Chapter Twelve: Human and Pokémon

"Nature and Pokémon have a lot to teach us humans, you know." - Mr. Briney, Pokémon Adventures Volume 16 (Ruby & Sapphire)

"Do you think they're still following us?" Cynnamon asked.

Her words echoed down the tunnel. We paused to listen, but no response came.

"I'm sure if they were, we'd have heard them by now," Torch said.

"Don't you worry," said Spencer, "they took a good enough thrashing, they won't be looking for more any time soon!"

"That Gengar took a pretty big thrashing from you, Spencer," I said. "You really saved our asses butts back there."

No, Wyatt, I did not swear in front of the children.

Spencer blushed and looked away. "Haha, no, it was nothing. As I've said, battles aren't really my forte."

"Don't be so modest!" said Toto. "You were great!"

"And hey, props to Cynnamon back there!" said Alex. "That was a hell of a Smokescreen. Oh fuck, I meant heck— Damn it, wait…"

Cynnamon laughed like she'd just witnessed the funniest thing in the world. Alex put his face in his hands.

"It's all right," I said, "we've all done it."

"Nope, nope, moving on!"

Spencer puffed out his cheeks and exhaled. "I'm glad you all can joke about it. My heart is still thundering from the fright of it all!"

Cream put her paws on her hips and lifted her chin. "I wasn't scared!"

"Really?" said Ken. "Those weren't your shrieks I heard come from down below?"

"I'm surprised you heard them over your whimpering."

They both laughed. Then Ken happened to catch my eye. He had a questioning look on his face.

"You were really brave back there," I told him, "I was really impressed."

Ken's cheeks suddenly turned redder. He looked away and mumbled under his breath: "Thank you, Mr. Tobias."

Mr. Tobias. Gods, I really am old.

He looked a lot like his father. The same lanky frame, the same twitch in his ears, the way his tail swished gently while he thought. It was his eyes that were different. Taka looked like he'd been born with a frantic, almost manic look on his face. Ken was nothing like that. His eyes were calm.

I can't blame Ken for what his father did to me. I can't predict how he'll turn out. His father's past doesn't have to decide his future. It might. But ultimately, it is his decision to make. I always felt we were destined to turn out like the people who raised us. But if that were true, then I would have a lot to worry about, wouldn't I?

I don't want to die like Bruiser did.

The tunnels were a smooth path through craggy brown stone. It felt like it had been trodden in by foot. Alex and I walked ahead to guide the others; somehow a thin layer of fog had even managed to seep under the earth

"Can we just take a moment to talk about the fact that we're actually on a treasure hunt?!" said Torch.

"Do you think there'll be rubies?" said Cream. "Or sapphires? Or emeralds?"

"We're going to a sacred cavern," said Toto, "trust me, they'll have something way more exciting."

Cream gave an excited shriek. Ken rolled his eyes, but I caught a small smile on his face as well. Cynnamon was cheery as if the battle earlier had never happened, and even Spencer had managed to calm down.

We do make a great team.

The tunnels wound and turned, forked off in different directions.

"We're in pretty deep," I said to the others, "it might be a good idea to start leaving a trail."

"Won't those Pokémon be able to track us?" said Ken.

"If we get far enough in and can't find our way back, it won't matter, because someone else will find us instead."

I expected an argument. Instead Ken nodded, turned and zapped the wall with a bolt of electricity. It left a small but distinct black mark.

"Perfect!" I said.

Ken's cheeks turned redder than before.

We turned a corner, and came face-to-face with a small yellow-and-blue Pokémon, dressed in a hemp tunic of criss-crossing black, red, and blue. A large wooden staff with a clean-cut green aventurine at the head was strapped across his back.

"Hello," I said, "my name is—"

The Minun turned and bolted down the tunnel. I raced after him, and after a couple of confused shouts the others followed.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to be chasing a Pokémon probably meant to guard for intruders?" Alex asked.

"We're not really getting in without intruding!" I said.

The Minun turned a corner. We turned and followed. He looked back over his shoulder, lowered his head and picked up speed. The tunnel went deep, and soon he'd disappeared into the darkness. I could still hear his footsteps though, and we were—

"Hold it!"

We skidded to a halt. Torch torpedoed face-first into Alex's back and Toto toppled down on top of me. A Plusle was standing with her arms out, blocking our passage, dressed in the same attire as her counterpart, with a yellow citrine jewel at the end of her staff. I hadn't even seen the tunnel she'd emerged from until it was too late.

Her cheeks crackled yellow. Her face was stern, but not combative. The Minun stood behind her, and his paws were glowing a cheery white-and-yellow, I recognised a Helping Hand.

