Rain walked into the damp darkness and gray walls where he heard the noises of moves banging against the sturdy bars and the groans of the damned. He had to steel himself while walking down lower and lower into the depths and even then, he couldn't stop the chill from crawling down his spine. This was the last place the shaymin really wanted to be, but he had to be here. The prison where Skyla was being held.
Rain was being escorted by two magneton guards, who were slightly behind him on both his sides. They were there to either protect the inmates or protect Rain depending on whether Rain was there to get revenge on the inmates or the inmates on Rain. The shaymin wondered the frequency of that situation that would necessitate this. He was especially annoyed at the escort since he had something extremely personal he wanted to talk to his former mate with.
"Is there any worry of the outlaws escaping?" Rain asked.
"BZZT These bars are designed to repel all attacks from all the elements, both physical and special," the magneton guard on Rain's right said. "It is rare for constant attacks to be able to wear them down. We're not even sure why or what these bars are made of. We just found this prison and, after testing to make sure they are impervious, decided to use it to contain outlaws BZZT."
"BZZT This prison almost seems specifically designed to contain Pokémon BZZT," the other magneton, the one on Rain's left, said.
Hmm…even a Mythical Pokémon? Rain asked. I don't know about that. But…I suppose for now it doesn't really matter.
Rain continued downward into the depths of the abyss for what felt like miles even though it was probably a few yards next. It went on…and on…and on past hundreds of cells. Eventually, the magneton on his left pointed at a cell to Rain's left. Rain looked between the bars and saw, lying there on badly made straw bad being their only protection from the cold floors, in her Land Forme for one of the few times ever, was Skyla.
"BZZT Prisoner, you have a visitor BZZT," the Magneton said loud enough to stir the shaymin.
"Can't I just rot in jail in peace?" Skyla complained as she woke up. She eventually looked from in between the bars and saw that it was Rain. "Oh…it's you," Skyla said.
Rain looked at both the magneton around him. "May we please speak in private?" Rain asked. "I know you're worried about me attacking her or the opposite, but you don't have to. At your own admission, these bars are impervious to attacks and I'll talk outside of them."
"It's still possible to attack through them," one magneton mentioned.
"She was also once my mate," Rain said. "So I'm not going to attack her and I can take care of myself in case she decided to attack me. So, can you please trust me on this, at least this once?"
"I've got better things to do than attack him and he doesn't have the bones to attack me," Skyla said. "So you've got nothing to worry about."
The two magneton looked at each other for a couple of seconds, sparks flying between them to allow them non-verbal communication. They eventually nodded to each other and looked back at Rain. The magneton on the left spoke first.
"BZZT Your team does have a good reputation, so we will allow this favor just once. However, do not betray our trust or you will be getting your own cell very soon BZZT."
The two magneton both left, giving Rain the space he needed to talk to Skyla.
"Is it…really that common for someone to come in and attack for them to worry this much about it?" Rain asked Skyla as he watched the magneton leave.
"I've been here for less than a week," Skyla said. "Heck if I know. Maybe some stupid event happened some time ago, I'm not sure. We outlaws can't really be trusted and we can do some stupid things. So, it wouldn't surprise me if it's needed. But that's beside the point."
Skyla got out of her bed and walked as close to Rain as she could. "What do you want?" she asked sharply.
"I uhh…spoke with your grandson recently," Rain said. "He…told me most of what happened to you while we were gone."
"Good," Skyla interrupted. "If you said all, then you would be wrong. Even if you talked to my grandson, you'd hardly know everything about me. Heck, my grandson doesn't even know everything. You still don't know everything."
"Y-yeah, you're right," Rain admitted. "So, I want to ask. What exactly…happened to Sakura? I mean, you followed her, but I never saw her so…"
"None. Of. Your. Business," Skyla said.
Rain closed his eyes and sighed, expecting to get some sort of reaction like this. "Maybe it's not mine exactly," Rain admitted. "But I'm sure your grandson would also like to know."
"If he really does…" Skyla paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "Then it'd be better if I tell him in person. I'm the one who made myself responsible for her, so I'm the one who should tell him what happened."
"I…guess you're right," Rain admitted.
"Is that all you came here for?" Skyla asked. "Because if so, leave. Now."
