Pokémon The Future Between Us

[K_S]

Chapter 5 response

Aw man panic attack.. I was hoping i missed the mark but cue avrens internal screaming... And imposture syndrome... Ouch pain 101 here we come.

Ai-tur is possibly trying compression/grounding? The motions seems too big for celebi...

Honestly having lived through and seeing a panic attack firat hand i vote both were scared out of thier minds for different but simular reasons...

Except celebi who has the authors cliff notes for this piece... As the perk of being a time god/critter/avatar.

I'd argue that ai-tur would be limited in what he could be but his wildly different personality and descisions made in the clutch would point to the fact that he has the ability (w a ton of effort) to do his own thing aka be his own person.

Just saying..

I'd point out that thanos "loved" his daughter gamora and murdered her to forward his plots anyway... While not on that scale i'd say organic tur' definitly is of a simular stripe...

Ok mild confession... I kinda hoped that celebi's data dumping/comunications with ai-tur' would have looked like an email for the ai or like threads of code... Ah well.

Snorts... And ai-tur' s already plotting an escape route with safty measures and back up plans just in case... Fittting... And i am curious if avren finds mortality "depressing" or if acknowleding the limit instead is the true downer...

Laughs... Nah i just went all logical and bumped into the next plot point by accident.

 

[K_S]

Chapter 6 response

Yeah gotta admit being told off as irrational by an ai has gotta sting. Especially when the burn is directed at a man of science...

And somewhere/somewhen organic-tur' is rolling in his grave. And no one with any sense cares...

I am surprused celebi isnt chilling with a bag of popcorn... But supportive nodding is a close second.

i suppose ai-tur' hould be happy he isnt in alola... Pikipek mistaking you as a literally tree could go very badly...

Still i suppose being his own wild critter camera does have his perks in the research game... If oak was alive in this verse/timeframe i could imagine him going nuts for all the discoveries that a casual conversation with ai-tur' could dredge up.

Or worse a swarm of joltik smelling his electric/energy source...

Yeah that sounds like a good reason to coax ai-tur' back to modern times. Bugspray, bird deturents, and backup.

Granted time travel schenanigans/new world exploring also sound like a good reason to linger a while...

When ai is gripping celebi i kept seeing the owl house scene with the squeaky toy... Then as the cast dig into deeper anxieties and then i remember bumpkins and his dog toy stress squeeze scene.

And i cant find a gif or image.. Figures...

Meh i could see ai-tur' being made in the "what if" even if turo didnt go around the twist... Ego and all that.

Them hashing out the could have beens of thier shared history is interesting.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I'm very attached to their relationship and it's a shame they get such little dialogue with each other in canon.

I don't think Celebi would know how to send data like that, frankly haha. It probably knows people who can but they're in other times.

Yeah, the conflict between "your father truly loved you" and "your father was a terrible person who abused us both" and both of those being true statements is one of the things that drew me to this whole storyline.

 

[K_S]

Chapter 7 response

I suspect avern would like bio-tur' to actually appologize and give approval and thats making things complicated between ai-tur' but letscall that a pet theroy and let it go at that.

Laughs. Love how avern just called it and shot down ai's verblal tic of correcting... Even if its not right this time...

Well to quote peanuts " if you acknowledge there is a problem then all is not lost"... Well paraphraise... But still...

To summerize... Avern acknowledges the damage and the seperation (which for avern might be another damage honestly, not to sure how the ai feels about total social issolation.) And goes ouch as a result.

Tips head. I suspect these panic fits and emotional overloads arent going to slow until some therepy happens and perhaps some distance from the pain...

Hmm i wonder if its less a cycle and more a spiral (ascending or descending it could go either way). And celebi is like... I am granting you privacy, use it well.

Well ai's using it well to say the least.

And avern is pulling the guilt card in cyber dad...

And the ai dodges like a pro. He is havong his happy reunion...self updating and exploring until hes ready if ever to cross times to rejoin the present...

I've personally never understood that amgle honestly. The logic vs emotions divide. You can be emotional, or logical, or both depending on time, circumstances, and personality... They just are and wrangling with them is a "you just do" sort of thing. Its a angle i havemt seen any protag in the mon verse take up and kinda seems one of the mainthe roundabout co flicts throughout the series (points to n and cyrus nd a few other executives/syndicates) .

And those fun contradictions are really common in the mon verse.. Suoer comon... So much so i would rec a whole imaginary planet to take compitent parenting courses... Yeesh.

And averns request at the end of this chapter is going to dig up so much pain (pun uttelry unintended.)

 

[K_S]

Chapter 8 response

I kinda think the joys cognetive dissodence are definitly going to be ai-tur' and avrens main default reaction to turo for the rest of thier lives. Free mental gymnastics for.everone who encountered the original and his mad schemes...

So does ai. Have the means to catch any mon after he released his original team?

While i figure the "just gone" is a kick in the teeth for averns and ai-tur' with thier grief and what nit it feels pretty fitting after everything the guy did.

Yeah i was gunna say "some mons likely to scuff the writing out" but ai-tur' beat me to it.

Coughs... Yeah considering how broken the school system is in this verse i suspect averns being wildly optimistic... I mean theres a whole team of preyed upon students that had to form gangs for protection.. Tame pg ranked ganga... But still...

Yeah the "could of been" tango is never a fun one... Especially on this level...

Between that and avern poking at the wound of how his father died... Yeaj rough times for them both.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

To be fair the school got a lot better once Clavell took over. It was under Harrington that the abuse that led to Star's formation occured. Clavell has shown himself to be a much better and more caring headmaster who gets to the bottom of things and speaks personally with students in need. And heck he also knew Arven's parents personally, even worked with them, so this is his own loss as well. Arven has no shortage of people to rely on if he reaches out to them.

 

[K_S]

Chapter 9 response

I really hope avern believes ai-tur' and his stated preference/status as an asocial soul. Converstaion and people arent a need and that is probably pivitol in the ai retaining his sanity in this timepoint.

Its a fine point between liking yet not needing others and i'm not 100% sure avern can get that...

And thus we see friend zone get applied in another way... It says a lot that while ai-tur is reaching for familial connection avern is going the friend route.

I'd argue considering they share a "father" they could be brothers, or perhaps uncle and nephew, but i dont see ai-tur pushing on that... I see the ai just accepting whatever is offered as he seems a bit laid back.

The ai's chatter about saddness brings to mind an old mental health comic where a man is talking to his cat. Describing his illness as "a coming saddness" and hes encouraged to remember that its a "passing" saddness.. That it'll leave eventually, they just have to wait it out...

Ai-turs advice is something of a simular vein.

At least they are both getting some closure from this meeting still abern probably whistled celebi over with his "bet he's coming back aaaany minute" line.

Personally if i was a trainer and my mon flitted up to me ears,slicked back and weary iwould be like "and whatd you pick a fight with now?". Honestly i get the impulse when i hear scuffling and my cat slinks out of a room i am not in to get to me. Considering this is celebi insuppose asking that question would lead to some "interesting" answers.

Well that winds up that though i do have to wonder how averns friends back home felt about this adventure (if they knew about it) and what reveption the guy will get when he does get home...

Added on chapter 10 response because 10 was so short...

Well that ended on a note of vauge optimism with a dash of partial healing... For celebi the adventure continues... For avern its a long healing road ahead and some even longer explainations... Out of curiousity are you going to be incorperating the dlc matter into this tale or are you content with where its ended now?

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

This story ends here but I'm hoping to do another fic, unconnected to this one (because I don't want a set future for this story) where the AI returns to the present. I just hope the DLC doesn't overturn that idea at all...

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

A little update--this story won Best Fanfic at Kumoricon 2023 yesterday~

 

[K_S]

Congrats!

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, been going around and knocking off a few targets from my reading list plus teeing up stories that I might get back to during Week 2 and onwards, when I noticed this one. Though an AI Turo story, huh? There’s been a few of those floating around even if I’ve never really read any of them yet.

Always a chance to change that! So that sounds like as good a reason to try this story out:

Chapter 1

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

Zero Lab was as still and quiet as Arven had left it, only the sounds of his steps across the dirty floor to distract him from his mission. Behind him, the small pokémon, the result of his own mad quest that had taken him to the other side of the world twice over, hovered. He caught a glimpse of it in one of the somehow still functioning monitors, seeing it glancing about at the unfamiliar environment.

"We're not far. Do you still feel it?"

Well, that’s obviously not his Maschiff. I wonder if that’s the Celebi from the story’s tags.

The creature buzzed slightly, affirming his question.

His hand tightened around the flute, the strange instrument he had found in an oasis town that he somehow knew the moment he had touched it could only be played one time.

Okay, yeah, it’s Celebi. Though damn, he went all the way out to Orre for a chance to get his dad back properly, huh?

One time is all that it would take. But he wouldn't be the one playing it.

Well then, that’s unexpected. Though I wonder who is doing the honors, then?

"Down here," he signaled to his companion. It hesitantly followed him into the elevator, and the long, silent descent into the deepest part of the lab.

What remained of the time machine still dominated the room, and in the now dim light seemed to Arven almost like the moonlit shrine in that far distant forest. With a sigh, he put his hand to it, remembering the revelation that the treasured Violet Book he had carried had been a key component to shutting the system down once and for all.

… And now he’s trying to start it up. Again.

"...What if we get there and he's..." He stopped and shook his head. "No, if that happens, we can just turn around and come back. I'll just know is all. Nothing will really change if that's the case, right?"

His companion cocked its large head.

Oh, so his companion’s Celebi. Or at least I think that’s the implication there.

"You're right. We should just go there. So you can feel the time energy, right? It's enough to follow?"

"Biii bii"

Whelp, there’s our confirmation there.

He sighed with a bit more relief than he thought. His idea was foolish and stupid and potentially reckless but he had put too much time and energy to it to turn back.

"I really am my father's son," he muttered with a bit of poison to the words. "All right, I think I'm ready." With a shake to his fingers, he reached out a hand.

Under his feathery, hesitant touch, Celebi began to glow.

Ah yes, time to see how quickly we wind up in that Bubsy meme’s territory, since you just know that this attempt is going to cause problems

Chapter 2

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

When Arven opened his eyes, the only change was that the lights were on. The mirrored room was the same as he remembered, the shuttered time machine still dominating the available space.

"...You followed the energy, right? You said it was strong enough!"

Ah yes, getting into a shouting match with a demigod of time. Totally something that won’t result in unforeseen consequences, Arven.

Celebi gestured back towards the elevator. It was unlikely to have made a mistake. After all, traveling through time was what it was known for.

"All right, but if this is something else then I'm not counting this as part of the 'there and back' deal. Not until we find him."

inb4 it turns out that all of Arven’s attempts to interfere with the flow of time are futile and no matter what he does, he can’t bring his father back.

The pokémon again gestured to the elevator.

"Fine." After only a step, he paused. "...you can probably tell how nervous I am, right? Not like he'll care. You've probably seen this a million times, haven't you?"

He glanced around but didn't really take in anything.

"Desperate humans trying to beseech you to help them...though why I had to go to Orre to find this thing is beyond me," he added with a gentle shake of the flute in his hand.

Because you’re clearly unable to let your father go, thus the reason why you’re coming back (presumably after the main narrative) to do this?

A short ride and the doors opened onto the main floor of Zero Lab. Where a moment ago it had been in ruins, the entire area was fully functioning. No debris lay haphazardly about, all access to the diverging rooms was clear. Strange figures and images displayed on screens that Arven was certain hadn't been there a few minutes prior. Everything seemed newer than it should, and far more advanced. Even calling them screens seemed inaccurate, as the data seemed to float in the air.

Oh? But hasn’t Arven already canonically seen his share of holographic displays around Paldea? I won’t question it too hard though.

As much as he detested it once it emerged, he couldn't stop himself from a "woooooow..."

Such is life when your technology is strongly implied to literally be wished into existence.

Celebi seemed almost to giggle, and Arven relaxed a bit at the sound.

Everything that had impeded the gateway on their way in had been cleared away, and Arven immediately glanced around at the depths of Area Zero. The disturbingly crystalline crater had intensified, great glowing structures sprouted around them like colossal buildings over narrow streets. He wondered for a moment if the place wouldn't be overtaken entirely, given enough time.

Wait, but doesn’t Arven know this answer from the present day? Or does he mean for it to be overtaken even more than what he recalls from it?

As he continued through the massive overgrowth, checking every last viable corner and sometimes getting a glimpse of Celebi still hovering behind him, he tried to ignore the growing sick feeling rising up through him, starting from the pit of his stomach and simmering through his limbs with a tremble. Nervous was one thing. Nervous was perfectly normal, or as normal as the concept of time travel could be. But if all his work and time had been for nothing...

"Then we'll just turn around and go back home," he repeated as if it was all right.

- Peeks over at the chapter list -

Yeah, I can already tell that it’s not going to be anywhere near as straightforward as you think it is, Arven. There’s a reason why time travel fiction always beats it over the head to avoid causing changes willy-nilly.

