Don't panic. Don't react. Calm down.
Riven exerted every ounce of control he had over his facial muscles, retaining his perfectly disinterested face. Taking a leisure sip from the straw in his shake, he looked up at Gale, who seemed to be keenly observing him for any tells.
Should I tell her? Or play the fool? He deliberated with uncertainty. Caution and vague statements had been the modus operandi for so long that telling the pure and unfragmented truth felt like stepping on knives. Of course that was all for playing it safe so enemies wouldn't know anything about him. The less they knew the better.
But Gale wasn't an enemy. She wouldn't gut him or report him to the police, or haul him over to the nearest laboratory for dissection. For all intents and purposes, it was safe telling her. The real question was though… should he tell her? Why was she so curious about a world that didn't exist anymore, that didn't matter? Even if he did describe it to her, would she believe him? Or call him mad like everyone else?
"My world?" He questioned with a brow, deciding not to deny nor accept anything.
Gale's face fell, hurt. "I thought you promised you'd tell me the truth?"
"I did, but you'll have to elaborate a little to see what it is you mean by that."
Sighing, the girl went into her travel bag, pulling out a single photograph. Placing it on the table, she waited. It was the Remnant insignia, a grim reminder of the life he'd once led several years ago. By now it was like a distant memory.
"You're not from here," Gale said. "Not from Orre, or Hoenn, or anywhere else. Because you're from the past. I don't know how long, but I know you were a soldier. That explains… everything about you that doesn't make any sense. So please, tell me. I'm a friend, remember?"
Riven grimaced at the picture, blowing out a breath in half exasperation and irritation, "Steven told you, didn't he?"
Going to break his legs.
"Please don't break his legs," Gale pleaded.
Shit.
"I was the one that asked what he knew about you. If you want to call me nosy, go right ahead. Blame me." Riven seemed to swallow whatever it was he was going to say. "I was just trying to figure out where you were and then I remembered LaRousse."
Blue and brown narrowed.
"You didn't come back up with Birch and when you and Steven both came back, he was out of it. He looked into your memories and didn't like what he saw. It took me a while to figure it out, but when I did, I had to know. Steven only told me a few things, he said it was better to ask you."
Riven really wanted to break something that belonged to that guy right now. A pinky finger would do. Testing my trust, Steven? Must be revenge for Lumiose. You smart little-
He suppressed a hiss and instead picked at the cream in his shake with a straw. "Steven might've told you all that, but do you believe it?"
Gale considered that, finding it difficult herself. "I didn't at first. Thought it was a bunch of crap you probably fed him." He held a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "But now that I think about you and every peculiar thing you've done since we met, it makes the most sense. Your age and fighting capabilities. The scars on your back. Your handwriting, god your handwriting!"
Riven reddened.
"Oh, and your terrible way with technology and social situations. You are like an old man."
Whatever embarrassment he felt was completely evaporated as he leveled her a glare that could freeze seas. Her seriousness was broken as she fell into a goofy grin, finding it hilarious to tease him about it. Will was right, he was fun to mess with. "I'm just wondering why you didn't tell me, or the rest of us sooner."
"I did," Riven reminded. "Back in LaRousse, before I got arrested, remember?"
Thinking, Gale gasped. A scrutinizing look of disapproval followed. "You… asshat! You actually told Lucia the truth with that ridiculous explanation?" An explanation that was so far-fetched and sarcasm filled that it would never hold up in court, or anywhere really. And he did it, on purpose. God damn him.
"Heh. Can't say I lied to you. People just think I'm a liar." He held in a grin as Gale fumed. "Anyway, that's the only way I could have told you. If I was trying to be serious, none of you would ever believe me. Mainly because there isn't any tangible evidence for me to show you otherwise, apart from the memories in my skull."
"Memories in your-" Pieces fell into place, locking soundly. "The memory visualizer," Gale concluded. "That's how you got Steven to believe you."
"Yeah. Wait, you didn't use it, did you?" Riven asked, tone severe. "Tell me you didn't use it, Gale. Tell. ME."
"I didn't," she affirmed quickly, prompting a deep sigh of relief from Riven. "Why?"
"That thing does more than just give you memories, it's like it… injects them. Because of what Steven saw in my head, he has trouble sleeping… among other things. The machine was just a prototype but the thing had terrible adverse effects. Memories you really, really don't want is one of them. Especially not mine. I wouldn't be surprised if he got my panic episodes too."
I hope you never see what I've seen.
Gale looked concerned, swallowing harshly. She opened her mouth to say something but he silenced it with a flick of his straw, throwing cream at her. A bit of it landed on her nose as she cleaned it off, huffing.
"Stop that. They've gotten better. The last major one I had was when I first got to Mauville, Wattson had to sit on me until I came back to my senses." He joked ruefully. "Since then they died down a bit. Must be the atmosphere of this world I guess."
Gale's interest piqued. "And what was the old one like?"
"Shit," he responded instantly, ferociously stabbing his straw back into his drink. "Can't even begin to compare the two. Famine, wars, backstabbing, and death. Lots of death. Pokemon and people alike. A thousand years of it. Half a millennia of suffering for reasons I don't have and nobody would tell me because they're all dead."
He went silent for a moment, swallowing.
"Steven told me that things were a lot worse than we've ever experienced here. At least in your case."
"You weren't born into a war. Not one that was raging on for such a long time at least. Here there's… peace. Tranquility. Over there was just centuries of struggle." He reclined on the backrest, shaking his head slowly. "As a kid I heard about a time where there were huge cities, just like Lumiose and now, Mauville. No fighting, no dying. Always thought they weren't true though, since they didn't seem to exist. Even the ruins were unimpressive. Truth is they were probably sacked so many times for supplies and pillaged that it was just worth watching them crumble after a while. I never saw a city larger than my own, and that was pretty small, honestly. I thought Petalburg was big."
He smiled, laughing at the very thought of his astonishment when he'd first seen Petalburg. His smile leveled out, turning into another sad frown. An honest one.
"I don't know what war was like in this world, but I imagine it wasn't too great either. But where I come from, I wouldn't wish that kind of life on anyone. This place, this world-" He looked at Gale in the eyes. "- Your world, I like it a lot better." He held up his shake. "I mean come on, it has these."
Gale laughed in disbelief at him, smiling widely. As their laughter died down, the girl's fingers tapped on the wooden desk. "What happened? You said your parents died in a fire when you were seven. What really happened to them?"
