Chapter 51: Resolution

  Lira brought them back to the guest room that had been asigned to Auri, this time accompanied by not just two but six guards instead, as if Yuki's presence demanded such a sudden increase. She then shot the two of them a look caught somewhere between exasperation and concern. "You two stay here. Rest, or talk, or whatever. Meanwhile I'll have to go explain all of this to Velari's advisors," she said with a sigh, visibly sagging. "Wish me luck, because I’m going to need it."

  She didn’t wait for a response and the door clicked shut behind her. Auri instantly turned towards Yuki, who was already looking at him as well, eyes bright and wide, trembeling at the edges. For a moment neither of them spoke.

  Yuki’s feathers quivered, her breath hitched once, and Auri’s heart plummeted. All the guilt he’d shoved down these past few days surged back like a wave, how he had been at fault for not just getting himself, but also everyone else in danger. How he had freed the Storm Menace, even if unitentional. And how he had then run away from Newleaf Village, leaving her to deal with everything they had learned from Zuko on her own. He may have had good reasons for that, but the fact that he had abandoned her to safe himself didn't change. He had no idea where to start or what to say, only that his throat felt too tight to say any of it properly.

  Not that Yuki even gave him a chance to do so anyways. She launched herself forward without hesitation and a meteor of feathers and warmth slammed into him, wings around him, face buried against him as if terrified he’d vanish the moment she let go. Auri staggered but held her instantly,feeling how her whole body was trembling.

  He hesitated only for a fraction of a second before his arms folded around her, pulling her in, and for a long moment the only thing he could do was breathe in shaky fragments against her feathers. They stayed like that for multiple minutes.

  Eventually, Yuki loosened her grip just enough to look up at him. Her eyes were wet. His probably were too. "Auri… I finally found you," she whispered full of relief.

  He swallowed. The guilt he felt multiplied once more, sharp and choking. "Yuki I’m… I’m so sorry!" he forced out. "For running and leavig you behind, and for all the trouble-!"

  "No." That one word hit harder than any [Thunderbolt] ever could. Yuki pulled back just far enough to firmly jab a wing at his chest. "You don’t get to say it like you caused everything!” she said, voice trembling with emotion and frustration all tangled together. "You didn’t drag me anywhere! I followed you because I chose to do so!"

  Auri flinched, not because of her tone, but because of how much he wanted to believe her. "I still-"

  "Nope!" she cut him off again, fiercer this time. "I'm not having any of that! If you say you caused trouble one more time, I swear I'll make you regret it!"

  That startled a weak half-laugh out of him. Yuki’s expression softened, melting just a little. "I don’t see you as the problem, Auri." Her voice cracked. "Not for a second. Not even for a heartbeat."

  He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His throat closed around whatever words he thought he’d had left. Yuki stepped closer again, slower this time, gently pressing her forehead to his chest.

  “You were hurting,” she murmured. “You were scared. And you tried to handle it alone because you always do that. But that doesn’t mean it was your fault.”

  Auri’s breath stuttered. "I just didn't want you in danger. And still I led you right into the situation with Zuko," he whispered.

  "I know." She shifted just enough to look up at him again. "But I don’t care! I wasn’t going to let you face any of this alone! I still refuse to do so!" Her voice wobbled at the end, betraying her exhaustion, her fear, her stubborn loyalty that he didn't deserve in the least.

  She squeezed him once, more gently now. "So if you’re apologizing for scaring me?" she whispered. "Okay. Fine. I’ll take that one." She paused for a moment for a shaky inhale. "But don’t you dare apologize for existing or for being the one I chose as my partner!"

  Auri froze, before pulling Yuki into another embrace, though this one was far shorter than the earlier one. They sat in silence for a moment longer, both of them knowing that the arguably harder part of the conversation had yet to come.

  Yuki didn’t rush him. She didn’t fill the air with chatter the way she usually would. She simply waited for him to speak. And after a while, when he finally managed to unclench his hands, he spoke. His voice cracked on the first word. "I- I never expected anyone in the village to have it out for me to such an degree," he admitted. "Of course I knew I was still the stranger and the outsider, even after more than half a year of living with them. But I never believed that they would put me up for trial in front of the entirety of Newleaf Village for freeing Zuko. And not just that, they wanted to shatter my type energy reserve as if that would've solved anything."

