What she was doing was just a precaution, of course. It had to be. There very well could have been a river of blood through Pith Town if it weren't for a certain Bagon's actions. Had it all been an act since he'd burst into the shed? The necessary sacrifice of a double agent to protect their march? Every bit of her being was quick to shout yes, but the voice remained. This… a discrete check on her partner couldn't hurt.

A familiar tension ran through Argon's body stepping off from Catalina's wing. Paws and feet hit ceramic shingles, saving her from a twenty foot plummet to the streets below. It was just on the outskirts of the town square, more than secluded enough to not bat an eye from the grey sea or barricades in the distance.

Argon was quiet as a mouse making her way across the adjacent rooftops. With every step, crawl, or jump she got closer, until the walls of the Guild Hall towered just a single street away. It was easy enough to look down behind the barricades, where not a pokemon nor pallid outside could see. Shifts of guild members moved to and from the front lines, where the faint chatter of doubts clashed with dogged determination. Tense as ever, yet business as usual. Except…

Bingo. There he was. A lone blue silhouette behind the Guild Hall, nearly blending into an innocuous little corner of the defenses. Even from here she could tell his hands were still shaking. Argon's own breaths chittered getting up.

"P-please," Argon whispered. "Prove me wrong. We're in this together."

Before long Argon was crouched down behind another slanted rooftop, barely more noticeable than the clouds to any pokemon below, yet just close enough to hear behind the walls. Chimera was clear as day now, his foot tapping like it was the end of the world. He leaned against the guild wall, clenching his cape just a few feet away from an emergency exit that had seen better days. Could he really be—

Argon's ears perked up, nearly jumping out of her fur while the rusted door peered open. Chimera was no less startled, dashing back to give a salute. There he was.

"It's good to see you, old chum. I… I don't… today could have certainly gone better, but I believe we have everything in place."

From the Girafarig's appearance, that was the understatement of the century. He stood up straight, of course, yet there was a certain shallowness in Binair's eyes. His breaths were quick, horns glowing faintly as if perpetually stuck in check.

"I apologize, Sir," Chimera replied, "It's just with how things went today I didn't see any other option that would—"

A hoof raised.

"You did everything right," Binair replied. "No one can take back what's happened, and it'll take much time and effort to bring even some sense of normalcy back to Faire. In spite of everything, however… with what's developed, I'm confident that this revolution will conclude with no bloodshed to either side. I trust we both know what must happen next?"

Chimera's silence spoke volumes. Binair's tail shifted left and right with every second, on constant watch to what lay beyond the barricades. The Girafarig's wording could go either way, yet Argon could feel her tail crackle in anticipation.

"I… I don't envy your position," Binair continued, setting a hoof to the Bagon's shoulder. "Your conflicts of interest are warranted, old chum, but I will not mince words when I say this is our most pressing hour. Thousands of pokemon, both inside and out of this guild are relying on us to ensure their safe and prosperous future. We get through today, and a lifetime of competent leadership under the West Faire Guild's newest presider will follow."

Argon's paws scraped against the shingles. Things had gone from bad to worse. Some hidden part of the Raichu had expected her old boss would have some ace up his sleeve to stop reform, but that ending note… he couldn't possibly be talking about—

Nothing Argon did could stop her gasp. The answer was right in front of her. Binair's tail darted up from the faint noise, just barely missing a silhouette duck behind the roof. It was just enough to snap the Bagon from his mulling. He stood still, as if trying to weather the storm of two voices shouting into each of his eardrums.

"I-I understand, Sir," Chimera replied, "I really do, I-I just don't—there's this damn sinking feeling in my stomach that I can't get rid of. I know what I have to do, but I'm not sure I'll be able to live with it."

The hoof set off his shoulder, before holding itself before Chimera. It was a strange gesture, yet one strangely familiar to the Raichu. From the way Chimera stared at the hoof, while his own hands seemed locked neither forward nor back, he seemed to agree.

"I know that feeling all too well, old chum," Binair said. "This path is yours to choose and yours alone. The responsibilities of leadership are never easy, but whichever way you step, I've always held you'll be the one to leave their mark on the world. With all the time we have known each other, I have only one question."

