Pyre - Chapter 9 - The Verge of Pyrrhic Previous | AO3 | Next
Tagging: @anotherpokemonfanaccount, @houndenny, @fruitteagoblin, @averysmolkirbo, @aki-i-guess Word Count: 6.2k Written to: Torn Apart at the Seams; Torment; Unspoken Words (Violet Evergarden), Prism Tower's Dark Turn; Battle against Hyperrogue Ange Floette (PLZA), Inevitable Conflict (Genshin Impact), Wretched Weaponry: Medium/Dynamic (NieR: Automata)
Was this your wish? The words left your mouth before you could stop yourself, and the regret was an immediate gunshot. Grisham, who’d seemed so surprised, so frightened that you were there. Only to see his expression twist into a pained confusion, the light leaving his eyes as your words settled across his heart.
You didn’t get the chance to apologize. The street split apart, and the buildings around you crumbled. For a moment, everything went black.
You felt Chevalier gently place you on a patch of grass, Sylvie tumbling out of your lap as the rest of your team’s unease reached your ears. You blinked, head reeling, palms burning, knees becoming damp from the grass. Trevenant was behind you, supporting your back, and Chevalier’s hands slowly left your shoulders. Sylvie’s ribbons curled around your wrists, and Zorua was at your side, his paws on your thigh and his nose nudging you with wet concern. You looked around. Driftblim seemed to be keeping watch.
You looked to where you’d been just moments before. Chevalier had saved you. Your stomach flipped at the sight of the mangled piece of concrete embedded in the ground where you had been standing. If you had stayed where you were, you would have died.
You looked to the root-like tendril that had erupted from the street. It effectively cut you off from that side of the city, too high to climb on your own. And long enough that you’d have to go several blocks before you could even hope to see the end of it. You risked a look back at the tower- at Ange. She was a looming and distorted being of wrought iron and thick, dark roots.
What could you do against something like that? You’d only just found out about it. What could you do this time?
You could run.
As if having sensed the thought the moment it crossed your mind, Sylvie’s ribbons tightened around your wrists. You were done running. You took a deep, steadying breath, weighing your options and watching as the first wave of rogue mega evolutions burst across the city.
You gathered your strength and stood; your knees protested, but that would be a problem for later. You reached into your bag, the corner of the box finding you readily, as if welcoming you back. The keystone bracelet wasn’t as heavy as you thought it would be. The keystone itself stared back at you, already glittering with power. It felt new on you, the weight of it noticeable but not unwelcomed.
“Here’s the plan.” You breathed, your hand falling to your side, “We need to find Grisham and Griselle, they’re probably going to the tower. Whatever they’re planning on doing to stop this, we need to help them.”
Whether or not this was part of Grisham’s wish could wait.
---
Was this your wish?
It struck him hard. He knew you didn’t mean it; you were just scared. Of course you were, why wouldn’t you be? The very thing that killed your family was here, and Grisham had failed to protect you from it. Worse, he hadn’t even tried. He’d given the burden to another; if it had been him, it would have never- if it were him, you would have been safe.
Grisham understood your fear, but even still, it hurt.
He thought you knew him better.
Griselle called for him, panic rising in her voice. It didn’t matter what you thought of him; he’d let his actions speak for him.
With or without you, he’d help protect Lumiose.
---
You recalled all of your team but Drifblim; you’d move faster with fewer Pokémon out. With a nod, you settled into Drifblim’s grasp as your feet quickly left the ground. Now, with an aerial view, you could see that Lumiose was in shambles. Ange’s reach almost entirely overtook the city, blocking off main streets and spilling debris into the side streets. The center of the city was practically inaccessible by the street alone, and even the streets themselves were becoming flooded with rogue mega evolutions. You scanned the streets, trying to pick out Grisham or Griselle. If you could spot his Charizard- There! You found the truck, Charizard already standing guard, and Griselle’s Pyroar not too far away; the lights were on, warmth spilling onto the dark streets. If you could just get there- Your vision spun for a moment as Drifblim took an evasive maneuver, narrowly avoiding cutting winds that surely would have sent you to the ground. Your grip tightened as you braced yourself, inhaling a sharp breath and trying to locate what had just attacked you.
