Chapter 26 – Awakening With You
by acti_nerdingtonLexxi slowly peeks her eyes open, the faint humming of the lamps above quietly droning in her ears as she streeeeeeeetches her body out, yawning quietly. It was still fairly quiet, a couple of residents of the Rodent’s Sanctuary seeming to be chatting with each other over at the snack bar, and the younger Pokemon still seemed to be sleeping away.
As was Rickety. He was all curled up on the blanket, still snoozing quietly. It’d been a while since she’d seen him look so… Peaceful. She decides not to disturb him. Given the toll the last day has taken on him, he probably needs the sleep much more than she does.
The lack of windows in the Rodent’s Sanctuary made it hard to tell what time of day it actually was, the ambiance of The Veil outside a bit quieter than it was last night. Quietly getting up, she walks up the steps, deciding to take a peek outside, cracking the door open and poking her head out.
The alley was quiet, unoccupied. She could see a few Pokemon walking just outside the alley, though, visible through the gaps between the buildings before disappearing once again.
Looking up at the sky revealed that the clouds had cleared, but, also something peculiar. The morning sky was no longer this a familiar gradient of orange and blue, but a deep, ethereal green, the stars still visible just as if it were night.
The memory of the vision she had seen in the DREAMS necklace came to mind, thinking back to the beach. It was that same sky, that same green color, the near identical pattern of stars hovering up above in the sky. But seeing it among the city felt so different. It just made their surroundings feel that much more surreal, and strange. A reminder that they.
But it also brought another thought to her mind.
She thinks back to what Current had told them last night about humans. Having left among the stars, abandoning Earth and seemingly never coming back. But the Traveler… They’d returned to Earth, and not only that, but in the same area that Treasure Town resided, on the very same beach that she had woken up on.
Why?
Was there something valuable left on Earth? Did those “gates” that the entity mentioned lay somewhere near Treasure Town? Whatever they were looking for, did it hold some tie to the necklaces that they were given? Would she and Rickety find that same thing the Traveler sought after?
She glances down at her necklace, staring down at him with a curious eye. She flips it over, looking at the word “LOVE” etched into the back.
Time, Love, Dreams… And something else, too.
Maybe that something else would reveal itself in time.
With those newfound thoughts lingering in the back of her mind, Lexxi heads back inside, making her way down the steps, eyeing the snack bar tucked away in the corner. It seemed to be manned by a robot Pachirisu. It didn’t look all that different from a normal one. It seemed smaller, more spikes lining the back of its tail, the pouches on its cheeks faintly glowing.
She hears her stomach growling, grimacing a little. The last days events made her forget that she and Rickety hadn’t really eaten anything in a while. Wouldn’t hurt to grab something for herself and Rickety, for when he woke up, anyway.
Well, no use standing around looking like an awkward kitty. She walks up closer to the snack bar, waving her tail in greeting. “Uhh… Hi?”
The Pachirisu’s holographic eyes glance over to Lexxi, offering a happy smile as it leans over the countertop. “Oh hi there! Current told me about you and your friend. You’re the time travelers, eh?”
Lexxi chuckles awkwardly, hopping up onto one of the seats and sitting herself down. “I guess if that’s what you wanna call us, yeah.” She reaches a paw out, smiling sheepishly. “I’m Lexxi. Happy to meet you.”
The Pachirisu shakes her paw back, its grip firm. “Iron Pouches, at your service, Lexxi! Got plenty of food back here if you want any, which is why I presume you’re here, yes? I got some waffles that are just about done if you want some!”
Iron Pouches? Curious name. In fact, come to think of it… A lot of the Pokemon in the future seem to follow a similar naming convention. Iron Vines, Iron Valiant, Iron Bundle… She realizes she’s staring off into space, clearly her throat awkwardly as she nods her head. “Uh, y-yeah, that’ll be fine, thanks.”
“Juuuuuuust a second!” Iron Pouches ducks down below the counter, some rattling able to be heard down below. They toss a few plates on the counter, two fresh waffles flung up and landing perfectly centered on the plates. Iron Pouches reaches for a pack of syrup with their tail, drizzling it over the waffles swiftly, as if they’d done this hundreds of times before.
“Aaaand there ya go!~” They happily say, poking their head back up from the counter. “Hope you-“
Whhiirrrrrrrrrrr…
The lights in the room go dim, the only source of light coming from the stage at the end of the room. Lexxi’s ear flicks, turning around. “What’s going on? I thought we solved the power thing. Did Iron Bundle come back or-“
“Nope! The little guys are just switching shifts.” Iron Pouches gestures to a fenced area tucked away in the corner of the room, a robot Plusle and a robot Minum walking out from the area. The Plus and Minus symbols were painted on their chests, rather than their cheeks. A second pair walk up to them, nodding to each other while the original two seem to rest on one of the blankets, while the others seem to hook themselves up to the fuse box.
Vrrrrrrr!
And just like that, the power comes right back on, lighting back up to just how it was before.
