[Synposis: When MrCheese brings Cheddar along to play the round, Ninja begins acting strangely irritable. That evening, when MrCheese decides to visit him in his quarters to see what might be wrong, he finds out that Ninja used to have someone like Cheddar in his life, too...Except he isn't ever coming back.]

[Location: The Skeld]

Note: If you've played Pokémon, and know what a Nuzlocke Challenge is, you should understand all of this. If not, then...Bulbapedia will give you the answers, mkay? A Ninja fluff fic was requested by a few, and I had a headcanon out there to work on if I ever needed story material, so here we go!

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"Hey, gang! MrCheese in the house!"

The crew gave MrCheese a warm welcome as he spawned into the lobby. He had said earlier that he was planning on bringing Cheddar with him, so Mother, Stoner and Veteran were keen on formally meeting him for the first time. Player, Captain, and TheGentleman were already acquainted with Cheddar to some degree,(though only the former was really all that fond of him) but they were still wondering what sorts of events might unfold with MrCheese's dog in the picture for today's rounds.

Surely enough, Cheddar was right by his owner's side as they entered the dropship, and he let out an excited bark as he scanned the crew...Veteran was the first one to approach him.

"So, you're MrCheese's executive chef over at Cheese Louis, huh?" he acknowledged. "Nice to see you outside of the job."

Cheddar recognized Veteran as their #1 customer, and was quick to let him know they were on good terms by giving his outstretched hand a friendly lick.

"Heh heh, yeah...Your poocheroni's givin' off some good vibes, bruh," Stoner drawled, a glint of approval in his otherwise tired gaze.

Cheddar curiously eyed Mother's mini crewmates and trotted right over. Timmy cautiously extended a hand for him to inspect, very obviously concerned...But his worries faded when Cheddar moved his head and positioned it right onto his palm, earning him a trusting pat.

"Ohh, look at that, Timmy, he likes you!" Mother encouraged him. "MrCheese, I gotta say, you know how to raise a good dog!"

"Well, it takes a good boy to know one~!" he replied, turning a tad pink at the compliment.

The sound of someone else joining the server sounded off, and a familiar purple figure with a black headband wrapped around his head appeared from a sudden puff of lavender smoke.

"ねえ、久しぶりです. みなさんお元気ですか?"

"Oh, hey there, Ninja!" Player greeted, a bit more excited to see Ninja again as opposed to Cheddar. He and Veteran rushed over to greet him. "It's been a while, hasn't it? How've you been doing?"

"悪くない," he replied, his usually bright and keen eyes looking a tad on the dull side. "でも正直、今日は笑う気がしません."

"Ninja. Gonna be honest with you here," Veteran told him. "I had absolutely no clue what you just said...But judging by the lack of eye contact I'm getting from you right now, it doesn't look like you're in a good mood."

"いいんだよ. あなたは何もしませんでした."

"Wow. It's not my fault you're down in the dumps, man. Don't blame me."

Ninja sighed and rolled his eyes, looking even less amused.

"Are you sure he said something mean to you, Veteran?" Player questioned. He knew that his best friend would occasionally pretend to understand PoopyFarts so he wouldn't feel left out of the conversation, so it wouldn't surprise him if he would try the same with Ninja.

"彼が私に正しい方法で話したいのなら、彼はオンラインで日本語を学びに行くことができます," Ninja said to Player, raising his eyebrows. "コースを見つけるのは難しくありません."

"Yeah, maybe we should start taking Japanese lessons...Sorry, Ninja, but we don't really understand."

Ninja sighed again, resting a hand on Player's back.

"少なくともあなたはそれについて正直です."

...Maybe Cheddar wil cheer him up a bit, Player thought. Sure, he himself wasn't very fond of Cheddar, but Ninja might be. Who knows? He just might make his day!

"So, uh, in case you're interested, we have a guest here in the lobby today, Ninja. You want to meet him?"

His purple face brightened a bit.

"もちろん!"

"I take that as a yes. Come on, MrCheese will introduce you!"

Player lead him over to the crowd, and MrCheese waved for them to come closer.

"Here he is, Ninja!"

"Oh, hey, Ninja! Long time no see!" MrCheese greeted him, a grin on his face. "I don't think I've ever introduced you to my wingman Cheddar, have I?"

Ninja looked down at the orange dog and stared, his gaze hardening and his form becoming suddenly tense.

