Episode 19: How to Live

Infia is what we've called a V Pocket. A compressed bundle of V Waves with intricate programming that enables them to act as an independent android. They are like Pokémon, but since they are made of programmable V Waves, they have certain limitations, such as an inability to grow. The benefit however, is that they are capable of abilities not possible by normal Pokémon.

Lute wandered the streets of Pokétopia with his head down, distant from the amusements around him. He couldn't get that fact out of his head. Infia's disability, her effective Helping Hand, and her healing abilities, all of it was because she was a V Pocket. A creation of Spirle's.

They don't age. They don't need to nourish themselves with food or water. They don't even need to sleep or breathe. If perfected, V Pockets could become god-like weapons that threaten all of Aseria. But if we use their weapons against them, Infia

According to Athens, Spirle had been trying to create and perfect V Pockets for years now, all so that they could create an army that could conquer Aseria. All their failed experiments transformed into Risen, the sludgy monsters he had seen and battled a few times. He didn't want to believe any of it, but knowing that Infia was Victoria's 'daughter' made it hard to argue against.

He stopped dead in his tracks and teared up just thinking about it. The poor Minun had been through far more than any Pokémon should have to bear. And now, the Agents of King's Shield wanted to use her to help defeat the Spirle High Points. As sensible a solution as it was, it felt equally vile.

The thoughts made him furious, but that fury was only a fraction of what Esther felt. The Pikachu stormed out of the agent base and hadn't been seen since, so now the party was split up to search for her. Infia sat on Lute's back in silence while he searched.

The way Esther spoke back there, it implied she had seen the exact scene before, but with Phoenix instead. Considering how close they were, he didn't understand it beyond the fact that it obviously tore her apart. Even though he had seen her upset enough to curse before, this time felt different. The whole scene repeated in his head.

"Lute. I think I know where she is." Infia tapped his neck. "Esther likes high places. So she's probably at the top of the Arcade."

"Right back where we started? We did kind of circle the area." He looked toward the rooftops. Thanks to the lighting of the city, it didn't look like there were any. He made his way to the shopping centre anyway, where the lift took them to the highest floor.

The doors opened to a rooftop lookout lined with benches and a few bushes. There were a few Pokémon chilling here, mostly couples or groups. Without wind or a view of the sky however, Lute felt hot, as if he wasn't really as high up as he thought he was. At twenty-four floors up, he expected a cool breeze, not heated air from the lights all around.

"I can't see her," he muttered. Infia looked with him, and her cheeks gave the lightest sizzle of static.

"Over there." She pointed towards the front edge of the lookout. He jogged right to the edge, but he still couldn't see her. "Esther?"

"You sure she's here?" Lute raised an eyebrow. Infia called out again, and finally got a reaction via the bushes that walled them into the area. They rustled for a moment, and out popped Esther's head, bows and all. "E-Esther?"

"Shh!" She signalled him to come closer. He was wary, so she yanked him through the bush the moment she could grab him.

They emerged on the very edge of the shopping centre's roof on top of the letters and logo of the place. The instant Lute realised how little floorspace he had, he freaked out and stood on his hind legs to lean back as far as he could.

"Geez, keep it calm, will ya? You're not gonna fall," Esther said as she slid to sit down. Just that gave him anxiety, and sweat covered his face.

"E-Esther. What're you doing here?" Lute managed to say, but Infia slid off him to walk over. "Infia, careful!"

"Oh, you're not good with heights? Sorry, I wouldn't have dragged you out if I knew." Esther smiled

Lute paused and gulped. He turned to face forward, but how high up he was began to become apparent. The Pokémon in the streets were blurry dots from here, and he couldn't even hear them. "Okay. Let's go back okay? The others are all worried about you."

"Of course they are. Then I get slammed with a million gald fine and another decade of media service. I know I can pay it off no sweat, but damn it man," Esther rested her head on her paws.

Infia took a deep breath. "Lute, do you mind if I talk to Infia alone for a minute, please?"

