Poppin' Arms ~ Dorms

[Adamhuarts]

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[Adamhuarts]

After Ivy's great many adventures, she returned to the dorms for a quick detour. While rummaging around Cynthian and Icetales' room, she happened to find Cynthian's badge which he'd left next to his pot.

"So many shiny colors. What does this button do? Or this one?" Ivy said, browsing through the holographic menus as she walked down the hallway. "Ivy wants to have one these pocket things too!"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Having returned Vix to her room, Luz made her way back to the lounge, in search of new company. She found it before she even got there, in the form of a new familiar!

Well, this would certainly be interesting~

"Howdy!" she called. "I'm Luz. You a friendly sort, darlin'?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

Ivy turned towards the voice, and she kept looking up and up until she'd craned her neck all the way back.

"Whoa, you're tall!"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Sure am. I'm Brisa's familiar, a shade of the mythic hero Zeraora Luz! And who might you be, lil' lady?"

It remained to be seen what made this rose-shade the way she was, but Luz had a feeling she was Cynthian's familiar, and from what she remembered about him... she was probably a 'dark reflection'. The fact that she was so cheerful was downright fascinating.

"Guessin' yer new t'the world, huh?" she added, smiling.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I'm the Great and Mighty Ivy! Wait, did you just say you're hero?!!" Ivy's jaw dropped and her eyes glowed as bright as light bulbs!

"Whoa, Ivy is great and mighty, but you're even greater, and mightier!" Ivy said in an elated voice. "Ivy wants to become a hero too, just like Mama Rosa was!"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz beamed. "Well met, Great and Mighty Ivy! I took the form of a legendary folk hero from Brisa's memories, so that I might be a heroic warrior in this world!" She scratched her cheek fur in thought. "Seems t'be goin' okay so far."

She put her paws astride her hips and apprised the rose-shade looking up at her in wonder.

"Say, Ivy, if'n ya have the same aspirations as I do, I reckon we oughta be friends! What say you, darlin'?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Friends! Oh yes very much, Ivy would love to be Luzy's friend!" Ivy said with a wide smile and a short hop.

"Now Ivy has two friends! Luzy and Soul!"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

'Luzy'. That was genuinely... cute? Yeah, it was adorable!

"Well I ain't keepin' count but yer certainly among my first to put the word to it!" she replied, heartily. "So what's it like bein' friends with the Great and Mighty Ivy? Y'like battles, darlin'? That's what I'm all about. Food's good too, though..."

Luz had no intention of insulting Ivy's pride, but she'd been so excited about Luz' height...

"An' if we're goin' somewhere, wouldya care to take a perch on my shoulder, hon? We'll get around a mite faster that way I expect."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Well I ain't keepin' count but yer certainly among my first to put the word to it!" she replied, heartily. "So what's it like bein' friends with the Great and Mighty Ivy? Y'like battles, darlin'? That's what I'm all about. Food's good too, though..."

"Ivy likes food! Ivy had mochi things today with Wishkeeper. They were so yummy!" she said, almost drooling at the memory. "Oh, Ivy has never battled before. Ivy should learn to battle, so Ivy can become a hero too!"

"An' if we're goin' somewhere, wouldya care to take a perch on my shoulder, hon? We'll get around a mite faster that way I expect."

"Ivy will be honored to perch on Luzy's shoulder. To see the world from a high place will be lots of fun! Oh, let me show you something Ivy can do!" Ivy said with a chuckle. Ivy then propped herself up on her claw and stretched it to twice its length. It only managed to help her reach up to Luz's chest however.

"Look! Ivy's taller now!"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Impressive! That ain't somethin' I ever got the hang of."

Luz reached out a paw, such that Ivy could walk up her arm and settle on her shoulder.

"Where to, fellow familiar?" asked Luz, he whiskers twitching in excitement. "Shall we partake first in grub, or a throwdown?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Wherever you're going to take me, new friend!" Ivy said, walking up Luz's arm and hugging her head.