Eventually he broke into the daylight, the midday sun illuminating the glow that seemed to saturate even the air itself. The first time he had come to Area Zero, the glow had disoriented him, making him think that hidden items lay everywhere, but it was an illusion. Even the ambient sound in the crater was different than anywhere else; even in his travels he had never been anywhere else that sounded close to the haunting, almost theremin-like tone that carried on the breeze.

Oh, so he’s literally hearing the Area Zero music in the background right now, huh? o<o

It did Arven some good to see that even more massive trees had sprung up. Even if they were still covered in tera crystals, they were at least something organic.

One of the waterfalls seemed to have changed, but he wasn't sure how. Maybe that was also an illusion. He had to focus as best he could, through nerves and whatever else existed to pull him away from continuing on.

Ah yes, I see that we’re going to be running hard with those implied properties of Tera Crystals and everything surrounding them (unless Indigo Disk came and wrecked that) in this story, huh?

Something in the distance seemed off. A white patch, unnatural even in such an unnatural place, drew his eye.

Arven found his pace quickening as he approached, as more details came into view. That was unmistakably a sitting figure, a *human* figure, or as human as a robot could be.

Oh, hello, Turo.

He had finally found his father's AI.

Yeah, see above.

Arven broke into a run, nearly stumbling over himself to reach the figure. This was the scenario he had envisioned every day for the past few years, ever since hearing about Celebi's powers. Every time he imagined it, he said something different, but he knew in honesty that if it ever came to pass, he would speak entirely from the heart. With a laugh to his voice, he called out.

The figure didn't react. Arven stopped.

I mean, are you really shocked than an AI wouldn’t necessarily have consistent memories that linger with it, Arven?

It was him; it was him without a single doubt. The same lab coat, the same weird sci-fi body suit that Arven had always thought looked terrible, the same distinctive haircut, the same deep brown eyes, staring placidly at the sky above the crater, but he did. not. move. and when that sunk in, neither did Arven, freezing in place as that sick feeling absorbed every sense he had.

Everything he'd done. Everything everyone had done. Every encouraging word the AI had said before bidding them a fond "adieu!". All of it was for nothing.

Well, not nothing since there’s eight more chapters of this, but this is looking pretty grim, yeah.

"...You were too broken down, weren't you...?" Arven muttered.

The AI had been so badly overloaded in the final fight from being dominated by the Paradise Protection Protocol that he ended up severely physically damaged even without being struck, and had parted from them while still convulsing from the lingering effects.

"You put on a brave face for us but you couldn't keep going." He turned away from the unmoving machine, fists clenched white. It didn't matter if he broke the flute. There was no use to it any more anyway. "You lied to us...let us think there was hope for you..."

Oh well, time to go home and avoid messing up the timeline further-

Celebi settled on his shoulder and patted the side of his face. He doubted it understood his reaction but he whispered a thanks just the same.

But...if the AI had been too damaged to function, why was the lab so clean? Arven tried to take a deep breath and focus on that thought, but his breaths were ragged and staccato. He wrenched his eyes shut tight and tried again, gritting his teeth and trying to keep himself from sobbing.

Arven’s going to get the idea to do something stupid like jump in time again to keep AI Turo from getting wiped, isn’t he?

And he was so tightly focused on trying to think that it took him a moment to notice that something had lightly closed around his hand.

… Or not.

It felt for all the world like a human touch.

He turned, slowly, not certain that he could take whatever it was that awaited him, and was met with the soft smile of the AI. "Arven."

His father's voice.

Arven: “Dad!
- Arven all but throws himself on AI Turo as Celebi looks on -
Celebi: “*Ah yes, all’s well that ends well…*”
- And trails off after looking over at the chapter list -
Celebi: “*... Right, we’ve got another eight chapters of this, which is probably a sign that something’s going to go wrong.*” .-.

Chapter 3

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

"Arven," the AI spoke again, "I did not expect that I would see you again. Though I am grateful to be proven incorrect."

That intense, direct gaze flashed blue for a fraction of a second as the AI looked towards Celebi.

"Yes, of course. The time machine did not permit humans to return to their original time...you would not risk that."

Okay, so where is the horrible catch to all of this? Since you just know that there’s some sort of horrible catch to this stunt that Arven pulled.

"The time machine's gone." Arven immediately regretted that those were the first words he spoke. "You shut it down just like you wanted. I don't think there's anybody in the world that could get it going again."

Well, AI Turo probably could, but that’d cause some serious problems, so let’s not, really.

The AI nodded and raised a hand to his chin. It was the same thinking gesture that the real Turo had often made, the memory of which drew Arven back just a step, though his hand remained in the touch.

"Yes, I don't believe there would be. Please, sit with me."

Arven: “(Celebi, am I dreaming? This is actually, happening, right?)”

Celebi: “*(No, no, this is actually happening right now.)*”

With a deep breath that he noticed was holding back another sob, Arven smiled back at last, and slowly lowered himself to the grass to sit beside the AI.

"I wouldn't--" he started, but as he spoke he had turned his head, and at the sight of his father's face, or the identical facsimile thereof, those tightly restricted tears started to flow at last.

He could feel the AI's hand lift away from his. His father's actions all over again, pulling away from anything Arven needed him for, and he sobbed in reflexive fear, the feeling of abandonment that he had long drawn bitterness from starting to rise up within his core. But the AI drew him closer, pulling him in a tight hug the likes of which Arven had long ago given up any hope of feeling.

I mean, you do realize that this is technically not your dad, right Arven? How on earth do you know that the real Turo would’ve even reacted this way to you?

Celebi had been gently dislodged from its perch by this, but seemed content to sit nearby.

It wasn't his father. It was never his father. But it was the closest Arven knew he would ever come to something as seemingly basic as parental affection, so he set the flute aside and drew his arms around the AI to return the hug, far tighter than he had thought he ever would.

"I wanted to talk to you more!" he exclaimed with a choke in his voice. "I was so angry, but you're not him..."

Ah yes, so that’s how Arven is squaring the circle. As depressing as the idea that Arven would be unable to let go of things post-Violet, you can’t say that it’s not a plausible premise for him, especially how he got all of like two minutes of actually having a father figure again in Violet’s endgame.

"I understand." The AI gave him a squeeze. "It was difficult for me to leave you as well. But I had to fulfil my duty to shut down the time machine, for the safety of Paldea and the world."

"You were so beat up..." Arven murmured as he rested his head on the AI's shoulder. "I was worried. I didn't know if you'd be alive or not."

Well, mission accomplished there, though I’m not fully convinced that Arven’s going to be content with knowing that AI Turo’s all well at the moment and going back to the present. Since I could see that narration talking about how he saw AI Turo a little earlier.

The AI brought a hand to the back of Arven's head with a gentle pat. "I am not alive. Although I very nearly shut down. The damage to my body from the Paradise Protection Protocol was catastrophic, but the crystals of Area Zero, their peculiar energy, are beneficial to machinery such as myself."

Ah yes, the power of literally dreaming the stuff you want into existence. Even if I haven’t played enough of ID yet to confirm that or not just yet.

Though Arven could hear every word of the explanation, it didn't make a difference to him. This was what he had worked so hard for, what he had traveled the world for, what he had tracked down a mythical being for.

"I wanted to talk to you..." he repeated, far softer than before. "I couldn't let it go. I was having nightmares again..." His sobs, against the AI's familiar lab coat, felt choking and indulgent but he didn't care. "I needed to find you again. I needed to know what really happened!"

Yeah, I feel pretty good about that prediction of Arven not being willing to leave his “dad” behind in the past. Especially in this emotional state.

The AI stroked Arven's back. "I will tell you anything you wish to know, for as long as you can remain here."

"I can stay as long as Celebi says I can," he sniffled.

Almost forgotten, he remembered the long sought artifact he had come to deliver. But it could wait a little longer. He sat up a bit, not enough to extricate from the hug, but enough to look at the AI directly.

"It's been three years for me. How long has it been for you?"

… Do I want to know what Arven’s been like and how much of a mess his social life has been in the 3 years after Violet’s events in this continuity?

"Three years, approximately." The AI smiled, a kind smile, so unfamiliar on that face that Arven knew so well.

"I am unable to establish a more exact time. When I arrived in this era, I lost a great deal of my original functions. In my original form, this robotic shell worked in tandem with the Zero Lab computer,” he explained. “In order to travel through time, to prevent the Paradise Protection Protocol from rebooting, I had to separate my programming. Some part of it was tied to that system, whatever it may have been."

So TL/DR, AI Turo deliberately nerfed himself to avoid undoing everybody’s hard work at the end of Violet. Or at least I think that’s the implication there.

That he wasn't certain was a surprise to Arven. "Well, it worked. The time machine never started up again. Looks like it never did here either."

"Correct. It had been shut down for too long. All power input to the lab had long been lost. As you have likely seen, I have fixed the parts I will use in my research. But that machine will never pose a threat again."

… Okay, so where’s the horrible catch to all of this? Since this feels like it’s building up to some sort of horrible catch.

Arven felt slightly icy thinking of what would have happened if the machine had simply roared back to life in the future, and hugged the AI a little tighter.

"Due to the reconfiguration I had to perform, I was in sleep mode running an extensive diagnostic for some time, and during that, I was unable to track the passage of time."

Waaaaaaait, so then does that mean that AI Turo could theoretically hitch a ride back to the present without causing a ton of problems in the process?

Ah, that was what the point had been. It seemed the AI at least retained the real man's penchant for overexplaining, although Turo had always done so with bitterness, as if he couldn't believe he had to explain things to someone of inferior intelligence. The AI lacked any of that and seemed to do so out of the understanding that the other person wouldn't reasonably be able to connect the dots. Which, Arven thought, was absolutely true in that case.

"However it worked out, I'm glad it did. Which is why..." He paused, not wanting to move.

Yeeeeeeeeeeah, I can see why Arven is so attached to Robo-Dad there. Though I kinda wonder if his dialogue should feel a bit less after-the-fact, since Arven realistically discovering this about AI Turo in roughly live-time, since he didn’t exactly get to spend a lot of time with him during the events of Violet barring some AU changes otherwise.

"Yes?"

"...God, you approach everything out of such curiosity, don't you?" Arven gave another squeeze before sitting back, missing the hug already. "I needed to ask you something first and foremost."

"It must be very important if you would seek out a mythical pokémon for it."

Ah yes, this sounds like our cue to keep our ears trained for that horrible catch to all of this.

Celebi giggled before returning to toying with a flower.

Arven nodded, the tension balling his fists on his lap. "I want to ask you to come back with me. Celebi already agreed to do so if you say yes."

AI Turo won’t be able to agree to this. I can already tell.

The AI closed his eyes, but it didn't appear to be a thinking gesture. "I cannot. I am sorry. Arv--"

Yeah, I knew it. Let’s go have a live look at how Arven’s doing right now:

Arven shot to his feet. "Why not!" It wasn't a question, not really. "You really just planned on running off on me? Never seeing me again, just like--"

He didn't need to go any further to be painfully clear. "I did not plan it. I did not know that the professor had programmed such a fail-safe into the time machine. And I did not want to leave you."

"You still did."

AI Turo: “Arven, Paldea was literally about to be overrun by Paradox Pokémon!”

Arven: “That’s no reason to just go and leave me behind!”

The AI stood as well, and reached out an arm, but Arven didn't take it.

"Arven...please listen to me. I had seen how well you had grown up. Everything you had accomplished. And either way, we could not have remained together."

He shook his head and let his eyes close again, seeming to take a deep breath even though Arven knew that the AI didn't breathe.

"It was either remove myself from the present day, or implement my data termination procedure. I do not believe you would have wished to see me, looking as I do, reduce myself to an empty shell."

He looked back at Arven, taking in the young man's frustrated expression, and smiled sadly.

"Arven...witnessing your adventures, those of your friends, I was able to take inspiration from that. I had grown envious of your freedom. Of your abilities to pursue your dreams."

This one paragraph IMO should be a few smaller ones. It doesn’t necessarily need to be this many, but it definitely felt like the big wall of text undercut things a bit.

"You pursued *his* dream."

"His dream was different." The AI took a hesitant step towards Arven. "He wished to create something that would have had undue consequences, regardless of what it would have done to the world. My dream was to see the future. And, although I did truly want to remain to speak with you further...that was not an option."

Yeah, Arven’s totally not going to accept that as an answered.

"Penny could have fixed you. She's real good at hacking complex machines. She could have made sure you..." Arven sniffled. "I'm sorry. I know we couldn't have done that." He turned back, but didn't look at the AI's face, keeping his gaze groundward. "Even if she could do it, it would mean the time machine would keep spewing out all these dangerous creatures until then."

"Correct." Arven couldn't see it, but the AI's voice sounded like he was smiling. "I did not have time to tell you all of that, so I'm glad you came to understand it anyway."

He reached out an arm, hesitantly at first, and settled a hand on Arven's shoulder.

"I had a decision to make, and I had to make it faster than any of us would have liked. And regardless, my decision would have been the same, even if I'd been allotted the time to speak with you."