A Pidgeot! You caught its tail feathers as Drifblim took another evasive maneuver. This wasn’t good- you definitely didn’t have the advantage, and fighting while flying would be too dangerous for you and Driblim. You needed an exit, an open street, or a nearby rooftop-
“There!” You pointed, shifting your weight in the direction of a nearby rooftop. Drifblim’s descent was slow as he strained to maintain a firm grip on you; one direct hit could send you falling to the street below. Your foot neared the edge of the rooftop, hanging a hair's breadth away. You felt the very top of your shoe brush the edge. And a sharp gust of wind cut across your back, sending you and Drifblim tumbling forward.
You panicked, limbs flailing as you tried to throw yourself onto the rooftop. Your hands scrambled against the metal siding. If you screamed or cried out, you didn’t notice. Your body crashed onto solid ground, leaving you winded. Your eyes flew up, locating your Drifblim righting himself. The Pidgeot that had been menacing you was circling the rooftop you were on, eyeing you up as if it was waiting for the perfect opportunity to swoop in. You could practically feel its fear for yourself, a wild rampage of too much power with nowhere to go. Drifblim couldn’t do anything remotely effective against it, and already looked to be in rough shape. Placing your hands under you, you pushed yourself back onto your feet, the bracelet on your wrist glinting into the edge of your vision.
There wasn’t time to consider if it would be safe; your options were to fight or run. And you knew that you could only run so fast and so far from a Pidgeot, let alone one that had mega-evolved. You barely recalled Drifblim as the Pidgeot’s claws just grazed its side, your hand already reaching for Chevalier’s ball.
The moment Chevalier appeared, you already knew something was different; you felt more connected, more in sync than you’d ever been. As if a thread had been drawn between the two of you, linking you in heart and soul. Energy thrummed around your wrist, almost drawing your hand to level with the broach Chevalier wore. Light enveloped you, lacking warmth but surrounded like a burst of pressure. You felt the end of his cloak whisper against your cheek, and when the light cleared, your Chevalier stood with his back to you and arm raised in defense. Every bit the knight he was always meant to be.
He glanced back at you, giving you a trusting nod. You gave your first command.
---
Everything in the truck was in working order; the small generator that Grisham was using to power the coffee maker and espresso machines seemed to be unaffected by the power surge. He had originally only intended to make sure that the truck was still in one piece, parked where he’d left it on the edge of the Bleu District, but by the time he’d gotten to it with Griselle, other Cafe Nouveau employees had already gathered. Three trucks were parked around one another on the boulevard, and it seemed that an agreement had already been struck. The area was safe for the moment; despite its closeness to Ange, it was protected by a wall of debris.
Pride swelled in Grisham’s chest, dulling the sting that had settled there.
This was their chance. Grisham had been a spark, but the fire had been built by multiple hands. He saw that now, as the remnants of Team Flare converged and devised their plan. Tables were set up, medical equipment gathered together, coffee in the process of being brewed, and what remaining pastries there were being sourced and inventoried. He noted the lack of data from Lysandre Labs. What Grisham imagined would have been a plan of spreadsheets and battle strategies was instead… how to help comfort those trapped in the city. Where the wreckage was stable, where there were likely more people located, and who likely lost their homes.
There was a clear path forward for Grisham to take without worry. The others were fine, looking at Grisham as if they were surprised he was still lingering. He wasn’t fully sure what he was waiting on; everything was clear, the path lay before him, Griselle ready to offer her support, his team more than ready to take on whatever was ahead.
You weren’t there.
And it was a noticeable absence. Grisham found himself looking at the street he and Griselle had come from, hoping you would round that corner. He wanted to go back and look for you, to make sure you were alive, to make sure you could be somewhere safe, or that he could at least aid in your escape.
