Chapter XXVI

That same night, after the legionary battle, Nova, Lucas and Barry stood towards the edge of Veilstone, their heads bowed as they finished burying Barry's Staravia.

All three of them had cried. Even all their Pokémon were there, silently staring at the dirt, their hearts in their throats.

Nova's head still spun from it all. From the way little children had come running to her after the battle, telling her how bloody wicked she had been, all the way to the sight of the bodies she had killed with her own sword.

Worse yet, as she bowed her head and felt for the bandages Lucas had wrapped around her bloodied arm, she saw.

She saw herself and Barry near Jubilife, swearing as they dodged the arrows that Meryl and Ulysses – as well as that blasted Abra – had been aiming at her.

She saw herself, hands intertwined with Lucas, spinning and laughing in the rain.

She saw herself in the Veilstone Colosseum, stumbling across the sand, her sword as black as ink as she hurled it past Medicham's barrier.

And, finally, she saw Meryl. She saw the young, pink-haired girl cheer as Nova's name thundered across the colosseum. She saw the girl rush away from the hordes of people, chasing after Nova and Barry, waving desperately.

She saw a man with a Murkrow mask snatch Meryl into the air and drag her away, the girl's screams muffled by his gloved hand. She saw him leading her towards some alley, towards a door with a golden circle painted on it, silent even though Meryl tried to bite his fingers.

It was exactly like the vision she had seen in Eterna, but with different images – some she recognised, some she didn't.

Then, they were gone, leaving her clutching onto her roiling stomach.

Oh, Arceus…

Nova glanced up, but no one seemed to have noticed a damned thing. They were all focused on Barry and the grave, on comforting each other.

So, the gladiator stumbled away, fighting back the pain in her heart.

The second she was out of sight, she turned to glare at her own shadow.

"Did you do that?" she hissed.

"…do what?..."

Nova rubbed her temples, the images there but not there, so damned close but so damned far. "That… thing. I saw these moments in my head. I saw Meryl… I saw myself."

"…you think i would be cruel enough to give you a nightmare?..."

"Aye?"

Her shadow rippled. "…you're foolish, then. i can't give you nightmares if you aren't sleeping…"

"Then what was it? A vision of the bloody past?"

"…clever girl…"

And yet, even though he sounded as bored as ever, Nova heard that familiar hiss to his voice – the hiss that usually meant that she was bloody right.

Because, of course she was right. Of course. How had she not noticed it before? The visions she had in Eterna – dancing with a masked man, slamming down a bowl of potato stew, crying as Lucas held her…

Bloody hell, they had come true. Not all of them – not yet. But more than enough.

"Nova?" a voice called out behind her – Lucas's voice. "Are you okay?"

Nova didn't hesitate. She just looked her friend dead in the eye and shook her head. "Meryl is in trouble."

"Meryl? As in, one of the twins from Jubilife? She's here?"

"Aye. And she's in trouble."

"How do you know?"

The gladiator winced a little. "I… If I tell you, you can't call me mad, aye?"

"Aye."

A deep breath. A mental roll of her eyes as her shadow snorted.

"I had a vision."

Lucas's lip curled. "You had a vision?"

"…aye, he thinks you're mad…"

"I had it before, okay?" Nova insisted. "I had one in Eterna. The same sort of thing, but it showed me different things. And, Arceus, Lucas, they came true. I saw myself dancing with a masked man, and then, in Hearthome, I danced with Sir Riley! Bloody hell – the potato stew! I had seen myself slam it down on the table, and then it bloody happened in the inns just last night."

"…must you always bring it back to the potatoes?..."

Nova ignored her shadow and stepped towards Lucas, holding him by the collar. "I saw you and me dancing in the rain – something that had already happened. And then, I saw Meryl watching the gladiator battle and… she was taken, Lucas. I know it. You have to believe me."

The knight looked at her for a long time, rubbing the back of his head. Finally, he sighed.

"Do you remember who took her?" he asked. "Or, at least, where they took her?"

She described it for him – the golden circle on the door, the alley, the Murkrow mask.

And, this time, Lucas swore.

"Now I definitely believe you," he told her. "I know where that is. It sounds like the place where my father trained all his physicians. Let's go."

Nova felt like she was inhaling relief. Then, she frowned. "What do you mean now? You didn't believe me before?"

