Air Continent ~ Baram Town

[RJR Basimilus]

"Oh that would be embarrassing. What if I'm in the middle of something important and then I have to remember all this at once? I think I might just die instead."

Seyka stuck his tongue out. "Of course that's impossible, but you know."

"Actually now that I think about it, I'm never doing anything important." The Skarmory hung his head. "That's how it's been for a few centuries anyway. I really don't have much going for me."

He grabbed another chocolate puff with his beak.

 

[Disco]

"...I could visit often, then. At least once a week. Or as often as you like. I still intend to leave Cibus, and travel. Maybe I'd even find your world, and get to see you in person.", she replied. "...But there's something... I think I'd like to do first. Before I go anywhere."

She looked down at herself, at the see through feathers that wavered strangely in the wind, rather than rustled. She frowned, then took another puff herself.

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"That's a nice offer," Seyka said.

The Skarmory frowned, staring at the ground. "You can skip the trip though. There's nothing there for you to see."

"So why don't you focus on what you want to do first," Seyka continued lightly, "Is it something you can tell me about?"

 

[Disco]

"Are you certain? I'd like to at least experience the food.", the Shade answered with a small smile, but then sighed. "I think...I want to separate myself from being part of Joule completely. I want to be real. ...I am not "Raven", the one I formed myself after. But I want to be real. ...I... hm."

Raven paused to think.

"She lives in a society where types and abilities dictate what you're able to do. The world as a whole isn't like that, just the region where she and Mellow live. Even strange appearances or quirks can make life hard. Mellow watched her sister grow into something amazing and unique... But she never leaves their house, now. She's too afraid. I understand why. Mellow's always wanted to prove to her that she doesn't have to be, and I think she will. I want to be real, so that no matter what happens, she'll have seen someone who is her sister live."

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"Ah, that sounds like a tough one," Seyka replied, making a face. "If it were up to me, then I would think the best choice would be to kill Joule and see what happens. Sure, you might disappear too, but otherwise it's just a wish sitting idle, no?"

"But that's too much trouble," the Skarmory said, sighing. "So the solution if you don't want to cause trouble is to do nothing." Seyka exhaled. "All the parties. If Joule loses out from losing a part of him, then so be it. Not everyone has a chance to grow a leg back, so to speak." He laughed. "I guess I would know."

"But you want to be yourself, that is, be the you who you are, the pokemon you're supposed to represent. Philosophical, huh."

Seyka paused for a moment.

"Well, if anyone can make up for your own mistakes, it's you. I guess you already have your claws full trying not to die again."

 

[Disco]

Raven nodded, and quietly reflected on his words...

There would be time to act. She would, very soon. For now, though, she sat on the cliffs with Seyka, enjoying the simple pleasure of not doing anything at all.

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"It's almost hard to sit still, you know?" Seyka said, staring into the distance.

The Skarmory smiled. "I feel like there's something I should be doing. But that's okay. Everything can afford to wait- because what happens afterwards won't come sooner anyway."

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[Spiteful Murkrow]

Ever since Team Spectrum's battle on the moon, time had flown by for Melanie and Pleo. Whether they'd go see someplace in Cibus or spent a day relaxing around the house, there had never been a dull day for them. They remembered Cabot and Kate getting invitations to a big sparring match against the Miracle Matters, but ultimately declined. She didn't remember why the two had opted to skip it other than Kate mentioning offhandedly that she 'wasn't really feeling it', but neither of her or Pleo had paid it any real mind since their attention was diverted elsewhere by a sudden onset of wanderlust to see more of Cibus while the Team Spectrum was still together.

That day, they'd flown from Pokémon Square in search of a place called 'Baram Town', with the intent of seeing as much of the Air Continent as they could first hand, instead of relying on Maple's portals. Verdant hills rolled out beneath them from the air during their flight, and it made Melanie wish briefly that Cabot and Kate weren't preoccupied in Destiny Village.

Meh, the two were their own Pokémon and so were they. And there off in the distance, was the sight of towers poking up along the sea, with what looked like pinwheels faintly spinning attached to them.

"Oh! That must be it!" Melanie cried. "Look at all the windmills down there!"

 

[Virgil134]

"Ah! You're right!" Pleo exclaimed. "Let's go over there!"

The Lugia beat his wings and pushed onward, before eventually descending and touching down in Baram Town's main square. As Melanie landed next to him, the other Pokémon in the square looked over and stared the two gigantic visitors to their town. The attention they were getting completely went over Pleo's head, who instead looked at all the colorful buildings and windmills surrounding him in amazement.

"It looks really pretty!" he chirped. "I knew flying over here was a good idea!"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Melanie batted her wings and turned to gawk about her surroundings. Baram Town was a riot of color and activity, with the wind constantly blowing a cool breeze over her body and drawing creaks from the churning windmills and jingling from windchimes hung from the eaves of nearby buildings.