"ウイングマン?"

Cheddar tilted his head at Ninja, curious as to what might be bothering him. MrCheese didn't see the disturbed look on the purple crewmate's face yet, so he continued telling him about their history.

"Yeah, he and I have known each other ever since we were in crewmate college. He was the BEST bud I've ever had. We helped each other out with the courses, threw some freakin' epic parties...He even helped get me up with TheGentleman!"

"'Tis true," the black crewmate confirmed.

"We split up after a while once college was done with, and I missed him pretty much everyday once he went out into the world on his own...But then one day when we were on Polus, I saw him come running back to me! Turned out he hitched a ride on the outside of the dropship...And he helped me to secure my Impostor victory that day!"

"Yeah, I remember that..." Player responded, trying to make light of the otherwise unpleasant memory. "He bites awful hard when you're on the opposite team as him."

"I dunno, Player. He's never done that to anyone else before. Guess he just doesn't like you."

"I wish I knew why..."

"So, anyway, that's the story, Ninja!" MrCheese smiled. "You know, I think Cheddar's already taken a liking to you! Look!"

He looked back down at Cheddar; he was jumping up into his leg and looking right into his eyes, an optimistic sparkle in his visor.

"成程..."

Player was concerned by the expression Ninja wore...He looked to be in an even worse mood than before. Why, though? Cheddar obviously liked him.

MrCheese took notice to his hardened gaze too, but by the time he opened his mouth to say something, the lobby had cut to black, and the game had started.

Impostor

MrCheese beamed at the sight of his role, and even more at the sight of his assigned partner, who was none other than TheGentleman.

"Everyone scatter!"

Captain gave the order, and the round was off to a start...After faking their card swipe with the rest of the crew, the trio followed Mother and Stoner into Navigation from a safe distance, using Cheddar as a distraction before pulling off a double kill, then calling the light sabotage to distract the crew and lead them away from the murder scene...They split off once the lights came back on; TheGentleman made the sneaky decision to earn Veteran's trust, suggesting to him that they stick together in order to avoid being killed without any witnesses. MrCheese and Cheddar headed back up into the Cafeteria...They'd seen Player head that way recently, and he was an easy target.

The crewmate in question was just starting his download when the two peered at him from around the corner behind the south entrance to the room.

"Okay, Cheddar," MrCheese rasped. "You stand guard and distract anyone who might be coming, and if they get too close, bite 'em!"

Cheddar let out a confident growl in response, nodding in agreement to the master plan. MrCheese headed into the room disarmingly and approached his unsuspecting victim...To his mild dismay, Player heard him coming, and turned to greet him.

"Oh. Hey, MrCheese."

"Hey, Player," he replied, trying to look as casual as possible. "Good day for a task run, ain't it?"

"I guess it is...But you know, I kind of wonder what's eatin' Ninja."

"Ninja?" he echoed.

"Yeah. He seems a little on the gloomy side today...And it was kinda weird how he reacted when he saw Cheddar and heard your story about him. I thought it'd cheer him up, but...It just seemed to annoy him."

"Huh...You know, I was thinkin' that myself before the game started," MrCheese nodded, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be killing Player right about then.

The latter's upload finished, and he turned to face the former.

"He's usually so excited to start," Player continued. "You don't think something happened to him recently, do you?"

"I dunno...Not sure what might have gone down with him, either," MrCheese answered thoughtfully, failing to acknowledge the sound of irritated muttering from the south Cafeteria entrance. "I'd ask him, but I know I probably wouldn't be able to understand it."

"Yeah...I said something to him about maybe taking Japanese lessons from somewhere so I could understand him better."

"Oh, God...Whatever you do, don't use Duolingo. If you miss one lesson, that owl is gonna know."

"What's some little green owl gonna do about it?"

"Oh, maybe...Something like this."

That was when MrCheese pulled out his Impostor knife, and sliced Player's head off with one swift, clean swipe...He didn't even have time to cry out in terror.

"Heh heh, another one down," he chortled. "And just like all the others, nobody saw a thing."

"あなたはひどく間違っています、ミスターチーズ."

MrCheese whipped his head around to see none other than Ninja standing there, having witnessed the entire thing...The bite marks on his right leg were a sure fire indication that he'd been able to deflect both Cheddar's diversion and his attack.

"Well, well, looks like I've been caught red-handed," MrCheese remarked. "...But whether or not they'll believe you is a whole different matter.

