Chapter Text
Whispers rang in the air like soft, distorted bells, and it was like multiple voices were speaking over the top of each other yet never managing to make their words known. Dewott’s confused and worried barks sounded in her ears, but Akari could barely hear her breathing over the voices.
She was confused for a moment as she listened, despite all the worry and fear surrounding her. What was happening? Who was speaking?
Swallowing, Akari called softly, “H-hello?”
Right away it changed. The whispers paused briefly, only to suddenly turn their attention to Akari like the crack of a whip. She stumbled a little, barely noticing that she knocked her starter away, and looked around frantically.
There was no one but her, Dewott, Rei, Volo, and Ursaluna in the black void, so who…
Her eyes widened in horror as a vague memory slammed into her mind. She heard them last time; then next thing she knew, time had passed but she had no idea what she’d done in that time…
She missed Talon evolving. She missed going to the distortion.
The whispers had controlled her last time.
Starting to shake, she hurriedly shoved her hands over her ears. This only muffled the noise. No, no, no, please, no, anything but that, please, I’ll take Alphas, Lilligant, ANYTHING BUT THE VOICES!
They only grew louder, as if they knew her thoughts and were angry at her for them. She cried out in pain as her head was stabbed with pain once more, and briefly, the whispers filled her mind.
Akari was only jolted out of the trance she’d been placed under when the group was thrown into a dark forest, and she and her partner slammed into a tree, Akari once more cushioning the Pokémon’s landing.
“Dewah! Dew, wott, Otta, Otta, Dewott, dew!” Dewott shouted frantically, shaking her hard as soon as he was on his paws. Vaguely, it seemed the panic from not far away seemed to grow stronger, and she thought she heard footsteps and a voice calling her name (Rei-) but the whispers continued speaking to her.
The meaning was clear as crystal despite the distorted and quiet words.
Stay.
She let out a shriek and keeled over, panting hard as her headache suddenly became worse. “GET OUT!” Akari cried, not feeling hands on her shoulders. “LEAVE ME ALONE- ARRGH!”
“Akari!
“OTTA! OTTA!”
“Go away, go away,” she whispered shakily, but the whispers only grew louder. “Get away, go… GET AWAY FROM ME!”
S I L E N C E.
The sudden, loud voice made her jump out of her skin with a cry, and she anxiously looked around for the source, noticing the ones around her jumping back in alarm at the sight of her eyes. It had been deep, and authoritative, and for a moment, she thought she heard a satisfied hum.
Despite that, it was angry and frustrated, and it sounded out clearly over the other whispers. The softer voices kept speaking until she heard nothing but them and her mind became a haze… they told her it was okay, they had her, they’d tell her what to do, and she’d be fine. Something was shrieking in fear, but the whispers told her it was nothing… so, the girl listened.
There was a gasp, but she barely looked around when she was thrown into some weird black void where she floated in one spot. Panic was in the air, but she allowed the whispers to guide her emotions- she was calm.
A creature near her cried for her, and, irritated, she shot a frown in its direction. It flinched. Another voice called in her direction, and she glowered at it, too; silver eyes grew wide in alarm and the voice fell silent.
The whispers continued speaking to her, reassuring her that everything was fine. Something inside her told her they were wrong. The voices quelled it instantly.
After a moment of just floating aimlessly, confused, and scared sounds around her (should something have happened by now?) the whispers began telling her to do something.
U S E I T.
Use it?
Is that what it said?
That’s what it felt like… it seemed simple enough.
She could do that.
Ignoring a (familiar) bark, the girl raised her arms to shoulder height, took in a deep breath… then paused.
What was she meant to be using?
Hastily, the voices told her to stop thinking and just use it, but more and more confusing questions filled her mind.
She frowned at her hands, something red flicking before her eyes. She wasn’t actually sure what she was meant to be using… did she even know how to use it? Had she done it before? (PULL IT TOGETHER-) If they wanted her to use it, why didn’t they tell her how or why? The girl’s head started aching and she hissed in pain. The whispers were getting angry, but she growled right back.
STOP BEING CRYPTIC.
The barking was familiar, and despite the voices’ warning, she looked down at the teary-eyed blue creature floating next to her. Her frown deepened.
“Dew…” she croaked, her voice sounding unfamiliar.
It lit up and continued its begging barks. Then, they were suddenly thrown back into another space- some sort of beach? – and she hastily dragged herself out of the shallow water she’d landed in, only to cry out in pain as the whispers screamed at her to focus.
“SNAP OUT OF IT!”
The familiar voice lodged itself in her mind and the girl froze. She knew that voice, she realised, as she looked in its direction. Her gut screamed at her to recognise the boy stumbling across the sands towards her, but whatever doubts she had were washed away by the whispers’ fury. The boy grabbed her shoulders, and her first instinct was to throw his hands away.
“PULL IT TOGETHER- you have to stop listening! We have to get out of here!” he exclaimed, looking around frantically. A confused growl sounded nearby, and she vaguely noticed a huge brown and grey-furred creature.
Her gaze was drawn back to the boy’s greyish-blue eyes, and she scowled, startling him. Silver Eyes stammered, “Wha- what’s h-happening to her?”
A vicious snarl tore itself from her throat, and without warning, she grabbed the boy’s wrists and twisted them behind his back, finding satisfaction in his cry of pain.
“AKARI!”
Her eyes widened, and unwittingly, she released the boy and stumbled back.
FOCUS.
But it was familiar-
DO NOT LISTEN.
“Akari, it’s me, Rei!” the boy said instantly, shaking as he turned back to her. “You’ve got to listen to me, we have to find Arezu and help Lilligant, remember? Snap out of it already!”
She barely heard his voice over the whispers despite how curious she was. Ignoring her gut screeching at her to focus, the girl growled at him, thoroughly annoyed by its persistence.
“I’m tired of your antics.”
It wasn’t her voice. She said it, but it wasn’t hers- this was only confirmed by the horrified looks on the boy, Silver Eyes, and the creatures’ faces.
Focus, child.
Fine.
Still shaking, the boy came closer and tried speaking softly, gently, to make her listen, but without warning she darted forward and punched him in the gut as hard as her body would allow. He let out a cry of pain and stumbled back, only to shout again when she struck his eye. Silver Eyes shouted at her to stop and tried to run at her, yet at that moment they were thrown back into the black void.
She snarled warningly as they floated in the emptiness, and the second she landed in the next space- some kind of rocky, storming cliff- she sped to the boy, intent on getting rid of the nuisance.
He yelped and dodged another bow to the head, but quickly kicked her legs out from under her, making her fall. She backflipped into an offensive position and went straight back at it, ignoring all the shouting and barking and roaring around her. The boy made to kick her legs out yet again and she leapt out of the way, spinning around on some strange instinct before kicking the middle of his back as thunder began booming around them, increasing her headache.
