Chapter 20: Cups and Waterfalls
A salty sea breeze tickled his whiskers, and Lumi fell on his back to admire the clouds.
He inhaled a deep breath and slowly let it out, allowing the hustle and bustle of Verdant Port below to filter through his ears. The rooftop of the warehouse that the guild hid in had a few air vents that offered good cover, and he decided to make use of them in order to get some much needed fresh air.
It felt good to be outside.
The Glamour Bands that Purl and Esther made were a great success, much to his chagrin. The final design was a simple pink and black wristband that made the wearer appear in their shiny form for as long as they wore it. Lumi raised an arm up and blanched at his gold yellow fur, typical of shiny Meowstics.
Oh sure, shininess was always an appreciated quality in a Pokemon, but personally he disliked how his body now looked more like a blond lighthouse than anything. He much preferred his subdued blue fur.
Still, he couldn't complain too much. The Haxorus Guild wasn't looking for a shiny Meowstic, after all. It gave him the chance to get some space outside of the guild walls for a change, which he wanted for this upcoming conversation.
He had a couple things on his list for today, and this was the first.
He sat up against the vent, reached a paw into his purple satchel, and plucked their team's echo orb from its depths. Clara was eager to pass it off to him earlier this morning, but it took him some time to gather his thoughts before he decided to use it.
An uncharacteristic hesitance overcame him at the thought of speaking to his supposed Legendary kin, and the myriad questions he had prepared evaporated at the sight of the simple echo orb in his paw.
If he were to put his feelings towards Dialga into words, it wouldn't quite be distrust. He recalled how gentle the Legendary had been with him during their initial encounter, and how careful they had been during the infusion of their Energy. Although it left him exhausted afterward, and with no small amount of pain, Lumi had felt nothing but safe during the procedure.
As far as he was concerned, Dialga had proven that they at least cared for his well being like a family member, and Lumi would be lying if he said he wasn't at least intrigued by speaking further with them.
But he was also fully aware that he was being used for some grander purpose, and it was obvious that Dialga was keeping information from him.
On top of everything else going on, the idea of interacting further with them filled him with the sensation a person gets when they stand at the edge of a cliff. And there's someone next to them saying that they should jump, and it's fine because there's a small lake way at the bottom, they just couldn't see it.
He'd do it, but what little preservation he held onto demanded he at least consider any risk.
With a shake of his head, he huffed out a breath, and decided the best way to overcome his lingering anxiety was to simply take the leap.
"Call...Dialga," he said into the orb. The jingle that followed lasted much shorter than he hoped for.
"You may speak," came the dual toned voice on the other end. Lumi briefly marveled at how privileged he was to have an ancient being on literal speed dial, before he continued.
"Uh, hey. It's me."
"...Lumiere?" their voice sounded pleasantly surprised on the other end, and he immediately curled a tail to his chest to clutch to.
"Yup. How's it going? Is this a good time to call?"
"Very much so, Lumiere. I found myself curious when you would contact me. Your associate Clara notified me that you were otherwise occupied."
"Yeah, uh..." Lumi pinched the fur on his forehead. "Sorry about that. I've had a lot on my mind, and wasn't really sure when the best time was to talk to you, so..."
"Given your circumstances, I understand your hesitance. It also pleases me to hear that you are capable of exercising self-restraint and deeper thought. Based on accounts of your behavior, I found myself concerned."
"I'm not that bad..." grumbled the Meowstic.
"I am to believe you jumped off a moving platform into freefall in order to hug your friend?"
"And I'd do it again. Look, I just had a few questions I wanted to ask. And maybe learn a bit more about this whole 'kin' thing we have going on?"
"I will be more than happy to alleviate your concerns, little one. However, forgive me if some questions are beyond the scope of your assigned task."
"Yeah, pause the flow of Aether around the world with your blessing. I guess we can start with that." Lumi rubbed one of his tails as he thought for a second. "Well, I might have an idea on how to start, but I wanted to run it by you before I ask my Guildmaster."
"You are quick to act. This suits you. Please share."
"I was doing some of my own research in the Library, and I think we should target a Leyline. From what I understand, those are places with really heavy concentrations of Aether, right? Would give us a solid target rather than any random Dungeon around here, and based on info we got from the Weavile we caught from that bad group, they're still on the move."
"A sound possibility. Aside from their length and difficulty, I am aware that Leylines also function as fonts from which channels of Aether spread across a region, and are in a sense connected to all Dungeons within that region. Any effect you have on a Keystone in a Leyline will affect any connected Dungeons as well."
"Great, so we'll just pause the Keystone in a Leyline and-"
"However, the same rules still apply. You could wait for this other group to agitate enough Aether to make a Keystone in a Leyline appear, or you could pause Aether from smaller Dungeons in the area instead. Both options hold potential, but each offer risks."
"Okaaaaaay. Well, which one do you think we should go for? Wait for a Leyline to open and hope we get there in time, or go for smaller Keystones?"
"I will let you make that decision."
"...What? Why? You can see the future, right?"
"I have restricted my sight of the coming events in order to foster more flexible thinking. I explained as much in your visit here."
Oh. That's right. He remembered them explaining something similar to Clara. Lumi groaned, and his ears unfurled in slight agitation. Dialga continued in response.
"I understand this may seem like an inconvenience, and I am not ignorant to the great burden I have placed on you, however I have full confidence in your abilities, especially as my Bonded kin. Furthermore, you will soon see that-"
"Okay, nope, back up. Why do you trust me to do anything? We don't know each other well at all! And what do you mean you restricted your sight, when you obviously knew we were coming to Windy Spire and that Clara and I would be at the Keystone?"
"How could you say I obviously knew? I had no idea Clara would be there when-"
"The second I touched the stone, you called me over and instantly gave me your blessing and mission. You knew I was coming, you had a plan," stated Lumi, brows furrowed.
"..."
"What aren't you telling me, Dialga?"
"Your mind is much sharper than your manner would suggest."
"Flattery will only help a little bit!"
"I do not wish to burden you further. Please understand."
"You don't have to tell me everything, just level with me for a little bit. I want to trust you, really. I do."
"…If you insist. Close your eyes. I wish to do this properly."
Lumi blinked in confusion, before a sixth sense alerted him to a familiar sensation. That new part of him activated, like someone turned on a lightbulb, and on reflex he stashed the echo orb and closed his eyes.
That overwhelming power swept over him again, the force that would not stop. He knew to stay anchored, and refrained from opening his eyes. The sounds of the harbor and voices from below halted in an instant, and for a while he felt adrift in a silent, flowing current.
"Crap, I wasn't ready for this..." he whispered. His voice echoed back to him in this strange reality. He pushed further up against the vent he was on, wary of what any movement would entail. Every strand of fur on his neck raised in alarm, and he stayed as still as possible.
After a few moments, something shifted. The strength of the current lessened, and he could sense that a strong presence had stood in the way of the stream, like a boulder.
"Open your eyes. As long as I am here, it is safe for you," came Dialga's voice, much closer this time.
Lumi breathed in, nodded, and then slowly blinked open his eyes. The memory of the disorientating sight from before was still fresh in his mind, yet the surrounding area did not resemble the same shifting mess of images from before.
It was gray.
Like someone had sucked the color out of a painting, the rooftop and everything on it had turned a dull slate gray. The blue sky up above had turned gray as well, and everything felt still. As if the very air itself had ceased its movement.