What were you even doing back in Lumiose?
There wasn’t time to ruminate; Grisham had work he needed to do. His rotomphone ringing pulled his eyes from the street to its screen. How Corbeau had gotten his number was the least of his worries.
“The city’s in a panic, and you finally pick up!”
Grisham let go of a breath he’d been holding as Corbeau’s voice reached him, though the man looked less than pleased, Grisham was relieved to see him for once.
“Glad to see you alive.” Grisham offered a rare smile, one that visibly relaxed Corbeau, “I assume you already have a plan?”
“Don’t I always?” Corbeau cocked a smile, but it fell quickly. “In all seriousness, we could really use you and Griselle out here. To make a long story short, Zygarde is testing the kid. We've made a route to the Magenta Sector for them, but there’ll be a long stretch where there’s no one to back them up. Think you and Griselle can get over there?”
Corbeau had sent him the route, marked with where the other high-ranking trainers would be. There was a long stretch towards the end where AZ’s champion would be alone- Grisham halted, wasn’t the champion up in the tower? He shook his head; now was not the time to be getting caught up in the details. Zygarde had made its choice, and everyone else had to abide by it.
“We’ll be there- listen, Corbeau. There’s something I need to ask of you.”
Maybe Corbeau had picked up the desperation in Grisham’s voice, or maybe it was the context of the situation, but his expression softened, “Ask me anything.”
“There’s someone I need you to keep an eye out for- she’s a trainer from Geosenge, she should have a Gallade with her, or a Sylveon. We were separated, not far from your building. Do you have anyone who could-”
“I’ll have the skeleton crew keep an eye out for her, but it’s all hands on deck, Grish. I can’t promise… I’ll do my best to find your friend.” His expression pulled taut, “Get a moving now, show this city just what Flare Nouveau is made of. We ‘nere-do-wells rarely get a chance like this to show what we’re capable of.”
“Be safe yourself, Beau.”
A boyish smirk flashed across Corbeau’s face, “So long as I have Scolipede with me, I’ll be fine. Always have been.”
The call ended, and as Grisham’s phone put itself away, he turned to Griselle. She’d overheard the call and was more than ready, already looking at the route on her own phone. There was a pause; her eyes landed on Grisham.
“She’ll be alright.” Griselle promised, “We’ll find her when this is over.”
---
You dropped to street level, Chevalier close behind you. It’d been a tough fight, but you had emerged victorious from it, making sure that the Pidgeot had fallen safely onto the rooftop before Chevalier KO’d it had been your priority. You had brought a small amount of supplies with you that would keep Chevalier up and going between battles, and now you ran the mental math, trying to figure out if you could manage making it over to Grisham.
The streets were barren now; you’d seen people clearing out to safer parts of the city. Some of them were directed by Quasartico officials, others by fellow trainers. Now, all that was left in the district were the rogue Pokémon and a handful of distinctly dressed office employees.
“Isn’t that- Hey! You!! Over here!”
One of them had caught sight of you and was motioning for you, calling his Arbok close as he closed in on you.
“Boss said to keep an eye out for you and yours!”
You blinked, boss? It couldn’t have been Grisham; you knew his co-workers, and the man who was approaching you wasn’t dressed like any of them.
“So- out with it. Are you okay? Do you need medical attention?”
You checked over yourself in that moment; you looked worse for wear. Your hands and knees were scraped up, one of your pants legs was already torn, and you didn’t want to know the state of your hair after the tumble your landing was. But it was surface-level scrapes, nothing that needed immediate attention.
“Fine. I’m fine. Tell your boss that.” You tried to brush the man off, turning to assess which direction you should take to get to the trucks. “Which is the fastest way to the plaza?”
“The plaza? Why would you want to go there!?”
“I’m looking for someone, and if I don’t find him then-”
“No, no! Boss says no one is to go near the plaza right now. Those Nouveau folk will tell you the same: you’re better off getting off the street.”
