Time was at a standstill. The world was unmoving and the world was silent. There wasn't a single noise that registered on Dagda's ears, a single sight his eyes saw, a single thing he felt, a single scent he smelled. His senses were numb.
"Kids, why don't you all do me a favor and go play elsewhere. I need to speak to Dagda." Pops said, the children casting Dagda an odd, yet understanding look before they all pattered off, Allister looking to Dagda, that same understanding gaze on his youthful features.
Everything made sense to Allister now. Dagda's ability to get along with him, his ability to see through him, even Allister's infatuation with him. They all stemmed from his repressed Halfling DNA. They got along because they were both Dark types, and Allister's infatuation came from Dagda's rare Fairy typing.
Dagda remained still, numb and unmoving. Pops shook his head. "I figured as much. He's going through it. This is part of why I came here, to stop Halflings from having to experience the revelation of their heritage." he mused, and Allister looked to Pops.
"Did you know before being told the story?" he asked, and Pops nodded. "I could tell since I'm a very old Hybrid Halfling myself. We have a knack for being able to smell and sense it on others. The only issue I had was species, as I hadn't encountered many Grimmsnarl, since they're so rare."
Dagda couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was everybody around him aware except him? Why hadn't anyone told him about this crucially important fact about his being? And how hadn't he figured it out in eighteen years? He couldn't make sense of any of this. "Snap out of it." Pops said, and Dagda blinked, looking to him as he stood, still half numb.
"The reason I was in Galar in the first place was research. I told you that much. The research I was asked to help with was the study of Galarian Pokemon and Galarian Halflings." he said, and he looked to Allister.
"Besides Allister, Renji and Zabi, I couldn't find a single Halfling. That's why I decided to establish this place. If my ancestors could see this region, they'd be sickened. Even my closest relatives and some of the humans we've made friends with would be very willing to come here and start a war for equality. And I don't mean a civil rights protest. I mean War." he said.
Dagda knew he was telling the truth, but he couldn't focus, couldn't form words or sentences in his stupified state. "After establishing the village and releasing a controlled stream of information with the help of the Diva, I was able to gather the three kids. Kai, Bel and Zara. Do you understand, Dagda? I have spent half a decade in this region at the least, and I was only able to find less than ten Halflings."
"This is why you weren't aware of your heritage. Something is incredibly wrong with this land, and we've come to figure out what. However, when I found you, I realized that I could make this far simpler, and less of a bloody war than I expected. I knew from the time I found you." he said, and Dagda frowned, looking to him.
"Why not tell me!?" he asked, angered at his own ignorance and everyone else's secrecy. "Because I couldn't. I knew you were unaware, and I'd never seen a Grimmsnarl Halfling before. You remember when I said that I couldn't restore your eye? Did you ever think why?" he asked, and Dagda hesitated. Did he? He had deep cuts and wounds that were all but closed and painless by time he awoke, and yet his eye was unable to be saved.
"It's because the healing techniques I learned were from my father's side of the family. They were draconic in nature. Meaning that my healing can give someone scales, or heals their flesh and skin and reinforces it. Because you're a Fairy type Halfling, my abilities don't affect you, and I found that out when all of my attempts to restore your eye failed." he said.
"So why not explain things to me right there?" he asked, and Pops shook his head. "Can you imagine your mental state? You and your Pokemon were attacked savagely, and then you wake up a week later only to be told that not only have you not even reached Motostoke to search for a sponsor, that you were the child of some unknown Fairy type Pokemon, something you believed impossible?"
Dagda diffused, unable to argue with that. He shook his head, unable to think straight. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to hurt people to make himself feel better, but another part of him wanted to crawl into someone's arms and simply cry. He hated the feeling, ignoring Pops and Allister as he wandered off, his mind a tumultuous storm of confused indecision.
Allister frowned after him. He wish that he could do something to help, but he knew that this had to be something that Dagda dealt with on his own. Allister himself had a moment like this, when he was first told that Bratva wasn't his father, and that he was half Sableye. He sighed, shaking his head.
"He'll be fine. Dagda is a smart, and a strong kid. He'll understand that it doesn't change him in any major way. The only thing he has to do is choose to accept it or continue to hide it. And I think he'll make the right choice." he said, and Allister nodded.
Danzig found himself staring off into space, feeling an immense rush of sad, confused energy from Dagda. With Otis, Ozzy and Petey helping with constrction, he had taken a break, finding himself alone on the outskirts of the village, training his mind and body for the coming battles. He knew they would be hard, but he wanted to be ready for anything.
