Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sun was blazing down upon Tourmaline Desert, but the two girls hanging out inside a train-turned library cared not for it. They were too busy brainstorming ideas for their stage adaptation of Titania’s story.

The problem of the moment was deciding who should play their two protagonists, starting with the knight.

“Not Julia?”

“No. She’d insist on integrating explosives into the show.”

“How about Florinia?”

“No. She has a tendency to overact.”

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience!”

“You have no idea.”

“I guess that rules out Aya too.”

“Definitely. Besides, she’s still too prone to stage fright.”

Then Shelly snapped her fingers. “Hey…Serra has show business experience, so stage fright wouldn’t be a problem for her. Also, an Ice leader slaying a dragon? It’s perfect!”

“I will consider it. But appearing on TV doesn’t necessarily prepare one for the stage,” pointed out Titania.

“That is true…Are you going to consider Luna for a similar reason? She lives and breathes fairy tales.”

“I am indeed considering Luna. Perhaps as the princess and not the knight, however.”

“She’d probably prefer to be the princess, yeah…”

The unmistakable roar of a Salamence landing outside interrupted both girls’ trains of thought. A moment later, a pink-haired girl charged in and glomped Shelly.

“Hey Shelly!” cheered Heather. She then untangled herself and grinned at Titania. “Hello Titania. Am I interrupting something?”

“Yes,” Titania bluntly replied. “But Shelly did say she invited you out here, so I will overlook this for her sake.”

“Thanks!” said Heather. She then turned her attention back to Shelly. “So what did you want to ask me?”

“I wanted to know if you could lend us Salamence?” asked Shelly. “We need dragons for the play, and I thought it would be more fun if we used real dragons and not people in dragon suits.”

Heather cringed. “You thought of using dragon costumes for even a second?? Come on! Those are corny, lame, fragile, and make it way too obvious there’s a person in them!”

“Well, not everyone is a dragon tamer or is friends with one,” retorted Titania with the air of an offended costume designer.

“Okay, good point…” conceded Heather. “Anyway! You can borrow Salamence. But it’s gotta be a package deal! Let me be in your play too!”

“Oh, yeah!” burst out Shelly. “You’d definitely fit the character of the knight. Bold, brash, hammy…It’s perfect!”

“That’s me! I’m hammy and proud of it!” proclaimed Heather.

Then Shelly noticed an expression on Titania’s face that she never thought she’d see: a mischievous grin.

“So I suppose you wouldn’t mind playing the princess, huh Shelly?” asked Titania.

Shelly blushed crimson. Heather stared at Titania with her mouth agape, unsure if she should start laughing, tear her hair, or tear Titania’s hair.

Titania just leaned back in her seat, taking a satisfied sip of water. “Consider this payback for breaking our trains of thought,” she said as she drank.

Heather recovered quickly, however, and retorted, “How about you play the knight and Florinia plays the princess? How would you like that?”

Titania spat out her water. Shelly, still red-faced, stared at Heather slack jawed.

“I would NOT like that,” said Titania, glowering at Heather.

Heather just stood there with a triumphant smirk.

Chapter Text

“They wanted to do WHAT?!” demanded Ace.

“Throw the four keys into the deepest part of Azurine Lake,” repeated Elias. “As drastic as that would have been, I see my Lord’s point. There in the deep abyss, the keys would sow no pain, would not distort love, would not destroy faith, would not lead mortals to chase the nonexistent.”

“That is, if somebody never opened a portal at the bottom of the lake to retrieve them and start the whole destructive game over again,” remarked Taka. “No thanks. We’ve all had enough of being pushed around by kids with god complexes! No more.”

“So ultimately, Decibel gave us back the keys peacefully. On one hand, it feels like all the terror we sowed just to retrieve them was for naught. On the other hand…I am well and truly grateful for my Lord’s mercy,” said Elias solemnly.

Ace wiped their brow. The thought of Decibel considering tossing the four keys away just like that; the horrifying concept of a second child corrupted by Arceus’ power; the sheer fact that after years of pain and deceit, the four keys were with the Alcantara clan once more…it was all a bit much to process!

“Now what?” asked Ace.

The uncomfortable silence from Elias and Taka did not help Ace process the enormity of what was happening any better.

Taka broke the silence. “Let’s consider: Arceus is now out and about in the world under Decibel’s care. The door to the Citae is permanently open. Arceus’ meteor is no longer at its shrine. Our world is in no danger of being overwritten by the New World anytime soon. What, exactly, are the keys still useful for?”

Ace, despite themselves, grinned audaciously. “Well, I, for one, think you would be rather dashing if you wore all four of them, little prince. That Decibel never wore them is a fashion crime! A cultural crash! A thunderous blunder!”

Taka rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. “I’m not much of a jewelry person, Ace.”

“Not to mention, wearing all four keys like that would make you an easy target,” added Elias. “And I have no wish of finding out the hard way if exposure to all their energy at once would affect you the way it affected Sirius. (That is a road best not taken.)”

Taka and Ace cringed at the mention of Sirius. If they ever thought of him again, it would be too soon.

“Well, Decibel had all the keys on their person for months, and they appear to be sane,” remarked Taka.

“For a given definition of sane!” exclaimed Ace. “I still don’t understand why they rescued that inglorious gremlin! It’s absurd! Atrocious! Audacious!”

“No less than can be expected from my Lord,” responded Elias. “Their mercy extends even to the child who attempted to subvert their will to her desires. Though I admit, dealing with her tricks has been difficult.”

“Well, as long as she’s not pelting me with Sunkern or setting me up to be stabbed, I’m happy,” said Taka.

“In any case, as clan head, the final decision is yours, Mintaka,” said Elias.

Taka looked down at the box containing the four keys and smiled. “Okay. I know what we should do.”

--

“It probably is better this way........” remarked Laura.

“Indeed. Whether in light or darkness, beauty deserves to be seen by all,” replied Luna.

“As long as they’re not filched again! I wanna see my mom’s ring any time!” exclaimed Heather.

“My pendant be stolen again? Nuh uh!” said Anna. “Not with him guarding the museum!”

“This is complete overkill, is it not?” asked Bennett.

“It is a fitting role for it—but it is indeed overkill,” agreed Elias. “Then again, my Lord and their daughter always did have a flair for the dramatic.”

The four keys were now serving as the centerpiece for the Grand Gate Museum. Behind the pedestal upon which the keys were placed, Arceus stood ready to smite any potential thieves.

“beware of dog!” read the childishly-scrawled sign near it.

Chapter Text

The risk I took was calculated…but holy fuck am I bad at math! That was always Nia’s forte, not mine.

Such were the thoughts swirling inside Fern’s head as he lay on one of many beds in the backrooms of the Nightclub. Arclight and Cass had set up these rooms for the sake of anybody who got too drunk to function and/or got themselves injured partying, and Fern was very much non-functional right now.

God! Who knew Decibel was such a heavyweight?!

Fern had wanted to celebrate earning 18 badges, his promotion to Gym Leader of Neoteric Isle, and his sweep of the Elite Four, so he decided to challenge Decibel to a drinking contest. The fact that he was just barely drinking age and did not know how experienced Decibel was with alcohol never crossed his mind for a moment.

“I know I can’t beat you in battle, but I’m willing to bet you’re a lightweight!” he’d yelled to Decibel.

God, why hadn’t he paid more attention to Decibel's smirk and Elias' frown? Why did he let Decibel choose what kind of drink they would use for the challenge?

Most importantly, why did he not listen to Nia when she said this was a terrible idea?

“Remember Sis: I’m not a baby anymore, and I’m the Grass leader now. I can do this!” he’d said.

“If you insist…” Nia had said.

For his insistence, now he was lying in bed, a bucket placed near him in case he needed to barf again, a liter of water on the side table, and regret for his choices whirling in his head.

The moment he had smelled what Elias poured out for him and for Decibel, he knew he was in deep trouble.

Fern had only encountered coconut wine—or lambanog, as Grandfather had referred to it—once in his life, when he wasn’t old enough to drink it himself. Grandfather had ordered a bottle of it from the Perlas region when he’d gotten homesick, and drank it as easily as drinking water. As he drank, he loudly sang a dozen Perlas folk songs before finally passing out, smelling like coconuts all the while.

The smell of the wine in his shot glass was as powerful and alluring as he remembered. Then he’d gulped down his shot, and Fern immediately felt woozy.

If Decibel also felt dizzy after drinking their first shot, they weren’t showing it. They just looked at him benevolently. That look was enough to tick Fern off.

“Gimme shot number two!” he shouted. Elias obliged calmly and refilled their shot glasses.

As Fern gulped down the second shot, he felt even woozier. How the heck was Grandfather able to finish a bottle of this stuff in one night??

He looked at Decibel again, and they still weren’t visibly affected by the wine. That just made Fern more determined to beat them.

“More!” he yelled at Elias.

“Are you certain?” the old man had asked. “You are visibly intoxicated after merely two shots.”

“Screw that! I’m not losing to Decibel this time!”

“Very well,” said Elias, pouring Fern’s third shot with great misgivings, and Decibel’s third shot with not as many misgivings.

On the third shot, what should have been obvious to Fern from the beginning occurred to him right at that moment.

Oh god. This is the drink Decibel chose? They’ve gotta be from Perlas, too!

“Man, I’m stupid,” said Fern after he put his glass down.

That look from Decibel, as if they were asking him “Really??” did not make him feel any better. He thrust out his glass for more wine.

“Fern, are you sure???” asked Elias.

“Bring it on,” said Fern.

And so, Decibel and Fern drank their fourth shots.

Fern wasn’t completely sure what happened after his fourth shot. He just remembered that the music and lights in the Nightclub became overwhelmingly intense, then he felt himself spinning, then he was on the floor and his mouth tasted like coconut-flavored barf, and then he was being carried to the backrooms by Nia and Julia…

And then he thought he’d seen Decibel triumphantly fist pumping, taking Hardy’s guitar, and singing one of the folk songs Grandfather used to sing.

I must be more drunk than I thought, mused Fern before he lost consciousness completely. Decibel is making sounds with their mouth that aren’t battle commands!

--

When he came to, the first thing Fern noticed was how soft everything was.

Feels like marshmallows…

And then he realized what had happened.

“Man. That was utterly stupid,” he’d said to himself. “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I should know better by now. I’m still not ready to beat Decibel at anything. Argh…”

He groggily sat up and gulped down some of the water. Never thought water could taste so good…

Then he noticed the laconic handwritten note that had been placed next to the water. Fern read it.

I told you so. Sleep well.

-Nia

“Heh. You did indeed, Sis. You did indeed…”

Thus, Fern passed out again.

Chapter Text

“Was that really required??” demanded Ace.

“You know we can defend our own honor,” stated Ciel calmly but firmly.

“I always want to see you RAWR—but not like THAT!” said Terra seriously.

“Our rep is ruined…” mused Alistasia forlornly.

“Rrrrrrrrrgh,” growled Samson in a low tone that betrayed nothing but fury. He then closed his eyes and continued breathing rhythmically as he kept applying ice to his fist.

“And so is the jaw of the guy you punched out!” added Alistasia. “What were you thinking?! It’s not like we’re especially slush with funds for if he decides to press charges!”

“Please be quiet…” said Samson, still in that dangerously low tone.

There followed several long moments of tense silence, but for Samson’s continued controlled breathing and Ace fidgeting by shuffling a deck of cards.

Eventually, Terra broke the silence. “Listen, I know that guy reminded you of your old man. I know how much anger you still carry over him, and that you don’t always succeed in expressing that anger in a healthy way.”

She took Samson’s uninjured hand. “I’m aware of all that…but I also know that he’s far from the only person who’s going to view your relationship with Ciel and I in that manner. What are you going to do, slug everyone who calls us ‘baby factories?’”

She then whipped out her mallet with a flourish. “Leave some for Ciel to tie up and hang upside-down. And then I can eat them. RAWR!”

That broke the tension, and everybody laughed, even Samson.

“In all seriousness, darling,” said Ciel when she managed to catch her breath, “I do appreciate you fighting on our behalf. But there’s no need for you to do it all the time—and the last time you fought for my sake, you got stuck in a void for months!”

Samson shuddered slightly at that. Ace shot Terra a look, to which she responded with a casual shrug.

Ciel continued, “And as I said earlier, we can defend our own honor. Better yet—let us fight on your behalf for once. It isn’t necessary for you to put yourself in the line of fire all the time.”

Samson grinned. “I know. I just…lost it when he referred to you two like that. Guess I need to work on better ways to show I care. And talk to my therapist about this.”

“I know you care,” assured Ciel.

Then they both noticed that Terra was upside-down again.

“is it bad that I indeed want to produce lots of babies for you, bby?” she said.

Everybody else facepalmed, but they still hid grins under their hands.

“I’ll just go prepare for my act,” said Ace. “I won’t stop this from ruining the return of The Living Angel!”

“I know you won’t,” said Ciel happily. “Go for broke!”

“I’m going to keep running damage control,” said Alistasia.

“or I could just scrub all record of this, and then scrub him from existence too,” suggested Terra.

“NO,” everyone else said in unison.

Chapter Text

“Thanks so much for having me over, Blake!” squealed Lumi.

“You say that every week,” replied Blake. “But really, it’s no problem at all, kiddo. It is nice to hang out with you as yourself and not as part of ZEL. Zero really didn’t have any chill.”

“That he did not,” agreed Lumi. “And as fun as it is to play DnD with him nowadays, I still have mixed feelings about being near him by myself.”

“I can imagine,” said Blake.

They continued to eat frosted funnel cake in comfortable silence.

Lumi broke it. “I also say this every week, but you made this cake very well!”

“Heh. Not as good as I would like,” Blake answered. “It just doesn’t seem possible to make circus-style frosted funnel cake without a Slurpuff.”

“No need to emulate circus-style! Whitaker style is just fine,” assured Lumi.

“Yes. If you want the frosting to be actual frost and not cake frost,” deadpanned Blake.

That got Lumi giggling. She caught her breath, and the two friends continued eating cake quietly.

Lumi broke the silence again. “The renovations you’ve done here are going great. Make the Orphanage look lively and child-friendly,” she commented. “Decibel, Noel, Shelly…they’ve been telling me stories about how sterile and oppressive the place was before, and I’m glad I never saw it for myself.”

Blake shuddered and cut himself a larger piece of cake than normal. “Urgh. Connal had no chill at all. I looked at his records; more than half his budget went to ECT machines. Not a single penny went to cleaning the bloodstain on the third floor, let alone stuff that kids actually need.”

He chomped on his cake and added, “Also, he picked on Cal. He dragged Heather away against her will. No one gets to do that but me.”

That triggered a bigger laugh from Lumi. “You put that so bluntly!” she said as she tried to control her breathing.

Blake smirked. “Cal told me that part of self-improvement is owning my mistakes. How am I doing?”

Lumi gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re doing great,” she said.

A second of silence, and the two friends broke into peals of laughter.

“Seriously though,” said Blake when he stopped laughing, “do you ever think about the mistakes you’ve made, then think about Solaris and Sirius, and assure yourself that at least you’re not them?”

“Something like that,” replied Lumi. “I think about how they’re dead, and how they’ll never get a chance to make up for the mistakes they’ve made.”

“Yeah,” mused Blake. “We got a second chance. Snowball’s chance in hell I’m letting that go to waste.”

“Yup,” agreed Lumi.

They finished the rest of the cake in silence again.

This time, Blake broke it. “What game do you wanna play after we clean up here?”

Lumi had a determined look on her face. "No game this time. I wanna try my hand against the other Ice-type kid of Ametrine in a fight!"

"Are you sure you're not just saying that because you're bored of Smash?" asked Blake. 

"Smash is always fun!" retorted Lumi. "But I heard Serra was thinking of retiring, and I thought it'd be fun to take her place!" 

"Cool," said Blake. "I warn you though: I was high up in rank when I was Leader, and not just because Cal couldn't beat me."

"Bring it on!"

"Aight. Don't say I didn't warn you, kiddo," said Blake warmly. 

Chapter Text

“Again! Again!” squealed Anna.

“Sure,” said Noel, whereupon he turned the water green, the leaves red, the floor blue, and the walls purple.

“Hee hee hee! This is fun!” said Anna, spinning around with delight.

“It is indeed delightful,” said Luna calmly as she sipped her tea.

Noel smiled and drank some tea himself. “This is certainly a better gym than Dr. Connal’s old arena. At least nowadays, the arena is white because of snow and not because it’s just plain.”

“There is joy to be found in plain colors,” replied Luna. “But only if they are your personal choice and not something forced upon you.”

“Definitely,” agreed Noel.

Anna was still spinning. Then she abruptly stopped and said, “Hey! Do you think green water feels any different from blue water?”

“I’m fairly sure it’ll feel the same, but…” Noel started.

“Only one way to know for sure!” declared Anna, whereupon she raced to the pond and dived in with her clothes on.

Noel sighed with the air of a long-suffering old man. Luna, slightly taken aback, said, “Fantasia does know how to swim, does she not?”

“Yes. And the pond isn’t that deep anyway. She’ll be fine, but for a drenched dress.”