“Akari, please, it’s me!” the boy begged as he stumbled back to his feet. The girl hissed in pain, but before she could move, the blue creature stood between her and the boy, and the next thing she knew the huge brown creature was also there, growling warningly, and Silver Eyes was holding her back. She kicked and screeched at him to let go-
Then, she screamed in pain as her head felt like it was suddenly splitting in two. There was another massive CRASH of thunder, and just as quickly as it started, it stopped, and she blacked out.
“O-Otta? Otta, dew-dew, dewah?”
“Akari, wake up!
“Grah!”
“Kari?”
With a groan, Akari opened her eyes, and to her relief, the first thing she saw was Dewott. He looked shaken and had tears running down his cheeks, but the second their eyes met, he whimpered in relief and threw his paws around her neck, hugging her tight.
“Dewey…” she whispered, then coughed. Her voice sounded like it’d been put through some sort of grinder.
Ursaluna grunted and she smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers, smiling back.
“Goodness gracious… that, er… that was certainly something.” Akari jumped a little and whipped around to see Volo, covered in scrapes and bruises, giving her a tight smile from where he sat directly behind her. She blushed a little at the proximity, but the confusion and anxiety he was feeling made her worried. “I wasn’t aware you were capable of… all that.”
Dewott and Ursaluna glared at him warningly while Akari frowned… she remembered getting stuck in the distortion, and they were going through a lot of different places…
“What are you talking about?”
Before he could answer, Rei kneeled beside her, shaking quite badly. Pikachu and Hiro had come out of their balls at some point and were squeaking and barking worriedly up at him. Akari’s eyes widened in shock- he was covered in bruises and scratches, and a dark bruise was forming over his eye. “Rei, wha- what the heck happened to you!? How’d your eye get like that- wait, sh*t, where’s the distortion, when did it go? Is anyone else hurt? How long have I been out?!”
“It’s okay,” he said softly before she could continue her rambling. Rei put a hand on her shoulder. “The distortion’s gone and you’ve only been out a minute or two. We’ve got some bruises, but we’ll be okay.”
“But- but- what happened to your eye?”
Volo frowned thoughtfully at her as he stood up. “You don’t remember? You… seriously don’t remember?”
Dewott and Pikachu growled, and Hiro whimpered, pressing against Rei’s side. Ursaluna shook his head and gently nuzzled Akari again, only doing a little for her nerves. Did… I do something? Oh, no, oh no, no, I can’t have- not to Rei- no, please, I can’t have hurt him-
“I landed badly, and I must’ve hit my eye on something.” She looked up at him in surprise, seeing him shrugging nonchalantly. Dewott barked in confusion. “I don’t have your healing, but it’ll be fine in a week or so. Don’t worry about me.”
He was lying. Rei was absolutely lying to her face, and she wanted to question him further, but then he smiled a little, trying to be as reassuring as possible. She couldn’t help the way her anxiety reduced at the sight. “I’m okay. Really.”
Akari grimaced. She knew he wasn’t planning on telling her… and, truthfully, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know, anyway. There wasn’t time to argue regardless- who knew how long Arezu had been lost?
She took in a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, then.” With Ursaluna and Rei’s help, she got back to her feet, a little shaky but otherwise capable of standing on her own. Akari looked over at Volo who still seemed to be trying to figure her out and said, “I won’t stop you if you really wanna come, Volo, but it’s probably gonna be really dangerous.
The merchant started, then grinned genuinely, and Akari suppressed the surge to roll her eyes at Rei’s annoyance. “Yes, yes, certainly, I shan’t get in your way!”
Her friend raised an eyebrow at her, but she nudged him as a warning to be polite, and he did roll his eyes at her though didn’t argue. Pikachu trilled and jumped onto Rei’s shoulder, startling him, and he certainly froze as Hiro stubbornly clambered onto his other shoulder. Akari and Dewott shared an amused look before the girl looked back at Ursaluna.
The noble, now satisfied that they were finally getting a move on, sniffed the air for a moment before letting out a triumphant roar and tearing away towards the Scarlet Bog, making the three and their Pokémon yelp and hastily run after him.
“Ursaluna, wait up!”
Some time passed and they were cautiously walking up Bolderoll Slope, Akari keeping all of her senses on high alert. Rose, Talon and Monferno had let themselves out of their balls and were walking ahead, Dewott staying back and holding her hand. Lucario- who Akari had also brought, mainly because of Hiroyuki- was beside Rei, occasionally shushing her baby.
The Galaxy girl had already caught three Pokémon- a pair of Rhyhorn and an evolution of Geodude, which Rei called a Graveler- and she couldn’t help but feel something was itching at the back of her mind the further they went. However, Ursaluna was in the zone, and she doubted he’d stop, even for her.
However, as she took out her phone to check the map (she’d been pleasantly surprised to see that the Diamond Settlement had its own section there) the Alpha Shiver ran down her spine and a vicious roar split through the silence, making all people and Pokémon leap back with yelps or growls.
Volo winced. “We, er… might want to go around. That sounds like an Onix, and they’re about as friendly as an Alpha.”
Akari sighed. That explained the itch, she supposed… “Well, it’s an Alpha Onix, so what are the chances it’ll be a little nicer to us?”
Rei groaned, slapping a hand against his face. Hiro watched him for a moment before copying the gesture, though Lucario quickly barked and pulled his paw away from his nose. “Why is it always an Alpha?”
“I’m pretty sure Onix are Rock or Ground types- probably both, honestly- so they’re going to be weak to Water, Grass and Fighting,” she murmured, tapping her chin. “But if they’re Ground types then Tal, Pika and Lucario won’t be much good against it, especially if it knows something like Earthquake.”
“Why Lucario? I thought she was just Fighting.” Lucario rolled her eyes good-naturedly; Akari wasn’t sure what other type she could have, but that wasn’t the issue now.
“Either way, we shouldn’t engage if possible.”
She then looked over at Ursaluna and frowned to see him staring intently ahead, in the direction of the settlement. Dewott barked curiously and he grunted, and all the Pokémon immediately drooped in dismay, Rose and Hiro whimpering a little. Akari’s frown deepened.
“Is Arezu nearby?” Ursaluna nodded, still staring directly ahead. Akari felt her heart starting to sink. “She’s right near the Alpha, isn’t she?” The noble sighed heavily and nodded. “That sounds about right for our luck. F*ck.”
“I’m telling Laventon you’re constantly swearing,” Rei muttered, though he, too, was annoyed and worried. Volo had a weird expression, but it was clear he wasn’t looking forward to being near an Alpha Onix.
