Flareon Light laid on his side on a thin, soft mattress. He had only been asleep for a few minutes, but it felt longer. The air weighed down on him like a warm blanket. He only decided to open his eyes when he realized he wasn't sure where he was.
Dust particles floated in the air. Worn out planks of wood created a ceiling. When he stood up, the wooden planks underneath him on the floor creaked.
"Hey."
Light turned around. His gaze whizzed past wooden walls and froze. Cinccino Hannah was sitting down just next to him with her legs crossed and back straight. Without her blue mask, the sharp threat on her face went soft. Her fur looked like it had almost dried off, but still a little frazzled from the water.
"Where are we?" Light asked.
"My house," Hannah said. "This is my room."
Light didn't understand how they ended up here b, or in the cave in the first place. It might've been better not to question it. He was still going with the backup plan. He gazed into her deep blue eyes and used Candor.
He detected nothing to latch onto.
"Are you thirsty?" Hannah asked. "We could go to the river and fish."
It couldn't be any more dangerous than where he was now.
"Okay," he said.
Light walked off the mattress and followed her through the doorway. Her steps sounded like they could go right through the floor. They passed through an open room with a stone fireplace and smooth bowls and spoons laid out around it.
Outside, stars dominated the night sky. Crickets sang for dancing fireflies from among groomed flowers and grass. A brick pathway led past the garden into the dark forest that surrounded the him.
Light gawked when he saw the trees. Their bases were as thick as a Steelix's head, and the roots were massive. Because of the sheer size of the roots, the trees were spread out far away from each other.
"The, uh, trees," Light said. "How are they so big?
"Nature's powerful here," Hannah said.
"Where...?"
"Verde Forest."
Light nodded to himself. Verde Forest sat north of Valor and Verity and south of Acuity, a good number of miles above where he used to live. He had heard some stories of the huge trees there, but never bothered to look for pictures.
Though the darkness loomed over them, the cool forest air refreshed Light through his thick fur. Because of the tree roots, they only had soft, comfortable dirt to walk on. By the time the house was out of sight, Light heard a bubbling river past a few more trees. They continued in silence until they reached its edge.
The river wasn't very big, but the light from the night sky and fireflies illuminated its entirety. It made Light realize his throat was a little dry.
He wasn't too picky. He held no complaints going to a rock on the side of the river and dipped his head low to take a few sips. The cool water helped cool off the small fire in his head.
When he pulled his head back up, Cinccino Hannah already caught four fish flapping in her arms. The moment he looked at her, she turned around and started to walk back.
The questions he had about her were piling up, but he had to stay focused. Hannah was the only danger he had around him right now. He couldn't run; she'd be too fast. He continued to play along.
Back at the house, Light lied out in front of the fireplace. Hannah took a short minute to gather wood and bent down to arrange it inside. She passed him a quick glance. He didn't get it at first, but ruminating on the possibilities gave him an answer.
He spat a tiny ember to ignite the wood.
Hannah sat down next to him with crossed legs and a straight back. Light stole a glance. She was working with the fish. He didn't know the specifics, but she used a small knife to gut the fish over a bowl. He gagged and stared at the flames instead.
Eventually, Hannah set up the fish on sticks close to the fire. She rotated two in each paw for a few minutes while Light watched and enjoyed the heat. When they finished cooking, she sat back down next to Light and handed him two of the sticks. He bit down after he saw her do it first.
The crackle and intense heat cascaded in his mouth. After his first, he ate it in huge bites(huge for him at least).
They both finished about at the same time. Light set his sticks on the floor to his side after Hannah did. The only sounds left were from wind hitting the walls outside, the songs from owls and crickets, and embers from the fireplace.
Light blinked and rubbed his eyes when bright green floated into his vision. He glanced, and Hannah didn't seem to notice a tiny, glowing green butterfly waft in front of the fireplace.
"If you fail to cull the grief, the world will be put into a terrible pain."
The butterfly disappeared like the end of a whisper. Light couldn't describe it, but he didn't think he just had some insane vision. The voice sounded honest and gentle; more importantly, real. He turned to Hannah and decided to give it his best shot.
"Where do you want to end up in life?" Light asked.
"I want the fighting to stop," Hannah said.
"There'll always be fighting. But what do you want for yourself? Your dream."
"Well... If I could have anything, I'd want my mother back."
A sour tinge cut at the edge of her voice. Light needed to get her to refocus somehow.
"But that's not possible in this life no matter what you do," Light said. "Having that as a dream is just painful."
"But I don't want anything else," she insisted.
"You must have a passion, right? Something that you just do."
Light waited while she thought about it. An owl sounded while she looked down with her deep blue eyes.
He triggered Candor. He still didn't hear a voice. Hannah's eyes shifted.
"Singing...?" Hannah suggested.
"Yah," Light agreed. "Why not do something with that?"
"I can't give up making my countries right after everything that's happened."
