PART FIVE
Liko
They lost Hamber.
His last message was that he had seen the girl by the lake, Casseroya; the girl, Liko, who was suppose to be dead, Liko, the girl that Hamber's Steelix killed, Liko, the girl, who's pendant had meant everything and now meant nothing, Liko, the girl that Amethio met one fateful day to steal her pendant away.
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Amethio's nightmares started with Spinel, who gleefully told him about his success, pendant in hand, and Hamber, prim and proper (and still alive) had said that they'll struggle to dig her out.
Master Gibeon's anger surfaces days later, crying out in a rage that doesn't move Amethio, doesn't make him flinch, unlike the rest, unlike Spinel, who can't believe all that hard work has gone to waste.
But once Amethio closes his eyes, he sees her again; it's not the mines where they meet again, no, but the roof of the Indigo Academy, buried under sand, crystals, and stone. Liko was bloody, school uniform ripped in the middle where Hamber's Steelix struck her dead, eyes glowing, shining, her face cracking in places, like a mirror, and she'll stare at Amethio, stare and stare, and she'll jump, like a wild Pokemon, wild and angry, and begin to scratch his eyes out…
…and he'll wake up.
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Knowing the girl was alive had brought Amethio a bit of comfort, only for Gibeon's orders to make him want to puke. Conia and Zir had noticed the discomfort, but they owed Master Gibeon too much to stop it…Amethio knew their loyalty…and they were all paying for it.
It's greed, greed…and Liko's face, her pendant, the blood…all wrong, wrong.
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The heavens strike the airship, reminding Amethio that he's still alive.
It's a Raikou with his neck on the clouds, all gray, thunderclouds circling, eyes glaring, and the lightning strikes.
The lights are gone, no connections, no nothing…and Conia, frantic, is grabbing his arm, pulling, pulling, and Amethio can't move but watch as the electricity breaks the screens, one by one, and finally, Zir, stronger than both, grabs him, pulls, and he and Conia run…breaking, breaking.
And Amethio remembers the news of Spinel's success…too busy digging to care, too busy digging to care, Hamber repeated, steel sharp, scarlet, dead, dead.
Skarmory takes flight, taking all three of them away from the airship that's crumbling, fires all over, and the creature wearing Raikou's face watches, thunderclouds clapping in circles around its neck. Amethio stares back, and the eyes of the beast, they shine, and suddenly he's back on the roof, girl in uniform, pendant in hand, bloody, dead, dead, dead…!
Zir almost doesn't catch the young man when he faints.
The Volcarona, metal and stone, are eating one of the airships, and the amateur cameraman can't help but point the phone straight to the carnage, shock and horror and curiosity all in one place. Suddenly, there's a hiss, a door opens, falls to the ground, someone, a tall man, can't really tell, it's too far, jumps off of the airship only to be tackled by the metal Volcarona, as the phone stops recording, and the only cries anyone can hear is the panic of the cameraman.
Friede was ordered by Ms. Geeta to stay put.
Lucca and that woman had disappeared between all the chaos, and Geeta couldn't prioritize her because she's worried about the students wandering about because of the treasure hunt, worried about the locals, worried about everyone and everything to find the missing pair.
Orla and Mollie stopped Roy and Dot from leaving the ship; they couldn't risk putting themselves in danger, no one could and as Mollie told them gently, but firmly, Liko wasn't in the best place mentally to listen to anyone, and they could, in fact, make it worse by upsetting her, and yes, they know, they know, she's their friend but they can't risk it. And Friede agrees, because as much as he wants to hop on Charizard and go to Liko, he can't, he can't because he doesn't see the demons Liko sees, the monsters in the sand, avengers or defenders, only Liko, only Liko.
Friede sighs, trying not to cry because he's useless once again.
Lucca's Cyclizar runs, trying his best to reach the lake, avoiding frantic Pokemon and trainers, and all in-between, and in her hand, the pendant, glowing, guiding her towards Liko.
"...she's seen them…the one that broke her…it is too much…hate is everywhere…" the pendant whispers, and Lucca grits her teeth, angry and worried all at the same time, adding darkly that children are impressionable, mimicking the world as they see it, as it hurts them, as it breaks them apart.
