Act 2: Chapter 26

Act 2: Chapter 26

Later that evening, after Zinnia has shown Lee and Brendan around their new home for the next few weeks, and after everyone has agreed they would all simply relax and settle in for the day, Brendan finds himself lying in his bed with most of his pokemon in their balls.

There are four individual bedrooms in the hillside hut, and each one is homey, though small. Regardless, it gives each of the trainers and their teams a place for some privacy, and a place for them to reflect on their thoughts quietly, which is exactly what Brendan is doing.

Lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, Brendan stares up at the ceiling, mind whirling with the revelations of the past hour. With him is Marshtomp, who is sitting on the mattress just a foot away, his back leaning against the wall. Like Brendan, the Water-type is silent and lost in thought.

Another world.

No pokemon.

Death.

Rebirth.

It's a tale that anyone would label as insane drivel, but it came from Lee's mouth without a stutter or a misstep, at once so easy to believe, and yet utterly inconceivable.

For a moment, Brendan tries to imagine himself in Lee's place, and it's simply impossible. The boy's skin breaks out into goosebumps, and he rubs his arms to ward away an invisible chill.

To lose everything

Brendan tries to imagine himself in his older friend's shoes once more, bereft of his friends, his family, his pokemon, and everything else he had ever known. He even visualizes the world around him that is a vague parody of all that he knows.New novel chapters are published on

The cold that blooms within his stomach is slow and cloying, creeping outward until it seizes his limbs in a paralytic grip. The boy's strength seems to fail him, and the light from the window grows dull. His eyes sting with unshed tears.

Brendan knows many strong men. His father, Norman Maple, Steven Stone (even if their meeting in Lavaridge was brief), and others.

But for enduring such misery for Arceus knows how long, Lee has handily taken the number one spot on Brendan's list.

"Maaa?"

Brendan is startled out of his introspection when Marshtomp takes notice of his trembling. The mudfish pokemon levels his trainer with a worried gaze and lays a broad hand over Brendan's arm, stilling his tremors.

"Heh" Brendan smiles. "Don't worry about me, pal. Just doing some thinking, is all. You look like you're doing the same."

Marshtomp nods absently. "Ma, gurah gamp?" he croaks, looking at Brendan with an unplaceable expression.

The young trainer's gaze softens. "Yeah. I don't know what I would do without you, or Breloom, or Mawile and Electrike," he says, laying his head back and looking at the ceiling once more. The feeling of cold returns. "I don't think I would handle it so well."

Each one of Brendan's pokeballs shake, and in a near-synchronized flash, all of them pop open, releasing all of his pokemon about the bed.

Brendan blinks the flash from his eyes and makes to sit up. "Hey, what are you guys-!"

He can't quite finish as each one of his pokemon piles on top of him in a disorganized hug: Mawile on his chest, Electrike across his legs, and Breloom with a clawed hand laid across his shoulder.

Gradually, Brendan's surprise morphs into a grin, and he tugs Marshtomp into the hug with a free hand.

"Guys?" begins the Birch heir, "if anything ever happens and we can't be together anymore, let's promise we'll be happy for all the stuff we did together, and not be sad over the stuff we never got to do, okay?"

Each pokemon cuddles closer, and Mawile can't help but burst into over-exaggerated tears.

He's a Faller.

Lee Henson is a Faller.

It neatly and plausibly explains everything. The uncommon knowledge, the gaps in his skills, the subtle accent, everything.

Zinnia stops pacing in her bedroom of the hut for a moment and looks down, confirming that she hasn't worn a pattern into the wooden floor yet.

Off to the side and standing guard in front of the door, Shelgon follows her with his yellow eyes, dutifully watching.

Fallers are such an excruciatingly rare and dire phenomenon that few people are even privy to the knowledge of their existence. Oh, the concept of travelers from another world is not a new one and is even a popular plot in fiction, but actual, genuine Fallers are another thing entirely. Throughout the entire history of the Draconid tribe, no one has actually interacted with one. No one could even confirm they were real.

Until now.

I remember, in no uncertain terms, that I burned to death.

