Chapter 37: Personal Time Off
GUILDMASTER HAXORUS FINALLY OPENS UP ABOUT SURPRISE DUEL! ARE LASTING SCARS THE FIRST SIGNS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN POLAR OPPOSITES?
By Sandshrew - Atlas Watering Hole
"She hit hard, I'll give her that. Damn hard."
In the days following the surprise verdict hailing the absol-ution of the Absol Guild, and subsequent battle between Guildmaster Haxorus and Co-Guildmaster Whimsicott that left surrounding bystanders in awe of its sheer ferocity, there has been little word as to the ramifications of that duel on relations between the Hunter and Research Guilds, long seen as complete opposites and rarely mentioned in the same sentence.
The silence came to an abrupt halt when Guildmaster Haxorus agreed to comment on the incident, to the surprise of many reporters and publications itching to cover every aspect of this historic moment.
"Whimsicott had directly challenged me during her confinement that if she were found innocent, she would demand a duel at the soonest opportunity. Naturally, I could not let this slight against me slide, and being a dragon of honor, I accepted her challenge."
According to Haxorus, the terms of the duel were for pride on the part of Haxorus, and a monetary gift to Guildmaster Beheeyem for Whimsicott, as recompense for the property damage he allegedly inflicted on her guild, during an earlier encounter with Guildmaster Absol some months ago. We questioned witnesses of the event as to who they believed the victor of the duel was.
A Scrafty mother provided her spirited comment when asked about what she thought of the fight: "She whooped his [profanity]!" A sentiment shared amongst the vast majority of eye-witnesses to the event. Guildmaster Whimsicott provided a brief statement regarding how she viewed the outcome of the fight:
"Beheeyem will be expecting a check in her mail. And if she doesn't get one, I know where he lives."
Haxorus declined to comment on the fight's outcome, however did not express any ill will towards Whimsicott. Following the verdict, his guild is mandated to pay for a majority of the damages inflicted on the Absol Guild as per the court ruling. When asked about his opinion on the verdict and how he felt it would impact relations between the two guilds, he steered the conversation towards the more immediate issue of the recent uptick in outlaw activity across the continents:
"The court made its decision, and it is not my job to get in the way of it. Absol will be paid, and that will be the end of it. I will not let these events distract me from identifying and crushing the rising threat to our cities and settlements. My fight with Whimsicott showed me that perhaps that guild has more teeth than I initially thought, however I am not holding my breath on whether they will put those capabilities towards a more practical use."
Guildmaster Absol has declined to comment regarding his next steps for re-establishing his operations, and sightings of him around Atlas have been rare. Several Absol apprentices have also been sighted around the city and been approached to provide a statement, and although the majority have also declined to comment, several have expressed a gratitude for the break and have been seen availing themselves of several tourist attractions in the city.
Continued on page 2.
Opal's ear flicked at an excited laugh that managed to break through the low din of the crowded street they walked on. She looked to the side at Periwinkle, who smiled and pointed enthusiastically at the newspaper she held in her claws. Her son Van pushed her along in her wheelchair while her other son, Kip, sat on his shoulders.
"Ooh, Vanny! Look, they put me on the front page! See that?" Periwinkle eagerly pointed to the censored profanity in the newspaper. Van leaned forward to check out what had his mother so excited, the small Scraggy on his shoulders leaning forward over his mohawk to do the same. After skimming over the page with squinted eyes, Van smirked and let out a low chuckle.
"Yeah, that's you alright. Dang, wish I coulda seen that in person," said Van.
"Mama, you famous!" cheered Kip.
"Damn right! Hey, y'all see the news?" Periwinkle looked over her shoulder at the three of them. Her and Clement nodded in the affirmative, but Lumi scampered forward to walk alongside the older Scrafty. It didn't take him much reading before he was also laughing along.
"He had to have known it would end up on the front page, right? Why would he decide to talk about it? Everyone saw him get his ass beat," pondered Opal. It got a snort out of Clement.
"Maybe that's just it. It was going to make headlines eventually, so might as well get in front of it to reign in some dignity."
"You think those were his exact words though? Hard to imagine him throwing praise at anything even remotely associated with Vert."
"I wouldn't be surprised, you know Havok loves a good fight more than anything," said the Mawile. "Maybe this is him finally realizing that there's more value to the Absol Guild than he first thought. Or, maybe he just likes Pandora specifically, now."
"Arceus, that fight was hilarious..." Opal shivered in delight just reminiscing on the look on Havok's face as he got blitzed by Pandora's unreasonable amount of strength. Even ignoring the Type advantage, the sheer level of brutality packed in her small form was enough to shock everyone who watched them fight last night. The moment Pandora flipped him on his stomach and started spinning him around with his tail had left Opal screaming like a madmon.
"Ugh, if I could have jumped in to join, I would have. How do you think she got so strong? Do you think she'd be up to spar sometime?" she gushed.
Clement shook his head with a good-natured smile. "You'll have to ask Lumi. But, try to restrain yourself. They're on vacation, remember?"
Opal rolled her eyes, but acknowledged that her mate was right. The past few days had been a nice change of pace. Obviously she had been ecstatic that her only son was finally out of prison and free to walk as he pleased. She wanted to pounce him and not let him go immediately following the trial, but acquiesced to giving him a day or so to process things on his own. Following that, though, her family had spent some much needed time together, exploring the city without much of a goal. Every step she took next to Lumi and Clement made her feel lighter, and those moments helped remind her that despite how crazy life had become, her family was still her anchor.
Which led to today's excursion, a joint walk to see the Atlas city sights with Van and Periwinkle, as well as her youngest son, Kip. She found it adorable how the tiny Scraggy would never stray too far from his older brother, preferring to be attached at the hip, which Van took in stride. For her part, Periwinkle had been a ball of sunshine, almost unable to frown with her son back, and Opal found herself immensely happy for her friend.
Opal mused to herself as she observed the older Scrafty being pushed along by her son. She'd found something of a kindred spirit within Periwinkle as they'd grown closer these past few months. Oh sure, their sons were Partners and they'd both supported each other how they could with them imprisoned, but even beyond that, Opal had nothing but respect for Periwinkle. Despite being wheelchair-bound, it seemed like Peri had just as much, if not more fight and pride in her than even Opal, something she greatly respected.