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DEAD BODY REPORTED
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"Egad! Three people dead already!?" Captain exclaimed. "What's a captain gotta do to keep his crew alive!?"

"Ninja. You're the one who reported," Veteran pointed out. "You see anything?"

"I saw something," MrCheese interrupted before the reporter even had the chance to open his mouth. "I saw a self report."

Captain and TheGentleman both gasped.

"Ninja is the one who killed our dear Mr. Player...!?" the latter fake-mourned, sounding very convincing. "I demand vengeance for our fallen brother!"

"彼はうそつきだ!" Ninja staunchly defended himself, pointing an accusatory finger at MrCheese. "チーズさんはカフェテリアで彼を殺しました!"

"...Did anybody get any of that?" Captain asked the crew.

"Not verbally," Veteran responded. "But judging by he tone of his voice paired with the fact that he's pointing right at MrCheese makes me think he's blaming him."

"But is wasn't me!" MrCheese continued. "I did a Medbay scan earlier! Right, TheGentleman?"

"You most certainly did. I saw it with my own two eyes."

"Ninja. Are you SURE you saw MrCheese kill Player?" Captain asked.

"私は私が見たものを知っています! あなたは私がこのような時に盲目になる余裕があると思いますか!?"

"I take that as either a self-correction or an Impostor confession...And I don't trust either one."

"Hang on, Cap'," Veteran continued. "Ninja's the one who reported first. MrCheese just butted into the question I was asking him. And considering the latter's track record, I'm leaning more towards Ninja's story than-"

"All in favor of casting Ninja out into the dark, lonely void of space, say I!"

"I!"

Captain, TheGentleman AND MrCheese all voted for Ninja...Veteran's efforts against the latter were in vain, and the purple crewmate was thrown into the airlock, giving the orange menace one final glare before the outside doors opened up.

"あなたは私たちのロビーに恥をもたらします..."

MrCheese tensed up just a bit, looking down at his equally unnerved dog.

"I don't know why...But I feel like I should be insulted right about now," he thought aloud before flashing Ninja another smirk. "...Ah, well. At least I got away with it."

The airlock opened, and he was cast into outer space.

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Ninja was not An Impostor.
2 Impostors remain.
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"It...wasn't him?"

TheGentleman and MrCheese whipped out their knives, and Veteran gave Captain one more unamused look.

"And just when I thought you couldn't get any stupider..."

Defeat

Everyone spawned back into the lobby. TheGentleman celebrated with MrCheese and Cheddar as the crew assured one another that they still did well, despite their loss...Except for Captain, who was given a few disgruntled glares instead of a pat on the back.

"Sorry about what happened back there, Player," Mother comforted, patting the top of his head sympathetically. "Hey, you lasted longer than Stoner and I, at least."

"Thanks, Mother...But I think Ninja needs to hear that more than I do."

The crewmate in question was standing by the wall away from the group, his back turned towards them and his head hung low. The cyan crewmate approached him cautiously; she'd always been slightly wary of Ninja, finding him a bit secluded and mysterious, but he was a person just like the rest of them, and it was fairly obvious that he had things on his mind.

"...Ninja?" she addressed softly. "I know what happened to you this round, and...I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. You doin' okay?"

Ninja let out a heavy sigh before turning his head to look her in the eye.

"グループに戻るだけです," he responded, motioning his head for her to return to Player and the others, trying to put on a reassuring smile. "私のことは心配しないでください."

"Oh. Well, um...Okay, then," Mother nodded, having half a clue of what he said. "But if there's ever something really wrong, just...Let me know in any way you can, alright?"

He nodded, and she returned to the band of crewmates from the previous round...Neither she nor Ninja were aware of the fact that TheGentleman and MrCheese had finished their little celebration, and had witnessed the interaction between the two.

"Y'know, Player was right. There is something off about Ninja today," MrCheese said to his associate. "He's usually a good sport when he looses a match, but today, he just...seems bothered by something."

"I hadn't been paying much attention earlier, but now that you mention it, I see what you mean," TheGentleman nodded. "What do you suppose might be wrong?"

"Can't say. And I'm not sure if he'd be willing to tell me. And even if he did, I probably wouldn't be able to understand any of it, y'know, heh heh..."

Cheddar tilted his head again as he looked Ninja's way, practically able to smell the negativity radiating off of him...He was just as curious as his owner.

