Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone! I'll do my best to reply to them as soon as I can, but for now I've got another chapter ready to go~
I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”
A cool breeze drifted in through the open window. Lugia’s face hung right outside, but no one outside our little circle would be able to see it. Not with Zoroark standing next to my bed, hiding us within an illusion in case anyone walked in.
Lugia’s eyes flashed blue. An itching, burning sensation swept across my back, like the raw skin was being stretched too far. I gripped the sheets, inhaling through clenched teeth while trying not to visualize the wounds ripping open. Mew hovered closely, drifting around to watch from multiple angles. Her eyes were wide, but her expression didn’t seem horrified. I could only hope that was a good sign, even if it sure didn’t feel like anything good was happening.
After what felt like ages, the pain lifted. I let out my breath, feeling winded even though I hadn’t done anything. A sensation like tingly static hung over my back. I could feel… something, but it was like the exact feeling was getting lost on the way to my brain.
<This is quite remarkable,> Mew said, tapping a paw to her chin. <I’ve never heard of anything like this being possible.>
I turned my neck so that I could look up at her. “Really? What’s so special about it?”
Mew hovered lower so that she was eye level with me. <Well, it’s simple, really. Healing moves accelerate the recipient’s own natural healing, so of course they’ll always be somewhat limited on humans. But this much damage… it was far too much to heal on its own, yes?>
“I guess so, probably,” I mumbled into my pillow.
Ajia clicked her tongue. “Huh. It’s got to be related to the chosen pact, right?”
I could feel Lugia’s eye roll, even if I couldn’t see it.
<That’s the only explanation I can think of,> Mew said. <Of course, I’ve never tried it before…> The hanging implication was obvious—she’d never needed to.
“Well hey, good to know that you could try it if I get myself into trouble,” Ajia said with a wink.
<If I am no longer needed, I am going to leave now,> Lugia said, stepping back from the window and ruffling its feathers. <I will require this one to not be seen by humans.> The seabird gestured to Zoroark, who shrugged and hopped out the window onto Lugia’s neck before the pair vanished from view.
I slowly attempted to stretch my arms out in front of me, still half expecting a sudden, stabbing pain if I moved them wrong. Then I suddenly became aware of just how much my legs ached from the effort of rotating myself to face everyone. I’d barely walked at all for the past two days.
“Can we… walk for a bit?” I asked. “I really need to stretch my legs.”
Ajia grinned. “Sure thing.”
Mew helped me out the window so I could leave without having to pass through the lobby.
Hopefully no one would notice I was gone. Ajia and I walked down the simple trail that led around the ranger station while Mew flitted overhead as a Starly. Each step felt slow and sore, but in a good sort of way, like the movement was helping.
“You’re sure the rangers don’t know what really happened to me, right?” I asked.
“As far as they know, it was a wild Pokémon attack,” Ajia said with a shrug. “No reason for them to think otherwise, yeah?”
I tapped my fingers together. “Well, your one friend already knows about us, so…”
“Who, Kari? Yeah, I guess she chewed me out a little. And my dad was a bit worried and asked me if there was anything he should know, but…” Ajia held her hands up reassuringly when she saw the look on my face. “But I told him I had everything under control—it’ll be fine, trust me.”
There was no way the rangers weren’t going to start asking questions eventually. We kept having to come to them for help, so it was only a matter of time. But I guess that was for Ajia to deal with.
I gingerly attempted to raise my arms over my head. The skin on my shoulders strained, like it couldn’t stretch that far without tearing.
“I hope I’ll be able to fly again soon,” I mumbled. It was hard to imagine flying in this state—one hard turn and I’d probably tear open all the fresh skin. And forget trying to throw a Pokéball with any force at all.
Ajia gave me a crooked smile. “You should probably take it easy for a while, yeah?”
I wanted that, I really did. But the Rockets wouldn’t be taking it easy, so how could I?
“I just don’t want to be out of commission too long, especially not with what’s coming.”
Ajia had told me about their recon mission the night that Lugia and I had been attacked. How they’d followed the Rocket trucks shipping supplies all the way to their destination—Indigo.
It all kept coming back to Indigo. Moltres’s attack. Mewtwo’s scouting. And now the Rockets’ shipment. Heck, that probably meant that the attack last month was partly to have an excuse to do construction in the area without looking suspicious.
I took a deep breath. “Okay, be honest. Do you think the Rockets could be planning their final takeover soon?”
Ajia folded her arms behind her head and hummed. “They’ve got Rayquaza now. They could definitely try. But then again, getting Rayquaza was mostly to regain the ground they lost when Mewtwo was freed. So it’s like… what have they been waiting for, you know?”
I exhaled slowly. Yeah, that was about the response I’d been expecting. Just a big pile of unknowns. But Mewtwo had said that the Rockets were targeting our leadership, and now they were building a base in Indigo, and he’d been spotted there repeatedly, and it had to all be connected.
“Have you gotten a chance to scope things out near the base yet?” I asked.
“Wellll, Zoroark and I did have a little peek around the shipping entrance. But aside from the supplies they unloaded, the place was pretty much empty. No one was stationed there besides a few security guards. It sure didn’t look like a base.”
“Maybe we could steal some supplies?” I asked tentatively.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far. It could be a trap.”
Right, yeah. That was an obvious concern.
“Next shipment, though…” Ajia went on, eyes shining, “there’s a spot along their route between Cerulean and Pewter that’s pretty isolated. We could mount an ambush.”
I dared to let my hopes rise a little bit. We actually had the chance to catch them off-guard for once. I just wasn’t sure whether to hope that I’d be feeling up to taking part, or hope that I wouldn’t be. I didn’t want to sit back while others risked themselves, but…
“Well, I hope I’m back to 100% by then,” I said vaguely.
“It’s fine if you’re not,” Ajia said, even though it wasn’t.
I didn’t say anything. My head was buzzing with the same sting from back when I’d been taken off missions on the Rebellion after the… incident. It was what I’d needed, both then and now. So why did it hurt?
My brain generated the image of flying into danger again, same as I had so many times. Except this time all I could see were flames. The flames that consumed Midnight Stadium and incinerated the fleeing rebels. The flames that had nearly killed me. And now every time I moved wrong or breathed too deeply I could feel the shadow of that heat.
There was a question in my head. One that I’d wanted to ask her for a long time. I just didn’t know how.
“Did things ever… go wrong for you?” I asked, tightening my grip on my left arm. “I mean, like… really really wrong? I know it sucked when the commander left and the resistance fell apart, I’m not trying to act like it didn’t, but…”
I wasn’t sure what I was asking for. Something horrible? Something that had stuck with her, and held tight, and might never really let go? Why was I asking for something like that? I didn’t want that sort of thing for my friend. I really didn’t. I just…
I dropped my gaze to the ground, shuffling a foot against the dirt. “That was a stupid thing to ask, I’m sorry.”
“No, no, I think I get it,” Ajia said, putting a hand on my shoulder. Carefully, avoiding the burn. She paused for a bit, mulling something over. Then she said, “It was pretty early on. We got wind of some stolen Pokémon in Goldenrod, so I tried sneaking in.”
I’d heard this one before. It was all very cool-sounding. Infiltrating the warehouse, stealing assets. A lot like the time the rebels stole Pokémon from Celadon base.
Ajia shook her head with a distant smile. “I got cocky. We could’ve left at the time I was told there’d be no guards. Buut I just had to try breaking into a higher-security room, and of course someone noticed.
“Pichu ran off to cause a distraction before I could tell her not to. And I couldn’t go after her because a squad of Rockets arrived to search the room, before I could get out. I thought they’d leave after giving the all clear, but they didn’t, so I had to just… sit there, wedged behind a desk, for hours. Not knowing if Pichu had been captured, or killed, or what, and knowing that it was all my fault.”
That was… a lot less fun and cool than she’d normally made it sound.
Ajia paused heavily, like she was debating her next words. “There’s also the time that I was caught. By Starr.”
My breath caught in my chest. I’d known it had happened, of course, but neither of them ever talked about it.
“All that stuff she said, back when we confronted her in Viridian? Well, it wasn’t wrong—I kept going out of my way to cause problems for her. I was so sure that if I just made things difficult and gave her an out, she’d leave them.” She closed her eyes with an ironic chuckle. “I guess you already know how naive that was. Z pulled a quick trick that let us get away, but the boss must have punished her after that, because… well, the next time we met, she wouldn’t even talk to me. Went straight for the attack.” She winced, still smiling, but with a bit of pain under the surface.
