Diamondseed345
Pokémon Trainer
- Pronouns
- He/him
His sleep was dreamless, no nightmares of the experiments, nor fake memories of being a street rat. Nothing, nothing but darkness. Might that be better? There's a chance that a dreamless sleep might be better for him.
Hours later as the sun was setting, his eyes fluttered back open. His mouth felt dry, and he still felt tired, tired and thirsty. Luckily for him, he had a solution to his, a way to kill 2 birds with one stone. He went into the bathroom, and turned the faucet on above the sink. He used his hands as a makeshift cup to hold water, and drank through it. The water was cool and crisp better than anything he had in a long time.
After that, he splashed the water on his face. He could feel the individual icey rivulets running down his face, it had felt invigorating. It was refreshing even.
He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it, and after wiping his face, he looked at himself in the mirror. Every time he had seen his new complexion, his heart would sink. No part of who he once was remained, apart from his facial structure. His skin, now almost a pure white, with none of the scars left from before. Even from the amputation, as the FFE had covered up any scar from before he was dunked in that vat of goo. His eyes still had that glow to them, even with the toxic green color. What could you call it now? Was it still ambition?
To him, it looked as if his face was shifting to that of others.
His
Gladions
Lillies
Lusamines
It then shifted back to his. He was one of them. Their clone in every way, other than genetics as well as shape. Their brother. Her son.
Who would he even be considered now? A Yö? An Elsa-Mina? Wae he even anyone? Could he even be considered as nothing but a shell or who he once was? He wanted to be a Yö, he even felt like he was one. But then again, it felt like he was an Elsa-Mina, and he unconsciously felt as if Lillie and Gladion were his siblings.
You could say he could've been both. Both minds, the Foundations Heir and the future Alolan champion, melded into one. Melded into one, like gummy candies melting into a glob in a Summers heat.
Never the less, Elio knew what he had to do, melded minds or not. He had to press on.
But where would he he even go? Lusamine said that he had no family to go back to, what did she mean by that? Was he referring to Akari and Selene? Hala and Hau? He knew she had to be involved in his mothers and sisters disappearance, he knew what happened to Selene. But did she hurt them? He didn't want to think she did, but he knew it was a possibility.
He needed to know what happened, he had to know the truth, if she lied to him. She had no qualms lying to him when he was "hers." This felt no different. If she did... where could he go? Back to Aether Paradise? Even after escaping, Lusamines mansion still felt like home. Not a home away from home, but an actual home. A place where he could feel loved, and safe-
NO.
He went through so much at her hands, possibly had all connections to his "previous life" had been destroyed from what he knew. Hau, Hala, Akari, Selene, but what about Lillie and Gladion? He couldn't remember Lusamine saying anything about them being dead, Hell, they were the reason he was brought to Aether Paradise. Where would they be? Did they even try to find him? Now that he was out of that Hellhole, would he find them, or would they find him? Better question, would the Foundation find him before either could happen?
He had only one idea of who he could stay with, since Hau and Hala might not be an option, and Aether Paradise DEFINITELY wasn't. That idea, was staying with the professor. Kukui had basically been a father figure for him his whole life. Sure, he had Hala, but Hala felt more like a grandfather figure. But to him, both were family, even if they weren't bound by blood.
But just when any semblance of an idea was beginning to form in that fractured of his, his train of thought was interrupted by the news broadcast that had already been playing when he came in hours earlier. It had said something about... Lusamine? Elio didn't want to hear a thing about her, though something in the deep recesses of his brain drove him to investigate.
The live report seemed to be in a hospital, in front of a patients room. He recognized the reporter as the same one he had met a week earlier. He remembered how uncomfortable she had made him, with all the questions about the lie that was the life as a street-rat in Kanto. Would they still ask him about that now? Would he be lying if he were to give them what they wanted? Would they believe him if he told the truth?
"As you may know..." The reporter said.
"The President of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine Elsa-Mina, was the victim of a viscous attack. This attack is one of which she barely survived due to blood loss, the Aether Foundation wasn't able to do anything for her injuries, so she had to be airlifted to this hospital here in Malie City."