Whenever she and Clement had a break from their Hunter missions, she appreciated the chance to speak with her and spend time with her family. It was fun to be around the (slightly) more mundane issues of trying to manage a household of children, and let her pretend for a few moments that her life hadn't gotten a bit insane recently. Not that she was complaining.
It also left her floored when she thought of how many kids Periwinkle had to raise. The thought of fifteen Lumi's entered her head and all she could imagine was the world in flames and Clement in the fetal position.
The amusing thought stayed with her as they continued on the crowded streets, the road taking on a slow incline. They walked on a path that led up a canyon wall, one of many that encircled the city. Densely packed residential buildings, caked yellow with dust and sand, towered over them on both sides as they waded through heavy foot traffic. The crowd gradually thinned out the higher they went. Without too much of a destination other than 'up,' the group took progressively winding turns that gradually pulled away from the hustle and bustle until they came across a pleasant surprise.
A wide stone balcony overlooking the whole city appeared before them, extending out like a hidden flower from one of the many narrow and unassuming pathways nestled between the buildings. Several tables were spread around the deck, along with some tasteful plants, but the real view was obviously the amazing city vista beyond the railing.
The noon sun above their heads crested perfectly in a blue sky over the colorful cityscape. She purred in delight at the view and the sensation of warm sunshine on her fine, pink fur.
Van wasted no time pushing his mother forward so she could see. Kip looked over his shoulder down at Clement and made some comment about wanting to ride in his horns, which had the Mawile scurrying forward to try and dissuade the Scraggy.
She made to join them, but Lumi's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Hey mom, can I talk to you about something?" he asked, coming up alongside her.
Her instincts went off immediately. The only time he went to specifically her instead of Clement is when he knew the other wouldn't be particularly receptive to what he wanted to say, and she could only think about a pawful of relevant topics that would fall in that category.
She glanced at him and gave a brief nod, then motioned to a more isolated part on the far side of the balcony. He gave a grateful smile, and followed her. After making sure they were out of earshot of anyone, she leaned against the railing and flicked one of her large ears.
"What is it?" she asked. He opened his mouth, paused, and idly reached for one of his tails.
She resisted the urge to sigh. If even Lumi was hesitating before he spoke, then it was probably something serious.
"So...what's your opinion of, y'know..." He tugged once on his tail. "...Dialga?"
She raised a brow, perplexed. "Dialga? Why are you asking me about Dialga?"
"I think we both know how dad feels, but I realized I've never really heard your take on them, or on their whole deal with me. Was just curious, is all."
Yeah right, boy. There's something else, isn't there? Her motherly instincts saw right through him, but she clamped down on them, deciding to humor the question. She took some time to think.
"I'm grateful to them," she shrugged. "Hard not to be, they gave me you, after all. To be honest, I haven't really thought much about them these past couple decades."
"Really? That's kinda surprising. You're not mad about them popping up and interacting with me when they said they wouldn't?"
A huff left her mouth and she clicked her tongue. "I didn't believe them when they said that for a second."
"You didn't? So if you didn't trust Dialga, then why...?"
She grinned at the confused look on her son's face. With a glance back to make sure Clement was occupied, she stepped a little closer and motioned for him to look out at the city. She rested her forepaws on the railing.
She took a moment to breathe in deep, letting some memories resurface that she'd kept stored away, some deeper than others. He might appreciate some context.
"We told you we went through a hard time after Lucent died...or we thought he did," she snorted, but continued. "But...it was bad, Lumi. That was our brother. Whatever victory we had didn't seem to matter without him. It felt like Team Nimbus died with a whimper, and we retired to live quietly. It got to us, most days."
"Were you guys depressed?"
"Mmm, yeah. And it only escalated with each of our failed attempts to start a family of our own."
"...You had uh, mentioned your eggs before?"
Her ears drooped and she looked away. White hot pain and shame flared up despite herself. It must have shown on her face because Lumi reached a paw out.
He looked ashamed. "S-sorry! I didn't...I'm sor-"
"It's fine," she said. She pushed out a sigh through pursed lips, but forced herself to keep her back straight and head held up. Words dropped from her mouth after a few seconds.
"We wanted a family," she started. "Didn't have friends, cut contact with anyone we might have known before...it was the only thing we could think of to make things better...but..."
Her face scrunched. A frustrated growl gnashed through her teeth. "...I couldn't...god, my mind was fucked, Lumi...everyday I drowned in thoughts so dark I felt sick and my body couldn't handle it. After the first egg failed it only got worse, and..."
"Mom it's fine, you can-"
She leaned forward with her paws on his shoulders, eyes wide. "I didn't even think I would want a kid, then it became the only thing in life that mattered and my body betrayed me at every turn. Every egg, every failure, just made things worse and worse, and-"
She took a shaky breath, thinking once again of a house with her, Clement, Lumi, and all of his unborn brothers and sisters. An apology for not being able to give that reality briefly toyed at the edges of her lips, but she decided against it. It wouldn't do much now.
Lumi placed a paw on her side, looking concerned. She thought the gesture was sweet, but caught the question that danced at the edge of his eyes. He gave a few false starts, likely warring between respect for her and his own curiosity.
Her eyes squinted. She'd make it easy on him.
"You're number eight, boy."
Lumi stared at her blankly as his mind took a few seconds to process. He seemed to fluff up a bit as his fur stood on end in a few places, and his eyes widened.
"I'm...so you..." His mouth pressed into a thin line. "Seven times? Really?"
"So that's why," Opal continued, slowly. "When Celebi showed up and invited us to Temporal Tower, promising us a child, I agreed, and told Clement to shut up and follow."
"Wait, you two have been to the Tower?" he asked, surprised. His mouth morphed into a grin and his eyes sparkled. "Maybe I should stop being surprised. You guys have been everywhere, huh?"
"Damn right we have," she said, some pride returning. "I won't get into the details, but Celebi guided us on the trip there. Wasn't long before we were standing in front of Dialga on their dias and they were talking about something to do with us being heroes and wanting to pay us back for knocking some sense into Palkia. Apparently the best way for them to do that was to imbue my egg with some of its essence so that it would actually hatch, and as a bonus, we'd get to keep the kid. No strings attached."
