Chapter Text
Chapter 51
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Semaphore
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=================== B E G I N ===================
The clouds were darkening. Nighttime was quickly approaching. The day had seemed to go by so quickly. If only it could have lasted longer. Just a few more beautiful moments to latch onto.
But tomorrow was coming. Quickly and relentlessly.
And with it, the final pearl.
After Avery, Loshjno and Lahnae parted ways with Vizon, the Plusle went into more detail with the two of them, saying that if his dreams were to be believed - and for the most part they hadn't been wrong yet - there were some weird things going on between Arceus and the Conduicy.
"Maybe you guys could introduce him to that war game you play, I dunno," Avery said with a chuckle. "He's...a unique individual."
"The way you talk about Arceus like he's some friend of yours is so weird." Lahnae said with a laugh, hopping over a deep puddle. "I bet you Arceus could fix all this stuff. Just poof, everything fixed by way of his awesome god powers!"
"I don't think that's the case..." Loshjno hummed. "After all, from the way it sounds...if Arceus really is wrapped around Olistia's finger you'd think she'd have all the pearls by now."
"Wait...YEAH. What's with that???" Lahnae whipped her head between Avery and Loshjno. "So Arceus can bring humans from wherever it is you're from...but he CAN'T do anything directly to help Olistia get the pearls?? This guy doesn't sound anything like they say during service..."
"...Okay, do you guys promise not to call me a blasphemer if I just straight up tell you?" Avery asked, looking around to make sure they weren't being eavesdropped on.
"Oh pssh, Aves, I wasn't always the most devout." Lahnae laughed. "My family never really had time to go to service every single day...nor afford any of the scripture books..."
"Well..." The Plusle sighed deeply as he began. "If my dreams are right...This guy has talked to and seen nothing but Conduits for millennia. He can't talk to anyone but them because they're descendants of Mew or something like that - I get the distinct impression that I'm the first non-Conduit person he's spoken to in a long time...he has no idea what's going on down here. I think...I think Olistia is..."
Avery put a hand to his head and let out an exhausted sigh.
"...I think my title of 'Hero of Arceus' is a little more apt than anyone anticipated-"
As always, Lahnae only looked more lost whilst Loshjno soaked in every word.
"Conduits are said to have the blood of Mew." Loshjno nodded. "I have to wonder how true that is...but to think he's only talked to Conduits. For how long I have to wonder - Conduits have been around for thousands of years. Maybe longer."
He shook his head.
"There's much hard evidence of the truth behind the Story of Arceus. Ancient accounts of Mew..." The Squirtle clicked his tongue. "...Mew was always Arceus's favorite...and if he's latching onto Conduits as though they were Mew..."
Lahnae blinked.
"Losh...what are you suggesting...?"
The Squirtle was quiet a moment...but only sighed.
"...no, nevermind. That's too much of a leap of logic." The Squirtle posited. "I was only considering the hundred years of wrath Arceus unleashed on the world after Mew was killed, if the stories are to be believed."
The Torchic shuddered.
"Eesh...okay..."
...That didn't sound like the Arceus that Avery had met. But then again, he was a God, so...he guessed he'd have to wait and see. Maybe have more than one dream with him before making up his mind on it.
"...In any case," Avery began. "I think things are going to change pretty drastically soon. So we've got to buckle up for that."
"I'm already so buckled. Call me pre-buckled." Lahnae said, popping her neck. "I don't care how...but I can not let Olistia get that fire pearl. Not anymore. Not after what she's done. And when we've taken those pearls...I'm gunna make her PAY for seven years ago-!!"
Loshjno put a hand on her shoulder. The Torchic huffed a breath, trying to work herself down whilst the Squirtle spoke:
"I have to agree. Avery, I have a hunch...and you know how I am with my hunches..." Loshjno said gravely. "If the Conduicy gets those other two pearls it won't be good. For us. For the Illaminians. Arcea. Everyone and everywhere."
"Sheesh, way to lay on the pressure-"
"I'm just expressing the gravitas."
"Pssh, forget gravitas. I'd do it even without all those high stakes!" Lahnae thumped her chest. "And we ARE gunna do it! I promise!"
Loshjno chuckled lightly.
"You, me, Avery...and the rest of the guild." The Squirtle finished.
At last, their journey was coming to and end. The three were now in the central Market District. The golden dome of Castle Arceali loomed over the ornate buildings, shimmering in the final moments of orange light before the sky turned black. Sanshiyad could already be seen looming above.
Lahnae sucked in a breath.
For standing at the front of the open Guild doors...was Vinae and Shantai.
The Whimsicott elite stood with a wide smile, white cape billowing in the cold wind as the three approached.
"Well, well, well...howdy, late-comers. Was starting to think y'all had gone AWOL~" She chittered lightly, her hands behind her back.
Avery straightened his back the moment he saw her. The mask went on. He was once again on guard.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Vinae," Avery said stiffly, walking towards the open doors. "We've got a big day ahead of us. Can't afford to stay out too late-"
Vinae's hand shot out, pressing on the Plusle's chest and stopping him.
"Woah, woah, where's the fire? What's the big rush, lil buddy~?" She cooed, leaning in. "C'moon, like we promised this morning: Lemme see your bank receipt and whatever you bought today."
Loshjno nodded, lifting up his satchel and flipping it open. Lahnae, with an angry frown, begrudgingly did the same.
