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Chapter XIX - Hiccup
Misa sat silently beside me as the television played before us. I watched in embarrassment as all previous notions she had about me were shattered as I gave her the proof she'd requested when I told her I was human.
"Turn it off, shrimp," she said after a while. She had seen my face multiple times already, and needed not see anymore.
"Look, Misa-"
"Just be quiet. I need to think."
"I told you the secret was-"
"I said shut up, freak!"
I scooted back a few minutes as she focused wide eyes on me, scrutinizing every feature of my new body as if she was just seeing it for the first time.
"I don't get it! Why do you look like that?!"
"I told you alr-"
"It wasn't a question for you, idiot! I told you to shut up!"
She brought her hands up to her face in a gesture much akin to frustration. I could hear her long, ladened breaths in the silence of the room.
It was a mistake to let her know. There was no stopping her from telling someone now. I should have taken into more serious account her growing relationship with Drayden's team, especially Vulcan. We were acquaintances, certainly, but placing trust in the Axew had simply been a mistake.
After approximately five minutes of this, she began loosening up and sent a defeated glare towards the sheets beneath her.
"Not a word from you. I'm gonna go get dinner."
I fumbled for words, but stopped myself as Misa hopped off the bed and walked confidently towards the door, not giving so much as another glance in my direction.
Was she angry at me? It would make sense to infer as much, with such a gigantic load of information having been kept from her for seemingly no reason. I wanted her to know what I kept the secret for as long as I had, but not at the expense of her breaking her vow and telling someone.
Just for extra insurance, and as she rounded the corner and slunk towards the kitchen, I followed her. If she were to tell Seraph or Skipp, I would want to be there to deny any claims as a joke before they had time to absorb the information and draw the connections.
Dinner passed in dead silence. Even Seraph and Skipp, awkwardly thinking of conversation topics, only succeeded as far as sending me short, questioning glances. They were shocked to see the regression back into the seemingly combative mood the two of us had been in since we met, after we had demonstrated so clearly progress towards becoming acquaintances, friends, even.
I just shrugged them off whenever they silently asked me what had happened. A mood swing, or perhaps something I'd said. Such were possible reasons for Misa's silent, borderline frustrated contemplation.
She went out of her way to avoid all eye contact with me for the entire, short duration of the meal. I would catch her silently eyeing me, as if looking for discrepancies beneath my gray fur with her knowledge of my not being as I seemed.
Skyla entered after a little while, surprisingly from the direction of the TEC rather than her room. After greeting each of us with a soft smile, she lightly pushed past Skipp so she could dig through some of the cupboards to throw together a meal.
The sounds of her humming a jovial tune echoed throughout the otherwise silent area.
"You guys sound dead," she commented uselessly. Shrugging to myself, I simply turned away and scarfed down the last few bits of food I had left.
"Well, I hope you don't mind if I turn on the TV, then? Why so quiet? Did something happen?"
Skipp shook his head curtly and gestured towards the both of us as he let Skyla pass back out from behind the counter. Upon getting his inference, she nodded understandingly.
Misa left the rest of her meal behind relatively quickly afterwards, silently standing and walking out towards the courtyard. I followed suit, having already finished. Seraph tried intervening, but I sent her a pleading glance, thankfully keeping her at bay.
Misa pushed through the door. I followed relatively closely behind.
"Why are you following me?" she asked annoyedly without looking back.
"No other reason than making sure you don't tell anyone."
"I promised you, didn't I? Just leave me alone for a bit and let me think without you being around and constantly pushing down on me."
I stopped while she continued forward towards the grassy patch. I didn't move a muscle as she sat and laid down on her back, letting her gaze wander towards the faraway stars.
Silence for another few minutes. I tried making my presence unknown, but this was much too important a secret to leave her alone with. After a little while, I laid down on the pavement, muscles feeling tired and sore from the nearly full day of physical exercise.
"Tell me what the hell I got dragged into."
I perked up as Misa began speaking. I wasted no time in rising before approaching lightly.
"What?"
"I said to tell me what the hell's going on. What does this mean for me?"
"The humans think I killed a ton of people really far away about a month ago, but it isn't true. Something bad happened and, well… I… I don't want to have to explain why I'm stuck in this stupid body."
I was nearly next to her by then, and simply laid down in the grass beside her.
"So what, then, you trying to clear your name or whatever?" she asked, still reluctant to face me. Her red eyes blinked a few times in the darkness.
"Not really… More like trying to hide, which is what we were doing when Drayden found us all on the mountain. Which is why they can't know I'm me. Do you understand?"
She closed her eyes again as she shook her head slowly. "I always knew you were a weird kid, but this… This is just insane."
"You don't have to tell me twice. You didn't wake up one day in a body that wasn't yours anymore."
Silence reigned once more for quite a bit of time. I eventually began staring at the stars in much the same fashion she was, hoping to find whatever constellation intrigued her the most.
"Stand up."
"What?"
She was looking at me now with indifference. I looked back at her with confusion.
"Slave rules still apply. Human or not, you still gotta do what I say."
"You're not… Angry?" I asked as I followed her command. She sat up, stood, and began poking me at random intervals in different areas, as if testing the validity of my body's actual presence before her.
"I didn't know what a human was until a few weeks ago. I'm more pissed than I am surprised, even though it's weird as all hell. Plus, you haven't changed at all, and I don't think you will. Nothing's gonna change the fact you're a shrimp and a wimp, so here's the deal."
