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Chapter Text

"GIRATINA, STRIKE HIM DOWN!"

If there existed a more poisonous combination of words, Rei wouldn't have heard them. They seeped through every pore in his body, directly into his heart in an attempt to destroy him, before the real fight had even begun. The ensuing nightmare of a battle almost did.

Rei fought through the pain, and with the help of his exceptionally strong Pokemon team, barely managed to stop Volo from erasing the world as they knew it. While Volo had conceded in the end, Rei knew there would still be lasting damage from what had just happened. Emotional scars were much harder to heal than his team was.

Volo had not actually been his friend, but Rei had very much been his. This fact hurt in ways Rei had never felt before, the pain aching in deep places in his heart he hadn't known existed. It echoed in his mind when he spoke to people, asking him if he was sure they weren't just using him too. During some of the darker moments late at night Rei found himself wondering deep down inside if Volo had been right about the world being a terrible place.

Weren't they too young to be going through these sorts of things? Did Arceus truly care so little that he'd let teenagers tear each other to shreds over the fate of the world before bothering to get involved personally? Rei had never ended up asking after finally capturing Arceus. He already knew the answer.

Arceus had sent Rei out into Hisui with complete knowledge of what was going to happen. Rei being betrayed by the friend he fell for during his adventure was a small price to pay for the safety of the world, right? A small price to everyone but Rei.
Rei specifically seemed to be extendable when it came to the fate of the world. He didn't know what he had done to deserve it, and he eventually stopped asking why this was happening to him when the question threatened to send him over the edge himself. The very thought of falling into a similar mindset to Volo made sure he didn’t.

Rei never learned what exactly had caused Volo to snap the way he did, but it still sent chills down his spine to think about. Whatever hell that guy had seen in his life… it really must have been something.

His sweet smile and kind demeanor hid demons that haunted Rei in the ensuing nights after returning from the temple. He used to adore that smile – it had been so thrilling the first time they had met. Volo's grey eyes, his cute little bun, his tall frame… Rei would have sworn to love at first sight being real in that moment.

When Volo had asked him for a battle to get his blood pumping, he was tempted to tell him it wasn't even necessary. Everything about him made his blood pump. He was exactly Rei's type. The eloquent old fashioned way he spoke was oddly charming, and Rei would have been willing to listen to him talk about anything for hours, especially if his attention was on Rei while he did it.

His first battle against Volo hadn't been hard, but he was still much more careless than he normally would have been. He was more focused on the way Volo was moving and his mannerisms as they fought. He was so confident and mature in defeat that it made Rei admire him even more. He had healed Rei's Pokemon after their battle and had even given him some potions, a gesture that Rei greatly appreciated.

Rei was sure at the time Volo would notice how much he was staring and say something, but he only wished him success and left. Rei watched him go, wishing badly he would stop and stay just a bit longer.

Volo ended up continuing to impress Rei by being genuinely open and friendly in ways Rei hadn't normally seen from the older guys at his school. He didn't talk down to Rei, or act like he was embarrassing him. He seemed to even enjoy being with him, going as far as to involve Rei in his personal projects to spend time together.

He was always open about them being good friends and was interested in what Rei was doing, which caused Rei's heart to always flutter when he saw Volo approaching him from seemingly out of nowhere. Often, just to give him a gift or some friendly words of encouragement.

The fact that Volo seemed to be going out of his way to make sure Rei had a good friend was something he really valued, as it helped him feel supported. During the insane things that were happening in his life he had really needed it. He had needed someone like Volo.

Rei had never been under any illusion that Volo was likely to ever return his feelings. His intentions with Rei were as strange as the man himself, somehow incomprehensible and hard to grasp. Volo was also a bit older, and Rei was still too young for him.

In the future when they were both older and a three year gap was less of a concern it had more of a chance to actually happen, but age wouldn't suddenly make Volo want to date him if he wasn't inclined to in the first place. It didn't stop Rei from fantasizing about it though. Every time they crossed paths, it felt inflammatory. He was 15 and thought he finally knew what love was.

Despite this, Rei knew the whole time falling for him was a bad idea. Volo would most likely break his heart one way or another eventuality.
Unfortunately, just how right he had been was more than he could take. The mist around Volo's intentions had finally parted, and what he had seen was traumatic. Whoever the megalomaniac at the temple had been was not the same person he had fallen for. That hauntingly disturbed man killed the Volo that Rei knew that day, and he would never forgive him for it.

Rei stopped acting like himself after the battle at the temple, and everyone in Hisui could see it. They knew the basic idea of what had happened – word got around fast in a village as small as Jubilife. It was certainly much easier for them to move on from it than it was for Rei. Things had been solved without them having to lift a finger and the only cost was the loss of a Ginko Guild merchant.

For Rei, it was so much deeper than that, and they could never understand. He wasn't going to let them try either. He could never tell them the full truth.

Akari had been the first to approach him, the first one trying to help him work through things. However Rei couldn't seem to find the right words to express how he was feeling without outing himself. Whenever he tried to, it was as if he were lying to himself about things and made it worse.

Rei wanted to trust Akari, in the same way she had always trusted him, but in that moment the only thing he could think was how much more he would hurt if she rejected him. His feelings for Volo were downright unthinkable things to bring up in polite company during the Hisuian Era.

Rei had heard of times in the past where this hadn't been the case, but the Hisuian time period specifically was known for its wave of homophobia imported from far away regions. Maybe it was a cruel joke from Arceus to send him specifically here. It certainly wouldn't be the first.

Eventually, Rei just decided to suffer in silence about it.
He stopped showing up to work. More often than not, he was just finding himself wandering the wilderness trying to find anything to write down that someone hadn't already anyway.

More often than not he didn't manage to find much to say, which made him feel useless. Rei had no regrets about joining the Survey Corps when he had been needed back then. It had once been the exciting quest from Arceus that was keeping him going, but after completing the Pokedex he felt he had nothing left to contribute.

Sure, there was still a lot of work to be done in human-Pokemon relations, but he didn't feel like the work he was doing was even helping with that anymore. He was wasting time here, and it was really starting to eat at him.

Shouldn't Arceus have sent him back home by now? His family was already going to notice he had aged by this point, even if he was sent back to the exact second he left. It’d be hard not to notice the growth spurt, for one. Wouldn't it be harder to adjust the longer he waited to go back? Did Arceus not just not care?
Desperate for an answer, Rei had decided to send Arceus out of his Pokeball and plead his case only to be rejected immediately. The ensuing screaming match Rei had with Arceus was brutal and completely one sided.

Arceus would not send him home.
He would not tell Rei why. It was not up for debate.
Rei’s thoughts quickly turned from feeling bad for himself, to feeling bad for his family. Would they spend the rest of their lives searching for him? Did they have even the faintest clue what had happened? What was it like to lose a child without any clue as to their fate? Rei cursed Arceus's name for daring to put his family through this hell alongside him. The beast had no mercy, and Rei no longer wanted to play his game.

Arceus became the very first Pokemon Rei ever released. It felt incredibly cathartic to get rid of him, but it didn't change the fact he was trapped. His depression worsened as the gravity of the situation truly sunk in.

Rei's announcement that he was officially taking a break from the Survey Corps had been a surprise to no one. He had missed so many days, that even his high rank and incredible reputation was no longer protecting him from threats of being kicked out.

Akari had become beside herself with worry that Rei was going to lose his job in the Survey Corps or quit altogether. He promised her that wasn't true, and that this was all just temporary. Cyllene had granted him some time off, understanding his situation. He was thankful for that.
If he didn't work, Rei wouldn't be allowed to stay in Jubilife, but he could at least take a short break.

This had helped to calm Akari down, but did little to stop her from worrying about him. The concern she had for him was so touching that he found himself considering being completely honest about how he was feeling to her. She was a good friend who had always believed in him, so wouldn't she want to understand?

Despite her pleas to let her help him, the words still stuck in his throat. Akari couldn't find out. No one ever could. It was too much of a risk.

Professor Laverton was more understanding than Akari when Rei had told him about the break over a dinner of potato mochi at the Wallflower. As Rei explained how Volo's betrayal had affected him, there was a flicker of understanding he hadn't gotten from the others. He wasn't sure if it was because Laverton was just older and more aware of how people could hurt each other, or if he suspected more about how Rei was really feeling than he let on. Maybe it had even been both. The Professor was many things, but he was definitely not stupid. Rei had expected Laventon to call him out on his feelings but he never did.

Whatever Laventon thought, he hadn't pushed back the way Akari had. He only put an arm around Rei and told him he was proud of him. Laverton told Rei that he had gone above and beyond for everyone here, and that if anyone had a problem with him taking a break to get back on his feet, they'd have to personally face him first well before they even got to Rei. He even politely pretended not to notice when Rei had burst into tears at this.

Laventon simply kept his arm around him in a fatherly hug and squeezed him close, sliding a clean handkerchief casually onto Rei's lap without looking to see if he took it. They finished their meal in comfortable silence before parting.

The pasture was not a far walk away from the Wallflower, but the weight of what he was going to do when he got there made every step feel like it had taken years. Marie had been shocked, initially not believing him when he told her what he came there to do, and he really couldn't blame her.

As a member of the Survey Corps, Rei had gone around catching every Pokemon he could get his hands on. He dutifully wrote down every shred of information he could discover about them in his Pokedex, right until he had been the first one to finally complete it.

This unbelievable feat had Akari and the rest of the Survey Corps idolize him as the best the Survey Corps had, the very ideal they should all strive for. Rei had done it all, seen it all. He had consorted with literal gods of legend and subjugated them to his will, capturing and recording them for future generation's benefit.

The hundreds of Pokemon Rei had captured now sat in the pastures day after day, doing nothing but waiting for him to decide that he needed them for something. Some of them, Rei had spent considerable time training and studying. Others, he had not so much as glanced at since he had caught them as part of his Pokedex research.

Legends of myth and common Bidoof alike would stare at him whenever he walked by the pasture with the same silent question in their eyes.

"Are you coming for me? Is it my turn to be let out?"

Rei knew the answer. They knew the answer.
It wasn't an answer either of them could live with anymore and it was finally time to accept that.

Rei took the time to personally make sure that every Pokemon that was in his care was returned to the proper place he had captured them in, save for Dialga and Palkia. Those two he released in front of the Diamond and Pearl clans for a shared festival of worship.

The two clans had wept and cried out together as they worshiped their great gods in person for the first and last time. The impact of such an event was sure to start a lasting change in how both clans saw their religion. Rei just hoped it was for the better.

With the final release, the weight of responsibility for the happiness of hundreds of Pokemon had been lifted from his shoulders. They were free and suddenly, so was he.
There were, however, Pokemon that refused to leave when Rei tried to release them.

The first of them was his Blissey. She had been raised by him after he caught her as a Happiny and had been a staple in his team since the very beginning of his journey. She was always eager to check up on him, making sure he hadn't been too badly injured by the unforgiving wilderness that was a hazard of his fieldwork. Rei could only assume that she was convinced that the second she left his side, he'd immediately go out and get himself killed.

Maybe she wasn't wrong though. Rei had never faced as much danger in the modern world as he did in the past and Blissey had saved his life more than a couple times. He thanked her for her concern, and told her he had room for her to stay with him at his house to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. She seemed pleased with this and offered him her lucky egg as a peace offering which he diplomatically agreed to hold for a few minutes. Surprisingly, it cheered him up a little.

The second of Rei's Pokemon to defy his release orders wasn't a surprise either. His funny little Chatot had not been put on the team for his battle abilities, but for one very important reason, which Rei refused to admit wasn't a legitimate one.

Chatot really loved to sing pop music. He had memorized all of Rei's favorite songs after listening to him sing them to himself countless times during their travels. They had spent many hours together climbing over hills and mountains, belting out songs that society had yet to create, while laughing at the absurdity of it all.

Akari had chided him for wasting a spot on his team for such a weak Pokemon, especially when his safety was at stake. He couldn’t have afforded to have a partner that would struggle to protect him, she stated, but Rei hadn't listened.
She had a valid point of course, but Chatot was the closest thing Hisui had to a portable music player. He had to cling on to *some* of his future luxuries or he'd go completely insane. He was happy to keep Chatot with him.

Immediately after Chatot had refused to leave, Rei knew who the next would be. His Alpha Lilligant had become obsessed with coming up with dance routines to match Chatot's singing (and Rei occasionally accompanying that singing with flute playing) whenever they stopped to rest at a campsite. She would diligently practice with them until they could get the timing to each song perfectly.

While Lilligant was a fantastic battler herself, she had found her true calling in performance.
Based on how they interacted with one another, Rei had deduced that Chatot and Lilligant were obviously a bonded pair now. Splitting up the little troupe they had made together with Rei would have been heartbreaking for all of them.

He didn't even bother to push any further on the subject. Not after seeing the hurt look on Lilligant's face when he suggested the idea. Bowing low to them both, Rei had apologized and said he was very happy they would want to stay with him. Lilligant had accepted his apology with her head held high and Chatot on her shoulder, her ego still partially wounded but her pride sated.

The very last Pokemon who had refused to leave him had been his Sylveon. He was a gentle Pokemon, always much more interested in cuddling with Rei than battling. He somehow always ending up in Rei's lap without him noticing, making him wonder when he had gotten there. Rei would gently pet Sylveon and Sylveon would gently pet Rei back with his ribbons.
This would always make Rei laugh, but it made sense that Sylveon would want to return the gesture. The fact he wouldn't be leaving either made Rei feel immensely relieved.

Rei had thought that freedom would be the best choice for all of his Pokemon out of fear that he was only using them the same way Volo had used his Pokemon – nothing more than a means to an end. Yet, their wordless defiance at Rei’s request for them to leave sent him their message clear as day despite the language barrier:

"This is my family and my best life is with you."

Akari had run to Rei's house as soon as she heard the rumors of Rei's mass Pokemon releasing from the other Survey Corp members. She had practically broken down the front door to ask what the hell he had been thinking, but her fuse was put out quickly after seeing the state he was in.

She gave him a huge speech about how she couldn't imagine how hard this was for him, and told him that she and the rest of his friends would do anything they could to try and help him adjust to living in Hisui permanently.

Rei only nodded along somberly to placate her. He honestly really appreciated what she was saying, and it was true that he would need help setting up a real life for himself.
It just… didn't fix what he was feeling.

Akari sat with him quietly for a bit and just hugged him after a long moment of dead air. That had helped a lot more, being something he really needed. He wondered if this was what having a girlfriend was like, but something about that terminology didn't feel quite right. Their relationship was special to him, but not in a romantic way.

He tried to open his mouth to tell her how he felt but found he couldn't make any noise, his throat closed too tight for any words to escape. The look in her eyes as she comforted him had told Rei everything he needed to know though. She loved him the same way too.

Rei didn't leave his house for a while after Akari left.
It wasn't that he was trying to avoid anyone, he just didn't have the energy to face them. Waves of heartache and numbness alternated to keep him listless and shut away in his bedroom. He felt pathetic and weak for how he was acting.
After everything he had been through, this is what was going to take him down? A stupid crush on a guy a few years older than him like some kind of cheesy highschool drama?

The irony of holding himself to a higher standard than a high schooler while also being 15 was not lost on Rei. He knew there was so much more to things than that, but it still felt hard to convince himself his breakdown was justified. He told himself he would just take a little time off to process the shock that had happened and then everything would be fine. Nothing more than that – he just needed a vacation to shake things off!

Five days into Rei's "vacation" without him even having left the house, people began to suspect something else might be going on.

It hadn't taken long for the Jubilife villagers to notice Rei was no longer being seen around the town. Rumors began spreading around the small group of people that lived there that he had come down with a mysterious illness. The Medical Corps had even been sent to do wellness checks on Rei a few times, but he always turned them away.

Hisui was far from advanced enough to offer the mental health help that Rei really needed. In Hisui, if you were still alive and kicking afterwards you were doing great. There was no time for worrying about how you were feeling, when you had to worry about feeding your family each day. Rei wasn't even sure the term "therapist" existed yet. But he was afraid to find out if it was. To him it was just easier to not make a big deal out of it, and skip the part where no one understood.

Who else could understand what he had been through anyway? Ingo? He’d likely understand more than the average person, but his amnesia would make it difficult. He would probably just end up frustrating the poor man if he started digging for buried memories.

Ingo remembered more than he had when Rei had first met him, but it still wasn't enough to have any sort of deep conversations about the future. He was also scared of getting Ingo on the path of worrying about his own family, and if they were concerned about him. He shouldn't have to bear that burden if he didn't have to, it was a cruel one.

They were two people in the same boat with different journeys to make: one looking for his past in the future, and the other for his future in the past. Thinking about it made Rei feel a pang of kinship with Ingo. For a moment he considered making the trip to see him anyway, but it was too daunting when he couldn't even find the energy to leave his own house.

There would be time to talk to him later, but for now… he just wasn't going to speak with anyone about it. He wasn't happy, but he was safe. Under his covers, Rei didn't have to face anyone. The only reality that mattered was inside his bedroom, not outside where everything felt too real.

Sylveon had been the first to sense just how hard Rei was starting to spiral. Humans of this era might not have understood emotional health very well, but Pokemon like Sylveon were born to. As soon as Sylveon's ribbon had touched Rei's hand, he cried out for the other Pokemon to come help him immediately. Rei was a bit confused as to what Sylveon was trying to tell the others, but it didn't take him long to find out.

Sylveon immediately went on emotional support duty, turning himself into an IV of calming energy, his ribbons wrapped firmly around Rei's arm. The relief had been immediate and intense, causing Rei to sit up in shock. Did he always have this kind of calming power? Rei reached into the bag next to his bed and pulled out his Pokedex, flipping to the page about Sylveon.

"It emits a soothing aura from its ribbon-shaped organs. It wraps these appendages around quarrelers to instantly restore calm to the situation."

That's right, he had watched a Sylveon do this to other Pokemon before. It made sense that it could also work on humans, even though he had never considered it. Rei slipped the Pokedex back into his bag and started to gently pet Sylveon. His problems hadn’t suddenly disappeared, but they weren't suffocating him like they had been before. The little pink Pokemon purring in his lap had so much more potential than he had assumed.

All his time spent debating with Akari about the usefulness of Sylveon's different move sets for battling, yet not once did it cross his mind that there were other talents he was overlooking. The ability to calm had its perks in battling of course, but in health and wellness? Rei felt like he had been struck by a lightning bolt from the implications this could have, not just for him, but for Hisui itself.

Before he could continue that train of thought, he was interrupted by a large bowl of scrambled eggs being dropped on the bed in front of him. This had been very jarring until he looked up and saw Blissey and Lilligant looming over his bed expectantly. The fact that Blissey's egg was no longer in her pouch answered the egg question at least. She must have used the fire pit in the main room to cook it with Lilligant's help.
He doubted Blissey could use the fire starter with her stubby little arms, but Lilligant was surprisingly dexterous. She liked to help with cutting up ingredients for crafting, so it wasn't that much of a stretch to assume she had just copied what she saw him do.

Blissey chattered at him impatiently and pushed the bowl at Rei, shaking him from his thoughts again. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was until just now. Careful not to use the arm Sylveon had wrapped, he used the chopsticks to take a bite. Immediately, Rei's heart had surged with joy and compassion and to his surprise, he found himself grinning.

It had been common knowledge back in the future that Blissey eggs had the mysterious ability to affect your emotions this way. However, they were so expensive that he had never tried one before now. Given how it was making him feel now, it definitely didn't disappoint. Blissey and Lilligant had perked up hopefully as they watched his reaction. Suddenly remembering his manners, Rei thanked them, truly meaning it from the bottom of his heart.

Lilligant settled next to Rei on the bed as he scarfed his food down, the Pokemon slightly leaning onto him. At first, Rei had thought it was just to provide comfort like Sylveon, but soon saw she had her own talent to share. The flower on top of her head was exuding an intoxicating scent and Rei found himself leaning over to get a better whiff of it.

It made him feel more positive, like things were actually a lot better than he had been worrying about. Had he really felt like the world was collapsing around him just minutes earlier?
The familiar sound of Rei's flute underlined his thoughts with a soothing song. He didn't even have to look up to know Chatot had joined them in the bedroom. He had picked one of Rei's favorite songs to play during the nights they camped while out surveying, a lullaby his mother had always hummed to him while tucking him into bed. Rei smiled again realizing that Chatot was trying to tell him to rest and feel better.

The way all of his Pokemon had worked together to stop his breakdown had felt surreal to Rei. It wasn't just Sylveon's abilities he had overlooked, it was every single one of his Pokemon's.

Each unique skill they had worked seamlessly together to pull him out of one of the darkest places he had ever been in. He wasn't sure how long the effects of each Pokemon would last, but that was something that could be tested later. This was something big, something that could change how Hisui – how the rest of the world approached Pokemon.

Humans were still figuring out how to benefit from partnerships with Pokemon, so what would happen if he sped things up a bit?
If they were introduced to this sort of healing early would it set the course for future healthcare standards to be put in place, or could it possibly make them even better than they already were? Both of these were incredible prospects and Rei felt a surge of motivation he hadn't felt since his quest from Arceus had come to a close.

Rei knew then he was going to go back to Team Galaxy, but not under the Survey Corps. He was going to join the Medical Corps, and show everyone that the relationship between Pokemon and humans could be so much more beneficial than they had ever imagined.

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Chapter Text

Hisui had become lush with life once more with the return of spring. The frigid air retreated as it was chased away by the emboldened sun. New plants had surged forth to abolish the barren fields of winter. It was becoming more common to see the baby pokemon playing under the eyes of watchful parents in the thriving patches of tall grass. The gorgeous natural landscape Rei had first fallen in love with three years ago had finally returned, and with it came a new optimistic outlook for the year to come.

Rei's Medical Corps assignment for the week had him out gathering new medical herbs and berries, replenishing the dangerously depleted stock a particularly harsh winter had drained them of. His extensive experience traveling through the Hisuian wilderness (and the added protection of his incredibly strong Pokemon) made him the best choice to do these kinds of jobs.

Rei felt really proud of this, like his previous work in the Survey Corps had perfectly prepared him to fill this new role. He was adjusting really well to his new job, although it hadn't been quite as easy in all areas of his new life.

The harsh winter months had been one of the biggest culture shocks for Rei. As someone from the future so accustomed to winter being only a mild inconvenience at most, the increased danger of it in this era had been terrifying. There was no technology for heating his home in Hisui, no supermarkets he could find fresh food year round in.

It hadn't taken him long to realize how naive he had been for not preparing for this when he had started freezing and starving at the same time. If he hadn't had friends and Pokemon around who cared about his survival, he wasn't sure if he would have made it through. He wasn't as scared of winter now that he had more experience living through it, but he'd be lying to say the arrival of spring was not a massive relief to him every time.

Rei had decided to start his assignment in the Obsidian Fieldlands with Sylveon as his bodyguard and assistant. Sylveon's feelers were incredibly dexterous, and Rei was hopeful it would make enough of a difference in pacing to be able to gather enough before nightfall. There was no moon tonight, and even if Rei was a strong trainer he didn't want to risk being ambushed in the dark.

As Rei walked through Horseshoe Plains foraging, he was lucky enough to witness a newly born Ponyta being helped to its wobbly little feet by its mother. The Ponyta took a few steps forward before noticing Rei was watching it and stared at him curiously, tilting its head.

It was such a tiny little thing that Rei's heart melted just looking at it. There was something so pure about the way it looked at the world. It understood so little that even the most insignificant things were magical and new.That look felt even more special, since it happened to be looking at him. He wondered what a Pokemon looking at a human for the first time would think. Did it assume he was a Pokemon too? He grinned at it and it gave him a feeble head toss in return.

Rei's grin quickly faded as his concern grew. Was it doing alright? It seemed much more drowsy than it should be.
A Pokemon that young didn't know to be wary of humans, but its mother did. She snorted at him as a warning to move on, a clear sign that his welcome had been worn out. Rei was definitely willing to take the hint and, but he noticed something else about the Ponyta that stopped him.

Little puffs of flames were spurting weakly from it's back but refused to fully ignite. Rei's eyebrows furrowed at this and he pulled out his Pokedex to recheck his Ponyta entry.

“These Pokemon live in herds out in the grassland. Newborn foals lack their fiery manes, which will develop about an hour after birth.”

Rei wasn't completely sure why this one was having so much trouble with its mane igniting, but he had an idea on how he might be able to encourage it.

"Hey Momma, I'm not here to get in your way," Rei soothed, tossing some of the freshly picked hearty grains from his bag in front of her. The Rapidash still eyed him a bit wearily but was hungry enough to accept his peace offering and didn't attack immediately.

Rei's eye flickered down to his Sylveon who was looking up at Rei questioningly, guessing at his trainer's plan. Rei nodded and Sylveon quickly leapt into action, wrapping his ribbons around the Rapidash and quickly neutralizing any potential aggression with the calming energy he exuded from the appendages.

Rei was very grateful that Sylveon had come along with him for this trip. He always traveled with at least one Pokemon in case something unexpected happened, and it was lucky he had chosen the one he needed for this exact situation. Sylveon had gotten very good at his new job with practice and was used to the role of temporary tranquilizer dart for more "spirited" patients.

Not taking any more time than was necessary, Rei reached into his bag again and pulled out a handful of Pep-up Plants that he had gathered just minutes beforehand. He carefully approached the Ponyta and tore the plant up right in front of its nose. The spice from inhaling the plant caused the Ponyta to sneeze and it immediately became more alert, its back bursting into flames.

Giving his partner a hand signal to back off once he was clear, Rei retreated to a safe distance and watched as Sylveon released the Rapidash from sedation. The mother let out a whinny to show she wasn't amused, but didn't show any signs of pursuit as Sylveon returned to Rei's side. Maybe she had understood what he had done. Pokemon were pretty smart after all but he wasn't going to get close again for a formal thank you
.
Rei knelt down and scratched behind Sylveon's ears the way he knew he liked as they both watched the new family from afar.

"Good job Sylveon! It looks like that Ponyta's going to be just fine now."

"Sylv!" Sylveon agreed, nuzzling back as he purred happily into Rei's leg. Rei grinned as he noticed Rapidash wasn't the only one with a baby who wanted attention. He sat down in the grass and before he could even say anything, Sylveon was in his lap kneading down on him and purring louder.

Rei kissed his forehead, completely enamored by how cute something that could so easily kill him could be. Sylveon started to butt his head on Rei's chest for more attention, and Rei was happy to spend another moment just snuggling. They'd earned a little break, right?

"I ought to have known you'd be out here somewhere, Rei. Do you plan on doing check ups for every newborn Pokemon in Obsidian Fieldlands, or will you be getting some actual work done today?" A familiar voice called from behind him, sounding amused.

Rei turned around and stuck out his tongue at Akari who was standing behind him with her hand on her hip, trying not to laugh. She must have been nearby watching the whole thing. Hopefully she had gotten some good Pokedex notes from it.

"I haven't decided yet, it's still early."

He responded cheerfully, standing up while cradling Sylveon like a small child. If he had realized Akari was going to be in this area today he would have invited her to travel with him. Things were usually much more fun when their field work aligned and they could hang out.

Akari snorted lightly at his response and held out her arm to Rei.
"I should escort you to make sure you are working then, seeing as we’ll all be in trouble if you neglect your assignments for too long. If you behave yourself, I might even share the potato mochi I bought from Beni for my lunch!"

Taking her arm in his free one with mock offense, Rei happily returned the banter.

"After all I've done for you people, I still can't catch a break, huh?"

"Not during work hours, unfortunately." She teased, squeezing his arm. "Lead the way!"

Rei knew some really good spots in the area from all the time he spent exploring back from when he was still active in the Survey Corps. As long as Akari was willing to go with him, he felt he'd be happy anywhere. He was glad that the relationship they had with each other through their different jobs was doing this well, because it had definitely not always been that way.

Akari had idolized Rei so much as such an accomplished Survey Corps member that his leaving of the position felt like an emotional betrayal to her, on top of the personal one he committed by going back on his promise to her that he would return to it. Their friendship had been built around spending time at work together, and Akari had felt like he was leaving her too.

No matter how many Rei tried to talk with her about it she had always found some excuse to leave the conversation. She wasn't avoiding him exactly, but she was making it very clear she was too mad to talk about it. Without the Survey Corps there to provide time for them to spend together at work, she managed to almost entirely slip out of his life. It made Rei realize why his choice was so hard for her.

They saw each other so much less now, and she was watching him make new friends, leaving her behind in the process. Akari did not have many other friends in Jubilife and none of them were as close to her as Rei was. It was upsetting not just for her, but for Rei too. She was so much more to him than just a work friend and he needed her to realize that.

Rei had waited on Akari's front porch for her to get home after work one night. He handed her a key to his house before she could say anything. She was very confused at first, but he quickly explained that if they couldn't spend time at work, then she was welcome to come bother him after it or even move into his damn house if she wanted to. As long as he didn't lose her as a best friend, he'd make whatever commitment he needed to for them to still spend time together.

Maybe his solution had been a bit dramatic. But it seemed to be something Akari loved about Rei, as she broke down and finally forgave him.

As Rei worked to prove himself worthy of being in the Medical Corps, she had even come to see how important his work was and became one of his biggest supporters. Akari listened to every idea of Rei's with intense fascination, going as far as volunteering herself as a test subject for many of these ideas whenever she came to visit in the evenings. She loved to tease him about his work, but it was a thin disguise that covered her admiration that he was making such a difference already. They had found a balance and were finally both at peace with things.

Together, the trio made their way towards Floaro Gardens, Rei's uncontested favorite spot in the whole region. While plenty of areas had gorgeous foliage, only Floaro had such an incredible array of flowers. When springtime arrived and they all burst into bloom, he conveniently found himself in Obsidian Fieldlands for work much more often.

The group stopped periodically on the way to forage for various plants Rei needed for crafting medicine. They were ignored for the most part by the wild Pokemon that now had more important things to tend to, now that food had become plentiful and there were new mouths to feed. Akari took notes on the various behaviors she saw them exhibit, but made no attempts to capture or disturb any of them.

Rei had begun to notice she tended to avoid doing that around him. Maybe it was out of respect for his discomfort about Pokemon hoarding, or even silent solidarity with his feelings about it. He had never asked her to do that, he understood better than anyone it was part of the job. Feeling touched by the silent gesture, he gently squeezed her arm a bit in his as they walked.

"Do you think people assume we are dating, Rei?"

Rei's train of thought was interpreted by Akari's sudden question and his adrenaline spiked in fear of where this conversation might be leading.

Akari didn't know he wasn't interested in women, and the idea that one day she might confess she had feelings for him was his biggest fear in his relationship with her. He didn't want to have to reject her and risk losing her, but he also didn't want to date her.

Given how close they were, it wouldn't be unexpected for Akari to feel that way about him. Nevertheless, after three years with a lack of evidence to prove that theory, he had begun to feel in the clear. He reluctantly met her gaze and tried to force a coherent answer out.

"I...uh...never really heard anyone say they thought that. Maybe, maybe not?" He said, feeling like he was trying to cut the right wire to defuse a bomb.

His answer wasn't entirely honest. While no one had outright asked if Akari and Rei were dating, there had been plenty of older villagers who got a kick out of teasing Rei by implying something was going on between them. There was never enough seriousness behind it to suggest they thought it was already happening, but it was obvious a lot of people thought it was inevitable.

Rei had considered getting everyone to knock it off by telling them he only saw Akari as a friend, but it was just too convenient of a misdirection away from the truth that it wasn't women he was interested in. Finally confronted about it by Akari, he found himself deeply regretting that choice.

"Rei, Professor Laventon asked me last night if I had any interest in being with you and I couldn't stop laughing! What a silly idea, could you even imagine? Honestly, I don't know why he seemed so concerned about it. I really hope we aren't going to keep being bombarded with these sorts of expectations now that we're adults."

The wave of relief Rei felt that Akari was on the exact same page as him was almost enough to knock him over. He had always assumed they felt the same way about each other, but they had never talked about it before now. Rei did worry about the expectations that would be placed on them now that their age group was starting to pair off into relationships.

Rei felt particularly uncomfortable about Laventon being the one to ask her about their relationship. He wasn't usually the kind of man to poke his nose into other people's private lives, like that so the fact that he had was something of note. Was he afraid Rei was going to break her heart? More importantly, did he fear it was for the exact reason he actually would if she did confess romantic feelings for him?

"Unfortunately, in a village as small as Jubilife, people don't have much to do besides speculate about their neighbors' personal lives. If you want to climb to the top of the Team Galaxy HQ and scream at everyone to stop making things weird, I'll give you a boost." Rei replied in an equally annoyed tone.

This made Akari laugh and a lot of the tension left the conversation. Things were comfortably quiet between them for several more minutes before Akari decided to say something else, looking down at the ground as she spoke carefully.

"Must one be in a relationship to find happiness in life, Rei?"

Now Rei was starting to get a clearer picture of where she was going with all this. It wasn't the fact that people thought she was dating Rei specifically that was making her uncomfortable, it was the fact that she was feeling pressured by the expectations of doing something she didn't want to do. He definitely understood the stress that could put on a person, especially when it came to romance.

"No, not at all. A lot of people go their whole lives without dating or getting married, and they aren't any worse off or less happy. If you don't want to then just don't. Everyone has different preferences and people apparently don't like that because THEY CAN'T MIND THIER OWN FUCKING BUSINESS!"

Rei shouted the last part causing a flock of Starly to scatter from the trees around them and Akari to burst into laughter again.

"Quiet down! Honestly Rei, must you be so theatric?" she scolded with a big grin on her reddening face.

"Absolutely. It's critical to my success here." He replied in a very grave whisper, squeezing her arm.

"It's a wonder you've managed the success you have at all with the racket you make!"

"It attracts the really strong and angry Pokemon to me so I had to get good fast or end up dead."

"Sadly, I actually do believe you."

Akari let go of his arm and patted him on the back as they finally arrived at their destination.

Floaro Gardens was just as beautiful as he had remembered it, memories of picnics with Akari and surveying with his Pokemon flashing through his mind as they made their way into the area.

It made him really happy to remember that even in the future this spot still existed as a place of joy and life in the region.
It was strange to think that years in the future, he would be playing in this exact meadow as a child while on a trip to Floaroma Town with his parents. He felt incredibly grateful that out of all places in the region, this one in particular would be preserved.

Akari hid in the flowers and quietly began to take notes on the Shaymin that was peacefully napping in the sunlight to photosynthesize. Rei recognized it as one of the many Pokemon he had released three years ago and as legend had it, the reason this beautiful place existed at all.

He felt his mood lighten to watch it out in the wild enjoying itself again. It was such a gentle little creature, and he had missed it, but it was definitely back where it really belonged now.
Careful not to make any noise to disturb Shaymin, Rei began to harvest various medicinal herbs and berries he saw growing in the garden to replenish his stocks. Sylveon dutifully stood watch to make sure no wild Pokemon snuck up behind them as they worked.
While the idea of going to Floaro was still partly formed from his selfish desire to see it again, it did have quite a lot of what he used to make Calaba's medication among other things. Recently the amount of medication she was having to take had tripled and it depleted stock even faster than usual.

Calaba had turned 102 near the beginning of the year, and her steadily declining health had taken a nosedive not long after. Irida had been beside herself with worry and had begged Rei to take her in as a long term patient. The Pearl Clan’s leader had watched him demonstrate incredible healing techniques with his partner Pokemon for other members of her clan, and was convinced that no one could give Calaba a better chance.

Rei had never had such an old long term patient like her before, and he had been nervous about it at first, but Pesselle had encouraged him to give it a try. She thought it would be a good experience for him, and he’d be pressed to disagree.

Calaba had not been happy with this idea. She despised passing her warden job off to a younger successor, but she was in no state to refuse the help. She could not walk, cook for herself, or even take herself to the restroom anymore. The loss of independence had hit her hard and she had sunken into a depression, her will to live weakening.

Rei had prepared the extra bed he used for patients in his house for her, and he and his Pokemon had taken lessons from Pesselle to help assist her in the transition. How to properly lift her and help her to bathe, among all the other simple daily tasks Rei usually took the ability to do for granted.

She was so tiny that Rei found it really wasn't as hard as he had been afraid of. Soon, he had gotten into the rhythm of things with her. She had despised the whole situation at first but had been so fond of Rei and his Pokemon that she came to accept his care with minimal complaint. She hadn't expected him to respect her as much as he did but little did she know Rei had always looked up to her.

Calaba was a better apothecary than Rei felt he could ever hope to be. No one he had ever met, not even Pesselle, had even a fraction of her knowledge. Medicine was like a second nature to her, as familiar as breathing. She spoke each herb's name as if it were her own child's. After all, she would say, had she not raised them herself?

Calaba was invaluable to the Pearl Clan, and Rei felt keenly aware of the pressure he was under to keep her health up whenever her clan mates stopped by to visit. Everyone who had been born into the clan in living memory had been delivered by her, and everyone who passed away was cared for by her until their final breath. Now that it was her turn to go, it felt foreign to her to be the one receiving care.

A steady diet of Blissey eggs, emotional support from Sylveon, and a set medical regiment had seen Calaba's health take an upwards trend. How long it would hold out, however, he could not say. Age did not have a cure, only treatment. Now that she was bed bound there was a quiet understanding that she would not be discharged from his care.

Lilligant, Blissey, and Chatot (along with Calaba's own Bibarel) were in charge of her care when he was out working in the field on days like this. They were very attentive, but she preferred Rei there for the human company. She found Chatot very amusing, but he mostly repeated what he heard, and repetition wasn't exactly a great substitute for human conversation.

If Rei was gone for too long she'd get more irritable, and he was really trying to prevent her stress levels from spiking. He hoped some members of the Pearl Clan had at least decided to stop by while he was gone, they tried to as often as they could and it really brightened her mood. He knew how hard it was for her to be away from them, so he allowed their members to come by at any time to visit.

The rest of the day passed in quiet peace as Rei and Akari worked in the area. Shaymin woke up around noon as they were finishing the potato mochi, delighted to see Rei again. It waddled its tiny little butt over and rubbed its head against Rei's leg until he picked it up. He gave Shaymin a big hug and whispered a quiet thank you for coming to see him, grinning as the flowers on Shaymin's own back burst into bloom from the gratitude

Akari had begun furiously writing after seeing this and egged Rei on to continue interacting with Shaymin so she could write about it. Rei eventually ended up carrying it around in one arm like a baby while picking herbs with the other. He stopped every so often to thank it for being such a big help in their research and give it a big kiss on the forehead and every time the flowers on Shaymin's back seemed to almost dance in delight.

Akari, incredibly amused by this, wrote about it in her Pokedex notes describing it as "a very sweet father-child bonding moment". She went over to show the entry to Rei who laughed, feeling as if she really captured the moment. This devolved quickly into them taking pictures of Shaymin with Rei's Arc Phone and getting little else done.

When the sun began to sink lower into the sky, Rei and Akari said goodbye to Shaymin and began the journey back to Jubilife Village in good spirits. It had been a perfect day, and Rei was looking forward to a hot meal when he got home. He said goodnight to Akari at her house and headed to his own, trying to plan out a meal in his head.

He wondered what Calaba would be in the mood for tonight. She could be really picky about his cooking and usually gave him notes on what to change. Probably because she'd been doing it for about four times longer than he'd even been alive, Rei thought with some amusement. He swung open the door to his house and cheerfully stepped in with Sylveon to greet everyone.

"Hey everyone, we're home! I got more Pep-up Plant for-"

Rei stopped immediately as he turned the corner of the sliding door to the bedroom to greet Calaba. He started to absorb the scene in front of him, his blood turning ice cold. His bedroom looked the same as it always did. Nothing had been moved or changed in any significant way. There were only a couple things out of place but they told Rei something was seriously wrong.

Instead of seeing Calaba in her bed he saw only her Bibarel curled up on top of it. He would normally assume Calaba had tried to get up and get something which was a bad habit she had been known to do near the beginning of her stay. The thought of her having tried to get up and fallen was terrifying enough but he immediately saw that couldn't be the case.

Irida was kneeling next to the bed, leaning into it and choking on her own sobs. Her face was a mess and from the pile of used handkerchiefs on the floor next to her she had likely been there a while. Lilligant, who had been seated next to Irida rubbing her back, jumped up when Rei entered the room. Irida turned to look at Rei herself and for a moment they only stared at each other in silence.

Rei would have preferred it if she had been screaming. What she wasn't saying filled the whole room. He hadn't been there. Calaba had died while he was off playing in the flowers with his friend.

Rei felt dizzy and didn't even realize he had stopped breathing until one of Sylveon's feelers encircled his wrist and pulsed calming energy through his body. It didn't stop his guilt, but it made it much easier for him to process the situation.

Sylveon gently guided Rei over to the bed and also took Irida's wrist. She took a deep breath and they both stared at the little body Bibarel was lying on top of. It was Irida who spoke first, breaking the silence.

"Your Chatot came and urged me to follow it to your house. She… Calaba was gone when I arrived, and I've been here a few hours now. Forgive me for not sending for you earlier, I wasn't thinking...."

Her voice was so hoarse she spoke barely above a whisper but Rei heard every word like it was being drilled into him.

"N-no, please don't apologize! You did absolutely nothing wrong, I...I'm just..."

He tried to find a way to express just how horrible he felt about not being there with Calaba when she had passed but the words wouldn't come. It was beyond words, beyond an apology.
He couldn't have stopped her from passing away, but he should have been there for her while it was happening.

Had Calaba tried to get someone? Was she in pain? Was she scared? Maybe she had been asleep and didn't even know she was going to pass. He'd never know now. Rei felt like he was going to be sick, even with Sylveon trying to help keep him together.

Feeling a familiar leafy hand on his shoulder, he looked over to see Lilligant, wilting a bit and looking as guilty as Rei felt. He realized that she must be absolutely terrified that she had failed Calaba since it was her and Blissey's job to do most of the care when Rei was gone.

Where was Blissey though? He turned his head to the other side of his bedroom where his futon was and saw Blissey was trembling on top of it, staring at Rei like she expected to be scolded. This gave him something else to focus on for a second, as he managed to switch tracks mentally.

Gently pulling away from Sylveon's ribbon and fighting through the resulting wave of panic, he led Lilligant over to his futon and had her sit next to Blissey. He knelt down and spoke to them gently, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"You guys did everything you could, and took amazing care of Calaba. I'm so proud of both of you, so don't blame yourselves, okay? We all knew this was going to happen when we got this assignment. Let's just take a deep breath and help Irida out."

His soothing seemed to help, as Lilligant seemed to perk up slightly and Blissey stopped trembling. They trusted him so much that they believed him. He wished he could say the same of himself.

Irida gently stroked Bibarel who gave her a pitiful whine.

"You have been a wonderful guard for her, Bibarel. We need to move her now." She said in a soft tone, clearly empathizing with it. Irida didn't want this to be happening anymore than Bibarel did, but Calaba couldn't stay there.

Rei wondered if Irida would take in the orphaned Pokemon now that its trainer had passed on, but did not ask. It wasn't the place or time.

Bibarel reluctantly slipped down onto the ground and Rei gently wrapped the tiny corpse in the sheets so it would stay covered. Rei only had a short glimpse of Calaba's face before she disappeared from his sight for the last time, but it was enough to start the tears flowing down his face. He both wished he hadn't looked and wished he still could.

Rei gently picked up the little bundle and handed it off to Lilligant. She would be the one to carry Calaba back to the Pearl Clan territory to be cremated immediately for the funeral. Rei would never dream of asking Irida to, even though he knew she would. She seemed emotional enough just being near the body.
Irida bowed to Rei respectfully.

"Thank you for your exemplary care, Rei. I feared for what would become of her when she took ill, but you managed to keep her well until the very end. Our clan is, again, indebted to you."

There was genuine gratitude in what she had said, but it did little to negate the intense shame and guilt Rei still felt. Was she angry at him for being gone and just choosing to let it go because she didn't want to deal with it on top of everything else? Was he the only one who even cared and she hadn't thought anything of it?

He wanted to ask her, but feared the answer so much the words wouldn't come out. He couldn't even speak again. Sylveon sensed what was happening and took hold of Rei again so he could speak.

"You will never be indebted to me, Irida. It was an honor to take care of her. Calaba had so many things she taught me, and those memories were completely priceless. I'm going to miss having her here with me."

As Sylveon finally retracted his ribbons from the two and with Rei's emotions hitting in full force again, he really felt just how much he meant what he said. Calaba had become someone really important in his life. Even though he had known this was inevitable, it still was agonizing to lose her. He felt like he had so much more to say about her, but found that was all he could manage at the moment. It would have to be enough for now.
Irida nodded and gently reached out to squeeze Rei's hand before leaving with Lilligant.

"She loved you very much, Rei. Thank you for being here to care for her."

But had he truly been there? Rei didn't feel convinced.
He felt like he had failed Calaba.

Chapter Text

Rei was not sure how long he stood over Calaba's empty bed, staring down at it.

Nothing there indicated that there had once been someone in that bed. Was their time together really already at an end? She had been alive and speaking to him just this morning. She had given him advice on the best way to pick Pep up Plants so as to preserve as much of the stem as possible.

Was that really what their final conversation had been about? Something so casual and meaningless? Why hadn't he told her he loved her? Had he ever told her that? He didn't remember. Rei had absolutely wasted his final day with her and it made him want to vomit.

Rei had never thought much on things like spirits or ghosts, but he found himself wondering if Calaba was somehow still lingering there in some way even if her body was not. Even if it was just in his mind, it felt like she still belonged here.
She had never wanted to belong here though, and Rei knew her spirit would never stay. It would go back to the Pearl Clan with her true family and loved ones.

As important as Calaba had suddenly become in his life, he had only been in the smallest sliver of hers. Once he sent back Calaba's personal items to the Pearl Clan, it would be as if this had never happened. She'd be gone from this place and the only thing that would be permanently altered was Rei.

Something about that didn't sit right with him.

He found himself grabbing a knife from the cooking area. Wielding it like a dagger, he let out a sharp, guttural yell and drove it hard into the wooden beam by the head of her bed.
It left a noticeable notch in the wood, about level with where her head had lain. Rei felt a bit childish for it, but he needed something physical to prove she had been there, that she had made more of a mark here than just in his heart.

Rei felt a gentle tap on his back and turned to see the concerned faces of Sylveon and Blissey. They obviously had no idea what the hell he was doing and were understandably getting nervous. He didn't blame them for being concerned that he was upset, especially when he had apparently decided to start stabbing things about it.

"I'm fine, it's okay… It's just… I wanted something there to remember her by...."

Sylveon took one of Rei's hands with a feeler and Blissey held the other. They stood in silence for a few more minutes, just trying to absorb all that had happened, until a rapid knock on the door and Captain Cyllene's muffled shouting made them all jump.

"Rei! Come out quickly! There was a wild Pokemon attack! All Medical Corps members are being summoned to the Team Galaxy HQ to prepare for emergency surgery!"

Rei swore loudly and ran to grab his medical bag while Blissey and Sylveon leapt onto action to gather various things they might need for the surgery from around the room.

Out of all the shitty times for this to happen, this was definitely the shittiest. It wasn't unheard of for this sort of thing to occur, but it was rare enough that Rei usually wasn't expecting it. If a Pokemon had attacked you badly enough for an emergency surgery, there was a good chance you did something to disturb it and fucked up royally as a result.

Most people in Hisui with half a shred of sense tended to try and avoid that. There was a reason they were all so terrified of wild Pokemon. Whoever this person was, there was a good chance they had been acting like a moron somewhere they shouldn't have been.It was also just possible they had just been insanely unlucky. Maybe a wild Pokemon had been feeling particularly emboldened under the shroud of darkness, and attacked a campsite. Whatever had happened he needed to move quickly, situations like this could easily become life threatening.

Rei bolted out the door while Blissey, Sylveon, and Lilligant trailed close behind him. The streets were dark now and the moonless night did little to help the foreboding atmosphere. Looking at Captain Cyllene striding quickly beside him, he saw something strange in her expression.

She was normally cool and collected, even in dire situations, but something about this was making her look pale and unnerved. Was the attack on one of their own? Surely Cyllene would have used a name if it was someone Rei recognized?

"What happened? Where did they find this person?"

Rei asked, getting directly to it.The Team Galaxy HQ building wasn't far and he wanted to have the critical information before they reached it. Luckily for him, Cyllene was the perfect person to give him no bullshit, only straight facts.

"He was found passed out around Clamberclaw Cliffs in the Coronet Highlands. Warden Ingo heard him screaming and found him passed out with his lower right leg ripped to bloody ribbons. Pesselle is planning a below the knee amputation. He didn't look to have a foot left to save to tell you the truth. Not from what I saw."

Cyllene's usually stoic face looked rather ill as she finished escorting him to the building and Rei was right there with her. Whatever had gone down, it hadn't been a warning nip.

Rei didn't know much about amputations but he knew that blood loss was already a major danger, and the man had already likely lost more than was safe. He was glad Blissey was here to help, given that she'd probably be critical in keeping him from dying in the middle of the surgery.

"Thanks Cyllene, I appreciate you getting me."
Rei waved goodbye quickly right and ran into the Medical Corps room. The rest of the Medical Corps team had already pulled one of the beds from against the wall and had placed the patient on it.

Pesselle was tightening a tourniquet around an incredibly mangled looking leg while the others were preparing him for surgery. There was blood everywhere and Rei could only imagine how much the man had lost on the way here. If Ingo hadn't found him he'd absolutely be dead. Even now, it wasn't certain he would survive.

Rei felt nauseous looking at the man's leg but it was nothing compared to how he felt when his eyes went to his face.
Rei immediately got lightheaded and the room seemed to almost spin a little as he absorbed the identity of the unfortunate traveler who had been mangled. He was deathly pale, and completely unconscious but there was no mistaking him. Rei had memorized his face long ago.

Volo lay before him as his coworkers fought to keep him alive. He could see Volo's ribs jutting out as Tomma cut the rest of his bloody clothes off of him. How much weight he clearly had lost sent a shiver down Rei's spine. Tomma was clearly trying to sterilize him for surgery as best she could in the little time they had, as the risk of infection was high from how dirty he was.

Rei could only stand there breathless as he tried to process the fact that after three whole years of shoving Volo into the darkest and most remote corners of his mind, he had finally made it back to haunt Rei. The flood of repressed emotion that came back to him hit like a tsunami. One that Rei was even less prepared than normal to deal with.

It was a new moon, wasn't it? Could this all be Darkrai's doing? Maybe today was just a particularly hateful nightmare that he'd wake up from once daylight came. That would be the biggest relief of his life.

"Rei! Stop staring and get over here! We need your help!" Pesselle scolded harshly. She was already working to sterilize the tools they'd need for surgery, and wasn't impressed with his decision to stare instead of helping.

Rei snapped back to reality, ashamed that he was freezing up when his team needed him. He had to keep it together. Whatever he personally felt about the man, Volo's life was at stake and he would never let anyone die without a fighting chance.

"Blissey, start using Life Dew, try and keep him stable he's lost a lot of blood! Sylveon, grab onto all of us with your ribbons and start using Focus Energy and Calm Mind!"

The two Pokemon immediately leapt into action at his command. Sylveon's feelers touched each one of them the best he could without getting in the way while pumping in repeated Calm Minds and Focus Energies. Blissey started spraying Volo's face with Life Dews, one after the other, and he started to have the slightest hint of color creep back into him.

Tomma finished cleaning the surgical area as best she could, and finally Pesselle was ready to give orders on how to begin.
With Sylveon's help to reorient him, Rei finally jumped into assisting with the surgery. He started helping grab tools for his coworkers who were cutting the mangled flesh off Volo's leg and shaping the remaining bone according to how Pesselle instructed them.

The surgery was long and gruesome. While that wasn't unusual for surgeries in general, there was something about cutting part of someone's leg off that really made Rei feel nauseous. It was incredibly hard to stay professional and not succumb to the chaos of the situation but Sylveon had done an amazing job giving them all energy and focus to get through it.

When they finally made it to the stitching part, the worst of the nausea had subsided and was replaced with wanting to vomit from emotional agony instead.

Volo's unconscious face was so innocent and fragile it was almost a deception in of itself without him even trying. Rei fought hard to stop himself from feeling bad for him. Wherever Volo had ended up since they had last met seemed to have treated him exactly as he deserved.

His hair was longer than Rei had ever seen it, and would likely reach his waist when he was upright again. It was dirty, full of blood and mud, and the smell alone was disgusting. They'd have to take care of that next because there was just no way they could leave him that filthy.

Had he just been living in the Hisuian wilderness alone this entire time? Left alone, no contact with civilization, fending for himself? It seemed impossible to think someone could in such a harsh region like Hisui, but Rei couldn't imagine how he could end up in a state like this otherwise. But knowing his willpower, if anybody could do it, it made sense it’d be Volo.

When Rei had previously dared to even allow himself to think about him, he always imagined him fleeing to some other region and starting over where no one knew what he had done. A clean slate, free from his prior actions. He had never shown up in any of the other villages in Hisui and no one ever reported seeing him after his last visit to Laventon. It had been the obvious fate to assume, given the circumstances.

Whatever continued to drive Volo after his dreams had been crushed apparently didn't allow him to take the easy way out. No one would choose to end up how he had without some sort of goal in mind. As insane as this whole thing was, Rei reluctantly had to admit that Volo had as much audacity as ever. He acted as if limits didn't exist, like he couldn't be bound by the same rules everyone else was. Rei wasn't surprised he'd push himself to the brink of death for the sake of his dreams. In retrospect, this was inevitable.

Rei was distracted from his thoughts by the sudden announcement from Pesselle that the surgery had been completed. Volo's right leg now ended about halfway down below his knee and (according to Pesselle) had been shaped in such a way that it would allow for a prosthetic in the future. Rei felt walking might be the least of Volo's concerns right now though, considering how likely infection was at this point.

Given the mysterious circumstances of Volo's mauling, no one had any idea what his open wounds had been exposed to or even caused by. He might have survived the surgery, but he wasn't out of the woods just yet. He would need long term care, medication, and constant monitoring until they could be sure he had healed properly without complications.

Unfortunately for Rei, Pesselle agreed, and knew just the man for the job. While Tomma and Pana started to get busy giving Volo a thorough bed bath to rid him of the remaining grime, she pulled Rei aside to tell him the plan.

"Rei, I know you aren't going to want to hear this but I need you to take Volo in until we're sure he's out of the danger zone. He's going to need more regular care and monitoring than we'd be able to give him here at the headquarters. Out of all of us, you are the best set to handle his needs, especially with your Pokemon partners. I'm aware you have a rather poor past with him, but in our line of work we can not let those past circumstances get in the way of our duty. I'll come by often to check on him and help. Until we're sure he's out of immediate danger, I'm counting on you to stay with him and make sure he is given the proper treatments to prevent infection. You'll also need to keep his stress levels down or he'll likely take ill, which could be fatal on top of any other complications or side effects."

Rei wanted to scream at her and tell her she was absolutely insane if she thought he was going to let this lunatic anywhere near his house, but deep down he knew she was right. It was an ugly sort of right that made him want to hurl a rock through a window, but still.

He looked down at his hands which were still covered in blood. He knew he was Volo's best shot at survival. Normally something like that would make him feel inspired to help, but in the moment he only felt dread.

"I....accept the responsibility, Captain." He said numbly.
Pesselle's eyes softened a bit seeing how drained Rei looked. He was still so young and inexperienced despite his enormous talent and passion. It could be easy for people to forget he was still a teenager farther from home than most people could ever dream of being.

"Thank you Rei. Go get cleaned up, and prepare to take him in. I'll send him over on a stretcher in a couple hours after I do a closer examination on him and write a care plan for you. You already have an open bed, don't you? Irida stopped by earlier before leaving town and told me. I'm terribly sorry to hear about it."

Rei knew Darkrai had to be fucking with him now. There was just no way this wasn't some perfectly planned out nightmare specifically designed to torture him.

"...Yes, ma'am, I do. I'll be ready for him."

It was the middle of the night by the time Rei finally left the Team Galaxy HQ covered in blood, exhausted, and starving. He hadn't even realized how hungry he was until things had finally slowed down for a moment. Eating lunch in Floaro Gardens with Akari felt like a lifetime ago now. He wasn't sure which he needed more; a bath, food, or 12 hours of sleep. Was it possible to do all of those things at once? Probably not.

Sylveon and Blissey looked just as ragged as he did. He had no idea how any of them would manage to keep awake to continue monitoring Volo tonight but there was no way he'd ask any more of those two right now.

"You both did incredible… I'm so so proud. We really saved his shitty, arrogant, backstabbing life today." Rei said with a weak smile.

Sylveon and Blissey both looked heartened by the praise and Blissey even managed to let out a happy "Blee!" of joy. Sylveon gently held Rei's hand with a ribbon, and together they all stumbled back to the house.

Lilligant had returned from her trip while they had been gone, now fast asleep on Rei's bed. Chatot had also come back from wherever he had been, but stood alert on his perch watching them curiously. Rei was incredibly relieved that those two would be rested and able to keep watch of Volo while the rest of them recovered.

Rei almost fell asleep washing himself and had to be constantly nipped by Chatot while he was eating so he didn't doze off and choke. Chewing on a Pep-up Plant to help him through the last stretch, he changed the bed set on the spare bed to a fresh one.
Volo was set to arrive soon, and he figured that he probably shouldn't use the same sheets a corpse had been on. Bad hygiene and all that. He also finally woke up Lilligant so she'd be aware of what was happening, stroking the leaves on her head gently as he spoke.

"Good morning, beautiful...Yeah I know it's still early. Just....We have another patient coming in to stay with us in a few minutes, there was an emergency amputation we had to do on Volo last night.”

“Yeah. I know. I made that face too....Look, I know this is all really sudden and confusing, but I'm about to pass out from exhaustion and I really need you to keep watch over him when he gets here. If anything weird happens, just wake me up and we'll go from there. Blissey and Sylveon need to be left alone to sleep too, unless there's an emergency. Have Pesselle read the care plan out loud to you and Chatot before she leaves. If she tries to wake me up, don't let her, I don't care anymore. Goodnight and....thank you."

Rei was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. He had no dreams, only a disconnected sensation of soreness that persisted after he woke to a loud knock on this door.
Groaning, he flopped around like a beached Magikarp in bed until he oriented himself enough to actually sit up. Everything hurt so much and it barely felt like he had slept at all.

Only barely regaining his senses, Rei turned his head over to the bed across the room from his. Unfortunately, last night had not been the nightmare he had hoped it was. Instead of Calaba's tiny frame, Volo's ridiculously tall body was awkwardly fitted into the bed and covered in the flowery blanket that Rei had specifically picked out for her. Great.

Lilligant rose from where she had been seated next to Volo and gracefully bounded over to answer the door. Rei snorted and buried his head under his pillow again. She was such a show off but he loved her for it. A second later he heard the door open, hearing Pesselle's voice.

"Rei? I've arrived to check on Volo."

"Volo is still unconscious, do whatever you want to the bastard." Rei muttered back, his voice muffled by the pillow.
The pillow was suddenly yanked out from on top of him and Rei squinted blearily up at Pesselle's angry face. Lilligant stood behind her guiltily, having been unable to stop her. He appreciated the effort, at least.

"Rei, we do not talk about patients like that, especially not in front of them! Remember, you can never assume a patient is asleep and can't hear you! I expect you to keep it together and be professional, or you're headed for suspension!"
Rei knew she was bluffing, but knew better than to antagonize her further.

"Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am."

Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, he watched as Pesselle cleaned around Volo's drainage tube and rebandaged his stump. He'd have to do it himself sooner or later, so having a demonstration was always helpful.

"How long do you think he'll be out, Pess?"

Pesselle looked at Volo thoughtfully for a minute before answering.

"He's had a rather rough night and his body will want lots of rest, but I suspect he'll wake up soon enough. It's past noon, so it’s likely his hunger will win before long. Have Blissey use Life Dew a few more times on him when he's awake, he's still looking a little pale. Also see if she'd spare an egg for his breakfast, he could use the nutrients. I've left some medicine and other supplies for him by his care plan too. The medicine is labeled with how often and when he should be taking it. Do you think you can manage following simple instructions and not insult him to his face?"

Rei took in a breath sharply, holding it for a few seconds to draw it out.

"Mmmmmm… Yeah, but only because you're so beautiful and wonderful of a boss."

Pesselle's face turned bright red and she scowled at him unconvincingly.

"Rei, I mean it! I better not hear a word about any trouble between you two!"

Rei sighed and looked directly at her.

"I know...I'll keep it together. I'm just tired and cranky..."

Pesselle smiled sadly at this.

"Welcome to the Medical Corps, Rei. There will always be times like this. I'm not saying I don't understand why you are feeling this way or even that I believe it's fair but it's the job we chose. I'm exhausted too, love, but I'm working to help us all get through it. Will you help me too?"

Rei nodded and felt himself begin to tear up. He tried to hide his face in embarrassment, but Pesselle saw his expression before he could. She sat down on the side of the bed and pulled him into a hug, gently stroking his hair.

"I know dear, I know. Last night was dreadful for you, I'm so sorry..."

Unable to hold back any longer, Rei broke down in broken sobs, his chest heaving. She didn't say any more, and Rei was glad for it because he really didn't want to talk about things right now. To his surprise, Pesselle didn't move until he had cried himself out.

"Alright dear, please take care of yourself. I'm close by, so if you need me for anything, don’t hesitate for even a second. You've done a wonderful job, and I'm so proud of you. Keep your chin up, Rei."

Pesselle wiped his face off with her handkerchief before leaving. Rei took a minute just to breathe and calm down before looking back up and unexpectedly meeting a pair of curious gray eyes.

Volo had finally woken up.

Chapter Text

For the longest time, neither of them said anything. Rei had no idea where to even begin the conversation. ‘How did you lose your foot’? ‘I hate you’? ‘Where have you been all these years’? ‘Did you see me crying’?

He had both a million things to say, and nothing to say at all. He didn't want this conversation to happen. He didn't want any conversation between them to ever happen again. Spending the last three years moving on from Volo’s betrayal, only for him to show up again when he was starting to find some semblance of peace, felt like a cruel prank that was being played on him.

The ghosts of his past really would never leave would they?
Luckily the ghost decided to speak first and Rei was spared finding the conversation topic.

"Ah, Rei! You've gotten taller!"

Volo's ridiculously long blond hair spilled over his shoulders as he sat up in bed and gave Rei a familiar friendly smile. It was a lot more chilling now that Rei knew what it could hide. So, this was the version of Volo he was going to get…

Fine, he could deal with it. Rei knew he wasn't going to be fooled by that smile anymore.Trying his best to preserve whatever dignity he could at this point, he answered as aloofly as he could manage while moving over to Volo's bedside to check the medicine Pesselle had left.

"Ingo found you in critical condition out near Clamberclaw Cliffs and brought you back to Jubilife Village for emergency care. Whatever Pokemon out there you decided to harass this time put your leg through a meat grinder. You're incredibly lucky you were found when you were, you would have died if Ingo hadn't been there. Be sure to thank him. Or actually, don't. Not showing your face to him at all would be enough of a thanks, I'm sure."

Volo didn't seem shocked by this information, so he clearly remembered some parts of the story. Not that he offered to tell it, that would make things too easy. Ignoring the unsubtle insult, Volo stretched his leg experimentally under the covers and winced.

"The pain in my leg is certainly testimony to my lack of judgment, but why am I in your quarters? Should I not be with the Medical Corps instead?"

Rei pulled out the bottle with Volo's pain medication in it and handed two pills from it to him, along with a glass of water that Lilligant had astutely brought over.

"You're looking at them. I moved to the Medical Corps from the Survey Corps years ago. Take the medicine, it will help with the pain."

Volo seemed incredibly intrigued by this but actually stopped to take the pain meds before continuing with his interrogation. He must have really been in pain if it had taken priority over his usual insatiable urge to ask nonstop questions.

"Oh my, Rei, a member of the Medical Corps...How did that happen, I wonder? Surely the Survey Corps wouldn't have fired their ace? Why, you must have been practically a legend yourself by the time we last parted! Would you really give that status up to nurse invalids like myself?"

Rei rolled his eyes. Of course he thought about it like that. He'd probably never genuinely helped another person in his life.

"I guess we just have fundamentally different ideas on how to fix the world. We both tried our grand plans, and look where we are now!"

Rei gestured dramatically to both himself in his pajamas and Volo in his hospital bed, his smile dripping in sarcasm.

"You certainly couldn't save everyone this way, Rei. It's hardly comparable to what you did before."

"You're absolutely right! I can't. Was saving your life worth it, though?"

Volo seemed genuinely struck by that, but made a very smooth effort to try and hide it behind a tight smile.

"You used to be much sweeter to me when we were friends, Rei. When did this spite take hold?" He mused, playing with the edge of his blanket absentmindedly.

"I stopped being your friend a long time ago, and you were clearly never mine." Rei spat back, getting dangerously close to exactly what Pesselle had told him not to do.

Volo considered this carefully for a minute, twisting a long strand of his hair around one finger.

"Then why save my life? Why not just let me die?" He asked softly, his penetrating gaze meeting Rei's again.

Rei glared back defiantly as he answered, his voice seething. He took a step forward so he was right up next to Volo's bedside.

"If you think I'd do that to you, then you know absolutely nothing about me. I'm not just going to let you live. You will be able to walk away from this because of me. Do you understand?"

Volo looked away first and Rei felt a surge of confidence. He no longer felt weak and like Volo had won by inserting himself back into his life.

"I'm afraid I don't, Rei. Your motivations remain a mystery to me."

"You know what? Good! What you don't get about me is exactly why I will win against you. Every. Single. Time."

Rei punctuated the last three words with a low hiss and the tension in the room ballooned rapidly as their eyes met again. Volo's eyes flashed dangerously at this but cooled again abruptly as he regained his composure.

"Tell me then, were you ever successful in completing the Pokedex?"

Rei wasn't surprised he'd go for that question so soon. He knew Volo would know what it meant for him to admit he had. There was no point in lying about it, he'd find out sooner or later anyway.

"I did, do you want to see it? You're so invested in my survey work that I should probably get you an autographed copy."

Rei pulled his Pokedex from his bag and threw it hard to Volo. He caught it nimbly before it could hit him and leave a bruise, but the aggression behind Rei’s action was not missed. They glared at each other again for a second before Volo opened the Pokedex, flipping directly to the end.

There was no attempt at pretext over what Volo was looking for. He clearly knew it wasn't needed now. Flipping backwards a few pages and finally finding what he had been looking for, Volo's eyes widened. He held the Pokedex in trembling hands as he finally lay eyes on the object of his obsession.

"You....You finally did it then. You've captured Arceus."

Volo's voice was barely above a whisper, but his tone was terrifying. It sent shivers down Rei's spine, and for a split second, he was a scared kid watching as Volo had a religious breakdown for the first time. What was different this time was that Rei was not that scared child anymore, and the fear response was quickly replaced by the years he had spent working through it. He was emotionally stronger than he was then, and was not about to let Volo take that from him.

"Yeah, I did. But he was a jackass, so I released him. Honestly, I think you should pick Dialga or Palkia to worship like the Diamond and Pearl Clans instead. They seemed like pretty alright gods."

No one could go from 0 to murderous quite as well as Volo and he demonstrated that ability now with expert skill. His face twisted in rage and for a moment Rei was afraid he was going to lunge out of the bed at him and hurt himself.

"YOU WOULD DARE TO SPEW SUCH SACRILEGE?"

Rei shrugged.

"Sure, why not? That bastard never did anything but make me suffer."

Volo's rage seemed to fizzle out in sheer shock. He stared at Rei so intensely confused that for a moment, it seemed like his eyeballs might pop out of his skull. Rei really hoped that wouldn't happen, as he'd helped Volo with enough gross medical care already.

"Does it mean nothing to you to be appointed as the emissary of the divine? What suffering could be horrendous enough to free the creator of our very universe free from your grasp? Are you really so foolish?"

Volo's voice was so earnest it made Rei want to laugh at him. He didn't have a single clue, did he?

"I was just as much a tool to him as your Pokemon are to you. He was the great wielder of his favorite pawn: me. As far as I'm concerned, the less I have to do with him the better. You should take notes on that last part."

Ignoring Volo's dumbfounded expression, Rei picked up the care plan and went over it again, squinting a bit at her terrible handwriting.

"Damn, Pess really did give you the good pain meds. Are they hitting yet? They look like they are, you're almost drooling over there."

Volo picked his jaw up and gritted his teeth, fire returning to his eyes.

"You think you're better than me, don't you Rei?"

Rei shook his head and gave Volo a pitying look, knowing that was what would sting the most to him right now.
Why was he so insistent on playing this game with him? Rei had been an unwilling participant from the very beginning. It was already old three years ago and now it felt downright ancient.

"No, I honestly don't, but I think you think that. You are so insecure about Arceus picking me, aren't you? Seriously, don't be. He put me through the scariest time of my life, and kidnapped me from my family. After I caught Arceus, I begged him to take me back home to them and he refused. He didn't even give me a reason. They'll spend the rest of their lives searching for answers on what happened to me, while I'll spend the rest of mine here, unable to tell them. I would have absolutely loved for you to have been the one to have to deal with him instead. Bet you two would have loved each other."

Volo was quiet for a moment as he absorbed all this and the pain meds really did start to kick in. His stare slowly melted from anger to fascination. What a weirdo. Rei suddenly felt as if he had to get out of here, this was all too much. Not even thinking about changing out of his pajamas, Rei put on his shoes and marched straight out the door into the street without another word.

Rei felt much less like a badass standing on his doorstep in his pajamas in broad daylight while his neighbors stared at him. It was a much needed dose of humility. He had lost his cool with Volo, almost immediately after telling Pesselle he wouldn't. If Volo told her about that conversation, she would absolutely kick his ass. Maybe she hadn't been bluffing and she really would suspend him.

Rei sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, once again finding himself stressed and in a bad position. Seemed to happen way too often these last two days. It was a good idea to let himself cool off before speaking to him again, but Rei wasn’t quite sure where to go in order to do that.

He definitely didn't want to see Pesselle and have to explain they were bickering already. Akari would ask a bunch of questions about everything that had happened last night — reliving that wouldn't help him feel any better. How the fuck was he supposed to get along with Volo for long enough to help him heal?

Rei stood up and started walking down the street, now with a destination in mind. There was one person in Jubilife he trusted to give him the kind of advice he really needed right now. Someone he really trusted. He dipped into the Team Galaxy HQ and practically sprinted at full speed to Professor Laventon's office in order to avoid potentially meeting any of his coworkers from the Medical Corps on the way. He closed the doors behind him so no one else would see he was in there, as Laventon watched him from the chalkboard he was standing at with concern.

"I say, boy, what have you gotten all worked up about? Why are you in your pajamas? Is that new patient of yours being troublesome? Cyllene just informed me about the situation, nasty business..."

Rei turned to face him, not even trying to hide the grimace on his face.

"The man they brought in last night was Volo."

Laventon looked as blown away by this as Rei had felt the night it happened. Putting down his chalk, he jogged over and put a hand on Rei's shoulder. As he spoke he tugged onto the rim of his hat in a nervous gesture, clearly struggling to find the right words.

"Good gracious Rei, are you doing alright? I could have sworn we'd see the last of him ages ago! I had hoped, at least, for your own sake..."

Rei sat down on the office's couch and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and both hands running through his hair. Laventon sat next to him and rubbed his back, waiting for him to speak again.

"You know how I felt about him, don't you, Professor? You knew this whole time."

Professor Laventon cleared his throat awkwardly and looked down at the ground, retracting his arm and twiddling his thumbs.

"Well… yes. Rei, I'm a rather observant man, comes with the job and all... I'm also a man who has had my own share of romantic entanglements with other men. It's not just you, you know?
Of course, I kept this all quiet. I certainly wasn't eager to air your business out to everyone. These things carry a stigma to them, Rei. It's best not to burden yourself with others knowing if you can avoid it. I recognized myself in you where others might not when I heard you talk about Volo three years ago. I hope you will respect my privacy about this as I've respected yours. I don't wish to lose another job..."

Rei took his head out of his hands and nodded at the professor. Knowing that they shared this in common felt like a life raft being thrown to him while drowning. Finally, someone safe to talk to. He never thought that the people around him could understand what he had been feeling. Who knew one of his closest friends actually might have been able to the whole time?

"Of course, I wouldn't ever do that to you. I'm terrified of the same kind of thing happening to me... I haven't even told Akari and she's my best friend. I don't know if people whisper behind my back about me or anything but… as far as I can tell no one besides you knows. I'm sorry if I made you feel pressured to tell me, Professor."

Professor Laventon shook his head.

"It's quite alright, Rei. It may be selfish, but I'm glad to have someone who... empathizes. It's a very lonely way to live, and I'm more sorry you have to go through this too. I'm hoping things will get better in the future, but I don't expect to live to see it."

Rei sighed at this. He wasn't sure exactly what to say. He was definitely the local expert but how would he even explain the social climate in the future to someone from the past?

"Well...I guess better is a word you can use, but it's still not great. I don't know if I'd be any more willing to come out there than I am here. I guess the biggest difference is in how much I feel like I would be in danger if someone found out.

There's more protection in the future, but it doesn't suddenly make everyone accept it. The community in the future is really the only thing I miss. There's something that lets you communicate with other people across any distance anonymously, and it made finding others like us easier and safer. A lot of people are still cruel to us, but we had each other to turn to for support. In Hisui… I feel so isolated not having that. I'd give so much to have that kind of community again."

Rei reached out and took Laventon's hand causing him to look up in surprise and their eyes to meet again.

"Today I managed to reach out and find a person who is like me again. It means the world to me to have that. Thank you, Professor."

Professor Laventon took a moment to breathe as he tried very hard not to tear up at this. Rei looked away politely and passed him a handkerchief and Laventon started laughing so hard he almost choked.

"You manage to surprise me more and more every day, my boy. You aren't the same lost child I met on the beach so long ago. No, not a child anymore forgive me. You became a man, one I am quite proud to know."

Now Rei was the one fighting back tears. He wiped his face with his pajama’s sleeve.

"Only because you gave me a chance, Professor."

Laventon smiled softly at Rei and gave him a gentle pat on the back.

"One of my better choices, to be sure."

Rei took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute, trying to absorb everything. Admitting he was gay to someone felt more exposing than anything Rei had felt in his entire life. Instinctually he wanted to stuff all those words back in his mouth where he could hide them from the world again.
Being so used to having to hide these things about himself, it felt illegal to have them hang in the air where someone could see. Well, he couldn't take it back, so he might as well keep going and get everything out.

"I really thought near the end, that there might be a chance I wasn't looking into things enough and that something was going to happen between me and Volo but...well, I already told you about what happened at the temple. It would be fine if he just hadn't felt the same way about me. I didn’t expect him to try and kill me with a Giratina. I don't know how I'm going to look at Volo and see someone I can even tolerate now. What should I do?"

Laventon looked sympathetic to Rei's perfectly normal relationship issues.

"Might I offer you any advice on your troubles? I've certainly had enough of my own to learn from over the years."
Rei shrugged.

"Go for it, I doubt anything you could suggest I do would make things worse."

The Professor cleared his throat a bit before continuing.

"Well Rei...people are often quite multifaceted. To some degree, everyone only shows the parts of themselves they want others to see. It doesn't always make any of those sides we show of us false selves, just incomplete portrayals. You didn't necessarily lose the good parts of him, you only found parts of him that were very bad. People are not all good or bad, you know. There's a balance in all of us.

Perhaps, if you worked on focusing on the parts you do appreciate about him, you'd find him more tolerable to work with? By no means forgive him for what he has done to deceive you, I don't mean to imply he deserves that much grace! Just… try and allow yourself to look at the brighter side of him, so to speak."

Rei took a moment to process what Professor Laventon had said. The professor's theory did at least give him some reason not to hate all of Volo. He did have parts of himself that Rei did admire, like his determination and skill in battle. He wasn't sure there would be enough good things to even be noticeable through the bad, but it was worth trying.

"That's....weirdly helpful, actually. I never thought about it like that. I didn't even know you had a doctorate in philosophy."

Laventon laughed at this and shrugged humbly.

"I might have a few books about the subject around here somewhere. Hard to keep track of them all at some point! Another thing my dear boy, if you ever need to speak about these sorts of things again or any... er...intimacy safety questions....I am always willing to teach what I know."

Now the poor man looked boiling red and Rei couldn't stop himself from hugging him.

"I can't thank you enough for all your help, or tell you what this meant to me. I feel a lot better. Don't worry, if I have any questions in the future, I'll write them down and you can answer them on paper."

Looking incredibly relieved by this, Professor Laventon hugged him back.

"I haven't turned such a shade since I knocked over Captain Kamado's suit of armor! Is there any more I can do you for, Rei?"

"Distract anyone you see in the hall so they don't see me run by, I'm making a break for home."

"So soon? Well, I suppose you are rather busy with everything. Come back and see me when you have the time and we'll talk more. I'd be interested to be kept in the loop about this attack too, it could be quite troubling if it was part of another scheme."

Rei gave him two thumbs up before tearing down the hall in his pajamas again.

Chapter Text

When Rei finally snuck back into his house and peeked into the bedroom to check on Volo, he was braced for a fight. What he saw made it quickly became apparent that wasn't going to happen, however.

Volo's head was turned to the wall as he listlessly traced the notch in the wood that Rei had made earlier with his finger, softly humming a song Rei didn't recognize to himself. The pain meds had clearly kicked in, and it couldn't be better timing.

Rei knew that he had to do better controlling himself this time. If things escalated any more, then Pesselle would definitely find out and put him in a hospital bed right next to Volo.

Even as he told himself this, he still felt angry watching his unwanted guest. Even though it wasn’t his fault, seeing Volo lay in the bed that Calaba once inhabited was infuriating to Rei. Her body was barely even cold yet, and someone so vile was already ruining the sanctity of the place she had died. He should have had time to leave the bed empty and grieve for her. How would he even be able to find the time to at this point?

Trying to take his mind off his rising temper for a moment, he looked out in the main room at what his Pokemon were doing. Blissey and Sylveon had finally woken up and were helping Lilligant make breakfast (lunch?) over the fire. Chatot was watching and whistling a cheerful little tune from his perch as Lilligant danced around the pot to the music as if it were a bonfire. She tossed in ingredients as she circled around, putting on a show as usual. Sylveon was using his ribbons to hold a spatula, apparently debating something about how the Lucky Egg was being cooked with Blissey who seemed to have a lot of strict opinions on the subject.

The delicious scent of their omelette made Rei realize just how hungry he was as he went back into the bedroom again. He had slept in without eating breakfast at the usual time, and Volo had likely gone longer without a decent meal. Just how long it had actually been Rei wasn't sure but Volo needed to eat food sooner rather than later.

As if thinking the same thing, Volo turned his head towards the scent before noticing Rei and his dark mood. Volo's eyes fell to his lap rather than meeting Rei's again as he let his hair fall like a curtain to hide his face.

It was so uncharacteristically non-confrontational of him, that Rei wasn't sure he was looking at the right guy for a second. It still looked like Volo, although much less healthy than he remembered. He wasn't skeletal or anything, but he was definitely underweight. His hospital gown did little to hide what Rei had first noticed yesterday.

Rei felt a pang of unwanted sympathy remembering how hard it had been to survive winter while still having the advantage of a place to live. He couldn't imagine what Volo had done to survive it, but whatever it was, he looked like it had just barely worked. He'd have to make sure to give him extra protein and bigger portions.

Rei pulled over the divider that separated his half of the bedroom from Volo's to freshen up and put on new clothing. By chance, he ended up picking the T-shirt and shorts he had arrived in Hisui wearing. Maybe it was just nostalgia or homesickness, but he still liked to wear them from time to time. Hard as it was to think about, they were the only keepsake he even had from home besides his memories. Thankfully, they were still baggy enough to fit him after his last growth spurt.

Looking in the mirror at himself, Rei tried to imagine what his life would look like right now if he hadn't come to the past at all. It was so easy to imagine it when he wasn't dressed outside of his original era. He looked like an older version of himself who was a senior in school ready to relax on the weekend. Maybe he'd have found some friends to hang out with and they could go to the movies. Maybe he'd even have a boyfriend to go with by now.

Had it ever been possible he could have that life? Or was Arceus always planning on taking it away from him? One more thing not to think about to keep his temper in check...

Rei had been in this exact outfit hanging out in his room when he had been taken. It was the weekend, and he was relaxing in bed watching Volkner battle his latest gym challenger. Jubilife didn't have a local gym leader for his family to cheer for, but they had always had a soft spot for Volkner. Rei especially had a soft spot for him.

His parents were going to take the family to Sunyshore to watch a battle live for winter break. He and his sister had been excited all week. Rei's mom was a trainer and she had been just as excited as her kids, joining in the excited chatter until Rei's dad said they had to talk about something else at least once a day or he'd go crazy.

The way he smiled when he said it made it hard for Rei to take him seriously though. He was just happy to see his family excited about something. That's how Rei wanted to remember his family: excited and happy without a worry in the world.
His sister would be in high school by now and would join in the same school he had been attending if they hadn't moved. Was she still waiting for him, or had she accepted his disappearance by now? He knew his parents definitely wouldn't have, they'd still be searching. Images of missing people's posters with his 15 year old self on them flashed in his mind next to ones with Ingo on them.

Would his sudden disappearance be connected to Ingo's by the police? Ingo was from Unova and Rei was living in modern Jubilife so probably not. The suddenness of their disappearances was the only thing that linked the two. Ingo had been slowly recovering parts of his memory over the last few years and he knew enough now to give some basic details about his former life.

He still couldn't remember the exact moment he had been taken, or too much about his previous life, but he remembered a lot of random details about trains. Maybe he had been a conductor? Rei felt bad he couldn't help him more as the only one of them with complete memories of the future. It felt unfair.
When Rei pulled the divider back, he saw everyone had already started to eat without him. Volo hadn't moved much at all since he had woken up, absentmindedly picking at his omelette with his chopsticks in bed. Why wasn't he eating it? He had to be hungry enough by now
.
Rei left the bedroom and went over to the fridge. One of the ways his life had improved after his adventure came to an end was finally buying all those old machines that had fallen through various space-time rifts from Ginter.
He and Laventon had spent 3 months figuring out how to hook them all up together with modified linking cords in hopes they could all be powered at once, only to discover that they couldn't find a proper power source. After seven more months of trying and failing several different methods, a breakthrough had come through in the most unexpected way.

Rei knocked on the fridge as it opened its eyes.

"Hey Rotom, can I get in please? I need to get our guest something."

Rotom had slipped past the Security Corps and appeared in his house one day without warning, apparently drawn to the wide array of electronics Rei now owned. It had refused to leave ever since. Luckily for Rei, the Rotom was exactly the power source he was looking for. As long as it haunted one of the appliances, they would all be powered. Rei had never actually caught Rotom, but they were both perfectly happy with the arrangement, and aside from the occasional mischief on Rotom's part, it didn't make for the worst roommate.

Rotom swung its doors open and blasted Rei with a large gust of icy wind, messing up his hair and making it messier than it already was. It started to laugh hysterically at him but it kept its doors open so he could reach inside. Rei attempted to flatten his hair to little avail and rolled his eyes. He had long since learned that reacting would only encourage Rotom.

"Thank you."

Rei peered into the fridge, trying to remember whatever he still had lying around that might encourage Volo's appetite. He still had a bottle of the Moomoo Milk he had bought from one of the Ginko Guild merchants who worked with importing delicacies from other regions. It was a pricey thing to just give away, but it would definitely do Volo some good.

Popping the bottle cap off, Rei walked back into the bedroom and handed the milk to Volo. He seemed very surprised by this gesture as his head whipped up to stare at Rei questioningly. Rei simply sat down in the chair next to Volo's bed.

His only response was to tap the side of Volo's bowl with his chopsticks before using them to take a bite of his own eggs.
"Eat, I swear my Pokemon know how to cook. They're probably better at it than you are, actually."

The edge of Volo's mouth twitched in the vague direction of a smile, but he quickly interrupted it with a swift swing of the milk. Seeming to accept the omelette wouldn't kill him either, he started to scarf it down. Rei was glad to see him start to eat, but the unfortunate side effect of Blissey's egg was that the sudden friendliness it caused felt like whiplash.

"Well now, it's been quite some time since I've seen that peculiar outfit! It does make me curious as to the odd things I won't live to see in the ages to come. To be thrust into a world so different from what you know must truly be fascinating!"

Rei picked at the hem of his shirt, trying to think how to respond. This felt so much like the Volo he used to trust that it felt surreal. Even as ragged as Volo looked right now, the smile he gave when he was trying to be sweet was the same. He closed his eyes while doing it, and for some reason that always made Rei's heart skip a beat. Rei fought with himself to get his emotions under control. The fact he didn't trust that smile anymore helped.

"It's...been an interesting life I guess. Adjusting is hard, but when you keep waking up every morning, there's not much else to do but get used to it. It takes a while to figure out where you might belong in a different time period because things are just done so differently."

