12: A Lesson in Betrayal

Akari could have stopped. Once she'd reached the other end of Cloudcap Pass and stepped out into the sunlight, she might have known she was safe. She might have stopped.

But her legs continued to move of her own accord, like they were taking control, tired of her risky dances with fear. They would take her away from any danger, even if her foolish heart resisted. They carried her up the hill, through the piles of crumbled stone, all the way to the top of the temple stairs, where she collapsed onto her front on the stone floor.

As soon as her body had crossed the temple's threshold, her brain seemed to switch off. The last thing she saw was a fragment of the Noble Wyrdeer's statue, half of its head and a broken antler. She reached out for it. Then she sank into nothingness. For how long, she couldn't say; it could have been seconds, or several minutes.

She came round when the temple's foundations felt like they were shaking beneath her, and the echo of something loud was ringing in her ears.

It reminded her so much of when the deities of space and time had torn the temple apart, she immediately looked up, terrified, searching for a new rift in the sky. But there was only the pale, empty grey of the heavens. It wasn't even snowing anymore.

But where did that noise come from?

As Akari struggled to sit up, she heard someone coming up the hill, all heavy footsteps and loud muttering.

Volo…?

He was walking briskly towards the temple, head down. Now and again, he would stop and turn around, looking back down the slope towards Cloudcap Pass.

When Akari followed his gaze, her mouth opened in horror at the sight of fire and smoke, coming from below the brow of the hill. It nearly filled the horizon, making it look as though the rest of the world had disappeared. There was only this mountain, the Temple, and the two of them.

Volo came close enough for Akari to hear him, though he was clearly engaged in a discussion with someone else. Something else.

"Aren't Pokémon amazing? All that from a little Earth Power, a little Rock Slide, a little…" He suddenly stopped again. This time, he looked nervous. He reached up to grasp at his own hair. "But…there was quite an important mural in there! I do hope it survived. Are you sure that's what you wanted me to do? I suppose…yes, sacrifices…and we can always remake it…but still…I don't want to go destroying any more ruins…they're already doing enough of that…"

Who is he talking to?

Akari wasn't sure if she should try to get his attention, or do the opposite. But she had to decide quickly. He was approaching the bottom of the stairs now. Soon enough, he would look up and see her.

It only took her a moment to decide.

She slipped behind the nearest pedestal and crouched low. This might have been where the Noble Wyrdeer's statue had once stood; she couldn't remember exactly. The statues were all gone now, broken by the battle that had raged between Dialga, Palkia, and Akari herself. But some of their pedestals still remained. Those closest to the stairs, like this one, were in a much better condition; they had been furthest away from the blasts.

Akari put a hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her own breathing, as she heard Volo's footsteps on the stairs. He walked with a steady rhythm, and her heart seemed to synchronise itself with it. Thud. Thud.

She knew that Volo had nearly reached the top when she saw his long shadow in the temple aisle. It made him look even taller than he was. Tall enough to block the sun. Here, he paused. Akari held her breath and pressed herself harder against Wyrdeer's empty pedestal. When Volo spoke again, she was dismayed at how close he sounded.

"Ah, what a terrible sight this is! I do recall when it happened…I was standing just down there, wasn't I? Just down there! But…no, it looks worse than I remembered. I shall have to rebuild it! But...who shall we dedicate it to? Yes, I suppose that depends...such a shame, these empty pedestals..."

No. Don't look at the pedestals.

He must have taken his next steps so quietly, Akari did not even hear them. She only saw his shadow moving.

Where can I go?

The Temple was so open, there was no way she could run anywhere without him seeing her. Her only hope was that he would walk past, and then perhaps she could slip into a different spot, or down the stairs, while his back was turned.

The end of Volo's long shadow drew level with her hiding place. Akari tried to curl herself into an even tighter ball, but she knew that wouldn't help. She couldn't make herself invisible, no matter how much she tried.

"Hello, Akari! Why, what are you doing down there?" Leaning against the neighbouring pedestal, Volo put out a hand, as if to help her up. When Akari shied away, he withdrew it. "Oh…I suppose you're hiding from all the ruckus. Yes, I do apologise for that."

Akari cautiously looked up at him. It was much brighter here, and in the full light of the sun, she could see him more clearly.

