Heya, back for another one of these, though this time around, I opted to just go for a big bang and plow through the rest of the story. Since I was enjoying things quite a bit from my past tranches, and with just over 10,000 words to go, I think that I can stuff that and a review into a good night’s worth of action.
Chapter 9
Poppy had arranged the battle to take place on the island, under the pretense that she had been guarding the planet's energy with Xerneas for some time. In reality, of course, she could teleport there whenever she pleased. The real reason was so that, if she lost the fight, Xerneas might stand a chance at finishing off her opponent while he was weakened.
… Oh. Well this chapter is going to
go places, I can tell. Since I’m pretty sure that
that’s her former guild mates she’s talking about there.
Either way, the clearing before the crater wasn't the worst place to wait. Dragonflies' wings flashed amber as the sun moved in and out of clouds, and the scent of goldenrod was sweet on the wind. White-throated sparrows filled the air with their song like carefree whistling. Hello, little ones, Poppy thought, her paws shaking (it was a waste of effort to try to stop them, she realized some time ago). Today might be my last day alive. Would you still be singing if you knew that? I wonder...
Poppy: “I mean, you probably
would keep singing anyways since nature can be a bit indifferent and uncaring like that, but let me have my moment here.” >_>;
From beside Poppy, Xerneas tossed its head and issued forth a wave of sparkles like dyed stars. Whatever technique it used had a calming effect—Poppy's pulse steadied, and for a moment today didn't seem like such a big deal.
Poppy looked up at Xerneas' face. "Thank you."
Think nothing of it. I do not know how you became so powerful, but right now you are my best ally. For the sake of our future, you must defeat this opponent.
Boy is it such a mood to see that Poppy’s managed to get Xerneas to join forces with her. Since considering the trajectory of the past few chapters, in all likelihood, that means that she’s also motivated Xerneas to be ready to
kill whoever she’s about to face down if she falls short.
Poppy nodded. She had tried a couple of sparring matches with Xerneas an hour ago, and they had proved to be shockingly one-sided. The fate of the planet's energy really was up to her.
Well
that’s not concerning at all there. Though I’m pretty sure that given that background folklore of what would happen if Xerneas’ energy were sapped beyond a certain point, that’s a
really ominous sign for the future of your planet and life on it in general.
If you change your mind, Poppy, just let me know... Ann's voice was quiet, as though it were nervous, too.
Can’t tell if Ann is legit nervous here or if she’s mindgaming Poppy. I honestly could see it going either way, since she’s given some massively “totally legit” vibes off in the story thus far.
I won't, but... If I don't survive, tell the shaymin what happened. And Lavender.
You have my word.
And
Lavender, huh? So she really
hasn’t fully let her go as a companion. Though considering the overall mood of the story and how rapidly Poppy’s been going down the slippery slope, I’m
pretty sure that she and Lavender are going to trade blows at some point before curtain call. And… I’m
pretty sure it’s not going to end well for Lavender.
Footsteps rustled in the distance—the cadence was too deliberate to be ferals. Poppy grabbed the face mask from her bag and slipped it on. She didn't know if it would work, but she had asked Ann to get it for her anyway. Anything that might conceal her identity.
… Aren’t they
very obviously going to put two and two that it’s the same Leafeon that crashed the board meeting of that one mining company? There’s only so many Leafeon out there with sufficient strength to body a Flygon or bisect a Gallade.
Poppy's opponent—Thorn—was the first to come into view. She had never seen a lucario before, but for some reason, she had always imagined them as being larger. Thorn was only a paw or two taller than Poppy herself. He stood as still as a statue, barely even seeming to breathe. His scarred face betrayed no emotion.
Poppy: “... Boy am I glad that I’m getting help for this fight, since there is
no way in a million years I could take this guy otherwise.” ^^;
Thorn was followed by a number of other pokemon—a mix of spectators and medics—who fanned out in the clearing, as far away from the combatants-to-be as they could get. Poppy forced herself not to look at them; she didn't want to see anyone she knew.
"Are you ready, leafeon?" Thorn asked, his voice like a growling bear.
Poppy: “... How on earth is your voice that loud and low?” .-.
Thorn: “Thematic effect. Gotta give off a vibe before I punt you halfway across the forest.”
Poppy took in the nourishing feeling of the sunlight on her back and tried to burn it into her memory. She nodded.
"En garde."
Poppy opened with an energy ball. It was the fastest she had ever performed the move—the sphere was at full size in the blink of an eye and rocketed toward her opponent like debris from an explosion.
Spectators:
Poppy: “What, did you really think that I’d take on this challenge if I
didn’t think I had a shot at winning?”
Yet her opponent was faster still. His aura sphere collided squarely with her attack; cyan light flooded the clearing. Unfazed, he launched a second projectile as the spectators shielded their eyes.
Poppy leapt aside. Brilliant cobalt light burned its afterimage into her eyes as the sphere flew past; a cold, spectral sensation sent a chill down her spine. She forced her focus back to her opponent.
>Poppy manages to
successfully dodge an Aura Sphere
That must be some power of Ann’s there given that I’m not even sure if it’s
possible for Aura Sphere to miss mechanically without some sort of hard-blocking move like Protect in-game.
Thorn: “... I call hax.”
Thorn launched a third aura sphere—Poppy was better prepared this time, so she sidestepped again and retaliated with swift. The stars spread across the whole of the clearing as though to form a galaxy, forcing the spectators to take cover.
Can’t tell if Poppy’s trying to be merciful there by using a type-resistant move, or if Ann has just souped her up so much that it just doesn’t matter anymore. Either way, I wouldn’t have expected that to get picked for fighting against a Lucario.
Thorn emitted a beam of aura from his hand and slashed. The stars before him disintegrated; he dashed through the opening.
Is that supposed to be Force Palm or Bone Club there? Since I admittedly had a bit of trouble telling what the intent was supposed to be.
Poppy grimaced—she didn't want Thorn to get close. She struck with her vine and sharpened her senses to try to catch his reaction.
Thorn did not dodge, as Poppy had expected—perhaps he wasn't quite fast enough. Instead he whipped around and grabbed the vine between his paws, leaning into the attack to keep his balance.
Poppy: “Er… pretty sure
that’s not good there.”
Ann: “With
my power at your back? I’m sure you can turn this around on him in short order.”
That was fine by Poppy; she simply struck with a second vine. It was a solid hit—the shock passed all the way through the vine and rattled Poppy's bones. Thorn flew backwards while Poppy prepared an energy ball to follow up with.
Ouch.
That’s gonna leave a mark.
But, to her surprise, Thorn had not lost his grip when she struck him. Using his hold on the first vine and the momentum from Poppy's attack, he twisted his body and pulled hard. By the time Poppy felt the slack on the first vine run out, it was too late.
Poppy: “See, I
knew that him grabbing onto my vine wasn’t a good thing!” >.<
Ann: “... In my defense, I was expecting him to lose his grip. Lucario are apparently great at latching onto things, who knew?”
Thorn hurled Poppy across the clearing. She flew too quickly to orient herself. She reflexively wrapped herself in vines to try to soften the impact with whatever she was bound to hit.
"Agh!" Poppy cried out as the wind was knocked out of her. A loud crack reverberated across the forest as the tree snapped from the impact, and Poppy's momentum carried her into a second one. She sank slightly into the wood, but this time the trunk held.
Yeah, Poppy is
really fortunate she has the power of totally-not-Yveltal backing her up, since I’m pretty sure she’d be very,
very dead right about now considering those trees were described as being as rigid as iron back in her first trek through this island.
Poppy peeled away from the tree and tumbled toward the ground in agony. It felt like she had been crushed against a bed of thorns, and when she inhaled it was like pressing shards of glass into her lungs. It was all she could do to keep her eyes open.
As Poppy made her second revolution in the air, she glimpsed Thorn. His stance was wide, and yet another nascent aura sphere glowed between his paws.
Poppy: “Oh dammit,
seriously? Ann! A little
help now would be nice!” O_O;
Ann: “Look, I’m doing my best, alright?”
In spite of the pain, Poppy did her best to clear her mind and waited. She tracked Thorn as she spun, kept her eyes on his paws. Maybe it was just her anticipation, but the moment seemed to stretch on and on for seconds, as though Thorn were delaying his attack on purpose. The aura sphere grew larger and brighter, gradually obscuring his figure. Just looking at it made Poppy's eyes tear up. Maybe that was his intention...
Finally, Poppy saw it—that now-familiar motion as Thorn thrust his arms forward. Right as he released his attack, Poppy reached out with a vine and pulled herself toward one of the tree branches below. The aura sphere passed just above her; she felt its cold on her tail before it hit the tree with a deep thud.
Lucky save there.
Thorn: “I. Call.
Hax.” >.<
Poppy: “Look, we live in a setting where Aura Sphere isn’t a guaranteed hit, okay? Cry more.”
Even though it felt like tearing herself in half, Poppy twisted her body and managed to land on her feet. She ignored the shock that passed through her and took a ragged breath as splinters rained down on her from above.
So is she going through some sort of freaky Baccano thing right about now where she’s coated in obvious wounds that are sealing up in live-time right now? Since I
saw what happened with that Flygon earlier, and it’s hard for me to imagine that
isn’t happening right about now.
Kinda wonder if it’d have made sense to at least hint at what was going on with Poppy and the state of her body via description, though.
Thorn was wounded too—there was a gash in his flank where his fur was stained crimson. The wound was deep but, to Poppy's dismay, not fatal.
Boy, she’s definitely changed as a ‘mon. Not even trying to give Thorn a chance to retreat with his tail between his legs, huh? Though how on earth would she expect that to play in front of the crowd of like 20 other guild Pokémon who would be strongly motivated to just rain seeds and Wonder Orbs on her afterwards if they could after seeing her kill off one of their more beloved members.