"That part's true. Only it wasn't a fire, more like an infernal explosion. Blast burn," Riven answered, to which Gale gulped. "But it wasn't just them, they were just one of the few. They killed us, Gale. Everyone. The way they did it was so efficient and underhanded it deserves tactical praise because dammit, you just don't attack people after declaring peace. Not even us, and we played dirty, believe me. And then they chased us around the entire continent for years, incinerating forests and poisoning lakes while they did it. Repercussions and death toll be damned."
He tapped the picture with a finger. "And so we fought. The remnant of a society. I joined when I was eleven when I managed to escape the initial slaughter. That's where I learned all... this. We weren't going to win obviously, but we didn't care. That's all there was left, the fight. There was no home to go back to. We could have hid in the outer towns as refugees, away from the clans, but that's no way to live. Soon they'd find out, and then we'd die, beaten and trampled like rats hiding in the dark, where we belonged. No, I'd rather die fighting than give up to them."
"Who's them?" Gale asked quietly.
"The Rose, Liran, and Curian clans. Fire, electric, and psychics. The three most powerful clans, who controlled trading routes, major farmland, and held the largest military force. Well, one was a bunch of mercs. They really didn't like us. Except the Lirans, they really didn't give a flying shit."
"So you belonged to a clan? Which one?"
"Cerul," he laughed bitterly as she choked on her drink. "Imagine that. I used to be important. Now I practically don't exist."
"Y-you were a prince?" Gale sputtered, still coughing. "Wow. You don't…"
"Look like one? Yeah. War does that to you. Can't be a prince to ashes anyways. I spent more time covered in dirt and grime than I did being pompous like those rich kids in Kalos. Being important is overrated, just look at that poor bastard Steven. He can't escape the fangirls. I don't think a sea could sate that thirst."
The girl across from him stuttered, trying to wrap her head around everything but the image of Steven getting chased by ravenous teenage girls. "So these were… elemental clans? Like the types in pokemon?"
"Generally, yes. Of course I didn't know that until I came here, though. I just figured they preferred to align themselves with a certain type of pokemon or some stupid reason like that."
Gale went silent, her brain working on overdrive. Her mouth opened and her eyebrows climbed up to her hairline. "OH. That's why you can see in the dark, and why Evie says you smell different! You were the dark clan!"
"Excellent deductive capabilities, detective," he teased.
After that, Gale appeared far too interested, almost excited. "So by that logic, you can also do, you know-" She extended her hand outward, opening her palm and making a whoosh sound.
His face was blank before snickering at the sound effect. "More or less. Think pokemon, but with humans. Dark pulse, night slash, etc. Which I also didn't know I could do until I got here. Apparently none of us knew. That's why we got destroyed, hilariously at that. Turns out they weren't even half serious, we were more like annoying pests." A bitter chuckle. "Fight pokemon and people with superpowers with regular weapons and never tell us that we also have superpowers. Yeah, I'm sure that would work out so well. Thanks command."
"Can you show me?" Gale asked, peering at him Noctowlishly. "Please?"
Riven frowned. "Aren't you excited. Can't show you. Well not here, obviously." He corrected as she pouted. "We need somewhere secluded. If people found out about this they'd probably brown themselves."
Gale then stood up and hauled him out.
Shake in hand, Riven and Gale left the city, going eastbound to route 118, finding a spot among an enclosed group of trees, away from the main path. They made sure to sweep the area for any people and rangers, just in case. Deciding the coast was clear, he handed Gale his half-eaten drink, and reached into his shirt to pull out a necklace made of small, shimmering stones. They shined with a pleasant radiance, emanating pink light. At least to her it was beautiful. Riven, on the other hand, looked green in the face just holding them, nearly doubling over.
"What are these?" She asked as he looped the necklace around her arm. He looked instantly better, shaking his head out. "Jewelry? You?" She giggled mockingly.
"They serve a purpose," he said with a shiver. "Diancie stone fragments. Holding them makes me sick. Uhh… hold on."
Held out a hand, leaned over, and retched onto the grass.
Gale winced and took a step back.
Staggering to his feet, he went out several feet, then looked back at her. "Ngh… Sure you want to see this?"
She nodded, eager with anticipation. It wasn't like it was anything new, she'd already accidentally seen Will shoot fire back in Lavaridge. Seeing a guy shoot fire out of his fingertips would have knocked a regular person on their ass if it was their first time. Actually, that's exactly how she felt when she first saw it herself.
Riven stared at her with another frown, probably a little regretful about it. He shrugged. "Just… stay right there."
Gale listened, eager smile on her face.
"Alright. Make sure no one sees us."
Spreading his feet apart, he focused.
Drawing inward from his own memories, dark energy began to flow into him, channeling through his body like before, rising through his limbs and pooling in the center of his body, before it began distributing it to the point he chose. It wasn't on the level it had been when he'd fought Efrain, since there were no residual feelings here, and he was relatively relaxed at the moment.
Still, his own memories and recollections were enough for this. Not choosing to delve too far into his own troubled thoughts, he gathered the darkness into his finger, pointing it towards the sky. Red and black waves surged and spiraled up and around his arm, condensing into a dense point at the tip of his extended finger, hissing lowly.
When the hissing grew in volume and pitch, he fired the dark pulse, the attack howling into the air in a vortex of destructive red and black energy. The pulse momentarily darkened the sky as it blocked light itself, ripping through the air for a fair distance before dissipating harmlessly. A faint, residual scar was left in the attack's wake, appearing like an ominous fracture against the blue sky.
Gale found it fascinating, watching with awe as Riven had released a dark pulse comparable to one a high level pokemon would. She was about to gush when she saw him stumble and fall to his knees, holding his head with both hands.
Rushing over to him, she asked him if he was alright. When he opened his closed eye, Gale instinctively stepped back, a spike of fear running through her unexplainably. Her body had reacted, not her.
His right eye was a deep, blood red, and he radiated a feeling of dread that seemed to make her want to run away as far as possible, even if she knew he wouldn't hurt her. It gripped her heart, driving thoughts into her brain; her mind was screaming at her to get away from him, but she stayed, rooted in place.
"Give me the stones," he demanded, breathing with considerable difficulty. She listened, shakily placing them in his hand. He put them on quickly, and almost immediately his strained breaths seemed to recede, leveling out. Opening his eyes again, Gale noted that his right had changed back to blue, and that terrible aura was completely gone. As were her instincts to run. The feeling was closer to mind control, as if a veil had been lifted suddenly.
Gale eyed him, lost.
Riven noticed her concern and stood up, taking his shake back. A blast of sugar into his mouth later and he jabbed her arm to see if she was still responsive. "Gale. You all right?"
