“Bwuh?” Was my bleary response as I woke up. My mind quickly cleared though, recalling what had happened just before I passed out and taking in where I was now. From the unfamiliar, elevated bed and white sheets, it was easy to determine I was in the infirmary. As I sat up, there were excited cheers from Cat, Anya, Notch, Miles, and Dun were all gathered around me, Cat quickly hopping up on top of me.
“Oof,” I breathed out, his heavy shell weighing on my midsection. “H-how’s it going? Is everyone else alright?” A glance to the side showed me the Pokeballs of my other six team members sitting on my bedside.
“I’d say they’re alright. Got checked out by our nurse and just needed a little rest, like you do,” Cyrano said, entering the room.
“Ah, Director. It’s good to see you,” I said, trying to appear composed, and then hiding a wince as I remembered how I got here. “Sorry for what happened,” I said at the same time as he spoke.
“I have to apologize for placing that burden on you- huh?” There was a moment where we shared a look, then both of us laughed.
“Sorry, sorry, just kinda funny to have us both apologizing here. But what are you sorry for?” I asked. Rather than immediately answer, he took a moment to stare ‘outside’. The windows were displaying a lovely meadow, even though I knew without the screens, all we’d see was the inky-black depths of vast amounts of water surrounding us. I shivered before pushing that unpleasant thought aside.
“I got busy with a thing, so I couldn’t watch the match, but I swung by not long after it ended. Talking to the students and I got a pretty good picture of what happened between you. I pushed you to reach out to Charlotte and it looks like you did all that could be expected and more,” he finally said, turning to look at me. I averted my gaze from his, worried what his too perceptive steely grey eyes would see of me.
“I- yeah, I tried to convince her to not be so…” I trailed off, not finding a ‘polite’ way to frame her abhorrent behavior. “Selfish and callous,” I settled on. “But I probably would have done that even if you hadn’t asked me. I wanted to… convince her to take a better path.” Not technically incorrect, but it sure sounds a lot better than ‘show her wrong’ and ‘humiliate her for what she did to my friend.’
“Maybe, but I know my word carries a lot of weight. It’s something I’ve gotta be careful with, especially here.” There was a lesson that was hard to miss there, what with me being one of the strongest Trainers of my home region.
“Because of that, I’ll help cover the costs associated with repairing the Coastal Biome,” he continued, and I hung my head in shame. I could argue that it was only towards the end of the battle that the destruction happened this time, or that it was because Charlotte was so focused on overwhelming strength, but it’s still something I have to be aware of. My team has a lot of power at their beck and call, and for battles like this, it can be dangerous, even with arenas.
“Understood. When we’re rebuilding, I was wondering if I could get Colress-”
“To help amplify the defensive properties of the arenas? Already on it,” The Director responded. “Now focus on getting some rest, you fought hard.” Then, just as he was about to leave, he spun back around and said, “Oh right! You have a guest.”
He left, and Elsa strode through the open door, smiling down at me. What part of seeing her here is restful?! Dun felt the same way, coiling around and spinning his tail in warning. She had too much dignity to look afraid, but stopped approaching at that. “What do you want?” I spat out.
“To congratulate you on your victory. Is it not fitting that I do to the one who has achieved the rank just under mine?” Her smile curved upwards, becoming a smirk.
“For now. But I’ve been clearing through all your lackeys. Aren’t you worried that I’ll take you down like the rest? And don’t say it’s because you beat me once,” I said, trying to inject some strength into my voice. That might just be me being too prideful, but I don’t want to look weak here.
“It’s true that you’ve improved tremendously… however you still aren’t at my level. So no, I’m not worried. You and your friends might beat my ‘lackeys’ as you call it, but that just means that you’ll take their place. At the end of the day, I’m still the one on top.” Part of me wants to point out that Charlotte was stronger than Elsa was, but that’s comparing the her of months ago to where she is today. If she hasn’t improved beyond that, I’ll eat my shoe. Heck, I’ll eat both of them!... I should really get a new pair of shoes, my current ones are getting worn out and my feet get soaked whenever it rains.
