Chapter 31 - Recovery
Ziggy sat on the couch, wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets, and staring out blankly into space.
There was a lot of activity going on in front of him. Pokémon both inside and outside of the active team were rushing to and fro, in and out of the common room and dorms, and never seeming to sit still. Ziggy was the only still one in the room. It wasn't a very cold day, but Ziggy just felt cold.
It had been three days since the incident in the plaza, and Ziggy hadn't gotten a wink of sleep throughout. Terrifying, gruesome images of the battle's outcome remained at the forefront of his mind and wouldn't go away, not to mention the terrifying memory of the creature itself.
The good news was that nothing unusual had occurred since the plaza attack, not even anything slightly unusual. For the moment, Radiant City and all of its residents were safe, but that didn't mean they felt safe
As a few of Ziggy's friends had mentioned, this was the busiest most of them had seen the guild in a long time. Everyone at the building, whether they worked there part-time, full-time, or lived here like the active team, they were all called in to help. Pokémon across the city were worried and panicking, and the need for help was greater than ever.
Ziggy wanted to help them, but he just couldn't bring himself to do anything. As a new guild recruit he felt awful about this, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Ziggy felt shaken right to his core.
"You want any food, buddy?"
Slowly, Ziggy turned his head up to see Sparks was standing nearby. He looked exhausted as well, though not nearly as badly as Ziggy felt. In response, Ziggy just slowly shook his head.
"You sure you don't wanna just relax in your room? It'd be quieter," Sparks said, his ears drooping in worry.
Normally, Ziggy would have loved to escape to the peacefulness of his room. However, in this case, he felt more secure out here. Where all the other Pokémon were.
He saw Sparks glance over his shoulder, a conflicted look on his face. He seemed to be looking at all the other bustling Pokémon. Eventually, though, he stepped over and sat down on the couch next to Ziggy, putting a paw across his shoulders.
"You'll be okay, bud," he said softly, "You're all right. It's normal to be…well, a little bit freaked out after something like that, but you'll be okay."
"Mnn…"
"You should feel good about yourself, bud. You were very brave out there, from what I was told. Thanks to you, none of those five cubs got hurt and they're all safe at home with their families now."
Ziggy just glanced down at the ground. Sparks' words rang hollow.
After a bit more quiet passed between the two, Sparks sighed. "I…kinda get how you feel," he admitted, "considering I spent the whole match curled up in a ball in the corner. I…certainly wished I could have helped more."
"You tried…" Ziggy murmured.
"Hey, you did too. You tried your best to help, and you did!"
Ziggy's expression soured and he hugged his blanket tighter around him.
A period of silence passed that wasn't nearly as long as it felt to Ziggy. Eventually he heard Sparks speak again. "I wish this didn't have to happen to you, Ziggy," he spoke sadly, "I wish it didn't have to be this hard. I wish it didn't have to be so unfair. I really don't know why all of this had to happen now of all times…"
"Sparks…!" Carmen's voice suddenly interrupted them. Ziggy and Sparks both looked up to see the Braixen standing before the couch, all of her fur a frazzled mess. She was looking sternly at Sparks and at first it seemed like she was going to berate him. This passed after a moment, though, and her expression softened.
"Sorry, Carmen-" Sparks started.
"Don't be sorry. I know," she interjected, "There's just too much happening. Three quarters of the city are locked up in their houses and refuse to come out, there's police and security roaming the streets looking for more of these damn portals. I really wish it had just been another Nihilego, I honestly would have preferred it…"
"What are we calling this thing?" Sparks muttered glibly.
"Who the hell cares? We can call it 'Red Nihilego' for all I care…"
"I'd call it… I dunno, 'buzz' something," Sparks remarked, "But anyway, the police are gonna contact us the moment any new portal shows up, right?"
"They will, but who knows if that will do any good…The best we can do is try to keep others safe and away from these things. We have no idea how to fight against any of them…"
"That's true… We still don't even know if they're Pokémon or something else entirely."
"Right…" Carmen said with a nod.
"It's a Pokémon…"
Both Carmen and Sparks turned to Ziggy after hearing his quiet statement that was nearly drowned out by the bustling Pokémon around them. "What?" Sparks asked.
"It's…It's a Pokémon," Ziggy replied, his voice wavering slightly.
"How do you know?" Carmen asked skeptically.
"I saw it use Mega Punch…"
Sparks arched his eyebrows, and then shared a glance with Carmen. "You…did?" he asked uncertainly.
"It looks just like when you use it," Ziggy said to him, "Your fist gets all white and glowy and then it's a big, strong punch."
Ziggy jumped slightly as he felt Sparks shiver beside him. He looked over from his cocoon of blankets and saw Sparks had his eyes shut and had a grimace on his face. "Oh no…I-I'm sorry, Sparks."
Sparks shook his head a bit before opening his eyes again. "It's fine…" he muttered in a low voice, and then cleared his throat.
"So, it used Mega P…" Carmen started to say, but then cut herself off. She too cleared her throat and continued, "It used a Pokémon Move…Interesting…"
"If you can call it that…" Sparks murmured.