She stopped prodding and sat down directly in front of my face with her legs crossed. I did likewise, laying down once more with my paws under my chin.
"You," she said, pointing at me condescendingly, "are still the annoying little weirdo that I met up on the mountain. Your secret told me why you act so stupid all the time, but I ain't gonna change at all because of it, and neither should you. That's what you want, though, right? To make Seraph and everyone else think nothing's changed?"
"Preferably."
"Then it's settled. I ain't ever had a human slave before… This should be fun."
I sighed, both in relief and in slight exasperation. She didn't seem to be preparing to reveal me, though her 'change of heart' indirectly and most certainly would lead to a strengthened sense of privilege. She hadn't yet the mind nor the experience with humans to identify my transformation as nothing more than a simply odd occurrence. However, she would most definitely be pushing her limits with me now, more than ever, considering she'd realized I was much more than I seemed.
Perhaps she would 'punish' me, in a sense, for retaining my secret for so long? In the end, however, I'd long since put it past the Axew to do anything malicious. She was annoying as one could believe, hardheaded and confident, certainly, but she wasn't violent.
"Misa, Nox!"
I looked back towards the entrance of the living area as Seraph's voice rang through the courtyard. Misa turned her head likewise. I was first to rise and begin walking towards the Altaria. Misa followed suit soon after.
"Come now, I don't need you both getting even more dirty. We need to get you both washed up for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Misa asked, "What's tomorrow?"
I had a faint idea, and as I began combing my memory, Seraph answered simply.
"We're going to have a house meeting in a little bit to discuss that. It's nothing alarming, I promise."
Skyla ran a brush through my tangled and still-damp fur as the impromptu meeting was to begin. Seraph had detailed little of what she was referring to, but by inference I suspected it to be an occasion for which we were supposed to be presentable. While I'd been in the bath, however, and in an attempt to take my mind off of the water, I'd thought and discerned what we were to be gathered for.
Only present were myself, Misa, Seraph, and Skyla. Skipp, as I'd been told, was in the TEC with Vulcan and Crag, and would remain there, as the information we were to be briefed on had already been run through them.
I whined reluctantly as Skyla ran the brush through a section of knotted fur. She shushed me lightly.
Misa had been oddly silent following dinner and a quick bath. We'd gone one at a time, but I still caught her at random intervals looking at me with intrigue, as if she was still searching for the most subtle of characteristics pertaining to my humanity. Every time I caught her, I would briefly scold her with a quick glare. I had to be careful as to not let Seraph catch on.
I took my mind of the subject, however, as Drayden entered the room from the direction of the courtyard. He seemed to have an air of business about him, but who followed him into the room succeeded in surprising my greatly.
"I'm not sure the two hatchlings have met him officially, so here we are," he began abruptly. "This is Brycen. We've been colleagues for quite a long time, and he's the Gym Leader in Icirrus City, nearby where we were staying in Timberline."
I shot the younger man an offstandish glance. He was dressed in casual clothes one would expect a regular man to wear. The instances in which I'd ever seen him not dressed in his normal, Gym attire were few and far between. Even when he'd apprehended us after my injury, in the freezing cold, he'd been wearing it. This was perhaps the first time I'd ever seen him in person without his mask. The only thing distinguishing him from a normal person was his long, blue-dyed hair, tied and styled in such away so the ends came to spikes around his shoulders.
If he was here, nothing good would come of it. I knew that much.
Skyla, seemingly unaware as to the other Gym Leader's presence before this encounter, narrowed her eyes.
"He's done us all the favor of closing his Gym and agreeing to provide some extra help around here for the time being."
"And I wasn't told about this, why?"
"We only made the arrangements this morning. He'd already returned from his watch in Ray's cave, and was kind enough to get on a flight straight here. He arrived perhaps an hour ago."
"Before you ask," Brycen interjected as Skyla was about to respond. He spoke calmly, but with a sense of finality in which he gave the impression of disinterest. "The Braviary never came back. Probably saw everything that went down and got out while he could."
"Speaking of which," Drayden jumped back in, eyebrow twitching. He turned softly towards me, facial expression unwavering. "Nox, I'm sorry to tell you your friend, Jet, was never found. He went missing the night we found you all, and has been since.
Skyla was seemingly more upset about the prospect than I myself, as I showed little to no emotion outside of a forcibly pensive demeanor. I tried concealing my face in fake disappointment to make up for the horrible acting job I couldn't help but commit.
Seraph was there, however, scooting next to Skyla on the couch and silently encouraging me with a brush of a wing over my head.
"The real reason I've gathered you here, however, is something more prevalent. To put it simply, one of my superiors is coming to stay with us tomorrow, and I feel the need to set some rules, as it's important we create a presentable environment for him."
I could almost physically feel the annoyance with which he spoke the words. While they were technically true, the mask surrounding his true feelings on the topic was paper-thin.
"His name is Alder, and he's the Champion of Unova. He is more than likely the single most powerful man in the region, and it's incredibly important we're on our best behavior."
While the phrase was obviously directed towards the distracted Axew sitting on the floor and I, Drayden seemed to let a bit of his command stray towards Skyla. I could hear her exhale dejectedly from above, making it known she had probably known about Alder's arrival beforehand.