"I-I er," he glanced back. He could climb back into the bush, but one mistake on these shaky hind legs and he'd fall. He opted to shuffle away instead, but slipped and fell onto his belly. He took to hugging the metal instead. At least it was as cold as he wanted it to be.

"You're gonna ask me what's wrong. And all I'm gonna say is stuff you probably don't understand. Or maybe it just all sounds like sappy, made up Tauros-shit," Esther began.

"Please tell me anyway. I want to listen," Infia said. "When I first met you, I thought it would be a dream come true. But you turned out not to be the Pokémon I thought you would be. That really hurt me a lot. But I've had a lot of time to think too, and now I know that me hurting myself over that is just really selfish of me."

"Oh?" Esther smiled a little.

"You're not the Pokémon I thought you would be. But that's only because I never knew you – the real you. If we're going to travel together, I should get to know the real you. So I want to know why you got so upset about what Athens did to me."

Esther hesitated and leaned back with a sigh. Her eyes were shut, but her paws were relaxed. "When I first met Phoenix, it was the first time in my life where I'd seen a Pokémon and thought: I wanna be just like them. He was already an agent for King's Shield by then, but his looks still caught my eyes anyway."

"Oh, you have feelings for Phoenix?" Infia put her paws together. She blushed a little too, while Lute could only blink.

"The thing is, working for Brayen, I had been brought up to never want a romantic relationship. Well, like, he taught me that I never needed a romantic partner," Esther explained. "He used to kinda force that rule upon me, but because he's kinda my Dad, I always respected it. So it also felt like a sinful thought, you know?"

"Wait a minute. Brayen is your father?" Infia questioned.

"Oh right, I should've started from the top. Yeah, I come from a weird line of inbred Pikachu that are all talented in some way. My parents were doctors, wrestlers, rock stars, some weird talented history. Point is, all I ever did was my work as a pop star, and the reward I got was Brayen looking after me," Esther clarified. Her paws clenched into fists. "But I was his robot. I made him money by following his orders, and never got to know anyone. But when my career got him super famous and I started to play big shows in places like this, I got to see fans. Pokémon who looked up to me. Pokémon who lived terrible lives, where my fake smile and my music gave them genuine hope."

"Don't you enjoy singing?" Infia asked.

"I do I do. But it was all robotic to me. I did it because I had to, because I was told to. I never got to meet these Pokémon until I got super famous. So I started getting rebellious. I went outta my way to meet these Pokémon, do signings, go on dates, hang out, get treated, that sort of a thing. Fluffy Cheeks happened to become my security for one show, and that was when I got to talk to him," Esther explained. She shivered and looked down. "I saw myself in him, you know? The agents just ordered him to do stuff, and he did it without question. He could barely talk back then. It just, disgusted me so much. Finding out that he was Pokémon Spirle altered to become this, it made loving him complex. I don't wanna believe that he's some robot."

"Esther," Infia said.

"I don't wanna believe that you're some robot, either. You have a personality, you have friends and all that stuff, you know?" she turned to Infia.

"I get it. But… I'm sorry, I just- I'm useless. If I really do have these useful powers that will let me help everyone against Spirle, then I want to learn about them. This might be the first time I get to be useful to other Pokémon. That's all I want. So I don't mind this," Infia reasoned. Esther swung a fist back and hit the wall behind her.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about. You're not useless!" She sounded like she was going to cry. "When you first came to my show, you were on a date, weren't you? And you became my fan. You were alive. Who cares if other Pokémon think that's 'useless' or whatever? You're you, you're living. Can't you Pokémon just find your own self-worth and live the life you want to live?"

Infia struggled to reply, and gasped when Esther leaned over to link their paws. "Infia. Athens and that lot say that you're a V Pocket and that you can be a secret weapon against Spirle. But that's what they want you to be. I want to know what you want to do with your life, and whatever that is, you should do it."

Infia went bright red and looked away. She uttered a few sounds. "I don't know what I want to do. All I know is I want to help Pokémon."

