Late update, extremely busy with living situation, papers, and exams. Will only get worse once finals hit. I have more written, and I hate to do this, but this is all you will get for now until my schedule frees up some.
Or maybe, this might have been deliberately short? Hah. Hah. The truth is a strange thing. So subjective, and always leaves you wondering... is it really the truth? Keep that in mind.
I'm strapped to the bed in my own room. Riven laughed dryly, darkly amused at how quickly things could turn around from just fine to Voltorb-in-a-preschool. One moment he was recalling what attacked him, and the next he was chained to a bed- not even mentioning that not one of the three others were so much as bothered to ask him if he'd like to go pee sometime. Well, maybe Kai but he was a bit busy at the moment. The shouting match he could hear through the walls between the man in question and Isole could probably wake up the entirety of Lumiose- hell maybe even all of Kalos. Profanity abounded and a slamming of tables and other small, fragile objects being flung into walls could be heard.
Granted, the fight probably had something to do with shooting black wisps out of his fingers, he hadn't seen the tone in a room shift from light worry to complete befuddlement mixed with dread and a touch of oh-shit that quickly since… well, ever. Sure, someone freezes the ground with a touch and no one bats an eyelash, but one tiny little blast of darkness and the world turns on its head?
Tsk.
The darkness confirmed something he'd been speculating about for a while now, ever since Will started shooting fire out of his fingers. On top of that, Isole being able to withstand freezer like temperatures, her sensitivity to heat, and her ability to make instant iced coffee further added to this speculation of his.
Of course he had no way of knowing whether he was a part pokemon or not but it did explain just about… everything. Drawing from his short experience as a trainer, and how psychic attacks were effectively a pile of Yanma shit against dark types, that explained the failure to communicate telepathically- and the night eyesight, and possibly his disposition to underhanded tactics.
Well… maybe that last one was just him.
This… this is weird though. He flexed his fingers again, visualizing the energy he could feel inside. It waxed and waned, like the tides of the sea, sometimes feeling like gentle drumming or violent storms. What seemed impossible to do beforehand came easily, the power coming to him as he reached out for it, grasping onto the flow and directing it, shaping it. Wisps rose out of his fingers again, but an acute flash of pain akin to a Beedrill's sting pulsed in his head as soon as they did. A short whispering of something could be heard, conveying nothing but hostility and hatred, training and years of instruction allowed him to rein it in; in doing so, however, he lost the connection between the energy- the feelings cut out abruptly, taking with them the wisps of darkness. Riven grunted painfully, placing his free hand on his forehead.
"You look pained. How are you feeling?" Came a gentle voice.
Riven nearly jumped out of his skin, getting a nasty whiplash from the cuffs as he tried to stand up.
At the doorway stood Kai, looking as calm and nonchalant as usual; a very stark contrast from the Kai he'd heard roaring outside just a minute ago. His eyes had small bags under them, and the very muscles in his mouth seemed to struggle barely keeping that tiny smile on his face.
"Scared the hell out of me but otherwise, I'm not fine, being chained to a bed. And my head… feels like I just got stabbed by a needle. A thick needle," Riven complained, wobbling himself up off the side of the bed while trying to calm his breathing. Sitting back down, he examined Kai, eyebrow raised skeptically. "You don't look so well yourself, actually."
"I'm fine. No need to worry about me," Kai replied in dismissal, waving a hand. "Honestly, I'm fine, you do not have to stare at me so skeptically. Nothing but minor grievances."
"Liar. You're practically seething, I can feel it." He chuckled. "Do you need to kick a puppy? There's Furfrou's outside. I suppose you could put them out of their misery?"
Kai shook his head, slightly entertained. "Your sense of humor knows no bounds."
Riven snickered at that. "It's hard to believe someone else wants to rip Nera's throat out more than I do- and, heh, isn't that saying something? She must have done something awfully shitty to you too. Well- shittier, I presume."
"No, not to me directly… But to someone else. Someone I cared dearly for, someone I still care for." Kai pushed himself off the wall, walking up to the front of the bed. Riven noticed he was holding something inside of his robes, but said nothing. "I… I've seen what Nera's ambition drives her to do, and I do not care for it. I cannot accept it, neither her methods nor her ideologies. Don't ever trust her, or feed into her lies. She will not step a foot into my home, or I promise you that she will not leave whole."