He turned in place to observe, before his gaze landed on Dialga, who had appeared on top of the roof with him. They rested their large sauropod-like frame between two protruding roof fans, and stared down at him with a patient gaze. Lumi scampered over to them and rested his paws on Dialga's foreleg, who leaned down to nuzzle his head with their snout.
Dialga paused, and tilted their head at him inquisitively.
"I do not recall you having the shiny gene," they started. Lumi scoffed, and brushed down some yellow fur on his chest.
"Don't mention it. Seriously." Lumi showed Dialga the pink and black band on his wrist, and after a quick glance around, removed it from his arm. A wave of light washed over him, and the gold fur that covered most of his body bled away to reveal his natural blue.
"Cool, huh? Some friends in the guild made it. This thing gives a pretty good disguise that should help us move around," he explained, putting the band back on once finished.
A pleased sound rumbled from Dialga's throat as he went shiny again, and they sniffed at the band in curiosity.
"An excellent item, however you need not worry about such disguises when we speak like this."
Dialga reared up to their great height, and looked beyond them. Lumi followed their gaze, and a chill ran up his back when he took a closer look at his surroundings.
What he thought was just the sky and the rooftop was actually encased in some kind of bubble.
"In all of eternity, there has only been one other individual who can communicate with me in this specific way," murmured Dialga. "A conversation within the space between milliseconds, along the timestream. Anyone else seeking an audience with me must meet me at my tower, as you had to do before. But now..."
They glanced down at him, and their piercing red eyes shone a bit brighter.
"You can walk between seconds as I can. It is amazing, no?"
"It's a little…freaky. Still need to get used to it," mumbled Lumi, who made himself comfortable along Dialga's front. The Legendary adjusted his forelegs to accommodate him.
"You will. I know you will."
"Why though?" he asked, softly. Lumi stared into Dialga's piercing red eyes and gave a soft smile. He just wanted to know something. Dialga trained their gaze on him but stayed silent, presumably to gather their thoughts. Lumi waited, idly inspecting the protrusions on Dialga's leg.
"You must understand, Lumiere. There is much I am eager to share with you, much I am eager to teach you. But some knowledge can be too much."
"How about this? Earlier, you mentioned you had seen 'an end' to this world. What did that mean? How many ways does it end? How do I fit into it? C'mon, I'm a big Meowstic, I can take it!" he exclaimed. Dialga gave one of their strange, wheezing laughs.
"You are young, yet," they said. They made an inquisitive sound, and leaned their neck further down to level with Lumi's.
"In your guild, you are a scientist, yes? An inventor of new technologies and innovations?"
"I wouldn't use such fancy language, but sure. Something like that."
"Then you understand the importance of trial testing. Of observing results, cataloging each detail, and making minute changes in order to achieve the best outcome."
Lumi nodded slowly, and Dialga gave a low hum.
"In this way, our roles are similar. Since creation, my role has been to keep a watchful eye for events that would end this world prematurely. I have observed many futures, and a common trend is the dissolution of this world by the very thing that brought it into creation: Aether."
"Your trial testing is to see how long the world lasts under certain conditions?"
"Yes."
"So…you've seen everyone…y'know, die?" asked Lumi, voice low. Dialga bumped their head against his own.
"In some iterations."
"Oh. That…sucks. A lot." Lumi's ears flattened, and Dialga gave a heavy nod of their head.
"But it is not without hope. Upon closer inspection, I have begun to notice a trend in the most successful iterations. There are a few reasons why I chose you as my Bonded, and one of them is the impact your actions have on the world's chances of success. As well as the actions of those around you."
His actions on the world's success. Lumi went quiet at those words, mind aglow with the implications.
Actions that he has done? Will do? Does that mean a future Lumi somewhere, in sometime, did something cool? Something amazing enough that a great Legendary such as Dialga took notice?
That thought made a warm, electric feeling shoot up in his chest. Pride, though he wasn't sure if it was quite warranted.
"But wait," asked Lumi. "If future-me is so great, then why are you talking to, uh, this one? Why did you bond with me, when I haven't actually done all that much yet?"
"I determined the best way for you to maximize your potential would be to awaken my blessing within you completely, and to do so while the world was still somewhat stable. In every scenario, you are my Bonded by birth, however this is the only one where that right is realized fully."
"I still don't...get it. Bonded? Kin? What does all that stuff mean? What is a Bonded?"
"This is a lesson I am eager to teach. Are you aware that the comics you enjoy reading are partially inspired by true events?"
"Seriously!?" blurted Lumi.
"Stylized and exaggerated though they may be, they serve as remnants of deeds by Bonded pokemon."
"Wait, so...Aquamon, The Dark Corviknight, Pikapool? All of those were like, real?"
"To an extent. For various reasons, Legends and Mythicals will share a piece of themselves with a chosen mortal, thus establishing a Bond. This is often done in order to accomplish some task, and have an agent act on the world in their stead, done in isolated instances across history, even before Dungeons. The earlier a bond is established, the more pronounced the Legend's blessing will be in their Bonded."
And Dialga placed a piece of themself in him while he was still in the egg. Lumi ruminated on this while Dialga bumped his head again with its snout affectionately.
"It should go without saying, but the bonding process is only performed with mortals whom a Legend holds great affection and trust for. I have seen a bond provide comfort and companionship to both parties involved."
"Comfort, huh..." Lumi bumped his nose against Dialga, and stood up to stand in front of them, arms crossed.
"So, tell me if I got this right. In every future you've seen, I help the world in some way. To get a better result, you went back to before things got too bad, and officially made me your Bonded in order to give me the power to fix this whole mess for good?"
"Yes. Due to the particular nature of our Bond, much will be granted to you. But much more will be expected. I say this not to put undue pressure on you, it is simply the way of things."
"Well, you say that, but the fate of the world is kinda a big deal, isn't it?" Lumi cracked a grin and rubbed the back of his head. "You can count on me to do my best, but I'm still trying to get my bearings with a lot of this stuff. I've barely gotten the basics down of item crafting, not to mention your time blessing!"
"Your best is bright indeed, Lumiere," rumbled Dialga, who lowered their head again. "And you will grow. Fill that hyperactive mind of yours with the knowledge learned from those around you."
"Hyperactive...dang..."
"And of course, you have my full support. You are...I look forward to getting to know you, my kin. There is much I would like to teach you, but there is one piece of advice I think is pertinent to this current situation."
"And what would that be?" asked Lumi.
"Take your time. I do not mean this is jest. Though the stakes are high, do not rush into any course of action. I understand such a thing is difficult for you."
"Jump off a building one time..." grumbled Lumi. Dialga crouched low to nuzzle his pouting face. After a bit he sighed and reciprocated, letting out a content purr.
"Aether, Legendaries, Bonded, the future...it's a lot but, thanks for being honest with me. I appreciate it, you know."
"I imagine you still have questions, but I hope I have alleviated some concerns about your role in this. I promise that things will become more clear than I can verbalize as you move forward."
Lumi nodded and sat down, idly bobbing his head as he glanced around at the still space while he digested the influx of information. If he squinted, he could just make out a blue tint to the buildings and environment beyond the perimeter of the roof.
Feeling adventurous, he got up and walked over to the edge of the roof, the weight of Dialga's stare on him as he did so. His new sense pulsed within him as he approached, and he saw something strange.
