TRIAL OF FOG: KING

For that moment after the pass through the portal, as feet catch on nothing but air that can not hold and he falls, there is the fear of falling forever in this world empty of all that fog. But then he lands. The platform feels unstable beneath his feet, as if there is still a chance of that fear coming true. A far of heights is rational, and he does not know where the border ends in this foggy realm.

Then comes the voice of the pokemon, though he does not understand the words he hears the distinct cadence of a feline pokemon making noises. He turns in that direction, searching with his visible eye, but he does not see anything except what faintly might be more platforms. He stays still briefly, held back by a sudden thought that perhaps those clouds are not platforms at all, but his doom.

But then the sounds grew softer, and he realizes they are growing distant. He said he would give this Meowth a place to belong, and he is determined to do so. So he runs and leaps, his heart in his throat. He lands.

Still, the sound is getting fainter, and he knows he must pick up his pace or else King is going to lose it.

King gives chase, after victory as he has done since he first joined UNOVR. But the chase is eternal, and the further he goes, the more he once again loses the mask he wears in this game.

Every time he thinks he grows closer, there is another jump, another strike of fear, and King is not afraid. But the person behind King is.

If he fails, will he stay in this fog forever? Is there a way out? Anxious questions spill forth in his mind, and he is tempted to yell to the skies, to try and forfeit if that is even possible. Then the sound comes again, sounding more distant and lost than ever, and he forces himself to get to his feet and make the next terrifying jump.

But it is still growing more distant, faster than he can catch up. He almost slips, and terror wins.

At last, he falls to his knees. His legs cannot support him for the next jump in this chase, shaking as they are. He is not even certain when he started shaking. Perhaps he has always been shaking.

He has inflicted this upon himself, a familiar refrain in his life that he has tried so hard to shift his mindset on but can never truly let go of. And a sob breaks from him."I'm sorry," He chokes out the words. "I'm scared. I should have known... I can't even save myself, why would I be able to save anyone else?"

The one who is not-King laughs, bitter and weary. "I'm sorry. I wanted to give you something better, to be something better even more a moment. It was selfish, I know."

If there are sounds, he cannot hear them over his own breaking. "I try so hard to pretend, but even here I'm a failure. I wanted to give you a place to belong, like I never had, like I still search for. I wanted to help someone for once," He says to the silence. Any moment now, he'll be kicked out, probably.

He was chasing after the hope he tries not to feel.

There is silence now, as he stares down at his hands balled into fists. He sighs. "I should have known-" And then... There is a meow, closer than ever. So close that is almost on top of him.

Galarian Meowth is just barely visibly through the fog, and he wants to chase and hold onto this opportunity with everything he has...

And then he realizes why the other is here now and he halts. It is because he stopped doing exactly that impulse.

"I'm sorry," He directs it this time at the Galarian Meowth instead of his own self-pity. "I spent so long chasing you, I never thought over whether you wanted to be found."

A purr leaves the Galarian Meowth, and he knows he has said exactly the right words this time.

But victory for himself is not what he is seeking anymore. He looks down. "I should call Seta, if you want to get back to-"

He abruptly cuts himself off as he sees a paw extended towards him in his field of limited vision. He looks at the Galarian Meowth and hesitates. This should not be about him and his woes. "You don't have to. You have choices. Just because I'm..." He trails off.

The purr reappears, persistently louder. The paw stays. Eyes communicate clearly without words.

It was because he realized it was his mistake. It was because he stopped chasing his own victories. It was because he gave the feline choices.

He understands it all.

And he accepts the paw.