Grass Continent ~ Treasure Town Beach

[Cresselia92]

“Save thy father…” muttered Icetales, his ears swiveling forward and his expression showing interest. “Hm. Quite the query, is it not?”

Something seemed to click into the Ninetales’ mind as he noticed a few patterns in Koamaru which he hadn’t analyzed fully before. Or rather, he had never seen the link between them.

The hesitation to talk about his family. The anger of talking about a human who almost doomed the world and who paid the price. And now, this talk about a father, and someone who perhaps could have been saved.

…Did that mean what he thought it meant?

“Sir Koamaru. It is wrong of me to assume that thy father and that human who summoned the legends… are the same person?” He focused entirely on the Manectric, his eyes brimming with kinship. “Thou can be frank with me. I am not someone who judges folks by their pasts nor bloodline.”

 

[Flyg0n]

Old lies jumped to the tip of his tongue. He could laugh it off or deny it or make up another version. But this wasn't Sinnoh. He was worlds away from home, in the company of someone who would forget him in just a few weeks. After a moment, Koa nodded stiffly. He didn't feel much different, admitting it, but he trusted Icetales. Besides, there was nothing to lose. "I just... maybe if I'd done something different. If I'd been different, maybe he wouldn't have-"

He stopped himself and shook his head. "Doesn't matter. He got what he deserved," he growled.

 

[Cresselia92]

“…I see.”

The sound of the waves became almost deafening as silence fell once more between them.

Icetales could feel it. A familiar rage and resentment echoed into Koamaru’s words. For a moment, he saw a younger version of himself, snarling at the phantom of Chaos and cursing his father for dragging him into that hellscape. Wishing… for some change, whether it was in time or space.

“Alas, there is no way to know whether things would have gone differently if we did different things…”

There was something peculiar in the fox’s voice. It sounded like… acceptance, mixed with some regret.

“Mayhaps, if I were more powerful… or if I were more ruthless… or if I were… pure…” He shook his head and stared at his forepaws. “Would my life have been better? Or worse? Heavens, if I know!”

He flexed his digits, then his gaze trailed on his tails. On his mismatched fur. On the proof of his marred blood.

Alas, he had learned long ago that the past was an immutable force, and he wished to spread what he had learned to his young friend.

“…At the end of the day, ‘what if’ scenarios merely stay ‘what if’ scenarios. Rather than lament the things we wish we did differently, we should embrace our past and use it as a valuable life lesson to forge a new future for ourselves.

“I have experienced hell. Unimaginable torment. Madness. Betrayal. Abandonment.”

Pain ringed with every single word, and the fox became shrouded by a darker and darker aura. But then, there was a change in his mood and posture. There was… calmness.

“But… I have also found kinship. Friendship. Folks who treat me like family. And… love.”

By the time he said that last word, his fur was sparkling with a faint pixie light. He might have taken years to accomplish that, but that… it was serenity. He flashed a small smile.

“We ought to focus on the good that came out from our past, and use it a our goal and motivation to take a better path and, perhaps, become the better version of ourselves.”

He leaned forward and placed a forepaw on Koamaru’s shoulder. A soothing wave flushed through a faint pulse of Radiance.

“I aim to become a good monarch for my people. Someone who shall lead my country to a time of peace, prosperity and hope. It might take many years to accomplish that task, but… I shall not let my fears and blood stop me from finding my path, and I shall fight nails and tails for that.”

And then, he grinned amiably, and his tails wagged. “What dost thou desire to do? How art thou planning of turning into a better version of thyself?”

 

[Flyg0n]

The brief tingle of Radiance washed over Koa, leaving behind a sensation of warmth. He smiled ruefully, and nodded. Icetales was right. Echo had even told him something similar, earlier.

He put one paw around around Icetales in a hug. "Thank you," he murmured. He stepped back, letting his gaze rest on the horizon.

"You're right. Maybe things could have turned out even worse." Perhaps he never would have had the chance to get away from Team Galactic, if not for his cousin choosing to leave with him. And it had eventually led him to his team back home, so it wasn't all bad.

"We just have to try to move on, and do what we can. I don't know everything I want to do but... at the very least I hope to be a better trainer and a better friend." He let his thoughts drift, contemplating Icetales words further. What did he want to do, back home? He still had his dream of catching legendaries. But would that alone change anything?

"Maybe I-" he contemplated the thought that occurred to him. "Maybe that's enough. For both us. To choose to be better and do what's right."

 

[Cresselia92]

A pleasant warmth spread inside of Icetales when Koamaru hugged him, and his heart burst with happiness when that heartfelt thanks reached his ears.

“Thou art welcome, lad,” he said, smiling joyfully and his tails waving gently.