There certainly wasn't anything like this in Destiny Village. Why if it were just a bit colder, she felt she'd feel right at home here in this windy town!

“So that’s why they have all those windmills," Melanie murmured. "I guess it makes sense, though I wonder why we don’t see more of them elsewhere?”

 

[Virgil134]

The sound of the wind chimes drew Pleo's attention, who waddled over to them and eyed them curiously.

"Oh! They sound really nice!"

He stared at the wind chimes with a starry-eyed expression, mesmerized for a moment, before turning back to Melanie.

"But, I'm not sure. Maybe it's because there less wind?" Pleo asked. "I like this place though! Unlike Destiny Village, it looks like the sort of town that could exist in Cabot's world."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Melanie gawked around at her surroundings. Why, the place looked like a downright wonder with the way it hummed to life with the winds. If there were more places like these, perhaps Cibus could call their world Wunder much as the Pokémon of Kate's homeland called theirs.

"It sorta reminds me of one from Kate's world, too," she remarked. "Except usually there's a few artifacts from the human era mixed in An old building, a scavenged decoration, some little odd or end."

Melanie closed her eyes, soaks in the chill of the winds and the ringing of the chimes about her, before shaking her head with a small smile.

"Though it's nice to be someplace that feels more simple, and the wind feels nice and cool here!"

Just then, the Kyurem caught a whiff of something sweet on her nose, and perked up with a curious blink.

"Hm? What's that?"

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo tilted his head and followed Melanie's gaze, noticing a street vendor selling disc-shaped pastries, which he recognized it to be...

"Oh! Looks like it's a stand selling donuts!" the Lugia exclaimed. "We should go get some!"

He went over to the stand with Melanie following suit, and the two ordered an appropriate amount of donuts for Pokémon their size... which ended up being the entire stock. They each left with a large box of donuts and looked for an empty patch of grass before sitting down. Pleo took two donuts out of his box and began happily eating them with contented chirps as he gobbled down his pastries.

"They're really yummy!"

As he continued to eat his donuts, he slowed down for a moment, thinking back to something Melanie said earlier.

"Though... what do those human artifacts look like exactly?"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Melanie munched on a mouthful of donuts, chewing loudly. After a moment to gulp her food down, she paused and thought a moment, before speaking up in reply.

"Well, when most Pokémon talk about artifacts in Kate's world they're talking about stuff like tools or pieces of old machines that have turned up," she explained. "The ones that do usually turn up are usually made of metal or some sort of ancient resin, but I guess it's been so long since humans were around that most of their other things would've decayed away."

The Kyurem blinked for a moment as she realized that that was a half-truth. Even if they weren't always obvious or had been built up on in subsequent ages, it wasn't uncommon for towns in Varhyde to have at least one or two bigger reminders of the era before the Great Flash lying around...

"Though I guess even the buildings that are still around from that time are relics of a sort," she added. "In some parts of Wander, you'll come across the likes of unnaturally smooth tunnels or buildings that are built in ways Pokémon can't do on their own."

Melanie craned her head up and peered up at the windmills looming in the sky.

"These windmills actually remind me of stories of what the capital in Varhyde is supposed to be like," she explained. "There's supposed to be these tall towers in it that are leftovers from the human era. There apparently used to be more of them in the past and they're said to have looked different before the Great Flash, but they're much taller than anything anyone's been able to build since then."

The Kyurem lingered a moment as a thought crossed her mind. Pleo said Baram Town was like ones in Cabot's world too. So if it was also like one from Kate's, then did that mean that the towns in Cabot's world also had ancient buildings left behind by its humans?

"What about you? Didn't humans also live in your world too?" she asked. "Did they leave anything behind like that?"

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo listened carefully as he continued eating. He wondered how tall those towers Melanie described really were, and imagined buildings of glass and metal reaching all the way into the clouds.

"Those towers sound really impressive! Especially if they still exist in Kate's world," he insisted. "I sure wish I could see how they look like!"

The Lugia took more donuts out of his box and happily began to eat them, before speaking up again with his mouth full.

"In Cabot's world there's stories of those sorts of towers having existed as well," Pleo said. "They were made of metal and glass, though unlike Kate's world there aren't any remnants of them inside the Cradle. Maybe some still exist inside the Wastes though..."

He paused and thought to himself for a moment. After the old gods in Cabot's world died, Arceus created the Cradle from the parts of the world that hadn't been destroyed. The Wastes were what left. With them being uninhabitable and abandoned for so long, it would only make sense that if the sort of towers that Melanie described still existed, they'd be there. Pleo shook his head and continued on.