"I'll have to let Jiuji know about this."
This caused Sparks to perk up. "Is Dr. Hilo okay? With everything going on, I keep forgetting to ask."
"Oh, he's fine," Carmen said dismissively, "Just a bump on the head. He's back at work already."
"Okay, good…"
Carmen then glanced over her shoulder, just like Sparks had done earlier. Ziggy got the impression that standing around chatting by the couch was not high on anybody's priority list at this point. "Don't take too long, Sparks," she said, "We need you."
"I know, Carmen."
She then turned to Ziggy and looked him right in the eye. "You've been very helpful, Ziggy. Both now and during the incident. You've done your badge proud."
Ziggy looked up at her curiously, not sure exactly how to react to her words. However, she didn't stand there for long and soon after turned around and walked back into the crowd.
"You gonna be okay, Ziggy?" Sparks asked, "For now, I mean. Can I get you anything, or do anything for you?"
"I…" Ziggy murmured softly. He thought about the question, but instead of an answer he was assaulted by so many other bothersome thoughts. "I don't know…" he said, "I…I'm not gonna…quit or anything…"
Sparks tilted his head, one of his ears flopping over. "Say what?"
"My badge…" he said, "It kinda feels like I'm so scared that normally I'd wanna quit and give up, but…I just felt like I needed to say I'm not gonna…"
"Oh!" Sparks said, though there was a hint in his voice that he still didn't quite understand, "Well, I mean, there's no need to be concerned with that. Things happen all the time that put guildmembers out of commission for a little bit. If it's not in your control, it's no big deal. And you're a recruit anyway, so you take all the time you need."
"Thanks Sparks," Ziggy said softly, "This is such a…bad thing…and I really want to help more, but…"
"Don't push yourself too hard, Ziggy," Sparks said, "That's a lesson we try to teach guildmembers early on. We expect a lot from Rescue Society alumni, but we never expect anyone to exceed their limits."
"Okay…"
"Just relax for a bit," Sparks said, trying to put a cheerful spin in his voice, "Try to feel better. Talk to someone if something's bothering you. You sure you don't want any food?"
Ziggy shook his head. "Not yet. Later…"
"All right. I gotta go, bud, but we'll talk more later. Okay?"
The Buizel simply nodded. Sparks gave him a pat on the back, and then also got up and disappeared back into the crowd.
Ziggy sighed and eventually leaned over to rest his head against the couch's armrest. He felt the same way he'd felt after punching that Delcatty in the face. All of the excitement and self-confidence he'd managed to build up was gone. It was an awful feeling, like he had been inches away from the surface of the water only to be dragged all the way down to the murky depths.
He really did want to help with the aftermath, like all of these brave Pokémon in the room were doing. He saw familiar faces, like Rico running back and forth frantically, Terry talking with a group of Pokémon while looking at a map, and Jules carrying a huge amount of papers and folders with his dextrous ribbons. There were also so many Pokémon he didn't recognize, but he knew he could trust because of the badges they were all wearing. He really did want to help.
But, unfortunately, he just couldn't at the moment. His mind was constantly being assaulted with vivid images of the horrors he had witnessed back in that plaza. Memories of what had happened, and memories of the creature in all of its terrifying glory. Memories of what had been left after the creature vanished.
Memories…of what he had done.
"Ziggy? Wake up…"
The slumbering Buizel snorted rather unflatteringly and jerked his head up. It took him a moment to realize where he was and what had happened. Apparently at some point he had fallen asleep against the armrest of the couch. He could see a small wet spot from where he'd drooled on the upholstery. He flushed in embarrassment and tried to hide the spot with his paw.
"Huh…?" he murmured sleepily, looking up to see Sparks standing nearby. He also noticed that the room was much emptier than it had been before. There were still Pokémon in the room, all of whom were sitting at the long table and working on something, but the crowd that had been here earlier was gone. "What happened…? Where is ev'ryone?"
"Out. Working. Helping," Sparks replied, "Carmen got her eggs in a basket and finally managed to sort pretty much everyone out. You seemed so tired that I didn't want to wake you up, but…"
"But what?" Ziggy asked, rubbing one of his eyes. Honestly, the impromptu nap he had accidentally taken had been more restful than his previous nights' sleep.
"Dante's here," Sparks replied.
Ziggy bolted upright immediately. "He is?"
"He just got here. He's out in the courtyard where it's quiet."
The Buizel, however, was already up off the couch and on the move. Without another word to Sparks, he started to quickly make his way to the courtyard. Sparks followed behind him. Ziggy refrained from running, since there were still many hard-working Pokémon moving about the guild, but he did walk speedily. His mind was laser-focused and his heart hammered in his chest. Though he knew in his heart that it made no sense, he held onto a distant fading hope as tightly as he could.
"Ziggy!" Sparks called from behind him, "Wait up!"
He couldn't wait, though. He couldn't stop, and he couldn't slow down. He had to see Dante. Had to get to him. Had to talk to him. He simply had to…
Ziggy pushed open the glass door leading out to the courtyard. The area had a rather dour appearance due to the heavy clouds that were in the sky, and yet there was no rain to make the place feel serene. Nobody else was in the courtyard, probably because they were all so busy. And there, sitting in the middle on a chair that someone had provided, was Dante.
