Chapter XXVII

"He told me he loved me. And then he left."

"…truly tragic…"

"You're not helping me feel better."

"…did you want me to?..."

Nova grumbled as she sat up in her bed. She had ended up stealing a silken blouse and britches from Lucas's chambers since her clothes had been damp from water and ale, though she suspected he had left it there for her – after all, when she had made her way into his room, his armour, his Clefable, and his bag had all been gone. All that had been left was her Luxio, a dark blouse, and some britches, neatly folded on the bed.

Now, in her own room, with her Pokémon stirring beside her, Nova couldn't stop thinking about that damned knight.

She had asked him for a simple request to keep her story to himself. Why had he snapped like that?

And why did he have to mention that he loved her?

"I don't even know what love is," Nova pointed out. "And I haven't gotten any sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about everything he said. I think I'm going mad."

"…well, you are talking to your own shadow. some say that is the first sign of madness…"

Nova rolled her eyes. "Can you say something nice for once?"

"…something nice for once…"

"Very funny."

"…i aim to please…"

For a second, the gladiator wondered whether it was possible to smack her own shadow. "Aye, fine. You've been around since, what, forever, nay? Surely, you know what love looks like, Darkrai."

Her shadow went silent, considering it. Then, he sighed.

"…i only know love from the perspective of fear…"

"Fear?"

"…there are some people who feel terrified, but are willing to fight all of that fear just for someone they love. just like you yesterday, for your friend and his staravia…"

"You were eating my fear."

One of her Pokémon – Leila the Roselia – murmured in her sleep. But still, Nova didn't lower her voice. It was about time her champions knew about her shadow.

"…aye, i was eating your fear. but what about in the chambers of the galactic healers? when your knight friend was in pain?..."

"What about it?"

"…you felt fear, did you not?..."

Nova thought about it. She had felt fear – it had settled in her heart and twisted at it until it had hurt. "Did you stop eating my fear when we were there?"

"…no. i did not stop eating your fear. you just had too much of it for me to take away…"

The gladiator blinked back her surprise. She certainly hadn't thought that was possible.

"Do you think it's because I love him, too?"

"…i don't know. i'm just a mere shadow. woe is me…"

Nova didn't get the chance to retort. For, a second later, she heard a sharp rap on the door.

"Are ye decent?"

Most of her Pokémon jumped up at Barry's voice, except Owl the Gastrodon, who was snoring even as Nova called out, "Does it matter?"

"Well, nay," Barry answered, prying the door open, his Prinplup by his side. "I just wanted to make sure it was yer voice. I accidentally walked into some other lad's chambers on the way here, and he was in the middle of dressin', and he squealed like a wee babe. I told him I couldn't see a bloody thing, but he was still funny 'bout it."

"Lads are strange folk."

Barry sighed and felt his way to Nova's bed. "Right, what happened with you and Lucas?"

"Hm?"

"He comes into me room last night, smelling like ale, telling me that he ought ta' go find Duke Rowan," the gladiator explained. "Then, he tells me to bloody wait for him here so we can go to Pastoria together, and when I ask him if he's smooched ya yet – only as a jest – he just walks right out. And here you are, smelling like ale and Prinny here tells me that you're wearin' his clothes."

Nova laughed at that. "It's not…"

She stopped as she saw Barry reach out and touch her Staravia, the softest of smiles on his face.

"Hey," she said quietly. "How're you? After yesterday?"

Barry shrugged. "Kinda shitty. But sittin' around and feeling shitty won't make me feel any less shitty, so I'm gonna train more. If I make meself and me team stronger, we'll be able to protect each other."

"You're a wise one, Barry," Nova said, glancing down thoughtfully at her shadow. "Though, another wise, er, thing, once told me that it's okay to feel like shit for a while."

"…a wise thing? thing? am i a thing to you, nova?..."

Barry cocked his head to the side. "A thing?"

"Aye. Do you remember how I said somethin' about a Darkrai, yesterday?"

"Aye?"

Nova bit her lip and urged her Pokémon to come closer, rolling her eyes as Tric gently punched Owl awake. "All of you, I want you to meet Darkrai. Darkrai, say hello to Barry and my Pokémon."

Silence answered her. Barry frowned. "Nova, are you alr-"

"I'm fine," she quickly cut in, glaring down at the shadow pooled around her feet. "Darkrai, I know you heard me. Say hello."

Once again, the Pokémon and Barry alike dumbfoundedly stared at Nova as the silence thickened.

"Stop being a piece of shit and say hello, Darkrai."

Finally, a hiss.

"…hello, darkrai…"

Nova glanced up to see if everyone else had heard him. Sure enough, her Pokémon were staring down at the shadow – the shadow that was slowly moving away from her feet and forming the body and face of Darkrai.

"Who said that?" Barry asked, his hands outstretched, feeling for the wall, for his friend, for the shadow that his hand slid straight through. "Was that actually…?"

"Darkrai, aye," Nova answered. "I've been carrying him in my shadow since Solaceon."

Barry felt for the scarf on his neck. "Wait, so, you haven't been talking to yourself?"