Thorn once again summoned a beam of aura from his paw and rushed toward Poppy. She tried to strike, but Thorn anticipated the attack—he cut her vines in two with the beam before they could reach him, and as the severed halves fell limply to the ground, Poppy suddenly felt very vulnerable.
Wait. Do those things not have nerve endings? Since Poppy sure isn’t reacting much to getting what are arguably limbs of hers severed. Like it’s not necessarily a
wrong take, per se, just caught me a little off guard since it’s a bit alien to think of appendages that can pick up objects that
wouldn’t have some sort of link to a nervous system.
In the heat of the moment, and without enough time to try a ranged attack, Poppy tried to catch her opponent off-guard. She rushed toward Thorn just as he neared striking distance, then turned to slash with her tail.
It was pointless. Thorn parried effortlessly, throwing Poppy off balance. His own slash grazed Poppy's neck and head as she jumped back. Poppy seethed—it felt like a shard of ice. Her mask, now cut across its length, fell to the ground, and she felt the open air on her face.
Spectators: “...” O.O
Poppy: “... Well crap. So much for being able to keep my identity a secret.” >_>;
Then Thorn jumped back himself, toward the center of the clearing, and stepped away from Poppy. She studied his face, trying to discern his intention. His gaze seemed... softer, than before.
… Poppy is about to take advantage of this just kill Thorn right then and there, isn’t she?” ^^;
The chill along Poppy's neck quickly yielded to a lingering, burning pain. She felt something wet the fur right around her collar—something warm. The feeling came in intervals, like...
Well. It was like a heartbeat, wasn't it. Poppy glanced down and saw bright red.
Ann...
Poppy, I'm trying, but... that's beyond healing. I... I'm sorry. Ann gave a trembling sigh. It's over. You deserved better than this. You really did. I promise I will remember you for as long as I live.
I… can’t believe that I’m about to
say this, but Poppy’s not
actually just going to die here with like a third of the story left to go, is she? Like, she’ll pull through this somehow… right?
The moment was surreal. Poppy stared at Thorn and at the spectators as their faces turned from anxious to pitying. She sat down slowly and summoned a vine—this time not to attack, but so that she could press something against her wound. Her artery had been cut lengthwise, she realized, and blood had already begun to stream down her chest and soak the soil below.
Okay, I suddenly feel a lot less judgemental about Poppy attempting to kill off Thorn given that he was ready and willing to do the same from the jump.
Just try to stay calm, she thought, as the beginnings of dizziness began to manifest. You'll only bleed faster if you get nervous...
But then, what difference does it make? I'm already dead. I should just ask Thorn to finish me off. She clenched her jaw. God damn it, if I'd just—
"Poppy!"
Oh, boy Lavender’s here to see all of this, isn’t she?
Poppy's thoughts were interrupted by a mournful wail, like a suffocating loon. Her eyes went wide, and she froze. Carefully, she turned her head to her right.
The sight of Lavender's face stung more than Thorn's slash had; her teeth were bared in an ugly grimace, her snout so twisted and wrinkled she was almost unrecognizable. It was the first time, as far as Poppy knew, that her partner had ever looked old.
Poppy: “Uh… hi there, Lavender? How have you been doing?” ._.;
Lavender: “Poppy, you’re
dying right now!”
Poppy: “I mean, yeah. Barring a really lucky development in about 30 seconds, this is kinda it for me.”
- Poppy looks down at the pooling blood by her feet -
Poppy: “I… just wish that we didn’t have to meet like this again.”
Poppy took a ragged breath and blinked away her tears as her friend took a tentative step toward her. Slowly, she stood and did the same. Laurie was there too, just behind Lavender, and the lurantis bowed with sorrow in her eyes.
At least I can be with Lavender, Poppy thought as she took another feeble step. Maybe she'll understand. And even if she doesn't...
inb4 something ruins this sad, touching moment in about 60 seconds.
Maybe it was a sense of acceptance, or maybe it was her consciousness slipping, but Poppy's anxiety began to fade. She imagined Lavender's warm embrace, her sweet scent. Soon, she would...
She stopped. Laurie. Seeing the lurantis sparked a memory. That scar... Her wound, that had healed so quickly. [ ]
Ann. Can you teleport me into the crater?
Yeah, I kinda figured that the plot was going to do
something to keep Poppy from shuffling off the mortal coil, or at least not at
this point in time. I wonder if this sequence would’ve worked better if there’d been some sort of “if only she could somehow get back to the crater where they’d first found her” to hammer it home that
that’s Poppy’s brilliant plan for how to cheat death right now, since it took me a while to put two and two together as a reader.
It takes about five seconds for me to do that, Poppy, and it's far too obvious. They'll strike you down before you get the chance. Please, just be with—
Try.
Ann paused. It's been tried before, Poppy; to withstand direct contact with the planet's energy would be practically im—
I don't care, do it! She commanded as she sucked in a breath. Now!
I— Ann's voice cracked. ...As you wish, dear Poppy.
>when the sus voice in your head that’s totally not Yveltal all but screams at you that this is a terrible idea and you just press along to do it anyways
Poppy's body began to glow white. As Ann predicted, Thorn realized what was happening and dashed toward her. Poppy tried to lift her vines, but she was too weak. The most she could do was stagger dizzily away, trying to put some distance between herself and her assailant. Judging by Thorn's speed, she had maybe half of a second.
I'm am an idiot, aren't I... Poppy braced herself for the inevitable.
inb4 Lavender charges in to save the day right about now. Since I kinda doubt she’d just be okay with watching Thorn kill off her friend from the way that she reacted about 10 seconds ago.
A brilliant, pink streak slammed into Thorn's side, right in the same place Poppy had wounded him earlier. Thorn staggered, nearly falling over, and looked back up to see Xerneas place itself between Poppy and him.
Oh. Well, guess someone
else will be doing the honors there in that case.
"Out of the way!" Thorn growled as he launched an aura sphere. Xerneas tried to defend with another moonblast, but the aura sphere passed through it and knocked the legendary away like a toy.
Thorn: “Wait. Was- Was that
supposed to work that well on a
Xerneas? I thought they were supposed to be these super-powerful Pokémon of myth.” ._.
The exchange took about three seconds. Not enough. Poppy clenched her jaw as Thorn turned toward her again.
"Stop!"
A familiar bolt of lightning flashed from behind Thorn. He twitched from the thunder wave and then whipped around to face his assailant—none other than Lavender—just as she let loose with swift.
Oh,
there’s Lavender coming in with the save. Wasn’t expecting her to come in
after the almighty deer god, but I just
knew that she’d come barreling in at some point.
Poppy's eyes went wide. "Lavender..."
Poppy didn't have time to see the rest of the exchange play out. Her body flashed, and she found herself tumbling into the mouth of the crater that had just a moment ago seemed so far away. She looked down; blinding white light greeted her. Even when she closed her eyes, the brightness made her head ache.
Well
that’s certainly going to be good for Lavender’s job security right about now. Assuming that she doesn’t just get summarily ganked by Thorn and the other higher-ups for helping what I’m pretty sure is a known serial murderer by this point escape.
Am I stupid? asked Poppy as the wind rushed by, splattering her blood onto her chin and face.
Look... If I thought there were no chance of this working, I wouldn't have done it. It's true that no pokemon has survived this before, but then again, none of those pokemon had my help.
Poppy: “... Not the most reassuring thing I’ve ever heard, but hey. Considering the alternative’s death, I’ll take it.”
So how would you place my odds?
Less than one percent,
Ann said reluctantly. But, then again, that's just the kind of chance an explorer would take, isn't it?
Poppy smiled weakly. Goddamn right...
That was the last thing Poppy thought before the light swallowed her.
Well, you know how these teeny probabilities work in stories. “1%” might as well be “99%” in most stories where such odds come up.
Chapter 10
A droning sound like a million insect wings all beating at once, or a million voices all crying out. It was neither harmonious nor discordant.
Poppy's body seemed to vibrate, pervaded by an electric, tingling sensation. She grew numb to everything but pain.
Poppy: “Wait a minute, is this a good thing, or really,
really bad? Since I can’t exactly tell right now.” ^^;
While the pain elsewhere had begun to subside, the ache in Poppy's head only grew more intense. It didn't matter how hard she shut her eyes; the light may as well have been inside her skull. Her eyes were tearing up—she thought? It was hard to tell.
The ache in her head spread down to her neck, then out to the rest of her body. It drowned out any other sensation. Poppy tried to move her limbs, but felt nothing. Tried to open her eyes again, but nothing changed. Tried to contact Ann, but heard no response.
The droning was so loud, the light so bright... Poppy almost wanted to return to the surface, to just bleed to death in peace. She tried to remember the warmth of the sun but found she was no longer able. She couldn't remember what anything felt like, anymore.
Poppy: “Uh… yeah. Bad, I’ll very heavily take ‘bad’ there.” o_o;
Ann: “Not so fast, Poppy. Let things play out a bit.”
For a long time there was nothing but pain, noise, and unbearable light. Just let me die, Poppy thought. Ann, if you can't get me out... Please...
Gradually, the space between Poppy's thoughts grew, like a fading heartbeat. Stretches of oblivion. The pain, the noise, the light, all merged into a single sensation. And over time, in the same way that she had grown numb to her own body, Poppy grew numb to that sensation, too. She perceived neither light nor darkness, neither silence nor noise. It was empty.
Po , c n y t f r ?
Poppy: “... Not sure what on earth just happened there, but I
know that that isn’t a good sign. Especially if I can’t hear
Ann right now.” .-.
Poppy was roused by a voice in her head, and she mentally winced as she became conscious of the light again. Ann? Is that... you?
Y s. I n ed you t pu l yo r v ne for me.
To... Pull my... vine? Poppy tried to move, and felt nothing. I can't. I don't under—
No, you j st did i ! Again! Ju t try!
Poppy: “Ann, what even is
going on right now?” O_O;
Ann: “Ju t
d it a r dy!”
O-okay... Though it seemed fruitless, Poppy tried again to pull, and lost consciousness a few seconds later.