Lexxi couldn’t help but smile at that. Something about it just struck her as charming. It… Kinda felt like the guild, in a way. Everyone here was all looking out for each other, helping each other out and doing what they could for one another. It might not be home, but it sure reminded her of it. “Thanks.” She says, nodding as she glances back at Iron Pouches, picking up her plate in her mouth and carrying Rickety’s plate with her tail.
She could see Rickety starting to wake up as she made her way back to their blanket, seeing him slowly sitting up and rubbing at his eyes as she sets his plate down in front of him. “Morning, Rickety. I got us some breakfast.” She smiles, sitting down beside him. “You feeling alright?”
“Mmnhhh… Mornin’ Lexxi.” He mumbles tiredly, stretching his arms above his head. “I’m doing okay, still kinda tired, but I’m managing.” He stares down at his plate, rubbing at his eyes, taking a few sniffs. At least the food here still smells good. He lifts up his plate, grabbing at the waffle. “Just doing my best to hang in there, keep my chin up.” Crunch.
Lexxi nods sheepishly, lifting her waffle up with her tail. “We’ll find our way back, eventually. I don’t know how, but, we’ll manage.” As she takes a bite of her waffle, her eyes land on another Pokemon, slumped against a wall.
It… What was that Pokemon called, a Tandemaus? It looked like a lone Tandemaus, its body completely stripped of its markings, with a big, bold “1” marked over the right side of its chest. Its tail, resembling a plug, plugged and unplugged into a nearby outlet, the Pokemon itself staring into space with its glowing, holographic eyes.
“Good morning!” The sound of Current’s voice startles Lexxi, breaking her out of her focus as she nearly drops her waffle from her mouth, skittering as she turns around to greet him. “Hope you two slept well! I know we don’t have the best bedding, so I hope it wasn’t too much of an issue.”
Rickety chuckles softly. “It’s fine. It’s not too different from where we normally sleep anyway. We’re kinda used to these conditions.”
Lexxi’s eyes drift back to the lone Tandemaus, watching it plug and unplug its tail repeatedly. “Current, who’s that?”
“Oh, him?” Current’s ears flick, glancing to Lexxi, then to the Tandemaus. “Oh, him? That’s Uni. He’s an Iron Lovers model, one that never activated with his second model.”
Lexxi blinks a few times, turning back to Current with a confused expression, which Rickety shares. “Could you explain that in ‘time travelers that don’t know much about the future’ terms? I don’t think we understood any of that.”
“…Ah, apologies.” Current chuckles awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his head as a little sweat drop emote appears in the corner of his screen. “Uni is a technolyte, a type of Pokemon with limited functionality, programmed to behave a certain way. He’s a ‘model 1’ searching for his companion ‘model 2.’ But since his companion is in a place he can’t reach, he’s been kinda… I think he’s sad, but he doesn’t show it.”
Rickety tilts his head, arching an eyebrow. “He… Needs to find his model 2? Why?”
“It’s not good for machine to be alone.” They hear Uni speak, the group turning their heads to face him, staring at them, but still sitting back against the wall. “I must wake another unit so she too is self aware.” His gaze drifts away from the group, turning back to the outlet, plugging and unplugging once again.
“…Yeah, what he said.” Current continues. “He’s an ‘Iron Lovers’ model, and they’re built in a way that they’re meant to unite with each other after they are both activated, to achieve a fully synchronized, higher state of being. But because his ‘model 2’ is back at the factory where he was created, and said factory is now abandoned and inhabited by strong Pokemon, he can’t reach her.
Rickety’s muzzle scrunches up, rubbing at his head. “What do you mean programmed? Are you trying to say they were built this way?”
“Humans built robot Pokemon for a variety of reasons. Iron Lovers were built as toys, a way for humans to find their potential significant other. I, myself, am an Iron Mouse model! A companion robot built in the image of a Pikachu.~”
“And since he’s limited to what he can do, he probably can’t fight through all the Pokemon to get to his companion…” Lexxi’s ears droop down, staring at the floor for a moment, before a thought comes to mind. “Maybe we could help him?”
“Wh-” Rickety’s reaction is immediate, quickly turning to Lexxi with a surprised expression. “L-Lexxi, do you really think that’s the best idea? We should be focusing on trying to get home and-“
“Rickety, we don’t have a way home right now.” Lexxi says firmly. “Until we find one, there’s nothing we can do. If we’re stuck in the future, we should try to make the most of our time here, you know? Help Pokemon in any way we can. That’s what we do.”
Rickety stays silent for a few moments, biting down on his lip as he turns away for a moment, sighing. “…Yeah, you’re right. I guess it’s better than sitting around doing nothing, but I still think we should be focusing on finding a way home.”
“Maybe we’ll learn something while we’re out. You never know.” She tries to give a reassuring smile, tail swishing behind her. She turns back to face Current, leaning towards him. “You know where we can find that factory, Current?”
