(ELITE) The SINJOH Team

"Good idea." Azelf nearly sighed with relief. The other adult present agreed with him. While he may have been able to argue, he definitely didn't want to right now. "I remember the way we came if anyone else can't, but I agree the shelter sounds like the best idea right now."

"That's fine!" Azelf glanced over at Gold and his beaming, smiling face. There was something a touch unsettling about it. Azelf couldn't say for sure whether Gold was putting on a brave face, or was in denial, or something hadn't clicked yet. "We still have Lexa and Bitey. They'll keep us warm enough to get back to that cabin and then from there we can rest up again and get back into the ruins. Easy peasy! It'll be ok, guys. We got this!"

He gave Gold a weary smile, interupted by Anubis's sad little voice. "No... We don't... But...neither do we have a choice. I just want to go home..."

Azelf floated a little closer, intent on comforting him, but Lexa pulled him closer to her and Azelf decided it would be better not to crowd him. Anubis was easily overwhelmed, sometimes. "We'll go home one day, but for now we have to go one day at a time. Come on kids, let's get out of this depressing cave."

"Wh-where...? Where will we g-go...?" He turned back to them to see Prince staring up at him with frightened, exhausted eyes. The sight wedged the knife a little deeper into his soul.

"I have an idea," the pixie soothed. "But like I said, it's better if we get somewhere safer than this, first. If we need to rest there's- there's that cabin we spent the night at."

---


It took a little while to return to the cabin, and, once reminded of its existance, he brought the group inside to rest a bit from the wind. It was a strange experience, returning to this place after all that had happened...

We left this place this morning so full of hope... He wanted to cry. But he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Okay," he murmured, settling down near the empty fireplace. "We can stay here awhile. Gold, you... really don't recall what happened?"

At his affirmative, he groaned inwardly. Oh, he desperately didn't want to do this. "We found Arceus, in a manner of speaking. We opened a path of communication, at any rate. He... he either cannot help us or won't. We don't know which; he didn't speak and wouldn't answer us. Guinivere grew upset shortly after this and for some unknown reason, she scooped up Cynthia, and ran. Silver left shortly afterwards. That leads us to where we are now."

"No... We don't... But...neither do we have a choice. I just want to go home..."

Gold's smile dimmed a bit with the Lucario's forlorn reply, but he wouldn't let it go out completely. Anubis was sad, and that was ok. That happened to everyone. All he could do was be supportive. "We'll go home one day, but for now we have to go one day at a time. Come on kids, let's get out of this depressing cave." He nodded approvingly.

"Wh-where...? Where will we g-go...?" The small Ralts in his arms found Gold's hazy attention, and he gave the tiny fairy a gentle, warm hug.

"I have an idea," Azelf soothed. "But like I said, it's better if we get somewhere safer than this, first. If we need to rest there's- there's that cabin we spent the night at."

---


The walk back to the cabin was, even Gold had to admit, a little lonely. It felt so empty without Silver's angry mutterings or Cynthia's lofty words. Still, he hugged Prince closer to himself, to keep the little guy warm. They'd be okay.

"Okay," Azelf began in a low voice, "We can stay here awhile. Gold, you... really don't recall what happened?"

Blinking, Gold was a little surprised that it was being addressed, but shrugged all the same. "Nope," he chimed back, unaware of the implications. "No big deal, though, right?"

The slight groan that came from the legendary wasn't a great sign, but that was okay. "We found Arceus, in a manner of speaking. We opened a path of communication, at any rate. He... he either cannot help us or won't. We don't know which; he didn't speak and wouldn't answer us. Guinivere grew upset shortly after this and for some unknown reason, she scooped up Cynthia, and ran. Silver left shortly afterwards. That leads us to where we are now."

"...Oh." Well... that was certainly unexpected. Woops. "That... sucks. And it's super weird that I don't really remember any of that Arceus stuff, but... well, it's ok. No, wait, it's not okay, but... maybe He was... like you said, He couldn't help. I mean, there's no reason why He wouldn't right? There's gotta be more to that than what we know. Weird that the dragon just sorta left. Silver does that all the time, but I didn't expect it from her."

Time seemed to pass more slowly the way back down the perilous stairs than it had on the way up, though whether that was because they had fewer fire types to create dry patches to walk on or because of the low hanging general mood Lexa wasn’t sure. Cynthia’s optimism on the way up despite the perils had been an easy boon for the group as they had ascended and now with half their party gone the silence hung around them thicker than the snow upon the trees. Had hope abandoned them as well as Arceus?

Everyone had agreed to going back to the cabin to rest and once inside the cold echo of the empty house was yet another reminder of how fractured they had become.  Nothing remained of their optimism from this morning other than the smoldering ashes in the fireplace. "Okay," Azelf began, his voice breaking through the silence like thunder. "We can stay here awhile. Gold, you... really don't recall what happened?"

Both Anubis and Lexa looked over to Gold expectantly at the question as they too were curious about what exactly had transpired within the young trainer to cause such a black out. "Nope. No big deal, though, right?" His voice rang with its usual cheer and even the question seemed more innocent than the answer that would follow. How much would Azelf actually reveal?

