Whispers of Koa and Archie

[Tetra]

Koa stumbled to a stop behind the Krokorok and whipped around, panting. What the- as quickly as it dissipated, it was back again. And then the building thundered down on the crowd and screams of agony filled the air. Koa shrank back and his ears flattened on reflex as he tried to block out that noise, that awful screaming. What had that Ranger done? Didn't he realize what...

As the Necrozma fled, the horrified Krokorok threw itself at the rubble and began digging frantically, and Koa found himself taking a half step towards it, ready to help, before he reminded himself that none of those people were real anymore. The thought did little to stem the fear and horror churning in his chest at the sound of the screaming-

Movement behind him made him turn just in time to see the Ranger turn and run away, leaving his pokemon behind, and his world. "Coward-!" but the Ranger was gone.

Then all was still, a moment frozen in time. And he knew, this was it. The end of a universe. The end of Archie's universe.

"I did a lot of things I’m not proud of to survive."

"My world died. But I didn’t want to die with it. I escaped through a portal."

“A monster ate the sun. Ate all the light in the universe, really. And… I don’t know of anyone else who escaped. I don’t think anyone else did it the way I did, at least.”

Everything suddenly grew cold, a chill seeping into his bones as darkness fell and realization dawned.

"Don’t know… Can’t remember..."​

Dreadful certainty weighed him down. The Ranger... was Archie. This had to be his memory, the truth of how he survived.

The knot that had built in his chest tightened and his head buzzed. His paws dug so hard into the ruined earth it hurt, and he felt his jaw clenching. A flurry of memories of Archie crowded his skull.

"Enough!" he roared, his fury bursting out as he glared up at the sky, as if he could see past the illusion and to the dungeon. "Stop this! I don't care what you try and show, you stupid deranged dungeon. Or whatever stupid truth or secret you think is so special! Dragging out some old memory doesn't mean anything, thats not fair!" He was seething now, glaring around, fur spiked and charged to the brim with electrical energy. Forget moving forward, forget trying to play things out, he was fed up with this. Maybe this stupid dungeon couldn't hear him but he didn't care.

"That's... this isn't all Archie is!" Was that what this place was trying to do? Split groups apart? Tear into their deepest so-called truths? As if this dungeon knew anything. It was wrong. It couldn't be everything, it had to be wrong This dungeon had no right to pry into people's lives like this. A growl rumbled in his throat. "You don't know him."

 

[Weazel]

Koa, I…

With a flash of light, the ruined city vanished. It took the whole of the scene with it, the Krokorok, the portal, the Ranger. The Electrike was left alone, standing in the void. But the darkness didn’t stay that way for long. Brilliant white cracks started to appear all around Koa. Then, the darkness shattered, and he was falling.

Koa found himself in the sky, descending rapidly. All around him, the brilliant blue stretched on for miles, a beautiful sunny day. Below, a river lazily traced its way through the forest and out to the sea, sparkling on the horizon. And a black crystalline figure was briefly visible ahead, before it disappeared into a passing cloud. There was little time to focus on that, though, the ground was quickly rushing up to meet Koa. Then, right before the moment of impact…

Koa found himself returned to the floor of Whisperwind Comb.

 

[Tetra]

Gone. It was all gone, swallowed by the endless dark void. That was it. A whole world, regions and regions, just extinguished. His heart twisted. Archie's world hadn't made it. There'd been no other legendary to stop it, to save it... all those people under that building the Ranger brought down...

Shining cracks split the darkness and he snapped out of his thoughts. Then he fell, a cry of shock torn from his jaws by the wind as he plummetted downwards. He flailed in the air, starkly aware of the ground rushing closer, and that no matter how sturdy pokemon bodies were here, they weren't that sturdy. Was this the dungeon's way of getting revenge? It wouldn't actually hurt him right? This was some kind of test or puzzle?

The ground rushed upward. Koa shut his eyes.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, legs stiff and heart hammering, before the realization clicked that he was standing. An empty dungeon floor greeted him when he finally opened his eyes. He let out a shaky breath, gazing around. ...Was it over? Where was everyone else?

Anger simmered in his chest still and his head buzzed with too many thoughts to sort through. "Archie?" he called hesitantly. He knows

 

[Weazel]

“Koa?”

The Dewott appeared from around a nearby corner, hat in his paws. His expression was a mixture of concern, hesitancy, but also relief. Still, he stopped a few steps short of the Electrike, suddenly unsure of his place in Koa’s estimation anymore. Archie wasn’t sure what Koa had seen, but he had heard one thing…

"Coward-!"

“So I… Guess you probably have questions?” He asked, carefully.

 

[Tetra]

The sound of Archie's voice filled Koa with relief, but when Archie came around the corner Koa's unease returned. The hesitancy in Archie's movements, the reluctance... he knows who you are the look in his eyes. He paused for a moment longer than he wanted to, suddenly feeling exposed. He shivered, even though it wasn't cold. At least Archie was unharmed.

