Poppin' Arms ~ Dorms

[Shiny Phantump]

"Oh, yeah! It looked like some kind of ghostly stuff right there," commented Petram, his tails swaying gently. "Hmm... Astrid... So maybe that was Hex, or some other Ghost move? After all, Vulpix have strong ties with spiritual powers, so perhaps that's what you manifested there?"

Soul nodded. "I think it was a hex. Definitely something ghostly like that."

Petram hummed in deep thought, before shrugging. "Heh, I don't have much experience with that, I'm afraid. Most I've done so is creating wisps and sparks."

"You could probably do it, too. I just did the thing you said, and looked into my stone. Find energy that's angry, and let it out. It's easy. It already wants to go out, you just have to let it."

 

[Cresselia92]

"...Huh, yeah, but I wouldn't want to... y'know, accidentally make the room burst into ghostly flames or something!" Petram laughed nervously, his tails wrapping around his hind legs. "I... don't think Daddy would appreciate that..."

Then, he blinked and hopped on his spot. "Oh! Oh! But I know where we could let that out: in the training rooms! Or, well, any place that is isolated enough, so that we can let all our ultra-awesome power explode as we please!" He grinned and wagged his tails. "Sounds like a good compromise, yup?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Soul thought that was a good idea. Here, they didn't have anything to target. "Sure! Let's go."

<><><><><>

 

[Adamhuarts]

Throughout winter, Cynthian had been inactive, half dead, asleep. His body had been seemingly blanketed by a cluster of dried brown leaves, which fell around him in his flower pot gradually. That was a sign that it was soon time to wake, and bloom once more.

By the time enough of the leaves had fallen to reveal Cynthian's face, anyone who could see his face would know that something was deeply wrong. His brows were furrowed, his lips quivering and his closed eyes dashing this way and that. Some days Cynthian appeared calm and peaceful, other days he was consumed by nightmares. No one could have known while he was covered in his shell of leaves, and one could only have known now that he was close to waking.

The leaves continued to fall one by one until there were just three left: the leaves on his shoulders and the large central one with the yellow crested midrib. His body trembled a few seconds later, then his eyes burst open and he gasped for air and wheezed.

His sudden movements threw him off balance and sent him falling to the ground along with the flower pot.

Cynthian's eyes were opened wide, confusion and fatigue evident in him. His breaths were steady. In and out. He tried to lift himself up, but could only manage to sit up on his knees. His flowers were both half-closed, and scentless.

"Am I awake?" Cynthian asked no one in particular. His vision was still blurry and he couldn't make out his surroundings clearly if he tried.

 

[Cresselia92]

Dormancy and hibernation were a foreign concept for Icetales. As a winter creature originating from snow-cloaked lands, the thought of sleeping throughout the frigid season was something that he had yet to grasp properly. It was ironic: while he became more lively and active during wintertime and more lethargic during summertime, his dear fellow Cynthian had fallen into that bizarre comatose condition to better survive the cold weather.

And he couldn't deny that he got terrified when Cynthian fell asleep and didn't wake up the next day. Nor the day after, nor the day after that. He initially believed Cynthian got some kind of unknown sickness, which couldn't even be removed with a Heal Seed, but the nurse was quick to reassure him that it was normal for Pokémon more connected to plants to sleep during winter and to wake up in spring. With that weight off of his chest, all he could do was wait and keep track of his friend's progress.

Though, he couldn't help but be concerned about the grimaces on Cynthian's face. Did he have nightmares? Pain anywhere? Enough water? Lack of nutrients? He followed the directions of the nurse accurately and even read some books about Roselia and Roserade. The body was fine and he was healthy, but what about the mind? If only there was some way to know... all he could do was wait.

And then, during a warmer day and while reading some books...

The leaves continued to fall one by one until there were just three left: the leaves on his shoulders and the large central one with the yellow crested midrib. His body trembled a few seconds later, then his eyes burst open and he gasped for air and wheezed.

His sudden movements threw him off balance and sent him falling to the ground along with the flower pot.

"Heavens!" Icetales jumped on his bed, startled by the sudden noise of clay hitting on the floor. He dug his claws into his pillow, tails quivering. "W-what was...?

"Am I awake?"

Icetales gasped. That voice! That meant...

He turned to the voice and his eyes widened -- Cynthian had just reawakened from his dormancy!

