When you fall get right back up!

     She wondered, briefly, about how long N had been traveling around and how many times he had encountered injured Pokemon like this. How had he taken care of them? What did he do to help them? Did anyone help him? She knew he had his Pokemon friends to help and keep well, but who else?

      Aigis knelt down to look closer at the Golett as it approached her and N. To her it looked vastly different than other Pokemon. 

    “Really? I remember you saying that … I believe I can understand why. What can you tell me about this Pokemon, N-san?”

    Aigis reached her hand out to the Pokemon. It looked very much like a human, she could see why it reminded him of her. It reminded her of herself as well. The Golett made something akin to a grinding noise as it approached. She could see in its mind curiosity as well as the image of Pallas Athena. 

"Its name is Golett. Its a species that was supposedly built by people thousands of years ago, as guardians of people and Pokemon alike… I suppose that’s why so many gather at this tower. They feel a natural inclination to protect it from harm."

He’d once been of the thought that Pokemon altered by humans were inherently inferior, lacking in the beauty other, unaltered Pokemon possessed. Such practice still discomforted him. But Golett’s origin was no fault of its own and it held a voice N could hear, just like any other Pokemon. It would be cruel of him to treat it any differently.

"It’s a little strange, to have been created by people. But they’re a noble Pokemon, ultimately no different from Ninjask or Arcanine."

"Their origins, and the energy that keeps them alive… I suppose that is what I thought of when you first explained your own existence to me, Aigis. It helped me understand. You’re a human in the same way Golett is a Pokemon."

He looked at the automaton, offering it an encouraging smile.

     "Interesting ... a Pokemon created by humans. I, too, was created to protect humans. I wonder if that is why it is still here, does it still feel a duty to protect? After a thousand years ... does it still remember who it's creators are?"

     As she thought about this, she could not help but think of herself. She had asked herself the same question many times before, if after a thousand years she would remember he friends, the people who created her, the people she had met on her journey. She told herself that she would never forget them, especially the one who had meant so much to her, but sometimes she feared that she would forget them someday, whether she wished to or not.

     She watched the Pokemon turning about and edging closer to Pallas Athena. As it touched the persona it's hand went through it. She could sense curiosity in it's mind, and could not help but laugh. 

     "I am glad to see you have not been harmed, Golett. Would you like to help N-san and I with the other Pokemon?"

     She looked over to N and the Mienfoo as she stood. His ability to calm Pokemon could help greatly, and she also wanted to ask N a few questions about himself. She still felt curious about things N had said before. 

     As she said the words she willed her Persona into being. The ghostly image of her Persona appeared behind her, floating just above the ground. Next she directed her attention to the Mienfoo beside N.

     ”Diarahan!”

     A soft light illuminated the area around the Mienfoo briefly and then vanished. It did not take long for such a powerful move to take effect, though. The paws that had once been bloodied and torn now appeared intact, with the new fur grown on the paws looking strangely cleaner than the rest of the Pokemon.

     ”Pallas Athena has the ability to the injured, but only to an extent. I do not see any Pokemon who are mortally wounded, so I believe I can assist them all. I cannot do anything for fatigue, though. I’m afraid they will have to rest themselves.”

A short laugh left N’s lips, and finally a few tears fell, streaking down his cheeks as he smiled up at Aigis. Still clinging to his back, Ninjask fluttered his wings agitatedly, nervous to see N cry.

"I— I see! Thank goodness…"

This day had been beyond stressful, but now it seemed everything would be alright. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand, as his thoughts drifted briefly away to those people, now trapped not far from where he sat. But they didn’t matter, as long as these Pokemon were safe.

He lowered his hands into his lap and turned his head to look at the Golett.

     She wondered, briefly, about how long N had been traveling around and how many times he had encountered injured Pokemon like this. How had he taken are of them? What did he do to help them? Did anyone help him? She knew he had his Pokemon friends to help and keep well, but who else?

      Aigis knelt down to look closer at the Golett as it approached her and N. To her it looked vastly different than other Pokemon. 

    "Really? I remember you saying that ... I believe I can understand why. What can you tell me about this Pokempn, N-san?"

    Aigis reached her hand out to the Pokemon. It looked very much like a human, she could see why it reminded him of her. It reminded her of herself as well. The Golett made something akin to a grinding noise as it approached. She could see in it's mind curiosity as well as the image pf pallas Athena. 

     It seemed that all was well, but N was nowhere to be seen. Assuming he was checking on his other Pokemon Aigis brought all the captured grunts together. She didn’t think she would have to run after them again, the large flying Pokemon N had called out seemed to act as a good reason not to try and escape. She’d never seen a Pokemon like that before, though. She’d have to ask N what it’s name was. 