Sure enough, Anna surfaced. “Green water still feels like normal water,” she said, slightly let down. “Boring. I’m gonna go dry off!”

And she went off to a hidden nook to do just that.

Luna and Noel sat in comfortable silence. Then Noel broke it.

“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while, Luna,” he stated.

“By all means,” Luna replied.

“Thanks.”

Noel sat up straighter, and said, “A while back, I had asked Decibel if family is something you decide, or something you feel. They said it’s something you decide. I’m fairly sure they were thinking of you when they said that. Why did you choose Radomus as your father?”

Luna smiled. “Would it displease you if I said I made that decision because of my feelings?”

Noel chuckled. “On the contrary. I know feelings aren’t the only reason you made your choice.”

Luna, still smiling, continued, “No, they were not. My old friend and master, Mintaka, and I, had seen Elias and Solaris’ order begin its fall into extremism, its metamorphosis into what would become Team Meteor. He knew I would not be happy to participate in dragging the world into darkness against its will…so he ordered me to flee.

“Not that I had no plan in mind for where I would flee. Before my flight, I had heard many stories among the Meteors—Elias, in particular—about how a man matching Radomus’ description had deceived and abandoned them. I decided that any man with the cunning and the wit to stand up to Meteor would be a worthy father and master for me, so I knocked on his door and declared him Father.”

Noel smirked slightly at that. “I bet Dad didn’t take too kindly to a living reminder of his past arriving on his doorstep.”

Luna was again slightly taken aback. “That…is an angle I had not considered before. I had believed Father’s hesitance to open up to me, despite having taken me in, was because I alone could not fill the holes in his heart. The loss of you and Anna, the death of his wife…”

Then her smiled returned to her face. “It seems perceptiveness runs in our family as well.”

Noel returned her smile, albeit with a touch of bitterness. “Just because we can perceive a lot of things, doesn’t mean we perceive everything. It’s something I’ve learned the hard way over the years and months.”

He sipped his tea, and proceeded, “Anna can perceive the ‘true’ appearances of people, but she has trouble perceiving, let alone understanding, that others don’t see things the way she does. I can smell words. Sometimes, I can even taste them. But before I bonded with Xerneas, I wasn’t very good at expressing my own feelings or understanding others’ feelings.”

The colors of Rhodochrine Tree began to darken as Noel continued, “And Dad…from what he’s said of his past, he always had a talent for realizing when people were lying. But when it came to realizing people were upset with him, he was often willingly oblivious.”

The colors of the tree stopped darkening. Noel concluded, “He’s trying not to be, nowadays. We’re all trying. That much, I can appreciate.”

Luna smiled warmly at her adopted brother. Then she asked, “When you say we are all trying, do you include Elias in that statement?”

Noel pondered that carefully. “They do say a bridge is built from both sides. They also say it’s the parents’ responsibility to respect their children’s wishes. You told Elias you want space. He is giving you that space. I guess that’s his way of building his side of the bridge. You can build your side on your own time.”

Luna bowed her head to Noel. “Thank you, Painter. It is wisdom like yours that truly shines in infinite darkness.”

“Thanks. I think,” said Noel, chuckling slightly again.

Then a voice piped up from the hidden nook. “And hey, if and when you accept Elias, you can have TWO fathers!”

Noel and Luna glanced at the direction of the voice. “Anna, you were eavesdropping again, weren’t you?” asked Noel.

“Eep! No I wasn’t!” yelped Anna as she popped out of the nook, freshly-dried dress and all. “It was Nostra!”

“I believe you told me Nostra was taking a long rest, however,” said Luna.

“Ummmmm…okay, maybe I was eavesdropping. But I only heard the end of your conversation, I swear!” insisted Anna.

“Right…” said Noel, with the air of a boy who was just done with his sister.

Yet, as he sipped tea in his gym with his two sisters, he felt at peace with the world.

Chapter Text

“And I thought I had numerous books about bugs…” said Bennett as he skimmed a book, awestruck at Shelly’s personal library.

“Heheh…Big brother worship does that to a person,” replied Shelly shyly.

“Oh! So being a lepidopterist runs in your family?” asked Bennett as he sat next to Shelly, fascinated.

“Yes!” said Shelly eagerly. “My brother is also a Bug leader in Johto. I became a Bug leader in the first place to be just like him.” She rubbed the back of her head self-consciously as she added, “Lately, Johtonian challengers have been saying I’m a lot stronger than he is. I guess my efforts to become the greatest Bug trainer in the world are paying off!”

“You guess? They definitely are!” Bennett affirmed. “I mean, you’re strong enough to beat us, the Elite Four, and challenge Decibel. Not quite sufficient to beat them, of course, but just below Decibel’s level is still stronger than 95 percent of trainers.”

Then he himself rubbed the back of his head. “Er. That’s not a very reassuring way of telling you you’re powerful, is it?”

Shelly giggled. “It’s okay! I get what you mean.” She then looked at the floor again. “And yet, despite everything I’ve achieved, I still only ever get news about my brother secondhand and not from Bugsy himself…”

Bennett cringed sympathetically. He also took a moment to quietly thank his mother for encouraging his interests in bugs even though she didn’t understand them very much.

“Almost nobody I knew loved Bugs as much as I, yet they all encouraged me, especially Mother. You have a brother who shares your interests, yet he’s paid you no heed. Remind me to have Volcarona scorch him when I meet him.”

Shelly giggled again. “You kind of remind me of Cal. You even train Fire-types like he does. You even joined Meteor for a time, now that I think about it!”

Bennett shrugged. “Yes, but unlike Cal, I can defeat my sibling who trains a type that’s weak to my type.”

That made Shelly laugh even harder. “Why did we only now become friends?” she mused when she caught her breath.

Bennett took a moment to think. “Logistically,” he began, “travel between Lapis Ward and Spinel Town was, for years, not easy. Any time I could’ve spent traveling back and forth, I would’ve preferred to spend at home or in Chrysolia Forest.

“On a more emotional note…you would not have liked the person I was before. He would want to meet you only to defeat you and take your Gym Leadership for himself. Or worse, he would’ve been complicit in cheating you out of your position the way Elias cheated Laura out of hers. Either way, he would be so focused on his own goals that he would not take time to understand what your position means to you.

“However, now I am here as an Elite 4, having done things I regret and things I am proud of. I have learned much, and I see I have much to learn still. I do know, though, that in my current state, I can meet you as a friend and not as someone out to steal your position.”

Shelly stared at Bennett, eyes wide. “Okay…um. I meant that as a funny rhetorical question, but your frankness is appreciated! Reminds me a lot of Heather.”

Now it was Bennett’s turn to chuckle. “Yes. I have been on the receiving end of Heather’s frankness. She’s not nearly as verbose as I am, however.”

“That she is not,” agreed Shelly. Then she remembered something.

“Oh! Speaking of Elias. He and I had been planning to hang out at Beryl Library sometime. Would you like to join us?”

“Hmm. If you’ll be there, I can tolerate Elias’ presence,” replied Bennett. “But for now, I’d like to talk more about the literature you’ve got here!”

He opened the book he’d been skimming and continued, “Your books on insect ecology are far more detailed than mine! Where and how did you acquire them?”

Shelly smiled, and responded, “Well, as you see, I don’t live near a forest like you do. I can’t conduct studies in the field as easily as I could back in Johto. So I compensated by collecting books that are as detailed as possible. The one you’re holding now, written by a Bug Maniac in Sinnoh, is an excellent guide to insects in mountainous regions…”

Chapter Text

“You are contemplative again,” remarked Elias.

“Yeah. Guess I am,” said Zero. “Did my untouched rum make it obvious?”

“That, your hunched-over posture, and your quiet yet tense pulse. You miss Eve and Lumi’s presence more than usual, do you not?”

Zero stopped staring at his drink to stare at the old barkeep/priest.

“It doesn’t take a psychic to know what troubles you.”

“No. I guess not,” said Zero with a sigh. “I never realized just how quiet my own head could be until we were separated. Now I have nobody to distract me from my thoughts or my emotions.

“It’s been intense, wrestling alone with all the questions of life I would’ve scoffed at before I met them. ‘Why did we ever think we were right to do what we did?’ ‘What is my place in the universe?’ ‘Am I absolutely nothing without them?’

“It’s especially bad when I’m alone at night. When I was with them, I would’ve given anything to be alone in my own body again. Now that I actually am alone, there’s no one there to distract me from my feelings. Despair. Regret. Horror. Depression. Confusion. Feeling like I am broken, and always will be for the rest of my life.”

Zero gestured at Elias’ shades. “I wish there were shades for intense emotions like there are shades for intense light, you know?”

“Hohoho,” Elias chuckled benevolently. “Your emotions are valid, son. I, too, know what it is to feel broken.”

“Really?” Zero asked, leaning forward to listen to Elias. “That’s…news to me. With how sure you are of your faith, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a man who feels that way.”

Elias’ laugh was morose this time. “I have felt broken long before you were born.”

“Being born blind, I felt Arceus had created me broken on purpose. My own family and order treated me as if I were defective, both intentionally and unintentionally. Solaris had been ordered not to interact with me—his doing so, let alone befriending me, was an act of defiance for which he was often punished. I often felt his punishments were my fault.

“After I could see, I knew I would put my faith in Arceus for as long as I lived. But I still felt broken sometimes. Learning to read and write was frustrating from time to time. Adjusting to bright lights—sunlight reflecting off snow, the lights here in this Nightclub, sudden flashes in dark areas—even knowing that other people are sensitive to these kinds of light as well, I still felt I should not have to avert my gaze. After all, is all light not a gift from Arceus?

“Then there are other reasons I feel broken nowadays that have nothing to do with my sight. Knowing it’s my fault Luna drifted away from me. Knowing I could have done something to stop Sirius and Lin, but stayed my hand. Knowing I could’ve been there for Corey, but I wasn’t. Knowing that, even though he was resurrected, I could’ve prevented Taka from being killed in the first place—for that matter, knowing I could’ve prevented Solaris’ death.”

Elias poured himself a shot and gulped it down. Zero drank his own shot in sympathy. He found it was still good even at room temperature.

“He ordered me to stay focused on retrieving the Emerald Brooch and presiding over the Sanctum, and not to actively help him otherwise. He told me that if our enemies knew just how close we were, they wouldn’t hesitate to get at him by targeting me. He wanted me to succeed him if both he and Taka were killed.”

Elias poured himself another shot, taking only a sip this time.

“I should have disobeyed him. I should’ve done more for him. But I obeyed him blindly. And for my obedience, I found Angela fruitlessly trying to revive his corpse after Decibel disappeared. All I could do was gather what few members of the order were left and give him a dignified cremation.”

A few moments of silence passed for the two men, save for Elias sniffling slightly.

“Damn…” Zero eventually muttered. “How have you kept your faith even after all that? I’d be cursing God like hell if I were in your shoes.”

Elias smiled. “Would you believe me if I said I’ve written and uttered many such lamentations?”

“No way. You, curse God? You’re pulling my leg, old man!”

“It is natural and inevitable for children to curse their parents. It is the same with Arceus and His creations. (Such is the will of the Lord.)”

Zero just stared at Elias with a grin of disbelief and amusement.

“Talking to Arceus has indeed been therapeutic for me,” Elias stated firmly. “Even if He does not respond, He listens. I know, because He has listened and responded to me before. Giving me the gift of sight. Revealing His avatar to me. Allowing me a glimpse of our future.

“For this reason, even if He were to stop listening to me, I will still praise Him. I shall not let despair break me completely.”

Zero gazed at Elias with wonder. “Man…I wish I was as stalwart as you.”

“Do not fear, son,” Elias assured him. “If you take away nothing else from our conversation, just know this: you will not stay broken forever. Arceus shall not let any of His children stay broken forever.”

“Thanks, old man,” said Zero gratefully. “I’ll give talking to Arceus a try. Maybe if I let God hear my thoughts instead of keeping them all to myself, I’ll feel better.”

“I am certain you will,” Elias affirmed.

Chapter Text

Not even the bright moon could drown out the meteors blazing trails through the sky, crashing upon Teknite Ridge…then rising from their craters, coloring the chilly mountain air with an ethereal dance.

The Minor swarms descended into crevices, ascended onto Teknite’s spires, and spun around the heads of the two enbies bearing witness to them that evening.

“No matter how many times I watch the Minior’s dance, it never fails to send chills down my spine,” mused Adrienn, awestruck.

Decibel nodded happily, memories of watching the Minior’s stellar show with Taka playing in their head.

It was only when one Minior flew towards the New World door at the top of the slope did the two enbies remember what they were here for.

“Oh dear! Look at me, losing track of time again!” exclaimed Adrienn.

Decibel just smirked, shook their head, and continued climbing up the mountain.

--

“You know, considering how much this place feels like a cradle of new life, it’s only natural that Cosmog call this place home,” remarked Adrienn.

“Yes. Baby legends in an area called ‘The Cauldron of the Future.’ Lin was particularly on-the-nose with this one.”

Adrienn stared at Decibel, mouth agape.

“What? Just because I don’t talk doesn’t mean I can’t. Did you think I don’t open my mouth to command my mons?”

“N-no! Of course not,” stammered Adrienn. “It’s just…momentous to hear you speak outside of battle, is all.”

Decibel cackled. “Christ’s sakes, Adri, you’ve heard me sing!”

“Yes, and you were gorgeous!” Adrienn exclaimed. “Okay, correction: you rarely speak outside of battle or music! How’s that?”

Decibel shrugged. “Yeah, that works.”

Adrienn took a deep breath and wiped xyr brow. Decibel patted xem on the back.

“It’s not that momentous,” they remarked with a smirk.

“No. I suppose not. Not in the grand scheme of the Universe,” mused Adrienn, gazing out at the literally starry sea. “Still. I’ve always wondered why you speak so rarely.”

That query earned xem only folded arms and a raised eyebrow from Decibel.

“Oops! That’s prying too deeply, is it? My apologies,” said Adrienn sheepishly.

Decibel relaxed. “Apology accepted,” they assured. “All you need to know is that where I came from, I’ve frequently been silenced, ignored, and misunderstood. So I’ve chosen not to talk verbally unless I absolutely have to.”

Adrienn nodded gently. “I understand.”

The two enby buddies gazed out at the sea in silence for a moment.

Adrienn broke it. “If there’s a little thing I appreciate about you, it’s whenever you tell us what you want or need in writing. It’s much easier to record and remember that way, and harder to misinterpret!”

Decibel laughed sardonically. “Indeed. If only it worked on Danielle.”

“Oof. Yes, I can see how problematic dealing with her has been for you,” responded Adrienn, cringing. “Her help working the Anomaly cases is much appreciated, but I’m far from the only person who wishes she would tone her abrasiveness down a peg!”

“Mm. I often wonder why she’s like that. Do you think she’s venting her anger at ableism, she’s just being a rich bitch, or she’s just fucking with us?”

“Maybe we should try asking her.”

At that, the two enbies just glanced at each other, then burst into laughter.

“I’m sorry, that was a terrible suggestion!” giggled Adrienn.

“No worries, it’s not your worst suggestion,” snickered Decibel.

--

Adrienn and Decibel continued to take in the energy of the Cauldron in silence for quite some time. Then Adrienn spoke up.

“There’s another thing I don’t understand,” xe said.

“Go on,” Decibel invited.

Adrienn looked directly at xyr Champion and friend.

“I remember the day you disappeared. I had heard Anna’s pleading. Not just in my mind, but in my very soul. She asked me, and all the people of Reborn, to send you energy to defeat Lin. So I sent you energy.

“Clearly, however, you didn’t defeat Lin that time. You vanished, and even though she didn’t overwrite our world completely, she still used the New World to wreak havoc upon Reborn.”

“After everything she did—directing Meteor to commit full-on terrorism, torturing us, killing Ame—why did you choose to not defeat Lin? And when you found her again, why did you choose to save her?”

Decibel pondered their answer carefully.

“When Anna gave me the power to reach Lin—the real Lin,” they began, “I was prepared to stop her. I was ready to punish her for everything she’d done to us. I was ready to show her that—even if she had valid reasons to lash out at the world—her actions had consequences.

“But then, just as I was about to engage her, I asked myself two questions. First, if I defeated Lin at that point, and she lost control of Arceus, what would it do to her? Second, even if I did beat Lin, what would happen to Anna?”

Adrienn pondered those questions. “Well…if you had defeated Lin at that point, I suppose Arceus would have turned on her…oh.”

“Yep, that’s right,” said Decibel bluntly. “Oh. I immediately jumped to the worst case scenario, and I hated it.”

“But wouldn’t it have been best for everyone if you’d let Arceus have its way with her?” demanded Adrienn.

“No,” said Decibel firmly. “Not for her, and definitely not for Anna. If I’d let Arceus attack Lin, I’d have to live with letting a child get killed. I’d have to tell Anna that her old chess opponent died—that is, if Anna had even lived to hear that tale. As it was, the strain of wishing for me to reach Lin put her into deep Dreamsickness. I fear to think of what would’ve happened to Anna if I’d defeated Lin.”

