Chapter 38 - Light the Way
Team_Ion
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I am.
I… am.
I….
Meowth sat in silent horror.
The drowzee was swift and effective, pulling the dreams from Rai and absorbing them. I might have been relieved, but Rai’s relaxing afterwards struck me as more limp than relieved.
Each particle of ephemeral energy that floated from Rai towards the drowzee seemed to glimmer in the light. Like a stream of images amid the light, I thought I could see them.
A tower. A path. Holding someone until they were gone.
Who was that person that Rai cried over?
Meowth…? Meowth? Meowth wasn’t sure.
Feeling like a dreamless state, Meowth might just float away. Where to go? M. M. M?
Not sure.
It was so hard to cling onto.
Rai.
Rai.
Rai.
Rai.
Rai. Rai and Mane.
Mane and Rrrr?
Ria.
Raiag.
Little Leo.
Lightning Strike.
Rrrrai.
Rai.
Rai and Mane.
Me…
Me….
Meowth.
Look.
Sc?
Listen?
Sco?
Run?
Scou?
Find.
Scout.
Scout.
Scout.
Scout.
Scout. Rai. Mane.
I am Scout!
Scout raised his head and called out loudly, yet not a single person stirred as he bellowed his name to the world.
He had no lungs and thus could not run out of breath.
His cry continued. He had no lungs, he could not breathe. He could not speak, thus he could not be heard. He could not exist and thus his voice grew louder and louder and louder .
And then, finally, the drowzee stopped. Flinching back as a constrained blast of dark rings struck it straight in the gut, causing it to regurgitate everything it had pulled out of Rai and send it smashing through the woods.
Scout stopped screaming as all three sleeping pokemon jumped to their feet.
“What was that?” Lucario snapped, looking back and forth dangerously as Rai and Mane sparked and smoked.
Rai went to run towards the wreckage in the trees but Keira placed a bone gently over his shoulder. “I’ll go,” she said, stepping forward confidently.
Whispering to each other, Rai and Mane pressed their bodies together and kept an eye out all around them, Rai’s golden eyes seeking any other threats.
“My head,” Rai complained as Mane growled. He shook it slowly, giving a moan of pain.
Mane just pressed firmer against him, keeping his head up as Rai lowered his. “Did you find it?” he called as Keira returned.
“A drowzee,” Keira said with a frown. “Dreamy Woods and all. Pretty daring little shit to sneak up on us.”
“But what attacked it?” Rai asked, alarmed at the notion they were being fed upon.
“I’d guess myself,” Keira replied, glancing back at the trail of destruction. There were burned out ring-like marks in the bark of trees that she poked at. “A Dark Pulse. Little bastard probably moved onto me and I reacted. It happens.”
The scale of the damage implied that could be the case. Several trees had holes blasted through them, and the trail of carnage went beyond what their eyes could catch just from here.
“Is there others?” Rai asked, worried.
“Can you look with your ‘aura senses’?” Mane added.
Lucario offered him a strange expression that disappeared as she said, “No.”
“No? Why not!”
“Because I can’t,” she replied, an edge of frustration bleeding into her voice.
The look Rai and Mane gave was almost complete non-comprehension.
“Wut?” Mane asked. “But… you’re literally a lucario. THE Lucario . What do you mean you can’t? We were taught in school that the whole creation of Rescue Teams in the first place was you sensing people trapped in dungeons! Isn’t that the foundation of Rescue Requests?”
Lucario glared at him and he balked a moment before refusing to back down.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” Lucario replied. “But not everyone is made to standard. I got it. I can’t control it. It just explodes out of me at random points. When that happens, sure, I see everything within several hundred units but I can’t just decide when that happens.”
“Oh,” Mane echoed.
Lucario snorted at him. “Yeah, well, I’ll forgive you because I’m nice like that.” She began to stretch her legs, cracking her spine with several twists that caused Mane to cringe and Rai to regain a little colour in his face, grinning playfully at Mane’s discomfort.
As they began to discuss the next move, Scout found his panic receding slowly. They were okay. They were okay, they were fine. Rai and Mane were fine. A little tilted from the rude awakening but they were tough. They. Were. Fine.
“Darkrai?” Scout whispered, as if someone could hear him.
“Darkrai?” he repeated, louder this time but still nowhere close to the cry he had just put out.
Scout stepped forwards, between Rai and Mane as they argued with Lucario over whether they should turn left or right. She kept on changing her answer when they almost agreed.
His paws ran through Rai as if he wasn’t there. Rai made no motion, no matter how small, that he could sense Scout. Scout stood in front of him as Rai’s eyes passed through him, feeling so lonely.
Mane didn’t catch his eye with a wordless motion that would elicit some sort of offended reaction.
Rai didn’t catch the silent communication and loudly get an answer that would cause him to go so red he’d hide under his paws.
Not even The Legendary Lucario had any idea he was there, a distant look in her eyes that he could not recognise if he had a hundred years to study it. Only that there was a part of her that wasn’t here in the conversation.
He couldn’t even cry.
Scout slowly took a step back from them. Then another. Then another. He walked until he could no longer hear them, but a part of him always could.
“Darkrai,” Scout said as he walked backwards until he found the nightmare bringer.
Darkrai floated with a tepid serenity amid humid plants. He was still but stiff, floating but frozen. He was not facing Scout as he walked in.
Scout had trouble keeping track of time like this, so he could not tell exactly how long they stood before Darkrai acknowledged him.
What he could see was the slight tremble in Darkrai’s arms. Just slight, just ever-so-slight that it was easy to miss yet impossible to ignore once he recognised it.
“I heard you,” Darkrai murmured softly.
Scout couldn’t find the emotion he was supposed to feel, each feeling slipped out of his paws like sand before he could cling on. “Thank you,” he managed.
“...you are welcome, Scout,” Darkrai responded, his back remaining pointed at Scout.
“...”
“...”
Part of Scout wanted to step out, run back. He’d given his gratitude.
The rest of him kept him rooted there.
Darkrai slowly sighed, his shoulders slumping and he turned to face Scout. “May I ask you something, Scout?”
“...okay.”
“What would it take?” he asked softly. “For you to trust me?”
Scout was silent a moment. “I’ve only spoken to you a few times. And I know you’re tricky. I know what the distortion we pokemon from the future cause.” He knew what it might do to Rai.
Darkrai’s eyes softened. “The distortion is minor,” he said. “And self-correcting. Indeed it is true that Palkia may be angered but it would never go against Arceus. It would not know about you.”
“Unless you told it,” Scout returned.
“I would have to be suicidal to attempt such a thing,” Darkrai replied. “In which case, Palkia would find fault with me, not you.”
They lapsed into thoughtfulness.
Darkrai lowered himself into the earth until he was eye level with Scout. “Scout. I can see how much pain you are in. Not only the pain of being alone for so long. Not only the pain of seeing those you love in pain themselves. But also the pain of your doubts, I know you want to trust me but you cannot bring yourself to. Do you fear it would be selfish?”
Scout flinched.
“Have you not earned the right to be selfish, just this once?”
“Once?” Scout murmured back. He shook his head. “I’ve been nothing but selfish. You don’t… you don’t know what I did wrong.”
“Perhaps. But I also know that we ourselves are rarely sound judges of our own actions. Tell me. Did you not do your best to support your partners?” Scout frowned. “Did you not do your best to stop Dusknoir?” That word ended on a slight edge but Scout didn’t dwell on it.
“Did you not do your best to save the tower? To the point where your body was breaking apart? You died to save the world, more than even Grovyle and Celebi did. You gave everything and you still think you should have done more? You did more than anyone could have asked you to.”
Scout had his paws together, staring blankly at the ground over them.
Darkrai nodded to himself. “I think I know what I should do. I will give you space for now. But I will return and I will prove myself to you.”
With that, Darkrai was gone.
Scout just did not know what to do.
“You’re leaving already?” Mane whined. “We took forever to find you!”
“Okay.” Lucario rubbed her ear. “First of all, oww. Second of all, you probably found me easier than anyone has in decades. What did you do? Call around a bit until you found me and got a teleporter over? You’re lucky Mawile is persistent.”
She gave them both a bop on the head to beat the point in.
“Why are you hitting me?” Rai complained, rubbing his head as Mane gave up and slumped to the ground.
“You encourage his behaviour.”
“I do not!”
“You totally do,” Mane said, grinning up at Rai until he blushed.
“Hit him again.”
“Harder this time~”
“Ugh.” Lucario grimaced. “I’m going to need a shower, the subtext between you two isn’t even subtext, it’s just text. You really need some time alone and I am am going to be nice and give you that time.”
Mane continued to smirk as she turned to look forwards. “In more seriousness, I need some time to get some stuff done. And, no offence, I don’t like people. I need to air out my thoughts alone. Go back to your home. What was it, Treasure Town? Go back there. I will meet you in Treasure Town.”
“Why should we trust you?” Mane asked, coming to his feet again. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t too hard to find you this time but if you just disappear there’s no chance we’ll be able to find you again, is there?”
“Nope.”
“So….”
“So, I’m not giving you the choice here,” Lucario pointed out. “I’m going. If you follow me you’ll lose me and you’ll probably piss me off and I won’t be as eager to punch Arceus in the face for you, just for me. Behave, hornball and I’ll behave as well. Look, I want to help you guys, I just really do need some time alone to get some stuff in order.”
Rai bumped Mane before he could speak. “Alright,” he agreed, nodding and Mane shut his mouth. “But please don’t take too long. We don’t need Armaldo getting on our backs about timespans.”
“Yeah, you got something better to jump on your back.” She gave a finger gun to Mane who grinned. “Okay, that’s enough socialisation for me. See ya, boys.”
And within the blink of an eye, she was gone.
The dust being kicked up by her exit proved she didn’t teleport, just ran really, really , fast.
“Think we’ll actually see her again?” Mane asked.
“If she tries to stand us up we’ll use our fame to start a worldwide hunt for The Legendary Lucario. Pretty sure we could get Team Go-Getters to help.”
“Nice.”