"I must admit, I will miss your Survey Corps outfit. I think it had a certain charm on you."

Trying to repress how that last comment made him feel on top of his cheerful smile, Rei took a deep breath and tried to answer in a way Pesselle would approve of. Taking another bite of his own egg helped.

"I don't regret joining the Survey Corps, but it just… wasn't where I wanted to stay. After completing the Pokedex, I just didn't feel like I had anything left to do there."

Volo looked very interested to hear that.
"I see, you'd prefer to be helpful and work hard than stagnate. I'm not surprised, that's very like you."

Rei furrowed his brow in confusion at this.

"I mean yeah, who wouldn't want to feel useful?"

Volo's sudden laugh surprised Rei.

"I would love to never be useful to others again if it's all the same to you, Rei."

Rei wanted to say he knew damn well Volo was never that useful to Ginter, but he held his tongue. For someone with as much drive as Volo had, he sure did fall flat when it came to being a Ginko Guild merchant. The insistence on his dedication to his job had always felt like a lie — no matter how convincing his other ones had been.

"I'm sure Ginter had a lot of opinions about your work ethic."

Volo didn't respond and his eyes misted over for a moment. He seemed like he was about to say something, before deciding against it and instead choosing to continue to inhale his food. Clearly, his appetite had returned with a vengeance. He'd need another bowl soon.

Rei was about to ask if he wanted more but heard his own voice interrupt him before he could speak.

"You see tonight, it could go either way
Hearts balanced on a razor blade
We are designed to love and break
And to rinse and repeat it all again~!"

Rei whirled around in his seat to see Chatot dancing along to the corny pop song he was singing in Rei's voice while pecking at a piece of egg Volo had accidentally dropped on the floor next to the bed.

He recognized it as one from Paldea that had become popular a few weeks before Arceus had snatched him. It was one of the first songs he had taught to Chatot, and easily a group favorite.
Normally, Rei didn't mind other people hearing his singing voice. But something about it being Volo, and him having no control over it was making him feel incredibly self conscious. Before he could make a move to do anything about it his front door swung open and a very familiar voice joined in.

"I get stuck when the world's too loud
And things don't look up when you're going down
I know your arms are reaching out
From somewhere beyond the clouds~!"

Akari danced through the door singing, having long been indoctrinated into the madness that was pop music from the future. She kicked off her shoes in a dramatic fashion before entering the bedroom with them, still jamming along while stuck in her own little world.

It made Rei laugh and he felt his spirit lift just seeing her. He started to clap along to the music to keep a beat for her.
While she hadn't really gotten music from Rei's era at first, the several years of hanging out with Rei and Chatot had finally gotten to her. She had become as obsessed as they were.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Lilligant quickly got up from where she was eating and went over to join Akari in her strange interpretative dance.

"You make me feel
Like my troubled heart is a million miles away
You make me feel
Like I'm drunk on stars and we're dancing out into space
Celestial
Celestial~!"

Akari was wearing a dark slate colored kimono and cropped shorts, which told Rei it must have been her day off today. She looked really adorable having so much fun, and Rei couldn't help but grin while watching her. She put so much love and passion into the performances she did with Lilligant that the two of them had become fast friends, working off each other incredibly well. Lilligant did a high kick and Akari tried to mimic her, falling over backwards in the process with a sharp scream.

Lilligant caught her before she hit the floor and turned the fall into a dramatic dip, before pulling Akari back to her feet. Rei cheered at this and was laughing nearly as hard as Akari, who's face was flushed with embarrassment.
His laughter quickly faded when he turned to see Volo's reaction to what was happening.

Volo was looking at the scene with an intense fascination, the side of his finger pressed to his lips as he stared. His eyes didn't move from Akari as she danced and sang along to the music. Rei felt a surge of something unpleasant burn in his chest.
There was nothing particularly sinister about the way Volo was looking at Akari, but he couldn't be sure of anything. He didn't like his attention being on her. He didn't trust Volo and wasn't going to tolerate him targeting Akari.

Standing up quickly and slamming his bowl down on Volo's bedside table, Rei went over to Akari and kissed her cheek, spinning her around to the music while she laughed. Volo might not know not to mess with Akari but he sure as hell knew not to mess with Rei.

He shot a glare at Volo over her shoulder, trying to falsely imply that he was involved with her and to back off or he'd start shit. Instead of challenging Rei on it or backing off, he only started clapping. This caused Rei's jealousy facade to falter and his expression to turn to one of confusion.

"Bravo! What interesting entertainment! You four make quite the troupe, you know. Perhaps you could start a circus when you start to find the Medical Corps tiresome, Rei?"

Rei was about to lose his composure again but Akari stopped him dead before he could even get the first word out. She looked very disoriented to have finally noticed Volo was the one in the bed and he really felt for her on that one.

"Rei, what is Volo doing here? Where is Calaba?!"

Akari's startled reaction snuffed out Rei's fury as if she had hit him with a Hydro Pump. Seeing the deep concern in her eyes, he felt ashamed for wasting time not saying anything before now. She had been Calaba's friend too, and she had no idea what had happened.

Under normal circumstances he would have gone and told her about Cabala's passing already, but unfortunately his life was anything but normal right now. To make things worse Volo was now also staring at him questioningly. This would probably be bad news to him too, seeing as he had also known Calaba somewhat well.

"Cabala finally passed away yesterday. I'm so sorry Akari, I should have told you sooner...It happened when we were out working together and I didn't even know until I got home. There wasn't even any time to go get you because unfortunately for me, Volo decided it was a great night to feed his foot to a Pokemon in the Cornet Highlands.

I was pulled into emergency surgery to help amputate what was left of his leg. By the time I got out, I was so exhausted that I couldn't have even made it to your house. He's having to stay with me to recover for a little bit. Trust me,it wasn't my idea."

Volo looked so disturbed to hear this that Rei found himself stepping back a bit nervously. Several emotions flickered across his face before he moved. Confusion, disbelief, shock, terror.
He ripped the blanket off of himself and the silence that filled the room as Volo stared in horror at his amputated leg was deafening.

For a moment no one could say anything. Akari's hands were frozen covering her mouth. Volo's eyes were widening more and more as he gripped the mattress to steady himself better. Rei felt like he was going to throw up.

"I-I felt it...I still feel it..."

His trembling voice was barely audible even though it was the only sound in the room. He reached down and touched the bandages as if he wasn't certain what he was seeing was real.
The horrifying understanding of what had just happened was finally sinking in for Rei.

Volo hadn't known his leg had been amputated until just now.
Rei had never told him and he had apparently not looked under the blanket. He had forgotten that amputees often had phantom limb sensations, so Volo might not have had any idea of the true extent of the damage.

Looking back, it had been strange that Volo was appearing to take the loss of his leg as well as he had. Rei hadn't bothered to even ask how he was feeling about it. Deep down, Rei had assumed that Volo was a monster without real emotions, someone so twisted that bad things didn't affect him like they would normal people. Now he realized it was only ignorance of the situation and Rei's own failure to handle things properly.

Watching Volo start to tremble and go into shock, Rei started to realize just how insensitive and cruel he was being. Volo wasn't back specifically to hurt him for some grand scheme or betrayal, he was a human being who had just gone through something incredibly traumatic.

No one would ask for this to happen, and he had been stuck with Rei without any input of his own. He was coping the best he could. Hell, it was even possible that his attempt at pleasant conversation was a peace offering of sorts. Rei was only managing to make the trauma of the situation worse with his attitude. He felt intensely ashamed of himself. Had his ability for compassion for his patients become so lacking, that he had resorted to bullying someone who was already at such a low point?

Even if it was Volo, kicking people while they were down wasn't the kind of person Rei wanted to be. It was wrong of him, especially as his caretaker. Volo should have at least been given the dignity and respect of learning about this gently.

The scene was so distressing to watch that Sylveon didn't even wait for Rei's command. He hopped up on Volo's lap to soothe him. The trembling man finally started to breathe steadily again when Sylveon's feelers wrapped around his wrists. He tightly hugged the purring Pokemon to his chest, staring blankly at the place his foot used to be as if he thought he were hallucinating and expected it to stop any second.

Licking his cheek, Sylveon tried to get Volo to look away from his leg but he wouldn't react. Thankfully, Akari understood what Sylveon was trying to do and went over to kindly cover Volo's legs with the blanket. She sat down next to him on the side of the bed and gently rubbed his back, whispering soft soothing words to him.

"Hey, it's ok… We're going to help you get through this. You aren't alone, Volo."

Rei felt completely frozen, sure that anything he could say or do would only make things worse. He'd have to tell Pesselle how incompetently he'd handled this and get Volo assigned to one of the others instead. He'd feel downright lucky if suspension was the only thing he got at this point.

Rei was so overstimulated, he couldn't think straight. There were just too many things happening all at once and he didn't know what to do or say. Drowning in guilt, the thing that finally snapped Rei out of his stupor was an elbow in the rib from Akari. He gritted his teeth in pain and looked over to see her angrily mouthing the word "apologize" to him in a very exaggerated way.

Could he just… do that? Was apologizing to Volo an option? It felt wrong in concept, but he knew he needed to do it. Listening to Akari was usually the best way out of the situations he got himself into anyway.

Clearing his throat and feeling very awkward, Rei swapped places with Akari so that he was sitting next to Volo on the bed. Volo looked more weary of him than he had of Akari, but didn't give any real reaction. The fear in Volo's usually unbothered demeanor was haunting. He hoped apologizing would help things, even just a little bit. He really would mean it.

"Volo… I am so sorry. I didn't realize you didn't understand what happened, and it was shitty of me to break it to you like that. I really feel like I failed at this and I...I don't want to do that. I want to help you. I want our personal issues to stay out of this, and I promise I'll try harder to treat you respectfully while you're in my care."

Volo looked up from his lap and turned his head to stare directly in Rei's eyes. Despite the lingering despair there was a spark of his old curiosity for some reason. He opened his mouth slightly as if to speak but before he could even say anything there were three knocks on the door in quick succession. Rei didn't even have to answer it to know who it was, as he knew that knock well enough by this point.

Pesselle had come to check in.

Chapter Text

Rei really did not want to open the door.

What was waiting behind it was a problem he was not emotionally capable of dealing with right now. Why was everything happening to him all at once like this? Could he not have just one second to fucking breathe?

Taking a deep breath and standing up, he walked out of the bedroom and over to the door. Akari patted his back sympathetically as he passed by. The fact she would be here for emotional support was comforting.

Rei glanced back at the others in the room as he reached for the door handle. His Pokemon had already sensed what was about to happen from Rei's mood and were making themselves busy cleaning up after lunch. They'd seen this fight happen before, and they certainly weren't eager to get involved. Rei couldn't blame them.

"Don't worry guys, I'm not gonna make you watch. Come here, and I'll let you get back in your Pokeballs." He returned all of his Pokemon to their Pokeballs, save for Sylveon, as he was still busy with helping Volo.

It wasn't that he ever tried to be a troublemaker at work, or intentionally cause anybody grief, Rei just... didn't have much of a filter. It wasn't normally a problem, but he was known to occasionally get into trouble for mouthing off when he shouldn't, or if he was cursing too much.

A situation like this was ripe for that to happen, and Pesselle would be waiting for it. She was absolutely his friend, but she was also his boss. And while they were good friends, Peselle wasn’t one to pull her punches just because of that. She expected certain standards to be followed, and anything less was unacceptable.

He wondered what his punishment would be this time. Scrubbing the floor of the Med Corps room with a toothbrush until Rei could see himself in its reflection? Maybe she'd be feeling extra angry given his actions and force him to clean the whole building.

Which would mean he’d have to do Commander Kamado’s room, and he really did not want to sit there and scrub his office floors while Kamado blabbed on and on about sumo. He'd probably get tossed around a few times himself before he finally managed to escape. If he was lucky, Kamado would hurt him just badly enough to get out of it, but not badly enough for permanent damage.

Akari had sat back down next to Volo on the bed and was talking to him gently, squeezing his hand to comfort him. This distracted Rei from his gloomy thoughts, as he tried to eavesdrop.

He couldn't make out what she was saying, but he was certain it wasn't anything cruel from her gentle expression. Akari caught Rei's eyes and gave him a bit of a guilty look, but Rei shook his head to let her know he wasn't mad. Akari was doing a better job at this than he had already. They needed to be supporting Volo in this rough spot, and it was Rei's own fault for setting the precedent not to be.

Akari mostly understood why Rei hated Volo, but she hadn’t been there for the betrayal at the Temple of Sinnoh. It was easier for her to be kind to him when she had only heard stories from Rei, never experiencing how cruel he could be first-hand like he did. He doubted she respected his megalomania, but she had enough compassion to treat the situation with more dignity than Rei had.

There was another more impatient knock at the door just then, snapping Rei out of his thoughts. He seriously had to stop stalling and just open the stupid door — delaying things would only make this worse. Rei tried to put on his best innocent smile as he opened the door and greeted Pesselle cheerfully.

"Hey, Pess!"

Pesselle immediately did not buy into his vibe. She peeked into the room as if to make sure Rei had not been attempting to stash Volo's corpse somewhere in the extended time it took him to answer the door.

Her expression softened when she saw Akari comforting Volo on the bedside. She saw Akari as a very good influence on Rei's temper, so her being here was definitely working in his favor. He thanked Akari under his breath for visiting at the best time possible.

"Hello Rei, I've come to check up on our new patient. I've brought a few things for him." She gestured just outside Rei's door, a wheelchair very similar to the one he had used for Calaba sitting outside. This one, however, was much better suited for a taller occupant.

Trying to distract himself from the memory of Calaba, Rei took a deep breath like Akari had taught him, inviting Pesselle in with a polite wave of his hand.

"Sounds good! He's awake now, so he can finally tell us what happened. I haven't noticed anything to be concerned about yet, and he's coherent."

Pesselle wheeled the wheelchair inside, shutting the door behind her.

"That's good. Have you given him something to eat yet? You'll need to give him extra portions, he's clearly lost a lot of weight. Has he said where he's been? He looks like he was starving wherever he's been, poor thing."

Rei could only shrug. He definitely didn't want to mention that the conversation he had already had with Volo wasn't exactly along that subject line.

"I thought the same thing, but he hasn't said anything about what happened yet, and I didn't ask. I was actually just about to bring him a second plate of Blissey egg before you came in."

Pesselle nodded approvingly and began to dig through her medical bag.

"Very good. Rei, try and get him to eat as much as he can manage. The extra nutrients should help him regain his strength quickly, which he'll need for physical therapy. I can imagine this whole mess is something that's going to be hard for him to talk about, so I'm not surprised he isn't eager to offer the information up immediately.

He's going to be having a hard time processing what just happened. We shouldn't push him too hard, but it is important we find out what attacked him. I doubt whatever it was was poisonous at this point, but when it comes to Pokemon attacks, it can be hard to say what strange side effects might take hold. At least we might have a better idea of what to expect if it's the result of a move with strange properties."

Pesselle pulled some extra hospital gowns from her bag and handed them to Rei. They were the light blue kind that looked very unflattering on everyone, and left little to the imagination in the back.

"He doesn't have any clothing of his own right now, so he will need to borrow these until we can find something better that fits. I'm sure Ingo had other things on his mind than trying to recover personal items — if there were any bags dropped, those are likely still out there. We'll have to ask him about that too and fill out a missing satchel notice for the lost and found."

Rei had spent enough time doing satchel returns to know he was the only one in the Survey Corps who ever actually paid any attention to the lost and found system Kamado had set up. It would probably be up to him to go get it eventually when no one else did, but he wasn't exactly eager to do any favors for Volo right now. It could wait. If it rained and Volo's stuff got soaked, he certainly wouldn't lose sleep over it.

"Please tell me there's also underwear here, I don't want to get an eye-full every time he turns around."

Pesselle only laughed at this, her amusement over his desire for modesty, the result of many more years getting used to nudity in a medical setting. She didn't even blink when it happened anymore, it was just another part of the job.
While Rei didn't usually care too much, Volo happened to be a special case for him. He didn't want to be exposed to him like that more than he had to be after everything he had felt for him before.

"Little late on that one, love! I'll go rummage in our spare clothing. We don't have the budget to start buying clothing for all our patients, unfortunately. But, because you are doing us a huge favor in being able to house him, I'll be generous and get some on sale from Anthe if we don’t have anything there. She's always been very kind during situations like this in the past. Don't worry, I'm sure he won't be any more thrilled about the situation than you."

Rei sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I bet he won't. Thanks."

At least that was one thing he and Volo would be on the same page about. He seemed to be almost as uncomfortable with Rei as Rei was with him, despite his efforts to mask it with his friendly questions and chatter. He had no idea how they were going to live together under the same roof until Volo no longer needed to be under observation.

Hopefully learning what had attacked him would lessen his need for such strict care, and that it would be sooner rather than later. Given the area and phase of the moon, he personally bet it was Volo getting into trouble with Darkrai.

The only real issue with his theory was that Darkrai preferred inducing nightmares to physical violence, and Volo had woken up normally enough. Maybe it was possible the effects could be delayed? Nothing seemed to fit, and the thought of it made Rei incredibly uncomfortable for some reason.

Before he could bring this up to Pesselle, they were both distracted by Akari leaving the bedroom and coming up to them to join the conversation. She seemed relaxed enough – maybe everything was going ok with Volo?

"Hello, Ms Pesselle! I'm sorry to interrupt things, but Volo wanted me to inform you he has an urgent matter to speak with you about."

Rei felt his heart sink into his foot and it took every ounce of self control he had not to show it on his face. This was it then. He was busted. He had gotten away with it for a little bit, but Rei should have known this was going to happen sooner or later.

"I'll be right in, we certainly have a lot to discuss, and there's no use putting it off any longer. What are you doing here anyway, Akari? Did Rei ask you to come help?"

"No, not at all! I was incredibly surprised to see Volo when I arrived, no one has reported so much as a glimpse of him in years! I hadn't heard about what happened yet, I was just coming here to do my laundry."

Akari patted her satchel that was stuffed to near bursting with clothing and Pesselle gave her a puzzled look.

"You do laundry at Rei's house? Why?"

Rei made a quick "cut it out!" motion behind Pesselle's back to signal to Akari to stop talking. The last thing he needed was everyone in town finding out he had a quick and easy way to do laundry and have this place turn into a freaking laundromat on top of the circus it already was. Akari immediately picked up on what he was putting down and switched gears.

"Uhhhh... Rei is quite good at laundry and likes to help me?"

Pesselle looked like she didn't believe that for a second but had no idea how to argue so she simply just sighed and dropped the subject.

"Sorry to ruin your plans dear, but would you mind rescheduling? It's rather serious business, I'm afraid."

Akari nodded politely.

"Yes, of course! Please don't let me interrupt! I'll just say goodbye to Volo and be out of your way!"

Akari bounced back over to the bedroom and poked her head around the sliding door.

"I'm really sorry Volo, I'm going to have to leave now. But Pesselle is here and she's going to talk to you about your concerns. I'll come back and see you later, alright?"

Rei couldn't make out Volo's soft spoken reply, but he was so incredibly anxious he couldn't really focus on it anyway. Consequences for his actions sucked, and he should really start remembering that before he opened his mouth rather than after.
Rei gave Akari a big hug as she came back out of the bedroom, and tried to be as comforting as she could without making it look too much like she expected to never see Rei alive again.

"If you don't see me in 24 hours, she tied a rock to my ankle and threw me off the dock. Get Palina to recover my body."

Rei whispered quietly into her ear before letting her go. Akari nodded solemnly at Rei.

"I can stop by later to check on you and Volo if you'd like. Would you like me to bring some dinner for all of us?"

"Absolutely!" Rei said quickly before Pesselle could say anything. If she knew Akari was going to be back later it might help delay punishment a bit.

"Bring something with a lot of protein if you can, we're going to need it."

Akari threw up finger guns and clicked her tongue twice (a habit she picked up from Rei) before turning to get the hell out of Rei’s home.

"Thank you for your help Akari, that's very kind of you. I'm sure Volo appreciates your support."

Akari turned back just long enough to smile back at Pesselle before the door clicked shut behind her. Why did she have to go where he couldn't follow? He'd give anything to leave this situation with her.

Pesselle's eyes moved back to Rei now that Akari was no longer in the room as he quickly felt a chill of nervousness. The sudden seriousness in her demeanor told him they were definitely on the same wavelength. She knew him well enough by now to sense it was incredibly unlikely he had managed to completely keep his manners in check with someone he hated as much as Volo. She was right, of course, but she didn't have proof of that yet.

"I hope Akari's been encouraging you to keep yourself under control. I don't want to hear that you've been swearing at Volo, or treating him poorly."

Rei laughed as casually as he could in response and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"You know Akari, she's like 85% of my impulse control."

"And the other 15% of that is her enabling you. Are you ready to go back and see him with me?"

Rei nodded, unable to think of any excuse to say no. Pesselle closed the sliding door to the bedroom behind them although there was really no reason to. Maybe she just felt the more closed in setting would make it easier for Volo to feel safe and talk. That might have been a better idea, if Rei wasn’t already in the room, but he wasn't going to point that out. Pesselle sat down in the chair next to Volo's bed and smiled kindly at him.

"Hello Volo, I wish we were meeting again under better circumstances. Has your care been going well? I'm sorry to have stuck you and Rei together like this given your… history, but the consistent care from his partner Pokemon is your best chance of making it out of here free of infection or status condition."

Volo petted Sylveon affectionately and smiled as if he didn't have a care in the world. It would have been pretty believable if he hadn't just gone through hell. His hands were still trembling, even with Sylveon there to help. Sylveon gently chewed on Volo's finger affectionately until a sharp head shake from Rei made him stop. It wasn't that Sylveon was going to hurt him by doing that, but Volo had probably had enough of Pokemon chewing on him at this point.

"I'm quite impressed honestly. I never would have considered the medical uses for these Pokemon the way Rei clearly has. I'm especially grateful to this little one here, he's certainly making this feel less... nightmarishly horrifying. There's no issues with this arrangement, I'll be just fine under Rei's care for now."

Rei wasn't sure who was more surprised to hear Volo say nothing but nice things – him or Pesselle. It was obviously false to Rei, but Pesselle didn't know Volo well enough to tell he was lying by omission. The real question was, why would he even want to lie in the first place? Had Akari talked him into it somehow?

Whatever the reason, Rei had to reluctantly admit that Volo's lying did not bother him nearly as badly when it was saving his ass from Pesselle's wrath. If he hadn't hated the man so much, he could have kissed him. Pesselle shot Rei a look of disbelief and he batted his eyes innocently at her in retaliation. She then rolled her own before turning back to Volo.

"I'm glad you're finding things comfortable so far. You've been through quite a lot I'm sure. We will need to talk about that, but as I understand it you have something urgent to discuss?"

Volo nodded and pet Sylveon, his face overcast. He seemed incredibly bothered by whatever it was he had actually been worried about.

"Where are my Pokemon? Are they being detained in the stables? You did recover them, correct?"

It wasn't what Rei expected to hear, and he was sure it showed on his face from how Volo's eyes moved to look at him. Rei quickly regained his composure and tried to seem less surprised. Was that really Volo's priority right now? Why?
It's not like it wasn't understandable -– Rei would be asking the same thing if their situations were reversed. But the fact it was Volo who was doing it was the confusing part. Did he need them for something? Was he going to try and fight his way out of Jubilife immediately for some reason? It didn't make any sense.
The air grew tense as Pesselle awkwardly wrung her hands.

That was definitely not a good sign.

"Well... I'm afraid that Ingo didn't have time to recover any personal belongings of yours, and that includes Pokeballs, so it's likely they are still where you dropped them. Don't worry. We are already planning on filling out a Lost and Found report, so you should get them back when your bags are recovered."

"But my Pokemon were all out of their Pokeballs when I was attacked! They could have been mauled as well! Do you take me as someone who will just sit here patiently and wait on the Galaxy Team of all people to find them while they could still be in danger? What if we are already too late?!"

The anguish in Volo's voice as he shot up straight to protest made the last piece of a puzzle finally click into Rei's mind. He was actually concerned about his Pokemon. Everything written on Volo's face right now was what Rei felt when his own Pokemon had ever been suffering, along with the added knowledge they might not even be okay.

Rei hadn't expected it at all, and suddenly everything he thought he knew for sure about Volo was thrown into question again. Weren't they just weapons to him? Since when did he care about anyone but himself?

Volo showing two unexpectedly positive traits in a row was too much, and it was starting to make Rei feel ill. The animosity he had for Volo was uncomfortable but it was also easiest to compartmentalize in his mind. Feeling himself actually empathize with the bastard made him downright miserable.
Volo had some nerve coming back into Rei's life and not even bothering to make himself seem like he was the bad guy. Rei swore to himself that he wouldn't forget that as easily as everyone else was already seeming to.

Pesselle's eyebrows furrowed and she crossed her arms as she tried to piece things together in her head.

"Alright love, I'm going to need more context than that if I'm going to help you figure this out. We don't know anything about the attack."

"Well, I-"

"It was Darkrai that got you, wasn't it? You went after him, and he fought back."

Rei interrupted Volo's attempt to respond with his accusation a bit more rudely than he had intended and Pesselle shot him a glare that made his blood run cold.

"Rei, let Volo tell us what happened himself, if you'd please."

Rei sheepishly held up his palms and took a little step back from Pesselle as she snapped at him.

"Yes Ma'am, my apologies."

Volo took a deep breath in and out to try and calm himself before replying. Sylveon noticed this and tightened his ribbon's grip.

The added stress of learning his Pokemon were missing, on top of the rest of the trauma he was going through seemed to be a struggle for even a Sylveon as experienced as Rei's to contain. He was definitely going to keep Sylveon glued to Volo for the foreseeable future. It might not fix anything but processing things with a calm mind would make the whole rest of the process easier on him.

"I wouldn't be so quick to reprimand him, Pesselle. He's fully justified in his doubt of me replying truthfully to this. I won't even bother to try and contradict him though, as he's correct, and I have nothing to gain from hiding it at this point. I was attempting to ambush Darkrai last night. I had been following a legend that suggested Darkrai may have the ability to create portals to an unknown dimension of some sort

I had hoped that startling him with an attack from my whole team at once would cause him to open one for us to slip through and investigate, but alas it was a grave mistake. I never meant to truly harm Darkrai, only scare him, but it seems he may not have appreciated my poor manners. He was so quick to counterattack that I didn't even see him assault me. All I remember is crying out in agony and fainting immediately afterwards. Blood loss must have been sufficient enough to keep me unconscious after that, because I only recently awoke to find myself here.”

That had been more or less exactly what Rei had expected to hear, with only one factor that didn't quite fit in: the attack on Volo itself.

Pesselle seemed satisfied enough with this information, now able to come up with an explanation for what happened, but Rei's mind continued to race while she gave her theory.

"You're incredibly lucky to be alive, Volo. This wasn't a warning swipe. Darkrai was trying to kill you, and I'm positive he would have managed to without intervention. Your team must have prevented the attack from getting worse than the initial wound. I wouldn't be surprised if your Pokemon were busy running him off to protect you from further harm while Ingo was on his way to you. They probably saved your life just as much as we did."

Rei's eyebrows furrowed even more at this and Pesselle shot him a questioning look. It did make complete sense in theory, but what Pesselle didn't understand was that Darkrai wasn't likely to attack like that at all.

He was rather non-confrontational for such a grim looking Pokemon, and would have put Volo into a nightmare as a defensive response before resorting to attacking him. Obviously, Darkrai couldn't actually open portals and Volo was likely misinterpreting something someone reported about a nightmare coming from the move Dark Void, so it was pointless regardless. He must have really been running out of options to go for a lead that flimsy, and it was strangely comforting to know Volo's schemes were getting so desperate.

"That fits really well, but it's just... I trained Darkrai, and this doesn't fit his behavior patterns at all. I can believe the rest of it, but I just don't think Darkrai would defend himself like this."

Pesselle shook her head at him and Rei felt a twinge of annoyance at the dismissal of his hard earned experience in the subject.

"Rei, when wild Pokemon are cornered, they can do unpredictable things. I know you care a lot about the Pokemon you've previously trained, and it's hard for you to admit this, but they are still dangerous creatures capable of violence when provoked. You've never feared them a fraction as much as the rest of us. But we are cautious of them, and with good reason."

Rei knew she wasn't wrong about that, but he still didn't want to discard his own idea either. He was about to protest when to his shock Volo stepped up and did it for him.

"I never did see for certain that it was Darkrai who attacked me, Pesselle. The attack came seemingly out of nowhere, faster than my eyes could follow. Would it not be possible for Darkrai to have had a previously concealed ally sneak up on me? Pokemon might lash out when stressed, but they do tend to stick to their particular species’ nature in how they respond to that stress. None of us know exactly what happened, and Rei knows Darkrai better than any of us. I think we'd need more evidence before completely disregarding what he says in favor of the more straightforward theory."

Rei was impressed with how much better Volo seemed to understand what he had been trying to get at than Pesselle. Volo made a very persuasive argument, and as much as Pesselle hated to admit she was wrong clearly even she could see he had a point.

"...I'm not sure how likely that is, but I suppose we can't discount it. You're at least right that out of all of us, Rei has the most experience with this particular Pokemon, and that we should take what he says into consideration. Rei, are there any other Pokemon that live in that area that fit the profile of the attack?"

Rei had to think about it for a moment. He'd spent time in the area for his Survey Corps research, and still remembered a decent amount about the Pokemon that happened to live there.

"Well, whatever it was would have to be incredibly fast and have good night vision since there wasn't a moon. Haunter is a pretty common Pokemon to hang around Clamberclaw Cliffs, especially at night, so that's the most likely case in my opinion, that happens to be that of an expert.

“They are pretty similar Pokemon all things considered, and it's completely possible one befriended Darkrai and wanted to defend him. The only real problem with that theory is that Haunter makes even less sense than Darkrai because Volo would have shown signs of being poisoned by now. It's pretty immediate and intense, especially for humans."

"Well, I don't feel as if I've been afflicted with anything, so I doubt it matters much who my saboteur was either way. Obviously we're all curious as to what the full picture is, but clearly we'll need to gather more evidence at Clamberclaw Cliffs to reach any real conclusions. Anyways, we have much more immediate things to worry about, My Pokemon-"

Volo was interrupted by an incredibly loud knock at the door that made all of them jump, startling Sylveon enough to let go of Volo and hide under the bed. It was an angry and urgent kind of knock, one that Rei didn't recognize at all.

Rei looked to Pesselle, who only shrugged with just as bewildered of an expression. Whoever it was couldn't have been someone she had been expecting to meet her here. Volo scowled at the door as if it had personally intended to offend him.

"Who the fuck is it now!? There's no time for this, just insist whoever it is to leave!"

Ignoring Volo's outburst, Pesselle strode over to the front door and went to open it somewhat hesitantly. Rei stayed where he was, staring at Volo. He'd never heard him curse before and for some reason the idea of him doing it felt bizarre.

Volo had always been very controlled with his language and never said anything like that around Rei, even at the temple during the worst of his disappointment. Was it because Rei was older now that he felt more comfortable doing it in front of him, or because even then during the most dream shattering moment of his life, he wasn't as frustrated as he felt right now?
Volo looked back up at him and the anger seemed to melt slightly back into curiosity again. His softening gaze caused Rei to look back to the front door quickly and pretend he hadn't noticed.

"Ah, Commander Kamado! Please come in! To what do we owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?"

Pesselle was nothing but polite on the surface, but Rei knew better than to be fooled by her tone. Pesselle liked Kamado just about as much as Rei did, which, was to say, not at all. She was definitely trying to backhandedly tell him his interruption wasn't appreciated, but the subtlety was completely overlooked.

"As I understand it from the Professor, you're harboring a dangerous fugitive here. For the safety of Jubilife, I believe we need to discuss his housing arrangements."

Rei's eyes snapped back to Volo almost involuntarily. The look of color draining from the man's already pale face caused a violently protective surge of emotion in Rei that surprised even him. He had been in this situation himself before with Kamado and he couldn't even begin to imagine going through it while being injured the way Volo was. It made Rei realize that if there was one person he despised more than Volo, it was Kamado.

Kamado had spent the entire time following Rei's arrival telling him that no one trusted him, and that he would have to keep doing more and more dangerous things to prove himself if he was ever going to be accepted. What Rei hadn't realized at the time was that the person who really didn't trust Rei was Kamado himself.

He was perfectly willing to manipulate a desperate, homeless child to do his most dangerous work for him, under the guise of proving he was worthy of trust and being kept safe in the village. But the only thing Rei ever felt he proved himself to be to Kamado was a useful scapegoat.

He had told Rei the only thing his work for him had been worth was not being put in chains and instead being sent out into the wilderness to find a way to clear his name or die trying. Even when he had eventually apologized to Rei, all he wanted to do was beg for his help again and ask for his shortcomings to never be spoken of.

Kamado spoke all the time about wanting what was best for Hisui and its inhabitants, not wanting harm to come to the people of Jubilife. If that was true, then he had clearly never considered Rei to be one of them. It still made Rei feel sick to think about. He was even willing to admit he trusted Kamado less than Volo.

At least Volo thought Rei deserved to know the truth and had been completely upfront about everything in the end. He didn't bury his flaws where no one could see, he embraced them as a part of his identity, and there was something more genuine about Volo’s approach compared to Kamado’s. Volo had even given Rei the chance to stop him, instead of just politely asking to be handed the plates, which Rei absolutely would have done if asked nicely. Volo clearly felt he had some kind of twisted morality to uphold in the situation, but Kamado was a coward through and through.

Although Kamado had expressed shame a few times for the wrongs he had done to Rei, Rei had never given him any real forgiveness for it. He didn't respect Kamado as a leader, only tolerating his presence whenever he was forced to because he was technically still his boss. They didn't speak much these days, as Pesselle knew more about the medical care they needed to get done than Kamado. Occasionally though, he would feel the need to butt in when it was least appropriate.
Rei was willing to bet all the nuggets he was saving that

Kamado was here to try and run Volo out of town, injured or not. Unfortunately for him, Rei wasn't about to let him get away with that bullshit again, and neither was Pesselle.

Chapter Text

As Kamado entered the house, Pesselle's thinly veiled rage finally clicked with him, as she didn't move aside for him to go any further back into the house. She was smiling, but it was the scary kind of smile she only gave to people she was about to practically rip into. Rei couldn't have been more thrilled to see it directed at someone else other than him for once.

"Commander, this is hardly the time for that sort of thing. I understand your concerns about his past wrongdoings, but he's incredibly weak and freshly injured. Is a half starved young man missing a foot and without any Pokemon for battle something you don't trust the Security Corps to be able to handle?"

Kamado pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

"Pesselle, I am not here to argue with you about this. I understand he is gravely injured, and I don't mean to make light of that. The truth remains, however, that he is unpredictable and cannot be trusted. We could not possibly know what he will or will not do while under our care. Truthfully, I don't take chances when it comes to the safety of Jubilife. I want him out of the village by nightfall."

"He is missing a foot and severely injured, Kamado! Do you really have so little mercy? Sending him out alone without the ability to defend himself or walk at night is a death sentence! He smells of blood, the wild Pokemon will be upon him immediately to finish what they first started!"

Pesselle sounded completely outraged. Rei could feel his own blood boil as he watched Volo's despair over the situation worsen. His pupils dilated in fear and he was physically shaking again. It made Rei realize how much he really needed Sylveon back. 

Rei knelt down, gently pulling the little dude out from under the bed. He placed Sylveon back on Volo's lap where he immediately latched onto him with his ribbons again. The relief was immediate and his body let go of some of its tension.

"Volo, believe me when I tell you I would never let him do this to anyone ever again, let alone someone he would end up getting killed. Just follow my lead, stay calm, and trust me."

Kamado had finally just stepped around Pesselle and reached the bedroom, just as Rei turned to face him. Rei caught a glimpse of Pesselle who had followed Kamado and was still standing behind him in the doorway. She mouthed the words "no mercy" to him, which Rei was more than happy to indulge.

"So, you want Volo gone because he's a potential threat? Wow, that sounds so familiar, Kamado! I remember the last time that happened very vividly, because if you conveniently forgot, you said the same god damn thing to me before tossing me out on my ass. I guess I was just as big a threat to Jubilife too though, so how could we ever blame you for it? Oh, by the way, Volo, do you happen to remember who the person who helped me get shelter then was?"

Rei turned back to Volo as he finished the question and their eyes met. Volo's expression sparked with recognition of what he was doing, and a wide sunny smile broke on his gloomy face.

"Oh my, I believe that was me wasn't it?"

Rei put his hands on his hips and looked back at Kamado with an exaggerated look of shock, mocking him.

"Well, isn't that a coincidence? Looks like I owe him a place to stay now that we've switched positions and all."

Kamado's anger only grew at the jab and, although his posture betrayed tenseness from guilt, he held firm.

"Rei, I already know you despise him, so don't pretend otherwise. While I understand how this is an unpopular decision with you, and I regret it had to come to this again, you know I'm right. You have first hand experience seeing just how dangerous he is."

Rei found himself hesitating for a moment. It was completely true. Volo was probably the most dangerous person he knew even in the state he was in now. He was resourceful, and could snatch the upper hand in ways no one would expect. As fate would have it, Volo decided to demonstrate that to Kamado right then and there.

"You think I'm the dangerous one, Kamado? You're the biggest threat in Hisui! I thought the Diamond and Pearl Clans were bad enough with the religious sacrilege and constant warring, but when you came and started your colonization efforts-"

Kamado interrupted Volo quickly with a desperate plea for understanding in his voice.

"We are refugees ! Jubilife Village is a place where anyone displaced by the rest of the world is welcome to come and live!"

He was so full of unearned righteous conviction that Rei immediately lost his cool. Kamado was such a hypocrite that it made his head spin.

"Do you even hear yourself, then?! Volo doesn't have a place to stay! He has been displaced ! You say these things and you don't even think about what they mean do you?!"

Rei was shouting now and pushing his luck much further than the dangerous levels he already had. He found he didn't care. He would gladly burn their pitiful facade of a truce to the ground over this.

"Rei, do you really expect me to hold the same standards for a proven criminal that I do for the rest of Jubilife’s people?!"

"You used the same standards for me when I wasn't proven to have done anything, so I don't know! Why don't YOU tell me what the rules are? I'm honestly confused here."

Kamado was completely unable to come up with any response to that. He stood there dumbfounded for several awkward seconds, and it made Pesselle have to try so hard not to laugh she had to lean her hand against the doorframe for support. 

Kamado heard her hand make contact with the wood and turned around to look at her. She attempted to turn the silent laugh into a coughing fit, to moderate success. The look on Kamado's face was darkening quickly and it was clear his rage was going to boil over any second.

"Ah, pardon me, it's rather dusty here. Rei, you really should make sure to clean this place up, since Volo will need sanitary conditions. Really now, how did you get Calaba to let you get away with keeping it like this?"

Rei quickly sat on the edge of Volo's bed between him and Kamado.

"Calaba honestly couldn't see much of anything, her vision was terrible. We should really work on helping the Diamond and Pearl Clans in getting better access to glasses. Don't we have a supplier for them?"

"Yes we do, I can certainly ask next time I see Adaman and Irida."

He had moved very casually to sit down while talking shop with Pesselle, but his intentions were very calculated. If Kamado lunged at Volo to try and take him by force, Rei would be in the way and able to intercept. He wasn't anywhere near able to sumo throw Kamado even as an adult, but he was confident in his ability to do some damage if necessary before Kamado took him down. 

Behind him, Volo took Rei's hand in his and squeezed it in a silent thank you. To Rei's absolute horror, his heart skipped a beat and he had to internally scream at himself to focus back on the conversation. Volo had never touched him in any way before, and the effect had been devastating. His hand was much bigger than Rei's... and still slightly shaking. Rei squeezed it back before letting go.

Kamado's face was turning bright red as he fumed and when Rei focused enough to realize this, he became afraid that his fear about being sumo thrown was about to be realized.

"This decision is not for the two of you to make, it's mine!"

"Do you think Adaman and Irida will still hold Jubilife in such warm regard when they learn that's your preferred decision making policy? And what of the rest of the Galaxy Team, I wonder? Do they get a vote in these sorts of decisions? If I remember the previous ordeal correctly, they don't. "

Rei was trying very hard not to snicker to himself now. Volo could give it pretty good when he wanted to, huh? Kamado had to take a deep breath in and out before continuing to regain any sense of composure.

"As your commander, and clearly the only person willing to be reasonable in this situation, I will compromise and allow Ginter to transport him back home instead of being forced out. If he is willing to spare Volo the unearned kindness, that is."

Volo began to twirl a strand of ridiculously long hair around his finger, and watched it with an unimpressed expression.

"I don't have a home to return to, Kamado. If you mean to send a delinquent like me back to Ginko Village, I can assure you the elders would see it as an act of war. If you think I'm so dangerous, why do you assume they wouldn't? Do you think they approved of what I did? They were just as threatened by it as you were. Besides, I of all people can personally assure you they are more prepared for battle than you are assuming. It could be a critical strategic error on your behalf."

Rei could see Kamado's jets being cooled by the looming threat of potential conflict. However, he felt much more distracted by the more subtle details of what Volo had just said. Rei had only visited the outskirts of Ginko Village to see Cogita, and never ventured any deeper in. 

He knew it was where the Ginko Guild originated from obviously, but not much else. It was a small village, and he hadn't been invited to visit anyone but Cogita anyway, so it just slipped out of his mind for the most part unless the topic of the Ginko Guild was brought up.

It definitely couldn't be a big enough settlement to take on Jubilife. The three major powers in Hisui were Jubilife Village, the Diamond Clan, and the Pearl Clan. Anything else wasn't even big enough to make it on the map or into political conversations. The idea of a village that small attacking or defending itself from Jubilife with the size and technology it had was unthinkable.

And yet, despite it all, Kamado conceded.

"I will not start a conflict with Ginko Village. If you must stay, then do so peacefully, and expect to be thrown out the minute we can be rid of you or the second you slip up."

Volo smiled humorlessly at him.

"You won't, will you? Tell me Rei, does the name Ginko survive into the future of this region in any way? A population of people perhaps? A town name? Even the damn Guild, if it must be so?"

Rei didn't expect to be addressed in this and was caught a little off guard.

"Uh... No, there's no Ginko Guild or Village or anything in the future. I didn't even know there was such a thing until I came to Hisui."

Kamado seemed taken aback by this, and Volo started manically laughing so hard he almost fell off the bed. Rei had to grab him and pull him back over to his side of the bed so he didn't faceplant on the ground and required bandages for his face as well.

"Then it was all for nothing, then! The damn village will bury itself under the Pokeballs it sold its soul for! That I sold my teenage years for! You absolute fool of a man, did you never think what the introduction of such a potentially dangerous technology into a region with a recent history of conflict would do? You come to Hisui selling the ability to tame and weaponize the gods themselves, pocket the money to expand, and then act as if you don't know what you're doing!"

Kamado looked incredibly disturbed by Volo's outburst and his eyes grew wide as he took a half step back.

"Pokeballs are tools used to befriend Pokemon! They are not weapons of war!"

Volo was doubled over laughing so wildly he could barely get the next words out.

"They are both! Almighty Arceus, they are both!"

Rei's blood ran cold to the bone and his mouth immediately went dry. Even Kamado looked chilled by Volo's rapidly deteriorating mental state. Rei tapped on Sylveon's back urgently to signal him to ramp it up. He closed his eyes and used Calm Mind to boost his effectiveness. Volo really was the greatest challenge to keep calm yet, wasn't he? Sylveon was a trooper.

Volo's eyes glazed over a bit as he relaxed, and he smiled despite the awkward silence. His gaze met Rei's and he leaned forward until his face was only inches away from Rei's with a creepy little smile.

"We are both living proof that an army of Pokemon can be built given the right resources and the right person to do it, Rei."

The room started to spin a bit as he processed the implications of what Volo was saying. He didn't like what the things he had learned added up to, and they did not reflect kindly on the village he had grown to love.

"I think that will be all, Kamado. So lovely of you to visit, but we have a lot of work to get done if we're going to discharge him any time soon."

Pesselle looked ready to throw Kamado out with a sumo throw herself if he didn't leave voluntarily. Rei felt she had a better chance of winning as angry as she was. Pesselle was a big believer in a peaceful healing environment, and Kamado was stomping all over that like it owed him money.

Realizing he wasn't doing anything but making things worse the longer he stayed to argue, Kamado shot one last look at Volo before he turned to leave.

"Despite what you may think, Jubilife will be a beacon of peace in this region."

"And it would do us well to take the colonizer's word for it, I'm sure."

"This isn't over, Pesselle. You'll regret keeping him here, mark my words."

"Noted, Commander. Thank you for your time."

Kamado wasted no more of his time storming out of Rei's house and slamming the door behind him. Rei had never seen him angrier, and he wasn't even going to pretend it didn't absolutely delight him, but all Volo had said before hung in his mind, eclipsing it. 

He didn't even know how to start to process all of this. Stressful things were coming in waves one thing after another, and he was getting very worn down.

"Well, that was interesting. Are you boys alright? You did a fantastic job dealing with him, I'm proud of you both."

"Thank you Pesselle. I am starting to think Rei's battling skills might not be limited to Pokemon! My, how he's changed... He used to be so bashful, remember? And much more of a people pleaser..."

"Really? Rei? No, not that I ever saw. He was definitely less confident as a child, but I wouldn't go that far."

Rei felt the tips of his ears burn at this. Neither of them were wrong and there was a good reason he had acted so differently around the two of them that neither of them knew. It didn't surprise him that Volo could barely recognize his personality now. He'd always been a shy mess around him back before the betrayal happened. 

The person Rei was now was anything but that. Volo's curiosity about it was piqued now, which made Rei a bit nervous — especially after the hand holding incident. No, he shouldn't call it an incident. That would mean it actually meant something. The only reason Rei had reacted the way he did was clearly that there were no other boys in Hisui he was interested in currently, and he was lonely. It wasn't wrong to be lonely.

Only simply shrugging, Rei tried not to betray how uncomfortable he was.

"I never mind helping people who need it, but if they want me to, they have to put up with what I have to say about it. I figured out that I'm the most vocal advocate for myself, and not speaking up just means getting stepped on."

"I'll agree with you there but why-"

"I went through a lot, okay? Please just drop it, I don't like my personality being analyzed."

"Are you alright, Rei?"

Pesselle looked very concerned, and Rei knew why. He was certain his tone of voice was starting to become much more tense and wavering. He pushed the feeling down, and tried to continue on in a chipper tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

He was completely not fine.

Volo gave Rei a bit of a guilty look before changing the subject. Why did he look like he meant it so much? Why did Rei even believe it? The idea of seeing him as being so genuine felt like a mistake, and yet he was struggling to convince himself otherwise. He felt genuine friendship between them and he needed it to be an illusion so badly. 

The only problem was that the idea of it being an illusion hurt just as much. He could feel a familiar longing starting to form in his chest again, and it made him want to vomit.

It was pathetic. He was pathetic.

Rei's self esteem took a rare critical hit.

Had he seriously not learned his lesson the first time? No... he definitely had. This was just an unfortunate situation he'd have to deal with for a little bit, and then it would be over, and things could get back to normal. Feelings were just complicated like that. As long as he refused to focus on it things would turn out alright in the end. Repressing feelings wasn't anything new to Rei, he could do it.

Steeling himself against his emotions and moving into a more professional mindset, he went back to focusing on the task at hand. All this was just business, and he had to keep it that way. He didn't have to be friends with Volo just to get the job done, he just had to not fight… and to just not feel anything until it was over. He clapped his hands together.

"Alright then, back to what we were talking about before that nerd bust in here and fucked the vibe up."

"Pesselle, do you ever understand what he's saying?"

"Sometimes but you have to use a lot of context clues. If he starts talking about 'how in 1998 some undertaker threw a man off hell's cell', or whatever it was he kept saying, then you've lost him completely. I assumed he was trying to tell me about the apocalyptic future he escaped from, until he explained it was a strange joke they tell each other in the future."

"Oh my, how fascinating! I had no idea humor would evolve to be so incomprehensible."

"You know, honestly, your guys' take on that? It is pretty spot on. My future was not in the apocalypse though. Probably. Anyway, what I was saying was that Volo is concerned about his Pokemon, and we need to come up with a plan to go see if they are okay."

What Rei really needed was to lie down and nap for a few hours under heavy sedation from Sylveon, but there was no time for it and Volo needed Sylveon more. Everything was piling up too high, too fast, and he could barely keep track of everything he was feeling — let alone process it properly. It was also unlikely to be the end of any of it any time soon. 

Calaba's death felt like it had been ages ago, and it had only happened yesterday. He would have missed her send off by now, and it broke his heart to suddenly remember that. They had been planning to cremate her immediately and spread her ashes across Hisui the next sunrise according to Pearl Clan tradition. Would he never stop failing her in death?

I love you, I'm sorry, I love you, I’m-

The words echoed in his mind so violently that Rei burst into tears before he could continue on thinking of a plan. He was hyperventilating so hard he couldn't breathe, and his heart was pounding like a jackhammer in his chest.

"Rei? What's wrong? Pesselle, what's happening?? He was fine just a moment ago!"

"He's having a panic attack, just let me-"

Pesselle leapt forward to help Rei, but Volo was quicker. He took Sylveon's ribbon from his own arm and wrapped it around Rei's. It was an incredibly sweet and totally unnecessary gesture, considering that Sylveon could use all his ribbons to generate calming energy, but Volo had no way to know that. Sensing Rei's incredible distress, Sylveon cried out and used a Strong Style Calm Mind.

The whiplash from panic to calm was so dramatic that Rei's vision blurred. 

Before he could react, he was floating away from consciousness. The last thing he remembered registering was a pair of arms reaching out to catch him as he fell forward.

Chapter Text

For the longest time Rei only drifted.

He had no other word to describe the experience than that. It was the only thing he felt aware he was doing. He was stuck in a hazy form of half consciousness that left him unable to focus. Wherever he was seemed to have no form and he wasn't sure if he had been blinded or if his brain just wasn't registering what he was seeing properly.

He wasn't sure how long he spent in that twilight state as time quickly lost all meaning to him. He found he didn't mind it because he didn't have much of a mind left. Maybe he was dying and this was one final illusion caused by the last firing of neurons in his brain. He found it ironic that Volo might have managed to kill him with misguided kindness but even that thought was half baked and quickly dropped.

At least Rei wasnt feeling any pain. He couldn't feel his own body let alone discomfort. If something tried to push through to the surface of what little consciousness he had it quickly dissipated. Nothing in his head seemed to work right. All his emotion faded into a background buzz of forgotten problems. It was impossible to comprehend them so what did they matter? There were no real concerns to be had here, just a calm numbness free of pain. It was the blessing he had begged the universe for and he finally felt at peace.

The biggest shock was that it didn't last. He felt something soft and feathery brush across his face and found that awareness of his body was coming back to him. His mind rebooted and he took a in sharp breath gasping for air as he sat up. Looking around wildly, he found he was sitting in a pitch black void.

Rei could see nothing at all but felt water beneath him. He was sitting in a shallow puddle but for some reason wasn't getting wet at all. He shivered a bit. It was completely unnatural and he was starting to feel a bit uneasy. It didn't feel like a dream but he also didn't think this was happening in real life somehow. He couldn't place what was happening and never expected that a state like this could happen from emotional whiplash alone. Shouldn't he have woken up by now if he had just fainted? What was actually happening here?

It should have made him panic but he found he couldn't manage even as his consciousness strengthened. He stretched and yawned a bit before looking around. There wasn't anything there but he could have sworn he felt something earlier... Maybe he had only been imagining it. It's not like he could tell what was real right now anyway.

Rei ended up hugging his legs to his torso and trying to sooth himself a bit by softly singing. It was a habit he'd ended up forming during his adventure when everything around him felt out of his control which ended up being often. He usually chose songs that reminded him of home or pleasant memories but he didn't feel like singing anything even remotely cheerful right now. What ended up spilling from his lips was a song in a language he didn't understand. It was beautifully melancholy and had haunted him in a way he couldn't explain since he had first learned it from Calaba.

Lacrimosa dies illa

Qua resurget ex favilla

Judicandus homo reus

Lacrimosa dies illa

Qua resurget ex favilla

Judicandus homo reus

Huic ergo parce Deus

Pie Ho-oh, Ho-oh Domine

Dona eis requiem

Dona eis requiem

Amen

He had no idea what the lyrics meant but he had memorized the sounds from listening to Calaba sing it for him so often. She told him it was an old song from their shared ancestral home of Johto which was of the things she had been delighted to find she had in common with Rei when they first started living together.

Despite the incredible difference in their age, they shared a deep affection for the region. She enjoyed hearing his accounts of growing up there and what the region was like. Rei had only moved to Sinnoh for his dad's job around a year before he had been taken by Arceus. Talking about it with her made him even more homesick than usual.

When they'd wind down for the night and spend time together, she would tell him of stories passed down to her from her ancestors. She spoke of the building of ancient temples to Sinnoh and of foreign gods she'd never worshipped herself, but who's hymns she still held in her heart as heirlooms from generations long passed even in this time period. Although they came to Hisui following thier love of the Almighty Sinnoh, they had not been quick to have forget where they originally came from. She would talk fondly of her dreams to one day visit and enjoyed making plans with Rei of the different places he could show her when she got better.

There was, however, a silent understanding that she would not survive to go with him that they never spoke of. It shattered Rei's heart whenever they would talk about the trip like they would ever have the chance to make it happen. He engaged with the fantasy anyway because the joy it gave her made it worth the pain. She didn't want to stop dreaming and he didn't want her to. He would have gladly carried her on his back to Johto himself if she hadn't been too weak to travel. It hurt that she was gone now. It hurt he hadn't been there when she had passed away. It hurt that the woman that had become like a grandmother to him was snatched from his life just like the rest of his family. He'd never had any living extended family of his own and she had filled a position in his life he never even knew he was missing. The last of his grandparents had passed before he could remember them. He'd remember her though and maybe that made everything worth it. He was going to find some way to honor her, he just had to think of the best way how.

The sound of Rei's voice echoed around him as if he were in a cave and to his surprise another voice answered him as he sang. It was a feminine voice speaking in a hushed whisper that echoed and warped in a way that was slightly chilling. Whoever it was seemed to be speaking the same language he was singing in. Was she trying to communicate with him? He couldn't understand what she was saying at all. He wanted to stop and talk to her but was afraid if he stopped singing she would leave. As far as he knew they were the only two people here and he didn't want to be left alone.

As the song drew closer to ending Rei felt something perch atop his head. Two feathery appendages dangled down to rest themselves over his eyes in a familiar way. The realization of where he was and who was there with him snapped into place as she spoke clearly for the first time.

"She loved you too you know."

"Mesprit?"

It had to be, he'd recognize the feeling of that tiny little Pokemon sitting on his head anywhere. When he had been training her and her sisters, she rarely chose to perch elsewhere. She always told him she liked to be close to him because his emotions were always so vibrant and intense it fascinated her. It was definitely a little weird but he had never had a problem with it since it seemed to help them bond pretty well. She was honestly a pretty sweet Pokemon despite also being a terrifying goddess capable of inflicting emotional damage beyond what Rei ever wanted to think about experiencing.

"Hello Rei! It's so nice to see you again although I do wish it was under more pleasant circumstances."

When Mesprit removed her plumes from his eyes, Rei found he could see inside her cave. There was obvious no light source but somehow it was just bright enough he could make out his surroundings. His own body was ghostly and transparent and he jump to his feet in fear. The water beneath him wasn't disturbed at all and it only heightened his fear.

"Oh fuck I really am dead..."

Feeling the rising terror in his heart, Mesprit quickly launched herself into the air off his head and floated upside down in front of him staring directly into his eyes. He found himself struck by a soothing aura not dissimilar to what Sylveon used.

"Don't panic, you aren't dead! I felt what happened when you fainted and took your consciousness here to try and help sort you out. I haven't felt emotions like this from you since... You know... I thought maybe you'd appreciate some time to process your emotions without *him* around."

Rei immediately felt his heart melt a bit at the incredible kindness she was showing him. Mesprit was no longer a part of his team and hadn't been for years but she still had still taken it upon herself to check up on him. She really had no reason to condescend herself to do so other than friendship. It was incredibly touching to know she still saw him that way. He reached up and found he could pat her on the head. He wondered if she was just as much a form of consciousness as he was right now or if she was physically in her cave. Maybe it was some incomprehensible combination of both.

"Thank you Mesprit, you probably saved what was left of my sanity. It's been... rough recently. I've never thought to astral project myself away from a situation before but you've sold me on it. Do you do classes?"

Mesprit laughed and shook her head as she righted herself and began to aimlessly float around his head.

"Unfortunately I only do it for special occasions like you getting yourself into danger."

"Well my 19th birthday is coming up this Summer and I'm probably going to do something stupid then so can we schedule ahead?"

"You know that's not what I meant Rei! You can't get anything past me!"

One of the things Rei had quickly learned about Mesprit while studying her was that it was completely impossible to hide any emotions from her. Trying was like attempting to hide the rain from the clouds or the stars from space. There were no secrets between them about what that final battle between Volo had done to Rei or what he had felt for him. Rei was very relieved to discover that Pokemon didn't judge these things like humans did. Even the ones on his team without the ability to sense emotions probably could have picked up that he was absolutely fucked up the entire battle. If he hadn't been so in shock he probably would have ugly cried through the whole thing. At least that hadn't been a further humiliation on top of being played.

As if reading his mind (or more likely his emotions) Mesprit commented on his reminiscing.

"Your heartache wasn't for nothing you know! You wouldn't have won the battle against Volo if Enamorus hadn't been worked up into a frenzy over the emotions you were feeding her as her trainer. Pokemon will always reflect how their trainers command them in battle and you managed to strike with both of the ones she responded to best! I honestly couldn't have made a better match up myself and that's saying something! It makes you wonder what would have happened if she hadn't been there doesn't it?"

Love and hate- The two emotions Rei felt strongest towards Volo and Enamorus's specialty. It felt almost poetic to hear that the damage Volo had done to Rei's heart had been his downfall in the end. He thought it had only been by chance that Enamorus was on his team that day but maybe some sort of subtle manipulation from Arceus had done it to ensure his victory and by extension the safety of the world as they knew it. Even with her help, he had struggled to defeat Volo due to an underpowered team. He had always focused much more on bonding with his Pokemon rather than training them for battle. It had come back to bite him in the ass against someone who trained like Volo did. He was a machine built for war and he fought like it.

The bloodthirsty rampage she had gone into wiped out the majority of Volo's terrifyingly powerful team before she finally went down. It had been an incredibly alarming thing to witness. If Enamorus hadn't doted so much on him after the battle to try and comfort him, he'd probably be much more scared of her. Watching the true extent of her power made him infinitely glad to be on her good side. He'd never mistake her for a gentle love goddess again and he felt bad for anyone who did because he wasn't sure they'd survive the encounter.

"Glad to hear my pain has continued to be extorted by the gods for their benefit. Anything else you guys need my help with? I think I still have a few shards of my heart left I could set on fire to keep you all warm if you need."

He felt guilt as soon as the words left his mouth. He knew it wasn't Mesprit's fault this had all happened and he was venting his frustration on someone who had done nothing but try to help him. Luckily she knew he regretted speaking to her that way as soon as he said it and interrupted him as he moved to apologize.

"My sisters and I are aware that none of this is ever what you wanted Rei. I know you can't see the big picture of why this all happened yet but please trust us when I say we all are advocates of what's best for you."

"I don't know what you mean by big picture but I think we've already passed the point of keeping me from getting hurt. If everyone really had my best interests at heart I would have just been left at home with my family so I could have a normal life."

A hint of something in Mesprit's expression caught Rei off guard as she hesitated to respond. What had it been? Discomfort? Pity?

"Rei just promise me whatever happens you'll stay strong. I really can't say more than that but remember those of us that truely love you will always have your back, even when it doesn't feel like it. You will get through this and it will be ok."

What she was saying felt kind but it was still the same cryptic bullshit he always got from gods he dealt with. He got the feeling they were all playing games he didn't understand. No one was willing to share the rule book with a human even if that human was doing the heavy lifting for them. Arceus wouldn't explain anything, Mesprit apparently couldn't, and everything in his life was deteriorating rapidly again with little sign of improvement. What comfort was he supposed to get from words that felt so empty? All he had ever asked for was to go home.

Rei sighed and held out his arms. Mesprit immediately floated down into them and accepted his quiet request to cuddle. Rei started to gently stroke her head as he cradled her as if she was the one who needed comforting and not him. It wasn't worth getting into an argument about. If she really did want the best for him like she said and was clearly doing what she could to comfort him then he couldn't be mad at her. Rei didn't always understand the Pokemon he had trained but he had never once thought they had poor intentions for him. Not in the way humans did anyway. If she was being truthful maybe he should just trust her and try his best to push forward. It was the only course of action besides giving up anyway.

"I love you too and I really want to believe things will be ok but you're making it hard for me to understand what's happening."

She looked sadly up at him and curled her plumes around his wrist, squeezing it gently.

"I know Rei. Please just give us time."

Seeing that he wasn't going to get any more out of her Rei resigned himself to just try and make the best of the situation. He might not be able to get any big answers out of her but maybe she'd be willing to help him with some smaller ones.

"Did Volo know I loved him Mesprit?"

Rei was fairly certain of the answer but he had to be sure moving forward. Mesprit laughed again as if he had just told her a very funny joke. Rei didn't see any humor in it but then again he didn't know what she did.

"He didn't have a single clue! He's so dense Rei, all he could think about was finding Arceus! I don't think he ever stopped to see your emotions clearly like he should have. Even a regular old human like him should have been able to tell what you were feeling! If there was ever a cautionary tale of how obsession can blind you it's the story of how badly he failed. You would have given those plates to him in exchange for a smile and a thank you. Maybe it's luckier he didn't notice, hmm?"

She made a very good point. He wasn't completely sure if Volo still would have handled things the same way or not but it was a very real possibility he could have leveraged it to his advantage. Or maybe he wouldn't have wanted it to be that easy? He didn't even try it the first time and he at least knew Rei saw him as a very good friend. No one had forced him to explain his plan or intentions. Would the nature of Rei's feelings have made any difference at all? It probably wasn't even worth worrying about at this point.

"I would have done a lot just to see him happy. Arceus strike me down for feeling this way but I still... want him to find peace. Haven't we all been through enough already? I never wanted him to suffer like this..."

It still felt infuriating to Rei that Volo had hurt him so deeply but the feelings he had buried still managed to resurface the moment Volo came back into his life. Was it a weakness to still care for people who hurt you or just a painful life lesson about the reality of just how complicated feelings could be?

Mesprit gently patted his hand and Rei was torn from his thoughts as she commented on what he was feeling.

"You aren't weak Rei, your compassion is your greatest strength! I know it doesn't always seem like it but giving in to despair and losing that part of yourself would be tragic... Can I show you something?"

"Show me something? I mean yeah of course you can, what-"

Rei stopped talking as the entire cave around him vanished and immediately gave way to the flowering beauty of Cogita's yard. It felt as if he was actually there himself although he knew he probably wasn't anymore physically there than he was in Mesprit's cave. Psychic Pokemon had fun ways of doing demonstrations like this but if you weren't used to it it could be alarming.

Rei suddenly saw a very familiar looking young man enter the ancient retreat cradling a small Pokemon with a very excited looking Volo trailing close behind after him. Considering that he clearly had two functional legs it couldn't possibly be anything other than a memory he was watching unfold. It had to be, he could remember this exact thing happening.

Rei watched sadly from a new perspective as his past self proudly showed off his latest capture to his crush. Volo seemed legitimately impressed as he gave her a once over appraisingly.

"So you've really caught her then! Rei, thats an incredible feat! What immense power she must hold! She'll surely make a worthy addition to your team! You know I believe this makes you somewhat of a legend yourself now!"

Volo's eyes sparkled in excitement as he leaned forward trying to get a better look at the Pokemon Rei had cradled in his arms and heaped on compliments. He felt a little bit of heartache watching as his past self nearly fall over with joy at being able to get Volo's attention and approval. At the time it felt like the biggest accomplishment he could make. Now all he saw was his past self digging his own grave. How had Volo managed to blind him to reality so much? Even now he could see the way Volo was evaluating Mesprit as a potential opponent he'd have to face in the future.

Rei watched his past self gently stroke Mesprit's head exactly the same way he was right now.

"Well I mean yeah she probably is really strong, but look! She likes to cuddle! I took her out of her PokeBall to heal her after I captured her and when I was done she grabbed onto me with her plumes and wouldn't let go! I carried her all the way here like this because you had to see how cute she is! I think she's got a jolly nature but I'll have to spend more time with her to tell for sure."

Volo seemed taken aback by Rei's response and gave him one of the delighted smiles Rei had fallen for in the first place. Right, that was why it had happened... Even seeing the memory of how happy Volo had made him was hard. His heart ached even more than before now.

"I bet she would like that very much Rei. Just don't wait long to go and capture the rest! I eagerly await our next outing together you know."

Rei felt the urge to go and try to restart his past self's heart because clearly it had stopped beating. Seriously, could Volo not see how hard he had been blushing right then? Mesprit had been right, he might as well not even bothered looking at Rei for all the clues he was absorbing from him.

"Y-yeah okay!"

Rei watched his past self squeeze Mesprit to his chest and try not to scream. Rei was incredibly tempted to yell "It's not a date dumbass!" but he didn't think it would do anything. He was starting to feel embarrassed watching this. He had been so naive... and so short.

Volo and past Rei continued to enthusiastically discuss their plans together but present Rei didn't want to listen to anymore.

"Why are you showing me this Mesprit?"

His throat was starting to close up a bit. He really didn't want to spend any more time reliving this than nessisary. Did she think that these memories didn't stick with him and replay in his mind over and over at night when he couldn't sleep? When he felt lonely? When his emotions boiled over the wall he had built up around them to remind him all of it had been a sham?

"Because that's the Rei I first loved and still want to be happy! Can't you believe me when I say that I want to protect him? Look at how gently he holds me! Look at the way he immediately figured out just where I liked my head scratched! He still remembers too!"

Rei smiled a little bit despite himself. Of course she hadn't been trying to show him Volo specifically, she had been focused on the two of them.

"Okay okay, I get it. I'm your special little boy. If you say you've got my back I believe you."

Rei leaned down and gently kissed the top of Mesprit's head. She grinned up at him return.

The bright sunshiny garden around them melted away to reveal the dimly lit cave again.

"My cave is your cave Rei! Just lie down and take as much time as you need to process your emotions. I'll stay here with you until you finally wake up. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get back to your body ok when you do."

"Thanks Mesprit, you're literally the best."

Rei sat down and held Mesprit in his lap, playing with her little tail feathers and laughing as she made a fake offended expression at him. He was really happy to see her again and what she was doing really was helping. He invoked a huge wave of appreciation from deep in his heart and smiled as her face lit up. She pushed one back at him and her power hit with a force so strong Rei fell over laughing even harder from the joy it made him feel. They ended up just lying there together and giggling for a while until they calmed down and Rei's thoughts began to drift again.

Rei knew why he felt the way he did about Volo but why did Volo care at all? Given their history together it didn't make much sense but maybe it at least some of it came from how they both felt exploited and tired. There was comradery in exhaustion with the world being how it was. Rei just happened to have handled it much better than Volo did. Volo had been jealous of Rei but maybe he didn't hate him as much as Rei had originally assumed. He could admit some of it was likely just projection on his end. He had every reason to hate Volo but Volo had much fewer reasons to hold a grudge against him. He seemed to have let it go pretty quick when he realized how much Rei hadn't wanted Arceus's favor in the first place.

Rei didn't think he had trained pokemon for the same reason Volo had but then again could he even be so sure about that? Had Kamado really wanted all those Pokemon caught to build an army to take land and expand? Rei had never once got the feeling that was Kamado's current reason for asking for so many to be caught but what would he decide to do when the expansion of Jubilife could no longer be contained in the walls? Other towns would soon follow at an explosive pace after this. People were immigrating to Hisui even more these days than ever. The village had already expanded rapidly in the years since Rei had first set foot in it.

Thinking about the sprawling towns and cities of Sinnoh without a whisper of the Diamond, Pearl, or Ginko settlements in them approximately a century and a half from now in comparison with the sparser population now and he couldn't imagine any other way. How many people being shipped in during that time period would it take to amass the modern population of Sinnoh? Were the other settlements just absorbed into them willingly or had they been forced to assimilate? Had there ended up being a war? He honestly didn't know. It could have been nothing at all and they just didn't use the names they did before. He just couldn't shake the feeling that any of them would want to give those names up.

Out of all the people to never pay attention in history class Rei felt like he regretted it the most. He had moved from Johto to Sinnoh only around a year before being taken for his Dad's work and had it even worse since he missed a lot of what they taught in local history. Maybe he had actually been completely wrong and there was something in Sinnoh he had just never heard of before. If that was the case would he have increased tension between Ginko Village and Kamado by reporting he had never heard of them surviving past this time period? Even if it didn't Kamado was clearly going to be more on edge knowing what they had been secretly doing anyway.

Whatever the answer ended up being Ginko Village had been the only settlement to decide not to take chances. The Diamond and Pearl Clans with their history as settlers themselves probably saw Kamado's reasoning for being here to be just as valid as theirs was. Ginko Village, however, was full of descendents of the ancient Sinnoh bloodline. With the Diamond and Pearl clan constantly warring over their religion the realization this new group of people with superior technology were coming in to start taking land and resources had probably been more than they were willing to put up with.

Jubilife had started taming Pokemon in numbers never seen before seen in Hisui and it must have scared them. The traditional way to bond with Pokemon by being raised with them didn't provide nearly enough protection to defend themselves. It was unnatural to all of them and they had all regarded it with suspicion until they realized no amount of it could stop the march of progress that was about to change Hisui forever.

Volo's misery had clearly been a product of the religious conflict that never seemed to leave this region and anxiety that what the future might hold would be worse. He wasn't in the right for the way he had decided to handle it but maybe his dream of a better world had been born from days of war and loss he'd rather be erased forever.

Everyone in the Diamond and Pearl clans seemed to have some story of lost loved ones from it. Irida and Adaman had been made clan leaders much too young for a reason. They kept a shaky truce out of fear things could deteriorate again. However even they had been so indoctrinated into it that they couldn't keep away from each other's throats since the first day Rei had met them.

When Rei was younger people would try and talk gently to him about the wars. They'd insist that everything would be ok as long as the peace was kept but Rei saw the tension was still there. It was in the faces of both clans whenever they talked about it. Whenever he had seen an argument between Irida and Adaman it made him sad to know that what he was seeing was by all accounts the greatest peace those two clans had known.

But those days were over now that everyone had seen Dialga and Palkia for themselves, right? He'd tried his best to make sure of it. He wondered if that mattered at all to Volo or the rest of Ginko Village. Ginter and Tuli acted the same way they always had when he greeted them at the merchant cart. They didn't talk openly about Volo or what had happened. No one did. They only whispered about it when they thought Rei couldn't hear. They all knew the final confrontation with Volo had been one of the last major blows before his breakdown.

In some ways Rei wondered if that was the reason Pesselle had been so willing to give him another chance to join the Med Corps at all. She'd been there every time he had gotten hurt out there chasing other people's problems. He had been clueless about everything when she had first evaluated him since he had no prior experience and nothing even close to medical training.

He'd failed the test she gave during his application miserably and begged her for one more chance to just show her an idea he had. She had been willing to hear him out and he'd explained the concerns he had about how the Med Corps were currently treating long term patients.

Pesselle had them all crammed together in a little corner in beds shoved too close together and surrounded by dividers. He'd been there enough times himself after being attacked during surveying to be very familiar with how suffocating it felt. On top of having to recover from the Pokemon attacks in an enclosed space, they were kept in a busy building with lots of noise and interruptions to their sleep. It made an already traumatic situation worse when it didn't need to be. People healed faster when they were calm and happy and had less emotional issues from the experience overall. What if he could help provide that for them? Injuries happened often enough there was demand for it.

Anyone in need of long term recovery could stay with him and he and his Pokemon could help take care of them. Sylveon had become quite good with his calming skills and could sooth even the most frayed nerves as a therapy Pokemon. Blissey's Lucky eggs provided nutrients that sped up healing and layered happiness and gratitude on top of Sylveon's calmness. Lilligant's Alpha stature made tasks like transporting people who were fall risks or too injured to walk no issue at all. She enjoyed doing all of it while gracefully bounding around and putting on a little show for the patients. She had no lack of showmanship and Rei had seen her get a laugh from even the people least thrilled by their situation. Chatot would join in with helping her entertain and it wasn't uncommon to hear uproarious laughter coming from Rei's quarters as they put on performances together.

Maybe Volo had been right about them being a bit of a circus but was that such a bad thing when it worked so well? Blissey alone would have been a powerhouse of healing by her very nature but the inventiveness of Rei's idea overall had proven him where background hadn't. Rei did not have a high rank and was not paid nearly the same as he had been for his survey work but it made him feel emotionally fulfilled in a way Pokemon surveying just didn't anymore.

Kamado had seen it as a bit too coddling when the idea had first been presented to him. However Pesselle insisted his method could make an important difference. She had debated back and forth with Kamado for a long time arguing that it was worth trying. Eventually they came up with a compromise of Rei doing medical ingredient collection on the side to free up more time for the Supply Corps to keep up with the rising demand for Pokeballs. His field experience and strong Pokemon made him perfectly suited to forage safely off the main paths anyway. It made Rei wonder how Volo would feel about that being Kamado's priority.

Mesprit suddenly gave a big yawn from where she had curled up on his chest and stretched out her little limbs until she was flat like a pancake against him, lying on her belly. He still knew she was an ancient and powerful Pokemon like Volo had told him but to Rei she would always be a cutie pie just like she had been the day they met. He found himself smiling again as he gave her a gentle pat. Maybe it was time to stop thinking and just sleep a bit while he had the opportunity.

Rei closed his eyes and started to drift off once more, this time much more prepared to face the challenges to come. He wasn't completely ok but he didn't feel as overwhelmed anymore. Rei did not dream as he entered true sleep. He felt a radiating calmness that pulsed through to his core. If it was Sylveon or Mesprit who was doing it he couldn't be sure but he knew in his heart it didn't matter. The fact it could be either one of them was proof that he was very loved by his friends and that was what he really needed right now.

Chapter Text

Rei did not wake up all at once but slowly and gradually in waves. He heard voices speaking around him and while he recognized the words, they didn't register in his mind the way they should. Someone was trying to speak through choked sobs. He couldn't focus enough to even register who's voice it was. Sleep quickly rushed back to claim Rei for a while longer and he didn't fight it.

More time passed before consciousness slowly resurfaced for Rei again. He felt himself lying on a familiar hospital mattress. His body felt incredibly light and the only weight was a purring little lump in the middle of his chest that had to be Sylveon. Whatever Mesprit had done to him felt like a complete reset of both his body and emotions. He could feel the anxieties of his situation start to trickle back in now that she had left but they were no longer unmanageable. He was prepared to cope with the situation again and that felt like an invaluable blessing.

Rei was mostly awake now but stayed completely still as he heard voices on both sides of him whispering. Pesselle and Volo were probably trying not to wake him up with whatever they were talking about.

Volo's voice was wavering and anxious while Pesselle's was soothing and gentle in her replies. Rei had to try very hard to make out what they were saying and managed to catch a small snippet of the conversation.

"Perhaps while in Johto you could find a job and a new place to stay where no one knows... What you attempted to do. You know that Kamado is only the beginning, people will see you as a pariah no matter where you go in Hisui... Why not take the fresh start? It would be so good for you!"

"Absolutely not! I would never abandon my homeland! Do you think I would have roughed it like the damn Miss Fortunes do if I wasn't determined to stay? I could have left at any time for a new region to start over in! I grew up here and everything I care about is so deeply rooted here that if I left I wouldn't even know who I was anymore... The problem is I'll likely never be accepted anywhere in Hisuian society again and can you imagine trying to survive as I had been like this? I barely survived the winters before! I'll end up either displaced or starving in the wilderness and both options... They horrify me Pesselle. I can't accept either."

"Well the Medical Corps certainly wouldn't leave you to starve! Most of the Galaxy Team is more reasonable than Kamado if you can believe it. He just doesn't always listen to what we have to say... I'm not sure what we'd be able to set up for you but there has to be somewhere in this region you could live peacefully..."

"What comes after that then? I don't doubt the prosthetist Tomma recommends is world class but what does it matter? I haven't any money! I need to be able to explore ruins and hike through Hisui like I always have! I can't sit still, I've always kept moving and on my feet! I wouldn't mind crutches for some things closer to home but they probably aren't ideal for that you know! If the prosthetic option is as good as Tomma reports then I'd have a better chance at getting things back to some semblance of normal if I got it!"

"Sweetheart you might not have a choice! I knew it would most likely be the option you'd want and I tried to prepare for it during surgery but If you can't afford it than crutches may be all we can do for you! I know it's not the ideal pick for your lifestyle but what matters is we get you as much independence as possible back."

"I-I just... I never thought this would happen to me. I was willing to chase this dream of mine until the ends of the earth but I never consitered what might happen if I fell off the edge... I blinded myself to the danger and the only world I ended up creating for myself was one without a safety net. Please don't take this as me being ungrateful for your help, you're fantastic at your job but you can't fix this for me."

"Volo please, let me get Sylveon and we can-"

"Sylveon doesn't change anything about how impossible this is to handle! I don't even have family to turn to for help! My mother is dead and I never knew who my father was! Could you imagine him stepping forward now to claim me? Give me help after never helping me after my mother died? I'm completely alone Pesselle! I'm... done for... I will only be written of as the biggest failure in Hisuian history. I cannot save my story now."

Volo was quickly deteriorating again and Pesselle seemed unable to talk him down despite how gentle she was being with him. He had been nearly shouting at some points and Rei knew it probably would be suspicious of him to not show he was awake. He wasn't sure if it counted as eavesdropping since they were right next to him saying it but he didn't want Volo to talk about something so clearly sensitive and not know Rei could hear him.

Rei made a soft little noise in the back of his throat and sat up rubbing his eyes blearily and gently moving Sylveon off his chest and onto his lap. Sylveon purred loudly and butted his head against Rei in excitement that he was finally awake.

Pesselle was sitting in the chair next to Volo's bed and Rei was between the two of them with Volo sitting as far off to the other side of the bed as he could to allow for Rei to have room to rest. His face was puffy from crying and from the looks of the handkerchiefs on the bedside table he'd been doing quite a bit of it.

The expression on Volo's face turned from anguish to one that was so genuinely full of concern and relief it made Rei want to scream. Was that reaction really genuine? And was he... blushing a bit? No, his face was probably just red from crying. Rei couldn't blame him for that, he'd be crying too in a situation like this. He wished Volo wouldn't look at him that way though, it did things to his heart he'd kick himself for later.

"Oh thank Arceus, you've awoken! I was so sca- ahem- I... might have misunderstood something about how you direct your Pokemon..."

"Sylveon can get a bit overeager sometimes, it's not on you. It was honestly nice of you to try. Its been hard recently I don't normally... fall apart like that."

"I could say the same... I'm afraid I'm out of options and there's not much left to do but fall apart..."

Was he serious? Rei really couldn't believe what he was hearing and his temper was sparked. He nearly spat out the next words and Volo recoiled in shock at his sudden outburst.

"Yeah I heard because you woke me up with it! Are you seriously going to pick *now* to let the rest of the world defeat you? I'm sorry I thought you were Volo, guy infamous for literally almost destroying it! You managed that well enough all on your own didn't you?"

It didn't feel very kind to shout at Volo during such a vunerable moment but Rei had to burn these feelings out of himself with sheer anger or he wouldn't be able to say what he had to next. Both Volo and Pesselle were immediately shocked into silence as he kept ranting with such a deep concern in his voice it surprised even Rei himself.

"Volo you are more determined than any other person I've ever met! If anyone can get through this shitty situation it's you! This kind of thing just sometimes happens! I know you didn't expect it but plenty of people get through this and live full and happy lives! If you're going to just resign yourself to be defeated without raising hell for everyone trying to stop you from getting the life you want after this attack I will be more disappointed in you than I've ever been! And that's really saying something!"

"Rei I-"

Rei got so desperate for Volo to hear what he was trying to say that he wasn't sure he could stop even if he wanted to. Everything was just spilling out of him like a tsunami and everything he ended up saying surprised him as much as it did Volo.

"When you left me on the top of Mount Cornet you told me your story was over then too! I didn't think that was true at the time and I don't think it's true now! You were also wrong about my plans, they have room for you too! You don't even have to trick me this time! You aren't alone at all and I won't allow you to take the easy way out now by giving up! And really, don't you think if you stopped acting like you could do anything now it would be really stupid? You actually need yourself like that right now."

Volo seemed to take the tough love much better than Pesselle's gentleness and his expression changed from one of shock to slightly insulted determination rather quickly. Rei knew then he had played his cards right. A man like Volo would be more motivated by a challenge than people's sympathy, especially if it involved his own ego. He hated losing and to know Rei still saw him with a begrudging respect as a threat after losing the temple battle clearly was a boost to it.

"If you say you won't allow it I suppose I'm the last to be able to stop Arceus's chosen hero. Do you have a plan?"

His eyes were so full of a hope now it made the full weight of his desire to keep things that way hit Rei like a train. He had to have a plan or at the very least seem convinced he could make one. There seemed to be two main concerns he had: safe housing in his homeland and funds for his preferred mobility aid. These were two things that would make adjusting to his new situation easiest for him and were completely reasonable for him to ask for. The part that sucked was just how hard it would be to provide for him due to his past. No wonder he was so fucked up about it...

"We will work all of this all out somehow, just... Give me time. Money can be made to get the prosthetic you need and I actually know a really good way we could try to do it. I don't know where you could live that's safe enough but I'm going to try and ask Cogita. If anyone knows somewhere in Hisui you could stay it would probably be her."

"Rei-"

"Can you at least believe that I won't let anything else bad happen to you? I'd never just abandon you like you didn't matter!"

Rei's voice cracked with emotion as he blurted out the last part and realized how much he really meant what he was saying. Volo didn't deserve to be given his help again after betraying him so horribly the first time, but there was nothing he could do to stop himself from feeling that way. Whenever he tried to will himself to the cracks just kept forming until it bled through. He didn't want Volo to suffer but he didn't want himself to either. He only wanted peace between them now and that revelation washed over him extinguishing most of his remaining animosity.

Volo's eyes grew just a bit brighter and the corners of his mouth inched upwards. His face was still puffy from crying and full of a gentleness Rei didn't understand. He seemed entranced by something about the strange connection they shared with each other now. It was definitely a very unique one anyways, pleading with your worst enemy this way was not anywhere near normal. Maybe that fascinated him?

To Rei's shock, Volo suddenly reached forward and hugged him tightly to his chest with such emotion Rei could almost feel it radiating from him in waves. It made his brain nearly completely shut down as sparks threatened to overload it. His lungs were already immediately out of commission. Rei's own face caught fire as he finally finished processing what was happening and he had to use every bit of his willpower not to make any noise.

Volo moved his lips so close to Rei he could feel them slightly brush against his ear as he moved in to whisper something. That on top of feeling his breath made Rei feel incredibly lucky he had locked in place because otherwise he'd have given all his feelings away right then.

"I believe you Rei. Thank you."

It felt both like someone had stabbed him in the heart repeatedly and the moment he had dreamed of happening for months on end years and years ago...a time when life was better than it felt right now. That was saying something consitering how hard it had been back then too.

Somewhere deep in his heart 15 year old Rei's desire to know what Volo's affection felt like was finally sated. Volo was holding him so gently it felt truely intimate and his lips felt so soft. Why the hell did someone so fucked up also have to be made of boyfriend material? Rei had never had a boyfriend before but if he ever managed to get one he'd want him to hold him exactly like this.

Rei's throat closed up as he tried not to tear up again and it was another unpleasant reminder of easy crying was for him. It was getting embarrassing quickly and he knew he was going through some shit but the shame still lingered reguardless. He'd been made fun of a lot in school for crying so much and he'd learned pretty quickly that when you turned that emotion into anger people left you alone.

Volo gently rubbed Rei's back a little and he let out a little involuntary gasp as his lungs kicked back into gear. He struggled with himself trying to get some semblance of a grip on the situation. It would have been easier if he could honestly say he didn't enjoy it at all. He noticed he could see Pesselle as he looked over Volo's back and It made his spine prickle to see how taken aback by this she looked. Her eyebrows were raised as she made eye contact with Rei and he tried to look as perplexed as she was by the hug.

What was she thinking? It hadn't exactly been the most heterosexual moment of his life and she'd just witnessed it in full view of his reaction. He had to do more damage control on this quick before things got more obvious. He loved Pesselle but even she was a risk when it came to potentially being outted.

