Chapter Fifty-Five: Aftermath



Benga's POV



I sit in my pocket cave, licking my wounds. Stupid monster. Stupid battle, stupid Gym Leader, stupid Rainbow Badge. Stupid world. Stupid everything.



I feel that strange Unown thing reaching into my mind. Are you okay?



"No, I am not 'okay,'" I growl. "I got my tail handed to me by a freak of nature. How is that 'okay'?"



The Victreebel did not intend to cause you serious harm, Kappa says. Your new body is resistant to most toxins. You would have survived that attack.



"Doesn't mean I WANT to be attacked!" I snap. "I didn't ask to be put in this battle! I don't care about the frickin' badge! I just want to go home with Terra!"



You wished to be able to protect Terra, the Unown answers. We gave you that power, but you need to practice in it. Training will make you stronger. And it's a dangerous world out there. Without training, you'll never be able to reach your full potential.



"Yeah, well, training HURTS," I say. "Why does everything here have to attack each other anyway?"



Allies train against each other in friendly battles to get stronger, Kappa says. There's a saying in this world: "The only thing that stops a bad human with a Pokemon is a good human with a Pokemon."



"So that THING was supposed to make me stronger?"



You and Terra unleashed skills that you never knew you had because you were up against the wall. You learned the Fire Fang technique in that battle. An impressive and useful attack that can burn or flinch the opponent.



"Yeah, except I don't want to have to attack," I grumble. "Back at home I never faced anything larger than a mouse. Here we've got mice as big as I am!"



Don't say that to Kachu, Kappa warns me. She's sensitive about her weight.



"Humph."



A silence.



There's a saying in your world, Kappa says. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."



"Maybe I don't WANT to be stronger if it means having to go through... THAT."



You did wish to protect your human.



They're right. I did wish that. "Well, it would've been nice to know just what I was going to have to protect her FROM."



Also, I spoke with that Victreebel, and she's actually pretty nice. She thinks your breath stinks, though.



"How can she tell? She's a plant. Near as I can tell she doesn't have a nose."



That... is a fair point.





Terra's POV



"Are you okay?" Ilima asks.



I know he's just asking to be polite. He's a Mew. He knows I'm not okay. And even if he wasn't a Mew, the fact that I've been curled up on this bench just staring at Benga's Poke Ball is a clear sign that I'm not okay.



I don't answer him.



Ilima sighs. "Do you want to talk about it?"



"I just don't know what kind of trainer I am, sending Benga into a dangerous situation like that," I admit. "He was scared -- terrified, really -- and then that whole shebang with the Burst Heart happened and I felt just how scared he was. He thought that Victreebel was a monster to kill!"



I drop my head into my hands. "How can I train him as a Pokemon when his mindset is completely different to one? And what am I going to do with this Burst Heart that Jirachi gave me if I can't control what it does to me -- to both of us?"



Ilima sits down on the bench next to me. "Well, if it helps, Synergy Burst isn't something that comes easily to people or Pokemon. Usually it takes strict training to be able to pull one off without adverse effects."



"Adverse effects? Gee, that sounds pleasant."



"Basically both you and your Pokemon have to have maximum synergy to pull off a Synergy Burst. Attempts to pull one off without maximum synergy are what leads to trouble. I think Gladion can't master using his Burst Heart because he doesn't have synergy with the Lycanroc aura inside the heart."



I lean back on the bench a bit. "So, how do I attain this 'synergy'?"



"For starters, pay attention to Benga in battle. Remember his strengths and weaknesses. Also, it could help to spend some time with him out of battle, too. To bond with him. That should help you build synergy."



I stare down at Benga's Poke Ball. "He's been my cat ever since I was a little kid. He jumps on my lap and sleeps on my bed. He's my best friend! How are we not 'bonded' enough?"



"Synergy means two or more elements that, when combined, produce a result greater than the sum of their parts. For Synergy Burst to work, you two need to both be focused on the same goal. It worked for a short time on Mega Victreebel because you both wanted to defeat it, but it went wrong because you two had different reasons for defeating Mega Victreebel."



