Dark 5.4: Dragon's Gold
Cuicatl
May 8, 2020
There's a language you don't know coming from the television in the upstairs living area. Japanese, probably. That means Lyra is there. Probably alone.
She knows about you. Has known. She barely talks when you're around and finds a reason to walk away. Usually without telling you. Sometimes you keep talking to no one until someone comes over and asks what you're doing. Should you talk to her now? She doesn't want to. You're probably safe here in Dr. Karashina's home. Lyra wouldn't kill you when her own death would be assured. Most people aren't suicidal. They like themselves. You know that even if it's hard to believe.
"Cuicatl?" she calls out before you can make a decision. "Can you come over?"
You take a deep breath and exhale slowly. You'd just gotten into a fight a few hours ago. Is she calling you over to apologize? To continue it. In the end you decide it doesn't matter. This needs to happen eventually. You just took a pill a half hour ago so your head feels okay-ish.
You make your way to the common area, find a chair, and sit down. Lyra doesn't acknowledge you at all. Weird. That's fine. You can meditate. Miss Takeda said it would help your injuries heal.
Once you've finally tuned out the world Lyra clears her throat. "You'd better not be attacking me right now."
It sounds like she turned the TV off. Or just muted it.
"I'm not. Just meditating. Helps with the pain." It's a reminder that you got hurt trying to help her friend. Hopefully it gets her to soften up a little.
"You seem better. Not babbling on about sand in a delirious haze, at least."
"Sand?"
"When Kekoa and I found you all you would talk about was sun, sand, and bugs. You were really out of it."
"Just a common dream. Must've been sleep talking."
"Hmm." You slip back into tense silence. You aren't sure what's going on in her head. Don't dare check with your headache. You'll have to wait for her to make the next move. "I don't get you," she finally says. "Four months to fuck me up and I can't find any evidence you did. Even stayed with me when you should have known the risks of letting me be nearby and free. Why? You just have that much of a death wish? Is this some sort of sick game to you? Torment me without doing anything?"
She's being louder than you'd like. Everyone else is probably outside. Anyone inside would hear her, though. And you would like this to be private.
"I didn't know you hated people like me until we were on the trail. Then…" Putting words together is a little hard now. Putting good ones together was hard before. You swallow and try your best. "You actually cared about your pokémon. And me. After Pixie left, when no one else but Coco and Noci were keeping me company. And I didn't like being yelled at on Mauna Wela, but. Maybe it helped in the long run?"
You got into therapy. You know you aren't fat. Yet. And Pixie finally got you to admit… admit that maybe you didn't do the worst thing you've ever done.
"You kept lying to me." There's a venom in her words you aren't used to. Part of you wants to fight back harder. Part of you is just surprised to hear it. And another part thinks maybe you deserved it. "Lying and lying even when you knew I'd want to know. Care to explain that."
"I didn't want to die."
You try to say it evenly. Like it's just another normal thing. You don't like the rain. You don't like the feel of bluk berry skin when you crush them in your teeth. You would rather not be killed.
Even if you aren't sure how true the last one was. You're kind of fine with dying. It's part of life. Sometimes you even…
"Bullshit. How many times have you almost gotten yourself killed since we met?"
You pause to count. Hypothermia on Route 2. Maybe Kalani? Maybe the fight with the vikavolt? The tyrantrum mission with VStar. Saving Genesis. It feels unfair to blame you for the braviary or almost tripping off a cliff no one could see on Route 3. Those could have happened to anyone.
"Three to five."
"Hah." It's not a laugh. It sounds like she just coughed or choked out the chopped up remains of a word. "Then why'd you really stay?"
You try to think of the truth. You… aren't sure there is one. Not like she wants. Maybe you shouldn't lie again, though. After Pixie left and Coco met her mom you said you'd stop doing that with your pokémon. Should you extend that to your friends? What if… what if they leave you over it?
There you go.
There's your answer.
"I like you. And I don't like saying goodbye to people."
"You're pathetic," she growls. "You know that? And a shitty friend to boot."
"I know." It's why you've never had many friends in the first place. Who would want to be friends with you?
"See? There you just—" She slams something (her hands?) on something else that sounds a little like leather. "You play up how pathetic you are so other people take pity on you. It lets you get away with murder, and then I'm supposed to feel bad for being mad at you."
