The MEETING Team (PLOT)

Where.... where am I....?

Through the air, a pair of autumn gold leaves danced across the low sky. Holding onto eachother through their stems like a pair of star crossed lovers, on and on they went, circling through the crisp air. Xatu could taste the sea, water. He could feel the chill to the wind, the scent of fish.

I... have I never been to the sea...?

It was dawn, morning. He had walked for so long, so many days, without stopping. He never knew where he was going, what he was doing. There was potential, oh how he knew there was potential, but what of his purpose? Have I done wrong? The avian knew he had acted for a reason, he had insulted and spat on the most powerful creature in his world. But he knew that he had felt something. There had been a reason, a why to his actions. I had felt a fire in my gut.

But where is it now?

Xatu walked slowly, moving through the ghost town. What was he, a Harbinger? A legend? He had no title, nothing to hold as his own. The avian moved past the ruins, charred remains of the town and various other brutalities, making his way straight to the water. The water at the very edge of the town... It called to him. The rebel knelt, bending his knees to pull his face close to the water. Inside he saw a reflection, a corpse looking back at him. In the crimson eyes he saw nothing, not rage, not hope. Xatu only saw colour and nothing.

The dual type brought one wing up, flicking the water's surface with his wing tips. How is it that something so precious, so powerful and important, to make me hate Honchkrow, how is it that that something can just.. vanish? Have I truly made a horrible mistake?

Time had passed since the last time she had seen a fellow survivor. Too much for her to know for sure. Weeks? Days? The stationary Espeon closed her eyes tightly, forcing a calm breathe through her tense chest. Get it together old girl. Get it together. Making a real effort to ignore her anxiety, Hera lifted her head and looked around. Behind her was miles of forest, grass and bushes and trees. Route 29... this sure brings back memories. Before her, though, was a clearing. No posts, no sign, nothing to even signify that there was a town of any kind there, but anyone Johto native knew just how wrong that statement was.

A small smile graced the Espeon's features as she finally moved, walking forward. "New Bark Town," she breathed to herself. Yep, it was the small town all right. In th distance she could see the the waking sun reflecting off of the water, the sea that led to Kanto. But that was the only beauty. Hera moved cautiously, alert as she took in the state of the town. Destroyed, burned, crushed... Stains of red and sludge alike splattered the ruins of the once proud town. A shiver ran through the feline's fur, not wanting to imagine the countless undead and healthy alike that must have been slaughtered there.

There was nothing left of the lab. The building had become overgrown in the four years since it's abandonment. Sorrow coloured the Eeveelution's amber gaze as she studied a long sapling that sprouted from beneath the caved in roof.

It was the scent that tipped her off.

Hera's head snapped up, reflexes not failing the Espeon as she fanned out her sole ear high above her. I smell rot. But it was different, cruelly different than the drones that were easy to take out. The scent itself radiated... power."Oh Lugia, this is bad," she hissed to herself. The Espeon did not even know who or what she had found, but it struck terror deep into her heart. Darting beside the towering ruins of a house, Hera hid in the thick shadows as her eyes darted rapidly around her surroundings.

She saw the Xatu then.

Hera drew in a sharp breath, gasping in horror. That's no ordinary undead. Lugia help me...

Xatu briefly brew bitter, angry. An all too familiar, deeply seated rage built within him. Why the hell would this all happen to ME!? Snapping himself to his full height, the former Harbinger brought his wings up high. A dark magenta light shone from his eyes, hiding the crimson as he shot out the Psychic at the water. Rising up a massive wave, the dark, sinister looking water towered high above the town.

Why the HELL did I do that?!

Xatu let loose a feral screech, an avian cry echoing through the area as the water he held up boiled, writhing in the air. Undead and living caught within screamed, flailing as their bodies attempted to shoot out of the water. A Lanturn smashed herself against the bubble, but the ferocious Psychic attack held them all tightly within.

"WHY... why was it... me..."