“I always thought that if I’d just said the right things, I could have gotten through to her. But there was never an opportunity until you called me last year. My first thought was that maybe, now that it was the both of us, we’d be able to make it work.” So that was why she’d been so gung-ho about it, when I’d asked for help.
I was silent. The only sound was the birdsong from the trees. Starly-Mew had perched on a wooden fence post, preening her wing.
Ajia gave a light grin, and her normal air was back. “So, we like to joke about the old days. It makes it easier.”
Right, yeah. That made sense. I still wasn’t sure what I’d been hoping to hear, but… her words had helped.
I exhaled long and slow. “Thanks.”
On my third day in the medical ward, a bewildered nurse gave me the all clear to leave. The working theory was that some uncommonly gifted Chansey or Audino must have been responsible for my recovery, but none of the healers in the Ranger Union had claimed responsibility, for obvious reasons. So, to them, it would remain a mystery.
I was glad to be out, even if it wasn’t like I’d been isolated or anything. The window had been kept open, both for fresh air and to give my team a way to visit without having to barge through the ranger base. Swift had left frequent treats on the windowsill; Firestorm had noticed this and tried to one-up him by delivering giant to-go boxes of food until I told him it was a bit much.
I wasn’t sure if he blamed himself for what happened. He said he didn’t, but I still wondered.
I stepped outside the Ranger HQ and felt the cool breeze carrying the scent of the trees. It would be autumn soon, which meant that in another month or so, it’d be the anniversary of the Rebellion’s end. Now there was a thought that was getting shoved back under the rug.
My hands gripped the wooden railing as I carefully navigated the stairs, Darren sharing the latest League gossip as he walked with me. Firestorm followed behind us, carrying all of my stuff in his arms, occasionally having to lift it higher to keep out of Weavile’s reach.
“—so then Rudy started drilling everyone on U-Turn because he’s worried about getting trapped like that,” Darren went on. “Even though I’m pretty sure Glen is the only one in the top eight who specializes in trapping. And I mean, come on—Houndoom and Tyranitar versus Gengar? They’d be better off just putting their time into practicing dodging Focus Blast, y’know?”
I rubbed the back of my head. “Does anyone on his team know it?”
“Nah, but Alakazam does. We offered to spar, but Rudy’s fixated on figuring this one out on his own, so…”—Darren shrugged—“his loss.”
I stared. “You don’t really think he’s gonna lose…?”
Darren snorted. “Nah, his team totally counters Glen’s. What he actually needs to worry about is that Mamoswine…”
And so it went. It was nice to chat about something with lower stakes than everything else. Not that I’d ever describe the League that way to Rudy.
“I still can’t believe the finals are only eight days away,” I said with a heavy sigh. There’d been so much else going on, I’d lost track of the days.
Darren hummed. “Assuming nothing goes wrong this time.”
I let out a snort. “Don’t jinx it. I’m pretty sure Rudy would lose it if something interrupted the League again.” Something about the way he’d said it made me suspect that he was expecting it. That wasn’t exactly something I wanted to think about, though.
“Anyway, now that you’re out, we should crash one of Rudy’s training sessions,” Darren said matter-of-factly. “He’ll have a harder time refusing when it’s both of us.”
I chuckled. “Sounds good. But man, it feels like I’ve missed so much. Not just with the League, but… everything.” I turned to Firestorm. “And you guys—I haven’t been training any of you.”
Firestorm let out a huff. “*We’ve been training without you. Swift’s almost got the hang of Heat Wave. You should come see. You’ll be able to join us for training now, right?*”
I smiled weakly. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fly with you just yet.”
“*Not that type of training. Just for fun.*”
Right, yeah. Training, for normal battles. Not everything had to revolve around Rocket stuff. Plus, if we met up with Rudy and his team, we’d get to see Jet. Even if I wasn’t sure she wanted to see me.
“Hey, nerds,” a voice said.
I glanced up to see Starr leaning against a lamppost in the parking lot in front of the Ranger HQ, arms folded.
“They finally let you out?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Cool, let’s go grab food with Ajia. Real food, not snacks,” she added before Firestorm could hold up the bag with the sweet breads and mini cakes.
And, well… I couldn’t deny that I was hungry. So I told Darren and Firestorm I’d catch up with them later, and the two of us headed into town. Using Starr’s almost supernatural ability to find the best food around, we located a tiny ramen shop in the corner of a shopping center.
It wasn’t too busy now that the training high season was over. Doubly so for a touristy area so close to Indigo. Ajia was already inside, seated at a booth with Pichu on the table munching some dumplings. We placed our orders, and I found a few minutes’ welcome distraction listening to Starr and Ajia rank the Johto gym leaders, with Starr feigning outrage at all of Ajia’s picks. They kept it up after our food arrived while I buried my face in ramen. Something about eating in an actual restaurant made the food ten times more satisfying than poking at takeout in the medical ward while feeling sorry for myself.
“Feeling better?” Ajia asked with a smile that made me realize just how much tension had left me.
“A lot,” I replied between draining half of my bowl.
Ajia glanced around. There was no one else near us. Then she gave Starr a knowing look and asked, “Soo have you gotten to talk with Ho-oh?”
Starr rolled her eyes. “Only as much as necessary.”
“Aw, come on, you two are partners now!” Ajia said, putting her hands together. “You should get to know each other.”
Starr scoffed and said, “How about ‘work colleagues.’ That ought to be good enough.” Ajia laughed and elbowed her.
As much as I hadn’t wanted to at first, even I had to admit that things felt less awkward now that I’d talked more with Lugia. I still didn’t feel up to asking it about Viridian, but… at least things weren’t so tense between us anymore.
“It’s not all serious business, you know,” Ajia went on. “It’s really important to be able to work together. And Mew and I have gotten to have so many adventures. We’ve visited islands, mountains, cities, and—”
“Well, I’ll be sure to ask Ho-oh if it wants to go to the amusement park,” Starr replied with a snide grin.
“You should at least go flying together,” I piped up.
Starr gave me a look of disgust. “Ugh, no way, once was enough.”
“It’s useful, though,” I replied defensively.
“I’ve gotten by just fine with beating the crap out of enemies on the ground, thank you very much,” Starr said through a mouthful of noodles. “Not like you with your three flying-types.”
I rubbed my arm. “Technically, there’s just two of them.”
“What?” She counted them on her fingers. “Oh god dammit, Flygon. It flies, it’s in the name, that’s good enough.”
I couldn’t help laughing. It still hurt to laugh, but in a good sort of way. I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed this. And I probably wasn’t the only one, what with Starr having just been chosen, and Ajia keeping tabs on a million different things with Mew.
Speaking of which… Ajia’s reply to Starr’s most recent jab at her tastes was definitely the sort of vague “uh huh” you’d expect from someone distracted by psychic conversation.
Starr snapped her fingers in front of Ajia’s face. “Hey, you awake? I was trying to say that anyone who’d rank Falkner so high can’t possibly have their head on straight.”
Ajia blinked at her as though coming out of a daze. “Right, right, sorry,” she said sheepishly. She glanced back and forth between us, putting her fingers together. “Hey so… now might be a bad time, but…”
“Let me take a wild guess,” Starr cut in, resting an elbow on the table. “Mew has more bad news?”
Ajia smiled weakly.
Starr gave her a deadpan stare. “No. I don’t care if the cabin is on fire, I want to have one meal in peace.”
I rubbed the back of my head. “I… kind of care if the cabin’s on fire.”
Ajia sighed. “Let me just…”
She retreated to the bathroom, most likely so that Mew could teleport her discreetly.
After watching her go, Starr leaned back in her seat with a heavy scoff. “Every day with the bullshit, I swear it never ends. I was hoping there’d be at least some break.”
I poked at my noodles vaguely, just for the sake of having something to do. “I mean, I’m kind of curious about it.”
Starr just rolled her eyes at that. Pichu was still chewing through a plate of fried tofu, seemingly oblivious to any concerns. I wished I could be like that.
Before long, Ajia was back. “Hey, sooo, we should probably…”
Starr groaned. “You don’t have to say it.” She shoved several large bites of noodles into her mouth before standing up from the booth, making sure to keep the disapproval plainly visible on her face.
