Destiny Village ~ Sundae Park

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa breathed in the warmth with gratitude. The cold wasn't a problem for her, but Owen's flame was appreciated as much for being a sign of companionship as for its physical comfort.

"I'm stickin' around," she replied. "I don't give up on folks just 'cause they're dangerous, you know? If you can really hurt people . . . not bein' trusted just makes everythin' harder."

There was a sigh in the wind.

"We spent a long time tryin' to persuade people we weren't dangerous," said Sombra. "Turns out, the trust that matters is the trust given even when folks know what yer capable of."

 

[Namohysip]

The Charizard nodded without a word. His flame hummed with the occasional crackle, a clear sign that while he was shaken by one thing or another, he was breathing and he was calming down. It was manageable.

Owen wondered what Jesse would have said about him, had he learned anything of this. If he thought Brisa was... Owen shoved the thought away.

"You know," Owen said with a gentle laugh, though it was shaking, "it's kind of too bad. Now that my Perceive is... pretty much always active, Soda won't play cards with me anymore." He laughed a little more, which was accompanied by sniffles and snorts. He wiped his eyes, thinking he was being subtle, like the cold was affecting him. It wasn't. "I think word's spreading around, too, because I heard I'm not allowed to draw from raffles either, since I'd know which thing has the prize..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"I wish y'could turn it off too, pal," said Brisa, softly.

She loped up to his side and put a foreleg around him, and rested her head against his torso.

"We still trust you," came Sombra's low whisper. "And Owen... It's alright to resent what was done t'you."

 

[Namohysip]

That one hurt. Owen wasn't sure why it hurt. But it was something that he felt he should have known for a long time. "I feel like dwelling on that," he said, "will just make me bitter. I need to... go forward anyway, and maybe... I'll be able to handle it better later." He sighed, easing his breath and his flame. "Y-yeah. Thanks, Brisa. And... Sombra, right? Wishkeeper's resting right now, but he says thanks, too."

Finally calm, Owen ran his claws over the back of his head, tracing his horns. "Anyway... I, um. I still am going to do this now and then to satisfy that, you know, just a little fighting like this. Those Substitutes are really sturdy. But I'm fine... really. It's an outlet."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"I get it," replied Brisa. "Don't feel y'gotta hide it from me. Whatever keeps ya regular."

Sombra nodded, and went over to Brisa to pass back into her.

"We'll let ya get back to it then, Owen. Take care of yerself, an' lemme know if you ever need anythin' to keep ahold of it."

Brisa gave the charizard a thump on the shoulder. "I got you."

 

[Namohysip]

Owen smiled a little more, then turned to face the doll once Brisa was on her way out. He rubbed his cheek, sniffing a little more until his tears evaporated into a hot mist in the cool air. A wave of embarrassment hit him just then and his wings drooped. If there was anybody who would understand what it was like to want to go wild now and then, would it not have been Brisa...?

He wondered how many others would understand. Sometimes, not even he did. But it felt good. And he had to quell that.

He wondered if Bahamut was open to meditating later.

Then again, he could also channel his energy into searching for more spy clues. Maybe after that...

"Right," Owen said to the air, then eyed the doll.

Well... it was still there. Would be wasteful to leave it.

With significantly less guilt this time, Owen's pupils shifted and focused on the doll. He crawled on all fours, flared his wings, and pounced.

<><><>​

 

[Flyg0n]

Koahurried through Destiny Village, towards a park he'd noted earlier. Ever since against Red (Champion Red, he still couldn't believe that they'd fought him and won) he couldn't rest.

Despite all his efforts, he felt like he hadn't done enough. He could have fought more. Harder. Stronger. If only he could have helped more. If only he could get himself to evolve...

Growling, he tried to focus elsewhere, for the moment. He could ask Brisa for training later. Right now, he'd come out here to try and train.

Perhaps he could try that technique he'd tried earlier. What was it Brisa called it again? Radiance. Taking a deep breath, he broke into a sprint, trying to channel that energy. To his dismay, he only succeeded in running in circles. His second attempt, however, proved far more successful, and for a brief moment, he felt the rush of power as he sprinted across a clearing in the blink of an eye.

Oh, this felt good.

 

[Ambyssin]

"What do you think you're doing?"

After learning Reshiram was, indeed, not at his house, Bahamut returned Cola to Destiny Tower at the young god's request. Which left him on his own to wander Destiny Village in search of someone or something to question. But it wasn't long before he sensed sparks of radiant energy. He thought, perhaps, a teammate was in trouble. Instead he found a little pooch running around recklessly. Great. Wonderful. Another person who was going to get drunk with power.

Fortunately, he could use his large size to intimidate. "We've had enough people mishandle that energy already. Late arrival or not, this is neither the time nor the place to do something reckless."

... and stupid, he silently added.

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa stopped, surprised at the voice, and looked to see Bahamut. The strange pokemon towered over him in size, but Koa didn't find himself too frightened. More fascinated than anything. Well, fascinated and annoyed. . He still remembered the remark he'd made back at the Tree of Life.