Kai's robe opened slightly, revealing a blade in its sheath, thin by the looks of it, but the ornate engravings on it told Riven that it was probably a ceremonial sword of sorts. Whether it was functional or not was hard to tell at the moment, but judging from the look on Kai's face, it was fairly safe to assume it was not for show.
"Isole. She left you for her, didn't she?" He said flatly.
Kai gave him a pointed look.
"Oh, come on. It only explains why she avoids eye contact with you and why your conversations consist of subtle potshots at each other and passive aggressive remarks. And staring… lots of staring. So yes, it's blatantly obvious you two have- well, had- a thing, but a certain someone ruined it, just like she ruins everything else," Riven stated idly, eyeing the design of the sword curiously. "Cormac mentioned she came here very young, and that someone showed her how to become a trainer. I've seen the pokeballs you keep in your closet. You were the one who taught her about training, didn't you, Kai Soun? Elite four contender of the Johto league. Quite the rep you had. You pretty much raised her, and she left you. And now she's here again, and you can't stand it."
Kai didn't dare utter a word, his eyes like storms.
"Hah, aren't we just one nice, hateful family?" Riven laughed solemnly, then winced, trying to imagine what that was like while comparing it to his own situation. Whatever way you sliced it, it didn't end well.
Except for Nera.
Manipulators. Nuisances… Everything was so much easier in the army. All you had to deal with was the guy rushing you with a sword or huge fire pokemon trying to make you into toast, not blackmailing, turd-flinging and backstabs.
He could play this game too, having been maneuvering things himself for a bit with what he was able to get his hands on- information, names, locations, backhistories from a few sources within Lumiose over the past few months- but that didn't stop it from making it any less troublesome.
Maybe that's why Kai wasn't a dick to him. They were both being used by that red devil; himself through blackmail, but Kai through his kindness-a kindness and patience that restrained the anger of betrayal inside. The man had incredible self control, the epitome of calm and collected. But beneath that calm exterior there was always something nasty. Riven could feel the man's anger, down to his very bones; a seething anger that boiled underneath the surface, contained but ready to explode at a moment's notice. A volcano, just waiting to erupt.
"My anger…?" Kai's brows furrowed in concern. "Can you feel it? Just how well can you feel it? Describe it to me."
"Hmmmm…. Describe? It-it's like… I don't know, a wave of heat, I guess? The feelings are there and the negativity comes pouring in, the violent thoughts- the everything. There's a mix of other things too, but I can't really pick them apart too well; they're all substantially weaker compared to anger. Bucket of water and paint really… except it's a mix of the ugliest paints someone could find and threw them into the bucket randomly to form an abomination of a color. Felt it as soon as you stepped into the room."
…Paint? You should see how twisted the color of your ki is, Riven. "Is it affecting you?" Kai inquired, wary. "As in, you know…"
Riven nodded once, closing his eyes momentarily. "I'm holding it back but it just… pushes at me, intensifying… other things. When you were arguing with Isole in the living room, I could feel that too. Both of you. But the strongest was yours, Kai. You're pretty bitter. Question is, why? I couldn't do this before and it's bothering me. I don't want to feel this, I have enough of it on my own. What did that thing do to me?" He looked at Kai, whose eyes darted along the floor, deep in thought. "You know something."
"I know of things, but I lack the exact details or any specifically related information on your people to say that I do in fact know everything. I only have bits and pieces of what she told me."
Riven gave him a flat look. Yes, I do vaguely know what's happening to you, I just can't tell you right now because of reasons, so I'll come close. He almost laughed at that, if he hadn't expected such a neutral answer. Always playing it safe, aren't you? "What can you tell me then?"
"What I can tell you is that I do know how Ki moves," Kai stated, seeing the faint traces of Riven's Ki, a faint flow of black arcing energy, surrounded in crimson flicks of distorted- no, twisted, malevolence. "And what it tells me about others."
"Ki?"
"Yes. It is what the Kanton and Johtoan monks call the life force of the world, which flows through all things. Every living being on this earth possesses Ki, and with it, it shapes us," Kai explained, holding both hands up, forming a spherical shape in front of his chest.