"We found Arceus, in a manner of speaking. We opened a path of communication, at any rate. He... he either cannot help us or won't. We don't know which; he didn't speak and wouldn't answer us. Guinivere grew upset shortly after this and for some unknown reason, she scooped up Cynthia, and ran. Silver left shortly afterwards. That leads us to where we are now."

"...Oh." Anubis cocked his head in confusion at the soft tone. It didn’t sound regretful he didn’t remember, and judging by his aura it was more…sadness. Sadness that someone had left. "That... sucks. And it's super weird that I don't really remember any of that Arceus stuff, but... well, it's ok. No, wait, it's not okay, but... maybe He was... like you said, He couldn't help. I mean, there's no reason why He wouldn't right? There's gotta be more to that than what we know. Weird that the dragon just sorta left. Silver does that all the time, but I didn't expect it from her."

“Silver left for the same reason Guinevere did,” Anubis chimed. “Their auras were distraught. Cynthia had gone mute…the dragon feared for her…So they left. Silver…left. Everyone leaves…”- The Lucario couldn’t help but think of how many he had lost since the first fall, the first wave of this plague that now dominated the world. Mother, Kyuubi, Cathal and Suzu, even Lexa for a time. Nothing in this world was permanent anymore except the empty feeling of always being alone. “You’ll all leave too…eventually.”

"...Oh." Azelf did his best not to wince. He hoped the young man wouldn't have a breakdown.

"That... sucks," he started slowly. "And it's super weird that I don't really remember any of that Arceus stuff, but... well, it's ok. No, wait, it's not okay, but... maybe He was... like you said, He couldn't help. I mean, there's no reason why He wouldn't right? There's gotta be more to that than what we know. Weird that the dragon just sorta left. Silver does that all the time, but I didn't expect it from her."

“Silver left for the same reason Guinevere did,” Anubis piped up before Azelf could. “Their auras were distraught. Cynthia had gone mute…the dragon feared for her…So they left. Silver…left. Everyone leaves- You’ll all leave too… eventually.”

It was times like these that he wished he had more knowledge of those words normal people used to express intense emotions, because oh was he sure feeling some emotions. At least Gold seemed to have all his wits about him. The pixie had been more than a little alarmed to hear Gold first acknowledge a giant gap in memory as 'okay'; thank goodness he rectified that. "... I... I don't intend to go anywhere, Anubis. Not for a long while. And I'd be happy if you accompanied me. And Gold- I..."

This was hard. So, so hard. He could feel Prince's eyes on him, boring into his soul.

"I can't... think of why he wouldn't... unless he just doesn't care. He made everything there was. I know there are things he can't do directly, or at least, didn't want to-- I exist for a reason. He created my siblings and I to give the humans he created certain aspects they lacked but needed. But if he can't stop the plague directly then- there's no reason he can't create something or someone that could and direct us what to do. So- I... I think we just have to move on. He's not going to do anything, so we need to find our own way..."

And he had but one idea for that.

"A long while ago, I helped a human found a farm." Prince perked up, looking up at him. "It's safe there. It's in Hoenn, so it's often hot, which the undead don't like and don't survive well under. There's only two easy ways into the farm and one is blocked off. When I left it was growing food. I plan to take Prince there, but if anyone else wants to come, they're welcome to follow."

Most of the walk and the conversation was a blur. Prince didn't pay attention. Didn't have the strength to. Gold's arms were warm and secure, and being perpetually tired as he was, he found himself soon asleep.

It was not until later that he woke, very suddenly, to the sound of Gold speaking.

"-sucks." The world existed again. Color, light, sound. Where were they? He was staring at a ceiling he didn't know. "And it's super weird that I don't really remember any of that Arceus stuff, but... well, it's ok. No, wait, it's not okay, but... maybe He was... like you said, He couldn't help." Wait, he did know that ceiling. That was the cabin ceiling. That's right. It would make sense to break here. Was Gold talking about Arceus? "I mean, there's no reason why He wouldn't right? There's gotta be more to that than what we know. Weird that the dragon just sorta left. Silver does that all the time, but I didn't expect it from her."

Yes. He was. Prince wanted to deflate again, and did, when Anubis spoke up with his own observations, the young canine's emotions drowning in despair. “Silver left for the same reason Guinevere did. Their auras were distraught. Cynthia had gone mute…the dragon feared for her… So they left. Silver… left. Everyone leaves- You’ll all leave too… eventually.”

He sat up in Gold's arms, watching Azelf as he spoke. "... I... I don't intend to go anywhere, Anubis. Not for a long while. And I'd be happy if you accompanied me. And Gold- I..."

How was he going to answer this? What would he tell him?

"I can't... think of why he wouldn't... unless he just doesn't care." It hurt to hear him say that. It still felt like a dull pain, like a knife stabbing him that he was no longer capable of fully comprehending, but it hurt nonetheless. "He made everything there was. I know there are things he can't do directly, or at least, didn't want to-- I exist for a reason. He created my siblings and I to give the humans he created certain aspects they lacked but needed. But if he can't stop the plague directly then- there's no reason he can't create something or someone that could and direct us what to do. So- I... I think we just have to move on. He's not going to do anything, so we need to find our own way..."