I hesitantly stood up and followed after her, equal parts anxious and bewildered. What exactly was waiting back at the cabin? It was obviously something concerning, but not so concerning as to be cause for emergency? I wasn’t sure what to make of that. My brain kept trying to imagine something dire, like when we’d gotten the news about Viridian, but…
Not much time to wonder. We’d already paid for our food, so Ajia led all three of us outside, and Mew teleported us away. Our surroundings melted into forest, with a gray sky overhead. Cool air suddenly swept over me, and a harsh voice came into focus.
“—the same thing when I spoke to you last month, and the answer hasn’t changed.”
It was a weird scene. Lugia and Ho-oh standing near the cabin, both looking somewhat incredulous. And there, in the center of the clearing, staring up at them, was—
“Suicune,” I gasped.
The beast turned at the mention of its name, narrowing its eyes at us. I avoided eye contact, but couldn’t help stealing a moment’s glance once it had turned away. That glimmering crystal and rippling mane and ribbon-like tails. The very picture of graceful elegance. Last seen tearing through Viridian, knocking cars aside with blades of wind.
I swallowed hard and looked away. Lugia met eyes with me, and I felt a weird sense of… embarrassment? What had they been talking about?
“Is this just gonna be the official Legendary headquarters?” Starr grumbled, throwing her arms in the air. “You guys wanna put up a neon sign that says, ‘Rockets come here’?”
“I did not come here to speak with humans,” Suicune said, tossing its head.
Starr let out a scoff. “Yeah, well, you sure picked a weird place to show up if you didn’t.”
The beast did a double take. “Excuse me?” it asked, approaching her. “What makes you think that you can—”
“I would ask that you not threaten my chosen,” Ho-oh said calmly, stepping forward.
Suicune squinted up at the phoenix in confusion before a look of realization dawned. “So it’s true,” it said, glancing around at the others. “You all have resorted to consorting with humans.”
Mew tilted her head. <That wasn’t a secret. We’ve spoken about following the chosen pact for some time now.>
“I’m curious how we are meant to locate chosen candidates without consorting with humans,” Ho-oh added. “Would you have us select one from the masses, knowing nothing about them?” Its voice held a twinge of amusement.
Suicune gave Lugia a look. “I didn’t think you put any stock in things like that.”
Lugia avoided the beast’s eye. <I stand by my decision,> it said vaguely.
Mew drifted forward, tail curled around herself. <I’ve been hoping to speak with you about the chosen pact. I know you have concerns, but since we last spoke, three more—>
“We didn’t come here to talk about that,” Suicune cut in bluntly.
<We?>
The beast glanced over its shoulder impatiently. “Are you going to hide back there all day?” it called out. “You were the one who insisted that we speak with Mew.”
What? Who was it talking to?
Footsteps. Talons crunching dried grass and gravel. A golden thunderbird slowly emerged from the trees, glancing around pensively in a way that didn’t quite fit someone so imposing.
<Zapdos!> Mew exclaimed, flying over. <It’s been so long, I… I was worried.>
Zapdos nodded distantly, eyes trained on the ground.
Mew clapped her paws together. <Oh, but Moltres! They’ll want to see you! I must tell them you’re here.>
Zapdos opened its beak, but Mew was already gone. The thunderbird stared at where she’d left with a pained look on its face. Almost like… it didn’t want to?
Ho-oh let out a sigh. “I suspect this is going to be difficult.”
I had no idea what to make of that. We hadn’t seen Zapdos or Suicune all this time, and I’d always just assumed there had to be a good reason for it. Having the both of them show up now, without any warning… It felt bizarre. I mean, we really could have used their help on more than one occasion.
Mew reappeared with a flash, and she wasn’t alone. Moltres took one look at the scene and froze, staring with its beak hanging open. “So, you’re really here?”
Zapdos glanced away sheepishly. Moltres’s eyes were wide with… relief? But then it squinted, flames crackling. “Why is this the first I’ve seen of you since I was freed? It has been nearly a month.”
Zapdos closed its eyes. “I’m sorry.”
The firebird blinked incredulously, like it had been expecting more than that. “I was not looking for an apology. I was looking to know why. Why were you not a part of this group’s efforts? What have you been doing?”
Zapdos shuffled a talon against the dirt awkwardly. “I have… been avoiding the humans,” it said in a low voice.
Moltres scrutinized the thunderbird with a skeptical look. “So, you have been hiding?” it said finally.
Zapdos nodded softly.
The silence was tangible. No one seemed to know how to react to that. I couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy. Zapdos obviously didn’t want to be here, and now it had to endure all these judging looks.
Mew’s ears flattened. <It must have been painful, when Articuno and Moltres were taken. But you didn’t need to face it alone. I could have—>
“Helped?” Suicune finished, glowering at Mew. “You wanted Zapdos to forget. To forget about the pain that the humans caused, and keep their focus on your goal of making peace. Typical. Passive. Forbid us from taking action but refuse to do anything yourself.”
Moltres raised its brow. “And what has your rhetoric achieved? A year of wallowing in misery?”
Zapdos flinched. Suicune tossed its head indignantly. “Regardless. I thought it fair that you should know—both of us were approached by Mewtwo.”
“Mewtwo?” Moltres asked incredulously.
“He asked us to join him in putting a stop to the human threat.” Suicune went on. “I’m still undecided on what I think of him.”
“It seemed best to discuss it first,” Zapdos added.
Mew drifted around, looking up in thought. <Mewtwo approached us as well, but… he didn’t say he’d been trying to recruit anyone else.>
“Obviously he had his reasons,” Suicune said dismissively. “I can’t say I’m not considering it.”
“Yes, well, that’s not surprising given your actions last year,” Ho-oh said dryly.
Suicune’s nostrils flared, but it didn’t bother responding to the phoenix. Rather, it turned to Mew expectantly and asked, “What do you have to say?”
Mew tilted her head. <Hm?>
“Your reasoning. Why we shouldn’t join Mewtwo.”
<I wasn’t aware that’s what this was about,> Mew said, puzzled. <Did he tell you what he was planning?>
Suicune glanced away. “Who’s to say,” it said, impassive.
<We need to know,> Mew said, suddenly in Suicune’s face. <If he’s planning another incident like what happened in Viridian—>
“We tried to strike a blow against the enemy,” Suicune cut in, taking a step back. “And you would blame us for that?” It glanced around hopefully, like it was expecting someone to take its side. But no one came forward.
“I made my opinion quite clear that night, I believe,” Ho-oh said, unusually cold. My mind flashed back to that image of Lugia and Ho-oh locked in combat in the night sky.
Suicune narrowed its eyes. “You speak as though I was alone.” It snapped its gaze to Lugia suddenly.
The clearing went silent, all eyes on my patron. Twinges of awkward shame drifted from its mind.
Finally, Lugia looked away. <I… we had decided that taking action was better than waiting for them to come after us.> The legend paused for a few seconds, then added, <It may not have been the best decision. It was unnecessarily risky.>
Suicune took a step back. “So now even you?” It stared up at Lugia imploringly, but the seabird still wouldn’t meet its eye.
The beast glanced among all the legends. “None of you are willing to fight for our right to live as we please?” it said, and this time there was an edge of something else in its voice. Pleading?
<We have been fighting,> Mew said gently, holding both paws out. <We’ll be stronger together.>
Suicune stepped back again, shaking its head. “All you care about is the chosen pact. Entei and Raikou were taken, and I was left with no one. You saved Moltres but not Articuno. I expect you’ll save Raikou and expect me to be grateful, understanding that saving Entei is too much to ask.” It glanced over its shoulder. “Zapdos was the only one who knew what it was like. Everyone else just had empty sympathy.”
<I want to save everyone in then end,> Mew insisted. <But we may need the chosen pact to even be able to help the others.> She paused, closing her eyes. <And we need you.>
Suicune let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “So good to know that I’m one of the chosen few, that I’m necessary. I didn’t ask to be. I didn’t ask for my worth to hinge on a human.”
Mew drifted closer, her face only a few inches from Suicune’s. <Protecting the world means protecting all parts of it. Including humans.>
Suicune wouldn’t meet her eye. “Unyielding as ever… It’s no wonder Mewtwo wouldn’t speak of his aims.” Its voice didn’t hold nearly as much conviction as before, though.