C me on P ppy! D n't give up!
Poppy wanted nothing more than to do just that, to fall asleep to all this overwhelming stimulus. But she mustered her will and tried again, with Ann cheering her on all the while.
Yes! y can do t, P ppy!
This is a real touching and uplifting moment here. And then you remember that it’s
Ann that’s cheering Poppy on and everything wraps right back around to it being creepy and concerning.
It was only after what seemed like minutes that Poppy began to notice any change. The noise and light began to fade, and she felt her body again—it was like blood flowing back into her limbs. The rush of the wind slowly returned, but this time, she wasn't falling—she was rising. Pulling herself up.
Oh, so like Baccano after all then, huh? Except with less spectacular and creepy visuals involved.
Poppy soared above the mouth of the crater, and for a moment, she seemed to hang in the air. The treetops looked soft, almost cloud-like from above, leaves trembling in the breeze as though with anticipation. Poppy's body tingled as though charged with electricity, and for a moment, as she looked out to the clear horizon, she felt like a kid again. Ready to romp around in the grass and play with endless exuberance. She turned her gaze to Thorn and Xerneas and all the other pokemon who were turning in shock to face her. From this height they seemed as small as insects.
Poppy: “Wait a minute. They could all
see me from all the way down there? How brightly was I
glowing, Ann?” o_o;
Ann: “Pretty sure you would’ve been a decent substitute for a sun for a few moments.”
Poppy felt no pain when she hit the ground in front of Thorn. The lucario put his hands out in front of him in a gesture of surrender and backed away, the aura sensors on his head rising as he did. The spectators gasped.
Thorn: “Y-Yeah, screw this noise,
I’m out of here. I didn’t sign up for this!”
Y u are so luc y, sighed Ann, not even trying to keep the relief out of its voice.
Poppy grinned. Glad to be back, she thought. Though you're still a little hard to hear.
It t ok all I had to ke p you from evapo ating. I c n b rely talk to you r ght now.
I’m not convinced that there isn’t some sort of terrible side effect that’s going to come about as a result of-
Then in that case...
You'r running off the p net's energ , in essence. But... It's onl tempor ry.
Okay, there absolutely
has to be some sort of horrible side effect from doing all of this. There is exactly
no way that that can possibly be a good thing when this planet’s lifeforce is weak and waning and Poppy picked this fight precisely to
keep other Pokémon from thrusting their grubby little mitts all over it.
Poppy's face fell, and her blood ran cold. She didn't want to believe it, but the truth was that she could already feel her vibrant energy beginning to yield to exhaustion like the light of the setting sun. She didn't have long, she thought—seconds, at best. Can I just kill Thorn? How powerful are the other—
N t as str ng as you, but th y're powerful enough to k ll Xerne s. I'm s rry, Poppy. We c n't be selective th s time
Ann, what the hell?
Poppy. You don’t have to do this, you can tell Ann ‘no’ for once. Your
own best friend is down there!
...I see. She looked back up at the baffled Thorn. So be it, then.
Poppy's vine pierced Thorn's heart and retracted in the beat of a hummingbird's wing. She rushed toward the spectators before Thorn's body had even started to crumple, and lashed out. Her vines bisected her targets as if they were made of sand, splattering blood onto the grass. Blissey, illumise, miltank, beautifly, sylveon, oshawott, aromatisse, volbeat. She turned and found five more to strike. Dustox, sandslash, zoroark, espeon, delphox. So far, no one had had the chance to react, and it helped that Poppy was determined not to give herself time to watch her victims die. Already her limbs were beginning to ache, as though cramping, and flecks of black swam at edge of her vision. She rushed to the next group of pokemon.
Whelp, too late. Guess we’re finally getting that Rick and Morty S5E3 moment now. If Lavender
somehow survives all of this,
that friendship with Poppy is just never going to recover afterwards.
Also, perhaps I’m just jaded, but this feels surprisingly tame for M-rated violence given that as brutal as it is, it’s not really dealt with with much description.
Lopunny, breloom, infernape, drifblim. Gardevoir, hatterene. Zangoose, drapion, kricketune, audino, krokorok, togekiss. Poppy's heart was racing now, straining to meet her demands. Her vision began to narrow, but instead of giving in to the urge to stop and rest, she whipped her head around and honed in on the last group. They had finally realized what was happening but only had enough time to express their shock as Poppy sprinted to them.
Swampert, conkeldurr, armaldo. Luxray, sableye, torkoal, goodra... lurantis.
Whelp, that’s
one ‘mon that Poppy explicitly knew well enough to be on a given-name basis that she’s axed by now. I… get the feeling that it’s not going to be the last.
Poppy: “I feel as if I should probably be a lot more worried by how naturally this is all coming to me. But meh, saving the planet here. Gotta break a few eggs.”
Poppy turned her head to look away from the carnage, only to lock eyes with Lavender. The delcatty was frozen—not even so much as a twitch from her tail.
Lavender: “
P-Poppy?! W-What are you
doing?! Wh-Why would you-?!”
Poppy: “... Crap. I forgot she was here for all of this. Hey, Ann, are you
sure that everyone needs to die right now?”
Poppy glanced away, staggering. Her legs were shaking now, and her hearing was beginning to fade. The sound of nature around her—the wind and cicadas and panicked birds—grew muffled by an ever-loudening white noise, like blood rushing through her head. Even if I can muster the strength, I will not hurt her. I will not stoop that low. I will not stoop that low...
Poppy closed her eyes and hit the ground.
I mean, I’m pretty sure that you’ve just permanently destroyed your friendship with Lavender and traumatized her for life by massacring at least half of the guild’s expeditionary force in about 15 seconds, but… at least you managed to stop yourself
eventually? Better late than never, right?
Chapter 11
A dull, dead ache pervaded Poppy's muscles; she felt like a corpse. She caught a whiff of yarrow as she slowly opened her eyes, almost scared to try to move lest she find she couldn't. Before her was a patch of black fur with a metallic, powder-blue trim. A moment later Xerneas lowered its head, and Poppy found herself looking into its royal blue eyes.
Are you in pain? it asked.
"Some," Poppy muttered. Her throat felt like she had swallowed sand, and her voice reflected that.
Poppy: “Wait, where
are we right now and where
is everyone else?” .-.
Xerneas moved out of view for a moment, then returned with a familiar-looking pouch, which it dropped in front of Poppy. Lavender left this for you. It has some water in it.
Poppy raised her leaden head, feebly grabbed the pouch with her mouth, and accessed the water pouch inside it. While the fluid felt good in her throat and stomach, she felt a sort of uncomfortable nostalgia as she drank; the pouch had Lavender's scent all over it, mixed awkwardly with the bitterness of the old leather. She noticed, too, that Lavender's guild badge remained pinned to the front—had she not thought to take it with her? Or—
I mean, I wouldn’t want to still be in a guild either after watching dozens of my friends and colleagues get brutally murdered by my former best friend. Like that’s the point where you just nope out, retire, and get into the equivalent of flipping burgers for the rest of your life instead of going back on the job that’s
almost certainly going to attempt to mount a punitive expedition of some sort.
Poppy: “Wait, did you see
how she left it? Was it out of concern? Or more ‘
oh gods, just take it’?” ^^;
Xerneas interrupted Poppy's thoughts. Lavender helped treat your injuries while I was unconscious. Before she left, she told me to relay something to you. She said she would tell the guild that you won and that there is no point in trying to fight you.
Xerneas: “... Least of all since they absorbed casualties that were borderline exterminatory in scale. Since… you know, no point in sending more ‘mons to their deaths pointlessly.”
Poppy: “Er… well on the plus side, I guess Ann’s idea worked? Even if I didn’t do it as completely as she wanted me to.” ^^;
Poppy rested her head on the ground once more. "I see... Then I suppose we win." She closed her eyes for a moment, but she couldn't stop seeing the patterns beneath her eyelids as pools of blood. "Did she say anything else?"
Oh, so cleaving up a good 20-or-so ‘mons in a fell swoop
did get to Poppy. Or at least for now, since if she gets used to
this...
That was all she wanted me to tell you.
Poppy grunted. The evasive answer stung, but she didn't press the matter.
Translation: “She was really shaken up and taken aback by you, but let’s not get into that right here and now.”
Is there anything I can get for you? Xerneas asked. Are you hungry?
"A little. If the clouds clear up, though, I should be fine."
I will get you some food. It is the least I can do. Xerneas turned and walked away. I will only be gone for a moment. The feral pokemon stay away from this place, so you will be safe.
- Beat moment -
Poppy: “... Wait, are all those bisected Pokémon just chilling around in the background somewhere right about now?” .-.
Xerneas: “I… think that that’s best not thought about too hard, really. Let’s just assume that Lavender and her surviving colleagues took them back for burial, since I’m not sure if I need to see
their bloody messes all over again.” ^^;
Poppy didn't relish the thought of being left alone, but she supposed it was just as well. Though they were on the same side, she didn't know Xerneas well enough to feel particularly comfortable around it, and she had a feeling it might be a problem if it knew about Ann.
Speaking of which...
Ann? Poppy thought.
Poppy: “She… didn’t ghost me over not going through with her instructions all the way, did she?” ._.;
No reply. Despite Poppy's exhaustion, her heart began to beat faster, and a too-familiar dizziness pervaded her head.
Please don't be gone, Ann. If you're not there...
Poppy summoned her will and sent the most forceful transmission she could. Ann!
Ah... Our hero is awake, came Ann's tired reply. And now I am too.
Poppy: “Oh
thank goodness, I was worried that she’d left me high and dry over backing down over Lavender for a second.” [blazisweat]
Ann! Poppy let out a breath and smiled. At least you're still there... I was beginning to think you had forgotten about our promise.
Ann chuckled. Perish the thought, dear Poppy. I just had to rest for a while, so I couldn't keep you company. I hope you're feeling okay.
