervous smile, but she couldn’t fight it. If her skin was visible through her fur, her friends would see her blush.

“What do you say, Sneasler…?” Eelektross asked like a parent to their small child.

“Th-Thanks…” Sneasler said through the unsteady smile. “It’s… really great…” Her voice cracked.

“I am glad,” Emmet said. “Next stop: the Pearl Guild. Irida wanted to do something for us when you woke up, Ingo.”

“Oh, did she? Very well. Let’s not delay any longer! May we board your train, Sneasler?” Ingo asked.

Sneasler took a deep breath in. Her normal expression returned. “Sounds good. Just let me punch you tickets first.” She placed the basket in front of her and slapped off the top.

Ingo and Emmet lined up in front of the basket. Ingo was first, so he took off his cap and bowed slightly to present his head to Sneasler. Sneasler held her hand up and almost contacted Ingo’s head, but she stopped and held her hand above his head.

“Is something the matter, Sneasler?” Ingo asked.

“…Guys, why do I remember EMMET BEING IN HISUI?!” Sneasler asked, her fur standing up from panic.

“Me in Hisui? What do you remember?” Emmet said.

“Uh, my ancestor looking at you and being like “Is that a shiny Ingo?”. Ugh!” Sneasler facepalmed. “I cannot believe this…”

“Oh! Giratina mentioned that Dialga hides memories of those involved with time travel. If the memories of the past exist within you and Dialga hidden them from you, then as Emmet and I live our lives in the past, then more memories are connected back to you! …Did that make sense?” Ingo asked.

“Eh, I think I get it,” Sneasler said. “That’s… unnerving.”

“…Does that mean you two remember seeing us transform?” Emmet asked Eelektross and Chandelure.

Eelektross looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened. “I… have… no idea what you are talking about…” He turned his gaze away in horror.

“You are lying. I can tell,” Emmet said.

“Please…! I just wanted to pretend I didn’t see it…” Eelektross said. He glanced over to Chandelure to see what they were saying. “Don’t give me that “it wasn’t that bad”…! …Wait. EMMET, YOU MEGA PUNCHED VOLO?!”

“What??” Sneasler asked.

“I did,” Emmet said.

Eelektross set down the box of poke puffs and grabbed his head. “Oh dear stars… It is a miracle Team Wish didn’t obliterate us on sight!”

“Ingo, Emmet, what the hell is he talking about?” Sneasler asked.

“As you know, Volo was immortal and walked the earth for several centuries. He visited our origin in Unova to talk with us… and Emmet Mega Punched him. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice it was a pokemon attack from a human, but it was rather dangerous,” Ingo said. He fully expected Sneasler to start berating Emmet for the stunt.

Instead, Sneasler snorted. “Wait, really?” She grabbed her stomach as she started laughing. “I can only imagine! I wish I saw his face. …But seriously, Emmet, don’t do anything that stupid again. Please.”

“I won’t…” Emmet said. He noted that Ingo and Sneasler asked of him the same promise and was amused.

“Well, this is all great. Really great.” Sneasler sighed. “Let’s get outta here so I can take a nap. Too many things happened today.”

“Very well, Sneasler! All aboard!” Ingo said.

After Sneasler punched Ingo’s and Emmet’s tickets, she wore the basket and travelled with Chandelure and Eelektross back to the Pearl Guild.

***

That evening, the Pearl Guild and the ten Nobles gathered in the guild’s assembly hall. The lush area was converted from an empty room to one with several round tables for each team. The party was held for primarily the Pearl Guild (the Diamond Guild had theirs the previous night), but Adaman, Staravia, and Team Galaxy were present as guests of honor at a main table. Ingo, Emmet, and Chandelure also sat at the table (Eelektross did his best to sit, but because of his long body, he more so floated next to the table while the rest of his body acted like an inadvertent barrier). Sneasler also sat at the table, still wearing the coat and hat Ingo and Emmet gave her.

The housekeepers gave everyone dinner. Once most everyone finished eating, Irida and Chatot stood on stage.

“May I have everyone’s attention?” Chatot asked with a squawk. “The stage is yours, Guildmaster.” He bowed and let Irida step forward.

“Good evening, everyone!” Irida said. “About one week ago, an event unprecedented in mystery dungeon history occurred. The Coronet Mountain mystery dungeon, one of the largest dungeons in the world, transformed into absolute Distortion. As a result, hundreds of pokemon were trapped inside and unable to even traverse to safety.

“It’s events like this that remind us why rescue teams like us are so needed in the world we live in. When dungeons first formed and warped space around them, it was the duty of the Original Rescuers to help the pokemon in these spaces. And that duty has been passed to us, as we saw in Coronet Mountain. Thanks to all the teams here, we rescued all the pokemon in the Distorted Dungeon and escorted them to safety! Please give yourselves a round of applause!”

The bipedal pokemon applauded. The quadruped pokemon hollered and shouted. Emmet briefly considered using Round as a joke.

“I also want to take a moment to thank a particular team for their work in the great rescue. I call to the stage the co-leaders of Team Conductors, Ingo and Emmet!” Irida said.

Ingo and Emmet stood from their seats. Emmet wrung his hands and Ingo fidgeted with his coat sleeves as they climbed the stage to face Irida and Chatot.

“For your bravery and actions at Spear Pillar, for stopping the Distorted Floor effect and saving the life of an almighty pokemon, we present you with the highest honor the Pearl Guild can give you,” Chatot said. He held a pillow behind his back that he then presented to Ingo and Emmet. On the pillow were two explorer badges with a pink central gem, black casing, and pink wings.

“Team Conductors, congratulations on reaching the master rank!” Irida said.

“The master rank is the highest rank we can bestow on you as a guild,” Chatot said. “If you wish, you two can apply for the guildmaster rank. It will take difficult work and the approval of over half the Nobles and the Pelliper Post Office, but you can become someone like Irida, Adaman, or the newest guildmaster, Cyllene.”

“Thank you!” Ingo and Emmet took the badges. Emmet saluted and Ingo bowed.

“No, thank you.” Irida bowed to Ingo and Emmet, and Chatot followed suit. “Is there anything either of you would like to say while you’re up here?”

“Yes.” Ingo turned to face the rest of the Pearl Guild. When they learned of the Pearl Guild’s celebration, Ingo had a suspicion that they would need to speak on behalf of their team. Ingo may have gotten ample practice and opportunities to speak in a formal setting, but it never got easier, even when he scripted his speeches. “While what Guildmaster Irida and Sir Chatot regarding our feats are true, I do not want to diminish any of your accomplishments! Just like how a train has multiple different cars with different functions, everyone’s actions and duties were vital in rescuing all the pokemon trapped inside Coronet Mountain. Knowing that other teams were escorting pokemon through the Distorted Dungeon put my mind at ease and follow the tracks to our destination!

“I say the same to you, Guildmaster Irida, Guildmaster Adaman, and Guildmaster Cyllene, and Rei and Laventon. Your presence at Spear Pillar made it easier for our team to carry out the mission. I also want to thank the rest of our team as well! My Chandelure and Eelektross have been vital in keeping us safe and helping us carry out our missions. And none of this would have been possible without our older sister Sneasler protecting us and carrying out her duties as a Noble!”

Sneasler’s heart skipped a beat. Her eyes went wide as she began processing what Ingo just said in front of the entire Pearl Guild and her Noble peers.

“Though Emmet and I gladly accept this token of our appreciation, we owe our success to many others. Of course, our destination as a rescue team is still a speck on the horizon! We will continue our duties as rescuers for as long as we are needed.” Ingo turned to Emmet. “Is there anything you would like to add, Emmet?”

Emmet nodded. What I do. What I say. Always the same. Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedules. Everyone smile! Check safety. Everything's ready! Aim for victory!”

“All aboard!" Ingo and Emmet stood back-to-back, pointing to the audience and the ground. This earned them a cheer from the guild familiarized to the twins’ antics.

The rest of the festivities began. Palina, Lian, and Calaba drummed up a storm to provide music. Once the tables were moved out of the way, there was dancing, snacking on mochi and poffins, and plenty of socializing.

…Which was why Ingo and Emmet walked out of the assembly hall and into the cold Mt. Coronet air.

“I guess the party was too much…?” Eelektross asked as he and Chandelure rejoined them.

“Yes. It’s like the parties Elesa brings us to sometimes,” Emmet said.

“Did you not enjoy the parties? I recall you speaking of them fondly to our subway team members,” Ingo asked.

“I like them, but parties are tiring,” Emmet said.

“I suppose that is fair. The honor from the others, while pleasant, does not seem necessary. I just wanted to help as best we could,” Ingo said.

“You two are ridiculous,” Sneasler said, sitting next to them. “I cannot believe you actually called me your sister on stage. Electrode keeps making jokes about it! And Arcanine won’t stop bothering me about why I hid you two! Why did you do this??” She took off her coat and used it as a blanket. Chandelure cuddled up next to her, much to Sneasler’s chagrin.

“As Ingo said, you are family,” Emmet said.

“C’mon! You guys haven’t even met my dad!” Sneasler said.

“You said in a previous time that you wanted to reconnect with your father. Perhaps we could all meet together?” Ingo asked.

Sneasler sighed. “Fiiiine, I guess…”

“So… Are you actually going to go for the guildmaster rank…?” Eelektross asked.

“Perhaps. We are Subway Masters. We could be Rescue Masters, too,” Emmet said.

Ingo hummed. “True, but Emmet, you posed an interesting question to Dialga when we received the Spike maul of Space and Rail Spike of Time.”

“Did I?” Emmet asked, genuinely intrigued.

“Yes! You wondered if we could build a train system in this time period!” Ingo said. “And Dialga did not object to the suggestion.”

Sneasler found herself dozing off, but her eyes shot open. “No.”

Emmet’s eyes seemed to sparkle. “Ingo, I want to build a train!”

Sneasler catapulted into upright position, startling Chandelure. “Are you serious?! You have trains in Unova! Why do you want one here??”

“It would not be just for our sake, Sneasler!” Ingo stood and pointed to Sneasler and the ground. “Surely you know how far a single rescue team can hike in a single day to get to one mystery dungeon. If the dungeon is a particularly distant location, the teams would be already exhausted by time of their arrival! But if we create a train system that reaches across the Sinnoh region, any rescue team could use them and get to their destination much more efficiently!”

“Can we have pokemon battles, too?” Emmet asked.

Ingo’s eyes widened, also sparkling almost. His hands briefly shook. “Yes! What an excellent idea! If we can reinforce the trains just like the Battle Subway, we can have rescue teams train and grow stronger with each other!”

“I like your plan, Ingo!” Emmet said.

“You helped concoct this idea, Emmet! Take pride in it!” Ingo said.

“Okay…” Sneasler facepalmed. “Guys. How do you plan on getting enough land and materials to make a train system?”

Ingo and Emmet shared a look and began thinking. Ingo closed his eyes and hummed while Emmet began pacing.

This, of course, got Sneasler to think, and a flash of inspiration from a past Noble of the Cliffs struck her. “The Underground.”

“The Underground?” Ingo and Emmet asked together.

Sneasler covered her mouth to hide what she said, but it was for naught. She sighed. “Yeah, the Grand Underground… Some ruin maniacs dug up the land under Sinnoh and made a whole network of caves. They were pretty spacious and…”

“And?” Ingo and Emmet stared at Sneasler in anticipation.

“…And the underground never turned into a mystery dungeon. If it was going to turn into one, it would’ve by now,” Sneasler said, immediately regretting it.

“What a perfect location for a subway! We can recreate the Battle Subway!” Ingo said.

“Thank you, Sneasler. You are the best sister we could have,” Emmet said.

As Ingo and Emmet began discussing logistics of their plan, Sneasler realized how sealed her fate was.