A huff escaped her. "After that, your dad went ballistic."
"He…what?"
"Oh yeah. Screaming, spit flying everywhere, he ran up on Dialga faster than I'd ever seen him attack anyone, like he wasn't a depressed lump for the past few months and he was back to being the Jaws of Justice again. The thought that they would have a grip on a child of ours was not something he was taking lying down."
"I mean, I knew dad could get intense, but to just attack Dialga like that...isn't he the one always telling us to be careful?" He put his paws on his hips and cocked his head. "Blitzing down a Legendary seems like something you'd do, mom. No offense. Dad doesn't seem the type to just lose it completely."
His smirk wavered at the level look she gave her.
"Lumi, you have never seen your dad truly angry. Ever. And thank Mew you haven't because he is a menace," her tone was deathly serious. Lumi blinked at her and looked over her shoulder at Clement, currently trying and failing to safely remove Kip from climbing over his horn while the other two laughed at him.
"That guy? You serious?"
"Trust me, I know." She shifted her feet. "Part of the reason I'm into him, but that's besides the point."
"Ooookay…so dad started a fight with Dialga, but what exactly did that have to do with you going through with their proposal? Dad sure didn't trust them, and it sounds like you didn't either."
"Because Dialga didn't fight back," she replied. "Just let your dad bite, rip, and tear into them. That's probably the most I've seen a Legendary bleed…" Her gaze became thoughtful at that, ignoring how Lumi's eyes widened. "Normally, his enemies are my enemies, but seeing Dialga take that level of abuse made me think that, if they were willing to endure that much pain when they clearly didn't have to, maybe this wasn't just some game or whim of theirs. Maybe they were serious."
She shrugged. "Of course, they can control time, so maybe they could just revert the wounds to before and be fine, but the pain they felt was real, and that left an impression. That, combined with me holding your mostly-dead egg throughout all of it, won out over any distrust I might have felt, and after prying Clement off of them, I decided that I would go through with it."
"After that," she continued. "I put your egg between us, Dialga did...something to it, promised again that it wouldn't get involved, and then escorted us out. They actually offered to give us a little tour of the place, but Clement was getting grumpy so we just left."
"And then they went and got involved anyway." Lumi crossed his arms, and chewed on his lip as he seemed to consider something. "That definitely sounds like it lied. But you're fine with it?"
"Saying I'm fine might be a stretch, if I see Dialga again, I'd have some words. But..." her eyes drifted to the side, and she hummed thoughtfully. "At the end of the day, I still feel like I got the better end of the deal. And I never got the sense that Dialga was being malicious or trying to get one over on us. They were perfectly polite, even respectful enough, and...I dunno...
"It clearly wanted something, but it felt like what it wanted was...simple? Can't really say for sure, but it didn't seem to see you as some kind of tool or instrument for some kind of grand design. It just wanted you, and seemed just as invested as your egg pulling through as I did."
"It's hard to describe, but I get the impression that they're...happy, whenever I'm near them. A little hard to tell, they don't have the most expressive face, but it's the best I can describe it, like they're content."
She paused. One of her ears flicked as she regarded her son. "Does that go both ways? Is there some kind of connection thing you two have going on?"
"Um...maybe? I haven't really thought too hard about it," he said. "If I had to put it into words, it's like I've known them as long as I've known you and Dad? Like, I feel comfortable and familiar enough with them that sometimes I forget I'm talking to a guy that's lived forever and can control time."
A breathy chuckle left him and he rubbed the fur on his head. Opal could see him deliberate something, and he sighed. "Maybe they just wanted me cuz they were lonely, or something."
"Mmhmm, but don't forget they think a bit differently than we do. For all we know, things like Dialga don't even get 'lonely' in the sense that we think. But..." She thought back to the majestic, clean cut pillars and stone floors, high vaulted ceilings extended all throughout the interior of the tower.
She remembered the lack of wind. The sterile emptiness as her paw steps echoed in silence on polished marble.
"That place felt like a very pretty, dressed up grandfather clock. I don't think an environment like that is good for anyone, Legendary or not, especially if all it has is Celebi and a bunch of mindless constructs for company."
"I mean, I heard there was a pool and theater somewhere so, maybe it's not all boring and lame?"
She chuckled at his words. "Maybe. Hey, let me ask you this, who initiated contact first between you two, you or Dialga?"
Lumi narrowed his eyes as he thought, and chewed on his lip. "A little of both? It was the first time I had touched a Keystone, and I sort of...felt them? And when I asked for some help, then they pulled me through. In our first conversation, it implied that it was waiting for us to meet."
"Mmm, so it must have seen you coming, then," she glanced to the side. "Figures. Explains why it would act like it was giving you away for free if it knew you would show up on its doorstep eventually."
"Maybe, but I don't know if it's that simple," he responded. "Dialga said it had turned off its ability to see the future at some point. Let's it be more flexible in thinking about things, according to them, anyway."
She mulled over that piece of information, wondering about its implications. Her eyes narrowed. "Do you really trust them on that?"
His lack of hesitation somewhat surprised her. "I do. Because it's made some mistakes already that it could have probably avoided."
At her curious head tilt, he elaborated. "Well for one, the whole time I was imprisoned, they didn't come to visit or talk to me once, even though they can apparently meet me anywhere. I guess they thought they were being polite by not overwhelming me or something, but it was still pretty sucky. They apologized for it later, though."
"I'm sure they did." Her son had a god of time apologize to him. The thought only made her proud. "I think you brought it up once or twice in your letters, but what sorts of things do they talk with you about anyway? I can't imagine what it's like to be familiar with a time god."
"A good bit of it is their plan for me to use their power and save the world. Going after Keystones in Dungeons to prevent aether from going too crazy. Stuff like that."
"Ooh, the whole world? That's a lot to put on your shoulders, boy." Her eyes creased in concern, but he shrugged.
"Kinda, but not really? They seem less interested in whether I can actually do it and more in me just doing anything at all. Kinda frees me up to do what I want to, which I'm glad about."