Some mega ‘oof’ energy there

, though I take it that Arven coming to terms with letting AI Turo go properly is going to be the bulk of the rest of this story, huh?

Well, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this story, but it sure gave me the feels. And surprisingly enough, each of the bite-sized chapters feels fairly complete with one another. The prose in general is fairly smooth, and I found myself getting hooked into things in pretty short order. Like yeah, it’s a bit of a downer premise, but even as fantastical as the setup is, it does feel pretty “Arven”.

The one real bone that I have to pick with the three chapters of the story that I read so far beyond the occasional typo is that you occasionally had a paragraph here or there where there was enough going on in it that it felt like it’d work better cut up into smaller ones. Some of that might just be stylistic differences as an author, but it’s something to consider at least.

Though good job, @Blackjack Gabbiani . And if this is reflective of your general quality of writing these days, I suppose that a sign for me to dive into a bit more of your more recently-written fare in the future.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I feel like if I cut up paragraphs I have to include a focus shift to justify cutting them.

I love watching your assumptions unfold about what the story will be about! And the odd thing is that ID didn't really impact this story nearly as much as I thought it would. At least on the AI's side of things. But we have the epilogue to go so who knows.

Yeah this is a lot different than my writing style in early Obsession, which was over 20 years ago.

I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you keep reading, because yeah you keep waiting for that other shoe to drop and yeeeeeeah. But the story may still be different than you expect.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, was a bit tight on energy tonight, so I figured that I’d come back to an earlier piece that struck me as being lighter reading to complement my nightly targets. I waffled a bit on what I wanted to do, but decided that I’d gotten a decent impression from this story earlier this week, and there were still plenty of chapters left, so it seemed as good a reason as any to come back to it:

Chapter 4

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

Still avoiding looking at the AI, Arven still raised a hand to cover his. "I still feel like I'm gonna cry just hearing your voice."

"I am sorry. It is the voice I was programmed with." He repeated the gesture that outwardly resembled sighing. "I wish it was not so upsetting for you to speak with me."

Arven: “No, no, you don’t understand. This is something that I like, dad.”

"It's not just that you look and sound like him," Arven admitted. "I know that's the biggest thing, but you also..." He shook his head and smiled with shaking lips. "Anyone who would do what you did is a hero. You deserved better than you got."

The corners of his mouth were already turning down, as much as he tried to keep the smile intact.

"Everyone agreed. Me, all my friends, Clavell, we all wanted better for you." Finally he locked eyes with the AI, and stammered through breathy sobs before he could properly speak again. "Y-you're a hero. Thank you s-so much..." He grabbed onto the AI's shoulders for support, both physical and emotional. "I can't--"

This paragraph is long and idea-dense enough that it could easily be formatted as multiple smaller ones. My personal recommendation is rolling with three, but even two would make things a lot more digestible to take in.

The AI pulled him close again, into another hug. "Thank YOU, brave Arven. There would have been no saving Paldea without you."

[ ]
"I don't feel like I really did anything."

"On the contrary." The AI shook his head. "Without your bravery and your dedication, you and your friends never would have been able to rectify the damage the machine posed to the Paldea region. You were the key to everything, brave Arven."

I kinda wonder if Arven’s line would’ve had more impact if he faltered and we got to see the gears in his head turn for how he doesn’t feel like he really accomplished anything in his voice. Though I suppose if the idea is that Arven says this back to Turo right away that it explains a few things

"I just don't feel like a hero. You and Juliana did all the work. I just kinda stood off to the side and had a mental crisis." He let his arms drop to his sides. "I saw you, and I knew you weren't him, and that was all I was good for. Spent the next few days kinda...low-key freaking out, and then Penny asked me if I was ok and I broke down." He wiped at his eyes. "High-key freaking out. Clavell tried to talk to me, heart to heart, but I couldn't take it. I walked out and spent the next few hours trying not to puke."

Boy does that cast the times that we see Arven in the postgame in a different light. Since outwardly he looks alright canonically, but…

The AI offered nothing but a sympathetic touch, a pat down Arven's back.

"I spent a while wandering around. Couldn't really focus on much, until I heard a story about a spirit that could travel through time. I don't know why I just automatically believed it. I guess I was just desperate."

He let his head fall to the AI's shoulder. Maybe if he let himself zone out a little, he could believe it was his father's arms around him, as much as he knew otherwise.

"Getting obsessed with a fantasy story and restructuring my life around it." He chuckled airily, neither as biting or as defeatist as he thought was sufficient. "Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I'm really my father's son after all."

Ah yes, I can see that meta lampshading to Obsession there. Considering how IIRC, you also have a oneshot centered around Lusamine, I guess you seem have a bit of a type for your story protagonists, huh? :V

"That is usually the progression of events."

Arven wasn't sure if it was a joke, a philosophical observation, or meant flatly literally, but he wasn't going to object to any of those. "Anyway, finding Celebi was kinda the easy part. I can't really understand what it says, but I get the general idea. I think it was drawn to my...I don't know, severity or something. Like it saw how badly this took over my head."

From its position on the ground, Celebi chirped merrily as if in agreement.

I’m… not convinced that was the wisest thing in the world for Celebi to do, though I guess the “Event Fairy” Legendaries have always vibed as being a bit more on the capricious side.

The AI nodded against Arven. "Grief is a powerful thing."

"You grieved him too, didn't you?"

"Yes. As both my creator and as my friend."

Arven sniffled. "Friends don't use friends like he used you."

"...I know."

AI!Turo: “I mean, he technically didn’t create me to be his friend, but let’s not get into that right now…” ^^;

They both fell silent again, Arven's staggered and thick breathing the only sound between them. Finally he pushed away from the embrace and looked at the AI, trying to find any difference between the machine shell and his father.

"...You really do look just like him. I can even see the birthmark on his chin, under the beard."

The AI smiled, not the enthusiastic smile he had before, but a small, sad one. "I am as he made me. A monument to both his genius and his..." But he didn't finish the sentence.

"His ego?" Arven offered.

I mean, he’s not wrong there. Even if somehow AI!Turo managed to get Turo’s conscience without the truckload of personality problems that got in the way of him listening to it. Possibly. Maybe. I suppose we don’t really know what flesh-and-blood Turo was shortly before he bit it.

"Perhaps. Though I was going to say 'his failure.' I regret that I had to disappoint him, but the severity of his actions left me no choice."

Arven sighed. "If he had survived, do you think he would have changed his mind?"

I mean, considering the lingering implications that Tera Crystal’s wibbly-wobbly reacts to dreams/imagination from canonical fluff… I suppose that really is an open question.

"There is no way for me to say for certain." The AI gestured that they sit again, and returned to his place near some flowers. "I had considered the possibility that he might, that a brush with death would have caused him to reconsider the destruction innate to his plan. I had also considered the possibility that having such an unshakable reminder of his own mortality would have invoked in him a need to work even harder to pursue his goal, no matter what cost to Paldea or anyone in it."

Yeah, obsessions can be like that. And it wouldn’t be the first time a character’s obsession ultimately led to their demise in Pokémon canon.

"Can never be sure, huh?" Arven sat beside him again, and realized he had forgotten the flute nearby. He had traveled the world for it, ending up in the Orre region, a place he never wanted to go back to, all in case the AI would refuse his offer of returning with him.

I mean, based off the title, I would be deeply, deeply surprised if Arven actually succeeded at bringing AI!Turo back with him on a lasting basis.

But he had been holding the flute awfully tight, he realized, and anxiety set in. What if he had cracked it? Cautiously he picked it up from the grass where he had set it, and was relieved to find that the tune and instructions on how to play it seemed to appear in his mind when he did so.

"Um..." he muttered, holding out the flute. "This is for you. I figured you might say no if I just showed up here with Celebi and asked you to come back, but I wanted to give you a way to return if you changed your mind."

Ah yes, time to see how fast the tears set in from here.

The AI accepted the gift. "Thank you." He cocked his head curiously. "...Fascinating. The moment I touched it, I seemed to understand it."

Arven laughed, relief evident in his relaxing expression. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to! It's always told me how to play it whenever I touch it, but it can only be played once. Once you play it, that uses it up. I don't know how or why though."

… Wait, if Arven’s one-way trip here is ultimately going to be cut short by Celebi, doesn’t that imply that even if his idea works, that AI!Turo would be able to spend like, a day together with him beyond what they’re already doing so?

"Incredible!" But the AI's head drooped, concern on his face. "Arven...I do appreciate this. But I don't know that I can do so."

"Oh..." Arven put a hand on the AI's shoulder. "Well, you have all the time in the world to decide. Keep it with you and..."

"That is..." The AI paused, eyes darting around, avoiding Arven's gaze. "...not what I meant. Arven, I don't know that I'm capable of it."

"What do--" But it was evident, Arven realized. For all his planning, for all the years he had devoted to this plan, for hauling himself all the way around the world, to Johto, to Orre, to everywhere in between, he had forgotten that the AI didn't breathe.

Looks like I jumped the gun on that Simpsons gif, since now would definitely be a good time to break it out.

Chapter 5

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

The world seemed to fall away. All of Area Zero, the crystalline air, the strange sounds, the growth beneath his feet, Celebi at his side, the AI before him, all of it faded in an instant and Arven was alone.

He had forgotten something so vital, something the entire plan hinged on, and it was for nothing. Something pulled at his sleeve, something patted at his arm, something shook him, something said his name, but nothing penetrated the void. He was alone, he was meant to be alone, he would always be alone, he was stupid and self-centered and had based his entire plan on his own arrogance. He was just like his father after all.

Live look at how Arven’s doing right now:

Something was around him. Something firm and solid; it felt almost reliable. It encircled him and cradled the back of his head, which made him realize he was being held. It was something kind and gentle and grounding and soothing, something he had always longed for his whole life, something that had always escaped his grasp.

"It's all right." His father's voice, but not his father. His father had never been so kind or gentle or grounding or soothing. "It's all right. I'm here now. We're together right now. Please open your eyes, Arven."

Arven: “B-But it’s not alright! I came all this way to give you a chance to come back to me, and-!”
AI!Turo: “Arven. Deep breaths.”

When Arven did, the AI's gentle expression seemed to be floating in a field of misty blue, the sky above the crater framing him as everything else around them began to register. Celebi was on Arven's stomach, tugging at his shirt a little bit.

"You blacked out for a moment," the AI told him. "I wasn't certain what to do. I was scared."

Dang. Arven really didn’t take that awful realization well.

"YOU were scared?" But the initial vitriol faded immediately and Arven sat up in a jolt and wrapped his arms around the AI again. "I worked so hard to bring this to you and I never even considered that you can't use it. You can't br--"

Though Arven found his own breathing thick and heavy and almost impossible, and he gasped for whatever air he could manage, finally choking out an extensive, all-consuming string of sobs as he clung to the AI with all his might.

"I don't want to leave you," he finally managed, after some time. "I don't want you to be alone. You deserve to have your own life, outside of my dad's influence."

Ah yes, there’s Arven’s “I’m not alright” moment. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not you think this paragraph works better in pieces and if so, how many, though I do think that it’s easier to parse if it’s not all in one block.

"So do you, Arven. You deserve to be your own person."

Celebi had moved behind the AI and nodded at that, making sure Arven could see it.

"I can be my own person. He took that from you."

Wow, in all of like an hour, if that. That’s some impressive learning on AI!Turo’s part.

The AI buried a hand in Arven's thick hair. "I ultimately made my own decision. I wanted to have my own adventures, as I had witnessed in you and your friends. My free adventurers..."

Arven tightened at the phrase, one of the final things the AI had said to them before vanishing into time. "If the only choices he gave you were 'fling yourself through time' and 'self destruct', that's not your own decision. You called him your friend but he betrayed you..."

"I know. Although at the end of his life, he did call me his friend."

AI!Turo: “And if he hadn’t abruptly been killed by that overgrown Cyclizar, there was a chance he could’ve updated the choices he gave me to work with? Even if I realize that’s going really far out on a limb…”

"That doesn't make it true." Arven pulled away slightly, but not fully. "You said he loved me, but that didn't make it true either."

"Words alone would not. But I possess his memories, and I know from them that it was a true statement."

Or at least that he thought it was a true statement. Since self-delusion is very much a potential state of mind to be had.

Arven didn't say anything, only shook his head.

"I need to tell you something else."

"Another of his lies..."

Ah yes, Arven is doing well™ at the moment. Though I wonder if we should’ve seen more of his internal “no, that’s bull”-ness and him steadily losing his patience internally or something like that.

"No, only my own words. And those of Celebi."

Arven sat up straighter, slightly pulling the AI with him. "Celebi spoke to you?"

"It was unusual. But as you were starting to black out, Celebi let me know that the power to summon it comes from the flute itself. It will remember me here, and know that it may hear my call."

… Was that with telepathy, or…? Since I’m surprised that would work on an AI.

Arven: “W-Wait! Then that means you can come back to our time after all!”

Celebi picked up from the ground, taking a flower with it, and merrily circled around the two, chirping "Bii bii!" merrily.

