Arc two continues. I wanted to get at least two chapters completely ready before posting, and by the time you see this, well… they were ready. So, I started!
It's great to be back, everyone.
Let's settle in.
After setting off in the early morning after a terrible night of sleep, the trio of pokémon rode back on Lapras, arriving at the beach sometime past noon.
"That was a weird trip to make back," Sean commented, stretching and popping his back. "I've only seen it from the other side. Twice."
"I'd call you lucky for skipping that," Mane grouched. He did NOT like to have so little space and surrounded by water, "but you kinda were dead that time."
"Eh." Sean waved him off.
Rai jumped down next and thanked Lapras for taking them back and forth so many times.
"Thank you, Shinx," Lapras said, giving a happy bow. "It's what I'm here for. If you need to return to the Hidden Land, don't hesitate to ask. I'll remain around Treasure Town, rather than Brine Cave. It's quite lovely here, and I suppose I no longer need to uphold my family's destiny. Regardless, thank you for saving time."
Pink in the ears, Rai slinked away, needing to run to catch up to Sean and Mane already on the way back.
Before they left the beach completely, Sean did turn around to call his thanks. And Mane did so as well. Lapras waved them off with a flipper, and they left; Beach Cave yawned at them in the distance, catching Lapras' attention. "Hm."
The trip to the guild was achieved in short order, and Diglett and Loudred let them in with no hesitation.
Sean kept a keen eye out for his friends but was disappointed to find them nowhere. He looked down before noticing Armaldo, making his way towards him, head and tail hitting the walls as he approached.
"What did you learn?" Wigglytuff asked them as he approached. There wasn't much of the guild assembled, being the middle of the day that the majority of them were out on work. Chimecho and Croagunk were the only other members around, having jobs to do that were done in the guild itself.
"We learned that Meowth is not back," Rai explained, bitterness trickling through his words. "Dialga said… he said that the injuries he had were too severe, and if he was revived, he'd die from them anyway."
"That's why I was chosen," Sean said, quietly. "Because my injuries weren't as bad, a quick stop with Chimecho was enough but Scout? He… I didn't realise how bad of a state he was in. Dialga explained just what and…" Sean trailed off, not wanting to say anymore.
"In the end," Mane finished for the two of them, "Dialga won't help. BUT that's not going to stop us. He said that some Arceus revived the first three, and if Arceus could revive them, then it could revive Meowth as well! Maybe even heal him, or we can find someone who can. There's got to be a way."
Saddened by the news, but accepting it, for now, Wigglytuff nodded. "Alright. Well… while this was not the news we had hoped for, as you said, there might be another way. We cannot give up hope!"
"Here-here."
Armaldo made a sound. It might have been a burp; it might have been a scoff; either way, it attracted attention.
"Where are you starting with this?" Armaldo asked, pointing out the mamoswine in the room. "A not-so-local deity has told you this won't happen, and you're hoping beyond hope that another one will make it happen."
"W-well," Rai began, but Armaldo was not yet finished.
"Even if it might, which still begs the question of why hasn't it revived him already, how are you going to find this… Arceus? The name only rings the faintest of bells in my head, and I've been an explorer for a very long time."
"Armaldo IS old," Wigglytuff said.
Armaldo gave him a glare for that. "OLDER than you. But I'm not old yet, kid."
"We'll ask Elder Torkoal!" Rai said, after considering Armaldo's words for a moment. "He might have an idea."
"Say he does," Armaldo said. "What then?"
"I…"
"We'll pack supplies," Mane answered, relieving Rai and taking Armaldo's gaze unto himself.
"Are you going to ask permission from the Guild before you go traipsing off into the wilderness?" Armaldo asked.
"They can go!" Wigglytuff beamed.
Armaldo was silent for a moment before sighing. "I'm trying to make a point here, Wigglytuff."
"Oops. Sorry."
Shaking his head, he turned back to the contemplative duo. "Well? Fine. Wigglytuff says you can go, but for how long? Where to? What are you going to do if your path runs dry? Or you run out of money? Or one of you gets hurt? What are you going to do if you're searching for a way to bring back your friend, and it takes months? Years? It could take your whole life, and you may not even succeed."
"I…" Rai began, but he had no answer.
Armaldo's glare didn't exactly soften, but it became less fierce. "You two are young still. The world is at your paws, are you really going to waste it trying to bring someone back? The dead don't return in any good way. They are either dead, Ghost-type's with little memory, or Shadow Pokémon."
"Riolu is back!" Mane snapped. "So are Grovyle, Celebi, even DUSKNOIR! Why does Dusknoir get to return and not Scout?"
"Meowth," Armaldo said, stressing the word, "was dying. Dialga explained this, or did you misspeak?"
Rai and Mane shared a desperate look, they turned to Sean, but he didn't have any idea of what to say to this.
"I… I can't just give up," Rai admitted softly. "The last time we really, truly, spoke was… just an argument. Before that, he was my best friend. I didn't have anyone else, and he made me feel so strong. Like I could actually do it. And I did. Thanks to him."
"You cannot place your failures onto others," Armaldo said, gruffly, "and that goes for your successes as well. What YOU did, YOU did. Not him."
"I'm not just going to let him disappear forever without at least trying!" Rai snapped.
Mane nodded. "Even if… even if we can't. To do NOTHING? We are explorers, and we are rescuers. He's somewhere a little harder to find, but when you see someone who needs help, you try to help. You don't just forget about them and pretend you didn't see it."