She took in a deep breath, shook herself out, and said, “We’ll move slowly and do what we can to avoid a fight at all costs.”
Ursaluna nodded. Monferno took Akari’s other hand and Rose jumped onto her shoulders, and Talon started leading the way, Ursaluna taking measured steps.
As they came over the hill, Akari frowned- there was a massive pile of rocks all lined up, blocking about half the settlement from view, and a huge tunnel in the middle of the ground that made her wince and hastily look away. IT hadn’t been there before, but before she could say anything, Rei choked in horror and Volo stumbled back. Looking closer, her eyes widened in horror- one of the biggest stones had a face. A huge horn protruded off its head and its eyes were shut. It took her a moment to realise that it was sleeping. Despite its closed eyes, the red glow was still emanating creepily around them, and each of its grunts was distorted as if it were in a distortion.
All the rocks were part of its body- this thing was truly massive, bigger than any other Pokémon she’d ever seen.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she whispered, “Volo, get to cover and stay hidden. Rei, put Pika and Hiro back in their balls. They can’t handle this thing.” Pikachu scowled irritably and Hiro whimpered, though they allowed themselves to be put back. Talon hissed softly at the Alpha, and despite knowing he wanted to stay out, he was scared to be near such a massive Ground type, so Akari returned him as well. Rose whimpered and she patted her gently before looking back at Ursaluna. “Can you pinpoint where exactly she is?”
Ursaluna sniffed the air for a moment, then looked towards one of the yurts that were furthest from the center and surprisingly separated from the rest. The walls were charred and half of it seemed to have caved in, but it seemed better off than others, which had slash marks covering them or had collapsed completely. She shut her eyes and felt for any emotions- Akari was not disappointed. Fear and pain were hiding within the yurt, and she vaguely felt something that reminded her of a Grass type Pokémon.
She nudged Rei and pointed at the yurt. “She’s over there, and I think she’s hurt.” Rei frowned and quickly started digging through his pack.
“I’ve got some healing supplies, mostly just bandages, though…”
“It’ll do. You coming?”
“Yep.”
She then looked back at Ursaluna and whispered, “I need you to go get Calaba, Ursaluna- and get her to contact Lady Irida. Is that okay?” Ursaluna smiled and bumped his nose against her head before carefully lumbering off, watching the Onix out of the corner of his eye. “Alright, Rei, let’s go.”
Once she’d ensured Volo was hidden a safe distance away, Akari and Rei started creeping through the wreckage, Monferno keeping his tail well elevated above the fabric, grass, and wood, towards the tent.
They had to freeze more than once when the Alpha grunted loudly in its sleep, and at one point scrambled out of the way as its body shifted around.
After a moment, Rei grimaced around the settlement. “Lilligant must be powerful,” he murmured. Akari glanced at him, though quickly turned her attention back to the Alpha. “Whatever’s causing these frenzies…”
“I know,” she whispered back, suddenly unable to look at him. “We need to focus, though. Okay?”
“… okay.”
Finally, they made it to the tent. The kids, Dewott and Monferno flattened themselves against its walls, and Arezu’s fear was practically blasting into her. Rose softly jumped off her shoulder and flattened her ears as she poked her head through one of the holes; right away, there was a sharp gasp and Rose trilled back to Akari.
Akari slowly peeked around and heaved a sigh of relief. Arezu was sitting on the floor, looking frightened, and shaking badly, but she perked up when she realised Akari was there. Quickly scanning her over, she saw that her lower leg was covered in blood and bent at a bad angle, and she had a pair of bags at her side full of mushrooms and some weird pink rock.
“Akari! You’re here,” she whispered, smiling weakly. Rei poked his head in, paled at the sight of her injury and hastily darted back.
“I-I’ll keep watch,” he told her, and Akari rolled her eyes before creeping inside.
She kneeled beside Arezu and her Pokémon also winced at her leg. “That doesn’t look good… does the area feel hot?”
“Not really… but I’ve been stuck here for a while.”
“Not infected, then, most likely,” Akari hummed. She accepted a scalchop from Dewott and started cutting away part of her legging. “Have you had anything to eat or drink?”
“N-nothing to eat. I have a water skin, it’s almost out…”
“Right. Rei, can we spare any food?”
He held out a thumbs up and Monferno hurried over to get the provisions from him. Arezu let out a sigh of relief as the Pokémon passed her a bit of senbei, though bit back a cry of pain when Akari lightly touched her broken leg. “No pressure, then, got it.”
Lucario walked in and grimaced at the wound. Akari asked her, “You know any healing moves, Lu?”
The Pokémon nodded and held out her paws; they started glowing blue, and after a moment, the wound glowed as well. The blood remained but the injury started to stitch itself together. Lucario stopped with a soft pant and shook her head. Akari understood; she couldn’t fix a broken bone, and if she could, it’d cost a lot of energy that they couldn’t afford to lose with an Alpha on the loose.
Okay, I can make a splint, might take a bit but as long as Onix stays asleep we should be fine… we’ll need to set the bone, I don’t think I’ve done as much first aid on humans as I have Pokémon, but it can’t be that different.
She whispered instructions to her Eevee and Monferno and they all off; Rei shot her a confused look, but she nodded, assuring him she had it under control. When Arezu had finished her food, sighing in relief, and rubbing her eyes, they came back with a few thick sticks and some medicinal leeks.
“This is gonna hurt,” Akari warned her. “But you need to be extra quiet or we’re all dead. Got it?”
The warden shot her a frightened look. “Wha- what are you doing?”
“If I told you, you wouldn’t let me do it,” she said shortly, then asked Rei, ignoring Arezu’s soft squawk, “Can I get the bandages?”
“Make it quick,” he hissed, feeling even more scared than before. “That thing’s getting restless.”
“A-Akari, what are you-”
“Dew, Momo, on that side, Rose, with me, and I need you to be ready with another healing move just in case, Lu- Arezu, bite down on this stick and don’t stop.” She gave the bewildered girl one of the sticks; the sharp look in the younger’s eyes made her obey without further argument.
Akari took in a deep breath and took hold of Arezu’s leg, and after nodding to her Pokémon, they all simultaneously shoved her leg back into place. Arezu suppressed her shriek of pain as best as she could, though it was loud enough that Rei let out a soft cry of fear- the Onix was growling and shifting around.
“H-how’d you even f-find me?” Arezu gasped, and Akari raised an eyebrow as she began wrapping her leg up in the splint. Now, of all times?!
“Ursaluna sniffed you out, your grandmother gave me one of your hairbrushes to use.”
Immediately, the Warden’s teary eyes grew wide with fright and guilt. Akari knew what she was thinking- she’d realised that Akari had figured out her lies. She knew what Arezu had done.