Suddenly Xatu was crying. Streams of tears ran down his cheeks, thin lines of blood. His ability to cry had been stoled from him, like everything else. As he broke, the water crashed back down. The same Lanturn cried out in fear before vanishing rapidly. Xatu stared out at the far off shores, uncomprehending. But as he turned, there was a pair of eyes. The avian froze, his gaze growing round and horrified as he stared at the crouched, scarred Espeon. He opened his beak to speak, but nothing came out.

She stayed down, pressing the fur on her stomach against the hard ground. She could hear the harsh throbbing of her reanimated heart deep within her only working ear. Dear Lugia I am going to die. It was strange, how easy it was to slip into that mindset. She had been there before. She had been dead once. She had accepted death once. But even so, the Espeon knew that she should never had accepted those thoughts as truth. She should have fought.

Ho-Oh would be ashamed to of given me back life with all that I have done with it.

Hera suddenly felt her fear fueling a new, uncommon emotion: anger.

The Espeon was caught off guard, hearing the sorrowed voice of the Harbinger then. "WHY... why was it... me..." She stared, frozen in her sudden shock, as she realised that he was sobbing. The Xatu turned, facing her way, and she saw his eyes. Crimson, full of death, but heart broken. Full of more emotion than she had seen in most clean Pokemon. In her uncertainty, she forgot to react to the creature before her. He moved, stepping closer. Hera snapped back to reality as he opened his beak to speak.

There was no way he would leave her be.

"No!" Hera screeched, whipping around as she kicked dirt and gravel at the Xatu in a Sand attack. "I won't let you win!" Digging in her nails to the ground, she picked up small parts of metal and rocks alike. Without wasting for a retaliation, she snapped her head around as her eyes lit up a bright magenta. A bright, psyonic light flashed from her cracked jewel in the form of a Psybeam aimed at the undead.

While Xatu had been dumbstruck into silence, it seemed that years passed while him and the psionic cat stared at each other. Xatu found himself lost in her eyes, full of fear before flashing to something he found rare n those near him: bravery.

"No!" She roared, whipping around. The avian watched with alarm, barking out, "Wait--!" He did not get to finish, though, as sand filled his eyes and beak then. "I won't let you win!" She snarled fiercely as the undead coughed ad spat, stumbling back a step as he attempted to get the bad taste out of his mouth.

But before he could, the Espeon fired another attack, this one inclined to be offensive. Blinking the grit from his eyes, Xatu raised a wing just in time as the Psybeam slammed into the greasy feathers. The resisted attack literally bounced off, striking the ground before the undead slowly lowered his wing again. "I do not wish to harm you. If I did, you think I would just let you leave after attacking me?" His voice was tired, eyes reflecting his exhaustion.

The undead tried to stop her.
"Wait--!"
"Never!" the Espeon spat back. But as she watched, her Psybeam proved ineffective. Using one scrawny wing as a shield, Hera was sure that she would still do damage, but to her utter shock, it literally reflected off of it.
What!?
Her jaw dropped open, the immediate disbelief rapidly flaring into alarm as her bolt of bravery vanished. Her attack was resisted, yes, she knew others of her biology would not be so much harmed. Hera was a Johto native, she knew Xatu fairly well.

Though this thing was far fro any Xatu she had known.

Hera stepped back as her eyes flickered to his face with raw, primal fear. I am going to die. Her lilac fur flared out, the thin pelt offering no illusion of strength, but instinctual nonetheless.I have failed Ho-Oh. Lugia. The undead flicked his wing, bringing it down and the Espeon recoiled violently, flinching backwards as the feline expected the ending blow to come.
Instead, however, she heard his dry voice address her: "I do not wish to harm you. If I did, you think I would just let you leave after attacking me?"

Hera froze. Was this some sort of joke? His expression was...almost compassionate. Are there... emotions in his eyes? The psionic cat actually felt herself hesitate. Even if he was lying, the Xatu could kill her in an instant. The power was obvious radiating from him. Instead, she chose to keep him talking. "...What exactly do you want, then?" she asked cautiously, her stance still rigid. She was prepared to run for safety soon as she thought there was a chance.