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[Cresselia92]

Only a few hours passed since Icetales and Cynthian visited the infirmary. Despite the latter’s explosion in battle, he managed to recover quicker thanks to the timely use of the Reviver Seed (and Icetales theorized that his friend’s mastery of Synthesis was also a factor in making him heal faster).

Icetales didn’t need much attention — only a few scratches here and there, and a good rest in a quiet place to let his body discharge the excess of Radiance.

As a result, they both were quickly discharged, and decided to go to their dorm to rest some more (as there were Pokémon who needed medical attention far more than they did) and to ponder about the entire situation.

The Ninetales was gazing outside of the window. From there, he could observe the attack frozen in time, with Joule radiating that malevolent Blacklight aura.

He narrowed his eyes and his ears drooped: what could they do to stop that threat? There must be something they could do! Like, they had worked so hard to come so far, they couldn’t just… give up. Right?

With a sigh, Icetales sipped some tea, which he held in a cup in his leftmost tail, and turned to Cynthian, his stare pensive. “Um… Are thou feeling swell, Sir Cynthian? Did thou recover properly, yes? If thou feel some pain anywhere, I could fetch a Sitrus or something.”

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian was lying on Mellow's bed while facing the ceiling with his eyes closed. His physical wounds had more or less healed, but there was still a dull numbness that permeated his entire being. Exploding earlier was definitely not fun, and Cynthian couldn't help but be concerned Astrid did that even more often than anyone. Was she feeling okay after going through all that? And he'd gone and dumped all his mental struggles on her. A pang of guilt coiled at his heart. He made a note to himself to apologize, and also check up on how she was doing...

“Um… Are thou feeling swell, Sir Cynthian? Did thou recover properly, yes? If thou feel some pain anywhere, I could fetch a Sitrus or something.”

"I've never once gotten drunk in my life, but I think I know what it's like to have a hangover now," Cynthian joked with a half hearted chuckle. He rolled over and opened his eyes to look at Icetales.

"How are you holding up, Icetales? Today has been a crazy day..." Cynthian squinted his eyes and groaned. He was trying his best not to think about the day's events, or the guillotine hanging over their heads in the sky.

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales hummed for a while to gather his thoughts, before sipping some more tea. His tails quivered and shook of snowflakes. "I have had more pleasant days, I cannot lie. This whole mission," he growled softly, "just a trap of that sirrah. And we still have no clue where Sword... Darkwhite is, and Joule has fired a lethal beam, and..."

He stayed silent for a while as the memories rushed in his mind, especially... the prison in the shape of a sphere. He shuddered and shook his head, refusing to think about it any longer.

"I am... concerned, and somewhat paranoiac now..." He sighed and placed the cup back on the table, a bit forcefully. "I despise feeling so... powerless, so directionless, so useless."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I am... concerned, and somewhat paranoid now..." He sighed and placed the cup back on the table, a bit forcefully. "I despise feeling so... powerless, so directionless, so useless."

Cynthian opened his mouth to speak, to give Icetales any kind of comfort and encouragement. The words froze in his throat. He couldn't comfort Icetales, because Icetales the words Icetales spoke were the same that blinded Cynthian's heart.

"I... I feel the same way, Icetales," Cynthian said. He had already begun to tremble as the emotions welled up inside him.

"I have lived my life wondering what meaning it had, why I couldn't be strong like others, and I've always pushed others away whenever things became too much for me. I even told me you couldn't help me days ago, even though you took cared of me during my hibernation... That was pathetic, wasn't it?" Cynthian said, wiping a tear off his face.

He sat upright, dizziness be damned, and gazed at Icetales solemnly.

"Do you know what the worst part is? If we fail here and return to our worlds, I'll go on living that same meaningless life, I'll forget every lesson I'd learned here, I'll become that same coward hiding in a flower shop all day long... I'll forget... I'll forget that I killed Mama Rosa." Cynthian said the last bit in almost a whisper, though Icetales would've probably heard it.

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales nodded in understanding as he heard Cynthian venting about his own frustrations. By judging the words he was pouring, he clearly needed to let things out.