She sniffed then whispered shakily, “A-Akari, I know-”
Suddenly out of patience, Akari snapped, “Explain yourself later. I know what you did and you’re not getting out of it, but we have to get to safety. We’ll deal with Lilligant then.”
Arezu’s face fell, but she nodded silently. She tied the bandages tightly and nodded to herself.
Then, without warning, the Shiver struck so hard she winced in pain, and right after, there was a huge rumble that shook the yurt. Rei shouted, “AKARI, GET OUT HERE!”
“GROOOAAARRR!”
Akari leapt to her feet like she’d been shocked and immediately pulled a Poké Ball out of her pack, releasing Spell the Abra. Spell squeaked in alarm as the Onix slithered into a different position, and they all heard Volo’s shout. “Spell, teleport Arezu to Volo then go back to Jubilife and get Lopunny and Phillis!” She nodded and Arezu hastily grabbed the bags of rock and mushrooms just as Spell teleported onto her head and then teleported away, Arezu’s frightened yelps fading away.
Immediately, she raced outside to see Rei scurrying away from a Rock Tomb and shouted, “LUCARIO, METAL SOUND, BULK UP, AURA SPHERE, REPEAT! Dew, Swords Dance, repeat, repeat! Rose, Baby-Doll Eyes, Mo, Mach Punch!”
The Onix roared and thrashed about, almost using the move Thrash, turning up the earth and causing even more destruction and chaos. Rei yanked Akari out of the way and shouted, “You have a plan for here, at least, right!?”
“Step one, wait for Spell to come back with Phillis and Lopunny! Step two, don’t die!”
“That is not at all reassuring!”
“Not like it’s gonna listen to reason, Rei!”
Dewott shrieked and used Aqua Jet to shove Rose out of the way from an Iron Tail, though he got clipped on the shoulder. Rose used Swift as much as she could, but Akari shouted, “Rose, back up, keep up the status strat!” The Eevee growled and Akari couldn’t help but wince, though she promptly started using more Baby-Doll Eyes and Helping Hands.
Then, Spell suddenly teleported in front of the two and dropped a pair of Poké Balls into Akari’s waiting hands, before vanishing and clinging to her back. She threw out the balls and shouted, “WATERFALL! CLOSE COMBAT!”
Once the two were attacking she pulled out Atlas’ ball and said, “Alright, I get you don’t like me, but it’s life or death here, so just listen to me for two seconds! Solar Beam, quickly!”
Atlas growled and Rei stumbled back in alarm, though the girl turned to him and said, “Rei, get out Rowlet and Cyndaquil and tell them to use Leafa*ge and Will-O-Wisp! They should know those moves!”
He started but nodded, fumbling with the balls for a moment. Rowlet and Cyndaquil hooted and trilled in fright when the Onix roared and slammed Phillis out of the air briefly with a Dragon Breath. However, they looked back at their temporary person as he called shakily, “R-Rowlet, Leafa*ge! Cyndaquil, Will-O-Wisp!”
The two briefly met gazes and came to a simultaneous decision; Rowlet took into the air and Cyndaquil rolled onto the battlefield, surprising the Onix with the sudden moves, and it roared painfully as the burn took effect.
Atlas, on the other hand, had outright refused to listen to Akari’s orders and just stood there, watching the fierce battle play out. The girl let out a frustrated shout.
“Kari, settle down, focus- ROWLET, ON YOUR LEFT!”
As the Grass-Flying type dodged an Iron Tail that promptly turned into a Stone edge that Lucario only just dodged, Akari shakily nodded her acknowledgement of Rei’s words, watching carefully as Monferno and Dewott started working together to climb across the Alpha’s back towards its head. When Atlas snorted and looked away, she couldn’t help but growl.
“FOR F*CK’S SAKE, ATLAS!” she screeched, startling him and Rei. “WOULD YOU RATHER DIE HERE OR ACTUALLY USE YOUR STRENGTH FOR SOMETHING USEFUL!?”
The shiny Grotle snarled at her… but to her surprise, he started charging up his Solar Beam.
“Alright, I guess that’s one way,” she muttered, then shook her head and shouted to the others, “WATERFALL, CLOSE COMBAT, METEOR MASH, KEEP IT UP!”
Her voice was starting to grow hoarse from all the shouting, but she made herself keep going, Rei calling to Rowlet and Cyndaquil. The Onix was being whittled down bit by bit, from both the burn and the attacks from multiple powerful Pokémon at once, and now it was just a matter of time. Momo and Dewott were getting closer to Onix’s head, and Atlas’ Solar Beam was becoming steadily stronger.
“Rei, get back,” she said sharply, but Rei glowered at her.
“If you think I’m leaving you to deal with this alone you’re crazier than always!”
Akari wanted to argue, but there didn’t seem to be much point, so she nodded, just as her starter and Monferno clung to Onix’s horn.
“DRIVE IT INTO THE GROUND!”
With furious shrieks, the two used multiple Razor Shells and Mach Punches, slowly but surely driving Onix into the ground. With another Aura Sphere from Lucario, it collapsed with a roar.
“ATLAS, SOLAR BEAM!”
Atlas let out a roar as he unleashed the deadly ray of sunlight, and Monferno and Dewott only just leapt off its head in time to avoid it. The Solar Beam struck it dead on, causing a massive explosion of dust and light; when the light finally faded, it was clear that Onix was knocked out, and wouldn’t wake up for some time. The Pokémon slumped in relief and exhaustion, though remained on guard as Akari stumbled past them all with a fresh Poké Ball in hand.
She tapped it to the Alpha’s head, and it was pulled inside and successfully caught, emptying the destroyed space quite thoroughly.
Lopunny and Phillis came up to her and bowed their heads, and she gave them both a grateful pat before returning them. Pikachu, Hiroyuki, and Talon let themselves out of their balls, and the Riolu hurried up to his mother, barking anxiously as the rest crowded around Akari and Rei as he approached.
Rei put a hand on Akari’s shoulder as she rubbed her sore throat. Spell squeaked gently. “You okay, Akari?”
She swallowed and tried to speak, though ended up coughing. Rei quickly handed over a water skin, and once she’d skulled enough water that her throat wasn’t on fire, she murmured, “I wanna go home.”
His grip on her shoulder tightened. She felt his dismay and longing, just as strong as her own. He was as tired as she was.
Knowing they still weren’t done, she gave him as real a smile as she could manage. “I’ll be okay. Let’s go check on Volo and Arezu.” He nodded shortly, not arguing as Hiro and Pikachu climbed onto his shoulders, and not even when Rowlet landed on his head, hooting in exhaustion.
With Rose and Cyndaquil on her shoulders, Akari led the way to where the others were waiting. Volo was doing what he could for Arezu’s other scratches with a medicinal leek and she had no hope of standing alone.
