TEST 8.

[azumods]

FLOW. The feeling of pressure in here is immense. It's stronger than it was with Darkrai, something you can feel down to your core, something that you couldn't shake off even if you tried; there's nothing to do but power through it. Saturn, for his part, either isn't feeling it at all or is incapable of reacting in any sort of appropriate way even if he could; he simply continues to regard you from across the room, his words hanging heavy in the room. It's a far cry from his behavior during the first month you were here; he was civil then, willing to do you favors in exchange for the chance to talk to you. It's plain that he will be doing no such thing today; it may be difficult to know where to start, really. Especially when your Pokémon don't seem to be doing well - whatever's happening here, they seem reluctant, even unwilling, to fight anything in this room. Perhaps it's not surprising; the energy in the room is likely familiar to them, and it's the sort associated with someone deciding to take their spirit away last time it was angered. Whatever the reason, you're on your own for now; whatever happens is your choice, and yours alone.

Comments

[azumods]

What would you have had me do? Run off and join you in your attempts at supposedly "saving" the world...?

My loyalty to Master Cyrus is unwavering. I'm not going to walk away from that.

[eudaimonikos]

I'd have you protect your friend!

[He snaps back, without even having to think about it.]

Nobody turns on everything they've believed in for the sake of some strangers. I think you knew deep down it would have been the right thing to do, but I don't expect you to take that kind of leap. I wouldn't expect it of most people. Just not how it is.

But you had someone you cared about, someone who cared about you, for your entire life. You weren't alone, you've never been alone! Do you have any idea how lucky you were to have something like that? And you let Cyrus destroy her. Even afterwards, when you really understood what you'd lost, you still chose your loyalty to your boss over your loyalty to her.

You owed Toxicroak more. You're just too afraid to admit it to yourself.

[azumods]

What difference does it make to you...? What I owed her, what loyalty you think I did or didn't offer her - this doesn't have anything to do with you. You don't care about her, and I doubt you care about me.

There isn't any point in going on about this sort of thing - what I should have done, what I should have chosen. The fact of the matter is that I didn't.

[niceoppai]

...Why d'you think we don't care about you? I mean, yeah, you're our enemy, we're trying to save the world by putting it back the way it was and you're trying to save the world by doing not that. But people wouldn't be wanting you to be okay and happy and having friendship and feelings and stuff if they didn't care.

[azumods]

I think most of you don't want me on your conscience.

There's a difference.

[semistableman]

I do care about your well-being.

[azumods]

You're wasting it, and I don't need it besides.

[discutio]

Too godsdamned bad, if you’ll pardon the lack of decorum. You need it more than you know.

[niceoppai]

You're actin' like we never had enemies before you. Look, maybe we don't want you to die because that's bad overall for anyone, yeah. But it doesn't mean you're this terrible person. I mean, even Camilla, she's great but she does want to beat all our enemies up, but she gets that most of us care about you, y'know, specifically. Besides, even people ten times worse'n you are sometimes still just need something to change for 'em, so why wouldn't we think the same about you?

[azumods]

[...You know, he is not at all surprised to hear that Camilla just really, really wants to beat people up? But that is beside the point- ]

You're wasting the attempt, if you're trying to get something to change for me. This is what I want.

[niceoppai]

'Cept you had to go an' get him to make you not not want it.

[anythingforyou]

[...On one hand, Camilla kind of wants to vocally agree, but on the other, she kind of just got done getting pissed at him for not being enough of their enemy...

Still, she'll at least nod in agreement; the majority of this ragtag group does care, after all.]

[eudaimonikos]

Don't be dense, you dink. You have any idea how many of us were pissed when we thought you might be dead?

[Michael folds his arms, calmer now but still bristling.]

Like I said. I've been where you were. If we're handing out bad people labels, I deserve one more than you. Although - [He adds quickly, definitely not looking at wherever in the room Jake happens to be.] - I think that approach is flawed, and I'm not here to mutilate myself over it.

[azumods]

[...Michael.]

I'm aware that I'm not the worst person around. I've never thought I was. I'm just also aware that I'm not a good one, either.

[eudaimonikos]

I never said you thought you were the worst person, but you whine about being a bad one a whole lot. Just do something about it already.

[azumods]

It's less whining and more an explanation. This is at least partially why I follow Master Cyrus - he's willing to provide for me despite that, and he's going to help me not be like that anymore.

I am doing something about it.

[eudaimonikos]

You joined Team Galactic specifically because you're shitty and you know it. Or you did, before you went and got mindfucked.