Chapter 21: Left Behind
"Ranger's log…day…73…" Kappaqua struggles to log. "It's been a week…" That's all he can say before he breaks down sobbing.
"Ranger's log, day 75… T-Turcell!"
"Ranger's log, day 80… I-I think I might… No… Not yet…"
"Ranger's log, day 87." He takes a deep breath. "It's… Everything is… I…"
"Ranger's log, day 97. One month… One long month…"
"Ranger's log, day 112. Why did you leave me all alone!? Why!? Turcell!"
"Ranger's log, day 129. There's no point in any of this… We're all going to die eventually. Why do any of us bother with anything? Our legacy is bound to disappear into thin air in a split moment. Nothing is left behind. Nothing…"
"Ranger's log, day 143." A long pause. "This is stupid." A crashing sound is heard.
"Ranger's log, day 152. I finally got a new log recorder… And… I don't know…"
"Ranger's log, day 158." He gives a long, drawn-out sigh. "Today marks three months. Will this pain never go away…?"
Gigastar announces at the morning briefing, "And remember the space ranger motto."
Everyone cheers, "Safety isn't our mission, it's our ambition!" Where Kappaqua might have once joined in the peppy group cheer, he remains completely silent, with his head looking down at the ground.
With missions for the day assigned, the other rangers all disperse, leaving Kappaqua behind with Gigastar and Heliolisk. Gigastar floats to Kappaqua. "Son, I'm sure you noticed I didn't have an assignment for you today."
Kappaqua gives the slightest nod as an indication.
Gigastar takes a deep breath. "It's been three months now. We've been putting you on temporary assignment with a rotation of other ranger teams, but we can't keep doing that forever."
Heliolisk adds in a surprisingly caring tone, "And you can't be a ranger team of one. That just doesn't work out."
Kappaqua faintly nods again.
Gigastar sighs. "Kappaqua, you need to find a new partner."
Kappaqua, despite likely knowing where the conversation was going, looks up to Gigastar and shouts in anger, "A new partner!? You want me to replace Turcell!? He sacrificed himself to save you all, and you want him replaced!?"
Team REM is nearby. They glance at Kappaqua, but quickly look away.
Kappaqua catches the glance, looks at them, and shouts, "I saw that look! None of you understand Turcell's sacrifice!" Even as big and tough as they are, Team REM are unnerved enough to slowly back away before leaving the briefing room altogether. Just as suddenly as the anger began, Kappaqua collapses to the floor and sobs. "None of you understand my sacrifice…"
Heliolisk helps Kappaqua back to his feet. "Kappaqua…I understand. Believe me, I really do. But you need to move on. Think about where I would be right now if I never moved past the death of my parents."
Kappaqua shouts accusingly through his tears, "That's exactly what Curemodo keeps saying during therapy sessions! It doesn't mean anything! I can't move on! I'm nothing without Turcell! Nothing!" He continues to weep.
Gigastar takes a deep breath. "Kappaqua, take the day off. Relax for a little bit. I don't need any decision on a new partner right away. Just please start thinking about it."
Kappaqua wipes his tears, forces himself to stop crying, and walks towards the door. Before he leaves, he stops and says without facing Gigastar and Heliolisk, "Turcell was more to me than just a member of Team Nova. He can't be replaced." Then he leaves.
Heliolisk slowly shakes his head in dismay. "The poor kid. At least I had you and Volcarona when my parents were taken from me. He doesn't have anyone…"
Gigastar shakes his head. "He does. He has us. The rangers. We're all his family. He just needs time."
"He's had three months… I'm afraid for him…"
"I am too, Heliolisk. But all we can do for him now is make sure that we're always there to support him. He'll come around eventually."
"I hope so."
Kappaqua is seated at a table at Appleton's Café. Appleton walks up to the table and asks in a slow drawl, "What can I get you, Kappaqua?"
"I'll just take the usual."
"You got it. One Rawst Berry Ice Cream coming up." He leaves to prepare the order.
A few minutes later and Appleton returns to deliver the food. "This one's on me, Kappaqua. You're welcome to more as well."
Kappaqua nods slowly. "Thank you, Appleton."
"Of course, kid." Appleton leaves Kappaqua to his food.
Kappaqua stares long and hard at the bowl of ice cream. He says to himself, "We never got to enjoy that bowl together like we promised. It was going to be how we celebrated returning home. Now I'm the only one eating it." In a sudden fit of rage, he knocks the bowl away. It shatters against the wall and the ice cream splatters.
