Chasing Visions

Eris Halla, I swear to god...s

Doug had overslept.

He felt no shame in doing so- traveling back and forth between regions while staying on top of his work in Hoenn and his goddamned studies was a task that was honestly beyond him, but which he was nonetheless determined to see through to the end.

The day before, he had battled at Lumiose Stadium in the morning, held a web conference with his staff in the afternoon, and had been planning to study on the plane ride back to Hoenn during the night—

But somehow, he had ended up running into the missing Eris.

Naturally, priorities shifted when you found a friend that was LITERALLY MISSING!

You made calls, cancelled plans, argued with airlines over the phones to try and get your money for your ticket refunded... Fail to get your money back...

You know, regular stuff.

Given Eris' status as a creature with a lower encounter rate than a roaming legendary, Doug had understandably nearly lost his shit when he finally woke up the morning later and found that Eris had disappeared when he went to check up on her.

Being the poor excuse for a zoomer that he was, checking his phone really wasn't one of Doug's great priorities in life, but mercifully, he managed to look into it before turning all of Hammerlocke on its head.

With one worry now brushed aside, the youth readied himself for the day, now knowing were Eris would be... and immediately got sidetracked with visiting Hammerlocke Stadium...

---

The door to the library opened, and in walked one Doug Sullivan, with a colorful paper bag branded with Hammerlocke Gym's logo in one arm and an ice-cream cups holder on the other.

The youth sauntered around casually inside, somehow avoiding the librarian's gaze as he lazily looked around, slurping on a chocolate ice cream bar lazily.

Eventually, he found the tell-tale signs of one massive ass Luxray inside a building, the soudn of his steps soon reaching Eris as he approached.

"Ice Cream?" He offered, holding up the cup holder, before looking over the long array of books. "... So what're we lookin' for anyway?"

Unlike some in the kids' club, Doug wasn't quite up to date with the whole Darkest Day Shenanigans.

Chasing Visions

Eris Halla, I swear to god...s

"Oh, cool." Doug said in response, face blank. Then immediately: "What's the darkest day?"

The youth continued to nod along to Eris' somewhat vague explanation, very seriously munching onto his ice cream the entire time. He misses the meaning of Reiner's growling entirely as he cups his chin, thinking about what Eris has just disclosed to him.

"So... more Hoenn stuff, then. Got it." Doug said, giving Eris a thumbs up.

Hoenn had gone through so many apocalyptic events since Doug had moved in 6 years ago, he could not even muster the energy to be shocked and awed anymore.

"As luck would have it..." Doug said as he placed the ice cream cup holders on the table across from Eris, in case she wanted more... cause there were a lot of them. "I've been doin' a lot o' readin' recently m'self!"

Doug grinned and sat down besides Eris, grasping one of the many books on the table.

"Think I almost got the hang of the whole 'readin' for fun' shebang, even!" He lied through his teeth with a snicker, turning his gaze to the several lines of dull looking sentences,

These weren't quite the political theory he had been reading on for the past 6 months, but if Eris needed help, he wasn't about to be picky.

Time to read.

CHASING VISIONS

ERIS X DOUG

A LIBRARY CHOCK FULL OF HISTORY and culture yields astonishingly few results. the search for THE DARKEST DAY seems to come up with close to nothing. such an event has never happened in galar’s history. or, at least, not under that specific name.

as earnest scholars dig for an answer that doesn’t exist, a cheery librarian stops by to offer their services. after a good amount of time, they return with several possible leads. unfortunately, they’re all in different sections of the library.

the dewey decimal system puts them in two distinctive categories:

500 — SCIENCE

900 — HISTORY

coincidentally, two results is perfect for two people. should they find their respective books, meeting up will let them cross reference their results.

mod prompt:

there are two books regarding THE DARKEST DAY. one is in the SCIENCE area. the other is under HISTORY. choose one or the other between your characters and meet back up in-character for a mod post that will reveal the book and its contents!

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
John Sullivan Eris Halla

Chasing Visions

Eris Halla I swear to god...s

"Awrite, thanks. Have fun!" Doug replied, giving the little girl a thumbs up and a grin before closing his own book.

Standing up, the young man popped his neck and stretched his body with a grunt, before beginning to make his way to the history section as Eris had instructed, storing his book in its place in the shelve as he did.

He smiled at the librarian as he walked past them, mouthing his thanks.

