Warnings: Celebi, grief.


Part Eleven

Being blessed by the gods was surprisingly anticlimactic. Wes felt no more powerful than he had when he had started, but he did smell the steady mulch of the earth beneath his boots and his skin crackled with the light of the earth. But it felt like nothing.

"That is because humans do not acknowledge the passage of time, often enough."

Celebi's high-pitched thoughts came with candid amusement, like humans were a fun toy that they'd put down to gain life. Knowing the great old ones, that was likely not too far from the truth.

Celebi tittered once more, spinning around him and Rui both in what would equal a happy friendship gesture from likely anything else. It just sent chills down to Wes' legs.

"Quite," they said. "Nice to see humans with some respect nowadays. All these Ciphers and Codes and thugs… no understanding of the precarious condition they've left themselves in. Good spot of ambition is fine, but there's ambition, you wouldn't confuse it with overreach, I have siblings for that? I do, really. Now, I bequeath to you this." Its fingers sparkled and something bone white but clearly made of wood landed in Wes' outstretched palms. "A time flute. I grant to you three songs, to save my precious little siblings. Use them wisely. You'll know when the time is right. One of them awaits you at the destination you are seeking to liberate. Now as for the rest of them-"

"Do you mean the three dogs?" Rui interrupted before she could stop herself.

Celebi regarded her and smiled thinly. "Hello soothsayer, and you're an intelligent one too. Yes, you're quite correct. The three dogs are like awkward little siblings for me. I was there when they died. I was there when they were reborn. I have been there every single time. That, however is my limit. I cannot stop things from happening, only go and hinder the potential consequences. Which does, as a matter of fact, mean I am stopping things from happening, but only if I succeed. That makes it a mite difficult, you understand."

"Oh good," Wes exhaled. "I have to go and fight a god. No pressure."

"Not a lick of any, quite," Celebi agreed with a real smile, and that somehow made it more disturbing. "Now, if you hold still, I can purify your wee babes over there. They'll still be a mess of course, but they won't be shadowy messes. You'll need all the help you can get against Sweeper."

"Sweeper?"

"Suicune, slip of the tongue."

"I sincerely wonder if it was," Wes said as reverently as he could muster. He earned a giggle for his, well Rei assumed it was cheek, and then the world was, once again, awash in green.

When the light faded, a purple cloud hovered over the great obelisk in the center of the clearing, swirling and trembling as though it held a sickening rain and was waiting to burst with it. It left three pokemon staring off at the sky and one great, beautiful dragon weeping into the dirt.

The flygon's wings trembled as they wailed, crying out its anguish for the world to hear and take heed.

Wes did not heed it, staring up at the cloud with a thrum running through his bones, and an ugly liquid

Celebi snapped its tiny fingers and the cloud simply vanished like it had never been. The other pokemon, for their efforts, looked around slowly, then one by one, the pokemon bowed their heads to them. "Aw," it giggled. "How sweet."

And then their little god disappeared, leaving them alone without another word.

The dragon fell silent after a while, staring at the sky like a statue. Wes cast his eyes to it a moment more, then went to inspect the other pokemon he had snagged. They responded with quiet sounds of acquiesce, reacting with at most, nipping his fingers. There wasn't even blood drawn, unfortunately so he couldn't even offer it to the god who had left in thanks. How annoying.

"Rui, will you take a look at these three more closely for me?"

Rui glanced at the dragon, whose wings were starting to droop. Then she nodded. "Take care."

Wes only smiled.


Phenac was supposed to be lawless.

It was, shall they say, a matter of course. There were so few policemen, so many people, but so few real civilians trying to earn a living. They were stuck protecting those and not their prison. That said, Team Cipher was something else. Most people tried to weasel their way in of course, but that didn't say much,all things considered. People were often weaker than they imagined.

Because of them alone, no one was outside to stop the hovercycle rolling in. They weren't able to stop Wes and Rui from stealing their pokemon.

They weren't able to stop the flygon, whose wings sang to the sand beneath their feet and made it start to crumble.

"Lumis, we need to be able to traverse," Wes called to the dragon, who nodded once. That was about all the pokemon would give. Even now, the creature was proud and broken-hearted, firm in her fear of masters. And while Requiem and Nocturne were powerful, they were still infants compared to the great scarred beast who was following them about.

Truly, without the rage, she was beautiful. Worthy of awe and her own devotion, even. But she is not ready for it and Wes will not force it from her. Still, he returns her.

"Why Lumis?"

Wes grinned at Rui, who finished tying up their latest opponent. "Why not?"

He watched her roll her eyes. "So, tournament or news station?"

If he'd had coins to flip he'd flip but as it is, the blood is pumping in his heart and the shadows are thrumming in his bag.

"Let's give the shadows some sunlight, what do you say?"

Rui met his eyes with a grin of her own. She took his purified pokemon and picked two, to round off her team as some had stayed behind to train.

"They'll be back to normal before we know it."

"And so we pray to the gods and the earth," Wes agreed, and she laughed like the wind and pressed a hand over his.

"Indeed."