Armaldo levelled them with another hard look. "And where does 'trying' stop? You can say you'll simply try, but that is a vague statement for a reason. You can always 'try' more, harder, better. When do you reach a point where you accept it's over?"
He raised himself up fully. Armaldo was an imposing pokémon, scarred exoskeleton, torn feathers, and the type of height that towered over anyone who wasn't Dusknoir or Kangaskhan.
"We'll ask Torkoal," Rai said. "We'll see what he has to say. If he has some, any idea, we can plan further."
"And if he doesn't?" Mane hissed. Rai didn't really have an answer for that.
Armaldo watched the pair whisper in silence before speaking again. "You get a month," he said, immediately leaving Rai and Mane aghast. "A month to get a lead. If you don't get a lead, I will have you two give. Up."
"You can't-" Mane began, before biting his tongue, forcing down some very unpleasant words.
Rai shook slightly, but he had bumped Mane to calm him down. "Okay." Rai nodded. "And when we get a lead?"
"Then, we'll talk."
Knowing they weren't getting anything more from him, the pair nodded to him, then to each other. "We better get to Torkoal right away," Rai muttered.
"I'll see you two later," Sean said, quietly. "Armaldo told me what Striker and the gang are up to, and… he mentioned I should probably be seen with them."
"They're your friends," Mane said. "Go on, catch up with them."
"Good luck." Sean smiled, and the two knew he really, truly, meant that. The three pokémon parted ways at the crossroads, Sean heading into town, while Rai and Mane walked off in silence towards the Hot Springs.
Sean breathed in heavily. He still felt like he was drifting, lost in a sea of vertigo. Just a couple days ago, to his perception, the world was ending, everyone was making their sacrifices, including him. It was over, they had won, and to do so, they had to disappear.
But now?
Now the world was fine. There was next to no signs of the chaos that was before. There was no need to look over his shoulder. No need to count his breaths. No need to scramble for every scrap of food to divide fairly among his friends.
He had been brought to the Dark Future to save the world. Now that the world was saved… what was he supposed to do?
A very old, or at least it felt very old, flash of memory crossed his mind. A simple wish to get back home.
Home. What was home?
Was it the place he had grown up? If that's the case, what was that?
Was it the place his parents had reared him? Or the place he had learned to stand for himself, fight for himself, and save the world.
Was his home back in the world he had been born in? Or the world he had been brought to save?
These questions circled through Sean's mind as he walked through Treasure Town. Despite the safety of the time, old habits died hard, and even in his distracted state, he was still keenly aware of as many pokémon as he could.
Pokémon that could hurt him, he caught a glance of a few Fairy-types and at least one pokémon capable of Psychic attacks.
Pokémon that could hurt the others. Ponyta and Camerupt, bad for Striker. Machoke, bad for Scout. His thoughts slammed to a halt upon thinking of Scout, and a stab of pain went through Sean's heart.
He understood what Dialga was telling them. That he was not simply 'a' choice but the only choice in the matters of revival. But it hurt. It hurt to know that sweet, happy, loving Scout was so severely injured.
Hurt to know that Scout was hiding it, even trying to push healing on others. He remembered their second trek through the Dark Future with Litleo and Chatot, and another spike drove itself through Sean's heart at the thought. But he remembered how Scout stubbornly refused the berries, even with broken claws, dislocated arm, and a serious infection.
The infection.
It must have been the biggest killer there, something that Sean knew he couldn't have helped. But even so. It wouldn't have affected him so badly had he not accumulated injuries. Or had he not damaged his claw in the first place.
A brief, highly spiteful thought crossed his mind. It was Guardian who had driven Scout to try to escape, breaking his claw and causing the infection. He almost wanted to tell him. Almost. No matter what, even vindictive anger never lasted long, and Sean felt shame in even considering it.
He didn't quite know what he was going to say to them. What was there even to say? Or, more appropriately, where to even begin?
He had said his final goodbyes to Striker three times. First, when they were captured and being dragged in front of the entire town. Then when Striker tackled Dusknoir back into the future. And one final time when Striker and Guardian took Primal Dialga back. So many heavy goodbyes really weighed him down.
And now they were alive again. Not merely alive, but free. Free to live.
To live.
What did that mean again?
Sean had spent so long surviving that he couldn't quite remember what it was like to live.
He was confused. He was topsy turvy. A malamar had gotten him and spun his world three ways from Sunday. He didn't know what to do, what to say. He had barely gotten to speak with Striker and almost nothing at all with Saniya and Guardian. Was it okay to call him Guardian again? Was it alright with Sean himself to consider him to be Guardian still?
What was he supposed to say now that it was all over, and that they had survived? Sean wanted it to be profound, meaningful, and glorious.
But he was too thrown to figure it out. His feet just kept walking. They had in the Hidden Land, and they had on the way back, he had tapped relentlessly on Lapras' shell. Enough he feared Litleo would toss him into the ocean.
He wanted it to mean something. And not just to mean something, but to make him understand. To tell him what this all meant, and to explain what he was going to do from here.
Ultimately, when Sean's eyes found the trio, he forgot his worries.
It was Saniya he saw first. She glittered in the light like that gosh darn shiny pokémon she was. She giggled when he first told her that a great deal. There were no pokéball's, left, to test her with. But he was sure pink celebi were not the norm.