"Sir Cynthian!" cried out the Ninetales, removing his claws from his pillow. He hopped off of his bed with a graceful jump, before walking toward him and kneeling in front of the Roselia. He helped Cynthian sit with a single paw -- wow, only now he had realized how much bigger size he was, compared to his friend.

"Yes... thou art awake, Sir Cynthian. It's thy fellow, Icetales. How art thee feeling?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Icetales?" Cynthian asked with a lazy expression on his face.

Oh, how his body felt heavy despite being so small. Cynthian closed his eyes and huffed. The weariness in his body was slowly receding.

"I'm fine, I think. How—" Cynthian's opened his eyes, and with his clearer vision saw the large silver-grey fox in front of him. His instincts sprung up telling him to escape, though he could only manage a weak jerking back in his lethargic state.

"Who the heck are you?!" Cynthian said, though he realized moments later the speaker had introduced himself already and Cynthian should know who it was as a result. There weren't a lot of ice foxes he knew with a medieval accent like that, but it was too late to take back his question and Cynthian was too embarrassed to say anything else. So, he asked something else just as quickly.

"How long have I been asleep? What day is it?" Cynthian tried to stand, but his legs wobbled and he fell right back on his knees with a groan. He had never felt so tired and fatigued after a winter hibernation before in his life.

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales flinched when Cynthian almost stumbled backwards. Perhaps it would have been a much better idea if Petram was around to ease him back to the awake world. After all, seeing a 'mon four times your size sounded... frightening.

Alas, it was too late for that, so he took a deep breath and did his best to reassure his comrade.

"Yes. Um... I can see how my elongated form might be shocking for thee, heh heh," replied Icetales, smiling sheepishly. "But, well, voila? I am a full-grown Ninetales now, and..." He trailed off when he saw Cynthian trying to stand up, and gasped again when the Roselia fell again to his knees. "Golly! Dost not overexert thyself, Sir Cynthian!" He quickly extended one of his tails, offering some soft support. "Thou have been sleeping for almost three months, and the world is approaching the tail end of winter. Give some time to thy body to retrieve its balance, yes?"

Icetales tilted his head, wondering how else he could assist his friend. "Perhaps... Would thou desire some water to hydrate thy body? That might be helpful."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"You've evolved? I see. A shame I wasn't there to witness it," Cynthian said. A tinge of regret prodded at his heart, and then he recalled.

"I'm guessing the party celebration you'd been working on happened during my sleep too. Here's hoping it turned out well. I was no help with that at all, being asleep and everything." Cynthian paused and stared at his flowers. He didn't want to mention that he'd actually forced himself to hibernate earlier than he normally should or why. If only he hadn't remembered that memory when he did. Even as he spoke, the memory looped in his mind, constantly reminding him of back when... Back when...

It shouldn't matter too much if Icetales didn't ask to know really.

"I have missed out on so much. What has been going on with the worldly affairs? Any closer to solving the mystery of the blacklight? What became of the fused legends? Has Maple recuperated from fighting that other Bahamut? Please, tell me everything."

Tell me everything so I can stop thinking about THAT Cynthian barely stopped himself from uttering. He veiled his feelings behind a tired, forced smile.

 

[Cresselia92]

"You've evolved? I see. A shame I wasn't there to witness it," Cynthian said.

"Oh, my evolution happened without much fanfare, to be fair. Only Sir Cabot was there to witness the moment I... gained three extra tails and an increased body mass." Icetales scratched his cheek with a paw. "And I did not desire fanfare, either. I merely retrieved my original form, nothing more than that."

"I'm guessing the party celebration you'd been working on happened during my sleep too. Here's hoping it turned out well. I was no help with that at all, being asleep and everything."

Ah, yes. The festival. Yes, it was a pity Cynthian couldn't be there to participate. Poor fellow wanted to participate to it so badly...

Hm. Well, perhaps there could have been some other time to celebrate!

"Yes, everything went without a hitch," responded Icetales, flashing a reassuring smile. "And worry not about not being able to help. Cannot fault thee for thy body's needs, after all. There could always be an encore, thou never know!"

To further reinforce his reassurance, he wagged his free tails in an almost hypnotic motion.

"I have missed out on so much. What has been going on with the worldly affairs? Any closer to solving the mystery of the blacklight? What became of the fused legends? Has Maple recuperated from fighting that other Bahamut? Please, tell me everything."

Icetales puffed out his chest. "Well! Thou have asked to the right 'mon! I might be one of the few members of the cortege outside of Sir Owen to keep a journal about the various events!"

