victory_road | Sixth Sacrament

[ The video comes on, showing a beautiful, vast meadow as night falls. The Sun's already set, the sky starting to darken and the stars slowly emerging from behind the daytime veil of blue. And in the field, there's a bright, white fire, seemingly growing bigger in an oddly self contained way. Walter stood off to the side, watching the fire with clear awe written on his face.

The fire grew and began to fade, revealing that in it's centre was a Marowak. The Marowak stood tall, thin with dark scales. It's eyes were pure silver, glowing in the half-dark. And on it's foreheard...the Halo of the Sun was inscribed, more complete than the simple pattern Walter had painted on his Cubone. Assumption looked over himself, before turning his gaze up to Walter.]

Assumption...

[ The name held a lot of barely contained emotion, awe, pride and joy painted on Walter's face. Assumption recognised it and grinned, running forward to embrace his trainer. Walter crouched down and picked him up, spinning him around in a circle (revealing the patterns of bones on Assumption's back) and holding him to his chest.

And he began to laugh. A rich, deep laugh that he hadn't used since coming to the Pokeworld. The video cuts out with Darkness leaving the Gear on the floor, flying over to land on Walter's shoulder and caw joyously. ]

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_{[At that, Wrath shrugs.]}

Probably not punch other peoples' humans.

Or at least not humans me or my family likes.

I guess if it was a human I didn't know, it would be okay.

_{[TRUTH BE TOLD, Wrath is really the only one of the Homunculi who's quite classifying things like this-- mostly because it was the easiest way to reconcile their former anti-human attitude with the way that all of them had befriended a bunch before he even got here.]

[Emotions don't make a whole lot of sense, but ownership sure does!]

[Even if his idea of 'ownership' is really more akin to 'friendship'.]

[And as though that settles it, he nods decisively.]}

I'll talk to Envy and make sure his human doesn't give you any more trouble!

I can do that. [ Not hitting someone was much easier than having to kill ten people and remove their hearts. He hadn't even intended to fight back against Henry. ]

You...thank you. [ He murmured quietly in response to Wrath offering to speak up for him. First Assumption protecting him...and now Wrath is doing this too? He swallowed. He doesn't want Wrath to end up being punished for speaking out of turn though. ] Only if it doesn't get you in trouble.

Why would it get me in trouble?

We're team-mates.

Envy will understand.

He knows all about how important teams are.

_{[SAID... MEANINGFULLY.]}

[ Walter wasn't great at picking up subtle hints. Unless they could be interpretted as a threat. ]

I understand. [ He knew how to play his part, so to speak. Even if Wrath was younger than him, even if he'd never implied anything like this before, Walter understood the implication. Obey the 'team'. Be loyal to the 'team'. Do not stray from the 'team'. ]

_{[Wrath's pointedness is, admittedly, directed more at Envy. The one who had first tried to deny Wrath's loyalty upon arrival, and told him to "find a new team".]

[Words that, even NOW that they've reconciled, Wrath is more than willing to turn around on his fellow Homunculus if Envy tries to give him any trouble about having chosen Walter as one of his favorite humans.]}

Then it's settled!

I'll talk to Envy, and it will all be okay, and you'll be able to come back to Goldenrod!

_{[... Wrath no...]}

I don't know if I will return... I can't risk having my Pokemon taken from me for what he did.

[ Walter unconsciously drew Assumption closer to his chest, as the Marowak avoided looking at the camera again and chose to tuck himself against Walter instead. ]

I will return to Johto. But I don't think I can go back to Goldenrod.

_{[Wrath goes right back to looking crestfallen again.]}

But why?

No one would take your Pokemon, you didn't do anything wrong!

If anyone tried, we could fight 'em off!

That's not how things work, Wrath. [ He sounds tired and weary. Because he is. Life's not fair, it never has been. Why should it be different here? ]

When Henry hit me before, the police took him away. Assumption hit Henry, so they would take him away. Henry has friends. Who have been here longer, with more Pokemon than me. I know they don't like me. That's fine. But I don't want them to take Assumption or to hurt him.

[ ...wait, he just said Assumption's name. Walter bit his lip, frustrated at himself. He hung his head and shook slightly, curling around Assumption like a scared child around a toy. ]

...Don't tell anyone it was him. Let them think it was me. Please? They've always hated me but Assumption deserves better. He wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for me.

Edited 2017-02-13 15:25 (UTC)

The police can't take our Pokemon away, we're stronger than the police. How would they even do it?

_{[Wrath has had the concept of having his Pokemon confiscated from him suggested before, and 1. it never happened, and 2. that obviously means it would never happen to anybody.]}

Anyway, our Pokemon are supposed to help us in fights.

That's why we have them, isn't it?

They're our team-mates!

The police probably only took Henry away because he was being bad.

Assumption protecting me was bad... [ Assumption shook his head fiercely, protesting and pulling on Walter's coat. ]

Nobody - when I was young, we couldn't protect ourselves. And if we tried to protect each other, it'd be worse. And there was nobody else. [ He shook his head, trying to refocus on what was happening now before he got lost in the past but he's not able to think clearly. ]

I can't risk it. I can't lose him. Wrath, please, I can't-

[Hopefully Walter is getting used to people giving him really confused and annoyed looks whenever he insists that his personal safety was somehow a sin, because Wrath just looks befuddled and slightly irritated. WHATEVER, HUMAN, YOU'RE IRRATIONAL AND WEIRD.]

If I promise to kill whoever tries to take him away from you, will you be happy again?

[ Walter froze. Then lifted his head. ]

But they'll hurt you. [ No, no no no, he can't have Wrath get dragged into this as well. It was bad enough that Assumption had been, he can't have his...he can't have Wrath in this too, it'll get him in trouble or worse- ]

No. No, I'll stay out of Goldenrod. But I'll be close...we'll return to a nearby city. So we can see you. [ And Manaka, and Asriel... ]

They can't hurt me.

No human could hurt me.

_{[He says, as though being hurt by humans wasn't the root cause of every single one of his many personality dysfunctions.]

[But he seems grudgingly satisfied with the compromise Walter offers.]}

I guess that's okay, then.

[ Walter seemed to relax...and actually smiled properly. He looks down at Assumption, but it seems like he's murmuring to both them. ]

Thank you. Nobody's...cared about me before. Not like this.

_{[Wrath nods.]}

Nobody cared about me before coming here, either.

Except for Mommy.

But people here are different.

...If someone tries to hurt you, I will deal with them.

[ This wasn't strictly new. He had felt this feeling before, when the Team Skull goons had been manhandling Wrath. But it was different and a bit difficult to put into words. This was the closest he could manage.

I care about you too.

It was...a little scary. And made him feel like he was on the edge of a tall building, with vertigo. But it wasn't...bad...to feel. Aside from the fear and vertigo. ]

_{[Wrath beams. For the weird, grungy little trash-digger he is, he has a genuinely radiant smile.]}

Me too!

We'll look out for each other.

[ He returns the smile very shyly, still feeling unsure and uneasy with this new feeling. He doesn't think Wrath would...but the offer still fuels this feeling. ]

I won't be far. I promise.

Sixth Sacrament - Assumption

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