Arven shuddered. "So you don't need to breathe for it...?"

The small fairy seemed to answer for the AI, picking up the flute from where he had set it aside, and twirling it through the air with a mystic power.

Arven: “I’m… going to take that as a ‘yes’ there.”

"I hope that suffices as more of an answer than I could give." The AI was smiling, just a bit broader and friendlier than the warm expression from a moment before.

"You've gotta stop letting everyone talk for you!" Arven exclaimed with a laugh, playfully swatting the AI's shoulder. "Be your own person. Be who you want to be on your own!" Another laugh, but it was combined with a sob. "Heh...I'm not done crying yet, am I?" He sniffled. "Celebi, you never talked to me like that."

Yeah, now I’m starting to wonder if there’s some sort of significance to that. Since if Arven noticed it…

The fairy buzzed around them again before settling back on Arven's shoulder with a tiny shrug.

Or it could just be Celebi being capricious. That works, too.

"It wasn't in so many words. It was more as if it sent an understanding directly to me. To my...mind, if you would call it that. I suppose it must be true, then, that it possesses psychic abilities." He let go of Arven, trailing a hand down the young man's arm as he leaned back, and again looked towards the sky. "Arven, I'm glad you're here. I never believed I would see you again. When I woke from sleep mode, I initially believed that I was dreaming."

So that was why he had been unresponsive when Arven had first approached. "Do you dream?"

"In a way, though they are not true dreams as you experience them. I replay old memories. And lately I have begun to replay my own, rather than his, and surmise scenarios built from them. Which I believe is a sign I am already becoming my own person."

Well, it looks like we got an answer to the question of “Do androids dream of electric sheep?” Which is “not quite”.

"Absolutely it is." Arven scooted a little closer and looked skyward as well, wondering if the AI was looking at some specific point or simply enjoying the view. "Have you figured out a way to leave Area Zero?"

"I believe in time, I will be able to modify myself to do so. But I have not tested this yet."

"Is that safe for you to do, since you're alone?"

AI!Turo: “Maybe? I haven’t really worked that out just yet.” ^^;

"I would not shut down immediately, if that is your concern. I would have a few minutes to return." The AI looked towards Arven and smiled. "I am not especially concerned about the risk. I believe I would be able to safely test my limits. Although I have considered perhaps training a pokémon to return me here if that was to occur."

That… doesn’t really sound like a positive portent there, but I suppose we shouldn’t be pushing away reeds of hope just yet.

"So you could shut down and not die?"

The AI patted his hand before resting his own over it. "I am not alive. Although, I was deactivated during that battle. The programming that makes up my unique self was unable to function. It was as though I was an observer. That itself is a form of shutdown. It is different from complete data termination."

"The thing you were trying to avoid."

I mean, AI!Turo could always make an AI clone of himself and back himself up that way if the schematics survived the dergening, just saying.

"Yes. If I was to leave Area Zero now, this body would lose function, and I would be able to exist only in constant sleep mode. I would regain control of it when exposed to the unique environment here. Although..." He trailed off and looked back towards the sky.

"Right now I enjoy simply existing here as I am. Though I believe it possible for me to leave, and I do wish to see the rest of Paldea, perhaps even the rest of the world, it is not yet a priority. In time I will doubtless grow restless. But I have so very long to think of such things."

Arven wiped away a few stray tears. "You've got all the time in the world, don't you?"

Arven, don’t go tempting fate like that.

"I wasn't designed to last forever. Someday, my data will deteriorate and I will entirely cease to function. In your terms, I will die. But that is not for a very long time."

I mean, this is accurate for every machine and electronic device out there in reality, so…

Arven: “O-Oh…”

"God, that's depressing."

"Do you consider your own mortality depressing?"

Arven didn't answer, just sniffled again.

Boy is that a downer note for this chapter. Let’s throw in an extra to see if things wind up looking a bit more up for Arven here.[/QUOTE]

Chapter 6

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

"Destruction is a part of life. That was something your father taught me, and although he took it to an irrational extreme..." The AI shook his head. "It's still a true observation. Someday even the universe itself will cease. But that, Arven, is what makes existence so precious. It's why we need to find adventure in all corners of the world. It's why we cannot take existence for granted."

Celebi nodded, something Arven could see from the corner of his field of vision.

Arven:

AI!Turo: “... Arven? Are you alright?” .-.

"You agree, huh?" Arven asked, scritching Celebi behind one of its antennae. "I guess every day is an adventure for you. Going all over the timeline, seeing everything that ever happened." He looked back at the AI. "There's a legend that says that Celebi has seen or will see every moment of creation. But it's being awfully mum about everything if that's true. It also won't tell me if there's more than one Celebi."

That actually makes me wonder if Celebi can see branching timelines, or if its vision of the future goes off to wherever its present course is slated to go to under present conditions.

"I know perhaps less about it than I ought, for one who's studied time travel." The AI held out a hand, and the pokémon hopped to it. "Oh! I'm honored."

"Didn't expect that to work?"

"The pokémon here seem to disregard me, for the most part. They seem to recognize that I am not alive. It's very useful for research, as it permits me to observe them without the notion that my presence may be disruptive. They know I exist, but from my observation it seems to be in the way that they know a rock or a tree exists."

Arven: “Hey! That’s my dad there!”

AI!Turo: “I mean, it does have its advantages, Arven. Just roll with it.”

"Maybe that's why the other Miraidon listened to you, if it didn't see you as a potential threat to its territory."

Oh, I see that you incorporated that part of the Violet plot in this story. I always thought it was a bit of a missed opportunity to include the other bike derg, but I suppose it is thematically consistent that the professor dreaming of the future would want a second futuristic dragon buddy.

"That is something I've considered," the AI mused as he brought his other hand to pet Celebi. "The Guardian was part of the Paradise Protection Protocol as well, so perhaps it saw me as kindred to itself. Do you know what became of it?"

"The Guardian? That's the other Miraidon?"

"Yes. Turo had designated it the Guardian of Paradise."

Turo really should’ve worked on the calibration of that machine that created those Paradox Pokémon a bit more, huh? ^^;

Arven scoffed. "Figures. I don't really know what happened to it. Juliana caught it and turned it over to Clavell, but after that I don't know." He frowned and laid back fully, staring up at the sky over the crater with a deep sigh.

"That thing killed my dad...but I can't really bring myself to hate it. He brought it from a distant time, took it away from its home, and forced it to be a lab subject. No wonder it lashed out. It was angry, probably scared...I can't really hate a wild animal that's working on instinct." His eyes wrenched tight for a moment. "But Clavell would understand that too, so I don't think he would have it put down or anything."

Waaaaait, but I thought it was the Miraidon with AI!Turo that was explicitly mentioned as the one that was more aggressive and intractable. With it explicitly mentioned that Turo attempted to shield the PC’s Miraidon from being harmed during the Research Station #4 Incident- oh, right, the other Miraidon can be caught in the postgame, huh? I forgot about that one.

"I wish I could have met Clavell myself. Not under Turo's guise, but as I really am."

"You can. Come back with me, or use the flute, and you can. Heck, you can come back with me, then use the flute to come back here later!"

AI!Turo: “Arven, remember that I haven’t worked out how on earth I can leave the crater successfully yet. That isn’t going to chance if I jump back to your time.”

Arven: “... I can bring Clavell to you?” ^^;

The AI drew Celebi close to his chest to pet behind its head, and it nuzzled up to him with a soft sound. "I cannot. I have not yet seen what I want to see. This world, any world, is entirely new to me. Even being where I am now, near the top of the crater, was very rare for me. And either way, staying here or returning to that time, I will first need to make those adaptations that will permit me to function in the outside world."

Yeah, that, Arven.

Arven rolled on his side to face the AI. "I can wait! I can wait as long as it'll take!"

"It may take a day. It may take years. I am certain it can be done eventually, but exactness is an unknown factor." Transferring Celebi to his far hand, he reached out to Arven. "And then I wish to see Paldea, the Paldea of the distant future.”

[ ]

“I do not know what awaits me over that ridge. If humans still exist, even that is something that will be a surprise. Perhaps," he said with a smile, "they may have evolved into something new. I may be an oddity to them, some remnant of a bygone species. Or perhaps pokémon have overtaken the planet again, as they had once ruled in the distant past."

I think that Turo’s dialogue is long enough here that realistically he’d have some sort of pause. Though there’s a morbidly hilarious crackfic to be had about AI!Turo yeeting himself off into the future and bumbling across a PMD world and being disappointed that the future’s not all robots and flying cars like he thought it’d be.

The boy flopped onto his back again. "I don't remember anything about my mom, but dad told me once that she studied the distant past. I wonder if there's some world out there where she got to see it like you did."

That actually makes me wonder what Sada is up to during the events of Violet anyways. Since even if she didn’t go as far down the slippery slope as Turo, I’d assume that she’d still have her fascination with past-themed cryptids.

"Perhaps. There are many worlds, I think. But my studies, Turo's studies, didn't afford for knowing much about them." He smiled and settled back on his free hand. "I sometimes envision what might have been. Things that did not happen but could have."

That’s probably for the best, since I can only imagine how screwy things would’ve gotten had Turo’s obsession been interdimensional travel.

"Yeah, you said you had thought about what could have happened if dad survived." Arven muttered, folding his hands behind his head. "What else do you think about?"

"Many things. Although the ones I ponder the longest are, paradoxically, the ones that distress me. It is very confusing to me. Thinking of what could have happened if your father had not expelled the rest of his research staff leads me very little. But when the notion struck me that the Guardian could have killed you..." The AI gripped Celebi a little tighter. "...Indeed, I have had what you would call nightmares of that. Of being bound to that machine, forced to watch the downfall of Paldea, unable to even cry out..."

He shook his head. "I understand that it is a very human thing to be plagued by such falsehoods, regardless of how much the mind understands that the events never happened."

Well, I suppose that’s confirmation that AI!Turo really can dream given that he has a capacity to visualize hypotheticals playing out.

"Catastrophizing," Arven nodded. "Intrusive thinking. You get a terrible thought stuck in your head and you can't get it out."

"Would I be correct in assuming that you experience these things as well?"

I mean, you did see that in action just last chapter, Turo…

Despite his unusual position, Arven managed a shrug as best he could. "Everyone does. But yeah, I probably have more of them than the average person would."

The AI frowned and mimicked a sigh. "...I do worry. You deserved to have a happy childhood."

"If I had, it would have meant that he wasn't far gone enough to do what he did, and he never would have created you."

AI!Turo: “I’m… not sure if that’s really a worthy trade, Arven.” .-.

"It would make no difference to me. If I was not created, I wouldn't know that I hadn't been created."

Although it always seemed to be bright daylight in the crater, a passing shadow over the both of them gave the impression of fading evening. Arven stretched his back from his prone position with a long exhale. "Heh. I kinda guess you're wondering something, aren't you?"

"I am wondering many things."

Arven: “... Well? Are you going to tell me about any of them?”

"I meant about me. Why I'm here."

"Yes, that is what I meant."

Arven laughed, an oddly clear sound, but when he spoke, his voice was sober and downplayed. "One thing in particular. Why, if I could have gone anywhere, I guess 'anywhen', why I picked saving you over..." He turned his head away, "over saving him."

AI!Turo: “No, I think that it’s clear that you’re not ready to forgive your father, Arven. Even if I’m a bit surprised that you didn’t carry any of those feelings over to me.”

Celebi wriggled out of the AI's hand and perched on his far shoulder, away from Arven's direction, leaving the AI a clear view of the young man. "Oddly, I feel I understand," the AI said. "As much as you love him, I understand why you would want to...let the past rest."

"I struggled with it for a while. I asked Celebi if I was making the right decision."

I mean, depending on how much of a stickler Celebi is about avoiding disruptions to the flow of time, I’m not sure that Celebi would’ve allowed you to go back to save your father, Arven.

The AI laid back in imitation of Arven's position, Celebi floating to the space between them. "I imagine you must have. I would not have blamed you for choosing him."

"Yeah but...changing the past is dangerous." Arven looked back towards the AI and unlocked a hand to pet Celebi. "And plus...Well, he was kind of what you'd call a supervillain, wasn't he? He didn't deserve to die, and I'm not saying that he did, but like you said, you don't know if he could have changed. He could have gotten worse."

It… actually didn’t occur to me that Turo actually fits the definition of a supervillain. Boy is that an uncomfortable thought.

"'Could have' is an interesting concept, isn't it?" the AI mused. "The possibility existing for something to happen. But possibility still leaves uncertainty. And there are very few certain things in this or any other world." He reached out his own hand to rest it over Arven's wrist. "I know that you must have had great difficulty making this decision."

"Yeah, I honestly feel really selfish..." Arven was smiling broadly but in a way that creased the corners of his mouth and furrowed his eyebrows. "He didn't deserve to die but I'm also saying he didn't deserve to be saved either." His voice wavered and he blinked rapidly. "I don't know how much of that is what's really right to do, for the timeline or the future or Paldea or anything, or how much of that is me wanting to punish him for how he treated me."