"Bruff!"

"What's up, Cheddar?"

The cheesy dog emitted a series of low barks, seemingly communicating with MrCheese about the situation.

"Huh...Normally, I'd call someone a huge nerd for suggesting that, but considering the circumstances, that's actually not a bad idea."

"What did he say, MrCheese?" TheGentleman inquired.

"He has an idea on how we might be able to get through to him...But I'll explain later. For now, let's just start up another round and see of we can get Ninja's spirits back up the fun way!"

Another game started up, and TheGentleman found himself an Impostor again...With Ninja as his partner. Of course, the latter's first target was MrCheese, and he sliced his body into bite-sized chunks with his trusty katana...Every round afterward, Ninja made sure that his orange rival was taken care of before he could interfere with his plans, whether or not they were on the same team. And every time, he made sure Cheddar watched his owner fall in defeat.

Man...Did I do something to make him mad like this? MrCheese wondered in between rounds. Boy, I better hope Cheddar's plan helps us out later.

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...

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The Skeld was nearly silent, save for the soft whirring ambiance of the engines in the ship's back. There were probably still a few crewmembers awake, but the majority of them had retired to their quarters for the night, no doubt.

The clock on Ninja's phone read 9:00 p.m...It was time.

He'd done this on every 15th of the month for the past three years, and he promised that would continue to do it for as long as he lived...He promised himself he would never forget.

Ninja covered the end of his bed with a protective cloth, placing a bowl of fruit on the right corner of it and his tiny, but diligently cared-for bonsai tree on the left...He left the unfinished display for just a moment to retrieve a photo from his night table drawer, concealed within a protective sleeve. He withdrew it, then positioned it against his covered bed frame behind the two objects on its corners, finally placing an incense holder in between them and lighting a pair of incense sticks to put in them.

"ねえ、旧友," he greeted the figure in the photo as he got onto his knees. "今日は 私たちの中で で友達と遊んだ. 私はあまり訪問しませんが、彼らの会社を楽しんでいます...それらを紹介する機会があればいいのにと思います."

He sighed deeply before continuing, his own breath muffling the sound of footsteps coming down the hall towards his room.

"私のライバルであるチーズ氏は、彼の犬であるチェダーと一緒にいました。彼らは最初のラウンドで私を打ち負かしました、しかし次の4ラウンドで私は彼らを打ち負かしました...あなたがそれを見たならあなたは誇りに思っていたでしょう...あなたが知っている...チェダーがチーズ氏と持っている絆..."

He paused again, failing to acknowledge the dim light spilling into his room from the now-open door.

"...それは私がかつてあなたと一緒に持っていたものを思い出させました."

"Who you talkin' to, Ninja?"

He jumped where he sat, then swiftly turned his head to come face-to-face with his cheese-headed rival, paired with his mangy dog. His startled expression quickly turned into one of contempt.

"なんでしょう...?" he growled at him.

"I hope I'm not bothering you. I just, uh...wanted to come see if you needed some company, is all, y'know?"

"...あなたは寝ているべきです," he spat, clearly not in the mood for a one-sided conversation.

"Dude, it's only 9:00. TheGentleman and I don't usually go to sleep until, like, 10:30, or something, so don't try to be my mom, okay? Heh heh..."

Ninja's expression shifted again, turning from an annoyed grimace to a wide-eyed stare.

"待つ. あなたはそれを理解しましたか?"

"Heck yeah, I understood that. I learned a whole bunch o' Japanese!"

The purple crewmate tried to reply, but all that came out of him were strained, confused vowel noises.

"Yeah, you're probably wondering how I did it. I just got done binge-watching three hours of subbed anime while taking notes, and I learned pretty much all the basic vocabulary and how the sentence structure works!"

"わずか3時間で."

"Yep."

Ninja had to admit; as dumbfounded as he was that MrCheese was able to understand him now, he was actually a bit impressed.

"So what's goin' on in here tonight, huh?"

But that didn't distract him from the fact that he was intruding on something that was supposed to be private.

"大きなお世話."

"You sure? You were acting upset with me today, and...I wanted to know if we could make amends, patch things up, you know. I...I guess you could say I'm a little worried about you."

"あなたにできることは何もありません."

"Aw, come on, sure there is," MrCheese said to him as he opened the door a bit more and entered the room. "My wingman here wants to help you out too, ain't that right, boy?"