As he looked closer, he saw a faint trace of color in the surrounding buildings beyond, filtered by a film of gray in front of him, like a barrier. His sense also alerted him to a familiar current from outside that barrier.
On impulse, he reached a paw out to try and feel that current, but flinched at a low sound from Dialga. A blue sheen flashed in front of him, and whatever barrier there was extended further, with the gray beneath his feet spreading further out beyond the roof.
"Careful. You are not yet accustomed to the force of the timestream. Until your body is fully attuned to my gift, you will get overwhelmed as you did before."
Memories of a thousand Van's overlapping each other flashed through his mind, and he shook his head to dispel the thought.
"Yeah, don't want a repeat of that...how long will it be until I'm 'attuned,' or whatever?"
"It is difficult to say, although I have seen Bonded be able to proficiently utilize their gifts after a few months to a year."
"Oh ok-wait. A year!? Are you serious!?" squeaked Lumi.
"For you, it will take longer. My blessing is far, far, greater than one from a lesser Legendary, of course." At this, Lumi whimpered a bit.
"I sense you are concerned. Rest assured, you will not need to wait as long before you can accomplish your task. It is enough to merely make contact with a Keystone and force your Energy into it in order to halt its flow."
"I mean, that's great, but..." He crossed his arms and huffed. "I am not trying to wait years..."
"Why are you upset? A few years is no time at all," stated Dialga. Lumi raised a brow at them.
"Yeah, for you, maybe. Look, it's like this. Everyone knows manipulating time is the most busted ability out there! I was kind of looking forward to being taught how to do awesome stuff, like, pausing things, rewinding events, see the future, that sort of thing?"
"Perhaps you could be taught the theory behind those techniques, but you would be unable to actually use them until your body was prepared. Furthermore, there is nothing 'busted' about my abilities. They function perfectly well," asserted Dialga, with a firm stomp of their hoof.
"That's not...ugh." Lumi gave a low groan and sat down, head in his paws.
"Remember my advice. These abilities will come to you in time. If it helps, think of your body like...a cup. And my blessing, like a waterfall. Right now, the cup cannot contain the waterfall, but in time, it will grow into a suitable vessel, one that is able to not only contain the flow, but direct and guide it into something more than just a raw force of nature."
"A vessel..." murmured Lumi. As cool as that sounded, waiting potential years for his body to be able to control time really put a damper on his mood. From the sound of things, even if he learned the theory behind his new power, he wouldn't actually be able to use it himself, which sucked.
...Unless he didn't use it himself...
"...Could that work?" Lumi mumbled to himself, gears in his head turning. Dialga tilted their head at him, and he perked up with a smile.
"Even if I couldn't use those abilities, you could teach me ideas behind them, right?"
"Regretfully, my duties prevent me from providing you with adequate teaching. Even meeting with you like this takes my concentration away from maintaining the Time Gears. However, if you would like to pursue tutelage, perhaps I can call on-"
A high-pitched, shrill sound interrupted Dialga, who raised their head up and to the side, alert. The sound seemed to increase in volume, and Lumi followed their gaze to peer into the flowing timestream outside. Past Dialga's barrier, it was difficult to peer through the blue tint of everything, but if he squinted his eyes, he could just make out a green object that rapidly approached their location.
Or rather, many, green objects.
"What...is that?" asked Lumi. Dialga gave a heavy, uncharacteristically empathetic sigh in response.
Lumi had just enough time to register that the green beings had faces on them before they flew through the barrier and into their private piece of time. The shrill sounds escalated into the high pitched babble of multiple voices crowded on top of eachother, and before he could ask a question, he was whisked into the air by many pairs of small, green hands.
"Oh, cute! He's sooooo cute! And Shiny!"
"No, he's just a regular Meowstic, like I told you guys! I bet its cuz Dialga is blue too!"
"Has he done the thing yet!? Is this before or after he gets awakened completely?"
"Of course he is, dummy! He can see us, can't he?"
"After! Definitely after, I know cuz he tried to access the stream earlier, but I had to calm him down before it got too much!"
"I'm so glad I found five minutes in my schedule for this! That banquet was getting sooooooo boring!"
"Wait, wait, has he met us yet, I forget..."
"Just in case, hi, hi! I'm Celebi!"
"Good to meet you, I'm Celebi!"
"We haven't met yet, but I'm Celebi!"
"You always felt so calm, even now. It's amazing how much you've grown..."
While he was cradled in the collective embrace of the many Celebi, who each yelled out their own introductions on top of eachother, he couldn't shake the feeling of being fawned over like some newborn kitten. His cheeks were pinched, his tails were rubbed, and there seemed to be no end to their exuberance.
"Enough."
Dialga's voice boomed, and carried a terrifying undertone strong enough to rattle his mind, body, and spirit. At once, the din of the Celebi ceased, and all of their heads turned to the mightier Legendary behind.
"Release him."
Lumi cringed and put his paws to his head. Sheesh, had Dialga been using their indoor voice this whole time? It didn't even sound like they were yelling, it was more like the very authority in the command carried enough weight to shake his core. He dimly realized he had been set down on his feet, and had been steadied by a nearby Celebi, who gave him an encouraging smile.
He gave a dazed nod in response, and watched as the other Celebi organized themselves in a loose line in front of Dialga, whose red eyes held a greater intensity than before. By some unspoken command, each of the Celebi lowered their heads slightly towards Dialga.
The temporal Legendary swept their gaze over the line for a few moments, before their eyes locked with Lumi's, and they gestured their head towards itself. After rubbing his fur down and a quick shake of his head, Lumi walked over to Dialga's front.
The Legendary walked forward a bit so that their armored forelegs were on either side of him. The arrangement briefly reminded him of when his mother would protectively place him between her forelegs as an Espurr. Perhaps Dialga thought of him in a similar way?
"Lumiere," uttered Dialga, whose voice had returned to more manageable levels of grandeur. "As you have no doubt guessed, the ones in front of you are the Mythical Pokemon Celebi, the only other one capable of utilizing the time stream. You may all rise."
The Celebi all raised their heads in response, and Lumi stepped out a bit to look at them all. His eyes widened at the sheer amount of the exact same pokemon in front of him. There must have been at least fifty Celebi here! With his mouth open in a confused smile, Lumi waved at them all.
"Hey, what's up? I'm Lumi," he said, to which they all eagerly waved back.
"Now, before I send you all back to your proper times, where you are supposed to be working," the end of that sentence came out in a low growl, but it was only received by a chorus of light giggles.
"I have to ask. Tell me, Celebi. How is it that, since the dawn of creation, you have managed to be late to all of our scheduled meetings, and yet in this one instance, where I hope to have a private conversation with my Bonded, you manage to coordinate with a legion of yourselves from other times with such precision as to invade an event that takes place within the span of half a millisecond?" Dialga's monotone voice grew progressively more severe towards the end.
"Oooh, he's mad," thought Lumi, who bit his lip to keep from laughing.
From the line of Celebi, one hopped into the air and drifted forward on gossamer wings with her hands behind her back. She looked way too smug as she approached the vastly more powerful Dialga.
"Well, if you must know the 'how' Lord Dialga, it was with a lot, and I mean a lot, of post-it-notes. And as for our motivation..." her eyes met Lumi's and she grinned.
"I encountered him briefly a couple days ago, but I suppose I wanted to properly introduce myself. As you can see, I merely extended the offer across a few other times."