Decibel gazed back at the starry sea with blue eyes that were far too old. “Lin and Anna have been through enough. I chose not to saddle them with more. Not in the Citae, and not in the New World Asylum.”

And then they smiled at Adrienn. “I don’t regret my choice in the least.”

Adrienn regarded xyr friend with a mix of awe and bewilderment. “I do not think I would have been as stalwart as you.”

“Understandable. I don’t regret it, but I do think about it a lot. I even wonder sometimes if I’m being disrespectful to Ame’s memory by adopting the person who killed her before my very eyes.”

The sheer calm with which Decibel said that was very disconcerting to Adrienn.

“But…I think even Ame would’ve chosen to save Lin, if only she had the chance to. She always did work herself to the bone for the sake of every person in Reborn.”

Decibel patted Adrienn on xyr back again.

“Much like someone else I know.”

Slowly, Adrienn smiled again. “Are you trying to tell me I should rest more?”

Decibel only gave xem an innocent look.

Then both enbies got startled by a noise.

A swarm of Minior had entered the Cauldron, and were now dancing over the starry sea.

Then, from the sea, a horde of Cosmog emerged.

“Meeee!” said the Minior.

“Pew!” greeted the Cosmog.

And the two swarms danced together.

“Watching this with you is a genuine treasure, Deci,” whispered Adrienn, eyes glued to the show.

“The feeling is mutual, Adri,” Decibel whispered back.

Chapter Text

I love this place so much.

Ever since she’d split her Academy responsibilities with Cal, and split her Grand Hall duties with Cain, Victoria had a lot more free time on her hands. She’d taken to meditating for longer hours, repairing her sleep schedule…and, at dawn and dusk, meditating while walking along the shoreline.

Victoria had always loved the seaside. Even before she’d come to Apophyll, she was in love with watching the rhythmic waves crashing against the shore, hearing the songs of far-off lands the wind brought to attentive ears, listening to the songs of Wingull gliding on the breeze, and burying her feet in the sand and feeling how smooth her skin got afterward.

Then she became a student here, and the shoreline, polluted as it was, embraced her as she reflected on her Sensei’s teachings of inner peace.

And then she herself became Sensei all too soon, and the brown lake washed away her bitter tears of anger, grief, and recrimination.

Finally, Decibel had stopped Lin, granted her a normal life, and restored peace to Reborn, so the once-again azure lake, beating against the ashy shore, echoed Victoria’s feelings of gratitude for her friend.

On this particular morning, she walked along the shore with practiced, unconscious paces, eyes shut and thinking of nothing but the rhythm of the waves.

Inhale….hold…….exhale……..inhale….hold…….exhale……..

Then, she heard someone singing.

Her first thought was Cain, but the voice wasn’t deep enough. It was still a familiar person’s voice however, and the more she listened to it, the more she realized she wasn’t expecting this person to be here.

She opened her eyes to confirm her guess, and sure enough, she saw a white-haired Fairy leader directly ahead of her.

“Good morning, Adri!” she called out.

Adrienn turned around to see who called xem, and saw her. “Oh! Good morning, Vic!” xe called back.

They ran up to each other and gave each other chaste pecks on the cheek by way of greeting.

“What brings you to Apophyll?” asked Victoria.

“Oh, I may have been hoping to run into you accidentally on purpose,” replied Adrienn, eliciting a chuckle.

“In all seriousness, I’ve been taking walks around my favorite places in the region now that I have more free time. Last week, I walked through Chrysolia Forest. The night before yesterday, I walked with Decibel up Teknite Ridge and into the Cauldron of the Future. And now I’m walking here, as you see.”

“Huh. I feel somehow flattered you consider Apophyll Beach one of your favorite places,” responded Victoria with a smile on her face.

“I genuinely do. The ashy beach makes me feel recharged. And the view of the lake, the island, and the city’s shoreline has always brought me peace,” said Adrienn.

“I’m glad it has,” said Victoria serenely.

The two managers of the Reborn League gazed out over the lake.

“You know,” Victoria mused, “I often think I’ve made peace with Kiki’s death. Then I look over the lake, and the city, and I find myself wondering what Kiki—not a Marshadow masquerading as her, but Kiki herself—would think if she were alive to see me now.”

“I’m certain she would be proud of you,” Adrienn assured. “I know I am.”

“On my best days, I’m sure she would be,” Victoria said. “But even though things are better now, I still have days where I think she’d be disappointed in me. Even when I acknowledge that feeling and firmly tell myself to move on, I can still hear her voice in my head saying, ‘You are letting external turmoil complicate your affairs.’”

Adrienn whistled at that. Xe played with the sand with xyr foot as xe pondered a response.

“You just miss her, and you want to do right by her,” xe said eventually. “That’s normal, and I’m sure she wouldn’t be disappointed in you for feeling that way. Lord knows I miss Ame, and want to do right by her.”

“Yeah…me too,” said Victoria. "But it's not Ame I hear scolding me."

The two friends watched the lake again, this time clinging to each other.

“I know you’ve always seen Kiki as your mother. Maybe, in your grief, you’re attributing the worst traits of your biological mother to Kiki?” offered Adrienn after a spell. “From what I’ve heard and read of Kiki, she really wasn’t one to express disappointment in her students.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “Huh. That’s…never occurred to me before.”

She let go of xem, and started to walk again. Xe followed leisurely.

“I’d thought of Kiki as my mom for so long, I sometimes forget I have a biological mother. It’s been ages since I even spoke to her, let alone interacted with her civilly. But I guess my trauma from how she treated me is affecting how I've been viewing Kiki.”

Adrienn quietly gave her another hug in response. Xe heard a sob, and hugged her more firmly.

As they hugged, Vic could see the sky getting brighter. Dawn was breaking.

“Sun’s rising,” she said. “Would you like to join us for breakfast?”

“I shall be honored,” answered Adrienn. "Thank you Vic."

"No, thank you."

Chapter Text

Saph……..this is a dinner party, not a war zone.

Everyone at the Voclain’s dinner table had engaged in small talk at least once. Laura, for her part, was currently talking with Luna about different kinds of tea. Charlotte and Bennett had connected via their mutual love for Volcarona, and Serra was complimenting Decibel’s fashion sense while they serenely savored their soup.

Saphira was having none of that. She was attacking her food, inhaling it as if she were a harried sailor trying to finish her hot meal in the middle of a storm. Her posture was robotic and stiff, and she hadn’t said a word to anyone since she’d entered Voclain Estate.

I knew bringing her here was a bad idea, but Serra was so insistent…….. thought Laura.

--

Earlier that week…

“Are you certain you want to invite all the Belroses, Mother?” Bennett asked. “There are several reasons Laura has kept me at arm’s length from them for the most part. From Saphira, especially. I don’t mind telling you I am not comfortable around her.”

“I am certain,” Serra responded. “I do want to meet the rest of your family, Laura. I’ve seen them around the Nightclub frequently, and even battled alongside them in the Pavilion a few times, but I’ve never gotten a chance to talk to them. If you’re anything to go by, they must be fascinating people!”

“Oh! Thank you,” said Laura modestly. “My sisters are indeed fascinating people, and I am glad you want to know them better. But I would like to consider Bennett’s feelings, as well as Saphira’s.”

“Maybe I could stay in my room for that night…” said Bennett in half-jest.

“Nonsense! No need to ground yourself,” retorted Serra. “How about you sit as far away from Saphira as possible. For good measure, perhaps Decibel could mediate between you and her. They do seem to have a talent for that.”

Decibel shrugged while sipping their tea.

“Those are…agreeable conditions,” mused Bennett. “It may not be as effective now, however. Saphira has been…ambivalent at best with them ever since they adopted Lin.”

Decibel nodded in affirmation.

“Well, it’s not like we’re going to invite Lin as well on that night. She’s getting better, but I’m certain she’ll spoil my meeting with my future children-in-law,” said Serra dryly.

Bennett’s cry of “MOTHER!” echoed through Aegir Cave, and so did everyone else’s embarrassed laughter.

--

I can’t exactly blame her for being tense, but you’d think she’d remember her table manners, at least……..thought Laura in the present day.

Serra glanced in Saphira’s direction, and decided to break the ice.

“So, what do you do for fun?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Saphira replied automatically.

Laura had to resist the urge to bury her head deep into her gloved hands. At least she’s responding……..

“Nothing? That seems unbelievable,” Serra remarked.

“Well, between rebuilding Labradorra, being the strongest Leader in Reborn, and looking after us, she has three full-time jobs,” said Charlotte dryly.

“Valid point,” Serra conceded.

“Always focused on her duties, my sister,” Laura smiled. “I’ve been trying to teach her to make tea, but her blends invariably taste more like flowers drenched in hot water than tea.”

“Isn’t that what all flower teas are?” wondered Charlotte.

“How can my own sister say such a thing?” Laura protested, scandalized.

“Kidding! Kidding!”

Serra chuckled at the sisters’ banter, and turned her attention back to Saphira. “You know, I’ve seen you on the cover of Dragon Tamer Monthly at least once. You have natural talent as a model. Did you enjoy yourself?”

“I only did those shoots for money,” Saphira said bluntly. “I attempted to bribe Connal into handing custody of my sisters to me. Enjoyment had nothing to do with it.”

Saph……..I know you don’t like small talk, but this is a new low, thought Laura exasperatedly.

“Oh! Well,” said Serra, a bit taken aback. “Then I suppose if I name the right price, you’d like to model for my personal agency?”

“No promises.”

“No problem. Perhaps we can discuss terms in detail after dinner?”

“…After dinner.”

I have to hand it to Serra; she is shrewd, mused Laura.

“Speaking of dinner,” Serra continued, “have you been enjoying your food? You’ve been eating so quickly, I thought you were going to choke.”

“Food is food. Enjoyment has nothing to do with it.”

“Ah, is that why everything you cook tastes like shit?” snarked Charlotte.

Laura could not resist the urge to bury her face in her hands this time.

“No worries,” assured Luna. “When it comes to culinary arts, everyone starts somewhere. Both Bennett and Mother can tell numerous stories to that effect.”

The two Voclains chuckled.

“Well, we’ve made a meal good enough to lure a Victini, so I’d say we cook pretty well,” said Serra humbly. “With practice, you can attract Legendaries, too!”

Decibel gave an affirming smile and thumbs-up.

Saphira grunted. “Connal never let me—or any of us—use the kitchen.”

“That was suffocating of him,” commented Serra.

Saphira dropped her utensils onto her plate and glared at Serra.

“You have no idea how suffocating. Don’t pretend you do.”

“Saph!” cried Laura. “This rudeness to our host is unnecessary!”

“No, no, she’s right,” said Serra quietly. “I indeed do not fully understand how suffocating your life under Dr. Connal was. I am merely a concerned mother trying to look out for one without mother.”

“Well, you’re not my mom, so fuck you and your concern!” yelled Saphira. “It wasn’t there when Connal tortured me and my sisters! It wasn’t there when Lin made our daily lives hell! It wasn’t there to stop your son from joining Meteor and hurting Laura!”

“Saphira—” Laura started.

“Fuck all of you! I’m going home!”

And with that, she stormed out, slamming every door in her way.

You could feel the tension at the table thicken to the point of needing a knife to cut through it.

“I’m…gonna go follow her,” said Charlotte quickly. “Gotta be sure she doesn’t burn Spinel down on her way out, or something. Excuse me.” With that, she, too, escaped outside.

Laura let out a long-suffering sigh. “I deeply apologize for my sister’s words…”

“No, it’s fine…” sighed Serra as she gripped both Bennett and Luna’s hands for comfort. “You were right, Bennett. I should’ve trusted your judgment and not invited the woman who hit you here.”

“Wait…you knew about that all this time?” asked Bennett, surprised.

“Chalk it up to mother’s instinct or just how well I know my own son, but yes, I knew,” admitted Serra. “However, I legitimately did want to meet her. I’ve been researching her background ever since she first appeared in Dragon Tamer, you know.”

“Oh…so you knew about us even back then,” said Laura.

“Yes. Not that I had confidence in my ability to adopt and raise more kids when I already had Bennett. But I was struck by how much Saphira reminded me of myself. Thrust into responsibilities at an untimely moment, being treated unfairly by men…not to mention the cynicism.”

“Just like, if you’ll pardon the expression, looking in a mirror?” offered Luna.

That pun deflated the tension considerably.

“Well, you’re here for us now, and I appreciate it,” assured Laura. “It would seem, however, that Saphira has utterly forgotten how to respond to caring mother figures.”

“That’s understandable,” said Serra with another sigh. “I don’t suppose you want to continue eating, do you?”

“Seems a waste to let the food get cold,” Decibel piped up.

“That is a good point,” said Bennett.

--

As Charlotte found out, Saphira had not gone home, but was instead punching a tree on the edge of Chrysolia Forest, sobbing bitterly all the while.

The firebug kept her distance and waited for her sister to calm down.

“Ugh. That was rude, uncalled for, and stupid,” Saphira eventually said.

“Well, I’m not the one you should be saying that to,” Charlotte answered. “Not tonight, at least.”

Saphira sighed. “It’s just…how is it fair that he’s connecting so well with Laura? How is it fair that Laura can forgive him so easily?”

She turned around to face Charlotte, her eyes brimming with tears anew.

“How is it fair that his mother’s alive and ours isn’t?”

“Whoa there,” said Charlotte as she rushed over to rub Saphira’s back. “I hope you’re not advocating for dumping Serra in lava just to get back at Bennett.”

“No, of course not. But…damn it, things are better now than they were months ago, I shouldn’t be so angry! I shouldn’t be losing control of myself so easily—!”

Saphira dissolved into sobbing again. Charlotte hugged her.

“Healing isn’t linear, sis. Don’t beat yourself up so badly over it.”

“Yeah…”

--

“…expunging the darkness from one’s heart is not a linear process,” Luna was saying.

“That is all too true,” replied Laura. Then the doorbell rang.

“Who wants to bet they came back?” asked Bennett with trepidation.

“I’ll answer it myself,” said Serra.

She went to the front door and opened it. Sure enough, Saphira was on the front step. Behind her, Charlotte gave a little wave.

“I’m sorry,” she said simply and quietly.

“Apology accepted,” said Serra, equally simply. Then she gave her a quick hug.

When she let go, Serra stated, “I can’t speak for my son, however.”

“I know. That’s why I came back.”

“Very well. Back to the dinner table, then?”

With that, the three women returned to the dining room. Bennett tensed up when he saw them, and Serra couldn’t blame him. She gave him a sad smile in response.

“I’m sorry I yelled at your mother,” Saphira addressed Bennett. “I’m also sorry I hurt you, back in Calcenon. I should’ve trusted you a lot more than I did. It was thanks to you that we were able to enter Labradorra at all, let alone liberate it.”

Bennett took a deep breath.

“Apology acknowledged,” he said. “But not accepted. You threw my mother’s hospitality in her face. I’m even less comfortable around you than I was before. Please leave.”

“I understand,” Saphira said. “I’ll go home—for real this time. Thank you for the meal, Serra.”

Serra nodded at her, and Saphira went on her way.

“Yeah…that was probably as good as it could get,” commented Charlotte after a long silence.

“It’s probably for the better she’s not here for dessert,” added Decibel dryly. “If she knew Lin and Elias helped me make this cake, she’d probably flip out again.”

The tension deflated once more, and Decibel started slicing and serving cake in earnest.

“She’d catch on if she tasted even a crumb,” said Charlotte. “Marshmallow lemon cake? That doesn’t scream ‘Lin’ at all.”

“Hmm, so Elias helped with this?” asked Luna as she tasted the cake. “Well. I suppose his experience with cooking is beneficial to you, Decibel.”

“Luna, you don’t know the half of it,” Decibel answered. "He's been a huge help at my house lately."

Luna hummed at that. Maybe I should talk to him again soon...

Chapter Text

A jaw-cracking yawn erupted from her, and Lumi looked at the clock. Midnight again…

“You don’t have to wait up for me,” Eve would insist repeatedly. “This is why you’re falling asleep in class!”

Yet there Lumi was, sitting at the table and writing in her diary, once again waiting for her sister. Chalk it up to love for her sister or hatred and fear of being alone; every night, she would wait for Eve to come back from her hospital shifts.

To her credit, Eve didn’t always come home this late. On most days, she would be home about eight or nine in the evening. Then they would sit, help themselves to some soup, and ask about each other’s days.

Eve would talk about operations she carried out, the antics of her fellow interns and of some of her supervisors, and the patients she consulted. Lumi would talk about her classmates, her homework, and her teachers.

That was what usually happened. But Lumi vividly remembered the first time Eve lost a patient.

Eve had come home on a midnight just like this one. When she saw Lumi was there waiting for her, instead of nagging her to go to bed, she said, “Let’s have a snowball fight.”

“At this hour?” asked an astonished Lumi.

“Yes,” replied Eve, in a robotic tone that left no room for objection.

Normally, Lumi could beat Eve in a snowball fight any day of the week. But that time, it felt like for every five snowballs Lumi threw, Eve pelted her with fifty. And her face was fiercely calm; her movements, efficient and tranquil; her snowballs, tightly packed and accurately thrown.