And so, right as they had come into Dreamy Woods, they turned around and left. Lucario was right. They couldn’t just chase her down, even with Quick Attack that speed was obscene.
Still, they had some hope. They had convinced her to help them, and if anyone could do something as big as get Arceus’ attention, it would have to be her.
“Hey, Rai, I want to ask you something?” Mane asked as they walked the quiet trail.
“Yeah?”
“Um… I’m not really sure how to start,” Mane said. They were alone now, just the two of them.
Rai smiled and gave him a soft bump. “Take your time.”
Mane smiled back, something small and happy. He studied Rai’s face for a bit, Rai acting as both of their eyes on the trail.
Rai eventually glanced at him. “See something you like?” he teased.
“Yeah,” Mane replied, blushing slightly.
Rai snickered and gave him a gentle flick with his tail. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re really cute?”
“I dunno. Maybe. I’d like to hear it again, though.”
“You’re cute.”
Mane went redder and poked his nose at the ground as Rai giggled at him.
He raised his head, smiling as the tension in his shoulders relaxed slightly. “I love you.”
Rai’s giggled stopped, but his smile only grow. He licked Mane on the cheek. “I love you too.”
They nuzzled each other, tails entwining before Mane gave a little sigh. “Remember how it all began?” he murmured.
Rai nodded. It had been surprisingly easy to fall into comforting each other. And from there, something more began to build.
“Do you remember what we… talked about that time we really… talked about us all?” Mane asked.
Rai had to think for a moment before nodding. “I think I know what you’re trying to get to,” he said.
Mane brightened. “Yeah?” Then the nervousness returned. “And…?”
Rai swallowed and licked him on the cheek again. “I still want you both. Is that okay?”
All the anxiety in Mane melted away and he sighed in relief. “Yes. Yes . More than okay.”
Rai giggled at him again. “How long have you been thinking about that?” he asked. “I know you get into your head a bit, especially if stuff is going on.”
“I didn’t want to bother you,” Mane muttered.
Rai bumped him again. “Hey. You’re never a bother. Alright?”
“I feel like one sometimes.”
“Then I’ll tell you until you believe me and then some more after that just to be sure. I love you, Mane. Nothing will change that.”
If Mane’s eyes were a little bright, well, that was okay. It was just them after all.
After they walked together, tails entwined and right against each other, Mane spoke again, “What if he… says no?”
Rai thought for a moment. “I guess we’ll just have to stay strong.”
“...what if he just wants you?”
“Hey.” Rai pulled him close. “Scout loves you too, you know? I don’t know what the future might have in store for us, but we’ll tackle it together, alright?”
Mane smiled and nodded. “Alright.” He licked Rai’s cheek in return. “We can only talk to him and hope for the best.”
Scout walked besides them as they spoke. This was not a new thing. He was there from the start of it all. He gave them privacy, of course, but he couldn’t exactly miss the talks they had about him when their relationship began to evolve to what it was now.
For the longest time, he didn’t know if he’d be revived or trapped like this forever.
He still didn’t know.
There was little to do besides think when he was in this state.
And yet, that was one thing he’d never put much thought into. He wouldn’t let himself.
It was something they’d have to talk about.
Sooner than you think, Scout.
Rai and Mane stopped as something moved between them and the rest of the path. They froze, uncertain what they were looking at. It was tall and looming, something dark and sinuous, a plume of smokey essence billowed from its head and its legless body grew two stilt-like protusions that sunk into the soil.
“Greetings,” the stranger said. His voice was like a whisper that was not as quiet as one, a hushed tone that carried far. Rai and Mane were on their guard, attached at the hip as its visible eye crossed from Mane, to Rai, to something next to them that was not there. “I am Darkrai.”
“Darkrai?” Scout asked, horrified. “What are you doing? What are you doing!?”
“My apologies,” Darkrai murmured softly. “But it is the only way to make you understand.”
“What-Who?” Rai asked, confused as it didn’t sound like this Darkrai was talking to them.
“What’s the big idea… Darkrai, I guess?” Mane added, smoke pouring from his nose as he was on guard to strike at a moment's notice.
Darkrai raised his hands in a placating gesture. “I mean you no harm,” he said. “I only wish to help. May I have but a minute to explain in silence and then I will answer what you have to ask?”
Rai and Mane exchanged a look as Scout shook his head at them.
“Okay,” Rai said, not one to judge off appearances or creepy entrances. “You have a minute then.”
“Thank you. I am one of the guardians of dreams, a pokemon you would refer to as Legendary. I was also a Time Gear Guardian, the one of Treeshroud Forest. With that connection to time and my command over the realm of dreams, I can interact with memories others lose. I know the time that was changed. And I know the one who was lost to change it.”
Rai cringed a little as Mane almost growled.
“And I can see him besides you.”
They stopped.
“...what?” Mane managed.
“What?” Rai growled.
Darkrai raised his hands again. “I am being serious, you two. Scout remains by you especially, Raigeki. He was there when you went to the Hidden Land. He tells me that Dialga could see him but Celebi could not.”
“Y-Y-W-?”
“Enough!” Mane yelled, sparks bursting out of him and causing Darkrai to recoil. “I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing here, but-”
“Let me prove it,” Darkrai said.
Mane froze. “...how?”
Darkrai turned to Scout directly, his eye meeting Scout’s ones. “Scout. You have spent so long in your state. Please. I am exposing myself to them.”
He turned to the two. “It is my accursed aura that gives you the terrors in the night, every night since the visitors from across the sea returned to you. I wish I could not bring harm to those who rest, but I do anyway. I only do it because I have the power to bring him back to you. But he does not trust me.”
“T-Tell them why!” Scout snapped.
Darkrai nodded. “In the Dark Future I was a king. It was I who attacked Riolu, Grovyle, and Scout himself, fearing the loss of the kingdom I had gained in the wake of the disaster. And I have come to realise this was wrong. That if I ever was to be the being they believed I to be, I would not pursue a realm of such cruelty. He does not trust me and for that good reason. But I am doing all that I can. This is my last option, to expose my neck to you.”
Rai and Mane were utterly stunned by everything that had just walked out in front of them out of the blue.
Mane was speechless and Rai was stuck on syllables, trying to get a word to respond out.
“...etih?” Rai managed.
“This is overwhelming,” Darkrai said apologetically.
“You think!?” Mane spluttered. “What the fuck are you even saying to us? If. If. If Scout was there, why wouldn’t Dialga have said anything!?”
“Scout told me that it refused to help you,” Darkrai said softly. “Did it not offer to strip the last of your memory of Scout away? He is attached to you, Raigeki. Reliqnishing that memory would relinquish the last bond holding him in a position to be helped. I can only theorise that Dialga in its weakened state fears Palkia’s reprisal too great to help. And, it cannot be blamed as such.”
“Paradoxes cause a distortion in Palkia’s realm, something Palkia has killed Dialga over in the past. With time so fragile and Dialga so weak, it may not be able to survive such an encounter. It is a callous decision but a warranted one for something of Dialga’s station. But. I am not so important, nor as easily found. If Palkia takes umbrage with me then it will only be due justice for what I have done. But all I wish is to offer Scout one last chance, a chance he does not believe he deserves to have.”
“...Scout?” Rai asked, softly.
Scout’s knees would have buckled had they been real to begin with.
“...are you really there?” Rai continued.
Mane looked stricken and did not know what to do.
“He is,” Darkrai said.
“...where?”
Darkrai pointed and Scout froze as Rai’s eyes nearly met his own. They were still searching, still seeing through him, but they were looking for him.
Mane squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head. “Big talk,” he muttered. “Big talk! If he’s really here, then do something!” he yelled at Darkrai.
“That can only be his choice,” Darkrai said softly. He offered his left hand to Scout. “Take my hand, Scout. It’s all you need to do.”
“Scout?” Rai whispered again.
Mane’s eyes squeezed shut again. “...fuck,” he whimpered.
And that was the straw that broke the camerupt’s back.
Scout tried to touch Rai’s face but he passed right through him. He nearly fell over and gave a ragged sob. “Fine!” he yelled. “Fine, Darkrai! Fine, you win! I can’t take it anymore!”
And he ran at Darkrai, almost looking ready to attack him. He pulled himself to a stop right in front of him, glaring at him in a mixture of grief and rage. “This was a dirty fucking trick! I swear to god, if this is all a trick I’m going to destroy you for everything you put us all through!”
Darkrai closed his eyes, visibly fighting back flinches. “All I wish is to help,” he whispered, sounding almost as broken as Scout felt in that moment.
“No affecting my memory,” Scout said. “No… implanting something in me. No tricks. Just… just me.”
“That is all I want to do,” Darkrai said.
Scout stared at his hand for a long, short, moment and then grabbed it.
His paw touched something for the first time in months and Darkrai’s eyes craned into a squint. “Brace yourself,” he grunted and then pulllllllllll-
Scout felt something pull at absolutely everything. His past, his present, his memory, his spirit, everything within him was harshly jerked forward. The last thing he knew was the sensation of his skull striking something eternally wide and thin, smashing right through it.
Scout gasped. His lungs burned, his eyes burned, his skin burned. He could feel his tail burning. He could feel his fur burning. The flame. The flame. The flame. The flame. The flame returns.
Deep in the woods, there was a fire.
"GAH!" Scout cried, writhing for a moment before his stomach cramped and nearly tossed him into a sitting position. He gasped for breath, his eyes streaming with tears. His whole body felt like he had taken a hundred Force Palms along every scrap of skin.
It was like he was a bruise. His entire everything felt like a bruise with the pressure of the air, of his lungs expanding, pressing against it.
But, as all pain goes, it began to fade. His ears twitched, he spat blood out of his mouth as he had bitten his tongue and wiped his mouth. Scout shivered in place for a moment. He was so hot; he was so cold.
"Ugh…" he slowly began to take deep breaths, focusing on just breathing. It didn't help, except it did. His mind focused on purely breathing, and other aches began to take a back seat.
His heart thumped hard in his chest. Scout swallowed a few times and then opened his eyes.