"Does that have anything to do with why Gladion can't master his Burst Heart?"



"I suspect it does. I'm not able to read Burst Hearts the way I can understand people and Pokemon, which is rather strange considering Shu's device can do it. But from what Shu's told me, Lycanroc's lack of synergy with Gladion stems from a major distrust of humans and a history of abuse." Ilima sighs. "I'm still not sure how to calm that Burst Heart so Gladion can use it safely. Jirachi suggested the Tree of Beginning, but I'm not exactly popular with other Mew, and activating the tree requires an aura sacrifice. It's kind of weighty for just one rock."



I think about this for a moment. "Maybe Gladion could do dog things with his Burst Heart? Like running and digging and fetching sticks? Maybe Silvally could play tug-of-war with him or something."



Ilima hid a chuckle. "I'm sorry, but just imagining Gladion with a stick in his mouth amuses me. But I'll pass that along to him."



"Pass along the what now?"



It's Gladion, and he sits down next to Ilima. "Don't think I didn't hear that, by the way," he says, probably more for my benefit than Ilima's. "It's an intriguing idea, but I'm not sure I want to know what stick tastes like."



Gladion's still dressed in black, but his clothes are new and not ripped up (although that might well change at the rate he's going). He's had his bangs shaved off, and his hair cornrows are dyed wine red. I can't help thinking that the color is the same color as the Midnight Lycanroc in his Burst Heart. Ilima's hair isn't dyed, just trimmed to a more conservative length that actually looks somewhat stereotypically masculine. I guess having dye in his hair would make his transformations look weird.



"How's your sister doing?" I ask.



Gladion sighs. "Team Rocket wiped her memory of everything after she was captured. Did the same to Clemont and Bonnie, so we wouldn't know anything that occured while they were prisoners. Which means we have no idea what happened to the rest of the group on Seafoam."



"I teleported there to search the place," Ilima says, "and it was completely wrecked. No sign or trace of anybody."



"Wait, rest of?" I ask. "There's more of you? More time travelers?"



"There was a boy named Hau traveling with us, another student of Ilima's, which makes him a time traveler too," Gladion says. "A girl named Rui that we met in Phenac City, out in Orre -- she's an empath or something. And there were the kids we rescued from the S.S. Anne. Three of them. Triplets. Weird food-related names, I can't really remember them."



"Chili, Cilan, and Cress," Ilima says.



I can't believe my ears. "Wait, those three? The gym leaders of Unova?"



"They're kind of young to be gym leaders," Gladion says, "but they do come from Unova." He shudders. "Given what Team Rocket's done with Project Burst, I shudder to think what they're subjecting those five to. Likely unethical experiments. We can't just let Team Rocket do whatever they want."



"Which is why we're going to Mt. Moon to find a Pale Orb to summon Palkia to get the Unown back on our side," Ilima says.



"Any chance of us calling in a Mew army as well?" Gladion asks. "I mean, I know you're not on the hottest terms with them and all, but we've got Evan with us too."



Ilima looks down at the ground. "Mew that don't want to live as Mew aren't exactly popular with the clowder," he says morosely. "Especially if they reveal themselves as Mew. We're not allowed to show ourselves to humans unless we have a really good reason. That's why we're so rarely seen. If I went back to the clowder, with humans no less, it wouldn't go over well at all."



"Pranking?" I ask.



"Oh, yes. Ceaseless, merciless pranking until we left. And probably continuing for days afterwards, or at least until the Mew found something else to occupy their time. We aren't exactly known for our attention spans."



"So where does this 'clowder' live, anyway?" I ask.



Ilima's eyes grow wide. "I can't tell you that! They'd be incensed if I betrayed their location to humans! Um, no offense meant, of course."



"None taken," I say, not quite sure if I mean it or not. The guy looks pretty spooked. "Change of subject, then."