Zapdos shook its head. “Perhaps I should go. It was unwise to come here.” Without warning, the thunderbird spread its wings and took off.
Moltres jolted, its flames flickering with agitation. “Wait! Perhaps I was too harsh. I just…”
Zapdos kept flying, soaring over the trees and out of sight. Moltres spread its wings to take off, but then—
A narrow spurt of bubbles shot through the air and hit Moltres on the wing in a plume of steam. The phoenix jumped backward, affronted.
“Leave them be!” Suicune snapped. “They don’t have to if they don’t want to.”
Moltres glowered at the beast, but then turned and spread its wings again. Another Bubblebeam, larger this time, but Moltres ignored it, taking to the air and soaring after Zapdos.
Lugia gave Suicune a tired look. <Why are you like this?>
“You are the one who has lost all spine,” the beast spat.
I didn’t want to be a part of any of this, and I somehow didn’t think that it would be helpful to stand here watching this disagreement. Part of me wished that Starr and I could have just stayed back at the restaurant and had Mew catch us up later.
Whatever, I was pretty sure that no one would notice if I left, and I was right. I ducked around the side of the cabin and let out a huge breath as I leaned a shoulder against the wall. Unsurprisingly, Starr joined me.
“Well, that was a friggin’ disaster,” Starr said, stretching her arms above her head. “They’re supposed to all be united against the Rockets? What a joke.”
I rubbed my arm. “Understanding the other legends better will be helpful, I think. Even if they’re… like that.”
Starr snorted. “Yeah, well, Mew’s got her work cut out for her if she wants those two to work with us.”
It had been easy to feel like we were making progress after Starr was chosen. Four down, three to go. Of course it couldn’t be that simple. Not with one of the three captured and the other two avoiding Mew for various reasons.
I winced as paws suddenly gripped my shoulder. Chibi, leaping up to his usual perch—it was just close enough to the new skin that it stung.
“*We’re following them,*” he said sharply.
I hadn’t even realized he was here. But of course he must have been watching the whole thing. He didn’t even have to elaborate. I knew what he wanted.
<Did you see where Zapdos went?> I asked Lugia.
<They didn’t fly far,> Lugia replied privately. <I suppose they probably still want to speak to the others, but aren’t sure how.>
<Can you take us there? Chibi wants to talk to Zapdos.>
<The half-legend?> Lugia paused, thinking. <I suppose that makes sense. Very well, come with me.>
Lugia gladly excused itself from the discussion and came around the back of the cabin to get us. We soared low over the forest, Lugia’s very presence creating winds that whipped the trees about in our path. I kept my eyes on the ground, searching…
There, ahead of us, in a gap between the trees—a flash of yellow. Lugia flared its wings and we zeroed in on it.
Moltres was just leaving; the firebird gave us a sideways look as we passed. Lugia landed in the clearing, and Zapdos looked up with a weary expression.
“I came here to get away from the others,” it said tiredly.
<I’m not staying,> Lugia replied tersely.
I slid down from the seabird’s back, and it spread its wings to take off again. Zapdos watched it leave, then looked down at me with a puzzled look. It had prepared itself to be harassed by more legends, but here I was, just a human. And also…
Chibi hopped down from my shoulder and padded over to Zapdos, slowing as he approached. The thunderbird stared down its pointed beak at him, tilting its head ever so slightly with intrigue.
“*Do you know what I am?*” Chibi asked, leaping onto a rock so that he could stand at least a little taller.
Zapdos still towered over the hybrid, regarding him carefully. “*You are the half-legend.*”
Chibi’s ears lowered slightly. He must have been expecting something more than that.
“And,” the legend went on, “you were also born of my essence. You hold my strength.”
The Pikachu relaxed slightly at that, though the clearing still held an air of awkward tension.
“*I’ve been hoping to see you for a long time,*” he said finally.
Zapdos let out a weary sigh. “Yes, I imagine you have wondered like the others why I have been shirking my duty.”
Chibi furrowed his brow, confused. “*That’s not it.*”
The thunderbird paused, taken aback. “That was an unfair assumption. You must have many questions for me, being the one born from my strength.” It gave an awkward chuckle. “This is rather new for me. I suppose it would be new for anyone other than Mew.”
Chibi’s eyes were steely. “*I don’t know what I should be. I don’t know what to do with your strength. I’ve been fighting the Rockets all my life. First for my freedom. Then for revenge. And now…*”
Zapdos gazed at him carefully. “Revenge?”
Chibi’s paws clenched. His ears quivered. “*They took someone from me. Someone important.*”
Zapdos didn’t say anything for some time. It gazed down at him with a look of growing understanding. “They took someone important to me too. But I suspect that you speak of something more permanent.”
Chibi looked down, nodding softly. That night on Midnight Island that we’d never forget.
Zapdos dug a talon into the earth pensively. “Who did you lose?”
“*I called him Razors.*”
“You fight for him, then?”
Chibi glanced away. “*He was tired of fighting. He wanted to live a quiet life. I called him a coward for it.*”
The silence was thick. Chibi’s paws clenched, tail trembling ever so slightly.
Zapdos let out a long sigh. “After my siblings were taken, I allowed myself to be consumed by rage and hatred, and took many human lives. Perhaps they deserved it, but I have no way of knowing.” The thunderbird paused, staring up into the gray sky. “I was afraid of what I had become, and so I retreated from the fight. I abandoned my duty, and I abandoned Mew.” It glanced back at Chibi, suddenly wistful. “The idea of a quiet life, free from the fight… it sounds nice.”
A soft breeze stirred the trees, ruffling the pointed feathers on both of them.
“You must think very little of me now,” Zapdos said quietly.
Chibi stared up at the thunderbird, perplexed. “*Why would I?*”
Zapdos turned away, taking a few delicate steps through the clearing’s dried grass. “Well, I can’t imagine I’ve lived up to whatever you imagined of me. If there’s a correct way to use the strength of a legend, I’ve hardly done so.”
Chibi’s ears flattened, and he stared downward, looking troubled. “*You don’t need to. It’s different for the legends.*”
Zapdos glanced back at him. “Is it?”
“*The Rockets used me to find a way to imprison all of you,*” Chibi muttered, his fur bristling. “*My entire existence hurts you.*”
Zapdos let out a low, ironic chuckle, waving a wing dismissively. “I’d hardly say we’re so important that our troubles should be elevated so high. But… ah, that’s selfish of me to say. If they use our power, countless others will be harmed. Not just us.” The thunderbird steeled itself. “If you want to protect others, do it for that, not to make up for what your existence did to us. We’re hardly worth that.”
Chibi gazed up at the legend, flickers of doubt and confusion crossing his face. “*I still don’t know what I should be doing with this power.*”
Zapdos fixed him with a laser focus, and for once it was so easy to see the similarity in their eyes. “Do not make the mistake of thinking that any of us truly understands what it means to be Legendary. We’ve had more time to figure it out than you have, but…” Its voice trailed off.
“We’re all just… trying to protect the world,” the legend said quietly. “Sometimes it’s not enough, but it’s all we can do. And… I have not been trying hard enough. In my grief, and my regret, I allowed myself to grow complacent with inaction. Perhaps Suicune is right.”
Zapdos let out a heavy sigh. “I need some time.” Its eyes drifted to me. “Please tell Mew that I’ll speak with her again. When I’m ready.”
I nodded.
Zapdos looked down at Chibi one last time. “And please live for yourself. That is my wish.”
Chibi stared at the thunderbird for a few moments before giving a slow nod and rejoining me without a word.
We walked off into the trees. Chibi sat on my shoulder, pensive. I could have called for Lugia to take us back to the cabin, but not yet. Right now, it was just us.
“*I always thought the Legendaries were above the rest of us,*” he said in a low voice.
I smiled weakly. “It’s pretty easy to feel like that.” I’d felt that way for the longest time. Only just recently had I started to see otherwise.
“*I thought that I had to live up to them,*” he went on. “*That I had to make up for my existence. Then I tried to figure out how to live for myself. Because it was what he would’ve wanted.*” His paws clenched my shirt. “*But I don’t know what that means.*”
I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but I found myself lifting my arm and laying a hand on the fur of his back.
