Dragonfree
Just me
Thanks a lot for the thoughtful reviews!
Anyway! Here's the promised extra. As usual with extras, it's completely optional; it's just an extra look into young Waraider's confused mind and how his relationship with the other unicorns developed, with a bonus cameo appearance by young Chaletwo.
Chapter 70 extra: Not Alone
Waraider is not alone. He has never been alone.
Ever since he was created, he has heard voices. They’re a constant, comforting presence. He can’t see them, but he can hear them.
One warns him of danger, of things that might happen and things that are happening, that hurt, could hurt, could go wrong. When she talks, a chill runs through him, and he shivers; she must be an Ice-type. He can imagine her, icicles in her mane and tail, powdery snow swirling around her body. She’s a she; he’s not sure how he knows, but that’s how he imagines her. Her name, he realized one day – did she tell him? He’s not sure, but he knows – is Freezaroy.
Another asks questions, wants to know everything. Why is the grass green, where does the wind come from, where do the mortal Pokémon go when they die? Freezaroy doesn’t like that last question, but he asks it anyway, his attention flitting this way and that to everything that interests him, quick as lightning, and pays her no mind. Indeed, he’s an Electric-type. Bright, leaping sparks form a mane down the back of his neck. His name is Electhrone. Waraider knows; he doesn’t know how, but he knows.
Sometimes Waraider meets other Pokémon and talks to them, but many are wary of him. One of the voices wants to tell them everything, just to share it with someone and hoping they share in return, and her name is Mysticrown. But even when they listen to him they don’t stop being wary; in fact, they often start to act strange, especially when he talks about the voices, and then he realizes they’re avoiding him, don’t want to talk to him. Another voice appears, a voice that burns, a Fire-type, Emphire; she thinks he should attack them, show them the power that they’re so afraid of. But Natruler, who is soft and calm and comforting like the breeze in the trees and the swaying grass, says he shouldn’t hurt others. So he leaves them alone and retreats to some of the places that he likes where he feels a little better, and yet another one of the voices is dark and a little scary and his name is Darkhan and he tells Waraider to never, ever try to befriend those Pokémon again, because they hurt him, and they’ll surely do it again because they’re bad, bad, bad.
So he spends more and more time in his places, where the Pokémon all know of him and usually keep away. And then there’s another voice, Seasar, who says no one will ever want to talk to him or care about him, and when he talks, Waraider feels like he’s drowning.
But he is not alone. He has the voices. They’re the only friends he’ll ever need, and they’ll never leave him. He talks to them instead, and he understands them and they understand him. Mysticrown still wants to talk to other Pokémon, so he still does, sometimes. But he doesn’t need them. The voices are enough.
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One day he talks to a Pachirisu. “You’re a legendary Pokémon?” the little squirrel asks him, wide-eyed with awe, and Mysticrown says he should say yes, so he does.
“What’s that like?” asks the Pachirisu.
Waraider pauses to think, unsure how to answer. “Mew told me I should try to watch over mortal Pokémon and help them. But I’m not sure I know how.”
“Mew?” the Pachirisu asks, gaping. “You’ve met Mew?”
“Mew created me,” Waraider responds.
“Oooh. That’s so cool! How old are you?”
Waraider glances away and then back. “I was made only a few months ago. I still have a lot to learn.”
“Really? But you’re a legendary! Like what?”
He takes a breath. “My power,” he says. “I have a lot of power, but I can’t control it well yet. I don’t know what I should use it for. Mew said I could choose it for myself.”
“Wow! That’s amazing!” The Pachirisu lets out little sparks of excitement. “Can you show me what you can do?” she says eagerly.
Waraider hesitates, but the Pachirisu is looking at him, starry-eyed, and Mysticrown wants to show her. He gathers his powers and stomps one foot, and the earth shakes underneath them. He can just see the Pachirisu’s eyes widen further before she falls to the ground, shivering, and then lies still. Startled, Waraider prods her with a hoof, but she doesn’t respond.
As he stares at the little Pokémon’s unmoving body, Freezaroy cries out in despair. “You killed her!” she screams. “She’s dead!”
“Oh, no, you hurt her,” murmurs Natruler, not accusing, she’s never like that, just sad. “Can’t you help her, somehow?”
“You can’t help her when she’s dead!” Freezaroy howls.
“You idiot. Why can’t you do anything right?” Emphire snarls.
Waraider shakes his head, frozen. He can’t think. Not this Pachirisu too. Not this. Seasar is making his eyes water; he feels his legs shaking as Freezaroy keeps muttering, “She’s dead she’s dead she’s dead…”
Before he can decide what to do – he never knows what to do – he’s running. It’s Freezaroy who told him to run, Seasar who tells him to keep going and never stop. He runs all the way across the plains and into a thick forest, where the undergrowth ensnares his hooves; when he falls, he scrambles back to his feet and keeps running, despite the way his body aches and his muscles strain and his legs tremble. He runs until he collapses by a lake, gasping for air, eyes squeezed shut as Seasar’s water tries to trickle between his eyelids.
When he awakes, beams of bright, warm sunlight fall between the leaves of the trees overhead. He’s weak and exhausted and drained. When he raises his head, Seasar is standing by the side of the lake, leaning down to drink. Water flows up his mane, along his back and cascades down his tail.