"Of course not."

"Damn. Shit. Wow."

Nova laughed and turned to the Darkrai – who was no longer in her shadow, but in his regular form beside her, sighing as Rhys the Luxio tried to growl at him.

"Say, Darkrai," she started, "I was wondering if you could give Barry a dream?"

"…you mean, a nightmare?..."

She shook her head. "Nay, I mean a dream. Show him something. Something that he never gets to see, even when he's awake."

"…perhaps…" Darkrai reached out and touched Barry, and though his hand slid straight through the boy's body, the gladiator still shuddered. "…what do you want to see, boy? your face? a pretty maiden's face?..."

Barry opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "Nay."

"…ah, of course. You're one of those men. why see the face when you can see more, aye?..."

This time, Barry flushed. "Nay, I don't care about what me face or Nova's face looks like. I wanna see… the sky."

"…the sky?…"

"The sky," Barry repeated. "I've always wanted to know what it looks like."

"…just the sky?…"

"Just the sky."

"…i need you to sleep, then…"

And though Rhys happily offered to throw bolts of electricity at him until he was out cold, they all decided that a bit of sleep powder from Leila's petals would be the most practical.

As the boy slept, Darkrai hovered over his body and let black mist swirl from his hands. It slipped over Barry's eyes, then curled back into the air, forming a sphere over his face – a sphere of black that Nova and all her Pokémon could see.

Soon enough, that black sphere showed them exactly what Barry was dreaming off.

It was just the sky – blue and dark, thick grey clouds moving slowly with the wind. Then, there was the sound of Starly chirping, and the horizon was smudged with reds and oranges and pinks. A single Staravia wheeled in slow lazy arcs, swooping and flying until the canvas of blue darkened with the dipping sun. The moon rose, silver against the black, and the stars shone like rugged diamonds sprinkled over ink.

Barry was sighing softly in his sleep, smiling every time the Staravia rushed through the clouds.

And Nova could only watch the Darkrai – the cold bastard who always mocked her. Who sometimes made her red with rage. Who, she was beginning to learn, was an absolute sop.

"Thank you," she whispered to him. "You never told me you were a softie."

"…say that again, and i shall show him what is beneath that blouse of yours..."

"Bastard."

"…that's more like it…"

It was then that Barry woke up, a grin stretched across his face – brighter than the sun Nova had seen in his dream.

"You see that every day?" he demanded. "That was bloody amazing! Oh, Nova, the clouds… they don't all look the same! And the sky! That's blue, aye? And there was the sun and, I think… I think I saw Staravia…"

Both Barry and Nova were nearly thrown off the edge of the bed as he tried tackling her into a hug. They held each other for a long while, remember the sun. The Staravia. The sky.

"Is that the colour of me scarf?" Barry suddenly whispered into her ear. "Blue?"

"Nay. Try again tomorrow."

Barry sighed. "One day, I'll get it. And one day, I've decided, I'm gonna fly in that sky."

"One day? Why not today?"

"Today?"

Nova grinned.

"Well," she said, "I've been thinking…"

"…oh no…"

Oh no, it was, indeed.

For Nova had decided that it would be possible for her Staravia to clutch onto one end of a rope with his talons, with Barry holding on for his dear life at the other end. Then, as Bailey flew around, Barry was swept up into the air, laughing but also squealing every time a leaf slipped into his mouth.

In all truth, it had been inspired after seeing Lucas's bizarre training methods. And so, as Nova watched Bailey fight through the battering wind and swerve around other bird Pokémon, she heard Barry's words from earlier ring in her ears.

If I make meself and me team stronger, we'll be able to protect each other.

When it was Nova's turn to grasp onto the rope while Bailey hauled her into the air, she already had a place she wanted to go in mind. They flew over the colosseum, past the farms and mountains of hay in Solaceon, over the sandstone mansions and glittering ballrooms in Hearthome.

Then, just as they were about to reach her destination, Nova saw a pink-haired girl dragging her way through the grass. Clutching onto a Happiny. Gritting her teeth as she marched onwards, not pausing for anyone or anything.

Joy?

Dear readers and writers, it took me months to ease Joy into telling me her side of the story. She always insisted that it didn't matter. It wasn't, after all, her story.

However, just as I had been about to write some bullshit about how she had been oh, so close to joining a cult dedicated to something as ridiculous as the weather, Joy let me listen in to her thoughts after her sister's death.

Nothing like a bit of blackmail to do the trick, aye?

For the first few nights after the ball in Hearthome, she could only see Bebe. Her baby sister. Laughing. Singing. Scribbling words. Coming up with crazy new ideas about wind and energy and electricity.

But then, she started seeing Nova.

No matter where she went – no matter what she did – that blue-eyed gladiator seized her thoughts.

When she worked in the Hearthome inns for a few suns, townsfolk from all over Sinnoh were talking about the grand Veilstone Legionary – always repeating her name. November, November, November.

When she slipped past Lost Tower during the night, knights wouldn't stop babbling about how some crazy girl with long black hair had buried a little girl by the old kings and queens of Sinnoh – and how no one could do anything about it because of some nasty, old Golbat.

