#arceus did nothing wrong

[peachypede]

I will never not be bitter about how Kamado is portrayed as an shitty guy in the fandom and Volo is uwu pretty boy he was just feeling angsty when he tried to destroy the world and kill protagonist with giratina uwu

Rant below

Kamado, yes, made a horrible decision. He had his reasons. He saw his whole village destroyed by pokemon when he was young and never wanted that to happened again, Beni says they watched their family and friends DIE, so he gave in to his paranoia and banished the protagonist. It’s not an excuse, but he has his reasons for doing so.

And what does Kamado do when he realizes he’s wrong? The man get down on his hands and knees and BEGS your forgiveness. He does the Dogeza, the bow in Japanese culture that is the ultimate form of apology and respect to the other person. Kamado eats dirt and is basically saying “I fucked up so bad and I am so very, very, very sorry.” The Dogeza also is performed to show high respect, so Kamado is basically telling you as well that you far surpass his position. Your emperor levels of worthiness and strength. I think the amount of how embarrassing and humble this pose is is lost to people in the Western culture but this is a BIG apology and possibly even the BEST apology Kamado could gives since it’s an apology beyond words. He also apologizes to everyone else, telling them they were right and he was wrong.

"I acted on ill-considered presumptions and drove you from the Galaxy Expedition Team, forcing you to face great hardship alone…”

And you change Kamado. He becomes more willing to delegate and work with other people. He follows your lead. Hell, he has a line after you beat him on Prelude Beach where he basically calls you a god, that’s how much this dude respects you now.

"Perhaps you are a divine being yourself, sent to bring us gifts from above…”

The guy takes no credit for the victory on mount coronet, he says it’s all you!

"I know I've no right to say this... But we are truly fortunate to have been able to count you among the Survey Corps' ranks. If you had not joined us, we would have fallen on Mount Coronet. We would have lost our home. We would have lost our future."

He is a truly changed man in the end.

"I used to think that Pokémon were terrifying creatures. You've helped me see otherwise."

Volo on the other hand? Tricks you, betrays you, and then tries to KILL YOU. Kamado was always upfront from the beginning that he didn’t trust you, but Volo? He’s buddy-buddy with you to take advantage of you.

And he’s the reason why this all happened! He created the rift, displaced pokemon and hell some people since Ingo obviously fell in through this rift too (People blame Arceus for this :/ ) and nearly killed everyone in Hisui with rampaging nobles and origin forme Dialga or Palkia.

And in the end, Volo doesn’t apologize at all. The dude doesn’t even change.

"Someday, I'll solve every riddle in the legends of Hisui's Pokémon. And on that day, I'll stand before Arceus at last—No, I will CONQUER it! No matter how many years, how many decades, how many centuries it takes me!"

I’m just fully convinced at this point that it 100% has to do with Volo being pretty and Kamado not being that attractive.

My hot take of the new year: Kamado is WAY better husband material than Volo could ever be.

Anyway my rant is over…no hate on Volo lovers, I do think he’s a fun character to rotate like a chicken on a spit in your brain but this has been my biggest grievance in the PLA fandom.

[thespectral-wolf]

Everyone is like "ooh what if Ingo protects Rei/Akari and beats up Kamado for banishing them" well, what if Rei/Akari gets angry at Ingo because he DIDN'T do anything during the Red Sky incident?

[brine-pools]

ALL SEEING EYE

redraw of an older piece from 2022

[imaginaryskeleton]

I love having a hyperfixation on a game I've never played or seen anyone play. All the info I have was obtained via pure osmosis and the person who introduced me to it is exactly the same

This leads to fun moments everyday when I'm reading fanfictions and I have to quickly look up a character or concept I haven't encountered before and I get to learn whole new info that recontextualises the whole thing

[apotelesmaa]

My initial off the top of my head wxs Pokémon partners match up would be

Nene - primarina/rotom/hatterene. Primarina is self explanatory, the rotom was originally rui’s but it possesses robonene so it’s hers now, and hatterene…

Emu - bewear/mr. mime/togekiss. Bewear is funny (& similar to the mascot bodyguard), Mr. Mime is self explanatory, togekiss is self explanatory wrt Pokédex entries.

Rui - porygon z/mimikyu/silvaly. I feel like all of these are pretty self explanatory.

Tsukasa - dragonite/sylveon/rapidash. Dragonite is a wxs world link reference, sylveon just fits, rapidash because there is no Pegasus pokemon.

[esprei]

I just recently got into the submas Fandom and people kept telling me about Emmet x Volo being bad and toxic.

But when I looked into it, all I saw was your art of them and some. And it's not toxic at all??? What are people talking about?

You show them so nice and healthy wholesome together. It actually makes me interested in that ship.

Is that wrong of me? I just think your art of them is pretty neat.

Maybe more people should see how you show their relationship and stop not letting people have nice things.

hey there! first of all, welcome to the fandom! :D hopefully you'll have a great time! and I can do my best to explain this from my perspective at least. or... at least from what I've experienced/seen. (sorry, this will probably end up being long ;;) so to preface, it's not wrong of you at all to be interested in the ship! Emmet and Volo themselves have had zero interactions with each other in canon up to this point, so their interactions/relationship/etc are a blank slate, free real estate sandbox that's up to one's imagination and fanon interpretation. there's nothing inherently wrong about putting them together because they have no dialogue between them or anything that can be referenced as "this is how they would go together, this is how they would interact because it's been established that way in this game or piece of media". all we've got is their dialogue and individual personalities that we can glean from official sources (i.e. Pokemon Masters EX, the Pokemon Special manga and BW/BW2 for Emmet and Legends Arceus for Volo). really the only thing that "connects" Emmet and Volo is Ingo ending up in Hisui. and the reason I say this "connects" them is because a popular theory is that Ingo being sent to Hisui was a direct result of Volo having Giratina open the rift to try and drive Arceus out. but none of this is actually ever stated in canon, I believe. (also when I've seen some people talk before about this theory, there's basically this implication that Volo did it out of malicious intent, as if he knew he was going to bring Ingo specifically to Hisui by doing it and...? I'm so sorry, but no, I just cannot get behind this at all. Volo's sole purpose of getting Giratina to open up the rift was to drive Dialga and Palkia mad in order to bring Arceus from out of hiding - that's literally what he says in the game's dialogue.

I highly doubt that he had any idea as to who Ingo was at all before he met him at some point in Hisui for the first time). but yeah. i only bring this up because it's kinda what I think started the idea of Emmet and Volo interacting at all? maybe not exactly, I can't remember because it's been too long and I both don't remember and wasn't too directly involved when all of this started. but essentially Emmet and Volo even being considered interacting kinda revolved around this idea that Emmet is looking for Ingo, finds out that Volo was the reason for the rift that caused Ingo's disappearance, and that now leads me into the part of why I think the ship is seen as toxic. so. the main reason I'm pretty sure that people say that the ship is toxic is because of how much a lot of early art/works portrayed it (based on what I just explained above). and it's totally fair. because admittedly it did start out with some violent aspects and really just Emmet doing things I personally don't think he would ever do. for example, beating the crap out of Volo for being the reason Ingo disappeared. Emmet being violent in order to demand answers for the sake of getting his brother back. etc, etc. and this really put a bad taste in people's mouths because it really just cast Emmet in a bad light. that, and it was a toxic, unhealthy portrayal of an enemies to lovers trope. and Volo was kinda portrayed as conniving/sneaky/manipulative/etc, and yeah. just things like that I think made popular for it ended up giving the pair a bad rep early on when Legends Arceus was still a popular topic (we're talking like... I dunno. late March into April and on of 2022? ...2022 was when PLA came out right?) honestly though? the beauty about a ship like this is that, as i said before, it's a completely blank slate. it's free real estate. you can portray it however you see fit because there's absolutely zero canon to base it off of (as far as the two characters themselves interacting with each other goes). it can be as wholesome as you want it to be. or it can be enemies to lovers. it can be rivals to lovers. it can be just two guys who happen to meet on the Battle Subway or in Gear Station and connect through a shared love of Pokemon/battling and develop a relationship that way. just because the ship itself maybe had the majority of its portrayal in the beginning as unhealthy doesn't mean it's forever bad, toxic and all around unsalvageable at this point. and while I certainly don't expect anyone who's perhaps uncomfortable or otherwise turned off from the ship because of its roots to suddenly turn around one day and warm up to it because it has potential to be portrayed in a wholesome or positive way, I also don't think it's very fair to blanket label the whole ship bad and toxic just for the fact alone that a lot of the early works for it were depicting a not-so-healthy relationship between the two. i mean that was like... two years ago at this point. things can change. anyway, this is getting long like I knew it would so I'll stop there XD I hope this at least maybe gives some context as to why the ship is seen that way by some? but at the end of the day there's no canon official way to portray it. it has potential to be healthy! and there's nothing wrong about being interested in it. that's just my two cents on it :D

and lastly, thank you so much! it really warms my heart to hear that you think my art of them is pretty neat! I really do want to draw more for them, just... you know. time and motivation 😅 but hopefully I can do something again for them soon!

[leggerefiore]

More funny and cute parenting scenarios! How about the kids finding their parents clothes and walking around the house pretending to be their parents! (Said parents watch in amusement)

Arceus forbid Volo’s kid finds his hair gel

I kinda did a little spin on this...

Ingo finally closed the laptop as he rested his eyes for a moment. Work truly never ended some days despite being out of the office. He got up for a moment to go get a drink of water and returned soon after. But, there was something amiss. The laptop was open again while tiny hands tried to type. Erin stood on his knees to reach the computer while a familiar coat was almost like a wrap around him. A black cap sat on his head just off kilter and leaning forward. A badly tied tie was much too long around the neck of the baggy shirt that came to his bent knees. He also spied much too large shoes on his feet.

Ingo cleared his throat. Erin jumped back in a panic, previously stern and frowning face not overwrought with fear. Ticking his tongue, he walked over to pick the small boy up. Eyes momentarily glanced at the screen to assess what damage his son had done. Nothing, really, just a misspelt attempt at addressing “Unkle Emet” for a “brake.” A chuckle came from him unconsciously. Spelling was a bit of an issue, but his ease at taking to maths was a bit scary.

“… I'm – I'm a Subway Boss,” Erin cried, “I was doing work!”

“Hmm, is that so?” Ingo fought back the smile that wanted spread across his lips, “My, that document isn't going to Emmet. It's going to a Depot Agent. Are you certain you know what you are doing?”

Erin looked flustered. His shoes dangled off his feet. Ingo could not be upset at the little guy. He instead let him sit in his lap while he worked. The Subway Mini Boss was more than happy there.

~

Emmet grumbled when Ingo handed him the wrong piece again. They had decided to build a model train together again on a rare shared day off, yet it seemed the older twin's heart simply was not in it. Both of them opted for a break and headed to the kitchen to grab some snacks. Maybe hunger was clouding their judgement. However, when they returned, they found a scene unravelling. The model pieces were all over the floor as two oddly dressed kids had taken over the floor. Much too big hats and coats were worn, while even larger shoes seemed to make them trip. The white shirts were more like dresses on them rather than their true purpose. Emmet stood stiffly.

Inka and Emma went deathly quiet with big eyes at the sight of their father and uncle in the room. Model pieces were strewn about from an apparent attempt to finish it. The instruction booklet was in the older twin girl's hand, even. She tried to hide it behind her. Emmet sighed and stepped forth. Picking up Inka, who was dressed in his uniform, and passing her to Ingo, then Emma, who wore Ingo's own, into his own.

“See! It was all wrong, Emma,” Inka shook in Ingo's arms, “I was named after Uncle Ingo, so I should have been in uniform and reading the paper thingy!”