Of course she was to be angry at the Champion. He was the League's head, and more than likely responsible for the repossession of her team. A few weeks now her companions had been confiscated as if they were contraband, and the league had made no indication they were soon to reverse their decision.
If I had to guess, she was absolutely livid at the prospect of having to share a roof with the man, but suppressed herself around Misa and I.
"Nox, I'm afraid most of these rules are going to have to apply to you, as your case is certainly an odd one. Alder doesn't know of your advanced intellect in the slightest, and I intend to keep his understanding of your condition minimal. Thus, you will not be allowed to use Illusions, or moves, or any sort of energy whatsoever while he is around, unless Crag or one of my other teammates gives you specific permission to do so. Do you understand?"
I made no initial response.
"If you so much as even hint at your advancements in development, there is nothing stopping him from taking you away. You would never see your friends again. Now answer, do you understand?"
"Drayden, lighten up a bit," Skyla began.
"I understand," I replied via Illusion without giving Skyla any attention.
"Good," Drayden confirmed he'd heard me. "I will hold you to your word."
"Wait, you weren't screwing with me?" Brycen cut back in, staring dumbfoundedly directly at me. "He can actually use Illusions?"
"Have I not made it clear I-"
"You don't lie. I get it. Sure, whatever, but damn."
The younger Gym Leader crouched down to eye-level with me. I stared back at him skeptically.
"So, say something."
"Don't look at me like that," I simply said, feeling rather uncomfortable with being put directly in the spotlight. Brycen's face lit up in surprise.
"Huh, you're a weird one, ain'tcha?"
"Brycen," Skyla scolded. I shifted my gaze away from him and down towards Misa. She was snarkily satisfied, apparently finding humor in the fact there were now three Gym Leaders under the same roof, all unknowing of my identity. I rolled my eyes at her. The fact she found humor in the situation wasn't reassuring.
"Teaching you how to battle," Drayden continued, "will be complicated, to say the least. However, I am of the impression everything will work out well. All in all, however, you mustn't let Alder know you have any grasp on your energy."
I nodded.
"For you, Misa, and considering the Gym reopens tomorrow, I've allowed you to enroll in regular classes taught by my team."
Misa's eyes lit up with the prospect.
"You will be allowed to train with other Pokémon of the same age, but you must promise me first that you will never mention our situation here at all. No references to any of what goes on inside this house. I want you to promise me that."
Misa nodded instantaneously, now on her feet. She was shaking with excitement.
"Good. Now, there's one last thing… The real reason I've gathered you both, rather than tell you separately."
Drayden, without further words, reached behind him. I began growing anxious.
Said anxiety multiplied tenfold as he revealed what he had been otherwise concealing. Skyla held me still, however, as I began to squirm.
"Misa, since you are unaware, these are Pokéballs. They are used by trainers such as myself to lay claim on any Pokémon that is mine, so no other trainer may capture it."
"Misa, don't make any reaction to hearing me talk to you," I sent to her through Illusions. "This isn't good. At all. With Pokéballs he can restrict us and recall us as long as we're in range. If something happens, all he needs to do is retract us and it's game over."
"How does it work?" Misa asked, thankfully paying no visible mind to what I said. Her eyes narrowed in skepticism.
Drayden simply unlatched one of the Balls already on his belt and pointed it at Seraph. Without any warning, he retracted the Altaria, held still for a few moments, then released her again.
Misa was shocked to find Seraph stood next to Drayden as the white light faded. She took an involuntary step backwards.
Was Misa telling the truth when she said Drayden could understand her? No, an inference as to what she was saying could have easily been made.
"It doesn't hurt, sweetheart," Seraph encouraged. "Not at all, actually, and Drayden was kind enough to get for you both very special Pokéballs."
Seraph was correct in that regard. I'd never seen such advanced versions of the devices in person, but I'd heard once through an article about the development of type-specific Balls, those specifically crafted to appeal to a Pokémon of a specific type. Both of the ones he held were mainly black in coloration, but one had the decal of a red dragon twisting about the otherwise dark surface. The other had white, horizontal lines reaching around its circumference in a striped pattern. They were made for Dragon and Dark-types, respectively.
Misa was hardly reassured by Seraph's words. Taking my own into account, she began trying to recompose herself and ask questions.
"Do they trap you?" she asked tentatively.
"Well, with us, no. Unless the situation absolutely calls for it, you two will never have to stay inside. It's just a precaution in case someone tries to steal you from us."
Misa looked back up at me for reassurance. I was still reluctant.
Seraph sighed.
"I know you both are hesitant, but I promise it's nothing to be worried about. You'll probably never have to even see the Balls again after you're registered."
"Registered?"
"Well, the Ball would automatically register you into a system, and make it so Drayden is your one and only official caregiver."
"So, our trainer," I said condescendingly.
"In the technical sense, maybe," she countered, not expecting my rebuttal. "But he won't use you both to battle, that much I can promise."
"Misa, don't do this," I warned. The small dragon gave no indication she had heard me.
Silence for a few moments.
"You're still my slave, pipsqueak. Like I said, slave rules still apply, and now I know a ton more. So, simple as this: do what Drayden says."
"Misa!" I exclaimed aloud. She'd betrayed me!
Ignoring me further, she pushed past Seraph unhappily and stopped at Drayden's foot. The Gym leader, thankful, crouched down to her level. Smirking thankfully, he reached out and grabbed the fin-like structure atop her head with a gigantic hand before shaking it playfully. Misa chuckled in response.
