Searching Far and Wide - 135

Teams:

Pierce Lawson:

- Narcissa, Beedrill

- Orion, Onix

- Cygnus, Kadabra

- Bellatrix, Gyarados (Shiny)

- Andromeda, Vaporeon

- Regulus, Meowth

Lillian Dale:

- Root, Ivysaur

- Talon, Spearow

- Gem, Geodude

- Star, Cleffa

- Cinder, Vulpix

Rota Town II

“Nobody knows what foci are or why they work, but they exist and they do,” the Queen told him and Pierce was noticing that beyond the lack of presence that her words carried, there was also a very calming feeling being projected at him. It reminded him a bit of what he did when he tried to appease some angry pokemon, but in everything she did. Was she using aura somehow?

He was tentatively going with the theory that that was just how she was though, not something she was doing consciously.

“What they do though, we have a little more knowledge over,” she added, her lips pulling into a slight smile. Was it because she was pleased to have more info on that or because she found the fact amusing? He didn’t know. Non-threatening to a great degree, the queen might be, but Pierce found himself very confused all the same. “They tend to help Guardians channel their aura, although this doesn’t always apply in all the capacities of aura usage. Sometimes, their foci will work particularly well in one ability and not at all in others. Like that staff,” she said and he turned his attention to the aforementioned item.

He held it with some reverence, because he knew what it was that he held. ‘Is Lucario in here now?’ he wondered, looking at the light blue crystal at the top of the staff. It was Sir Aaron’s apparently, and he distinctively remembered from the movie that Lucario was supposed to be trapped inside by the Aura Guardian himself. Yet, he didn’t know if he had to do something specific to get the pokemon out. He was trying to discreetly do something about it ever since the queen gave him the item, but so far…

No such luck.

It probably didn’t help that his mind was a mess though.

Pierce was honestly only half hearing the woman as she spoke, for one. Another part was trying to work with the staff to get the trapped pokemon out and the last piece of his mind was still trying to wrap itself around what had happened that day. He was still processing Lance going to pick him up. Rota? The Queen? Aura Guardians? His necklace? The movie he barely remembered? All of that was way too much for him to really get anywhere in his mind.

So, the most he could do was just sit there, on an arm chair across from the Queen and drink tea that had been brought for them after he had to give the staff back. Maybe he wasn’t Aura Guardian-ish enough to pull Lucario out. Maybe it had to be Ash. He remembered that he was supposed to have Aura that was almost or actually identical to Aaron. Maybe nobody else could do anything about the matter…

But Pierce would come back to try his hand at some point, because how could he not?

At least the woman’s voice was calming, so that was helping him not become a complete mess. Other than that and how bad he felt for Lucario – assuming he was really trapped and there wasn’t some other alternative universe thing going on – though, he felt kind of… numb to it all, like it hadn’t really sunk in yet. All things considered, Pierce wouldn’t have been terribly surprised if it took him a while to accept all that.

‘Kinda miss the days when I was a normal trainer,’ he thought wryly. When had he gone from that to… Whatever the fuck his life had turned into?

“I have to say though, I don’t remember reading any records of someone using aura quite like you do, Pierce,” the queen commented and that seemed to snap him out of his thoughts a little bit. “Some of them have been able to mimic the Psychic Arts fairly well, reading minds and actions, communicating with their minds, sensing… But everything you do seems more… subtle yet strong, more emotion oriented. I’m not sure if this is your own approach to aura usage, which has been known to happen, or if you’ve just stumbled upon bits and pieces of proper, unknown techniques in your ignorance.”

“You… really like this topic, don’t you?” he couldn’t help but blurt out. The woman sure could speak and there was not a single bit of boredom in her voice. Even if she didn’t sound or look ecstatic, Pierce still got the impression that she was.

“It’s a great part of Rota's history, even if it’s not very well known beyond legends for most people,” the woman told him, for the first time showing something other than placidity. A wider grin spread on her lips and her eyes showed a shine that almost made Pierce feel excited about the topic. “I’ve grown up studying these things, seeing them. This is the first time we find someone with actual Guardian potential since the time Lance mentioned, and my parents were the ones to handle that,” she explained to him, the shine dimming once more at the mention of her parents.

