Last night I had a dream about you

[It had been a few days since the celebration had been held in honor of Aster becoming the next professor of the Eldiw region. It felt more like a formality than a real milestone since Aster had been acting as much in Versil's stead for the better part of the last decade...certainly as long as Kay could remember. He'd attended of course, along with his recently mended family and many familiar faces he'd met along the way. Alice had even taken up a position as Aster's assistant, basically putting a neat bow on everyone's experiences up to this point. Aster presented Kay with a choice of Pokemon- Eldiw's "true starters"- and the moment he'd accepted the baby Chiripe as his own...was when it sunk in that things weren't okay. This didn't feel right. It wasn't a proper ending, much less a happy one. All he needed to do to remind himself of that was return home to see the belt of five pokeballs that didn't belong to him laying safely on his desk. Part of him felt like he should have brought them to Aster, but...he felt responsible for them now, keeping them safe and well taken care of for as long as he could.

After letting Chiripe settle onto his pillow for a nap, opting to let the Pokemon roam his room similar to the way Trishout had done when it was young to get used to the place, Kay left to fulfill the same routine he had been doing for the past several, long weeks.

No one knew really how he'd been returning to the fault lines, though they grew fewer and farther between as the days wore on. Aster had said they wouldn't completely disappear for many years, but with the sacrifice that had been made in the Xenoverse itself, Luxflon would finally be able to begin patching the rifts uninterrupted. Eventually, their world would be fully rid of the influence of the Xenoverse, officially declaring X Pokemon a rare and endangered species from that moment on. Knowing what he knew, though? Kay wasn't sure that would ever be possible. Not when people like him still existed with vestiges of that world lingering within them. Even Trishout would remain as a permanent example of that.

He'd been prepared to be disappointed. After making the long trip back Newtron with help from Abraham's Scaleon, Kay found himself back there. Back at the very first fault line that Aster had pointed out to him, one that Kay hoped may someday show him a glimpse of hope. He wasn't sure now if it was to spite his father, who sympathized but urged him to cease his worry over things he couldn't change, or for his own sake anymore. Maybe it was more for the Pokemon than himself. He just needed to keep trying.

That's when the fault suddenly reopened. What ended up coming out wasn't at all who he'd hoped, but it seemed like it was to be his only chance.]

Hurry up! I'm not above leaving you behind!

[Gengar's voice was shrill as Kay felt the familiarly vicious pull of the Xenoverse beckoning him once again into its depths, sucking him through the fault back into a world of darkness and despair. Despite the violent blast that had rent it asunder months prior, it didn't seem all that different at a glance...until you noticed the perpetual glitching spreading across the ground, breaks in reality that seemed to be worsening as time wore on. Only the influence of a powerful being could stop it from dissolving, and Dragalisk- though likely not dead- would not be able to do it alone any longer. The state of the Xenoverse was the furthest thing on Kay's mind now as he rushed after Gengar, who was making no pains to slow down for him as he led him further in. Trishout- now bearing the Xenoversal ring- ran ahead of Kay to keep a safe distance between him and Gengar, just in case the Pokemon was trying to trick them. A measure well implemented, seeing as soon enough the Pokemon comes to a stop at a fork in the path, looking this way and that.]

I'm not in the mood to be tricked- where are they?!

Shut up! Let me think! ...it's this way!

[Kay had no choice but to keep following. He had no real reason to trust Gengar, but...why would he bother dragging him into the Xenoverse knowing he likely wouldn't win if he tried to face Kay head-on?

He needed to hope that he was being genuine. That was all he had left.]

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[And for once in his life, Gengar was, in fact, being genuine.

It was hard to tell exactly where they were going with the way the landscape kept stuttering and jolting around them, pieces falling apart and rearranging only to suddenly snap back into place, then fall apart again. The path was almost unrecognizable by now - but no, it's still just familiar enough.

Gengar was leading him to the cliff where they'd faced Dragalisk. How could any of them ever forget it?

It was a good bit more... ragged than it was when Kay last saw it. Now it was marred by an enormous crater, and it was clear most of the damage was done long before this area started to glitch, even though scorch marks were still evident all around. Branching, lightning-like formations were burned into some of the stone and sand like veins, giving off a glassy gleam where what little light there was here hit them.

There was still some debris around. A torn piece of metal. A scrap of cloth. A snapped bundle of wires. A dark streak on a rock that might have been blood, or might have been oil - it was too dim here to tell.