"That wasn't what I meant." Although you remember Kekoa accusing you of something similar once. If both agree, then maybe it's true?
Lyra sniffles. It's… what? Why? Did you hurt her? "I'm sorry if—"
"Don't."
You still have no idea what's going on in her head. Back to letting her guide things.
"Tell me the truth: how much did you change about Gen while you were in her head? Make her forget me? Make her think she was dating you? I've seen how close you are now and how much you like it and. Go fuck yourself all the way into the deepest point of the abyss you psychic bitch."
You probably should be mad. But now she sounds pathetic. After accusing you of that. There's a sob woven just beneath her words.
"I didn't do anything. Miss Takeda would have found it."
And you're glad she didn't find anything. You've never really fought in someone else's head before. You were really worried you accidentally hurt her more than your enemies. Destroyed someone else you thought you cared about. Then. You aren't sure what you would have done. Maybe just. Finished things? Before you could hurt anyone else.
"I know," she whispers, before immediately adding, "I know. Damn it, why are you making this so hard?"
"I'm sorry." She's angry. The apology is just reflex. Calm people down and they might not lash out at you. Even if she maybe has the right to hurt you just a little. You did lie to her for a long time.
"Don't be. You—I—I can't keep doing this." You hear her shift on her chair and take a deep, shaky breath before turning off the TV. "I like you, okay? You're good with your pokémon and aren't afraid to be weird. I don't like that all of this—it just—it should have been someone else. Someone I can hate."
You don't follow. At all. She likes you, but thinks you're a bitch? Maybe you're missing context or something got lost in the translation your power gave. Or is this like your father? He loved you. But. He also might have hated you. Which you get. You aren't always easy to love.
"I can't keep doing this," she repeats herself. "Maybe I. She doesn't need me, does she?"
Genesis? "Maybe? I'm busy and she deserves to have someone with her. She shouldn't be alone."
"Can't Kekoa do that?"
Kekoa is. Prickly. You were at each other's throats for long enough to know that. He's also unshakably loyal to the people he decides to trust and really believes that things can get better. It works for him. He's your best friend. Almost your only human friend. But you aren't sure he has much interest in Genesis. They never liked each other in the first place.
"Right. I." She sighs again. "I don't know. I've thought about taking a week away. Going up to Hokulani, taking on the trial, getting away from it all long enough to think things through. Does that make me a bad person? Running away from someone I love when she could use my help?"
"I'm not sure. Sometimes I wanted to get away from my brother even though I could have helped if I stayed. I didn't think it was a bad thing. And then… I wasn't there when I was needed and." You didn't kill him. You also didn't save him. A part of you is still convinced you could have. Maybe he wasn't perfect, maybe he never corrected your father, but. You loved him. You know he loved you. And…
You feel arms wrap around you and you take a shuttering, sobbing breath. Are you crying? When did that happen? And is—yes, the scent is right. Same lilac perfume and what you assume is a trace of salandit perfume. It's not a full, proper scent but Lyra has inexplicably good since you had your blowup on Mauna Wela and you can never pinpoint why. Subtle enough that sometimes you wonder if she's even using it at all. Now it's a welcome distraction.
"You good?" Lyra mumbles into your ear when the tears have finally stopped.
"Y-yeah."
"Good." She pauses. "I don't hate you. I don't want to hate you. And I'm afraid of myself." With that she relaxes her arms and steps away. "Can you hold things down for at least a week? Maybe more? I… I don't know how long I'll be away or what I'll do afterwards."
"…I think I can." Was she threatening you there? You're pretty sure that was a threat. It's just hard to take it seriously with Dr. Karashina's pokémon lurking around every corner.
"Good. I'll talk to Shirona and start packing."
May 10, 2020
Cool water surrounds your lower body while the harsh Alolan sun beats down on your upper back and head. There are a few pool noodles in your arms helping you stay afloat. It feels nice. Helps a lot with your headache. Even without pills it's just a dull roar of pain in the background. You can still think. Talk. Move. Better than it was. Almost back to your childhood normal.
You're sharing the pool with a very anxious milotic who keeps brushing her tail against your leg to make sure you aren't drowning, even though you can swim. Her scales are smoother than they have any right to be. Beneath the skin you can feel the movements of powerful muscles. Milotic are peaceful (by dragon standards) and she's never shown any aggression towards you, but it's always good to remember how easily you could be killed when dealing with unfamiliar dragons. They're in control until they decide they don't want to be.