His hair was matted and ashen. The lower half of his drab cloak was dark and wet from the snow. Akari still hadn't figured out what he was wearing underneath it, but above and below where it was cinched at his waist, she was sure she could see the outline of his ribcage and hipbones. Has he lost that much weight? How did I not notice before?

His smile was too wide. Pupils too large. There were dark shadows under his eyes, and in the hollows of his cheeks. He was breathing too quickly, but then again, they had that in common right now.

But, for all that, he did not look like an average merchant who'd just crossed paths with an Alpha Electivire.

Akari tried to move backwards, away from him. But in the small spaces between the pedestals, she didn't have very far to go. Once she reached the next one, she used it to help herself to her feet. Then she moved behind it. There was no point in ducking down and hiding again, but she just wanted to place a barrier between herself and Volo.

"Did something happen?" she asked, trying to sound more curious than afraid. She leaned to the side, trying to get another look down the hill, but all she could see was smoke.

"Yes, that was me," Volo said with a regretful sigh. "Well, no, it was the tunnel. And it was my Pokémon. I don't have any explosives! I don't sell those!"

He laughed in a way that sounded like an invitation, but Akari didn't join him in the joke. She tried to smile, for the sake of appeasing him, but she wasn't sure if the corners of her mouth even moved.

"Your Pokémon blew up Cloudcap Pass?" A Togepi? And a Gible? Destroyed a cave? "Right. Why…?"

Volo sighed again, but this time it was different. A rasp of exasperation that made his nostrils flare. He closed his eyes. Akari felt her pulse quickening, like she could sense something else was about to blow up.

"Have you not been listening to anything that I've been saying?" Volo put on a mocking, high-pitched tone. "'Oh, Mister Volo, why would anyone destroy a bridge?' War, Akari! For war!"

Time to go.

The Temple of Sinnoh filled the whole of the plateau it was built on. Surrounding all sides - save for the entrance, which Volo was currently blocking - there was only empty air. If Akari went sideways, she'd end up trapped between Volo and a trip all the way down the side of Mount Coronet. She could only go backwards, towards the temple's altar.

Backwards, not forwards. Akari had learned that she should never turn her back on a wild Pokémon here, unless she was sure she could outrun it. She'd learned it the hard way, after ignoring so many warnings from Rei and the Professor. She'd learned through humiliation, getting knocked onto her backside by a tiny Shinx.

This time, it was fear that kept her face turned towards the man she'd thought was her friend. She was sure he could do more damage than a Shinx, if that was his intention.

Akari reached for her satchel, even though there was no way she could do that without being noticed. Volo watched her hand, a smile spreading across his face like a slow burning fire.

I need the flute.

"But…uh…Volo…?" For now, she would have to distract him. Her mouth was dry as she tried to speak. "What about…the Alpha? The Electivire?"

"It was a nice try." Volo tapped his forehead, then pointed at Akari with the same finger. "A clever obstacle, dear Akari. But nothing, really, in the grand scheme of things. Did you think…? Did you really think some brute beast could stop me? Keep me from my destiny?"

He thinks I did that?

Akari felt something digging into her back. Unable to see where she was going, and too focused on searching her satchel, she had reversed into the sharp corner of another pedestal, this one broken and jagged. But she could only slip past it and keep going in the same direction.

She couldn't find what she was looking for. Her hands were shaking.

Keep him talking.

"Volo…? This is holy ground, right?"

Weren't temples meant to be safe places? Wasn't there a word for it? Akari remembered hearing something about that, about how people used to take shelter in sacred places, back in ancient times. She could not remember if it was something she'd heard in her own time, in Hisui, or in a dream. Or was she just making it up, in her desperation?

She supposed it didn't matter. Volo might have destroyed the only way down the mountain. Whether or not the Temple of Sinnoh would be a safe place depended partly on him.

Why can't I find the damn flute?

If she couldn't lay her hands on it, she'd have to battle her way out instead.

And then what? If the tunnel's gone, I'll still need Braviary to get me out of here.

"Yes, Akari." Volo's hands brushed lovingly over the naked pedestals as he passed them, as though he were paying respects to the Noble Pokémon that would have once stood up on them, or trying to imagine them recreated. "Holy ground."

Akari was hoping something might click in his eyes. It did, but not in the way she'd hoped. Volo looked at her as though he'd just said something world-changing. His eyes darkened. His smile was replaced by a thin line of grim determination. Then he began to walk towards her again, with much more purpose now.

