I went through every single chapter up until now and made dialogue changes for Scarlet and Lloyd to better define them against the rest of the cast. Took me like 2 hours to do, surprisingly. However, the time it took me to upload it onto every site this story is on was actually the most nightmarish shit I ever experienced.

Let me know if you think the changes are good or if I missed the mark.

Anyways, I'll see you all in the next chapter.


Hollow…

That's how I felt…

I had lost my heart, I feel how it was taken from me every time I close my eyes. The emotionless gleaming mask of that thing staring directly at us before the deafening crack echoed out, then searing pain would overcome me. I knew it scattered amongst that forest with no way of repair. And now my mind can barely fathom how I'm going to live on through this.

It was like a void had opened up within me, having taken my will to even go on. At first… I barely felt any different, but shortly after, it all sunk in with the subtlety of a raging fire. My psychic connections were gone to ashes, even Kira I could not feel anymore.

And Kira… dear, dear Kira, I could see the grief in her eyes whenever she treats us. It hurts like a long drawn out ache… the emotional torment is far, far worse than the pain from the injuries I suffered. Some dark voice whispered to me of how I should never have gotten in the way.

A much darker voice… told me to blame the human and his plan.

I didn't know what to think, nor why. In the end, I am lost in this sea of uncertainty for the future with everyone else. I will have to figure something out. No matter… how much it hurts.

Mason was in a bed in the corner of the room, staring up at the ceiling with bandages all over him. My condition was almost the exact same. Though I could see the paranoia in his eyes as he tentatively held his weapon over his chest. He hadn't dared make so much as eye contact with me since we got put here in the Guild. He seemed afraid of me… or of being caught by surprise again.

Perhaps it was both.

I found it eerie that the golden masked fiend resembled a human of all things. I wondered if that would be something that'd bother Mason underneath the layers of uncertainty and confusion plaguing his expression. He never did get to even see it after all.

"So… uh… how you been feeling?" Mason nervously asked.

"I couldn't describe it, even with all the words in the world."

He started to sink back into his bed. The hand holding onto his weapon tensed as worry briefly flashed across his face. "Are you… going to live?"

"If I can live through everything that has happened to me up until now, you better have faith that I will."

He didn't respond, just staring silently up into the ceiling as tension grew between us. Slowly his face morphed to a new expression; a smile born out of tiredness. A weary chuckle followed with a shake of his head.

"Since I got here, it's just been one thing after another without even a hint of breathing room." He twirled his weapon in hand. "All this just to survive by the skin of my own teeth. It's been like what? Three days since I got here? Surely things will calm down, right?"

I shook my head with the worn expression on it unchanging. "Remember what Ace said yesterday. If anything, things are going to get worse in two days time."

"Even after the disaster that was yesterday's operation?"

"In spite of it, would be the better term." I sighed while remembering what Kira had told me regarding what's going to be happening. "What happened to me was tragic, but we know the risks when it comes to this duty. That is the price we pay."

Mason scrunched his face up in an indecipherable emotion. Falling silent once more. It festered on him, silently gnawing away at him until he stared back up towards the ceiling. A blank look on his face.

The human's eyes looked plagued by guilt anytime he attempted to look my way. Yet oddly… I felt nothing at all. This feeling was familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it-

Hollow… right… that's how I felt…

Mason sighed. "I'm really worried for the future…"

"Because of me? Or what you fear may happen to you?"

"Well… both of those things and something else..." He gestured to his weapon. "I was carrying almost half my ammo on me during that whole thing. And guess who just found out about having lost all of it…"


The room we were in was at the Guild, away from prying eyes yet close enough to Mason and Ronin for us to keep an eye on them. Merek told me that the human arrived at the Guild with an arrow buried in his shoulder, covered in blood and saying that the mission had gone completely wrong. Fin and his brother must be really rusty or the human is better at the hustle then I first thought.

Apparently Scarlet and Mason were ambushed by them… the only two I didn't silence when I wanted to leave my previous life behind. Funny how I thought I was being merciful then, now it's come to stab me in the back.

"Times like these were when I wished water-types like me weren't so resistant to the effects of alcohol." I mused to Kira as I took a large swig of an almost empty bottle of whisky.

Kira chuckled, hiding something just below the surface. "You're lucky to at least have the chance. I'd never forgive myself if I fell victim to the bottle."

"Aye..." I took another swig, the effects of alcohol still a long way away. "I don't understand how you do it. All this… is just so… stressful."

A look flashed across her face. "I'm just better at hiding it. I've had years of this already, and I know this certainly isn't the first time for you."