"Of course not. You sounded batshit mad."

"…i told you…"

"Shithole," Nova muttered, reaching out to punch the knight.

He caught her fist, pulled her close, and smiled softly. "I was going to say it later, but I'm proud of you, Nova. That legionary battle… what you did for Barry was very brave. I was really-"

"You fancy me, don't you?"

The gladiator said it so abruptly – so bluntly – that Lucas couldn't help but laugh as led her forwards. "You're making it harder and harder not to, Nova."

"And why wouldn't you want to?"

"Now isn't the time. We need to go find Meryl."

"It's because I smell like piss, isn't it?"

"Nova, everyone smells like piss."

"…ah, finally, he speaks some truth…"

To the Galactic Healers, the air in their healing dungeons tasted like hell.

It was supper time, and they could hear the bells pealing to urge them into the dining chambers. But one – a lad named Saturn – lingered behind, breathing in the charred meat, the blood and guts, the herbal pastes, and the sweet smell of gold that wafted from the pink-haired girl in his arms.

She wasn't hurt – not yet. She wasn't even bound to anything, which, he knew, was incredibly dangerous. But, bloody hell, he didn't know where Mars or Jupiter had left that blasted red chain, and he couldn't even call out for them. He just had to wait, by the cots of Pokémon who were withered and weak from all the testing that had been done on them, the small girl held tight in his arms.

He could call out for someone by asking one of his Pokémon to summon them, but he was patient. His fellow healers deserved their supper – with all that was to come, he knew there wouldn't be much free time for anyone.

Especially now that he had one of the twins.

Seconds passed. Minutes passed. And he was sure an hour had been about to pass when he heard footsteps.

Finally.

He turned towards the staircase, as grey and cold as the rest of the room, and froze as the air shivered around him. A shadow leaked down the stairs first – a shadow like no shape he had ever seen before, and as he watched, a Luxio flung out from the darkness and threw him to the floor.

His hand slipped from the girl's mouth, just in time for him to hear her mutter, "November's here…"

November.

He recognised the name. It was of that gladiator – the one he had watched just before. The one who had sliced down gladiators and Pokémon alike, the not a single hint of fear in her eyes.

Oh, shit.

He couldn't call out with his voice. But he could call out in many, many other ways.

Saturn raised his knee to his chest, kicking the Luxio off before it had the chance to bite into him. Then, staggering to his feet, he tore his Pokéball from his belt and threw out his Toxicroak.

The Toxicroak glanced at the Luxio, at the knight and gladiator darting down the steps, and turned back to his owner.

Saturn shook his head. Pointed at his mask. Pointed towards the dining chambers.

The Toxicroak nodded in understanding. Then, it shrieked.

Seconds passed – and, this time, only seconds passed.

For it only took seconds for the rest of the Galactic Healers to come running, weapons drawn, aimed at the intruders.

Nova saw fear blanch Lucas's face as four Galactic Healers rushed out from behind Meryl and the man, Pokémon trailing behind them. She felt her own heart tighten – not with fear, but with pity, as she glanced at Meryl's wide-eyes, at the row of cots filled with whimpering Pokémon.

Lucas's Clefable was already standing with her Luxio, waving her hands as Lucas called out something about a metronome. Then, stars came raining out of her hands, leaving black smoke curling in the air.

"Get Meryl," Lucas said – already locked in knight form; eyes sharp, shoulders taut, his voice demanding. "I'll handle the healers."

Nova rushed forwards, towards Meryl, her blade connecting with the shoulder of one of the healers who stood in her way – slicing down his arm, the healer's eyes wide in surprise as he stumbled down onto the charred floors, blood licking at his face. Then, as she landed a kick into some Stunky that darted near her, she called for Rhys the Luxio.

He sprung, then, as quick as a spirit. In one second, he was hurling a bolt of electricity at some Beautifly, then he was plunging his claws into a Croagunk's belly, sending both of the Pokémon collapsing onto the floor. Cold and merciless. Cold and empty.

And Nova felt that same emptiness as she sliced at some healer's legs, sending him to the stone in a spray of red, darting aside as a blade cut its way towards her – missed, and went straight through the heart of the healer behind her.

"…your right…"

Nova levelled her blade to the right, blood dripping from the razored edge, and saw the healer blanch as she knocked aside his spear. Rhys dashed straight into him, sending him tumbling over the railing of a cot.