Giving him a brief sensation of confusion as something blue and black and another black and tan slammed into him.
Not for an instant was he alarmed. A part of him recognised them. A part of him always would recognise them.
It took his senses a good couple seconds to remember how to translate language but once it did-
“SCOUT!”
Rai and Mane were actively weeping as they covered him with themselves, as if protecting him from the outside world. As if marking him as theirs that no one could take away again.
By the time Scout’s fur was soaked with tears, Rai finally managed to pull himself off him. “D-Darkrai, thank you.”
He looked around, an expression of confusion crossing his face. “Darkrai?”
“You know,” Mane sniffled. “He’s got a funny name. Dark Rai. Should I be worried he’s your evil twin?”
“He just brought Scout back!” Rai retorted, looking around urgently.
“Guess even evil you loves this dork.”
“Guys,” Scout managed, his voice trembling like glass on the brink of shattering. “Please.” He grabbed them both with a paw each and pulled them back onto him. “Please don’t let me go.”
Sensing everything not being said in an instant, they both fell silent and pressed against him. Scout was shaking like a leaf, as if he was freezing cold and needed something warm to cling to.
He began to cry. It was soft at first, soft and weak and then it grew harder, uglier, until he was howling into their fur, begging them not to let him disappear again.
It had been months.
Scout had lost track of the time but Rai and Mane had not.
Over half a year of trying to pick up the pieces and get through the days until the pain dulled enough to function again. And they had. They had done it. They had done it knowing that they’d never see him again.
And they welcomed Sean onto their team, but he wasn’t there to replace Scout. Nothing could. There had always been a void next to them, one all of them were aware of but rarely acknowledged.
But Scout had been there.
All that time.
Every minute of every day.
And they began to realise that as he cried into their fur, babbling nonsensical things about ‘games’ and ‘stories’, bundled into a verbal mess that no one would be able to make heads or tails of.
Mane, always the more fragile one, buckled under the onslaught first and did what he knew helped him when he couldn’t handle things. Rai leaning into him, almost smothering him as if protecting him from anything that could hurt him. Cracking into sobs as well as Scout screamed into their fur.
Rai held out longer, trying to be strong for everyone. But strength has its limit and he’d been taking that duty wordlessly, stubbornly, all this time. He tried to press onto Scout as well but his legs lost their strength and he collapsed onto him, unable to speak, unable to do anything but cling onto him as well.
There were things they still had to talk about. Serious things. Even unpleasant things. For now, however. For now they wouldn’t care for any of those things.
They were back together now.
And that’s all that mattered.
Scout had fallen asleep at some point in the reunion and Mane carried him back to Shaymin Village where Alakazam almost tripped over his beard when he saw them.
There was no denying the radiating feelings of joy from Rai and Mane and whispers about Lucario the miracle worker were bound to spread. The name Darkrai was mentioned but only the shaymin understood even a fraction of the implications and gathered together to discuss it.
Scout… looked different. Not much different, he had the same scars as he had before and even some new ones from the injuries he’d collected from the Dark Future and onwards. His fur was a darker colour, bluer than the creamy white it was before.
Neither Rai nor Mane cared about how he looked. If this was the consequence of Darkrai then it was hardly anything more than cosmetic. Alakazam transported them back to the Wigglytuff Guild’s teleportation quarter and bade them goodbye, their reward for their salvation of time finally in their paws.
The Guild’s reaction was… something to say the least.
"You know… I gave you a month to find a lead, not… this." Armaldo stared in visible surprise. His mouth hadn’t dropped open but his eyes had almost bugged out when they trotted in like the cats who caught the canary.
The pokémon of Team Sunrise were not at the guild when they returned; neither was anyone who regularly went out on missions.
Scout was woken up when Loudred, coming to welcome them back spotted Scout and bellowed. “OH MY GOSH!”
He yelled it so loud that later on Sunflora was bound to try and sue him for stealing her catchphrase. Because she could hear it from the track she was walking back on.
Diglett wasn't the cuddliest of pokémon, but Scout received a headbutt of joy to his sternum before Diglett blasted through the walls to go into town to find his father and tell him the good news.
Loudred's bellow of shock managed to stun Armaldo long enough that he wasn’t able to catch Wigglytuff when he exploded out of his chambers. One of the doors actually came off, that Armaldo at least caught before it could shatter against something.
Team Glee lurking on the floor above quickly started a party. They had no idea what was the response of that explosion of joy that Wigglytuff made but it didn't take much for them to instigate celebrations, good times, and general merriment.
Diglett's headbutt of welcome had been painful yet was nothing compared to the strength of Wigglytuff's embrace. The fact he didn't break any bones was a testament to Wigglytuff's control more so than anything else.
Once he was finally released, he was set down to meet Armaldo properly. Scout was cringing by that point and not just because of his bruised ribs.
Armaldo was big. Easily the biggest pokémon in the guild. He towered above everyone, multiple vibrant feathers sticking out, covered in a heavy exoskeleton that looked and functioned like armour, and with two piercing eyes.
Armaldo was towering, scary, and definitely a hardass. That wouldn’t be a problem. Only… Scout knew why he was here. Who he was replacing. And too much was happening for him to grasp onto any one feeling.
Armaldo looked over Scout once before turning to the beaming Rai and Mane. With a sigh, he asked, "How?”
"We like to exceed expectations!" Rai beamed.
"We really ARE this good," Mane added.
Chimecho, who was attracted by the commotion, gasped when she spotted the meowth. She tried to tug him back with Psychic, but that didn't work, leading her to fly right to him. "Meowth!?" She zoomed in close as Scout turned, grinning at the nurse.
"Chimecho!" He hugged the floating Psychic-type, and she smiled softly at him.
"How? She'll be. Everyone will be. I mean… this is wonderful!" She did a loop-de-loop. "But wait. Your fur, did Mane set you on fire?" She came in close to inspect him. "No… this isn't ash or burnt fur. Why is your fur such a different colour?"
"I'm not sure exactly, but when I was revived, I came back like this."
"I have to ask as much as I know you won’t like to answer it," Armaldo grunted, clicking his pincers and bringing Scout's attention to him. "But I must ask. How are you so certain this is the same pokémon that was erased from reality? Especially if his fur is such a different colour?"
"Look at his scars! We know Meowth. Trust me.” Mane positively leered. “We know.”
"He felt like Meowth!" Wigglytuff agreed. "When I hugged him. His Power feels different, yet similar. Hm. Are you a Dark-type now?"
“He must be,” Chimecho hummed. “I attempted to pull him towards me but it didn’t work.” She tried again, but still nothing. “Curious.”
“I’ve heard of rare accounts of pokemon shifting types,” Wigglytuff said, rubbing his chin. “Usually with the effect of a move. And in some very dubai-woobi cases some magic crystals, but crystals do everything in legends,” he giggled as Armaldo looked at him.
“It was a pokemon called Darkrai,” Rai explained, Wigglytuff’s smile flickered briefly. “He… well he said a lot of stuff and then brought him back!”
“We figured it was just some side effect of that,” Mane added, looking Scout up and down. “ Dark rai sounds like a Dark-type after all.”
"Hm,” Armaldo grunted, still eying Scout cautiously.
"Do you really think we couldn't tell who our friend is?" Rai asked seriously.
"Hm. Whatever, I trust you wouldn’t be duped.”
"Is there anything I can say or do to convince you?" Scout asked.
Armaldo gave him a hard stare. "No. But I can also tell I am in the minority here. Don't expect special treatment from me. I'll judge you on who you are now, not who you may have been. Understand?"
"That's fair."
Satisfied, for now, Armaldo waved a claw. "I assume you'd like to see Team Sunrise next? They are in town working with Kangaskhan."
He didn't mention they were working with her as they needed to recover from working with the children of Treasure Town.
Armaldo was relieved there was an age requirement for the guild. Wigglytuff or Chatot, or both, had been sensible enough to instate such a thing. He could not imagine the headache of dealing with children on top of everything else.
Back on his way to the Shaymin Village, after accidentally falling off Sky Peak, a young Ampharos sneezed and tripped over.
The whole of Team Ion thanked Armaldo and remained for Scout to go up to Croagunk to say hello. He hadn’t left his shop but had leaned over, watching happily. Or what passed for happy for Croagunk.
"Meh-heh-heh. It's good to see you again, Meowth," Croagunk said with a grin.
"Good to see you too." Scout smiled. Croagunk was the good sort, not big on words. They shared a nod, and they entered the middle section of the guild to observe the party that was forming rapidly.
"When did Loudred come up here?" Scout yelled over the beatboxing.
"I honestly don't know," Rai yelled back.
“Let’s just duck through,” Mane suggested.
The party honestly didn't need them, so they hurried out, although everyone shouted cheers when they spotted the meowth. Team Glee were performing a song and Wigglytuff was already dancing and causing a ruckus.
As they approached the steps leading down, Scout surrendered to the urge to look back. The big, empty-eyed, wigglytuff-head with a plume of feathers was there as always.
But there was something to the left of the guild now. Looking over the cliff.
He didn't look further.
It felt so odd to be walking into Treasure Town again, feeling the gravel under his feet, rather than just drifting along and feeling the eyes ON him, rather than passing right through him.
Whispers began breaking through a few pokémon. A meowth, walking with a VERY happy Team Ion? Duskull's eye followed them, Team's Tasty and Seedgey paused their discussion on lunch and turned as one, Vigoroth actually paused for a few seconds to rub his eyes.
They didn't stop to talk, but still passed greetings as they went by. Rai and Mane's tails were straight and proud, and Scout was pressed right between the two of them, not allowed to disappear on them again. His legs were still a bit weak as well but he was walking.
There were more shock and confusion than excitement in the faces of the townsfolk. Scout didn't blame them. It was hard to believe.
Scout hadn't seen Darkrai since he had returned. Part of him was glad of that. Part of him was uneasy. And a part of him was almost sad about not seeing him. Rai and Mane wished to thank him but he’d vanished before they composed themselves enough to address him.
