Altered Bonds Extras
Omake 5 — Canon Event
(Best read after Chapter 8)
(Canon? — uhhhhh)
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Eira choked and gasped for air, consciousness flooding her shaken mind. A torrent deafened her ears, and her nose smelled the ocean.
Her damp clothes clung to her like a second skin. Her actual skin was damp too, and yet so dry. Saltwater? It must be, she was just in the sea a moment ago—
The sea?
Rain battered her sore body, Eira wincing at the feel of sand crawling within her clothing and shoes. Her fingers were denting a piece of splintered wood, the one she'd been clinging to for dear life. An immense cold swept through her spine, and she shuddered, head slowly turning up and eyes squinting through the dark.
"W-where?" she said to herself, confused and afraid, her hands unclasping the driftwood and inching toward the beach sand. Lightning boomed and lit the sky, and she reflexively turned.
Red eyes met hers. She reeled back, suppressing a shout.
It took a moment to realize those eyes belonged to a blue furred, bipedal jackal with long dreadlock feelers growing out of his head, a metal spike jutting out of his cream-colored chest and another two from the backside of his paws respectively. He stood on the balls of his feet, as if it was natural, and with a start Eira realized he'd been speaking to her.
For a moment, that distracted her from everything else. Is he trying to talk to me? she thought, unsure of what to do. She never had a Pokemon do that before. It wasn't often she got so close to one either. What does he want with me?
She stared on, wary of his hardened red eyes, and the jackal frowned. He bent his knees and raised his arms in a placating gesture, and suddenly, Eira realized this wasn't just some mere Pokemon.
That's a Lucario.
There was a storm.
My ship—
Everything rushed back all at once. Eira remembered the screams, the cacophony of a ship shattering apart, her sense of vertigo as she tumbled into the air—
I almost drowned.
But she didn't. "You," Eira mouthed, peering at the wooden plank she was lying on. "You saved me."
Lucario nodded, flashing a little smile. She returned it.
It could only contain a grain of her infinite gratitude. She was alive! That shipwreck should've been the end of her. Just thinking of it made her numb — how did it even happen? There was no way she should've made it out alive from such a freak accident—
Mother.
The cold seeping into Eira's body found its way into her bloodstream, freezing it over. Her Mother! What happened to her?
Eira twisted her head, neck protesting as she gazed toward the sea, her breath going shallow. "Mother?" she cried. "Mother!"
A feminine groan. Eira shook, then noticed Lucario gesturing, his paw pointing past her. She turned further, toward the rest of the long piece of driftwood, and her heart fluttered with rapture.
For there she was, coughing to herself and holding on to the other half of the wooden plank. The darkness and heavy rain had obscured her, but there was no mistaking the figure. "Mother?" whispered Eira.
Mother gingerly turned over. "Daughter?" she croaked, and it was everything Eira wanted to hear.
Looking at Mother was almost like staring at a mirror, so similar did they look to each other. Same body type, close to the same height, similar faces — it was only Mother's dark shade of skin and her more mature appearance that set them apart. From the way Lucario furrowed his brows, he must've originally mistook Mother as an older sister. An easy misconception to make.
"Are you fine?" said Eira. "Mother?"
Mother rolled her eyes. "Me? Oh no, I'm actually a Zoroark who stole your Mother's skin," she said. "I've been pretending for five months, and your Mother's still locked in the cupboard."
Eira laughed in spite of herself. "Mother," she said in a chiding tone.
"Oh no, don't you 'Mother' me." Mother shifted away from the rumbling ocean shores, but too late, sputtering as a wave of tidal water leapt onto her face. "Goodness, I think I've outdone myself this time — I've written us both into a tragic story without even trying. You like the beach I made for us?"
More laughter. "You're alive," said Eira.
Despite the thick darkness, despite the rain, and despite Mother's casual attitude, there was no mistaking the tender tears welling up in her eyes. "Father can be lonely for a little longer," she still teased, before extending an arm in invitation. "Darling?"
It was all Eira wanted. She crawled over—
Her leg flared up in pain, making her hiss and drop to the side. Mother rushed to her, before gasping out, gingerly clutching her other arm.