A second passed, while one wary pokemon looked to another. If it weren't for the shock of dread coursing through her fur, Argon would have almost found it touching.

"From one human to another, do I have your confidence that our offer stands?"

Please don't. By Arceus don't. There's a better way.

Binair's eyes widened as Chimera's hand reached forth, only to stop not an inch from his hoof. He turned back, half tempted to smash his forehead against the marble.

"I'll do my best," Chimera replied. "That's all I can offer. Please, just… do you have a map?"

Girafarig and Raichu alike held their breath. Binair's horns glowed a dull pink, as a hastily drawn piece of parchment levitated forth.

"That is all I ask, old chum. I've finished cross referencing our findings with expected caverns under West Faire. There's only one that should fit the description of Mespirit's Lake. A few hours' journey, and once you're back we can bring these trials and tribulations to a close. Until then, I shall maintain that Cerise is in good health."

All Chimera could offer back was a simple nod before he stepped off, map in hand. His walk soon turned into a run, purely on instinct. He could do little else, with only inner voices to stop and think through an unending march.

Argon was split between melancholy and uttering a barrage of curses at herself getting up. She should have seen this coming sooner. She should have done something sooner, but there they were. A human with only vaulting ambition to prick the spurs of his intent, a pokemon who'd been too content to stop him. She set her eyes on the Bagon's back, keeping a safe distance for now. There would only be one chance to find out what this ace in the hole was. One chance to stop him.

One chance to see how human her partner truly was.

"Just what the hell am I doing?"

No matter what Chimera did, he couldn't stop that damn question from pinging through his head. Time blended together into a menagerie of arguments, interjections, and migraines with every step down. He'd been spelunking for… how long now? His legs were numb from duckwalking since the past three stalactite clusters, that was for sure. The underground river that soaked cape and foot alike a silty brown couldn't have been earlier than the two hour mark. A thin gash sliced across his knee, a reminder of the rappel that had been just a bit too reckless, but he pushed on.

"Time waits for no man," Chimera repeated, smashing his forehead into the wall of sediment covering a dead end. "Certainly doesn't wait for a friggin Bagon."

This was wrong. By every contemporary standpoint this was wrong. He'd picked up a textbook, he knew what side of history he was on. Thousands of beings, as well as the closest thing he had to friends in this strange new world were crying for change, and where was he? Crawling like a rat through a tunnel, scrambling for the only thing that could stop it. What a joke.

The fates seemed to be in similar good humor. With eyes glazed over, and thoughts of a similar fog, Chimera made it another few steps before tripping on a small stalagmite just under the river line. Cold mullings met colder water. The lantern he'd held, whose faint amber glow reflected against shining rocks and minerals fell to pitch black. His labored breaths soon turned panicked.

A quick, morbid chuckle left Chimera's maw. Here he was, a so-called adventurer stuck in a seemingly endless cavern with nobody but a Giratina on his shoulder to occupy. Exhausted. Very little food and a bit of seeds. At least he still had the thermos. No source of li—

Wait. Except…

And to think, just a few short months ago he'd thrown his salvation into the depths. A stubby, numb hand reached into his bag, retrieving a once forgotten piece of plastic. One flick later, and two shining screens lit the way. His steps weren't exactly lighter, but he was back on track.

It could have been a couple hours, or a couple minutes before Chimera noticed. It'd been a long time since he'd glanced at two screens, after all, whilst squeezing between two jagged outcrops of stone. While the calendar and settings stared back at him, however, it dawned on the Bagon the innocuous black circle in between the two screens. It took a second of thought to even remember what it was; a brass lens with a wooden box large enough to be a table was far more common in this new world.

"Never really should have sprung for the DSi," Chimera mumbled, "but, if that's there…"

A bit of the Bagon didn't want to look, but buried thoughts and curiosity got the better of him. It'd be weird to say the least, after waking up every day to see a creature looking back in the mirror that couldn't even reach the upper cupboard, though the novelty was undeniable.