  He drew a slow, shaky breath before continuing. "In that moment I understood that I would've never truly found a home or a chance at a new chance at life in Newleaf Village. Not with how quickly they were to turn on me. Until then I still believed that the only thing I would get was a just punishment but what Elder Seori demanded... went far beyond what I would've been willing to pay."

  His eyes lowered. "Even now I think I hold part of the guilt. It was my type energy that freed Zuko in the end after all! And everything obviously only turned even worse with everyone thinking I'm Noah. I don't-" he caught himself, knowing he would otherwise only anger Yuki. He'd wanted to say 'I don't remember being such a monster' but he knew what her reaction would be. "I don't have any memories of being him after all," he finished instead. "And I was afraid of myself. Still am, to be honest. For in the end, there is no way for me to refute Miu's and Zuko's claims."

  Yuki’s wings twitched, but she didn’t interrupt for which Auri was thankful. Talking about his emotions was hard enough as it was.

  "Well... I panicked. Obviously. And when Myra swooped in, the last person I would've expected to help me, and told me to run? I just... bolted," he said with a wince. "Obviously the only somewhat save option was to get out of the village, there was no hope for me to take anything or anyone with me and in the end..."

  He made a long, fragile pause. "I thought everyone would be better off if I just vanished," he admitted with a whisper. "I though you all, including you, would just stay in the village. You'd have been safe there instead of being dragged into my mess. And I would've managed... somehow."

  At that point Yuki did interupt him, quietly but nonetheless very fiercely. "That, Auri, is still my decision to make and not yours! You went out there, alone and injured, with your type energy reserve actively blocked! I was seriously woried for you and it tore me apart that I couldn't do anything to help you! Obviously I wasn't going to stay in the village! With some help I was given a chance to follow you and of course I took it!"

  Auri’s breath caught. Yuki really was too good for him. "Still you shouldn’t have followed me," he whispered. "You had everything here until I derailed everything."

  "Too bad!" she answered, with a soft fierceness. "You mattered to me more than all of that! And I'll be there with you, no matter where we decide to go next! So don't you dare abandoning me again just to 'protect' me! I can do so myself and together we're stronger than apart from each other!"

  He looked away, overwhelmed. His throat tightened. "But… why? Why would you go so far for my sake?"

  Yuki didn’t hesitate. "Because you’re important to me! And because when someone matters, you don’t let them vanish the way you planned to!"

  Yuki shifted a little closer, her feathers brushing his arm as she spoke. "I can tell you feel terrible because of what you know about Noah and the claim that you were him. But just like how you're not defined by being human you’re not defined by that name either," she told him. "Or by him. Or by what he did, for that matter." He blinked, startled by the certainty in her voice.

  "Your value comes from you! Not from some story you never asked for and not from a name someone else lived with!" Yuki said fiercely. "You're decidedly not your past and you're not just some legacy of another! You're not someone’s shadow that is cursed to make the same decisions and mistakes!"

  Something loosened in Auri’s chest, not enough to breathe freely, but enough to breathe at all. He swallowed. "I don’t know how you can believe that. I definitly can't without knowing more."

  "That’s okay!" Yuki replied. "I'll believe it enough for both of us!"

  The silence that followed was gentle this time, warm instead of heavy. Auri soaked in the warmth like sunlight after a long storm.

  But then he exhaled, half a sigh. "...We have to talk about you as well, don't we?"

  Yuki’s gaze sharpened, but she reluctantly nodded. "...We probably should, yeah. You're right that I’m still trying to understand my own mess. The me being Ray thing just like you're Noah. What it even means and if it even should mean anything to me."

  Auri frowned faintly. "You seem… fairly okay though."

  Yuki let out a small, humorless breath. "Not completely," she admitted. "But it doesn’t hurt me the way it apparently hurts you either." She folded her wings slightly, trying to find words. "My life doesn’t match Ray’s. I don’t have her memories. I don’t feel like some reborn hero. And for me goes the same I told you. Why should I identify myself with her if I don't even remember all of that? And honestly, if she actually was me, I simply trust that she had her reasons, good reasons, and that she gave it her best. And honestly I'm at peace with that."

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  Auri stared at her for a long moment, something raw in his expression. "...I envy you for that view," he admitted.