Current, blinking a few times, smiles happily. “You mean you’re offering to help him too? That’s wonderful! Sure thing.” His screen replaces his face with that of a map. An admittedly small map, but a map of the surrounding area nonetheless. “You’re gonna wanna take the train to the Industrial District, that’s the fastest way there, and then…”
The train station seemed deserted, oddly silent apart from the music playing. Was it just a slow day? With how bustling The Veil seemed, Rickety and Lexxi thought there’d be at least a few more Pokemon around. But there didn’t seem to be any.
The green sky stretched on for miles as the star twinkled underneath its transparent layer, shining down on the train as it pulled into the station. Sleek, white cars with the front covered in blue mesh, not too unlike the shape of a Latios.
The doors slide open with a quiet hissing noise, waiting for any passengers to walk inside and take a seat. Of course, given that there was nobody there but Lexxi, Rickety and Uni, the train cars were all empty. At the very least, it made for less distractions on the way? There had to be some sort of saving grace to this.
The inside was clean, spotless even. It looked like it was brand new, hadn’t even been used yet. The three head inside and take their seats, Uni sitting across from Rickety and Lexxi, Rickety keeping his gaze away from the Tandemaus, focused on the floor.
As the train’s doors slowly close, it begins to make its way out of the station. If they weren’t looking out the window, it’d feel like they weren’t moving at all.
“Lexxi?” Rickety speaks up quietly, turning his gaze towards her. “Don’t you think this is all a bit… Weird?”
Her ears flick, turning back from the window to glance at Rickety. She tilts her head to the side curiously. “Any weirder than everything in the last couple days has been?”
The Riolu shakes his head, expression a little nervous as he briefly glances back at Uni, before turning back to Lexxi. “Why are we doing this? I mean- I know why, but don’t you think this seems kinda messed up?”
Lexxi’s expression falls as she sighs, sitting back down. “Rickety…”
“Look, I’m serious.” He says, speaking up a little bit. “We’re on our way to a place full of potentially dangerous Pokemon that we’ve never seen before, all probably much stronger than we are because they might be robots, all to help this one meet some random Pokemon he’s never met, but is convinced she’s the love of his life.” His eyebrows furrow. “Not because he genuinely feels any affection, but because he’s programmed to feel that way towards her. Their love isn’t real, Lexxi.”
“It feels real to them, though. Doesn’t it?” Lexxi says, brows furrowed. “Even if it’s not exactly the same as two living Pokemon, the emotions they experience still feel just as real to them as our emotions do for us.”
Rickety stares at her, his face going through a variety of expressions, thinking on it, slowly turning away from her as he lets his shoulders slump down. He doesn’t respond, just sitting there as he stares down at the floor.
Lexxi sighs, scooting closer towards him. “Rickety, I know this whole thing has been really rough on you, but can’t you be a little less stand-offish to the robot Pokemon? Iron Valiant and Glyph are scary, but Current and the others are really nice and-“
“I’m trying, Lexxi, I really am.” He turns back to face her, expression still fallen. “But I can’t put my mind to it. They don’t have aura like other Pokemon do.” He looks up to face her. “I can feel aura coming from you, but I can’t feel anything from Uni, from Glyph, or any of the other machines we’ve run into. Every time I try to read them I just get this really cold, dissonant feeling and it messes me up.”
He holds his head in his hands, letting out a frustrated sigh and a groan. “I can’t tell what any of them are feeling, i-it’s like they’re husks or something, empty husks just walking around that look like Pokemon. For all I know they could all mean the exact opposite of what they’re actually saying, they could have different intentions entirely from-“
Lexxi firmly places a paw on Rickety’s shoulder, gazing straight into his eyes as she leans forward. “Then you’re gonna have to stop relying on your aura for everything. Whether they have aura or not, they still act like Pokemon from everything we’ve seen, they just show it in different ways.”
Rickety pauses for a moment, breath caught in his throat as he stares back at Lexxi, his body tense, hands clutching at the bottom of the seat. “…B-But how can we know who to trust? After Dusknoir, I don’t know if…”
Lexxi gives Rickety a pat on the shoulder. “You need to think rationally, Rickety. We couldn’t have known about Dusknoir. Current and the rest of the Rodent’s Sanctuary all seem to work like a family, like a guild. They all look out for each other, robot and living alike.” Her expression grows a little more serious. “So… Please? Try to be a little more open minded towards them?”
Rickety stares into Lexxi’s eyes a bit long, staring down at the ground for a moment, before looking back. He gives a firm, if a bit shaky nod. “I’m sorry, Lexxi. I’ll do better.” He smiles sheepishly, nodding his head. “Promise.”
Lexxi smiles at Rickety as the train comes to a halt. The three of them out to the window, a myriad of smaller, wider buildings off in the distance, most of them gated off from the rest of the surrounding area. A voice plays on the train car’s speakers.
“Welcome to the Industrial District. Please enjoy your day at work, fellow employees.”