His mouth turned dry. He wanted to forget it ever happened, pretend like everything was normal. Focus on the mission. Rescue Brisa. Not think about everything that happened. "that kook's your dad.... some people are beyond saving..." What would he want to do with someone who tried to destroy a universe?

"I saw it. The monster who ate the sun." The words tumbled out haltingly. Everything Archie had suffered through... He stared at the floor, trying to figure out what to say. What he was supposed to say. Archie had said before he didn't remember everything, hadn't he? That Krokorok, trying to dig through the rubble, the photograph...

"Do you... do you remember everything that happened in your world? Before..." before it was annihilated. Doomed. There'd been no way to stop that, even in the memory he felt the power of Necrozma. Powerless. "-before you escaped?"

 

[Weazel]

The Dewott’s breath hitched, and he crumpled his hat between his paws. So, that was what the dungeon had shown Koa? Brought him faced to face with Necrozma in all its terrible glory?

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking away from the Electrike. Koa’s follow up questions made his ears and whiskers droop. He hated trying to remember, but after what the dungeon had forced the Electric Type to see, he figured he at least deserved an attempt.

“I… Remember bits and pieces. I remember the day the monster appeared. I remember how it destroyed Castelia City, how it killed all the strongest Trainers who tried to stand up to it. I remember the bat and the lion, how it fed on them.” He hesitated, took a deep breath, then continued, “In the end, I… All I remember is the screams. And the certainty that I’d caused them.”

He shook his head, finally looked back at Koa, then asked, “Your dad, Cyrus. Is he…?”

Dead? He couldn’t just come up and ask a child that. He faltered for a moment, then, deciding on a different approach, instead asked, “What happened, after that day?”

 

[Tetra]

You did cause them. The thought came to mind unbidden, along with the image of the Krokorok, the falling building and the screams. In the moment he remembered the flash of frustration seeing the Ranger flee for the portal. More than that though, the desolated city clung to his thoughts, and the terrifying light. No winning. Koa remembered how he'd tried to run too, to get away from the building. How the memory felt, and how being there had to have been so much worse. How much he wanted to escape too.

“Your dad, Cyrus. Is he…?”

Archie's next words stung. Your dad. Universe killer. Koa looked away, ears flattening. He'd spent so long, done everything he could just to not think about all of it- His jaw clenched, the knot in his chest tightening and his mouth going dry.

'Do not look for me.' "He's..." Koa shook his head. Dead, gone, whatever. Irrelevant. You weren't good enough. "Doesn't matter," he muttered. "Not a problem." He didn't know, and he didn't care. Not important.

"Archie I..." He fished desperately for what he wanted to say. "I-I saw how it happened. I mean, I think. What the dungeon showed..." The repurcussions, the horrified looks. Archie deserved to know the truth. "It was an accident."

 

[Weazel]

The Dewott suddenly seemed wistful, looking at Koa without really seeing him. So he really had done something terrible, even if he hadn’t actually meant to.

“Thank you, for telling me,” he said, his vision focusing on the Electrike again. He gave Koa a small smile, “And, uh, I understand if you’d rather I not mention your father to anyone. Just, remember Koa, you’re not defined by him. What he did.”

Koa was his own person. He didn’t deserve to be saddled with guilt because of what his parents had done. It wasn’t like Archie himself. The Dewott actually had done things to feel guilty about, things he would have to work all his life to make up for. But the Electrike didn’t need to live that kind of life; he didn’t deserve to.

 

[Tetra]

Except you weren't good enough. "I wish," he muttered under his breath. He still remembered how others in team had reacted to the idea of Lucien with such skepticism. Like they had to decide if he was worth giving a chance. Some people didn't even like humans.

Maybe Archie would let it go but the thought of anyone else knowing made him sick. "Please don't tell anyone," he said stiffly, looking away again. How many universes had... Him. If there was a Team Rocket or Steven Stone or Giovanni, then how many universes had their own Team Galactic? Was there another him out there? They'd know who he was and even if they didn't they'd know what kind of human he was connected to. You can't change who you are.

Silence fell and he scrambled to find something else to talk about, to think about. That look on Archie's face caused a pang in Koa's heart. "You know, what the dungeon showed me... I don't care. Whatever you did was in the past." Koa found himself staring into the distance at the dungeon walls as if he'd find the words there. "I don't blame you," he said quietly. Firmly.

 

[Weazel]

Archie’s ears flicked. He could’ve sworn Koa had said something, just barely out of earshot. He felt like maybe there was something he was supposed to say here, but he couldn’t grasp what. Clearly the Electrike was still feeling fairly raw, with the combination of what the dungeon had revealed about both of them. Instead, he nodded his agreement to Koa’s request not to speak of what he saw.

“Maybe… You should try talking to Silver about it sometime? If you haven’t already, I mean,” the Dewott said instead. “I get the feeling he might be able to relate. But, uh, you didn’t hear that from me.”