  "You really shouldn't," Yuki gently chided him. "You are you and it's only right to have your own thoughts and perspectives on all of that! I wouldn't want it any other way! But someday you will have to come to terms with what happened. But that doesn't have to be now or in the near future. And until then, just try not to worry too much okay?"

  His breath hitched at her words. She leaned in just a little more, her voice lowering. "Auri… you know I care deeply for you. And that is not because of Ray. Or because of anything tied to Noah. I chose you as my partner because of who you are! You’re kind, you're stubborn, and brave in ways you'll never recognize. You run from pain, but you still protect others even when you’re barely holding yourself together. And I wish you could see that as well. But I can see that getting you to accept that will take time and that's okay."

  And these words... they broke something in him in the gentlest way possible, nearly bringing him to tears again. After a few seconds Auri drew a slow breath. "Yuki?"

  "Yeah?"

  "…Thank you. For everything."

  She smiled at him. "As I said you’re not getting rid of me that easily! You're not alone anymore!"

  He closed his eyes. “I’m starting to believe that.”

  "Good!" she said. "Because we're not even close to being done with each other! We’ve obviously still got a lot to figure out. But we’re doing it together!"

  Auri nodded in silent agreement, for the first time actually properly looking at her. She looked nearly as ruffled as he did, and her scarf looked nearly as battered as his did. But looking at it he did notice one big difference. Unlike him she wore a silver-colored badge with golden wings on her scarf that was impossible to overlook. The metal was polished, old and weighty, shimmering faintly in the dim light, etched with mist-like patterns.

  He hesitated, then asked quietly, "What… is that badge? I don't remember you ever wearing such a badge."

  Yuki blinked, then followed his gaze. Her wings went still. "Oh. That." Her voice turned incredibly excited. "This is a silver-rank team badge of a rescue team! A real one! I actually have two more and they're true legacy peaces apparently, making you as a true silver-rank rescuer of the Mist Continent! Elder Gorun gave them to me when I left Newleaf Village, telling me I would probably get more use out of them than he would! That whole day was… quite a lot."

  She pulled in a breath, and the memories rolled out of her in her own messy, earnest rhythm. She told him about how her family and friends , as well as Myra and Elder Gorun, practically pushed her to follow him and to follow her dreams of exploring the world. She told him how Ayra and Mira had held her, whispering that they understood, even if it scared them. How Daigo, gruff old Daigo who never softened for anyone, had knelt down to her height and called her their 'little Whirlwind' and told her he trusted her to reach the Pikachu who needed her.

  She continued to tell him about their shared friends, Mina practically vibrating with forced hype, Lio’s voice cracking when he wished her luck, Neku sniffing hard and pretending he had dust in his eyes. And how she offered Myra, the Talonflame guard, to join them but how she had refused, claiming that she hadn't earned that right with how she had acted. Auri’s ear twitched. He heard the quiver she tried to hide, and he absorbed every fragile, fierce note of it.

  "And that was," Yuki continued, "when Elder Gorun brought out the badges." She looked down at the silver badge on her scarf, her wing brushing over it gently. "They used to belong to Kaen, Risa, and Irren. Apparently they had been a rescue team before settling down in Newleaf Village. I didn’t even know my uncle wasn’t from Newleaf originally. I just… learned that in the middle of all this!"

  Yuki sighed, seemingly a little lost in her memories. "They weren’t actually rewards," she whispered. "They are blessings, but also responsibilities. A send-off. A promise that they believed I could do this." Her voice softened into something fiercer. "And I did leave. Because of you. Because they trusted me to reach you. And because it's finally time for me to follow my dreams. And now that I've found you..." she murmured, reaching into her satchel.

  Yuki took out one of the other two silver-rank badges lying in there with a gentle swipe. Then she held it out to him between her wings. "It's time for you to take one as well Auri."

  Auri’s breath caught. "Yuki. No. I- I can’t-"

  "Yeah, you can!" she countered instantly.

  "I didn’t earn it!" he protested, flinching slightly. "That’s- That’s not something I deserve!"

  "I didn't either, that just means we have to prove ourselves worthy of wearing them!" Yuki shot back. Her voice held that stubborn, fiery certainty she wielded like a blade. "They gave me all three for a reason! It's hard to be a team of one, isn't it?"

  He looked helplessly torn, but she wasn’t done steamrolling him. "You are the reason they were awakened again. You’re the reason I was trusted to carry them. You’re the reason I’m even on this journey. Auri, this badge belongs with you. It always did. So I will ask you this once and know there is only a single right answer!"