"R-riven," she stuttered. "Y-your eye, it's… I'm a little lost."
"I can tell," he added dryly, moving his head through the headache. "That's a little side effect of using these… abilities. I get migraines and I start to lose it when I don't let it cut loose. Also, my eye turns red and people get very uncomfortable around me. Psychics go berserk too. Not sure why. The stones help curb it, as long as they don't touch my skin. Diancie's a fairy type."
"Isn't that harmful to you then?"
"Yeah, that's why I threw up. But if it doesn't touch me it acts like a counterbalance. We seem to have the same weaknesses as pokemon do. I don't think you understand how terrible it feels to get dazzling gleamed as a dark type. My insides nearly ruptured and I vomited blood, I think. Then I destroyed a house and beat the shit out of two pokemon with my bare hands. That's what I got told at least. I don't remember anything."
In fact, it felt remotely similar to a hangover. Although, instead of waking up in a different city entirely and trapped between two cars with a Pyroar in your bathroom that isn't yours, you destroy a house and nearly kill your host. Same headache and soul crushing regret though.
Gale blinked, imagining that with a cringe. "So back when we first met…"
"I attacked you? Yeah. This thing's fault. It's also why my hair is turning white. If I didn't dye it I really would look like a Stunky. Endlessly annoying, believe me. If it turns completely white I might think about it leaving it like that."
The flyer blinked, recalling the dark pulse. "Hmmm, that dark pulse was like a pokemon's."
"Yes."
"How did you find out you could do this? Did you grab a dark sphere or something? Like-" She cut herself off abruptly, Riven's words crawling into her mind. Words she glossed over the first time. Everyone had this. Everyone.
"Finally figured it out, huh?" Riven noted. "Now you know why Steven is interested in this. All of us had these abilities. We were born this way, Gale. And all of you… aren't. You're normal… no, that's not right- incomplete. When this power comes over you, it- it's the best feeling in the world. Everything feels right. It's… liberating. And from what I've been told… it allows a person to connect far better with their element too, as well as other pokemon."
"From what you've been told?"
He smiled again, long and wry. "You didn't think I was the only one, did you?"
Gray eyes once again became wide as saucers as the girl was sent into studders. "There's more of you? What?!"
Riven nodded, peering up at the sky. "If I got sent here, it's not hard to believe others did too. I generally figured I wasn't the only one, I just had no real way to confirm it."
"Wait, how did you get here?" Gale asked, finally drawing attention that she was talking to a time traveler. Checking his wrists for any technological gadgets, she drew a giant blank.
"I asked Steven to look into it." Riven groaned lowly. "Pretty much what he drew from it was that the legendaries were involved."
Gale blinked, then shrugged. "So it's a legendary pokemon thing. Got it."
Riven frowned at how easily she accepted that. Seriously, just about anything could be justified with the "legendaries did it", as long as you couldn't logically explain it… Which was about the same as saying a wizard did it, but in this case, it really was true. The unfortunate reality being that the truth was extremely disappointing and unhelpful. Then again, that was the truth in a nutshell.
"Gale, you know who Sabrina and Lucian are?"
"She's a gym leader in Kanto. Saffron City, right? And Lucian is an Elite Four member in Sinnoh," she said matter-of-factly. "What do they have to do with-"
"How do you think they got their abilities?" Riven interjected. The question was piercing, unleashing all manner of colossal revelations. It hit Gale like a club to the head, for the fifth time today.
"No…" She trailed off. "No way. They're from your…?"
Riven shook his head slowly. "Not exactly." She looked disappointed. He chuckled and opened a palm, staring down at it. "These powers are stronger. I don't know how strong Curians were, but I assume they could rival an Alakazam. After all, I'm not very experienced myself and I can nearly match a latter gym cycle dark type. I wouldn't be surprised if a pure psychic from my time could control others. There was a reason they were feared. Sabrina and Lucian are probably descendants of one that had children with a normal human. Human breeding is a strange process. Pokemon breeding is much more straight forward."
He received a patronizing look.
"What? I got curious. There were… interesting pictures."
Gale decided to completely ignore that. "But if that's the case, then what happened to the originals? Ones like you? Why aren't there more fire users and such? I mean, there's a lot of people with psychic abilities. And a few espers like Sabrina."
"Well, I assume the psychic clan got here first, and more often. That might explain the prevalence of psychics and pretty much nothing else. Maybe they prepared for it since they could see the future? The rest of us got here by pure dumb luck, probably."
"As for what happened to the rest…" He placed a hand on his chin, flashing back to his time in Kalos. "They probably faded into obscurity or into tales. Those myths about people having extraordinary powers? All those urban legends of superhumans each region seems to have? I think they're real," Riven grinned viciously. "Just like the legendaries themselves. People from my time have been coming here for a while now, according to some of the stories I've read while I was gone."
"Oh? Any good ones?"
"Tell you on the way."
Beginning to walk back out onto the main route towards the water, he began telling her with wonder in his eyes. "So, this comes from back in the warring states era of Johto and Kanto, but there's a story of a guy named Bakoto. He was known as "the White Sun". It was said he could control the wind itself and with his blade he could slice through the thickest armor. One rumor even went that his slashes produced shockwaves of air so sharp they could cut a man in two. Immune to arrows of all types, it was rumored that he was the spirit of the wind that had turned human. He was strangely fond of bird pokemon and supposedly died in a lightning storm, that was his only weakness. Ironic isn't it?"
"Where did you see this exactly?"
"Lumiose Central Library," he answered fondly. "Their myths and legends section is enormous, it's like a sixth of the library. It's a huge library, mind you. I think I went in there for three days straight. At least I think it was three days? Someone had to come fetch me to bring me out of seclusion. Had beard stubble and everything."
Gale arched a brow. "And you think all the people in myths are from your time? That's a little far-fetched."
"No, just the ones with 'powers'. Powers that draw uncanny parallels to typings." He scoffed. "I mean, call it ridiculous but my entire life so far has been a never ending fucking train of ridiculous. I'm not glossing over anything, even if it does sound like a bunch of Tauros shit. Besides, those stories had to come from somewhere. Legends might not be the most accurate, but they're true to an extent. Even if it's just minor details. You'd be surprised."
"Bakoto huh." Gale eyed a snoozing Taillow on a branch, its chest rising and falling. "Was there even a wind clan? Flying clan? I don't know."