Rei reluctantly pulled away from Volo and sat back on the bed trying to look as unaffected by what had just happened as possible. He needed to move on from it quickly and hope she got swept up in other parts of the situation again. She clearly didn't want to interrupt them because this kind of soap opera was the best they could do for entertainment in Hisui and she was invested. He'd need to give her something different to focus on because when she inevitably gossiped about what happened there were moments he'd rather she forget to feed the rumor mill.

Volo glanced apologetically at Rei as they awkwardly sat next to each other on the bed. He looked pretty embarrassed by what he had just done.The closeness they shared still felt electric to Rei and he had to force himself not to look at Volo and turn back to Pesselle. He seemed to have the same idea himself at the same time.

"W-well that's enough of that then! Thank you both for your support. I'm very sorry if I startled you awake Rei, I was hoping you'd at least get some rest while you were unconscious. It's been quite a few hours now hasn't it Pesselle?"

"Several, yes. Sorry if it's been a bit squished, I didn't want to risk moving Rei when he was in such an unusual trance..."

"Ah well I... really didn't mind it. I can only image this bed to be more comfortable than the flimsy futons Kamado has you using! For Arceus's sake, even the Diamond and Pearl clans have good mattresses these days! I would be willing to bet anything Kamado doesn't sleep on one of those futons!"

He wagged his finger a bit the way he did when he felt passionately about something. Watching him do it again made it hard for Rei to see him as the crazed madman who had summoned Giratina to subjugate Arceus for control of the world. They felt almost like different people entirely if his mask wasn't slipping at all. He seemed more willing to let it down now that his secret was out but there were definitely moments Rei recognized both in him.

Pesselle was giving Volo an odd look, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Rei wasn't completely sure why, people in stressful situations could act somewhat strangely and she knew that as well as he did. He doubted Volo would be so sweet to him if they had crossed paths again on a normal day. As of right now the two of them and Akari were the only support system Volo had as sad as that was. He should change the subject again anyway, no need to dwell on any of it.

"What kind of trance do you mean Pesselle? I was just asleep wasn't I?"

Pesselle shook her head and her eyebrows furrowed in frustration as she crossed one leg over the other in her chair.

"Not exactly... You were unconscious and didn't seem to be in any sort of danger but you were singing a song in-"

Volo didn't even wait for her to finish her sentence to give his input.

"In the Ancient Celestic language! Rei, when did you have Cogita teach you? I hadn't a clue you were interested in learning! Pesselle non potest intelligere quod dico. Quaeso indica mihi te electricitatem sensisse cum tetigerimus. Sentio ut aliquid sit iniuria!"

Pesselle raised her eyebrows at Volo and he gave her an apologetic look with his hands help up and palms faced outward.

"Volo if you're going to talk about me to someone else like that at least do it in a language I can understand! And don't interrupt me, I need to discuss this with Rei."

"M-my apologies! Please continue!"

Volo backed off from the conversation but stared at Rei expectantly waiting for a reply. He looked downright stressed out about it and kept twisting his hair around to try and sooth himself. Unfortunately for him Rei didn't have any idea what he had said. Cogita had never taught him any Ancient Celestic and he didn't know a single word in it except for "volo" which translated to "I wish" or "I want". Volo himself had told Rei that though, not Cogita.

"You were singing a song in a long dead language and I feel like that might be cause for concern. You are barely capable of communicating in the dialect of this era at times and I don't believe for a second you've sat still for long enough to learn something even older."

"You are completely correct. I have absolutely no idea what I was saying but I do remember singing it before I woke up. I learned that song phonically because Calaba would always sing it. She said it was an old song passed down from her ancestors in Johto. I always thought it was in an ancient language from Johto, I have no idea why it's in Ancient Celestic. Is that what they spoke there?"

Volo realized there was an opportunity to be a huge geek and took it before Pesselle could even get the first syllable out of her mouth to reply.

"It-"

"No, Ancient Celestic was only native to Hisui! It's a language with a rather complex grammer that requires a chart to learn how to-"

"VOLO!"

Pesselle absolutely hated being interrupted and twice was more than she was willing to let slide. Volo shrank back down into the bed a bit meekly and Rei had to work very hard to resist the urge to burst out laughing. How much of a dork he could be was Volo at his absolute best in his opinion. Rei had never been one for studying himself but the way Volo got so excited about it actually made him want to learn too. He'd been the only one able to help Rei properly learn all the words that weren't used as much in modern times anymore. He'd made it fun even. If only he had decided to be a teacher instead of a menace to society.

Rei had filed those nice moments away as just another thing Volo had done to gain his trust but now he wasn't completely sure. It seemed like he was being honest in his interest to teach them something he was interested in but what exactly was truely genuine for Volo was a baseline Rei didn't have. Had he actually enjoyed it back then too?

"Come on Pess, he's an expert on it! I promise you he's found out the entire history of Ancient Celestic and then harassed Cogita for every word of it she knows. We should hear what he has to say about it, I did ask."

Rei gave Volo an encouraging smile to try and sooth him a bit so he'd continue but it only seemed to make him falter harder. He hid his face in his hands and Rei's smile was quickly replaced with a look of concern. Was he ok?

"Cur sic sentio? Animum perdidi?"

Volo muttered the words under his breath bitterly while he pulled his blanket over his head. He turned sharply to face back towards the wall and away from the two of them. It felt a bit extreme of a reaction to having been scolded a bit by Pesselle but considering how much stress he was under Rei wasn't going to judge him for it.

Pesselle looked incredibly tired and instead of continuing to escalate things she just sighed. It was sad to see, she had been through a lot too and hadn't even had Mesprit to help.

"I give up. Rei do you feel like you are in any danger from what happened? Any lasting symptoms?"

Rei shook his head.

"Nope I'm good. Just had an unusual dream. I feel completely safe and honestly a lot better."

"You do seem to be in better spirits... Well if you do have any concerns please come get me. I'm not sure what I could do to help but you know I'll try my best."

"Aww... Hey Pess can I have another hug?"

Rei smiled sweetly and put Sylveon on the bed next to Volo before sliding off it. He held out his arms to her and she fell for it immediately like a sucker, standing up and putting her arms around him.

"Yes of course you ca- HEY!"

Rei immediately picked her up and started spinning them around in a circle while laughing wildly, careful not to accidentally hit her on anything.

"Cheer up Pess! It's almost time to go home! You'll be able to completely leave all of this for the night while I live in a perpetual torment of my own making!"

"REI PUT ME DOWN IMMEDIATELY!"

She was trying very hard to sound angry but there was an undercurrent of laughter she wasn't able to hide for very long. Rei did and she flushed hard as she smoothed her apron back out.

"I've really never met anyone willing to push their luck as much as you do."

"I know when I finally fuck up too hard you'll be there to patch me up."

"I can't cure everything, please try and remember to use your common sense. I know you have it and you just choose not to use it."

"I would never stoop to those kinds of tactics!"

He said the last part with such an offended tone it made Pesselle laugh again and shake her head at him. She was finally in a good mood again and it felt like a little bandaid slapped over his heartache to see it. She gave him a real hug this time and he hugged her back, relaxing into her arms. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Volo had emerged from hiding just enough to watch them. He tried to hide his expression before Rei could see it but he wasn't fast enough.

It was the same bitter expression he had worn when Arceus had sent the Azure Flute to Rei instead of him. He was jealous. Rei hadn't picked up on him having any sort of crush on Pesselle but then again he hadn't been awake the vast majority of the time they had been talking. She had obviously been very kind to him despite everything he had done and while she was older than him at 26 years old it wasn't too ridiculous of an age gap. He'd never expected the match up but it wasn't like it didn't make any sense. Rei felt his own sharp jab of jealousy and had to do his best to only curse inside his head.

His mood was sharply dipping again and he looked away from Volo to try and focus on Pesselle again. He was going to force himself not to care. He had absolutely no reason to pay any attention to who Volo liked anymore. Besides, Pesselle was just doing her job not looking for a boyfriend. It was incredibly unlikely she'd ever agree to date him, she was way too reasonable to make such a stupid decision even if she did like him back.

"Alright then, let's step out of the bedroom and get you caught up on a few things before I leave. I'm sure Akari will be over soon enough with dinner and I have my own to get to. I didn't expect to have to stay this long but it did give me plenty of time to discuss things with Volo so at least that's out of the way. Volo, do you have any other questions for me before I go?"

"No."

"Well I'll be back tomorrow if you think of anything else or have any other concerns."

"Yes ma'am."

Volo did a miserable flop back onto the bed and pulled the covers over his head again. Pesselle regarded the lump with pity for a moment before motioning to Rei to follow her back out into the main room. Rei shut the sliding door behind them and went over to the cooking area where Pesselle was standing. She had a big smile on her face again and it confused him until she started to heap praise on him. Then it was downright baffling.

"Fantastic work Rei, I couldn't be prouder! I have to admit what you did was risky but you knew exactly what would work to motivate him when I didn't! You've really done so well recently that-"

She started to tear up a bit and took both Rei's hands in hers. She squeezed them a bit while beaming at him with such pride it made him blush a bit.

"-After this I'll finally get to rank you up!"

Rei wasn't sure she'd feel so eager to give points if she had been there when Volo had waken up and it made him feel guilty. He wasn't about to rat himself out though. Plus he could use the raise, he didn't make fuck all compared to what he used to. Ranking up in the Medical Corps was a lot harder than in the Survey Corps because most of the difficult work required more medical training than he had.

"Does this mean I'll have to change the kind of work I do?"

As exciting as it was to finally be consitered for a promotion Rei really didn't want to leave the little niche he had carved for himself. It wasn't always glamorous but it was simple and fulfilling. After everything he had been through that's all he really wanted.

Pesselle let go of Rei's hands as she shook her head.

"No, I think what you're doing now has been an incredible help. I'm really just interested in getting you to train the rest of the Medical Corps in the use of medical partner Pokemon. I don't think the others were very keen on it before you joined us but I really get the feeling you've sold them on it by now! I'm certain it made a difference during Volo's surgery and when it's life or death that really matters. I think the Medical Corps should finally start to push past the boundaries traditional healing keeps us at, don't you?"

She was completely right, it was definitely the next step the Medical Corps needed to take. He'd been working very hard to prove to everyone in Jubilife that Pokemon did have a place in healthcare and it felt good to know it finally had paid off. In the future the idea of not having at least a Chancy or Blissey around to help was absolutely unheard of but before PokeBalls had been invented it just didn't happen very often. Rei had no idea what the lasting impact of his life in Hisui would end up having on the future but he knew the sooner people adopted Pokemon as a normal part of healthcare the better it would be for those who came after them.

"I think that's a great idea! I'll help you guys catch the Pokemon and I don't mind doing lessons! The real important part is bonding with your Pokemon and getting them to trust you so I don't think it would be too hard to learn anyway."

Pesselle shook her head a bit at this assessment.

"Working to gain a new Pokemon's trust might not be a big deal to a healthy young person like you but the rest of our team is frail older women much more nervous about getting attacked. Trust is a two way street and I'd like you to demonstrate how that works with Pokemon to them. They already have grown to respect your team and I think they are finally ready for this next step."

"Yeah that's a good point... I definitely still think I'm up for it though so just tell me when you want me to start and what Pokemon you had in mind!"

"Well... that actually brings me to what I wanted to speak with you about next. Obviously you will have your hands full with Volo for some time and his situation is much more complicated than we normally have to deal with. I don't imagine you'll have much time for anything else until this is over. We will have to house him here until he's ready to sail to Johto and employ the help of a particular prostheticist that Tomma swears up and down is the only one worth considering. Apparently he has quite the reputation in Scarmory feather metalwork although how exactly that translates into making prosthetics I haven't the slightest idea. All the ones I have ever seen have been built of wood."

"We could just start once he's shipped off then, no big deal."

"Rei... He really should have someone there to support him through this... You've been missing Johto yourself recently and while I know it's not the same time period you remember maybe you'd still enjoy staying in Ecruteak while he relearns how to walk?"

Rei suddenly saw where she was going with the conversation and hit the breaks on it so fast he was surprised he didn't lunge forward.

"No! Absolutely not!"

"I don't understand Rei, you were so eager to support him before!"

"I-its not the same! I'm not going to go on some weird work vacation with the guy!"

"I'm sure you'll have gotten much more used to being around him when it comes time to go! Why not at least consiter it?"

Rei wanted to scream at her with every ounce of the heartache he felt that that was exactly the problem. He could not allow himself to be put in a situation where he and Volo were alone like that. It already felt like hell to be around him and they had barely spent a full day in each other's company. How much he'd already backslid into his old crush scared him deeply. He wasn't looking forward what to the stay in his house would do to him let alone THAT.

"It's not happening! Look, I'm happy to help find him a place to stay and make sure he can afford the prosthetic but I will NOT do that to myself."

"Volo isn't going to hurt you, he's in no shape to start a new scheme!"

"He already has hurt me! Do you not remember how fucked up I was after the last time I "helped" him? I get that this is part of the job I asked for and I'm really sorry but I have to draw the line somewhere! I don't want to be around him for that long and my feelings matter too!"

Pesselle looked like she wanted to argue but didn't want to invalidate his feelings. She had seen the state he had been in when she had done a wellness check on him all those years ago.

"Alright then, I understand... it isn't very fair to ask that much of you so I won't force it. I still think you should take some time to consiter it before making a final decision though. This has all happened very quickly and emotions are still running high. I really think it wouldn't be as bad as you are assuming but I'll respect whatever you choose when the time comes."

Rei gave up on trying to make her understand. She couldn't possibly get it because he couldn't safely explain the main reason it was such a terrible idea to her. An eternity of time wouldn't change his mind on his decision anyways.

"Okay, fine. I don't think I'm going to change my mind though. Why do you even think he'd want me to go with him anyway?"

"Because he told me he did."

Suddenly the idea of eternity felt a lot shorter to Rei than it had only moments before. He found himself imagining exploring Johto with Volo and showing him all his favorite places he remembered from his childhood (the ones that existed right now anyway). In his brief fantasy Volo was excitedly telling him how glad he was he had decided to come and how much he enjoyed the time they were spending together. He reached out to hug Rei again and- oh god damn it he was so fucked...

"I don't even want to think about this right now."

"Alright, it's not urgent anyway. Would you at the very least be willing to help him find his Pokemon so if he does go to Johto alone he will be protected? He's worried senseless about them and we really should make sure they are alright..."

"Yeah of course, that's definitely more reasonable. I'll see if I can get Akari to keep an eye out for them during her surveying too. Between the two of us we should be able to find them."

Rei felt very relieved that there was a way out of that particular minefield but it didn't stop him from wondering about what the absolute fuck was going through Volo's mind. He'd been acting weird and some of it was excusable from stress but why the hell did he suddenly want to act like they were friends again? The fact he'd even have the nerve to say Rei should come with him to Johto was astounding. Did he just not get it? He'd have to set him straight about things.

"Very well, I trust you'd know more about finding Pokemon in the wild than I ever will. Remember to check the care plan for instructions and to work on keeping Volo's stress levels under control. He's emotionally unstable and keeping him calm will be the best way to avoid any incidents or dangerous behaviors. If he lashes out at you I want you to have Lilligant detain him and Sylveon work to keep him until control until I arrive. I don't get the feeling he will try anything but always be prepared for unpredictable responses to stress, especially with unstable patients."

"Pesselle I will amputate his balls next if he has big enough ones to attack me a second time."

"And if you try anything even remotely close to that I will make you wish Kamado had never let you return to Jubilife."

"That's fair."

"I've left you one of our transfer wheelchairs over there by your... strange orange object. Unfortunately they were not built for personal use so he can't operate it himself but I'm going to work with the supply corps to get him some crutches made. He's so tall none of the standard ones we already have would be long enough. I've already taken the measurements and I'll bring them over as soon as they're finished. Oh, and please remember what I said about using another life dew, he really does need to keep his strength up to heal properly!"

"You got it boss."

Pesselle ruffled Rei's hair affectionately before turning to leave.

"Please remember to keep your civility about you! I'm here to support you when you need to vent about things so don't take your frustrations out on Volo. We've got a long road ahead of us together so let's all just get along."

Rei smiled after her even though she was no longer facing him to see.

"Yes ma'am. I love you."

The last part caught her off guard enough to make her stop halfway through the door, her eyebrows raised.

"Is that some sort of confession?"

"No, I'm just worried that I never told you how much you matter to me."

"Then I love you too Rei. I hope you have a lovely night."

The door closed behind Pesselle and the last glimpse he had of her was a huge grin she was unable to suppress before she was out of sight.

Chapter Text

A long time passed without anything of note happening and the silence was a welcome relief. Volo had not emerged from under the blanket although from his breathing and movement patterns he didn't seem to be asleep. After checking on him and making sure he was fine for the moment, Rei had decided to take the opportunity to let his Pokemon out of their Pokeballs to eat. He also really needed to do a few household chores among other things he hadn't gotten the chance to since he'd been so preoccupied. Pesselle hadn't been wrong about emotions running high, they hadn't been doing much else since yesterday.

Rei found himself actually enjoying doing chores for once. It felt so good to have things slow down and be quiet again that even boring stuff like doing the dishes felt like a break. Lilligant had been kind enough to join him after eating and they had a good time together getting the various things they needed to out of the way.

Chatot flew from where he was eating at the fire pit to perch on top of the Rotom fridge. He pecked at the side of it a little bit while squawking.

"It eat?! It eat?!"

Chatot had slowly started to learn how to form his own two word sentences recently and it was really adorable to watch how he questioned the world around him. Rei put away the last of the dishes he had just finished drying and went over to where the fridge was. A pair of eyes had opened on the door of the fridge to stare up at the little bird pokemon pecking at it with such concern.

"Rotom doesn't eat the same food as us, buddy. It's made of electricity and is also a ghost."

Chatot didn't look like it believed Rei. It gave him a baffled look that he interpreted to mean "I know this box is not a ghost or made of electricity you foolish man". Rei had no idea if that was really what Chatot meant or not of course, it just made him happy to imagine it.

Chatot hopped over onto Reis shoulder (his actual favorite perch) with a flap of his wings and nibbled at his ear a little bit.

"Can sing?"

"I dunno little dude... It's kind of been a shit show and I know we normally do after dinner but it's not really a normal time right now."

"You normal?"

"Damn, don't roast me! You know I'm at least above average. Got straight "C"s and "B"s in school though..."

Chatot did not seem to have much of an opinion on Rei's poor study habits and begun to preen himself, unconcerned. Rei reached up and scratched his feathery little head a bit as he walked back into the bedroom. Sylveon was perched on top of the little mountain of blanket that was Volo and kneading little biscuits into it gently.

Blissey was seated on top of Rei's futon dozing off and perked up to wave when he appeared, beckoning him over to sit with her. Rei accepted her invitation and sat down next to her. He noticed she looked a bit different than she had before and it took Rei a moment to realize what had changed.

"Did you already lay another egg? That was fast."

Blissey nodded proudly and patted the new egg in her pouch with an affectionate little noise. Had he just not noticed it when he let her out of the PokeBall or had she laid it on his futon? Fucking hell, he'd have to wash it if she had wouldn't he?

"Please tell me you didn't do that where I sleep."

Blissey shook her head no and Rei let out an audible sigh of relief. He almost stopped to consider the mechanics of how laying an egg inside of a PokeBall would even work but decided he'd put his brain through enough today. Volo pulled the blanket off his head at the sound of Rei speaking and lifted his head up to look at him better.

"Hey. You feeling ok?"

Rei tried to sound completely neutral, as if he were just talking to anyone he just kinda knew on the street. Unfortunately he didn't feel that way at all and it probably didn't sound convincing. Rei had felt a lot of ways about Volo and neutral had never been one of them.

Volo nodded quietly and relaxed his head back down onto his pillow. His long golden hair spilt over the edge of the it like a delicate gilded fountain and it made Rei sigh a bit longingly. Volo had no reason to be as beautiful as he was and it made no sense why Arceus would bless his own enemy that way. Shouldn't there be some kind of rule that only people that wouldn't stab you in the back could look that angelic? His expressions were an even worse weapon wielded against Rei's heart. He had a way of seeming innocent when he wasn't. Sharp and calculating when he was focused. Tragically ethereal in madness. There was no one else like him on the planet and thank god for that because Rei didn't think he could handle more than one of them. But he did still have to handle one of them, didn't he?

The rush of lovesickness reminded Rei of a song he used to sing long ago when the emotional wounds Volo had left still felt fresh and he desperately needed to vent. It was one of the first songs he had learned to play on the ukulele when he first picked it up.

Rei had always taken piano lessons but when he decided he wanted something more portable to play on top of that his dad had been the one to offer to learn how with him. It kind of surprised him that his practical engineer dad would want to learn an instrument as whimsical as the ukulele. However they had so much fun doing it together that now it felt weird to imagine him without ever having had a ukulele in hand. They reminded him of home.

Rei reached over into one of the cabinets by his futon and pulled out his ukulele. Last year he'd managed to catch Ginter before a trade trip to Alola and asked if he could try and find one for him there. It hadn't been cheap but it felt worth what he had had to pay for it to be able to play again. There was a strange comradery he felt with the songs from the future he loved these days. They didn't belong in the Hisuian time period any more than he did.

He'd been spending a lot of time practicing ukulele while trying to write out the songs he remembered note by note from memory onto sheet music. He didn't want to forget even the stupidest corny pop songs as time passed and threatened to fade them from memory.

A plan formulated in Rei's head as he cradled the instrument in his arms, running his fingers along the familiar stings to comfort himself. Chatot nibbled at his ear a bit and flew over to his perch on the window alcove. He knew by now Rei didn't like to play ukulele with the extra weight on his shoulders.

Volo wasn't stupid, there's no way he didn't understand that Rei had been hurt by his betrayal. The real problem was that Rei couldn't directly communicate to him exactly why it had hurt so much without risking him reacting poorly to his sexuality. He needed to shroud his feelings in something.

Rei took a deep breath in and started to strum the song he had been thinking of from memory. His heart was pounding like a jackhammer but he managed to keep his expression as neutral as possible. He had to let it all out or he'd explode. His life was far from perfect but it had a hard won peace he wasn't going to give up so easily. He needed to find a way to free himself from the burden of pretending his heart hadn't been shattered and stop being denied closure for this anymore.

Rei looked directly into Volo's eyes as he started to sing and watched as they slowly widened with recognition of what he was doing.

"I don't know... If I'm in love with you or the idea of loving you.

It's unclear, I mean I used to feel so sure but I might just be immature.

I've been stuck on you for so long that it's hard to tell myself I may be wrong about the way that I feel for you.

For so long I would squeal over a single text from you. You.....

Cause it's not love when you don't talk anymore.

And it's not love when I never meant something to you.

So why did I ever catch these stupid feelings?

I knew when you told me I was cute that I was dreaming.

So now I'll try and tell myself my feelings have no meaning. They have no meaning.... They have no meaning...."

The song was intended to be sung forlornly but Rei did it with such intensity that there was no chance the pain in his voice was anything but his own personal feelings. Blissey gently rubbed Rei's back with a worried expression. She didn't understand the lyrics but she could hear how upset he was well enough not to need to. Volo shot up into a sitting position and several expressions flickered across his face as he processed the lyrics.

Confusion.

Recognition.

Complete shock.

Second guessing that recognition.

Fear.

Their eyes were locked together now as Rei continued to force Volo to bear witness to every ounce of heartache he had put him through. He silently pleaded with his eyes for confirmation he really wasn't just looking too much into this and Rei nodded his head ever so slightly. Volo reeled back a bit as if Rei had slapped him. His eyes were full of regret and as much as he clearly wanted to look away he couldn't seem to.

Rei realized he wasn't singing as much as wailing the lyrics melodically and tried to relax as he hit the second part of the song. He needed to move out of his feelings from the past and focus on the sadness he felt now for this part. His voice dropped to a low near whisper and Volo leaned forward to make sure he caught every word.

"Cause it's not love when you don't talk anymore.

And it's not love when you make me feel like I'm a bore.

And it's not love when I was the only one who's waiting.

And it's not love when there was no chance of you saying I love you too...

I love you too...

And I don't know if I'm in love with you or the idea of loving you.

It's unclear, I mean I used to feel so sure but I might just be immature.

I've been so stuck on you for so long that it's hard to tell myself I may be wrong..."

The silence that filled the room as the last word left Rei's lips was deafening but he refused to let it get to him now. Volo looked completely paralyzed. Rei wasn't even sure he was breathing.

He stared Volo down defiantly for a reaction as if daring him to start shit. What was he gonna do? Threaten to tell everyone Rei sang him a gay little song? No shit, music was about all he did in his free time and he was well known for it these days. People would laugh in Volo's face for taking one of his weird songs too literally. Trying to say anything else wouldn't hold any weight either. Rei had too good of a reputation to be brought down by the weak accusations of someone as distrusted as Volo.

If he tried to pull a hate crime it would just be one more insane stunt from a madman. Everyone would immediately turn on him like they were already primed to do and Volo knew it. He had him absolutely cornered socially and it felt so empowering to use his betrayal of everyone's trust against him this way.

Volo stared at Rei silently for several long minutes trying to process how he felt about him flipping his entire perspective of their relationship on its head. It probably made it even more dizzying being one of the most shocking ways you could do it in the 1800s. Rei had begun to almost wondered if it had paralyzed him somehow until he finally seemed to snap out of it enough to speak.

"R-rei..."

He was unable to get anything else out after that so Rei decided to take his turn first instead.

"You really hurt me Volo. I thought you were my best friend and I cared about you so much that when you betrayed me it really fucked me up. You gave me a mental breakdown so bad I didn't leave my house for days and it took me a long time to move on from it. Maybe you never actually cared about me since you were planning to get rid of me along with everyone else anyway but some of us actually cared about you. I'm never going to be able to fully trust you again and you deserve that judgement."

A look of intense shame overshadowed Volo's face and Rei gritted his teeth a bit. Did he...really feel bad for hurting him the way he had? He certainly didn't seem proud of it right now. Or even all that homophobic weirdly enough. Rei had been half expecting him to immediately snap back to fury to argue his position or act completely disgusted but instead he submitted to Rei's chastising with nothing but genuine regret in his voice.

"I..certainly do deserve it Rei. I'm so sorry. You were a good friend to me and have every right to be mad I betrayed your trust. You have no reason to forgive me and I don't believe I can ask for that but...I truly regret hurting you. I haven't an excuse to peddle you so I'll spare you any more lies."

Volo's tone was gentle and as sincere as he'd ever heard it but as good as it felt to finally hear an apology Rei didn't know if he could accept it as easily as that. If it ended up being a lie itself he would never forgive himself for being such a moron.

"Good because I'm definitely done with the lies. I've spent a long time trying to put all of this shit behind me and I don't want to have to quit moving on because you're here again. We don't have to be friends or anything but we should at least not fight with each other."

Volo nodded somberly and fidgeted his hands awkwardly where he sat. He didn't seem to know where to rest his eyes. Maybe a gay love confession had been a bit too much to add on top of everything else Volo had to process today. It still gave him a low buzz of anxiety to have to come out to someone again but it was so preferable to the alternative of silently suffering that he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Weirdly he found himself relaxing a bit as he watched a very flustered Volo try to compose himself after the brutal psychic damage he'd just been dealt. He'd idolized Volo so much growing up that finally putting everything behind him really helped him realize that Volo... was also just a very messed up person trying to cope with a fucked up world like everyone else. Not one that coped well obviously, but the cry for help was there. He wasn't perfect like Rei had always assumed beforehand but alternatively he wasn't completely the devil he thought he was after the temple battle.

Rei put aside his Ukulele and stood up, going to sit next to Volo in the bedside chair. He half expected him to flinch back but instead Volo leaned forward with such intense fascination that he felt like maybe disgust shouldn't have been what he was most worried about with coming out to him. Sylveon, (long since tired of trying to take a nap on top of Volo while he refused to hold still) jumped off the bed and ran into the kitchen to go see what Lilligant was doing. Rei took a deep breath and prepared himself for the interrogation.

"Rei, are you a homose-"

Rei interpreted the first question by holding up the palm of his hand and to Volo's credit he stopped speaking immediately. Whether or not Rei had continued to exclusively like men after Volo or if it had been a one off attraction from someone typically interested in women was not something he needed to know.

"My identity is no longer your business. Next question."

"How long did you feel that way?!"

"Uh... Since we first met."

Volo looked completely floored by this revelation. He really hadn't ever noticed a damn thing had he?

"Did you really find me that handsome?!"

Fuck it, he might as well be completely honest at this point.

"Absolutely gorgeous. You're the most beautiful man I've ever met. Shame about your aspirations though, they aren't so pretty. Kinda ruins the rest of it for me."

"Y-yes well..."

Volo's face was burning a deep crimson now and Rei was certain his wasn't much better. Maybe he'd gone a bit overboard with saying that but it was the truth and he stood by it shamelessly. Volo barely managed to whisper the next question as he started to lose his sudden confidence in questioning Rei.

"Are you seeing anyone?"

That question caught Rei completely off guard. Why the hell would he care?

"My personal life is also none of your business."

Volo looked visibly frustrated by how cagey he was being but didn't argue. Rei could only sigh. Volo was an information sponge and it was probably really interesting to hear about something that was taboo in this time period. He probably wouldn't be able to get much information about it elsewhere anyway. The issue was it just wasn't a part of Rei's life he needed to be involved with or know anything about.

"Look man, it's over. Don't worry about the details. I don't pursue people who screw me over like you did so it's never going to be relevant past how you need to be careful about my feelings. Just watch how you treat me now and don't do things like hug me. If we were just friends that would be fine and I wouldn't care but that's not what this is for me.

Also, if you say anything about this to anyone I will deny everything and make you deeply regret it. I am very tired of the shit you have already caused me to have to go through. Trying to ruin my reputation on top of that will make it immediately open season on you."

"I won't say a word! I couldn't say to trust me at this point but you know I have nothing to gain from your ire..."

"Glad we understand each other then."

Rei stuck his hand out and Volo stared at it for a moment before taking it. They shook hands although Volo continued to avoid eye contact. He really was taking this incredibly well despite that though. Maybe coming out wasn't really as bad as he had made it out to be in his head. He'd managed to do it twice now and both results had been favorable. Rei felt really relieved to discover he could breathe normally around Volo now. There would be no more feuding or festering hidden feelings so they could finally just get on with things like adults.

Volo's eyes trailed after him as he got up from the chair and stretched. Rei felt the hem of his t-shirt ride up his torso and it surprised him a little. It used to be so much baggier... He quickly put his arms back down to stop exposing so much skin but from the look of his expression Volo had already caught a glimpse. Seriously if he had enough blood in him to blush that hard then why did he have to waste another life dew to try and restore it? People from the Hisuian period could be so ridiculous about modesty sometimes...

"Your mouth is hanging open again. Hey Blissey, would you mind coming over and giving Volo another life dew? Pess said it was important or whatever."

Blissey immediately hopped up and obediently walked up to the side of Volo's bed, dousing him in another life dew. Volo let out a startled yelp as he was drenched and Rei couldn't help but snicker a bit to himself at how much he looked like a grumpy wet Growlithe afterwards. Instead of complaining Volo only flopped back down onto the bed in complete defeat. He didn't seem to have enough emotional energy left in him to do much more than passively accept the things that happened at this point. He wasn't nearly as worked up and wild as when he had first woken up and it really showed how much this had all taken out of him.

"Don't worry, it evaporates really fast and won't even leave a damp spot on the bed. Speaking of bed, would you like to finally get out of it? We have a wheelchair to move you now so you won't have to stay if you don't want to."

"Perhaps for dinner."

"Alright, tell me if you end up changing your mind before then."

Rei moved to stand up but before he could he was ambushed by one more question he hadn't been expecting.

"...Do you hate me now Rei?"

Rei wasn't so sure how to answer. If Volo had asked that when he had first arrived Rei would absolutely have said yes. Now he wasn't so sure anymore. It wasn't that he was unable to hold a grudge, he still hated Kamado after all. It just felt different with Volo somehow. Reguardless of everything he'd put Rei through he couldn't bring himself not to care about him. A minute passed in awkward silence before Rei finally responded.

"I hate what you did to me. I hate that you tried to erase everything I ever cared about like both it and I didn't matter. I don't think I hate you despite all that though... I think you'd deserve it if I did but I just... I can't keep doing that to myself. I don't want any kind of feelings for you to take over my life again because it's only ever hurt me. I care what happens to you like I care about every person in a bad situation who needs my help but don't take it as any more than that."

There was a long silence as Volo clearly didn't know how to respond. Rei wasn't sure he even needed to though, it didn't really call for one. He had his own question to ask now anyway.

"Did I ever even matter to you? And for fuck's sake don't start lying to me now because it won't change anything and I deserve a real answer."

"It's... complicated. As a person alone without the jealousy of your status with Arceus to cloud my judgement I found you to be a good person and I... respected that.

You were willing to work hard to help other people despite the fact they often treated you unfairly. Your efforts only made you one more person caught in the cogs of a world that would never treat you as nicely as you deserved. Good people don't receive their dues for the effort Rei, that's the true tragedy of this world. It was infuriating and I truly did feel for you as I watched it happen. Your suffering trying to fix everyone else's problems was tragic. My own mother died when I was young trying to find a way to restore peace similarly and it's really the only sort of thanks people like you will ever get.

I could sit here and tell you that you were special for doing what you did but the world is full of naive people who think that their suffering for change will have any lasting impact to make it better. This conflict will only be replaced with another and then another after that. My dream was to create a world where this would never be the case."

"So you decided to do that by exploiting me yourself and chosing to erase everyone else who had ever existed against their will? Sounds like the only thing you were doing was making yourself the problem. You don't get to chose who deserves to exist or not and trying to make that choice for the whole world was evil of you. My life matters Volo."

Volo winced at this and Rei knew he had struck a cord hard. His voice dropped to a low whisper and it suddenly felt like he was about to be told a dark secret.

"I made a deal with Giratina to make him my patron and he bestowed immortality upon me as part of it. When you are immortal your view of mortality is changed very drastically. Short lives of under 100 years in the grand scheme of eternity mean very little. You would have all perished in the blink of an eye reguardless of what I did and only been replaced by more people come to suffer and repeat the cycle. I sought to break that cycle and thought of little else in the throws of my obsession. I gave you a chance to defeat me as Arceus's chosen hero as I thought it would be enough to prove to him my superiority and gain his favor over you but... I lost and he did not see it that way. After I lost the battle and my... less than kind words to Giratina... He summoned me and ended our partnership and my immortality. Not only had I not managed to convince Arceus of my worth but even Giratina found you more sympathetic."

"It probably wasn't hard."

Volo glowered a bit but took the jab without returning one of his own.

"I am not unaware I am the villain of your story Rei... but I had hoped to become the hero of a new one when yours ended. Fate found me the lesser author and now I sit here before you a pariah. If I had gotten what I wanted I'd be reigning over a perfect world free of suffering and loved by the masses for it. I'm not sure why Arceus built this world differently in the first place but it's not something I can accept. When I finally manage to meet him there is one question I need to ask above all others: Why did he invent suffering in the first place?"

That was honestly a very fair question and one Rei wanted to know himself. He didn't think either of them would ever get that answer though.

"I don't know why he invented suffering but I know he doesn't care about fixing it. If Arceus had given a shit he would have just shown himself to the Diamond and Pearl clans and explained that he was the real Almighty Sinnoh to begin with. Would have saved the rest of us a lot of bullshit and Hisui a whole lot of war. Maybe he does have some kind of reason for it but I don't feel impressed by whatever it is as the person who had to deal with it for him."

"Rei he's a God! He created the whole universe! He doesn't have to condescend himself to-"

"Yes the fuck he does if he wants to be any sort of authority figure here! This mess is his responsibility *because* he made it! I'm done with everyone fawning over him just because he's so powerful! How is he any better than Kamado with not wanting to solve his own problems? I'm done with both of them telling me what to do."

This perspective had apparently never occured to Volo and he seemed completely astonished by the boldness of it. In an era so heavily marked by deity worship this probably wasn't a common attitude to have. Rei felt done talking about it though. He'd heard enough to at least understand why Volo thought he had done the right thing even if he didn't agree with it. Lingering on it any more than this was just going to upset them both more and they'd had enough of that today already.

"Leave the greater good bullshit to Arceus because he's the only one who'd ever be able to manage it and he doesn't want your help. The fact he won't take responsibility isn't our problem to have to solve. I'm sorry about your mom and I'm sorry life sucks but stop making your issues everyone else's problem. People's lives matter even if they are full of suffering, it's why you're here with me and not left for dead in the wilderness. You've fucked your life up enough already so just try and find what peace you can in things and stop doing this to yourself. If you keep doing this bullshit you will end up dead eventually and apparently no one but me would go to your funeral."

Volo sat quietly for a few moments processing what had been said. Rei really thought he had gotten through to him for a minute before he actually answered.

"So you would go to my funeral then?"

"Is that SERIOUSLY what you took from all that?!"

Rei was almost about to lose his mind again and put them both back at square one until a sudden knock on the door saved him. He did his best to compose himself and stood up.

"And there's Akari with dinner! Perfect timing, I'm starving."

Chapter Text

Rei opened to front door to see Akari with a tattered and bloody Ginko guild backpack hung over one shoulder and an incredibly somber expression on her face. For a moment Rei and Akari could only stand in the doorway staring at each other in mutual melancholy.

"How bad was it?" Rei whispered.

Akari looked like she was going to cry. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her before answering.

"There was blood everywhere. I don't know how much of it was Volo's but I didn't find any signs of anything else that could have been bleeding. There were also smashed Pokeballs littered around the area but...there was something much worse as well...."

She reached into her satchel and pulled out two halves of a broken keystone. Spiritomb had not survived the attack. It wasn't unheard of for Pokemon to perish in battle but it was rare enough that it wasn't usually something people tended to worry about. Whatever had attacked had not been weak and had not been messing around.

Rei took the keystone from Akari and cradled it gently in his arms. It might not have been one of the pleasant Pokemon species to deal with but it hadn't deserved this. If it really had happened while Spiritomb was trying to defend Volo that made it all the more tragic. He had absolutely no idea how to break the news to him when he'd already been through so much today.

"C-can anything be done?"

Akari's wavering voice held a cautious hope in it that Rei felt absolutely horrible thinking about bringing down. He turned the keystone halves over in his hands appraisingly, trying to keep a level head and not immediately panic over the implications of what this might mean for the rest of Volo's team.

"Well... Spiritomb is a Ghost type Pokemon made up of a collection of human souls bound to a keystone like this. I really don't know if you could even consiter it alive in the first place so saying it's dead is a stretch but.... I actually have dealt with a similar situation before.

I had a Spiritomb that needed my help to collect her scattered soul wisps into a new keystone so she could reform herself. It took fucking forever to find all of them and it really sucked because they'd dispersed across the whole region but when I finally collected them all in the new keystone they were able to reform into Spiritomb again.

I'd guess that Volo's Spiritomb's soul wisps are probably floating around Coronet Highlands right now. We'd need another keystone to anchor them if we want to collect them again but the problem is I have no idea where to get one... Without it there's not really any hope."

Akari bit her lip and Rei gently hugged her from the side to try and comfort her.

"It was really nice of you to go get his stuff on your day off Akari. I'm sorry I don't have better news to share with you."

"It isn't your fault Rei... It seems like the world just wanted to fall apart today. When he begged me to go check the area I was hardly about to deny him the peace of mind although I don't believe that's what I ended up bringing back... Have you and Volo been getting along at least?"

"Err.... On and off yeah. I think we've kind of come to an understanding over things. He's really stressed out though and I think I might not be helping. I'm glad you're finally back, you're better at dealing with him than me."

"That's because I don't openly despise him."

"I mean I'll stand by that being better than what I can manage most of the time. When you were gone Kamado came by to try and kick him out of town because of course he did."

Akari groaned and put her face in her hands.

"Perfect, another problem. I'm assuming he didn't manage yet?"

"No but he's probably going to make an ass of himself about it again when his paranoia finally outweighs his desire not to fuck with me. He knows I'm good for a throwdown over this."

"Rei, he will win immediately if you challenge him to a physical altercation."

"That is kinda his thing yeah... I can probably kick him in the shin before he sumo throws me though."

"Volo's fortunate to have you on his side then. You might buy him a full minute that way."

"Thanks, I try. Can I see his bag?"

Akari passed Rei the tattered bag and he examined it closely. The tears seemed to just be normal wear although one of the straps was broken. None of the damage looked like they had been made by claw marks at all let alone Darkrai's. It didn't tell him anything and although he hadn't really expected it to, it was still frustrating. He wanted to know for sure what was out there deciding to rip people's feet off. If this was a one time thing or just the first victim was not something he'd prefer to wait to find out. Rei handed Volo's bag back to her but put the pieces of Keystone into his own.

"Akari, I need to go to Coronet Highlands right now. If Spiritomb was this badly hurt then we have no reason to believe Volo's other Pokemon are alright or even alive at this point. I need to go and summon Ursaluna to see if they can be tracked from the site of the attack. Please for the sake of Volo's remaining shred of sanity do not bring up Spiritomb until I get back. We've had enough crises today and I want some time to think about how we are going to handle this before we go upsetting Volo more than he already is."

"Of course. Do you not want me to go with you though?"

"Normally I would but I need to move fast and I'll have to take Braviary since he's the quickest. Your Staraptor wouldn't be able to keep up and Braviary doesn't do multiple passengers. I'll also need to take all my Pokemon with me because whatever attacked Spiritomb and Volo is incredibly violent and probably at large if the rest of his team didn't manage to take it down. As much as I wish I could just put this off until tomorrow it might mean life or death for the Pokemon we're still missing and enough time has passed it might be too late already. If you don't mind staying here and eating dinner with him I'll try and make it back as soon as I can."

"Have a bite or two before you leave at least, you'll need your energy. I'll help gather your Pokemon back into their Pokeballs if you hand them to me."

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate the help today Akari."

Rei handed over his Pokeballs and spent the next few minutes shoveling his portion of the potato mochi Akari handed to him into his mouth. He could hear the voice of Volo greeting Akari in the other room along with the unmistakable sounds of Pokeballs being used. He didn't stop chewing to really register what they were saying behind the bedroom door but Volo's tone of voice sounded grateful.

It was probably very comforting to have his belongings back although he was probably going to be disappointed when he finally asked if she had seen any signs of his Pokemon while out there. Hopefully she'd be able to come up with an answer to keep him from worrying too much. Sylveon had to come on the expedition with Rei as he and Lilligant were his strongest battlers and another stress inducted episode from Volo could be trouble while he was gone. As much as he absolutely despised leaving Akari alone in that situation, he knew she had her own Pokemon with her and was more than capable of taking care of herself.

As Rei finished his food, he suddenly remembered he was still in his flimsy Tshirt and shorts. He needed something much sturdier if he was going to go out and potentially meet Volo's attacker. He wasn't sure how much it would even help given what it had managed to do to Volo and Spiritomb but some protection was better than none. It would mean having to go back into the bedroom without alerting Volo to the fact something was wrong through. He'd need to act casual about this.

Taking a deep breath in Rei went into the bedroom with his hands in his pockets trying to put on his best bored look. He'd had a lot of time practicing it in class so it came pretty natural to him at this point. Volo looked up from the bed where he was sitting and rummaging through his bag. Rei suddenly became hyper aware that Volo was now one of the incredibly limited number of people who knew his deepest secret. Rei didn't have many of them as he preferred to be an open book but this one could be downright dangerous to him so he kept it close to his chest. Would Volo start judging him for it? Treat him differently? He expected Volo to at least seem uncomfortable but he only gave Rei a soft smile as he greeted him.

"Oh, done eating already then?"

"Yeah, have you eaten yours yet?"

"I will shortly, my belongings have to be accounted for... I have many interesting finds discovered while foraging over the years you know! It couldn't possibly pay for the whole prosthetic but it should make us a fine head start if we can find a buyer! I'm sure if you took them to Ginter he could give a fair appraisal..."

Volo was as single-minded and headstrong as ever and it was already getting in the way of his health. He didn't need to be worrying about raising money immediately when he still had such a long road to recovery ahead. Rei picked up the large bowl of Potato Mochi from his bedside table and held it out to him.

"Eat or I'll have to sit here and feed you like I did Calaba. I promise you she wouldn't recommend it."

Volo only responded by opening his mouth for Rei to feed him and continuing to rummage through his bag. Rei's face burned bright red.

"Oh my god, you are unbelievable."

Volo smiled sweetly, closing his mouth again and narrowing his eyes. He wagged his finger at Rei teasingly.

"Now Rei you already told me earlier, remember?"

Rei's ears were burning now and Akari was starting to stare at him with concern. She put her hand on Rei's shoulder and he remembered to take a few deep breaths to calm down. What the hell had all that just been though? Volo hadn't even seem phased by being that flirtatious with a guy he knew had feelings for him. He even had the audacity to weaponize those feelings for teasing which was an incredibly strange move on his part. If Rei hadn't known better he would have thought Volo was actually doing it to flirt with him. Rei felt very humiliated about how much he had liked being teased by Volo even if he was mad about it. Volo was so much more confusing that he remembered... It was best not to dwell on it though. He'd be gone eventually and it's not like it would matter then.

"Come on you two, don't fight! Rei just leave the bowl on the side table and I'll make sure he eats while you change."

Rei thought about it and decided he could live with that as an alternative to dumping the bowl over Volo's head. He set the food on the side table before going back to the right side of the bedroom where his futon was. He pulled the divider for privacy before going to his belongings and gathering what he needed. Akari had put his 4 Pokeballs on top of his futon along with a safer change of clothing she'd pulled from his closet. It made him smile that she was also concerned about him remembering to take care of himself. Luckily he'd gotten a lot better at that in recent years.

Rei quickly changed into his Med Corps uniform: a pink Kimono top with seafoam green pants. Rei probably wouldn't have made it first choice of colors but it was very popular with the rest of the Med Corps. Rei found himself messing with his hair a bit in the mirror and forced himself to stop. He couldn't get caught up in trying to feel better put together, he had to leave for Coronet Highlands. He put his Pokeballs into his satchel and pulled the divider back again. Akari had apparently already managed to bully Volo into putting his rummaging aside and to start eating. He seemed very happy to be eating now that he'd gotten started but still stopped to direct his attention towards Rei as he reappeared.

"Rei, where are you off to? Has there been another emergency?"

"I just need to go check on someone, routine thing. I'll be back later."

"Is Sylveon escorting you? I'd prefer to keep him with me if it's no inconvenience..."

A look of barely concealed pain in Volo's eyes had Rei immediately reaching for Sylveon's PokeBall to let him back out again. He gestured to Volo and Sylveon leapt onto the bed cuddled up next to him. His feelers wrapped around Volo's wrist and the relief that washed over his face was instantaneous. Rei could see Akari glaring at him from the corner at his eye for reducing much needed protection against such a dangerous unknown foe. He knew he deserved it for changing his mind but he couldn't let Volo go through more hell than he had to. It was his job to reduce the emotional trauma just as much as the physical and he'd failed enough at that today already.

"No problem, I probably didn't need him for this anyway. Let me give you your next dose of pain meds before I go."

Rei went over to the things Pesselle had left and picked out some pills that he then handed to Volo. He took them so eagerly it made Rei wonder just how much pain he was really in. He must be in agony but he managed not to show it at all. It made Rei feel depressed to see because he knew exactly what it meant to try and not let anyone see what you were going through during a low point. He felt a bit bad he had told Volo not to hug him now.

Hadn't he been without much if any human contact for a few years at least on top of that? He must be incredibly lonely for human companionship. Surprisingly Akari must have been thinking along the same lines and sat down on the bed next to start braiding his ridiculously long hair. Volo turned a bit pink at her touch and Rei felt an immediate surge of jealousy. He knew Akari meant nothing by it but Volo wouldn't. Did he enjoy her attention or just the attention in general? Deciding not to linger on it longer than that Rei finally turned to leave.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Volo if you cause any trouble for Akari I will break the Hippocratic oath."

Akari rolled her eyes as she grabbed a hair tie and tied off the braid. Volo took it and experimentally draped over his shoulder. He looked so beautiful in how the style showed off both of his eyes for a change that Rei had to force himself to only look at Akari. He was going to have to train himself to completely ignore his attraction to Volo at this point so he might as well start now.

"Rei you don't have a medical degree. It will be fine."

"Hey, he doesn't have to know that! And I'm leaving, bye."

Rei went to the front of the house and put on his shoes before leaving. As he closed the door behind him he noticed the sun was setting. There already wasn't a ton of light and It would be dark before long and that would make the search even harder as there wouldn't be much of a moon to go by tonight. The dusty streets of Jubilife saw only a handful of people milling about on their way back home from their various assignments. The Ginko guild cart next to Rei's front door was already being packed up for the night by Ginter and Tuli.

Did they already know what had happened? It was hard to imagine word of Volo's return wasn't spreading like a wildfire at this point. The people more prone to grudges in town had only recently gotten bored with blaming Ginter for allowing Volo unrestricted access to Jubilife. What it even mattered Rei wasn't completely sure due to the fact that nothing Volo had to do even took place in Jubilife but it didn't stop them even when Rei pointed that out. These tended to be the people more in line with Kamado's way of thinking than Rei's own so he doubted they had much respect for what he had to say anyway. Now that Volo was back would the harassment start up again? Should he even say anything to them?

Rei ended up not even needing to make the choice himself. As soon as Ginter saw Rei staring he immediately waved him over. Rei kicked himself a bit for not immediately leaving since he was supposed to be in a rush but he couldn't bring himself not to go to Ginter. From the tired expression on Ginter's face it looked like he had already been told. As usual Ginter preferred not to waste any time with small talk.

"Pesselle told us what happened when she left not long ago."

He didn't say any more than that, clearly trying to prompt Rei into saying something they hadn't already heard. Pesselle had probably been pretty brief with them about it, it was late.

"He's alive and stable. I think he's going to do just fine."

Ginter nodded but didn't seem satisfied with the answer. He'd clearly already heard that much.

"Is he still..."

"A nutcase? Yeah I'd say so. He's managing to calm down well through. Sylveon seems to be a good method to help him keep it together. How long did you guys know he was like this?"

Tuli poked her head out from behind Ginter and chimed into the conversation herself.

"He's been that way a long time. We already knew about it."

They'd already known how unstable he was? And they still took him in? The surprise must have shown on Rei's face because Tuli continued to clarify.

"He's never been that bad before. Certainly never as... destructive. Just obsessive. Ginter always said to just let him wear himself out over these things and he'd get distracted by something else eventually but this time..."

Ginter finished the thought for her.

"He went too far. It was unhealthy... I should have recognized that sooner. I should have taken better care to see what he was up to when he started acting strangely."

Ginter hung his head low as he gripped the rim of his merchant's cap and Rei realized now why Ginter had never defended himself against the hecklers. He blamed himself for it too. Tuli put a hand on Ginter's shoulder comfortingly and they hugged each other.

"It's not your fault dear. He's always been strange, you couldn't have known this was different..."

Volo really had always been singlemindedly obsessed with the Arceus's plates as much as younger Rei had not wanted to see it. He'd contextualized it as just a fun sort of treasure hunt lead by an over enthusiastic nerd but that... hadn't been what he should have taken from all that. Maybe the rose colored glasses were just making all the red flags look like flags. Rei decided to bite the bullet and just go ahead and ask why they'd put up with him when they hadn't been so blind.

"If he was such a horrible merchant and clearly unstable why did you let him into the Ginko Guild?"

Ginter sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Felt bad for the kid. His mom died when he was younger and his dad was some deadbeat so he had to start supporting himself pretty young. For him, his best work options were either the training fields or the Ginko Guild and when he couldn't take the training fields anymore... Well I didn't want to turn him away. I tried to be lenient with him and gave him more chances than he probably deserved but his attention was always elsewhere. He never liked the guild much anyways."

Rei wasn't sure how to respond to that. It reminded him too much of his own depressing lot in life a little too much. Parentless and broke in Hisui wasn't exactly a great situation to be in and Rei had also chosen to escape the training fields by switching jobs in his own way.

"Well um... he's found some stuff he wants you to appraise Ginter. He needs a prosthetic leg and they're pretty expensive so... We're trying to raise money for it."

He hoped including himself in the last sentence would make Ginter more likely to agree to do it. Ginter was definitely one of the people who most had a reason not to associate with Volo again but Rei's request as a local hero still held weight to it.

Ginter took a long pause to think about it before answering. Tuli gave him a little nod and her approval seemed to help.

"I'll come by tomorrow and see what he's got. Might buy some of it myself if it's anything valuable."

Rei gave Ginter a very grateful look and the man tipped his hat to Rei in return.

"Thanks for watching out for him. I saw Kamado come in and out and I can only imagine what he had to say about all this."

Rei only shrugged.

"Nothing I haven't heard before. I have to get going now but I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They exchanged waves with each other before Rei broke away to quickly walk towards the gates. The Security Corps member on duty, Ress, greeted him. A medical corps member in a hurry wasn't an unusual sight but it was apparently a very concerning one, especially after last night.

"Heading outside the village? There wasn't another attack was there? I was on duty last night... pretty horrific..."

Ress shivered a bit and Rei quickly tried to put his mind at ease before his imagination took him worse places.

"Nothing like that, I'm just going to check on something. I don't need an escort either, I'm taking Braviary."

"Alright, if anyone knows what they're doing out there I suppose it's you. Just be careful, not much light tonight."

"Trust me I'm thrilled about it."

Ress suddenly leaned in towards Rei and whispered like he was afraid someone would overhear.

"Hey, is it true that person Ingo brought in was really Volo? Cyllene said she wasn't sure and we didn't really get a good look at him. He was definitely tall and blond though..."

Rei really didn't want to confirm it but he and everyone else would find out soon enough anyway.

"Yeah, it was. Don't worry I've got a handle on him. He's not going to be causing any problems while he's here."

"I mean can you be sure? He's pretty sneaky..."

"He's also a planner and this situation definitely wasn't in his plans. He's only ever been after one thing and I let him know it's not in Jubilife anymore. He might not be trustworthy but he's not really in a position to piss this town off right now so I'd just not worry about it."

Ress seemed to accept this well enough although he seemed at least a little reserved.

"Well just... Good luck then Rei. Hopefully we can get rid of him soon, what a creep!"

Rei was surprised at how much he suddenly felt a bit resentful of someone saying to "get rid of him" like that. He knew that if they had had this conversation earlier that day he would have been standing here with Ress doubling down on his sentiment but... He couldn't find it in his heart to agree anymore. Couldn't everyone just leave him alone? The shit show of rumors and gossip this was about to become wasn't helpful to anyone.

"Thanks, I'll be back as soon as I can. If I'm not back by tomorrow morning send the Security Corps out to look for me in Coronet Highlands."

Ress gave a nod and Rei hurried past the gates and onto the main road. As soon as he was clear enough to, he pulled out his Azure Flute and summoned Braviary. As usual the noble appeared in a brilliant explosion of sparks and light before landing to let Rei climb into the harness.

When Rei had first learned how to fly using Braviary it had terrified him. Even with the harness to hold him he felt way too unsecured to be flying with only a bar to hold onto. He knew if he let go of the bar he'd slip right out and it had been hard to overcome that fear. These days he didn't even think twice about it. It was just another insanely dangerous thing about Hisui he had hardened himself against because fear really never did much but hinder him throughout his adventure.

Rei gave the signal for Braviary to take off and suddenly they were both rising into the last hints of daylight Hisui had to offer. It would definitely be nightfall by the time they arrived at Coronet Highlands and he hoped his ability to keep his fear in check was something that would continue to hold up if he ended up coming face to face with Volo's attacker in the dark.

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Chapter Text

The light of the stars and a small sliver of moonlight alone lit the ancient ruins of the Coronet Highlands as Rei and Braviary finally crossed its border. This was a part of the region where you could see the history everywhere you went. The last crumbling remains of a culture long since lost to time still held beauty in strange ways here. Sacred spaces once coveted by humans were now home to Pokemon who guarded the territory jealously. Mouth Coronet, in all its glory, towered over in a perpetual silent vigil.

It was a holy mountain and it hadn't forgotten that even if humans had. The divine energy it held was enough to affect even Pokemon evolution, if Laventon's theory about Typhlosion was to be believed.

On the very top of Mount Coronet stood an ancient and ethereal place, one that Rei hated with a firey passion. Not only was it the strongest reminder of Volo's betrayal, but it was where Arceus communed with those who had access to him. Rei knew he could go there at any time to summon Arceus, as his flute still hasn't been revoked for some reason. He’d never do that, though.

Arceus was the one who should be reaching out to Rei. Not the other way around. He hadn't even sent so much as a text to Rei's Arc Phone since their fight and that was all the proof Rei needed that his answer hadn't changed. He'd even apparently had the balls to tell Dialga not to help since he'd cited his creator's decision in his refusal. Turning down doing it himself was bad enough, but barring Dialga from helping? The memory was so infuriating it still made Rei's blood boil.

As if there weren't enough bad memories to associate with the place, Volo had frequented the area quite often. This had caused Rei to conveniently find excuses to visit back in the beginning. Now it was just a place he had a complicated relationship with, and he didn't come back very often if he could help it.

He was already passing by various ruins, ones he remembered spending afternoons pining away for his crush at. How beautiful Volo looked during his passionate history lessons when the sun was setting and tinting the world around them a deep crimson made Rei's heart stop every time.

Volo would passionately explain what the ruins used to be, practically making them come to life as if he had been there himself as he paced back and forth pointing things out. He had always been such a huge dork, but that made it so much better. It was adorable, and the time they got to spend together had always been the real draw of the Coronet Highlands to Rei.

It wasn't that he would have picked learning as something to miss, but the familiar replacement was comforting. In a different life he could imagine them as schoolmates, studying for finals together. Volo really did treat ruins as a second home. Rei really hoped he managed to get a safe place to stay – one close enough so that he could still visit them.

Every time Rei felt like he was starting to finally understand Volo, he managed to trip him up with something completely unexpected. It made it comforting to know that at least Volo clearly felt the same way about him. He would have felt even worse if Volo had come back to find him the same person he had been before. Maybe they'd both just changed a lot since then.

They'd definitely both matured a lot more, anyway. Volo was no longer as soft faced as he had been at 18, his features more sharply defined. His facial structure was still more delicate than rugged and Rei really liked how that looked against his broader frame. Despite every hardship that had taken a toll on his body in the time since they had last met, Rei thought he was still just as beautiful as he always was. The way he had smiled at Rei when he was teasing him alone was…

Catching himself starting to have the exact kinds of thoughts he never dared let himself have about Volo anymore, Rei intentionally landed roughly to jolt himself out of it. As ashamed as he felt about continuing to lust after someone who had betrayed him, he started to realize he couldn't keep blaming himself for those feelings. If he kept treating it like a personal failing, he'd only ever just continue getting hurt, this time by himself.

It was okay to care about people who hurt you. It was okay to be attracted to people who hurt you. What mattered was his actions around Volo, and controlling them so he wouldn't be hurt again.

Rei exited the harness and Braviary disappeared again into a flash of sparks and light. Standing up and steadying himself against a tree, Rei decided to be gentle with himself and allow a moment to silently tear up as he took deep breaths in and out. It felt so easy to imagine the way Volo had been looking at him earlier before actually meant something. It had stuck in his mind in an awkward way, and he couldn't process what the fuck was even happening between them anymore.

It was the worst possible time for another breakdown but he couldn't help it, the dam had finally been broken. All he could do was ride it out and be thankful one else was here to judge him for it this time. He was supposed to be the strong one now, not the one who got overwhelmed again. He at least was grateful he hadn't started having another breakdown before, since he needed to move fast now.

Rei had landed by a small pond with a strangely shaped island in the middle of Clamberclaw Cliffs. Darkrai was known to appear here on moonless nights to haunt the dreams of surrounding humans and Pokemon. Since it was no longer a new moon, Rei felt relatively certain that he wouldn't be making an appearance tonight, especially after Volo's less than warm welcome the previous one.

Sensing the presence of concealed Pokemon around the area, Rei immediately sent out Lilligant defensively. As soon as he did she sprung into action to Magical Leaf a Haunter that had been slowly sneaking up behind Rei where he couldn't see. Rei turned around just in time to see the Haunter screech in pain before disappearing into the shadows. The ghostly howl made Rei shiver reflexively, his Lilligant putting an arm around him protectively and pulling him close.

Rei had never liked ghost type Pokemon very much in the first place, but Giratina had really pushed that over the edge for him. His issues had never been anywhere near Iscan levels of bad, but he'd developed what he considered to be a healthy disdain of them. Lilligant didn't let Rei continue on until she had scanned the area and made sure it was as clear as she could detect. The Haunter seemed to have been alone this time, so she waved him forward, sticking close to his side.

Rei didn't need Ursaluna to find the area littered with Pokeballs. The bright red and white shards were easy enough to spot, even in the dim starlight. Akari hadn't been kidding about the blood. Another wave of nausea hit Rei as he imagined what Volo had gone through in the exact spot he was looking at. It made everything about how much he was suffering so much more real to see. The only small comfort was that Volo had fainted so quickly during it.

Rei finally caught notice of what could only be described as a large piece of mangled flesh in the middle of the blood and he immediately keeled over vomiting. He didn't look back towards the blood again as he stood up, shaking. Akari hadn't mentioned that part to him. He couldn't blame her, he wasn't going to talk about it either.

Still trembling, Rei moved a bit further away so as to not disturb anything and summoned Ursaluna with his flute. The massive Pokemon appeared in the usual light display next to him, and he took a moment to gently pet his side before climbing onto the saddle.

Ursaluna had been the special ride Pokemon Calaba tended to and he had likely been helping spread Calaba's ashes earlier that morning. Rei had really hoped he wasn't going to be dragging Ursaluna into any distressing situations today on top of that, but he had left the last of his hopes of this going well with the remains of his dinner.

"Hey buddy... I'm so sorry to have to ask for your help today, I swear it's an emergency. There's several Pokemon that went missing from this area that could be hurt or in danger and we need to see if we can find them."

Ursaluna let out a growl of approval and pawed the ground. He was incredibly smart and easily the best tracker in Hisui, and that response seemed to indicate he was up for the challenge Rei gave him another gentle pat as thanks.

"The Pokemon that are missing are Togekiss, Arcanine, Lucario, Roserade, and Garchomp. Prioritize any that you smell the blood of, we need to get to any injured ones first. Whatever attacked them is likely still out there, so be prepared for an unexpected ambush if it's still near them."

Ursaluna let out another growl to show he understood, and started to sniff around the area. Lilligant dutifully followed close by his side on the look out for any more potential threats. It didn't take long for Ursaluna to pick up a scent, barreling forward through the uneven terrain. Pulling out his Arc Phone, Rei checked his location to see where they were headed.

Ursaluna seemed to be routing them along the river headed northeast. It was the very same river Ginko Village was nestled on the banks of and Rei couldn't help but wonder if one of Volo's Pokemon had gotten the idea to return there for help.

Ursaluna tore through the night with a reckless abandon as the scent got stronger and more recent. He was locked in now, and no longer stopping to pick up the trail when he lost track of it. Just as Rei had suspected, they ended up right on the outskirts of Ginko Village. Only a turn around the corner and they'd be at the Ancient Retreat.

Ursaluna stopped right outside of the entrance and snorted to signal to Rei to dismount. He would go no further into a human settlement, but Rei could take it from here anyway. Sliding off Ursaluna and keeping close to Lilligant in case of trouble, Rei walked the familiar path to Cogita's house for the first time in years.

It wasn't that Rei had ever been intentionally avoiding Cogita, he just... didn't get the feeling she liked visitors very much. There was something distant about the way she interacted with the people around her. Even Volo, who seemed to be the most comfortable with returning despite her strange snide remarks, was kept at arm's length. Rei had always respected her desire for distance even when Volo didn't, but the two of them had a much different relationship, so it wasn't exactly a fair comparison.

Rei didn't really know what Cogita and Volo were to each other. She always seemed a bit put out with him but never turned him away when he came to visit. Rei didn't get the feeling that allowing these sorts of visits was a kindness she extended often. Most other members of Ginko Village seemed to barely know her. Volo seemed to somehow be both a pest and her only consistent company, and as much as they squabbled, she had always given him whatever he needed.

When Rei had come to see Cogita after the temple battle, she had explained Volo's actions to Rei as "Just another tale of passion burning too bright, and consuming its bearer." Rei didn't see it as quite so dismissible but hadn't been in the mood for semantics at the time.

The distant look in her eye as she had told Rei not to think any more of Volo made Rei wonder just how many times she had seen something like this happen before and tried to forget. She seemed genuinely upset by the situation but presented her opinion on it in such a way that suggested she was trying not to let it get to her. Rei could relate, although what exactly had been going through her mind at the time was a mystery. That was true for most things about Cogita, so Rei didn't linger on it often.

The most their relationship had been in years since then was a passing wave to one another on the streets of Jubilife when she came to shop, and nothing more. Rei would always be grateful for her help, but the strange way she looked at him in those moments made him feel like she wasn't quite done with him yet.
The stars twinkled brightly in the sky, their reflection coming from the stream beneath Rei as he crossed the little wooden plank bridge into the Ancient Retreat.

It looked just as he remembered it on the nights he had spent camping out in her garden during his exile from Jubilife. He could even make out the familiar shape of Enamorus dozing among Cogita's spring flowers. Even shrouded in the shadow of night, the unique silhouette of her body was unmistakable. Enamorus had adored Rei from the day Volo had first brought him to Cogita for shelter. While she had not revealed herself to him at first, it didn't take her long to be drawn in by the blossoming of first love he had been experiencing at the time. It made her absolutely giddy with excitement to be in the presence of such strong emotions of love and she had explained it as a particularly holy experience to her species.

Rei had felt delightfully surprised by this revelation. Confirmation from a literal love goddess that his feelings for another boy were something pure to be celebrated like anyone else's hadn't been what he was expecting. Rei and Enamorus had become fast friends after this, and she even agreed to join his team willingly not long after.

Cogita had been a bit surprised by this. She stated that the capture had happened much earlier than she expected, but said that it had been an inevitable part of his mission from Arceus anyway so he might as well take advantage of her offer. The happier memory of the acceptance it had made him feel to have her approval was a welcome one, especially after all the bad ones that had been dredged up. He really should warn her about the dangerous Pokemon that was potentially in the area so she wouldn't be ambushed as she slept.

Lilligant stood guard as Rei walked up to Enamorous and gently knelt down, shaking her lightly so as to not disturb her too much.

"Hey, Enamorus? It's Rei, I need to tell you something important."

Enamorus didn't so much as twitch at his touch and Rei's heart dropped like a stone. Something sticky and warm was left on his hand and it smelled metallic. He took out his Arc Phone and used the light from the screen to take a better look at her.

The blood on her body glistened in the dim light of Rei's screen and he immediately went into emergency mode. He'd been too late to stop the attack, but it might not be too late to save her. Pulling out a max revive from his satchel he pressed it to her chest. To his immense relief, her body absorbed it immediately and her glowing yellow eyes opened. she coughed and wiped some of the blood away from her mouth, seeming a bit disoriented. Rei gently helped to prop her up and her eyes finally focused on him.

"Rei? Isssss that you?"

The familiar hiss of her voice made Rei finally relax and start slowing his racing heart down a bit. That had been terrifying. With the amount of blood she was covered in, he had been almost certain she was dead.

"Yeah, it's me! Enamorus, what attacked you? It might still be in the area and I need to take care of it right now because I'm not putting up with this."

Rei felt absolutely furious. Whatever had been doing this was going to get its ass beat so hard it wouldn't know what hit it. Rei didn't like to resort to violence if he could help it, but it probably couldn't be helped at this point. Attacking innocent Pokemon like Enamorus couldn't be allowed to continue.

Enamorus's eyes searched the garden before she pointed over towards the right side of Cogita's tent.

"Thossssse two there.... I managed to get ssssome good hitsss in, I think they are unconsciousss..."

Two? That had been a bit unexpected but it didn't change his plan in the slightest. Enamorus floated upright into the air and shook herself off as she followed Rei over to the area she had pointed at. Lilligant followed close beside her, ready to apprehend the wounded Pokemon if they were alert and tried to flee. Rei held up his Arc Phone screen in front of him again, trying to take advantage of whatever light he could. As it illuminated the unconscious bodies of Togekiss and Lucario the true horror of what had happened dawned on him in the most hellish possible way.

"Nasssty little thingsss..... They and ssome otherss attacked my sssweetheart on the orders of that horrible man who broke your heart. Cogita will despissse me for hisss death, but sssshe knows he would have died ssoon enough anyway. Humanss live sssuch sshort livess, and he already disssrespected me and my work, far beyond what I'd normally tolerate. He had sssome nerve pushing hisss luck again... The whole world isss better off without him to threaten it for the little time he had left."

Rei was frozen in shock, unable to move for the longest moment. There were no words that could describe the anguish and fury Rei was consumed by. To stop Volo's attack was one thing, but to go as far as she had...

The image of Volo's mangled foot lying in a pool of his own blood and punctuated by imagining his screams of agony caused Rei to tighten his hand into a fist so hard his nails dug into his skin. She'd clearly never understood just how deeply he cared for Volo if she'd dared to brag about what she'd done to him.

Did she think he'd laugh? Say Volo deserved it? Had she even known Rei at all?! She might be stuck with the hate part of her nature but he'd sure as hell never sink that low.
Enamorus started to float even closer to Togekiss and Lucario, wiping blood off her mouth.

"I thought ssmashing their Pokeballs to releassse them from domesstication would sstop them from attacking me, ssso I could finissh him off, but they are very loyal to the wretch for sssome reason... He wouldn't ssurvive what I managed to do to him anyway though."

Rei had no idea what her intentions were now but he sure as fuck was not going to waste time asking. He pulled a spare Gigaton Ball out of his satchel and threw it at her, his time spent in the Survey Corps coming back to him instantly as he threw it dead-on.. Enamorus barely had time to cry out in shock before she was sucked into the ball.

The next few seconds of watching the Gigaton Ball rock back and forth as she tried to break loose were some of the longest of Rei's life. If she managed to break out of it there was every chance he was going to be attacked next. He felt nothing but unadulterated fear until the second the ball clicked to lock and he could finally breath easily again. He reached down and picked it up, staring at it with a brokenhearted sort of anger that was only too familiar to him now.

"That was for the horrible man who broke my heart, you bitch. Hope you like it in there, because I'm never releasing you again."

Rei felt his heart breaking all over again and he could barely keep himself together. All he really wanted to do was collapse immediately and start having the mental breakdown he'd very much earned. But Togekiss and Lucario still needed him.
He had to push through at least long enough to make sure they were taken care of, and safely back with Volo. He'd been so desperate to find them that it would mean the world to him to have them back tonight. Rei would fight through the pain to give him that if he could manage, but he didn't trust himself to be able to hold onto Braviary's flight bar with his trembling hands. He'd have to go by Wyrdeer and hope he made it back before dawn.

Rei pulled out two more Max Revives and used them on Togekiss and Lucario. Knowing they'd be disoriented as they started to wake up he took the opportunity to hit the both of them with Pokeballs as well. They both clicked in without struggle, and Rei put them into his satchel just in time to turn and see an oil lantern's light begin to illuminate the side of the tent.

"Are you lost, lost one?"

Rei whirled around and came face to face with a rather confused and put off- looking Cogita holding a sleek black traveling bag. She'd clearly just come back from wherever she'd been when all this went down and hadn't expected to find him snooping around outside her home in the dark. There was no point in beating around the bush with her. He should just get it over with.

"Enamorus tried to kill Volo. She only managed to rip off his foot before his Pokemon got involved and chased her away from him. I think she was probably trying to get to you for help, but they managed to knock her out. I managed to capture her in a PokeBall before she could do any more damage."

The astonished look on Cogita's face was so much more tragic than Rei had anticipated. She dropped the lantern she was holding in shock and to Rei's relief it landed upright.
Cogita never seemed like the kind of person to let anything get to her, but this hit her so hard she seemed ready to fall over. Rei found himself reaching out to try and steady her but she pushed his arm away before he could touch her.

"I-is he alive?!"

Cogita frantically locked eyes with Rei and he got the feeling if he didn't tell her Volo was ok fast things were going to get even uglier. There was a desperation in her composure that gave the situation away as nothing less than a crisis for her. It made Rei feel terrible for not being clearer about how Volo was doing sooner. He hadn't known his condition would matter this much to her.

"Volo is alive, I promise! Ingo found him immediately after the attack and brought him back to Jubilife where we managed to stabilize him. The Med Corps had to amputate half of his lower right leg below the knee but he's going to survive it. He's staying with me right now while he heals."

Before Rei even realized what was happening, Cogita had snatched Enamorus's PokeBall from him and sunk to the ground with it clutched in both hands. For a heart stopping moment, Rei was terrified Cogita was going to release Enamorus, but she only sobbed as she held the PokeBall to her chest.

"You promised me you would spare him! Was his mother's premature death not enough torment for me?! You were the only consistent companionship I had and now I don't even have you! How could you do this to me?! Was our friendship so meaningless?"

Rei didn't understand what Cogita was talking about but he did catch on that her anguish was likely coming from her connection to Volo through his late mother. He'd never known they were close... not that Volo had ever talked about his parents in the first place. His personal life had always eluded the conversation topics and Rei had always gotten the feeling he shouldn't pry.

Rei stood quietly and looked away to the side to give Cogita just that little bit more privacy as she tried to compose herself. He hated to see her so upset, but he had to admit it was making it easier for him to have someone else who felt just as horrified by Enamorus being the attacker around.

"Cogita I'm so sorry... this situation is really fucked up, and I hate that you got dragged into it this way. I didn't know it mattered to you this much, and if I had, I would have sent Chatot to tell you earlier. Things got really crazy after Kamado tried to kick Volo out of Jubilife and I've barely even had time to stop to breathe yet. We actually really need a place for him to stay, so if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep him in my house.. Does he have any family at all around? I know his mom's... gone. I guess he doesn't know who his dad is, but Volo doesn't seem convinced he'd help."

Cogita took a deep breath and held her head up before releasing it and rising to her feet, grabbing her lantern as she did. She looked even more in mourning than she normally did in her full black dress. She handed Rei Enamorus's PokeBall and Rei shoved it deep into his satchel where he wouldn't touch it without digging.

For a long time Cogita only stared into the night sky as if the stars could give her answers she didn't have to tell Rei. The only answers she got were the distant cries of a Starley flock being startled by a predator and flapping furiously to retaliate.

"Volo's... other parent... Is an unfortunate wretch who had neither the courage to step up and claim a child nor the desire to ever have one. Volo's mother Ama was his only true family and she had none of her own.
You might liken Ginter of the Ginko Guild to an uncle of sorts, but with what Volo has done to upset his reputation already... Ama was always fond of Ginter. She had always found him a fair employer and a man of good faith. To hear of what disgrace Volo has inflicted upon him would break her heart if she were still alive."

"It sounds like you knew her pretty well. I've never heard anything about her before."

"She was my world but now she is gone and my heart has left this place with her. I have worn black since the day she died in remembrance. This world used to be so full of color for me but I can't see it anymore. Ama made everything around her brighter with how ridiculous she was. She never let what other people thought about it get in her way either. She was going to have everything her own way and she didn't mind to let you know. I swear she was always running off to get into some sort of trouble but I could never stay mad at her."

Cogita spoke of Ama in a way that reminded Rei a lot of Volo. Not just that but... His own feelings for Volo. Rei's eyes widened in shock as he realized something . Was this what Laventon had felt like when he began to suspect he wasn't straight from the way he talked about Volo? It made a lot more sense than he thought it had before now.

"I'm no fool, young man. I know what you're thinking. I wouldn't phrase it in such a way if I hadn't already observed you following Volo around like a lovesick Bidoof all through my garden when he brought you to me."

"B-Bidoof?! Oh come on, I– wait, you noticed that I was into him?"

Cogita sighed a little bit dramatically and went to sit in her usual seat by the garden table, setting her lantern down on top of it. She draped herself over the chair elegantly and traced the tiled table thoughtfully with a dainty gloved finger. He could just make out the somber expression on her face in the dim lantern light.

"You were as obvious as I once was, and even worse still. Volo certainly never figured it out, so don't worry about him. He has a horrible habit of putting on blinders when a goal is in his grasp. It's a curse his mother shared."

"He already knows how I felt about him. I told him before I left to come try and track down his Pokemon for him. They were all missing after the attack."

Cogita's lips parted in surprise and she held her hand up to them.

"Oh? You'd confess your love even now? Interesting..."

"I just wanted him to know how much he hurt me."

"And what of his response?"

"He apologized and then asked a bunch of questions like he always does. It wasn't even about anything important! He just wanted to know stupid shit like if I thought he was handsome and if I was dating anyone now. He at least took it well so I guess I can't complain too much."

Cogita was smiling in amusement now but Rei didn't see what was so funny.

"Two young men such as yourselves should be able to come to an understanding over this I'm sure. If he's so agreeable I'm certain of it."

"I mean he seems fine with it so far."

"Oh, I don't doubt it. Now then, you asked me if I knew of a place for Volo to stay... Certainly no one would want to accept him into their community after all he's done but I should be able to keep him here with me in my own home. I hold a certain respect among the elders of Ginko Village and I doubt they would challenge me. He'd be expected to help me keep up with chores and errands, but it's hardly unfair to expect that of him if he will be living with me."

Rei could have cried at the relief he felt hearing that. It was so much more than he had dared to hope for. Through Cogita, Volo would have access to all his basic needs and an influential person's protection... he probably would never be popular in Ginko Village again, but if Cogita was certain she could protect him Rei definitely believed her. She had a certain kind of power in how she held herself that really made you believe she meant exactly what she said. Rei had always admired that part about her, as something that got her the respect she currently had.

"Thank you so much Cogita it's such a relief to hear that! He's going to be so excited to hear he has a place to stay now!"

She held herself up in her chair as if the very idea of her caring what he would think was ridiculous.

"Well then, what excuses has Volo come up with for his inexcusable behavior?"

"He mostly just apologized but he did say something about Giratina giving him immortality during the time they had a partnership. He made it sound like it was some kind of excuse, like it's okay to try and wipe everyone from the timeline just because everyone but him was doomed to die anyway! I just don't get that way of thinking..."

"Mortals are born and die at speeds they themselves will never be able to comprehend. They do not weep for the flower they pick just before the frost of winter, do they? What of the life it may have had in those last few days? Life is a fleeting thing Rei, beautiful, yet doomed from the start. For it to end is no more a tragedy than an inevitability."

"You sound like you agree with him."

"I have very complicated feelings about mortality beyond what you'd be able to comprehend, young man. What wisdom I will condescend to impart on you is that a mortal life is both something worth honoring and tragically short. To be an immortal and love those who are not is the greatest tragedy of the experience. Humans cursed to walk the earth for eons distance themselves from those who leave them as a way of coping with the situation. I wouldn't say I agree with him but I understand his perspective."

"It doesn't make it right for immortals to treat mortals that way!"

"You will be gone as soon as they blink from your perspective of time. Do you really believe they care what your opinion of them is?"

Rei fell silent, unable to answer. The infinite night sky around him suddenly felt crushing as he tried to imagine if living such a long life would really effect people that way. If everyone around him only seemed to live for a minute before passing away would he care if he cut one short by thirty seconds? Just thinking about being in that position made him feel ill. Immortality was a lot darker than he had ever considered.

"I think they should if it's affecting my life."

"It's charmingly naive to be that idealistic about other's intentions for you."

"I used to be, that's why I care so much how other people treat me now. I'm not asking them to respect me anymore, I'm demanding it."

Cogita fell silent for a while, apparently falling deep into thought
.
"You are still softer than you'd like to believe. The first few deaths of your loved ones would be enough to break you if you were immortal yourself."

Her words were eerie enough but the pitying way she looked at Rei when she said it made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

"Yeah well I'm not immortal so I'm not going to worry about it."

"May Arceus have pity on you then."

Rei raised an eyebrow at this but Cogita was no longer paying attention to him to answer his unspoken question. She stared into the flickering light of the lantern in front of her for a long moment before speaking again.

"Rei... Promise me you will keep Volo safe until he is ready to return here. I will still need to discuss the situation with the elders so as not to earn thier ire unnecessarily. It's obvious you still care for him despite his wrongdoings, would it be too much to ask of you?"

"Nothing is going to hurt him again if I have anything to say about it. I'll keep him safe with me and if anyone wants to start shit they'll have to fight me first."

"Then you are better for him than he deserves. I am thankful he has you."

Cogita finally stood up and Rei felt like he could feel the waves of exhaustion rolling off her. It wasn't that she seemed to be physically tired, just drained by the situation she'd suddenly been thrust into. If anyone could relate it was Rei.

"Come child, we have some work to do before you return home."

Chapter Text

As Cogita beckoned Rei to follow her into her garden, he found the mood was growing increasingly tense. Rei was becoming increasingly aware that the blood he had gotten on his hand from touching Enamorus was likely Volo's, which made him feel incredibly disturbed. He leaned down and wiped his hand off on the grass, but it did little to make him feel better.

Just earlier, he had been mentally mocking the need for Volo to have more blood replenished. He didn't really feel like laughing anymore. How could he keep letting his grudge blind him so much to the reality of the situation? And why didn't Volo even seem to be proportionally mad about that? As much as Rei had every reason to be mad at Volo, did Volo not also have grievances he could be retaliating with right now? Why had he been so eager to defend and even... be affectionate towards him?

A potential answer hit Rei, his thoughts immediately becoming frantic and conspiratorial as a result. He stopped following Cogita and froze, sucked into his own thoughts as things fell into place.

Enamorus knew the move Crunch, and it was very obviously what she had tried to use to kill Volo. It was the only physical contact move she knew, and when she was in her Incarnate Forme, it could activate her Cute Charm ability. The ability was not anything particularly dangerous by itself but it could cause temporary infatuation to emotionally disarm an opponent for the length of a battle.

Since Volo wasn't a Pokemon, Rei wasn't sure it would affect him the same way... but was it possible it could have at all? If it had, what did that say about the way he had reacted to the people he had been exposed to during the critical time period after he had first regained consciousness? 

Suddenly, everything that Volo had done or said that day was up for scrutiny in a very intimate way, and it made Rei's heart pound to remember how Volo had been interacting with him under this new context.

Was it possible... Volo's sexuality had found him to be a compatible match?

Rei's heart started to race wildly at the thought and he had to force himself to get it together. He couldn't start to think like that, Akari and Pesselle had been there too, after all. And he had acted like he could have been infatuated with either of them as well.

Who (if anyone) Cute Charm would have latched onto was impossible to say. There were just too many unknowns and long shots, and while It might explain some of his strange behavior, It was probably better not to bring up to him at all.

If he had to guess, the situation would probably just embarrass Volo if he was told about it. Having the privacy of dealing with his personal feelings without them being scrutinized or judged on the off chance this wasn't an insane theory was important for his mental state. The effects of Cute Charm would have faded by now regardless, so he'd be able to move on and likely only remember it as a confusing moment during a difficult time in his life.

"Is everything alright?"

Cogita had finally noticed Rei was no longer following her, as she looked back over her shoulder in concern. Rei tried to collect himself as best he could and move on like nothing had happened. There was enough drama going on already without adding anything unnecessary to the pile.

"Yeah, sorry... This whole thing has just been a lot to deal with all at once."

Cogita gave him a sympathetic look and reached out to lightly pat his shoulder. This was the most physical contact Rei had ever seen her give anyone and he blinked in surprise. Not giving any sign that she noticed or cared what he thought about it, Cogita took her hand back and turned to face her garden again.

"Come and unburden your sorrows while I harvest."

Rei did his best to catch Cogita up to speed on the situation as she took a pair of gardening shears and began her work. When he got to the part of the story where Enamorus had been found in the garden the way she tensed up was heartbreaking to see. She clearly didn't want to cry in front of Rei but he knew she probably would once he finally left. Not that he blamed her, he would too.

She had little else of note to say about the overall situation although she seemed interested in the fact he would be sailing to Johto to get a prosthetic.

"Do you know his day of departure?"

"No, it hasn't been set yet. He can't get a prosthetic until his wound is completely healed, and that will take a while."

"You may be surprised. The herbs we are gathering hold a certain power — I believe they can hasten his recovery. We will be using them to make a salve for his wound."

Rei didn't know how much a bunch of herbs from her garden could really speed things up, but he wasn't going to argue. Whatever it was, it at least wouldn't hurt Volo. Cogita was no amateur when it came to apothecary work, so if she said it would help, it was safe to assume that it would.

"Even if he did heal fast with them, I don't think he'd leave without the rest of his Pokemon. We have half of them accounted for but are still missing Arcanine, Roserade, and Garchomp. Spiritomb is the one we found besides Togekiss and Lucario, but his Keystone was split in half and the souls were all released. We're going to need a new one to gather his wisps in. You wouldn't happen to have one, would you?"

Cogita answered his question while she continued to forage through her plants, turning back to hand them to Rei as she harvested them.  