"I'm not sure I follow," Riven said, confused. "I can barely keep up with technology as it is. You're going to have to take it a bit slow. Baby steps."
"I assumed as much… You looked like a lost Growlithe in a shopping mall," Kai joked briefly, before straightening once more. "I guess the simplest way to put it is in trainer terms. Fighting type pokemon harness Ki to attack, giving their attacks and moves devastating power. They harness the Ki of the body; appearing bluish white, or yellow at times. Sometimes, extremely talented Ki users can form spheres of it to attack with, eliminating the need for physical contact."
"Aura sphere," Riven concluded, nodding. "Lucario."
"Other pokemon are capable of this, but yes, Lucario is the most adept. This Ki is what gives a fighting type its strength. However, there are two other parts that form the triangle of the self. Each counteracting each other in different ways. Ki is the body, but there also exists a force for the mind, and for the "other"- the repressed self," Kai continued. "Naturally, the mind counters the body, explaining why psychics are more effective against fighting types. The psywaves of an excellent mind user interfere with the Ki flow, weakening the target. Psychic pokemon are like fighting pokemon, but they control the mind, rather than Ki itself. That leaves one more-"
"The other," Riven confirmed, drawing conclusions from his own thoughts. "The dark side of the self, right? The repressed self that everyone loathes. The thing they can't bear to look at, the very thing they hate, they despise… their deepest darkness." Riven clenched a jaw, grinding his teeth together as anger welled up inside again, pushing incessantly. Just like his father once said in passing. Everyone hated them. He never understood why, but now it started to make sense- the more sense it made, the worse it made the ramifications of what happened back then. So that's it then? It was all just a baseless hate crime…?
"People are afraid of what they don't understand," Kai said carefully, maneuvering with the most amount of tact he could muster. "The darkness is the antithesis of the mind, for it is a conglomeration of the traits a person hates, a manifestation of their fears, their hatred, their primal desires they can't give in to because of society or cultural upbringing. The other is negativity but also passion and desire, it makes no logical sense. To the mind of a psychic, to give into impulse and the more feral natures of the self, it is incomprehensible, and the negativity of the other sabotages the mind itself, shattering the steady flow of psywaves. But as the mind shuts down, the Ki flows to restore order, driving out the other to regain control."
"Fighting beats dark," Riven blew out some air from his nose, a tiny sneer. "Fuck, no wonder that aura sphere hurt. Worst pain I've ever felt in my life. Blew a hole clean through my leg-worse than getting arrows pulled out of my leg… But based on what you're saying, and applying the same logic of pokemon battles, then technically I'm weak to this… fighting Ki, is it? Or fighting attacks anyway. That same thing applying to Nera and the rest?"
"You can put it that way, yes," Kai confirmed, shrugging his shoulders. He paused, raising an eyebrow at a smirking Riven. "You're not thinking of blasting her with a water type are you?"
"Can't say it wouldn't be hilariously effective, but no, that doesn't change the fact I'd get shredded to pieces after doing it. Taking–you-down-with-me is a statement that's not really worth the trouble. Typings though, that's understandable," Riven noted, missing something crucial. "But what does that have to do with me feeling other people's problems, like a psychic? I'm supposed to be the opposite of that. I hardly felt much as it is before."
"Dark pulse," Kai said simply, leaving a small beat of silence for it to register in Riven's mind.
"…Huh?"
Kai resisted the urge to introduce his palm to his forehead. "Don't you read the pokedex?"
"My pokedex was named Charles, and he was a bit of dick. Helpful at first, but after a while he refused to show me information about anything, claimed he was tired and that it was too much of a drag. Pokedexes with personalities suck, give me one that doesn't snark back to me every time I open it, that way I can read the descriptions of moves and not have to look them up in a book. Useless piece of accented garbage…"
"You got an AI pokedex?" Kai asked, stunned. "How did you get that? They haven't even released them to the public yet, they're supposed to become available next month?"
Damn, Riven thought, biting his tongue. That was the bad thing about hanging out with mercenaries and experienced trainers who also delved in apparent monk philosophy. No one missed a bloody thing. Say one thing incriminating and they can turn against you in a heartbeat. Although he doubted Kai would do such a thing, it was better to be safe; which meant he had to come up with a story before things went to hell all at once. Or… maybe he didn't. Sometimes, the truth in itself was a lie.