It's like it's not even him in there.

The thought made Akari feel sick. Bile rose in her throat. There were Pokémon, she knew, who could steal someone's likeness. Pokémon who could trap people in endless nightmares. And they were just the ones she'd heard about. What other horrific creature from an unknown myth might have been causing this? Was it even real? Was she awake?

"Oh, Akari, you look quite unwell! And I didn't even bring my little drink with me!"

Yes, she was unwell. Perhaps they both were, but she could only be sure of her own feelings. She was dizzy. The air felt too thin here. She was breathing too quickly, just like Volo was. She didn't think that Mount Coronet's peak was high enough to cause altitude sickness, but maybe she was wrong. And she'd been running, on no food, too much adrenaline, and not enough sleep. She was exhausted. Why was Volo not...? Why was he…this?

She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Her brain wouldn't allow it. Not enough resources.

I just want to go home.

Akari realised that, this time, she was not just thinking about the future that she had come from. She would have settled for her modest room in the village, as it was right now.

We won't be going back together, that's for sure.

Akari held both of her arms out in front of her, palms facing towards Volo. Her words came out in gasps.

"Don't come any closer! Or I'll release my Pokémon and they can stop you! You think I won't do it? Stop. Stop! What's…wrong…with you!? What do you want!?"

Why did he look like that? Like someone who was stranded in a desert, not standing on top of a mountain. His forehead was glistening wet, beads of sweat running down the ridges of his nose.

Her outstretched hands didn't stop him. On the contrary, he seemed to take them as an invitation, taking her by the wrists. He was not rough - he even brushed his thumbs over Akari's palms, as though he was trying to comfort her.

This time, Akari didn't wait before fighting. She pulled one arm free and went in for a punch to his face, but Volo caught her hand mid-air before it could reach him.

"Don't be afraid, Akari." How did he manage to sound so soothing when he wanted, even now? How did he manage to soften his eyes, like he could switch his soul on and off again? "I don't want to hurt you! I only want the plates. That's all!"

Akari managed to free herself and pushed Volo away, both hands flat against his chest, with all the force she could muster. He looked so thin, she'd expected him to topple over, but he barely shifted. Then he laughed, a low and dark chuckle that sent a shiver down her spine.

She blew out the carbon dioxide that was burning her lungs and drank in new air, though it didn't seem to contain any oxygen. Then she ran the only way she could go: up the short flight of steps to the altar. Here, even though she was only a few feet higher, a gust of air hit her like a brick wall.

The altar of the Temple of Sinnoh was the end of the world. Nothing above or around it except for sky. Akari didn't need to go to the edge to know that.

"Yes…" Volo was still laughing, deep in his chest, as he joined her on the altar. "Yes, exactly. Right here. This is where we're supposed to be."

Akari plunged her hand into her bag again. With her back turned to Volo, and her satchel at the front of her torso, she hoped he might not see. This time, she dug deeper, pushing everything else out of the way. Finally, she felt the cold metal of the Celestica flute.

She knew it wouldn't be instant, but it would be fast. All she had to do was distract Volo for a few minutes, or keep him at bay with her Pokémon, until the Noble bird came and swept her away to safety.

Just as Akari put her lips to the flute's mouthpiece, it was yanked from her hands. Something hit her in the nose, hard enough to hurt, enough to make her eyes water. The flute disappeared over her head, carried by something that moved too quickly for her to follow.

When she turned around, she found the flute again. It was in Volo's hand. He looked comfortable like that, as though he'd always held that flute. Standing beside him, a Roserade was retracting one of its thorny vines.

There was a faint sting, more tickle than pain. It ran from Akari's right cheek down to her chin. When she touched it, her finger was imprinted with a thin line of crimson. The space between her nostrils and upper lip was damp, and she could smell iron.

"Oh, Mister Roserade, that was carelessly done. You could have blinded her!" Just as Akari was about to draw one of her own, Volo suddenly withdrew his Pokémon. "Don't worry, my friend. I shouldn't think you're poisoned. If I'd wanted to poison you, I could have done that already."

Those words alone were toxic enough to make Akari feel like he'd done just that. She put her hand to her neck, swallowing the sour taste in her throat. No, he couldn't have. She would have known about it by now. But it made her sick to know that he was right. She'd accepted food and drink from him, without a single question or doubt, over the last few days. She hadn't even thought about it.

