Chapter 10 - Silhouettes

I can fly the sky with no doubts,

Just like when I spread my own wings out.

I'll keep my head up,

And I'll shout as I leave from the ground.

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Shiron had just finished downing a large cup of water when he heard the door knocking once. Then, as he put more water, he heard it knocking again. And a third time, right as he was drinking again.

It wasn't until the fourth knock that he heard the familiar scream of his Riolu friend, coming from the lounge. "Go open it! Audrey and I are busy!"

"Remind me to not be here when you two are having a date," he grumbled, putting the cup on the sink, and walking off. As he passed through the rooms, he saw the two love birds nuzzling.

Yeah… I can't interrupt that. God, I wish that were me, Shiron thought, mumbling. …Wait. Not with Nick. I mean, he's cute and all, but—not him. Not Audrey. Gah! Brain, stop!

Before his brain could screw more things up, Shiron went to see who was knocking, having lost count on the fifth—or was it sixth?—knock.

And on the other side were Onyx and Jackett, the latter on the ground instead of flying. So that's why I didn't hear any noises. Okay…

"Greetings, Marshtomp!" Jackett bowed his head, slowly. "I am here to request—"

"Stop that, will ya? Too formal." Onyx waved him off with a claw. "Anyway, sup. How's the scarf?"

"I just got it, it's in my—Nick's room. Asked Magnus to knit it for me, and he just… did." Shiron said. What can't he do? It's like he's the whole package.

…Why am I thinking this right now? Shiron shook his head. "Oh, uh, yeah. Scarf's fine. Don't worry about it! Didn't even hurt that much."

"...You took a point-blank Flamethrower." Jackett tilted his head. "Perhaps the rumors of your kind being that strong here were indeed true."

Shiron blinked. "My… kind?"

"Don't worry about it. It's not why we're here," Onyx shrugged. "So, uh, it's been a week. Y'all won last round, yada yada yada."

"Our lead—Daichi has not decided what to do next. He hardly mentions our little squabble. Or any of you."

Onyx nodded, crossing her arms. "He's a sore loser, we knew that. Just… didn't think it'd be that much. Daichi's been ignoring it."

"Not to mention… we do not want to keep doing this." Jackett added. "...You and your soldiers—friends have proven yourselves enough. Keeping this up will just make Daichi even more angry."

"And we don't want that either."

Shiron nodded after every sentence. He already had an idea of what they wanted from this conversation, a hunch. And if his hunch was right, it was bad. Really bad. His greatest, most powerful foe.

"We would like you to talk to him," the bug said, smiling sheepishly, and rubbing his stingers together. "You and him are similar, in a way. We thought that perhaps you could convince him to end this."

"Okay, hold on—" Shiron clapped his hands, inhaling. "Why me? Why do people keep picking me for things?!"

Onyx and Jackett locked gazes. She shrugged. "Like that lug of a bug said, you and him are similar. We kinda took a liking to y'all."

"...I see." Shiron exhaled, then, another deep breath. He wasn't exactly sure if this made things better or not. "Look, I'll… I'll think about it, alright? But if I go, where would I find him?"

"At the y'allcoholic," Jackett replied, almost robotically. He then flashed a giant smile. A creepy one. "...Onyx and I think it is a stupid name, but Daichi likes it. He always goes there to wind out."

Shiron shivered, just nodding along. He looked up, seeing it was still early in the morning, around 10 AM, give or take. There was definitely enough time to decide.

"Okay. I'll think about it."

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And he entered the house again, after saying goodbye to his opponents. Shiron had a tiny frown splattered across his face. Why? Because his hunch was right. He'd have to go and talk and convince Daichi to stop their fight.

Which, of course, was hard. Everything about it was as heavy as gravity, and just as pressuring. Shiron knew he would face that sooner or later, and if he was being honest, Shiron didn't want to disappoint them.

Funny, wasn't it? Disappointing total strangers. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to do that. They wanted his help, and they would get it. Strangers or not, Shiron knew the right thing to do was help. It was the heroic thing to do, too. And he was a hero now.