He was using his influence over her. He knew exactly how to appease an Axew, and she'd fallen right into his trap. Idiot.
With one, swift movement, he took the ball designated for Misa and lightly pressed it against her forehead. She was enveloped in red and gone an instant later.
No! Damn her! She has no idea what she's doing!
The ball shook about after Drayden set it on the ground in the process of capture. After only two shakes, the Ball chimed with confirmation of capture.
I was positively livid. Drayden, satisfied, picked up the ball and released Misa only a few seconds afterwards. Without a center of balance, she fell on her face clumsily as she was released next to him.
All that were left near the couch were Skyla and I.
"Yo, Nox, that wasn't bad at all! It felt like I was floating!"
I shot her the nastiest glare I could muster.
Her words rang within my head. She would tell if I refused to be captured. I was forced to choose the lesser of two evils. It was either have my entire ruse lifted and shattered entirely, or throw an unmanageable monkey-wrench into any plans of escape.
The choice was simple, so why was I so reluctant to follow through with it? Misa's pressuring gaze wasn't helping in the slightest. Skyla ran a hand through the tuft of fur atop my head comfortingly.
Miffed, I stood and hopped off the couch, willing my legs to walk forward. I kept a condescending glare on Misa for the entirety of my walk, shifting slowly into contempt.
I forced myself to sit when I arrived at Drayden's foot. He was unmoved.
"Get it over with," I told him dejectedly. There was no way out of it.
Without further words, I closed my eyes, leaving myself completely susceptible to the cold, metal surface as it made contact with my skin.
I couldn't help but let my eyes fly back open as the world around me turned violently. It felt as if I was being dragged headfirst into an endless somersault. I could no longer see, but I saw. My body was disappearing. All my senses left me, one by one, until none remained.
I was energy.
Pure, unadulterated energy without a body to inhabit. My core was all that was left of me, the only constant remaining in a world of uncertainty.
Yet, as I gained full awareness, I realized rather quickly something was different.
The world inside of a Pokéball was black, as I'd imagined, but not completely without color.
For the first time ever, I saw what I truly was.
A small, spherical mass of energy, writhing about in a melodic fashion. It was small, and even looked quite weak.
And yet, I was said mass. It was my core. That was me.
I could see everything within this world. I was omnipotent, in a sense, over this small dominion. I felt my own presence, miniscule as it was, though I knew something else was amiss.
Something was lurking, something large, and something scary. It was invading my domain, or maybe it had been there the entire time.
Its presence seemed strangely familiar, as if it had been part of me for the longest time.
A speck, rather far away from the cluster of my core, shone with brilliance. It was nearly too bright to watch, yet still was rather dark in coloration. Was this the abnormality I felt? Was it the invader, the foreign energy existing in my world for some, unknown reason?
I felt a pulse, so strong it shook the world. Like a vine, I could feel my core being ensnared and wrapped around. My first instinct was to struggle, pushing against the strong, compressing force.
However, I was quick to realize this being the sensation of capture. As such, I tried my best to relax, allowing the sensation to squeeze and contract until it had nearly pushed past the outer boundaries of my core. I supposed letting it permeate the cluster of energy that was my existence would result in my capture.
The sensation did just that, sinking slowly beneath the surface of my being. It was odd, to say the least. This force, the force of the Pokéball, it was merging with my very core.
The speck of light, still distant, would have none of it.
As if it were sentient, it shot towards my core like a bullet. It had absolutely no trouble pushing past both the constricting force and the outer layers of my core, situating itself within, and pushing outwards with such an immense force the contractions stopped entirely.
I closed my eyes and cringed, only to reopen them seconds later with my paws planted firmly on the ground.
I heard a sigh, first and foremost, as my vision corrected itself from the blurry mess it was. I was back in reality, my consciousness restricted to my body alone. The speck, my core, they were all gone.
I felt sick; the world was spinning about with no pattern. I was going to vomit.
No, no, not vomit. A familiar sensation welled up inside me for a fraction of a second. The feeling of immense energy buildup, ready to be released. I'd felt it, shortly before my first discharge, but this was different. The amount of pent-up energy should have been impossible. Thus, only an instant passed before it happened.
I discharged, though not in the same fashion as before. The energy was a different color.
It was pink.
It pushed past my skin with the force of a freight train, threatening to tear me apart if it wasn't to permeate the layer of flesh that was my physical body. I heard faintly multiple, surprised yells as it happened.
Energy left me from all sides, like a sneeze, throwing me further off balance. The sheer amount of power discharged in that single instant was incalculable.
It was over as soon as it'd begun. I began coughing violently, gasping for breath.
"What the fuck?!" I heard Brycen yell through the ringing in my ears. "Drayden, the fuck was that?!"
"Is everyone alright?!"
I heard Skyla groan. Someone else began yelling.
"Misa's knocked out!"
I opened my eyes slowly.
The scene was carnage. Chairs, even those as far as the kitchen, had been toppled. Lamps had fallen, their bulbs broken. Even objects as heavy as the armchair in the room had been pushed outwards. It didn't take me long to realize I was the center.
Drayden slammed the remains of the black Pokéball onto his desk. It had been destroyed with the immense force of Nox's escape.
"This is a problem," Drayden vented angrily as Skyla shut the study door behind him. Already in the room were Vulcan and Brycen.