Seeing the red-haired warden brought a monster of rage rising in her chest, and it took all of Akari’s self-control to not blow up at her.
Did she know? Had she even realised how many people she endangered with her selfishness?
“It doesn’t seem to be a bad break,” the merchant reported, packing away his supplies. Arezu didn’t look at any of them. “But it needs proper treatment as soon as possible.”
“Then it’s a good thing we arrived when we did.”
The four looked around in surprise and Arezu squeaked in alarm; Ursaluna roared his greeting as he approached with Calaba and her Bibarel on his back. And, to Akari’s surprise, Irida and Glaceon were seated right behind her, both looking immensely worried. Before Ursaluna even kneeled, the Pearl Clan leader was off his back and racing towards them, Glaceon trilling loudly.
“Akari! Rei! You’re both okay!” Irida cried, and Akari hurried forward to meet her. Rose leapt off her shoulders just as Irida grabbed the younger girl’s arms frantically. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, I only just found out, are you both okay? What happened?”
“It’s okay, we’re okay,” Akari assured her, taking Irida’s hands. She relaxed as Rei came to stand beside his friend, smiling a little.
“We had some trouble with a distortion and an Alpha, but Akari’s caught it and the distortion's gone,” Rei explained, and the leader heaved a huge sigh of relief. Rose was currently being fussed over and cuddled by Glaceon, though Akari noticed that Rose didn’t feel so happy.
Calaba then approached them and hummed, looking the younger two over, “Well, you look rather worse for wear, though not nearly as bad as when we last met. I suggest we bring you both and Warden Arezu to the Diamond Clan’s refuge.”
Right, Arezu. Irida’s anxiety- which was a little surprising, now that she thought about it- had pushed the warden out of her mind. She looked back to see Lucario had resumed using her healing move over Arezu’s leg, but the girl was opening and closing her mouth repeatedly, trying to think of what to say.
Finally, she swallowed and choked out, “I-I promise, I can explain-”
“I certainly expect so,” Calaba said, her tone low and dangerous. Arezu shrunk back. “You owe several people that, along with an apology.”
On some instinct, Arezu looked to Akari, almost for help, but she looked away, still angry. Arezu wilted, then silently nodded. Volo helped her to her feet and as he and Lucario helped her climb onto Ursaluna’s back, the Pearl Clan warden observed the splint Akari had made.
“Rather sloppy,” she commented bluntly. “And the bandages could have been tied tighter.”
Akari shrugged tiredly. “Had to be quick, and I’m more used to Pokémon than people.”
Dewott barked up at her and took her hand. Akari squeezed his paw, giving him the best smile she could before she took in a deep breath and started walking towards the Bogbound Camp, Rei and Irida on either side of her.
It took several hours to cross the Mirelands and find the entrance to the camp’s valley, and when they finally did, it took another half hour to make it through the ravine without causing themselves further injuries and squeezing past all the sharp stones.
Akari was panting a little by the time she stumbled through the exit, Dewott and Talon falling through just behind her. Cyndaquil chirped worriedly when a surge of noise met her; the Diamond Clan and Galaxy Team had realised that she’d returned, and Adaman, Leafeon and Laventon were rushing past everyone to reach them.
Irida and Volo came through the exit last, though the merchant chuckled a little when Laventon swept the Survey Corps kids into a hug, blubbering and frantically asking them if they were okay, ignoring their protests that they couldn’t breathe.
When Akari managed to free herself from the professor’s death grip, Adaman stammered worriedly, “We- we saw, we saw the distortion forming, and the Alpha Onix, it normally never leaves the mountains- what- what-” Then he spotted Irida and Calaba and exclaimed, “Wait, what are you two doing here?”
Calaba scoffed, and to Akari’s surprise, some of the Diamond folk winced at the sound. “Honestly, did you think I’d allow my noble to dive headfirst into danger alone?”
“No- no, of course not-”
“Warden Calaba informed me of Lady Lilligant’s frenzy yesterday. I arrived just in time for Ursaluna to come to us and deliver Akari’s message,” Irida said softly, not looking at anyone. Lucario started helping Arezu down from Ursaluna’s back.
“We’re okay,” Akari finally said, making Adaman snap his gaze towards her. “We got trapped in the distortion and I caught the Onix. Arezu’s leg is broken, and Volo, Warden Calaba and Lady Irida helped us bring her back.”
Laventon grimaced, still holding Rei’s shoulder. “I-in the distortion? What- how did you escape?”
“We couldn’t do anything but wait it out, honestly,” Rei murmured. Zisu finally approached with a familiar old woman in tow.
“Well, good job making it through, kiddos,” the Security Corps captain said, smiling weakly at the two.
Akari, however, was watching Arezu and the old woman, who she now remembered as her grandmother. The woman had tears in her eyes as she put a hand on her granddaughter’s cheek.
“Arezu, my baby, you’re back… thank almighty Sinnoh, you’re alive,” she said, and though Arezu seemed unable to smile, she looked close to crying and put a hand on her grandmother’s.
“Yeah… I’m okay, Gramma,” she whispered.
The moment the words left her mouth, the air around them changed so sharply that Akari stumbled back, causing Irida, Rei and Laventon to ask her if she was okay. The girl merely whipped her head around to look at Adaman.
Leafeon whimpered at the rage in his partner’s eyes, and Akari tensed up. His anger was so powerful it almost overshadowed every other emotion in the vicinity; he’d frozen at the sound of Arezu’s voice, as if it had flipped a switch in his mind that could not- or would not- be reversed.
“So, you’re finally here,” he said. Akari instinctively grabbed Rei’s arm, not realising that she was starting to shake from the intense emotions. Lucario barked warningly at Adaman as she held the frightened Arezu upright. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Arezu hunched up her shoulders and swallowed hard, just as aware as the others were that the entirety of the Diamond Clan and the present Galaxy Team and Pearl Clan members had their eyes and ears on her.
She took in a shuddering breath and said pleadingly, “A-Adaman, I- I know, I messed up bad, b-but I did everything I c-could to-”
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!”
Rei and Irida jumped back in alarm at the shout that erupted from Adaman, and Leafeon scurried away to hide behind Akari. He was seething, eyes wide and face red as he stormed up to her.
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, DOING THIS BY YOURSELF?” he roared. Some children began to cry. “DID YOU THINK YOU WERE INVINCIBLE? DID YOU THINK NO ONE WAS CAPABLE OF HELPING YOU?! Sinnoh almighty, Arezu, you LIED TO MY FACE! YOU LIED TO THE GALAXY TEAM! Did you not realise for even one second that what you did almost killed your entire clan!?”
