"...Sammy? You feeling better?"
Samuel pursed his lips into a mild pout as he sighed, glancing back as his father entered his little room. "No, not really," he frowned. The man took a seat nearby, sighing as he watched his son for a moment.
"Look, Sammy. I know it's disheartening, but sometimes you just have to settle with doing what you can. You saved Wilsa's life back there, don't you think that's enough?" he tried.
"I'm really not in the mood to get called whiny again," Samuel groaned.
"When have I called you whiny? I'm saying you did enough. You don't need to excel at everything; even if you stay in that office your whole life, you'll still be one of the best of us. I'll still be proud," his father said.
"Yeah, well, maybe I could do something other than sit on my ass all day? Wilsa did all the work back there, what am I even doing other than wasting my time? If you wanna be oh-so-proud of me, then let me get my own Pokémon, let me get a real job and find something I actually want to do, just anything other than whatever we're trying to do here?" Samuel snapped.
"Samuel, you—"
"Look, just. I don't want to talk anymore. Not tonight."
Samuel heard his father's breath shake in frustration as a moment of dreadful silence hung between the two. Before long, the man simply got up and started for the door. "Good night, Sammy. I love ya," he said simply.
Samuel didn't respond back.
…this was going nowhere. Obviously no one around him was going to let him get a Pokémon, and it wasn't like he was going to just find one. Most Pokémon that weren't street Normals or feral were uncommon in the urban Southeast, especially around Striaton. The only places he could think of where that might be an exception were the mindbending nightmare that the Dreamyard had become, the hostile forests around the city, and…
…the old trainer routes. Nacrene, even; God only knew what kinds of Pokémon they'd left there. It'd be a long, treacherous hike. Samuel knew he ran a very high risk of dying on his way. But comparing his odds with spending the rest of his life in front of the telegraph…
…he grabbed his backpack and quietly opened the window.
No one would see him leave.
Snap, snap. "Kid? Hey, ya good?" Bert asked, leaning across our table to check on me. I flinched and sat back up.
"Yeh, dahd. …er, B-Bert," I coughed.
Bert chuckled a bit at my slipup there before settling back into his seat. "Don't go dropping on me again, yeah? I'd be real sad," he nodded. "Now like I was sayin', you two're gonna love this, I think Gold cuisine's the best on the entire continent…"
I nodded absently, hanging my head as Bert continued. Was… that really how I'd left things with the people in my life? I knew where this ended— I hadn't forgotten that last memory. The pain, the poison, the struggling to stay awake… then there was just me and that voice; Palkia's, I now knew. And then the next thing I'd known, I was waking up to Rye staring down at me.
My gut told me that the time between my leaving home and that last memory was… only a couple of days…
…
"Ah, bout time," Bert sniffed as the waitress showed back up, tamales still steaming. "You have a bit? This is these two's first time here, you know where we'd go for Guild business?"
"The Guild?" the Bunnelby asked. "That depends on what you want. Survey and exploration go to Sharpedo's Guild, the campus is ten meters underwater from the plaza de armas. Outlaws and item retrieval go to the Bounty Hunter Corps, just above Sharpedo's."
"Right. And what if we wanted to find Keldeo's, who'd that fall under?" Bert asked. The Bunnelby just stared at him for a moment.
"I beg your pardon?" she blinked.
"Keldeo. We gotta speak with him," Bert said.
"You don't just walk in on the Prince unannounced," the waitress frowned.
"That what you call him? Is it literal or—?" Bert asked.
"I-it's really important. Could you tell us who to talk to, at least?" Rye tried. The bunny pursed her lips as she seemed to think it over.
"...if you really have to, then the Prince's temple is a half-mile down the south road, built into a tree. You'll know it when you see it. Just… try not to irritate him, please? I'm sure you've heard the legends," she said. "Chased the Blighted from our lands, led the continent during the Starfalls, personally fought Tyranitar at one point… he's not one to challenge."