"Geez, Runt. If you didn't want it, you could let me have some instead."
Kappaqua looks up surprise to see Gargolem, Centiskorch, and Sableye staring at him. Kappaqua sighs. He asks with no energy, "What are you doing here?"
Gargolem crosses his arms pridefully. "That's no way to speak to the top-ranked bounty hunters this side of the galaxy."
Kappaqua looks down to the table. "I don't care what your ranking is."
Centiskorch comments, "Speaking of ranks, we heard that you recently got one of your own. Team Nova is the first team to achieve Platinum Rank since Team Hero. And you did it way faster too. Congratulations."
Kappaqua shakes his head. "It doesn't mean anything. Team Nova isn't destined to exist for much longer. Before long, Gigastar will have to make it official when I don't replace Turcell."
Gargolem looks at Kappaqua with disapproval. "Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?"
Kappaqua looks to Gargolem with confusion. "What am I going to do about it?"
"You heard me, Runt."
"You heard him!" Sableye emphasizes.
With sudden anger, Kappaqua demands, "What am I supposed to do about it!?"
Gargolem laughs. "Fight it! If that's what's destined to happen, then fight destiny itself! No one sets your path but you!" He pokes a clawed finger into Kappaqua's chest for emphasis. "Are you just going to keel over and let the future trample you? Doesn't sound like the same Runt who staunchly stood up to me every opportunity he got."
Kappaqua asks himself with uncertainty, "My destiny…?"
Gargolem turns away. "Maybe you will keel over. Maybe I pegged you the wrong way." He scoffs at the notion. "If so, I'm done wasting my time on a runt like you." He marches out of the café followed by his teammates.
"My destiny…my path… I choose…" He stands up and declares, "I defy destiny!"
Outside of the café, Gargolem grins. He asks, "How'd you know that would work?"
Lucario responds, "I am his greatest hero, and yet I could not get through to him. Sometimes it takes a rival to grant real perspective to someone's life. I had a similar experience once with Decidueye."
"Whatever. As far as I'm concerned, all debts to the Runt have been paid. We don't owe him anything anymore for saving the lousy galaxy."
"Nothing!" Sableye adds.
Centiskorch takes a peek back into the café. "I must admit, I do hope he pulls through."
Gargolem begins to walk away. "Stop being such a softy." He pauses. "The Runt will be all right. He's strong."
"Ranger's log, day 162. This is it. Today is the day I stop accepting the path that has been laid before me. Today is the day I take destiny into my own hands. Today is the day I get Turcell back."
Gravitonic Belfry
"Aqua Bomb!" Kappaqua shouts as he hurls two bombs at his unseen opponent.
"Freeze!" Gravisaac shouts as he uses gravity to stop both water orbs in their path.
"Psyshock!" Kappaqua attacks not Gravisaac, but the Aqua Bombs. The combined explosion of the two bombs and Psyshock create a shockwave the blasts Gravisaac to the floor. "You won't stop me! I will see him again! Hydro Pump!" Even without the power of the Cosmic Aura surging around him, Kappaqua is able to unleash an extremely powerful Hydro Pump. The torrent of water impacts Gravisaac with a mighty force.
He lands on the ground and demands, "Had enough? Have I proven myself enough yet?"
Gravisaac tries to float back up but is unable to with the damage he sustained. "Wayfinder… Kappaqua… You do not comprehend what you ask of me…"
"I comprehend perfectly."
"You were only granted an audience before because of the Vestige. Because of Turcell. You alone will not be granted such a meeting."
"I don't care if an invitation is extended! I don't care if I've been granted an audience! I will speak to him! He will hear me. He will listen."
"Kappaqua…" Gravisaac manages to float back up. "Fine. I will grant you access to the Singularity Field. At its end, you will find the gateway has opened."
"Thank you, Gravisaac."
"You won't be thanking me when you see what awaits you…"
"There's only one thing awaiting me. The destiny that I have chosen."
The Singularity
Kappaqua marches right past Schwarzsfield, completely ignoring him. Schwarzsfield begs, "Come on, friend, don't do this!"
Kappaqua marches on. "I'm not your friend."
"I'll ignore that insult because you're my friend! Do I have to get down on my knees and beg? Because I will." He looks down at his lower body. "Oh yeah. I don't have knees. Are you really going to make me regret not having knees!? Come on, man! Be reasonable!"
"Even if you had knees, it wouldn't make a difference. No amount of begging will stop me from taking the path I am on."
