Welcome to Gaia! ::

Serrin shook his head. "No. The beast was pulled from his body, but he's still alive. The moment we correct the world, we'll heal him." He spoke as if it were merely a matter of time. That there was no "if" or "when". That it would simply happen when the time was right. That was not what he felt or what he intended, but what he knew.

Serrin did not fail. Tolin did not fail. They never had, nor would they ever. Even when he died. He was sure of that, though he did not remember it. He would have given his life with the goal to save those that he could. His death would have been one of success; the final and necessary step to whatever goal he pursued.

It was a confidence, or perhaps arrogance, that had been carved into both men over the decades. All things will be fine. All things end in success. Tragedies are merely stepping stones to the necessary. It was something that Serrin had never forgotten and Tolin had only let slip by once in the wake of his partner's death.

Serrin closed his eyes. "Alfred Sinclaire. A Gardevoir with dark black hair matched only by an otherwise white body and a pair of bright, green eyes. He was the sole survivor of his clan. His father was a Mewtwo." They opened back up and his smile that had faded briefly returned. "If he isn't your son then that's one hell of a coincidence, isn't it?"

There was no way they looked so much alike without actually being related. "He was nearly killed earlier today. He's in the hospital at the moment."

Serrin nodded and then closed his eyes briefly. Desmond reappeared in an instant, looking very much cautious. "We'll head there immediately. Please follow behind us with your own teleport." He dipped his head slightly in a show of respect before hopping onto the Lugia and disappearing.

Lilium carefully approached the edge of the pool. Atra was sprawled at its side, staring down into the water, the tips of his front paws just barely breaking the surface. He looked defeated, his entire body slack, his tail drooped across the wet, slippery ground.

The Cyndaquil had feared this. Atra had been spiralling downwards for months, and it's been a wreck of an emotional roller coaster for him. It's just been one thing after another, and the only mercy for the past while is that Atra has been too apathetic to find out the one thing that would break him.

Lilium should have stopped Atra when he left to find Zosee, she should have remembered. But he left and found the Manectric, and learned that she was leaving. Learned that the Team he had idolized had been destroyed, ripped apart, disbanded. Team Absolute Indignation was no more.

"Atra..." Lilium began hesitantly. It seems both of the twins had lost something of themselves that day they ventured into the underworld. For Atra, it had began even before.

"Go away." Atra didn't even look up, just stared at his paws in the water. The water that boiled and steamed and hissed around his fur.

"Atra, I'm worried about you." Lilium continued regardless, true concern in her voice. The Cyndaquil had raised the Flareon herself, and she saw him more as a son than as a master.

"I said Go Away." Atra growled. His claws slipped out of their sheaths and he swiped his paws through the water, towards Lilium. The Cyndaquil gave a small squeak of surprise as the water hit her, and she winced at their stringing touch. At this she narrowed her eyes and marched forward. Atra was on his feet by now, crouched down and baring his fangs.

"Atra Eclipse." She said dangerously. The Flareon seemed to melt at her words. He relaxed and looked away, slumping.

"I'm sorry."

Lilium sighed and walked up to him, stroking his mane gently as he laid down and hid his face between two paws.

"What's the point? No matter what we do the outcome is the same. Someone gets hurt."

"It's hard to accept that bad things happen to good people, but sometimes it does. But you know what? Good things happen too. Exploration Teams help others, and you're here to save a life, to reunite families, to help someone realize their dream. Remember that Garchomp? Because of your actions several children were able to see their parents again. You stopped a murderer."

"I couldn't save Molly. I wasn't there for Chase. Even Sherman's given up on me." My Childhood Heroes had been torn apart by life.

"No he didn't. The life just isn't suited for him. He's too gentle."

"And Melissa? You think she's ready for this life? Hell, how many Pokemon have I killed since I've come here Lilium? I don't care about it because nobody else ever seems to care about it but sometimes I want to rip my own goddamn throat out. What is it going to do to someone like Mel?" Atra was suddenly angry and lifted his head, his fur bristling. "I should have knocked her out and dragged her home if I had to. What are her goddamn parents thinking!? After what happened to Molly, how could they?"

Lilium paused for a moment as she came to the realization.

"This is all about Melissa isn't it."

"Damn she reminds me of Molly so much. How could she waste herself doing something like this? What if she gets hurt or gets killed as it seems to happen to everyone I know." Doesn't she care about what that would do to me?

"She made her choice, and she knows what she is giving up. She-"

"Do you think me stupid!? I know what we're up again. I've been listening. We're fighting Gods. Pokemon like that Arc'damned Dragonite. Half a dozen of them. Darkrai. Next thing you know we'll find that our entire family was a lie and we'll have to fight Arceus. It'll break her." Atra practically exploded. The straps that held his plate onto his back began to steam, hiss, and burn. The Earth Plate slid to the ground, its harness charred and broken.

"Some God he is. How could he take everything away from me like this?"

Atra simply got up, and began walking away.

"Atra-"

He disappeared in a flash of shadows, leaving Lilium alone beside one of the Plates of Arceus. She sighed and picked up the large tablet, staring at the Unknown runes upon it. Lilium had been passively helping Atra along, hoping that he would get better on his own. She now saw that he needed help.

Era made her way down to the springs, Phione pulling her along by the arm. The little Pokemon had eagerly informed her that he had something he wanted to show her that morning so she'd come with him. They had traveled quite some way, to the boundary lands, but the little one was persistant insisting that she needed to see what he'd come across. When they got there Phione smiled broadly, "Here Era can relax!" he said proudly. "Era's always busy, so now she can take a break!" With a smile he bounced over to the center stream, playing in the water by himself contentedly.

Era looked after him happily. She tried not to show it but the days of endless toil really did a number on her sometimes, it was nice to know that Phione had gone out of his way to find a place for her to have a bit of time to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, the Pikachu spotted another Pokemon sitting by the pool without steam coming from it, and in a moment she recognized it as Sai. Phione had likely passed the Glaceon by without notice since she was so still. Era wandered over to sit down nearby the Ice-Type, "Hello," she greeted her, "Fancy meeting you here." They'd already met so there wasn't much need for an introduction, provided the Glaceon remembered the Pichu who she'd once protected from a raging Bronzong as they'd stormed Sir Albert's fortress. Now of course she was a Pikachu, but even though she was evolved there wasn't much difference.

Era smiled, "Oh nothing much," she replied to Sai's inquiry, "Actually, it's my first time coming here. Phione brought me here,"-she gestured to the Water Type-"He said it was so I could relax. He's really very sweet." She looked back at the child who waved to her as he splashed about inside the water and gave a slight wave back. She looked about the area of the Crystal Springs, the warm pool and the colder one with the stream in between them, and lightly brushed her paw against the top of the water beside them, blinking with surprise at how chillingly cold it was. "You know, things are always a bit hectic around the Guilds what with everything that's going on, so I sometimes just enjoy heading out by myself for a bit to just...get a chance to breathe, you know." She laughed at that, recalling the last time she'd attempted the same thing, "Then again, the last time I tried that it turned out exactly opposite of my plan." With a pleasant smile Era added, "And how about you?"