***

Ingo and Emmet woke up to a world made of rainbow light. Ingo and Emmet looked at each other, identifying and confirming their location to each other without words. An intense presence manifested in front of them. The presence coalesced into a towering and familiar pokemon.

“Greetings, Not Humans or Sneasels. Welcome to my realm. Tell me thine name.” Arceus’ voice reverberated in the twins’ minds.

“Greetings, Arceus. My name is Ingo,” Ingo said. He tipped his hat to the Almighty pokemon.

“I am Emmet.” His body was shaking. “You are Arceus. I want to battle.”

“…Dost thou know why thine are here?” Arceus asked.

Ingo’s frown deepened. “This involves our mission to Rescue the Deep Shadow. Is my assumption correct?”

“Yes. This is indeed about thine mission. Both of thee far surpassed my expectations,” Arceus said. “What would thoust wish as a reward?”

“I. Am. Emmet. I want to battle you.” Emmet pointed directly at Arceus. He did not stop shaking.

Ingo frowned deeper. “Emmet, I understand your feelings, but I doubt that Arceus would-“

“We can do that,” Arceus said.

“Excuse me?” Ingo’s confusion displayed on his face in addition to his voice.

“Is that not what dost desire? Thou hast expressed many a frustration regarding me. Would a battle suffice thine rage? I am glad to oblige. After all, thoust has met and greatly exceeded mine expectations.” Arceus tilted their head. “What does thou think?”

“…May Emmet and I have a moment to discuss this?” Ingo asked.

“That is acceptable. Make thine preparations as needed.” Arceus hopped backwards, gliding in the air.

“Emmet, these circumstances are rather… questionable and sudden,” Ingo said.

“…Ingo, I want to battle Arceus.” Emmet stared at Ingo. His smile grew even wider. “I am only concerned if they cheat again. Is there a route for victory for us?”

Ingo pinched the bill of his cap and hummed. “…There is a route for us. In Hisui, I constructed the Path of Solitude as a training field for the Galaxy Team and Miss Akari. There is a specialized route with a single battle customized for every pokemon in the pokedex that the Galaxy Team built.”

Emmet’s eyes widened as he picked up Ingo’s hint. “Including Arceus?”

“Including Arceus.” Ingo leaned in to whisper his idea to Emmet. He had to control his voice more than normal to stay quiet.

After a moment, Arceus asked, “Are thee prepared?”

“I believe so,” Ingo said. “Is there anything you would like to add, Emmet?”

Emmet nodded. “Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedules. Everyone smile! Check safety. Everything's ready! Aim for victory! All aboard!"

Arceus gave them a single nod. They contacted the battleground, the air shifting around the three pokemon. Arceus tapped the ground, and the light gave way to a blue circular field decorated with more glowing circles and lines. Around them was a sky that shifted between deep blues dotted by stars and white light separated into the full spectrum.

Arceus stomped the ground, creating a visible shockwave. Emmet focused on jumping over the shockwaves, trying to find a window to attack. Arceus kept stomping, though, making him focus on avoiding the attacks.

“Emmet, watch your surroundings!” Ingo said as he Quick Attacked into Emmet. As he and Ingo flew, Emmet saw a meteor strike the spot he stood on a second ago. Ingo landed on his stomach, so it was Emmet’s turn to rescue Ingo from another meteor charging at them.

After three more dodges, Arceus changed tactics. Their coloring shifted to browns and oranges, and one massive ball of energy formed above their head. The ball shot out a barrage of ground-type Judgement to Ingo and Emmet, requiring Ingo to continue using Quick Attack to grab Emmet and dodge the attacks. Though none of the attacks were direct hits, an explosion of dirt and mud occurred each time the ground was struck, hurting both Sneasels. The barrage of Judgements suddenly stopped. Several more balls of energy orbited around Arceus.

“This is our chance,” Emmet said, pointing to Arceus and the ground. It was time to see if Ingo’s strategy had merit.

Ingo drenched his right hand in poison and jumped to Poison Jab Arceus. Arceus changed color to a metallic palette – steel-type to make themself immune to Ingo’s attack. But before Ingo struck, energy swirled around his left fist. Ingo Drain Punched Arceus, not only healing some of the damage he acquired but striking the mythical pokemon with a super-effective move before they could change typing again.

Arceus stumbled from the attack, and the balls of energy poofed into nothingness. He turned and stared at Ingo with wide eyes.

Emmet’s smile grew even wider with Ingo’s strategy proven effective.

“My Path of Solitude for Arceus involves multiple pokemon. Arceus changes their typing for each attack, but they cannot change their typing rapidly. All my pokemon would have moves that could strike every type’s weakness. We can do the same here by using the same movesets we used to free Giratina!”

Emmet Dug under the stage (though not certain how, given that the stage was made of light). Arceus sensed where he would pop up from, so they changed to a flying-type and floated away from Emmet’s range of attack. Arceus noticed Emmet preparing an Ice Beam. They tried to shift into a fire-type, but Ingo struck them in the back with Iron Tail, distracting Arceus for enough time for Emmet’s Ice Beam to hit their stomach as a flying-type.

Arceus fell to the battleground. Not only did their coloring change to reds and oranges to match the fire-typing, but their entire body glowed with red light. Arceus Teleported away. Ingo and Emmet searched the battleground to locate the Almighty pokemon. They realized Arceus was gone when the floor glowed with a red aura.

“Is Arceus planning an attack that covers the entire field?!” Ingo asked. The floor’s glow intensified with each passing second.

Emmet desperately ran around to find any opportunity for cover, but the land of light was completely flat and featureless. The floor started burning Emmet’s feet. The only option was going up. “All aboard!” He tackled Ingo and threw him into the air.

“Emmet?!” Ingo yelled. He watched Emmet use Aerial Ace to jump into the air.

Emmet timed the throw as best he could, but it wasn’t enough. Ingo and Emmet felt hot gases blow through their coats and onto their fur. They flew to opposite ends of the battlefield and planted into invisible walls. They fell and hit the ground once more.

“Emmet!” Ingo immediately stood up and ran to his brother. “Are you able to continue battling?”

“Yes…” Emmet slowly stood up, though he accepted Ingo’s offer of a helping hand. He had been wanting this battle as soon as he remembered Arceus’ actions and the first unfair battle. Emmet refused to let an Overheat-like explosion knock him unconscious.

A sharp cracking sound resonated around the field. Ingo and Emmet looked up and saw dark cracks in the sky above them. Ingo Quick Attacked while grabbing Emmet once more, avoiding Arceus crashing back onto the field and stomping them with Earth Power. Arceus looked up and stared at Ingo and Emmet as the floor glowed red once more.

“Another attack? We can’t withstand another explosion!” Ingo said.

“…Full speed ahead!” Emmet ran straight to Arceus. Why did Arceus hide themselves for the first explosion, Emmet asked himself. Because an attack of that power needed concentration. Ingo followed his determined brother without question. Emmet used Aerial Ace like how Ingo used Quick Attack and reach Arceus in a shorter time.

Arceus saw the flying-type attack and changed to rock typing. Ingo used the momentum from a Quick Attack to jump at Arceus with Drain Punch. Seeing that, Arceus changed to a ghost-type form. Ingo flew through Arceus like the Almighty pokemon was a mirage. Arceus turned to see where Ingo would land, but Emmet struck from behind with a Snarl, knocking Arceus off-balance. Arceus changed into a fairy-typing to combat Emmet’s next Snarl, but Ingo Poison Jabbed them in the back of their neck. When Arceus turned around and changed into a ground-type in response to Ingo, Emmet Ice Beamed their legs, forming large ice crystals that dug into their skin.

Arceus found themselves in a larger bind than expected. As a last attempt to knock out one of the twins, Arceus changed their form to psychic typing and charged Judgement. Ingo flew to them with Drain Punch, his eyes widening when he registered the type change. Judgement reached maximum strength. Arceus fired.

Emmet jumped in, taking the Judgement to his chest. Strange pink light burst at his chest but caused no damage. With the attack mitigated, Emmet summoned every thought, every desire, every inch of his rage against Arceus into one point-blank Snarl.

Arceus’ legs shook. They raised a front leg to step forward, but the rest of their legs collapsed. Arceus’ head hanged low on the ground.

“We won! We won!” Emmet flapped his hands and sleeves about.

“We won… We truly won!” Ingo took several deep breaths. A smile crept up on his face. “Excellent! Bravo!”

Emmet walked up to Arceus. “You were verrrry strong. We should battle again sometime.”

“I agree,” Arceus said.

All of Arceus’ physical weakness disappeared, as did the blue battlefield they summoned. The three returned to the realm ruled by light. Arceus’ body returned to their normal coloring, and they stood up like nothing happened.

“Thou hast done well to rescue the Deep Shadow. Thine determination and devotion led thee to thine to the end… Much as the ancient hero, the one will my full blessing, once did. Thou was given a difficult task made more difficult by only receiving half my blessing each.”

“That explains some strange events…” Ingo said to himself.

“Despite the additional challenge, thy has succeeded in thine mission. Thou may no longer be human, but thou art a great example for Humanity.” Arceus paused, their gaze drifting to the side. “The vanishing of Humanity. It was a low point for recent history. Humans quarreled and used Pokemon as tools instead of friends. I believe thou, along with thine Pokemon friends, are proof that Pokemon and Humanity can coexist. I thought myself foolish to think so in the past, but now I am the fool for thinking a fact no longer true.”

“I can bestow upon thee both my full blessing, a blessing thou can take to the creation thou dwellest and roam,” Arceus said.

Ingo closed his eyes and hummed. Sneasler’s words echoed in his mind.

“Who the fuck cares about Arceus?! You’re Ingo and Emmet! I’ve seen what you little shits can do. …So what are you two gonna do? Sit in this station and drown in sorrow or are you gonna do what you always do and kick ass?!”

“…Arceus, thank you kindly for the offer. However, a full blessing is unnecessary now,” Ingo said with a bow. “I think, right now, our only desire is to board all the routes we made for ourselves and live our lives – all three of the lives Emmet and I have now.”

“I agree,” Emmet said.

“Is that… satisfactory?” Ingo asked.

Arceus stared at Ingo and Emmet. “If that is thine wish, that is one I can grant. Enjoy thine lives, Ingo and Emmet. I thank thee for everything.”

After a flash of light, Arceus disappeared, and the realm Ingo and Emmet stood on disappeared into absolute darkness.

The next morning, Ingo and Emmet woke up in their beds in the Pearl Guild. They were exhausted but satisfied.

***

In the corner of some visions, or hidden in the shadows of light, there are windows into another realm. The mirages depict shadows and floating islands and impossible waterfalls and alien plants. The images are seldom found and more seldom glanced at for more than a second. Only a select few know they were windows of the Distortion World.

Sometimes within these mirages are a set of train tracks. No one knows where they lead to or why they exist, but people who barely glance at them mention a longing for a long trip with no specific destination or visiting old friends they haven’t talked to in years. The “Lost Tracks of Time” or simply “The Lost Tracks” are a strange, seldom observed phenomena. However, those who observe it agree that they exist as a symbol of ever-expanding journeys and that there is always another destination to reach.

#pmd lost tracks of time #pmd au #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon legends arceus #pokemon legends arceus spoilers #pokemon ingo #pokemon emmet #submas #i feel like a weight is off my shoulders

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amessageonthewind · 8 months

Text

September Selfship Prompts Challenge

7. Napping/cuddling

Pairing: Adaman/Rachel during Legends: Arceus (spoiler alert for really far along in the timeline)

Author's note: Clue and Hint are OCs that belong to my buddy @kammyclues

The world felt like it was ending all at once. This wasn’t supposed to happen, everything was supposed to wrap up nicely once Lord Avalugg was quelled. Rachel had everything she could want, respect across Hisui, respect and admiration within Jubilife Village, and loyal Pokémon that would follow her through time and space.

All that was missing were a number of her memories and a way to get back home to her time.