"Oof! Hit a Pokémon right where it hurts! Come on, you know I'm sensitive about not having knees!" He floats in front of Kappaqua to try to physically block him. "I won't let you go. Friends don't let friends throw their lives away." He adds resentfully, "Even if said friends are knee privileged."
As Schwarzsfield is floating, Kappaqua is able to walk right underneath him without stopping.
"Now you're just rubbing my lack of knees in!"
Kappaqua takes his first step onto a great staircase made of glass-like light. "If you're not going to force me to stop, then I'll be on my way."
"You're crazier than I am, friend. He may have been civil to you last time, but that was only because you were with his chosen hero. You've never seen his bad side. You're not going to like it."
Kappaqua climbs the stairs without any doubts. "I don't need to like it. I need my friend back."
Schwarzsfield suddenly gets an idea. He calls to the already distant Kappaqua, "Hey! Since you're going to upset him anyways, ask him if he can make me a set of knees while you're at it! You'd be doing a friend a real solid!" Kappaqua ignores him entirely. "Wait…what good are knees without legs…? I'd just look like a weirdo. On second thought! Forget the knees!" He pauses. "Third thought! Really need the knees! Just ask for some legs to go with them! Feet too! Wouldn't want to have legs without feet!" Kappaqua disappears into the singularity.
Celestial Hall 3F
Unlike his last trip to the Celestial Hall, there are Pokémon for Kappaqua to battle through this time. He's been surrounded by two Dracosmic, a Cycloptic, and an Alakazam. Kappaqua shouts in defiance, "Come at me! I'm not afraid of you! I've already lost everything!"
The Alakazam attacks first. It fires a Psybeam from its spoons. Kappaqua leaps to the side to dodge the attack, but one of the Dracosmic attacks with Dragon Force, and a purple beam of energy hits Kappaqua before he can land from his dodge. He's flung back at the second Dracosmic, which whips its glowing tail at Kappaqua with a Breaking Swipe.
But before the attack can hit, Kappaqua flings an Aqua Bomb at the Dracosmic. "Take this!" Not only does it blast away the Dracosmic, but Kappaqua is able to ride the shockwave towards the Cycloptic. The telescope Pokémon is gathering light in its lens for a Flash Cannon, but Kappaqua swipes an arm towards it to summon a Psyshock. The kinetic pulse of psychic energy flings Cycloptic into Alakazam.
Kappaqua lands gracefully on the ground, then jumps straight up. "Hydro Pump!" He spins around, which allows the watery blast to strike all four of his foes. This is enough to convince them all to flee.
Kappaqua stops for a moment to catch his breath. He's looking far worse for wear. He's accumulated great damage on his quest so far and he's breathing heavily. He tries to take a step forward, but his leg falters. He shakes his head in frustration. "No. Not now. I can't give up here… Not when I'm so close…" He grunts in frustration. "These consecutive battles have taken their toll…but that's not all that's going on…" He looks around. "This place… It's as if it's draining me… This is part of what Gravisaac was trying to warn me about. I'm not meant to be here." He shakes his head. "But what was meant to be doesn't matter. I'm not following the path set out, I'm making my own."
He stares into the magnificent and breathtaking view of the starry void that surrounds the glass-like platform he stands atop. He remembers Turcell staring at the exact same sight with dismay and uncertainty.
Turcell takes a deep breath. "Kappaqua…what if we turn around now and don't pry any further into this? We already know I'm not the Destroyer, so what's the point?"
Kappaqua is confused by his statement. "Huh? Why would you ask something like that? You've wanted nothing more than to know who you are since I first met you." Kappaqua recalls something from earlier. "You cut Aegislash off before he could tell you a story from your history. You also haven't asked him any questions, despite him being a direct connection to your lost memories." He looks Turcell solemnly in the eyes. "You don't want to know of your history…do you…?"
Turcell takes a deep breath. "No… Yes… Maybe… I don't know…"
"You can tell me anything, you know that, right?"
"I know…" Turcell shakes his head somberly. "You're right. When I first came to this world, I did want nothing more than to know who I was. Then we learned of the prophecy of the Destroyer, and all I wanted was to learn more about myself to prove my innocence, to both myself and others. But during that time, I spent so long dreading the truth that a part of me grew a desire to bury it all and never learn the truth, be it good or bad. I just didn't want to risk learning I was who I feared. But I didn't have that luxury. I had to learn the truth. Now I know the truth. I'm not the Destroyer. I had nothing to fear. But all those weeks of dread are still in me. What if I learn something else bad about me? Maybe I'm not the Destroyer, but for all I know, I could be something just as terrible."
