Frontier Town Sanctum of Wishes

[Tetra]

The sun had long since set, and the moon and stars had risen as Koa trod down the nearly empty streets of Frontier Town. His talk with Leaf had left him feeling slightly better, but he still felt a fog of unease lingering around him. A fog that had persisted since the day he’d arrived.

It’ll go away, he’d told himself. Except it hadn’t. What if he wasn't cut out for this?

Eventually, his steps carried him to the destination he sought. Everywhere else was too far to check out, but he’d read about Frontier Town’s ‘Sanctum of Wishes’ and been desperate to see it himself. With the sky clear and the gala approaching, he decided tonight was as good as any.

He hesitated before the door, before finally gathering up the courage to step inside. Soft chimes met his ears before lapsing back into a pleasant silence. It felt both alien and familiar, in a way. The sanctum appeared to be mostly empty on this night, so Koa slowly approached the front. He lingered awkwardly for a moment, wondering if he had any right to be here, if he should bow, or say some kind of special prayer.

Finally, he opted to lay down on one of the small cushions, trying to soak in the peaceful atmosphere and sort through the churning fears that consumed his thoughts. “Hey,” he said softly. How was he supposed to do this? He couldn’t help being reminded of... He shook the thought away, and sighed softly. Nobody was listening.

“I don’t have a wish, really, I just wanted to come see... There’s stories of wishes in my world, and how they can be kind of dangerous...” What are you even rambling about? “I guess I just figured I could come here and talk. Back home, we have pokemon called ‘legendary pokemon.’” He gazed up at decorated eaves. It seemed he wasn’t the only pokemon looking for some guidance. “They help protect the world. Guide people and pokemon, and watch over them. A lot like you I think.”

Idiot. Stupid. Why would a saint of another world care about someone like you? She has better things to do. He almost walked away, but he could practically hear his team chiding him. Might as well... At least he could try and sort out his thoughts. Just like talking to his team back home, right?

“Someone sent us here to help this world, a lot of us. A team of sorts, I guess. Except we don’t know what we’re saving it from. I’m worried about our team. Everyone seems to be doing different things. We’re divided. And tomorrow there’s an important gala. There’s supposed to be an attack by some criminals, and it feels like half of us are siding with them, and the other with the mayor. Who wants them dead or alive..”

Execute. That was what the chimera had said. Was he exaggerating? He couldn’t bear the idea of some petty criminal being killed like that but... How many times had he seen evil acts justified by ‘noble’ intentions? Gangs that started small and became something malevolent. A perfect world. But then the mayor wasn’t much better either, was he? If it was ture, he must have had a vendetta. Revenge.

Dread and confusion pooled heavily in Koa’s gut. “Should we even step in?” he asked the question out loud, almost unconsciously. This wasn’t their world. Maybe this wasn’t even importa— he cut the thought off immediately. No. It was important. That wasn’t the issue, the issue was how to help. “I want to help this world but I’m worried I’ll make things so much worse.” You don't belong here.

Koa snorted and smiled slightly to himself. “I didn’t really think about it back home, but is this how saints like you feel? Is it hard to decide how to help? When I got the call I thought...” he traced a claw across the cushion. What had he thought? A lot of things. A chance to make a difference. To be a hero. To help someone. “I thought it would be some kind of disaster, or angry legendaries, or bad people. Some big thing we would have to stop. If it's not though, I still want to help.”

Some of the knot in his chest loosened. “I don’t know what that looks like yet, but... I can’t predict the future.” He gazed up at the statue of the Wishing Star. “Whatever happens tomorrow, I’m going to try to stop anything bad from happening.” I just hope it’s enough.

Silence lingered for a few more moments as Koa reflected. It was getting pretty late now. He rose to his paws, but didn’t move. Something else gnawed at him, a feeling he could nail down. He wanted to... “Hey. So I don’t know if you’re uh, there. But if you are, is there anything you’d like?” It was stupid. This was the ‘Wishing Star’, why would she need anything? She had a whole sanctum, after all. What can someone like you possibly give? “I don’t know if I can get anything or if you care but if there is, you can send me a sign. I could bring you something.”