Considering she was queen, Pierce didn’t think there were any chances of anything good going on there. He made a mental note to check on that as soon as possible. He didn’t want to have to ask or stumble upon a painful topic on accident… again, that is. ‘In general, I should look up Rota and the queen,’ he thought to himself.

“So, having the opportunity to meet one such Guardian, is something I thought I’d have to wait a lot more for,” she explained to him, recovering some of her cheer as she went on. “There are some aura users here, of course, but Guardians are much rarer,” she said, as if she weren’t dropping another bomb on him.

“Are aura users… common?” he asked, eyes a little wide.

“Not at all, but Rota is where they all come at some point. The League usually helps them find their way here, but many do so by themselves,” Ilene answered and he took that in for a moment. “They will be the ones to help you with your training, if you’d accept our help,” she added, choosing her words carefully. He wondered if that was because he was a Guardian, or her first Guardian, or because maybe they had a policy of not trying to spook aura users..

“... I’d appreciate any help with this,” he said, hesitantly and slowly. He wasn’t sure he actually believed all that he was being told, especially about him being an Aura Guardian. It felt like he was in a dream, noticing something odd and still not waking up. Still though, beyond all that… “I just… am not in a time of my life where I’m free to do a lot of things, least of all settling here for an extended period of time.”

“I believe I said it before, but that’s perfectly fine. Anything we can do, please tell us,” Ilene told him and he must have shown something on his face, because she continued, her smile widening a little. “There are no records of Aura Guardians being bad people. Some of them might have made mistakes or been less heroic than others, but our information is such that I’m still confident saying that. Anything you need, Pierce.”

Well, there was a lot to unpack just in that, nevermind all the other stuff that had been dropped on him.

“The help would be enough,” he mumbled, a little taken aback.

The smile on Ilene’s face told him that he’d kind of confirmed the knowledge she’d mentioned just then.

He didn’t know how he felt about that.

[}-o-{]

“Should be fine,” Misty told him when he called the sanctuary to check in, mostly for the day he said he’d stay in Rota, but also- “You should be able to stay there a day or two without issue. Boss and Chief can help me keep the most troublesome under control, if only long enough to get word to you and have you come in,” the redhead explained, but she sounded fairly sure that it wouldn’t be necessary.

That was a relief, because Pierce didn’t feel like a few hours between that day and the next morning – maybe afternoon – would be enough, even to cover the bare minimum of whatever Queen Ilene wanted him informed of. He’d spent about an hour more with the woman just… talking and that had been enough for him to realize that he needed more time. Not taking a bit more time to inform himself would feel irresponsible.

He had done it for the Psychic Arts, might as well do it for aura.

“On the business side of things, I’ll keep things running until you get back, Mr. Lawson,” Grace said from beside Misty. He’d called both of them, after all. They were more or less his right and left hand in the sanctuary at the moment. They would continue to be, at least until they found someone to keep an eye on the administration side of things so that Grace could focus on other things. “A few days shouldn’t be a huge issue in any regard. Any more than that though, and it might become one. Should be mostly fine even then, so rest assured, Mr. Lawson.”

“Glad to hear that,” he replied, leaning back.

It was more than a bit overwhelming, admittedly, but his life had long since stopped being normal. ‘Has it ever been, really? Has it been normal at any point since I woke up in that forest?’ he wondered idly. Somehow, he felt like he’d been fooling himself into thinking that before. That was a little depressing… and concerning.

“Did everyone behave, by the way?” he asked, reaching for the cup of tea he’d been given. Even that was awkward at that point, since it was probably the fanciest cup he’d ever drank from. People in Cameran Palace didn’t mess around with their luxury, evidently. The beverage was probably some very fancy stuff too, he’d bet, but he was also probably too peasant to notice if that was the case, because it just tasted like tea to him.

Pierce almost wanted to ask someone and see their reaction.

Almost.

Somehow, he felt like that might risk insulting the people there and that wasn’t something he wanted to do. It was an amusing thought all the same though, admittedly. Lost opportunities and all that, he supposed.

