Hoooooo boy. I am. SO behind. So tired. BUT!! Here is this! Finally got it edited, now I just need to pop it into Tumblr, fix the formatting bc tumblr doesn’t keep formatting, and there we go!
Anyway, Cheri and his siblings beloved. Also Volo and his Pokémon beloved.
Warnings: Cheri’s not having a good time with the fact he killed someone, guilt, his siblings don’t like Volo (they trust his judgement though), Volo’s pokemon know and understand what happened to him :( (I have no clue what to highlight here or any better way to put it sorry)
It’s been a couple days, and Volo’s been in and out of sleep.
The attack had done a lot of damage. Attacks from any sort of legendary or mythical Pokémon are not something you want to get hit with, even if you’re able to take a few, and Volo is definitely not. He’s a squishy human with a fragile body, and he’s incredibly lucky the.. burn.. poison.. dark attack that pulled all the energy out of where it hit hadn’t gone too deep.
There’s another problem. As much damage as it did to his body, the attack was much more of an attack on Volo’s spirit than anything.
He had managed to pull through with his spirit intact, thank Arceus for that. The theory is that, despite it being a powerful attack by a powerful Pokémon, it hadn’t been unleashed at full power, so Volo had managed to avoid some of the worst effects. But he’s still had to get a lot of rest- his energy had been sapped, and that’s on top of healing from the injury, so he’s been asleep more often than not.
Thankfuly, he’s stable, just exhausted. So the day after they had their chat, Volo got himself on some less mind-altering pain meds. He had forgotten most of the conversation, and the two had mutually silently agreed that Cheri wasn’t going to tell him what had happened and he wasn’t going to ask. When they both were sure Volo would be okay, Cheri got himself reasonably healed by a kind blissey so he wouldn’t have to deal with a Pokémon center that would ask questions or hospital care that isn’t built for him. Then he went to the Pokémon center to pick up their Pokémon, he dropped Volo’s off at the hospital with enough food to last a few days just in case, he stopped by his house to shower, and then he went straight to work in Hearthome City.
He’s.. not really looking forward to it, but he’s got to get home again after work, too.
His siblings will be home, and they need to know about Volo.
Because as much as his instincts say the man is harmless now, as much as he feels he can trust the man, to the point where he wants to protect him..
He wasn’t the only one Volo hurt. In fact, he’d sensed something was off about Volo from the beginning back then, had braced for it, and he was barely hurt at all, where his siblings had both been completely betrayed. So it’s up to them, what happens from here.
They also need to know that Cheri had killed someone.
It’ll come out at some point. Better sooner, rather than later.
“You’re quiet today!” His current client says. He’s not entirely sure who she is, she’s relatively new, but he does talk to most of his clients, so he’s not too surprised she’s realized something’s off. “Sneasel got your tongue?”
“What?” Cheri looks up from doing her eyeliner, then grins. “Oh! No, sorry. I just don’t have much to talk about today.”
That’s a lie, but honestly, what is he supposed to say?
I have a LOT to talk about.
But if I say anything, I’ll get in a HUGE shitstorm.
I’m not 10. I can’t just say I was trying to save the world and have that be all I have to do, no. They’ll investigate much further than they would have if I was ten.
If I’m lucky, they won’t figure out my life’s a lie, they won’t lock me up, and maybe they’ll even drop the charges.
But that’s if I’m REALLY damn lucky.
“Alright! It’s just.. Well.. You seem like you need someone to talk to.”
Cheri puts on a grin as best as he can. “I’m good! Just focusing really hard.” He finishes her makeup. “You’re good to go.”
“Oh- Okay!” Once she’s checked his handiwork in the mirror, she heads out, glancing back with concern. Cheri grins, and she leaves.
As soon as she’s gone, Cheri sighs, slumping in his chair and hiding his face in his hands.
Volo said I wouldn’t have to worry, said it would be taken care of. By who? His secret club?
Speaking of which, what’s with them, anyway? Are they time travelers? They’re probably time travelers, yeah, Volo said they’d bring the legendaries back to different places in time..
If he’s with a group, why’d they send him to deal with Eclipse alone?
Did they know he would get hurt?
..Do they know about the scars I heard the nurses whispering about in the hospital halls..? Maybe those are only rumors, but every rumor has some truth to it somewhere, right?