Then, near Hearthome, there were nobles talking about Lady Vernia's daughter – the girl who had been ready to fight Lady Fantina in a dress. The girl who was sponsored by Duke Rowan, Fantina's own father.

Then, near Oreburgh, there were villagers talking about the tamer of Frazer the Onix.

Then, near Eterna, some Song Sisters had passed by her and murmured something about the girl who saved Gardenia.

Then, she got to Floaroma. And she froze.

There were flowers – not only in the gardens, but everywhere. Outside homes. By the riverbanks. Every single patch of mud was blooming with white and pink and blue bells that were smiling at the morning sun. Leaves falling in perfect curves, ivy cascading over fences, willows weeping over the mud, daffodils rearing their golden grins into the light.

Those flowers hadn't been there before. And she knew exactly who had planted them there.

"She did it," she whispered, tears slipping down her face and onto the flowers beneath her. "That crazy bitch actually did it."

And, spying from behind a little cottage, with her shadow chuckling beneath her, Nova and her Staravia smiled.

Nova and Bailey ended up flying home after that. However, later at night, once Barry was snoozing away soundly in his chambers, she and the Staravia were flying off again, the silver light of the moon dancing upon them.

And, once they arrived, they were greeted by an onslaught of hugs.

Not hugs from people, per say. But hugs from all the Pokémon that were living in Frazer the Onix's pits – a Geodude, Machop, Psyduck, Pachirisu, Bronzor, Ponyta, Wurmple, Chingling, Meditite, Bidoof, Buizel, and now, even a little Magikarp.

"Hello, my dears," she whispered. "How do ye do?"

Chirps. Cries. Complaints.

And, once again, Barry's words struck her.

If I make meself and me team stronger, we'll be able to protect each other.

She made a pledge that night. A pledge to all of them.

"I'm going to come here every night, aye?" she told them. "Every bloody night, I'm coming here."

They nodded. Cheered. Ignored the Staravia's wince.

"And we're going to train."

Alas, when she wasn't sleeping, sparring with Barry, or training in Oreburgh, Nova was busy training with the five champions in the outskirts of Veilstone.

Or, at least, she was trying to.

"Seriously?" she asked, exasperated. "None of you want to battle Rhys?"

Rhys the Luxio raised his head, grinning. On the other side of the grass, the rest of her Pokémon shuddered and shrank back.

"You're all cowards. Don't make me choose."

Finally, it was Owl the Gastrodon who slowly inched forwards. She was trembling from head to toe – shy as always, ready to piss herself. And, still, she moved to face Rhys, swallowing down her fear, nodding her head.

Of course, when Rhys snorted and sent a bolt of electricity hurtling towards her, she flinched and cowered and-

They all stared in awe as the electricity fizzled out upon touching her. Not leaving a single scratch.

Rhys's eyes widened, and he hissed. Owl's face lit up, and she cocked her head to the side. Then, she spat some mud in the Luxio's face, sending him howling and darting back, his fangs bared.

Oh, he was livid.

Everyone else, on the other hand, cheered. Tric the Monferno even had the guts to stick his tongue out at the Luxio.

It was all going great until Leila the Roselia went to give her best friend a hug, and instead, found herself spilling petals all over the Gastrodon. Then, the Gastrodon was reeling back, and though Tric came to settle the two of them down, he ended up 'accidentally' setting one of Leila's flowers on fire.

Then, when Bailey flew down and plucked Tric into the air to stop him from setting off more fires, Rhys saw his chance and hurled some electricity towards the Monferno. He missed – hitting the poor Staravia instead – and chaos ensued.

By the end of it, it was Nova who had to settle them all down.

She blew out the fire on Leila's rose, and let Bailey sleep on her head again. Then, she moved over to Owl.

"That was very brave," she told the Gastrodon. "Even I'm scared of Rhys sometimes. You've grown so much."

The Gastrodon flushed a deep shade of crimson. Then, she promptly fainted – possibly due to her inability to take a compliment.

Nova moved to Rhys the Luxio next, who scowled at her. Nova scowled back at him. With that settled, he moved in for a reluctant hug and fell asleep right on her shoulder.

Which left Tric the Monferno, who was pouting as he put out the flames with a bucket of water. Once he was done, and Nova had placed her sleeping Pokémon on one side of the field, she turned to Tric and grinned.

"Say," she said, "I was just thinking about back when it was me and you, only."

Tric smiled softly.

"I never punished you for running to Duke Rowan for rescue when we thought Flint was gonna kill me, ya know."

The smile instantly fell from the Monferno's face as his trainer grinned and reached for her water flask.

"Payback time, Tricy."

The rest of the evening, she spent wrestling in the dirt with the Monferno, tumbling through mud and grass.

And though she was miles away from Twinleaf, she couldn't help but feel as if she was at home.

Lots happened in the last two chapters, so I thought it was about time we ease back a little. Fair? Also, side note, this is chapter 27. I have just started writing chapter 34. I am writing chapters that will be published in March. This is... strange.