"I would appreciate this level of motivation more in the future. Furthermore, did you not consider that such a manner of introduction might be too much for him at this point? Compared to us, he is still an infant in the matters of temporal manipulation. So many of you at once could shake his sense of reality, you should have been more careful," stated Dialga, sternly. Lumi patted his foreleg and glanced up.
"Hey, easy. It's not that big a deal, right? I'm fine, and more than that, Celebi seems fun." He smiled at the lead Celebi. "I'm glad I got to meet her like this."
The Celebi squeed, flipped in midair, and flew forward to yank him up into a midair hug. The ones behind her cheered, and Dialga cleared their throat.
"Be that as it may, it is time for you all to return. I imagine half of you are only here because you are ignoring something I asked you to do at some point or another."
One of the Celebi raised her paw.
"Not true! I'm here because you asked me to be here so I could tell you how many of us to scold in the future!" She yelled. This Celebi was immediately shushed by her contemporaries.
"I see. Good work. Regardless, I ask that each of you except the Celebi currently cuddling Lumi return to your respective times. I will see you when I see you."
A chorus of "farewell Lord Dialga!" and "bye Lumi!" rang out on top of the roof. From midair with his arms around Celebi's body, Lumi saw a multitude of white lights spring up around the air. Each of the other Celebi flew towards a light, and dashed within each one. The Celebis left a flash of light and a flutter of shining green leaves as they disappeared into their own respective lights, until it was just the three of them on the rooftop.
The Celebi holding onto Lumi floated to the ground to drop him off, and looked up at Dialga expectantly. They sighed, and settled their bulky frame onto their front.
"While unexpected, perhaps your arrival is fortuitous after all."
"Real-I mean, yes! Of course, all planned!" she said with her small hands on her hips. Dialga squinted their eyes at her, but continued.
"Right before your arrival, Lumiere expressed an interest in learning more advanced techniques of time manipulation. I was considering putting you in charge of tutoring him."
Lumi's ears flicked at those words, and he bounced on the tips of his toes in excitement, just imagining all the things he could learn from an ancient pokemon like Celebi. For her part, Celebi broke out into a wide grin and spread her arms wide.
"Yes! I would be honored, Lord! Just...uh..." her smile slowly dropped to a pensive frown, and she glanced at Lumi with a finger to her chin.
Celebi 'hmmd' in thought, and flew over to circle the Meowstic, inspecting every inch of him. She made funny inquisitive sounds as she poked his belly, looked into his ears, and then deep into his eyes, as if searching for something.
After her inspection, she leaned back and frowned at him, arms crossed.
"I can sense your blessing in him, Lord, but it's all...weird and unfocused. I don't think I could really teach him anything at this stage, it'd be like trying to teach a kit who can barely walk how to do a backflip!"
"I can do a backflip!...maybe..."
"It might be better to let it sit and develop naturally, and then move on to formal teaching later," she surmised, with a shake of her head. Lumi hopped up and waved his arms.
"Okay, wait, hear me out! I have an idea for how we can make this work," he exclaimed. Celebi looked his way, then glanced to Dialga as if for approval. They nodded their head, and she gave Lumi her attention.
"Listen. Some items are made by infusing Energy patterns in certain ways. If I can't manipulate time on my own, maybe I can make something that can. Even if I can't actually perform a move myself, as long as I know the energy pattern, I can infuse it into something."
"You want to make an item...ooh, that is a good idea! Is that...possible?" she asked, looking towards Dialga. They thought a bit before responding.
"...Perhaps in theory. An item tailor made to carry out an ability would be convenient, as opposed to training one's body and energy to do so on its own. Of course, that would depend on one's fundamental ability to manipulate that energy to begin with."
"And the only way to do that is...OKAY!" she blurted, and turned on a dime to face Lumi with her hands on her hips. She pointed at him with impunity.
"I will take on this challenge! As of today, you are the star pupil of the great Celebi!"
"Sick."
"And your first assignment will be...meditation!"
"...What?"
"Every day!"
"Wait-"
"In order to attune to the timestream, you will sit still every day for an extended amount of time, until I deem you ready to learn some real power! Sound fun!?"
Lumi blanched, and looked to Dialga with a pleading gaze. Dialga looked at him impassively.
"Your idea holds merit, my kin, but this is a necessary step before you try anything. Or would you rather wait a year or two for this all to happen naturally?"
"But...but...still!? Really?" At Dialga's solemn nod, Lumi groaned, but recovered soon after.
"Okay, fine, I can do that. That's not even hard, I've done nothing before! How long are we talking anyway? Like, five...ten minutes maybe?" he asked Celebi with hope.
Celebi laughed.
"Oh, you have a lot to learn," she simpered.
She zoomed over and leaned her arms on Lumi's head, and kicked her feet playfully in midair. Her amicable hums made a deep pit form in his stomach, and he wondered what he had just signed himself up for.
"Lord Dialga, rest assured that your precious Bonded could not be in better hands! I promise to do my best to train him as you trained me!"
"I am sure you will. If I discover that you used this time for leisure instead of teaching him, I am revoking your recreational privileges for a decade."
"...Even the theater?"
"Even the theater."
Celebi's good cheer dimmed significantly, and she drooped along his back to bury her face in his neck. Dialga straightened up in front of him, and he noticed for the first time that the blue jewel on their front was shining brightly. They glanced down at the jewel, and released a heavy sigh.
"Unfortunately, I must return back to my tower, lest my concentration wane too much. I have enjoyed this time together, Lumiere," stated Dialga. Lumi nodded and walked over to them, Celebi still hanging off him like a cape.
"Maybe next time we talk, it won't be all serious. I know I can speak to you any time on the Echo orb, but it just feels better being in person like this."
"I feel the same. Ensure you do all that Celebi tells you, so that perhaps you can meet me like this in the future."
"Right...meditating..." grumbled Lumi. Celebi pushed off his back and flew upside down in front of him.
"Aww, don't look so down! You'll like it, trust me. Now if you excuse me, I have to prepare for all the things I want to teach you!"
A white light sparked up ahead, and she made to zoom up, but Lumi held a paw out.
"Wait, how is this going to work? I think everyone in the guild would freak out if they saw you inside," he said. Her mouth curled in a coy smile.
"Tomorrow morning, find a quiet place, and open yourself to the timestream. I'll meet you there, and it'll just be you and me. Got it?"
"Uh, okay. Sure."
He watched her nod, bow to Dialga a final time, then fly up to disappear into the light above. He brought his gaze back to the larger Legendary, who leaned down to nuzzle him goodbye.
"Until next time," they murmured. Lumi made to respond, but felt something pulse within him as that force overcame him again.
He closed his eyes, finally able to put to words that the timestream pushed against his back. Whatever barrier Dialga had erected faded away to let it flow freely. After a few moments, the power within him ceased its reaction, and he finally blinked open his eyes.
Dialga was gone. He looked around, and color had returned to the rooftop, along with the natural sounds of life in the harbor. The breeze ruffled his fur, and he blinked, trying to absorb all that had just occurred.
He glanced up at the blue sky, and the clouds hadn't moved an inch the whole time they had been talking.
Lumi opened the flap to the Guildmaster's room and poked his head in. His eyes scanned across the numerous devices and books along the wall before they landed on Pandora, who sat a little further back behind a desk he'd never noticed before. She chewed on a pen, engrossed in a tome.
Her eyes glanced up and met his, and she gave a warm smile.