Cheri frowns, lounging back in his seat and staring up at the ceiling tiles. He’s been painting them over time, making this place his own. His gaze drifts to a tile covered in sunflowers.
..He’s so different. I don’t really know what he was like in Hisui, didn’t hang around much when he was with my siblings.
But I DO know he wasn’t.. well.. like THIS.
He can’t help but think about how Volo flinches at every touch. How in the past, he’d seen his siblings sneak up behind and jump on the guy, and Volo would just laugh, barely any flinch, no ingrained fear at all.
He thinks about how Volo kept insisting it was deserved. The way Volo shrank away from Eclipse, making himself as small as he could.
And yet Volo had considered letting Eclipse take him. Had almost agreed to it.
And Cheri frowns as he thinks about what could have happened if he hadn’t been there.
..That night at the hospital plays again in his mind.
Volo, the man who had always been so confident in himself and his goals, the man who hadn’t been afraid to go against the world, and Cheri had come to admire for that- he had broken down. Had crumpled in Cheri’s arms and sobbed.
Volo, who had once thought himself fit to be god, was now filled with self hatred.
And Cheri can’t help but wonder if it was just Eclipse who caused it, or if the entire club Volo’s in has been like that.
Because if they’re a club of time travelers who bring misplaced legendaries back, if they really sent Volo to protect Arceus from Eclipse..
Maybe they’re a club of time travelers who protect the legendaries, or even timespace in general. Which would explain why Volo’s met them, because he was a threat to the world, and people like that would be interested in someone like him.
It doesn’t explain why Volo’s joined with them now, though. And it doesn’t really explain anything about Volo and Eclipse.
Eclipse was kicked from the club because of whatever he had done to Volo. So maybe the club does have Volo’s best interests in mind, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask the guy-
Wait. Shit. He still has to check with his siblings to see if it’s okay to let Volo stick around.
As much as he’s worried about the guy, his siblings come first. They’re a team, have been from the beginning, and he doesn’t want to bring anyone around them that they don’t want around.
Cheri sighs, putting his supplies away and waving at his receptionist as he heads out.
He walks home on autopilot, mentally putting together what he’s going to say.
Volo’s back. He’s changed. I went with him on a trip to protect Arceus, and I killed a man. He’s in the hospital, I’m worried about him, and if you two are okay with it, I want to keep him around, make sure he’s okay. Something really bad happened to him, and he’s a better person now, but he’s hurt. He’s back, but he’s not evil, not coming after Arceus, and I know he isn’t manipulating me, I didn’t sense anything weird, he’s safe, but he himself is not safe because someone hurt him and he thinks he deserves to be hurt-
..god. I am NOT looking forward to tonight.
He swings by a fast food place to grab some stuff for dinner to sweeten the deal. He hasn’t seen his siblings in a few days, after all- they’ll be confused and worried, especially since he missed his day to make dinner.
He gets home before them, setting the dinner out and sitting in his place at the table, picking at his food and waiting.
Alone with his thoughts for the millionth time today.
Blood dripping on the stone ground.
He takes a bite of his burger to distract himself, letting its taste fill his mouth.
No sauces, no extra ingredients, just meat and bread, he doesn’t feel like getting sick for the next few days. He’s already spent enough time away from work, and that’s just something he does NOT need right now.
Closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, he lets the burger’s scent fill his nose, ignoring the lingering metallic scent that he just can’t seem to get to leave. Trying to ignore the shrieks that just won’t stop echoing in his mind.
But the man just keeps screaming, agony spilling into the air in waves, blood on the cave walls, on the floor, sticking to Cheri’s skin..
Cheri takes another bite of his burger, though it’s half hearted. He isn’t hungry at all.
With a frustrated sigh, he checks the time, weighing the pros and cons of getting in the shower a second time. They’ll be home soon.. It isn’t worth it, I’ll take a shower AFTER I talk to them.
..Will they still care for me..? Cheri frowns down at his hands on the table. Will they fear me? Probably.
I.. I didn’t know I could kill. Well, I knew I could, I know what I am, but..
I didn’t know I, as a person, can..
He buries his face in his hands.
He stays like that until he hears the door open.
