Maybe they can go through the Aqua grunt's pockets for pirate eyepatches.
Hyphen (Pokemon Emerald)
I think I was overreacting to trash-talk from the Aqua grunt then. I was also thinking of the injuries Astra remembered seeing from Nincada in the past, but now that I reread it that comes late in the fight after they've already dealt with most of the bugs, so it's not something that's meant to suggest that Astra herself is in much danger.
As for what good it would do, well, convention seems to dictate that the trainer takes an active role in directing the fight beyond just deciding which Pokemon to send out. That doesn't really make a lot of sense tbf, fights should be too fast paced for the trainer to help without something like Astra's telepathy speeding things up, but I think it's been kept to in this fic.
frozenchicken
Does not have a custom title.
So Astra's team is gonna have a ninja and a pirate now?
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
And if/when Ninjask evolves, she will have a ghost type, which is undead, which zombies are a member of.
Now all she needs is a man-made steel type and she'll get the whole set...
hillo315
Intact but Tactless
- Location
- Somewhere. Somewhere else.
Do you know who must be both the happiest and the most depressed about all this? Professor fucking Birch! He studies Pokemon habitats, so he's the one who's supposed to research the long-term consequences of Pokemon migrating away from the Doom Zone.
The internal reveal, however many chapters later, will inevitably surprise May with "You thought that the reality rip was planned or preordained by higher powers. But it was me, Astra!"
I guarantee you can do it in five seconds flat by wiping the league off the face of the planet.
Poochyena's Pokeball should have a "BEWARE OF DOGGO" bumper sticker.
Because bugs, maybe. Do type matchups apply to the trainers as well?
Totem Nincada get!
Probably a small brain poke or some telekinesis. Confusion, at the very most. Humans are generally
Astra's orb is the stone that has pierced the heavens! *insert joke about Lord Helix and Spiral Power*
Now she just needs a zombie and a robot to complete the set. Unfortunately, wild Porygon are virtually nonexistent...
Woo! New chapter! Curious Astra is adorable. A Nincada huh? Never had a chance to use one of those. He looks Badass though!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Onmur
Archangel of Nutella.
"How did you know?!"
"..."
"Oh, you meant you in general. That makes sense."
Astra should look into the bright side of things.
This rip in the sky will probably help Rustboro's tourism industry.
Not in Person
Once Known as The Nobody
- Location
- A place
A very inconveniently-timed case of hiccups.
Power to the peeps, power for the dream, etc.
The Lowtide
Mountain Witch
- Location
- Redmond, WA
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm rather surprised that nobody here has even mentioned the only other attack that's done that in Pokemon history, the one literally named Light That Burns The Sky. You know, the Z-Move of a interdimensional Legendary? Which, yeah, is one hell of a point of comparison.
Well if it's truly logical it won't even matter if you have a poke all considering Pokemon don't actually evolve in their balls, but right after a battle.
So it really shouldn't matter either way.
You know, now I am wondering is the Ancestors orb actually her physic energy?
Think about it, there are hints about her finally getting too old, after living maybe even thousands of years, and she just dissapears and leaves it?
Maybe she "left" because she wanted to give them a long lasting gift and since she was soon dying, sacrifices herself to grant them a weapon to defend themselves.
Remember, she also was unnaturally dark just like the orb, probably relating to her physic energy being messed up somehow.
We also know she was very angry and was clearly quite harsh, and considering she could force Kirila to evolve nothing is impossible.
Maybe a bit out there, but looking at what info we have so far I think it's very possible.
The ancestor was clearly full of dark emotions, the orb causes dark emotions, the orb is crazy powerful in buffing physic energy, the Ancestor was obviously extremely gifted in that art, and most obviously our character is viewing her memories, which supports the theory.
Maybe that was her last gift, a weapon to destroy the strongest of enemies.
A way to protect the home she had built for her fellow Pokemon.
I wonder if we will get a flashback to the Ancestor fighting some time, that will likely make or break my theory.
Think about it, there are hints about her finally getting too old, after living maybe even thousands of years, and she just dissapears and leaves it?
Maybe she "left" because she wanted to give them a long lasting gift and since she was soon dying, sacrifices herself to grant them a weapon to defend themselves.
Remember, she also was unnaturally dark just like the orb, probably relating to her physic energy being messed up somehow.
We also know she was very angry and was clearly quite harsh, and considering she could force Kirila to evolve nothing is impossible.
Maybe a bit out there, but looking at what info we have so far I think it's very possible.
The ancestor was clearly full of dark emotions, the orb causes dark emotions, the orb is crazy powerful in buffing physic energy, the Ancestor was obviously extremely gifted in that art, and most obviously our character is viewing her memories, which supports the theory.
Maybe that was her last gift, a weapon to destroy the strongest of enemies.
A way to protect the home she had built for her fellow Pokemon.
I wonder if we will get a flashback to the Ancestor fighting some time, that will likely make or break my theory.
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All the Weasels
[Verified Amalgamation]
- Location
- Earth
I'm vibrating with excitement at this point - the nincada tree is my favorite in all of Pokemon! I think maybe a Psychic type will be a little less excited about getting a Ghost/Bug in the party out of nowhere.
We do recall that Ghosts kind-of freak Astra out, right? On account of them being actual ghosts, as in dead things, as in souls are real, and they're HUNGRY!