Kappaqua sighs. "I can't imagine what that must feel like…"
"It's awful. This amnesia, as bad as it is, is also a blessing. It allows me to live in blissful ignorance. I don't want to shatter that. I just want to put this whole Destroyer business behind me and leave it at that."
Kappaqua shakes his head. "Turcell…I understand your pain, but you know things can't be like that. Your past is too important. It's what made you who you are. You can't ignore it. I know you're lost without it." Kappaqua puts a comforting hand on Turcell's shell.
Turcell asks morbidly, "What if my past makes you not want to be my friend anymore? I can't lose you again. I wouldn't be able to take it a second time."
"I've made my decision already. I chose to stand by you. I won't abandon you again."
Turcell shakes his head. "You can't promise that…"
"I can, and I am." Kappaqua looks out to the starry view before them.
As he still does in the present. "Turcell… It seems like you were right. I couldn't fulfill my promise… We were separated again…" He shakes his head. "No. I'm not giving up on you. I'm not abandoning you. I am keeping my promise. No matter what it costs me."
Kappaqua forces away the exhaustion on presses forward.
Celestial Hall 27F
Kappaqua has to put every effort into stepping forward. It's one laborious step after the other. He's beaten, bruised, and battered. He forces himself to eat an Oran Berry, though it appears to hurt even for him to chew.
"Oran Berries aren't even working anymore… Last time we were here…the dungeon only had one floor… What's going on here? How much higher must I climb…?"
His next step falters. "Every step is harder than the last… I can't walk straight anymore. There's a tremendous pressure pushing down on me from every angle…" He looks out at the starry sky, but from his point of view, all he can see is a blurry mess. "Even my vision's failing…" He stops to take several deep breaths in an attempt to gather his strength. It has the opposite effect. "The air itself burns…"
"I… I… I… I have to turn back…"
But then his own words replay in his head, "I won't abandon you again."
Determination returns to his face. "No! I won't turn back! I won't let destiny win! Do you hear me!? I'm not giving up!" Through nothing but sheer willpower and determination alone, Kappaqua moves on once more.
Celestial Observatory
Kappaqua somehow looks even worse for wear. He collapses to his knees and looks about. "This…this is it…" he says with both relief and excitement. "I've made it…"
He forces himself to stand back up and shouts, "Did you hear that!? I made it past your tests! I did what everyone said was impossible! Now show yourself! Cosmic Architect!"
But there is no response. An empty silence replaces Kappaqua's shouts.
"Did you hear me!?" He falls onto all fours. His entire body begins to shake violently. "I've taken destiny into my own hands! I've walked my own path! I've refused to give in to your grand plan for the universe! Show yourself!"
But still, there is no response.
His entire body gives out at once. He's now belly-down on the floor. He tries to lift himself but is far too weak. Tears begin to well in his eyes. "No… No! I haven't given everything for you to ignore me! I will not be denied! I will not be ignored!" He breaks down sobbing. "This isn't how this ends!" He chokes as he's unable to breathe well enough through the combination of weakness and tears. He says much more quietly, "This can't be how this ends…"
Try as he might, Kappaqua can't keep his eyes open. He defiantly holds on for as long as he can, but inevitably they shut. He murmurs, "If I go, so be it. At least I'll be with him again… There's nothing left for me here… I guess I got my wish after all… I'm coming…Turcell…" His body falls completely limp.
A golden light envelops Kappaqua's body and levitates him into the air. A voice booms, "This isn't what your friend would have wanted for you!"
Kappaqua's eyes snap open. The golden light seems to have healed him of all wounds and returned his energy.
The voice of the Cosmic Architect continues, "He wanted you to live your life, not throw it away senselessly!"
Kappaqua shakes his head. "I'm not throwing away anything of value." Though there is no body to look at, Kappaqua stares ahead defiantly and unflinchingly. "You have the power to bring him back. Just like you did last time." He demands, "Bring him back."
"What makes you so certain I can perform such a feat again?"
"You're practically a god. You tell me."
"And what would you do if I told you that it was impossible?"
"I was also told it's impossible to go against destiny. I was also told that it would be impossible to reach you. I was also told it was impossible to get you to speak to me. And yet, here we are. Nothing is impossible, so long as the will exists to make it possible."
"Your will is great. It is stronger than I have ever witnessed in a mortal being."
"So do it. Bring him back."
"I have smitten greater beings for lesser offenses than the insolence you show now."
"Don't try to frighten me. If you wanted me dead, you would have let me die just now. But you didn't. Now bring him back."