Waraider blinks, his mind still hazy. He’s never seen any of them before, but there he is, just as Waraider has always imagined him. And then, as his mind starts to clear, his heart soars. He can see him. He’s really there. Sometimes when he’s talked to other Pokémon, he’s wondered if – but no! Seasar is standing before him, plain as day. He pushes himself to his feet; Seasar turns his head, but doesn’t say anything, and why would he, because Seasar’s the one who keeps talking about how Waraider has no other Pokémon to be with, but he does now. He reaches forward to touch Seasar’s snout – he’s solid, he’s there – and then Seasar says, quietly, “You killed that Pachirisu.”
Waraider flinches back as the memory resurfaces. Suddenly Freezaroy is there too; she must have been behind him. “She’s dead,” she murmurs, eyes shining. “You can never be around other Pokémon again like this. You can’t control your powers. You could kill someone else.”
“Why are mortal Pokémon so fragile?” snarls Emphire from the other side of him, her mane and tail blazing, red eyes glinting. He backs away as she rounds on him. “How were we supposed to know it’d kill her?”
“That poor Pachirisu,” Natruler says, and he turns yet again to see her standing in the shade of a tree. “Perhaps… perhaps we can help her?”
Waraider thinks no, of course not, he can never help anyone, it’s impossible – and then he realizes it’s not, because Natruler is there, she’s a Grass-type, lots of Grass Pokémon have healing abilities. She can fix it; of course she can! His heart pounding in excitement, he turns, trying to remember what direction he came from, and then bounds back out of the forest, the others following closely behind him. This is how it should be. This is how it was always meant to be. They’re with him, and they know what to do, and he will never be alone again.
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When they reach the place where the Pachirisu was, though – he remembers it clearly, the plains, between that hill and the mossy rock, where the purple flowers grow – she’s not there anymore. He looks around in confusion. The sun is shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky. A faint breeze wafts through the grass. The wind and the weather couldn’t have blown her away.
“Where is she?” Electhrone asks, looking around.
“A predator picked her up and ate her,” Freezaroy mutters. Waraider remembers the Pokémon that live here, though – he hasn’t seen any predators before.
“They probably come here sometimes anyway, with all that prey around,” Electhrone suggests.
Maybe. How long was he collapsed in the forest? It couldn’t have been very long; it’s still daytime. Unless he was there for the entire night? He doesn’t know.
“Maybe she wasn’t dead,” Mysticrown says. “Maybe she stood up again, just like you stood up again in the forest.”
“Maybe she didn’t,” Freezaroy says.
“She left,” Seasar says dully. “She’ll never want to see you again. You hurt her and then you left her for dead. Why would she?”
“These Pokémon always assume the worst of you,” Emphire says, nostrils flaring.
“She didn’t deserve you anyway,” Darkhan hisses, unfurling his leathery wings. “Forget about her!”
Waraider shakes his head. He has always tried not to listen too closely to Emphire and Darkhan, but it’s harder when they’re there in front of him, his friends.
“Maybe she tried to find you when she woke, but she couldn’t,” Mysticrown says.
“She must have been very confused when you were gone,” Natruler agrees.
Yes, that’s probably it. She liked him, didn’t she? She’d thought he was amazing.
“And then you attacked her and left her,” Seasar points out.
“Why would you do something stupid like that?” Emphire growls. “You knew you couldn’t control your powers.”
“I’m sure she forgave you.”
“But if she’s wary now, that doesn’t make her bad.”
“She asked you to show her your power!”
“She got exactly what she wanted and she has nobody but herself to blame!”
Waraider squeezes his eyes shut as the others argue, back and forth, all at once. He doesn’t know who is right. Maybe…? But what if…?
Mysticrown wants to try to find the Pachirisu and continue their conversation. Natruler thinks so too, so that he can apologize for hurting her. Electhrone just wants to know where she went, but Seasar thinks there’s no point and she won’t want to see him again anyway. Darkhan thinks he should stop talking to mortal Pokémon, just stop, and Freezaroy agrees. Emphire… he’s not sure what Emphire actually wants. She’s mad at the Pachirisu for not being here anymore, mad at him for using his powers carelessly, and for running off like that for no reason when he could have seen she was fine if he’d just waited a bit longer, and for not being able to make up his mind.
They won’t agree on what to do or where to go. When they’ve all said everything they have to say, they look at him, and he backs away. He can’t betray any of them. They’re all his friends, the voices who are always with him – but now that he can see them, could they leave?
So they go to one of his favorite places. They all like his favorite places. Mysticrown wanted to find the Pachirisu, but he didn’t know where to find her anyway, and maybe he’ll find another Pokémon to talk to. Or, then again, he might not, so Darkhan doesn’t object.
When they’ve been there too long, they go to another place, and then another. They’re all happy with that, and that makes him happy. If they just do this, keep doing this, exactly like this, then they’ll be fine.
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As they graze in the serene woods, Chaletwo appears. Darkhan doesn’t like Chaletwo, but then again, Darkhan likes no one. Where Mew was kind and patient, though, Chaletwo was always restless and angry, and Waraider is wary as the other legendary surveys his herd through closed, leathery eyelids, scrutinizing, as if he’s evaluating them for some higher judgement.
