Chapter 25 – The Veil
by acti_nerdingtonThe sewer’s stench didn’t waver any as Lexxi and Rickety continued to make their way through the underground, constantly checking behind them just to make sure Iron Valiant wasn’t catching up with them.
“I don’t think I’ve heard them in a while…” Rickety whispers quietly, taking a moment to pause, just to make sure and double check that he wasn’t hearing anything. “You think we’ve lost them?” He peers around one of the walls, keeping an eye and an ear open, just to be on the safe side..
Lexxi peers around with him, trying to keep her breathing as silent as possible, her body still trembling. “I really hope so.” She whispers, keeping her ears perked up, listening for any footsteps in the distance, but only heard the sound of rushing water.
Rickety lets out a sigh of relief, turning back around as the two continue to head further down the sewer. “Alright, okay… We’ve gotta come up with a plan, preferably when we’re not running for our lives. I don’t wanna stay down here any longer.” His muzzle scrunches up. “Feel like my sense of smell is gonna deteriorate if we don’t get out.”
“You and me both.” Lexxi chuckles nervously, taking another glance behind her. She does hear… Something. But it’s certainly not footsteps. It sounds like pattering, coming from up above. She glances up, eyeing the ceiling curiously. “You hear that?”
“Yeah.” The Riolu nods his head, slowing down a bit. “I think we’re almost at the surface.” He spots a ladder further down the sewer, gesturing for Lexxi to follow him before picking his pace back up, Lexxi climbing up onto his back and clinging onto him, as the two finally begin to make their ascent.
The sight that Lexxi and Rickety were greeted with as they pushed the sewer grate open was one to behold, the reality of the situation slowly sinking in as they take in the overwhelming abundance of their surroundings before them. Whatever this place was, wherever this place was, it was a far cry from the humble Treasure Town they’d grown to know and love.
The sky was overcast in a sea of clouds as rain poured down onto the smooth concrete streets, dozens, if not hundreds of tall buildings towering all around them, all of them adorned with signs, all varying in colors, from vibrant shades of cyan to the eye-catching bright pinks, just to name a few.
But clouds weren’t the only thing hovering above them, far from it. More of those robot Volcaronas loomed ominously overhead, silently floating above the city, slowly drifting along with each steady flap of their wings. There had to be at least a few dozen of them, but it seemed like there was no end to them.
The lights all reflected off the puddles on the ground, making the city seem even more vibrant and surreal, if not a bit captivating. The roads all seemed to stretch on for miles and miles, the amount of buildings broken up by the occasional alley ways that all led down darker, more dimly lit paths.
And the Pokemon around them, too. It… Didn’t seem like it was all too dissimilar from back home at first, but the longer they looked around, the more they noticed how different things truly were. There were still normal Pokemon, just like they knew, of course. Some of them were Pokemon they hadn’t seen before, a small green cat with a leaf pattern on its face, a dog made out of what looks to be bread.
Meanwhile, some of the more familiar looking Pokemon seemed different. They weren’t fully converted into robots, but they still had bits of alterations present in their bodies, half Pokemon, half machine. Their eyes landed on a small group hanging out in one of the dark alleys, consisting of a Lopunny of metal ears and metal arms, a Gardevoir with half of her face covered with metal plating, and one of those holographic eyes the other robot Pokemon seemed to have, and a Medicham whose legs, while slimmer in their metallic form, also seemed to be equipped with some kind of… Hydraulics? They couldn’t quite make it out from a distance.
The three had all turned to face them, to which Lexxi and Rickety quickly walk away and out of their line of sight, not wanting to deal with any further confrontations for the time being. They’d still barely had time to catch their breath. There were more of those robot Pokemon walking in the streets, a Donphan with red, glowing treads, a robo Mawile with sharp, metal jaws and some kind of pack strapped to its back.
Overwhelmed, Lexxi and Rickety rush under an awning, taking cover from the rain and trying to regain their bearings. Rickety tries to keep his breathing steady as he leans back against a window, not caring about how wet it was from the rain. “Hoooookaaaaaaaaaayyyyy, if I didn’t feel like I was already being crushed I definitely feel it now.” His expression darkens as his eyebrows furrow, looking out at the city.