Silence. Not that he expected an answer. Still, he felt more of the fog fade from his mind. Turning away resolutely, he started for the exit. He walked a few steps before turning to look over his shoulder. “If by some chance you are there... thanks for listening.”

<><><>​

 

[Chibi Pika]

The Sanctum of Wishes... One of the few public locations honoring a Legendary in this region. Given the lore, it wasn't likely there'd be any leads--supposedly, it was normal for Jirachi to sleep for a thousand years. There wasn't exactly much hope in meeting it here.

Still, he'd known that Zapdos was gone, and it had been worth it to visit that shrine. So he'd be making a stop in Frontier Town as well.

The sanctum was empty when he arrived, aside from the Chimecho echoing softly in the rafters. Maybe there would be more visitors soon, though.

 

[Tetra]

After Ralsen and Steven left, Koa found himself lingering at the Sanctum, reluctant to leave yet. For a moment he stared vacantly at the way the lights danced across the walls, his mind far off, still ruminating on everything they'd learned the past few days.

The cabin, the conversation with Ralsen, his talk with Steven but mostly, everything that happened at the wagon. And Bellatrix's nasty attitude. He'd hoped coming here might take his mind off the Beast, but he couldn't seem to shake it. At least here he felt more at peace with his thoughts. He was keenly aware that Laura hadn't left yet either. Was she upset like Bellatrix? Did she blame him or think they'd been stupid to go?

Had going at all truly been the wrong move or...

"So... how have you been holding up?" he asked awkwardly. Half of him was dying to say something about it, but the other half didn't want to bother her. Maybe she had put it behind her and bringing it up was a bad idea. he stared not quite at her, instead intently studying the Sanctum and anything that wasn't Laura.

 

[Hap]

After the chaos of recent events, the Sanctum of Wishes' tranquil atmosphere felt like a much-needed balm for Ridley's mind. He'd been sleeping badly enough as it was, and then for Steven to be attacked in his own room like that...

Ridley tilted his head, staring up at the light filtering down through innumerable paper tags. It really was peaceful here. There was a part of him which wondered whether, if he tried to rest here, he might even be able to sleep without nightmares. Insomnia had been Ridley's regular companion for over a decade, but this - this refusal to sleep from the fear of what he might find lying in wait in his dreams - was a new enemy, and an unfamiliar one.

If only he didn't feel so helpless all the time. Shadow pokemon were hardly the unstoppable monsters in real life that they were in his nightmares; they'd taken down the shadow drapion, after all. He'd helped!

But Ridley wasn't a fighter. He'd always known this about himself. It had never bothered him before.

Now, though...

He hadn't come here to fight. He'd been motivated entirely by curiosity, by that lifelong drive to step out into the unknown and see what met him there. I didn't come here to save this world, Ridley wanted to protest, I came here to learn about it.

But what did his motivations matter at this point? He'd made his choice, and now battling and violence were becoming increasingly relevant to his life. If Ridley couldn't keep up, then people would suffer for his failings.

Here he was, in this peaceful place, thinking about violence. Ridley might have laughed at himself, but instead he just closed his eyes and listened to the quiet rustling of people as they moved and the occasional soft chime of a chimecho bell.

 

[Hap]

He'd woken up. That, in and of itself, had been a surprise. Crushed under that pressure, subsumed into that dark ocean, so far past the point of losing himself entirely, he hadn't expected...

Ridley wasn't sure what Powehi had done to him in order to save him. Something lingering, for certain. Something with a cost to it.
Ever since he'd woken up Ridley had been feeling wrong in his own skin. He'd found himself constantly fussing at his disguise, unable to go more than a minute or so without ruffling it up or twitching a seam back to perfect straightness. It was the same sort of constant anxiety and skittish inability to settle that he felt whenever the thing was damaged, but it was in perfect repair. The only damaged thing here was Ridley himself.

Eventually he'd dragged himself off of the floor and gone for a walk, hoping the fresh air and change of scenery would clear his head, but...