“-and anyway, he’s an adult, he’ll be fine. Maybe we should check and see if Arceus needed him for something?”
“..Would've sent all three,” Keyo murmurs.
“Maybe, but even so, it’d still be good to check-” Ana stops in her tracks as she gets to the kitchen. “Cheri! Oh, thank the gods- Where have you been? You didn’t say anything, you didn’t answer our texts!”
“You guys were texting me??” Cheri checks his pockets in a panic, pulling out his arc phone-
It’s on silent. 43 missed messages. 7 missed calls.
“….I am. So sorry. Look, there’s a lot I need to tell you guys-”
“You haven’t slept,” Keyo murmurs, wiping makeup away from his eye.
Cheri grimaces, looking away. “..no. I haven’t in a while. And I can’t just yet, uh..” Deep breaths. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. After a moment, he looks up at the two, frowning a little deeper. “You’ll.. want to sit for this.”
Ana and Keyo glance at each other with concern before sitting down, eyes trained on Cheri.
Waiting for him to explain.
“Okay, so..” Cheri lets out a long sigh through his nose, clasping his hands together in front of him and staring at them. He opens his mouth to speak, then frowns.
Should I really tell them this?
They might never look at me the same again. We’re siblings, but even still, I KILLED someone.
If I tell them, will they fear me? Hate me?
And what about Volo? I already know they don’t like him. I already know what their reactions will be. It might not be safe for him, if I tell them what happened, and I don’t want him to have to leave to who knows where because of them, but..
Well.. They’re my SIBLINGS. And they deserve to know.
So Cheri takes a deep breath. “..I’m just gonna come out with it. Volo’s back, and I killed a man. A different man. Not him.”
They both freeze. Ana blinks a few times. “You what?”
“Volo’s back..” Keyo murmurs, turning away.
Cheri keeps his gaze on his hands clasped together. Doesn’t reach out with his magic, scared of what he’ll find. “..so. I met Volo on the train. The stop was close to the mountain, and he was headed up it to protect Arceus from someone named Eclipse-”
“Yeah. Protect. So, uh..” Cheri grimaces. “I made him take me with him. He really is different, he uh.. He apologized. But we get to the top of the mountain, and we go to that cave, the one where Beni attacked us? And we wait there, and then this guy jumps out of a portal. He’s shorter than me, but he’s like.. muscular, and he’s got all this crazy tech, right?” The other two nod. “So, he tosses these.. like.. Bright yellow pokeballs. They open, but not like a normal Pokeball, these yellow wires were still wrapped around the legendaries- and he had a bunch of legendaries, Volo said they were from different times- oh, did I mention this guy has this aura of malice? Like. He was ready to hurt someone. He was excited to.” Cheri shakes his head, pushing away the memory and glancing up to make sure they’re still listening.
He can’t tell if their expressions are concern for him or fear of him. He looks back to his hands, eyebrows furrowing, frowning a little deeper.
“..Volo and I got separated in the fight. But, uh.. What happened was, he told me he got pinned against the wall with psychic power, and then he got blasted by Galarian Moltres- oh, I forgot to mention, he is terrified of this Eclipse guy. He shrank back when he saw him. And before the fight, Eclipse was, uh.. trying to take him. I think he was going to torture him or something, the way his aura felt, the way Volo was reacting, he.. said something about Volo redeeming himself? Anyway-” Cheri shakes his head, going quiet.
“..so.. You.. killed Eclipse..?” Ana asks.
“..it’s a blur,” Cheri admits. “Um.. Volo got hit with that attack, and he screamed and there was agony in the air and I was trying to break the bracelet that controlled the Pokeball psychic device things- uh, he was controlling the legendaries with psychic devices that were the yellow pokeballs- anyway, I was trying to break it, but Mesprit hit me with a panic attack, and..” Cheri shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he whispers, staring harder at his hands. “There was so much blood, his- I think I tore his arm off, I..”
Ana and Keyo glance at each other. Ana gets up and leaves- and then she comes back with a shovel.
“In the cave on the way to Cloudcap?” Keyo asks, taking Cheri’s hands in theirs. “We’ll fix this.”
Cheri looks up, finally reaching out-
And oh. Yeah. That’s concern, and maybe a little fear, but mostly understanding, and..