And, at the center of the crater, sure enough, was a crumpled form. Though no, wait - that wasn't. That shape wasn't big enough. And yet, there was another familiar form huddled beside it, shaking weakly. Dim sparks crackled near it as it quivered, licking along the barely discernible shape - and every so often, in reaction, something would flash gold.]

[It's an increasingly difficult landscape to traverse, but one that Kay is more than willing to attempt as they make their way towards the cliff's edge. Trishout had fallen back a bit at this point to make sure Kay made it across the crevaces safely, leaving the two the last to come up on the site of the original blast radius as Gengar floats above the wreckage. For once, he isn't smiling or cackling. Maybe the severity of the situation has finally sunk in, somehow.]

I told you! It's all right here, or...what's left of it.

[What's left of it. It's...not an understatement but, oh, it's enough to make Kay's stomach turn as he breeches the hill and comes to a stiff stop at it's peak. He gives himself only a fraction of a second to process what he's looking at before he's lurching forward, his lips forming words- a name, maybe- that doesn't quite make it out of him audibly before Trishout is cutting him off with a low hiss. Respectfully, mind. The last thing Sabolt needs is everyone rushing it at once.

Trishout approaches first, taking extreme care in the way it pads around and over bits of undiscernable debris. It gives a low, soft grumble as it approaches the trembling Pokemon, leaving Kay to catch up as quickly as his partner will allow. He can see the flash of light even from this distance, and while he'd been trying not to get his hopes too high...he can already tell it's getting difficult to breathe, and it has nothing to do with being in the Xenoverse.]

Sabolt...

[He eventually breathes once Trishout stops about a half-foot away, leaning in to gently nudge the Pokemon with it's snout. It's clearly alive- barely-, but...what of it's trainer?]

[Sabolt barely has the strength to move, only letting out a low, pained croon as Trishout nudges it. It looks like it's barely registering what's going on around it when it lifts its head to look up towards Kay, eyes blank and distant - but then it slumps back down, half in relief and half in exhaustion, and huddles further into the form beside it.

It's Trey all right. What's left of him indeed. Most of him is flat-out gone- lower body blown clean off and the ragged gash where his torso just ends reveals... mostly metal, and wires, and machinery. There's a glow from somewhere in there - some kind of container or core? His right side seems to have had it rougher than his left - although perhaps that's a blessing. There's only wires where his right arm once was, but scabbed over gashes are visible on his left. The mechanical side of his face has been partially torn away, but the left is more or less intact.

The mechanical right eye is what's been flashing every so often as Sabolt continues to supply whatever energy it can - it's stuck wide open, while his left is closed. And Trey... hasn't moved at all otherwise, not even to the sound of Kay's voice. Unconscious?

Hopefully unconscious. But if his systems are intact enough to react to electricity, then just maybe...]

[It's a really hard scene to stomach. Kay knew it would be bad, he knew...but even with Trey being a cyborg, it isn't nearly enough to soften the blow. Kay startles even himself with the way he abruptly drops to his knees beside what was left of Trey's body, trusting Trishout to keep an eye on Sabolt while he looked Trey over, fighting to get his brain to work quickly enough to think of what to do. Anyone else might just assume him to be a lost cause, but Kay knows better. He's seen that glow before and recognizes it.

With shaking hands, Kay quickly pulls a pokeball from his belt as Gengar looks on, releasing Harrowk with it's usual burst of white light. The Pokemon has scarcely a moment to stretch its wings before it's being made to take in the grisly scene, his trainer breathless as he gives orders.]

Give them both as much of your electricity as you can spare. Please. Don't stop.

[The words tumble from his mouth as he reaches out first to very gingerly push his hands beneath Sabolt's little frame, lifting him as gently as he possibly can so he can be placed on Trishout's back. From there...he reaches in to try to lift up the larger remains of Trey's body in his arms, heedless to the oil or blood or whatever else gets on him.]

Wha- what are you doing!?

I'm getting Trey out of here, and you're helping me. Pick up as much as you can.

What makes you think you can tell me-

NOW.

[And so, the hardest part begins.]

[Sabolt begins to panic and flail a little as it's picked up, but when it feels a refreshing thrum hit it and sees Harrowk gently threading electricity to itself and Trey both, it relaxes and lets itself be placed on the larger pokemon's back. Once there, it huddles back up, wrapping its arms around one of Trishout's back protrusions to hold on.