Leo is sitting still in the corner of the pool beneath you. Probably. He can be stealthy enough you might not notice him leaving the pool. Coco's resting in the shade somewhere on the deck and Noci… you have no idea.
{What are you doing?} you idly ask.
{Surveilling UD_Genesis}
{Good. Keep doing that.}
{Affirmative.}
Just a lazy story time by the pool. Wakumi is insistent that you tell her all the dragon stories and Coco doesn't want to be left out. Kagetora usually listens in and corrects anything she thinks you got wrong. He's not here this morning. Probably diving into the sand of the beach.
The door slides open and Dr. Karashina steps out with her lucario in tow. Pretty sure it's Dr. Karashina. Her usual shoes have a distinct pattern of hitting the floor, her sole, and the floor again. And Genkei's metal toe claws can't be mistaken for anyone else here.
"Good morning, Cuicatl. Didn't see you at breakfast today."
"I'm sorry. I slept in." It's not even a lie. Your sleep schedule has been really inconsistent since… Genesis. Some days you can barely pull yourself out of bed and some you can't get to sleep with the pounding against your skull. "It won't happen again."
She scoffs. "You're a teenager. I never see Hilda before noon unless her job or life are on the line. Just eat something when you get up. There's usually still some kind of leftovers."
"I'll try."
"And are you wearing sunscreen? Your skin tone won't protect you from melanoma."
"I put it on."
You don't want to sass Dr. Karashina. She's one of the strongest trainers in the world. One of the smartest people in the world. Allegedly one of the prettiest people in the world. It's just weird having an adult lecture you about your own well-being. You're used to being punished for failing to do things for others. If you got hurt by your own actions you wouldn't need to be disciplined further for it. You don't like it. Being talked to like you need help just looking after yourself.
If she's offended by your short answers she doesn't bring it up. "What were you talking about when I walked out."
"The Split God. Well, she hadn't split yet. We were just getting there."
"I see." You hear a beach groan and squeak as she sits down in it. "Tell me, does the myth explain where your powers came from?"
"Not really." You idly move a hand through the water and flick some off the surface. Water is fun. Like thicker air. You don't swim often and people always get nervous when you do. Like not being able to see makes you unable to swim. Or not having formal lessons. Your brother taught you the basics once he'd learned. It's surprisingly easy to learn from someone when you can watch the skill in motion in their mind. Anyway. Dr. Karashina's question. "The Harbor Queen just kind of shows up able to talk to pokémon. The Dragonmother takes an interest in her. There's maybe something about a dancer? Then the story moves on. She's not really important. None of the humans are until a lot later."
"The twin heroes?"
"Kind of? I mean, they matter. Sort of. The Dragonmother split because her pets were fighting and she didn't want to take a side. It was also time to breed so the war was a good excuse."
Wakumi's tail brushes past you again before gently pushing you closer to the surface. Apparently, you're too low for her.
{Not drowning.}
{I'm being careful. You don't have fins or gills.}
"That was just the dragon giving birth?" Dr. Karashina asks. "All the epics about humans tearing a god asunder and she just died in childbirth?"
No. It's not like that. She's not… gone. Not dead in a human way. "Her soul burns on in her children. Even her body remains."
"Mitosis, then?"
You try to shrug and lose your grip on the pool noodles. Wakumi's tail snaps out in an instant, wrapping around your waist and hauling you back into the air. Then she moves and deposits you in the shallows where the water barely comes up to your calf.
"You alright?"
You do your best not to blush from embarrassment. "I had it handled. Would've been okay."
Leo scuttles over and brushes against you before retreating back towards the deeper end. He keeps a leg on your toes to make sure you're okay. Or something. He seems to get that touch makes you feel better. Maybe. It's harder to figure out what's going on in his head than Noci's.
"Humans don't factor much into dragon myths, do we?"
"Not until later." When Unova went to war with the haxorus and won. Eventually. First, they had to burn down the forests by dropping torches from the backs of braviary. Only once the haxorus were starving could they win on the battlefield. And even that was a close war. "Why would they? We only win when we have way bigger numbers or cheat. And they're dragons. They're…" Bigger than us. Stronger than us. Tougher than us. Better in every way that matters. "They can do anything they want. Have anything they want. Why should we matter?"