And all at once, within the span of a morning, that was all almost ripped away from her. The sky turned red, clouded by strange abstract geometry as though reality itself were tearing at the seams, the rift having grown into an angry shatter in the sky, spitting lightning fiercely. Everyone in the village looked to her for answers, but Rachel had none.

She had no idea how to fix this, but she couldn’t bear to see everyone so frightened and uncertain. Whatever she needed to do, whatever solution the Galaxy Team came up with to fix this, she would do. If it meant helping these people and this land be free from this curse, she would do anything.

But she never would have expected to be made an immediate scapegoat by her own Commander. It came as such a shock that Adaman and Irida were quick to reprimand him for such a decision, but Kamado stuck to it. After all, Rachel was the outsider from the rift.

No matter how illogical it was that she could have had anything to do with this, or that she would dare want to hurt any of these people. The betrayal she felt cut deeper than anything she had ever felt, rage building to a mounting point when in the same breath that he would banish her from the village to survive alone in the wilds, he would task her with the impossible task of solving this catastrophe, but then threaten the Diamond and Pearl Clans with war if they came to her aid.

Though, should she really be surprised? He did warn her that he would make harsh decisions in order to protect the village. She just didn’t think it would ever come to this. For all his talk of her needing to earn everyone’s trust as an outsider through her actions, none of that mattered now.

Especially given how quick he was to break hers.

Her rage and betrayal could not be contained. She couldn’t hold her tongue. After all, Kamado was officially discharging her from the Galaxy Team – she didn’t take orders from him, anymore. So, she berated him for having the audacity to threaten the native people of this land with war if they helped her, berated him for choosing to make her a scapegoat because it was easier to blame the outcast than it was to admit that he didn’t know what to do about this.

Simply put, Kamado was a fool and a coward and Rachel wanted nothing to do with him anymore, but the deep scars in her heart couldn’t be hidden. Her captain mournfully escorted her out of the village and Rachel wilted under the whispers of everyone. Everyone she had ever helped, everyone she had ever gone out of her way to assist, to help them understand Pokémon and Hisui itself, everyone she had bonded with and made a personal connection with.

All of that might as well not happened, everyone quick to turn on her and blame her for this catastrophe that had befallen them, never mind everything she had ever done for them. Bitterness broiled in her chest as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, angry like a rushing river.

The only comfort she could take was that neither Irida nor Adaman’s faith in her were shaken. That was more important to her than the Galaxy Team’s approval. What a twist of irony…an outcast accepted by the natives rather than the outsiders. It would be comical, if every step didn’t feel as though it were driving a dagger into her chest.

Meekly, she asked Cyllene to let her change and gather her things before leaving, which the Captain granted. After all, she was no longer a Survey Corps member. Thus, she could no longer wear her uniform.

But with another twist of the knife, the moment she donned the attire she had worn when she fell into this world, Rachel finally saw herself in the mirror as herself. After travelling, fighting, surveying, and slowly regaining her memories and remembering who she was, for the first time since arriving here, she finally felt…whole.

She finally felt like herself wearing what she had arrived with, Cedric on her shoulder as he had always been. Rachel could only allow herself to shed a few tears as she made to leave the lodge.

Hanging her head as she left her Survey Corps uniform in her old lodge, Rachel continued to let Cyllene lead her out of the village. When she saw everyone glowering at her as she was escorted to the outside gate, she wanted to shout. She wanted to scream at them, to rake them over the coals for their quickness to betray her. ‘How could you do this to me?! How could you after everything I did for you without ever asking for a thing in return?!’ She wanted to scream and shout at them.

But she couldn’t. They were just as scared and unsure as her, and even though they were confused and didn’t know what was happening, they were still people. They were mere civilians who didn’t deserve this calamity to befall them.

This wasn’t their fault. They were merely the sheep following the lead of their shepherd. The words ‘I’m sorry…’ were all she could manage as she was forced to leave the village.

Outside the gates, it was clear that she was not without allies. Her heart felt empty and hollow, torn apart, but knowing that she had support lessened the sting. Though not by much, for the sting of betrayal burned much deeper than she would have ever thought possible. Rei, Captain Cyllene, and Professor Laventon all expressed their disapproval of Kamado’s decision, but could do nothing to change it.

Rachel could hardly blame them, so she kept her bitter tongue held so tightly she was sure it would bleed. Anyone who was her ally would be branded an enemy, and the only thing worse than being alone was others getting hurt or punished simply for associating with her. She couldn’t bear the thought of inflicting this punishment on them by simple proximity.

They didn’t deserve this any more than she did.

Even if she didn’t have Kamado’s support, she at least had Captain Cyllene’s. That was enough for her. Even if her respect and trust in the Commander had been completely shattered, Cyllene’s remained sturdy and steadfast. Rachel held onto that like it was the only stable ground in a world of shifting tectonic plates.

She didn’t have the first idea of how to fix this, but she had to try and she couldn’t do it alone. All she could do now was try to ask for help from the Diamond and Pearl Clans. One step at a time…just do the next right thing…

Pulling out her Celestica Flute, Rachel paused looking at it. It was a gift from the Diamond Clan after she had earned Wyrdeer’s favour. She wasn’t good at flutes, but she put in the effort to learn how to play it so that she could be a part of Hisui’s culture, so she could connect with the sacred Pokémon that viewed her in such high regard.

Would Wyrdeer even come when called…? There was only one way to know…

Trying to compose herself enough to play the flute properly, its eerie timbres echoed across the fieldlands. For a moment, Rachel was worried that her worst fears would come true. That even the sacred Pokemon that had granted her their favour would abandon her now, too.

But to her relief, the familiar white shape bounded across the fields to greet her, bowing his head in greeting. “Solemn greetings, traveler from the rift…” He said to her.

She couldn’t contain her relief. Once again, she was outcasted by people, but accepted by Pokémon. Rachel felt like she was a weak, snivelling child, again. Reaching out, she held Wyrdeer close by the neck, burying her face into the soft fur to wipe away the tears that threatened to leak out and stain her cheeks. “It’s good to see you…” She murmured to him.

Feeling a nudge against her cheek, Rachel glanced aside at the familiar dark-furred Zorua on her shoulder. She had learned firsthand how different the Zorua here were from her time. Their fur was white and billowing with hatred and spite, Normal-and-Ghost-Type Pokémon with yellow eyes. Their evolutions were no different, perhaps even more hateful and spiteful than their preevolutions.

Yet somehow, Rachel had gained the favour of one called Vendetta. The idea that spite, hatred, and rage could be used in service of kindness and compassion was a foreign one that struck her curiosity, so the human allowed her to travel alongside the rest of her Pokémon. And in return, she gained the Zorua, now Zoroark’s unyielding loyalty.

Cedric was not like that. They were reclusive and shy Dark-types that used their Illusions to avoid people, so protect themselves. They were prone to mischief, but nothing more.

And yet, people still distrusted them. Still outcasted them. Still misunderstood them.

In this way, she and Cedric were one and the same. They understood each other in a way no one else did or could. They were each other’s constant friend, never one without the other.

And now, she clung to him like he was her lifeline. He was the only connection she still had to her own world, and he had been her constant friend since the beginning. She wouldn’t have come this far without him.

With him by her side, Rachel would be alright. She just had to press onward. “Let’s go. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to waste…”

Mounting Wyrdeer with Cedric firmly in her lap, Rachel’s eyes still burned with tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She couldn’t stand to be here any longer, simply wanting to move on so she could have a moment of privacy and peace to herself to just…sit and feel without observers. She felt comfortable being vulnerable with her Pokémon in a way she simply couldn’t with most people, especially not right now.

The sound of one of her Pokémon emerging from its ball triggered a heavy sigh from its trainer and Rachel turned to see that Stormfast, her Samurott, was standing before the professor. “Stormfast, come on. We have to go.”

But she didn’t move, Professor Laventon staring nervously at the creature. Then, she did something none of them expected. She leaned forward and pressed her black shell helmet against his face, bellowing lowly. None of them could understand them, but Rachel understood what she had said perfectly.

She could no longer contain her tears, letting them fall from her eyes as she watched Stormfast express her gratitude towards the man who had allowed the two of them to meet, Pokémon and trainer. “What’s…what’s-?”

“She said…” Rachel blubbered, wiping her eyes as she struggled not to break into a sob, the words being caught in her throat. “‘Thank you for finding me and bringing me here.’”

Laventon already knew about her ability to understand Pokémon since the day they’d met. He’d kept his promise he made to Rachel to keep her secret, so he was both shocked for her to reveal her secret to Rei and Cyllene this way, and warmed by the sentiment expressed by the Pokémon he had given to Rachel.

He was a scientist, first and foremost, but he never considered that the Pokémon that helped him with his research would have any sentimental attachment to him. It touched his heart in a deeply profound way he never thought possible.

Rei and Cyllene did not know this because Laventon had kept his promise. Her trust in the professor could never be broken, he had remained kind and faithful in her since day one, the first to advocate for her and the first to support her. It was clear now that his support didn’t waver.

He was a true friend in the Galaxy Team.

Rei seemed utterly shocked, but Cyllene, ever perceptive, did not. The fact that she suspected that Rachel’s connection to Pokémon was stronger than she let on, but didn’t say anything about it and continued to support her proved that her trust in the Captain was not misplaced.

Exchanging a look with each of them, Rachel recalled Stormfast to her Pokéball and looked ahead towards the fieldlands. It was impossible to tell whether it was still morning or not with the angry crimson sky above them, which only made time more of the essence. “Come on…let’s go.” She ordered Wyrdeer as they left the Fieldlands Camp. She glanced back once more before she turned her eyes to the road ahead.

Grandtree Arena. That was where they had to go first, to see Lian about if they could get aid from the Pearl Clan. “We’re really on our own this time, aren’t we…?” She said to Cedric as they continued to trek through the fieldlands.

Looking up at Rachel, Cedric pressed his head into her arm as he curled up on her lap. “Maybe…but at least we’re all together.” He said to her once they were out of earshot of the others. It may have been safe for Rachel to reveal her secret, but not for Cedric to reveal his. Especially with how Zorua from Hisui were already seen and regarded as monsters. “And believe me, I’m not going anywhere. I followed you through time and space and I’ll do it a hundred times over.

“We started this together, and that’s how we’ll finish it.” His bright blue eyes swirled at her as they sat there together, letting Wyrdeer lead them across the fieldlands. “I promise.”

She could have teleported to the arena with her Arc Phone, but there was a deep seeded anger in her chest so great that she didn’t even want to bring herself so low to beseech almighty Sinnoh for assistance. Her anger at the deity who brought her to this world, only to have her be forsaken by it was incomparable.

No, she would not seek a god’s help. He would remain ever silent anyways, ignoring her pleas and cries for answers. Nothing could be gained through prayers but empty air and broken promises.

But she also needed a moment to just let herself cry. All of the anger, stress, betrayal, everything came out of her eyes and she crumpled on Wyrdeer’s saddle, holding Cedric close to her chest while she cried. How could this happen? How could Kamado do this to her, after everything she did? How could the people of the village forget everything she had done for them and turn their backs on her?

How could they? How could they?! She trusted them with her life, and they betrayed her when they needed an easy answer to ease their fears!

None of these questions would go answered, not by mortal nor god. So, all there was left to do was wail and cry for the injustices she was dealt. All she could do was hope that the Diamond and Pearl Clans would be able to help her, would be able to lend her their aid so that she didn’t have to face this impossible task alone.

Unfortunately, she was wrong. Lian initially blamed her for the rift, but calmed after she asked for his help. Alas, he couldn’t offer her help. How could he? Everyone was in a panic and he was just a boy and Kamado had threatened the Pearl and Diamond Clans if they interfered.

How could she ask Lian to risk his safety for her sake? He was just a boy.