"Honestly, I'm not sure. We only really dealt with the ones I told you about. And the Raksas, the ice clan. Only partially though. Asked for help but naturally they turned us down. Their home was north and cold as shit anyways." Gale looked incredulous, anger rising. Riven cut her off with a wave. "Relax, saying they were selfish is easy because you're here now. Tactically and diplomatically, it was a wise decision. Fighting an opposing enemy type when your city and way of life consists of ice, ice, and more ice? Bad idea."
He shrugged as she mulled it over.
"Wind clan might have existed, but we never made contact with them or they were as secluded as Steven on an off day. There's a lot I didn't know about. Also, I do know for sure more came back. They did blackmail me."
"The ones who called the police on you?!" Gale nearly shouted, stopping in her tracks. A group of nearby Zigzagoon that had approached in hopes of sneaking a berry from them backed off slowly. Riven nodded absently, producing a few berries from his trainer bag to give to the poor things. "Why do you make all this sound so normal?"
Because I'm a bad luck magnet with a preference for disaster? His eyes shifted, trying to find something else to focus on. Yep, a tree with a claw mark in it would do. "Desensitized. Did I forget to mention their leader is the daughter of the man that ordered my entire people slaughtered? And that she nearly murdered me to make a point and also blasted a hole in my leg while keeping me under her thumb for six months?"
Gale turned around.
"Hey!" Riven called as she walked away. "Where are you going?"
"Finding a rock so I can sit down," she said, rubbing her forehead with one hand and lifting another behind her head. "You make my brain hurt. Everything you get involved in makes my brain hurt."
Coming down to the inlet that separated the two sides of route 118, Gale found the most sizable rock on the beach and plopped down only to stare dimly at the water. She told Riven to go find something to do while she contemplated her position in life and re-evaluated everything she knew.
Meh.
Route 118 was interesting. The western portion was a lengthy ten miles, consisting of thick forests and grassy areas. The eastern part leveled out and became a sandy shore, where the bulk of battles occurred, as well as creating a sort of small beach. A body of water separated both sides of the route, which often made trainers backtrack to get surf from Norman before crossing or swim across Sharpedo and Carvanah inhabited waters. While they were generally harmless, it didn't stop people from imagining getting attacked by them. In fact, the sharks were pretty friendly.
He still didn't want to swim that far though. The first time he came here he had to battle plenty of trainers, mainly because a local Mauville band occasionally played at the shore and attracted all manner of concert-goers. Trainers came in droves too, and there were battles a plenty.
Except no one battled him this time around. Mainly because the group wasn't there and having a pair of swords behind his back was a great repellant. Hardly anyone seemed to notice that Efrain was both sentient and a pokemon, people just assumed he was armed and shied away. Ghosts were misleading things. Their reactions upon seeing an eye stare back at them when he pulled a blade out was amusing to both trainer and pokemon.
He stood idly in the sand, squinting into the distance as he saw blasts of sand getting kicked up. Took a random pokeball out and chucked it lazily. Haona emerged from it, blinking. Her paws sunk into the sand, flexing them as a test.
She stared down at the floor, then up at Riven, whose face was unreadable.
Then he returned her instantly.
Better not to risk White Queen's wrath. She hated sand, he knew that much. Getting it out of her fur was a pain in the ass. He released Aine instead, asking her to come with him to go punch something meanwhile Gale's brain recovered from being turned to mush.
They walked along the bank in search of some victims, finding a group of sparsely dressed trainers enjoying the water. Strolling up to them, they stared back, unsure of what to do. One of the boys, appearing to be in his mid teens with messy brown hair and amber eyes, cocked an eyebrow. He was in the middle of building a little sand castle with his Linoone.
Riven shifted awkwardly. "Hey, you want to-"
"No," the kid responded, almost immediately going back to his sand castle. His Linoone threw a paw of sand at him.
"You didn't let me-"
"That's a Blaziken behind you!" The boy reprimanded. "Go find some more experienced trainers! I'm not going to fight you!"
Riven frowned, then looked towards the other three, another boy and two girls. They generally gave him the same look. Sighing, he found himself on a rock as well, albeit on the other side of the beach. Aine had found a new pastime in volleyball with another female Blaziken on the beach that belonged to an older man who'd visited with his family. He let her have her fun. Poor ball though, the craters it left in the sand after getting spiked made him feel bad for it.
It was then that a skittish looking man in a suit emerged from behind him, babbling incoherent nonsense about Hoenn and travels. He tapped Riven on the shoulder.
Giving the man a sidelong glance, he grunted, which made the man jump back in horror.
"By god, my! Hoennites are so rude!" He shouted. "And now my shoes are covered in sand! Such an alien landscape!" Nodded furiously to himself. "Who are you, armed trainer on a rock?"
Riven squinted at him, not quite sure of what to say. "Nathan. Who are you and why do you look lost?"
The man straightened, raising his head in a dignified manner. He screamed Kalosian. That and his funny accent and mustache was a dead give away. "Duke Dubain! Kalosian royalty. I am on a trip to the other regions on business and I seem to have lost my way. Enlighten me, commoner!"
A look of utter disgust and abhorrence came over Riven and he turned his attention back to the water. He'd have run as far away as possible but the rock was rather comfy. Of all people I have to run into a fucking Duke, here in Hoenn. Can I kill him?
"Answer me!" The man demanded. "Where am I?"
"Route 118 you royal idiot. If you want to get to Mauville go back on the main path, walk west, and go direct your pompous ass to someone who cares about what you have to say." The younger man grumbled. "You nobles are all the same, I should throw you to the Sharpedo."
"Are you from Kalos?" The duke asked, interest piqued. "You implied you have dealt with other nobles, yes?"
Riven showed him his trainer license and pointed upwards as Efrain descended from the sky, earning an undignified squeak from the man. "Does that answer your question?"
"A Doublade! Heavens!" The man backed up considerably before straightening out and coughing into a fist. "So you are from my beloved Kalos. And Lumiose City. I like Hoenn, to be honest. It's beautiful, and calm. But there's too much water. 7.8/10."
Riven looked at him, fighting back the urge to order Efrain to bisect him out of concern that his stupidity could spread. "You're a special kind of idiot, aren't you?" he said flatly, rolling his eyes. "How did you even get here?"
"I lost my way trying to find Mauville City! I received false directions from two young girls on my way up from Slateport. They refused to allow me to accompany them to their home for lodging. The barbarity!"
Staring, the seated trainer sighed heavily.
"You really shouldn't have thrown that man into the water," Gale said as she and Riven walked in the direction of the Devon building in Rustboro.