"But it's not up to you if they change."
"Why wouldn't it!?" Hannah demanded. "I'm their princess. If they let me be Queen, this would've never happened."
"I-It's over now, though."
"That doesn't make it any better."
"But it's bad to get hung up on it. What about your singing?"
"What about singing?" Hannah asked.
"You can enjoy life through singing," Light said. "You could make that your dream. There's so many more ways to help the world than what you think is the only way.
Hannah fell silent for a second. Light knew she heard him, so he gave her time to at least think about it before he said anything else.
"My dream was to be an explorer," Light said.
He had blurted it out of nowhere. He didn't like talking about himself, but it could lead somewhere.
"So you're living in your dream?" Hannah asked.
"Well... It's not exactly how I imagined it would be. Or how I first wanted it."
"How so?"
"I just wanted to be completely alone at first," Light said. "My dream of being an explorer was living somewhere quiet and beautiful, and then going out and helping people."
"Where did you want to live?" Hannah asked.
"Well, anywhere. A cave, or maybe some underground burrow or something."
"Don't you still want to live somewhere quiet?"
"A part of me does," Light said. "But, in the end, everything ended up being the opposite. Instead of small villages and towns, the whole world's counting on the work I'm doing. I'm doing the best with my dream that I can."
Hannah went quiet again. Light turned back to the flames for a short moment and stared at it with her.
"I was going to explore the world with my mom," Hannah said.
"And what about now?" Light asked.
"I don't know what I'm doing..."
Hannah's voice started to break apart. A cold chill ran through Light's chest. He needed to respond more emotionally.
"People feel like that most of the time," Light said. "Not knowing what's going to happen in the future is what it's like for everyone."
Light shifted his weight and stretched out a little more.
"The only place anyone can really go in life is a good direction," he continued. "That doesn't mean it will always work."
"I'm trying to pick a good direction for my people," Hannah argued.
"But it's up to them in the end. If you try to control them, it'll end up worse. Don't you still want to explore the world?"
"I can't just go off on my own with so much feeling unfinished."
"Nothing can satisfy it after you lose someone."
Light met Hannah's stare. He wasn't excited to talk about it, but he got a reaction he wanted to see more of.
"I had someone who, uh, kind of made me feel awful," Light reminisced. "She was, ah, amazing. I don't know how else to say it. Just, uhm... super positive. The type of person that's so good with the tiniest flaws to where you just compare... And you feel like nothing."
"Who was she?" Hannah asked.
"Her name was Jasmine. She was being used by a group of... Our group of thieves just to make some easy money. I bragged to her about how I could steal anything, and she asked me why that was a good thing."
"Doesn't sound very nice."
"I never really thought about if I was a good person or not before. I felt like garbage. My only skill to make me who I am was... garbage."
Hannah gave a dry sigh.
"All I had for my pride and joy was stealing before I met her. Someone who cared about more important stuff."
"Singing isn't exactly useful, either," Hannah said.
"But it could be. With singing, you can inspire and make peace and stuff. There's no right time to steal..."
Saying it out loud, Light knew it was arguable. It didn't feel good, though. Maybe that's what he meant.
"So what happened to her?"
"Well, I helped her escape," Light said. "Never saw her again. And doing a good deed everyday just felt like a joke. I tried to honor her with it somehow, but it was never enough."
"But... You look fine now," Hannah said.
"I mean, I am. But that's just because I'm living with it."
Light was hoping he got the message across. She didn't have to collapse here.
"My mom was the only person I really understood. And understood me."
"There are people that want to understand you," Light said. "They could be your new family."
"It feels wrong."
"Yah."
Light paused. The crackles from the fire continued on, a small breeze seeping through the front door. The fire changed direction for a short moment and then rested.
"What kind of explorer did you want to be?" Light asked.
"A traveling songstress," she answered.
"Like performing?"
"Yah. I'd be like a fairy tale. I'd have some special magic that would make evil kings good and summon hummingbirds."
"Inspired by a fairy tale?"
Light noticed Hannah starting to relax. She had a chill smile. Her back and arms slumped and bent.
"Yah," Hannah whispered, "I love fairy tales."
"Then you should do it," Light said.
"I have to do my duty and make my homelands whole."
"That's not your job."
Hannah didn't seem to expect that response. She glanced with a quick look.
"Like, just because I found out I'm Angelo Acuity doesn't mean I have to become king," Light said. "I'm helping the world by doing my dream. It sounds like you can, too."
"And what exactly would I be doing to help the world?" Hannah asked.
"Keep living like you know how. Hunt, and go around wherever. You can wake up in the morning, and literally follow wherever the wind takes you. Just like the explorers in the fairy tales. Have those special chance encounters that fairy tales are made from."
Hannah started to tear up a little.
"Just go for it," he urged.
Hannah smiled. It stopped. She clutched her chest and rolled onto her side with tension in her mouth.
Light shot up to his feet.
