Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 69 - Cosmic

He wants you to leave. He's ashamed.

Right before Anam thought to turn back, Jerry snorted. "If you want."

He's scared.

Anam made careful, slow movements, not doing anything sudden. First, he walked to the Badge, picking it up.

He wished you hadn't noticed.

Anam smiled, looking it over. "Is it pretty?" he asked. "Sorry if it's just a Provisionary one, but it's really hard for me to maintain too many of the really strong Badges, and a thousand is a nice number, you know?"

Jerry stared for a while, eventually settling down on his nest of leaves. He grunted, trying to get in a better position. "Yeah, well, maybe I'm not good Heart material."

Anam approached, step after wet step.

Fool! Don't ruin his bed!

He quickly stopped, sitting when he was a few paces away. Jerry deflated subtly with relief. And then they sat in silence, Anam looking at the Badge to think of what to say. Jerry, too, stared at it, but Anam didn't hear any advice on what Jerry was thinking.

Was it really true? Did he ruin Jerry's life by rejecting him? How badly was he impacted when he rejected him off of only the darkness in his heart? He was desperate; he wanted safety and power; he had been wanted for so much before, so many crimes before he had even become a candidate. Yet, was it wrong to reject him? Could he have... become a better person by becoming a Heart?

He is feeling awkward and confused.

Anam blurted his next statement without thinking. "I'm sorry."

"Eh?" Jerry blinked several times, looking Anam over, and then at the Badge that the Goodra was now squeezing tight.

"I... I ruined your life. You were looking up to me, and... and I let you down. I'm s-supposed to be the person who saves this whole world and makes it a better place. I b-bless the Dungeons and make powerful berries and seeds and scarves all to make the world a better p-place. A-and I still failed you. I f-failed so many people, and... and you're right. You're r-right to be angry at me." Anam couldn't see.

Everything was blurry; the world was on his shoulders, and Jerry was a reminder that even if he could make the Hearts sweep that world, and make Kilo Village a place of peace for all Pokémon, there were still others like Jerry who fell through. Those that he didn't help.

"Oh," was all Jerry said. He shifted in his nest, looking outside.

He's still confused.

Anam didn't know what to get from that. Why would Jerry feel confused after that? He was just apologizing, right? There wasn't any hidden meaning behind it. It just meant that he had to work harder to make the world better.

He misses his mother.

But there was nothing Anam could do about that. "If—if there's... if there's anything I can do?"

"Forget it." Jerry squeezed his eyes shut. "It's already too late for me anyway. This—this Badge you gave me. What's the point of it, huh?"

Hopelessness.

The Aerodactyl tucked himself under his wings, but he peeked out if only to address Anam. "When this is all over. Let's assume you find some way to fix my... whatever this is." He motioned with a wing-claw to the scarf. "What then? I take the exam and become a Heart? After everything I've done?"