Rainy night

The weather had been horrible that day. Rain was pouring out of the sky, drenching everything immediately. With this weather, all someone could really do was stay inside and watch some tv. Anything other than going outside. Not that Míngzé had many options. He would’ve preferred to stay inside the whole day, but he could not keep delaying this purchase. A new phone was necessary. The friendly old woman down the hall had called him a cab and they brought him straight to the front door of the shop.

All Míngzé had to do was pick up the phone. It was already paid for. With a smile and a polite thank you he accepted his package before leaving the shop again. His driver should be waiting there for him. A few steps toward the street and his cane should pick up the edge of the car, but nothing.

“Of course,” he sighed. He’d pulled his hoodie over his head, but it did little to protect him against the heavy rainfall. For a moment Míngzé stood there, contemplating on what to do next. His newest companion, a Ninetales he still had to name, sat next to him. Her silver coat was also completely drenched. “There should be a shop nearby smelling of all kinds of herbs. Can you find it?” Míngzé asked the pokémon. This was yet something else he’d been delaying for far too long.

Last time he came here, the shop had been closed, but now he was glad to find the door unlocked. Relief washed over him as soon as he was no longer standing in the rain. He removed the hoodie and rubbed the rain from his face. He was glad to be inside again. The ninetales too shook her coat, not caring how her many tails nearly hit some things in the process.

“Anyone here?” This was easier than trying to find them.

Walking in here felt in a way like breaking some kind of rule. Sāng’s words rang in his ears, mostly his warnings, and yet here he was. The warmth of the shop was a welcoming change compared to the cold rain from outside. Standing there he felt a sliver of regret that he hadn't just stayed home. A loud noise sounded from outside, one that reminded him of thunder. It might be best to wait here for now until the weather has calmed down.

A voice rang through the store after his question, one he recognized as the one from the shop owner. Míngzé clenched his jaw. After everything his doubt has lessened. Perhaps there was more truth to this place than he initially thought. Carefully he made his way towards the counter, this time without breaking anything. “Yeah, I also passed by a while ago, but the shop was closed at that time.”

Like last time, she did not sit still and immediately offered to help. Míngzé placed his cane against a shelf before undoing himself of his coat. “Thanks, the weather is especially awful today.” And as if it was listening, the sky rumbled once more. Míngzé came closer to the fire, extending his coat while his Ninetales was sniffing on everything. A low hum rolled over his lips at her question, a frown painting his forehead. “Better, I think.” It was weird, given all the backlash, he still felt calmer than before. Which should probably even worry him even more.

Shaking the thought, Míngzé turned his attention back to Simura. “How about you? Things going alright with you and the shop?” A bit of small talk before asking some different questions.

Míngzé waved her apology away, shaking his head as he did so. “No worries. I should’ve checked if the shop was open beforehand.” It would’ve been much worse if the weather had been as bad it was now. To his surprise, his cane barely hit anything laying on the ground, making it easier for him. An explanation soon followed, together with a reminder how things had started back then. Míngzé cleared his throat, feeling the need to apologize again. “About that—” he started but for some reason she apologized first. He cocked one eyebrow, before realizing what she’d said. “Oh, no, that’s fine, I didn’t even notice.” There was a smile on his face, although it was a bit strained. Having people apologize for this kind of thing was worse than them making jokes. As if they felt the need to be careful with what they said around him.

The moment Jiǔ noticed another pokémon, she raised her lip, showing rows of sharp teeth. A simple warning to the other pokémon that they should not come too close. Míngzé for his part, had no idea she did so. “Sinby?” he asked. It was always nice to know what pokémon were near him.

It was good to finally be rid of his soaked coat. The warmth of the fireplace also helped, but it made it harder to leave when the time came. A silence fell over him for a moment as she repeated his words. “Things are quieter,” Míngzé decided to explain. It was true, ever since this ghost affinity was gone, his mind had been calmer, more at ease. It was replaced by a certain coldness, but that he could live with.

He couldn’t help but raise a questioning eyebrow as her own answer was just as convincing as his own had been. “Okay is good.” It was not his place to pry any further. Besides, he got the idea she was the kind of person that would tell him if she wanted to talk about it.