The Lucario turned his head and looked over towards Ziggy when he heard him enter. He looked tired; much more tired than Ziggy had ever seen him. "Hello, Ziggy," he said, still with a warm smile on his face.
For a moment, Ziggy just stood still in the entrance area of the courtyard and stared. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung ajar, but he couldn't help it. For a moment he forgot to breathe and had to remind himself to do so. The silence that filled the air was heavy. Ziggy wanted so badly to break it somehow, but he had no idea what he could possibly say.
After an uncomfortably long time, Ziggy somehow found the strength to move his hind paws. He walked slowly across the grass and the gravel paths over to where Dante was sitting. Ziggy's eyes were locked on the same spot the whole way, unable to tear them away no matter how badly he wanted to. Dante was resting on the chair, and leaning against the back of it were a pair of crutches. The reason for them was, of course, obvious.
Ziggy simply couldn't stop staring in horror at Dante's right leg. Or, rather, what remained of it. Though his left leg looked normal and was resting on the ground, instead of his right leg there was simply a stump. At just about the point where the thicker blue fur of his leg ended, the rest of his leg simply wasn't there. The end was wrapped up in bandages and gauze, which were at the least thankfully not stained red.
"D-D-D…Dante…" Ziggy whimpered.
"Good to see you, Ziggy," Dante said, his voice sounding slightly weak and tired, "Glad to see you're not hurt."
"Oh g-gosh…" Ziggy continued to stare in disbelief. Even though he had clearly seen what had happened to Dante's leg back at the plaza, he still couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. It didn't look real. Somehow, it felt like it just couldn't be real. "Oh no…" he whispered.
"Dante…!" Sparks said, coming up from behind Ziggy to join them.
"Sparks, old friend. Are you feeling all right?" Dante asked him.
"Me? Who cares about that right now? How are you feeling?"
"They let me out of the hospital earlier today, and I came straight here," Dante answered, "I must admit it took a fair while for me to get the hang of walking with these things, but…" He hucked a thumb over his shoulder and pointed at the crutches behind him.
"…You walked all the way over here?" Sparks spat in disbelief.
Dante chuckled dryly. "Perhaps not the best idea," he said, "I am still slightly misty from the medications…"
The Raichu and Lucario continued to lightly bicker with one another, but Ziggy meanwhile remained rooted to the spot. The sight of Dante's missing leg was sickening. It made him feel queasy and he wanted to look away, but for some reason he just couldn't. It was just beyond anything he could have imagined. The worst injury he had ever seen before was a broken limb, which he himself had received one awful day while living on the streets.
"Ziggy, don't stare. It's rude," Sparks gently reprimanded him.
This was finally enough to make Ziggy look up. He met the Lucario's eyes, and saw the heavy rings underneath them. Even ignoring his leg, Dante looked rough. It wasn't hard to imagine why; he had been through a lot.
"Dante…" Ziggy whimpered.
"It's okay, Ziggy," he said calmly, "Relax. I'm still alive, and something like this isn't going to kill me…"
Ziggy could feel tears and knew he was crying. "B-but…"
Dante closed his eyes and sighed softly, wearing a sad, contemplative smile. "I'm just happy that everybody is safe. Especially the two of you."
"Arceus have mercy…" Sparks murmured, "I…can't believe this. I'm…so sorry this had to happen to you."
"No need to be sorry," Dante said, "Things happen."
"I, uh…" Sparks cleared his throat. "Gosh, I'm sorry but I'm just at a loss for words."
"Understandable…"
"Does it…hurt?" Sparks asked awkwardly.
Dante glanced downward, and Ziggy fought the urge to follow his gaze. "It will probably hurt for a few weeks or up to a month, they told me. They gave me medication to take home and a prescription for Heal Pulse treatment and free Oran Berries. The meds work, thankfully. Doesn't hurt right now."
"Well…That's good, at least…"
"Honestly, the worst part is that I can still…feel it…As if it was still there. It is the strangest, most uncomfortable feeling that I could not possibly describe…"
"Dante…?" Ziggy squeaked.
"Yes?" Dante said, looking down at him patiently.
Ziggy gulped, feeling the words get tangled into a knot in his throat. "Wh…What does this mean? What does this mean…f-for you? What are you…? What is…?"
Dante gave him a sad smile. "I am…not completely sure of that myself," he replied, "It is…most definitely a sudden change. Certainly not where I imagined this life would take me…" He then let out a heavy sigh, though it seemed like he refused to frown. "Either way…" he spoke softly, "my adventuring days…are over."
A loud gasp suddenly rang out through the air, and Ziggy clasped both forepaws over his mouth. He looked up at Dante with wide eyes, and subtly shook his head.
"I wish it weren't so," Dante said, "but I've not much choice in the matter. Dante the Wanderer shall wander no more…"
"Oh, Dante…" Sparks said pityingly.