"We don't intend on it," Bert raised his paws. "We'll tip you extra, gracias."
The Bunnelby nodded and hopped away, leaving Bert to pick a tamale from the platter as Rye seemed to try and go over the infodump in his head. "S-so… uh, th-that's where we're going?" he asked.
"That's the plan," Bert sniffed. "Once we eat, I guess. Whatcha think, kid?"
I didn't respond, just looking away. Rye peered at me before clearing his throat. "Um, y-yeah, that sounds good," he butted in.
"...er. Yep. Great," Bert clapped his hands to dig in. Rye nodded before turning his gaze back towards me. I briefly returned it as if to quietly cry for help before just putting my head in my paw.
…only a couple of days… I hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. …no, I had the chance. My arrogant ass just didn't feel the need to take it.
…fuck…
It was a shame we wouldn't be staying too long in Pillaferry, it was a fascinating little town. It looked to have been a city founded by my fellow Water-types, since half the city was built with stone on the riverbed, the other half being built on stilts and the roofs of the undercity and connected by piers. I would have liked to explore, perhaps it would have gotten my mind off things.
But alas. Here we were, heading up the country road up towards where Keldeo supposedly lived. It was like this whole escapade was designed to mess with my head…
Farms and their quaint windmills had transitioned into arid prairie, the large mountain on the horizon growing larger and larger the further up the stone path we went. Rye kept ahead of us, occasionally looking down at the map we'd been provided.
"...a-anything we wanna say before…?" the Treecko gulped.
"I got nothing," Bert said bluntly.
"Yeah," I sighed, hesitating before holding up Rocky Mavy and shaking him no.
"You still have that thing?" Bert sighed. My ear twitched as I hesitated a moment, then just silently stuck the rock back in my bag. "...I mean, nothing wrong with that, you do you—" the Wartortle hurriedly added on.
"Is fine," I mumbled, squinting as we crested a hill. That… was certainly different. The road forked off ahead, one path continuing towards the mountain while the other veered away towards the hulking trunk of a dead tree. Nestled within the knolls and crevices, I could see a stone and clay structure sat comfortably inside, the walls covered in flowers and offerings.
"I, uh, th-think that's it," Rye glanced down at his map again before folding it up. I pursed my lip— we'd come all this way, and now here we were…
Anxiety danced in my gut as Rye took a breath and began towards the tree. What would we do if he didn't have any info? What leverage were we even supposed to have on him? What if he just told us to get lost? Or just didn't give us the luxury of running? He was a minor god, after all, what were our mortal problems to him?
I didn't have much time to consider these questions before the three of us paused before the door, even Bert hesitating to make a move.
"Um… y-you guys ready?" Rye asked.
"...I'll just go ahead and do it. Might as well rip the bandage off," Bert sighed, inching around Rye to give the door a firm knock. My friend and I winced at his upfrontedness, pressing into each other as we waited for someone to answer.
A moment passed before the door opened a crack, an eye peering out at us. It quickly fell on me, blinking a couple times before the door opened all the way.
'...he's smaller than I expected' was all I could think as I looked up to the minor god before me. I'd seen depictions of Keldeo in the books I read, occasionally engraved into buildings, a few times as a little idol in the windows of my fellow guildmates, but seeing him up close and personal now… it was a confusing mix of emotions, being overwhelmed and underwhelmed simultaneously. Keldeo looked just as I'd seen him depicted, right down to the eyebrows, and as he gazed down at us, I felt the need to kneel before him.
"...this would normally be where the offerings come in, but you three aren't pilgrims, I can feel that much. What's your business here?" the pony cocked his head.
"No, Lord Keldeo. We're here on guild business. The guild urgently needs your advice," Bert bowed his head. Keldeo looked us up and down for a moment.
"...you two, come on in. Wartortle, wait out here," he soon decided, stepping aside to let Rye and I past.