"Believe me, if you'd listened to him, you'd do it yourself. He gave Hoenn a 7.8/10 for having too much water." He threw his hands up. "What kind of shit is that?"
Gale shook her head, giggling. Yukiko snorted, sitting rather snug in her trainer's pack. She flexed her mittens.
"See?" Riven pointed. "Yukiko agrees with me."
"That's not what she meant by that," Gale grinned. In reality the ice type had mentioned something about throwing him in the water too, simply because she was jealous. Gale had also noticed that since Riven arrived the Snorunt had been extra affectionate, as if he was stealing her attention, somehow. It was rather endearing, actually.
They passed through Rustboro square, where Riven had stopped momentarily to relive some nostalgia of his first gym badge. Gale had suggested visiting the school, but he objected fiercely to that, using the excuse that Roxanne had better things to do than associating with him.
That was when he brought up an infuriating question he'd asked her twice before.
"Of all the people you've been approached by, why did you choose to travel with me?" He asked suddenly, peering down at her from the corner of his eye.
"This again?" She said, dreading the question. "Why are you so infatuated with that question? Is it that much of a surprise? I wanted to travel with you, that's it." Crossing her arms, she took her gaze away from him, looking toward the side.
"I still don't understand it," Riven said with a shrug. "I thought about it quite a lot, but couldn't find the answer. So now it's your turn to tell me. You're always prodding me with questions, now it's my turn. Not fun being pressured, is it?"
Gale exhaled loudly and ran a hand through her hair. Eyed him again, then receded into thought as he tilted his head in question. She never really thought about it much herself, but now that she did, it was rather funny. Laughter came from her and she reddened, drawing a deeper quizzical look from him.
I never understood women, Efrain commented off-handedly in Riven's mind. Even when I was alive. They do this so much it puzzles me. Crossbows were easier to understand.
Completely agree, Riven replied mentally. That's why I'm doing this. "I assume it's a nonsensical reason?"
"Sort of?" She said. "I guess… it was because of the way you were dressed."
"What."
"It's like you came out of an adventure novel," she clarified nervously when she saw his eye twitch. "Didn't say much, had a backpack that could give me back problems, and had a crazy plan? All for a stupid little stone? It screamed of the start of an adventure. I know you've probably never read anything like that, considering where you come from, but that's how I pictured it. It gets lonely in the plains," Gale said sadly. "My dad read to me a lot."
Riven felt a little bad now, realizing he'd never once asked her about her parents. Being without them for so long he recalled that having parents was something normal people experienced quite a lot. "No mom?"
"I didn't know her, she left after I was born. My dad was all I had. He loved birds. Emile was originally his. That's why he moved to the plains. He used to travel the world, that's why there was nothing but adventure books in the house. My dad finally settled down because of me. Taught me how to fly." She looked downcast. "He died when I was fourteen. Heart failure."
Gale swallowed the lump in her throat.
"A-anyway, you looked like an adventurer. I always thought that I'd go out and adventure myself, be like my dad. It sounded more romantic than being a trainer at least. I never really took the chance any other time, so when you came, I just gathered up my courage and leapt at the call. Even if you were pretty moody then."
She gave Evie a scratch on the underside of her jaw, causing the Mightyena's tail to waggle. "I don't regret it, even if you attract trouble. I met Seab, Amy, Will, and my pokemon because of you."
"Yeah- well, you were pretty insistent." Riven held a small smile. "Speaking of which, where is Will?"
"I haven't really seen him since you left, but what I heard from his sister is that he already earned all eight badges recently but is holding off of Victory Road."
That didn't seem like Will. Riven figured the kid would barrel through Victory Road the moment he could, being who he was. Perhaps he wanted to train first? Logically thinking, that was a sound idea, and by far the best choice, meaning that he'd developed forethought. Probably learned a valuable lesson along the way.
Curiosity got the best of him, so he asked, "Any idea why?"
Gale looked like she'd swallowed a bucket of slime. "Nez… didn't make it."
"Oh…" Riven said, recalling how Sam described losing a pokemon once. "Was he killed or did he die… naturally?"
"Killed," she replied soberly. "There were a group of guys trying to start something on a route in Fortree. They challenged two girls to a battle and their pokemon were way overleveled for them. They got beat and the guys tried to take advantage of them. You know… sexually. Will was nearby, heard the screams, and well… he tried to help. He called the rangers but they didn't arrive there until after everything was over."
"Everything?" Riven questioned, eyes narrowed. "What was the result, apart from Nez?"
"The rangers found all six of the male trainers dead. Two were stabbed fatally and the others were burned to death. Rangers assumed it was Quil who burned the others. Several of their pokemon were also dead or badly burnt. Quil was so cut up he was in the hospital for days. Nez got bisected by an aerial ace, he died instantly. "
Riven winced painfully.
That idiot. No surprise one of Will's pokemon had died. The odds had never been in his favor since the start. If it was six versus one, and they had experienced pokemon, it didn't matter if Will had eight badges and a full team, he couldn't possibly beat them without taking heavy losses. He saw how effective numbers were from that little excursion into New Mauville. Hordes of pokemon may not have had the individual strength to be worrisome, but their attacks added up. Judging from the guys' intentions with the girls… they weren't in a position to play nice.
He did what I would've done. Take out the trainers first, reduce the enemy's numbers. He was cornered, probably had no choice but to use his fire. The knife could only go so far. Sheer shock kept his enemies confused, gave him enough time to finish them off and clean up stragglers. Surprising efficiency…
"Gale. You know what really happened, right?" She nodded tensely. Riven's glare was severe. "Those girls, did they see Will use his abilities?"
"Don't worry about that. Lucia gave him a pokemon that knew amnesia in case that ever happened. He erased their memory and sent them to the pokemon center. They also forgot about the whole ordeal, thankfully. Can't say the same for him though. The rangers had to send Will in for a psych evaluation and temporarily suspended his trainer license. He's still coping, I think."
"Shit," Riven cursed. He'd heard about the things losing a pokemon did. It drove trainers off the training path, made them stagnate. Some developed severe depression and the ones that didn't lived with traumatic episodes their entire lives. That or they went and joined a cult that went around murdering trainers and gym leaders like in Sinnoh as well as destroying plazas with their mega evolved pokemon. It left trainers a genuine mess.
Children. That's what they were. They never really learned what traumatic death was, and when faced with it all of a sudden like that, they just… broke. Officials didn't take chances anymore either, if a trainer displayed aggressive tendencies, they were sent to evaluation or worse. In Riven's own, worse.