With a graceful leap, the Ninetales landed beside his bed and reached out for some note-pads with four of his tails. Then, he walked in front of Cynthian and laid on his side, both to see his comrade at eye level and to extend one of his tails behind his friend. "Dost not hesitate to lean onto my tail for comfort, if thou so desire." He grinned. "My tails are curse-free, and... this shall take some time! I would not want thee to exhaust thyself after sleeping for so long."

Icetales dragged a notepad forward and flipped it open. "So, here we go..."

Spoiler: Icetales's Notes

The Unexplainable Disappearance of our Common Patron

I can still feel my core shaking: Diyem is gone? Like, our patron has disappeared without a notice? Without a warning? Without a... goodbye?

What would happen to us if our bodies were destroyed in battle? Would we disappear from existence, or... something else?

Also, we got a few members in our cortege: Saltriv Chikorita and Shiron Mudkip. They have been summoned by Diyem some days ago and accidentally misplaced. Could there be a correlation between their temporary missing status and our patron's disappearance? I should investigate further, and perhaps the reporter Puff Cinderace can help...

The Ultra Stones evolved!

This took me by surprise! Petram, the Ultra Stone that accompanied me all this time, suddenly awakened and took the shape of a fire Vulpix pup! He... behaves similarly to Firetales, I have noticed, and the other hatched stones seem to have drawn their shapes from memories of their "owners", too. That is both spooky and interesting at the same time. However, all of them are friendly, so there is nothing to be worried about?

But golly! I... I can be a father here! And I shall treat Petram with all the care in the universe.

Lord Rayquaza is angry at us! And that Lucario seems angry, and knows Darkwhite, too!

So, Lord Rayquaza challenged us, claiming that we were Heralds of the Darkness or something along those lines (how fitting!), and he was accompanied by a Lucario named Shield and a platoon of six soldier Pokémon: a Typhlosion, an Alakazam, a Weavile, a Magnezone, a Gengar and a Crobat. They speak weird... is that ancient Pokéspeech? Sounds like it, but I didn't get the chance to listen to them. After all, there was no time to talk while battling for our survival!

Those soldiers normally reside in tiny spheres, and inside two of those there were Queen Kyogre and King Groudon, too! That seems something taken from human technology. How intriguing... is there something that those humans cannot do? Are they physical gods? They seem to be allied with that former human. Silver, if I am not mistaken.

Anyway, that Lucario, Shield... he knew Darkwhite. Apparently, her true name is Sword, and she used to be a Charizard in old times (golly, this world seems to love ice 'pix and char' very much... not that I am complaining!). And it seems like they both came from Telum, the destroyed homeworld of Maple aka Blade. It appears that there are more survivors than the God Squad expected...

Failed Translations

So, something bizarre happened: we all began talking unknown languages! It seems that the universal translation offered by Diyem was losing his effect.

Diyem, where are you?

A Lab Underneath Isle of Light

Darkwhite is now on our side. Yes, even I am in disbelief as I am writing down this note. I joined the search party to look for more information about the various invaders, and we found more human technology. And oh golly it's so hard to write this bbut we also found some crystals that belong to Joule, Maple/Blade's partner. We also managed to free a small Ho-Oh named Brulee and the three mighty beasts (Entei, Raikou and Suicune), but before we could free the giant Ho-Oh we fell into a trap. Giovanni, the human-turned-psychic, found us and we were forced to flee with whatever we could get. Also, Maple's Ultra Stone turned into a copy of Joule... yes, that did not go too smoothly. However, we managed to comfort her, and we got ready for whatever was to come.

Also, we got a new teammate: Ribbon Hitmontop. Petram seems to like him very much. I should meet him someday...

Darkwhite Loses Control of her Corruption!

So, while amazed that Darkwhite/Sword managed to free Queen Ho-Oh by herself and made her battle us (so that we could clear the corruption, apparently), something horrifying happened. The corruption infesting Darkwhite/Sword became too much for her to handle, and she turned into an abomination with five heads. Something called Eternatus, from what I have found out. We managed to help her and found out that she has an Ultra Stone. But who is her owner? And why does she look so different from other animated Ultra Stones?

However, we have been attacked by... something, and Darkwhite/Sword is currently missing. Could Giovanni be responsible? If so, what does he want from her? Were our efforts for nothing?