The Espeon at least listened to him. Within a dark part of the Xatu's inner mind, a voice sneered, You should make her listen to you. You are a God after all. Xatu violently flinched back from the voice, unprepared for the onslaught. As he recovered, the avian was suddenly alarmed. His round eyes flickered to the air above him, back to the Espeon. Did SHE do that....?! But again the deep, sinister voice chuckled.

No, of course not. No one is allowed to touch a God.

Xatu flared his feathers, his wings reaching around him like a round of knives. He was not used to the feeling running through him, coating his veins, infecting his thoughts and causing his muscles to tremble... fear.
"...What exactly do you want, then?" the Espeon finally spoke, snapping him out of the haze. Blinking rapidly, slowly Xatu could see the cat before him, her pink fur and suspicious amber eyes coming into focus.

But her question.. it actually baffled him. The undead opened his beak to speak, but found nothing come out. What... did he want?

"I... I... don't know."

The Xatu seemed to recoil, flinching as if in pain. Hera narrowed her eyes. This... thing is clearly not stable. Then again, she had aready assumed that from themoment the undead showed up. But his response to her question shocked her. The Xatu seemed... uncertain. His gaze flickering with innocent and almost... naive. Hera allowed her eyes to show suspicion, but the undead spoke before she could.

"I... I... don't know," he admitted quietly. THe psyionic cat froze, sddenly she was hit with realisation. I've... I am familiar with this power... Within her mind's eye, the Espeon flashed to the Houndoom. The Houndoom. The one that nearly killed them all. Had killed her best friend. The Houndoom.

Her fur spiked up in immediate alarm. Yes... Oh Lugia, I understand. This Xatu must be of the same breed. Maybe even related. Oh Lugia, I don't know, but I am not going to be able to make it out of this. He... he could end it. He can end this exchange any moment he pleased. ...He wasn't lying. She eyed him, though it was not like Hera had taken her gaze off of him, but there was a darkening to them. She finally knew for certain there was no walking away.. might as well humor him. "...do you ...want to alk about it?" she asked softly. "What's your name?

FIghting his own inner turmoil, Xatu could feel... something welling within him. The ugliness that was what he had become. The familiar feeling of bones snapping and blood flowing, the power in watching the Pokemon rip themselves to death by his will alone. How the terror in their eyes just fades away, the light going out....

"...do you ...want to talk about it?" The voice cutting through his thoughts interrupted Xatu, stunting his thoughts as he blinked, snapping from the trance. Refocusing, he blinked up at the Espeon. She looked more tired than before.
"What's your name? She prompted him gently. But that question in itself was more difficult to deal with than the swirling darkness in his mind.

He... he had a name didn't he? "...I ....I have only gone by Xatu," he admitted softly. "I...can't remember before. I don't know what my...name is." Xatu glanced up at the Espeon, his eyes suddenly desperate. "But... but what's your's? Your name?"

The questions seemed to startle the undead, the Avian jumping in his skin as he slowly looked back to her. "...I ....I have only gone by Xatu. I...can't remember before. I don't know what my...name is." Hera felt an unfamiliar pang in her chest then, a feeling she was notat all used to when dealing with those who had succum to infection. Like that Absol.... Catherine. Hera remembered clearly, as if it had happened recently... The undead that hounded them, chased them, trapped them, tried to kill the. But in the end.. she had helped them. She had lives. Without that med kit. Strix... Shuddering, Hera could feel her hheart breaking a second time for the Nidoking. She forced herself out of her head, to not feel the inevitable words she had said.

"I love you!!"

Shuddering, the psionic cat tore herself painfully from her memories. Gods I miss them all.
"But... but what's your's? Your name?" Xatu asked hesitently, looking up at her despite his larger size. Hera blinked, tilting her head to one side. "...Hera. My name is Hera."