The man who held onto Meryl had his eyes fixed on her, his Toxicroak hovering beside him. Then, stretching out her sword, she flicked off his mask.

He had a nice face, she decided. Pale, with blue hair falling into his eyes. And, as she stepped closer, he tilted his head and smiled.

"Release her," Nova demanded.

His brow creased. And, from his belt, he pulled out a little black board. A little stick of chalk. And wrote two letters.

Nova blinked, dumbfounded. "I can't read."

"…i can…"

"Then what does it-"

The boy hurled Meryl to the side and punched Nova, sending her lurching sideways onto a cot with some poor Psyduck. Something heavy fell onto her shoulder, and she fell back on the railing, gasping, arms flailing as she tried to stand up, as she saw the blue-haired boy grab Meryl and dart back.

"…if you haven't already guessed, he said no…"

Rhys and the Toxicroak were rolling along the floor, pinwheeling down the stairs, electricity billowing around them, growling and hissing.

Then, a blade flashed, bright and gleaming in the dwindling light as someone grabbed the blue-haired healer by the cloak. Lucas held his sword to the healer's throat, his Clefable frowning beside him.

"Release her," Lucas hissed. "Release her, and I release you. And, if you want that Toxicroak of yours to live another day, I suggest you take me up on your offer because that Luxio is a murderous bastard."

Nova heard the Toxicroak cry out in pain from down the stairs, heard her Luxio snort.

And, finally, the healer threw Meryl away from him.

She grunted as her jaw hit the stone floor with a horrible, sickening crunch. Nova forced herself to leap out of the cot, to race to Meryl's side, when suddenly, she heard Lucas cry out.

He was gasping as he fell to the ground, clutching his jaw, blood slipping out from his mouth.

Stranger yet, the healer had done nothing to him. He was just staring as the knight released him, staring as Lucas fell to his knees.

Then, the healer was running down the stairs – just as Rhys was rushing up the stairs at the sound of Nova's desperate call.

"Look after Meryl," she told the Luxio. "I need to- Lucas!"

She raced to the knight's side, hands on his face, lifting his eyes towards hers. He was holding onto his jaw – a jaw that wasn't even bruised – grunting and swearing and hissing in pain. And, even though the Darkrai was eating it away, Nova felt the fear settle in her heart – twist and wrench at it until it hurt.

"Lucas," Nova said again, cupping his face, holding him tight. "What happened? Where are you hurt? Oh, Arceus, please-"

"…nova…"

The girl snapped at her shadow, "Not now."

"…look at meryl. then look at lucas again…"

And so, reluctantly, Nova turned away from the knight as she held him close. Turned back to the small girl who was guarded by her Luxio. Glanced again at the boy whose face was buried into the crook of her neck, whose Clefable was desperately trying to catch a glimpse of its owner.

"…they're both holding onto their jaw…"

The Darkrai was right. But before Nova could demand an explanation, she saw the Abra.

It looked at her and Lucas. Smiled. Then, it moved towards Meryl, touched her jaw gently as Rhys and Clefable stepped back, and healed away the bruise.

Lucas sighed in Nova's arms – a sigh of relief.

And, just like that, Meryl and the Abra were gone, disappearing in a single blink of blue light.

"By the shitting shadows…"

Lucas stirred, mumbling something to her, and Nova eased herself away – not daring to release his hands.

"Are you alright?" she asked him. "You… what the hell happened?"

The knight rubbed his jaw and frowned. "Don't worry, I'm-"

"I'm bloody worrying, so you better tell me what the shit just happened. Meryl is gone with her Abra. The healers – the ones who are awake, anyways – have run downstairs. We have time."

He smiled at her, then. Even moved to wipe the tear from her eye – a tear she hadn't realised was there.

"You're going to call me mad," he told her.

"Try me."

He shook his head, exasperated. "When Meryl fell down and hit her jaw, I felt it. And it hurt like hell, by Arceus. But the second the Abra came and healed her, the pain was gone."

"Really?"

"You believe me, don't you?"

Nova snorted. "Well, you do sound batshit mad."

"Nova-"

"Of course I believe you, nonce," she cut in, hauling him onto his feet. "Do we follow the healers? Chase them down the stairs?"