But wait... Diyem? We heard him for a brief moment, and he seemed imprisoned somewhere. What is happening? I do not understand yet, but I shall find out!

"...And this is a brief rundown of the most relevant occurrences that happened throughout this winter," said Icetales as he closed the last notepad. "I know this is a lot to unpack, so feel free to ask for further enlightenment, if thou need it."

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian leaned against his friend's tails and listened to him narrate. The first revelation surprised him as much as it unnerved him. Diyem had disappeared? Had he abandoned them in another world and left them to their fates? Will Cynthian ever get to see Mama Zahra again? A renewed horror shook Cynthian at his core, but he said nothing, and Icetales continued.

He listened to the rest of Icetales' journal recital. More fights against legendary pokemon, some Lucario, and Darkwhite actually became a temporary ally? That was certainly amusing. It made it all the more a shame she was missing too. Both she and Diyem vanished without a trace after the others had fought a battle? Perhaps the latter didn't abandon them on his own then. Cynthian scorned himself for jumping to conclusions, though his fears about not being able to go back home still scared him.

"You've all been through a lot. Just wow. So much has happened. And here I was, sleeping while all of that happened," Cynthian said with a tired sigh.

"I should have stayed awake through the winter and helped. Hibernation isn't mandatory for me. As long as I stayed somewhere warm like Treasure Town, I wouldn't have needed to resort to it." Cynthian wrapped his arms around himself and sighed. "I would've been no good either way. I was unfit to fight with what weighed on my mind. Hibernating is supposed to rejuvenate oneself after the fact, so I thought I could get better. Evidently, it didn't work. In fact, I'm worse off now than before I'd slept. I played myself, and this is the price I paid. That's all there was to it."

Something stirred inside his flower pot, but Cynthian hadn't noticed yet. Perhaps Icetales might have seen the ultra stone rocking back and forth, it's intensity increasing with every word that left Cynthian's mouth.

 

[Cresselia92]

"I should have stayed awake through the winter and helped. Hibernation isn't mandatory for me. As long as I stayed somewhere warm like Treasure Town, I wouldn't have needed to resort to it."

"Sir Cynthian, thou couldn't have known. Nobody could have predicted the events that were to occur, so dost not blame thyself for allowing thy body to... well, fall dormant and recover from the stress and fatigue." Icetales beamed a small reassuring smile. "I am confident no one will hold this against thee."

"I would've been no good either way. I was unfit to fight with what weighed on my mind. Hibernating is supposed to rejuvenate oneself after the fact, so I thought I could get better. Evidently, it didn't work. In fact, I'm worse off now than before I'd slept. I played myself, and this is the price I paid. That's all there was to it."

Icetales frowned at hearing that. Did his memories of his past plague Cynthian or something? Often the Ninetales had fallen into deep nightmares and felt even more drained the next day. He wondered if it was the same for the Roselia.

"Thou cannot claim that for certain. And again, thou merely did what thou believed was best for thy mental health. Even if thou art a member of a cortege, thou must not forget to take care of thyself. If thou art not in tiptop shape, thou might not pull thy full weight during battles, and might end up being an easier target," pointed out the Ninetales, before waving his paw. "Dost not get me wrong, however! I don't mean that thou art not a capable fighter or anything like that, but merely that thou should recognize thy limits and strengths, and not drain more stamina than what thou have."

Then, Icetales perked up and his ears swiveled toward the pot. A strange noise came from Cynthian's bed and he stared at it suspiciously. "Sir Cynthian, if I am not too indiscreet, huh... what dost thou keep in thy pot?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

Thou cannot claim that for certain. And again, thou merely did what thou believed was best for thy mental health.

"I didn't do what was best for my health or anything like that!" Cynthian rebuked, raising his voice in frustration. He caught himself and closed his eyes and shook his head, then he sighed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. It's just... I have a habit of running away from my problems whenever things get rough, and I know because I've been told that before already. This time was no different. I'm just..." Cynthian murmured that last part and hung his head low in shame, and guilt. He didn't need Icetales telling what he already knew. Cynthian knew what his limits were, and it wasn't a particularly high bar. How pitiful.

Then, Icetales perked up and his ears swiveled toward the pot. A strange noise came from Cynthian's bed and he stared at it suspiciously. "Sir Cynthian, if I am not too indiscreet, huh... what dost thou keep in thy pot?"