“I'm the older twin,” Emma argued back, hanging limp like a feline in Emmet's hold, “Therefore I am like Ingo more. Plus, I frown like him! You smile like papa!”

Ingo and Emmet locked eyes for a moment. This felt like their own memories from youth. In the end, they both let the little girls help build. Their tiny hands came in very hand in the end. (All the while, Inka kept begging to wear Ingo's uniform instead, to not avail.)

~

Cyrus sat down his tablet on the end table. Standing up, he stretched and left the room for a moment to go stand out on the veranda. Fresh air seemed to reinvigorate his mind from the stupor that document processing lulled him into. Yet, he noticed an oddity when he headed back in to finish his work. Spiky hair was the first thing her noticed, alongside tiny hands tapping away on the lock screen of his tablet. Cyllene sat on the couch wearing a baggy grey vest with a family emblem on the chest. An even baggies long sleeved shirt was more like a dress on her smaller form. His grey slip-ons were also dangling on her feet.

Cyrus treaded over to her. She froze and nearly dropped the tablet. He caught it with ease and sat it back down, noting she had managed to actually unlock it. That would be addressed at a later point. Her actions bewildered his mind. Her use of too much hair gel quickly became apparent as he picked her up. It was still wet. His hand went to gently soothe her hair back down into its usual style. She just leaned into his touch.

“May I ask what all this is?” he spoke quietly, not to sure how to approach this situation.

“I am training to take over Team Galactic,” she replied simply, “… I was going to message Saturn to open Minecraft when I got to the office.”

Cyrus genuinely hated the chuckle that left him at her words. Her innocence was truly something he could help but adore. He informed that he was not going to the office today, and she pouted. It seemed all the attention his grunts and commanders gave her were deeply enjoyed.

~

A yawn left Volo as he headed back in from the garden. Cogita had insisted his repentance for his actions be earned through hard work. Her kindness was bewildering at times, but he supposed his current situation was not one she would decline. Their closeness was something silently understood between both parties. He stepped inside to a sight. On his bed stood his daughter, dressed in a much too big top and saddles that could only be slid to stay on her feet. Her hair was styled back in a manner that made his stomach twist.

“Strike him down,” her tiny voice came out, and he narrowly dodged the attack of her Gible.

“… Just… What are you doing, Astrea?” he walked over to pick her up and set her back on the ground before she fell off and hurt herself. She pouted up at him, barely reaching his knee in height.

“I'm being scary-dad!” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Mistress Cogita said you did this to them!” He shook his head. Was the old woman really telling her about what he had done to her other parent? He swallowed. Astrea was much too young to even understand what that meant in seriousness, but he did not like being reminded of his failure and actions. He petted her head and offered to take her for a walk if she changed clothing. She agreed.

[pokemoncenter]

Introduction

Hello. My name is Sophora. I am a Pokemon veterinarian. I live in Unova, but at the time of this writing, I am beginning a temporary stay in Johto to assist with a research project.

My blog is mostly thoughts and discussions of Pokemon care and science, as well as what photos I wish to share.

I am a former member of Team Plasma. My duties were to care for Pokemon injured by human deeds, and assess whether they could be released into the wild. Though I was nothing more than a child in training at the time. I wish to be clear that I, along with most Team Plasma members you will ever encounter, were fooled by Ghetsis, and truly do wish for improving the lives of Pokemon.

My sole Pokemon is a Zorua named Beans. I have had her for many years, and she is my dear companion.

I am often told I have no sense of humor, so please do not expect much in the way of jokes or banter from me. I am also often called rude, or at the very least blunt.

I will speak often on Pokemon care, as mentioned. I will answer any questions on Pokemon care when I am able, though I am mostly only familiar with Pokemon of the Unova region, and some of the Kanjoh region. I also will often speak on the life of a veterinarian and what sort of things one is expected to do in this job.

The difference between a Pokemon veterinarian and a Pokemon Center, for the record, generally involves overall health versus injuries. If it was a problem or health issue that came from battle, you go to a Center. If it is an overall health issue that did not come from battling, go to a veterinarian. Generally, we will refer you to the other one if you got it wrong.

My hobbies are reading and photography. I have given lectures about Pokemon care at conferences before, and I enjoy trying new foods. I am something of a coffee enthusiast, as well.

Most people I mention on this blog, I will be changing their names. This includes myself- Rotomphones should not replace basic internet safety for you all. The main exceptions will be people on this site who use their real name, and people who are otherwise too famous that it would be pointless to try to change their name.

I look forward to pleasant conversations with you all.

//OOC under the cut!

Player is over 21.

All posts will be tagged with 'pkmn irl' and 'unreality'.

This is, obviously, a Pokemon IRL rp blog.

I intend to not get involved in high stakes with the possibly exception of Team Winter stuff, or things that otherwise catch my interest. Most of them will be assumed to not happen.

Some notes on character canon!

Sapient Pokemon do not exist. There are rare exceptions, but they are extremely special and noteworthy. Pokemon intelligence varies, but generally they're animals. As a result, I would prefer not to interact with sapient Pokemon blogs, and if you do, Sophora will assume that you're a child roleplaying.

Legendary Pokemon are rare. The mainline games are canon but generally, Sophora doesn't know a lot of what happened. If it wasn't on the scale of Kyogre and Groudon, Sophora probably didn't hear about it! Sophora does not believe in a lot of legendary Pokemon as a result.

I do not do the whole 'magic anon' thing and such asks will be ignored.

Human-obtainable superpowers are Aura and psychic powers. That's about it. There are no other superpowers. Legendaries do not give children superpowers.

Legendaries may have been worshipped as gods but are not gods. There is no Arceus-based religion. People do not worship Arceus and do not treat it as the Christian god.

Most products that get parodied do not have the Pokemon parody names, and they just have the real world name. However, it is an in-universe meme to force Pokemon names into the product name, and that's why everyone has such differences (i.e. the proper name for the place is Starbucks, but some people call it Starlybucks and others call it Staryubucks, because it's a meme, not the real name.)

I want to avoid crossover stuff, it is not to my interest.

I want to try to keep to the tone of Pokemon as much as possible, so I'm going to be ignoring most things about murder and killing (unless it is a Cubone's mother).

Sophora can be, and often is, wrong about various subjects. However, she is a veterinarian and thus generally going to be correct about Pokemon care. Please do not show up to just correct me and claim my character doesn't know what she's talking about.

I try to avoid getting involved with the 'multiverse' stuff. As far as Sophora is concerned, there is only one reality, and it's hers. Please do not get deep into the weeds on that with her so I don't have to think about it too hard.

Animals exist! Pokemon are part of the ecosystem but normal animals exist, too. They just don't come up often because they aren't relevant.

Sorry if that sounds like too much stuff! I just wanted to be very clear from the outset.

EDIT:

If you are not someone already relevant about it, I will not acknowledge any asks where you try to prove legendary Pokemon. It's much funnier if Sophora refuses to believe in them. For understanding of the gag, please watch this video.

Sophora will not ever see or acknowledge a Legendary Pokemon outside of very specific circumstances. Please do not try to force the issue.

[kharmii]

This comic was called "Step on Each Other's Landmines.

Art credit: Pokémon, volo (pokemon), N (Trainer) / お互いに地雷を踏むＮさんとウォロさん - pixiv

In the first panel, Volo says, "Oh no! It was a good battle." after N's klinklang defeats his spiritomb.

Second panel: "I'm N. I'm glad I was able to battle also," N says tipping his cap. Volo replies, "Your welcome!"

Third panel: "I used to hate battles," N tells Volo, "However, pokeballs are just something that connects people and Pokemon. There is a bond that is more important than anything. I realized that humans and Pokemon don't have a servant relationship, but one where they help each other."

Fourth panel: Volo stuns N by replying, "What are pokemon but something to be used, right?"

Fifth panel: Volo realizes he made a mistep and goes overly cheerful. He says with a smile, "Oh, I got a little confused after our battle. What a shame. Later!" *waves*

Sixth panel: Volo angsts about blowing his cover. He wonders how many people know who he is and what he is hiding inside. Then he says, "I did nothing wrong! I can obey Arceus with absolute certainty!"

Seventh panel: N muses to zorua. He says, "Ah Zorua, were you worried? He (Volo) was a scheming person like Ghetsis. -But I could feel the love they had for each other. Pokemon battles are only possible because of strong bonds."

Eighth panel: Still thinking about his encounter with Volo, N thinks, "

There is someone who can feel such strong love with Pokemon.

Am I wrong?

Or

Did I make a mistake again?

[yeehawbvby]

In Too Deep (Arven x GN!Reader) | Ch. 2*

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Summary: “I grin kindly, and although he can’t see my mouth, he can probably see it in my eyes. He smiles back. 

‘You’re doing perfect. And if you want to stop at any point, we can, okay?’

Arven nods, and I crouch down to his level, kissing him softly. I’m about to get back up, but he holds me low to the ground with him. Pushing me back against the wall with the force of his kiss, he greedily mumbles into my mouth, 

‘As if I’d ever want to stop.’”

Author’s Note: My headcanon age for Arven is that he’s a young adult, somewhere between 20-24 years old. If this proves to be wrong in the future, please consider him to be aged up to this range!

Likewise, for the sake of the continuity (i.e. Little Buddy and whatnot), you have a similarly tiny stature to the main character in Pokémon SV. For the sake of all of us, your character here is not a teenager lol, but instead roughly the same age as Arven, give or take a few years.

Thank you for understanding!! ^^ Enjoy, sorry about the cliffhanger at the end of this chapter, and take care x

Check it out on ao3!

Prev | Next

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!!!

I look to my left and see Arven standing there, staring down at me, wide eyed and red cheeked. Not exactly knowing what to feel yet other than fear, I let out a surprised yelp, my own eyes bulging out of my skull. Realizing my hand is still against myself, I look down at it and let out another panicked yelp while removing it from my pants. I stand up and wipe my shameful hand onto the side of my shorts before putting my palms against the front of my face and pacing. 

This isn’t happening. This isn’t real. This can’t be happening there’s no way I just fucked up that badly.

Approaching the wall again, I cross my arms in front of my face and rest my forehead on my forearms, looking down at the ground below me. My heart is racing as I hear footsteps coming closer.

“I am so fucking sorry you had to see that,” I mumble. 

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” he chuckles. “I came out to check on you and heard you, uh… yeah. Thought you were in danger, at first.”

Heard me?! I thought I was doing so well! “Oh my god.”

“Hey.” Arven plants his hand on my shoulder, and I turn my head to the side to face him. I only meet his visible iris for a second before my own two veer away, unable to handle the confrontation. “Hey,” he repeats, this time more firmly. I finally meet his face, and he’s… smiling? His brow furrows as he asks me, grinning very deviously, “What were you thinking about?”

…What?

“W-why would I tell you that?!” 

“Just seeing if you’d say it,” he shrugs. 

Seeing if I’d say… it…

Why does it sound like he knows?

“What do you mean?” I whisper, horrified.

Gnawing his lower lip while his eye roams my face, Arven takes a deep breath in, seeming to hype himself up for Arceus knows what. He’s got the same look in his eye that he typically only has when he’s about to do something risky or brave or stupid. A look I’ve only seen him use in battle, or during his various culinary experiments.

The hand on my shoulder tightens, and he swivels my much smaller body with ease so that my back is against the wall.

I must look like a Magikarp with the way I silently gasp, words eluding me, and lungs threatening to choke on nothing but air. If I didn’t resemble a tamato berry before, I sure as hell do once Arven’s right palm comes up to the wall, resting just barely above the left side of my scalp.

“What I mean, my freaky little buddy,” he teases, finally answering my inquiry, “is that it sounded like imaginary-me was giving you a pretty good time.”

“Imagin–?” Oh no. “Did I… like… s-say anything?” I question, my voice barely audible.