Well, I'm... I'm alive. Thank you for helping me earlier.
Poppy: “I mean, I
still say we could’ve gotten away with just killing Thorn to send a message, but given that I’m not cold and dead right about now, I won’t complain too much about things.”
Ann laughed. That sure was a crazy stunt, huh? I'm glad everything worked out. I'll be sure to help you take back your land soon, too; it'll just be a little while before I get back in tip-top shape, is all. I hope you don't mind.
Oh, yeah, that’s going to be
lovely if Poppy actually goes through with it since there’s now hundreds of guildmons residing on it, and with the way Ann “helped” resolve the whole thing involving Xerneas and the whole “protecting the planet’s lifeforce thing”... I don’t think that land will be habitable for a while after Ann helped “get it back”.
No, to be honest, I'm not too worried about that right now. I just... I want to see Holly and the others again soon. I know they'll be happy to see that I'm okay.
I'll get you to them as soon as I can. For now though, we'll just have to rest.
Right. Poppy sighed, relaxing. Something about having Ann around seemed to help assuage her guilt, she realized.
Because she literally validates the side of you that’s increasingly viewing Pokémon that are harming the environment as the Pokémon equivalent of subhumans to be brutally put down as one pleases? Not
too hard to figure out why you suddenly feel less guilty around her.
The sun shone through the clouds a moment later, and it made Poppy smile, if only because she had thought she would never feel its light on her fur again.
… How much of a bloody mess
was she right after the last chapter anyways if she was feeling like
that. .-.
Poppy burst through the door to the guildmaster's lavishly furnished office with his bodyguards wrapped up in her vines. She tossed the two pokemon—a makuhita and venasaur—onto his mahogany desk, and the wood split in half with a gruesome crack. Glass figurines fell to the ground and shattered like they had been waiting to for all their lives.
"Happy holidays, asshole."
… Oh, so she
did decide to go back for her land after all. This is going to be just…
wonderful.
The guildmaster recoiled and almost backed into the windows behind him. Poppy looked into his wide, sickly looking yellow eyes, and though she hadn't relished the thought of going through this trouble initially, the look of terror on his face brought a smile to hers. Oh, and he was already audibly hyperventilating.
I’d say “Poppy, you’re scaring me”, but that ship sailed a few chapters ago.
Poppy's laughter was dark, raven-like, and she was sure the pokemon on the other side of the hall could hear it. "So frightened! Oh, that's precious. Precious." She walked between the two halves of the guildmaster's desk while he stood trembling. She wouldn't be surprised if he dropped dead from a heart attack right now.
"Listen, you miserable sack of lard. You should be thanking your lucky stars—I'm not even going to kill you. I do have a couple demands, but they should be easily met." She smiled. "To begin with, guild fees are a little high. I say we lower them by ten percent, and maybe be more austere to compensate. Canceling construction of that new building would be a great place to start; I'll even give you a head start on demolition.
Okay,
now Poppy’s scaring me. Since this entire time, she just hasn’t had an obvious malicious streak like this when indulging that baser side of her.
That does
not bode well for the lifespan of anyone on Poppy’s land right about now. I
do feel like this one paragraph is idea-dense enough that it probably makes sense to hack it up, though.
"I would also demand that you put half of the guild's income toward ecological restoration and land conservation—like that fund I used to manage. I put Daisy in charge of it—bayleef. She's a member. Talk to her. Your first project will be to restore the land you stole from me.
… Wait, did Poppy just straight up take over the guild and murder anyone who got in her way, or…? .-.
"That is all for now. I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but of course, you should also make good on your agreement not to let anyone near that island again. I did win the duel, after all. Have I made myself clear?"
"Er..." The guildmaster made a sort of strangled sound and nodded. His eyelids fluttered as though he were about to faint.
"Good. If you fail to comply, I will know. You won't get any second chances."
… That sounds like a good argument to resign and nope out of your position if
I ever heard one. Since I would not want to be so much as on the same continent as a ‘mon that killed 20 of my subordinates with a hate-on for me and the strength to kill me in painful, horrible fashion if it ever struck her fancy.
Poppy turned around and walked a few steps away, but she stopped when she reached the doorway. Before proceeding, she lowered a vine and flicked a splinter into the guildmaster's face. The way he stumbled backward, almost tripping over himself, made her smile.
That can’t possibly be a good omen for where Poppy’s going to be going in the remainder of this story, since if she’s ready to act this like this to
one ‘mon she hates, it’s not hard at all to imagine her indulging her inner sadist towards others with increasingly little provocation.
Wooden crates larger than Poppy herself lined concrete walls, lit dimly by the bunker's skylight. The air smelled of dust and old wood. A dreary place to die, Poppy thought.
In the center of the room, the guildmaster stood facing an abra. A moment ago the two had been talking about how they were going to blow Poppy up, but they were silent now. The guildmaster turned toward Poppy with a sort of frozen expression, a little different from their last meeting; his fear seemed muted by disbelief, and perhaps also by knowing that there was nothing he could do to change his fate. His eyes in the feeble light were the color of leaves long since fallen. The abra teleported away, which Poppy didn't mind.
"You didn't keep your word," Poppy said.
Should’ve resigned and cut-and-run while you could’ve, bro. Since you were very,
very obviously not going to come out on top of a dispute with her. ^^;
She wrapped a vine around the guildmaster's neck; he lost his footing trying to pull away and hit the ground with a dull thud. "Poppy—"
Poppy didn't like hearing the guildmaster say her name, so she tightened her grip. He gurgled and widened his eyes, twisting to bite Poppy's vine. Poppy let him. It didn't hurt. She summoned two more vines and bound the guildmaster's legs before approaching.
… Is this ‘mon about to
draw and quarter this guy? Since
that definitely would be a solid candidate for more brutal M-rated violence there.
The guildmaster released the vine in his mouth and tilted his head, possibly to let more air into his throat, and possibly to look at Poppy. His abdomen shuddered as he fought to breathe, and his eyes were glassy. He might be blacking out already, Poppy thought.
Poppy: “I feel like I ought to be getting more
creative with you right about now. Seeing as. You know.
I literally just caught you plotting to murder me.” >:|
Poppy needed something more sensitive than a vine, so she loosened her grip around the guildmaster's neck slightly and slipped a paw underneath. His flesh yielded like rotting fruit as she probed with her paw. His pulse, when she found it, was rapid and feeble.
I’m… going to take the under on his skin not already having broken from that.
Poppy turned a little so that she could reach her tail to the guildmaster's neck. He thrashed like a beached fish. His hip and shoulder slammed loudly against thick concrete, which looked painful. Poppy looked around briefly for something sturdy to bind him to, but she only saw crates. In the end, she simply cut him right then and there.
The guildmaster let out an infantile whimper, and Poppy felt warmth on her flank. She glanced down and saw bright red. Blood spurted from the guildmaster's neck, saturating his fur and hers. It pooled quickly on the impervious floor and crept between Poppy's toes and under her paw pads. The scent of iron filled her nose.
Oh thank goodness, for a second I thought we were going to see Poppy torture this guy to death. Like this is still a pretty brutal takedown there, but considering the way she conducted herself in his office, I was expecting worse. ^^;
The guildmaster grimaced, baring antique-yellow teeth. His breath smelled like must and decay, and his tears stained his fur the color of wet pavement. He gently rocked his head back and forth as he sobbed, as though to try to comfort himself.
Poppy didn't like what she was doing. She felt disgust. She felt pity. She felt sick. But despite her best efforts, there was something she didn't feel, even as she watched the guildmaster rock and spasm and cry, and that was guilt.
Poppy: “... I mean, I only have killed like 20 other Pokémon at this point who probably didn’t deserve it anywhere near as much as this guy, so… yeah. Even if I was kinda hoping he’d keel over a bit more nicely, I’m not sorry this guy’s biting it.”
The guildmaster was probably nauseous by now, Poppy thought. If he opened his eyes, he might find that his vision was fading. Poppy unwrapped her vines and stepped back. Then she raised a vine above the guildmaster's head and struck.
Poppy had seen rodents run over by carriages, their flanks split open and organs squashed against the pavement. This wasn't any more gruesome than that, she thought. Just a bigger rat than she was used to.
Yeah, this is the point where if you’re in this guild, you just cut and run and
very heavily insist “Iwasneverpartofthatguildpleasejustgoaway” if anyone asks you about it. Since… yeah, if Poppy sees her deal with the guild as null and void, I’d be very worried as a lower member about my near-term survival. ^^;
The stones to Poppy's right had been carved into smooth, sculpturesque shapes by the force of the river. A fine mist floated slowly downstream; millet-sized droplets had formed on Poppy's fur, glinting colorfully in the sun like gossamer. Red clouds swirled around her paws as she held them in the water. Ann, say the guildmaster got his way. He had that abra teleport the bomb to the island, and he blows it up in my face. Would it have killed me?
Months ago, when we were newer to this, it might have. Now, no. Your ears would have rung for a while, though. Bombs are unpleasant like that.
Wait, what? How?
What of the island? The plants and animals?
Would have killed hundreds, maybe thousands.
Poppy shook her head. Then I can't feel bad for him. He got what he deserved. She removed her paws from the water and inspected them—they were still tinged with reddish brown. She sneered. I shouldn't have waited so long. Now I can't get these stains out.
I mean, if you hadn’t brutally murdered all those other guild randos for the crime of just being in proximity to you, I’d… honestly be tempted to agree and give you a pass there, since Guildmaster Purugly wasn’t exactly a nice Pokémon in life from the little glimpses we got of him.
Why don't you just use your tongue?
Poppy shivered with disgust. Ann...
Oh. I guess I can see how you wouldn't want to.
I’m a little surprised that Poppy is so disgusted at the idea of lapping up the blood of someone she hates and savoring her accomplishment. But I guess there’s just some lines she’s not ready to cross just yet.