And that would be...?

"A long while ago, I helped a human found a farm." A farm? Pictures of fields of golden wheat and carefully-tended vegetables came to mind. People in straw hats, blue skies, and cows and sheep. Likely Miltank and Mareep, too. Azelf helped make a farm? "It's safe there. It's in Hoenn, so it's often hot, which the undead don't like and don't survive well under. There's only two easy ways into the farm and one is blocked off. When I left it was growing food. I plan to take Prince there, but if anyone else wants to come, they're welcome to follow."

"A farm sounds nice," he breathed, barely able to believe it. Why hadn't he heard of it sooner? Well... I probably wouldn't have wanted to leave him earlier- I still don't. Oh no. Was Azelf going to leave him on this farm while he continued looking for his siblings?

“Silver left for the same reason Guinevere did. Their auras were distraught. Cynthia had gone mute…the dragon feared for her… So they left. Silver… left. Everyone leaves- You’ll all leave too… eventually.”

Gold turned to Anubis with a concerned eye, but his optimism didn't falter. He knew they would be ok. Things looked bad now, but... they would make it. They had to. "... I... I don't intend to go anywhere, Anubis. Not for a long while. And I'd be happy if you accompanied me. And Gold- I..." Gold looked up at Azelf, concerned but not completely drowning in despair like everyone else.

"I can't... think of why he wouldn't... unless he just doesn't care." Gold frowned a little, but couldn't wrap his head around that. Why wouldn't He help? It just made no sense. "He made everything there was. I know there are things he can't do directly, or at least, didn't want to-- I exist for a reason. He created my siblings and I to give the humans he created certain aspects they lacked but needed. But if he can't stop the plague directly then- there's no reason he can't create something or someone that could and direct us what to do. So- I... I think we just have to move on. He's not going to do anything, so we need to find our own way..."

Azelf paused and Gold found himself in thought, but it was quickly interrupted by the elf continuing his own thoughts.

"A long while ago, I helped a human found a farm." A farm? Gold brightened at the word. His thoughts immediately went to the rural routes of his home region, north of Olivine. All those happy Miltank and all the milk he could drink. Cool summer nights, illuminated by nothing but stars and fireflies. The nostalgia warmed him and he instinctively hugged Prince closer. "It's safe there. It's in Hoenn, so it's often hot, which the undead don't like and don't survive well under. There's only two easy ways into the farm and one is blocked off. When I left it was growing food. I plan to take Prince there, but if anyone else wants to come, they're welcome to follow."

"A farm sounds nice," Prince murmured and Gold heartily agreed. His theory on Arceus completely forgotten, he lightly bounced in place, careful not to jar the tiny fairy in his arms too much.

"Let's do it!" Gold cheered. "I'm in. When do we go?"

"... I... I don't intend to go anywhere, Anubis.

Those words seemed like such an empty promise now. Everyone he had ever known had left him, the Legend being what he was did little to deter the feeling that everything would end up the same as before. With him alone. "Not for a long while. And I'd be happy if you accompanied me. And Gold- I..."

"I can't... think of why he wouldn't... unless he just doesn't care." Of course he didn't care, Lexa thought bitterly to herself. What could he gain from keeping them alive when he could start over with a clean slate and no screw ups left? "He made everything there was. I know there are things he can't do directly, or at least, didn't want to-- I exist for a reason. He created my siblings and I to give the humans he created certain aspects they lacked but needed. But if he can't stop the plague directly then- there's no reason he can't create something or someone that could and direct us what to do. So- I... I think we just have to move on. He's not going to do anything, so we need to find our own way..."

"Our own way," Lexa muttered to herself. "So what else is new? That's all anyone has left to count on now. Their own way."

"A long while ago, I helped a human found a farm. It's safe there. It's in Hoenn, so it's often hot, which the undead don't like and don't survive well under. There's only two easy ways into the farm and one is blocked off. When I left it was growing food. I plan to take Prince there, but if anyone else wants to come, they're welcome to follow."


"A farm sounds nice," Prince replied softly, still buried in the kid's arms.

"Let's do it! I'm in. When do we go?"

While the thought of a Legend founding a farm seemed a bit odd and almost farfectched to the fire type she was willing to at least put a destination in mind if everyone was already so willing. "We were in Fortree before. Hoenn is very close to home, if we could take up at this farm of yours for a while and then find a way across to Johto we can be back in Kanto before you know it An-"

"NO!" Anubis cried suddenly, fear and tension radiating off of the Lucario in waves so strong one didn't need to be an empath to sense them. "NO! NOT HOENN! NEVER AGAIN!" Anubis backed away from the group as he tried to fit himself into the smallest corner he could find, tears rushing forward at a burning pace and wrenching a sob from his throat. Hoenn was where Mother was buried, where he found and lost Cathal, and where Suzu... That was where they met... and he died... Where he came back... How could anyone want to go there? The land was a curse! All it had ever brought him was misery and he would die before going back if he could help it.