Drowning in her past feelings, the Espeon could not fight the resurfacing regret and shame, sorrow and agony. She might not have had a family, no. But she had her pack. The wounds had never truly healed, this she knew. Keeping busy, working and traveling alike, it had saved her from a miserible fate. But when she was forced to stop, pressured to remember, the grip on the Espeon's heart only grew tighter. She did not even know if they were still alive. Strix, and Dante, and Raiden. The Growlithe, the Phanteon... Maybe they were okay. That was always possible. The optimism was easy to imagine, keeping her fantasy far from the reality she knew all too well after her time with the pack

But hope will only get you killed.

The Espon responded softly, but genuinely. Tilting her head to one side, she told him, "...Hera. My name is Hera." Xatu nodded slowly, his eyes still reflecting his own sadness at not sharing that trait with her in remembering his own. "Hera. I shall not forget it."

He glanced away then, looking at the pale sky. The sun had surfaced, low in the sky as the rays turned from golden to a strong yellow. Thoug unable to feel he warmth, Xatu breathed out air from his nose in a content sigh, closing his eyes genty. The wold was full of beauty. Was that something he had always appreciated, or had he been ungrateful before? It was entirely possible that he had only grown humble in the time after losng everything he held dear in his life.

He sighed once more through his mouth, opening his eyes agan. It is time. I know what I have to do. Xatu turned to Hera, his gaze strong and solemn. Wise. All the insecurity, fear, had vanished. Shed from his feathers like dew on leaves. "Would you like to hear a story, Hera?"

Xatu nodded, respectful in thedip of his head. "Hera. I shall not forget it," he told her in an amazingly social tone. He seems... so much calmer now. She kept her head tilted, though her amber eyes narrowed a hair. Her mistrust was still apparent, but she found herself interested in this undead. Her memories of Catherine flashed back, the undead's eyes so calmn. Passive. She had trusted her, andit had paid off. The Espeon's fur flattened, ears perked in curiosity as her fear gave way to her inner gut feelings.

What is going on with the world...?! I thought undead were all the same. First the Absol, then the Houndoom, now this Xatu? Are they becoming...sentient again?  I...don't understand.

Xatu was silent for a long time then. The Sun Pokemon found herself studying him, feeling the sun toast her fur. He was... digusting. Blood coated his feathers, as well as dark bile and tainted blood alike. He was scrawny, tall, but.. menecing. Everything about him screamed danger. Hera had no clue what even to think at that point, confused, then scared, then confused again, only to end with curiosity and bafflement. "Would you like to hear a story, Hera?" He suddenly asked, opening his eyes andstaring at her. The psionic cat raised her tail, allowing the forked limb to wave back and forth behind her. "...I suppose so," she replied, tone low and lacking emotion.

He waited, and Hera took her time responding. Using a soft tone, she looked away s she spoke. "...I suppose so." The lack of feeling unnerved him, somehow, when compared to the ferocity in which she roared threats at him earlier. Hera appears...defeated. Confused, there was a childlike sorrow in his eyes as the former Harbinger tilted his head to one side, studying her. "Please... do not be sad," he managed to get out. "I will not... harm you." The words felt wrong on his tongue, unnatural due to his nature, and going against all of the strain within him. The thirst for death, the yearning for domination and chaos. But yet...the words held another quality to them. It was like waking from a coma, doing something that you used to preform often before, but had not in so long that your mind forgot it, even though your body did not. His mind was not able to comprehend the connection, to put two and two together in the form that would string a memory of before undeath.

Xatu stared at the Espeon, all of the feelings he was not used to rolling around within him like a warm wind. He crouched, reaching out his wings to touch both of the feline's shoulders. He willed her to look up, meet his eyes. "I... I do not have a story to tell anymore," he admitted. "I do not...remember. I see a beautiful Altaria. I can hear a child laughing sometimes. I... can smell trees. But there is no connection.

