[ti]location[/ti] PRECIPICE SHRINE

As Tuesday has done countless times before, she sits at the edge of the abyss, her legs dangling right into the precipice. There are no sacrifices, there are no prayers, there are no poems, and there are no conversations with a deity that can no longer answer her.

There is silence.

What is she thinking? What is she doing? No one else would be able to understand, but there is much Tuesday meditates upon when sitting at this shrine — memories, events, and so much else.

She doesn't jump into the Dream World, however.

It's not time yet.

The shrine is eerily silent. Noonlight Shrine was alive- the leaves rustled, the birds sang. Giant Shrine hummed with power, lightning crackling over it, thunder shaking it.

But here, but this? There was nothing. No wind to whistle over the hole, no nearby pokemon talking or nesting. Just... silence.

The silence and darkness both melded together, forming sights and sounds he knew, intrinsically, were not real, but-

He always left before the nonsense sounds could form into words.

It wasn't that he was especially fond of this shrine- the reason he kept returning was simple. It was the shrine closest to where gia t shrine had been. Verai felt his attention being pulled sideways, towards the Steppes. He wondered, idly, if the Prince was alright. If he would return. If he, and Kazuki, were even ones the Prince remembered.

“Well, fuck.”

She’d died. Well okay, she’d whited out, technically. But still. With realistic pain settings, it felt mostly like the same thing. Pushing up to her feet, she stretched, trying to loosen up the stiff joints. Well, it felt like how she imagined it felt to die. She should probably stop with this circular thinking now, huh?

“Gah,” she scoffed at herself. “Best get back before the kid shows up." It’s only as she says this that she realises just how dangerous that situation might be for said kid.

“Aw, shit.”

Verai carried Miu to the Shrine, and sat in the pink flowers with them. Miu got up and ran around, chasing errant bugs or fallen petals. And Verai sat, and kept an ear out for them, and laughed when Miu dumped a picked flower in his lap.

And he laughed just as much the fourth time as the first.

“You ever wanted to go down there?”

Pignite freezes, glancing over his shoulder to where his trainer stands. The man is looking over the edge of the abyss without a care, his hands shoved in his pockets as he leans, but he’s still too close.

Scrunching up his face, Pignite steps away from the edge.

Kazuki laughs. It’s not quite right, and while he does consider his trainer a menace, Pignite has never felt such a violent shiver down his back. It’s been like this ever since the man began frequenting the arena. “Relax. Why the fuck would I push you in? You’re part of the team.”

This does not comfort Pignite the way it should. He watches as his trainer steps a little closer, the black belt procuring a Pokeball.

“But let’s test it out. For science.”

It’s just a Magikarp. Pignite watches it thrash around in Kazuki’s arms, some poor fish that would’ve been turned into fillets by Pansear if not this. Its fate was sealed. It matters about as much as a corn chip to Pignite, yet he still can’t help feeling unnerved as Kazuki chucks it into the massive abyss, as if shooting a wad of paper into a rubbish bin.

“Hm.” Kazuki tilts his head. The magikarp disappears with a little jingle and a notification. His box is cleared by one. “Now isn’t that anticlimactic.”

Pignite remains a safe distance away until Kazuki whistles for him, and then he walks after his trainer, offering only one last glance at the pit before they continue training at the steppe.

Kazuki SACRIFICED COMMON BLACK CALICO MAGIKARP TO THE SHRINE

Losing to a baby bird twice wasn't exactly a crowning moment for him. But, it wasn't all bad. It could be worse. The thing was tough. Which only made him want to catch it more. Perhaps it would be useful as a Tank when the time comes? That would be cool! Then Wukong could be a Sweeper! Wait... Wukong! Gotta heal the little buddy! "Rise n' shine. We got a bird to fight... Again."