"Well that's good, it sounds like they trust you then." She reached a paw up and patted him on his head, to his chagrin. "And they should. If and when you do decide to do something about the world, I know it won't be ready for you. My little chosen one~"
Her teasing had the desired effect of him trying to shake her off, which left them both laughing. He pushed her paw off, and looked at her with a curious glint. "You know, I've had this thought for a while, but you never really seem too bothered about me having these new powers, or apparent responsibility from Dialga. Did your time as heroes make stuff like this common to you, or am I just that uninteresting?"
She scoffed, and whipped her tail around to whack his side softly. Uninteresting? As if.
"Do you remember what I told you at Hollow Garden? I already know you're amazing. Blessed by Dialga or no, I knew as soon as you were born that you were destined for great things. Just look at what happened as soon as we took the reins off you, you couldn't help but start getting involved. It might terrify your father, but to me, everything you have done and will do only makes me more excited. And besides..."
Her eyes turned devious, and the gem on her forehead flashed. Lumi's body gained a pink glow and became rigid as her telekinesis took hold. To his credit, she could feel him immediately try to push against her psychic power with his own, but she still had him beat when it came to control and sheer strength. His eyes followed her as she sauntered over and licked his forehead.
"Whether you become a mad scientist known throughout the world, an unstoppable demi-god, or something else, I will always be your mother. Don't forget, I brought you into this world first, not Dialga, and I can take you out just like that. Got it, boy?" she said, sweetly.
She watched him fight to give a shaky grin, and her hold on him briefly wavered as his ears unfurled partially and he started to push back a little harder. It impressed her slightly that she had to put in a bit more effort than expected to hold him still. It filled her with some confidence; whatever mental blocks he subconsciously put in place to limit his power were being slowly overcome. She enjoyed observing his creativity in finding an offensive use for his defensive tendencies, and hoped he'd continue to train for whatever trials he had coming up.
After a few minutes of their psychic tug-of-war, Opal cut off the game. Lumi's breaths were more heavy than before, yet he still carried a good-natured smile. For her part, she didn't let her minimal exhaustion show, and instead walked up to nuzzle the side of his head.
"Now, do you want to tell me the real reason you asked me about Dialga?"
"Real reason? What do you mean?" he said, averting his eyes.
"C'mon boy, I know you. You're gauging my reaction for something. Spill it."
He sighed, and rolled his eyes, knowing he was caught. "It's nothing bad, you know. Just a question."
"And that would be?"
"Would you..." He grunted, then took a moment to gather some nerve and try again. "...Would you be cool with coming to Temporal Tower? Maybe making it like a kind of home base?"
He tried to play it cool, but by the way his feet fidgeted and he leaned up on the railing, it was clear he was genuinely nervous about her reaction. Opal blinked, and blinked again as she processed the request. Caught off guard, her tail jerked to the side.
"The hell? Boy, what are you talking about?"
His ears flattened on his head. "I said it's nothing bad! Look-"
"Hey you two, what are you talking about?" came Clement's voice as he walked up behind Lumi, having successfully dislodged Kip for the time being. In one of the very few instances where she had ever seen her son show even a modicum of fear, Lumi flinched and she could almost feel his heart rate spike.
Not noticing his son's unease, Clement wore a serene, borderline giddy smile, like a mon just happy to be near his family and people he loved.
It annoyed her. She knew how this one conversation could make him turn on a dime and get all pissy, and she did not feel like dealing with it right now.
"Nope, go away. I'll deal with you later." She picked her mate up in a pink glow and levitated him up a few feet into the air. His eyes were wide in surprise.
"O-opal!?"
"This is mother-son talk right now. Go arm wrestle Van or something, we'll talk about it later."
Then she flung him back the way he came with rough force, although she was nice enough to aim for a puffy cushion near a table. She huffed but turned back to Lumi, who rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh wow, thanks for that," he said, grateful.
"Uh-huh, now what is this about Temporal Tower as a home base? Where'd you even get that idea?"
"It's something Dialga and I hashed out. They're cool with giving my Team and I a place to stay in the Tower to train, experiment, and work on any item concepts we didn't have a chance to make while imprisoned. Time doesn't pass there, so we figured it would be a good way to prepare, given how crazy things have gotten. But, they also extended the offer to you and Dad, since you two are also pretty close to the issue. I know you guys aren't really staying in Thistle anymore, but if you did want a more stable base of operations or something, the offer is open."
Opal rubbed her forehead with a paw, trying to do her best to keep a level head. While she didn't share Clement's level of distrust and hostility towards Dialga, even she wasn't sure if she was fine with Lumi getting this familiar with them, or herself doing the same, for that matter. Clearly Lumi had already made his decision of how far he trusted Dialga, which left her a bit concerned of how much he'd let his guard down around the Legendary.
Still, she could admit that literally having time on their side would be an incredible advantage, one that would be foolish to pass up off the bat. It left a lot of unknowns, but her curiosity was still piqued.
"And how would this work? Is Celebi offering to take you there everytime like she did us?"
"Actually, it has something to do with a potential location that the Guild may move to. Apparently there's a town somewhere in the Bright Continent that has some connection to the Tower, and Damia told me that after speaking with Vert about it some more, he's warming up to the idea of moving the guild there."
"Is that right? Do you know when you'd be moving?"
"I've wanted to find that out myself," he shrugged. "Haven't seen much of Vert these past few days, so I'm not too sure on specifics. Which kind of sucks, honestly. I want to get back out there, y'know?"
Opal lightly bonked him with her paw. "Calm down and enjoy your vacation boy. In case you forgot, you were in jail for a few months. Take it slow and smell the flowers."
"To be fair, it's not like I could exactly take it fast when I was in jail," he countered, which made her roll her eyes.
"You know what I mean...look, I won't stop you from going to the Tower if that's what you feel is best. You can make your own decisions and I know your Team can help cover for you when you want to do something stupid."
His mouth fell open. "What does that have to do with any of what I've said?"
"But understand that your father and I can't follow you where you're going." She ignored him and continued with weight in her words. "At least not now. We have our own investigations to conduct and other targets to go after. Lucent is still out there, somewhere, and strange things have been happening with the outlaws lately that we need to look into."
Lumi nodded, but she caught the way his eyes narrowed slightly in disappointment. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and put some levity in her voice.