He quickly tried to find his confidence again. He would have to be sure enough for the both of them right now, seeing as he’d come out of the dungeon memory dive a little less shaken than Koa had. So, he strode over to Koa fully, and put on his more reassuring grin.

“In the meantime, why don’t we try and find the others, huh?”

 

[Tetra]

Silver would get it, he was sure. Of anyone, Silver would understand, and wouldn't look at him any different. But the thought of actually talking about it with anyone still sounded awful. 'Hi, by the way I happen to be related to a crazy cult leader who tried to wipe out my universe because it was imperfect' wasn't much of a conversation starter. And just meant a chance of more people knowing.

"Yeah, sure," he murmured, still watching Archie, a flicker of unease running through him. Archie's confidence felt almost... forced. Part of him desperately wanted to ask if Archie was really okay, but he was hesitant to pry. Archie had already forgotten so much of his past life, maybe it was better not to bring it all up again. Did he want to know more? Some part of Koa wanted to know what the dungeon showed Archie... He'd already spoken about having regrets, so maybe there was no need to harp on it. Better to forget this entire trip.

He started walking, scanning the dungeon warily. "The dungeon must be doing the same thing to the others," he muttered, a slight edge in his voice. His gut twisted at the thought of everyone on the team having their worst secrets exposed. Nobody deserved that. Would they come out okay, or would it just cause more distrust? Isidora had been in the group...

"Somehow it knew things about us." He glanced at Archie again, uncertain. "Even the stuff you didn't remember... I hope the others are okay."

 

[Weazel]

Try as he might, Archie couldn’t mask his obvious concern. Koa was clearly shaken, was clamming up and refusing to talk about it. The Dewott feared trying to push the issue would only cause the Electrike to shut down more. He would just have to hope that focusing on their expedition goal would give the Electric Type the chance to process his feelings, and that he’d talk about it when he was good and ready. So, he fell into step beside Koa, and the pair got moving deeper into the dungeon.

“I’m not surprised, we had something similar happen back at Lumirror Forest,” Archie said, “In order for the dungeon to open its heart to us, we – that is, Ghaspius, Andre, Gladion, and I – had to ‘open our hearts’ to each other.”

The Dewott rolled his eyes, theatrically, “Basically, we had to share a secret with one another. It was pretty rude!”

He shot the Electrike another lighthearted grin. Mystery Dungeons were curious things, and the ones here in Forlas were often unlike any he’d encountered back in his own world. Still, he was an experienced delver, and he wasn’t sure Koa much was. So, that meant it fell to him to be reassuring when it came to the subject.

“I’m sure the others are alright, we’ve faced worse than a few bad memories.”

 

[Tetra]

Koa shuddered but found himself grinning slightly anyway at Archie's attempt. "The dungeon forced you to share secrets? That is rude..." He gave a dry chuckle. Was this a regular occurence with dungeons? Prying into people's inner lives?

A small sigh escaped him as he continued, consdering. "I hope they are okay. Not everyone on the team is so... understanding. Some things are better off staying a secret." At least, most of the time. Especially between like this. The others on the team surely had their own struggles and private things. Mhynt... Laura... he even felt bad for Isidora.

He paused and glanced at Archie, then kept walking. His voice dropped to a low, quieter tone. "But I'm uh... I'm glad it was you. Us." As much as he hated anyone knowing, the idea of someone else like Laura or Ridley or arceus fobid, Isidora knowing made him nauseous.

 

[Weazel]

Well, he got a grin and a chuckle, that was progress! Still, the Dewott folded his arms in thought, rolling Koa’s statements through his head, and trying to think of the best way to reply.

“Well, they say sunlight is the best disinfectant,” Archie said, “It’s better to talk about this kind of stuff, I think, and not let it fester. Still, there’s a time and a place for it, and it’s not a Mystery Dungeon pummeling people with your secrets completely divorced of context.”

He paused, unfolding his arms and making an awkward half shrug. “So… If you want to talk about what you saw, or what I saw, sometime down the line, just let me know, alright? You won’t get any judgment from me.”

To be honest, aside from Nova and Koa, and maybe Ridley and Leaf to some extent, a lot of the people who’d gone on this little adventure were still mostly strangers to him. He probably had gotten very lucky their original decision to pair off had ended up working out. Who knew what might’ve happened if the dungeon had thrown them together with some other random person instead? The Dewott shook his head, better not to focus on hypotheticals right now, who knew what else the dungeon might throw at them.

“For now, let’s just focus on getting through this, okay?” He said, “I’m sure the others can’t be too far ahead.”

 

[Tetra]

"Sounds good to me. The sooner we leave this dungeon behind, the better," he said with a wry grin.

Deep down he knew Archie was right, letting anything fester was a good way to cause problems here. But the rest of him was more than content to put the experience behind him, at least until they were out of here. "Same here," Koa said earnestly, flashing Archie a reasurring look. Even though sometimes he felt like Archie would hold back on him, hopefully Archie would let him help if he ever needed it.

His ears flicked forward and he picked up his pace. "I think I hear voices ahead...!"

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