"We're all broken in our own ways… right?"

Kira nodded wearily. "Some more than others." She shook her head as she sat back in her seat. "But I do not tolerate it for my own sake, Lloyd."

"Isn't that how, uh… Ronin… well…"

A hollow chuckle resonated from somewhere within her conflicted self. "... Became who he is today? That certainly played a part. The difference is that he thinks the world owes him something like a warrior returning home from war, I don't. I'm just a healer… yet I can't even do that right."

"Beating yourself up about it doesn't solve much." I put my bottle down out of surprise for her words. "You're the best healer around-"

"And yet we both sit here knowing there is nothing in this situation that I can fix." Tears began to slowly form in her eyes. "Our only hope is if somehow… we find a reviver seed. And well, all known ones in existence are stolen or missing and possibly used."

I plugged the bottle up, finding myself sick to my stomach, unable to even take another sip. "I've got my connections..."

"You know who's after Mason, right? Don't shake your head- doing what you're suggesting will simply make things worse." Kira asserted in a frustrated tone, tears twinkling in her eyes. "Have you forgotten what happened to Ronin?"

Silence grew between us, ripe with tension that entangled the small room we were in. I knew she was right... yet I didn't dare admit it.

I sighed, finding this room suddenly much more heated then it had any right to be. "I want things to go back to normal eventually, I'll do anything to get that back."

"Even go back to what you ran from?"

"Look around you… is that even a question?" I took a fresh whisky bottle in hand and got up. "I need to go talk to Ronin, we both need to cool off."

A lone tear dropped from her eye. "Fine."


By the edge of a blade, we survived… even if barely. I have but one thing to thank for that; his endurance and quick thinking. Even if now… two Pokémon know about me being royalty. I owe him some answers.

I had been hovering just beside the door to the room where they were keeping Mason and the Gallade in. Ace had gotten the Escavalier to accompany me, even if I insisted I was fine alone.

But here was still better than out there in the main parts of the Guild. I had to deal with far less gazes from others. First they stared at the human because he was the most different from the normal, and now that he is not here, they stared at me. Maybe I should ask him if he despises it as well.

Nothing but the muffled sounds of the Guild accompanied us. I found it oddly relaxing… reminding me of my time in the fortress I used to call home...

"You're red… is that how all Honedge look?" the Escavalier curiously asked.

I sighed, already dreading where this would lead. "No. Do you not know what Chosen are?"

"Chosen?"

"Arceus above…" I muttered to myself with annoyance. "I was blessed with the ability to see into the past when in a mystery dungeon, all differently colored Pokémon such as myself have this blessing. That is what we are."

He clanked his steel appendages together, before loosening up a bit. "I just thought you were coated in blood!"

I did not dare respond. The less I had to communicate with him, the better for my waning sanity. I stayed motionless, the exception being being the gentle swaying of my ribbon.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lance asked.

"I just prefer my peace and quiet."

He perked up a little, but the hint flew over his head. "Phew… thought I made you mad-" Lance stopped, seeing Lloyd approaching with a bottle of something in his left hand.

"Just got to talk to Ronin about something," he said with a sigh, before gesturing to me. "You and Mason can do… something, I guess."

He entered without another word, pushing past us with a foreboding expression planted on his face. I could hear him talking through the door before it opened again. Mason exited, laden with confusion and a few gold coins clutched in his right hand.

I noticed he still had somewhat of a limp when he walked, the bandage covering his left shoulder didn't help much. Though his good hand hovered around his weapon. Twitching occasionally towards it.

The human glanced between me and Lance. "Guess me and Scarlet will be taking our leave, are you staying here?"

"I don't know, I was just told to guard here." A clicking came from Lance before he continued. "If you're not going to stay here and Lloyd is in there… am I done?"

Mason shrugged. "Go ask Ace, anyway, I need to get something to eat."

Lance wordlessly nodded as we passed. The sounds of the Guild became louder as we entered the main room, most of the Pokémon did not notice our entrance. But I could tell some of the noise dropped at the sight of us.

A sly smirk grew on the human's face as he donned his weapon in right hand, pointed towards the floor. "Watch this-" A part of the weapon slid out to the side, he twisted it, causing a rapid series of loud rhythmic metallic clicks.

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared briefly at him and his weapon. He flicked it to the side, putting the part in place before flipping it in his hand and returning it to its resting place.

"They have zero idea of what this thing can do and it's hilarious," Mason whispered with a chuckle.