“My name.”

“Your…” A breath shudders out of me while I look down, avoiding his face. “Oh god.”

“Said that too,” he murmurs, a smile evident in his voice.

I bury my face in my hands again and groan. Arven, apparently taking none of that, removes his palm from my shoulder and uses it to grip my wrists, pinning them above me.

Just like I had imagined at several points throughout the day.

Holy shit.

I track his movements, eyes wide, while muttering some incoherent, flustered nonsense.

“What was that?” he laughs, his nose crinkling a little.

“Nothing! Uh…” I meet his eye. “So, what’s, uh, what’s up?” 

“Small talk? Really?” 

I sigh. “Look, bud, I dunno what I’m supposed to say in a situation like this,” I whisper dejectedly.

Arven chuckles. “You don’t need to say anything.” His pupils are blown wide as he hovers over me, scanning my face. He begins lowering his head towards the left of mine, and continues, “Don’t you understand how amazing this is?” 

“What d’you mean?” I shudder, feeling his breath against my skin. I tilt my head slightly to make room for him, as if on instinct.

“Since I met you, I’ve known you were special to me,” he mutters beside my ear. I hear his forehead rest lightly onto the wall, while his hand slides down it, before wrapping around to the small of my back. “But you’ve spent so much time with Princess Nemona, and those Team Star punks, and practically everyone else in Paldea, right? And that’s not to say I don’t admire your ambition, because of course I do… but you had me thinking I was only a fraction of what was on that steel trap mind o’yours.” 

My heart feels like it’s going to burst as I lean into Arven’s touch to the best of my ability. My hands are still pinned in his fist, but I connect my torso with his as much as I’m able. Seeming to notice it, Arven balls up the fabric on the back of my shirt and inches his body closer.

“But it turns out,” his voice lowers into somewhat of a growl as he turns his head towards my ear, “You’ve been all mine this entire time, haven’t you?”

Too intoxicated off his honeyed words to form my own, I slowly nod.

I feel his lips form into a smile, and he giggles a little. My brows furrow. He… he isn’t making fun of me, is he?

As if Arven read my mind, he quells my worries. “I haven’t even had the chance to try and kiss you yet, let alone ask you out. And here I am, praying to Arceus that you’ll let me fuck you right now.” 

I take a sharp breath in, turning my face a little to see Arven’s. Is he for real?

…Wait, isn’t he a virgin? How does he know how to be this hot?

Remembering that his dorm is full of manga, and realizing there’s almost definitely some hentai mixed in there — plus, he’s more than likely watched porn — I decide that it checks out, and swiftly move on.

Arven’s visible eye meets mine. My face feels hot, and his looks like it does too. His lips are narrowly parted, and god, I really want to kiss them.

…And he just said he wants that too.

Oh my god this is actually, like, happening, isn’t it?

I manage to squeeze out a few shy words in spite of my ragged breathing. “Kiss me first?”

Exhaling an airy laugh, he nods, before releasing my wrists and body from his grasp.

“‘Course,” he utters softly.

Arven brings his hands to my face, cups my cheeks in them, and leans down towards my mouth while I crane my neck up to meet him. Unsure of where to put my hands, they land on Arven’s wrists just as we lock lips. His are chapped, which somehow makes sense. His smooches are a little messy, but assuming he’s never done this before, I predict all of this will be messy. 

Leaving my left hand around Arven’s wrist, I bring my right one up to his squared jawline, cupping my palm around it. I do my best to ease him into a better rhythm — silently showing him the ropes — and he proves to be a perfect student.

Taking my bottom lip between his teeth, Arven pulls a gasp from me, and uses the opening to let his tongue explore my mouth. Smooth. I let out an unexpected moan at the feeling, and he grins against me. 

Both my hands tangle into his mane as he deepens our kisses. He’s becoming far more bold with his movements, thanks to my accidental noises of encouragement. Soon enough, Arven repositions his right hand back onto the wall and trails sweet pecks — some more open-mouthed than others — to the corner of my mouth, down towards my jaw, and onto my neck. He begins close to the center of my throat, and works his way into the crook, somehow knowing exactly where his contact will make me tingle. 

Noticing how I shudder and tighten my grip in his hair when he reaches one spot in particular, Arven licks a small strip of skin. Then, he lightly bites down on it, eliciting an embarrassing whine from my throat. 

Smiling against my skin, he lilts, “Feel good?”

“Mmmhm,” I hum, blissfully unaware of his palm leaving my face and tentatively making its way down to my chest. A featherlight touch to my nipple sends a shock through me, and I peer down, delighted by the sight of his huge hand pressed over such an intimate spot.

“Is this okay?” Arven asks, raising himself back to lean his forehead against mine.

I hum my affirmation to him again. Nodding only slightly, so as to not jostle his head while doubling down. 

My eyes shut while he brings his palm lower to the hem of my shirt. He hikes it up slightly, placing his calloused pads on my side. Moving his touch upward, carefully making his way back to where he had just been. 

When I open my lids, my vision flutters up towards pinkened cheeks while Arven feels me up without any fabric in the way. I can’t help but catch his curled lips between mine again as he pinches and twirls me beneath his fingertips. Must’ve caught him by surprise – he moans for the first time tonight, and it sounds more beautiful than I’d ever imagined. 

My mouth parts into a toothy grin, and before I can poke fun at him (unjustifiably, given earlier circumstances), he tugs my shirt all the way to my neck, leans down, and begins to lick and suck my around my chest. I whine as he suctions the skin between his teeth, leaving a harsh bruise. 

After kissing it better, he kneels. Peppering more kisses down my tummy and onto my hip, without breaking eye contact. One of my hands leaves his hair, and I timidly hide the lower half of my face under the collar of my shirt. The other stays against Arven’s head, offering soothing pets in return for how good he’s making me feel without having really done anything yet. He only lowers his turquoise iris to focus on untying the string from my shorts, and I take the opportunity to bask in a rare sight: his entire face. As I lift his bangs, he glimpses up and playfully glares at me.

“You’re so handsome,” I murmur. I worry it’s muffled by my shirt – that he won’t be able to hear me through the rolls of fabric – but a wide smile tells me otherwise.

One of Arven’s hands stays on my side, engulfing the damn thing. The other makes its way around to my ass, giving the right cheek a light knead — like I’m his dough, or something — taking up the entirety of that with his palm, too. I feel oddly satisfied, maybe even turned on, by how much bigger he is than me. 

He looks proud of my upturned brows and heady breaths while he continues to kiss lightly along my waistband. Stopping for a sec, he tilts his forehead to rest on my hip, and sighs. 

“I’ve… never done this.”

“Yeah, it’s come up once or twice.” I grin kindly, and although he can’t see my mouth, he can probably see it in my eyes. He smiles back. “You’re doing perfect. And if you want to stop at any point, we can, okay?” 

Arven nods, and I crouch down to his level, kissing him softly. I’m about to get back up, but he holds me low to the ground with him. Pushing me back against the wall with the force of his kiss, he greedily mumbles into my mouth, “As if I’d ever want to stop.”

[mynamesaplant]

What Lurks in the Dark

Posting here, but also posting here on AO3 in case reading on Tumblr's not your thing!

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Summary:

Dawn finds herself stuck in her mer form. What's worse is that she's been having nightmares.

Content Warnings:

This fic contains blood, violence against children, and PTSD.

Notes:

Thanks once again to all the inspiration from monsoon-of-art on Tumblr and their PLA Mer AU. They are forever a font of knowledge and inspiration.

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Dawn never realized just how dark the ocean got at night. She was usually back on land with man made light banishing the dark back to its dark corners. The sea has no such luxury. Since being stuck as a mer, her dark vision has gotten a lot better so seeing isn’t really the problem. Her swimming and internal navigation was leagues better than before, but neither clan fully trusted her to be on her own just yet. Still so small and inexperienced to what lurks in the ocean. At least one clan member was with her at any given time, trying to prevent her from scratching at the patchy fur.

“Just be patient.”

Calaba’s chiding did not stop Dawn from trying to steal away and dig her sharpening claws into the uncomfortable, and frankly unsightly, adult coat disrupting her previously pristine white fur. She knew everyone was secretly excited, and she was too, she loved to spend time with her mer family… But this felt like one more little taunt from Arceus.

One day with Ingo at the shoreline, he commented that her coat looked longer than usual and a little darker in some spots. Dawn couldn’t say she noticed, but he scooped her up and set her on the rocky outcrop, withdrawing her flute from her bag. The song sounded… wrong though. Even Ingo’s face quirked in confusion, leaning down to look while Dawn twirled the flute in her hands.

“Your flute looks different.”

It looked very different from his. It looked more like a shell and as blue as the sea. He had never seen anything quite like it.

“Why am I not changing back?”

The minor note of panic was not lost on Ingo. Dawn was peering into the holes to see if something was stuck or if it was damaged in some way, but she didn’t see anything that would prevent her from playing and the magic from working to change her back into her human form. He extended his hand out.

“May I see it?”

She placed the flute down and Ingo brought it closer, squinting to look for the same things she had. He picked it up with delicate fingers and turned it over.

“Why don’t we take it to Warden Arezu? I’ve been told she has dexterous hands, so she might be able to do more than I would.”

Dawn had found that agreeable at the time, but they went to the Diamond clan’s settlement the following day and Arezu found nothing amiss. Adaman also took a crack at it but was about as successful as the previous three. Now bordering on hysterics, Dawn went to all the wardens to seek any assistance and the only ones who provided her with any real insight were Calaba and Sabi.

Calaba was a little more straightforward but cynical. The old warden remarked that if the gods that power the flute’s magic did not want her to return to her human form, there was nothing to be done but wait or accept the inevitable. The idea that she would never go back to being human made Dawn shudder. She enjoyed being a mer sometimes, but she preferred having legs and eating cooked food.

Sabi was more cryptic but provided a glimmer of hope. Dawn did her best to wade through what the youngest warden said to get to the crux of the matter, not that Sabi made it remotely easy. What she got from their exchange was that she should go to the drop off and just ask for a straightforward answer. As if Arceus would really just answer her questions without being as cryptic as the Diamond clan warden.

Ingo had planned to accompany her, but Adaman and Irida ended up being her escorts, the area bearing more spiritual significance now since the events of rising tides and the attack of the many-armed serpent.

Unlike all the times she had tried playing to revert back to her human form, the flute played perfectly, and a voice rose from the depths, booming and alien, but somehow also familiar, to the ears of the mers.

You summoned us, chosen?

Dawn felt the clan leaders press closer to each of her sides. Irida’s upper lip curled back to reveal sharp canines and blue eyes hooded by her furrowed brow, ear pressed flat to her head. Adaman’s tail restlessly stirred up the water, his ears twitching which made the scales shimmer and flash in the dim light, and his gills flared and flushed a dark red.

Dawn knew both of these reactions were signs of aggression and warning. The girl took a deep breath and said as loudly as she could into the dark expanse of sea below her.

“Why is my flute not working?”

There was a long pause before the voice responded.

What do you mean? You just played the song to garner our attention.

“You’re right, I did.” Dawn was trying not to sound frantic, trying so hard to be patient to get the answer she needed. “When I play the song that turns me back into normal, it doesn’t work. It sounds wrong.”

Another pause – even longer this time. She half expected the voice to ask her to play, which she was fully willing to do (regardless of the consequences of being so deep and being a poor swimmer).

Observe your coat, chosen, and tell us what you see.

Dawn twisted herself around and looked down at her tail. She took in the little splotches of gray staining the fur. She ran her fingers through it and felt that it was somehow uneven, just as Ingo had observed. The two clan leaders also took a closer look, about as unsure as Dawn as to why a god couldn’t just be forthcoming about an issue for once.