She was so visible, vibrant in the noon rays, talking loudly and excitedly to everyone at Kangaskhan's Storage. That was where they were working today, Armaldo had informed him. All the way across town, in Kangaskhan's large, mostly underground, stronghold.
While it was Saniya that Sean saw first, it was Striker who first saw him. The grovyle blinked once and shook his head before focusing again, and then he whispered something sharply to Saniya. Sean guessed it was a whisper, at least. He was far enough away that it could have been perfectly even in volume.
Saniya immediately locked onto him and then zoomed. He was always impressed by how fast she could be. Scout was the, well, scout of the group partly because of his speed. But mostly because he was the least noticeable, Saniya was the farthest from noticeable.
At least, when she didn't want to be.
"SEAN!" Saniya bellowed, reaching the entire town and confirming to them ALL that Scout's accident from all those months ago was, in fact, residual memory. It was the riolu that was the night mate.
Sean was blissfully unaware of such judgement, quick as it would pass, and accepted the zoom-hug from Saniya.
It was odd hugging her, now that he was much closer to her in size, but no less enjoyable.
There wasn't much time wasted before Striker caught up to her as grabbed them both in a firm hold, carrying them back to a cooing Kangaskhan.
"That's very sweet." She smiled warmly down at the embarrassed Sean and the completely unphased Saniya.
"I am," Saniya agreed.
"You three can take a break," Kangaskhan said, turning back to call into her storage unit. "Dusknoir? You have a visitor."
Guardian didn't take long to emerge, poking his head out curiously. His eye fell on Sean, still being cuddled by Saniya and carried by Striker.
Sean tensed slightly under Guardian's gaze, and the powerful Ghost-type averted his eye quickly. "Put me down," Sean said softly. Saniya let him go, and he slid down Striker's leg. Carefully, he walked towards the dusknoir, the old friend, the betrayer, the saviour.
"I'm glad you're here," Sean said, bluntly and honestly. Guardian started slightly, and even Sean was surprised at how much he meant it.
Inexplicably, tears built in his eyes. He tried to hide them, but then they started coming harder. Kangaskhan made a soft sound, but Striker held a claw out to stop her from taking the riolu up in a crushing, motherly embrace.
Guardian stared down at Sean in confusion, then apprehension, then realisation, and finally compassion.
He floated down, phasing slightly through the ground until only his top half was visible, and he could speak to Sean without having to look down at him.
"I'm glad you're here," Guardian said, voice breaking slightly. He was always the most observant in the team. When Scout was upset, or Sean needed someone to lean on, or even when Saniya was getting self-destructive with her behaviour. Also when Striker just needed to talk. He could tell a lot through faces, body language, tone.
Scout was gone.
And Sean was realising that he, and everyone else he loved, was alive.
That duality of exhilaration and crushing speculation overwhelmed him. Maybe Guardian didn't pick all that up, not without it being directly confirmed, but he could still see that Sean was lost. He wanted to hug him as well but didn't wish to push it.
Sean, however, took Guardian lowering himself as all the permission he needed. He slammed into the stunned dusknoir with all the force of a desperate child. Sean is sixteen years old. He wouldn't entirely be able to tell, but he was nearing his seventeenth birthday.
He couldn't remember his mother's eye colour, or what hand she wrote with. Or his father's smile and what type of pokémon he loved the most.
Guardian slowly wrapped his arms around the weeping riolu, hesitantly as if he was afraid of breaking him. Then tightly, never quite wanting to let go.
Kangaskhan let the four have space. Sean soon composed himself and explained what they had learned from Dialga. It drew a great deal of pain across Guardian's whole body to hear the full scope of his son's condition. To know he was dying and that disappearing was possibly mercy in the end, that hurt.
Sean mostly spoke to Striker and Saniya. He had hugged Guardian, but that didn't make everything that had happened simply go away. It only meant they were willing to try and mend their relationship.
With each other in sight and mind, the nameless team took Sean into their fold and properly explained what had been happening for the last few months.
The repairs to Temporal Tower took up most of the discussion.
But Saniya had a few things to say on Treasure Town.
"Everyone is either wonderful or deserve splinters," she grouched. "They are lovely to Striker and really nice to me. But Guardian is copping the, how does the lingo go? Da shit."
"That's not the lingo," Guardian corrected.
Saniya waved him off. "It's totally what they say here, man. Like, totally. Totally… uh, bodacious. Yeah, man, blaze it!"
Sean laughed. "What?"
Saniya giggled. Sean was quite sad and confused at the moment. She wanted to see him laugh. "Yeah, man, like, uh… drat, this is tough."
Smiling now, Sean shook his head fondly at her. Saniya took it as a supreme victory and deserving of a cookie. She had met a shady-looking sableye selling them with a rotom companion. She paid top Poké once she tasted the divine goods. Then they were gone, and no one believed her.
"I can't believe you three are an exploration team," Sean said, leaning back. Kangaskhan had given them permission to talk in the depths of her storage unit. It was private, she said.
"Maybe not just us three," Striker said, with a confident grin. "How about it, strange riolu? Would you like to join us?"
"Mmm. Hard to join a team with no name."
Striker's face fell into a constipated look, and he glanced at Saniya and Guardian for help. "Don't look at me," Guardian said. "My best idea was Team Grunge."
"Yeah… no." Sean shook his head to that one. "I'm sure Saniya's pitched a few."
"They rejected them all," she sighed, staring off into space. "No Dream Team Dream for us."
"Heh… what about Team Sunrise?" Sean asked, smiling softly to the three.