Though her hopes to receive help from the Pearl Clan were dashed, her hopes with the Diamond Clan unfortunately were as well. Though Mai was not antagonistic like Lian was initially, she still could not offer aid to Rachel and she was unfortunately right that the last thing Rachel wanted was for the Diamond Clan to go to war with the Galaxy Team.

She didn’t want anyone getting hurt because of her. She didn’t want to hurt anyone! How could Kamado think that she did this?! How could he ever think that she would ever want to hurt any of these people that she risked her life for time and time again?!

Regretfully, she had exhausted all of her options. She was homeless, alone, and listless. She had no idea how to fix any of this and no one here could help her.

Even on Wyrdeer’s backside, she no longer had the strength to go on. Stopping the Pokemon by the river, she dismounted clumsily, staggering on her feet. Even Cedric couldn’t stay on her shoulder with how unsteadily she was walking. This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair! She felt excruciating pain in her stomach and in her chest, but at the same time she felt so numb.

She trembled as she walked. What could she do? How could she fix this? Why was it her responsibility to fix this? Why did it have to come down to her?! She didn’t do this! This wasn’t her fault!

Why was she being punished for a crime she didn’t commit with no evidence?! Why did the burden of proof have to fall on her when she wasn’t the one who made the accusation?!

A beeping sound called out to her from her pocket. That accursed phone…her lips curled into a snarl as she clawed it out of her satchel like prey being pulled out of a burrow, holding her catch in her hand so tightly she was surprised she hadn’t broken it.

Not a word of comfort, not a directive for how to proceed, not an answer for how to fix this.

Just silence. An empty map with nothing in it worth investigating.

“Is this what you want, almighty Sinnoh…?” She snarled lowly with enough venom to put down an alpha Hippowdon, practically spitting it with such vitriol that the deity’s name would be coated in it. “You want me to beg? You want me to beg for your help? You want me to beg you to help me? Well, I won’t! I will never beg for help from a god as cruel as you! You want me to suffer?! Fine! You got what you wanted, now leave me the FUCK alone!”

Winding up her arm, she wanted to throw the damn thing into the river, free herself from Sinnoh’s curse and flee. If she could, she would burn down the heavens right now for the cruelty that fate had shown her in one morning. Or was it afternoon? Was it nightfall? No, the Drifloon hadn’t come out, yet.

Gripping the Arc Phone tightly, angry tears pouring out of her eyes like the hot lava that spilled out of the volcano on Firespit Island, Rachel growled with the pain of a thousand wounds before she threw it to the side. Even if she destroyed it by throwing it in the river, she would not be free from this. Arc Phone or not, Sinnoh’s help or not, she was trapped here. She had no family to turn to, no friends to rely on.

Her only company was her Pokémon, and they counted on her to know what to do, and she was so lost.

Lost, alone, and stranded in a world she didn’t belong in where nothing was familiar. The despair began to claw at her very, like it was going to skin her and then empty out her insides and leave her a hollow husk. She was never going to see her family again…was she? She would never see her friends again, she would never see Clue again, and she would never see Cynthia again.

She would never see Zinnia again.

The words she had spoken to her at the top of Sky Pillar, once a source of melancholic nostalgia burned like hot iron against her cheeks as she raised her head to the sky. Zinnia, Rachel’s beloved, looked up to the sky so that her tears wouldn’t fall when she was so grief-stricken that her heart felt like it was going to break.

Rachel couldn’t even take comfort in the words of the woman she loved. Because when she looked up at the blazing scarlet sky, her tears practically scalded her face as she cried. No amount of staring up at the sky could stop her heart from shattering into a million pieces.

It was over…she lost. She did everything right…and she lost everything.

From the depths of her chest and her upturned churning belly, a raw scream ripped itself free from the woman’s throat, pure unfiltered anguish echoing loudly across the fieldlands so sharp and so painful that the Pokémon turned tail and ran at the sound of it.

Heartbreak was never so loud.

It was so loud that it echoed across the fieldlands all the way to Adaman and Irida. They were about to part ways after informing Lian and Mai of the situation with Kamado and the Galaxy team when they heard it, louder than anything he had ever heard despite it being so far away. It was the most painful sound he had ever heard.

The sound of a heart breaking.

He remembered what Rachel had said to him when he expressed a moment of doubt in his leadership in the Crimson Mirelands, when she helped him find Arezu after she had gotten injured. ‘The mark of a good leader is one who does what’s right no matter the risk.’

Glancing aside at Irida after they heard the unmistakable sound of Rachel’s raw pain and anguish, he knew that they had the same thought. She had impacted both of their lives in a way that brought change to their very ways of life, of seeing the world, of leading their peoples. She remembered the exchange she had with the woman after Lord Arcanine had been quelled and she expressed doubt in her contributions. ‘A strong leader does what she thinks she should do, not what others expect her to do. She does what she thinks is right, not without council, but without the pressure of expectations.’

They knew she was right on both accounts. Irida could feel how wrong Kamado’s decision as leader was standing in that room while he accused Rachel of being responsible for frenzying the nobles and cursing the world with this crimson sky. And Adaman couldn’t stand hearing Kamado blame her for something that clearly wasn’t her fault and not bothering to lift a finger to help her with the impossible task he saddled her with.

No. They both knew what the right thing to do was. “We can’t just sit idly by, can we?” Irida said, speaking the shared thought out loud.

“For once, we agree.” Adaman said, affirming their resolve as they looked off into the distance of the fieldlands.

Barely a moment of silence passed between the two clan leaders before Irida spoke once more. “Then what are we waiting for? We have to help her, and there’s no time to lose.”

Raising an eyebrow, he was surprised to hear her say that. He couldn’t help but laugh a little, warmed that she was extending the branch to him by speaking to him in his language. “And we’ve got a lot of space to cover, so let’s go find her.”

Where they found her was a painful sight. She was surrounded by all of her Pokémon, clutching Cedric tightly as she sobbed. Even Wyrdeer was offering her his comfort, lying beside her and her Pokémon while she wept. That was the one comfort that could possibly be had.

When you had a bond with Pokémon, you were never truly alone.

Irida and Adaman spotted Volo approaching her and before they could approach, their own Pokémon stopped them. Leafeon and Glaceon forbid their respective clan leaders from going forward, imploring them to wait and observe instead.

Adaman didn’t want to just wait, but Irida thought it would be best to. After all, they didn’t want to scare Volo away or overwhelm Rachel. They needed to take a moment to be cautious.

The Ginkgo Guild merchant was as plucky as always, interrupting Rachel in the middle of her darkest hour. Oddly enough, the lack of change in his attitude was a comfort. The odd man was the most normal thing for her right now, so she clung to that normalcy like driftwood in a storm at sea. Though he was rather odd, his passion for history and ruins reminded her so much of Cynthia.

It was very easy for her to see him as a big brother. It was likely that they were related, somehow. He and Cynthia did bear a striking resemblance.

Volo was the only familiarity that hadn’t been soured by the pain of being outcasted and left to fend for herself, so naturally, she let him lead her. If he had a place for her to stay and shelter, she had to take it. If there was no home for her among the Diamond or Pearl Clans, she needed to find somewhere and she couldn’t afford to be picky about it.

Accepting his offer to give her somewhere to go, Rachel recalled all her Pokémon and took Volo astride Wyrdeer, prompting him to lead the way.

“Where is he taking her?” Adaman grumbled from their hiding place.

Irida shook her head. She had intimate knowledge of the vast expanse of Hisui, but she had no idea where Volo could be taking Rachel. “I’m not sure.”

That wasn’t a good enough answer for the Diamond Clan leader. And if they wanted to know, they needed to act now. “There’s only one way to find out.”

Agreeing, the Pearl Clan leader pulled out her Celestica Flute. “Since we can’t summon Wyrdeer, who should we summon?”

“Braviary.” Adaman decided immediately. “It’ll be the best way to keep up with them without lagging too far behind.”

Quivering a little bit, Irida shuddered. “We have to fly?”

“Do you want to help Rachel or not?” Adaman asked Irida.

“Of course I do! Just…give me a moment, will you?”

It was a bit odd that they had to travel so far. They had to travel across the Obsidian Fieldlands and the Crimson Mirelands to get to where Volo was leading them. Once they crossed it and approached the small clearing, Rachel spotted a tent similar to the ones in the Diamond and Pearl Clan Settlements. Only one person lived here. Was this where Volo lived?

Adaman and Irida were equally as dumbfounded when they followed them on Braviary. Adaman rode on the bird Pokémon’s backside while Irida took the gliding sling he was carrying. Her eyes were sharper than Adaman’s, so he trusted her sight better than his. How come they had never seen this retreat, before?

Regardless, they approached.

Which was how Adaman ended up here, on Wyrdeer’s backside with Rachel in front of him. Instinctively, the Diamond Clan leader had his arm around the woman’s waist while she drove Wyrdeer. They were on their way to Lake Valour, the first of three due to its close proximity to the Ancient Retreat, but for some reason despite time being of the essence, Rachel was taking her time getting there on Wyrdeer’s back.

And he knew her well enough to know that she had her reasons for everything she did, even if her reason was as simple as ‘it’s fun and it makes me happy.’

“Is there a reason you’ve decided on Wyrdeer to chaperone us to the lakes rather than Braviary?” He decided to ask, wanting to at least try to help ease her worries or take her mind off things.

There was a lot going on in her mind. So much Rachel couldn’t properly express. But mostly, she was just exhausted and tired. She had no idea if a day had passed, but she felt like she hadn’t slept in multiple days. Simply put, she was running on fumes and struggling to continue her quest. She wasn’t even doing this for Kamado, really.

She was doing it for the same reason she did everything she had thus far. It needed to be done, so it would be.

Rachel was just glad she finally had a way forward. Miss Cogita was very kind to let her and her Pokémon shelter at her retreat for the time being, and her depth and wealth of knowledge she provided at least gave her some answers. She, like Volo, was incredibly familiar and in her own way, reminded her of Cynthia. Her calm coolness and the way she held herself reminded her so much of her sister, though perhaps an older visage of her.

At the very least, Miss Cogita gave her a lead to follow to fix this crimson sky and that angry crack in reality.

But there was a catch. The only way to fix this was to close the rift, and that rift was her only way home. Which meant…her time in Hisui was quickly coming to a close. She would finally be able to go back, reunite with her friends, her family, with Zinnia again.

She would finally be back where she belonged. All she needed to do was face each Pokémon at each lake in order to craft the Red Chain in order to bind the world at the Shrouded Ruins, and then she could go home. It didn’t make much sense, but it was the only lead she had and it was as good as any at this point.

So, she had to take it.

Yet, with Adaman at her side throughout this quest, a heavy feeling sat thickly in her stomach. By going home, it meant saying goodbye to him. Him and everyone she had ever grown to care about in this region. Adaman, Irida, and the various members of the Diamond and Pearl Clans.

Volo, Hint, and Ingo. A sharp needle of guilt wedged itself into her chest. If she was going home, she needed to find a way to get him home to where he belonged, too. He had just as much a need to go through that rift before it closed as she did.

Rachel couldn’t leave him stranded here. She just couldn’t.

But her trepidations at saying goodbye to the allies and friends she’d made here left her unwilling to rush to Lake Valour. Maybe that was why she was taking her time…she wanted to savour whatever was left of it. “I have every reason.” She said, unable to mask the exhaustion in her voice with even a shred of playfulness she was so used to speaking to Adaman with. “If the world has a chance of ending and I have to go home before I save it, I want to spend as much time as I can with the people that matter most to me before I go.”

That reason made his breath waver as he held her. He had grown used to the way his heart lurched and fluttered when it was around her, but never did it do as such so strongly as when Irida and Adaman finally made their entrance into the Ancient Retreat to meet Rachel there. Knowing where Rachel was, Adaman took the opportunity to reassure his people that all was handled and Irida did the same, passing a message on to the rest of the wardens at their respective nobles’ seats.