“Flare Nouveau is helping?” Hope lingered, blooming in your chest, maybe you'd been wrong.
“Got a whole station set up to support people- that’s not the point! Boss said to report in if we saw you-”
“Well, you saw me!” You decided your path, “Now step aside. I’m going to find my- my friend.”
“Look- lady- your friend is more than fine.” He wasn’t letting up. You took a deep breath, realizing what this might come to. Chevalier stepped next to you, already picking up what you were thinking, “Oh, come on! For crying out loud! The top trainers are already on it. What could you hope to give?”
What could you hope to give? Grisham was leagues ahead of you, Griselle too. But you’d already made your decision, you were going to find both of them. Between the three of you, there had to be something that you could do.
“Lumiose is my home, and I refuse to lose it again! If you aren’t going to step aside, then we’ll both be wasting our time!”
---
Griselle’s arms were wrapped tight around Grisham’s waist as Charizard carried them over the wreckage, ducking and diving tightly around hyperrogue Ange’s tendrils and the various frenzied Pokémon that clogged the sky. Her face was pressed against his back, trying to keep her glasses on and cover Grisham’s blind spots at the same time. Corbeau was sending him updates; he could feel the delivery of each update ping in the pocket his phone was nestled in.
While his eyes were dead set on finding a safe place to land, he chanced searching for you, scanning the streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of your Gallade, whether or not you had mega-evolved him. They were just over Lysandre Cafe now, and he hadn’t caught sight of you yet.
“That’s a good landing spot!” Griselle motioned, “We’ve gotta get out of the sky, we’re open targets here.”
“Right!” Grisham pulled his eyes from the street, finding the landing spot Griselle had spotted and maneuvering Charizard towards it. The landing was smooth, and Grisham helped Griselle down first before dismounting, his head on a swivel.
Griselle was checking her phone; it seemed that Corbeau had made a group chat of the three of them.
“Oh, thank fuck.” Griselle gasped, turning her phone towards Grisham to show him an image that Corbeau had sent. His heart skipped a beat, feeling as if it had dropped in his chest.
It was you.
You were alive. Chevalier was with you. It looked like you were still in the Bleu sector.
Corbeau had sent a text with it:
>This your friend? >She made quick work of my skeleton crew- headed towards you.
You were headed towards him. You would find him. You always did. You had Chevalier with you. The worry eased slightly from Grisham’s heart; something was starting to tell him there was hope that things could still be stopped. There was an actual chance of winning this, of walking away, seeing the dawn rise, and knowing you would be there for it.
He steadied himself, a familiar calm sliding over him. Grisham had his mission, and now he had his conviction to follow it through. Both of his girls were safe. Griselle was with him. Chevalier was with you.
AZ’s champion had just reached Corbeau; it was only a matter of time before they’d be linking up with him and Griselle.
“Get ready, keep your eyes open.”
“I’m right here, just like always.” Griselle assured, “I’ll be with you to the end, you know.”
Grisham only nodded.
---
“What will you do now?” AZ’s champion turned to Grisham at a brief pause in the chaos. This time, Grisham was ready with his answer.
“I will never be able to outrun my connection with Team Flare. Nor can I change those who will never forgive Team Flare for what happened five years ago.” He thought of you. Had you forgiven him? “But what I can control is what I do next. I will protect the people of this city, no matter what they may think of me.”
It was noble, he knew it to be. He couldn’t leave his past, but he could at least still change his future. In that moment, Grisham realized he had forgiven himself.
He had to.
A call caught his attention; his eyes narrowed at the sight of Zygarde. Standing at attention, waiting to be acknowledged, waiting to acknowledge. Calm and impatient in equal measure, yet still the light in the storm. For a moment, Grisham wanted Zygarde to acknowledge him; it would solidify that he had done enough.
But Zygarde looked away; it did not acknowledge Grisham.
