Glittering snowflakes danced through the air all around the snow-covered meadow, with some of the more ambitious snowflakes engaging in an elaborate pirouette with the assistance of a gust of wind, before settling down among the hundreds of thousands of other snowflakes. It was almost like a contest or interview for work, where everyone was trying to catch the eye and memory of the judges and be remembered above the thousands of other candidates.
In a word, the area was tranquil. The sun was beginning to set, and the mountain sky was beginning to darken, even as the warm rays of the sun continued to bathe the horizon with its light. The snowy meadow was peaceful and undisturbed, apart from the single quadruped whose snow-white fur made her almost indistinguishable from the meadow itself.
Astrid's green eyes gazed out over Sinnoh. Mt. Coronet's higher ground offered a unique vantage point of the rest of the region, and she somewhat relished the opportunity to look out over the world and admire the beauty and life that Sinnoh offered. She could see miles and miles of trees, grass, and rock in all direction. Forests, meadows, lakes, and even oceans, further out, near the horizon. Buildings and cities dotted the landscape, and Astrid smiled faintly. Although human cities were not as 'natural' as the meadows, mountains, and lakes of Sinnoh, there was still life within them. They were home to many different people and Pokemon living together in relative harmony, and working alongside one another to make life better for everyone.
The Absol sighed heavily, her ears twitching to confirm that she was still alone. It was not that she really cared whether someone saw her in this kind of a mood, but it would be incredibly embarrassing if someone managed to creep up behind her while she was gazing out over Sinnoh. This was a wonderful region, and deep in her heart, she wanted it to stay that way. Many Absol that made their homes up in the mountains were reclusive and sometimes bitter of how humanity viewed their abilities, but not all of them felt this way, and some still ventured out from the mountains to try to warn the world of an impending crisis.
Over the course of her time living up here, when she was small, Astrid had come to discover that most Absol were able to detect changes in the weather and atmosphere, a warning about distant, potentially catastrophic natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, even tornados and the like. Others, like herself, experienced a more vague 'sense' of something bad about to happen, but uncovering the details was next to impossible without investigation.
An Absol that experienced premonitions of unnatural disasters were even less likely to successfully warn others of the danger that was coming. Many psychics and human technology were already capable of detecting weather pattern shifts prior to a natural disaster, and the priority of warning people was greater for cities or towns that lacked this technology or access to certain emergency news stations. An Absol entering a populated area with vague claims of an impending, unnatural disaster was unlikely to be taken seriously, and be seen as a bad luck charm if a disastrous event did strike the area.
If anything, an unnatural event befalling the area would only reinforce the stigma of her species as doombringers. They were bad omens at best, and the cause of calamity at the worst.
Astrid was different from other Absol, though. One would think that being saddled with the curse to detect misfortune and tragedy would make one very moody and introspective, being forced to decide between leaving the lives of others up to fate, or trying to intervene and being branded for their efforts. There was always the risk of being overwhelmed by guilt about those that could not be saved, or for allowing those that doubted the warnings to go on with their lives and become entangled in the destructive fate that followed.
In another life, Astrid might have felt that way. It wasn't difficult to imagine going through those stages of frustration, grief, and despair over the innumerable tragedies that she had witnessed or failed to prevent. It wasn't difficult to imagine becoming bitter or jaded over the negative portrayal of her species, either, or succumbing to the hollow sadness of being ostracized from everyone else in the world, and viewed as an outcast.
There were nights where the loneliness could eat at her heart a little bit. She was a social animal, a Pokemon that enjoyed the company of others, and loneliness was definitely not something she was able to shrug off every time she felt it creeping up on her.
So why, then, was she sitting out here alone, gazing wistfully out over Sinnoh? She could easily be nestled up in Blizzard's den, in the company of two or three other Pokemon that didn't necessarily object to her presence, let alone her existence. Frost was still a bit of a gray area, because he hadn't made it a secret that he found her exasperating and had been opposed to traveling with her from the beginning, but at the same time, she didn't get the same vibe of distaste and distrust from him that she received from other Pokemon.
Frost hadn't disclosed his reasons for coming up here, but neither had Astrid. In the wake of the tragedy that had befallen Echo, Astrid had experienced many restless days and nights, fearing for the lives of her other closest friends and former companions. Renard often told her to stay grounded in the present reality, but that advice was not perfect. She had felt apprehensive about the Eterna Forest for almost a week before finally venturing out to investigate when the sensations reached their peak, only to come across another of her former companions, engaged in what was undeniably a very violent and dangerous agenda. Whether her intervention had spared Thresher's life or not, it amplified her pre-existing uncertainty about the others. With Frost already planning on making the trek up the mountain, she benefited from accompanying him.
