Electric Sheep

That's just so very Knives of her.



Mmm, fish.



Her demeanor is so jarring in a situation like this. I love it.



Awww.



There's something just a little more eyebrow-raising about a [REDACTED] when it appears to replace a verb...



O-oh...



It's okay, dude. The system's actually pretty lenient. You pretty much won't get a koffing rating without trying to.


Interesting to see Team Matrix is getting into Door's head the way they are currently. I wonder if this is the last we'll see of her doubting whether she ought to be opposing them.

This is a Review of Chapter 3 for the CLBC

So first thing I’d like to say I like Door’s reaction to Opal being there. Honestly it’s pretty funny. I think there is a lot of tension going on between the two, which although not Out right said at the start of the chapter it’s clear there is definitely going to be some later on. Further, I think how she interacts with Geist Over the money issue is pretty realistic. It does In a way show the Divisive aspects of the society in which these human-android beings Have almost are you missing aspect to them, and differences in priorities. Although he is prepared for the scenario, I think the lack of his prior concern, and willingness to explain how things were going to be sorted out does also illustrate this further. (I love characters interacting).

In regards to the catching seen, I think the explanation of a Pokémon being broken rather than fainted is quite unique, but also very peculiar. Makes me wonder why it won’t work on it if it’s broken? Maybe this is just a fact I believe you should be able to catch find a Pokémon because it’s the logical thing to do, but what about it being broken would specifically stop the Poké Ball from working? Also, wouldn’t attacking a non-real Pokémon actually hurt, or at least more than it would’ve real one? I have a lot of questions regarding this aspect of the world. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a lot of lore based questions.

Lastly, I think the ending is okay – I think this is where my minor criticism comes in. I think how it ends as in the last few lines it’s okay, but it feels like she does a bit more of a U-turn on the caring about catching it. At least that’s the impression I got judging by how she didn’t really care before, and now she cares if she loses it or not. I guess this is also reiterated by the ‘I am not a trainer’ line. But Other than that, the chapter seems fine everyone pretty good addition onto what we know about her previously, and how certain aspects of the world works.

First … replies!



And with that in mind, chapters. One month is the same as two, right? orz

Also, side point: I apologize for the length, but I legit couldn’t figure out where to cut it. And as for the battle … let’s just say I took liberties because lmao my note-taking.

Without further ado…!

---

[CHAPTER 40: ICIRRUS GYM]

Door named her Tsunami, and by the time she was done training, that new catch was already a seismitoad. There was something about having Tsunami around that put Door’s mind at ease. She was another potential body to bury, sure, but Tsunami was also one more pokémon ready to face down whatever Team Matrix had in mind. And she was tough, too, from what Door could tell. The next morning, Tsunami was up with the sun, croaking and flexing…

…and holding her own against Knives in what appeared to be a flipper-to-paw physical contest of will. Door stood a few paces outside of the pokémon center, hands in her hoodie’s front pocket, to watch the two go at it. Knives and Tsunami stood, feet planted firmly on the ground and paws and webbed feet were locked together. The two grunted and growled and pushed against each other in what Door guessed was a competition to see who would shove whom over first, and to top things off, they had been at it since Door had released them nearly ten minutes ago. Pyro swooped above them, jingling in distress before circling Door’s head, just long enough to break his trainer’s concentration. She followed him with her eyes for a second, then sighed.

“Think I should break them up?” she asked.

“Uh…” Blair suddenly appeared next to her, cocking her head. “Probably? What are those two doing, anyway?”

“A classic display of dominance!” Opal chirped. “Seismitoad fauxkémon are programmed with similar territorial behaviors as their organic counterparts. As such, if placed on a team with a pokémon that it considers its equal or lesser in terms of personality, a seismitoad will often attempt to establish itself as the team’s leader.”

“And what does the database say about audino behavior in this situation?” Door asked. She knew the answer already and only half-expected Opal to respond.

“Oh, audino are typically docile pokémon that are very willing to concede team leadership to any teammate it considers stronger than itself,” Opal replied. “Which is to say … most pokémon.”

Door nodded. Yeah, that sounded about right. “Huh.”

And almost on cue, Geist appeared next to her, holding two styrofoam cups. At once, his usual morning cheer melted away, and as he passed the cups to Blair and Door, he furrowed his eyebrows at the display in front of him.

“Door,” he said. “What’s going on here?”

She took a sip of frankly terrible coffee before responding. “I introduced Knives to my newest pokémon.” She turned her head to her Companion. “I caught a palpitoad last night. She’s a seismitoad now. Her name’s Tsunami.”

“Okay.” Geist nodded slowly. “And why is Knives trying to kill your new catch?”

“Wait, she’s doing what?!” Door swiveled her head to Opal. “I thought she was responding to a dominance display or something!”

“No,” Opal responded. “Your seismitoad is exhibiting a dominance display. Your audino is exhibiting unusually high levels of hostility and violence towards your seismitoad.”

“Oi!” Door tossed her coffee into the nearby bushes, then marched forward and thrust her arm between her pokémon. “Knock it off! You’re teammates!”

Tsunami croaked loudly while Knives squealed in protest, but somehow, Door managed to push her way between them. As soon as she did, her pokémon’s cries of protest died down, replaced quickly by glares across their trainer. Pyro jingled again, bobbing in the air next to Geist, to which the Companion responded with a quick shake of his head.

“You’ll get used to it,” he said. “Anyway, Door, I hope you’re not sending these two out against Odina.”

Door used the backs of her hands to shove Knives and Tsunami further apart. “Nah. As much as I want to get in more training for the both of them, Tsunami’s too new, and Knives has done enough battling for me lately. So that means … Pyro? You ready?”

The lampent froze, then emitted a low-pitched whistle. He swung forward, cutting through the air slowly but surely, as if he was hesitating. Door gave him a smile and motioned for him to follow.

“Come on,” she said. “You’ll do fine. Just remember everything I taught you last night, okay?”

He jingled again but followed Door obediently, flanked by his grumbling teammates. Door led the group down a path marked with large, glowing marquees emblazoned with the words “POKÉMON GYM,” and it didn’t take long at all for Geist to fall into step beside her. Good. She needed to talk to him, and he, conveniently, was blocking her peripheral view of Dragonspiral Tower.

“Hey,” she said. “Sleep well?”

“I don’t sleep,” he replied.

She opened her mouth, only to be cut off by Geist again.

“I’m joking. I know what you meant,” he said. “But yes, thank you—I’m fine. I’ve had a full scan. If you’d like, I can show you the reports, but the summary is that there’s nothing wrong with me.”

“Then what about the…?” Door jerked her head towards him.

“We’ll talk about that later,” Geist replied. “Your gym battle’s a bit more important right now.”

“Uh, besides the fact that it really isn’t, you do know that Blair knows about all this, right? You don’t have to be secretive around her anymore.”

“Door, quite bluntly, I’m more worried about the people around us. I’m well aware that Blair knows about me. She’s seen me activate, and I’m well aware of her research.”

Door swiveled around. “Did everyone know about that but me?!”

Blair shrugged and gave her a sheepish look. “Sorry, Door. I didn’t really want to worry you, and Geist knew more about getting a Companion onto the deep web than I did.”

Door made a helpless motion with her hands. She wanted to protest being the last to know everything, when Geist interrupted.

“So you only caught one pokémon last night?” he asked.

She blinked. “Huh?”

“I couldn’t help but notice that you only caught one pokémon,” he said. “That brings you to three. While that’s respectable for a gym match, why didn’t you catch more?”

Door grumbled something so low even she wasn’t fully aware of what she had said.

“Sorry,” Geist replied. “What was that?”

“I said you’re changing the subject,” Door replied.

“Uh, I could answer that,” Blair said.

“Blair…” Door shut her eyes and craned her neck. “Please don’t.”

“It’s because Miss Door forgot,” Opal added.

“I didn’t forget!” Door squealed. “All we were facing was shelmet after shelmet!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Opal responded. “I misunderstood what you meant when you said—”

Door prodded a finger at her. “Don’t.”

“Also, shelmet aren’t bad,” Geist added. “They’re quite dependable, especially if you can get them to evolve.”

Door’s eyes shot open, and she whirled around to face Blair. “See? What’d I tell you?!”

Blair snickered. “You still got his accent wrong.”

“My what?” Geist said, his voice the most high-pitched and defensive Door had heard from him. She flashed him a grin and marched onward.

“Wait! Door!” Geist protested. He picked up the pace to chase her down. “What did she mean, my accent?! I’ll have you know this is an accurate replication of a South Gold—hey! Door!”

She only smiled a little more broadly, then turned to lead them the rest of the way to the Icirrus Gym.

It wasn’t far from where they were—still at ground-level, still where Brycen had left it. In no time at all, the group could see it loom before them, atop a small hill framed neatly by the glass tunnels of Icirrus proper. It sat, jutting halfway out of the earth, its double mahogany doors just waiting for the next challenger to throw them open. Door took a breath as soon as she emerged from the glass tunnels and into that open space at the center of the city. Something about it, the way the glass walls just avoided it, made her think of sacred grounds, yet she still strode forward with confidence. This was it. This was going to be her next gym match. Lucky number seven.

“Hey, Door?” Blair asked, shattering the silence that had fallen among the group those past few minutes. “What are you going to do about the Icirrus Gym Puzzle?”

As Door shouldered open one of the gym doors, she blinked at Blair. “What puzzle?”

The door swung open, and a blast of cold air hit the group full-force. Door yelped but pushed in anyway, descending a set of stone steps to see the gym floor.

Inside, she immediately found the arena. Rows of largely empty bleachers, save for the odd spectator, lined a massive, open field covered in ice, snow, and rocks. The stone stairs continued downward to the edge of the field, where one Companion clothed in a heavy coat and pants waited. Across the room was another set of stairs, this time shorter and leading to a dais. There, on the dais, sat a stout figure at a low table. An identical Companion stood behind her. Neither of them moved.

Door’s eyes trailed from the figures on the dais back to the field between herself and them. She stared at the ice and boulders, then glanced back towards what was very likely the gym leader.

“Oh,” she said. “That ice puzzle.” Or, more accurately, the worst gym puzzle in the entirety of Unova. The gym puzzle of gym puzzle. The notorious gym puzzle that had plagued trainers for decades. The Icirrus Ice Gym Puzzle.

Why had Door forgotten about this? Was it because of everything that had happened between Mistralton and then? Was it planning for tackling a gym team—which, by the way, she had already known included an eight-foot-tall bear—when she only had three pokémon to her name? Was it the dread of Dragonspiral Tower, lingering in her heart even then?