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Liko had always been shy, a little too much, keeping to herself, calm and quiet, parents never home because of work, work, and more work. But did she miss them? It was fine, work was important, right, right?
Lucca began to see the problem when her daughter was seven, almost eight. Too quiet, very few friends, very little of anything…not a bad bone in her body, good kid, never caused trouble, always said yes, or sure, or, or…
It's a strange thing, a problem that you don't see until it stares at you in the face.
(and your friends? didn't have any. what do you want to do today? whatever you want. what about you? does it matter?)
Liko had always been her own worst enemy but now it didn't matter, it was the rest of the world that had to pay because it didn't matter.
(what do you want? to forget to remember)
Lucca can't blame her, and she tries not to cry as Cyclizar gets closer and closer to the lake.
Arven can't believe his eyes.
Juliana was gone and in her place was some girl, black and blue, bloody, dirty, but Juli had been right there…until she wasn't, until the glass broke to pieces revealing the stranger, crying out by the lake's shore.
Arven didn't see the airship, only the shadow that came from the lake and latched onto the thing, scratching, biting, metal torn and flying all over, and Juliana staring, staring, no emotion on her face. And Mabosstiff barks, and Juliana's face turns towards them, emotion back to her face, and she's holding her head, crying, shaking, "Stop! Stop!...I…I…!" Floragato tries to hold her in place, hugs her arm, tries to keep her safe but nothing works, she shakes and cries and cries.
He wants to get closer, doesn't know why, he knows that something is wrong but he's afraid, afraid to get too close and…more metal, more breaking, a roar, and a Dodonzo appears, Mabosstiff doesn't hesitate and jumps, barks at Arven, jump, jump! Arven jumps on top of the water type as it swims, quickly, towards the other side, towards the girl that doesn't have Juliana's face anymore, and in the background, the airship collapses, and in the distance, like a mirage, a Cyclizar running towards the carnage.
The pendant whispers, there, there, and Lucca sees her, her little girl, Liko, holding her head, shaking, Floragato, not Sprigatito, tries, and fails, to soothe her.
Lucca takes note of the airship in ruins, sees the strange Pokemon that's standing there, watching, waiting…and a kid and his Mabosstiff on a Dondozo getting closer, closer and closer to Liko.
"Oh no…"
Another whisper, the pendant glows in her hand, whispering, whispering, the echo, the echo…
Lucca stops Cyclizar the moment the boy and his dog reach the shore, and Liko stares at the boy, turns, slowly, towards Lucca, and the monster on top of the ruined metal begins to cry, melting into nothing as Liko cries out again, falls to her knees and hits the floor as Lucca and the boy run towards her.
Days later, the news reported that four out of the five mysterious airships were destroyed. The last one barely made it to sea, where it floated until rescue crews could come to help, and inside they found a man and his Umbreon, both half mad with fear, screaming about the monsters, the monsters…!
The monsters were gone, shattered like glass, as if they had never existed but still the man cried, "She's coming for me! She's coming! Help me! Master! Help me! HELP ME!"
Penny only feels bad for the guy's poor Umbreon.
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Giacomo sent her a message that day; Director Clavell had appeared in one of their bases, along with good ol' Mr. Harrington. Everyone was surprised. Poor old man was beside himself, how was he to help the children get to safety. He went from base to base, putting himself at risk from the monsters that were attacking the airship. But the monsters kept their distance and everything went back to normal. Sort of.
Team Star is going back to school.
Time to stop running away.
Giacomo's last text before they meet reads, "i finally figured it out why you ran off, boss…harrington spilled the beans on you penny."
Penny laughs, wiping a tear from her eye.
Weeks later, she remembers Juliana and when she calls, Ms. Lucca answers, and Penny, confused, is asking questions and Lucca laughs and says, "It's a long story…and you probably wouldn't believe it." Ms. Lucca was right. Penny almost didn't believe it.
A month later, life is fairly normal…almost.
Liko's death and revival, her memory loss, Juliana, the monsters, everything seemed to have been but a dream…except the scars and the pendant that glows in the night.