My ribbon instinctively wrapped around myself as their gazes bore holes in us. "J- just what do you think you are d- doing?" I hissed.

"Something I find funny."

Before I could verbally berate him for his insolence, he slowly walked through the crowd that split for him to pass. Their eyes locked to each of us as we walked out through the door. My ribbon was clutched even tighter.

Our walk was short and uninterrupted, the entrance to the tavern just now in front of us. His humorous expression from before was still there. The scene was relatively quiet, hardly anyone was here at this time.

A familiar Bisharp and Phantump sat in the corner table, now noticing our entrance. Blair gawked at the human's condition, barely able to keep his mouth shut. I noticed the both of them looked quite battered and beat, the Bisharp clutching a half-drunk cup of whiskey.

"What happened to you?" Blair asked.

Mason sighed. "I got to experience an arrow ripping through my flesh and embedding itself into my left shoulder, felt even better when Kira had to get it out… what about you?"

"Got tossed around by a dragon." The Bisharp grimaced as he seemed to remember something. "You two sticking around? There's room for you both."

Mason smiled. "I'll take you up on that, just gotta get myself something to eat first… uh, do they serve meat here that's properly cooked?"

"Hehe, I'll help you!" Est giggled as she levitated through the air beside him. "The cook here is super nice!"

Mason shrugged as he walked off with Est guiding him. "Scarlet, I'll be right back."

Both of them remained where one could see them, though I could not quite hear anything they were saying. I turned my attention to Blair, now holding the cup in his left hand gingerly. He took a sip before looking at me.

"Isn't someone like you a little far from-"

My sheath rattled. "Do not even bother finishing, far too many Pokémon have asked me that."

"Damn, you're very 'to the point'." He took a sip of his drink. "I like it."

I wanted to laugh at his attempts at flattery, but stopped myself short. "I prefer the term 'sharp' despite others maybe telling me that I am rather… blunt. But I digress, what is your deal anyway?"

"Oh me? Just another Guild member curious of him," he said plainly as he gestured to Mason in the distance. "If he's anything like me, we'll get along just fine. And from what I've heard… he's more than just a little."

"How would you know that?"

Blair chuckled before taking another swig. "After me and Est showed up at whatever was happening in the plaza… and damn were we late to that whole mess… the Sableye we brought back wouldn't shut up about him. Just basically told the whole thing from his angle through nothing but angry ranting."

"I am sure some of that would be greatly… exaggerated." I said while straightening my form.

Blair glanced at the human, smiling a little as he returned his gaze to me. "Eh, even so, I still remember our last time here. He even said he didn't like authority too much."

"Authority is how order remains. Mason knows that." I growled. Unsure if he realized what he insinuated.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. I've just had bad experiences with authority figures where I'm from."

My ribbon flickered curiously. "And those would be?"

"I'm from Olia, I lived mostly under a Bisharp clan. Do I really need to say any more?" he finished with a roll of his eyes and a sarcastic voice. I stared, unamused with it. "Oh alright fine… where to start… ah. I'll start with my father."

I faltered for a moment in my stance. Maybe he wasn't too different from me.

"So, when my metal hardened enough that it was deemed safe for me to train and fight things as a tiny Pawnard… guess what my dad did? Chuck me out into the cold and told me to come back with the head of a feral Pokémon or I wouldn't be let back into the clan."

I remained still, nothing but the gentle sway of my ribbon dared twitch. "Did you… succeed?"

"I'm here now, ain't I? And that's just the first thing I remember…" he trailed off in thought. "The leaders were bastards, each of 'em. It was like their hobby was figuring out ways to make others miserable. The incident that got me to just pack some food and run was just…"

He remained still, staring out into the void. A blank expression had taken hold of him. The warm air bit at my cold metal as the gentle swaying of my ribbon rhythmically continued. I awaited for him to continue, though his soul seemed… conflicted. Doubt had sprouted in the idea that I was getting anything else.

I was sure to keep my ribbon as close as I could get away with underneath the table. It made it easier to read what was going on inside his soul. Temptation to touch him had crossed my mind, I did not let it fester.

Blair downed some of his drink before continuing in a hollow voice. "I grew up wanting to be free, and now that I am… I never want to go back."

"I know the feeling," I responded neutrally. The memories of the fortress I once called home souring by the minute. "Of wanting freedom and never wishing to see it end. I would drink to that, but…"

Blair chuckled. "Well at least I got 'mon like you to sob with." The Bisharp drank the rest in his cup before sliding it slightly away from him.

"We're back~" Est announced in a rhythmic tone.

