Chapter 281

Chapter 281

CHAPTER 281

It was pouring.

It was the kind of rain I would have loved, had I been snuggled up under the covers of my bed in a Pokemon Center, but unfortunately for me, I was currently flying on Princess high above route 215. She was just as excited as I was, given the fact that I could feel some of the wind and rain drip past her barrier. We hadn't seen Bellatrix and Nightstalker in too long, and the jitters were getting to her. I actually had needed to go back to Veilstone first to get the gifts I needed. For Night, I'd bought paint, just like he asked for when we'd left the route the first time. I had actually needed to book myself a hotel room so I could store the things I wouldn't need here to fit all of the paint in my bag. It was actually rather incredible, how my perspective had changed since I'd gone on this journey. Never had I thought that I'd be using hotel rooms as storage. The law actually prevented me from booking a Pokemon Center room if I wasn't actually planning on staying there to make room for those who needed it.

For Bella, things had been a little more complicated. She hadn't told me anything she'd wanted when I had left. At first, I considered a trinket or an ornament with a little figure of the moon, but the chain was made of metal, and so I'd changed my mind despite the fact that Honey had suggested we just rip out the chain and use the crescent moon, since it was assembled with... whatever jewelry it was made of. Diamonds, maybe. I didn't want the gift to be incomplete, though. It needed to be something in full, and so, I'd settled on something simpler and more personal. Another crescent moon, this time carved from Princess' Ancient Power, molded into a stone hairpin and painted white and gray so it'd look the part. Objectively, it wasn't as pretty as what I could find in a store. No gemstones adorned the pin's frame, and although the stone had been smoothed, it was still a little rough and sharp at the edges— a bit of Princess' personal touch, no doubt.

"It was around here somewhere..." I muttered. As usual, the sound of my voice was quieter here, as was everyone and everything else— save for the rain and the wind. "Hey, first one who finds it gets the TV the next time we're in a Pokemon Center," I grinned.

She let out a competitive chirp and showed she was up for the challenge, though I'd never take her cartoons away from her. Honestly, watching her and Honey watch TV together was one of the great pleasures in life. I'd have to get some shows downloaded on my laptop so Sweetheart could join in again outside of cities too, since she was too big to fit in a room. My body felt lighter these days than it had been in weeks, not only thanks to Aliyah but because I'd made up with Cece. Legendaries, I wanted to see her so badly— for real, and not on a screen. To feel her skin and warmth, instead of having to imagine and crave it.

But what we had right now was still nice, and doing well to cheer me up.

I scanned the route down below, no longer fearing leaning far over the edge even when Princess twisted and turned. Flight was as natural to me as walking— even more so now, with my broken ankle. We were looking for the little overhang we'd taken refuge in, all those months ago. Symbolism like this mattered, today. It was not where I'd met Bella at first, but the actions I'd taken there had led to her seeking me out. My thoughts ended up lingering on Emilia for a bit, seeing as I'd confessed to her via text like I'd done to Cecilia back in Solaceon. Her response had been hard to gauge, since I hadn't actually heard her speak, but she'd said she appreciated me telling her, but that she'd already been told.

By who? I instantly wanted to ask, but she'd omitted it for a reason, and so I didn't push for an answer despite wanting to know. It made it easier to ignore that sense of betrayal that I'd needed to smother.

There was no signal here, so I wouldn't talk to her for a while yet, just like the others. Princess had better eyes than I did, and she endlessly bragged when she spotted the cave from above. The rain's intensity seemed to lower as she swooped down to land without a sound or disturbance in the air, and I released Angel so he could pull me off. The overhang seemed smaller than it had been, though I knew that was factually untrue. My Pokemon had just grown in size, since then. I took refuge under the cave, quickly drying myself with a towel while Princess apologized for messing up her barrier.

"No worries. I'm excited too," I smiled. "I think we can just wait, now. She'll show up soon. Right now, why don't we worry about drying you too? You look so thin when your fur's wet."