Poor Lexa. He felt terrible, hearing her say that. This shouldn't be anyone's problem...

"A farm sounds nice."

"Let's do it! I'm in. When do we go?" Gold was all but bouncing in place, seemingly making a very good effort not to jostle Prince too much. The little fairy didn't look very happy though. More like blank. Was he all right...?

"We were in Fortree before. Hoenn is very close to home, if we could take up at this farm of yours for a while and then find a way across to Johto we can be back in Kanto before you know it An-" He turned his head very slightly to listen to Lexa, fretting over Prince. Maybe it would be his little friend who would suffer a meltdown instead of Gold?

As it turned out, it would be neither.

"NO!" Anubis screamed. "NO! NOT HOENN! NEVER AGAIN!" Leaping up, he ran to the nearest, smallest corner and wedged himself into it, a sob tearing out. Azelf stared in horror, heart wrenching at the sight.

"Abubis- Anubis no shh..." He lowered himself to float very near the floor and moved no closer to the terrified canine. "No one will make you, I promise. I promise."

Right now he had no idea what he would do, but forcing the boy wasn't an option. Glancing to Lexa, he pleaded with his eyes for direction. He didn't know Anubis, and trying to help soothe him without knowing what might make it worse would be unwise.

"Let's do it! I'm in. When do we go?" Though the sheer joy from Gold should have been enough to perk him up, Prince couldn't help the seed of worry that sucked away at the positive feelings that had tried to rub off on him.

Would Azelf leave him? He turned the thought over and over again in his head. He knew the pixie desperately wanted to find his siblings; maybe he'd chosen to take Prince with him before because he knew Prince didn't want to separate. Maybe he'd thought he could keep them both safe, regardless what came their way.

But with that handily disproved- and he had no doubt Azelf still wanted to find his brother and sister-

"NO!" He felt the cry before he heard it, head jerking to face the source. Anubis's face betrayed every ounce of terror he was feeling, and he made no attempt to hide it, even going so far as to find the smallest corner to jam himself into. Already weighted down with his own worries, Anubis's grief and terror was too much to handle, and Prince began to cry, a quiet sound drowned out by the other teenager's screams. "NO! NOT HOENN! NEVER AGAIN!"

"Abubis- Anubis no shh..." Azelf tried to comfort him, but aside from lowering himself, he didn't seem to know what to do. "No one will make you, I promise. I promise."

Prince turned around and buried his face into Gold's chest, already knowing it was useless-- doing so wouldn't block out the radio waves of emotion Anubis was putting out. But it was still instinct to try."S-stop," he begged, voice catching on his own breath and the tiny plea muffled by Gold's clothes.

"NO!" Gold was startled by the ferocity of Anubs cry, and then by the slight weeping from the tiny bundle in his arms. Oh no-- poor little Prince. As an empathetic Pokemon, this must be destroying him. "NO! NOT HOENN! NEVER AGAIN!"

"Abubis- Anubis no shh..." Azelf soothed, his attempt doing little to actually sway the hysteric fighting type. "No one will make you, I promise. I promise."

The little Ralts buried his head in Gold's chest, and Gold wrapped his arms around him to try and further shield him. "S-stop," he weakly pleaded. Gold rested his head on Prince's, hoping to pour his own strength and stability onto the other. "Hey, hey little guy," he cooed, rocking and bouncing lightly as if Prince were an actual child in his arms, "It's all right. We're ok. I've got you."

Lexa was at a complete loss to the sudden breakdown of her student, only able to stare dumbfounded while Azelf attempted to comfort the Lucario. What the hell had inspired that reaction? When they were in Hoenn he didn't seem to be that upset by it, why the fright now? What hadn't he told her before now?

"Abubis- Anubis no shh..." Azelf's voice couldn't cut through the high pitched screeching in his mind, sounding more like he was underwater rather than hovering less than a foot away from him. He couldn't go back, didn't they understand that? Only death followed that region. "No one will make you, I promise. I promise." Liar.

"S-stop." Despite not being able to hear Azelf it seemed Prince's voice cut through the shrieking like a knife, piercing his mind and stopping him almost cold. He stared numbly at the little Ralts as he tried to shield himself from the world and it didn't take looking at his aura to know why. Anubis himself was doing this to him. Guilt ceased the paranoid fear clawing at his mind as he settled down in his small corner, watching Gold rock the small fairy like he was a child. 'I'm sorry...' he thought pitifully to himself. He was always sorry...

Even after finally evolving he had only proven time and time again he was too weak to be of any use to anyone. Mother had still died, Cathal, Suzu...everyone he loved died because he was too weak. Despite Lexa kneeling beside him to comfort him all he could see was the tattered, broken body of Suzaku in place of her making him flinch away from the gentle hold she tried to wrap around him. Lexa's face was one of pity and disappointment but the one sitting on top of it, the one he could see, there was nothing but blame.

It wasn't working.

Anubis took no notice of his words, still cowering in the corner. Not really mystified so much as utterly worried, Azelf picked his brain desperately for something else he could do to soothe the terrified teenager.

"S-stop."

