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Everything was quiet in the Ancient Retreat.
Cogita sat in her home, drinking tea in peace…
Then Volo came and burst through the door, it slamming against the wall with a loud thud. His head was tilted downward and he held the brim of his hat low on his face, covering it.
She was taken aback by the sudden noise.
“Oh, Volo! Why are you so.. Aggressive with your entrance this morning?”
He didn’t look up.
“Oh, sorry for the trouble Miss Cogita! But I’ve been pretty troubled lately, so it’s justifiable, don’t worry.”
“I will still worry, though,” She sighed, “I always worry about family when I need to.”
“There isn’t anything to worry about, though! It’s just a small obstacle in my plans.”
Cogita placed her tea cup down and looked sternly at her nephew. She walked toward him, only a foot away.
“Volo.. Please look at me and say that again.”
He hesitated before actually looking at her, and for good reason. Remnants of tear trails were on his face and his signature smile looked forced. It was a hard sight to see on someone who’s normally so optimistic, it hurt her a bit.
“See? Nothing to worry about!..”
“..Oh, Almighty Sinnoh.. What’s wrong, young man?”
Volo didn’t respond. He was looking away from her, seemingly lost in thought, emotionless.
“...Volo? Talk to me.”
He let out a low chuckle, looking back at her with a smile that was even more forced than the last.
“I wasn’t chosen by Arceus and I never will be. Someone else stole that opportunity from me, and there’s nothing I can do despite everything that I’ve done. It’s as simple as that, Cogita.”
Cogita took a step back, mouth agape. What he had said shook her a bit, definitely having been unexpected to her. Volo stepped closer to her in response, his approachable and charming persona slowly breaking.
She took another step back. “What.. What do you mean?”
“It’s obvious! Arceus summoned that puny child to stop my plans to meet him and change our world for the better. It’s unfair, right? Incorrect of him to do, right? Uncalled for, right?!”
He was now backing his aunt into a corner. The tone in his voice became more erratic, loud, and desperate with each word; Arms and hands shaking, being held up as if to grasp at something nonexistent. Cogita was distressed, but more for Volo than herself.
“Shouldn’t I be the one who gets rewarded for all of the years of hard work I did?!–”
“Volo! “ Cogita stamped her foot on the ground, interrupting Volo, “I understand why that could be upsetting, but this is simply overreacting!”
“How? Ever since I was young, I knew I had to work up to meeting the creator of this region and be his ally. Why would I throw my entire life away?!”
Cogita scoffed and turned away from him. “Because there’s more to life than legends from the past, you should know that.”
“B-But.. Life is nothing without all of those legends! I devoted myself to reading them every day– Almighty Arceus should at least visit me to thank me for caring so much about his creations, unlike the other idiots who think they can run this world and spread their beliefs as fact.”
“You’re missing my point,” She crossed her arms and tugged on her sleeves, uncomfortable,
“You’re ignoring the line that divides fiction from reality. From what is truly important in this world…”
“Arceus is certainly real… Why else would I be so invested in meeting him?”
“Arceus isn’t important right now!”
“But I’m important, aren’t I?!”
Everything went silent. Cogita turned to face Volo, who had tears rolling down his face. Her anger faded as she realized what he meant. She couldn’t find the right words to say, only being able to watch him cry as he seemingly hit rock bottom.
“...I’m important to Hisui, right..?”
The silence was painful to Volo. Every second that passed without a word spoken, it was as if a stake was driven deeper and deeper into his heart. He had stopped caring about being fit for Arceus– he only wanted an answer. Something to ease his worries, something to ease the tension, something to ease his mind.
But Cogita stayed silent. The stake was driven deeper and deeper…
It hurt to breathe.
“A-Alright. I see.” He forced out, “I’m not anything. My purpose here, with all of these legends and all of these people… can’t be described and never will be.”
“It’s meaningless.”
Cogita sighed.
“...No… You are important to this world, everyone is. But, you don’t have to have your life tied to Almighty Sinnoh, you can be your own person and be satisfied without his input. I can’t help you if you’re unwilling to see yourself without Arceus in the picture.”
He wiped the tears from his eyes.
“...Fine. I’ll speak to you later, when I have things under control. Alright?”
After not being given any response, Volo left the room as soon as he said it, and Cogita hadn’t faced him.
Everything was quiet in the Ancient Retreat.