  Yuki took a deep breath before looking at him with a mix of hope, eagerness and certainty. "Auri. My partner in adventures and exploration for over half a year now. Now that we got the chance to do so... would you like to officially form a rescue team with me?"

  At her earnest impression his resistance faltered and he nodded. "It would be an honor that I don't think I deserve but one that I will accept if you ask me to."

  A full smile bloomed on Yuki's face. "Hold still," she said gently before stepping close and using one of her talons to tie the silver-rank badge onto his scarf, just like she had done with her own. Her claws threaded the fabric with methodical tenderness, securing the badge so it rested against his chest like it had always been meant to hang there. When she finished, she smoothed the scarf once with a soft, steady touch of her wing.

  The movement shifted something beneath the weave, a faint clink of stone against stitching. Auri stiffened at that reminder that he had something else to tell her.

  Yuki blinked, glancing down just as the edge of a familiar gem peeked from the fold. "Ah. Sorry, did I-?"

  He hesitated… then exhaled, slipping the stone free enough that it caught the light. Yuki just acknowledged his action with a quizzical look. "That’s the one Miu gave you." She tilted her head. "Did something happen to it? It looks the same as ever."

  Auri shifted uncomfortably. "Lira noticed and and not just that. She also recognised what it actually is."

  "Recognized it as… what?" Her voice stayed light, but a tiny thread of unease curled through it.

  "Apparently that stone is a mega stone," he said and Yuki froze instantly, wide-eyed and gaping at the little unassuming stone he held in his hand.

  Auri continued, quiet and grim, "And it's not just any mega stone either. She said it was extremely high-grade, probably powerful enough to be used by a Lesser Legendary. So that's the kind Mythicals and Legendaries fight over. And when they saw it, they assumed I had been given it by some Legendary that was my teacher. That's why they behave towards me the way they do."

  Yuki stared at him, feathers rising in a slow, creeping shock. "I’ve never even seen a Mega Stone," she admitted slowly, voice cracking in bewilderment. "I just know the stories. I thought they were big, glowing things or, or something you’d obviously notice! Not some unassuming stone that looks completely normal unless you know exactly what you're looking at already!"

  Auri swallowed. "Apparently that's not the case. Lira had contact with a mega stone fit for a Diancie multiple times apparently. So I suspect she knows what she's talking about."

  "But that means..." Her breath hitched. "Auri… if yours is a mega stone…" She reached into her own scarf with shaking wings. Her own stone lay there, except for the coloration the same as his. "Oh no. No no no no no! With mine looking just like that and considering where they came from... It’s the same thing, isn’t it!?"

  Auri didn’t even try to soften it. He just nodded.

  Yuki’s wings puffed in pure panic. "I’ve been running around with that in my scarf without knowing!? Just openly out in the world!? I slept with it on me! I trained with it! I-! Auri, I didn’t know it was something actually valuable! I thought it was just some weird Miu-thing!"

  "She didn’t tell us," Auri said grimly. "So we couldn’t have known."

  "But everyone else would," Yuki whispered, horror dawning. "Everyone who knows anything about these things would. And if they saw we both have one..."

  "That would be bad," Auri finished. "Really bad, especially if it comes out that we in fact don't have any Legendaries teaching and protecting us."

  They stared at each other, united in the sinking, shared realization. Auri’s stone had already caused trouble just by being seen. Yuki’s could cause double that if anyone learned about it.

  "If they think you’re some kind of student of a Legendary…" Yuki murmured. "And then they find out your partner has the same ultra-rare, nation-starting kind of stone… They’d lose their minds."

  "It would attract attention we can’t handle," Auri agreed.

  "Understatement!" Yuki squeaked. "They’d chase us across continents!"

  A beat passed. Then, in perfect sync they both grabbed their scarves at once shielding the stones from sight even though no one else was there.

  Auri spoke first, steadying his voice. "We hide them as we did until now in our scarfes. But we need to keep an eye on them and not practically forget they exist that time around. They need to remain a secret. We won't be telling anyone."

  "Not a soul!" Yuki agreed instantly. They both knew that too much could go wrong if knowledge about that came out.