“If you have nothing of substance to say, please stop wasting my time,” I responded, shutting the conversation down. She seemed disappointed with that, but shrugged and accepted it. She walked off her heels clicking on the hallway floor and I wondered why she really came here.
To see how strong I was/reassure herself of her own strength in comparison? To try and psych me out? I dunno. I know she’ll be strong - I haven’t been obsessively following her, but I’m keeping a closer eye on her than last time. Outside of her official duties, which haven’t been much outside of the monthly meetings, I know she’s been obsessively training for this rematch. Despite that, though, I’ve got faith in my team. I know we’ll win this time.
Realistically, I had already accomplished my goal of reforming the League Club. Bad actors like Ares and the others had either been removed entirely from the school or lost most of their influence. Elsa, for her part, seemed less likely to actually instigate any bullying, or at least had stopped since Cyrano had talked with us. I won’t be satisfied until I best her though, I know that. And after that… what then?
Theoretically there would be things to do, but that urge to battle, it would always be there. How much higher was there to climb? Some, definitely, I’m not at the top yet, and then when you get down to it, Arceus outscales everything. But there will be a point where the ‘challenges’ I could face will be not worth the fallout, and what then? Fight multiple people? Battle anyone, everyone who disagrees with me?
The sounds of my friends rushing to the door had me put those questions to the side, not letting the aftermath of my fight with Charlotte weigh me down. But they did linger throughout the coming days.
***
Thankfully, I had plenty to distract me from such philosophical quandaries on the nature of power and what my future would look like. Currently, that took the form of working out song lyrics for my album.
“Of all the free, she has none left but me,
All my loyal knights have passed with time- Nope, nope.”
I shook my head, the line not working. “Maybe I could work in something about Noble Pokemon instead of Loyal Knights? Ugh, the reference is good, but I think the Hisuian theme would be too much. Unless I went all in on it, and made the eponymous Godhunter very clearly Giratina, but that feels a bit much. What do you think?”
“Du dun,” my starter replied with a sigh. Not unfair considering this is the fifth time I’ve considered switching up the main theme this session. The song seemed to have the narrator warning against the ‘godhunter’ which I’d tried at first, before switching ti up, and casting myself as the ‘godhunter.’ Radiance had liked that (as it meant she was a god), but the rest of my team didn’t and I ran into issues right away writing it like that. The rest of my potential changes all came from the lyrics and my difficulties there.
I might just switch to Paralyzed. It’s another good song from the Aviators, and it won’t have nearly so many fiddly lines that don’t match with what I remember. It was impressive just how much I could remember from my old life - of music specifically. Especially when I started playing it and trying to recreate it.
When I mentioned it to my team, they had no answers, besides Notch, who as usual said: [‘It is a divine blessing. A proof of you being a saint chosen by Arceus’] They insisted. I’m not sure about that, and certainly not sure about being called a ‘saint’ in particular - I think the holiest llama would use a different term. Probably just chosen? I don’t know.
I was tempted to brush the whole thing off - there was a lot I remembered of my past life. A lot that I thought would have gotten fuzzier with time or I’d need to refresh my memories with what I’d written, but generally, I’d kept a pretty good hold of everything important to my past life. At least so I think. Would I remember if I forgot?
Something flashed in my mind, a memory of me, my mom and my sister, singing along in the car. My sister was a little tipsy and got all the words wrong, and while I sang I got most of them for some parts, but not all. There were times when I needed to hum along, forgetting lines before jumping back into the chorus. But I hardly ever have that problem now.
I was strumming a new tune now, I realized. Putting aside Godhunter, I began singing it, piecing the words together.
“Remember, whatever,
It seems like forever ago,
Remember, whatever,
It seems like forever ago.
The regrets, are useless in my mind,
She’s in my head (I must confess),
The regrets, are useless in my mind,
She’s in my head (seems like forever ago)
In the darkest night,
If my memory serves me right,
I’ll never turn back time,
Forgetting you but not the time.”