If he were a better person, Ridley wouldn't be here.

He knew, as well as anyone, how dangerous shadow pokemon could be. He knew how much damage they could do to everyone around them. If he were a better person, a more selfless person, a good person, he would have left Frontier Town entirely. He'd have thrown himself as far away from other people as he possibly could, so that when whatever was lurking under his disguise finally reared its head he'd at least have minimised the damage.

But instead, Ridley was selfish. He'd remembered how tranquil the Sanctum of Wishes had felt when he'd visited it before, and he'd so desperately wanted to feel that way again.

There was no tranquillity here, though. The gentle chiming of the bells, previously so soothing, now rang hollow.

If he were a better person, Ridley wouldn't be here.

The last time he'd been here, he'd told Steven he was afraid of people getting hurt because of his incompetence in combat. How pathetically naive that worry seemed now. Ridley did more than enough damage, incompetence or not, combat or not.

He'd always been driven by curiosity, willing to pay any price later on if it meant learning something new in the moment. He thought of a question and he had to have an answer, regardless of the cost. Driven was one way to put it. Poor impulse control was another.

He'd been hurt before. He'd almost died before. Ridley had somehow, stupidly, self-centeredly, thought that meant he knew the worst of what could happen. He was so used to the consequences of his actions only hurting himself. He'd thought -

He hadn't thought at all.

He'd never once, in all his time here, considered the effect his actions might have on other people. If Ridley was willing to pay whatever cost came calling, then wasn't that all that mattered? No matter how much Ridley pretended to care about people, they always came second to his own desires. And so he'd spilled the secret of his humanity, and so he'd approached the shadow charmeleon, and so he'd started fires...

...and so he'd stepped into the shallows of a depthless ocean.

Poor Betel had been trying their best, but they were inexperienced and it fucking showed. Ridley wasn't a heroic spirit. He wasn't the sort of person who could help to save this world. He was an accident, a glitch in the system, some random asshole who tagged along on a worldhopping adventure because he

If he were a better person, Ridley wouldn't be here.

Wasn't that the first thing Powehi had told them? You don't belong here.

Ridley didn't belong here. Not as a shitty excuse for a hero, and not even as a person. He wasn't helping anybody, only dragging them down. Even in the most neutral possible state, his mere existence was inimical.

Maybe Powehi was right. The best thing he could do would be to kill himself and limit the damage he could committed just by existing. Maybe that was the only possible good he could do in this world.

There was something about the idea which was appealing. Reset to a version of himself who had never known regret, who had never experienced consequences worse than a broken bone or an interesting new scar...

Ridley was a coward, though.

But. But.

Betel had told them that if a heroic spirit ever completely lost the will to remain in Forlas it would untether from the universe and return home. Ridley had seen it happen himself, when he'd helped fight against Valere and Farin in Bedaurejo Castle. Corey, fading into photons...

It seemed better than the alternative.

Ridley sat there, drenched in Shadows, and waited to become light.

<><><><><><>

 

[Tetra]

When Koa left the training area, he kept his nose to the ground, searching for any trace of Jade's scent. He'd wanted to follow her immediately but maybe she didn't want to be followed. He wouldn't have. Yet the startled look on her face and the way she'd acted... he couldn't just do nothing. Not when all this was his fault. Her trail was still fresh, to his relief, and he followed it back to town.

It took some time, and once he even lost her scent amidst the other trails in Frontier Town, but he thought he recognized the direction of the trail well enough. On a hunch, he picked up his pace, weaving through alleys and around other mon. His hunch ended up being right when he picked up her scent again near the Sanctum. Nosing his way inside, he paused, blinking, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. Jade's familiar form was perched near the far end.

Almost instantly, the knots of tension returned, wrapping themselves around his heart. He froze. What did he say? 'sorry for corrupting the team now you have to deal with it'? 'careful don't lose your mind to shadows when you fight just focus super hard and you'll be fine, no biggie?' His throat closed he started to turn around.

No.

Taking a deep breath he crept towards her. "Jade?" he called softly.