Then, he mentioned their accident of a few days ago...

"I have lived my life wondering what meaning it had, why I couldn't be strong like others, and I've always pushed others away whenever things became too much for me. I even told me you couldn't help me days ago, even though you took cared of me during my hibernation... That was pathetic, wasn't it?" Cynthian said, wiping a tear off his face.

Icetales shook his head, before waving his forepaw to try to reassure Cynthian. "N-No, that was an understandable reaction. I should not have push--"

But then, his vocal cords muted and his eyes widened when a specific sentence reached his ears...

"I'll forget... I'll forget that I killed Mama Rosa."

"...What?"

A chilling silence filled the room, with Icetales struggling to understand what the Roselia in front of him said. No, it couldn't be. He... must have misread, right? He didn't just... hear those words.

...Right?

...

...But no. By looking at the solemn gaze on Cynthian's eyes, the tears that were about to swell and drop, the Ninetales understood that the Roselia meant every single word.

"Sir Cynthian, thou...?"

He froze and looked away, taking his time to assimilate the entire conversation. What was he supposed to say? That was... a heavy weight for sure, and he could only infer that it was an even bigger weight for Cynthian.

Calm... he needed to stay calm and rational. Better to understand the entire picture first -- surely there was some reason underneath, whatever that was. As such, he took a deep breath and stared intently at Cynthian. There wasn't any hatred or contempt in his gaze. Only perplexity.

"Thou were the cause... of the passing of someone," he muttered, keeping his voice as steady as he could. "...How, and why?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"...What?"

Cynthian's blood ran cold. Did Icetales hear him?

"Sir Cynthian, thou...?"

The silence that preceeded that question made Cynthian feel small and terrified. He could do nothing but sit there and wait for the condemnation, the reprimand and rejection to follow. If he got any of those from Icetales... his heart wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Thou were the cause... of the passing of someone," he muttered, keeping his voice as steady as he could. "...How, and why?"

Cynthian didn't see any hatred or any sign he was being judged in Icetales' eyes. That lifted a small weight off Cynthian's heart, but he still felt small and ashamed.

"I'll start from the beginning then... by telling you about my mother first. When I was a budew, I greatly admired Mama Rosa. Pokefolk used to call her the Nightshade Rose, and her name was known in most of the Water Continent for a time. Along with her colleagues, Ampharos Atlas and Mawile Venus, they were the most well known adventurers on the continent." Cynthian laid his flowers before him and his eyes drooped.

"I'd heard stories from her about all the kinds of adventures she had, the places she'd been and the experiences she'd formed. However, at some point Mama Rosa decided to move on from that. Atlas and Venus on the other hand went on to create what's known as the Expedition Society in my world." Cynthian sniffled. He huffed and bit his lips, but he couldn't beat around the bush any longer...

"As my mother's rosehip, I used to wonder why she didn't also join the expedition society and gone on to continue being the famous Nightshade Rose. At some point, I told myself I'd become like my mother had been and be someone amazing one day too. Pokefolk were going to look at me as Roserade Rosa's daughter and I'd make my mothers proud. However, things obviously didn't pan out that way...

"By the time I was five years of age, I was very restless and eager to reach the unrealistic dream I'd set for myself. I wanted to become a Roselia, and then a Roserade as quickly as possible. Mama Rosa would tell me every rose had their time to bloom, and though I would listen to her, no words could burn the drive I had. A certain day came and I was approached by Dark Matter..."

Cynthian lowered his face. He couldn't look Icetales in the eyes anymore, even as tears continued to stream down his face.

"Dark Matter said it'd give me what I wanted, to be like my mother, if I did it a few favors. At the time I didn't know it was Dark Matter, and I let it in. The next day that followed, I had taken a torch in hand, spread fire to the forest surrounding our village and... Mama Rosa came eventually. She tried to stop me, to reach out to me, but to no avail. Dark Matter had already taken control. I watched myself stab my mother right through the chest with a spike. I must've fainted right after, and she was already gone by the time I woke up..."