He’s not sure why he expected anything else. Right. We’re a team, no matter what.
He nods. “Volo said I wouldn’t have to worry about it, but.. Thanks, guys.”
Keyo nods. “If you’re sure,” they murmur, leaning on Cheri’s shoulder. Cheri leans back, letting his eyes slip closed. Okay. It’s okay. We’re okay.
“Speaking of Volo..” Ana raises the shovel. “I’ve got half a mind to fucking whack the guy. Where is he?”
Cheri shakes his head. “Hospital- just.. Let him apologize, let him talk for a little bit- listen, he’s different. He’s better, but- Eclipse did something to him, it’s pretty bad.”
“..what’d he do..?” Keyo asks, head tilted to the side.
“I don’t know,” Cheri mutters. “I didn’t look. Didn’t want to invade his privacy, but- I do know Eclipse hurt him, he flinches when people touch him.”
Ana and Keyo glance at each other again, and Ana frowns a little deeper, then sighs, setting down the shovel.
“..he wants to apologize to you guys.”
Keyo looks up, a question in their eyes.
“Yeah, he apologized to me already, it was genuine, too.”
Ana and Keyo glance at each other again, then both nod. “..okay. How’s this gonna work? I’m not sure any of us are comfortable with him knowing where we live, so.”
Cheri nods. “He’s not supposed to leave the hospital until he gets his energy back anyway. So, tomorrow, let’s head to the hospital, we’ll meet up with him, and you all can talk. Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” Keyo murmurs, looking away.
Ana thinks it over for a minute, crossing her arms, tapping her fingers against them. She’s frowning, staring at the ground. “..I’m not gonna be nice to him,” she warns.
“I don’t expect you to. Just don’t hurt him.” He’s had enough of that.
Ana nods. “..anyway..” She frowns a little deeper, looking up. “Eclipse. You said he had a really bad aura, and Volo was protecting Arceus from him?”
“Is he dangerous? Why did Arceus need protection?” Keyo asks.
Cheri shakes his head. “He should be dead now, so not a threat anymore, but he’s a time traveler, so who knows. Anyway, he had the Red Chain, and control of the Lake Spirits.”
Ana’s face morphs into concern. “Did he pull a Team Galactic to get it from them?”
“Probably,” Cheri says. “Volo’s club or group or.. whatever should be able to get them all home, probably already have, so there’s that, at least.”
Keyo tilts their head to the side. “Club?”
“Yeah- so. I’m pretty sure he’s running with a group of time travelers right now? It’s my best guess to explain.. everything about him right now.”
“Well, it makes sense how he’s here, then..” Ana hums in curiosity. “I wonder how that happened? I mean, I.. really can’t see him getting into something like that unless it would get him closer to Arceus.”
Cheri shrugs. “I haven’t figured it out yet. But considering the fact he runs with a group like that and helped with Eclipse, I don't think he’s after Arceus anymore- He himself said he wasn’t, actually, and I didn’t sense a lie.”
“..huh..” Keyo frowns in thought. “Eclipse was also a time traveler? Was he part of the group?”
“Apparently he was kicked out when the group figured out he was doing.. whatever it was to Volo. So.”
“So he decided to attack Arceus and Volo came to stop him, but not to attack Arceus himself?” Ana shakes her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Well- I guess I could see it if it was a race to get to Arceus first, maybe?”
Cheri shakes his head. “Volo seriously wasn’t in this for Arceus at all.” He frowns, looking down at the table. “I’m.. pretty sure it was some sort of suicide mission, actually.”
Both turn to stare at him. Shock, surprise.
“Wait, seriously? Him?” Ana asks, leaning forwards.
“Yeah,” Cheri murmurs. “I don’t know. He was just.. so..” Cheri shakes his head, eyebrows furrowing. “..I think if I hadn’t been there, he would have just.. Let Eclipse take him. To Arceus knows where, to do Arceus knows what.” He shakes his head. “..He’s noticably different. Just trust me on this- when you get there, you guys will be able to tell.”
Keyo frowns, nodding. “..how long has he been in the hospital..?”
“Since the day I’ve been gone. He might be in there for a little while longer, he’s regaining his energy- oh, it’s the Eterna City hospital, by the way.” Cheri stands up. “Speaking of him, I’m going to take a shower and get back to him.” I don’t trust the time traveler group, and I don’t want to come back to a corpse- or worse.