"I met a guy who said that he had a pokedex I could have. We had a bit of a scuffle." He snorted when Kai merely accepted that with a small grin. Still clear. Good. "He gave me the pokedex, but didn't tell me it was an experiment. Turns out my pokedex has a learning artificial intelligence. Apparently."
"That's… incredibly vague."
"I suppose?"
"You're covering for someone, Riven?"
"Aren't we all, Kai? This is just one giant chessboard." He gestured to both Kai and himself. "Aren't we all pawns trying to reach the end of the board for a promotion? But what am I saying, philosophy is a waste of time. What was it about dark pulse?"
Kai regarded him for a second, thinking. He pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down, resting the sheathed sword on his lap. He breathed in and out, taking deep breaths, a brief meditation of sorts to calm his raging mind. Thoughts steadied as he focused his mind. "Dark pulse, one of the few dark type moves that does not require physical contact. A blast of darkness formed from malicious thoughts and hatred."
Riven held up a hand. "Wait, you're saying that dark pulse is nothing but-"
"Weaponized emotions? Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Kai said, eyes grave. "Or at least, it's part of it. Dark types are sensitive to negativity. To dread. Doom. It makes them pragmatic, cold, distrusting- ironic really. They've learned to use these thoughts and feelings as a strength to draw from. You ever wonder why psychics are so sensitive to peoples' emotions?" A dim shake of the head answered him. Kai continued, "it's because negative thoughts, what dark types thrive on, destroys their brainwaves and make them unstable; it makes them give in to their primal instincts. That is what psychics fear the most. The black ki's effects. So they look for positive emotions instead, and thus are emotional creatures who draw strength from clear thoughts. Dark types are the exact opposite of that. Drawing from emotions but becoming colder and more ruthless."
"So… Why wasn't I this inclined to feel negativity before?" Riven asked. If what Kai was saying was true, then why did it manifest now? Why didn't it happen bef-
No. It did happen before. The bursts of violence, the recurring dreams. That black… entity. The Forinan woods. Nimva plains. Littleroot forest.
"Petalburg," he whispered, swallowing.
"Petalburg?"
"Yeah. I-I got stabbed multiple times, cracked ribs, bruised face. He was about to kill me, that merc they sent after me… I didn't want to die. Memories came up and I got angry. But not in the way someone lashes out. It was colder, deeper. Something just clicked, and my mind went blank, I was back there. I… was holding onto that bow, looking at her and just- I wanted him dead, and that's exactly what I did."
The air in the room began to feel heavy, laced with the desire to kill and rend. Kai's mind swam in it, desperately visualizing his deepest, most violent thoughts. No… I can't let it. Stop. Bloodlust, Kai recognized, watching the ki turn even more crimson. Taking a deep breath, he felt for his ki, enveloping himself in its waves, its energy, before drawing it to his palm. A faint blue glow emanated from his hand, placing it on the younger man's head, pushing outward and in.
Blue energy flowed into Riven's mind and the air of malice dissipated almost instantly. A rather stunned young man blinked at him, confused. "It's… gone? What did you do?"
Kai shook his hand, flicking away black wisps. "I used my ki to counteract yours. It just settled it for the moment."
"You can do that?"
"In small amounts, yes. Anymore than that and it could cause you harm, then it just makes it worse as your ki responds. It's not a permanent solution, especially if you get stronger, which I have no doubt about at this point."
If I get stronger… That's not good. What if those thoughts got stronger? The desire to tear his enemies to pieces, that overpowering bloodlust that tasted oh so sweet. What would he be then?
Would I be like that Pangoro?
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Kai." Riven gave him a small smile, mind racing.
"There's no need for-"
"Kai," Isole called, coming to the door. "Nera's here."
The man's eyes turned steely, his posture changing completely. A metallic ring of metal whipped through the still air of the room as he drew the blade he was holding. The anger came flooding back in. "She comes in and I'll kill her," Kai threatened, "I'm going out."