"Mhm...okay." Vinae nodded, sifting through the items in Lahnae and Loshjno's bags. "No candy, good. Heyyy, lookit that! Oran berries and reviver seeds - no goofy time-wasters. That's what I like to see~!"
"Yeah..." Lahnae mumbled. Vinae paid her no mind, instead turning to Avery.
"Kay, you next, Avery~! Lemme see whatcha goooot!"
He nodded, and emptied his bag. Rawst berries. Blast seeds. A lot of fire prevention...and of course a receipt.
"I figured Ember Summit would have a lot of burn risk, so...." Avery looked up to her, trying to keep his face straight.
He wasn't wrong. It would. There was no reason to be nervous.
There was no reason to be nervous.
Vinae put her hands on her hips, smiling down at the pile of goods. She motioned for Avery to turn the bag inside out as she knelt down and sifted through the objects.
"Mhm...mmmhm..." The Whimsicott lifted her head. "Shantai, how's the receipt?"
"Looks good. Timestamp's a bit off but nothing wrong."
"Off?"
Lahnae's face fell as she looked away. Loshjno kept his gaze on the elites.
"Just a few minutes. The kids've been goofing off a little but it's not too much." The Chandelure finished.
Vinae hummed, looking as though she were chewing on the words a little. Slowly...her eyes trailed towards Avery...
Those black pits burrowed into him, that smile like a burning, knowing look that clawed into his soul.
But after an agonizing moment, the Whimsicott stood.
"Kay...you can go, Avery~." Vinae said, stepping aside to watch him pick his effects back up. "Aquashock and Nivanee came back before you three. I don't want you lot fooling around too much before bed."
Her smile widened as she watched the three gather their belongings to head inside.
"We're going to be getting up nice and early again tomorrow." She said in her sickly sweet way.
Avery knew what that meant.
More stretches and exercises.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," The Plusle sighed, gathering his things and shuffling them back into his bag.
Just a little longer.
"Have a good night, Team Ganusi," he said, nodding to his friends as he made his way into the guild.
'God this is so stressful.
...And even in here I still feel like I'm being watched.'
Lahnae and Loshjno walked alongside him hurriedly. He could see the Torchic silently looking left and right, trying to see where the third member of Team Ganusi, Equiros the Archeops, was hiding.
She didn't have to search long. For as the three touched down onto the cold tile of the guild hall they could see the Archeops at the Dojo's entrance, talking to the Throh and Sawk dojo masters.
Lahnae hissed.
"Gh...we're not going to get one second of freedom from these guys, huh...?" She huffed silently.
"No indeed." Loshjno said back, looking towards the spiral staircase. He could hear the sounds of Vinae and Shantai's voices getting closer. "And best to not loiter - idle hands are likely to incur ire."
"Ugh."
Besides Equiros...the hall was empty. Not even Estaloni was buzzing around currently. The stain glass window was dark as dusk had finally turned to night. The hall to the guild dorms was equally dark, all the members clearly under a curfew.
Only a single beam of light stretched across the hall, orange and faint, from the Guildmaster's door, which was slightly ajar.
The Squirtle began to usher Lahnae forward, towards the dorms before they could be seen by any of the members of Ganusi. Loshjno looked back to the Plusle.
"Avery...good luck to us tomorrow." He said. "And don't fret...we're all in this together."
"As guild." Lahnae hissed back to Avery.
The Plusle was distracted, wringing the strap of his satchel a bit tight...as he stared on towards the light from the Guildmaster's office. It took him a second to realized he'd been spoken to.
"I, uh... I'll see you guys tomorrow," Avery said, glancing back to his friends. "We've got a big day ahead of us, and...I'd like to talk to the guildmaster for advice."
Loshjno's steps...paused. Ever so briefly they paused.
The Squirtle looked back to him...an almost sad look on his face.
"...were we not under watch I'd come with you..." Loshjno sighed with a smile. Lahnae looked back at him.
"Oh Arceus, the guildmaster..." Lahnae huffed. "I can't imagine how he's..."
"Nevermind, Lahnae." The Squirtle assured, walking again. Lahnae yelped silently as she was pushed along. "We'll leave it to Avery."
He flashed the Plusle a soft, warm smile. Soon, the pair vanished into the dark of the dorm hall, leaving Avery standing in the hall, illuminated only by the thin strip of light from the guildmaster's office. He turned towards the door, taking a few quiet steps towards it. He could hear the sound of crackling fire within.
Avery hadn't stepped into this office since he first joined all those weeks ago. He remembered the image of the Infernape guildmaster, standing tall and billowing fire like a force of nature at Avery's insistence to get in on a recommendation. On the worry that Pokémon would talk and further disparage the Guild he'd inherited from his father, Karniqus.
'I trained under your father. And you will never be half the Pokémon Karniqus was.'
But he was also the man that had protected the guild when Olistia sent her elites to interrogate them by tipping off the bank's lawyers...
...yet he was also the man under whom the purge seven years ago was allowed to happen...
The man that Olistia had seemed so close and affectionate with...and whom now she was cold and paranoid towards.
And as the wood door creaked open and Avery peered within.
There he sat.
And the guildmaster looked so...
...small.
Tap tap. Avery gently knocked on the door frame.
"... Guildmaster Sarfallinus?" the Plusle asked. "May I come in?"
The words were purposeful. None of the nicknames he'd used before to refer to the guildmaster.
Just his title. The one that Avery felt commanded respect the first day he'd come here.
