Chapter 32 Anyone Else

Hil wasn't sure of the last time he had slept so deeply. He awoke with a slight pain in his neck, and it didn't feel like his head was on a pillow. It felt silky like one, but too firm… Groggily, he picked himself up, putting an elbow between him and the softness of the mattress, and blearily blinked the darkness away. He blanched when he realized Church was very close to him and was sprawled on his back. He was still sleep, and had his left arm raised and draped across his forehead. Noodle and Shay were nowhere to be seen. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the impression of his face in Church's silky shirt. Tentatively easing away from him, Hil swallowed hard and swept an accusatory glare across the room. He didn't know about Shay, but he knew for a fact Noodle slept like a rock. He couldn't even remember a time where he'd woken up and not found Noodle right in the spot he'd fallen asleep in. He spotted the Servine at the foot of the bed, his tail curled protectively around Shay's tiny body. It would have been an adorable scene if he weren't so annoyed. As if sensing his glare, Noodle looked back up at Hil almost amusedly.

"What'd you move for?" Hil hissed in a whisper after him. He gestured for Noodle to get back between them. "Get back up here!" He was terrified of Church waking up and finding Noodle and Shay gone from between them. He couldn't imagine if Church had woken up before he had and seen Hil curled up so close when they had agreed not to the night before. At Hil's insistence, Noodle dismissively flicked his tail and put his head back down. Hil could tell right away Noodle was being stubborn on purpose. Scowling back at him, Hil went to pick him and Shay up and place them where he wanted them, but the movement accidentally jerked the blanket off Church and made the bed give an almighty groan. Hil fell still and peeked nervously at Church.

Church lazily moved his arm and looked down. "Hil?" he asked in an early-morning, husky tone of voice. A shiver ran up Hil's spine at it.

"Y-yeah?" came his strangled response. His voice was dry and husky as well, but somehow, he felt his was just irritating while Church's was… alluring. "S-sorry, Noodle moved in the night, I think, I was just trying to get him back…"

Church's arm fell back over his forehead and he laughed unevenly. "S'alright. What time is it?"

Hil awkwardly laid back down, maintaining a respectful distance between himself and Church, and reached for his Xtransceiver laying on the nightstand. He paled at the number of missed calls and texts. Wrenching his eyes away from that, he saw it was six in the morning. "Six AM," Hil yawned back at Church.

"Oh, Arceus, no," Church laughed loudly. "I'm going back to sleep. You can stay up if you want, but that's too early for me." He settled back into place and pulled the covers back across himself. Within seconds, he had dozed back off, the rhythmic sounds of his breathing filling the room along with the odd snore from Hil's pokémon. Scooting just a little closer to him, Hil swiped open the Xtransceiver and began to dismiss the notifications. He checked his texts and found that Cheren, Bianca, his mother, and bizarrely, Professor Juniper had all been trying to reach him. He only knew the last one because she had included her name in her text. He hadn't had her number saved, so he figured Cheren or Bianca must have given it to her. He gnawed his lip as he checked the messages aside from hers.

Mom

Hil, I know you don't really want to talk to me, but I'm really worried.

It's been a really long time since we last spoke. I just want you to let me know you're doing okay. Where you're at. Who you're traveling with. Just… I want to talk to you…

Please give me a call when you can.

He shook his head. He didn't know what he'd tell her. He was getting tired of explaining the situation with N, not to mention he was sure his mother would devolve into a blubbering mess upon learning he was involved in something so severe, if she even believed him in the first place. He attempted to reply, but deleted the message each and every time. After the seventh or eighth try, he frustratedly switched to Bianca's instead.

Bianca

Hi, Hil! I'm really sorry about everything… Cheren and I have been trying to reach you for a while. We checked with Church and couldn't find you there. He's worried about you too, you know… he said he'd keep an eye out for you.

Alder and us are trying to come up with different plans so you don't have to do this if you don't want to. That means we're gonna have to head to Opelucid City though… if you're still in Nacrene, I'm sure Lenora or Church can help set you up with a pokémon that can use Fly so you can get up here without having to do all the walking again.

Alder said that if you want to help though that you should head back to Icirrus to try to win against Brycen, and then to Opelucid to beat Drayden, since you'll need all the badges to get into the Pokémon League and all…

I… really am sorry about all of this… I don't like the way many people treat or see their pokémon, but what Team Plasma's doing is so wrong. They're hurting so many people and pokémon in this process… It's so unfair to you, too.