It was an incredible relief to discover that Blizzard was doing well, and the Absol looked forward to having the chance to catch up on what the Glaceon had been up to over the past few years. The kit seemed to be a recent addition, and Astrid was curious about a whole assortment of details surrounding that development. Probably a bit of a red flag that she shouldn't ask too many questions, or at least not to make too many assumptions, but Astrid doubted she could really fumble the subject any worse than initially assuming Frost and Blizzard were siblings.
A sudden twitch ran through her body, and Astrid glanced around her snow-covered surroundings, her eyes searching for any sign of a potential threat. Once assured that she was still alone, she took a deep breath. Resisting a warning sign had never proved fruitful in the past, and in the grand scheme of things, there were innumerable events in the world that could never be averted, unless she was already there. Something as simple and mundane as a thief striking from a dark alleyway would happen regardless of her wishes, because there was no time between the warning and the event transpiring. She sensed many of these little things on a daily basis, until she barely even registered the warnings anymore. It wasn't that she didn't want to help...it was that she literally couldn't. Even in the comics and television shows that Brian enjoyed, the hero could not be everywhere at once. Maybe that was why she had enjoyed watching those shows with him - she could relate to the plight of the hero trying to live his normal life, while shouldering the burdens of the call.
Astrid blinked. She had raised her paw to wipe the beginnings of a tear from her eye, and it had occurred to her that something about the leg was different from normal. It was like waking up in the morning with a scratch on one's cheek that they hadn't noticed the night before, prompting them to wonder when they had gotten it. Several bewildered seconds passed before it clicked, and the Absol swiveled around in a blind panic, her eyes darting around the meadow.
Her Absolite...where was her Absolite?!
Astrid felt her breath catch in her throat, and she frantically scratched at the snow where she had been sitting. Had the anklet slipped off while she was lost in thought? Had it gotten covered up by the snow when she had moved? Or had she dropped it on the way here?
Stay calm...stay calm...just retrace your steps. You didn't go far from Blizzard's den. Wait...did I even HAVE it when I arrived at her den?!
Astrid bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood. She had been so tired upon emerging from the caves that she couldn't recall whether she had still had the Absolite bracer on, but if she was only now realizing it was gone...
No, no, she definitely had it after her nap. She remembered because it had been pressing into her chin when she woke up. If it was gone now, then she had lost it since then. It was either on the path she took to get here, or, if she was particularly lucky, it had fallen off INSIDE Blizzard's den, and she wouldn't need to try to unbury it.
That was where she would start her search.
Rising to all fours, Astrid briskly made her way towards the Glaceon's den, her eyes frantically scanning the snow-covered ground just in case. If the Absolite had fallen off around here, maybe there would be a noticeable bulge in the snow, or maybe it'd be sticking out and she'd spot it.
Astrid practically burst into the den, although that description would have been more effective had there been some obstacle in her path to crash into or otherwise send flying. The sudden movement was enough to startle Blizzard, who had regathered her kit and Frost into the main room, whereas Glacia was thankfully oblivious, and Frost only tensed briefly.
"Are you okay, Astrid?" Blizzard asked, rising to her feet in alarm, and making her way over to the half-panicked Absol. "Is something wrong?"
"My Absolite. Have you seen my Absolite?" Astrid asked frantically, her eyes darting about the den floor in search of the black metal anklet, but the clutter of the den made it nearly impossible to notice whether something was out-of-place.
"Slow down, I can't understand you," Blizzard said gently, although she looked past Astrid to confirm that there wasn't some immediate danger nearby.
"My Absolite bracer!" Astrid repeated, gesturing forcefully to her naked foreleg. "I lost it somewhere, have you-?" she stopped suddenly, as Frost had lifted his paw to show her that he had the familiar metal loop, its white stone glittering in the dying sunlight. Overwhelming relief crashed down upon Astrid, and she dashed over to the male Glaceon, his dark eyes widening in alarm as she practically pounced upon him. Her weight and speed bowled him over easily, and she immediately began nuzzling the Glaceon's face, murmuring 'thank you' over and over.
"Get OFF!" Frost snarled, and knife of cold air cut across Astrid's face, howling in her ears as it passed. The Absol recoiled, giving Frost the opportunity to slip away from her and get back to his feet, his icy fur bristling into agitated needles.