"You worried there, Laddy?" he heard, turning to see a pair of huge Pokemon walking towards him. One of them was unfamiliar, some kind of large ape, or possibly bear like Pokemon with a nasty attitude, his fur an orange color, his eyes crimson as he walked passed. He had a foul attitude, and Danzig could tell that he was at the least a troublemaker.
The other Pokemon looked to be of the same species but far, far older. His fur was a faded, almost green yellow color, and it was very long, looking almost like a hooded cloak over his face, his bright blue eyes almost white in shade. He walked with a staff made of some well carved wood, and he had a slightly hunched gait.
"Pardon the intrusion. I just can't help but noticed that ya looked a wee bit puzzled there." he said, his voice deep, yet lyrical, his accent sounding almost similar to Marnie, or other Galarian folk they'd crossed by. Danzig decided to heed this ancient Pokemon, nodding.
"My partner seems to be confused about something. I'm afraid that he'll end up hurt." he said, and the large being laughed, shaking his head. "With this place being the location, he probably learned that he's a Halfling. I know how the guy in charge operates, Lad. He's a cunning fella." he said, and Danzig nodded.
Pops sighed, the familiar sight of the red eyed Electivire something he wasn't fond of. "What did you do this time?" he asked, and the Pokemon folded it's arms. "Fuckin' dustbag ticked me right off so I flogged him with a cosh and told em I'd shag his nan." he said, and Pops rolled his eyes. He knew this Pokemon was quite the handful.
If he understood his dialogue correctly, he not only assaulted somebody, but threatened to be sexual with their mother as well. He was out of control, and this was the third time this month he'd gotten in trouble. It was getting ridiculous.
"It must be bad for McPlug to bring you here, Gorias. Where is the old bastard anyway?" he asked, and the electric type shrugged. "Fuck if I care. He was chatting up some damn weasel last I saw of him." he said, and Pops sighed. Something had to be done about this Pokemon's attitude. It was bad enough for him to get brought all the way to Galar, it was obviously out of control.
Dagda found himself sitting in the small cafe, simply staring off into space in thought. He couldn't bring himself to accept the fact that he was a Halfling. He couldn't be. If he was, why didn't anyone want to tell him sooner? Why now?
He heard the chair across from him, a small table in the corner, shift as another person sat down, Dagda able to see Mr. Felix looking at him with his brow rose. "Found out, huh?" he asked, and Dagda nodded.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" he asked, and Felix shrugged. "I can't speak for the Ogre, but I would've made a spectacle out of it. Of course, with him, I think he just felt that now was the best time." he said, and Dagda frowned. "Why now? Why not beforehand?" he asked, and Felix shrugged.
"Perhaps he felt like this place, a place no one knows in the darkness surrounded by other Halflings, would be the best place. This way you could talk to other Halflings, learn about the good and the bad so you could move on." he said, and Dagda sighed.
"What about you and Pops?" he asked, and Felix shrugged. "When he came to me and said that this hellhole had a Halfling that wanted to take the Gym Challenge, I jumped on it. There would be no better way to bloodlessly change things than by a Halfling reaching the position of Champion." he said.
Dagda chuckled, feeling rather deflated. "So that's it, huh? I'm just some damn surrogate so nobody else has to do anything?" he asked, and Felix could tell that Dagda was in quite the bad mood. "That is not true." he said, and Dagda looked up to him.
"You managed to impress me and befriend almost my entire staff, who are also some of my close friends. Even my mates found you rather impressive. You did that with your own hard work and your own determination and charisma. Nobody here even knows what Halflings are, so you can't act like you being one devalues anything you've done." he said.
He understood that, but something was still off. He didn't know what to do with the information, or how to truly process it. There was something missing. He noticed that someone came up to Mr. Felix and whispered in his ear. He shook his head, rising from his seat.
"I understand that you are having a hard time with this. You need to come to a conclusion by talking to others. Listen to their stories and think about your own life. What does being a Halfling really mean to you, or why does it really matter?" he asked, bowing his head slightly before walking off, a more casual gait than normal.
While Dagda wandered about, he noticed that the construction was going rather well. Buildings were being finished up, and they had started even more buildings. It was like more Pokemon were brought in to help with the process, the village starting to almost look like a tiny town, a place where someone might actually live.
"Oi Laddy, you mind helpin' out an old man?" he heard, turning to see a large, sage like Pokemon with a staff, a druidic figure that Dagda barely recognized as an Electivire. He'd never seen one so old, or with such long, or faded hair before. He looked to the Pokemon, wondering if it could speak, or if he'd been able to understand since he wasn't actually human.