The sky had turned a brighter shade of green as the sun rose up higher into the sky, bathing the area in a strange, ethereal glow. It was such a different kind of energy from the rainy night they’d experienced just yesterday, and Rickety and Lexxi weren’t sure whether it was better or worse.
“The coordinates guide us this way.” Uni says, his small body making him agile, and a little difficult for Rickety and Lexxi to keep up with.
The Industrial District itself was eerily silent in comparison to the rest of The Veil. Even the train had music playing on it, but here, the only sounds that could be heard were the machinery in the few factories still active.
“Here.” Uni says, calling for the attention of both Lexxi and Rickety. A rundown factory lay behind a heavily fenced gate, though the ground seemed to have been dug out, thanks to a number of Pokemon presumably trying to get inside over the years. A faded sign was hanging off from the gate, the logo ‘Sotensoft Electronics’ just barely able to be made out.
“Hey, uh, call me crazy, but… Isn’t that a Hydreigon?” Rickety mutters, peering beyond the fence, seeing a particular Pokemon wandering around, flying. A Hydreigon from the looks of it, a robotic one. Little to no discernable different between it and a living Hydreigon, other than it seeming a little… Fuzzy, strangely enough.
“Iron Jugulis detected.” Uni says. “While weaker than a typical Hydreigon, it is ill advised to engage combat with one in this state. We must sneak inside.” He wiggles his way under the fence, turning back and waiting for Lexxi and Rickety to follow him in.
Rickety glances to Lexxi, exchanging a confused expression. “Do all of their names start with Iron? That can’t be a coincidence, can it?”
“That’s something I’ve noticed too.” Lexxi whispers back, wiggling under the fence. “Maybe we can ask Current about it when we get back to the Sanctuary.”
Rickety crawls under a few moments after, the three of them all sticking to the shadows, all hiding behind discarded pieces of broken machinery scattered about the empty lot, the Iron Jugulis flying around, as if patrolling the area.
“Scans show that these are not Pokemon who have inhabited the factory. They are, in fact, security Pokemon.” Uni whispers, skittering over to a nearby piece of cover.
“What could they be guarding in here?” Rickety asks quietly, him and Lexxi continuing to follow Uni. “I thought the place was supposed to be abandoned.”
“It is likely that their patrol protocols were never switched off when the original owners shut the place down. There’s a high probability that they will attack on sight if they don’t recognize anyone employed at the company, which currently, is a rough estimate of zero employees.”
Lexxi peers out from cover so that her eyes are peeking just above the wreckage. She notices a broken window on the lower floor, just on the side of the building. “I think I see a way in. Seems like it’s a clear path too.”
“Then let us hurry.” Rickety, Lexxi and Uni begin to make a break for it, trying to keep as quiet as they can as they skitter behind the pieces of trash laying around in the lot. They hear a low, deep rumbling sound, almost like… Snoring? The machines sleep?
Standing in front of one of the pieces of trash was another robot Pokemon. This one resembling a Tyranitar. Shiny green metal, giant, translucent spikes protruding from its back, flowing with that same strange liquid they’d seen the other robots exhibit.
While slowly trying to skirt around the junk, Lexxi’s paw accidentally knocks away a small plastic cup that had been laying back there, causing a few quiet clunking sounds as it rolls away, causing everyone to seize up.
The Mecha-Tyranitar briefly seems to wake up, the spikes on its back glowing brighter as it lifts its head up ever so slightly. It seems to turn to the side a bit, looking back and forth. It doesn’t move from its spot, though. Eventually, it drops its head back down, the spikes on its back dimming once again.
“Hoooooooookay, too close, way too close.” Rickety mutters. “Let just get inside and hope it’s better in there than it is out here.
Rickety helps pull Lexxi up through the window, minding the broken glass. In all honesty, the inside of the factory looked even worse than the outside. Absolutely trashed from top to bottom, certain parts of the ceiling were starting to cave in, floor was cracked, and even the floor had a few holes and tiles chipped away.
Their footsteps echoed with each step they took, most of the equipment having been stripped away, stolen for parts presumably, and other such things. Lexxi and Rickety have to mind the glass scattered all over the floor, carefully maneuvering around while Uni just steps on it like it’s nothing.
“You’re sure your companion model is here?” Lexxi asks, carefully stepping over a pile of glass.
“I have an internal meter, and it is telling me that we are close. The coordinates say she is most likely in the boxing section of this factory. Never shipped out to stores.”
Rickety slowly steps around another broken glass pile, glancing up, hearing footsteps coming from the floor above. “…L-Look, let’s just find your girlfriend and get out of here, this place gives me the-“
CRAAASSSHH CRUMBLE!
“CREEEEEPS!”
The ceiling collapses right behind them, part of the first floor being left with only a hole as bits and pieces of tile clatter against the floor… But random pieces of debris weren’t the only thing that came with it.