The Ninetales gazed at the horizon, listening intently to what the Manectric had yet to say. Indeed, neither knew whether things would have been better or worse. He nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. As long as we follow our hearts and do what we believe is right… that is fine, yes?” He smiled. “Besides, not everything was wrong with our lives. After all,” he turned to Koamaru and gave another friendly smile, “we got to meet each other. That is… a very good thing. Even if we’ll end up forgetting that, it will be marvelous as long as it lasts.”

After that, Icetales looked again at the horizon, letting the fresh breeze ruffled their pelts. He noticed Petram chasing a Palossand who stole his shovel, and a wave of mirth and amusement invested him.

Yes… Not everything in life was terrible, and he was going to enjoy and cherish every single piece of happiness he could get wholeheartedly.

<><><>​

 

[MadderJacker]

The last time he'd been to Beach Cave, he'd been about a fifth of his current height, and an eternity hadn't gone by. He'd taken the helm atop Nero and lit the way with Psyshocks that took more to maintain than he would ever admit. It was basic. They'd been far from their strongest, but even then, the Wild-- ferals posed no threat.

Four feet and some change, a parallel world, two winters and a metaphysical crisis later, not much had changed. The tunnels were still smoothed and warped from the tidal flows, the smell of salt was just below the point of suffocating, and the ferals were so little of a threat that Mergo couldn't tell if they were territorial or just aggressively friendly. He didn't much care anyways.

Mergo, now a Gallade, eyed a blue Shellos in their path oddly as it schlucked closer to them out of curiosity. It was harmless, he knew that, but he didn't want to risk getting a splotch of mucus on him. He raised a hand and flicked a finger, evoking a psyshock and firing it just short of the Shellos, where it flashed and left a scorch on the stone. It let out a whine and started retreating, and Mergo let out a short sigh.

"I've been on plenty of strange dates before," he began. "Climbing on treetops, dancing on paper-thin ice, one even in the sky above. And now I'll add bullying ferals to the list." Mergo let out a short hum. "There haven't been rumors spreading about me lately, have-- ow."

His head crest bumped into a low spot in the cave ceiling, and Mergo winced and rubbed at the side of it. Ridiculous tidal caves.

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

With a snort, the lucario beside him glanced up at the empty air between her and the ceiling. Being short had its perks.

"Rumors? About you? Puh-lease, considering how hard it is to get a read on you, there's probably enough of them to fill a book," Aria said, before tapping her chin with a thoughtful frown. "Though, if we're talking about dates specifically, don't forget the one you had with a God. Now that is gossip material."

She didn't wait for a response, casually kicking a small rock as they walked. It went flying between the branches of a corsola, which fled in alarm as Aria winced at the jolt that ran up her leg.

 

[MadderJacker]

Mergo exhaled. That was a wound that was still fresh, but, he was learning to accept it. Even if it irked him just how wide-spread that 'rumor' had been. But even still, Mergo couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Now, wouldn’t that be something?” he mused. “After how I talked with most of them the way I did, they find that out? I wonder if they’d assume I manipulated him into it. And I get the feeling that, after the talk we had, Dave would probably want to kick my ass.”

He paused for a beat, then looked over to Aria. “You know Dave, yes? Their anti-Ben?”

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

Aria gave him a bemused look, before recollection flashed across her face. "...Oh! You mean the mightyena who always looks grumpy. Never had the chance to chat with him, but I guess I can think of what to expect from an 'anti-Ben'."

She briefly wondered how the arcanine himself would react to being used as a descriptor.

"Now you've got me curious, though. What makes you think he'd want to kick your ass?"

 

[MadderJacker]

“He just seems like that kind of person,” Mergo shrugged. “Not that I helped any.”

The psyshocks lighting their way drew closer and lower to the ground, giving their immediate surroundings an ominous lighting. One drifted close to Mergo’s chest to cast long, deep shadows over his face. His eyes grew just a hair wider, and his head tilted slightly to one side.

“Who cares if we lied to you? It’s for everyone’s benefit. It’s selfish of you to be upset. Besides, Dave, this is the truth now. After all, is there really a difference between the truth and a well-told lie?”

The psyshocks returned to scouting ahead, and like doffing a mask, Mergo returned to his previous self. He let out an amused snort. It only stung a lot.

“And then he finds out about that. Turns out I know what I’m talking about when I say that the truth is quite flexible.”

A beat. And not an iota of a second longer than that. The debate on whether or not to tell her didn't even have a chance to begin.

“And before you ask, no. That was a joke.”

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"Well, yeah. I imagine he'd be the opposite of flexible," Aria deadpanned, not missing a beat herself.

Swishing her paw through the air, she created a much-fainter psyshock of her own, before sticking it onto her chest spike in a poor imitation of what Mergo had done moments prior.

"About time they started questioning us, I suppose. Was that whole spooky routine for my benefit, or did you actually do something like that? And am I doing it right?"

