A Quick Stop and Gym Badge [Open~]

Artemis looked at Uxie sadly. "Do you need some air?" she asked, sitting down on the library stairs to wait until it opened. "I can wait for you here if you do."

Uxie didn't really say anytning to Artemis, though it was clear she was going for some air. The collector showed up, and he comforted her, offering to stay wih her in the cavern if she so chose. Having something to think about already, she denied, but the collector didn't push her away. Her acceptance would come with time.

Artemis watched her Suicune go sadly, but didn't do anything to stop her. She was too far away to notice the persistence or even the presence of the collector, so she continued to sit on the library steps. As she reached through her bag, her hand grazed a small plastic baggie with 'Rare Candies' written with black marker. She didn't remember where she had gotten them, and assumed that amount wasn't obtained legally. She counted them. 20... she thought, and a devilish grin spread across her face.

She let out Lykouleon, and offered him the stack of candies. Those aren't healthy, he commented through telepathy, but ate every single one anyway. With that amount, it would be just enough to get him to level 100.

Pokémon has leveled to 100, and learned three new moves.

Suicune came back with her head in the collector's side. He knew her acceptance came with time, but he didn't expect it so soon. She didn't look at Artemis, just kept her eyes shut as he rubbed her head.

Artemis stared open mouthed at the collector and Suicune, but remained calm. "He doesn't seem the type to stay by his word. He's broken it many times before." she said, but stopped it at that. She returned Lykouleon, who was glaring down at Suicune with a look of betrayal.

She looked back up at Suicune. "If it's your choice," she said, "I won't stop you if you want to go with him." Her eyes teared up a little, but she wiped the moisture away quickly.

"You betrayed the one thing you could call a mother," the collector said to Artemis, Suicune looking at her with disappointment and depression. "What kind of wicked animal are you?"

"One that shouldn't have done what she did," Artemis replied truthfully, "but I can't change the past. Well, I may be able to," she thought of the legend of Celebi, but dismissed the idea, "but I won't. Maybe I am a wicked animal, but that's something I'll have to accept."

The collector looked at Artemis, her suicune walking over to her and just laying down. "You are a monster, you know that Artemis," he asked her curiously.

"I think all people are monsters," Artemis said, "even you." Rune looked up at her with curiosity, and started pounding small fists against her head. Don't say that! You're perfect, and so are tons of people!

"Not really," the collector said to Artemis, her suicune standing up. "I don't think that suicune is a monster, and she could be considered a person just like you or I. Now Suicune, leave Artemis and come help me. I could be kinder to you than she has been." Suicune lifted her head, looking at the collector curiously, having had the issue of leaving Artemis brought up again, but unlike last time, she was literally considering it.

"Yes Suicune could be a person, but she has a pure heart, unlike most human people," she looked sadly at Suicune, "I won't force you to stay," she said with a cracking voice, "I'll miss you if you decide to go..." Her eyes teared up again.

Don't go... Rune sobbed.

Suicune turned her head, looking at Artemis. "Why shouldn't I," she asked Artemis. "It doesn't really matter where I go. Someoen will want me because of the abilities I have to cause a good amount of happiness or destruction. No one will really ever want me again because they grew to love me as a mother or otherwise relative." She turned her head towards the collector, thinking of what he would do if she chose to go with him before she turned her head back to Artemis. "So really, I'm just a puppet anyway. No 'person' about it."

"You aren't a puppet," Artemis said, then a discouraging thought brushed against her mind, and she hesitantly voiced it. "M-Maybe neither of us are the people for you," she said, "Maybe the trainer who will truly value you is out there somewhere, and you just haven't found them yet." She sighed, "You don't deserve a trainer who you believe is just a puppet master, and if you think that's what I am, maybe you truly shouldn't be with me..."

"I don't think your a puppet master," Suicune said to Artemis, her putting her head down. "I just wish you'd come and live in the cave with me again. I'll be alone forever."

"No you won't," Artemis replied, "Unless you want to be alone. You know I can't stay there, no matter how much you want it. Loneliness is only created by those who want to be lonely. If you truly wanted to be rid of it, you wouldn't confine yourself to that cave. Life isn't what it used to be, even deep down, I think you know I can't stay with you there. You can keep traveling with me, but if it isn't in your heart, then I guess you do seek loneliness."

Suicune looked up at Artemis. "I want to be with you, but it's just, I think it's safer in the cave," she said to Artemis. "I can't be stolen away there, and we could be happy." She turned her head, beginning to think of what Artemis had said.

"But don't you want me to be happy too?" Artemis asked, "I won't be happy there, but we could be happy out here together. We can travel and do all sorts of things. We've already made so many new friends," she grinned up at Rune, "life is better out here. For both of us, if you want it to be."

"How can you be so sure," Uxie asked Artemis. "How can you be sure that you can keep your happiness here?" She turned a bit. "I'm going to put you through a test, just like anyone else that would attempt to capture me will go through. Even if you are the closest person to me, you have to go through it."

"I'll do it," Artemis replied, determined to show Suicune that she would be safe. "Whatever the test is, I'll do everything I can to pass it. For us." She smiled, and Rune started beaming, and flying in happy circles.

Suicune put Artemis into a rest, forcing her to wake up in a dream rendering of the cave. Artemis would be her young self, and Uxie would be watching her. "Why didn't you come to eat when I called for you," she asked, not acting as if she had just been talking to her.

"I, er," Artemis shook her head, puzzled as to why she was brought back into their past. It couldn't be changed, but, there could be some necessary lesson buried within their memories. "I-I didn't hear you," she replied, "the roar of the water was a bit too loud. There must be a storm out." She wasn't sure if those were her exact words, but she did remember many storms when she was sheltered in the cave.

Uxie sighed, pulling Artemis over to where some food was. "I can assure you the fruit is clean, considering I had to pull it through some water," she said to Artemis. "Go ahead and eat so you don't starve."

"Okay," Artemis replied, tentatively taking a piece of fruit from Uxie and taking a bite. "It good," she said with a little surprise before blinking and looking at her Pokemon guardian. "It tastes so much fresher than what I'm used to." She was being consumed by the vision, and a small sliver in her mind began to think it was real, and she truly was back into her cave home.

Uxie saw this small change in Artemis' mind, and she knew that if she failed her test, she wouldn't wake up from the vision. The test was still going, however, so she couldn't do anything about it. "Well, of course it's fresh," she said to Artemis. "After you eat we can go swimming if you want."

"Sounds good to me," Artemis replied, her voice growing weary of how her mind wanted to slip away into the vision. She hung onto the shield of her logic to keep from slipping into the vision completely, not knowing that it would consume her forever, but rather knowing that she would fail and lose Uxie forever if she did not succeed.

She ate the fruit in silence, mulling over things and fighting against the vision. Once she took the final and savory bite, she stood up. "I'm finished," she said, "but I may have to let it sit a while before I start swimming. My mom always told me that swimming with a full stomach will give you a cramp." She chuckled, knowing now that the statement was false, but a popular misconception.