"And what would you want if you could have anything?"
You don't answer Dr. Karashina's question. Not aloud. But you know the answer. You just want your family back. Even if some of them are beyond even the dragons' reach.
May 13, 2022
You're in Dr. Karashina's private office having a one-on-one chat about dragons.
You thought this would be more exciting.
"And these long hunting periods, how many kills would ellas make?"
You shrug. "Until ellas was too full to want to fly? Probably around ellas's body weight. A little more if ellas wanted a challenge." Or if another pokémon, be they predator or prey, tried to make a big show of scaring ellas away from their nest. Then ellas kill them and the babies on principle. Actually, that might be important. You relay that to Dr. Karashina and she stops typing.
"Awfully blasé about that."
"Nothing stands up to hydreigon except other dragons. Everything else learns to run or hide."
"Hmm." You hear the click-clack of her nails hitting the keypad. They felt longer than you expected from an adventurer the few times you've held her hand. Maybe they're just fake? "I suppose threat displays from a control pokémon wouldn't be useful in captivity?"
"Not unless it's a potential mate or a much stronger dragon." You've always found that curious. Why would anyone try to buy Alice? The dragon would probably just kill them and fly away. The government of Anahuac says that other countries have pokéballs that make pokémon obey, but you've never quite believed it. It would be too hard. You're not even sure where to begin with that and you're an actual psychic.
"And then how long do they stay with the kill?"
"Until it's finished or rotting and they can comfortably fly again."
"What would that translate to in captivity? Feed smaller amounts at a time when a tournament approaches?"
"I wouldn't try to starve a hydreigon. They're defensive of their food."
"Duly noted." More clacking. "Could tournaments be timed around meals? You mentioned a 'flight period,' probably better noted as a 'fast period,' between the end of a feast and the start of the next hunt. Was that a set amount of time?"
"Until ellas got hungry or bored."
"Could small daily or semi-daily meals be used to entice them to stay in battling shape without getting hungry?"
"I don't know." It's hard to say that about hydreigon. Drives a splinter deep into your pride. But you don't. "My dad didn't have the money to feed ellas." Or the desire to battle with her. "Mom just bought little treats for ellas. Had ellas hunt down invasives to save money. You know that Unova used to have an emboar problem, right?"
"And her hydreigon lived comfortably on that diet?"
"Mom used to buy ellas fish as rewards." Alice stopped eating fish after you were born. Unless ellas was hunting with you. Or you gave it to ellas. Brought up bad memories. Or good memories that were clouded with bad ones? Alice loved it the few times you gave one to ellas. It was just almost never in the food budget since you couldn't even really feed yourself.
When you get Alice back, ellas is getting all of the fish she wants.
The doorbell rings downstairs. "Oh? Is our time here up already?"
You're privately relieved. Talking about Alice is one thing. Talking about how to try and tame a force of nature just made you feel like a failure when you couldn't give Dr. Karashina the answers she wanted. And you hate how clinical it all sounded. Hydreigon are bloody, violent, and creative creatures. They are not clean or sterile or predictable. Trainers who want that should stick to porygon.
You're also very excited for the trip that's coming up.
"Go and grab Coco from out back. I'll greet our guest."
"Okay."
You make your way out to the pool. You call Coco's name. She has good hearing. If she's on the deck or the beach she'll come your way. In the meantime, you stand still and bask in the warmth of the morning sun on your skin.
Coco's hurried footsteps scratch against the wooden stairs to the beach soon enough. You kneel down and engulf her in a hug while she excitedly thumps her tail on the ground. She knows what's coming. She's clearly excited. She just wants you to know that she loves you, too.
You don't deserve her, now and always.
"Ready to go?"
"Yes!"
It takes you a few tries to slide open the glass door and step inside. When you do you can feel the tension in the air. There was just a fight here. Oh no. Did Miss Bell offend Dr. Karashina? Or the other way around? Does that affect your thesis work or your ability to stay here?
"Are either of you mad at me?" You've played your share of social games but now you just really want to know.
"No," they both say in unison. Neither provides any more information.
"Are you ready to go?" Miss Bell finally asks.
"I think so."
You show Coco her ball and hear her sit down. That's her sign you have permission to withdraw her. After seeing what teleporting does to you, she's fine skipping out on it. Even asked if you had a ball you could rest in.