He looked up at me, relaxing. “*I suppose it’s fine if I haven’t figured myself out yet. Neither have they.*”
Next chapter: Diplomacy
~Chapter 53: Storm Clouds~
I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”
A cool breeze drifted in through the open window. Lugia’s face hung right outside, but no one outside our little circle would be able to see it. Not with Zoroark standing next to my bed, hiding us within an illusion in case anyone walked in.
Lugia’s eyes flashed blue. An itching, burning sensation swept across my back, like the raw skin was being stretched too far. I gripped the sheets, inhaling through clenched teeth while trying not to visualize the wounds ripping open. Mew hovered closely, drifting around to watch from multiple angles. Her eyes were wide, but her expression didn’t seem horrified. I could only hope that was a good sign, even if it sure didn’t feel like anything good was happening.
After what felt like ages, the pain lifted. I let out my breath, feeling winded even though I hadn’t done anything. A sensation like tingly static hung over my back. I could feel… something, but it was like the exact feeling was getting lost on the way to my brain.
<This is quite remarkable,> Mew said, tapping a paw to her chin. <I’ve never heard of anything like this being possible.>
I turned my neck so that I could look up at her. “Really? What’s so special about it?”
Mew hovered lower so that she was eye level with me. <Well, it’s simple, really. Healing moves accelerate the recipient’s own natural healing, so of course they’ll always be somewhat limited on humans. But this much damage… it was far too much to heal on its own, yes?>
“I guess so, probably,” I mumbled into my pillow.
Ajia clicked her tongue. “Huh. It’s got to be related to the chosen pact, right?”
I could feel Lugia’s eye roll, even if I couldn’t see it.
<That’s the only explanation I can think of,> Mew said. <Of course, I’ve never tried it before…> The hanging implication was obvious—she’d never needed to.
“Well hey, good to know that you could try it if I get myself into trouble,” Ajia said with a wink.
<If I am no longer needed, I am going to leave now,> Lugia said, stepping back from the window and ruffling its feathers. <I will require this one to not be seen by humans.> The seabird gestured to Zoroark, who shrugged and hopped out the window onto Lugia’s neck before the pair vanished from view.
I slowly attempted to stretch my arms out in front of me, still half expecting a sudden, stabbing pain if I moved them wrong. Then I suddenly became aware of just how much my legs ached from the effort of rotating myself to face everyone. I’d barely walked at all for the past two days.
“Can we… walk for a bit?” I asked. “I really need to stretch my legs.”
Ajia grinned. “Sure thing.”
Mew helped me out the window so I could leave without having to pass through the lobby.
Hopefully no one would notice I was gone. Ajia and I walked down the simple trail that led around the ranger station while Mew flitted overhead as a Starly. Each step felt slow and sore, but in a good sort of way, like the movement was helping.
“You’re sure the rangers don’t know what really happened to me, right?” I asked.
“As far as they know, it was a wild Pokémon attack,” Ajia said with a shrug. “No reason for them to think otherwise, yeah?”
I tapped my fingers together. “Well, your one friend already knows about us, so…”
“Who, Kari? Yeah, I guess she chewed me out a little. And my dad was a bit worried and asked me if there was anything he should know, but…” Ajia held her hands up reassuringly when she saw the look on my face. “But I told him I had everything under control—it’ll be fine, trust me.”
There was no way the rangers weren’t going to start asking questions eventually. We kept having to come to them for help, so it was only a matter of time. But I guess that was for Ajia to deal with.
I gingerly attempted to raise my arms over my head. The skin on my shoulders strained, like it couldn’t stretch that far without tearing.
“I hope I’ll be able to fly again soon,” I mumbled. It was hard to imagine flying in this state—one hard turn and I’d probably tear open all the fresh skin. And forget trying to throw a Pokéball with any force at all.
Ajia gave me a crooked smile. “You should probably take it easy for a while, yeah?”
I wanted that, I really did. But the Rockets wouldn’t be taking it easy, so how could I?
“I just don’t want to be out of commission too long, especially not with what’s coming.”
Ajia had told me about their recon mission the night that Lugia and I had been attacked. How they’d followed the Rocket trucks shipping supplies all the way to their destination—Indigo.
It all kept coming back to Indigo. Moltres’s attack. Mewtwo’s scouting. And now the Rockets’ shipment. Heck, that probably meant that the attack last month was partly to have an excuse to do construction in the area without looking suspicious.
I took a deep breath. “Okay, be honest. Do you think the Rockets could be planning their final takeover soon?”
Ajia folded her arms behind her head and hummed. “They’ve got Rayquaza now. They could definitely try. But then again, getting Rayquaza was mostly to regain the ground they lost when Mewtwo was freed. So it’s like… what have they been waiting for, you know?”
I exhaled slowly. Yeah, that was about the response I’d been expecting. Just a big pile of unknowns. But Mewtwo had said that the Rockets were targeting our leadership, and now they were building a base in Indigo, and he’d been spotted there repeatedly, and it had to all be connected.
“Have you gotten a chance to scope things out near the base yet?” I asked.
“Wellll, Zoroark and I did have a little peek around the shipping entrance. But aside from the supplies they unloaded, the place was pretty much empty. No one was stationed there besides a few security guards. It sure didn’t look like a base.”
“Maybe we could steal some supplies?” I asked tentatively.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far. It could be a trap.”
Right, yeah. That was an obvious concern.
“Next shipment, though…” Ajia went on, eyes shining, “there’s a spot along their route between Cerulean and Pewter that’s pretty isolated. We could mount an ambush.”
I dared to let my hopes rise a little bit. We actually had the chance to catch them off-guard for once. I just wasn’t sure whether to hope that I’d be feeling up to taking part, or hope that I wouldn’t be. I didn’t want to sit back while others risked themselves, but…
“Well, I hope I’m back to 100% by then,” I said vaguely.
“It’s fine if you’re not,” Ajia said, even though it wasn’t.
I didn’t say anything. My head was buzzing with the same sting from back when I’d been taken off missions on the Rebellion after the… incident. It was what I’d needed, both then and now. So why did it hurt?
My brain generated the image of flying into danger again, same as I had so many times. Except this time all I could see were flames. The flames that consumed Midnight Stadium and incinerated the fleeing rebels. The flames that had nearly killed me. And now every time I moved wrong or breathed too deeply I could feel the shadow of that heat.
There was a question in my head. One that I’d wanted to ask her for a long time. I just didn’t know how.
“Did things ever… go wrong for you?” I asked, tightening my grip on my left arm. “I mean, like… really really wrong? I know it sucked when the commander left and the resistance fell apart, I’m not trying to act like it didn’t, but…”
I wasn’t sure what I was asking for. Something horrible? Something that had stuck with her, and held tight, and might never really let go? Why was I asking for something like that? I didn’t want that sort of thing for my friend. I really didn’t. I just…
I dropped my gaze to the ground, shuffling a foot against the dirt. “That was a stupid thing to ask, I’m sorry.”
“No, no, I think I get it,” Ajia said, putting a hand on my shoulder. Carefully, avoiding the burn. She paused for a bit, mulling something over. Then she said, “It was pretty early on. We got wind of some stolen Pokémon in Goldenrod, so I tried sneaking in.”
I’d heard this one before. It was all very cool-sounding. Infiltrating the warehouse, stealing assets. A lot like the time the rebels stole Pokémon from Celadon base.
Ajia shook her head with a distant smile. “I got cocky. We could’ve left at the time I was told there’d be no guards. Buut I just had to try breaking into a higher-security room, and of course someone noticed.
“Pichu ran off to cause a distraction before I could tell her not to. And I couldn’t go after her because a squad of Rockets arrived to search the room, before I could get out. I thought they’d leave after giving the all clear, but they didn’t, so I had to just… sit there, wedged behind a desk, for hours. Not knowing if Pichu had been captured, or killed, or what, and knowing that it was all my fault.”
That was… a lot less fun and cool than she’d normally made it sound.
Ajia paused heavily, like she was debating her next words. “There’s also the time that I was caught. By Starr.”
My breath caught in my chest. I’d known it had happened, of course, but neither of them ever talked about it.
“All that stuff she said, back when we confronted her in Viridian? Well, it wasn’t wrong—I kept going out of my way to cause problems for her. I was so sure that if I just made things difficult and gave her an out, she’d leave them.” She closed her eyes with an ironic chuckle. “I guess you already know how naive that was. Z pulled a quick trick that let us get away, but the boss must have punished her after that, because… well, the next time we met, she wouldn’t even talk to me. Went straight for the attack.” She winced, still smiling, but with a bit of pain under the surface.