"It is a difficult reality to accept, I will admit," Dante continued, "There is so much more of this wonderful world I wanted to explore, and there is always more one can do when it comes to helping others."
Sparks came into view and stepped closer to Dante, squatting down slightly so he was at the sitting Lucario's eye level. "It's a terrible shame…" he said, "I wish I could do something. I would give anything to allow you to keep doing what you do…"
"It is indeed a shame, but don't be so downtrodden. The world is certainly capable of surviving without me."
"I mean, I guess that's technically true," Sparks said, "but…Dante, there's nobody out there like you. Nobody even comes close."
"Somebody will, some day."
"I'm not so sure. Pokémon like you appear once in a lifetime…"
Dante adjusted his position in the seat, grunting in discomfort as he did so. It was shocking to see the Lucario move so stiffly and awkwardly, considering the amazingly swift movements he had exhibited so often in the past. "I've already spoken with Carmen," Dante said, "She was…troubled."
"I know you and her were very close," Sparks said.
"After a certain point, anyway. Remember when I first showed up?"
"Well, she was a firecracker back then. Hotheaded little Fennekin who thought she was the top of the world."
"I do wish she didn't have to see me like this…" Dante admitted, "She's got enough to worry about right now."
"Tell me about it," Sparks agreed, "A bunch of us are seriously considering the possibility of using Sleep Powder on her just so she'll get some rest during this crisis…"
Dante sighed again. "That, perhaps, is the most pitiable aspect of it all. It pains me to know that I will not be able to help any further with this crisis. I may be able to help out a small bit from the confines of my room, but…"
"Don't worry, Dante. We'll figure it out. We always do."
"It is worrying…I wish to keep everyone safe from these invaders, and now I will not be able to…"
"I…I'm sorry…" a tiny voice suddenly interjected.
Both Dante and Sparks turned to look at Ziggy in surprise. "Huh?" Sparks asked.
"I'm sorry…" Ziggy repeated in a trembling voice, "I'm so sorry…"
Sparks looked at him, befuddled. "Why? Sorry for what?"
"This is my fault…"
Shock etched itself onto Sparks' expression, and he turned to look at Dante in confusion. "What do you mean 'your fault'?"
"D-Dante was…protecting me when he…w-when…it happened…"
"Oh, come now Ziggy…" Dante said, "That's ridiculous."
Ziggy just stood there for a moment, trying to keep from hyperventilating. His gaze had subconsciously drifted back down to Dante's missing leg. He couldn't stop thinking about how impossible it all was. Dante was an amazing adventurer who traveled the world and did amazing things. Those days couldn't be over now. They just couldn't.
Yet, seeing what Dante was like now before him, Ziggy knew it was the horrible truth. Everything Dante did, all of the amazing things he did and all of the Pokémon he helped, it was all over now. Just like that. Because of what had happened, Dante would never be able to do anything the same ever again. He'd never again be able to do any of the things he was known for. Everything he had spent his life building up, working towards, was just over in the span of a second.
And Ziggy knew it was because of him.
"You were keeping cubs safe!" Sparks shouted, "Don't you dare for a minute think you were doing anything wrong!"
"The safety of five young cubs is more than worth an arm or a leg," Dante said in a wry attempt at humour.
It was too much. Ziggy couldn't handle seeing this. Seeing what had happened to Dante; to the Pokémon he looked up to so much. He could feel himself starting to panic. With a cry of anguish, tears streaming from his eyes, he turned tail and bolted out of the courtyard. Sparks was yelling from behind him, but Ziggy didn't listen. He hardly even registered what Sparks was saying. He pulled open the glass doors as quickly as he could, ran through them, and then ran as fast as he could off to his room. He hoped he'd gotten far enough away before Dante could hear him starting to cry.
Sparks watched in dismay as the Buizel ran away. He thought about chasing after him, but ended up deciding to remain in the courtyard with Dante. He sighed heavily once Ziggy was completely out of sight, and turned back to look at Dante.
"I yelled too loudly, didn't I?" he asked sullenly.
"…Perhaps a little," Dante admitted.
"I wasn't yelling at him…I just get so worked up when I see him get upset for all the wrong reasons."
"Don't worry about it for now, Sparks. Let him work out his emotions. He'll be fine."
Sparks looked over at the Lucario sadly. Even after telling off Ziggy for staring, Sparks couldn't keep his eyes from darting down to Dante's stump occasionally.
"Ziggy doesn't need to apologize to you," Sparks said, "but I feel like I do."
"Oh, for Arceus' sake…"
"I couldn't help you. I was useless out there," Sparks lamented, "We can thank the lucky stars that I didn't turn into a liability out there…"
"Sparks, good gracious, don't apologize for not doing something you're not capable of doing in the first place," Dante admonished him, "That's like apologizing for not knowing Hydro Cannon."
"I just wish I didn't have to be like this…"
"I know, Sparks. You've said it before. It kills you inside when you know you can't help."
Sparks glanced away for a moment, fighting off dark thoughts in his head. He had to struggle really hard to keep himself from saying, 'It's my fault I have PTSD anyway.'