"That's enough. That's all it takes, and that's okay. You have your whole life to figure it out," Esther said. She wiped her eyes and joined Infia in admiring the city below. "Wait a minute. You didn't just say that because of the Risen, did you?"

"N-no. I didn't know there was- that is a Risen!" Infia gasped.

"A Risen?" Lute said, and gulped as he looked over. Screams and cries sounded out as a large blob of brown began to fill the street. The monster's sludgy roar could just about be heard as well, and the swings of its bulky arms gave away its threat. "How did a Risen get into the city?"

"I dunno, but I'm not gonna stand here and let it do its thing," Esther said as she pulled her ribbon baton from below her tutu. "Infia. If you give me your Helping Hand, I might be able to take it out from here."

"From here?" Lute cried.

"Trust a girl. Generations of talented ancestors and inbreeding makes you pretty damn strong," she bragged with a fancy pose.

There was hesitation from both Infia and Lute, but Infia got to work and mounted Lute again. "I can't move when I use Helping Hand. So please carry me, Lute."

"I-I-I only promise to try," he said as he forced himself to his feet. "Just don't look down, just don't look down, just don't look down."

Infia strained and stretched her arms and legs out, and then her whole body glowed with a dim, white outline. Her paws blinked especially bright, and then Esther received that same glow, but only for a brief moment. "V Waves are invisible, so you can't see the Helping Hand boost taking effect. But I promise you, it's there. I'm doing my best."

"Sweet. Then it's my turn to do my best, too!" Esther said, and then dove headfirst off the roof. Lute and Infia screamed, the former only able to stick a paw out.

Now in freefall, Esther flipped and spun with style as she surrounded herself in the pink strand of her ribbon. Once she had enough speed, she looked like a pink arrow beaming toward the ground, helped by a burst of electricity. She kept the blade of her baton pointed straight, and then slammed right into the head of the Risen. Her impact spread electricity in a dome-shaped blast.

Any Pokémon in the area could only shield themselves from the nasty splatter of mud that came from her explosive attack. Sophitia and Phoenix had just arrived, but avoided getting swamped over as the mud flooded everything. Esther was left in the middle of a pool of it, and was laughing despite being neck-deep.

"Esther! What in the world?" Sophitia cried. She and Phoenix could only gawk as the Pikachu lost herself to laughter even more. She didn't even stop by the time Lute and Infia returned.

"Wait, she actually did it. All this mud, that's the Risen, right? Infia, your Helping Hand worked like crazy," Lute remarked. She slowly got off him and examined for herself, but cringed from the cold, jelly-like touch.

"Wait, so all of this is Risen sludge? We got the call there was an emergency, but wow. Way to go taking care of it by yourselves. But why did the Risen blow up into all this goop? This looks gross!" Sophitia said. She dipped a feeler in and recoiled right away.

Esther's laughter seemed to slow for a moment, making Sophitia look up at her. The slyest smile was on her face, with thin eyes and closed fists dripping with mud. "Wait, what're you- oh no, do not even think about getting that stuff on me, if you dare I swear to gods—"

"Mud fight!" Esther screamed and she dashed over to the Sylveon.

Lute and Infia watched the duo scramble and wrestle one another with their jaws on the floor. Sophitia was caught with ease and smothered in mud, earning screams and squeals. The duo still fought, but that quickly turned into laughter and playful aggression.

"And to think we were concerned for you," Phoenix said when the duo calmed down. That didn't stop Esther from throwing herself on him to cover him in mud as well. He didn't react.

"At least she's feeling better?" Lute laughed nervously.

"She's so weird," Infia groaned.

"What in the world is going on here?" Lassic's voice boomed.

"Oh great. Here comes the fun police," Esther groaned.

"Your idea of fun is blocking roads? We need to get this cleaned up. Leave this to us. You have your orders, so go and get to work," the Delphox ordered. There was a moment of silence where he stared at the messy girls. He cleared his throat and began to sweat. "After you clean up and get presentable."