Despite that new perspective in mind, something else was up. Shiron had no idea how to convince him. He was hardly able to know why his friends trusted him enough, let alone someone like Daichi.

Although… Maybe his friends could help!The two that were nuzzling and kissing. But yes, he could give it a shot. Better to do that than nothing at all.

"Guys…?" Shiron cleared his throat, walking to the living room. He didn't even want to see what they were watching.

If they even were watching anything at all. Nick was just patting the Zorua's head, not paying any attention to the TV. Shiron was speaking to two fluffy walls.

"Guys," he tried again, speaking louder. No reply. …Do I need a megaphone?

Shiron cleared his throat, inhaling as much air as possible. And screamed. "GUYS! I NEED YOUR HELP!"

Nick finally perked back, covering his ears. "You didn't need to shout!"

"Ouch…" Audrey cringed, ears drooping. "What? What do you want?"

"So! Onyx and Jackett asked me to help talk to their teammate," he said, chuckling and shaking. "...They wanna end the fight. L-Like a draw! So w-we'll… W-We'll be able to get our team together! I-Isn't that nice?"

Nick jumped out of the couch in the blink of an eye, landing next to Shiron. His eyes were, at the same time, sparkling and on fire. "They wanna to what? We'll what?!"

Audray did the same, but slow and steady. She nuzzled Nick's leg, chirping excitedly. "Congratulations, Nicky! It's one step closer to the dream!"

"Uuuuh…" he needed to convince Daichi to stand down first. "...Not yet. They asked me to talk to Daichi, to make sure he'll agree to this. Y'know?"

"Oh…" Nick's happy, cheerful expression turned into a frown. "...Wait, what the hell are you doing here for, then?! Go talk to the guy!"

Audrey smirked. "If you don't, we'll beat you up! Or maybe I'll use you as a test subject for my newest gadget…"

Either way was bad, so Shiron bolted out of the house in a flash.

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And back outside. Shiron grumbled; he didn't even have time to pick his scarf up, so now all he really felt was being naked. In a world where the majority of the people were naked.

Not like he could relate. Shiron walked down the street, thinking. They never told him where the bar was, and it was still way too early for someone to get there anyway. He was better off taking the time to think this through.

Daichi's scary. Everyone here is. Actually, hold on— Shiron sighed. I need a place to stay, standing around in the sun won't do me any good. But where?

His brain said to go to Magnus' bakery. And Shiron shut that thought down, not because he didn't want to go, but because it might be a bother to his friend.

And I'm not gonna be a bother anymore! Although… yeah I kinda wanna meet him—the place. I wanna see the place again.

Why was his heart skipping beat after beat? Why was his face so hot? Shiron shrugged everything off, and realized there was one place he could go that nobody would bother him in.

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That being the beach he woke up in. Shiron climbed down the hill, letting his feet hit the sand beneath him, even if it was unpleasant. It didn't burn him as much as the sand in Lilycove did. Maybe his body got used to it, whether it was this or the human one.

He walked closer to the ocean, before sitting down, dipping his feet on the water. Shiron sighed, watching the horizon in front of him.

There were a lot of things to think about, weren't there? Shiron frowned. He didn't know where to start…

"Hey, dad, mom. If you're on the other side… I'm happy. I know none of you care about it, but I figured… nobody's listening anyway."

Waves moved, slowly, and faintly. Shiron looked at himself. It was funny, in a way. How much he didn't want to come back. It wasn't like he had any home to go back to. The one he had now was far better. Not like there was any comparison.

"...And you know why I died. You're the reason why. Both of you," Shiron clenched his chest. It ached. "B-But now… now I'm with others that like me, that help me. If I ever had the chance to meet you again, I'd rather stay dead."

Shiron sighed in relief, falling on the ground with a smile on his face. God it felt good to release that, even if they weren't there to hear it.

He let the waves hit him, cover him in his entirety, and closed his eyes. That was all so, so familiar…

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Another regular night in Lilycove. Some fought in the contests, trainers bought items in the large mart, and some others hurried inside the Pokécenter, carrying knocked out Pokémon. It was all common, nothing out of the ordinary.