"You don't have to feel bad, Sparks…" Dante started to say.
"I know, I just…I'm sorry, Dante. I'm going to be…processing this for a bit. Right now, I simply can't help but feel awful for, well, not doing my part in the battle."
Dante was silent for a moment, then simply nodded. "I suppose that's simply to be expected."
Sparks glanced down at the sitting Lucario. Dante was remaining calm and wasn't frowning, but Sparks had known him long enough to see that something wasn't right with him. Dante had learned long ago not to let his negative emotions control him and always tried to see the positive side of anything in life. Right now, though, Sparks could see in Dante's eyes that he was barely holding it together.
That was, honestly, the most frightening thing about all of this.
"Sparks!" a young voice shouted from behind.
The Raichu in question turned around and saw a panting, wide-eyed Riolu standing at the entrance to the courtyard. Before Sparks could answer, he was already running in.
"Where's Dante?" Rico demanded, and Sparks realized that he was standing in such a way that he was fully blocking Dante from view. When Sparks stepped to the side, Rico nearly tripped and came to a halt. His expression of shock was a near mirror image of what Ziggy's had been.
"Hello, Rico," Dante greeted him softly.
"Dante, no…" Rico murmured, his paws quivering slightly, "N-no…"
"He's going to be fine, Rico," Sparks assured him, "He's not gonna die or anything."
Rico just stared in shock silently at the dismembered Lucario. He subtly shook his head occasionally. Sparks knew just how much the young Riolu looked up to Dante. He wasn't quite sure who looked up to him more, Rico or Ziggy, but he would cautiously put his bet on it being Rico. The fact that the two shared a species line was what made Dante so relatable to Rico. He could see Dante as his own future self.
"P…Please…" Rico whispered, "T-tell me this is just a bad dream…"
Sparks cringed slightly. Those were words that Dante should be saying, not Rico.
"This…This can't happen…" he continued, "Y…You're Dante. You're Dante!"
"I'm still Dante," he replied with a sad smile, "That much hasn't changed."
"But you…you're…" Rico mumbled. He was shaking his head again, more vigorously this time. There was so much denial in his eyes and his body language, but Sparks knew that it was fighting a fruitless battle against the truth that Rico could see before his own eyes. "You can't be…"
Then, as tears welled up in his eyes, Rico turned tail and bolted just like Ziggy had done. He ran straight back towards the doors to the inside of the building. As he ran through the doors, however, he nearly barreled right through Terry. Sparks hadn't noticed the Eevee there until the last moment, and he wasn't sure Rico had seen him at all. As Rico ran inside, Terry lost his balance and fell on his side.
Sparks cursed softly and ran over towards the Eevee to help him back up. "You okay, Terr?"
"I'm fine…" he replied lowly, belaying only his physical condition. Once he was standing, he glanced off in the direction Rico had run with a distant look in his eyes. His ears then drooped and he sighed softly, and then he turned and looked out at Dante.
Terry silently followed Sparks as he went to rejoin Dante out in the courtyard. "I'm sorry, Dante," Sparks said to him, "You deserve better than this. They're just young, is all."
"Not to worry, Sparks," Dante replied, "I understand…"
Sparks glanced down at Terry, and noted that he too was briefly spellbound by the sight of Dante's injury. He seemed to shake it off before long, though. "H-hello, Mr. Dante," he said, "How are you?"
"Slightly loopy…" Dante replied.
"Huh?" Terry said in confusion.
"I'm on medication for pain," Dante clarified, "I'm probably gonna go pass out in my room pretty soon."
"I can help you over there," Sparks said, "You wanna go now, or-?"
Dante chuckled softly and waved his paw dismissively. "Sparks, don't start doting on me already. I do need to learn how to walk with these things at some point, don't I?"
"Y…Yeah, but…"
"Not…when you're on meds…" Terry said softly.
Dante blinked a couple of times, and then said, "Perhaps you're right about that…"
There was a moment of silence, and then Terry cleared his throat. "S-sorry…" he said, "I just…don't know what to say."
"You've got enough on your mind to worry about besides me," Dante said.
Terry winced slightly, and his ears drooped again. "I…" he said in a low, hoarse voice, "I saw him running down here all worried and panicked and I…I just followed him, hoping I could make him feel better. Y'know, as if nothing had changed. Like we were still…s-still…"
Sparks reached over and gave him a few pats on the back of his head. "It's good that you still care about him so much."
"I've just felt…so awful lately. I can't focus on stuff. I can't sleep well and it's hard to wake up. If it wasn't for this crisis happening right now, I probably wouldn't be up and working…"
"Have you been talking with Kandice?"
"Yeah…But none of that matters now. I mean, Dante you…I-I mean…" Terry bit his lip and looked up at the Lucario. "I…I'm sorry…"
Dante just glanced off to the side quietly. There was a contemplative look in his eye, and Sparks got the feeling that even he wasn't fully sure how to feel about all of this.
"What…are you gonna do now?" Terry asked.