It was at that moment, Lumi realized: every time they’d had a snowball fight in the past, Eve had been holding back.

By the time Eve called it quits, Lumi had practically been buried in the snow. Eve got her out, got her inside the house, and helped her warm up, still with that eerie calm.

It was only then Eve said she’d lost her first patient. She then immediately fell on her bed and passed out.

Nowadays, whenever Eve came home from those days at work, she would just tell Lumi what happened, then jump into the shower, whereupon Lumi would hear sobbing. The mechanically calm tone and movement never went away, though.

Lumi took another sip of her hot chocolate, petting Glaceon for comfort. As much as she hated being alone, she hated seeing Eve like that even more. It reminded her too much of the bad old days: the days when she was working herself to the bone to find a cure for Lumi’s illness; the days when, as ZEL, she felt Eve take control and state clinically that a PULSE would die within a week, if not within that very day…

I guess that’s how she’s learned to deal with her sadness, thought Lumi. Compartmentalize it, focus entirely on the problem of the moment, then break down only when it's over.

The sound of the door opening snapped Lumi out of her reverie. Eve was home.

As Lumi beheld her, however, she saw there was no mechanical movement or calm face to be seen. Eve’s hands were shaking, and her eyes were brimming with tears.

The elder Seijaya locked eyes with her sister.

“Young married couple…train accident,” Eve choked out. “Wife died at the scene…husband died on my table…survived by two daughters…had to sit with them until social services got to them…”

Eve, unable to hold it back anymore, burst into tears. Lumi hugged her firmly and didn’t let go until she calmed down.

And this is why I wait for you, sis.

Chapter Text

Beryl Cemetery was no longer overgrown with trees, but Heather was still horribly disturbed by it.

Why am I here again? Oh, who am I kidding, I always know who I’m here for.

Heather numbly made her way through the graveyard, trying not to think about how disturbed she still was at the familiarity of so many names. She only had eyes for two headstones in particular.

Vanhanen…Connal…Molinar.

She kissed her hand and placed it gently upon the headstone labeled “Elena Molinar.” Then she nodded curtly at her dad’s grave.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone dancing over a headstone.

Are you freaking kidding me.

Heather walked over to the dancing blue-haired man. “Blake???”

Blake turned around to face her, still dancing. “Hi kiddo.”

“What the heck are you doing?”

“I’m mourning respectfully…Duh! I’m dancing over a grave!”

“Why? Isn’t that something you’re not supposed to do?”

“Not if the guy in the grave is a dick.”

Blake, still dancing, moved over so Heather could see the name on the headstone:

Richard Whitaker

“See what I mean?” asked Blake. “He’s literally a Dick.”

“Oh…” said Heather with dawning comprehension. “That’s your dad, isn’t it.”

“Hah,” said Blake haughtily. “Only biologically.”

“A lot of things about you and Cal make sense now.”

“Yup,” said Blake. “Apathy, nihilism, locking kids in sheds…I had a good role model, didn’t I?”

Blake’s bluntness made Heather chuckle, as did the fact that he was still dancing.

“You want to try dancing over your old man’s grave, too?”

That question very much did not make Heather laugh.

“HEY! Dad may have been nihilistic too, but he had something resembling a good reason for what he did!”

It sounded hollow even to Heather, but Blake stopped dancing and sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right, fam,” conceded Blake.

He glanced at Corey’s grave and saluted. “If he couldn’t protect you from anything else, he at least protected you from himself.” He then pointed to Richard’s grave. “Ol’ Dick here couldn’t even manage that.”

“From the moment Mom just up and left, he was never again a dad to us. Never took us to the circus again. Left us out in the snow. Beat our asses, often literally. I can count the days our place didn’t smell like whisky on one hand.

“Of course, since he was a cop, the boys in blue often looked the other way. But when he hit Cal while one of his colleagues was visiting, they couldn’t look away anymore. Put him in the slammer like that. And when his cellmate found out what he was in for, he himself got beat—badly enough that he bit the dust in the infirmary.”

Blake laughed—a long, cynical laugh that blotted out all joy.

“I’m…sorry?” said Heather awkwardly.

“You don’t gotta be,” replied Blake. “I’m the one who should be sorry to you, and everybody knows it. It’s why I took over the Orphanage. Cycle of abuse ain’t gonna break itself.”

“Yeah…” agreed Heather quietly.

The technically father-and-daughter duo stood over the grave in silence.

“So,” said Blake, breaking the silence, “if you won’t dance over your dad’s grave, wanna join me dancing over mine?”

After a moment, Heather shrugged. “Eh. Why not.”

--

Simon made his way to the two graves belonging to the women he loved.

Tara’s body, along with the bodies of his other old comrades, had been retrieved from Tanzan Cove a few days ago. When they’d run DNA tests on her body, it turned out she hadn’t been related to him after all.

“But then why does she share my name?” he’d wondered.

“It is merely a hypothesis, but perhaps she took your name in case she did not live long enough to be married to you,” Elias had replied.

That had filled his heart with both joy and sorrow anew, which is why he’d decided to come visit the graveyard as soon as he could.

When he reached Tara’s and Lyssa’s graves, however, he saw a very strange sight over the hill.

Borealis’ daughter and Canis Major were dancing over a grave.

“What—I mean—I just—What,” he muttered dumbfoundedly.

Chapter Text

It had been two days since the disastrous dinner with the Belroses, but Bennett was still shaken up by it.

One never realizes how large and empty a mansion is until you’re alone in it. Now I understand how Mother felt when I left…

With his concentration as frayed as it was, he couldn’t focus on the books Shelly lent him. I was so excited to read these, too…Maybe I should go for a walk.

Just as he got up from his desk to go for said walk, however, the doorbell rang. Bennett tensed up on instinct.

Just stay calm. At least whoever it is, they’re using the front door and not breaking in. Though they could be acting as a distraction for a burglar…

Carefully, he made his way downstairs and peeked through the peephole.

“Oh. Hello, Anna.”

“Hi!” greeted the prodigious psychic. “Can I come in?”

“No problem,” said Bennett, welcoming her in. “Come, sit.”

As Anna sat down on the couch, Bennett commented, “It is a pleasant surprise to see you, but what brings you here?”

“Ah! Well. Nostra—er, I had a feeling you might want company. Also, I remembered I never congratulated you for rising to fourth position in the Elite Four, so here I am!” said Anna with a flourish.

“Oh ho. That wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it,” said Bennett modestly.

“For someone like you who wears his heart on his sleeve? Compliments and affirmation are always necessary!” insisted Anna. “See? Your heart grew bigger just now! I’m surprised it still fits on there.”

Bennett looked down at his wrist, seeing nothing. No matter how many times she does that, I never get used to it. Aloud, he quipped, “Well, Mother always did nag me for wearing clothes too big for me. I guess it paid off after all.”

As Anna giggled, Bennett asked, “Do you want any snacks?”

“Do you have any upside-down supernova cake?”

“Uh…no.”

“Then tea and cookies will do!”

--

All in all, Anna was not unpleasant company, Bennett mused. Certainly better than that overprotective hothead of a sister Laura has…

“This tea tastes almost like Laura’s tea!” observed Anna.

“I learned from the best,” smiled Bennett. “Speaking of the best: I must admit, I’m a little surprised you haven’t asked for your old position back—or even challenged Decibel—since you woke up from Dreamsickness. Do you intend to do either?”

“Nuh uh!” replied Anna emphatically. “Nostra is still resting and I want to spend time with my family and my friends. I want to show them all I’m sorry for not telling them everything, so I’ll stay focused on them!”

“Understandable,” said Bennett sympathetically. “I haven’t been spending as much time with Mother as I would like.”

“I think she understands!” assured Anna. “Her face isn’t as cracked as it used to be.”

“Hmm. In any case, I should make sure to spend time with Mother. Thanks for your reassurance, though.”

A few moments of quiet passed as Anna and Bennett munched on their cookies.

“I was almost wishing you would ask for your position back,” said Bennett. “As much as it feels nice to have my own chamber, I felt more at ease when I was partnered with Laura.”

“I think she feels the same way,” answered Anna. “When she’s with you, I can see her, if indistinctly! She must really be comfortable around you.”

Bennett rubbed his head self-consciously. “She herself tells me that, and I still have trouble believing it sometimes.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll fully believe it soon! That’s how treating yourself with respect works, right?”

“Yes. Yes, it is,” said Bennett, a bit taken aback to hear his own advice parroted at him.

--

The tea and cookies had been eaten away, and now Bennett was watching Anna amuse herself by making funny faces in the estate’s mirrors.

Hard to believe she’s one of the strongest trainers in Reborn sometimes…

“Oh!” said Anna suddenly. “You traveled with Elias for some time, right? Did he ever tell you the story of how he saw himself in a mirror for the first time? It was one of the moments that sealed his faith in Arceus: seeing that he, too, was made in God’s image.”

“He didn’t tell me stories, much,” replied Bennett. “He mostly gave me orders, as well as assurances that what we were doing at the time was for Luna’s sake.”

“Awwwwh. You should ask him for stories sometime! As short as he is, he’s brimming with stories!”

That caught Bennett off-guard. “You see Elias as short?” he managed, between fits of laughter.

“Er…yes?” said Anna, a bit confused. “Why is that funny? When I told Elias that, he said it made sense. Besides, he’s not the only short adult in the world.”

“I suppose it does make sense, for a man who sees himself as a humble servant of God. But—” The mental image of a white-haired little man on a podium, proclaiming the word of God, caused words to fail Bennett, who fell down hollering with laughter.

“People will find humor in the strangest things…” said Anna wearily as she helped Bennett up.

Eventually, Bennett regained control of his breathing. “So…you consider Elias one of your friends?”

“Sure!” said Anna. “He was quite happy when I told him about what I see. ‘It is comforting to know another person who perceives the world differently,’ he told me once.”

Bennett hummed thoughtfully. “So he’s friends with you, and yet there’s no love lost between him and Radomus.”

“I’ve told him to knock it off many times!” Anna all but yelled. “I tell him he and Dad are quite similar, but that just makes him angrier.”

“Maybe that’s why they hate each other,” said Bennett.

After a beat, the two friends burst into laughter together.

Their laughing fit was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

“More company?” wondered Bennett aloud.

“Oh wait!” squealed Anna. “That might be somebody looking for me!” She hastily hid behind a bookshelf.

Oh dear. I think I have a very good idea who this is, thought Bennett as he went for the door.

Sure enough, when he checked the peephole, he was greeted by Noel’s weary face. “Come in!”

Noel came in, hellos were exchanged, and he asked, “Anna’s here, isn’t she?” Though it was more of a statement than a question.

“Yes,” affirmed Bennett. “Let me guess: you were playing hide-and-seek, and she wandered off again?”

From the other room, indignant squeals rang out. “Don’t give me away, Bennett!”

“Sorry!” he called back.

“Yeah,” replied Noel. “At least she decided to go here this time, not Chrysolia Deepwoods. That was rough.”

Bennett cringed sympathetically. “I don’t want to imagine how long it took you to find her that time, do I?”

“No, you don’t. Anyway, thanks for looking after her for us. I’ll pick her up now. Hopefully not literally.”

“My pleasure!”

Bennett hung back as Noel sought out his very indignant twin.

The Reborn League is altogether full of strange people, he reflected.

Chapter Text

Being an office drone isn’t so bad, Cain was thinking. Especially when your fellow drone is cute!

“Are you okay Cain?” asked Cal. “You’re staring at me pretty intensely.”

“Whoops!”

Cain decided to own it. “I was staring at you because your cuteness is mesmerizing~”

“Hehehe. Don’t you say that to everyone, though?”

“Well, why not? Who cares if we’re all ugly bags of mostly water—everybody is cute!”

“True! True.”

The two men continued to eat their lunch in peace.

“You know, Shelly speaks fondly of you,” spoke up Cal. “She appreciates how you took care of her and her friends when they were running from Connal, and how you made sure Heather was safe. Well, for a given definition of safe, considering she was with Blake!”

“Awh, Shelly sung my praises? She shouldn’t have,” sung Cain.

“Oh, believe me,” reassured Cal. “I can tell when Shelly compliments someone sincerely and when she’s just doing it to be polite. ‘He’s good with children,’ she said. ‘He’ll be a good father some day!’ Knowing her, she doesn’t say that about just anyone.”

That made Cain self-conscious. “Ahahaha…yeah. I don’t know about that…”

Before Cal could reply, Cain forged on, “I do appreciate looking after kids. Spending time with Shelly, Anna, Noel, and Charlotte was—and is—fun. They’re smarter than I am! Besides, someone had to help them get away from Dr. Geezer.”

He sighed. “And yet…I can’t help but be scared of what I’d end up doing to them if I had to look after them for a year, a decade, a lifetime. Between Mom, Dad, and Tez, I don’t exactly have the best role models for parenting to begin with, you know?”

Cal winced sympathetically.

“And then there’s my commitment issues,” Cain continued. “The more I work this job, the more I think I’m getting better with committing to tasks, responsibilities, and relationships. But what if things go wrong between me and my partner, and I regress and run again, leaving my kids to have to raise themselves? Better to just not, you feel me?”

Cal patted Cain’s back gently. “I do feel you. That’s rough, buddy.”

This time, Cal sighed. “Sometimes, I wonder why Shelly still considers me her friend after everything. After I blew up at her, let alone all the times she saw me blow up at other people, you’d think she’d leave me behind.”

He smiled wistfully, shook his head and added, “But she hasn’t. Maybe because she thinks I’m a better brother to her than her actual brother. Or perhaps I really am succeeding at not being my dad’s carbon copy.”

With a mischievous grin, Cain said, “What say you we adopt a kid together and find out just how badly we can screw up parenting?”

Cal stared back at him, deadpan. “Blake would deny us without even looking at us.”

The two men stared at each other, then broke into peals of laughter, earning stares from the other diners in the Spyce.

“It won’t do to worry too much about it now,” said Cal when he recovered. “No parent in the world knows everything about what they’re doing. But kids don’t need perfect; they just need good.”

“Yeah,” agreed Cain. “And nobody learns to be good without screwing around and finding out first.”

“Very true.”

The two men continued to eat in satisfied silence.

“You know, you’re not only cute, but you’re pleasant to talk to. I’m glad you’re working with me!” said Cain.

“The feeling is mutual, man,” said Cal.

Chapter Text

“hee hee hee…it’s mine, it’s mine, it’s MINE!”

Decibel smiled at Lin as she gleefully popped bubble wrap and tore wrapping paper apart. They then refocused on the task at hand: unwrapping the veritable mountain of presents they had received for their birthday.

Elias would weigh wrapped packages, Decibel would unwrap the packages and give the wrappings to Lin for her to play with, Decibel would hand the present back to Elias so he could check for traps, and finally, Elias would neatly arrange the presents into piles.

“I understand checking packages for traps, but letters, too?” Decibel had wondered aloud.

“I once saw Solaris nearly get cursed by a jinx that had been encoded in an anonymous letter he received,” replied Elias. “So do pardon my paranoia, my Lord. I would like to be more proactive with protecting you than I was with protecting my old master.”

Hence, the system they had going now. If nothing else, it was efficient, it stopped Lin from getting bored, and looking at the sorted piles of presents was pleasing.

Many people—acquaintances and fans, mostly—had sent Decibel letters and cards. Reborn’s business owners sent them gift certificates. Then there was a forlorn pile of unwrapped presents that Elias had sternly warned against handling at all.

“Some people have no sense of boundaries…” said Elias, shaking his head as he sniffed one particularly suspicious present.

And then there were the presents from all the friends and frenemies Decibel had made in Reborn.

A chemistry book from Julia, a book on deserts from Florinia, a handwritten booklet of stories from Shelly, a handwritten poem from Shade, an annotated volume of fairy tales from Titania, a medical dictionary from Eve, a guide to teamaking from Laura, a beginner’s guide to programming from Terra…Reading material was the way to Decibel’s heart.

Not that they didn’t appreciate the other kinds of presents. Hardy got them a guitar. Noel had painted a picture of the two of them with Xerneas. Radomus got them a chessboard. Anna had made a small golden doll in their likeness, and Bennett had crafted a Heracross sculpture.

“your presents are extravagant as fuck,” commented Lin as a beauty package from Serra was put away. “you sure they’re not just buttering you up?”

“Even if they are, I still love what they got me,” replied Decibel happily.

“fair. it seems saphira isn’t interested in doing that, tho.”

“Hm. You are right,” realized Elias. “All the Belroses gave you presents, except Saphira.”

“damn…she must really be upset you adopted the kid who pulled a kill steal on siggy, huh. even fern and amy got you things.”

Decibel frowned. Lin sounded oddly sad.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, kiddo,” they assured her, giving her a quick hug. “If she’s that upset about me adopting you, that’s her problem. At least she’s being honest about it.”

“You’d think she’d put that aside to pay tribute to her Champion on their birthday,” said Elias haughtily.

Lin sniffed a bit. “you’d think she’d be happier with you, for getting the kid who gave her hell out of her hair…”

Decibel sighed and ruffled Lin’s hair until she smiled again.