"I'm afraid I do not, I have no use for such a thing. Try asking Ginter, he may have come across one in his dealings recently. As for finding the rest of his Pokemon, I'm afraid I would be of little help. Without Enamorus, I am relatively powerless to assist in the search..."

Cogita's voice tensed slightly as she spoke Enamorus's name, and Rei could see the cracks in how she was trying to hold herself together again. As bad as Rei felt about his own friendship with Enamorus ending the way it did, he knew it was nothing compared to how Cogita felt. They had been friends for a very long time and still saw each other often. Rei wasn't even sure he knew anyone else Cogita was truly friends with.

"I'm so sorry, Cogita... I have no idea why she'd go so far..."

"It has always been in Enamorus's nature to punish those who act in the manner Volo has. She is a Pokemon, and thus is not beholden to a human's morality. To her Volo's death would be justified retribution for his disrespect. We should be very grateful his own Pokemon felt differently and intervened, at the risk of their own lives."

She was right, Volo's Pokemon had been his real heroes last night. The Medical Corps had been incredibly important in keeping him from dying, but Volo would certainly be dead right now if they hadn't fended Enamorus off. With how terrifyingly strong Enamorus got when she was frenzied, he could only imagine how hard that had been. She'd torn them apart in the temple battle, and only had reasons to get angrier about things since then.  

Cogita placed the final clipping into Rei's arms and rose from where she had been kneeling. Rei recognized many of them that he was used to working with like King’s Leaf, Iron Barktongue, and Vivichoke, but there were also the few she had taken that he didn't recognize. Whatever those herbs were, they either weren't native to Hisui or were so rare that Cogita was one of the few people to have the plant anymore.

"That should be enough for my recipe. Shall we?"

Cogita held her lanturn up high as she guided Rei out of the garden and into her tent. Everything looked the way it always had, although the lanturn Cogita had brought in was the only light source they had. Rei felt unnerved by the way it made the shadows dance around the room with its flickering. He already felt like he was watching a witch concoct some sort of sinister potion, and this wasn't helping to dispel that atmosphere any.

The crisp strikes of Cogita's knife against her wooden cutting board were the only thing to cut through the silence as Rei watched her work. He could make out a growing pile of various medical herbs finely diced and neatly placed in the pestle next to her on the table. When Cogita seemed satisfied with the amount of herbs in the mortar she began to mash the concoction into a paste using her pestle.

He really just wished she'd start talking again, it was getting creepy to just stand behind her and watch. Starting to feel uneasy at the silence, Rei decided to just bite the bullet and start a conversation himself.

"So, um... Did you know Volo's dad well?"

Cogita froze in place at the question and Rei wished he hadn't continued to speak. While it had been on his mind since Cogita had mentioned him but it didn't make it the right time to ask. Cogita had been vauge about the situation but there was no way she hadn't been more involved than she let on with the way she spoke about him.

"Yes."

"Does he live in Hisui or a different region?"

"Hisui."

That narrowed things down, but Rei couldn't possibly keep up with everyone in Hisui. Her comment didn't necessarily narrow it down to anyone he really knew.  

"Why didn't he just take Volo in himself, then? I know he didn't want a kid, but that's kind of a messed up thing to do isn't it?"

Cogita only sighed.

"Oh child, if only it were as simple as that."

"Well...what stopped him, then?"

Cogita exhaled sharply, and Rei suddenly noticed how much he was actually agitating her. Maybe asking her to talk about the woman she loved's baby daddy wasn't doing much to improve her mood. He felt like a jackass for bringing it up and upsetting her. He was going to have to try and change the subject next chance he got.

"There was an unusual danger in revealing the identity of Volo's sire. Ama understood that, and chose to raise Volo as a single mother with some assistance from me from time to time. When she died, I made sure Volo had a proper education. Those of us in the village who were able alternated giving him shelter and care, until he was old enough to fend for himself."

Things fell silent again. Rei felt like he was learning a lot about Volo from this, and he really didn't want her to stop talking. Maybe if he asked about their own relationship, she'd be happier thinking back on that? He didn't want to keep upsetting her. Cogita began to go back to her work as Rei tried to gather his courage again.

"Were you dating Volo's mom? It sounds like you were close with her."

Cogita didn't falter again, simply continuing her work without interruption this time. She seemed much more comfortable with that question, thankfully.

"Yes, my love was requited. Or more truthfully, I requited her love. She was always pursuing me and I let her give chase for a while before pursuing her back. I think Ama enjoyed it more that way, she always loved a challenge. She knew I adored her the whole time, I was never very good at hiding it. I still remember the days in spring Ama would visit me, arms full of flowers... She would tease me saying I'd get one for every minute of time I allowed her to stay. I didn't often interact with those in the village in those days and had little patience for visitors. Ama refused to accept that, stubborn vixen she was!"

Cogita spoke of Ama with such tenderness in her voice that Rei felt like he was listening to an entirely different person. It made him smile a tiny bit to watch her be so genuinely open and unguarded. He got the feeling that this was rare for Cogita, and he kind of felt honored she'd share this with him.

"I guess you wouldn't have any pictures, but did she look like Volo?"

"He inherited her blond hair, tall frame, and much of her personality. I'd not call them doppelgangers but there is no mistaking the relation. She was gorgeous, fearless, incredibly witty... I still can't believe I managed to win her heart at times."

Insecure had never been a word Rei would have used to describe Cogita, so he felt surprised to hear her talk that way. He would have thought she'd treat it as obvious that people would be interested in her.

"Why can't you believe she liked you? It sounds like she was really into you from the start."

Cogita's gaze became distant and her eyes slid off of Rei into the flowers of her garden.

"There are many parts to my nature that take a very open mind to accept. Even as I revealed them to her, she never shied away... I fascinated her, if anything. I wouldn't have blamed her for not understanding, but she always wanted to understand everything around her. She was a rare gem living in a time when few would offer each other the courtesy."

"She sounds like a really special person. I'm glad you two found each other."

"It was a tragedy in the end, but the path leading there was filled with beauty."

"I don't know what happened, but I'm sorry to hear she's gone..."

"It was many years ago, but those of us who remember it will never forget. I suppose you'd like me to tell you the tale?"

Rei didn't want to force Cogita to talk about it, but if she was offering to, he definitely wanted to know.

"If you're okay with doing that, yeah. Volo mentioned something about what happened but was really vague."

"You know of the conflict that plagued this land before your arrival by now, I'm sure. It was a difficult time, even for those of us in Ginko Village. We have always been worshippers of Arceus,and the ridiculous squabbling of what aspect of the universe the Almighty Sinnoh controlled by those newer to this land was foolish to us.”

“Unfortunately, our neutrality on the subject was not well respected by the Diamond and Pearl clans and we were often asked to pick sides. No matter what we chose, the trade relations we relied on greatly were damaged and we became poorer as the conflict went on.”

“At the time ,there was an ongoing dispute around which clan held the divine right to worship at the Temple of Sinnoh. The Diamond Clan insisted they were the only ones who could properly honor the Almighty Sinnoh, while the Pearl Clan held firm the same belief. It was clear that efforts to reconcile were doomed from the start, and another battle was inevitable.”

“Ama had a young child to feed, and was deeply unsettled with the situation as it were. Her work in the Ginko Guild only became less and less fruitful and she began to fear for her son's future. As long as the conflict kept destabilizing the region, he'd never know peace.”

“Being an adventurous and daring sort of woman, she befriended a particularly dangerous Pokemon she believed could help her. Its name was Zoroark, and she had the unique ability to cast illusions upon the world around her. The visions she conjured up were so vivid, that they were indistinguishable from reality. Knowing this, Ama conspired with her new partner to take advantage of this and put an end to things once and for all.”

“On the night of the battle, she snuck out of Ginko Village with her cohort, both shrouded in illusion to hide themselves from sight. They arrived at the Temple of Sinnoh to find the two clans already at each other's throats. Hiding herself among the pillars, Ama gave the signal to Zoroark and watched as her plan of deception played out.”

“Zoroark projected the illusion of a false Sinnoh, terrifying in both stature and form, to frighten both clans. She likely assumed that upon appearing to anger Sinnoh with their violence at his temple, they would bow to his will and cease the battle, but she was fatally mistaken.”

“Each side assumed that the false Sinnoh was there to assist them and became emboldened, taking it as a call to war. More blood was spilt in that battle than any in previous memory. Among the dead was Ama, wrongly struck down by a blow from a warrior who could not see she was in the way.”

“Watching her partner fall, Zoroark ceased her illusion and rushed to her side to hold her in her final moment. The truth was only pieced together by both clans in the following days to come with my help. I was the only one who knew of Ama's friendship with Zoroark... I just wish I had known what she had been planning. Every day, I regret not having known to intervene…”

“Afterwards, the two clans were horrified to learn there had been no holy call to arms by the Almighty, and that their loved ones died only for their own bloodlust. It was a turning point in the conflict, as losses on both sides were devastating, but Ama did not live to see it. In the days afterwards, the Diamond and Pearl Cclans came to an understanding: no one would use the temple for worship, and they would keep their differences to themselves to prevent further loss. A decade later, and the truce helped reform the region's politics to what you found when you first arrived in this era."

Rei listened, completely enraptured by the tragedy unfolding in Cogita's words as she spoke. He'd never imagined anything like that, and the fact he hadn't heard about it before felt significant. The death of a single mother like that probably wasn't something people liked to reminisce on. 

It was absolutely heartbreaking to imagine what Volo must have gone through when news of her death had finally gotten back to the village. It didn't sound like anyone had ever officially adopted him, so that had been the last he'd ever seen of a real parent. And now... he was more alone than ever.

"If he doesn't have anyone else, then having you reach out to him and offer him that help in Ama's place probably would have meant the world to her. I didn't know her, but if she loved Volo as much as it sounds like, you're really honoring her memory by taking him in."

Cogita looked pained to hear him say that, and it confused Rei. He had thought it would be a perfectly acceptable thing to say but... Well, he had been wrong plenty of times before.

"Sorry... I guess it's still an uncomfortable situation, isn't it? He tried to wipe all of us out of existence, and we're just... helping him out."

Scooping the finished salve up and placing it into a little glass bottle, Cogita handed it off to Rei. It looked like a bunch of leaf mush to him but he knew better than to question its potency on looks alone.

"Moreso than that, even. I have wronged Volo greatly since Ama's passing, and I don't believe even this will make up for how I have failed him."

Wow, that was much farther in the other direction than he had anticipated. What could she possibly have done that was so bad if Volo had never seemed to be bothered by her?

"He's definitely never acted like he thought you failed him. He seems completely fine with you."

"He does not yet know of my failure, although it may now be time to reveal it soon... I have delayed things out of discomfort long enough. Now then, when you arrive home, spread this salve over Volo's wound, and let it absorb into his skin."

"He's got a drainage tube in, it's not going to do anything to fuck with that is it?"

"Watch your language, young man., I am weary enough without your profanities. You may remove the drainage tube, infection will no longer be a worry when the salve's effects take hold."

Hoping that was true, and that he wouldn't get yelled at by Pesselle for it, Rei slipped the bottle of salve into his satchel. He really had no real reason to believe this was a good idea, but Cogita's authority felt so assured that he knew he was going to do it anyway. Maybe she just reminded him too much of Pesselle in that way to argue with her.

"Sorry, bad habit. Thanks for the help, I'll be sure to help Volo with it when I get back. I should actually probably go ahead and leave if there's nothing else you need me for, it's going to be a long ride."

Rei still didn't feel steady enough to try flying again just yet, and falling off from Wyrdeer would be less fatal than from Braviary. He'd been hoping that by now he'd feel better to try, but the cracks in his own facade were starting to form again. He wanted to get back home and go to bed so this nightmare of a day would be over already. He wasn't sure if tomorrow would shape up to be any better, but at least he'd know what to expect from it.

"You may go, it's late enough and I haven't another reason to keep you. Good luck to you and may you find more happiness than has been afforded you in these last few days."

Rei bowed respectfully to Cogita.

"Thank you, feel free to visit any time if you'd like to come see Volo. I still think he'd enjoy having you as a visitor."

Cogita seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea, as her eyes moved away from Rei, but she still nodded.

"I suppose I should, shouldn't I? Very well, your invitation will be taken up when I find the energy for it."

With one final wave, Rei left Cogita's tent. 

As he stepped outside into the cool night air, he noticed it was even darker than it had been before. Dark clouds had rolled in and were quickly covering the light of the stars. It would probably rain soon, and realizing what that would do to the rest of the scent trail left by Volo's Pokemon made Rei's heart drop.

There was nothing he could do to stop the weather, but he hoped the fact he hadn't come across any more signs of Volo's team just meant they had got away safely. Garchomp, Roseraid, and Arcanine were all very fast Pokemon and could have escaped even Enamorus's pursuit if she had been distracted by Togekiss and Lucario. Spiritomb had been found at the sight of the attack and had likely been the first to have been struck down before Enamorus had been overwhelmed by the rest.

A feeling of protectiveness over Volo buried deep in his heart arose from where it had been lying in wait for a vulnerable moment, latching onto his rising anxiety. Rei's pace sped up as he left the ancient retreat, crossing the river and pulling out his Azure Flute to summon Wyrdeer. The Lord appeared before him in dazzling holy light, and Rei wasted no time mounting him, eager to be off.

Rei wanted more than anything to already be home so he could make sure Volo was still okay. He trusted Akari to do her best, of course, but who knew what would happen as even more villagers found out who he was harboring? Word was already leaking fast, and by tomorrow everyone in Jubilife was almost certain to have heard the rumor.

Rei spurred Wyrdeer into action, and together they bolted through the plains and hills of Hisui, only slowing down to dodge attacks from more aggressive Pokemon. Rei felt his heart begin to truly absorb the agony he had been put through yet again. His hands trembled as he did his best to hold onto the saddle, desperate to not slow down from their frantic pace, despite how dangerous it was.

Rei was used to having to be the strong one. Holding himself together with duct tape and a prayer during a crisis was nothing new to him. He might be falling apart on the inside, but he'd never let it affect what he needed to get done. If people were relying on him, he had to push through. Breakdowns were only for moments he wasn't needed. His worried thoughts over potential threats to Volo's safety while he was gone covered the pain up nicely, so he focused on that to steel himself for the rest of the journey.

Rei wasn't sure exactly how long it took for him to finally reach the walls of Jubilife, but from the looks of the sky, it was just in time to escape the storm that had been brewing. He could see Ress still standing where he had left him, staring nervously up at the sky as the thunder rumbled in the distance. Another great reason to never have joined the Security Corps, he thought. Then again, his own job didn't feel much more glamorous at the moment.

Rei dismounted Wyrdeer and gave him a grateful pat before he disappeared off to wherever it was he went when he wasn't summoned. Hopefully, it was somewhere with shelter from the storm, as it looked like it was going to be an ugly one. Ress waved at Rei as he approached.

"Welcome back! I was beginning to worry about you, it looks like tonight will be a wet one!"

Rei didn't really feel in the mood for small talk with Ress, but he really didn't feel like being rude either.

"Hah, yeah, sorry it took me longer than I expected. Stay safe out here, and have a good night."

Ress seemed to accept his brief but polite response, and Rei rushed through the gate before any further conversation could be started. Judging by the fact Ress only wanted to talk about the weather, he could deduce that nothing truly dramatic had happened since he left, but he wasn't going to be able to completely calm himself down until he saw everything was okay himself.

Rei pulled his key out of his satchel and unlocked his front door, peeking inside. He saw Akari's head poke around the open sliding door to the bedroom and her calm demeanor soothed him greatly.

"It's just Rei, he's back!" She called back into the bedroom and Rei let out a sigh of relief. They'd both been completely fine the entire time, then. Seeing the look on Rei's face Akari quickly rushed over to meet him in the dining area. Taking off his shoes, Rei met her by the fire pit and hugged her so tightly she made a little squeak.

"S-sorry! God it was just..."

Rei didn't even have words to describe what he had just been through. Where to start with everything he'd just learned and experienced. He just wanted to hold Akari, and let her take all the pain away. 

Would it be stupid to ask her to spend the night? She'd sometimes sleep in the same bed as him during bad nights when they needed each other, but that was something they worked hard to hide from others to prevent rumors. No one ever actually understood the relationship they had, so why would Volo be any different?

"It's okay, Rei... I... I saw it too. I'm sorry I didn't warn you...Take your time, there's no need to speak immediately."

Akari gently hugged Rei back as he loosened his own grip on her. She smelled nice and familiar, and he realized that she was wearing freshly cleaned pajamas. Akari must have managed to finally do her laundry in the washing machine while he was gone. Imagining her in his house just living her life made him happy in a way he couldn't explain.

Rei wasn't attracted to girls at all, but there was something about how gentle and kind Akari was that really made him want to keep her around forever. He'd often wondered if it were just the two of them living here, if that really would be so bad. He might not ever feel fulfilled in his love life, but to simply occupy the same space as her was something he treasured greatly.

Rei pressed his lips gently to the top of Akari's forehead. He was so much taller than when they had first met that it wasn't hard. The way she squeezed him back in silent acknowledgement of the stress he was going through meant the world to him. He wished so badly he could tell her everything, but he'd have to settle for the parts that didn't out his emotions like he always did.

After a moment of just standing there and letting her hold him, Rei finally felt ready to speak. He pulled back, and Akari mirrored the movement, just enough to be able to look at him as she spoke while still keeping him in her arms. Their eyes met, and the sadness in Rei's reflected in Akari's.

"I tracked down Volo's attacker when I was out searching. It was Enamorus. She fled to Cogita's house with Togekiss and Lucario in pursuit before they managed to knock her out. I didn't realize she was the attacker before I revived her, and she admitted to it. It was so fucked up... I managed to catch her in a Gigaton Ball when her back was turned. She won't be able to hurt anyone else."

Akari's hands both flew up to her mouth as she let go of Rei in sheer shock.

"Enamorus?! Oh, Rei-"

Rei started to tear up again, and Akari latched onto him tightly.

"She said Darkrai was her boyfriend, or something... I get why she'd want to protect him, but Volo wasn't even actually trying to hurt him! He just wanted to open some fucking portal! This whole thing is so..."

Tears begin to cascade down Rei's face and onto Akari's back as he trailed off. There were no words to even describe it anymore. Everyone was in the wrong, everyone was hurt by what happened, and Rei felt like a bystander caught right in the middle of whatever fucked up tragedy had just occurred.

"Rei, breathe with me please."

Rei sniffled and wiped his face off with his wrist. He followed Akari's breathing for a few moments as she held him close again.

"Cogita came back from wherever she had been out traveling at just the right time to hear about what happened... She was really fucked up by the whole thing too. The only good news I ever have to share is that she said she'd be able to take Volo in. Oh, and I also managed to recapture Togekiss and Lucario..."

Akari seemed to brighten considerably at this and it made Rei feel better to see that he didn't only have depressing things to share. There were at least a few silver linings that pointed towards Volo's situation improving.

"Rei, that's fantastic! Volo told me of his concerns and that you had said you would help, but I doubt he expected you to work this fast! I think he'll be more impressed with you than he already is."

Rei's eyebrows raised at this considerably.

"Impressed? What the hell was he telling you?"

Rei couldn't imagine too much he'd done that would impress Volo. He felt his face begin to heat up a bit and tried to keep it under control. Akari smirked a little bit like she knew something he didn't and it only inflamed Rei's curiosity more.

"Well, he was recounting your take down of Kamado, and seemed rather enraptured by the attitude you've acquired since he last spoke with you. I think he admires your lack of respect for authority, and I must admit that you do seem to have that in common now."

It made sense Volo would feel impressed by a defiant attitude, but there was something about the way Akari had said it that really made Rei's Cute Charm conspiracy start to run in the undercurrent of his thoughts again.

"If trying to subjugate Arceus to his will counts as authority issues, then I'm not really surprised. Has he at least behaved himself for you?"

Akari nodded.

"Yes, he's been quite the gentleman, really. We spoke at length for some time while categorizing the items he wanted to sell. I gave him an old unused journal of mine to write about his feelings in, and he immediately started to use it for business! I suppose it is part of his healing process to raise this money, but I wish he'd take his emotions a little bit more seriously."

"Akari, I completely agree with you, but I think we've all had enough feelings for today. I'm sure he will use it for that when he's ready to vent, it's a really good idea. I can't imagine he won't need to eventually after losing his foot like that... Anyway, I ran into Ginter, and he said he was going to stop by tomorrow to see what he has to sell. Probably won't hurt to have a list for him."

Akari had really made a smart move in giving Volo a journal. Without things like therapy around there wasn't anywhere else he could process his feelings somewhere he felt safe to. Rei doubted Volo trusted him enough now to talk about it between the two of them, even if they were getting along better than earlier. That, and he didn't seem like the kind of guy to want to share his pain out loud anyway.

"I think we have had enough of everything for today, truthfully. I've already stayed as long as I can anyways, I have work tomorrow. I'm going to survey in the Coronet Highlands to see if I can't find any more of Volo's Pokemon. He's incredibly eager to have them back again, and if at least one of us isn't out searching I think he might actually be the first human to learn to move Self-Destruct."

"You're honestly a saint, thank you so much for your help."

"Of course Rei, I would never leave you to go through this alone. We're a team, right?"

The smile Akari gave before hugging Rei one last time warmed his heart so much, he actually managed to smile. He didn't know what he'd ever do without her. He hugged her back and ruffled her hair affectionately before she released him and turned to leave.

"Yeah, of course we are. I'll see you tomorrow okay? Love you."

"Love you too! And don't let Volo get to you, this is all temporary."

Rei really hoped that was true. It was starting to feel more and more like he was about to get dragged into something he couldn't stop from happening anymore.

Chapter Text

As Rei turned back to face the bedroom door, he found that nothing about his once familiar house felt the same anymore.  

It hadn't been very long since Calaba sat behind those doors, waiting for him to get home and tell her about what was going on in the world outside the cramped Galaxy Team quarters they shared. 

The fact he'd never again have that little piece of something close to family to come home to was incredibly depressing. Hadn't he already lost enough of that?

The feeling of Volo being behind those doors was so much different. The familiar grandmotherly feeling had dispersed, and the room had taken on an energy so full of emotional turmoil for Rei that it made his head hurt just to think about it. He had absolutely no idea what to expect when he went through that door anymore, but he felt himself drawn to it anyway. He needed to see Volo safe again after stumbling across the disturbing aftermath of his violent assault at Clamberclaw Cliff.

Rei peeked his head around the door to see Volo already anticipating his arrival, Sylveon still curled up on his lap. He must have been waiting for the conversation with Akari to stop. His hair was still in the braid Akari had done earlier, but he was now wearing a very battered looking, everyday black kimono. Rei felt some of the distress leave him seeing how much better Volo was looking already under good care. Even in the dim light of the oil lamp, Rei could tell he was starting to look more and more like himself again.

Akari seemed to have managed to get to his laundry too, although it didn't look like it would survive too many more washes at this point. The way the color black contrasted against Volo’s lighter hair and complexion was very flattering on him, and Rei finally let himself just accept that he felt that way. 

Volo was attractive. It wasn't fair. Life went on.

Sylveon perked his head up upon hearing Rei enter the bedroom, purring so loudly that he could hear it even from the doorway. Volo watched in amusement as Sylveon leapt off his lap, launching himself into Rei's arms. Rei was used to this happening, enough so that he was able to realize what Sylveon was doing, and caught him safely. Sylveon yowled unhappily at him, and Rei started laughing at how pathetic he managed to sound.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't like being left behind! We have to split up sometimes, this job is a team effort. You know that, right?"

Sylveon started chewing on Rei's Medical Corps badge and Rei decided to take that to mean "I really don't care, I'm more important than your job."

"Awww don't be that way! You know I love you! You're my little baby~!"

Rei peppered Sylveon with kisses while rocking him as Sylveon seemed to forget his indignation at being left behind practically immediately. He started to pet Rei with his feelers, and for a moment, Rei just stood there with him, giggling like a little kid as he pet his Pokemon back. Sylveon's pets were always so soothing —it was really needed right now.

Rei completely forgot Volo was even in the room until he spoke and snapped Rei's mind back into focus. He felt a bit embarrassed about letting his guard down and talking like that in front of Volo, but he seemed far from judgemental about it. From the way he was smiling, he probably found how Sylveon was acting pretty cute too.

"It seems we are both glad to see you home, you were gone for quite some time! I had begun to fear things might have gone poorly wherever your duty had taken you. To see you back safe and in good spirits is a relief."

Rei returned Sylveon to his Pokeball for a break and went to sit down in the chair next to Volo's bed. Volo regarded him with such a soft gaze that it made Rei's mind go blank for a moment. They were completely alone now, and the mood had quickly become more intimate than Rei had been anticipating. 

It was definitely better than the two of them fighting, but it definitely didn't feel any safer. Their relationship was changing so rapidly that whatever this was leading to might be just as dangerous as being enemies again would be.

"I wouldn't say it went amazing, but I do have some really good news for you."

"And what would that news be, pray tell?"

Rei grinned as he reached back into his bag. There really hadn't been many good moments today so this was definitely something he had been looking forward to doing.

"You have some visitors!"

Whipping Lucario and Togekiss's new Pokeballs out from behind his back, Rei released them and watched as the chaos ensued.

Volo barely even had time to react before Togekiss was on top of his chest, trilling and nuzzling at him while flapping her wings wildly in excitement. Rei couldn't even see Volo's expression through her wild movements, but he could hear his excited laughter as Volo realized what was happening.

"Sweetheart, please! You are much too big for this now! I'm delighted to see you too but- Mffphh!"

Despite his protests, Togekiss continued to absolutely smother him with her huge feathery body while covering his face in kisses. Rei started laughing and helped to pull her back enough to let him breathe before she suffocated him. Volo took a deep breath as he surfaced from the feathers and started laughing again with Rei, holding Togekiss close and kissing her forehead.

"Oh love, you really were worried weren't you? I'm so relieved you're both safe... I don't know what I'd do had you become lost to me..."

Lucario had climbed up onto the bottom of the bed and was pulling back the blanket to assess the damage to Volo's leg. It was taking some time to even manage that, as he had to try his best to dodge Togekiss's continued fluffy assault of overexcited cuddles onto their trainer further on up. 

When he finally managed to tear the covers away, the way his ears and tail drooped to find what had ended up happening made Rei wonder just how much of the attack Volo's Pokemon had gotten a glimpse of before intervening.

Rei couldn't even begin to imagine how horrifying it would have been to watch happen, just seeing the aftermath had been more than Rei could bear to think about. 

Lucario had the ability to read emotions, so whatever he had felt from Volo in those moments must have been downright traumatic. Did he feel guilty for not being able to intervene sooner? He shouldn't if he did, it was a miracle he and Togekiss had even managed what they did.

Lucario glanced back at Rei as he felt his empathy. He glanced back to Volo in concern, and then back to Rei. Rei really didn't want to say anything out loud to upset Volo when he was having such a great reunion with Togekiss, but he didn't want to ignore Lucario's feelings either.

Taking a deep breath, Rei summoned all the concern and protectiveness he felt for Volo from deep within his heart and let the emotion wash over him. It had always worked with the other emotion sensitive Pokemon he'd worked with, so why not Lucario?

Sensing they were exactly on the same page about Volo, Lucario nodded to his new ally in respect. Rei nodded back, letting his gratitude for Lucario's incredibly brave actions be known next. This made Lucario turn and sniff him before smiling at him. Rei reached his hand out to shake Lucario's paw and he took it. Pulling Togekiss off his face again so that he could see once more, Volo managed to see the two’s exchange.

"It seems Lucario has taken to you Rei! He must sense you have a good heart, he's very attuned to those sorts of things you know!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good with Pokemon that can read emotions. Once you learn, it's kind of like a second form of communication for them. It makes it a lot easier to train them, too."

"Ah yes, I remember Mesprit and Enamorus especially found you quite engaging back when you were training them. You still are engaging, of course. Even more so, truthfully..."

Volo smiled tenderly at Rei and reached out for his hand, stopping just before taking it. Rei stiffened at this, uncertain of what he was trying to do. Volo noticed his discomfort and pulled his arm back.

"I won't push my luck again, but will you let me thank you for bringing my darlings back to me? The very idea of spending the night alone without any of them was more than I could bear, on top of my other woes!"

Rei's heart flip-flopped around in his chest at the rapid whiplash of Enamorus unexpectedly being brought up contrasted against Volo once again acting like Rei actually meant something to him.

"Yeah, sorry, of course you can... I've just had a hard night, it's not you. Go ahead with what you were doing."

Volo reached out again and clasped Rei's hand in both of his, his sunny smile lighting Rei's heart up. He was just so genuinely happy for the first time since the attack... 

Rei dreaded having to rip that away from him by telling him the terrible thing he had just learned. Maybe delaying that just a bit longer wouldn't hurt...

"Thank you Rei. You're incredible, truly."

Rei didn't even try to hide his blush. It was completely pointless anyway, Volo already knew how he felt.

"Just doing my job. I'm happy to help with this."

Volo still hadn't let go of his hand, so Rei pulled it away himself, his heart fluttering. He tried to move past the moment without lingering on it too much. Hopefully there wouldn't be much more to endure after this, and Volo would get the hint that whatever way he wanted to get closer to Rei wasn't happening.

Lucario was watching two of them intensely, his expression unreadable. What had that even looked like to him? Neither of their feelings were hidden from his view. Lucario was probably the only one in the room who completely understood what was going on emotionally between them. Rei almost wished he could ask, but the idea of actually knowing how Volo felt was equally terrifying.

Volo wrapped his arms around Togekiss and held her tightly to his right side, pressing another soft kiss to her cheek. He held out his left arm for Lucario and beckoned him forward. Lucario immediately climbed over to cuddle into Volo's left side. The three of them together made a happier family than Rei would have expected, but that was probably the best positive change he'd seen from Volo so far.

Volo had seemed to like them well enough before, but he'd definitely never been this close with them. Rei had chalked it up to the usual Hisuian uneasiness of Pokemon, standard for the era, until his real intentions for their use in his plan had been revealed. 

Rei wasn't even sure if Volo would have bothered to catch them if it hadn't been for the battle he had planned to have against Arceus. Now, it seemed like he couldn't imagine living without them. Had his priorities been changing during these last few years?

"Wherever did you find these two? Did they find their way back to Jubilife on their own?"

There was no putting the Enamorus conversation off any longer, then. He'd have to go ahead and just rip the bandage off, as much as it pained him to do so.

"Not exactly... I kind of have to admit something. I lied when I said I was going to go check on someone. Akari found something concerning we didn't tell you about when she went to Clamberclaw Cliff and I went to go investigate. I didn't want you to worry until we had more information."

Volo's lighthearted demeanor quickly turned serious upon hearing this. Even Lucario and Togekiss had stopped fussing over Volo to listen, although they knew even more than Rei did. Things were quiet for a long awkward moment before Volo finally responded in a low voice.

"Rei... What did she find?"

Togekiss let out a mournful cry, and buried her face into Volo's chest. Lucario reached over and pet her gently in an attempt to soothe her. He looked just as somber as Volo was starting to. They both definitely already knew.

"She found Spiritomb's keystone broken in half. All the souls bound to it that made up Spiritomb were released because they didn't have an anchor to hold them together anymore."

Rei saw the panic forming on Volo's face and quickly interrupted as he started to open his mouth.

"It's not as bad as it seems! I don't know if you remember me complaining to you about having to collect wisps before, but I'm very experienced in this exact situation. If we can find a new Keystone, we will be able to use it to bind Spiritomb together again. It will be a huge pain in the ass to find all 108 wisps, but Spiritomb can recover from this. I've done it before and I'm sure I can do it again."

Despite the reassurance, Volo still looked deeply disturbed.

"What Pokemon could have done such a thing?! This was no defensive measure, it was entirely uncalled for!"

There was rising anger as he spoke and Rei's hand twitched towards Sylveon's Pokeball before Lucario intervened and interrupted. Grabbing Volo's face in both paws his eyes began to glow along with Volo's as he pressed their foreheads together.

"ENAMORUS?!"

Rei jumped at Volo's sudden shouting and nearly fell off his chair. He hadn't expected Lucario to use his psychic powers that way, but he didn't seem to feel the need to hide the ugly truth from Volo, no matter what his reaction would be. It was a relief not to have to be the one to break it to Volo himself, but he'd still have to deal with the aftermath either way if his mental state deteriorated again.

As Lucario pulled back and Volo's eyes returned to their normal steely gray, Rei could see just how shell shocked he looked. As someone who often visited Cogita, he had spent a good time around Enamorus as well. They had never seemed to be anywhere near as close as they both were to Cogita, but they at least were cordial to each other. Maybe Rei would feel just as shocked if he woke up in the hospital to find Iscan had tried to murder him over a slight to Palina.

"Is Cogita safe?! I saw the chase to her house, surely even now Enamorus wouldn't-"

"No, Cogita is safe! She wasn't even there at the time, and Enamorus said she was only after you and your Pokemon! Cogita didn't even know what had happened until I told her. She was out traveling somewhere and got back just after I managed to capture Enamorus while she was distracted. I've got her in a Pokeball now, I wasn't about to risk letting her track you down again. She thinks you're dead right now, and I don't know what she'd do if she found out you weren't."

"And Enamorus didn't attack you? You speak as if you had a conversation with her about this!"

"I did, she thought I'd take her side. She knew how I felt about you and how much you hurt me so maybe she thought I'd be after revenge too? What she didn't realize is I don't play these shitty fucking games with people's lives like you two do. No one else is going to get hurt from this. No one. Not you, not her, and definitely not your Pokemon if I have anything to say about it. Do you understand me? It's over."

Lucario placed a paw on Volo's shoulder, and Volo's tense demeanor relaxed as their eyes met. No words were spoken between them, but the calming effect Lucario had was unmistakable. Togekiss licked Volo's cheek,the sweet act managing to make the corner of his mouth twitch up slightly. Volo continued to glare daggers at Rei's satchel but finally conceded to his implied demand.

"Fine. I will leave her be, but she can count her days if she ever leaves your protection."

Rei shook his head at this. He really didn't want to think of it like that, although he knew it was technically true.

"I wouldn't call it protection as much as I would imprisonment. Enamorus will have all her basic needs met in the Pokeball, just like any other Pokemon, but she's not gonna have any freedom in there. I'm sure she'll probably manage to get out eventually one way or another but it won't be until long after I'm dead, if I can manage it. According to both of you, that's not very long in the grand scheme of things, so I don't really feel bad."

The fire of the oil lamp danced in Volo's eyes as he stared at Rei, amused at his justification. A small jolt of electricity went down Rei's spine as Volo leaned even closer, his eyes narrowing alongside a growing smirk.

"You really do have a feisty attitude now, don't you?"

Rei's heart started pounding harder. He had to change the subject fast, he couldn't handle the way Volo was looking at him. His face felt like it was on fire, and he hoped the light was dim enough to not be very noticeable.

"I guess? Anyway, I spent some time talking with Cogita after I explained to her what happened. She wanted me to tell you that she's going to try and convince the Ginko Village elders to let you live with her. She sounded pretty confident they wouldn't turn her down."

Volo's mouth opened a bit in shock and his eyes widened. For a second, Rei thought he was going to launch off the bed but Lucario grabbed onto his arm to curb his enthusiasm. Settling for hugging Togekiss, he bounced up and down where he sat, laughing as Togekiss cheerfully babbled with him.

"Do you hear that?! We have a home again! If I had known Cogita would come through for me when I was in need I wouldn't have avoided her for so long! What a remarkable woman, uptight as she is!"

Rei snorted a bit and smiled. Those two wouldn't ever stop making digs at each other, would they? He really couldn't imagine what Cogita could have done to Volo that was so horrible, things between them seemed just the same as they always had been. The only harm done to him was by Enamorus, not her.

"Not sure when she's going to stop by, but she said she would. Hopefully, by then she'll be able to tell us when you can move in with her. Her tent isn't very big, she might need time to set up a new one for you."

Volo only shrugged at this, still petting the squirming Togekiss that was now nestling into his lap.

"Careful now sweetheart, don't sit on my injured leg! There you go, settle there... To tell you the truth, Rei, I don't believe it would make much of a difference to me. I'm used to camping, I can stay in the garden as long as food is provided and the weather stays fair."

A loud clap of thunder in the distance underlined Volo's words as if to mock him for daring to hope it would listen.

"Yeaaaah, you're staying with me until then. I don't care what anyone else has to say about it at this point."

"I would have assumed you'd take the first opportunity to rid yourself of me you were offered."

"Not if you're just going to go back to living outside! What the hell was that about anyway? Ingo dragged you here half starved and looking like you haven't brushed your hair in literally the entire time you've been gone!"

"I combed my hair with my fingers!"

"That doesn't actually impress me at all."

"It's not like I had many other options! Can you imagine me coming to town to buy necessities? The very idea is absurd, more likely than not I would have been detained immediately!"

Well... That was actually true enough. Kamado definitely would have locked him up, anyway. 

He couldn't speak for Irida or Adaman but they'd probably at least chase him away. It was his own fault for trying to erase all of them from existence, so Rei wouldn't have blamed them, but it did make him worried about how Volo had survived this long.

"Okay, well, what about meals? How the hell did you feed a whole team of Pokemon and yourself without buying food?"

"With great tightening of my own belt during winter and their assistance in foraging. It was not at all easy, but we made due how we could."

Rei fell quiet. He didn't feel comfortable needling Volo about that. 

Sensing the awkwardness, Volo smiled softly and gently placed his hand over Rei's. Rei really wished his heart would have gotten used to their hands touching by now but again, no luck. Holding hands with Volo was still the most love he'd ever gotten from a man, and he was so incredibly lonely for it that the touch only meant that much more.

"Don't worry about me now, I already know you'd refuse to let me go without! I've been pestered enough about it since I got here, haven't I?"

Rei's eyes met Volo's again, and in that moment, staring into his gentle gaze, he realized something. 

Their relationship had changed over the course of the day so dramatically that he couldn't even put a label on what they were anymore.

Enemies didn't seem to fit anymore. They both seemed to care about each other too much for that.

Friends still felt too hard to face after the betrayal, even if things were improving.

Lovers? Even if they did both have feelings for each other, against all reason, it wasn't going to happen.

Somehow, it seemed like they managed to exist in some strange crossroads between all three.

Nothing fit, and putting themselves in any of those categories firmly felt wrong. All they could ever be to each other now were acquaintances, and anything closer than that, Rei felt he would regret dearly.

It was hard to imagine Cute Charm wouldn't have already worn off at this point but Volo was still acting the same as he had been before. Had Rei just been mistaken about the whole thing? Volo could just be acting clingy because he hadn't talked to another human in a few years. That was supposed to drive you a bit crazy, right? If Rei himself was feeling the way he did just out ofromantic loneliness, who knew what full isolation from human contact would do.

Reluctantly pulling his hand away yet again, Rei broke eye contact first and attempted to derail Volo a second time. He didn't know the answer but he knew that if he let Volo keep going he might end up finding out. This was something that would be best left in the dark.

"Oh, I should mention, Cogita made you a salve to put on your wound and gave it to me before I left. She said it would help it heal. Do you mind if I do it?"

Volo perked up again at this, and from his expression, Rei could tell that this was news on par with being told he had a place to stay. It was nice of course, but was it really that exciting? It was only medicine.

"She did?! I truly must find a proper way to thank her for all this, I haven't the slightest clue why she'd even bother after all I've done to let her down..."

Rei felt an uncomfortable prickle as he remembered what Cogita had said about wronging him. He really didn't want to get involved in whatever drama was about to go down between them.

"Who knows, Cogita's hard to read. Why does she do anything she does?"

This made Volo laugh again as he nodded in agreement. Lucario snorted and shook his head at the both of them. Volo teasingly pinched Lucario's cheek and grinned at him.

"Well, we know you'd know, but the rest of us aren't so perceptive! She's a cunning sorceress with little need for the likes of rogues like us, why would she help?"

Lucario rolled his eyes, pushing Volo's hand away from his face. This just made Volo grin even harder.

"You and Rei are truly kindred spirits, aren't you? I knew something about how he acts seemed familiar."

"We actually aren't very alike, because if you pinched my cheek, I'd punch you."

"Yes, but you'd nurse my wounds afterwards wouldn't you?"

"...yeah."

"Then you are more alike than not!"

Rolling his own eyes, Rei pulled the salve out of his bag.

"Shut up and give me your right leg. I'm going to have to pull out the drainage tube for this and that won't be pretty to watch, so I'd recommend keeping your attention on Togekiss. She's much more pleasant to look at."

Volo was smart and took the advice, burying his face into Togekiss's fluff as Lucario rubbed his back supportively. Lucario's eyes stayed on Rei while Volo's did not, monitoring exactly what Rei was doing to his trainer. He didn't seem to be suspicious of Rei, but Rei was certain if he accidentally hurt Volo they'd have a problem.

Rei allowed some of his affection for Volo to leak through his defenses just enough to reassure Lucario he was going to do his best. He might talk to Volo like he was a nuisance, but he was incredibly serious about his comfort and safety. Lucario seemed to accept this, relaxing a bit but continuing to watch as Rei unwrapped Volo's bandage.

The wound was still very fresh, and Rei really didn't like messing with it, but if it would help Volo he was going to do his best. He winced a bit as he pulled out the drain tube and set it in a waste bin by the bed. Volo didn't show any sign he had noticed, but Rei doubted it felt good. Volo was clearly very good at hiding pain so he'd have to be even more careful if he wasn't going to give any signs of discomfort.

Rei took the salve out of the bottle and began to carefully spread it over the stitches. To his absolute astonishment, the salve dissolved them immediately along with any sign a wound had been there at all.

Rei sat there for a moment, staring at the place the wound had been at only moments before with his mouth hanging open. 

This... was completely impossible. There was no possible way any herbs from anyone's garden could have done something like this. Cogita must truly be an actual sorceress, because any other explanation made no sense.

"Ah, it must have worked! I can feel a vast improvement already!"

Volo looked down at his freshly healed leg like the miracle they were witnessing wasn't earth shattering at all. Had he been expecting this?! It's not like his foot had regrown itself or anything, but it was still more than any reasonable person could have expected.

Noticing Rei's dumbfounded expression, Volo smiled kindly and started to explain.

"Cogita collects rare and unusual herbs for her garden when she can manage to get her hands on them. I suspect she may have sacrificed some of her coveted Herba Mystica for my sake, which is quite the rarity to obtain. Not many save those who have worked in the Ginko Guild have ever even been to Paldea in these parts. My own mother was the one to have collected that plant for her during an adventure there, so I'm told. Perhaps Cogita only saw it fitting I'd be the one to reap its benefits?"

Herba Mystica? Rei had never heard of such a thing, but it had to be insanely powerful and rare. Whatever she had done by mixing it with the other herbs was the most powerful medicine he'd ever seen work on a human. Pokemon could be healed incredibly fast naturally, but humans took more time.

Working to find his voice again, Rei tossed the dirty bandages in the trash. They clearly wouldn't need them anymore.

"I... Can't say that's what I was expecting to happen. Pesselle is going to absolutely lose her mind tomorrow when we show her..."

Now that the shock of seeing something he thought was impossible wear off, Rei only felt overwhelming relief.Things had taken a sharp upward trend and were moving along a lot faster than he had ever expected, thanks to Cogita. It raised even more mystery around how and why she'd do any of this, but he wasn't about to protest. The relationship between her and Volo was none of his business, and he didn't want to get involved.

"Now that I have been healed, is it possible for me to assist in finding the rest of my Pokemon? I'm aware mobility may be an issue, but there's got to be something we can do to at least allow me to come along for the search..."

Rei felt his heart drop a little bit at this. He wasn't surprised Volo would rather be out searching, but the idea of taking him out into the wilderness when he would be unable to run from danger was scary. Still, his Pokemon were clearly like his family, and in his position, he'd want to do the same. It would probably be pointless to try and talk him out of it anyway, so he should probably just make sure he was as safe as possible while doing it.

"Yeah, I'll figure something out. The saddles on Ursaluna and Wyrdeer are pretty sturdy and at the very least we could probably fit you in Sneasler's basket. With both our Pokemon to protect us you should be okay, but it's still a risk. Are you sure you want to do this? You don't even have your crutches yet, and if something unexpected happens I can't promise you'll get away."

Volo nodded somberly, hugging Togekiss and Lucario closer. The determination in his eyes reflected no fear and it was obvious his mind was already made up. Reaching back into his satchel, Rei pulled out his Survival Charm. It was a strange symbol painted blue with a red string attached that was supposed to ward off fainting from wild Pokemon attacks. It definitely had a noticeable effect on the damage he took when attacked, so whatever it did clearly was helping.

"Here, take my Survival Charm. It should help keep you safe when we're out in the field. I don't want you to get hurt again, so just hang onto it, okay?"

Rei handed the charm over to Volo and he took it gingerly as if it were a priceless treasure and not a beat up hand-me-down. Looking Rei directly in the eye he raised it to his lips and kissed it.

"For luck." He explained, smiling sweetly again.

Rei could have cried right there, but he managed to hold himself together. He wasn't going to do it in front of Volo. He only nodded and tried to ignore the tightening in his throat. 

Standing up and leaving the bedroom, Rei went to wash his hands off from dealing with the wound. Tears dripped down into the soapy water as his body shook slightly. That had been pretty clear, hadn't it? Or was he still just overthinking things? 

Rei was so tired at this point he couldn't bear to try and analyze the homoerotic subtext of whatever the fuck Volo thought he was doing. Should he tell him to just stop? Did he want him to?

Drying his hands off, Rei decided to leave this particular emotional crisis to deal with tomorrow. He'd had enough for today.

Chapter Text

There really weren't a lot of luxuries to enjoy in Hisui, at least compared to what Rei had grown up accustomed to. Most of the everyday things like television and the internet that Rei had taken for granted had been left behind when he was forced to start his new life. Even basic things like indoor plumbing hadn't been invented yet, and as Rei manually drained his water basin, he found himself missing his original time period again.

After a few years of adjusting, he'd managed to get used to finding other ways to entertain himself, like getting those Rotom machines set up. Having something familiar to him was a huge help in him not losing his mind. As hard as things were, he was adjusting decently well. Hisui wasn't so bad, every basic need he had was met, and he was slowly learning to replace the things that had been taken from his life with new things.

Instead of messing around on the internet, he spent time goofing off with Akari. He and Chatot sang music themselves, instead of listening to recordings of others doing it. Most things he missed had some sort of equivalent. And although not all were as good, it helped keep him sane.

The one thing that he'd not been able to replace, however, was his family.

Rei missed his mom so much, it felt like she might as well be dead at times. He missed skateboarding with her. He missed sitting with her at night and eating ice cream after dad fell asleep when he got grounded for getting into trouble. He missed being able to talk to her and tell her all the things in his life that were bothering him. She never judged him for it, or yelled at him, she only tried to help. When a strict parenting style was needed his dad took care of it, but mom? She was always there for the moments that he needed someone to comfort him.

And god, did he ever need some comfort right now.

Rei took out his Arc Phone to pull up the picture he had taken of the sketch Akari was working on for him. She had already scrapped several previous versions due to not looking quite right, but this one was looking much more promising than the others had been.

Staring back at him was the approximate face of his mother, smudged with eraser marks and giving a familiar hearty smile. She was a large Unovan woman with fiery red and black hair, and an even more fiery personality. It hadn't been easy to capture that, but Akari was an incredible artist and didn't give up easily.

The sketch still wasn't exact, but she was doing everything she could to make it as close as possible, since Rei was desperate for anything that would prevent him from forgetting what his mom looked like. When he was an old man and time had worn her face away from his memories, this art would possibly be all he had left of her.

How would his mom even react if she knew he still had feelings for a guy who'd only ever used him? Would she be disappointed? Would she be shocked it was a man? Rei hadn't even managed to get the courage up to come out to her as gay — not before he'd been taken to Hisui.

As much as Rei wanted to believe she'd always love him for everything he was, the fact he wouldn't get the chance to find out really bothered him. Maybe she'd just be sad he was sad. That felt like the response most true to how she usually felt whenever he was going through a bad time. Staring down at the smiling face on his screen, it was easy to imagine she'd want to be supportive, but he had no way to know.

Rei looked down at the picture on his phone for what felt like a very long time, silent tears continuing to drip down his face. He knew he'd feel better afterwards, but he still hated crying. He'd give anything just to go back to being a normal 15 year old who never had to deal with any of this, one who still had a mom to go cry to.

Why did it have to be him that was chosen by Arceus? Why was he so special anyway? None of it had ever been explained to him, and it made everything feel that much worse. At least if there had been a good reason for it, the fact that he was here would feel a little easier to live with.

Rei flipped through his Arc Phone pictures to the very beginning of his camera roll. The first picture he had ever taken on his Arc Phone was a selfie of himself in his Survey Corps uniform on the second day after he had arrived in Hisui. This was the Rei his mom remembered: A baby-faced and sheltered kid that had absolutely no idea what he was in for. What would she think of the man he'd become?

As Rei continued to scroll the photos he stopped by pure chance on the only picture he'd ever gotten the courage to ask Volo to take with him. Volo was wagging his finger at the camera playfully while Rei was trying his best to play it cool, and not embarrass himself in front of the gorgeous new guy in his life. He wasn't sure why he'd never deleted that photo. He always just ended up avoiding it instead. Rei's finger hovered the button that would delete it, but couldn't bring himself to go through with it. Instead, he turned the Arc Phone off and put it back into his satchel.

Rei wiped the tears away with the back of his hand and took a few deep breaths. He needed a shower pretty bad, as he'd gotten pretty dirty during his late night excursion to find Volo's Pokemon.

Trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible, Rei went back into the bedroom to get a change of clothes and a towel from his cabinet. He could feel Volo's concerned gaze following him as he went over to the right side of the room. He tried not to look, but couldn't help but catch a glimpse of it.

"Rei?"

Volo's voice was soft and full of concern. Rei still pretended to not notice him —this wasn't a conversation he was going to have right now. Grabbing the things he needed, Rei hurried out of the room and slid the bedroom door shut before Volo could try to get his attention again.

Setting his clean clothes and towel to the side, Rei grabbed his wash basin and went over to the washing machine, knocking on the door. Rotom traveled through the wires from the fridge to the washing machine and possessed it, his eyes opening up and giving Rei a mischievous smile.

Seeing the expression on Rei's face, that smile quickly vanished and was replaced with concern.

"Bzzzt?"

"Bath soap and water please, if you don't mind. I'd appreciate it."

Rotom reached out with the washing machine hose and gently poured just the right amount of soapy water Rei would need into his basin. Rei felt incredibly glad that Rotom understood that now was not the time to fool around. He gently patted the washing machine and gave it the best smile he could muster.

"Thanks buddy."

"Bzzz..."

Rotom still seemed concerned, but didn't push the issue. Rei stripped off his dirty clothes and put them into the washing machine, before starting to rinse away the dirt and grime of a day that had felt much too long from his body. The silence made it far too easy for his mind to wander again and Rei found himself reaching for Chatot's Pokeball. Drowning out his thoughts would be easier with his help.

As soon as Chatot was released, he flew to Rei's bare shoulder and started to preen his wet hair affectionately. Rei scratched his feathery little head and started to hum the familiar melody of his mother's lullaby and Chatot picked up on his request, starting to mimic the flute cover Rei had taught him years ago.

Rei hadn't picked up the Celestica flute as well as the other instruments he played and the cover was imperfect with a few sour notes here and there. Even so, hearing it felt like home and closing his eyes and humming along he could almost imagine he was there again. As much as it made Rei feel homesick, it was still a very soothing melody and it helped him relax.

It had to be well past midnight at this point, and Rei felt the exhaustion of the day catch up with him as he dried himself off and got into his pajamas. He'd be glad to finally get into bed but he still had something important to do. Going over to the fridge, Rei reached in and grabbed some of the mixed berries and nuts he kept for his Pokemon. His appetite might have been left at Clamberclaw Cliff, but Volo's Pokemon were probably starving by now.

Filling up two heaping bowlfuls, Rei finally went back into the bedroom with Chatot on his shoulder. He couldn't avoid Volo forever, as much as he wished he could. It had been so easy to assume that coming out to Volo would repulse him and make him easier to stay away from. He'd never expected the opposite would happen.

Ignoring the concerned way Volo was looking at him, Rei placed the two bowls on the bed where Togekiss and Lucario could reach them. His mouth gave the slightest hint of a smile while watching them both start to inhale their dinner. He might have more mouths to feed now, but it felt good to be able to give them that. He couldn't imagine how many times they'd had to go without since their unofficial exile.

"Rei."

Rei took a deep breath and looked up at Volo. He didn't even try to hide the exhaustion and frustration on his face, he knew it was a losing battle.

"What?"

Volo glanced away awkwardly and tugged on the end of his braid. He seemed to be struggling to find the words he wanted to say. Lucario gently rubbed his back and he finally seemed to find his voice again.

"Are you alright? I'm... concerned about you."

It really shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did at this point, but it still felt so bizarre to think that this was actually what Volo cared about right now. He literally lost his foot, and he was worried about the feelings of the guy who'd been so shitty to him about it in the first place?

"I'm just tired. I'm going to bed. Did you need anything before I do?"

"...no, don't let me trouble you any further. You've done more than your fair share today. Sleep well, Rei."

"You too. I'll see you in the morning."

Rei extinguished the oil lamp and went back over to his side of the bedroom, pulling the divider to separate the room as he went. The last thing he needed right now was feeling like Volo was staring at him all night.

He put his hand up to Chatot and had him step up onto it, bringing him up to his face and kissing him on the top of his little head before helping him up on his perch.

"Goodnight buddy, I love you. Sleep good."

Chatot leaned in and made little kissy noises back as he rubbed his beak on Rei's cheek. Rei smiled despite the circumstances that were weighing on his mind, and scratched Chatot's head affectionately as the little Pokemon chirped out his own goodnight.

"Sleep good! Love you! Sleep good!"

Chatot began to mimic the lullaby again as Rei climbed into his futon and tried to relax. Being completely exhausted, he felt uncertain if he'd even be able to fall asleep. Everything about today had made him so anxious and on edge that his mind didn't want to turn off in fear that some other hellish situation would happen when he least expected it.

He let out a frustrated sigh and pulled his pillow around his ears. It wasn't Chatot's fault at all, but the sour notes in the flute cover Rei had made that he was mimicking felt even louder than normal when he felt this overstimulated. It was almost perfect, but he'd never gotten it quite right, and that bugged him.

An unexpected interruption caused Chatot to pause his concert and listen intently. Music still filled the room, but it wasn't coming from Chatot or Rei this time. A hauntingly beautiful cover of Rei's lullaby was being played on a Celestica flute just on the other side of the divider.

It had to be Volo playing it. He must have been listening to Chatot mimic it the entire time, and familiarized himself enough with the simple melody to recreate it not just correctly, but even better than Rei had ever managed.

There was real passion in how Volo composed the song. He had broken it down in such a way that showed he really understood what made the melody work. Every note was hit with perfect clarity and held for the exact amount of time it needed to be. It was as if he had made a project of it, dissecting what it should sound like before correcting it in the new version.

Rei hadn't known that Volo's desire for learning extended to music, but he clearly held the same fervor for it as he did every other subject that caught his attention.

Chatot listened to Volo play through the song a few times before picking it up and starting to mimic it himself. Seeing that his plan had been successful, Volo's flute stopped and his side of the room fell silent once more. Rei could feel his heart melting. Volo had absolutely no reason to bother doing this for him other than genuine kindness.

Rei put his hand over his chest and tried to will away the burning sensation that was building but it was as useless as ever. He was starting to fall in love just as fast and hard as he had the first time and he felt deeply humiliated; it hadn't taken long at all for Volo to start tearing down the walls he had built up. He'd keep building though. He had to. He wasn't going to give in to temptation this easily.

Fatigue, combined with the much more soothing rendition of the lullaby, finally won out in the end and Rei fell asleep. His final thought was a desperate hope that his willpower would last long enough for Volo to be sent off to Johto, and far away from him before he made an incredibly stupid mistake.

Chapter Text

Sunlight streamed through the large window in the alcove of the bedroom, illuminating a very tired Rei with the first light of a new day. Rei sat up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand as he squinted into the room, trying to adjust his eyes.

The morning sunlight, beginning to heat the ancient style of Hisuian wood his Quarters were made of, gave the room a sort of amber glow that he normally liked to sit and stare at in the morning. It was no longer possible to check his messages on his phone, so he tried to enjoy what little moments he could instead of the morning conversations with his online friends he missed.

But this morning was different.

There was someone dangerous in the room with him. Someone who needed to go.

Rei had let his guard down way too much yesterday. It had to be the stress and shock of seeing Volo again, on top of everything else, that was getting to him. Regardless of personal feelings, his priority of getting Volo the hell out of his house couldn’t be ignored.. Love him or hate him, Volo couldn't stay without things going downhill fast one way or another.

Rei stood up and stretched before pulling the divider back and looking into Volo's side of the room. The medical bed had a mess of golden hair and two Pokemon heaped on top of it, tangled in a nest of blankets that didn't make a lot of sense to look at. They'd probably gotten used to cuddling up together at night to keep warm when the chill of the colder months made it impossible for Volo to survive otherwise. Togekiss especially seemed to take her job seriously, covering her wings over him like a large feathery white fan. Rei found himself smiling ever so softly watching them and felt a small flutter begin in his chest.

Realizing what was happening, Rei quickly tried to shut his brain off. He shouldn't be thinking about Volo like he was special or different from anyone else he took in. He just needed to look at him and try to see any other patient, someone faceless and nameless who he had no history with. He should have been doing that from the very beginning.

So what would he do if there were any other patient in that bed? Rei tried to imagine, but found that he couldn't. He hardly felt sure what he was even supposed to do at all anymore.

He was supposed to help someone who was injured to heal, but ever since last night, he didn't have anything to heal anymore. All he had now was a man with one foot, two Pokemon, and at least three different undiagnosed mental health concerns. He was also a convicted felon by most social standards, since everything else just wasn't enough to deal with on top of that.

Why did Volo still seem so appealing despite it all? Was Rei really so shallow or did he just have it that bad for this particular kind of hot mess? Volo wasn't suddenly absolved of sin for what he'd done, but it was getting harder to continue to damn him for it when deep down, all Rei really wanted was to be held by him again.

Trying to look more put off than lovesick, Rei went over to the bed where Volo was entangled with his Pokemon and tried to locate approximately where his head was.

"Hey Volo, wake up. I need to talk to you."

Volo's voice mumbled back something that sounded mostly agreeable into Togekiss's feathers, but it was too muffled to hear. Rei rolled his eyes.

"You can sleep in if you want, but I have errands I need to take care of today. Akari is going out searching to see if she can find any leads about the rest of your Pokemon, and I'll try and meet up to help her if I have time afterwards."

Volo's head raised up from on top of Togekiss's shoulder, and he did his best to focus on what Rei was saying, albeit still groggy and unfocused. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and Rei glanced away, before how cute he looked doing it could really register in his mind.

"Should we not assist her? The better our search party, the quicker we recover them."

Rei shook his head at this. He has his own plans for today and very much meant to keep them.

"No, not just yet. I missed Calaba's funeral to help you, and now you owe me time to visit the Pearl Clan. Akari is incredibly good at her job and can sweep the area just as well as we could. If she doesn't find any bad signs like there was with Spiritomb, that just means they got away and they're lost."

Volo untangled himself from the pile of fur and feathers enough to sit up and protest unhappily.

"And if they are injured?!"

"If they are hurt enough that it's life threatening, they'll still be in the area and Akari will find them. I promise you she knows what she's doing, and she has the ability to summon Ursaluna too. It doesn't have to be me doing it, she's just as good."

"But you're the highest ranking member of the Surveys Corps! No one is better equipped to handle a Pokemon hunt than you!"

"Not anymore I'm not, Akari is. I'm just the lowest ranking member of the Medical Corps."

Volo looked frustrated with his continued insistence that he was not actually the shining hero of the Survey Corps Arceus had insisted he become.

"You're a prodigy in the field of surveying, Rei., Why do you go to such lengths to deny it?!"

"Because I never even wanted to be in the Survey Corps?! I was literally given two choices: Join it, or die in the wilderness. I also don't give a shit if I'm good at surveying, I'm done with it. I don't have anything else to contribute."

"You've certainly contributed more than enough to Kamado's Pokemon reserves, but it doesn't change the fact you're the best suited for the job."

"Actually, I released all the Pokemon I had but the four you've seen with me."

Volo looked almost outraged by the shock of the unexpected confession. Noticing the shift in his emotional state, Lucario untangled himself from the nest and put a hand on Volo's shoulder warningly. The two exchanged a quick look and Volo reluctantly did his best to relax. He took a deep breath and tried to control his tone as best he could but his confusion still slipped though nonetheless.

"And Kamado just allowed you to do this?!"

"He didn't seem to care either way. I'm not completely convinced he was trying to build an army like you think, he might just be really stupid about how things looked to an outsider's perspective. Not trying to defend him but he definitely just... Doesn't think things through sometimes?"

"But why would you do it?! Rei, you had every god of legend in this region under your control, what could possibly possess you to give that up?!"

"I didn't think they were happy being stuck in the stables, so I let them go. It wasn't a hard decision, I wasn't gonna use them for anything."

Volo stared at Rei in complete astonishment for a moment, before breaking into an unexpected smile. The way Volo was looking at him made Rei feel the urge to move closer. He stepped back a bit instead.

"Perhaps you haven't changed as much as I originally thought."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No... I'm only relieved to find you haven't become completely jaded by the world despite your situation."

"Some of us haven't given up on it just yet."

"I like that about you, you know. It's sweet how much you feel the desire to help."

Rei felt his face begin to heat up ever so slightly but forced the compliment out of his mind.

"If you agree to just stay here and trust Akari will do the best she can to help find your other Pokemon, I'll go borrow some books from Laventon for you before I leave town."

This caught Volo's attention, and the temptation of the offer seemed to be wearing down his resolve dramatically. If there was anything Rei was sure Volo loved without a hint of a doubt, it was books.

Considering he hadn't had access to any new ones for three years, it was probably safe to say that for him this was the emotional equivalent of bargaining with water in the desert.

Maybe it was a bit of an underhanded tactic, but he needed something that would work to keep Volo under control and distracted at the same time. If he decided he was going to go rogue and try to find them himself with the help of Togekiss and Lucario, it could only end badly.

"...I'm sure Akari is a very capable woman for the job, especially if you're vouching for her. I don't mean to insult her with my doubts, she's been kind to me for little reason other than her good heart."

Volo might be completely unpredictable in a lot of areas, but at least this one hadn't changed. The only real problem now was how to carry enough books back from Laventon to keep him occupied. The guy read like a maniac, it wouldn't take long for him to get through even one.

"Yeah, I love Akari, she's honestly the best. I'll go get you the books after breakfast."

Volo fell silent and Lucario nudged at him a bit until he finally gave in and spoke what was on his mind.

"...is Akari your girlfriend? You seem very close with her, and she speaks of you rather fondly."

And there it was. Volo didn't understand at all, just as expected.

Rei was getting really tired of people wanting to think they understood what was going on between him and Akari. It's not like he himself even completely understood it, but he knew it wasn't like that. Why couldn't they just be left alone about it? Just because one of them was a guy and one of them was a girl didn't mean they had to be attracted to each other.

"Still none of your business, but no. She's my best friend. If you're interested in her, I'm going to do you a favor and tell you right now she doesn't want to date anyone."

"Oh, so she rejected you..."

"I didn't ask her out, and I don't want to! Why do you care so much?!"

Volo's cheeks turned a bit pink and he quickly started to backtrack.

"Only curious! It's been a long time since I've seen the two of you and I'm interested as to what's gone on in my absence!"

Lucario sighed and put a paw over his face, shaking his head as if he were exhausted with Volo. Volo elbowed him to get him to stop, and it made Rei almost ask what their deal was before deciding he didn't care. Asking questions would just stretch the conversation out longer than it already had been, and he just wanted to get going.

"Right... Well, I'm going to go start breakfast. We're having Blissey egg again, you need the nutrients. Do you want anything in your omelet?"

"Anything you can spare to add would be wonderful. Add berries on the side for Togekiss if you would, she adores them."

"Not a problem, I'll give her some."

Togekiss opened her eyes and gave a sleepy "bleee" of excitement at hearing the mention of her own name and berries in the same sentence. Hearing she was awake, Volo immediately pulled her into a big hug and started to pet her.

"Good morning darling, did you sleep well?"

"Togee!"

Togekiss's smile upon seeing Volo was so innocent and pure, that Rei almost felt jealous he didn't get one too. He'd never understood why a Pokemon from a species that hated conflict as much as Togekiss would love a trainer like Volo, but watching how they interacted, it was easier to see why. Love didn't always have to make sense, sometimes two people just loved each other despite all the reasons they shouldn't.

"Since she's such a good girl, I'll have to give her extra."

Togekiss started to wiggle in excitement so hard Volo had to hold onto her so she wouldn't flail off the bed. He started laughing as Lucario had to help him pull her back up, and his eyes sparkled as he regarded her fondly.

Despite the horrors that Volo had experienced yesterday, he still managed to be so genuinely happy to have Lucario and Togekiss back that it was heartwarming to see. The improvement in his mental state was noticeable already — Rei hoped that when they managed to find the rest of his team, he'd be in the best possible mindset to start learning to walk again. Now that he no longer needed time to heal, it was looking like he'd start the process sooner than they had expected.

"Do you want me to grab the wheelchair so you can come and eat in the main room?"

"No... I'd rather just stay here for now."

There was a tremor in Volo's voice that made Rei pause. He'd rejected the offer last night and it hadn't felt strange but it almost seemed like he was avoiding it now. Instead of leaving, Rei sat down in the chair next to Volo's bed.

Taking a deep breath, Rei reached out and took Volo's hand. This immediately got Volo's attention and they stared at each other, both taking a long pause while seeming surprised this was happening at all. Volo's face heated up considerably, and as Rei looked deep into his eyes, he finally recognized what he had been so desperately trying not to see.

Volo had a crush on him.

It felt completely unreal, but it had to be true. Enemies didn't look at each other like that. Neither did friends. Volo seemed almost to understand what Rei was thinking and smiled sadly at him. Rei felt like he couldn't breathe, but he needed to say something. He couldn't let this get to him just yet, something was wrong.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Volo took a deep breath and squeezed Rei's hand. His eyes became more distant as he tilted his face down. His braid came loose around the edges and a few wisps of hair began to hang across his cheeks. Once again, Volo looked delicate and frail, the liveliness he'd been regaining suddenly sapped from his body.

"I was plagued with intense nightmares the entire night, and got little sleep. It felt very real, although I am aware the worst of it is over. I am not feeling very... confident in my nerves at the moment. I feel safer in this bed."

Oh. That hadn't been what Rei was expecting to hear.

It made complete sense that after the trauma he'd been through, he'd feel anxious and scared like that. He wished Volo would have woken him up and told him. But... What reason did Volo have to think he even cared to hear about those feelings? They were deeply personal, and Rei had made it pretty clear he wasn't interested in being friends.

Against all his better judgment, Rei went and sat down on the bed next to Volo. Volo looked at him with uncertainty, unaware what his intentions were. Rei had been so clearly trying to stay away before that this had to have felt like a complete flip.

Rei held out his arms to Volo and tried to give him his best comforting smile, despite not feeling there was much to smile about right then.

"That really sucks, I'm so sorry. You can hug me if you need to, I don't mind."

Volo's response was immediate, throwing his arms around Rei and clinging to him. A small tremor ran through Volo's whole body, becoming noticeable as he settled into the embrace. Rei pulled Volo as close as he could, and felt hot tears start to pour down over his shoulder. Volo's trembling arms wrapped around his torso and Rei moved his own up to the back of Volo's head to gently stroke his hair.

Rei felt absolutely horrible. Had Volo really felt the need to hold all this in? To just mask it and pretend everything was okay around everyone else? Maybe Volo had just desperately wanted things to be fine and had been trying to fake it until he made it.

Whatever the reason, he shouldn't be handling it this way. Repressing it was the worst option and Rei knew that better than anyone.

"It's okay... I got you... Just stay here with me."

The heat radiating intensely from Rei's chest felt hot enough to burn him. Volo melted into him and it somehow only managed to get worse from there. He could feel Volo's breath on his neck now, which made his entire body shiver slightly.

Rei squeezed his eyes shut tight and held on for dear life as he tried to ride out the dizzying emotional rollercoaster he was going through. Words couldn't even describe how much anguish it was to know Volo was probably feeling at least somewhat the same way.

A nudge from Togekiss was what finally jolted Rei out of his mesmerized state. There really wasn't enough room on the bed for all of them, and he'd be chased off soon enough if Togekiss didn't get her berries soon.

His eyes now open, Rei saw there was an intense stare coming from Lucario as he crossed his arms coming in his direction. As protective as he was, it would probably be a very bad idea to break his trainer's heart. Lucario would definitely know if it happened too.

Rei could only assume this meant he had the choice to either back off Volo or marry him. Making the informed decision that backing off was the better option, Rei rubbed Volo on the back a few more times before gently breaking away and going back over to the bedside chair.

Luckily, Volo didn't seem offended by this and was preoccupied trying to grab a clean handkerchief from the bedside table. Lucario handed him one and Volo used it to wipe the tears from his face.

"Ah, so sorry! I don't know what came over me... I've gotten your clothes all damp, please pardon me..."

"I was going to change out of my pajamas anyway. It's totally okay to cry or need to talk about it though, alright? I do it all the time. I know it can be embarrassing, but holding it in is really bad for you. You just went through something super traumatic, it's okay to just be fucked up about it. I'm not going to mock or judge you."

Volo put the handkerchief aside and did his best to smile. "It's not really a side of myself I'd like to show people if it's all the same to you."

"I mean you could still try writing in that journal Akari told me she got for you. None of us would read that and you could just say whatever's on your mind. At least it's somewhere then, not bottled up, you know?"

Lucario climbed over to Volo and put his hand on his shoulder to get his attention. As Volo turned to look at him, he nodded to Volo to take Rei's advice. Volo sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, knocking more of it loose from his braid.

"It seems I've been outvoted then. It should be an interesting project to try, at least. May I still borrow Sylveon? He's a more proven method of helping me through this."

Rei nodded and went to get Sylveon's PokeBall from his satchel, sending the freshly rested Pokemon out to land on Volo's bed. It was getting even more crowded with three Pokemon and a human on it, but Volo didn't seem to care. He only seemed interested in getting Sylveon into his lap.

Finding the arrangement perfectly agreeable, Sylveon kneaded down on Volo's legs for a moment before lying down and wrapping his feelers around Volo's wrist. Volo's trembling seemed to fade as the effects took hold, returning him to a much calmer state. It was nice to see that Sylveon was working so well for Volo. Rei just wished he'd recognized how much he needed this beforehand.

"You should probably just keep Sylveon with you, for now. As long as you give him breaks, he'd probably love attention from you and your Pokemon."

"Sounds like a fair deal for such a hard worker!"

Volo smiled down at Sylveon and scratched under his chin. Sylveon's little leg thumped happily and Rei's heart thumped right along with it. Volo caught a glimpse of how hard Rei was blushing, and gave him a shy smile back. Rei sure as hell didn't remember getting those kinds of smiles when they were younger...

This was the exact opposite of the distance Rei had wanted to accomplish, and it felt like he was drowning in emotional quicksand. Were these feelings really so impossible to avoid, or was it just impossible for Rei to stop making the stupid decisions that lead to it happening?

"Well... I'll be back with breakfast in a bit, then. If you need anything, just yell."

Not even waiting for a response, Rei grabbed his satchel and almost ran out of the bedroom to escape any further conversation. Chatot flew through the sliding door before Rei could close it completely, landing on top of the Rotom Fridge to perch. Rei went and sat down by the fire pit, taking out Lilligant and Blissey's Pokeballs and releasing them.

Lilligant stood poised like a ballerina at the ready as the light from her PokeBall faded around her. Blissey came out directly next to her and immediately went to work, not bothering to bask in the moment for aesthetics. She knew it was breakfast time and was always eager to get cooking. Rei gave a half hearted nod of acknowledgement to her, which made Blissey pause.

Rei knew that he normally wasn't this reserved and that it was probably worrying her. He tried to give her a smile to put her mind at ease, but it ended up not coming out quite right. Abandoning her breakfast plans for the moment, Blissey went to sit next to Rei and leaned on his side without comment. She took the Lucky Egg out of her pouch and handed it to Rei to hold. Rei wasn't completely convinced that holding a Lucky Egg would do anything to solve his problem, but it did always cheer him up somehow.

Lilligant motioned for Chatot to join her and he eagerly took the invitation to perch on her shoulder, preening himself while she adjusted the leaves on her own head. She gently petted her little friend to say good morning before regarding Rei with her own concerned look.

"I'm fine." Rei managed to get out, not sure if he believed it himself. He stood up with the Lucky Egg he was holding, deciding that if he was going to take time to think things over, he should at least be getting things moving while he did. He had a lot to get done today, and things weren't going to slow down just to give him a moment to breathe.

Rei lit the fire and left it to heat the pot as he went over to the fridge to get more ingredients. His mind wandered as he went through the familiar morning routine, and the world around him became less important as his thoughts took over.

Whether or not Volo was queer was not something Rei had expected to ever find out. There were certain social boundaries in Hisui you couldn't cross if you expected to keep getting along with your neighbors, and trying to gauge how he felt would involve crossing several of them. Maybe in a different life, where Volo and Rei had been born in the same time period, he could have just asked him if he liked men, but it wasn't the same conversation in this era.

Even now, the idea of trying to bring it up despite the increasingly clear signals Volo was giving him that he was interested felt too dangerous. Volo might not even completely understand what he was feeling himself. These things took time to sort out even with a good support system. If he wasn't completely ready to come out himself, then poking at him about his sexuality could be damaging. All Rei could really do for him was to not be judgemental about it, but make it clear that they were never going to have any sort of relationship together.

Even still, Volo returning his feelings shot the worst rush of lovesickness he'd felt so far through his heart like it had been struck with a hot iron. In any other situation and context, this would be one of the happiest moments of his life.

Volo was everything Rei had ever wanted in a man. He was smart, charming, beautiful, passionate, and most importantly a huge dork who wanted to learn more than anything else in the world. The problem was, he also happened to be Volo, and had done a fantastic job proving that he was a very dangerous and unstable person to be involved with.

Maybe when Volo had managed to settle back into society as best he could and didn't feel so clearly desperate for human connection, his feelings would fade. How he'd end up feeling about the crush he'd developed under considerable trauma and dubiously charmed circumstances was yet to be seen anyway.

Before Rei knew it, breakfast was done. The omelets he had made on autopilot looked delicious, but even despite losing his dinner last night he was struggling to find his appetite. He would have to eat anyway, he had to travel today and he'd very much end up regretting skipping breakfast.

Rei passed Lilligant, Chatot, and Blissey their omelets before taking the rest back into the bedroom. He had to slide the door open with his foot to carry all of them at once but managed to without dropping any. Lilligant appeared behind him with several glasses of water wrapped in her leafy arms. She had been kind enough to abandon her own breakfast to help bring what Rei's scattered mind had forgotten.

"Oh, thanks Lilligant. I'm glad one of us is paying attention."

Lilligant smiled affectionately at Rei with her eyes, and together they started to set up for breakfast in the bedroom. Rei placed Volo's plate on his bedside table before handing a bowl off to Lucario and placing Togekiss's bowl (filled with berries, to the point it was almost comically covering up the omelette underneath) on the end of the bed.

Togekiss launched herself off Volo's lap and landed face first in the bowl of food, scarfing it down happily while wiggling her whole body in excitement at all the berries she had been given. Lucario was much calmer and simply dipped his head to Rei politely before digging into his own omelet.

Rei placed the last omelette in front of Sylveon as Lilligant finished passing out the water. Seeing that everyone was taken care of, Rei went to get changed as quickly as possible before going to leave the bedroom. A question from Volo made Rei pause halfway out the door.

"Rei, will you come and sit with me? I'd enjoy your company."

It was a simple enough question, but Rei felt his spine tingle from something in the way he said it. He absolutely could not do that under any circumstances.

"Sorry, I would but I don't have time. I really have to get going if I'm going to get everything I need to do done today. I'll eat really fast then go get your books, okay?"

The reminder that he was getting books seemed to be enough to distract him from any disappointment over the rejection.

"Ah, fantastic! Please do see if you can find historical accounts, those are my favorite."

"There might end up only being books on Galarian history, knowing the Professor, but I'll see what I can find."

"I'll take whatever I can get my hands on!"

Volo's mood seemed to have improved enough that Rei felt comfortable leaving him alone with all the Pokemon. Now that Lucario was here, he felt he at least had a decent stand in for himself anyway. Volo might be Lucario's trainer, but it wasn't hard to see that he called a lot of the shots when it came to Volo's emotions. It was really encouraging to see that Volo had someone in his life to help keep him in check.

"Alright, I'll be back later then. Don't get into any trouble when I leave or I'll kick your ass."

"I am aware, yes. I'll be good!"

Rei had the faintest hint of a smile on his face as he waved goodbye to Volo, but did his best to force it off his face. He left the bedroom door open a crack in case the Pokemon wanted to get out after he'd left.

Grabbing his own plate, Rei went to sit down in front of the fire pit next to Blissey. Leaning on her as they ate in silence together felt really nice. The house already felt chaotic, so he'd treasure any small moments of peace he could get from now until Volo was gone. Hopefully Akari was having luck tracking down Garchomp, Arcanine, and Roserade, or had at least found a lead to where they might be by now.

There wasn't much they could do about Spiritomb at the moment, but at least Ginter would be by later and he could ask if he knew anyone who had a Keystone. Maybe they'd even be able to buy one from him if they were lucky.

Rei felt a bit nervous imagining how Ginter and Volo would respond to seeing each other again. Pesselle and Akari had done very well with Volo, but neither of them had the personal history with Volo that Ginter did. It would definitely be a lot different, and Rei wasn't sure he looked forward to that confrontation.

Before Rei even noticed it had happened, his plate was suddenly empty. He hadn't even tasted the omelet despite eating every bite. Well, at least he'd still get the energy from it he needed.

Wiping his mouth off, Rei stood and started to clean up the area with Blissey's help. It wasn't long before things were acceptably tidy enough for Rei to start to get ready to leave.

As Rei put on his shoes by the front door he took one last moment to take a deep breath and try to refocus himself. There were going to be a lot of people who wanted to know what was going on today, and he was the guy who had all the answers.

As much as he wanted to be able to preemptively tell all of them to just leave Volo alone, he knew that wouldn't go over well. He'd need to keep his wits about himself and do his best to defend Volo's presence in the village as the best form of damage control.

As confused as he still felt to be taking that position, he knew that not doing so could lead to a lot of even worse situations for Volo down the road, and Rei wouldn't accept that.

Chapter Text

Rei stepped out through the front door and into the fresh morning air of Hisui. The old Hisuian style of buildings still looked just as quaint and rustic as the day he'd first seen them, although a lot more had been built since his arrival.

There had recently begun talks of how they would need to expand the outer walls to be able to fit in more, and Rei couldn't help but wonder how Volo would feel hearing that. Intentionally or not, Kamado seemed to be on the same path of expansion Volo had predicted.

Jubilife Village was a place Rei had always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with. Kamado and people who had sided with him had been the main problem he had with the place. There were, however, other people like Akari, Laventon, and Pesselle that made Jubilife much more tolerable

Rei made his way down the main road and watched as the various merchants began to open up shop for the day. Ginter and Tuli didn't even notice him pass as they were too busy unpacking things from the back of their cart.

The sound of the river that ran through the village turning the water wheels gave Jubilife the same serene ambiance it usually had, but something felt different about today. There was tension in the villagers that he passed by on the way to the Headquarters.

Every person in view was either staring at him or whispering with someone who was. The rumor mill would be running at full force this morning, and it wouldn't take long for—

Rei didn't even manage to finish his thought before he noticed he was being approached by a little boy. He recognized him immediately as Waka, a little boy that he had taught how to play soccer, along with a few of the other local kids. He was hugging a ball tightly to his chest with one arm and started to wave shyly with his other. Maybe he wanted to play?

Rei smiled at him kindly and waved back. He looked like he wanted to ask something, but couldn't quite think of how to phrase it. Rei decided to start the conversation himself, hoping to encourage him.

"Hey Waka! Sorry I can't play today, I'm a bit busy with work. Some other time, ok?"

Waka only nodded as he came to a halt in front of Rei, shifting from foot to foot.

"Ummm... My sister said that you found Volo and you have him tied up in your house. Is that true?"

Well, at least the rumors hadn't gotten too insane yet. That was somewhat in the direction of being considered accurate. Rei did his best to look and sound like he had everything under control.

"Well, sort of. I have him in my house while he's resting because he got hurt pretty bad. He isn't able to walk right now, so I don't really need to tie him up!"

Waka's fretful expression only seemed to deepen upon hearing this. He hugged his ball even tighter to his chest, rocking back and forth on his feet anxiously.

"But Paira said if you didn't, he'd probably crawl over to your bed and strangle you in your sleep! How did you survive last night?"

Rei's blood ran cold and he found himself stuck on that hypothetical for a solid minute. The idea was both chilling and not impossible. Chatot would have likely alerted him if Volo had tried to do anything, but what if Chatot had been asleep too? Would he have woken up in time?

As real as that possibility of being backstabbed again was, Rei felt guilty for even entertaining it. Volo hadn't done anything at all to suggest he'd try and hurt him again. Rei logically knew it was always going to be a possibility after what Volo had proven himself capable of but... would he really do that?

His heart told him firmly no. Volo wasn't going to do that. No one who looked at Rei the way Volo did would want to upset him let alone strange him to death in his sleep. Volo wasn't stupid enough to try that anyway, it didn't fit his motivations at all. Killing Rei would bring him nothing but bad things, and put him in deeper shit than he was already in.

"Don't worry, I have a lot of really tough Pokemon that are making sure everyone stays safe. There's no danger, I've got it under control."

This seemed to work better at easing Waka’s nerves. How powerful Rei's Pokemon were was common knowledge, and they had a bit of celebrity status themselves these days. The idea of Volo trying to fight off Lilligant would be ridiculous to most people.

Unless they knew he had some of his Pokemon back. Then, they might feel differently about the odds.

Rei mentally made it a high priority to tell Volo to hide his Pokemon as soon as he got back home. They should at least stay in hiding unless it was certain no one else was around. Pokemon may be friends, but they were also weapons, especially with how people seemed to view them in this era. If people knew he was slowly regaining them, it would make things worse.

Waka blurted out something else like it had been absolutely killing him to hold it in this long.

"Rei, do you think they might hang him?! My sister said that they've never hung anyone in Jubilife before but Grandma says they might make an exception for him because of how dangerous he is!"

Rei put a hand to his chest in an attempt to repress the wave of nausea he felt hearing that. Had people really already gone that far with where they were expecting this to go?! It didn't necessarily mean anything like that was going to happen, as Waka's grandma sure as hell didn't make the rules around Jubilife. The real fear he had was that Kamado did. And if he ended up agreeing with that sentiment...

"They are absolutely not going to hang him. I'm already making plans with other important people to get him somewhere he can live under supervision and not cause any more trouble. It's going to be okay, everyone just needs to stay calm and trust that I can take care of this. I beat him once, and I'll do it again if I have to."

Hopefully Waka would repeat what had been said back to his family, and they'd start turning the rumor mill the opposite way. He needed people to be on board with what he was saying — reminding people he was the one who had defeated Volo the first time would help. People knew he wouldn't be taking this lightly.

Rei didn't believe that Volo would end up executed, especially not publicly, but then again he had come from a culture where that was unthinkable. In Hisui, it wouldn't be hard to get away with it if the village leader decided it was necessary.

Since Kamado considered his own word to be law even over his own captains, would there be any stopping him if that's what he saw necessary to defend not just Jubilife or Hisui, but the whole world?

Rei knew the answer. Yes, there would be something stopping him. Rei would rather be banished again than allow Volo to be executed without a fight. He hoped it would never have to come to that, but he was prepared to fight for him.

Rei would have a full team to take on Kamado, and even with his current Pokemon not all being ideal for fighting, together with Volo's they could manage. They had to.

The mental image of Volo's lifeless body hanging from a noose in front of the Galaxy Team HQ was so distressing that Rei could feel every inch of his body on edge. It was so nightmarish, it made him panic to even think it could possibly ever be a reality.

Waka noticed the shift in Rei's mood and gently reached out and put his hand on Rei's elbow.

"Don't be scared, Rei! I know you can beat him again if you need to!"

Rei snapped out of his dark thoughts and smiled kindly down at Waka. He ruffled his hair affectionately, trying to relax and remember that this was all rumors of speculation and not reality. Waka was a sweet kid, but he had absolutely no idea what the hell was truly going on. Probably for the best.