Not perfect, but far clearer than what I expected. Than what I remember. Of this I can be certain; I didn’t have as good a memory in my past life. Was it just music that I’m remembering more, or have my memory improved across the board? And if so, why? Arceus, as I’d come to understand, definitely made ‘course correction’ to the world, but they always did so with a light hand. As little effort as possible. How’d it go from that one show? ‘If you do things right, no one will ever be certain you’ve done anything at all.’ Except, like with the Hero of Hisui, I am certain. Certain you’ve done something. I just don’t know why.
“Any chance you’re going to drop an Arc Phone out of the sky or tell me… anything?” I asked aloud. The wind whistled by on the canyon top, but there was no answer. Nothing had changed around me, yet I felt a presence. An invisible force silently observing me.
I waited, but the feeling eventually faded, like something stepping just out of my periphery. I don’t think you’re Arceus, but what - or rather who - are you?
***
“Nemona! Great to see you,” Mr. Smiley declared, stepping away from where the rest of the crew was moving the gear into the Terarium. “It’s been so long,” he said with the barest hint of an edge that I almost missed it. Certainly not so much that I could reasonably accuse of anything or I would look bad if I snapped back. I understood his frustration though; this project had been long delayed.
“It has. Have you enjoyed the other songs I’ve sent your way?” I sent back, my tone just as polite and pleasant as his. Yes, I’ve been busy, but I’ve still been putting a lot of work into the album! Almost too much, I worry sometimes.
“They’ve been splendid! I’ve managed to get the support of other artists and bands for some of the elements you were hoping could shine in those songs. I trust you were pleased with everything they sent your way?” He said just as smoothly back. Yeah, yeah, okay, this album wouldn’t be happening without you too.
“I’ve shown you some of the pictures, but I thought we could go over my image for what the video might look like with a bit more detail.”
Smiley nodded. “Especially with the change in song choice. ‘Reach for the Stars’ sounds fantastic, but it is different than ‘Celestial’ so it could help to get an idea of what you’re thinking of here.” I wonder if he means the thought process to my songs in general… and how he’d react if I told him that it was all from a past life, and the other Sonic song I wanted to do, Knight of the Wind, just didn’t feel like it was fitting so it freed up a slot here for a song that worked even better than Celestial for what I had planned.
As we talked I walked over to the director, and realized I knew her, though I hadn’t recognized her at first. She’s gotten better at hiding her shadow, it was only the slight fuzziness of her shadow that gave her away.
“Director Zee!” I said, happily waving at her. “I didn’t realize you did music videos too. She gave me a lupine grin, even while keeping her true form concealed.
“When I heard Mr. Smiley was creating one for you and asked for local talent, I just had to offer my services. And it sounds like you have quite the spectacle for us,” she said, rubbing her hands in anticipation. She’s got some good disguise skills - that’s a very human gesture, and incorporating those into movement naturally is something Phantasm struggles with. Though part of it might be that Zee interacts with a bunch of people all the time and Phantasm mostly sticks to me.
“That’s right. So, I was thinking the video would start here in the Savannah Biome and then carry on through the others. I really want to include my whole team throughout it, but we can probably also get some shots of the wild Pokemon here - I’ve talked to some of the Miniors here and they’d be willing to help, which I think would look great for the song. We’ll go through the Chargestone Caverns at some point, and then fly up to the Tera Sphere, cue a transition to us on the arena up top, maybe some slight battle stuff, I want to show off Dun’s new Terastalization, and then a transition to the night sky and reaching up to the stars?”
“You do like your battles,” Smiley commented and I couldn’t deny it. “I think that should work well. Though when you say-”
“What’s this new Terastalization Dun has?” Zee asked, too innocently.
I didn’t think about it and released my Starter in front of me. “Dun now has the Stellar Terastalization; it has hexagons representing all the other Types floating around a small turtle-like figure in the center, it’s really cool.” I began explaining. There’s already a video out there of Dun using it, and I’m sure by the time I leave school, plenty of people will have heard of Stellar Terastalization anyways. Still, it’s something to keep in mind for future battles.