Cheddar gave off a yip in agreement. But Ninja had just about had it with the intruders.

"私をほっといて. あなたとあなたの大切なウィングマン..."

"Hey, Cheddar didn't do anything to you, pal," MrCheese retorted. "Well...except maybe bite you in the first round we played, but that was only because we were Impostors and I needed him to work as a diversion. Cheddar wouldn't ever attack you without a good reason! He's the best dog a guy could want!"

Ninja shook his head, sighed again and turned his head away, absentmindedly looking back at the photo he's set up in the back of his small display.

"Huh...Well, I'm sorry you don't really get what we have," MrCheese said to him sympathetically. "Maybe you'll have someone like Cheddar in your life one day, though, and you'll see exactly what I mean!"

...It was only when he heard what MrCheese had said to him that he began to process the image in the photo again. His visor slid shut, and his head lowered once more.

"...以前はよく__していた," he mumbled softly, hoping that MrCheese hadn't heard him...But as his luck would have it, he did.

"What was that?"

"何も言わなかった," Ninja replied, swiftly and curtly.

"No, it...It sounded like you said you DID have someone like that before," the orange crewmate told him. "I-is there something you wanna tell me?"

He only got silence in return.

"...Please? I'm sorry if you think I'm being nosy, but...I just want to be there for you if something's wrong, okay?"

The sound of MrCheese's speech and the image in the picture Ninja was staring at mixed together in his brain. And as he stared at the image in the photo, he whispered its name.

"いさむ..."

"Isamu," he'd said. MrCheese recognized the term as a name.

"Who's Isamu?"

"写真で."

MrCheese came over and knelt down next to Ninja to better see just what he was looking at.

...The photo was of a familiar-looking creature, though not from the vast universe of Among Us, which they currently resided in. It was a primate-esque being with a ruddy red face, intelligent blue eyes and a strong-burning flame blazing atop its head, and it wore a confident smile on its face.

...Had MrCheese not been familiar with what an Infernape looked like(not from his recent anime binge, but rather his own experience in the Sinnoh region years ago,) he'd have just assumed it was some weird Japanese deity that Ninja worshipped. But he knew better than that.

"...That's Isamu? An, uh...An Infernape?"

"ええ...それは彼です."

"Huh..."

MrCheese analyzed the miniature display Ninja had set up around the photo of the Sinnoh starter. He doubted that he would be honoring Isamu in this manner unless he were...

"Um...What was he like?"

"イサムは私が今までに知った親友の一人でした...ヒコザルとして彼に会った日から、私は何か特別なものが偽造されていることを知っていました。あえて私たちの道を渡ったものはすべて破壊または捕獲されました...通常は破壊されました。私たちは他の多くのチームメンバーなしで前進するのに十分な強さでした。彼のほかに、私のトリトドンとマニューラしかいませんでした."

"Oh. I see...So you guys didn't need too much extra help, huh?"

Ninja shook his head in response.

"しかし、私が言ったように、彼はただの偉大な戦闘機ではありませんでした," he continued."...私たちはあなたとチェダーが持っているのと同じ絆を共有しました."

"You did...?"

Cheddar let out an intrigued whine.

"ええ. 私たちは一緒にたくさんのことをしました. 雲を見つめたり、トンネルを探索したり、時々お茶屋さんを訪ねたり... 彼と私も料理をしてみました."

"Cooking, too, huh? Sounds like Cheddar and I over at Cheese Louis...Were you two good at it?"

"私を信じてください. 彼と私は信じられないほどのポフィンを作ることができました."

"Dang...Knowing how skilled you are at so many things, I'd go as far to say you could rival Cheddar and I in the kitchen, heh heh...Did you guys focus a lot on turnin' up the heat? Since, y'know, he was a Fire-Type and all..."

"これは料理とは何の関係もありませんが、良い例です," Ninja replied. "スーパーコンテストに参加した時のことを覚えています. 私たちは彼の炎がどれほど強いかを過大評価し、他の競争相手にほとんど火をつけました!"

"T'oh ho, cheese louis! That could've left a mark!"

They both burst into a fit of giggles, lighting up the soft, gloomy atmosphere of the room with a bit of lightheartedness.

When their laughter finally died down, MrCheese spoke again.

"Boy, sounds like you and your bud Isamu had some pretty good times together, huh?"

"彼らは最高でした..."