"No shit! I think we should be talking about what the actual hell that discharge was!" Brycen exclaimed. "He tore your living room apart with a sneeze!"
"You act like I'm not aware," Drayden retaliated with a snarl.
"Drayden, I get you and Skyla want this kid brought home safe, but this just isn't worth it! That's not a fucking Zorua!"
"What do you know, Brycen!" Skyla yelled.
"I don't know much, but I know I just saw a hatchling basically explode in the middle of Drayden's house! Gigantic coincidence that a legendary's involved in all this, huh?!"
"We already knew Mew had some influence on that Zorua," Drayden concurred as he sat down. "It's entirely possible that Mew is the Zorua, and there's truly nothing in that Master Ball downstairs."
"N-no…" Skyla denied. "Nox is a Zorua. I can tell."
"Then that Zorua's a goddamn bomb! Think about it! There was a gigantic explosion on Chimney, right? What if it's the same thing that's about to happen here, right on the outskirts of a major city!"
"If Mew truly wanted us dead, she would've killed us on that mountain. If she wanted Opelucid to explode, she would've done so without the fanfare."
"How do you know she's not just fucking around?" Brycen responded. "She's a god, and can do whatever the hell she wants. She's screwing with us because she thinks it's fun!"
"Vulcan," Drayden shifted, "I need you to go to the Nurse's. Now. See if the density readings from Nox's test have returned yet."
"Look," Skyla said as the Haxorus began walking out. "If Mew and Ray had a relationship, then Mew isn't a sociopath. Ray could see the good in people."
"Skyla, just cool it for a second with your blind faith! What could Ray have done when legit a god approached him? Deny her? We have to look at reality here!"
"I am, Brycen, and the way I see it is that Mew's scared, just like the rest of us. Legendaries have been disappearing left and right. Is this really the time for her to screw around like this?!"
"We need to look at facts right now," Drayden interrupted. "What caused the discharge? Something had to have happened."
"It was the Pokéball, obviously," Brycen said.
"Yes, yes, but what caused it specifically? More importantly, was it Nox's intention to break out?"
"He seemed just as surprised as the rest of us."
"Or maybe that's what he wants you to think."
"No matter. Alder is coming, and we now have to deal with covering this up as best as possible. The only option we have, no matter the real reason behind this, is to continue as we always have. I will have Seraph speak to Nox, alone. We must promise now never to mention this in front of him, lest we accidentally set him off again. We have to be careful."
A minute or two of silence. Each Gym Leader was silently contemplating certain theories.
"I suppose a Pokéball wasn't the best idea, then."
Drayden chuckled lightly at Skyla's statement of the obvious.
"No, it just wasn't strong enough. Whatever beast that Zorua has inside of him, even as great a strength as that ball had couldn't contain him. Weakening him may have worked, but we can't be sure. Brycen, I have a special job for you, but first."
Drayden took a moment before silently pointing towards the door to the study. Just then, as if the entire scene was choreographed, Vulcan walked back in with a file in his claw. Without words, the Haxorus handed the report to Drayden.
"Here we are, then," he said, flipping through a few pages before stopping at a specific one. His eyes narrowed.
"What does it say?"
"Ladies and gentlemen, meet Nox. A Zorua with the dormant, unnatural power of the god of all Pokémon."
"Nox, sweetie?"
I breathed shakily. I was adamant in not revealing myself, even as Seraph entered the room.
"I know it wasn't your fault, honey. Just come out and we can talk about it."
I made no movement to come out from under the bed.
"Just stay away from me," I called out with genuine fear. I had no idea what had caused me to discharge in such a violent manner, and, considering it was completely involuntary, I was afraid of doing it again.
"Misa is fine, hon, don't worry," Seraph put lightly. "You didn't do anything bad, I promise."
Apparently the force of the discharge has been strong enough to knock the Axew out completely. What would I tell her after the fact?
"And the furniture? Well, it's just furniture. It's already all fixed up."
I could see her feet as she passed by the end of the bed and stopped. Her face and beak appeared from above as she bent to see me. I backed away and pressed further into the wall. Only my eyes should have been visible.
"It's not your fault," she reiterated. "We want to help you, sweetie, so please come out and talk to me."
I refused once more.
She sighed.
"Well, I hope there's room for me, then, because I'm coming in."
My eyes widened as the Altaria pressed herself against the ground and scooted under the bed. I was more shocked at her flexibility to notice her approach until she was a mere few feet away.
"I can see why you chose down here. It's rather comfy."
"Seraph, just stop. Please."
She, for once, did as told.
"I'm a freak," I said aloud, venting real concerns of mine. "Everything about me, it's just… I don't want to be the weirdo, I promise, but I just can't help it."
"Nox, tell me what happened, and maybe I can help you not be 'the weirdo', if that's what you want."
"If that's what I want? Of course that's what I want!"
"Being unique isn't always bad, Nox."
"There's a difference between being unique and being dangerous," I exclaimed. Was Seraph really trying to play this situation down as if it was nothing?
"Dangerous? Nox, you didn't hurt anyone."
"Misa was knocked out, and all that stuff I knocked over, and-"
"Like I said, Misa was just shaken up. Everything's fine, I promise."
"But what if it happens again?"
"Well," she said, staring into my eyes with a reassuring gaze, "That's why I want to know what happened, to stop it from happening again. Nox, you're not in trouble."