With one, very simple exception to the rule. A human male, in his late teens, running on alleyways, checking every corner, every place to make sure he wasn't being followed, letting the moon guide him.

Shiron wore a red jacket, rubbing his hands together. At this time of the year, Lilycove got cold, or their definition of cold, not what other regions like Sinnoh, where it snowed. His hometown only had the gentle breeze of the ocean.

As he walked, Shiron clutched his chest, as hard as he could. His heart kept beating, but it was uneasy. A fast-paced beating. It didn't stop, and neither did he. In fact, he only ran faster, like his life depended on it.

Ironic, considering what was on his mind. A thought that grew over the years.

"We can't accept failure."

His father's voice rang in his head, piercing through, everlasting, powerful. Shiron tried to suppress the voice, but it only got louder the more he did.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you can't be with us now. You've been a very bad boy."

His mother, this time. She was softer, almost gentle, but there was a hint of disappointment that was oh so suffocating.

Hah… failure. Failure. That's what I always was to you, right? You only took me in because you couldn't get any children of your own. I… I'm never needed, am I? The world doesn't need me. They didn't need me. I-I don't think… anybody needs me.

Shiron stopped once he got to the beach, watching the breeze ruffle his hair and his clothes, pondering if what he was about to do was a good thing or not.

But he was tired. So, so tired. Nothing mattered. He didn't matter, and his family made sure of that. If he was gone, then the world would be a better place. No friends, no family, nobody would miss him if he was gone. Everyone would simply move on with their lives, as if nothing bad happened.

T-True. If I was good enough, my parents—real parents would still be with me. But I'm not. I should just get this over with… they wanted a perfect son, someone to rely on, to succeed them. I'm nothing like that. I'm not even nothing, less than that. If it's even possible.

Mom and dad? They'd adopt someone else, and—oh. They would do the same things they did to him. Bad, bad idea. Shiron couldn't let someone else take the blame for his actions! It wasn't right, it wasn't fair!

Nothing in his life was fair… nothing at all. And once Shiron realized that, he knew that he simply didn't care anymore.

He was shaking. God, he was shaking. Shiron, even after making a decision, was having second thoughts. Even as he walked closer to the ocean. Even as the water began to fill his feet, legs, torso, shoulders. Even as it covered him completely.

Shiron wasn't sure if the wet sensation on his face was from the water, or from the tears. But what was the point?

It all ended…

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A splash of water on his face woke him up from the dream—or nightmare, rather. Shiron looked at himself, checking his body.

"Still Marshtomp, huh? I do this every now and then, but it still surprises me." Shiron then stared at his hands, both trembling. "...I'm better now. I have friends, teammates. They like me. I know that, no matter what my brain keeps telling me."

Some of his friends were similar, like Liz. And to think his first thought of her was getting vines wrapped around his neck. Embarrassing. Really embarrassing.

"...I still don't know if I feel this way because of being a Pokémon now. I do like to be moisturized, and water feels good on me, but I can't swim.

Shiron sighed, taking deep breaths to ease the shaking on his arms. "Huh… to think that Xerneas gave me another shot. Me, of all people…"

Well, that wasn't entirely true, was it? She mentioned doing this to others before, Nick mentioned amnesiac Pokémon popping up, and Daichi—

"...Talked about Xerneas. He talked about her. How she's holy, and stuff."

Gears began to grind. Shiron sat, eyes widening. Wait, wait, wait.

Onyx mentioned not having a name until Daichi gave her one. Jackett said he was a soldier that followed orders. That Daichi was his leader.

And the two said him and the Golem were similar. It couldn't be the type—they were both ground-types—surely it wasn't that. Or, at least, not just that. There had to be something else involved. He just knew, but didn't think of how to put it into words.

How… h-how didn't I think of this before?! What if…

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Daichi was human. He had to be. It all made sense! The things he said, the way the others talked about him…

"That's it! That's… oh my God. H-How didn't I notice this before?!" Shiron slapped his cheeks once. "How. Am. I. So. Stupid?!"

