Destiny Village ~ Pasta Plaza

[Namohysip]

"A very utilitarian approach," Reshiram commented, thoughtful again. "Another question Zekrom would have asked me. Another argument I've had when I was younger... Perhaps one I still would, given the right circumstances. But consider this."

Reshiram folded his wings again, laying out a circumstance.

"They say that only the gods and the most powerful Psychics can see the future. And the mere act of peeking forward runs the risk of altering what will actually happen. If the future is so unpredictable while within the present, how can we be sure, on a practical level, if the lie will never return? That there will never be repercussions? You lie to yourself that an old trauma did not happen... and yet one day, something similar returns, and that pain hits you twofold. You lie to yourself that, no, your body is healthy, even as your blood clots with disease and malaise, until you can no longer ignore the lie...

"Truth is tangible. Truth is fact. It is what can be uncovered, not morphed or changed. Truth is proven, to you, to another, or to the world. There is no such thing as a new truth." Reshiram's voice had become grave, briefly. "It is only a lie you choose to believe. And one lie can compound into more, just to keep its tenuous structure afloat."

 

[MadderJacker]

"And yet... it's commonplace. It's instinct," Mergo said, to whom he did not know. "People tell themselves a number of things. They don't want to burden others, or they just want to move on with their lives, or they're too afraid of what it might mean, so they put on an act. And like the other lies, not all of these narratives are caught."

The axe was raised. All pretenses were dropped, as far as he was concerned. Who cared anymore? For the second time now, Mergo had the truth in his grasp.

"So then I'm a charlatan," he surmised, and there was a strange sort of peace to these words. Or maybe it was defeat. "A fraud."

 

[Namohysip]

Reshiram tilted his head, thoughtful. It was clear that Reshiram didn't know Mergo very well; he wasn't that other one, the one he knew. But he was speaking with a sense of familiarity that would likely come from someone who knew the concept of Reshiram. So, catching up to that sense, that was how the dragon of truth followed.

"And what," he said, figuring this would be an appropriate opening, "makes you say that? I know very little about you... only that you have a leadership role in your team, and in your home. Have you also said various lies to keep morale up, for your people and your self?"

 

[MadderJacker]

Countless times.

He looked at The Grace again, this time seeing it for what it could be. A dark evening sky, the candlelight inside giving the windows a sensual glow. Clean. Classy. Patrons and staff alike groomed like they were expecting royalty. On that night, they were.

A night that had never happened, right? Even though he remembered it well. The confusion and answers that had been bottled and buried deep, deep, deep underground. A night that never happened.

Mergo let out a sigh. He was... so weak.

"You have a weakness for having your neck kissed," Mergo stated with absolute authority, and then his hands folded together. In a flash of gold he was gone.

 

[Namohysip]

Reshiram blinked, looking left, then right, and then where Mergo had once been. "Gone," he remarked to himself, frowning.

He understood Mergo's relationship, perhaps literally, to the other Reshiram of that other Cibus. And perhaps an even more troubled one to whatever Reshiram existed in the world Mergo came from. Absently touching his own neck, he made one last attempt to look for the fleeing Psychic, finding nothing. Typical, he supposed.

"What a troubled soul. Perhaps one day the truth will catch up to him." He walked into The Grace quietly, humming, thoughtful. "If he is a follower of Reshiram... then I do wonder if Truth will catch up to him. It always does..."

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[unrepentantAuthor]

All things considered, it was a nice day. They'd had a lot of nice days, lately. The weather gods' appreciative send-off, perhaps? In any case, life seemed almost normal in the Plaza. Like there hadn't just been a near-apocalypse, at all.

"Alright, kid. I woulda waited a li'l longer fer this, since most folks' worlds apparently have somethin' 'gainst lettin' kids sip anythin' but water, but I'm not gonna get another chance. So... I'm buyin' you yer first drink. It's... It's just a li'l gesture that'd mean somethin' t'me."

She grinned at Koa's surprised expression. "Don't worry, nothin' hard or bitter. Cibuseans love a fruity light beer."

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa followed after her, curiosity drumming his heart. He'd never thought much of the option back home, but here sounded much more exciting. The idea felt so strange. He'd get his first drink but he'd never remember it either. It was funny, in a sad way. Even so his mood remained undampened. He was more than happy to spend these last moment with Brisa, doing something special.

"Sounds good!" Blake never let him drink anything, but then again, he'd never seen Blake drink much either. "I wonder what I should try. Maybe something sweet...?" he mused out loud. Watmel? Magost? What did they even make the stuff out of anyway?

"What do you like to drink?" he asked, tipping his head thoughtfully.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa chuckled. "Yeah, okay. Uh, I ain't buyin' you hard liquor. But fer day drinkin', I'll tell you what I think is real nice..."

She found the stand a couple spaces up from its usual spot, and gave a firm nod to the vendor. The Plaza staff knew not to try and give her things on the house. She'd pay herself, thanks.