"Oh lighten up. When you win against a scary monster like a Risen, you've gotta celebrate." Esther skipped over to Lute's side and shook herself off. "And by the way, I don't care for all your orders, either. If you ain't gonna do anything about the seasons, then me and my friends are gonna go awaken those temples whether you like it or not."

"Esther," Lute said.

"What do you mean? Those are government orders." Lassic's face grew tighter.

"What she means is, until you can present a solid solution to the issue, we will continue our journey," Phoenix stated. "You warn us about the destruction of society but fail to present any evidence that it will actually happen. Meanwhile, the world around us begins to whither, devoid of sunlight, rain, wind and all else. We will not ignore the issue when the solution is directly in front of us."

"Can I take this as a declaration of your departure from King's Shield?" Lassic warned.

"Easy. None of us are against each other here." Sophitia joined their side. "Remember that I'm the one pulling the strings here, Lassic. We only want to help the world. So we'll look into this a bit more and come up with a solution on our own paws. We'll let you know if we can or can't go through with the legend or not."

"Aww what? Sophie, you're putting us against each other," Esther whined.

"We cannot disobey a direct order from the president of Aseria. This isn't something he'd lie about, would he?" Sophitia argued. Everyone shared unsure glances. "Exactly. So enough about disobeying orders, and let's go after the actual issue on our hands: Spirle. We have the means to fight them, so let's find 'em."

One trip through the Deposit Box later and the group arrived at their destination: Everend. They popped out in front of the school, surprised to find it closed for apparent renovations.

"Okay, so we've got more than enough time to head back to the temple, what do you say?" Sophitia began.

"Wait what?" Lute replied.

"Alright, go Sophie!" Esther cheered.

"Wait wait wait, but you just said we weren't going to- wait, are we following King's Shield or Naivie?" Lute raised an eyebrow.

"Oh Lute, keep up! Can't be a dimwit here, too. Of course we're following Naivie. That's the quest to become the heroes of Aseria, why'd we ever pass that up?" Sophitia giggled as she brushed him with a feeler. "To be honest, I'm surprised that Lassic even brought it. I sounded so unconvincing."

"Well if I had any faith in you, it's looking pretty renewed right now," Naivie said, popping up in front of them. "But I do still question what you're going to do about your strength. A bunch of petty criminals is one thing, but that Eevee was a whole different thing."

"Yeah, he really put us in a spot last time. I wasn't planning to throw myself at him again, so I thought of a plan," Sophitia replied. "If everything Athens told us about Infia is true, then that means her Helping Hand should give us the means to damage him."

"I can confirm! Infia let me beat that giant Risen in one hit," Esther tucked her paws behind her head as they walked. The Minun blushed and shuffled away.

"Add in that attack that Lute used that paralysed the Eevee. We might actually have the tools to fight powerful enemies, we just need to know a little more about each other," Sophitia said.

"I dunno how I did that, though. What if it's just a paralyse chance?" Lute informed.

"Only one way to find out. Either way, I'm willing to give it another battle. Strategy: Lute, you can carry Infia while she supports the rest of us fighters. The two of you will power us up with Helping Hand and slow down the enemy with paralysis. And if all goes wrong, I brought a few orbs from the Kecleon Market so we can escape."

"Oh wow. Someone's taking this seriously," Naivie joked.

"Well what're we waitin' for? We can't lose!" Esther said.

"We can! Wha-what if my move isn't good enough, or—" Lute cried.

"I said, we can't lose," Esther leaned closer to the Eevee. He moaned and looked away, to which she giggled. "Don't worry! You've seen us fight. We're no slouch, we'll make this look easy. Trust us!"

Lute kept quiet since no one else was objecting. Losing the battle wasn't really what he was worried about, however. It was Lassic's plea and certainty that they might tear down everything he had built up for society.

Esther didn't relay what she had spoken to Infia and Lute about, and instead went back to her cheery self. Thank to that, Lute had the chance to sink behind the group and think to himself. He had gotten used to this stale forecast. That wasn't a good thing, so much so that he longed to see it feel different. Fixing the weather was a huge priority for him, but if it meant destroying the society of V Wave technology, was it worth it?