"You're right, I definitely can! Thanks for the pep talk, you made me feel a lot better. Just make sure to tell your family I have a better plan for what to do with Volo, okay?"

Waka nodded eagerly, ecstatic to have a local hero's approval. Rei was certain he'd most likely run home and tell his family immediately, if not at least later this morning. It wasn't much in the way of damage control, but it was a few less people spreading ideas like that around.

"Yeah, okay! I'll see you around!"

Rei watched Waka bolt off towards his house, ball under arm. That... had not been the start to his morning he had hoped for. Hopefully Laventon would be a more pleasant visit, but given what he was going to tell him, he really doubted it. Most of Rei absolutely hated the idea of having to admit to Laventon that not only did his advice work, but it worked too well.

Volo was no longer the one dimensional villain he had reduced him to in his mind, but a real person he genuinely had feelings for again.

Maybe it would have been better if he had stayed the man on top of the mountain in Rei's mind, but it was too late. He had seen Volo for all he was now in his most vulnerable moments and found that person to be downright ambrosial to his heart anyway.

So, how would admitting that to someone else go, when he could barely admit it to himself?

Guess it was time to find out.

The heavy wooden door to the Galaxy Team Headquarters swung open with a slight creak and Rei entered the main hall.

The Galaxy Team Headquarters was easily the most out of place structure in Jubilife. While the village houses had been traditionally built of wood planks, this building was a behemoth of brick that looked straight out of Galar, not Hisui. The amount of money and resources Kamado must have used to build it had to be staggering.

Rei had no idea why Kamado would funnel so much of the budget they had into a building project like it when so many other things about the very bare boned places people actually lived in could have been improved. He'd learned to stop asking questions a long time ago, though. He never got any real answers, just weird looks.

The inside of the building was lavishly decorated with red curtains and elegant wooden trim. Two red carpet staircases wound upwards to either side of him, leading up to the second floor and then Kamado's office on the third. There were many locked rooms Rei had never been invited in. Kamado lived in one of them, but Rei had never asked which. He didn't care, it's not like he'd ever visit.

Staying on the first floor and taking a left at Cyllene's office, Rei was lucky enough to find Laventon alone in his office. It was as disorganized as ever, and the Professor was only making it worse with the way he was pulling books off his bookshelf and piling them up.

Rei closed and locked the door behind him before double checking that the other door that led to Cyllene's office was locked, before disturbing Laventon's book hunt.

"You know, if I was a serial killer, you'd be in deep shit right now."

Laventon nearly dropped the book he was currently searching through, fumbling with it as he whirled around to face Rei.

"Oh my dear boy— don't say things like that! Things are bad enough as it is!"

Rei's teasing smirk faded as he saw how scared Laventon actually looked.

"What do you mean, Professor? What happened?"

Laventon stared at Rei for a moment as if he were missing the most obvious thing in the world..

"Volo's reappearance after his latest caper! I must say, it worries me to no end that he may yet find a way to succeed with his plans... After years with nothing of note happening, I had grown hopeful he'd given up but alas, it was not to be. Pesselle informed me this morning about his plot against Darkrai. I’m looking to see if I can find any evidence that he might be onto something... Knowledge is the best way to prevent disaster, Rei! We must be equipped if this proves to be troublesome!"

Rei took a deep breath in and clapped his hands together.

"Right, about that...Darkrai can't make portals to Arceus, so we don't have anything to worry about there. I think he was just getting really desperate, and was ready to try anything. What he didn't count on was that Darkrai had a girlfriend who was already prepared to rip him to shreds at the drop of a hat. I went out trying to look for Volo's lost Pokemon last night, and found Enamorus who admitted to trying to murder him."

This caught Laventon's attention and the book he had finally gotten a grasp on tumbled from his hands. He didn't even try to stop it this time.

"Good lord, what on earth happened last night?!"

"It's a long story..."

Rei moved some books aside so he could sit down on the couch and Laventon immediately joined him.

"Well, I'd certainly like to hear it!"

Rei told Laventon a summarized version of the whole story (minus outting Cogita — that wasn't his story to tell) of Akari finding Spiritomb's shattered Keystone, and his emergency mission to make sure Volo's other Pokemon hadn't been fatally injured. Laventon listened in stunned silence as Rei described the moment he found out Enamorus had been Volo's attacker, and was even more shocked to hear Cogita was going to be taking Volo in.

"I wouldn't dare to ever call Cogita foolish, but that's a lot of trust to put into a dangerous man like Volo... What does she hope to accomplish?"

Rei felt a prickle of discomfort at Laventon's disapproving tone. If he didn't like that Cogita was taking in Volo, then he sure as hell wasn't going to like that Rei was falling harder for him by the minute. Rei felt his face start to turn red in self consciousness as he thought about what he was going to have to admit.

"She just wants to keep him safe. He's still a person, if he doesn't have a place to stay it would be really dangerous for him. He wasn't doing good out in the wilderness even before the attack, he came in underweight and probably has some emotional issues from not talking to another human for years."

Rei felt Laventon scrutinize everything from his expression to his words and tensed up a bit.

"Emotional issues? What kind of emotional issues have you noticed? Has he lashed out at you?"

"Well no, he's calmed down a lot since he first arrived... he's really eager for attention and wants a lot of physical contact. He's big on hugs now..."

"Rei, were you hugging him?!"

Rei felt his face heat up even more.

"J-just a couple times! He's been so anxious and scared, just I wanted to-"

"My boy, he tried to kill you!"

Rei's head hung low in shame and he put his face in his hands, humiliated. It was completely true, but his heart wasn't listening anymore. His brain was the only thing keeping him sane in this situation and how close the scales were to tipping in his heart's favor was way too close for comfort.

"I know... Trust me, I really really do. You haven't seen him though, it's different now... He's being really... Nice to me."

Laventon pulled Rei's hands away from his eyes and held them both in his own. His voice was kind but very stern as he spoke.

"It is not different enough to change what his plans are! A few days ago, that same man you're cuddling up to tried to find another way to destroy all of us! You are incredibly kind to care about his feelings, but his feelings are not the priority here. I'm not telling you to not do your job, or even that I believe he shouldn't be kept safe, but he doesn't deserve you, Rei. You came to me yesterday, unable to handle being in the same room as him, and now you're telling me you're hugging! Pray tell, what do you expect me to make of that?"

Rei's face was burning now. He knew Laventon knew;, there was no point in lying to him.

"That I probably still have feelings for him..."

"And do you?"

"Yes..."

Laventon sighed and put an arm around Rei, rubbing his back.

"I can only begin to imagine the emotional turmoil this must be putting you through, but you cannot forget the reality of the situation. Remember, if he discovers your feelings, it could be incredibly dangerous for you! You mustn't let this cloud your judgment!"

"Yeah, it's too late for that. I told him how I feel and I'm pretty sure he likes me back. I think he's been flirting with me this entire time actually..."

Laventon only managed to stare at Rei in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. Rei could empathize, he still felt the same way about the situation. If so many other things hadn't been going on at once he'd probably be at home in bed, staring up at the ceiling with his brain refusing to function at all.

Laventon stammered a few times before managing to get any words out.

"I–I beg your pardon?!"

Rei took a deep breath in and Laventon finally let go of his hands.

"I think there's a chance that when Enamorus attacked him, that her Cute Charm ability activated and might have made him more susceptible to crushes. I've never seen her attack a human before, so I don't know how it would affect us differently, but I was the first person he saw when he woke up and I doubt it would make him fall for Enamorus, since she's a Pokemon. I'm not even sure if he knew he liked men before this, but there's nothing platonic about how he's been acting around me. I kept trying to make excuses for his behavior, or ignore it, but I don't think it's possible anymore. Even if Enamorus didn't have any part in it at all, I don't think I'm wrong about how he feels."

Laventon closed his eyes tight and took a moment to absorb all of that.

"I was wrong to speak ill of Cogita, she's done more than we could hope to get Volo away from you as quickly as possible. Under no circumstances are you to go with him to Johto, understand? I trust you wouldn't intend for anything to happen, but the temptation would be too much!"

"I know that Professor, that's why I turned Pesselle down. I'm only going to help him get to the point he can leave for Johto safely, and make sure he's able to get the money for his Prosthetic. Ursaluna will be useful for both finding the rest of his Pokemon and doing some foraging for valuable stuff to sell. I'm not sure how much time it will take to make that kind of money doing it, but it's not impossible."

"Can't you just leave him to figure things out on his own? I'm sure Cogita could help him with foraging, she clearly still cares for the boy."

"Cogita's done enough and is really upset about Enamorus already, so I don't want to push her. I already promised him I would anyway and I don't mind doing it."

"The fact you don't mind doing it is what worries me the most!"

Rei was starting to feel very uncomfortable and judged. Did Laventon just not understand that he already felt bad about catching feelings again? It wasn't like any of what he was saying was stuff Rei hadn't been telling himself the whole time!

It was also his own choice who he decided to confess his attraction to, not Laventon's. He wasn't wrong about the danger but things hadn't gone that way.

It might have gone absolutely off the rails in a completely different direction, but it wasn't exactly the same as a hate crime. Volo hadn't been cruel to him about being gay at all, and Rei really didn't get the feeling he ever planned to. On the contrary, he seemed delighted by it for reasons that were becoming more and more obvious as things between them progressed.

"Look, I understand why this worries you but I've got it under control, okay? I'm not gonna let him get to me, and if he tries anything I've already made it very clear he will never know peace again."

Maybe "under control" hadn't been completely true, but this did work to put Laventon's mind more at ease.

"...And you plan to stay away from him?"

"As far as I can manage. I still have to be around him for a little while longer, but when this is all over..."

Rei paused for a moment. What would happen when this was all over? Would he really just never visit Volo? Volo would be living with Cogita, and he really doubted Cogita would care if he had visitors to distract him from bothering her. A fantasy flashed vividly through Rei's mind before he could stop himself.

Volo was sitting in Cogita's garden in a beautiful floral print yukata, using a decorative fan to try and beat the heat of the summer sun that was making his face glisten with small beads of sweat. Even among the diverse assortment of swaying flowers, he was the most beautiful thing in the garden. Having spent so much time with Volo there already, it really wasn't hard to imagine.

Volo had his new prosthetic leg (although Rei was struggling to imagine what that would look like) and stood on it, folding his fan and using it to usher Rei over to his side eagerly. Volo's eyes were glistening in excitement, and as Rei approached him, Rei imagined Volo embracing him, leaning down to kiss him passionately as Cogita watched from her table in amusement.

She wouldn't care if they were together. There would be no one in that garden who would judge them for it. He imagined Volo's lips to taste like the Oran Berries they used to eat together when Cogita would bring them over as a snack after adventuring together. The thought of finally being able to find out sent fire through Rei's blood, and he tried not to look as flustered as he felt in front of Laventon.

Why had he imagined Volo in a yukata?? He had way too much of a weakness for pretty boys in decorative period clothing, and he'd been dying to see Volo actually wear something like that for ages. Would he if Rei asked him to? Anything could be possible at this point.

The fact he might be able to have that, and whatever else he asked for was so tantalizing. Every violently repressed fantasy he'd ever had about Volo was now unexpectedly within his grasp. All he had to do was trust Volo again and not tell anyone, including Laventon.

"Rei? Are you alright, my boy?"

Rei blinked and snapped out of his stupor, trying to reorient himself. Laventon's brow was furrowed in concern and slight suspension. Rei tended to zone out a lot so that couldn't have been a surprise but the hesitation in this particular conversation probably didn't look great.

"Yeah, sorry... There's a lot going on that I've been trying to work out in my head. I was trying to say that after this is all over I'm not going to make him my problem. I know Cogita can keep him on a tight leash, and I don't think he's eager to get back out there after what happened anyway."

Rei wasn't even sure if he was lying to Laventon at this point. He certainly didn't intend to go back on his resolve to stay away, but he wasn't so sure how much he trusted himself anymore. He wished he felt safe telling Laventon that, but as much as he trusted him, Rei really didn't want to be chastised for his feelings anymore. He didn't need to feel any worse than he already did, and his feelings were uncontrollable anyways.

Laventon scratched his chin thoughtfully before shrugging a bit.

"Well, I admit it is hard to say... I'm sure this incident will be quite the deterrent, but he may yet surprise us!"

Rei really hoped no matter if Volo would give up after this or not, that he'd at least never get hurt like he had again. It was hard to imagine him finding a way to Arceus without the plates, but if there was one, he'd definitely find it.

"Well, until he gets his prosthetic he's probably not going to try anything. I'd still like to keep him distracted and out of trouble though, can I borrow some books for him? I'll make sure you get them all back."

"I believe I can spare some for the cause, how many would he need?"

"More than I could reasonably carry, but let's start with a stack. He says he wants history books, but I'm sure he'd read whatever you put in front of him."

"Alright then, let's see what I have here..."

Laventon clapped his hands together and stood up, going back to dig through the absolute mess he'd made tearing through his bookshelves earlier. If Rei hadn't been so busy he'd offer to help him clean up a bit, but he knew even if he did, it would go right back to being a mess the second he turned around. Laventon was incredibly smart but had never been accused of being tidy.

Rei stood up and stretched, still trying to shake off the last bit of morning grogginess he felt. His muscles were still a bit sore from all the riding he had done last night. Knowing he only had more of that to look forward to today wasn't comforting.

Once Laventon had put together a stack of about 6 books, he made his way back over to Rei and handed them to him.

"Will that be all for you, then? You're welcome to pick one out for yourself too if you'd like!"

Rei felt a prickle of discomfort as he shook his head no. It wasn't that he didn't like books, books just… didn't like him back. There was a specific hell associated with having both ADHD and Dyslexia, and then trying to sit still and read for a long period of time.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the book or even not wanting to be able to, it was just so infuriating to try that Rei tended to give up more often than not. Before he had been taken to Hisui, Rei had circumvented this by listening to audiobooks and podcasts. In Hisui, however, there was no such thing, and it was probably one of the harder things he'd had to adjust to not having.

"I'm good, if I want to read anything I'll just pick up one from Volo's pile."

Laventon seemed satisfied with that as an answer, unaware of how Rei was avoiding discussing the real issue. He didn't think that Laventon would ever intentionally try to be unsupportive, but trying to explain mental health stuff to a man from the mid 1800s (even one as well educated as Laventon) seemed like more trouble than the benefit he'd get from it.

"I wish you well in getting along with Volo less than we had hoped. Don't let a pretty face trick you into forgetting yourself! Better to argue with him than to get involved in his lunacy..."

Rei couldn't help but feel like he was already involved in Volo's lunacy, but he wasn't going to start that conversation.

"Thanks for the books Professor! Don't worry, I'm hoping to get this over with as much as you are. Oh, um... Can you also not mention Volo has any Pokemon back to anyone? People are freaked out enough about him being here, and if Kamado found out, he would make my life so much more complicated than it needs to be. I'm not gonna let him use them to attack anyone, we just need to make sure they are accounted for and safe."

"Well...I don't like the idea of keeping secrets from our Commander, but given his track record of taking things a bit too far, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything about that. Just keep things under control, hm?"

"You got it!"

Laventon gave Rei a smile and a friendly wave as he left the study. That had been kind of uncomfortable but he'd probably needed the reality check. As much as he hated to admit it, Laventon really wasn't wrong about Volo.

It's not like he'd suddenly renounced his goals, he'd just been rendered incapable of doing anything about them for the moment. The question of "what happens after this" wasn't just a question of how he'd interact with Volo, it was a question of what Volo himself would choose to do. Would this all be enough to discourage him forever?

Knowing Volo, the answer was probably no. He knew exactly what he wanted and when he wanted something he'd do whatever it took to get it.

Chapter Text

"Rei? A moment, if you would."

The familiar voice of Cyllene calling out to him stopped Rei in his tracks as he started to pass by her door on the way out of the Galaxy Team headquarters.

This... probably wasn't a good sign.

Cyllene didn't have much to talk to Rei about anymore and her role in his life had mostly become playing the part of middleman between him and Kamado. Instead of confronting Rei directly, he preferred to send her to talk to him, which worked just fine for the both of them.

If she was calling him over to talk, it was likely about what had happened between him and Kamado yesterday. Rei hadn't expected to get away with it, but he had sort of hoped he would.

Rei sighed and tried to prepare himself emotionally for the confrontation before stepping inside the office. Cyllene was not without her own issues, as she had not been shy to scare the absolute shit out of 15 year old Rei with threats of him being kicked out to die in the wild if he didn't comply with the Galaxy Team.

Despite this, he still found her much more tolerable than the alternative. She had at least bothered to try and help Rei when Kamado had kicked him out. Although Rei had doubts they’d ever be best friends, he could manage to be civil to her.

Rei walked into the office and up to her desk wearing his best "I did nothing wrong" expression. He hoped it was convincing, but given how good she could be at sniffing out his bullshit, he wasn't too hopeful. If she ever found out he was hiding the return of Volo's Pokemon she'd almost certainly consider it a betrayal of the Galaxy Team as a whole and grounds to take any say he and Pesselle had in what happened to Volo away.

Cyllene straightened a few of the many papers she had stacked on her desk, putting them to the side as she nodded to him in greeting. She was as stoic and unreadable as ever and her demeanor gave away no hints as to what she had called him in for. Rei certainly wasn't about to offer any conversation topics up himself, so he decided to only stare back, reflecting her lack of emotion back at her. He knew he couldn't actually ice out the ice queen but he didn't have to offer her anything. She was the one who wanted this conversation to happen, not him.

Seeing that Rei was forcing her to make the first move, she spoke first and cut right to the heart of the matter like she always did. Rei respected her for it although he didn't always agree with what she had to say.

"I'd suggest you be careful with how you speak to our Commander from this point on. If your loyalty is put into question over this, people might begin to suspect you would slide with Volo over the safety of Jubilife."

And there it was. Kamado had come crying to her about it just like he'd thought. Of course he'd make this about loyalty and not about the fact Rei didn't do whatever he wanted, even when it was cruel.

"No, they'd suspect I think Kamado is full of shit, which I'm sure by this point they already know. Volo isn't a threat, and if anyone thinks I'd slide with him after what I went through having to stop him, they clearly aren't smart enough to listen to."

Cyllene looked less than pleased with that answer.

"Your unfavorable opinions on Kamado aside, we need to keep a unified front. I've had several concerned villagers visit my office this morning and I expect there will be more to come as the day goes on. If they begin to suspect you and Kamado can't agree on what is to be done with Volo, they'll surely lose faith in the Galaxy Team's ability to control this situation."

"We do have control in this situation. Volo might be dangerous, but I understand what he wants better than the rest of you. He's not some sadist who wants to indiscriminately start hurting people. He thinks he's doing what's best to fix the world, and just happens to be incredibly fucked up with how he's going about it. If he wanted to kill us for the hell of it, I promise you he would have found a way to have done it by now."

"Your assessment of the situation is fair, but we don't take chances here."

"Trust me, I know. You can all relax though, Cogita has agreed to take him in once she can convince the Ginkgo Village elders to let him stay. He won't be Jubilife's problem for too much longer."

"That would be ideal, if it were definite. What reason do we have to believe they won't decline this? It's no small favor to ask them to look the other way over his offense."

…Shit, Cyllene had him there. She wouldn't take "because I believe Cogita when she said she could convince them" to mean much of anything. Cyllene had never even met Cogita as far as Rei knew, and had no reason to believe her.

She did, however, know Rei. Would that be enough?

"Because I'm going to personally make sure of it myself. Tell Kamado I have it taken care of, and Volo will be gone sooner than expected. He won't even have to lift a finger."

Rei wasn't sure what he could do to try and help convince Ginkgo Village to accept Volo's presence again, but he'd do anything they asked of him. Being as well known for dangerous exploits as he was, he might be able to find some sort of unpleasant task or mission they needed taken care of in exchange for Volo's future housing being secured.

Rei had wanted to avoid having to do other people's dangerous work again but... This was for Volo. If that was what it took, then Rei would do it.

Cyllene studied Rei closely for any signs of uncertainty or weakness and found none.

"Very well, you'll have your chance to take care of this situation how you see fit. If you cannot, however, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands. Understood?"

It was a gamble, but it was still Volo's best chance.

"I understand. Keep Kamado off my back until then, would you? I get he's anxious about this, but he's just going to get in the way."

"I don't control our Commander, but I will encourage him to allow you to handle it. You've done more than enough for Jubilife to prove your capability to keep it safe. See it stays that way."

"Yes Ma'am. Thank you."

"You may go."

Rei didn't have to be told twice. He wasn't about to stick around for her to change her mind. He felt lucky that the conversation had been as short as it was, even if that was normal for Cyllene. The weight of his new commitment hung heavy in Rei's mind, but it was a small price to pay to smooth things over with Kamado. He just hoped it wouldn't end up being temporary.

Rei didn't stop to talk to anyone else on his way out of the Headquarters. He almost stopped by the Medical Corps room to see if Pesselle was there, but decided against it. She'd be around to see Volo soon enough, and it would be better to talk in the house where there was a lower chance someone would overhear them.

The sun was now completely up and its heat could be felt warming the cool morning air already. Rei couldn't help but wonder if Irida enjoyed spring days like this, or if she still found them too hot, even in the Alabaster Icelands.

She was always overheating, which made Rei feel genuinely concerned that she might have some sort of underlying medical condition causing it. Unfortunately, he couldn't exactly look up her symptoms on the internet and he definitely didn't have the medical knowledge necessary to diagnose anything himself.

As he walked down the dirt road and back to his house Rei found his thoughts starting to focus more on Irida.

How had she been feeling since walking in on Calaba's corpse? Was she handling it well? Should he bring some sort of gift to try and cheer her up or would that be weird? Rei didn't really have a lot of experience with people dying, and he wasn't really sure what mourning customs people in the Pearl Clan did anyway.

He could at least bring her some food though, right? Irida probably wouldn't feel up to cooking and people always needed to eat. Maybe she'd enjoy some of the Jubilife Muffins he had made with Akari a few days ago. They'd be easy to bring with him.

Rei was so distracted thinking about muffins that it took until he was almost to his house to notice that Anthe, the clothier, was trying to peek in through his window. She didn't seem to be trying to break in but she definitely wasn't up to any good. Her nose was nearly pressed up against the glass of Rei's front door trying to get a glimpse of what was going on inside.

This was going to get ridiculous, wasn't it?

Rei has gotten used to nosy neighbors while living in such a small village, but becoming the center of the hottest gossip was going to really start to grate his nerves.

The villagers of Jubilife were overall decent to each other. They meant well, and did their best to support each other in the way that such a tight knit community in an unfamiliar and dangerous region needed to. Unfortunately, this also resulted in them feeling a bit too entitled to other people's personal business at times, if you asked Rei. His involvement in Volo's "case" was going to make him a prime target until it was over and then some.

"Need me for something, Anthe?"

Anthe jumped about a foot and a half before turning to Rei and bowing low in apology.

"O-oh! Rei! So sorry, I was- um... Well..."

She looked so guilty over being caught he couldn't find it in his heart to snap at her for her rudeness. He did want an explanation, at the very least.

"I can see what you were doing, I just wanna know what gives?"

Anthe's hands gripped at her apron awkwardly as she failed to look Rei in the eye. There really wasn't much she could say that didn't sound just as bad as it looked. He would consider them at least very good acquaintances, if not friends, and the proximity of his house to her shop allowed them to see each other often enough. Was Volo being in there really worth invading Rei's privacy to her?

"Pesselle just went inside and brought some clothes for Volo from me... I gave her some stock that had a few too many imperfections to sell for free. They'll look fine on him, of course, I'm just a perfectionist and don't sell anything I make that has defects! I had enough in his size to make a decent start in his new wardrobe, poor thing..."

It was honestly really nice of Anthe to give Volo new clothes for free all things considered, but it still didn't make him very comfortable with her peeking into his house. Hopefully, Anthe would be too embarrassed to do it again, and at the very least Rei now knew to invest in some curtains.

"I didn't know Pesselle was already out today, she must have slipped by me when I was visiting a few other people. Has she been in there long?"

Anthe shook her head no.

"Pesselle went inside just before you got here. She seems to be rather worried about this case, I do hope it goes well... You know, I used to think I knew the kind of man Volo was. I've worked closely trading with the Ginkgo guild and we always got along so well. He was always odd, but who could have predicted how he'd turn out! I certainly didn't see it coming! I wonder if madness ran in his family..?"

Anthe seemed to think Volo was insane, and while that wasn't unreasonable to assume given what he'd tried to do, Rei doubted it was to the extent she probably thought since he seemed completely aware of both the reality and the implications of his goals.

Volo still needed to be helped, no matter what a psychiatrist would have to say about his behavior, so speculating about potential mental issues he wasn't qualified to diagnose didn't feel helpful anyway.

"Hard to say. Could you please move out of the way of my door? I need to get inside."

"Oh— sorry hun, go ahead! Please, excuse me-"

Anthe adjusted her glasses awkwardly as she walked back over to her shop front across the road. She still looked incredibly guilty, but Rei didn't feel like getting into it with her. He had too much to deal with right now that was a lot more important than this.

Shifting the stack of books into one arm, Rei opened his front door with the other and stepped inside.

Lilligant was standing to the side of the door with Chatot on her shoulder, ever vigilant in her job to protect the house. She only relaxed when it was Rei who had entered. He felt a bit bad for not knocking first, (even if it was his own house,) and it was becoming clear just how easy it would be to assume someone was breaking in at this point.

Lilligant must have seen Anthe peeking in and prepared for the worst case scenario. Rei smiled at his Pokemon proudly, and gave Lilligant a big one armed hug.

"Good job you two, you're doing amazing. Keep making sure people that might not mean well stay away from Volo, ok?"

Lilligant hugged Rei back and nodded cheerfully, happy to receive the praise. Chatot stepped off of her shoulder and onto Rei's now that he was close enough to reach and Rei gently scratched his neck where he liked it. He was glad that no matter what other people felt about this situation that his own Pokemon would be there to take his side. Without them, he'd feel so much more powerless right now.

Rei turned to see the sliding door to the bedroom was wide open and that Pesselle was already inside. He immediately broke into a huge shit eating grin seeing the look on her face as she sat in the bedside chair, staring at Volo's right leg with her head in her hands.

Volo was clearly trying his best not to laugh at her reaction, and they were both so distracted they didn't even notice Rei had come in. He might as well make his first move now before Pesselle inevitably jumped him first.

"Hey Pesselle! Didn't do too bad of a job, right? He's looking pretty good, don't think infection is that big of a concern anymore. Hope you don't mind I took the drainage tube out."

Rei took off his shoes, tossing them to the side before going up the little stairs and then into the bedroom. He put the books down on Volo's bedside table which brought an even more delighted look from him. Pesselle whirled around in her seat to face Rei immediately, her expression torn between disbelief and downright outrage.

"Rei, Volo told me someone gave you some strange salve and you just smeared it all over his leg, no questions asked!"

"Yeah, that's exactly what happened."

"And it WORKED?!"

"I mean, the results kind of speak for themselves, don't they?"

Pesselle looked like she was about to explode and Rei's grin only got bigger. She couldn't yell at him because clearly, he'd done the best possible thing for Volo, but she also couldn't approve because he really should have checked with her as his supervisor first before doing anything this unorthodox. If Rei had done that though, she likely would have told him no, which means that not doing what he was supposed to do was the irrefutably correct choice.

This had to absolutely burn her ass and Rei was living for it. Pesselle clearly wanted so badly to yell at him but had no idea where to even start. As much as Rei really wanted to bask in this moment and tease her a bit, he also knew pushing it was a bad plan. He needed to keep toeing the line if he wanted to continue to get away with this.

"Pess, relax, it's ok. Cogita is really skilled at these kinds of things and I knew she wouldn't do anything to hurt Volo. She has some really rare herbs I've never even heard of before that she used in this. Yeah, I should have asked first before using the salve, but you don't know Cogita and-"

Pesselle finally found her voice and interrupted Rei before he could finish giving her excuses.

"And she somehow managed to heal his surgical wound completely overnight?! This is impossible! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Actually, it was healed immediately. Cogita's really good."

Pesselle looked about ready to throw a fit. She might not be as experienced as Calaba or as mysteriously gifted as Cogita, but she was definitely a healer who knew the subject well. Nothing about the situation fit into any understanding of medicine she'd been trained in, and it was really starting to show how much that bothered her.

Volo, who had been petting Sylveon and watching the scene unfold in increasing amusement, finally decided to speak up in an attempt to calm Pesselle's anger.

"Cogita is a healer from my own village, and I consented to the treatment knowing she prescribed it. Why, she's been treating me since I was born! She delivered me, even! I should hope to be able to trust her judgment by now, don't you agree?"

This made Pesselle take pause for a moment. Obviously that was a much different situation than just smearing things on Volo's wound at some random person's suggestion. She likely still would have preferred to have been consulted about the decision first, but considering how well things had turned out, she couldn't say it had been a mistake.

"Well... I suppose there's been no real harm done. And it's certainly sped things up for us, hasn't it? Recovery time for a procedure like this is normally months! How did Cogita even find out about it? Did you send Chatot?"

Rei shook his head no and Chatot squawked in agreement.

"No, Akari found Spiritomb's keystone shattered when she went out to the scene of the attack to get his bag and see if any of his Pokemon were around. I went back out myself to see if I could track down any of his other Pokemon with Ursaluna, because we were afraid they could be in danger too. I met her when I tracked Lucario and Togekiss down in her garden."

Rei pointed to Togekiss and Lucario who had stolen his futon to sit in. Togekiss looked cheerful as ever and was nuzzling into the side of Lucario who seemed very distressed about something.

That… probably wasn't good. Lucario was well known for being able to sense people's emotions for up to half a mile around. Everyone in Jubilife's auras were open to be read, and he probably didn't like what he was sensing in regards to their feelings about Volo now that awareness of his return was growing. He was so protective over his trainer that it probably felt like potential threats were everywhere.

Pesselle turned and noticed them for seemingly the first time since she'd arrived.

"Oh! I'm very happy to see they've been returned safely, but I am sorry to hear about Spiritomb..."

She gave Volo a pitying look but he only smiled back, waving his hand for emphasis as he spoke.

"Not to worry, Rei has it all figured out! He's quite clever you know, he's already come up with a plan to rebind Spiritomb's souls to a new Keystone as soon as we can find one! I am very lucky to have him, he's already solved more problems for me than I could have reasonably expected him to by now!"

...Clever?

Rei knew what the word meant but in relation to himself it felt almost foreign. Rei knew he wasn't stupid, but he'd spent enough time in school being made to feel that way, that a compliment like that just hit differently. To Volo, it was one of the highest forms of praise he could offer.

"I just know a lot about the Pokemon of Hisui specifically. Probably the most useful thing that came from doing all that work for the Survey Corps."

"Yes, but you utilize it to your advantage no matter what situation you're in! Someone well read may have a sharp mind, but someone truly wise puts their knowledge to use! I would expect no less from the first person to complete the Pokedex!"

That assessment of his intelligence was so flattering that for a second Rei forgot the entire situation they were in and grinned like he was a kid with a crush again. It felt like he'd been given an academic award for the first time in his life, and from Volo of all people. It was true that while he didn't always do great in other subjects, Pokemon happened to be something Rei was very knowledgeable about.

"Thanks, it was a ton of effort but I did learn a lot from doing it!"

Volo noticed how Rei was smiling and his own grew slightly bigger. He started to play with one of the strands of hair that had come loose from his braid as he watched Rei's reaction to the compliment. Their eyes met, and Volo shot him an ever so slightly suggestive look while whispering something barely audible under his breath.

"Volo te pauca, pulchra, docere me."

Rei didn't know exactly what Volo had said, but he didn't have any trouble guessing. That fucking bastard was flirting again, and he was getting better at being more sneaky about it.

He had probably genuinely meant the compliment, but it didn't make it any less of an attempt to win Rei over when he started acting like that afterwards. Rei did his best to wipe the smile from his face and get serious again. As incredibly tempting as Volo was, he couldn't allow him to think it was working or he'd keep doing it.

Rei addressed Pesselle directly and did his best to just ignore Volo, acting like he hadn't done anything strange at all.

"Lucario and Togekiss actually weren't the only Pokemon I found when I was there, I also managed to find the Pokemon that attacked Volo still near them. I was right, it wasn't Darkrai. It was Enamorus."

Rei reached deep into his bag and pulled out the PokeBall that held Enamorus, holding it up for her to see. Pesselle put a hand up to her mouth as her eyes widened in total shock.

"What?! You found out what Pokemon attacked him? How did you know for certain that was the one?"

"Because she bragged about it! She can speak and decided to use that ability to run her mouth. I managed to snag her from behind while she was distracted."

Pesselle wasn't familiar with Enamorus at all, but Volo definitely was. Hatred dripped from his voice like acid as he spat his words out.

"She's completely deranged and should be put down! Nothing so vile and dangerous should be allowed to stay alive!"

Something about Volo saying that put Rei on edge, and he looked down uneasily at the Gigaton Ball in his hands.

Did she really deserve to die any more than someone like Volo did? He'd feel like an incredibly shallow asshole to only defend Volo's life because he had feelings for him. They had both behaved rather heinously in the name of what they thought was the greater good.

Rei stuffed the ball back down into the bottom of his bag, before crossing his arms and looking at Volo a bit coldly.

"People on the street are saying the same kind of thing about you man, I'd not go throwing rocks too hard."

Volo had gotten a bit too comfortable in assuming that Rei was completely on his side now and he really needed to understand that he wasn't exactly a guest of honor himself.

Volo seemed torn between wanting to snap back to defend himself and the heartache of being reminded Rei still thought he was undesirable at the end of the day. He ended up saying nothing, but it wasn't hard to tell he was holding back everything.

Pesselle shook her head disapprovingly as she laid a hand over her face.

"Don't tell him that! It's so senseless to needlessly worry him with what others are saying!"

"Don't you think he should know if he might be in any danger?! He might not be living like a wild Pokemon anymore, but it doesn't make Jubilife that much safer! Just look at Lucario!"

Pesselle looked confused as to what he could possibly mean by that, but Volo knew what he meant immediately.

"I'm afraid he's right, my days of being accepted in Hisui are long past. You really must not have held your tongue when recounting our battle Rei, I'm almost flattered."

He definitely had not. Rei had put Volo on blast nonstop to anyone who would listen for the first year after their last encounter. As a result, Jubilife Village now saw Volo's actions reflected through the sort of scathing bias that only someone who had recently had his heart stomped to bits could give. Could he really blame them for seeing Volo as a complete monster? That's who he had told them Volo was.

"I wasn't really in the mood to be nice about it at the time. They're scared you've shown back up and you've given them good reason to be. You really shouldn't let anyone else find out you've got any Pokemon at all, they're just going to think you're that much more dangerous again. Do you think they can keep a low profile until you get to Johto?"

Volo looked pained to do so but nodded in agreement. He took out the two Pokeballs Rei had given him and held them up.

"Please forgive me, but it's best I keep you two in your Pokeballs for now. I'll release you the first chance I get, I promise."

Lucario nodded and stood, walking up to Volo and resting his hand on his knee. They locked eyes for a moment before Lucario reached out and pushed the button on the PokeBall to return himself to it. Volo bit his lip and turned his attention to Togekiss. Her happy expression had faded and her head drooped.

"Blee..."

"I know sweetheart, I don't want you to go either. It's what has to be done to protect you and it won't be forever... "

Togekiss flew up onto the bed next to Volo and nuzzled him for a moment. He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead before putting her back on her PokeBall. While it would only be temporary, the goodbye was still incredibly hard to watch.

Sylveon nuzzled close to Volo's side to comfort him and Volo gave him a little smile and chin scratch in thanks. He looked back over at Rei and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"...Will you not be coming with us to Johto, Rei?"

Volo's sad eyes made it obvious he already knew what the answer to that was. Pesselle squeezed her hands together and looked away awkwardly from the secondhand embarrassment of what she knew would be a flat out rejection.

"No, I won't be. Don't worry, I'll make sure you have all your Pokemon back before you leave to protect you when you're there. Honestly even if you were just with Togekiss and Lucario you'd be in pretty good hands but I meant what I said about making sure they are all okay."

Rei turned back to Pesselle and tried not to let how disappointed Volo looked get to him.

"We actually do have some more really good news for you! Cogita has agreed to take Volo in as soon as she can get permission from the Ginkgo Village elders to allow it. She seems pretty sure she can pull it off but there's always a chance they could say no I guess."

Pesselle clapped her hands together in delight and gave Volo a cheerful smile. Volo tried to give her one one back but it was weighed down and fatigued.

"Oh Volo, that's fantastic news! See, everything is starting to work out for the best!"

"I suppose it's one thing that has, yes... Cogita is held in very high regard by the village elders. I have a hard time imagining them refusing her anything, but I may yet prove to be a special case."

Pesselle gently gave Volo a little pat on the shoulder in a kind attempt to comfort him over his worries.

"Keep your chin up, it's best to think only happy thoughts until we know for certain! It sounds to me like she's invested in your safety either way!"

Volo nodded, but it was obviously more for Pesselle's benefit than actually taking what she said to heart. It made Rei really want to give him a hug again, but the memory of Laventon's horror upon learning he had been doing that at all still stuck in his mind.

Pesselle reached into her bag and pulled out a pile of Everyday Kimono tops, bottoms, and thank god for it– underwear. There were even a pair of brand new sandals that looked to be in Volo's size on top. She handed it to Volo, who seemed very happy to finally receive clothing that wasn't either beaten to shit or hospital gowns.

"Oh, before I forget! Anthe was kind enough to give you all this for free!"

Rei wasn't sure assuming Volo was completely out of touch with reality was much better than hating him, but it definitely seemed to be more beneficial given the results.

Volo unfolded a Kimono top and held it to his chest to judge how it would fit.

"Oh… she remembered my size..."

He looked very bothered by this, and Rei wasn't sure why until he remembered that Volo had also tried to wipe every shred of Anthe's existence from the fabric of spacetime. It might not have been personal, but it probably felt like shit to know that someone he had been so willing to erase remembered even the little details of their relationship. Not only that, but she was still willing to use it to help him out for no other reason than to be kind.

"I met Anthe outside just before I came in. I think she's been worried about you."

Maybe it was a bit petty of Rei to try and drive that nail in harder, but Volo needed to understand just how fucked up what he'd tried to do to the people who cared about him was. It seemed to be incredibly effective as Volo's face only darkened further.

Rei really wanted to believe this meant he was truly sorry for what he had done. That there was enough humanity left in Volo to grow and learn from this instead of succumbing to his deranged dream of a perfect world free of suffering. It was about two times too late to have him lead a normal life by this point, but it was better than never.

Rei sat down on the bed next to Volo and placed his hand over Volo's. He felt Pesselle's eyes on them and could only guess what she was thinking but he needed to take the opportunity for this conversation while he still had it.

Volo once again seemed surprised that Rei was touching him. He was more guarded this time, but did not pull away.

"You know, if you stopped trying to play Arceus, you might actually be able to make real friends again. Probably not many, but... There are already a few people who haven't completely written you off forever."

Rei squeezed Volo's hand and their eyes met. At that moment, Rei allowed his mask to drop completely. He tried to put every ounce of love and longing he could into a silent plea for Volo to let his obsession go and come back to him.

Things could be different. Better, even. They'd never be the same but if Volo truly committed to turning things around he could still have a social life for himself.

Rei and Akari could both come to visit him at Cogita's house. They could have music nights together and spend days off at the ruins. Maybe it would take a while to reach the point he'd trust Volo enough for that, but until then, they could work on rebuilding their friendship bit by bit. And then maybe...

Volo caught on to exactly what Rei was getting at. He started to blush hard and he did his best to use his loose hair to hide it. Rei started to gently stroke Volo's fingers with his own, trying to coax him into it. Rei smiled as sweetly as possible and enjoyed watching Volo's heart melt through the window of his eyes in response.

"I..."

Rei was certain Volo was about to agree to it when suddenly his body started to tense and his eyes hardened again. He seemed to be kicking himself mentally about something and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

Then Volo pulled his hand away from Rei's.

"I am incredibly grateful to those of you helping me, but I have not yet given up hope of a better world! I can admit I might have been going about some things the wrong way but until someone fixes everything, what hope is there?"

Volo sounded almost angry as he spoke. He felt like the world had failed him and was going to make it his problem to fix or literally die trying. If that was his choice then Rei couldn't stop him.

"There was hope things could actually be better for you, Volo."

Rei felt heartbroken. On one hand Volo was likely reconsidering the "erasing" part of his plans, but on the other, he still likely wouldn't stop until he could bend reality to his will. This might not be the last time he'd get hurt pursuing Arceus.

Despite now knowing and having already suffered from the risks involved, he was going to crawl his way to the finish line if necessary. He'd made up his mind long ago and nothing as frivolous as friendship or even love was going to stop him.

Chapter Text

Rei had always hoped that the first time his feelings for a guy were requited, it would be something magical. Maybe it would be the kind of thing that all the straight couples in the movies he’d seen, the ones that were just a bit too corny for him, got to enjoy.

That couldn't feel farther from reality now, unfortunately. Volo seemed to be at a loss for words over it himself, but it didn't matter. The conversation was over now that he'd made it perfectly clear where he stood on things.

Not even bothering to look back at him or even Pesselle, Rei got up and left the bedroom, almost slamming the sliding door shut behind him. He sat down by the fire pit, a large knot starting to form in his chest as he stared into the ashes.

Chatot nudged the side of Rei's head in concern as he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Lilligant and Blissey both hurried over to each of his sides to hold him, and Rei reached over to cling onto Blissey's soft round body. Lilligant's leafy arm gently stroked up and down Rei's back as she did her best to keep her flower close to his nose. The aromatherapy helped soothe his nerves somewhat, but couldn't do anything for the source of his lovesickness.

Rei hadn't realized until just now how hopeful he'd become that Volo would use this situation as an opportunity to turn his life around. The circumstances were as ideal as could be offered at this point, and even still, he'd rather go off chasing a near impossible dream than settle down to a quieter life with the people he still had the barest bones of a positive relationship with.

It wasn't as if Rei hadn't been at least somewhat expecting this – it wouldn't be like Volo to just give up his dreams after all. He saw himself as a visionary, someone destined to change the fate of the universe forever. In his mind, he truly believed he could end up being the greatest person the world would ever know.

He wouldn't have to settle for Rei and his more mundane dreams for the two of them together then, would he? It might not have been as glamorous, but they could have been happy together. Rei would have done his best to give Volo the moon and the stars, but apparently anything less than the world wasn't enough for him.

The pieces of heart that Rei had spent years gluing back together to reform into something functional were starting to crack along the fault lines. In that one moment of hesitation, Rei had actually felt like Volo was his. Like Volo would have given up the world just because he had asked him to.

Rei thought he had matured a lot since they had last met but he was starting to feel just as naive as ever. He had known better this whole time, and still decided to make a fool out of himself chasing after a man who probably didn't see him as anything more than a passing fancy.

Volo hadn't even liked Rei back for that long, what the hell had he been thinking? Of course it was going to end like that!

Rei wasn't sure how long he spent by the fire pit, staring blankly ahead at nothing, but eventually he heard the bedroom door behind him slide open and then shut. Footsteps approached, and though he didn't pull away from Blissey to look, Rei could tell from the sounds that Pesselle had sat directly in front of him, her back to the pot that hung from the ceiling.

"Rei? Are you alright?"

Pesselle's voice was gentle and soothing, the tone being one she normally reserved for small children who were scared while receiving medical attention. Did she see what was happening between him and Volo at this point, or was it still passably the platonic pain of someone who had lost a dear friend to his own self destructive tendencies?

Whatever she thought, she at least didn't seem to be mad. Rei raised his head and met her eyes, keeping his expression as neutral as possible.

"I'm fine, I'm just having another rough day."

Pesselle reached out and gently took his hand, rubbing it soothingly with her own. It reminded him so much of how his mom used to try and comfort him that Rei nearly teared up right there. He really needed mom right now, and Pesselle had become the closest thing he'd had to one in years.

"I know you Rei, that wasn't what it was."

Rei let Pesselle pull him away from his Pokemon for a big hug, Chatot flying off his shoulder to go perch on top of Lilligant to let them have some space. Rei wrapped his arms around Pesselle. He tried to pretend he was at home ranting to mom about a fight he had had with a friend at school, or something else actually normal.

"It just pisses me off he won't take the help I'm offering to help him get out of this mess, okay? I'm busting my fucking ass over here, trying to make it so he has a chance at a half decent life again, and he's still telling me he hasn't given up on the whole ‘perfect new world' thing! Can you even imagine what could happen to him the next time he tries to pull some shitty plan off? It might be better if we just let Kamado lock him up before he gets himself killed!"

Pesselle listened to Rei's ranting without so much as a hint of judgment, only listening and not commenting at all. It almost made Rei feel worse that she was being so nice about things because now he felt like the one who was overreacting.

For a long few minutes, Pesselle only quietly sat with Rei, letting him breathe and calm down before she said anything.

"It's very kind of you to care so deeply for Volo and his well-being, but you've gotten far too emotionally invested in this, love. We're here to nurse his wounds and get him safely on his way, not fix his entire life for him. You've done so well caring for him, but you need to let this go. What he decides to do when he's out of our care is only up to him."

Pesselle was completely right of course, he couldn't drag Volo kicking and screaming into good life choices. It would be something Volo gave up himself or something he allowed to consume him.

"You're right, I need to try harder to step back from this... I really thought maybe I could get through to him since he seems to trust me now, but he's too far gone. Without the Plates or the Azure Flute, I really don't think he'd be able to even reach Arceus, let alone control him, but I can't stop him from going out and trying. Waste of a life, but what can you do..."

One of the first things Rei had done after recovering from his depressive episode was to hide Arceus's plates so Volo wouldn't be able to somehow get ahold of his satchel and take them.

He had pulled up one of the floorboards in his house and dug a hole into the earth below it, burying them deep before nailing the floorboard back in. No one looking at it would have any idea the board had been removed before and even if they pulled it up again they wouldn't see anything but dirt.

It was still possible that Volo could steal the Azure Flute from Rei's bag but without the Plates to actually control Arceus it wouldn't be worth much, even if Arceus did decide to answer it. The most he could really hope to do in that situation would be to best Arceus in battle, and that brought to mind a whole other problem Volo had no idea even existed.

Arceus's frenzied attacks were fast, brutal, and incredibly deadly. Even just getting to the stage where he could be engaged in a Pokemon battle was insanely difficult. Rei wouldn't put it past Volo to somehow get past it anyway, but stacked on top of all the other obstacles in his path, it looked completely impossible for him to actually win at this point.

"You do what you can, and then leave the rest to him. I'm very proud of what you've managed to do so far Rei, I quite literally couldn't have done better myself. I'm sorry I asked you to go to Johto with him, I didn't realize exactly how distressing this all was for you..."

"It's okay, it's not like you were going to force me. I'll feel better once he's gone, and at least anything he does to fuck his life up after coming back is on him."

"You must have been very good friends., I've never seen you get this way over a patient before."

"Yeah, we were. Or, I thought so at the time anyway."

Pesselle pulled back and held Rei at an arm's length. Her eyes and tone of voice were soft, like she didn't want to scare him, but also like she was about to have to ask something rather uncomfortable.

"Was it perhaps... a bit more than that?"

Rei's heart froze and a chill went up his spine. Pesselle had definitely noticed something unusual was up between him and Volo. She didn't seem certain enough to want to confront him about it directly, so if he was able to believably mislead her, he might still be able to save this.

"...Yeah, Volo was like a brother to me. When I first came to Hisui he was one of my first friends, and honestly one of the few people to not make me feel like an outsider. He was always there for me, and I felt like even if I didn't have my parents or my sister that I'd at least have him to look out for me. I don't know why I care so much after he used me like that, but It's still so hard to think I've lost him forever."

The brother part was a complete and utter lie, but the rest was real enough to help sell the misdirect. Pesselle seemed completely swayed by the pained way Rei tried to hold back his sorrow while saying it.

As much as he hated to imply he felt that way about Volo at all, she seemed to buy it. Or at the very least, she didn't challenge him on it, and that was good enough. Rei had a hard time imagining that if she did know he was queer that she'd want to hurt him, but she had too much control over his job and place in the Galaxy Corps to risk finding out.

Pesselle reached out once more and pulled Rei into another big hug, which he gladly returned. It was what he really needed right now, more than anything else.

"You still have family here in Hisui, Rei. We may not be of the same blood, but we've grown to love you as if you were. You don't have to rely on him anymore."

Rei nodded into Pesselle's shoulder. It was the right thing to say, even if she didn't know the true circumstances. Some people in Hisui had ended up becoming like family to him, but there had to be others out there with the potential to become something more amorous. He could still find love, even if it wasn't the one he had originally wanted, right?

"I'll try and remember that. Thanks for not being mad I stormed out on him."

"I would always prefer you leave the situation rather than escalate it. You did the right thing."

Pesselle stood up and offered her hand to Rei. He took it and she helped pull him to his feet.

"Are you alright taking things from here, sweetheart? I can't think of anything else I could be of assistance in at the moment. Volo's crutches are still being worked on, and that's really the last thing I have to offer as part of his care at this point."

"Yeah, I should be alright. It might be a bit awkward, but I'm not going to fight with him over this. I'm actually going to visit the Pearl Clan to bring back Calaba's belongings today, so I'll have time to cool off from this."

"Very good, give them all my condolences won't you?"

"You got it."

"I told Volo he needs to exercise both his legs to keep building muscle in them for when he relearns to walk. Do make sure he remembers, won't you?"

"I'll remind him. Akari got him a journal and I'm going to try and make sure he writes in that too. I think it would help him a lot to be the best place he can manage mentally before he leaves. I don't want him to have an episode while he's there."

"It would do him some good. You know where to find me if you need me."

"Yes Ma'am."

Pesselle gave Rei a tiny smile before turning to leave. The door creaked shut behind her, and suddenly everything felt a little bit too quiet. Rei glanced over at his Lilligant, Chatot, and Blissey and saw that they were all looking to him for instructions on what to do next. Even Rotom was staring from where he was possessing the fridge.

Rei ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, once again finding himself stressed and in a bad position with Volo. He had no idea where to even begin a conversation with him about what had just happened.

Maybe he shouldn't even bother trying, all Volo really needed to know right now was that he was leaving. If Rei was quick enough gathering Calaba's belongings, he could probably get in and out without having to say too much.

"Alright everyone, I'm going to be heading out soon. Lilligant, I want you to stay with Volo and Sylveon and make sure no one except Pesselle or Akari comes in while I'm gone. Make sure he eats lunch too, if he gets too distracted reading he'll forget it's there. Chatot, Blissey, you're coming with me."

Chatot squawked and beat his wings in excitement from where he was perched on Lilligant's shoulder.

"With me! With me!!!"

Rei couldn't help but smile as he returned Chatot to his PokeBall first. He might not be great at battling but he still loved to be brought along for the ride anyway. If they got into any real trouble, Rei would probably go to Blissey first. She also seemed pleased to have her turn to go out and make sure things went smoothly, eagerly running up to Rei and bouncing up and down. He reached down and gave her an affectionate pat before returning her to her PokeBall as well.

"Alright Lilligant, you're in charge. Rotom, I see you're listening. Are you going to behave yourself while I'm gone?"

A loud buzzing noise that sounded a lot like laughter pulsated from the fridge while the doors opened and closed loudly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Rei went over to his storage chest and took out several Jubilife Muffins, carefully packing them into his satchel in such a way that they wouldn't be crushed on the trip. As much as he hated to admit it, the increasingly expensive packing lessons from Bagin had really been useful. He could probably still make enough room to carry Calaba's things, on top of everything else he had in there.

There was only one thing left to do, then.

Heart pounding just a bit harder than normal, Rei made his way back towards the bedroom. He slid the door open a crack as quietly as possible and peaked inside, trying not to alert Volo to his presence.

Volo was sitting cross legged on the bed, Sylveon purring in his lap as he worked to help keep Volo calm with his feelers wrapped around his wrist. He wasn't even trying to read yet, which was a bit of a surprise. Rei would have assumed he'd take the first chance he could have gotten to start tearing his way through the stack, but they remained untouched on the bedside table. He looked bothered, even with Sylveon's help, and it wasn't hard to guess why.

Rei entered the room and tried not to show any emotion as Volo's head immediately snapped up to look at him.

"I'm going to head out to the Pearl Clan Settlement now. I'm leaving Sylveon and Lilligant with you, please listen to them while I'm gone."

Volo seemed a bit caught off guard by the fact Rei wasn't even trying to address what had happened. He'd probably been expecting Rei to start an argument over it or at least say something, but instead got nothing but apathy. Rei couldn't help but wonder from Volo's expression if it stung even more than anger would have. His shoulders sagged a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Of course..."

Volo's voice was gentle; his tone hesitant. He looked much less certain of his decision than he had earlier, but said nothing to indicate he'd changed his mind on anything. Trying to ignore the dull pain in his chest, Rei went over to the cabinets by Volo's bed and started to carefully pack Calaba's things into his satchel. He almost wished they were fighting about things, because this somehow felt worse.

No words were spoken until Rei turned to leave and Volo managed to finally find his voice.

"Safe travels."

Rei paused in the doorframe. Kicking himself as soon as he did, Rei turned back to look at Volo.

Volo had finally tugged the hair band out of his braid, finally accepting that it wasn't going to stay in with how much he had been messing with it. He was a mess of split ends, baggy eyes, and malnourishment, but he was still the most beautiful man Rei had ever seen.

He couldn't help but wonder if Volo saw him the same way now. Volo was looking at him somewhat longingly and it made Rei shiver. It wasn't hard to imagine he might, he'd never seen Volo so much as flirt with anyone before, let alone look at them like that.

Volo had laughed, saying that he didn't have time for a girlfriend when Rei had finally gotten up the courage to ask if he was seeing anyone. It had made sense as an answer too, and why wouldn't it? Someone so driven to be a scholar probably would want to keep his mind on studying. Even in Rei's original era, people were known to try and avoid dating to focus on school.

Rei had been pleased with this at the time, feeling that if he couldn't have Volo, then at least no one else was likely to swoop in and take him. What he hadn't managed to notice, however, was that it was less trying to focus on his studies and more ‘I have no time for anything in my life but my all consuming obsession to create a perfect world’.

His relationships would never have existed as soon as his plan took hold and wiped it from the timeline anyway, so why would he have bothered making them?

Maybe three years of human isolation and a life altering attack had done some good helping him realize just how important those kinds of personal connections were. Apparently, nothing would ever be more important than his goals, but was it at all possible that he still wasn't a completely lost cause?

Rei formed his hands into fists and squeezed them hard, his nails digging into his palms. He had to listen to Pesselle and Laventon and not think like this anymore. Volo wasn't a lost cause, he was a man who just didn't know when to give up. It wasn't the same thing.

Rei didn't want to come off as too cold and not even say goodbye back, but he wasn't going to pretend he was happy. He gave a halfhearted wave, trying not to show much of any emotion at all.

"I'll see you later."

Rei left to go sit on the steps that lead up to the main area and started to pull on his shoes. Lilligant went back into the bedroom with Volo and shut the door behind her, blocking him from view once more.

Even still, the way Volo had been looking at him stuck in Rei's mind and made his heart ache. He wanted to replay it in his mind over and over again, dissecting every single tiny movement Volo had made, but he couldn't.

If he didn't get it together now, then he'd still be a mess by the time he made it to the Pearl Settlement, and he didn't want to do that to Irida. This day was supposed to be about her and Calaba, not his shitty love life.

The reminder of Irida sobbing as she knelt next to Calaba's deathbed did wonders to jolt Rei out of his lovesickness and into a whole different type of emotional pain.

Only a couple of days had passed since she'd lost her oldest mentor. Rei knew Gaeric would be close by to make sure she was doing okay, but he wanted to make sure of it himself. Most importantly, he wanted to apologize for the situation he had put her in to find out about Calaba's death the way she did. He should have been there for Irida too. It felt like they had barely even spoken when the body was found.

Once Rei arrived at the Pearl Settlement, he was determined to sort out whatever had just happened between them. With the excuse of returning Calaba's clothing and other belongings, it wouldn't be weird for him to visit anyway.

Rei was certain that Ingo had told Irida about Volo by now. He might spend a lot of time in the Jubilife Training Grounds, but he was still loyal to the Pearl Clan. The reappearance of someone dangerous like Volo was the exact kind of thing he was expected to report to Irida as the clan leader.

Maybe she'd already suspected why he hadn't been at the funeral, then. She knew better than anyone what his role in the Medical Corps was and that Volo's injury might require extra help. He supposed he wouldn't know until he finally got there though. As much as he was dreading the upcoming conversation with Irida, he knew the longer he put it off, the weirder it would feel.

Rei grabbed a coat on his way out the door and threw it on. Hisuian clothing might have been of thicker build than modern clothing, but going to Alabaster Icelands without multiple layers was a horrible idea. How Irida even managed to survive in that environment with nothing to cover her legs and shoulders would always remain Hisui's greatest unsolved mystery.

The streets of Jubilife were bustling now that the day had truly gotten started. There were a few stares from villagers who didn't understand why Rei was wearing a jacket in the Spring, but he ignored them.

His expression must have gotten his dark mood across because no one approached him to talk this time, not even the people who were clearly still whispering behind his back about Volo's return. He could feel their eyes on him as they searched for clues to what was going on inside his house as he left it, but didn't stop to meet their gaze.

Ress saw him approaching and gave a friendly wave. He'd be unavoidable, but that was understandable given his job. Rei did his best to perk up and waved back with what he hoped was the same friendly energy.

"Good morning Rei! Headed outside the village, are we?"

"Yep! Just going to Alabaster Icelands for a bit, I'll be back later together. I don't need an escort, I'll be fine on my own."

"Oh, of course, I should have known. Give my condolences to Irida, won't you? I don't know her very well, but I saw her leave the last time she was here and... Well, I just hope she's alright."

"You and me both, Ress... I'll pass it on. Have a good day, man."

"You as well!"

Rei had been half expecting Ress to start asking more questions about Volo, but instead he only bowed politely and let Rei go on his way without comment on the situation. It was no secret that Rei had grown to care very deeply for both Calaba and Irida in the months leading up to Calaba's death, so he'd probably realized that now wasn't the time for it.

Rei pulled his Azure Flute out of his bag as he left the village walls, playing the familiar tune to summon Braviary. The Alabaster Icelands was only a relatively short flight north from Jubilife and if everything went well, he'd make it there before noon. From there, he could head south and try to meet up with Akari in Cornet Highlands to help with the search.

Being able to spend some time alone with her to talk would be a relief, and he tried to hold that thought in his mind as motivation to make it through the depressing visit to the Pearl Clan.

Once he was in the harness and had his hands securely on the bar, Rei gave the signal for Braviary to take off and felt himself being pulled rapidly up into the warm spring air. His jacket already felt uncomfortably hot to be wearing, but he knew as soon as they got close to their destination, he'd be singing a different tune about it.

Rei saw the peaks of familiar snow capped mountains rise into view as Braviary hit peak soaring altitude. There was something truly awe inspiring about the way the morning sun reflected off the ice and caused it to almost glitter. He'd never want to live somewhere this cold himself, but he could see how the beauty in a place like that would be alluring to those who preferred the colder climate.

Rei allowed himself to just zone out a bit and enjoy the sight as the higher altitude made his mind go a bit numb. He had a lot of things that were very hefty to think about on his mind, so it was a welcome distraction. He wished he could let Chatot out to fly with him and sing some fitting music but he was afraid the tiny little Pokemon would tear away from him at the speeds they were going and not be able to get back.

Still, maybe there was something to be said for taking a nice moment of silence and just listening to the white noise of the air moving around him. This early in the morning, it almost made him want to go back to sleep. Too bad that doing that now would almost certainly kill him.

The air quickly grew frigid as fields of green spring grass beneath them turned to the familiar white hills of snowy tundra that marked the start of Alabaster Icelands. Gorgeous pine trees draped in sheets of snow stood silent vigil around Snowfields Camp as Rei dipped down to land there and take a small break.

They'd been flying for a while now and there was no real rush like there had been last night. Braviary deserved the break anyway, he'd been doing quite a lot to help out since then.

Braviary turned to leave as soon as Rei climbed out of the harness but Rei stopped him before he could.

"Hey, wait a sec! I've got something for you!"

Braviary turned to see that Rei had pulled a bunch of berries out of his bag and squawked in delight, flapping his wings excitedly at the promise of a snack. Rei held his palm out for Braviary to take them but just before he could, there was a flash of purple and the berries were gone.

Rei stumbled back, startled, as Braviary squawked in outrage. The poor Pokemon was wildly flailing around as he turned, searching for the scoundrel that had snatched up his hard earned treat right from under his beak.

"Whoa, Braviary, it's okay! I got more! Just calm down and I'll give you extra!"

The last thing he needed was a hot headed Pokemon like Braviary trying to blast the mountains apart looking for his stolen berries. At best, he'd cause a disturbance and draw aggressive wild Pokemon to them, and at worst, an avalanche.

Rei pulled more berries out of his bag and kept them covered before handing them off to Braviary this time. The Pokemon snatched them up and jealously guarded himself with his wings as he ate. Looking around the area, Rei tried to see if he could find any clue as to what the hell had just happened. That had to have been a Pokemon, right?

Looking up a bit higher than his line of sight, Rei finally found the answer in one of the trees surrounding the camp. He couldn't help but laugh as Sneasler waved cheerfully at him, munching on her ill gotten spoils. She didn't seem to be the least bit ashamed of herself, but Rei still couldn't manage to be mad about it.

But if she was here in Alabaster Icelands, did that mean that maybe...?

"Sneasler, you really shouldn't steal food from your fellow Ride Pokemon! It's not the sort of behavior that conducts itself to a friendly work environment, is it?"

Yes, it was just as Rei had thought. Warden Ingo was here as well.

Chapter Text

Ingo revealed himself as he climbed out of one of the tents, peering up at Sneasler snacking in her tree with a disapproving frown. He never seemed to smile much anyway, but Rei had always found him to be pleasant regardless of his stiffness. The man's tattered modern-style jacket marked him as being an outsider like Rei, but his Pearl Clan garb beneath it proudly displayed his current allegiance.

Ingo had shown himself to be unusually gifted at Pokemon battling, and had taken to it immediately. Although he was a recent addition to the Pearl Clan’s members, Irida had not wanted to waste his talent and he had been given the high honor of becoming Sneasler's warden despite being an outsider of no standing in the community.

His time with the Pearl Clan seemed to be treating him well; he had since become much less withdrawn over the years, not only gaining the community standing he had previously lacked, but becoming a bit of a local legend himself.

All things considered, Rei wasn't actually sure Ingo actually would want to fully remember his former life at this point.

Maybe Ingo hadn't actually had anyone in that former life of his. Maybe they had even been bad people. It was also possible they'd been so good to him that for him to finally remember them and having to finally process that loss would be excruciating. Was it even worth dredging it up either way?

Occasionally, Ingo would remark on something he remembered, but they were always disconnecting and confusing things.

The region of Unova.

Certain Pokemon that he had met long ago.

Human faces that shifted and faded from his mind almost as quickly as he remembered them.

Places or objects that he couldn't connect relevancy to his life.

The last time they had met, Ingo had told Rei the most vividly unnerving recollection happened whenever he looked in the mirror. Sometimes, he didn't feel the face looking back at him was his own, and that scared him. There was no real way to know what that meant for certain, but it felt ominous.

Ingo lived in the dark about what most of his life had looked like, and he'd likely never know exactly what he was missing. Rei occasionally found himself wishing he had the same kind of amnesia as Ingo, just so he wouldn't have to deal with the loss of his own past life, but he always felt guilty about it afterwards.

What would his family think if they knew that? Would he really be better off not remembering his own home and family? Would that even matter to him if he couldn't remember them?

As Rei watched the man climb to his feet and approach him, he felt keenly aware of the fact that this man was likely the only person Rei would ever meet who could fully understand him. Even Akari, as close as they were, didn't understand Rei's culture very well.

Ingo didn't completely remember the culture he was from but it was much more ingrained into him than Hisuian culture was, especially at first. As the years went by, this seemed to fade as he was able to assimilate himself more comfortably. It was so much easier for Ingo with nothing to tie him to the past than it was for Rei it made him a bit jealous.

Even still, seeing Ingo happy made him happy too.

Rei gave a respectful nod to Ingo, who returned the gesture. It didn't look like he had gotten much sleep from the dark circles under his eyes. Calaba's funeral was over now, so he was likely heading back from it to the Highlands.

It had probably been hard for him to go through the process of losing someone for the first time he could directly remember. Calaba had been one of the few people he had close in his life as a fellow Pearl Clan warden.

"Good morning to you, Rei! I didn't expect to see you pull into the station this late."

Rei knew he didn't mean it like that, but it still stung to feel reminded that he wasn't getting here until after the funeral.

"Yeah, I got held up with taking care of Volo. He survived thanks to you, you know."

Rei couldn't imagine what it would have been like if Ingo hadn't been as quick to respond as he had been. They'd have found his corpse afterwards and things would feel so much worse than the pain having to be around him was. Better to have him alive and a problem than found dead in a pool of his own blood.

The thought made dread burn like acid through Rei's veins. He would've heard everyone in Jubilife talk about it like gossip on the street, then listen to people argue about whether he deserved to die like that or not.

"I'm certainly happy to hear it, but I'm afraid I can't take all the credit. The Miss Fortunes sent their very speedy Garchomp to alert me after having reportedly been in a nearby area themselves at the time. They were the ones who heard his screaming, not I. One of the girls… Charm, I believe, had wisely tied off his leg to hinder the blood loss but had no way to carry him down the highlands safely themselves. With Sneasler's basket, however, it was no trouble at all.”

“The ladies only asked that I not tell any authorities that they were involved. I found it strange they wouldn't want to take credit for a good deed for once; but I suppose they do have some bad blood with Volo, don't they?"

Rei felt like kicking something, but didn't want to startle Ingo. That was not the news he had wanted to hear.

"They probably don't want the authorities told they were involved because they don't actually own a Garchomp! They had to have stolen Volo's after all his Pokeballs were smashed by capturing it! I've never seen them train a new Pokemon, and I really doubt they decided to start since the last time I battled them! Garchomp was probably just out looking for help, and they were the closest people around! How the absolute fuck do they justify watching a man die in front of them and deciding to snatch his Pokemon before he's even dead!"

Rei felt his blood begin to boil. The nerve they had to take advantage of a situation like that to steal was just so despicable it infuriated him. Sure, they'd stopped to actually use Garchomp to save Volo first by having him get Ingo and Sneasler, but they definitely didn't seem to mind taking one last opportunity to rob him before they left.

He wanted to just be happy that they'd saved Volo at all, but the massive obstacle they'd just become made it harder to feel gratitude.

Ingo looked taken aback to hear this, his eyes widening in surprise. He seemed a bit caught off guard to suddenly see Rei starting to angrily rant about something he hadn't even realized was a problem.

Even Sneasler in her tree had stopped eating for a moment to watch as Rei finally just sat down and covered his face in frustration. He was really trying to keep it together, but things were clicking together quickly in his mind now, and the situation wasn't looking good.

It wasn't Ingo's fault that he hadn't known Garchomp didn't belong with them, but it still felt infuriating that no one had been able to stop them. If how close Volo was with his other Pokemon was any indication, this was going to be hard for him to hear about. They might as well have kidnapped a family member of his.

Worst of all, the Miss Fortunes almost certainly had Garchomp in a PokeBall by now so getting him back wouldn't be as easy as just finding him. Pokeballs instilled a sense of loyalty to the trainer — and that loyalty was now directed at the Miss Fortunes, who would gleefully use him to get away with whatever heists they could dream up. It wasn't even just Volo's problem at this point, it was Hisui’s problem.

Ingo straightened his hat and sat down next to Rei on the ground in silent solidarity, waiting for him to calm down a bit. Rei did his best to cool down before actually saying anything.

"...I'm sorry Ingo, I'm not mad at you or anything. I didn't get much sleep after trying to track down Volo's Pokemon last night. I found and captured the Pokemon who attacked Volo. It ended up being Enamorus, — not Darkrai, if you can believe it.”

“She smashed all his Pokeballs and released them, thinking they'd flee and stop helping Volo, but they kept defending him. I found two of them injured near her and one more, a Spiritomb, destroyed. I'm really glad you told me what happened to Garchomp, but it's not really the news I was hoping for..."

Ingo gave an understanding nod. He seemed to understand the building frustration in the aftermath of what had happened the last few days.

"I am relieved to hear Volo survived, and that his attacker will not continue to be a threat to the Highlands. I will do what I can to keep an eye out for the Miss Fortunes and detain them if I come across them again but they are known for being slippery..."

"Yeah, that's what makes it infuriating. They know all the best places to hide in Hisui, and even with Ursaluna, it's going to be hard to track them down. I promised Volo I'd do everything I could to get the rest of Pokemon back, he's really worried about them. This just makes it so much harder, and I still don't even know where the other two are."

"What others are unaccounted for? I'd be willing to help keep an eye out for them, as well."

"Just a male Roserade and a female Arcanine. They may be injured, but I don't have any way to know for sure. Akari is out in the Highlands now, looking for any sign of them, but we could use all the help we can get. Thanks so much for offering, this has been awful to try to deal with already..."

Despite the unfortunate situation with Garchomp, it really did make Rei feel better to know Ingo was willing to help. He was frequently in Cornet Highlands for warden duties, which meant he’d be capable of noticing signs of Pokemon like Arcanine and Roserade, Pokemon which were not native to the area.

"Think nothing of it, I'm happy to be of assistance. You haven't had much of an opportunity to rest, have you?"

Rei smiled without any humor. If the bags under his eyes didn't give it away, the fact that he'd lost Calaba on the same day Volo had his crisis was enough to guess.

"Not since everything started to go wrong all at once... I'm headed to the Pearl Settlement, and hopefully I'll get to spend some time with everyone there before I have to head back out to help Akari with the search again. I'm really hoping Spiritomb needing a new Keystone will be the worst of it, but I don't want to get my hopes up. That attack was just so violent — I wouldn't be surprised if one turns up dead..."

Ingo tilted his head down, the rim of his hat casting a dark shadow over his face. He didn't need to be told, he'd been there to see the aftermath himself.

"It would be unfortunate, but not unlikely. I truly believed Sneasler and I were too late when we first arrived. By the time we were on the outskirts of Jubilife, I was almost certain we were delivering a corpse."

Rei felt his throat tighten as he fought off the wave of dread that came with being reminded just how close things had been.

"He's a fighter. Always has been. Don't worry, he's already bounced back more than you'd believe. The idiot is already ready to get out there and start causing trouble again. I think I'm gonna have to get Cogita to shackle him to a tree in her yard or something."

Ingo broke into a rare smile upon hearing this and Rei couldn't help but smile back. It felt good to be able to say Volo was still alive and kicking, even if he had been nothing but furious about his stubbornness earlier.

"Do you really think that solution would work?"

"No idea, but I'll make another Red Chain just for him if I have to. He's really testing me, and I'm starting to think maybe it's not the worst idea."

An icy wind blew through the camp and Rei pulled his jacket closer, shivering. He'd never liked Alabaster Icelands much. Even during his Survey Corps days, he had always tried to get in and out as quickly as he could. Irida might not mind the cold all that much, but she had to be a Zoroark in disguise or something, this place was unbearable if you didn't have fur.

"Would you like me to start a fire, Rei?"

"No thanks, I was just gonna get going now anyways. I was just taking a short break before I got to the Pearl Settlement."

Ingo stood and brushed himself off a bit before offering Rei his hand. Rei accepted it, and Ingo helped pull him to his feet.

"On that train of thought, I should be leaving as well. I do hope your visit is pleasant, although I'm sure you can understand if everyone is feeling less hospitable than usual."

"Believe me, I completely get it. I'm mostly just going to check up on everyone and return Calaba's clothes. I feel really bad I missed the funeral... I hope everything went okay."

"I have no memories of other funerals to compare it to, but things went off without a hitch. It was quite the beautiful ceremony really, I think she would have approved."

Rei stared out into the ice fields and tried to imagine where the funeral procession would have started. It had been explained to him that each of the Pearl Clan's special Pokemon were to separately lead an entourage of mourners through each distinct area of Hisui while they spread Calaba's ashes.

It was a sacred practice to the Pearl Clan, meant to honor the deceased by spreading their spirit over Palkia's vast essence, merging them together as one.

There was a rustling from high above as Sneasler jumped down from her tree, and went over to stand by Ingo. As one of the Pearl Clan’s two Ride Pokemon, she would have been in a position of honor along with Ingo as her Warden. Being reminded of this, a question suddenly popped into Rei's thoughts.

"Hey Ingo, who ended up leading the group with Ursaluna? They don't have a new Warden for him yet, do they?"

Ingo shook his head as Sneasler started to paw at his arm like a child who was impatient with her mother for taking too long talking to a friend at the grocery store. The way she pouted about it was made even cuter by the fact she was so tall and lethal. Ingo scolded her by shaking his finger at her, before turning back to answer Rei.

"No, that will be under consideration in the week to come. Most seem to be hesitant to try and fill her shoes, as few have expressed any interest in the position. Irida has taken the temporary role of warden in Calaba's place until a new one can be agreed upon."

Rei couldn't blame anyone for not wanting to put themselves out there like that, but he wished it didn't have to default to Irida. Calaba had been warden for longer than almost anyone in the Pearl Clan had been alive, and that kind of experience made her a hard act to follow.

She'd really been irreplaceable to the whole clan, and to try and fill that place probably felt terrible to Irida, especially after losing her.

"I'll go talk to Irida and see if there's anything I can do to make things easier on her. I wish she hadn't had to take things up herself like that, she's got enough on her plate."

"Irida is a capable leader and has her own clan mates to support her. Just keeping Volo under control so we don't have another catastrophe on our hands will be enough of a help to us all."

Rei glowered a bit at this, but knew Ingo was right. It wasn't his clan or his problem to get involved with, regardless of how as close as he felt to the situation. The Pearl Clan had their own ways of handling these things that didn't involve members of the Galaxy Team shoving their noses in.

"Catastrophe prevention when it comes to Volo is kinda my thing, I guess."

Rei paused for a moment before speaking again. He could just leave it there, but there was something else he really wanted to say. It was a bit unnecessary, (and probably gave away his position on Volo more than he really should allow), but he couldn't bring himself to leave without saying something about it.

"Oh, and um... thanks for actually saving him in the first place. I know saving someone who wants to end the world is kind of a controversial thing to do, and he wasout there asking for trouble, but... if he had died out there like that, it would have really fucked me up. Thank you for bringing him back to me and not just leaving him."

Starting to feel a bit misty eyed, Rei did his best to only sound like the concerned ex-friend everyone thought he was. It was getting harder and harder to keep up the facade, and the fact that his careful balancing act could fail at any moment was not lost on him.

Things had gotten close with Pesselle, and he had an uncanny feeling that things probably wouldn't end there if he didn't reign it in. Were Rei a less honest person, it might have been easier, but he'd always worn his heart on his sleeve.

The corner of Ingo's mouth twitched upwards a bit as he tipped his hat to Rei. Sneasler was continuing to claw at Ingo's already frayed jacket impatiently, and after weighing his options he seemed to decide extending the conversation much longer wasn't worth damaging it more.

"I don't regret saving a life, regardless of what anyone would think. I hope he changes his mind about the world, but until then I wish him a speedy recovery. Do take care, won't you?"

Rei found himself breaking into a smile again. He'd definitely be sure to tell Volo what Ingo had said. The more people he could feel bad about potentially hurting, the better.

"Thanks, I'll let him know. You take care too, it was nice to run into you."

With one last wave of his hand, Ingo set off down the path that would lead him out of Alabaster Icelands. Sneasler trailed behind him, snickering a bit at Braviary who cawed out what could have only been an insult at her back. Rei tried not to laugh at them and pulled another berry out of his satchel to hand to Braviary.

"Hey, I know she's a little jerk, but let's keep it civil."

Braviary quickly took the bribe before anything unusual could happen to it. Rei took the opportunity to reach up and scratch his head affectionately in a similar way to how Chatot liked. Braviary might have been a giant comparatively, but a bird Pokemon was still a bird Pokemon, and they seemed to enjoy it all the same.

As good as it would have felt to climb into one of the camp's tents and take a short rest himself, Rei knew it was time to get moving again. He still had one last stretch to fly before he got to the Pearl Settlement, and it would be much easier to warm up there than it would be here.

The Icelands were a hell scape that made their hot springs heaven to visit and Rei planned to boil himself alive there first chance he got.

"Ready to get going buddy?"

Braviary gave a cheerful cry in response and positioned himself so Rei could climb into the harness. It wasn't long before they were in the air once more, icy wind whipping around them as Braviary surged forward and cut through it like a knife.

Rei would have enjoyed the scenery of the trip a lot more if he hadn't been so distracted trying to squirm deeper into his jacket the whole way. He recognized the distinct landmark of Avalugg's Legacy as they passed over it, but it only brought back memories of other times he had been freezing his ass off, so he tried to ignore it.

Fuck this place, seriously.

If Irida and the rest of the Pearl Clan didn't live here, he'd gladly never visit it again. Even Snowpoint Temple, cool as it was, was not worth frostbite. He supposed it must be different for the members of the Pearl Clan who had lived here for generations.

Exactly why they'd chosen Alabaster Icelands over a more hospitable area was beyond Rei's understanding, but it was a place that held meaning to them. Maybe there was something in the endless fields of ice and snow that was holy to them. Things were so empty and spacious here, that it could have spoken on some deeper level to their religious sensibilities.

…Or maybe they just found Basculin really tasty. Sometimes, the answer wasn't that deep.

Rei had Braviary begin his descent as soon as the Pearl Settlement came into view, aiming to land as close to the first tents as possible without potentially flattening anyone who might come out of them. It didn't look like anyone was outside at the moment, however, and something about it felt wrong. Normally, at least a few clan members were milling about doing errands or chatting with neighbors, but today the settlement was empty.

Braviary dropped Rei off at the settlement and gave him an affectionate beak nudge before turning wing and flying off towards Snowpoint Temple. Rei himself wasted no time turning heel to get the hell into one of the Bibarel fur insulated tents before he completely turned into an icicle. He'd had more than enough of the cold by now.

Chapter Text

The sound of snow crunching from under his feet was the only sound Rei heard as he made his way into the Pearl Settlement. Not even the Pearl Clan's Pokemon were out playing in the snow, making the place feel deserted. Maybe everyone was still resting after the funeral.

He'd hoped to maybe run into a few more of his friends on the way to Irida to give his condolences, but he wasn't going to seek them out to bother them if they were resting. Spending the whole previous day marching around the entire region was definitely exhausting, and Rei had done it enough times himself to empathize.

Irida's tent stood at the very top of the icy slope the Pearl Settlement was built on. Rei had to be very careful not to slip as he made his way to the top and approached it.

He started to feel a bit nervous as he reached the door, the paranoia of how Irida might be feeling about everything finally catching up to him again. He hadn't really stopped to prepare exactly what he should say first. Should he apologize? Should he talk about the funeral? Ask how she was doing? That was probably the safest bet–

The flap to Irida's tent pulled back as Rei stood there while overthinking things in front of it. A wave of slight panic coursed through his body as he realized his time to decide was suddenly up. Irida was coming out of her–

…Wait a second, was that Adaman?

The tied-back mess of long blue and blond hair combined with the blue Diamond Clan jacket he was adjusting around himself were unmistakable as anyone else's.

Seeing him here was so unexpected that Rei's fear was immediately replaced with puzzlement. That was definitely not who he had expected to see here right now. Seeing Adaman was so rare for him these days, that it made it feel even stranger.

It wasn’t as if there had been any sort of falling out between them, Rei had just settled down, and his social life had fallen into place how it would naturally without a crisis. He found himself visiting Irida a lot, but didn't spend as much time with the Diamond Clan, as he and Adaman had never been very close.

Rei wouldn't exactly say he disliked Adaman, but treating Irida and the Pearl Clan the way he had in the beginning had really put a sour taste in Rei's mouth regarding the Diamond Clan’s leader.

Adaman had tried to use Rei to sneak around Irida's back about quelling the Pearl Clan’s Lord Kleavor, instead of just surveying it like they had agreed upon together, and it had been even more infuriating to later find out Adaman was covering up his own noble's frenzy at the same time he was portraying Irida as the problem.

Irida, on the other hand, had been argumentative with Adaman, sure, but never deceitful. Rei had decided to choose her on the adventure to gather the necessary materials for the Red Chain because of this. Even all these years later, the friendship they had forged going through that time together still held strong, while Adaman had more or less fallen to the wayside as just some guy he'd helped out in the past that he was on decent terms with.

Irida had become a well respected clan leader now, and at 19, she'd only grown more mature, especially in how she handled Adaman. He'd never seen any evidence to suggest they were suddenly best friends, but they were at least getting along well as far as he could tell.

Was that really enough for him to be showing up the day after Calaba's funeral during the mourning period, though? Apparently, things had changed between the two clans' leaders more than he'd realized these last few years.

"Adaman? What are you doing in Abomasnow's armpit? I thought you hated it here."

Adaman's big brown eyes widened as he registered that Rei was standing in front of him, breaking into laughter at his stupid joke. He'd always had a similar sense of humor, and hated the cold just as much as Rei did. He reached out and clasped Rei's hand in greeting, giving him an impish smile. Adaman's grip was firm and strong.

"I could ask the same of you, time traveler, but I think we would come to the same answer! Irida sent me a messenger Pokemon telling me what happened. I stopped by to give my condolences from the Diamond Clan – I know our clans still don't really have the best relationship, but it's best to lead by example, right?"

It was really good to hear Adaman was still actively working to improve the relationship between the Diamond and Pearl clans instead of falling back into their own ways of bickering. Things had been a bit rocky recently since a new argument had popped up in the previous years.

Things had started innocently enough, with only a few clan kids arguing about whether Palkia or Dialga was stronger.

No one paid them much mind at first, but having actually seen Dialga and Palkia in action for themselves at their release festival, both clans had started to ponder what the answer may be. The new heated argument didn't lead to any flat out religious wars thankfully, (people had still had enough of that,) but this simple argument did a lot to stoke the flames of animosity between the two settlements who were already only barely getting along.

While things were still overall peaceful, the general attitude between the two clans now was one of feeling disrespected by the other, and being kinda pissed off about it. Adaman, as the Diamond Clan’s leader showing up to support the Pearl clan leader during a major loss like this was a very good strategic move on his part, which would likely help mend this animosity. For once,Rei found himself actually admiring a choice Adaman made in regards to Irida.

"Definitely, I'm really glad to see you out here visiting too. I don't even see anyone else outside right now. They must be really exhausted over all this."

Adaman nodded and threw his hand up in exacerbation.

"I can't say I understand why they choose to run around the whole region during a time when they're also in mourning, but Irida still says it makes more sense than what we do! Can you believe that?"

"Dude, I'm with her, I'm not a fan of bog mummies. No offense to your culture, but I think I'd rather have a Pearl Clan burial."

Thankfully, Adaman found this more funny than offense and grinned heartily, clapping Rei on the back so hard it almost hurt. Was he always this strong? Adaman was more muscular than he had been a few years ago anyway, that much was visibly noticeable.

"But you wouldn't last very long like that! Don't you think being preserved for all time is the most fitting honor for your spirit's home?"

"I honestly don't really care what happens to me after I die. I'm just dead, and I'll deal with what that means when I get there. If I meet your bog mummy in the afterlife, we can compare notes about our experiences."

Adaman was clearly trying not to laugh and disturb anyone now, and it made Rei crack a small grin to watch. He was pretty when he smiled like that. Not that he wasn't normally, he was a good looking guy after all, but something about his laid back playful nature really resonated with Rei.

"I'll take you up on it then! We should find somewhere else to talk though, I don't want to disturb Irida. I'm sure she'd love to see you but I think she needs a bit more time in between visitors."

Well, Adaman was the resident expert on time, and he didn't want to add dealing with a bunch of guests all at once onto Irida, anyway.

"I don't mind catching up, but I'm not going to be holding you up for anything, am I? There's a lot going on to talk about..."

Adaman probably had a lot to deal with regarding his own clan, and Rei would have felt bad if he'd just been messing with Adaman's schedule. He hated to be late for anything as a part of his religious convictions, and Rei didn't want to disrespect that.

"I can definitely find time for you, Rei."

Adaman said the words in an unexpectedly gentle way, his eyes softening and turning ever so slightly serious. Rei felt his cheeks flush slightly and he tried to glance down as casually as he could. He didn't realize Adaman would care so much about his feelings as well.

Adaman reached out and poked Rei's reddening cheek playfully.

"You look pretty frostbitten – how about you join me in the hot springs? It's the only part of the Alabaster Icelands I actually like. You'd think a clan so dedicated to space would find one more hospitable to live in, but I suppose they enjoy being ice cubes!"