Poppy sighed and stuck her paws back in the water. Anyway, I've been thinking, the guildmaster wouldn't have gotten away with the things he did if there weren't so many other depraved pokemon out there. I'd like to give them a similar ultimatum and see how they respond. Maybe make a movement out of it.
I like how there’s
blood still on her paws, and Poppy’s already plotting out her next mass murder. I’m not convinced that this is just Ann’s influence prodding her along there, since at some point, Poppy’s desires wrapped around to become in sync with hers.
Ann chuckled. He he he. Well, if that's what you want to do, then I would be happy to support you. Just let me know when you decide on our next target.
Poppy cocked her head. Really? That easily? You're not going to say 'on one condition...'
Ann laughed again. No, not at all. I've got nothing better to do, and frankly, this is a cause I can get behind. I'm all yours.
Poppy, if nothing else
this should be the giant flashing red light that
Ann isn’t a benign presence and you should want to get her far, far out of your mind right now. o_o;
Poppy smiled as she shook her paws dry. In that case, I'll be sure not to let your generosity go to waste.
… We’re gonna see Poppy do something like massacre that one city that was spewing out all that pollution earlier in the story to a ‘mon, aren’t we? .-.
Chapter 12
The rain roared hollowly against the roofs of buildings with signs too worn to read. Somehow the rain in this region seemed colder than the snow from whence Poppy came; it soaked her fur to her skin, burdened her. Her footfalls were heavy against the path, and the scent of young goldenrod underfoot mingled with scents of rotting wood and petrichor. The ground here had been a path, once, but now it was hardly distinguishable from the pale green foothills that encircled the valley.
A breloom chittered as it slinked between two buildings a few meters ahead. It's really just ferals here, now, Poppy thought. She walked up to the building to her right and peered through the rain-smeared window. It didn't look like anyone had bothered to move the furniture out, and nobody remained to right the toppled tables and chairs. The place looked like it might have been a bar or restaurant, but the only culinary items left were shredded grain sacks and scattered silverware. A mule deer was curled up in the far corner beside a shivering bulbasaur, under a table that looked like it had been made for some kind of ball game.
Well,
that place has certainly seen its better days. Though I wonder where on earth this place
is.
I thought civilized pokemon were smarter than this. I thought they could adapt. Poppy shook her head. I shouldn't have been so hard on Lavender. I'm as naive as she was.
Aw, don't get so down in the dumps, Poppy. Sometimes things get worse before they get better, you know?
Maybe.
Wait a minute.
Poppy did this? I mean, I’d expected her to give
a settlement a bad time, but this is making it sound like she just flatly deleted civilization from existence.
Poppy watched the drops trail down the glass for a moment.
You know, they might still have some alcohol in there, Ann said. You wanna get smashed?
No. I've spent too long moping already. There's too much work to be done. After that... I'll think about what I want to do.
In that case, you should head to Sterlingtown. I think they'll need our help the most.
Uh… no, no they
really don’t need your help, Ann. Not with what your “help” has entailed this entire story.
Our... help.
Ann said nothing.
Oh, so we
are going to see Poppy raze a town to the ground onscreen.
Wonderful.
It was the same thing for miles—heaps of slate-gray rock like old wreckage. The plants that gripped the flatter parts of the ground resembled overgrown club moss more than plants, patchy like balding hair. Rue wondered if his fur would get like that if he kept going without food. He glanced back, at his black stripes and puffy (though drooping) tail that were characteristic of a growlithe. He wasn't exactly balding yet, but there was a certain dullness in his coat like it had been washed out with soap and dried in the summer sun. He felt colder than he would have a month ago, and he thought maybe that had to do with it. Or it could have been his flagging metabolism.
… Wasn’t expecting us to get new named characters introduced
this late into the story, but hewwo pupper. Even if you’re obviously not doing well.
"You alright, man?"
Rue glanced at his partner, Plumeria. The shaymin had slipped beside him without him noticing—he had been staring at the ground too much, apparently. Rue gave a weak nod in response to Plumeria's question.
Plumeria: “... Okay, I probably should’ve been more specific with my definition of ‘alright’, since you… look more than a little terrible right now.” .-.
Plumeria frowned. "I don't think you really are. You want to stop for a bit?"
Rue didn't have the strength to say no. He dropped his pouch on the ground and took a deep breath as he leaned against a nearby boulder.
"There you go." Plumeria walked up next to Rue and leaned against him.
"A hundred and fifteen fucking miles," Rue breathed, his head swimming.
Plumeria: “... Wait,
what? What on earth would compel you to
travel so far?” .-.
"I know it's been hard, Rue, but we're almost at the end. You've really hung in there. I'm impressed by it—seriously."
Rue didn't try to stop his tears. He flung his forearms around Plumeria and squeezed him tight like a teddy bear. His companion's scent—fresh and grassy with hints of citrus and coconut—didn't belong in such a rugged place. If Rue closed his eyes, he could imagine himself on a tropical beach, basking in warm sun. A brief escape from the bleak chill of this northern climate, from winds that pierced his fur like a weavile's frozen claws. "Thank you, Plumeria," he gasped.
Only when he felt too tired to keep crying did Rue release his companion. He wiped his eyes as he took in Plumeria's expression—a painfully sympathetic one. He leaned in gently toward Plumeria, and the two of them closed their eyes as they touched noses.
Well, Rue’s certainly having a normal one there. Though what on earth did he
go through on his journey to reduce him to a state like this? .-.
Then an otherworldly bellow rang out across the mountains, shaking the ground beneath Rue and Plumeria's feet. It sounded like a herd of tortured cows.
Plumeria whipped his head around. "What was that?"
Stars filled Rue's vision as he rushed to grab his bag, nearly slipping on the loose stones below. "I'd bet money it's our client," he said. "And by the sound of it, he's not doing so hot. Let's go!"
… What sort of
client would you have that would make a godawful racket like
that?
The two rescuers hurried toward the noise. Running was painful for Rue in his current state, and if he had anything left in his stomach he might have vomited. If his legs hadn't been twice as long as Plumeria's, he'd have had no chance of keeping up.
Eventually, the crash site came into view. The raft's shattered logs were piled up like a haphazard dam, and mist sprayed into the air as water crashed against the wood. The river roared as though enraged by the foreign blockage.
Rue: “That… doesn’t look like a good sign for our client there.”
Plumeria: “... Maybe he got off in time?”
Rue slowed, scanning the area as he approached the riverbank. "Aspen! Where are you?!" From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed taupe fur slinking behind a boulder. He glanced back at Plumeria. "Someone's over there."
"I saw. Let's check it out."
Rue and Plumeria approached, giving their target a wide berth. The first thing they noticed was the lycanroc, who, judging by his raised hackles and defensive stance, was not happy to see them.
"S-stay away!" the lycanroc growled, stepping back. His voice sounded young. "He's mine!"
Rue wasn't sure who the lycanroc was referring to—until he noticed the corpse beside him. A torso as thick as a tree trunk; fur of brown and cream; antlers wreathed in leaves, rusty red and withered along the edges. Flies buzzed around the sawsbuck's glassy eyes, eager to fill their bellies with carrion.
Oh, so things are desperate enough that townies in the setting are being reduced to feeding off each other’s corpses now like ferals. That’s… a
lovely thought.
It couldn't have been a coincidence. It had to be Aspen.
Rue looked into the lycanroc's eyes; he shrank slightly. "Clearly you're no feral," Rue said. "Just what on earth happened here?"
"L-look, he was injured when I got to him—I thought he was just gonna die anyway, alright? I didn't realize a-a rescue team was gonna come for him..."
Scratch the ‘feeding off each other’s corpses’. We’ve moved onto straight up
hunting each other. Poppy, what on earth did you and Ann
do to reduce things to this state? o_o;
Rue glanced down at his pouch—the lycanroc must have noticed the badge pinned on the front.
"So you killed... our client..." Plumeria's gaze alternated between the lycanroc and the corpse.
"P-please don't arrest me! I'm just... I..." The lycanroc locked eyes with Rue. "Please, you're a carnivore! You have to understand! All of us are starving at home, and I came all the way out here just to find something to eat. None of us can afford to buy meat, so... so..." He looked away and shut his eyes, dropping his defensive posture.
Plumeria: “You do realize that we travelled
115 miles for this, right?”
Lycanroc: “I-I didn’t know, I
swear!” O_O;
Rue didn't want to believe the lycanroc, but further inspection seemed to support his claims. His ribs and spine were visible even from meters away, and his waistline had begun its gradual retreat into oblivion.
"Let me take a wild guess here," Rue said. "Did it have something to do with a leafeon?"
The lycanroc's eyes snapped open wide, and he nodded vigorously. "Y-yes! She threatened us, said we couldn't mine anymore! She... she was scary. Nobody could stand up to her..."
You see, I
knew that something like this would happen after Poppy smashed up the mine. Though how many mining towns has she
destroyed at this rate? Since if she’s done enough in, then
civilization as a whole has likely been unraveling from all of this.
Rue nodded gravely. "Right. Same thing happened in our town. Trashed our whole economy..." He sighed. "Honestly, the only reason we took on this mission was because we were desperate. Something this long-range should have been left up to fliers. But we figured we might find some critters along the way that haven't already been hunted, and make at least some money..."
"B-but... How were you going to bring him back? Surely he's too heavy?"
Rue: “I mean, it’s kinda a moot point
now, but…”
"Yeah. This was supposed to be more of a... I guess, guarding mission than an escort. Aspen was stuck out here alone, and the only reason anyone knew was because he sent out a carrier pigeon. We weren't supposed to bring him back, just treat his injuries and keep him safe until they could gather up some proper fliers to carry him. Awful lot of trouble to go through, but apparently his friends were really invested."
The lycanroc winced.
"Sorry. Look, bottom line is: I get what you're dealing with. We're not going to arrest you. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't haul you all the way back to town. So just... Hm..." Rue sat down and considered his options.
"We can't... just let him go," Plumeria said. "He... he killed a pokemon..."