They opened the door, revealing Lusamine and her fall from grace, as well as a bodyguard that accompanied her. There had been a Soap Opera playing on the TV in the room, though it didn't seem like she had been very invested in the show. She still had the bandages over her face.
"Oh God... Mother!"
His eyes then seemed to pin for a moment.
"Did I just call her Mother again?"
He almost seemed to start panicking, though he managed to keep his cool.
He watched the interview, with his shock being kept inside, shock that Lusamine was still alive. He was quiet, patiently listening to what Lusamine had to say, as if he was hypnotized. What was discussed was what was typically discussed with Lusamine, except her schedule at the hospital was also discussed. She had apparently gone into Hypovolemic Shock soon after Elio had fled the mansion, and was currently too weak to walk. Sure, she was able to use her phone, or change the channel on the television, but she'd need a wheelchair to get around.
But then, she had mentioned something else, something completely off topic to her new situation.
"You... remember my youngest son... Elio, yes?"
"I believe so, why do you ask?"
"He hasn't visited me ever since I arrived here... not even a call."
"Is he usually like this?"
"No... I do remember him acting strange the last time I saw him though. He was... acting scared. This lead me to the conclusion that... for one reason or the other, he ran away."
"Well of course I would have been scared! You snuck up behind me!"
Tons of thoughts started to flow through the boys head.
'I thought I killed her!'
'How the Hell is she alive!?'
'Does she know where I am??'
But there was one other thought, an intrusive and unexpected one.
'I should have stayed with her... shouldn't I?'
"Why would he be scared enough of you to run away?"
"I... I don't know. I remember how shy he was... he always wanted to be alone, always spent his time alone in his room with his books."
Elios head started to hurt, and he almost felt light headed. Everywhere the needles had pieces his skull felt like it was pulsing.
The pain grew worse, and worse, until finally... it stopped suddenly.
"What did I do to drive him away?"
"I should have stayed with you... we could have been perfect together..." Elio mumbled, inching closer and closer towards the TV.
"Is there a chance that your kid was just a little brat? How could a kid that young even get off Aether Paradise?"
"I'm not a brat... I can be better... I can be perfect again..." He placed his hand on the screen, before pulling it back almost immediately.
"What the Hell?? Did I just say I was Perfect??"
He was only staring at the screen, at the faint reflection of himself.
"What... did I just do?"
A smile formed on his face as he stared at his reflection, one similar to Lusamines. One that asked "why the long face? You know what you are."
His expression then changed to one of distress.
"I must be delusional... I need sleep, that's all right??"
He tried his best to push out all the intrusive thoughts, about himself and Lusamine, and crawled back into bed.
He had his hands over his face as the headache came back, attempting in vain to soothe the pain. But oddly, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep, but it seemed that he woke up almost instantly.
He didn't wake in his bed at the motel however, but in a completely foreign land. No plants could be seen, nor a blue sky, but an inky black void could be seen overhead. The ground seemed to be made of linoleum, similar in its patterns to the design of the floor on Aether Paradise.
"Where am I?" Elio asked, not recognizing his new environment. But then, he could see something far in the distance, a large monolithic structure with a white light coming from its top.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he went to investigate this strange monolith. What he didn't expect to see though, was that the light came from what looked like a room on Aether Paradise, a bedroom to be exact. He could see a figure almost floating in that room, but upon closer inspection, he realized just who this figure was.
It was him, or at least a reflection of who he was. Their appearance had a half and half look it it, with one side of his body being Elios original skin tone, hair color, as well as eye color. The other side being what Lusamine had molded him into, the one that wore her complexion. He had been wearing the outfit which he usually wore before what happened at Aether Paradise, though here it seemed to be covered in dried blood.
The dried blood presumably came from him, as well as Lusamine, considering everything that had happened before and after his memories were wiped. But what he was wearing didn't matter, what mattered was what was happening.
Golden strings could be seen attached to their hands, arms, and head, supposedly the legs as well. though the strings attached to them seemed to have been cut,and they were just left to dangle freely. He was being directed to move through those strings, as they would be raised, and his arms would be raised. He couldn't yell what the "puppet" was being directed to do, but he could see who was directing him. Two pale hands, with the strings tied to the fingers, moving up and down to make the "puppet" move.
