Destiny Village ~ Central Crossroads

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"Fine by me!" Aria replied cheerily, turning the corner and into a much quieter part of the building, the illumination surprisingly restrained for a place of its kind. Large doors lined both walls, and not a sound came from behind any of them. "Guess you'll just be listening, then."

 

[Magyk]

Ben grumbled something inaudible as he continued to follow. "You know," he then said. "When I asked for somewhere private, this wasn't what I had in mind at all. Why here?"

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

With a click, Aria opened one of the doors, before tossing the key onto a table inside. The room was drenched in white — white lights, white walls with a giant screen build into one of them, and a couch large enough for multiple Bens. "Well, for one, I've been wanting to come here for a while. And second..."

She shut the door behind them, and suddenly, everything went quiet. Try as they might, not even their sharp ears could pick up on any traces of there being an outside world.

"...It is pretty private," Aria finished, fiddling with a small touchscreen next to the door. She paused to point at a small menu on the table. "Want any snacks?"

 

[Magyk]

There was a strange humour to it all. He had a feeling Aria knew exactly why he'd come to her in the first place, and she'd picked the strangest of locations.

Soundproofed walls, the room was locked, nobody could possibly interrupt them.

Despite being the one to approach, he wasn't ready. The arcanine was suddenly nervous as he shook his head to decline her offer.

"I...I'm alright," he mumbled. Ben hesitantly stepped over to the couch and took a seat. He wasn't even sure if he could look at Aria without overwhelming himself.

Team Spectrum had won.

It meant he had to forget again.

Ben didn't want to say goodbye again. He thought he'd be fine, but the more time he had spent here the more he found himself wishing he'd remember when he went home.

Since he was laying on the couch with his back to the lucario, Ben tried to hide his front paws with his body. He could already spot flecks of Shadows around them.

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

A handful of seconds passed before Aria broke the silence. "...Ben?"

It was soft, and barely above a whisper. But in that moment, it was deafening.

"You... know I can feel that, right?"

 

[Magyk]

It took a lot of willpower to force it away. "Aha...feel what?" he replied with unease. Ben tried not to focus on his thoughts and emotions, lest he shadow full on. Aria could take it away, sure, but the last time he'd lost himself in front of her, she'd...

He tried not to shudder at the thought. Instead he wracked his brain for something else to say.

"S-So, uh, Team Spectrum won, that's cool, right?"

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"It's what we came here to ensure, yes."

Her voice was getting closer.

"Just checking, we're friends, right?"

 

[Magyk]

His eyes widened. "O-Of course we're friends!" Ben cried. "Why would you ask me such a question...?"

The hurt in his voice was clear. Too clear. "You did so much for me in the other Cibus...a-and put up with my shit. I'm greatful, really!"

The arcanine had to force his eyes shut to fight back his emotions. Everything came out too easily around Aria, and he almost hated it.

It just made this conversation harder.

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"I'm glad to hear that," Aria said, sounding perfectly honest. "But... you probably know that means I can tell when something's wrong."

She placed a paw on his back, gently running it through his fur. "Talk to me. Please."

 

[Magyk]

The paw in his fur was like leaving behind a line of guilt in its wake, making him inhale sharply. She was still dealing with his bullshit.

"I...I don't want to," Ben confessed with a wince. "Because that means acknowledging what's coming again. I don't know if I can do this a second time..."

He was going. He was leaving.

It made him desperate to hang onto the good memories they had together.

His Shadows were showing again, brief flecks over his fur as she pat him.

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"…Hey. Do you remember what I said last time?"

 

[Magyk]

There was a brief pause as Ben thought about it. They...they had a talk like this last time, didn't they?

"Letting go isn't easy, and it's okay to struggle with it. But when your memories return and you think back on these last few days... how bitter those memories will be depends on you."

Her words from last time echoed in his mind as he nodded slowly. Of course he fucking remembered, that wasn't the problem!

"It's not fair!" he growled. "At first I was okay with it...but now that we're here I don't know if I can do this again!"

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

Aria nodded, slowing her movements to loosen a knot in his fur. "Yeah, it's gotta be fucking awful to have to go through that again. And knowing what it's gonna be like just makes it worse, right?"

 

[Magyk]

"It...it does. I hate that I'll be remembered and I'll forget everyone! It's stupid!"

Aria would have noticed that his body was beginning to heat up, and with a growl more flecks of Shadow slivered through his fur. "I want to remember my friends! I-I want to...to..."

Ben inhaled as he tried to focus.

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"It's okay, Ben," Aria whispered, leaning in and resting her head atop his. "You don't have to hold back. Not from me."

Taking her own advice, she stopped resisting the faint pressure in the back of her head, and Ben's corruption started to seep away.

 

[Magyk]

The weird sensation of his corruption being drained away was there, and he sighed as his thoughts became clearer once again.

His head tingled as he felt the slight weight of Aria's head against his. It was strange, feeling extremely aware of the Lucario. He couldn't explain why it felt to natural for her to be close, and why it felt strange to be so natural.

"I-I don't want to lose everyone again! You, Owen, Taz...Mint. I-I want to remember everyone. None of you deserve to be forgotten, n-not for a second!"

A small whine escaped him as he tried to wipe a tear away from his face.

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

Though their different sizes got in the way, Aria draped an arm over him in a some approximation of a hug. "And we won't be. Not forever."

 

[Magyk]

"But we don't know," the big guy sniffled. "Nobody knows if I'll remember...and I want to be able to visit you, a-and apologise to Taz, and..." he choked on his words.

"I'll miss you. Heaps."

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"You might not be able to do all that, but... you will remember," Aria promised, a wry lilt slipping into her voice. "Memories aren't that easy to get rid of. Just ask Owen."

Then, it was gone, a soft sadness replacing it. "And... I know. Thank you."

 

[Magyk]

Owen was the master of amnesia and remembering, from what he'd learnt of the pseudo-dragon. If anyone understood his plight, it'd be him.

At least Owen was getting his memories back. Ben wasn't sure if it'd ever happen to him, and it was that reason he was too scared to look at Aria, lest the last thing she saw of him was a teary, messy face.

"But, like, I'll really miss you!" he sobbed. "If you decide on a vacation...p-please try and visit me. Maybe I'll remember...and I can show you around, and you can meet my friends! You'd love them, Aria. They're so chill...it'd be a nice break from being you for a bit."