The little plea sent a chill down his spine. Azelf whipped his head around in time to see Gold pulling the little fairy closer, Prince's face buried in his chest.

"Hey, hey little guy," he soothed, rocking Prince. The guesture was unfamiliar to Azelf, but it was gentle and careful and every ounce of Gold's attention was clearly focused on comforting his friend. Nonetheless, Azelf watched, anxious all the way down to his bones. "It's all right. We're ok. I've got you."

After watching for a moment as Prince curled into Gold, Azelf turned back to Anubis, who had gone quiet. It felt like a punch to the gut to see how guilty the boy looked. "Anubis," he said softly. "You never have to go back there. If the place hurts too much, I'll- I'll find somewhere else. But I made a promise not to leave you, and I won't. We'll figure something out."

And they would. They would. He couldn't just leave these people...

Gold snapped into action instantly; Prince wasn't surprise to be hugged, but the softness and gentleness of the voice that spoke did surprise him.

"Hey, hey little guy," Gold murmured, sounding far older than he had so far with the way he took charge in comforting him like that. But as surprised as he was at that, he was even moreso when the young man began to rock him, bouncing him occasionally very slightly; it took a minute for Prince to remember where he'd seen this before. Humans did it with their very young-- their infants, in fact. He felt his face flush with shame; he wasn't a child. Young, yes, but not a child. He would be fully grown in a matter of a year or two, most likely (a sound of distress escaped him when he realized he was no longer entirely sure how old he was) and was far, far too old for this.

If he hadn't been so utterly upset at feeling like the world was crashing down around him, Prince might have felt patronized by the display. As it was, the crushing despair and fear that had been swimming around in his head, countered by the strong desire to reassure and protect that radiated from the very core of Gold's being, the absolute sincerity in every word and every motion, not only placated any anger he may have felt-- it actually comforted him a little. "It's all right. We're ok. I've got you."

Gold wasn't trying to make him feel bad. The opposite, really. Gold probably had no experience at all with his species and had no idea exactly how old or young he was-- just that he was scared and upset and very, very small, and that he wanted to help him. Nobody could pretend that the human was the brightest person in the world, but he seemed to have his own brand of common sense and he definitely had a big heart and an immense strength. The latter two anchored Prince against his and Anubis's emotions both, and the latter's began to soften in volume, just slightly, as he wrestled control away from his hysteria. Prince went limp with relief. The barrage hadn't ended, exactly, but it was more withstandable. He rubbed his eyes and peeked up from his protective shelter against Gold's body. "Thanks," he whispered.

"Anubis," he heard his guardian say, "you never have to go back there. If the place hurts too much, I'll-" His eyes darted back and forth for a moment, Prince wincing as the uncertainty pricking at the edges of the Legend's mind needled his own. "I'll find somewhere else. But I made a promise not to leave you, and I won't. We'll figure something out."

There was no such doubt in those last sentences. Azelf meant every word. Selfishly, and hating himself for it, Prince wondered if that meant that Azelf would be unable to leave him, too. Anubis was in no state to search and wander endlessly like Azelf needed to do to find his siblings, and neither was Prince. He knew Azelf meant to find them a settlement. If he was promising Anubis he wouldn't leave him, that meant he would stay with them, right?

The notion made his insides squirm. He shouldn't celebrate that. His brother and sister meant the world to his friend. But he didn't want Azelf to leave them, either...

Shoving aside his own turmoil, he cleared his throat and spoke, recoiling a bit at the hoarseness of his voice. "W-we won't leave you."

Gold wasn't entirely sure whether or not his soothings would actually work, but when Prince's little face peeked up from under the folds of his clothes, he couldn't stop the bright, genuine smile. "Thanks," he whispered.

He squeezed the little Ralts with a hug, but kept the psychic in his arms. "No problem." He pulled the hat off his own head to reveal short disheveled ebony hair and placed it on Prince's. "There you go. That'll help keep you warm, yeah?"

"Anubis," Azelf began, "you never have to go back there. If the place hurts too much, I'll-" Gold stared at the Legend, unsure of what would come next. "I'll find somewhere else. But I made a promise not to leave you, and I won't. We'll figure something out."

Gold smiled at the certainty in those words, and he nodded firmly in reply as Prince affirmed in his arms. "W-we won't leave you."

"That's right. We're here and we'll protect you. Right Bitey?" The Typhlosion, who had been silently providing warmth to her Trainer by laying next to him, grunted in agreement.

"Anubis," Lexa looked up from their huddled position on the floor in Anubis's corner as Azelf spoke, the Lucario still curled against her. "you never have to go back there. If the place hurts too much, I'll- I'll find somewhere else. But I made a promise not to leave you, and I won't. We'll figure something out." Anubis didn't seem to respond at first and she let out a soft sigh before responding in his stead.

"Thank you but... If Anubis isn't comfortable traveling we will have to find another way back to Cinnabar. Last time I saw the Gym it was still withholding against the undead thanks to the volcano's heat so I have to believe it is still there waiting for us. I appreciate the gesture, however."