     ”Please stay here,” she told them. “It would be unwise to try and run.”

     Aigis made her way towards the area where she heard Pokemon moving about and saw N. From what she had seen he had handled the fight well. 

The Golett and thick-skinned Druddigon appeared only fatigued, but a few had nicks and gashes to show for their work. And the other species, unequipped for digging, were in even worse condition. N held the bloodied paws of a Mienfoo that was too tired to even think to lash out at him delicately in his hands, examining them. He seemed to be on the verge of tears as Aigis approached.

"How could I let this happen? I’m so sorry, I— I should have known, I should have—…"

He took notice of Aigis then, but didn’t look up even as he addressed her.

"Thank you… You’ve done well, putting a stop to them. S— Some of these Pokemon are hurt. Not fatally, I don’t think, but— They’re very tired. They’ve been trapped here far too long… Aigis, we have to—"

He stopped himself. Aigis sounded so calm and sure of herself— But she had no Pokemon. How did she expect to assist with something like this? Suddenly, he remembered that despite her lack of Pokemon, she was not alone. He finally looked up at her.

     As she said the words she willed her Persona into being. The ghostly image of her Persona appeared behind her, floating just above the ground. Next she directed her attention to the Mienfoo beside N.

     "Diarahan!"

     A soft light illuminated the area around the Mienfoo briefly and then vanished. It did not take long for such a powerful move to take effect, though. The paws that had once been bloodied and torn now appeared intact, with the new fur grown on the paws looking strangely cleaner than the rest of the Pokemon.

     "Pallas Athena has the ability to the injured, but only to an extent. I do not see any Pokemon who are mortally wounded, so I believe I can assist them all. I cannot do anything for fatigue, though. I'm afraid they will have to rest themselves."

     ”Targeting … and fire!”

     Aigis fired the rubber bullets, hitting one of the grunts in the wrist and the other in the stomach. The bullets bounced off, but judging by the shouts of pain they had done their job. N was taking care of the Pokemon, she would leave that to him for now.

     ”Lay flat on the ground, do not move.”

      As she approached the grunt who had been hit in the wrist pushed himself behind one of the buildings. Her shots missed, but the grunt on the ground screamed, twitching as the rubber bullets flew by his head. Aigis ran across to him, pressing his arms down behind his back with one hand and with the other removing the pokeballs from his waist. 

     ”Remain where you are. If you move I will shoot.”

Fire, she said…? Just then, there was a loud pop, then another, followed by cries of pain from N’s assailants. He flinched, stomach instantly turning at the thought that Aigis had shot them— likely killed them— so quickly, and he had done nothing—

But they were clearly not dead. False bullets? N let out a breath, feeling a little dazed as he watched Aigis move fast to chase the men down, apparently intent on handling them both herself. She was a little terrifying, N thought.

He could not just stand about observing her. He turned on his heel to face Archeops, who was still holding down the one man’s Houndoom. The canine had ceased struggling, given no further orders by its stunned trainer, who was now cowering on the ground.

"Archeops, use Stone Edge once more."

The stones that had been blocking the way toward the mines vanished and reappeared around the cowering guard in a tight circle. Aigis had the two others to face; the least N could do was incapacitate this last one, in case he tried to attack again.

Archeops cautiously lifted his talon off of the Houndoom, and the latter Pokemon only flipped over submissively onto its back. The bond between it and its trainer was clearly weak, but there were no signs of mistreatment that N could see. N reached down and patted Houndoom’s belly before straightening and sending a glare down in the trapped grunt’s direction. He did not see Aigis signal to him, but he trusted her enough that he didn’t need to.

"Who assigned you to this? Anyone?" There was no answer from the man. "No?" N hissed. "… Even you should be able to tell those Pokemon are suffering. How— How are you able to simply— turn a deaf ear to their voices? And dare to call them lazy… You’re disgusting, all of you…!”

But he was not the type to force information with violence. Maybe the other man could tell, and that was why he was keeping silent. N could feel the beginnings of distraught tears prickling at his eyes. He forcibly tore his gaze away, looking instead toward the mines. Even if he could get no further information out of these guards, at least he could check on the progress of the rescue.

     It seemed that all was well, but N was nowhere to be seen. Assuming he was checking on his other Pokemon Aigis brought all the captured grunts together. She didn't think she would have to run after them again, the large flying Pokemon N had called out seemed to act as a good reason not to try and escape. She'd never seen a Pokemon like that before, though. She'd have to ask N what it's name was. 

     "Please stay here," she told them. "It would be unwise to try and run."

     Aigis made her way towards the area where she heard Pokemon moving about and saw N. From what she had seen he had handled the fight well.