“Oh… Oh Dawn! Your molting!”

“I’m what?”

She barely had time to say as Irida wrenched her around, fingers nimbly working through her uneven fur and producing a tuff of fur between her claws. Adaman scowled and helped Dawn into a more upright position, the suddenness of being jerked around had given her sort of a head rush and she appreciated the Diamond clan leader for righting her.

“You’re getting your adult coat!”

Lady Irida is correct. The flute will not work until you have gone through your molts, chosen.

And thus, it went. Dawn was stuck in her mer form. Her fur slowly – almost painfully so – dappling with dark gray flecks as the snowy fur turned more of a smoky gray with the passage of time.

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Stuck in the water with not a lot of options, she swam up the river that led to Jubilife and hollered at one of the guards to get the professor. Laventon might not be able to help, but he might be able to offer advice.

“My word,” he exclaimed, kneeling by the water as about half of the village was held back by the Security Corp. “Dear girl, why haven’t you played your flute yet?”

She explained morosely what was happening and Laventon’s brow furrowed. He agreed that it was a conundrum but, as predicted, had no solutions for her. His recommendation was that she remain in the water because trying to stay on land would be far too complicated for her in her current condition.

“How am I going to eat? I always ate here.”

“Well, I suppose you could keep swimming back here and someone can fetch you something, but I imagine that might grow wearisome depending on how long this lasts.”

Dawn tried to keep up with it for a while, returning to Jubilife twice a day, but the trip became exhausting within the first few weeks. The clans were coaxing her to stay closer by, she was burning so many calories trying to get back when they could feed her just as well as Galaxy Team could. Eventually, she agreed with them. She did not realize she would be stuck there for the next few months.

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Dawn hadn’t always been afraid of the dark. The key word there being always. She had been afraid of the dark as a little girl. She remembered her mother putting a nightlight in her room, a little rotating light that displayed the stars across the ceiling of her room, but that had mostly subsided when she got older. Now she had entirely different reasons for being afraid.

She didn’t realize it at first – that this fear was gripping her so tightly once again. Not until she was out near dusk and Gaeric had tried to insist they do a little bit of hunting with him and Ingo.

“Gotta pull your own weight you two. Now, come on. You can set up and check yesterday’s traps.”

At first, she wasn’t opposed to the idea. She took it as an opportunity to get used to swimming with low levels of light and to trust the way the water feels against her body, like Iscan and Mai had tried to explain to her.

“You can feel the current. Sometimes it’s warmer or cooler, but they’re like invisible guides. There is so much you can learn just from the feel of the water.”

Although neither warden was too far away and the task at hand wasn’t particularly difficult, as night began to blacken the water, Dawn felt something inside her constrict. Suddenly everything felt harder to see and she froze, muscles screaming in pain because of how immediately they locked up. She didn’t understand! Maybe… Maybe something venomous stung her?

“Dawn!”

It was not Ingo’s voice she heard first, but Gaeric’s. The mer barreling towards her and quickly assessing the situation. All he could tell was that she was struggling for some unknown reason. Maybe not enough air? Her pupils had shrunk to a fraction of their normal size, her head wiping around wildly. Gaeric scooped her up and moved for the surface, Ingo not far behind.

Her body was rigid – cold like a sheet of ice – and Gaeric was surprised when he felt her shaking against his palm. Ingo was trying to talk to her, trying to figure out what happened, but all they could hear was her teeth chattering. She was gingerly pried away, leaving bloodied scratches in Gaeric’s palm, and Ingo took her back to the settlement to let a medic look her over, but nothing was wrong.

“It seems as though she experienced a shock of some sort.”

That was all they could conclude unless Dawn had something to add, which she didn’t. The girl was actually rather embarrassed by the whole affair, her time with Galaxy Team shining through in her assurances that she would not be a burden to the clans. Well, now she felt like a burden. Ingo swiftly silences those worries. These were unusual circumstances and completely out of her control. She had accepted his half scolding, half reassuring speech, and tried to put the incident out of mind. A few weeks later, that’s when the nightmares started.

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Dawn felt the darkness pressing on her eyes, her heart pounding so fast and loud that she was positive that he could hear it from her hiding spot. This area wasn’t even that deep. In the back of her head, she heard an unhelpful Laventon monologue about cephalopod ink and how it was used as a defense mechanism. Not this time though. This time it was meant to confuse and disorientate.

The eerie silence of the water only severed to make her trembling worse, forced to wait until he made a move. Her only defense seemed to be her small size and the flute clutched tightly in her hands. She could not stop the scream that was wrenched from her throat as long, clawed fingers probed the crevasse, and a burning amber eye illuminated her hiding spot.

“Come now, chosen one.”

The words came across bitter, but also a touch playful. He was going to enjoy toying with her for having what he never could – for being the exact thing he mocked, which he craved to be. All his prayers. All his devotion. All his effort. Yet, the Almighty picked this puny, insignificant, blaspheming child? Volo was going to mince her and offer Arceus’ favored up as a sacrifice to the many-armed serpent – Giratina would enjoy that. Volo all but assured her of her inevitable demise.

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Dawn sat bolt upright, swallowing a scream that had been part way out of her throat. The sleeping pups and adults around her were not roused, she was still nestled safely beside Ingo’s flank, and there were a few smoldering fires around the space that provided a warm glow that reminded her of a sunset.

“Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning. Red skies at night, sailors delight.”

Laventon had playfully told her. Dawn pressed herself closer to Ingo, gripping the fabric of his parka tightly in her fingers, and forced her eyes shut.

“Go back to sleep.” She mumbled to herself, trying to keep the shake out of her voice. “Go back to sleep. Just go back to sleep.”

She did eventually, but her mind was still plagued by vague nightmares of sheer cold and oppressive darkness. Thoughts filled with slime and decay, sharp mouthfuls of teeth and suckers hiding deadly hooks cutting into her with ominous laughter filling her dreams.

This fitful sleep did not go unnoticed.

Ingo was a little too direct about it, asking her if she was alright and if she slept well when they both knew she didn’t. He couldn’t help it. It was in his nature to get to the heart of the matter and try to be as helpful as he could. To his surprise and dismay, she lied to his face.

“I slept great! Now, what’s on tap for today?”

At first, it was only occasional. Ingo had trained himself to be attuned to the subtle changes in her sleep and would draw the girl a little closer when her dreams were tipping into nightmares. Even if the knowledge made his skin crawl, he had to accept that Dawn just didn’t feel comfortable divulging her thoughts just yet. He could understand in a way. They were similar in that regard. It was hard for him to place his reliance on others, even if that was against his better judgement. Especially since his clan already found behavior like that weird, as they had always had one another to lean on, Dawn’s experience was entirely unique to her.

All mers had growing pains, he knew he must have even if he couldn’t remember precisely, but she probably did not have the words to describe it. The language was her biggest barrier. Everyone tried to be understanding, but sometimes it did not come across that way. So, Ingo relied on patience and the knowledge that Dawn was a smart girl – impulsive at times, but smart – and she would come to him when she truly needed him.

He wasn’t the only one to notice, however.

Calaba and Palina noticed the dark circles under her eyes, but did not know how to properly address it, especially since Dawn wouldn’t even talk to Ingo about it.

Calaba offered her some remedies. Tinctures and oils that had helped growing pups in the past through their growing pains, those growth spurts often accompanied by sleepless nights.

Palina made an effort to make more food that she liked to help her feel a little better. Who couldn’t have a good night’s sleep with a full stomach of your favorite foods? Dawn accepted them, but the restlessness continued.

Gaeric’s solution was the same as Mai’s, just stuff as many activities into a day to exhaust her and she should sleep soundly. It worked at first, the girl instantly passing out when it was time to rest for the evening, but even though Dawn was thoroughly exhausted, it did not stop.

Lian, Arezu, and Sabi were all of the same mind that what she needed was a good distraction because she was homesick, so the younger wardens spent hours playing with her.

Arezu, always fond of grooming sessions, chattered endlessly as Dawn dozed, half listening to what she had to say but mostly finding brief interludes of sleep between Arezu’s stories. Both methods, like all the previous ones, had been temporary. Adaman personally found all these tactics to be a waste of time.

“Give her to Melli,” he had jokingly told Iscan when he had made a suggestion to have her lay out in the sun. “He can sound like the droning of bees and cicadas, that’s sure to put her to sleep.”

The problem was that nobody knew how to broach the topic, not with Dawn immediately withdrawing into her shell by denying there was a problem anyhow. Irida had learned that firsthand. Dawn flinched at the question and stammered out that she slept just fine. The girl wouldn’t look her in the eyes.

If it was so obvious, then Dawn needed to do something about it. She stole away and returned to Jubilife to ask the professor for his advice. Everyone would scold her later for vanishing without a word, but she needed some time alone to think and seek advice from someone she trusted even more than Ingo.

“Restlessness? Hm, I usually find a nice cup of warm tea usually sends me into a nice sleep. I can try to get you a cannister of tea leaves, a cup… a pot to brew it. Do they have fires at these settlements?”

“Yes, I cook all the fish I catch over them.”

Dawn had to admit though, it was becoming more and more tempting not to wait until she returned to the settlement to have a meal. The idea still grossed her out enough not to, but sometimes she watched Gaeric eating something he had just caught with such vigor, that she had brief moments of morbid curiosity.

“Fascinating! I will have Rei gather up all the necessary supplies. I must ask, are you still filling out your research book?”

She nodded and withdrew a notebook from the standard waterproof bag provided to every Survey corp member. He beamed when she handed it over, thumbing over the worn pages, wrinkled from drips of sea water and bleached almost as thoroughly as her warden friend’s coat. Her illustrations were always exquisite, her notes not nearly as detailed as Rei’s, but Laventon appreciated them anyway.

“Professor, has… Has anyone seen or heard anything about Volo?”

Laventon tore his gaze from the book and looked down at the girl. She was not looking at him, tapping a finger on a rock and taking great interest in her patchy tail, attempting to appear uninterested.

“No, unfortunately. The commander had the team scouring the lands and, per our agreement with the clans, they would keep an eye out for him in the waters.”

“Okay.” Her voice was strange. “Just curious.”

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A frigid limb, colder than all the water in icelands, coiled around her. Tighter and tighter until all the air was crushed out of her, a stream of bubbles escaped her and rushed away, showing her the way to go. She could not follow. Sharp teeth dug into her. Cutting her. Making her bleed. She couldn’t even scream.

“Look at me now, chosen one.”

Dawn was jerked through the water, placed eye to eye with a man she had confided in, she had trusted him – how could she not? He had been so kind. She met a sinister grin and two unblinking yellow eyes. A pair of suns filled with nothing but malice as Volo’s grip tightened around her. There was a horrible crunch.

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Dawn woke abruptly with such a fear and pain gripping her chest that she was completely unable to stop the scream from escaping her. She was still disorientated from her nightmare to realize the hand curling around her was not the one she thought it was. She screamed again, sharp claws slashing into the palm, and, when that didn’t stop it, she lunged forward and sank her teeth into flesh.

“Dawn! Dawn – You must relax. It’s me.”

Although the person cringed, they scooped up her body with her other hand. She could feel the bitter tang of iron on her tongue, a growl reverberating through her throat when she was plunged into darkness. She didn’t want to be in the dark! She needed light! In her utter panic, she did not recognize the familiar scent and the warmth and gentleness in the touch. Just blood and dark and salt and a tension that was more than bone deep, something woven right into every fiber and nerve. She couldn’t even form intelligible words, just sobbing and screaming. The enclosed space smelt so much like blood. When that smell hung so heavy in the air, death was approaching. Nothing could survive without its blood.