It's a little hard to detach from your senses like Miss Bell recommended. You can't just close your eyes and shut out your main way of seeing the world. Instead, you have to meditate while standing up, ignoring the psychic waves of the unleashed alakazam brushing against your defenses with enough force that you know one could crush your mind as easily as—
—the world twists and compresses and presses you down and down and down until you must be the size of a—
You dry heave but nothing comes up. Progress.
When you slowly pull yourself to your feet you note how quiet the world seems. You can hear the buzzing of a drone or large insect. Nothing else. Not the hum of electricity or the movement of vehicles or people talking in the distance. Not what you expected from an active dinosaur containment facility.
"I'm going back to my office for a bit. Text or call me when you want picked up."
Right. Most people are afraid of large dragons. Especially if they've seen them kill people. Coworkers. Did she know the victims? It must be hard for her to visit this place after all of that.
"Go ahead."
You send out Coco when the psychic pressure lifts. She shakes herself off, sniffs, and makes a low, vibrating roar. It's still clearly audible now. You aren't sure it will be once she evolves.
Her cry is met by distant footsteps. And wingbeats. Is Coco's father here, too? Miss Bell didn't tell you that. She probably just wanted to surprise you. It is a nice surprise, but you would have liked time to prepare. There's a big difference between dealing with your sister and a stranger of the same species.
The steps don't seem to get closer even as the wingbeats do. How odd. Is she not—you can hear her breath. She got close without you noticing she was coming to you. That's a really cool trick. Can she teach Coco that? Is it something the species naturally does?
You catch yourself and make a deferential call. Earthshaker dismisses you with a grunt before thoroughly sniffing her daughter. Her version of a checkup. The hydreigon's wingbeats get ever closer before shifting to the sounds of hovering in place nearby. Hydreigon will not land on the ground when uncomfortable. A bad sign.
You repeat your greeting in hydreigon lower.
Coco's father makes a series of nearly deafening rapid-fire whistles, each head taking their turn before the first starts again. Their version of laughter.
His mate growls in annoyance.
"I had not believed a weak one would learn our words," he finally says in Upper Draconic. Odd. You showed him you could speak lower. Upper is better for harder ideas. Maybe he's using it for that? "What need have you to speak with us? When we cross paths, you must either hide, fight, or run."
"One of your kind loved me like a sister. I learned her language out of love."
More laughter.
"Does that make you feel important? Does that make you worthy of speaking to dragons?"
Earthshaker makes a low, ominous roar that shakes your bones and organs in ways you did not know they could be shook. "Stop playing. Our child likes her. Now, child, you were saying something about stealing a ghost's leg bone?"
She goes back to listening to Coco recount all of the things she has had the chance to bite since they last met.
Coco's father gives a low growl of annoyance. He does not attack either you or Earthshaker.
"I am called Cuicatl Ichtaca by humans and Little Green by my sister. What is your name or title?"
"Pillager of the Alcove."
A title, then. He evolved in the wild. You have no idea why they thought capturing a truly wild hydreigon was a good idea. Much less separating him from his mate. It does explain some of the differences between him and Alice.
"What drives you, Pillager?"
"Have you harmed my child?"
Coco squeals and rushes over to stand between you and her father.
"Hi! I disembowel things. You're my second father?"
"Second—"
"Can I show you how sharp my teeth are?"
You hear stronger wingbeats as Pillager of the Alcove lifts himself higher.
"I will never understand you and your mother, breathing ghosts."
You hear Coco thud back to earth after trying to jump after his father. Then she slams her tail down. "Unfair! Why can't I fly?"
Earthshaker shifts and rests her head close enough to you that you can feel the heat of her breath. "Have you slowed down, yet?"
"Not for long."
That's not quite what the words mean. For dragons it means something different. Closer to 'I do not intend to stay here forever.' 'Not for long' could mean decades as long as the plan is to stop eventually. You aren't sure which sense you mean it in now.
"I will always want to see my daughter, yet she is happy with you. She may stay in your care until that changes. Whatever my mate says."
"I should be allowed to decide," he protests.
"No." The tyrantrum rises to her full height beside you. Her breath is now coming from straight above. "Will you challenge me?"
He would win. Flight is a serious advantage. Backing down in front of others is also against everything hydreigon stand for.