His responsibility as leader didn’t change because he had another responsibility to take.

But all thoughts of he and Irida’s plans to help her were completely forgotten once their eyes met. Though her eyes were still raw and red from all the crying and anguish she had been suffering, she couldn’t stop herself from breaking into another set of tears as she practically ran forward into the two clan leaders, stumbling before them and collapsing onto the ground before she could reach them.

Not even a thought crossed their minds before Adaman and Irida both moved to envelop the poor woman in their embrace, Irida holding her from behind and Adaman letting Rachel cling to his chest by his haori. He held her tightly as she sobbed into his chest, blubbering apologies and admitting to her fears as he simply held her, letting her unload. It was one thing to cry alone, but another to cry to another.

She needed this, and he was glad to be a beacon of safety for her. He and Irida both. She had grown incredibly dear to the both of them, so they both had to do everything they could to help her overcome this grievous injustice dealt to her and help her put the world right, again.

While both the Pearl and Diamond Clans couldn’t openly help Rachel, they could still both do something to help. So, he left that choice up to her. She decided that Irida’s cautious and careful leadership style would be best suited to help Commander Kamado see reason, while Adaman’s direct and efficient leadership style would be best suited to help Rachel with her task of crafting the Red Chain.

So, here he was, holding onto Rachel like she was the last person alive in the whole world. “Is that why you wanted me to come with you instead of just meeting me at the lake?”

Rachel nodded, barely moving as she kept her eyes on the path ahead. Her eyelids felt like lead, straining against exhaustion and her eyes hurting from the harshness of the bleeding sky. “I don’t know what’s going to happen once we craft the Red Chain…I don’t know what it means to ‘Bind the World,’ and I don’t know if this will even work…” She paused, struggling to think of how best to say what she was feeling under the pressure of how tired she was. “But regardless of what happens…I know that I want to spend as much time as I can with you…there may not be much of it left from here on out…”

Adaman was quiet. Though he shared the sentiment deeply, he didn’t want to think in such a catastrophic way. They would succeed. They would do this. If anyone could, it was Rachel.

But not if she could barely stay sitting up straight. He could feel her teetering on Wyrdeer’s saddle. “You should try and rest. We have plenty of time before we reach Lake Valour.” Adaman said gently to her, resting his chin on her head. “And if you want, you can rest in the Diamond Settlement. I’ll make sure no one interrupts you.”

Though she knew he was right about how tired she was, Rachel shook her head. They couldn’t afford to stop. They had to keep going. “We can’t afford to stop.”

“Then at least rest here. You need it.” Adaman insisted, holding her even tighter against him.

When her eyelids fluttered closed for a moment and she had to snap them open, she knew there was no longer any fighting with the Diamond Clan leader. He was right, and that was that. “Alright…” She relented, nudging the dark-furred Zorua in her lap. “Hey, Cedric? Can you drive the rest of the way to the lake? I can barely keep my eyes open…”

Sitting up, he nodded. “Go ahead and take five.” He said in his Pokemon tongue so as to not startle Adaman with his human speech. “It’s night and he’s right. You need to rest after spending so much energy today.”

She sighed, already instinctively leaning backward against the man. “It’s hard to tell what time of day it is with this damn sky…” Rachel murmured as she got comfortable.

Cedric quickly hopped up on Wyrdeer’s head, keeping watch as they navigated through the mirelands towards the lake. As he let her shimmy, Adaman tried to hold and cradle her in a way that would let her properly rest as she slept in his arms. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall off.”

Chuckling weakly, she nestled her head into the crook of his arm, already being soothed and lulled to sleep by his warmth and the comfort of his soft clothes. His comforting scent did much to relax her, the scent of earth and wildgrass from the mirelands he thrived in.

Even just being near Adaman, she had an easier time trying to sleep than she did any of the nights she spent in her lodge in Jubilife Village. Here, she knew she was safe. Here, she knew she wouldn’t be judged harshly. Here, her acceptance wasn’t conditional.

Adaman cared about her no matter where she came from or who she was. She helped him and his clan, sure, but that was simply how they met and got to know each other. She didn’t have to pretend around him. She didn’t have to hide from him.

She was completely safe with him. “You know what’s funny?” Rachel murmured as she let her eyelids fall closed in his arms.

“Mm?” He hummed, glancing down at her to make sure she wouldn’t fall off of Wyrdeer. He melted when he looked at her. She already looked so peaceful, like she hadn’t had a good sleep in weeks. He didn’t like the thought that that could be true. Every time he arrived to be briefed by Kamado about a new noble that needed quelling, she always complained about having a rough sleep.

Shifting once more to get even more comfortable, Rachel reached out to hold his right hand in hers, keeping it close to her chest as though she were holding onto a stuffed toy like a child. “I already feel like…I can sleep easier…knowing you’ll be there when I wake up…” She muttered, pressing the back of his hand to her face.

Breathing evenly in an attempt to calm the rapid beating of his heart, he held her hand, softly rubbing his thumb along her knuckles. It wasn’t right what the Galaxy Team did. She didn’t deserve this.

But he’d make this right. He’d do whatever it took to right this wrong and bring justice. They would fix this.

Together.

#SafeshipSeptember #୨⎯ A Message On The Wind ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Then It Has Done You No Good At All ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Pokémon Trainer Rachel ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Leader of the Diamond Clan ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Leader of the Pearl Clan ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Tricky as a Fox ⎯୧ #full disclosure this one is VERY angsty #can you tell how much this part of the game has fucked with me?#i used this as an excuse for hurt/comfort

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minzart · 2 years

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A human's compassion

Pokemon legends arceus

You can also read it in Archive of our own

As Giratina falls it hides in their champion's shadow, watching, hurt, confused, enraged and... tired... the next events... it just didn't expected their human to fall in exhaustion... nor the compassion of Arceus' hero

Giratina feels the attack even before it hit, their second, more powerful, more agile, more desperate form beaten to exhaustion, so much so that not even a portal it can summon to be back at the dimension it belongs. So they hide in shadow, Volo's shadow and watches.

The celestica descendant hands the last plate to Arceus' champion, bitterness in his expression, barely controlled rage runs through his body as he gives his all not to cry in frustation, and despite it all he is true to his words, no back stabbing, no dirty tricks.

The banished one wonders why... it could be so easy, push the child, they have no more than one pokemon left after such arduous battles, a hurt pokemon, exhausted even, so why doesn't he grabs this opportunity, their goal is still achievable if he just-

He falls, at the last step of the stair, not capable of dealing with so much turmoil Volo's body gives up to exhaustion and blacks out, Giratina can't do anything but watch... and worry.

It remembers the first time they met.

Years ago, as it's name was long forgotten and forsaken from humans and pokemon memories alike, trapped alone in this twisted mock of a word... until he called, uncertain, tired and unfaithful. The human's spirit resonating through the worlds as a forsaken one, tired of never being heard and still holding one last hope, one last prayer...

The pokemon feels his hurt, his anger, his sadness, his numbness to the world... and even then he cares, the healthy egg in his arms speaks volumes; in his face a lack of faith tired of the nothingness, and at his arms, tuck in gently his still willingness to hold on hope, of a tomorrow, of an answer, of a better world. Giratina's own spirit can sympathize, little as it may be to his feelings, betrayed and isolated by the same God who was suposed to protect them, so it answers, as painful as the act can be, for time and space aren't distorted enough for it to be comfortable.

The human's eyes shine, for the first time in eons the antimatter pokemon feels... welcome. His dejected pose quickly disappears as he puts on a mask of braveness and charisma, he has a plan, and the knowledge to make it happen, to meet arceus and change the world, to be given answers, to be heard, to get revenge, he only needs... the means; and that's were Giratina enters.

"To finaly have answers... it's all I ask of them, it's only in my nature to question why so much tragedy has happened... to my people, to my pokemon to me. Selfish as you think it may be... I beg of you, help me see Arceus... and I will help you in your revenge"

For there's nothing more powerful than a T̸̡̧̨͚͇͎̞̭̖̞̠͚͖͊͜ŗ̸̡̢̛̘͔̳̗̮̖͉̂̿ả̵̢̛̺̮̝̬̜̙͑̽̑͒̈́͑̚͠͝ͅi̶̧̢̛̘̩̫̩͖̒̿̐̈̃͋̍̌͒͠͝͝wilderṉ̴̦̖̘͕̮̼̳̮̈̋̀̊̇̒ę̷̬̗̩͚́̃̇͗̔r̸͈͊̓̓̒̅͛͐̉̐̀͊͝ and their pokemon's bond.

It remembers the after.

How Volo walked the hearth in a mask of a merchant, how he treated pokemon after pokemon and them Giratina itself, as a companion, how strange it was at first.

In a night, no diferent than any other, the Celestica descendant sat by the fire, his Togepi happily ate a berry he had given it, not bothered by the ominous presence it no doubt felt, why fear something you grew up with after all? A stone, 100 wisps it contained, soon enough it would become a spiritomb, the Garchomp sleeps near its wilder, guard still up, he had no trust in this new companion, but it doesn't mind.

Volo noticed how the shadows sometimes moved like water, if you squint and focus you can see two red dots peeking from them, so, in a moment if curiosity he puts a berry and "looks away". After a long time the shadow moves cautiously, slowly the berry is consumed by tiny tendrils of black goo and disappear into the ground, the grass top soon being spilled after seconds, the process is repeated every night after that.

It remember the nights of training and the early mornings of the sun.

To work together means to get used to each other's presence, commands and boundaries, Giratina... didn't took well to being commanded, and Volo got a hard time identifying it's moves, powerful but at a high cost of stamina, it was frustrating. Night after night, failure after failure until they finaly came to a solution, talk, and compromise, a mix of both beings tactics and finally, a successful battle at last, they were ready.

A scream brought the pokemon back to reality, Arceus' hero hushed to their direction, the azure flute in their hand was quickly tossed aside as they lifted the blond man of the ground. With the help of Lord weirdeer they went back to the village, Giratina awaited the talk it knew would follow, the tale of betrayal, the banishment for the merchant, alone in the wild, a poetic circle of sorts... but it never came.

The hero lied, something about an Alpha attack while they tried to study the ruins... this ... no, surely the child would wish to repay their betrayal? Soon, they would tell the truth and them both forsaken children would be banished, surely...

It never came... the chosen one never told the truth, Volo slept for three days and not once did the child talked about what truly happend at the spear temple, they looked sad, Giratina knew this, it followed them after all, at the darkest nights they cried alone, suppressing their sobs for fear of being heard. The child lived more in the wild than in it's own home, note after note after draft, dedicated in ther pursuit of all pokemon, something the ruler of the distortion world couldn't understand yet, did they wanted to be a professor before falling here? Perhaps a passion was born after so much time spent with Laventon?

In some outings the child looked melancholic, looking up, at where the distorted portal no longer existed, longing of something they can't remember, but wish to return, Giratina wonders... if Arceus would get this child back to their own time and space... or were they punished to cane here... or it it was just a mistake, one of many the God pokemon have done during it's long lifetime, one it probably couldn't comprehend, after all, it's been so long since it bounded with a human.

The child was as forsaken as them, they cried at dawn, after all this work, all this pain, betrayal after betrayal, after lost, after arduous battles and almost deaths. Arceus never took them back, and Giratina watched it all unfold, the pokemon knew the child had a piece of time and space itself in their own wooden capsules, and now a piece of creation, but they never once attempted to use them, never once called upon their names in command or demand, they just wanted to go home, to remember their life...

They took the pokeball, tucked it safely at their pocket, the tiny human breathed once, wiped their tears and cleaned their nose, looking up at the rising sun they smiled... they would live, and one day be back home, that's what Giratina heard their soul proclaim before it disappeared back to the distortion world.