Arven: “... In retrospect, I probably should’ve waited a bit longer before playing that Time Flute, huh?” .-.

And that’s a wrap for now. Things were a bit slower-paced this time around, but I gathered pretty quickly from the first batch of chapters that I reviewed that things were going to segue pretty fast into character drama, and what’s there is done pretty well. That’s not to say that you didn’t still keep things suspenseful and your audience on their toes. That ending note to Chapter 5 definitely made me wince and make me wonder if things were going to go into uncomfortable territory really fast. And I suppose that even now, I still can’t fully anticipate just how things are going to shake out between Arven and AI!Turo when they haven’t yet found a solution for successfully getting him out of the Great Crater

I don’t have a lot to say in terms of criticisms that weren’t already floated in my review of the first three chapters. I did notice a couple points where I thought that things might have benefitted from getting more of a glimpse of how Arven’s mind was ticking and his thought process, though I suppose that in the end, these things are authorial decisions, and I can respect deciding to leave things on the table for the sake of sticking to a target length for a chapter.

Once again, good work @Blackjack Gabbiani . I can’t make any promises for how fast I’ll get to the remaining four chapters, but it is on my radar as something to come back to later on in Review Blitz. Since hey, you’ve written a pretty compelling character piece here, and I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing what note you chose to end it on.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I'm glad you came back!

The "getting obsessed with a fantasy story" isn't meant to be meta haha. He's talking about his father's fixation on the Violet Book! But yeah I do have a very distinct Type, don't I?

Fun fact, the stuff about "oh shit the AI doesn't breathe how is he gonna play this" was something I had to cobble together because I only realized that as I was writing it. He very specifically lacks a breathing animation, so it dawned on me that this was something I had to address.

Well, the other shoe has officially dropped--was it what you were expecting?

Yeah, the Guardian is the second Miraidon and you can catch it in the postgame. It didn't go with the AI through the machine--you can find it hanging around near a giant crystal.

I laughed so hard when you realized that Turo was, in fact, a supervillain. For some reason I said aloud "Blackjack wins again!"

Funny thing is that the second DLC gives a pretty good way the AI could be able to leave the crater and that's

Spoiler: how do you do the fuzzy code I tried and the text vanished

the fact that your tera orbs are powered up constantly after coming into contact with the energy from Terapagos in the Underdepths. If the AI can get down there, that energy is likely pretty strong even if the li'l turtle isn't there

God, who knows what Sada is doing. She's probably on a dig site somewhere, where absolutely nobody knows she has a kid she ditched ages ago.

also funny you should mention pmd I have this plot bun in my head where the AI just flat out ends up there and suddenly has to contend with having a living body on top of everything else.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, told ya I’d be back soon, if not quite there to finish the whole story in one sitting. But I think that I’m in the mood for a couple chapters to chip away at things at least, so let’s jump right in with a double-feature tonight:

Chapter 7

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

The AI squeezed his wrist gently. "You seem like you want my approval. Is that correct?"

"I don't know...I don't know..." Arven murmured. "Maybe I am. God knows I've asked Celebi enough times, and it's a neutral party. It doesn't have a stake in this, and it's a divine spirit. And still it doesn't feel enough."

He shook his head, the arm still behind it wobbling from the movement, and drew his knees up as if he meant to stand but remained where he was.

"Yeah, I think maybe I am. Your approval, your forgiveness, your condemnation, whatever you'd say to me. I shouldn't be this obsessed with what you think just because you look like a man who ruined both our lives."

I mean, this is basically an exercise to try and undo an entire chapter of your childhood that was lost to your real dad’s obsession, so…

Though I suppose that in some respects, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

"I--"

"Yeah, you're not alive. I know. Whatever you call it, our existences."

Another gentle squeeze. "I was going to say that I can't give any of those things. It was your decision, and you've already gotten this far with it. Clearly you made that decision a long time ago."

Arven: “So… you’ll come back with me to the present, then? ^^;

Arven scoffed. "You'd just have to go and say that, wouldn't you?" His voice was thick again, with a choke to the back of it. "Here I am trying to get you to stop living, whatever, existing, in his shadow and I can't get out of it myself." He fumbled around with his left hand, grabbing for the AI's and squeezing it as hard as he could.

"And I'm going to have to leave, and then Celebi will leave, and I'm going to be alone, and you're going to be alone, and you may never see another person for as long as you exist, and I'm never going to get that jerk out of my head, and--" and he stomped his feet but still didn't stand, and covered his face with his other arm, and he broke down sobbing out the tears he had been holding back for the past several minutes.

Yeah, Arven had kinda been giving a vibe of teetering on the edge there. Though part of me wonders if him starting to tear up and break down would be a bit more impactful with an extra sentence or two showing the gears turning in his head or something like that.

The AI shifted to his knees and leaned over to Arven, saying nothing, but offering his hand. But Arven rolled away from him, curling into a ball and drawing both arms over his head, trying to pull in staggered breaths to steady his shaking. The AI remained where he was, arm outstretched, waiting for the young man to take the lead.

Celebi shook its head, in apology or sadness or some indiscernible emotion felt only by mythical fairies, it was impossible to tell.

AI!Turo: “Does this happen a lot for you or something?”
Celebi: “*Oh, you don’t even know the half of it.*”

After either too much or too little time had passed, Arven's unsettled breathing returned to normal, and he sat up and turned towards his companions.

"I'm sorry," he said with an unusual flatness, fists balled in the dirt beneath him. "That's happening more and more lately. When I go back, it should get better."

Yeah, no. Especially if you leave this place without some sort of closure.

The AI drew closer, brushing his lab coat aside so as not to impede his grounded movement, and hesitantly raised a hand to Arven's shoulder. The young man didn't react.

"Arven, you came here to ask me to return with you, and as of now I cannot do that. I wish to continue my research here, my grand adventure, and I would need to augment my body so that I can leave Area Zero, a process that will take an as-yet unknown amount of time to achieve."

"I know, I know..." After a moment between them, he brought his hand to cover the AI's. "I feel like ever since I got here, everything has been moving in circles. We talk, I break down, we hug, we talk, I break down again...it keeps going."

AI!Turo: “Well, don’t get too used to it since you’re on a bit of a timer with Celebi, and… yeah. I’d really rather that you didn’t go back to your own time like this.” ^^;

Though I just realized that this would make this the second temporal paradox of stuff coming from the future to the past in light of the Indigo Disk finale.

"Brave Arven..." The AI smiled, turning his attention to Celebi. "Arven said that he can stay as long as you permit. How long is that?"

The fairy rose up and swirled around the both of them, giving no solid answer before flitting off.

"Heh...I guess that means it wants to stay for a while. I wonder if it's been here before," Arven mused.

Considering all the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey screwery that happened in the very end of Indigo Disk... yeah, I can buy Celebi having made a trip into the Great Crater’s past of its own volition.

"Perhaps I'll see it again in the future, even without the Time Flute." The AI cocked his head and smiled sympathetically. "Arven, I recounted what I've told you for a reason."

"And what's that?"

"You understand now why I cannot return with you. I may make use of the Time Flute at some point, but as of now, I am unable to predict that decision. I cannot say either way at this point." He met Arven's eyes. "I will always treasure the Time Flute no matter what, not because it is a mythical artifact, but because you gave it to me."

Oh, so the Time Flute is just going to be inaccessible to everyone past whenever Arven blipped out until if/when AI!Turo ever figures out a way past his timeloop of going back into the past. Since the fact that Arven couldn’t meet AI!Turo before jumping back into the past implies that he hadn’t figured out a solution.

Arven glanced over where Celebi had gone but couldn't see it. He wanted to say something rude, something that would create some barrier between himself and the AI, and a comparison between the flute and a child's crude handprint drawing came to his mind, but he had to bite it away. He wanted to hear what the man would say. After all this time, after every dream and nightmare he had to pursue to make their meeting happen, he couldn't fall back on his old ways.

"Brave Arven, what I treasure most is our time. Above everything else, I'm grateful I could see you even once more. And however long Celebi grants you, even if you could remain here for years, it would still be limited." His lower lip trembled, smile gone. Though he was incapable of producing tears, for everything else, his grief and regret was as plain as that of any human. "Arven...there is something I want to tell you."

Huh. That Tera-fueled tech is something else if it allows for AIs to express outright emotions. Though considering all the little hints that they effectively run off the power of imagination, I guess literally anything would be possible when harnessing its energy.

"Anything."

"Well..." For a moment he looked away, eyes flashing blue again before resuming their normal brown. "I realized some time ago, when speaking to you and Juliana during your quest, that even if I never did meet you in person, I knew you well through the professor's memories. And...I realized that I had come to love you, as a parent would."

Arven sniffled, staring at the ground. "You'd probably be a better dad than he was."

That’s… not exactly a high bar to cross, just saying. I mean we got to see some signs that Turo was aware he had a problem at the very end of Indigo Disk, but… yeah. ^^;

The AI pulled Arven close in another hug, threading a hand in the young man's hair to rest securely on the back of his head.

"You deserve an unsullied future. One of the brightest days, of the grandest adventures. You are bold and wonderful, and you are far better than you believe yourself to be."

AI!Turo: “Also, Mabosstiff is still waiting for you in the present so… yeah. You probably don’t want to just stay here ad infinitum.” ^^;

The young man shook his head, finding the embrace indulgent and overwhelming and at once everything he wanted.

"I can't think in those terms. I can't think of myself as a success. You said that I helped save Paldea but I couldn't even save my own father, and when I had the ability to do so, I still made the decision not to. And that's going to sit with me the rest of my life."

"Arven. You cannot save everyone."

I mean, it’s depressing and unpleasant to think about, but it’s not wrong.

"Then let me save you!" he protested, pushing away from the AI at arm's length and scrambling to his feet.

"Come back with me! I'm sure you can modify yourself to survive outside Area Zero there. And the machine doesn't work any more, like I said. Clavell sent a big group down there to make sure of that. You could meet him in person like you wanted!" He gestured frantically, randomly, broadly. "You could see Paldea, and you could live at the lighthouse with me and Mabostiff, and I'm sure you'd love to see the world, and everyone would think you're great. You're a hero, after all. You did way more to save Paldea than I did. A-a-and if you love me like a father, then you'd want a chance to live that out, right?"

I mean, as lovely as that sounds, Arven, I’m pretty sure that AI dad might have managed to get himself into a stable time loop, so… yeah, it might not be possible to bring him back without boning your region. ^^;

The AI remained where he was, kneeling position and bowed head giving him the presentation of utmost regret. When he looked up at last, his sad smile confirming what he had already said.

"Arven, again, I must refuse. I may come to change my mind, but you knew that was a possibility. That was why you diverted to get the Time Flute, after all."

Arven sniffled and took a step back, arms falling to his sides. "I know..."

I… just need a moment to get a bit of stray sand out of my eyes.

"When I say no, understand that I may choose to remain here, even with the Time Flute. However, I cannot say for certain now. But, Arven, no matter what the future holds..." His smile brightened. "...Know that I'll forever be grateful that I met you."

"There's really nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?"

Arven, if you have to ask the question...

"Arven, know that right now, as I am, I am happy. I'm happy where I am, seeing the future I dreamed of, exploring Area Zero, researching the creatures of this distant era." That smile had broadened, and his eyes flashed blue longer than before. "Someday I'll be able to leave here and see the outside world at last, with my own eyes, not limited to a remote screen. And that...that will be the second happiest day of my existence, behind only today."

Arven drew in a deep, shuddering breath.

Yeah, I can see that Arven is taking this well™ at the moment.

"And I know that happiness will not last. But, Arven," The AI drew a hand up to wipe away a tear from Arven's cheek, "neither will your sadness. You will find joy in your life. You already have, haven't you?"

"Then why does it always go away?" Arven whispered, having meant to answer at a normal volume. "Why do I feel so bad all the time? It's like I wasn't meant to be happy..."

I actually wonder how screwy Arven’s relationship with Mabosstiff must be back in the present day given how deeply he’s spiraled into obsession over getting AI dad back. Since that sounds like the sort of thing that ought to be able to bring Arven some happiness in the present day, while the very fact that he hasn’t brought that up... .-.

"Of course you were...oh, my boy, of course you were..." His expression fell into deep concern, and his hand trailed down to cup under Arven's chin. "Don't ever doubt that."

Arven backed up, away from the touch, standing tense and shaking. "Seeing that face, hearing that voice saying those things, I can't take it."

Arven, you’re kinda scaring me right now.

The AI nodded slowly, knowingly. "As much as I resemble him, however, I am not your father. I spoke his words before and made it clear that they were his, and I have spoken my own as well. Right now, I speak to you only as myself, something I could not do before." His smile returned, the same soft expression he had displayed when he had taken Arven's hand the first time. "I am not him. And you know this. But I understand that emotions make it far more complex."

"Then how do you deal with them? How does it seem like you understand emotions better than humans do?" Arven wiped at his eyes with the palm of his hand.

Tera Crystal magic wibbly-wobbly. Truly allows for some downright miraculous feats.