Rei was trying hard not to smile himself, now. The situation was grim, but in good company he found the mood began to lighten. It was a relief to actually be able to take a moment to not be miserable and just laugh about literally anything. The prospect of taking a much needed break to defrost did just as much to lift his spirits as the joking around did.

"I'm absolutely freezing already, I'd love to."

The empty gray sky above them cast only a dim light down as Rei made his way to the very top of the slope with Adaman by his side. As they trudged upwards, Rei started to become keenly aware of the fact that what he had agreed to do would involve taking their clothes off.

Normally it wouldn't feel weird in a public bath setting, but something about the fact it was just him and Adaman felt a bit exciting. Was it bad to feel that way? Rei definitely wasn't going to leer at him or anything, but he didn't really know where to draw the line with how much he should look since… Well...

He found Adaman pretty attractive.

Rei had never really stopped to think about it too much beforehand, but this probably wasn't a feeling he'd have in this situation otherwise. If Rei had just gone with Gaeric or Iscan, it would have just felt like hanging out with a friend, but this was different.

"Not so fast Rei, it's a bit slippery here at the top. Here, give me your hand."

"Oh-yeah, okay!"

It was a bit of a struggle to finally reach the peak of the slope but Adaman was able to help pull Rei up the rest of the way without anyone falling. Rei was smiling involuntarily now and trying very hard not to look like he had enjoyed it as much as he had.

The hot spring was a large pool of steaming water, nestled into the cold rock of the Icelands that the Pearl Clan called home. It was common to find the local Pokemon enjoying it, but today it too was as ominously empty as the rest of the settlement.

Rei had visited it a few times before, but only on his own to dethaw after trekking across the frozen tundra. This was his first time going as a social thing, and he really hadn't expected it to happen with Adaman of all people.

…Not that he was complaining...

Adaman pulled out his three Pokeballs (a technology he and many of the other Hisuians had adopted in the years since Rei's arrival) and released his team at the water's edge. Vaporeon elegantly leapt into the hot springs water and seemed to completely vanish from sight immediately, the only thing giving away his locations being the slight ripples and bubbles present in the water as he melded into it.

Adaman's Umbreon took her time as she dipped her paw apprehensively into the water, but her brother Leafeon was not so hesitant. He splashed in almost immediately, full of excitement. Adaman grinned after them and started to take off his jacket as he watched.

"Hey, wait up for me, you three!"

Not wanting his own Pokemon left out of the fun, Rei released his own Blissey and Chatot into the area. Blissey looked around to reorient herself, before noticing the hot spring and joyfully running in to soak in it.

Chatot flew towards Blissey and landed on the little island of her mostly submerged head, settling down to relax in the heat coming from the water around them. They were incredibly cute to watch, but Rei found himself immediately distracted as Adaman passed in front of his line of sight completely naked.

Adaman's baggy clothes had not done his body justice. His chest was broad and muscular and he was overall well toned from training.

It was an absolute vision to Rei, (who hadn't seen anything he liked nearly this much since his Internet access had been taken away several years ago,) but he turned away to give Adaman some privacy as he got into the water. The view might be fantastic, but that's not what Adaman had invited him here for... right?

Barely even feeling cold anymore, he started to strip off his own clothes. Wait, was Adaman looking at him? Did he like what he saw if he was? Rei felt a sudden desire to know burning within his chest.

He couldn't know without looking, but was afraid to make any kind of accidental eye contact. Rei wouldn't have normally considered himself to be very shy, but even the idea of trying to start a conversation and gauge Adaman's mood made him feel nervous.

Rei climbed into the hot springs next to Adaman, who was thankfully distracted trying to undo his hair tie, and was not at all paying attention to how flustered Rei looked. Steam rising in a gentle mist over the water only helped to create the illusion that Rei was dreaming as he watched Adaman's hair fall in blue and blond waves around his shoulders. It framed his face in an entirely new way that made Rei's breath catch.

He'd never seen Adaman with his hair down before and it felt almost as exposing as seeing him naked for some reason, like he shouldn't be seeing this at all. Vaporeon swam over to greet his trainer, only becoming visible when his head broke the surface.

Adaman petted his Pokemon's wet little head, giving it an affectionate smile that lit up his whole face. Rei covered his own, hoping desperately that how red his face was was could be mistaken as an effect of the hot springs, not the rapidly growing feelings he was catching like the love starved queer kid he still felt like he was deep down.

"Wow, I could really get used to this! I guess the Pearl Clan doesn't have it all bad here after all."

Rei was snapped out of his stupor by Adaman's comment, and did his best to get a grasp on reality again. They were just here to relax and talk, nothing else was going to happen.

Unless Adaman started it, then he'd let so much happen.

No, fuck, he had to focus! If he let those kinds of thoughts take over he'd never survive this.

Rei looked away from Adaman and towards Leafeon (who was starting to look more like boiled spinach than an actual Leafeon) to distract himself.

"If the Pearl Clan had adopted me like they had with Ingo, I'd pitch my tent right in front of here. It would still be cold and suck, but it would probably suck a lot less."

Adaman relaxed back into the water, closing his eyes and submerging himself up to his shoulders.

"Speaking of Ingo, I heard about him finding Volo from Irida. I can't believe that guy finally showed up again after all this time! Do you know if he ended up surviving the Pokemon attack?"

Rei's chest tightened a bit at the mention of the very man he was trying hard not to think about while enjoying his time with Adaman. You couldn't cheat on someone you weren't actually with, but he didn't think Volo would feel too thrilled about it anyway.

"We had to amputate the lower quarter of his right leg, but he's made it through okay. Once blood loss was no longer a danger we got him stabilized pretty quick. He's actually staying with me right now while we work on getting his situation sorted out."

Adaman suddenly opened his eyes and looked over at Rei with concern.

"Wait, he's staying with you? Are you okay with that?"

That was a great question, one that Rei still wasn't sure he knew the answer to. Things were so layered and complicated he'd just committed to riding it out by this point.

"Yeah, we've kind of come to an understanding about things. Plus, if he tries to attack me I have four terrifying Pokemon to beat him up."

Rei gestured to Chatot and Blissey who were now happily splashing around in the water together. Chatot let out a small squeak as a little bit got in his eye and rubbed the side of his head furiously against Blissey's fur.

Adaman did his best not to laugh at them before turning back to Rei, amused.

"I see what you mean, I wouldn't want to mess with them either! Warriors trained by Almighty Sinnoh's own hero aren't so easily beaten!"

Rei blushed softly and reached back to pet Umbreon who was lying on the rocky side of the springs behind him. She purred back at him approvingly and licked some of the water off of his skin, since he had been stupid enough to get in the water for some reason that was beyond her understanding.

"I'm just glad that Volo's safe to tell you the truth. I know I'm probably the last person you'd expect to hear it from, but I don't actually hate him."

"I thought as much."

"...You did?"

Adaman trailed his finger through the steaming water in front of him thoughtfully as he tried to put what he was thinking into words.

"I never really hated Irida either, you know. I just felt so caught up in our issues that I never really stopped to separate them from her as a person. She's actually really wonderful once you get to know her. I think I just didn't want to because of the history between us and our clans. You seem to have the reverse problem, don't you? You liked him first and then had an issue with him that tore you apart. That's what it felt like when you came and explained what had happened, anyway."

Rei blinked, surprised by how much he really got it. It felt right, although it wasn't a perfect comparison. He had to admit though, it felt good to have someone who understood it was just an awkward position to be in, without questioning it further or needing further context.

"I guess that's true, but Irida never tried to end the world so it's not exactlythe same."

"Hey, maybe she has! I wouldn't count her out just yet, she could be a serious threat if she wanted to be!"

"You know what, you're right. I apologize to her for assuming."

Adaman laughed heartily at this, and Rei caught himself smiling back at him. He had a really nice laugh that made things feel comfortable and safe. He was a pretty laid back guy when nothing important he needed to take seriously was happening.

…Had Rei really never stopped to consider Adaman as someone he'd like before now? It felt so obvious in retrospect. While Adaman might not be the same kind of beautiful as Volo, it didn't mean he wasn't in his own way.

But would he ever return the feelings? That was always the biggest question. He seemed to be comfortable enough with Rei, but it didn't necessarily mean more than that.

Odds were nothing would ever come of this, and it brought Rei's mood back down. Chasing the high of a crush when the fear they might be disgusted by it lurked in the back of your mind was as stressful as it was exciting.

Rei had been a bit reckless confessing his feelings to Volo even with the circumstances being what they were. Someone with the political leadership position Adaman had would not be as ready to take that risk, even if he did like men.

The shift in his mood must have shown in Rei's expression, because Adaman's changed to one of concern. He reached out and put a hand gently on Rei's shoulder, which did not help as much as he probably thought it did.

"Are you alright?"

Rei was not alright and hadn't been for a while now. The one benefit of this was that he didn't have to search too hard for an excuse for why he was so gloomy all of a sudden.

"I missed Calaba's funeral and I feel like absolute trash for it. I know she wasn't my clan mate, or my grandma, or anything like that, but she felt like the closest thing I had to one here."

The pain Rei had spent so much time ignoring during Volo's crisis suddenly ached worse than ever. She really was gone, and it was sinking in quickly.

Nothing was the same anymore, not for him, not for the Pearl Clan, and not for Hisui itself. Calaba had existed as a part of it for so long – the impact of her death would echo throughout the region for years to come.

Adaman considered this for a moment carefully. The only sound to be heard for quite some time was the slight disturbances in the water from the Pokemon swimming. It felt soothing and peaceful in an ironic contrast to the somber mood.

Rei would have felt bad for bringing the mood down after Adaman had just gotten done comforting a bunch of mourners, but he really didn't seem to mind picking up that mantle again.

"You may not be from around here, but it doesn't mean she didn't care about you. Irida tells me Calaba talked about you all the time when she'd come to visit. It sounds like she was a sort of adoptive grandmother to me, so I don't think it's strange you'd feel upset about it."

Rei smiled as his gaze met Adaman's for the first time since they'd gotten in the hot spring. His eyes really were such a beautiful warm brown... They crinkled a bit as he smiled back and Rei looked away before Adaman could catch him blushing.

"I never actually knew my own grandparents. They all passed away when I was younger, and I didn't have any aunts or uncles or anything else either. It was nice to have Calaba living with me, because it was the first time I actually got to feel like I had an extended family. I'd wake up and she'd always be there complaining about everything and worrying about me. I haven't felt that at home in my own house since I got here. What am I going to do now that she's gone?"

Rei nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt Adaman take his hand under the water. His head whirled back around to face Adaman, his heart almost pounding out of his chest. What was he doing?!

"You know Rei, when my grandfather died I felt the same way. Nothing was the same... I still had the Diamond Clan, and they are my family too, but they aren't him and they never will be. I still think about him a lot these days, even though he's been gone a long time now. I wonder if he thinks I'm doing a good job as the Clan Leader. I don't know if he'd approve of the direction I'm leading us in with the Pearl Clan, but I never got the chance to ask him about it. I know he wouldn't really approve of my love life any, but he was always pretty old fashioned that way."

Rei nearly fell over at the last part and it took every bit of willpower he had to keep his facial expression even remotely neutral. Was he seriously implying what Rei thought he was implying?!

"Your love life?!"

Rei blurted the words out and was unable to keep from sounding as shocked as he felt. There was no possible way this was actually happening like this. It couldn't be, no fucking way.

Adaman didn't miss a beat as he smiled and threw a sledgehammer through Rei's doubt.

"You really haven't noticed? I suppose it's probably best that most people haven't. I've often wondered if there were rumors being passed around about it but maybe I've been more lucky than I assumed."

Adaman was still holding Rei's hand. Rei was still screaming inwardly. Every brain cell he had was desperately trying to fit the pieces of what Adaman was saying together.

Should he just straight up ask if Adaman liked men?! No, that was too risky. He just had to keep going and hope Adaman dropped more hints.

"I'm not so sure Calaba would approve of some things about me either... I'd like to believe she'd just want me to be happy, but even when she was alive, I could never bring myself to tell her anything about myself that might make her like me less. I never lied about anything, I just hid parts of myself... But if she didn't see everything that makes me myself, did she ever actually love me?"

There were many things Rei would never know about Calaba. If she'd still love him as much if she knew he was gay would always be a question on his mind. He could have found out, but chose to wait for her to pass without it being an issue. It had just seemed so much easier that way, but now that he'd have that question on his mind for the rest of his life.

Adaman gave Rei's hand a squeeze before letting go of it and sitting up straight.

"I've started to think that maybe it's okay not to know. I won't know what my grandfather would think of me now, but maybe even if he didn't like it, he'd find a way to at least try to understand. That's what love is too, isn't it? It's probably not a very satisfying answer, but we aren't going to get another one. Not until I'm a bog mummy, at least."

Adaman nudged Rei playfully, and Rei couldn't help but smile again shyly.

"No, that was actually what I really needed to hear right now. I think we have more in common than I thought, don't we?"

Rei took a chance and reached over and placed his hand over Adaman's as he said it. Adaman seemed puzzled at first but quickly broke into a grin.

"Yeah, I think we really do! Don't be such a stranger from now on, okay?"

"Oh, I definitely won't be."

Chapter Text

Rei did not take his hand off of Adaman's while they continued to talk. If it bothered Adaman at all, he wasn’t really doing anything to show it.

On the contrary, really — he seemed completely happy to just sit and chat with Rei as their hands touched. Rei did his best to listen while Adaman got him up to speed on the situation with Irida, but kept feeling his attention slip back underneath the water.

"Irida hasn't eaten much since yesterday and it’s starting to worry me, honestly. She told me she feels unwell,l and didn't think she could keep anything down… but that doesn't sound right, does it? I feel like she could actually be sick. Do you know anything about that sort of thing, Rei?"

His hand was big. Not as big as Volo's, but definitely stronger.

"Oh, uh.... She might be sick, but it could just be a stress reaction to everything she's going through right now. Stress can also lower your immune system, so it might not just be one or the other, you know?"

Adaman's concern for Irida's wellbeing was so sweet. It was really nice to know they were getting along well these days. Maybe the three of them could actually hang out together now?

Adaman put his hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"What's an immune system?"

"The part of your body that keeps you healthy and fights off illness. If it gets low, then you're more likely to get sick."

"So… we should try and keep her happier to make sure she's healthy?"

"It definitely wouldn't hurt to try. I'll talk to her about how she's feeling when I go in to see her. I might not be Pesselle, but I'm probably better at this sort of thing than you – no offense."

Adaman only laughed and nodded in agreement.

"No arguments there, Doctor!"

"That's Mr. Doctor to you Adaman, don't make me get my scalpel."

Adaman was nearly in stitches again and Rei couldn't help but beam proudly because of it. Sure Adaman laughed easily, even at stupid jokes, but it still felt special to be the one making him laugh.

Was this actually a date? Was this what a date felt like, at least? Rei had never been on one before and had nothing to compare it to but ones he'd seen in things like movies and TV shows.

They were always exaggerated and dramatic, and could hardly be considered realistic depictions of what actual dates looked like though. Maybe, though, this was as close as you could get to one when you were both closeted and still feeling things out?

Rei felt Adaman's hand pull away from under his own, and for one heartbreaking moment, Rei thought he was being rejected.

That was, until that same hand reached up and ruffled his hair affectionately.

Rei could have died happy right then and there with Adaman's fingers running through his hair. Maybe he already was dead and this was heaven. Any afterlife that didn't have beautiful men playing with your hair wasn't one Rei wanted to end up in anyway.

"You're a pretty funny guy! I think Irida's immune system would really benefit from seeing you, Mr. Doctor."

Rei ended up being the one to laugh this time. Listening to Adaman talk about immune systems like the complexity of the concept didn't phase him at all was pretty cute. He was cuter though.

"I really hope so! I don't think I can make things worse for-..."

Rei had stopped mid sentence as he realized that he in fact, could make things worse.

He already had.

The vivid memory of Irida sobbing over Calaba's corpse in his bedroom echoed through his mind, as if to mock him for even starting to think otherwise.

And now he was sitting in the hot springs with Adaman laughing and joking around while Irida actually mourned Calaba's death! How could he have done this to her? To either of them?!

"Rei? Are you alright?"

Adaman had noticed the complete 180 in Rei’s mood, and was now looking at Rei with concern. Rei started to panic slightly, trying to think of something to say that was both true and wouldn't make him look bad.

Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. No matter what way he tried to phrase it in his head, it sounded bad.

"Not really..."

"Is it about Calaba again?"

Rei squeezed his eyes shut. Had Irida not mentioned anything to him about how Calaba's body had been found yet? If he had to talk about it, then he at least didn't want to see Adaman's expression.

"Yeah..."

Adaman rested his hand gently on Rei's bare shoulder. It still made him shiver slightly, but he was feeling much less excitable than before.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Rei wasn't sure, but he didn't want to not talk about it anymore. He might as well just get it over with, he figured.

"I… I wasn't there when Calaba died... I stayed out later than usual with Akari goofing off, and when I came back home s-she was- "

Rei scrunched his face up hard as he tried not to cry and hid it in his hands. He took several deep breaths before gaining enough control of his voice to speak properly again.

"She was dead. She died alone, and I wasn't there. Irida was the one to discover her body, not me. I found her alone with my Pokemon, just sobbing on the floor... I wasn't there for her, I wasn't there for Calaba, and I wasn't even there for my own Pokemon who had to handle it for me! This was my whole job Adaman, I was supposed to be there for her!"

Hot tears streamed down Rei's face, his hand trembling with shame as he moved to wipe them away. He felt Adaman's hand move from his shoulder to his back, trailing water as he started gently rubbing it.

Rei wanted desperately to lean into Adaman's side for comfort, but was terrified he might respond to that poorly given the fact that they weren't wearing anything. If he was wrong about Adaman, it could be dangerous to push his luck.

"Rei, you couldn't have known she was about to die. No one except Mighty Dialga and Almighty Sinn- I mean, Arceus – could ever know that! I'm sure Calaba wasn't expecting you to spend the entire time sitting by her bed, waiting for her to pass away."

"She was expecting me to be there for her!"

Adaman sighed and rubbed his temples with his free hand.

"Calaba isn't mad at you, she's beyond that now. Listen. I'm going to tell you something I don't normally like to talk about. It would likely do you some good to hear it, though. I always thought when my Grandfather died, that it would be a huge event with everyone in the Diamond Clan gathered around to tell him how much they loved him. How important he was... I couldn't visualize it any other way — he deserved nothing less, right?”

“He ended up falling down and hitting his head on the edge of his bed frame one day. It killed him instantly as far as we could tell, and no one else was there to witness it. His health had been fine, but he had gotten so unsteady on his feet. I think it may have been inevitable that something like this was going to happen…”

“But I didn't feel like I did enough to protect him, even though I couldn't have possibly known that was going to happen. I can't travel back in time and make my grandfather's death more comfortable for him, and neither can you. I think you should talk to Irida about this and finally put your guilt to rest."

Water trickled slowly down Rei's neck from where Adaman had gotten it in his hair, as he thought about what he had been told. Was it true that people that were dead were beyond being mad about it?

More importantly, Adaman and Calaba were from a similar culture. Would Calaba have seen the afterlife in the same way Adaman did? Maybe she hadn't believed in grudges in the afterlife either. That felt comforting to consider.

"Alright, I'll talk to her about it. Thanks for sharing what you did... I don't know if it makes me feel much better, but it's nice not to feel alone in it, you know?"

Adaman smiled sadly and nodded.

"I know exactly what you mean. I'm glad to feel a bit less alone myself. It's always special to meet someone at the exact time you really need them, isn't it? I'd consider it a blessing, even."

Adaman's arm finally rested around his shoulder and he hugged Rei close to his side for one heart stopping second before standing up and stretching.

Rei could almost still feel the way Adaman's muscular arm had held him against his side with nothing to break the skin contact. He gazed up at Adaman longingly, wishing he'd sit back down and join him again. Unfortunately, it didn't look like that was in Adaman's plans. He reached down only to extend his hand to Rei, helping him to his feet.

"Come on Rei, it's time to go our separate ways. I wish I could stay longer, but I have a long way to travel back to the Diamond Clan."

The sleek dripping body of Vaporeon materialized out of the water and shook himself off on the warm rocks of the spring's edge. He turned back to his trainer expectantly as his other teammates joined him, preparing to leave.

Rei sighed slightly, realizing that they'd be saying goodbye to each other whether he was ready to or not. Adaman stuck to his schedule religiously (quite literally,) and would not be dissuaded.

Rei did not let go of Adaman's hand just yet as they stood in the hot springs together, side by side. He wanted so badly for Adaman to stay and keep him company that it almost hurt.

What had this all meant to him? It couldn't be platonic, right? Wait, what if Adaman kissed him here before he left?! No– there's no way it would happen that fast.

But... maybe he would eventually?

Maybe if things got serious, Adaman would invite him to join the Diamond Clan. It would be much easier to get away with hiding a relationship that way.

There would be no distance stopping him from sneaking into Adaman's tent at night to see him. Akari might be a bit of an issue, but they'd find some way to make things work, right?

He'd probably be given the clan role of healer and trained in the traditional Diamond Clan ways of medicine. Combined with his own understanding of healing, he might actually be able to do some real good there. Maybe then, they'd start to feel like just as much of a family as Calaba had been to him.

The clans were incredibly tight knit, and to be a part of something like that felt like a dream Rei had never realized he had before this moment.

This hopeful vision of a brighter future with the man in front of him helped coax Rei into finally releasing his hand. He had to let him go for now, but it wasn't going to be forever. There was something going on between them and Adaman would be waiting for the exact right time to make it happen.

"Alright, but... I'll see you again soon, okay?"

Rei's voice carried a hopeful optimism that Adaman was quick to catch on to.

"Of course! You know you're welcome in the Diamond Settlement any time, Mr. Hero! Pardon me, Dr. Hero."

Rei laughed and together he and Adaman climbed out of the hot springs to get dressed again. Seeing their trainer on the move, Blissey hopped out after them with Chatot squawking and flailing around on her head, trying to find somewhere to grip so he didn't fall off. Blissey stopped moving for a moment to let him get upright again, looking apologetic about it all.

Rei's face dusted a light pink as he watched Adaman get dressed again. It felt like they had just done something very forbidden, even though on paper, it was a very normal way for two men to spend time together, especially in this era.

Rei had visited some public baths in Johto as a younger child, but they were quickly losing traction in the modern age. He couldn't help but wonder if the culture was already different enough that he'd been misinterpreting what Adaman had been doing. It was possible — they were at least 150 years apart culturally, after all.

Noticing Rei looking somewhat gloomy again, Adaman finished putting his hair back up and walked over to Rei. Rei only had enough time to finish putting his jacket on before Adaman wrapped him in a big bear hug.

"It's going to be alright Rei, I promise."

And all of a sudden, everything felt like it could be again. Rei's insecurities melted away in Adaman's arms, and he couldn't help but smile into his chest despite his best efforts to keep a straight face.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that."

This was really happening, wasn't it? Adaman's hands rubbed his back again and reassured him it was. They stood holding each other for just a few heartbeats too long before Adaman finally broke away.

Rei pulled his jacket closer as the warmth from Adaman's body quickly left him. He blushed softly, looking upas he looked up at the object of his affection. Things were so much different than when they had first met... and Rei couldn't be happier about that.

He tried not to think about Volo anxiously waiting for him back home, still struggling with his own feelings and the future of loneliness he'd chosen in spite of them. The thought crept along in the back of Rei's mind, souring the moment slightly whenever it managed to break through the rosy haze enough to draw attention to itself.

Rei did his best to beat back the feeling that was fighting like hell to take this moment from him as it whispered doubts in his ear.

‘You still love Volo, don’t you?’

'It doesn't matter if I do. It's over.'

‘Are you sure about that?’

'I don't have to be. He made his choice.'

Love felt like such a useless word. Rei could love Volo with everything he had, and it wouldn't change him.

It didn't change him the first time, and it certainly wouldn't now, since he'd made his stance on things clear. Rei wanted something real. It didn't have to be love immediately, but it did have to be someone who hadn't been out to hurt him from the very beginning, and had no plans of stopping.

Rei stepped forward and straightened Adaman's jacket for him, smiling a bit shyly. He'd put it on a bit crookedly while rushing to get it on to escape the cold. Adaman smiled back at him and he knew then he'd made the right choice.

…No, this wasn't love.

But it could be.

Chapter Text

Rei waved Adaman off as his expression grew increasingly somber. He finally watched him disappear down the slope the Pearl Clan settlement sat on, his Pokemon protectively flanking him on each side, ready to defend him on his journey back to the camp where Mai would be picking him up. Rei no longer had Dialga around, but if there had been any other way to extend those last few nice moments together, he absolutely would have.

They'd exchanged the usual pleasantries you'd give to a friend you were parting ways with, but with everything that had happened, he didn't think that's what it was.

Not truly, anyway. Adaman was being understandably cautious, but it was likely due to being caught off guard by the whole thing.

He hadn't been expecting to run into Rei, so there wasn't any way he could have prepared for this. Was he just as surprised Rei had responded well? Had he been nervous about taking such a huge risk to express his feelings to another man? What had given Rei away as someone who would potentially be interested in the first place?

A flurry of questions flew through Rei's mind as he watched Adaman disappear out of view into the white void of the snowfields. But he was unable to come up with answers, leaving them unanswered on the floor of his mind, certain to be stumbled over later. He would have to deal with it later, however – ironically enough, time was of the essence. Especially in this weather; the chill was really starting to get to him.

It had been hard to properly dry himself and while most of the steaming water had evaporated, the dampness that remained was starting to freeze. Hoping very much that Adaman wasn't currently facing a similar problem, Rei waddled awkwardly down the icy slope to Irida's tent with his team in tow.

Chatot had landed on Rei's shoulder and was burrowing under his messy hair the best he could manage. He was clearly not thrilled to be back in the cold after the warm bath, but Blissey seemed right at home in comparison.

She bounced along beside Rei, unbothered due to having the advantage of being part of a species native to Alabaster Icelands. Rei smiled teasingly at Blissey, trying to keep his mind off what was coming next just a few moments longer.

"Yeah yeah, you don't have to flaunt the fur coat in front of us ice cubes. Hey, wait a sec. Was that egg in your pouch the whole time?"

Blissey paused for a moment and looked down at the egg in her pouch, tapping it experimentally. Rei stopped walking, examining it himself before laughing a bit.

"Oh my god, it's a hot spring egg! It cooked all the way through, didn't it? We were definitely there long enough, and you did keep it submerged..."

Rei gave the egg a few more taps before standing back up straight.

"I hope Irida has big enough bowls for all this, it would probably help her feel better to eat some."

Blissey had no comment on the potential state of Irida's kitchenware, instead choosing to continue to walk down to Irida's tent. Seeing that the conversation was clearly going nowhere, Rei followed her down into the little settlement.

Irida's tent did not stand out from the many others around it. They were all tall and fur lined, with plenty of room inside for the people living in it – in Irida's case, one person, since she lived completely alone.

Rei had been in the habit of stopping by to see her whenever he could find the time and will to endure the harsh environment and as much as he didn't care for the weather, he had to admit it wasn't the worst place to live.

Those in the Pearl Clan were truly of one heart as a people. They had to be, as relying on and trusting each other was necessary for survival in the endless expanse of ice they called home. Rei had been easily charmed back by the hospitality and kind nature of their leader, Irida, a shining example of the values the Pearl Clan held dear. She was brave enough to tackle the demand of her job, and determined enough to see it through.

For some time now, she had been taking periodic trips out into the wider world to learn what wisdom it could offer her. She explained that traveling far and wide would be a holy experience for her, one she needed to have to truly become someone who could lead her clan into this new era of Hisui.

The struggle to adjust to the newly imported technology from the Galaxy Team was a quickly increasing problem, and Irida refused to accept being left behind by other regions. She wanted to learn and grow with the rest of the world, to become one with it. She would no longer allow fear of the unknown to hold the Pearl Clan back.

Her trips had stopped happening when she first arranged for Calaba to be put into Rei's care. It had been a hard day for both of them, and even when Calaba was better settled in, Irida still remained nearby at the Pearl Settlement, not wanting to leave.

She visited as often as she could manage, but Rei could tell it was still not enough for either of them. Calaba had never been away from the Pearl Clan terribly long the entire time Irida had been alive. That day she had left, never to return.

Rei did his best to make Calaba as comfortable as possible but it was never really a home to her. Home came with Irida and the other Pearl Clan members when they would stop by with clan news or home cooked meals. Home also left when they did, and she would often get into a mood for hours afterwards.

When that happened, Rei had learned not to bother her. There was nothing he could say that would fix anything and wouldn't sound like he could pretend to understand what she was feeling. He would sit on his futon across the room from her and play soft music on his ukulele to try and make the mood somewhat lighter.

She seemed to appreciate the non intrusive solidarity more than anything else, and that was good enough for Rei. Anything he could do to try and take some of the pain away had been worth trying.

Rei could see his own breath in front of his face as he paused in front of Irida's tent. Normally, he wouldn't hesitate to get out of this low of a temperature, but behind that door was the one confrontation actually able to make freezing outside seem like the preferable option. He probably shouldn't just barge right in anyway, it was her house.

Rei did his best to knock on the doorframe as gently as possible so as not to startle anyone inside. There was a short pause before a familiar voice answered, instead sounding weak and barely audible.

"Come in..."

Trying to keep his anxiety at bay as best he could, Rei and his Pokemon did just that. He made sure the door was firmly shut to keep the cold air out before turning to examine the room.

At first Rei didn't see anyone at all. Things were slightly untidy but there were no other immediately obvious signs of life to be seen other than Irida's Pokemon lounging around the fire. A chill unrelated to the cold went down Rei's spine as he realized he may be alone. Who had he heard speaking then? Had he been mistaken?

It was only when the messy pile of blankets on the bed started to move that Rei realized he had overlooked something. Giving a silent sigh of relief, Rei walked up to the bed and cautiously pulled back the covers.

Irida's puffy red face stared blearily up at Rei as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. If she was surprised to see it was him, she said nothing to indicate it. On the contrary, she seemed to hardly care that he had arrived at all.

Rei felt half inclined to apologize and leave, but just as he was considering it, Irida sat up and rubbed her bloodshot eyes. She looked like she hadn't stopped crying since he'd last seen her, and the worst part was knowing she probably hadn't.

Rei tried to summon any kind of normal greeting that would feel appropriate in this situation but none came to him. Abandoning the thought, he instead chose to get right to it and spare her the small talk.

"Hey Irida... I met with Adaman before he left. He told me you weren't feeling well and hadn't eaten anything in a while. Will you let me try and fix you something?"

Rei's voice cracked a bit towards the end of his question, despite his best efforts to sound professional as he felt a wave of shame wash over himself again. He really did want to believe what Adaman had told him about things not being his fault, but facing Irida in this state was quickly causing his confidence to evaporate.

She looked so frail and listless, it was hard to see her as the same confident leader she'd been mere days before. She never let things get to her like this and seeing the shape she was in now was almost frightening.

Irida responded with a small nod, making no attempt to sit up and watch what he was going to do. The situation felt oddly familiar and as he turned to Blissey to take the egg obtained from the hot spring, he realized that he had been here before. The roles had been reversed, but he could feel it so clearly again. The emotional agony, the crying, the refusal to leave bed, even to eat.

It was such a raw feeling of loss that Rei found his throat begin to close up. What if he really had made this so much worse than it had to be for her?

The dark thought continued to plague Rei as Blissey handed him her egg and he went over to Irida's table to prepare it for her. The silence really was deafening, and even the sounds of Rei breaking the large eggshell open and dividing the hot spring’s egg into bowls did little to change that. He couldn't hear anything but his own movements, his own actions, and his own breath.

Irida continued to say nothing. Was she watching him? Was she thinking about how much she despised him?

No, he couldn't think like that just yet. He still had to talk to her about it, like he had promised Adaman he would. Maybe the lucky egg's soothing properties would do both of them some good before he tried.

Rei put the largest bowls of egg down on the floor of the tent where they were immediately swarmed by Irida's Glaceon, Flareon, and Espeon. Not wanting to miss lunch, Blissey and Chatot quickly followed suit. It felt a bit off to serve only egg as a full meal, so Rei reached into his bag and pulled out some berries and a Jubilife muffin to put on the side of Irida's bowl. It definitely looked more appetizing with the extra color anyway.

Rei sprinkled a few berries into his own bowl before setting the rest of the muffins in Irida's food storage and returning to Irida. He sat awkwardly on the side of the bed and looked at the lump of blankets that once again hid his friend from view. The smell of food wafting from the bowls didn't take long to capture Irida's attention and she reappeared again, this time slowly sitting up. Rei held out a bowl to her and did his best to look like he had it together.

"Here, try and eat as much of this as you can. The Blissey egg should..."

Rei caught himself almost saying 'should make you feel better' but stopped himself, realizing that wasn't true. Nothing would make this situation better.

"...make things a little bit easier for a while. You look like you need it."

Irida took the bowl with a polite nod. She did look a bit ill, but took a bite without complaint. As expected, an immediate relief washed over her face and she straightened up a bit taller. Seeing his plan was working, Rei took a bite of his own egg and enjoyed the relief himself.

For some time, the two sat in silence as they ate. It was not an uncomfortable silence, but it was obvious that they both knew plenty was going unspoken.

"...Thank you Rei. That was very good."

Irida was the first to break the silence, setting her empty bowl down on her lap as she spoke in a tiny voice. Her eyes did not meet Rei's, but there was no bitterness in her tone; she only sounded saddened.

"That was actually the first meal I've been able to finish since, well..."

Rei swallowed hard and tried to put on an air of professionalism about things. Without Calaba around, he was the closest thing she had to medical advice. He might not be qualified for much, but this was something Rei did know very well.

"That's pretty normal after a loss... You probably won't feel like yourself for a while, but it's important to keep taking care of yourself even if you really don't feel like it."

Irida mulled his words over for a moment before responding.

“It isn’t as if I don’t wish to take care of myself, but… finding the energy is a monumental task at the moment. I’ve felt my strength drain from me as the days have gone on, and it truly has been terrifying. If I fall apart now, where will this leave the people of the Pearl Clan? Their hearts mourn just as much as mine does, and they need a leader more than ever, but here I am, unable to check on them or provide them with any words of comfort – let alone leave my bed!”

Irida started to tear up out of sheer frustration, her fists clenching and balling up the blankets she'd been hiding under. Rei took her empty bowl before it could fall off her lap and put it with his own off to the side.

"Irida, I really don't think anyone expects that from you right now. They know how much Calaba meant to you, and you're in mourning too you know. It's not your fault this all happened."

Irida only looked even more frustrated at this and her eyes snapped up to meet Rei's. An anxious chill – much different from the cold he had felt before – flooded his system and he winced slightly in preparation for whatever she was about to say.

“The fault in this situation lies with me, Rei! I was the one who insisted she be taken away from the settlement to receive care elsewhere, instead of staying here with those she loved! She hated being away from the Pearl Clan, and I knew this when I sent her away! I…I just wanted her to stay with me for just a little bit longer, and I was so desperate for that,I isolated her from her home. Nobody in the Pearl Clan had a chance to say goodbye to her. H-How could I have done that to her? Take that right away from her? What right did I have to do that?”

Rei sat in stunned silence as he absorbed what Irida was saying. She blamed herself for the entire situation even after the absolute disaster of finding Calaba's body alone? It didn't seem right.

"Irida, you aren't the one to blame here! You knew I had the qualifications to take care of her properly, and you trusted me with her! You stopped by all the time and she understood why it had to be done even if she didn't like it, her care was too specialized for you to handle. I was the one who let her down..."

Rei hid his face in his hands as his emotions began to boil over again. He felt a gentle hand on his trembling arm and lowered it just enough to take a peak at Irida. Her puffy eyes were wide and full of concern. She didn't seem to even understand what Rei meant by that, let alone feel any anger over it, and he just couldn't understand how.

"I... I should have been there with her, Irida! She died alone because of me, I'm so sorry..."

Hot tears were pooling in Rei's eyes again. He felt like he was shutting down right in front of Irida, and as much as he tried to fight it, the tears kept coming.

Through blurred vision, Rei saw Irida lean forward and felt her arms wrap around his torso. She wrapped the blanket around them both and they held each other tightly as if the embrace was the only thing holding each of them together.

"Rei, that isn't true! Your Pokemon kept Calaba company and took care of her the entire time. How could you say you left her alone? She was surrounded by the most attentive caretakers I could have asked for! You made sure of that!"

Irida's voice was raw from crying but what she had to say felt like a lifeline being thrown. Rei was no longer drowning in guilt.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and although a few tears fell onto Irida's shoulder, the rest didn't follow. He felt ridiculous for thinking she would be so harsh with him in hindsight. She was his friend, of course she'd try to understand. Rei pulled back and smiled at Irida kindly to show her that her words had helped.

"...Do you think she's rolling her eyes at us right now for being so dramatic about this?"

Irida gave a small laugh herself despite the circumstances and nodded, wiping her face with the back of her wrist as she pulled away. She smiled back, tired, but finally more at peace.

"She’d likely find the whole thing quite tiring and tell us to just get on with things, instead of sitting here and sulking over our regrets. It's not just that, though..."

Irida's weary eyes became distant as she combed through her bangs with her fingers. It was a nervous habit she did when she felt uncertain, (a state of being that very much disagreed with her).

"I have never been without Calaba's council before. Whenever there was a Pearl Clan issue I didn't know how to handle, she was always there as the compass to help set our course straight again, and to help guide me in the right direction. Without her, I feel much more lost... I'm afraid I won't know how to lead our clan through the rapidly changing landscape of Hisui without her guidance. Things are already so much different than they used to be... How can I be sure I'm prepared for the future, ready to truly be the leader that the Pearl Clan needs – the one they deserve?"

The pressure to be the wise leader with all the answers must have been hard enough, even before Calaba's death. Now that she was gone, the guidance of the Pearl Clan's oldest elder was gone with her.

"Irida, I think if anyone should be leading the Pearl Clan through this new era of Hisui it should be you calling the shots yourself, not Calaba."

Irida's head whipped up at this. The gears of her mind could almost be heard turning as she tried to understand what he could possibly mean by that.

Rei continued on, doing his best to sound encouraging now that he had really caught her attention.

"I mean, think about it. No one in the Pearl Clan has ever dealt more with the outside world than you! You've spent your entire time as leader either dealing with the Galaxy Team or traveling to other regions and learning from them.”

“Calaba was incredibly smart and experienced, but she wasn't really a diplomat, and constantly had issues with people outside her own clan. You've already been working so hard to distance the clan from that attitude, give your perspective a little more credit."

Irida leaned her head against Rei's shoulder and took a long pause. Her breathing was even but still managed to betray the exhaustion she was feeling.

"I have been leading those older than me for a long time, Rei. I was very young when I took up my position… even now, it can feel strange to give orders to those who helped care for me as a child.”

“Calaba may not have been in a higher position than me, but she was the heart of our clan. She taught me the importance of holding true to our traditions and values. Although, I do understand what you mean about continuing to move forward and embrace change..."

Irida stopped and took a deep breath in and out, hiding her face in her hands.

"What happens if I do it wrong? What if I lose sight of our clan identity along the way? What sacrifices will have to be made in the name of progress? Almighty Sinnoh, I'd never back away from the unknown lands of our vast world, but the future frightens me, despite its vast possibilities… I have never prayed to Mighty Dialga before, but if it could promise my clan a bright future, I would gladly be the first Pearl Clan leader to kneel before it."

Irida suddenly burst into slightly bitter laughter. Her face twisted into a sour expression as she shook her head in shame.

"Goodness, I’m already committing blasphemy as we speak! Imagine what Calaba would say if she heard me talk in such a way."

Rei sighed and rubbed Irida's back. He didn't envy her position at all, regardless of how strongly he felt she was the right person to have it. There was no path forward where everything would be able to stay the same.

"She'd probably not like it, but she'd respect you doing what you felt you needed to do to protect the Pearl Clan. You're right, technology is going to change the way things are done even more from here. Poke Balls were just the beginning.”

“I can't promise you everyone will always like the decisions that will have to be made around it, but there's still no one in the Pearl Clan more qualified than you to make them. That includes Calaba."

Irida sighed and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I see... I suppose if there is nothing else to be done but face the future head on with an open mind, then I will take up that mantle on behalf of my clan. May Mighty Palkia illuminate the long path ahead of us..."

Rei's expression faltered a bit at her prayer and he turned his head slightly. If only they could rely on the power of the gods to help make any of this easy! People like Irida still thought they cared what happened to humans; but if that was still something that gave her hope, he didn't want to take it from her.

In modern Sinnoh the very settlement they were in now would become Snowpoint City- a dazzling city known for its winter sports and powdery white snow. As far as Rei could tell, it was a very nice place to live, but would it be the Pearl Clan descendants who occupied it? Would they still remember the history and traditions of their ancestors?

He desperately hoped so. If they were forgotten, then Irida and all his other Pearl Clan friends would be too.

Reaching into his satchel, Rei pulled out the bundle of Calaba's belongings and handed them to Irida. She didn't own much, and the items weren't valuable, but it was obvious from the way Irida teared up looking at them that she recognized them immediately.

"I brought Calaba's stuff for you, I didn't want you to have to travel all the way back to Jubilife to get it. She doesn't have any next of kin so I think she'd want you to have it."

"Thank you, Rei."

Irida took the bundle with great care as if it were full of valuable treasures. She opened it up gingerly and went immediately to pick up a worn wooden comb. It had clearly seen better days but the unique design carved into it was beautiful.

"Calaba's comb... She made it long before I was born. When I was younger, she used to sing to me while using it to comb my hair. I've always admired the skill she had to carve each of the teeth so close together without breaking any off... it's rather difficult to think of any craft she hadn't mastered."

Irida's eyes were glazed over with nostalgia as she smiled down at the precious heirloom.

"I didn't grow up with a mother, you know. When I was quite young, she passed away and Calaba was the one to take over my care until I could provide for myself. She wasn't always easy to get along with, but I loved her all the same..."

Rei leaned the side of his head on Irida's shoulder as he stared at the comb in her hands. Irida traced the carving on it with a loving finger, starting to hum a very familiar song to herself.

It was immediately recognizable as the song Calaba used to sing, in the language that Volo had identified as Ancient Celestic. It surprised him to hear her pick that one out of all the songs she could be humming, but it was nowhere near as shocking as what he heard next.

From over on the other side of the room, Calaba's raspy voice joined Irida's with the lyrics.

"Lacrimosa dies illa

Qua resurget ex favilla

Judicandus homo reus"

Time stopped along with Rei's heart as he watched Irida's reaction in abject horror. Rei may have been used to Chatot's mimicry being a somewhat awkward thing around the company of others, but he had never used the voice of someone deceased before. Out of all the times to start, this was definitely the worst.

The little bird Pokemon stared back from where he was perched on the edge of his bowl, cocking his head in confusion. He had obviously been expecting them to duet, and couldn't fathom what he had done to make Irida stop in the middle of it.

Irida stared at Chatot in stunned silence as her stunned mind did its best to put the pieces of what had just happened together. For what felt like an eternity, the only sound to be heard was the crackling of the fire. Rei didn't know what to say even if he was able to manage the words.

But apparently Irida did.

"Lacrimosa dies illa

Qua resurget ex favilla"

Her voice was wavering and uncertain at first, the unusual situation causing her to feel somewhat unnerved. As she sang, her confidence grew and Chatot gleefully joined in again for the next few lines.

"Judicandus homo reus

Huic ergo parce Deus

Pie Ho-oh, Ho-oh Domine"

Tears were streaming down Irida's face as she did one final duet with the memory of the woman who had raised her. Young and old, raspy and crystal clear, Irida and Calaba could not have had more different voices. Together, they sounded complete, like the gap between the two generations had been bridged and time no longer separated them.

Rei reached over and held Irida's hand as he wiped tears of his own away with the other. He joined in as he finally found his voice, trying not to let it crack with emotion. Irida only squeezed his hand back in response before they sang the last part of the song all in unison.

"Dona eis requiem

Dona eis requiem

Amen"

As the last note faded into the air, Irida's sudden confidence faltered. Her eyes met Rei's, and he quickly held out his arms to her, realizing what she was silently asking for.

Irida launched herself into his arms to him with an unexpected fervor, her vice-like hug making it clear he had no chance of escaping it any time soon.

Doing his best to work around her arms, Rei draped a heavy blanket from her bed over her shoulders to try and soothe her as best he could.

"Hey.... It's okay, Irida... It's okay..."

Irida's body heaved with sobs as the latest wave of grief slowly worked its way out of her. Rei gently rubbed up and down her back over top of the blanket, as he tried to pull himself together.

When he failed to manage to stop sniffling, Rei decided instead to just join her under the blanket and give in to the grief for a bit. If he was finally going to take a moment to grieve properly, it might as well be with someone who really understood what this loss meant. What Calaba had meant to both of them.

Rei closed his teary eyes and rested his forehead on Irida's shoulder. The emotional barrier between them had fully crumbled and it made Rei feel like he could speak his mind safely again.

"Irida, I'm so, so sorry I wasn't there for you at the funeral. I really wanted to make it, but there was that huge crisis with Ingo rescuing Volo, and Pesselle put me in charge of his care the same fucking night Calaba passed away... I couldn't control the situation, but I regret not trying to find a way to be there anyway..."

Irida pulled back from the hug and shook her head firmly at him.

"Of course I was sad you weren't able to make it, but we all knew you'd likely be held up with him! News from Ingo reached our ears the same night he was found. I felt so terrible for you when it was obvious you weren't going to be there at the start of the funeral ceremony."

Rei watched curiously as Irida reached for her satchel and pulled something out of it. Sitting up straight, she did her best to look authoritative despite the puffy red face and disheveled hair. He couldn't make out what she was holding, but it had to be small enough to fit in her fist.

"I would like to make a request of you Rei. In Calaba's name."

In Calaba's name? What could Calaba need from him now that she was dead? Confused but unwilling to deny her the request, Rei nodded back.

"Of course, what is it?"

Irida held out a little drawstring bag to Rei gingerly in both hands. It was made of fine leather and bound tightly shut by a drawstring of the same. There was nothing particularly notable or unusual in itsit's appearance, but the mystery of what it held inside was gripping all the same.

Rei took the tiny bag in his hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. It felt like it was full of something similar to grit dust, but that wasn't quite the right texture. It didn't take long for him to start to put the pieces together and come to a realization.

"W-wait a second, are these her ashes?!"

Irida nodded somberly and Rei's breath caught in his throat.

"I was sure to save the last of it for you to spread. I knew Calaba would have wanted you to be able to say goodbye to her as well, regardless of the unexpected circumstances."

Rei stared down at the little bag in his hand, completely speechless. He had never expected Irida to do anything like this for him, even in the best case scenario. There was no possible way breaking funeral tradition had been a casual decision for her to make, especially concerning an outsider to the Pearl Clan.

Irida put a hand on Rei's shoulder and gave him a smile tinged with a hint of sadness. He didn't have to tell her what he was thinking, she already knew.

"Calaba spoke often of the plans the two of you were making to visit Johto together. Her body may not have been up to making the journey, but I know her heart was. Are you still willing to take her?"

Rei could have sworn he had no more tears left to cry at this point, but still they fell in a river down his face. He put his free hand up to cover his mouth, and pressed the bag of ash tightly to his chest with the other.

This was his second chance to do right by Calaba. To give her the goodbye she truly deserved. Her ashes would be spread farther than any Pearl Clan member before her, and he could imagine no one who deserved the honor more.

"I-I am."

Chapter Text

The ashes that were in the little bag Rei held felt so much more emotionally heavy than physically. As he tucked it away into the safest part of his satchel, surrounding it with caster fern to cushion it, he could feel the change only in his heart.

But what a change it was!

Before Rei had felt so helpless, floundering, in the aftermath of things he couldn't control.

But he no longer felt that way after what Irida had asked of him. He had an important mission to complete, now: Get Calaba's ashes to Johto.

The way this had lined up exactly with the one opportunity he had been given to get there was not lost on Rei. Was this Arceus's doing or was life truly just this ironic? He didn't doubt Pesselle would allow him to change his mind about going to Johto with Volo, but… It still meant going with Volo. Which, truthfully, Rei still felt a bit uneasy about.

It was possible, of course, that Rei could simply wait for the next opportunity to go. Irida had not asked him to go immediately; she wasn’t even aware of the opportunity that he had been given. Even if she was informed of it, she'd likely understand it wasn't the ideal circumstances for what he was going to be doing.

Despite all the excuses Rei knew he could make to avoid going, one motivation stood out in his mind far stronger than the rest.

This was Calaba's final wish; the one thing she had left to ask of him. He would not keep her waiting any longer.

Irida's warm shoulder pressed into Rei's as they sat in silence under her blanket together. It was nearly impossible that they had any blood relation to each other, but at this moment, they were practically cousins, mourning the death of a beloved grandmother together.

There was something beautiful in that, he felt. Although the moment was painful to be in for the both of them, Rei tried to memorize what the connection felt like. He took Irida's hand and squeezed it.

"Everyone back in Jubilife sends their condolences. I think they're going to miss her, too."

Irida's Flareon jumped up onto the bed and curled up with them, providing some much needed extra heat. Irida's fingers disappeared into his fluffy mane as her sad eyes became unfocused, drifting away into thoughts unseen.

"As we all will. Her death marks a change in this region, I can feel it. I will miss those old days, but… I suppose that is what old days are for."

Irida turned to Rei, a much more focused look in the Pearl Clan Leader’s eyes. She looked serious in the way that always made Rei feel like he needed to listen and do what she said. It was something she had always been good at, and Rei had always suspected it was one of the reasons she had been chosen as leader over Palina. No one could commend respect quite as elegantly as her.

"As you may already be aware, the Pearl Clan's founder's festival is approaching quickly. Normally, we do not invite outsiders, but this year an exception has been made, and I have personally invited Adaman and Warden Mai as guests of honor.."

Rei's eyebrows shot up in surprise upon hearing this and Irida gave him an uneasy smile.

"You weren't the only one surprised to hear it. Many whose feelings are still wounded by the arguments over Mighty Palkia and Dialga's power as of late had very strong opinions on my decision. What they fail to understand, however, is that this bickering is exactly why I've extended the invitation."

Irida looked at the two scrolls hanging on the wall of her tent. The two stoic looking men depicted in the portraits stared down at them with no warmness or familiarity, but Irida's expression as she beheld them did. The place of honor they held was not just in each of the Pearl Clan homes, but in their hearts and the clan’s very identity.

The man on the left with the fiery red hair was the leader of the very first band of settlers who came from across the sea in search of the Almighty Sinnoh they adored. In those days, the two clans had been one and shared the same religious beliefs. The very same painting of him could be found in every Diamond Clan home, something Rei was very surprised by when he was first learning about the two clans.

The man on the right was the founder of the Pearl Clan, notably wearing the very first iteration of the uniform most members still wore. He and his Diamond Clan counterpart had been at the forefront of religious schism that had divided the groups long ago. Those who had followed this leader and the version of Almighty Sinnoh that had created space had become the very first members of the Pearl Clan.

The annual founder's festival was not only to celebrate their lives and accomplishments, but their very identity they each had a unique part in creating. While part of this history was shared with the Diamond Clan, they very obviously had never celebrated it together before.

Rei let his eyes fall away from the portraits and back to Irida. She was now holding her hands tightly to her chest, giving Rei a questioning look, one that seemed to indicate she was looking for his opinion on the matter. Realizing he might be the only one willing to be supportive of her, Rei did his best to soothe her unspoken anxieties.

"I bet Adaman was really honored when you invited him. This is probably the biggest step either of you have ever taken to try and fix things between the clans, right?"

Irida nodded, not looking particularly comforted by this.

"We talked about it at length together, well before I made the formal announcement. He was very gracious in accepting my offer in the first place, but I'm afraid the opinions of the Diamond Clan are not where my concerns lie."

Irida lowered her head and closed her eyes before continuing.

"There are many older members of the Pearl Clan who have accused me of staining the legacy of the festival by allowing members of the Diamond Clan to join us. They can't understand why I would feel the need to break tradition to extend this olive branch, but that's just it!"

Irida's eyes suddenly flew open and she took a deep breath, holding her head up high and looking directly at Rei. Though she was still worn down by the weight of loss, the fire in her eyes had returned once again.

"If we cannot break down the false walls that separate us, we are still living as if we don't understand the truth about Almighty Sinnoh! Our ancestors were wrong, Rei... We were both wrong..."

The sound of the crackling fire in the fireplace was the only sound that could be heard in the room, as Irida fell completely silent, the words escaping her. Rei gently rubbed her back, attempting to offer any small amount of solidarity he could.

"Even if you were wrong, it doesn't mean things have to stay that way. I'm really proud of you for trying to fix things you know. I'm looking forward to a Hisui where the Diamond and Pearl Clans can look back on the time they didn't get along and laugh."

Irida's eyes crinkled as she smiled softly at Rei.

"As am I."

Flareon stretched in Irida's lap and she ran her hand down his back lovingly as she continued to speak.

"This festival needs to go smoothly if we are to make any real progress, but I'm afraid the loss of Calaba has come at a most inopportune time. The festival will continue as scheduled, of course, but I don't think anyone will feel like celebrating. With the addition of our... Controversial guests... I fear the worst. I am least concerned about Mai as she's been spending more time around us recently, but Adaman... Well, his reputation is still quite poor, to be honest with you. He's been rather vocal about his distaste for our customs in the past and many of us are not so eager to forgive him for it."

Rei could only sigh at this. Adaman had earned that reputation himself, and even if he was committed to doing better, it probably wouldn't be an easy process. Especially not with the antagonistic Pearl Clan members who didn't want him around.

"I mean… It's coming up in a few days, right? If you let me come too, I could follow him around and make sure he doesn't get into any fights with anyone. I have a good enough reputation with both your clans that I wouldn't make a half bad mediator."

Rei smiled as Irida's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and tried not to feel slightly guilty about his own ulterior motivations in the offer he was making. He'd absolutely do it just to help Irida out, but he'd also be lying to say it wasn't also a good excuse to have a night out with Adaman.

"Rei, that's a wonderful idea! Your presence would certainly help to diffuse any tension... but would you be able to get away from your other duties for the occasion?"

Of course. There was still Volo he had to worry about. Leaving him by himself for too long wouldn't be a good idea.

"I'll bribe Akari to do me another solid, she always responds well to that. She won't be working late enough for it to get in the way of the festival, and Ginter managed to get in some new paint brushes from Kalos she's been eyeing. I think I can make a deal."

Irida wrung her hands slightly, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?"

Rei shook his head and smiled at Irida gently, nudging her a bit with his shoulder.

"It's an excuse to get away from Volo and hang out with Adaman for a bit. You'd be doing me the favor, really."

Seeming to accept things much easier when he put them that way, Irida reached over and gave Rei a big hug, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He could feel her breath on his neck, and unlike when it was Volo doing the same thing, the feeling of her breath on his neck soothed him. He hugged her back.

Rei couldn't help but remember his own little sister and how she would hug him the exact same way without fail every night before bed. Even on the days they did nothing but squabble with each other, they'd never broken that ritual.

…Except for the night he had been abducted by Arceus, that was. Apparently, he hadn't deemed that last moment with his sister necessary before his adventure began.

Rei's grip on Irida tightened slightly for a moment.

"I'm not gonna let things between the clans go to shit again, if I can help it. If I have to live here, then everyone is going to have to get the fuck along because I'm not dealing with another crisis."

Irida pulled back and laughed, although his foul language caused her to blush slightly. Even still, to see her with color in her cheeks and hear the sound of her laugh caused every trouble in his life to dull around the edges.

She was someone who shone so brightly when she was happy that it felt like the sun had come out from behind the clouds again, even if he knew the feeling wouldn't last.

As if thinking along the same lines herself, Irida's smile faded into a somewhat tired –but still kind– look.

"What would we do without you?"

The question was rhetorical but Rei couldn't help but wonder the same thing himself sometimes. As horrible as the situation he had been put into had been, the idea that no one else would have been able to train Pokemon well enough to step up and protect this region had occurred to him.

But did it really have to have been made his responsibility?

Trying to keep things lighthearted, Rei did his best to look unbothered as he smiled back.

"Dealing with a lot more bullshit, probably. But hey, always happy to help. Are you feeling any better by the way?"

Irida nodded and ran a hand through her bangs.

"It comes and goes, but I think the worst of it has subsided. I don't think it's truly serious, Adaman just worries too much. I think once the stress that's been piling up has lessened, I'll be right as snow!"

"...You mean rain?"

"It doesn't rain here, Rei."

"Ohhhhhh, right. I forgot you live in a freezer."

"A what?"

Rei laughed a bit at her puzzled expression as he slid off the bed and picked up all the empty dishes, taking them to wash so Irida wouldn't have to later.

"Don't worry about it! I'm glad you're feeling a bit better. If things get worse again, stop by Jubilife so Pesselle can look you over or send for one of us to come to you. You don't want to wait until things get too serious if you need treatment."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Now that Calaba was gone, the Medical Corps in Jubilife would now be the best healthcare the Pearl Clan had access to until the healer they had in training became ready to take her place.

Rei finished doing the dishes and put them up to dry before turning back around to face his host again.

Irida, now a far cry from the listless lump she had been when he'd arrived, sat with her usual elegant poise in a freshly made bed. Her Espeon and Glaceon had jumped up onto it and were still making themselves comfortable, nipping at each other as they fought over who got to sit in Irida's lap.

It didn't feel right to say Irida looked alright now, as that still seemed far out of reach, but it was clear she had gained the second wind necessary to push forward. As much as he hated to admit it, it was probably the most he was going to be able to do for her given the circumstances.

"Do you think you'll be okay alone now that you're feeling better? I still have a lot of work stuff to deal with, otherwise I'd be staying a lot longer."

"Work stuff" of course actually meant "Volo issues", but he didn't feel like it was the time or place for getting into that right now. Irida had so much going on for her that starting a discussion about that whole mess felt wrong.

Irida pulled Glaceon onto her lap to end the ongoing debate, giving Rei a small nod.

"I'm going to leave soon to go and check on the rest of my clan, now that I've managed to recenter myself. Hopefully, I can be to them what you and Adaman have been to me."

It was incredible how helping making someone else feel better could do so much to help heal your own heart. Despite his worst fears coming in, Rei couldn't have been more glad he came. He went over to Irida and gave her one last lingering hug before pulling back and smiling down at her.

"If you can do half as much for them as you've done for me, then I think they're going to be just fine. You've given me..."

Rei felt his throat close up from sheer emotion as he tried to find a way to verbalize his appreciation of her saving some of Calaba's ashes for him. It was the sort of appreciation that couldn't be put into words anyway.

But Irida knew what Rei meant all the same. She smiled softly, only giving his hand a gentle squeeze in response.

"I've given you only what Calaba would have wanted. Go forth and show her what this vast world has to offer."

Rei bowed low and wiped a few tears from his eyes as he straightened back up.

"I'll make it a trip worth remembering for her."

Rei was unfocused as he gathered his Pokemon back into their balls and said his final goodbyes to Irida. He had expected the visit to be heavy but he never could have predicted what had ended up happening.

If anyone had asked him earlier, he would have told them he had no more room for any more obligations in his life. Things in his life had already piled up enough, and it was already taking everything he had not to keep things from crashing down around him.

It was kind of funny how things could change when your priorities did.

He had no time in his schedule for festivals and Clan politics.

But he would go.

He had no business going to Johto with a man he was failing more and more miserably at convincing himself he could stay away from.

But he would go.

For Irida, for Adaman, for Calaba herself– Rei's life has always been reframed to fit how Hisui needed him most.

But this time it was because he wanted it to be, not because Arceus wanted it to be. These missions of his own choosing were deeply personal and would reflect his own path and desires. There was something freeing about it that gave Rei a deeply needed sense of control again.

As he stepped out into the chilling air of the Alabaster Icelands, Rei noticed that for once he did not mind the cold.

Chapter Text

The sun rose high into the sky alongside Rei as he and Braviary made their way towards Coronet Highlands. Although it had hardly felt like any time at all since he had last been doing this exact thing, the sunlight made all the difference. 

Graveler rumbled and crashed through the rocky terrain below as they searched for food, paying no mind to anything that got in their way. It made the trails rather dangerous as travelers risked finding themselves directly in their paths. 

For someone flying, however, they were only a pleasant white noise far below. Rei had always enjoyed watching them from this height, far more than he had enjoyed worrying about dodging them on his survey missions. The fact they meant no intentional harm was of little comfort when one was barreling straight for you. 

Rei enjoyed the welcome feeling of the warm spring air flowing around him as Braviary responded to his signal, spiraling down towards Clamberclaw Cliffs. He didn't feel eager to return to the nightmarish scene of the previous night, but knew it was where Akari would have begun her search. 

At least in the light of day, it was easier to pretend it had all been a nightmare. 

Rei gave Braviary a quick wave goodbye and tossed him one last berry that he snapped up in his beak, before disappearing in a flash of golden sparks. 

Rei blinked, a bit disoriented from the sudden light. No matter how many times he saw it happen, he didn't think he'd ever get completely used to that happening. 

Although there were still bits of shattered Pokeballs strewn about the area, Rei was incredibly relieved to discover all other evidence of the attack had been either washed away by the rain or taken by wild Pokemon by now. 

His heart still ached a bit from the memory, but he didn't allow himself to dwell on it. Instead, he closed his eyes for a moment and replayed the memory of Togekiss and Volo laughing together as they reunited, his face glowing with genuine happiness as he embraced his dearest friend. 

Volo was fine now. He'd be safe and taken care of. 

Rei smiled a little bit to himself before opening his eyes again and pulling out his flute. 

He played the same familiar song as always, calling out from deep within his heart for Ursaluna to come to his aid. Ursaluna answered with a mighty roar, appearing right in front of Rei the same way Braviary had disappeared. 

Rei took a moment to reach up and scratch behind Ursaluna's ear, the way he'd always liked. Ursaluna accepted the greeting with a small affectionate rumble, before turning to give Rei a big sloppy lick on the cheek. Rei laughed and did his best to wipe the slobber away with his handkerchief. 

"Hey buddy, I'm happy to see you too! Have you been doing ok?"

Ursaluna snorted and bowed his head down slightly, his sad eyes fixated on the ground. 

"Yeah, me neither."

Rei did his best to wrap his arms around Ursaluna's massive neck, not even getting close to making it the entire way around. 

"Shit just keeps happening anyway, huh? Let's just try and make it to the next nap."

Rei took the light growl that followed as one of approval, and climbed into Ursaluna's saddle. 

"Alright, let's try and make this quick then! Akari should have set off from here earlier today, can you pick up on her scent?"

Ursaluna's massive snout lowered to the ground as it paced in a large circle around the area, stopping and starting several times as it caught a hint of something promising. Suddenly, without warning, Ursaluna ran forward and launched himself off the jagged cliff. 

The freefall only lasted a few seconds, but it was long enough for Rei to get a few good screams out before they hit the ground hard. Shockwaves rippled out from under them as the ground shook, scaring off several wild Pokemon that had been minding their own business not far off. 

Not even giving Rei a moment to restart his heart, Ursaluna continued to tear down the rocky cliffs, hot on the trail of what he could only hope was actually Akari. Rei held on for dear life as they only continued to pick up speed from the downhill trajectory. 

He was no novice at riding by any means, but this would have been a bit much for even the most daring of trainers to handle. Even when the ground under them flattened, Rei could feel his lunch churning in his stomach. How he managed to keep it down at all he couldn't say, but before too long they finally came to a complete stop. 

Rei took the first opportunity to scramble off Ursaluna and collapsed on the ground, heart pounding. He gripped the front of his kimono top as if to fruitlessly fight for control over it again. 

That had been fucking terrifying. No wonder Sneasler was the first pick around this place... 

By the time Rei had managed to reorient himself enough to sit back up, he found Ursaluna had already disappeared. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. That was unusual. Had this been the end of the scent trail? If so, where was Akari? 

Standing up and brushing himself off lightly, Rei looked around to try and at least figure out where he was. 

The first thing Rei's eyes locked on was the Mountain Camp base. They hadn't gone that far at all then...  It was right below the Clamberclaw Cliffs. The area was familiar from all the time he'd spent resting here between survey tasks. Maybe Akari was taking a break in one of the tents?

As Rei entered the campground, he noticed the Security Corps member on duty was staring in amazement at him as if he had ridden a crazed Pokemon down the side of a mountain screaming the whole way before collapsing right in front of the camp. His mouth hung slightly open as he watched Rei try to act as normally as possible about it. 

"Hey, uhhh... man."

Shit, why did so many of the Security Ccorp guys have to have the same haircut? He even couldn't tell a lot of them apart half the time! Rei cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, before trying to just get to the point already. 

"I'm looking for Akari, have you seen her around?"

The Security Corps member blinked, taking a moment to process the question before finally regaining enough of his senses to answer. 

"Oh, yes! She was here not long ago. Went that way, if I'm not mistaken."

Rei's eyes followed where the guard was pointing. Water from an underground spring fed a small pond that overflowed into the stream that flowed next to the camp. On the farthest edge surrounding it jutted high cliffs on all sides, covered in trees that shielded the little area from the rest of the world. 

The narrow crescent of land between the cliffs and spring was only accessible by walking along a very steep incline where the cliff met the water. It would be difficult to traverse without slipping, but if Rei was careful he'd be able to manage it on foot. 

Taking great care not to slide down the rocks into the stream, Rei held his arms out for balance and made his way across the incline. The cliffs to his left looked particularly familiar and caused a long forgotten memory to resurface. 
He had been at the top of that cliff before, his legs dangling over the edge as he read a poem he had just unearthed. It was one of several documents he had found scattered across Hisui. They all had the exact same handwriting and type of stationary. 

It was hard to imagine how they'd all managed to get so far away from each other, almost like they'd been scattered for Rei specifically to find on his journey. They even had numbers on them as if to let him know if he was missing any. 

He'd always meant to ask Cogita if she knew anything about them, but certain unpleasant events had chased the thought from his mind years ago. 

Which number had the one he had found here at the Lonely Springs been again? Eight?

As soon as he managed to make it to the other side and back on solid ground, Rei found himself rummaging through his satchel to try and find it. He never cleaned this thing out properly, it had to still be in there somewhere...

There it was! It had been tucked under.... 

Er.... Well, whatever that had been needed to be thrown away now. 

Rei chucked the long expired item out of his bag before leafing through the Old Verses for the one he was looking for. 6...7.... There it was! 

Rei pulled out the Old Verse he was looking for, one with an 8 in the corner of the paper, and read it. 

"Throughout Hisui, plates lie scattered—

plates with powers all diverse.

Forever lasting, each inscribed

with eternal prayer's verse.

Through space and time will they bear

secret wishes for the universe." 

Rei's heart faltered as his eyes fell on the last word of the poem. The last verse hit a lot differently now than it had the first time he'd read it. 

Before, it had just seemed like flowery language, but the idea that people would use Arceus's plates for their own desires for the universe held a much different meaning after seeing how that played out in real time.

Had others had similar wishes to Volo throughout time and space? He might not be the only one to ever piece together what the plates could do. Had the hero before him been tasked to stop them as well? 

How many times had the cycle repeated itself? How many more were yet to come? 

More likely than not, Rei decided he was just looking too far into it based on his personal experiences. Seriously, how many other people would be deluded enough to think they could get away with playing god like that?

Rei gently folded the paper back up before returning it to his satchel. He didn't know what any of it meant but If these old verses were connected to Arceus's mission, then they were no longer his problem. 

Rei stepped forward, scanning the surrounding area. Spring had brought plenty of new growth, and various kinds of mushrooms the Lonely Springs usually had were plentiful. They peeked out of the bark of the trees and lay nestled in the grass.

Surely, it would only take a minute to forage a few for supper? They would make a wonderful mushroom stew and should give more variety to the food Volo was eating than just Blissey egg. 

Rei went to kneel by the nearby trees and started to quickly collect some particularly plump looking Swordcaps and Springy Mushrooms that hadn't yet been eaten by the wild Pokemon in the area. 

The Swordcaps were perfect for muscle gain and the added protein from the Springy Mushrooms would be incredibly beneficial to Volo's recovery. He could almost see Pesselle nodding in approval at his choice already. 

What he couldn't see, however, was who silently ambushed him while he knelt picking mushrooms. 

Rei didn't even have time to scream. 

A hand clasped over his mouth and he was tackled behind a tree by his unknown assailant. His immediate response was to prepare to start kicking and screaming but he caught a glimpse of something that instead caused him to freeze and hold very still. 

The arm of the hand that was clasped over his mouth had the emblem of the Survey Corps embroidered on its sleeve. 

The other arm reached over his shoulder from behind to point at something Rei had not noticed earlier: the wispy white head of a Roserade peeking out from behind a distant tree. A familiar soft voice whispered in his ear as the owner held him firmly in place. 

"Hello Rei, I thought I recognized your screams earlier. Please, keep your voice down and do not allow yourself to be seen."

Akari!

When Rei nodded in agreement, Akari removed her hand from over his mouth and released him.  Together they knelt out of sight while Rei did his best to suppress the lingering panic. 

Akari smiled a bit sheepishly before trying to explain herself a bit better in a hushed whisper.

"My apologies for the abrupt greeting, Rei. Roserade nearly spotted you, and I couldn't allow him to get startled and flee again. I've been following him all morning, but whenever I manage to capture him in a PokeBall, he breaks out... I was hoping if I gave him some time to let his guard down again that I might have better luck the next time. I'm nearly out of Pokeballs by this point..."

Rei looked over from Akari and back to Volo's Roserade. He was walking back out from behind the tree that had been obscuring him, his thin green arms folded over his chest. 

There was something off about the way he was holding them that Rei struggled to place at first, but when he finally understood what he was looking at it was suddenly all he could see. 

"Akari, his arms-!"

Roserade's arms no longer ended in bouquets, but in torn stems devoid of any petals. While there may have been no blood to shed, the gruesomeness was undeniable. 

"Shhh!!"

Akari shot Rei a frustrated look upon hearing him raise his voice and he shrunk back a bit apologetically. 

"Sorry, sorry..."

Roserade was now staring in their direction and for a moment Rei was afraid he had actually blown their cover. Piercing red eyes regarded the tree they hid behind with suspension for an uncomfortably long time before eventually dismissing it. 

Akari let out the breath she was holding and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I know, it's... It's not easy to see. Roserade was quite literally disarmed, wasn't he? He's mostly defenseless now and very frightened. I can't say I blame him, but it's particularly difficult to get close enough to without alerting him to my presence. 

She didn't even have to say what must have happened. They both already knew. Enamorus's already hefty Gigaton Ball suddenly felt twice as heavy in his satchel. Had none of Volo's team managed to get away unscathed? 

"He definitely can't be left alone out in the wilderness like this, he'd be too easy prey for the wild Pokemon around here. We're going to have to work together to capture him."

Akari nodded.

"Do you have a plan, Rei?"

Rei gave Akari a smile and pulled his Pokedex out of his satchel. 

"I'm working on it. I've caught way too many difficult Pokemon to let a Roserade of all things slip through my fingers!"

Akari raised an eyebrow at this. 

"What about that odd colored Eevee you saw in Obsidian Fieldlands that got away?"

Rei gave Akari a mock mortified look and hid his face behind his Pokedex. 

"Hey, you agreed we wouldn't talk about that!"

Akari snickered a bit as Rei flipped through the pages and stopped on the Roserade entry. 

‘Hidden within the bouquet on each hand are thorned whips loaded with virulent poison. Roserade moves gracefully as it corners its prey and mercilessly lashes them with its whips.’

It definitely didn't bode well for Roserade that he'd no longer be able to hunt for food. When was the last time he'd even had a full meal? 

Wait, that gave him an idea–

Rei looked down to the part of the page that logged Roserade's food preferences and... Yes! Springy Mushrooms were on that list! 

"Akari, I have an idea. I'm going to lure Roserade towards me with some mushrooms. I want you to take this Ultra Ball and sneak up on him from behind when you get a good angle. A close backstrike while he's distracted eating should do the trick if we aren't too unlucky."

Rei pulled an Ultra ball out of his bag and passed it to Akari who nodded in agreement. 

"Good thinking, Rei! Let's give it our best shot!"

Akari held out her free hand to Rei and he clasped it with a big grin. 

"Team Reikari, let's goooooo!"

Akari stifled a laugh at Rei's whispered cheer and kissed his cheek. He rubbed the spot on his cheek, blushing slightly as Akari stood up straight. She made sure to keep herself hidden behind the trunk of the tree as she peaked her head around it just enough to watch what was going on..

"At your mark, then."

Rei nodded and took one of the many Springy Mushrooms he'd just harvested out of his bag. It was perfectly formed and looked good enough to eat. 

He just hoped Roserade would agree. 

The Springy Mushroom flew in a perfect arc and bounced a few times before landing close by to where Roserade was listlessly wandering around. He perked up immediately at the scent wafting off it and went to snatch it before any of the other Pokemon in the area noticed. 

There was a bit of a struggle to hold onto the mushroom with his shortened stems, but eventually Roserade managed to grasp the mushroom and raise it to his mouth.

As soon as the first bite was taken Rei signaled to Akari and watched her immediately spring into action. 

Akari rolled stealthily out from behind the tree trunk and held up the Ultra Ball. Not so much as a rustle of grass from her footsteps could be heard as she crept closer, eyes never straying from her target. 

Roserade never saw Akari coming. Her backstrike was dead on target and Roserade didn't even manage to react before being sucked in. A small crumb of mushroom he hadn't managed to finish fell to the ground next to the wildly shaking Ultra Ball. 

Rei rushed out from his hiding spot and grabbed a backup PokeBall from his satchel. There was always a chance he'd need to act fast and use the small window of disorientation after a break out to try again.

Rei and Akari loomed anxiously over the Ultra Ball together until they heard it give a soft click and saw the spray of sparks fly from the top. 

Akari immediately fell to her knees and covered her face in relief, while Rei pumped his fist and jumped in excitement. 

"HELL YEAH!!! AKARI, YOU KILLED IT!"

Akari removed her hands from her face to look up and give Rei a somewhat baffled look.

"Rei, he's just in a PokeBall?!"

Rei sank to his own knees and hugged Akari tightly from the side, laughing and still feeling somewhat giddy from the excitement.

"I know, I didn't mean it like that! You just did a really good job! That backstrike was perfect!"

Akari, now seemingly better convinced that Rei was in a functional state of mind, relaxed. She hugged him back with a grin before reaching forward to pick the Ultra Ball off the ground. 

"I would hope so, after all the rubbish throws I've whiffed today I needed a win. I was having a lot of.... Mmmm, how do you put it.... Gamer moments? I wasted half my mud balls by throwing them at the cliff face and trying not to scream!"

Rei laughed so hard his eyes began to water a bit. He hadn't felt this normal since everything had started to go downhill, even if it only lasted a moment. 

"I wish I had been there to see that, I would have taken a video and shown the Professor what a rank 10 Survey Corp member's process really looks like."

The look on Akari's face as she started laughing herself was almost enough to make him forget there was a situation happening at all. 

Almost. 

The Ultra Ball in her hands was enough of a reminder that things weren't over just yet.

What were they going to do about this? 

And what was he going to have to tell Volo?

"Akari... Do you think his flowers will grow back? Have you ever seen this before?"

Akari placed her hand over the ball and rubbed it gently with her thumb as if to try and soothe the battered Pokemon inside. 

"I've never seen a Roserade without it's flowers before now, so I haven't the faintest clue... At the very least, he's safe now.  I found no other signs of Volo's Pokemon in the area, I believe they've gotten away. We can worry about what to do next when we get back to the village.

She handed the ball to Rei and he regarded it with considerably less enthusiasm before placing it in his satchel. 

"Right... I guess we should get going then..."

Rei sighed and tried to stand up, but Akari immediately pulled him back down by the wrist. 

"Rei, you sound miserable at the very thought! Sit down with me for a moment, we don't have to head back immediately."

The concern on her face made it obvious that arguing wouldn't do any good. Not that he even wanted to, she was completely right. Going back to Jubilife meant going back to Volo, Kamado, and all the other people he had to carefully navigate to avoid disaster. When it was just him and Akari, things felt right again. 

"Sounds like a plan, fuck that place."

Rei fell back flat onto his back and stared up at the clouds. Akari was right, it felt great to finally just say fuck it and give up. 

Akari smiled down at Rei before curling up in the crook of his arm, facing him. The familiar weight of her head on his shoulder. 

"I thought you might say that. Has Kamado been back to see you since the confrontation?"

"No, but he's got Cyllene breathing down my neck about Volo now. Do you think we could manage to hide another dead Magikarp in his office, or would he figure out it was us this time?"

Akari pursed her lips and considered it for a moment. 

"Mmm, I think he suspected it was you last time. If we did it again now he'd know for certain."

"Yeah, guess you're right... Can't do shit in this place."

"Well, you have to admit that one is understandably unacceptable!"

Rei continued to laugh and come up with stupider and stupider ways to get back at Kamado while Akari teased him over the ever diminishing likelihood they would even work. As fun as it would have been to try and enact any of them, it was better just to tell Akari and enjoy listening to her pick them apart. 

As they talked Rei contoured to watch the clouds as they slowly passed overhead. From the position of the sun, it looked to be well past noon. They'd have to get going soon, and then the stress of dealing with the Galaxy Team would start to pile up again. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, Rei blurted out what had been stuck in his mind since he'd left Alabaster Icelands. 

"Hey Akari, do you ever think about just leaving Jubilife for good? It's not the only place in Hisui to live, why do we have to stay?"

Akari laughed and shook her head at him. 

"If you're suggesting we take the Miss Fortunes as examples to exit society and become rogues together I think I'll pass. It would be amusing for a while sure, but I quite like a roof over my head, thank you very much! Were you planning to pitch a tent here by the springs?"

Rei couldn't help but laugh back as he squeezed her closer to his side. 

"No no, not like that! I meant joining a clan or something. I just think maybe it would be better than staying in Jubilife, especially after how much more I've pissed off Kamado."

Akari's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she turned a bit more to look at Rei incredulously. 

"Rei, you can't stand the Alabaster Icelands, I'd sooner believe you'd move to the moon! Did Irida try to convince you to join while you were visiting? I didn't take her as the type to try and poach from our members, but I suppose they do need to recruit a new healer, don't they?"

"No, I was actually thinking about the Diamond Clan."

"The Diamond Clan? You don't visit them often, what makes you want to move there all of a sudden?"

Rei felt his face start to heat up, and he tried very hard not to think of Adaman sitting naked in the hot springs next to him, body glistening with sweat and steam. He turned his head away from her causally and hoped she wouldn't notice. 

"You know... The people."

"I don't think I understand, who do you mean?"

Rei turned his head back to Akari, and not for the first time, he considered just being honest with her. 

He had feelings for Adaman. He'd never love a woman the same way. He wanted to take a chance and pursue things. He was terrified that if he didn't, he'd never get another chance.

She'd understand that, right? 

She was smiling at him from where her head still lay on his shoulder. Their noses were only a few inches apart, but it wasn't weird. It never felt that way with her. He loved her and she loved him too. 

And he knew if he ever lost that love, he wouldn't know what to do. He needed her. 

…He couldn't do it. 

Rei sat up slowly, allowing Akari enough time to realize what he was doing and sit up with him. He reached into his satchel and gingerly took the bag of Calaba's ashes out. 

"These are the last of Calaba's ashes. Irida was incredibly kind and saved them for me to spread since I couldn't make it to the funeral. I felt like I was just as important to her as the rest of her clan. Like I was in it myself. I want what she has, Akari. I want that feeling of community. I want to wake up every day and feel like I'm part of a family again."

Rei looked up to see Akari's lips parted as she stared at him. It was hard to tell if she was more surprised by the ashes he was holding or what he was saying, but after a moment she broke into a smile. 

"They do have a much different way of doing things in the clans, don't they? I can understand the appeal. But again, why the Diamond Clan? Your strongest bonds were with Irida and Calaba, were they not?"

Her gaze lowered to the bag in Rei's hand. Rei closed his hands around it and held it close to his chest. It felt warm in a way that didn't feel like temperature, but instead something deeper. 

Or maybe he was just starting to feel hopeful again. 

"Well, for starters, you were right about the Alabaster Icelands. I love Irida and the rest of the Pearl Clan, but I'm definitely not gonna move there.”

“I actually ran into Adaman today when he was on his way back from checking on Irida. We sat and talked for a bit, and he made me realize that I think he's someone who could feel like family to me too. I just never gave him a real chance. I think I'm ready to, now."

The fact by family he meant a potential husband didn't really need to be mentioned, did it? How hard could it be to keep that from her? 

…Probably pretty hard. Shit. 

Well, he'd done harder before, right?

Rei carefully replaced the bag of ashes in his satchel as Akari began to fret slightly. 

"Are you certain about this, Rei? You make very good points, but it's awfully far from Jubilife. I wouldn't see you nearly as often..."

"I'm almost nineteen Akari, it's time to start thinking about what I want for the rest of my life. Switching jobs was a good start, but as much as I like working for Pesselle, it isn't enough. I want to start over and I want you to come with me."

Akari's eyes widened and her hand flew up to her mouth. 

"D-do you mean that, Rei? Truly and honestly?"

Rei gave Akari a teasing smile and flicked her forehead softly. 

"What, did you think I'd just leave you behind? Of course I want you with me! Where you go, I go. If you aren't going then what's the point?"

Akari's eyes misted over and her face grew red as she struggled to hold back her tears. She sniffled and Rei quickly grabbed her and held her close before they began to fall. She cried much less frequently than he did, and to see a rare moment she did was a bit alarming. 

"Whoa, hey, it's ok! I'm just throwing ideas out, I'm not going to try and force you to do anything!"

"N-no... I just... I'm so happy..."

Akari pulled back and smiled up at Rei, the tears causing her face to glisten as brightly as her mood. 

"I was wondering if you'd ever ask me something like this. I didn't know how I'd answer if you did but.... I might be ready to try now too. Just promise me things between us won't change that much?"

"Of course not, I just want to make sure we're together! I don't know what I'd do without you Akari. Let's never find out, ok?"

Akari leaned back into the hug and nodded into Rei's chest as she buried her face there. He felt a bit stunned by her reaction but he definitely couldn't complain. She was happy, he was happy, and there was a better future in sight again. 

"Okay Rei. I trust you. Let's do it."

Chapter Text

The sun had already begun its slow descent by the time Rei and Akari finally started their journey back to Jubilife Village.

Wyrdeer could not gallop as fast with two passengers on his back, but still had no problem gracefully dodging the furious Ursaring that leapt out at them as they made their way down Sonorous Path.

Akari sat behind Rei in the saddle with her arms around his torso, holding on tighter as they flew down the steps of the Ancient Quarry. The clack of Wyrdeer's hooves echoing against the walls of stone were loud, but even that wasn't enough to snap Rei free from his thoughts.

In his mind, he saw himself and Akari in Diamond Clan uniforms, sitting side by side with the rest of the Diamond Clan as they all ate dinner together.

Akari sat eating on Rei's right, while Adaman sat on his left, secretly holding his hand under the table, laughing at something Akari had just said.

They'd get along well, right? Their personalities were decently compatible, there was no reason to believe they wouldn't end up becoming good friends. Who wouldn't love Akari after getting to know her?

Rei felt a gentle squeeze come from behind as they galloped back up the stairs at the far end of the quarry.

"You okay back there Akari? Things are going to smooth out in just a second."

"O-oh, I'm fine! Just being careful! Not as much room on this saddle as there was when we were younger..."

Rei laughed as they finally reached the top of the stairs and emerged into the Wayward Wood.

"Yeah, I wonder why! Probably your fault somehow."

Akari made a mock offended noise and did her best to tighten her grip on Rei as Wyrdeer made some sharp maneuvers to avoid both trees and the Alpha Mothim hurling attacks to try and chase them out of its territory.

"I'm not the one who had the massive growth spurt! We used to be about the same size!"

"Yeah, you didn't even try to get taller, did you Akari?"

Rei felt a soft whack on the back of his head and he laughed again even louder.

"Hey, I thought you were worried about falling off! Keep both your hands around me!"

Rei could feel Akari's snickering against his back as she pressed her face into it. The sunlight around them suddenly shifted to the pitch black of Wayward Cave.

Rei struggled to adjust his eyes to the lack of light, only helped by the burning torches that lit the way. He watched the dancing shadow of Wyrdeer warp and flicker against the cave walls as they passed each by, completely mesmerized.

It felt like only yesterday Ingo had been guiding him down this very path after Melli had stolen all the torches in an attempt to hinder him from reaching Lord Electrode. Even after all this time, he could remember exactly how furious Melli had made him.

But it hadn't been yesterday. It had been three years ago.

He and Melli had patched things up since then. They even got together on occasion when things happened to line up right to teach each other songs. He'd gotten Chatot to memorize Melli's voice for when he got tired of hearing his own, which was nice because Melli happened to be really good at vocals.