"No, that's not," Rain said. "I also…want to thank you. If you didn't send that letter to your grandson, then I'd still be wandering around, wondering exactly what happened to you when you left."
"Pfft, I'm sure you'd figure it out eventually," Skyla said. "You guys apparently have a knack for sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong."
"Also, thanks for telling the officers right away where the kids were," Rain continued. "Thanks to that, Fiora was able to fly in this year's Flower Gathering and could enjoy the festival. She looked really happy being able to do that."
"Well isn't that good for her," Skyla said.
"…You know, for how harsh you're trying to sound right now, I don't really believe that's how you are completely," Rain said. "I think there's still good in you. You might not act like it, but I think it's still there. You didn't have to tell the police where the kids were like you did. You didn't have to ask your grandson to talk to me. But you did."
"Don't act like I'm some sort of hero," Skyla said. "I was going to jail anyways, so it's not like I had any reason not to tell them where the kids were. Plus they were probably going to torture it out of me anyways, so I just saved them and myself some time. Same with sending you to my grandson; saves me your constant visits asking me about it. That way I can just rot here in peace. Which I'd like to do if you'll be so kind as to leave."
"No…I still think it's there," Rain said sadly. "And well…that leads to the third thing I want to say. It's not an easy thing to say but…well…"
Rain closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry!" the shaymin called out.
"Sorry?" Skyla questioned.
"Sawsbuck gave me your diary," Rain explained. "And I…read a moment in that diary. You had a dream one night. A dream where I somehow found you after all these years and joined you in raising Mallow. I…stopped reading when I read those words. And I had to come here to say something. I…I'm sorry. When everyone else thought you died, I didn't. But I didn't do anything about it. I-I was such a wimp, such a coward. I can understand if you hate me because of that. If I tried looking around, tried asking some Pokémon, maybe went to that western town and asked around there, I could have found you. I could have made your dream come true. And…maybe I could have changed something. Comforted you when Mallow died. Stopped your family from splitting apart."
"No, you couldn't have," Skyla interrupted sharply.
Rain took a step back. "W-what?"
Skyla took a deep breath before continuing. "Yes, there was a time when I wanted you to join me in raising Mallow. But no, after everything that happened, I stopped wishing that. You want to know why? You would change nothing. Say you did manage to come and find me? What would you have accomplished? You would have been just as stricken with grief as I was at Mallow's death. While we were grieving together, my family would have split apart anyways. And when that happened…you would have gone with my great-grandson while I would have went the same path I did before. We would have did so to protect both of them and hope to bring them together again, a failed hope."
"But Skyla," Rain called out, but Skyla shook her head.
"You want to know something?" Skyla said. "Nowadays, especially after seeing you again, I'm glad you didn't come and see me. I…heard from the kids that you finally managed to become a tour guild since I left. During your first job you got two good friends. And then you became an explorer to follow those two friends. Rain, you've really grown a lot stronger since I last met you. Strong enough to face up against me. I…hate you so much for dragging me in her but…I guess the last remnants of the Skyla you knew is proud. Proud to see how strong you've grown. You're not the wimp I left behind."
"Then…would you mind finally telling me why?" Rain asked. "Why did you kidnap that shaymin kids? What was the point of finding Clover's treasure? Can you tell me everything finally?"
Skyla scoffed. "You've grown stronger…but you're still so naïve. What makes you think an outlaw like me is going to talk to you, the one who captured me, about anything? What makes you think I would even bother? I think I've told you a number of times, we have changed in the years we've spent apart. So…you need to let me go. Just…stop already."
"You're right…in that way," Rain said. "Our past history…my motivations for living how I was…I need to let those go. I need to figure out who I am. Who Rain is."
"Here's a good place to start," Skyla said. "You still haven't answered my question. Your friends nearly died several times. And you know they're going to die sometime soon. They're lives are nothing compared to ours. So what are you going to do then? What are you doing to do years from now when nobody remembers them? You're going to forget them. It's not a question of will, it's a question of when."
"No, I won't," Rain said.
Skyla looked up at him, surprised. "What?!"