"I'm not certain that I do. I often find myself confused with what I feel. I know, for reasons I explained earlier, that an Iron Jugulis does not view me as a threat. And yet every time I see one, I feel an urge to flee, to conceal myself." He gestured to the depths below. "I know that if I remain far from a dropoff, I will not fall. And yet I grow apprehensive if I look down, even if I am at a safe distance. Logic and emotion are not enemies, as humans seem to believe."

"Yeah but that's just self preservation. If you get damaged, there's no one to fix you, and there's got to be some injury even the crystals can't help you with."

I mean, alternatively, it could be shades of his original creator, but…

"Maybe so. But beyond that. I do not understand many of his memories. His emotions often conflict with the events. He would perceive things contrary to the stimuli at hand. I believe you may call it...delusional. Paranoid, perhaps. And so I don't understand. How he could dismiss the safety of an entire region, even the world beyond it, for the sake of his paradise, but still have compassion within him to give his life for another. How he could think nothing of the destruction he would have caused, but still harbor deep love for you." The AI shook his head. "He did love you. I know that for a fact. It was hooded with delusion and obsession, but he did love you."

Yeeeeeeeeah, Turo’s canonical antics really are messed up when you stop and think about it assuming that he had foreknowledge that they even had a potential of causing an ecological disaster in Paldea.

"He sure didn't show it," Arven muttered. "You hugging me one time is more affection than he showed me in years."

It doesn’t help that real Turo is implied to have died just before the opening cinematic where Miraidon leaves the Great Crater, so even if he had been coming around to the idea of backing off and going home before that, Arven would never know.

"I know. That is the conflict that evokes the most confusion in me. To love someone and treat them so poorly...and yet it is my understanding that this behavior is commonplace among humans."

I mean, he’s not wrong there. Though I wonder if this is something that AI Turo knows through Turo’s own memories or if there’s other things that he’s drawing on for reference, too.

Arven looked away and wrapped his arms tight to his chest. "Yeah, it is. Mom left too."

Right, there’s also that, too. Boy Arven really did draw the short stick for parents in life, huh?

"I know. Arven..." The AI took a step forward. "Even if we do see each other again, I would hope by then we have both advanced out of the professor's shadow. That we are able to find that spark that fuels us to seek out the fullness of existence."

[ ]
"I feel like he's always going to be looming over me. No matter what I do. But..." The young man turned back but didn't face the AI just yet. "...he said I looked more like my mother. When you see yourself, you're only going to see him. I can't even imagine what that must be like."

Arven’s line here feels like it’s something that might work a bit better after a pause or something to collect himself or something like that.

The AI chuckled, something Arven hadn't thought he was able to do. "I am me. I am not him, even if I was built in his image. I look like him, but I look like myself. I sound like him, but I sound like myself. To me, it is only as important as I make it." He paused. "...Although perhaps having no one else around is a factor. If I was mistaken for him regularly, perhaps I would have a different view of that. But now, in this isolated corner of the future, I have no such qualms about bearing his likeness."

"Is that another reason you're staying?"

AI!Turo:

"No, simply addressing your point. I apologize if it came across that way. I do not wish to mislead you any further."

Neither of them spoke for a minute or so until Arven approached and took the AI's hand. "You were getting at something earlier, weren't you? About the future."

"Yes, I'm glad you caught that. I was unsure when an appropriate time would be to re-approach the subject." He seemed to relax a bit, and gave Arven's hand a squeeze. "I believe that, should we meet again, we must do so on a better footing. That we must be able to find our own ways in this world first. That we have to exist on our own."

Arven:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5vd5cE3n0M

“Wait, what?”

"We have to learn how to be our own people."

"Yes. And so, I will take this opportunity to speak to you about your father. Anything you wish to know. Although I do caution you that you may find some answers potentially upsetting."

I mean, I’m honestly a little surprised that Arven took that response as well as he did, though I suppose he’s starting to move into the ‘acceptance’ stage of grief here.

Arven sighed. "...I feel like, right now, there's nothing I want to know. But I also know that if I don't ask something, I'll never get another chance. Or I might, you don't know yet...." He sniffled. "But even if you do come back, you're telling me you won't want to talk about him."

"I may. That's another thing I do not yet know. I wouldn't refuse you that information, regardless."

"Well..." Arven slowly, smally, swung their his hands in the air, only a few inches to and fro. "I wouldn't want to make you do anything you didn't want to. He did that to you too much."

I mean, at least Arven is self-aware enough to know that he doesn’t want to make the same sorts of mistakes his dad did? ^^;

"That is kind of you. But in this time we have right now, I am encouraging you to ask."

The young man closed his eyes tight, tighter still, until he saw bursts of white. "I...where is he buried?"

The AI nodded slowly. "...I will show you. Let us talk further on the way."

Well, that took a morbid turn really quickly there.

Chapter 8

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

They remained hand in hand, though mostly in silence. Occasionally, Arven would ask small things disjointedly, and he would scoff at himself for asking something unimportant.

"I know I'm going to break down when I get there," he said at last. I know I'm going to be sick. So I feel like I can't really ask you anything huge until after that's over with."

Oh. This chapter’s going to be a giant mood, isn’t it?

The AI smiled softly. "I understand. When he died, I felt overwhelmed, not simply for the contradiction in his death--how could someone who thought nothing of the destruction his plan would cause in the world still give their life to save another--but for the loss itself. I know that he was far from a good person, and how dangerous he was. But I still missed him."

[ ]
"You still do. I can tell."

"Yes, very strongly. That is another emotion that confuses me. But that is my burden to bear, not yours."

[ ]
"You shouldn't have to go it alone," Arven reminded him.

These two spots feel like they’d benefit from taking a bit more time to slow down and give a bit more commentary about Arven’s reaction or else what’s going on in his head right now.

"Nor should you. You've spent three years searching for a way to reach me..."

Arven stopped, even knowing that the more time spent to get to where they were going, the worse he would feel, and released his grip on the AI's hand.

"It's...not like I don't talk to anyone. Like, Nemona is dogsitting Mabosstiff right now. I felt like it would be too complicated for him to understand seeing you." He sighed. "Kinda tricked myself into thinking 'having to give him a bath after he runs around on the beach all day' would be the thing I'd dread most today. Well, that was a lie."

Oh, so there’s the acknowledgement of Mabosstiff there. Though I do wonder how much Arven and his quest has been affecting the relationship between the two, since… yeah. In hindsight from what’s been described of Arven’s activities up to this point, I’d frankly be surprised if he wasn’t starting to neglect his Mabosstiff to an extent.

"I am glad to know they are both well."

"Nemona told me that she'd really like to battle you someday."

The AI shook his head. "I released all of the Paradox pokémon upon my arrival here. This is where they belong, after all."

Arven: “... You could always battle her in the Great Crater? Like nothing’s preventing that once you get back to the present, right?”

"Yeah, but if you..." Arven sighed. "...You already know what I'm gonna say."

"Yes. I understand."

[ ]
"I wish you wouldn't understand everything. You're too damn perfect." But he was smiling as he said it. Sadly, but smiling just the same.

The magic of Tera Crystal technology at work. Maybe. It could be that Turo himself would’ve also been capable of this had he been less of a neglectful father obsessed with his research.

The AI reached for his hand again. "Shall we continue?"

"No time like the present."

Alright, time for things to get really morbid and awkward in 3… 2…

This time, Arven asked nothing, and the AI offered nothing, so they walked in silence, until the AI stopped at a ridge deep in the cave, nearby to what remained of the fourth research station. "Arven. We are here."

There was nothing marking the spot, no name or anything else. It was simply to the side of a path, overlooking the Zero Lab. Even the giant crystals, grown so much since Arven's era, had yet to encroach on the immediate area.

Yeesh. Talk about a downer end for a guy that used to be a respected figure regionally. Though now I’m curious as to if this is a detail that’s actually present in the games or if this is something you rolled with wholesale for the story.

The AI knelt down near the edge and bowed his head. "I come here to think sometimes. I wonder what he would have thought of my actions. Of my research, of my development as an individual."

"He's really...the site's so plain." Arven continued to look around, expecting something else, a word, a name, a date, anything, but there was nothing to set this barren place apart from any other part of the cave.

AI!Turo: “In my defense, there wasn’t exactly a lot to work with to make a headstone here.” ^^;

"At the time, there was a plaque in this spot, something discovered by explorers from a prior age. It has since been moved. I do not know where it is now or if it still exists. But this is where he is laid to rest."

Huh. I wonder what that plaque was about.

Arven stared at the spot, at the bare dirt in the twinkling light, and couldn't quite believe it. "...I know you wouldn't lie to me again, but it's so..." He knelt down as well. "There's nothing left of him now, is there? It's entirely empty by this point."

The AI nodded. "I have not examined the area but I believe that would have to be the case. It is unlikely that any physical remains still exist."

… Wait, how long ago did Turo die before Arven first made it to the Great Crater in this continuity? .-.

"So he's just...gone." Arven's mouth turned down on reflex, the corners twitching slightly, and he braced himself to sob but it never came. His voice remained calm and quiet. "He's gone. He's gone..."

"Arven. How do you feel?"

Arven:

Arven took a deep breath. "I don't know. I don't feel much of anything right now. I thought I would have a breakdown but right now it just feels like I could be looking at any other patch of ground. And it's weird but..." He swirled his finger in the dirt. "I feel like even if it looked unique, even if it had his name, I'd feel the same way. He's not here."

I mean, I suppose I should’ve seen this coming when Arven very pointedly tried to shut out Turo from his memories or comparisons to AI dad throughout the story so far.

The AI rested a hand on Arven's shoulder but said nothing.

"I'm gonna...test something." The young man leaned forward and wrote that name, the name that had dogged him all his life, in the dirt, then slowly rose to his feet and stared down at it. "...There's no weather down here. How long will that stay?"

"Likely not long," the AI told him. He had moved along with Arven and stood with him, his hand falling to Arven's arm. "A few months, perhaps, before some pokémon disrupts it. But it is only writing. If you wish, when that happens, I can write his name again."

Arven: “Er… is it bad that I’m not really sure if I want you to bother?” ^^;

"...It's not like he's there. It's just a spot like any other now." A low, staggered breath. "I thought I was gonna lose my mind here but I just feel hollow."

"I'm glad you're all right."

That… doesn’t really sound alright there, AI dad. ^^;

"Didn't say I was all right." Arven looked skyward, even though it meant only seeing the roof of the cave. "But it'll be ok. Things will be better when I get back."

"You said that before, in regards to your mental state. How so?"

Yeah, since I’m not really convinced that that’s going to be the case myself. Especially if Arven leaves like this.

"I...don't know. I guess when this is over I can go back to school or something. I feel like it can't get worse, at least." Without looking down, he kicked idly at the ground, not trying to erase the name but not avoiding it either. "I hated him for so long but he was still my father. And now there's nothing left of him but us."

This feels like it’s massively tempting fate of things getting worse for you, but you do you, Arven.

Neither spoke for over a minute.

Arven shook his head. "...It's probably better if I don't know how he died, right? Like, the specifics of it."

I mean, probably, but I’m pretty sure that the story’s not going to let you get away with that. ^^;

"What do you know of what happened?"

"Not much." The young man stuffed his hands in his pockets and let his head droop, but didn't look at the name he had written. "The Miraidons were fighting and the...'Guardian', you called it, attacked the other one, and he jumped between them, and took some sort of fatal blow. That's about it."

The AI mirrored his posturing, with his hands in his lab coat pockets, though with his head down he took in how Arven had written the name. "Correct. I do not know if he knew that the blow would be fatal, as his calculations on the Guardian's power had been much lower than the physical output..." The AI seemed to sigh, "but he had to have known that he was risking severe injury."

Arven: “I just can’t wrap my head around how the same man who just left me to twist in the wind all these years would do that.” .-.

Arven sighed. "An act of compassion either way. I wouldn't have thought he'd be capable of something like that."

"In truth, neither did I."

"Heh..." The one sardonic chuckle faded and silence remained between them, until at last, Arven turned towards the AI. "He was a terrible person. But he was still my father, you know? I know I shouldn't still feel any sort of bond with him, but I can't shake what could have been."

I take it that the Violet protag never told Arven about the encounter with what may or may not have been a time-shifted Turo in Kitakami, since… yeah. Depending on the dialogue choices you make there, it’d be possible that Arven would be wondering a lot about those ‘what if’s.

"I understand. I still hold his genius in high regard, but I find it difficult to separate it from the man who..." He shook his head. "Who treated me as if I was not a sapient being. But...as I said, it is entirely possible that he could have been capable of change."

"And just as possible that he would have gotten worse."

I mean, I suppose that’s also not wrong. Especially if the Turo we saw in Kitakami really was just straight-up Turo but flung into the future given that we gave him a book all about Stellar Terastalization and Terapagos.

"Yes. But still I wonder what he would have thought of me. I value, perhaps, the idea of his opinion greater than I would have valued his opinion itself."