“I’m sure,” Zee said, licking her lips as she looked down at Dun. Then, Athena burst out of her Pokeball, aggressively moving in front of Dun.
“Lucario!” She shouted at Zee, the director’s smile growing sharper.
“Uhh, is there a problem here?” Smiley asked, looking a little confused. Guess he’s out of the loop.
“I’m sure it will be fine and we can all handle ourselves like professionals,” I stressed. Zee looked disappointed but backed off. Athena was slightly mollified, though still glaring daggers at Zee, while Dun… was doing his best to look like he had no idea what was going on, but I knew him well enough. He might pretend otherwise, but he loves the attention, and the idea of two ladies fighting over him.
Smiley, thankfully steered us back on track by deciding not to question any of that and instead ask about the choreography. “You mentioned ‘flying over’ in some of our emails. Which Pokemon was going to be carrying you and for which parts?”
“Actually, I wanted a more freeform look to the flight. I’ll have Anya levitate me around with Psychic,” I fibbed. While I’m sure Notch could handle it, using my Aura will be much easier for everything we want to do.
We talked about the video more, going over the effects that we’d be using and how to time the motions to the video properly. Zee had some great ideas about how to transition things, with plans to have the Miniors flying in a certain formation in the Chargestone Cavern before breaking out of their shells and then the video would go from that to the night sky, the Miniors seeming to turn into stars. It’ll be a bit tricky to convince them all as Miniors really don’t like dropping their shells - they can perish in a few minutes outside of them, but I think I can convince them. Or rather, Notch can, especially with an offer to make diamond-strength shells for them in exchange.
The actual filming process was very interesting, it being quite disjointed. I’m sure they’ll edit it together to make it all look right in the end. All my Pokemon pitched in and was given some choreography advice from the film team, with some adding to the ‘special effects’. Anya was praised for ‘her’ control of me as I flew around, which had her feeling smug while Testudinidae was frustrated by the difficulties in using her Abilities to help (the billowing White Smoke or sun she’d make with Drought interfering with certain shots or each other if they wanted just one ability).
Once, some of the film people offered to have their own Pokemon help with those scenes, only to earn a burning glare from my Torkoal. She’s a stubborn one, always keen to prove herself. But to be fair, she always rises to the occasion, I thought as she was controlling both Abilities near perfectly by the second day.
We made sure to give a big, dramatic moment to Radiance where they flew up ahead of me as I approached the Tera Sphere, silhouetting it before making a burst of flame. It appeased their ego, but didn’t need them for too much of the filming which would inevitably lead to them getting bored and/or frustrated. Likewise, some of my other Pokemon, like Dun, weren’t too enthused by the project itself, but were more than happy to help me out and had enough fun from just that.
Notch watched it all with a keen eye, clearly trying to see how this video could be woven into the faith they were building around me, as well as any elements they could incorporate as iconography. At least they're too busy with that, and directing the Miniors, to proselytize the film crew.
While we included the wild Pokemon of the Terarium into the filming (including getting a few shots of wild Tera Pokemon), the Miniors were the only ones we needed to have filmed moving in a certain pattern, and they actually did quite well with it. Don’t know if they’re just that skilled at flying in formations together, a natural inclination to take to constellation based patterns, or driven really hard by the promise of diamond shells, but they did great! I had convinced almost a dozen of them to help us, and they were all quite happy with their pink-diamond shells as they left.
Phantasm got along great with Zee, the two talking about illusions, though the main focus was on storytelling through visual mediums. That’s awesome. I’m glad that she’s getting along with Zee. I know she harbored doubts about other Zoroarks after her difficulties in her den after changing, but it looks like there’s no problem here. And she gets to develop her hobby a bit too!
Miles chatted a fair bit with the other Rotoms on set, warning them about the Chargestone Caverns. That proved to be quite useful, as the Rotom Cameras got quite exciteful when following us for that section of the filming, but with Miles’ warning, were able to get through the filming without too much distraction. Even then, the entire process took three days and the final product wouldn’t be ready until the team had edited everything together (which would be a couple weeks). Smiley promised us we’d get the first look at it when it was done/to see if we wanted anything changed then. Generally though, I trusted him and Zee and all the others to do a good job. Now we just have to wait.