When Lee said those words, Ninetales flinched, Grovyle bit down on his twig, and Corviknight looked away.

The most telling, though, was Sylveon. Her sudden bout of violent illness put to rest any thoughts of doubt. A good Draconid knows her enemies well, and Zinnia is well aware of the touch-based empathy possessed by the pink dragonslayer. The Lorekeeper isn't sure what's worse Lee expertly hiding his true feelings on his demise, or truly being that casual about it. Either way, it must have been like a mental flash-bang to Sylveon.

If horror has a taste, then it must be akin to bile, Zinnia decides. She swallows the sick that wants to rise in her throat and begins to pace once more, trying to turn her thoughts to other matters.

Pokemon existed as fiction within Lee's world, and from the sound of it, it was fiction that he was fond of. Has everything been a one-to-one experience? How much has changed from what he knows? Brendan asked if he was a character in the stories, and now Zinnia can't help but wonder if she was a character in any of those video games or TV shows.

'I had to have been, right?' she muses, rubbing the edge of her cloak between a forefinger and thumb. 'Lee was startled when we first met, like he knew who I was. He knew about the Draconids, at least.'

'Oh, Dolittle is definitely getting grilled later.'

"I know I'm in a new world because my old one ended."

Zinnia pauses once more, then walks to her bed and gently sits down, staring down at her lap.

From his place by the door, Shelgon walks to Zinnia and settles himself on the floor next to her, lightly leaning against her knees.

"It's almost like he's a Lorekeeper himself" Zinnia murmurs, reaching out and rubbing a hand across Shelgon's cool, metallic shell. "The very, very last of his kind. If something were to happen to Dolittle, then that's it. The final ember of a whole world is just gone"

Shelgon says nothing, merely leaning into her knees a touch more.

She could scarcely fathom it; to lose it all and be dropped into a world of childhood fairytales, only for your redo to be threatened by the likes of Magma and Aqua. Being entirely honest with herself, the Lorekeeper doesn't think she would be quite as composed. No, she would be heading for the hills, desperate to stay out of the way and trying to salvage what bits of her new life she could.

Yet instead of running away, Lee has decided to stand with her and put everything on the line for the Draconid mission.

Zinnia's hand wanders to the edge of Shelgon's shell, her fingers lightly running over the edge. It's invisible to the naked eye, but she can feel it with her fingers.

The shell, ever so slightly, has begun to peel.

"Hoenn is my home now. I can't, or rather, won't leave you all behind. I've put all the ghosts clinging to me to rest, along with Lee the average zookeeper. I'm Lee the pokemon trainer now."

"We're going to get strong, Shelgon," Zinnia murmurs, her eyes hardening and glaring holes in the wall. "We're going to be unstoppable, because people like Lee, Brendan, and the rest of the tribe need us to be. We'll drag that meteor back into space ourselves if we have to."

Shelgon trembles, then points his head skyward and roars.

Eyes of red, piercing as can be.

Mantle of gold, majestic as can be.

A fanged mouth speaking, damning as can be.

In a void of neither light nor dark.

'You were expecting jealousy?' Ninetales dryly finishes for him. The vixen licks her lips, her eyes locked on her crying, elder teammate. 'There is a part deep down that is jealous, but I've been trying to do as you do more, and thinking of myself in the place of others. Were I to lose the one most precious to me, were I to lose you' She can't finish her sentence, a shiver running down her spine and up each of her tails. 'No. I do not believe I would be well, either. I shall not begrudge Sylveon for partaking in your sympathy,' she finishes, looking away. 'It is as you thought earlier; none have what we have, and upon reflection, it is immature of me to be discontent while possessing such a treasure.'

Warmth blooms within Lee's chest, and he gives her a proud smile. 'You really are the best, Nine.'

The vixen clicks her tongue and shakes her head as if to wave away the praise, but she cannot hide the swell of love in her chest, or the insides of her ears blushing red.

Gradually, Sylveon's tears begin to stem, and like a water balloon with a hole poked in it, she deflates into an exhausted pink and white pile in Lee's lap. No matter how limp she becomes, however, the grip of her ribbons remains tight.