"Lumi, come in dear! Did you enjoy your time outside?" She looked up at a clock on the wall. "My, you weren't out long, were you?"
He grinned back and let the tent flap close behind him. As he approached, he removed the Glamour Band from his wrist, feeling a tickle as his fur returned to its normal shade. He placed it on her desk when he approached.
They didn't have enough for everyone quite yet, so it was agreed to cycle them out if anyone wanted to step outside for any reason.
"I finished up sooner than I thought," he said. "Just needed a quick moment to get my thoughts in order and…breathe, I guess."
He didn't feel like divulging the details of his little chat with Dialga. He wanted time to process it all before he shared it with anyone.
"I won't pry. We all have our ways of destressing," she assured. "So. What brings you to our office this morning? Would you like to pay our friend downstairs a visit again?"
Her petite smile widened into a wolfish grin, and she leaned forward. He shook his head, bemused.
"Not today. To be honest, I was looking for Vert. I have some things I want to talk with him about. Know where he is?"
"Well, he said he was going into the Library to do some more research. That was, oh…" she looked at the clock again and tapped her chin.
"…About eight hours ago," she said. Lumi sighed.
"Oh. So he's probably resting, then?"
Pandora blinked, and her mouth curled into a grin before she suppressed a fit of giggles behind her brown paw. Lumi shuffled his feet, and waited for her to calm down.
"Hehe…Oh my, so much has happened that I forget you've only been here for a week. Your Guildmaster does not 'rest' like a normal Pokémon does. Or should…" she said the last part under her breath, but straightened up.
"If I had to guess, he would probably be in the upper levels of the Development Wing right about now, where more specialized texts from past Guildmasters are kept. Have you been there yet?" She continued when he shook his head.
"Oh, marvelous! Then you are in for a treat. Simply enter the Development Wing and take the stairs to the second level. If you're lucky, Vert hasn't fallen from sleep deprivation yet."
"Good to know, thanks," he said, recalling Vert sleeping with his eyes open back in the Low District. He made to leave, but Pandora held a paw out from over the desk.
"If I may, is there anything I can help you with?" she asked. Lumi wanted to hear Vert's thoughts on Leylines before he started sharing with anyone else.
There was…one thing, though.
"Yeah, um," he pawed at the pearl necklace around his neck, and lifted it over his head to hold it in front of her.
"It's kinda slipped my mind, with everything that's been going on, but I've been trying to figure out what this thing is? Mom and dad gave it to me when I joined the guild, and it's kind of…I dunno, I think it's a sort of special item?"
"It looks beautiful," she murmured, orange eyes staring into the pearl's cloudy surface. She held out her paw.
"May I?"
"Sure. Just, uh, know that you're gonna feel really…nostalgic when you touch it."
"Truly?" she said, interested. She scooched back from behind the desk and walked around to lean on its front, next to him. He handed it to her by its black cord, and she grasped the pearl with a paw.
He watched the intrigued expression on her face soften the longer she held it. After a bit of silence, she sucked in a breath and, to his surprise, her mouth started to tremble. Tears built at the side of her eyes, and he placed a paw on her shoulder, concerned.
She sniffled, and wiped her eyes, handing the necklace back to him by the cord.
"Oh…my…" she mumbled. "I'm not sure what I was expecting, but that…"
"Are you alright?" He asked. She looked him in the eyes and smiled wide.
"Yes. Better than alright, I feel…hopeful. I had almost forgotten that memory."
"It's cool, huh? So, any ideas?"
"As a matter of fact, yes!" she exclaimed, and hopped over to a packed bookshelf. She spoke as she rifled through it.
"It's function is reminiscent of a particular item. Are you familiar with Lookalike Items?"
"Uh, I'm guessing they…look like certain items?" he tried. She cheered as she ripped out a book and held it over her head.
"Precisely! Lookalike items are a peculiar class of items that resemble one thing, but do something completely different. They are also notoriously tricky to recreate, so much so that it's really just easier to get lucky and find one."
"So you're saying this pearl is some kind of Lookalike Item?"
"Well, not quite." Pandora set the book on the desk and flipped through the pages. She landed on one and pointed a digit at a diagram. Lumi leaned over and raised a brow at the picture of a simple rock on the page.
"Isn't that just a Geo Pebble? I don't remember those being all that special."
"Look closer dear. That's not a Geo Pebble. That's a Gone Pebble." She pointed to the description at the top:
Gone Pebble: This item has a nostalgic feel and causes the user to bring to mind a dearly held memory. When this item is used, tears begin to well up, and the user sobs and switches to Enduring status.
Lumi clicked his tongue at the explanation, and frowned.
"Well that's…oddly specific. Why would this even exist?" His words made Pandora laugh.
"Why indeed? Past scholars have asked the same thing, however there are some thoughts as to why an item like this would appear in Dungeons. The reigning hypothesis is that they coalesce from the regrets and memories of fallen explorers."
"Regrets and memories?" His ears drooped at the somber explanation. "That's sad…also, I thought items were formed from mixing Energy patterns and Aether, not thoughts and emotions."
"Mystery Dungeons are still a mystery in many ways. However, it's still a hypothesis, and an untested one, so don't put too much stock into it. And yet…"
Pandora slid the book to the side, and looked Lumi in the eyes.
"If it is true, I don't find it that sad."
"How come?"
"It's poetic, in a way. What would our thoughts turn to at the end, but not simpler, happier times? That the bittersweet regret of someone long ago can become a tool to remind us of what we hold dear, and give us hope to push forward, is a beautiful thing. Perhaps they exist specifically to remind us of that…"
Pandora's gaze drifted to some point in the wall, and her eyes squinted in deep thought. Lumi's tails brushed the floor, and he held his necklace to his chest.
"I don't know if I really understand," he said, jolting her out of whatever reverie she was in. "But…maybe this pearl was made by some really, really heavy regrets?"
"It's a possibility. My apologies for rambling dear, I just got caught up in my thoughts. You'll find you'll do that more as you get older."
"Aw, you're not old Pandora. Vert said you're barely middle-aged!"
Pandora's soft smile somehow became sharp, and her left eye twitched. Lumi realized a second too late that he had once again not thought before speaking.
"He did, did he?" she asked, voice sweet and dangerous.
"Uh…"
"I will show him middle-aged…and as for you?"
The fairy stepped forward, and her green horns framed her eyes in a way that made him feel trapped. He let out a nervous laugh at the feeling of a smidgen of her Power letting itself loose.
"I recall you saying you are twenty? I'll give you a pass this once since you're young, and you have over a century of a lifespan to learn not to mention a girl's age."
"When I said 'middle-aged,' I actually meant-"
"What did you mean?"
"I meant…I, uh…I-I love you, murder mom!" he blurted. Pandora patted him on the head.
"I know you do, dear. Now," she released him, and went to sit down behind her desk.
"Because your item intrigues me, I will go ahead and research it more on your behalf. I imagine you have more than enough on your plate as it is, hmm?"
"A couple things, yeah." He rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "But that would mean a lot, thanks."
"Of course. Perhaps the next time you see your parents, you can ask them about it."
"Wonder when that'll be…" he wondered, but then shrugged. "Anyways, I'm gonna go look for Vert now. Thanks again, Pandora."
"Always a pleasure, Lumi. I do enjoy our chats."
They waved at each other, and Lumi exited the office to go find Vert. He didn't run into many other apprentices on his jog from the Residential Wing to the Development Wing, presumably because they had all found ways to occupy themselves.