***
‘Let me know when you’re ready for your next album, with how you’ve been improving I’m sure it’ll be a Shell Smash hit!’ Smiley’s words of encouragement rang through my head in the days afterwards. Were they inspired by the idea of more profits? Of course. Were they false?... No, I don’t think so. I feel like my musical skill has progressed a bit, and could go much further. The only question is, do I devote the time needed for it? Can I afford it? There were clearly foes of great strength out there, if I wanted to face them, could I do so at anything less than my best?
I found myself drawn to the Coastal Biome lately, which is why I was currently staring out over the water, watching as the construction team put the artificial island we had wrecked back together. Pokemon were heavily involved in the project for lifting the large pieces, but people worked alongside them, both in the fine-tune elements and operating the machinery, but also in carrying some of the stuff that weighed less than actual boulders, but was still quite hefty. Those steel bars would back-breaking for pretty much anyone in my old world.
My Pokemon were still injured enough that I didn’t feel guilty about spending the time to play a bit. At first I began with my new album, starting with ‘New Genesis’ and ending with ‘Hail to the Queen’ a minor flip of ‘Hail to the King’ by Avenged… something? Or maybe the band was just called ‘The Avenged’? That’s one of the few songs of theirs I can recall. Still kinda surprised that Smiley was okay with it.
The lyrics of blood and submission to a monarch weren’t exactly nice, but it wouldn’t be shocking given I did ‘Eat Your Young’ last album. Still, they didn’t really match me, which was kinda the theme of the album. I mean, victory, championship, rulership, not so far apart. This one though would be less about me and more about… maybe the tyrants of Paldea’s past? That could definitely work. Though in that case, maybe I didn’t need to change it to Queen; there were plenty of despotic women in the Empire’s past, but the most famous tyrant King Ferdinand. The tales don’t directly include the Vessels of Ruin (or the fact that those are Pokemon), but there are some oblique references to them, if you know where to look. Also, the fact that he had the moniker ‘Ferdinand the Golden’ makes me suspect he had something to do with Goldengos, and/or their disappearance and current diminishment.
In any case, the Pokemon nearby were quite happy to hear me practice, especially when Miles joined in, using their Boombox form to provide accompaniment. Some of the Bellossums and Oricorios were dancing to the music.
They weren’t the only ones, however. As I sang, I noticed that hidden presence once more, watching me. I couldn’t stop or let it be known I was aware of them or they’d disappear again, but I readied myself. Slowly, carefully, shifting about as I played, I crept closer and closer to that presence, all while maintaining a facade of ignorance. Just as I was about to finish my song, I dropped my guitar, jumping at the presence!
The invisible presence ended up being far smaller than I anticipated, my lunge grasping only empty air, but my knee did connect with something. Before I had the time to fully comprehend what this might be, I felt my leg grabbed by small yet strong hands. My body was twirled around mid-air before they let go, sending me flying into a tree. As I blinked my vision clear, I tried to focus, my head swimming, as if I was feeling the mental sensation of a record screech. Focusing on the one who had tossed me about, now visible, I could only say, “Oh. That fits.”
Standing in the middle of the clearing, was a small grey and white figure. Barely over half a meter tall even with the updone orange swirls atop their head that looked akin to music sheets. That same orange was reflected in their eyes and the gem on their forehead standing out strikingly on their alabaster face. The grey of their body swept up at four points like a skirt, giving the vibe of a dancer. Meloetta, the Melody Pokemon.
Miles was the first to rush in, attempting to protect me, but with just three haunting notes, sent my oldest friend to a deep slumber, their boombox body crashing to the ground as they dozed. Turning back around, the Meloetta lashed out, crossing the distance between us in the blink of an eye. A hastily formed guard caught her kick and had me shoved only a short distance away, but there was no time to formulate a counterattack as she moved in once more.