And released a relieved sigh as soon as he was out of sight, swiping his cold sweat off his forehead.

"Good thing we ate 'em quick..." Doug mumbled to himself, dragging his thumb across his lip and licking at it with a grin as he entered the history section.

Doug tapped at his chin in thought, humming. He had gotten a tad bit more acquainted with the Dewey Decimal system in the past 6 months, as he had been a much more avid reader than ever before.

900 was World History [Geography & History].

Aaand... Unsurprisingly, given the breathtaking scope of the subject matter... there were a lot of books, even with the numerous subdivisions.
"... Welp." Doug said, casually reaching to his side for the first book within reach. "It ain't gonna read itself!"

Chasing Visions

Eris Halla I swear to god...s

Eris arrives at the history section to find Doug sitting at the table with a single book in front of him.

And about several dozen floating around in the air, orbiting around his several Orbeetles, the eyes of the super-intelligent pokemon fleeting rapidly between each open book.

After a moment, Doug seems to realize her presence, glancing up from his book and smiling at Eris.

"Oh, Eris. 'Eeey! Found somethin' already?" He asked as he turned towards her, grinning. "Yer pretty quick! Come on, show me!"

CHASING VISIONS

ERIS X DOUG

ONLY TWO BOOKS refer to the phrase: THE DARKEST DAY. both of them have the phrase within their title, etched onto a hard cover spine, eye-catching despite the crowdedness of the library’s well stocked shelves. once the two reunite, they can share the spoils of their hunt. a closer look at the contents of their borrowed treasure reveal two distinct books.

FOR ERIS:

500 — NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS

have you ever noticed that during the summer the sun stays up in the sky for much longer than in the winter?

we have long days and short nights in the summer. and we have short days and long nights during the winter.

the book goes on to explain that the earth is on an axis and revolves around the sun. because of the axis, one side is always pointed toward the sun and one is not.

when one of the earth’s poles is pointing away from the sun the length of the day is shorter. the day that gets the least amount of light is known as the winter solstice, also referred to as THE DARKEST DAY of the year.

FOR DOUG:

900 — HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY

it was said that princess taylor swift left her suitors so starstruck that they named an attack — a flurry of stars — after her.

the book is a biography about her life with a heavy emphasis on her romantic relationships. due to the culture of that time period, men from all across galar sought her approval as a potential husband.

it goes on to describe her marriage and the eventual discovery of her husband’s affair. historians often refer to this period as THE DARKEST DAYS of her life.

the woeful poems she wrote during this era have a cultural impact even to this day.

"did you find what you were looking for?"

the same librarian from before checks in on them after clearing their own queue of errands. based on their expressions and earlier inquiry, the librarian is just as curious. they offer their help one more time, able to personally recommend a book if given an apt description of what they’re looking for.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
John Sullivan Eris Halla

Chasing Visions

Eris Halla I swear to god...s

Doug, along with all six of his Orbeetles floating around him, read through the very last book in the section, and promptly slammed it close, all of them narrowing their eyes.

"Well, t'was a good ol' waste o' time." Doug said flatly as he stood up and shoved the book right into the shelves, before dropping back onto his seat and splaying out with a groan. "Princess Swift, my ass! We're gonna be in'ere forever!"

It was at that moment that the Librarian popped back up, having apparently finished whatever task they were up to. Doug rolled a long suffering gaze towards them, brows twitching.

Yes, he had come to learn of the greatness of reading recently, but that was still subjects that interested him. And he had no idea of what to look for.

Luckily, Eris seemed to. After listening to her words Doug hummed in thought, cupping his chin as he considered the categories she had mentioned, and what she had told him before.

A devastating event in the far past, retold as a prophecy in the now. Yet, despite supposedly being so terrible, they couldn't find anything about it in scientific or historical texts...

Which probably meant they would not find anything by looking through any 'recorded history', disqualifying any weather patterns or famous meteor events, or the royal family...

"... Is there any book ya could recommend that compiles All the myths and legends of Galar?" He asked after a moment, standing and pushing his hands against his back, stretching his spine with a groan.

Several pops went off. Nice.

"If not, there any group o'books that have 'em all when put together?" He asked, smiling brightly. All of his Orbeetles arranged themselves in a straight line behind him, eyeing the librarian with open, if stoic, curiosity.