"So Evan wants all of us to move out of Celdaon into Mt. Moon," Gladion says. "But Erika wants some of us to stay behind to watch over Celadon. Evan hasn't taken it well because he thinks Team Rocket is going to murder us if we stay. I'm afraid he might try to hypnotize Erika to get her out of the city."



Ilima shakes his head. "That's no good. We weren't given our powers to lord it over humans. Even if his heart is in the right place, I won't allow it."



"You think you can convince him without resorting to hypnosis yourself?" Gladion asks.



"I know why he's so paranoid. He's lost someone he really cares about, and he doesn't want to lose anyone else. But he needs to respect Erika's decision." Ilima gets up. "I'll go talk to him, then. Thank you for telling me this."



He gets up and walks off, leaving me and Gladion together on the bench.



There's an awkward silence.



"So... the Burst thing," Gladion starts. "I'd say that Synergy Stone that Jirachi gave you is just starting to connect you and your Litten. How close is your bond to Benga?"



"Benga's been my cat since as long as I can remember," I answer. "We've been best friends pretty much forever. But he's never had to fight like this before. He hasn't even interacted with other cats, let alone Pokemon. I think he's still getting used to being able to breathe fire and all."



Gladion processes this with some confusion. "Oh... kay then. So anyway, I'm not the genius here, but I think you and Benga have to do some emotional bonding and have the same kinds of goals for a Synergy Burst to really be effective. It might also be malfunctioning because you two both come from a world without aura, and Synergy Power is a form of aura. Although I'm not quite sure how it worked the way it did if that's the case."



"Well, Jirachi did give it to me, so maybe it was made special?"



"That's a possibility. Jirachi could well have given you the ability to use the stone itself. Although let's hope he only changed the stone and not given you aura yourself. If your whole thing for saving this world is that you come from a world without aura... holy Necrozma, that would suck."



That was not the kind of thought I wanted to hear that day. But then, my entire Pokemon journey had been full of thoughts I didn't want to hear that day. "How has your Lycanroc burst thing been doing?"



"I haven't used it. I think I've spent long enough rampaging around with a Pokemon in my head." The tone in Gladion's voice says quite clearly that he doesn't want to talk about it. "If I wanted to use it, I'd need to only be around people I trust, which is about two people."



"Ilima and... Lillie?"



"Pretty much. I respect Gary, but he's not quite there yet. And, um, well..." He looks awkwardly at the floor.



"Cyan?" I guess.



"Yeah. I kind of made things awkward when we first met, and... why the hell am I telling you this?" he suddenly snaps. "Is it that damned Nihilego venom still in my head? Holy Tapu, I'm out of my mind."



"Hey, I won't bite," I answer. "You can talk to me about this."



He sighs, leaning back on the bench. "I just don't feel like I'm the kind of guy she'd be into meeting. Especially if she knew about... well, the Burst thing. And other things. I'm not even sure how she feels about me being asexual. She didn't even react when Gary was teasing me about it right to her face."



"That's good, right? She wasn't making fun of you."



"But -- damn it, I've spent my entire life not being enough. Not being good enough, not being strong enough." Gladion claws the air with his hands. "Can I really tell her how I feel?"



"I think you're too hard on yourself," I say. "But no one can make that decision for you. You have to decide on your own, and make your choice when you're ready."



"But will I ever be ready?" he asks. "What if she thinks it's the jellyfish talking? What if she rejects me? What if she finds asexuals repulsive? What if..."



I wait a few moments for him to finish his thought.



"...what if I can't tell her?" he finally says.



"I think you can," I answer.





Ilima's POV



It doesn't take long to track down Evan, who's currently poring over one of Abe's maps of Mt. Moon and tracing potential travel paths down it.



"Greetings! Captain Ilima here," I say. "So what are we talking about?"



"I'm planning for our moving house from Celadon to Mt. Moon," Evan says. "Skye thinks we should leave half the group behind to watch over Celadon, and I'm trying to decide if that's feasible. If it's true that the only reason Team Rocket hasn't nuked us is because of Terra, that means we're going to be in considerable danger in Celadon once she leaves."