"I need to see him one of these days," Riven said quietly. "See how he's doing. Losing a pokemon like that can't be good for his mental health. And I don't know about you, but a trainer who's not all there in the head wielding fire abilities? Not good."
"Can he go berserk?" Gray eyes held deep concern. "You said it happened to you. Can it?"
Riven shook his head somberly.
"Not sure. It manifests differently in different types. I don't know how it reacts to elementals, but for me it's like a switch of emotions. Turns on and I'm… gone. When I come to- everything is in tatters. I'm semi-aware but things are a haze. Mine has to do with negative emotions, that's the reason for the instability and general maliciousness of it. For user and victim. Some of those thoughts…" He sighed. "Mine might be, no- are, fundamentally different from a pure elemental type like Will. I never really asked Isole about it but the differences are pretty glaring."
"Isole?"
"She was one of the mercenaries that watched me in Kalos. She was an ice type, a Raksa. All I know is that she could use her abilities fairly well. I didn't get to talk much with the Rose or her twin lackeys." He hissed at the mention of them. "They were the fire types. I only really know my own case, and damn if it isn't the biggest double-edged sword I've ever seen. Best to assume that Will descending into a rage is possible though. Does Steven know?"
Gale hesitated, unsure. "I assume Lucia told him? Maybe we should ask him, we are here."
Rounding the corner, the Devon building came into view, its glass panels glistening in the afternoon sun. Convincing the receptionist in the lobby to allow them to see Steven took quite some convincing, with several awkward questions, mostly directed at Riven. Were they involved? How long did they know each other? Had he seen his "wand"?
The whole experience was unpleasantly horrifying.
When both of them finally arrived in Steven's office and study, they found him cleaning tea off his desk and clothes. He welcomed them in with a swipe of the hand, taking a handkerchief to clean his work area.
"Did you just choke on your tea?" Riven asked, finding it bizarre.
"Barbara is evil," Steven shuddered. At their blank looks, he clarified, "the receptionist downstairs. She has a… vivid imagination."
Both Riven and Gale shivered.
"My receptionist aside, I wasn't expecting you. Either of you, actually. Especially not you, Riven. I haven't seen you in years." Steven's warm smile almost fooled Riven. That calm, friendly demeanor masked the utter fox the ex-champion was. Not only did he not mention how many years it had been since they last spoke(less than six months), but also gave him that little knowing look. "I assume you worked out any problems you two might've had?"
"He told me about that," Gale said, helping herself to some tea. Yukiko jumped out of her pack and waddled off into the back. Steven eyed the Snorunt but ultimately dismissed it.
"I see. So you know. I assume this visit is in regards to that?" He looked at Riven as well, directing the question to him too.
The two sitting across from him exchanged looks.
"That comes later," Riven said, placing a stack of files on the table.
Steven picked them up, reading quickly through them, flipping through the pages with practiced ease. He went silent after he finished, expression not only angry, but deeply troubled.
"Where did you get these files?" Steven asked.
"New Mauville," Riven replied.
Steven's mouth became a thin line, grimacing. "How deep?"
"Near the bottom, where the research labs were," Gale answered this time. "All of the files were intact, and many of them had the Devon logo on them. We assumed you've seen them since you're the stand in CEO and all."
"No, I haven't." Steven clenched a jaw as he flipped through some of the pages again, shaking his head. "I'm going to have to speak with my father some time. There aren't any electronic records of this. The fact Devon was involved with such a project concerns me greatly. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, New Mauville is a dangerous place. I'd scold you for being reckless, but trying to get that through Riven's skull would be a lost cause."
Riven scoffed. "What I want to know is how much you know about infinity energy and how it can be used. And not just what they say in the official reports. New power source it may be, but that's not what that file says."
Steven breathed in deeply, adjusting his tie. "Pokemon bio-energy," he began. "It's the answer to how pokemon do everything they can do and why they ignore the conservation of mass and almost every law of physics known. Infinity energy allows them to create matter out of pure energy, a process that would require something like the core of a star to do normally. I only thought it was discovered until recently when the mega stones emerged but from this it seems that some Devon scientists knew about it already. So did my father. Evolution gives off enormous amounts of this energy, mega evolution even more so. When we found out about its capabilities and properties, we tried to harness it."
"Only that would require live pokemon test subjects," Riven deduced. "I'm guessing the extraction process isn't too kind to them?"
"On the contrary, it's fairly safe for them," Steven assured. "Mega-evolution is only temporary, not like actual evolution. But speeding up the natural evolutionary process like this project did, that was wrong." And terribly inefficient. Forcing pokemon to evolve was not only taxing on their bodies, but on their minds, as well as being irreversible. The adverse effects of rare candy usage had been studied extensively, and for that reason they were heavily restricted. Rare candy contraband was a major problem, especially in places like Unova.
"Just like the weapon in Kalos?" Riven pounced. "That used pokemon and human life energy. I did my research."
Gale shifted her gaze between Steven and Riven, bewildered.
"What are you getting at, Riven?" Steven asked, eyes narrowed. "Are you implying-"
"I'm implying that messing with this might not be a good idea," Riven warned ominously. "And not just because of what you found in the Tower of Mastery. I know there was a rocket launched into outer space several months ago. It was powered by this. That drew attention. From people you probably don't want to mess with. Ever."
"We had no choice," Steven said quietly. "If we did nothing, the entire surface world would be destroyed. It never came to fruition though. Someone interfered, Rayquaza became involved and I had to call Brendan for help. They shattered the meteor with Rayquaza's mega evolution. I never mentioned it to anyone but… the parallels between Rayquaza's mega evolution and the sphere induced human evolution are uncanny. To a frightening degree."
"I don't understand," Gale said. "Do you two know something I don't?"
Riven looked down at his hands, fingers locked together. "Gale, three years ago, I told Steven to go see something I'd found in the Tower of Mastery in Kalos. What he found were six foot tall keystone crystals. Crystals that used to be people. An experiment gone wrong. Whatever the civilization who made the spheres was doing, it's related to this. Everything is connected. And this-" He stabbed a finger onto the table. "-is the answer. Or at least part of it."
Slowly sinking in, Gale was speechless. That the two had been in contact and hadn't told her about it seemed infinitesimal in comparison to what they'd just said. She wasn't a genius, but she could follow what they were saying. And what was being said between the lines bordered on horrifying and terrible.
Steven nodded grimly. "Since we last spoke, I've also been conducting my own research on the subject. It seems that the current system of keystone and mega stone is a highly inefficient one. What I hypothesized seems to hold true."