  They both secured their scarves again, Auri with quiet precision, Yuki with trembling but determined talons, hiding the mega stones deep, deep beneath the folds. And when they finally met each other’s eyes again, the message was clear. That was their burden and secret. No one else would ever find out.

  The mega stone panic finally eased into a long, shared exhale. Auri settled back against the wall, letting the quiet take over. Yuki stayed beside him, her feathers slowly flattening again, her breathing evening out.

  For the moment, nothing needed to be said. Then, however, Auri slightly shifted. It was just a small adjustment of his paws and a hitch in his breath, but Yuki of course caught it immediately. She angled her head his way, curious. "What is it? There's something else, isn't there?"

  His voice came tight, barely above a whisper. "There’s… something else, yes. But nothing dangerous." He swallowed hard. "Back in the archive chamber… when I was there with Lira before you came..."

  "Yeah?" she prompted gently.

  "I tried to read one of the books. And I..." He grimaced, the shame written all over his face. "I noticed I couldn’t. Not even a little. I looked at the words and they… weren’t words. Just shapes. Apparently due to my memory loss I just... can't read."

  For a moment there was silence, Yuki simply taking the new information in. Then her feathers softened all at once, her expression melting into that warm, instinctive compassion she never seemed to think twice about. "Oh, Auri…"

  He winced. "Please don’t pity me."

  "No," she said firmly. "It's decidedly not pity." She nudged him with her wing, warm and grounding. "I'm just saddened that you were sitting there feeling ashamed while trying to hide something that isn’t even shameful in the first place!"

  Auri’s face heated. "It's been six months, I should have learned by now. But I didn't even realise it."

  "Does it matter? It was simply not a skill you needed until now and it's something easy enough to fix for us!"

  Auri blinked. "W-what?"

  "We fix it," she repeated. "Starting tomorrow morning. No excuses and certainly no backing out! No 'but Yuki I don’t want to bother you' nonsense!"

  "I didn’t say-"

  "You were thinking it though," she countered, narrowing her eyes playfully.

  He deflated. "…Yeah."

  She tapped his forehead with her wing. "Then stop!"

  He huffed a tiny laugh despite himself. Yuki leaned in closer, her voice softer but no less resolute. "Auri… you don’t have to be embarrassed around me. Not for this. Not for anything like this. Reading is just a skill. Skills can be learned. And you’re smart enough to pick it up fast."

  His ears twitched. "You really think so?”"

  "I know so!" she said, with the same utter certainty she used when throwing herself at danger for him. "You learned how to fight. How to navigate dungeons. How to keep yourself alive under impossible pressure. Reading?" She scoffed. "Please. Compared to everything you’ve already survived, teaching you that will be easy!"

  He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. And slowly, if cautiously, he nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow."

  She brightened instantly, feathers fluffing with triumph. "Good."

  Then she jabbed him very lightly with the tip of her wing. "And if you ever get embarrassed about asking me for help again, I will personally drag you into a lesson by your tail!"

  Auri sputtered. "You wouldn’t!"

  "Try me," she said sweetly.

  Despite the heat in his face, despite the knot of old shame loosening in his chest, he found himself smiling. "Thank you, Yuki."

  She leaned her forehead lightly against his. "Always."

  Important characters in the chapter:

  Pikachu (Auri) – Level 16

  Ability: Lightning Rod

  Battle Nature: Lonely

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 75

  Attack: 49

  Ranged Attack: 44

  Defense: 52

  Speed: 58

  Total: 278 (Strength Level: Teenager)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Nuzzle], [Tail Whip], [Quick Attack], [Brick Break], [Thunder Wave], [Feint]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Thunder Shock], [Electro Ball], [Swift], [Thunderbolt], [Discharge]

  Utility Moves: [Nasty Plot], [Charm], [Double Team], [Growl], [Agility], [Dig]

  Torchic (Yuki) – Level 18 (Evolution Requirements Not Met, Stat Boost Applied)

  Ability: Speed Boost

  Battle Nature: Hasty

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 88

  Attack: 52

  Ranged Attack: 52

  Defense: 60

  Speed: 45

  Total: 297 (Strength Level: Teenager)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Scratch], [Quick Attack], [Feint], [Fire Spin], [Flame Charge], [Aerial Ace], [Counter], [Slash]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Ember], [Sand Attack], [Overheat]

  Utility Moves: [Growl], [Detect], [Dig]