Anubis lifted his head as the pair were talking and looked around the room, paying special attention to the small fairy still in Gold's arms. He seemed so fragile, so helpless...just like him. He could see the aura shining around Prince dull and wave with the torment in his mind and it only compounded his own guilt to hear him speak. "W-we won't leave you."

Of course he would. They all would. But it wouldn't be their fault, it was his own. He was a curse on anyone he cared about and was never strong enough to keep them from dying. What could they do against such cosmic forces? "That's right. We're here and we'll protect you. Right Bitey?"

"But who will protect you?" he whimpered softly. Lexa's arms tightened around him as she hushed him softly. "Don't think like that, Anu. We'll protect each other just like when we were part of a team." Anubis whimpered again and hid behind her shoulder, memories of everyone in their team who died so he and Mother could escape haunting him. "They all died too... Why would any of you be any different?"

"Thank you but... If Anubis isn't comfortable traveling we will have to find another way back to Cinnabar. Last time I saw the Gym it was still withholding against the undead thanks to the volcano's heat so I have to believe it is still there waiting for us. I appreciate the gesture, however."

Azelf felt a deep sadness weigh on him, but he nodded. Lexa was his guardian; Lexa knew what was best.

"W-we won't leave you," Prince promised, and his chest swelled first with pride at his little friend, and then with gratitude for Gold; the hat Prince hugged around his body like some kind of weird, stiff blanket could only be the young human's.

"That's right. We're here and we'll protect you. Right Bitey?" His Typhlosion made a sound of assent. She still didn't seem very talkative, but nor did she here sound particularly upset or disgruntled with the decision.

"But who will protect you?" Anubis said in a little whimper, and the Legend's heart broke. His caretaker held him closer, making a soft hushing sound to try to soothe him.

"Don't think like that, Anu. We'll protect each other just like when we were part of a team."

The poor canine made another little noise of pain, hiding into her shoulder. "They all died too... Why would any of you be any different?"

This... would be far too important to give simple, easy placations for. Anything other than the bare truth would be patronizing and painful to the already wounded teenager, and besides, Anubis's species would be able to sense disingenuity. So would Prince's, for that matter. If he said nothing he didn't believe, they would know.

"We're not," the Legend began, hoping his slow pace would help him pick his words better. "We are all as mortal as anyone else. A... fact that I've... become painfully familiar with-"

His voice broke off and for a moment the world seemed to stop. It took the calling of his name for it to rush back, the pixie shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Prince's wide, haunted eyes staring at him and could have kicked himself for allowing his friend to feel such anguish from him.

He cleared his throat. "A-anyway. I can't promise nothing will happen. It would be wrong and silly of me to lie like that. All I can promise is that I will do my best to keep you safe and together." He made sure to look Anubis directly in the eyes.

"You're important to me, all of you. I want to protect you and try to get you somewhere safe, wherever that may be. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens."

Prince felt his heart sink when Lexa suggested the possibility they'd have to split up. What might happen to them out there?

"That's right. We're here and we'll protect you. Right Bitey?" As she grunted her agreement, Prince felt himself relax a little bit. Maybe that assurance would help...?

A strong surge of grief hit him and he winced, easing a hand to his head as he glanced over at Anubis. "But who will protect you?"

"Don't think like that, Anu," soothed Lexa. "We'll protect each other just like when we were part of a team."

Prince winced at the spike in his fear and pain. He knew what would come out of the other boy's mouth before it he said it. "They all died too... Why would any of you be any different?"

He glanced over at Azelf, biting his lip. The Legend was pensive, clearly taking a moment to collect himself.

"We're not," he said simply, his body language poised in a familiar way-- he was trying to pick his words as carefully as he could without letting a pause stretch. Vestigaes of suffering began to radiate from him and the little fairy had only a moment to brace himself before the anguish hit, growing with each word. "We are all as mortal as anyone else. A... fact that I've... become painfully familiar with-"

Azelf cut himself off and glanced over at him. He must have looked terrible because Azelf winced and took a moment to stamp out what he felt. Guilt surged, as did gratitude. Azelf shouldn't have to tear himself away from his thoughts--and the grief he had earned every right to feel--just for his sake, but it was utterly suffocating.

Azelf cleared his throat before continuing. "A-anyway. I can't promise nothing will happen. It would be wrong and silly of me to lie like that. All I can promise is that I will do my best to keep you safe and together."

Prince remained silent. He wanted to speak, but wasn't sure what to say or even what he was feeling besides praying Anubis would stay. Besides, Anubis deserved quiet to think over what was said to him.

There was a brief bloom of admiration in his chest for the pixie. His friend was such a good friend. Such a good person. He wanted to soothe, but knew he couldn't lie to him, and refused to do so even if that might be easier.

"But who will protect you?"

Gold looked to the Lucario with an expression of mild confusion. Easy, they would all protect each other. That was how a team worked, after all. But Bitey understood where the question had to have come from, and thus gave the fearful fighter a look of sympathy. "Don't think like that, Anu," soothed Lexa. "We'll protect each other just like when we were part of a team."

Gold smiled at the Blaziken's response; she got it. She understoo-- "They all died too... Why would any of you be any different?"

