If only the poor girl really knew about what he really was and how he felt about it. Sleep did not come easy to him for a reason, pleaded prayers to Cresselia whispered in the air for when he closed his eyes. Yet, yet, he felt this was not his story right now. This was Mcflurry's moment.

He did not flinch away or lash out at her anger. It was well deserved, after all. His Slowking stepped up as if to defend him. He raised his hand and ushered him back. Let her do what needed to be done and say her piece. Aloe looked unsure but went back to seeking out wild pokemon. Crushing the pink ice type with a psychic blast to sate his own frustration. Felt bad for what he had done and stolen an empty pokeball from his Trainer's belt. Aloe did not crave violence.

It was dead silent after she was done. Not a movement, not a breath. His eyes were steel. But then they softened, just slightly, something like regret or pity or another emotion that was equally sticky and uncomfortable.

"That won't make them let you go. That only makes them keep a firmer hold on you." And his voice was softer than it had been before, too. "I used to be like you. Then they took and took and took until I didn't have anything left."

Another pause.

"Are you willing to die to be free? Or will you let them scoop all the good out of you until you're a husk like I am?" It was not a threat or a promise. He did not want to hurt her, would not raise a hand to her even if she struck first. It was a warning of what was to come.

Catching ice cream!

"You have to die."

The answer was simple.

"But that doesn't mean you have to be dead."

Or maybe not so simple.

Even if she didn't welcome it, he was a stranger aside from all the other reveals that had happened in the last few minutes, but Chu-e still reached out to place a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder. A poor attempt at comfort but it had never been his specialty to start with. He gave a squeeze and let her cry herself out. While he did so, Aloe chased after Steelix, with much the same intention and reason; there was little the Slowking could do the two humans and there were still dangers deeper in the tunnel. Like the the Piloswine, who took two strong Water Pulses to take down and managed to land a lucky Take Down. Aloe still used one of his pilfered pokeballs on it, like he had on the Vanillite.

Chu-e reached into his bag again, not having to look as deep as before, and pulled out another ID; a badge. He hesitated a moment before he offered it to her for a look. "What I'm showing you... I mean this, not as a sickly little man in a cave, but as the man who relished in murdering two cities- if you tell anyone, especially anyone from Rocket, I'll make sure what happens to you looks like an accident." And the smoothness in the way he said it was too eerie. A glimpse of something dark underneath.

The badge was one belonging to 'Ji-Hoon Ki'. The photo matched Chu-e, if much younger than pictured. A League badge, the kind that higher ranking officers get. "I'm a fucking narc, Mcflurry. I always was. And if you really, genuinely want out of Rocket, if you feel bad about all the shit you've done... I can help you get out. Because two years ago, I died, too."

"But you better know that it's not instant, it's not easy, and you'll have to give up everything you have now. Mcflurry needs to die for you to be free. That doesn't mean you need to." A pause. "And if you waver, or if you don't think you can't do that, or I think you've double crossed me... I'll take care of things so you won't have to worry about it any more."

He offered her his hand. That raw desperation he had seen... Chu-e didn't think she would do any of the things he said. He didn't think he would have to end her. It he had thought that, he wouldn't have shown her the badge at all. He just needed her to understand that making a deal with the devil had consequences.

grabbing piloswine

"Well, that would depend on how you 'went', I guess." There wasn't any reason to lie about it. "Before I 'died', I had no choice but to make sure all my pokemon went to good homes. I was lucky I had that choice. But, I also thought I was going to die for real, so..." He trailed off.

"But if you're willing to trust me to kill your self, you could store your pokeballs at my place until the new you is ready to pick them up." He frowned a little. "A person ending up dead all alone, letting their pokemon 'go' as a desperate act to make sure they lived... well, it's not unusual, is it? Not like anyone would miss or look for them. And if someone else had those same pokemon? Who would even notice?"

As for her internal debates and struggles, well, that was more on her and something he was less able to help with. He had his own demons to battle.

"I guess your choice is this... we could rip it off fast, like a bandage. Or you can take a little time to think this over and put a few affairs in order. This is 'your' cave, and my old memories hide here, so it's not like we can't find one another."

skip!