“You do raise a good point,” they mused. “Saphira is bound to interact with a lot more problem children when her sanctuary gets off the ground. Surely, she isn’t going to become this angry every time somebody adopts a kid she had trouble with?”

“I’m not inclined to put it past her,” said Elias sadly. “Forgiveness and second chances are underrated by many people, including her. Especially her, understandably.”

Decibel sighed again. “Forgiveness and second chances are the root of why she’s allowed to set up her sanctuary in the first place...For her sake, she better not throw them away.”

Elias patted their back. “Perhaps we should focus on our task and not be sidetracked by thoughts of vengeful dragon keepers, my Lord,” he offered.

Lin’s eyes lit up. “yes! gimme more bubble wrap.”

Decibel grinned admonishingly at their daughter. “What’s the magic word?”

“oh fine. please?”

“Sure!” they said, giving her a sheet.

“yay!” cheered Lin as she attacked it.

You are a fine parent, my Lord. Thank you for teaching me by example, thought Elias.

Chapter Text

“Good evening, Hardy!”

“Peace and love, mate!”

“Eeeeh! It’s Hardy! Can you sign my diary?”

“Thank you for your music, young man!”

Hardy graciously greeted back everybody who said hi to him as he walked.

I might forget each of these people tomorrow, but they’re gonna remember this forever, he thought. But man, what I wouldn’t give to have a quiet walk through the city again! Oh well.

He still loved taking walks through Agate at night. Feeling the chilly—but mild—evening air, tapping his feet on the cobbled streets, giving himself a workout climbing up and down the staircases, stopping to watch the waterfalls and think about life…these all brought him joy.

It’s not like rockstars always live our lives noisily. And my life has been very noisy lately.

He’d asked Aya if she wanted to walk with him, but ever since she’d moved in with him, she’d wanted to sleep as much as she could. “You know how much Mom and Tez kept me up at night??? How hard it is to sleep when you’ve been kidnapped? I’m taking fucking advantage of the quiet!” she’d said.

Any bets Aya is as dour as she is ‘cause of lack of sleep? he asked himself. Depression does make one too tired to rest.

As he kept walking, he saw a familiar guy in a sharp blue suit and hat, standing in front of a small house with a morose expression.

“Hey, old man!” Hardy called out.

The guy in question turned to him with an exasperated look on his face. “How many times must I tell you this?” demanded Radomus. “I am as young at heart as anybody!”

“I dunno,” replied Hardy wryly. “I figure being a single parent to three kids would make anybody age rapidly in today’s economy.”

Radomus huffed, though not unhappily. “Young man, when you yourself become a parent, I guarantee your kids will bring you such joy that you won’t even think of getting old.”

“Honestly? I hope so,” said Hardy sincerely. “Then again, ever since they adopted Lin, I think Decibel’s hair is getting whiter.”

Radomus just shrugged and sighed, amused despite himself.

“So, what brings you to my city?” asked Hardy.

“Oh, not much. Anna and Noel are asleep—or so I hope—Luna is with the Voclains, Gardevoir is working late helping Reborn TV prepare for its return, and I have idle hands. So, I figured I would come pay respects to an old friend. Agate is just a short walk from my home, after all.”

“That’s fair.”

Hardy beheld the house. Now that he thought about it, this house was oddly familiar.

“Y’know, there’s no record of this house ever having an owner, even though it’s obviously been lived in before,” he began. “But I remember when I’d just become Leader, I was taking a walk on a night like this, when I bumped into a guy leaving it. He was in tears, and he asked me to leave him alone when I asked if he was all right. Is that guy the one you’re paying respects to?”

“Oh yes,” said Radomus wistfully. “Yes, he is. He died a long time ago.”

“How did he die?”

Radomus frowned thoughtfully and a little sadly. Hardy wondered why he needed to think hard about the question, but decided to let it be.

“His spirit died long before his body did,” he eventually responded. “And it was all my fault.”

“What?” asked Hardy softly, taken aback. “You…you didn’t feed your friend to a Chandelure or something, did you?”

Radomus laughed bitterly. “Amusing you should say that. My friend, despite favoring Rock-types as you do, did have a Chandelure. Though I did not feed him to it. I may as well have, however, considering I was directly responsible for him deciding to join Team Meteor.”

Hardy took a moment to breathe. “You may be a foppish old man, but you certainly don’t seem like the kind of person who would lead people down that path!”

“You are very kind, Hardy,” Radomus said sadly. “But I am indeed that kind of person. Or at least, I was, and I hope never to be that person again. Lest I forget my past and be condemned to repeat it, would you like to hear the tragedy of Agent Andromeda and his friend Paul Clark?”

Radomus’ implicit confession to being an ex-Meteor sent shivers down Hardy’s spine, as did his lack of protest to being called “old man.” But against his better judgment, he quietly said “Yeah.”

“Very well,” Radomus said with a morose bow. “You may wish to sit down. Perhaps my friend will not mind if we make use of his old lodging.”

The Psychic leader entered the house, and Hardy numbly followed.

--

Among scattered papers and gemcrafting debris, the two men sat down, and Radomus began his story.

“I will always be eternally grateful to Paul, for being a friend to me at a time when I felt overlooked and ignored by the world. I truly should have shown him my thanks, but I was always one to take advantage of my loved ones. I hope I’m unlearning that with Noel and Anna’s help, but there is always the possibility of regression…

“In any case, take advantage of Paul, I did. One day, after we had not spoken to each other for some years, I showed up at his doorstep with a commission. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t reached out for so long, friend. Turn these four gems into jewelry, and I will ensure you never want for your material needs again.’ And with that, he set to work.

“He did not know I had been away because of my work for Meteor. He did not know that the money I paid him with was taken from Meteor’s coffers, or that I myself was responsible for relieving Yureyu of that money on Solaris’ orders. He did not know that the four gemstones, upon which he performed the most masterful crafting he’d ever done, were the four keys to Arceus’ shrine.

“He most certainly did not know that exposure to the energy of all four keys over a long period of time would have deleterious effects on his mental stability. Even I was surprised by how much his personality changed.

“There were many things he did not know about me. Not until—shortly after I had fled Meteor and reinvented my identity—Solaris himself knocked on his door and demanded that Paul tell him my whereabouts and to hand over the Emerald Brooch I had left him as a keepsake—or be executed.

“Solaris must’ve expected him to beg for his life or die resisting. He certainly couldn’t have expected that, buoyed by the pain of realizing his best friend had lied to him and betrayed him, Paul Clark would choose death that day, allowing Sirius to rise from his ashes.”

As Radomus fell silent, Hardy realized he had been shaking—with fear, with sadness, with rage, with all of them combined, he didn’t know. But he stared despairingly at the older man. He looked wearier and more aged than he’d ever seen him, but he wasn’t sure if he would ever have the heart to call him “old man” again.

“It’s because of you that Yureyu fell,” Hardy quietly accused.

“Yes,” said Radomus, eyes shut.

“It’s because of you that Heather and the Belroses are orphans.”

“Yes.”

“It’s because of you that Aya was kidnapped.”

“Yes.”

“Your separation from your kids was because of your own actions.”

“Oh…Yes.”

“Mate, what the hell?!” Hardy yelled, bolting from his chair.

“What the hell, indeed,” said Radomus, opening his eyes and letting tears fall. “I would count myself lucky if hell would let me in after everything I’ve done, everything I’ve enabled.”

Hardy shook his head, sad and angry. “Why tell me this?”

“As I said earlier: I must remember my past, lest I repeat it. Telling someone I trust helps me remember, and you were here to listen. Furthermore, you saw how Sirius died. You deserve to know how he was born.”

"...I'm outta here. Now."

Despite feeling like he could never walk again, Hardy managed to turn around and make for the doorway.

“Wait,” said Radomus.

With herculean effort, Hardy looked at the older man.

“Say nothing of this to anyone but Decibel,” the Psychic leader commanded. “I will tell this tale on my own terms. Do you understand?”

For a brief moment, Hardy felt he was staring into the eyes of the most dangerous Meteor yet, not the eyes of a man he had honestly come to respect for his dedication to his family.

He nodded numbly, and started the long walk home.

--

Aya woke up that night to a very strange sight: Hardy, still wide awake.

“Honey, it’s just after one. We’re supposed to be up by six,” she complained groggily.

“Sorry Aya,” said Hardy. “I’m just…thinking really hard, is all.”

“Less thinking, more sleeping. Isn’t that your thing?”

Hardy’s lack of reaction to her implicit insult concerned Aya greatly. She squeezed his shoulders.

“While I was walking tonight, I received a confession from an ex-Meteor,” he admitted. “It rattled me pretty hard.”

“Well, is this ex-Meteor planning any kidnappings? Gonna commit arson? Gonna have their Pokémon eat Decibel’s head?”

“Don’t think so…”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about, is there? Sleep soon, hon,” she said as she walked to the bathroom.

When Aya returned, she heard snoring and saw a deeply sleeping redhead under the covers.

There we go. All’s right in the world again, she thought happily as she went back to sleep.

Chapter Text

“Okay, that’s it then!” said Amaria happily. “Now I just need to put in the order with the contractors and plant breeders. Thanks Fern!”

“No prob,” smiled Fern. “Least I can do to make up for getting your place flooded.”

“Hee hee! As I told Tania back then: I like it better this way.”

Amaria chuckled genuinely—something she admittedly was not used to doing still.

Regardless of every surprise that had brought her joy these past weeks and months—remaining friends with Rini and Julia even though she’d broken up with Tania, seeing that Decibel was still willing to help her and befriend her despite everything, watching Fern and Rini patch things up—a dark part of Amaria was still waiting for the other shoe to drop; for somebody to tell her that all the restored relationships around her were facades for hatred and fury.

But they were real. Julia having a stable boyfriend—that was real. Rini smiling and wearing the shoes Fern got her all those years ago—that was real. Fern being in her home willingly, helping her plan out which aquatic plants should go where—that was very much real.

Fern got up from his seat and stretched. “I really hope you’re not lying about that!” he quipped. “That sure is a lot of books wasted…”

“I don’t think I was ever going to read those anyway,” replied Amaria as she herself stretched. “Books were always Tania’s forte, not mine. Though I did feel a bit guilty when Shelly visited. I thought for sure she would fall over from sheer distress when she saw my shelf!”

Fern waved it off. “Shelly’s made of tougher stuff than that.” He then looked sideways awkwardly. “I’m not proud of how I know that for sure, but she’s truly stronger than she knows.”

“I feel like you’re about to say, ‘And so are you,’” mused Amaria.

“Well, yeah. But it just feels—weird, being approached by her and being asked if I want to borrow her books on aquatic bugs. Knowing people still want to give me a second glance, let alone a second chance, after everything I’ve done…it scares me a bit, you know?”

“Well, you’re making people smile, like you’ve always wanted,” assured Amaria. “People are glad you’re back. I know I am—and so is Rini.”

Fern smiled sadly. “It’s ironic. Months ago, I’d be praising myself for how much I made people smile when I was just making people upset instead. Now people are actually happy with me, and I tell myself they aren’t.”

He shook his head wistfully. “The lies we tell ourselves really are the best lies, huh?”

Amaria laughed, long and hard.

“Damn…I could’ve sworn you were gonna cause a rockslide from how much you were laughing,” commented Fern. “Come to think of it, when was the last time you laughed like that, rather than just chuckling politely?”

“I honestly don’t know,” said Amaria, wiping tears from her eyes. “Which means it’s been too long, huh?”

“Yeah…”

The two Leaders leaned back on Fiore Manor’s porch, taking in the serenity of Celestinine Cascade.

“You’re very much right,” Amaria said firmly. “Lies we tell ourselves are the most effective. God knows how much I’ve told myself Decibel’s a jerk. That they’re the ones who took Tania away from me. That they were just talking to me in the Nightclub out of pity. Ha!”

She gestured at the view of Azurine Lake. “I mean, purifying the lake while helping Tania rescue me? Funding the Railnet, the Azurine Nature Center, and SOLICE? Backing me up against Meteors? Not even lifelong residents of Reborn have been that effective at helping the city—and as for fighting Meteors together, as far as I remember, we only did that once. And after I tried to drown them, to boot!”

Fern grinned sympathetically. “Decibel’s too good to be true,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “They have a Roselia while I still only have a Budew? They must’ve cheated. They sweep me every time we fight? I let them win. Nia asks them for help with Meteor instead of me? Nia must be insane.”

He then shook his head derisively. “I join the terrorists destroying the region? I’m still the good guy! Nia doesn’t join Meteor with me? Clearly, she’s the bad guy here. I attempt to put an arrow between Decibel’s eyes? Well, they shouldn’t be standing in the way of my arrows in the first place! It’s not like anybody will miss them.”

Fern buried his face in his hand. “Ugh! We really are suckers for our own lies…”

Amaria patted his back kindly. “Yeah, we are…But consider this statement: Decibel’s too forgiving for their own good. Rini, even more so!”

“I dunno. I love Sis to death, but it’s hard to be more forgiving than the adopted parent of the girl who trolled the world.”

“Trolled the world, huh? Interesting way to describe killing Ame, leading a religious order into terrorism, and scarring your face.”

“Yeah, that was Titania’s fault, not Lin’s,” corrected Fern. “Though she did leave me behind after the fact. And I had it coming anyway.”

“Don’t say that! You didn’t deserve to be hurt like that,” said Amaria firmly. “Nobody ever does, no matter how much of a jerk they may be.”

“Now who’s being too forgiving?”

“Hee hee hee…seriously though. You didn’t deserve to be alone after you didn’t get so much as a ‘thank you’ from Rini when you got her those shoes. I saw how much you were hurting, but I was too concerned with my own pain to reach out to you. Maybe if someone had been by your side then, none of this would have happened.”

Fern smiled benevolently. “Don’t beat yourself up about that, Amy. What’s happened, happened. At least you’re by my side now.”

“Yeah…”

Fern got up from his seat again. “Welp, I need to return to my gym soon. Thanks for having me over!”

“Thanks for your help! See ya~”

Chapter Text

If Decibel was able to solve Dad’s puzzles so easily, why don’t they play chess more? They don’t even play with Lin. Hmmm…maybe Lin doesn’t want to play chess anymore. Which I totally get!

But then what kind of games does Decibel play with her? Last I checked, Lin doesn’t know any video games, does she? Maybe Decibel is teaching her…ah! There he is!

As soon as she entered the main gym arena, Anna dashed to the back of the room, where a pair of pink wings was poking out of the black King. “Found you again!” she cheered.

A groan bellowed from the King. “How do you keep finding me so easily?” asked Taka in disbelief as he emerged from his hiding place.

“I’ve told you already!” Anna insisted. “Your wings keep poking out and giving you away!”

“And I keep telling you, humans don’t have wings,” said Taka wearily. “Argh. I give up. You’re too good at this. Can we rest?”

“Okay, sure! Your wings are drooping anyway.”

He really is just like Noel before he learned how to paint the world, thought Anna as the two of them walked to the castle lobby. At least he doesn't have a broken wing anymore!

--

This girl makes Luna look sane and rational, thought Taka as the two of them ate upside-down supernova cake. Why did I agree to look after her again?

“How do you like the castle?” Anna asked eagerly.

“It’s fine, I guess,” he replied noncommittally. “I don’t exactly have a lot of points of comparison. Or good memories of castles, for that matter. Last time I was in one, I was pushed forward in time and got drenched in anomalous energy.”

“Oh. Oops?”

“Not your fault. I think. Certainly beats being stabbed and dying while Decibel watches.”

“Ouch! Yes, it does, doesn’t it?”

“Mm hmm. It also beats going to castle ruins with your dad, and getting yelled at because you didn’t do what he wanted you to do.”

“Your dad is mean!”

“You have no idea…”

They continued eating cake in silence. Then Anna had another question.

“Didn’t your family have a non-ruined castle of your own before?”

“We did,” answered Taka. “It’s Charous Hall now.”

“Oh. Oops?”

Then Anna snapped her fingers. “Oh right! Elias told me about that already! How could I forget?”

Taka shrugged. “Meh. It’s probably for the better you forget. My family history doesn’t exactly smell like roses.”

“But that’s exactly why you should remember it!” insisted Anna. “If you don’t remember your past, you’re cursed to repeat it!”

“Heh. You really do hang out with Elias a lot, don’t you?” chuckled Taka. “He gave me an earful about that, when he found out we’d burned the Sanctum down. If Ace hadn’t shown him they’d made digital copies of all the lore that was in there, I would’ve never heard the end of it.”

“Yep! He and Dad both taught me that saying! I really don’t understand why they aren’t friends…” said Anna sadly.

“Well, if Decibel can adopt the kid who nearly ended the world, then surely those two will be friends someday,” quipped Taka.

Anna broke into peals of laughter at that.

Heh. Maybe looking after her isn’t so bad, he thought contentedly. Certainly beats looking after Lin.

Chapter Text

@buzzybo438933: @BassistAya you purple girl suck more ass than purple dinosaur

@RatOnTheStreet5656: That boyfriend of Aya thinks she’s so hot, but she’s not. She’s ain’t nothing but a THOT!

@HolyServant314: Aya LaRue should go home and be a quiet housewife. The Lord demands it!