Astrid shook herself, and giggled shakily. Her whole body was shaking for that matter, and she was finding it difficult to form words coherently. She couldn't handle this type of emotional see-sawing. Frost glared at her and, upon seeing that the Absolite bracer was on the den floor between them, kicked it towards her, the metal scraping against the floor with a sound like a fork against a plate.
"Sorry," Astrid managed sheepishly, drawing the Absolite closer to herself and inspecting it carefully. The stone itself seemed to still be in perfect condition, but it didn't take long for her to figure out how it had fallen off in the first place: the clasp that normally kept the anklet affixed to her leg had finally broken. "I'm just so happy I didn't lose this for good," she explained.
"Why in the..." Frost began, before shooting a sideways glance at Glacia. The Eevee's tail was wagging, and she had crouched, as if preparing to pounce on Frost. "Don't you dare, Glacia," he warned, but he may as well have been saying the opposite, because the Eevee giggled and pounced. She lacked the speed and weight to actually knock Frost over, but compensated by latching onto one of the male Glaceon's dangling fur flaps. Tears of pain formed in the male Glaceon's eyes, and he dropped himself into a position closer to the ground, so that his daughter was no longer suspended in the air. Oblivious to her father's discomfort, Glacia giggled, and Blizzard was wincing sympathetically. Despite this, Frost gently stroked Glacia's back with his paw, and in doing so, coaxed the Eevee into releasing her grasp entirely.
"What I'm sure Frost is trying to say is that...no offense, but you're a bit too exuberant in showing gratitude," Blizzard said. "You've got claws, teeth, larger body mass, and that scythe horn thing...not something one would appreciate being tackled by."
"I said I was sorry," Astrid pointed out, turning the bracer over in her paws to inspect for other signs of damage. "So, the good news is, only the clasp itself broke," she reported, her tail wagging slightly.
"What's the bad news?" Frost wondered, gently massaging the dangling flap, now that Glacia had released it.
Astrid shrugged. "Bad news is that I can't fix it. I'll either need to bring it to a specialist or replace it entirely. You wouldn't happen to have a spare traveling pouch or something, would you, Bliz?"
"Uh, I'll check," Blizzard said, getting up and making her way to the storage area. Astrid smiled gratefully before turning her attention to Frost instead.
"Where did you find this? Was it dropped in here, or somewhere outside?" she asked.
"Just outside, maybe a dozen paces from the entrance," Frost answered curtly. "I think I was lucky to find it at all. It caught the sun just right for me to notice it. Now, if you want a suggestion on how to thank me, I have a couple of options."
"Okay," Astrid replied, with only the briefest hesitation. At this point, she really didn't know what Frost might suggest, and was almost willing to hedge bets on it being the equivalent of 'go away'. Almost, because she doubted the Glaceon would be that blunt and rude in front of Blizzard. He had an unmistakable scent of being intimidated by his female counterpart.
Frost smirked briefly, before gesturing towards the Absolite stone. "I want to see how that works. Ideally, you would demonstrate it during a sparring match of some sort, but in its current condition, I can accept that to be more difficult to arrange."
Astrid twitched, taken aback by the suggestion, and she glanced down at the Absolite. She really shouldn't have been surprised that Frost wanted a demonstration of its capabilities. He had quickly made it clear back in the Eterna Forest that he was interested in seeing how strong she was, and had been absent during her later battle scenarios. He had also expressed some interest in the subject of Mega Stones, although this topic had been dismissed in favor of Renard explaining what he knew of Diablos.
"Er...that could maybe be an issue," Astrid said with a shrug.
"Why's that?" Frost asked, frowning slightly. "Is it because you need to be able to equip it properly to utilize it?"
"No, nothing like that," Astrid giggled. "To use a Mega Stone, you just would need to have it physically in your possession. You could hold it in your paw and be fine, but it's convenient to equip to to a piece of apparel or whatever, so that your paws are free, or in the case of quadrupeds, so you're not walking weird and can battle normally."
"Then what's the issue?" the Glaceon demanded impatiently. From the corner of her eye, Astrid noticed that Blizzard had glanced over with a disapproving expression, but Frost didn't seem to notice.
"I haven't been able to properly achieve Mega Evolution without a Key Stone for...years," Astrid explained, her nonchalant tone faltering at the last word, and she smiled apologetically.
"A Key Stone?" Frost repeated blankly. "What does that even mean?"
"In order for a Pokemon to use their Mega Stone, they need their trainer to use a Key Stone as a sort of circuit breaker," Astrid explained earnestly, her tail wagging. "The Key Stone monitors the energy level transfer to minimize the side effects of the evolution. Without it, the energy is unstable and can cause severe side effects within the user."