Of course, she took it the wrong way until I called her cute, and Angel continued doting on her, drying her with vines while I released the rest of the team. Jellicent was excited to meet someone to talk history with again. Even if Bella hadn't bothered with human affairs in centuries, she knew things he did not, and you always heard whispers, unlike below the waters. Sunshine was... less enthused, though he was looking forward to training with Nightstalker again to see if he'd be able to best him this time. I seriously doubted that'd be the case, but I was sure he'd be able to put up a fight, at least. The dragon's eyes scanned the treeline in anticipation while Princess nagged him about being nervous about meeting a powerful fairy. Of course, Turtonator ignored her, which ended up making her pout and go see Sweetheart instead. The Tyranitar was too tall for the overhang, so she was forced to sit and crouch. I was with her, rubbing the plates on her back while she whined about how being so big and strong had its disadvantages after all. Tangrowth would have been here too, had he not gotten so engrossed in letting the rain drip down his vines a few feet away after drying his sister.

Honey was sitting against the cave wall, his thoughts entirely somewhere else. I had showed him a few videos of Lauren's new Magmortar, and now he wanted to fight the damn thing. To be honest, I wanted them to battle too, but we wouldn't meet for a while yet. I'd been so surprised to see Lauren message me, but I hadn't expected to hear the news of a new, rare evolution. I was certain Volkner had gotten Flint to help her after all, which I'd be forever grateful for. Evolutions weren't necessary, but they certainly helped a Pokemon's growth, and it wouldn't have done for Lauren not to be at her full potential for the Conference. I felt a smile tug at my lips and listened to Sweetie's soothing growls. She'd gone with Mira into Mount Coronet, so hopefully she would get better... she still hadn't messaged beyond updating her location.

Craig was also back from his training, and had for some reason revealed that he'd caught Orbeetle, which shocked the entire region. Personally, I was just confused at why he had revealed her existence so early, but he must have had a strategy planned for the Conference. Personally, my theory was that Dot being revealed near the event would throw potential rivals into a panicked frenzy and destroy all of the careful work they'd done to plan against Craig's team, and that he was letting the tension build up. So long as no one knew what she was capable of, then her existence having been revealed wouldn't really matter as much. I did question not having waited longer, though.

"Gee, you took a while," I sighed, still staring at the unmoving treeline.

It was the tiniest of movements— a shift in the leaves to tiny it could have been the wind— but there was no mistaking it, with how the rain cleared within seconds. Night's work, no doubt. Bellatrix glided across the forest floor, though in reality, I knew she was using the tentacle-like hairs at the bottom of her body to scuttle her way across. Her thin mouth was stretched into an anticipating smile that revealed teeth too long to fit in her mouth, and as sharp as kitchen knives. Nightstalker calmly followed, his face obscured by his cowl, save for his crimson red eyes that shone within. A Hatterene and Decidueye still made for a strange duo, and would have been the last Pokemon I would have expected to rule over this route, had someone asked me months ago.

Sisters, Bellatrix said, dipping her hat with her claw. Her eyes lingered on Princess' new form, and then my broken ankle and the new scar on my arm. Then, she deferred to the rest of the team, greeting them one by one, as did Nightstalker. And she even called Sunshine by his species' name, and not wyrm, which was a welcome surprise for both him and me.

Togekiss squealed, dashing toward her kin with speed that nearly surprised her. Bellatrix did not flinch away from her, though Princess' advance was slowed until she was basically moving like she carried weights, and her face softly landed in Hatterene's hair, after which she caressed her head with her claw. I strode up to Night and wrapped him into a tight hug, which he, as usual, barely returned.

"You're softer than I remember," I laughed.

The grass type answered that he'd made himself very huggable, with how much I seemed to enjoy those. I snorted, patting him on the arm, and he joined the rest of my team to say hello. Honey shook one of his wings in greetings with both of his massive hands, which made Night stare up at him amusedly and mention how much he'd grown. Obviously, that was Sweetheart's last straw, and she clamored that she'd grown too, though her tantrum made the overhang shake until Angel waddled on to soothe her. For Turtonator, it was as if he was meeting a long-time rival. The greeting was stiff and short until Nightstalker patted him on the shoulder and the tension left Sunshine's body. Jellicent nearly spoiled the surprise about my gifts until I warned him off before he could rat me out.

"Keeper of the Sacred Woods," I smiled.

Bella, with you, she instantly said. How have you—

I sank into Bellatrix's soft hair, rivaled only by Togekiss' own fluff. She was dangerously light, with how tall she was, but I knew her true body was thinner than my bones and hidden by her huge amount of hair. Arceus, I had missed her.