Lexxi sets the wonderbag down as Rickety tries to get his bearings, rummaging through their supplies and checking what they had on them. Her ears droop a bit, realizing it wasn’t much. “Mmnn… Not doing the best on supplies. We’ve got a few berries and few apples, but we’ve only got enough to probably last a day if we’re lucky. A place this big has gotta have at least one shop or two-“
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The two hear footsteps walking up closer to them while they aren’t looking, quickly turning to see a Pokemon that resembled Virizion walking towards them, Rickety scooting closer to Lexxi for comfort. It had the same qualities as a Virizion, but definitely looked colder and more intimidating, a pink liquid flowing in the tips of its wings and its head as it stares the two down with its holographic eyes.
“Facial recognition not available. Database contains no matching results. Currently registering…” The machine says, its holographic eyes glowing a touch brighter as the “leaves” on its sides slowly outstretch.
“Uh-” Lexxi stammers nervously, feeling Rickety shaking beside her. “That won’t be necessary-“
“Facial registration complete.” The machine says plainly, its leaves retracting back into place and its eyes going back to normal. “Thank you for your cooperation. Please, enjoy your stay in The Veil.” The machine slowly bows its head before galloping past them, hopping away in a rather unnatural manner.
Rickety and Lexxi stand there, watching as the robot Virizion slowly vanishes from view, breaths shaky, breathing a sigh of relief. “It didn’t try to kill us, that’s a nice change of pace.” Lexxi mutters, shaking her head.
“The Veil… Is that what this place is called?” Rickety looks back out into the rainy city. He tries to calm himself down, taking slow, deep breaths. “It’s a… It’s a start, at least.” He looks up into the sky again, his eyes following the robotic Volcaronas drifting through the air, the glow of their wings faintly lighting up the dark, cloudy sky above.
Nope, nope, he can’t keep looking up into the sky too long, he doesn’t wanna look at those things. That, coupled with the sheer scope of the buildings surrounding them made him feel woozy, his legs trembling as he stumbles back under the awning, trying to calm himself and his upset stomach down.
Lexxi, taking notice of this, rushes over to Rickety’s side, helping him sit down against one of the walls, the pitter-pattering of the rain quickly falling down on the awning up above.
“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Rickety groans, scrunching his eyes shut and keeping his head down, his whole body shaking faintly. “Uugghh…”
“Take it easy, okay?” Lexxi says softly, putting a paw on Rickety’s shoulder. “We’re not gonna get anywhere by just standing around. Just, keep your head low and try not to think of what’s above us, okay?”
Rickety gives a shaky nod of his head. “Y-Yeah, alright, I’ll try.”
While Rickety was trying his best to keep himself in check, Lexxi’s eyes wander the city around them, taking in the sights and gathering what she could from her surroundings. Despite the obvious fact that they shouldn’t be here, this place felt strangely… Beautiful.
The colors of the neon signs mingling with each other, the music that seemed to play throughout the streets everywhere they went, the bustling life of Pokemon of all kinds, she knew she should feel scared, but for whatever reason, that primal fear was mostly tucked away, replaced with a sense of nostalgia, comfort.
There were too many factors to take in to get too comfortable here, though. Food, supplies, the question of how they were going to find their way back home, too many things to even begin wrapping their head around.
At the very least, it seems like the first of their concerns might actually be answered after all. Sanctioned off on the corner of one of the city blocks was a stand with half a dozen baskets set up around it, containing fruits and berries of varying kinds. Behind the stand was a small greenhouse, with a garden out in the back.
It was run by a Persian, with an accomapnying Lurantis standing outside next to it… No- It looked like a Lurantis, but it seemed to be another one of those robot lookalikes. Its build was a lot more nimble and agile, a lot of the frills that most Lurantis had stripped away, its scythes much sharper and more properly resembling the actual tools, a dark red sickle tipped off with a green point, its striped legs now a solid red.
The Persian seems to notice them, his eyes glancing over towards the Skitty and Riolu, cracking a smile at them. “I see you two eyein’ the place, I know where you’re lookin’. Can we help ya?”