No, it was because she never thought much of the hundreds of complaints towards this specific puzzle over the years. And looking at it right then, she thought it looked straightforward. Easy. Nothing to worry about. So, shoving her hands into her pockets, she exhaled.

“No problem,” she said. “Just need to adjust my plan a little. Knives? Tsunami? You can’t fly, so it’s more important than ever to stay back. Stay with Blair; I’ll call if I need you. Pyro, you’ll have to trailblaze for us. Stay ahead of us, but don’t go too far. There aren’t any pokémon on the field now, but no doubt the gym leader’s going to throw them out while forcing us to navigate this somehow. Geist, stay close, but stay behind me. This puzzle is going to be a mess, and the last thing we need is for the battle to slide right into you when we just got you repaired. Got it?”

There was a beat of silence. Door turned to look at Geist, only to find him staring with wide eyes and an uncomfortable frown at the ice below.

“Uh, Geist?” she said. “Did you hear me?”

“What?” Geist straightened. “Oh. Yes. Yes, that sounds like a great plan, Door.”

Door gave him a strange look. That wasn’t like him at all. That wasn’t even remotely like him. If his personality was Unova, then that reaction was the Sinnoh of reactions.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Of course,” he replied.

Before she could press further, he pushed forward, descending the rest of the stairs to the Companion. Door glanced at Blair, who gave her a reassuring smile and a squeeze on the shoulder.

“Good luck,” Blair said. Then, with a jerk of her head, she added, “Knives? Tsunami? Come on. Let’s pick out a good seat. You too, Opal.”

“Yes, Miss Blair!” Opal chirped.

Blair and Opal descended into the stands. Knives squealed and reached for Door, already understanding that she was told to sit out the battle, but when Tsunami croaked and started after Blair, Knives instead puffed her cheeks angrily and stomped after her teammate. Door watched her rabbit and frog go for a second, then sighed and looked to her lampent, still quietly winding his spindly arms around each other as he waited for her command.

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get this over with.”

Pyro jingled with a calming sway, then bobbed after his trainer. Door descended the stairs, walking quickly until she caught up with Geist. She strode forward, just enough to line herself up shoulder to shoulder with him, and when she did, she studied his face—or, more specifically, the stone-serious expression on the crescent he let her see. Something was definitely wrong.

And then, thinking about Geist and where he came from, and then it hit her.

“You don’t know how to skate, do you?” she asked.

“Door, not now,” he growled.

As if to cut her off, he picked up the pace to close the distance between himself and the Companion at the foot of the stairs. The gym Companion stared Geist down, then held out her hands, palms out.

“Please present your trainer’s ID for confirmation,” she said tonelessly.

Without a word, he held up his hands to mirror hers, and together, their palms opened and shone onto one another. After a second, the gym Companion dropped her hands and bowed.

“Identity confirmed. Thank you,” she said. “Welcome to Icirrus Gym. Our gym leader would like to speak with you, so please pay attention to the following video call.”

The Companion straightened and held her hands out again, this time palms up. As soon as she did, the space above them glittered to life, and in her palms appeared the small, holographic figure of a squat old woman, kneeling at a table. Door looked up to see the other Companion holding her hands up, palms towards the figure at the table across the room, and when she trailed her eyes back to the footage, the woman was smiling.

“Ah, you’re late,” Odina said. “No matter. You’ve come, and that is what’s important. Door Hornbeam, this is your seventh gym battle. Not many have made it this far, and even fewer succeed here and move on to the eighth gym. You see, each of the gym leaders are tasked not only with testing your skills but also with imparting on you lessons regarding virtues they hold close to their hearts. The Striaton trio, dedication. Sophia, knowledge. Melissa, creativity. Elesa, boldness. Roland, passion. Ari, trust. And I? My virtue, dear Door, is patience. You will need plenty of it to overcome my gym challenge.”

A pop and a dazzle of light burst from three separate parts of the icy battlegrounds. The blinding flashes of light quickly resolved into three pokémon: a vanillish closest to Door, a beartic atop a snowdrift in the center of the battlefield, and a cryogonal hovering just before Odina’s dias. They each roared in turn, shaking the gym walls with their bellows and screams. Door felt as if the air in the room dropped several tens of degrees, yet despite the noise and the cold and the sight of a bear in the center of the gym floor, she didn’t shiver. She only steeled herself and stood a little straighter.

“Your task is deceptively simple, my dear,” Odina said. “Simply cross the ice path from where you stand to my table and join me for a cup of tea. Of course, I say it’s deceptively simple because, not to put too fine a point on it, it will be far from. Not many can travel the ice by itself, but as you traverse the icy path and the snowdrifts of my gym, my pokémon will attack you if you wander too close. What’s more, they’re instructed to wander about the field, so don’t think you can simply keep yourself out of arm’s reach. Use any pokémon you’d like to deter them—or none at all, if you think you can. If any of my pokémon catches you and brings you back to the very spot you’re standing on now, then you will lose my challenge. Understood?”

Door nodded slowly. “Yeah. Sounds about right. Just one question.”

“Yes?”

Door looked up, scanning the stands. “This place looks kinda barren.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, I mean…” Door put her hands on her hips. “I didn’t really battle in Mistralton Gym itself, but the two gyms before them made a big deal out of their whole thing, you know? Televised their battles and everything. But there’s no one here.”

Odina laughed. “Oh, dear, you don’t have to worry about that. I prefer to keep my gym matches a little more private—challenger and challenger’s traveling partners only, plus a few locals who like to watch for tradition’s sake.”

Door relaxed a little. “Oh. That’s—”

“Besides, just because I’m old doesn’t mean I don’t adapt, my dear. I stream battles.”

Door froze.

“On the internet,” Odina finished.

“Oh,” Door squeaked.

“I’m surprised you weren’t aware,” Odina said. “As part of our booking process, you were asked to sign a waiver to allow me to do this. I’m sorry if there was any confusion.”

Door shot Geist a look, only to have him flick his eyes towards the ceiling at the exact moment she glared at him.

“Will this be a problem, dear?” Odina said.

“Wha-uh, n-no,” Door replied, turning her attention back to the hologram. “Not at all! I was just curious.” She punctuated this with a nervous laugh that, to anyone who knew Door, would mean that she was not, in fact, okay with this.

“Well, in that case, do you have any other questions?”

“Nope!” Door said with a vigorous shake of her head. “None at all! I’m ready.”

“Excellent,” Odina said. “Then I look forward to meeting you at my table, Door Hornbeam.”

And with that, the video winked out, leaving Door, Geist, the Companion, and Door’s lampent. Door took a deep breath and nodded to Pyro.

“Well.” Door turned and took her first step out onto the ice. “Let’s get this over with!”

She pushed off the solid ground and glided across the ice, across several feet of the frozen gym floor and closer to Odina’s vanillish. The ice cream cone bobbed eagerly in the air, swaying back and forth as it settled its blue eyes on her hungrily.

“Door!”

Glancing back, Door saw Geist, several feet behind her, starting forward but then stumbling to a stop before he could touch the ice. He flashed a fast look at the dais straight ahead—most likely to Odina, Door realized—before settling his eyes back on his partner.

“Wait!” he hissed.

“Sorry, can’t hear you!” Door said in an equally low, even tone. “You’re gonna have to step onto the ice!”

Suddenly, a burst of cold wind slammed into Door’s back, and blue sparkles swirled around her. She yelped and felt something shove her closer to Geist, only to have Pyro sail above her. Door pivoted, whirling herself around on the ice until she faced forward, and there, she watched her lampent launch a stream of flames onto a still-exhaling vanillish. The cone screeched and cut off its Frost Breath the second the fire seared its side, and when it picked itself back up, it turned and flung itself at Pyro. A ghostly, violet shadow rushed off its body and slammed into Pyro, driving the lampent towards the ice with a shriek. At the last second, before he could touch the snow, he flew back up and leveled himself with the vanillish again.

“Good job, Pyro!” Door cheered. “Flame Burst, one more time!”

With a melodic chingling, Pyro swooped backwards and opened his tiny mouth at the front of his glass bulb, and violet flames erupted from that tiny opening. From this fire, a massive, red ball shot directly at the vanillish, engulfing it before it could dodge. The vanillish screamed within Pyro’s attack before finally dropping from the fireball and slamming into the snowbank beneath it. When all was said and done, the vanillish lay there in a puddle of half-melted snow. A light shot from the ceiling to engulf it and draw it back up, into the safety of an unseen poké ball.

“Ha! One down!” Door cried. With a graceful twirl, she turned back to face the entrance of the field…

…only to have Geist almost crash into her. He frantically grabbed her by the shoulders but slipped a moment later, his legs pinwheeling beneath him. The second he realized he was about to take her down with him, he let go, then pitched to the side, dumping himself face down into a snowbank instead.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

After a moment, Door burst out laughing. She laughed so hard nothing else mattered, not even the gym battle and certainly not her balance. Plopping down beside Geist, she wiped her eyes with a sleeve and took a few breaths to calm down.

“S-sorry, Geist, but that … that was great,” she sighed.

He pushed himself onto his seat and dusted off the front of his clothes as best as he could. To Door’s surprise, he didn’t look embarrassed, and he didn’t glare at her either. Instead, he looked mildly agitated, as if falling face-first into a snowbank was just an inconvenience, rather than the clumsiest thing she had ever seen him do.

“Yes, well,” he said, his voice even but straining with frustration, “I’d hate to admit this, but—”

“Amanita never taught you how to ice skate?” Door finished.

He glared at her. “Yes. All right. I am inexperienced at this, and consequently, I’m not sure how much of a help I’ll be to you. All I can tell you is I’ve figured out the path you’ll need to take to reach Odina without battling her remaining pokémon, but other than that, perhaps it would be best if I stayed here.”

“Nope!”

Door pushed her hands into her knees and stood up. Her feet slid beneath her, but she remained upright and steady as she held out a hand to Geist.

“Come on,” she said. “Lean on me, and we’ll get there together.”

Pausing, Geist looked at Door’s hand, then at her face.

“You do realize I’m twice as heavy as an adult man my height, yes?” he asked. “You can’t carry me.”

“You’ll be on ice,” Door replied. “And anyway, it’s not like I’m going to make you go through the puzzle without teaching you how to stand up first. And if you think I’m leaving you behind, you clearly have a screw loose. Now, not gonna say it again: come on.”

At her words, Geist gave her a wry smile, then hesitantly reached up to take her hand. Door pulled at his arm while nudging his foot with one of her own.

“Okay, now plant your feet on the ice. Let’s go,” she grunted.

Carefully, Geist curled his feet beneath him and stood up on shaking legs.