...Oh.

"We're not," Azelf began in a soft but mature sort of tone. One that Gold would have heard come from Professor Elm or Oak. Immediately, instinctively, his attention was drawn into it and he soaked up the words like a sponge. "We are all as mortal as anyone else. A... fact that I've... become painfully familiar with-"

Well, that was... not what Gold expected. It wasn't often he faced his own mortality, nor those who were close to him. Sure, he'd seen death. He'd seen destruction. But not... not anyone he knew. Not directly. And thus, while he objectively knew it was still a possibility, deep down, he didn't think such a tragedy possible. "A-anyway. I can't promise nothing will happen. It would be wrong and silly of me to lie like that. All I can promise is that I will do my best to keep you safe and together."

His optimism reignited by Azelf's cautious words, he felt all worry once again disappear. They would be fine. There was nothing they couldn't do, and together, they'd survive everything. Sure, things had gone awry for others before this, but it was different now. They had so many powerful Pokemon on their side. How could anything bad happen now? "Right!" Gold chirped, his eagerness annoying Bitey. The large Typhlosion began to move to the door, knowing her trainer. "We're all together now. We'll be ok."

"We're not."

Those words echoed like thunder in Anubis's mind and struck him to his very core. He was almost numb as he hung onto the Legend's every word, unable to tear himself away from it now. "We are all as mortal as anyone else. A... fact that I've... become painfully familiar with-"

Mortal...

They were all mortal...

But...He had seen the dead rise from the grave beyond what the virus was capable of. Suzu had come back to him as whole as he was the day they met and yet...he still lost him somewhere. He honestly couldn't even remember how they got separated. Was Suzu gone? When they left Fortree everything was such a blur... Could he have been wrong?

It was entirely the wrong thing to take away from Azelf's attempt to console him but his mind quickly jumped tracks to this new tangent. Ho-Oh had brought his friend back to him for one brief moment... Maybe he could do it again? Maybe Suzu was still out there somewhere waiting for him...and he had been too scared to go back. Swallowing hard he looked up at the group from his perch behind Lexa's shoulder and was surprised to see everyone so supportive.

"A-anyway. I can't promise nothing will happen. It would be wrong and silly of me to lie like that. All I can promise is that I will do my best to keep you safe and together."

"Right!" Gold added earnestly, even his Typhlosion eager enough to start heading for the door. "We're all together now. We'll be ok." His eyes went around the room to each face and marveled at the auras around him, finally settling on Lexa as she smiled down at him. "We're all here Anu. No one is going anywhere without you, I promise. Let's go home."

Lexa let out a sigh of relief when Anubis nodded slowly, the Blaziken standing up with the affirmation and reaching out to pull the other fighter to his feet. The others might not know it to look at him but Anubis was still very much a child in this world. He hadn't even been grown when the epidemic started and it seemed his mind had frozen there ever since. Now as an adult he still carried the fears he held back then and many of them seemed to have grown even further beyond what they once were.

As one of Fenix's lead pokemon it was her job to care for the young ones of the gym and Anubis was no exception. She would stay with him to the ends of the earth if it meant keeping one of her charges safe. Azelf's farm was the safest bet they had to regain their footing and get back on track towards Johto and with Anubis finally relenting it was their only chance to take it. Pulling the Lucario close she turned to Azelf and nodded her head with a small smile. "Lead the way."

As Lexa addressed Azelf the Lucario's attention moved towards the small fairy in Gold's arms. As he shifted in the boy's hold for the first time he noticed a dim shine beneath the strange necklace the Ralts wore and his eyes honed in on it immediately. The shape was different but the color was unmistakable on the polished stone the closer he drew to it.

Lexa watched him as he walked away to slowly stalk towards Gold but she didn't sense any impending breakdown in the other fighter so she chose to hang back and see what he did. Stopping an arms length away from the human Anubis looked right through Gold as though he wasn't even there to stare at Prince, his gaze transfixed on the collar he could now make out around the impossibly small neck. He almots reached out to touch it before his paw moved back to rest against his own neck, the phantom weight of his old collar resting against his throat. "You...You have one..."

How long had it been since he had held his own Everstone collar in his hands? A couple of years, at least, maybe longer. He had left it with Mother at her resting place but when that part of the mountain collapsed thanks to that Swampert it had been lost. He had nothing else to remember Mother by and just looking at the one clasped around Prince's neck filled him with longing. Oh how he wished he could have his once more and reverse the hell becoming a Lucario had been. Prince was so lucky he didn't have to suffer through evolution.

"Right!" Piped up Gold, whose companion wasn't even waiting for them to get going; she went to occupy the space by the door. Azelf smiled at him and his bright, eager eyes. Was he really as old as he appeared? Maybe the pixie was just still terrible at judging human ages.

"We're all together now. We'll be ok." The young man looked at everyone, his gaze stopping at Lexa, whose smile seemed to lend to his own.

Gently, Lexa spoke again to her charge."We're all here Anu. No one is going anywhere without you, I promise. Let's go home."