Scout hadn’t yet gone into detail about his experience up to this point. His brain was having trouble processing it all. In that state he had not slept once but he floated in and out of spacial awareness, with things like emotions difficult to grasp a lot of the time. He could almost only remember himself in the third person, unable to fully grip onto the experience from his own point of view.
There would be time to pull it apart later. They crossed the bridge and stepped into the traders' area. They walked past the shanty marketplace. And waved to the Kecleon Brothers who nearly fell out of their shop.
Kangaskhan wasn't much farther ahead.
It was Guardian who saw them first.
He had been ordered to bring a rather heavy set of items out to the owners. Most pokémon didn't give Guardian too hard of time now. Few were exactly friendly, but few were directly rude as well.
Guardian dropped the box upon seeing them. It thankfully just hit the counter and spilled only a few old pieces of metal. Still, Guardian was not listening to the shouts of the owner or Kangaskhan's apologies.
He wasn't actually at Kangaskhan's Storage anymore.
His one eye may lack depth perception to a degree, but it was sharp and clear of cloudiness. He had looked into Scout's eyes more times than he had numbers to count, thankful he had someone he could protect. Someone who would protect him back.
He knew Scout's eyes. He knew his son’s eyes.
Scout, to his credit, didn't jump too hard when Guardian, a large, bulky, and rather slow dusknoir, suddenly appeared in front of them and caught him in a desperate embrace.
"Scout?" Guardian gasped, the arm that held the old scrap of cloth Scout had once worn as a blanket, then a scarf, fluttered in the wind. He didn't mean to ask, he already knew, but Scout nodded anyway.
"Hi." Scout didn’t know what else to say, looking up at the wide, desperate, eye of someone who had loved him enough to try and destroy the world to preserve him.
Guardian had a thousand things to say but they all vanished in an instant as he took his son in his arms. Guardian completely broke down in the middle of the street during the busy time. With dozens upon dozens of pokémon watching.
The Great Dusknoir did not care who saw him cry for his child.
Scout's mouth twitched into a shaky smile, and he slowly pressed his arms back against Guardian. He couldn't properly hug him as Guardian's chest was too wide for him to wrap his arms around, but it was the intent that mattered.
Guardian shuddered with sobs, and Scout felt himself wavering as well.
He didn't remember everything, or even most of the things, from before he travelled back in time with the others. He couldn't be sure if that was responsible for a simple inability to remember so much, who remembered everything after all? Or if his odd amnesia still held some effect on him.
He couldn't recall everything from the Dark Future. But he could remember some things. Like laying on a Dusclops to sleep. Sneaking up on his foolish guardian and pouncing on his head, batting at the wispy not-quite smoke coming off the top of his head.
He remembered feeling hungry and scared but never feeling like he had no one to feed or protect him.
He remembered enough of Dusclops, later called Guardian, as his Father.
That didn't make what Guardian had done okay. But Scout had seen Guardian's state during the short time Team Ion crossed paths with Team Sunrise. It wasn't okay yet, but… it could be okay eventually.
“I’m back.”
"Can you still like… purr?"
"I… yeah?"
"Cool. Do it."
Scout purred. It was still a funny sensation and one he never would think to do. Saniya giggled and scratched behind his ears.
That caused some genuine purring.
He was cozied up with Rai and Mane, the two weren't really eager to give him any space lately, but he found he didn't really mind. Having wanted to be with them for as long as they had missed him left him as clingy as they were.
After Guardian had stopped weeping long enough to carry him back, Scout was set upon by the rest of Team Sunrise. Kangaskhan also cried a little and let them off work today. With no other place to go for privacy, Rai led them to Sharpedo Bluff and into his old home.
It was a little dusty, and there was nothing soft to sit on, but the pokémon made do.
Guardian hadn't let Scout go for the first half-hour, squeezing down gently when he questioned himself if Scout really was in his arms, which happened a lot.
It wasn't the warmest to remain in the dusknoir's arms, but it wasn't the coldest either. Guardian was alright, and Scout knew that.
There was just a little time he needed to grow accustomed to the idea.
Guardian hadn't really wanted to relinquish his returned son to anyone, but Saniya convinced him to. "Two things. His fur is different, and I can't levitate him. What's up with that?"
It led to the explanation Scout feared he'd be getting to know well in the coming days. He was persisting as some sort of memory ghost after he disappeared, floating by them all that time before being revived by Darkrai.
Sean had to excuse himself briefly and Striker followed him. They returned barely a minute later, Sean’s joy matching Rai and Mane’s in some ways.
He had told Rai and Mane a little more of the context to Darkrai, but not everything. Not enough.
"I need to tell them," Scout thought, but as he opened his mouth the words got stuck, and he swallowed them.
Instead, they continued talking. He asked Team Sunrise what they had been up to.
"Then Vigoroth really ran us through the wringer, he's crazy." Saniya beamed, she almost twinkled in the sunlight.
All good times had to draw to a close, and as the sun began to move closer to setting than was okay, they got up to walk to the guild.
"Scout?" Sean asked as they headed out of Rai's home and into town.
"Yeah?"
"I'm happy you're back." Sean wasn't exactly looking at him. Scout wasn't sure if he was embarrassed or if it was something else. “I’ve really… really missed you.”
"I'm glad you're okay," Scout replied, smiling. And gave him a hug. Sean stiffened a little before pulling Scout into a similarly-tight hug as Guardian.
"Okay, I just thought of something!" Saniya loudly exclaimed. "Were YOU the thing that kept tickling my neck? I swear I could feel something going on, but I couldn't pinpoint it."
"Yes." Scout nodded. "Dialga said that you wouldn't be able to see me, but you'd probably have some… some sort of sense."
"Glad I wasn't having a stroke."
"I'm glad too."
Throughout it all, Striker had said very little. Sean had also been quiet, but Striker's silence was different.
Sean was quietly relieved, unable to find the words to express it and embarrassed to say the words when he did find them.
There was a caution to Striker’s eyes.
He knew Scout wasn't telling them everything. He had sensed that way back when they had returned from Fogbound Lake and spoken to each other. And as much as he tried, he could not forget Scout raising his claws to Sean's neck to threaten everyone into calming down.
Things were okay now. Yet, Striker was always a cautious soul.
Approaching the guild had Scout slow down, spotting something off to the side. He swallowed, coming to a decision.
"Can I just… take a moment?" Scout asked. "By myself."
The group didn't argue, they saw what he did, and let him go. Scout himself didn't want to be alone, but he felt like he needed to be for this. It was time to stop putting it off.
The waves crashed distantly over the cliffside. He walked a little to the side, moving around the guild. The others entered the guild as Diglett and Loudred raised the gate for them. He felt chills on the back of his neck, a distant feeling of panic trying to claw up his spine as he found himself alone but he forced it down.
He wouldn’t be afraid. Not here, at least. To back down here was the worst thing he could imagine. He had tried to be strong for everyone and he’d been strong for him first.
There it was. A simple headstone, with no pomp or spectacle to it.
Here lies Trill
Res̵t In Peace
I will always remember you
Scout quietly made his way to the gravestone, hesitating on the final steps. He didn't want to step on the grave after all. Or maybe he just didn't want to believe this was possible.
"Chatot?" Scout said, softly. He walked around the side of the grave, touched the headstone. It was clean of dust, being tended to every day.
Scout wasn't sure how to feel. He knew he was sad, but something was blocking him from really feeling it. He almost felt blank, hollow, unable to reach the aha moment he knew he was supposed to.
The grave was here. There was no question as to who it was, but part of him simply could not grasp it. Part of him that would not grasp it. This wasn’t how the story went.
"He would have been so happy to see you," a voice spoke softly from behind. Scout jumped; he hadn't heard anyone approach.
Wigglytuff gave him a sad smile as Scout stared at him, fur raised slightly and eyes wide and confused.
"He told us what happened in the Dark Future," Wigglytuff said, coming to his side. "Especially about you. That's the biggest thing I was afraid of. That he died with regret. I know he didn’t, though. He’d never regret saving someone."
"I'm sorry," Scout said. He could barely feel himself say it.
Wigglytuff embraced him. "It's not your fault," he said softly, but that only hurt Scout more. "He'd just be happy that you are safe and well. He’d have flapped the place down, given everyone the day off, and ‘let himself’ be talked into singing. H-He would have….”
Scout stared into Wigglytuff's belly, not understanding why Wigglytuff was hugging him. It WAS his fault. Didn't he know that? Hadn't Chatot told him everything?
He continued to stare as something heavy fell over him, and Scout felt something press down into his stomach hard enough that something finally gave way. He grabbed onto Wigglytuff and pressed against him, wanting to say everything as it all began to overwhelm him. Wigglytuff hummed something as he held them.
Scout repeated that he was sorry again and again, Wigglytuff didn't see anything for him to be sorry about.
They remained as they were until Scout had calmed down, and then just sat at the grave, thinking about Chatot.
Picture(s?) in this chapter done by Bograbbit: https://twitter.com/bograbbit?lang=en
The coloured one is also cropped, as in the original story Keira was present and standing awkwardly in the distance being all "Aww, how cute" lol. You can see the uncropped one in Chapter 40 of the original story on AO3.
I… am.
I….
Meowth sat in silent horror.
The drowzee was swift and effective, pulling the dreams from Rai and absorbing them. I might have been relieved, but Rai’s relaxing afterwards struck me as more limp than relieved.
Each particle of ephemeral energy that floated from Rai towards the drowzee seemed to glimmer in the light. Like a stream of images amid the light, I thought I could see them.
A tower. A path. Holding someone until they were gone.
Who was that person that Rai cried over?
Meowth…? Meowth? Meowth wasn’t sure.
Feeling like a dreamless state, Meowth might just float away. Where to go? M. M. M?
Not sure.
It was so hard to cling onto.
Rai.
Rai.
Rai.
Rai.
Rai. Rai and Mane.
Mane and Rrrr?
Ria.
Raiag.
Little Leo.
Lightning Strike.
Rrrrai.
Rai.
Rai and Mane.
Me…
Me….