“Nope! Brace yourself!” Door said. She reached down to push one hand against his calf to adjust his stance. “Lean a little forward and even out your weight across your entire foot, rather than just your toes or heel or whatever you’re favoring when you walk. Got it?”

Geist shifted as instructed, and the more he did, the less his legs shook. When Door straightened up again to grab one of his arms and wrap it around her shoulders, he couldn’t help but look at her in astonishment.

“How often do you walk on ice like this?” Geist asked.

“Winters in Nuvema can get pretty bad,” Door replied. “And I used to take figure skating when I was younger and girlier. Also, kinda surprised you didn’t just search how to walk on ice yourself.”

“I did,” Geist admitted. “It wasn’t helpful.”

Door snorted. “And there’s the difference between knowing something from a book and understanding how to apply it. Anyway, we’re going to take it slow. Shuffle in short steps and keep your weight even. Which way do you want us to go?”

Geist narrowed his eyes at the rest of the field. Door followed his gaze to take inventory herself: beartic to the slight right, just feet ahead on a mound of snow; cryogonal straight ahead. While the cryogonal bobbed calmly and silently before Odina, the beartic leaned forward, claws flexing and muzzle curled back in a low snarl. At her side, she could practically hear the parts in Geist’s head whirring.

“Okay,” he said softly. “Arc to the sharp left. Pyro leads and shoots Flame Burst only when Odina’s beartic moves. We keep on the ice, and if we have enough speed, we should make it past before he can reach for us. What do you think?”

“Sounds like a plan,” she murmured. “But do you think you’ll get enough speed if you can’t walk?”

Geist winked at her. “On ice? That’s one thing I can do. Besides, we just need to keep our distance. A strike from a beartic’s claws?” He clicked his tongue. “Let’s just say that wouldn’t end well for you.”

Door recoiled. “Right. Okay. On the count of three?”

Her Companion nodded. “One?”

Door smirked. “Two.”

And then, together, they spoke: “Three!”

Door shoved Geist and felt his foot step with hers. Before she knew it, the two of them were sliding forward, fast, Door leaning into Geist’s side to guide him to the left. As the cold air struck her face, she slipped into positions she hadn’t taken since she was a child—arm raised to her side, one foot in front of the other, weight distributed just so—and between that and the speed and the adrenaline and the feeling of Geist leaning against her and the two of them moving in unison, Door realized something.

This was fun. She was actually having fun.

But before she could marvel at that, she heard a deafening, bestial roar behind her. With grace she nearly forgot she had, she turned, knees bending and feet sliding one behind the other, to face Pyro and Odina’s beartic. She shouted involuntarily and yanked on Geist’s arm to steer him away from the pale mountain of flesh that slammed into the snow at her left. A rush of fire exploded at her side and engulfed the towering bear. It lashed out, claws sharp, glowing, and aimed for Geist. He gasped audibly, and Door, on instinct, braced herself against her partner while he slipped and twisted to escape the beartic’s claws. The second Geist and Door were out of the way, a volley of fire rained down onto the beartic again, driving it to rear up and bellow in pain. It lashed out, claws glowing bright white again, only to be met with another volley of flames. With another bellow, it followed Pyro, who flung volley after volley of fire from its spindly arms just out of the beartic’s reach. The two of them moved further away from Door and Geist. One after another, Pyro’s flames struck the beartic in one shoulder, then the other. The bear pinwheeled its arms and claws towards the lampent, before it slipped on the ice and fell headlong into the snow. Pyro hung over it, flinging more fire until no sign of the beartic emerged from the banks, after which he soared forward to follow his trainer. And Door smiled up at her lampent and sailed towards the dais again, half-dragging her Companion with her.

“That’s it!” she shouted. “Two down; one to go! Geist, where do we go now?”

“Wait!” he cried. “Wait, wait, wait!”

That was the only warning Door got before Geist pitched forward again, feet kicking out against the ice. Although Door ground her feet into the floor, it wasn’t enough to keep the both herself and a full Companion upright, and with that, Geist hit the ice first, dragging Door down on top of him.

Geist was the first to pull himself out of the tangle and onto his knees.

“Door?” he gasped. “Door! Are you all right?! I didn’t hurt you, did I? I’m so sorry! I’m afraid I’m not—wait. Why are you laughing?”

Sometime in the middle of Geist’s rambling, Door had rolled onto her back, covered her eyes with one hand, and laughed. And at that point, Geist could only sit there, watching her laugh so hard it took her a couple of minutes, right there on the gym floor, to catch her breath.

“I’m so sorry,” Door said. “It’s not you. I just…” She moved her hand from her eyes to her stomach. “Wow. I don’t get why people hate these things. This is awesome.”

With some effort, she pulled herself to her seat and grabbed Geist’s arm. She stood, planting her feet wide on the ice as she helped Geist to his own.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Y-yes,” he said. “Nothing that can’t be buffed out. I, ah. You’re-you’re having fun? During a gym battle?”

“This barely counts as one,” she said. “It’s not so bad if I don’t remember we’re streaming.” She paused. “Uh, might not want to Google yourself for a while. I get the feeling this one’s gonna be viral.”

Geist gave her an awkward look, then grasped her wrist. Before he could go any further, a metallic screech rose behind him, and when he and Door looked back, they found the towering, crystalline face of a cryogonal. Immediately, Door sobered, and she let go of Geist to swerve around him, placing herself between the pokémon and her Companion.

“Pyro!” she called out. “Block it!”

As if by magic, the lampent materialized by her side and threw violet flames at the cryogonal. The fires struck the crystal pokémon dead center and spread outward, shoving it backwards and forcing it to scream. Door cringed at the sound—the scream like nails on glass—but she forced herself to stay calm and focused. She kept her eyes on Odina’s cryogonal, watching it erect a wall of light in front of itself—but, more importantly, watching the slowly melting ice across its front.

“It’s burned,” Geist said.

“Perfect,” Door responded. “Okay, Pyro! Hex!”

Pyro blinked, but when he opened his eyes again, they flared with a violet-pink light. He stretched his spindly arms before him, and between the sharpened ends, a violet-pink orb swirled into existence. Swinging his arms above him, Pyro screeched, then shot the ball across the short distance between himself and Odina’s cryogonal. The ball exploded into the same spot Pyro’s Will-O-Wisp had a moment ago, sending the cryogonal further back with the same screeching it had emitted on the last attack, but this time, instead of recovering to erect a wall, the cryogonal glared at Pyro. Its entire face lit up with a brilliant technicolor glow, just before a beam of rainbow light cut through the air and slammed into Pyro. The lampent spun in the attack, whirling out of its reach with a frantic jingling.

“Door, careful!” Geist shouted. “That cryogonal might be weak, but Pyro’s tiring out!”

“Hey, that’s fine,” Door responded with a smirk. “I’ve got this thing just where I want it. Pyro! Let’s finish this off with Flame Burst!”

Her lampent jingled in confirmation, then snaked his arms in front of his face. A flame flickered to life in front of him, but instead of shooting it forward like Door had expected, Pyro extended his arms, allowing the fire to explode into a massive ball. Then he shot that at Odina’s cryogonal.

The noise the cryogonal made nearly deafened Door. She flinched, half from the screeching and half from the raw heat that emanated from the cryogonal as it was engulfed in Pyro’s flames. It felt like minutes before the attack ended, before the cryogonal crashed—literally crashed—onto the gym floor, and when it did, the cold air bit into Door’s now-sweat-drenched skin.

She breathed, shaking, eyes on the space where the cryogonal had been. She half-turned towards Geist, both hands motioning at the empty space in front of her as she stared at him dumbfounded.

“Hey, Geist?” she asked. “What.”

Geist shuffled towards her carefully. “Apparently, Pyro learned Inferno.”

Door nodded. “Oh. Okay. Um.” Taking Geist’s arm in one hand, she twirled her other in a confused salute towards her lampent. “Good job, Pyro.”

The lampent twinkled and floated towards her while she pulled Geist close and arranged herself to accept his weight. She opened her mouth to ask him about trajectories towards the dais and everything…

…when Odina’s beartic exploded out of the snowbank behind them. Door and Geist both shouted, simultaneously and involuntarily, and they scrambled the last few steps towards Odina. Behind them, Door knew the bear was barreling their way, claws outstretched and teeth ready to grab them by the legs. She pushed forward, tossing aside any notion for a plan or even rational thought as she shoved Geist towards the stairs of the dais. She could feel the bear now, feel the spray of ice-cold snow scraped off the floor under its giant paws, feel the cold wind in its roar, feel its murderous glare. She didn’t need to look back to know it was closing the distance between itself and her—six feet, then five, then four, then what was surely a paw’s reach.

And then, with one last shove, she sent Geist sailing across the ice and into the stairs, and she followed shortly after, and the two of them fell into one giant tangle, on the floor in front of the gym leader and her other Companion.

And finally, there was only silence, save for a bear’s huff and Pyro’s chimes above them.

“Well,” Odina said. “That was exciting.”

Door opened her eyes to see the gym leader leaning away from the table to give her challengers a broad smile. With a slight cough, Door turned over onto her hands and knees, then slowly pulled herself onto her feet. She glanced over her shoulder at the beartic, who stood stock still at the foot of the stairs; then at her Companion, who was just now struggling to put himself back together; and then finally at her lampent, who had settled into the airspace just beside her head.

“Uh … what?” Door said. “We’re safe?”

“Of course, dear,” Odina replied with a wave of her hand. “Ullr knows when the game is over. A challenger crosses the finish line, and they win. He’s too much of a good sport to attack a winner. Aren’t you, Ullr?”

The beartic lifted and bucked his head. With each buck, his jaws parted, and he barked in what would have been a cute gesture, had it not been for the fact that Ullr was a 500-pound heap of muscle and claws.

“Now come along, Door. I promised you tea, and it’s getting cold,” Odina told her. She motioned to the empty seat across the table from her with a mittened hand. “Of course, everything in this gym gets cold rather quickly, but … well.”

Nodding, Door shuffled to the empty seat and sat down. Right away, the Companion next to Odina grabbed the teapot and poured perfectly brown tea into the cup in front of Door. A gingery, floral aroma wafted out of the cup and into Door’s nose, and as soon as she breathed it in, she could feel herself warm from the inside out.

She didn’t have the heart to tell Odina she didn’t like tea.

Odina rested one mittened hand on top of the other and gazed at Door with a deep stare. “Milk?” she asked. “Sugar? Lemon? Honey? We’ve got quite a variety here.”

“Uh, no,” Door replied quickly. “I-I drink it straight.”