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Arven's cry for help had been the echo that brought Liko back to the land of the living, woke her up from her healing dream, and unsure of the world, unsure of her memories, wore a different face, called herself Juliana, found Arven and helped him…except it wasn't only him but the girl Penny, that Juliana found to help.
Mabosstiff, Team Star, all little things broken first, later fixed.
Arven fills in the blanks that Lucca doesn't understand, his visit to Area Zero, about his injured Mabosstiff, about Juliana, the girl that came out of nowhere and helped him out…Penny had the same story, but hers is pure chance that resolved itself one way instead of what she wanted but it's fine, it's fine, it's the thought that counts and all that.
Juiliana was Liko with a different face but still very much the same in different ways.
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Liko was fine; a bit too different in behavior, too cheerful, too talkative, like a little kid that's learning to talk, until she's back to being quiet, sometimes she stares at her reflection, as if trying to figure out if it's the same person that's staring back, and sometimes, Juliana appears too, grinning, but it's a brief reunion.
Friede and the others drop by to visit almost every day, Roy and Dot hanging out with Liko and her Floragato, Murdock bringing snacks, Orla and Mollie chatting with Lucca, Ludlow trying to fish from a cliff, Friede on the corner, Captain Pikachu on his shoulder, looking at the horizon, sometimes going to see the kids, sometimes starting conversation with his old teacher and Alex, if he's around.
The Brave Asagi is staying for a while, at least until Liko's all better. Rayquaza can wait. Arboliva showed up near the house days ago, guided by a little Wooper, who seemed glad to see Liko before it disappeared into the forest, its little companion close behind, but not before it gave Roy the ancient Pokeball thought to be lost with Liko in the mines, as if telling him that it would wait for the child to get better, too.
Arven visits sometimes, bringing Mabosstiff, who tackles and barks at Liko, who laughs and hugs him. Lucca asks him about Turo, and Arven shrugs and shakes his head, and the older woman sighs.
Turo doesn't answer.
It's like looking in the mirror, Lucca thinks, and she hates it.
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Her mother arrives one afternoon.
Lucca is taking a break from teaching to stay with Liko, Alex is out buying some groceries, and Liko is taking a nap, guarded close by Floragato and Squawkabilly.
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"Alex doesn't want to see you."
"I know…"
"Mother…I…"
"It's fine. I came here for that talk. Is Liko healhty?"
"...she's alive."
"I see…Lucca."
"Don't…whatever it is…just…don't…"
"...I understand, Lucca…it's…alright…"
"No, it's not…you…I…I made that choice for Liko…let her…let her leave…let her take that pendant, put a target on her back…"
"You never suspected he would do such a thing, Lucca…neither did I…but…"
"I know. People change…"
"...he was a good man…once."
"And he left you. Left us."
"He did."
"...you went after him, didn't you?"
"...Yes."
"...is he miserable?"
"Always."
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Lucca lets Diana see Liko before she leaves, asking Lucca to keep her updated on her granddaughter's health, surprising her daughter by showing her a Rotom phone, which Lucca knows she hates to use. Liko is important, and that's that.
"...and that…Pokemon…what did it tell you about…?"
"Liko…Liko will recover…but…it's a process…"
Diana nods, kisses her daughter on the forehead and before Lucca can say anything, disappears, Arcanine by her side. And Lucca stares until her mother turns a corner and disappears, she closes the door, and sits down in the living room before she bursts into tears.
Gibeon was alone in the darkness.
Hamber was dead. His face ripped apart in Paldea. Amethio is gone, disappeared with the weaklings that followed him, somewhere in Kanto, Johto, didn't matter. Spinel is lost, talking like a Chatot in police headquarters. The others are dead and gone, and gone…stupid…stupid…fools!
And the pendant…? Out of his reach.
Behind him, a door opens and closes, and the familiar voice of the dead turns Gibeon cold.
"Master Gibeon…Master Gibeon…"
Slowly, it approaches, too big, too hot, too different, too close, too close…Gibeon forgets to breathe, fear, not rage, controls him.
"Master Gibeon…Master, sir…"
Something cold, something metallic, holds him still, crushes the bone, and Gibeon whimpers.
"...it's the wrong face."
And a creature, metallic blue, opens its mouth, and Gibeon screams.
END