He glanced by the notice board in the center room, and wondered when he'd be able to take on item requests for people outside the guild. Actually help the world instead of hiding in some warehouse.
He shook his head and kept going. Whatever. They'd catch a break eventually, he was sure of it.
Once underneath the domed ceiling of the Development Wing, Lumi glanced upwards towards the second level, right beneath the five constellations along the dome of past Guildmasters. He had never paid much thought to it before, but he supposed it would make sense that they would have their own spaces dedicated to them, separate from the Library.
After climbing the wide stairway to the second level, he alighted onto the walkway that ran around the room, guarded by wooden balusters. To his surprise, there were five highly decorated tent flaps along the wall, each directly under a constellation. In between the tent flaps were little indents in the walls with cushions, perfect spots to read or relax.
His mouth opened in silent wonder as he walked along the second floor, head tilted back as he saw each constellation correlated with a particular entrance. He entered from the right stairway, and made his way along each of the doors.
Above each tent flap was a wooden plaque with an epitaph written on each one. He read each plaque, and got goosebumps with each passing message.
They read, as follows:
"Ninetails, Master Quill, The Trailblazer (20 B.D - 170 A.D) - To You, We Recall Your Willingness To Run Where No Pokemon Would Dare Walk, And Bravery To Be The First."
"Jolteon, Mistress Vim, The Shooting Star (410 A.D - 500 A.D) - To You, We Recall Your Boundless Love of Life and Explosive Enthusiasm For Science."
"Meowth, Master Pom, The Shrewd (703 A.D - 827 A.D) - To You, We Recall Your Great Wisdom And Cleverness, Proving To The World That It Needs Us."
"Decidueye, Master Iris, The Chronicler (1003 A.D - 1212 A.D) - To You, We Recall Your Steady Wing, Carefully Documenting All We Have Done And Teaching Us To Do The Same."
"Mismagius, Mistress Myrtle, The Witch (1325 A.D - 1458 A.D) - To You, We Recall Your Precious Laughter and Ethereal Insight. May You Dance And Sing Forevermore."
"See anything off about the dates?" came a monotone voice from behind him. Lumi sucked in a breath and turned around to a wall of white fur. He arched his head up to see that it was Vert who sat on his haunches behind him, gaze locked on the epitaph of the Mismagius in front of them.
Lumi breathed out, and turned back.
"...There's gaps between each Guildmaster. Some really big ones," observed Lumi. He heard Vert exhale behind him.
"There's not always a guild like ours. Ever since Dungeons popped up, only a pawful of Pokemon rose to the challenge of trying to understand them, and just like now, they barely got any credit. For the other guilds, succession from one Guildmaster to the next is almost seamless, but not with ours. Time and time again, we've had to prove our worth to a world that distrusts us as much as the Dungeons themselves."
Lumi stepped back to fall against the Absol's front, the bushy white fur soft against his back, and looked at the epitaph in a new light.
"That's why we have to do our best to put a stop to what's happening right now. It's the least we can do for these guys, and their legacy. What do you think?"
He glanced up and finally met Vert's eyes.
His horribly bloodshot, baggy, tired eyes that blinked out of order. If Lumi didn't know better, he would think he was in the clutches of some undead specter.
"...I think...that once they make your plaque, it'll read 'To you, we recall that he really should have gone to bed like six hours ago' because, wow, you don't look good."
"I just finished a power nap," he replied.
"Coulda fooled me," said Lumi with a grin. A smile ghosted at Vert's lips, and he nodded his head towards the tent flap. Vert leaned forward onto his forepaws, and Lumi stepped from under his belly to follow him inside Mistress Myrtle's room.
The first thing he noticed was a sweet smell that tickled his nose. He traced the source to a metal cauldron directly ahead, which bubbled softly beneath a beautiful portrait of Mistress Myrtle herself on the wall. The Mismagius seemed to look down on him with half-lidded eyes, offset by a cheeky smile, and her countenance was well lit by sconces of violet flame that were placed along the round room.
He glanced around and, contrary to his expectations, the rest of the room was smaller than anticipated. It seemed more of a private study, with a thick cushion in the middle before the cauldron, and a wall of bookshelves that wrapped around the small space. Various herbs and plants hung from protrusions in the bookshelves, and the light from the sconces was decidedly muted, bathing the room in soft shadows.
All in all, it was cozy.
Vert walked to the back, and grabbed a smaller cushion in his mouth that he set before a larger one in the middle. He settled down on the big one and looked to Lumi expectantly, so the Meowstic walked over and sat down on the small, plush cushion. He sank in a little bit, so adjusted himself to sit up right.
"I've heard you've been working hard," started Vert. "From the sounds of things, you put those notes I gave you on Resonance to good use. How did that prototype item hold up?"
"My Amp Orbs? They worked great!...until Weavile broke them in our match..." Lumi clicked his tongue and sighed. "Still a lot of areas for improvement though. Both for the orbs, and for me, so I can't slow down yet."
"Are you in some kind of hurry or something? Getting a brand new item functioning at all in days is a massive accomplishment kid, that's not normal, you know. "
A warmth spread to his chest and cheeks, and Lumi rubbed the back of his head with a shy smile.
"W-well, there's still problems with the design. Plus, Van and Clara helped a lot with the idea behind it, and Damia was nice enough to help with the calculations-"
"You four. Team Nova. Right?" Vert smirked at the surprised look on Lumi's face. "I even heard the name was your idea."
"Uh, yeah...b-but the point is!" Lumi shook his head and focused. "I got a lot of help because I want to be more useful. Aether is still spreading, and I have to be right there helping to put a stop to it," he finished with confidence.
"Do you feel useless?" asked Vert after a moment of silence. The question threw Lumi off.
"What?"
"Or that you have to prove something? Because I can assure you, you've done more than anyone in your position should ever do. And I've already accepted you as my apprentice."
"Huh? No, that's not it!"
"Then why are you so eager to put yourself in danger?"
"Because how lame would it be if I didn't!?" he blurted. He put a paw out when Vert made to retort, and sighed.
"Wait, that came out wrong. What I mean to say is...I feel like I owe it to you. To everyone. To always try my best. You've all been so patient with me, and have honestly given me everything I've wanted. Dialga's put their trust in me, and my parents..."
He averted his gaze to the ground and clenched the cushion unconsciously. His conversation with Weavile echoed in his head, and he cringed at the memory of her calling him 'coddled.'
Out of everything she said, that one had stung the most.
"...I can't take any of it for granted. I've been given alot that I'm grateful for, so I have to make it worth it."
"I think I can underst-"
"It's also been really fun," cut in Lumi. "Mostly the, uh, first part, but I also enjoy it."
Vert blinked at him, and then gave a more full smile than the smirk before.
"That might be something we have in common, then." Vert glanced to the side, and looked up at the portrait of Mistress Myrtle. Lumi saw the glint of admiration in his sleep-addled eyes.
"...You and I, we're walking in the steps of giants. I need to make sure I live up to the ones that came before me, and I can't even imagine what pressure you must be under, and I'm not just talking about Dialga. You've probably figured this out by now, but your parents aren't exactly normal."
"I figured, yeah."
"But maybe it's all for a purpose. I treasure all of my apprentices equally, but one look at you and I can tell that you're meant for things I probably can't even imagine. I just don't want you to burn yourself out before then. Just, try to take things slow, alright?"