You were wounded, she declared.

"The leg is entirely on me," I sighed into her with closed eyes. Had I been tired enough, I would have fallen asleep standing up. "The arm's a whole entire story."

It seems that you've gone through many changes, Grace, Hatterene noticed. Your emotions are locked away from my purview, now.

I blinked, pulling away from her slowly and looking into her bright, white irises. Cecilia was immune to being mind-controlled, I thought with a frown. So my emotions being closed to empaths kind of makes sense, I guess. Hatterene had complained about this, back when we'd first met. Every time I had focused on understanding a Pokemon, I had been drawing power from Lake Verity and shielding my mind with something impossibly complex— well, complex for anyone who wasn't Mesprit. I hadn't heard the little rascal speak since I'd left Solaceon. I assumed that these days, I drew upon that power all the time.

"It's complicated," I answered. "I'll explain later— but first, since we're guests, we have gifts for you!"

Both Hatterene— and Decidueye, who'd been chatting with Buddy— eyed me with curiosity as I searched through my bag. Electivire and Togekiss were the most nervous, since they were worried about if they'd like their gifts or not. I wasn't too anxious, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. I pulled out the tempera paint bottles from my backpack— dozens of them, of varying colors, and had Angel place them along the cavern floor. He even arranged them in color without me asking, too, and I gently petted the vine he had on my good ankle in thanks.

"You told me that you liked to read about art stuff," I told Night. "And I did say I would come back with paint, so here I am. I figured this spot would be good to make some art... though I didn't bring any paintbrushes. Shit, I knew I was forgetting something."

Worry not. Nightstalker is very pleased with your gift, as I am, Bellatrix said.

Decidueye let out a pleased hoot, saying we could always paint with our hands— or the closest thing we had to hands, given the fact that Angel was no doubt going to join in.

"And you'll be painting too, right?"

Then, it clicked. I should have just used the need to practice in my offer, and not pulled Justin's name into it at all.

I cleared my throat. "That's a fair assessment. Look at it like this then," I said, leaning against my paint-stained crutch. Every word matters, Grace. Watch yourself. "One, what I told you alone isn't the full extent of my gift. Second, that story you told me about— about the Claw, the Plume and the Fang? There were some inaccuracies, and I can tell you more about it."

I wasn't going to tell her the world might end— no, that would be going too far, and Cynthia would have my neck after we'd pulled in Denzel without telling her anything. That story she had recounted to me, though? It had been passed down by her mother, and her mother's mother, on and on until we reached one of her ancestors who had no doubt lived through those times. Stories bent, as the generations passed, especially oral history. Stories were currency, and the fact that one of her most precious ones had been wrong would tip the scales back in my favor, no doubt.

Ah, well done in seizing control once more, she calmly acknowledged. While I can't guarantee mastery over manipulating others' emotions, I can certainly enlighten you about the emptyfolk and their prevalent struggle with an emotion-muted existence. I could also help you discern subtle feelings, though that would be contingent upon the workings of your... gift.

Not enough to actually fix him yet, I internally sighed, though I kept my face unmoving. "I'll take that. Has a bargain been struck?"

Bargain struck, Bellatrix said, smiling. I'm proud of you.

My lips tugged upward, and I averted my eyes away from her. It wouldn't do, to show so much right after negotiating.

"Oh! Outside of that bargain, though, I had a question for both you and Night. I was wondering if you could tutor Princess," I placed a hand over her forehead, "and teach her glamour and that move you use to clear the rain away? We've really been slacking on glamour, it's... not great."

Nightstalker agreed right away, not bothering with any procedure so long as he could test Sunshine first and finish his art.

The Keeper of the Sacred Woods sighed. Consider it a favor owed, then.

"Oh, and also, I have a therapist that'll show up here tomorrow, if that's okay?"

After much haggling, I realized that, no, it had not been okay, but Nightstalker managed to convince her with some concessions that Aliyah would have to conform to.

—

Turtonator sported a mad grin as his shell blew up with the brightness of a star, warping the air behind him with heat as he shot off from the floor. Bellatrix's barrier didn't even budge, though she had commented that the noise was annoying and had blocked it off completely as soon as the battle started. The dragon nearly body-slammed Decidueye, who was adhering to a no Phantom Force rule, but the grass type pulled out a shining, neon green sword from below his wing and slashed across Sunshine's chest. Turtonator didn't bleed, but he felt the slice. His eyes bulged and the air was knocked out of his lungs as he landed flat against the ground. He did not linger, however. The fire type retreated into his shell, making his shadow as small as possible as he retreated with Rapid Spin while Nightstalker shot seven arrows trailing his path in an attempt to nail him to the floor.