Rhys the Luxio perked up at that, and the Clefable reached out and smacked him.

Lucas laughed quietly. "Let's go to my chambers in the inn. I'm sure that healer – the one with blue hair – went to go call more. I'll need more knights if I want to plan an arrest, and I have no intention of dealing with my father now."

And so, they left. Not knowing that Saturn was still lingering at the bottom of the stairs. His own eyes shining as he wrote something on his little chalkboard.

"I've found the heart of gold."

"So, can we talk about why you don't wanna fancy me?" Nova asked. "If it has nothing to do with smelling like piss, then is it because I curse a lot?"

Lucas leaned back against his wall, arching his brow at the gladiator sprawled across his bed and the two Pokémon snoring beside her. "Nova, I do not want to talk about this now."

Nova couldn't help but bite back a smile as she saw his flushed cheeks. Maybe, if she hadn't seen him groaning in pain only minutes ago, she would have pressed it further – out of sheer curiosity and to piss him off. Instead, though, she sat up on the bed and frowned.

"Fine. Let's talk about Volkner," she said. "Maylene hates him, too, I think. Why?"

"Oh, Volkner." Lucas grinned. "He was ruled out of the Gladiator Games, you know. He broke one of the two rules."

"He killed his patron?"

Lucas shook his head. "The other one."

"He slept with his patron?"

"Aye."

"And what does that have to do with Maylene?"

This time, the knight gestured to his room; it was completely bare, apart from his bag of armour near the door, the bucket of water that was washing away the blood from their blades, and the small bed where his friend, her Luxio, and his Clefable slept. "At the time, Maylene was a little girl who tidied the rooms for the legionaries. She was the one who first found out that he broke the rule."

"How?"

"She walked in and saw the action for herself."

Nova choked, and Lucas laughed as she said, "Poor girl."

"…poor girl? i wouldn't be so sure. i would consider it free entertainment…"

"Poor girl, indeed," Lucas said to the gladiator. "And poor Volkner, because Maylene tattled to Duke Rowan. When Queen Cynthia found out, she liked her honesty so much that she immediately blessed Maylene as a champion of Sinnoh – which makes her a legionary. Volkner has given her hell ever since, and so she gives him hell back."

If Nova hadn't already liked Maylene before, she certainly liked her now.

"Good on her," she said. "Now can you tell me why you don't wanna fancy me?"

"Oh, bloody hell-"

Nova laughed as Lucas's words were muffled by the pillow she threw at him. Then, she saw him pick the swords out of the bucket of water and toss them to the side.

She was certainly not laughing when he raised said bucket of water towards her.

"Oh, shit."

She raced out of the room, Lucas hot on her heels, both of them laughing like absolute idiots as gladiators barged out of their rooms to tell them to shut up. They ran and ran, cursing at each other's mothers, flipping through door after door until they were in the bare dining chambers. Nova rushed towards the serving tables, where she spied tubs of ale lying there, when Lucas caught her by the waist.

Then, before she could rip herself free, he was swinging the bucket towards her, grinning as water slipped down her face, as she swore at him and swore some more when water fell into her mouth.

"Are you done?" she asked him when he finally stepped back to admire her utterly drenched hair and face.

"Aye," he said. "Wait, actually…"

He stepped closer and tipped the final bit of water onto her head.

"Shithole."

"Now I'm done."

But then, Nova was snatching the tub of ale from behind her, and with one swing, Lucas was just as drenched as her – grabbing her in a headlock, trying desperately to snatch the tub of her, only to have her pour the rest onto both of them.

It was about then that they realised that there were eight more tubs of ale lying on the table.

Surely, readers and writers, I don't need to tell you what happened next. But it sounded a lot like:

"Put the tub of ale down, Nova, or I swear to Arceus-"

"Take that, shithole!"

A splash. A curse. A laugh.

"Oh, you bloody asked for it-"

More splashing. More cursing.

And laughter that echoed in their ears for the rest of the night.

It almost felt wrong to laugh as Nova found herself lying down in the filthy – and completely drenched in ale – dining chambers, Lucas shaking his head at her as she yanked him down beside her.

So much had happened in the past few days and weeks. So much.