As for Gengar, well uh, there's something uniquely compelling about that "NOW." Maybe it's the fact that he knows damn well Kay's pokemon could easily destroy him by this point. Maybe it's the fact that he watched this guy beat up what was basically a god, and also his boss. Maybe it's the almost inaudible echo of Xeno-energy in Kay's voice as he says it. Whatever it is, Gengar freezes for a moment before shaking himself out of it and starting to search the area for... cyborg bits, he guesses. Whatever. He's grumbling about it the whole way.

There's not much to find - the luckiest Gengar gets is a near-intact leg, but otherwise it's just an armful and a tailful of metal and wires and torn clothing, maybe a few swatches of synthetic skin. Honestly, by the looks of things, it's a miracle there's even this much of Trey left at all.

Kay might notice, as he goes to pick up Trey's dismembered torso, that there's already a change now that Harrowk's stronger voltage is running through him. More lights are on in his chest cavity, and there's a faint humming sound from somewhere within.

And, as he's hefted upwards, Trey's left eyelid twitches.]

[Kay didn't even look to see if Gengar complied, simply assuming he would instead of testing him and suffering the potential consequences later. Why else would the Pokemon have even bothered to lead Kay here if not with the intent to do something about this mess that's been left behind?

Trishout, in spite of being filled with it's own measure of Xeno-energy, is calm as Sabolt is placed upon it, giving another low hum as if in the hopes it will calm the little Pokemon down. It's probably a far cry from being up next to Trey himself, but until they can get back out of here it's the best they can do.

Kay wishes he could carry more of Trey than this, but the fact that there's very little left to bring back is as much of a blessing as it is a curse. What if he brings him to Chrysler only to be told he's brought back a corpse? It's a risk he's going to have to take, but even so...he can feel his heart hammering in his chest as he hefts Trey closer to himself, starting to stand-

Until the stream of electricity from Harrowk is just enough to cause something in the remains to stir, enough to stop Kay dead in his tracks.]

...Trey. Trey?

[He holds him closer, unsure if it's just a robotic reflex or something more. Even if he can't speak now, maybe he can hear him...]

Trey- it's Kay. I...I'm getting you out of here, okay? We're going back to Eldiw. You're going to be alright, I promise.

[The last thing Trey expected was to wake back up. The bomb had used his own power supply as an integral part - with that gone, his life support systems would be offline in a matter of minutes, and tissue death wouldn't take long to follow. But no, he could feel something running through him, and already his head was pounding as his first brush with consciousness was met with more error messages than he'd ever seen in his life. The left half of his face scrunches up in a wince.

It takes a long moment for him to register that someone's speaking, but once it clicks, he recognizes the voice instantly.]

Ugh. Ka-a-ay?

[His voice is barely there, at first, a breathy whisper, but halfway through Kay's name there's an audible click and it becomes louder and more synthesized, stuttering.]

[Part of Kay wasn't expecting an answer. It wouldn't have been overly surprising, seeing as how he's currently holding half of Trey. The other part of him, though...the part that continuously visited the rifts despite knowing he'd find nothing there? That part feels a wild flutter of relief when Trey's face screws up, it actually moves, and when Trey manages to just barely say his name Kay can feel the breath he'd been exhaling catch painfully on the way out.]

Trey.

[He's not even sure how he himself sounds right now. Dumb, he's certain, but that doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that Harrowk keeps pumping him with enough energy to keep him functioning- he and Sabolt both- while they try to navigate their way back out of the Xenoverse. He glances over to Trishout to make sure it has Sabolt secure before he tries to stand, lifting Trey up with him.

Trey may not be able to see well enough to take note, but if he can then it's probably just a glitch or a trick of the light, the way the electricity from Harrowk bounces off Trey's eyes and face and makes everything look a little more glassy than it should be.]

Just- don't say anything else. Conserve your energy. We're leaving this place for good. I'm going to get help...you're going to be okay.

[Synthetic voice switching on immediately means a synth-lung rupture, so that's fun, and also he can't feel... most of himself. But Trey doesn't have the energy to filter through all the errors crowding the vision of his right eye, not right now. The vision he is getting through his left eye is hazy and too bright all at once, but he can make out Kay's ridiculous shock of bright red hair. Oh. He's close. There's pressure on his torso, his arm - Kay's holding him? Trey's eye drops downward.