Humans are ... complex to say the least, they destroy, rage and broke all that can existe, they are greedy and let fear easily subdue them into manipulation and hatred from one another, from "others" from pokemon... but not always... they too are... innocent, curious, creative, hopeful and... brave. Surviving is brutal but living is hard, and they make joy when there's a crisis, they help who are kind, the one who feel broken can feel less so if a little bit of hope is show to them.

Humans, at the end of it all care, it's in the words of caution, in the ruffles of fur, it's in the way they sing, be it a beautiful song or a off tone melody in high pitched noises their young make when playing, care can be your downfall or you guiding light. But at the end... if you live, the world might become a little bit brighter with the bounds you form along your journey.

As others teach you, you teach them, noticed or not the mere existence of a simple hello might change the view one has of life, that at least, is what Giratina learned, the world might be broken and cruel... but still worth living in it, if it means your bounds won't be in vain isn't it?

#pokemon #pkmn #pla #pokemon legends spoilers #pokemon legends #pokemon legends arceus #pokemon la #pokemon headcanons #pokemon fic #giratina #volo #pla volo #pla giratina #listen. i just like giratina and volo bounding in destroying this reality instead of one manipulating the other #and it takes more than an ass beating for you to become motivated in protecting the world cmon #me not being abke to choose a protagonist: Why not both :D

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nei-ning · 8 months

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Ever since my childhood I've been having dreams where I see people or fictional characters who I have not met in "real life". Who actually hasn't even been "made" in real life yet. I "meet them" usually decades later. That was the case with my last night's dream. The dream was long and confusing so I write it the best I can.

In the dream I was with a group of humans on this weird place which probably was an island or something. Our "leader" was this thin and tall man in a black suit with dark glasses. I, now, instantly recognized him as Crowley from Good Omens (which I just saw few days ago for the first time in my life, having not any knowledge of it). He walked us around, showing us placed. There was a rain forest hill with a path which came from the right and headed down. On this path soon walked some dinosaurs and people were in awe! None of them had NEVER even heard about dinosaurs. I think I was the only one but I was in awe as well. I reached to touch one (long neck) as they walked past me and it was a hologram. However, these were "living holograms" so the dinosaur felt my touch, freaking out! It, with every other dinosaur just started to run the path down as fast as they could. I felt sorry for what I did.

We then ended up in a forest with snow. I headed down this small cliff with very steep, tiny steps. They barely showed under the snow. I noticed glass beer bottles, half empty, in the snow and I got angry because I knew it was 3 young men (maybe 18 at max) who drank there and threw their bottles there. Not to mention that area was already right in front of my house's front door. It took me some time when I saw those boys, telling them to drink elsewhere and take their trashes with them. They tried to joke about it but did as I told them.

Next I was on small but round summer field in the middle of the forest with the group and Crowley. I heard this same sound what can be heard when Shiny Pokemon in Arceus appears. I looked around, seeing this huge Ursaluna standing up on it's back legs. S/He stood way above the tree tops even that those trees were ancient and super tall! I got excited since I wanted to catch that Alpha Shiny Ursaluna (Ursaluna is my fave, ahah!). My bird Pokemon flied behind me and grabbed me, taking me to this Ursaluna but when I got there, there was MANY super cute and tiny bear pokemons. All seeming like chibi Ursaluna in different brown colors. I loved them all BUT I got disappointed since I couldn't see or tell that Shiny Ursaluna apart from the others so... I didn't get him / her :'D

Now I was back in that snow forest, heading inside "my house" where everyone else already was. I don't remember all what happened but at some point I was walking on this hallway with doors each side. I noticed that on the floor, in front of every door, was palm sized crystal. In front of one door was glowing red crystal, other had glowing purple crystal etc. I walked through this hallway, turning to left at the end of it, ending up in my childhood's neighbor's living room. I wanted to be alone so I laid down and I think I had a pet there with me, either a dog or a cat. Then Crowley came there too and he had a doberman. I was instantly worried it would attack on my pet but it didn't. Crowley said to me something like: "Why are you here all by yourself?" and I just said I needed some time to be alone. He understood but he remained there, giving me space nonetheless.

Suddenly I decided to look at the window right above my head and I saw black, chimp kind of hand pressed against the window. Very thin, full of wrinkles. I watched it a while thinking how the hell it could be that! I ended up thinking it could be a demon or some other evil entity since I now noticed 2 pairs more. I took a pillow which I had under my bust, starting to slam the window with it, screaming. Turned out those hands belonged to 3 human woman, older ones. Maybe witches or something. I don't remember them so well. Next we all ended up back on this dinosaur hill and once again people were in awe as they saw these dinosaurs. This time, however, it was someone else who touched one of them, making them all rampage and run away. I yelled: "I'm so sorry! I forgot to warn you not to touch them! I did that mistake myself last time!"

Next we all were on a pirate ship, being under attack by other pirates. Crowley easily dealt with them, letting the crew sink with the ship. Next we noticed a ship wreck floating on the sea, some of the crew members hanging there for their lives. We stole their gold or something, but left them with food and other supplies. I asked from Crowley why. He said that bad he left to die but these men needed help so they he let live. I understood his point.

Next we all ended up in small room which had many levels and we waited to get out or something. It was very pretty room but very weirdly shaped and tight. I was playing some matching game with my phone (find a pair and click them so that they combine and disappear from the level) when Crowley came to sit right next to me, leaning over my shoulder to check my game. I was stuck. I eyed the level when Crowley pointed one piece and spoke with his soft voice: "You can pair these." I eyed them once more, deciding to go for it since I was going to lose anyway. So I clicked them, pairing them. Right after that pair vanished, so many puzzles moved and found their pair on their own! I watched that in awe until half of them was gone! I looked at Crowley with wide happy smile, tapping his left arm near the shoulder few times. I said:

"It worked! Half of the pieces vanished on their own! Thank you!"

I felt so warm and happy inside, thanks and towards him, but I felt the same warmth from him, a bit more puzzled too. I knew he had not been used of being thanked, yet alone being touched. Usually none never thanked him or touched him (in a friendly way or at all). I managed to beat the level and then I woke up when Verti was meowing loud, demanding to go out and then also get some food.

But yeah, back then when I saw this dream for the first time like 20+ years ago, I had NO IDEA what or who Ursaluna is or Crowley. Had never seen them, had never heard of them, they had never even been created yet here on Earth.

#text #dream #neis dream #Good Omens #Crowley #Pokemon #Ursaluna #20+ years old dream #coming back now for a some reason #my dreams do come back after decades #it's like a tradition :'D #9.9.2023 #I think they repeat themselves until I get their message

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crystal-clovers · 8 months

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my Jacq and Professor Willow fic was i think orphaned for NO REASON on AO3 last night.

so here it is

the flashing lights in your eyes pull me down like gravity:

Mesagoza was definitely most beautiful at early morning time. The buildings glowed under the hazy hues of gold and sunlight spilled onto the cobbled paving slabs like paint. The tangerine orange of the sky was the perfect contrast to the violet purple of the majestic school that stood grand and tall to the north of the city. The heat hadn’t kicked in yet, so it was a lovely temperature to walk in.

That’s what Professor Edison Willow had thought, anyway, before passing out sometime before lunch trying to pull two heavy suitcases up the dreaded staircases that every Paldean feared.

He couldn’t actually remember getting up that set of stairs, of course. When he opened his eyes again he was laid down on a plush purple sofa in an air-conditioned room. His eyes wouldn’t focus properly and he could feel something soft on his stomach growling softly.

“Houndoom, off of Edison please.” A slightly gruff voice called out, making Willow’s head pound. A man in a purple suit jacket and white trousers leaded over him and smiled slightly. “Ah, you’re awake.” He grabbed a glass of water off of a table near him and handed it to Willow, who sat up in a daze. “Drink this.”

“C-clavell?” Willow looked up at him, brown eyes unfocussed. “Where… why…?”

“You’re in my office. You passed out on the stairs in town…” He propped up his glasses. “You should have gotten a taxi. The midday sun is deadly, you know…”

Willow’s eyes widened. First impressions were everything, and the one he had given to Clavell was not the best.

“I…I’m so sorry, Clavell… I was lost…” Clavell took off his glasses and cleaned them with a purple cloth. “Who… who found me?”

“Ah, Jacq found you. He was heading out with his fellow teachers to get lunch when they found you-”

“Jacq…? As in…?” Willow’s ears went a little pink. Jacq Zinnia? They hadn’t spoken in a while. Arceus, he was messing up everything today…

“Mhm, Señor Zinnia. I think you know him.” The director said, grabbing a notebook off of his desk. He opened it and handed Willow a piece of paper. “He wanted me to give you this, by the way. He, uh, wants to speak with you I think.” Clavell’s usually poker faced-lips began to smirk. “Don’t be too prompt though. Make him wait. He’s always late to everything himself.”

“Seems Jacq’s still the same then.” Willow murmured from behind his hand. He scanned the note, which looked like it had been written on a sandwich wrapper or something.

“Indeed he is. I remember when we worked together we would always go overtime. Cost me a fortune, it did, paying for the extra time we spent in the laboratory.” Clavell shook his head, placing the book down and sitting at his desk. “I’m sorry… I’m talking badly about someone who helped me so much…”

“No, no… Thank you though… I’ve already caused you so much trouble.”

“You haven’t. You’re more than welcome.” Clavell smiled, standing up once more and softly patting one of Willow’s shoulders. “Better you’re here than anywhere else, to be honest.”

“Thank you…” Willow sighed, watching as Clavell grabbed something else off of his desk.

“I have your hotel keys, by the way. Raifort picked them up when Jacq took you here. Your belongings are at the hotel… Saguaro may have unpacked some of your stuff already, you know what he’s like, but I don’t know if he would have set it out the way you like it, so don’t feel like you can’t move it yourself…” Willow had zoned out by now, not understanding what the director was going on about. “Sorry… I must be boring you.”

“...What? No, no… I just don’t know who you’re talking about.” He smiled awkwardly. Clavell stifled a laugh and shook his head, silky grey hair floating about as he did so.

“They’re other teachers here. Don’t worry much.” A soft ringing noise filled the otherwise silent room. “Jacq might be free now… You’re good friends, right?” Arceus damnit, he could probably see the pink on his ears.

“We were… We lost contact though a couple of years back when he became a teacher… We work in different fields now, I guess.”

“Well, you’re here now, so maybe you could be friends again?” The director said with a hint of cheek in his voice.

“Maybe… maybe…” Willow stood up, still feeling a bit shaky and sick.

“Take it easy and drink lots please, Edison.” His voice changed a bit to more of a teacher sounding tone. One that meant the orders had to be followed; strictly followed.