Amid the stacks of papers, framed by the haze and glow of torches, a red tarp fluttering behind him...the Infernape's ear twitched.
He turned his chair in surprise, eyeing Avery curiously.
No Estaloni in here. No Team Ganusi. No Olistia. Not even Vizon nor Nivanee.
Just Avery and Sarfallinus.
"...Avery?" He said. His voice sounded scratchy, but he cleared his throat, standing at once.
The Guildmaster paused, as though unsure where to begin. A million things flashed across his face...but eventually he settled on:
"...yes, of course. You know my office is always open..." He drummed his fingers on the desk as he stood. "...and, if you would...close the door."
He didn't need to say why.
Avery nodded, slipping into the office and gently closing the door with a click. The Plusle felt the heat of the room, the same he had felt when he came in that very first day. But back then, Avery had Vizon by his side. And even then it had been oppressive.
Now, Avery was alone.
That oppressive heat had since transformed. It was no longer a blazing presence. The heat had died down to a warmth both comforting and sad; huddling around the embers of a fire that had gone out long ago.
"I, uh...Guildmaster," Avery said, slowly approaching his desk. "I wanted to talk with you about some things. They've been on my mind for a long time now-"
The Plusle let out a dry laugh. 'A long time.' He hadn't been here a quarter of a year...
"Relatively speaking, of course." Avery gave him a little smile. "But... Before any of that, I just...both on behalf of the guild, and...on a personal note, I wanted to thank you."
Sarfallinus watched the Plusle as he approached. The Infernape lightly traced his fingers across the wood desk.
He looked...almost amazed.
"I can't imagine for what, Avery." Sarfallinus said, almost bitterly. "The guild's become a nightmare overnight and there's not much I can do about it that wouldn't just make things worse for all of you-"
He stopped himself, closing his eyes.
"-Well...maybe that's just some old pride creeping up. Thank you, I suppose," Sarfallinus finished.
There was a pause. Slowly, the Infernape stepped around the desk, pulling a chair from the side before moving his own over. He didn't want a desk between he and Avery while they talked.
Or perhaps he just didn't want to look at the paper stacks on his desk. Folders and folders all marked ~MANDATORY~.
"But, please..." Sarfallinus's voice brought Avery's attention back to him. "...if there's something you need to talk about...feel free. I certainly didn't mean to be so closed-off. It's just with all the rush of the Pearl Crisis, I-..."
His fist clenched and unclenched.
"...I've scarcely been afforded a moment with my newest guild member." The Infernape continued. "Should I admit it's been gnawing at me?"
"It's been getting to me too," Avery said with a nervous smile. "I've been able to spend a lot of time with my guild mates, share a lot with them, but... With the guild the way it is right now, I think..."
"Hm...makes you think maybe she didn't want us too close." Sarfallinus half-joked.
Half.
The Plusle took a breath through his nose, and let it out.
There was this aching sadness in Avery's heart looking at the Guildmaster. Under different circumstances Avery could have seen him as a wonderful mentor. Someone who would whip him into shape as a service to the world.
...but Olistia took that away from Avery, too. He could count on two fingers the times he was able to talk to Sarfallinus alone.
"I think...I think you should be able to operate on the same information that the rest of my friends are." Avery said. "Because...we're guild. Still."
Sarfallinus was quiet for a moment...then shifted forward, looking at Avery seriously.
"Hm...still guild, huh? Still Guild..." Sarfallinus hummed in contemplation. "...what is it you need to tell me, Avery? What's eating you?"
"...A lot, frankly-" the laugh that bubbled out of Avery was much more exhausted than he meant it to be. But he sat down on the ground in preparation. "... Before I start, I need you to know that none of this is a lie. I've never told you a lie that I hadn't believed myself - save..."
Avery's face fell.
"...save one, very very recently-"
The Plusle's fingers traced at the ground as he tried to recover. He hadn't known she was a spy until just before the investigation. And while he'd never lied to Sarfallinus's face...he had kept quiet.
"But I won't lie to you about anything ever again." Avery said. "I won't stay silent about things you should know. Especially now."
Sarfallinus picked up on what Avery meant and waved it away.
"Nevermind that, Avery." The Infernape said, shaking his head. "I'm used to secrets. Old secrets and new secrets, big and small, lies abound. After all, I work directly under Olistia, a woman who's good graces I only have because of the law of lineage for Guildmasters...and because she liked my father so."
He stood from his chair, scooting it back...so he could sit on the floor with Avery. Upon that ash-covered tile.
"You keeping a secret for a friend? And in belief it was the right thing to do?" The Infernape shook his head. "I won't fault you for that."
"...She..." Avery wrung his hands. He supposed he'd start with that. "...Olistia killed her. At the banquet. Took her memories out of her head. Only brought her back to life for my sake or something - but she doesn't remember me. She doesn't remember anything from coming here. I-"
Avery squinted his eyes shut - once again saw the scene etched into the dark behind his eyes.
"...Jolvia was a good person," Avery said quietly."...She wanted this to stop. She wanted us to get one pearl. Them to get another. And for us to keep them so they'd never be used. I didn't know until she told me, but-"
Avery forced his eyes open. He couldn't look at the scene in the banquet anymore.
"I want to be as strong as her."
Sarfallinus perked up, his brow furrowing.
"Hm..." He sunk down, gaze solemn as he nodded. "...so that's how Olistia is pulling this off."