“So it’s true,” Chaletwo says at last. “There are eight of you now. Care to enlighten me?”
Waraider blinks in confusion. “They’re my friends.”
“Yeah, that’s nice,” Chaletwo says; he doesn’t sound like it’s nice at all. “But where did they come from? Did you make them?”
“They’ve always been with me, but I can see them now,” Waraider explains.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Did you create them or not?”
Waraider shifts; Chaletwo is making him uncomfortable, but he’s not quite sure why. At last, he shakes his head. “I didn’t make them. They just are.”
Chaletwo sighs. “Sure. Look, I’ll be straight with you. You can’t just create seven new legendaries. Mew and I planned out very carefully who the legendaries should be after the – after the disaster, and where they should reside to keep the regions in balance. There weren’t supposed to be eight unicorns running around Ouen, all right? I gather they’ve stayed close to you so far; is that right?”
“They’re my friends,” Waraider repeats, glancing at the others; they nod, all at once, and he feels warmer. “We’ll always be together. They’d never leave me.”
“Great. Let’s keep it that way. And no more creating extra legendaries Mew and I don’t know about, all right?”
“I didn’t make them,” Waraider says.
“Well, did someone else make them?”
“No. Nobody made them.”
“Right, if you say so.” Chaletwo doesn’t sound like he means that. Waraider doesn’t like him, not at all.
“Who are you to come here asking questions?” Emphire spits.
“We were not made,” Darkhan says, beating his wings.
“Fine, whatever. I’ll leave you and your… friends to it. Good job working out your powers, at any rate. They look great; not exactly creative, but you pulled off the different types okay. And I’m sensing full legendary power from all of them, except the Dark one of course. Can barely tell it wasn’t us.”
And then he gives a casual wave of his bony hand and disappears.
Good job working out his powers? Confusion swirls in Waraider’s head. He wants that, more than anything, but if it were true, then…
Emphire tosses her head. “How dare he? Like we’re just things that you made.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Darkhan hisses. “He’s Chaletwo. He doesn’t care about you.”
“He thinks you’re a freak,” Seasar says.
“But…” Mysticrown begins to say.
“What if…?” Electhrone asks.
“No!” Freezaroy screams. “No!” And Mysticrown and Electhrone look away from him again.
“Chaletwo was mistaken,” Natruler says softly. “He only said what he thought was true.”
“But it’s not!” Freezaroy snaps.
“It’s not.”
“It’s not.”
Waraider takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. “It’s not.”
Mysticrown and Electhrone are silent.
“It’s not,” he repeats.
He hasn’t done anything of worth at all with his powers. Surely if he simply believed Chaletwo, that would be wishful thinking. He knows they were always there. He had nothing to do with it. Chaletwo is wrong.
-------
Waraider decides to learn to fight – well, Emphire and Darkhan want to, and while Natruler is a little reluctant, even she doesn’t disagree. He doesn’t know much, but the others teach him. It’s something they can do together, all as one, and it helps him understand and practice his powers – helps all of them. They take turns acting as opponents, always in the same order. Because it’s always the same, they never have to think about it or make a decision after the first time, and that’s good. It makes things easier.
One day, as they spar, he hears a familiar chittering voice from the ground.
“Waraider!” calls the tiny Pachirisu. “I haven’t seen you since you knocked me out with that Earthquake! I was watching you practice and wow! Who are the others?”
“We’re his friends,” Mysticrown says.
“His only friends,” Darkhan adds.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Natruler trills softly. “We thought you might have died.”
The Pachirisu looks between her and Waraider in confusion. “Thanks, but… how did you know about that?”
“I was there,” Natruler says.
“We were all there,” Mysticrown explains. “But we were invisible.”
The Pachirisu blinks. “Invisible friends?”
“And what of it?” Darkhan snaps. “It doesn’t make us less real.”
The Pachirisu shakes her head quickly. “No, I didn’t say anything like that! I… that’s so cool!”
Mysticrown beams at her. “That’s very kind.”
“How do you turn invisible? Can you show me?”
For a split second they all look at Waraider, and then they look back.
“We’re not showing you,” Darkhan growls. “Go. We’re here for him now. We’ll never leave.”
The Pachirisu’s face falls. “But… I didn’t…”
“You want us gone?” Freezaroy says, her eyes shining.
The Pachirisu’s ears droop. “No! Nothing like that! I just… I just thought turning invisible was cool.”
She glances miserably at Waraider. He averts his eyes. He knows Darkhan only wants to protect him, to make sure he doesn’t get hurt again, but…
“We didn’t mean to lash out,” Natruler says. “I’m sorry.”
“You are welcome to be our friend, too,” Mysticrown says.
“Can’t I… can’t I just talk to Waraider?” the Pachirisu mutters, fidgeting, glancing at him only to look away again.
“You want to separate us,” Darkhan hisses. “It will never happen! Never!”
The Pachirisu shrinks away. “Why aren’t you talking, Waraider?” she asks, in a small voice. “Why is it just them?”
The others look back at him, again. He looks at each of them in turn; aren’t they going to say anything? “I… I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s better this way.”
“Leave him alone,” Darkhan snarls. “Who are you to tell him when he should talk?”
Again she flinches, shaking her head. After giving Waraider another sad glance, she backs away, turning.