“I will sir- I mean Clavell! Haha…” Oh Arceus.

~~~

“Whoops! Haha… Looks like that’s all we have time for today! Please make sure to do your homework; it’s nice and short this week… Heh, please don’t tell the director that I made it shorter… heh…” Jacq chuckled sheepishly before clapping his hands together. “Right, let's get packed up ready for period five please.” The young students began to pack up their belongings and soon enough they were charging into the hallway like Tauros stampeding to their prey. The biologist chuckled to himself, sitting down in front of his desk and pulling out a notebook.

There was a knock at the door before a familiar face peered out of it.

Jacq’s eyes went wide. “Oh, Edison! ¡Hola!” He stood up abruptly, nearly falling over himself. “You feeling better?”

“Hey, Jacq- Hm? Yeah, yeah, thanks…”

“Sweet Miraidon, it's been ages, hasn’t it?” He shuffled closer to the professor, a wide smile on his face. “Wow… You look so different…”

Willow chuckled. “What do you mean by that, Zinnia?” He put his hands on his hips jokingly.

“You look… Worn out, tired… aged...” He giggled to himself and patted his old friend on the shoulder. “Not a bad thing, mind! Comes with hard work!”

“Yet your skin is perfect! Or are you saying you slack off?”

“Oye! I moisturise.” Jacq shook his head. “You have reasons to look tired. You have Spark, don’t you?”

Willow smiled softly. “Yeah, but he’s grown up now. Gosh, he’s 19 in December…” Willow sighed. “I really am getting old, aren’t I?”

“You’re thirty-six, Ed, not sixty-six.” Jacq laughed.

“Yeah, but you’re younger than me, so you can’t talk.”

“Sit down, amigo. You look faint.” To be honest, he was feeling a little light headed again. He let Jacq pull one of the little plastic chairs from one of the desks at the front of the classroom over to his desk before patting it. Willow sat down, legs feeling a little wobbly as he did. “Better?”

“Much, thanks Jacq…” The purple haired man smiled softly, grey eyes looking into Willow’s as he began to talk quietly.

“How come you’re here then? It was quite the surprise seeing you unconscious in the middle of the city earlier.”

“Sorry about that. Guess I’m not as used to the heat as others are.”

“Galar doesn’t get that hot, does it? Not all year around, at least.”

“No, it doesn’t… Stays pretty miserable all year… Rainy and cold and gloomy…”

“Ah, rain… I love rain. Cools me down, heh…” Jacq shook his head, his soft lilac hair getting messier as he did so. “My question still remains; why are you here?”

“Uh, well, Clavell offered to let me borrow his equipment if I wanted to come here and study pokemon here… Our bases have been in Galar and Kalos recently and I wanted to come and work here for a while… What’re you looking at?” Jacq was frowning at him, making him start to get flustered. “Is there…?” Jacq lent over and touched a sore spot on his head.

“Does that hurt?” He pushed down on it, and it took every bit of Willow not to yelp out in pain.

“Mhm!”

“That’s a bad bruise you have there. Must have hit your head when you fell. Don’t feel dizzy, right? No signs of concussion?”

“No, I think I’m ok, thanks…”

“Sorry, sorry… I interrupted.”

“Ah, yeah, sorry. Uh, so I said yes and now I’m staying at a hotel hopefully not too far from here…”

“La Indiga? Yeah, I know where that is. A short walk.” Jacq rested his cheek on his fist, his soft, caring smile back on his face.

“Yeah, that one… Clavell’s paying for the hotel rent, I think.” Hopefully, seeing as the hotel looked quite expensive.

“He’s nice like that. Gets a bit angry with me though, probably because I’m late to important things. He knows me though, so it isn’t too bad.”

“You’re still the same then, late to everything.”

“Sure am. Tired as ever though, to be honest Ed. These kids run me ragged.”

“Really? You won’t say…” Jacq smiled again, shaking his head and sighing.

“Lucky I don’t have another class today. Just need to do some marking then do some more prep for my speech-”

“Speech? Oh, shit, the Ecological Society one… right…”

“You going?” Jacq raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I’m not saying anything this time, but I’ll watch.” Jacq’s cheeks went a bit pink at this, before he cleared his throat and stood up.

“Root for me, yeah? I’m nervous.”

“How come? You have nothing to worry about.”

“Hm? Sure I do. My lisp and all.”

“It’s your accent, Jacqi.” The room went silent, making them both feel nervous.

“It’s nice to see you again, Ed.”

“It’s nice to see you too. Kinda missed our chats.”

“Same. It’s been so long.” Jacq headed towards the door. “Know where your hotel is?”

Willow stood up as well, putting the chair back. “I’m sure I’ll manage.” They headed out of the classroom and into the long hallway of the academy.

They walked in silence until they reached a large door with a sign next to it that read ‘STAFF ROOM’. Jacq turned to face the taller professor and smiled.

“You can come in if you want. I’m sure no one will mind.”

The blonde smiled anxiously before mumbling back. “I… I should go to my hotel… I’m so sorry.”

“Oye, don’t be! I know you’re pretty shy. Come stop off here though later; they want to meet you since, well, finding you on the floor, I guess… heh…” Jacq went quiet before looking up at Willow with a strange look in his eyes. “You… have the same number, right? As before, I mean…” Willow heard him gulp and look down at his feet.

“Yeah, and the same email address.”

“Text me when you get there, please, just to make sure you haven’t collapsed again, that is.”

“I will do. Uh… How do you get out of here?” Both men smiled and began to chuckle.

“Down the stairs, amigo. Don’t fall down them, por favor.”

“I won’t! See you later.”

“Hasta mañana, Ed.” Jacq waved him off before heading into the staff room.

~~~

Professor Willow laid on his pristinely white bed, looking up at the equally pristinely white ceiling. The hotel he was staying at was definitely on the posher end; it was to be expected, seeing as Clavell had been the one to book it.

His heart was beating strangely fast… Maybe it was the heatstroke or maybe a heart attack was approaching.

Seeing Jacq again after so long was… strange, really. Going from close friends and colleagues, to not speaking, to suddenly speaking again after two years wasn’t something Willow had ever done; usually if he stopped talking to someone it was because he had either fallen out with them or saw no reason to talk to them anymore.

That wasn’t the case though. He hadn’t fallen out with Jacq at all and if he was his friend, then there was obviously a reason to talk to him. Maybe it was because they didn’t see each other as much, or their schedules just didn’t allow time to speak to each other.

The professor sighed, ruffled his hair, then sighed again. He laid his head back into the soft pillows, trying to calm his heart rate at least just a little bit by closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He slowly began to fall asleep, head tilting slightly as he drifted off.

It was no surprise really, that he jumped up when his phone buzzed, seeing as he was half asleep and had forgotten his phone was in his hands. As he shot up, his head began to spin, so he laid back down and looked at his phone with squinted eyes.

Jacq Zinnia hi edison, it was really nice seeing you earlier (and, well, finding you on the floor I guess jajaja). i was wondering if you are free tomorrow, after the conference? i just want to catch up, that’s all; wanna treat you to dinner ;) i’ll pay, don’t worry! let me know!

Oh, great… Now his heart was back to racing at a million miles an hour.

He’d admit, Jacq had aged… well. His complexion was still impeccable, with no sign of a wrinkle or impurity at all, at least from what Willow could see. His olive skin was still as soft as it was and-

Gah!

What the heck was wrong with him?!

After mentally getting his shit together, he picked up his phone again and began typing a message back.

It took several attempts and a lot of internal screaming to get it right, but in the end he had a sort of acceptable message.

Edison Willow Hi Jacq. It was nice seeing you too (sorry about that…). Sounds good; I’m free after six so I can go to the conference and then I’m free all night (if that’s good for you, of course. I know you have other friends). Thank you :)

And as if Jacq was trying to give Willow a heart attack, the teacher replied in under two minutes.

Jacq Zinnia sounds great! i was just thinking we could be by ourselves at dinner tho- i hang out with those guys a lot and to be honest I want to catch up with just you amigo… (DON'T TELL THEM JAJA!)

Edison Willow Sounds good. Where should we meet tomorrow? As long as all of this is ok for you…

Jacq Zinnia i wouldn’t offer if i didn’t want it, ed… of course we can. i know a GREAT place which serves paella a couple of streets away from the conference venue, if you like paella, that is… want to meet in my classroom, at 6:30? or if it’s too public we can meet in the city centre somewhere…? whatever’s good for you

Edison Willow Never had it… But it sounds good to me. Can we meet in your classroom? I’ll get lost otherwise.

Jacq Zinnia i bet you’ll like it. it’s rice with vegetables (you can have it with fish but i know you’re veggie) with like this seasoning/sauce stuff. but yeah, course we can (meet in my room). anyway… i’m gonna go to sleep once i’ve marked these papers. chat tomorrow amigo! :)

Edison Willow Sounds good. Sleep well.

The professor whipped one of the plush pillows from behind his head and screamed into it.

~~~

Willow ended up not actually doing much work the next day, instead procrastinating about the event happening later on.

The director obviously could see that, as he began making comments about it.

“So, what work have you actually been doing?” He smirked from behind his tea mug.

“I’m writing up data reports, honestly.”

“Does data make you blush? And does data make you check your watch every five minutes?” This man… honestly…

Luckily six rolled around quite quickly and soon enough Willow was packing up his things. He felt a hand on his shoulder just as he was about to head out of the office, so he turned around and was met with Clavell’s soft gaze.

“I have almost no idea what’s going on here, but if it’s something good then good luck.” He smiled then turned to head back to his desk.

“I… uh, thanks?”

“I’ll see you later, hopefully.” All Willow could do was smile politely back and run out of the door, leaving Clavell to chuckle to himself.

The walk to Jacq’s classroom was an interesting one, with students who were studying in the hallways constantly looking at him and subsequently laughing at him (did he look that weird? Maybe they weren’t used to professors wandering around the halls…)

He was just approaching the door when a purple blur whipped out of it and hastily ran into him. Out of pure instinct, like Spark would say, Willow caught his friend as he fell backwards, one hand on Jacq’s back and the other on his wrist. The teacher smiled, a slight blush painting his tanned cheeks.

“Uh… E-edison!” He shakily laughed. “Sorry about that! I… I wanted to see if you were outside or something…! Heh… um…” Willow helped him back onto his feet, shaking his head.

“I was just coming here… Am I late?”

“No… I’m just… impatient.” Jacq’s cheeks went even darker.

“You ready?”

“I guess…”

~~~

“We’d like to thank you all for coming tonight, as we have some very important speeches to be held about various new species of pokemon that we have located. Our first speech is from Professor Burnet Kukui, from the Alola region.” The commentator began to clap as the Alolan professor walked on stage.

“She’s really good… I’ve seen some of her work, but I can’t understand it…” Jacq muttered to Willow as the clapping began to subside. “She studies that field of work you need to see you believe, I guess.”

“Mhm… It’s a weird thing to study…” Willow mumbled back.

The blonde professor didn’t really pay attention to the seminar much, especially Elm’s speech (he found it much too drab to pay attention). He knew Jacq’s speech was towards the end, but coming in halfway would probably appear rude. Then again, most of the people talking he either didn’t talk much with or in some cases didn’t even know who they were.

Jacq was chewing his fingernails too much to pay attention as well, every few seconds licking his lips and checking the time. It was to be expected; if the two scientists shared anything in common it was definitely their stage fright. During Willow’s first years of being a professor, he would become so anxious about speaking publicly that his legs would start to shake visibly- not something that looked very good in front of an audience.

The purple clad man’s hands began to shake half an hour until he needed to go backstage and prepare, his breathing audible over the random and quite frankly boring speaker who was going on about the use of berries or whatever. From the corner of his brown eyes, Willow kept an eye on his friend, trying to make sure his breathing didn’t get too erratic.

“Mr Nelson, do you think berries are actually the key to better working pokemon, or is there a more cost effective way?”

“Some berries are quite hard to source in certain regions, however…”

“Jacq…?” The teacher looked over at Willow, eyes full blown and the slightest bit glossy.

“Mhm?”

Reluctantly, not because he didn’t want to help Jacq, but merely because it could be seen as… something else, Willow offered Jacq his hand, keeping his hand quite low so the people sitting next to them and behind them didn’t get the wrong idea.

“You said my name, right?” Jacq whispered. Willow nodded and looked down at his hand for a split second, before looking back up at Jacq, who could have gone a little red (it was hard to tell; the lights were off). “You ok?”

“I’m making sure you are. You’re shaking.” Hand still empty, Willow kept it where it was, just in case.

“This always happens, amigo. Don’t worry.”

“You’re shaking. How am I not supposed to worry?” There was a moment of silence between them as another young lady walked onto the stage and as the crowd began to clap. Jacq clapped, but as soon as the noise died down, Willow could feel something soft and warm grasping his now quite achy hand. It was shaking like a Snorunt, but definitely warmer than one. Thin, bony fingers slid between the gaps of his, naturally making the professor want to clasp his fingers around them.