The Lucario from before leapt in, Eira suddenly remembering he was there. He gestured for them to stay put, thinking to himself for a brief moment. Then he extended his paws, glowing a faint aqua, and rainwater coalesced into sparkly, magical droplets before her eyes. They shot toward her, and instant rejuvenation hit her with every drop that rippled into her skin. Other droplets flew toward Mother, who eased up with a contented sigh, and Lucario himself.
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Eira's leg still throbbed, but the pain was muted, hardly noticeable. She pulled herself to her feet, and Mother did too, her face beaming. "It was you, wasn't it?" she told Lucario. "You saved my life, and my daughter's."
Lucario seemed abashed, her words pulling a half-smile onto his face. Deeper down, however, Eira thought she saw melancholy in his face. A noise left his maw, his eyes staring toward the sea in a trance.
She looked too, and found herself lost in utter wonder. Waves crashed and tumbled over each other, the sea raging with irascible fury. Thunderclouds screamed as a brilliant bolt of lightning lit up the pouring sky, and in that sacred moment, she could see a grand, black tower jutting out of the ocean, far in the distance. Stranger still, at the furthest reach of the horizon was a rippling wall of glitter, stretching out across the world and bending the light.
"Lurr rio," Lucario said in a somber voice.
Obviously, Eira didn't know Pokemon speech, but she could understand enough. "You lost someone, didn't you?" she whispered. "Y-your trainer?"
Lucario cast his face in shadow, eyes shut. His body trembled.
Mother approached him, hands clasped in front of her face. "Lucario," she told him, "I cannot begin to repay you for what you've done for us. Your sacrifice means the whole world to me. Please, whatever you need—"
A snort. Lucario shook his head, looking up at her. A moment passed before his eyes glowed a fierce blue, and Eira trembled as something foreign touched her mind. A wave of emotions, one after another.
Pain. Questioning. Loss. But also satisfaction, a sense of peace. And an urge to continue helping.
Grief won't stop me from doing the right thing, he seemed to say.
Mother felt his message too, her solemn smile deepening. "You're too kind," she said. "You mean to stick with us, don't you? I'm afraid Eira and I have never been Pokemon Trainers, but regardless, we do seem to have a shared predicament."
She glanced around at the beach, then the cliffside and forested terrain beyond. "We're stranded on a remote island, it seems. And I fear the downpour will be bad for our health."
That Eira had realized. And yet, despite how unbearably cold it was, a warm fire still lit her heart. "But we still have each other," she said.
Mother's smile was its deepest yet. "So we do."
Again she extended her hand, and Eira ran forward. Their fingers clasped, before they leaned into each other in a loving embrace, entwined with each other like two halves of a whole. Mother kissed her cheek, stroked her hair, and laughed a joyous laugh.
"My little darling Eira," she said. "I was afraid I'd have to say goodbye to you too soon."
Eira rested her chin upon Mother's shoulder. "Same, Mother," she whimpered. "Same."
She peeked at Lucario, fearing for a moment that she was bothering him, but the jackal only perked up at their display of love. He eyed the sea one last time, wiped his face clear of rain and tears, and found contentment in their happiness. Eira choked, resisting the urge to tear up.
Their travels had gone awry. But she still had her closest friend.
"Thank you," she told Lucario. "T-thank you so much."
She still had Mother.
Everything was right in the world.
"Now then." Mother released Eira, resolution written in her face. "This is no storm to be out in. Perhaps there's a cove we can take shelter in?".
Shelter. The most important thing. They'd also need a fire for warmth and to dry themselves, and some food and water. But shelter came first.
Eira nodded, as did their Lucario companion. Mother took lead, walking—
Their bodies all froze. A powerful force held them in place.
Alarm shot up within Eira as she found herself being rotated to the side. Then fearful awe as she beheld a small, green winged figure with an onion-shaped head, floating menacingly in front of them. A mask with symbols of azure gears and clock hands cloaked the creature's face, with tiny slits revealing the glowing, twitching blue eyes beneath.
Her gaze encompassed all three of them, but they focused on Mother in particular. Divergence! she said, her whispery voice making Eira's mind throb. Lawbreaker! A cheater of fate! Destiny gives you no right to be here, child progenitor.
A Celebi. That masked Pokemon was the Mythical Celebi, a traveler and lesser watcher of time. Eira was meeting a Celebi.