“Or not at all,” Odina said with a shrug. “It’s all right, child. We get all sorts here, and as soon as I saw you, I thought to myself, ‘This girl either drinks it black or not at all.’ Which is it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Door smirked sheepishly. “Uh. Not at all.”

“Very well, then.”

Odina picked up her own cup and took a long sip of tea. Door, Geist, and Pyro waited patiently on the other side, but … nothing happened. Odina simply set her cup back down and settled back into her seat, neck craned slightly and eyes on the ceiling.

“So,” she said. “How did you like my gym puzzle?”

Door, Geist, and Pyro all exchanged looks. Then, warily, Door glanced back at her host.

“Actually … it wasn’t half bad,” she said. “I mean, sure, we slipped up halfway through, but I always thought the Icirrus gym puzzle was supposed to be…”

She trailed off, realizing her next words would have been, well. Blunt and ill-timed as usual for her. Knowing that, she pressed her lips together hard and raised her eyebrows, all with a quick prayer to the gods that Odina didn’t ask her to continue. But to that, Odina only snorted, then reached for the teapot to pour herself another cup.

“The most difficult puzzle in the Unova League?” Odina said, drawing Door’s head back to Earth.

Door froze. “Uh, well…”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Odina said. “It’s true. But for you, dear? Did I hear you correctly when you said you were having fun?”

“I mean … yeah,” Door said quietly. Then, sitting up a little straighter, she added, “Yeah! Zooming around the ice, laying down all that fire, and watching my pokémon learn a new move…?” And then, she froze again. “Wait. What’s this all about? What, are you looking for feedback or something?”

Odina pulled off one of her mittens to pluck a cookie from a nearby plate. As she dunked it carefully into her tea, she said, “No, no. But you’re right in thinking I am stalling. What sort of test did I say this was?”

“A … test of patience?” Door replied. “Yeah, I kinda see how it might be for some people.” She didn’t say anything about how the tea ceremony was just as much of one, either.

“Yes. Well,” Odina said. “Every part of my gym was designed to do just that, my dear. The puzzle itself was a test of patience, but so is the evaluation.”

Door quirked an eyebrow. “Uh. The evaluation?”

“Yes.” Odina motioned to the table. “This.”

At that, Door looked at her untouched tea and mentally cursed. Her expression must have given that away, as Odina laughed lightly right then.

“No, dear. The tea ceremony isn’t a test,” she told Door. “It’s just a means of warming you up. It’s cold in here, after all, and no one ever comes in here thinking to dress for it. I’d apologize, but I’ve never made it a secret that this gym specializes in ice-types.”

And then Door sank into her seat out of embarrassment while Odina poured herself a fresh cup.

“Anyway,” Odina continued, “what I mean is the evaluation on how you did during your battle. Patience comes in many forms, dear, and more than that, there’s far more to life than just battling. I’ve made it my mission to teach both lessons to my students—or, in other words, challengers. And while I admit you handled your lessons in ways I never anticipated in this arena, I think you did just fine.” Odina eyed Geist for a moment. “So tell me. How do you think your owner did?”

Door looked up at Geist, who had until that point been standing behind her with his hands held behind his back. When Odina asked him that question, though, his eyes slid to her, and his expression blanked for a second. Odina sighed and pressed her cheek into one of her hands.

“You know … it’s been a long time since I’ve had a challenger as interesting as the two of you. So for that reason, Door Hornbeam, I declare your challenge to be complete. Congratulations, Door. You won.” She opened one eye to look at her Companion. “Lumi? Cut the feed.”

The Companion by her side blinked, and at once, her sky blue eyes stopped glowing. “Done, Miss Odina.”

“Right then.” Odina turned her attention back to Door. “Now no one can see or hear us, not even the people in the stands. You must be wondering why I’ve yet to award you a badge, yes?”

Door looked at Lumi from out of the corner of her eyes. “It’s a little weird, yeah.”

“As I’ve said, patience comes in many forms,” Odina said. “It’s not simply sitting around and waiting for things to happen. It’s sometimes patience with yourself and with others. Most Companions traveling with trainers aren’t designed for traveling across ice. So what happened in the middle of my battlefield? Don’t worry. It isn’t the first time it happened.”

Geist and Door started, then glanced at each other. The expression on Geist’s face was a nearly unreadable mixture of shock, awkwardness, and confusion. But then, to Door’s own surprise, he spoke.

“I don’t suppose that was entertainment for you then,” he said.

Odina raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. Then, she reached for another cookie. “Always is. But no, it’s part of the test. You’ll be relying on each other as you go through to Victory Road and then the Elite Four gauntlet. Now is more important than ever to test your bonds. Instead of you relying on your Companion, you were tasked with allowing your Companion to rely on you.” She dunked her cookie into her tea. “You needed patience to figure out the puzzle and the best method to get your Companion across the ice, all while keeping an eye out for my pokémon, yeah?”

Door grimaced. “Yeah. That’s one of putting it.”

“But in your case,” Odina continued, leaning forward a little, “I think it’s even more important for the two of you to understand the necessity of patience with each other than practically any other trainer and Companion who’s ever crossed my gym.”

“Wait.” Door straightened in her seat. “You know about Geist?”

“I’ve had a few words with the gym leaders before me.”

Door pointed to her Companion. “So you know what he can do?”

Odina popped the rest of her cookie into her mouth, chewed thoughtfully, and responded, “I know the two of you don’t get along all that well. Why? What can he do?”

Door opened her mouth, but no words could come out. It was at that point that Odina’s expression cracked, and she waved a hand in the air with another laugh.

“Oh, dear, don’t worry. I’ve already been visited by Hilda and Natural, and Elesa gave me fair warning as well. They all told me about the interesting circumstances surrounding the two of you.” She lowered her hand, but her eyes fell steady on Door. “They seem to think something big is coming—that history will repeat itself at the Pokémon League Headquarters. But I think that if you were able to come all the way here from Nuvema, perhaps you might be ready for whatever lies ahead … if you two can master the balance between you.”

“The balance between…” Door cast a glance to Geist, who returned her gaze with worry.

“The Pokémon League is one thing,” he said quietly, “but what about Dragonspiral Tower?”

Door stiffened. “You’re … you’re worried about that too?”

Geist closed his eyes and dropped his head. “Miss Odina, with all due respect, Dragonspiral Tower is in your jurisdiction. What are you doing to protect it?”

Odina settled into her seat and motioned for her Companion. Lumi extended one of her hands, which began to glow bright white.

“Dragonspiral Tower is a sacred site,” Odina said. “As such, it’s my duty as the Icirrus gym leader to see to it that it’s not disturbed. On the other hand, I’m not as spry as I used to be, and I’ve been well warned about the current threat to our region. I’ve asked the League to supply me with more fauxkémon to help protect it, but, well. The League has never been known for their quickness. If this threat is indeed coming to Dragonspiral Tower as Hilda and Rosa insist, rest assured that it’s on them to face that threat. It’s not yours. So with that in mind…”

A shape appeared above Lumi’s palm, and the Companion instantly snatched it from the air. Light glimmered off it like fresh snowflakes, peeling away from the object’s form until all that was left was a badge in the shape of a pale blue arrow.

“Door Hornbeam, victor of the Icirrus Gym Challenge, I confer onto you the Freeze Badge,” Odina said. “Please accept it and continue onward to Opelucid for your eighth and final challenge.”

“Wait, that’s it?!” Door stood. “‘Don’t go up there’? That’s your big method of preventing Team Matrix from storming up Dragonspiral Tower?”

“Door,” Geist said curtly. He summoned Door’s badge case and nodded to Lumi. “Thank you, Gym Leader Odina. We accept this badge with grace.”

Lumi pressed the Freeze Badge into the next empty slot until it dissolved into light particles, just like all the other badges had. Geist turned on his heel and bowed to Odina, then grasped Door’s wrist and led her off the dais. As the two of them stepped onto the staircase leading back to the battlefield, the icy floor parted to reveal a pathway of cement tiles. Odina’s beartic grunted but stood aside, keeping a steady eye on Door and Geist and the lampent floating behind them as they made their way across the gym floor, away from his master.

“I wish you the best of luck,” Odina called, “on all your trials ahead.”

Door over her shoulder at Odina curiously, but then swung her head towards Geist.

“What?” she hissed. “You can’t seriously believe that, can you?”

Geist exhaled slowly, then held Door’s arm a little tighter—not enough to hurt but instead just enough to make a point. “Door. You have to believe me when I say we’re in this together. Understand?”

“Uh … yeah?” Door said. “Kinda the theme lately, Geist, but go on.”

“And you know your safety is my first and foremost priority, right?”

Door slowed a little, but Geist’s grip kept her walking. “Okay, I don’t like where this is going.”

Geist shook his head. “It’s not going where you think it will, I assure you.” He looked at her sideways. “Door, you have to believe me when I say there’s no reason for you to be at the top of Dragonspiral Tower. We should go to Opelucid, and the sooner we start heading that way, the better.”

“But Team Matrix is going to Dragonspiral,” Door said through a harsh whisper. “Don’t you remember what Belle said?”

“I do,” Geist replied. “And Hilda and Rosa will be at the top to meet them. That isn’t your battle to fight, Door.”

Door didn’t respond. There was something about the way Geist spoke that didn’t sit well with her, but she couldn’t put her finger on what. Something about the way he carried himself then reminded her of the level of distraction he had back in Twist Mountain too.

“Tell me you understand,” Geist said.

“Yeah,” Door said, her voice low and quiet, like it was stumbling out of her throat. “Yeah. I get it. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

Geist nodded and turned his attention back to the path ahead. Door looked straight ahead too, at Blair and Opal and her pokémon, happy and proud of her and moving down to meet them. And the longer she looked, the more her eyes rose to another flicker of movement in the bleachers.

There, several rows above Blair and the others, was the boy from Mistralton. He smiled, saluted to Door, and started for the door.

And between that and the look on Geist’s face, Door suddenly felt the exact opposite of reassured.



> MEMORY120723.txt
> AUTHOR: Bebe Larson
> NOTES: Transcript of a video file recovered from Series Alpha Zero-One’s memory banks. Video is located in archive 17.

[EXTERIOR, EVENING. Video begins on a long shot of the beach of CERULEAN CAPE. Shot lingers on the sunset in the distance for a while, before slowly panning to LANETTE. She stands several feet ahead of the camera, to the left side of the shot, facing the ocean. She lifts her head, then turns towards the camera, looks into it for a second, and laughs.]

LANETTE: What—are you recording me?

ZERO-ONE, off camera: Would you be offended if I said yes?

[LANETTE begins to approach.]

LANETTE: Why?

ZERO-ONE: I can’t help it. You look so beautiful against the sunset. I want to make sure I remember this.