Lexxi blinks, Rickety looking up from the ground towards the stand, his eyes drifting towards the Lurantis. “I-It’s fine, we’re-” He begins to say instinctively, just wanting to get away from the robot as fast as possible before Lexxi nudges his side. “…Actually, yeah, we’re kind of in a pinch and need to stock up.”
The Persian smiles, tapping on the counter of the stand, beckoning them to come closer. “If it’s stock ya need I’ll be more th’n happy to provide ya. My good pally over here n’ I got some of the freshest produce you’ll find in The Veil.” The Lurantis gives a few swift nods, its holographic eyes glowing a bit brighter, emoting in an eager manner.
Lexxi and Rickety walk up to the stand, taking a closer look in the baskets. It’s such a relief to see that even in the future, Oran Berries and the like are still around. They look really big and plump, too, a bit bigger than the ones back in Treasure Town. It was really tempting to dig in right there on the spot, but Lexxi restrains herself. “How much?” She asks.
“100 P each!” The Persian says. Decent enough deal, dont’cha think?”
Well… That was twice as much for an Oran Berry than it cost back in Treasure Town, but considering some of the other things here were more expensive back home too, it seemed like a decent enough deal, in a way. “Just, uh, give us a sec.” Rickety stammers, trying not to make eye contact with the Lurantis as he sets down the wonderbag, digging inside and placing a few coins on the counter.
The Persian takes a glance at the coins, his expression suddenly turning confused as he arches an eyebrow, pulling the coin closer. He glances over to the Lurantis, offering an equally bewildered expression, silently shrugging its shoulders in response. “Are you tryna pull a fast one on us, lads?” The Persian asks, staring at the two skeptically.
Thaaaaaaaaat’s not a good sign. Lexxi’s ears droop as she tilts her head. “Is there a problem, sir?”
“I don’t know which part of the world you come from,” He pushes the coins back towards Lexxi and Rickety. “But Pokedollars haven’t been used as a form of currency in centuries, at least in The Veil. We trade with Pulsars here.”
“…Pulsars?” Rickety blinks a few times, turning towards Lexxi, whispering to her. “What the heck is a Pulsar?” He asks, to which Lexxi shrugs nervously in response.
“If you ain’t got the right money, I’m afraid I ain’t gonna be able to do business with you folks. Sorry, lads.” The Persian shakes his head, taking another glance at the coins. “…Right interestin’, though. Ain’t never seen Pokedollars in mint condition like this. And you’re just carryin’ them around with you?”
Rickety tilts his head to the side. “I mean- They’re our money, so, we don’t really have a choice?”
The Persian glances over to his robotic companion, who offers an equally confused glance with him before he turns back to face the two. “You two’re strange fellas, usin’ ancient currency like that. If y’need Pulsars you could prolly sell ’em off to a collector, people pay good money for these things. Heck, even I’d be willin’ to pawn one off from ya, but we ain’t exactly got the funds for ’em, y’know?”
“Well, uh…” Lexxi shifts awkwardly, placing the coins back in the wonderbag. “Thanks for the offer, anyway. Sorry to have bothered you, mister.”
“S’allright, lads. Ain’t no harm done.” The Persian responds, the Lurantis nodding alongside him. “Just come back whenever y’ got some Pulsars and we can do business properly. Take care, aight?”
“Y-Yeah,” Rickety nods. “Be seeing you.” He starts heading off, a bit faster than he usually walks as Lexxi quickly catches up to him, the Riolu letting out a shaky sigh. “That should not have shaken me up as badly as it did. I could feel that Lurantis’ eyes just staring at us the whole time.” He shudders, shaking his head.
Lexxi glances up at him. “It wasn’t malicious, though. It honestly seemed kinda nice, even if it didn’t really talk a whole lot.”
“Lexxi, no- It’s not just that.” Rickety sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a frustrated sigh. “I-It’s weird, I’m trying to think of a way to explain it.” He takes a deep breath, glancing down at her. “We both know what a Lurantis looks like, right?”
Lexxi nods her head in response. “Mmhm.”