I looked away for a few moments. It wouldn't hurt in the slightest to tell the truth here. Hell, I myself was terrified, and if Seraph, or anyone could help, I would gladly accept it. Keeping up an act was less important than my safety. I trusted Drayden for his help, at least in this regard.
"There was something bright, something small."
I was scared, initially, to find Misa missing when I woke the next morning. Seraph had eventually coaxed me out from under the bed, and I slowly calmed myself with the prospect that perhaps the Axew had decided to stay with Seraph and Skipp last night.
But she had the whole night to tell them about my secret…
No, I doubted she ever would, to be honest. Our slave arrangement now was nothing more than a charade, if I was being perfectly frank with myself. I knew not of any true malicious intent on the part of the Axew that would prompt her to tell, but I simply had to be sure.
I found myself even more worried, however, when I realized I hadn't been visited that night.
In Mew's absence, the dream about the dying Zorua took the forefront of my mind. The fact the legendary hadn't spoken to me worried me greatly.
Did something happen?
I doubted as much… She probably simply let my mind rest after the previous day. As expected, my muscles were seemingly as sore as conceivably possible. The incident with the discharge certainly wouldn't have helped my mind relax.
Misa was still missing, however, and such was reason for worry. I let that take the forefront of my mind for the time being.
Groaning with the sweeping ache from the previous day, I rose and hopped off the bed before leaving the room, my mind set on finding Misa.
Seraph had told me the previous night that nothing would change as a result of the discharge. She admitted Drayden had already been suspicious about something going on with me, and she made sure to reassure the point that it wasn't my fault. Multiple times, actually.
I checked the entirety of the residential area of the complex, finding no sign of the Axew. The living room had been effectively put back together. After giving a short peek in all the rooms and rebounding into the main area, however, Skipp walked in from the courtyard.
"She's in the TEC, I think," he said simply upon being asked, "but Nox, I, uh… I don't think you can go."
"What? Why not?" I complained.
"Well, Drayden told you last night about reopening the Gym, right? Misa's in there training with some of the other 'mon right now."
"Oh… What does that mean for me, then?"
"Well, uh. Crag's sorta helping out with lessons like he usually does, but… Hmm…"
It was as if he didn't think this far ahead on a regular basis.
"Skyla's in her room, I guess you can hang out with her if you want? Also, the courtyard's open, if you wanna practice, but I think you're just too noticeable to go into the TEC, Nox… I'm sorry."
I sighed. As long as Skipp seemed clueless regarding my identity, it was safe to say Misa hadn't told anyone. I supposed leaving her alone would give her proper time to contemplate everything, especially while battling. There was nothing she did more adamantly, and if anything was to take her mind off of the situation, that would be it.
I was still quite angry with her about the incident with the Pokéballs. It would be something to talk to her about later. A conversation I was not looking forward to.
I ate a quiet breakfast, alone with the exception of Skipp, who left after a few minutes and headed towards the TEC. I supposed this would be my day-to-day life from then until we escaped, considering not much would change in the daily pattern of the Gym.
If something were to happen with the abrupt openness of the Gym, of which I didn't deny the possibility, I would already be removed from the situation, strategically placed with the other creature in the entire complex capable of doing nothing, Skyla. Misa would be safe, and her being an older and and arguably more capable Pokémon would allow her to be more effectively protected by the members of Drayden's team inside the TEC. Every contingency had been thought of, though for whatever reason, a part of me yearned to be with her.
Not of friendly connectedness, or even acquaintance, but firstly because of my desire to observe her and how she handled my secret, and secondly because, despite my intentions, I had fun battling her. The rush of combat was like nothing ever felt before. Even the power boost of nighttime came nowhere close to how exhilarated I felt using my power to battle.
One benefit, however, to my being left alone, became evident as I scanned my mind for past conversations with Mew.
I can finally take a look around and see what else needs to be seen… I can't go into the TEC, obviously, but there's gotta be something hidden here, right?
The first stop, obviously, was Drayden's bedroom. Misa had brought me there before, and to my knowledge, it was still unlocked. I was affirmed in that regard when, after having finished eating, I walked down one of the hallways branching off of the main living area and encountered the cracked door. I pushed through.
Undoubtedly such a dark room, with shades drawn and no other light sources present, would prove near-impossible for a creature without my inclination for the darkness. Night-vision came handy in this regard, as my eyes automatically adjusted and brightened up the room so I could see even the most minute details of Drayden's organization.
I began my investigation by propping my front paws on the lip of Drayden's bedside table, finding nothing of interest outside of an incredibly large feather. It was pure-white in coloration, and sat carefully on a stand. The feather itself was massive, easily as long as my entire body length-wise, and further leading me to question what kind of bird it had come from. I supposed, however, after thinking for a while on its placement on its own stand, it was simply a souvenir from somewhere Drayden had traveled in the past.
I found nothing else of interest, whether it be in and around the wardrobe situated in the corner of the room, the chest at the foot of his bed, under the bed, or around a large mat on the opposite side of the bed on which I assumed Vulcan slept.
Which left his desk, the desk in which I found the letter from Alder… He was supposed to be coming later that day, I realized. Drayden surely would inform me ahead of time, no?
The desk itself was of great intrigue. The first thing I noticed was the glaringly obvious set of four keys hung up on a rack situated on the surface of the desk. I stared at them for a moment as I imagined what doors they unlocked.