They all went rather still and quiet. The fabled sunrise, something they had all dreamed of. Seeing the sun for the first time, even frozen, had moved Striker. Guardian had almost quit his role of dooming the past the first time he saw the glorious change of the weather. And Saniya had died in Striker and Guardian's arms, feeling the wind blow and sun raise for the first time.
"How are you so good at that?" Saniya was the first to speak. "That's… just perfect." Perfect enough, she suppressed the jokes she almost spilled forth that surely would have ruined the moment. She'd save that foot joke for Diglett.
"I agree," Guardian said. He likely would have agreed to any name the others did, but he did think it was a genuinely good name.
"Team Sunrise," Striker said, tasting it.
"Team Sunrise," Saniya said, giggling.
"Team Sunrise," Guardian rumbled.
Sean raised a paw with a smile. He pressed it forward, holding it in the air. "Team Sunrise?"
Green, grey, and pink joined him, and together they said. "Team Sunrise!"
In the quiet halls of Kangaskhan's Storage, Team Sunrise was born.
Rai and Mane discussed Armaldo on their walk to the Hot Springs.
"A month, though?" Mane snapped, or maybe it was a whine.
"A month to get a lead, not just to find him," Rai said, trying to calm him down.
"What right does he have to try and enforce stuff like that!?" Mane growled; he was barely listening to Rai. Instead, small pokémon fled from him as this litleo was smoking and not in a good way. "He didn't even KNOW Scout."
"Mane," Rai said, sharply. "Calm. Down."
"No!"
"Mane!" Rai tackled him, and the two of them rolled for a moment before Rai pinned the litleo. "Getting angry isn't going to help."
"Well, helLLOO there."
"Neither will flirting."
"I could flirt with him! 'Convince' him to change his mind."
"Yeah," Rai scoffed, stepping off Mane and letting him roll to his feet. "Change his mind to a week."
Mane huffed, and they continued with some contemplative quiet. "You're NOT happy with it, though, right?" Mane asked once they had stepped enough steps.
"No," Rai sighed, "but he DOES have a point. Don't give me that look." Mane had given him a most revolted stare for that. "Would Scout really want us to spend our whole lives trying to find him?"
Mane fell back to silence. They didn't speak for the rest of the way, but occasionally bumped each other and curling their tails together.
The fun and games had to restart eventually, and the smell of steam found their noses. The pair picked up speed and trotted until the rocks under their feet began to grow warmer, and the steam was visible.
Several pokémon relaxed in the Hot Springs as always. The pair hadn't returned to the Hot Springs since Scout had disappeared; it was his place to go since he wouldn't bathe any other way. No matter how much Mane offered.
Mankey and Primeape were here as always. Mr. Mime loitered around the edges. While Marill was also here, taking some time to himself, time he hadn't had for months. He was dozing in the water.
Small splashes caught some attention as Team Ion stepped into the water. "Elder Torkoal!" Rai called. Torkoal, who had been napping on the warmest of the rocks, stirred.
The ancient pokémon shifted and yawned, lifting his head slowly and blinking his eyes open. "Ah… Shinx and Litleo. Welcome. What brings you here?"
Mane let Rai speak. Rai was much more respectful than he was, something they both knew without having to talk about it.
"Elder Torkoal, have you heard what has been happening the last couple days? Who has returned?"
"I have," Torkoal answered. "News travels quickly around here, even to an old mon like myself."
"We just got back from the Hidden Land." For the second time, Rai spun into the explanation of what had happened. Torkoal listened intently until Rai was done. "Armaldo wants us to find SOME lead in at least a month. You're the most knowledgeable pokémon around. We were wondering if you knew anything about Arceus?"
Torkoal was quiet for a bit. There were some interested listeners, but most of the pokémon were simply relaxing.
"Arceus is… a legend among legends," Torkoal said, wanting to start somewhat poetically. "There aren't many pokémon who are aware of the old legends anymore. But it is said that Arceus created everything. The sand and the sea. The air and sky. Us pokémon ourselves. It is said to be the First and the architect of reality itself."
"Ah."
Torkoal coughed for a moment, too much talking got to his throat quickly. "Some do not believe Arceus ever existed. Others doubt it is truly the creator of all. What I can say is that the most recent legends I personally know of were dated millennia ago. Times before my great-grandmother's great-grandmother. Arceus has not been heard from in a very long time."
"Dialga said that it revived Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir," Mane interjected. "Just… pointing that out. It's clearly NOT gone if Dialga was the one to say that."
Torkoal gave a slow nod. "Indeed. I am not sure how much help I can give you, I'm afraid. I know of stories of its deeds, but… many are not happy stories. These tell of Arceus' disinterest in the lives of us mortal pokémon. It refuses pleas for help, cries for salvation. Often without explanation, it simply does not care. As the legends go, at least."
"There… there has to be a reason everyone ELSE was brought back," Rai said, voice bordering on pleading. "I just… we just want to know why."
Torkoal nodded sadly. "There are some that may know better than I," he said. "I can think hard on where I heard these few stories. And… perhaps you could seek someone out who has claimed a connection with Arceus."
"Who?" Mane asked.
It was a grave look on Torkoal's face, as what he was going to say would not be easy to accomplish. "Lucario," he said. The name carrying a gravity that allowed all listeners to know exactly which lucario he spoke of.
"The… that Lucario?" Rai asked.