Isole held him back with a hand, the temperature in the room dropping low enough to frost breath. Ice crackled below her feet and along the walls, spreading in veins as the water molecules in the room froze. "I'm not going to let you do that," she warned, giving him a deathly glare.
"Stay out of this," Kai snapped acidly, "you've done enough, don't make it worse. I'm going to end this-"
Ice shot up around his legs, wrapping the lower half of his body in solid ice, spreading up towards his arms. Kai watched it climb up his waist; the veins on his neck twitching, the clenched jaw, the furrowed brows, his sword hand white from the force of his grip.
"I can break through this ice and you know it. If you try to stop me again, Isole-" He paused, staring at her eye to eye. "You will leave my home, my city, and my life. You will no longer be that girl I trained, I taught, I cared for as my own family. You will be an enemy, do you understand?"
Isole did nothing, her hesitation blatant. She didn't know which she wanted more. She wanted them both, but she couldn't have them both. This was reality, not a fairy tale.
Choose, Riven thought, watching intently. That's what life's about- choosing something that always tears something else apart. It was like a sick, twisted game of fate. But this time… this time he could do something about it. Doesn't have to end like this. Not today."Kai. Put the sword down."
The man in question turned back to look at Riven, his piercing glare shooting knives into his skull. Isole followed shortly, both of them bewildered, and a little outraged.
"Why? Do you not hate her too?" Kai hissed.
"Yes, I do. I certainly don't mind watching you slice her in two, but I need answers, and this won't yield any. And this fighting between you two? It isn't necessary. Don't fight over that devil, it's not worth it. That's what they do, they rip things apart."
You would know, came a small whisper in his head. He brushed it off.
"Family shouldn't fight, remember?" Riven said quietly.
But what do you know about family? It chuckled, barely there.
Shut up. I don't know what you are, but the situation needs to be controlled, and I'll get nowhere if these two decide to murder each other. Stay quiet, I don't want to listen to you, other.
He flicked his attention to the man standing near the left side of the room, holding something in his hand. "Cormac, put the pokeball away."
The male mercenary glanced at Riven briefly before conceding. "Fuck it. He's right. Put it down Kai. Leave the room. Eavesdrop if you see fit, but let him and Nera talk. It's important, it's something he- no, we- need to all hear. And I'm intrigued. Very very intrigued."
Kai clenched his jaw once more, then exhaled deeply. With one sharp motion of the blade, the ice encasing his legs split into pieces, freeing him. Glaring what seemed like molten steel into Isole's eyes, he stalked off without a word, waves of anger flowing behind him. "Make it quick."
"That man has repressed feelings he needs to work out," Cormac chuckled. "Jeez."
"We all have issues Cormac," Riven cut in, "if we didn't, we'd be normal, working people. Gives me the shudders thinking about it."
"Shit if that ain't the truth," he scoffed, looking at the shaken woman in the doorway. "You all right, frosty?"
Isole nodded and collected herself, leaving the room, hands trembling from the tension.
"You ready for this?"Cormac asked. "This isn't your typical meet-in-X-spot-and-we'll-discuss-what-you-want-to-tell-us-then-you-tell-her-to-fuck-off. You know that, right? She probably brought insurance."
"If it's that Lucario…"
"No, probably not. She wants to talk to you, not maim you. I assume she brought her own pokemon this time, extra security and whatnot. You're not in a public place like the other times before, she doesn't trust you to hold back."
"That makes two of us," Riven smiled, wry and malicious. "I just want to poke her lung with a knife. That's all."
"We already searched your person for knives. God damn man, how many secret pockets and compartments do your clothes have?"
Riven pulled out a knife from somewhere, then held it out. "At least one more than you found." He flashed another wry smile as the man gave him a scowl and grabbed the knife, flinging it to the counter like a dead fish.
Footsteps.
"Well, she's coming in. Good luck buddy, I'll be standing outside, try not to kill each other will you? Wiping blood off the floor is a bitch and a half." Cormac snorted and stepped aside, leaning on the wall in the hallway. "I already prepared the saltwater, by the way. Removes bloodstains nicely."