You're in serious danger of getting trampled. So is Coco. You withdraw her for her own safety.
Pillager growls in a threat display. Not an intent to attack, just a warning that he is very, very close to doing so. Earthshaker takes two steps forward.
"Will you challenge me?"
You hear the wingbeats of something else approach. Whatever it is, Pillager just huffs in anger before flying off. Chastised. Defeated. In front of others. Either Earthshaker or whoever is coming must be a lot stronger than you had thought.
"Hello, Cuicatl," a male, human (and vaguely familiar) voice calls out from above. "Do you need me to step in."
"No." You think you know him but without any hints you're probably never going to guess it. "Who are you?"
"Jabari. Kekoa's brother."
You spoke briefly near the volcano. Kekoa asked about reconciling and then never brought his brother up again. Not that you expected anything else. Kekoa is his own least favorite subject to talk about.
"What are you riding on?" You should know if it was his mount or Earthshaker that scared a hydreigon away.
"A salamence," he says over the wingbeats. Oh. Not a hydreigon, but as close as dragons come. You're very jealous. "I also have Pillager's ball. Keeps him from getting any ideas."
Murdering him in his sleep is both 'an idea' and very likely from an embarrassed hydreigon. The dead can't mock you.
"Are you guarded at night?" you ask once the wingbeats have lowered and then stopped.
"I don't sleep here. Just leave a few fairies and a drone with the pokéballs. We aren't taking any chances after last time."
That's why there are no other people. Or electrified fences. They've just left the entire island to the dragons.
Probably their best move.
Earthshaker impatiently stamps at the ground like Coco does. It's a bit more intimidating coming from something so much larger than you. It's the kick you need to send Coco out as soon as your fingers can find the release button.
"Sorry," you tell her. "I was worried you were going to get hurt in the fight."
You realize a bit too late that Earthshaker might take offense to that. She only huffs indignantly before lying back down to talk to her daughter. Crisis averted.
You take a few steps closer to Jabari and greet the salamence in Upper Draconic.
"Why are all of rider's friends so weird?" he asks. You aren't sure if that's rhetorical or not. "Go back to your own tongue. If I wanted to talk to humans I would learn how."
A bit rude. Not openly hostile, though.
"What's she saying?"
"That she hates all your friends and doesn't want to talk to me."
He laughs. One initial 'hah' with a few smaller noises for a while after. Similar to Kekoa's. "I see how she would get there, yeah. Sometimes even I don't like my so-called friends."
You take a moment to listen to Coco and Earthshaker go back and forth about the grand trial battle against Olivia. Coco's gushing about how smart you were for the pupitar strategy. Not like you really deserve credit. You just came up with it on the fly and she did all the work.
"That's why I found the small ones useful when I used to fight," Earthshaker says. "They have good tricks."
She used to battle competitively? Or just informally? You kind of want to look that up now. Get ideas for future strategies.
"How's Kekoa?" Jabari asks.
"Fine." You don't want to give him any information that Kekoa himself wouldn't, and you aren't sure where that line is drawn right now. The last time you tried to push someone back to their family it ended horribly for everyone involved. "You can ask him yourself."
"He doesn't really answer my calls unless he needs something." He sounds embarrassed to admit it.
"Did you answer the call when he needed you?"
"I… no. I was a child—"
"I started doing all of the housework for my brother when I was nine."
Jabari was at least eighteen. Legally an adult. He has no excuse.
"That's actually kind of fucked."
"No worse than neglecting them. We have duties to our family. He isn't sure you can be trusted to perform yours."
"Ouch. Harsh, but fair."
"Mmhmm."
"…there's also a snake dragon who doesn't know dragon stories, so Mother is teaching both of us all about the old dragons…"
Earthshaker is barely speaking, just happy to hear her daughter's voice. Its kind of adorable. You know what she's said and you're really glad that Coco is staying with you, but you know its all selfish. Coco would be better off with someone like Earthshaker than someone like you. Just like Pixie is better off with her own species.
The teleportation hurts a little less on the way back. You just collapse to the ground and breathe heavily for a minute or two. Nothing even threatens to come up. Progress.
Someone uncaps a water bottle and you feel something cool approach your face. "Have some water. I also have gummies if you need something to fill your stomach."