@BigBadSt0ne: @BassistAya Hey, aren’t you the chick Meteor kidnapped back then? They oughta have fucked you while they had you! Then we wouldn’t have to hear your offbeat rhythm all day!

“FUCK!” yelled Aya as she threw her phone to the floor. “So much for a good morning…”

“Welp, not again,” said Charlotte as she lazily got up, picked up the phone, and gave it back to Aya. “Damn, these things are sturdy. I bet it wouldn’t even be scorched if I had Ninetales torch it.”

“I suppose this is a well-made phone…” conceded Aya. “But…fuck! Where the hell are all these trolls coming from??? I mute, block and report one, and it’s like ten more show up!”

“It’s Chatter,” said Charlotte dismissively. “There are trolls in every thread. They’ll troll and flame anybody, even Decibel and Shelly.”

“Not even Shelly’s trolls are this numerous! Or tag her in their rape threats!” Aya yelled.

Oh no. Aya seemed on the verge of a breakdown. Charlotte rubbed her back.

“Hey. Hey! Look at me. Breathe.”

Her firm words got to the Poison leader, who stared into her eyes and breathed deeply.

“There we go,” Charlotte comforted, once Aya calmed down. “Remember: true beauty is in having control. You can’t control what other people say about you, but you can control how you deal with it. I know you know that.”

“Yeah, I do…” said Aya. “It’s just…overwhelming sometimes, knowing that I got away from Tez, but there are still thousands of people like him out there. And I feel like they’re all coming for me. Argh.”

“You could always delete Chatter and not deal with ‘em at all,” Charlotte said bluntly. “And don’t tell me again having Chatter presence was a suggestion from Hardy. He’s not the one with a troll army on his back.”

After a moment, Aya wordlessly deleted the Chatter app.

“There we go,” Charlotte said pleasantly. “Problem solved. If he’s as good a boyfriend as you think he is, he’ll understand.”

“Yeah…” said Aya.

“Speaking of, is he still asleep?”

“Yeah,” replied Aya exasperatedly. “He was up ‘til one last night. Something about being still shaken by what that ex-Meteor told him a few nights ago?”

“Huh. I don’t know any of our old Meteor pals are planning anything, or I’d have burned them up by now. So why is he so worried?”

“He won’t tell me any details…But he’s also not doing anything about it.”

Charlotte hummed at that. “I’ll stay here until he wakes up. He could do with watching something burn. And so do you.”

“That may not be for a while yet. You know how he is.”

“It’s fine. If challengers need me, I’ll just fly to Calcenon. If Saph needs me…blah. Waiting for Hardy to wake up is more fun than helping Saph with paperwork any day.”

If Aya noticed how Charlotte said that a little too bitterly, she wasn’t showing it. She just smiled gratefully and said, “Thanks, Charlotte.”

“No prob.”

--

“No. Problem!” said Tez. “Good work today, guys!”

He logged off Chatter, whistling merrily. Easiest money of my life! Fuck bitches, get money. And Aya always was a bitch.

He was about to get up from his desk when he heard beeping.

Weird. Don’t think I’ve ever heard my PC beep like that before…

The man cave exploded.

--

“BOOM!” said Julia, cackling and reveling in the power of remotely controlled explosives. “Take that! Nobody flames Aya and gets away with it!”

Teaching this girl to hack computers was a mistake, thought Florinia.

Chapter Text

“Oh wow, oh wow! It’s him! It’s Decibel! He’s gonna be on TV!”

“Mark!” admonished Blake, though not unhappily. “How many times do I gotta tell you? Decibel is neither a guy nor a girl and goes by they/them!”

“But then why does he…why do they look like a man?” asked Mark.

“They were assigned male at birth, they couldn’t help that.”

Mark thought that over, then squealed, “OOH! So if I wanted to, I could choose to be a girl even though I have a dick?”

Mark’s blunt language prompted embarrassed laughter from all Blake’s charges. Blake sighed and said, “Yes. We can talk about it more later, but let’s chill and enjoy the show for now, yeah?”

--

“Thank God we found the community TV again just in time for Reborn TV’s return!” said Lettie with exasperation and relief.

The suspicious looks exchanged between two roommates went unnoticed by Apophyll’s second-in-command as she finished setting up the TV. “Hoo hoo! No way I’m missing Decibel’s tell all! I think this’ll be the first time I’ll ever hear them talk!”

--

“Decibel’s segment is starting,” mused Laura. “Are you certain Saphira will not watch with us?”

“As sure as the hard stare she gave me when I asked,” replied Charlotte. “I feel like she just wants an excuse to collapse onto all the paperwork she brought home with her, though.”

“Oh well. I’ll just lend her the tape after the fact, then.”

“She’ll probably just Hyper Beam the tape away.”

“I’ll have words if she does that! I’m taping the show for myself too, you know!”

“Okay, that’s fair…”

--

“Aaaaaaaaaaaand we’re back, folks!” proclaimed Arclight jovially, taking in the energy of the studio audience. “The Investigation Squad is LIVE, eager and ready to keep celebrating our return to the airwaves! Once again, I’m DJ Arclight.”

“And I’m Gossip Gardevoir! And I’m certain you all know our next guest, because they are my friend and yours: please welcome Reborn’s Champion, Decibel de la Cruz!”

Cheers, screams, and applause rocked the studio as Decibel came out onto the stage. They shook Gardevoir’s hand, hugged Arclight, and waved at the crowd. They reserved their happiest waves for the front row, where Luna and the Vanhanens were sitting to support Gardevoir.

Eventually, Decibel sat down, and the crowd’s din fell silent.

“Thank you so much for being here, dude!” said Arclight.

“It’s no trouble,” said Decibel humbly. “Just wanted to make sure Reborn TV’s first night back on the air is memorable, yeah?”

“It’s already memorable, considering you’re talking aloud!” quipped Gardevoir. “I thought for sure you’d be quieter than Shade and this interview would be nothing but us playing charades!”

Decibel just raised their eyebrow at Gardevoir in amusement.

“Oooh…maybe we better start asking questions before they clam up for good!” said Gardevoir hurriedly.

Decibel chuckled. “Don’t worry! I’ll be a cooperative interviewee. No way am I gonna waste this chance to talk to both Gossip Gardevoir and DJ Arclight.”

“You honor us,” said Arclight. Then he got right into the interview.

“You lived in the Perlas region for most of your life, and you traveled from there to take on the Reborn League. But it turns out, you were born here? Tell us about that.”

“Right…so, I was indeed born here, twenty-six years ago. My parents were grad students at Onyx Trainer’s School—or the Pokémon Technical Institute, as it was known then—when they had me. Understandably, they delayed their schoolwork to raise me, but they were able to finish their studies by the time I turned five. So we returned to Perlas as soon as possible.”

“That must not have been fun, going ‘home’ to a place you’d never been before,” said Gardevoir a bit sadly. “Is that why you returned to Reborn?”

Decibel nodded. “It’s part of the reason. Obviously, taking on the League was a huge draw for me. But I also wanted to find myself, learn about myself, establish my own identity outside my parents’ shadows. Lots of people in Perlas—my parents included—always thought I’d pursue a career in the academe, but I didn’t want that to be the course of my life. Doing constant research that almost never reaches laymen, getting dicked around by scholastic politics, having to impart knowledge to often-recalcitrant students—that drained the life out of my parents more than they cared to admit. So I decided to return to the place I was born.”

Arclight nodded. “An understandable ambition. But I must say, however: I can’t believe you preferred Reborn, as it was when you first arrived, over a relatively peaceful life as a professor.”

Decibel laughed. “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing as I prepared to come here and as I was traveling. People kept describing Reborn as a dump! They told me I was crazy to even think of coming here! They warned me I was being too nostalgic for a place I hadn’t lived in in twenty-one years.”

They smiled sadly. “I just really wanted to come back here, man. Dump or not, this is the first, best home I’ve known.”

The audience clapped somberly as Gardevoir patted Decibel’s back. Arclight prepped the next question.

“I’m glad you’re still able to say that even after…well, everything. How do you ground yourself? How have you remained stalwart after all this time?”

“Well, stopping to breathe deeply every now and then helps. On a deeper level, however, I’ve long since come to terms with the fact that nothing really matters. Everyone dies, and everything will be forgotten, even the Universe itself. Nothing really matters…therefore, all that matters is what we do. This is why I tried to save lives instead of taking them. This is why I fought Meteor, instead of letting them have their way. And this is why I forgive people, instead of punishing them.”

As the audience clapped, Gardevoir asked, “I guess that explains why you adopted Lin, instead of letting Arceus give her a smack on the rear?”

Decibel nodded. “Arceus would’ve done more than just smack her rear, for one thing. But also, when I got to see her face-to-face, I saw the face of a child, thrown to the margins of the world, crying for justice. Crying to know why life had been so cruel, not content with the answer of ‘C’est la vie.’ Even knowing what she had done, I couldn’t just abandon her. Besides, I hardly believe people are evil at heart in the first place. Some of them just don’t know how to be good.”

Arclight nodded. “You really do love that kid, huh?”

“I do. Which is why, if she’s still awake by the time this interview is done, her ass is grounded.”

The studio roared with laughter.

--

“you can’t tell me what to do!” yelled Lin at the TV. But she was grinning. Elias sat next to her with a benevolent expression.

--

“With all the love and respect in the world—especially since you donated the funds needed to rebuild the station—I want to confirm some rumors about the time you disappeared!” insisted Gardevoir, bringing out a long sheet of questions.

“Oh dear. Are these what I think they are?” asked Decibel with a hint of dread.

“No worries!” assured Gardevoir. “We’ll be quick with these! They’re just yes or no questions! Anyway, did you seal yourself on the moon to stop Lin?”

Oh boy. “No.”

“Were you kidnapped by a Darkrai?”

“Only one time. If it happens again, it will be too soon!”

“Are you the avatar of Arceus?”

“Not as far as I know…”

“Were you kidnapped by a Necrozma?”

“No, but I had a hard fight against it.”

“Did you hide up Mt. Ametrine to meditate for months?”

“No. Too cold up there.”

“Did you become the moon?”

“No!”

“Are you a Zoroark in disguise?”

“No—and I just want to say for the record: Hardy Andersen, you lost to Rayquaza on a snowy mountain. You are pure of heart and dumb of ass.”

“As if everybody in Reborn doesn’t already know that!” said Gardevoir as the audience hollered. “Anyway…”

--

“Oh come off it!” said Hardy backstage, as Cain and Aya doubled over laughing and Titiania smirked. “Especially you, Aya! You believed they were a Zoroark too!”

“Yes, but I’m not the one who wiped to Rayquaza,” snickered Aya.

“Damn it, nobody loves me…”

--

“Are you a Wimpod?”

“No, or I’d have run off stage by now.”

“Were you ever in witness protection?”

“Nope! Who needs that when I have my mons and my friends?”

“Ha! True. Moving on, did you ever elope with Titania Andersen?”

“Nope! Besides, though I do love her to pieces, I don’t love her that way, you know?”

“Ooh, intriguing! Anyway, did you hop on the first train out of here after you got fed up with everything?”

“No. I did take a train out of the region once, but not to leave it.”

“Were you ever scouted by Pokéstar Studios?”

“Thankfully, no.”

“Did you hide from the world so they wouldn’t see your facial scars?”

“Nope! I’d have shown myself to the world, scars and all.”

“Did you ascend to another plane of existence?”

“No. I like this plane just fine, thank you!”

“Did you turn into a baby?”

“Waaah, waaah, waaah! I am a helpless infant, please adopt me! Help me Dr. Connal, you’re my only hope!”

Decibel’s sarcasm brought the house down again.

“Did you join a big tournament in Galar?” asked Gardevoir when she herself stopped laughing.

“No, and I’d have said no even if they asked. I’ve only heard bad things about that region’s policies…”

“Hmm…we’ve reached the end of my list! There you have it folks! All the rumors about Decibel’s disappearance, debunked! The Reborn League really are schmucks.”

“Hey, hey!” said Decibel, amused despite themselves. “You’re supposed to be interviewing me, not roasting the Leaders on live TV.”

“To be fair, what actually happened to you sounds just as farfetched, too,” pointed out Arclight.

“Fair point…”

--

The interview went on for several more minutes. Arclight asked about Decibel’s mons, their favored strategies, and their most memorable battles. Gardevoir’s questions were about their home life with Lin and Elias, their relationships with Reborn’s leaders, and their plans for the future.

Finally, they ran out of questions. “It has been a pleasure to have you with us, dude,” said Arclight sincerely.

“The pleasure is mine,” said Decibel humbly. “Thank you for having me.”

As they hugged, and the audience gave their Champion a standing ovation, Gardevoir hogged the camera.

“Champion Decibel, everybody! We’ll be back after these messages, with a live performance from The School of Hard Rocks! Stick around~”

Chapter Text

There were many days Shelly would always remember.

The day she left for Reborn, and her brother didn’t show up to see her go. The day she first met Heather, sitting forlornly on a swing in Beryl. The day she first teamed up with Decibel, to break Heather out of Dr. Connal’s orphanage.

The day when, while she was skimming Beryl Library’s newly-acquired entomology books, she heard a man singing what sounded like a hymn.

That’s a lovely sound! But where could it be coming from, she wondered. Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed Gothitelle staring at her.

“Ah!” she yelped, nearly dropping her books.

Gothitelle made a sound very like a laugh. You are a kind human, she said telepathically. Do you seek the secret room?

“Er…yes?” replied Shelly, a bit sheepish. “Is that where the singing is coming from?”

Gothitelle smiled. Follow me.

Shelly carefully placed her books on the table and followed Gothitelle. Past shelves, past other library patrons, past stacks of unsorted books, past a kid playing with Gothita…then she froze when she saw her go through a wall.

Enter, child, said Gothitelle in her head. Fear not. I know you seek knowledge not for its own sake or to conquer others, but to empower those you love. I know you will treat this room with care.

Or else, Shelly completed the thought on her own.

She steeled her nerves and walked on…and felt herself melt through the wall and into a secret room.

That was somehow less exciting than I thought it would be, Shelly mused.

Then she took in the contents of the room, and her eyes widened in wonder.

This room was crammed; not just with books, but also scrolls, stone and clay tablets, newspapers, and magazines. By Shelly’s estimate, this room had at least five times the content of Beryl Library itself.

In the center of the room was a man draped in pilgrim’s robes and surrounded by scrolls, singing merrily. Shelly wondered why he looked familiar for a moment.

Only for a moment. “Elias?”

Elias looked up at her, grey eyes brimming with joy. “Ah. (Blessings of the Lord be upon you.) Hello, Shelly. I see Gothitelle has granted you access to these archives, as well. I thought she would invite you soon, if she had not done so already.”

“She has a…unique way of bringing people here,” Shelly remarked, much to Elias’ amusement.

“Just as well. Considering what she safeguards here, it is understandable that she takes drastic measures to protect it. These chambers show no signs of ever having been damaged by rogue plant life, have you noticed?”

Shelly took a second look at the room. None of the flooring, shelves, tables, or books betrayed any sign of ever having been repaired or replaced. Not a trace of gashes or cracks left by encroaching trees was visible, but the room seemed to pulsate with psychic energy.

She hummed thoughtfully. “So Gothitelle projects a constant shield around this room? Is that why she never leaves the library?”

“You are as perceptive as Heather says,” praised Elias. “I suppose you are also perceptive enough to discern why this room, above all others, needs protecting?” He gestured to the scrolls he had with him.

Shelly took a look, and was greeted by drawings of Arceus and prayers written in the ancient language. And then it hit her.

“Wait…this room is an archive of the Order of Arceus!”

Elias nodded imperiously, fixing her with a gaze that could’ve pierced stone.

“The archive on Charous Mountain was demolished soon after Taube was killed. The archive in Subseven Sanctum was incinerated by our own scion—if not for Ace and their talents, the lore in there would have been lost completely. This archive is the very last one I know of—and it could have been destroyed by Team Meteor if not for Gothitelle.”

His ironic laughter echoed through the whole chamber. “Never have I been more glad that we failed in our foolish goals. (In sowing Reborn’s destruction, we sowed only our own…)”

Shelly had to stop herself from jumping excitedly. “If…if this is the last known archive, then we need to preserve it, don’t we? The people of Reborn deserve a chance to learn their history, and they won’t have that chance if Gothitelle’s powers fail!”

“Yes, indeed,” agreed Elias. “Our people’s stories must prevail…wait.” He replayed what Shelly just said in his head. “We?”

Shelly shrugged shyly. “Well…you’re not trying to preserve all the lore in this whole chamber by yourself, are you?”

“Certainly not. I have aid from the other Order members,” assured Elias. “But there are only so many of us. Furthermore, between my duties as an Elite Four, my bartending stint at the Nightclub, and my services provided to Lord Decibel and their daughter, I must admit to being stretched thin.”

“Then let me help you,” Shelly offered eagerly. “Ever since I moved up in rank, I don’t get as many challengers as I used to, so I’ve got lots of free time! Plus, I’ve wanted to learn more about Reborn’s history ever since Decibel told me about your trip to the past with them!”

