2This is the second standalone oneshot I've posted here, and just like the first, I feel too tempted to turn it into more. I was trying to write a chapter for a really old pokemon fanfic of mine earlier today in honor of my old main deviantART account, but then this little plot bunny bowled me over and I ended up writing this instead. I've actually wanted to write something similar for a while, so...
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy. ^^
Post-Story Ending
Rating: K+
Pairing/s: Puzzleshipping, with hints of Beachshipping
Categories: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Friendship
Setting: Post-canon
Words: 2272
Summary: Video games can't end in tragedy. There has to be a way to continue onward with the gameplay, so everybody gets their happy ending in some way. But, as Yuugi constantly has to remind himself, life is not a video game. Not everyone gets their perfect post-story ending.
Warning/s: Yuugi swears. Once. Not really enough for T rating, y'know? And... Ending spoilers..?
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, but to Kazuki Takahashi. I also don't own Pokemon or Chunsoft.
A story of a brave hero, devoid of all his memories, trying to find himself. A story of his partner, often bullied, hell, two bullies even stole his most prized treasure at the beginning of their tale! Throughout their adventures, the two worked together, and overtime, the small, weak and slightly cowardly form of the partner became stronger, prouder, and a good leader. They had their ups, they had their downs. But that's why they worked so perfectly together.
Surrounded by friends, the two grew around each other. Despite the hero having no memories, it didn't matter to him as much; he and his partner had created new memories, ones that would last a lifetime. He didn't care that everything around him was new, that he knew nobody, that not even their way of life was what he was vaguely aware he'd been used to before. He was content to stay with his partner forever.
Of course, that was when they got thrown into another time period together. The hero began to discover the truth about his past more than ever, in a world taken over by shadows and deceit. It wasn't the same as full-on remembering everything he'd forgotten, but at least now he knew what kind of person he was. At least he knew that he was a selfless person, who agreed to sacrifice everything, even his own life, for the chance to save the world from the darkness that would ensue if he didn't, caused by an overly powerful dark being that bad already done enough to hurt everybody.
Their bond became stronger. They pulled through.
They were unstoppable, together. Without their friends, they would've been nowhere, but without each other... Things would've been considerably worse.
But towards the end, there was only one thing that could be done. The hero who had swooped in to his partner's aid all that time ago had a task, and his partner would have to help with that.
The final battle.
Traveling to another land was an unexpected twist, and the part of the world they were visiting was devoid of visitors, a land preserved in time... Where all of it would end. They couldn't deny the sacrifices they made throughout their journey, the strategical attacks, the close calls, and, of course, the moment where it was all or nothing.
If this battle didn't go as planned, the darkness and shadows would descend on them all, no matter how long it took. There wouldn't be any stopping it from happening. The world would be destroyed.
But the partner still couldn't comprehend at the time of their victory just how badly the consequences of winning would affect them.
Because his closest friend, his partner, the supposed hero of this story, was to leave... Forever. To a place where it would be impossible to bring him back.
After being coaxed not to cry, to continue to live no matter how much it hurt and be proud, to remember his story and to make sure the events taking place in the foreign land would never happen again, the hero was... Gone. Theirs was a story that ended in light, no matter how long the partner really did cry for as they departed, saying goodbye to the broken, damaged land that was almost completely destroyed by the former circumstances. He didn't even have his treasure anymore. The one thing that he had to remember the hero by, the precious item that had started it all, was gone.
Even after three months, he'd stayed strong, proud, and continued to continue the legacy that him and the hero had shared in the small time they'd had together. But a simple conversation with one of his closest friends was enough to make him completely snap. Everything they'd accomplished together... Was it all for nothing? The memories they'd shared only proved the strength of their bond, now much they completed each other... How much they needed each other.
...But he was only reciting loosely the plot of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon : Explorers of Sky, here.
Yuugi sighed deeply as he set down his Nintendo DS, watching the ending credits roll by, completed with a slightly saddened version of the cheery music that usually accompanied the game, and bubbles glistening in the sunset, reflecting how the main characters had met at the start. He had bought the game three days ago, at Anzu's strong recommendation, and it hurt. It reminded him so much of his bond with Atem, with his other self, and his partner character reflected his own mood perfectly.