"Mulled leppa cider, served hot," she announced. "Even in summer, the outdoor DV climate freezes yer fuckin' tail off, right? This'll warm ya. It's a regular comfort drink of mine and unless you're a real lightweight, you'll walk it off by evenin'. Flavour is mostly apples, cinnamon, and leppa extract."

And star anise, she thought to herself, smiling.

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa's eyes widened at the description. That sounded amazing.

"It's kinda of... cool, isnt it? I mean I get my first drink as a Manectric, on some crazy world where you can just see legendaries at a bar." He shook his head to himself as they waited, a slight smile on his jaws. Ever since their talk out on Amp Plains and defeating the blacklight entity, he felt lighter.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa laughed. "Everything's been cool fer a while, sure. Livin' one hell of a lifestyle, in between death-defyin' feats fer the fate of the planet."

The vendor ladled out cider into two cups for the electric pair, and Brisa paid.

"Start with sips, and let me know if you feel heady earlier than expected. I've got you, if you can't hold it. But seriously, it's light stuff. You'll be fine."

The cups were warm to the touch, and Brisa sighed with pleasure at the feeling, her breath still frosting slightly even at this time of year.

 

[Flyg0n]

The first sip sent a slow, buzzing warmth through Koa. The spice of cinnamon made his tastebuds prickle satisfyingly. For a moment, he closed his eyes to savor the buzz of flavors - the way the apples conplimented the berries and spice so perfectly-

He'd had plain cider before, on holidays and festivals. But whether it was his Pokemon instincts or the skills of the drink makers on Cibus, this tasted completely different. It reminded him distantly of his many nights in the wilderness as a trainer, huddled around a campfire with his pokemon, cooking berries and watching the antics of his team.

"That's good," he said finally, taking another few sips, careful to still drink slow. "Really good," he added. Maybe the company made it good too, he reflected.

"Thanks Brisa, for bringing me here..." The sentence seemed to hang, as if there was another thought on his mind.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Thanks fer comin' with," said Brisa. "I, uh..."

She frowned, unsure of what she meant, or how to say it. But using Whiplash would be cheating, in a way, so she forced the words out.

"I've learnt a lot from folks on this world, both the locals and our teammates. It's... It's nice t'feel like I've taught you a thing or two. Maybe you'll remember some of it."

She smiled, and sipped some of her cider. Warming. Peaceful.

 

[Flyg0n]

A bit more warmth crept through Koa's bones, though he felt it wasn't just from the drink. "You did," he said softly. I suddenly struck him fully, that this was it. One of the last moments he'd ever really share with Brisa. He felt a pang of sadness, though it swiftly faded. He'd made peace with that.

But... memories or no memories, he could bear the idea of leaving without saying something else. He took another small sip, tempted to try to gather his thoughts better, then decided against it. As awkward as it felt, he forced himself to make eye contact. "You... you taught me way more than just how to fight. You accepted me and you didn't give up on me and..." he swallowed. "You taught me how to fight, not just physically but... you helped me become stronger." His chest ached. The words didn't quite seem enough to express what he was feeling, but it was all he had anyway.

"Thank you Brisa," he said earnestly. "For everything."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Oh, wind and weather, that felt some kind of way in her chest.

"I... That's, ah. Look, kid—"

Brisa put her cider on the vendor's countertop and leaned forward to give Koa a hug, one forelimb around his shoulders, her cheek rubbing his.

"I'm so proud of you, Koa," she growled, softly. "So goddamn proud."

 

[Flyg0n]

After setting his own cup down, Koa hugged her in return, almost burying his head into her thick mane. His grip was tight, as if he could somehow avoid having to leave if he just held her close enough. He couldn't have asked for a better mentor, friend, or sister.

It took a long few moments before he finally drew back, eyes slightly misty, despite his effort to disguise it.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

She pulled away, and before he could reply, she took a sharp breath to steady herself, and looked him in the eye.

"Listen t'me, Koa. You're a good kid, and y'deserved better from yer old man. Yer pa... He just ain't yer responsibility. By rights, you're his responsibility, and he bailed, 'cause he's a goodfernothin' sonofabitch and I'd kick his ass if I had the opportunity. Now you go home, and you find good people, and you stand by 'em. If they're really up to snuff, they'll stand by you. That's... That's the way t'live. I know you can do that. I– I want that fer you."

 

[Flyg0n]

The words burned in the best possible way. "I will," Koa choked out the words and swallowed harshly. "I will. And... I want that for you." He sniffed. "You deserve to be happy too, when you go home. To rest and and to be loved and to find people who treat you right and accept you... You don't have to carry the world on your shoulders. If anything sticks for us, I hope you find what you deserve. Someone who loves you."