"Tell Dialga to prepare a nice room for your Dad and I, though. I want a walk in closet and a personal butler if we come. I don't know if you've had to stay at a Rescue Center out in the middle of nowhere yet, but believe me when I say they build them for function first, comfort never."
That made him smile, just a bit. He crossed his arms and gave her a determined look. "...I'm gonna help you and dad with Lucent. Somehow," he declared. She was a bit surprised by how certain he seemed, and considered her next words carefully.
"...Try to stay focused, Lumi. Remember why you joined the Guild in the first place, and what you promised up on that trial stand. Your goal is to study Aether and fix the Dungeons, right? Don't get sidetracked with your parent's baggage, it's not your fight."
"Yes it is," his eyes sharpened, just a bit. "He's not going to stop messing with the Dungeons, it's only a matter of time before I run into him and his group again. If I want to do anything about this, I'll have to deal with him at some point. And besides...I have a better idea of what he means to you and Dad. I want to help make things right."
"Damn it, he's serious," she thought. By his tone and small grin, she could tell there was no way to dissuade him from this. And how could she? He'd fought a legendary and gone to jail, and still wanted to get out there to try and face Lucent. Honestly, he'd done more in his first two weeks than what most Explorers or Hunters might experience in their lifetimes.
Her instincts told her that even if he cut his losses now and laid low, chances are he was already being watched by several interested parties.
A sigh escaped her. "...You're in deep, baby. You know that?" she murmured. Lumi shuffled his feet but didn't respond.
"Look, promise me this." She took a step back. The levity left her voice. "Get strong. You and those close to you. The path you're trying to go down will mean you'll have to fight, and I'm not just talking about Lucent. There's something in the air, things are moving, I can feel it…" She sighed. "And as much as I would want to, I can't crush every threat for you. So I want you to do it for me. Use every advantage, make whatever doomsday weapon you want, fight as dirty as you can, and above all, be stronger than your dad and I. That'll give me some peace, at least."
"That last one might be a little hard," he said with a light chuckle, one that indicated he wasn't too sure how serious she was being. "You and dad are…y'know…you guys are great!"
"Be better," she stated with a shrug. "Be better than us, be better than Lucent. You're already doing it, you know. You already have the powers of a higher being coursing through you, and if push comes to shove and you need to be a demon?"
She let herself smile sweetly, and gently brushed the tuft of hair on his head.
"You have that in your blood, too."
"Yeah…alright…" He nodded his head slowly, letting her words sink in. She meant everything. Hell, she could fill books with her hopes and aspirations for her son. She licked him on his forehead, snapping him away from his contemplation.
"Don't let me put too much on you, though. You have enough on your plate as it is. Just relax, for now."
"Thanks, mom. For talking with me. I'm glad that, um…" His paws shuffled. He tried to glance away, but she could see his bashfulness anyway "…I'm glad that you think I can do this."
"Always will." She turned him around back towards the rest of their party, and lightly pushed him forward. "C'mon, let's go back. Oh and, don't mention anything about Dialga to dad? Let me handle it."
"…How are you gonna calm him down?"
"With the same method I've always used since we've been together," her tone turned grim. Lumi glanced over his shoulder and gave a sympathetic wince.
"Let him try a new casserole recipe?"
"Yeah."
"That sucks."
"Yeah…"
Rays of moonlight spilled through the hotel hallway. Lumi's steps creaked on the wooden floor panels, and Van's longer stride easily kept pace with them. Scuffed, faded doors passed by them one after the other in a long row as they continued, each step bringing them closer to their goal.
Van failed to suppress a yawn, and reached his arms up to stretch. A few satisfying pops rang out in the silence.
"Y'know I shouldn't be surprised," he started, scratching his arm. "Of course Vert would choose the furthest and most annoying room to get to, in the most random-ass-"
He stepped a bit too hard and caused a floor board to dent a few inches. That, combined with the flickering lamplight and frayed carpet in some places only added to the distinct character of a run down hotel in some forgotten corner of the city. He suppressed a sigh.
"…Cheap-ass hotel. Seriously, you'd think he'd want to stay somewhere nice after spending the past few months in a box, but I guess not."
"If I had to guess, it's to avoid journalists and the paparazzi, you know how annoying they've been," replied Lumi, as they passed by the same vapid painting for the tenth time in a row. "I'm a little surprised he even told us apprentices where to find him. We could be leading a whole pack of them to his door and we wouldn't know."
That got a chuckle out of Van. He glanced down at Lumi, who continued on with his usual relaxed gait, unbothered by the ramshackle surroundings.
"Remind me again what you're tryna get from this? It's almost midnight, mon, we could be chillin' in a significantly less crappy hotel than this right now," asked Van. Lumi rolled his eyes with a good-natured smile.
"Getting a whole guild back up and running must be tough. I just want to ask Vert if there's anything we can do to help speed things up. See if he needs an extra paw or something."
"Bro, him, Pandora, and the guild heads have got that covered. Our job is to be on vacation. Vay-cay-shun. You got that?"
Van stopped, turned, and grabbed Lumi by the shoulders. He leaned in close and narrowed his eyes.
"Whatever happened to sipping piña coladas on a volcano, huh? I thought that's what you wanted to do, not work!"
Lumi scoffed and pushed Van off of him. "We have that planned for tomorrow. And c'mon, don't be like that. It won't be anything crazy, and honestly there's a chance that Vert is still out somewhere instead of resting. We'll just knock on the door, chat for a bit, and then leave. Easy."
Van grumbled, both claws in his pockets. Lumi nudged him with his shoulder.
"Besides, I know you've felt that itch." His smile turned smug. "The sound of your hammer ringing. Flipping the page to find the little nugget of insight. The tests. I know you want to get back to it, we all do."
A huff left his mouth as he squirmed, but Van wouldn't admit how much Lumi's words hit home. No matter how peaceful the past few days had been, those precious concepts to improve his spikes continued to call out to him, and he'd felt a bit like a neglectful parent not properly tending to those ideas.
An Absol apprentice had needs dammit, and they'd been away from their element too long.
"Weeeell? Am I right or am I right?" The smugness oozed off of Lumi's voice. He received a quick bonk on the head for his trouble.
"Shut up and walk, mon," murmured Van as he picked up the pace, leaving Lumi to scamper to follow.