And Grisham realized he didn’t need it to acknowledge him. For once, he didn’t need it. Maybe that wasn’t the whole truth, but even if he was lying to himself, it was at least a comfortable lie that eased the sting of rejection.
Griselle’s head shot up; she didn’t need to reach out to Grisham to get his attention. They weren’t alone anymore, nearly surrounded by a colony of Pinsir.
“Looks like we’ve got more customers incoming. Not sure they’ll appreciate our blends though.” Her dry humor was reassuring, even as her hand moved towards her Fletchinder’s ball.
“Unlikely-” Grisham quipped back, straightening his glasses, “at least not while they’ve gone rogue like this. Let’s get them back to seeing reason.”
“We’ll cover this area for you.” He promised, taking a moment to bump fists with AZ’s champion, he could see them steel their resolve, knowing that there were a great many capable trainers at their backs. Grisham looked to the Pinsir, and with a slight nod to Griselle, turned and yelled “This way!”, knowing they would follow.
He hoped to lead the Pinsir far enough away to give AZ’s champion a chance to close the final stretch and to lead him and Griselle into an advantageous position. They had the type advantage between the two of them, but the numbers could very easily overwhelm them both. Turning on his heel, Grisham knew that where he stood would be where he and Griselle made their stand.
“Take the skies, and I’ll cover the ground.” She locked herself back to back with him, sending out her Pyroar, the great lion bounding across the roof, already knowing what to do. Grisham sent out Charizard. He would be fine. He had Griselle at his back.
---
You saw Charizard before you saw Grisham. Even at the distance you were, you knew it was his. The way it moved, the power and precision, the seamless heeding of commands as it wove fire through a haze of Pinsir. You were almost there. Just a few more buildings.
Trevenant was weaving a bridge for you, roots reaching far across a divide as Chevalier stood on watch. As soon as she was done, you’d recall her and continue your way even as your legs screamed for a break. You tried not to let your attention fall on Ange, knowing that if you looked at the tower, you might not have the strength to look away.
You traced your thumb over the carvings on your mega ring, grounding yourself slowly. It had been invaluable in getting you across the city; you were relieved that you’d thought to bring it with you. You wouldn’t let Lumiose become another Geosenge, and you grounded that wordless oath into the divots and over the peaks of your mega ring.
The bridge was complete, you recalled Trevenant and launched yourself onto the woven roots that didn’t even budge under your weight. Grisham’s situation wasn’t improved; another wave of Pinsir was incoming. You were hoping you’d make it in time, pulling your mega ring close to your chest.
One more rooftop.
---
Grisham inhaled sharply, dodging another flurry of sharp wind and calling out another command to Charizard. His chest heaved, his ribs tight, lungs burning for a moment of reprieve. He could hear Griselle behind him, her hands more than full. They needed an opening, something to turn the tide while there was still a tide to turn. He needed another window to mega evolve Charizard again, but there were too many Pinsir, maneuvering around them to give the order was proving to be more difficult.
He was about to call out another command when a flurry of purple light rained down before him. A psychic attack? But Griselle didn’t have Metagross out-
A body of white and green crashed into one of the Pinsir, sending it spiraling to another rooftop. Grisham made out the details quickly, the lace ribbon with a keystone brooch worn around the Gallade’s neck, the fluttering cloak-
“Chevalier.” Grisham recognized him, though they’d never met before, “If you’re here then-”
“I’m right here.” You pulled yourself over the edge of the roof, winded from your sprint, with a flash of relieved pride across your features. You closed the distance between the two of you, calling out another command to Chevalier as Grisham remembered where he stood. He took that opportunity to buy them a way out.
“You look awful.” Griselle snorted, nearly out of breath, “Welcome to the party, it’s not as bad as it could be.” “That’s hopeful.” You looked to Grisham, standing tall, “I’m here to help. Where do you want Chevalier and I?”
“Right here is perfect.” He said it without thinking, his gaze returning to you, “You came back.”