“No! Don’t leave!” Mysticrown calls after her, but she has already skittered away and disappeared into the tall grass.
Waraider expects Emphire to speak to denounce her, but she doesn’t. The silence is hollow and empty.
“She was just like the others,” Darkhan says after a second. “I’m glad she’s gone.”
“She was the last one,” Seasar murmurs. “And now she’s gone. No one else will ever –”
“And that’s fine!” Darkhan interrupts, flaring his nostrils. “We’re all he needs.”
“Well, you drove her away,” Emphire growls.
“No, no, we can’t fight!” Freezaroy whinnies.
Waraider closes his eyes and shakes his head. After a minute, the others quiet down. Only Seasar still talks: “She’s gone. She’s gone forever. She thinks we’re all freaks and she left. Nobody likes us or wants us.”
“I know,” Waraider says quietly, without opening his eyes. “That’s just the way it is.” Seasar is always so sad. He wishes he could help him.
“Let’s do another battle,” Darkhan says after a moment. “We need to know how to protect ourselves if they ever try anything.”
Waraider nods. They can already do that; they’re so strong all together, so much stronger than any mortal Pokémon. But practicing fighting is good. Seasar isn’t sad while they’re fighting. And nobody argues. In battle they’re a team, complementing each other, with so many different powers. They’re unstoppable.
Yes. No matter what other Pokémon think, he still has them. They’re his friends, and they always know what to do. With them by his side, everything will be fine.
Because he is not alone, and he will never be alone.
Haha, fair point, particularly the bit regarding clothes. This wasn't a sentence I mulled over extensively for plausibility.Negrek said:Ehhh it is possible to break ribs in such a way that they come up through the skin, but I don't think it would be that dramatic (especially because Taylor's wearing clothes, they'd have to stab up through the clothes as well to be seen) from a case where one side of his rib cage got crushed. Or maybe I'm just rolling my eyes, several years later, at that one fic where a cyndaquil gets flung backward into a tree and this somehow makes its ribs all get broken and stick out, to great pathos.
It doesn't have a contraction because the emphasis is meant to be on "is", in which case you wouldn't contract it? I mean, I guess I could italicize it, but that seems to convey a heavier emphasis than I'm going for.Negrek said:That dialogue reads oddly stiff to me without the contraction.
She knows basically what happened - Mark explained the situation to all the Pokémon in chapter 54 - but May herself has not talked to Spirit about it, or any of her Pokémon besides Stantler, and she's generally wanted to keep it that way.Negrek said:May still hasn't told Spirit about the Tyranitar stuff, has she?
Yeah, he did a pretty terrible job on this one. That's mostly because from the start, he hasn't really believed they could convince them to agree diplomatically; as far as he's concerned, the unicorns are nuts and some of them are hopelessly contrarian, and although he's nervous about the fight and wants to try diplomacy, he's very quick to give up after he sees Emphire and Freezaroy won't agree, because in his experience, none of them ever change their minds; after a couple of token attempts to get Waraider to override them, and the predictable responses, he just figures it's a lost cause. Chaletwo got the job sort of by default, because he's a legendary and he knows the other legendaries (and usually he hasn't been this bad), and he had told everyone they were weird and unreasonable and negotiating probably wouldn't work; by the time it becomes clear that no, he's genuinely terrible at this and somebody else could do a better job, there's not a lot of time left for anyone to step in (although Mark does try at the end; it's just too little and too late).Negrek said:Wow, Chaletwo is... really not doing so well with the negotiations, there. I'm kind of surprised nobody stepped in to try and take control of the situation or ask him to tone it down a little. Like, Sparky for example seems like he would be a much better character for this kind of thing, and I feel like you could maybe utilize him a little more in this mini-arc... he has more focus than the other recruited trainers, but it's still not much. I kept forgetting Victor, Ryan, and to a lesser extent Leah even existed until their names popped up. But anyway, it looked like the negotiations were going pretty well until Chaletwo started getting impatient and, like, serously, bro, it's not like the War is tomorrow, you can give them a little space instead of pressing them to decide right this very second. You even know where they'll go if they decide to try running.
I... don't really think they're that similar, beyond the basic idea of "Mark feels inadequate because other people's Pokémon are stronger than his", which was intentionally a running theme in the chapter? The bit about Robin's Charizard you're referring to is presumably "Charizard strained to keep up, and Mark couldn’t help but be painfully aware of how effortless Robin’s Charizard’s flight seemed in comparison"; he's reacting to a similarish situation here, where his Weavile faints and Leah's doesn't, and he still feels inadequate, but he frames it differently (Leah's been training five years longer than him so of course her Pokémon are stronger, while there's no reason to think Robin's Pokémon would naturally be stronger than his), focuses on different feelings (in battle he specifically feels that he's not contributing much to the fight compared to Leah, whereas in the earlier bit with Robin's Charizard they're not in battle and he's just noticing the difference in effort expended between the two of them and feeling pained by it), and none of the phrasing is at all related. I don't really think I see it.Negrek said:You had almost the exact same sentiment earlier in the chapter when Mark was considering Robin's charizard. Actually, polishing this comment up I realize this sentence is talking about Leah and not Robin (I get them confused a lot this chapter), so it's not quite as bad, but it's still enough of a close parallel that it made me think, "Wait, didn't you already say that?"