Elias smiled benevolently. “Your offer is accepted. Thank you, young daughter.”

As Shelly sat down next to him, Elias whispered, “Perhaps do not tell Mintaka about this room. I fear to think he may see nothing but kindling in here.”

“No, of course not,” replied Shelly with a chuckle. “He may have been the one to set up the Grand Gate Museum, but I don’t think he has as much zeal for knowledge as I do.”

“You thought right.”

Chapter Text

Something is definitely up with Saphira, Decibel mused as they wrapped up yet another sweep.

They had frequent challengers, to be sure. Fern, Shelly, Victoria, Cain, Adrienn, Cal, Titania, Charlotte, Lumi…Heather and Bennett had tried their luck too, and even Lin had passed by, wanting to fight them “the legit way.”

However, none of them had challenged ten times over the course of a week. None of them glared imperiously at them after they lost, then walked away without a word. And none of them had been letting their challenges eat up time for their other responsibilities.

“Okay, out with it,” Decibel said firmly as they called their Magearna back. “You’ve challenged me ten times this week alone, you’ve been pointedly silent every time you challenge and every time we see each other, and from what Adrienn’s told me, you’ve been neglecting your duties as overseer of Labradorra’s restoration. Talk.”

An imperious glare again. “I don’t talk to enablers.”

Decibel raised their eyebrow. “It’s not enabling if the people I’ve forgiven are making good on their promises to never commit terror acts again.”

“In public,” came Saphira’s sharp retort. “How do you know Whitaker isn’t torturing his charges? How do you know the other Whitaker isn’t conspiring to destroy Apophyll anew? How do you know Pierce and Featherstone aren’t hacking Reborn’s electronic records? How do you know Hazel isn’t indoctrinating anybody? How do you know Alcantara isn’t attempting to rebuild Meteor and planning to strike while our guards are down?”

“You are being overly paranoid. Besides, if any of the ex-Meteors tried anything, they’d answer to us. To me, especially. You know that.”

“Just like Lin answered to you?” Saphira countered.

Clearly, Saphira meant that question to throw Decibel off. The fact that they smirked instead shocked the dragon keeper utterly.

“Yes, just like she answered to me. She is no longer allowed to use Arceus’ power to wreak havoc on the world. She must learn how to be a good person. She must live a normal life. That is her punishment.”

A few moments of tense silence passed. Then…

“NOT GOOD ENOUGH, DAMN IT!”

One moment, Saphira was still on the far end of the Champion’s chamber. Then, it was as if Decibel blinked, and then they were punched hard enough in the face to be sent flying.

“Have you forgotten everything Lin’s done?! How she made my sister’s lives a living hell?! How many other lives she destroyed?! How she came this close to tearing apart reality itself!? I haven’t!”

Despite struggling to get up, Decibel grinned. “Ha…not forgotten, no…But I have forgiven…I’ve told you before…violence isn’t the answer…”

They were grabbed by the scruff of the neck with both hands, and stared into Saphira’s livid face. “Neither is just forgiving terrorists, let alone a monster who used God’s powers to play Devil!”

“Only because the people who should’ve cared for her were the Devils in her life…”

“As if that’s any excuse!”

“Just like you have excuses to hurt me? Just like you have excuses to kill Meteors after they can no longer fight back? Just like you have excuses to murder Connal instead of letting him stand trial?”

They were thrown against the wall, then pinned against it. “Did—you—FUCKING—forget—what Connal did to me? I had him! I had his neck in my hands! And then—Lin took him from me—”

It hurt to laugh. But Decibel still did. “You found his body down in the control center, didn’t you?”

Saphira’s stunned silence was all the answer they needed.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it,” Decibel managed to say. “You found him, and now you remember how you didn’t get your revenge on him. You’re so focused on how Lin took away what you feel you deserve, you’re forgetting that salting the earth isn’t the play anymore.”

A backhand. “Don’t fucking psychoanalyze me, de la Cruz!”

“Why not?!” Decibel ground out. “It doesn’t take a degree to know you’re flying apart at the seams! Do you think nobody’s noticed that you haven’t taken ANY days off since you took charge of the restoration? Do you think the workers haven’t been voicing their concerns about how many building AND labor regulations you’ve been bypassing? Don’t you think that maybe there’s a reason Charlotte and Laura haven’t been offering you more help?”

More tense moments of silence ensued.

I’m gonna catch hell for what I say next, thought Decibel. But…damn it. She has to realize what’s happening to her.

“Obsession. Paranoia. Stubbornness. Seems the doctor taught you well.”

Punch.

“I—”

Punch.

“AM—”

Punch.

“NOTHING—”

Punch.

“LIKE—”

Punch.

“HIM—”

The roar of a Salamence was the last thing Decibel heard before they lost consciousness entirely.

--

“Hold her tight, Salamence!”

“My Lord, hang on!”

“Pass me a clean cloth…”

“Saphira! WHY???”

That last yell snapped Saphira back to reality.

Decibel, bruised and bleeding. Elias, frantically dialing for medics. Bennett, administering first aid. Herself, carried from the mouth of Heather’s Salamence. Laura, gazing up at her with incredulity, sadness, and anger.

“Oh god…” said Saphira softly, horror dawning. “What have I done?”

“What have you done? What have you DONE?!” yelled Laura. “You nearly killed Decibel with your bare hands, that’s what you’ve done!”

“I…I didn’t mean to…” she replied weakly.

“Then WHAT did you mean to happen?!” demanded Laura.

Saphira could not bring herself to respond. Laura was furious. Not just upset, the way she would be whenever Lin replaced her body wash with printer ink. Furious.

Even as the medics arrived and the police handcuffed her, she could not muster the strength to utter a word.

Chapter Text

hospitals SUCK.

how does anyone expect you to sleep here? hospitals smell like…hospital.

seems the old man is used to it, somehow. look at how soundly he’s sleeping, even though he was all worried about you earlier.

but i’m not used to it. never have been, never will be.

it’s cold, it’s sterile, it’s monolithic…i’m scared. and i’m sorry.

i’m sorry, decibel…i’m so, so, sorry…i should be one lying in that bed, not you.

you’re not the one who bullied the other kids like the world was ending. you’re not the one who did try to end the world over losing a chess game. you’re not the one who treated the people of reborn like dolls whose heads you can bite off as you please.

but you know what you are, don’t you?

you’re truly the golden child. you look out for everybody, people and pokemon alike.

you’re too forgiving, you know? you forgave amy. you forgave elias. you forgave blake. you forgave fern. you forgave big sis. i’ll bet you’re dreaming of forgiving saphira now, too.

and…you forgave me.

i still don’t understand why you did that. i still don’t think i’m worth that.

you remember when i told you, “you’re like me. why else would you keep playing?”

you…you’re nothing like me at all.

i would’ve let you fall…

damn it.

please wake up…i still gotta tell you how thankful i am for you.

please…

please…

please…

i’m sorry…

i love you.

damn. my shirt’s damp and my nose is running. guess this is why anna says i’m always sopping wet.

--

Saphira Belrose had been locked in cells before. But this was the first time she well and truly felt she deserved to be in one.

I nearly killed the Champion…and in their chamber, no less. I nearly killed one of our own.

I’m stupid. I’m so stupid. I should be locked away forever…

…Decibel’s right.

I am obsessive. Paranoid. Stubborn. Why do I even bother trying to protect anybody when all I’ve done is hurt, and kill, and destroy?

Everyone should just leave me alone…

“You have a visitor, Belrose,” stated her guard, snapping her out of her reverie.

Why would anyone visit me…let alone YOU? she wondered, as her visitor stepped inside her cell.

“Why?” she managed, throat dry.

“As I told you before: I am but a concerned mother, trying to look out for one without mother.”

She could take no more. It was as if a dam broke in her heart, and Saphira fell upon Serra’s lap, sobbing like she was fifteen years old again.

--

“How am I doing? How am I doing!? My sister beat up Decibel, is behind bars and is most likely losing her Leadership, my other sister is sulking in her room, Decibel is in critical condition, and I once again feel like the only adult in this family! How do you THINK I’m doing?!”

“I’m sorry,” said Bennett quietly. “That was a foolish question.”

Laura sighed. “No. I am glad for your company. You can come in. But I’m not up to making tea right now……..”

“No problem. Let me make tea for you this time.”

“That would be nice. Thank you.”

--

“I HATE them all so much! I hate Connal, I hate Lin, I hate Sirius, I hate Elias…I HATE everyone in Meteor! I want to punish them all! They should burn! BURN! Give them death!

I don’t care that Sirius is already dead! He has to SUFFER! He has to pay for the blood he’s shed, drop for drop! He has to pay for all the lives he’s destroyed, all the families he’s torn apart!

And Elias is a hypocrite! He says he is Anna’s friend, yet he never lifted a finger to get her away from Connal!? He says Arceus granted him sight, yet he looked upon Reborn and decided it was beyond saving and needed to be destroyed??? It got to this state because of MEN LIKE YOU! Men like you and your master, who celebrated Reborn’s collapse, who accelerated its destruction, who enabled Lin to destroy reality itself!

And Lin…LIN!

WHY?! WHY DID YOU GET TO KILL CONNAL AND NOT ME?! WHY DO YOU GET A SECOND CHANCE AND NOT ME?! WHY DO YOU GET TO HAVE A NORMAL LIFE AND NOT ME?!”

Serra’s lap was damp with Saphira’s tears, but the Ice leader cared not. She continued to caress her magenta hair as her bitter tears renewed.

“I…I envy her,” she eventually said. “But I envy Laura even more. I…I can’t let go of my hatred like she can. I’m not strong. Not like she is. And I can’t let go of my guilt like Charlotte can…

Damn it…I can’t let go…I should’ve been able to protect them from Connal…I should’ve been able to save Mom and Dad…I should have just talked to Decibel…I should’ve…I should’ve…”

Serra hugged her as Saphira whimpered, sounding every bit like the bereaved child she still was.

--

“…That’s not treating yourself with respect.”

“No, it’s not,” the Grass Elite replied. “But don’t tell me you’ve never felt this before: the feeling that you could’ve done something to prevent this from happening!”

Bennett sighed. “Even if you did intervene—even if someone had stopped Saphira from overworking herself—she probably still would’ve confronted Decibel somewhere down the line. Or someone else would have. She’s not the only person unhappy about Lin’s adoption. Or rather—I was only upset because I was worried for Decibel’s sake. Saphira was unhappy about Lin being adopted at all.”

Laura shook her head sadly. “Why can’t people just be satisfied that—at the very least—Lin would now be tormenting Decibel only and not the entire universe?”

Bennett rubbed his battle partner’s back. “Not everyone is as forgiving as you. And forgiving the person who could’ve torn reality apart? It wasn’t easy even for you.”

“No. No, it was not,” conceded Laura. “But I always knew Lin was a troubled child. Troublesome? Definitely. But she needed help, just like all of us at the orphanage. I’m just glad she’s getting that help now. Even if it took the threat of total annihilation for her to get it……..”

Bennett sighed again. “And now it’s taken Decibel being beaten half to death for Saphira to realize she, too, needs help. And who knows what the people cleansed of Umbral energy have realized. You’d think people would just go see doctors or something.”

“May I remind you that doctors in this region do not exactly have the best track record,” said Laura, voice dripping with irony.

“Very fair point…”

--

It was the thin light before dawn, the precious time when the sun, moon, and stars all got to share the sky.

Decibel opened their eyes slightly. They focused on the girl in grey clothes, gripping their hand tight.

Even in sleep, Lin’s resolve to not let go of their hand was palpable.

Now that they were awake, they were aware of how much everything hurt. But they squeezed their daughter’s hand…

And Lin squeezed back.

Chapter Text

“These caverns, this mountain—their beauty is easier to appreciate when one is not chasing terrorists or fleeing for their lives,” mused Radomus.

“An agreeable statement,” said Florinia. “Victory Road is aesthetically pleasing, and all challengers deserve to see it.” Rather sheepishly, she added, “Unfortunately, she could not stay awake long enough to behold it.”

Lying upon Florinia’s lap, Julia snored calmly.

“Are you sure she is not narcoleptic?” Radomus inquired.

“I am certain. She always falls asleep after her task is finished, not before. Be it pyrotechnics or battling, she always sees something through before succumbing to her soporific tendencies.”

The Psychic leader nodded approvingly. “So, she has a sense of responsibility her apparent immaturity cannot mask. I believe it’s clear to me why you two are friends.”

Florinia looked to the side thoughtfully. “An interesting choice of phrasing. That is to say: it’s rare for anyone to describe Julia that way. Most people believe I merely tolerate her, and do not bother to look beyond their first impression of her as a hyperactive disaster artist.”

“Understandable, but no less unfair to her, and to you. One would think it would be common sense to be aware that people are never what they seem at first glance.”

“Common sense is unfortunately uncommon.”

“Very true.”

The two friends gazed upon the crystal cavern in silence. Julia kept snoring peacefully.

“Might I inquire how you two became friends?” Radomus eventually asked.

“Ah, you ask for gossip while the subject of the story is asleep,” replied Florinia in good humor. “How impolitic of you.”

“On the contrary,” said Radomus smoothly, “should she wake up as we talk, do you not agree that she would be delighted to hear us speak of her positively?”

“Valid point,” conceded Florinia. “Very well.”

--

“My friends and I, we all have favored subjects. Mine is botany. Amy’s is hydrology. Tania’s is literature. Julia’s is…well, her interests vary over time. What is consistent about her is that if a topic has nothing to do with explosives, she will express zero interest in it. However, chemistry is what she liked best when I first met her.

I couldn’t have met her at a better time. I used to be mediocre at best at chemistry. No matter how much I tried, I simply couldn’t wrap my head around it. Even knowing that a working knowledge of chemistry was required for botany—for studying soil composition, for knowing which fertilizers work best for which species, for understanding a plant’s metabolic processes in depth—I could not appreciate chemistry properly.

In hindsight, I know now that my troubles with chemistry were, in large part, due to my teacher’s ineffective pedagogy. ‘Chemistry is FUN!’ Julia would tell me. ‘Let me show you! Mr. Geezer here makes it seem like the most exciting thing about it is watching paint dry! I’ll show you how you can make paint EXPLODE.’

I had heard about Julia from some other acquaintances beforehand, and I was wary of accepting her help, despite knowing she had the highest chemistry grade in her class. But after I failed my chemistry midterm and got scolded by my teacher and my parents for it, I was out of sorts. I needed all the help I could get.

So, I let Julia into my life. Every night, she coached me. She helped me see how chemistry and botany are linked. She would cheer every time I managed to solve equations and conduct experiments successfully. And once every few nights, she and I rigged paint buckets to explode—paint, bucket, and all.

My life has never been the same since. Is she hyperactive? Yes. Is she sometimes overbearing? Yes. Do I think she went too far with the rumors she spread about Decibel? Yes. Do I regret ever meeting her? No. Not for a moment.”

Radomus nodded thoughtfully. “Hm. She is a very dedicated, very patient friend indeed.”

“Yes,” agreed Florinia happily.

“And yet, from what I have heard, she could not bring that same dedication to her dating life. Not until that Maxwell fellow came along.”

Florinia chuckled. “I have been giving some thought as to why that is.”

“What is your hypothesis?”

“Her disastrous track record with dates was just her way of venting her feelings about Amy and Tania. Outwardly, she cheered for them to make it work. But in private, we would talk about them. She was aware of how toxic their relationship was, and frustrated that she couldn’t do anything about it. So, she would blow her own dates every time, perhaps as a…unique way of simulating how she wanted Amy and Tania to break it off.”

Radomus whistled. “Your friend is a remarkable woman, all right.”

“Yes.”

A jaw-cracking yawn erupted from the sleeping cheerleader. “What’s zat ‘bout Amy and Tania?” she asked drowsily.

Radomus was about to speak, but he noticed Florinia’s mischievous expression.

“Oh, I was just telling Radomus about the time you set up a double date with them, then wired every softdrink bottle in the restaurant to blow up.”

That jolted Julia awake. “RINIIIIIII! Not you too!”

Florinia was cackling outright. “That’s what you get for spreading fake news!”

Julia just sputtered incoherently as Radomus laughed to himself. Ah, to be young and surrounded by friends…

Chapter Text

Despite the exhilaration of dancing through the starry sky, Luna could not stop thinking.

“Something on your mind?” Anna called out.

“I’m that transparent, am I?” replied Luna, amused. “Let us halt bouncing and talk about it.”

They got off the bounce pads and sat next to each other on cushions.

“Ever since my conversation with Noel, I have been thinking about Elias sporadically,” Luna began. “Then Bennett told me about his talk with you. You say you two are friends?”

“Mm hmm!” replied Anna eagerly. “He used to visit the orphanage from time to time and play chess with me. He tried playing with Lin once, too. Once! He stopped playing with her after she stained his robes with printer ink when she beat him. Hmm, do you think he plays with her again now that she’s with Decibel?”

Luna gave Anna a mildly skeptical look. “He never once tried to adopt you? Or asked to see your pendant?”

Anna giggled. “Nope, and it’s probably for the better that he didn’t! With Noel and me in his custody, he’d be mandated to take my pendant from me, and then he and I would be sad.”