Torkoal nodded. "Find her. Find the Legendary Lucario. And she may have answers for you. She's not easy to approach; however, I can say that with experience." Torkoal gave a dry, raspy chuckle, lost in an ancient memory.
"You've met HER?" Mane gasped.
Torkoal nodded again. "Once. Before Treasure Town even existed. She may be able to tell you more, and I will comb through my memories to give you some areas to search for the legends of Arceus. Return tomorrow."
Rai and Mane gave thanks to Torkoal and began to leave. Before they could so much as shake themselves off, Marill stepped up to them.
"I'm heading back now," he said nervously. "Can I walk with you?"
"Sure." Rai smiled, and Mane nodded.
Marill quickly fell into step with them. Mane's thoughts circled around Lucario and legends, but Marill was able to engage Rai in conversation without much trouble.
"What's it like living at the guild?" Marill asked, curiously.
"Pretty good!" Rai replied. "Part of me does miss Sharpedo Bluff at times, but there are no drafts in our room, and we still have a window to look out to the sea with. Eating dinner with everyone is pretty nice too."
It did sound nice, so Marill asked another question. "How tough is the training?"
"Easy enough that I managed to do it!" Rai laughed. "It's mostly just taking missions or doing other stuff in the guild like restocking the larder or sentry duty."
"Isn't it scary going after outlaws?"
"It can be." Rai nodded. He bumped Mane, who made a questioning sound. "This one likes it, though."
"Yeah, I do," Mane replied on pure reflex. He blinked. "What did I agree to?"
"That hunting outlaws is fun."
"Yeah!" Mane nodded emphatically, shaking his mohawk all around. He peered closely at Marill. "I wasn't really listening, but it sounded like you were asking about the guild. How come? Thinking of joining?"
Marill blushed, and Rai gasped. "Really!?" His grin expelled actual light as he crackled with electricity.
"W-well, I've been thinking about it," Marill admitted, embarrassed under the attention. "Since my mother has been doing so much better and Azurill is old enough to go to school now. Well, they've both been telling me that I can do what I want to, now."
Mane nodded. He understood. Azumarill had been sick since her mate had died, and Marill had been forced to step up to take care of both his mother and his baby brother. There wasn't much he had done for himself for the last few years.
"Well, if you ask, I'm sure they'll let you in," Mane said. "We can even put in a good word for you if you want?"
Rai smiled at him for the generous offer; Mane pointedly didn't look at him.
"Look at you being all nice," Rai giggled, bumping him again. Mane bumped him back.
"That's alright," Marill said, once the two feline pokémon had stopped bumping each other. "If I do go for it, I'd like to get in on my own terms."
"I get that," Rai replied. "Well, feel free to ask as many questions as you want on the way back."
"And we won't tell anyone about this either," Mane added.
Marill grinned at them and delved into it.
With the terror that was Chimecho in mind, none of the members of Team Sunrise allowed Sean to carry anything too heavy.
Mutinous mutterings that he was a Fighting-type and built for this kind of work were disregarded.
It wasn't the most difficult work. Kangaskhan was usually enough to do this work herself, even in her older age. But it did let her rest her legs and not strain as much. Guardian was excellent at carrying larger boxes with a pokémon's items without difficulty.
With items coming in and out, the four of them were kept reasonably busy. Striker and Saniya pushed for Guardian to bring the items to Kangaskhan occasionally.
"To show you're perfectly responsible," Striker claimed when Guardian asked why.
"They look at me like I've burned their toys and poisoned their drinks," he muttered. Saniya's mood plummeted when she was reminded of someone yelling something close to that, but Sean was able to distract and lift her mood back up.
"Dears, could you find Azumarill's storage?" Kangaskhan called into the storage unit, getting a quadruple reply in the affirmative. "It's to the left, halfway down the line."
Striker was the closest, so he and Saniya retrieved the modest box in question. Striker carried it out to near the entrance, before striding to Guardian and pressing it into his arms.
"You could try to be a little more subtle," Guardian said, rolling his eye.
Still, he didn't object, and Guardian floated out carefully with the Azumarill's family items. Kangaskhan gave him a smile that Guardian was beginning to believe was genuine, and she took the box gratefully. "Thank you, Dusknoir." He nodded at her.
"Mr. Dusknoir!" A high and delighted voice took Guardian's attention. Upon exiting, he hadn't quite looked at Azumarill, aiming just to give the box and leave. He didn't need to see the look of dislike and suspicion.
But now, her son, sweet little Azurill, wanted his attention.
"Greetings, Azurill," Guardian said, quietly. It would be rude to float off without responding at all simply, he was still worried Azumarill would be angry.
He agreed with Armaldo's view that they needed some sort of mental or emotional help. He didn't want to risk Striker and Saniya's, or Sean's even, chances at that with his mistakes.
Azumarill in question did give him a hard look, but it wasn't entirely unfriendly. She didn't stop Azurill as he ran between Kangaskhan's legs to beam up at him, bouncing on the end of his tail.
"Hi!" Azurill chirped.
Guardian was stunned, flat-footed, and thrown off a cliff. He stared down at Azurill with something resembling horror, why was the child getting close to him? Why wasn't anyone stopping him?
"H-how are you today, young Azurill?" Guardian asked, slipping into a formal tone. Kangaskhan returned to speaking to Azumarill, taking out what items the mother was looking for and what ones were to remain in storage.
Guardian's eye flicked up to the two a few times, trying to find some sort of guide as to what to do. Azumarill was watching him closely, but only watching.