Ninja looked back down at the photo of his starter, the smile fading from his face again.

"...しかし、永遠に続くものはありません."

"Well..." MrCheese responded, hesitant to ask the question itching against the tip of his tongue...Finally, he could hold it in no longer, and it escaped into Ninja's ear.

"...What happened?"

It took a good several moments for the purple crewmate to answer him, eyes still glued onto the photo of Isamu, a spark of grim remembrance in his visor.

"私のプラチナラン...それはヌズロックチャレンジでした. あなたはそれが何であるか知っていますか?"

"Nuzlocke Challenge...? I've never done one myself, but I've heard of it," MrCheese said to him. "Like...I-if a Pokémon faints, then it basically...It..."

THAT was when everything clicked in his head.

"Oh...Oh my God, I...B-but you said he was so strong. H-how did it get to the point where he...?"

MrCheese couldn't finish the sentence...He didn't really need to, though. Ninja knew exactly what he wanted to know.

The events of what had happened that fateful day played out before his eyes once more, and he relayed the whole story to his orange-clad guest.

____________________________________________________________

...

____________________________________________________________

The champion withdrew her fallen Lucario from the battlefield...It had been a tense battle up until now. Shimesu, his trusty Tritodon, had been killed in one hit by that accursed Roserade's critical-hitting Energy Ball early on, and Suraisa, his Manyula, was barely clinging to life, with just 4 HP left after having to endure a brutal Stone Edge...Isamu wasn't in much better shape, in the red zone himself. Ninja would have healed them, but he'd blown through most of his Recovery Medicines and Tank-Filling Medicines against the Elite Four, and had used his last dose of the former to prevent Suraisa from being sent to the grave by the impending Stone Edge.

...Shirona was down to her last Pokémon: her Gaburiasu. The strongest Pokémon on her team, which had been known to strike fear into the hearts of many Trainers...Many a Nuzlocke had ended when they came to face it.

"...しかし、私のものではありません," Ninja promised himself. fist clenching as he sent his beloved partner back out onto the battlefield. He had used Isamu almost exclusively throughout his journey, and he was a good fifteen levels higher than his opponent...One Black Belt-powered Infight had to be MORE than enough to send that Gaburiasu to its knees.

Victory was just one move away...And once their names were immortalized in the Hall of Fame, they would spend the rest of their days together, spreading the wisdom they had gathered along their long, harrowing journey to the others who so desperately needed it.

"...いさむ!" he shouted. "インファイトを使用!!"

His first Pokémon let out a determined battle cry as he rushed forth, every fist ablaze with a fiery red energy that grew more and more intense as he drew closer to the enemy. Every punch and kick he threw at it landed, and they came in such swift succession that Ninja could barely see the fists as they flew. How many hits had landed? A dozen? A score? A hundred!? It didn't matter to him. He was absolutely ecstatic.

"勝利...甘い勝利!" he cheered. "ついにで..!"

...

"ついにで..."

...His cheers stopped when he realized the Gaburiasu was still standing, his eyes wide with horror.

He stole a glance at its health bar....It had 2 HP left.

"...何?"

And then it whipped out something from behind it, shoved it into its razor-lined maw and chewed it to bits before swallowing it.

"お盆の実?"

A quarter of its health was instantly restored, and a disgusting sneer spread across its ugly, scaly face.

...Isamu looked just as horrified as his Trainer.

"いいえ..."

One commanding fling of the arm was all the Gaburiasu needed from its Trainer to bring on its attack.

The ground started to shake.

A wave of earth rumbled throughout the battlefield, honing in on Isamu, who could do nothing but stare in horror as his demise approached.

An agonized scream pierced the chamber, and as suddenly as it had sounded off, it was gone, and the battleground was shrouded in silence.

...Ninja stared out onto the battlefield, eyes locked onto Isamu's bloodied, battered corpse, the realization of what had just happened slowly dawning on him...All of his plans for their new journey crumbled to bits as Isamu's life with him flashed before his eyes.

...What did he feel? Shock? Sorrow? Anger? All three? More than that?

He could feel the tears streaming down his face as he rose his shuddering hand and withdrew Isamu's dead body from the field, but deep inside of him, there was a fire that burned white hot. This wasn't just anger. This was RAGE.

And his first thought?

...He would AVENGE his fallen partner.

With an audible grunt and a fling of his hand, he sent Suraisa back out...That Gaburiasu wasn't going to get away with murdering his best friend.