But it felt good to laugh. It felt good to be soft again. The last time she had been in these dining chambers, she had been speaking to all the gladiators about her name. Now, with Lucas beside her, she only felt safe. Content. Warm, even though her skin was cold from the ale and water.

The knight reached out and moved her hair out of her face. "Nova, I want to tell you something."

"Funny that. I want to tell you something, too."

"Ladies first."

Nova grinned. "You first, then?"

"You're horrible to me, fair maiden."

"Well, if you're gonna whine about me, I may as well go first," the gladiator pointed out. "Do you remember what I told everyone last night? In these chambers? About the knights?"

Lucas frowned. "Aye?"

"I didn't say the whole story. The knights were stopped, you know. Sir Riley – he was only a wee little lad back then – saved me."

"Aye."

Nova turned to face him and his narrowed eyes. "I don't know how close you and Sir Riley are, but if you see him, I want you to make sure he doesn't ever find out that I was that girl he saved."

"Why not?"

"I don't want him to remember me as that girl he had to save. That weak little lass from Twinleaf."

Lucas propped up onto his elbows, staring down at her, his mouth a thin line. "Nova, you were not-"

"Please."

"Then why tell me?" he demanded. "Why tell all the other gladiators about it if you don't want to be seen as that lass?"

Nova rolled her eyes. "Because it's different. They're just gladiators. Sir Riley is-"

"A knight?" he cut in. "I'm a knight. What about me?"

"Don't be like that, Lucas. You're different," Nova pointed out. "Going to Sir Riley is like going to the queen and saying woe is me."

"And what's so different about the queen?"

"She's the bloody queen – that's what's different!"

Lucas sat up, then, shaking his head as he rose to his feet. "She's still a person, Nova. She's still human, and so is Sir Riley."

"Yer point?"

"My point is that you always talk about how bloody unfair your life is, and yet, you go around treating people unfairly, too."

Nova forced herself to stand, too, scowling. "Oh, so just because I don't want to say woe is me to the future king of Sinnoh, I am unfair?"

"Yes! Because you don't treat him like he's a person! Maybe he'd want to know, and maybe-"

"I don't want him to see me as pathetic, okay?" Nova snapped. "I don't want him to see Twinleaf as pathetic because of me!"

Lucas froze. Stared at her for a long time.

Then, he pulled her by her wrist, his face so damned close to her own that if she only stood on her toes and inched forwards-

"Never call yourself pathetic again, you hear?" he said quietly, his breath hot upon her face. "All your tattoos and scars and stories – they are who you are. Sir Riley would be an absolute shithole if he saw you as pathetic."

"It's not just that," Nova insisted. "I don't want him to see Barry become some grand gladiator, but only think about how he was the one to save him in the first place. I want him to remember Barry as just that grand gladiator."

"Then don't tell him about Barry. Tell him about you."

Nova only shook her head, her voice hardly a whisper as she added, "I don't know the type of lad Sir Riley is. What if, when he becomes the king, he blabbers it out to all of Sinnoh? All I can think about is the people in the colosseum today. All those kids who were cheering my name. I don't want all those kids to look at me and, I dunno, think of me as bloody garbage."

The knight reached out. Ran his hand down her bandaged arm. Left his fingers intertwined with hers.

"You really think that if those people out there learn about your past, they'll think you're garbage?" he asked.

"I know it."

"Then explain to me why I'm still quite madly in love with you even though I've seen everything."

The only sound Nova heard after that was her shadow, chuckling at her stunned face.

"…oh my…"

Nova stepped back. Stared into those blue eyes. Felt her stomach drop.

"You love me?"

Lucas was already turning away, though, leaving Nova to shiver in her wet clothes as he said, "I have to go. I need to find Duke Rowan and ask him about the pain I felt with Meryl."

"Wait," Nova quickly said. "You said you had something to tell me, aye?"

But he was already out of the dining chambers, the creaking of the swinging door the only answer for the poor gladiator.

"…woe is me, aye?..."

"Oh, shut up, Darkrai."

Do I have anything to say about this chapter? Not really. I've taken a bit (a lot) of creative license by introducing Saturn this early, but it just… felt like the right thing to do.

We also won't be seeing Lucas for a while after this – sorry! Which is really weird for me to say because I'm writing ahead, so I'm already up to writing when Lucas returns in a few chapters. My gosh, I nearly uploaded Wake's Legionary battle now.