icomeanon6
It's "I Come Anon"
- 1,184
- Posts
- 16
- Years
- Age 31
- Northern Virginia
- Seen Jun 13, 2023
[agelimit]ages 12 and up[/agelimit]
May FFC: "Death"
May FFC: "Death"
A Trainer's Retrospection
Stage 0
Heart rate: 78 BPM
Heart rate: 49 BPM
Heart rate: 35 BPM
Nikolai's surroundings no longer concerned him, all he could think about were the ways he had wronged his Pokémon, and how he had gone so long oblivious to it. Although the scenery around him changed, he could not tell what it was, over every distinct object he found a painting of a Pokémon's eye, showing pain but not being able to use words to express it. He tormented himself over it, how could he have ignored their method of communication for so many years? Just because they had no words, why did he just assume that they weren't trying to say anything?
Nikolai soon fell on his knees and broke down into tears. He felt that he could not do anything, that he had made a stain that could not be removed, and that it would follow him to wherever he would soon be going. There was no voice of comfort, and even if there were, it would probably go unnoticed. And yet just then, there was one voice so pure that even Nikolai's shell of sorrow could not keep it from coming through. It said, softly, "Lord, please help him."
Nikolai opened his eyes, and saw that he was in a hospital room. In the room with him was Jillian, down on her knees next to the bed where his body was slowly expiring.
"I know that he has made mistakes before, but I also know that he wouldn't do anything cruel on purpose. He loved Pokémon so much in school; he just has trouble reading their feelings. I know that if I could just help him now, he would do the right thing. I know that he would put his Pokémon before himself if he could just understand."
Nikolai listened to this in silence, not being able to believe that Jillian cared about him this much despite how he had acted. He then came to a decision.
Stage 5
Heart rate: 9 BPM
The End [FONT="]
[/FONT]
Stage 0
Heart rate: 78 BPM
Wisps of soot floated gently in the air, moving about as they pleased and without plan. They concerned themselves not with loyalties, and scratched at the lungs and eyes of even the one who had ordered them to be. This individual was called Nikolai, a trainer who could now hardly even see the Magmar standing but only a few feet in front of him. The Magmar stood with bent knees, and positioned its arms in such a way as to convey a simple meaning to Nikolai.
"Stay still. Wait for the target to reveal itself."
The Magmar, being determined not to reveal its inner discontent with the command, relaxed slightly, and took a stance that was better suited to dodging an attack. Nikolai had trouble seeing this new stance, for Magmar's smokescreen was so thick that he couldn't even see ten yards out. However, he knew what was there beyond the veil. There was, on the field somewhere, a Venusaur that was incredibly more skilled than his own monster. He had only managed to keep Magmar standing this long because of advantages in type, speed, and agility. Although these advantages had been indescribably helpful so far, Nikolai had come to the battle without adequate preparation. He had brought only one flask of any sort of potion, and it had already been used. It would all come down to accuracy, one more hit from the Venusaur would undoubtedly eliminate Magmar from the battle, but the Venusaur would have a hard time finding its way through the smokescreen.
Nikolai had ordered Magmar to emit smoke so many times now that the entire field was covered. The crowd of spectators and the officials outside had no way of seeing through it, anything could happen and it would probably go unnoticed. Or so Nikolai thought, until he heard that telltale hum.
Nikolai's opponent, named Jillian, was well known for always coming prepared for such an inconvenient situation as this one. She had once received from her uncle a portable—yet surprisingly powerful—solar lamp. Nikolai knew that this hum had to be Venusaur's solar beam getting ready to fire. Several drops of sweat began to crawl down his rigid forehead, and he had to force himself to remain composed. There was little he could do now, the Venusaur's location couldn't be determined by sight, and the sound only gave him a rough guess. Regardless, he had to give Magmar a command of some kind, even if just so it was under the impression that he had control of the situation.
"Lean left…roll to the ground and to the side if there's any sign of attack…" whispered Nikolai with a slight air of urgency about his words. The sweat on his forehead fell lower, and sharpened his anxiety almost to the point where he would lose his concentration, and with it the control and respect of his monster. He couldn't do anything else, he had to wait until the Venusaur was fully charged and released its energy. The wind of time became stagnant, and the boat of Nikolai's perception nearly stopped moving. And then, in a single moment, the dead wind turned into a hurricane as a sharp light parted the smoke.