"Sometimes I wonder that too. Um..." Arven looked down at the site again, for a few seconds before looking away from both it and the AI. "...he didn't suffer, did he?"

The AI rested his hand back on Arven's arm, just where he had. "I know that he was afraid. But at the end, he seemed to be at peace."

Arven: “That… didn’t answer the question I asked.”

Arven glanced at the marked ground one more time before gesturing with a nod of his head that they should continue back to the surface. "It's hard to imagine that he would ever be at peace."

"He had his regrets. I believe anyone would."

"Mm."

AI!Turo: “So… do you think that you’re ready to move on?”
Arven: “Obviously not given that there’s two chapters of this story still. Though I’m at a bit of a loss of what to do now.”
AI!Turo: “Just take it easy. You’ll have all the time you need to sort things out.”

Alright, time for the recap of this thing:

I mean, yeah, this story has had a bit of a melancholy air in recent chapters, but I suppose that’s only to be expected when trying to come to terms with not being able to get what you want and what to make of a dead parent who’s a conflicting figure to oneself. Once again, the characterization is the main star of the show, and the way that Arven attempts to come to terms with everything feels pretty believable for how someone would tick.

In terms of criticisms, I don’t have that much, really. There were a couple typos and a couple paragraphs that I felt would work better formatted in smaller and more numerous pieces, but the latter I suppose is subjective to an extent due to differences in authorial style. The one more serious thing that I’m not sure if I see eye-to-eye on is that I kinda wish that more was delved into about Arven and his relationship with his Pokémon and friends before going on his quest to fetch AI Turo, since I feel like there’s a bit of a story behind that one, but it wasn’t really dealt with.

But all-in-all, I enjoyed these chapters, @Blackjack Gabbiani . I’m not fully sure where you’re going to be taking things from here since one one level, things are obviously building up towards a resolution while at the same time it feels like there’s a lot still unresolved for Arven and his issues.

Though I suppose that’s a story for next time. I can’t make any firm promises of when that will be other than that I intend for it to be pretty soon. ^^;

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I'm glad you continue to enjoy it!

The plaque is part of the game, near the fourth research station, but as for it being a grave is something I made up (this also shows up in my prior fic At The End of Forever). If you leave the fourth station and follow the path downwards, you'll see it. Though I do think that if actual canon were to tell us where they are, my guess would be "inside that crystal that's growing inside the fourth station". It worked for Sir Aaron in the Lucario movie!

Ohhh boy I have my theories about that scene you cite a few times. Basically what I think is that it

Spoiler: (big Indigo Disk spoilers)

isn't the same professor. The one we speak with gives us their book, which we know can't have happened with the one from our timeline or else Arven never could have found the book at the lighthouse. The fact that the signature in it is described as "clumsy" would indicate that they signed it as a child, so it wouldn't be that they just got a new copy. They also seem to have arranged the time machine to use their specific copy as a focus, since it was needed to deactivate the machine in the ending, meaning they had to have had the copy when they built it.
And moreover, the timeline of events they cite doesn't add up with what we know from our world. They mention Arven as their only family, no partner, and yet they didn't know the paradox dragon as anything but a picture in a book. Yet the journals in Area Zero say that Arven was born around the same time the dragon arrived, and "that man/that woman" left after that.
So my conclusion is that this must be them from a different timeline, and moreover we may have saved them (and Arven, and possibly the AI). They immediately muse that Arven must be lonely, without knowing how far in the future they are, and seem to express regret at this, but at the end they say how they'll go home and read their new book. I feel like this may be a way of telling us that this version of them ended up pulling back. They're far too curious to give up their research entirely, of course, but hey, we also gave them the idea of building a neat new research robot. And since the AI wouldn't be a product of their paranoia and obsession in this timeline, they'd be allowed to flourish in the joy of scientific discovery instead of feeling like a prisoner. So yeah, I think there's a parallel universe out there where they had much happier fates.

Orre games suggest that time flutes aren't unique, so the AI having one shouldn't be a big deal. Especially since they can only be used once so there'd BETTER be more than one.

At one point you corrected "their" to "his", when Arven is swinging their hands--it's because he's holding the AI's hand~ Also I feel like near the end there, "I know he was afraid" does address what Arven asked, because fear is a form of suffering.

How long ago did Turo die before Arven went to the crater? Depends on which time. I tend to think yeah it *was* the incident that Miraidon was fleeing from, which would mean that he was very much alive when Arven went to the crater the *first* time and his dog got so badly hurt. He was probably aware they were there and did nothing. The ass.


gonna be honest this whole story was my want to have a happy ending for the AI, and I'm glad that the DLC still permits that. I spent most of the year terrified that they were going to be all "yeah once they went through the machine they stopped existing" or something. And while this fic ended up not really being canon compliant, that's on Arven's side rather than the AI's, and I'm glad for it.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, dropping in to come back to these last two chapters to finish off this story. Since I was really close to the end, and I figure that this last day of Review Blitz is as good an occasion as any to send this story off:

Chapter 9

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

In the silence, Arven felt an odd contentment, a warmth in him that he hadn't felt in years. The feel of the AI's hand, the knowledge of his closeness, brought to mind a distant memory, something that had fallen by the wayside in the years he had searched for Celebi.

"...You know...the last time I was here, with my friends… We didn't go back to Uva right away. We took the long way home, seeing all corners of Paldea together. Heh, I think they didn't want me to be alone."

"A sensible and compassionate thing to do."

I actually don’t remember whether or not the canonical narrative implies that you do this or not. But it definitely feels believable.

"Yeah. But one night, the four of us were around a campfire, and I remember...Juliana fell asleep against my arm. It felt a lot like your hand does." He stopped and turned, slow enough that the AI's hand could stay put.

"Not so much in the touch itself, but in how it feels, you know? The emotions and trust and closeness behind it." He smiled, just a small one, but enough to convey his thoughts. "I guess that sounds really stupid, doesn't it? But I can't even think about you being alone here. You're one of the nicest people I've ever met, and the thought of you being alone forever is...it's nuts. Being alone for so long did a number on me, and that was with other people around..."

Mabosstiff: [sad whining noises intensifies]

The AI seemed to understand. "Humans are social animals. However, I am not human. Remember, you are only the third person I have spoken to face to face. I have spent the past three years on my own." He shifted a bit, and brought his free hand to his chin. "I do miss conversations and such, but I do not require interactions for my health or self regulation."

"That's probably why you go to talk to him, even though you know he's not there."

"Hm, yes, that is possibly a factor." That smile still looked odd to Arven, seeing it on a face he only remembered as serious and distant. "But I believe I have a sentimental nature as well. More akin to you, I think."

Arven: “So… what, you’re just going to be here all alone with memories of me?” ._.;

"Heh...Sentimental, obsessive, whatever you wanna call it."

I mean, that does seem to be your ‘type’ for characters to write about… o<o

"I prefer sentimental, if that is all right with you." The AI pursed his lips, and his eyes briefly flashed with that familiar blue light. "Brave Arven...I wish to ask your permission for something. If I do return to your time, I will ask you again, as the context will entirely change, but..." He gave Arven's arm a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah? It must be really serious." Though he suspected what it might be, and braced himself.

Arven: “Come on, please don’t make it something that will hurt to hear. I don’t know how much more of this my heart can take…”

"I believe it is, or something I take seriously. Arven, I may not have anybody to truly speak with, not anybody that would return the sentiment, but regardless I often speak my thoughts aloud, and I would..." the AI smiled brightly as he looked deep into the young man's striking blue eyes "...like permission to call you my son."

It was what Arven had anticipated the AI would ask, but hearing it said still caused a powerful, uncomfortable sensation to rise in him, and he averted his gaze.

"That's even what I came here for, isn't it?" But faced with it, the potential for his proposition becoming real, it felt unmistakably wrong. "...Even though I said you'd probably be a better dad than he was...I even said you could come back and be a father..." He swallowed hard before continuing, the words choking in his throat. "I guess hearing it now, hearing you actually say it..." He shook his head. "...you'll understand if I say no. My dad was so bad to me, and even worse to you. The thought of someone else in his position is just..."

He waved a hand, indicating some concept beyond words. "...I'd rather you be something else to me, something better. And I'd rather be something different to you." Despite the impact the words had had, he smiled, and looked back at the AI. "I'd be honored if you think of me as your friend."

AI!Turo: “That’s… unfortunate to say the least.” .-.
Arven: “Look, I’m sorry, but the word ‘father’ and anything related to it is really, really tainted for me right now. As nice as your gesture is, it’s not having the impact that you’re intending.”

The AI's own smile had dropped into a solemn expression, and he nodded slowly before drawing Arven into a tight embrace. "My friend. Brave Arven, my friend..." Though he drew no breath, though no tears fell, he shook softly as if wracked with sobs, and it was clear to Arven that the AI was weeping in joy.

Oh, so Tera Crystal-fueled robots can cry, too. Duly noted.

Arven wiped a tear away from his own eyes before wrapping his arms around the AI, laughing softly. "Haha...how you doing, buddy?" He shook his head before resting against the AI's shoulder. "No, that's not right. Haha, I need to think this through, don't I? Something more formal or...I don't know! I just feel..." He hugged a little tighter. "I feel better right now...But I know it's not going to last."

"I know, but neither will any sadness. You'll smile again, my friend." The AI continued the hug with one arm, but brought the other around to tilt Arven's head up to face him. "Arven, you can have a wonderful life. You have within you the ability to do anything you want in life. You are not defined by your past. I know it has shaped you, and it has hurt you, but it does not decide your future."

"You're a product of your creation, same as me, though."

AI!Turo: “I mean, that doesn’t mean that you can’t chart your own path. That’s what you were doing back in your own time, weren’t you?”

"I was denied my freedom for so long, but I am now free to be my own being. To do what I please. To have the existence I want. Arven, that is what I want for you. You can grow out of your father's shadow and finally fully blossom."

His hand slid to cup Arven's face, stroking his cheek with a thumb, before falling to Arven's shoulder, the other hand likewise bracing the young man at the upper arm. "I want the best in the world for you. But time itself cannot heal you. And unlike me, you cannot stand alone."

I mean, yeah. He did go on a multi-year quest just to get to this point. The kid clearly needs to have some other shoulders to lean on in the present. ^^;

"That's not..." Arven tried to protest, but fumbled with the words. "I'm sorry."

"Brave, kind Arven," the AI addressed with an odd firmness to his voice, something more akin to the man he was modeled from, who would have never spoken such compassionate words. "I am concerned for you. For my friend. You have spoken of things getting better when you return, but I fear that this is only your expectation, that you believe once you've completed this mission you gave yourself, your mind will clear." He shook his head. "And it does not work that way. Not for one such as myself, and not for a human either."

Arven turned away as best he could, even with the AI's hands on his shoulders. "I can't even imagine the rest of my life. But I'll tell you...even if you don't come back..." He looked back with a tight smile. "Somehow, knowing that he just doesn't exist any more was kind of a wake up call. That his influence won't last forever. As long as I live, I'm still going to have that impact he left in me. But it's...it doesn't have to rule me. And I know that a little better than I did before."

Arven: “Which in retrospect, I suppose I should’ve figured out before roping in Celebi into all of this, but… yeah. I needed this trip back here.” ^^;

The AI tilted his head slightly, giving him a look of care that seemed to have lifted just a bit, but the creasing around his eyes betraying that he still held that concern. "I still want you to get help. Humans cannot be at their strongest without the aid of others. You're not alone and you should never think you are."

To hear something so frank as that brought Arven's eyes shut tight, and he expected that the gesture would have loosened tears but no tears were there to fall.

"...I guess I have to keep telling myself that, huh? I have to keep reminding myself that he's not going to be there forever. Physically or anything else." He took a half step, signaling that he wanted to lean against the AI, who complied, drawing a hand up to the back of Arven's head. "It's weird to know that someone can just...stop existing. I don't exist in this time either, but I probably shouldn't think too hard about that."

Huh, getting undertones of coming to terms with mortality and moving on right now. Which I suppose is appropriate since if AI!Turo never comes back to the present, it’s not that functionally different from him dying.

"Likely not. And someday I will not exist either. The world is always changing. It is always something new and vibrant no matter what has happened in the past. I'm glad you can take comfort from that."

Arven's impulse was to ask if the AI would decompose like a human, but he figured he was better off not knowing that either. Instead he sighed and enjoyed the embrace. "I feel like Celebi is going to come for me any minute now."

Arven: “Since, uh… yeah. There’s like a thousand words left in this story and I doubt that Celebi’s going to be content to just leave me here.” ^^;

"However long you're here, I'll always treasure this as the happiest day of my existence." The AI's voice was soft, whispering in Arven's ear as if bidding a child good night, and the memory of some long distant era passed through Arven's mind of some rare time that his father had read him a bedtime story. "My dear friend, until my last moment, until I cease entirely to exist, I will love you dearly."

I… just need a moment to get some of this sand out of my eyes.

Arven tightened as if anticipating the need to hold back a sob, but nothing came. "I just feel...good," he murmured. "For the first time in a long time, I feel clearheaded. And I know it's not going to stay that way but I can enjoy it while it lasts."