Well, Cheren says we need to get a move on… I hope you call us soon and let us know what you're gonna do… we miss you!

His heart ached as he read the messages. He knew he was just putting off the inevitable by laying here with Church. As much as he wanted to stay hunkered down with his metaphorical tail between his legs, Hil knew he couldn't afford it. That Unova couldn't afford it… Secretly, he knew he'd already made the decision that he was going to take the burden of the Light Stone on and face N, or he'd do his best to try, anyway. He scanned Bianca's texts again and then glanced over at Church, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He nibbled at his lip anxiously. If he didn't do this… what would become of his friends? Bianca, Cheren, Church… even N? Maybe N didn't consider him a friend, but Hil truly felt as if he were a victim, albeit a maddening, frustrating one to deal with… Even his mother, who he didn't even like that much, he hated the idea of harm befalling her. He shuddered at the thought of leaving Unova at N and Ghetsis' mercy… or Ghetsis' mercy, really. He didn't think N would hurt a fly as long as he thought people and pokémon were truly separated. He clutched the Xtransceiver tightly and wormed just a little closer to Church.

His heart thumped as he settled in next to Church. He didn't have his head on his chest this time, but he was sharing Church's same pillow, and his entire right side was pressed to Church's left as he flicked open Cheren's messages. A smarter part of his brain was yelling at him to stop moving closer and closer to Church, that he was coming on too strong, but another part of him pined for the warm comfort too much to care.

Cheren

Hi, Hil.

I'm sorry things have worked out this way. I know Bianca's already messaged you, but I wanted to reach out, too.

I don't want to force you to do this.

So I won't. But if you choose to believe you can, then know that you'll have help.

Myself, Bianca, Alder, Professor Juniper, and her father are all headed to Opelucid City to learn more about this Light Stone and so I can get the eighth badge so I can come with you through the Pokémon League.

I know I don't usually… talk like this. I don't really know what I'm doing for once, and it's upsetting, I'll admit. I suppose I just want you to know you're not in this alone.

Give us a call.

He turned off the Xtransceiver's screen and clutched it tightly against his chest. He looked Church over again. Wearily, he sighed and resignedly laid his head against Church's shoulder. He was gentle so as not to put too much pressure and wake him up again. He knew he needed to go face Brycen and then Drayden to reach N. He didn't have that much time, either. For all he knew, N had already beaten Drayden and was waiting impatiently at the Pokémon League for Alder's week-long grace period to be up, and if Hil's track record was any indication, he needed as much time as he could get to face the two gym leaders. He supposed he could just ask them to go easy on him, perhaps they even knew of the situation at hand, but that thought left a bad taste in his mouth. His train of thought brought him to a bittersweet destination, however: the idea that he had no idea how this battle would end, and this could very well be the last time he ever saw Church.

He hated thinking that way. He knew it was dark and would have upset any of his friends should he have told them. But he couldn't help it but to be afraid. He nuzzled Church's shoulder closer and swallowed hard against a lump rising in his throat. He had only gotten a taste of what something more than friendship could be when he longed for a fill, and it hurt. Rushing it wasn't an option. So, instead, he enjoyed that sensation while it lasted.

He dozed off again just like that and was gently prodded awake by Church roughly three hours later. His lightly freckled face was flushed red and he had brushed tangled red hair from in front of his eyes. "Ah, good morning, Hil…" he snickered nervously. "Could you, um…"

Hil had frantically scrambled away and covered his face. "I'm sorry," he sputtered right away, "I know, you said you didn't want… want me to do that, but…"

"H-hey, it's okay, I didn't mean to, uh…" Church, for once, was at a loss for words. "It's just… Like I said, you're really upset, I don't wanna seem like I'm using you being sad as a means for getting your attention… You know. That sort of thing…"

Hil took a deep breath and, still not removing the hands from in front of his face, whimpered, "It's just… I don't know if I'm ever even gonna see you again." He had regretted it almost the second he said it, but his mouth kept moving like it had a mind of its own. "I… I want to go do this, face N, I mean, to keep everyone safe, but I'm also scared of what's gonna happen to me. A-and…" Hil paused to try to ease his erratic breathing. "And… I'm… gonna miss you. I don't kn…know if I'm ever gonna get a chance to see you like this again…" He felt so lame and pathetic. Tears were threatening to start streaming despite his best efforts to quell them.