With a small jolt, Rei realized he'd been in Hisui long enough to have real history with the people here. They'd grown accustomed to – and even welcomed – his presence. It wasn't just Pesselle and Akari, it was most everyone.

Was he no longer an outsider then?

The sound of roaring water drew close as they neared the end of the cave. Sunlight and the feeling of fresh mist greeted them as they exited the cave between the two waterfalls.

The stone bridge across the river in front of them began the final stretch before the Highlands Camps and from there, the rest of the journey to Jubilife on the backroads. They would be past the more dangerous areas there and would be able to relax a bit.

Rei felt Akari tense up in fear as they passed several Luxio that looked less than happy to see them. One started to crackle with electricity, but was a moment too late to strike. Wyrdeer had already left them long behind, having temporarily picked up the pace from Rei's quiet urging.

Rei felt a bit bad pushing Wyrdeer when he was already carrying double his passenger load, but he knew he'd feel even worse if Akari's fear of being hit by electric attacks caused her to panic. The Shinx's Thunder Shock she'd taken before they met had been bad enough and she clearly wasn't eager to compare it to the strength of it’s evolution.

"It's okay Akari, we made it past. They're gone."

Rei's soft voice managed to coax Akari from where she'd hidden her face in Rei's back. She gave only a small squeeze as an acknowledgement, but she didn't need to do more than that. Rei understood not wanting to talk about it.

They slowed down to a trot as Wyrdeer took a moment to catch his breath. It probably had taken more of a toll than usual to dodge so many attacks with two riders. He really seemed like he could use a break, especially if he was going to be expected to carry them the rest of the way to Jubilife.

As soon as the group crossed the threshold of the campgrounds, Rei dismounted and offered a hand to help Akari down.

"Okay, break time! I think we could all use a breather before we hit the backroads. You haven't had lunch yet, have you?"

Akari shook her head no before taking Rei's hand and dismounting with his help. Even though her expression remained mostly neutral, it was impossible to miss how her hands were trembling.

"Hey... Are you okay? You're a bit shaky."

Rei rubbed his thumbs in circles around Akari's palms soothingly until it subsided somewhat.

"Oh I'm fine, just a bit peckish from all this dashing about! I'll only need a moment to gather my wits."

Akari gave Rei a smile and if he had been anyone else he might have believed her. He knew better than that by now though.

He'd seen the branching tree of scars the Shinx's electric attack had left on her back, permanently marking her skin as a reminder of her hesitation.

He'd listened to her speak in a hushed voice late at night of the time she'd spent recovering in bed, terrified she'd never be able to get out of it again.

He'd been there for her every night she struggled to sleep, tucking her safely against his side so she knew she didn't have to go through remembering alone.

Although she had technically made a full recovery, mental scars were as lasting as the physical ones. Akari probably wasn't fine, but that's still what she felt she had to tell everyone anyway.

Wyrdeer snorted at the two of them and trotted off a little ways from camp to graze, unbothered by the situation at hand. To both him and Rei, the barrage had just been yet another part of the job. To Akari, it must have felt like something else entirely.

Rei decided it would likely be best to try and not make a big deal over it, especially when Akari clearly didn't want him to.

It didn't mean he couldn't still try and comfort her, though.

"I should definitely make you something to eat, then. I'm thinking something sweet, gotta get that blood sugar back up..."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'll get some Potato Mochi when we get back to Jubilife. You don't have to go to the trouble!"

"Yeah, I don't care. I'm doing it anyway."

"Rei!"

Rei knelt in front of the camp's crafting table, digging through his satchel for ingredients and ignoring the halfhearted protests coming from behind him.

Old Gateaux wasn't the kind of Gateaux Rei was used to eating in the future. The ingredients were a lot different and gave the dessert a somewhat strange texture but Akari had always had a particular taste for it.

He'd gotten out of trouble with her many times by using it as a peace offering and over the years it had become a sort of Akari failsafe for if things got a bit too messy.

She could be mad at Rei. She could think he was being super annoying. She could question if he even had two braincells left to rub together.

She could not, however, deny his Old Gateaux was really freaking good.

Rei had altered the recipe a bit and put the fresh berries between the spongy cake layers to give an extra dimension to the taste that no one else's had. It was something his mom had always done when she made Gateaux and it made him feel just a little bit closer to her to copy it.

On the table, Rei arranged his ingredients: a handful of plump beans, a comb of dazzling honey, some sootfoot root, some berries, and finally a scoop of cake lure base.

He could sense Akari was now bending over him, hovering as she watched his process. He tried not to laugh as he took a quick peek and saw her quickly try to change her eager expression to a neutral one before he took notice.

"You know, if you really don't want any, I could just eat this myse-"

"Rei I will throw you to the wild Pokemon if you even consider it!"

Rei couldn't hold back his laughter anymore and paused in the middle of chopping the sootfoot root, so he didn't accidentally slice his hand on the knife.

"Okay, okay! You'll get your Gateaux, no need to threaten me!"

Akari snickered a bit and dropped down on her knees next to Rei to watch as he finished preparing the dessert, finally dropping all pretense that she wasn't interested.

From the corner of his eye, Rei could see how her own eyes sparkled and he couldn't help but keep smiling.

Before long, a beautiful looking Old Gateaux sat on the crafting table in front of them with a caster fern under it as a flimsy but serviceable plate. Sandwiched in the middle layers were thinly sliced berries drizzled with extra honey for added sweetness.

Rei picked it up carefully and handed it to Akari, who eagerly took it with both hands and immediately took a bite.

The look on her face could have sold even Beni on Rei's culinary abilities. Rei felt confident that if the Luxio had still been on her mind before that they were forgotten by now. A fuller stomach and higher spirits couldn't fix everything for Akari, but it certainly didn't hurt.

"Rei, I do believe this is your finest Old Gateaux yet!"

"Considering how many you've eaten by now, that's a pretty big compliment."

Akari stuck out her tongue at Rei before taking another bite. Together they got up and went to sit by the tents, giggling and making faces at each other the whole way.

Rei felt happy and relaxed enough to climb inside one and take a quick nap, but the thought quickly evaporated when Akari decided to change the subject to the one thing he really didn't feel like talking about.

"How are things going with Volo? I assume at least not disastrous or you'd have mentioned it by now."

Rei took a deep breath as he tried to think of how to respond.

"People have already started rumors that Kamado might try and hang him, but from how Volo's been talking he'll probably end up getting himself killed anyway, so it would save him the trouble."

Akari's mouth dropped open and a crumb of Gateaux managed to fall out before she quickly closed it.

"Rei, what on earth are you talking about?!"

Rei's face flushed slightly as he realized just how bitter he sounded.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just stressed about things... People in the village are spreading wild rumors about what's going to be done with Volo and I managed to hear what I hope was the worst one."

"Do you really think there's any chance of that happening?!"

"Cyllene said she'd take matters into her own hands if Cogita can't convince Ginkgo Village to let Volo stay. I told her I'd make sure of it, but unless they need something from me it's not like they'd have any reason to listen. I'm really just betting on Cogita at this point... I don't know exactly what Kamado and Cyllene would do to him, but I'm going to try not to worry about that just yet."

Rei ran his fingers through his hair in stress and felt Akari's gentle touch at his shoulder in response.

"But you are still worried about him, aren't you?"

Rei squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to repress the swell of heartache that came with what he was about to say.

"He told me he's not giving up on his plans yet. Even if I do everything I can to help him through this, he's just going to end up chasing his stupid dream off a cliff. He's so stubborn it makes me want to scream... Why won't he just let me fix this for him?"

The wind rustling through the leaves of the trees was the only sound as Akari paused to try and think of what to say next.

"I know he means a lot to you Rei. I always thought Volo was a nice enough person, but I didn't admire him the way you did. You used to never take your eyes off him when he was around..."

Akari shifted awkwardly and looked down at the crumbs on her now-empty Caster fern.

"To be quite honest, I never understood your fascination with him. I only got the feeling he filled an empty space in your life that even I couldn't.”

“With as much as you had lost, I could hardly imagine what having a friend like him felt like... I only wish he hadn't taken it away from you. He doesn't scare me Rei, but him hurting you again does. I don't want you to go through what you did a second time."

Rei felt his face heat up slightly, but did nothing to try and hide it. Akari was still staring intensely down at her crumbs and did not make any move to look up at him.

She'd noticed more than he'd ever realized she had, but there was something else in her voice too. Rei knew Akari too well to miss the jealousy she'd tried to hide.

Rei reached over and took her hand, feeling it immediately squeeze his own back.

"He couldn't do anything to me that having you wouldn't help, okay? He ended up being a shitty friend in the end, but I still have one I know I can always trust. Volo was different, yeah, but he wasn't better than you."

Akari finally looked up to meet Rei's eyes and he enjoyed the way her face lit up. Volo's facade of friendship had only ended up being the faint reflection of the moon compared to the radiant light of Akari's genuine feelings.

"We'll just have to get him out of the way so we can get back to planning our move then, won't we?"

Akari's grin only grew brighter at this and she pumped her fist excitedly.

"That's what I like to hear! Volo can't stand in the way of our plans for long!"

"Akari, I don't think he can stand at all right now. We still have to work on that part."

Akari snorted loudly while Rei tried not to laugh at his own stupid joke.

"Then may he stand sooner rather than later so we may be rid of him!"

"I have some good news about that, actually."

Rei recounted his encounter with Cogita and the subsequent results to Akari and enjoyed the shocked look on her face as she learned about Volo's accelerated healing. She looked only half certain she should even believe him.

"Is this really true Rei? You're not just- pardon the phrase – pulling my leg?"

Rei shook his head.

"I've barely had time to breathe let alone make shit up. His leg has healed perfectly. I have no idea how Cogita managed it, but Volo didn't look surprised at all."

Akari held her hand to her chin as she considered the likelihood Cogita would even be capable of something like that.

"What a strange woman... Do you think she might be a witch of some sort?"

Akari's wide eyes could barely conceal her excitement at the idea. Rei wasn't sure that was the case but he also wasn't completely convinced otherwise. A mysterious older woman who wore all black and lived alone growing herbs with strange properties she used for folk healing wasn't not a witch.

"I really hope she is because we need a few more miracles from her. Once she's got Volo under her care, it's going to be a daily miracle just to get him to behave himself. If anyone would be capable of it though, it's her."

Akari dusted the remaining Gateaux crumbs from her uniform and stood up. Her gaze fell on the top of Mount Coronet and she paused for a moment, falling deep into thought.

"She must truly care for him to even want to take him in after everything he's done. I wonder why she'd burden herself with him..."

"Because if you love someone, it's not a burden."

Akari turned to look at Rei as he stood up to join her. The two strands of hair she left untucked from her bandana swayed gently in the breeze.

"I suppose you're right. She must really love him, then."

Rei took Akari's hand and stood with her silently for a moment as they both looked skywards towards the temple. Mount Coronet may no longer have had the ominous rift over it, but the other consequences of Volo's actions could be felt throughout the region, even now.

"Probably more than he could ever appreciate. He's good at taking people for granted."

Akari squeezed Rei's hand and he felt his heart clench at the same time. She knew exactly what he had meant by that.

"And what of you?"

Her voice was a whisper, barely audibly. Rei could have pretended he hadn't heard if he'd wanted to. He probably should have.

"I still want him safe Akari, no matter what it takes. I would have done the same as Cogita if I had to. He doesn't deserve it, but I'd be lying if I said any different."

Akari smiled and nodded her approval to Rei's surprise.

"If you had given any other answer I wouldn't have believed you anyway. Doing whatever it takes to protect others, no matter how little they deserve your help, is so very you."

Well, she had him there.

Rei squeezed Akari's hand gently one more time before letting go of it.

"Thank you for helping me though that horrible character flaw, Akari. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Probably run off to join the Miss Fortunes so you'd have three women to back up your hatred of authority figures instead of just me."

"Oh my god, Akari —I forgot you have absolutely no idea! The Miss Fortunes stole Garchomp from Volo!"

Akari blinked at this, her mouth falling open in shock.

"What?! But how?! Did you see them with him?"

Rei shook his head.

"If I had then they wouldn't have gotten away with it. I ran into Ingo and he told me the whole story..."

Rei spent the next few minutes recounting what Ingo had told him about the Miss Fortunes and their involvement in Volo's attack. Akari could only hold a palm to her forehead, looking just as exasperated as Rei felt.

"Oh this just keeps getting more and more ridiculous... Things are hard enough already, why did they have to get involved?!"

"I mean to be fair if they hadn't Volo would be dead right now, but I guess their kindness comes with a price."

"So, what now? Do you think they expect us to pay a ransom to get Garchomp back?"

"As far as I know they haven't tried to contact Volo yet, but it's not like he has any money to give them anyway. They must want Garchomp for something, I just don't know what..."

Rei sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. As long as there was something of value to be had in Hisui, the Miss Fortunes would be around to try and snatch it.

But why even bother?

Had they all of a sudden decided after all these years that training more Pokemon would benefit them? A Pokemon they'd raised themselves would listen better than one they'd stolen. Garchomp was an incredibly powerful Pokemon, but he wouldn't do the Miss Fortunes any good if they couldn't convince him to obey commands.

A warm muzzle suddenly pressed itself to the back of Rei's neck and an impatient snort soon followed. The great Wyrdeer had finished his lunch and obviously didn't feel like waiting around obediently for them to finish their discussion like some common Ponyta.

Akari laughed at Rei's facial expression as he instinctively turned around and got a face full of Wyrdeer breath as punishment.

"Rei, I believe the great Wyrdeer has decided it's time for us to get going."

"You know, I kinda got a feeling. We'll work out what to do about the Miss Fortunes later, but for now just don't say anything to Volo. If he finds out about this I'd bet all my gold nuggets he'd try to escape with Togekiss and Lucario to do some stupid vigilante bullshit to get Garchomp back."

Akari nodded in agreement before mounting Wyrdeer and offering a hand up to Rei to do the same as she responded.

"At least we know Garchomp's safe for now. The Miss Fortunes might be thieves, but they aren't cruel to their pokemon."

Rei took Akari's offered hand and swung up into the saddle in front of her. Wyrdeer tossed his head and pawed the ground with his hoof a few times impatiently as he adjusted himself in the seat.

"We should tell Volo that Ingo's going to be keeping an eye out for any signs of Arcanine and Garchomp in the highlands, but not any more than that. Not until we at least have a plan, at least."

"So you are going after them then?"

Rei could hear the gentle concern in Akari's voice as her arms wrapped around his waist. She rarely cared what trouble he got up to as long as he was safe. In a situation like this there was all sorts of room for it not to be.

"If that's what it takes to rescue Garchomp, I will."

"It's going to be dangerous to try and steal him back from them Rei..."

Rei placed his hand over the place Akari's came to rest on his waist.

"Yeah, what else is new around here..."

Before she could argue, Rei gave the signal for Wyrdeer to go and he lunged forward with renewed fervor, starting them down the long road back to Jubilife.

Chapter Text

The journey back to Jubilife was boring and uneventful, just as Rei had hoped it would be.

With Akari holding him from behind and the fresh feeling of the spring breeze in front, there was little want for any more excitement. Any precious moments of peace left before returning to the problems he had yet to solve were to be cherished.

Rei let his mind drift, getting lost in the repetitive rocking of the saddle as Wyrdeer trotted down the backroads, only bothering to talk when Akari occasionally chimed in with something to say.

A lot had changed since Rei had left Jubilife that morning, but even a renewed sense of purpose and direction couldn't change the fact that Volo remained his problem for the moment.

A nervous, fluttering sensation in his chest accompanied any attempt to decide how he should act around Volo from this point forward. They had left things on an incredibly awkward note, and Rei was starting to dread what may happen when they were finally alone to talk about the implied rejection.

If Volo even cared enough to try, that was. Rei sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to bring it up first.

The only way he could imagine getting through the rest of the time Volo was with him was to pretend nothing had happened and hope that Volo got the hint. The matter had been settled, there was nothing left to discuss.

But even still, there was a lot Volo had been left to think about. Rei couldn't help but wonder if in the hours that followed his departure, his perspective had changed. Was there any chance he had regretted telling Rei he still intended to try and find a way to remake the world?

Could the way he looked at Rei in that split second, before shooting down his offer of a chance at something more between them, mean there was a hint of doubt in his conviction?

Rei pushed the thought aside as they turned the corner and the front gate of Jubilife Village came into view. He couldn't afford to fall back into that senseless line of thinking again. He'd made enough of a fool of himself tripping over it already and he could better than that now, right?

Ress began to wave as soon as he saw Rei and Akari approaching. His smiling face was a relieving indicator that nothing serious had happened while they'd been gone.

"Welcome back, you two! I should have known you would have found each other out there somehow, you've always been attached at the hip. How did things go with the Pearl Clan?"

Rei waved back as cheerfully as he could manage with the prospect of having to inform Volo of yet another tragedy that had befallen his Pokemon looming over him like a dark stormcloud. There was no good way to break the news to him. Roserade may have survived the attack, but the extent of the damage could very well be permanent.

…Not the sort of news he wanted to break to someone already trying to cope with the same sort of thing himself.

"Hey Ress! They said the funeral went... I mean I guess a funeral is never really good,but apparently there weren't any problems. Everyone's still in mourning today, but Irida's got a handle on things. They'll be okay."

Ress nodded approvingly as Rei and Akari dismounted Wyrdeer just outside the gate. The Ride Pokemon of Hisui all seemed to share a similar disdain for human civilization, and outside the gate was as close as Rei had ever seen them willing to venture.

Ress watched as the proud Pokemon tossed his head back in farewell before turning and trotting his way back down the path. He gave a low whistle before looking back at Rei.

"What a way to travel... I wouldn't mind catching one of them if I ever happened to come across one."

Rei gave a good natured jab to Ress's rib as he passed through the gate with Akari.

"The problem with having a fast Pokemon is you have to catcha fast Pokemon. How's your stealth skills? Unless you think you can outruna Wyrdeer, you'll need them."

Akari couldn't help but snicker as Ress's face immediately fell. The mental image of Ress trying to run after a Wyrdeer while chucking Pokeballs at it was pretty funny, and Rei found himself grinning right along with her.

"Could be better, admittedly... I'll have to work on that. I need to be prepared if I ever come across one!"

The determination that was building in Ress's voice made Rei's grin soften. Ress's love of Pokemon had been growing rapidly over the years and he had been long overdue for a new member on his team.

"Hey, if you manage to get a Stantler, I'll show you how to evolve it into a Wyrdeer. They're a lot more common to find in the wild."

Ress looked a bit surprised to hear it.

"Wydeer evolves from a Stantler? I knew it seemed familiar! Will it be hard to evolve one?"

Rei waved over his shoulder back at Ress as he and Akari continued down the dirt road into Jubilife.

"Of course it will be hard, but that doesn't mean it's not worth the companion you'll get out of it!"

Evolution could be a complicated process.

Some Pokemon evolved at the simple touch of a stone, but others needed much more effort put in. The time that it took to raise Pokemon to meet evolution conditions could be a full time job. Considering Volo's lack of work attendance, it might very well have been for him.

Much like Togepi and Riolu, Budew was a Pokemon that evolved through high friendship. Roserade would be just as close with Volo as Togekiss and Lucario.

But Lucario and Togekiss had been fine. He couldn't say the same about Roserade.

Rei came to a stop at his front door and turned back to look at Akari. Her expression had turned as grim as he felt.

"Akari, would you run and get Pesselle? Tell her what happened and that we need her help. I don't want to release Roserade until we're prepared to examine him. I'm going to go ahead and try to prepare Volo for this. He's going to be the only hope we have of keeping Roserade calm."

Akari put her hand on Rei's arm.

"Wait, do you think it wise to tell him all by yourself? He could get... emotional."

Rei smiled as believably as he could back. Her concern was warranted, but not anywhere near the top of his worries at the moment.

"Don't worry about me, I'll have Sylveon and the rest of my team to help if he gets out of hand."

Akari let her hand drop from Rei's arm and squeezed his hand with it briefly.

"Then I'll be back with Pesselle soon. Good luck."

With one final wave goodbye, Akari turned and started to jog back towards the Galaxy Team headquarters. Rei watched her ponytail stream behind her as she sped out of view. He didn't have long before she returned with Pesselle in tow and the real fun began.

The soft electric hum from the Rotom powered appliances was all Rei heard as he slipped inside his quarters and shut the front door behind him. The white noise washed over his nerves and soothed any lingering anxiety he might have had about something having happened to Volo while he was gone.

The wooden steps creaked slightly as Rei kicked off his shoes and ascended up to the dining area. A familiar pair of tiny pink eyes appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, narrowing in suspicion at the potential intruder.

It was nice to know his security system was still working despite not being necessary at the moment. Rei blew a kiss towards it after removing his jacket and the glare finally widened into a look of recognition.

The sweet aroma of flowers followed Lilligant like an entourage as she leapt out from behind the door to greet her trainer. She was faster than Rei could react to and before he knew it he had been immobilized by two long leafy arms that wrapped around him and pinned his arms firmly to his torso.

"Lilli!!!"

Rei struggled in vain to remove himself from Lilligant's vice-like grip. He normally didn't mind to let her have her fun, especially when it was obvious she was just happy to see him, but it wasn't really the time for it.

"You know, I won't be able to let your buddy out of his Pokeball until you let me go. I bet he's missing you right now!"

Lilligant let go of Rei so fast he would have stumbled had she not reflexively caught him. Rei laughed and held up Chatot's Pokeball as he steadied himself again.

"I'd be more offended if I didn't miss him too. Come on out, Chatot!"

Rei unlatched the ball and released Chatot who let out a delighted chirp upon seeing his friends. Lilligant immediately snatched him out of the air with expert precision and began to gently cradle him as if he were a baby. Rei struggled to keep cool and not melt as he watched the two coo and chirp at each other in greeting.

He took out Blissey's Pokeball and she soon joined the reunion to the rest of her team's delight. Rei allowed them a moment to catch up before clearing his throat and clapping his hands together to get their attention.

"Alright guys, listen up for a second. There's a situation, and I'm going to need everyone to help out. I've captured an injured Roserade, and when Pesselle gets here we're going to release him to examine him and decide what needs to be done. He's frightened and doesn't trust anyone but Volo, so please try and help us keep him under control if he lashes out. Any questions?"

Rei had intended the last question as a joke to amuse himself but got an unexpected answer from where Chatot was now perched on Lilligant's shoulder.

"He's frightened?"

Rei ran a hand through his hair and nodded sadly.

"Yeah, he lost the ends of both of his arms during the same attack Volo lost his foot in. He doesn't have the ability to defend himself as well without them, so he probably feels really vulnerable right now."

Chatot chewed the feathers around his neck while contemplating this for a moment before replying with a quiet voice.

"Really vulnerable..."

Rei reached out and scratched the side of Chatot's head. The little bird Pokemon leaned into it, perking up a bit again from the attention.

"Don't worry buddy, we're gonna help him get better! Right, guys?"

Blissey and Lilligant let out an enthusiastic cheer together and Rei beamed back at them. They always managed to make him feel better no matter what difficult challenge he was facing. As long as he has his team he was never alone in it.

Rei turned his head to look at the bedroom door as his Pokemon chattered amongst themselves. There had been no stirring from behind it since Lilligant had come out. He had expected to hear Volo's voice call out to ask how things had gone, but none of their noise seemed to have gotten his attention. Was he really so absorbed in his books that he hadn't even noticed it?

Or had something unexpected happened?

Rei found himself rushing over to the door and flinging it open, the silence becoming a bit too much for his nerves to handle. He wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but let out a long sigh of relief when he finally saw the reason for it.

Volo was fast asleep with a half finished book laying face down on his chest and Sylveon curled up in the crook of the other arm napping with him. One of his hands was laid over the book and the other curled loosely around his new companion.

Volo's face was as peaceful as Rei had ever seen it, likely due in part to the white and pink ribbon that had entwined itself around his wrist. His eyes fluttered slightly and Rei thought he would open them, but instead he only moved his lips slightly before going still again.

Volo was dreaming.

Rei's heart ached with a force he was completely unprepared for. He felt so many things at once warring for dominance in his heart that he froze in place right where he was.

Light from the window spilled onto Volo's face, bathing it in a warm glow that didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He had probably been so tired from the nightmares he'd had the night before, that it wouldn't have been difficult to slip into a warm afternoon nap. It felt incredibly cruel to have to wake him during a rare moment he would be able to have some real peace.

Hopefully, his dream had been nice while it lasted.

Rei swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before forcing them open again and quietly approaching Volo. He didn't stir, even as Rei sat down in the seat next to his bed. Sylveon opened one eye curiously as he heard the creak of the wooden stool but stayed loyal to Volo and made no move to get up and wake him.

Traitor.

Rei would have to do it himself then.

He reached out a hand and gently placed it on Volo's shoulder and tried his best not to startle him. A few light squeezes did the trick and Volo was finally roused from his sleep.

Volo's messy blond hair split down around his shoulders and almost glowed in the afternoon sun as he groggily sat up in bed. The book he had been reading started to fall, but was saved by Sylveon who set it back down on the bed with the place still saved. Volo's eyes were unfocused and rubbing them did little to help, although he did his best to try.

"Rei?"

Volo's voice was a bit hoarse and the way his name sounded sent an involuntary shiver down Rei's spine. The kimono top Anthe had given him was hanging off one shoulder exposing Volo's collarbone in a way that did little to help him recover his wits.

Despite being so disheveled, the bags under Volo's eyes were less pronounced and his complexion had improved significantly. He wasn't quite back to his old self, but he was starting to make significant steps towards it.

The beautiful grey eyes regarding him curiously were the same as they'd always been though...

Rei did his best to keep his expression completely neutral and not give Volo any insight into how he was feeling. It wasn't as hard as before now that he had Adaman to consider, but it didn't leave Volo without any charm of his own.

"I'm sorry to have to wake you up, but we found Roserade. He's alive and not in critical condition, but there are some injuries that might end up being permanent."

Volo sat up straighter looking as if he had been slapped awake. He wildly looked around the room with wide eyes as if he expected to see his injured Pokemon trailing in behind Rei. The panic in his voice rose with each word as he spoke abruptly.

"WHERE IS-"

Rei grabbed both of Volo's shoulders, pulled him closer, and stared intensely into his eyes. Volo was shocked into silence by it long enough for Rei to interrupt.

"If you're freaking out the whole time this will be a lot worse for him, because he's scared and doesn't trust any of the rest of us. Do you understand how badly he needs you to stay calm, Volo?"

Rei spoke each word quietly and let the seriousness of what he was saying sink in. Volo glared back at first but managed to swallow his pride and nod weakly. The beautiful face that had looked so peaceful only moments before was now contorted in stress again. Sylveon tightened his grip on Volo's wrist and he managed to find his voice again, speaking more calmly this time albeit with rising fear.

"Where is Roserade? What happened to him?"

Rei let go of Volo and relaxed his body posture as he became more sympathetic. The concern in Volo's voice was clear, regardless of whether he shouted or whispered it. It was hard to watch him struggle so hard before even seeing the aftermath of the attack on his beloved companion himself.

"I have him in my satchel. Akari is getting Pesselle first before we release him to do a better examination. From what I saw it looks like he's just missing both of the bouquets on his arms but I can't be sure just yet. I think Enamorus must have ripped them off to disarm him..."

Volo looked completely shattered, and Rei felt his heart break for both trainer and Pokemon at once. He felt the need to reach out and comfort Volo as he had been, but quickly thought better of it. That was over now. It had to be for both their sakes.

Sylveon climbed into Volo's lap and licked his hand gently. Volo seemed to relax somewhat but his face remained overcast.

"Will his arms grow back?"

Volo's voice was small yet still so hopeful. Rei hated he had no answers to give and fervently hoped Pesselle would.

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before."

Volo closed his eyes and covered his face with both of his hands, falling silent for a long moment as he processed what had happened.

"It seems far too cruel that Roserade should pay the price I did for my arrogance twice over for only following my command as his trainer.... I will never cease to be horrified by the injustices of this world. Tell me Rei, how do I face him again knowing his trust in my judgment caused this?"

Volo removed his hands from his face and the tears that had been welling in his eyes started to pour down his reddening cheeks. There was only so much strength he could manage when so much had already gone so wrong. Rei used every bit of willpower he had to stay in his seat, and instead gave Volo a clean handkerchief along with a gentle look.

"Roserade is your Pokemon, Volo. If you don't go back to him now when he's at his lowest to help him then what kind of trainer would you be?"

Volo buried his face in the handkerchief and nodded, trying his best to regain his composure.

"Y-yes, of course... I'll do whatever I can to help him. But do you think he will even want to see me?"

Rei resisted the urge to reach out and hold Volo's hand, and instead settled for a quick nod at Sylveon to increase his soothing aura.

"Everything Roserade did after you got attacked was to protect you. Even after his Pokeball was smashed and he was released, he chose to stay and fight for you instead of flee. Enamorus told me herself that she would have let them go at that point, but Roserade still chose to risk his life to protect you. He loves you more than I think you understand. He'll want to see you."

Volo's puffy red eyes grew softer as he finished wiping his tears away.

"...I do believe you're right, Rei."

Happier wouldn't have been the word Rei would have used, but the tension Volo excluded had dissipated. He placed the used handkerchief on the bedside table and tucked a loose strand of his overgrown hair behind his ear.

"You know, I-"

Rei didn't get to hear what Volo wanted to tell him as he was immediately interrupted by a familiar knock at the door that could only be Pesselle's. The creak that followed meant Lilligant had let her in.

No time to waste chatting, then. Things were about to get serious.

"That's Pesselle and Akari, I'll bring them in so we can get started."

Volo shook his head at this, determination flashing in his eyes.

"No Rei, bring me the wheelchair. I will meet them out there."

A smile danced on the corners of Rei's lips. He hadn't expected it but it was heartening to watch Volo overcome the fear that had been so paralyzing just this morning.

"You got it. I'll be right back."

Rei gave Sylveon a quick pat on the head before standing up and leaving the room. He could feel Volo's eyes follow him as he left and couldn't help but wonder what he would have said had he not been interrupted.

Chapter Text

Pesselle was already rummaging through her bulging medical bag when Rei entered back into the main room. She paid no mind to him or anyone else, as she muttered the labels she was reading under her breath, trying to decide what would be most needed in such a strange situation. Pesselle was no stranger to treating Pokemon at this point, but this would be a unique challenge, even for her. 

Akari hovered awkwardly behind her and watched as Pesselle took various potion bottles and bandages out and arranged them on Rei's table in the exact position she was used to having them in her usual workspace back at the headquarters. 

Pesselle had always been a woman who felt strongly about the importance of order and preparation. You could never know what to expect from a patient, but you could know what to expect from yourself.

A place for everything, and everything in its place. 

Words Rei couldn't live by if he tried, but he made things work somehow. 

Blissey stood at attention by her side, ready to assist as needed.

From the look of things Pesselle wasn't expecting this to be a quick fix, but then again, neither was Rei. 

Akari noticed Rei slip into the room first and went to go stand over by him as he unlatched the brakes on the wheelchair, leaning to put her lips near his ear. 

"Sorry we took so long, when I told her what happened she started dumping half the contents of the Medical Corp cabinets into her bag."

Akari had whispered what she said to Rei but she had apparently not been quiet enough because it was Pesselle who answered her. 

"It's better to be prepared than to rush into things without what you need, Akari. You'd do well to remember that when you're in the field – you might have to visit me less often."

Akari's face turned bright red in embarrassment, but luckily, Pesselle was much too distracted to continue lecturing her. 

"Rei, I've brought everything we should need to start treating Roserade. I've been told to expect resistance, I'm assuming you can handle it?"

Rei had already started to push the empty wheelchair back towards the bedroom, but stopped to give Pesselle a thumbs up. 

"Lilligant fought Arceus and won, I think she can handle an injured Roserade."

The stunned look on Pesselle's face as she glanced over at a beaming Lilligant was almost too much for Rei. From the way that Akari was trying not to burst out laughing, she wasn't holding up well with it either. 

"B-besides-"

Rei swallowed his laughter and did his best to straighten his face back and be professional. 

"I'm going to bring Volo out to help keep him calm. Roserade doesn't trust any of the rest of us-"

"Especially not me." Akari muttered under her breath.

"-but Volo is his trainer. He'll listen to him."

Pesselle put down the bottle she had been examining and crossed her arms with a sigh. 

"Well, tell Volo I'll do my best, but as usual I can't promise any results. I don't want to get his hopes up..."

Pesselle wasn't one to sugarcoat things, but it was probably tempting to try just for Volo's sake. Hope had been fragile lately and things were still so uncertain. But regardless of any personal feelings, it was her job to be honest with him about expectations. 

"Yes ma'am. I'm going to bring him out here now before we get started so he'll be the first thing Roserade sees when we release him."

"Very good. When I'm finished preparing here we might as well get started as soon as possible. The poor thing must be in such distress..."

Rei finished pushing the wheelchair back into the bedroom where Volo was perched on the edge of the bed waiting for him. Rei half expected him to repeat what he had been trying to say earlier but Volo remained silent, staring at the wheelchair. 

Rei parked the wheelchair in front of the bed and put the brakes back on, making sure to give Volo enough room in between for him to use his good leg to transfer himself.  

"Your ride's here. No need to tip me, just get in."

The corner of Volo’s mouth twitched a bit, and he started to work out the best way to get himself into the chair. 

"Do I just… climb into the seat?"

"Yeah, reach out and use the armrests to help guide you in and use your good leg to pivot. I'll let you try by yourself first, but if you feel unstable and need help, don't be afraid to ask."

Sylveon jumped down to the floor from the bed and gave the wheelchair a curious sniff before sitting down next to it and waiting for Volo. He gave an encouraging noise and beckoned Volo forward cutely with his feelers. Encouraged by this, Volo hesitantly put his good foot onto the ground and used the arms of the wheelchair to steady himself as he pivoted around and sat down on the chair. 

His landing was a bit hard, but he had done great for his first time using just one leg. It would take time for Volo to learn what worked best for him, but over time it would become second nature to him. 

"Hey, nice work! Your balance is looking really good. You're already steadier than I expected."

Rei couldn't help but smile and saw Volo smile back with a hint of pride. A feeling that was hard to describe passed between them in that moment and Rei quickly looked away before the emotion stirring in his chest could be given a name. 

If Volo had felt anything himself, he was careful not to show it. He was already busying himself with folding the blanket from his bed and fitting it over his lap so his lower half was hidden. Catching sight of Rei's curious look, he went ahead and explained himself. 

"I'd rather not let Roserade know of my injury immediately. He has plenty of his own to fret over, and I don't want him to become preoccupied with mine."

Volo became somewhat more distant as he traced the flowers on the pattern of his blanket with one finger.

"Is it misfortune or luck that things have turned out the way they have? My heart breaks for what he must be going through, especially since I know his pain, but even still I can't help but feel relief knowing he survived. I don't know what I'd do to learn he hadn't. It would be too much to bear."

Rei walked around behind the wheelchair, double checking to make sure it was a decent fit for Volo. Luckily it didn't look like any adjustments would have to be made. 

"I guess I'd say it's both. I can't tell you what to feel about things but... I feel the same way about you, you know."

Rei spoke the last part much quieter than the rest but it didn't seem to escape Volo's keen hearing. He couldn't see Volo's face from the back, but the reddening tips of his ears gave him away nonetheless. 

"Tu me sentire multa..."

Whatever Volo had said, he didn't seem to want Rei to understand. But then… why say anything at all?

"You know I don't know what you're saying. Is everything ok?"

"J-just saying thank you. You're too kind, really."

Sylveon jumped up onto Volo's lap and he became distracted trying to fend off the overeager face licking without accidentally knocking Sylveon down. Rei walked back around where Volo could see him, holding his hand up to his mouth to hide his smile. 

There was no hiding the way his eyes crinkled in laughter though. 

Volo shot him an unamused look whenever he could manage to see Rei through the onslaught. 

"Rei, is this level of encouragement from your Pokemon really necessary?"

Rei raised an eyebrow back.

"Do you think I trained Sylveon to do that? I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to. Have you tried licking back? It might work this time."

"Please don't tell me you've tried that!"

"Okay, I won't."

Rei ignored the look on Volo's face and pulled Sylveon away from him, cradling the purring Pokemon like a baby and kissing him on the forehead the way Rei knew he liked. Sylveon squirmed happily in his arms and let out a small yawn before looking back up at him.  

"Hey buddy! I'm gonna need to borrow you back from Volo to do a very important job. Do you feel up for a challenge?"

"Sylvi!!"

Colorful feelers reached up and squished both of Rei's cheeks, sending a soothing wave of calmness through his body. Rei felt tension he hadn't even realized he was still holding onto dissipate completely, as if it were a toxin being cleansed from his system. 

"Pff, I didn't mean me, but thanks you little smartass."

Sylveon only grinned as he retracted his feelers and snuggled down into Rei's arms. Even just holding Sylveon was soothing and Rei felt his confidence begin to build. He had the perfect team for handling this situation and together they'd find some way to help Roserade, right? 

"Akari managed to track down Volo's Roserade while we were out today and he's badly injured in both arms. We're about to go meet Pesselle in the other room and release him for treatment. What I need you to do is to bind him and hold him still as soon as he's out. Sooth him as best you can. He'll probably be fighting against it hard, but whatever you can manage will be worth the effort. The poor guy's probably traumatized and we can't predict how he'll act so be prepared for anything and work with the rest of our team to keep everyone safe." 

Sylveon nodded and let out a cheerful cry of acknowledgement to show he understood the assignment, and Rei gently placed him back down on Volo's lap. Volo was already bracing himself for another onslaught of licking, but none came. Sylveon was at the ready and looking to Rei for what to do next. Volo soon joined him and Rei knew they couldn't delay the inevitable much longer. 

"Are you ready to see him then Volo?" 

Volo's eyes clouded over and became distant as he turned and stared at the door he would be leaving through for the first time since he had woken up from surgery. At the threshold of the bedroom was a line that when crossed, would only lead to more tragedy.

A moment passed without answer before Volo's lips traced a word he did not vocalize. It was shaped like a "Yes" but died before it could be heard. 

A sudden idea struck Rei. If he himself didn't have to go through this without support from his team, why should Volo have to? 

Rei walked over to Volo's bedside table and pulled out one of the two Pokeballs inside. Lucario would understand the seriousness of the situation, as well as the potential consequences of alerting the townsfolk to the fact Volo once again had Pokemon to wield. 

Volo turned around to look as he heard the Pokeball latch click open. His gaze fell on Lucario who stood with his arms crossed and eyes closed.  It seemed likely he wanted to immediately get a read on the auras of the people around and catch any potential ill intent before doing anything else. 

Volo's eyes flickered up to meet Rei's, now full of curiosity more than pain. 

"Did you decide you need Lucario's assistance as well?"

Rei shook his head and put the empty Pokeball back down in the drawer. 

"No, I just wanted you to be able to face this with a teammate who could understand better. I mean obviously we'll all be here to support you, but it's different with your own Pokemon isn't it?"

Volo's lips parted slightly in surprise, but soon closed as they morphed into a soft smile framed by the delicate fingers that cupped his chin. 

"Yes, I suppose it is…” 

Sylveon reached up with a feeler and wrapped it around Rei's wrist lovingly and sending a warm feeling throughout his body. 

Each Pokemon a trainer took on their journey fought for through their trainer's greatest victories and suffered through their harshest defeats right alongside them. Even Pokemon that had been parted with long ago still carried fragments of the memories they had shared. 

The ones that stayed were a different kind of special. 

Chosen family. 

Lucario approached Volo and held out a single paw to him. Volo reached out and grasped it, massaging the short black fur in the middle with his thumb as if he'd done it a million times before. Lucario reached up with his other paw and lightly brushed the hair away from Volo's cheek before resting it there. 

Rei wasn't sure if Lucario was using telepathy to share something with Volo or just offering comfort, but that some familiar form of mutual understanding passed between the two of them. They'd been through enough together to know what support to give each other in a time of crisis. Maybe even the simple act of just being present when they needed each other was enough. 

Watching Volo with his Pokemon felt like seeing a version of him that was willing to let his guard down and be more genuine about his feelings. Volo had been intentionally deceptive since the day Rei had met him, but his love for his Pokemon seemed to have been eroding that away. He couldn't help but show them how much he cared for them. 

Volo pulled away from Lucario's touch after a few moments and turned his attention back to Rei, who was playing around with Sylveon's feeler to try and keep from staring at them too much. He still looked somewhat troubled, but he now had an air of acceptance about him. 

"I would say it's time for us to get going now. My apologies for the delay, I didn't mean to hold us up here."

"It's okay, it was important. We all have to be ready before we start if we're going to work as a team."

Rei smiled at Lucario gratefully as he reached down to unlock the brakes on Volo's wheelchair and received the faintest hint of a smile in return. An odd feeling overtook Rei and he recognized the feeling of a pokemon's telepathy. 

Lucario was saying thank you back in his own way. 

Rei slid open the bedroom door and rolled Volo out into the main room, with Lucario and Sylveon trailing closely behind. 

Akari was the first to notice their arrival and waved from where she was sitting on one of the mats by the hearth, with Chatot on her shoulder. Blissey and Lilligant sat by her side, and were unusually quiet. They were likely trying to stay out of the way, lest one of them accidentally interrupt the rest of Pesselle's preparations and incur her wrath. 

Well, that was as good a place as any to start preparing themselves, Rei figured. The fire was not lit as often during the spring months due to the warm weather, but it remained the central gathering place of the house.  Something about their strange little group converging there to face this challenge together felt appropriate. 

Rei rolled Volo forward a few feet and parked him in front of the hearth where he would be able to see everything going on in the room best. He then turned and closed the door to hopefully dissuade Roserade from running into the bedroom when he was released. 

…Unless of course, he decided to just throw himself through it anyway and shatter the flimsy wooden door. Rei was fervently hoping that he wouldn't be feeling that destructive, but it wouldn't be the first Pokemon-related repair job he'd have to approach the Construction Corps about. Even without the ability to perform most of his moves, Roserade would still have incredible physical strength to reckon with. 

"Really Volo, have you already pulled out your braid? You're headed straight for the worst sort of tangles if you keep it loose in that state before we can get you a haircut. Let me fix it for you..."

"Ah–-- alright, if you insist."

When Rei turned back around he saw Akari had already gotten up and taken it upon herself to fix Volo's hair situation. It was probably a losing battle given how much Volo played with it, but he could respect her effort. 

Especially if that meant Volo got to keep his pretty braid, but Rei wasn't letting himself think about that too hard. 

Lilligant beckoned Rei over to sit on one of the mats next to her and Blissey and he was happy to oblige her. If he had the opportunity to sit down for a minute before they started he was going to take it. 

Rei really did mean to mind his own business, but as he rummaged through his satchel to find Roserade's Ultra Ball, he found his attention drifting back over to Volo and Akari. Akari was fully focused on the braid she was finishing but Volo was looking for something he'd apparently tucked away. Finally finding it, he pulled out the battered survival charm Rei had given to him and handed it to Akari. 

"Would you mind tying my hair with this? It was a gift from a former admirer of mine. Perhaps it will bring me some much needed good fortune as well."

Akari took the charm and inspected the red cord that held it. Rei was certain his face was the same color and was very thankful Akari was looking at it and not him. 

What was Volo doing???

"Yes, this should do just fine. A survival charm is an interesting choice of gift, she must have worried about you a lot."

Volo smiled directly at Rei, not at all missing the look on his face the way Akari was. 

"I would say it's fair to, I get into my share of trouble in the field! I can't deny the need for protection at this point anyway, can I?"

Akari finished tying off the end of the braid and let it fall over Volo's shoulder. The charm was tiny enough not to look too gaudy, but colorful enough that it would be hard to overlook. 

Or ignore in Rei's case. 

"There we go! You're all set!"

Volo raised his hand to the charm and ran his fingers over it, but kept his eyes on Rei for his reaction. 

Volo had never looked twice at Rei's reactions to him three years ago. 

Now, it seemed he was taking every opportunity he could to tug on Rei's heartstrings and study them closely this time. 

Rei had given that charm to Volo on a whim, hoping it would offer some sort of protection when he was able to help join the search for his Pokemon. If he'd known Volo would be weaponizing it to flirt so much, he'd have kept it to himself. Watching the man fawn over any token of affection Rei gave him was almost too much. 

The temptation might not have been enough to break Rei's resolve at this point, but the tremors from the blow it just took could be felt throughout his body. His face was burning and it took a moment before he even realized he was staring back at Volo like an idiot. 

The explosive cocktail of conflicting emotions Rei felt was only barely stabilized by the fact he could see Akari watching him now. She'd finished Volo's braid and her furrowed brow was a good indicator she knew something was up. 

Shit. He had to say something now.

"You know Akari, you might actually want to leave some hair covering his face. If all of it's visible, Roserade might not recognize him."

Volo's eyes widened in surprise at Rei's unexpected dig at his usual hairstyle. Whatever reaction he'd been expecting definitely hadn't been that. Akari was successfully distracted by the banter and instinctually flung some of her own back at him. 

"And he may not recognize Roserade if he cannot see him! What makes you the sudden expert on hairstyles anyway? When I met you, you looked as if you'd had a Starly nesting atop your head! Thank goodness Cyllene managed to get a hat on you!"

Rei grinned playfully at her and ran his fingers through his own messy hair. Akari had never managed to tame it despite her best efforts, but there had been a few hell of a battles before she had given his hair ever lying fully flat up as a lost cause 

"I'm not claiming to be an expert, I'm just saying Volo isn't used to having so much depth perception. You'll probably disorient him!"

Pesselle whirled around from where she was chopping some fresh ingredients and glared straight flames at Rei and Akari. A chill ran down Rei's spine and he shut his mouth immediately. 

They'd probably gotten a bit too noisy with that. 

"Would either of you two like to make yourselves useful since you're not doing anything important?!"

Pesselle was now giving them the kind of tight smile that was less cheerful and more of a quiet threat. They had only seconds to appease her, maybe less. 

Rei heard Akari whisper "Not really" under her breath and had to bite down on his tongue to keep from snickering. By the time he actually managed to reply to Pesselle she looked mad enough to start the louder threats. 

"Y-yes, Of course!"

Rei was quick to stand up and snap to attention. Pesselle's mercy on him during stressful circumstances would only extend as far as his good behavior did. He finished fishing Roserade’s Pokeball out of his satchel, and held it out to Pesselle. 

"I've got Roserade in here. He might not have access to most of his attacks without his flowers, but he can still kick hard with his legs so watch out for that. I'll give you the okay when I think it's safe for you to approach with the medicine."

Pesselle nodded as she took the Pokeball and looked it over curiously. She knew a lot more about treating Pokemon now than she had when Rei had first met her, but their behaviors were still something she took Rei's advice on. She'd be hard pressed to find anyone in Hisui more knowledgeable about them, so she often let him take charge on that front. 

"Alright, so when we're ready to start, I just open this little latch here?"

Her fingers moved over the opening to the Pokeball curiously as she tried to determine how it would open. Rei had forgotten just how little experience Pesselle had with Pokeballs, and it was only when he watched Pesselle's finger accidentally slip and flip open the latch did he realize his mistake.

Rei could only watch in horror as Roserade was released and all hell broke loose. 

Under normal circumstances, when a newly captured wild Pokemon was first released it would be docile and not attack. The domesticating influence of the Pokeball that formed the first bond between the Pokemon and its new trainer would soothe it and make it much safer to work with. 

The second time around that influence was much easier to shake off. Roserade already knew what domestication felt like after living that way for years. Wild or not he was more than just upset, he was terrified.

And if survival meant attacking those who had captured him, then so be it. 

Roserade was a blur of white and green as he hit the ground and didn't bother stopping to get his bearings. Rei barely managed to pull Pesselle out of the way in time so she didn't get knocked to the side as the panicked Pokemon made a break for it. She gasped in shock but Rei didn't stop to chat with her about her mistake. Every second mattered, and until Roserade was under control, everyone was in danger. If they'd been in position and prepared to handle it, it would have been easier but now they'd lost that advantage. 

Well, if it wasn't a crisis it wasn't Hisui. 

Rei turned to his team and shouted the command he felt would get the point across quickest.

"CATCH THAT ROSERADE!"

Lilligant was quickest to respond to Rei's orders and gracefully sprung to her feet. She made it to the front door just in time to block Roserade from getting through it, but wasn't quick enough to grab him. He dodged her leafy arms and followed the edge of the wall towards the back of the room.

By this point, the others had realized what was happening and were finishing shaking off the rest of their shock. Sylveon made several noble attempts to rush Roserade and entangle his feet with his feelers but failed to do more than trip him. This bought Blissey enough time to try and tackle Roserade to the ground, but he was clever and rolled to the side out of her way just in time. Blissey hit the floor hard, causing the whole house to shake under the weight and everyone standing to be knocked off balance. Chatot took off from Akari's shoulder as she stumbled, flying around the room and shrieking in alarm. 

At this rate someone was going to notice the commotion and alert Cyllene. Or worse – Kamado. 

Rei braced himself to rush Roserade. If he could at least slow him down then his team would be able to regroup and restrain him. 

Akari noticed what he was about to do and grabbed Rei around the torso to restrain him. 

"Don't stop me Akari, I need to help them!"

"Wait Rei! Look!"

Lucario had left Volo's side and sprung into action, having fully shaken off his shock and seen what was happening. He became a blur of blue and black, gracefully vaulting through the air and pinning Roserade to the floor with incredible precision. At first, the frightened Pokemon fought back, flailing his arms and wailing, but when Lucario took Roserade's head in his hands and forced him to look into his eyes, he stopped. 

The room became incredibly quiet. 

Rei's team managed to regroup themselves from the chaos, but found their assistance was no longer needed. Akari held onto Rei's arm for comfort as they watched Roserade burst into tears and cling tightly to his old friend, as if he were the only thing anchoring him to safety. 

Lucario closed his eyes, tilted his head down, and gently pressed his forehead to Roserade's. They held each other that way for a long moment and no one else, human or Pokemon, dared to interrupt them. The chase was over. 

When Roserade's sobs subsided somewhat, Lucario picked the battered Pokemon up and carried him over to where Volo was. 

Rei hadn't had time to stop and see how Volo had been handling this but one look told him all he needed to know. 

Volo was shaken to his core. 

His face was twisted in anguish and fresh tears pooled in his eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. The knuckles of his hands had gone white with how hard he was gripping the ends of his armrests. He only managed to let go when Lucario brought Roserade to him, stretching out his arms and learning so far forward Rei was afraid he would fall out of the wheelchair if he wasn't careful. 

Volo took Roserade into his arms the way one would cradle a small child and for the first time Rei noticed how much smaller Roserade looked without his flowers. They had been such a large part of him, in more ways than one. 

At first, Volo didn't seem capable of saying anything. He only held Roserade tightly and pressed his face down into the wispy white petals of his beloved Pokemon's head. No one else dared to let so much as the sound of a footstep interrupt them. Rei felt Akari press her face into his shoulder and he unfroze himself from his rigid position to hold her. He needed the comfort just as much. 

Stealing a glance to his other side, Rei noticed Pesselle was standing close by and still gripping Roserade's Pokeball tightly. There was a look of intense guilt on her face that Rei had never seen her wear before. She was very prepared and capable in all other areas of her work, but her blindspot when it came to handling Pokemon had been something she'd underestimated. 

One mistake was all it took for a disaster to happen. Knowing Pesselle, what might have happened if things had gone worse would keep her up at night. 

Rei reached over and took the Pokeball away from Pesselle, returning it to his satchel before reaching  back over and taking her hand. She looked at him with confusion and when Rei smiled back at her, she seemed almost baffled. 

Knowing Pesselle also meant Rei knew how much she cared. What happened today would only motivate her to want to learn more and do better next time. She'd make everyone go through Pokeball handling classes, and come up with a safety plan in case another injured Pokemon got loose during treatment. The future of people and Pokemon working together may have been looking bright, but no one ever said that wouldn't come with a few bumps along the way. 

Rei just felt lucky there were people like Pesselle at its forefront who took the care of Pokemon seriously enough to want to improve it. 

Rei gently pulled Pesselle over closer to him and quietly whispered in her ear so as not to disturb Volo and Roserade. 

"In the future, we won't even have to take Pokemon out of the Pokeballs to heal them in most cases. People got really sick of having to handle it like this, trust me."

Pesselle looked stuck somewhere between smiling and wanting to cry at this. Rei pulled her close and stood with an arm around each friend as they turned their attention back to the reunited teammates. 

Sylveon had slipped into the group at some point and was now gently wrapping a feeler around Roserade's forearm. Roserade moved to jerk his arm away, but Volo was able to soothesooth him into it, speaking to him in a low voice that Rei couldn't quite hear while rubbing his back. Roserade's posture relaxed and he became a bit lethargic as he curled up on Volo's lap. It would be much harder to startle or upset him now. 

It was hard to tell if the poor Pokemon felt truely secure or not, but this was likely the most they'd be able to do for him. They needed to move quickly now that there was a window of opportunity to treat him. 

Rei gently nudged Pesselle and silently motioned over to Volo and Roserade with a tilt of his head. She picked up on what he meant immediately, but still hesitated while guilt rolled off her in waves. Lucario must have finally took notice of this, as it became enough to distract him from overseeing Roserade and Volo. 

Pesselle took a step back nervously as Lucario approached her and Rei couldn't blame her. He was a much more intimidating pokemon than the silly little Croagunk he'd given her who stayed in the Medical Corps, providing toxins for pain medication. Standing at nearly twice iit's height and covered in spikes, there was no goofy little smile to offset the deadly serious look in his eyes. 

Lilligant quickly leapt next to Pesselle and struck an intimidating warning pose, but she was completely ignored. Lucario stopped directly in front of Pesselle and before Lilligant could strike, held out his paw to her. 

Pesselle's fear melted into confusion and she cautiously extended her hand halfway to meeting his. She seemed uncertain if it was safe to go with him. 

"Pess, it's okay. He has the power to read what you're feeling, he knows you didn't mean any harm. He just wants your help, his friend is hurt."

Pesselle glanced over at Rei and looked reassured by the confidence in his voice and on his face. She then looked back to Lucario and stood up straighter. 

"J-just a moment, please... I need to gather some things..."

Pesselle quickly scurried back over to where she had been laying out various things from her medical bag and grabbed a few things she had apparently deemed most necessary from what she'd seen of Roserade's injuries so far. 

When she returned to where Lucario was waiting, she took one last look at Rei before placing her hand in Lucario's paw and letting him guide her over to where Roserade was. Not seeing any point in staying back at this point, Rei and Akari followed. 

Roserade had certainly seen better days, although Rei had not seen him very often before the battle at the temple. He had known that Volo was amping up his training and taking on several more members of his team, but with how much time that took, he didn't see Volo as often as he had during his first adventure. It was only when Volo approached him to start searching for the plates together that he'd even met most of them. 

During the short amount of time Rei had seen him in action, he'd gotten the impression that Roserade was a particularly fierce battler. Unlike Togekiss, Roserade seemed to love fighting and took pride in how well he was able to land a blow. Confident, beautiful, and very deadly, Roserade was a force to be reckoned with. 

The slightly withered looking Pokemon Volo was holding wouldn't have been recognizable as him, had Rei not already known. 

His body was covered in smaller wounds and tears that Pesselle was already slathering with Potion from one of the bottles she had brought. Those were the wounds that would heal quickly though. When Pesselle got to the ends of Roserade's arms she pulled out another bottle that Rei recognized as a Full Restore. 

They were much harder and more expensive to make than a regular potion, but if it didn't do the trick, than no other medicine they had would. She had clearly been saving it for the worst of the injuries in hopes that concentrating it where his arms now ended would help. 

"Will that help his flowers grow back?"

Volo's sudden question startled everyone else a bit. He'd been so silent and still that in the wake of everything else going on he had somewhat faded into the background. His face emerged from where it had been partially obscured by Roserade's head. He looked ill, and Rei began to wonder if he needed to get a bucket just in case he was right. 

"I can't say for sure love, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. This will help repair as much damage as possible to what he still has of his arms, but if his species isn't capable of regrowing lost appendages… I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do."

The look on Volo's face made Rei decide to go grab the bucket, but before he could even take a step a much different reaction erupted from Volo. 

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT! You can't give up on him so easily after two Potions! Are you not a NURSE?! CAN YOU NOT TRY HARDER THAN THIS?"

Tears cascaded down Volo's twisted face as he ugly cried in a way Rei had never seen before, even after learning about his own injuries. 

For once in his life, Rei did not find Volo particularly attractive, but it had more to do with the fact he was yelling at Pesselle than how he looked. 

Akari instinctively grabbed Rei before he could potentially lunge forward at Volo, but it did nothing to hold back his words. 

"YOU'RE BLAMING HER FOR THIS? SHE CAN'T FUCKING REGROW LIMBS VOLO! YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS BY NOW!"

Volo was shocked into silence, clearly not expecting to be yelled at back during such an emotional moment. Sylveon growled in warning as Roserade became more restless from the disturbance. 

"THAT IS ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!"

Pesselle looked furious, and the familiarity of it was oddly comforting to Rei after watching her lose her confidence earlier. It seemed to have emboldened her as well and she continued to scold the boys while slathering the full restore on Roserade's arms.

"Honestly, I expected better of both of you! Volo, Rei is right. I can't do any more than I'm doing now. I understand this is very hard for you, and that you want the best treatment for Roserade, but this is the best I can do. Full Restores are the most advanced care we've developed to treat Pokemon so far, and unless you can use that brain of yours to develop a new one, you'll have to live with it. Rei, stop yelling at Volo! I can fight my own battles, thank you very much!" 

Rei felt Akari's sigh against the back of his neck before she let go of him. Great, now everyone was upset with him. It didn't feel fair to be scolded just for defending Pesselle, but he knew he should have known better than to yell at an upset patient. Especially one he had already said he wouldn't anymore. 

When Rei looked back at Volo he expected him to be glaring daggers at him, but Volo wasn't even looking in his direction. 

Oh. Obviously. 

This had never been about him or even Pesselle. 

It had always been about Roserade. 

Volo had wrapped the flowery blanket from his lap around Roserade's shoulders and was whispering something just barely audible to him.

"I'm so, so sorry... this is all my fault... I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have done any of it, I'm so sorry... I swear I had no idea this could happen... Please forgive me my dear friend... I know I don't deserve it, but I can't bear not having your forgiveness..." 

Roserade raised a single arm up and touched the stub of it to Volo's cheek. He looked exhausted, confused, and a million different other shades of fragile emotions he hadn't yet had time to process. 

On top of all of it, most obvious to everyone in the room, he looked relieved to see he had succeeded in the one mission he had given up so much to accomplish:

Keeping his beloved trainer alive. 

Roserade put every other feeling aside and gave Volo the sunniest grin he could manage. 

"Rose!"

Rei looked away to give the two a bit of privacy as Volo loudly wept.

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Chapter Text

Rei soon found that he couldn't quite manage to tear his eyes away from Volo and Roserade.

He knew he should give them more privacy than that, even if they weren't paying attention to him, but there was something about how vulnerable Volo was that made it feel impossible. He'd been seeing more and more glimpses of this side of him since the Pokemon rescue efforts had started, but this felt like something even rarer.

Volo's compassion in its rawest form.

And he was capable of compassion, no matter what Rei or anyone else had previously thought. It was there, clear as day, in the tears that continued to flow freely and watered the petals of his now drowsy companion.

Pesselle had intervened again briefly to slip Roserade some pain medication that she'd gone back over to get, with it working quickly on the Pokemon. His eyes were beginning to droop, and Lucario began to readjust Volo's flowery blanket to cover him better.

The intended effect was completely reversed when Roserade's nodding head happened to drop down low enough to get a better look at the now uncovered lap he was sitting on.

It would have been so easy to miss, especially with the amount of medication in his system, but Roserade still had enough of his wits about him to notice that something looked off. Before Volo or Lucario could stop him, he had already shifted himself to get a better look at Volo's right leg.

Rei didn't notice he had stepped closer to them until he felt Akari grab his hand and pull him back. He turned around to face her while Roserade's lamentation echoed in his ears. What was she doing? Didn't she hear how serious this was?!

"I know you mean well, but they need privacy more than they need us right now. We aren't one of them."

Rei could see the look on Pesselle's face from behind Akari's shoulder. She looked just as heartbroken by the sounds coming from behind them, but her eyes were fixed squarely on his. Nothing was said, but Rei still knew what she meant.

Akari was right. He was a member of the Galaxy Team, not Volo's team.

He didn't belong with them.

Something uncomfortable lodged itself in Rei's chest right then, but he decided to ignore it. He was getting good at doing that now. All it took was the right distraction.

Akari was a good one. Her warm hand slipped itself into his and suddenly everything felt a little bit lighter. She gave him a sad, understanding smile that made the fog in his head start to clear. Akari didn't seem mad or disappointed in him for everything that had happened. She looked... proud of him for caring so much.

Rei wasn't sure how he managed it, but he squeezed her hand and gave a weak smile back.

"Sorry, you're right. We should find somewhere else to talk."

Pesselle, who had just finished stowing her supplies back in her medical bag, looked relieved to hear him say it. This whole situation had been a lot for her and any invitation to step out of the room wasn't likely to be one she'd turn her nose up at.

"We should use the bedroom so we'll still be within earshot if they need us. Rei, please, take this from me. I think you'll have a better handle on it from here."

Pesselle plopped Roserade's Pokeball unceremoniously into Rei's free hand before making her way into the bedroom. She was careful to slide the door open quietly, but from the last look Rei snuck as he, Akari, and all his Pokemon except Sylveon passed them, Volo and Roserade wouldn't have even noticed if she'd set off a Scatter Bang. Even in the small enclosed quarters of the Galaxy Team they were managing to stay miles apart from anyone but each other.

It was hard for Rei to describe exactly what he saw as he took one last look before sliding the bedroom door shut behind them.

In many ways, it was what he had expected.

Volo was trying to calm Roserade down while barely managing to hold it together himself. Sylveon was doing his best to support them, but between Volo and Roserade, the effort was more than he could handle.

Volo had been suppressing the brunt of his reaction to the attack for so long that it wasn't surprising that this would likely end up being his breaking point. Repressing things only worked for so long, and when it was something this big it was bound to surface sooner rather than later somehow.

It was hard not to feel guilty for leaving Volo and Roserade like that, but knowing Lucario was with them made him feel much better about it. Lucario would-

Lucario was not looking at Volo or Roserade at all. He had his head bowed and was staring down at the floor below him as if it were the most important thing he could be paying attention to at the moment.

It didn't make any sense.

This didn't fit the impression Rei had gotten from Lucario as a Pokemon at all. He had always been so unwaveringly attentive to his teammates, even when things were hard. Was this the limit of what he was able to bear watching them go through?

Just as Rei started to slide the door shut the rest of the way, Lucario looked up directly at him and they held each other's gaze until his intense red eyes were sealed away from view by the wood.

Pokemon really were strange creatures. Maybe there were always going to be things he didn't understand about them.

The sound of Volo and Roserade's voices were muffled now, but it was impossible to forget they were there. Choked noises and barely audible sobs were able to strain even Akari's best attempts to distract Chatot who had started to pick up on the noises and was repeating them under his breath.

"Raid... Rose... ROSE-"

"No Chatot, listen to me!"

Akari snapped her fingers to get Chatot to look at her and took a deep breath in.

"You see tonight, it could go either way

Hearts balanced on a razor blade

We are designed to love and break

And to rinse and repeat it all again~!"

Chatot stopped long enough to consider the song Akari was offering, but ended up only shaking his feathers out and letting loose one of Roserade's louder wails. Rei felt a chill go down his spine. If Volo and Roserade started hearing noises like that coming from the bedroom, it could be bad. He started to make his way over to them to calm the little bird pokemon down himself, but was quickly intercepted by Lilligant.

She shooed the humans away with her long leafy arms before turning to her dear friend and held the tip of her arm over his head. A fine glittering powder dispersed from it and dusted over Chatot's body, immediately causing his head to droop and his eyes to close.

Sleep Powder? That had been a smart idea. Rei gave Lilligant a grateful smile and she affectionately patted him on the head before prancing over to join Blissey who was already sitting on Rei's futon.

Akari sighed and put her hands on her hips as she watched Chatot sleep.

"Rei, I know he's cute, but he really isn't useful in situations like this. Or battling. Or much of anything besides being a pet to be fully honest with you... Wouldn't it be better to just keep him in a PokeBall for now?"

Rei was quick to leap to Chatot's defense even if he knew she had somewhat of a good point. Even if he could be a bit of a mixed bag, there were moments Chatot had been there that Rei had truly needed him. Sure, that wasn't usually in battle, but that wasn't all Pokemon were good for.

"It's not always about usefulness! I keep him out with everyone else because I love him and I don't want him to feel left out! He's part of my family too. Maybe if you kept Pikachu out more just to spend time with him he'd start to feel the same way about you."

Akari's lips tightened at this and she refrained from meeting his eye. She had gotten very good at battling with Pikachu but rarely took him or any other Pokemon out of their Pokeballs for much else. While there had been a lot of progress made since they'd met, the emotional wall formed from trauma had yet to fully be knocked down.

"That's all very well and good for you, but I don't know what I'd even do with Pikachu! All I know he likes to do is shock things and I... Well... I can't say I like it."

"Don't worry Akari, It took Volo a long time to figure it out too. I was raised alongside Pokemon, so it isn't really comparable.”

“You know, as much as I disagreed with the Diamond and Pearl Clans at first about Pokeballs, I do think they kind of had a point. They were always with their Pokemon so they became like family to them, but at the same time they couldn't keep many around because of it. There's a balance there somewhere, you just have to find the right one for you."

Akari didn't look fully convinced, but regarded Chatot a bit more gently than she had before.

"What is it that makes a Pokemon like your own blood to you? Even when you met all your Pokemon here, they were trying to strike you down on sight! How could you have known things would get better from there?"

"Because I learned to trust them the same way you learned to trust me. We worked hard together and knew we could depend on each other no matter what. Didn't matter how much Kamado said I was still a threat. You knew better than that, didn't you?"

Akari couldn't help but smile at that. She raised her hand up to her lips and tried to hide it but her sparkling eyes weren't so easily concealed.

"You can be so sentimental... but If it didn't work, I suppose you wouldn't be as successful as you've been."

"Don't worry, it causes me just as many problems."

Rei took Akari's hand and led her over to the stool next to Volo's bed where Pesselle had already settled in and was waiting for them to join her. She gestured to the bed and the two sat down on its edge facing her. Rei kept ahold of Akari's hand. He knew where this conversation would likely be headed.

Pesselle sat with one leg crossed over the other and her hands folded neatly in her lap. She looked professional and put together, even when it was just Akari and Rei she had to address.

Perfect posture, never slouching or distracted. It was the way she put people at ease right before discussing their prognosis. There were no promises when it came to health, but you could at least trust someone who came across as she did to be taking things seriously.

"Well, that was certainly not the ideal way to have done things, but the important thing was that we were able to complete Roserade's initial treatment safely. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's over yet. Just as Volo's care didn't end with his amputation wound being healed, neither will Roserade's."

Rei's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He sort of got what she meant, but it was a bit of a different situation. What else could they even do for Roserade at this point?

"So what are we going to do? Make prosthetic flowers for him? Or I guess we could try real flowers. I have some bugwort I could strap to his arms, but we'd have to replace it pretty regularly."

Pesselle bit her bottom lip slightly as she considered that.

"Well, it might not hurt to try if he's feeling distressed about the loss, but it wasn't what I meant. It's hardly an ideal solution and while this isn't my usual area of expertise... I think It could be worth taking Roserade in as a long term patient to try and see if I can't do anything more for him.”

“We don't know enough about Roserade's anatomy to say for sure his flowers couldn't grow back. If I ask Professor Laventon for help I'm sure he could get the project approved as part of his research. I think with help from Akari we wouldn't have trouble convincing him."

Rei and Akari turned to look at each other at the same time wearing matching grins. There was no way he'd be able to say no to his favorite assistant. Not that he'd be likely to anyway, a chance to study a rare occurrence like this didn't happen everyday.

Akari gave Rei's hand a little squeeze before letting go of it. The need for his comfort was diminishing as she shifted herself into survey mode.

"Consider it as good as done Ms Pesselle! The Survey Corps would be more than happy to help you with your request! I do think though, for the sake of paperwork, we only mention the fact I caught Roserade while out surveying. Volo's history with him isn't something we need to submit to Cyllene, right?"

Pesselle smiled sweetly at Akari and clapped her hands together.

"I don't believe Roserade's history before you caught him would be relevant to anything! Cyllene is always complaining about how much paperwork we flood her with anyway, why bog her down with meaningless details like that?"

Rei held his hand up to his mouth and tried not to laugh. Pesselle's eyes sparkled as she winked at him before looking back to Akari.

"Now, the Professor may be another story. Is he someone you'd trust to keep Volo's involvement in this under wraps or should he also be kept on a need to know basis?"

Rei spoke up before Akari could say anything.

"Laventon already knows we're helping Volo get his Pokemon back."

Pesselle and Akari's heads both turned to Rei in unison and he prickled uncomfortably under their stares. He knew exactly what it looked like and quickly started to defend himself.

"Hey, I wasn't going around gossiping about Volo with everyone! I just needed some advice about dealing with him because I was stressing out about everything! He asked to keep him updated. He isn't happy we're trying to keep this from Kamado, but he agreed not to say anything. We can trust him, he'd never try and get us into trouble just for trying to help someone."

Akari nodded in agreement.

"Rei's right, the Professor wouldn't say anything unless he felt things had gotten out of control. If things had gone so sour they'd likely find out anyway... I only hope it won't come to that. We've already drawn too much attention to ourselves."

Akari had begun to look gloomy at the thought, and Rei gave her a comforting pat on the back

"We aren't going to let it get that bad. We had a close call today, but If anyone asks about it we can just say Chatot got spooked and started making a bunch of noise."

"He sure did..." Akari muttered under her breath.

"Hey, people are used to weird noises coming from this place! Remember when I was teaching you the Yamask of the Opera?"

"I remember Cyllene telling us that trying to hit that high note was no longer allowed within the village walls. You have a knack for racking up noise complaints..."

"Then one more won't be suspicious!"

Pesselle cleared her throat and Rei returned his attention to her. She didn't look particularly comforted by the reminder of how rowdy they could get, convenient excuses aside.

"It would be most wise to avoid any sort of complaints, explainable or not. Our dear commander is on edge as it is so let's not give him a reason for another visit. If you say Professor Laventon already knows about the situation, then I see no reason to keep anything from him. With Volo's consent we can take Roserade to the Medical Corps room and discuss further treatment there."

"Do you need my help with anything? I'm not sure what I could do but if there's something you can think of..."

Rei trailed off as he struggled to come up with anything. He wanted so badly to be able to do more to help, but what use was he at this point?

"Actually now that you mention it, I do believe there's a way you could help. Well, your Pokemon, rather."

Pesselle turned around in her chair and faced the opposite side of the room where Lilligant and Blissey were sitting on the futon and listening in on the conversation.

"I can only administer human made medicine and while it works for injuries, it won't do anything to help promote new growth. That would require something with a lot more nutrients."

Rei's gaze settled on Blissey and he was struck with a sudden understanding of what she was getting at. He'd seen Blissey's eggs help whip people in the worst of conditions back into shape in next to no time! Even Volo was already starting to look-

The hope started to fade as a new problem quickly surfaced in Rei's mind.

Volo still needed those eggs to help regain his weight and strength. With his trip to see the prosthetist approaching sooner than they'd expected, he'd need them so his recovering body could keep up with the demand physical therapy would bring.

Rei would have sent Blissey on the trip regardless of whether he was going himself originally, but now he had no idea what to do.

There was always the option to delay the trip of course, but Volo's impatience probably wouldn't let him even consider it. Knowing him he'd insist he could do it, egg or not, and demand Roserade take them all.

"...How many Lucky Eggs are we talking about here, Pess?"

"As many as you could spare. We'd ideally be having him eat some at every possible meal. I'd also like to try experimenting with using the eggshells as fertilizer if he'll take it. He is a plant after all, it might do him some good."

"Blissey only lay one egg a day — Two on a good day, but that's not very common. If she was still a Chansey, she'd be able to lay a lot more, but she can't exactly devolve. I just don't think she can manage enough extra to leave behind for Roserade when we leave for Johto."

"Rei, what do you mean by 'we'? I was under the impression a decision had already been made about that."

Rei felt his face begin to heat up slightly as Pesselle raised her eyebrows at him.

Right, he hadn't gotten around to mentioning that yet.

It hadn't been long since he had told Pesselle he would be trying harder to step back from Volo emotionally. She and Laventon both were only getting more worried and she might not even be willing to support him going to Johto anymore.

Not without a better reason anyway.

Rei took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the look on Pesselle's face as he told her.

"Look, I really wasn't planning on going before, but something's changed."

A light touch to Rei's back helped him to breathe out a bit easier. Akari was there, it would be ok.

"I got a new request... I-it's for Calaba."

Rei's satchel felt as if it were connected to his body through the way he could almost feel the exact position of the place Calaba's ashes lay in it. He had to convince Pesselle this trip could still work despite everything. She was counting on him to.

Before Rei knew it, words were pouring out of him like a dam inside him had burst. He started to tell Pesselle everything.

How he'd felt coming home and finding out Calaba had died while he and Akari had been out in the meadow together.

The horror and despair of seeing Irida crying over her body, and feeling as though he'd failed both of them by not being there when she'd passed.

He told her about the mounting anxiety he felt before going to visit Irida and the subsequent relief of the visit. Irida had been better to him than he thought he deserved. She'd given him one last chance to do right by Calaba.

Maybe Pesselle hadn't needed to know the smaller details of the visit, like how Chatot had sung with him and Irida in Calaba's voice or how they'd cried together, but it felt inseparable from the rest of the experience. If she was going to understand how much this wasn't about Volo, she needed to know the whole story.

Rei didn't look up to see Pesselle's reaction until a few seconds after he'd stopped speaking. Akari had long since switched to hugging his arm for support and with her by his side he finally felt like he could stand his ground on this decision.

The teary eyes that met his told him that there would be no resistance from Pesselle.

Pesselle rarely cried. In the years Rei had known her he'd only seen it happen a few times. When you worked in a field like this for long enough you got used to seeing sad things. People died and you were often the last stop before that happened. People's worst days were your work days. Those who couldn't adapt to a life like that rarely lasted long in the field.

But Pesselle wasn't crying because Calaba had died. She was crying because she was truly moved by what she had just heard. He'd gotten through to her.

Pesselle took out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes before saying anything.

"Oh dear, please excuse me... Rei, I really had no idea you were feeling that way this whole time! You didn't do anything wrong sweetheart, please don't think that! You were out doing your gathering assignments even if you weren't being timely about it, you couldn't have stopped her from passing away. It was Calaba's time love, we all knew that."

Pesselle put down her handkerchief and reached forward, taking both of Rei's hands in hers with a loving smile.

"If you wish to go to Johto to spread her ashes, I'd insist on you doing it. It would still be best if you could help escort Volo to and from the Ecruteak Village safely of course, but I won't expect you to stay with him the whole time. I'll consider it enough to keep you on the payroll as long as you're sure to gather any useful herbs you come across. There's plenty in that region that are harder to get here and I'd hate the opportunity to go to waste."

Rei felt lighter as he listened to Pesselle tell him everything he'd needed to hear. He was so used to being scolded he forgot how reasonable and kindhearted she actually was when he wasn't causing trouble. He should have gone to her sooner about how he'd been feeling, even if he'd felt ashamed.

He was really going to miss working with her if Adaman accepted his and Akari's request to join the Diamond Clan.

Rei glanced over at Akari and saw she was a bit misty eyed too. She reached over and ruffled his messy hair affectionately. The fingers of Akari's other hand entwined with his as her lips drew into the sweetest smile.

"I'll go out and start looking for a Chansey for Pesselle tomorrow morning so Roserade can have Lucky Eggs here when you're gone. They're not easy to find, but thankfully one of the previous surveyors before me left detailed notes of where to look I can use. If I manage to decipher his horrible spelling, that is."

Rei melted a bit inside as she beamed. Even when insulting him, Akari was too good to him. He started to say something back but Pesselle was quicker.

"Wait just a minute then, what's all this about getting me a Chansey?"

Rei was the one to raise his eyebrows at her this time.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to start bringing in more partner Pokemon to the Med Corps! We need more Lucky Eggs and I don't think your Croagunk is going to lay them. Are you really gonna sit there and tell me you wouldn't jump at the opportunity to take a Chansey Akari is giving you for free?"

Pesselle bit her lip and Rei knew then he had her pinned. She could hardly argue with her own idea or every nurse's burning desire to get their hands on as many Lucky Eggs as they could for their patients. Having to share Blissey's eggs with Rei left her without access when he had a patient of his own to care for.

"It's about time she gets one of her own anyway! She's always borrowing your Blissey like she works for her!"

Pesselle scoffed at this and threw her head back slightly.

"Pardon me, but I believe she does! She's under Rei's orders and he's under mine so I'm twice as in charge of her!"

Pesselle's tiny smirk gave her away as not being serious at all and Rei found himself smiling, half out of finding it funny and half out of relief. He leaned his head on Akari's shoulder and ignored the way Pesselle started to grin at them. She'd long since learned not to comment on it at Rei's insistence, but he still knew what she thought should happen between the two of them.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Akari, thank you."

Akari patted Rei's back and hummed thoughtfully as she considered it.

"You'd probably wither away. It would be very sad. They'd have to use you for fertilizer in the fields because Cyllene wouldn't want you to miss any days of work over it."

Rei almost started laughing before he remembered the situation happening in the other room. That sobered him up immediately. There was still so much pain surrounding them all it felt a bit wrong to be having fun even for a second. There was still so much left he had to do before those moments would feel right again. Speaking of which...

"Akari, I do actually have one more thing to ask of you if it's not too much."

Seeing that had gotten her attention, he continued.

"Irida wants my help at the Pearl Clan Founder's festival in a couple days. She's inviting Adaman and Mai as the first Diamond Clan members to ever attend it and she's afraid that with how upset the Pearl Clan already is they might not like that Adaman especially is there... I'll need to bring my whole team in case someone tries to pick a fight with him."

Akari broke into an excited grin.

"Oh, a diplomatic bodyguard mission! How exciting! Considering the history there, I can see why she'd ask you. You're rather popular with both clans, and not a half bad trainer if I do say so myself."

She winked at him and Rei felt the joy of being around her start to bubble in his chest again.

"You better say so, I win more than half the time. If you do me this solid I'll buy you those paint brushes from Kalos Ginter's been trying to sell you."

Akari's eyes grew wide and she grasped both of Rei's arms as she lunged forward at him.

"The really nice ones?!"

"No, the extra shitty ones. Of course I mean the nice ones! I was going to get them for you anyway but now that I need something from you I have to hold them hostage."

"No! You wouldn't!"

"I'll give them to Chatot for chew toys if you don't help me!"

Akari looked so offended Rei half believed she thought he meant it.

"You really aren't giving me much of a choice are you?"

"Of course I am, this will be great for either you or Chatot depending on if you take the deal."

Pesselle rolled her eyes at them but smiled all the same. She'd witnessed enough of these little spats to know that Rei would give her the paintbrushes no matter what she decided and that Akari would have agreed to watch Volo even without being offered anything in return.

"I believe you two will be able to work something out. I'd offer to do it myself but I only have Croagunk to assist me and no clue of how to command him in battle should it come to it. I do have to ask though, are you expecting someone to break in to get to Volo or for him to try and make a break for it?"

Rei pulled back from wrestling with Akari long enough to sigh and shake his head at Pesselle.

"Honestly Pess, at this point I just want to be prepared for anything."

Chapter Text

It did not take long for Pesselle, Akari, and Rei to come to an agreement on the best plan of action moving forward.

Akari would go home and get to bed early, so that she could have a full day hunting Chansey starting the next morning. Rei had taken some time to mark a few spots on her map he knew would give her the best odds to catch them. Chansey may be hard to come by at random, but if you knew the spots they preferred to nest it was significantly easier. With favorable luck she'd manage to be back before lunch.

Until then, Blissey would go with Pesselle to help care for Roserade. When she laid an egg the next morning, Pesselle could prepare and serve it immediately to help kickstart what would hopefully be the start of the regrowth process. Rei had enough leftover egg in the Rotom fridge to make sure Volo was covered until Akari got back, and although he would have to work out something else for everyone else's breakfast, he felt this was as solid a plan as any other they could come up with.

The real challenge would be convincing Roserade to leave Volo.

It felt cruel to separate them so soon after they'd been reunited, but given the circumstances, they didn't have much of a choice. Roserade needed Pesselle's and Laventon's help, and that meant disguising his relationship to Volo as much as they could. If Cyllene caught on to what was happening, it could only lead to more trouble they didn't need.

But would Roserade ever accept that?

If Roserade resisted treatment due to not wanting to be separated from Volo again, there would be nothing more they could do. Extremely loyal Pokemon were known to have somewhat self-sacrificial tendencies. When Rei had been out training his own teams back in the survey corps, Blissey had jumped in between him and a charging wild Pokemon on more than one occasion.

Well, only one way to find out.

Rei handed Pesselle Blissey's PokeBall. She stashed it in her bag after a quick refresher lesson from Akari on how to actually operate Pokeballs correctly this time.

"Oh, I think I've got it now. I can't say I like the design of these latches, but I see how it works."

"Trust me, goes out of style in the future. Be good for Pesselle, okay Blissey?"

Blissey let out a happy cry and bounced up to Pesselle. She'd always been particularly fond of Pesselle, and Rei had no problem believing they'd have a great time together. Despite her blunders handling Roserade, Rei knew for sure she'd go on to make a great team with her new Chansey.

Pesselle smiled and patted Blissey on the head.

"Alright now, I'll believe you mean it! I have plenty of work for you now that you're on my team!"

Blissey let out another gleeful "blee", not seeming at all upset at this. She had always been very eager when it came to helping the Med Corps.

"I guess I'll see you both tomorrow! And do try and go easy on Volo, Rei. I know he can be hard for you to be around, but he needs it right now."

It was hard for Rei not to feel shame about exactly why she'd felt the need to say that. He'd already fucked up not yelling at Volo again. For every step forward they took, it felt like there was just as much backsliding. Even worse, each interaction was becoming an impossible tug of war between feelings neither of them were able to reconcile with their past.

Akari may not have known the full scope of what was going on, but it didn't take much to see how strained things still were.

"Yeah... I'll try harder, sorry."

Akari gave them all one last wave goodbye before sliding open the bedroom door. No noise could be heard coming from the room as she left besides the opening and shut of the door. Akari must have not deemed it appropriate to disturb Volo and Roserade to say goodbye.

That didn't bode well for them, then.

Rei shot Pesselle a nervous look and she gave him a firm one back. It wasn't going to be pleasant, but they had to go back out there. The wailing had stopped, and there was no point in dragging things out much longer than they already had. It was almost dinner time now, and Pesselle would be wanting to wrap this all up and get home.

"We need to handle separating Volo and Roserade with the utmost delicacy, no matter how high tensions start to rise. If you find yourself unable to handle things, can I at the very least count on you to leave the room instead of speaking?"

Pesselle sounded exasperated and Rei felt himself shrink back a tiny bit. He hated disappointing her. Even without punishments being involved, the fact it made Rei feel like he could be trusted a little less was hard. It had been very hard to prove himself and fully gain the trust of the Galaxy Team. Even now he still felt very sensitive to the fact that if that trust was lost again, bad things could happen to him.

"Yes ma'am."

There was a softer edge in Rei's voice that he offered to Pesselle as a gesture of peace. He wasn't going to argue or make excuses. He wasn't going to try and start shit with Volo. He would act every bit the model assistant she needed him to be.

He wasn't sure Pesselle looked completely convinced by it, but she made no other comment. All Rei could do was prove himself through how he behaved next.

"You best bring Blissey and Lilligant, in case things get out of hand again. Chatot I would prefer to have sit this one out."

Rei glanced over to the perch where Chatot was still soundly sleeping and gave a quiet nod in agreement. It felt wrong to leave Chatot behind, but even he had to admit it was for the best this time. With a wave of his hand he summoned Lilligant and Blissey to follow them out into the main room.

The room felt eerily still compared to earlier.

When everyone had been panicking and trying to catch Roserade, it had at least been lively. Crisis or not, he could do something about the problems then. It was when things had come to a standstill and there were no obvious actions to take that things began to feel truly challenging.

Volo's wheelchair still sat in the same position they had left it, back facing the group as they exited the bedroom. Lucario was sitting cross legged on the floor next to Volo with his eyes closed, meditating. He didn't open his eyes but Rei knew he could still sense every movement they made by their auras. Lucario had just deemed whatever he was focused on as more important than Rei and his friends right now.