Yeeeeeeah, I can already tell that his friends’ shoulders are going to be spoken for for a number of nights once he gets back home.

Be it summoned by his suspicion, his emotions, or perhaps he had picked up on its presence, Celebi came into view, approaching from a distance and seemingly wary of its surroundings. It carried the Time Flute, something it did with ease despite the size of the thing. But seeing them, it kept away, giving them space.

The young man slumped slightly. "Yeah, it's here..."

"Yes. I could sense its approach." He kept Arven firm in his arms regardless.

AI!Turo: “Brave Arven… are you really ready to go now?”

"Yeah you can sense life energy or something...haha, I'll never understand all the answers."

"It's more that I pick up on the biometrics of any living being in my vicinity, but I suppose this is not the time for an explanation." From his tone it was evident that he was smiling again. "Arven, please, stay strong. Stay bold. Stay curious. The world is a wonderful place..."

Cue the theme song right now:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH7Z1qeTPrw


Arven: “Can we not right now? Please?”

"I don't want to leave you alone." the young man murmured. Somewhere in him, he knew that he could have stayed in that moment for hours if given the chance, there in the AI's tight embrace. "Keep that flute safe. Even if you never use it, keep it safe."

"Always, always..." The AI patted Arven on the back. "Remember, I don't have the same social requirements that humans do. I will be fine alone. And I don't yet know what lies beyond the Great Crater."

"I hope you have fun out there. I hope you have the best existence you possibly can."

"And you as well."

Whelp, looks like it’s back to the future. Present. However you want to call that here.

Celebi drew closer, and held out the Time Flute.

Arven scowled at the fairy. "Why do you have to interrupt?"

Celebi: “*Because it’s time to go home and you know it.*”

But the AI accepted the offered flute, putting it neatly in his lab coat pocket. "Thank you. I will treasure it always."

Without a direct response, Celebi landed on Arven's shoulder. Even without words or gestures, it was enough to alert Arven that it was time to leave.

Celebi: “*Yeah, again. See above.*”

"You have all the time in the world and you randomly decide when people need to leave, huh?" the young man grumbled. After a beat, he hesitantly withdrew and took a step back, looking the AI up and down. "...I'm sorry. I have to go."

Arven: “I… I really can’t get five more minutes with him?” :<
Celebi:

“*Sorry kid, but we’re on a tight schedule for wordcount here. And I thought you worked out your emotional issues out already.*

That sympathetic look on a face Arven remembered as so harsh was something that would always sting at him. The AI was not his father and never would be. But it would be all right, because the AI would always be his friend. And that was even better.

"Um..." Arven started to say something, but hesitated. "You said I could ask any question. I want to ask one more."

"Anything in the world, my friend."

Go on…

At first, Arven averted his eye, but drew in a deep breath and stood straight, finally taking in the full sight of the AI, of that form that so powerfully resembled someone who no longer existed, but past that. The resemblance was only skin deep, or whatever the AI was constructed from, and beyond that shell, this was an entirely different and new person. Arven could be an entirely different and new person as well. "...How are you?"

The AI's eyes widened, and for a moment he trembled in the same manner as he had when he had sobbed on Arven's shoulder, before bursting into a broad and sunny smile, an expression so far removed from his creator that for once Arven had no thought for the original man. "I'm doing wonderfully. This is the happiest day of my life."

Well, you can’t say that things aren’t ending on a high note. Bittersweet, but a high note.

"Your life, not your existence?" Arven asked from quivering lips.

"I've never felt more alive!" the AI exclaimed, his joy echoing through the cave. "Arven, I have you to thank for everything. Because of you, I have my freedom. And...you have yours." He took Arven's hand, clasping it tightly. "My friend...You have the world before you. You have all the future and all its possibilities ahead of you. Please do not waste the opportunities that affords you. Life is an adventure, if you're able to grab hold of it."

The AI's happiness was infectious, and Arven grinned broadly as he took a step back, Celebi reading his movements and beginning to summon up the way home. "I hope to see you again someday," he said, letting his hand linger on the AI's for a moment more before taking another step back. But if I don't..." He saluted in a familiar salutation, two fingers out and touched to the bridge of his nose before extending his arm out to the side, the same gesture the AI had made before leaving through the time machine all those years ago. "Farewell, my free friend!"

The AI returned the gesture with a bold smile, and they spoke the final echoing line together.

"I bid you adieu!"

I’ll admit, I was expecting things to turn out worse when Arven discovered that his original mission to bring AI!Turo back to the present was unworkable, but this is still a decent sendoff note. Though time to see what life back in the present looks like.

Chapter 10

Spoiler: S/V Spoilers Ahoy!

For just a moment, Arven was alone. Even Celebi's presence didn't penetrate through, and he sat on his knees with his eyes closed. There was no echo of their shared words, and when he opened his eyes there would be no dear friend nearby.

But when he finally did, there was a light in his eyes, a bright passion that he hadn't felt in years.

The cave was just as he had left it a few hours ago, the smaller crystals still lighting the way, the nearby research station still standing, the looming Zero Lab visible in the depths below. He caught a glimpse of an odd plaque, and lingered on it for a moment, feeling a bit of a jolt in his stomach. But it was nowhere that would hurt him any more.

Arven: “Did… that really all happen?”

Celebi drifted by his field of vision, as if asking permission to leave. "Yeah, you can go," Arven dismissed. "Thank you again. And don't forget your promise to him--if he tries to play the flute, you promised you'd make it work and bring him back here."

The time spirit spiraled in a small dance, something Arven took as an affirmation of their promise, before vanishing in a glimmer of light.

"Off to some other time, huh?" Arven mused to himself.

Well, that was certainly a quick Hi/Bye there, though I suppose Celebi has already gone above and beyond with helping Arven get to AI!Turo in this story.

He was alone, but he didn't feel alone. Soon he would get Mabostiff back from Nemona, maybe say hi to Juliana before going back to the lighthouse. He wasn't sure what he would say about what had happened. He wasn't sure about a lot of things.

… Wait, how on earth did he even get down here without Pokémon of his own beyond Celebi?

But as he got up and headed towards the light of the land above, leaving the depths of Area Zero and everything it contained behind him, he felt like it didn't matter.

He was his father's son. But he was so much more than that. And whatever the future held, whatever awaited him over the rest of his life, he would be there to face it.

I was going to write some sort of pithy comment here but I was genuinely struggling. It just feels like a very touching ending note to leave off on for a character that has a whole life and whole stories still ahead of him.

Alright, made it to the end. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure how this story was going to wind up shaking out last time, but I think that the ending note you chose was pretty satisfying. Like on the one hand, Arven doesn’t get what he came back in time for, but at the same time, he gets what he really needs: a gentle reminder to keep looking forward to the future and that a reassurance that even if he can’t promise that reuniting one day work out, that AI!Turo loves him and will be out there for him. It’s a bittersweet note, but seems to have a decent level of finality and hope for better things to come.

I admittedly find myself a bit light on criticism again. Like there’s a couple paragraph where I didn’t agree with the formatting, but that’s ultimately differences in authorial style speaking, and what’s there is still really good as a story that’s driven around being a character study of one troubled character coming to terms with loss and learning how to continue on in life.

Good work @Blackjack Gabbiani , I’m glad that I saw through reading this story in full for Review Blitz, since the ending note was a nice capstone to events. I suppose that this is also a cue to also check out a few of your other works later on, since from what I’ve been able to read thus far over the past month, you’ve got some good stuff out there.

Hope the feedback was fun to read and best of luck with the rest of Review Blitz. ^^

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was a very emotional experience for me to write this, and I'm glad that others are responding in kind to it. That story in the game hit me super hard and I needed to make it better...even if I had to make it worse first. The desolation of emotion at the end left me really drained so I had a visceral need to do something about it.

Did you have any notions of how the story would end? I wanted to leave it ambiguous if the AI would ever agree to that offer, but it couldn't ALL hang in the air. A solid ending for Arven's arc was a better choice. He's always going to have these doubts, these worries, these fears, but the AI isn't the answer to them even if he did return, because the AI *isn't* his father, and in fact was someone who struggled to understand his father as well.

(as for how Arven got into and out of Area Zero without packing his mons with him, you know that clip from Paldean Winds where he's running screaming from the Cetitan? Just imagine that haha)

 

[Nekodatta]

Hi! Sorry it took me a while but I finally got down to writing these reactions for our review exchange.
I couldn't remember if I had ever commented on it or where I had stopped at first (I think it was around halfway) so I just went and reread it from
the beginning. So here are my impressions for every chapter!

- Chapter 1-
I think it's cool how this chapter opens right in the middle of Arven's plan, no explanations, no anything. We're thrust right in the middle of
it and left putting the pieces of what he wants to do together. And he's got Celebi! That must have taken a lot of effort.

He sighed with a bit more relief than he thought. His idea was foolish and stupid and potentially reckless but he had put too much time and energy to it to turn back. "I really am my father's son," he muttered with a bit of poison to the words.

... you know, even without this whole "went looking for a legendary Pokémon for my plan", they really are similar in that regard. Both blindly believed what was written in what was pretty much regarded as a fantasy book and did absolutely everything they could to get to it, Turo/Sada with the Paradox Pokémon and Arven with the herba mystica. I would say the crucial difference is that Arven sought out help to do it in the player, while the professors were completely alone and thought that the only one they needed was themselves... makes you wonder if Arven could have ended up similarly to them, driving away anyone and everyone in his quest to save Mabostiff... and it is a little bit exactly what he is doing here, isn't it?
It's not like he went looking for Celebi with the help of Nemona and the others, he did it alone.
Also the little part mentioning "he had put too much time and energy to it to turn back" is another great example of how similar they are.

- Chapter 2-
I like the little descriptions and details that show how Arven isn't actually sure they have travelled to the future, poor Celebi must be used to having his job doubted lol. I like that there's also mentions of trees and not only the crystals having grown in the meantime, it makes sense. And oof at Arven still falling back to thinking of it as "his father's voice", that must always hurt.

- Chapter 3-
Aw, all the little reminders of his parent in the AI hurt so much. I like all the little details you put in it to differentiate the AI from the human, from the way they talk with the AI overexplaining things but in a different way to human Turo to the way they smile.
I personally like the little detail of Turo being the kind of person that explained things with "bitterness" like he couldn't believe that he has to do it... it feels quite realistic to a lot of scientists and professors. Scientists and usually the kind of people that are drawn to things like Sada/Turo would are the kind of people that tend to think that everyone must think like them or at their same pace... I don't even mean in the "moral and ethic" kind of way, but purely in the academycal sense. When you become an expert in something, it becomes easy to forget how it looks from a complete beginner's perspective, or even how it was to be at that point, or how much things you take for granted that you have to explain.

I also find it interesting that for the Turo in my AU I have the complete opposite headcanon but I still think this could apply lol. Being a programmer he's used to breaking down problems to their most elementary and basic steps, which makes him a good teacher... for easy things at least. I can see him easily grow frustrated if the other person doesn't get it after that.... (I have plans to explore that part of both Sada and Turo and how they would approach it and in what they differ)

Anyway, this whole thing was to say that I find it fascinating how everyone has given their own little twist to the figures of the professors based on the same basic few things we know about them, and it makes sense in the context of each story. Many different ways to express the same basic flaws and personality traits.

- Chapter 4-
Oh yeah, I definitely remember having read this chapter in the past, because the "The AI can't actually use the flute because it can't breathe" hit me pretty hard at the same time it did Arven ahah.
I actually hadn't though of it, I just went "eh it's a magic flute whatever" but it makes perfect sense. I also love how you write the AI's dialogue, completely logical and analytical at any moment.
And Arven actually mentions exactly what I had thought at the first chapter, cool to see he himself is aware of it.
"That is usually the progression of events."
I chuckled. A lot. I love (accidental?) humor like that.

-Chapter 5-
I kind of love how Arven had a panic attack at the thought of everything having been for nothing and poor Celebi and the AI had to go "Uh, actually, don't worry, it's a magic flute and I can use it perfectly fine", THANKFULLY.

So that was why he had been unresponsive when Arven had first approached. "Do you dream?"

"In a way, though they are not true dreams as you experience them. I replay old memories. And lately I have begun to replay my own, rather than his, and surmise scenarios built from them. Which I believe is a sign I am already becoming my own person."

This part absolutely melted me awwww, I love the thought of the AI exploring what it means to dream and stepping away from endlessly replaying the human Turo's memories but slowly transitioning to his own, there's so many cool things you can do with that scenario.

I will finish writing my thoughts for the other five chapters in the next days!

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Thank you so much! Yeah the flute thing got me a bit into it and I couldn't continue without resolving that. I even said a few points before that that he's not actually breathing, but even though the narrative follows Arven and his viewpoint so we know that he's aware of this on paper, he never really put those points together before the AI pointed it out in the same context. I asked around if "it's time travel fairy magic it's fine" would be too cheap and the general consensus was dude that wouldn't even be a blip on the radar for most readers.