Nikolai could hardly see it happen; as soon as Magmar rolled out of the way, a light as bright as a comet and a noise as loud as a train shot towards him, not leaving any time for reaction. The beam struck his chest, knocking all air out of his lungs. From the strike, a shock came that reverberated throughout his body and left everything completely numb shortly afterwards. He thought he could feel himself fall to the ground, but he couldn't be sure. His vision blurred, and his very reality became exactly as the smoke around him. He tried to hold on to it, but he couldn't, no matter how he flailed his hands. Were his hands even moving? He couldn't tell.
There was no way for him to be sure of anything.
Stage 1"Stay still. Wait for the target to reveal itself."
The Magmar, being determined not to reveal its inner discontent with the command, relaxed slightly, and took a stance that was better suited to dodging an attack. Nikolai had trouble seeing this new stance, for Magmar's smokescreen was so thick that he couldn't even see ten yards out. However, he knew what was there beyond the veil. There was, on the field somewhere, a Venusaur that was incredibly more skilled than his own monster. He had only managed to keep Magmar standing this long because of advantages in type, speed, and agility. Although these advantages had been indescribably helpful so far, Nikolai had come to the battle without adequate preparation. He had brought only one flask of any sort of potion, and it had already been used. It would all come down to accuracy, one more hit from the Venusaur would undoubtedly eliminate Magmar from the battle, but the Venusaur would have a hard time finding its way through the smokescreen.
Nikolai had ordered Magmar to emit smoke so many times now that the entire field was covered. The crowd of spectators and the officials outside had no way of seeing through it, anything could happen and it would probably go unnoticed. Or so Nikolai thought, until he heard that telltale hum.
Nikolai's opponent, named Jillian, was well known for always coming prepared for such an inconvenient situation as this one. She had once received from her uncle a portable—yet surprisingly powerful—solar lamp. Nikolai knew that this hum had to be Venusaur's solar beam getting ready to fire. Several drops of sweat began to crawl down his rigid forehead, and he had to force himself to remain composed. There was little he could do now, the Venusaur's location couldn't be determined by sight, and the sound only gave him a rough guess. Regardless, he had to give Magmar a command of some kind, even if just so it was under the impression that he had control of the situation.
"Lean left…roll to the ground and to the side if there's any sign of attack…" whispered Nikolai with a slight air of urgency about his words. The sweat on his forehead fell lower, and sharpened his anxiety almost to the point where he would lose his concentration, and with it the control and respect of his monster. He couldn't do anything else, he had to wait until the Venusaur was fully charged and released its energy. The wind of time became stagnant, and the boat of Nikolai's perception nearly stopped moving. And then, in a single moment, the dead wind turned into a hurricane as a sharp light parted the smoke.
Nikolai could hardly see it happen; as soon as Magmar rolled out of the way, a light as bright as a comet and a noise as loud as a train shot towards him, not leaving any time for reaction. The beam struck his chest, knocking all air out of his lungs. From the strike, a shock came that reverberated throughout his body and left everything completely numb shortly afterwards. He thought he could feel himself fall to the ground, but he couldn't be sure. His vision blurred, and his very reality became exactly as the smoke around him. He tried to hold on to it, but he couldn't, no matter how he flailed his hands. Were his hands even moving? He couldn't tell.
There was no way for him to be sure of anything.
Heart rate: 62 BPM
After an untold time of confusion and emptiness, some feeling slowly and finally returned to Nikolai. First, he realized that he was lying down. It was on something soft, different from the hard stadium floor where he should have been. He was breathing heavily, but still with a good rhythm. Eventually he opened his eyes, and tried to recognize his surroundings. The feeling of movement told him that he must have been in an ambulance, but he couldn't distinguish any features that it had on the inside. The only things he could identify were three people: A doctor, Jillian, and a stranger standing in the corner.
Nikolai wondered who this new person was, and tried to recognize some features besides his face. He saw that the stranger was dressed in all black. His shirt had a collar, and his pants were fairly formal. Nikolai guessed that this person was a priest, but decided he should also ask to make sure. At first his mouth wouldn't move, but eventually Nikolai found that it just gave way.
"Who's that in the corner?"
There was no response; it was as if he was being completely ignored. This bothered him, so he decided to ask again, trying to be slightly louder.
"Hey, I asked who that guy over there is."
Jillian said something, but not a response to his question.
"It looks like his mouth is twitching, is he about to wake up?"
"No," the doctor replied, "He must be dreaming, his brain isn't showing enough activity for him to be awake."