Sure, Sophitia was right – Lassic didn't show any evidence that V Waves could disappear. But she was also right in that the Delphox had zero reason to lie about it, either. If there was a chance that his 'heroic' actions could end up destroying the wonderful world they had, then he didn't want to do it.

He shook his head. He had to find a way, somehow.

"Hey, Naivie. I hope you don't mind me asking—" Lute spoke up.

"I do mind," she replied.

He paused. "Uh, you don't even know what the question's about."

"But it's you. It's gonna be something stupid," she said.

"Wow. Who woke you up this morning?" Sophitia rolled her eyes. "Go ahead, Lute."

"When the four temples are awakened, what actually happens?" Lute asked.

"The seasons return. That's all there is to it." Naivie squinted.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but there must be a reason Lassic is against you. Do V Waves stop working, or do some natural disasters happen, or any kind of trade-off?" he clarified.

"Oh gods, time away from the legend has warped all sorts of facts. Don't you guys know the tradition?" Naivie asked.

"Nope. In fact, you barely explained it to us," Esther pointed out.

"What? Then why in the world would you follow me? Why listen and go this far if you don't fully understand what you're getting into? Only a fool does that," Naivie cried. Lute and Sophitia froze.

"It's kinda hard not to assume you're telling the truth when you come outta a giant beam of light and stuff. You came from the teleportal when I got near it. That means I triggered your awakening, right?" Esther reasoned. Naivie went quiet, and then sat on Lute's head.

"Listen to me, you lot. All V Waves come from a powerful thing called the Mega Stone. And the Mega Stone is what allows the laws of nature to function in Aseria. Stuff like the weather, plants, and even systematic stuff like Pokémon evolution," Naivie explained. "The main source of release for V Waves is actually the ancient flowers, which were connected directly to the Mega Stone. In the past, Pokémon respected these giant flowers because they gave Pokémon energy and power, what you Pokémon now call 'V Waves'."

"But the flowers are wilted now and the temples are in Moand Dia. Does that mean Moand Dia is an ancient society?" Lute asked.

"Impressive. Yep, your modern generation buried the world of the ancients and changed to use technology, not knowing that you were exhausting a non-sustainable energy. Skip forward some thousands of years, and now there's so little energy that Aseria is dying and the seasons aren't functioning," Naivie finished. She launched off of Lute to glare at everyone. "There are six of you chosen by fate, those who would understand the importance of the Mega Stone and its flowers enough to resurrect them. That's what we're going to do. Bring back the flowers and restore your source of uh, V Waves."

Lute rubbed his chin. "But that's not a sustainable method, either."

"Knew you were gonna test me with that. The flowers are Shaymin, Lute. You know about Shaymin, right? All you have to do is be thankful for them, for the world they let you live in. You've already been doing it," Naivie cried, hitting him on the nose. "Bless the Shaymin by showing them your gratitude. And when you guys become parents, get your kids to do the same. Make a new generation of Pokémon who bless nature and are thankful for it. With this blissful way of life maintained, the flowers will never wither again."

"Wait whoa whoa whoa, whoever said anything about having kids? I don't want any children!" Esther cried.

"Don't give me that rubbish. The rate you get horny, I'm surprised you don't have any already!" Naivie spat.

"Hey c'mon, I'm not that pervy!" she cried.

"Okay, no. We're not talking about this," Sophitia slapped her forehead. "Naivie! You said there were six heroes. But there's only five of us."

"I know, I'm not blind!" Naivie raised her voice. She calmed down at everyone's surprised looks. "You just so happen to not need the sixth to do what you need to do. They definitely help, but from what my observations have gathered, it's better you're separated for now."

"So you know who it is?" Lute asked.

"Don't bother. They won't join you now or anytime soon. But they're doing their part. I've made sure," Naivie assured. "So, are you still feeling apprehensive about me? Got a million questions about the temples again?"