There was a robot Eevee in the debris. In looked a little lanky, the joins in its legs plainly visible, that same strange liquid flowing through what would usually be its chest fluff. It slowly turns around, whirring quietly as it stares at Rickety, Lexxi and Uni with its holographic eyes.
“Unregistered facial patterns detected.” It says in a monotone voice. “Intruding upon private property is unlawful. Vacate the premises immediately or this Sotensoft Electronics Issued Iron Slate will be forced to take drastic measures.”
“Iron Slate?” Rickety mutters. “How does come anywhere close to being an Eevee?”
“L-Look, we were just leaving,” Lexxi stammers, slowly backing up. “If you don’t mind us, we’ll just be moving along and you don’t have to do anything to us and-“
“Suspects have exhibited failure to cooperate. Proceeding with security protocols. Combat mode engaged.” The Iron Slate locks into position, its eyes lingering on Rickety. “Fighting type Pokemon detected. Switching to Psychoslate.”
Iron Slate’s body is enveloped in a blinding flash of light for a brief second, and literally, in the blink of an eye, it had changed form! Straight into a robotic Espeon! A much more nimble and sleeker looking one. The gem in its forehead glows, as does its eyes, and before either of them have any chance to react, Rickety is lifted up into the air, hurdled straight through a wall.
“Normal type Pokemon detected.” The Iron Slate says, its eyes locking onto Lexxi and Uni. “Switching to Brawlerslate.” Its body flashes in a bright light and-
That’s not an Eeveelution, not that any of them would know. Its body had become a lot bulkier, turning a grey-ish color. Its forelegs were noticeably larger, equipped with pistons of some kind. It rushes over to Lexxi as fast as it can, which despite its slower speed, was still faster than what was comfortable. The piston in its foreleg winds back, and before Lexxi has time to dodge, the piston thrusts back forward, colliding with Lexxi, sending her flying through another set of walls, not too far away from Rickety.
Pushing her head out from the rumble, Lexxi shakes her head of the debris sitting atop her, glancing over to Rickety, who lay in his own pile of rubble beside her. She climbs out to help pull him out, as he spits out a chunk of drywall that had gotten in his mouth. “You okay?” She asks, concern in her voice.
“Feel like I’ve been flattened by a Donphan.” Rickety groans, shaking his head, looking over towards the robot Eevee staring them down through the holes in the wall. “Did you see that? That thing just changed itself at will.”
“We’re gonna need to take care of it before we can continue, I get the feeling it’s not gonna leave us alone, Lexxi says, watching as the Iron Slate begins weaving its way through the walls, the pistons on its forlegs winding back, thrusting forward towards the both of them.
Rickety and Lexxi manage to dodge out of the way in time, Lexxi managing to knock the Pokemon away with a smack of her tail, but it doesn’t seem to stagger it all that much, its tail extending to swipe at her, ducking out of the way on pure instinct.
“Resisting arrest is not recommended.” The Iron Slate states plainly as it continues to fight, switching back into its Psychic evolution. “Surrender now and no further harm will come to you.”
“Not gonna happen!” Rickety shouts, thrusting forward at the Iron Slate and striking it with his palm. But of course, being a fighting type going up against a psychic type, it also does very little to actually damage the Pokemon.
Its body does seem to twitch mechanically, though, indicating that some form of damage is being done to it. Being such an old model, roaming around for years on end, it likely wasn’t holding up the best. Still, that didn’t keep it from fighting with all its might. It charges up a Psybeam, launching it at Rickety from the glowing gem in its forehead.
Rickety, still recovering from his last attack, acts on instinct, feeling a warm glow envelop him, the sounds around him growing muffled and warped as everything around him seems to slow down. Briefly glancing down as he dodges out of the way, his necklace is definitely glowing again.
Hmm… Maybe there is a trick to this after all. He decides to keep the flow going, swiftly transitioning into a flurry of attacks , one after the other as he pummels into the Iron Slate. He can hear distorted, metal clanging noises every time he makes contact against the machine, but he keeps taking advantage of the state even as his fists kinda start to hurt from punching the thing over and over.
He lands the final blow just before the effects of the necklace wear off, striking the Iron Slate with his palm full force, the multitude of blows all at once sending the Iron Slate straight through the wall, onto the floor below.
Unfortunately, the floor they were standing on didn’t seem to have much foundation left to keep it standing, causing it slope down into a ramp, sending Rickety and Lexxi sliding down, and tumbling down to the lower floor.
“Uugh… Whole building’s gonna collapse on us at this rate.” Lexxi groans, forcing herself back up onto all fours. “We need to-“
The two notice the Iron Slate laying flat on its back, legs curled up as its reverted back to its normal state, mechanical body twitching and whirring. “ST-ST-STRUCTURAL-AL INTEGRITY C-C-COMPROMISED… INITIATING-ING-ING RECOVERY M-M-MODE…”
The Iron Slate seems to shut off, at least for the time being, its eyes shutting off and the glow from its chest ‘fluff’ fading into nothing.