"Are you serious?" interjected Nikolai, "I'm awake, my eyes are open…I can see and speak."
The doctor said nothing to him, but rather said to Jillian, "We'll be at the hospital in a few moments, I'll need your help to carry out the stretcher."
Jillian nodded in consent, and looked at Nikolai. Nikolai had been wondering if they were just playing a joke on him, but something about the way Jillian stared made him wonder if they really did think he was asleep.
"Are they delusional or something?" Nikolai muttered to himself.
The ambulance came to an abrupt stop, and Nikolai heard a door open behind him, letting in sounds of traffic. While the doctor and Jillian began carrying him out, he felt his belt and realized something: His Pokéballs were missing. He figured that he must have left them back at the stadium, which fortunately he knew the way to. When he was fully out of the ambulance, he stood up and said, "I have to go."
When he stood up, he instantly questioned why they had brought him to the hospital in the first place, for he felt completely fine. In fact, he figured that he would have no problem in taking a bus to the stadium by himself. He walked off, and didn't concern himself with how Jillian and the doctor continued into the building. He also didn't concern himself with this odd sense that he had left behind something quite important at the hospital.
He reached the bus rather uneventfully, and arrived at the stadium without any sort of problem. He didn't give this phenomenon much thought, and just assumed that he was quick to recover from injury. He found something much more important to occupy his mind with when he found that the door to the stadium wouldn't open. He tried shaking the handle, but he simply couldn't move it.
"Some excellent joke," he thought to himself, "locking the door during an important tournament. I ought to find the guy in charge."
"That may be a moot point; I think you just might not be welcome in that building anymore."
Nikolai turned around, and found the one from the ambulance whom he had assumed was a priest.
"That's ridiculous," Nikolai replied, "There's no way they'd intentionally keep me out."
"What makes you so sure?"
The priest's voice was odd, somehow. Nikolai couldn't find any words to describe it, but it gave him an odd feeling of unease. Although the words he spoke were completely normal, Nikolai had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that they just weren't natural. The tone was calm, yet it caused Nikolai so much agitation. The boy paused for a few seconds before replying again, "You're nuts, there's just no way that I'm not welcome here."
"Believe what you will, for now, but I think you may find some evidence for my viewpoint in a little bit."
In mere seconds after the priest made that statement, another man came up to the stadium door and opened it without any real effort at all. Nikolai was dumbfounded by this just long enough for the door to close without him getting through. He jostled the handle again, but the door remained closed.
"This isn't happening," he said aloud, "There's just no way…"
"No way, you say? Come, I can show you the way."
Nikolai turned around and looked at the priest again. He held a light smile on his face, friendly yet with a subtle sign that something was being hidden.
Stage 2Nikolai wondered who this new person was, and tried to recognize some features besides his face. He saw that the stranger was dressed in all black. His shirt had a collar, and his pants were fairly formal. Nikolai guessed that this person was a priest, but decided he should also ask to make sure. At first his mouth wouldn't move, but eventually Nikolai found that it just gave way.
"Who's that in the corner?"
There was no response; it was as if he was being completely ignored. This bothered him, so he decided to ask again, trying to be slightly louder.
"Hey, I asked who that guy over there is."
Jillian said something, but not a response to his question.
"It looks like his mouth is twitching, is he about to wake up?"
"No," the doctor replied, "He must be dreaming, his brain isn't showing enough activity for him to be awake."
"Are you serious?" interjected Nikolai, "I'm awake, my eyes are open…I can see and speak."
The doctor said nothing to him, but rather said to Jillian, "We'll be at the hospital in a few moments, I'll need your help to carry out the stretcher."
Jillian nodded in consent, and looked at Nikolai. Nikolai had been wondering if they were just playing a joke on him, but something about the way Jillian stared made him wonder if they really did think he was asleep.
"Are they delusional or something?" Nikolai muttered to himself.
The ambulance came to an abrupt stop, and Nikolai heard a door open behind him, letting in sounds of traffic. While the doctor and Jillian began carrying him out, he felt his belt and realized something: His Pokéballs were missing. He figured that he must have left them back at the stadium, which fortunately he knew the way to. When he was fully out of the ambulance, he stood up and said, "I have to go."
When he stood up, he instantly questioned why they had brought him to the hospital in the first place, for he felt completely fine. In fact, he figured that he would have no problem in taking a bus to the stadium by himself. He walked off, and didn't concern himself with how Jillian and the doctor continued into the building. He also didn't concern himself with this odd sense that he had left behind something quite important at the hospital.