"I'm training," he growled in reply. He wasn't a fan of Bahamut's tone. "And I can handle myself."

Not technically, true, but he was learning. Besides, how else did Bahamut expect anyone to get better if they didn't train? He narrowed his eyes and craned his neck to stare down Necrozma.

 

[Ambyssin]

"You shouldn't practice using that energy without proper supervision. Like at the Colosseum," Bahamut said. "Did nobody mention the part to you where using too much radiance results in you blowing up?"

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa's eyes widened. "Wait... too much radiance blows you up?" he said. Nobody had ever said that. And what happened if he did? Still, how bad could it be if the rest of the team used it? Maybe Bahamut just meant they exploded some other way? "You mean figuratively blow up?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"No. I mean you literally blow up." Bahamut unfurled all four wings. "You can survive it, like a pokémon using Explosion, but I'm told it's excruciatingly painful. One of our team members has a nasty habit of doing it. She now has a timeshare in the infirmary and I believe the healers talk smack about her behind her back.

"I'm not surprised nobody told you. You showed up late, after all. Our teammates are already close enough to be romancing one another and making harems." He shrugged. "Foolish, since we all go our separate ways when we're done here."

 

[Flyg0n]

"Well... thanks for the heads up." At least he wouldn't die. At Bahamut's next words, he withheld a grimace. He really had no interest in the romantic lives of his teammates.

Another thought quickly occupied his mind. One he'd been turning over since he'd first met Bahamut, though he'd forgotten for a time. He'd read about Necrozma somewhere, he was sure of it. And just now, he'd recalled where: in a book about ancient Alolan myths.

He was basically like a legendary of Alolan culture. Sick. Even if he'd already met more than one legend since coming here, meeting another was still cool.

"Hey, aren't you a legendary pokemon?" He frowned in thought. "I think I read about a Pokemon like you in a book back home."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Legendary?" Bahamut frowned. Well, he hadn't thought there was anyone like him until Joule came into the picture. Perhaps it wasn't unheard of that this kid had some variant of him in his world. Regrettable.

"If that's supposed to be a synonym for god, then the answer is no." The frown deepened. "I personally find the concept of physical gods unsettling at best. In the universe I'm from, we don't have beings like Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. No living creature should have the power to shape reality in such a way."

 

[Flyg0n]

"A legendary isn't exactly a god," Koa said finally. "I mean, people in my world used to call them that but there's more to it than that."

He paused. No Arceus, Dialga, or Palkia? No... Giratina. An image of the shadowy dragon flashed through his mind. No protector. That sounded awful. "The world needs legendary pokemon," he growled, a firmness to his tone. "Without them, the world would fall apart."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut shook his head. "If that's the case, why is it that every time this planet has come under crisis, it's fallen to humans and mortal pokémon to stop said crises?" He coiled around Koa. "In fact, the corruptive force we're fighting has gotten to these so-called legends and turned them against the planet. And the others have been able to do little more than offer distractions or support our team while we do the heavy lifting. If you ask me, they sound far more like liabilities than assets.

"Maybe they're critical to your home planet, but can you really say you know that for certain?" He leaned over Koa. "And how do you know these legends of yours are safe? Where there is that kind of power, there will be those who seek it out for their own selfish purposes. Who do the legends turn to, then?"

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa scowled and moved away from Bahamut a good couple of feet, picking his way out of his coils. Great. Another one of those types. Bahamut might have been a pokemon but he sounded exactly like plenty of humans he'd met back home. Clearly he wasn't like any legendary from his world. Familiar anger and annoyance filled him.

"Right, but I suppose you know for certain they're not critical to my planet. Because you just want to believe everything is inherently bad," he growled. "I don't know about this planet, but just because you think people are selfish doesn't make that true."

He snorted. "And maybe the rules of this world are different, but everyone still has a responsibility to be better. To do something to fight against evil. Which is what we're doing, legendary or no legendary."

Glaring defiantly at Bahamut, he added, "We're winning, aren't we?"

 

[Ambyssin]

“I just happen to think tying the stability of a planet to an individual is a recipe for disaster.” Bahamut shook his head. “You are young. And idealistic. Which is fine. But I’ve been scarred by too many people across too many planets to believe in such platitudes anymore.

“You’re welcome to believe in whatever you want. But I am not one for myths or legends.”

 

[Flyg0n]

Red crowded Koa's vision. He gritted his teeth, his body tensing. "Maybe you're old and pessimistic." Some part of him was aware that he had no idea the experiences Bahamut had been through, and perhaps he was being too harsh. But Bahamut was wrong. He'd hoped at least that he wouldn't have to hear this same thing on a completely different world.

"It takes more courage to have faith than to give up." He curled his lips distastefully. "And we're not an individual. We're a team."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Relax." Bahamut leaned over and pet Koa's head. "No one's giving up. I'm fairly confident the team will succeed. This lot is too stubborn to fail; not even death can stop them. But someone has to be what you call the pessimist. Otherwise people turn overconfident... and we'll see a repeat of what happened against Joule, where half the team died."