Hah. In the original plan, Tyranitar killed Taylor in the League battle. Like, after beating Mewtwo^2 because he's a Dark-type, he just walked across the arena and stepped on him. It was also an Elite Four system for some reason (where whoever beats an Elite Four member takes their place), so they were alone in a closed room and there were no spectators. And after that... ~something~, I didn't know what would happen after that but it'd be awesome, obviously.Negrek said:Part of that has to do with the prominence of the Taylor subplot, which like I think I said earlier has really been adding a lot of interest to the latter part of the story... driving the majority of the interpersonal conflict. I don't know how prominent it was in your original plan, but I think that it's a real boon to the narrative and is crucial for bringing the character development to a head.
All very good points, and I really should have realized that sentence was clumsy because this is exactly one kind of thing I've been trying to do better. I think I never did because it was literally the last sentence of the chapter, so when I got there I just sort of slipped over it to move on to "All right, finished this round of proofreading!"Negrek said:This strikes me as a clumsy sentence. Is it necessary to specify that he reached "his head" forward? The "before" seems unnecessary because the flow of the sentence logically indicates when events happen, and again, do you need to specify "his form" was transformed into red energy? Something like, "and he reached forward to touch the ball, transformed into red energy, and disappeared" would read smoother, I think. (You can tell when I've been doing line edits on my own writing.)
Negrek said:The battle dragged a bit for me, perhaps because there wasn't a lot of back and forth to the fight--at least from what we saw of Mark's POV, they seemed to be losing the entire time, so it was kind of just a slow burn into the eventual recall and hail-Mary capture attempt. The fractured nature of the battle also prevented there from being a sense of the bigger picture or much in the way of individual arcs--we don't see any of the pokémon's struggles for more than a couple of attacks, so it's hard to generate interest for anybody's struggles in particular.
That's an excellent point and in hindsight I totally agree. I think if I were to do this battle over I'd try to focus more on the stronger Pokémon in the fight (Leah's and Ryan's) while spending more time on each individual subfight, and try to really show them doing something awesome that actually makes it seem like they have a shot, even as Mark feels pathetically inadequate.Chibi Pika said:The battle flowed well enough for me, did a good job of bringing in all the characters despite there being so many participants, though I gotta admit, it did feel 100% hopeless within like the first minute. Like "wow they really have NO shot at this at all, there's definitely going to be a twist because they are not winning this--"
Recalling and sending out immediately would definitely not magically get rid of stat drops in this universe; being in a ball for some time might, but that'd mean naturally wearing off because they're not in complete stasis in the ball, not the ball just wiping it out. Healing items can deal with minor injuries and exhaustion, but can't replace proper medical care (even Pokémon Center healing machines and the pocket version can't).Negrek said:It also gave me a bit of time to wonder why Mark doesn't, say, recall Charizard and then send him out again immediately to counter the stat drop from icy wind, or use that moment he spent talking with Sandslash to instead spray him with a full restore and send him on his way. (Can't remember whether or not recall/healing items will actually do that for you according to the rules of this story, but it was a thought I had.)
NOPE.Chibi Pika said:Oh my god Robin is not willing to let us forget about this subplot.
Ahaha, it is actually totally not. I realized there was only one unicorn during a shower I took when I was NaNoing the first draft in 2012. Early in the month, before I got to this chapter, obviously, but yeah. It evolved out of earlier plans for the unicorns to represent different emotions because why not, though; it just occurred to me then that this made way more sense if that was literally what they were.Chibi Pika said:How long had you planned for the herd to all be personifications of Waraider? I'm guessing it wasn't the case when they were first created, but is probably a pretty old idea at this point.
Well, probably seven. I've pretty much decided on 77 chapters by now. One-Shot B is getting its own chapter.Chibi Pika said:Ogod we only have six chapters left
Anyway! Here's the promised extra. As usual with extras, it's completely optional; it's just an extra look into young Waraider's confused mind and how his relationship with the other unicorns developed, with a bonus cameo appearance by young Chaletwo.
Chapter 70 extra: Not Alone
Waraider is not alone. He has never been alone.
Ever since he was created, he has heard voices. They’re a constant, comforting presence. He can’t see them, but he can hear them.
One warns him of danger, of things that might happen and things that are happening, that hurt, could hurt, could go wrong. When she talks, a chill runs through him, and he shivers; she must be an Ice-type. He can imagine her, icicles in her mane and tail, powdery snow swirling around her body. She’s a she; he’s not sure how he knows, but that’s how he imagines her. Her name, he realized one day – did she tell him? He’s not sure, but he knows – is Freezaroy.
Another asks questions, wants to know everything. Why is the grass green, where does the wind come from, where do the mortal Pokémon go when they die? Freezaroy doesn’t like that last question, but he asks it anyway, his attention flitting this way and that to everything that interests him, quick as lightning, and pays her no mind. Indeed, he’s an Electric-type. Bright, leaping sparks form a mane down the back of his neck. His name is Electhrone. Waraider knows; he doesn’t know how, but he knows.