He reached the bus rather uneventfully, and arrived at the stadium without any sort of problem. He didn't give this phenomenon much thought, and just assumed that he was quick to recover from injury. He found something much more important to occupy his mind with when he found that the door to the stadium wouldn't open. He tried shaking the handle, but he simply couldn't move it.
"Some excellent joke," he thought to himself, "locking the door during an important tournament. I ought to find the guy in charge."
"That may be a moot point; I think you just might not be welcome in that building anymore."
Nikolai turned around, and found the one from the ambulance whom he had assumed was a priest.
"That's ridiculous," Nikolai replied, "There's no way they'd intentionally keep me out."
"What makes you so sure?"
The priest's voice was odd, somehow. Nikolai couldn't find any words to describe it, but it gave him an odd feeling of unease. Although the words he spoke were completely normal, Nikolai had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that they just weren't natural. The tone was calm, yet it caused Nikolai so much agitation. The boy paused for a few seconds before replying again, "You're nuts, there's just no way that I'm not welcome here."
"Believe what you will, for now, but I think you may find some evidence for my viewpoint in a little bit."
In mere seconds after the priest made that statement, another man came up to the stadium door and opened it without any real effort at all. Nikolai was dumbfounded by this just long enough for the door to close without him getting through. He jostled the handle again, but the door remained closed.
"This isn't happening," he said aloud, "There's just no way…"
"No way, you say? Come, I can show you the way."
Nikolai turned around and looked at the priest again. He held a light smile on his face, friendly yet with a subtle sign that something was being hidden.
Heart rate: 49 BPM
In an instant, Nikolai found himself inside one of the hallways in the hospital. He looked around, and tried to remember how it was that he had come there. There must have been a gap in his memory, yet it didn't seem like there was, there was no transitional period during which he felt like he was falling asleep. Eventually he noticed the priest staring into a room a little way down the hall, and a surge of frustration and annoyance inexplicably flowed through his veins. Nikolai wasn't one to become angry without reason; there must have been some source of his anger. He decided that this source must have been the priest. He walked over to him with a scowl on his face, taking heavy steps and saying, "What the hell did you do? Why am I here?"
The priest turned and said to him, "Hold on for a moment, I think you want to hear this."
Nikolai had a sudden urge to punch the clergyman in the face, but when he saw the doctor and Jillian exit from the room, he held that thought. The two didn't seem to notice him or the priest, but instead started their own conversation. Jillian began it with a question, while carrying a look and tone of great concern.
"Is he going to be okay?"
"That all depends," replied the doctor with minimum emotion, "do you think that he has much to live for?"
"Definitely. He loves being a trainer. I don't know him all that well personally, but I was in the Kanto Academy with him and I know that he does this kind of thing with a passion."
"If you're worried about being charged with murder in the event of his death, you shouldn't be. It was clearly an accident."
"I'm not worried about that, it's just…well…I think I'm a bit worried about him and his Pokémon. Frankly, I can tell that his relationship with them isn't the best, and I wanted to help him out after the battle was over. But now..."
It did not matter to Nikolai that Jillian was still under the impression that he was dying, the comments she made about him as a trainer filled him with an uncontrollable rage. He stepped in front of her face and began to yell at the top of his lungs.
"What are you talking about?! I train my Pokémon a thousand times better than you ever could! You're just jealous because I was handling that match so much better than you were! Are you even listening to me?!"
He was cut off by the priest, who pulled him off to the side and said softly, "You are still confused, pay attention to what they are saying."
This only made Nikolai all the angrier, he shoved the priest off and shouted, "Don't touch me, you weirdo!"
At this point, the priest's smile faded, and was replaced by a stern, discerning look. "Clearly you need my help more than I thought. Come, there is something else that you must see."
The walls of the hospital slowly faded to black, Jillian and the doctor seemed to dissolve into mist, and yet the priest remained as bright and solid as he was before. In an instant before his memory reached a blank spot, Nikolai spotted what was in the room that Jillian was in only a minute earlier. He saw himself, lying on a hospital bed. There was a machine sitting next to him, beeping at a slow yet steady pace, and displaying the number forty. Nikolai was struck dumb at the sight of this, and his confusion seemed to make his anger pass.
Stage 3The priest turned and said to him, "Hold on for a moment, I think you want to hear this."