What did this even mean? Is there some external source trying to explain something to him?
Chapters end.
______________________
Hours later as the sun was setting, his eyes fluttered back open. His mouth felt dry, and he still felt tired, tired and thirsty. Luckily for him, he had a solution to his, a way to kill 2 birds with one stone. He went into the bathroom, and turned the faucet on above the sink. He used his hands as a makeshift cup to hold water, and drank through it. The water was cool and crisp better than anything he had in a long time.
After that, he splashed the water on his face. He could feel the individual icey rivulets running down his face, it had felt invigorating. It was refreshing even.
He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it, and after wiping his face, he looked at himself in the mirror. Every time he had seen his new complexion, his heart would sink. No part of who he once was remained, apart from his facial structure. His skin, now almost a pure white, with none of the scars left from before. Even from the amputation, as the FFE had covered up any scar from before he was dunked in that vat of goo. His eyes still had that glow to them, even with the toxic green color. What could you call it now? Was it still ambition?
To him, it looked as if his face was shifting to that of others.
His
Gladions
Lillies
Lusamines
It then shifted back to his. He was one of them. Their clone in every way, other than genetics as well as shape. Their brother. Her son.
Who would he even be considered now? A Yö? An Elsa-Mina? Wae he even anyone? Could he even be considered as nothing but a shell or who he once was? He wanted to be a Yö, he even felt like he was one. But then again, it felt like he was an Elsa-Mina, and he unconsciously felt as if Lillie and Gladion were his siblings.
You could say he could've been both. Both minds, the Foundations Heir and the future Alolan champion, melded into one. Melded into one, like gummy candies melting into a glob in a Summers heat.
Never the less, Elio knew what he had to do, melded minds or not. He had to press on.
But where would he he even go? Lusamine said that he had no family to go back to, what did she mean by that? Was he referring to Akari and Selene? Hala and Hau? He knew she had to be involved in his mothers and sisters disappearance, he knew what happened to Selene. But did she hurt them? He didn't want to think she did, but he knew it was a possibility.
He needed to know what happened, he had to know the truth, if she lied to him. She had no qualms lying to him when he was "hers." This felt no different. If she did... where could he go? Back to Aether Paradise? Even after escaping, Lusamines mansion still felt like home. Not a home away from home, but an actual home. A place where he could feel loved, and safe-
NO.
He went through so much at her hands, possibly had all connections to his "previous life" had been destroyed from what he knew. Hau, Hala, Akari, Selene, but what about Lillie and Gladion? He couldn't remember Lusamine saying anything about them being dead, Hell, they were the reason he was brought to Aether Paradise. Where would they be? Did they even try to find him? Now that he was out of that Hellhole, would he find them, or would they find him? Better question, would the Foundation find him before either could happen?
He had only one idea of who he could stay with, since Hau and Hala might not be an option, and Aether Paradise DEFINITELY wasn't. That idea, was staying with the professor. Kukui had basically been a father figure for him his whole life. Sure, he had Hala, but Hala felt more like a grandfather figure. But to him, both were family, even if they weren't bound by blood.
But just when any semblance of an idea was beginning to form in that fractured of his, his train of thought was interrupted by the news broadcast that had already been playing when he came in hours earlier. It had said something about... Lusamine? Elio didn't want to hear a thing about her, though something in the deep recesses of his brain drove him to investigate.
The live report seemed to be in a hospital, in front of a patients room. He recognized the reporter as the same one he had met a week earlier. He remembered how uncomfortable she had made him, with all the questions about the lie that was the life as a street-rat in Kanto. Would they still ask him about that now? Would he be lying if he were to give them what they wanted? Would they believe him if he told the truth?
"As you may know..." The reporter said.
"The President of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine Elsa-Mina, was the victim of a viscous attack. This attack is one of which she barely survived due to blood loss, the Aether Foundation wasn't able to do anything for her injuries, so she had to be airlifted to this hospital here in Malie City."
They opened the door, revealing Lusamine and her fall from grace, as well as a bodyguard that accompanied her. There had been a Soap Opera playing on the TV in the room, though it didn't seem like she had been very invested in the show. She still had the bandages over her face.