"スライサー!" he screamed, sounding as though he himself were being beaten to death, as his partner had. "こおりのつぶて!!!"

His Manyula knew what had happened as soon as he saw the tears streaming down his Trainer's face. He let out a vengeful snarl as he quickly summoned his small, but razor-sharp ice chunks and sent them flying at the Gaburiasu.

As a Ground and Dragon-Type, it had a quadruple weakness to Ice-Type attacks. Ice Throwing Stones only had 40 base attack power, but with a type advantage like that paired with the guarantee of being the first move, as well as the fact that the enemy only had so much HP left in it, the attack was more than enough.

The Gaburiasu let out one final roar before its knees caved in, and it fell to the ground.

...The battle had been won.

But at a price Ninja could still barely comprehend.

Suraisa walked alongside his Trainer as Shirona lead them both to the elevator that rose to the final room. Nobody said anything as they were inducted into the Hall of Fame. The victorious fanfare fell on deaf ears as two encapsulated corpses and one badly battered Manyula were added to the record of winning teams. The Champion knew what had happened as well as they had...And she looked just as solemn.

Once news of Ninja's victory spread across the Sinnoh region, the others awaited his return, planning a celebration...But he wasn't ever going to show up.

He had left the region, carrying the burdensome weight of Isamu's death on his shoulders. And he wasn't planning on coming back.

____________________________________________________________

...

____________________________________________________________

Another long silence endured before MrCheese could find a proper response.

"Wh...whoa," he rasped. "I had no idea, I...I'm so sorry, Ninja."

Ninja remained silent, only acknowledging his guest's remark by lowering his head even more, visor closing again.

"...How long ago was this?"

"3年前," he answered. "3月15日...毎月15日、私は彼の人生を称えます."

"...That's today," MrCheese realized. "S-so, this is kind of like a monthly memorial ceremony-type thing you have here?"

He nodded lightly, his already closed visor shutting even tighter...MrCheese placed a comforting hand on Ninja's back and patted it.

"...I guess you ended up knowing more than I did, then," he remarked. "You and I both know what it's like to have a friend like that in our lives, but...I guess I don't know what it's like to..."

He looked over at Cheddar, and saw him up from his sitting position and somberly walk over to the opposite side of their purple-clad friend, lying down there and leaning his furry orange head against him.

"...Y-you know."

Ninja drew in another deep breath, and it came out as a raggedy sigh.

"...私は何が起こったのか自分を責めます," he admitted, the tears that'd been pooling in his closed visor flowing down his face as he opened it back up again to look at MrCheese. "...私は彼のトレーナーでした. もっと準備しておけばよかった. 私...私..."

"Ninja...? Are you-"

"それは全て私のせいです...!"

He finally hid his visor in his hands and sobbed into them, turning away from the orange crewmate in a vain attempt to maintain a shred of dignity. It was no use, though; his mournful tears were as plain as day.

He didn't realize that he'd been drawn into a tender hug until MrCheese started speaking again.

"Don't say that...It's not your fault what happened, okay?" he assured him softly. "You and your partner gave that fight your all...And I know that when you give something your all, it's pretty dang hard to compete with."

"それでも十分ではありませんでした..." he stammered through his tears.

"Hrnn...?"

Cheddar looked just as worried as MrCheese was, and he gently pawed at Ninja's side to try and get his attention. The purple crewmate pushed away a bit from Mrcheese and turned his head to look down at him, and when they made eye contact, he rose onto his back legs, gently leaned his forepaws against him and lifted his snout up to lick the side of his face, cleaning away some of the tears streaming down his face.

Ninja managed the slightest indication of a laugh and a smile through his hiccupping sobs, and he sniffled as he wiped his face on the back of one of his hands, though his tears continued to fall...Cheddar curled up against him as MrCheese pulled him back into the embrace.

"...I'm so sorry for your loss," he whispered. "And the way you told me everything, I know it wasn't your fault...It was that STUPID Garchomp's fault. I know how hard it is to beat, and how lucky it can get against something that was supposed to take it down...My run wasn't a Nuzlocke like yours was, but I know how hard it is. Th-the difference is that I...I guess I had all the chances in the world to get it right, and...Y-you only had one."