"Mmm…" Dante turned to look at Terry again, "I…honestly am not quite sure. Though I wish to keep a positive outlook on things, it is true that my whole life has just come to a…shocking halt. Whatever I choose to do with my life now, it will be nothing I have done before…"
"I'm sure whatever you do, it'll be just as grand as what you always do," Sparks said reassuringly, "One way or another…"
"I hope so, old friend…I hope so…"
"Remember what Riya told you."
Dante stiffened, and his gaze drifted off to the side until he was staring off at nothing for a moment. He wore a troubled look for a moment, before he closed his eyes and sighed in dismay. "She would hate to see me like this."
"That's baloney. She would love to see you, no matter what you look like."
"I miss her, Sparks…"
"I know, Dante. We all miss her…"
"Officially 100 hours since the incident in the plaza."
Sparks glanced around Carmen at Danika, who was on the Braixen's other side. The three were walking and talking through the guild. Both Danika and Carmen were holding clipboards, though only Carmen was using a quill pen to write on hers.
"Good," Carmen replied curtly, "The more hours we can add to that, the better."
"The guard's still out there, right?" Sparks asked.
"Just as vigilant as before. They told me they plan to keep it up even after a month of nothing happening."
The skies of Radiant City were littered with Magnemite, Magneton and any flying Pokémon brave enough to volunteer for the 'portal watch'. It looked like a scene ripped right out of a science fiction novel. The presence of so many police and volunteers roaming the skies lately had made some Pokémon feel safe enough to come outside again, but not so much for others.
"We've done most of what we can do at this point," Danika remarked as she flipped over to another page on her clipboard, "City Hall just wants us all to be ready for a call to action at the drop of a hat. The second we receive word from the guard, it'll be all paws on deck."
Carmen sighed, and Sparks winced at the tone in her voice. She had always been a hard-worker, but this incident in particular was pushing her past her usual boundaries. Carmen could handle a lot of stress, but it was visibly starting to get under her skin.
"We'll focus on preparedness training…" Carmen said, "Anyone who's not actively out helping with important requests should be back here, getting ready for when we have to…" She trailed off.
"…Save the day?" Sparks offered.
Carmen closed her eyes and held a paw to her forehead, growling softly under her breath. "The Rescue Society isn't supposed to 'save the day'…These aren't the guilds of yore…"
"Well, hopefully, the day won't need saving," Sparks said.
"Ugh…"
Before their discussion could continue, the group noticed Shay round the corner ahead of them. When he caught sight of them, he bounded down the hallway as quick as his little legs could carry him. "Hey!" the Yamper called to them.
"What's up?" Danika asked.
"Dr. Hilo's at the front door. He wants to see you two."
Everyone perked up at the mention of the scientist, and then all three gave thanks to Shay for his message. As they walked off, Sparks' gaze lingered on the Yamper for a moment. Shay never stopped smiling, but he certainly wasn't smiling now.
As the group was near the grand staircase, it didn't take long for them to head down to the entry hall. The familiar Inteleon in his white lab coat was standing just inside the door. There was a small bandage wrapped around his head, but besides that he didn't look any worse for wear.
"Dr. Hilo! Hello!" Danika greeted, rushing up to him.
"Miss Danika, it is so good to see you. And to see all of you as well," Dr. Hilo greeted them, "I'm sorry for dropping by so unexpectedly."
"No, no, it's perfectly fine," Carmen responded, "We're happy to see you as well."
"Thank you, I appreciate it," the Inteleon said, "I just needed to come by to see if you were all right. I've been quite concerned about everyone's wellbeing."
"Us?" Danika asked in disbelief, "We were worried about you! Are you okay?"
"I'm just fine, thank you," Hilo said with a nod, "Very mild concussion, already remedied. It's just that, well…My memory cuts off in the middle of the fight, thanks to my being knocked out."
Danika nodded softly. "Well, we're all pretty stressed, obviously. A couple of our members are so stressed that they're out of commission, but most of us are getting through."
"Thanks to quick thinking, I didn't get hurt," Sparks said.
"That is so good to hear. I was worried about you, being you were all curled up in the corner…" Hilo said, and Sparks grimaced at the memory.
"Thankfully," Carmen concluded, "Nobody was hurt during this…except for Dante."
"Dante…" Hilo said as a pained frown appeared on his face, "I'd…heard. Is he here?"
"He's sleeping right now," Sparks answered, "Best not to wake him."
"Would it be okay if I could remain here until I can speak with him?"
Carmen nodded to him. He looked thankful.
Hilo then sighed and shook his head. "I truly feel awful…" he said in a melancholy voice, "I wish I could have done more to help. I wish I could have been awake to help possibly prevent…what happened to Dante."
"A lot of us have been feeling like that," Sparks confided, "I know I've definitely been feeling it. We just can't live on 'what ifs', you know?"
"You knew him, didn't you?" Danika asked.
"Well, of course," Hilo replied, "I have worked alongside him many times, especially right after he left this guild. There was something about him I could connect with instantly, and I consider him a close friend…"
"A lot of us…still can't believe it," Sparks murmured, "That something like this could happen to Dante the Wanderer."