The Infernape leaned forward, pinching between his eyes.
"I had told her not to do this." He went on. "That if the guild were to get the Pearls it would be only to prevent them from being used...but..."
Sarfallinus's brow furrowed.
"...seems it's never enough. I should have figured."
The Infernape looked down at Avery.
A deep silence filled the air. Nothing but the crackle of fire. Some thought nagged at Avery...
'How could you not have known...?'
The Plusle's thoughts were interrupted as Sarfallinus spoke again.
"Tell me, Avery...in what way is she strong? Your friend, Jolvia?" He asked, looking deep into the Plusle.
The answer came immediately. "She wasn't afraid of going against those in power if it meant doing what she believed would help everyone," Avery replied. "Even if she was working against both us and Xamao at times, even if she knew she was betraying the trust of people she truly cared about, she did it because it needed to be done, to protect the very people she was lying to."
Avery hugged his arms to his chest.
"I don't want to lie to people. I don't want to hurt them. Especially if I care about them, especially if they care about me. Her strength isn't... just about that. But it's just...knowing what you have to do, and doing it." Avery sighed, squeezing himself. "That's...partially why I'm here now, Guildmaster. There's some other things I've been hiding from you that...that I don't want to hide from you anymore. I was afraid you'd think less of me, or call me crazy, or just kick me out of the guild, but..."
Avery's shoulders fell.
"...I don't think that's going to matter much longer."
Sarfallinus smiled listening to him. A strangely prideful smile.
"Avery, I think you and I both now know you were never a Hero of Arceus. Not at first." Sarfallinus said. "Olistia handing you an envelope to get into a guild to fight and do her bidding...these things didn't make you a hero."
The Infernape furrowed his brow, lifting a finger towards Avery.
"It was catching two criminals who threatened the lives and homes of Pokémon nobody else cared about. It was protecting your enemies in Lightning Wastes even as they turned and stabbed you in the back. It was safeguarding a friend, even when you knew it would get you in trouble with authority like Olistia and Vinae."
Sarfallinus's hand returned to rest upon his knees.
"To my knowledge...you've already tasted the feeling of doing what you know is right. It's stung, hasn't it? It's hurt and bit you." He said. The Infernape's fingers drummed upon his knees.
His eyes fell away from Avery, trailing towards the wall.
"If you wish to share something you've been hiding from me...then we have something in common." Sarfallinus said. A wry, pained smile crossed his face. "And we can share them together."
Avery nodded slowly.
"... I'll... Start small, then. R... Relatively."
He looked out to the door. And thought about what was beyond it.
"...I know about Team Infinity. E...everything that happened to them. To...Richard."
Sarfallinus paused. His eyes closed at once and his head sunk down in shame.
A deep, guttural sigh escaped him.
"Richard..." He rumbled. "A sweet boy that refused to bend the knee to a world that wished to mold him another soldier. And when he was killed, I was the first to be told...by the elites. Before they descended upon Quayslaan and began work to make the world forget about the young boy that had so vehemently spoken for the 'undesirables' of Arcea."
His fist tightened.
"...and my first look into how broken Olistia's Conduicy had become. How much of a distorted madhouse of aloof cruelty it'd all descended into." He said. "My first...but not my last. No, not my last."
He looked up at Avery.
"What do you know?"
"...I know he was young," Avery said quietly. "... I know he was younger when he was...brought here."
The Plusle grew more mournful as he spoke.
"I know that the Conduicy branded him a deserter. I know that they tried to brainwash Quayslaan into forgetting him." Avery swallowed...and forced out the final sentence. "I... I know he was human."
Sarfallinus grit his teeth, hearing that.
"...was he, now...?" The Infernape began, slowly. "...Olistia divulged to me the true nature of humans and their existence, but..."
He folded his hands together, his brow furrowed.
"She never told me she'd actually brought a human over...to have done to a human what had been done to Adelaide or Jianguo or..."
His eyes flicked down. His fingers came to his forehead, rubbing them in thought.
"I remember him joining. A six year old Tepig - only six, and Olistia personally asked for his inclusion with a friend he'd made. A Snivy named Quayslaan...I think from Souljraan but his parents had moved to Yahneri Port." Sarfallinus recalled. "But Richard...he was a blank slate. I couldn't pull a background or parents to contact...and he always talked of strange things, talked of...stories he'd 'watched' and could recount to us. He..."
His eyes narrowed.
"...is that it? Olistia really...did something like that? To take a child of six from another world to try and make him into a warrior for her? Then what? Dispose of him when his ideals shift away from her goals? What then, what-"
His voice stopped.
His head lifted up to Avery. Sarfallinus's gaze burrowed deep into his.
The fire that flared from his head seemed to grow, like a small flash of anger as he looked at the Plusle. But not anger towards Avery.
Avery knew who the anger was directed towards.
"...So...so you know about it then," Avery said softly, looking down. "Well, um...h-hah, I don't know how to say this other than just saying it, but...maybe you've put it together yourself."
Nothing to do but do it.
"...I'm a human, too. Richard's replacement."
Sarfallinus's words followed Avery's own. Venomous. Biting. The Infernape's breathing deepned as his brow furrowed.
"By Arceus, Olistia, what have you done..."
A long silence followed.
A long, deep silence.
"What...where were you taken from?" Sarfallinus asked.
"..."
That made Avery's brow furrow. He looked up at the Infernape, shock evident on his face.