A few clicks (a bit more than necessary with big, meaty claws), and he was there. Chimera's hands clenched, walking forward even with his eyes glued to the screen.

Brown eyes met each other. A face tucked into the past, brought back in glorious 256 by 192 resolution. In the faint light of the screen, Chimera could see his Bagon reflection faintly above his human visage. It certainly wasn't his most flattering look.

"And there he is," Chimera said, letting out a slow chuckle, "the two-bit, down on his luck human that couldn't keep a stable job to save his life. Literally."

The thin plastic creaked against Chimera's clenched hands. The Bagon could hear his breaths seethe with every memory that came flushing back. Even that dense, human face made him want to look away.

He really could have made it. At least, if he'd tried a little harder. Sure, he'd had ten times the memories sitting at a desk chair than any couch, but a little bit more effort… an approach just a bit more studied, and he could have gone down in his prior world as something more than a wage slave. Something more than nothing.

And now… where was he? That was simple enough. He was a two-foot tall creature from a video game walking down a precipice. A Bagon with wealth, renown, and hundreds upon thousands of others under his responsibility. A pokemon one day more from… from...

For no particular reason, Chimera smashed a nearby rock to bits. There was the rub. He stood alone, with an offer before him he knew damn well he would have killed for yesteryear. Just one day more, and he could become more than that human ever would. Someone that would not be forgotten. Someone that wouldn't have to beg and labor to push the boulder up one more day.

Something in Chimera's glare hardened staring at his past. This was his second chance. Could… could he live with himself not to take it?

He almost didn't notice when a faint, yet ever so familiar blue light shined around the corner. Fear, excitement and adrenaline all coalesced. It was like reaching the top of a rollercoaster. Only one way to go from here.

The lake spirits were certainly minimalist decorators. Cyan light poured up from the seemingly endless chamber, lighting up every corner of the high, jagged ceiling like stars on a clear sky. Where was Mespirit? Probably off playing Dungeons and Dragons with her siblings, if what Eoin said was true.

Only experience stopped Chimera from falling flat on his ass when his foot met the ice. After a fumbled recovery Chimera dropped to his knees, looking upon the vast, frozen lake that covered every inch of the cave's floor. Instinctively the Bagon bundled his cape around him, the only protection he had against air somehow even more chilling. Every breath brought another cloud of fog. It was more than nervousness that made him quake.

"T-t-that's one step down at least."

Next was the more pressing. Where exactly was it? It had always been clearer in prior caverns. Obviously the gear was this cavern's makeshift night light, but where exactly was the light—there!

Now for the easy part. He sped off across the ice, to where underwater light refracted off the lake in a familiar pattern. Brownish grey stalagmites in the distance grew easier to see with every step. They jutted upward to the ceiling, like skyscrapers against a distant plain. Somewhere in Chimera's mind, he chuckled; no harm in a little irony.

There it was. Murky below its few inches of glacial covering, but there nonetheless. Frost covered Chimera's claws wiping for a clearer view. His entire future, laid out before him.

The faint reflection of Chimera against the ice was smashed to bits with the first hit. Thundering crunches reverberated through the ceilings, as a forehead shaped dimple cut further and further. A final crack punctuated the break. Emerald light poured up through the water, from a time gear just a grasp away from even a Bagon's stubby hands. A chilling shock coursed through him feeling it's sleek, metallic surface.

He had it. The gear that would put the nail in that human's coffin. All that was left was…

"Why?"

A call rang out. Every bit of Chimera's blood ran cold. H-how did… no, she couldn't be—

It took much of the Bagon's willpower to even turn around. It wasn't a mirage. At the entrance, perhaps a couple dozen feet away, stood Argon. Her fur was sullied with silt, paws raw from crawling through rock and river. She hid the cold well, but the jitters of her maw gave her away. There was a weariness in Argon's face he hadn't seen since the mountain. Raichu and Bagon, stares unbroken in a silent realization of where the other stood.

"H-how—so that was… how much did you hear?" Chimera asked.

Argon sucked in a breath, nose crinkling. She stepped on her tail, in an uneven levitation across the ice. From where she was, the Raichu looked pretty tall.