...that sure is purple ground instead of legs. Right. Kay's carrying him. All right then. He wakes up when he should be dead, and Kay is here, where he shouldn't be, doing something stupid that part of Trey still insists he isn't worthy of. He should probably be processing this, but right now, he just... can't.

So there's only a groan as he lets his head drop, slumping into Kay. He doesn't think he can say anything else right now.

And, well. If there's one person in the world capable of pulling off the impossible, he's in his arms. Just... by all the stars in the sky, PLEASE let Kay be right about that. Trey won't forgive himself if all he ends up doing is dying after letting him have hope. He hadn't planned on... he never wanted Kay to see this.]

[Once it's become clear that Trey isn't going to be joining the land of the living any time soon, Kay gives up any further attempts to talk to him. As tempting as it is to keep talking to maybe keep him awake, he's not sure it works like that for cyborgs. The most he can hope for is that Harrowk will have enough energy to keep both him and Sabolt going until he and Gengar make it all the way out of the Xenoverse and back to Westar City.

Hadwarf City does not even come to Kay's mind as an option right now, as much as he knows he needs to contact Aster as soon as possible about this. The very last thing he wants his father to get wind of is 1) the fact he reentered the Xenoverse and 2) that he's recovered Trey's body. He's setting himself up for a stressul time later, but right now he doesn't much care. He isn't about to dawdle and let Trey die over his indecisiveness.

All it took was Kay being stern with Gengar before to get the Pokemon to continue to comply in spite of itself, though this time it doesn't need to lead the way to the rift. It's Trishout who takes them there, bounding ahead with Harrowk inbetween to keep the electricity flowing into both Trey and Sabolt continuously the whole way. All the while, Kay keeps Trey held close, letting his head rest against his collarbone.

There's no way they're going to be able to fly with the two in the state they're in, leaving Kay with little choice but to call GEIST from the forest once they make it out. It's a blessing to have the ghost-hunters on his side; not only does he have Chrysler to rely on to help with Trey, but Minta immediately leaps to action when requesting travel help. It isn't long at all until she and Buster arrive to help ferry them over. Even Salem- surprising everyone- lends his assistance upon learning Kay needed help. Gengar...of course needed some explaining, which occurs on the way there.

They arrive at Westar within the day, Kay bringing Trey to Chrysler with only one request: help him. Whatever you have to do, just...help him. He can't promise miracles, an ultimatum he has to give Kay upon seeing just how mangled Trey is. Sabolt is no less critical, but at least mostly in one piece. Minta and Will take charge of getting him medical attention at the Pokemon Center...or that was the plan, but the moment they attempt to take it is when they realize it's not going to happen easy. It cries and refuses to be pulled away from Trey's side initially, who had already been placed gingerly up on a table with the remainder of his body parts to be worked on. It takes a lot of hushing and convincing from Kay, assuring it that he has no plans whatsoever to leave that room even if Chrysler protests. It's eventually enough, mainly with Kay allowing Trishout in his base form to accompany Sabolt so it isn't alone. Kay isn't sure it's ever even been in a real Pokemon Center...

Eventually, the commotion dies down and Kay finds himself alone on the far side of Chrysler's room. Harrowk remains perched at the head of the table for assistance, just in case something goes south with the power while Chrysler works. It's all happening behind a curtain, mainly because Chrysler doesn't usually work with an audience...but if he had to answer truthfully, it's mainly because letting Kay watch this process would do him more harm than good. The only thing he can really do in the meantime is call Aster to fill him in on the situation, only to end up getting in a hushed argument with him over whether or not Versil needs to know.

He doesn't. And Aster would do well to keep quiet until further notice.]

[Trey had seemingly passed out again on their way to Westar, and even beforehand he hadn't gleaned much - Kay had called for help. He wasn't sure who, but none of them were Versil.

...Good.

That had been all he'd needed to let himself slip away again, and he'd remained unconscious throughout Chrysler starting to work.

It's a long, long several hours. Eventually, the sounds of work die down, and Chrysler steps out from behind the curtain, wiping oil from his hands with a rag.]

Your friend. He's from Team Dimension. And from the looks of the damage, he sustained an internal explosion. You're very lucky, you know - both of you.

Edited 2021-03-06 03:52 (UTC)

[Realistically, Kay should be exhausted by now. He got up early to go to the fault, made his way deep into the Xenoverse and back, and trekked all the way from there to Westar in a single day. Instead, he feels simultaneously more awake and worn down than he's ever been, sitting on the edge of a chair waiting for Chrysler's verdict. It didn't help really that he was still agitated by Aster's pressing about his father, as much as he knew deep down he was just trying to do what was best for Trey in a crisis. Kay just had to trust that Aster wouldn't spill the beans, otherwise they were all in for a bad time.