“I always thought that if I’d just said the right things, I could have gotten through to her. But there was never an opportunity until you called me last year. My first thought was that maybe, now that it was the both of us, we’d be able to make it work.” So that was why she’d been so gung-ho about it, when I’d asked for help.
I was silent. The only sound was the birdsong from the trees. Starly-Mew had perched on a wooden fence post, preening her wing.
Ajia gave a light grin, and her normal air was back. “So, we like to joke about the old days. It makes it easier.”
Right, yeah. That made sense. I still wasn’t sure what I’d been hoping to hear, but… her words had helped.
I exhaled long and slow. “Thanks.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On my third day in the medical ward, a bewildered nurse gave me the all clear to leave. The working theory was that some uncommonly gifted Chansey or Audino must have been responsible for my recovery, but none of the healers in the Ranger Union had claimed responsibility, for obvious reasons. So, to them, it would remain a mystery.
I was glad to be out, even if it wasn’t like I’d been isolated or anything. The window had been kept open, both for fresh air and to give my team a way to visit without having to barge through the ranger base. Swift had left frequent treats on the windowsill; Firestorm had noticed this and tried to one-up him by delivering giant to-go boxes of food until I told him it was a bit much.
I wasn’t sure if he blamed himself for what happened. He said he didn’t, but I still wondered.
I stepped outside the Ranger HQ and felt the cool breeze carrying the scent of the trees. It would be autumn soon, which meant that in another month or so, it’d be the anniversary of the Rebellion’s end. Now there was a thought that was getting shoved back under the rug.
My hands gripped the wooden railing as I carefully navigated the stairs, Darren sharing the latest League gossip as he walked with me. Firestorm followed behind us, carrying all of my stuff in his arms, occasionally having to lift it higher to keep out of Weavile’s reach.
“—so then Rudy started drilling everyone on U-Turn because he’s worried about getting trapped like that,” Darren went on. “Even though I’m pretty sure Glen is the only one in the top eight who specializes in trapping. And I mean, come on—Houndoom and Tyranitar versus Gengar? They’d be better off just putting their time into practicing dodging Focus Blast, y’know?”
I rubbed the back of my head. “Does anyone on his team know it?”
“Nah, but Alakazam does. We offered to spar, but Rudy’s fixated on figuring this one out on his own, so…”—Darren shrugged—“his loss.”
I stared. “You don’t really think he’s gonna lose…?”
Darren snorted. “Nah, his team totally counters Glen’s. What he actually needs to worry about is that Mamoswine…”
And so it went. It was nice to chat about something with lower stakes than everything else. Not that I’d ever describe the League that way to Rudy.
“I still can’t believe the finals are only eight days away,” I said with a heavy sigh. There’d been so much else going on, I’d lost track of the days.
Darren hummed. “Assuming nothing goes wrong this time.”
I let out a snort. “Don’t jinx it. I’m pretty sure Rudy would lose it if something interrupted the League again.” Something about the way he’d said it made me suspect that he was expecting it. That wasn’t exactly something I wanted to think about, though.
“Anyway, now that you’re out, we should crash one of Rudy’s training sessions,” Darren said matter-of-factly. “He’ll have a harder time refusing when it’s both of us.”
I chuckled. “Sounds good. But man, it feels like I’ve missed so much. Not just with the League, but… everything.” I turned to Firestorm. “And you guys—I haven’t been training any of you.”
Firestorm let out a huff. “*We’ve been training without you. Swift’s almost got the hang of Heat Wave. You should come see. You’ll be able to join us for training now, right?*”
I smiled weakly. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fly with you just yet.”
“*Not that type of training. Just for fun.*”
Right, yeah. Training, for normal battles. Not everything had to revolve around Rocket stuff. Plus, if we met up with Rudy and his team, we’d get to see Jet. Even if I wasn’t sure she wanted to see me.
“Hey, nerds,” a voice said.
I glanced up to see Starr leaning against a lamppost in the parking lot in front of the Ranger HQ, arms folded.
“They finally let you out?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Cool, let’s go grab food with Ajia. Real food, not snacks,” she added before Firestorm could hold up the bag with the sweet breads and mini cakes.
And, well… I couldn’t deny that I was hungry. So I told Darren and Firestorm I’d catch up with them later, and the two of us headed into town. Using Starr’s almost supernatural ability to find the best food around, we located a tiny ramen shop in the corner of a shopping center.
It wasn’t too busy now that the training high season was over. Doubly so for a touristy area so close to Indigo. Ajia was already inside, seated at a booth with Pichu on the table munching some dumplings. We placed our orders, and I found a few minutes’ welcome distraction listening to Starr and Ajia rank the Johto gym leaders, with Starr feigning outrage at all of Ajia’s picks. They kept it up after our food arrived while I buried my face in ramen. Something about eating in an actual restaurant made the food ten times more satisfying than poking at takeout in the medical ward while feeling sorry for myself.
“Feeling better?” Ajia asked with a smile that made me realize just how much tension had left me.
“A lot,” I replied between draining half of my bowl.
Ajia glanced around. There was no one else near us. Then she gave Starr a knowing look and asked, “Soo have you gotten to talk with Ho-oh?”
Starr rolled her eyes. “Only as much as necessary.”
“Aw, come on, you two are partners now!” Ajia said, putting her hands together. “You should get to know each other.”
Starr scoffed and said, “How about ‘work colleagues.’ That ought to be good enough.” Ajia laughed and elbowed her.
As much as I hadn’t wanted to at first, even I had to admit that things felt less awkward now that I’d talked more with Lugia. I still didn’t feel up to asking it about Viridian, but… at least things weren’t so tense between us anymore.
“It’s not all serious business, you know,” Ajia went on. “It’s really important to be able to work together. And Mew and I have gotten to have so many adventures. We’ve visited islands, mountains, cities, and—”
“Well, I’ll be sure to ask Ho-oh if it wants to go to the amusement park,” Starr replied with a snide grin.
“You should at least go flying together,” I piped up.
Starr gave me a look of disgust. “Ugh, no way, once was enough.”
“It’s useful, though,” I replied defensively.
“I’ve gotten by just fine with beating the crap out of enemies on the ground, thank you very much,” Starr said through a mouthful of noodles. “Not like you with your three flying-types.”
I rubbed my arm. “Technically, there’s just two of them.”
“What?” She counted them on her fingers. “Oh god dammit, Flygon. It flies, it’s in the name, that’s good enough.”
I couldn’t help laughing. It still hurt to laugh, but in a good sort of way. I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed this. And I probably wasn’t the only one, what with Starr having just been chosen, and Ajia keeping tabs on a million different things with Mew.
Speaking of which… Ajia’s reply to Starr’s most recent jab at her tastes was definitely the sort of vague “uh huh” you’d expect from someone distracted by psychic conversation.
Starr snapped her fingers in front of Ajia’s face. “Hey, you awake? I was trying to say that anyone who’d rank Falkner so high can’t possibly have their head on straight.”
Ajia blinked at her as though coming out of a daze. “Right, right, sorry,” she said sheepishly. She glanced back and forth between us, putting her fingers together. “Hey so… now might be a bad time, but…”
“Let me take a wild guess,” Starr cut in, resting an elbow on the table. “Mew has more bad news?”
Ajia smiled weakly.
Starr gave her a deadpan stare. “No. I don’t care if the cabin is on fire, I want to have one meal in peace.”
I rubbed the back of my head. “I… kind of care if the cabin’s on fire.”
Ajia sighed. “Let me just…”
She retreated to the bathroom, most likely so that Mew could teleport her discreetly.
After watching her go, Starr leaned back in her seat with a heavy scoff. “Every day with the bullshit, I swear it never ends. I was hoping there’d be at least some break.”
I poked at my noodles vaguely, just for the sake of having something to do. “I mean, I’m kind of curious about it.”
Starr just rolled her eyes at that. Pichu was still chewing through a plate of fried tofu, seemingly oblivious to any concerns. I wished I could be like that.
Before long, Ajia was back. “Hey, sooo, we should probably…”
Starr groaned. “You don’t have to say it.” She shoved several large bites of noodles into her mouth before standing up from the booth, making sure to keep the disapproval plainly visible on her face.