Meowth.
Look.
Sc?
Listen?
Sco?
Run?
Scou?
Find.
Scout.
Scout.
Scout.
Scout.
Scout. Rai. Mane.
I am Scout!
Scout raised his head and called out loudly, yet not a single person stirred as he bellowed his name to the world.
He had no lungs and thus could not run out of breath.
His cry continued. He had no lungs, he could not breathe. He could not speak, thus he could not be heard. He could not exist and thus his voice grew louder and louder and louder .
And then, finally, the drowzee stopped. Flinching back as a constrained blast of dark rings struck it straight in the gut, causing it to regurgitate everything it had pulled out of Rai and send it smashing through the woods.
Scout stopped screaming as all three sleeping pokemon jumped to their feet.
“What was that?” Lucario snapped, looking back and forth dangerously as Rai and Mane sparked and smoked.
Rai went to run towards the wreckage in the trees but Keira placed a bone gently over his shoulder. “I’ll go,” she said, stepping forward confidently.
Whispering to each other, Rai and Mane pressed their bodies together and kept an eye out all around them, Rai’s golden eyes seeking any other threats.
“My head,” Rai complained as Mane growled. He shook it slowly, giving a moan of pain.
Mane just pressed firmer against him, keeping his head up as Rai lowered his. “Did you find it?” he called as Keira returned.
“A drowzee,” Keira said with a frown. “Dreamy Woods and all. Pretty daring little shit to sneak up on us.”
“But what attacked it?” Rai asked, alarmed at the notion they were being fed upon.
“I’d guess myself,” Keira replied, glancing back at the trail of destruction. There were burned out ring-like marks in the bark of trees that she poked at. “A Dark Pulse. Little bastard probably moved onto me and I reacted. It happens.”
The scale of the damage implied that could be the case. Several trees had holes blasted through them, and the trail of carnage went beyond what their eyes could catch just from here.
“Is there others?” Rai asked, worried.
“Can you look with your ‘aura senses’?” Mane added.
Lucario offered him a strange expression that disappeared as she said, “No.”
“No? Why not!”
“Because I can’t,” she replied, an edge of frustration bleeding into her voice.
The look Rai and Mane gave was almost complete non-comprehension.
“Wut?” Mane asked. “But… you’re literally a lucario. THE Lucario . What do you mean you can’t? We were taught in school that the whole creation of Rescue Teams in the first place was you sensing people trapped in dungeons! Isn’t that the foundation of Rescue Requests?”
Lucario glared at him and he balked a moment before refusing to back down.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” Lucario replied. “But not everyone is made to standard. I got it. I can’t control it. It just explodes out of me at random points. When that happens, sure, I see everything within several hundred units but I can’t just decide when that happens.”
“Oh,” Mane echoed.
Lucario snorted at him. “Yeah, well, I’ll forgive you because I’m nice like that.” She began to stretch her legs, cracking her spine with several twists that caused Mane to cringe and Rai to regain a little colour in his face, grinning playfully at Mane’s discomfort.
As they began to discuss the next move, Scout found his panic receding slowly. They were okay. They were okay, they were fine. Rai and Mane were fine. A little tilted from the rude awakening but they were tough. They. Were. Fine.
“Darkrai?” Scout whispered, as if someone could hear him.
“Darkrai?” he repeated, louder this time but still nowhere close to the cry he had just put out.
Scout stepped forwards, between Rai and Mane as they argued with Lucario over whether they should turn left or right. She kept on changing her answer when they almost agreed.
His paws ran through Rai as if he wasn’t there. Rai made no motion, no matter how small, that he could sense Scout. Scout stood in front of him as Rai’s eyes passed through him, feeling so lonely.
Mane didn’t catch his eye with a wordless motion that would elicit some sort of offended reaction.
Rai didn’t catch the silent communication and loudly get an answer that would cause him to go so red he’d hide under his paws.
Not even The Legendary Lucario had any idea he was there, a distant look in her eyes that he could not recognise if he had a hundred years to study it. Only that there was a part of her that wasn’t here in the conversation.
He couldn’t even cry.
Scout slowly took a step back from them. Then another. Then another. He walked until he could no longer hear them, but a part of him always could.
“Darkrai,” Scout said as he walked backwards until he found the nightmare bringer.
Darkrai floated with a tepid serenity amid humid plants. He was still but stiff, floating but frozen. He was not facing Scout as he walked in.
Scout had trouble keeping track of time like this, so he could not tell exactly how long they stood before Darkrai acknowledged him.
What he could see was the slight tremble in Darkrai’s arms. Just slight, just ever-so-slight that it was easy to miss yet impossible to ignore once he recognised it.
“I heard you,” Darkrai murmured softly.
Scout couldn’t find the emotion he was supposed to feel, each feeling slipped out of his paws like sand before he could cling on. “Thank you,” he managed.
“...you are welcome, Scout,” Darkrai responded, his back remaining pointed at Scout.
“...”
“...”
Part of Scout wanted to step out, run back. He’d given his gratitude.
The rest of him kept him rooted there.
Darkrai slowly sighed, his shoulders slumping and he turned to face Scout. “May I ask you something, Scout?”
“...okay.”
“What would it take?” he asked softly. “For you to trust me?”
Scout was silent a moment. “I’ve only spoken to you a few times. And I know you’re tricky. I know what the distortion we pokemon from the future cause.” He knew what it might do to Rai.
Darkrai’s eyes softened. “The distortion is minor,” he said. “And self-correcting. Indeed it is true that Palkia may be angered but it would never go against Arceus. It would not know about you.”
“Unless you told it,” Scout returned.
“I would have to be suicidal to attempt such a thing,” Darkrai replied. “In which case, Palkia would find fault with me, not you.”
They lapsed into thoughtfulness.
Darkrai lowered himself into the earth until he was eye level with Scout. “Scout. I can see how much pain you are in. Not only the pain of being alone for so long. Not only the pain of seeing those you love in pain themselves. But also the pain of your doubts, I know you want to trust me but you cannot bring yourself to. Do you fear it would be selfish?”
Scout flinched.
“Have you not earned the right to be selfish, just this once?”
“Once?” Scout murmured back. He shook his head. “I’ve been nothing but selfish. You don’t… you don’t know what I did wrong.”
“Perhaps. But I also know that we ourselves are rarely sound judges of our own actions. Tell me. Did you not do your best to support your partners?” Scout frowned. “Did you not do your best to stop Dusknoir?” That word ended on a slight edge but Scout didn’t dwell on it.
“Did you not do your best to save the tower? To the point where your body was breaking apart? You died to save the world, more than even Grovyle and Celebi did. You gave everything and you still think you should have done more? You did more than anyone could have asked you to.”
Scout had his paws together, staring blankly at the ground over them.
Darkrai nodded to himself. “I think I know what I should do. I will give you space for now. But I will return and I will prove myself to you.”
With that, Darkrai was gone.
Scout just did not know what to do.
“You’re leaving already?” Mane whined. “We took forever to find you!”
“Okay.” Lucario rubbed her ear. “First of all, oww. Second of all, you probably found me easier than anyone has in decades. What did you do? Call around a bit until you found me and got a teleporter over? You’re lucky Mawile is persistent.”
She gave them both a bop on the head to beat the point in.
“Why are you hitting me?” Rai complained, rubbing his head as Mane gave up and slumped to the ground.
“You encourage his behaviour.”
“I do not!”
“You totally do,” Mane said, grinning up at Rai until he blushed.
“Hit him again.”
“Harder this time~”
“Ugh.” Lucario grimaced. “I’m going to need a shower, the subtext between you two isn’t even subtext, it’s just text. You really need some time alone and I am am going to be nice and give you that time.”
Mane continued to smirk as she turned to look forwards. “In more seriousness, I need some time to get some stuff done. And, no offence, I don’t like people. I need to air out my thoughts alone. Go back to your home. What was it, Treasure Town? Go back there. I will meet you in Treasure Town.”
“Why should we trust you?” Mane asked, coming to his feet again. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t too hard to find you this time but if you just disappear there’s no chance we’ll be able to find you again, is there?”
“Nope.”
“So….”
“So, I’m not giving you the choice here,” Lucario pointed out. “I’m going. If you follow me you’ll lose me and you’ll probably piss me off and I won’t be as eager to punch Arceus in the face for you, just for me. Behave, hornball and I’ll behave as well. Look, I want to help you guys, I just really do need some time alone to get some stuff in order.”
Rai bumped Mane before he could speak. “Alright,” he agreed, nodding and Mane shut his mouth. “But please don’t take too long. We don’t need Armaldo getting on our backs about timespans.”
“Yeah, you got something better to jump on your back.” She gave a finger gun to Mane who grinned. “Okay, that’s enough socialisation for me. See ya, boys.”
And within the blink of an eye, she was gone.
The dust being kicked up by her exit proved she didn’t teleport, just ran really, really , fast.
“Think we’ll actually see her again?” Mane asked.
“If she tries to stand us up we’ll use our fame to start a worldwide hunt for The Legendary Lucario. Pretty sure we could get Team Go-Getters to help.”
“Nice.”
And so, right as they had come into Dreamy Woods, they turned around and left. Lucario was right. They couldn’t just chase her down, even with Quick Attack that speed was obscene.
Still, they had some hope. They had convinced her to help them, and if anyone could do something as big as get Arceus’ attention, it would have to be her.
“Hey, Rai, I want to ask you something?” Mane asked as they walked the quiet trail.
“Yeah?”
“Um… I’m not really sure how to start,” Mane said. They were alone now, just the two of them.
Rai smiled and gave him a soft bump. “Take your time.”
Mane smiled back, something small and happy. He studied Rai’s face for a bit, Rai acting as both of their eyes on the trail.
Rai eventually glanced at him. “See something you like?” he teased.
“Yeah,” Mane replied, blushing slightly.
Rai snickered and gave him a gentle flick with his tail. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re really cute?”
“I dunno. Maybe. I’d like to hear it again, though.”
“You’re cute.”
Mane went redder and poked his nose at the ground as Rai giggled at him.