The moment Chrysler steps out, Kay is on his feet and swaying slightly, catching himself before it can be noticed. He very nearly just moves past Chrysler to see Trey's condition for himself, but...he holds off for now.]

Luck didn't have anything to do with it. [He murmurs, speaking for the first time in hours.] Trey saved me.

[Had he not forced Kay back through the portal...it's very likely Kay wouldn't have left him. He knew what he was doing.]

Is he going to be okay?

As okay as I can make him, yes.

On second thought, you might be right about the luck - I'm no doctor, but his bio-systems seem perfectly intact. They had plenty of shielding. In fact, I'd almost say whoever built him meant to protect his organic parts from this very damage.

[Chrysler waves Kay over, moving to slide the curtain aside.]

Most of what you recovered wasn't usable, but I had enough spare parts. They were originally intended for fixing Revolver, but your friend uses the exact same systems, or very close. It was all plug-and-play.

[Trey is... well, there he is. More or less whole again, and now it's clearer than ever where his organic parts lie. The left side of his upper chest and arm still have real skin, and Chrysler's cleaned the wounds there and bandaged them. The parts of his torso that survived still have the original synthetic skin covering, and although it's close in tone to his real skin, the line where they meet is still visible. But everything Chrysler had to replace - the right side of his face, most of his lower abdomen, his entirely new right arm, the leg that they couldn't recover - has a more clearly synthetic covering that's a light grey color.

Also, all of the remains of Trey's clothes have been removed, which is only to be expected. Given that Chrysler used robot parts to replace everything, however, it's not like he really has anything to cover up anyway.]

I also didn't have any of the synthetic skin material he was using, so I had to use a different covering. There should be no functional difference, but if he wants to look more human you may have to find a source for that. Anyway, he should wake up on his own once his new power supply is charged enough to manage it.

[Chrysler gestures to the thick cable still slotted into a port on Trey's side.]

[...oh no he's hot.

Is his first, if brief, thought. A moment of exhausted weakness, you could say. A darker side of him crawling its way in and preying on him being vulnerable for the first time in a way he actually noticed. Fortunately, he's quick to shove it back down and focus on the more important matter at hand. That matter being: Trey not in fact being fucking dead.

It doesn't mean he has any easier of a time holding himself back from reaching a hand out towards him. His hand twitches forwards before he catches himself, staying his hand at his side where he's positioned next to the table.

Trey likely won't be regaining any of his former synthetic skin any time soon, be it by his choice or otherwise. Namely because that would require Versil getting involved, which...yeah. That isn't in the cards as long as Kay is the one calling the shots. Still, seeing him laying there in more or less one piece is enough to expel the first sigh of relief from Kay. He isn't entirely out of the woods, but...the fact he isn't critical means everything.]

That...doesn't matter right now. Thank you, Chrysler.

[I'd almost say whoever built him meant to protect his organic parts from this very damage.

Kay's jaw works, but he doesn't comment on the rest. He can feel that clawing at the back of his mind again, but once more he weighs it down.]

I'm going to stay with him until he wakes up.

[No asking for permission, just: I'm staying. Harrowk was dozing in the corner anyway after all the work he'd put in, and Kay wagered that Chrysler probably needed a break himself.]

[Chrysler simply nods, and heads off to another part of the firehouse, content to leave them alone. The rest of GEIST will also want an update, after all, and he's sure Kay doesn't need to be mobbed.

It feels like another eternity later when the little yellow light next to the cable ticks over to green, and Trey's hand twitches. His mechanical eye opens and blinks on next, and then he just - hangs there a moment.

The world's longest minute later, he exhales - it might only be now that Kay realizes he wasn't actually breathing before - and his other eye slides open too.]

...Tch. Why the hell am I alive.

[After Chrysler left, Kay had been content to pull up a chair and wait. Sabolt was likely still being treated at the center as they spoke, because even with hours of working on a cyborg you can't recover nearly as fast if you're entirely organic, meaning that they'd probably be alone for a while. Kay wasn't sure he had it in him to entertain anyone but Trey's presence for now though, so it's fine.