Lexxi and Rickety let out a sigh of relief, sitting down to catch their breath. “Okay… Least that’s taken care of, sooner rather than later, thankfully.” Rickety says, brushing more debris off him. He walks over to Lexxi, helping her out of the rubble. “Necklace activated again. I think I might actually be getting the hang of this.” He says, a small smile curling up on his lips.
“Finally figuring out how it works?” Lexxi smiles as she’s pulled up, shaking the bits of pebbles and debris from her body.
“It’s like I have to enter a certain state of mind,” Rickety explains, staring down at his necklace. “Like I have to be in ‘the zone,’ you know? Like a steam of consciousness, just let everything flow, don’t try to think about what I’m doing, just going for it.” He chuckles softly. “Might need to experiment more, but I think I can finally start using this thing properly!”
“That so amazing to hear!” Lexxi exclaims. “You’ll have to tell me more after we-” She blinks, remembering where they were, looking back at the collapsed floor. “…Where’s Uni?”
Rickety’s expression drops. “Oh yeah, we… Kinda got caught up in that, didn’t we?”
Thump.
Thump.
They turn around, seeing Uni walking up to (and repeatedly being bumped back by) a box, with one another Iron Lovers model still inside. Never opened. In fact… The more they look around, the more they realize that there were even more boxes much like the one his companion was in, but they were all empty.
“This must’ve been where they shipped them out.” Lexxi says, looking at all the boxes, picking an empty one up from the ground.
Iron Lovers! The newest, hottest, most fun way to find your soul mate! Activate one, it’ll lead to someone else who has activated theirs! Never apart, always and forever.
Rickety’s muzzle scrunches up a little. “The more I think about this the more things I see wrong with it.” He shakes his head, turning to face Uni, who’s still walking into the box, bumping into it. “Uhh… Here, lemme help you with that.” He walks over, picking the box up, looking at the model in the box.
It was practically identical to Uni, the only difference being a number 2 in the side of its body, rather than a 1. Actually- No, its tail was different from Uni’s, too. It was an outlet, rather than a plug. “…Ooohhh, I see what’s going on.” He says, setting the box down, removing the cover and pulling Uni’s companion out.
He sets her down in front of Uni- and she falls down. “Oops.” Rickety mumbles, picking her back up, making sure she’s nice and steady for Uni, taking a few steps back, standing beside Lexxi.
Uni walks up to his companion. She might be powered off for the time being, but he still senses something within her, a pang in his sensors that let him knew that she was the model he was always meant to be with. He reaches out, his metallic hand magnetizing to hers.
“I am not certain if I have a heart. But I can imagine it breaking apart. If I could feel something, Then I’d want to start with you.”
He recites, placing his head against hers as his tail stretches out, plugging straight into her tail.
His companion’s eyes immediately turn on, the two locking each other in an embrace as their hands magnetize together. Both of their eyes go blank, circles similar to the ones on Current spinning around, a little progress bar visible underneath. As the progress bar is nearing its completion, the two speak in unison with each other.
“No longer forsaken, The two are now one. I am yours, And you are mine.”
Beep beep!
The connection finally completes, the two little robots staring into each other’s eyes, the numbers on their bodies pulsing in unison, like a heartbeat. They nod at each other understanding, holding hands with each other as they turn to face Rickety and Lexxi, the two speaking in sync with each other.
“Thank you for finally uniting us with each other. We are forever grateful for what you’ve done for us.”
Lexxi smiles and nods, her tail swishing back and forth behind her. “It was the least we could do. We’re always happy to help out Pokemon in need.”
“Y-Yeah.” Rickety stammers, still processing everything he was seeing. That little poem that Uni recited… How long had he been holding onto that for? It seemed as if he’d been waiting for it his whole life. So genuine sounding, too… “You, uh, you two gonna be okay from here on out?”
“We will be fine.” The two nod their head in unison. “We can handle everything on our own from here, although, we won’t be returning to the Rodent’s Sanctuary. We have a future to define, and we will go our own path.” They look at each other. “Let us depart, Aphelion.” Uni says quietly, the companion model nodding, as the two walk back up the sloped floor.
“…Man.” Rickety sighs, rubbing at his head. “I don’t even know what to say, I’m just… I’m still overwhelmed but…” He smiles softly. “That was kinda sweet.”
“Made coming out here worth it, hmm?” Lexxi smiles back at him.
“Yeah.” He turns his head away a bit. He wishes he had that confidence. Why can’t he just tell her…? It doesn’t need to be this hard, but…
Lexxi glances down at the box again, picking it up. She sits herself down, trying to channel her focus… But nothing seems to happen. She stares at the box, turning it around, furrowing her eyebrows. “Hmm… I wanted to know what this place used to be like, but it seems the Dimensional Scream isn’t working…”
Oh- Good- Distraction topic, he doesn’t have to worry about seeming awkward. “Wha- Huh? It’s not?” He stammers, turning to Lexxi. “How come?”