Nikolai had a sudden urge to punch the clergyman in the face, but when he saw the doctor and Jillian exit from the room, he held that thought. The two didn't seem to notice him or the priest, but instead started their own conversation. Jillian began it with a question, while carrying a look and tone of great concern.
"Is he going to be okay?"
"That all depends," replied the doctor with minimum emotion, "do you think that he has much to live for?"
"Definitely. He loves being a trainer. I don't know him all that well personally, but I was in the Kanto Academy with him and I know that he does this kind of thing with a passion."
"If you're worried about being charged with murder in the event of his death, you shouldn't be. It was clearly an accident."
"I'm not worried about that, it's just…well…I think I'm a bit worried about him and his Pokémon. Frankly, I can tell that his relationship with them isn't the best, and I wanted to help him out after the battle was over. But now..."
It did not matter to Nikolai that Jillian was still under the impression that he was dying, the comments she made about him as a trainer filled him with an uncontrollable rage. He stepped in front of her face and began to yell at the top of his lungs.
"What are you talking about?! I train my Pokémon a thousand times better than you ever could! You're just jealous because I was handling that match so much better than you were! Are you even listening to me?!"
He was cut off by the priest, who pulled him off to the side and said softly, "You are still confused, pay attention to what they are saying."
This only made Nikolai all the angrier, he shoved the priest off and shouted, "Don't touch me, you weirdo!"
At this point, the priest's smile faded, and was replaced by a stern, discerning look. "Clearly you need my help more than I thought. Come, there is something else that you must see."
The walls of the hospital slowly faded to black, Jillian and the doctor seemed to dissolve into mist, and yet the priest remained as bright and solid as he was before. In an instant before his memory reached a blank spot, Nikolai spotted what was in the room that Jillian was in only a minute earlier. He saw himself, lying on a hospital bed. There was a machine sitting next to him, beeping at a slow yet steady pace, and displaying the number forty. Nikolai was struck dumb at the sight of this, and his confusion seemed to make his anger pass.
Heart rate: 35 BPM
There was no sound, no light, nor any thing of any kind for Nikolai to perceive. He did not enjoy this sensation, but that did not stop him from missing it when a surrounding finally came to him. It was a marble hallway with beautifully carved pillars supporting the two story ceiling, and every step that Nikolai took had an echo of nostalgia. This structure was the First Pokémon Academy of the Kanto Region, and had been Nikolai's home for several years.
Nikolai didn't have to walk through the building for very long before he found a most disturbing sight. There was a boy with a small and exhausted Nidorino standing a few dozen yards ahead of him, and the words that came forth from the boy's mouth sent a chill up Nikolai's spine.
"C'mon, you lazy little monster! It's just one more lap! How do you expect to beat the others when you can't manage a little training run?"
It wasn't the words themselves that bothered Nikolai, but rather the tone with which they were used. It was condescending, arrogant, and almost callous. Nikolai couldn't bear to see this boy making such a mistake so early on in his career. Without thinking, Nikolai approached the boy and started to say something in objection, but stopped when he had some second thoughts.
The boy turned around, and asked in the same unfriendly tone, "What are you looking at?"
Nikolai almost fell to the ground. He had thought of many things that he did not want to see in this place, but this was so terrible that it did not even occur to him. His entire career as a trainer seemed to flash before his eyes, revealing all the details and subtleties of every situation. In this boy, Nikolai saw a mirror, both metaphorically and literally.
The priest walked up to Nikolai and said, "Now do you understand?"
Nikolai was too shocked to speak, his entire perception of himself as a trainer and as a companion to his Pokémon was shattered. It took him almost a minute before he could think of something to say.
"Please…give me another chance…I could do better if I could just do it again."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know what I mean. You brought me here, you can control time, and you can let me try it again. I promise I'll think of them this time! Please, I just need a chance!"
"I am afraid that an action of that nature is outside of my jurisdiction. There is nothing you can do to change any of this."
"Can't you bend the rules just this once? I'll be the best friend my Pokémon ever had…"
"I'm sorry. It just doesn't work that way."
Nikolai didn't have to walk through the building for very long before he found a most disturbing sight. There was a boy with a small and exhausted Nidorino standing a few dozen yards ahead of him, and the words that came forth from the boy's mouth sent a chill up Nikolai's spine.
"C'mon, you lazy little monster! It's just one more lap! How do you expect to beat the others when you can't manage a little training run?"