...well. Until Trey wakes up as unceremoniously as you'd expect, but honestly? It would be more concerning if that wasn't his immediate reaction upon suddenly being alive and no longer in the Xenoverse. Part of Kay had worried something could go wrong, like his memories getting scrambled or somehow getting reset upon waking.

Kay has to ball his hands into fists between his knees to keep them from shaking, but it doesn't help much. He's already sitting as close as he can be, the furrow of his brow relaxing a fraction when Trey speaks.]

You're welcome.

[It's low. Much less open and energetic compared to Kay's normal. Tinged with...something else, but it's still Kay for now.]

It's good to see you, Trey.

[Yeah, he hears that. You don't go through what they've been through without practically tasting Xeno wherever it manifests. Trey turns his head to the side to meet Kay's eyes. Well, they're not Alter eyes right now, at least. Trey's frowning now, but clearly still doesn't have his usual energy back.

God, it's good to see Kay too. But rather than respond to that in ANY direct manner whatsoever, he pulls himself up into a sitting position, rubbing at the wrist of his new arm and giving himself a quick once-over. Eh, good enough. He... sure doesn't seem concerned about his lack of clothing at all, though.]

Seriously. Has anyone ever told you you're crazy? Why even come back for me?

[YEAH UH...it's a very good thing he's a cyborg or else that would be a problem. Not that it isn't distracting, but he's also not going to think about that right now. He's not. Instead, he finds himself leaning back in his seat when Trey suddenly sits up sooner than he was expecting, the jostling of the cables causing Harrowk to stir with a muffled coo before immediately jamming his head beneath his wing to go back to sleep, bye.

Kay remains straight-backed in his chair as he's immediately repremanded by Trey for going in after him, feeling heat rise to his face. Part of it is indignation- of course he went back for you, you absolute moron- while the rest is yet another sign of relief. Trey is just as himself as he was before he exploded, even with the modifications. It's all Kay could have asked for, yet...it hasn't fully sunk in that he is here and is okay.

But it will. Oh, it will.]

The only reason I'm sitting here is because you decided I needed to be. The entire region needed to be. You don't know me as well as you think if you thought I was just going to be okay with you leaving after pulling a stunt that.

Yeah, no kidding! That was the only way, remember? No one else could've stopped that thing, not anyone who had something to go back to!

[It's basically what he'd said before, standing there in the Xenoverse. Trey hadn't had anyone left but Sabolt for a very long time, and Kay was too important - both to too many people and to the region, or possibly the world, itself. To him, it had been an obvious choice to make.

But it hadn't been a painless one. He huffs, snapping his gaze away from Kay and opting to stare angrily at the wall instead. Totally not because he didn't want Kay to see the tears starting to well up in his left eye. Nope. Absolutely not that at all.

...Because it is starting to hit him. It doesn't even feel real, but he's here, and this absolute idiot who refuses to stop believing in him somehow found a way to save him against all odds. That wasn't the way it was supposed to go.]

"Leaving." Hah. I should've been blown to pieces; why didn't I...

[There's a reason Kay had used the wording of Trey "leaving" instead of "dying". Or maybe "sacrificing" himself, which is exactly what had happened. It's not unexpected behavior nor is his response anything at all surprising. Trey is just reiterating what Kay heard (and rejected vehemently, clearly) before. Coupled with the words Chrysler said earlier still echoing in his mind, though...

Kay is on his feet so suddenly that the chair he'd been sitting in clatters backwards to the floor, startling Harrowk into almost falling off his perch. It only takes long enough for the Pokemon to look over and see the two before it quickly flutters off, flying to some other part of the building until further notice. It doesn't manage to get out before Kay's outburst in reply, causing it to falter in the doorway.]

Who says you had nothing to go back to?!

[It only takes that moment, that split second of Kay losing his grip, for that familiar darkness in his eyes to creep in. It hasn't happened in a while, but with his feelings about Versil being so mixed and his upset over Trey still so raw and unprocessed, it was only a matter of time before Alter truly came to the forefront in full force. But even with the clear influence of Kay's grudge in place, it's still very much Kay speaking with his fists shaking at his sides.]

The only reason I found any of you to bring back was because you were made specifically to withstand that kind of damage. That's what Chrysler said.

[And if he weren't already so keyed up and agitated, he wouldn't say this. But...Alter doesn't care about the potential blow as Kay continues on before he can stop the words, each one dripping with resentment.]

You were intended to make that choice whether you wanted to in the end or not! He was going to-!