94000130FFF70000
Absolutely the Worst
- Location
- Midwest USA
I was reading over previous posts in this thread, and I hope someone brought a phone, because
Still trying and failing to write omakes. I have like ten lines for one fragment of a scene in which Hyphen!May meets Anime!May and they fight over names, if that's worth posting.
this guy fucking called it. Back in December. Either that or his comment led Derm to add a Nincada to Astra's team for exactly this future situation. Either way, lol.
Still trying and failing to write omakes. I have like ten lines for one fragment of a scene in which Hyphen!May meets Anime!May and they fight over names, if that's worth posting.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
There have been several moments where readers have been eerily prescient, and several that are entertainingly wrong. Sometimes both.
This one happened to be one of the former.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
All typos so far have been fixed. Thanks for pointing them out!
Virtuoso. (Ch. 13 Divergence)
hillo315
Intact but Tactless
- Location
- Somewhere. Somewhere else.
I come bearing gifts, courtesy of AllClarified on SB.
"Is there... any particular reason for that?"
Astra glanced back and forth, seemingly ready to bolt. She didn't know how to answer, but neither did she want to disappoint the old man who had showed her so much.
"Now, you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Trevor carefully reassured. "It just seems to me... you don't seem like many of the other kids these days, chasing badges on a whim. You have real appreciation for music. You feel the loss in not being able to play. From what I reckon: if, in spite of all that, you feel the need to go badge-hunting anyway... well, it has to be something important, right?"
Astra sighed, her robes deflating slightly. "It is, Trevor. It's for a very important reason, but I'm not allowed to tell anyone."
Trevor leaned back, his eyes slowly gazing up at the sky. "It must be a hell of a reason, then," he finally commented. Astra could almost see the thoughts behind his eyes: it wasn't to become Champion--that wouldn't be some big secret--but there wasn't other reason to get that many badges. Certainly it wasn't a prerequisite of any other job or position.
She'd given away too much, she realized. It didn't matter how much she'd enjoyed Trevor's company; she would have to slip awa--
"Astra." Trevor strained, choosing his words carefully. "You don't have to answer; don't say anything that you don't want to say, but... is there anything else you might need help with? That's the only reason I can think of, that someone might want to become Champion but not really." He took a deep breath. "If it's something like that, then... there are alternatives. Being Champion would help, yes, but it's not the only way to fix things; not even the easiest way." He smiled sympathetically. "There's only one Champion, you see, and a lot of competition for the position. It could take years to make it that far, and it's not a certainty that anyone makes it at all." He paused, staring directly at her. "Not everyone gets to be Champion, but there's many other kind folk who would gladly help anyway, Champion or no. You just have to ask."
Tears dripped through Astra's mask. She wanted to-- she'd never imagined... but could she even afford to trust him? A single wrong word to the wrong human, and her entire village would pay the price.
"I... can I have more time to think about this?" she asked, lamely.
Trevor seemed hesitant, but eventually nodded. "I'll be here every day, Astra. When you're ready, come find me."
Suddenly seeming to recall what they had been talking of before, he immediately brightened. "Ah; I'm not sure if you remember, but I promised you a violin lesson before we derailed into such weighty topics. It's probably best to lighten up the mood, anyway. Still interested?"
The tears in Astra's mask were joined by a wide grin. Somehow, it wasn't the worst-feeling combination.
* * *
"That... certainly sounds like the interesting encounter," Grandpa probed.
Astra blinked in melancholy, deflating and sighing. "It felt wrong," she conceded. "Trevor's been the best kind of friend I could've asked for, and I couldn't even tell him."
And, underneath, she couldn't deny, she was afraid of whether Trevor would remain a friend, afterwards.
"You know as well as I do," Grandpa murmured solemnly, "how much of a risk we all take in any sort of divulgence. This Trevor may be a good human, for all I know, but it doesn't mean he's influential enough to change their society. On the other hand: the more we tell, the higher the chance someone gives it away, even by accident. You have to weigh both the risks and the rewards."
"That's exactly the thing, though," Astra protested. "I started this journey under the assumption that the Champion was the linchpin of their society. What if I was wrong? What if, yes, she's the linchpin, but not their only one? If Trevor was right, then others might be able to help, and he was absolutely right in that becoming Champion isn't so straightforward. That idiot-head Norman kicked me out of the Gym without so much as letting me fight! Maybe there are other ways." Astra deflated. "But, I don't even know how to make inquiries, without giving everything away."
Grandpa paused, considering the problem for nearly five minutes, Astra resting defeated by the table, staring into space.
Finally, he spoke: "You know, Astra, we have in this village a role called 'Secret-Keeper'..."
* * *
"I need to know if there are people who are absolutely required not to divulge secrets. These secrets don't belong to me; I really want to just tell you but it's not my place. But I know things, nonetheless, that absolutely must remain unspread. It's a matter of life and death."
Trevor gaped, hand on his violin stick. "Well, I suppose I didn't expect such a serious question so early." He sighed. "Let's sit down."
* * *
"Lw... lw..."
"Lawyer?" May asked in disbelief. She was still a bit miffed, that her own suggestion of "Counselor" had been dismissed.
"I'd like to know the roles of both these people," her weird new friend insisted.
* * *
Astra shuffled the thick packet of notes, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. The second pillar of their strategy: independent verification. If different, unrelated humans said the same thing, it was far more likely to be true.