LANETTE, laughing: Oh, stop!

ZERO-ONE: What, am I embarrassing you?

LANETTE: No.

[Camera rushes towards LANETTE. She bursts into a run.]

LANETTE: Hey!

[Camera chases after LANETTE. The two of them run in a wide circle until ZERO-ONE closes in on LANETTE and catches her. They come to a stop facing the sunset and stand there for nearly a minute. For the first half a minute, they’re laughing, until this peters out; LANETTE can be heard catching her breath once this happens.]

ZERO-ONE: I don’t want this to end. Is that wrong?

LANETTE: Mm. No. No, not at all.

[Beat.]

[ZERO-ONE begins humming “Daisy Bell.” LANETTE joins in after the first few bars. They hum in harmony until the end of the chorus; their song is followed by another short period of silence. By this point, the sun has almost completely set.]

ZERO-ONE: Lanette, I’ve been thinking about what you asked me a few days ago.

[Beat.]

ZERO-ONE: I want you to understand that if I were to say yes, things would only get more complicated. You won’t have a normal life after this. Tell me you understand.

LANETTE: I know. That doesn’t sway me at all.

[Beat.]

ZERO-ONE: Then yes.

LANETTE: Really?

ZERO-ONE: Of course. Lanette, I’ve thought about it for far longer than I can tell you. I’ve thought about it even before you’d asked. And the truth is that above everything else, all I want is to see you happy. I love you.

[The shot draws closer to LANETTE’s face. It cuts off just before connection, and the remainder of the video switches to audio only.]

ZERO-ONE: Let’s do it.

[END RECORDING]

Alrighty, first ever review on this forum. So exciting!

I'm currently at work and with having to issue out tornado and flash flood warnings constantly with my back hurting like it is, I've only managed to read five chapters for now. I'm going off most of this from memory, so forgive me if I mess up little details. There isn't much I can say grammar-wise so I'm focusing on the story, pacing, and the overall feel, I suppose.

I feel very behind with all these other reviews spouting praise. It's difficult to avoid spoilers personally. I see the button that says click to see spoilers and it takes so much to not click it for the simple reason that its a button. I know this is only gonna get so much worse once I get attached to any of the Pokemon. 

I should say that I'm still new to this forum in general(newest member woo) and I'm not familiar with multiple nuances here. Also that my review standpoint is more of a reader's than an editor's. I'm no expert, I just like to read.

Reading the first few paragraphs scream one thing to me. Experience. It feels like you're definitely not new to this in slightest. Whether its fanfiction or story writing in general.

The single word to accentuate the rest of the paragraph can make things pretty exciting. It creates an almost claustrophobic feeling for this chase scene. I'm not the biggest fan on using the colour brown to explain the one being chased. Really its only the phrase "Flash of brown tore through the maze" it feels off to read is all. At the same time, it does work. I can still understand what you were trying to express. Maybe I'm just not a big fan of the colour, less eye catching maybe. The whole chase scene actually reminded me of the chase scene from perfect blue in an odd way, which is a good thing. Good movie, very spook. I'm glad the single word paraphrasing the paragraph doesn't last too long. It can be difficult to read stuff like this for too long. 

With that finished, we're introduced to the main character. The name... I don't even know really what to say about her name. Right to the door? yes to the door. Okay right to the door. Thank you door. no worries, it's just the door. Then I'll book it like a door away from the door to another door and be door. I'm sure you have your reason for such a name so I won't judge it too much, little hard to read in a sentence but I can get over that quick.

Sorry about that. Anyways, She seems quite spunky and very informative and paranoid for her age. All in all, I like her character. She has just enough individual personality to be able to differentiate her from characters of other stories. There do seem to be times where her personality seems conflicting though. Like I said, she starts off with a healthy dose of paranoia, which never hurts anyone, but then it gets a bit much when she's uncomfortable with being around groups of other humans without knowing for sure that they're all "alive" How much she said about it all made me actually guess that this might be in a similar route to Detroit become human. If it wasn't then you chose one hell of a year to make a story about androids wanting to express free will. Back to Door, she expresses her paranoia of the androids, she even says that it shouldn't matter but it bothers her to no end. She fears being stared at, recorded and so on. So she goes into the dark alleys like you do in these situations. She starts stressing out about these guessing games on who to not fear messing with her phone that you explained the appearance of maybe one too many times and hears a cry. She runs straight towards it with no reservations. Paranoid and impulsive can be a terrifying mix.

The battle(?) with the Companion and girl goes pretty well all things considered. No bad injuries and only snivy was stolen. It is a bit odd how long it takes her to realise Jack is alive. Chock it up to paranoia I suppose. We also get to meet Mr Brown before the door escort and we meet more characters.

I personally like her dad quite a bit. Bianca is as precious as ever. And Opal? I actually adore her. I did have to reread the whole conversation with Ted at the beginning because I kept losing track of who was talking about who. Might've been how ironwood aide and assistant were said like ten times as much as his name.

I liked the whole pointing to Geist to be an android only to have him go, naah. His kind personality is just sweet to read in general. He asks for Door's opinions and doesn't get upset with her short temper. Instead of outright saying she's wrong about what she believes, he merely asks why. I still think he's an android tho. Or cyborg. I refuse to let the possibility go.

The whole meeting read through pretty smoothly. I was more interested in the android speaking than the guy behind her though. N's here too! He must be absolutely distressed about the situation of Unova now. Pokemon were so much more his family than his actual family was. Now, fauxkemon are everywhere and not many real Pokemon are anywhere. Makes you wonder if he feels conflicted about his decision to trust and help white and black or hilda and I forget blacks name in game.

She's vehemently against anything robotic and threatens to get patrat hurt to prove a point, which is awful, but I'm not judging her. Geist hurts her in his anger, which was sorta out of nowhere so all we can assume is seeing that man at the speech affected him more than he admitted, or robot! maybe. Enter Blair, and Door absolutely lashes out. She's just excited for her journey. Door is annoyed by her and realises that the tepig is stuck with her and worries about what's going to happen to it. Not even five minutes before she accidently almost kills it with the thing she doesn't like just because she was distracted by her anger and annoyance toward Blair. It's like she forgot about what she did to that poor Purrloin just a little while ago. Felt odd to have her suddenly drop it all and even try to help and teach Blair in such a calm way. Is she supposed to seem Bipolar? Even if she got spooked by the scream and blood, that's a hell of an attitude change. 

I wrote way more than I meant to. So I'll end here. I like the story quite a bit, and I'm absolutely gonna continue reading it despite the Book club thing only requiring one review. Love what I've read so far and love the profile pic. Catra best girl. Hope you have a nice day.

This opens with Door’s pokémon front and centre – doing pokémon things, things that make them defiantly not an adjunct to Door’s personality and actively prevent them from being useful as tools or toys. And yes, this is basically set-up for why Pyro gets to be the star today (which, we’ll get to the certified best boy in a bit, don’t you worry, I made notes), but also like … it’s Door letting her pokémon out. Actually relating to them, even the robot ones. Seeing them as creatures with agency.

She’s making steps in the right direction, really – which I think we saw coming, with how much Knives means to her, but it’s good to see that this is a general mindset and not just a specific attachment to one pokémon! It needed to happen sooner or later.

It occurs to me that, given the date of the setting, Odina probably wasn’t actually that old when streaming first became a thing. Which I kinda like, because it shows that it is 100% just Door’s thoughtlessness that means the streaming thing comes as a surprise to her. :V That kinda feeds into the humour of the chapter; the tone is light and fun, the lesson is overt and meant to be – here is a threshold guardian character telling Door and Geist to work together; sometimes as a reader you find that the story does all the heavy lifting for you! – and it’s … nice and good. For Door, who has had, after all, a pretty rough few weeks, and for the reader, who sometimes enjoys a comedy ice skating routine in between the heavy feels and unresolved trauma.

It also feels a lot more like a cohesively designed experience than some of the other gyms. Like, some – and this is a flaw in the source material more than the fic, actually – are like … a puzzle and a battle, the former of which is a gateway to the latter. But this is a whole thing! One challenge, crafted by Odina to a specific end. I like it a lot.

And a good excuse to give Pyro some time in the spotlight! Aw, he’s just great. Chirpy little lamp ghost friend. I drew a heart next to my notes about him, which as a reviewer I’m obliged to report in this write-up. He twinkles as a reaction, how precious is that! And also spits out massive great fireballs in the same breath. The range, you know, I love it!

Anyway: looming ominously in the near distance … Dragonspiral. That one's going to be interesting. Definitely hyped for that!

We start with a gun! That … elevates the seriousness of the situation, I think. Particularly when someone is able to casually fire it into the face of an entity that looks extremely human. Like, these are machines that really have no use except killing; unlike pokémon, fauxkémon or Companions, they have a singular function, and that is to destroy whatever you point them at. It really sets the tone, I think. And, well. The rest of the chapter doesn’t disappoint.

But! Before I get to the fun stuff, I should acknowledge that this is Calem, apparently, and that he appears to be a bit style over substance, if he couldn’t take out a relatively young and inexperienced serperior with his mega absol. Though I guess I wouldn’t say that to his face, since he apparently also knows how to operate a firearm.

Anyway, that’s not why we’re here, we’re here for Dragonspiral! Door obviously decides to go for a full-on solo rescue mission, collapse from overexertion and a stitch, and get instantly grabbed by Starr. You know, it strikes me that sometimes Belle doesn’t even really have to try, does she? I mean, she takes pride in her work, and in giving 110% in a really asshole sorta way, but lbr, Door basically captured herself here. (I should also say, it hasn’t escaped my attention that Door did this for Geist, of course, but I think there’s very little commentary I can add there beyond just pointing it out, so.)

Anyway I got distracted again: this is it. The accident that ‘killed’ Bill – or at least left him a very literal ghost in the machine, his consciousness permanently severed from his body and left waiting for a vessel to inhabit. (Hence the name Geist, I suppose?) Lanette created a host for a pre-existing consciousness, it seems. Which tbqh is no less weird than creating an android from scratch, but at least it paints her in a slightly more favourable light. Obviously there were several motives at play, but in addition to the maaaaybe slightly less reasonable ones I’ve noted before … she was freeing a loved one, you know? That’s a little less worrying than feverishly reimagining the dead back into life out of grief and an inability to let go. (No doubt that played a part too, in a way, but you know.)