“Ch-chief, you’re being rather harsh-”
“Adaman, please, settle down and we can talk about this calmly-”
“NO!” Laventon and Zisu immediately shut their mouths as he rounded on them, then whipped back to Arezu and screeched, “I KNEW YOU WERE FOOLHARDY BUT THIS- THIS- THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” Akari’s breath caught in her throat at the words, and she felt Dewott stiffen against her. She was all too aware of how she’d said the same thing to her precious partner.
Arezu was crying as Adaman let out his tirade of rage upon her. Desperately, she tried to explain, but every time she spoke up he only yelled louder. Arezu’s grandmother and multiple other Diamond folk were trying to calm him down enough to speak, Zisu had hastily put up a hand to stop the Galaxy Team from interfering, Rei, Volo, Irida, Calaba and Laventon were frozen in alarm, and not a single word of calming or protest was heard through Adaman’s rage.
Akari was starting to get frightened; the anger was starting to overwhelm her still-pounding head, and it was getting hard to think. She didn’t know what to do, but however she felt about Arezu right then, she knew she didn’t deserve to become Adaman’s emotional punching bag. He was just venting and venting and if someone didn’t do something he’d say something they would never forget, and he would regret it painfully.
Her gaze met Lucario’s, and she suddenly got a brilliant- but possibly foolish- idea. Swallowing, she held up her hands and tried to gesture in a sort of sphere shape then pointed at her feet. She had to repeat it twice more before Lucario finally got it and nodded firmly.
The girl held her breath as Lucario summoned an Aura Sphere, unnoticed by almost everyone, then threw it hard at the Diamond Clan leader’s feet. It hit the ground just before him and the blast of dust and energy knocked him off his feet with a cry of alarm, finally silencing him.
Just as he started sitting up and looked around furiously for someone to get mad at, Akari felt her own anger resurfacing. She stormed up to him and grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him up so he looked her in the eye, barely hearing people’s cries of shock and protest.
“You,” she hissed, “Are coming with me.”
Lucario came forward and, with a gesture from Akari, grabbed Adaman by the back of his jacket and started yanking him away to the opposite exit of the valley. Adaman shouted furiously but Akari ignored this, speeding up so she was leading the way, barely looking at a single person. Dewott and her other Pokémon hastily followed, Leafeon replacing Cyndaquil’s place on her shoulders.
“I’ll bring him back in an hour or two,” she said stiffly to the man at the exit, and, frightened, he nodded shakily, allowing her and his leader to pass.
“LET ME GO! AKARI, I SWEAR-”
“The threats are getting old, Adaman,” she sighed. They exited the valley at last and Akari looked around briefly; no Pokémon were nearby, though she could see Sludge Mound in the distance. The sun was beginning to set but was covered by dark, gloomy clouds.
Regardless of her comments, he continued yelling and raging at her. Lucario’s grip was tight, however- at least, until her person snapped her fingers sharply, and she let the man drop unceremoniously to the ground.
Adaman spluttered as he landed and scrambled to his feet, stumbling a little before regaining his balance.
Leafeon hissed and curled around Akari’s shins, Rose pressing against him and Talon and Monferno stood protectively in front of Akari. Dewott still held his person’s hand tight and Lucario remained close to Adaman, eyes glowing blue in preparation for any violent actions.
He was practically shaking in rage, but as he opened his mouth, Akari snapped, “Okay, here’s the deal, Chief, you’re gonna listen to me whether you like it or not! I get it! You’re angry as all hell, and I’m angry too, so believe me, I understand!” His eyes widened as she continued, “But you’re scaring people and taking all of your pent-up sh*t on everyone around you- even Arezu- is only making it worse, and you’re not being fair on anyone, LEAST OF ALL HER!”
Unsurprisingly, he snarled and stormed forward, barely hearing the Pokémon growling at him warningly. “OH, and what should I do, then, huh, SKYFALLER?!”
The name cut through her, and Akari started shaking from her rage. Before she could say anything, the Alpha Shiver hit her, and a roar sounded behind her. Adaman and her Pokémon looked around in fright.
However, merely annoyed, Akari snatched a Poké Ball from her pack and hurled it behind her, not even looking at the Pokémon she was aiming at. The roaring vanished and the fireworks sounded a moment later. Adaman looked at her in a mixture of awe, fright, and anger as she glowered at him.
“Wanna call me that again?”
The chief’s shaking grew worse. “You… you have no right to be ordering me around-”
“And you don’t have a right to order me around, either; in case you forgot, I’m under Kamado’s command, not yours!” Akari yelled, startling him again. “What kind of leader takes everything out on his people? WHAT KIND OF LEADER IS CRUEL ENOUGH TO USE FEAR TO COMMAND THEM!?”
Adaman bellowed, “I AM THE LEADER OF THE DIAMOND CLAN, NOT YOU, AKARI, AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE BEING LIED TO AND BETRAYED!”
Unbeknownst to him, his voice broke a little at the end, and a surge of grief hit Akari before being hastily covered up by anger. Her eyes widened a little, then narrowed… he was hurting, more than anything else, wasn’t he? Wasn’t hurt where anger could stem from?
But he wasn’t going to open up unless she baited it out of him.
“Then take it out on someone who can handle it- take it out on me!” Akari yelled, forcing herself to ignore her Pokémon’s alarmed protests. “I don’t care, I’ve heard it all, so go right ahead and yell at me all you f*cking want!”
For a moment, he was silent, and her Pokémon trilled at her worriedly, unsure if she actually could handle it. Akari held Adaman’s gaze as steadily as she could, praying that she wasn’t shaking as much as it felt like she was. Then, he growled.
“I don’t care what you say, you are not in any position to criticise how I run my clan or how I discipline my wayward wardens! Arezu has been pushing her limits ever since Lilligant chose her and not one day has passed where she has not made one mistake, AND THIS TIME IS TOO FAR! I have made excuse after excuse for her! I have allowed her to hold a high position in the clan! I have allowed her to run off after her daydreams and I’ve not said anything when she’s missed by Lilligant because Lilligant was never angry at her but now her ignorance has caused Lilligant to be frenzied and SHE LIED ABOUT IT ALL!”
Lucario hurried over to her person and wrapped her arms around her, holding her as she stared at the raging man.
“I TRUSTED HER! I protected her from the clan’s criticism! She was one of the few friends I had after my mother died and I trusted her with my life, and she supported me in becoming the leader-” Wait, what? “And what does she do?! SHE STABS ME IN THE BACK, SHE MISLEADS PEOPLE WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE BUILDING RELATIONS WITH, AND SHE ACTS LIKE SHE HAS A GOOD REASON FOR IT ALL!”
Adaman suddenly let out a roar of fury, clutching his hair as he paced so hard he was making indents in the ground. Leafeon mewed sadly for him.