“So, my brain looks at it and says, ‘hey, that kinda looks like Lurantis.’ But the longer I look at it, the more the parts of my brain start to freak out and say ‘wait a minute, that’s not actually a Lurantis,’ and then I start freaking out because I have no idea what I’m looking at, because it looks familiar, but there’s so many things wrong about it.” Rickety sighs, rubbing at his head. “It’s dumb, I know.”
Lexxi’s tail sways back and forth idly as she stares up at him. “Mmnn… I get that, Rickety, but you can’t keep letting those thoughts get the better of you.”
“I know!” Rickety suddenly speaks up as he stares down at Lexxi, causing her to flinch a little bit. His eyes widen, expression softening when he realizes he startled her, closing his eyes and turning away. “I know, Lexxi, but I can’t just turn them off like that. I’ll try to get ahold of myself, but I’m still on edge.” He peeks an eye open, glancing back at her. “…Sorry.”
Lexxi sighs, looking forward. “It’s okay, don’t worry. Let’s just figure out what to do and-“
“Look, I don’t care if you said you were planning on getting them next week or next month, you should’ve had them ready for us in the first place!”
“I-I told you it’s been rough these past few days! I promise I’ll figure something out just- Leave us alone already!”
They hear two voices coming from one of the alleys, Lexxi peering into one, a bigger space than the rest of the alleys have been. She spots what seems to be two robot Pokemon a Delibird and a Pikachu from what she could tell, the Delibird walking (sliding?) up to the Pikachu.
The robot Delibird seemed to at least resemble its living counterpart more faithfully, not much in the way of differences, other than that its head seemed to be tucked away into its neck a little bit, and pouch seemed to be connected to a tube coming from its back.
The Pikachu had darker colors than its living counterpart. Rather than eyes, its whole face was a screen. Eyes, mouth, everything was holographic. Its tail seemed a bit more curved and rounded around the edges, with a glowing tip where the black marks would usually be.
“Didn’t we tell you that you’d be paying if you didn’t deliver on time? You got thirty seconds before I send a blade of ice into that screen of yours.” The Delibird-bot threatens, causing the Pikachu to back up against the wall.
“Yoooooooouuu really don’t need to do that, getting this screen replaced is really pricey and it’ll keep me from being able to pay you back further-“
“Not looking for any more excuses, pal. Pay now, or you’re going to be the one paying for it.”
While Lexxi didn’t have the full extent of what was going on, she still didn’t quite feel content with the idea of just sitting there doing nothing. She glances back at Rickety, who still seems to be a touch uneasy, but he steels his resolve, giving an understanding nod in response to Lexxi as the two start making their way into the alley.
The Delibird’s eyes glance over as it notices the duo walking into the alley, and not only that, walking straight towards him and the Pikachu. It narrows its holographic eyes at the two, the Pikachu scooting away from it ever so slowly to put some space between it. “You two mind? I’m trying to deal with some business here. This is none of your business.”
“Well, we heard you were gonna… Shove a piece of ice into their screen- Or something, but we’re not gonna let that happen.” Rickety says, trying to wrap his mind around the absurdity of what he’s saying.
The Delibird tilts its head, which seems rather tucked away within its neck. “What, are you his guards? I didn’t think he had the money to hire a few goonies, but if you’re sticking up for him, guess that means I’ve got business with you two, huh?”
The Pikachu-bot’s eyes blink on its screen-face. “Who are you two-“
“We’ll save the greetings for later, okay?” Lexxi gives the Pikachu a reassuring smile. “We’ll take care of him for you.”
The Delibird sets its ski feet on the ground, a faint revving able to be heard coming from its body. Without warning, it makes a dash straight towards Rickety, who instinctively thrusts his hand forward towards the Delibird and striking it with a force palm.
BREEEEBLPBAGBL!”