You said nothing at first, eyes trained on your partner Pokémon. There was much you wanted to say, it was written clearly across your face. But you blinked, clearing your mind and steeling your nerves.
“We’ll talk about it later, I promise.”
“No, I suppose this isn’t the time or place.” Grisham sighed. He hadn’t looked away from you, taking in your appearance, “I’m glad you’re back. And that you’re alive.”
Your shoulders softened a hair, followed by a kinder, gentler tone of voice, “I’m glad you’re alive too. Both of you.”
Grisham finally pulled his gaze from you. They had the advantage again; it wouldn’t take much to clear the air and find a way off the rooftop. He took a step back, closing in on you and Griselle, so long as the two of you were in his peripheral vision, he could focus without worry.
Chevalier was a natural extension of you, his movements sharp and determined, clear with his unwavering resolve. He moved readily with Charizard, spinning around to support Griselle and her Pyroar at a moment’s notice. Grisham couldn’t help but notice the smile that was creeping onto his own face. Something about a knight, a dragon, and a fairytale.
Whatever worry Grisham had was temporarily gone, and he found himself enjoying the moment.
Soon the skies were clear, and when Grisham had recalled his Charizard, he turned to find Griselle already reaching for you. She pulled you into a tight embrace. Grisham could tell she wanted it to be much longer than she allowed it. When Griselle pulled away from you, her hands found yours, and she instinctively began checking over the scrapes on your hand.
“We’ve got a med kit back at the truck.” Griselle muttered, pulling out her handkerchief and wrapping one of your hands with it, “And coffee. I’ll make you an ember roast. It won’t taste good, but it’ll warm you right up.”
You let her warm your cold hands with hers, glancing over her shoulder at the tower, “Shouldn’t we do more to stop that?”
“We’ve done all we can for now.” Grisham comforted, “Now the best thing for us is to regroup with the others. Between the three of us, we shouldn’t run into too much trouble on the way.”
You nodded, and Griselle let go of your hands.
Grisham led the charge down from the rooftop, turning back to offer his hands to you and Griselle, his eyes carefully assessing both of you as if worried he might turn his back and one of you would disappear. The streets were much quieter now; it seemed that enough attention had been drawn to keep most of the rogue Pokémon occupied, but that didn’t mean it was safe and easy going. The ground shook, and the flashes of Ange that you could see were an angry gleam of pink and dark shapes moving between hailing light. Anytime you paused, Grisham, or Griselle would reach over and take you by the hand, carefully guiding you onwards. This wasn’t at all what you imagined Geosenge to have felt like. There was too much time, not at all the sudden destruction that the weapon in Geosenge had been. The thing that stood out to you most however, was just how quiet it all was. There was the distant sound of Pokémon battles, but aside from that, it was only the wind and the sound of your footsteps with Grisham and Griselle’s.
It wasn’t Geosenge; this was Lumiose. Things were different; people were trying to stop it. There were people who could stop it. That brought you comfort, as did knowing you weren’t alone.
Grisham filled you in the best he could, telling you everything about AZ’s champion. It brought you some further relief to know that things appeared to be going to plan, that the nightmare would be over. You noticed the slight bitterness that lingered, the way Grisham immediately shoved that bitterness to the side as if straining to break a bad habit.
Just as soon as you started to feel safe, the ground shook harder than it had before, almost sending you entirely to your knees. Your hand locked around Grisham’s wrist, he clung to you in response, reaching out for Griselle. Something wasn’t right about the way she looked, something about the light she was bathed in. Not pink, but green and bright.
Slowly, as if time was coming to a standstill, you turned your attention to the tower. Green energy had exploded across it, and just as soon as you registered it, it faded. As did the rogue mega energy surrounding Ange. And with the energy fading, you watched Ange slump forward like a marionette cut from its strings. Still.
But still breathing.
Your heartbeat was uncomfortably loud in your ears, uncomfortably hard in your chest. Your eyes burned in anticipation, waiting. Ange’s head hung low, its roots whispering in the wind, the flowers it had created swaying aimless but upright.