“As much as a school of gyarados can behave,” Misty answered wryly. “Everyone else is doing great, actually. I think Boss is helping Chief keep everyone in line with the gyarados to keep them occupied. You know, intimidating them a little,” she explained and he considered that for a moment. He didn’t want the pokemon scared, not really, but if it kept the troublemakers in check, everyone else should be fine, at least once it became clear that they were safe.

“Make sure the peaceful ones know they are fine, alright?” he told Misty, looking up as he considered that some more. “I don’t want them scared for no reason. Opposite for those that cause issues. Maybe you can synchronize with Boss and Chief on that front.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Misty said and she almost looked excited… and a little nervous. She’d do fine, he was sure. And if she didn’t, then he’d be a call away to help her out. All was good.

“Well, pretty sure you should be telling me what to do, Grace, so I’ll refrain from asking more on your front,” he commented with a grin… one that quickly disappeared when the woman pulled out a stack of papers.

“Well, seems like you guys will be busy, so I’ll just…” Misty commented, and if she was speaking a bit rushedly, nobody had time to point that out. “See you later, Pierce!” she called in the end, all but sprinting away.

The absolute traitor.

Pierce would have his vengeance.

“There’s some things you should hear about, Mr. Lawson,” Grace told him, clearing her throat as she looked through the paper sheets in her hands.

Pierce, for his part, pondered on the merits of telling her to just do whatever she wanted. He almost always agreed with everything she said anyway. She should know what things he might contest about by then, right? At that point, he’d take her giving him summaries or something.

Instead, the woman insisted on telling him everything in detail and making triple sure that he understood things, which often involved lectures and all. He didn’t know having her in his life would feel like he was taking classes for a degree in administration, but that’s how things had turned out. ‘I should have gotten coffee instead of tea,’ he thought, taking a deep breath in and then another sip from his beverage.

It was going to be a long conversation, he knew.

“Say, no chance of you just-” he started, because he had to try.

“Won’t happen, sir,” the ruthless woman interrupted with, mercilessly killing all hope he might have had.

“You do remember I’m your boss, right?” he asked uselessly.

“So?”

He just stared at her dejectedly before sighing.

“... Ok, what’s first on the list?” he asked, defeated.

“So, first of all, the construction crew came across a small issue. Shouldn’t need too much more money, but it will if we want to keep to the schedule we had in mind,” Grace started and he almost wanted to let his attention drift off. That would just make the whole thing last longer though, so he forced himself to concentrate. “What I think we should do is…?”

Was it too dramatic to wonder if a Legendary could strike him and release him from his torment?

[}-o-{]

“Where there’s bigger problems, Aura Guardians have always risen to the occasion,” Ilene said and Pierce was starting to feel like he was in a permanent history class when around the woman. At least, the fantasy version of a history class. She just kept on going, throwing Aura Guardian facts at him and occasionally going on tangents about this or that Aura Guardian of the past. It was like getting a summary of the plot of a series, almost.

Except it was all supposedly real.

Which…

“That sounds a little concerning,” he said with a wry smile.

Because sure, he enjoyed helping as much as the next guy, especially in regards to Pokemon, but still. That didn’t mean he wanted to get in between Legendaries. Ash – or Red, or whoever it was that was the real protagonist – could deal with all that Pokemon Movie plot nonsense. He’d be happy with lesser things. The Vermillion thing was probably his peak… or so he hoped, at least.

“It can be a little daunting, I imagine,” the queen said then, but he noticed that she seemed almost… sheepish? Maybe she’d gotten a little carried away and had just realized that maybe he wasn’t as… enthusiastic about the prospect of what she said as she was. That was kind of a fun thought. “Not all Aura Guardians face such prospects, however,” she said, as if trying to reassure him. It was a laughably bad effort though, considering how much she’d gone on and on about the interesting lives Aura Guardians had lived.

Idly, Pierce wished he could get a refund on that.

“That aside,” he started, looking down at his entirely too fancy meal. If he thought the cup had been bad, that had nothing on the dining hall. Not room, hall. Nor the cutlery and even less so on the food. God, was the food luxurious. He felt like he was losing money just looking at it.

It was also a little awkward that he didn’t think it was worth as much as it looked. He felt more and more like a peasant by the minute while in the palace. Next time he was outside, he was going to a fast food restaurant and spending a day there just to feel normal again. The atmosphere in the palace was just that awkward for him.