He raised his head, smiling as the tension in his shoulders relaxed slightly. “I love you.”
Rai’s giggled stopped, but his smile only grow. He licked Mane on the cheek. “I love you too.”
They nuzzled each other, tails entwining before Mane gave a little sigh. “Remember how it all began?” he murmured.
Rai nodded. It had been surprisingly easy to fall into comforting each other. And from there, something more began to build.
“Do you remember what we… talked about that time we really… talked about us all?” Mane asked.
Rai had to think for a moment before nodding. “I think I know what you’re trying to get to,” he said.
Mane brightened. “Yeah?” Then the nervousness returned. “And…?”
Rai swallowed and licked him on the cheek again. “I still want you both. Is that okay?”
All the anxiety in Mane melted away and he sighed in relief. “Yes. Yes . More than okay.”
Rai giggled at him again. “How long have you been thinking about that?” he asked. “I know you get into your head a bit, especially if stuff is going on.”
“I didn’t want to bother you,” Mane muttered.
Rai bumped him again. “Hey. You’re never a bother. Alright?”
“I feel like one sometimes.”
“Then I’ll tell you until you believe me and then some more after that just to be sure. I love you, Mane. Nothing will change that.”
If Mane’s eyes were a little bright, well, that was okay. It was just them after all.
After they walked together, tails entwined and right against each other, Mane spoke again, “What if he… says no?”
Rai thought for a moment. “I guess we’ll just have to stay strong.”
“...what if he just wants you?”
“Hey.” Rai pulled him close. “Scout loves you too, you know? I don’t know what the future might have in store for us, but we’ll tackle it together, alright?”
Mane smiled and nodded. “Alright.” He licked Rai’s cheek in return. “We can only talk to him and hope for the best.”
Scout walked besides them as they spoke. This was not a new thing. He was there from the start of it all. He gave them privacy, of course, but he couldn’t exactly miss the talks they had about him when their relationship began to evolve to what it was now.
For the longest time, he didn’t know if he’d be revived or trapped like this forever.
He still didn’t know.
There was little to do besides think when he was in this state.
And yet, that was one thing he’d never put much thought into. He wouldn’t let himself.
It was something they’d have to talk about.
Sooner than you think, Scout.
Rai and Mane stopped as something moved between them and the rest of the path. They froze, uncertain what they were looking at. It was tall and looming, something dark and sinuous, a plume of smokey essence billowed from its head and its legless body grew two stilt-like protusions that sunk into the soil.
“Greetings,” the stranger said. His voice was like a whisper that was not as quiet as one, a hushed tone that carried far. Rai and Mane were on their guard, attached at the hip as its visible eye crossed from Mane, to Rai, to something next to them that was not there. “I am Darkrai.”
“Darkrai?” Scout asked, horrified. “What are you doing? What are you doing!?”
“My apologies,” Darkrai murmured softly. “But it is the only way to make you understand.”
“What-Who?” Rai asked, confused as it didn’t sound like this Darkrai was talking to them.
“What’s the big idea… Darkrai, I guess?” Mane added, smoke pouring from his nose as he was on guard to strike at a moment's notice.
Darkrai raised his hands in a placating gesture. “I mean you no harm,” he said. “I only wish to help. May I have but a minute to explain in silence and then I will answer what you have to ask?”
Rai and Mane exchanged a look as Scout shook his head at them.
“Okay,” Rai said, not one to judge off appearances or creepy entrances. “You have a minute then.”
“Thank you. I am one of the guardians of dreams, a pokemon you would refer to as Legendary. I was also a Time Gear Guardian, the one of Treeshroud Forest. With that connection to time and my command over the realm of dreams, I can interact with memories others lose. I know the time that was changed. And I know the one who was lost to change it.”
Rai cringed a little as Mane almost growled.
“And I can see him besides you.”
They stopped.
“...what?” Mane managed.
“What?” Rai growled.
Darkrai raised his hands again. “I am being serious, you two. Scout remains by you especially, Raigeki. He was there when you went to the Hidden Land. He tells me that Dialga could see him but Celebi could not.”
“Y-Y-W-?”
“Enough!” Mane yelled, sparks bursting out of him and causing Darkrai to recoil. “I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing here, but-”
“Let me prove it,” Darkrai said.
Mane froze. “...how?”
Darkrai turned to Scout directly, his eye meeting Scout’s ones. “Scout. You have spent so long in your state. Please. I am exposing myself to them.”
He turned to the two. “It is my accursed aura that gives you the terrors in the night, every night since the visitors from across the sea returned to you. I wish I could not bring harm to those who rest, but I do anyway. I only do it because I have the power to bring him back to you. But he does not trust me.”
“T-Tell them why!” Scout snapped.
Darkrai nodded. “In the Dark Future I was a king. It was I who attacked Riolu, Grovyle, and Scout himself, fearing the loss of the kingdom I had gained in the wake of the disaster. And I have come to realise this was wrong. That if I ever was to be the being they believed I to be, I would not pursue a realm of such cruelty. He does not trust me and for that good reason. But I am doing all that I can. This is my last option, to expose my neck to you.”
Rai and Mane were utterly stunned by everything that had just walked out in front of them out of the blue.
Mane was speechless and Rai was stuck on syllables, trying to get a word to respond out.
“...etih?” Rai managed.
“This is overwhelming,” Darkrai said apologetically.
“You think!?” Mane spluttered. “What the fuck are you even saying to us? If. If. If Scout was there, why wouldn’t Dialga have said anything!?”
“Scout told me that it refused to help you,” Darkrai said softly. “Did it not offer to strip the last of your memory of Scout away? He is attached to you, Raigeki. Reliqnishing that memory would relinquish the last bond holding him in a position to be helped. I can only theorise that Dialga in its weakened state fears Palkia’s reprisal too great to help. And, it cannot be blamed as such.”
“Paradoxes cause a distortion in Palkia’s realm, something Palkia has killed Dialga over in the past. With time so fragile and Dialga so weak, it may not be able to survive such an encounter. It is a callous decision but a warranted one for something of Dialga’s station. But. I am not so important, nor as easily found. If Palkia takes umbrage with me then it will only be due justice for what I have done. But all I wish is to offer Scout one last chance, a chance he does not believe he deserves to have.”
“...Scout?” Rai asked, softly.
Scout’s knees would have buckled had they been real to begin with.
“...are you really there?” Rai continued.
Mane looked stricken and did not know what to do.
“He is,” Darkrai said.
“...where?”
Darkrai pointed and Scout froze as Rai’s eyes nearly met his own. They were still searching, still seeing through him, but they were looking for him.
Mane squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head. “Big talk,” he muttered. “Big talk! If he’s really here, then do something!” he yelled at Darkrai.
“That can only be his choice,” Darkrai said softly. He offered his left hand to Scout. “Take my hand, Scout. It’s all you need to do.”
“Scout?” Rai whispered again.
Mane’s eyes squeezed shut again. “...fuck,” he whimpered.
And that was the straw that broke the camerupt’s back.
Scout tried to touch Rai’s face but he passed right through him. He nearly fell over and gave a ragged sob. “Fine!” he yelled. “Fine, Darkrai! Fine, you win! I can’t take it anymore!”
And he ran at Darkrai, almost looking ready to attack him. He pulled himself to a stop right in front of him, glaring at him in a mixture of grief and rage. “This was a dirty fucking trick! I swear to god, if this is all a trick I’m going to destroy you for everything you put us all through!”
Darkrai closed his eyes, visibly fighting back flinches. “All I wish is to help,” he whispered, sounding almost as broken as Scout felt in that moment.
“No affecting my memory,” Scout said. “No… implanting something in me. No tricks. Just… just me.”
“That is all I want to do,” Darkrai said.
Scout stared at his hand for a long, short, moment and then grabbed it.
His paw touched something for the first time in months and Darkrai’s eyes craned into a squint. “Brace yourself,” he grunted and then pulllllllllll-
Scout felt something pull at absolutely everything. His past, his present, his memory, his spirit, everything within him was harshly jerked forward. The last thing he knew was the sensation of his skull striking something eternally wide and thin, smashing right through it.
T3125h123e c4614ar4161r121122ie1r coTWENTYn542tin54ue202020202202020s.
T…h….e. f/i.--r….e ---g/r..-.o.w.-..s .-..
RAerdfb
KAer7
5C0UT D0U5NT KN0W
Nap's'tuoae]RGI0[\w9p2]\31\i t'h'jwdga0if\wje t2o[ure0qfdcnv'e'asymH] Jrpg
A0's'9r ihf]90d's'n79u 2j't'
Kqg,psadbcj
'i'dpfojS'V;
T5: asdfBasdbesew0lt25ql
HJA'l'SG 'l'WAPRT7QW IOADF
ESFK WJE'h''e'ITO QWAGD'r'90]JS
T'e'
R'L'xnsewqr'i'h0359u'a't 'r'we'L'WQV-0'i'34QR8G 'a'dv'r'
A'Liar'F v32w't''h''e'80Gewt
I 4 'h' 3we'o't2
T1'r'463'n''5'
T…h….e. f/i.--r….e ---g/r..-.o.w.-..s .-..
RAerdfb
KAer7
5C0UT D0U5NT KN0W
Nap's'tuoae]RGI0[\w9p2]\31\i t'h'jwdga0if\wje t2o[ure0qfdcnv'e'asymH] Jrpg
A0's'9r ihf]90d's'n79u 2j't'
Kqg,psadbcj
'i'dpfojS'V;
T5: asdfBasdbesew0lt25ql
HJA'l'SG 'l'WAPRT7QW IOADF
ESFK WJE'h''e'ITO QWAGD'r'90]JS
T'e'
R'L'xnsewqr'i'h0359u'a't 'r'we'L'WQV-0'i'34QR8G 'a'dv'r'
A'Liar'F v32w't''h''e'80Gewt
I 4 'h' 3we'o't2
T1'r'463'n''5'
Scout gasped. His lungs burned, his eyes burned, his skin burned. He could feel his tail burning. He could feel his fur burning. The flame. The flame. The flame. The flame. The flame returns.