"It could just as easily be a dream. It could be artificial, from humans, or from Honchkrow. But I know that...something is there to tell." Xatu stared desperately at Hera, his gaze innocent and pleading. "I have turned against my brothers and sisters. I have renounced the name Harbinger. I am dead, both in disease and in being hunted by the original strain holders. I have no story, I do not remember. I... cannot recall why I sealed my own demise. I do not remember, but I... I can feel that something is wrong. Something inside of me is fighting it. I do not want to be dead anymore. I do not want to kill anymore. I have no idea of where my story goes, but it has to stop."

((skip, i wont have time for a post today >: ))

((Skip. Require Hera to post.))

"Please... do not be sad." The words caught her off guard, the Espeon straightening up. She slowly looked up at Xatu, her limbs and fur stiff with alarm "I will not... harm you." But his tone.. it was so sad. Hera's eyes slowly softened with confusion, the hate evaporating.

As she did, though, the avian crouched down on his knees. Instinctively uncomfortable due to the closeness they now shared, the Espeon did not expect the soft touch on both of her shoulders. "I... I do not have a story to tell anymore," he admitted softly. The tone in his words were the most sincere she had heard. Such... deep sorrow. "I do not...remember. I see a beautiful Altaria. I can hear a child laughing sometimes. I... can smell trees. But there is no connection." The cat's ear perks up. No... connection? she echoed, confused.

"It could just as easily be a dream. It could be artificial, from humans, or from Honchkrow. But I know that...something is there to tell." Hera stared up at him, her brow furrowed. Artificial, humans? Honchkrow? None of this made sense to her. The meaning behind the words were lost on Hera, having never heard of any of this beforehand.

Xatu kept speaking, though, and this was when Hera realised the depth of which she had stumbled upon. "I have turned against my brothers and sisters. I have renounced the name Harbinger. I am dead, both in disease and in being hunted by the original strain holders. I have no story, I do not remember. I... cannot recall why I sealed my own demise. I do not remember, but I... I can feel that something is wrong. Something inside of me is fighting it. I do not want to be dead anymore. I do not want to kill anymore. I have no idea of where my story goes, but it has to stop." The raw emotions in his voice, the agony and fury... Hera stared up at Xatu, for the first time seeing him in a different light.

Though she did not understand most of what he said, Harbingers? Original strain holders? But one thing stood out to her. I do not want to kill anymore. "...You ...you embody hope," she said softly. "You have condemned the undead part of yourself, you have turned against the other infected, you... you're... you are a rebel for our cause."

"You want to save the world, too."

Xatu lowered his head, defeated. He had admitted his greatest sins to this stranger, he was surely worthy of being punished. The tears that built beneath his eyes were that of blood, the crimson lines forming across his face.
"...You ...you embodiment hope," Hera finally spoke, her voice lower than the wind but softer than down. "Wh...what?" Xatu croaked, lifting his head. How am I hope?
"You have condemned the undead part of yourself, you have turned against the other infected, you... you're... you are a rebel for our cause."
Xatu finally stumbled back, releasing his hold on the Espeon's shoulders as he did so. "A... rebel?" He was too far gone to have any thoughts other than the words being thrown at him. But Hera's made no sense. "How am I... I am a rebel?"
Her response was not along the lines of anything Xatu expected: "You want to save the world, too."

The concept was foreign. The idea was... baffling. Save the world? The world was ruined, this is true, but did he... could he... was it naive to think the world was not beyond repair? As he thought, Xatu found himself standing back up. His stance was tall, and all at once, there was a blaze to his eyes. I know what I have to do. "You are right, Hera. I am a rebel-- I am the Rebel that the world needs. This can be changed-- it must be changed. I.. I know intel," he realised only as he was saying it. "I know information from the inside," he repeated, meeting Hera's eyes. There was a fierce determination to the seemingly dead orbs. "I have renounced Honchkrow, it is time to stop the fear in his name."