[Kay can only speculate, but he can only wonder...did Versil intend to have Trey nuke the Xenoverse from the very beginning? Using himself as a kamikaze when finally backed against the wall? Surely a coward like his dear old dad never would have let himself die in such a way, oh no. Why go through that when you can manipulate and raise someone else to do it for you? Surely then you could return to your loving family and pretend as if none of it had ever happened, right?

That's right, Alter purrs between Kay's ears, stoking the flames of his anger. Get mad. Your father is to blame for this. Every word he speaks was always a hollow platitude to gain your trust in the very end. Knowing Trey was never meant to survive...how else would he ensure that you would forgive him later? Why else would he refuse you returning to the Xenoverse?

The way Trey just nonchalantly speaks about his own destruction like it should have happened effortlessly leaves Kay feeling sick. He can't see Trey's tears, no, but he can see his remains still in his mind's eye. He'll never forget seeing him broken like he had, limbs missing, scarcely a torso with most of his right half missing. It was only thanks to Sabolt that he'd survived.]

S...sabolt.

[That's right.

Kay staggers a step backwards, wrenching a hand from his side to press to his face. Calm down. You don't have it right. At least, not entirely. The last thing he needs to be doing is feeding Trey half truths formed from his own resentment. He deserves to know what really happened.]

Sabolt...it kept you alive. I don't...know how long you were in there, but...it kept you alive...

[And if it hadn't been for the little Pokemon- if Gengar found them just a bit later- he would have arrived to two corpses. That much Kay is certain of.

In all of the time Kay had spent obsessing over trying to recover Trey by any means necessary, he hadn't given himself the opportunity to properly grieve his loss. He'd refused to even accept the idea that he was gone forever. While everyone else had since moved on with their lives, securing their own happy endings, Kay- arguably the one who deserved that rest the most- had clung to the past. It was just too unfair. He wasn't going to accept it without at least trying to do something, even if that meant sitting around slowly closing portals in the hopes that some miracle would occur.

It had been fruitless from the start. Both he and Trishout knew it, but his partner hadn't had the heart to try to stop his trainer. It was something he needed to work through on his own, for better or worse. Now that he's staring Trey down and spending that time yelling at him and forcing concepts into the light that he's likely not ready to face, it hits Kay all at once. Like a tidal wave rushing over him heavy and final, Kay smudges his hand further up his face and into his hair, his breath hitching as tears roll down his cheeks unbidden. The darkness is gone, and for the first time since Trey had shoved him through that portal, real grief wells up inside of him. It's enough to dispel Alter completely for the time being, leaving him standing there trying- and failing- to patch the dam back up before it completely breaks. For Trey's sake.

Bringing both of his hands to his face, he turns halfway to face elsewhere. He can feel tears escaping through the gaps in his fingers in a way that's almost comical how excessive it is, but that's what happens when you refuse to allow yourself to feel things for three months straight. He has no reason to grieve when Trey is sitting there alive, but, well. Here he is. Maybe it's more relief than anything now, but...he doesn't know.

It's too much.]

Edited (the xenomons are genderless chi) 2021-03-06 06:32 (UTC)

[Trey snaps his head back around as Kay shouts, tensing immediately as he sees the grey washing over his... his what? Friend? Counterpart? Surely not mere acquaintance, not anymore. The streak of tears finishes rolling down Trey's cheek and drops onto the table, but it's forgotten now, as his own organic eye dims briefly to red and black as if in response.

But no - Trey's wrestled with his demons long enough, has more control than that. Any sign of his own Alter form has faded in just a moment.

What Kay's saying about how he survived, that hits hard and it hits heavy. He's stunned for a moment, trying to process it. Is that true? What the fuck? Trey shifts himself forward, starts to respond...

The next thing Kay says stops him dead in his tracks.]

S...Sabolt.

[It comes out in a choking gasp as the realization hits him. There's a surprisingly soft expression that flicks across Trey's face for a moment as Kay starts to sob, and then he's up off the table. Standing up, yanking the charging cable out of his side, gripping Kay's shoulders tightly and giving an unexpectedly gentle shake.]

Sabolt! It's alive!? Kay, Kay... hey noob, listen to me! Is Sabolt okay!? Where is it?

[It's... almost his usual tough act. But his voice is breaking more with every word and his organic eye is welling up again.]

H-hey, why are you so upset over someone like me? Tch... idiot!