She smiled wistfully. “Nostra told me why he was really there. ‘Do not show him your pendant,’ she told me. Knowing him, I’m sure he knew I had it. But I also know he wanted to not have to take it from me unless he had no other choice.”

Luna shook her head. “All that concern for you, and yet not once did he try to get you away from that Doctor…”

“But at least he didn’t take us to join Meteor!” Anna retorted emphatically.

“That is fair…” said Luna, even though she was not feeling very fair at the moment.

Anna picked up on that, and offered, “Do you want to know what he’s told me about you?”

“No need to,” Luna replied bitterly. “He said I’m willful, reckless, and far too quick to throw myself into darkness, that I have strayed from Arceus’ path.”

“Well, he did say that…But he also said you’re wise and compassionate! Oh, and he wished he was as bold as you were to face darkness.”

Luna turned up her nose. “There is, and has never been, a need to fear darkness.”

Anna raised her eyebrow at that. “Luna. Elias isn’t just afraid of darkness. He’s traumatized by it!”

“Does it make any difference?” Luna demanded.

“It does!” Anna nearly yelled. “It does when you’ve spent most of your life knowing nothing else! When you’ve been rejected by your own order for something that wasn’t your fault! When you can’t appreciate what people mean when they say ‘beauty’ and ‘light,’ because even when you can smell, touch, hear, and taste what they are, all you see is darkness!”

Luna was quiet for a long while. “Why…why am I only hearing this from you and not from him?” she eventually asked.

“Maybe he was too upset to tell you properly. Maybe you were too upset to listen to him. Maybe it’s both! Either way, it always seems like people can tell important stories to everybody except the one person who needs to hear that story most.”

Anna shook her head. “Dad and Noel could tell you that much!”

Luna fell silent again. “I have much to think about, do I not?”

“Well, you could choose not to!” replied Anna. “But even knowing what’s gone wrong between you two, I don’t think it could hurt you too badly to reach out to him again.”

“…I would rather like to keep playing with you first.”

“Then let’s do that!” cheered Anna, whereupon she dashed back to her bounce pad.

Chapter Text

The peaks of both Pyrous and Ametrine glistened with lava, burning and burying anyone who thought they could be tamed.

Beryl Ward was wreathed in fire, as if every soul there was being cremated alive.

Packs of Growlithe roamed Jasper Ward, howling dirges even as they turned on their masters.

All the knowledge and information accumulated in the Onyx Trainers’ School went up in smoke, along with the future of every student and teacher.

Just as Yureyu did before it, Silph Co. collapsed in a blazing explosion.

Lapis Ward’s state of lawlessness and chaos could have brought 7^th Street to tears.

The King, standing outside the Grand Hall, beheld Reborn’s destruction.

“eVeRYthIng is UseLEss. yOU ArE uSEleSS. liFe Is UseLeSs. EvErYthING uSeLeSs mUst BuRn,” proclaimed the King. “AND tHen…daRknEss iS aLL tHat sHAll rEmaIn. ThAt iS my PreSenT to YoU, mY lOyAl sErvANt.”

The King’s servant fell before him. “My Lord, why?! Darkness is LOVE, not destruction!”

The King became angry. “yOu reJecT mY gIfT?! uSeLeSS sLaVe! bUrN aS wEll, tHen!”

The King threw his servant into the fire, caring not for her screams, her protests, her desire to live…

--

Taka woke up with a start.

Not again.

Drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, he sat up, grabbed his water bottle from his side table, and gulped it down.

He drank too fast, however, and nearly choked. He forced more water down, then stopped and struggled to control his breathing.

Take your own advice, Alcantara. Inhale…hold…….exhale……..Inhale….hold…….exhale……..

Okay, I’m certain this is reality. The air doesn’t smell like smoke. I don’t feel any soot on myself, only sweat.

Inhale…hold…….exhale……..Inhale….hold…….exhale……..

Eventually, he felt his heart rate return to normal. He then turned around to look at his roommate.

Sound asleep…or they could be pretending. I’ll find out.

Quietly, he crept out of the room, entered the kitchen, and got himself some yogurt from the fridge.

Seriously, this is more convenient than waiting for noodles to cook, Taka thought as he helped himself. More expensive, though.

All too soon, he finished his yogurt, and he rinsed the tub and tossed it in the bin.

“Little prince! That’s the wrong bin!”

Taka turned to look at the source of the protest. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

As he retrieved the yogurt tub, put it in the recycle bin, and washed his hands, Ace sat down and said, “Dreamed of burning Reborn down again, hm?”

“Yeah…” replied Taka. “Had your usual nightmare too?”

“Not exactly. But still a frustrating dream.”

“Oh? How was it frustrating?” asked Taka as he dried his hands and sat across from Ace.

“Oh, you know, I was locked in a PC, like usual. A barrage of 1’s and 0’s assaulted my senses. But the thing that jolted me awake was seeing—in that storm of code—a two!”

Taka snorted. “That must have been a heck of a non-binary dream.”

“Ha ha ha,” said Ace humorlessly. “You need better material, little prince.”

“No promises. Dad wasn’t exactly known for his sense of humor.”

The two roommates sat quietly in the dark, moonlight illuminating their faces.

“At least you saw only numbers this time, and not Ciel screaming, or Dad dying, or Amaria being punched, or anything like that,” Taka piped up.

Ace nodded sadly. “Yes, they do get less intense with time. Though, in a way, that frightens me as well.”

“How so?”

“Well…if I get desensitized to my own experiences, who’s to say if I’ll be desensitized to other people’s pain? To your pain, especially?”

Taka chuckled. “You’ve opened up to me about your dreams. I’ve opened up to you about mine. And our nightmares are getting shorter and less intense. Sounds less like getting used to it and more like healing to me.”

Ace grinned. “You truly are becoming a wise man, little prince~”

Taka boldly leaned in and kissed Ace’s cheek. “Not yet, but with your help, I’m learning.”

He got up and walked back to bed, leaving a thoroughly flustered magician behind him.

Chapter Text

Man! I ain’t feelin’ it today.

Despite the typical bright lights and booming bass, the Nightclub’s atmosphere was decidedly off. There was no old man in a slick trenchcoat tending bar and trading stories, no dragon tamer watching her family and the kids who were too young to drink, no little gremlin whose presence Arclight had been starting to get used to…

And there was no Champion keeping watch on all their friends and trouncing all comers at the Pavilion.

The club’s atmosphere did not feel right, and everybody knew it. Ciel’s dancing was off rhythm. Amaria’s and Fern’s smiles were crooked. Florinia was tense. Samson and Blake were chugging shots instead of savoring them. Terra was dancing right side up, and even then, she was unenergetic.

“Argh! I can’t take it anymore. I’m heading out for a bit!”

Arclight’s proclamation earned him sympathetic smiles. He forced himself to smile back and walked right out.

At least it’s a clear night. Chilly though. And the air is fresh, as it oughta be. But there’s only so much clean air can do for a man.

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Adrienn drop by here since the week started. I guess Saphira’s little outburst dropped a pile of paperwork on xem.

Damn it Saph…You couldn’t have waited until the next poker tournament to kick Decibel’s ass, at least? Now we all have to wait at least another week…

And it doesn’t seem like Decibel intends to press charges against her. That magnanimous son of a gun…

“Hi hi~”

“GAH!” Arclight yelled. “Are you trying to make me explode?”

“Sorry!” apologized Julia. “I wanted to talk to you about something!”

Arclight regarded her skeptically. “You’re not gonna tell me a tall tale about Decibel’s injuries, are you?”

“No, not this time! Wherever didja get that idea??” she protested innocently.

Though, now that Arclight was beholding her, she seemed rather subdued. Relatively speaking.

“I wanted to make you an offer!” Julia continued. “How would you like to move up from reserve Electric leader to un-reserve Electric leader?”

Arclight blinked. “You…want me to take your place?” he asked dumbfoundedly.

“Duh doy! You’ve seemed out of sorts ever since the last Anomaly was wrapped up in a bow. And now that Decibel’s MIA again, you’re tense as heck! You need something to do! ‘Sides, if you land at entry level like me, you’d be better at welcoming newbies. Too many challengers have been running screaming from my boomies these days!”

Huh. She didn’t gotta call me out like that, but she makes sense, actually.

“Hold on, though. If I take your place, what happens to you?” inquired Arclight aloud.

“I’m gonna try taking Tania’s place!” Julia proclaimed. “I got around to hanging out with her again. She’s got a LOT of plans for her stories, but she can’t get most of them off the ground because of her leadership work. As usual, she’s not expressing it much, but I can tell she’d rather not have to worry about League stuff anymore. If I take her place, she’ll have fewer worries. So there!”

Arclight considered Julia carefully. “Have you talked with her or Adrienn about this?”

“Nope! I’ll talk to ‘em when I see ‘em, though. I know they don’t take surprises well, even if the surprise is fun!”

“Huh. This is…oddly mature of you, to be honest. I thought you were gonna drag me off to the Grand Hall and hack into the Leader’s roster or something.”

“Nope! I’m past tricks like that. And I want to help Tania—really help her, y’know? She said I have the maturity of a half-baked turnip, or something. It hurt and it’s untrue, but she has a point!”

“Suppose I accept your offer, but Titania decides she can handle Gym leadership after all. What will you do?”

That seemed to stop Julia in her tracks…but she recovered quickly and donned a full-body smile that was pure cheerleader.

“Then I become full time manager of the Neo-Circuit Bowling Alley! How may I make your day explode with happiness? Oh! Or maybe I’ll write a paper about the properties of verdignite. No no! What if I asked Rini for more programming lessons?”

Arclight grinned. “Heh, very well. I accept your offer. If only to make it easier for you to make up your mind about your future.”

“Ha ha! This is just who I am. Well, here’s to the future Electric and Steel leaders of Reborn!”

The cheerleader and the DJ shook hands.

Chapter Text

When was the last time I saw Shelly be this tense?

Heather was not the most emotionally intelligent person, but she was self-aware enough to know that about herself. Even still, she could tell her best friend was not in a good mood.

Shelly had been doing much better lately. She was no longer stuttering or repeating her words, she had been hanging out with other people (and Heather was definitely not jealous of that at all. Honest!), and she was more assertive of her boundaries. Lately, she'd been taking charge of what she and Heather would do for a day, and Heather was living for it--there was only so many times a girl could hear "I'll, um, I'll let you decide" before she began to wonder if her best friend even had wants of her own.

Personally breaking me free really did wonders for her confidence, Heather had thought.

But right now, Shelly was frozen stiff on the couch, and she looked more glum than a Gloom. She hadn't even said much when Heather had responded to her Yanmega's signal and shown up at her door--all she said was a monotone "Come in," with not a stutter to be heard.

"Shell Bell, talk to me," urged Heather, sitting next to her and trying her best to sound gentle.

She was pretty sure this wasn't about Decibel--everyone, them included, had heard they were recovering slowly but steadily, and were due to be discharged from the hospital soon. She was also certain this wasn't about the play they were working on with Titania--now that the literal iron lady had ceded her position to Julia, it looked like production could shift into high gear.

No, this had something to do with the letter Shelly was taking out of her pocket, unfolding, and handing over to Heather, slowly and deliberately.

Upon seeing who wrote the letter, Heather scowled. Her frown only deepened as she read on, and by the time she reached the end of the message, she couldn't hold back a growl.

"He wants to reunite with you NOW?!" burst out Heather. "After everything he's done to you? After everything he's failed to do for you?"

Shelly still wasn't saying anything, and her gaze was firmly fixed to the floor.

"Oh...you still want to reunite with him even after all this time, don't you?" Heather said, in a quieter voice this time.

It pained her to say it, but Heather knew it was true. Shelly adored her brother; emulated him; even dressed like him. As much as a badass she'd become, she still loved that neglectful little brat--

"No..."

Heather, snapped out of her reverie, looked at her best friend's face. "You don't? Isn't this what you've wanted for so long?"

Then Shelly finally stopped looking at the ground and locked her tearful eyes with Heather's own, grabbing both her hands as she did so.

"NO!" she yelled. "Don't even suggest that! I will stay where you stay. I will go where you go. Your god will be my god, and your people will be my people. May all the gods punish me if we are ever separated, even by death!"

Heather found herself pulled into a hug as Shelly fully broke down crying. She was honestly a bit overwhelmed, but she knew what Shelly needed--she just needed her to be strong and warm and here.

Eventually, Shelly calmed down and the friends stopped hugging. "You already knew what you wanted, didn't you?" Heather asked with a slight smirk. "You just needed me to give you that extra push."

"Yeah..." Shelly replied. "Sorry I quoted holy texts loudly at you, hehe! I must be hanging out with Elias too much..."

"No, it's fine! That was honestly VERY heartfelt!" Heather said eagerly.

"I'm glad you think that."

And then Shelly blushed slightly. "Maybe I shouldn't have quoted that one..."

"Why not? I like how it sounds!"

"Um. It's what the Alcantaras and the Hazels used for their wedding vows for generations."

Heather made a funny sound and blushed furiously. The sight of Shelly chuckling only made her blush more.

"Are you trying to propose to me??? We're only fourteen!"

"Honestly? Maybe I am."

Heather made more funny squeals.

"It's not like I'm going anywhere, and I'm going to tell him so before I cut him off utterly," Shelly continued.

"You're serious, are you? Isn't this too fast?"

"Mm. You're right, and it feels a bit weird to hear that from your mouth instead of mine. But I don't want to hesitate anymore, lest either of us get eaten by a black hole tomorrow."

Heather could feel herself still blushing, but she was able to smirk. "Then let's not hesitate."

The two young women gazed into each other's eyes, held each other's hands, and kissed.

When they grew up, the pair of them would agree that their first kiss was sloppy as heck. But they were there for each other, and that's all that mattered.

Chapter Text

Inhale....hold.......exhale........

The sun was shining, the garden was blooming, birds were singing, and the lake was calm.

Funny. You'd think I'd come to despise my own home now that I'm under house arrest. But I love this place more than ever.

God. Why did I let myself drown in work when there's so much I can do right here?

Saphira was meditating alone, with only her thoughts, her breathing, and her copy of Apophyll's study-from-home workbook to keep her company.

I have to show my thanks to Victoria--no, Sensei Victoria. Guess I can do that by not drifting off into my thoughts.

While I'm at it...I guess I should thank that Whitaker, I suppose. Nice of him to take over Labradorra's restoration.

Though...couldn't he have taken over the Gym, too? Why, of all people, did it have to be HER?

Ugh. I guess I have to get over it sometime. She IS good with dragons too, after all. Not that I'd ever tell her that face-to-face.

Hmm...I don't think I'm alone anymore.

Saphira opened her eyes and slowly stood up. "Why visit me now?" she said quietly, without turning around.

"Really, Saph. One of these days, you'll say 'hello' like a normal person. I believe in you," replied a jovial enby Champion.

Said Champion was abruptly, desperately glomped by an apologetic dragon tamer, who kept sobbing apologies again and again.

"Oof! Guess this works as a hello...Saph, you might put me in the hospital again..."

"Ah!" Saphira hastily untangled herself from the hug. "Sorry about that..."

Decibel chuckled. "You're starting to sound like Shelly at her most timid. It's uncanny."

Saphira smiled at that. "Guess I traded personalities with her...anyway, you never answered my question."

"No, I did not," conceded Decibel. "Well, Vic's prepping for her upcoming martial arts conference in Kanto, so I volunteered to check on you for her. In person, to boot."

Saphira averted her gaze. "And so soon after you were discharged, too...you're much too forgiving."

"What can I say? I forgive people not just seven times, but seventy times seven," said Decibel with a smile and a shrug. "And you look like you're about to say you don't deserve it. Hold your tongue, woman--you DO deserve it."

Saphira forced herself to look at Decibel. "I almost killed you..."

"So have lots of other people. If I spent my time thinking about how many times I could've died by however many causes, I'd never be able to sleep at night."

Saphira gave them an admonishing look. "You really are too blasé about your own life. You're not expendable, damn it!"

Decibel smiled sadly in response. "You're right on both counts...and now you're sounding like yourself again."

Then they banished the sadness from their smile. "Don't worry too much about me, though--how are you doing on your lessons?"

Saphira held back her desire to press the issue, opened up her workbook to that week's lesson, and started talking about her progress.

--
Thirty minutes later, Decibel left the Belrose estate with a skip in their step. They stopped skipping, however, when they became aware of the pain in their right knee.

I have got to remember that, they thought, making their way to Tanzan Cave, where a grey-clad gremlin was none-too-subtly waiting for them to come back.

"thank god you're in one piece," Lin said sincerely. "i might've tried to wreck the world again if she went berserk upon seeing you."

"She'd go bersek if she saw you for sure," Decibel retorted. "She's getting calmer and stabler, but I'm pretty sure she'd backslide if she had to interact with you within the next few weeks."

"wow, way to make me feel better," Lin snarked.

"Anything for you," Decibel snarked back, ruffling their daughter's hair. "Now let's pick up Terra and Elias and go for some pizza, yeah?"

"yeah!"