~~~ Chapter 61 - False Binary ~~~

Art's left hand twitched, grabbing Leah's pokeball off his belt. He'd had his hand on it the moment the lights grew brighter. But he'd wanted to try and talk her down and out of the anxiety. Running was no answer to problems. Nor was beating up on the people around you.

"H-Hey, we have a lot we need to talk about!" Burgh had said the moment he realized she had stopped paying attention to him. Her antennae had gone from droopy, and her moping to a kind of twitchy movement. She was about to get herself into trouble, he thought, watching her walk over to Leaf. He hoped for a moment, that it would be another, normal scuffle. But something in the air just didn't feel right.

But he'd seen the tell-tale sign of her panic attacks, and had instantly reached for the pokeball. And, when Fidget hopped off the chair to greet her challenge… Burgh was dumbstruck, and for a half-a-second, thought about letting the fight play out. But when Fidget went flying back into the reinforced door, with a loud crack, Leah had been recalled back into the ball before she had a chance to follow up.

He was already checking over Fidget's head and body, trying to find any sign of damage—that hit looked like it hurt. But no, no visible damage. Just a dent in the door at the end of the train car. No missing leaves or gouges in Fidget's thorax or issues in his abdomen. Fidget yanked himself out of Burgh's arms, and started to rub his own blades together, shearing off layers of leaves with reckless abandon.

What is it with Leavanny and self-harm this way? he thought to himself, before recalling Fidget into his pokeball. Looking around in the cabin, by Burgh's bag, was the Silcoon. Putting Leah and Fidget both onto his belt, before sitting down on the bench next to the metamorphosing bug, Burgh threw his hands over his face, as he hunched over. The professor's voice played in his head.

They're pokemon. Animals. The words resounded in Burgh's head, again, and he groaned.

Even if she was radically smarter, letting Leah fight her cohort was… Not the best idea. If she was from another world, then her rules of engagement might have been different? Perhaps in the world she was from, Leavanny were less rare? She'd gotten morose and mopey when he'd asked her too many questions. An anxiety attack when asked to point at pictures with the detective. Then they'd used Fidget as a control, and that had turned into a disaster.

No, she was still hurting from something, and in his excitement, had ignored the warning signs of her own anxiety. Something in the questions she was asking had caused her to act up. Would probably continue to cause her to act out. But why would she choose violence? Fidget had nothing to do with the questions. And Leah had never chosen violence to start any interaction. She'd even avoided wrestling and playing with the swadloon.

Really, even with the effects of Sunny Day still in full swing, Burgh's mind was running… No, he'd heard about it before. Most pokemon with a full diet and good nutrition grew larger and stronger. Or their magic power grew more potent. But what about pokemon like Leah, who didn't change their physical shape or size? She wouldn't molt, and she'd be three feet tall for the rest of her life. Looking around, he picked up his bag, pulling it up off the ground, fumbling through his pokedex.

And found nothing. There were no known nutrients which caused an explicit increase in aggressive behavior. Not for Leavanny. But there was a general note with regards to the generic diet article, where he found the original note he was looking for.

Most pokemon in the wild are able to survive on a thin slice of the recommended diet. However, it is recommended to present a wide variety of food options and allow them to choose what to eat, as they will naturally gravitate toward meals which will contain the missing nutrients. He skimmed ahead—Even humans had some factors like that. Pregnant women, stories of his drama teacher's wife who had sent them on a midnight run for pickle juice covered ice cream or the one time she'd made herself an avocado covered and jelly sandwich. All of which had gone away when he'd bought her a pack of nutri-bars.

Pokemon with full diets are more likely to be willing to mate—

He skipped a bit further ahead. Burgh was not ready to even think about her laying eggs. Not until he at least had an actual sequence of her DNA. In fact, he made a mental note to double check Leavanny mating habits and ensure he wasn't making a big mistake by having her out and about with Fidget all the time. At the very least it shouldn't be a concern until winter. Was he going to have to give her the birds and the bees talk?

Art shook his head. He was on a mission here. And if she could understand human speech, she probably wouldn't need one. Though… perhaps he should at least tell her he isn't exactly able to guarantee support for kids. He wanted to check his hunch and find an answer for her aggression. Not a new vector for causing her panic.

Some trainers may find their pokemon tend to be more aggressive when their pokemon overeat.

He frowned. Leah wasn't overeating. By definition, as he understood it, anyway. The Leavanny article had said she should be self regulating before it got bad enough that she was getting fat. But that was due to pain as her inflexible body…

And yet, the behavior was still uncharacteristic of her. She was always propositioned for the fight first. This had been the first time she'd ever initiated an actual act of aggression of her own volition. Well, there was one time, on the docks where they met Aurea, that she pegged the bird with a razor leaf. Even after the first time he'd had to protect Fidget.

If a pokemon is hungry… Was the real reason why Leah had left for the city because she wasn't getting enough calories? If she was from another wo—no, he sighed. There was no point in further speculating. At least not until he could get an answer directly from her.

Burg held, in his hand, Leah and Fidget's pokeballs, feeling the extra weight his companions added to them. As much as he thought the Professor was an old hardass who hadn't kept up with the times; the old man was right about one thing, though maybe for different reasons. Because, well, sitting there in the train, with just his thoughts as company, for the first time since leaving the Professor's house a month ago, Art was lonely.