(Oftentimes, Astra would just barely hint at a name, and get a confirmatory result, after which the descriptions would roughly match. She highly doubted there was hidden information in those few syllables, so it was probably not a case of collaboration.)
"The most consistent suggestion is the practice of Lawyer," Astra summarized, her Grandpa listening intently. "Apparently, they have a thing called 'Attourney-Client Privilege' which is never supposed to be breached. It's the closest to the role of Mediator that we'd talked about."
She pointed toward a second set of notes.
"The next most common suggestion was the practice of Doctor, who have something called 'Doctor-Patient Confidentiality'. However, their role seems limited to studying the health of the body. They don't appear to advocate directly on behalf of others."
A third pile, not pointed at, had been spread disorganizedly across more than a quarter of the table.
"There are other roles: Counselor, Social Worker, Therapist. But none of them are as good a match as the first." Astra sighed. "Which brings us to our next problem: Lawyers are universally polled as being expensive; and the better they are, the more expensive they are. Which means, we need a source of funding."
* * *
"Are you sure you're not coming with us?" May asked. She really was disappointed, Astra realized.
"I'm sorry," Astra sighed, her form drooping. "I have my role to play here, and the continued existence of my village depends on it." The robes looked shamefacedly away. "I really don't want to leave you, but I must." Then, her mental voice uplifting a bit: "You could stay?"
"Ha!" May snapped, patting the smaller form on the hood. "No way I can stand to be around Norman any longer." Her expression softened. "It's not your fault. We'll call each other often, okay?"
"Call?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake."
* * *
"I've decided to accept your offer," Astra announced. "My village has decided the possible monetary and public relations benefits are too great to ignore."
Trevor couldn't help a small sigh. He was supposed to be retired. Not anymore, apparently.
Those who can't do, so the old saying goes, teach. At the very least, he'd been blessed with a pupil more than worthy of his attention, even if she came with, as it often seemed, entire carousels of baggage. He still had no idea why she needed a high-powered lawyer, why she sometimes acted as if her village was on the brink of annihilation. He honestly wasn't sure that she wouldn't simply vanish on him one day, gone forever.
It was fortunate, for the both of them, that he wasn't doing this for the fame or money. The risk alone would have precluded any such venture.
The last few days had been spent going over the in-s and out-s of Astra's apprenticeship. With any normal student, he would have just kept it informal, but he was half-convinced Astra was being abused, and half that she was on the run... from whom, he couldn't imagine. Certainly, as she kept suggesting, she (and/or her village) needed the money. If she would simply tell him what the problem was, maybe he'd be able to find some sympathetic retirees... but no, he didn't really have all that many friends to begin with.
Fortunately, Astra was already getting some PR payoff, even in this practice hall. A group of musicians gaped at her performance, awed, envious, inspired. She received suggestions as to improvements, even half-jeers such as "why don't you play a second instrument with your feet?" Little did they realize how seriously she would take the sarcasm.
* * *
"I still can't believe you didn't tell me," May complained.
Astra typed out her response: [I didn't really understand how the Pokedex calling function was supposed to work. It seemed strange to me, the way you described it, but so did all technology.]
May read the message, and sighed. "Still, I've never met a Psychic before. Much less someone who only talks in Psychic."
[Well, now you have?]
May snorted. Astra's image grinned back at her, from the small window.
"So, how's the musicianing going?" she asked, casually leaning back.
[It is going quite well. I am learning to play a second instrument.]
"Really? At the same time? That seems pretty hard."
[The others said much the same thing.]
* * *
"Astra? Astra!" May knocked on the screen. "What the fuck am I seeing on Poketube? When you said you were playing a second instrument, I didn't think it was at the same time."
* * *
Astra sighed. She'd become far too comfortable with her existing role, her Poketube celebrity. She'd wanted to make sure they had enough money. She'd wanted the fallbacks of popularity and social connections, as her inquiries had made it increasingly clear that, as a Pokemon, she possibly didn't even have rights.
Many an evening had been spent giving a personal performance at some upper-crust elite's son's birthday party, at political rallies, on publicity stunts at charitable events. On one memorable occasion, she'd played for the relief workers in the aftermath of a Legendary attack, an event that had sparked several flame wars as to the most moral use of that time. She'd been fortunate that the relief workers had backed her up, that her small stature had suggested a weak physical constitution. She, alone, knew that to be the lie it actually was.
Maybe she did wait too long. May often spoke of the disadvantages of hesitation. In this case, Astra still believed she was just covering her bases. Half her Poketube wealth had been converted into gold bars, smuggled out to the Ralts village: a healthy war-chest in case the worst happened today. She had hidden several "tell-all" videos with her friends, and could ask for any one of them to be uploaded with a simple message.
"You okay?" May asked with an askance glance.
Silence. Eventually, the taller girl turned away.
"You know, I'm still mad you still won't tell me what this is about. I haven't forgotten that you've been on about this since pretty much our first meeting." She looked around the waiting room, sighing. "How far you've come, I guess."
Astra said nothing. They'd had this same quarrel for months now, thankfully--or perhaps unthankfully--limited by how little they'd managed to see each other.
May fumed, then leaned back on the golden chair, hand fidgeting on her pokeball belt.
Finally, the huddling bundle stopped the mild shivering that had, above all else, made plain this meeting's seriousness.
