The Doomed Sprout
Chapter 18
« May I ask why you're not on your own ? »
Cylan was sitting behind his desk, frowning in disapproval over there being both Sera and Lumin in what he expected to be a private meeting.
« Rich, coming from the one spying on us », retorted Fen, grinning widely over the small revenge. She'd been noticing how she was rarely alone ever since getting the Pecha Berries in the strange cavern, eventually connecting the dots with some of Sera's assistance. « Really though, if I'm right about this, then they shouldn't be a bother ». The Nidoran paused after saying this, considering Sera's… talkative demeanor, but decided to just trust her.
« They have nothing to gain from this knowledge ! », Cylan protested. « It's just more chances for the information to slip out ! »
« And then what ? What the hell are they supposed to do with knowing we're both human ? Will we be reported to authorities ? Send to human jail ? ». Fen was surprised at her own raised voice, she understood he was right, they didn't need to know this, but couldn't accept to doing things differently somehow.
Cylan whimpered, his appearance fizzling before disappearing entirely, leaving behind a small, shiny, facepalming Zorua. All three Pokemon appeared confused over the discovery, though the Zorua didn't give them time to ask anything.
« Worse than that, you fool ! They do have authorities here to report to, and it's not the police, it's gods ! ...Well, sort of. Legendaries. And they're absolutely not going to jail us if they find out, they're going to erase us ! »
Lumin growled over the response as if threatening them to try, while both Sera and Fen were still pondering the Zoroark disguise, occasionally muttering to each other their theories.
« Listen », Cylan started, « I've been here for years, and based on how you're acting, I'm pretty sure you've not seen any of them yet... »
« We met Celebi », pointed out Lumin.
Cylan took a horrified expression. « W-wait, you did ? When ? Do they know about the Sprout? »
« We did. Three days ago. They did not speak of the Sprout », Lumin answered shortly, before adding « Though they think Fen is strange »
« So you have their attention. Great. Awesome ». Cylan grumbled, before jumping onto the table to look more closely at the Nidoran. « I am serious. Do not try to speak with them again. Humans aren't supposed to be here »
Having recovered from the surprise, Fen snickered. « I'm pretty sure that's never stopped our species before. Heck, they seemed.. weirdly happy to have me here ? Is that normal ? »
« It is », Sera answered idly, getting confused looks from the others, leading her to continue. « I mean, life's suuuuuuuper boring otherwise. If I got it right, and the Honorable's a human too, doesn't that mean that anything interesting that's been happening so far was from humans ? Meeting you two has been fun, despite how dumb Lumin is. Then the Sprout, with everything being planned and done in specific ways to live better ! Oh, and that weird music box, that's a human relic too ! »
The Zorua sighed heavily, getting the attention back. « That's exactly what's going on. Let me explain more properly... »
Cylan moved a carpet on the ground, showing a trapdoor below it and urging them to open it. As they did so, one by one, they moved inside the cellar hidden beneath before closing it again, casting an illusion to hide the entrance should anyone dare to try and interrupt the Honorable's meeting. Looking around the cellar, Fen was satisfied to see some of her luminescent crystals she brought back. A worthwhile use for them, to illuminate a secret room !
« So », Cylan started, « I'd like to not be interrupted until I'm done. Anything that you learn in this place, alongside the existence of that place, you are not allowed to tell others about it. And that counts double for you, Fen », he said while glaring at the Pokemon in question. « I'll start at the beginning… 5 years ago, I arrived in this world... »
« I landed on the edge of the Erratic Jungle, that's the name of this place, by the by. Had no clue what was going on, it took me a day or two to figure out why everything felt wrong, mostly because I ran out of stamina and fainted, breaking off my own human illusion. That's when I realized I was a Zorua, till then I still though I was the same as before. That's also where I learned about the danger other mons caused, as soon as my illusion broke, I started being attacked. Ended up finding an abandoned den in the ground to hide in, and figuring out my illusion abilities to prevent others from finding the entrance. Disguising smell's actually pretty easy, you just create your own to override… right, not the topic. Sorry, I've just never been able to talk about these things before, and... »
« We get it. Move on », grumbled Fen, dismissing Cylan's apology.
« ..Alright, alright. I seal off the entrance and try to figure out what's going on. Then, one day, I meet a Shiny Sewaddle, Freya. She'd been hiding her status as a Shiny with regular leaves over her entire body. She was just waddling around when she fell through the hidden hole, scaring us both half to death. Can't tell you how happy I was to see someone actually talk instead of looking to eat stuff, they were like another human. We started speaking, and she taught me a ton about the outside, what kind of Pokemon were around, and why she was hiding her appearance. That's also how I learned I was a Shiny too, kinda explained all the aggression from before. That's kind of where I started thinking of the Sprout. A way for me to protect the more intelligent Pokemon while also getting more company to not go insane on my own. Spoke to Freya about it, and she was ecstatic at the idea ! So we worked on it, started finding a place to set up camp, training our skills… especially me. You've got no clue how long it took me to figure out how to choose who the illusion affects and doesn't, it's actually only been two years, before that, it was just a basic cloaking, hence the town is walled in so they don't go through the illusion. Of course it's no longer necessary »
« That's nice, but.. », Fen started before immediately being hushed by Sera, wagging her tail in excitement over learning the story of the town.