He began to laugh. Letting a loud laugh as he laid on the sand again. Shiron couldn't believe it! He could, but what he was laughing at was his own stupidity of not realizing it sooner.

If Daichi was one… then there were others like him! Some may not want to be Pokémon, but he was fine with it. Entirely fine, as a matter of fact. Shiron didn't wish to return home. Not at all.

And now… now he had new information in mind. Helping Daichi was the right thing to do.

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Nick turned off the TV, at Audrey's request. Her fierce expression and puffed up fur told him all he needed to know. Their date was fun, but now it was time to work on something else entirely.

"Aura training?"

"...Aura training," she showed off a toothy grin, hopping off the couch. "Unless you don't want to. Nothing wrong with being an auraless Riolu, y'know?"

"I know." Nick put his goggles on, nodding. She was right, of course, but he didn't want to get better for petty reasons or to be "normal". He was never normal, anyway. "...I want this for me. To prove to myself I can do it."

"Good answer, Nicky!" She snickered, then focused her aura, her body glowing red, until it faded into nothingness.

Only her voice remained. "See if you can find me! Feel free to use your aura and search wherever you want!"

And she doesn't even like that… maybe that's why I fell. We're both freaks of nature. Nick closed his eyes and extended a paw, his sensors twitching. Alright… easy… easy… focus on her energy. Even when illusioned, she can't hide her aura. I can find it. I just need to… focus… and see her!

See her. See her. Something so easy. Nick had to do it, it was easy, nothing to worry about. So he tried harder, focusing every sense he had. His sensors began to glow, coated in orange.

"Find you… Audrey. You're important, so I gotta—I will find you. Defective or not, freak or not, I will. You're important to me, and you're guiding me. Like… an anchor."

His feelings for her were an anchor. Drawing him to her, to her essence; her aura. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Nick knew what to do now. Focus on his memories and feelings towards her.

Even with his eyes closed, Nick saw something. Shades of orange began to fill his "vision", but there was a different color; red, moving around from left to right. There was no shape to it, just a bunch of energy.

Nick knew who that was. "Got it! I see you!"

Audrey replied with a chuckle, popping into existence. "Heck yeah! Ya found me!"

"H-Heh! Guess I did…" Nick smiled back at her, but fell on his knees, panting, his vision turning dizzy. "...Ouch. Takes a lot more energy than I thought."

"Yeah. It looked like you were forcing yourself," she scooted closer, nuzzling his neck. "...And how'd ya do it? Before, you couldn't even get your feelers to glow. Now they're orange."

"Sometimes… a Lucario's aura isn't blue. It's a different color. Maybe it's that way for me too?" Nick shrugged, not really sure about the reason. "And… anyway. I thought about you. You're always here for me, and I figured that could help keep me grounded."

To that, the fox scratched her chin, tail swishing. "First: awww, thanks! Second… I might have a theory! I think… it's a mental block. Not physical."

"Huh? What makes you think that?"

Audrey nodded. "If it was some physical defect… I don't think you'd be able to do it at all. Something's holding you back."

Nick crossed his arms, raising a brow. "...Good point. Could be that. But I do feel like I'm getting better. Let's go to round two!"

"Already…?" Audrey chuckled. "Sure thing!"

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They walked out of the house, Nick first, while adjusting his goggles, resting them nicely on his face. Audrey came right after, giggling to herself. There was an idea of what she could do to help him!

…Whether that was a good or bad idea remained to be seen. She ran ahead, putting some distance between the two, and then turned to face him, grinning.

"You mentioned an anchor before, right? Let's test that theory!"

"Gotta love your… love of theories. And testing stuff," he shrugged. "Anyway, I'm all up for it! What'd you got for me, hm?"

"Close your eyes. Focus on me, alright? I'll try to attack you." Audrey said, firm. "If you think of me when you do it, I'm sure you'll be able to sense my attacks!"