She looks up at him, a confused expression on her face. “I dunno… I’m trying to focus but I just can’t get anything. I know it hasn’t been consistent, but I can’t seem to pull anything.”
“Hmm…” Rickety’s brows furrow, sighing. “Let’s just… Let’s worry about that later.” He glances up at the ceiling. “I feel like our fight might’ve caused this place to get even worse. We should get out of here before everything comes down on us.”
Lexxi and Rickety stare blankly at the screen leading up to the train station, jaws open in disbelief as a single message displays.
UNDER MAINTENANCE
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Rickety mutters. “So, we can’t get on? We’re stuck here until it’s fixed in who knows how long?”
Lexxi’s ears droop down, glancing up at the sky. A considerable amount of time had passed, and the color of the sky had changed from a vibrant green to a more faded, toned down green. It had to be late into the evening by now. “We’ll find another way back. Hopefully.”
Rickety sighs, rubbing at his head. “It really feels like this trip keeps getting worse and worse the more time we spend here.” He sits down at the bottom of the steps, burying his face in his knees. “I just wanna go home already. Just go back to the guild and forget any of this ever happened.”
Lexxi sits herself down beside him, staying silent. Everything they’ve been through in the last few days has really been piling up. Just a couple of days ago, they were chasing after Glyph, trying to stop him from preventing the planet’s paralysis, and now, they’re hundreds, possibly thousands of years into the future, being chased by Dusknoir after getting betrayed by him, and for who knows why?
So much to factor in, all of it so incredibly overwhelming. No idea what to do, where to go, or where to even begin. They had to get home, find a way back, but how?
“Hey.” A voice breaks both of them from their stupor, looking up from the ground to see a blue, lizard-like Pokemon having pulled up to them in the street, a wheel in its chest and in its back, more of that strange, glowing liquid inside of them, a display of sparkling grey, yellow and cyan. It stares at them with its holographic blue eyes, head tilted. “You two look like you’ve had it rough. Need a ride?”
Lexxi and Rickety weren’t sure if they even recognized what kind of Pokemon this was. They were sure they hadn’t even seen the Pokemon this robot was modeled after back home, either. From another, region, maybe? Rickety looks to Lexxi for a moment, seeming a touch nervous, but he nods his head, Lexxi smiling as he turns to the bike-lizard. “Yeah. Badly.”
The bike-lizard scoots a little forward closer to them, as the two walk up, staring at the small slump in its back before climbing on board. It glances back at them a bit. “Anywhere in mind you need to go?”
Lexxi’s ear flicks. “You know about a place called Rodent’s Sanctuary?”
The bike-lizard tilts its head a touch. “You mean all the way back in the Central District? I can take you there, sure, but make yourselves comfy. It’s gonna be a long ride.”
Processing…
Processing…
“What are these strange sensations?” The Iron Slate speaks aloud as it sits down at the bottom of the collapsed floor, its holographic eyes staring blankly ahead. “Suspects have failed to be captured, suspects are on the loose, and yet, these sensations compel me to go after them.”
Processing…
“Are these emotions? A security drone, gaining emotions? Such a thing should be impossible, and yet, I have a desire for revenge, to strike justice upon the criminals who invaded this private property.”
Processing…
“Structural integrity, as of right now, is too compromised for another head on attack. Body needs to be repaired… Upgraded, upgraded into something far stronger.” A window opens up in its HUD. “Searching for: ‘Iron Slate Model Upgrade.'”
Processing complete.
“…Overclocking? That could be interesting.” Its holographic eyes scan the webpages, a strange feeling of… Excitement, welling up within them. “Dracoslate? Requires the use of a Dragon-type drive, along with the installation of a Hadron Engine…”
The Iron Slate pauses for a moment, slowly starting to smirk. “He should be making his rounds about now… Switching to Faeslate.”
The sky had grown a bit darker, the streetlights and the neon signs on the buildings were slowly starting to turn on, lighting up the city and giving in that same vibrant energy that Rickety and Lexxi had experienced during their first night.
They were still in the Industrial District, so it was still fairly silent, the most busier parts of the area having a few Pokemon chattering on the sidelines, but it was still quiet. Lexxi and Rickety have mostly tapped out, leaning against the body of the bike-lizard as it drives them through the streets, the faint humming of its engine the only other sound.
The bike-lizzard glance back at Rickety and Lexxi as it rounds the corner. “You two want the radio on? Just to give you guys something to listen to.”
Lexxi’s ear flicks, nodding her head. “Huh? Oh- Go ahead, sure.”
The bike-lizzard smiles, its wheels glowing a little brighter as music begins to play from a speaker on its back. The music was slow, very serene sounding. Lots of synths and basses. If they were anywhere else, they’d probably fall asleep to it.
“…How come the Industrial District is so quiet, anyway?” Lexxi asks curiously. “We were told that practically all of The Veil celebrates music.”