All of that, of course, is based on the assumption that all of this happened as Oppenheimer says. This is obviously not a safe assumption, given the potential contradiction he’s just exposed at the heart of his cause: he’s the leader of an organisation dedicated to proving that androids are people, and yet his central thesis is that Lanette wronged Bill by reincarnating him as an android, which … implies that androids aren’t equivalent to real people. I mean, maybe I’m judging prematurely here; he didn’t get to finish that line of thought before he got interrupted. Maybe there’s some conclusion at the end that synthesises these two points, at least in his own eyes. Maybe he means that Lanette wronged Bill by making him an android because of the role that androids play in society necessarily dooming him to servitude – though I don’t know if I’d buy that if he played it straight. I’m really curious to find out more and settle this point, either way.

Anyway, I guess this one’s a two-parter, and it was absolutely stellar; I’m really looking forward to the rest of this showdown! Which leaves me with the Lanette log, and that’s … also a really good one, ngl. This is just a superb chapter, all round. Like I love Brigette’s summary of events; it’s exactly what I expected of this disastrous little group. :V Also pleased to note that we have similar views on how incorrigible Amanita should be! I figure that like, teenager + genius prodigy is probably the sort of combination that has Consequences.

And more than that, it’s lovely to see that they managed. They rebuilt, for the most part. Bill’s so-called death is framed here as an accident that left him using a prosthetic body, same as any other accident resulting in the loss of a limb might leave someone using a prosthetic arm or leg. And sure, maybe people are burying some feelings for the sake of the happy occasion, but … idk, I get the sense that for these people, these friends, there’s an unbroken continuum from Bill to Zero-One. One man, who happened to change out his body a while ago. That's really sweet.

But there’s a darkness here, too, because this … well, it didn’t last. People don’t remember Bill as the first person to have his consciousness uploaded to a machine and outlive his own body in a robot chassis; they remember him as an inventor who died young and was ultimately overshadowed by Lanette and her android legacy. Something happened here. It’s impossible to say what yet. But there’s one member of this group who isn’t here, who we know took this whole thing badly and stormed off, who ended up becoming Oppenheimer. Might be that it’s something to do with him, might not. I guess we’ll find out!

I think I already said that this was a really good chapter, but honestly it bears repeating. This is a really good chapter. Definitely worth the wait!

Oh so the trainer that Door had met earlier is Calem. Interesting you have him appear many years later compare to X/Y's original timeline (going by how Looker appeared in both games). I'm going to assume his Absol is real? I actually went back and reread the chapter where he and Door battled, and Calem used three Pokemon, so I'm going to guess the fourth Pokemon was the Absol.

While Bill and Geist being the same is already established, looks like there's more to that then just "android made to look and act like Bill". To have your subconscious still live in another body, not an easy thing to think about right? And of course the chapter has to end on a cliffhanger lol. Needless to say, now I'm really curious what happens next.

Review of Chapter 4 for bookclub:

ngl I'm starting to get some serious Detroit: Become Human vibes from where I feel the plot is going. 

The idea of robotic sentience done with Pokemon is something I never imagined ever being written, and not even close to the level of quality that it's at either. 

Door's hatred of robots is an interesting trait for the character, the paranoia of Geist being one of these "Companions" is quite the idea.

The twist of her Oshawott being real is nicely done. And I am liking this new Team Matrix, team plasma esque teams really intrigue me. 

This is what Door remembered:

Oppenheimer turned and threw something at the dragon. Door couldn’t see what, but she could see Oppenheimer capture Reshiram easily. And then, there it was again, its graceful head bending down towards Oppenheimer’s outstretched hand. Door found her eyes transfixed to the thing—the storm of feathers and white and fury—as it arced around its new master with blazing-blue fire in its maw. Oppenheimer lifted his head and locked eyes not with her but with Geist. He opened his mouth, but for the life of her, Door couldn’t hear what he had said.

And the choir rose. A chorus of voices, both screaming and singing all at once, called out from behind Oppenheimer and his dragon, and Door heard the march of a hundred machines in a metal symphony around her and beneath her. Magdalene walked forward, head held high and eyes a blazing amber beneath her flowing, black veil. Her hydreigon followed, and so did the Matrix agents, and so did the wild druddigon and golett from the shadows of the ruined floor. And for a second, Reshiram’s head rose with the flames of the sun curling from its fanged mouth, and Door felt hands on her shoulders…

And then the next thing she knew, she wasn’t on the roof of Dragonspiral Tower anymore. She was moving, yet she wasn’t. The world around her marched forward, shrouded in the thin and dispersing fog of early morning at the border between swampland and river.

River. Door squinted in the early morning light at the black band of water that stretched before her, shimmering beneath the cresting sun. It wound beneath the old, metal bridge before her, which stretched from the end of a tiled, glassy road on one side all the way to a city she barely recognized, a city crowned in black towers and white rocks. She blinked as the remnants of something—dreamless sleep or pure unconsciousness, she couldn’t quite tell—ebbed away and left her foggy-headed and shivering in … a pair of arms.

She looked up, into Geist’s face. Geist was carrying her, but he wasn’t looking at her. In fact, he didn’t look like Geist at all. Not with his face that blank and eyes that…

That blue.

Slowly but surely, against the biting cold, Door began to put it together. Geist grabbed her. Geist’s … his system activated. That was right. That was the last thing she remembered before everything went sideways. His voice, robotic and as cold as the morning air, boomed that something…

Door squirmed, but Geist’s grip held her tight against him, arms pinned to her chest and legs pinned together. She shouted, but he didn’t flinch. Something was wrong.

She heard pure noise behind him: a thousand footfalls on glass, on pavement, in water. Falling limp in her Companion’s arms, she craned her neck back to see what was going on, and there, following Geist like an army following a general, were more machines than Door had ever seen in her life. Matrix agents. Trainer Companions. Fauxkémon from Dragonspiral Tower and the Moor of Icirrus.

Door stiffened. She knew where this was now. She looked back, beyond the army, to the fens and trees still shrouded in fog. She looked forward, at the bridge and the other side, with its little piece of road and its sprawling city. This was the end of the Moor of Icirrus. This was the beginning of Route 9. Straight ahead was Opelucid City.

And for reasons Door couldn’t understand, Geist was marching an entire army right to the city’s gates.

“Geist!” she shrieked. “Geist, stop!”

She tried to kick him, but he wouldn’t react. His eyes remained locked on Opelucid City.

“Geist! I-I order you to stop!” Door wrenched her body, twisting in a desperate attempt to free herself, but he held on tighter. “What’s wrong with you?! I said stop! Stop! Let me go!”

Her voice pitched upwards at those last words, then tapered off into a scream. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t have been happening. She twisted again, yanking at her hands with the hope that perhaps that would free her, and when it didn’t, she bit Geist’s shoulder, then thrashed, then settled back into a quiet fit of sobs, face buried in his shoulder. She mumbled his name every so often, willing herself to believe her voice could reach him—that some part of him was still underneath whatever all of this was.

But then … how much of him was left, after everything that happened at the top of Dragonspiral? She rested her cheek on his shoulder and pressed her lips together. That was a question and a half. How much of him was the Geist she knew? Door realized she couldn’t answer that. What did Oppenheimer’s drive do to him? Had it reverted him to what he was before he wound up with Amanita? Had it erased everything about him and replaced him with some stranger? She didn’t know, and she was, as much as she didn’t want to admit it right then, downright terrified by the prospects.

“Geist?” she croaked. “Please … if you can hear me … you gotta fight it, okay? Please wake up. Please, just let me go. Please let me go. Please—”

“Fuck OFF.”

Something glowing and green clubbed Geist in the back of the head. He stumbled, and before he could catch himself, an object jammed into one of his hands. Sparks flew, a machine whirred, and Geist’s grip on Door loosened just enough for someone to pull her out of his arms. As her rescuer dragged her backwards, she watched as her Companion stopped dead in his tracks and stared down at her with a cold, mechanical glare. The army behind him stopped too, and the Moor of Icirrus fell silent.

And that’s when Door realized that the person who pulled her away from Geist was none other than Belle. Or more specifically, a Belle that apparently held both a screwdriver and Starr’s arm in one hand and Door’s arm in the other. Monkshood—the thing that had clubbed Geist from behind, apparently—slithered through the crowds and quickly joined their side.

“C’mon,” Belle said gruffly. “On your feet, kid.”

Door complied, if only because she was too jarred not to. As soon as Door was stable, Belle gave her a curt nod, then turned sharply towards Geist.

“Okay, asshole,” she said. “I’m all for mayhem and chaos and a big fuckin’ army marching onto the city and all, but you puppeteer my Companion, and you get your ass handed to you. I’m giving you five seconds to let Starr go, or I’m gonna have Monkshood go old school on your face.”

Monkshood hissed and lowered his head and lashed his tongue out into the morning air.

“W-what?!” Door grabbed Belle’s arm. “Wait! You can’t—”

“Door, I swear to God,” Belle growled. “I barely know what’s going on beyond the fact that Haunty McHauntface dragged my ass to Dragonspiral, embarrassed me in front of the dude who’s paying me nicely, and jacked my Companion—the only thing I’ve got—but the way I see it, your robopet jacked a ton of other Companions and is having them march onto a city. So your options are this: you can help me get my Companion back because I told you to, you can side with me because it’s morally right, or you can stay the fuck out of my way and get your teeth kicked in by whoever’s left standing. Take your pick, but I really suggest picking one of the choices where you summon your freaky murder-rabbit to go medieval on some roboass. And with that said, time’s up, motherfucker. Monkshood, Leaf Blade!”

Monkshood leapt at Belle’s command and dove into a fast slide towards the army with a glowing tail trailing behind him. With the distance closed between them, Monkshood twisted and swung his tail at Geist, but suddenly, an emboar burst from the crowd and barreled into the serperior. It grabbed his tail with both meaty hands and swung him away from the Companion and into the road. Monkshood hissed and twisted within the emboar’s grasp, and Belle growled, yanked something free from her pocket, and tossed it to Door. Instinctively, Door caught it, then looked down to see a small, golden box with HM03 stenciled onto one side.

“Take this and use it on your audino. We’ll need the coverage,” Belle said. “Monkshood, Slam the fucker!”

As Monkshood flung his full body into the emboar’s side, three more pokémon appeared from the crowd: a stoutland, a musharna, and a simisage. Door took a step back, recognizing this tactic instantly. It was Blair’s team, member for member, only … as robots.

“Hey! That’s my MO, asshole!” Belle shouted. “Door, get your head in the game and help me!”

“R-right.” Door fumbled for her poké balls, then pulled all three out in one go. “Okay, guys! Let’s go!”

“What?! Fuck! No!”

With three small pops, Pyro, Tsunami, and Knives instantly materialized before Door. Door sighed with relief and took a step forward with the HM clutched in her hands … just as Pyro and Tsunami turned on her with glassier eyes than normal. Knives trilled quizzically, then barked and scrambled to stand in front of Door, arms outstretched protectively.