"Not now, I admit. Sorry about that, Naivie," Lute said.

"Good. You won't win fights unless you're certain," she said.

Once they arrived at the temple, there was quiet and concentration when Sophitia sent them through the teleportal. Phoenix and Esther were first to stand guard, weapons bared and stances ready. The cold of the cave hit them all enough to make everyone tremble a bit, but it wasn't anything that would weaken them now. In Lute's case, he took in a deep breath and shivered as he scanned the area, though there was no change from the bluish, cold cavern.

"Wait that's weird. Phoenix, are you getting that too?" Sophitia asked.

"He is not present. The Eevee is not here," he said.

"Seriously?" Esther said. She gave it another moment to be sure, and then nodded. "Huh. Guess he flew south for the winter."

"There is no winter. And Eevee can't fly." Infia palmed her face.

"I know! That's what makes it funny to imagine," she giggled.

"Wait are you serious? You did all of this just to come back here and he's not guarding the temple anymore? The heck's up with that?" Naivie cried. "I almost want him to come out now."

"Let's not! If that Eevee's not here, then now's our chance, right? Let's awaken the flower," Lute said.

"He's probably patrolling this section of Moand Dia, and is too far away to sense or something. Either way, Lute's got a point. Let's get this done," Sophitia led them deeper inside.

The area was exactly as they had left it last time. Six markings surrounded a single spot of soil where Naivie plopped herself when they arrived. The group took their positions and nodded to each other.

"You just told us to pray last time, but is there anything in particular?" Lute asked.

"We just need your gratitude, really. Close your eyes, calm your thoughts, and respectfully ask for a blessing," Naivie answered. "And whatever you do, don't stop until I say so, no matter what happens, okay?"

They nodded to her, and then she got started. The tiny Carbink closed her eyes, went rigid, and began to let out a cry of increasing volume. Her gemstones brightened and glowed with light, which gave her with a fiery appearance. Blue flames lingered over her for a moment, and then shot into the soil below, where they seeped through the markings on the floor and lit up the room. Lute felt a slight fear when the flames reached him, but they turned out to be harmless, even as they surrounded him.

Naivie on the other hand, the Carbink quickly cried out in pain. He thought it a mistake at first until she began to twitch and gasp between her cries as the ritual went on. The flames had created a circuit of energy between everyone, but all the energy was being sucked from Naivie and into the soil below.

"Naivie!" Lute stuck a paw out.

"Focus damn it! Don't you dare," Naivie commanded. He couldn't bear to see and hear her struggle so desperately.

That was until his own head felt a sudden jolt of discomfort. He gritted his fangs and trembled with irritation as a painful, electric-like jolt streamed its way through his head. His thoughts scattered and his body lost strength, but not painfully, as if he was rapidly growing tired enough to fall asleep. Seconds later and his vision was replaced with white.

"That's it. Stand firm and strong. It must be tough for you to stand on four feet, but you'll get used to it. That's a promise," a young woman's voice said calmly. A Sylveon with blue fur was stood on shaky legs, and their feelers were tucked in tight. Two small palms softly rubbed the Sylveon's back.

"Be brave now. You know how to control your body. Extend. Relax. Let the energy flow through your body. Exercise your appendages and feel the fairy magic pulse through you." The voice said.

The Sylveon was a girl, but their voice was young and infantile. She didn't say anything, but she made petty moans and whimpers that revealed her voice. Still on a shaky stance, she managed to extend her feelers and raise all four of them above her head.

"That's it now. Relax. Take it easy, relax. Just hold it there. Marvel at the feeling. Keep the magic flowing. You can do it," the voice said, as they removed their hands from Sylveon's back. The tips of her feelers began to get surrounded in pink, swirling dust, which glowed with energy for a Fairy Wind attack.

But that was as far as she got. The Sylveon squealed and fell onto her side. She wailed like a baby while kicking and squealing with every foot and feeler.

"There there now. You've done amazingly."