Was it over?
The ground quaked, a short pulse.
Ange’s head rose towards the heavens, a blinding white light piercing through the cracks as the cage around its head opened, dark petals unfurling and energy coalescing.
Your knees gave out, knowing what was to come.
You refused to believe it. You failed. Grisham failed. AZ’s champion failed. It wasn’t supposed to go this way, it wasn’t supposed to be like this-
You looked to Grisham, expecting him to know what to do; he always did know what to do, there was always some plan. But he stood there, his eyes wide open, his face slack, his shoulders dropped. His chest heaved, his skin paled, and his hand was cold and clammy when you reached out to take it.
Grisham’s head was entirely blank; the frantic hammering of his heart in his chest was distant. His lungs were tight, his eyes burned. Each breath he took was sharp and short, and his skin felt as if it were on fire. Every part of him shook as reality stepped in.
He failed. He failed. He failed. H̶̨̻̰͉̠̩͖̦̭̟͖̻̱̅̀̒̊̉̎̊̒̃̂͋͜͜͝͠͠ę̵̲̟͈̬̟̋̈͆̄͆̓̆͑̒̏̚͝ ̵̛͉̗̹̱͋̒f̴̡̱̗̞̳̺͔̫͍̏̓͌̔̓̆͂̕a̴̬̯͇͔̭̣̮̰̹̜̖͛͛͗̓̆̈́̃͂̔̔̈̑̚ͅi̶̭̯̜̺̩̞̳̗͋͐́͠l̶̨̪̣̺͋̈̀̾͊̓̓́̉͑͂̌̕e̸̢̡̮̤͕̲͉̥͎̜̰͑̂̀͊̄͜d̵̹̑̑̽́̑͂̒̀͂͆̕͝-
You took his hand; he hardly noticed, but it sent electricity racing up his arm and through his chest, releasing his knees as he crashed to the ground next to you.
He couldn’t hear you say his name; he couldn’t hear himself saying “I’m sorry” over and over until the words bled together into incoherence. He could feel the way you clung to him, the way your own breath was frantic and breaking.
Griselle was with you. Her arms encasing you and Grisham, her body shielding you from the light. He could feel her hands firm on his shoulders, hear the desperate and rough timbre of her voice as she called for him to pull himself together.
There was a bright collision of light, and Grisham screwed his eyes shut to avoid its scathing burn, burying his face in either your or Griselle’s shoulder; he couldn’t tell.
The air stilled. Grisham felt like he couldn’t breathe.
Griselle pulled away, her voice coming into focus, “-here with him.”
He heard her leave, and when he turned to look in her direction, there you were. Eyes watering, a wavering smile on your lips, your face cast in a soft hue. He blinked.
“Look.” You managed, your voice weak as you motioned towards Ange.
With great hesitation, Grisham dragged his gaze to follow yours. Any fear that was in him died when he saw the cascade of soft, white light over Lumiose. A slow, ethereal starfall.
You were still holding his hand. Anchoring him. Anchoring yourself.
He didn’t move, taking in the sight.
They won. It was over. Ange was dormant once more. The Prism Tower may have been in ruins, and Lumiose would need months of repairs. But the nightmare was over.
Grisham breathed. It was finally, truly over.
He looked to you, your eyes trained over the city, then to him, meeting his gaze. Relief glittered in your eyes.
He tried to say something, his lips forming words that held no sound.
You didn’t hear him. But it didn’t matter. He held your hand until you let go of it to stand. You offered it to him again, and Grisham looked at you. The starfall glimmered behind you, almost seeming like it would catch in your hair the way the snow had the first time he saw you.
A word came to mind, one that had once been soured by Team Flare. Maybe you were worthy enough to reclaim the word. He thought you were.
You looked at him with a gentle, quiet recognition. With encouragement.
“Let’s go help Lumiose.”
He took your hand.
---
You rendezvoused with Griselle, she’d found a way to the trucks and had turned around to collect you and Grisham.