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Her tail has been stained pink, the water swirling with blood that sure to draw sharks. The threat was gone. The many-armed serpent (what had Volo called it? Giratina?) lifted her to the surface as one last act of penance before sinking back into the depths. She wasn’t even sure what happened. She didn’t know what she had done to defeat Volo and the ancient serpent. It was the same for the other gods of the deep. All she knew for sure was that she was alone.

She turned onto her side and coughed up water and blood, the mix burning her throat. Hot tears stung her face as she wailed into the hands, the dim light of her namesake began to stain the inky sky from black to blue… The same colors her bruises were sure to have. Every move hurt. Each breath felt like someone jabbing a knife between her ribs. She lay there, bleeding out and condemning herself for ever trusting him.

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“Dawn!”

A deep rumble shattered through her memory. That… That was a familiar voice. She remembered where she was. Who she was with. Her tail was still itching like crazy because she was molting, and she was stuck in this form.

She lowered her shaking hands, red painting the tips of her fingers, a fresh wave of tears coming to her eyes as she realized just who she had hurt.

“Ingo… I didn’t… I’m sorry!” He heard her stifle a sob and gingerly brought her closer, telling her it was okay. It was just a bad dream. “B-But it wasn’t!”

What did that mean? At times, he wished he could be smaller, just to hold her close and tell her everything was alright. Why did she have to be so small? Now that she wasn’t trying to claw her way to freedom, Ingo’s grip loosened a bit and he bowed his head to look down at the poor, distraught child in his hands. She was openly weeping, fumbling at the marks she had made and repeating the same apologies over and over.

He kept his back to his clan mates, trying to give her a bit of privacy. Although he knew their stares and murmurs were not malicious, he could still feel a deep instinct to protect Dawn swelling in his chest, practically hunching over when he felt them pressing against his back and sides. A growl not too dissimilar to Gaeric’s rumbled from his throat, warning them to back off now.

What had gone wrong? The evening had been pleasant enough. Irida had kindly invited the surveyor to join them for an evening chat that had evolved into some pleasant communal time. Grooming, chatting, eating, drinking, and, finally, sleeping – Irida had quietly insisted he and Dawn stay because they could use a little bit of “group time,” as his leader had so delicately put it. It had been relaxing. Even Ingo had to admit it was nice to just rest with his clan mates, knowing everyone was full and safe and at ease.

Now that relaxing atmosphere had turned tense. They all knew she was experiencing her own difficulties, but never had they resulted in such an intense reaction.

“Ingo,” Irida said over his shoulder, a hand coming to rest on his elbow, and he almost jerked his arm away from him. “We’re here to help you… and Dawn. We just want to help.”

The warden swallowed thickly, the growl dying back as he forced a breath. Throwing a glance to his leader from the corner of his eyes and then back to Dawn, who had buried herself in his parka, gripping, ripping, and staining the pale fabric with each fresh wave of sobs. This was not something he was going to be able to resolve on his own. All their attempts separately hadn’t been fruitful – their young friend was not alright. Something had shaken her down to the very core and she didn’t know how to tell them.

Dawn flinched when his thumb flicked over her back, the motion meant to be comforting but her nightmare, her memories, of facing off against Volo and Giratina… She didn’t feel safe here. Not anywhere in the ocean. At least on land she felt like she was in control. She knew her body and mind on solid ground, but not here.

“I-I’m sorry - I hu-hurt you!”

It wasn’t her fault, he tried to assure her. She had been in the throes of a terrible nightmare and terrified out of her wits, so he harbored no resentment or anger toward her, but he did need to know why. He needed to know so he could help her. All this child had ever done and accomplished had been on her own and now, even with a support system ready and able, Dawn did not know how to share her burdens.

“What were you dreaming?”

“Ingo-”

“Dawn – please, what were you dreaming?”

She was sinking lower and lower, trying to avoid his gaze when he raised her up to his eye level. No more beating around the bush. He needed to know. He needed to help her. Dawn flattened herself against his open palms, covering her head and cowering under his scrutiny, a sharp keening sound peeling through the space which made everyone’s hair stand on end. That was what pushed Irida and the other wardens to surge forward, offering comfort and gentle appeals to tell them what had her so petrified.

Lian and Calaba were far too small (by comparison) to get close enough to comfort, but that didn’t stop either of them. The younger warden scrambled up Ingo’s back, not that the orca mer even notice with all this focus on Dawn, and clambered up to his shoulder, balancing there rather precariously before scooching himself down Ingo’s arm to wrap Dawn in a tight hug from behind. He was not usually so touchy-feely, in fact he usually hated to infringe upon other people’s space and vice versa, but there was something so awful about seeing his friend crying.

Calaba barked at Gaeric to pick her up, she could offer some herbs to help settle her nerves, then maybe they could get some answers. Although his palm was crowded, the elderly warden insisted she be put down next to Dawn. Once she was safely situated, she removed her pack and began to rummage through it for a few things for her to chew on. Willow bark and some wolfsbane for pain. Ginkgo leaves for clarity of mind. Lavender and chamomile for anxiety. Lord Ursaluna had been so kind as to gather these things for his warden and her clan to keep them healthy, this would be a good opportunity for Calaba to flex her medical muscles, so to speak.

That left Palina, Gaeric, and Irida; all anxious and keenly aware that they could not solve the problem, at least, not any better than Ingo could. Their speech all overlapped, which ended up being more disorientating than anything else, the largest warden shooting them a withering glare that silenced them all. This was Ingo’s pup.

It took nearly forty minutes to coax and answer out of her and it had only been a single word – a name. Volo. There was a chorus of growls, a collective of hackles raised from the mere mention of the man who tried to ruin everything. Dawn had not spoken a word to anyone in the clans about the incident. The one called Laventon had taken it upon himself to meet the clan leaders and explain that something had happened to Dawn. It hadn’t been his place to get into the nitty gritty, but he warned them about a man, Volo, who had been the source of all the unrest in the region.

“He allied himself with a creature, Dawn thinks its name is Giratina, and riled up your gods. He got an artifact similar to Dawn’s to transform…”

Irida and Adaman glanced at each other, the latter’s scarred eyebrows quirked with concern and the former’s arms crossed tight over her chest. They could tell this was serious since the professor was not asking them such unusual questions. Last time they had come near shore, Laventon had impulsively started asking about diet and social habits, grabbing their fingers to compare and contrast the webbing between their fingers.

Nothing.

His eyes looked tired, his cheeks particularly pallid and gaunt, like he had not been taking proper care of himself. The humans were still dealing with the ramifications of the flooding, the clans had taken it upon themselves to offer what food aid they could while the water continued to recede from the lands. This was serious.

“He’s dangerous and at large.”

Laventon warned them, his tone grave and his fingers nervously fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve. They were asked to keep an eye out for him, the professor giving a description, practically spitting out like venom.

Ingo wanted to ask her to explain, but he could already predict the results. He wanted desperately to know more, he still held a gut-wrenching pain in him from his inaction when Dawn voluntarily revealed her secret and now, he was finding that Dawn was dealing with some lingering trauma.

“I w-want to go ho-home.”

Her sob echoed through the cavern, her request plaintive and wobbly, and the Pearl clan exchanged looks. Dawn couldn’t go back to Jubilife, not yet anyhow. With no legs, she would find living on land particularly difficult, and the humans would not know how to help her. Ingo would have to deny her request, at least temporarily.

“Not tonight.”

He said, trying to be gentle as he denied her, and everyone flinched when she wailed. She was just a scared pup, she needed reassurance – she needed their presence and comfort. All it took was a quick glance at each of his clanmates and they all wordlessly slumped to the ground.

Gaeric took the base of the pile without hesitation, resting his head on Palina’s flank when Ingo settled to the ground with his hands clasping the three mers carefully. With Palina on one side and Irida, who was draped over Gaeric’s tail, on the other, Ingo leaned back against Lord Avalugg’s warden, just as sturdy as his lord. Setting Calaba, Lian, and Dawn down on his chest, the eldest warden asked to be placed between Gaeric and Palina, Ingo setting her down just as Palina rested her head on Ingo’s tail and Irida on his side.

“Don’t lay on your dorsal fin. It’s already bent.”

Calaba growled, so Ingo manipulated himself in such a way as to not crush the fin in question. Lian refused to budge, holding Dawn tightly, and nobody tried to separate them.

“You’re safe here.” Ingo rumbled, placing a hand over the two kids to keep them from moving around too much. “I promise, you’re safe here.”

The surveyor knew he meant it. With him and Gaeric here, this was by far the safest place in the world, but it was hard to dispel the fear and the tears still dripping from her eyes. She listened to the reassuring beat of Ingo’s heart, so much louder than she thought possible in her ears, but it did help her focus and drown out all the other noises.

“If you have any more bad dreams about Vo- … That guy, I guess I’ll just have to remind you that I’d take on a chump like him any day.” She heard Gaeric’s voice distantly, not catching him say under his breath. “Anything for you, kiddo.”

“We would never let anything happen to you.”

Palina echoed his sentiment, casting her eyes toward the mer she treated like a little brother, and he pointedly wouldn’t look at her. A feeling of pride bubbling in her chest because Gaeric was trying to reach out to an outsider.

“Like Ingo might say, safety is a top priority. Especially for pups.”

Dawn shut her eyes tight when Calaba said that, feeling another sob catch in her chest. Lian was mumbling something into her back, the words might have been muffled, but the sentiment was there.

“You’ll always have a place here, Dawn. We will all do our part to keep you safe.”

With that final assurance from the clan leader herself, Dawn finally felt the panic in her chest loosen and a wave of fatigue roll over her. Slumped against Ingo’s chest, her exhaustion finally catching up to her. Dawn had a blessedly dreamless sleep.

[ameftowriter]

Pokemon SV fic: What have you done, my dear friend?

FINALLY!! Oh man it took me a few days to write and edit this but here it is! I wrote this when I was inspired by @k-chips ‘s Dadvell AU. Check her art as well for that AU, its quite beautiful :3

Either way, I even wrote this while there was downtime on my night shift.

So I hope you all enjoy this! Thank you for reading!

Ao3 Link in the replies

WARNING: MAJOR POKEMON SV ENDING SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

"Sada?!" Clavell drove around the middle layer of Area Zero as he yelled despite knowing it was of no use as he searched for his friend, "Sada! Where are you?!"

Clavell grumbled as he let Cyclizar drive deeper down to the crater.

"I swear to Arceus if I find you, Sada…" 

He sighed for the nth time. He knew that he's going to be in a ton of trouble just being in Area Zero. But he had to come here.

He needed answers.

And he needed them now.

It's been a few months since Arven and his Mabosstiff came into the crater by themselves and ran into something that gravely injured the Pokemon. Since then, Arven had grown cold and distant to everyone else. Clavell has since then taken responsibility for them, but that still really didn't solve anything. He tried, he really tried like hell to contact her. The real biological mother of Arven, Professor Sada. He wanted to know what it was that attacked Arven and Mabosstiff. How strong it must be to gravely injure a Pokemon like that.

He wanted to know why she never bothered to reach out to them.

He knew that she was buried in her research. She always was, ever since they met. He knew she was too busy to even take care of a child. He knew that…

That…

He knew her well. He was the only person that would be considered her friend. They worked together on the Tera Orb technology. It's how he and even later his new colleague, Jacq met the young boy. 

And now he's the only one who has been there for him.

Clavell has tried to contact her since the incident. Calls, emails, texts, instant messaging… anything he could use at his disposal to contact Sada at this Arceus-forsaken hole in the middle of the region. But it was all to no avail. It was just nothing. Radio silence.

So now, he's resolved to jump into Area Zero in secret, in search of this boy's mother. 