Frost scowled. "You didn't mention anything like this before," he accused. Astrid shrugged again.
"It was one of the technical details that Renard mentioned," she explained. "While it's still possible to Mega Evolve without the Key Stone, it's much harder, more taxing, and more dangerous."
"And you don't have a Key Stone?" Frost asked. His eyes darted about the den, visibly frustrated, but lacking a means to properly vent the feeling, what with his kit sitting directly beside him. "Then why carry that stone at all if you can't even use it properly?" he demanded.
"Because I can sometimes use it, in small doses. Even if I can't Mega Evolve, it still has a lot of energy inside it that can transfer over to me if I need it," Astrid insisted. "It reacts to my emotional and mental state, and if I'm in desperate need of extra power or whatever, I have it available. But I can't handle the full energy load, which is what I'd need to Mega Evolve. I need a lot of focus, and the Key Stone."
"But you've done it before, haven't you?" Frost insisted. It was difficult for Astrid to tell whether he was asking things out of a genuine desire to understand the information, or whether he was trying to push the matter and insist she fulfill his request. "That's how you phrased it. You haven't been able to do it for years, but that implies there was a time you once could. Am I right?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Astrid said with a shrug.
"Let it go, Frost," Blizzard stated firmly, and the male Glaceon flinched. "She told you she can't do it without the Key Stone, and she's not going to risk her health and safety for your curiosity."
"Granted, but did you ever have a Key Stone? What changed?" Frost asked, the aggression fading from his tone, confirming to the Absol that Blizzard had a profound amount of influence over Frost.
"Our team retired," Blizzard answered softly, walking back from the storage area and setting a simple brown bag at Astrid's feet. It was the type of bag with a drawstring, large enough to carry about a day or two's worth of rations or a number of small, personal items. Even just sizing it up with her eyes, Astrid could tell that it would easily carry the broken bracer inside. "Many of our communal belongings were divided among the other group members. Astrid only took the Absolite and bracer, for example."
"And you took the storage containers and the snow globe," Astrid chimed in. Blizzard's eyes flashed in her direction, whereas Frost's ears perked up.
"Oh? What's the story behind this enigmatic snow globe?" he asked eagerly.
"Not now, Frost," Blizzard said sharply, to which the male Glaceon rolled his eyes. Once it was clear that Frost had dropped the subject, Blizzard relaxed, but then frowned. "It was never important enough for me to have paid much attention, but who did inherit the Key Stone?" she wondered.
"Renard," Astrid answered promptly, her tail flicking. "Well, the Key Stone was always Renard's. He was the original owner, and just loaning it to Brian."
"That was the only thing Renard took, wasn't it? I remember because he gave me the rest of his share, since I was the youngest," Blizzard murmured. "A/C took the books, I know that, but Thresher?"
"The Pokedex," Astrid confirmed. It had been a bizarre choice back then for the Scizor to take the device, and to this day, Astrid had no idea what Thresher might have wanted it for.
"Wait," Frost interjected suddenly, his mouth curling into a serious frown. "You said 'inherited', and now you're talking like an entire collection of items were divided, including items that should not be considered 'communal' resources. Your trainer...did he actually retire, or...?"
Blizzard winced, and flashed Astrid an apologetic look, receiving a casual nod in return. It was only fair to forgive the Glaceon's careless wording, since she had kindly overlooked Astrid's mistake of mentioning the snow globe subject.
"He died," Blizzard confirmed to Frost solemnly. "Please don't inquire further on the matter, not with us. We were all quite close with him. Perhaps we should abandon this subject entirely."
"It was only brought up because of the Key Stone," Frost noted, glancing at Astrid again. "I merely wanted a full understanding on the significance of the stone in regards to your ability to use Mega Evolution. But I digress...how drastic is the evolution? Does it amplify your abilities or battle capabilities."
"It amplifies everything," Astrid said with a quiet giggle.
"It is astonishing how little that answers my question," Frost deadpanned. "Be specific. Evolution suggests a physical transformation, even if it is temporary. What physically changes? How does it affect your battle abilities? Does it impact your natural ability to detect and respond to disasters? These are the things I'm anxious to learn about."
Astrid and Blizzard exchanged looks for a moment, and Frost frowned. Before he could object to the nonverbal communication going on in front of him, Astrid gave a small shrug.
"Okay...seeing as you're much more interested in the details than I thought, I guess I can TRY to show you. But, before I do, I'm going to remind you that it might not work, and if I go psychotic, you're probably going to need to subdue me."
"Oh, is that all?" Frost asked dryly. "You're FAR too casual about the risk involved."