~~~

Darkrai, Cresselia, and their two new human "friends" sat in the ride car. Which went up. And then it went down. As soon as the ride began, the experience was over. Tyler and Selene took deep breaths, releasing espurr from the pokeball and picking his cat up, putting the one-foot tall bipedal staring feline on his shoulder. Darkrai looked over at Cresselia. He didn't frown, though he was watching Cresselia's passive and pleasant face.

"Not your favorite?" Cresselia asked him. She knew him well enough by now she didn't need to ask. They tended to understand one another shortly after each cycle. Dreams had tendencies of reminding them what they lost each time.

"It is an impressive machine," Darkrai said. "However, for going up and down, it leaves a taste of what could be." Cresselia's passive levitation meant she would never actually fall unless another being pulled her down. And Darkrai's levitation effectively kept him on the ground. Their tainted Latias friend could recreate the experience of going up and down with speed.

"Uh, did the security guard run off?" Tyler asked, espurr once more upon his shoulder.

"Yes, he did," Cresselia stated. Darkrai couldn't hear or sense heartbeats. Not like Cress. But, he didn't need to. He smiled.

"We have one more target before the finale of the night," Darkrai said. Pointing up at the park's single in-air roller coaster. It was, all told, a simple steel-type rollercoaster which had been painted in color neon pink and greens, with a dash of yellow.

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"Ty, I think they're closing up the park. All the people outside the concert hall are getting ushered to the front."

"It doesn't close until midni—oh," he said, taking an awkward glance at the gods walking in front of them.

"Should we leave?" Selene asked.

"I'd feel bad leaving those two here…" he said.

"They can clearly handle themselves, Ty," she told him. Then she spoke up, holding her hand up to her face, apparently not able to decide if she was embarrassed or frustrated. "I think it'll be okay," she whispered. They grabbed each other's hand and ran back up to Darkrai and Cresselia, both of whom smiled.

"A friend has told us that a roller coaster is an open challenge. A challenge of self-identity, I suppose. Yet, one learns a bit about themselves, on the approach, on the ride, and then after, when they get off." The four of them walked up to the beginning of the roller coaster's queue. All but a handful of guests seemingly left the park, but neither god was in a rush.

"Huh," Tyler said. "I suppose it makes sense. Do you two agree with it?"

"Relatively speaking, I suppose. Any choice one makes defines them, and tells who you are and what kind of being you are. You either rode the roller coaster or did not. In the sense that any daunting, or difficult choice defines us."

"I just think roller coasters are fun," Selene said. "Better than losing my eardrums in that concert hall, anyway." The concert hall had been banging and there were cheers here and there. They proceeded at a leisurely pace through the queue.

"We certainly agree with that," Cresselia said. "We much prefer quiet to the loud. One wonders how Groudon doesn't arise from this infernal banging." But, it was the cost of admission. Were it not for the banging, others would arrive too soon for the Lunar Duo to have a full night.

They climb up the metal steps, and find themselves back in the queue again, though they stop a good ten feet away from the last person in line. Tyler and Selene both look confused, before noticing Cresselia's finger pointed ever so slightly at the person in front of them. The park had been largely evacuated in silence. The only people who would remain were those who had a problem with authority, or those looking to cause trouble.

The man had hid his hands, but had been slightly too slow. Selene's face drooped and Tyler frowned. "More than one individual with a poor mindset tonight," Darkrai said.

"It seems our disguises aren't up to par, dear." Cresselia told him.

"You had me fooled," Tyler said. Darkrai's uncannily articulate illusory face raised an eyebrow. Tyler's face went flush.

"I do not know whatever you are referring to. We are but average human beings madly in love with each other and perform many gratuitous actions, just as any other madly-in-love pair of humans do," Darkrai said, smirking.

"Yes, yes of course. He's so dreamy." Cresselia said, grabbing her partner's hand, her facial expression emoted approximately as much as a mannequin. "Neither of you could dream how good he is," she said, looking into Darkrai's eyes. Cresselia never fully figured out facial expression, though she had tone nailed down pat.

The line moved forward, and another group got off, and they were next in line, so this time, the four and the espurr stepped forward, prior to the loading area. Even if the rides themselves weren't anything to speak about, he did have to admit—he was having fun. Though, when they got off the coaster, one last show, then the night would be over, the vacation, the departure from their norms done.

Cresselia was keeping an eye on their companions. But, he returned to the original thought. One may make a decision. And one may learn about themselves. But what did you learn if it was just a single binary decision? Nothing. Because there was no such thing as a binary decision. What happens when one gets on a roller coaster and they are already uneasy, for unrelated reasons? Do they enjoy the roller coaster ride? Or do they not?