He stopped at the 3rd Research Station for a break and to rest his Cyclizar. He sat himself on the bed and opened up his sandwich for his lunch. He realized then that this place hadn't been used in a while. There were vines all around the outer walls.  There was quite a layer of dust in the desk and bed and he had to clean up a bit in order for him to actually relax. He knew that ever since the end of the Tera Orb project, that most of the assistants, including himself, had gone on to do other research. Only Sada and a couple of assistants had stayed behind. 

But he recently met up with them just before he became the Director of Naranja Academy. They were mostly quiet about the project as they were asked by Sada herself to keep this secret. But they did tell him that something has gone wrong with Professor Sada once the Tera Orb project ended. Ever since her husband, Turo left her unexpectedly one day, they had barely even seen her or let alone even talked to her. The last time one of them spoke to her, they were met with nothing but rage. Over something as simple as her needing rest. The assistants then both agreed to leave after that. Not only was Sada getting more volatile, but they felt there was something… something deeper down the depths of Area Zero, that was far, far more dangerous than they first thought.

As Clavell finished his sandwich, and fed his Pokemon, he stretched himself, mounted his Cyclizar once more, and headed off deeper into the crater. 

He entered a large cave that gave him a path to bring him lower and lower down the crater. On the way he saw a lot of unusual Pokemon wandering around. Most of them he has rarely seen in the wild and even saw wild Glimmora which was never recorded to have ever been spotted in the wild. In fact, he only knew what it was, when he first met the newest Top Champion, Geeta. He saw that there were more Tera Crystals around and some had even grown larger than he last saw them, and saw had crept closer to the entrance. He managed to evade many Pokemon around him and found his way into the 4th Research Station.

He's been here before of course, he spent a lot of time in this research station before. It was closer to the Tera Crystals for him to study and collect samples from. Plus he used to be Champion rank himself, so he was allowed here due to his battling prowess.

He dismounted Cyclizar and returned him back to its ball. 

He found it quite odd though, normally there would be other Pokemon casually roaming around this area, but now, he hasn't seen any near this station at all.

He knocked at the Station doors despite knowing that no one would be there to answer anyway, and opened it himself.

What he saw in the station was something he could never forget …

Cables were strewn all over the floor, the giant metal canisters had fallen over, various machines broken as if they were physically torn apart by hand. Human? No, impossible. It must be a Pokemon's doing. But he remembered how sturdy everything in these stations were. Not even Dodonzos or Gagrnacls could wreck the place. He could then see that tera crystals have slowly crept in from the crevices of the walls. The power was shut down from this station, as he expected to see sparks coming from the disaster he walked in, but there were none. He couldn't even get the light switches to turn on. 

Using his Rotom phone's flashlight app, he looked around the mess. The only thing he could see upright was the little command centre. He jokingly commented once before how these little things could survive a nuclear disaster. He didn't think he was actually correct.

Judging from the wreckage, he knew something went loose in here. But what kind of Pokemon could do such massive damage here?

Just then he felt something on his shoe, he peered down along with his phone, and saw that there was some sort of liquid dried up on the floor, staining it. It came from underneath one of the canisters… It was dark, dark… red? Brown?? Black?? 

Wait…

It…

It's….

No….

It looked like b—

"Who's in here?!"

A familiar voice quickly grabbed Clavell's attention away from the stains. His head snapped up and looked towards the source of the voice. And there he saw… he finally saw the woman he was looking for.

"Sada!"

"Clavell?!" Sada was shocked to see her friend down here. "What is Arceus's name are you doing down here?!"

Clavell blinked as he tried to just absorb the question thrown at him and then again. 

'So Sada's here…' He thought… for a second he thought the stain was… that it belonged to… 'So this stain couldn't be…?'

"Clavell? Hey! Are you all right?" Sada asked him with great concern, "I overheard a Cyclizar coming down here so I went to check. I didn't expect to see you down here."

'Wait… how did she know it was a Cyclizar?' Clavell was confused, Cyclizars are typically not loud when they are driven. But then quickly changed the topic, as he had more priorities. "Sada. I came down here to look for you."

"For me?" Sada wondered, "How come?"

"Sada…" Clavell shook his head and sighed. He stepped outside the station to approach his friend, "Arven was here. A few months ago."

"He was?!" The professor was shocked to hear that from him. "Wait! What was he doing in here?"

"He was looking for you Sada!" Clavell quickly shot his answer at her as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Your son came down here all on his own to search for his mother who has barely sent an email to him for the past year!"

"I was… I've been…"

"Busy. We know." Clavell finished it for her. Every word dripped with sarcasm. "And do you know what happened to him, Sada? He got hurt. And what's worse, the only thing he had that was a semblance of a family is Mabosstiff. Or do you only remember him as a Maschiff? Either way, Mabosstiff got gravely injured while protecting him."

"Oh no…" Sada muttered as she felt incredibly guilty as she heard the news, "Is he?"

"No… Thank Arceus he isn't." Clavell shook his head, and pushed his glasses back up, "But Jacq and I, I hope you still remember him, have tried everything at our disposal to heal him. We've asked every professor in the world for help and while we have made some progress, none can't even guarantee if he'll ever be back to his old self again!"

Clavell, safe to say, was furious. The second reason why he came down here was to just tell Sada off. It felt wrong to him for doing something so ungentleman-like. But seeing Arven and Mabosstiff in such a terrible state… he couldn't take it anymore. He felt so helpless just being unable to help them. 

He was without a doubt, taking out his frustrations at her.

Sada remained silent. She turned away, not making eye contact with Clavell. 

"Sada…" Clavell took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Arven. Your son. He misses you. More than you could ever imagine. He went here to look for you. He wanted to know. Just like I wanted to know…"

"Why won't you come back?"

Sada finally turned to face her friend. Clavell was not angry at the moment. He was… 

To her, her friend was pleading with her.

"Clavell… I…" Sada muttered just enough for him to hear, "I can't…"

"I can't, what?!" Clavell demanded an answer, "Why? Is there a reason that we don't know, why you can't leave this Arceus-forsaken hole?" 

"I just can't leave Clavell…"

"Then tell me why?!" He repeated himself, but there was no response from his friend. "We just want to know!"

"I'm sorry…" was the only thing Sada could muster.

"Don't tell me that." Clavell shook his head, "Tell that to Arven. To Mabosstiff."

Clavell clenched his fists as he tried to restrain himself.

"His father left both of you when he could barely remember him. And now you left him for… for this!" He waved his hand and pointed at the wrecked station, "And now you're just going to let him lose the only family he has left?!" 

Silence once more.

"Answer me Sada! Anything!" Clavell pleaded, "Anything to just… explain this?! Is it really worth leaving your loved ones behind?! Your friends! Sada, please…"

Professor Sada instead turned away, back facing her friend. She couldn't answer him. She couldn't even begin to try to answer him.

So Clavell took that silence as his answer.

"Very well…" Clavell pushed his glasses back, "Very well, Sada. I shall take my leave then."

He brought out his Cyclizar and gave him a good pat. As he mounted his ride, he then said to her .

"Despite all of that, Arven is surprisingly doing well." 

Sada bit her lip but didn't show it to him.

"He's a strong young man. More than I could ever imagine." He continued, "I'm proud of him despite all of it."

Sada didn't reply.

"I'm going to take them in." Clavell declared to her as he refused to look at his friend anymore. "I'll take full custody of them. I'll take care of them. And they'll finally have a home. With me."

If Sada could cry right now, she would. Instead she replied.

"Thank you… and good luck…"

“You have no right to say that, my dear friend…”

Clavell didn't say anymore and drove away. Away from this hole. And away from her.

Sada turned her head just to see, to see if her friend had left the caves. Just so she wouldn't be seen. 

Just so he wouldn't see the truth…

She entered the wrecked station, walked towards the large stain, then looked at what was peeking out underneath the canister.

"I'm sorry…" Sada? said as her eyes glowed red. "I'm so sorry my dear friend…" 

She rolled out the canister to reveal the horrible truth underneath. 

"I cannot tell you. I cannot tell you this…" AI Sada lamented, "You and Arven… deserve better… better than this…"

"You two… would be happier if you didn't know about truth…"

Clavell felt bad deep down. He had just exploded in front of his dear friend because he was frustrated at himself. But he wanted to tell her all of that. He didn't know what else to say to her in the first place. 

And yet something…. Something is telling him that the entire interaction with Sada felt very off.

It is as if he wasn’t talking to the real Sada in the first place.

But he was so sure that he was talking to her. It was no illusion, there were no Pokemon around them. It was just Sada and the broken down research station.

Come to think of it, he never looked much deeper into the stain he found. He assumed it was just a chemical spill.

It's just….

It's just that Sada he talked to….

Was it really her?

Was it really his dear friend?

Was it?

Deep down… he knew something was up. He knew something was wrong with this….Sada…

If that is the case then is Sada….?

Clavell went home and never spoke word to anyone, not to Jacq, not to Arven. About what he did that day.

________________

The crystal pillars lowered down back to the ground as the AI Sada tried to put herself back together. She thanked Juliana, for her hard work and perseverance despite the challenges to be able to shut down the Time Machine once and for all. 

AI Sada felt relief. That's what her emotional calculations concluded. It was a great relief that her struggles would be no more.

"Julie!"

"Jules!"

"Little buddy!

"Miss Juliana!"

Four voices rang out as the two saw the remainder of the group rush to their friend's side.

"Wha–" Penny was the first to notice the robot standing right infront of them. "What is this?!"

"Did you already beat all the baddies without me?!" Nemona added with a hint of disappointment, as she wanted to join in the battling.

"Is this…" Clavell then spoke as he tried to piece the situation together, "What I think it is? Sada? You really made it didn’t you?”

But Arven wanted an answer to a more pressing question.  "Ok, out with it, you…" 

Juliana and Clavell looked at Arven with great concern.

"Who are you, really?!"

That feeling… that feeling deep down within Clavell began to resurface again. As he looked at his…. Friend?? Her body is all stiff, unblinking, and with twitching movements…. As if she wasn’t even a human… as if she was a… 

"Th-thank you… for… everything…." Her voice was soft but filled with buzzes and static. It is now obvious to anyone who she really was. "The time machinӘ… has final|y… ShӘ has…. fina|ly… bæn stoppӘd…"

"S-Sada?" Clavell managed to utter out.

"You're really not… my mom, are you?" It was hard for Arven to say it, but he braced himself for the truth…

"I'm sorry …" AI Sada looked at Clavell first. "I am so sorry, my dear friӘnd… tha7 I… |… I had to liӘ to you… back thӘn… didn't wan7 to… upsӘ7 you morӘ…"

"Wait what?!" Arven turned to Clavell only to see that the man whom he called a parent, turned pale, eyes wide, and fingers shaking, "You… you know about this…?"

"Sada…" Clavell could only say… as the horrific realization came to him. "You… can't be…"

Then AI Sada turned to face Arven this time… She wanted to shed tears… for him… She knows she can't, but the feeling is all too real. Whether it was made by her codes telling her so or not.

"Oh…   Look… how big you'vӘ grown…" AI Sada managed to say with the sweetest voice, despite that it was all robotic. She meant it… she felt it… emotional calculations or not. She truly felt this emotion of love and pride. "5o… p-proud of you… my…"

Her voice disappeared for a second. She tried to say it. She tried to say the word she wanted to say so badly. But the emotions… it's telling her, stopping her. Telling her that she shouldn't say that… Because she cared, she cared so much for him.

So she instead said, ".... sorry… you wӘre alone s-so… |ong ArvӘ—-"

"M-Mom?!" Arven could only say instinctively… 

Then the surrounding crystals within the room turned a deep scarlet colour.

Security System failure!

Security System failure!

Threat to time machine detected!

Threat to time machine detected!

The robotic voice filled the room and filled the room with a buzzing alarm.

"Wh-wh-whoa! What's going on now?" Penny spoke up, scared of what would happen next.