A cacophony of beeps and boops erupts from the Delibird as its thrown back from the force of the impact and…
Its head springs up from its neck, on a coil, its eyes replaced with two Xs as it falls onto its back, its now elongated neck bobbing and bouncing around. Rickety freezes in place, face going pale and his blood running cold, mind still running wild and trying to process the last five seconds of events, staring down at his hands. “D-Did I actually just-“
“Aaaaaaaggghhh…” The Delibird groans, slowly sitting back up, its elongated neck still spinning and wobbling around, a bit pained, but seemingly otherwise unbothered by the fact that its head was now three inches above its body. “Alright, I-I get the point, I’ll leave him alone. Ow, ow, ow.” The Delibird saunters off, leaving through the other end of the alley.
Rickety takes a slow, deep breath, closing his eyes and rubbing at his head. “I need a minute.” He slumps down and leans back against a wall, letting out a long, exhausted sigh, just tiredly staring up at Lexxi and the Pikachu.
The two stare back at him awkwardly, as the Pikachu turns back to face Lexxi. “I don’t know why you two felt obligated to step in and help me, but, er, I appreciate the help.” His tail wags back and forth slightly, smiling sheepishly at Lexxi.
“It’s nothing.” Lexxi smiles back. “We’re a little out of our element right now, but we still wanted to help. We know how it feels to be cornered by a couple bullies, trust us.” Lexxi looks over at the other end of the alley, confused. “Who was that, anyway?”
“Just an Iron Bundle that showed up and started threatening us some day.” The Pikachu says. “Threatened to cut our power unless we gave him some of our supplies in exchange, and we were worried, so we just kept following along with what he wanted.” His screen flickers, expression changing to surprised, awkward. “Ah! Apologies, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Current! Pleasure meeting both of you.”
“I’m Lexxi, nice to meet you too, Current!” She extends a paw out for the Pikachu to shake, gesturing to Rickety with her tail. “And this is my partner, Rickety. We’re an exploration team!”
Current’s screen is briefly replaced with a question mark before his face returns, his expression curious. “An exploration team? In this day and age? I’d thought everything had already been explored, but I guess there’s still more surprises left in this world after all.”
“Yeah, uh- There’s a bit more to that that we haven’t brought up.” Rickety says, leaning forward a bit. “You know how Lexxi said we’re out of our element? Yeah, we’re kind of lost, we just got here, and we have no idea where to go.”
Current blinks, eyes glancing towards Rickety, before turning back towards Lexxi. “Oh, dear. Are you two having trouble as well?”
Lexxi shifts awkwardly in place. “Well…” She clears her throat. “This miiiiiiiight sound a little bit crazy, and I’m not exactly sure how to tell you this, sooooo… Would you believe us if we told you we came from the past?”
Current’s face goes completely blank. Literally. His face disappears and everything, replaced by a circle divided into segments, each segment lighting up one after the other, the process repeating with each cycle, before his face eventually returns, looking even more perplexed than before. “Are you referring to the “ten minutes ago” kind of past, or the “thousands of years ago” kind of past?”
“I would say thousands.” Rickety says, still tiredly slumped against the wall. “Give or take a few hundred, neither of us know what year it even is.”
Current tilts his head to the side, tail light flickering. “How… Peculiar.” He says, beginning to pace curiously around the alley, mumbling things to himself. “Thousands of years into the past? But how? There’s only been one other reported instance of someone else having time traveled, but he had the instance of a time machine. But these two…?”
“Hmm?” Lexxi’s ears perk forward, “What was that?”
“Nothing, nothing!” Current says, smiling awkwardly as he turns back to face Lexxi and Rickety. “I wouldn’t say your claim is too farfetched! We have had… A bit of history of time travelers in The Veil, and by a bit of history, I mean one total instance. And to my knowledge, they never returned back to the past.”
Rickety arches an eyebrow, standing back up. “You mean we’re not the only ones who’ve gotten stuck here?”
“I wish I could tell you more, but that isolated incident has become a rather sensitive topic here in The Veil.” Current says sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head. “The less I speak of it, the better, if I’m being honest.”
“Well, that’s a little ominous…” Lexxi says, ears drooping. “So we still don’t have a way back anyway.”
Current looks the two of them over, seeing they’ve been completely soaked in the rain that was still pouring down. He looks away for a moment, before turning his gaze back to the duo. “You two wouldn’t happen to have any shelter tonight, would you?”