Sometimes Waraider meets other Pokémon and talks to them, but many are wary of him. One of the voices wants to tell them everything, just to share it with someone and hoping they share in return, and her name is Mysticrown. But even when they listen to him they don’t stop being wary; in fact, they often start to act strange, especially when he talks about the voices, and then he realizes they’re avoiding him, don’t want to talk to him. Another voice appears, a voice that burns, a Fire-type, Emphire; she thinks he should attack them, show them the power that they’re so afraid of. But Natruler, who is soft and calm and comforting like the breeze in the trees and the swaying grass, says he shouldn’t hurt others. So he leaves them alone and retreats to some of the places that he likes where he feels a little better, and yet another one of the voices is dark and a little scary and his name is Darkhan and he tells Waraider to never, ever try to befriend those Pokémon again, because they hurt him, and they’ll surely do it again because they’re bad, bad, bad.
So he spends more and more time in his places, where the Pokémon all know of him and usually keep away. And then there’s another voice, Seasar, who says no one will ever want to talk to him or care about him, and when he talks, Waraider feels like he’s drowning.
But he is not alone. He has the voices. They’re the only friends he’ll ever need, and they’ll never leave him. He talks to them instead, and he understands them and they understand him. Mysticrown still wants to talk to other Pokémon, so he still does, sometimes. But he doesn’t need them. The voices are enough.
-------
One day he talks to a Pachirisu. “You’re a legendary Pokémon?” the little squirrel asks him, wide-eyed with awe, and Mysticrown says he should say yes, so he does.
“What’s that like?” asks the Pachirisu.
Waraider pauses to think, unsure how to answer. “Mew told me I should try to watch over mortal Pokémon and help them. But I’m not sure I know how.”
“Mew?” the Pachirisu asks, gaping. “You’ve met Mew?”
“Mew created me,” Waraider responds.
“Oooh. That’s so cool! How old are you?”
Waraider glances away and then back. “I was made only a few months ago. I still have a lot to learn.”
“Really? But you’re a legendary! Like what?”
He takes a breath. “My power,” he says. “I have a lot of power, but I can’t control it well yet. I don’t know what I should use it for. Mew said I could choose it for myself.”
“Wow! That’s amazing!” The Pachirisu lets out little sparks of excitement. “Can you show me what you can do?” she says eagerly.
Waraider hesitates, but the Pachirisu is looking at him, starry-eyed, and Mysticrown wants to show her. He gathers his powers and stomps one foot, and the earth shakes underneath them. He can just see the Pachirisu’s eyes widen further before she falls to the ground, shivering, and then lies still. Startled, Waraider prods her with a hoof, but she doesn’t respond.
As he stares at the little Pokémon’s unmoving body, Freezaroy cries out in despair. “You killed her!” she screams. “She’s dead!”
“Oh, no, you hurt her,” murmurs Natruler, not accusing, she’s never like that, just sad. “Can’t you help her, somehow?”
“You can’t help her when she’s dead!” Freezaroy howls.
“You idiot. Why can’t you do anything right?” Emphire snarls.
Waraider shakes his head, frozen. He can’t think. Not this Pachirisu too. Not this. Seasar is making his eyes water; he feels his legs shaking as Freezaroy keeps muttering, “She’s dead she’s dead she’s dead…”
Before he can decide what to do – he never knows what to do – he’s running. It’s Freezaroy who told him to run, Seasar who tells him to keep going and never stop. He runs all the way across the plains and into a thick forest, where the undergrowth ensnares his hooves; when he falls, he scrambles back to his feet and keeps running, despite the way his body aches and his muscles strain and his legs tremble. He runs until he collapses by a lake, gasping for air, eyes squeezed shut as Seasar’s water tries to trickle between his eyelids.
When he awakes, beams of bright, warm sunlight fall between the leaves of the trees overhead. He’s weak and exhausted and drained. When he raises his head, Seasar is standing by the side of the lake, leaning down to drink. Water flows up his mane, along his back and cascades down his tail.
Waraider blinks, his mind still hazy. He’s never seen any of them before, but there he is, just as Waraider has always imagined him. And then, as his mind starts to clear, his heart soars. He can see him. He’s really there. Sometimes when he’s talked to other Pokémon, he’s wondered if – but no! Seasar is standing before him, plain as day. He pushes himself to his feet; Seasar turns his head, but doesn’t say anything, and why would he, because Seasar’s the one who keeps talking about how Waraider has no other Pokémon to be with, but he does now. He reaches forward to touch Seasar’s snout – he’s solid, he’s there – and then Seasar says, quietly, “You killed that Pachirisu.”
Waraider flinches back as the memory resurfaces. Suddenly Freezaroy is there too; she must have been behind him. “She’s dead,” she murmurs, eyes shining. “You can never be around other Pokémon again like this. You can’t control your powers. You could kill someone else.”
“Why are mortal Pokémon so fragile?” snarls Emphire from the other side of him, her mane and tail blazing, red eyes glinting. He backs away as she rounds on him. “How were we supposed to know it’d kill her?”
“That poor Pachirisu,” Natruler says, and he turns yet again to see her standing in the shade of a tree. “Perhaps… perhaps we can help her?”
Waraider thinks no, of course not, he can never help anyone, it’s impossible – and then he realizes it’s not, because Natruler is there, she’s a Grass-type, lots of Grass Pokémon have healing abilities. She can fix it; of course she can! His heart pounding in excitement, he turns, trying to remember what direction he came from, and then bounds back out of the forest, the others following closely behind him. This is how it should be. This is how it was always meant to be. They’re with him, and they know what to do, and he will never be alone again.