My first disappointment came when I recognized the presence of a locked droor. A key for such a small lock wasn't on the key chain; rather, they were old-fashioned and obviously intended for doors, hopefully somewhere inside the facility.
Where was there a locked door within the residential area?
There was only one, not including Skyla's generally-locked room.
Drayden's study. Vulcan told me to never go there, but it's honestly going to have more answers and clues on how to escape than anywhere else.
Another thought crossed my mind.
One of the other keys is probably for the basement, wherever the door to that is… Probably in the TEC somewhere, where I've never been able to see it… It's something to ask Misa about, maybe. She's wandered the complex a lot more than I have. Either way, though, finding which key unlocks the basement and getting down there is the first step to helping my team escape.
I left the keys and the locked droor, however, and began poking through the other droors of the desk. I had closed the second and was on to the third when I stopped dead.
"Nox? Nox, where are you?"
I practically dove off of the chair and crouched up against the backside of the wardrobe. Skyla's voice grew closer and closer.
"Nox?"
I could hear the door squeaking as it was pushed open.
Oh Arceus, shit! I can't let her find me!
I could hear her feet tapping against the ground as she began walking around the room. I prayed my fur let me blend in, before realizing the red tuft of fur atop my head would give me away anyways.
As far as I saw it, I had three choices in that instant. The first was to let her find me, which would be the most inopportune, as it would seem like I had something to hide. The second would be simply revealing myself, receive a scolding for exploring where I shouldn't be, and leave it at that. Problems with that, however, would come with a future lack of trust that would disable me from exploring further to help my team.
My last option was to trick her. I'd been practicing certain methods of making different creatures hear certain noises. I was nowhere near as experienced with Illusions as I desired, but I believed the hours of trivial practice I'd thrown into making Pidoves hear sounds from all sides while in Timberline would help me here.
So, I, as inconspicuously as possible, created a connection with Skyla. Concentrating my very hardest to throw a faint mental bark, similar to that of Somin's which I remembered from times past, I clenched my eyes shut, before tentatively pushing it through.
Skyla's head turned instantly upon recognition of the Illusion. I prayed she hadn't seen through the ruse.
I nearly sighed in relief as she quickly exited the room, calling out my name. She had heard my Illusion, and I hoped I'd thrown my voice far enough away as to confuse her long enough to escape.
Tentatively, I peeked my head out into the doorway and watched as he rounded the corner into the living area. I nearly sprinted out from cover as soon as he disappeared from sight, hooking a left down an adjacent hallway that looped around to the other side of the residential area.
It was then I began calling out Skyla's name with my physical voice, now feeling secure I was far enough away from Drayden's room to make up an excuse as to why I didn't initially answer her calls.
I ran into the Gym Leader as I'd almost rounded back around to the living area. She made no indication towards her suspicions regarding me, if any existed. I finally let my guard down as she greeted me with a smile.
As Skipp had suggested, I relaxed and spent time with Skyla for a little while, who was going out of her way to act as if the events of the previous night were nonexistent. We sat on the couch in the living room and spoke for a while via Illusion.
She told me all about her Gym in Mistralton, information I obviously knew myself, though the sole act of her listening to talk was reassuring.
She eventually got onto the topic of human-me, however, and how I had acted before everything had gone downhill. She told me the story of my becoming a trainer, told me in her own words on how she thought me kind and caring.
"Ray's parent's weren't the greatest of people, but he didn't let that stop him," she said at one point. "When he turned ten and was allowed to get his license to train Pokémon, there was nothing in the world he wanted more."
She chuckled for a moment.
"Part of that's my fault. I'm the one that introduced him to Pokémon in the first place. His parents weren't exactly happy with me."
"Why?" I asked, feigning ignorance. It was important I kept up my act.
"Well, they didn't like Pokémon, for whatever reason. His dad was a really big-time businessman, and his mom, well. Her and I are sisters, and we never really did get along well when I was little. She married around the same time I got my first Pokémon. I really wish you could have met them. My team is great, and really nice, too."
"Well, I… I'm not the best of people in the world. I've done a ton of bad things, believe it or not, and as horrible as it is to say, one of them was helping Ray become a trainer."
I was intrigued. I knew to what she was referring, but I never knew she had second thoughts about it.
"I acted like I was his parent," she said simply, explaining the long-ago event as if it were now trivial. "I signed the papers that let him become a trainer, when I wasn't supposed to. He chose Vita as his first Pokémon, left, and never looked back. His parents, well… I guess in the end they thought he would come back to them on his own and admit he was wrong when training got tough."
"But he never did," I finished the story.
"No, he never did," Skyla smiled widely. "He made it all the way to the Eighth Gym and beyond. You would have been so lucky to have him as your trainer, Nox."
I nodded solemnly.
"You're very special, do you know that? I don't just mean what happened last night, I mean… In general. You're going to do great things one day, Nox, I guarantee it."
I went about my day afterwards with a sense of disconnect. We eventually grew bored of talking, and Skyla requested I showed her what I'd learned with Crag the previous day.
After we both headed out into the courtyard, I would go about gathering dozens of fallen leaves from the nearly-bare trees within the area and make a decently-sized pile, which I would promptly maneuver around as if it and I were locked in combat, before finding a clever and creative way to attack it with energy.