“Old design philosophy, if I had to guess. Thought workers would do better without any distractions, keeps it silent, more work efficiency, if I had to guess.” It gazes forward again. “Real strange in a city where music is a central part of its culture, but not like there’s anybody else around to ask about it.”
In the middle of nowhere, lost in her own little world, On a midnight train I maintain with this polygon girl, First contact, two lifeforms, connect at the soul, Come back insomniactive, wanderlust in control,
Rickety sighs, leaning back, watching the neon signs roll by on the buildings. “So, every robot Pokemon we’ve come across here has all had ‘Iron’ at the start of their names. So lemme guess, is your name ‘Iron Wheels’ or something like that?”
The bike-lizzard scoffs amusedly, smiling a bit. “That’d be a good guess, but no. It’s Iron Serpent. Although, to be completely honest, I prefer the name that was given to me.” He glances back at the two, smiling at them. “Miraidon.”
Rickety blinks a few times, leaning forward as he stares at him, eyes wide with curiosity. “Given to you? You mean, you didn’t choose your own name?”
Miraidon chuckles quietly as he focuses back on the road. “I wouldn’t even know what to choose for myself if I had to pick my own name, but no. Miraidon was a name given to me by someone who was… Very important to me in the past, even if he wasn’t the best person, looking back.”
Daydreaming at night, a storm on Saturn’s begun, Hold on as we take one last trip around the sun, You can meet me at the space bar, Andromeda, Dreaming about being further out than we’ve ever been before.
“Well, who was it?” Rickety leans closer, trying to keep from leaning against Lexxi’s back.
“His name was Turo.” Miraidon says, his voice growing quieter. “A human professor from years back in the past who was obsessed with the future. With us. I still don’t understand how it all happened, but he made a time machine and pulled us from the future, to his own time.”
Rickety grimaces, that concept sound a bit too familiar, too close to home. “That sounds horrible…”
The Miraidon stays silent for a bit. “It’s complicated. The man cherished me, he treated me well, and in the moment, while I was scared and confused, I was still happy. Something else from the repetition of this world, something new, somebody who cared about me beyond being some sort of transportation.”
Miraidon sighs. “It’s… A long story, so I’ll try to give you the short version. He wanted more of us, kept pulling more of us from the future, almost destroyed everything because simply put, we’re too powerful for the world of the past. He brought back a rogue Miraidon and he…”
Lexxi’s ears droop a bit, patting the Miraidon on the neck. “I think we figured out the rest, you don’t need to keep talking about it if you don’t want to.”
Suspended animation in a gravity well, A broken clock, the aftershock in the place that we dwell, A planet fall, light rider hologram, Binary sanctuary in a frequency scan,
“It’s fine. I’ve come to accept it over the years. I travelled with some good people, most of them kids that treated me just as good, if not better than Turo did. Humans… They’re a complicated species, one that seldom learn from their mistake. You see them doing something terrible in the past, and when you return to the future, you find history repeating itself all over again.”
“Is that why humans aren’t on Earth anymore?” Lexxi asks curiously, still taking everything in.
“Well… There’s a bit more to that. The AI counterpart of himself that Turo had made traveled to the future after the time machine was initially disabled. And while he did what he could to stop the Professor’s plans, being a copy, he still held most of the same ideals as his living counterpart, ideals which… A lot of people didn’t like. Let’s just say it started a spiral that led to what you see today.”
Rickety rubs at the back of his head awkwardly. “Jeez… I never would’ve even guessed any of this. I don’t even know what to think of it.”
Miraidon muffles a chuckle. “I’m getting the feeling you guys aren’t exactly from here, are you?” He smiles back at them a bit. “I know your type. Not sure how you wound up here either, but I’m sure it’s an equally long story.”
“Yeeeaaaaahhh.” Rickety rubs at his head. “Bit too long to really tell, let’s just focus on getting back.”
“Agreed.”
Daydreaming at night, a storm on Saturn’s begun, Take my hand and what I’ve planned something for someone, Be my regenerator, Andromeda, Reavowed and further out than we’ve ever been before.
“…So,” Lexxi speaks up. “How come your names all start with ‘Iron’ anyway? We’ve been wondering that for a while.”
Miraidon chuckles. “Remember what I said about humans being complicated? Well, they’re kinda simple, at times, too. They’re almost like Dittos. They see someone doing one thing, they wanna do it too. One company made their prototype models, gave them the ‘Iron’ subtitle, and-“
THUNK!
“What in the-?!” Miraidon’s eyes snap back to the road, along with Lexxi and Rickety as they all hear a loud, metallic clanging coming from in front of them. That’s- That’s a Sylveon in the road- A robot Sylveon.
Lexxi and Rickety’s eyes widen in fear.
Did it chase them all the way out here?
Before any of them have time to react, a holographic image of the moon appears behind the robotic Sylveon. The Miraidon tries to brake, but there’s nothing it can do. They’re all struck with an incredibly powerful Moonblast, all three knocked out cold.
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