"I'm going to assume you found your way here by accident," she said, "and give you a chance to turn around and find your way out of the caves. You'll want to carry on north; if you reach the stalactites you've gone the wrong way."

"No, we came here on purpose," I said. "We're here to help."

The Plusle immediately looked at my scarf. I knew picking gold was going to bite me in the ass eventually.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"You and what army?" Cream muttered.

The Plusle smiled. "I don't really think you want to find out."

"Haha, nope, no need for any armies," Alex said, "we're all on the same side here."

"I understand you might have good intentions, but I can't just let you through."

"Don't then," said Ken. Now his cheeks were sparking, too.

The Plus Pokémon gave an exasperated sigh. "Lunick, could you give me a hand?"

The Minun nodded, a steely look in his eyes. Lightning sparked, and her muscles tensed.

"Soleil sent us!" I exclaimed.

The Plusle froze.

"Soleil?"

I took the bracelet out of my bag and unwrapped the napkin. She held out her paw. I was hesitant to give something so important to this stranger, but there didn't seem to be any way around it.

The Plusle slid the bracelet around her arm. Suddenly her body glowed yellow, and the tunnel was lit up as if the sun was shining through the roof.

Then the light shrank to a spark as she handed it back to me.

"All right, I can see you guys are the real deal;" she said, "Soleil would never have allowed her soul to be used by someone she didn't trust."

Alex's eyes widened.

"Her soul is in there?!"

The Plusle gave a wry smile. "No, of course not. But that colour is her soul's colour. Yellow, just like mine. Few Pokémon on earth have the kind of technical skills to trap such powerful magic into something so small. You want to be careful with that thing, by the way."

I cautiously wrapped it in the napkin and placed it back in my bag. When I looked up, the Plusle's paw was extended. We shook.

"Guardian Solana," she introduced herself. "This is Guardian Lunick."

"How d'ya do?" said the Minun.

"Guardian?" said Alex.

She nodded. "It's a religious title. You may have heard other faiths use it." She shrugged. "Not that that's important. What's in a name, right?"

"Haha, yeah," said Alex with an expression of pure suffering.

She waved us along. "C'mon, I'll show you around!"

We were led to a moderately-sized cavern; it was the same reddish-brown as before, but it had been smoothed and polished to a near shine. The hallways were smoothed, and patterns were carved into benches, stools, and cabinets, containing anything from books to healing items to colourful ornaments. Cream's eyes gleamed, but we had to keep our paws to ourselves here. The fog thickened as we walked.

Two dozen or so Pokémon in the same uniform milled about, spears in their hands or strapped to their backs. Among them, a Turtwig sat on a low stone platform, a book flattened out in front of her. As well as the standard uniform for the Epsilon Guardian, a necklace dangled from a copper thread around her neck.

"High Guardian Peridot?" said Solana.

The Turtwig looked up at us, closed the book and got to her feet. She hopped off the platform and came to greet us. Up close, she was shorter than everyone but Spencer and Cynnamon, yet somehow I felt I should be looking up to her.

"Soleil sent them," said Solana.

"You're certain?"

"It was her soul colour, inside a phantom bracelet. I don't believe it could be anyone else."

Mage Peridot seemed satisfied. "Thank you, Solana."

Solana made to leave.

"I think you ought to stay."

The Plusle stopped. Lunick came up beside her, and they stood just behind, between us and the exit.

"Tell me why you've come here," said the Turtwig. It was a command, but her voice was casual as if she was asking about the weather.

I explained our fears about the Archon, and about the displacement of Tenrai's wild Pokémon.

"No," she said, "tell me why you've come here."

I looked at Alex. He nodded. We were braced for it, the reaction that would come. It was enough revealing his identity to new Pokémon under normal circumstances (however rarely they came about), but to stand here, in a cavern erected to guard the secrets of the Gods, secrets only a human soul could unlock, we were prepared for the next words he spoke to shake the foundations of the Guardians' home to its core.

"We're here because I'm a human," Alex said.

Peridot frowned. She looked confused. The Guardians looked at each other, muttering.

"You are… also human?"

Alex blinked. "Also?"

"Surprise!"

All six of us nearly jumped out of or skin as Mikey and Evie burst out of the pile of straw.

"Can I clean this up now?" said the Rune Yamask hovering there with a broom.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Mikey said, shaking a piece of straw off his foot. He picked another off the top of the pile and placed it in his mouth. He folded his arms and leaned back "casually" against the wall.

"You're supposed to have the grain on the outside," said Evie.

He stuck out his tongue and flipped the straw around.

"You're both human?" Solana said flatly. She was unconvinced.