After another few minutes and a turn down a random hallway, the two stopped in front of a door similar to all the other ones around it. Lumi pulled his satchel to his chest and fished around for a piece of paper with the room number on it. Once he confirmed the number, he put his paw up to knock, but Van blocked him with a claw.
Lumi looked up at him, confused, but Van merely held a claw to his mouth in a 'shush' motion, and gestured with his head to the door.
It took him a few more seconds to process the voices on the other side of the door.
"-st time it's not a raid. It's a practical demonstration." Vert's monotone came through clearly on the other end.
"Yes, and this isn't my fourth shot of whisky, this is my pain medication. Come off it, Vert, if you were this stir crazy, you should just say so. Or maybe you just wanted to leave little old me behind…" Pandora's ever dignified, yet only slightly slurred words rang clearly as well. Van and Lumi shared a look, and decided to let this play out for a bit.
"You're still recovering from your fight, and it wouldn't be fun for you anyway, it will be over in minutes. Most of it will just be me showing them what's possible, and the boost in morale won't hurt either."
"I know, darling, I know. I'm only teasing. I understand how important this is, both for our apprentices and you. You are long overdue for a personal win, although I hope you don't think you need to regain any lost confidence or respect. I assure you, everyone still holds you in high regard and believes they have much to learn from you. I know I certainly do."
"You're too kind to me, Dora." A beat of silence. "...I missed you. So much."
"Oh, you sweet, shaggy thing, you. Why don't you come over here and show me how much you missed me, hmm? Just a little smooch, that's all."
To their surprise, a very deep, bubbly, and un-Vert-like giggle seeped past the door frame. Van and Lumi's eyes widened and met as they tried to reconcile that the sound actually came from their Guildmaster.
"Heh heh...I don't know if I should, I need to stay focused...the others are already waiting..."
"Oh? Some resistance? Perhaps I should come over there and make you show me, then?"
Lumi heard the sound of footsteps, and then a few other sounds that made a blush form on his cheeks. He looked to Van, rather unsure of how to proceed, and Van, just as flustered as him, did the only thing he could think of and knocked on the door.
The noises stopped in an instant. After a few seconds, some shuffling could be heard. Several locks unlatched from the other side before the door squeaked open just a tad.
One of Vert's eyes glared out at them from the sliver of an open door. It's intensity lessened a bit once he recognized the two.
Lumi and Van took a step back. The Scrafty raised a hesitant claw up in greeting.
"...Uh...what's u-"
"Were you followed?" The Absol leaned more of his head out and glanced down both sides of the hallway, suspicious. The two of them shrugged helplessly.
"I don't...think so?" said Lumi.
"Come in." Vert didn't really give them much of a choice. He reached over with a large paw and ushered them both inside the room, before slamming it shut.
Lumi stumbled inside the sparse, cheap hotel room. Minimal furnishings dotted the room and the wallpaper was frayed in some places, but what caught his eyes were the bulging bags of scattered equipment, devices, and whatever else that was lined up against the walls. He took a step and his foot hit a beaker of some kind that rolled along the carpeted floor.
Nestled on top of several fluffy cushions, a bandaged Pandora perked up at their arrival and waved at them. Even with a recovering black eye and visible bruises, her smile maintained its usual brilliance. By the small glass she swirled around and the faint scent of alcohol in the air, he could tell she'd had an enjoyable night.
"Ah, what a surprise! We weren't expecting a midnight visit. Are you two hungry? Here, let me get you some snacks."
The hospitable, if injured, Whimsicott attempted to get up from the cushions, but Vert sped past them and placed a paw on her head to push her down. He ignored her pout and made his way to a side room that led into a small kitchenette.
"Van, Lumi, what brings you here?" called Vert from the other room. Van still seemed a bit stunned at the mental whiplash of the past two minutes, so Lumi responded.
"We just wanted to meet with you and see if we could do anything to help. You know, with the Guild?"
"Help?" Vert came back out, carrying two bags of assorted snacks in his mouth. The large Absol dropped them both in front of them, then sat down on his haunches. His eyes furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Van came out of his daze and folded his arms. "You know mon, if there's any way we can speed the process up, yeah? You want us to go carry something somewhere, scope a place out, pick up some supplies, whatever. We're available."
He rubbed the back of his mohawk as he regarded Vert. "Also, we haven't really seen you for like, days, so we just want to make sure you and Pandora were good, and stuff."
"That's very considerate of you two, but we have everything under control. The re-establishment of the Guild is going at a good pace. All I need you two to do is rest and relax."
Lumi and Van nodded at his words, but couldn't hide the disappointment on their faces. Vert sighed and leaned his head down a bit.
"Listen, I get it. Really. All of us have been itching to get back in the workshop and create again. But you two have more than earned a break. Take the time to enjoy a vacation, spend time with your families. I've been working in the background so all of you can focus on recovering, that's why you haven't seen me that much. I'm just taking care of some preparations before we make a move."
"What kind of preparations?" asked Lumi. Vert opened his mouth to answer, but his eyes flicked to a clock on the wall. The Meowstic noted how his eyes seemed to widen, and he straightened up and loped over towards the wall.
"Nothing major, just errands," he murmured as started to ruffle around in the supplies against the wall. He snuck his head under the strap of a satchel and headed towards the door.
"Sorry, I have to run. I need to go on a...walk."
"Are you sure you don't want to take these two on your 'walk,' dear? They look to be motivated enough," said Pandora in a tone Lumi could only describe as teasing. She wore a cheeky, knowing smile, yet for some reason Vert huffed in response.
"Very sure. They can stay right here and recuperate, like we agreed."
"Uh, agreed about what? The walk?" asked Van. Vert bit his lip, then opened the door.
"I'll be back later," he called over his shoulder. The door shut right behind him. Before either of them could ponder the strange behavior for long, Pandora released an exaggerated, long-suffering sigh.
"And there he goes. How typical that he won't take his own advice to relax, hm?" The Whimsicott held a paw up to her mouth and tittered.
Lumi grinned, and walked over to lean against a large box."I guess it makes sense, he's probably more motivated than anyone to get things back up and running."