"Oh God... Mother!"
His eyes then seemed to pin for a moment.
"Did I just call her Mother again?"
He almost seemed to start panicking, though he managed to keep his cool.
He watched the interview, with his shock being kept inside, shock that Lusamine was still alive. He was quiet, patiently listening to what Lusamine had to say, as if he was hypnotized. What was discussed was what was typically discussed with Lusamine, except her schedule at the hospital was also discussed. She had apparently gone into Hypovolemic Shock soon after Elio had fled the mansion, and was currently too weak to walk. Sure, she was able to use her phone, or change the channel on the television, but she'd need a wheelchair to get around.
But then, she had mentioned something else, something completely off topic to her new situation.
"You... remember my youngest son... Elio, yes?"
"I believe so, why do you ask?"
"He hasn't visited me ever since I arrived here... not even a call."
"Is he usually like this?"
"No... I do remember him acting strange the last time I saw him though. He was... acting scared. This lead me to the conclusion that... for one reason or the other, he ran away."
"Well of course I would have been scared! You snuck up behind me!"
Tons of thoughts started to flow through the boys head.
'I thought I killed her!'
'How the Hell is she alive!?'
'Does she know where I am??'
But there was one other thought, an intrusive and unexpected one.
'I should have stayed with her... shouldn't I?'
"Why would he be scared enough of you to run away?"
"I... I don't know. I remember how shy he was... he always wanted to be alone, always spent his time alone in his room with his books."
Elios head started to hurt, and he almost felt light headed. Everywhere the needles had pieces his skull felt like it was pulsing.
The pain grew worse, and worse, until finally... it stopped suddenly.
"What did I do to drive him away?"
"I should have stayed with you... we could have been perfect together..." Elio mumbled, inching closer and closer towards the TV.
"Is there a chance that your kid was just a little brat? How could a kid that young even get off Aether Paradise?"
"I'm not a brat... I can be better... I can be perfect again..." He placed his hand on the screen, before pulling it back almost immediately.
"What the Hell?? Did I just say I was Perfect??"
He was only staring at the screen, at the faint reflection of himself.
"What... did I just do?"
A smile formed on his face as he stared at his reflection, one similar to Lusamines. One that asked "why the long face? You know what you are."
His expression then changed to one of distress.
"I must be delusional... I need sleep, that's all right??"
He tried his best to push out all the intrusive thoughts, about himself and Lusamine, and crawled back into bed.
He had his hands over his face as the headache came back, attempting in vain to soothe the pain. But oddly, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep, but it seemed that he woke up almost instantly.
He didn't wake in his bed at the motel however, but in a completely foreign land. No plants could be seen, nor a blue sky, but an inky black void could be seen overhead. The ground seemed to be made of linoleum, similar in its patterns to the design of the floor on Aether Paradise.
"Where am I?" Elio asked, not recognizing his new environment. But then, he could see something far in the distance, a large monolithic structure with a white light coming from its top.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he went to investigate this strange monolith. What he didn't expect to see though, was that the light came from what looked like a room on Aether Paradise, a bedroom to be exact. He could see a figure almost floating in that room, but upon closer inspection, he realized just who this figure was.
It was him, or at least a reflection of who he was. Their appearance had a half and half look it it, with one side of his body being Elios original skin tone, hair color, as well as eye color. The other side being what Lusamine had molded him into, the one that wore her complexion. He had been wearing the outfit which he usually wore before what happened at Aether Paradise, though here it seemed to be covered in dried blood.
The dried blood presumably came from him, as well as Lusamine, considering everything that had happened before and after his memories were wiped. But what he was wearing didn't matter, what mattered was what was happening.
Golden strings could be seen attached to their hands, arms, and head, supposedly the legs as well. though the strings attached to them seemed to have been cut,and they were just left to dangle freely. He was being directed to move through those strings, as they would be raised, and his arms would be raised. He couldn't yell what the "puppet" was being directed to do, but he could see who was directing him. Two pale hands, with the strings tied to the fingers, moving up and down to make the "puppet" move.
What did this even mean? Is there some external source trying to explain something to him?
Chapters end.
______________________