[This guy really went to the end of the universe to find a barely human freak who shouldn't have survived, and that's starting to sink in now. Kay really was pretty amazing, wasn't he? No one else left on earth would have done so much for him, not expecting anything in return, Sabolt aside. So... why? He didn't understand it, why?]

[Why? It's such a simple question to answer, at least in Kay's mind. It's probably not something that Trey has really ever stopped to think about, given the fact he grew up entirely alone save for Sabolt. He never had the opportunity to make friends his age or foster any real relationships, making Kay the actual first as both his rival and- as far as Kay is concerned- friend. Unlike both Aster and Alice, Kay isn't sure he ever considered Trey his enemy, not really. He just...gave him this feeling that there was much more to him than that.

Turns out he was right.

He wasn't expecting Trey to surge up from the table like that, especially not when he really needs to stay where he is and allow his body to charge up some more before he even attempts to stand, but Kay is in no state to try to force him to sit back down just yet. He's managing to choke back open crying for the most part, but it's a precarious tightrope he's walking when Trey is demanding answers. It's a lot easier to keep yourself from crying when you don't have to say anything, Kay's noticed.]

It...It's a-at the Pokemon Center...

[He's hopeful Sabolt will be alright. If the little Pokemon managed to survive while also keeping Trey alive for as long as it had, then it's will to live far outweighs anything else. No way would it die without knowing whether or not Trey made it, either.

After a moment, Kay pries his hands away from his face long enough to lift them and gingerly let them grip Trey's elbows, his touch barely there but enough to give him some purchase. Neither of them should be standing right now actually; Kay's afraid he's going to take Trey down to the floor if he ends up losing his balance like this.]

It's o-okay...you're okay, I...I can't believe it...

[The huff of air that escapes Trey's lips can only be a sigh of relief. The center. Right. He'd... rarely trusted the places himself, but right now, that was the best thing to hear. Somewhere Sabolt was being taken care of, and it wasn't in the hands of anyone from Team Dimension.

He almost flinches away from Kay's touch, but seems to... make himself stay. He's not quite sure why. It's now that Trey realizes he touched Kay first - that's... not something he'd normally do. Touching other people, well, he doesn't have any memories of that - not after a certain point in his life, anyway. But here he is, being almost... clung to, for balance.

Your legs feeling weak because of emotions isn't something that really happens to cyborgs, but Trey could swear there's a tremor in his knees. He hesitates, then starts to drop his hands, though really that only mean his hands are sliding towards Kay's. He's not consciously trying to hold hands, he promises.]

...No. I'll be okay, but not yet.

[It's a bitter mumble, and he glances away, unable to take that look on Kay's face. There's a beat, then he sucks in a breath as if to steel himself and looks back, locking eyes with determination.]

And neither are you. But right now, stop babbling and take me to Sabolt.

[He says, still butt naked.]

["Neither are you."

Something about that sends a shiver down Kay's spine. He doesn't have it in him to turn it over in his mind right now, but something tells him he'll have no choice but to face it, later.

Kay honestly hadn't realized until Trey's hands slide off his shoulders just how close they'd ended up, Trey's hands sort of loosely gripping him near his wrists while Kay's are against Trey's arms pretty much wherever they end up naturally. Not quite holding hands, no, but with the way Kay immediately reached for Trey he might as well have started there. It's...made the atmosphere a little awkward, actually, enough that Kay makes himself readjust his stance, planting his feet so he can confidently let Trey go and stand on his own two feet. That doesn't make the gesture any less reluctant though, even as he's wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand. It's a distinctly miserable feeling to put an abrupt cap on what was definitely a lot of emotions needing to be vented, but he's so practiced at it by now that it's probably a little alarming to Trey how quickly he schools his expression into something harder and equally as determined. Even with wetness still clinging to his lashes, he's quick to move to shrug off his jacket and push it wordlessly into Trey's hands. Pants are a bit more of an issue, but...]

Here. Your old clothes were ruined, but...we'll get you something else. The Center isn't far from the firehouse.

[Eventually Kay settles on unclipping the curtain from it's frame to cover Trey's torso, making a mental note to apologize to Chrysler later. He knows better than to even try to argue with Trey in him needing to stay here; maybe if Sabolt is stable, they can return to recover here together.

No need for Trey to argue the semantics of not needing clothing, either. Just deal with it for now, Kay doesn't want to have to field other people being weird about it right now.]

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I may use the same two icons or a while forgive me

I mean same, no worries <3

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