At least the ending hadn't been like the game's predecessor; Pokemon Mystery Dungeon : Blue Rescue Team. The ending of that one reminded him even more of saying goodbye. What, with all the characters' friends surrounding the hero, watching tearfully as he was enveloped in light, exaggerated even more by the sunset, with each and every one of them yelling out his name, begging for him to find a way to stay with them. Not to mention the music was so full of emotion that he cried, and not just for his reminiscence of his own past, but for the fact that it was a great game.
"...Huh?" He blinked; the credits had finished rolling, and the screen had faded to black. 'Is it over?' He wondered what would happen next. Would his game file automatically be erased? Would there be some sort of dream world scene where the partner remembered the hero and their dream selves went on more adventures together?
The music began to take on a more hopeful tone, and, re realized, it was the same music they used for the 'Fogbound Lake' scene, in which the two had stared at the beautiful sight of hundreds of Illumise and Volbeat, watching them fly over the lake. An image of Temporal Tower had appeared, zooming in slightly. The scene faded to black again to show the slightly ruined scene of the final battle with Primal Dialga, with a now normal-looking Dialga facing the dais on which the five time gears had needed to be placed. A text box popped up on the screen.
Dialga: Yuugi.
WHEN YOU LEFT HERE... WHEN YOU BID FAREWELL TO THIS PLACE FROM THE RAINBOW STONESHIP...
YOUR SORROW... I FELT ITS INTENSITY EVEN HERE.
AND IF THAT IS HOW YOU FEEL EVEN NOW...
Ah. So it was one of these kinds of endings.
AND IF Atem WERE TO SHARE THOSE FEELINGS...
Naturally, he'd named his playing character after his Mou Hitori No Boku as a sign of respect, and instantly added his own name when prompted for a 'Partner'. How fitting.
I WILL GRANT YOUR WISH.
THE WORLD NEEDS YOU BOTH.
THAT IS WHY... I WILL TRUST YOU WITH A GIFT.
I LEAVE TO YOU... THE FUTURE!
After hitting the 'A' button again to dismiss the text box, the Dialga sprite turned around to face the screen, and the screen went black. It faded back in to show Dialga stood overlooking a cliff, and more text popped up.
Dialga: THIS IS MY THANKS!
PLEASE ACCEPT IT!
The sprite lifted its head into the air, making a roaring noise, which was then shoved needlessly into a text box as well.
GRRR-OOOOOO...OOOOOH!
The screen scrolled up to the sky, and faded again.
The screen focussed in on his player character's Squirtle character, Yuugi, who appeared to be sobbing, still being comforted by the friend character, Bidoof. The music once again filled with hope, resembling a slower, more hopeful version of the music from the credits, as his player character appeared, a Riolu by the name of Atem. Both characters ran to each other, and the Squirtle sprite jumped up several times in delight, before falling to the ground in front of the other as if hugging him. Repeating the annoying cycle, the screen once again faded to black, the word 'Owari' finally appearing on the screen in white kanji.
The screen then moved back to the start screen, and he considered switching his DS off and not playing the game again. Of course, it would have ended with a 'happily ever after'. How else was he supposed to keep on playing? And besides, there'd been one of these sorts of endings to the previous game too, which had conveniently slipped his mind. He shook his head in quiet disbelief, clicking the 'Continue Game' button instead.
There was something he had to do.
He and Atem had a similar story. He, too, had been bullied, just like his Squirtle. His treasure happened to be the Millennium Puzzle, however, and unlike Yuugi-the-Squirtle, the two bullies who'd stolen his personal treasure later became his friends. His Riolu character also vaguely reminded him of the real Atem; heroic, working to save others, and even if he seemed quieter when away from danger, he still forged a bond with the friends the characters made throughout the plot. Neither had their memories, and both were content without them. But Atem was Atem, and no video game character could really reflect his personality perfectly. He was in no way perfect, and Yuugi remembered with a small shudder the times when his other self had been violent, killing people with no qualms, simply because they hurt him or his friends. And unlike the pokemon in his game, both of them knew of the spirit's impending departure from the realm of the living. They just chose to ignore it, to keep it hidden in the recesses of their minds throughout their time together, avoiding the crushing grief overtaking them when they thought about it.
He smiled bitterly as his team cheerily ran through another dungeon on a mission to graduate from the Wigglytuff Guild, get the treasure, and avoid the Grand Master Of All Things Bad. Nonexistence was a worse fate than a dead soul simply passing on, but Chunsoft had even managed to make that turn out cheerful and perfect.
He was up to the part when Bidoof accidentally pushed the boulder away when he heard his door crack open, and looked up to see Anzu plop down next to him on his bed.