So elegant, was all I had time to think as I defended against her strikes. Each one blow was made as part of a dance following some inaudible tempo, but they were undeniably strong and accurate. The motions aren’t even wasted either; what seems like a fanciful twirl spins them out of the way of my counterstrikes and into a weak spot of my own guard. I tried to keep my movements tight and block such openings, but they were expertful.
My Pokemon weren’t idle however, Notch popping out of their Pokeball and in the way of a kick. Meloetta hissed as they withdrew their leg, before trying to Sing, however Notch was ready for that. By the time the first note was finished, they had encased their ears in diamond guards, blocking out any sound.
Raising a hand up, great pillars of stone shot up all around, forcing the other Mythical Pokemon to jump nimbly backwards, avoiding the spiky stones that protruded from the ground. The rest of my team were releasing themselves as well before I shouted, “Stop!” Waving a hand at Notch so they would know to do the same.
Everyone stopped, including Meloetta (though they did have to duck behind a pillar to avoid Dun’s glare as he curled up defensively around me). “Meloetta is testing me, they aren’t trying to hurt me.” I was certain that they didn’t intend any permanent harm at least; if the fact that they had been invisibly lurking around me for almost a year without any attack wasn’t proof enough, I was cognizant of the fact that they had been holding back in our spar. They were fast and strong enough that they could have killed me in their first kick, if they wanted. So what is it you do want?
I wasn’t sure; if they were just angry at me having accidentally kneed them in the face, they probably would have left after throwing me. How did Meloetta even get in here in the first place? I mean, I suppose with their ability to become invisible, it wouldn’t be tough to sneak in- okay scratch that, this school is remote enough that it would still be tough since they’d need to slip into a submarine and then through the school elevators to get here, but not impossible. Why though?
Athena slowly nodded, sensing from the wild Mythical what I had suspected, and that was confirmation enough for my team to grudgingly take a step back, away from the field (with Notch telekinetically picking up Miles and pulling them over). With that done, I stepped forward, meeting Meloetta in ‘battle’ once more.
The tempo was far slower than before, but no less difficult for it. The change in pace made me more likely to overextend and open myself up, and just as I adapted, Meloetta would change it again. Around the pillars they would go, spinning, leaping off of, and striking around. As the battle continued, I shifted my stance, focusing less on an iron defense and more on mobility, trying to match the Mythical Pokemon.
It was a feat I could only achieve because they were holding back; that, and my Aura. Stretching my hearing to its limits, I caught the song they were singing. I followed it, striking on its beats, falling back in the lulls. As they changed the beat, I adapted with it, changing a snap kick into a crescent. Laughing aloud, I realized how much fun I was having, pushing myself in this way.
Obviously, I was rusty, well out of practice with my martial arts, but this was helping it come back to me. Even as i was improving, it wasn’t quite enough to match a master like Meloetta, even if they were holding themself back to my power and speed. Then, in a flash of inspiration, I remembered Athena’s Dancing Sword, all the practice we’d put into that Move.
Weaving around their strikes, I got in close, throwing an uppercut forward. That wasn’t enough, Meloetta jumping atop my arm and lashing out with a quick kick. I was in the moment, not pausing for a second whipping my head to the side as I flicked them up. Spinning around, I caught them with an elbow right in the face. The blow knocked the Mythical backwards, but more due to their lack of weight and being stuck in the air than anything. Looking at them as they landed gracefully, I felt I had likely hurt my elbow more than do any damage to them.
Still, they dropped their fighting stance, spinning around with a burst of light as they changed form. Their eyes, gem, and ‘hair’ (which now flowed down in a wavy pattern) were all now green. Their singing Form - what was it called again? I don’t remember. It’s less physically powerful and fast than their dancing Form, but no less dangerous, with plenty of power for special attacks.
“So, I take it I passed your test?” I ventured. In response, they hummed, waving their short round hands around. “Yes but no? Ah, only one part of your challenge then.” They nodded, my guitar lifting up from where I had dropped it and being placed gently in my hands. I can’t see any visual evidence of a Psychic Aura around it, or Meloetta, that’s some impressive control.