And her Pokémon, too. She'd taken potions from him. How could she forgive herself for that? It was one thing if she'd put herself in danger, but not her Pokémon. Not after they did so much to care for their trainer. How could she put them at risk?

They put themselves on the line for him, too. All this time, he's stood back and let them protect him.

"'Friend', huh?" Akari reached for her satchel again, knowing that Volo would follow her movement. She noticed the change in him: his face became aglow with joy, like a kid anticipating a treat. Just for a moment, he looked like the Volo she thought she knew. Sweet, enthusiastic Volo. But she didn't know if he even existed anymore. "Are you seriously waiting for me to just give you the plates?"

Volo's bubble burst, leaving him with a hurt expression on his face. Akari had seen that before, too. When Miss Cogita had brought out the Pixie Plate. When she gave it to me and not him.

"But...they were always meant to be mine." Volo let out a short, unamused laugh. "You cannot possibly think they're yours, Akari. Who are you? You, in your ignorance. You're nothing but my obstacle. A test I have to overcome. That is my story. It's in my blood."

"You just want the plates?"

The plates that she'd let him see and hold, whenever he wanted to? The plates that had been in her satchel, this whole time? Had he not thought of stealing them before now? She'd been so tired, some nights, he could probably have slipped into her tent and just taken them, without even waking her. Why hadn't he?

If she hadn't been so floored by what was happening, Akari could have laughed.

"So…when you were thinking of choking me back there…that's what it was about?"

"I'm not a murderer, Akari!" Oh, that seemed to have hit a nerve. The last syllable of her name was dragged out in a screech between his gritted teeth. "I saw what Mighty Giratina was trying to tell me, but I was impatient. You were right! Right to run from me! It has to take place here! I think you must have known, too. That's why you ran here, isn't it? Holy ground, you said! Something spoke to you, didn't it? What is it telling you, Akari?"

"Wait. What are you talking about?" Akari's heart was beating so fast now, it was almost painful. "What has to take place here?"

What has to take place here?

A few red drops fell from Akari's nose and landed at her feet. A cold chill churned her stomach as she looked down at them, wondering what kind of worship used to happen on this altar. Was this the first time these stones had tasted blood? Or was there a time when they'd been fed on it? What did she know? Volo was right: she was ignorant.

I know this: if all those raging Nobles couldn't kill me, there's no way I'm gonna be sacrificed here.

That thought cut straight through Akari's mind with so much clarity, it tore straight through her fear. She looked Volo in the eye.

"What…has to take place…here?"

"Everything! Giratina. Arceus. Justice. Putting right what has gone wrong. A new age, Akari! But first, you have to give me the rest of the plates. It has to be me."

He held out his free hand and beckoned to her. Akari stared at him, her eyes widening in understanding.

"The rest?" she repeated.

Oh. Of course.

"I've been so stupid," she whispered. "All this time, I really thought we were doing this together. Even though I was doing all the work. You said…you said you just wanted to meet Arceus. You made it sound so innocent. You knew I couldn't say no to that, right? You made it so that I wouldn't say no."

If being accused of considering murder had struck a nerve, it seemed that being accused of lying came a close second. Volo spoke through his teeth, his eyes wild with rage.

"Don't you think I know what would happen, if I let you have any further part in this? I cannot have one like you gaining control of Arceus! For you to put the All-Encompassing Deity in a ball, as you did with Dialga and Palkia!? Force it to take you home, and no doubt take it with you as another one of your pets?"

Akari had never envisaged her encounter with Arceus going that way, but it was clear she wasn't going to get the chance to argue. Volo wasn't stopping. He seemed to take her look of surprise as an admission.

"Yes, that's right, I've seen how you work! Acting like you're the rightful master of every creature in this land, having the Noble Pokémon at your beck and call like slaves! I had no such intentions! I only wished to speak with the Creator, demand some answers, perhaps even prove my worthiness, just as the Ancient Hero did! We need a new hero to save us from further ruin. That is my destiny! But you and your arrogance have forced my hand! And now I see that I have to keep Arceus from you entirely, if I'm to have any hope of achieving my dreams!"

In hindsight, Akari realised, she should have known. She still remembered the moment she'd heard Volo's voice, out there in the Fieldlands, when she could no longer return to the village. She'd felt so relieved at being found, even though she wasn't lost. She could have survived out there, for a while. But it would have been a life of isolation. Of being shunned by everyone.