 

[Cresselia92]

Silence. Not a single word came out of Icetales' mouth as he listened to the story of Cynthian. He nodded a few times when he felt that Cynthian was on the point of hesitating or breaking down, to let him know that he could continue and he was listening. He had to listen, he had to understand, and... he had to get to know his friend better. That was the time.

Then, he frowned when Cynthian started crying, feeling his heart sinking, and then...

"Dark Matter said it'd give me what I wanted, to be like my mother, if I did it a few favors. At the time I didn't know it was Dark Matter, and I let it in. The next day that followed, I had taken a torch in hand, spread fire to the forest surrounding our village and... Mama Rosa came eventually. She tried to stop me, to reach out to me, but to no avail. Dark Matter had already taken control. I watched myself stab my mother right through the chest with a spike. I must've fainted right after, and she was already gone by the time I woke up..."

...Of course. That explained it all. A daemon approached Cynthian, offering him the thing he wished the most, without specifying what that would have entailed. Perhaps it was naive of Cynthian to accept so readily without asking about potential consequences, but that was some knowledge that could only be obtained in retrospect. Besides... daemons are deceiving, and excellent tricksters. He had a few issues with some of them in his own homeworld, and those experiences were not pretty.

Still, Cynthian didn't know. And who knows... perhaps even Icetales himself would have fallen to that trap, if he were in Cynthian's paws. As soon as the Roselia stopped talking, Icetales narrowed his eyes and looked at the ceiling. Yes... the pieces of the puzzle were starting to connect, at last. He nodded to himself and looked again at his roommate.

"Sir Cynthian... I appreciate that thou trusted me enough to tell me about thy past. That was most brave of thee. And... thy life was a true tragedy, I can tell this much." He rubbed his muzzle with his leftmost tail, trying to use words that wouldn't upset the Roselia any more. "But... that was not thy fault. Thou... did not know, thou were not aware of the malicious intents of the Dark Matter of thy world. And," he looked away, "I can see now... why thou did not trust Diyem."

Icetales paused to let the words sink in, his tails flicking erratically.

"...It is... horrifying what happened to thee and thy mother. I... cannot even fathom that." He took a deep breath, letting out a cloud of frost. He would have needed a stronger tea after that. "Thou were... a tool, however. Thy body might have spilled blood, but thy heart did not. In my world, some folks have fallen to similar stratagems... with similar results. I know how bleak and warped thy view of things must have become.

"However... I do not hate thee, nor think any less of thee. Because even though thy past is marred, this present showed who thou truly art. Thou art a hero, and many heroes were equally responsible of tragedies. But they kept going, because they knew that the folks who they have wronged would have wished them to go on." He beamed a tiny smile. "And... I am confident thy mother would not wish for thee to beat thee up like this, and already forgave thee from the twilight. Thou... need to forgive thyself, because this was beyond thy control."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I don't think I can say I'm free from any fault, Icetales. The worst thing about it all is that I forgot all about the incident. I could remember being in a fire, and that Mama Rosa died somehow. That was it."

Cynthian went silent for about half a minute and exhaled an exasperated sigh.

"What happened that night really messed me up. Since then, each time I try to get into something, I'd always feel a voice in my heart telling me to turn back and stay away. Even though I'd forgotten my fault, deep in my heart I always feared that wanting anything would make others around me hurt somehow." Cynthian raised his trembling flowers and evoked a soft whine. "If I had lived a life without want, without aspiring for anything and just staying put in a quiet corner of the world, would Mama Rosa have still been alive? Would my life have been better?

"What am I saying? Of course it wouldn't have been. I am my mothers' Rose, and even though I kept turning away from every other venture, I still kept trying to be like her deep down. Through the uneasiness, fear and confusing guilt I felt whenever I looked in the mirror and saw my mother's face, I still kept trying to be like her. I'd end up giving up on everything else, but that was the one thing I always clinged on. Even though I now it's my fault she's gone, I still want to be like her."

Cynthian buried his face in his flowers. "I... I miss her."