He spread both hands, holding them outward. "You see, pokemon and people are different, both needing each other to perform mega evolution. Pokemon release this 'infinity energy' while humans channel their own verson of it. These two harmonize to reach the mega evolution threshold. Pokemon cannot mega evolve on their own. There is, however, one exception."
"The legendaries," Gale and Riven both answered.
"Yes. However, they undergo a process known as 'primal reversion', a form that doesn't so much as change their current form but gives them untold power in return. When I analyzed the readings from Kyogre and Groudon, then ran them side by side with a merged model of both mega and keystones wavelengths, they appeared identical. Which brings me to a second concern. Evolved humans." Steven stood up, watching Yukiko out of the corner of his eye as he noticed her getting far too close to some of his display cases. "Naturally, we have the life energy needed to use the keystones but lack infinity energy. However, this artificial evolution seems to break that, changing our bodies into something like a pokemon's, while retaining our human traits. Including our residual human life energy. The benefits of two become one."
"So these ancient humans... They tried to undergo primal reversion?" Gale guessed.
"A legendary pokemon has a much sturdier body than ours," Steven admitted unhappily. "But I don't think that was what they were going for. The woman who interfered with the rocket comes from an ancient group of people that worshipped Rayquaza and dragons, they were the ones who first discovered mega evolution. It's a split off of primal reversion, one step down if you will." Glanced at the pin on his lapel. "What if they weren't the first to find out about it? Twenty thousand years ago, someone else did. I don't know how far you came into time, Riven, but if the Rose's did know about this as well, then that would mean mega evolution goes back farther than we thought. Farther than the Draconids."
So why is it always being re-discovered? Who wipes its existence away? And why? Every society who has found out has faded into obscurity, first Riven's and now the sphere's creators. What is going on here?
Riven and Gale were silent, allowing him to continue.
"Those stones I found under the Tower, they evolved Korrina's Lucario just by being in the general vicinity. I tested it by exposing my Metagross to just one in an isolated chamber. Mega evolution still occurred, and rather instantly too. I'm guessing these people were trying to mega evolve pokemon using their own bodies as the keystones and mega stones. But for those that couldn't control it…"
"Painful crystallization," Riven nodded, expression grim. "So we can mega evolve pokemon without keystones and mega stones is what you're saying?"
"We?" Steven repeated, focused instantly on Riven. "Did you-"
"Steven, I was the first to touch the sphere, and it didn't do anything to me. It gave me a vision. You ever wonder why that is?"
The ex-champion's mind raced, recalling little facts here and there that had been spread over the past few years. Petalburg. His unnatural recovery. Eyesight. "You said you fought with normal, human weapons. I assumed not everyone had-" He made himself calm down, taking a steady breath. "What type are you?"
Riven sighed, then held out a palm. Closing his eyes to focus, darkness rose out of his fingers. "I never told you because I didn't even know and there were more pressing matters at the time. Point is, everyone who came from my time were born like this. We can all do things, things I don't think you can imagine until you've felt it yourself. And people are already getting way to close to this. I've tussled with them in Kalos a fair bit of times. It didn't have anything to do with the spheres, just general business. But we know who they are."
"Singularity," Steven finished. He turned to Gale. "They're the ones behind a lot of the past events. They seem to have some kind of hidden agenda, but they're incredibly subtle and only reveal what they want to the authorities. Riven, what do you know about them?"
"Just that they're more well-connected than we thought." Riven frowned. "I ran around Kalos trying to get more information on them and what I found is that they hired a mercenary group known as Charaph. Their actual intentions and inner hierarchy is completely unknown. Even the mercs they employ are secretive. Especially this Charaph group. Though its members are composed of some really dangerous individuals. Or so I gathered from people who went catatonic just hearing the name. The guy that paralyzed me and tried to execute me is one of them."
"You got paralyzed and almost executed?" Gale sputtered out, gaping like a fish.
"Mmm. It was kind of annoying."
She stared.
"Adventure isn't all cave crawling," Riven said through a toothy grin. "Sometimes you need to almost die."
"Not when it's a regular occurrence! You can't say that after the twelfth time!"
Riven shrugged, letting out a small giggle. "Actually sixteenth."
Gale slammed her palm against her forehead. Instead of thinking too hard and frying her brain even further, she went to go look at the pretty stones Steven had in his cases and watch Yukiko. While she really enjoyed Riven's presence and glad he was back, the guy was a major pain in the ass.
Steven chuckled, then turning serious as he leaned in. "Do you have names?"
"Some. Tesla, obviously. But the ones I did get from certain, uh, sources—were Loberia, Aliac, and Silphos. No last names. Since they're mercs I don't expect them to have any either. I didn't. As for the rest I couldn't seem to get any information out of any of the sources I tried."
Steven looked at him dubiously at the mention of the word, "sources". He probably thought by sources Riven meant, "people I've broken in several places and cut repeatedly". Which was… not too far from the truth, actually. He did use a scalpel once.
"I'll warn the League."
The ex-merc crossed his arms, unhappy with the decision. "I'd rather you wouldn't. But- ugh. How are things in Hoenn right now?"
"Anti-trainer sentiment has been increasing alarmingly due to alleged 'trainer caused rampages'." Steven scowled at mere mention. "The Sayre cult has been gaining more traction lately. Aberrant sightings have also increased mysteriously. Criminal activity regarding mega stone and keystone market has doubled."
"So to put it simply, shitstorm in the making," Riven concluded sourly. "Think this is all a coincidence?"
"We thought the Dragon Festival was a coincidence too," Steven reminded. "After the Magmas and the Aquas, I know better than that. It'd be safe to assume these men are at fault and whatever it is they're going for, it has to do with spreading turmoil. Then they'll enact their real plan."
Considering that carefully, Riven shook his head. "Inform the gym leaders and the Elite Four then, but tell them not to act. They should carry their elite teams with them at all times and for god's sake, tell them to arm themselves, even if it's a kitchen knife. If a single gym leader dies as things are now, Hoenn could spiral straight into a perpetual circle of fucked and will become the next Sinnoh. Be prepared for anything, but otherwise act like everything is fine. "
"For once I agree with you." About to open his mouth again, Steven gawked, shooting to his feet. "What is that Snorunt doing?" He turned pale as milk. "No! Don't let her touch that!"
"Huh?" Riven turned around and saw Yukiko perched on one of the display desks, completely entranced by a small green stone sitting unprotected. Gale was equally as puzzled and for what seemed like an eternity, the Snorunt's tiny mitten extended outward.
Then tapped the stone.