The next few hours were a blur. Griselle cleaned and bandaged your scrapes, gave you a clean apron, and set you to work helping Flare Nouveau distribute coffee, pastries, blankets, medical kits, anything and everything that could be spared, to Lumiose’s displaced residents. You had been pulled away at some point to help stabilize some debris with the help of your Trevenant. When you came back, you found Sylvie weaving through the crowd of people that had gathered around the trucks, offering comfort to anyone she could. Zorua followed her example, retreating to sit under the truck Grisham worked out of when it got to be too many people.
Grisham and Griselle made it seem so easy. As if a flip had been switched, the two of them wore easy and inviting smiles, and maybe you were hearing things but Griselle actually sounded kind of… nice… for a change. You had a feeling it would be short-lived. Grisham, on the other hand, spoke in low and gentle tones, his head bowed, his hands kindly steadying a warm cup of coffee in the shaking hands of an older man.
What you had said earlier came back to haunt you, and you found yourself unable to bring yourself to look at him directly.
How could you have asked that of him?
Thankfully, you didn’t have time to ruminate on it too much. Griselle kept you more than busy.
The dawn approached, the sky lightened, and the sun spilled over the horizon in warm golden rays. Griselle had sat you down at a bench, leaving you with a cup of coffee in hand and a blanket wrapped around your shoulders. Your team was fully withdrawn, exhausted from the night’s activities.
You were tired, your body ached even as you sat, and your eyes felt heavy. Your hands wrapped around the cup of coffee, the warmth seeping through your tired digits and blooming through your chest almost to an uncomfortable degree when you drank it. But it was warm, and it was safe.
You watched the crowd; there was a muted camaraderie that reminded you of Geosenge in the days after the Ultimate Weapon. Lumiose would recover, but it would bear the scars of the night for years to come.
Grisham settled next to you, his own cup of coffee nestled in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. His hair was slightly disheveled, and strands of it had fallen and framed his face.
Silence settled between you. Awkward and charged on your end.
“Grisham.” You sat up, setting your coffee to the side and trying to keep your voice steady, “I said something awful to you earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Grisham wore one of his fake smiles, strained with exhaustion evident at every detail of it, “I understand where it came from-”
“Don’t fucking do that.” You interrupted, fully offended, “Don’t just let me hurt you. Don’t just let people treat you terribly because you think you deserve it, or because you think your actions speak louder- you’re more than that. You’ve done more than enough to deserve better than that, Grisham!”
He sat up ever so slightly, his false smile falling, his eyes softening. Maybe you were more exhausted than you thought, maybe the night was finally catching up with you, but you felt the sting of tears in your own eyes, and your throat wavered, tightening as you blinked back tears. You looked up, briefly taking in the retreating night.
“I mean. You’re… you’re so much better than what people say about you. You- fuck. I want to be better.” You looked at him, locking your gaze with his, your voice wavering, “I want to do better. You make me want to do better, and I don’t-”
You looked away, a half-hearted laugh slipping out, “I don’t even know if this is making any sense. I’m just so fucking tired of being angry all the time, Grish. I just want to live.”
You didn’t expect Grisham to hug you again. But his hands pulled you in strongly by the shoulders, his arms wrapped tightly around you, his face buried into your shoulder. You didn’t expect yourself to wrap your arms around him in turn, to feel his shoulders quiver under your touch, to hear the sharp inhale of his breath as he broke against you.
“I want to do better, Grisham. For you. For myself.” You comforted, struggling to bite back your own tears, “I want to live.”
“I wanted to make up everything to you, I wanted to do better to-” Grisham shuddered, taking a deep breath and pulling back. He recomposed himself, not repressing but maintaining, the wetness of his eyes betraying him, “Together. Let’s do better together.”
“I’d like that.” You smiled, wet and tired, “I’m really glad I didn’t kill you, Grisham.”
“Likewise.” Grisham nodded, “I’m glad you came back.”