"Wonder what was up with that walk, though. Not like Vert to be all cagey like that," murmured Van as he made his way over to a cushion next to Pandora and plopped down on a cushion, releasing a loud yawn in the process.
"Kinda wish he did give us somethin' to do, though. Hate wasting the trip over here at this time of night."
"Do feel free to spend the night if you wish, boys. I do get terribly lonely," said Pandora. She gave them both an apologetic smile. "And don't mind Vert. He just has your best interests at heart, is all. Though, I did have a feeling that if anyone would be itching to get back into the swing of things, it would be Team Nova."
"The hotel you set us up in is great and all, but I want to get back into the Guild as soon as possible," remarked Lumi as he popped an almond in his mouth. "Maybe then I can actually enjoy how it's supposed to be for more than three days." That got a more hearty laugh out of Pandora.
The three spent a few moments chatting. Pandora seemed just as pleased about her fight making the front page news as could be expected, and regaled the two of how it went. Half-way through her recount, however, her eyes petered off and lingered on something by the door.
After a few seconds of silence, she tutted. "Ugh..." she muttered as she slid off the cushion.
"What's up?" asked Van. She scoffed and tried to pick up a rather heavy looking black satchel, but her bandaged arms impeded her. She kicked it, then folded her arms.
"The scruffy bastard took the wrong bag. Typical. Won't take me along but will gladly forget his supplies...and with my wounds, it'd be a bit much for me to carry it to him right now."
"I mean, we can just take the bag and catch up to him, if you need," offered Lumi, trying to ignore the gut feeling that questioned why someone would need a specific bag if they were just going on a walk.
The way Pandora's eyes widened and she held a paw to stop them from getting closer only raised more alarms.
"No no! That won't be necessary. Just stay here, I will simply go fetch him and make him take the correct bag." She did a short hop and floated over to the door to open it, and looked back with a shaky smile. "Make yourselves at home, try not to touch anything!"
Lumi and Van raised a confused arm up.
"Wait-"
"Hold u-"
The door shut. The two boys took a moment to sit in the silence.
"Yo, mon."
"Hmm?"
"The hell is going on?"
A sigh burst through Lumi's lips, and he slumped in his cushion. Even he started to rub his eyes, the late night finally starting to catch up to him. "I don't know dude, the whole vibe has been off ever since we stepped in here."
"The vibe was already gettin' a little freaky, if you know what I mean." Van said suggestively, eyes half lidded.
"Honestly?" Lumi's grin turned lopsided as he faced Van. "It was kinda crazy that you knocked on the door right then. I was actually about two seconds from just leaving at that point."
Van barked out a laugh. "Bro, what!? Coming here to talk to them was your idea!"
"And I'm just saying, I don't know if I would have knocked on the door at that particular moment in time." Lumi put his paws up. "But that's just me."
"Look I made a snap decision, I didn't know what to do! I mean, damn, I didn't expect Pandora to start putting the moves on Vert like that. And did you hear his laugh?"
"The more I think about it, the worse I feel," said Lumi, chuckling. "Like, that's his mate. They went through a period of several months without seeing each other. Maybe that's part of the reason why they chose a very isolated, very private hotel room where nobody could find them..."
Van let out a low, defeated groan, but Lumi's face grew thoughtful.
"Huh...do you think maybe we're the bad guys in this situation?"
"Lumi, bro, can we please talk about literally anything else? It's too late to be thinking about this."
"Yeah, sure, like how about that stuff they were talking about before? There's no way that Vert is just going on a walk, right?"
"Oh hell no. He mentioned something about a 'practical demonstration,' and then there was something about a 'personal win,' I think?"
"Yeah, and then he mentioned that the 'others' were already waiting. Hmm..." He rubbed his chin as he tried and failed to put the pieces together. He could infer, but without some key pieces of context, they didn't have much to work off of. To his right, Van released a frustrated sigh as he came to the same conclusion.
"Damn, now I'm actually invested. If only we got here a few minutes earlier, we coulda heard everything..."
"Yeah, if onl...wait a minute."
"What do...oh hold up."
Van looked at Lumi. Lumi looked at Van.
They grinned.
In a split second, they hopped next to each other on the same cushion, like two kids eager to watch their favorite TV show. Lumi's eyes were already alight with the blue glow of Tempo as he utilized Hindsight. The gray figures of Vert and Pandora flit across his vision, their movements slightly sped up as he aimed for the event right before they knocked on the door only a few minutes ago.
"Oooooh that is so dirty. You can spy on people from the future!" Van gushed and leaned on Lumi's shoulder. Lumi had done his best to keep Van and the rest of his team up to date on the development of his abilities, and Van was quite eager to see him use Hindsight at some point.
"Hold on, let me focus for a sec..." murmured Lumi, doing his best to remember his training and calm his thoughts. As the scene in front of him coalesced and stabilized, he leaned forward, eyes narrowed.
He put a paw on Van's shoulder just to keep him centered.
"Everyone agreed to come? That's a bit of a surprise, I would have thought for certain Purl and Esther at least would have asked for more down-time," Past-Pandora sat just a few inches to his left. She idly swirled a glass in her paw and took a dainty gulp, laid with her back on the cushion. Past-Vert sat on his haunches, organizing some things into a black satchel; the same one Pandora left by the wall earlier.
Vert grunted in acknowledgement.
"I thought the same. I only extended the offer as a courtesy, but it seems like they really wanted to assist. It's a good thing too, it would help to have more paws on deck to help find and reassure the residents of Refrain. I gathered what information I could with the situation down in that village, and it turns out they've been displaced for at least a week by outlaws, and have taken refuge in the nearby forests. There's not too much information on specifics, but it seems to be a decently sized group that have taken up residence."
"Nothing too much for you to handle on your own, I'm sure," she gave Vert a wide, toothy smile. "I wonder how differently this whole mess would have played out if you had thought to bring your Doom Totem with you to the Guildmaster Summit all those months ago. Quite unfortunate that you were forced to rush to Match Quarry unprepared, hmm?"
"A mistake I won't make again," said Vert, who then reached into another box to pull out an object with his teeth.