Rue: “I mean, technically we
can and just pretend that we never saw anything. Since… I admittedly don’t know how I’m going to feel ruining the life of the equivalent of a starving teenager.” ^^;
The lycanroc's wince deepened.
Rue shrugged. "What do you propose, then? We can't arrest him, and there's no point in charging a fine if he doesn't have any money. He's not even from our town. And Aspen's already dead."
Plumeria's horrified face gradually slackened, conveying sadness, then resignation. He sat down. "I... I guess you're right."
Rue: “See, like I said. Just pretend we never saw anything, Plumeria.”
"But, with that said..." Rue looked at Aspen again and swallowed.
"Rue? What is it?"
Rue looked up to the heavens, to the dark swirling clouds above, and grit his teeth. "Well... Aspen's, uh, pretty big. I mean, it's not like... you could just... um... finish him in one go..."
Plumeria: “
Rue! What the
hell?!”
Rue: “Look, in case if you haven’t noticed, but I’m not exactly doing well in the ‘food’ department myself, civilization’s collapsing, and there’s meat literally just sitting here right in front of me. It’s unpleasant, but
seriously, can you blame me here?”
The lycanroc furrowed his brow, and then a look of realization passed across his face. "Y-yeah, I mean, if you want to share..."
Rue glanced at Plumeria, but the shaymin was looking away.
"I-I'll just, um, search the crash site to see if we can salvage anything, then..." Plumeria took a ragged breath, as though he were sick. "Just go ahead and, uh, let me know when you're... done..."
Plumeria: “I’m… just going to go off this way. And try not to have nightmares when I go to sleep tonight.”
Plumeria shuffled away toward the water, leaving Rue and the lycanroc alone. The two of them looked at each other with the same pained expression.
Then, out of nowhere, Rue felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He shook his head, knowing it was too late to hide the smile on his face.
The lycanroc gave a quiet chuckle, and Rue responded in kind. It was the beginning of an absurd resonance, a mutual catharsis. The two pokemons' laughter slowly intensified until it became painful, and tears escaped their eyes. The sound was harsh, staccato, like a fragmented scream.
And then it wrapped back around to crying after they realized what a miserable, pathetic situation the two of them are in. Or at least that’s the vibe that I got from things.
Though it made him dizzy to even pick up his head, Rue looked out the window at the familiar, dusty road and the crooked, slapdash buildings that looked like cardboard cutouts. Hardly anyone was in town anymore, and those that remained were mostly grass types who could photosynthesize. The few carnivores were emaciated and shambled along the road like living corpses.
Wait, was this entire region based around a mining economy? Or did Poppy graduate on from kicking over mining towns to anything that so much as sneezed on the environment? Since you technically don’t
need mined materials to run a civilization, so…
Rue was hungry. Ever since Aspen, he had been having fantasies. He imagined bursting out the door and sinking his teeth into one of those servine's throats, feeling the warm blood fill his mouth. They would be easy to eat, he thought—he'd hardly have to worry about the arms or legs. Just tear it open and get right at the organs. Then he would peel away the flesh, rib by rib, and swallow it down like jerky. It would be better than that, even; raw meat was so much softer, so much more mellow to the tongue. After Aspen, Rue had felt a sense of glowing satisfaction, of vibrant pleasure... Maybe it was just because it had been his first proper meal in weeks, but either way, he wanted to feel that way again.
Oh, so there
were side effects to feeding off of Aspen’s corpse. Is that how ferals in this setting come about? Since maybe I’m reading into things a bit too much, but that last sentence there… .-.
Other carnivores in town had already given in to the temptation and killed a few on the sly. If Rue was going to do it, it would have to be now, before he grew any weaker... The thought tortured him. He wanted to hold out for as long as he could, but if it meant condemning himself to an agonizing death...
It was probably too late, anyway, he thought. He couldn't walk around outside for more than a few minutes without fainting—he doubted he could kill someone now, even if they were a grass type.
… Just how skin and bones
is this Growlithe right now? How on earth is he even able to
journey like this? ._.;
Rue's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Plumeria's hurried footsteps outside. He turned toward the door as Plumeria opened it. He knew he would never eat his partner, but that didn't stop him from salivating at the thought.
Plumeria approached and dropped off his catch—a single mouse—by Rue's bedside. "I'm sorry I don't have more," Plumeria said as he shrank back. "If I could figure out how to fly, I know I could hunt farther out. The traps just aren't effective, since there's so little game left... so... I'm gonna stay out as long as I can and see what I can do." He turned around to leave.
… I’m starting to think that Poppy really
did just destroy everything that so much as sneezed on the surrounding environment given that the amount of huntable game in the wilderness has apparently collapsed from what seems to be implied overhunting. .-.
"Plumeria."
He stopped. "What is it?"
Rue took a breath. "Can you come here for a second?"
Plumeria approached timidly, like a child expecting punishment.
Oh
no. Rue, you can’t. You
wouldn’t...
Rue looked into Plumeria's emerald eyes, which glinted with nascent tears. "Listen... This isn't working. It's the same thing for everyone." He paused to catch his breath—even talking made him dizzy now. "I'm going to die either way. It doesn't matter what we do. So I've been thinking... We may as well get it over with."
Plumeria recoiled. "Rue, what are you saying?! You can't just give up like that! I know it's difficult, but—"
"Plumeria. Please understand... It's just worse for everyone if there's more hunters, and I don't want to suffer anymore. Do you really think we have a chance of getting through this? Answer me honestly."
… That’s not what I was expecting, but that’s even
worse. And that entire back and forth is just such a
mood.
"I-I-I... If I just..."
"Plumeria."
Plumeria shut his eyes and shook his head. "I'm not giving up on you! I'll stay out and hunt all night if that's what I have to do. So just... just hang in there!" He turned around and rushed out the door, slamming it against its hinges. Rue didn't even have time to call out to him.
Rue curled up slowly, too exhausted to cry.
Yeah, I’ll heavily take the under on these two getting a happy ending together.
Hours passed with Rue in a dull haze, somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. When he saw a burst of light from beneath his eyelids, he wasn't sure if it was a dream or not.
An unfamiliar voice spoke, as soft and cold as falling snow. "Poor creature," it said. Not the worst words to hear before the end.
Rue: “W-Wait, where on earth
am I? Who
is that?”
Plumeria kicked up loose stones as he galloped down the mountain path, heedless of the steep drop to his left. His fur glowed green as he neared his target. The leafeon turned her head just a moment before impact and froze, her eyes wide as though with shock. If Plumeria hadn't seen her kill a sneasel just a moment before, he might have thought he had the wrong pokemon.
Despite his smaller size, Plumeria struck Poppy hard enough to knock her down. He quickly sank his teeth into her neck—or tried to, but for some reason he couldn't quite pierce her skin.
Oh. Oh
this is totally going to end well given that Poppy’s got the power of a death god coursing through her and can just casually hack just about anyone she comes across apart.
Plumeria reeled his head back and cried out as flecks of green light gathered around him. The flecks formed into crescent-shaped leaves and slammed into Poppy. All shattered as soon as they made contact, shrouding the area in a green mist.
"You monster!" Panting with exertion, Plumeria feebly slammed his paws into Poppy's face. Her expression hadn't changed since he had first seen it.
Poppy: “Monster? Is
that what you call bothering to give a crap about the environment?”
Plumeria: “This stopped being about the environment! Just look at the world that you’ve left behind around you!”
Plumeria began to prepare another attack, but then Poppy brushed him aside like a blanket and stood up. She looked straight into Plumeria's eyes, not bothering to shake the dust off her fur.
"Where did you come from?" Her voice was strange—severe, but tremulous.
Plumeria stepped back. "What? Who cares! You killed Rue—and I'm not going to let you just get away with it!"
Oh, so
that was the voice that Rue heard. I see Poppy has officially moved along to “whelp, they were gonna die anyways, time to move onto mercy killing” as the barrier for ganking Pokémon at this point. I mean, I kinda figured that things would be a slippery slope for her, but it’s
still jarring to see just how far along she’s gone from the bright-eyed Leafeon identifying flowers in the field with Lavender.
Plumeria charged again, but this time Poppy sidestepped. Plumeria stumbled as he regained his balance.
"There's nothing I can do to bring your friend back," Poppy said. "You're going to have to move on."
Plumeria turned to Poppy again and bared his teeth. "Are you crazy? Just move on and let you have your way? As if!" He let loose with razor leaf, and the projectile burst apart against Poppy's head like a wave crashing against stone.
Plumeria: “Who the hell are
you to decide that anyways? Who made
you god here?!”
Poppy: “... I’m
pretty sure that Ann has, but the story hasn’t exactly come out about who she is, huh?”
There was a moment of silence while Plumeria tried to catch his breath.
"I..." Poppy started to say something, but then she looked away.
"What's wrong with you?!" Plumeria accused. "Have you nothing to say for yourself? Nothing to say after ruining so many lives?"
Poppy: “Maybe those lives should’ve tried
not ruining the planet!”
Poppy sighed, deflating. "You've seen it yourself... Desperate carnivores preying on other pokemon. Even the more... self-sufficient species, like you and I. It's not right."
Okay, so we’ve officially graduated from “destroying mining towns” to
genociding entire chunks of the food chain amid ecological collapse. That’s… quite the progression for Poppy there.
"That's because of your actions!"
"I know. And I'm cleaning up my mess."
Plumeria: “Are you even listening to yourself?! How on earth is this cleaning up
anything?!”
Plumeria charged Poppy once more, only to be sidestepped again.
"Please try to understand," Poppy said. "I'm trying to make the world a better place, and violence is the only tool I have. I'm sure Rue was a good—"
"Shut up! You know nothing about him!" Plumeria hastily wiped his eyes, smearing tears and dirt across his face. "He was a beautiful pokemon! He took me in when I had no one else. He risked his life for me... So many times! We rescued dozens of pokemon together, and he never complained when I messed up, never asked for—"
Uh… yeah, you really
didn’t know Rue, Poppy. So I’m not sure how on earth you could’ve ever hoped to make that appeal to Plumeria there and succeed.