"I heard enough," Argon replied. "Please, I have to know… why are you doing this? Is Binair's position really worth all the suffering? We both know the pallids deserve so much more."

The Bagon's teeth grinded together. Here he was, red handed. No more playing the impartial, the unaligned. There was only one path he could take.

"I'm," Chimera whispered, voice slowly raising, "I'm… I'm doing this because I don't know if I can risk going back. You know who I was when we met on the beach. Every single day of my goddamn life I'd wasted beating my head against a wall. The unnamed, unknown accountant that risked not making rent if I took a shit at the wrong office hours."

It… it wasn't like it'd be doom and gloom if he did get the position, right? He could wait a few years till Binair got complacent once the revolution ended, sign a few bills that'd shut the farms down. Have their cake and eat it too. Would Binair allow it from his retirement? Would all the pallids mind—

Argon's azure eyes, and his own memories told the truth. Who was he kidding? There were only two ways this could end. His partner stood silent, waiting for him to finish.

"I-I think back to all that," Chimera continued, "and here I am now. With the opportunity right in front of me. I know I shouldn't, i-it's just… there's this damn voice in my head saying that if I get this position, I can die a happy man."

Ever so faintly, Argon's ears drooped. She hopped off her tail, not a foot from her partner. Under the rebuttal forming in her mind, a small part of the Raichu appreciated the irony; even from the beginning, their heavens had been each other's hell.

"I'm sorry, Chimera," Argon replied, "but there's more at stake, more that matters here than just you or me. You were the one that helped me get out of my rut and have some ambition in life, but… there's a limit. What means everything to us isn't any more important than every single pallid above. We have a responsibility to them."

"I-I know," Chimera stammered back, just a bit too fast. "I really do, but I'm not… I can't… god fucking dammit."

He reeled back, kicking a chunk of stray ice across the lake. The Bagon had nowhere near the clear head to stop his trip this time. It was only Argon's fast mind that kept his rump from hitting the lake. Something deep in her chest sunk seeing her partner sitting on the ice, head down as if contemplating whether to give it another headbutt. She never could approve, not with the fate of all of Faire on the line, but… she could understand.

"You know," Chimera said, letting out a slow, numb chuckle. "I really did have visions of grandeur when you fished me onto Faire, when I saw what had been built. Guess I was stuck on the high of thinking this would be a utopia. The perfect world for the human and partner to make legends of themselves, with a world to save rated E for everyone. N-now… now I'm just tired. Some things never change."

"Arceus knows I am too," Argon replied. "But it's not too late."

He looked up, blinking once more at the empty air where a Raichu once stood. She wasn't there, of course. She'd taken a seat, right on the ice next to him. Something behind Chimera's silent stare chuckled; he should have expected nothing less. It felt… nice, to have her at his side. A bit fleeting, sure, but no less warm.

"I-I know you," Argon said. "Just like you know me. You're a good pokemon at heart. No one can take that away. It's not too late, Chimera. To have those adventures. You and me. Nothing is ever perfect, but… the revolution could use a guild member to help them through this. N-not to mention that toothy grin of yours."

Silently, Chimera cursed. That damned smile of hers was making this way harder than it already was. Where was a Rampardos to knock you unconscious when you needed one?

Not a word needed to be said between human and partner for what both knew. The choice was his. Argon looked ahead, paws tucked in against the ever present frost while Chimera turned away to collect what was left of his thoughts.

There was no sky for the Bagon to gaze upon. Only a dark and jagged ceiling greeted, where faint blue lights shined. He couldn't help but let out a dull huff at the sight. Every old ambition gleaned up ahead, always out of reach for his stubby grasp, but its source…

A claw rubbed against its cold, metallic surface. Its source couldn't be closer. A gear within one arm's reach, and a friend in another. Chimera sat deadened through his task, yet even in the cold, his hands stopped shaking. What other choice did he have?

"You know what?" Chimera said, looking to Argon. "Lets… lets just put this all on hold for a bit. The revolution. Tomorrow. I-I've been a real shit dragging you down into a freezing cave, a-and if you're up for it, I've got something to try and make it up a little."