"Hil…" He heard Church sit upright and felt pressure on his wrists as he gently peeled Hil's hands away from his face. Noodle sadly trilled and laid his head in Hil's lap then, and that was it for Hil. He broke into fitful sobs and Church, mindful of Noodle, closed the distance between them, pulling him into a hug. "It's… it's okay to be scared. I'm… scared, too, if I'm honest. But whatever happens, I'm still gonna be here. I'd go with you and help, too, but… I know I'd just get in the way by making you worry about me, and I don't have anywhere near all eight badges. My team's not even here right now. But I'm sure Cheren, Bianca, Alder… they'll all do everything in their power to make sure this all turns out okay. I believe in all you guys." He tentatively touched Hil's hair again, slowly running his hands down the long, swooping brown curls. As Church continued, he sounded choked with emotion. "I'll m-miss you too… but you're gonna be okay. Alright?"

Hil clung to him tightly. There was a long pause as he fought against his gasping breaths and tears to say anything. "Al-alright… th-thank you, Church…"

Church traced his fingers across Hil's hair for a while longer as he calmed down. Noodle did his part by occasionally chirring at Hil and nudging him with his muzzle. Once Hil had regained some composure, he looked across Church's apartment and saw that his entire team had gathered at the edge of the bed. Even Sleepy hovered nearby and was watching him sympathetically. He gave a small, weak smile. "I've got so many pokémon and people on my side," Hil laughed sadly to himself. "I hope I can do this…"

Church chuckled softly. "So, what's the plan? You going to head straight for Icirrus? Do you need a lift, or…?"

"Actually… I think I'll head to Castelia on foot and then see if I can't ask Burgh for help to get to Icirrus…" Hil wiped his face with his arm, then surreptitiously tried to wipe the tears away on his pants. "I think I heard that Sleepy, my Munna, needs a certain stone to evolve and I think Castelia sells stuff like that… Just, in general, I think I should stock up before I head up to there…"

Church nodded stiffly in agreement. "That's a good idea," he said as he begrudgingly unraveled himself from Hil and got off the bed. He shuffled toward the kitchenette, finger-brushing his wildly unkempt hair. "Before you do that, let's have breakfast." After a short break, he added a pained, raw, "…Please?"

Hil knew he couldn't say no to that. "Of course," he answered softly. Noodle looked up at him almost smugly and Hil frowned at him. "You wanted me to talk to him about how I felt, didn't you?" he accused the Servine, hushed so as not to alert Church. Noodle yawned cheekily at the allegation and issued a non-committal flick of his tail against Hil's thigh.

Despite his unamused tone, he was glad Noodle had moved that night so Hil would end up unbearably close to Church. He felt so much better about it all now that he knew Church understood his feelings. And, well, he had to admit… Getting to cuddle up to him like that, even if just for one night, had been so nice. Hil smirked slightly and rubbed Noodle on the head. "Thank you," he mumbled at the Servine. Casting a look at the rest of his pokémon gathered nearby, he smiled even wider. "And thank you. I don't know where I'd be without you all."

Old habits truly were a bitch to kick.

Taven was back on the streets of Castelia. He wasn't on any heists, nor was he crashed in the makeshift home that was his staff closet in the Castelia Sewers. He had wandered down an alleyway on his way back to the Sewers after hearing the mournful, confused cries of a pokémon he didn't recognize. His keen ears rewarded him with the sight of a Gible with its leg caught in a loop of plastic, which was also caught on the foot of a large, dark green garbage bin. Of course, Taven wasn't aware it was called a Gible, just that it was a pokémon in need of help. With the assistance of his Samurott, they were able to slice away the tight plastic.

It danced gleefully at Taven's feet and he watched it lavish in its newfound freedom. To his dismay, however, the odd little creature then booked it for Castelia's busy streets. Normally, the wild or stray pokémon avoided the chaotic crowds like the plague, even tended to run from Taven the first time they met him, but this little one seemed utterly unfazed. Sharing a perplexed look with Drench, Taven hurried after it.