He nodded and sniveled, burying his face deeper into MrCheese's hold. The latter stroked the top of his head and swayed back and forth with him still in his arms, quietly shushing him and telling him he was right there for him, continuing to assure him that Isamu's death wasn't his fault all the while.

"...And you know somethin' else, Ninja?"

"何...?" he squeaked.

"You still ended up kicking that thing's butt with you bud, Slicer. So you still finished what you started and avenged him, right?"

"私は考えます..."

"You'll never really lose him, Ninja," MrCheese continued. "As long as you keep remembering him, and the times you spent with one another, he'll always be right here."

He gently placed his hand over Ninja's heart and gave him a reassuring nod...One more stray tear escaped Ninja's visor, and he delicately wiped it away before leaning forward again and hugging MrCheese right back.

"ありがとう、チーズさん," he said to him. "あなたは私のライバルかもしれませんが、あなたは良い友達でもあります."

"Aw, shucks...Just doin' what I can to help, y'know, bud? Cheddar's here for ya, too."

The cheesy dog gave off a smile and wagged his tail lightly as he looked up at Ninja...The latter acknowledged him with a friendly head pat.

"そして、私は私の足を噛んだことをあなたに許します."

"Ruff!"

"Heh heh, yeah..." MrCheese chortled. "...So, um...Ninja. I see you're still in the middle of your memorial thing. D-do you want us to head on out so you can keep doin' what you were doin'? I know how important it is to you know, so I just...don't want to interrupt it anymore than I have to."

"いいえ、滞在できます," he assured him. "少なくともあなたが望むなら."

"Oh. Well...Thanks, Ninja. Sure...I'll be here as long as you need me okay?"

"はい..."

"And the others are gonna be by your side too, okay? Just...Tell me if you want me to translate anything to them if you have anything you wanna say."

Ninja cast a wayward glance off to the side, seemingly deep in thought.

"Somethin' else on your mind, Ninja?"

He faced MrCheese again, then cleared his throat before speaking.

"T...tell de oders I...app-ur-eciate dem."

The orange crewmate blinked, not sure he heard him right.

"Did..." he stammered. "...Did you just say that in English?"

"ええ. 彼らがそれを話すとき、私は他の人を理解することができます," he explained, reverting back to his mother tongue to keep from humiliating himself in front of MrCheese. "しかし、私がそれを自分で試してみると、それはいつも聞こえます...間違っています. 壊れた."

"No, no, that was actually really good! You paused a couple times, but you still got it right, good job!"

"あなたはそう思う...?"

"Heck yeah, I know so! Hey, the gang would probably be impressed, too!"

Ninja's visor widened a bit more; he was fairly surprised that MrCheese thought so highly of his clumsy English.

"Dis is, eh...not a trick-u?"

"Pfssh, no, it's not a trick, Ninja. Trust me...I might like to mess with people's heads, but I wouldn't be pullin' your leg at a time like this, considering the circumstances."

"あなたには立派な精神があります、チーズさん."

"Well, sometimes, heh heh...You and I both know I've got a bit of a chaotic evil side."

Ninja chuckled, then turned to look at the photo of his old starter again.

"...You know, wherever Isamu might be right now, I'm sure he's awful proud of you for coming so far. Hey, who knows...? Maybe someday, you'll see him again."

The purple crewmate sighed again, sounding more at ease than despaired this time, and he brought his two cheese-headed comrades in closer...As the incense sticks slowly continued to burn, and the light in the room grew slowly dimmer, a content smile inched its way across Ninja's face. If everything he believed about death and the afterlife was true, then MrCheese was absolutely right...There would come a day when he would finally reunite with Isamu beyond the mortal realm.

...But until that day came, he would keep the fond memories of their journeys together close at heart, and continue to honor his life.

さようなら, いさむ, he bid silently. ...また会うまで.

____________________________________________________________

Yes, I used the Japanese terms for the names of the Pokémon and their moves...Given the context, you should already know who Shirona is.(damn her friggin' Garchomp tho. But for some reason, I didn't have as much of a problem with her at the Battle Tree. Granted I've got a good matchup against her; I tend to focus a lot on teams that can SWEEP well, and my Dragon Dance Sheer Force Life Orb Feraligatr very rarely lets me down. XD)

...ah, crap i forgot this was supposed to be about among us logic for a minute here, why tf am i rambling about pokemon? XP

And YES, I used Google Translate for Ninja's dialogue bc I don't know crap about how to properly speak Japanese. Please don't kill me.