"I will," Astra whispered. "By the end of today, at latest, you'll know." She quaked again. "I don't know if I can do it. Bad habits, I guess. I'm just so used to hiding."
May's absence had made it too easy to just brush the issue under the rug, pretend that everything was fine. She really shouldn't have neglected one of the few humans she could call friend.
May glanced at her, nonplussed, before reaching over for a side-hug. "I still think it's weird you need my moral support," she jibed, intentionally changing the subject. "Don't get me wrong, a friend's a friend and I'm absolutely here. I'm just not really the most moral or supportive of them."
"You'd be surprised," Astra said, smiling. That smile quickly turned brittle. May wasn't actually here for moral support, but for firepower in case the firm suddenly tried to kidnap her. Another lie.
At least she was reasonably confident that the headstrong girl wouldn't turn her pokeball on Astra herself.
"May," Astra whimpered, "if anything happens in there, if you see or hear anything surprising, that makes you think differently of--"
"Don't even start," May sighed. "What are friends for, right?"
The silence lasted several minutes, this time, until--
"Astra?" the secretary asked. "Ms Escher will see you now."
Astra, trailed by May, stepped into the offices of Godel, Escher and Bach, Attorneys at Law.
* * *
The concert ended in a standing ovation. Thousands had gathered to see the Virtuoso herself, the former Poketube star who, by now, played with no fewer than five instruments on and around her person. The Multiplayer, she had been dubbed by the gaming generation. The Insane Bitch: a half-mocking, half-awed nom de guerre by some of her former peers back from the training hall.
It was well known that the livestreams, as impressive as they were, were never quite a match for her live concerts, for there she would push forward an additional instrument, directly to the listeners' minds. The first-time audience clapped all the louder, dazzled by the unique experience.
Minutes later, as the ovation started to fade, a whispering silence descended upon the hall as an interpreter stepped up on the stage. Astra famously had no interpreters; she would communicate with the audience directly, and they would respond in coordinated and chorused shouts: a marketing tactic meant to remind the livestreamers of what they weren't hearing.
"Thank you," her telepathic voice rang in the onlookers' ears, and the interpreter's through her miniature microphone. "From the bottom of my heart, from the depths of my soul, I am so happy to have had the opportunity to play here, for the each and every one of you, in this beautiful stadium."
More cheers, this time fading more quickly in anticipation.
"None of this would have been possible without my teacher, Trevor, my dear friend, May. My doting Grandpa, a solid rock of support back home, who took a chance in letting me loose on this big and scary world." Mild laughter. "None of it could have happened without the wonderful set workers and technicians of this stadium; and, last but by no means least, the incredible support of my fans.
"The past year has been both frightening and invigorating. Never in my wildest dreams had I believed I could perform, live, and not only with my oldest and most cherished instrument--" she cradled the violin "--but with so many others. It was because of you, because of all of you, that I was given the confidence to expand my horizons, to give back to the world all the wonder I had ever felt, the first time I saw an old man, making music on this very instrument, one fateful morning in the Petalburg City Park."
The audience listened intently.
"I'm not sure if you knew this," Astra teased, "but, at the time, I was committed to becoming the next Pokemon Champion." A pause, an expanding wave of laughter. "I know, right? It was Trevor, that very day, who convinced me that I could do differently, that I would end up bringing more joy by playing to the talents he had so generously noticed within those first, feeble attempts." She paused. "This is a joy that I've since tried to share; and one that, today in particular, I hope comes to fruition.
"For today, you see, I have a confession to make. It's one that I've been both anticipating and dreading in equal degree; something I'd been hiding, out of fear, from the very first day when I chanced upon the kind old man playing in that peaceful park. Many of you know, or have figured out, that I play my instruments using psychic powers. What you might not know is how I've managed so many and so accurately compared to the average person..." Astra took in a deep breath, intentionally looking down. "In my village, the use of such psychic abilities was commonplace. It was so well-practiced, and to such a casual degree, because we simply had no other means of accomplishing basic tasks. We had none of the technology I was dazzled by, when I first set foot in this city. No cars, no computers, no running water. Our village palisades were beset by powerful wild pokemon, willing and ready to steal away our young should they ever get past our guards.
"You might ask how the Hoenn government could possibly have sanctioned such a settlement, how they hadn't provided humanitarian aid for people in such distress. And perhaps they would have, but therein lies the final twist to this tragedy; for, you see, we weren't human."
A stirring. Murmurs, gradually rising, as people individually caught on to that last phrase.
"These people, my people, are of a species of pokemon called Ralts. The story I described is the tragedy of Ralts Village, and I, personally--"
A tailor quickly stepped foot on the stage. In a series of rapid motions, Astra's cloak came off for the final time, replaced with form-fitting finery to which the tailor only made the slightest adjustments, before departing the stage.
It was mostly for show, of course (though the tailor's experienced eye really was used to good effect). Astra had been dressed-up from the start, and could very well have removed the cloak herself. This sequence, however, apparently left human audiences more comfortable than did having an unknown pokemon use visible psychic powers as revelation--never mind that she'd been doing exactly that for the past six hours.