Argon's ears perked up, in equal parts shock, relief, and suspicious at the hospitality. She gave a chittering breath, eyeing the steaming thermos her partner had produced. It… it was a bit nippy. Arceus knew they both had more important things, but what were a few hours, a few minutes to just be friends? The day was still young to see how much of that human was left.

A tiny voice in the Raichu's mind knew all it would take was a paw to his foot and a quick shock to leave her partner paralyzed and out of the game, but a hasty rebuttal squashed that thought. The lines hadn't been drawn yet, and the look of remorse in her partner's eyes couldn't be more genuine.

Argon's nose crinkled at the smell. A strange wave of nostalgia washed through her. She knew that drink anywhere.

"Grepa berry tea?" Argon asked, letting out a faint giggle. "There was a day you hated it."

"A mon with particularly uneducated taste buds once said it tasted like shit," Chimera replied, his signature grin back in full force. "A wiser Bagon now knows it pairs delightfully with a stack of reports to file. Wouldn't have ever learned if it wasn't for you. It means a lot."

Chimera had her cup poured almost a bit too quick. Raichu and Bagon smiled, the drink levitated from claw to paw.

Somehow, against a cavern big enough to house even the most fastidious Groudon, Argon couldn't help but feel cramped plaster walls surrounding. It felt like a lifetime ago when she'd crawled out of that rickety bunk bed, with two mugs and an unsure future between them.

"Y-you know," Argon whispered, "the last thing dad told me before I left was to make my own fate. Not sure what that quiet Pikachu would have done if she knew I'd end up here. Run back and hug him? Shock him?"

"Both?"

A beat, while Argon surprised herself with a chuckle.

"Y-yeah, both. Come on, let's have that drink. Gotta warm up before we go delirious again."

Chimera raised his thermos, fighting to hold his smile. He looked down to ice, unable to avoid his partner's reflection in the cracks. His tongue held, as if unwilling to let the moment pass.

"A little toast then," Chimera said, "for the human and pokemon that met on the beach. To finding lake spirits and thieves. To watching a Charmander go from feral to leader and boyfriend. To getting our asses handed to us by a raging Rampardos. To getting caught up in a revolution to change Faire forever. To… to…"

A moment of silence, as days gone by washed over Bagon and Raichu. This hour would pass, and they might never share a drink like this again, but one thought was shared.

"To memories."

The glasses clinked. Paw and claw raised, gulping down every drop of warmth from their cups. Argon was almost sad eyeing the bottom of her mug. She licked her lips, soaking in the residual flavor. Smooth and tangy, with that same tinge of zest she knew every morning. Except—

Argon's eyes widened just a tad, tongue circling. That aftertaste… it was ever so faintly different than usual. A bit bitter. A flavor that had no business in a cup of tea. One second passed, then another before it clicked. Argon's fur bristled with shock as her gaze shot to Chimera. That look. He couldn't…

"I-I… I'm sorry, Argon," Chimera said, "but I think we both know what happens next."

Her paw shot out to him, falling halfway with a single jitter, then another. Soon her whole arm was trembling, her legs likewise limping to a useless shudder. She slumped over, helpless to resist a collapse to the icy floor. She tried, Arceus knew she tried, but even Argon knew it was a wasted effort, with every limb asleep at once. That… that two faced, piece of—

"Sean's not the only one proud you've made your own fate," Chimera said, a numb look in his eyes as he stood up. "Now it's time to make mine and mine alone. It's a shame it's come to this. You've been a better partner, a better friend than I deserve."

He turned back, unable to meet the most potent mix of shock and seething anger Argon had ever held. Her tongue chattered, held still as Chimera made his way to the exit. At the last step she saw, he looked back. For how he looked, you'd think the bastard had just pulled the trigger.

"That stun seed should wear off in a few minutes," Chimera said. "With any luck, all the head start I'll need. I'll make sure you and Eoin get out of this alright, Argon. Even if this is goodbye. Have a good life, and… "

One step, and he was gone.

"Thanks for the memories."