“I was wondering if you still had any of the tea left you sold me last time.” While Míngzé was not sure if they actually worked, he did like them.

Míngzé raised a questioning eyebrow as he was asked to wait. He could hear her walking, her pokémon in her arms. “Okay?” It did not take long before she returned, this time without a pokémon. Underneath his touch he could feel his own pokémon relax. “No worries, it’s fine. Did you get her form the Harmony Festival?” He could still remember the one that had stalked him. Jiǔ stared at Simura, completely ignoring the hand that is reaching out towards her. She kept her head held high, showing only grace. “It’s best to be careful around her. She does not really like others from what I’ve gathered,” Míngzé said as a warning. So far the Ninetales had done no harm to others, but he preferred not to take any risks. “Not that she has attacked anyone, but you never know.” There were enough scars on her body to tell him she had been through a lot. Luckily most were covered by her fur.

“It is,” he said with a small smile. While he might not be out of the water yet, each day was more peaceful than they’d been in a while.

When asked if he liked the tea, he hummed. “It was very good,” he answered honestly. The taste was something he did quite like. If it helped— he did not know. “Yeah, sure,” Míngzé said only to immediately realize he did sound anything but convincing. Seeing no way to make it sound better, he cleared his throat. “I was also wondering if I could use your phone? It’s to call a taxi.” In this weather he did not want to wait for a bus, especially since the stop he needed had no shelter at all.

Míngzé brought a smile to his lips, one that did not fully reach his eyes. “That is nice,” he said, happy that she soon continued. It was better than to dwell on other things. While Jiu had the approval of moving around the shop, she still stayed close, never going too far from his side. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen.” It was not something he wanted on his consciousness. While he did not know how strong she was exactly, he did not want to find out by having her attack someone innocent.

The spell jar. “Right,” Míngzé said as a crease was forming between his eyes and a smile on his lips. “It’s still there. I kinda forgot I put it under my bed.” He had done what she had said, then left it there, things happened, and now it was still there. If it worked he did not know.

For a second his eyes widened, caught off guard by her question. As if on command the coldness inside him grew momentarily stronger. A reminder of the affinity still lurking under his skin. “I—” he started but the words did not come. His expression softened a bit as he stared at the flames dancing in front of him. Míngzé stretched his hands out towards the fire to warm his hands. “No.” What he had now was nothing more than a necessary evil. Míngzé drew a long and deep breath. “I still need it out.” No longer was it tormenting him like there was no tomorrow. No longer could he feel his own mind slipping into madness. An improvement, yes, but an affinity nonetheless.

Rain was pouring down from the sky still, above the crackling noise of the fire he could hear the drops breaking on the windows. “Let’s wait it out for a bit.” For now, something kept him here. He gave it a few seconds, letting the rain and fire draw out the silence. “What do you think of our Gods?” he could hear himself ask Simura.

Míngzé could still feel it crawling inside him, tainting every part of his body. It felt nothing like the ghost affinity. This one was way colder and in a way felt more dangerous. If it had been anything else besides an affinity, he wouldn’t have minded.

Simura’s voice overshadowed the storm outside. As she talked, he took the chance to sit down too. The warmth radiating off the fire was comfortable and soothing. Jiu lay down at his feet from where she kept looking around, always on guard. She talked about having an affinity of her own and how it was a gift. “How did you acquire it?” Míngzé asked her instead of answering the question she asked him. This subject always felt like he was treading thin ice. It all depended on what she would say, what his response would be.

The fire in front of them served as a beacon of light. Colors of red danced before his eyes, creating an almost hypnotizing sight combined with the falling rain in the background. His question had caught her off guard, but as expected she knew more about them. Although hers were different, he still believed she knew more than him. “Who says it's a sudden interest?” Míngzé calmly countered, fully aware that he has never given the impression he was ever interested at all. “What is their tale? Is it also a battle between good and evil?” Míngzé kept his eyes on the fire as he gave her a chance to respond.

For a second it was almost like his heart skipped a beat. Míngzé clenched his teeth as he tried not to react too much to this revelation. Of course it had to be ghost, and how she described it gave him the impression she had no choice in the matter. “That is not how I saw it.” There was a certain recognition in his voice as he knew very well what he was talking about, since he’d carried the same affinity with him for months. “Fairy might be a gift, perhaps even grass, but not ghost.”