Like the three times he’d had to put on a suit, but much worse.

No, just no.

“Anything I should know about my… err, education?” he asked and the queen seemed to actually perk up at that… and then she blushed, for whatever reason. He almost went to take the question back, feeling like he’d somehow messed up and stepped on a landmine. She got to talking before he could do anything though.

“Right, sorry,” she mumbled, coughing behind a fist and visibly getting her thoughts together at the same time that she straightened her back. “I… might have gotten a little carried away,” she added, clearly embarrassed.

Pierce found himself oddly reassured by that, actually. It made the woman seem more… human, more normal. The whole day, even after she’d shown her excitement regarding Aura Guardians and all, she’d seemed like she was a completely different kind of person from him. Almost like Sabrina, if not in the same way, Ilene felt like she was of another species, almost.

Until then, that is.

“As I mentioned before, there are aura users that aren’t Guardians and there’s some of them here. Even if they are less attuned to aura, they can help you get started on that path,” Ilene told him and he nodded slowly, taking another bite from the food that he felt too poor to even look at, nevermind eat. “Beyond that, and considering your journey, we can provide you with some texts. I’m also sure you’ll understand that it’d be better not to share that with too many people.”

“Is all this… secret?” he asked, because that wasn’t the impression he’d gotten. Nobody had told him anything in that vein up to that point, so he’d kind of assumed it was common knowledge he hadn’t come across. Kind of like the Psychic Arts.

“It’s not a secret per se,” the queen started answering, slowly as if picking the right words carefully. “But it’s not common knowledge either. For most people, aura and its users are myths, mere stories. Not because it’s a closely guarded secret, but because they are so rare that people can go their whole lives without ever so much as hearing about an aura user. Notorious as Aura Guardians tend to be, people generally assume they are simple talented people, gifted individuals,” Ilene explained and he nodded slowly.

“So, don’t talk about it unless I need to. Got it,” he summarized. He could do that. He felt like he’d done well not talking about his old life, so this wouldn’t be too much of an issue. The fact that it wasn’t as complete a secret as he’d assumed meant that he could share it with people close to him, and that was a relief, he’d admit. “So, about these books, I’m not gonna disappear if I damage them, right? Because I have a gyarados that’s too affectionate, a vaporeon that likes to shoot Water Guns at me and a meowth that might or might not like to scratch stuff at random.”

“No harm done. We have several copies of each book we’ll share with you, Pierce,” she reassured with a giggle behind her hand. Well, that was a weight off his back. He’d gotten nervous just thinking about carrying some invaluable treasure in his journey.

That was not something he wanted to deal with.

[}-o-{]

“So, what do you think, guys?” he asked, having released his team by the lake shore of the palace’s island. He wouldn’t say it was more beautiful than seeing the place from up in the castle or on the bridge, but it was certainly at least on par. “Not too shabby, right?” he added with a grin, turning to look at his pokemon.

Predictably, Bellatrix was happy just to have space to swim. Also predictably, Orion didn’t have much of an opinion on the matter… other than the fact that the non-salty rocks by the shore weren’t as tasty as salty ones. Andromeda didn’t show much, similarly to Cygnus, but they weren’t ones to care much for their surroundings, as far as he’d seen. Narcissa seemed happy enough flying about, at least, and Regulus already looked like he wanted to explore the whole place instead of doing whatever it was that he should actually do.

Yeah, his team wouldn’t have an issue staying in Rota for a bit.

“We’ll spend the night and tomorrow here, maybe even a day or two more, I’m not sure” he announced, drawing the team’s attention towards him. “Something came up, so I have to. We’ll be going back to the school soon enough.”

“What about our training?” Cygnus asked, but Pierce got the impression that he was relaying Narcissa’s question. He seemed more focused on looking around, particularly at the palace. “I do want to know about that myself,” the Psychic added and he nodded.

“We’ll have space and time to train, if not much. I kind of need to focus on what I’m here for,” he answered, then he took a deep breath in. “If you guys want extra training, I’ll ask if I can leave you guys on your own or with some supervision. I won’t be there though,” he offered, but nobody seemed too enthused by that, not even Narcissa. “If not, well, I hope you can bear with me for a few days. I promise I’ll make it up to you when we get back.”