"What can I help you with, Sir?" he asked, and the old Pokemon smiled. "I'm looking for a fella with black hair and a beard. Bit of a rascal, he is." he said, and Dagda blinked. "Do you mean Pops, the guy who built this place?" he asked, and the Pokemon began to laugh.
"Pops? Is that what he's calling himself now? You come up with that one Lad?" he asked, and Dagda nodded, distracted by the Pokemon's attitude. "Yes, Sir." he said, and the Pokemon continued to laugh, albeit quietly.
"He's quite the cheeky fella nowadays. Cracks me up it does." he mused, more to himself. "Take me to him if ye can Laddy, we can talk along the way." he said, and Dagda nodded. This Pokemon was rather odd, but he could tell that despite his almost ghost like appearance, that he was still plenty strong.
"So, what's troubling ye?" he asked, and Dagda looked to the Pokemon, sighing before looking ahead as they walked. "I just learned that I'm… a Halfling. I can't bring myself to deal with it." he said, and the Pokemon nodded. "That's fine lad. There's folks all around that struggle with a part of themselves." he said, and Dagda nodded.
"Let me ask you this. Did any of your friends leave your side when they learned this?" he asked, and Dagda blinked. He realized that everyone, even the children that called themselves his fanclub, all stayed by his side while he was stupified.
The ancient Pokemon laughed. "I can tell that's a nae. Now, do yer Pokemon partners care?" he asked, and Dagda blinked, realizing that his Pokemon were there through everything, and they all chose to remain, no matter what he did or where he went. Marko put up with Dagda overexerting him to the point of being disfigured, and yet he remained.
The Pokemon laughed again. "I can tell that's a nae. From my viewpoint, Lad, there's only one or two things you need to do. You need to ask yer Nan why she didn't tell ye, and you need to decide what yer gonna do with the information." he said, and Dagda nodded.
He could tell that the Pokemon was correct, and that he needed to figure this out for himself. He was also right about something else. He needed to talk to his mother sooner rather than later, and get her side of the story.
They came upon Pops soon, and Dagda noticed that he was with another Pokemon, a large Electivire with an aura of a troublemaker. He noticed that he had a similar vibe to himself, Dagda almost reminded of the druidic Pokemon next to him. "Took ye long enough ye dustbag." the Pokemon said, and the older Electivire laughed.
"Have ye figured out what to do with him, Laddy?" he asked, and Pops shook his head. Dagda narrowed his eye. He noticed something about the two of them. They were in sync, as if they knew each other for their whole lives, something that Dagda felt with Otis and Danzig.
Pops looked to Dagda. "What about this one?" he asked, the pair of Electivire glancing to him before the younger of the two shook his head. "No way. You gotta be off the Z-Crystals if ye think amma work with a nonce like that." he said, and Dagda blinked. What exactly were they talking about?
"I just hope that he isn't too messed up by this." Allister said, sighing as he sat with Petey, who swayed back and forth before humming. "If he is Half-man, he will be fine." he said, and Allister chuckled at his odd choice of words.
"I understand what he's going through, but I had someone there for me. I prayed until my prayers were answered. I'm not sure if Dagda can do the same." Allister said, showing Petey the pendant he wore. The odd fish like Pokemon stared at it, thinking deeply.
"He is… strong. Too strong for me." he said, and Allister blinked, looking to Petey. What exactly did he mean by that? "What does that mean?" he asked, watching Petey look up to the sky, seeing the sun beginning to set as he stared at the changing expanse.
"I am… old. I do not wish to be that strong. All of my brothers are…. Precious, but I wish to…. Stay still." he said, and Allister wondered exactly what he was trying to say. "Do you want to stay with me?" he asked, and Petey swung his head to look at Allister. Did he?
He liked the small creature, and he knew that the creature's strength and skill in battle was not to be scoffed at, and yet, he wasn't close to the latent potential within his brother. He could think of Dagda and Allister like water.
Allister was a large, great lake, a broad expanse with many Pokemon within and about it, the type of water that you can drink from for your whole life and not put a dent in it's mass. But Dagda? He was different.
If Allister was a great lake, than Dagda was an ocean. He was raging, he was consuming, and he was able to create and destroy without effort. Dagda could consume and reshape Galar, and that almost frightened Petey. He looked to Allister.
"That would be… nice." he said, and Allister smiled. He wanted to talk to Dagda, because he kind of liked the large fish. He just had to find the right approach.