"D...did...did Richard get to remember-?"
"He did, at first, I assume." Sarfallinus said. "But soon he went from a boy of six to a man of sixteen and those years must have faded as all childhood memories do."
He laughed bitterly.
"He used to talk of the strangest things to Quayslaan. Quayslaan would have trouble sleeping and Richard...this kid would retell him stories the ones he said he 'watched'. I remember...Arceus...listening to him fumble his way through trying to tell a bizarre story about a woman meeting a monster in a castle that was filled with singing dishes and furniture..."
The Infernape lifted a hand to his mouth. His brow was twitching.
"For hours...and hours...until Quayslaan finally fell asleep." He continued...his voice strained. "...Richard was very kind. I'm sorry to say I couldn't have been more proud to have had him in this guild."
"...I...I think I remember a story like that," Avery said, frowning. "...I think I remember something about watching them, too. There was..."
The Plusle squinted his eyes shut, trying to remember. There was something teasing at the edges of his memory.
"...A box, we could watch. And you'd just - see stories on it-" Avery sighed. "I-I dunno. Most of what I remember is just my two friends, my pet, and camping - and even then, that's..."
Avery's hands clasped in front of each other.
"She claimed that she couldn't restore my memories." The Plusle continued. "She claimed that they'd make me want to go home. But...knowing what I do about how I turned into this, I...I don't think that's an option anymore."
Sarfallinus lifted a single finger up to Avery's chest, pressing at the Plusle's heart.
"That is why you are a hero." Sarfallinus sighed. It wasn't encouragement...it was spoken so sadly and with resignation. "Anyone else would simply want to return home at once. But others are of a different nature, cursed to always run headlong towards the roughest patches of life simply because they know that is what should be done."
His finger lowered, hand returned to his knee.
"For all the pride I feel in you...I can't help but also be sorry that this is your nature." He said. "Just as it was with Richard...you're so very much like him, Avery."
He sat across from the Plusle, tense...yet relaxed.
"I'd not have breathed a word of any of this, of all my discontent, to you or anyone, were it not the circumstances." Sarfallinus explained. "If it weren't for Olistia's coup, or Ganusi's takeover of my guild...of the coming wave of members I will be forced to induct into training, whether I wish for it or not..."
He smiled. Bitterly did the Guildmaster smile.
"If I may give my own confession?" Sarfallinus began. "When Janus first vanished...I knew why. I couldn't fathom any reason why she wouldn't, even if her sister did not understand at the time. Or simply didn't accept it."
The smile widened.
"Yet...nothing will compare to the strange sense of...joy I felt hearing she was behind bars, a part of the Thieves Guild all this time." He laughed. "Janus hadn't changed a bit. And I was so proud to hear..."
"...Loshjno and Lahnae were with me when I decided to come talk to you," Avery continued. "They couldn't come in for obvious reasons, but...they wanted to tell you that they're behind you all the way...and...I think that everyone here feels the same way. This is still your guild, Guildmaster."
Avery stopped for another moment. His brow tightened.
"...Well. A-almost everyone feels the same way."
He took a deep breath.
"And I'll do everything I can do keep it such." Sarfallinus said. "Better me here than someone else. Someone Olistia might like better."
His eyes narrowed. His smirk seemed, for a moment, cocky.
"They say the guild is no good anymore. It doesn't do the all-star jobs and doesn't let anyone in." Sarfallinus said. "What they mean...is the guild isn't tougher on crime. It doesn't go on killing sprees against criminals anymore. And it no longer fills its ranks with children for Olistia's private police force..."
He leaned back, his face fierce.
"And Olistia will have to fight me tooth and nail on it. Janus leaving...it was my failure. I let Olistia and her elites drag those children out there to..." The Infernape stopped, the fire around him flaring once more. Flames and embers coated his shoulders. "Janus...told you, did she not? You've visited her plenty. You know what happened, don't you?"
"...I do."
Avery took a breath.
"And I know it's going to happen again very soon. And I know...that nobody in this guild is planning on participating in it...except...m-maybe for one-"
Sarfallinus's eyes FLARED.
"Who?!" The Infernape said, leaning forward. "Not Lahnae, she'd never. She's the same as Janus, she's leave if it was even asked. Loshjno is too smart...neither Kipuuna nor Ganisus have it in them and..."
His voice caught.
"...Arceus..."
Sarfallinus...choked.
"...she was so small, Arceus, a child should never bear blood on their hands. A blood bond with a Conduit that'd just as easily crumple them and throw them in the trash - just as she did with Richard." Sarfallinus shook his head, grit his teeth as he seemed to spiral. His eyes were ablaze in determination. "This will not be my guild much longer if that happens again. I will fight it to the last. For the guild's sake. I..."
A fist SLAMMED into the tile. CRACKING it. Avery saw a hundred emotions flash through the guildmaster's eyes - years of cognitive dissonance swirling in the Infernape as morality and pride clashed.
"I refuse to let my Guild go through it again. I don't care if this guild is now just Olistia's training ground of elites. This guild is ancient, honorable, and centuries older than even she, and-"
He stopped. A hand shot out to grip Avery's shoulder. The Guildmaster looked into him dead-on, seriously. A snarl crossed his face.
"Who? Who in my family is going to? They won't - I will not let them."
'Family...' Avery Thought. 'Even now he's calling us 'family'...does he understand how that word has been used in this guild all these years?'