Hera could feel herself getting sucked into the emotions that Xatu was displaying as the avian stood up tall. His eyes were hard, determined, and for a moment the Espeon could feel herself actually seeing, accepting, that the world was savable. That it was possible. That all it took was just being stubborn about it. The former Harbinger took her words to heart, declaring, "You are right, Hera. I am a rebel-- I am the Rebel that the world needs. This can be changed-- it must be changed. I.. I know intel." Xatu's voice dropped then, but it was not from lack of enthusiasm. Her's amber eyes widened, growing round as his words took meaning. What would it be like to have someone on the inside, who knew everything, but is now willing to spill it all? Her fur prickled with the breeze that ran over her from the sea nearby.

"I know information from the inside," Xatu added. Hera watched him with a gaze that became more intense by the word. "I have renounced Honchkrow, it is time to stop the fear in his name." The psyionic cat had never heard of a Honchkrow, who was--? Suddenly her tail shot straight up. Honchkrow! Was he the one... All of those Murkrow in the beginning... Could it... Hera's gaze grew hard. "Tell me everything you know," she demanded.

Hera listened to his rambling seriously, Xatu watched as the Espeon's eyes narrowed, flickering with thought at certain times before hardening. The Rebel watched her with growing interest, but her next words were unexpected: "Tell me everything you know." The avian stared into her gaze for several seconds, his own rebellious spirit blooming deep within him. This is it... He nodded. "To start... Honchkrow is the leader of us. He is the original infected. He started the spread of the virus, he freed my brothers and sisters from our cages, four years ago.

"We are Harbingers, infected right after him, Honchkrow. We have more power than Legends. I know several have fallen already to my brethren. Volcarona took Genesect. Gyarados has killed Latias. Honchkrow himself destroyed Regice.

"Harbingers are only of the strongest of the strong, we were experimented on. Humans did this. They changed us. And we were just fighting back. Charizard, Houndoom, Zoroark, Umbreon, Garchomp, Scizor, Sabele... there are hundreds of us. And we are unstoppable. Or so I thought.

"But I renounced Honchkrow's rule."

His voice continued, then. Xatu spoke of as many of the Harbingers he could remember, he shared his own sins. He spoke of the state of the world as he has seen it and he talked of how his memories won't return. Xatu explained how he didn't want to do it, he shared about the way Honchkrow was searching for his children. "There is no more system," he explained. "The Harbingers are all scattered, very little information is shared, but Honchkrow might be building his army again." By time time his explanations were complete, the sun had risen and began to dip in the afternoon hours. The entire time, though, not a single infected Pokemon dared to interrupt them.

"To start... Honchkrow is the leader of us. He is the original infected. He started the spread of the virus, he freed my brothers and sisters from our cages, four years ago."

A Honchkrow did all of this? Hera's eyes narrowed, trying to process the information, but there was much more coming her way.

"We are Harbingers."

The word was... very fitting. Harbingers of death, the birth of the epidemic.

"Infected right after him, Honchkrow. We have more power than Legends."

Her amber eyes widened. What?! Stronger than Legends?

"I know several have fallen already to my brethren. Volcarona took Genesect. Gyarados has killed Latias. Honchkrow himself destroyed Regice."

The Espeon bites back a gag, her throat suddenly convulsing. WHAT? "Genesect... Latios, and Regice are... dead?" she whispers. Hera's tone was but a choked whisper, horror in her gaze.

"Harbingers are only of the strongest of the strong, we were experimented on. Humans did this. They changed us. And we were just fighting back."

Her worst fear had been confirmed. Her chest suddenly hurt, the ice in her heart numbing her veins. Humans... humans no... No... But it made more sense than Hera was willing to admit. She tasted bile on her tongue, but Xatu was not done speaking. Not at all.

"Charizard, Houndoom, Zoroark, Umbreon, Garchomp, Scizor, Sabele... there are hundreds of us. And we are unstoppable. Or so I thought."