Deep in the woods, there was a fire.
"GAH!" Scout cried, writhing for a moment before his stomach cramped and nearly tossed him into a sitting position. He gasped for breath, his eyes streaming with tears. His whole body felt like he had taken a hundred Force Palms along every scrap of skin.
It was like he was a bruise. His entire everything felt like a bruise with the pressure of the air, of his lungs expanding, pressing against it.
But, as all pain goes, it began to fade. His ears twitched, he spat blood out of his mouth as he had bitten his tongue and wiped his mouth. Scout shivered in place for a moment. He was so hot; he was so cold.
"Ugh…" he slowly began to take deep breaths, focusing on just breathing. It didn't help, except it did. His mind focused on purely breathing, and other aches began to take a back seat.
His heart thumped hard in his chest. Scout swallowed a few times and then opened his eyes.
Giving him a brief sensation of confusion as something blue and black and another black and tan slammed into him.
Not for an instant was he alarmed. A part of him recognised them. A part of him always would recognise them.
It took his senses a good couple seconds to remember how to translate language but once it did-
“SCOUT!”
Rai and Mane were actively weeping as they covered him with themselves, as if protecting him from the outside world. As if marking him as theirs that no one could take away again.
By the time Scout’s fur was soaked with tears, Rai finally managed to pull himself off him. “D-Darkrai, thank you.”
He looked around, an expression of confusion crossing his face. “Darkrai?”
“You know,” Mane sniffled. “He’s got a funny name. Dark Rai. Should I be worried he’s your evil twin?”
“He just brought Scout back!” Rai retorted, looking around urgently.
“Guess even evil you loves this dork.”
“Guys,” Scout managed, his voice trembling like glass on the brink of shattering. “Please.” He grabbed them both with a paw each and pulled them back onto him. “Please don’t let me go.”
Sensing everything not being said in an instant, they both fell silent and pressed against him. Scout was shaking like a leaf, as if he was freezing cold and needed something warm to cling to.
He began to cry. It was soft at first, soft and weak and then it grew harder, uglier, until he was howling into their fur, begging them not to let him disappear again.
It had been months.
Scout had lost track of the time but Rai and Mane had not.
Over half a year of trying to pick up the pieces and get through the days until the pain dulled enough to function again. And they had. They had done it. They had done it knowing that they’d never see him again.
And they welcomed Sean onto their team, but he wasn’t there to replace Scout. Nothing could. There had always been a void next to them, one all of them were aware of but rarely acknowledged.
But Scout had been there.
All that time.
Every minute of every day.
And they began to realise that as he cried into their fur, babbling nonsensical things about ‘games’ and ‘stories’, bundled into a verbal mess that no one would be able to make heads or tails of.
Mane, always the more fragile one, buckled under the onslaught first and did what he knew helped him when he couldn’t handle things. Rai leaning into him, almost smothering him as if protecting him from anything that could hurt him. Cracking into sobs as well as Scout screamed into their fur.
Rai held out longer, trying to be strong for everyone. But strength has its limit and he’d been taking that duty wordlessly, stubbornly, all this time. He tried to press onto Scout as well but his legs lost their strength and he collapsed onto him, unable to speak, unable to do anything but cling onto him as well.
There were things they still had to talk about. Serious things. Even unpleasant things. For now, however. For now they wouldn’t care for any of those things.
They were back together now.
And that’s all that mattered.
Scout had fallen asleep at some point in the reunion and Mane carried him back to Shaymin Village where Alakazam almost tripped over his beard when he saw them.
There was no denying the radiating feelings of joy from Rai and Mane and whispers about Lucario the miracle worker were bound to spread. The name Darkrai was mentioned but only the shaymin understood even a fraction of the implications and gathered together to discuss it.
Scout… looked different. Not much different, he had the same scars as he had before and even some new ones from the injuries he’d collected from the Dark Future and onwards. His fur was a darker colour, bluer than the creamy white it was before.
Neither Rai nor Mane cared about how he looked. If this was the consequence of Darkrai then it was hardly anything more than cosmetic. Alakazam transported them back to the Wigglytuff Guild’s teleportation quarter and bade them goodbye, their reward for their salvation of time finally in their paws.
The Guild’s reaction was… something to say the least.
"You know… I gave you a month to find a lead, not… this." Armaldo stared in visible surprise. His mouth hadn’t dropped open but his eyes had almost bugged out when they trotted in like the cats who caught the canary.
The pokémon of Team Sunrise were not at the guild when they returned; neither was anyone who regularly went out on missions.
Scout was woken up when Loudred, coming to welcome them back spotted Scout and bellowed. “OH MY GOSH!”
He yelled it so loud that later on Sunflora was bound to try and sue him for stealing her catchphrase. Because she could hear it from the track she was walking back on.
Diglett wasn't the cuddliest of pokémon, but Scout received a headbutt of joy to his sternum before Diglett blasted through the walls to go into town to find his father and tell him the good news.
Loudred's bellow of shock managed to stun Armaldo long enough that he wasn’t able to catch Wigglytuff when he exploded out of his chambers. One of the doors actually came off, that Armaldo at least caught before it could shatter against something.
Team Glee lurking on the floor above quickly started a party. They had no idea what was the response of that explosion of joy that Wigglytuff made but it didn't take much for them to instigate celebrations, good times, and general merriment.
Diglett's headbutt of welcome had been painful yet was nothing compared to the strength of Wigglytuff's embrace. The fact he didn't break any bones was a testament to Wigglytuff's control more so than anything else.
Once he was finally released, he was set down to meet Armaldo properly. Scout was cringing by that point and not just because of his bruised ribs.
Armaldo was big. Easily the biggest pokémon in the guild. He towered above everyone, multiple vibrant feathers sticking out, covered in a heavy exoskeleton that looked and functioned like armour, and with two piercing eyes.
Armaldo was towering, scary, and definitely a hardass. That wouldn’t be a problem. Only… Scout knew why he was here. Who he was replacing. And too much was happening for him to grasp onto any one feeling.
Armaldo looked over Scout once before turning to the beaming Rai and Mane. With a sigh, he asked, "How?”
"We like to exceed expectations!" Rai beamed.
"We really ARE this good," Mane added.
Chimecho, who was attracted by the commotion, gasped when she spotted the meowth. She tried to tug him back with Psychic, but that didn't work, leading her to fly right to him. "Meowth!?" She zoomed in close as Scout turned, grinning at the nurse.
"Chimecho!" He hugged the floating Psychic-type, and she smiled softly at him.
"How? She'll be. Everyone will be. I mean… this is wonderful!" She did a loop-de-loop. "But wait. Your fur, did Mane set you on fire?" She came in close to inspect him. "No… this isn't ash or burnt fur. Why is your fur such a different colour?"
"I'm not sure exactly, but when I was revived, I came back like this."
"I have to ask as much as I know you won’t like to answer it," Armaldo grunted, clicking his pincers and bringing Scout's attention to him. "But I must ask. How are you so certain this is the same pokémon that was erased from reality? Especially if his fur is such a different colour?"
"Look at his scars! We know Meowth. Trust me.” Mane positively leered. “We know.”
"He felt like Meowth!" Wigglytuff agreed. "When I hugged him. His Power feels different, yet similar. Hm. Are you a Dark-type now?"
“He must be,” Chimecho hummed. “I attempted to pull him towards me but it didn’t work.” She tried again, but still nothing. “Curious.”
“I’ve heard of rare accounts of pokemon shifting types,” Wigglytuff said, rubbing his chin. “Usually with the effect of a move. And in some very dubai-woobi cases some magic crystals, but crystals do everything in legends,” he giggled as Armaldo looked at him.
“It was a pokemon called Darkrai,” Rai explained, Wigglytuff’s smile flickered briefly. “He… well he said a lot of stuff and then brought him back!”
“We figured it was just some side effect of that,” Mane added, looking Scout up and down. “ Dark rai sounds like a Dark-type after all.”
"Hm,” Armaldo grunted, still eying Scout cautiously.
"Do you really think we couldn't tell who our friend is?" Rai asked seriously.
"Hm. Whatever, I trust you wouldn’t be duped.”
"Is there anything I can say or do to convince you?" Scout asked.
Armaldo gave him a hard stare. "No. But I can also tell I am in the minority here. Don't expect special treatment from me. I'll judge you on who you are now, not who you may have been. Understand?"
"That's fair."
Satisfied, for now, Armaldo waved a claw. "I assume you'd like to see Team Sunrise next? They are in town working with Kangaskhan."
He didn't mention they were working with her as they needed to recover from working with the children of Treasure Town.
Armaldo was relieved there was an age requirement for the guild. Wigglytuff or Chatot, or both, had been sensible enough to instate such a thing. He could not imagine the headache of dealing with children on top of everything else.
Back on his way to the Shaymin Village, after accidentally falling off Sky Peak, a young Ampharos sneezed and tripped over.
The whole of Team Ion thanked Armaldo and remained for Scout to go up to Croagunk to say hello. He hadn’t left his shop but had leaned over, watching happily. Or what passed for happy for Croagunk.
"Meh-heh-heh. It's good to see you again, Meowth," Croagunk said with a grin.
"Good to see you too." Scout smiled. Croagunk was the good sort, not big on words. They shared a nod, and they entered the middle section of the guild to observe the party that was forming rapidly.
"When did Loudred come up here?" Scout yelled over the beatboxing.
"I honestly don't know," Rai yelled back.
“Let’s just duck through,” Mane suggested.
The party honestly didn't need them, so they hurried out, although everyone shouted cheers when they spotted the meowth. Team Glee were performing a song and Wigglytuff was already dancing and causing a ruckus.
As they approached the steps leading down, Scout surrendered to the urge to look back. The big, empty-eyed, wigglytuff-head with a plume of feathers was there as always.
But there was something to the left of the guild now. Looking over the cliff.
He didn't look further.
It felt so odd to be walking into Treasure Town again, feeling the gravel under his feet, rather than just drifting along and feeling the eyes ON him, rather than passing right through him.