Cynthian turned his head in confusion. The moment he did, something long and ghastly grey sprouted up from within the pot. She swung down and gripped the edge of the pot with with a grotesque claw, and then came a screech from the pot as the rest of the creature revealed herself.

Standing on Cynthian's pot was what almost looked like a Roselia, but everything was wrong. She had two hollow glowing eyes and a crack tearing from the right eye extending halfway around her cranium. As if sensing Icetales there, she raised her face and slowly opened its mouth to reveal rows upon rows of sharp crystalline teeth.

Cynthian couldn't take his eyes off the creature. He did nothing watched her raise a stubby charred arm to prod at its right side head spike, which looked crudely broken off.

"I... I LIIIIIVE!!!" the creature shouted in triumph. She looked directly at Icetales, then laughed with great vigor briefly. Cynthian thought her entire behavior was in stark contrast with her horrifying appearance. "Rejoice, for you are in the presence of the soon to be great and mighty IVY!!"

 

[Cresselia92]

'Blood running cold' was a concept that Icetales didn't know, but he believed what he was feeling was very close to that. As soon as the distorted Ultra Shade emerged from the pot, his ears instinctively pinned against his head and his fur stood on end, while a faint mist seeped from his tails.

"By the stars of Sir Jirachi..." he mumbled as he sat up, while his tails spread in a wheel shape to make himself look bigger. Not that it served any purpose as he was already thrice as tall compared to the figure, but it helped his nerves at least.

"I... I LIIIIIVE!!!" the creature shouted in triumph. She looked directly at Icetales, then laughed with great vigor briefly. (...) "Rejoice, for you are in the presence of the soon to be great and mighty IVY!!"

Oh, that Ultra Shade already gave herself a name and already had quite the attitude. Huh. That was quick.

Icetales cocked an imaginary eyebrow. 'Looks like Sword has a potential roommate, for whenever she comes back...'

Well! It's not like he hadn't dealt with daemons in his homeworld. He could do that, if only to give some boost in confidence to Cynthian. As such, he cleared his throat and let himself relax. The tails shook off the rigidness in their muscles and waved gently, emulating his retrieved chill attitude.

"Ah, pleased to make thy acquaintance, Miss Ivy," responded Icetales with an even tone, staring at the distorted Roselia. "Hm. What is thy connection with Sir Cynthian, if I might ask? The memento of a friend of his, or... someone else?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Ah, pleased to make thy acquaintance, Miss Ivy," responded Icetales with an even tone, staring at the distorted Roselia. "Hm. What is thy connection with Sir Cynthian, if I might ask? The memento of a friend of his, or... someone else?"

"You want to know who I am? You want to know what I am?" Ivy cocked her head to the left and smiled. She did not speak until a moment later.

"I am the dreams and fears of a broken one," she said with unfazed earnestness.

Cynthian remained where he sat and said nothing. He knew exactly why she was acting the way she did, or why she looked the way she did. Just looking at Ivy made him feel disgusted, sickly and hollow deep down.

As for Ivy, she paid no heed to Cynthian at all. He may as well have not been in the room together with them.

"I have introduced myself, giant fox. Now you must introduce yourself as well!" she demanded from Icetales.

 

[Cresselia92]

"I am the dreams and fears of a broken one," she said with unfazed earnestness.

“Well, isn’t that a most flashy title,” replied Icetales, staring curiously at the Shade. “So, thou art basically the phantom form of Sir Cynthian’s psyche, hm? Very curious appearance thou took. It sure leaves an indelible memory on anyone who beholds such uniqueness.”

‘And a mind analyst would have a field day with thee.’

As they would with thee, son.

‘Not now.’

"I have introduced myself, giant fox. Now you must introduce yourself as well!" she demanded from Icetales.

“I believed thou knew who I am from Sir Cynthian’s memories… anyway, I shall introduce myself.”

Icetales bowed courtly, holding a paw in front of his chest and flicking some snowflakes with his tails.

“My name is Icetales, son of Ninetales the Magnificent. Welcome to this brave world.”

Mentioning his father still felt bitter on his mouth, but he kept a composed appearance. Then, he glanced at Sir Cynthian, who seemed lost and disgusted.

“Um, Sir Cynthian? What is the matter?” He could already guess that his friend didn’t like that turn of events, but he hoped to hear a response from him.

 

[Adamhuarts]

“I believed thou knew who I am from Sir Cynthian’s memories… anyway, I shall introduce myself.”

Icetales bowed courtly, holding a paw in front of his chest and flicking some snowflakes with his tails.