That is the weirdest type of flirting I've ever seen… not that I mind. Nick nodded, getting ready to fight, and closed his eyes. "Whenever you're—"

A ball of shadowy energy was immediately thrown at him, forcing Nick back a few feet. "I didn't mean now—"

Another one, but it landed just in front of him. Nick still had his eyes closed. Audrey snickered. "You gotta be more active, Nicky! Otherwise you'll get hit over and over~"

…Yeah. I don't regret my life choices. But man is she rough sometimes. Nick jumped back, focusing his aura again.

Doing it this time was a lot easier than before, and he thought of her again. Of them together. It didn't take long until his vision was overtaken by the shapeless red forms. One of them was headed his way. Nick smirked, ducking underneath and letting the sphere hti the ground behind him.

"Not bad! But I'mma keep this up, and you better too!"

I wonder if I can do this while moving… it's gonna be hard, isn't it? Nick just nodded, rushing ahead.

Just as he expected, the vision turned blurry, and the shapes moved around randomly. He bit a lip, thinking more and more about her. It managed to make the vision a little better, and right on time, as another attack was launched. Nick rolled to the side and panted, raising an arm.

"Wait… it's too much," Nick opened his eyes. "...Too much for now. But it's helping, so don't worry about it."

"Aw… sorry, Nicky," she scooted closer, nuzzling him again. "We got this, though! If we keep training like this, you'll get the hang of it in no time!"

"I hope so…" he sighed, pressing his snout against hers. "...And with your help, I'm certain this'll happen, alright?!"

"Yeah! And now… we can watch more stuff, right? Or is the challenge stuff happening right now?"

Nick shrugged at that. "...Depends on how much charisma Shiron has, which I'm hoping is a lot. And how much of a hotheaded guy Daichi is. Which… I hope it's not at all."

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Daichi sneezed.

Was someone talking about me…?

Meh. Didn't matter. He was right in front of his house, watching the sun for a moment, then turned to the door, opening it.

It was messy, to say the least. The couch had bits of crips in it, the table in front of it was broken in half, there was dust all over the floor… Daichi didn't take care of his room. Negligence? Laziness? If anyone asked, he'd answer it was both of those reasons. Not that he cared. Or that his teammates did. Except for the occasional annoyed grunts coming from Onyx.

The door opened again as Onyx walked inside. Jackett flew behind her, rubbing his stingers.

Daichi sat on the couch, slowly, not wanting to break it further, and let out a long sigh. "Fuck… can't believe we're getting our asses kicked by a bunch of kids."

"You're like, twenty-three. Not that much older than them," she shrugged. "...Besides, we're tied. That just goes to show that they're not as bad as we thought. Hell, they helped us."

"Surely that counts as something," the bug buzzed, tilting his head. "Maybe we can reconsider this?"

"Yeah. Don't we need to prepare for the expedition? 'Sides, could always use some help." Onyx added.

"Prepare for… fuck. I forgot about it." Daichi facepalmed, groaning. "Yeah, yeah, we should. But I can't just… give up, y'know? I'm not convinced they're good enough."

"That sounds more like a 'you' problem than an 'us' problem, Daichi." Jackett winced. Before, he'd never say something like that. But something was different now.

"What the—since when did you talk back to me like that?!" he roared, standing up. Then, he laughed. "...Maybe the kids changed you more than I thought. I dunno. I need time to think."

Onyx blinked, then looked at Jackett with a gasp, one that he reciprocated. She finally faced him, sitting down on the couch. "...Didn't you have a week to think?"

"She is correct." Jackett added, buzzing. "I believe you are simply avoiding the issue, instead of finding a way to make it go away. Ergo, you need to face it. The kids are fine. The only 'bad' thing about them is their team's name."

"...Bugsy is right." Onyx chuckled. How long did I wait to make that joke…? Heh.

Daichi, still unconvinced, groaned and looked up, wincing. "I thought we could make a name for ourselves here, unlike Kanto. Then I find out there's another human here… it just didn't sit right with me."

"We said he should talk to you." Jackett stated. "At the bar. Probably at night, too."

"...Did you two set up a date for me?" Daichi tilted his head. "And I don't wanna meet 'im. Do I need to?"

"Pffft. What'd ya take us for?" Onyx flashed another grin. "Seriously, you two should talk this out. You're both leaders. It'll be good for ya."