"Alright," Poppy said. "I get it. I understand."
"—for anything from anyone!" Plumeria stepped forward, stomping his paw. "He took requests for free! And when we found someone too hurt to take care of, he stayed by their side until the very end, just to keep them company, and—"
"I get it," Poppy said, grimacing. "Look, str—"
I mean, really? What did you
expect, Poppy?
"—And he slept beside me when I had nightmares, even when he didn't want to!" Plumeria's voice was hoarse from shouting by now, but it didn't stop him. "He made fun of himself to make me laugh! And when he was bedridden and starving—"
"Alright!" Poppy laid down and put her paws over her ears. "Shut up! I get it!"
No, I
really don’t think that you did get it, Poppy. Least of all from the way that you’ve basically set a rolling ecological collapse in motion and are going around haphazardly trying to shore things up in ways that will just kick the can down the road.
"—he wanted me to kill him, so there would be more food left for everyone else! That's the pokemon you—"
"Shut up!"
Plumeria didn't see the attack that sent him flying, falling upside-down off the side of the mountain. His mind and body froze. He watched the ridge above fade into the distance, eyes wide with terror, even as the sun burned its image into the back of his skull like some celestial cattle prod. Seconds passed as the mountainside sped past, rocks and shrubs and grasses blurring together. Surely he should have hit the ground already. It should be over. He didn't want to die, but anything would be better than this interminable wait…
… Oh, so Poppy’s now moved onto “you annoyed me too much” as sufficient grounds to kill others, huh? .-.
Out of the corner of his eye, Plumeria saw something—a vine—extend toward him and wrap around his waist. He felt tension, and his descent began to slow. He couldn't see how far he was from the ground when he finally stopped falling, and he was too afraid to check. The vine gripped tightly as it raised him up, but even so, he was terrified to move lest he somehow break loose. He let himself breathe again when, after what seemed like minutes, Poppy finally deposited him back onto the mountain path.
Poppy slumped against a nearby rock, her eyes out of focus. She looked shell-shocked. "God... I thought you could fly…" She put a paw to her head.
… I just realized, but Skarmory couldn’t fly earlier because the planet’s energy had weakened.
Poppy has taken from said energy at least once.
… Was it really just
once that she took from it? Or has she been hitting it up before every one of these missions of hers?
Plumeria had forgotten about his mission, about vengeance. He gasped for breath in a trembling heap. Was he crying? He wasn't sure. He was a victim of his own body, his own racing heart and clenching muscles. All he could do was plead silently for them to calm down.
They did eventually, of course, but it was slow going. When Plumeria finally stood up, Poppy turned to face him again.
"Are you okay?" The sincerity in Poppy's voice was uncomfortable; Plumeria felt like his insides were squirming.
"I'm fine," he said as he stepped back.
Plumeria: “I-I mean, I’m obviously not. B-But there’s nothing that I can do here. For gods’ sakes, just
go away and leave us all alone here!”
"Good. I'm sorry about that. It's best I go." Poppy closed her eyes as her body began to glow.
"No you don't!" Plumeria charged Poppy once again, and this time he caught her off guard and brought her to the ground. Her glow faded away.
"For heaven's sake," Poppy said with a joyless laugh. "Just what exactly is it now?"
"I can't figure out how to stop you if I can't keep track of you. I can't just let you run away."
Poppy: “... Do you have a death wish or something? In case if you haven’t noticed, but you’re not exactly going to beat me in battle here.” >:|
Plumeria: “Look, I’ve been tracking you for
weeks. Rue
died for this mission! I can’t just go back with
nothing to show for it!”
Poppy hesitated for a while, then gently brushed Plumeria off. She turned around and headed in the opposite direction as before.
"Huh?" Plumeria said as he began to follow. "Where are you going?"
"I know a place you might like."
… Wait, is that the Shaymin village? Or…?
Long stretches passed with Poppy seemingly lost in thought; she spoke up only to ask if Plumeria needed to stop for rest or water. Even the birdsong was hushed, as though afraid to disturb her deliberations. At first Plumeria didn't like the silence because it gave him time to think. But he slowly grew numb to it, and at times he forgot he was traveling beside the person who had killed Rue.
Days passed until the duo reached their destination. The terraces along the mountainside were wide and lush with unfamiliar vegetation, reminding Plumeria of just how far he was from home. He could see specks of movement near the bottom of the valley, where there seemed to be—of all things—a little meadow peppered with orchid-pink flowers and small straw huts. In the center was a small, clear pond.
"We're here," Poppy said. "Let's go say hi."
… Wait, that
is the Shaymin village. So have they just all been happily oblivious to their defender causing societal collapse off away from home all this time, or…? ^^;
The two descended, until eventually Plumeria saw that the specks below were in fact shaymin like him, gliding about near the ground. One of them noticed the duo and flew swiftly toward them. He seemed interested in Poppy.
"Poppy!" he exclaimed, grinning. "You're back! And you brought a companion? Anyway, come on down—I'm going to go tell the others you're here." He turned and departed as fast as the wind.
"Poppy?" Plumeria said to her. "Is that your name?"
"Yes." Her voice was quiet.
Plumeria: “... Our entire civilization has seriously imploded because of a ‘mon named after
a flower?”
Poppy: “Look, you can stop being so judgemental, okay?” >_>;
When they reached the bottom of the valley, there were at least a dozen shaymin waiting for them, land and sky form both. They swarmed Poppy as soon as she was on level ground, nuzzling her, hugging her, all but inundating her with affection. A chorus of "How are you"s and "We missed you"s that lasted for minutes.
"I'm fine," Poppy said. She nuzzled one of the shaymin back gently, eyes closed. "It's good to see you all again."
Plumeria wanted to believe Poppy was being insincere—that she didn't really care about the shaymin here, or about anyone. But as a shaymin himself, he sensed her overflowing gratitude, as warm as the blood in his veins. Nor did he think she could feign the fragility in her voice as she thanked each of her companions for their effusive regards.
Plumeria: “... None of them know about what’s going on outside of this forest, do they?” .-.
Poppy: “Why should they? This place is paradise for them. Why would they need anything from outside of it?”
One of the unoccupied shaymin noticed him. "How are you doing?" he asked, a little concerned. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Plumeria opened his mouth and found he didn't know what to say. "It's... It's been a long trip, I guess..." He couldn't take his eyes off Poppy. "Did she, uh, used to live here?"
The shaymin laughed. "She didn't tell you? She found us by accident a while ago, stayed a month or two, but she helped us tremendously with some pollution problems we were having at the time."
Plumeria: “She… didn’t tell you about what she did to
solve those pollution problems, did she?” >_>;
Shaymin: “Wait, you mean there was more than her just shutting down the mine upstream?” ^^;
"But shaymin can cleanse pollution, can't th- can't we?"
The other shaymin nodded. "Well, sure, but this was something else—you wouldn't believe how bad it was. We had to-"
"Hey, Clover!" another shaymin interrupted. "Is that Poppy's friend?"
A group came up to introduce themselves, and before he knew it, Plumeria was too busy with small talk to worry about Poppy. The shaymin of this valley were apparently very curious, and their interest in him only seemed to grow when he explained that he had forgotten most of his past.
So Plumeria’s an amnesiac, huh? Wonder what the story behind that one is, since as late into the story things have gotten, this
is a story that vibes heavily after PMD… so…
Then Poppy spoke up. Her eyes were wet when Plumeria turned to look at her. "Everyone, um, if I may, I would like to take a moment to talk to my acquaintance in private before we get settled in."
The shaymin who had not yet talked to Plumeria turned now to look at him. "Oh, who is this? Is he your boyfriend?" one asked teasingly.
Plumeria: “
Pls no.” >.<
Clover: “Hey, don’t knock it! I think you two would be great for each other!” ^^;
Poppy's laughter was muted but deep, and it disturbed Plumeria because it sounded sincere. Like a real pokemon. "No," she said. "I was actually hoping he could live here for a while, if that's alright—but we'll have to talk about some things first." She gestured toward Plumeria. "Come on."
The shaymin made way for Plumeria, and he followed Poppy to a small cave on the other side of the meadow. The sounds of the villagers' cheery conversations grew muffled as they stepped into the shadows.
"Do they know that you're... killing pokemon?" Plumeria asked.
"They don't need to," Poppy said as she situated herself. "Though I can't stop you if you decide to tell them. Anyways, listen." She looked into his eyes. "I... like this place, so I'm going to be visiting from time to time. If you stay here, you'll see me again soon enough—you won't have to keep following me. You'll have all the time you need to think of a way to kill me or whatever, and you'll have a chance to make some friends in the meantime. The shaymin here are very kind." She exhaled. "It's the best solution I can think of for both of us. What do you say?"
Plumeria: “... Okay
what’s the catch here? Since there is
no way there isn’t some sort of horrible trick to all of this.” [what]
"...I don't trust anything you've said."
"Why not?"
"Well, you did just admit to lying to those shaymin..."
"Do you think I shouldn't have?"
Plumeria: “
Yes, obviously.” >_>;
The way she just... stared into his eyes was unnerving. "Uh... Yeah, I guess I do. You ought to be held accountable for your actions."
"If I tell them the truth, it benefits nobody." She shook her head—was that contempt in her voice? "But whatever. I know of nothing I could say that would change your mind." She walked past Plumeria. "I'll be staying the night," she said as she left the cave. "So you have until morning to decide whether or not you'd like to stay here."
Plumeria: “Poppy, this entire bucolic paradise is literally built on lies along with mass death and suffering!” >.<
Poppy: “Well, it keeps a village of cute Shaymin protected and happy, I’d call that a fair trade, really. So, are you going to take me up on my offer or what?”