Rickety shakes his head in response. “No, we wouldn’t even know the first place to look for one. We spent half an hour trying to find a store, only to learn we didn’t even have the right money to buy anything from it.”
Current’s face is replaced with one of those spinning circles once again, though for a much shorter length of time, before his face returns with a smile. “I don’t usually offer anyone this, but since you’ve helped us out a great deal, I’m willing to make an exception.” He walks over to one of the buildings, heading down a small stairway that led to a door. “Follow me.” He pushes the door open, heading inside.
Lexxi and Rickety look at each other, Rickety turning to the door. “Well… The part of my brain that was freaking out earlier has gotten quiet, at least. I can handle this.”
Lexxi smiles, muffling a laugh to herself. “Well, my brain is saying you’re a dork, so let’s get going.” She says, walking down the steps with Rickety beside her.
“And I’d say that part of your brain is right.” He chuckles softly, stopping on the steps for a moment, catching sight of a faded poster that was plasted on the wall just outisde the door. It depicted an illustration of those Volcarona robots, the words “BEWARE THE SHADOWS OF THE DRONES” written in bold text underneath.
He briefly glances up into the sky again, not seeing any of those robots in this part of the area. At least, for now. At least it seems like they didn’t have any eyes on them here… He shakes his head, rubbing at his face before steeling himself once again, following Lexxi through the door.
The stairway down led them into a cozy, comfy little den lit up with admittedly fairly weak lighting, most of the illumination coming from the lamps hanging off the sides of the wall, all lighting up a fairly large, open den area, a stage at the end of the room, a small snack bar tucked away in the corner, and a few blanks and pillows sprawled across the floor.
It was fairly active, a number of Pokemon, synthetic, organic and cybernetic alike all seemed to be talking amongst each other, some of the younger ones even playing with each other by chasing each other around, climbing up onto some of the lamps and jumping from one to another.
“It might not seem like much, but this is our home!” Current says happily, glancing back at Lexxi and Rickety as they all descend the steps. “Welcome to the Rodent’s Sanctuary. Our own little haven. With a music selection, featuring up to eight hundred hours of music!~”
Rickety blinks, eyes going wide. “Eight hundred hours? You guys really need that much?”
“Well, of course we do!” Current chuckles softly. “Music is a very important part to the culture of The Veil! Music can convey such a wide variety of emotions and beauty, and you’ll be hard pressed to find somebody in The Veil that doesn’t cherish music in some shape or form.” He smiles as he explains, tail wagging and flickering behind him.
Lexxi glances up at a neon sign that seems to still be hanging up on the wall as they keep making their way down the steps. It’s not lit up, but it still ends up catching her attention. It read “RED PLANET” with a picture of, what else, a giant red planet behind the lettering. “Did this place used to be some kind of gathering spot? I can’t imagine any other reason you’d have that much music.”
“I believe so, yes. I don’t think this one was as popular, we found it abandoned and messy when we first got here a couple years ago. The Veil is full of dance clubs, every district has at least a couple of them, so we think this one might’ve been smaller, independently run, even! But it’s just another abandoned piece of human history, like most things in The Veil.”
Lexxi’s ears perk. “Did you say humans?” She walks closer towards Current, meeting Rickety’s place on the steps. “What do you mean? What happened to them?”
Current glances back at them, shrugging. “I hear they left Earth for the stars a long time ago. Some stayed behind, but the amount of humans left was so insignificant, the population may as well not be there at all.”
“…That’s a lot to digest.” Rickety says, stammering. “What do you mean they left for the stars?”
“They’re not on Earth anymore. I don’t know how else I can put it.” Current says, reaching the bottom of the steps. “I’m not sure of their exact reasons as to why a majority of humanity abandoned Earth, so all I can do is speculate.”
The more Lexxi learns about humanity, whether it be through the necklaces or elsewhere, the more confused she becomes. This just keeps putting ideas in her head, but they’re all ridiculous. Being a human was one thing, but what if she was a human from the future?
No, no, that’s silly, that’s so incredibly silly to think about.
…Right?
