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A lifetime of mistakes, all leading from one act to the next, culminating in the totality of his sins and failures—
—All leading to this.
Wes sucked in another wheezy breath, fingers digging against the pavement helplessly. The metal wall at his back felt unyielding and strangely cool in the darkness, a complete contrast to the warmth that pooled beneath him.
The scent of copper growing stronger with every second.
He’d made one fatal miscalculation, enough to undo every precaution he’d ever crafted for himself, and the irony of it drove a wet laugh from his weakening lungs. Beside him, Umbreon paced back and forth with distressed coos, the yellow rings on his body glowing with ever-ebbing light. Espeon lay curled in a ball next to Wes, heedless of his trainer’s blood, his own trickling to join it from a cut on his face.
“I’m sorry…” Wes managed to rasp to them, unable to even question why they wouldn’t leave, why they seemed as agonized as he did in that moment. “I fucked up, didn’t I…?”
It seemed like such a good idea at the time. To defy Gonzap. He definitely wasn’t expecting the abrupt 180° from his boss, though. One minute, a “hell no,” the next, recoiling from a gunshot to the abdomen. Going from the gang’s prized thief to another casualty dying in the alley. But maybe it was what Wes deserved for a lifetime of ruthlessness.
“At least he didn’t take you…”
At that whisper, a weak attempt to justify this costly mistake, a low chuckle suddenly filled the air, making Wes’s hair stand on end and his two Pokémon look up. They both gave quiet growls, bristling as something moved in the shadows.
“It means nothing, little one. These Pokémon… they are so devoted to you, so bonded… they will not last long after your death. They will die of broken hearts.”
Wes felt his blood chill—well, more than it was attempting to already, in that moment. “What…?” he rasped, trying to move his head to see where the voice was coming from. But everything felt fuzzy, far away. Like he was drunk, but instead of feeling warm, everything was getting slowly colder…
“Such a fatal consequence of love,” the voice continued, both mocking and bitter in the same breath, “to sacrifice everything and yet have it all amount to nothing. They will follow you into your grave.”
A footstep followed the words… then another. Slow, loud, deliberate. Out of the shadows stepped a tall, lithe figure dressed in dark slender clothing. Long pale hair billowed out behind him like a streaming crest, and a cold, harsh face sneered down at Wes lying before him. He stopped just a few feet away from the dying man, with a small huff of amusement.
“You know this to be true… don’t you?”
Wes shuddered and stared up at the mysterious man, heart pounding erratically, but deep down he did know. Espeon and Umbreon had been bonded to Wes from a young age, and their Psychic and Dark-type powers only enhanced this bond to levels indescribable. He somehow could tell, in their lethargic and miserable demeanors, that they would be broken upon his last breath. The depression that would set in would render them helpless, useless… and in time, lifeless. It was not unheard of, and despite himself, frustrated tears welled up at the corners of his eyes. He had wanted so badly to save them… and yet, in losing his life, he would have failed them anyway.
“W-Who the hell are you…?” he whispered, blood flecking from rapidly numbing lips.
The tall man smiled slowly, though it was less sinister and more… sympathetic, in a way. He kneeled before Wes and gazed at him with unnerving red eyes.
“I am… one who should not care. The life of one pathetic mortal? Meaningless to me. And yet…” He paused to regard Espeon and Umbreon, both glowering at him yet seeming too weakened to really put up a fight. “…I, too, know what it is like to be helpless, to watch a beloved companion fade away on my behalf. And I gave everything to ensure it did not come to pass.”
Wes’s eyes flickered with mild interest. “How…?”
“By choosing… the infinite darkness. Embracing the part of yourself you have spent this life trying to suppress, to control… and spending the rest of your next life reveling in freedom.” The man grinned then, lips pulling back to reveal white teeth… and prominent canines, sharp and glinting in the moonlight. “Death for your enemies… eternity with your beloved Pokémon… and the ability to consume all you desire, without restraint.”
A dim, confused horror settled over Wes at this explanation, but his senses felt distant, trickling away just like the time he had left, and as he stared at Espeon and Umbreon beside him, he knew the decision was already made.
“…And they’ll live?”
The man’s expression softened, but his eyes reddened noticeably. “Live… yes. Not unchanged. But they will live.”
Vision already fading, Wes swallowed one last time… and nodded. “Sounds… like a deal to me.”
And even as his senses dulled, as he felt the dull pop of fangs sinking into his throat and all that long hair gently, lovingly enveloping him into the darkness… Wes’s eyes rolled back just enough so he could see the moon above him, a brilliant aura, the last thing he remembered before everything changed.
“Beautiful.”