"I'm great!" Azurill chirped. "Mother and I are spending some time together today, letting big brother have a break! What about you, Mr. Dusknoir?"
"I am… fine," Guardian replied. Azumarill's conversation was winding to a close, but she was still only watching him now. "I, uh… do not wish to keep you from spending time with your mother."
"Mother and I are getting lunch!" Azurill beamed. "Have you had lunch? What's your favourite food?"
"I'm not sure."
"Mine is the fresh apples, Mr. Kecleon, and Mr. Kecleon give us!" Azurill said, he balanced on his tail for a moment, lost in thought. Guardian began edging back. Maybe he could escape while he was distracted.
"Mr. Dusknoir?" Azurill asked, dashing the hopes of escape. "I heard you helped save the world. Is that true?"
Guardian froze. Save the world? Save? He nearly ended it with his cowardly wish to live. And his simple desire for his son to live as well.
It still hurt. So much. To think about Scout. During the restoration of the tower, he had spoken with Striker and Saniya about Sean.
How they missed him.
How their human had been so brave and strong.
What he'd think of them now, back together.
It was bizarre and almost dreamlike to imagine that such wonderings were true now. Sean was mere meters away from him, probably talking with Striker and sharing a joke with Saniya. He was so good at jokes in the Dark Future.
But despite all they talked about Sean, Guardian avoided the topic of Scout. It was no mystery that half of the reason he had betrayed them was to preserve Scout's life as well. Sometimes Striker or Saniya would slip him into a conversation about someone else or even rarer begin one with him as the topic.
Guardian never did. He wanted to talk TO his son. Share stories WITH his son. Explore dungeons and wonders ALONGSIDE his son.
Not simply talk about him. It was selfish; it was even cruel, to act like this. Yet Guardian was both of those things.
"Mr. Dusknoir?" Azurill asked again. Dusknoir had gone very still and quiet.
The red-eye, it was scary the first time he saw it, but Azurill had come to see it as warm and kind, flickered briefly before it fell back down on him. "My… my apologies, Azurill. I get distracted easily these days, it seems." His voice carried something raw, but it flew right over Azurill's head.
"So, did you save the world like Shinx said?" Azurill asked, staring up at him with blind, childlike, happiness. Guardian wondered what he had been told, and if he even understood what he had done.
"I did very little," Guardian answered, he sent a covert shadow to tug at Striker. "But Grovyle, Celebi, and Riolu? Now they truly saved the world."
He bowed to the side as Striker poked his head out, meeting Azurill's eyes. The little pokémon beamed at Striker. "Mr. Grovyle!"
Saniya also came out, zipping around Azurill and making him giggle. "Hello, young child!" Saniya squealed, picking him up and hugging him. Azurill hugged her back. "This one is the best!"
"Yay!" Azurill cheered. He liked the idea of being the best. Sean came out last and smiled at the young pokémon, warm and friendly.
Guardian let the real heroes take upon Azurill's adoration and relaxed slightly.
"You're good with him," Azumarill said, causing Guardian to jump. Impressive for one who had no legs.
"My… Azumarill, you startled me. My apologies." He added the last bit on reflex.
Azumarill shook her head at him. "There is no need to apologise for me startling you," she admonished. She glanced to where Azurill was now riding on Striker's shoulders and smiled. "He's a very kind boy, undoubtedly his brother's influence there."
"Marill is…" Dusknoir began but paused himself. He remembered he wasn't supposed to talk.
"Yes?" Azumarill asked softly. Her voice was naturally quiet but filled with inner strength. "Go on."
"Marill is a very strong pokémon," Guardian said, carefully. Azumarill gave him a soft smile. "It takes a lot of inner strength to do what he's done."
"Where he gets that from, I don't know," Azumarill said, shaking her head lightly. "I am forever grateful for it, though, even if I wish he never had to be strong like that, to begin with."
"The fault doesn't lie on you," Guardian said.
Azumarill gave him an amused look. "We can regret things out of our control, though. Can we not?"
Guardian didn't answer that. He wasn't sure how, but he had a feeling she knew him already. Everyone knew who he was here, but there was something to the tenor of her voice, the look in her eyes. Was this the smarts of a therapist?
Or was it the intuition of a mother?
"Armaldo contacted me," Azumarill said, pulling Guardian out of his thoughts.
"Mr. Armaldo is very grumpy!" Azurill giggled, rolling back over on his tail. "He came to see us last night! I didn't really get what he was talking about."
"You were supposed to be asleep by that point," Azumarill admonished, but her voice was more amused than anything else.
Azurill giggled and raised his arms to be picked up. "Oh, I don't know," Azumarill sighed. She had some items under one arm. "I think I'm too old to bend down to pick you up!"
"Noo!" Azurill whined, pouting. "Mr. Dusknoir, could you help?"
"Me?" Guardian coughed. "I… I do not think."
"Mr. Dusknoir appears very strong." Azumarill nodded. "He might be strong enough."
Guardian met Azumarill's eyes. There wasn't so much a challenge there as there was allowance. With slightly trembling arms, he picked Azurill up. The little pokémon was as light as a feather to Guardian, but he held him as if he weighed a tonne.
"He's getting too big and strong now," Guardian said, giving fake grunts of effort. Azurill laughed as Guardian hefted him over to his mother, settling Azurill under Azumarilll's other arm.
"Bye, Mr. Dusknoir!" Azurill waved. "Bye, Mr. Grovyle. Bye, Miss Celebi. Bye, Mr. Riolu."