Akari had replayed that moment, so many times, because it had made her feel lucky. She, some stranger from another time, having someone who cared about her enough to come find her in the middle of nowhere. Just to save her from despair.

Volo had looked straight at her satchel. She'd noticed it, even then. But she'd thought he just felt pity for her. 'Did they really throw the poor girl out here, into the wilderness, with nothing except what her bag could carry?'

"All that time I thought you were my friend, and that you cared about me…but you were saving the plates, not me." Akari raised her gaze to meet Volo's. She could feel her face twisting to match his own, warping from sorrow to anger, lips curling back to bare her teeth. "Well, the rest of the plates are right here, friend! Come get them! Or why not just get your Roserade to take them? Or maybe your Togekiss could do it?"

Her rage was not for the sake of a reaction; it was pure. But, if it had been, she might have been dismayed by Volo's response. He laughed and took another step. Light and playfully, he moved, like this was a game that he was enjoying.

Akari was already standing at the altar's rear edge, nothing but open air behind her. She couldn't back away any further. Just a glance at that drop brought back bad memories.

Did he really save me on that ridge? I still don't know how I fell.

Akari desperately wanted to ask, but it was too late for that. She reached into her satchel and pulled out the first Poké Ball that met the curve of her palm. The surface was smoother, more worn than the others. Her first friend.

Volo grinned, surveying the altar like it was a giant chessboard, and his turn to take a move. Akari flinched, but he did not come any closer. This time, he stepped backwards, like a white bishop making a clever retreat. But it didn't matter: he was still blocking the stairs, and Akari's exit.

He took out a Poké Ball of his own, dropping the Celestica flute into his pocket at the same time. Akari nodded to herself, accepting how this situation had shifted, yet again. It was time to stop thinking about escape now.

At least it's a battle. I can deal with a battle.

Volo had clearly hidden himself from Akari, as a trainer, over these last few days. He'd taken pains to do it. His poor Pokémon. But, even though Akari didn't appreciate this kind of surprise, she knew he couldn't be any stronger than some of the challenges she had already faced.

It was like he'd read her mind.

"How was it, Akari, when you encountered Dialga? Palkia? You seized their power as your own, whether or not you've cared to use it. I've given much thought to the events of that day. You inspired me, I might say. Showed me what was possible. Oh, I always knew we would end up here. That was already written. But now I find myself thinking…if I can meet Arceus, what if I can do the same thing as you did? If one of us is to capture it, it should be me. You hadn't even heard the All-Encompassing Deity's name, until I gifted that knowledge to you."

"How do you know I don't have Dialga or Palkia with me? Or more of the legendary Pokémon that you sent me to fetch your plates from?" He doesn't know about Heatran yet. "That was quite dangerous, don't you think? If you wanted those plates, Volo…you should have done all that yourself."

"Ah, I think you would have called on them already. When you were about to get crushed by that Alpha Golem, maybe…?" Volo rubbed the heels of his hands together, like he was pretending to squash something small and disgusting. "That was a spectacle, wasn't it? Still, I'm glad you overcame it, or else we would not be here. Where we're meant to be."

"You had something to do with that, too?"

What hasn't he done? Did he make me sick, too?

"Now you're beginning to sound quite insane, Akari. Me? Poor Volo, of the Ginkgo Guild? A mere merchant? Control an Alpha Golem? Do you think I command every wild Pokémon in Hisui? Well, I don't." Volo's smile turned smug. "Not yet. But let us see what the day brings. I believe I already know."

This wasn't how their previous battles had started. They'd been like a burst of excitement, Volo throwing his Poké Ball straight up towards the sky. This time, he drew his arm back, eyes fixed on Akari, like he was planning to aim his throw at her head. He didn't, but the effort nearly knocked him off balance, though he quickly found his feet again.

What appeared was neither Roserade nor Togekiss, as Akari had expected. Not even a Garchomp.

A Spiritomb?

No trainer would come across a Spiritomb by accident. No trainer had been randomly attacked by a Spiritomb in the wild, without doing something to summon it first. She wondered what great quest Volo had undertaken, to meet this one.

He's been hiding everything.

Akari could still see her opponent, through the swirling mist that made up his Pokémon's form. She gritted her teeth. Then she swung her arm, letting the ball in her hand fly free.

"Samurott!"