Talk things out. Talk. Daichi shuddered at the thought. Why did it have to be talking? Couldn't they duke it out like the Pokémon they were? It sounded so much easier than talking.

…A part of him didn't want to disappoint them. Not after the time they spent together. Another part said it was rubbish.

Daichi chose the first part.

"Fine. Can you two tell him to meet me there at night?"

"Very well." Jackett nodded, flying out of the house, not waiting for anyone to reply.

He zigzagged across the town, looking around, carefully, until his eyes landed on the target he was looking for: that Marshtomp.

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Right as Shiron was climbing up the hill to talk to his two other teammates. Still without the scarf. Returning home to be a third wheel? Not a chance. He was almost jealous of the thing Nick and Audrey had.

Once he heard the buzzing, he stopped, gulping and watching as the bug slowly descended to his level. Jackett greeted him with a wave. "Hello. I realized you have not contacted Daichi yet. Are you perhaps having trouble deciding what to say?"

"...Took the words right outta my mouth." Shiron gulped. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Onyx and I talked with him for a little bit. He expects to see you at the bar, at night. I was thinking… 7 PM?"

"Uh… sure, sure. That works out nicely." Shiron nodded. "...I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I'll try my best! You guys are pretty good at this rescue thing too, and I wanna make my friends happy, so… yeah. Don't have any issues with that."

Jackett buzzed. "Make your friends happy? Not a bad thing to do, however, do consider your own opinions of the matter, Shiron."

Before he could give any reply, Jackett flew away, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Shiron had many of them, but ignored them and instead focused on going up again. At this hour, Terrence and Liz were surely awake.

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He walked inside the office, confirming his thoughts. Terry sat in a chair, holding a… comic book? With a Spinarak fighting against a green Morgrem. Shiron blinked, thinking that was familiar.

Meanwhile, Liz was in the centermost chair, sighing as she watched him enter. She was bored, judging from the sigh.

"Ah, hello, Shiron. Would you perhaps be willing to spar with me today?"

"Oh, sure—" Shiron sniffed the air, smelling something baking, with chocolate! That could only mean one thing…

Magnus came from another room, waving at the three. "Hey guys! Cake's almost done, but I still need to decorate. Might take a little longer."

Shiron wasn't sure why, but the Quilladin looked different. Prettier, maybe. Especially because their gazes were locked with one another.

"...H-Hey!" Magnus nodded, waving again. "How's it going? I had a break today, and that's why I'm here earlier. Figured I could make something for you all."

"A-Appreciated." Shiron said, unmoving, like a statue. He was nervous most of the time already, but for some reason, it was way worse now!

…And Magnus was standing still as well. His face was unbelievably hot, and the words escaped his mouth. "S-So! What's the plan for today?"

Terry put down the comic to see what the hell was going on, blinking, and taking a look at Liz, who simply shrugged.

"I… r-right." Shiron put down his internal screaming and focused on what he came there to do. "...Jackett and Onyx want me to speak to Daichi. Decide what to do, since they think we're strong enough, or like… we're good enough to be our own lil team. Or something like that."

Liz finally showed emotion. Namely, an amused smirk. "Is that so? And to think we are tied… hm. I never had any doubts we could pull it off."

"Uh, didn't you suspect we were doomed from the start?" Terry interjected, face mesmerized by the comic. "...I may be reading, but I'm not deaf."

Her smirk turned into a flushed frown. "...Correct, sire."

Magnus giggled, slowly walking towards Shiron. "That's great! I'm happy for you! We should do something to celebrate! How about an extra large cake, eh?"

The prospect of getting a whole cake for himself was tempting enough, but Shiron knew that things weren't decided yet. He still needed to talk to the guy.

"If everything works out, I'm all for it."

"If it works out?" Liz flicked her cape for no other reason than to be dramatic. Something that made Terry chuckle. "I presume this means that there is a chance you cannot convince him to stand down?"

"Pretty likely. I'll try, but I can't promise anything…" Shiron sighed. And I still don't wanna disappoint you all…

"Don't worry about it." Terry put down the comic again, then opened a drawer, picking out another one. "Even if it doesn't happen, all we need to do is win two more times, right? We did it before, we can do it again, right?"