I hesitantly stood up and followed after her, equal parts anxious and bewildered. What exactly was waiting back at the cabin? It was obviously something concerning, but not so concerning as to be cause for emergency? I wasn’t sure what to make of that. My brain kept trying to imagine something dire, like when we’d gotten the news about Viridian, but…
Not much time to wonder. We’d already paid for our food, so Ajia led all three of us outside, and Mew teleported us away. Our surroundings melted into forest, with a gray sky overhead. Cool air suddenly swept over me, and a harsh voice came into focus.
“—the same thing when I spoke to you last month, and the answer hasn’t changed.”
It was a weird scene. Lugia and Ho-oh standing near the cabin, both looking somewhat incredulous. And there, in the center of the clearing, staring up at them, was—
“Suicune,” I gasped.
The beast turned at the mention of its name, narrowing its eyes at us. I avoided eye contact, but couldn’t help stealing a moment’s glance once it had turned away. That glimmering crystal and rippling mane and ribbon-like tails. The very picture of graceful elegance. Last seen tearing through Viridian, knocking cars aside with blades of wind.
I swallowed hard and looked away. Lugia met eyes with me, and I felt a weird sense of… embarrassment? What had they been talking about?
“Is this just gonna be the official Legendary headquarters?” Starr grumbled, throwing her arms in the air. “You guys wanna put up a neon sign that says, ‘Rockets come here’?”
“I did not come here to speak with humans,” Suicune said, tossing its head.
Starr let out a scoff. “Yeah, well, you sure picked a weird place to show up if you didn’t.”
The beast did a double take. “Excuse me?” it asked, approaching her. “What makes you think that you can—”
“I would ask that you not threaten my chosen,” Ho-oh said calmly, stepping forward.
Suicune squinted up at the phoenix in confusion before a look of realization dawned. “So it’s true,” it said, glancing around at the others. “You all have resorted to consorting with humans.”
Mew tilted her head. <That wasn’t a secret. We’ve spoken about following the chosen pact for some time now.>
“I’m curious how we are meant to locate chosen candidates without consorting with humans,” Ho-oh added. “Would you have us select one from the masses, knowing nothing about them?” Its voice held a twinge of amusement.
Suicune gave Lugia a look. “I didn’t think you put any stock in things like that.”
Lugia avoided the beast’s eye. <I stand by my decision,> it said vaguely.
Mew drifted forward, tail curled around herself. <I’ve been hoping to speak with you about the chosen pact. I know you have concerns, but since we last spoke, three more—>
“We didn’t come here to talk about that,” Suicune cut in bluntly.
<We?>
The beast glanced over its shoulder impatiently. “Are you going to hide back there all day?” it called out. “You were the one who insisted that we speak with Mew.”
What? Who was it talking to?
Footsteps. Talons crunching dried grass and gravel. A golden thunderbird slowly emerged from the trees, glancing around pensively in a way that didn’t quite fit someone so imposing.
<Zapdos!> Mew exclaimed, flying over. <It’s been so long, I… I was worried.>
Zapdos nodded distantly, eyes trained on the ground.
Mew clapped her paws together. <Oh, but Moltres! They’ll want to see you! I must tell them you’re here.>
Zapdos opened its beak, but Mew was already gone. The thunderbird stared at where she’d left with a pained look on its face. Almost like… it didn’t want to?
Ho-oh let out a sigh. “I suspect this is going to be difficult.”
I had no idea what to make of that. We hadn’t seen Zapdos or Suicune all this time, and I’d always just assumed there had to be a good reason for it. Having the both of them show up now, without any warning… It felt bizarre. I mean, we really could have used their help on more than one occasion.
Mew reappeared with a flash, and she wasn’t alone. Moltres took one look at the scene and froze, staring with its beak hanging open. “So, you’re really here?”
Zapdos glanced away sheepishly. Moltres’s eyes were wide with… relief? But then it squinted, flames crackling. “Why is this the first I’ve seen of you since I was freed? It has been nearly a month.”
Zapdos closed its eyes. “I’m sorry.”
The firebird blinked incredulously, like it had been expecting more than that. “I was not looking for an apology. I was looking to know why. Why were you not a part of this group’s efforts? What have you been doing?”
Zapdos shuffled a talon against the dirt awkwardly. “I have… been avoiding the humans,” it said in a low voice.
Moltres scrutinized the thunderbird with a skeptical look. “So, you have been hiding?” it said finally.
Zapdos nodded softly.
The silence was tangible. No one seemed to know how to react to that. I couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy. Zapdos obviously didn’t want to be here, and now it had to endure all these judging looks.
Mew’s ears flattened. <It must have been painful, when Articuno and Moltres were taken. But you didn’t need to face it alone. I could have—>
“Helped?” Suicune finished, glowering at Mew. “You wanted Zapdos to forget. To forget about the pain that the humans caused, and keep their focus on your goal of making peace. Typical. Passive. Forbid us from taking action but refuse to do anything yourself.”
Moltres raised its brow. “And what has your rhetoric achieved? A year of wallowing in misery?”
Zapdos flinched. Suicune tossed its head indignantly. “Regardless. I thought it fair that you should know—both of us were approached by Mewtwo.”
“Mewtwo?” Moltres asked incredulously.
“He asked us to join him in putting a stop to the human threat.” Suicune went on. “I’m still undecided on what I think of him.”
“It seemed best to discuss it first,” Zapdos added.
Mew drifted around, looking up in thought. <Mewtwo approached us as well, but… he didn’t say he’d been trying to recruit anyone else.>
“Obviously he had his reasons,” Suicune said dismissively. “I can’t say I’m not considering it.”
“Yes, well, that’s not surprising given your actions last year,” Ho-oh said dryly.
Suicune’s nostrils flared, but it didn’t bother responding to the phoenix. Rather, it turned to Mew expectantly and asked, “What do you have to say?”
Mew tilted her head. <Hm?>
“Your reasoning. Why we shouldn’t join Mewtwo.”
<I wasn’t aware that’s what this was about,> Mew said, puzzled. <Did he tell you what he was planning?>
Suicune glanced away. “Who’s to say,” it said, impassive.
<We need to know,> Mew said, suddenly in Suicune’s face. <If he’s planning another incident like what happened in Viridian—>
“We tried to strike a blow against the enemy,” Suicune cut in, taking a step back. “And you would blame us for that?” It glanced around hopefully, like it was expecting someone to take its side. But no one came forward.
“I made my opinion quite clear that night, I believe,” Ho-oh said, unusually cold. My mind flashed back to that image of Lugia and Ho-oh locked in combat in the night sky.
Suicune narrowed its eyes. “You speak as though I was alone.” It snapped its gaze to Lugia suddenly.
The clearing went silent, all eyes on my patron. Twinges of awkward shame drifted from its mind.
Finally, Lugia looked away. <I… we had decided that taking action was better than waiting for them to come after us.> The legend paused for a few seconds, then added, <It may not have been the best decision. It was unnecessarily risky.>
Suicune took a step back. “So now even you?” It stared up at Lugia imploringly, but the seabird still wouldn’t meet its eye.
The beast glanced among all the legends. “None of you are willing to fight for our right to live as we please?” it said, and this time there was an edge of something else in its voice. Pleading?
<We have been fighting,> Mew said gently, holding both paws out. <We’ll be stronger together.>
Suicune stepped back again, shaking its head. “All you care about is the chosen pact. Entei and Raikou were taken, and I was left with no one. You saved Moltres but not Articuno. I expect you’ll save Raikou and expect me to be grateful, understanding that saving Entei is too much to ask.” It glanced over its shoulder. “Zapdos was the only one who knew what it was like. Everyone else just had empty sympathy.”
<I want to save everyone in then end,> Mew insisted. <But we may need the chosen pact to even be able to help the others.> She paused, closing her eyes. <And we need you.>
Suicune let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “So good to know that I’m one of the chosen few, that I’m necessary. I didn’t ask to be. I didn’t ask for my worth to hinge on a human.”
Mew drifted closer, her face only a few inches from Suicune’s. <Protecting the world means protecting all parts of it. Including humans.>
Suicune wouldn’t meet her eye. “Unyielding as ever… It’s no wonder Mewtwo wouldn’t speak of his aims.” Its voice didn’t hold nearly as much conviction as before, though.