“What do you want me to play?” I asked as my team gathered around me once more. They smiled enigmatically before singing their own song. No, not their own song, this is a mash up of songs I’ve played here.
As they sang, I felt a swell of emotions rising up in me. Happiness, excitement, sadness, loneliness, anger, pride and so much more swirling together inside me. The feelings struck all the deeper because I knew them. They were all things I’d felt over the year, a wave of reminiscence washing over me.
“Something from your heart” They sang. I thought about it for a moment, then I chuckled. At their curious look, I waved my hands.
“It’s something that- well. There was a video game series I loved when I was young and it was called Kingdom Hearts and the opening was really the only song I’d listen too…” I cut of my rambling and got myself ready to start playing. Miles, now awake, began playing some of the other instruments to go in the background.
“When you walk away,
You don’t hear me say,
Please, Oh baby,
Don’t go.
Simple and Clean,
Is the way that you’re making me feel
Tonight.
It’s hard to let it go…”
I looked up for the first time since I’d started playing, and saw Meloetta smiling. “Obviously, I got into more music after that. First with ‘The Devil went Down to Georgia,’ then ‘Back in Black’ and then, more and more. Plenty of oldies, but a bunch of new stuff too, from all sorts of genres. Never played, not in that life. Never considered myself musically inclined enough for anything more than a bit singing in my school choir. Oh and that one talent show where I was the first up and mic didn’t work for my performance alone, that wasn’t great-” I blinked as a drop of water splashed off my guitar.
I wiped the tears from my eyes. Why am I so sad? It wasn’t that bad, not in the long run. I still live a good life- I lived a good life. But it’s gone. Even with this one being filled with miracles and joy aplenty, I’ll never get that back.
“Why?” I croaked out, unsure myself of what exactly I was asking. Predictably, Meloetta began singing an answer. The tune began slow, but joyous, shortly after, they began dancing to the music. The performance created a vision, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the same powers that let them hide in plain sight or ‘merely’ the emotional resonance, but it painted the tale of Meloetta’s life.
It was a tale of journeys, across many lands. Of sights spectacular and unknown (and in one case at least, Unown). Towering trees in stark white forests, cities made of dreams, islands separated by churning waves and connected by racing winds. There was much joy to be had in all the discovery, but hardship too. Particularly from loneliness, as Meloetta found all sorts of Pokemon, but none like themselves.
There was a time they lived with a colony of Jigglypuffs, singing their songs night after night. It was peaceful, but too much so. At times, Meloetta would burst into motion and action, dragging Jigglypuffs into adventure and battle, but this was not approved of. The Elder Wigglytuffs argued with them, and the Mythical Pokemon left. The inverse happened when they danced with a pride of Kommo-os; there were times when they wished to be still and would get jostled and challenged by the eager Dragons.
They would win, wherever they went, but they found even their strength could be a burden. There were none like them, and that meant none that could match their strength. The tune rose, before falling, showing the results of Tyrannitars toppled, of Machamps forced to run away… and then of the consequences, as the lands lost their strongest Pokemon. It created an imbalance, created DisHaRMonY wherever they went, the ecosystems inadvertently disrupted by Meloetta.
That strength that let them best other Pokemon attracted some. It also earned the curiosity of humans. Some would have joy sparked by their song, but many more would see them and radiate greed. Sometimes without even seeing Meloetta sing or dance, they would see them, and that would trigger dark feelings. And the humans might leave after being defeated, but many would return, with more Pokemon at their side and strange devices.
So they left, finding a place far, far away from any other land. Still curious, Meloetta saw the humans building things, big things, and one project was bigger than all the others. They hid on human transports, curious as to what the people could be creating, and found within that the humans had built a land in miniature under the water! It was fantastic, and as it turned out, an excellent place to remain undetected. There were many other Pokemon living freely here but all in peace. Meloetta could dance unseen amongst the Bellossum and Oricorio, quietly lending their song. There was action they yearned for still, but there was peace too.