"There was the longest time, when I thought I would never have to remove my cloak, that my music would speak for itself. And, to a degree, I confess..." And here Astra deflated, much as those familiar with her mannerisms would've seen in many a performance, from outside the cloak, "I was scared to do so. I had no idea how the world would react, seeing who I was underneath. I woke up, every day, feeling the dread of whether that would be the day I would slip, that I would finally be found out for whom I truly was. It could've gone that way forever, but my dearest friends--"
Loud murmurings had gradually flared up among the audience, but then the audience plants started cheering, joined quickly by the enthusiasts who weren't as taken by surprise and then those who were; and, soon enough, the infectious cheers boomed through the stadium.
"My dearest friends," Astra whispered, wiping a tear from her eye, "told me that this was for the best. That if I didn't come out from beneath the cloak then no one ever would. They gave compassion where I harbored only fear; they gifted encouragement where I felt only doubt. But, at the end of the day, I believed them. I believed them and that is why I stand before you today: to find friends among all the human race; all who may, in the end, see and also believe, startle and also understand, who might share love and kindness regardless of shape and size."
The audience clapped all the louder, beginning a repeat of the earlier standing ovation; and whether or not it was led, this time, by the audience plants, who could say?
Eventually, the applause began to yet again simmer down, and Astra called attention to the nearby box seats, where a spotlight now began to shine.
"Today, I am proud to introduce to you for the first time: my Grandpa, and all the other Ralts village elders. This is the very first chance they have ever had to come to a real live concert, to see the wondrous culture that the human race has developed; a culture that I am very fortunate to have had an opportunity to play a part in."
Though an increased risk, this was a necessary part of the presentation. They had decided early on that the reveal wouldn't be Astra alone, that it would leave no doubt that she was but one among many, not unique, or a controlled plant; that she really did have family and peers.
"Finally..." A show of force, in the political and social sense. "It is with a buoyed spirit, but also with a heavy heart, that I, in partnership with the Hoenn Space Agency, with Godel, Escher and Bach, and with the Friends of Pokemon, hereby announce the formation of a new initiative: the Foundation For The Humanitarian Aid of Uncontacted Persons. The tragedy of my village may have had a happy ending, but how many other villages are also out there, never knowing of anything beyond their terrified, tragic existences?" Astra wiped away another tear. "Our Foundation will assist in the discovery and integration of such peoples, in their efforts to adapt to modern day life; will help protect them until they are able and ready to vouchsafe for their own protection. I do this--we all do this--in the hope that the sad horrors of my village need never happen again to anyone else.
"Thank you, my friends. Thank you all so much."
"Is there... any particular reason for that?"
Astra glanced back and forth, seemingly ready to bolt. She didn't know how to answer, but neither did she want to disappoint the old man who had showed her so much.
"Now, you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Trevor carefully reassured. "It just seems to me... you don't seem like many of the other kids these days, chasing badges on a whim. You have real appreciation for music. You feel the loss in not being able to play. From what I reckon: if, in spite of all that, you feel the need to go badge-hunting anyway... well, it has to be something important, right?"
Astra sighed, her robes deflating slightly. "It is, Trevor. It's for a very important reason, but I'm not allowed to tell anyone."
Trevor leaned back, his eyes slowly gazing up at the sky. "It must be a hell of a reason, then," he finally commented. Astra could almost see the thoughts behind his eyes: it wasn't to become Champion--that wouldn't be some big secret--but there wasn't other reason to get that many badges. Certainly it wasn't a prerequisite of any other job or position.
She'd given away too much, she realized. It didn't matter how much she'd enjoyed Trevor's company; she would have to slip awa--
"Astra." Trevor strained, choosing his words carefully. "You don't have to answer; don't say anything that you don't want to say, but... is there anything else you might need help with? That's the only reason I can think of, that someone might want to become Champion but not really." He took a deep breath. "If it's something like that, then... there are alternatives. Being Champion would help, yes, but it's not the only way to fix things; not even the easiest way." He smiled sympathetically. "There's only one Champion, you see, and a lot of competition for the position. It could take years to make it that far, and it's not a certainty that anyone makes it at all." He paused, staring directly at her. "Not everyone gets to be Champion, but there's many other kind folk who would gladly help anyway, Champion or no. You just have to ask."
Tears dripped through Astra's mask. She wanted to-- she'd never imagined... but could she even afford to trust him? A single wrong word to the wrong human, and her entire village would pay the price.
"I... can I have more time to think about this?" she asked, lamely.
Trevor seemed hesitant, but eventually nodded. "I'll be here every day, Astra. When you're ready, come find me."
Suddenly seeming to recall what they had been talking of before, he immediately brightened. "Ah; I'm not sure if you remember, but I promised you a violin lesson before we derailed into such weighty topics. It's probably best to lighten up the mood, anyway. Still interested?"
The tears in Astra's mask were joined by a wide grin. Somehow, it wasn't the worst-feeling combination.
* * *
"That... certainly sounds like the interesting encounter," Grandpa probed.
Astra blinked in melancholy, deflating and sighing. "It felt wrong," she conceded. "Trevor's been the best kind of friend I could've asked for, and I couldn't even tell him."
And, underneath, she couldn't deny, she was afraid of whether Trevor would remain a friend, afterwards.
"You know as well as I do," Grandpa murmured solemnly, "how much of a risk we all take in any sort of divulgence. This Trevor may be a good human, for all I know, but it doesn't mean he's influential enough to change their society. On the other hand: the more we tell, the higher the chance someone gives it away, even by accident. You have to weigh both the risks and the rewards."