The Plusle gave a weak smile. A weak, tired smile.
'...or does he believe in it as much as we used to? So he's...in the same boat as us, in a way.'
"Nivanee talked to Janus this morning." Avery said. "She's...she's as on board as the rest of us. She's hates what she's done, and she wants...to try to make it right. There's still some residual feelings, but...she's not who I'm worried about."
The Plusle's eyes started to sting.
"It's Vizon, sir. I'm worried about Vizon."
"Vizon...?"
Sarfallinus looked like he wanted to protest, to defend the Riolu.
But...
He stopped...leaned back...and thought.
"...I haven't seen Vizon for a while...and Vinae had said he was being briefed separately..." The Infernape's eyes widened. "...I've scarcely been able to talk to him, either...same as you."
He perked, back straightening.
"What's happened to him? I wouldn't have thought much of him - you've always been the focus of Olistia's efforts, it'd seemed...has that changed?"
"...It's changed," Avery said, definitively. "...She said about as much at the banquet. She's given up on me. She's focusing on Vizon instead."
The Plusle's brow creased with worry.
"I-I don't want to lose him, Sarfallinus, he's...he's really been trying, a-and...and he's a good person, h-he really is- but...but they-"
He gripped his hands.
"...They did something to him. For my sake. Right at the beginning-"
Sarfallinus stood all at once, looking down at him. The Infernape's face mixed a broiling fury with an absolute terror. Avery could see the horrible possibilities flood his mind.
"Avery-" The Guildmaster began, gritting his teeth.
A noise interrupted him.
He paused...then knelt down and gently tucked his hands under Avery's arms to lift him from his sitting postion. Avery swallowed, feeling Sarfallinus's hands on him, supporting him, bringing him to his feet.
Avery could hear shuffling outside, just beyond the wooden door.
"Avery. Listen to me. And listen good, do you understand?" Sarfallinus said, his voice filled with the authority of a guild master, the same the Plusle had heard when he first joined.
Avery didn't say a word. Just nodded.
"You have the power to be as strong as Jolvia right now. You always have.
"You dove into the dark with Lahnae and Loshjno, in the face of certain defeat, and still brought them home safe.
"You ventured into the unknown and brought Kipuuna and Ganisus together when all hope was lost on them.
"And Arceus, by Arceus, you've saved Nivanee."
The shuffling was getting louder. Avery could hear Vinae's approaching voice-
"No, no. To me. Pay attention to me. Do not fear them. They are and will always be mortal Pokémon, like you and me." Sarfallinus said, jerking the Plusle's attention back.
"This is what I ask of you: You know what is right. What must be done. If you can't do anything then you do what you can, and always with others who can."
The Infernape gripped Avery's shoulders, shaking him, thumbs brushing the Plusle's fur as he talked quickly.
"For the love of Arceus, Avery, when the time comes that you must jump and you know you must jump...then you must link hands with your friends and jump. And never look back."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Heeeey~! It's past curfew! Guildmaster, ya gotta go home!!"
"Do you understand me, Avery? Do you?"
Avery's eyes were stinging harder now.
And he nodded.
"...I-I understand, Guildmaster. I..."
The lump that traveled down Avery's throat hurt.
"I won't forget."
"If you do that...Vizon can be found." Sarfallinus said. "He can be saved, too."
S L A M
"I promise."
"Heeey, Avery~! Whatcha doin' in here with the fussy ol' Guildmaster? You're such a scamp~!"
Sarfallinus's eyes lifted...
...and his hands finally let Avery go as he stood.
The Plusle could feel Vinae's presence behind him, cutting through the atmosphere. Intruding on it.
"...he was just leaving." Sarfallinus spoke first.
"Gee, I'd hope so~!" Vinae's sweet voice cooed behind Avery. "It's almost time for bed. And we got a big day ahead of us..."
A pause...a huff of breath on the Plusle's back.
"Don't we...Avery?"
Sarfallinus snarled.
"...Am I not allowed to say goodnight to my Guildmaster?" Avery asked, his ear twitching. "I appreciate everything you're doing for the guild, Vinae, but it's his name Team Azure is under."
He took a breath.
"And I'm sure that he wouldn't want me staying up late either, same as you," Avery said, turning to face the Whimsicott. "...Thank you, Guildmaster. Have a good night."
"Aww, he's a real sweet kid." Vinae trilled, ruffling Avery's hair. Behind her stood Shantai and Equiros.
Sarfallinus's fists tightened as he stared at Avery, watching as the Plusle was slowly ushered away from the warm light of his office and back towards the darkness of the dorms.
"Good night...Avery," he said, his voice rumbling across the old stones. "See you on the other side."
The wood door shut.
'...On the other side.'
Avery took a deep breath, and let it go. Sarfallinus was a good guildmaster. He'd be on their side, just as they were on his.
And with that thought in Avery's head, he wordlessly moved towards the dorms.
Vinae stood at the entrance of the hall, arms crossed, watching as the Plusle walked down towards the darkest end of the hall.
He passed Team Spade's open door.
Loshjno and Lahnae sat upon the bed, looking up at Avery. The Torchic flashed him a confident smile, THUMPING her chest. The Squirtle gave him a solemn nod.
He passed Team Aquashock's open door.
Kipuuna and Ganisus stood over their items, looking back at Avery as he passed. He saw a fire in the Piplup's eyes he hadn't seen since Dovve Fo Uddjo as Kipuuna nodded. The Shinx, likewise, watched Avery, eyes locked with his in a silent solidarity.
