Malantau Terminal One

[Jackie Cat]

"You," she called, glaring in his direction. "You worked with that weird Covenant group, right? We want names, species, whatever you got. Don't need to keep secrets if you're done here, right?" Whoever they were, they had a hell of a lot to answer for. For Leona, for one thing: for just yanking her away from her own world without permission and handing her off to these monsters. And for the other graydian, and for Beetle, and for whatever'd happened to Brisa and her friend. "They're next."

Ein raised his head with just a flicker of his usual pride and contempt, but there was so little of it left now. Cowering in terror from Alexander was hard to come back from.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're asking me for," he said, as languidly as he could manage. "You already encountered that frog boy – and besides, aren't you in bed with 'Lord' Articuno now? You have a better man – or 'mon – on the inside than me by now."

A sneer played at his mouth for just a second. Then faded.

"If it's any consolation to you, I'm walking to my own humiliation," he growled, bitterly. "With Nascour dead, and Eldes' capitulation on the agenda, I fully expect to face either imprisonment or..."

He shook his head, visibly disgusted at the thought of being on the run from the law, or worse.

"You want remorse from me, I'm sure. Well, I've never been sorry for anything in my life. I am exactly who you think I am. So... I hope regret is an adequate substitution. This enterprise has taught me many things, chief of which may be my own hubris. The ideology of Cipher is justified by its own successes – with this failure, all my efforts have only disproven my own presumptions."

The self-loathing in Ein's voice bordered on theatrical, but he was no liar. The Manectric busied himself checking over final preparations for departure. Soon, the station would crash back to Earth. Nothing would remain of Cipher on Forlas but a handful of overlooked defectors, and the consequences of their deeds. It seemed Ein had realised this, and it showed nakedly on his gaunt muzzle.

Powehi was, of course, right about Shadow. Untempered, it truly was raw despair.

“Did you think when we met that night all those months ago, this was how things would end?” Archie asked, quietly. He sniffled a little, then pulled his hat down to hide his eyes. What should he even say at this point? He trusted Seth enough to know he wouldn’t have to worry about the Lycanroc in the next phase of his fight against Cipher, but everything still felt… Unfinished, like he hadn’t done enough. Like he hadn’t made the best use of the time he’d had.

He shook his head, and forced a smile, the Dewott didn’t want their last meeting to end on regrets.

“I’ve never been very good at goodbyes.”

Seth made a face, and looked away. "Yeah, well. Y'know. Never had to make many myself that didn't involve my middle finger. Or a fucking detonator, I guess."

Progress was progress, but Seth was facing a lonely existence again, just as he'd opened himself up to others. It couldn't be easy to face. Nor did there seem to be any obvious potential allies to turn to. His shoulders shuddered as he contained some emotion that might only have showed at all due to the Radiance still shining in his veins.

"Damnit, Archie," he said, his voice hitched, "if I'd never met you, buddy— I'd still be a tough bastard and this wouldn't be fucking hard."

"Yeah," said Leona, quietly, from her seated repose just beside the two. "Maybe. You'd still be Shadowed, too. Or dead. Or a loser. Either way, you sure wouldn't be here now."

Harsh words, but a smile played on her muzzle. Seth snorted, apparently more entertained than offended by the shit-talking.

"You're right," he said, managing a smirk. "There were some upsides to hanging out with you nerds." He swallowed, hard. "I'm glad I did."

Me too, Leona didn't say, but a slight nod said it for her. In Seth, she'd surely see a tragic mirror of herself. She could have been him. And now, he was a little more like her.

“Suppose that’s our cue to clear out, then? Don’t reckon any of us should go on a one way trip to your world.” They probably already have a Gladion.

It felt right to say something, even if he wasn’t really the sentimental type. At least not for people who he wasn’t that close with.

“Seth, you’re pretty cool, Eldes, really glad we didn’t have to part as enemies, glad I got to meet you two. And—” (The words Lovrina, go to hell, died on his tongue. Felt wrong for the moment. And it wasn’t like Sage needed him to bear their grudges for them.) “—I invoke non-incrimination regarding any further opinions.”

Seth shot fingerguns at Gladion. Eldes bowed with obvious respect. And Lovrina...

 

[Chibi Pika]

Naps kept glancing between Gladion and Eldes, shuffling a talon on the cold metal flooring like he had something he wanted to say. Like the discussion about putting things right had struck a chord with him, somehow, but he didn't know to say what was on his mind. Maybe he'd figure it out once they were all back on Earth...