Shyly, he looked over at Jacq, who unfortunately was looking at him at the same time, causing the Butterfree in his stomach to go absolutely apeshit. Jacq smiled warmly at him, before shuffling a little closer to Willow in his seat.

“Sorry if this is weird.” He whispered, the professor feeling the other man’s thumb begin to rub up and down the side of his index finger.

“You need to calm down, Jacq… That’s all.” It really wasn’t.

“Is it though?”

“Mhm.”

Jacq paused for a moment, before smirking. “Still alright for dinner, right?”

“Course I am.”

“You can let go if you want to…”

“I’m fine, Jacq, seriously.”

“Mmm… ok…” Jacq’s hand eventually stopped shaking, instead he would squeeze Willow’s hand every so often just to check he was still awake (this woman’s voice couldn’t get any more melancholy).

About five minutes until Jacq’s speech, the teacher squeezed his friend’s hand a little harder than usual and let go of it. Willow’s hand was sticky from sweat (had he been sweating?!).

“After the seminar, meet behind the curtains, just there.” Jacq pointed towards backstage. Willow gave a short nod before his friend stood up and headed out of the main hall.

He returned a few minutes later, a microphone in hand and a couple of pieces of slightly tea-coloured paper. He cleared his throat and began his speech.

“Good evening, Levincia. I am Jacq Zinnia, a pokemon biologist from Mesagoza. Recently we have sighted an increase in a few invasive species of pokemon which can cause famine across groups of other more vulnerable pokemon and in some cases mass extinction of a species- this is what I would like to discuss with you today, so we, the World Pokemon Ecological Society and the general public, know whag to do during these outbreaks…”

For the first time throughout the whole seminar, Willow listened to everything Jacq said, even the parts which were totally just made to be fillers. At the end of it all, he clapped harder than he had for everyone else combined, smiling at his friend as he clumsily bowed and waved as he exited.

~~~

“You were amazing tonight.” Willow said between sips of his wine.

“Heh… Thanks Ed…” Jacq smiled momentarily before looking up at his friend inquisitively. “How are things with you then? How’s Spark getting on? Last time I actually saw him in person he was just starting middle school…”

“He’s way bigger now. He lives with a couple of his roommates at uni now…”

“Sweet Miraidon… How time flies by, ey…”

“Indeed. He’s very bright though. Studying biology, actually.” Willow smiled as Jacq perked up dramatically.

“Really!? Just generally or something specific?”

“He’s interested in breeding and eggs. How different pokemon with different natures breed and whether that changes how a pokemon acts.” Willow chuckled. “He probably would be better at explaining it than me to be fair.”

“He sounds so intelligent… The leppa berry obviously doesn’t fall far from the tree…” The teacher muttered, running his finger over his lemonade glass. On the opposite side of the table, Willow’s cheeks went bright red, making him grow warm all across his body. “I would love to chat to him at some point.”

“Hm? Yeah, I can ask if he’s free at some point.” Willow forced a smile, trying to calm the blush on his cheeks. “How about you? How’s home life with you?”

“I live on my own and work’s been consuming me recently, so I haven’t had chance to chat with any of my family. I mean, I stay in contact with my cousins, of course, but I haven’t had chance to fly over to them at all…”

“They still live in Galar?”

“Yeah. Apparently Hop’s bright too! He’s working with Professor Sonia, actually.” He sipped his drink. “You’ve met Hop once, haven't you? When Hoppy was a baby.”

“Yeah, I’ve met him. He must be so grown up now…”

“Turning 15 next October.” Jacq laughed as Willow’s eyes grew wide. “Heh… What?”

“He’s still the size of my forearm to me! I must be so old.”

“Again, Edison, you are only thirty-six. You just had Spark young, that’s all.” Jacq shrugged. “Thinking about it, you were only seventeen, so really there isn’t much of a time difference.”

“How old’s Leon?”

“A few years younger than me… Must be… twenty-nine now? Yeah…”

“You’re 32, right?”

“I wish. Thirty-five in February.” Jacq laughed. “I’m not getting any younger either.”

“You look much better than I do though.”

Jacq stuttered for a couple of minutes before clearing his throat. “Thanks Ed. Not looking too bad yourself.” There was a pause before Jacq began to speak again. “So, is there someone special in your life? I mean, since Spark moved out have you been seeing anyone? A special lady or something?”

With a shake of his head, Willow said, “No… Heh, no ladies, ever.” Jacq’s grey eyes grew wide.

“Oh, I’m so sorry I assumed.”

“No, no. Seriously. I just… I’ve tried, of course, but every time I get to know someone and we start going out they ditch me. Maybe I just repel everyone after a few weeks.”

“Ay, ay, I’m sure that’s not true. I think it’s their problem, Ed. You’re a genuine, sweet guy. I’m not sure why anyone would leave you, unless you treated them badly, which I highly doubt ever happened.” Jacq reached over the table to run his fingers over Willow’s knuckles.

“That’s the thing. I treat them so well… Lots of them even start the relationship and then are the ones to end it. Like this one time things were going really well with this guy I met in Unova and I got so comfortable with him we decided to take the next step… And, um, I forgot to tell him something really important; I thought he would be fine with it… But as soon as I was naked and he saw me… The chest scars were one thing, but when I was completely vulnerable… He said I wasn’t a real man; said I wasn’t the body he was looking for and left me right there…” Willow stopped, realising he hadn’t looked at Jacq since he had started talking. “Shit, sorry-”

“No, no.” Jacq was looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. “Don’t be afraid to talk my ears off. It must have been horrible…” He shuffled a bit. “That guy didn’t deserve you, honestly. It didn’t matter if you had told him before, it shouldn’t have mattered to him. If he loved you then he wouldn’t have cared.” He gripped Willow’s hand, their fingers intertwining. “Don’t let him think you’re not worthy of someone, ok? Because one day you will find someone who treasures you for who you are.” Willow looked down at their hands and squeezed the smaller hand gently.

“Thank you, Jacq. It means everything to me to hear that.” Jacq let go of his friend’s hand, resting his chin on it. “How about you?”

“Don’t laugh, but the last date I had was over 15 years ago.”

Willow blinked. “Sorry? You’ve seriously not seen anyone for that long?”

“Nope. Guess I’ve been waiting for the right person to come along. I’ve had crushes, sure, but not since I’ve been a teacher.”

“Lady crushes or men?”

“I like both… But my last proper crush was a guy. I liked him for ages and ages and then suddenly I didn’t see him any more. But, that’s life, I guess.”

Willow raised an eyebrow. “Why did you stop seeing each other? Why didn’t you chase him if you liked him?”

“He wanted to do his own thing whereas I wanted something different in life, I guess… Nevermind, Ed, it’s getting late.” Jacq looked at his watch. “I’m kinda sad our dinner together has gone by so quick…” He looked almost sullen as he spoke. “Mesagoza’s a bit of a distance from here and taxi bills can rack up horribly fast… Hey, how about I drive you back to your place? We could talk in the car and stuff…” He quirked one eyebrow.

“Hmmm… depends.” Willow smirked.

“On?” His cheeky expression melted into worry.

“What sort of car do you have?” Quickly, the fear on his friend’s face vanished as he realised Willow was joking.

“Heh… A Volkswagen.”

“What type?”

“A… Volkswagen.” Now it was Willow’s turn to laugh. “What?”

“You remind me of someone, that’s all.”

“Who…?”

“Myself.”

There was a brief silence before Jacq spoke again.

“You wanna go in my car, right?”

“Course I do. I was only playing.”

~~~

The rain battered against the windscreen as Jacq drove down the highway, the two men in the car silent. Every so often the teacher would lick his lips as he tried to see properly out of the window.

“The rain’s getting really bad…” Jacq muttered. “It’s getting hard to see. Stupid rain.”

“I thought you liked the rain…” Both men smirked.

“I do, but I like not crashing the car more, especially with you in it.”

“Why does having me in the car change the amount of distaste you have for crashing the car?”

“I don’t want to kill you…? If I killed you I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” The car was plunged into another silence.

“Pull over.”

“Hm?”

“Pull over. I literally can’t see a thing.” The windscreen wipers were doing their best to get rid of the rain on the window, but their efforts weren’t enough. The only thing they could see was the headlights of the cars on the other side of the road. Jacq indicated that he was turning off and slowly pulled into a small wooded road off of the highway. He drove until the wood was deep enough that they couldn’t see the main road anymore. He turned his engine off and turned his head towards the professor.

“Sorry… This might delay us getting home.”

“I would rather stay here than die on the road trying to get to Mesagoza, to be fair.” Willow’s voice went lower, his eyes softening. “I don’t need to get back for anything anyway.”

“Neither do I. You might want to sleep though. You can go to sleep.” His hand slowly crept over to Willow’s side of the car, resting on his thigh. Willow scooped it up carefully.

“Can I ask you something, Jacq?”

“Go ahead.”

“Are your hands always cold or something? You like holding hands, that’s all. Or is it something here in Paldea that people do naturally?”

Jacq went silent.

“Jacq?”

“I’m not cold. I’m just wondering if I’m doing a bad job.”

Willow shook his head, his eyes wandering along every corner of Jacq’s face. “Can I ask you something else then?” His voice was merely a whisper.

“Mhm…”

“The guy you liked and then left… I had something similar, except I was the one who left. Can I ask who it was you liked?”

“Like, actually. I still like him now. Right now I’m thinking about him, thinking about what I could say to get him to like me back.” Jacq moved a little closer, his warm breath tickling Willow’s stubbled on his chin.

“You haven’t answered my question, Jacq.”

“Do I have to?”

“Only because I want to be the one who says I like you first.”

Jacq laughed softly, undoing his seatbelt and moving closer to the professor. “Maldito… I wanted to be the one who said it.”

“Say it then. Go on…” Jacq put his hand behind Willow’s head, the messy locks soft in between his fingers, so when he shuffled off of his seat and practically onto Willow’s the professor didn’t hit his head.

“I… I really like you, Eddie. I have for a long time. I hope you have too…”

“Course I have. Did you think the only reason I offered you my hand earlier was because I saw you shaking?”

“Not for a second.”

Both of them smiled, Jacq leaning in to peck Willow on the cheek. The professor blushed, heart pounding.

“You can do it on my lips, if you want.” So he did. The teacher licked his soft lips before pressing them against the other man’s, letting himself relax for a moment before pulling away. He brushed Willow’s hair away from his face before smiling.

“Thank you.”

“Why… are you thanking me?” Jacq kissed his cheek.

“For kissing me.”

“No, thank you for letting me.” He muttered into Willow’s ear. “You liked me as well, then?”

“Yeah… I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, though, but I feared I’d already done that by leaving.”

“Hey, we did what we needed to do. It didn’t ruin anything. If anything it made me like you even more, because when I started missing you that’s when I knew I liked you.” Willow gulped, reaching up to play with Jacq’s unruly hair. The teacher smiled warmly.

“I can’t believe you like me like this though.”

“I do, yeah. What isn’t there to like? You’re handsome, intelligent, funny, kind and honestly, Edison… I couldn’t ask for more in someone than you. You’re so goddamn amazing that you felt out of my league, though.”

“Are you serious? Jacq, you’re the smartest guy I know. Hell, you practically MADE the Pokedex!”

“Heh, not quite…”

“Oh, be quiet. You underestimate yourself.” Willow leaned towards Jacq’s face and kissed his cheek, feeling the prickly stubble on his lips.

“You, uh, wanna…?” Jacq gulped. “Do you want to be my…?”

“Hm?”

“Mi novio?” Jacq blurted out. “Sorry… my boyfriend.”

“Can we take it slow?”

“Of course, of course! Ed, we can do this however you want to.”

“Can I kiss you?”

Jacq nodded. “Por supuesto, amor.”

~~~

#jacq pokemon #willow x jacq #professor willow pokemon #postcardshipping #my fics #kittyfics #i can’t believe this i’m so mad #i have no idea what happened