Are you in her office? You just assumed she would take you back to Dr. Karashina's house. You take the water bottle and rise. Thankfully a quick prove to the side with your leg finds the chair you're supposed to sit in. Or the chair you're going to sit in. She could have directed you to another one if she wanted. Feels like the one you usually use when you're here, anyway.
"Did you enjoy your visit?"
"Yes. Coco was happy."
"Good, good." She shifts some papers around on her desk. "I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of good news today. No reports of any of the species you gave me being sold as a trainer's pokémon. Provenance usually includes number of badges. A merchant would have known to ask about and include it. We would know if any sales came up."
It's been almost a year. How have none of them been sold yet? You're glad she's looking. Just increasingly nervous that something terrible happened and you were the last to know. Maybe… maybe your father bought them back out of guilt? You weren't going to school anymore so he had no reason to need the money. Except paying off debts. You know he had a few. From college. From business. From charity. From gambling. Nothing he couldn't make payments on. Just extra burdens on a tight budget.
Or maybe they were already sold off by the time you reached Alola and had her check. Maybe you've missed your chance forever.
"As for hydreigon, there's only been one sold in the last year as far as I can tell."
That makes sense. You're guessing they don't rehome well. It may take $700,000 to buy a hydreigon. That's still one of the cheapest major dragons. Dragonite can go for five times as much because they're a lot less likely to kill their trainer.
"We do need to discuss that, actually. You may have noticed that our fossil breeding facility has been almost completely abandoned."
"To keep anyone else from dying." And to keep them from having to pay you loads of money.
"Yes, and also as a prelude to shutting it down. We've closed deals on the last assets there and plan to sell the island shortly."
The last assets… She doesn't mean…"
"You sold Earthshaker?"
"That's the tyrantrum, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, yes, we did."
The bottom falls out on your world and you grip the sides of your chair until your fingers sing in pain just to keep you grounded. "How much—"
"Cuicatl—"
"How much?"
She sighs. "Eleven million for both dragons. Tyrantrum are expensive and our buyer had a unique interest."
Eleven million. That's eleven times more than it would cost to buy back the rest of your mother's team. It might be doable. If you could keep getting jobs like the time you had to talk Earthshaker down. Just… Thirty more? You don't even have that long left on your island challenge. There has to be some way. Coco considers her family so she's your family, too, and you got into this to save family.
"You could loan—"
"No. I know what you make. You wouldn't be able to repay it. He might just bid higher, too."
"Is there anything—"
"No, Cuicatl, no. I'm sorry, but no. Do you even have a long-term plan here? A path to permanent residency? A way to make money once you're back in Anahuac? Anything beyond 'make lots of money?' I'm starting to worry about you and I'm not letting you put this on your back, too."
There must be something. Anything. Um. More jobs. Sponsorships? Is that how the pros pay their expenses? You don't love the idea. Better than the alternative.
"Even if you could pay for it, somehow, there would still be the licensing issue."
"I'm working on it," you protest. "Dr. Karashina has been a lot of help."
"I'm glad she has. Still, the fact remains…"
Oh gods. Coco never got to say goodbye. That's. You know how that feels.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"You know damn well why I didn't. It would have made containment impossible. The company is already in dire straights and if we did go under because of it there wouldn't be any more money coming your way."
Profit over wellbeing. How. Very. American.
"Do you care about anyone but yourself?" you hiss.
"Only after I've taken care of my needs."
You reach for your belt. If she's putting you in this position, then—
—the world falls away into endless spins as you get compacted smaller and smaller. When it stops you feel Miss Bell's alakazam's crushing presence against your mind.
{Do not attempt to harm my trainer.}
Then he's gone and you're completely alone.
Now where did he leave you? The question is answered almost immediately by the door opening and someone walking towards you. Probably barefoot. Too light for shoes.
"Are you okay?" Dr. Karashina asks.
Good. He brought you back. You were worried he dropped you on a remote island out of spite.
"No. I need to talk to my team."
"May I ask what about?"
"How to make eleven million dollars."
"Oh."
You give her a brief summary. At some point the door opens and someone else steps out without announcing themselves. You don't really care.
"A tyrantrum and a hydreigon, huh? I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything. I've heard rumors about who the buyer is and they have the motivation and resources to bid well outside my price range. Assuming Chris would even sell to me. I came close to beating him in the last Champions Cup and he's the sort of person who cares about that kind of thing."