"Yeah, okay. Thanks," he said, touched by the Absol's words. An impish grin formed on his face, and he leaned forward.
"If you want me to go slow, then you might like what I have to say next. It might be worth it to wait for that group to destabilize more Dungeons in the area. If we do, it should open up a Leyline, which I think should be our main goal. The Keystone there is connected to all the ones on this continent I think, so-"
"If you 'pause' the Keystone there, it should theoretically halt Aether across the entire Bright Continent. You really have been doing your homework," commended Vert, with an impressed nod. "Let's see if you can answer this then. The Bright Continent's Leyline is a very difficult Dungeon known as Hollow Garden, located at the very north of the continent, past the mountains and beyond outlaw territory. How do we get there?" he asked.
"Um. We...walk?" tried Lumi. Vert shook his head.
"On foot, that trip is about five days. Not only could we potentially miss our window of opportunity in the Leyline, that puts us more at risk of being found by bounty hunters."
"Teleport?"
"Our distribution centers were decommissioned days ago, and nobody in our guild is skilled enough with the move to get us there. Even if there were, it would require many breaks along the way."
"...Damia could fly us?" he said, without much confidence. Vert shrugged.
"Same issue as before, plus the Haxorus Guild polices air traffic," he responded. Lumi's ears drooped, and he racked his mind for an answer that wouldn't come. He heard Vert sigh, and looked up to see the Absol reach into his guild satchel and pull out a notebook and several books with his teeth to spread them out.
"To be honest, I had the same idea as you. If we play our cards right, pausing a Leyline could be a big win for us. The only issue is getting there, and I've spent the past few days looking for an answer from Mistress Myrtle."
"A few...wait, seriously, when was the last time you slept?"
"She had a theory, or really more of a vision," continued Vert, unimpeded, "That it could be possible to tap into the Aether currents in the world to open channels straight to Dungeons, as long as someone had a particular Dungeon 'signature,' so to speak. Look here,"
He opened up a book and flipped it around so Lumi could see. On the page was a rough sketch of a few square cards, each with distinctive patterns in them.
"If we could find a way to utilize these cards, we'd be able to go to any Dungeon we had the signature of."
Lumi's mouth opened in wonder, and gears began to turn in his head as he considered the possibilities.
"...And if we have a lot of Dungeon signatures, we'd be able to get anywhere in the world instantly, maybe even create an entire transportation network! Technology like this could be a serious game changer!" he exclaimed, paws balled in excitement.
His wide grin was lessened at the feeling of a heavy paw on his head.
"Slow down there, one step at a time," said Vert from above him. "Hold on to those ideas for after our reputation is cleared. All of this is just theoretical, and there's no record of how to even make these things to begin with. I've been looking for notes on their creation this whole time, but no luck. That part seems to be missing for some reason."
"Can I have a look at those other books?" asked Lumi. Vert nodded and passed them over, and Lumi glanced over them. He had no illusions that he could find something that Vert hadn't, the Absol had apparently poured over these for the past few hours at least, but he just wanted to see for himself.
A title caught his eye, "Secrets of the World: Aetheric Currents and Sigils," and he cracked it open to scan through its contents. Sure enough, absolutely everything went right over his head.
"Oh, wow...I don't think I've gotten to this level yet," mumbled Lumi, with a paw on his chin. "Did she ever talk about making a prototype? Maybe this would be easier if we worked backwards."
No response.
"Vert?"
Lumi glanced up and met Vert's eyes. He called his name again, but all he got was a snore from the large Absol, eyes still open. To make sure, Lumi hopped up and went over to wave his paw in front of Vert's face.
His head drooped low to rest on the cushion.
Lumi stepped back and snickered, then grabbed the rest of the books and placed them next to Vert. He snuggled up against his sleeping Guildmaster's side, and cracked open one of the smaller ones. Instead of a scholarly text, this one looked to be a journal.
He didn't have much else planned for today, so he might as well pass the time getting to know a bit more about this guild's history. With Vert here, he even had a comfortable pillow to relax on while he read.
A rhythmic swaying alerted him, and Lumi blinked his eyes open to the view of the ceiling above moving past him. He groaned in confusion, and registered that he was face up on some fuzzy surface.
"Have a good sleep?" came Vert's voice from next to him. Lumi mumbled something and turned over to see the back of Vert's head, headed towards the flap to the Residential Wing.
"Yuh...wuh..." he yawned. Vert responded with a much louder yawn.
"...Think I needed that. Tulip came by and woke me up for dinner, so I went ahead and grabbed you. A couple chefs were able to go out and get ingredients, so it should be something good tonight."
Oh, that sounded nice. He was getting a little tired of takeout every night. His stomach rumbled, and he rubbed it with thoughts of dinner.
Wait...dinner!?
Lumi's eyes blinked to alertness, and he pushed himself up to see a wave of other apprentices making their way towards the Dining Hall, and that the lights above had dimmed slightly. He rubbed his eyes again.
"Were we really out all day? I barely did anything!" he groaned from atop Vert's back. He felt the Absol shrug as they stepped into the Hall, a good amount of other apprentices already seated around the long table.
"Trust me, not everyday needs to be action packed. But if it's action you want, you can always pay Willow a visit. I know she's been eager to see you."
A jolt of apprehension mixed with excitement lanced through Lumi's heart, and he perked up on instinct to try and look for the Serperior. He found her towards the head of the table, and as if she could sense his gaze, she paused her conversation with Brook and made direct eye contact with him.
She held up a vine with a notebook in it, and pointed at him with another. Though they were across the room from each other, he clearly saw her mouth the word 'tomorrow,' directly to him.
"She's actually been well behaved. It's been a few days since she found out about your connection to Dialga, and she's had all that time to think up some tests for you."
He gulped.
Thoughts of what Willow would do to him played through his mind, and he almost didn't notice when Vert leaned his body down to deposit him on the ground, next to the table. He looked over and saw his friends sitting there.
"Heard this is yours?" stated Vert, getting Clara's attention. She turned and smiled wide, and snatched Lumi in a hug as soon as his feet touched the ground.
"Yay, Lumi! Thanks Vert!" cheered Clara as she squeezed him. Vert nodded and walked off. She set him down on a cushion, and he smiled at her. A nudge at his side brought his attention to Van, who grinned at him.
"Yo, check these out." Lumi's ears flicked in curiosity as Van reached into his bag to pull out a handful of shiny new spikes, and his eyes widened at the interesting engravings on them. The two started to talk animatedly about the new design, even once dinner started.
As Lumi chewed on some delicious stir fry, he glanced up and saw Tulip speed next to Vert and whisper something in his ear. He got up from the head of the table and made his way out of the room. He didn't think much of it, and continued his meal in good spirits, catching up on what the others did with their day.
As dinner began to wind down, the ambient noise of conversation lessened as other apprentices pushed their plates forward and got up to leave. Lumi looked at the head of the table and noticed that Vert's plate was still full, and he thought it was a bit strange how he never returned. Just when he got up to go back to his and Van's room, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to the Wooloo, Tulip.
"Hi, you've been called for. Outside," she said, and zoomed off right after. Lumi looked at Van and shrugged before walking off.
The lights were almost completely dimmed as he stepped out into the main hall of the Residential Wing. Now was the time when most apprentices would turn in, but given that he'd managed to sleep the whole day away, Lumi actually felt more rested and energized, especially given the strange request.