When he found it again, he noticed it had paused at the side of a boy that couldn't have been more than fifteen. The boy was busy speaking to someone on an Xtransceiver, and Taven thought he looked vaguely familiar, especially with the Servine he had coiled around his shoulders. He then bent to his knees and clicked his tongue, snapped his fingers, did anything he could think of to try to get the stubborn Gible's attention. Ignoring him, the Gible gave short series of hops and snapped its tiny maw after the Servine's dangling tail. There was no way on Earth it was ever going to be able to jump high enough to actually bite it, nor did Taven understand why it wanted to. He might not have known what exactly the pokémon was, but he knew it looked like a Dragon-type… who were almost always carnivores…

Cursing in annoyance, Taven inched closer, and as he continued trying to get the Gible's attention, he overheard some of the boy's conversation.

"…Yeah, I just evolved Sleepy… I'm about to go talk to Burgh to see if he can arrange for a flight for me to Icirrus… Please, Bianca, it's fine, really. I want to go. I want to face N. I've gotta stop this. I can't let Team Plasma just… do this."

Taven felt his skin crawl at the mention of N's name. At first, he thought he must have heard the boy wrong, but that borderline violated feeling returned with vengeance as he was rudely forced to remember his meeting with Ghetsis. He had done everything in his power to try to forget it. To forget the haunting idea that at any given point in the day, an invisible man could have been watching his every action, to forget that that freakish Sage had something to do with his parent's demise, to forget… to forget that he had a higher calling in rivaling N and had given it up.

Feeling flighty, Taven was starting to make the regretful decision to leave the Gible there. He couldn't help it if it wasn't going to listen to him, and whatever this boy was into, he didn't want any parts of it. But just as he was standing up to leave, the Gible landed a bite right on the boy's thigh, causing him to yelp in pain and drop the Xtransceiver, which promptly hit Taven in the head and sent him to his rear. The Servine leapt from the boy's shoulders with a furious hiss, and it and the Gible circled each other threateningly.

"Fuck, ow," Taven groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm so sorry," the boy apologized, rubbing his thigh where he'd been bitten, as he shot Taven a concerned look. When his deep brown eyes settled on Taven, he cocked his head and his hand stilled. "Hey, wait… you're Taven, right? From Driftveil?"

Taven blinked in surprise as he realized that he remembered this boy. "Oh, yeah… Hil, right?" he answered reluctantly.

"Yeah," Hil replied with a shy smile. Their catching up was interrupted by the sound of a pained squeak from the Servine. Hil jumped at the sound and whirled around to snatch the Servine off the ground. It was cradling its own tail, puncture wounds visible on the smooth surface of it. "Oh, geez… Noodle, are you okay?" Hil examined his tail worriedly. "What even is that pokémon going after you…?"

"I have no idea, it's some Dragon-type I just helped out of some soda plastic," Taven muttered. "Sorry, I don't really know why it's going after your Servine…"

Hil pulled his backpack down so he could open it up, likely searching for a Potion or something similar. Awkwardly, Taven grabbed Hil's Xtransceiver off the ground and handed it back to the boy. As he reached a hand over the opened pocket of the backpack, though, a bright orange glow emanated, bright enough to nearly blind him. Taven accidentally dropped the Xtransceiver into Hil's bag and then staggered away, blinking furiously. When he regained sight, Hil was staring at him like he'd seen a ghost.

"You… it glowed really bright for you…" Hil said breathlessly.

"It glowed? What glowed?" Taven asked, heart rapidly thumping in his chest. He knew he needed to get away, and now, but… his feet felt like lead. Drench nudged his side and he sucked in a fast breath, petting the Samurott's head distractedly, trying to summon some courage.

"The stone," Hil gasped, shaking his head. "It… it reacted really strongly for you." He reached into his bag and pulled out an ivory, perfect sphere. It gave off a soft orange in his grasp. He brought it closer to Taven abruptly and the other jumped away from him, rapidly shaking his head as the rock grew to a blinding orange. A few passersby glanced at the scene, but few seemed interested. Taven wanted to shake a fist at them and ask them why the hell they weren't more bothered. Of course, he knew they had most likely just assumed Hil was evolving a pokémon they couldn't see, hence the glowing stone, but his frustration didn't care for that logic.