-------
When they reach the place where the Pachirisu was, though – he remembers it clearly, the plains, between that hill and the mossy rock, where the purple flowers grow – she’s not there anymore. He looks around in confusion. The sun is shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky. A faint breeze wafts through the grass. The wind and the weather couldn’t have blown her away.
“Where is she?” Electhrone asks, looking around.
“A predator picked her up and ate her,” Freezaroy mutters. Waraider remembers the Pokémon that live here, though – he hasn’t seen any predators before.
“They probably come here sometimes anyway, with all that prey around,” Electhrone suggests.
Maybe. How long was he collapsed in the forest? It couldn’t have been very long; it’s still daytime. Unless he was there for the entire night? He doesn’t know.
“Maybe she wasn’t dead,” Mysticrown says. “Maybe she stood up again, just like you stood up again in the forest.”
“Maybe she didn’t,” Freezaroy says.
“She left,” Seasar says dully. “She’ll never want to see you again. You hurt her and then you left her for dead. Why would she?”
“These Pokémon always assume the worst of you,” Emphire says, nostrils flaring.
“She didn’t deserve you anyway,” Darkhan hisses, unfurling his leathery wings. “Forget about her!”
Waraider shakes his head. He has always tried not to listen too closely to Emphire and Darkhan, but it’s harder when they’re there in front of him, his friends.
“Maybe she tried to find you when she woke, but she couldn’t,” Mysticrown says.
“She must have been very confused when you were gone,” Natruler agrees.
Yes, that’s probably it. She liked him, didn’t she? She’d thought he was amazing.
“And then you attacked her and left her,” Seasar points out.
“Why would you do something stupid like that?” Emphire growls. “You knew you couldn’t control your powers.”
“I’m sure she forgave you.”
“But if she’s wary now, that doesn’t make her bad.”
“She asked you to show her your power!”
“She got exactly what she wanted and she has nobody but herself to blame!”
Waraider squeezes his eyes shut as the others argue, back and forth, all at once. He doesn’t know who is right. Maybe…? But what if…?
Mysticrown wants to try to find the Pachirisu and continue their conversation. Natruler thinks so too, so that he can apologize for hurting her. Electhrone just wants to know where she went, but Seasar thinks there’s no point and she won’t want to see him again anyway. Darkhan thinks he should stop talking to mortal Pokémon, just stop, and Freezaroy agrees. Emphire… he’s not sure what Emphire actually wants. She’s mad at the Pachirisu for not being here anymore, mad at him for using his powers carelessly, and for running off like that for no reason when he could have seen she was fine if he’d just waited a bit longer, and for not being able to make up his mind.
They won’t agree on what to do or where to go. When they’ve all said everything they have to say, they look at him, and he backs away. He can’t betray any of them. They’re all his friends, the voices who are always with him – but now that he can see them, could they leave?
So they go to one of his favorite places. They all like his favorite places. Mysticrown wanted to find the Pachirisu, but he didn’t know where to find her anyway, and maybe he’ll find another Pokémon to talk to. Or, then again, he might not, so Darkhan doesn’t object.
When they’ve been there too long, they go to another place, and then another. They’re all happy with that, and that makes him happy. If they just do this, keep doing this, exactly like this, then they’ll be fine.
-------
As they graze in the serene woods, Chaletwo appears. Darkhan doesn’t like Chaletwo, but then again, Darkhan likes no one. Where Mew was kind and patient, though, Chaletwo was always restless and angry, and Waraider is wary as the other legendary surveys his herd through closed, leathery eyelids, scrutinizing, as if he’s evaluating them for some higher judgement.
“So it’s true,” Chaletwo says at last. “There are eight of you now. Care to enlighten me?”
Waraider blinks in confusion. “They’re my friends.”
“Yeah, that’s nice,” Chaletwo says; he doesn’t sound like it’s nice at all. “But where did they come from? Did you make them?”
“They’ve always been with me, but I can see them now,” Waraider explains.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Did you create them or not?”
Waraider shifts; Chaletwo is making him uncomfortable, but he’s not quite sure why. At last, he shakes his head. “I didn’t make them. They just are.”
Chaletwo sighs. “Sure. Look, I’ll be straight with you. You can’t just create seven new legendaries. Mew and I planned out very carefully who the legendaries should be after the – after the disaster, and where they should reside to keep the regions in balance. There weren’t supposed to be eight unicorns running around Ouen, all right? I gather they’ve stayed close to you so far; is that right?”
“They’re my friends,” Waraider repeats, glancing at the others; they nod, all at once, and he feels warmer. “We’ll always be together. They’d never leave me.”
“Great. Let’s keep it that way. And no more creating extra legendaries Mew and I don’t know about, all right?”
“I didn’t make them,” Waraider says.
“Well, did someone else make them?”
“No. Nobody made them.”
“Right, if you say so.” Chaletwo doesn’t sound like he means that. Waraider doesn’t like him, not at all.
“Who are you to come here asking questions?” Emphire spits.
“We were not made,” Darkhan says, beating his wings.