"Is another army of Pokemon on its way here?!" Nemona was ready to battle once more, but for once, she too was worried of what was to come.

The group turned to face each other, back and forth, looking around to see where the robotic voice came from. Trying to understand was happening right now. 

It was not good.

"|t…. cannot bӘ–!" AI Sada looked up, as the program began to take over her systems.

An obstacle is preventing the time machine from performing as intended.

Activating Paradise Protection Protocol to remove the offending obstacle..

The elevator doors where the group came from then shut itself. Everyone took a step back but then realized they were already trapped.

"Wha–?! Was kӘӘping the time maɔhine running truly all thӘ profӘssor cared about?!" AI Sada was horrified. She was made as the exact duplicate of her creator, her emotions, reactions, movements, were all based off calculations based off the real Professor's personality. And yet… this…. This was something she did not expect at all… Or rather…

This is something she thought her creator would never try to do.

Locking all Poke Balls except those registered to Sada's ID.

"Wait what?!" Nemona looked at her Pokeball and tried to call her partner out of it. But she couldn't. Her Pokemon couldn't come out of the ball, no matter what she tried.

Penny pulled out her phone, as she tried to unjam the systems blocking their poke balls.

Juliana then turned to look at the AI, hoping she could give them an answer. 

Instead...

Program initializing…

Gathering Terastal energy…

The AI had tera crystals, creeping out from underneath her feet. 

"|'m sorry childrӘn, I'm sorry my dær friӘnd… " the crystals grew from her feet, legs, her coat, to her hands, her body… as if she herself was being Terastallized.

"This is al| too much for you…."

AI Sada slowly stretched out her arm… she wanted to reach out  to her son. All she felt then was her own will, slowly being overtaken by the will of her own deceased creator.

She looked at Arven, at Clavell, at Juliana, at Nemona, at Penny… She was scared, terrified even. Because she now know what this is capable of.

She knows what this Protocol will do to her and to her friends.

She knows that she would lose all control of herself.

She knows that she would no longer function as Sada.

She knows that she would become nothing more than a cold and cruel machine…

Dead set on removing everything and everyone that is in the way … no matter what the cost…

"You… must… run…!"

Arven took a step forward, he wanted to reach out to her, to save her. Despite the dangers, he wanted to… save her…

AI Sada disabled.

Paradise Protection Protocol initialized.

The black platforms rose once more, lifting the Paradise Machine up to prepare it for the final sweep. To remove everything. To eliminate everything that is not part of the Paradise. 

For Paradise must be maintained no matter what!

"Oh Sada…." Clavell trembled as he feared for the worst, "My dear friend…. What have you done?!"

"You are no7 getting in my way!"

You are challenged by AI Sada!

You are challen?ed by the Paradise Protec?ion Protocol!

AI Sada has no intention of fighting anymore!

You are challenged by the Paradise Protection Protocol!

[ofstormsandfire]

if you're still doing the ask game, volo!

Oh god okay

Closest to a bingo yet!

Which is to say. Oh god, Volo. Fandom is allergic to nuance, so I'm not surprised that half of the fandom considers Volo to be an irredeemable bastard and the other half considers them to be an uwu soft bean who did nothing wrong.

And. Goddammit. No.

Volo canonically tries to murder the protagonist. Volo also canonically is the sort of person to take photos with their pokemon. These things coexist! It's very rare for someone to be wholly evil or wholly good, we all exist in shades of grey. Volo is neither a soulless fiend nor a misunderstood baby, they're just human.

(Volo isn't canonically nonbinary but I'm very partial to that headcanon.)

Their spear pillar outfit is godawful. The hair's the worst part, the rest can be salvaged, but the hair is... buddy I get that you're trying to emulate Arceus but it didn't work for either of the Origin Formes and it sure as hell doesn't work for you either.

They've done terrible things. They've done good things. And honestly, I think becoming worse or better in the wake of PLA is equally feasible, depending on what happens for Volo next. I personally prefer writing and reading them improving as a person, but that's entirely a case of personal preference lol.

I have. A lot of thoughts about this.

Thanks for the ask!

[allaboardsubmas]

Truth Rewritten, Ideals Realized

A/N: Wrote this for my Patreon a while ago and finally finding time to post it here! I hope you guys enjoy!

Fandom: Pokemon (Black & White, All Media Types, Legends: Arceus)

Characters: Kudari | Emmet, Nobori | Ingo

Rating: General

Summary: Emmet steps off his train alone to find an empty Gear Station, no one answering his calls, and he is not amused. Coming across his brother’s pokeballs and dozens of copies of his missing posters that claim he went missing in a maintenance tunnel makes a lot more sense when said brother wakes him up, though. He feels only a little guilty that he latches onto Ingo when he goes to inspect a maintenance tunnel with reports of strange pokemon interference. Somehow, though, he feels like he did something right.

AO3 Link: Truth Rewritten, Ideals Realized

—

If you enjoy this story then check out my Writing Commissions.

…or, if you prefer, you can just buy me a ko-fi! ☕ …or, if you have a nice allowance, support me on Patreon! 🪶

—

Truth Rewritten, Ideals Realized

Emmet would like it on record that while he was bad at what Ingo liked to call ‘reading the room,’ he was actually aware of when something was wrong. Reading people was difficult, yes, but even he could tell something was wrong in the way he stepped off the Doubles Line train and saw nothing except an empty station. 

Instead of the usual clustered groups of people and scurrying Depot Agents that did their best to keep things in order, instead Emmet saw an empty, cavernous room that vaguely reminded him of Chargestone Cave. The always filled benches were absolutely empty, the usual sound of footsteps and pokemon cries couldn’t be heard no matter how hard he strained his ears, and even the train he had just stepped off of appeared to be completely empty with no one stepping off or on. 

“This is Emmet,” Emmet said, speaking into his Gear Station standard radio and proud of himself for how his voice stayed calm and even. “To whoever managed to pull this off, good job, well done, it was verrry funny. Now where is everyone?” 

There was nothing except the low hum of buzzing static, a sound that always meant no one was on the line and no one was responding. He tried again, speaking a little louder, “To whatever Depot Agent is on the line, can you explain why the atrium and my train are completely empty?” 

This time Emmet let the silence only last a couple of seconds before he was activating his radio in the pattern that was meant to send out an emergency alert across all lines and active channels. There was no immediate response and Emmet found himself moving without thought, heading into one of the tunnels and out of view of the large, empty station where there was no movement or sound. 

At the same time, he was fumbling with his x-trans, finally getting it open and dialing Ingo's number. While the two played the occasional prank on each other, Emmet knew that Ingo would never approve of something like this against anyone, but especially against Emmet. 

“Greetings! This is the number of Subway Boss Ingo! I regret to inform you that I am unable to attend to your call, but please leave your message and I will schedule a return call as soon as possible! Safe travels!” 

“Brother-” Emmet paused to swallow a couple of times as the word caught in his throat, unable to get out through the rasp of his suddenly dry throat. “Please call me when you receive this message.” 

Ending the call, Emmet tried a re-dial even though he knew it wouldn’t work. Ingo never failed to answer his phone — especially for Emmet. If he couldn’t answer, then something was wrong. 

Quickening his pace and walking further into the tunnel, just to be safe, he looked around the edges before finding what he was looking for and ducking down into a maintenance tunnel. 

It was less maintained than their main lines, but it was quiet and out of the way and there was no risk of a rogue train coming through and snatching him up if this was some mass kidnapping attempt by Team Plasma. That didn’t explain where all his passengers had gone, though. 

Shaking his head, Emmet walked further down the tunnel as he tried to contact someone — anyone — through both his radio and his x-trans. There was no response on his radio and his x-trans refused to connect to anyone, Emmet getting nothing but automatic messages attempt after attempt. 

“I am Emmet and I am fine,” Emmet said firmly to himself. While the situation was horrifying on so many levels, he was still a Subway Boss. If something was wrong with Gear Station then it was his duty to fix it. Especially if it involved why he couldn’t contact Ingo. 

Reaching for his belt to throw out one of his partners, he froze in his tracks completely as he saw a grouping of pokeballs on the ground in front of him. They weren’t his — he could feel all of his still on his belt — but they were still familiar. 

Dropping to the ground to check, Emmet had half the thought that they were dropped or hidden pokeballs from some theft attempt and they would maybe be able to tell him what had happened, or at least give him an idea of what was going on. 

He then went still at the first pokeball he picked up, his fear a physical force that almost had him collapsing because there, on the front of the pokeball, slightly off-center, was a small sticker of a train, worn and aged and half-falling off. It was the same sticker that Emmet had on the ball of his Eelektross. It wasn’t his pokeball, though.

It was Ingo’s. 

“Ingo?!” Emmet’s scream bounced off the walls and earned him absolutely no response, his fear now crawling up to settle in his throat and make him gasp for breath as he fumbled for the button on the pokeball he was holding, missing the mark again and again as his hands shook. “Ingo, where are you?!”

Nothing but silence answered him and Emmet choked out something that was between a swear and a sob. He didn’t bother to mumble reassurances to himself, instead gathering up the rest of the fallen pokeballs and gently clipping them onto his belt with the others. 

The one with the train sticker he kept in his hand. The one with his brother’s Chandelure he held tightly to his chest with enough force for his fingers to ache. He didn’t loosen his grip. 

For as much as they shared their pokemon and saw them all as their family, their starters were still theirs. Emmet had a bond with his Eelektross that Ingo never would, and similarly Ingo had a bond with his Chandelure that Emmet would never quite understand. 

Chandelure was also a ghost pokemon. Ghost pokemon formed bonds with their trainers — strong ones. If something happened to Ingo, then something would have happened to her. 

Emmet told himself, very firmly, that she was still inside her pokeball and that he had just been too panicked to open it properly. It wasn’t empty. It wasn’t because if it was empty — if she was gone just like Ingo — then- Well, then-

“Ingo?” Emmet knew his call was weaker this time, but it didn’t stop him from stumbling further down the tunnel, looking around in the dim lighting as if his brother would suddenly reappear and tell him that everything was alright and it was simply a practical joke by the Depot Agents that had gotten out of hand before he could put a stop to it. 

The sound of crunching paper broke the silence in the tunnel like an Explode, Emmet feeling his heart damn near stop as he stumbled back and looked around wildly only to see that it had come from him stepping on a piece of paper. 

“Dirty,” Emmet mumbled, staring down at the paper and feeling his smile finally drop completely. “The maintenance tunnels should not have debris.” If he said it firmly enough, he could make it all seem like a normal problem that could easily be solved. 

Shifting his grip on the pokeball, Emmet bent down to quickly swipe the paper off the ground before standing back up and trying to uncrumple it with one hand. He was a little surprised to see it was a Missing Person poster — and one that looked very recent, at that. Did this maybe have something to do with why Gear Station was empty and abandoned? 

His eyes flicked to the date, first, confirming his suspicions of it being new when he saw it was marked for today’s date. Walking a few steps closer to one of the emergency lights, Emmet tilted the paper so he could see the face of the person on the poster even as everything in him screamed for him to not. 

Missing: Subway Boss Emmet Trevithick 

Last Known Location: Subway Boss Emmet was doing an inspection of Maintenance Tunnel 3B when he failed to report in and answer any calls from both the Depot Agents and his brother Subway Boss Ingo Trevithick. Upon investigation of his last known location within the tunnel, all of his pokemon were found in their pokeballs with no trace of the Subway Boss near them. 

Physical Appearance: Subway Boss Emmet is known to wear- 

Ripping his eyes away Emmet threw the poster away from him, stumbling as he tried to walk backwards as quickly as he could, as if the paper was an angry Serviper ready to snap. 