Míngzé turned his head towards her when she offered her help. Words lay on the tip of his tongue, ready to spill the information he had. For now however, he decided against it.

During her story Míngzé remained quiet. He gave her the time to explain everything while he looked at the dancing flames. In a way they were extremely calming. When he’d initially asked her that question, he never expected to get such a detailed explanation, but there was no stopping her.

He mostly remembered how different the tales were, making him wonder if both stories could be real. There was a deep frown on his face. “It is strange how those stories differ so much,” Míngzé mused when he saw an opportunity to say something. Here in Cerynia those Gods were real. Perhaps a bit too real. “Do these entities ever talk to people?” While he had an idea what being had talked to him, it was still a possibility that it was something else. But what other being could cure a life threatening wound?

“Becoming a beacon—” Míngzé muttered, clear disgust written over his face. Putting it like that sounded like the Gods were using them for their own purposes.

She shifted her story back to Xerneas and Yveltal. “Something like that, yeah. I don’t exactly know all the details.” Until now it had never interested him in any way. The world was like this because of them, so he did not exactly like either of them. “People say Xerneas was their savior, but I don’t think it’s that easy.”

Should he have been more careful? Perhaps. It was too late now. One wrong word and she’d noticed. “The haunted feeling, the voices—” Míngzé clenched his jaw as he momentarily closed his eyes. Even now he could hear the words they had spoken to him, haunting him to the end of days. He would never stop proving them wrong. “The story is too long, but it was driving me mad.” Telling her would reveal too much.

So her so-called Gods were even more vague than the ones clearly living here in Cerynia. It made him wonder if there was also a higher power controlling them. A low hum escaped. He bit his tongue, holding back the words that wanted to escape. How nice of them to send cryptic messages that might easily be misinterpreted.

Míngzé kept his eyes firmly locked on the fire before them, the only thing he could see in that room. With the storm outside still running havoc, it was darker than usual. Again she called it a gift. “To me it sounds more like you're—” a lump formed instantly in his throat, one that did not want to leave him. “A tool. For them to use.” Míngzé really tried to keep his emotions in check as he spoke, but failed miserably.

He placed a hand against his chest. The cold feeling was always present. Was that what he was too? Just a tool for this Deity to use however he pleased.

A nauseating feeling settled in his abdomen, one he tried to ignore. He leaned deeper in his seat. “Is it ever?” Míngzé calmly asked back. “It’s never as easy as good or bad, right or wrong, dark or light.” While it was the dark he carried with him, he was fighting for a better and safer world.

A tool. He was definitely being used. No one could change his mind on that one. He was not given these ‘powers’ for his own amusement, they were gifted after sealing a deal. Míngzé knew he was doing the dirty work for some Deity, but never had he thought of it this way. Had it been the same when he still had the Ghost affinity?

There was a serious expression painted on his face. Simura was quick to counter that she was no tool and Míngzé pressed his lips into a thin line. There was no point in arguing over it. He wanted to stay quiet and let it be, but then she had to explain it some more. “Yet they can probably still show you what they want you to see.” And by choosing what exactly they show, they can make you think in a certain way. Míngzé could only be glad he did not have those visions people with the psychic ability got.

As she asked him why he came to her with it he shrugged. “Who else? I thought you knew a lot about this and I was right. You have a clear opinion and know what you are talking about. I don’t think this conversation would have gone the same if I asked a drunk man at a bar.” A small smile made its way to his lips.

Míngzé raised his eyebrow, giving Simura a questioning look. They were vague, but he could only believe they were so for a reason. “Which only proves my point,” he said calmly. Vague visions that told you barely anything, making you create your own crazy story. There was always a hint in them if you asked him if they were even real. They were sent by those Gods, so created and formed by them as well.

The mood seemed to at least lighten up a little bit. “Crazy is not what I need,” he said with a hint of a smile. His life was already crazy enough without stories to fuel it. It was bad enough that he knew people would not believe him when he would tell them. Which was fine. He did not need them to.

A sigh rolled over his lips. “I still am, that has not changed.” If anything it has gotten worse.