"It's true!" Evie said. "I know it's hard to believe, but why do you think we came together in the first place? Wouldn't you want to be around another member of your species if you were the only ones left?"

"Alex is a human," I said, "I've seen it with my own eyes. And I believe in Evie, too. You have our word."

"Explain to me why we're supposed to trust your word in the first place?" the Plusle rebutted.

"We don't need to trust them, Solana," Peridot said as her foot went to her necklace. "The Lapis will reveal all."

"Lapis?" I said.

With a click the necklace opened to reveal a glittering green gem, round, with a gold circle in the centre and line cutting through. A badge.

"Guards," the Turtwig called, "prepare to strike."

There was a great rustling of hemp and shifting of metal as two dozen spears were lowered in our direction. Solana and Lunick's cheeks lit up, shining plus and minus signs against the wall. Four of the Guardians raised a protect bubble, blocking our companions off. The four of us instantly jumped into defensive position, a diamond shape, my back to Evie, Alex's to Mikey.

The lapis badge shone. Light radiated from our bodies; my pale-blue and Alex's orange trailed away and fused together, until we were both wrapped in each other's colours. The same happened to the others, Evie's navy mingling with Mikey's purple.

Peridot snapped the necklace shut. The light faded away. She waved her foot and the guards lowered their spears.

"My sincere apologies," said the sorceress, "the lapis badge only activates in battle, or if the users perceive a battle is about to commence."

Alex's eyes were wide, and the fire on his tail was blazing. I put a hand on his shoulder, he yelped and startled so badly a flame escaped his mouth.

"That was a dirty trick," I snapped at Peridot.

"Woah, woah, easy does it," Mikey said, holding up his hands.

"It was just a test, right?" Evie said. "They had to know we weren't lying."

And it doesn't bother you that the "test" put Alex into a state?! I wanted to yell at them. But what good would it do? They don't understand what's happening to him.

I don't even understand what's happening to him.

Peridot bowed. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming here today. We know Malik Grieve has been searching for this place, but no one would listen to us. Guardians are seen with nought but suspicion in these sacrilegious times."

"Yeah, can't imagine why," Ken said.

Peridot looked Ken's way. The Pikachu was silenced without a word.

"Eventually Grieve will find his way here," the sorceress continued, "and he will attempt to break into the tomb. There is no way he can enter, not without the soul of a human. Either he is ignorant, or far more resourceful than we could allow ourselves to fear."

Cream threw her paws into the air. "So why'd we even come here if you don't even need us?!"

Peridot looked her in the eye. "Because even if Grieve can't enter the tomb, he can still destroy our home and put us all to the sword."

Cream lowered her arms.

"There are five hundred Pokémon living in the Epsilon Cavern. Without us guarding the God's secrets, there will be no one to stand between Grieve and power no politician should ever wield." "Politician" was spat out like a curse. "If he does not already possess a human soul, he will surely hunt one of you down. This mission benefits you as much as it does us."

"Do you know what exactly Grieve is looking for?" I asked.

"The tomb is said to contain the secret to awakening a God," said Peridot. "Of course, I myself have never been inside, and neither have any of our living residents. The tomb has been sealed for thousands of years."

Evie wrinkled her nose. "Ew, it's gonna be musty."

"Only a human soul and a Pokémon soul joined as one can open the doors. It seems to me that time has come at least."

I blinked. "Now? Already?"

"Would you rather wait a day and wager on a whim that Grieve's Pokémon won't have reached us by then?" She turned. Solana and Lunick fell in behind her. "It's not a far walk."

The four of us followed her. The rest made to follow, but the guards lowered their spears.

"I'm afraid your friends can't come with you."

"Why not?" Cream stropped.

"We cannot risk the God's secrets escaping from this cave," Peridot said sharply. "Frankly, it was unprecedented letting you in at all. You may thank the Gods we are all fearing for our lives."

We followed Peridot through the winding tunnels. Alex jumped at every shadow, every shifting stone, every Pokémon walking past. He kept looking back over his shoulder to where we'd left the others in the guardian caretakers' custody.

"Are they going to be okay?" he said quietly.

"We will not hurt them," Peridot said, eyes on the path ahead. "We are not bad Pokémon."

"You wouldn't tell me if you were…" he muttered.

"Alex," I hissed. "I know you're afraid, but you need to stop antagonising people. They're trying to help us. We can trust them."

Alex sighed. "I'm sorry, you're right. I don't think they're bad, I just… I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me today."

"It's all right," I said, and even I could hear how empty those words were becoming.

Mikey and Evie ambled closer to Peridot, closing her in on each side. The Plusle and Minun glared at them.

"Can I help you?" said the Turtwig.