“Damn it, damn her, damn my mother, DAMN THEM ALL, SHE WARNED ME ABOUT THIS, HE WARNED ME ABOUT HER, BUT I NEVER LISTENED, I LET THEM ALL GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING!” Akari’s eyes widened. Surely he didn’t mean that, right? Who was he even talking about? “They all treat me like I’ve got nothing going for me but my mother’s foolish legacy, but they speak to me like I hold all the answers of the future, and now look at this mess, I can’t even do anything when my own nobles are against us- WHO ELSE IS LYING TO ME!? WHO ELSE IS COVERING THINGS UP FOR THEIR PRIDE? HOW LONG WILL I HAVE TO WAIT TO FIND SOMEONE I CAN TRUST- NO, HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT BEFORE THE NEXT PERSON STABS ME IN THE BACK?!
“No one will listen, they all treat me like a freaking joke, all they care about is if Sinnoh is real and have I heard it like my mother has or if I could ever be chosen like my father was- I trusted Arezu and she stabbed me in the back!”
Akari had her doubts that he knew he was repeating himself; at this point, his rants were barely about Arezu anymore. He was talking about the clan, how they saw him as a leader, how he was never taken seriously and expected to live up to his parent’s expectations… it was like he was releasing bottled-up emotions that had been held back for years.
Admittedly- despite being the one who told him to do it- being yelled at like this was rattling Akari and she honestly hadn’t expected him to start shouting at her. She’d expected her ‘suggestion’ to snap him out of his shock, or at least refuse… but it was starting to hurt. It reminded her far too much of when she’d yelled at Cyllene and Dewott, whenever she and Rei argued in the past. The emotions were whirling around her so fast she could barely keep up.
Talon hissed and backed into Akari’s shins as Adaman paced a little too close to her for his liking.
“AND IF PEOPLE COULD STOP HAVING SO MANY CONFLICTING EXPECTATIONS THEN MAYBE I’D HAVE A DAMN ANSWER TO GIVE THEM!”
Adaman finally ceased his tirade, breathing heavily and still shaking. Leafeon softly trilled but Adaman didn’t seem to hear him.
Despite it all, she felt his pain, but she needed more answers- she needed a way to properly piece together his story, and she wasn’t going to get an answer out of him through talking. She looked down at her Pokémon and they whined and trilled up at her, pressing against her legs. Her gaze landed on Dewott, and a memory from all those weeks ago came to her, just after they’d battled their first Alpha…
Now knowing what she had to do, Akari pushed away the hurt of being screamed at and gently released herself from her Pokémon’s grips. They still followed close behind her as she approached Adaman, slow and steady like she would a frightened Pokémon.
He didn’t realise she’d come towards him until she was directly in front of him, and he jolted like he’d been burnt. Akari wasn’t sure if it would work, but she wanted to help him, so she needed to try.
“Hold still a moment.”
His face contorted in confusion, but before he could ask what she was doing, she put a hand directly in the middle of his forehead. He squawked angrily, only to let out a choking gasp; Akari’s eyes had suddenly begun glowing a bright, rosy pink.
A million images ran through her mind all at once, each inciting dozens of different emotions that made her stomach lurch. But the most prominent were an immensely tall blue and green-haired woman with a stern face, a blond-haired man with angry brown eyes, Mai, Arezu, and other young people she barely recognised, there were the Diamond Clan people, but with every picture she saw, fear and anxiety overwhelmed her.
Don’t let them down.
Don’t let her down.
DON’T FAIL.
Then she saw the blue and green-haired woman, lying on the ground, covered in blood, frozen and unbreathing; the blond man a sickly white with no life in his eyes as he struggled to take in air-
Akari tore her hand away and stumbled, only just caught in time by Lucario and Dewott. Despite their worried sounds at the two, Akari and Adaman didn’t look away from each other. It took her a moment to realise that she was crying.
Adaman’s eyes widened when he saw this, then he froze when she whispered, “You’ve been hurting for a long time, haven’t you?”
He tried to speak but couldn’t force the words out of his mouth. Akari once more moved closer and stretched out a hand, gently placing it on his arm. “You’ve never stopped hurting… you’ve never stopped being afraid. It’s all been an act.”
The simple words had a massive effect; Admana’s shaking increased, his lower lip trembled, and tears began welling up in his eyes, not unlike the distressed children she’d seen at the clan. He realised very quickly when a tear slipped down his cheek and hastily tried to wipe it dry, tear himself away from Akari and prevent her from seeing this, but she didn’t let him, holding his arm tight.
“I don’t get your deal with time, Adaman,” she said softly. “But for once, slow down so you can breathe.”
Adaman stared at her, unsure if he wanted to listen. Then, slowly, hesitantly, he nodded. Right away, Akari tugged him towards a nearby flat rock. Lucario helped him sit down and he dropped his head into his hands, still shaking badly. Leafeon mewed and jumped into his lap, gazing pleadingly up at him; after a moment, Adaman wrapped his arms around his partner and hugged him. He purred in relief, nuzzling him comfortingly.
Akari sat beside him, the Pokémon crowding around her once more. She leaned over to look him in the eye then said softly, “Adaman, I don’t know if what you’ve been through is something I’ll understand, but you shouldn’t let yourself suffer alone. It’s not healthy for anyone, least of all you.”
He hastily wiped his eyes again. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. You lost people you loved. You feel like you’ve failed them, and you’re forcing yourself to hide it all behind a smile and you’re not letting yourself grieve.”
Wincing, Adaman looked away, though held Leafeon a little tighter. After a moment, he chuckled weakly. “So that’s what you were doing… I’d be upset at you if it weren’t true.”
She gazed at him, waiting him out. “… I can’t afford to grieve. I don’t have time.
“My… my mother, she was the leader before me. M-my father was Lord Wyrdeer’s warden before Mai.” Akari blinked in surprise; she’d figured at least one of his parents was a leader, but a warden, too? “Father died nine years ago when I was eleven. There was a plague… he never stood a chance. Mother died four years ago when I was sixteen.” He started shaking, eyes wide, seeing something she couldn’t. “I-it was the same as this time… they sent Lord Sneasler, and… he destroyed everything, he killed so many, he ruined the settlement, he took my mother.”
“… who’s Sneasler?”
“Pearl Clan noble,” he muttered. “It’s Lord Sneasler’s daughter in charge now.”
“So this was during the war?”
“Before your team came… I’ve been the leader since she died.”
Akari frowned. “And… what Lilligant did was the same as what Lord Sneasler had done.”
Adaman winced, then nodded softly.
“When was the last time you talked about this with anyone?”
He hesitated then said, not sounding certain at all, “A while ago? It was with Mai… she was always like a sister I never had.”