And she's condemning my Mother? she thought with a start.
Mother seemed dazed, trying to process what was going on. Your fault! The Celebi said, pointing at a wide-eyed Lucario. What trick was played upon us, that you succeeded in finding and bringing her here? You rend this timeline askew with your act!
Ripples shimmered in the air, before violently bursting, leaving behind several more glowering Celebi with masks over their faces. The lead Celebi rubbed her head as if to soothe a migraine, grumbling to the others in the Pokemon language, and Eira felt her heart seize when she noticed the wince in Lucario's face.
One of the other Celebi whispered something, to which their leader gave a dismissive wave. No, this crime must be redacted. The woman causes a conflict in the timeline, she said, using her telepathy again. Her appearance here shall be undone — in the old-fashioned way, brethren! With her, time jumps will only propagate the seeds of chaos further.
The other Celebi nodded, causing Mother to stir. "What?" she said, before several sets of glowing eyes locked onto her. "No, stop! Why are you—"
Halfway her mouth went rigid. Eira too cried out, only to find eyes pressing against her. Her throat caught, and even speech was taken away from her, leaving a horrified girl to scream with no voice.
Lucario rocked and trembled, visibly thrashing against the Psychic force holding him, only to be restrained as a few Celebi glared his way. Why? the lead Celebi said with a tsk. Fool lady! You create a fork in time so divided, it throws everything off-balance! This world cannot compensate for the strain you place upon it! No, you will be sent to your proper place, to prevent such a cosmic upheaval.
Thunder roared, accentuating her words. A few Celebi moved, and Mother floated with them, her limp form as pale as death. Waves leapt up into the sea with hungry glee as they sent her toward the heart of the ocean, and Eira's heart tore up into infinitesimal pieces. They're taking Mother away! she thought. THEY'RE TAKING MOTHER AWAY!
The Celebi holding her buckled for a moment as she did everything she could to force herself out of her mental hold, begging, bargaining, pleading with them to not do this to her. Yet it was futile. Before Mother could be tossed out into open waters, her form rippled with frenzied light, as did her captors, the world twisting around them. A loud tear resounded, and dear Mother vanished from the world — leaving behind a fleeting memory, a wonderful dream that had been stolen away from her.
Eira couldn't tell if her face was streaked with raindrops or tears. Not that that distinction mattered.
WHY? she wanted to yell at the lead Celebi.
To her surprise, the leader heard her thoughts. Think not that I revel in the separation of a child from her mother, she said, folding her arms. Obligations hold their due on me, human spawn, is this hard to understand? Alternate timelines can be managed, but not this one.
At last Lucario stopped his struggle. His face spoke of the empty shell he was inside, his efforts of heroism all for naught. P-please, demanded Eira, on the verge of having a breakdown. D-don't d-do this to m-me, I-I can't—
I will put this in terms your brain will perhaps understand, snapped the Celebi. This is a canon event. Canon! It must be played out. You must cope with your inciting incident, and grow from it. These are the established rules, and neither we Celebi, nor the Dialga of this realm, will bend those rules for your short-term gain. You will appreciate this when all is said and done.
Eira's face grinded against the psychic hold on her, unable to scowl or gawk or rage at her words. 'Canon'? Losing Mother was canon? And she was supposed to be thankful for this?
Now enough. I shan't tarry any longer, dealing with this inconvenience. Kindred!
The other Celebi obeyed, approaching Eira. She tried yet again to escape her Psychic prison, only to falter when the gears in their masks glowed with hypnotic colors. Her thoughts slurred, and—
And—
Eira choked and gasped for air, consciousness flooding her shaken mind. A torrent deafened her ears, and her nose smelled the ocean.
Her damp clothes clung to her like a second skin. Her actual skin was damp too, and yet so dry. Saltwater? It must be so, she was just in the sea a moment ago—
The sea?
Rain battered her sore body, Eira wincing at the feel of sand crawling within her clothing and shoes. Her fingers were denting a piece of splintered wood, the one she'd been clinging to for dear life. An immense cold swept through her spine, and she shuddered.
For the briefest of moments, deja vu made her head hurt. Eira shook it away, eyes squinting through the dark.
"Where?" she said to herself.