"Your grandpa let me in," She explained, taking a glance at his game. Her eyes widened. "Wow, you're already at that part? It took me weeks to get to the post-ending!" He smiled faintly, but continued to play. "Although I guess that's to be expected from you..." She muttered thoughtfully, continuing to watch him battle various pokemon from the guild. After blocking Sunflora from taking a shot at Squirtle-Yuugi, he finished off the final pokemon in the cave with a critical hit from a Focus Punch, and threw his DS down on the covers after snapping it shut.
"Why?" He asked simply, looking up at her. Anzu frowned, shifting slightly in her sitting position.
"Because you're the best gamer around." He shook his head.
"No, not that... Why? Why did you get me to buy that game?"
She shrugged. "It's fun, and it has an emotional plot line. What's not to like?"
He shot her a saddened look. "You've played it. You know the plot. You knew..."
He faltered right there, but no more words were needed. She blinked in surprise when a few stray tears fell down his face; she hadn't seen him start crying. When he buried his head in her hair, she wrapped her arms around him awkwardly, rubbing circles into his back soothingly. He needed a friend right then and there, and there was no way that was she going to deny him that.
"It's been months..." He sniffed. "But I miss him. I miss him so fucking much."
"Ah... Yuugi..?" She frowned. It wasn't often that he broke down like this, he was much stronger emotionally than some people tended to believe.
"C-can I tell you a secret?"
"Sure..." What was he hiding?
"I..." He hiccuped, lowering his eyes and toying with the corners of the sheets shyly. "I think I loved him..."
Her eyes widened, but she still didn't let go of him. She was actually kind of surprised that she hadn't seen this coming.
"I think I still do... But he's gone." A shaky laugh. "I have to keep on living, right?"
She nodded, hugging him again and whispering in his ear. "That's what he would've wanted. He's proud of you, Yuugi. I know it." Seeing him nod in understanding, she rose to her feet, walking towards the door. She hesitated, holding the handle. "If you need anything, call me. I'll be there for you."
He nodded, before asking one more thing. "Hey... Can you keep what happened today between us?" He requested, and she nodded.
"Sure. Just don't waste your life away, got that? Now why don't you carry on with that game? The post-ending plot gets rather interesting towards the end..." She winked, and as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone.
"Anzu..." He muttered, still staring at the door. "Thank you."
And with that, he picked up the DS again, observing the childish and happy tale that was currently progressing as his team graduated and moved in to Sharpedo Bluff, simply enjoying exploring at their own pace, and living life as if nothing bad had ever happened to them. Completing the game entirely was beginning to feel like something he had to do in order to honor his Mou Hitori No Boku's existence.
He had thought back to all the good times they'd had, and he'd broken down. He'd had a conversation with one of his closest friends, who had then provided a shoulder to cry on.
But, unlike in his pokemon game, said friend had left, with him feeling slightly better. There was no light, no one coming back as a gift from the gods for saving the world.
The real Yuugi and Atem didn't get their own post-ending adventure together.
So Yuugi would try his hardest to make sure their video-game selves got the best one possible.
I think it's pretty obvious that the bolded text was Dialga's speech, and the underlined parts were the colored text in-game. Because obviously, you can't change text color on here.
Also, sorry for those who haven't played PMD and just feel confused. I hope it's not too confusing for you.
But yeah... As I think you can tell, when I read the Yu-Gi-Oh manga, it reminded me of PMD so much... To the point where it's left me thinking that Chunsoft had a little inspirayion when it came to writing the plot for that game... I mean, you can make so many comparisons to PMD EOS also happens to be my favorite video game. And as for which pokemon they are in this... I chose Squirtle for two reasons; Yuugi's a gaming nerd, so I have a feeling that if he liked Pokemon, he'd be a first-generation sorta guy. And secondly... Look at its freaking eyes. Like Dratini and Dragonair, it has eyes so freaking similar to Yuugi's. The same color, shape, and everything. And as for making Atem a Riolu... Dunno. But they both have red eyes, and Riolu was my favorite pokemon, so why not? Plus, on the personality test thing at the start of the game, the responses that get you Riolu reminded me of Atem.
Oh, and Beachshipping wasn't a typo. It's Hero x Partner in PMD.
So... I hope you guys liked this, and that you enjoyed this slice of angst. I have a really good idea for an alternate, happier ending for this one... Do you guys want me to write it?
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope you guys check out some of my other Puzzleshipping fanfics! ^.~