The other person clears her throat. Higher pitched than Genesis. Lyra, then.
"I'll ask my family about it but I don't expect them to help. Not without strings. You don't want to be tied up in their strings. Just trust me on that"
It's more than you were expecting from her given everything. You also think she's wrong. There are few prices you wouldn't pay to keep Coco from going through the same thing that you did.
The door opens and shuts before you can ask any questions.
"Is there anything I can do for you right now?" Dr. Karashina asks.
"N-no. I just need to talk to my team." This isn't her fault. Isn't her problem. You can deal with it. You always deal with things alone.
"Okay." You stand up on unsteady legs and reach for the collapsible cane stored at your side. "I can have Genkei look after Genesis for a while. Between him and her golduck it should be fine."
"Just find me if things aren't. I'll be on the beach."
Selfish. You shouldn't have a full team meeting in private. Too much risk to her health You know that. You're doing it anyway. Maybe you deserve what you get, but Coco doesn't. You're doing this for her.
Noci comes pretty quickly after you call her. Guides you the rest of the way to the edge of the beach. Leo gets out of the pool when you pass it and trails behind you. Maybe Noci told him to. Maybe he just senses that this is important. You sit down at the edge of the surf. The waves wash up and soak your sandals and shorts but you can't bring yourself to care. The water isn't what's important.
When you're ready you send out Coco and tell her what's happening. What needs to be done. Your best ideas for doing it. She listens quietly after an initial growl / roar and stamping around.
"Humans are dumb," she correctly says. "Can't I just bite them until they stop?") Even after you're finished, she just huffs and paces in the damp sand. "We can get money by winning fights?" she asks. Prize money.
"Down the road."
For now, battles aren't guaranteed wins and the prize money isn't nearly enough. Being strong has other advantages. Easier proving battles and captures. Maybe sponsorships. You aren't quite sure how pro trainers pay for everything. You're pretty sure those are big parts of the mix.
"Then I'll get as strong as I can be. Strong enough to beat the sand dragon."
"One step at a time," you gently tell her. "If you work too hard you could get hurt and get weaker instead of stronger."
She growls but doesn't object. "Can I start now? I can smell the sand dragon on the wind."
"Sure." She rushes off with a roar of challenge to Kagetora. You trust the garchomp not to go too hard on her.
Noci presses into you from the side and you wrap your arms around her. She's even warmer than usual in the midday sun. About as hot as when she was a beldum. It feels nice. It feels selfish. You break off the hug. "Can you go watch after Genesis? I want to be sure she's okay."
{Initiate Ramming.}
That leaves you alone with Leo. Your newest team member. The one you understand the least. You have no idea what to say here. He answers for you by wrapping himself around you. He's heavy enough that it forces you to lean awkwardly to the side. All of his legs flail around you and dig into your clothes. You're pretty sure that this isn't at all natural for him. He's just seen humans do it and thinks you'd appreciate it. And you do. It shows how he cares. Even when you're not sure how to care for him. You try to speak but get caught up in sobs.
Damn it. You aren't even the victim here. You have no right to cry. Leo just squeezes tighter. It isn't painful. And the longer it lasts the more comforting you find it. Maybe you don't trust your voice, but you still have your mind. {If there's anything you want, just let me know.}
"Food," he hisses / gargles.
{Now?}
"No. Just ate ten nights ago."
He's eating less frequently after evolving. When you first got him he ate as often as you would feed him. Has he just come to accept that he can have food whenever he wants it now? That he doesn't have to eat like his next meal might not come for months?
Have you, of all people, helped someone with their eating problems?
{Anything else?}
You hear his mandibles clack together without anything coming through to your gift. Is that just the bug equivalent of foot tapping?
{Hunting advice. You have good ideas.}
You sob again and you aren't even sure why.
{I'll try.}
Your phone buzzes from somewhere behind you. When did it get there? Did Noci move it so it didn't get wet? What a smart girl. You don't deserve her, either.
"Message from VStar. Read: Yes or No."
"Yes." You try to say it as clearly as you can considering everything. It still isn't enough.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that. Message from VStar. Read: Yes or No."
"Yes."
"New Capture Mission: Golett. Reward: $50,000. Capture Limit: 1."
The ghost of a smile forms on your lips. One step at a time. Just like you told Coco. You can still do this. Eventually. No matter what it takes.