Until a storm came. The storm would not stay forever, but it spent much of its time within the lands of Terarium. Unusual in and of itself, but far more so for the songs it brought. Meloetta had heard much, from the tunes whispered to them while still inside their egg to concerts on the stages built in cities, performed by humans and Pokemon alike. They had never heard songs like this before, however.
So they waited and watched the storm. A difficult task, as the eye of the storm was sharp indeed, and was quite strong - strength that might even surpass Meloetta’s own. It was nearly able to spot Meloetta at several turns. But despite the danger, the idea of new music was too enticing, so they kept watching and eventually, let their guard down. And the storm kneed them in the face.
“... Wait a moment, I’m the storm!?” I asked as the song died down and I put the pieces together. I mean, yeah, Flying Aura and all, and I guess I have a lot of emotions and stuff on my mind but still. Calling me a storm feels like a bit much. Meloetta (as well as a few of my Pokemon) laughed and I huffed. “You know that was an accident, and I probably hurt my own knee more than your head.”
Meloetta flicked their musical hair back primly, and I shook my head. “Alright alright, I’m sorry. I do have a potion in here if you want one,” I said opening my bag. Meloetta stopped me by stepping forward and slipping their own hands into the bag and pulling out a plain Pokeball.
“Oh. You… want to be my Pokemon? I can promise that you wouldn’t be lonely with me or my team.”
“Dun Dun Sparce,” Dun confirmed, squeezing close to me. I smiled and held him tight, but I noticed Meloetta hesitating.
“Was that test not enough?” I asked and they shook their head.
“~If you said goodbye to me tonight,
There would still be music left to write~”
I laughed as they sang, realizing they’d spied on me during one of my Billy Joel sessions. I also caught the question in their lyrics. ‘Will you continue to sing?’ An odd question, considering how much singing I’d been doing around the Terarium of late, but given their empathic skills, I knew where Meloetta was coming from.
“I will,” I said softly, but full of conviction. “I might have had doubts - might still have doubts - about how I’ll balance that with my work as a Trainer, or my studies, or my martial arts practice, or making a tabletop roleplaying game, or… so much else. But nothing has changed. I still want to sing. I still want to take those songs I heard that filled me with so much joy and inspiration and give those to others. So what if it’s hard? I’ll work harder! Because it’s worth it, and because I have great friends at my side, who can help my dreams come true.”
I cast my gaze around from Notch to Nightwing to Miles to Bahamut to Athena to Dun to Anya to Phantasm to Cataphract to Radiance to Testudinidae. “And I’ve helped, and will continue to help, make their dreams come true. So if you want to dance and sing and see the world, we can do that.”
They pressed the button and disappeared in a flash of red light. A few wiggles later, and the Pokeball clicked, the sweetest sound in the world.
A/N: So, this one has been a loooooong time coming as many of you already assumed from the hints I’ve been laying down since this arc started. I never wanted to overload Nemona with Pokemon, especially not Legendary/Mythical ones, but this felt way too fitting for me to pass up. I hope I was able to do it justice when finally addressing the Meloetta in the room Terarium, haha.
This also makes the twelfth Pokemon to join the team! I hadn’t planned for any specific numbers for any of the Pokemon caught (beyond Dun first and Miles second), but I like it and think this is pretty fitting. Meloetta is a Pokemon that feel has a ton of potential, especially outside of the games where we won’t be locked into certain things (like always starting in Aria Form and needing Relic Song to change back and forth/Relic Song not being available as a physical Move in Pirouette Form).
Form changes and their triggers was something I considered playing with for a Minior early on, but eventually shelved due to wanting to keep team size down (and it kinda overlapping/being overshadowed by how Notch works with Mega Evolution). I did like the idea, which is what led to me making Cassandra. There’s a number of Pokemon that got changed from my original plans for this arc, but I’m quite happy with the ones we have now.
On that note, I’ll confirm that Meloetta will be the last Pokemon Nemona will catch during her time at Blueberry Academy (gotta save some room for future arcs). Which Pokemon of the ones caught here has been your favorite?