CHASING VISIONS

ERIS X DOUG

THE CHILDREN SHOOT FOR THE OBVIOUS unaware that they are not the first to search. like those before them, the answer they receive is not satisfactory. the librarian, a native, denotes that there have been no disasters in recent times. their request does not exist… in galar.

oblivious to their origins, the librarian comments about HOENN and what they have seen on the local news about the ULTRA BEAST WAR and now the SPACE-TIME DISTORTIONS. they have no personal experience in these matters but point out that if anything qualifies as a disaster, that their search should start there.

however, they are unwilling to leave these children empty-handed. under the generous inclusivity of doug’s request, the librarian leads them to the RELIGION section. shelves full of books fill the quota of a ‘group’ but that would take them a lifetime to sift through.

a cursory glance across their varied spines reveal that many of these stories conflict. one about an epic bug catcher seems almost nonsensical when held against the sharp expectations of these life long learners. so, with that in mind, the librarian reaches for a tome bound by leather and tapered with age.

“well, this might not be what you’re looking for buuuut this is the oldest book we have!”

the pages are tattered. the ink is faded. and, due to its deterioration, it is unavailable to be checked out.

UNNAMED

a poem of unknown origin

once it shone upon us all, with all the warmth of welcome sun.

but now we weep, to grief we fall, starved of light now it has gone.

and some they go, despair withal, in search of it they reel and run.

they quit their hearths, abandon hall, and leave our lands to be undone.

and when they’re gone beyond recall, this land will be a home to none.

this land will only ever be a home to pokemon.

UNNAMED

a poem of unknown origin

in this cave we have lived.
we owe all to the pokemon.
but, we sealed the pokemon away.
we feared it.
should they return we will have no choice.
those with courage. those without hope.
open a door. the eternal pokemon waits.

MEANING

a poem of unknown origin

EVERYTHING HAS MEANING
EXISTENCE HAS MEANING
BEING ALIVE HAS MEANING
CHANGE HAS MEANING

THE BLACK KNIGHT

a poem of unknown origin

judgement is delivered from the creator’s hand
t̴̪͊h̴̤̐͐í̸͎̚s̸͐̓͜ ̴̧̗͑̌l̵̎͜ͅi̵̻̗̾͝n̸͉͐e̶̞̐͂ ̵̞̏i̵̢͗s̶̝̉ ̵̧̥̚u̸̹͔͋͌n̷̩͂̄ř̷̇͜e̸̢̎̂ả̷̧ḑ̴̱́a̴̛̙b̸̳͉̕ĺ̶̺͋ȩ̴̲̊̊
t̴̪͊h̴̤̐͐í̸͎̚s̸͐̓͜ ̴̧̗͑̌l̵̎͜ͅi̵̻̗̾͝n̸͉͐e̶̞̐͂ ̵̞̏i̵̢͗s̶̝̉ ̵̧̥̚u̸̹͔͋͌n̷̩͂̄ř̷̇͜e̸̢̎̂ả̷̧ḑ̴̱́a̴̛̙b̸̳͉̕ĺ̶̺͋ȩ̴̲̊̊
t̴̪͊h̴̤̐͐í̸͎̚s̸͐̓͜ ̴̧̗͑̌l̵̎͜ͅi̵̻̗̾͝n̸͉͐e̶̞̐͂ ̵̞̏i̵̢͗s̶̝̉ ̵̧̥̚u̸̹͔͋͌n̷̩͂̄ř̷̇͜e̸̢̎̂ả̷̧ḑ̴̱́a̴̛̙b̸̳͉̕ĺ̶̺͋ȩ̴̲̊̊
so came the unknown hero
the black knight
who in his great humbleness
returned from whence he came

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
John Sullivan Eris Halla

Chasing Visions

Eris Halla I swear to god...s

"Wow, this is awful!" Doug said with a laugh as he held the barely stitched together book. The preservation hadn't been stellar at all!

Entire lines and verses from these legends had completely eroded, leaving precious little behind except for incomprehensible tales that meant precious little if anything to him.

With any luck, Garo and Eris had gotten something out of this, cause to him, this was all just extremely lackluster mythological fiction.

"... Welp!" Doug said after a moment, turning around to look at Eris. "Shall we go get a few photocopies of these?"

They couldn't exactly take the book with them back to Hoenn, so might as well stock up.