A deep sense of relief flooded Azelf when Anubis nodded and allowed Lexa to help him to his feet. He still looked terrible, but it was an improvement, at least. The poor child.

The worst evil of all this was what happened to the children. Azelf had years and years of life to reflect upon and perhaps that lent him some strength, and even he felt close to collapse at times. He could not imagine dealing with all of this as a child, whose minds seemed so much more delicate, made smaller by lack of experience.

Innocence was beautiful, and terrible too; anything made out of such fragility was doomed to break. Here, in the world that existed now, that was more like shattering.

Carefully pulling Anubis close, she smiled at Azelf, who smiled back at her. "Lead the way."

But it took only that one moment of her not focusing on Anubis for the boy to slip carefully away from her arm and over to Gold; eyes drawn by the movement, it took the Legend only seconds to realize who he was approaching and a second more to make the decision not to interfere.

Prince, still in Gold's arms, regarded the canine with surprise as he approached. He began to rub at his neck as Prince's expression shifted from surprise to confusion.

"You... You have one..." he said quietly.

Whatever happens here please, let it go well...

"Right!" Gold's warm positivity seeped deep into his bones, making Prince sigh in relief. It felt like a hot bath at times. Which, given his starter (who was moving towards the door) was kind of funny. It even made him smile a little.

"We're all together now. We'll be ok."

He could almost believe that. He'd try to, for the sake of everyone there, but he'd be lying if he said he automatically believed it.

"We're all here Anu. No one is going anywhere without you, I promise. Let's go home."

Prince closed his eyes, trying to soak up the kindness a bit longer. He didn't know if Gold would want to carry him, and he'd miss being held by the young man if he chose to hand him off.

"Lead the way."

But Gold didn't move, despite the suggestion they'd be moving, and he opened his eyes to find Anubis walking towards him in something approaching a trance. The surprise didn't last long, confusion overpowering it as he began to rub at his neck. Anxiety flickered inside his gut even though no one else seemed upset. What was wrong...?

"You... You have one..." he said quietly.

"I- um- y-yes?" Was he talking about the necklace? Or, well, bracelet? He pulled the beads up and over his head, holding them in his hands and looking at the other boy, hoping he would better explain himself.

Oh, was he talking about-?

"Y-you mean this?" He touched the collar, bittersweet bile churning in his stomach. He always did hate being reminded of the thing, but he couldn't bear to get rid of it. Not yet, maybe not ever. Why would such a simple little adornment catch his attention though? Did he have one? He must have, right?

((Sorry for the delay, but please skip. Gold's just standing there like a dumbass.))

"I- um- y-yes?" Anubis watched with rapt attention as the small fairy's hands reached up towards the collar. Strangely though he went for the strange collection of beads instead as he removed the and held them out carefully. "Y-you mean this?"

Anubis studied the small trinket a moment but soon shook his head, gaze turning once again to the glinting stone embedded in Prince's collar. He reached out almost as if to touch it at the same time the smaller fairy clasped it himself. Nodding slowly at the silent question Anubis once again scratched at his own neck as if he could still feel the phantom scratch of it on his fur. "Mine...I lost it. Mother had given it to me but...It got lost when the mountain caved in. I miss it."

Lexa watched quietly as Anubis focused solely on Prince, the eager air for departure now muffled in the nervous apprehension of what was coming. Why was he so fascinated with the Everstone? He had told her of the tale on how he evolved to protect their trainer but after evolving she didn't think he would still miss being a Riolu. But Anubis had only been a child then, perhaps he hadn't been mentally prepared for what evolution would do to him? Was that part of his anxious nature now? Had the evolution been too taxing on his mind? For a child she had helped her trainer raise it bothered her that there were so many things she didn't know about her student.

"Mine...I lost it. Mother had given it to me but...It got lost when the mountain caved in. I miss it."

"L-lost what?" The grief he could feel from Anubis was intense but very confusing. It was just a plain, simple collar, wasn't it?

Of course, it was equally possible that Anubis had lost such a collar but... why? Had he taken it off when a mountain caved in? Prince clung to that, to his confusion, desperately trying not to drown. Gold's close proximity relieved some of that pressure, as it always did, but even so, there were few things to be compared to the despair of a child losing a beloved parent.

Lexa watched with mornid fascination as Anubis began to slowly unwind. His fascination with the collar seemed to draw him out further than she had been able to do in months, more than she had seen since they left Fortree in such a rush. It hurt to think that such a simple trinket held more power than her bond with the boy but in truth Anubis had always been closer to Cathal than herself, she had merely been the group's melee teacher. Parental instincts weren't really her forte.

So as Prince questioned the Lucario with a soft, "L-lost what?" Lexa hung on every word, unsure of what or where this was headed to. "My collar. It was just like yours when I was small..." Anubis stayed an arms length from Gold once he finally go close enough and watched Prince carefully. His thoughts were such a jumble most of the time but for once he had a total clarity, even if the memories it produced still left a hollow ache in his soul. "I fought so hard to stay like I was that Mother bought it for me to make the pain go away. I never wanted to evolve... But I had to. Only it didn't matter... did it? She died anyway."