"That's exactly the thing, though," Astra protested. "I started this journey under the assumption that the Champion was the linchpin of their society. What if I was wrong? What if, yes, she's the linchpin, but not their only one? If Trevor was right, then others might be able to help, and he was absolutely right in that becoming Champion isn't so straightforward. That idiot-head Norman kicked me out of the Gym without so much as letting me fight! Maybe there are other ways." Astra deflated. "But, I don't even know how to make inquiries, without giving everything away."
Grandpa paused, considering the problem for nearly five minutes, Astra resting defeated by the table, staring into space.
Finally, he spoke: "You know, Astra, we have in this village a role called 'Secret-Keeper'..."
* * *
"I need to know if there are people who are absolutely required not to divulge secrets. These secrets don't belong to me; I really want to just tell you but it's not my place. But I know things, nonetheless, that absolutely must remain unspread. It's a matter of life and death."
Trevor gaped, hand on his violin stick. "Well, I suppose I didn't expect such a serious question so early." He sighed. "Let's sit down."
* * *
"Lw... lw..."
"Lawyer?" May asked in disbelief. She was still a bit miffed, that her own suggestion of "Counselor" had been dismissed.
"I'd like to know the roles of both these people," her weird new friend insisted.
* * *
Astra shuffled the thick packet of notes, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. The second pillar of their strategy: independent verification. If different, unrelated humans said the same thing, it was far more likely to be true.
(Oftentimes, Astra would just barely hint at a name, and get a confirmatory result, after which the descriptions would roughly match. She highly doubted there was hidden information in those few syllables, so it was probably not a case of collaboration.)
"The most consistent suggestion is the practice of Lawyer," Astra summarized, her Grandpa listening intently. "Apparently, they have a thing called 'Attourney-Client Privilege' which is never supposed to be breached. It's the closest to the role of Mediator that we'd talked about."
She pointed toward a second set of notes.
"The next most common suggestion was the practice of Doctor, who have something called 'Doctor-Patient Confidentiality'. However, their role seems limited to studying the health of the body. They don't appear to advocate directly on behalf of others."
A third pile, not pointed at, had been spread disorganizedly across more than a quarter of the table.
"There are other roles: Counselor, Social Worker, Therapist. But none of them are as good a match as the first." Astra sighed. "Which brings us to our next problem: Lawyers are universally polled as being expensive; and the better they are, the more expensive they are. Which means, we need a source of funding."
* * *
"Are you sure you're not coming with us?" May asked. She really was disappointed, Astra realized.
"I'm sorry," Astra sighed, her form drooping. "I have my role to play here, and the continued existence of my village depends on it." The robes looked shamefacedly away. "I really don't want to leave you, but I must." Then, her mental voice uplifting a bit: "You could stay?"
"Ha!" May snapped, patting the smaller form on the hood. "No way I can stand to be around Norman any longer." Her expression softened. "It's not your fault. We'll call each other often, okay?"
"Call?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake."
* * *
"I've decided to accept your offer," Astra announced. "My village has decided the possible monetary and public relations benefits are too great to ignore."
Trevor couldn't help a small sigh. He was supposed to be retired. Not anymore, apparently.
Those who can't do, so the old saying goes, teach. At the very least, he'd been blessed with a pupil more than worthy of his attention, even if she came with, as it often seemed, entire carousels of baggage. He still had no idea why she needed a high-powered lawyer, why she sometimes acted as if her village was on the brink of annihilation. He honestly wasn't sure that she wouldn't simply vanish on him one day, gone forever.
It was fortunate, for the both of them, that he wasn't doing this for the fame or money. The risk alone would have precluded any such venture.
The last few days had been spent going over the in-s and out-s of Astra's apprenticeship. With any normal student, he would have just kept it informal, but he was half-convinced Astra was being abused, and half that she was on the run... from whom, he couldn't imagine. Certainly, as she kept suggesting, she (and/or her village) needed the money. If she would simply tell him what the problem was, maybe he'd be able to find some sympathetic retirees... but no, he didn't really have all that many friends to begin with.
Fortunately, Astra was already getting some PR payoff, even in this practice hall. A group of musicians gaped at her performance, awed, envious, inspired. She received suggestions as to improvements, even half-jeers such as "why don't you play a second instrument with your feet?" Little did they realize how seriously she would take the sarcasm.
* * *
"I still can't believe you didn't tell me," May complained.
Astra typed out her response: [I didn't really understand how the Pokedex calling function was supposed to work. It seemed strange to me, the way you described it, but so did all technology.]
May read the message, and sighed. "Still, I've never met a Psychic before. Much less someone who only talks in Psychic."
[Well, now you have?]
May snorted. Astra's image grinned back at her, from the small window.
"So, how's the musicianing going?" she asked, casually leaning back.
[It is going quite well. I am learning to play a second instrument.]
"Really? At the same time? That seems pretty hard."
[The others said much the same thing.]
* * *
"Astra? Astra!" May knocked on the screen. "What the fuck am I seeing on Poketube? When you said you were playing a second instrument, I didn't think it was at the same time."
* * *
Astra sighed. She'd become far too comfortable with her existing role, her Poketube celebrity. She'd wanted to make sure they had enough money. She'd wanted the fallbacks of popularity and social connections, as her inquiries had made it increasingly clear that, as a Pokemon, she possibly didn't even have rights.