 

[MadderJacker]

"N... Almost. It's not trembling enough," Mergo corrected, then held out a hand to conjure another of his own. It was a dim, shivering violet that seemed to suck some of the warmth out of the air. Its boundaries undulated and writhed, almost like it was alive. And as quickly as it came into being, it was dismissed. "The rest is passible. I don't see the warped conviction to make me fear for my safety."

One of many talents he had little pride in.

"I didn't do the lighting, but I was giving off that same feel, yes," Mergo continued. "He remained aggressive, but a few things I did made him jump half a foot in the air. It was a sight to behold, let me tell you."

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

Chuckling, Aria gave his arm a friendly swat. "I swear, you've got a talent for fucking around in the best ways possible. And hey, you know me. I prefer a more physical approach to making people fear for their safety."

 

[MadderJacker]

Mergo hummed. The physical approach was easy. And it was easily challenged by sheer conviction or rivaling strength.

"You know, I was fully expecting you to tell me off for that," he said. "Something about borderline harassment, or having better things to do with my time. Or whatever else. I didn't think you'd encourage my villainy. What, are you performing a heel turn as well?"

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

She shrugged in response. "It's not like you'd listen, and I trust you're mature enough to know when to rein it in. And besides, I'm not sure I like the implication that I'm some boring do-gooder all the time," Aria said, crossing her arms in mock-offense. "I know how to have fun!"

A pause.

"...Sometimes."

 

[MadderJacker]

"Mm. Well, your brand of non-do-gooder fun confuses me a little," Mergo admitted. Sometimes he could still hear Kora's scream of agony through the badge's microphone. How she never had to answer for those crimes, he'd never know.

"Maybe you could be my cohort if I go out again?" Mergo offered. "Or maybe my villain. I'm sure you picking up a persona shouldn't be too difficult. It's just a matter of believing it until--"

He paused for an instant, and that instant was all he needed to change masks. He let out a low, smug hum as he tilted his head just a bit to the side, letting his voice grow nasally and sharp and punchable.

"Until you're sculpted into the perfect weapon for our ploy to usurp the Blacklight for ourselves, and trap people here for another year of chaos that will finally manage to strain our handler to the point of exhaustion."

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"Quiet, you fool!" Aria snapped back, glancing around furtively. Her voice hadn't changed much, but the atypical sharpness in her tone served the same purpose. Or so she hoped. "Did you not see the lingering mistrust in their eyes? We could have people following us at any moment."

Never mind the open secret that she could sense anyone trying to trail them. Small inconsistencies belonged under the rug.

After a brief pause, her eyes settled back on Mergo. "...We're alone. Good. Don't forget that I'm only working with you to get revenge on that blasphemous Diyem," she spat, injecting the name with as much vitriol as she could muster. "Sabotage that with your recklessness, and I'll kill you myself."

 

[MadderJacker]

His character broke for a fraction of a second. That quickly? The last time Mergo had tried these things around her, she laughed but stayed out of it. Had she been practicing? How much time had passed for her?

And then there was a flash in his eyes, and he was back. Dark Lord Mergo scoffed and gave her pitiful (and presumptuous) threat a dismissive wave. "Please. I can say whatever I want and they'd believe me. You saw me spoon-feeding them lies during our last excursion, yes?

"'I'm like an egg,'" Mergo said, putting a heavy coating of saccharine sweetness into a parody of his usual business tones, "'and everyone wants me to hatch, but I'm afraid of revealing my true self.' 'I misjudged you, Sage. You're a chill guy when you want to be.' 'I know your pain, Danithan. The life of a soldier leaves a thousand invisible scars, and for as hard as it will be, you can overcome them.' 'Thank you, everyone, for loving me.' Et cetera et cetera."

Hm. That one hurt a lot more than expected.

He let out a sinister cackle as he raised a hand to partially cover his mouth. "Those fools will believe anything I tell them. They're practically feeding from my hand."

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

The fact that he cared to remember those moments spoke volumes, but Aria decided not to poke him about it just yet. She had a character to play, after all.

"Weaklings, all of them," Aria said, a scowl crossing her face. "Figure out what they want to hear, and it's child's play from there. So desperate to be acknowledged, so desperate to be coddled."

She turned and spat on the ground. "It was sickening, acting like I cared. And you... you put me up to it. I hope you're pleased with the results, because I'm never dealing with that nonsense again."

 

[MadderJacker]

“You were quite passable, so fear not. You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this ever again once we’re through with Diyem.”

The psyshocks dimmed, and a devious smile crossed his face as Mergo fell a few paces behind. “Yes, never again,” he murmured. “Once I usurp your power for myself, I will—“ he abruptly returned to his normal voice, “this is an inner monologue, you can’t hear me,” and then went back to his scheming performance, “—I will show those helpless fools what friendship truly means in the end. Hehehehe… Hahahahahaha!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA— ow.”

His head crest bumped straight into another low spot in the ceiling, and Mergo grimaced as he rubbed the front edge.