To distract himself a bit, he picked up his mug again and sipped at the cider. It had cooled slightly, but plenty of warmth still remained.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa blinked back the emotions welling in her head and smiled warmly at her protegé. Her kid brother, kinda.

"Thanks, partner. Me too. Me too..."

She downed most of the rest of her cider, gasped, and grinned with satisfaction. "How d'ya like yer first proper drink, Koa?"

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa met her eyes and smiled. "I love it," he declared, without hesitation. And in his heart, he knew Brisa would understand he wasn't just talking about the drinks.

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[Dragonfree]

On the last day, Dave took Mia for some hotdogs. Just like old times.

Mia squinted at the toppings and picked an inscrutable selection as usual. He wasn't really hungry but ordered one with everything anyway.

"So, uh," he began after they'd had a couple of bites in silence, sitting at the small table next to the stand, "what are your plans for when we're all gone?"

Mia thought for a moment, chewing. She'd casually transformed her scythe into a human hand to hold the hotdog, and after so long in a universe with only Pokémon it was an almost uncanny sight. "Rocky will still be around," she said. "So I can keep training with him. Although he also says he wants to travel to other universes."

Dave raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you can go with him to check out some other universes," he said, and then immediately regretted it. Mia and Rocky were not exactly the right people to keep each other in check.

"Maybe," Mia said. "It sounds like a lot of universes are similar to Cibus. That probably means people like battling in them. And I could see if there's a pattern in what kinds of universes there are. It would be interesting."

"Well, if you ever go to different universes, try to be careful."

"We're almost indestructible," Mia pointed out. "There aren't many things that could hurt us."

Dave sucked in a breath. "Well, in other universes, who the fuck knows what exists. Apparently the multiverse is full of evil creator gods with torture dimensions."

Mia nodded slowly. "It's weird that those exist. I don't think Rocky would want to go there, though."

He took another bite of his hotdog, watching her. "I told Sod-- Ionys to check on you," he said after a moment. "Just, make sure you're okay. If you do any universe-hopping, at least try to at least check back in with him in Cibus or Telum now and then, all right?"

Mia tilted her head. "Why? That doesn't sound like it would change anything. If I don't check in because I went to a universe where something killed me, then I'm already dead when he finds out."

Dave glanced away. "Well, maybe you're not dead yet. Maybe you're trapped."

"He probably couldn't even come to get me," she pressed. "He's tied to Maple, and she's a Voice of Life. They said normally Voices of Life can't go outside their universe."

He waved a paw in agitation. "I don't know. It's just a peace of mind thing."

Mia looked at him for a moment. "You're not going to remember anyway, though. And he wouldn't be able to tell you whether I checked in or not even if you could."

"Yeah, I know, Mia," he snapped before looking away. "Fuck."

Her expression didn't even change; she didn't give a shit and never would. But still.

"Look, yeah, I know you're looking forward to running around out there without me or him or anybody holding you back, and I'm never going to know if you run straight from here into a hell-dimension and get yourself killed, but just..." He stopped, took a breath. Jesus. "If you just let him know where you're going, and how long you're going to be there, he could talk to Joule or somebody if you don't show up, right? And you want to keep living. Having a backup plan is good for living."

Mia didn't answer for a little while, frowning as she finished her hotdog. "I'm not looking forward to when you're gone," she said.

Dave looked at her, silent. Half of his hotdog was still lying on the table, the wrapping paper flapping in the cold breeze.

"I want you to be here," she said, annoyed, like it was obvious. "I didn't like it when you were dead and I don't want you to go now."

He blinked rapidly. "Mia, that's... I can't stay here."

"I know," Mia said, eyes narrowed. "That doesn't mean I want it. You were saying you thought I was looking forward to you being gone. That's dumb."

Dave exhaled slowly, his throat tightening. "Okay. Yeah. Sorry."

He reached for his hotdog again and took a large bite, looking away.

"It is good to have a backup plan if I'm going to a universe where I could get killed," Mia said after a moment. "But it would have to be a real plan and not just telling him I'm alive sometimes. Maybe we can talk about it."

Dave nodded. The mouthful of hotdog wasn't helping much. He swallowed a few times, trying to make it go away.

"You went to therapy again," she said. "Did it fix your brain?"

He took a deep breath. "No," he said. "But it reminded me why I have to go home."

Mia frowned. "You already knew that."

"Yeah, but..." He stopped, looking at her. "I kind of wanted to stay. Same way you want me to, even though it's not happening. But Jean needs me back home, and the others. And in the end, I mean, you're practically fucking invincible. You'll be fine without me." At least if she didn't go to any horrid death universes.

"Yes. That's why I knew you'd want to go back."

He just looked at her for a long moment. The blockage in his throat was back.

"I hope you do have a fucking blast without me when I'm gone," he managed at last.

"Probably. I like Cibus, and if I don't like a universe I'd just go back. I'm not going to die."

He cracked a smile despite everything, picking up the rest of his hotdog again. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."

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