In an instant, Lumi's eyes widened and he recoiled, fur on end. Something about the thing Vert held in his mouth sent consistent danger signals in his brain, as if its very presence promised nothing but pain and misfortune. Given the lack of color, it was hard to make out details, but it resembled a stout, glossy cylinder with an apparent built-in grip that allowed Vert to clamp down on it easily. He made out some sort of cloth wrapped around it, and strange etchings on its surface that made his fur fluff out as he watched it.
He had the benefit of being in a completely different time from that thing, and it still freaked him out. He wondered what it was like to experience it in person.
Quite unfazed by the object, Vert stuffed it in his black satchel. He looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at Pandora. "Although, please don't call it a Doom Totem. It is a Dis-probability Amplifier. The name Doom Totem doesn't properly encapsulate its function."
"Oh yes of course. I apologize that after all these years you still don't know how to name anything." Vert's tail fin flicked at her barb. Pandora leaned over slightly and crossed her arms under her face. "Although, I am curious. All of the toys you've made, each one a Masterwork in its own right, and you choose that one? If your goal is to make a strong impression, why not go with something a little flashier?"
"Because my goal is to also leave a good impression. I need Refrain Town to still be standing when I remove the outlaws. It won't do the townsfolk any good if they come back to a crater."
Pandora barked out a surprisingly raucous laugh at that. "Well put! And as I think about it, it may be better suited to display some of the finer parts of Resonance during your...what are you calling this again? A lecture? Field experiment?"
"Practical demonstration. And yes, ideally this would be a good way to see what could be possible when creating objects that utilize different energy patterns of various moves simultaneously. Right now, I believe almost everyone is under the impression that all it's good for is making multiple orbs do something at the same time. Only Lumi has taken it a step further and made one orb synchronize with others like it to cause multiple move patterns to be expressed while maintaining their integrity. Not their fault of course, I was hoping to synthesize a better curriculum of my research before sharing more, but I think now would be a good time to start sharing what I've learned."
Vert glanced to the side and seemed to think for a bit before continuing. "...Ideally, showing this to the Guild Heads would not only galvanize them to apply it to their own studies and research, but encourage them to share it with the rest of the apprentices. Help them see what else is possible with this amazing field of knowledge, and hopefully create things to help defend themselves and others in the coming days. Plus, we could use the morale."
"I do quite agree. Although, there is one thing I think you've forgotten." She took another sip, and her eyes squinted. "Our apprentice Lumi seems to have taken an interest in Resonance concepts. His attempt at applying it with his unique weapon is a valiant effort in applying those meager concepts you shared with him. Why not take him and Van along too, both of them have more than demonstrated th-"
"No," Vert said, voice firm. Pandora seemed a bit surprised at the sudden interruption.
"Whyever not? They're clearly the most motivated when it comes to practical applications. And lest you forget, they were on the front lines throughout almost this entire ordeal, facing a Legendary and coming out with their lives intact is quite the feat."
"That's exactly why. They're kids, Dora. And they're my apprentices. They shouldn't have had to worry about Legendaries or Outlaws or any of that, if I was doing my job properly. Their focus should be on resting and recuperating, I didn't bring this up to Lumi and Van for that very reason. And besides, I'm not even allowing the Guild Heads or their partners to participate in the demonstration, they can either watch, or assist with coordinating the townsmon."
Pandora clicked her tongue, but Lumi caught the sympathy in her eyes."Oh, Vert. It's admirable how you want to protect them, but is that really what's best for their development? Surely there's no reason why you couldn't keep them safe? Or maybe…"
Her eyes narrowed, and her grin turned conspiratorial. "Perhaps you simply wanted to take the chance to show off, and remind our apprentices why exactly you are the Guildmaster? I admit, a full raid on a bandit occupied town is certainly a good way to instill some proper respect."
"For the last time it's not a raid. It's a practical demonstration." Vert's monotone came through clearly on the other end.
"Yes, and this isn't my fourth shot of whisky, this is my pain medication. Come off it, Vert, if you were this stir crazy, you should just say so. Or maybe you just wanted to leave little old me behind…"
The two forms faded from his sight as he blinked away the vision. Lumi took his paw off of Van to stretch as his mind worked to process everything it just witnessed. To his right, Van sunk backwards in the cushion, eyes wide with a claw on his forehead.
"Damn..." he mumbled.
Lumi slowly nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah..."
"Vert's really planning on saving a whole town solo tonight, and secretly brought the Guild Heads along with him to watch," Van narrowed his eyes at the ceiling. "I can't even lie, that's pretty hard."
"Right? That's like...wait a minute." Lumi furrowed his brows and glanced at Van. "How do you know that?"
"Know what?"
"That Vert is going to go to Refrain village tonight."
"Uh...I saw him say it? it's what he said in the...past..."
Van's face blanched. He slowly turned his head to stare at the wall. If Lumi squinted, he could just make out traces of a blue glow fade from Van's otherwise black pupils.
He swallowed, intentionally forcing his voice to stay level. "Lumi. Why could I see the past?"
"I think it's because I was...holding on to you when I did it?" The Meowstic glanced at his paws, thoughtful. "Huh...is that how that works...?"
While Van grappled with what he just witnessed, Lumi hopped off of the cushion. With everything he had just learned, his attention focused on the black bag that Vert had left behind by mistake. The one that contained that Doom Toten that he would apparently use to fight. He studied the bag with some interest, a plan starting to form in his mind.
Well, less of a plan and more of a strong compulsion, but for him they might as well have been the same. He glanced over his shoulder at his Partner.
"Hey Van?" he called to get his attention. "You have your spikes and stuff on you, right?"
The Scrafty looked up from his existential musing of questioning what exactly his life had turned into "Never go out without 'em," he said, patting his purple satchel strapped around his waist. He raised a brow at Lumi. "Why?"
"I have an idea." The Meowstic grinned.
Van took one look at the expectant expression on Lumi's face, then followed his paw that gestured towards that large, black bag.
A very large, and surely very spacious, bag. He recalled that Pandora would return with Vert any moment now for him to retrieve it, and then take on what was apparently an entire town's worth of outlaws on his own.
"...You know what?" he blew out a heavy, worn sigh.
The side of his mouth curled up ever so slightly.
"Screw it. Let's go"
A/N: Thanks to everyone who keeps tuning in to read this. I appreciate all of you :)