"Get that thing away from me," Taven snapped. He rubbed his hands together and then raised them in surrender. He turned around and started to walk away, the Gible almost forgotten in his nervousness. Just his luck he would manage to run into someone involved with Team Plasma's nonsense… he just needed to get away…

"Wait!" Hil desperately cried, racing in front of him. He had his backpack half-unzipped dangling from his arm, the glowing stone in one hand, and the Servine haphazardly draped across his shoulder. He looked a mess. "You can't go! It reacted to you!" Hil's voice was trembling. "You… you've gotta try…" Hil then shook his head. "Look, this is gonna sound crazy, but—"

"I know what it is!" Taven spat. He had done as much research on the topic as he could bear to following his meeting with Ghetsis. He had learned all about the history of Unova, what little was recorded of it, anyway, and he still vividly remembered everything the cruel Sage had said. Then he had wound up back in Castelia, pettily stealing left and right to try to forget everything he had learned, to try to blot out all thoughts of the Shadow Triad… and now here came someone trying to drag him back into it! He felt as if the universe itself might have been punishing him for refusing to stop N. He shook his head and squared his shoulders. It finally registered then that the stone was still glowing even though it was firmly in Hil's hands. He got an idea. "It looks like it's reacting to you just fine, dude, so why don't you go and take that Light Stone and yourself on up to face N and leave me out of it, okay? I don't think you need me. I'm no Hero."

"Oh my Arceus, and you know about it," Hil looked like he might faint. "Please, just try to awaken it!"

"No," Taven growled, practically baring his teeth at Hil, "I won't. I'm not Ghetsis' tool like N is."

"What… are you talking about?" Hil blinked in confusion.

"He thinks I'm destined to face N or something," Taven said, scowling at Hil, "and maybe I am, but I won't do it. What'll that do? Make him happy, prove N he's right about this whole thing? I've got no idea how you play into it all, so maybe it'd be better for you to face him anyway."

"But he's never even mentioned you… nobody has," Hil insisted. He then gave Taven a soft smile. That caught the thief completely off-guard. "Look… it's scary, I know that. I was scared out of my mind. But if it's better for you to do this… me and my friends, we can all help."

Taven had had enough. He balled his fists up at his sides and stepped back. Drench instinctively darted forward, narrowing his eyes after Hil and his Servine. "No," Taven growled again. "I won't." He jabbed an angry finger at Hil and curled his lips. "I am my own person. I won't play his games. I'm telling you, he's planned me out to be part of this and I won't be. You and your friends go take care of it." Hil winced at his words and gave him a hurt look. Taven hated how guilty it made him feel. He knew he was reacting rather strongly… He sighed. "It's… a long story. But… I'm guessing you've figured out that Ghetsis is probably using N, right?"

"Yeah," Hil answered quietly.

"Yeah, well, he used me, too," Taven said glumly. "Apparently, I'm the 'real Hero of Truths' or whatever, and he insisted I face N. If I do that, it just makes him happy and proves to N Ghetsis is always right." Taven pursed his lips sourly. "So just, leave me alone, you or whoever else go do it. Got it?"

Hil just shook his head. "I don't understand… There is no real Hero of Truths anyway, at least not according to what N said…" He frustratedly shook his head and held out the stone. "Just try to hold the damn thing!"

Losing his patience, Taven glared at Hil. Desperate times called for desperate measures. "You sounded confident on the Xtransceiver, but you're awfully ready to pawn that stone off on anyone else you find, huh?"

Hil flinched at his words and stuttered, "That's not—"

"Yeah, well, I'm not yours or Ghetsis' tool! So again, the answer is 'no!'" He set his jaw. "Not unless you wanna battle for it?"

Hil clearly thought about it for a few seconds. He surveyed Taven and then hung his head. "No. I don't."

Satisfied with the response, Taven gave a gruff, "Well… thank you," and awkwardly shifted to leave. He noticed the Gible had returned to his feet and he reached down to pick the odd pokémon up, mostly so it couldn't run off again. He cast a fleeting glance over his shoulders at Hil's slack form, and then started off for Thumb Pier. Maybe he had been harsh… but he truly felt he was doing the right thing.

Of course… a nagging voice in the back of his mind pressed him: how did he feel so relieved to not have to worry about the responsibility of stopping N and so distraught at having passed up the opportunity all at once? Maybe he thought it was best that someone else stop N, but his heart clearly didn't agree.

Then, distantly, above the dull roar of the streets of Castelia he heard Hil holler after him, "Fine, then! Leave! I'll stop him without your help, 'real Hero of Truths!' Just you watch!"

Taven cracked a sad smile as he looked down at Drench. "Guess I did something right at least, huh?"

The Samurott nudged his hand in agreement.