"You can!" Magnus smiled at the Marshtomp, showing his teeth.

Shiron started to blush visibly at the sight. "...How can you be so sure?"

"My rescued little brother proves it," Magnus replied, still smiling. "So I believe in you. One hundred percent!"

Liz nodded this time. "Yes… that is true. We have had a successful rescue effort. Defeating them will not be an issue."

Shiron blushed harder, mostly at Magnus' words. They were too nice, too soft… and he took all of them in. "It'll happen tonight, so… can I get some of that cake you made now?"

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Hours passed since the meeting with both the bug and his friends, and Shiron was just a tad calmer by the end of them. It didn't mean he was giving up on this.

It did mean he was standing in front of the pub with an incredibly tight grip on his scarf, and smelling the beer that was inside that place. Could he even go there…?

I'm not old enough to drink. Am I? Well, I can always eat— Shiron zipped a satchel, counting the coins inside. Note to self: thank Nick's grandpa for the allowance later.

The more he stood there, the more nervous he got. Shiron knew it wasn't a good idea to stay, so he braced himself and walked inside, holding in a breath, and letting it out slowly. Talking was still an incredibly hard thing to do.

Once inside, the smell was heavier. The place was full of wooden tables and chairs, some larger than the others, to account for bigger Pokémon. Case in point, a Rhyhorn, sitting in a chair that was cracking ever so slightly.

The bartender, a Honchkrow, rubbed a glass clean, and glared at him, so Shiron yipped, looking for either a free table, or wherever Daichi was. Whatever he saw first.

Luckily for him, he saw Daichi. Downing a large glass of beer like it was nothing, and stuffing his face full of fries. The food was appealing enough to get Shiron to walk closer, and to take a seat.

"Huh." Daichi said, putting the glass down. "Heya, kiddo. You made it. Didn't think you would like a pub, and yet here we are."

"I didn't say I liked it," his mouth drooled at the sight of fries. He wanted one so bad…

"Take one. Or two. Or three. Don't care," the Golem said, shrugging. "My teammates wanted us to talk. And I'm here, so… let's talk."

"Talk… that's hard for me to do." Shiron stuffed as many fries as his hands could hold, chomping them down. A bit greasy…

"Hey, it ain't easy for me either!" Daichi sighed. "...There's a lot to talk about, eh? First, the good stuff: your team ain't half-bad, name not included."

It was an accident! Shiron kept that thought to himself. "T-Thanks. I'm probably the weak link, if we're being honest."

Daichi waved for a waiter, asking for a refill. Once they took the glass, he turned to Shiron again. "Weak link? Nah. You're just inexperienced. I was too, at first."

At first. Daichi really was like him. Shiron braced himself to pop the question. "Earlier today… Onyx and Jackett mentioned you were like me. Are you—"

"Human? Used to be." Daichi replied just as he got his refill, and sipped it away. "...Born in Viridian City. You?"

"L-Lilycove."

"Huh…" Daichi stuffed more of the fries, chewing on them. "I'd ask how you… y'know. But that would be a dick move."

Shiron sighed in relief. He didn't want to answer it. Not now, anyway. "Are your teammates… your Pokémon? From all the way back?"

"Yeah. Onyx was my starter, and I caught Jackett in the forest. We spent a lot of time together," Daichi replied with a smile that slowly became a frown. "...But I was a dick. I wanted to win with them no matter what, get the badges and become champion. Every trainer's dream."

"M-Mom and dad… didn't let me," Shiron muttered. "But I wanted to leave home. O-Or at least, leave them. Guess I did…"

To that, Daichi raised his glass. "Cheers, kiddo. But now, to the important stuff… that we should discuss. What're we gonna do? Onyx and Jackett said you proved yourselves time after time. And now that I look back… you did. So I'm wondering: what do you want?"

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What he wanted. Shiron didn't know. It wasn't like he was encouraged to have things he wanted, or dreams. None of that was accepted back home.