Hilo closed his eyes for a moment, furrowing his brow. "Rest assured…" he eventually said, "My team and I are working around the clock to try and understand these creatures and, more importantly, the 'portals' they come from."
"You have our full support. Anything you need," Carmen said, "Anything to put these horrible events behind us…"
"Many of us are sleeping in the lab now," Hilo said, "That's how important this is…"
"Don't wear yourself out," Danika said in concern, "Especially right after a concussion."
Hilo shook his head. "Not to worry," he said. He then turned to Sparks and gave him a little half grin. "Though, I suppose it may be obvious, work has all but come to a stop on the project you and Danika gave to us."
"Oh!" Sparks proclaimed, knowing that Hilo was talking about the mysterious rock. "Honestly, with everything happening, I'd almost completely forgotten about it."
Hilo chuckled softly, but then shifted back into his stressed expression from before. "Truly awful," he said, "Truly awful what happened in that plaza…It had been such a perfect day up until then, not the least of which was spending an enjoyable time with you at the lab, Sparks. And then…everything ruined…"
"It's been heavy on everybody's minds," Carmen said. She then glanced down at her clipboard. "We are actually quite busy," she then informed him, "Sorry to say, but if there's nothing else then we must be moving on. If you want to wait to see Dante, please wait here on one of the seats and I'll have somebody come get you."
"Oh, of course. Absolutely," Hilo said humbly, "By all means."
Carmen gave him a nod, and then started walking off. Sparks started to follow behind her.
"It was nice seeing you again," Danika said, trying to inject a bit of pleasantness into the dour atmosphere.
"I'm sorry I ran away…" Ziggy mumbled miserably.
Sparks walked into his room, closing the door behind him, and sat down at the foot of his bed. "Don't worry about it, Zig. It's been a hard time for all of us…"
Ziggy sighed heavily, curling up under his blankets some more. He hated how cublike he was acting by hiding under blankets so much recently, but it honestly did make him feel a tiny bit safer. "It's not my fault," he said, "I know that."
"Good. That's good to hear. It absolutely wasn't your fault. Blame the huge red thing."
"I'm just…so sad to see what happened to Dante…"
Sparks shifted on the bed, remaining quiet for a few seconds. "Well…" he eventually said, "We can't always predict what's going to happen. Sometimes the worst can happen, and we just have to pick up the pieces and deal with it."
"It's just not fair. Not to a Pokémon like him…"
"Don't be so upset about him, Zig," Sparks said, "Anybody who knows Dante could tell you that he's not going to let a little thing like a missing leg hold him back from doing amazing things. That's just the kind of Pokémon he is. He won't be able to 'wander' any more, but wandering is far from the only thing he's good at…"
Ziggy glanced over at him, contemplating the Raichu's words.
"It's just going to take him some time," Sparks concluded, "Just like it would for anyone."
"I wish I knew him as well as you do…" Ziggy murmured.
"Heh…Well, I mean, it's not like we're 'super best friends forever'. Honestly he's much closer to Danika and especially to Carmen than to me, but we are good friends that go way back…"
"He told me he felt really scared and alone when he first came to the Rescue Society…"
"Oh, definitely. He hardly resembled the Dante you know now. Just a tiny Riolu, unusually small for his species, unable to make friends with anybody. He was nervous about a lot of things, didn't like talking very much, didn't trust others a whole lot. He told us he joined the guild because he really had nowhere else to go…And he was like that until he met Riya."
"Riya…" Ziggy repeated the name slowly, "You told me about her. The Chikorita who was his partner, right?"
"Riya was the only one who didn't care about how quiet and unfriendly he was. She latched right onto him, smiling wide enough for the both of them the whole time. She pulled him out of whatever hole he had fallen into mentally and soon enough he was just like any other Pokémon. That's when he and I finally became friends. And from there, he quickly became one of the most well-respected and decorated guildmembers up until just after he evolved."
"Why did he leave the guild? Was it just because he wanted to see the world?"
Sparks didn't answer right away, and a troubled look appeared on his face. Ziggy was curious, and he worried if he had said something bad without realizing it. Finally, after a bit more silence, Sparks answered him.
"He left because Riya died."
Ziggy gasped, a jolt of ice briefly running right through his heart. "R…Riya d-died?" he murmured.
Sparks sighed softly, a nostalgic look in his eye. "She was always beside him, and went with him any time he left the guild no matter where it was. She and him were inseparable. After years of the two working for the guild, the weather started going wild. We got lots more torrential rain and heavy winds than usual, the clouds blocked out the sun for weeks, and it was abnormally cold. It was weird weather, but not impossible weather so we all accepted it.
"Dante and Riya were convinced it was something else, though. They kept going places, just telling us they were investigating the weather. Riya always came back looking exhausted, her leaf wilting, but she was still smiling brightly because she was with Dante. It eventually got to the point that our guildmaster had to tell them off because they weren't doing enough actual jobs for the guild. He never really talked to us about what he suspected, but we figured he thought it was a Dragonair causing trouble."
Ziggy had been listening intently, but now looked over at Sparks in confusion. "A Dragonair?"