"That's just if it doesn't work," Astrid giggled. "If it does work, my energy and hormone levels could fluctuate drastically, and undoing the evolution too quickly might trigger a primal reaction. So again, subduing may be necessary. There's other risks too, but I shouldn't talk about them in front of a kit," she added playfully.
"Is she joking?" Frost asked Blizzard.
"Um...probably not," Blizzard admitted.
"Hm...on second thought, I may wish to rescind my suggestion of repayment in this fashion," Frost said, eyeing the Absol apprehensively. Astrid had to admit that there was something enjoyable about seeing the smug Glaceon change his tune. Especially considering that he had tried to act intimidating to her when they first arrived in the den.
"Why? I'm the one most at risk," Astrid pointed out. "And I'm willing to try it. If you hadn't found my Absolite, I wouldn't be able to do that. So come on, let's give it a shot. I need the practice."
"Why do you need the practice?" Frost demanded. "You haven't been able to do it for years, by your own words, so why put yourself at risk now? It would be wiser to practice with a Key Stone, and you said Renard has it. Just wait until we get back to the Eterna area."
"That's why I need to practice!" Astrid growled, her sudden shift of mood catching both Glaceon by surprise, and Glacia squeaked and hid behind her mother. The Absol sighed heavily, the fight fading from her body, and she turned away from them, gazing outside the den. "Physically, my Mega Evolution's fur resembles angelic wings. That's where the pun of my name comes from, Frost. 'Astrid' is a name that means divine strength; divine beauty. The form of my Mega Evolution gives me that appearance and power, and Brian was inspired to name me accordingly."
She glanced over her shoulder, noting the male Glaceon's perplexed look. It didn't really matter whether he understood why she told him that without prompting. None of this mattered, really. She had escorted him up here, as planned, and confirmed that Blizzard was doing well. Her role here was finished.
"I'm going out to Solaceon Town next, to see A/C," Astrid said softly. "You can get back on your own, right, Frost?"
"Uh...yeah, I guess. But..."
"Sounds good," Astrid interrupted, and she gave Blizzard a smile. "Sorry, I decided I'm not going to stay the night, Bliz, but it was great to see you again."
"Likewise," Blizzard agreed, returning the smile, despite her obvious confusion at the Absol's sudden departure. "Are you sure you don't need anything else?"
"Nope, I'm good," Astrid answered, her tail wagging. With careful movements, she placed the drawstring bag over her head, taking extra care when moving past her scythe-like horn, and placed the Absolite bracer within the bag once it was secure around her neck. "I'll see you around, then. Have a good night!"
She and Blizzard embraced for a few seconds, and then with a final nod of acknowledgement to Frost and Glacia, Astrid left the den, and began walking through the snow, listening to the crunching of her paws over the frozen powder.
If nothing else, her conversation with Frost had prompted Astrid to realize something very important, that had been nagging at the back of her mind ever since she and Shadow had confronted Diablos in Eterna Forest.
The possessed Riolu had told her that her power didn't come from emotions, but seemingly from the exact opposite of that. It had been nonsense to her initially, but then Renard had discussed with the others about the darkness that compelled others to act, sometimes selfishly, in order to achieve their goals. For a while, Astrid had struggled to make sense of what Diablos had said to her personally, and how it contrasted with Renard's explanation.
Mega Evolution was a special form of strength to her. It required her mind to take precedence over her emotions, or else the energies within the stone might overwhelm her. She had to block out the unnecessary things, and focus on what she was trying to achieve, and even if successful, she had to maintain that perfect balance, or the transformation could go awry.
Those that knew Astrid well often said that her insensitively casual manner was just her way of coping with the curse she had been saddled with, and in the wake of losing her trainer, the ability to Mega Evolve without the support of a Key Stone had seemingly evaded her.
Her inability to become riled up, or stressed, or even troubled, by the constant misfortunes of others allowed her to maintain the balanced mindset required of Mega Evolution. And her Mega Evolution was the form of a divine, angelic Pokemon intent on preventing disaster and misfortune.
So in a way...Diablos had spoken the truth. Astrid's power came not from emotions, but her heartfelt desire to prevent calamity, and her steadfast resolve, despite all the failures. That demon had killed one of her closest friends and companions, but apart from her brief surge of anger back at the Forest, Astrid felt no hatred towards the Spiritomb. He was, in her eyes, just another type of disaster. A living disaster that brought misfortune to the lives of others. He hunted for darkness, but she was a huntress within the dark.
Astrid smirked to herself at the thought.
Predator Game, start.