Riven snickered at that, but quickly straightened as footsteps got closer. He didn't dare move an inch as Nera entered the room, fiery eyes observing him curiously, like a Houndour watching a Stantler in the forest. Behind her, a pokemon that looked like Baron came inside, eyeing him also. A Gardevoir. Remembering that disgusting comic he'd seen, he held back the urge to vomit and said nothing , looking at her with a stony expression.
"Hello, Riven, You look a little green, are you ok?" she asked. He said nothing. "It's good to see you."
"Bullshit."
"I see you're as polite as ever," she smiled.
"And you're still full of shit. Where's the other walking sack of feces? Ben, I think that's its name."
"Don't be too harsh on him… He's not here right now."
"Who'd you bring then? Apart from your Gardevoir. I know you brought somebody else, you don't have to deny it. I'm injured not stupid. You're too careful for that."
"Styx," she stated as she sat down, pulling her hair back. She waited.
Cormac heard the name Styx and presumably browned his pants. "I'll just go evacuate the houses within a three mile radius of here," he stated flatly, looking a little traumatized. "Cloudy with a chance of explosions..." he whispered as he left.
Nera giggled to herself. "He has a reputation."
"At least he just destroys property." He spat. "Lives? That's your forte."
She sighed. "Not here to play games, Riven."
"I thought you like playing games. Like chess, except with people. It's been more than six fucking months and nothing has happened. Remember? Do a few a jobs for us and we'll let you go? Or was that a lie too?"
"I didn't specify how many, so technically I didn't lie to you," she replied, holding the bridge of her nose. "And you still haven't said a word. Just insults, insults I've been stomaching for months."
"Excellent, because it doesn't matter how many jobs I do, you won't let me go until I tell you what you want. Jobs have been stagnant lately, and we're still here. That's not right. You're looking for something," he said, observing her movements for any sign of discomfort that would indicate he was right. But Nera was good at hiding it, and remained composed.
"Want to know? How about a trade? What did you find in Dewford?"
Riven laughed at the irony. "Dancing in circles again? Are we going to do this every time we speak? A little boring, truth be told."
Nera huffed, beginning to lose her patience. "Then I won't waste my time trying. You know why I'm here?"
A vicious smile answered her.
The Gardevoir moved.
A wall of light materialized instantly in front of the bed, making contact with the incoming blast, splitting apart waves of black energy as the two collided. A weak flick of darkness made it through, but was easily swatted away by the pokemon, its angry red eyes showing restraint it clearly didn't feel comfortable having. Magical leaves flashed into existence, poised and ready to assault her master's attacker.
The red-headed woman didn't flinch, nodding at her pokemon. Leaves disappeared. "Yes, that's exactly why."
"Deliberate accident, sorry," Riven sneered, returning the Gardevoir's hostile glare. The pokemon were extremely loyal to a fault, even going as far as sacrificing themselves for their trainers. It'd die before it'd let me kill her. Shame. Does Baron share the same sentiment?
"Don't try that again," Nera said. "How's the pain?"
Riven winced.
"It hurts, doesn't it?"
"What does?" He replied, holding the stinging back.
"Your eye? Your head?" She answered, smiling once again. "I know they do. Uncomfortable, isn't it? I've seen it before."
"Explain. Now," Riven growled. The Gardevoir flinched momentarily, green palm glowing a bright pink. He glared at it, sucking his teeth. "Psychic won't work on me, no matter how hard you try."
"That's no psychic," Nera returned. "For you, it's something far far worse."
"What?"
She didn't explain. "Riven, do you know the war our world was involved in?"
"Is that a stupid question?"
"Answer the stupid question."
He huffed. "How could I forget?"
Red hair flowed as she stood up. Fiery eyes that once burned with ambition saddened, appearing almost pained. "Do you want to know how it started?"
Riven's eyes widened, unable to speak. How did she know? Was she telling the truth? Was there any way of knowing? Probably not, she might be lying, but it was a risk he had to take. He had to know.
A slow nod.
"Okay. But I'm not going to tell you. I'm going to show you." She turned around, holding up a hand, hesitating for a moment. "This will hurt, Cerul."
"Wait, what are you going to-"
Orange stared back into blue. "Bring out the darkness, Ieia, Dazzling Gleam." Her Gardevoir held out a hand, unforgiving and cold.
Light exploded, and the world went dark with crimson and hatred.