“Fine, whatever. I’ll leave you and your… friends to it. Good job working out your powers, at any rate. They look great; not exactly creative, but you pulled off the different types okay. And I’m sensing full legendary power from all of them, except the Dark one of course. Can barely tell it wasn’t us.”
And then he gives a casual wave of his bony hand and disappears.
Good job working out his powers? Confusion swirls in Waraider’s head. He wants that, more than anything, but if it were true, then…
Emphire tosses her head. “How dare he? Like we’re just things that you made.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Darkhan hisses. “He’s Chaletwo. He doesn’t care about you.”
“He thinks you’re a freak,” Seasar says.
“But…” Mysticrown begins to say.
“What if…?” Electhrone asks.
“No!” Freezaroy screams. “No!” And Mysticrown and Electhrone look away from him again.
“Chaletwo was mistaken,” Natruler says softly. “He only said what he thought was true.”
“But it’s not!” Freezaroy snaps.
“It’s not.”
“It’s not.”
Waraider takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. “It’s not.”
Mysticrown and Electhrone are silent.
“It’s not,” he repeats.
He hasn’t done anything of worth at all with his powers. Surely if he simply believed Chaletwo, that would be wishful thinking. He knows they were always there. He had nothing to do with it. Chaletwo is wrong.
-------
Waraider decides to learn to fight – well, Emphire and Darkhan want to, and while Natruler is a little reluctant, even she doesn’t disagree. He doesn’t know much, but the others teach him. It’s something they can do together, all as one, and it helps him understand and practice his powers – helps all of them. They take turns acting as opponents, always in the same order. Because it’s always the same, they never have to think about it or make a decision after the first time, and that’s good. It makes things easier.
One day, as they spar, he hears a familiar chittering voice from the ground.
“Waraider!” calls the tiny Pachirisu. “I haven’t seen you since you knocked me out with that Earthquake! I was watching you practice and wow! Who are the others?”
“We’re his friends,” Mysticrown says.
“His only friends,” Darkhan adds.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Natruler trills softly. “We thought you might have died.”
The Pachirisu looks between her and Waraider in confusion. “Thanks, but… how did you know about that?”
“I was there,” Natruler says.
“We were all there,” Mysticrown explains. “But we were invisible.”
The Pachirisu blinks. “Invisible friends?”
“And what of it?” Darkhan snaps. “It doesn’t make us less real.”
The Pachirisu shakes her head quickly. “No, I didn’t say anything like that! I… that’s so cool!”
Mysticrown beams at her. “That’s very kind.”
“How do you turn invisible? Can you show me?”
For a split second they all look at Waraider, and then they look back.
“We’re not showing you,” Darkhan growls. “Go. We’re here for him now. We’ll never leave.”
The Pachirisu’s face falls. “But… I didn’t…”
“You want us gone?” Freezaroy says, her eyes shining.
The Pachirisu’s ears droop. “No! Nothing like that! I just… I just thought turning invisible was cool.”
She glances miserably at Waraider. He averts his eyes. He knows Darkhan only wants to protect him, to make sure he doesn’t get hurt again, but…
“We didn’t mean to lash out,” Natruler says. “I’m sorry.”
“You are welcome to be our friend, too,” Mysticrown says.
“Can’t I… can’t I just talk to Waraider?” the Pachirisu mutters, fidgeting, glancing at him only to look away again.
“You want to separate us,” Darkhan hisses. “It will never happen! Never!”
The Pachirisu shrinks away. “Why aren’t you talking, Waraider?” she asks, in a small voice. “Why is it just them?”
The others look back at him, again. He looks at each of them in turn; aren’t they going to say anything? “I… I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s better this way.”
“Leave him alone,” Darkhan snarls. “Who are you to tell him when he should talk?”
Again she flinches, shaking her head. After giving Waraider another sad glance, she backs away, turning.
“No! Don’t leave!” Mysticrown calls after her, but she has already skittered away and disappeared into the tall grass.
Waraider expects Emphire to speak to denounce her, but she doesn’t. The silence is hollow and empty.
“She was just like the others,” Darkhan says after a second. “I’m glad she’s gone.”
“She was the last one,” Seasar murmurs. “And now she’s gone. No one else will ever –”
“And that’s fine!” Darkhan interrupts, flaring his nostrils. “We’re all he needs.”
“Well, you drove her away,” Emphire growls.
“No, no, we can’t fight!” Freezaroy whinnies.
Waraider closes his eyes and shakes his head. After a minute, the others quiet down. Only Seasar still talks: “She’s gone. She’s gone forever. She thinks we’re all freaks and she left. Nobody likes us or wants us.”
“I know,” Waraider says quietly, without opening his eyes. “That’s just the way it is.” Seasar is always so sad. He wishes he could help him.
“Let’s do another battle,” Darkhan says after a moment. “We need to know how to protect ourselves if they ever try anything.”
Waraider nods. They can already do that; they’re so strong all together, so much stronger than any mortal Pokémon. But practicing fighting is good. Seasar isn’t sad while they’re fighting. And nobody argues. In battle they’re a team, complementing each other, with so many different powers. They’re unstoppable.
Yes. No matter what other Pokémon think, he still has them. They’re his friends, and they always know what to do. With them by his side, everything will be fine.
Because he is not alone, and he will never be alone.
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