His siblings give him weird looks.
“..are.. you two friends now?” Keyo asks.
“Well.. No? I don’t know.” Cheri shakes his head. “We’re the same. You know? And.. He’s not being untrustworthy, he’s not trying anything, and I just-”
“Hey.” Ana puts a hand on his shoulder. “If you feel like you can trust him, then.. We’ll trust your judgement.” Then she grins. “I’m still not gonna be nice though.”
Cheri grins back. “That’s fair, don’t worry, I don’t expect you guys to.” Then he looks over at Keyo, frowning a little.
They’re fidgeting pretty bad. “..just.. Please tell us if he ever lies,” they murmur.
“I will,” Cheri murmurs back, moving forward to press his forehead against theirs. “Thanks for trusting me.”
They nod, pressing back. “..We’ll come by tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Cheri grins. “I’m gonna take a shower, I’ll see you guys tomorrow, alright?”
“Okay! Stay safe!” Ana calls from where she’s digging around in the closet.
Keyo nods. “Call us if something happens,” they murmur. “Have a good shower.”
“I will.” Cheri waves at them both, then heads upstairs for a shower.
And once he’s scrubbed himself clean yet again, he heads to the store, then back to the hospital.
Volo’s asleep when Cheri arrives, his Pokémon piled on top of him. It doesn’t look very comfortable, but his Togekiss is protecting the injury from having any pressure on it, and they’re all sleeping soundly.
Luca- Volo’s Lucario- looks up as Cheri enters, pushing a pulse of welcoming towards him. Cheri pushes friendliness back, sitting by the bed and handing Luca a treat. “..what happened to your trainer?” Cheri asks. Quietly, not wanting to wake the others.
Luca frowns, looking away for a moment in thought, then back to Cheri.
Pushing forward a few things.
Hopelessness. Fear- no, terror. And pain. SO MUCH pain.
Cheri frowns. “..and Eclipse did this?”
Luca nods, then pushes forward rage. Malice. That same aura Cheri had felt earlier.
Cheri shudders slightly, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. “Right..” He pushes worry. Concern.
Luca looks back at Volo with a frown and pushes it back, along with fear.
“..He’ll be alright,” Cheri murmurs, turning to look at Volo.
..huh. He looks really peaceful right now.
The bottom half of Volo’s face is hidden under the blanket, the left side hidden by his hair, and Cheri huffs a little laugh. He seems so comfortable, nearly completely covered by blanket and Pokémon.
It’s.. almost cute, actually.
..yeah. He’s burying that thought deep in the back of his mind. Not going to look into it.
Resting his head on the side of the bed, Cheri lets out a quiet sigh, watching Toge move up and down with Volo’s breathing.
There were some pin feathers she couldn’t reach on her earlier. She wouldn’t let anyone touch her to fix them.. Looks like Volo must have preened them out when he was awake.
A bit of pollen floats over, and Cheri looks up. Hemlock is staring him down, rose-like hands held up threateningly.
“I’m not here to hurt him, or any of you,” Cheri murmurs, pulling a treat for plant types out of his bag and holding it out. “Here. See? I’m a friend.”
The Roserade stares for a moment, then slowly reaches forward, glaring him down the whole time. Snatching the treat, Hemlock quickly moves back, taking a bite.
It’s better than yesterday, so there’s that. The roserade had chased him out of the room, practically screaming what would be obscenities if he could talk with a protective fury. Which is fair. Cheri had attacked his trainer the last time they’d met. In Hisui, anyway. The reunion a few days ago didn’t really count, they’d all had bigger problems to deal with.
Thankfully, Volo’s other Pokémon had been able to calm him down before he ended up getting them all thrown out.
Hemlock keeps staring at Cheri now, but doesn’t disturb Cheri, nibbling on the treat a little more.
Cheri’s pretty sure he won’t attack him.
He lets Sylvie out of his ball just in case. The sylveon blinks up at him, curling up in his lap with a yawn, and he sighs, leaning back in his chair.
And after a few minutes with no hostility, he finally lets himself drift off to sleep.
(Edited to fix Hemlock’s name)