Whispers began breaking through a few pokémon. A meowth, walking with a VERY happy Team Ion? Duskull's eye followed them, Team's Tasty and Seedgey paused their discussion on lunch and turned as one, Vigoroth actually paused for a few seconds to rub his eyes.
They didn't stop to talk, but still passed greetings as they went by. Rai and Mane's tails were straight and proud, and Scout was pressed right between the two of them, not allowed to disappear on them again. His legs were still a bit weak as well but he was walking.
There were more shock and confusion than excitement in the faces of the townsfolk. Scout didn't blame them. It was hard to believe.
Scout hadn't seen Darkrai since he had returned. Part of him was glad of that. Part of him was uneasy. And a part of him was almost sad about not seeing him. Rai and Mane wished to thank him but he’d vanished before they composed themselves enough to address him.
Scout hadn’t yet gone into detail about his experience up to this point. His brain was having trouble processing it all. In that state he had not slept once but he floated in and out of spacial awareness, with things like emotions difficult to grasp a lot of the time. He could almost only remember himself in the third person, unable to fully grip onto the experience from his own point of view.
There would be time to pull it apart later. They crossed the bridge and stepped into the traders' area. They walked past the shanty marketplace. And waved to the Kecleon Brothers who nearly fell out of their shop.
Kangaskhan wasn't much farther ahead.
It was Guardian who saw them first.
He had been ordered to bring a rather heavy set of items out to the owners. Most pokémon didn't give Guardian too hard of time now. Few were exactly friendly, but few were directly rude as well.
Guardian dropped the box upon seeing them. It thankfully just hit the counter and spilled only a few old pieces of metal. Still, Guardian was not listening to the shouts of the owner or Kangaskhan's apologies.
He wasn't actually at Kangaskhan's Storage anymore.
His one eye may lack depth perception to a degree, but it was sharp and clear of cloudiness. He had looked into Scout's eyes more times than he had numbers to count, thankful he had someone he could protect. Someone who would protect him back.
He knew Scout's eyes. He knew his son’s eyes.
Scout, to his credit, didn't jump too hard when Guardian, a large, bulky, and rather slow dusknoir, suddenly appeared in front of them and caught him in a desperate embrace.
"Scout?" Guardian gasped, the arm that held the old scrap of cloth Scout had once worn as a blanket, then a scarf, fluttered in the wind. He didn't mean to ask, he already knew, but Scout nodded anyway.
"Hi." Scout didn’t know what else to say, looking up at the wide, desperate, eye of someone who had loved him enough to try and destroy the world to preserve him.
Guardian had a thousand things to say but they all vanished in an instant as he took his son in his arms. Guardian completely broke down in the middle of the street during the busy time. With dozens upon dozens of pokémon watching.
The Great Dusknoir did not care who saw him cry for his child.
Scout's mouth twitched into a shaky smile, and he slowly pressed his arms back against Guardian. He couldn't properly hug him as Guardian's chest was too wide for him to wrap his arms around, but it was the intent that mattered.
Guardian shuddered with sobs, and Scout felt himself wavering as well.
He didn't remember everything, or even most of the things, from before he travelled back in time with the others. He couldn't be sure if that was responsible for a simple inability to remember so much, who remembered everything after all? Or if his odd amnesia still held some effect on him.
He couldn't recall everything from the Dark Future. But he could remember some things. Like laying on a Dusclops to sleep. Sneaking up on his foolish guardian and pouncing on his head, batting at the wispy not-quite smoke coming off the top of his head.
He remembered feeling hungry and scared but never feeling like he had no one to feed or protect him.
He remembered enough of Dusclops, later called Guardian, as his Father.
That didn't make what Guardian had done okay. But Scout had seen Guardian's state during the short time Team Ion crossed paths with Team Sunrise. It wasn't okay yet, but… it could be okay eventually.
“I’m back.”
"Can you still like… purr?"
"I… yeah?"
"Cool. Do it."
Scout purred. It was still a funny sensation and one he never would think to do. Saniya giggled and scratched behind his ears.
That caused some genuine purring.
He was cozied up with Rai and Mane, the two weren't really eager to give him any space lately, but he found he didn't really mind. Having wanted to be with them for as long as they had missed him left him as clingy as they were.
After Guardian had stopped weeping long enough to carry him back, Scout was set upon by the rest of Team Sunrise. Kangaskhan also cried a little and let them off work today. With no other place to go for privacy, Rai led them to Sharpedo Bluff and into his old home.
It was a little dusty, and there was nothing soft to sit on, but the pokémon made do.
Guardian hadn't let Scout go for the first half-hour, squeezing down gently when he questioned himself if Scout really was in his arms, which happened a lot.
It wasn't the warmest to remain in the dusknoir's arms, but it wasn't the coldest either. Guardian was alright, and Scout knew that.
There was just a little time he needed to grow accustomed to the idea.
Guardian hadn't really wanted to relinquish his returned son to anyone, but Saniya convinced him to. "Two things. His fur is different, and I can't levitate him. What's up with that?"
It led to the explanation Scout feared he'd be getting to know well in the coming days. He was persisting as some sort of memory ghost after he disappeared, floating by them all that time before being revived by Darkrai.
Sean had to excuse himself briefly and Striker followed him. They returned barely a minute later, Sean’s joy matching Rai and Mane’s in some ways.
He had told Rai and Mane a little more of the context to Darkrai, but not everything. Not enough.
"I need to tell them," Scout thought, but as he opened his mouth the words got stuck, and he swallowed them.
Instead, they continued talking. He asked Team Sunrise what they had been up to.
"Then Vigoroth really ran us through the wringer, he's crazy." Saniya beamed, she almost twinkled in the sunlight.
All good times had to draw to a close, and as the sun began to move closer to setting than was okay, they got up to walk to the guild.
"Scout?" Sean asked as they headed out of Rai's home and into town.
"Yeah?"
"I'm happy you're back." Sean wasn't exactly looking at him. Scout wasn't sure if he was embarrassed or if it was something else. “I’ve really… really missed you.”
"I'm glad you're okay," Scout replied, smiling. And gave him a hug. Sean stiffened a little before pulling Scout into a similarly-tight hug as Guardian.
"Okay, I just thought of something!" Saniya loudly exclaimed. "Were YOU the thing that kept tickling my neck? I swear I could feel something going on, but I couldn't pinpoint it."
"Yes." Scout nodded. "Dialga said that you wouldn't be able to see me, but you'd probably have some… some sort of sense."
"Glad I wasn't having a stroke."
"I'm glad too."
Throughout it all, Striker had said very little. Sean had also been quiet, but Striker's silence was different.
Sean was quietly relieved, unable to find the words to express it and embarrassed to say the words when he did find them.
There was a caution to Striker’s eyes.
He knew Scout wasn't telling them everything. He had sensed that way back when they had returned from Fogbound Lake and spoken to each other. And as much as he tried, he could not forget Scout raising his claws to Sean's neck to threaten everyone into calming down.
Things were okay now. Yet, Striker was always a cautious soul.
Approaching the guild had Scout slow down, spotting something off to the side. He swallowed, coming to a decision.
"Can I just… take a moment?" Scout asked. "By myself."
The group didn't argue, they saw what he did, and let him go. Scout himself didn't want to be alone, but he felt like he needed to be for this. It was time to stop putting it off.
The waves crashed distantly over the cliffside. He walked a little to the side, moving around the guild. The others entered the guild as Diglett and Loudred raised the gate for them. He felt chills on the back of his neck, a distant feeling of panic trying to claw up his spine as he found himself alone but he forced it down.
He wouldn’t be afraid. Not here, at least. To back down here was the worst thing he could imagine. He had tried to be strong for everyone and he’d been strong for him first.
There it was. A simple headstone, with no pomp or spectacle to it.
Here lies Trill
Res̵t In Peace
I will always remember you
Scout quietly made his way to the gravestone, hesitating on the final steps. He didn't want to step on the grave after all. Or maybe he just didn't want to believe this was possible.
"Chatot?" Scout said, softly. He walked around the side of the grave, touched the headstone. It was clean of dust, being tended to every day.
Scout wasn't sure how to feel. He knew he was sad, but something was blocking him from really feeling it. He almost felt blank, hollow, unable to reach the aha moment he knew he was supposed to.
The grave was here. There was no question as to who it was, but part of him simply could not grasp it. Part of him that would not grasp it. This wasn’t how the story went.
"He would have been so happy to see you," a voice spoke softly from behind. Scout jumped; he hadn't heard anyone approach.
Wigglytuff gave him a sad smile as Scout stared at him, fur raised slightly and eyes wide and confused.
"He told us what happened in the Dark Future," Wigglytuff said, coming to his side. "Especially about you. That's the biggest thing I was afraid of. That he died with regret. I know he didn’t, though. He’d never regret saving someone."
"I'm sorry," Scout said. He could barely feel himself say it.
Wigglytuff embraced him. "It's not your fault," he said softly, but that only hurt Scout more. "He'd just be happy that you are safe and well. He’d have flapped the place down, given everyone the day off, and ‘let himself’ be talked into singing. H-He would have….”
Scout stared into Wigglytuff's belly, not understanding why Wigglytuff was hugging him. It WAS his fault. Didn't he know that? Hadn't Chatot told him everything?
He continued to stare as something heavy fell over him, and Scout felt something press down into his stomach hard enough that something finally gave way. He grabbed onto Wigglytuff and pressed against him, wanting to say everything as it all began to overwhelm him. Wigglytuff hummed something as he held them.
Scout repeated that he was sorry again and again, Wigglytuff didn't see anything for him to be sorry about.
They remained as they were until Scout had calmed down, and then just sat at the grave, thinking about Chatot.
Picture(s?) in this chapter done by Bograbbit: https://twitter.com/bograbbit?lang=en
The coloured one is also cropped, as in the original story Keira was present and standing awkwardly in the distance being all "Aww, how cute" lol. You can see the uncropped one in Chapter 40 of the original story on AO3.