Zapdos shook its head. “Perhaps I should go. It was unwise to come here.” Without warning, the thunderbird spread its wings and took off.
Moltres jolted, its flames flickering with agitation. “Wait! Perhaps I was too harsh. I just…”
Zapdos kept flying, soaring over the trees and out of sight. Moltres spread its wings to take off, but then—
A narrow spurt of bubbles shot through the air and hit Moltres on the wing in a plume of steam. The phoenix jumped backward, affronted.
“Leave them be!” Suicune snapped. “They don’t have to if they don’t want to.”
Moltres glowered at the beast, but then turned and spread its wings again. Another Bubblebeam, larger this time, but Moltres ignored it, taking to the air and soaring after Zapdos.
Lugia gave Suicune a tired look. <Why are you like this?>
“You are the one who has lost all spine,” the beast spat.
I didn’t want to be a part of any of this, and I somehow didn’t think that it would be helpful to stand here watching this disagreement. Part of me wished that Starr and I could have just stayed back at the restaurant and had Mew catch us up later.
Whatever, I was pretty sure that no one would notice if I left, and I was right. I ducked around the side of the cabin and let out a huge breath as I leaned a shoulder against the wall. Unsurprisingly, Starr joined me.
“Well, that was a friggin’ disaster,” Starr said, stretching her arms above her head. “They’re supposed to all be united against the Rockets? What a joke.”
I rubbed my arm. “Understanding the other legends better will be helpful, I think. Even if they’re… like that.”
Starr snorted. “Yeah, well, Mew’s got her work cut out for her if she wants those two to work with us.”
It had been easy to feel like we were making progress after Starr was chosen. Four down, three to go. Of course it couldn’t be that simple. Not with one of the three captured and the other two avoiding Mew for various reasons.
I winced as paws suddenly gripped my shoulder. Chibi, leaping up to his usual perch—it was just close enough to the new skin that it stung.
“*We’re following them,*” he said sharply.
I hadn’t even realized he was here. But of course he must have been watching the whole thing. He didn’t even have to elaborate. I knew what he wanted.
<Did you see where Zapdos went?> I asked Lugia.
<They didn’t fly far,> Lugia replied privately. <I suppose they probably still want to speak to the others, but aren’t sure how.>
<Can you take us there? Chibi wants to talk to Zapdos.>
<The half-legend?> Lugia paused, thinking. <I suppose that makes sense. Very well, come with me.>
Lugia gladly excused itself from the discussion and came around the back of the cabin to get us. We soared low over the forest, Lugia’s very presence creating winds that whipped the trees about in our path. I kept my eyes on the ground, searching…
There, ahead of us, in a gap between the trees—a flash of yellow. Lugia flared its wings and we zeroed in on it.
Moltres was just leaving; the firebird gave us a sideways look as we passed. Lugia landed in the clearing, and Zapdos looked up with a weary expression.
“I came here to get away from the others,” it said tiredly.
<I’m not staying,> Lugia replied tersely.
I slid down from the seabird’s back, and it spread its wings to take off again. Zapdos watched it leave, then looked down at me with a puzzled look. It had prepared itself to be harassed by more legends, but here I was, just a human. And also…
Chibi hopped down from my shoulder and padded over to Zapdos, slowing as he approached. The thunderbird stared down its pointed beak at him, tilting its head ever so slightly with intrigue.
“*Do you know what I am?*” Chibi asked, leaping onto a rock so that he could stand at least a little taller.
Zapdos still towered over the hybrid, regarding him carefully. “*You are the half-legend.*”
Chibi’s ears lowered slightly. He must have been expecting something more than that.
“And,” the legend went on, “you were also born of my essence. You hold my strength.”
The Pikachu relaxed slightly at that, though the clearing still held an air of awkward tension.
“*I’ve been hoping to see you for a long time,*” he said finally.
Zapdos let out a weary sigh. “Yes, I imagine you have wondered like the others why I have been shirking my duty.”
Chibi furrowed his brow, confused. “*That’s not it.*”
The thunderbird paused, taken aback. “That was an unfair assumption. You must have many questions for me, being the one born from my strength.” It gave an awkward chuckle. “This is rather new for me. I suppose it would be new for anyone other than Mew.”
Chibi’s eyes were steely. “*I don’t know what I should be. I don’t know what to do with your strength. I’ve been fighting the Rockets all my life. First for my freedom. Then for revenge. And now…*”
Zapdos gazed at him carefully. “Revenge?”
Chibi’s paws clenched. His ears quivered. “*They took someone from me. Someone important.*”
Zapdos didn’t say anything for some time. It gazed down at him with a look of growing understanding. “They took someone important to me too. But I suspect that you speak of something more permanent.”
Chibi looked down, nodding softly. That night on Midnight Island that we’d never forget.
Zapdos dug a talon into the earth pensively. “Who did you lose?”
“*I called him Razors.*”
“You fight for him, then?”
Chibi glanced away. “*He was tired of fighting. He wanted to live a quiet life. I called him a coward for it.*”
The silence was thick. Chibi’s paws clenched, tail trembling ever so slightly.
Zapdos let out a long sigh. “After my siblings were taken, I allowed myself to be consumed by rage and hatred, and took many human lives. Perhaps they deserved it, but I have no way of knowing.” The thunderbird paused, staring up into the gray sky. “I was afraid of what I had become, and so I retreated from the fight. I abandoned my duty, and I abandoned Mew.” It glanced back at Chibi, suddenly wistful. “The idea of a quiet life, free from the fight… it sounds nice.”
A soft breeze stirred the trees, ruffling the pointed feathers on both of them.
“You must think very little of me now,” Zapdos said quietly.
Chibi stared up at the thunderbird, perplexed. “*Why would I?*”
Zapdos turned away, taking a few delicate steps through the clearing’s dried grass. “Well, I can’t imagine I’ve lived up to whatever you imagined of me. If there’s a correct way to use the strength of a legend, I’ve hardly done so.”
Chibi’s ears flattened, and he stared downward, looking troubled. “*You don’t need to. It’s different for the legends.*”
Zapdos glanced back at him. “Is it?”
“*The Rockets used me to find a way to imprison all of you,*” Chibi muttered, his fur bristling. “*My entire existence hurts you.*”
Zapdos let out a low, ironic chuckle, waving a wing dismissively. “I’d hardly say we’re so important that our troubles should be elevated so high. But… ah, that’s selfish of me to say. If they use our power, countless others will be harmed. Not just us.” The thunderbird steeled itself. “If you want to protect others, do it for that, not to make up for what your existence did to us. We’re hardly worth that.”
Chibi gazed up at the legend, flickers of doubt and confusion crossing his face. “*I still don’t know what I should be doing with this power.*”
Zapdos fixed him with a laser focus, and for once it was so easy to see the similarity in their eyes. “Do not make the mistake of thinking that any of us truly understands what it means to be Legendary. We’ve had more time to figure it out than you have, but…” Its voice trailed off.
“We’re all just… trying to protect the world,” the legend said quietly. “Sometimes it’s not enough, but it’s all we can do. And… I have not been trying hard enough. In my grief, and my regret, I allowed myself to grow complacent with inaction. Perhaps Suicune is right.”
Zapdos let out a heavy sigh. “I need some time.” Its eyes drifted to me. “Please tell Mew that I’ll speak with her again. When I’m ready.”
I nodded.
Zapdos looked down at Chibi one last time. “And please live for yourself. That is my wish.”
Chibi stared at the thunderbird for a few moments before giving a slow nod and rejoining me without a word.
We walked off into the trees. Chibi sat on my shoulder, pensive. I could have called for Lugia to take us back to the cabin, but not yet. Right now, it was just us.
“*I always thought the Legendaries were above the rest of us,*” he said in a low voice.
I smiled weakly. “It’s pretty easy to feel like that.” I’d felt that way for the longest time. Only just recently had I started to see otherwise.
“*I thought that I had to live up to them,*” he went on. “*That I had to make up for my existence. Then I tried to figure out how to live for myself. Because it was what he would’ve wanted.*” His paws clenched my shirt. “*But I don’t know what that means.*”
I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but I found myself lifting my arm and laying a hand on the fur of his back.
He looked up at me, relaxing. “*I suppose it’s fine if I haven’t figured myself out yet. Neither have they.*”
~End Chapter 53~
Next chapter: Diplomacy