"Wait, uh. Shouldn't I come in with them?" Bert asked.
"These are sensitive matters. I'll have everything under control," Keldeo said simply. Bert blinked before nodding, going to sit against the cobbled wall by the path. Gulping, I gave my teacher a little wave before going to lead Rye inside after the horse.
For his being a minor god, I was struck by how ungodly-like Keldeo's living quarters were. Aside from a simple shrine in the center of the first floor and a trench of running water surrounding it, it'd be hard to guess a Myth lived here, especially since the stairs appeared to lead up into a normal-ass home. I wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.
As the door clicked shut behind Rye and I, Keldeo paused and turned to look down at me. "So. You're the human Marshadow told me about."
"...wh-wha?" I stepped back.
"H-how did you—?" Rye started.
"Word travels fast between us. It's not every day a human's summoned, and for Palkia to summon one… You're shorter than I imagined, though," Keldeo sniffed.
"Wh— hey!" I protested.
"Don't call him— mh. W-we need your advice, sir," Rye coughed. "We need to find the Lustrous Orb before it can g-get into the wrong hands. Really, really bad things are gonna happen if it does. A-and we, um… thought you might know something."
Keldeo raised an eyebrow, staring a moment before taking a seat. "Why would I know where Palkia's thing is?"
My ears flattened against my head. "Wh-what?!" I demanded.
"B-but… Mr. Arcanine said—" Rye stammered.
"I don't know where it is exactly," Keldeo raised a hoof. "But I can tell you whoever found it hasn't taken it out of the Grays. I'd know if that happened, at least."
"But… th-that's still the whole region! How are we supposed to…?" Rye put his head in his hands as I stared at the horse. We'd come all this way for…?
"Yeh facking kedding meh?" I snapped.
"I know—" Keldeo began.
"Nah, no! Fack's sehke!" I countered. "Someting, at lehsht!"
"Well…" Keldeo trailed off, hanging his head. "...I might have a couple things, at least. To get you started."
"Wh-what?" Rye looked up.
"Come with me," Keldeo clopped up the stairs. I narrowed my eyes before waddling after, noting the Myth unfurling a map of the Grays on his table. "One of my teachers lives in Point Forest. Ms. Virizion. She's a guildmaster in Aramaea Town, right here," he pointed to a large island off the northwest.
"And?" I asked.
"She lives the closest to where I heard the orb was last. If anyone would know something about it, it'd be her," Keldeo clarified. "Don't blame you for not going to her first, she's rarely there…"
"...r-right… what about the Link?" Rye asked.
"The…? How do you not know this?" Keldeo asked. "Aren't you from an exploration guild? It's on an island in the Channel."
"...i-is that why there's fog always over the middle of it?" Rye blinked.
"That… mm. That's probably why you guys haven't heard of it, yeah…" Keldeo nodded.
"S-so we just… go all the way to Point Forest, just hope it's there, th-then go to…? No, no, w-we can't. Not until we have the other orbs, th-then it'd just be easy pickings for…" Rye murmured, starting to quietly trace his finger back and forth across the map.
Keldeo watched Rye mutter, some concern in his eyes as the gecko kept it up.
"You're in a tight spot, I can tell that much," he finally said. "Just remember, though. Your priority shouldn't be just trying to find the orb. It's important, yes, but being ready for what comes next is just as important."
"Well, wh-what comes next?" Rye asked.
"I don't know. That's why you need whatever you can get. Strength, knowledge, allies, anything that'll help when things go south. And they will go south, trust me," Keldeo nodded.
"...allies… wh-what would we even tell Ms. May and everyone else?"
"Everything. Keeping secrets isn't something you can afford when you need allies."
"But we're not supposed to share all that, i-if it gets out…"
"Which is why you find people you trust. That make sense?"
"...y-yeah. I'm just… scared…"
"That's natural. But you're worried you can't do this alone, right? Don't let that stop you. You'll need all the help you can get."