"Though, there's still plenty of other things humans left behind that can be found inside the Cradle," the Lugia explained. "There's some ruins here and there, things like remnants of skyships that are full of aluminum, but also all sorts of items that's kept at museums."

Pleo looked off at one of the windmills for a moment and watched it spin, before turning back to Melanie.

"It's... kinda strange. It feels like I know about these sort of things like it's my own home, but I only know about Cabot's world through his memories. I wish I could actually go there someday and see it for myself."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Melanie blinked at Pleo's reply and tilted her head. Just from the memories that Kate had passed onto her, she couldn't help but wish she could similarly go with Kate back to her world of Wander.

... And yet she couldn't. Or at least not for the foreseeable future. The thought made Melanie start to droop a bit, as she looked aside with a deflated murmur.

"Yeah... I'd like that too, but everyone's supposed to go back to their own worlds without us," the Kyurem said. "I mean, I know that we'll still have each other, but..."

Melanie trailed off and looked up at windmills, shaking her head with a wistful sigh.

"I... just wonder what's going to happen to us sometimes."

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo shifted uneasily and looked down towards the ground.

"I'm... not sure," the Lugia said. "I guess we get to live here in peace, just without Cabot, Kate and the others..."

Pleo trailed off and drifted in his thoughts for a moment. He thought back to when Cabot died and how gutted he was to be separated from him. He was overjoyed when Cabot finally came back and the two had spent even more time together since then. Though... when he felt and read Cabot's mind, he noticed that even if Cabot seemed nervous about leaving Cibus, there was something that kept sticking out to him...

Cabot wanted him to be happy when he's gone. Pleo was sure they'd meet again someday... somehow. And right then, he knew that like Cabot, he wanted his other friends to be happy as well after all this was over.

And the fastest way of doing that was to be there for them and give comfort. Pleo shook his head and looking back at Melanie, a determined expression settling over his face.

"I really don't wanna be without them, but I know they wouldn't want us to just be sad the all the time," Pleo insisted. "Like you said, we'll still have each other, and maybe we'll even get to meet them again someday. I'm sure we'll make things work somehow."

He paused a moment, as he sheepishly pawed at his head with a wing.

"Even if I think we'll probably have to find a way to make money..."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Pleo shifted uneasily and looked down towards the ground.

"I'm... not sure," the Lugia said. "I guess we get to live here in peace, just without Cabot, Kate and the others..."

Pleo trailed off and drifted in his thoughts for a moment. He thought back to when Cabot died and how gutted he was to be separated from him. He was overjoyed when Cabot finally came back and the two had spent even more time together since then. Though... when he felt and read Cabot's mind, he noticed that even if Cabot seemed nervous about leaving Cibus, there was something that kept sticking out to him...

Cabot wanted him to be happy when he's gone. Pleo was sure they'd meet again someday... somehow. And right then, he knew that like Cabot, he wanted his other friends to be happy as well after all this was over.

And the fastest way of doing that was to be there for them and give comfort. Pleo shook his head and looking back at Melanie, a determined expression settling over his face.

"I really don't wanna be without them, but I know they wouldn't want us to just be sad the all the time," Pleo insisted. "Like you said, we'll still have each other, and maybe we'll even get to meet them again someday. I'm sure we'll make things work somehow."

Melanie cracked a small smile in reply to Pleo's reassurance. Yes, she was still worried about things, but somehow, just knowing that others were in the same boat and looking out for her helped to raise her spirits.

"I... think I'm feeling a bit better," she said. "And we certainly won't have any shortage of time to try and think of things."

He paused a moment, as he sheepishly pawed at his head with a wing.

"Even if I think we'll probably have to find a way to make money..."

Melanie paused and blinked at Pleo's comment. This whole time, she'd admittedly not put any thought into how they'd get money. After all, they hadn't ever needed to worry about it thus far...

"Wait? But don't we have a tab? Couldn't we just use that to pay for whatever we need?"

 

[Virgil134]

"Eh... well, we do now, but Cabot's been worried about whether things will stay that way," Pleo explained. "I mean, nobody knows how old we Shades can get, and I know that Cabot isn't sure if the guild will just keep paying everything for us for all eternity."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Melanie paused for a moment, realizing that all this time, she hadn't thought about what she'd do if the tab suddenly went away. If it did, they'd have to worry about finding jobs and balancing bills... which surely wouldn't be easy for Pokémon of that size.

"I guess we should make the most of it while we can, huh?"

Just then, Melanie spotted a toy shop. After a moment realizing that thus far, there hadn't been anything Team Spectrum's tab hadn't covered for them, she had a moment of dawning realization and motioned off to it with one of her arms.

"I mean, since we're here in Baram, why don't we get ourselves some things to remind ourselves of it?" she insisted. "Those toys there certainly look fun."