Rain smiled. "Since I met Axle and Eon, we've done so many things. Explored some amazing and mind-blowing places. I've made so many memories with those two and I plan on making more. And that's the thing. We're so afraid of loving someone, losing them, and forgetting they ever exist. The grief comes from both losing them, knowing we're going to live generations without them, and the possibility exists that we're going to forget them. But I know I'm not. Those memories, they're going to keep me going for a long time. I'll grieve for them when they're gone, obviously, but after that I'm going to make sure no one ever forgets those two, including myself."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Skyla asked. "After nearly a thousand years, can you really say you'll still remember them?
"After everything is over, I'm going to tell everyone about my friends," Rain said. "It's something that Eon did herself once. I'll make sure that I repeat my adventures with Axle and Eon to anyone and everyone that can hear me. That way, I won't forget them. I'll write it down even to help me. Also, that means their legacy will live on for generations to come. And in that way, they'll live on as well. Their spirits will live on for generations to come. With that…I'm fine with knowing them and outliving them."
Rain nodded. "And I told you before. It doesn't really matter to me. One day, sure, Axle and Eon will be gone. And the memory of them might be lost as well. But the same will happen to me one day. We're not immortal, Skyla. One day I'll be gone and memory of the shaymin, Rain, will be gone too. But…I'm fine with that. My actions here, even if not remembered, will ripple into the future. My life, my virtues, they'll soar across time even when I'm not gone. And with any luck, those ripples will create a better future. Believing in that really helps me feel better."
"Yeah, that sounds good on paper, but…" Skyla started, but Rain stopped her by shaking his head.
"Even what you did," Rain said with a smile. "When you saved Mallow, it did something amazing in the future. Your grandson has his own granddaughter. I haven't met her, but from what I heard from Sawsbuck, she's a really great Pokémon. She protects this younger kid from bullies in her hometown. She might not know you, but she wouldn't be there right now if you didn't save Mallow. One small action, Skyla, and you've changed the future for the better. I hope to do the same myself."
Skyla paused, the strength of Rain's words and her conviction hitting her. And, after a while, she did something that Rain never expected her to do. Skyla, who was once his mate now turned into a cold bitter outlaw, scarred from her experiences in the world, smiled. It wasn't an amused or mocking smile either. It was a completely genuine smile, like the ones she used to give him hundreds of years ago.
"Hmm…maybe I was wrong then," she said. "Maybe things would have changed had you been there. You never know." As quickly as it came, though, Skyla's smile died. "But…it's too late now. I've resigned myself to my fate. And my fate is to lie here, rotting for my crimes. That's where my life has lead me. This is what I've accepted."
Rain paused. Racking his brains, he thought long and hard for a couple seconds, knowing that this would be the last thing he was allowed to say. It took him a while, but he eventually came to the final words he had to say.
"…Those crimes are unforgivable, yes," Rain said. "My friends, Axle and Eon, I don't think either of them will forgive you for what happened. But as for me…I don't hate you. I went on this journey wanting to understand you. At first, it was out of desperation. I wanted to understand you because I thought I needed it to understand myself. But now…I realize fully that I need to find myself without you. I said before that I'm letting go of our shared history and it being a motivator for how I was living. But…I still want to understand you. And that's what I won't let go."
Rain pulled out the diary. "I'll keep reading this," Rain said. "It'll help me understand all the feelings you went through as you adopted Mallow. And I'll keep going. Axle and Eon…right now they should be using those clues you found to try and find Clover's Treasure. I want to find that treasure…because it's my last clue to truly understanding you."
"You're strange in many ways," Skyla said. "But…I suppose that's a good thing. …Hey Rainflower? Thank you for coming today. I'm glad I got to have once last chance to talk with you."
Rain nodded. "You're welcome, Skyla." Rain turned around to walk away. "We live very long lives," Rain said. "I don't know your sentence here, but I'm sure you'll live it out in time. And when you do that…I hope you leave this place a changed shaymin. I think you can change, and do great things to atone for your crimes. And when that happens…I hope we can meet again. …We won't have the same relationship again. That's not possible anymore. But I do hope to see you again to see how you've changed."
Rain gave one last nod and said, "So I'll…see you later then," before beginning his walk home.
"…By the way, it wasn't Clover's Treasure I was after exactly," Skyla said one last thing before Rain left. "It's where Clover's treasure is located. Find that…and you'll figure out exactly what I was doing."