“I’d be more than happy to show you around the place! But from my understanding, it seems like you two are awfully exhausted.” Current says, glancing back at Rickety and Lexxi as they reach the bottom of the staircase. “I could offer a tour tomorrow, if you so wish.”
Lexxi nods her head in response, distracting herself from the spiral of thoughts she’d caught herself in. “That’ll be fine, thank you. Are there any beds available for us, or-“
“Plenty of them! We’re a little emptier right now than we usually are, so pick any one you like! Though I doubt any of them will have varying qualities. Personal preference, I suppose!” The screen on Current’s face changing to a happier emote. “You’re free to stay as long as you wish and come back whenever you please. I’ve got other matters to attend to, so I’ll see you in the morning. Hope you two sleep well.” Current nods his head, wagging his tail as it flickers before heading off into one of the doors by the stage.
Rickety and Lexxi, looking out at the dozens of blankets and cushions scattered across the floor, settle on one tucked away in one of the corners of the room, sprawling across it.
Rickety says as he lays down on his stomach, eyes half closed, letting his body lay limply across the blanket. He glances over towards Lexxi, shuffling in place. “You holding up okay?”
Lexxi lays herself down beside him, nodding her head a few times. “I’m fine. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but I know we’ll find our way back home. Somehow.” She pauses for a moment, expression turning concerned. “What about you? It seems like everything’s been really rough on you?”
“That’s putting it lightly.” Rickety chuckles nervously, burying his face in the blanket. “I can barely comprehend everything that’s happened to us. Dusknoir’s a really bad guy who’d been lying to us this whole time, we’re stuck in this freaky future full of robot Pokemon with no way to get home…” He sighs. “I’m scared. I’m really, really scared.”
Lexxi slowly reaches out, patting Rickety on the head, lightly brushing a paw through his hair. “We’ll be okay, Rickety. We’ve gotten through everything else, we’ll get through this too.”
“Mmmnhh…” Rickety muffles, still continuing to lay there. “…I miss the guild already. I miss Bungie, I miss corphish, I miss Xero and Zorora- Heck, I even miss Loudred. It’s gonna be weird not hearing him screaming at us to wake up tomorrow.”
“Yeah…” Lexxi’s ears droop, gaze turning away. “I miss ’em too. They’re probably worried sick about us. They don’t know where we are, they have no idea what’s going on, I can’t even begin to imagine how we’re gonna tell them about this. But… That’s something we’re probably going to have to figure out later.” She sighs, curling up on the blanket. “Let’s just try to get some rest. We’ve got a big day tomorrow. Goodnight, Rickety.”
“Mmhm.” Rickety nods in response, letting out a quiet yawn as he closes his eyes. “Goodnnight, Lexxi…”
“…The Passage of Time won’t be fully active for at least a few days?”
“I’m sorry, Glyphy,” A sigh can be heard coming from the intercoms, faintly echoing through the lab. “I’m doing everything I can to power it up as efficiently as possible but that one trip drained a lot of energy. It still hasn’t fully recharged in the time you’ve been gone.”
The machine sighs, rubbing at his head. “…I see. I suppose the one saving grace is that Dusknoir is still trying to decode and analyze the data, but I’m not sure how long we have. Are you sure there isn’t any way you can power it faster?”
“Hmmm… I could turn of some of the less necessary parts of the station that aren’t in use and divert that power to the Passage of Time, but It’ll only reduce its charge time by a few hours, no faster than that.”
“Do it. Any advantage we have over Dusknoir is one we need to make use of.” Glyph turns around, making his way for the exit. “Let me know when it’s ready. I’m heading back into the city.”
“You mean you’re leaving again?” The voice on the intercoms pouts, huffing. “What could it possibly be for this time, hmm?”
“Pixie, they’re looking for me, now more than ever.” He turns back again. “I can’t risk them following me here. If I stay in The Veil, you’ll be safe out here. I don’t want anything happening to you.”
The voice on the intercom stays silent, before eventually letting out a sigh. “Such a stubborn robot you are, Glyphy… Alright. Stay safe out there for me, okay? And… Don’t die?”
Glyph starts heading back out again, the doors hissing as they slide open. “Dying is a choice.” He says, before leaving.
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