For the first time in days, Plumeria was in no rush to follow Poppy. He thought for a while. Poppy was a bad pokemon, but she didn't hate him. The thought made him uncomfortable, but it occurred to him that to some degree, maybe he was being unfair to her.
Is there some sort of mental suggestion field around this place or something that gets others to let their guards down around Poppy? Since, I’m more than a little bit concerned that this guy is suddenly feeling this way about a
’mon that killed his best friend in cold blood.
Plumeria wished he could talk to Rue about this. He... Maybe he wouldn't know what to do, exactly, but at least it would give him something, some point of reference...
Plumeria heard footsteps and realized he had been lying in this cave for a while. He looked up to see a shaymin approaching.
"Ah, hello, Plumeria," the shaymin said cautiously. "Poppy said you might be upset, so I decided to come check up on you. Are you alright?"
Plumeria: “... Okay, seriously, what’s in the water here such that I’m suddenly not thinking about how much I hate Poppy’s guts right now?” .-.
Shaymin: “... Just pure water? That
is what makes it healthy for you and me.” ^^;
"Oh, sorry if I worried everyone. I'll be okay. I need to think for a while."
"Okay—I can show you some good thinking spots that would be more comfortable, if you like."
If he wanted to, Plumeria could tell this shaymin all about Poppy right now. It was a tempting prospect, if only because it would free him from his deliberations. But something in the shaymin's face stopped him. "Thanks," he said. "Just anywhere quiet would be fine."
… I have no idea what on earth is going on, but I
really don’t like it.
The next morning, Plumeria found Poppy gazing into a stream. She dipped her paw in and then watched it drip dry, as though fascinated by the look of the water.
"Hey, Poppy..."
She started, then turned around. "Oh, Plumeria. Have you made your decision?"
He gave a downcast sigh. "Yeah. I mean, I guess I never really thought I could stop you anyway. So I'll just stay here..."
… Plumeria,
what are you doing?
"And you've decided not to tell them about me after all?"
He grimaced. "I know I really ought to. But..." He shook his head. "I don't know why I can't. I'm just a coward, I guess."
Poppy looked at him critically. "Don't say that. I don't think you're a coward."
Plumeria, even if there’s nothing that can be done to stop Poppy, those other Shaymin deserve to know what on earth is going on out there.
Plumeria looked at Poppy with bewilderment. "Poppy, I just..." He frowned. "I don't know what you'll make of this, but I think there's a good pokemon inside you somewhere."
Yeah, no. I’m sorry, that ship sailed back in Chapter 10. Poppy is
literally causing long-term ecological collapse right now. Whatever her intentions, she’s stopped being a good Pokémon a long time ago.
"I know that. That's why I'm changing the world."
Plumeria sighed. "Right. Of course. But..." He slumped onto the ground and put his paws over his head defeatedly.
"I think I had better go. The sooner you forget about me, the better."
Plumeria: “... So that’s really how I’m going to let things go, huh?”
Poppy's body began to glow, and this time Plumeria just watched her vanish. He felt like there were a dozen things he should have said, should have done, but he didn't know what they were.
"Hey! Plumeria!"
Before long one of the shaymin called his name, which made him chuckle despite himself. Were they worried about him again?
Plumeria took a breath and stood up. "I'll be right there!" he called, and trotted toward the village.
Plumeria: “... You know what? Yeah. Screw it, I’m staying in my happy little bubble here. Not like there’s anything else I can do anyways.”
Chapter 13
Patches of rusty red and mossy green patterned the base of the butterfly wing like shrubs reclaiming a mountainside; a line of white, like clouds along the horizon, preceded the gradient of honey yellow and tangerine scales that lined the edge. Poppy cocked her head at the two tailed pasha as it landed on a nearby cinnamon fern.
"Surprised to see you all the way out here, little one. Have you strayed from home as well?" She reached into her pouch with her vines, pulled out an apricot, and squished it. Juice dripped to the ground as she gently placed the fruit near the butterfly. "Here's something you might appreciate. I have no need of it, myself, so don't feel bad."
… Boy is
that a dark reprise of the first chapter, knowing that Poppy’s at the very least
destroyed civilization at this point to get to this cute little moment with her butterflies.
She watched the butterfly feed for a while before turning her gaze toward the marsh beside her. Red winged blackbirds perched with grace on spindly reeds, and the water reflected the sky so clearly that Poppy could see individual clouds. Spring peepers chirped away invisibly, like a chorus of newborn chicks, and the shelducks honked and purred as though with laughter caught in their throats. Poppy admired the birds' autumnal plumage and the graceful curve of their necks. She didn't mind that her fur was damp.
Would now be a good time to catch up? asked Ann.
Why is she still here?! Seriously, go away already!
Yeah. I guess so.
Ann—its avatar, rather—materialized next to Poppy and laid down beside her a couple meters away. "So, how are you?"
"Genuinely, I'm happy for all the destruction we've averted, but... this whole thing has got me thinking about carnivores. The civilized ones, anyway. They were hit hardest by my... policies. Ethically sourcing food for such pokemon is a real challenge, and I'm not sure how to approach it. But it makes me wonder..." She sighed. "Um..."
I’m sorry, seriously.
Sod off, Poppy. You don’t get to cause mass destruction and dismiss it as “oh, we stopped even
greater destruction”.
"What is it? I promise I won't make fun of you if I think it's silly."
She sighed yet again. "Let me put it this way. If I were to recreate the world from scratch, I'm not sure I would have any reason to include carnivores at all. I just..." She shook her head. "I don't know. What would you do in my place, Ann?"
Poppy, oh my god. Can you not right now?
Ann nearly buried its face in the fur of its chest as it laughed—or perhaps 'chittered' would be more accurate.
"Hm? What are we so coy about?"
"Sorry. Listen—I find joy in simple things, like watching the tide, or feeling the breeze on my face. I think we're quite similar in that way. But the phenomenon that we call 'life,' I think you'll agree, is far from simple. I would find the world so much more agreeable if it were removed, and in my true form, I could easily achieve that. But that would hardly be fair to you, now would it?"
Oh, so Ann really
is Yveltal there. Since there’s only
one Pokémon that’s
that related to death in the franchise.
"Either way, it's not possible, right?"
"Presently, no. But there's something worth bringing up. As I mentioned, the realm in which I reside now is not natural; it was created to contain me. But the ones who did so are long gone now, and the bars of the prison are rusting away, so to speak. The deaths of pokemon accelerate the process, since they return energy to the planet for me to draw from. At this rate, I'll soon be able to break free and manifest my true form." Ann winked, and for an instant its eyes seemed to change to a bright, vivid blue—but then it blinked again, and the effect was gone.
Yuuuuuuup, Ann is indeed Yveltal there. So
all this time, she was manipulating Poppy in order to help speed things along so that she could get out of her prison.
"Oh. I see." Poppy took a deep breath. "Should I be scared?"
"You? No. Remember, I think of you as my partner. So, while my preference would be to purge the world fully, I recognize that's not what you want. However, we can both agree that some pokemon should not remain. So I think we can easily reach a compromise. Maybe we get rid of everyone who pollutes, or who lives in a city. Maybe we add carnivores, too. Maybe we get rid of all the other species and let shaymin rule the earth." It smirked. "It won't necessarily be fair, but if we do something like that, the world should come out more peaceful in the end. And that would be enough for me."
I’d scream at Poppy that she’s very obviously being mindgamed here, but I think she is way,
way too far gone to be worth the effort here.
Poppy nodded faintly. "Yeah... As long as we can look back and be proud of the result..."
"That's what I've been thinking. But that's still a couple years off, so don't worry too much. In fact, I'll tell you what—why don't we do something fun tomorrow to unwind? Anything you want."
… Oh, so Poppy has singlehandedly put the world in a state where it’s got maybe a couple years of life left.
And Xerneas is too weak to do anything about it. That’s just…
wonderful.
"I don't know. I'll think about it."
Ann smiled. "Alright. Take your time."
Neither spoke for a while. The call of a bittern floated through the air, low notes like distant splashes.
"Ann..." Poppy said. "Thanks for being my partner."
Ann smiled again. "It's been an honor."
With nothing left to say, the two lay beside one another as the sun kissed the horizon.
And thus we have an answer to the question of the title: “Yveltal, along with Yveltal’s buddies that it feels like making exceptions for with that whole ‘scour the planet clean of life’ thing”.
Alright, time for the obligatory recap that I do for these things:
Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting
that to be the ending note that things left on. It’s definitely one of the darker pieces that I’ve read since the fundamental narrative is a well-meaning Pokémon getting manipulated by a death god into getting her wishes to right a pervasive injustice warped into something much more sinister. But at the same time, as bleak as the ending was, and as much as Poppy wound up making me scream at the screen towards the end as she just gets more and more permissive with who she’s willing to consign to death to the point where she’s ready to genocide entire species, including those of most of her one-time friends, for the crime of being carnivorous and unable to sustain themselves in the world she created through her actions. At the same time, I can’t say that it didn’t feel like the final destination of the story wasn’t earned.
The main things that I didn’t like about this block basically boil down to a couple bits where I thought that there could be a bit more description, and that it might have been interesting to see a bit more of Poppy in her “I am become death, destroyer of worlds” phase which felt like it was handled in a very accelerated fashion in Chapter 12. I also wonder if it’d have made sense to hint more in the story as to what extent Poppy’s transformation is from things that part of her genuinely desired all along that she is getting empowered to pursue, and how much of it is from Ann’s influence and Poppy being unwilling to push her away. The story’s vibes change a bit depending on which of the two is the driver for that transformation, since on one end you’d have “Poppy was just a monster all along, and just needed power and an excuse to become one” and “Poppy was a well-meaning Pokémon, but got corrupted by a bad influence who stepped into her life at a bad moment”.
Either way, even if it was a bit disquieting, it’s definitely a really memorable short piece for those looking for a PMD-themed story, and I’m glad that I spent the time to read this story.
Congrats,
@love . And good luck with your further writings.