"...o-okay. We'll try," Rye muttered.
"You do or you don't. There is no try," Keldeo said. Rye just took a shaky, anxious breath as he scribbled down notes before getting up to pack his things away.
"Th-thanks for trying to help. We'll, um… d-do our best," he said before turning to leave. I, however, stayed rooted in place, not following my friend back downstairs. Keldeo's gaze turned to me, his eyebrow raising.
"...well, go on, human," he said. I swallowed, hesitating a bit more before I pulled out my notepad. I wasn't satisfied; I needed more than just vague advice and another wild Swanna chase.
what do we do if we dont know what to do next? like if everything just feels wrong
Keldeo paused as he read over my Unovan, then looked up at me with understanding.
"This isn't just about the orb, is it?" he asked. I slowly shook my head.
i dont know what to do, it all feels out of my control. Im not the right one to make this decision, i dont know which side i should pick and that really scares me
"Kid," Keldeo said, stepping closer. "Just know, no one truly knows the right path, not even us. Things are always more nuanced than black and white. If you can't pick either end, then pick somewhere in between."
what does that even mean?
Keldeo gave a horselike sigh through his nose. "Look, I'm not the one you speak to for truth or ideals. All I can tell you is that sometimes, the right path only becomes clear when you start walking it. You have to trust in yourself and those around you."
i dont want to drag my friends down with me
"Isn't that what they're there for? To help you through times like these?" Keldeo frowned.
Frustrated, I stood up with force, snatching my notebook away as I turned to leave. "Shah," I said back to the pony.
"...don't discount everything I say. I might not know everything, but… well. All I can say is think on it, and good luck out there," he said. I just grunted and started downstairs, the god of resolve watching me leave.
"Kid?" Bert blinked, standing as he saw me storm out.
"A-are you—?" Rye managed.
"I'm fine," I snapped, starting back up the path. Bert and Rye glanced at one another before Rye got up to follow me, Bert hurriedly finishing his little worship before following suit.
"So… what now?" Rye asked. "We don't know where the orb is, a-and we've gotta get back. I-I really don't wanna do all that again…"
"...we'll stay the night at the guild. We can sleep on it, maybe ask the guildmaster in the morning," Bert decided.
"Y-yeah. Alright," Rye nodded, looking over at me. My untalkative mood must have been pretty outwardly obvious, since he decided not to ask my opinion on the matter. I appreciated it, but that didn't change the fact I wanted to drive my head through a brick wall.
Just… agh… what was I supposed to do...?
Keldeo watched the three visitors disappear behind the hill, the Oshawott among them dragging his tail all the while. He gave a frown to himself, hanging his head.
"...I don't like him," a voice said flatly as the shadows next to the pony shifted. Keldeo glanced over as his roommate rose from the floor, staring unblinking after the three.
"He's a kid. Of course he's gonna want the definitive answer," the pony sighed.
"Is this what Palkia finds acceptable in a human? Lucario was patient, at the very least," Marshadow blinked, crossing her arms.
"I tried. I know you haven't been thrilled with him so far, but I see potential in him. He just needs the right tools," Keldeo started away from the window.
"And you know what will happen if he doesn't happen upon those," Marshadow said, having simply appeared at the other side of the room. "I don't wish for that to happen to me. Or to you."
"I know, I know…" Keldeo sighed. "Tell you what. If we find he's going that route, we'll go behind Palkia's back and head to Gray Proper to get more involved. Like the good old days, except I have my girlfriend with me."
"You're immature. I hope you know that," Marshadow sighed as she sat where that Treecko had been sitting around the table.
"You didn't deny it," Keldeo gave a cheeky little smirk.
"I will smother you," Marshadow said flatly, though failing to hide a little smirk. "...yes, that sounds acceptable."
"Yeah. Okay, then, it's a deal," Keldeo nodded, looking back out the window. "...Arceus help us all."