With the night sky overhead, Dagda found himself alone again, still thinking about today, struggling with the fact that he learned that he was a Halfling. Did he really believe that the most important thing he owned, the necklace from his father, was really a problem?
Did he believe Pops' story, that said that the necklace was a physical part of his father, who made it something to suppress his inhuman DNA and ability? He couldn't bring himself to. He sighed, sitting on a rock in front of a small pond, staring at the water with a blank stare.
"You really are having a hard time with this, huh?" he heard, a baritone voice that Dagda didn't recognize. He turned in the direction of the voice, seeing a man approaching him passively. He was old, to be sure, his hair completely gray and his crimson eyes seeming faded. However, he was very tall, likely as tall as Pops if not more so, and Dagda could tell that despite his aged appearance, this man was still an unstoppable force.
"Who are you?" he asked, and the man sighed, leaning against a nearby tree. "Someone who wants to watch you change the region. I have to admit, your battle against that weird big ass bug was pretty impressive. I haven't seen something like that in ages." he said, and Dagda narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care?" he asked, and the man shrugged.
"Because I can. I heard through the grapevine that you can't come to grips with figuring out you're a Halfling, so I thought that maybe I can help." he said, and Dagda shook his head, looking at the water again. "Why bother?" he asked, and the man looked to him.
"Look at the water. What do you see?" he asked, and Dagda blinked, looking at what was obviously his reflection. There was nothing else it could be. "It's my reflection." he said, and the man nodded. "Exactly. Does it look any different than before you learned you were a Halfling?" he asked, and Dagda stared at himself, realizing that it looked completely identical.
"If it doesn't, than learning this doesn't affect what people see, or what they think for the most part. You need to take this revelation and use it to your advantage. You're an actor, right? Sponsored by that weird ass cat? Use your abilities to put on a show. Change up your costumes, cast illusions on the audience." he said.
"You should also consider yourself lucky. You're a kind of Pokemon that can reproduce magickally, and with other males no less. You don't have to suffer like some Halflings, who are limited when it comes to breeding or can't breed at all, like the children of some Gods." he said, and Dagda stared at the water.
"You being a Halfling doesn't change who you were or are. You can make it a stepping stone for who you want to be, what you want to do. Everyone has faith that through your hard work and your talents, that this place can become a home for all Pokemon, and for Halflings, without a drop of blood being shed." he said.
Dagda nodded. He knew that the man was telling the truth, but there was something missing. The man sighed, and looked into the lake as well. "Have you ever killed anyone?" he asked, and Dagda turned to him. What kind of question was that?
"I've killed countless times. Entire cities sometimes. I never counted but I'm sure I'd hate to see the number of people that lost their lives in the war against me and my allies. You have the power as a Halfling to impose your will over those weaker than you so that people don't have to die." he said, and Dagda blinked.
That was it. That was what he was waiting to hear. With all of those pieces, the puzzle finally completed itself in his mind, and he truly understood for the first time, actually heard what was being said to him.
He was still Dagda De Danann. He was still The Blooming Demon. The only difference was that now he had more power to make the changes he wanted to. He could save the lives of children like Bel, Kai and Zara, or he could let people like Zabi and Renji live normal lives in public.
People like his Mother wouldn't be forced into hiding or lying, and Pokemon like his father or Atilla wouldn't have to suffer, and neither would their lovers or children. He had that power, the strength to change the world and keep people from undoing what he'd done.
He stood, realizing that he wasted time wallowing in his own emptiness and mental struggle. His father wouldn't have wanted that. He turned to the man and nodded, as if to thank him. "Thank you Sir. I finally get it." he said, heading off into the night.
The man sat by the lake, smiling as he looked at the water's surface. "He picked the right one, huh?" the man heard, turning to see the short smith approaching, the two sharing a smile, a look of two long lost brothers who were reunited.
"He did. How'd it go?" he asked, and the smith looked at the water with a smile. "That Cat is truly a Viking. He went through all of the modifications without a single sound. Just a warrior readying himself for battle." he mused, the man laughing.
"It's nice to be able to help out the little ones, isn't it?" he asked, and the smith began to laugh. "Come now Brother, don't tell me you've gotten soft in your old age?" he asked, and the man began to laugh.
"You aren't any better, coming down from on high to help out a little cat." he said, the two sharing a laugh. They were both glad to see that no matter whose turn it was to step up to the plate, there were always those that would fight for what was truly good in the world, just as they had so, so long ago.