"Hey!?" Light yelped.
"This isn't what you're supposed to be doing right now."
Light looked around for the voice, and saw no one. Hannah stopped holding her chest and gasped for air facing the floor.
"We're continuing as planned. Create the future."
Ice rolled down his spine. Hannah pushed herself up with her arms, but didn't stand.
"The time has come for you to make your decision."
"You want to explore the world, right?" Light asked. "Then just don't think about it. Come with me. Life's not over."
"Remember how she looked when she died? Are you going to just sit around and do nothing?"
"If there's anything I can't stand, it's a liar."
The room fell down like a curtain. Light ended up alone, in a black void. A voice in his head dizzied him.
"Show her the truth."
"The truth is-"
"No. Tell her."
Light recognized the voice, but couldn't place from where.
"You stay out of my business, I stay out of yours."
"You tried to have her hurt my Scion."
"I'll cause as much pain as it takes for peace."
"Pain is the creator of chaos, not peace. You're just trying to control your Scion. I'm trying to awaken mine."
"Your Scion's strength is nothing compared to mine."
"Let's see what your Scion will think when she knows the truth."
"Don't you dare."
Light didn't understand what happened, but he was still in front of the fireplace with Hannah. She stretched out and stood back up.
"Lugia killed her. Not Luke."
Hannah's face changed. Light stood up, nervous about the realization coming onto her face. He didn't understand what it meant.
"I hate lies."
Hannah reached for her head, stopping halfway.
"May the truth set you free."
Flareon Light and Cinccino Hannah shot out along with a gust of wind from behind the waterfall. Furret Abigail turned fast enough to see Light flail in the air over the water and tumble on the cave floor. Hannah managed to land on her feet.
Abigail rushed to Light. The wind from the waterfall continued to sway in the air as a gentle breeze.
"Light!"
Sky Shaymin Ariel zipped past her. Light already got up to his feet by the time she reached him.
Abigail stopped when she noticed the waterfall again. The stream of water changed somehow.
"Is everyone here?" Light asked.
"No," Ariel said, "that Lopunny took the Audino back up to the caverns. She can't walk."
Abigail backed up to the others. Buizel Zen, Quilava Gawain, Zorua Aaron, and Meowstic Markus all gathered in a small circle around Hannah. She glanced at them at first, but her bleak blue eyes turned and stayed on the waterfall.
The room turned dark enough that Abigail could only make out shadows of the pokemon around her.
"I've seen what your kind always imagines when they see their loved ones passing away," a hissing voice said. "How romantic."
Two quick flashes of light snapped over the area. Abigail turned around rapidly when it happened, but it was too fast.
"But that's not how it is in war. You all think the end of life means something for the future. That you have a torch from them to carry. All your kind had to do was disrespect 'authority' when it told them to die and told them to kill, and your kind failed to take the power for itself."
The room lit back up. A white dragon with long, white wings stood on the surface of the water. Though further away, Abigail had to lean her head up to see its face. Its feet were spread out under its wide body. Its face donned the same sharp blue mask Cinccino Hannah had worn.
"I'm going to ask once again," Lugia said. "Take control of your own destiny."
Abigail looked back toward the princes and Light. Markus and Aaron exchanged awkward smiles.
"Pft, that didn't sound like a question," Aaron said.
"No kidding," Markus huffed. "Can you guys believe this thing? Taking control of 'your own destiny' by taking control of other people, right?"
"I mean, if I was scared, then I guess I wouldn't call it stupid, but... It's stupid," Aaron said.
"Yah, that's stupid."
"Uh, guys," Gawain said. "What're you doing?"
Markus folded his arms towards them and smiled. It reminded Abigail of Aaron's grin.
"Well, brains don't run in our family," Markus said. "So let's go do what it wants us to do and disrespect some authority."
"We'll help the world however we want to," Light said. "Not how you want us to."
Lugia's head rose. It straightened out its back, flexing its wings and kicking up small gusts powerful enough to shake the water underneath it.
"Then I'll unite the Trio Continent myself," Lugia said, "and you'll regret it."
Markus strode out in front, swinging his arms bent at perfect angles. He patted Light's shoulder, cracking his back as he took the front line.
"Okay guys," Markus said, "ready?"
"Yah," Light said.
Abigail looked towards the others. They all took glances at Markus and picked up scraps of the confidence he threw off of his face. She got ready.
"We'll unite our homelands our way," Aaron said. "Our peoples are going to get happier by the day together."
"Someone has to do this eventually," Zen added. "We'll find a way to make it right, right?"
"That's right."
Abigail stared when Hannah spoke.
"Enforcing myself over others because I think I'm the only one who can save the world is wrong," Hannah continued. "I won't fall for it."
Lugia sized all of them up. with dull, ocean blue eyes for a short moment. Abigail shivered when it got to her. It flapped its wings. A long, cold gust flew through the cave.
"Then let the bloodbath begin."