“Godammit! Monkshood! Drive ‘em off!”

A green blur shot out in front of Door and drove Pyro and Tsunami back. They hummed simultaneously, then shot streams of fire and water at Monkshood. The serperior growled and swerved out of the way of the flames and into the jet of water, then glanced back for further instructions.

“Coil, then Slam! Keep them back, but don’t go too hard! Those are the only shots Door’s got!” Belle shouted. Then, turning on Door, she glared. “Hurry up and give that to your audino! Your Companion’s not gonna wait!”

Door shot forward and held the HM over Knives. Her hands shook, fingers slipped on the plastic casing, yet despite everything that gripped her in that moment, she somehow managed to pry apart the HM and pour its golden sparks onto her pokémon. Knives hummed and lifted her face to the sun, then smirked and raised a paw. Behind her, the river roared, and a pillar of water burst from its black surface, then surged forward at the twist of Knives’s hand. The wave crashed into the four pokémon Geist had summoned and drove them back into the crowds.

Belle was suddenly by her side again, gripping her elbow.

“God, your audino’s stupidly strong,” Belle muttered. “Listen. You’re gonna have to get close to—”

“W-what happened to Pyro and Tsunami?” Door asked.

“Seriously?!” Belle shot her a look. “Your Companion controls robots, idiot! That includes fauxkémon! Speaking of—Monkshood! Coil again, then Giga Drain the seismitoad into submission!”

“No!” Door shrieked. “She’s—”

Belle snapped her arms around Door to keep her from running towards her pokémon. “Weak. I know. Monkshood knows what he’s doing. I’m just making sure they stay out of your way.”

“O-out of—”

“Door, would you shut up?! I’m serious right now!”

Belle grabbed her face and forced Door to look her in the eyes. As she turned her head, she saw the four pokémon—and several others—slowly climb out of the crowd. Belle shot a finger towards Knives.

“No one told you to stop!” she said. “Do whatever you want; just keep Geist busy!”

Knives chirped and instantly leapt into the fray, pink light surrounding her pudgy body. With Knives occupied and Monkshood holding Door’s other pokémon back, Belle turned her attention back to Door herself.

“Listen to me,” she said. “What did you do to make Zero-One’s defense system activate?”

“How do you know—”

Belle closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. “We know more than you think, okay? Tell me what happened.”

“I … I just gave him the drive Oppenheimer gave me,” Door said.

“Ah, fuck.” Belle massaged her forehead. “I knew that thing was a stupid idea.”

Door straightened. A spike of courage suddenly drove her to her feet. “What was on that thing? What did I give him?!”

“Okay, look.” Belle locked eyes with Door again. “I’m gonna get technical, but you’re a smart girl, so suck it up. The only thing on that drive was a program designed to brute-force the locks on your Companion’s LFA core so that it could be readable by Zero-One’s entire system. Matrix thought that’s where Bill’s memories—”

“You knew about him too?!”

“Follow along, Door. Everyone who’s working with Team Matrix knew about him. He’s the point of our mission.” Belle sighed. “Matrix thought that’s where Bill’s memories were stored, so they thought modifying that drive to be accessible will make Zero-One remember who he’s supposed to be. The problem is that no one on the team but me has enough fucking common sense to realize the inventor of Companions herself would probably arm the LFA core of her special Companion with a security system the likes of which no one has ever seen, and sure enough, she did. So probably, jamming a program meant to hack into a core might be a bad idea if that core was rigged with a super-advanced security system. Hence the robot uprising your best friend is currently trying to stage.”

“A robot—isn’t that what they wanted him to do?” Door said softly.

Belle sighed. “Please. First off, Companions aren’t getting to decide here, so this isn’t even close to freeing Companions or whatever. Second, Oppenheimer doesn’t believe his own bullshit in the first place. You think he’d be so obsessed with a human if he actually cared about Companions? Anyway, shut up and focus. Is the drive still jammed in his wrist?”

“I-I guess?” Door frowned. “You didn’t see it?”

“I was too busy saving your ass to notice. Sue me.” Belle took another calming breath. “Okay. I’m gonna make sure your audino and my Monkshood keep your Companion’s army occupied. You sneak in there and grab the drive. Yank it out and pray he freezes.”

Door started. “W-what?! Why me?!”

“Because he’ll snap my neck if I try to get close,” Belle replied. “Ultimately, you’re still his user, and some of the Laws are bound to apply, right?”

Door fell silent. She had to admit, the murderous kidnapper who had chased her around half a region kinda had a point right then. Not about the Three Laws because she wasn’t about to tell Belle about Geist’s loose relationship with them. No, Belle had a point about Geist. Door could trust him. If he was in there, he wouldn’t hurt her. He just wouldn’t.

“Right.” Belle patted Door’s shoulders. “Off you go, then.”

She pulled away from Door and twirled the screwdriver in her hand. And then, she dove into the crowd, slashing at everything within arm’s reach. The Companions and fauxkémon scattered, then converged on her, and Door stiffened. Belle was helping her. Knives and Monkshood too. And there were so many others who had helped her throughout her journey, and she couldn’t do a thing to help them back.

What was she doing? Waiting around for something to happen? That was like her, wasn’t it? Just waiting around for something to change. Even back in Nuvema, when she swore she was better than the entire city, she was only waiting.

But who said she had to keep waiting? She could help someone. She could help so many someones. She just had to…

She looked at Knives, who was summoning Surf and Secret Power, one after another, to drive back the four fauxkémon Geist had brought out of the crowds. She looked at Monkshood, who coiled around Tsunami and lashed out at Pyro. She looked at Belle, who leapt deftly from the shoulders of one Companion to the next, like she was born to ride robots.

And then she looked at Geist, who looked back at her with those empty eyes.

And with a deep breath, she lifted her head and started forward. As soon as she took her first step, he took his, and they walked towards one another in two unwavering paths.

“Geist,” Door said as soon as she thought she was within earshot. “If you’re in there…”

She held out her hand, as if extending it to shake his. He continued forward and grabbed it and didn’t stop, but Door was anticipating this. She twisted around and walked beside him as he adjusted his hold on her wrist.

“Geist, please,” she said. “Please wake up.”

He said nothing. They walked onto the bridge together. Behind them, the crowds pushed Belle, Knives, and Monkshood onto it too.

“Geist, you’re leading them into a city,” Door said. “You’re gonna hurt people. Please, you gotta wake up!”

Still nothing. Door’s hand reached for his, and with a mechanical whir, his hand tightened around her wrist. It was like … it was like…

Route 3. The time Door nearly threw her pokémon into a death match just to prove a point. She was such an idiot. Geist taught her that. He taught her so many things, and she was on the verge of losing him—if not because of this, because he wasn’t Geist anymore, was he? She chewed the inside of her cheek to keep herself calm.

“Geist, I’m sorry,” Door said. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk to you for so long. You were right about everything, and I didn’t know, and I’m sorry. Just please—you’re my best friend. Please wake up.”

Nothing. The Tubeline Bridge was long, at least. They had time. Her hand crept to his wrist, curled around to feel the drive.

And then Geist’s hand tightened more.

“Geist?” Door’s eyes drifted down to his wrist. “You’re hurting me.”

Geist continued walking forward, his eyes level and his grip tightening. A spark of panic flickered across Door’s brain. Something was wrong. She knew Geist could ignore the Three Laws, but he always stopped on his own when he realized he was hurting her. And this hurt.

“H-hey!” Door leaned away from Geist while her other hand grasped the drive. “Geist! We’re good! S-stop!”

He didn’t. His grip tightened.

“Geist! My … my wrist! Let go!”

He didn’t. His grip tightened.

“Geist!”

He didn’t. His grip tightened.

And then something cracked. Door shrieked and jerked her hands and dropped to her knees. Pain spiked up her arm and stabbed into her shoulder as her entire body hung from Geist’s grip. Her free hand opened, and something slipped out, clattering to her feet. Through the blur of her tears, she could see it: something small, black, and familiar.

She did it. She pulled it out. Now this could be over.

Somewhere above her, she could feel blazing heat. She didn’t need to look up to know Reshiram was there. She was wondering, in fact, when Oppenheimer would come. She covered her eyes with a hand and began crying. Her wrist was in so much pain.

There were footsteps—right, the crowd had gone silent—and the edge of Magdalene’s dress swept into the edge of Door’s field of vision.

“My lord?” Magdalene’s voice sounded so distant then. “Why have you stopped? Is everything all right?”

Geist’s grip on her wrist slackened, and somehow, that hurt more. She forced her head to tilt up, and when it did, she found herself locking eyes with Geist. He stared back, wide-eyed, horrified. His eyes flickered from her face onto her wrist, and he let go, stepping away from her in horror.

“Door,” he murmured. “What did I do?”

Door pulled her wrist to her chest and whimpered. She didn’t want to look at it. She didn’t want to know whether or not it was broken. Knives squeaked and rushed to her side, wrapping a pair of soft feelers around her wrist. Door didn’t know what to say. She wanted to say something, but her brain couldn’t put it together.

In their silence, the crowd was dispersing. Fauxkémon retreated into the bushes. Trainer Companions turned on their heels and followed internal maps back towards Icirrus. Matrix agents gathered and stood at attention at the edge of the bridge, as if waiting for a new set of instructions. And Belle, Tsunami, and Monkshood approached, with a one-armed Starr in tow. Belle was breathing hard but was, shockingly, unscathed. Tsunami was beaten and battered and carrying Pyro, with a cracked bulb, in her arms. Monkshood looked exhausted and glassy-eyed but perhaps the best out of the entire group. Belle knelt down and looked at Door’s wrist, cursing under her breath. Then, standing up, she narrowed her eyes at Reshiram.

“Oppenheimer!” she shouted. “You’re not paying me to put up with this shit!”

Reshiram landed and allowed its master to dismount. Oppenheimer’s black robes swirled around him, and he swept past Belle while sweet-toned words spilled out of his mouth.

“I’ve been paying you to make sure the child paired to Zero-One stayed on task, and you’ve done exceptionally well so far,” Oppenheimer said. “Don’t concern yourself with the rest. Those are matters for other parts of our organization. As for you…”

He pulled a glass bulb from the folds of his robes and pressed a button on its face. A cane extended from its bottom surface and tapped on the metal bridge.

“I hope you can forgive me,” he said, slowly making his way towards Geist. “It’s clear that this ordeal was quite distressing for you. I should have anticipated that forcing open the LFA system in that manner could be quite traumatic. Ah, but I promise you, I can make this right.” He extended a hand. “Please. Come with me. We’ll fix your memories and restore you to the person you once were.”