"I'd suggest having Giratina and her ghost army remain stationed in Celadon," I say, "to grant the Celadon group an extra layer of protection. You don't have the natural terrain advantages of Mt. Moon. Where is Skye, anyway?"



"Trying to convince Giratina of exactly that," Evan says. "Apparently Giratina is kind of attached to Shu and isn't sure that letting him out of her sight is going to go over well. Tell me why you guys brought the kid along? I'd think having you on the team would make his N-Comm redundant."



"Yes, but at least he can be open about speaking Pokemon," I answer. "Out in public, I'm just your average trainer who just so happens to have pink hair. Pink hair in males is rare enough; add psychic power to the mix and people will start talking about me."



"Doesn't Team Rocket not want to catch you?"



"Sabrina doesn't want to catch me. However, she hasn't told every grunt all over the region to avoid me. All it takes is one successful Master Ball, and I'm a prisoner. And there's so many Mewtwo, it would be impossible to hide myself completely."



"That's true," Evan muses. "I wonder if Team Rocket is cloning the other legendaries they've been gathering, like Rayquaza and Deoxys."



It's a sobering thought. "Dear Arceus, no. I can't even imagine that."



"I doubt they have a cloning tank large enough for Rayquaza. But if the idea comes into their mind, they're likely to build one." Evan starts to pace. "Even a small army of Rayquaza would be unstoppable, especially if they figured out the secret to mega evolving one."



"Which is why we need to retain our outpost in Celadon," I say. "Have Skye's ghosts continue spying on Team Rocket. We can't concede our hideout to them. We can't afford to."



"And what happens if we don't have a choice?" Evan snaps. "What happens if Team Rocket captures Giratina? If they kill Erika? If they bomb the hell out of us? Eventually they'll be coming back, and when they do, we can't guarantee that even Skye's ghosts will save us. We could well be the last hope that this region has of survival!"



"Gladion told me he thinks you might use hypnosis on Erika to get her out of the city," I say evenly, carefully keeping my speech level. "Did you say anything to him along those lines?"



"Would a parent forcibly carry their child away from danger?"



"Huh? I'm afraid you've lost me there."



Evan sighs. "We are Mew, Ilima. The ancestors of the universe. If it's not our job to protect these people and Pokemon, whose is it? Who decides who lives and who dies?"



"We're not overlords, Evan. We can't make these humans' decisions for them. It's not just our world; it's their world as well. Like it or not, these people are responsible for their own actions."



"And what's more important to them? The needs of the few, or the needs of the many?"



This catches me by surprise. "I..."



"Team Rocket knows where this base is. That's an incontrovertible fact. If we want to stay undetected, we NEED to move elsewhere. That's also a fact. So what would you suggest?"



I consider this a moment. "Cerulean City is the same distance from Saffron as Celadon. And it's close to Mt. Moon. If, and only if, you are able to convince Erika to move up shop without mind control, I'd support us moving TWERP's hideout to Cerulean Cave. Maybe seek help from the gym leaders of Cerulean."



"What about Lavender Town? Ghosts are considered normal there. And it's a small place, off the beaten path. We're not as likely to get noticed there."



I shake my head no. "A group of newcomers coming to a small town like that could garner too much attention. We'll be better off in Cerulean."



"I'll consider it," Evan says. "Regardless, we need to move out before Team Rocket comes back for us. Perhaps you could help me convince Erika of that?"



I think this over. My coming with Evan could make him less likely to try to control Erika directly. "I could."



"One question, though," Evan says. "How will we prevent Team Rocket from just using their psychics to find us again?"



"There's one possibility I've considered, but honestly hope it never comes to," I answer. "Going to the Distortion World. Giratina can take us there. But if Giratina gets captured by either Team Rocket or Lance, we'll have no way of leaving. And it's not a nice place for humans to live. Time flows oddly, gravity is wonky, space itself is distorted. We could use it to slip past the Saffron barrier if necessary, but I don't think you'd want to live there."



Evan shudders. "You're right. I don't like the sound of it at all."