« Then, when we were ready, we started looking for Shinies to bring back. More specifically, Freya did. She'd been training to fight her way out and even evolved while I remained a defenseless Zorua, since I had to focus on my illusion. We thought that these Shinies be happy to go someplace safe for them, but every time Freya brought one, they'd see me, and run away, either in fear or distrust due to my species revolving around tricks. I saw quite a lot of anger, too, she actually had to protect me once, against Cedric if I remember right. The guy said we were asking too much trust from them, that we needed strong Pokemon to lead the weaker Pokemon, and while I didn't agree, Freya seemed to think his words rang true. That's where I got the idea of using illusions to turn into a Zoroark, kinda showing a strong and sharp facade, even if I couldn't remove the bias towards being a trickster. Worked a lot more smoothly after that, even if Cedric kept trying to get me to train. If I fall unconscious from overexertion, though, the Sprout won't be hidden till I wake up again. So I refused- »
« Weakness through strength of will », Lumin spoke out, catching the group's attention. « You've decided to banish yourself from strengthening in order to make the others able to become stronger safely. It is foolish, but it is the sort of sacrifice the leader of a pack should do »
Fen looked at him in confusion. « ...Pretty sure the leader of a pack would just always prioritize their own strength to protect the group, Lumin, they do that with food already »
« A selfish leader ends up losing their family ». Fen wasn't sure how to reply to that.
Cylan coughed, getting back their attention. « I asked for no interruptions, you three ». Fen mumbled an apology, while Lumin straightened his stance. « ...So, I refused to train in combat. In the end, I suggested the idea of giving everyone different responsibilities, and that each newcomer would be trained for specific tasks. Essentially, I was trying to recreate civilisation. Once we started having more Pokemon around, helping out, we also started scouting the area better, which led to the discovery of the ruins nearby. It was a wealth of treasure and information about the world, but for some reason, the scouts couldn't bring anything back. Had to go and help out, since a human presence was needed to activate these remnants of the past »
« What do you mean, aren't the steel beams used in the Sprout completely fine ? », asked Sera.
« I'm getting there. Back then, I had no clue why they couldn't just move the stuff, but a few days later, one of our scouts reported a powerful presence in the east of the jungle. When we sent a team to investigate, they came back with Jirachi in tow. I was ecstatic, of course, Jirachi grants wishes ! I could just wish to go back home ! But… when they started speaking, it was pretty clear what kind of personality they had. It wasn't that they saw me and everyone else as unimportant. It was more that they just didn't give a damn about the entire world. They'd just followed because they wanted to grant wishes out of pure boredom, and that Shinies seemed to have more interesting wishes than Commons, who kept asking for food or mates »
Cylan coughed, going to drink at a nearby water source. « Sorry, throat's a bit dry. I'm not used to talking this much in quick succession ». The other Pokemon simply nodded in understanding.
« So… What did you wish for ? Why are you still here ? ». Fen leaned closer, mentally trying to figure out where was the east of the Jungle and if Jirachi would still be there.
« Well, turns out you can't wish for something that goes against the actions of another Legendary. Which made me wonder why the heck a Legendary would've sent me here, so I decided to wish for information on the state of the world instead. Turns out, it was a really good wish because a lot of things are happening right now. I'm sure you've noticed the monstrously powerful Lurantis in the jungle ? »
« We literally told you about it yesterday », grumbled Fen. « What about it ? »
« It's the work of a Legendary Pokemon. So is the fact of bringing in humans, and so is the difference in behavior between Commons and Shinies, alongside the human ruins being locked, and other things. Jirachi was not able to tell me who was responsible for what, however, to make up for the incomplete wish, they made me a deal »
Sera perked up, distressed. « A deal with a Legendary ? Weren't you the one terrified of them ? »
« I am ! But they're as helpful as they are dangerous. Jirachi's deal requires me to gather enough information in order for the first wish to feel complete, and they'd honor a second wish as a reward »
« What's the point of making a deal like that ? ». Fen wasn't very confident in trusting entities probably much smarter than any of them. Celebi already left a sour taste in her mouth.
« Fun, essentially. According to Jirachi, the planet's been at a complete standstill ever since the eradication of humanity, and that boredom led the Legendaries to create their own ''fun'' »
The Nidoran's ears perked up. The eradication of humanity ?
« Wait- what did you just say ? What happened to the humans there ? »
« I'm not sure. I just know the Legendaries caused them to go extinct out of fear, and nothing's happened since then ». Cylan grumbled something about interruption, before continuing. « They've been trying to find ways to change the world and make it change over time on its own again, and apparently they've been doing it secretly as Arceus refuses to acknowledge the current state of things »
At the mention of Arceus, both Sera and Lumin shuffled uncomfortably, the Eevee whimpering lightly. Seems like it's not seen as a kind presence…, Fen noticed. She gently hugged her two companions in an attempt to calm them down, though she wasn't sure if it was working.
« So… What is the point of a second wish, exactly ? », Fen wondered aloud.
Cylan paused for a moment. « That… I'd rather not talk about it just yet, because I'm not sure how to word it properly either. Just know that it's more of a wish out of necessity than anything else »
« Right… Is that all, then ? ». At the Zorua's nod, she continued, « Then why tell us all of this ? I just figured you were a human too, why explain everything to us ? Especially Lumin and Sera ! »
« You brought us here, remember ? », Sera pointed out. « Besides, you know we'll keep our mouths shut. We already did with you ! »
At her bright smile, Fen couldn't help but smile back. She was forgetting that Cylan didn't trust them like she did, but…
Fen took on a pensive expression. « Huh »
« Did you say something ? ». Sera was looking at her Nidoran friend, confused.
« Nothing important, Sera. Don't worry about it. Cylan, why did you tell us ? »
« Because I know you're smart, and that you know things I don't. I'm trying to gather knowledge, and having allies is a good way to do that », he replied, taking on his Zoroark illusion again. « There are no Pecha Berries growing nearby, for starters, yet you found a dozen of them. Mind explaining this to me ? »
Fen winced, realizing the Honorable wasn't the only one to have made mistakes.