They seemed content enough with that, so he was fairly reassured.

“Girl, go explore if you want,” Pierce told Bellatrix then with a chuckle. The gyarados had been wiggling around and looking off towards the lake almost since he’d let her out, really. “Try not to scare the pokemon too much though. Make some friends. We might be visiting this place in the future too,” he added and the sea noodle “said” something enthusiastically and took off.

Too enthusiastically.

Pierce turned to share a look with Andromeda. The vaporeon then nodded and walked into the water before swimming off after the gyarados. She was dependable like that. She’d probably manage to make sure Bellatrix didn’t traumatize any pokemon in her attempts to be friendly. Maybe one day she’d learn how to make friends with normal pokemon.

One could only hope.

“What do you say we walk a little around the island, guys?” he asked after a moment, turning to look at the rest of his team. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he commented wryly when Narcissa immediately dashed around him and latched onto his back. Idly, he reached towards his injured arm and massaged his shoulder. It didn’t make him feel any better, but oh well… “You wanna stay in the sun while you can, buddy?” he added, noticing Orion’s seeming reluctance to move.

It was late, but the sunrays were hitting the shore very nicely for the onix, he supposed. The Rock type took him up on that offer and Regulus seemed to decide that was a good idea too. So, a minute later, both of them were curled up by the water. That was good, they’d be welcoming back the other two whenever they were done, and Andromeda would keep an eye on them when it happened.

Still…

“If you move from here, you’ll both get only kibble for days,” he threatened and he nodded, satisfied, when both looked suitably horrified by the prospect. The last thing he needed was one of them going off and getting lost or in trouble. Regulus was just the right sort of little shit to break something in the Palace and Pierce was fairly sure he’d die if that happened.

Was that dramatic? Probably a little bit, but still.

“Ok… we’ll be off then,” Pierce said, taking a deep breath in and starting to walk, keeping the lake on his right and the palace on his left. If all else failed, he guessed Cygnus would be able to keep a mental eye on things.

“I will, Protector-Voice,” his Psychic type confirmed, taking a weight off Pierce’s metaphorical back. “Also, I’m glad to see that you’ll finally learn how to do what you were always meant to do,” the kadabra said and he stopped on his tracks. After a second, he turned towards Cygnus, but his pokemon showed no signs of wanting to explain that or continue, for whatever reason.

“What do you mean?” he asked eventually.

“Exactly what I said,” was all that the kadabra had to answer with.

Pierce stared at him some more before sighing. ‘Sure, be cryptic,’ he grumbled internally. ‘Little shit,’ he cursed, clicking his tongue. ‘Great, now I won’t be able to get that off my head. As if I didn’t have enough bullshit dropped on me today,’ he further complained as he continued walking.

Fortunately, it was a very beautiful afternoon that looked like it’d turn into a just as beautiful night in Rota. That’d help him process the day’s findings, and boy did he need to process all that. There was a lot to unpack and he just knew it’d take him a while to do so.

At least he had a few days.

‘Still,’ he thought, reaching up with his good hand to grasp his necklace, rubbing the red rock with his thumb. ‘Always meant to do,’ he repeated slowly, wondering just how true that was. Flashes of metal, red and pain intruded in his mind like they hadn’t in a while. He thought of that and Viridian and Mt. Moon and Bellatrix and Vermilion…

And aura and Guardians…

‘I thought my life was crazy enough when I woke up surrounded by pokemon,’ he thought wryly. ‘Boy, was I wrong.’

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How’s it going?

It’s been odd to write this arc, mainly because Pierce is very overwhelmed and there’s a lot being dumped on him – and you guys, I guess – but I can’t really think of another way this could have gone, all things considered. Sure, maybe I could have dragged it off for longer, slow dripping things in some way, but that doesn’t really fit the characters and the world. I’m usually against putting the narrative over the world and this is one of those cases in which my approach probably shot me in the foot.

Oh well, it’s what it is, I guess.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

Discord Link: discord.gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Question: If you could have any natural eye color, which would you want? Personally, I’d take any that wasn’t just some shade of brown.

See you.