"You battled a Legendary Pokémon, crossed a black hole, traversed the domain of a god, and stared that god down unflinchingly. All so you could have your friend back. By standing in defiance to me, you stand in defiance to destiny itself. Turcell was the one chosen to defeat the calamity. Turcell was the one imbued with my power. Turcell was the chosen Vestige. You are nothing but a normal Pokémon who was passed an important relic. And yet, here you are. You made a journey that would have killed any other normal Pokémon. Your sheer force of will and power of determination allowed you to do the impossible. You have proven that there are no lengths you will not go to in order to return he who is most precious to you. Kappaqua…I can grant your wish."
Kappaqua gasps as he allows himself to feel hope for the first time. "You…can…?"
"Yes. I can. Under normal circumstances, I would never disrupt the grand design which I so tediously built for something so insignificant to the universe as the friendship of one Pokémon, but you have proven these are not normal circumstances. You are not a normal Pokémon."
"Will you…do it…?"
"Kappaqua. Know that if I were to return the Vestige, there would be not one, but two tolls to pay. The universe must remain balanced. It will correct itself in ways that not even I can fully predict. The universe will balance itself, while also extracting its payment. Once more, I cannot tell you what form this payment will take."
"Anything. It doesn't matter what it is. I'll pay it."
"What if the payment is not taken from you? But from others? Do you still accept these terms?"
Kappaqua takes a deep breath. "Yes."
The light field lowers Kappaqua to the ground and releases him. "Kappaqua the Wayfinder, you have found your way back to your friend. I hope the universe is merciful in its retribution. Destiny has been rewritten. Destiny has been sealed."
A golden miasma of energy forms above Kappaqua's head. Golden bubbles of energy appear from thin air and float into the cloud before merging with it. Each bubble adds substance to the fog. It grows thicker and larger by the moment. A shadowy form begins to take shape within it.
Kappaqua gasps. He can't believe what he's seeing.
The cloud lowers to ground level and begins to dissipate, revealing the form inside.
"Is it…you…? Is it really you…?"
Turcell looks down at himself in surprise. "I'm…not dead…?" He looks out at the starscape surrounding them. "No…this is the afterlife…" He looks forward and notices Kappaqua for the first time. "Kappaqua…?"
The largest smile he's ever made spreads across Kappaqua's face. "You're not dead, Turcell. You're here with me. Exactly where you belong." He loses all control and runs at Turcell to hug him tightly. Tears of joy stream down his face.
Turcell is shocked. "How is this possible…? I thought I was gone for good…"
"You were," Kappaqua sobs. "You were, but I changed destiny. And now you're back. My dearest friend…you're back…"
At some point while they were hugging, Kappaqua and Turcell were transported from the Celestial Observatory to outside the Gravitonic Tower, next to where Kappaqua landed the Destiny.
"I kept my promise. I didn't abandon you. And I never will…"
Turcell is welling up with tears himself now. "And I won't abandon you again either."
Gravisaac floats in the Celestial Observatory. "You actually took pity on him and granted his wish."
The Cosmic Architect responds, "It was more than pity. He did the impossible and challenged his own fate. I saw the look in his eyes as he steadfastly stared forward." He pauses. "But I am not without my own motive."
"Oh? And that is?"
"I sense a coming darkness. I fear that the disaster which lies behind us was but a prelude for the true disaster yet to come."
This surprises Gravisaac. "You think you'll need the Vestige to fight another battle? Against something worse than the Sol Invictus?"
"It is possible. Not even I can say for certain. But forget not that I was not the only one to summon a champion to fight for a cause."
Gravisaac nods in understanding. "The other. The one who brought Yin-Yang-Xing to this world to ensure its destruction. He is still out there." Gravisaac takes a deep breath. "Should I fear the coming disaster?"
"I would not. The universe always finds a way to balance itself. Perhaps Kappaqua's defiance of destiny was actually destiny's way of bringing about that balance."
"And what of the toll on the universe of reviving Turcell?"
"That is what I would fear. Turcell and Kappaqua might soon regret their reunion. But as always, the universe will balance itself."
A thunderstorm rages at night on an unknown planet. There's a dense woods. A harsh, golden light filters through the trees. Lightning strikes nearby to add to the glow as thunder booms.
The light suddenly fades as the thunder does. A limp body now lies in the center of what was once the light.
The Cosmic Architect's words repeat, but more ominously given the circumstance, "The universe will balance itself."
The body is that of Yin-Yang-Xing. He stirs.
To Be Continued…