Geist looked at that hand, then at Oppenheimer’s face. He shook his head and took a step back.

“No?” Oppenheimer’s smile faltered. “Come now. Everything will be all right. I promise.”

He walked forward, step by step, and Door could do nothing but watch. Her wrist was on fire, and her tongue was firmly between her teeth to prevent her from screaming. She felt too weak to stop Oppenheimer and too deep in pain to order her pokémon to do it, not that any of them were ready to face a legendary dragon. So she could only cry as she watched Oppenheimer approach Geist and Geist backing away, damaged hand pinned to his chest, with every step the other man took.

Suddenly, the ground exploded. Or, rather, there was a bang, followed by the twisting of the bridge, followed by a split in the road that rushed towards Reshiram and yawned beneath its feet. Reshiram bellowed as the metal beneath its great claws twisted and rose, as the ground beneath it shook and bucked until it threw it into the air and slammed it back down, as the bridge swallowed half its legs. A golden streak fell from the sky, trailing violet fire after it, and as soon as it slammed into Reshiram’s face, Door could see it for what it was: a haxorus, gripping the sides of Reshiram’s head. It dug its axe-like tusks into its flesh over and over again.

Door swung her eyes forward, looking for her savior, and there, halfway across the bridge, she saw a woman. Small, gray-haired, and dark-skinned with a round face etched with wrinkles. The woman drew her robes—the golden robes of a dragon master—around her plump body and strode forward confidently, lifting her hand to command her haxorus. The haxorus shrieked and took on a red glow, then clawed Reshiram’s face. Reshiram reared back and breathed blazing fire into the sky, and the air rippled with heat and light.

Oppenheimer whirled around at this roar. He opened his mouth to speak, but Door could barely hear him. She couldn’t tell if it was because of the noise or the pain. Her vision began to grow hazy at the edges, and Oppenheimer’s movements looked like they swam in the air. At the edge of her field of vision, she saw Zekrom and another Reshiram descend from the skies and a mega absol racing towards her on land. She heard Blair’s voice screaming her name and felt Belle’s hands leave her. And there, at the very corner of her eye, she saw Geist turn and run.

She didn’t know how he managed to get past the dragon master on the bridge. She just knew he did. And she knew that because the next thing she could remember, she was sitting in a hospital bed with a cast on her arm, Blair and Opal by her side, and the dragon master seated at the foot.

“Well,” said Iris Drago, “that was exciting.”



> MEMORY063047.txt
> AUTHOR: Bebe Larson
> NOTES: Transcript of a video file recovered from Series Alpha Zero-One’s memory banks. Video is located in archive 20.

[INTERIOR. Video begins with a shot of ZERO-ONE’s hands on a piano. He is playing “DAISY BELL” and humming along until a small hand reaches up to tap a key right next to ZERO-ONE’s left hand. The camera shifts and settles onto DOREEN HORNBEAM standing behind the bench.]

ZERO-ONE: Oh! Hello. I didn’t notice you there. Where did you come from?

[DOREEN points to a spot outside of frame. Camera pans up to reveal the staircase leading out of the basement laboratory of the SEA COTTAGE.]

ZERO-ONE: Upstairs, huh? Won’t anyone be missing you?

[DOREEN shakes her head and climbs onto the bench next to ZERO-ONE.]

ZERO-ONE, laughing: Okay. Okay. What’s your name?

[DOREEN strikes the same key over and over again.]

DOREEN: Doreen.

ZERO-ONE: Doreen … how old are you, Doreen?

DOREEN: Four and a half.

ZERO-ONE, slowly: I see. Do you know whose house this is?

DOREEN, nodding: Auntie Lani’s.

ZERO-ONE: That’s right. And do you know who I am?

[DOREEN shakes her head.]

ZERO-ONE: It’s all right. My name is Bill. I’m—I was a very close friend of Aunt Lani’s.

DOREEN: Oh.

ZERO-ONE: Do you want to learn how to play?

[DOREEN nods vigorously.]

ZERO-ONE: Okay. Watch closely, then. Sit up straight. Keep your elbows in front of you but your arms relaxed like this. Now, put your fingertips on the keys with your hands arched, just like you’re holding a pair of poké balls. You’ll be playing with all ten fingers, got it?

[DOREEN puts her hands on the keyboard. He grasps her elbow and adjusts it.]

ZERO-ONE: Relax. That’s right. Now, all the notes go from A to G. The black keys are notes that are slightly higher or lower than all the others on the scale. This one, which your thumb should be on whenever you start, is the C key. Listen closely while I show you the others, okay?

[He plays a scale for her, naming the notes along with it. She mimics his movements.]

ZERO-ONE: That’s right. Now, what song would you like me to teach you first? “Mary Had a Little ‘Reep”? “The Durants Go Marching In”?

DOREEN: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”!

ZERO-ONE: Oh? All right.

[He begins to play, slowly.]

ZERO-ONE: See how my fingers are moving? If you can get the patterns down, you’ll be able to play it too, on any scale you want. Understand?

[DOREEN nods and follows his motions.]

DOREEN: I like this song because it’s about stars.

ZERO-ONE: Is that so?

DOREEN: Uh huh. I want to be an astronaut when I grow up. I want to go see the stars and meet an alien! Or go to Jupiter! Or see the Milky Way way up close!

ZERO-ONE: All of those places sound really far away. Are you sure you won’t get lonely on your journey?

DOREEN: Nope! I’m going with my pokémon. I’ll be fine! And the spaceship will go really fast, so I’ll go out to the stars and come back no problem.

ZERO-ONE: Ah, I see. Well, I suppose I can’t stop another scientist. I hope you do get to the stars. I’ve heard they’re quite beautiful.

DOREEN: Uh huh! The most beautiful things ever!

LINUS: Pumpkaboo! There you are!

[Camera pans up to catch LINUS HORNBEAM in a full, black suit approaching the bench. Behind him, at the foot of the stairs, is BRIGETTE HAMILTON, likewise dressed in black. DOREEN gives ZERO-ONE a last look and then climbs off the bench to take her father’s hand.]

LINUS: You know you shouldn’t be wandering off like that! You don’t know what—oh. Hey, Bill. You okay? Sorry if she was bothering you. You know how kids are. Take your eyes off them for a second, and—

ZERO-ONE: It’s all right. She wasn’t a bother at all. In fact, she was just serving as my first real student. Incidentally, I can tell she’s a natural. Perhaps you should look into lessons for her.

LINUS: Oh yeah? Well! Doreen’s always been a smart cookie. But lessons? Huh. Yeah, I guess that sounds like a good idea. They do say the best thing to do to nurture a kid’s intellect is to teach them an instrument. I’ll run it by Ginny and see what she thinks. Thanks. And, uh, thanks for keeping an eye on her too.

ZERO-ONE: Of course.

LINUS: And Pumpkaboo, what do you say?

DOREEN, curtsying: Thank you!

LINUS: ‘Atta girl. Anyway, we’d better head back up. You know. See the family. Will you be up later?

ZERO-ONE: No, I’m afraid not, but thank you for the invitation.

LINUS: Sure. Uh, good seeing you again. C’mon, Pumpkaboo. Your mom’s worried sick.

[They climb the staircase. BRIGETTE waits until they’re gone before approaching the bench.]

BRIGETTE: Poor girl. She must be bored stiff. Normally, she sticks to the sort of breaking and entering that doesn’t involve bothering near strangers.

[ZERO-ONE resumes playing, this time opting for “La Vie en Rose” instead of “Daisy Bell.”]

ZERO-ONE: Is Doreen your granddaughter?

BRIGETTE: Yes. What do you think of her?

ZERO-ONE: A little quieter than I’d expected for a Hamilton.

BRIGETTE: Yes, well. She’s normally shy around strangers. You should see her at home. Climbing like she’s an aipom and shouting like she’s an exploud. She takes after Martin, I think. Looks like Linus, though. Apparently none of Virginia’s side got into her.

ZERO-ONE: I thought so. She has your face, just like Linus when he was that young. [pauses] Gods above, has it really been that long since Linus was little?

BRIGETTE: Sadly, yes.

ZERO-ONE: Ah. Does Doreen have any siblings?

BRIGETTE: No. Virginia doesn’t want any. Linus wants to respect that.

ZERO-ONE: I suppose I’ll be Doreen’s next, then, won’t I?

BRIGETTE: Doreen’s … what?

[ZERO-ONE stops.]

ZERO-ONE: Companion.

BRIGETTE: Ah. I wanted to talk to you about that.

[ZERO-ONE resumes playing. BRIGETTE comes to sit down beside him.]

ZERO-ONE: There’s not really anything to talk about, is there? You’re right. We’re playing with technology that can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. I can’t just walk out there and say I’ve been alive all this time, right?

BRIGETTE: Bill, listen—

ZERO-ONE: It’s fine, Brigette. I understand. So tell me. Will she be my next partner?

BRIGETTE: Bill, we’re doing everything we can to find a solution for you. You know that, right?

ZERO-ONE: I know. You’ve been trying for—

[The music grows louder and faster for a few measures before it settles back down again.]

ZERO-ONE: Sorry. That was the grief talking.

[BRIGETTE rests a hand on his arm.]

ZERO-ONE: I trust you, Brigette. Don’t get me wrong about that. It’s just not easy. I get why it has to be done this way. I know; believe me. I remember Team Rocket and all the others as much as you do. It’s just—I really wanted to be able to hold her hand, you know? Properly.

[BRIGETTE shifts her hand to his back.]

ZERO-ONE: So. Doreen.

BRIGETTE: Yes. She’ll be your next partner. She doesn’t know about you. We’re waiting until she’s old enough to undergo the training Virginia’s proposed. Virginia’s plan is very thorough, really. Training. Pokémon handling. Mechanical work. Everything needed to maintain your chassis and protect you to boot, Doreen will be trained in it. Then we’ll introduce you to her and see how things go from there.

ZERO-ONE: She seems nice.

BRIGETTE: She is. [beat] You know, I really hope it won’t have to come to giving you to her, but we’re all—

ZERO-ONE: Getting older. I know.

[BRIGETTE stands.]

BRIGETTE: You should come upstairs. It’ll help to be surrounded by other people.

ZERO-ONE: Thank you, Brigette, but I can’t right now.

BRIGETTE: All right. It’s your decision. But let us know if you need anything, okay?

ZERO-ONE: Of course. Thank you.

[BRIGETTE walks to the staircase. She gives ZERO-ONE one last look, then ascends. ZERO-ONE continues playing for a while.]

ZERO-ONE: Doreen. She’s just a kid. I couldn’t…

[END RECORDING.]