It wasn't the words themselves that bothered Nikolai, but rather the tone with which they were used. It was condescending, arrogant, and almost callous. Nikolai couldn't bear to see this boy making such a mistake so early on in his career. Without thinking, Nikolai approached the boy and started to say something in objection, but stopped when he had some second thoughts.
The boy turned around, and asked in the same unfriendly tone, "What are you looking at?"
Nikolai almost fell to the ground. He had thought of many things that he did not want to see in this place, but this was so terrible that it did not even occur to him. His entire career as a trainer seemed to flash before his eyes, revealing all the details and subtleties of every situation. In this boy, Nikolai saw a mirror, both metaphorically and literally.
The priest walked up to Nikolai and said, "Now do you understand?"
Nikolai was too shocked to speak, his entire perception of himself as a trainer and as a companion to his Pokémon was shattered. It took him almost a minute before he could think of something to say.
"Please…give me another chance…I could do better if I could just do it again."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know what I mean. You brought me here, you can control time, and you can let me try it again. I promise I'll think of them this time! Please, I just need a chance!"
"I am afraid that an action of that nature is outside of my jurisdiction. There is nothing you can do to change any of this."
"Can't you bend the rules just this once? I'll be the best friend my Pokémon ever had…"
"I'm sorry. It just doesn't work that way."
Stage 4
Heart rate: 22 BPM
Nikolai's surroundings no longer concerned him, all he could think about were the ways he had wronged his Pokémon, and how he had gone so long oblivious to it. Although the scenery around him changed, he could not tell what it was, over every distinct object he found a painting of a Pokémon's eye, showing pain but not being able to use words to express it. He tormented himself over it, how could he have ignored their method of communication for so many years? Just because they had no words, why did he just assume that they weren't trying to say anything?
Nikolai soon fell on his knees and broke down into tears. He felt that he could not do anything, that he had made a stain that could not be removed, and that it would follow him to wherever he would soon be going. There was no voice of comfort, and even if there were, it would probably go unnoticed. And yet just then, there was one voice so pure that even Nikolai's shell of sorrow could not keep it from coming through. It said, softly, "Lord, please help him."
Nikolai opened his eyes, and saw that he was in a hospital room. In the room with him was Jillian, down on her knees next to the bed where his body was slowly expiring.
"I know that he has made mistakes before, but I also know that he wouldn't do anything cruel on purpose. He loved Pokémon so much in school; he just has trouble reading their feelings. I know that if I could just help him now, he would do the right thing. I know that he would put his Pokémon before himself if he could just understand."
Nikolai listened to this in silence, not being able to believe that Jillian cared about him this much despite how he had acted. He then came to a decision.
Heart rate: 9 BPM
Nikolai stood up and called out, "Father, I have a request to make."
The priest entered the room. He still carried the same serious expression that he had left Nikolai with. Nikolai found that his tone matched his expression perfectly when he replied, "I would like to help, but make sure that you ask the right question."
"Can you convey any sort of message to people like Jillian?"
"Possibly…why do you ask?"
"I've come to a realization. There's nothing I can do to amend my mistakes except for one thing: I can make sure that my Pokémon, no, my friends, are placed in the charge of someone who can care for them better than I."
"Do you desire to lose them so quickly?"
"No. If I could, I would like to stay with them forever. However, I know that I can't trust myself to not make the same mistakes. I can see now that Jillian is far more qualified in that regard than I ever could be. If she wants them, I would like her to take care of them."
The priest smiled, a sight that Nikolai worried he would not see. "And that, my friend, is all I needed to hear. Come, the gate to Heaven is open."
Heart rate: 0 BPMThe priest entered the room. He still carried the same serious expression that he had left Nikolai with. Nikolai found that his tone matched his expression perfectly when he replied, "I would like to help, but make sure that you ask the right question."
"Can you convey any sort of message to people like Jillian?"
"Possibly…why do you ask?"
"I've come to a realization. There's nothing I can do to amend my mistakes except for one thing: I can make sure that my Pokémon, no, my friends, are placed in the charge of someone who can care for them better than I."
"Do you desire to lose them so quickly?"
"No. If I could, I would like to stay with them forever. However, I know that I can't trust myself to not make the same mistakes. I can see now that Jillian is far more qualified in that regard than I ever could be. If she wants them, I would like her to take care of them."
The priest smiled, a sight that Nikolai worried he would not see. "And that, my friend, is all I needed to hear. Come, the gate to Heaven is open."
The End [FONT="]
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