He passed Team Duskwalker's old room. Dusty. The nameplate empty.
Yet as Avery heard a muffled and distant BANG thrum through the walls. As Vinae jolted, looking back and rushing out of the guild...he knew Janus was with him, too.
At last, he came to Team Azure's room.
Standing there was Nivanee, her face firm as she waited for him, standing in the center of the room, silhouetted by the magenta light of Sanshiyad through the window.
Avery stood in the doorway for just a moment - and he rushed forwards to hug her. The Eevee was quiet a moment, only tightly returning his hug before she spoke.
"...you ready?" She whispered.
For a moment, they were alone, and he just squeezed her tightly.
"...you...you haven't...seen Vizon all day, h-have you?" he asked.
Nivanee's breath hitched for a moment...and she looked back at the bed.
...empty.
"I'm..." Her voice faltered. "...I'm sorry. He was here but...I must have said something to make him..."
She huffed, frowning deeply.
"He's not acting himself."
"...That might have been partially my fault, too," Avery said quietly. "I'm scared for him, Niv. I-I'm really scared for him-"
"I am, too," Nivanee admitted, looking back at the bed.
They could just barely see where a Riolu-sized imprint had been.
"I'm horrified how much he's reminding me of myself," Nivanee whispered.
There was a pause...until she finally padded over towards the bed, brushing a paw along it.
"...how much did you say to him?" she asked.
"....I asked him what he thought about the circumstances around his house, and...o-only told him what I thought when he asked. But he-"
Avery's mind flashed back to the conversation.
"He...almost seemed to accept it. Like it was a wholly good thing that Olistia did to him. I-I know that it's nuanced, that it's not all bad or all good but he just...he just took it wholesale-"
"I..."
Nivanee's paw dropped to the ground.
"...I might have figured that's what would have happened..." Nivanee said at last. She didn't face him. Maybe she couldn't face him. "...it sounds like what I would have done. Or just denied it altogether."
"...I'm not going to give up on him," Avery said quietly. He wasn't sure if she was mad at him or not. Maybe she was. Avery wouldn't blame her if she was. Maybe he'd driven Vizon further away.
"I don't want to leave him behind."
"And we're not." It was spoken sharply, like a fact, Punctuated with a stomp. "I'm not going to-"
Her firm stance faltered. Yet she still seemed still as the cold air around them.
Finally, her head turned. She beckoned Avery closer.
"Once upon a time...I was wondering what happened to us. Why my family was falling apart," she said. "Now...now I'm here with a true family. What we had before deserved to crumble. What we are now..."
A weak smile crossed Nivanee's face.
"It's truly strong. And none of us will leave him behind...ok?"
"...Vizon...tried to call us family on the way back," Avery said mournfully. "He and Lahnae didn't...her part of the conversation didn't go super well. But I didn't...really disagree with him. We are a family, it's just...it's different than it was before."
Nivanee seized a little.
"Lahnae was there too, huh...?" She asked. "...did...did you tell her? About seven years ago?"
"...I felt like I had to," Avery said in defeat. "Because it's happening again - she remembers the last one, to a degree. She has...she has complicated feelings towards you. But - but I'm not going to let her think bad things of you, either. You're...you're not like that. That isn't who you are - and even if she's my girlfriend, even if I love her, I'm not going to let her think of you as something you're not-"
"No. No no, let her think those things."
Nivanee's voice came quick and firm as she turned to face Avery. Her face was tired. Emotionally exhausted like he'd never seen.
But she also looked...so very strong.
"Lahnae is like that. She'll think and feel what she will. I've known her to be like that for all the time she's been at this guild."
The Eevee smiled softly. A small, sad smile.
"...and the last thing I want is to start burying others' emotions again. If there's an issue...we'll talk about it. Open and honestly," Nivanee said. "...like we always do. Even if it's hard. Even..."
She hitched.
"...even if it hurts."
With a quick turn, Nivanee hopped up onto the bed, trying to nestle her trembling body down. She was trying, trying so hard...to mask how terrified she was. Of others. Of her past. Of tomorrow.
Yet she still nestled down to face the morning.
"We're gunna be okay, Avery. Okay...? Just like you said." She whispered. "Just...like you said."
It was hard to tell how much of what she said was meant to assure Avery...or herself.
The Plusle stood there quietly at the door a moment longer. He took it in.
This old room. The ratty mattress they never really got around to replacing. The view outside of the canal with the musty smell that always seemed to work its way in. The guild-issued bags in a heap beside the door because they never got a hook to hang them.
...And his partner, curled up on the bed, trying to sleep to be ready for the big day tomorrow.
'My partner looks a little different today than they did on the first day', Avery thought to himself.
He climbed up onto the bed, and nestled up against Nivanee, holding her closely.
Avery was scared too. This could be their last day in Arceliaze. But they had to keep moving forward, and fight to make sure everything would work out.
And as Avery slowly drifted off...curled up under the covers...he felt Nivanee's tail softly curl around him. Pulling him in close.
He could hear the sounds of sleeping coming from the other open doors. From Kipuuna and Ganisus. From Lahnae and Loshjno. Somewhere out there, Janus and Jolvia were running and Rikzyod was cheering them on.
It was scary. Terrifying.
But he was not alone. He didn't need to be.