Many an evening had been spent giving a personal performance at some upper-crust elite's son's birthday party, at political rallies, on publicity stunts at charitable events. On one memorable occasion, she'd played for the relief workers in the aftermath of a Legendary attack, an event that had sparked several flame wars as to the most moral use of that time. She'd been fortunate that the relief workers had backed her up, that her small stature had suggested a weak physical constitution. She, alone, knew that to be the lie it actually was.
Maybe she did wait too long. May often spoke of the disadvantages of hesitation. In this case, Astra still believed she was just covering her bases. Half her Poketube wealth had been converted into gold bars, smuggled out to the Ralts village: a healthy war-chest in case the worst happened today. She had hidden several "tell-all" videos with her friends, and could ask for any one of them to be uploaded with a simple message.
"You okay?" May asked with an askance glance.
Silence. Eventually, the taller girl turned away.
"You know, I'm still mad you still won't tell me what this is about. I haven't forgotten that you've been on about this since pretty much our first meeting." She looked around the waiting room, sighing. "How far you've come, I guess."
Astra said nothing. They'd had this same quarrel for months now, thankfully--or perhaps unthankfully--limited by how little they'd managed to see each other.
May fumed, then leaned back on the golden chair, hand fidgeting on her pokeball belt.
Finally, the huddling bundle stopped the mild shivering that had, above all else, made plain this meeting's seriousness.
"I will," Astra whispered. "By the end of today, at latest, you'll know." She quaked again. "I don't know if I can do it. Bad habits, I guess. I'm just so used to hiding."
May's absence had made it too easy to just brush the issue under the rug, pretend that everything was fine. She really shouldn't have neglected one of the few humans she could call friend.
May glanced at her, nonplussed, before reaching over for a side-hug. "I still think it's weird you need my moral support," she jibed, intentionally changing the subject. "Don't get me wrong, a friend's a friend and I'm absolutely here. I'm just not really the most moral or supportive of them."
"You'd be surprised," Astra said, smiling. That smile quickly turned brittle. May wasn't actually here for moral support, but for firepower in case the firm suddenly tried to kidnap her. Another lie.
At least she was reasonably confident that the headstrong girl wouldn't turn her pokeball on Astra herself.
"May," Astra whimpered, "if anything happens in there, if you see or hear anything surprising, that makes you think differently of--"
"Don't even start," May sighed. "What are friends for, right?"
The silence lasted several minutes, this time, until--
"Astra?" the secretary asked. "Ms Escher will see you now."
Astra, trailed by May, stepped into the offices of Godel, Escher and Bach, Attorneys at Law.
* * *
The concert ended in a standing ovation. Thousands had gathered to see the Virtuoso herself, the former Poketube star who, by now, played with no fewer than five instruments on and around her person. The Multiplayer, she had been dubbed by the gaming generation. The Insane Bitch: a half-mocking, half-awed nom de guerre by some of her former peers back from the training hall.
It was well known that the livestreams, as impressive as they were, were never quite a match for her live concerts, for there she would push forward an additional instrument, directly to the listeners' minds. The first-time audience clapped all the louder, dazzled by the unique experience.
Minutes later, as the ovation started to fade, a whispering silence descended upon the hall as an interpreter stepped up on the stage. Astra famously had no interpreters; she would communicate with the audience directly, and they would respond in coordinated and chorused shouts: a marketing tactic meant to remind the livestreamers of what they weren't hearing.
"Thank you," her telepathic voice rang in the onlookers' ears, and the interpreter's through her miniature microphone. "From the bottom of my heart, from the depths of my soul, I am so happy to have had the opportunity to play here, for the each and every one of you, in this beautiful stadium."
More cheers, this time fading more quickly in anticipation.
"None of this would have been possible without my teacher, Trevor, my dear friend, May. My doting Grandpa, a solid rock of support back home, who took a chance in letting me loose on this big and scary world." Mild laughter. "None of it could have happened without the wonderful set workers and technicians of this stadium; and, last but by no means least, the incredible support of my fans.
"The past year has been both frightening and invigorating. Never in my wildest dreams had I believed I could perform, live, and not only with my oldest and most cherished instrument--" she cradled the violin "--but with so many others. It was because of you, because of all of you, that I was given the confidence to expand my horizons, to give back to the world all the wonder I had ever felt, the first time I saw an old man, making music on this very instrument, one fateful morning in the Petalburg City Park."
The audience listened intently.
"I'm not sure if you knew this," Astra teased, "but, at the time, I was committed to becoming the next Pokemon Champion." A pause, an expanding wave of laughter. "I know, right? It was Trevor, that very day, who convinced me that I could do differently, that I would end up bringing more joy by playing to the talents he had so generously noticed within those first, feeble attempts." She paused. "This is a joy that I've since tried to share; and one that, today in particular, I hope comes to fruition.
"For today, you see, I have a confession to make. It's one that I've been both anticipating and dreading in equal degree; something I'd been hiding, out of fear, from the very first day when I chanced upon the kind old man playing in that peaceful park. Many of you know, or have figured out, that I play my instruments using psychic powers. What you might not know is how I've managed so many and so accurately compared to the average person..." Astra took in a deep breath, intentionally looking down. "In my village, the use of such psychic abilities was commonplace. It was so well-practiced, and to such a casual degree, because we simply had no other means of accomplishing basic tasks. We had none of the technology I was dazzled by, when I first set foot in this city. No cars, no computers, no running water. Our village palisades were beset by powerful wild pokemon, willing and ready to steal away our young should they ever get past our guards.