“My name is Icetales, son of Ninetales the Magnificent. Welcome to this brave world.”

"No, I most certainly don't remember you from anywhere. The only thing I remember is..." she briefly glanced at Cynthian and looked away at once. "And then the Roserade, and then the fire, and fire, and burning..."

Ivy pressed her lips together and stared blankly at Icetales. She tapped repositioned her claw while scrapping bits of the top. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you Icetales, son of Ninetales the Magnificent!"

Without warning, Ivy hoisted herself over their heads with her claw and landed in front of the door. "This meeting has been a pleasure, but I must go. The path to greatness lies behind this door, and I must answer my calling! Farewell!"

Ivy headbutted the door open, dragged her claw behind her and she was gone.

“Um, Sir Cynthian? What is the matter?” He could already guess that his friend didn’t like that turn of events, but he hoped to hear a response from him.

Cynthian didn't reply to Icetales immediately. He stared at the still open door where Ivy had left, and his face held an emotion that would be hard to put into words.

"The dreams and fears of a broken one, she says..." Cynthian muttered to himself in melancholy.

Cynthian turned to face Icetales with a bitter smile. "I hope your familiar is a mirror you like to look at Icetales. I really do."

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales blinked once, then he blinked again as he registered the silence that fell as soon as Ivy left. He tilted his head, staring blankly at the door. “Well, this… was quite the encounter.”

Cynthian turned to face Icetales with a bitter smile. "I hope your familiar is a mirror you like to look at Icetales. I really do."

Ouch! Icetales couldn’t help but feel guilty at being told so, almost as if he should be ashamed that his Ultra Shade had taken the shape of enthusiastic pup who only wanted to help his daddy. It’s not like he influenced his Shade in some way… right?

Golly… How was he supposed to respond?

“Huh, well…” He scratched his ear with a hind paw, while his eyes looked toward the ceiling, as if looking for answer there. “My… familiar is not a mirror. Not entirely, at least. He… inherited some traits from a friend of mine at home and… some traits from my pup self. He is… a half-blood, basically.”

Okay, he didn’t feel like that helped much, and he took a deep breath. Why, oh why must things always go downhill?

“…I am sorry, Sir Cynthian. For… whatever is plaguing thee and that manifested as, well…” he motioned toward the door, before clawing at the floor, “thou know. If there is anything I can do, just say the word.” He stared at Cynthian with a sad gaze. “I am thy friend. I desire to help.”

 

[Adamhuarts]

“…I am sorry, Sir Cynthian. For… whatever is plaguing thee and that manifested as, well…” he motioned toward the door, before clawing at the floor, “thou know. If there is anything I can do, just say the word.” He stared at Cynthian with a sad gaze. “I am thy friend. I desire to help.”

Cynthian looked at Icetales with trembling eyes. He was so emotional and so on the verge of tears that he almost told Icetales everything down to the last detail. However, Cynthian held his tongue and pursed lips.

What would Icetales think of him if he knew? Would he still see him the same way even? Would he still be so eager to lend a hand? Cynthian couldn't tell him. The fear of losing a friend was too much to bear.

"I appreciate the offer, but no one can help me. I just... I'm sorry."

 

[Cresselia92]

"I appreciate the offer, but no one can help me. I just... I'm sorry."

No one can help me.

Icetales felt his heart squeezing… hard. That hopeless gaze, and those words… why did he feel like he was looking at the reflection of his own soul?

‘Because I’m a lost cause. I am…’

No. No. He couldn’t falter. Not there, not in that moment. Mindful to keep his ice powers in check, he lowered himself to the floor and reached out for Cynthian with a paw, holding him on his chest.

“It is all right, Sir Cynthian…” he said with a gentle voice. “Whatever it is… I shall not abandon thee. I promise.”

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian gazed at Icetales with lowered eyes and lightly held onto the paw on his chest with his flowers.

"You're truly a kind heart, Icetales. I appreciate your care, but such kindness is wasted on me."

By then, Cynthian had enough energy in his body to stand up on his own. So, he did. His head still hung low, he continued to speak. "If you must know, I'm a pokemon without worth. I tore down my own future with my own hands. I know now that I deserved every hardship, every pain and every bad day I've had to live through... Truffle was wrong about me, but it doesn't matter anymore now anyway."

Cynthian had a strange acceptance on his face. It was painful, but he wasn't going to cry, and no one should cry for him either.