Mason sat beside me with a plate of cooked meat, of what I did not know. It was still slightly smoking and he seemed to be lightly blowing on it. He looked at it with nothing I could distinguish in his expression.

Blair pointed to Mason's food. "So what'd you end up getting?"

"Something that vaguely reminded me of steak. I'm not going to think about it too much, just eat it and not care where it comes from." Mason sighed as he took an iron thorn in hand and cut into the smoking meat.

Our resident Bisharp smiled. "Afraid of how it was hunted down or something?"

"Hell no, I just don't exactly understand the whole 'feral Pokémon' thing. Nobody has bothered to tell me."

Est put a hand to her head in thought. "We don't know much either, most Pokémon are smart like us! Though the rest would rip you apart without a second thought."

"Then I'll just use the same justification that I use back home." Mason cut a smaller piece off, inspecting it for something before taking a bite. "Tastes better than I expected at least."

"How do you humans hunt?" Blair asked.

Mason stopped mid-cut, looking like he was at odds with something in his head. "We're 'pursuit predators' in terms of how we used to hunt. I found it really hilarious. Basically we never had to be stronger than you, or faster for that matter."

"C'mon, get into the nitty gritty details."

"Alright, picture this… you're out getting some water when you see this practically hairless creature staring at you as you come up. You're scared shitless, so you run away thinking they're a predator. You run for you have no idea how long, but you're tired and hungry. So you try to get some food, but you hear something rustling in the bushes behind you and wouldn't you know it, the same hairless creature is there just staring at you. So you drop everything and run, you keep going until you literally can't move anymore. Every muscle is burnt out and you're basically already on the verge of passing out from exhaustion. But before everything goes black, you see the hairless creature approach from out of the bushes. That is pursuit predation."

Est shivered. "Scary…"

"But it gets better, that was our olden ways of hunting. Nowadays…" he trailed off before taking his weapon in hand with a cocky smile. "We just shoot 'em instead."

Blair nodded along. "You called humans 'pursuit predators' is there other kinds of predators?"

"There are, though the only other one I remember is 'ambush predator' which is pretty self-explanatory." Mason slid his weapon back where it was stored before.

Our conversation went on for what felt like an hour. The human told us of beasts and creatures from his world and how they worked. Mystical things that had no innate powers over types unlike us, I found it odd how anything could live without that connection. Let alone an entire world.

Blair and Est had left soon after it was over, the Bisharp was wincing from pain that he was obviously in from his injuries. It left me and Mason alone at our table as the tavern went on around us. He was deep in thought, having finished his meal and cleaned off the iron thorn he used to cut it up.

I didn't really know how to start a conversation about myself.


The human left the room as the door closed behind him, leaving me and Lloyd alone. I watched as he took a swig of his bottle, looking very unsure about how to proceed. "So, uh… I think I'm just going to get to the point…"

"I would appreciate that."

"You got one of… those type of injuries. No normal means can fix you." Lloyd murmured.

I didn't flinch, having already known the full extent of my current condition. "I know that already."

"We're going to try and fix you," The Greninja took another swig. "We just… don't know where to start yet."

I shook my head with anger rising within me. "I already know where you two are going to end up. Don't ruin your lives for me."

"We're not doing anything drastic at first."

I looked into the ceiling for solace. "So what are you going to do? Spend your entire life trying to find a single item to make me whole again? No, don't spend your whole lives worrying about mine."

"I- I can't just sit idly by and-"

"I SAID NO," I hammered my fist into the wall. "I'm not worth more than any of you…"

A deep croak came from Lloyd as he stared into the floor, before downing the rest of the wavering bottle. "You're that afraid now?"

"And you aren't?" I retorted. "Look at what's already happened within a week. We underestimated that Houndoom and its pack and almost died, Kira was almost kidnapped INSIDE the Guild, a Chosen has practically unofficially joined our team, we fought that golden masked thing, I've… shattered my heart…"

Tears welled up in my eyes.

My stunted emotions were becoming too much for my fractured mind to understand. The weight of everything was crushing me from everywhere at once. I just wanted to live my life with Kira and my friends, was that too much to ask? Has enough not already been taken from me?

Had I not braved enough of the horrors this world could throw at me? Yet apparently it was too much to ask just for some respite, and now… truly nothing is in my control.

I cried for the first time in years. All into the shoulder of a friend, one who knew nothing of how I felt.

"I just want things to go back to normal, Ronin. I don't care what it takes."

"Don't… please… if not for your sanity, then my own."