"...I dunno." Shiron said, his gills drooping down. "Never stopped to think. I dunno if I even have dreams of my own."

Shiron looked at the table, thinking. A dream. All his friends had one. But what was his? Nothing came up. Not even a tiny idea. Nada.

Daichi downed another glass, but he didn't seem to be drunk at all. "It's alright, kid. It's okay to not have a dream for tomorrow. I know I didn't find mine for a long while."

All he could do was help his friends achieve theirs. Maybe… maybe that was his goal.

"I told Xerneas I wanted to help everyone, but… I don't know if that's true. Maybe I don't have any. But I can protect my friends' dreams!"

Hearing that, Daichi smiled. "Good answer. Just what I wanted to hear from a hero."

"I can be a hero… then you can too, Daichi." Shiron offered a hand. "Humans like us should stick together, right?"

"Fuck yeah." Daichi shook hands, smiling still. His teammates were right. That kid, and the others, were just fine.

"I think I can say for sure now that… the competition is over. Y'all won. Lookin' forward to us working together."

Shiron stuffed more fries, then tilted his head. "Working together?"

"Think of it as an allyship. Which reminds me… we got a job. It's kinda dangerous, from the looks of it. Doubt you've heard of this, but there's been meteor storms lately. Very nasty."

Shiron's face shifted into a frown. "Meteor storms?"

"Wherever one happens, 'mons also hear constant thunderclap. It's been happening for a while, and most of the time, we can evacuate. The most recent one left an entire town deserted because of the evacuation."

Daichi took a deep sip from more beer and put it down gently."Our job is to investigate that. 'Course, there's been others investigating it as well… think even mercs are being called to go there…"

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A Monferno walked across a barren, wasted road, wearing nothing but a bag and an eyepatch, and a large green bandana around his neck.

Craters were spread around the area, around every corner. The few trees that were there were broken in half, some had massive scorch marks, others looked like they were cut in half at just the right angle.

Monferno kept walking, gulping. Not just the area looked odd, but it was unusually dark. Even the moonlight failed to shine the place, leaving only his own fire as the one source of light.

"...Oh fuck me. It's friggin' dark! The ferals must be settin' base here! This is gonna be a bother to work in…"

He grumbled. "Bah! I'm a Monferno, if I find any ferals, I'll just burn 'em to a crisp! Works like a charm every time."

As he strolled, Monferno noticed he was where he wanted to be.

In a ghost town. Broken buildings with rubble splattered around them, craters everywhere… and the everlasting feeling of someone watching him.

It didn't end there. The more he walked, the more Monferno sensed something… odd. His flame felt chilling. That was particularly weird because he wasn't touching anything cold, much less something that could make him shiver.

"...What the hell?! This isn't… right."

Monferno shivered again, before letting out a burst of flames everywhere, coming from his mouth. It didn't help, his shivers only grew.

"M-Must be nothing. I'm fine… I'll be fine."

Amidst the darkness, Monferno shivered again, a chill running down his entire being. To make matters worse…

…The fire went out. And the darkness overtook the area completely. Monferno tried igniting his tail again, but it was all for naught. His eyes darted around in panic, trying to set the fifth limb ablaze again, and again, and again!

Nothing. Not even a tiny spark.

"T-The hell?!"

Another chill pierced him, and he suddenly felt a bright flash of light coming from his front. Taking a look there, Monferno saw what he could only describe as glowing darkness. It expanded, forming a crack. Not a normal crack, no. It was like the air itself was being torn apart.

From the crack, he saw tendrils made of pure darkness, moving towards him. And as much as his first instinct was to run away, Monferno found himself paralyzed, unable to move even a finger.

"T-This ain't natural…" Monferno winced, unleashing more flames, aimed at the tendrils, but they did nothing, simply passing through the darkness.

The tendrils touched him, and right as they did, he felt a rush of power. Energy flowed through him, invigorating, and addicting. He still shivered, the rush making his heart race.

At the same time, it was chilling, down to his very soul. Yet, he couldn't run away, couldn't move.

Monferno simply screamed as the tendrils overtook him completely.