"Yeah. Dragonair can control the weather. They can do it really easily too."
"They can?"
Sparks chuckled softly. "Anyway, I'm getting off track. The long and short of it is that one day they both vanished. They ran off somewhere miles and miles away without telling anybody and were gone for like three months. Then, finally, the weather stopped and they came back a week later. They just showed up back at the guild. Dante had a broken arm and scars on his chest, and Riya was really sick with something. She was very feverish and could barely stand. They eventually got better and that was that. Apparently it was just a Dragonair."
"Really? And they defeated it?"
"Well, there were rumours going around that it was not a Dragonair and something much more grand and dangerous and…mythical? I dunno, there's never really been any basis for those rumours, but I often wonder if they're true. If so, it would make total sense why he would…Oh wait, I completely skipped over something. He came back with a broken arm, but he was also evolved. That's how he got Riya back home when she couldn't walk; he carried her."
"But…Riya got better?"
"Yeah," Sparks said with a nod, "She went to the hospital for treatment, spent a week in bed, but soon enough she was on her paws again. The two of them didn't really talk much about their long journey to defeat the Dragonair, which makes sense. With how they looked coming back, it must have been a brutal and maybe even traumatizing time for them. But, they were both back home and happy again."
Sparks fell silent again, his gaze growing dull. "And then…one day, she just died."
"Wh…What?" Ziggy murmured, feeling tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
"It came completely out of nowhere. She told us she was going out to the courtyard to get some sunshine. She never came back inside. When we went to check on her, she was already gone. Just laying quietly on the grass, almost like she was sleeping."
Ziggy stared for a moment in silent disbelief. "W…Well, what happened…?"
"Doctors said it probably had something to do with how sick she was when she first came back. And even though it looked like she got better, eventually she took a sudden turn for the worse."
"Oh no…" Ziggy mumbled.
"You see, here's the thing," Sparks continued, "This absolutely devastated Dante, but then afterwards it invigorated him and made him into the adventurer we all know. He was shocked more than any of us by her sudden passing. He became depressed, he locked himself up in his room, he stopped eating. But eventually, something changed…
"He told us later that Riya's memory had inspired him to continue on, to get better, and to become the best he could be. It's always what Riya wanted Dante to be while she was with us, and Dante realized that her passing away didn't change that. A little under a month after we lost her, he marched out of his room looking strong and determined. He informed us that he was turning in his badge effective immediately and he would be leaving.
"Of course, we were all really upset at first. Then he told us what he was going to do with his life, and by sunset he was gone. From there, he traveled to the other side of the continent by paw alone, and then learned how to use a sword. He kept in touch with us regularly by sending letters and making the very, very rare visit every now and then. But soon, we didn't need to rely on his letters anymore because tales of his adventure made their way to us by word of mouth."
Sparks trailed off and let out a nostalgic sigh. "My point is…" he said, "that this is the same thing. This is another devastating event to him, but I know that the memory of Riya is going to push him to better himself just like last time. He's a wanderer no more, but with Riya watching over him he's going to become something else amazing."
Ziggy frowned, needing a moment to recover from the emotional ride of listening to Sparks' short tale. Ziggy was pretty sure he'd never known anyone who died, so it was difficult for him to take in.
Besides his parents, of course, but that was another matter altogether.
"Anyway," Sparks spoke up, "I didn't mean to bring you down. This all happened way before you were even born."
"Mhm…" Ziggy nodded softly. "It just…hurts to see it. After Riya…he worked so hard to become a famous adventurer and now that's just gone."
"Riya didn't want him to be an adventurer," Sparks said, "She just wanted him to be the best he could be. She didn't care what he did. As long as Dante keeps trying, which I know he will, she'll be smiling."
"Y…Yeah?"
Sparks shrugged. "Before long somebody else will be a famous adventurer, and I promise that whoever they are Dante would fully support them. The world won't want for a wanderer."
Ziggy then took in a deep breath, held his breath for a few seconds, and slowly let it out. The simple exercise brought him a small bit of calmness that hadn't been there before. "What about the…big thing?"
"Well, it's been a few days now and it hasn't come back. No sign of Nihilego anywhere either…" Sparks remarked, "I wish I had an answer for you, but I really don't. These are…strange times."
"I wanted to help Pokémon…" Ziggy said, "But this is a lot…"
"This really isn't what we normally deal with, Zig."
"I know."
"We'll…figure it out," Sparks said, "Somehow. Dr. Hilo's not hurt, so he can get right back to studying sciencey things in his lab. We'll all figure it out…together."
"What about in the meantime?" Ziggy asked.
"I dunno…Carmen's talking about maybe busting out some of the old TM's…"
"TM's?"
Sparks flashed him a grin. "Old Guild secret. We've got a whole stash of them locked up somewhere. Never thought we'd ever have need of them, but we've got 'em…"
Ziggy just continued to look at him in confusion. "What's a TM…?"
"Wh-?" Sparks blurted, but as he turned to look at Ziggy a wash of realization overcame him. His mouth worked uselessly for a moment as it seemed like he struggled to find his words. "I'll…uh…I'll tell you later."