"Hundreds," the Espeon whispered. Houndoom.... Was it THAT Houndoom? Somehow the aura, the feeling of pure evil that had come from the blind hound.. Hera had little doubt that it was not one of these Harbingers of the Undead.

"But I renounced Honchkrow's rule."

Hera nodded. ".. You have insinuated as much," she confirmed softly.

"There is no more system,"

"A... system of the Harbingers?" she asks slowly, earning a nod from Xatu.

"The Harbingers are all scattered, very little information is shared, but Honchkrow might be building his army again."

Her eyes narrow to slits. "What do you need me to do?"

(Skip, time restraint)

(skip)

Hera was mostly silent, but when he was finally finished, the psyonic cat looked straight at him. "What do you need me to do?" she asked, the strength in her voice was uplifting, but Xatu hesitated.

What could they do?

But he immediately shook his head. No. They had a plan. And though her part might seem small, he needed it. Finally the avian's eyes hardened, determined as he looked back at her. "...Go," he finally managed.

"Hera, go, spread the word. Tell the tale of what I am doing, what we are ALL doing. Warn about my brothers and sisters... but promise that there is still hope."

He turned, flickering his wings out. "I, too, will need to be on my way. There's... still so much I need to do." His crimson eyes flickered to her's. "I trust you, do not make me wish I had not."

"...Go," the Rebel commanded. His voice sharp, urgent but not unfriendly. The Espeon met his eyes bravely. "Hera, go, spread the word. Tell the tale of what I am doing, what we are ALL doing. Warn about my brothers and sisters... but promise that there is still hope." Hera bowed her head, letting her remaining ear flatten behind her. "As you wish, Xatu. I will... I would be honored to help in any way." Her new beating heart raced in her chest, thumping with vigorous life against her ribs. She had been gifted. She had been rewarded. Whether the Espeon deserved it or not... that was in question. She would do her new found duty with special care.

She would not fail.

Xatu turned, facing the water separating the regions of Kanto and Johto as he flicked his sharp wings out, testing the feathers on the wind. "I, too, will need to be on my way. There's... still so much I need to do." Xatu sounded sad, tired, before his journey even began, but Hers bowed her head lower. "You may call on me again, if you never need."

The undead paused, adding softly, "I trust you, do not make me wish I had not." The Espeon's amber gaze shimmered as she raised her head, meeting the other's eyes. "I will prove that you have not made a mistake," she promised, her voice strong. Watching him retreat, the feline turned on her heels and ran.

She knew exactly where to go. She knew who she had to educate, to warn.

"You may call on me again, if you never need." Hera reassured him. The Espeon was proving to be someone he had not had not had before... not just trustworthy, but beyond that... Someone he would almost refer to as a friend. Without warning, the former Harbinger was dragged into yet another vision--
"I... I will miss you," a male voice, he was quiet. He was sad, the emotion thick in the voice.
"If... if that is what you need... you also have my blessing." This one was drastically different, he was not human. He was a Pokemon, but the same feel as the first.
"Thank you... both of you... I will miss you greatly." Wait, that voice... if was him?!
"You always were the most down to earth out of all of us."
He was... down to earth...?
"I will miss you, brother."
Brother?!
"Take care..." the first whispered.
"And be safe," the Pokemon added in.
Xatu's heart shattered. What was he feeling?
What were these emotions?
"I will... you both.. I will see you someday."
.....
...Abruptly, it stopped, cut off. The Rebel's eyes snapped open, his breathing in ragged gasps. What... was that?! He did not have time to dwell; more pressing matters demanded attention.

Hera was still there, lifting her head to his. The fire in her eyes burned, the determination and strength clear in her voice: "I will prove that you have not made a mistake," The Xatu smiling, small but honest. Honchkrow does not stand a chance. We will win. Watching as she retreated, he stretched his wings wide, his feather-tips catching the warming afternoon wind. The hope, the strength in his bones; how could they fail?

Xatu took to the air, shooting through the air. For the first time, he used his own wings instead of Psychic to carry him.