Of course, forcibly discharging energy directly into the middle of the pile caused it to explode in a billion different directions. I would spend the next few minutes afterwards picking up leaves individually with my mouth and recreating another pile.
While I can't say I had the most fun in the world, I felt rather excited about the prospect of growing more and more in battle prowess. There was a chance I would need battle skill soon, and I surely didn't want to disappoint. This was what everyone wanted, was it not? Perhaps one of the only things both my team and Drayden's agreed with.
Skipp returned to the courtyard after lunch from the TEC. We'd eaten, and Skyla had come back outside to watch me screwing around with my leaves. The Flygon, after telling me he could take a break from the Gym, offered to teach me a few tricks.
The first was what he called 'pinpointing', in which he instructed me to charge my paw, but go on to condense the energy as tightly as possible through a single point. The obvious choice was one of my claws.
"That's an attack," he encouraged as I marveled at the no-longer-dull glow to emanate from the small area as a result. It was white now, rather than the purple it's been prior. "An actual move, instead of just discharging energy in your opponent. Soon you'll be able to charge all your claws, and boom. You've just made your first Scratch."
My hopes fell for a moment in non-maskable disappointment.
"Something up?"
"Scratch, that's it?"
"You'll get better, sure. Everyone starts somewhere, and if you're battling people in your skill group, then usually Scratch is all you need."
"But Scratch is a normal-type move," I challenged, able to cite some educational sort of TV show if Skipp were to ask how I knew. "And Crag said I was charging myself with Dark-type energy… How does that work?"
"It's kinda confusing, but when you pinpoint, a lot of the extra stuff in your energy that makes it Dark-type just get squeezed out, leaving a base energy behind. When your energy get stronger and more dense, you naturally learn to keep your energy Dark-type, even after you pinpoint. Got me?"
I nodded simply, forcibly discharging my claw into the dirt below.
"Here. Follow me."
He led me to one of the bare trees in the courtyard, all aspen by the looks of them. Their stark, white branches shifted lazily in the light breeze.
"Try charging your paw as much as possible and pinpointing into two claws at a time."
I gave him an affirmation, and pushed myself beyond normal means to charge my paw with an extra bit of power. The amount required to pinpoint it into either claw was still too high to load them both simultaneously. I pushed further, however, and forced the energy into place. While I succeeded in charging both claws with a considerable amount of power, either one held nowhere near the luminosity as the singular charged claw before.
"Neat thing about charging, you don't feel as tired as usual, right?"
"No, I guess not."
"Yeah. When your body's using energy through charging and attacking, your core starts working harder to replace what's left behind. It doesn't do that when you use Illusions, though, or are hurt by another attack. It's like… It's like your core uses your momentum in battle to help you. You attack, it rewards you with more energy."
"Huh," I replied simply, nodding my head. I was glad, otherwise I may not have been able to keep up as well as I had.
"Your muscles are where energy is stored most of the time, and as your body slowly becomes used to charging and moving around energy, you get better. Your muscles will be able to store more energy, letting you charge your attacks with more strength and letting your reserves grow so you can last longer in a fight. Another reason to keep, training, right?"
"Sure."
"Okay then. Scratch that tree for me."
I raised an eyebrow for a moment. Was there a reason for this? It wasn't as if I was fully grown and capable of cutting down the aspen in one fell swoop.
"Just try it. You don't know what'll happen until you try, right?"
I tentatively raised my paw and went through the confused motions of tapping the tree with my two charged claws. Skipp stopped me before I made contact, however.
"Don't tap it. Actually Scratch it."
"I'll tear out my claw before I make a dent in it," I objected.
"No, no no no," Skipp corrected, chuckling lightly. "Here, I'll show you."
He reached out with his short arms and placed a single, white claw tip against the similar, uncolored wood. It began shining the telltale gold-tinted royal blue of draconian energy.
I could tell he hardly applied any pressure afterwards as his claw pressed into the wood and made a considerable hole.
"Energy is a strong, even if it's untrained. Remember that. As long as they're charged, your claws can cut through a lot. Don't hold back, and neither will your energy."
I charged the same two claws again and looked at him expectantly.
"Don't hold back."
I nodded tentatively before facing the tree once more. I narrowed my gaze at a single, spot, raised my front leg with a forced sense of confidence, and swung down.
The bark cut like butter, simply. I was about halfway through my swing when I registered I'd succeeded. In my shock at the moment, I accidentally forcibly discharged into the tree itself, leaving my claws with no energy, and rendering them stuck about a quarter inch below the surface. I quickly pinpointed once more in order to become unstuck and withdraw, disappointed.
"Well, I think that's a good lesson in following through, I guess… Good job anyways."
I sent him a quick nod of understanding and thanks.
We continued on afterward for quite a long time, partaking in certainly a much more enjoyable training experience than the one the previous day.
After another hour or two, however, of me simply trying to land attacks in new, creative ways on Skipp, he told me he had to head back into the TEC, as he had snuck away and Drayden was soon to start wondering where he was. Left alone with about an hour or two before the Gym closed for the day, I resigned to rest, walking inside.
Skyla had since come back inside, watching a dramatic series on the television, the name of which escaped me. I joined her happily for the next segment of time until Brycen of all people entered through the courtyard.
"Drayden told me to come and get you two," he said simply, already halfway back out the door. "I guess our guest of honor is here."