Avery could face the darkness that seeped into his vision. He'd seen its tricks, its horrors. He knew what to expect.
As a low hum entered his ears...as his head felt hazy...
He heard that voice, deep, deep in the darkness one final time.
[[BEGIN NEURAL MAP CHECK]]
If you saw a wallet on the side of the road, what would you do with it?
...despite himself, a small smile played across Avery's lips. He still didn't know the truth about what all of this was. He was closer than he was on the very first day, but there were still a few mysteries to solve. Maybe he never would. Maybe that'd be okay.
'I'd look to see if there was any identification inside, and try to find them so I could return it. Wallets have a lot of important things in them a lot of the time. It'd be hard to lose yours.'
There was a click. The humming increased.
[[DEVIATION: 10%]]
What Did you Want to Be As A Child?
'I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to explore the unknown.'
Avery could feel a rush of cold wind. He had a body in this void. It stood against the nothing.
He was, in this space.
[[DEVIATION: 20%]]
Would You Open an Envelope With the Date of Your Death Inside?
'No. I wouldn't.'
They were the same answers but...
...they were different.
Spoken quickly. Directly.
Confidently.
Avery's eyes blinked. There was nothing to see in this black void...but Avery did see. In the darkness he could imagine images flickering in the deep black.
Imagines of friends. Distant, hazy memories of humans.
Of his...dog, Amber. Not a Vulpix. Just a dog.
[[DEVIATION: 40%]]
If you could see a measuring scale above people's heads, what would you want this scale to measure?
Avery's ears perked.
'How honest of a person they are. To others, and to themselves.'
The Bibarel in the stream next to where his friends camped...
...no, not Bibarel. Beavers. Simple beavers.
From Earth.
Vulpixes and Bibarel...were only creatures of this world. Where Avery had been taken. Creatures he somehow knew the species name of. Riolu. Eevee. Shinx. Piplup. Torchic. Squirtle.
Planted knowledge. Invasive knowledge.
As though he'd lived among Pokémon his whole life. As though he'd been immersed in this all along.
'...That was taken from me too. Even just the truth of who I was, and where I came from.
Why did she take that from me...? Why did she take so much from me?
...'
A thought rang in Avery's mind. A quick, innocuous thought from long ago.
'Am I Arcean...?'
The most convincing, cultivated thought to begin a chain. An algorithm.
Yet here now...
[[DEVIATION: 60%]]
There was a miscalculation.
Would you be friends with yourself?
'I would be. I try to be a good person, so...I think I would be a good friend.'
And he knew that to be true. If it wasn't he'd work to make it so.
It was Avery's truth. And his alone.
He was no longer a void to be filled with another's purpose.
[[ DEVIATION: 70% ]]
He was Avery.
'If Someone Stole Bread to Feed Their Family, Would You Consider Them A Bad Person?'
'No. Survival shouldn't be criminalized. If they truly have no other options, it's a failure on society for failing them.'
[[ DEVIATION: 95% ]]
The humming grew and grew in volume. Like the void was shaking itself to death around him.
Avery could feel it creeping up his back. Up to his pointed ears.
Deep in the void he could see his friends looking back at him. Smiling at him.
This was who he was.
Here at the end.
'You see a cube. How large is it? Where is it located? What is its surroundings?'
'There is a ladder by the cube. How large is it? How is it oriented to the cube?'
'Just say it.
Just say I'm not who you want to be.
Just admit that even if you trap someone in a simulation for thousands of years, even if you rip their personality to shreds and rebuild them, piece by piece, for your own purposes, even if you take away everything they are...
You can't force someone to be who you want them to be. You can't control a person. As long as they have free will, there will be things you can never control.
The cube is a rock.
I can hold it in a hand.
It feels cool in my palm. Smooth. Subtle jagged edges that help give it heft. Jabbing into my skin but held all the same.
The ladder leads up.
And holding the rock,
I begin to climb.
[[ DEVIATION ]]
Before him lied the orb of light, shining down upon him. Avery could see the rock in his hand. The flow of his fur. Once it may not have been his fur. But it was now. His body. His blood.
The ladder creaked. The light overtook his vision. Surrounded him. It was terrifying and burned at his fur.
He floated through the white void of light. Staring out at the gold rings that towered over him.
And there, silhouetted, far in the distance.
Avery saw him again.
...Vizon.
The rock stayed clenched in his hand like a safety. Like if he let go of it, he'd forget.
"Vizon!" Avery called. "Vizon!!"
Far, far away...
Vizon...looked back.
His Crimson eyes lit up. A smile spread over his face. He lifted a paw up and waved.
"Avery! C'mon, let's go!"
Avery heard Nivanee's voice. Her footsteps padded up to the Plusle's side.
"GO ON!! LET'S RUN FOR HIM!!" Lahnae shouted, pushing at Avery from behind. Kipuuna and Ganisus ran up at his sides, sprinting along with Avery as Loshjno followed up the rear.
"Go on, Avery! One last effort!!" The Squirtle shouted, encouraging him.
Thundering footsteps over the white, glossy floor, running for Vizon, rushing to catch him.
"Just a little further!" Jolvia's voice shouted.
The Riolu didn't say anything, simply staring at Avery with a warm expression as he got closer.
For once...for the first time...
...it was just a dream.
Avery's dream.
Vizon held his paw out. And at last...
...their hands interlocked. Tight. Unbroken.
Together.
Chapter 51
~
Semaphore
~
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