"You might ask how the Hoenn government could possibly have sanctioned such a settlement, how they hadn't provided humanitarian aid for people in such distress. And perhaps they would have, but therein lies the final twist to this tragedy; for, you see, we weren't human."
A stirring. Murmurs, gradually rising, as people individually caught on to that last phrase.
"These people, my people, are of a species of pokemon called Ralts. The story I described is the tragedy of Ralts Village, and I, personally--"
A tailor quickly stepped foot on the stage. In a series of rapid motions, Astra's cloak came off for the final time, replaced with form-fitting finery to which the tailor only made the slightest adjustments, before departing the stage.
It was mostly for show, of course (though the tailor's experienced eye really was used to good effect). Astra had been dressed-up from the start, and could very well have removed the cloak herself. This sequence, however, apparently left human audiences more comfortable than did having an unknown pokemon use visible psychic powers as revelation--never mind that she'd been doing exactly that for the past six hours.
"There was the longest time, when I thought I would never have to remove my cloak, that my music would speak for itself. And, to a degree, I confess..." And here Astra deflated, much as those familiar with her mannerisms would've seen in many a performance, from outside the cloak, "I was scared to do so. I had no idea how the world would react, seeing who I was underneath. I woke up, every day, feeling the dread of whether that would be the day I would slip, that I would finally be found out for whom I truly was. It could've gone that way forever, but my dearest friends--"
Loud murmurings had gradually flared up among the audience, but then the audience plants started cheering, joined quickly by the enthusiasts who weren't as taken by surprise and then those who were; and, soon enough, the infectious cheers boomed through the stadium.
"My dearest friends," Astra whispered, wiping a tear from her eye, "told me that this was for the best. That if I didn't come out from beneath the cloak then no one ever would. They gave compassion where I harbored only fear; they gifted encouragement where I felt only doubt. But, at the end of the day, I believed them. I believed them and that is why I stand before you today: to find friends among all the human race; all who may, in the end, see and also believe, startle and also understand, who might share love and kindness regardless of shape and size."
The audience clapped all the louder, beginning a repeat of the earlier standing ovation; and whether or not it was led, this time, by the audience plants, who could say?
Eventually, the applause began to yet again simmer down, and Astra called attention to the nearby box seats, where a spotlight now began to shine.
"Today, I am proud to introduce to you for the first time: my Grandpa, and all the other Ralts village elders. This is the very first chance they have ever had to come to a real live concert, to see the wondrous culture that the human race has developed; a culture that I am very fortunate to have had an opportunity to play a part in."
Though an increased risk, this was a necessary part of the presentation. They had decided early on that the reveal wouldn't be Astra alone, that it would leave no doubt that she was but one among many, not unique, or a controlled plant; that she really did have family and peers.
"Finally..." A show of force, in the political and social sense. "It is with a buoyed spirit, but also with a heavy heart, that I, in partnership with the Hoenn Space Agency, with Godel, Escher and Bach, and with the Friends of Pokemon, hereby announce the formation of a new initiative: the Foundation For The Humanitarian Aid of Uncontacted Persons. The tragedy of my village may have had a happy ending, but how many other villages are also out there, never knowing of anything beyond their terrified, tragic existences?" Astra wiped away another tear. "Our Foundation will assist in the discovery and integration of such peoples, in their efforts to adapt to modern day life; will help protect them until they are able and ready to vouchsafe for their own protection. I do this--we all do this--in the hope that the sad horrors of my village need never happen again to anyone else.
"Thank you, my friends. Thank you all so much."
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
For want of one trainer, another was delayed. For want of a rescue, a theft went through. Plans were kept secret, plots were unopposed, and ultimately—
A dragon awoke far too late.
And so the world was sundered with sun and sea.
But before the storm, there was beauty. A song in the void. A firework in the night.
And in the dark, someone looked at the stars. And smiled.
An interesting omake exploring a sadly impossible timeline. Well done, well done. All kudos to the original author.
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Archeo Lumiere
The Prince's Archivist
- Location
- Lumiose City, Kalos
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
Since when was this Emerald timeline? I thought this was set in Sapphire?
94000130FFF70000
Absolutely the Worst
- Location
- Midwest USA
And then Celebi bopped back from the Bad Future to figure out what went wrong and fix it by throwing Ash at the problem.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Have you read the title of the thread recently?
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
Shhhh. Don't spoil!
Archeo Lumiere
The Prince's Archivist
- Location
- Lumiose City, Kalos
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
...
how did I forget that? My bad! I can be a bit blind sometimes 😂- Location
- Here
"Shouldn't"
I don't know if this has been mentioned already, but: even in a near-worst-case scenario (specifically: Astra's secret is out and the government doesn't recognize her people as people), Ralts are so rare that, going by IRL logic, she and her allies could at least get her village designated as some sort of wildlife conservation area: no entry by humans except very lightly by researchers, no catching Pokemon even then, and throw the book at anyone who tries to traffic in this rare/exotic species.
Not in Person
Once Known as The Nobody
- Location
- A place
A heavy book.