"What's it like being one of God's groupies?" asked Mikey.

Yveltal end me.

"It is an honour to be of service to one of our world's greatest creators."

"What's your God like?" Evie asked. "We're just curious; we've had the same one all our lives, we were just raised that way."

"A being of incredible strength and divine invention," Peridot answered without looking at them, "that's all you need to know."

"What type?" asked Evie.

"Classified."

"Any siblings?" asked Mikey.

"Classified."

"Can you at least tell us their name?" the Evolution Pokémon asked.

Peridot didn't answer.

"You don't know their name?"

"What's got you so curious?" asked Solana.

"Maybe we want some rough idea of the kind of Pokémon we're poking with a big ancient-magic-y stick."

"You said you wanted to be here," I told her.

"I did," she replied, "but I also want to know none of us are in danger."

"We're all in danger," Peridot retorted, "that's why we're allowing you in here."

Evie looked down at the ground. Fair point.

We turned a corner. My eyes moved upwards to take in the 10-foot-tall double-doors taking up the other side of the cavern. Geometrical lines and dots were carved into the red-brown stone, and a circular shape like the lapis badge took up the centre. In front of the doors, the same symbol had been carved twice into the floor. Geometrical lines ran from the floor up a small flight of stairs to the doors.

"Only one pair can open the tomb," Peridot explained, "it is of no matter to me whom you choose."

Mikey and Evie looked at each other, nodded.

"You guys do it," he said.

"It's only right," she added, "you were right, this really was your mission all along."

My mouth hung open. "Thank you guys."

Evie smiled, swishing her tail. "What are friends for?"

Alex and I stepped into the circles, facing each other. Peridot flipped open the necklace. The lapis badge glowed. Our bodies lit up. Light met light and the colours merged together, blue and orange, orange and blue, until it was one shining bronze stream holding us together. Then it died.

Alex frowned, looked from me to the doors to the mage.

"Hey Peridot, your tomb is broken," he said.

"The magic of the Gods cannot be broken, child," said the Turtwig. She looked from him to me. "There is something wrong with your connection."

Alex looked at me with a smile on his face, as if she was being ridiculous. Then his smile faded, too.

"Tobias?" he said quietly.

I felt four pairs of eyes burning into me.

"Alex, no, I don't want to have this conversation here in front of people."

But hundreds of Pokémon's lives were depending on us now, and we were failing.

Panic filled Alex's face. There were tears in his eyes, his flame was burning bright enough for me to see them.

"Tobias, what's wrong?"

He didn't sound angry or frustrated, he just sounded hurt. Yveltal, why, why did we have to have this conversation now?!

"I don't know…" I said.

Alex's jaw set. "Yes you do."

"We're going to give you too some space," Evie said, already backing away.

"You don't know your way around these caverns," said Peridot, "allow me to escort you to our recreational centre."

"That'd be lovely, thank you so much."

They weren't going far, I knew. Just far enough where they wouldn't have to watch this happening.

Alex waited for me to speak.

"I feel…" When did forming words become so hard? "Zygarde, Alex, I feel like I could collapse. For the past half of a year you've been a different Pokémon, and all this time I've been fighting to get the old Alex back. Half a year. And we'd known each other for forty days. You're the most important person in my life but sometimes it feels like I've lost you!"

Alex opened his mouth, and I reflexively flinched. Then his expression soften, and his voice came out in a croak:

"I can't be that person anymore, Tobias. I've changed. You have to accept that."

"No. No I don't. I'm not accepting this. Not all change is good, Alex, and this certainly isn't. You're turning into a Pokémon I'm not sure if I can even trust on missions anymore!"

"Would you rather me be a monster?!" Alex suddenly yelled. "The way I was when I was human?!"

"I'd rather you be happy, Alex!"

"Why?! So I'd be a better friend?! A better partner?!"

"Because I love you! You matter more to me than I matter to myself!"

"Me or him, Tobias. It's me or him, because you can't say that about both of us at the same time. I'm a different person now. Can't you love me like I am now?"

"Stop using that as an excuse! This isn't change, this isn't who you are now. This is mental illness! You're not well, Alex!"

A long silence.

"And what's going to happen when I get better?" he asked. "Will you still be there?"

I took his hands.

"Always."

A glow.

"Even if I change?"

I squeezed them in mine.

"As long as we change together."

Our bodies shone, blue and orange, orange and blue. The light filled the room. Mikey, Evie, Peridot, Solana, and Lunick raced back into the cavern, and gasped as one.

It worked. The glow travelled from our bodies to the pedestals to the lines along the floor to the carvings in the doors, and after a few moments, they began to shift.

The Epsilon Cavern was open.