The last time they'd fought, Nightstalker had run circles around Sunshine, but now? He was actually sweating a little bit and had to try to take Turtonator down, and that had nothing to do with the raging flames on the ground. I was entirely for it, given the fact that he still needed to adjust his explosion-propelled flight and that he needed more experience taking down fast fliers, which Night was a perfect example of. We'd nearly gotten Shell Smash down too, so he would soon grow even faster. It would be important to keep the move as a last resort, however.

Aside from him, and soon Princess, today was an off day for most of my team. Angel had wandered off to help a group of Budew find a new water stream after theirs had been taken away by another group of particularly aggressive Lotad led by a Lombre. Jellicent had gone with him so they could both work something out together, and hopefully Angel would keep him from scaring them. Honey was getting lunch started on my electric stove— we didn't have nearly enough food packed for the duration of our stay here, but Princess and I could always go get more groceries later. Sweetheart hovered over him, and the two bantered together about Honey's cooking skills, which was really funny considering he was already way better than I was. Tyranitar just liked it more when I cooked, because I was Mom.

What you say is... madness in its purest form, Bellatrix said, dumbfounded. I was leaning against her hair while Princess was snuggled up next to me, so I was basically in the middle of a fluff fort. Bella softly ran her claw over my hair. But it would explain why your mental shield is so powerful beyond compare.

I'd told her a limited version of the truth— including my meeting with Mesprit. What I had not told her was what Team Galactic was planning to do with the Lake Guardians. I believed things would work better in my favor the more I told her, and honestly, it also felt good to vent a little. For all of my honesty, I hadn't told Cecilia that Mesprit had tried to tempt me with mind-controlling her, since my powers were stronger than hers because she was half a Shard. Even Bella had been slightly disturbed at that amount of power thrown around so lightly.

I looked up at her, her hairpin clearly visible. "So you believe me without having to try out my power?"

I do not get why you worry so much about using it, she scoffed. You could make much use of it, during bargains.

"I know," I smiled thinly. "But I have lines I can't cross and people I can't disappoint. I'm not above using them when needed, Bella, but to rely on it as much as you? I don't think it'd be that bad, honestly, but I'm shit at self-control. One thing would lead to another, and I'd end up doing something I regret. Maybe not that day, but far down the line. Plus, you know, boundaries. Not everybody's like me and wouldn't care."

The fairy type's claw froze in my hair. Perhaps. It is only advice I give, though I still lament your choice to be so much... lesser than you could be.

In front of us, Nightstalker placed a clawed foot over Sunshine's chest, an arrow pointed at his head and a vindictive look in his eyes. Suddenly, the rain started again, gallons of water pouring over the fires Sunshine had started until they all went out in a matter of a minute; then, the barrier dissolved. She must have figured out a way to speed up changes in her fief, given the fact that she'd told me they worked slowly at her scale. She too, was learning and progressing every day.

I believe you, she finally confirmed. You obscure the truth, but you would not lie when such matters would be so easily disproved as soon as I started teaching you, Bellatrix said.

So she knew, then, I thought as I restrained a sigh. At least she wasn't prying, though I wasn't sure if it was because she already found the nature of the bargain equal or because she was worried about me and not pushing. She liked me enough to bend her rules, as she'd shown by having me owe her a favor for Princess' training.

"I've only lied once since I left you," I said. "It was when I told my Pokemon that I was fine right after my ankle was broken."

Togekiss angrily grunted at that, though I responded by apologizing for it again.

It seems like you've not lost the ways after all, Grace, Hatterene spoke with a fond smile.

"It'll always be a part of me," I said. "Just... mashed together with everything else into this weird, fucked up cocktail that makes me."

Then let us rise, sister.

And rise I did, stretching my arms while Bellatrix, Keeper of the Sacred Woods, my half-sister and my teacher turned toward Princess.

Let us begin your training, baby sister. Before I start with your mother, I will teach you how to manifest your will into reality.

The world shivered.