Lee pats his newest pokemon on the back. "Better?" he asks.

Sylveon nods lethargically, sniffling and rubbing her eyes with her paw. She then lets out a long-suffering sigh and allows a distinctly rueful croon to bubble out of her throat, staring up at him all the while.

'Nine, can I get a translation? I'm still not that good at reading her.'

'She's embarrassed to be doted upon by someone young enough to be her child.'

Lee grins and squeezes Sylveon. "Ah, don't let that bother you," he begins with a smile, "age doesn't mean much. Sometimes all you need is to be held and told it's going to be all right. Doesn't matter who's doing the holding."

The fairy scoffs, but makes no move to pull away.

"Oh, and before I forget"

Sylveon looks up, once more meeting Lee's eyes.

"If you're ever feeling down, or doubtful, or just want a hug for its own sake, say something, okay?" Lee tells her. "Promise me. I want you to be happy."

Sylveon grimaces at the word "promise". She looks around at the room, then to Ninetales, and back to Lee. She sets her shoulders, and before her sudden gathering of nerve can leave her, she nods her head, muttering two syllables under her breath.

Lee flinches at the feeling of static that coats Sylveon's ribbons for a split second, and wonders what in the world just happened. 'Fairy nonsense, for certain. Are fairies funny about promises or something?'

'Such a thing would not surprise me in the least,' Ninetales thinks with a shake of her head.

'Wonderful. That's something to keep in mind for later, then,' Lee sends back. After thinking to himself, he smiles and comes up with a great way to end this talk on a positive note. "Sylvy? How about we give you a good grooming? I know I gave you a once over the first night you joined the team, but I'm talking something good."

Sylveon tilts her head, obviously considering the offer, and Lee doesn't miss the prickle of envy from Ninetales. Thinking quickly, Lee pivots the conversation around. "In fact, how about I treat all the girls of the team to something special? You, Nine, and Shinx, and then we can move outside for Corvi, Grovyle, and Octillery. Heck, we'll make it a regular thing as long as we're here, seeing as everyone is going to be working hard in the coming weeks. You deserve it."

The metaphorical cloud hanging over Ninetales dissipates instantly, replaced by open delight, and Shinx's ball bursts open in a flash, depositing an excited, sparking kitten only inches away.

Sylveon just tilts her head once more.

When Lee said "something special", he meant it.

He started Nine, Sylvy, and Shinx off with full massages. He already knows what cats enjoy so Shinx was easy to turn into a purring puddle, and Ninetales was even easier considering he knows her body better than his own. In fact, he had to prod the vixen's mind with his own so she didn't fall asleep. Sylveon proved to be an interesting challenge, as eeveelutions take traits from both canines and felines. Eventually, though, Lee mapped her out well enough to get her to relax.

The Draconid hut, thankfully, has running water, and Nine, Sylvy, and Shinx each got a full, hot bath and thorough scrubbing. Sylveon had to share Nine's usual shampoo and conditioner, but even if both concoctions were made for dense, fire-retardant fur, they were plenty gentle enough to use on sensitive Fairy skin.

As their fur dried, Lee took the time to trim and file all the claws between them, then lead them back to the bedroom to finish everything off with a thorough brushing.

Shinx's coarse coat zapped and crackled as it was brushed with a rather average pin brush, and an impressive amount of shed held together by static was tossed in the waste bin. Sylveon's short, delicate, and velvety fur called for a soft bristle brush that Evelyn insisted Lee take - a gift which he was now quite glad he'd accepted.

Now, he's finishing the three-hour-long task off with Ninetales. Her dense, silky fur requires a long-toothed slicker brush to get all the way down to her undercoat, and each pass needs to be slow and careful, but leaves her fur sparkling like gold. Being the largest of the girls, Ninetales is laid on the bed with her hind legs splayed out behind her, while Sylveon and Shinx occupy a corner of the mattress. Lee, meanwhile, stands over Ninetales, slowly working his way through her coat.

"When's my turn?"