“What about Arezu?”
He growled a little, making her frown deepen. “I trusted her, and she lied to my face… Mai, Iscan and Melli all left to be with their nobles, but only Arezu stayed. I trusted her as much as I did Mai.”
“You’re friends?”
“Clearly not anymore,” he scoffed. “She put our people in danger…” However, Adaman’s expression quickly crumpled, and he buried his face into his hands miserably. “What am I talking about? It’s not anyone’s fault but mine.”
Akari’s eyes widened; she hadn’t expected that shift. Guilt and despair were radiating off him, and she had to actively work to push it away to focus.
“I-I didn’t see the signs, I didn’t think to check with any of my wardens, not even after Kleavor’s frenzy was quelled- she’s been acting strange for weeks, but I never thought to question her! I never thought to stop and ask and…”
At this point, he was rambling, but Akari let him. After a few minutes of mumbling that he’d missed it all and it was his fault, he fell silent.
She then asked, “Is Arezu reminding you of your mother?”
He flinched again. “… too much. Mother… she wanted me to be just like her, but I could never meet her expectations. She loved me, she told me she did, but I never knew if she was telling the truth or not with how she acted… Father never had much to do with me, he was always too busy with Wyrdeer, she said he loved me too, but for all I knew that was a lie, but then he died and Mai had to leave, and then Mother was gone and I had to become the leader when I was barely older than you.”
There was so much uncertainty, fear, anger, sadness… he was trying to hold it all back, but she could tell it would only be so much longer. Akari watched as he wiped at his eyes once more.
“The clan wants me to be like Mother; she never hesitated, she always had the answer, but as long as she believed I wasn’t enough, so did they… and even now, they ask for answers when they don’t believe I can have them.”
Adaman sniffed. Leafeon whined. Akari thought over everything he’d said, everything he’d felt. Everything he’d been dealing with alone.
She reached out and put a hand on his, watching him steadily as he jumped at the sudden contact.
“It’s okay to feel.” His eyes widened, but she kept going. “The longer you keep things bottled up, the more pain you put yourself through.” Adaman grimaced and weakly shook his head in protest; he’d been immature in the past, but really, it seemed as though there was a part of him- the child part of him- that never understood whether or not his parents loved him if people truly believed in him or even cared about him.
“You’re sad. Angry, afraid, guilty, tired. You’re hiding it all because you think there isn’t enough time, but there is always time to feel. I can’t tell you whether or not your parents loved you, but I can tell you this- the clan is worried for you. Not about you, not about what you’ll do- they’re worried about you as a fellow person.
“Whatever you say, I think you’re a good leader. You care about everyone around you, and that love is the most precious thing you can have. Your love for your people is there, it’s real, and despite everything Arezu did, I know that love stretches to her, as well. You wouldn’t have asked for help looking for her if it didn’t.”
His eyes widened. “But… I…”
“I’m angry at her, too. There’s a balance between feeling and control; I’ve had to learn that the hard way, and believe me, I still mess up. You’re allowed to feel angry, but it’s not right to vent everything onto her.”
Adaman was looking at her with shock and awe. “To feel is to be alive. I understand how stressful this is for you, but the longer you pretend, the worse you’ll hurt yourself and the people you love.”
He wiped his eyes again and scoffed. “Almighty Sinnoh, what’ve you done to me, Akari… I’ve not spoken like this in years. I haven’t cried in years.” Akari smiled weakly as he said, “Look at me now. Would you call me, a mess of a man, a leader?”
“I would call you human.” Adaman looked up at her, now surprised, and she gave him a warm look. “You’re human. You feel. You make mistakes. Just like me, Irida, and Arezu, and everyone around you. No one is immune to the flaws of humanity, and no one ever will be.” Her grip on his hand tightened. “Let yourself feel, Adaman. Feel the grief for your parents, feel your fear for Lilligant and your clan, your anger and dismay for what Arezu’s done, let yourself feel it all. Don’t bottle it up. If you don’t think you can feel it, then I’ll sit with you until you can.”
Slowly, tears fell down his cheeks, but this time he didn’t try to stop it. He stared into space, and, within moments, he was sobbing.
Leafeon cuddled against him and Akari stroked his hand with her thumb, not saying a word. Her team snuggled against her. She wanted to cry with him, but truthfully, she was too tired to.
Some time passed before his sobs subsided. Leafeon chirped gently and licked his nose, making him smile a tiny bit. Adaman took in a shuddering breath and sat up, then said softly, “I… feel… freer… than before.”
Akari smiled. “See?”
“… how do you know all this?”
Dewott barked sadly and she patted him. “Experience.”
He swallowed and looked at her guiltily. “I’m sorry, Akari… I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”
“I forgive you,” she said, without a hint of hesitation. Adaman frowned.
“How can you be so forgiving?”
Akari chuckled. “Because hate tears the heart apart worse than anything else. I don’t want to hate, so I choose to forgive. Everyone deserves a second chance.” She then added, a little sternly, “But you do need to apologize for scaring the clan, and you need to sit down to talk to Arezu properly.”
He hesitated and she reminded him, “You’re allowed to feel.”
Adaman sighed. “I’m angry at her, but… truthfully, I’ve been worried about her. It’s not like her to go behind peoples’ backs.”
“You know her better than I do. But again, and I’ll keep reminding you until you remember for sure- you’re allowed to feel.” She smiled gently, making him relax. “I know you want to look after everyone, and I know you’re strong enough to do that. You just have to use that strength to feel.”
As Leafeon nuzzled him affectionately, he frowned deeply. “I’ll… have to try, I suppose. Won’t I?”
Akari nodded. “Exactly.”
Adaman looked at her then said, “But when I talk to Arezu, you should be there, too. She lied to you, as well.”
“Oh, I couldn’t, you’re her friend, I shouldn’t-”
“But you’re my friend, too.” Akari’s eyes widened. Adaman considered her a friend? It was his turn to chuckle. “I thought we’ve been friends since Kleavor. Why else would I invite you to our celebration?” He sighed again. “But you’re certainly a better friend than I could ever be. At least you’re willing to see the truth…”
She shook her head, a little amused. “If you consider me a friend, then you’re my friend too, Adaman. And friends look out for each other.”
Adaman smiled. “Thank you, Akari.”
“I promise, as long as you try your hardest, I’ll fight my best to save Lilligant. Okay?”
“Okay, then.”
Akari then got to her feet, patting her Pokémon as she did, and pulled Adaman up. Leafeon jumped onto his shoulders.
“You ready to talk to them?”
He frowned, looking in the direction of the camp. After a moment, he steeled his resolve and nodded firmly to Akari.
“Yes… let’s not waste any more time."