Bloody Skitty curiosity.
A strangled noise came from the stone collector as a brilliant white light enveloped the Snorunt. Gale's eyes swelled with pride, feeling tingles at watching her pokemon evolve, completely glossing over the fact that she'd just used up one of Steven's stones without permission. She was ecstatic until the temperature in the room dropped about thirty degrees in a manner of seconds.
A white ghost came into view as the light dissipated. A red sash tied around Yukiko's stomach and her mittens were gone, replaced by longer, robe-like appendages that flared out at the wrists. Her eyes were a dead, icy blue behind yellow sclera. On top of her head were two ice blocks. It reminded Riven of Kai's kimono.
Lass? Yukiko whispered, surprising herself at her new form. Much like Efrain, her voice was disembodied, coming from anywhere and everywhere than from actual windpipes. Her breaths frosted the very air in the room, forming icy crystals along the glass displays. Looking for comfort to Gale, the ghost began to float over to her and Steven moved.
He unclipped a pokeball from Gale's belt and returned the ghost, letting out a huge sigh of relief, as well as defeat. He'd just recovered that stone from a dig.
"Why did you return her?" Gale said, excitement effectively killed.
"Froslass' breath is so cold it can give someone frostbite instantly," Steven stated. "Hugging one would have sent you to the hospital for severe cold burns. I forgot I didn't place that dawn stone in a display yet. I shouldn't have let her wander off…"
"I'm so sorry!" Gale apologized quickly, attacking her travel bag for her wallet. "I'll pay for it!"
Steven put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, Gale. It's just a dawn stone. What you have to worry about is how you're going to deal with her now. Froslass can be very dangerous to their trainers, but are tricky opponents in a battle. If you can control her, she can be a valuable asset to your team. Just keep her away from your birds and maintain a safe distance."
Gale nodded furiously, still apologizing for her pokemon. "She's really clingy though. That might be a bit hard."
"Shouldn't have spoiled her," Riven chided with a raised finger from behind the couch.
The female trainer scoffed at him. "I don't want to hear this from you, you've been gone for three years!"
"Point. I think I'll shut up now."
Steven smiled at their banter. The two stayed for another hour, talking to him about what had been happening in their lives lately. Mostly Gale's. He didn't even want to know what Riven's activities consisted of. He specifically instructed the younger man to give him general synopses since the details were unkind to someone that just ate lunch. How did Riven sleep at night?
Oh, right. He doesn't.
Before they left, Riven pulled him to the side, asking for Will.
"I heard," Steven said softly. "It's an inevitability of training. Either you have to give one up, or they die in battle. Sometimes it's the other way around and the trainer dies. Those who never experience it should be glad they never do in their lifetime."
"Did you lose one? Before you were all this?" Riven gestured to all of him. Especially the suit.
"Once," Steven smiled, inklings of his trainer days coming back to him. "I nearly quit myself from the grief. We all have something painful in our hearts. Still, I'm sure he's doing better. He's a strong boy. Well, he isn't just a boy anymore. He's seventeen now, you know."
"I bet he's still a runt," Riven smirked. "We should be going now though. I'll keep you updated if I find anything. Be careful in Devon, Steven. You never know who might be working with Singularity. They're more connected than we thought."
"Agreed." He gripped Riven's arm firmly. "Are you okay, though? With- the powers? You won't-"
Riven cut him off first. "Don't worry, I won't try to mega evolve pokemon any time soon. Turning into a crystal isn't exactly enticing. If I see Will, I'll make sure to warn him too."
Nodding, the ex-champion let go. "Well alright. Where are you headed next?"
Come to think of it, Riven had never even seen the latter half of Hoenn. He'd been all over Kalos, but not once had he seen Fortree City or the rest. He decided to do some sight-seeing.
"Fortree. Then Lilycove and Sootopolis. I've heard good things about them and I can take on the gyms for old time's sake. They probably won't take losing to a Frenchie very well."
"Supposed Frenchie. Am I wrong, Nathan?" Steven corrected, matching Riven's grin. This was what? Name number seven? Eight?"Good luck. And be careful, although I'd say that's a lost cause with you too."
"Heh."
Leaving the building, Riven descended into his thoughts. Could he really mega evolve a pokemon by himself? Naturally, he could have just swiped one back from Sycamore if he really wanted to. But none of his pokemon were there, and none of the stones corresponded to any of them, so there really was no point in doing so. Also, stealing those would kind of make him a dick.
This method though… while being immensely beneficial, was costly as shit. If he didn't know how to channel the energy correctly, he was as good as dead. Gathering power to use his own abilities already required strenuous mental effort and a trip down memory lane, and even then it took a dent out of his energy, not even including the internal struggles he had with his Nightmare. There was also no doubt there were other rules to the process, rules he didn't know about quite yet.
Should I call Isole? They might know.
No, couldn't risk it. Mercs were known for not being stupid. She'd poke and prod for any reason as to how he'd come upon this revelation and instantly connect it to the spheres. An ally she was, a friend she was not.
Decisions.
"Fuck it," he growled, taking out his holo caster and bringing up the holographic display. Gale turned to face him.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking a risk," he answered, and dialed the button.
The call came through and Isole's voice filtered back in, pleasantly surprised. "Well if it isn't my favorite dark boy. What do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
Riven wasted no time.
"Natural mega evolution. We can do it. Tell me how."
The line fell into silence, all presence of light-hearted banter eliminated.
"Pick a place. I'll be there," Isole responded curtly. "Just. Me."
"Fortree then. Two month's time. Don't tell Nera. I'd like you to meet someone. I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know."
"Got it. Don't leave me hanging or I'll freeze your balls off."
Ending the call, Gale went over to him, inquiring who he called. Riven didn't answer, swallowing tensely. "Gale?"
"Yeah?"
"We need to find Will within a month. Got any leads?"
She shook her head, chipper. "Not one."
"Fantastic," he grumbled. "I was counting on you to magically have a lead for us to follow."
"Nope. Look at it this way, it's…an adventure," she said, tracing an arc in the air with her hands. Giggling uncontrollably at his expression, Gale summoned Emile and Kyne.
Getting up on Emile's back, Riven gave her a flat look.
"I'm really going to regret asking that question now, am I?"
She smiled as he frowned. Gave Kyne a pat and pointed upward, ascending into the sky.
"It's an adventure," Riven mimicked under his breath as Emile spread his wings and followed.
Been running so many errands it's annoying. Haven't had much time to write. I'm a gigantic hypocrite and hang my head in shame. Happy new years to everyone!