He stepped into the dark main room, and saw Vert sitting next to the entrance flap of the guild. His attention was glued to a small tablet at his paws, but shifted to Lumi when he came closer.
"You wanted to see me?" asked Lumi.
"Not me. There's a surprise for you out in the warehouse," he replied. Lumi's head tilted in confusion, but he pushed the heavy tent flap open anyway. The air from the musty warehouse hit his face, and the lights from the ceiling illuminated stray dust motes from the dirt floor.
And his mother sat in front of him, waiting.
"Mom?" he asked, stunned. He didn't get another word out before he was enveloped in a psychic glow and wrenched towards her chest. He grunted as she wrapped her paws around him and licked the top of his head with a content purr.
"Hey Lumi," she said, voice warm. "Surprise!"
"Uh, yeah," he pushed back to stand on his own and give her a proper hug, nuzzling her back. Up close, he noticed a couple things. His mother was normally very particular about keeping her pink fur nice and smooth, but now it was matted and dirtied in places she would normally never allow. Her posture also wasn't the relaxed lean she normally had, it was more alert.
Something felt off.
"This is uh...wow. What are you doing here? And..." He looked around at the rest of the empty warehouse. "Where's Dad?"
"He's out looking for an inn. We were planning on sticking around for a couple days before heading back to the house. Turns out, after digging through some old junk, we found something that we thought would be useful to you all here, so we decided to come deliver it and take some time off here in Verdant. Plus, it gives us a chance to see you again!"
Lumi gave a dubious nod, something about her explanation not sitting right. As he came down from the confusion of seeing her again, more conflicting feelings began to bubble up from inside.
Opal pursed her lips and rubbed his head with her paw.
"I know you probably didn't want to see us again so soon but, can't blame us for being a little worried. How's it been laying low? Are they treating you good here?"
"Um...yeah, that's not..." Lumi sighed and stepped back, and rubbed his forehead.
"What's wrong baby, something happen?" she asked, concerned.
"No, no that's not it, it's just...," he mumbled and gestured to her. "I'm happy to see you, but what was..." he thought back to the tablet he saw Vert inspecting earlier, and pointed back at the guild.
"That tablet thing, did you drop that off? I don't remember seeing that in the shop's inventory, or anything," he said. She waved it off with a paw.
"Yeah, it was buried underneath some boxes. Found it when we started cleaning the back room."
"What does it do?"
"What does it do?" she asked back, eyes a bit wider. He watched her pause before answering again. "It...well we don't know. That's why we brought it here."
"But if you didn't know what it did, then how would you know to bring it here? That's a long trip from Thistle Town on a hunch that it might be helpful."
"We just had a feeling it would help," Opal's eyes creased and she frowned. "I was hoping this would be a little happier, what's with all the questions?"
"I'm asking because there's something you're not telling me," he responded, with his own frown.
"Son, we just wanted to help, and make sure you guys had-"
"I met Dialga."
She stopped talking, mouth open and eyes wide. The already silent warehouse became thick with tension, and Lumi continued after a deep breath.
"Apparently I'm his Bonded. I found out after I got warped to Temporal Tower while defending a Dungeon from terrorists."
"You...what!?"
"I even talked to him today, about my mission to help save this world. You know, the whole reason I was apparently even born? That would have been nice to know."
"That's not...Lumi."
"You know what else would have been nice to know? That you and Dad are some great heroes who everyone but me seems to know. I guess that thing about being small time hunters was a lie then, huh!?" Lumi's teeth clenched, and his breathing got harder. Opal's large ears flattened against her head.
"Lumi-"
"And now you're here, pretending like nothing has changed, and I'm learning all this stuff I should have learned earlier and...what else is a lie, huh!? Do I have some...secret, superpowered uncle or something!?"
"Baby, calm down-"
"None of this makes any sense! Like, a lot of it is really, really cool, but I don't know how to feel because apparently I'm not worth being let in on any of this!" He shook his head roughly and stepped closer to his mother with his paws clenched.
"I thought family didn't keep secrets, I thought we were a team. That's what Dad always sa-"
He was cut off when Opal lurched forward and placed both her paws on the side of his head, and pressed their foreheads together. He was forced to stare into her blue eyes, and her voice was firm.
"Lumiere, breathe. Can you do that for me, please?"
"But I-"
"Shhhhhhh..." she whispered. Lumi felt a growl come on, but he knew better than to do that at his mom, so begrudgingly he forced his ragged breaths to soften. Opal never let him go.
Her eyes closed hard with a conflicted look on her face. After, she let out a deep sigh, and leaned back a little.
"...Lumi, listen to me. We are a team, and we love you more than anything. In a lot of ways...you're our reward. Our prize. And you were always, always meant to be great. Your father and I left alot of things behind, and we kept things from you so you could focus on following what you were passionate about. But..."
She petered off, and rubbed her paw into her head with a groan. She started to mumble to herself, and though he didn't catch everything, he was able to make out "they said they wouldn't..." under her breath. He decided to speak up.
"Can you just tell me who you are? I just..." he curled a tail around it and held it tight. "I don't like feeling as if I don't know who you guys are..."
Opal cooed, and bumped her snout against her son's head. With the emotions winding down, Lumi felt a little bit like a kit again.
"Okay, how about this," she started, a smile starting to form. "Tomorrow, your father and I will catch you up to speed. No sense in keeping things from you if you've already been thrown into the thick of it, yeah? You can even bring some friends, if you want."
Lumi perked up at that, and a small smile made its way on his face.
"You mean it?"
"I mean it. Shoot, let's get something to eat while we're at it, I hear Verdant Port has good food."
"It's not safe for us to go out all at once, even with the disguises we made."
"Don't worry about that. I know how to find a few quiet spots," she said with confidence. Lumi tilted his head, but the grin on her face made it difficult not to trust her. She leaned in close and mimed looking around, as if they were being watched.
"Your dad wouldn't say it like this, but him and I?" she said in a conspiratorial whisper. Lumi's thoughts raced in excitement.
"You and him, what!?" he whispered back, impatient. She giggled.
"...We're badasses."
Lumi gasped with a wide smile on his face, and his mom laughed loudly. She leaned back and threw her arms open.
"There, secrets out. The rest, you gotta wait for tomorrow," she stated. Lumi huffed and stomped his foot on the ground.
"You always do this to me, get my hopes up and make me wait!"
"And I'll do it again," she jeered, snatching him in a hug one more time. He returned it with a bit more conviction this time. Opal nodded her head towards the Absol shaped tent.
"Alright, now go on, get to bed. I was already tired, but you've made me exhausted, boy."
"Yeah!" Lumi hopped off to head to the guild, but paused and turned back. "Oh, my Partner Van lives here, so maybe he can show us good spots to eat!"
"...You have a Partner already!?" Now it was Opal's turn to smack the ground in frustration. "Oh, now you've got me impatient. Just what have you been up to?"
Lumi stuck his tongue out at her in response, and she did the same. They bid each other goodnight, and when the Meowstic ran back to his room, he couldn't shake the feeling that his body felt just a little lighter.
A/N: Hope you all had a great Holiday and Happy New Year. Alot of talking in this one, but I hope its all interesting. Some important groundwork is laid, and Lumi is finally getting a few more answers. Also, for those curious: B.D = Before Dungeons, A.D= After Dungeons.
Thanks alot for reading! If you want to say hi and chat, you can visit the discord server I'm on at /mcdEMxa8.