“Ingo! Brother! Where are you?!” Fumbling to try and open Chandelure’s pokeball again, Emmet felt sick when he looked down and saw that the train sticker was now perfectly set in the exact center, the key difference to show that this was Eelektross’ pokeball. “Ingo?!” 

His haste caused him to step on something that ripped his balance out from under him, Emmet grunting as he hit the ground and landed on what felt and sounded like a pile of papers. He wasn’t surprised when he managed to get to his knees and saw they were more missing posters, but this time instead of a smiling face it was a frowning one and where there had once been white there was now black. 

Every missing poster around him looked out at him with Ingo’s face, all of them proclaiming that his big brother was missing. The pokeball in his hand rattled, as if the pokemon was trying to get out, and Emmet forced his frozen body to look down just enough to see that it was once again Chandelure’s pokeball. 

Emmet dropped the ball as if it had burned his hand, knowing he was screaming for his brother and yet unable to tell what he was even saying anymore as he just screamed-

“Emmet!” 

Jolting and reeling, it was only Ingo holding him by his shoulders that kept him in his chair from where… he had fallen asleep at his desk? No. That couldn’t have all just been a dream. Right? 

A sharp shake of his shoulders had him snapping his attention to his brother, who was looking at him as if he was two seconds from calling for an ambulance. “Fine,” Emmet blurted out. “I’m fine. I’m- I’m okay.”

Ingo quietly watched him for a few seconds longer before pointedly looking at where Emmet’s hands were latched onto Ingo’s arms, forcing his brother to be unable to move away. Emmet hated how he couldn’t bring himself to let go. “Forgive me, but I don’t think that’s the truth. It’s also not like you to fall asleep at your desk of all places.” 

Well, that was true. Emmet hadn’t even remembered dozing off! The last thing he remembered before that twisted, confusing nightmare had been him working on some paperwork. 

Emmet felt Ingo tap his shoulder twice, a quick little check-in that Emmet couldn’t help but relax into. “I am okay. Just… bad dream.” Ingo’s expression made it clear he wasn’t going to let that be the end of it.

Emmet hesitated, chewing over what he wanted to say before starting to speak, the sound of the door opening cutting him off. “Bosses! There you are!” One of their agents was sweeping in and looking rushed, Emmet firmly reminding himself that they were at work and they were Subway Bosses. He could panic and worry over abandonment issues later. “White Boss you’re due on the Doubles line in a couple of minutes. Black Boss, we need your help with a… problem?”

Finally letting go of Ingo, Emmet stood up and grabbed his coat to put on, hating how a part of him just wanted to walk back over and cling to Ingo like they were children and he believed Ingo could protect him from everything. If he was honest, he still believed that some days. “What sort of problem needs my attention?”

“We’re not sure. We’re getting reports of some sort of pokemon interference that’s causing electrical problems, but they can’t see anything on the cameras so far. No other high level battlers are available right now and we didn’t want to rush into anything.”

“Of course.” Ingo grabbed his own coat from where it was slung over his chair, slipping it on and giving Emmet a quick look that meant they would be talking more about his dream later. “Where is the interference coming from?” 

“Maintenance tunnel 3B.” 

“...was doing an inspection of Maintenance Tunnel 3B when he failed to report in and answer any calls from both the Depot Agents and his brother…”

“I will come with,” Emmet blurted out, startling both his brother and the agent, moreso when he latched onto Ingo’s sleeve and refused to let go. “I- I will join the Doubles Train once we’re certain the interference is dealt with. It is a fresh run. It will take time for any trainers to reach me. Ramses can cover train operations and I will switch with his train to Anville tonight.”

Emmet knew he was only making Ingo worry more about him, but everything in him screamed that he could not let Ingo go without him. Thankfully, his brother knew him as well as he knew himself, and Emmet felt some of his tension ease out of him when Ingo linked their arms together. “Yes! Emmet and I will go together to ensure this isn’t a ploy by remnants of Team Plasma or anything similar. Please inform Ramses of the change in schedule and we will depart momentarily.” 

The agent nodded before giving both of them one last look and leaving the room. Ingo, the amazing and wonderful person he was, shifted to clasp their hands together before pulling him along. Emmet gripped his hand tightly and managed to whisper out a quiet, “Thank you.” 

“We are a two-car train,” Ingo said firmly, pulling Emmet up to walk beside him. “Whatever problem arises we will solve together. Yes?” 

Emmet couldn’t help his laugh, nor his teasing, “Well said. Bravo!” It earned him a light shove from Ingo’s shoulder, their hands still intertwined as they went forward together. 

Somehow, Emmet felt like he had won at something.

[profchamomile]

a childhood memory for the memory asks?

(@purriors)

//Assume all these writing bits are like. Off-screen stuff.

//This might be sloppy; I didn't really take time to proof-read it much

//heed the tags

"You got your toy all muddy AGAIN?"

"I'm sorry, mom; I was trying to be careful, but I fell..."

"I swear, Kate, you'd lose your head in the mud if it wasn't attached to your body! At this point, we're better off gettin' you a new one. I don't know HOW many more washes that thing can take."

"NO, I don't WANT a new one!! She's been with me forever; she's my best friend!"

"Kate, it's JUST a toy! We can get you one that looks exactly the same! Now come on, throw it away. You have to learn to let GO of such trivial things!"

These words echoed in the mind of a small, red-haired child, who staggered through the junkyard in the dead of night, tears running own their face. She tried her best to rummage through what they could lift, but they weren't sure where to start. The dump was so much bigger than they thought it would be, and it consisted of much, MUCH more than just their family's trash.

They were exhausted from having walked the whole way. Their legs were just barely holding them up. Yet still they searched. They searched for their best friend - their one item of comfort.

"Arceus, please..." The child whimpered to themself. "Please help me find Belle..."

Suddenly, some of the the trash behind them moved on its own. The child startled, jumping and turning around, but unable to make out anything more than a vague figure scurrying about.

They started running. They ran as fast as they could, but they could hear the creature give chase as it let out a piercing cry.

As determined as the child was to get away, one wrong step was all it took for their leg to hyper-extend, causing them to fall to the ground, holding their leg in pain as their kneecap felt indescribably out-of-place.

They turned around, seeing the figure's glowing eyes and eerie smile hidden in the shadows, and attempted to scoot back.

"I- I'm sorry... I d-d-didn't mean to enter your home, I just-... I just wanted to find my toy," the child choked out, "P- please, just let me find her and- and I'll go home, I promise!"

The figure didn't seem to heed the child's pleas, however. It let out a low, menacing chuckle as it stepped out into the moonlight, and revealed itself to be a Banette, wearing a muddy and faded jester's outfit. It notably rang with every movement, with bells attached to the pokemon's satin bracelets, collar, and jester's hat.

"Belle...?"

The Banette raised her arms and let out a menacing cry, though the small size and the bells ringing did nothing to help the affect.

The child slowly stood up. "Belle... It's really you!" A smile grew on their face as they clumsily ran towards the Pokemon, and fell to their knees once again to scoop the Banette up in their arms.

"You're alive... You're alive, you're alive!" the child repeated. "I'm so sorry I threw you away... Mom wouldn't let me keep you."

"I'm sorry I dropped you so much," they continued, "I- I didn't mean to... I don't know why I always trip, or why my knees bend the wrong way, or why my legs get so tired easily... I wish I could keep you clean so mom wouldn't get so mad..."

The Banette simply let herself be hugged, absolutely confused and astonished on how to react. Eventually however, she lifted her small plush arms in an attempt to hug the child back.

"I don't care if she'll get mad at me again," said the child, "You're my best friend. And you're alive, now! She can't make me get rid of you! A- and if she does, I'll just find you again!"

The child finally pulled away to smile at the Banette. "C'mon, Belle. Let's get to a Pokemon center. Maybe they'll help clean us up before we get home."

"I gotta... Get you a Pokeball, anyway-" The child struggled to stand, though due the pain in their knee, they fell again. They grabbed their knee, squeezing their eyes tightly shut and trying their best not to cry out in pain. "O-ow..."

They felt an invisible force pick them up, and looked down to realize that they were back on their feet, yet they felt almost... Weightless.

The Banette climbed onto the child's shoulder and let out a cheerful "Ba-nette!". The glow in her eyes were slightly more intense than it was a few seconds ago.

"Huh?" The child looked over at their Banette. "Belle... Do you know psychic?"

"Ba-NETTE!" the Pokemon happily confirmed.

"Wow, Belle, you're amazing!" The kid flapped their hands excitedly. "Thanks so much, this'll make walking so much easier! Now let's go!"

While walking carefully, still in pain from their dislocated knee, they made their way to a Pokemon center, where the Banette officially became registered as the child's first Pokemon.

[captain-mommy-issues]

//this is written in first person just because I'm most comfortable with it. This is ooc!!

Why had they acted so strangely while we visited here last? Why had they been so insistent that their Pokémon stay inside its ball? Why here? Why only here? Their face. It seemed strange. The way they looked at me seemed strange… What was wrong? I wish they told me.

There was talk of a phenomenon here. A strange one. Something to do with the breakthrough of space and time. I assumed something like the time machine back in Paldea? However, nothing seemed off about this place. The Pokémon were all normal, for Unova’s standards. Nothing was off. Not a single thing.

Well, except for the vibe.

The look of sorrow I saw on their face. It was still engraved in my mind. They smiled at me, but I knew it wasn’t genuine. I knew it wasn’t. It couldn’t have been They felt guilty. Why did they? I don’t know. I wish I knew. I wish they could have just told me.

This time I went alone. I brought their Pokémon with me. Maybe that was wrong of me, but I swear it was only for a short while. I was giving it back, of course. Who was I to rob my best friend?

I walked along the edge of the Crystal Pool and examined the Tera stones shimmering in the moonlight. I approached the water, that strange Pokémon walking beside me, and watched in awe as a purple mist started to fill the air. It seemed to sparkle as well, much like everything else in this area. It had a theme, I suppose…

The fog only grew, eventually encapsulating the lake in a thick, lavender cloud. I clutched the strap of my backpack, preparing to throw it off and grab hold of one of my Pokéballs if need be. I let out an anxious sigh, full of regret, questioning myself on why I chose to venture back to this place. Why did I do this? What purpose did I have here? I felt my hands begin to shake. I felt as though I might even die here…

It was then I saw a figure. A shadow of someone seemed to appear right in the corner of my eye. Dear Arceus. This is the end, isn’t it? I gritted my teeth and hesitantly turned my head to face whoever, or whatever, had materialized in front of me.

Their face was surrounded by smoke. I couldn't make out anything about them. I took a step closer with hopes to uncover the identity of what I presumed to be a stranger. I examined the blur, beginning to recognize their features. I concluded that they were dressed in white, and purple. I took yet another step, this time with more confidence.

Perhaps I shouldn't have.

My eyes grew wide as the mist blew past their face, unveiling it. I saw two brown eyes staring back at me. They were fixed on top of a pale face with an ashy-brown beard. A face I knew far too well.

My…dad.

He only looked at me. No words were exchanged at all. I can only assume he didn't recognize me... I don't know if that made things better or worse…

Almost immediately, I felt the tears rush down my face, quickly having turned it deeply red and swollen. Through teary eyes I watched as my father approached me.

“Are you al-” He began to speak. I heard the hint of concern in his voice, but his words only hurt me. His voice. I couldn't bear to hear it. My head began rapidly spinning. My thoughts were racing. They were conflicting. They were painful. My father. Here. Is this good? Is this bad? Do I want to hug him, or tell him off? I couldn't decide. I couldn't. I can’t.

Before he could finish his sentence, I grabbed hold of my friend’s Pokémon and ran through the cloud. I ran as fast as I could, as far as I could.

I didn’t look back.

I couldn't bring myself to.

And I don’t know if I regret it.

...