Lovrina set her oversized hammer down and did a pirouette around it, holding her hands up in a heart shape. "I was soo impressed by all of you fighting off that mean, nasty dragon. Looks like this is bye byeeee, but I'll let you all have a lifetime subscription to the #LovrinaFanClub!"

 

[Weazel]

Archie couldn’t help but chuckle. Yup, Leona and Seth were definitely the same person, alright.

“Definitely was the adventure of a lifetime,” the Dewott said, “I’m glad you joined us on it.”

He’d hold onto these memories, somehow. Archie promised himself that. They might vanish from his head, but they’d live on in his heart. The Dewott lifted his head and shot the red Lycanroc his best gtin. He’d see his friend off with a smile.

 

[Phoenixsong]

All right, cool. Not even gonna consider the possibility that Articuno themselves still needed to get to the bottom of what this group was doing, huh? Or that the greninja had apparently borderline stonewalled the Wayfarers the last time they'd asked him? Nah, obviously they already had easy access to the answers. Sure. If being an unhelpful prick for literally no reason helped him hold onto his last shreds of dignity, good for him.

Listening to the whining of a guy who'd just realized he actually had to sit in a corner and think about what he'd done wasn't getting her anywhere. (Sounded like he'd be in that corner for a reeeeal long time, too, if the shadows didn't go away once he was back. Good.) If he didn't want to use this last chance to do something that actually would matter, then whatever. Leaf turned, shook her head, and made her way back to the others.They'd do just fine figuring things out on their own.

The one thing having to sit through Ein's pity party had confirmed was that the reprogramming or whatever really was almost done. Cipher—and Seth—were about to leave. It was gonna be kinda weird, she realized, not seeing him relaxing at HQ or prowling around the edges of the Wayfarers' big missions. (She almost would've said "not feeling like she needed to look over her shoulder around him, like there was still the ghost of shadow-spiked stone being driven into her chest"—but, actually, it hadn't really felt like that recently anyway, had it.) But he had to go home. There was still stuff he needed to do. Someplace he needed to be.

"Good luck finding your boys," she said, nodding. "With these guys still hauling themselves out of this train wreck, it'll be no trouble for you, I bet."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"Good luck finding your boys," she said, nodding. "With these guys still hauling themselves out of this train wreck, it'll be no trouble for you, I bet."

"Thanks, kiddo," growled Seth, taking a steadying breath. That was one good thing about heading home – his team, beside him again.

Eldes nodded solemnly. "I give you my word, your pokémon will be returned to you immediately."

Seth grunted something like an acknowledgement.

"There's no purpose in keeping them now, anyway," muttered Ein. His paw flicked open a safety cap, hit the shiny red button beneath, then lingered on a large control lever. "Your attention, everyone – the RTE sequence has begun. Make your way off the station unless you wish to travel to Prime Earth."

"Right then, you lot," said Seth, forcing a proud grin, "you'd best fuck off already, yeah? Seen enough of your sorry butts for one lifetime."

It was the fondest he'd ever sounded of the Wayfarers.

“Definitely was the adventure of a lifetime,” the Dewott said, “I’m glad you joined us on it.”

"Yeah it fuckin' was," said Seth, his voice thick. "Me too, buddy. Me too."

Then Seth snatched Archie's hat right off him, then tousled his head-fur affectionately.

"I'm taking this," he said, smirking. "As a souvenir."

As proof that his time here had been real.

"Okay, now get lost already!"

Leona exhanged one final, meaningful glance with her 'brother', then lead the rest of the team out through the airlock. Seth turned away to stare out of the observation deck window. Ein shunted down the control lever.

Minutes later, from below Terminal One, those Wayfarers looking up had an unobstructed view of its departure. The anchoring cables detached, the elevator truss fell away, and the whole structure drifted towards the singularity of Eremus Fault. As it approached the fickering hole in spacetime, it seemed to stretch out like taffy—

And then it was gone. Cipher was gone from Forlas, likely forever.

Leona, still looking up, remained.

"Hey," said Laura, her voice subdued. "Portal-pathway's this way. Let's, y'know. Get home. Get warm. Get something to eat. That always helps, right?"

Leona took a minute, but eventually she nodded very slightly, and turned away from the Fault.

"Yeah. Sure thing. That, and a strong drink."

At least there was plenty of that back in the Soja'.

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