As Rei walked around the uninterested Pokemon towards the front of the wheelchair, he found only Sylveon willing to pay him any mind. The sweet little Pokemon mewed softly from where he was perched on the armrest of Volo's wheelchair. Normally, Rei would have expected him to reach out with a feeler, but they all looked to be occupied at the moment.

One ribbon for Volo, and three for Roserade. Rei could feel his heart sink even lower than it already was.

Roserade was now fully wrapped in Calaba's flowery blanket and fervently trying to fend off the drowsiness his pain medication was inducing. His head dropped and his eyelids drooped but he would immediately jerk awake every time. Volo's puffy red eyes did not leave his beloved Pokemon's face as he slowly stroked the delicate white petals on his head.

"Rest now... It will be fine... We will be fine..."

Volo's hushed voice cracked slightly towards the end as he did his best to soothe Roserade's restlessness. He looked so much different than he had earlier when he was teasing Rei with the charm in his hair. The mischievous gleam in Volo's eye had been replaced with a dull, overcast shadow that made Rei's heart ache for him. Had he even noticed them enter the room?

Volo removed the feeler Sylveon had on him and placed it onto Roserade and the last of the Pokemon's fight to stay awake quickly faded into sleep.

"You've come to lock him away in a Pokeball, haven't you?"

Volo's head raised up and he stared Rei down defiantly. He had the same expression as a Pokemon that was on the verge of fainting but was nowhere near ready to give up the battle. Lilligant felt the tensions radiating from Volo and positioned herself where she could easily intervene if he made any sudden movements towards Rei.

And he so easily could have.

But Rei stepped forward with both palms up in a peace gesture, undeterred.

The way Volo was acting out didn't shock him anymore. Or scare him the way It used to years ago. Maybe Volo would hate pity over it more than anything but right now it was hard not to feel for him.

"No Pokeball confinement. Roserade has been admitted into the care of the Med Corps. There's no proof of chain of ownership back to you, so as far as the Galaxy Team is concerned, that's Akari's Pokemon. Pesselle wants to take him to Laventon and see if they can't experiment with a few things that might help him with regrowing his flowers."

Rei felt a slight chill go down his spine and instinctively turned his head to the side. Lucario had stood up and opened his eyes. They were locked on Rei in an intense way he'd only seen before during battle with him.

"So the Galaxy Team will be taking him away, then? He won't be staying with us?"

Rei looked back to see Volo's tense up at the thought and could almost feel the way Lucario was mirroring those emotions. He was so in sync with Volo it was impossible not to feel the anxiety amplified through him. Normally, Sylveon would be his ace in a situation like this, but moving his feelers would risk waking Roserade up and making things much worse.

Rei could tell what he said next would make or break this. Pesselle was hovering just out of the corner of his vision like a physical reminder he was still technically at work and needed to act like it. Rei took a deep breath in and tried to focus on acting as professional as possible.

"He's going to need to spend some time away, yeah, but It's something you and Roserade need to agree on first. We wouldn't just take him from you against your will. I know putting him into our care is hard, especially with everything else going on right now, but you wanted more options for treatment. This is the best plan we can offer."

A small nod from Pesselle set Rei slightly more at ease. She'd approved of what he said. But would Volo accept it?

Volo had started to twist the end of his braid in agitation, and the survival charm tied around it caught on his finger. He gripped it tightly as if he was about to snap it off and toss it across the room.

Volo's need for control probably wasn't helping him take this well.

Every muscle in his face was tightened and he struggled to hold back what Rei could only imagine were words he knew he couldn't say if Roserade was to get help.

Pesselle put her hand on Rei's shoulder as a signal for him to stand back and let her handle this. He couldn't do any more for Volo. Not when he was like this, anyway.

But Rei didn't want to leave Volo. Not again. There had to be something more he could say, couldn't there?

Rei ignored Pesselle's hand and knelt down in front of the wheelchair. On his knees he felt much more vulnerable, but in a way that was the point. He needed to let Volo know he was right there with him.

"When I was a kid, my dad got really sick and had to be taken away from us."

There was silence as Volo processed what Rei had said. His expression quickly morphed from one of despair and stress to one of puzzlement. It hadn't been what he'd been expecting to hear and he'd been caught off guard by it.

There was his in: Volo's curiosity. He would stop and listen if it meant figuring out what was going to be said next. Pesselle must have realized Rei had a new plan because she did not interrupt him.

"We weren't really sure what was going to end up happening to him, but the doctors said he wouldn't be able to come home for a long time."

Rei reached up and gently placed his hand over the one Volo had resting on top of Roserade's blanket. Volo twitched slightly under his touch but continued to say nothing. He only waited for what Rei would say next.

"I didn't know what they were doing to him or even if it would help him at all. I was scared that they'd do something to make it worse or accidentally hurt him. Every time we visited him he just seemed so depressed... He tried to act happy for us, but me and my sister knew it was fake."

Rei began to feel mist form in his eyes as the memory of how frail his father had looked hit him hard. He'd had a wonderful childhood before Hisui and that had been the first time Rei had ever felt like the world was falling apart under him.

"But then one day they said they were going to discharge him from the hospital. They were able to fix what was wrong and they didn't need to keep him there anymore. When we went to pick him up, I saw him genuinely smile again for the first time since he'd gotten there... I know he missed being with us, but I think it was when he was finally ok again, I really understood why it had to be like that."

Rei looked deep into Volo's eyes and held his gaze firmly as he spoke the last sentence. The mistrust and suspension that had been boiling and churning inside him simmered into a silent acceptance as Rei caressed his hand ever so slightly.

"I know what he means to you, Volo. I love my Pokemon just as much as you do yours. They are my family too, and that's why I only leave them with people I trust. Pesselle is one of those people. She's taken care of me more times than I can count, and saved my life more times than I wish she'd had to. I know you'd rather he be with you right now, but I also know what you want most of all is for him to heal from this. Please, let them try and help him, so he can come back to you and smile again."

Rei could have sworn Volo had no more tears left to cry at this point but he was quick to prove him wrong. A couple dripped freely down onto Roserade's blanket before he was able to cover his eyes with his free hand.

Pesselle's own hand once again placed itself on Rei's back as she approached from behind where he was kneeling. He stood up, expecting her to say something to him, but she was focused on Volo.

At first she said nothing, but her lips were slightly parted in a way Rei recognized. She was trying to find the right words. For a woman as confident as she was it was a small tell, but a tell nevertheless. She was just as afraid of ruining this herself as she was of Rei doing it.

"I'm not going to give up on Roserade. I may not know what to do for him right now but that's exactly why I need to involve Laventon and the others. We aren't your enemies, love. We wouldn't want to do anything to harm him further or separate him from you permanently. I may not be the best at handling Pokemon just yet, but I promise that I will always keep learning so I can help anyone that needs me, be it person or Pokemon."

Silence fell as everyone in the room waited for Volo's response. The low electric hum of Rotom powering the appliances felt like static noise understating the sudden emptiness. Not even Lucario so much as twitched as he hovered over his team, waiting for his trainer to make a decision.

"Very well, then."

Volo's hushed voice almost blended in with the background and had they not been listening so closely for it, Rei wasn't certain they would have heard it at all. Lucario backed off a bit

"I won't stop Roserade if he wants to go with you, but it will have to be his choice. If he agrees, you have my full support. If he refuses, you will not take him from us."

Rei pulled his hand back and stood before nodding solemnly.

"Of course."

He reached into his satchel and pulled out Roserade's new Pokeball, handing it over to Volo. He stared at it appraisingly as he turned it in his hand and inspected the craftsmanship. Rei felt a small jolt of insecurity as he remembered that he had been the one to craft that one.

The paint job was uneven and looked rushed because it was. Rei had never cared about taking his time with that part. When you went through as many PokeBalls as he had, the details that didn't affect functionality seemed unimportant. Now that it was sinking in that this would be Roserade's new home, he was starting to see why Akari took her time with it.

Did Volo find it insulting he had put his Pokemon in such a shoddy looking Pokeball? Maybe he didn't even think it was a worthy vessel for Roserade. Rei braced himself for an unimpressed quip about the quality but none came. Whatever Volo was thinking, he had decided not to share.

Rei would just have to keep the conversation going himself then.

"I'm going to let you decide when Roserade goes back into his ball if he decides to stay with you. Considering everything going on with him, I'd be willing to pretend I caught him myself if someone asks. It's not like anyone wouldn't believe I'd catch a wild Roserade that couldn't defend itself from predators."

"... And if he doesn't stay with me? I shudder to think what would happen to him in the stables... As you said, he can't defend himself. If an Ill mannered Galaxy Team Pokemon decides he's an easy target he'd be worse off for having gone. Can you say for sure he'd be safe with them?"

Volo was looking at him wearily in the same way he had been looking at the PokeBall. The clear lack of trust stung a bit although Rei knew he shouldn't take it to heart. No matter how much they'd done to earn it, Volo didn't truly trust anyone other than himself.

Rei stepped back to let Pesselle approach Volo as she took the opportunity to intervene and reassure him.

"You ought to know better than to think I'd let an injured Pokemon be put in a situation like that! He'll have his own bed in the Medical Corps room once he's been registered."

Volo's arms pulled Roserade closer as if to protect him from the uncertain dangers that lay ahead. His gaunt face and tired eyes stared Pesselle down apprehensively and she glanced over to Rei as if to ask if she had said anything wrong. Rei could only give her a slight shrug back.

"So he'll be there all alone during the night? What if something happens to him and you aren't there?"

Volo seemed dead set on finding a reason to be anxious no matter what path they went down and it made Rei suppress a sigh of exacerbation. There was no reason to think any harm would come to Roserade in the Medical Corps room, but anxiety rarely cared about how reasonable it came across. He reached forward for Sylveon's feelers and did his best to try and reassure Volo anyway.

"He's not going to be alone, we wouldn't do that to him either. Blissey has already agreed to help take care of him tonight and Akari is going to go find a Chansey for Pesselle tomorrow to take her place. Worst comes to it, I bet we could get Croagunk to help too."

Pesselle's Croagunk was a bit of an oddity. Rei had been tasked with catching it back in his Survey Corp days so she could use its poison as an ingredient in back pain medication. It was a bright Cyan instead of a more muted blue and it's cheeks were bright pink rather than the standard orange. Rei had been tempted to keep it for himself, but knew how much it was needed elsewhere. It was a rather lazy Pokemon that didn't do much other than lounge around the Medical Corps room but it would be able to keep an extra eye on Roserade throughout his stay. A lazy bodyguard was better than none after all.

"But Rei, that Chansey would be inexperienced and-"

Rei ignored the rest of Volo's rambling while he focused on not accidentally jostling Roserade while removing one of Sylveon's feelers to place back around Volo's wrist. It wouldn't be long before Roserade fought off the drowsiness again, but hopefully they'd at least bought some time to sort things out.

Volo trailed off and let out a small sigh of relief as Sylveon worked hard to quell his nerves while simultaneously keeping Roserade drowsy enough not to stir. The poor little Pokemon was starting to look exhausted from the effort of continuously dealing with both of them at once. He would have to take another break soon or risk burning himself out.

Rei waved to Lilligant closer again for security and motioned for Blissey to stand next to Pesselle. Sylveon couldn't keep this up for much longer and if they were going to do this they needed to present Blissey and Pesselle to Roserade as a team. A human that had the trust of a kindhearted Pokemon like Blissey would be much more appealing to a frightened and injured Pokemon.

"I promise we'll keep him safe, now please try and stay calm about this. Whatever decision Roserade ends up making, we need him to feel confident it's what you want too. He only trusts you, and if you can't convince him we're trustworthy, then he's never going to believe otherwise."

Volo put both of his hands over his face and held them there for a long moment. The only movement was from his chest as he took deep breaths in and out and from the stirring of Roserade as his bleary eyes finally fought through Sylveon and the pain medication to fix themselves firmly on the person he found worth fighting for.

Volo removed his hands from his face and beamed down at Roserade with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh, you've awoken! What good timing, my friends here from the Medical Corps were just telling me about an exciting idea they've had to help you! Isn't that wonderful? They've been so kind as to help me with my leg so naturally their good will extends to you as well! Such benevolent hosts, wouldn't you agree?"

Volo was radiating such a cheerful aura that it didn't take Lucario's abilities to feel the whiplash in the room, although from the stunned look on his face Lucario was certainly the most affected by it.

Roserade seemed surprised himself and became momentarily stunned by Volo's shift in outlook on the situation. He looked from Pesselle, to Blissey, and then finally to Rei as if wondering what they could have possibly told Volo they were going to do that made him so optimistic.

"...Rose?"

"Why, the Medical Corps has graciously offered to take you on as a patient of course! They'd like the opportunity to research your healing process and see if they can't do anything to help you grow your flowers back. Mind you they aren't sure if it's possible – this is all experimental after all – but you wouldn't find a more dedicated team of researchers in all of Hisui! Professor Laventon himself will be a leading part of it!"

Roserade blinked as if the glowing recommendation to the leading Pokemon Professor in the region didn't mean much to him. Or perhaps he was still somewhat groggy. It was admittedly hard to tell. Blissey saw that he was struggling to absorb what Volo was saying and kindly jumped in to explain things herself.

"Bliss!"

Her stubby little arms gestured to Pesselle and then to Rei as she started to explain what they had been planning in language he understood better. Judging from how long she took with it, she was carefully breaking it down like a nurse would instead of trying to sell it like a merchant. Roserade's expression morphed from one of confusion to one of contemplation. Blissey finished her speech with a smile and the room fell quiet again as they waited for Roserade's response.

At first Roserade didn't seem to know what to say. Not that anyone could blame him, this had been a big decision to drop on him so soon after being returned to his family. He kept looking from Volo's tight smile to Blissey's glowing one while holding his torn arm stems to his chest protectively.

"..."

After a moment Roserade slid off of Volo's lap and carefully detached Sylveon's feelers from his body. He shivered from the sudden lack of emotional support but fought through it as he stood up straight and looked to Lucario.

"....Raid?"

Lucario walked up to Roserade and put a paw on his shoulder to comfort him. A whole conversation of unspoken words passed between them as Lucario met his friend's gaze and gave him the reassurance he had needed. Tension evaporated from Roserade as his trust in his friend's judgment emboldened him.

Rei watched as Lucario gently nudged Roserade back towards them again and he felt his heart begin to melt a bit. Lucario had judged their intentions as pure. He was willing to put trust in them, even if they had been enemies not so long ago.

But the same could be said of Volo, couldn't it?

Rei glanced back over to see Volo's smile had become much more genuine. He didn't look happy exactly, but the fears plaguing him seemed to have been somewhat lessened by Lucario's stamp of approval. He looked up and caught Rei's eye and the two shared a moment of quiet solidarity. They were on the same team for now. They may never fully trust each other but they had to try and manage what they could for the sake of the Pokemon involved. They deserved better than a disjointed effort.

When Rei looked back down he saw that Roseraid had made it over to Blissey and Pesselle. They were already talking to him in soft voices as they reassured him that he would be well taken care of. Pesselle leaned over and gently stroked the white petals on his head while Roserade looked up at her with uncertainty.

"Don't worry love, I know this is scary for you but I wouldn't take you in if I didn't think you'd be safe. If you don't like it I'll take you right back to Volo and we can forget the whole thing. I promise."

Roserade looked back to Volo who gave him an encouraging wave from the sidelines.

"I'll see you again when we're both stronger and ready to fight another day, my friend! We will get through this!"

The cloud of gloom over Roserade lifted long enough for him to flash a determined smile to Volo. He nodded once and lifted his arm in the air as if it were a fist.

"Roserade!"

Volo picked up the shabby looking ultraball on his lap and held it out to Roserade.

"Alright, in you go! Be good for Pesselle and listen to her. We owe her a great deal of gratitude for what she's done for us."

Volo looked directly at Pesselle as he said the last part and she blushed slightly. For a man who spent so much time twisting the truth around it hit a lot harder when you could tell he meant it.

"Oh, don't go soft on me now, I'm trying not to tear up as it is..."

Roseraid reached up and flipped the latch to the ultraball and returning himself. Volo flipped the latch closed with a click and let out a long held breath.

"Well, that's that then..."

Volo handed the PokeBall over to Pesselle without any further comment. Without the need to continue to put on a smiling face, he was quickly shutting down again. Rei looked down and noticed Sylveon sleeping soundly by Volo's side. He had lasted just long enough to get through the final stretch but his need for rest had won out in the end. Rei took out his pokeball and returned him so he'd be able to rest uninterrupted. He'd done more than enough to deserve a good long sleep.

Pesselle slipped Roserade's Pokeball into her bag with the utmost care and clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention.

"Very well done, all of you! We had some bumps in the road at the beginning to be sure, but we managed to stick the landing!"

Blissey cheered and hugged Pesselle's leg while she laughed at enthusiasm. Lilligant tittered to herself and wrapped a long leafy arm around Rei's shoulders but he felt less like celebrating. His eyes didn't leave Volo, who was looking more and more withdrawn by the minute.

Lucario joined his trainer and placed a paw over his hand. It was no replacement for Sylveon, but there was something to be said for a friend who understood what you were going through better than anyone else ever could.

Volo held the paw in his palm and was able to summon the willpower to smile with everyone. Only then did Rei join in himself.

Chapter Text

The sun set not long after Pesselle and Blissey had left for the night.

They had said their final goodbyes as the last of the afternoon light warmed them in the doorway. Rei had sent Blissey off with a bundle of her favorite berries wrapped in a napkin for dinner. He hated that she would miss dinner with the rest of them, but Pesselle was quick to reassure him that she'd bring an extra special breakfast for her the following morning. After all, she had said that if Blissey was providing such a nice breakfast for Roserade, then it was only right she be treated to a quality one in return.

Rei had watched them leave alongside the final moments of the day, only shutting the door to go back inside when both were gone. Lilligant had already had the foresight to busy herself lighting the oil lanterns around the house before they got caught in the dark. It was something Rei still found himself forgetting to do every now and again no matter how long he'd lived in Hisui. Even with the appliances he'd managed to rig up to Rotom's electric power, there were plenty of things he still had to get used to doing without. If only the Space-time rifts had bothered to drop a nice lamp instead of a lawn mower!

Volo had shifted in his wheelchair slightly and was resting his elbow on the armrest, propping his head up in one hand as he leaned to that side. The flowery blanket in his lap was covering his legs again and from the darkening circles under his eyes, Rei found himself thinking that he probably felt a lot more exhausted than he was acting.

“You ok Volo?”

Rei kept his voice soft and his body language relaxed as he took his sandals off and made his way back up the steps and into the main area. Volo glanced over without moving his head any and did his best to smile at Rei. It wasn’t very convincing but it felt touching that Volo was trying for his sake.

“I would imagine I’m doing just as well as you are, which is to say, not very well at all.”

“Yeah, I guess there's no point in pretending otherwise. Do I look like shit? I feel like shit.”

Rei rubbed his face with the palms of his hands and dragged them down until they slid off. He felt as though he'd been hit by a Rhyhorn, something he happened to have actually experienced personally.

Volo sat up straighter and squinted towards Rei in the dim light.

“You look as though you've been through a lot.”

“I'm not sure ‘a lot’ even covers it at this point.”

Rei dug through his satchel and gingerly lifted the bag with Calaba's ashes out of it. He didn't want to forget to store them somewhere safe and risk losing them if he wiped out in the field. If Rei lost them in such a careless way before he even started the journey to Johto, he knew he’d never feel like he could show his face around the Pearl Clan ever again.

“Oh? What’s this now? Have you brought something back with you?”

There was no amount of exhaustion that could truly ever stop Volo from being nosey as long as his mouth could move and Rei scolded himself a bit for not realizing that when bringing out a mysterious item right in front of him. The concept of “none of your business” was a polite suggestion at best to him so he might as well just tell him and get it over with.

“I missed the funeral, so Irida saved me some of Calaba’s ashes. I’m just going to put them somewhere safe for now, I don’t want to lose them out in the field.”

Rei was prepared for immediate follow up questions (as usual) but the one Volo chose to ask caught him a bit off guard.

“You must have been very important to her then, weren’t you? Pardon me for saying, but I don’t remember you being particularly close with her before. Certainly not close enough for an honor like that anyhow. Irida wouldn’t do that for just anyone, so I do wonder what happened when I was gone…”

Very important to her.

According to Irida it was true. According to Mesprit, who knew even more than Irida, it was true. It hadn’t had a lot of time to sink in yet but the answer had to be…

“Yeah. I was very important to her.”

Rei fell silent for a moment as he walked over and gently set Calaba’s ashes in one of the drawers of the cabinet he kept Rotom’s Microwave on top of. He could feel the big ghostly eyes watching him from the appliance, but it didn’t bother him.

Rotom wouldn’t disturb anything in the cabinet but it would absolutely disturb anyone but Rei who tried to rummage through it. It was rare for Rotom to be given explicit permission to mess with people, but they’d come to a mutually beneficial agreement on what was to be done with snoopers.

The unassuming little bag sat among gold nuggets and star pieces, simultaneously the least and most valuable thing in the drawer. Rei shuffled some of the nuggets around until they formed a pile that hid the ashes from view. There, at least any thieves that somehow managed to get past Rotom would be less likely to notice it behind the glittering mound.

He knew it was a bit paranoid of him, but the Miss Fortunes had gotten a bit more bold with their attempts to sneak into the Diamond and Pearl settlements and snatch things as of late; it was only a matter of time before they started to test the boundaries of Jubilife as well.

Rei closed the cabinet and gave the top of the microwave a little pat, smiling a bit at the soft little “bbzzt!” From Rotom.

“Protect her for me, ok?”

Rotom gave Rei a mischievous smirk and a few sparks, but he wasn't fooled. Calaba's ashes were in good… err… plasma? Whatever it was Rotom had.

Rei turned back around to see Volo was still watching and waiting for him to say more, captivated by his need to know why. It was charming in a way. None of this was any of his concern or impacted him (that he knew about, at least) but leaving something unknown was unbearable to him. Volo being so invested in what had been going on in his life was one of the quickest ways Rei had fallen for him and he still felt that pull, even now. He could make you feel like you were important without even trying.

“Calaba lived here with me full time for the last few months, so I could take care of her as her health declined. She was really old, so it was mostly just about making sure she was comfortable and buying her a bit more time. Irida and the rest of the Pearl Clan visited a lot, and I know she wished she was still there with them, but we became really close and then kind of like family near the end. That must have been what Irida thought anyway, or she wouldn’t have saved me any of her ashes.”

Volo raised an eyebrow at Rei in surprise.

“According to Pearl Clan tradition, she shouldn’t have saved you any at all! That was all to be spread as far across Hisui as possible at the funeral with none left confined in one space. You truly like to make a habit of disrupting things around here, don’t you?”

“H-hey! It’s not like I asked her to! She offered and I wasn’t going to say no! Besides, I’m still going to spread the ashes! I-”

Rei managed to stop himself just seconds before accidently spilling the news that he would be going on the trip to Johto with Volo after all. He didn’t want to open that can of Orthworms right now. There may never be a good time to sort that all out, but there was a wrong one and now definitely was one of them.

“I just have a lot to do first before I have time for that! We still have to find a new keystone for Spiritomb and find Garchomp and Arcanine. I saw Ingo while I was in the Icelands and he said he’d help keep an eye out and tell me if he notices any sign of them.”

The mention of his still missing Pokemon snagged Volo’s attention and he cupped his chin with one hand thoughtfully as he mulled this new information over.

“Ran into Ingo did you? I’m not surprised, that man is nearly impossible to avoid. I always had to take special care not to run into him myself, what with the way he and that Sneasler of his patrol the highlands like they own the place! I suppose I should be thankful he’ll be helping though, he may prove to be a valuable ally in our search efforts.”

“I'm not holding my breath at this point but who knows, maybe he'll notice some sign of one of them.”

Rei knelt by the fire pit in the middle of the room and started to kindle a fire with the flint and steel from his kit. It only took him a few strikes to get a good spark and he blew on it to encourage the little fire to grow and spread among the tinder placed there. It had taken practice to really get the hang of making them by hand, but Rei had never really been afraid of fire.

His mother had been sure to raise him with a healthy respect for what it could do but was sure to remind him that it was as important to humans as it was dangerous.

“Back in the day, if you didn’t have a partner Pokemon to protect you, fire was the best thing to rely on to keep wild Pokemon at bay! It was sort of like a natural repellent! Unless the wild Pokemon was a fire type too, then you’d really be in trouble!”

Her loud laugh still echoed in his mind as loud as if he had only had that conversation with her yesterday. He could almost smell the marshmallows they had been toasting in the fire that he had been feeding dry leaves. It might not have been a campfire, but the smell of burning wood still reminded Rei of his mom.

As the fire in the pit grew, so did the light in the room. Lilligant had long since finished lighting the oil lanterns and was now trying to engage a weary looking Lucario in conversation.

In the dim light, the shadows on his face made him seem colder than usual as he gave her a confused look. His lack of receptiveness seemed to offend her slightly and she abandoned him in favor of going back into the bedroom to wake her usual admirer.

“Why Lucario, you’ll never impress any ladies with those manners! You should try and act a bit more chivalrous.”

Lucario snorted to himself and sat down in front of the fire by Volo's foot. He didn't seem to care much of what Lilligant thought of him either way. Rei stood up and dusted his hands by brushing them together before putting one on his hip and taking an exasperated stance.

“Maybe he's saving it for the men. He wouldn't be the only one around here.”

Volo flushed slightly but didn't bother to make the effort to deflect or deny anything. He let Rei’s accusation hang in the air as the light from the fire danced in his eyes, bringing them back to life just enough to make him look dangerous again.

But this look was a very different kind of danger than before, and Rei felt much less certain how to handle it.

“Would you say I’ve been acting chivalrously towards you, Rei?”

Volo smiled sweetly as if he didn’t know the answer was so clearly ‘no’. Rei felt his heart respond exactly the way Volo was aiming for it to but fought to reply with his brain instead. Watching him reach up to his braid and start to play with the charm again didn’t help any.

“I don’t think you’d act chivalrous towards anyone unless you thought you’d get something out of it, which kind of defeats the purpose. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but if you don’t behave yourself with that charm I’m going to take it back.”

Volo looked so wounded by this that Rei faltered and made the mistake of hesitating. Those sad gray eyes combined with how he seemed to wilt at the rejection looked so tragic. Had that been too callous?

“Oh? You didn’t like what I did with it? I thought it would be an appropriate way to wear a favor from such a handsome hero such as yourself, but if you want me to return it I will. It wouldn’t be very chivalrous of you, though.”

Rei felt his face burn and knew it wasn't just the heat from the fire pit. He could see Lucario watching from the other side of the flames and felt even more embarrassed. He didn't want anyone to know how much even the most ridiculous of Volo's compliments impacted him.

“Fine, whatever, keep it. Just stop pretending it means anything.”

Rei walked past Volo and Lucario and over to the kitchen area. It was well past time to eat and being hungry did not make him feel any more willing to deal with Volo acting like this again. No matter what happened he seemed determined not to let it go and Rei couldn’t figure out why.

“I think it means something more than you’re willing to admit.”

Rei froze in the middle of ladling some fresh water from his jug into a pitcher. For a moment the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the fire and the final slow drip of the water as it finished filling the jug. The urge to go and dump it over Volo’s head was so strong Rei had to march back past Volo without looking at him.

He emptied the jug into the pot that hung from a hook over the fire before allowing himself to even consider turning around and saying anything back. As soon as he was done, he slammed the jug down on the ground and loomed over Volo who shrunk back a bit in surprise at being confronted so aggressively.

“More than I’m willing to admit? What haven’t I admitted to you Volo? I feel like I’ve been pretty fucking open about my feelings! Why don’t we talk about your feelings for a change? You’ve been flirting with me this whole time like this is just some game for you! In front of my friends, even! What exactly is it you think you're doing? Are you even serious about it or do you just want to screw with my feelings more?”

Rei’s voice cracked a bit as he spat out the last few words and he felt furious with himself for getting so worked up about it. He could feel his hands start to shake slightly and didn’t know if his emotions or the hunger was more to blame.

Volo’s wide eyes and parted lips betrayed just how much the outburst had surprised him, but he shook it off quickly and smiled up at Rei with a huge grin as though he'd expected it the whole time.

“I do it to see how you'll react, Rei. You never do what I expect you to and it fascinates me! When I tease you I feel like I’m learning something about you I didn’t know before. You try to act as though you no longer want me, but your expressiveness betrays you every time. Were we on better terms it wouldn’t be as necessary, but I intend to survey you however I can.”

“S-survey me?! I’m not a Pokemon!”

“People and Pokemon are not so different from each other. If you intend to understand either you must study them.”

Volo lunged forward and grabbed Rei’s wrist, pulling him down into his lap before there was time to react. Rei landed a bit awkwardly with a sharp gasp, but Volo was careful to hold him steady in place. Their faces were barely an inch apart and Volo’s wild eyes pierced straight into Rei’s heart as he spoke, voice barely above a whisper.

“And I’ve never wanted to study someone as closely as I have you, Rei. I need to know what makes you tick, what drives you forward… I need to know every part of what makes you who you are. Perhaps then, I will finally understand what I lack.”

Rei’s entire body felt weak and how fast his heart had started pounding was frightening. It was a dizzying position to be in, made worse by the all too familiar ache it had reawoken in his soul.

"I know what it's like to be a young man longing for something you shouldn't want. I was just beyond your grasp, too... I do wonder how often you thought of reaching out and taking me..."

Volo reached out and wrapped his arms around Rei, pulling him closer when he faced no resistance. One hand settled on Rei’s waist and pulled him flush against him while the other on the back of his head where his fingers firmly gripped Rei's hair and pulled their faces together

Volo's lips were so close, hovering now only a fraction of an inch away from Rei's own. He could feel their breath mixed together and it made him tremble in a way he never had before.

"I... have been lonely for a very long time, Rei. I've been absent from civilization and human contact for the last three years of course, but even farther back beyond that still... I never made time for that sort of thing. I didn't want attachments to people I could lose."

Then their lips brushed together ever so slightly as Volo spoke and Rei stopped breathing altogether.

Lust burned brightly in Volo's eyes as they reflected the light of the now crackling fire behind Rei. He was hypnotic, heart stopping… and more importantly than anything else Volo desperately wanted him too. Rei could have cried.

"There's no need to love me again, I'm very aware that ship has sailed… but perhaps... We could ease our loneliness together? We are both so starved for attention we might as well give it to each other. No one else ever has to know of course, your reputation will be safe. If you're willing to teach me how this would work between two men, I'll be your eager student.”

The hand that had yanked Rei forward was now lacing their fingers together as if this had all just been a romantic gesture on Volo’s part and had absolutely nothing to do with him getting laid. His silky voice had felt so gentle it was easy to believe he meant it.

Heat coursed through Rei’s body and the urge to close the small distance between them felt nearly impossible to fend off. If he hadn’t frozen from shock he might not have been able to. He’d never wanted to give into something so badly in his life. Luckily for him, Volo was already leaning forward to press his lips firmly against-

A sudden loud banging on the door startled Rei so badly he fell off of Volo's lap and tumbled into the floor. Volo gasped in horror as Rei barely avoided having his hair set on fire in the fire pit. He was only saved by Lucario's quick thinking as he lunged forward and blocked Rei's head from going any further into it with his paw.

Rei had gone from being entirely bewitched to hitting an adrenaline spike so fierce he might as well have been ambushed by a wild Pokemon. He sat up and looked around the room wildly as if expecting to be mauled but grounded himself quickly as he adjusted to what the real danger was.

Someone unexpected was at the door and they could have very nearly walked in on several things they shouldn't have seen had they been less polite. Rei's mind raced as he scrambled off the floor and sprinted to grab Lucario's PokeBall while the knocking continued.

It definitely wasn't Akari, she didn't even bother knocking most of the time. It couldn't be Pesselle, that wasn't her knock. Was it Cyllene? Kamado?? Dreading the worst, Rei snagged the PokeBall and ran back into the main room. Lucario was quickly returned to his Pokeball and Rei tossed it to Volo who hid it out of sight under the blanket on his lap.

Their eyes met for a fraction of a second,and Rei saw Volo's face was burning bright red. He was certain his face wasn't much better but they didn't have time to think about what had just happened, much less talk about it. The knocking had gotten more insistent and Rei forced himself to speak.

“C-coming!”

Rei made it to the door and braced himself for the worst only to open it and find the one person he should have been expecting the whole time.

“Sorry I'm late. Got held up with some deliveries that got taken to the wrong people. Took hours to get it all sorted out but at least we didn't lose any customers over it. You okay there son? You look like a Shinx shocked you.”

Shit.

Rei had completely forgotten he’d asked Ginter to stop by.

Chapter Text

Ginter didn’t look much better prepared for the visit than Rei did, albeit in a much different way.

While Rei was struggling hard to calm his frantic heart and fervently hoping he couldn’t tell what had been going through his head hardly a minute before, Ginter was the complete opposite, being easy to read.

He was completely exhausted.

Run ragged as usual and worse off for it, it was surprising he’d bothered to drag himself to go through with the visit at all. No one would have said anything if he’d just come another day to parse through whatever potentially valuable items Volo had managed to scavenge during his exile.

But then again, it was likely not really commerce that Ginter had on his mind when he decided to drag himself to Rei’s doorstep to do more business after his already long hours. He wasn’t even looking at Rei anymore, instead peering over his shoulder to get a glimpse of the man that had been on everyone’s mind since his return.

If Volo stared back, Ginter’s expression didn’t change to reflect that he noticed.

Rei had absolutely no idea what to even say in this situation but suddenly remembered Ginter had asked him if he was okay and he was still just staring at him like an idiot.

“I-I’m uh.. I’m fine! I just tripped and nearly fell in the fire while I was starting dinner. Scared the shit out of me! Please, come in!”

Rei stepped aside for him to enter the house and Ginter wasted no time shrugging his oversized backpack off and propping it down next to the front door.

“Dinner, huh? I could use some of that myself. Mind if I join you? We could have a potluck here while I look over Volo's inventory. Got all sorts of ingredients with me. What are you making?”

“Er…Swordcap stew? I just put the water on though, haven’t put any ingredients in yet. Uhhh, please feel free to make yourself at home though! We’d be happy for you to join us!”

Ginter’s interest in a hot meal seemed to override any curiosity he had over Rei’s strange behavior, and he started to rummage through his backpack for whatever ingredients he seemed to have in mind. While he was distracted, Rei couldn’t help but take the opportunity to look back towards Volo.

Volo looked less than thrilled to see his former boss was joining them for dinner. He was absolutely fuming; his arms were crossed as if this were an incredibly rude interruption on Ginter’s part and not actually a very kind favor he didn’t deserve. If Rei had to guess, it had a lot less to do with doing business with Ginter and a lot more to do with his attempt at seduction being interrupted.

Volo caught Rei’s eye for a split second as he caught him staring and Rei looked away quickly before anything could pass between them, feeling heartache and anxiety bubbling in his chest. He really should thank Ginter for more than just help with dinner. He’d just stopped him from making a massively stupid mistake.

Rei had nothing at all against the idea of a casual hook up, (not that he’d ever managed to find one before,) but that… would have been one he’d quickly come to regret.

He might have been able to convince himself that letting it happen could help to get the lingering desire for Volo out of his system. Volo would probably be so selfish in bed that the overinflated expectations of how good it would be that Rei had built up in his head for so long would finally deflate like a defective pop pod. Then he’d move on with his life with it behind him as an incredibly stupid but overall harmless decision, and any leftover affection for Volo could be burned in the embarrassment of the memory.

But that wouldn’t suddenly make things with Adaman okay.

How could he live with himself if that very same day he’d singled out Adaman as his best possible future, he’d gone and hooked up with Volo of all people? Even if Adaman never found out, it sure felt like a scummy thing to do to him.

Rei thought of Adaman’s sweet smile and the way he’d kindly talked Rei through his grief all while holding his hand. He’d been so trusting and open and brave...

Rei didn’t consider himself to be a coward, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever have managed to work up the nerve to make a move on a guy like that. Not in Hisui anyway. Adaman deserved better. He could give him better.

Rei got a bit swept up in his memories of Adaman from earlier that day and Ginter had to clear his throat to get Rei’s attention back. He was holding a small bundle of Sootfoot Roots and Sandradish out towards him, and it took Rei an embarrassingly long time to realize Ginter wanted him to take them.

“Oh! Right! For the stew! Thanks!”

Rei took the vegetables and hurried over to chop them up and drop them in the pot along with the Swordcap Mushrooms he’d gathered earlier and some vegetable stock for flavor. The delicious scent of a much needed meal began to waft throughout the room as Rei stirred it in before sitting down by the hearth, and motioning for Ginter to do the same.

Ginter sat down across from Volo with a small grunt and accepted a glass of water Rei passed him gratefully. He took a long drink, all the while ignoring the intense eyes of his former employee that were flickering with anticipation in the firelight. Volo said nothing to break the silence but Rei could see words just under the surface of his lips and wondered what they could possibly have left to talk about at this point.

There was the obvious answer of course. Volo needed money and Ginter needed wares to sell. That wasn't complicated, but everything else about their relationship was. It hadn't even started with Volo's betrayal.

Ginter and Volo had been at odds with each other for as long as Rei had known them. It was never over anything serious as far as Rei could tell, just Volo slacking off on his deliveries and Ginter rightly telling him off for it. It wasn't anything that made Rei feel less starry eyed over Volo because often times he did it to spend time with him.

Exploring the ruins together and searching for plates took time away from work, sure, but that had been true for both of them. It often felt like a shared flaw more than just Volo's, although Rei's work was much more flexible he got in trouble for it a lot less.

But when it came to getting into trouble, Volo had done a lot more than just slack off.

“Heard you needed some cash and you're looking to sell. Finally got yourself into more trouble than you can buizel your way out of then?”

Ginter’s voice was cool and calm, but the tension in the air was rapidly ballooning out to fill the room. You could almost feel the annoyance radiating off Volo as that tight grin of his spread across his face.

“You could say that. Or you could say I've had a rather traumatic turn of events and could no longer avoid my return to civilization. I wouldn't be speaking with you now if I had any other choice. I know you must despise having to see me again so let's not drag this out hmm?”

Ginter's expression didn't change any at Volo's antagonistic behavior any more than it would have if Volo had greeted him like an old friend. Rei got the feeling that at this point Ginter knew Volo well enough not to be fooled by his act and Volo knew better than to try and fool him with it.

“This isn't a social visit, and I don't plan on it. I'll buy what you have and give you a better price than you deserve, but I have a condition.”

Ginter straightened up so he was looking Volo directly in the eye before continuing. He'd never been an expressive man, but if you'd been around him long enough you could tell when Ginter was really getting serious.

“Return the artifact you stole from the village. And don't deny you did it, we all know it was you. The guild doesn't do business with thieves but since that's all you took I'd be willing to let it go once it's returned. It's more valuable to the village than a feud with you.”

Volo flew forward to the edge of his seat, looking downright offended by this. Rei wanted to hurry over and shove him back before he fell into the fire this time.

“A thief?! I was as much a member of Ginkgo Village as the rest of you, and that artifact belonged to all of us!”

Volo seemed to realize shouting at Ginter probably wasn't going to help him any and slumped back down into his wheelchair bitterly.

“Not that it matters at this point, anyway. The Griseous Core was taken by Giratina at our first meeting after I used it to summon him. I couldn't have returned it then and I certainly can't now that I don't even know its whereabouts. I suppose you'll just have to leave then, won't you?”

Ginter scowled at Volo and Rei felt sure that a vicious argument was going to break out before he realized with a jolt that he knew exactly where this lost cultural artifact had ended up: at the bottom of his storage chest, submerged under a sea of tumblestones and apricorns. He'd half forgotten it even existed after years of not needing it.

When Rei had released Dialga and Palkia, he returned the Adamant Crystal and Lustrous Globe to Adaman and Irida respectively. Since he had no more need for them it only felt right to return the precious heirlooms. Rei hadn't known the Griseous Core Giratina had left him with belonged to anyone at all, let alone an entire village. Like Giratina himself, the orb had been cast aside and forgotten.

If Rei had known it had been stolen from Ginkgo Village by Volo he would have returned it immediately. The thing was he had no idea it had any connection to them. It sounded like they all had just assumed Volo still had it as they hadn't even bothered to ask Rei for it.

“Hang on!” Rei cried out before Ginter could snap back at Volo. The two men stopped glaring at each other long enough to look at Rei curiously and he seized the opportunity to gain control of the situation.

“Ginter, if Volo was to give you the Griseous Core back and apologize for stealing it would you be willing to help Cogita convince the rest of Ginkgo Village he should be allowed to stay with her?”

As the head of the Ginkgo Guild, Ginter was no small player in the politics of Ginkgo Village himself. As an outsider it was impossible for Rei to know where exactly their graces for Cogita laid, but everyone in Hisui knew how important the guild was. Especially Cyllene, who was the one breathing down his neck to make sure this happened.

Ginter snorted in disbelief at this and took another swing of water.

“I don't know which would be harder to believe, that he'd willingly hand it over to me or that he'd apologize for anything. If either miracle were to occur, I suppose I could consider it, but I’m not holding my breath.”

Volo’s stare was just about burning a hole in Rei's head now and he had to force himself to look at Volo when he started to object. He was shaking his head fervently and seemed somewhat bewildered by the whole ordeal.

“Rei, I wasn’t lying! I truly don’t have the core!”

Rei ignored Volo and went over to his storage chest while the protesting washed over him unanswered. With some effort he was able to sift through the upper layer of crafting supplies and unearth the treasure that had been waiting below for someone to remember it existed.

Like the Adamant Orb and Lustrous Globe, it was an unearthly gem of unusually large size and even more unusual properties. By themselves they were hardly more than pretty paperweights, but when used on their respective deity, would transform them into their origin form. He'd used it on Giratina himself after being given it by him after his capture, but not often.

Once Giratina's Pokedex entry had been completed, he'd been shoved into the stables like all the other Pokemon Rei couldn't possibly have had time for. Rei didn't know what Giratina had been doing since his release, but hoped what he was about to do wouldn't upset him.

Rei traced his fingers over the jagged gold edges of the Griseous Core and lifted it from the chest. He knew Volo and Ginter were watching and did his best to tuck the object into his kimono and out of sight as he rejoined them at the hearth.

“Did you forget an ingredient or did you have something you wanted to sell me yourself?”

Ginter only looked half as curious as Volo (who was nearly falling out of his seat again trying to crane his head and see what Rei was holding) but Rei knew it was because Ginter actually was a good businessman. If he came across as too interested, then he might not get as good a deal.

“Oh, I don't have anything for you.”

Rei shoved the core into Volo's hands and moved to the side so Ginter could see what he now held.

“But Volo does!”

Rei flashed Volo his sweetest smile with just enough poison laced in it to let him know he'd kill him if he screwed this up.

Volo and Ginter sat equally dumbfounded for a moment that Rei took advantage of to stir the stew. He was very hungry by now, and none of this felt worth burning dinner over. The smell coming from it now was incredible and it wouldn't be long before his Pokemon got wind of it and nosed their way out of the bedroom.

“H-how did you..?”

Volo was the first to speak, albeit somewhat shakily. He didn't seem able to believe that Rei could have materialized the exact thing he needed out of nowhere like that.

“I completed the Pokedex dude. That includes Giratina. He passed it on to me once I caught him so I could change his form in battle.”

Volo turned the core over in his hands and let it catch the firelight. It glowed a warm gold and lit his face up and for a minute Volo seemed to become lost in memory.

“I see… at this point nothing about you should surprise me, but you still manage. Giratina didn't allow me to hold onto this myself… but then again I'm sure he trusted you more.”

Rei was so lost in Volo's low voice and softly lit face that Ginter’s sudden laugh made him jump a bit. Ginter rarely ever really laughed, and when he did it wasn't like this. This laugh was one of disbelief more than it was humor, but there still was some humor in it.

“Well, I'll be damned. You played me like a fiddle didn't you, Rei? I was expecting it from Volo, but from you?”

Ginter smiled and shook his head in disbelief.

“I should be angry, but I'm not. You got a good head on your shoulders, kid. You'd make a killing if you joined the guild, though I doubt you're interested. I'll honor the deal, but I still want to hear that apology first.”

The room became dead silent save for the crackling of the fire. All eyes were on Volo now and he reluctantly tore his gaze away from the artifact to look at Ginter.

“....”

Volo's lips tightened. He looked as though he had been asked to swallow something very unpleasant and didn't at all appreciate it. He glanced over at Rei and upon seeing him nod solemnly, let out a long sigh.

“Ginter. I am so very sorry for the trouble I have caused you. I am sorry for…stealing… the Griseous Core. Please take it so it can once again gather dust in our village and be of use to no one.”

“VOLO!”

Rei shot Volo a furious look as he shouted and Volo winced slightly, backing down immediately.

“...What I meant to say was, please take this very important cultural artifact back to our village with my apologies and sincere plea for whatever protection they might graciously still spare for my wretched life.”

Rei's shoulders relaxed and he looked nervously over at Ginter for his reaction.

Ginter's face was unreadable and he let the silence stretch on uncomfortably as he scrutinized Volo.

“I don't buy for a damn minute you're sorry for stealing, but are you actually sorry for the trouble you've caused me? Do you have any idea what I've been through since you left? They about kicked the whole guild out of Jubilife you know. I always let you get away with so much, some people suspected we might have been in on your plan too.”

Volo looked stunned by this, and for once, actually sorry. He knitted his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, unable to look straight at Ginter any longer.

“I… yes. I am truly sorry for that. My sincere apologies.”

Ginter stared Volo down and the tension in the room grew. Volo's eyes were firmly set on the fire in front of him and Rei was afraid he'd soon overdose on awkwardness if they didn't get on with it.

Finally Ginter sighed and reached out a hand towards Volo.

“Alright, fine. I believe you. Now give me the Griseous Core and let's eat already, I'm starving.”

Chapter Text

Rei had always been the kind of guy who enjoyed cooking.

There was something strangely relaxing about putting everything else in your mind aside for a couple hours and focusing on the repetitive tasks of chopping vegetables and stirring pots. Rei’s mother always had him help her as a way to help keep him calm and focused on days he really needed the extra structure. She'd put on her favorite radio station and they'd work on dinner together in comfortable silence. Sometimes his sister or dad would join in to help, but more often than not it was just the two of them together.

Being a dedicated fire type trainer, Rei’s mother was the sort of cook to forgo use of a stove top or oven in favor of using a fire type’s flames to cook the meal. This sort of behavior was widely mocked online as being senselessly dangerous and not worth the fire hazard by Pokemon trainers of other types but Rei’s mother wasn't the type of woman to listen to them. She trusted her Pokemon to control their fire and in turn they helped to make some of the best meals Rei had ever had. He believed that his mother was right and the flavor changed based on which of her Pokemon’s flames they'd used. When you were cooking meals to be enjoyable, those little details mattered.

Rei hadn't cooked in that frame of mind since he'd arrived in Hisui.

It wasn’t that meals in Hisui were inherently worse or anything like that, but they meant something very different now. They were about survival. Having enough calories to get through a long work day. Rei was no longer cooking to enjoy a nicer meal than he would have gotten if he'd just heated up a frozen pizza, but to eat at all. If it didn't taste very good, it didn't matter much. As long as it was edible and wouldn't make you sick, it would be an inexcusable waste not to eat it.

Rei found it much harder to relax under the pressure of knowing if he fooled around trying something avant-garde with the food he had and failed miserably, he might just have to settle for a handful of berries from his satchel.

All the same, Rei had become quite good at cooking from a young age and it was a skill he had ended up needing far more than he'd ever expected to. What he lacked in willingness to experiment like he had in the past with his mother, he gained in knowledge of how to prepare the commonly foraged ingredients of Hisui.

Rei could make a perfectly prepared mushroom stew without having to think about it at this point, and while he no longer experimented with things like Pokemon fire and odd ingredients, the way Ginter and Volo were inhaling their dinner was proof enough that he did a pretty damn good job with it anyway.

Rei couldn't avoid noticing the sly glances Volo would sneak at him every so often in between bites. They never failed to make a small shiver go down his spine. Volo may have been eating now but he still looked so… hungry. Rei had thought he'd known what feeling lonely and desperate could do to a guy, but Volo was on a whole new level.

Given a bit more time to mull it over he didn't think Volo had been dishonest about what he'd said before they'd been interrupted. He probably really did see Rei as someone he needed to figure out if he wanted to know where he'd gone wrong in the whole Arceus debacle. No better way to figure out what you were doing wrong than to figure out what someone else was doing, right?

How exactly that translated into the bizarre things he was doing Rei was still a bit fuzzy on, but it seemed to make perfect sense to Volo. Not like that meant much. What made sense to Volo didn't have a great track record of making sense to others.

Lilligant and Chatot had come out of the bedroom just as Rei had finished and were now sharing a heaping bowl of stew themselves. Lilligant sat next to Ginter and alternated between eating a spoonful herself, and lifting one up to Chatot (who sat groggily on her shoulder) to take. Ginter eyed her wearily from time to time, likely somewhat unnerved by her towering figure and the fact she didn't even seem to have a distinct mouth *to* be eating the stew with, but for the most part focused on the task at hand.

Volo had pulled out his journal and was going over his inventory notes out loud to see what all he could convince Ginter to buy.

“Five star pieces, Eleven gold nuggets- horribly heavy things to lug around but I couldn't bring myself to leave them-, err, how much do King’s Leaves go for these days? I can't remember…”

Ginter looked put out while trying to keep track of Volo's rambling and let out an audible exasperated sigh.

“Just hand the list here, I'll look it over and give you an offer on it all as a bulk unit.”

Oddly enough, Volo shook his head at this and smirked a little bit as if he knew something Ginter didn't.

“I write all my notes in Ancient Celestic, you wouldn't be able to read them!”

Volo's haughty attitude came crashing down around him at Ginter's deadpan response.

“I can read enough to get by.”

Volo looked positively stunned by this, although Rei couldn't understand why. He didn't think anything he could say would help the situation and just hoped Ginter wouldn't become so insulted he'd give up on the deal.

“W-what?! But Cogita would have had to have taught you, wouldn't she? I've never seen you studying or taking any lessons from her!”

Ginter let out a bark of a laugh and gave Volo his own special brand of smug look that only seemed to add to Volo's outrage.

“The world didn't start when you were born, boy! I've been using Ancient Celestic to conceal my own business dealings from snooping long before your smart ass came along.”

“But Cogita-”

“You aren't the only person Cogita was ever willing to teach. Do you really think you were the only person ever worth her time?”

Volo looked so hurt by this Rei couldn't help but think he might just have thought exactly that.

“I-Ii was the only one she invited to study under her! All the other children-”

“Had parents to teach them.” Ginter interrupted and finished for him.

“We all chipped in and did what we could to help take care of you. What Cogita could provide was a good education, so she did. Don't give me that look Volo, you couldn't possibly believe she picked you out because you were a prodigy or something did you?”

Volo hid his face by quickly raising his bowl up and shoveling more stew into his mouth. His face was bright red and Rei didn't think it was the firelight doing it this time.

Rei felt a deep pang of sympathy for Volo despite himself. Maybe Volo hadn't been some gifted genius who Cogita couldn't help but feel compelled to have as a student, but he still was still incredibly smart. Rei had fully intended to keep his mouth shut past this point but the distress radiating from Volo and unapologetic silence from Ginter ate away at his resolve quickly until it shattered.

“He had to have been a prodigy no matter what reason Cogita taught him. He was only a teenager when he translated all those old ruins and legends to figure out how to summon Giratina, right? That's some really advanced stuff! I mean we're all pissed off at him for it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Cogita was secretly at least a little proud of him for being smart enough to figure it all out.”

Ginter looked as surprised to hear Rei put in his opinion after staying out of things for so long. While Rei pointedly did not look at Volo for any sort of thanks for the praise, he could feel his appreciation lighten the mood of the room considerably.

Ginter shook his head in defeat and chewed another bite of stew with a thoughtful look.

“I won't deny she has a strange attachment to Volo. If she's willing to take him in after everything he's done she'd have to. I wouldn't expect her to go easy on you, though.”

Ginter turned and directed the last part to Volo, pointing his spoon at him.

“If you were hoping to spend your days loitering about and bothering her you've got another thing coming. Once you're back on your feet she'll put you to work. I see a lot of garden maintenance, laundry, and dirty dishes in your future!”

Ginter seemed as delighted by this thought as Volo looked horrified and the subsequent conversation that broke out surrounding it felt a lot easier to bear than the very personal attack on Volo's childhood situation. If the worst Volo had to look forward to was chores then he'd still gotten off much better than he really deserved.

Rei tuned it all out for a bit and instead reached out and took ahold of Chatot before he fell off Liligant’s shoulder and into her bowl of stew. He had fallen asleep again in the middle of his last spoonful of stew, and gotten it all over his face.

Lilligant had not noticed and was about to offer him more before Rei intervened and took the little bird Pokemon into his lap. He wiped Chatot’s beak off gently before returning him to his Pokeball to get some proper rest. He'd always had a hard time shaking off status conditions, and it would do him some good to spend the night there without interruption. A sleepy tap from Lilligant told him she liked the idea of a good rest herself and Rei was happy to oblige her. His team had done enough today. He could take the rest of the night from here himself.

Sometime in the middle of all the bickering, Volo had actually handed over his journal to Ginter to assess and things had turned into aggressive bargaining. Ginter was an expert at it of course, but Volo was as stubborn as they came and knew Ginter's tactics well.

“I wouldn't think of parting with my stock for less than 200,000p! These are all valuable materials and those Galaxy Team types always snatch them up within the week! Have some mercy, I need this money!”

At first Ginter looked totally unmoved by Volo's whining, but something in his expression softened suddenly as the two men stared each other down. He let out a long sigh.

“You’re just like your mother you know… Entitled to everything and a pain in my ass. She thought she could get anything she wanted just because she was charming. Didn't help that half the people she met were more than happy to oblige her. What you have here is barely worth the deal you're asking for. I'd make next to no profit on it.”

“Then you're still making something on it and you’ve gotten the pleasure of insulting me and my late mother to my face. What more were you hoping for, Ginter?”

Ginter winced at this and backed down immediately. He ran his fingers through the back of his hair awkwardly and coughed a bit.

“I don't mean to insult Ama… She was a good woman, really. Cared for everyone she came across. I always had to bail her out of the trouble she got into when we took the guild’s ship to other ports to do trade. Couldn't seem to take her anywhere without her causing a scene, but she wouldn't let me leave her behind…”

Ginter's misty eyes came to once again rest on Volo as he stopped reminiscing. A shadow fell over his face as he glanced at the blanket covering Volo's severed lower leg.

“If your mother were here, she'd want me to help you. She wouldn't have cared what you did or who you tried to hurt. I never saw eye to eye with her on much, but I can't say I don't understand. I have kids of my own… good kids. Kids who had it much better than you.”

The room fell completely silent and Rei hardly dared to breathe for fear of drawing attention to himself. Volo’s face was frozen in a strange grimace that was holding back more emotion than Rei could have ever hoped to. He wasn't even trying to speak, but it didn't matter. Ginter continued anyway.

“I'll give you 300,000p, but before you say anything I need you to get it through your head that I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for Ama. You understand me, boy?”

Volo nodded weakly and didn't dare to speak. Whether or not it was because he didn't trust himself to try or truly had nothing to say wasn’t clear, but Rei was grateful he stayed silent. 300,000p would go a long way towards covering the experience of traveling to Johto and getting a prosthetic leg made and was not worth losing for mouthing off.

“Thank you Ginter, that's very generous.”

Rei decided that thanking Ginter on Volo's behalf was the safest move and Ginter looked satisfied with it. He finished off his bowl of stew and set it aside.

“You too, Dinner was delicious. A hot meal is always appreciated. Anything else I can do for you before I hit the road?”

Rei thought about this for a moment and immediately came up with some things that would be better to bring up to Ginter sooner rather than later.

“Oh! Yeah, if you don't mind I have a few quick questions!”

Rei dug through his satchel and pulled out some money, holding it out towards Ginter.

“Do you still have that paintbrush set Akari kept asking to see? I want to buy it for her.”

Ginter nodded and took the money.

“Sure thing, I'll have it delivered to her house tomorrow. Glad you bought it before she snapped and stole it, she was starting to worry me.”

Rei almost laughed at this but he wasn't completely sure if Ginter was joking. Clearing his throat instead, he quickly moved on to the next order of business.

“You wouldn't happen to be selling any Odd Keystones would you? It's the stone that anchors a Spiritomb together. I know it's kind of a strange thing to ask about, but I need a replacement.”

Ginter shook his head and Rei felt his heart drop.

“Nope, I don't sell anything like that. Not worth the weight to lug around. Most folks around here fear Spiritomb and wouldn't buy it. Nothing but trouble if you ask me.”

Rei let out a tired sigh of acceptance that things weren't going to get easier from here. He'd have to go out and spend god knows how long searching the Shrouded Ruins for-

Ginter interrupted Rei’s gloomy thoughts before he could sink far into them.

“If you're serious about it though, I suppose I could give you a lead. I was doing some business with Adaman in the Diamond Clan settlement and spotted one in his tent. Asked him about it and he said he found it in the area a while back and was using it to scare the village kids off from digging through his stuff. Told them it had a real nasty Spiritomb haunting it and not to get too close. Wouldn't fool anyone smart enough to know better than to think he'd keep a Spiritomb where he slept, but I imagine it works just fine to keep out the rest. If you made him a good enough offer he may be convinced to part with it, but I can't promise anything.”

Rei felt his mood change so quick it gave him whiplash. Volo gave him a confused look and Rei realized he'd started grinning like Ginter had just told him he was the Ginkgo guild’s millionth customer and would be receiving a big bag of Comet Shards as a reward. But how could he not?! He had an excuse to go see Adaman again! He thought he'd have to wait until the festival to spend some time with him but now-

Rei’s grin faded a bit as the half formed dreams of a wonderful afternoon flirting with Adaman over light hearted bartering were crushed by a sudden realization.

He'd have to drag Volo along with him to do this.

When he got the Keystone from Adaman, they'd need to go straight for the Highlands and wait for nightfall to collect the scattered wisps. The longer they waited, the more the wisps would drift and spread out and the harder they would be to find. At that point, they would have almost certainly left the area and were dispersing farther with each passing hour.

Rei knew he couldn't just circle back and pick up Volo if they were going to optimize travel and searching time and he’d already told Volo he was going to let him help search. Rei didn't have the time or energy to waste trying to change his mind. He'd just have to make the most of the situation as per usual.

“That’s… good to know! I'll make sure to visit and ask Adaman about it.”

Ginter shrugged off Rei's odd mixed reaction a lot quicker than Volo did.

“Glad to help. Anything else I can do for you?”

Ginter was obviously hoping the answer was “No” so he could collect his things and get going. Although time to sit down and eat a good meal had helped, what he really needed was sleep. Unfortunately for him, there was one more very important thing Rei had to get settled first.

“Yeah, sorry, just one more quick thing! Volo needs a way to get to Johto so he can meet with a prosthetist there and get a new leg. The Ginkgo Guild’s merchant ship goes there pretty often since it's so close, right? Is there any way we could catch a ride there?”

The word was out of Rei’s mouth before he could stop himself. It was such an innocent little word. Unassuming, even.

“We?!”

Volo had latched onto the word immediately, repeating it in disbelief as if it were yet another life changing revelation he couldn't believe he was hearing about. He was so awestruck that Ginter took notice and looked to Rei questioningly.

Rei found himself unable to swallow. There was no way he could have hidden it from Volo any longer if Ginter was to allow any space at all for them on his ship, but that wasn't the way he would have chosen to tell him. Ideally there would have been a lot more emphasis on how it was absolutely not about him in any way shape or form, but there wasn't time to get into that right now. Not with how late it was already and how many questions Volo would have. Rei knew he'd have to be as vague as possible and be firm in not elaborating any more than necessary.

Ginter did look curious about Volo's reaction though. He said nothing, only raising an eyebrow at Rei as he waited for him to answer Volo's outburst. Rei clenched his fists tightly and addressed Volo in the most controlled manner he could manage through his frustration.

“I know I said I wasn't going to, but… there's been a change of plans. I have some stuff I ended up needing to take care of in Johto. Pesselle's letting me go as long as I get you there safely and keep an eye on you.”

“Really? So you'll be staying with me then?”

Volo's eyes were wide and hopeful and Rei knew he needed to shoot that hope down before it grew out of control.

“I'm just gonna stay in the same area! Like I said, I've got my own stuff to take care of. Stuff that doesn't involve you! It's just more convenient if we travel together to get there.”

“What are you going to-”

“It's none of your business!”

“But-”

Ginter cleared his throat loudly and the two boys shut up immediately.

“Quiet down, I've listened to enough bickering today. I can make you a copy of the ship’s schedule and tell my crew to let you on, but don't expect to be treated like guests. If you're sailing with the Ginkgo Guild, you work with the crew. We don't have room for freeloaders. I'm sure we can find something for Volo to do despite his… situation. The chamber pots could use a good scrub. Been a while since we cleaned those out properly.

Volo looked as though he would rather be thrown overboard and was about to say as much, but Rei beat him to it.

“What if we pay? It's not freeloading then, right?”

Ginter considered this for a moment.

“I was under the impression Volo here was low on funds as it was. Although I suppose if you can afford to pay for yourself, then there's no reason you have to join him. 30,000p for a round trip. You can use the schedule to catch the boat whenever you'd like, but after the return journey you'll have to pay again if you want to re-enter the ship.”

Rei dug through his satchel and pulled out his wallet, counting out 60,000p and handing it to Ginter.

“That should be enough for both of us then. We’ll stay out of the way and not cause anyone any trouble.”

Ginter counted the money before looking up and raising an eyebrow at Rei.

“You're paying for Volo too?”

It suddenly struck Rei how odd it must look to Ginter that he would be paying to get Volo out of doing work. As far as Ginter would assume, Rei would love the excuse to have Volo do unpleasant things while he lounged around the ship. He felt his face heat up a bit. It didn't help that Volo was beaming at him adoringly now, causing his heart to malfunction the way it always did when he looked at Rei like that.

“I-if I don't, then he'll just complain the whole time and make me miserable! Plus I don't want to have to smell him after he's been cleaning chamber pots…. I'm getting my money's worth on that alone.”

Ginter seemed to accept this explanation although he seemed begrudged to allow Volo to slip out of the unpleasant tasks he'd wanted to pile upon him.

“Whatever you say. I'll let the crew know and give you the schedule next chance I can. I take it you're not planning on leaving immediately?”

Rei shook his head.

“Not yet. I've got a few more things I need to take care of before we can leave. Whenever you can manage it is fine.”

“Will that be all then?”

Rei had a feeling that even if that wasn't all, Ginter might just pack up and leave anyway. The Kricketot outside the village walls were singing loudly now and anyone who wasn't a night guard had long since gone to bed. The aches and pains of the day were catching up to everyone now that they'd had time to sit down for a bit by the fire. If Rei thought he could get away with it he'd be tempted to curl up by the fire right where he was and fall asleep.

“Yeah, that's everything. Let me go get Volo's stuff for you.”

Rei stood up a bit wobbly and stumbled his way back towards the bedroom. He slid the door open and looked back just long enough to see Volo mouth the words “thank you” to him. Pretending he hadn't seen, Rei went through the doorway and over to Volo's bed. The torn backpack sat beside it in a sad little heap. It had seen one too many bad days and would have to be tossed after Ginter had taken most of the contents. He'd have to give Volo one of his own bags to carry his things in…

Rei stopped where he stood and took a moment to think about that.

It was the right thing to do. The kind thing to do. The thing he'd do for anyone he thought needed it. But did Volo see it that way? Did he see any of what Rei was doing that way?

Worst of all, could Rei be sure he meant it that way?

He was going a bit too far out of his way to help Volo out, wasn't he? Helping Volo get his Pokemon back and making sure he didn't die was one thing, but buying him a ticket to get him out of work hadn't been necessary at all. What he should have done was buy a ticket for himself and let Volo work his way through the trip! If he'd done it that way, Volo would have gotten a much needed reminder that he wasn't a guest of honor, and that he didn't mean that much to Rei anymore.

But he hadn't done that. He'd bought Volo a ticket without even thinking it through. He was even thinking about which of his nicer bags Volo would like more! He was spoiling him a bit wasn't he?

Rei felt himself starting to blush nearly as badly as when Volo had been trying to seduce him. What had he done that for? What had he been doing any of this extra stuff for??

He thought of the way Volo had beamed happily at him and his heart flip flopped around in his chest.

He knew then why he'd done it.

It was that smile.

Volo's smile.

The one full of genuine affection and heartfelt thanks when Rei was able to take some amount of his hardship from him. When he took the opportunity to remind Volo that someone still cared about him. Was that where he'd gone wrong? Probably.

But could he bring himself to stop?

And if he did, would Volo stop smiling?

Rei picked up Volo's bulky Ginkgo Guild backpack and went to grab a smaller leather one from his closet. He'd bought it a while ago with the intention of eventually using it for cross-region travel on Pokemon back (where suitcases tended to be less optimal) but hadn't had the opportunity to use it yet. It had plenty of room for his new clothing and several convenient pockets for any other things he would want to carry.

This time, Rei caught Volo's eye as he walked back out into the main room. Volo seemed to perk up at the sudden attention and a soft smile returned to his face. Rei swallowed hard and awkwardly tried to arrange his face into an expression that made some sort of sense without looking too conflicted. He tossed Volo the new backpack and propped the old one against his wheelchair where he could reach it.

“Just take everything you're not selling to Ginter out and put it in here. I'll let you…”

Rei paused for a moment and tried very hard to say the word “borrow”. Beautiful grey eyes looked up at him gratefully. No matter what word Rei said, he didn't think Volo would mind at this point.

“..keep it. I wasn't using it anyway.”

Ginter looked surprised by this and let out a low whistle.

“Really? You're just giving it away? That's a nice leather bag. I would have bought it from you. Wouldn't be hard to resell.”

Volo glared at Ginter and pulled the backpack closer to himself.

“Honestly Ginter, I'll have no possessions left if you plan to poach them all the moment they're handed to me! Take what's yours and be done with it!”

Yanking a few items out of his tattered Ginkgo Guild bag and tossing it to Ginter, Volo was quick to stake claim to his new one by shoving his things inside it. Rei immediately recognized the Celestica Flute and his new journal, but it was the bundle of white and green cloth that made his blood suddenly run cold.

He still had it then.

The Sinnoh style outfit.

Rei wasn't sure what he'd expected to have happened to the outfit, but seeing it again brought back almost as many horrible memories as seeing Volo again for the first time had. His stomach twisted into a knot and the feelings of despair he'd long since buried clawed their way up into his throat and closed it until Rei could barely breathe. He felt sick.

Ginter was already snapping back at Volo but Rei couldn't focus on what he was saying. He didn't want to know. He didn't want to be there anymore.

“S-ssorry I… forgot something.” was all Rei managed to sputter out before turning and rushing back into the bedroom. He nearly slammed the door behind himself before collapsing onto his futon and curling up into a ball.

It was a stupid reaction and he knew it.

It was just clothing. It hadn't been the one to hurt him.

Rei thought back to the first time he'd seen Volo wear it all those years ago. For one innocent moment it was the most beautiful sight Rei could have hoped for: Volo on top of the mountain in flowing white, green, and gold, looking like a beautiful statue worthy of the temple itself. The only flaw in it was the twisted smile he wore as he finally let his true intentions be known.

No, it wasn't the outfit.

It was that smile.

Volo's smile.

Rei did not bother to get back up and see Ginter off or help Volo back into the bedroom. He'd seen more than enough of him for one day.

Chapter Text

The lone pool of water in the middle of Clamberclaw Cliffs was still and lifeless in the night.

It was nothing more than a collection of rainwater that had settled in a large ditch by the cliff face, barely able to be categorized as a body of water at all. It had no river to feed it and most of its surface area was taken up by a large island directly in it’s middle.

Occasionally Pokemon would stop to drink from the pool but no water types made it their home. It was a lonely sort of place, the kind social creatures avoided when they could. Perhaps the cliffs being Darkrai’s favorite haunt had something to do with the unease it induced, but whatever the reason, it was rarely occupied.

A small sliver of moon was the only light from which the pond was visible. It reflected dimly off the surface and illuminated the two figures that stood on its humble edge together. Rei wasn't about to complain about the moonlight though. If it hadn't been there at all his eyes wouldn't be able to trace the subtle curves of Volo's naked body as he climbed down into the pond.

Rei felt as though he could have recognized Volo from his breathing alone. Volo’s presence had always felt larger than life to Rei no matter what state of mind he happened to be in.

Rei felt a tug of déjà vu on his mind as he stripped his own clothes off, but was unable to place it. The world around him was as murky as his own mind and trying to focus on anything too hard felt impossible. This wasn't a problem though. What could he possibly need to think about when Volo was right there waiting for him?

It was effortless for Rei to slide into the water next to Volo and climb onto his lap. It was as if they'd done this a million times before. Maybe they had. Or would. What did time mean in a place like this? It felt hard to tell for some reason.

Rei felt Volo's hands grab his waist to adjust him right where he wanted him. And where was that? Rei wasn't sure, but it felt amazing. He reached up and wrapped his own arms around Volo's neck, pulling him into a long, passionate kiss. Volo returned it vigorously with all the hunger Rei expected from a man who'd been alone for so long. His nails dug into Rei's back, but the feeling was muted. Had the water numbed it? He didn't feel cold.

It should have been heaven in every way Rei could have asked for, but something felt… off. The sense of loneliness and dread still permeated the pond as if no one but him were there at all. But that wasn't right, Volo was right there with him! He could feel his hands, his lips, his *body*. He had never been less alone in his life!

“Why do you keep distancing yourself from me Rei?”

Volo's voice broke the silence in a way that made Rei jump a bit, startled. He hadn’t been expecting it for some reason. He pulled back and tried to make out Volo's face as best he could in the low light. Something about it seemed… frail. Colorless even.

“I'm not! I've been here with you this whole time!”

Volo smiled weakly and shook his head. He reached up and caressed Rei’s cheek softly, causing Rei to shiver. His touch was ice cold.

“It's too late for us, isn't it? Ah well… you can't blame me for trying…”

Rei was shivering himself now and he pulled back from Volo, standing up in the shallow water. He didn't know what Volo was talking about but they needed to get out of the water before they both froze.

Wait… why was his body so red?

Rei stared down at himself and noticed they both had an unnaturally red tint where the water had been touching them. Something must have contaminated it…

“Volo, we have to get out of the water, I think something's wrong!”

But Volo didn't respond. He had fallen backwards and his torso was now lying at the edge the pool while his legs remained submerged. A dark crimson bloom radiated from the water around him and Rei felt his heart turn to ice in a way that had nothing to do with the chill of the night air.

It was blood. And it was coming from Volo.

Panic gripped Rei so tightly he could barely breathe. He wanted to scream but the noise wouldn't come. He watched his own body move without thought as he gripped Volo tightly and started to pull him out of the water. His heart was pounding so hard he thought he might faint himself. There was too much blood in the water. How much had he lost already?

Finally managing to get Volo out of the water, Rei beached himself up next to him and scrambled to try and find where the blood was coming from in the dim light.

It didn't take him very long to find the source.

Volo's right foot was missing.

Enough air finally made it into Rei’s lungs to say something and it came out as the scream he'd been unwillingly suppressing.

*”VOLO!!!”*

Every Pokemon in the Highlands must have heard it but Rei didn't care. He couldn't care about anything else but the horrific scene right before him. Volo was quickly bleeding out and no matter how hard Rei shook him he wasn't waking up.

“VOLO, OPEN YOUR EYES! VOLO! STAY WITH ME!”

Rei searched the ground desperately for clothing in hopes he could make some sort of makeshift tourniquet to slow the bleeding but found nothing but more blood. Blood was everywhere, on everything. Volo shone with it, no longer pale but painted a sickening red.

There was nothing Rei could do. He felt himself start to faint. Volo was dead, he had to be. There was no way to save him… he'd failed…

Rei gathered Volo's limp body up into his arms as best he could and choked on his own sobs as he held him.

“VOLO-”

Rei woke with a gasp and shot up as he felt a hand firmly shake his shoulder.

His heart was still pounding as if he had just been attacked. It was hard not to immediately take a swing at whatever had grabbed him but reality was starting to set in and the fact he had only been dreaming did a lot to help calm him.

“Rei?”

The light from the window of his quarters was barely more than the light he'd had in his dream but it was enough to see that Volo was no longer covered in blood. He sat beside the futon on the floor looking just as he had the night before, if not a little bit more disheveled from sleep. The hand he still had extended out towards Rei betrayed him as the one to have shaken him awake.

Rei did his best to steady his breathing while trying to sort out how they'd ended up like this. A hazy memory of the night before told him he'd been exhausted and upset which caused him to made some poor excuse to leave the room before collapsing on his futon. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but all evidence pointed to that being exactly what had happened. He hoped Ginter hadn't felt insulted that he'd just left like that. He didn't want people to start saying he was slipping under pressure.

“V-volo? Is everything alright?”

Rei winced at how hysterical his voice sounded. Even though the nightmare hadn't been real, the emotions it had brought about were. He still felt like the terrified dream version of himself that had watched Volo bleed out and die while being completely helpless to stop it.

Volo scoffed at this, but nodded to reassure him.

“I believe I should be the one to ask that question! I awoke to you screaming my name as if you were being murdered! I grabbed the closest PokeBall I could and crawled over in hopes I could ambush your assassin, but there was no one there! What happened?!”

Rei opened his mouth and the dryness of it overwhelmed him. He grabbed the canteen of water he kept by his bed and took a long hard gulp before even trying to answer.

“I had a nightmare. Just freaked me out a bit. Don't worry about it, I'm fine. Let me go get your wheelchair and help you back to bed.”

“Rei you're *trembling*.”

“I'm f-fine.”

Volo scooted forward and took Rei into his arms firmly. Unlike the way he'd grabbed Rei earlier, there was no air of seduction in it. He held Rei only to anchor him to reality and quell his shaking. Rei closed his eyes and leaned against Volo's chest, listening to his heartbeat. The relief it brought was too needed to push him away. He still had a pulse…

Volo was a bit boney, but the warmth he radiated felt soft and inviting. He felt nothing like the cold corpse Rei had seen in his mind only minutes before. He must have been sleeping soundly under his blanket until the screaming had disturbed him.

“You aren't fine. Did you forget I suffer from nightmares too? I'm no fool, I know what I must be putting you through…”

Rei felt Volo's sigh as it made its way through his body. Any other time he'd be trying not to feel flustered from that, but the adrenaline pumping through his body wouldn't let him anyway.

“It's not about you…”

“It was my name you were screaming.”

Volo had him there. There was no point in continuing to pretend otherwise.

“Well… okay yeah it was *about* you. But don't worry about it.”

Volo's arms dropped away from Rei and he turned his face so it was out of view before speaking.

“...I still frighten you, don't I? I saw how you looked at me last night when I pulled out my temple garb and you nearly fell over yourself trying to leave. Were you dreaming of-”

Volo stopped mid sentence, unable to finish his question. His breathing had stopped and Rei felt a desperate need to restart it.

“No, It wasn't about our battle!”

Rei felt a little bit stunned but given all the context Volo had, it made sense he'd assume the worst.
Volo turned back to face Rei, relaxing somewhat but still parting his lips with surprise.

“Then what…?”

Rei ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment and dodged Volo's gaze. He didn't want to tell him about what he'd been dreaming about for very personal reasons—it has not started out as a nightmare after all— but there was no avoiding it now. He'd just have to edit it a bit.

“I was dreaming about you being attacked! I tried to save you but there wasn't anything I could do but watch you bleed out… I was watching you die right in front of me...”

Rei shuddered a bit as more of the dream resurfaced in his memory.. Volo reached a hand back out to Rei and waited to see if he would jerk back. When he didn't, he placed his hand on top of Rei’s and squeezed it gently. Volo's touch was no longer as nerve wracking as it had been not long ago. The gesture communicated comfort and solidarity in a way that words between them would have more easily muddled. Right now it told Rei the only thing he needed to hear.

I am here with you.

Rei took several deep breaths and did his best to shake the remaining anxiety from his system. It felt a bit ridiculous for Volo to have to be the one to comfort him about his own attack, but Volo didn't seem to mind. He patiently waited for Rei to calm down a bit more before saying anything.

“I… wasn't expecting that to be what was tormenting you. I've certainly given you plenty of better reasons to have nightmares…”

“You don't get it, do you?”

The blank look on Volo's face told Rei he very much didn't. Rei wished he could make Volo understand, but he wasn't sure if he even could at this point.

“Ah, well… I'm afraid not.”

Rei gritted his teeth hard and tried not to spit the next few words out.

“It’s because even if you don't deserve it, you're still my friend alright!? You are the worst fucking friend and a huge part of me still wishes you weren't, but you are! When you nearly bled out in front of me I was *freaked out*! Of course I'm having nightmares about it! I’m pissed off you hurt me but I'd never want you to *die*!”

Rei felt somewhat ill saying it out loud but he couldn't deny it any longer. Volo, against all odds, was Rei’s friend. Not a good one. Not one he agreed with on a lot of things. Not even one that was particularly comfortable being around just yet. But still, a friend.

Volo looked completely stunned by the outburst and something behind his eyes seemed to melt at the admission. No… not melting. He was tearing up.

“O-oh. I see.”

Volo's voice wavered as he spoke and he let go of Rei's hand to reach for something off to his side.

“I had assumed… well… nevermind about that then.”

Even in the low light, the familiar outline of the Hisuian PokeBall Volo's hand had curled around was unmistakable to Rei. He wasn't sure which Pokemon it held, but he still tried to imagine Volo setting it on the intruder he had imagined. It might have saved his life if there really had been one, but Rei couldn't imagine anyone but Volo trying to attack him in his sleep in the first place. It was incredibly confusing.

There was a long stretch of silence as Volo waited for Rei to say something more. The soft creaking of the floorboards as Rei shifted his weight were the only further comment he got on the subject. Rei was tired. No, more than that, he was exhausted. If nightmares were going to keep him awake he had no hope of making it through the next day without collapsing.

“I gotta try and get some sleep… I'm sorry for waking you up.”

Volo shook his head and looked down.

“You didn't wake me, I wasn't able to get to sleep. It's become… difficult.”

That wasn't surprising given everything that had happened. Rei wasn't sure if insomnia or nightmares were worse, but both were miserable enough. Neither of them were going to have a good night.

“Let me help you back to bed.”

Rei stood with a groan as his weary body protested and went to get Volo's wheelchair from where it sat next to his bed. Lucario must have been the one to help Volo back after Rei hadn't returned. The pang of guilt only added to Rei's terrible mood. He knew he shouldn't have just dipped like that, but the alternative of staying probably would have been worse for everyone.

Friend, Lover, Enemy.

Volo was trying to fill all three rolls now and it had become immediately unsustainable. Their already shaky relationship was crumbling under the conflicting demands on it. They still hadn't discussed the incident that Volo had initiated before Ginter had interrupted and Rei wasn't sure he even wanted to.

Would pretending it hadn't happened make things worse? Would Volo even let him? He hadn't done anything to indicate he was even going to bring it up, but then again he hadn't really had the time.

The empty wheelchair rolling against the wooden floorboards sounded louder than it should have. In this late hour of the night, most noises did. Even his own creaking footsteps sounded magnified. All the Pokemon were sleeping soundly in their balls but the well ingrained fear of accidentally waking Calaba still lingered regardless of her absence. It was a ridiculous thing to care about at this point and Rei knew it, but it still set him on edge.

Well, more on edge.

Rei parked the wheelchair next to where Volo was sitting and helped him safely up into it. When Volo made no attempt to pull him down into the chair with him, Rei felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment. He tried very hard to focus on the relief. Volo hadn't taken his eyes off him the whole time. Was he thinking about that moment too? How could he not be?

It took less than a minute to maneuver Volo back over to the bed and see him safely back into it. He was silent the entire way, seemingly too busy thinking to make conversation. Rei could always tell when the gears in his head were turning and taking his full attention. He had been turning the PokeBall in his hands as he fidgeted with it the whole way.

Maybe he was planning something. Maybe he'd just been given a lot to think about. Hopefully whatever it was wouldn't keep him up anymore.

Volo patted the edge of his bed to try and coax Rei to sit down with him but Rei stayed standing. He shook his head rigidly and Volo sighed in exasperation.

“Rei, I think you should-”

“I'm not sleeping with you!”

The words tumbled out from Rei’s lips before he could even stop to think about them. Volo's face turned bright pink, just visible enough to see in the low light.

“I-I wasn't going to ask that! Really now, let me finish!”

Volo awkwardly held out the PokeBall he was holding to Rei, not meeting his gaze.

“I think you should take Togekiss for the night. She's no replacement for Sylveon, but over the years I've noticed a distinct lack of nightmares when she sleeps up against me. You need the rest for our search tomorrow, please give it a try.”

Rei slowly reached out and took the PokeBall in his hand. It was still warm from Volo's touch and a peaceful aura seemed to emanate from it. Togekiss was an incredible Pokemon and Rei didn't doubt for a second that she had the power over nightmares Volo suspected.

“Oh…! Thank you...”

Volo was just being kind. It hadn't meant anything more.

Then their eyes finally met again and Rei suddenly wasn't so sure about that.

He gripped the PokeBall and nodded his head awkwardly before hurrying back over to his futon. He made sure the room divider was blocking Volo's view of him adequately, then flopped down on his futon with a huge exhale of relief. What had happened had been embarrassing but he was too tired to feel it at full force. Weariness had crept back in to replace the panic and it was only getting later with each passing minute. If Volo thought Togekiss would help him get some sleep, Rei didn't see any harm in trying.

The sound of a PokeBall opening broke the silence and the cheerful cry of “Togee!” could not have sounded more out of place. Something large and fluffy landed directly on top of Rei, knocking him back onto his futon. He didn't have time to do anything more than gasp before being fully overtaken by feathery snuggles the likes of which could only be given by a particularly loving Togekiss.

“Aaahgh!”

Rei's first instinct was to struggle. When a huge mass of anything lands on you, no matter how comfortable, it was hard not to. Togekiss adjusted her weight as she felt Rei under her and ended up sitting much less awkwardly on his lap, allowing him to sit up.

“Togeeeekiss!”

Rei spit out a few feathers as he recovered from the onslaught and could have sworn he heard the faintest snicker on the other side of the room divider. Rei's eyes narrowed, but he didn't dignify it with a response.

At about 5 feet tall and wielding a nearly 10 foot wingspan when unfolded, Togekiss was not particularly well suited to being an indoor Pokemon let alone a lap Pokemon.

Her weight was that of a large child, but it seemed to be mostly feathers that made up that mass. She felt exactly like Rei had imagined clouds to feel when he was younger, before he started flying with Braviary and discovered they were actually cold, damp, and miserable.

It was not hard to immediately fall in love with Togekiss all over again.

Rei had loved her once, back when she was a much smaller Togepi. Volo had been her trainer well before they'd met and she was a constant companion during his and Rei’s excursions together. Holding her while they hiked along the ancient trails to the ruins had always been a special treat. Togepi had a way of bringing a smile to his face no matter how weary he was.

Rei hadn't seen her fully evolved until the final battle at the temple with Volo. He'd barely even had time to register her drastic change, let alone think about it. Even still, he remembered the twinge of regret he always felt when watching her faint. It was the way Pokemon battles were supposed to go, but something about seeing such a sweet Pokemon hit the ground and cry out before fainting due to his own commands was heart wrenching. Togekiss may have battled well, but like all others of her kind she was a Pokemon of peace.

Rei buried his face into the feathers of her chest and nuzzled her. She cooed happily and rested her head on top of his, nuzzling him back. Clearly there were no hard feelings.

“Hi Togekiss. It's so good to see you again.”

It was a bit surprising just how much Rei realized he meant it. She was the least compromised part of Volo's life he still shared a connection with; a loose strand of shared affection that was uncomplicated and pure. She pulled back from resting her head on his head to stare back at him with big innocent eyes and a smile that he felt sure could melt even Cyllene’s icy disposition.

“Kiss!”

Rei smiled back at Togekiss and smoothed her silky feathers back with both hands.

“Maybe later, you're cute but I've had enough of that for tonight. Will you help me get to sleep? I'm having some really bad nightmares and Volo said you could help.”

“Gee!”

Rei laid back down onto the futon and patted his chest for Togekiss to join him. She obediently spread herself overtop of him like a large fluffy comforter and skewed her position off to the side so the bulk of her weight wasn't directly on top of him. Rei was never sure how much each Pokemon understood what he said to them, but they tended to be much smarter than a lot of people gave them credit for.

Rei closed his eyes and put his trust in Togekiss, letting the soft rumbling from her little coos pull his weary mind back into a deep sleep. The rest of the night, Rei dreamed only of soaring through the sky on Togekiss’s back as they flew over a peaceful Hisui together.