The members of Team Sunrise all gave their own goodbyes to the pair, and Azumarill smiled at the four of them. "If you see Marill at the guild, don't give him a hard time. You hear?"
With that, somewhat puzzling, last word, Azumarill left, carrying her giggling child. Guardian watched after them until the crowd swallowed them up, feeling moved in a way he couldn't quite explain.
He received a lot of smiles from the others, but no one commented on it. Guardian was grateful. He needed some time to brood, take in what just happen, and adjust to it all.
The dragged on a little past that point. Kangaskhan did not have as much traffic in the later portions of the day, and she ultimately let them go.
"Thank you for your help today," she said warmly, "it's been a few years since I've had such an easy day. If you ever find yourself needing something to do, feel free to come around."
They each thanked her in kind before making the walk back to the guild. Unlike the first time, Sean's inner turmoil was quietened by the company, although Guardian's was all the more distracting.
They hadn't been under guard from anyone besides each other, and a pair of magnemite that hadn't gone anywhere besides patrol the area they were working in. That left Saniya in a better mood.
With Diglett letting them into the guild, Team Sunrise walked down to the third level, finding the majority of the guild pokémon waiting around for Chimecho to call them for dinner.
They still received a couple looks upon entering, but the guild was acclimating to their, or really just Guardian's, presence.
Team Ion were loitering about, looking a mixture of annoyed and bored. The two teams made their way to each other, stopping in the middle of the room.
"We've got some information," Mane began. "But Armaldo has been 'unavailable' all day. I bet he's trying to make us waste time, so we have to give up!"
"He's probably just busy," Rai grouched. He'd been forced to listen to Mane's complaints the whole day and was growing very tired of them.
"To busy to talk for five minutes?"
"Can we not go over this again?"
"What did you learn?" Sean asked. Guardian was entirely silent, unwilling to speak. It was down to Sean.
"Nothing particularly good," Rai sighed. "Arceus hasn't been heard from in a very long time, besides you three." He nodded to the revived-by-Arceus trio. "And it's supposedly not the most receptive to requests."
"If it brought you three back, it should bring back Scout," Mane snapped. "I don't understand why only he was left. If it's so damn powerful, it could just fix whatever was wrong with him in the process."
"We don't KNOW that," Rai added, tensely.
"We'll find out how, though," Mane growled.
"Do you have a lead?" Sean asked.
"Yeah… one." Rai nodded. "Lucario. The Legendary Lucario. She, apparently, might have some sort of connection to it. That's what's said, according to Torkoal."
"You wish to find… Lucario?" Guardian gasped, first word he had spoken since Azurill.
"Torkoal's also remembering where he heard the other legends," Rai said. "But yeah, finding Lucario seems to be our best bet."
The expression on Guardian's face didn't bode well. Even Saniya was looking uncertain, or like she was about to sneeze. It was difficult to tell with her.
One window-rattling sneeze later, Saniya sniffed and said. "Giratina talked about this big shot lucario before," she said, sighing mournfully. "I'd like to ask more, but… well, your mirrors just show me my beautiful face. It's hardly a downgrade, but still."
The two teams continued to mingle until Chimecho's bell caught all their attention. "Dinner, everyone!"
There was the standard stampede that'd kill any lion, Mane made sure to remain out of the way, and Wigglytuff came bursting out of his room as well.
Armaldo eventually joined them at dinner, but Team Ion were too hungry to go to him immediately. Everyone dug in with gusto, and soon enough, after the dancing and yodelling from Wigglytuff, everyone was sated.
There was a curious similarity in Team's Ion and Sunrise that night. Both teams were thinking about Scout, but both teams were also thinking about members of the Azumarill family.
No one said anything about them, however.
Armaldo motioned for Rai and Mane to stay back, as well as Team Sunrise. Wigglytuff also remained, humming happily and rocking in place.
"First business first," he grunted, looking to Team Ion. "Dusknoir and co, how did your day go?"
Mane's mohawk sparked slightly, but Rai bumped him, and he calmed down.
"There were no problems," Striker answered. "In fact, we met Azumarill and Azurill today. The two seemed well, Azurill got along well with Dusknoir and Azumarill seemed fine with him."
"We also FINALLY picked a name for our team!" Saniya beamed. Plucking Sean up in a psychic grip and shaking him in place. "This GENIUS worked out our name."
"Ow-ow-ow," Sean cried, and Saniya gasped and dropped him.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "I completely forgot about your, uh, riolu-ness. Sorry."
"How did you forget?" Sean groaned, rubbing his head. "I suggested Team Sunrise, and everyone agreed."
"Team Sunrise!" Wigglytuff cheered. "Registering. Registering. All registered. Yoom-TAH!"
A flash of light and a blast of air sent everyone back a step before Wigglytuff started dancing around them, pulling exploration gear from places even Saniya couldn't figure out.
While the Guildmaster attended to the newly christened Team Sunrise, Armaldo finally turned to Team Ion. "What did you learn today?" he asked.
"We learned that you-" Mane began, Rai bumped him again.
"Cool it. We learned that Torkoal has some locations for legends for us to investigate and also someone who may be able to help us directly."
"Really? Who?"
"Lucario."
There was always a certain gravity to the name that helped anyone understand what the speaker meant.
To his credit, Armaldo didn't laugh in their faces. "Lucario? You want to track down Lucario and ask her a question about Arceus?"