A recurring bad dream about roller coasters could color a human's perception of any activity for the rest of their lives. All without them ever having to need to actually ride one. One either gets onto the roller coaster, or one does not, it is true. But it was a limited framing, Darkrai would conclude. Seeking to immerse oneself in the dream worlds without invitation was a choice, and ones their false followers not knowing that by their very presence, did not care for the consequences of their actions.

They stepped on the roller coaster. They would have fun. They would get off the coaster. And they would have fun again. They would share their gratitude to the Dreamer, later, one whom they willingly invited. On the coaster, they fiddled with the buckles, before an attendant, clearly sweating and nervous—the night really had come close to being ruined.

They had fun. Were having fun. Will have fun. There was nothing to do, on the ride, for Darkrai. He enjoyed it because he knew that Cresselia enjoyed it. At first, he'd been curious, but when it was the best the humans could do, he was unimpressed. But he knew it would happen. Cresselia did too. Even on the ride, the air whizzing past, his illusion held.

They proceeded off the ride. He had fun. He smiled at Cresselia's human visage, holding her hands as they got off. And he knew, despite her awkwardness at imitating humans, that she would be concerned about Tyler and Selene. He did enjoy the mask he wore. And he enjoyed knowing Cresselia enjoyed it too.

After being released from their restraints, and finessing the buckle system, they stood up. They hopped off the roller coaster ride.

"I must admit," he said, pausing on the exit ramp. "I am hesitant to cease having fun like this, or what will come."

"Sorry for interrupting," Tyler said, "but, uh. Why do you have to stop? Do you uh, work a job somewhere?"

"Ride's closed! Please exit the off-ramp completely," the attendant shouted from above, but did not approach the quad to shoo them off.

"One may call it such, but only insofar as being a pokemon and pairing with a human to fight, is a job," Darkrai said.

"So… No one is paying you?" Selene asked, after building up her courage to speak.

"Dear," Cresselia said, "many Pokemon living with trainers are paid."

"Not all, of course," Darkrai added.

"Of course not," Cresselia said, as the duo stalled, sitting together on the metal off-ramp from the coaster. Electricity crackles through the air.

"Shall we go forth, and embrace dramatic defeat?" Darkrai's rhasping voice returned as the god of nightmares cast away his illusion. In shock, or worry, Darkrai didn't care, Tyler grabbed his staring espurr off his shoulders and held her to his chest.

"Oh dear," Cresselia said, her body morphing back to the pink maiden of the moon, the last half of the words of her voice turning squeaky.

Thank you for helping to make this night wonderful for my partner, Cresselia told the duo, as they paused for a few more moments.

"You're… welcome?" Tyler said, hugging his espurr with one hand, holding Selene's hand with the other.

Please proceed ahead of us and leave the park. Walk briskly, but do not run. You will find three women and a Meganium.

"Inform them, they will find an electric god in the park, doing battle against Darkrai and Cresselia, who are losing." Tyler and Selene both nodded. The trio would arrive at the park if only because of the commotion that would start in the next few minutes. Though their premonitions weren't terribly accurate with respect to timing, the Duo had learned to bake in a bit of a margin for error.

They let both Tyler and Selene leave, who followed and would follow their instructions to a T. At least within the allotted margin of error.

Without humans to say anything to, or to perform for, Darkrai and Cress sat in silence. The park really was empty. No one new had entered the queue, and the music, while still thrumming, had turned from a bombastic set of electric, to a more relaxed, cool beat. They did not know how, exactly, but their location was known.

They both step off the ramp, out into the park. Booths had been closed, though the warm food in them was still cooling off.

There is a crackle in the air, and a meloetta stands in front of them. Little sparks of electricity, its movements erratic. It does not stand still.

"I was wondering what it was that drew you two here," a woman's voice began, "on my big opening night and everything. The concert was going great. For all of thirty minutes until I got a notification that forced me to rely on a backup. My backup dancer! On my opening night!"

Meloetta continued to zoom around, glitching and twitching across the ground, the musical notation on the bands that fell from her head were short, but they rapidly swapped with each time she ran.

"If Melly didn't catch your beat, I would have ignored it. She's been itching for some real fun for a long time. Not a lot of legendaries want to fight her these days."

Darkrai said, turning toward the woman, who was dressed in yellow and black, the electrified meloetta continuing to zap around with reckless abandon. "Unfortunately, Cresselia and I are out of practice."

"Oh. Damn," the young gym leader said. "Well. Melly wants a fight. She'll keep to some rules if you want."

"It's you we're concerned with." Darkrai said.

"Me?" Elesa said, thinking for a moment. "Don't worry, I won't catch anyone," she said.

Darkrai nodded. He was pretty sure they had the margins he was looking for by now.

"One last thing. For real though," Elesa said. "Why the fuck on my opening night?"

I wished to ride a Roller Coaster.