Lee peers over his shoulder, not lifting his hands from Ninetales' back and leaving the brushing he promised half done.

Standing in the bedroom doorway are Zinnia and Brendan, both of whom are watching the goings-on. Zinnia specifically zeroes in on Sylveon and Shinx.

The kitten is out cold, snoozing away and cuddled into Sylveon's side. Her usually scruffy coat practically shines in the sunlight from the window.

Sylveon actually looks happy. The smile on her face is small and fragile, and the colors of her coat are still a bit dull, but they're brighter than they were just a few hours ago. If it isn't a reflection of the tremendous amount of progress she's experienced today, then Lee isn't sure what is.

Lee rolls his eyes and nods his head toward the pokeballs on his belt. "When you're willing to hang out in a tiny ball and pick fights with literally anything on my behalf," he says, addressing Zinnia, "then I'll pamper you whenever you want."

"Is that all?" The Dragon tamer laughs and theatrically cracks her knuckles.

Ninetales huffs at the insinuation, but before she can think of something witty to say, Lee moves the brush to her middle-most tail and renews his work, making the fox too lethargic to bother.

"So, I take it you guys have questions?" Lee begins, slowing down to untangle a knot in his brush. He turns his eyes back to Ninetales.

"A few," Brendan admits, walking in. He takes the chair from the small desk in the corner and sits in it backwards, resting his chin on the back.

Zinnia, meanwhile, follows after Brendan and seats herself on the edge of the desk itself.

"Shoot," Lee says, finishing Nine's middle tail and moving on to another one.

"So these games and TV shows and everything," Zinnia begins, lifting a hand and twirling her wrist in an unsure gesture. "How I guess how accurate were they? I know when we first met, you recognized me, so was I a character in any of these things?"

"Hey, yeah! You never answered!" Brendan chimes in, leaning forward excitedly. "Was I in any of them?"

Hesitating, Lee silently reaches out to Ninetales. 'Love, your opinion?'

'I foresee no harm in informing them,' Ninetales drowsily sends back, slowly blinking her red eyes. 'So long as you remind them that fictional events have no correlation to them as people.'

'The ever wise kitsune always seems to have a good answer.' Lee chuckles under his breath. "Yes, and no," he says, sparing a look to his pair of human friends. "I saw a version of you, Zinnia, in a game I didn't finish, so beyond your name and appearance, I didn't truly know who you were when we met. For all I know, the game depiction was completely wrong. I know none of the games or anything had any detailed history regarding the Draconid tribe like there is here, so any kind of game depiction was probably wrong, anyway."

Previously unnoticed tension in Zinnia evaporates, and she folds her hands in her lap. "Huh. I guess I feel better?" She shakes her head. "Ugh. Just thinking about this is weird."

"As for you, Brendan" Lee regards the eager boy, wondering how to put things. "There wasn't really a canon depiction of you. There's a player character in a few of the games that vaguely looks like you, and I think some version of you was in a few of the comics, but there's never been a one true 'Brendan.' You're completely unique."

Brendan honestly seems disappointed. "So I wasn't anyone important?" he asks, slumping.

"Not what I said." Lee levels Brendan with a firm stare. "You're the one and only Brendan Birch. You are what you make yourself, no more, no less."

The boy leans back with a blink. Reaching under his white hat, he scratches the back of his head with confusion, before a realization seems to strike him. "Did you think I was going to have some kind of identity crisis because I was in an extradimensional videogame?"

Lee freezes in brushing his fox for a split-second, but Brendan catches it, and openly laughs, making Lee's face burn.

"C'mon, Lee!" Brendan guffaws, throwing his head back in his mirth. "Of all the things to be worried about, that's what you were afraid of saying?"

"Brendan, if everyone in the world was as mature as you, there would be a lot less problems," Lee grumbles. "No, you want to know what I'm really afraid of? You remember Ash Ketchum?"

Zinnia perks up. "Oak's Lab Trainer? What about him?"

"Would you believe me if I said there's a non-zero chance that he is some kind of Arceus-blessed savior?" Lee asks, deadpan.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Now you're starting to get why I worry."