"Torkoal said he'd met her once," Mane declared. "And that she might have a direct connection to Arceus in some way."
"Indeed," Armaldo said, scraping his claws together. "A legend, correct? There's a reason she's called the Legendary Lucario. Someone like that attracts stories like nothing else, and they are almost always exaggerated."
"You don't think she's for real?" Rai gasped.
"I didn't say that," Armaldo snapped. "But there is something to be learned — the difference between a story and the truth. Stories get changed, warped, fabricated, and enlarged. Not everything said about Lucario could possibly be true, even if everything was rooted in truth."
"We can still ask her," Rai said. "This is Lucario. If there is anyone who'd know, why wouldn't it be her? She's been around… since our whole civilization!"
"According to some, she began it," Armaldo pointed out. "Whether it's true or not. Whether she can HELP or not, how do you plan to find her?"
"Chimecho," Mane answered immediately. "If Lucario's on the Grass Continent, Chimecho can ask around other guilds and messenger psychics to find out where she is."
"Very good," Armaldo said, nodding, to their surprise. "Say you find her. And say she's on the other side of the continent. How are you going to get there in a month?"
"A… you said we had a month to get a lead!"
"I did. You don't have a lead yet; you MIGHT have a lead."
Mane growled. Armaldo was unmoved. "I want you two to think about this carefully."
"We can ask Wigglytuff to contact Alakazam, who could bring us!" Rai declared, thinking of the powerful pokémon's help in the past.
"And what are you going to give Alakazam, or the Guildmaster for that matter, in return for this favour?"
"I… we saved the world!"
"Very good. You've got a world to live in for yourself now. You saved it for yourself as much as for anyone else."
Mane and Rai shared a frustrated look. "Your first day has been well-used," Armaldo said, deciding to throw a little bit of pity to them. "So you still have twenty-nine days. I'm not saying you cannot ask the Guildmaster or Alakazam. I simply don't want you to think that everything comes free. You have a month to reach Lucario or any other route you choose to pursue. Pick carefully."
With that, he stepped away from Team Ion and nodded to Team Sunrise. "It'd be best for you to remain with them," he said to Sean. "You technically weren't part of the agreement of Guardian, but it still may ease tensions further."
"I will," Sean replied. Satisfied, Armaldo stepped off and walked to the Guildmaster's room.
Frustrated, but beginning to understand, Rai and Mane gave goodnights and walked off to bed. Even though they couldn't tell, Scout drifted along with them.
"Armaldo's got a point," Scout said. It was easier to talk to himself than to just go mad. This way, he could pretend. "You can't go about thinking everyone will help for nothing. I'm grateful you want me back so bad, but… please don't ruin yourselves over this."
They didn't answer him. No one would.
It was awful in so many different ways to be watching someone sleep when you could not sleep yourself.
Scout sighed, or at least he thought he did, as he loitered around Rai and Mane's unconscious bodies. It felt creepy just to be hanging around them, watching them sleep. He had nothing else to do, however.
The only thing worse than hanging around as some spectre unable to disappear was when they started shifting and moaning.
For a brief moment, he was horrified and embarrassed, but then he was just horrified. Both of them were whimpering, curling in, shifting in their sleep. Nightmares.
He sighed, again, and sadly watched them. They had done the same the previous night, Sean too, when sleeping in the Hidden Land. It seemed that everyone was a little scarred.
Oh, to think of the time where everything was innocent, and no one was hurt.
Scout couldn't even begin to think about why Armaldo was here, and where Chatot was. He couldn't. Even thinking about it quickly began to pull him down a slippery slide, he did not want to fall.
"Oh, Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream~."
Scout started in place. What the hell was THAT?
"Make him the cutest. That I've ever seen."
The voice was lovely; Scout would admit, deep and dulcet. Not too similar to Grovyle's Yami Yugi impression, but very enjoyable.
What a time for this to happen, however. Scout stood up, or at least he thought he did, and moved to the door. It was closed, which was a problem.
How porous was his form? Could it move through solid objects? He wasn't sure. Testing a paw against the wood didn't really do much, so he took an imaginary breath and pushed forward.
There might have been resistance, perhaps only in the sense that this seemed silly. But Scout passed through the door.
Moving through the guild as quickly as he could, which was not very fast, Scout made his way through the guild. He didn't think to go straight through a wall, it seemed silly, and therefore he couldn't.
He did pass right through the gate, however.
"Give him two lips, like roses and clover."
That struck Scout as very weird, but something was gripping him now, and he had to know what this voice was. Exiting the guild, he followed the sound. Down the stairs, past the roundabout, and even further. He had no idea how the voice reached him so far, and it remained the same volume even as he moved further from the guild.
Moving further was, in fact, getting difficult. That same tug he had felt when speaking to Dialga began to build, but Scout powered forward. He could resist it for some time; part of him wondered if this connection could snap.
He pushed his way quickly through branches and leaves. He didn't think they could stop him, so they couldn't. He moved into an old clearing. The very same Sean had used as a camp, not that Scout knew that.
There it was — the singer.
"And tell him that his lonesome nights… are… over." Darkrai opened his gleaming blue eyes and looked straight. At. Scout. "Hello," Darkrai says, voice luxurious and lively, as sweet as honey and as deadly as nightshade. "Friend."
"Oh, fuck that," Scout whispered.
DONE!
Hahahahahaha.
If you check out the end of the A03 version, there's an extra... gift for the readers.