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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

{VOLUME ONE: COVERT CASTAWAYS}

......

Remember this cry, for we weave a melody,

A fairy tale that unfolds with us trapped in its walls.

This fabric of this subspace meets a lucid reverie,

Dreams and nightmares merged into a single call.

It begins with a stranger poisoned by malady,

The towers left useless in the wake of its landfall.

......

Chapter 1 — Storm's Children

Lucario choked and gasped for air, consciousness flooding his shaken mind. A torrent deafened the blue jackal’s ears, and his nose smelled the ocean.

His fur felt damp, yet so dry. Saltwater? Had to be, he was just in the sea a moment ago— 

The sea? Goodness, where am I right now? Where’s Adam?

A pressure pressed against his forehead at the thought of it, and Lucario squeezed his eyes tighter. Flecks of salt stung them, and coarse beach sand scraped his torso and his limbs. Painful.

Lucario raised his head skyward and tried to open his eyes. Stormy night clouds greeted him, rain pelting his face and washing away salt and sand alike. A splash of tidewater tapped his leg, making him almost jump. The ocean hungered for his flesh still, refusing to let its meal escape. 

Brain fog, likely from the shock of whatever happened, left his memory fragmented. Gritting his teeth, Lucario racked his throbbing head, trying to piece together how he got here in the first place. He’d been traveling on a ship, right? And there had been a storm, the same one screaming overhead right now, that had brewed out of nowhere. Mild at first, its rage had quickly built up, rough waves tossing the ship around and fierce winds pushing against it. He’d been inside, hearing the sailors holler above and looking out the window—

Two eerie figures jumped into Lucario’s mind, jostling his memory. Pokemon, he recalled seeing Pokemon, their storm-cloaked silhouettes in the sky and locked in destructive combat. One was huge and birdlike, while the other proved impossible for him to make sense of. Its shape had been all fuzzy-looking, and it would writhe in the strangest ways. That was some kind of Pokemon, right?

But then what? he thought. There’s no way I could just fall out of the ship when I was inside the whole time. How did I get separated from my trainer if I was— 

His brain shut down, recollection burning it to smithereens. His lying body fell flat, Lucario’s foot gingerly moving inches to the right where it came into contact with a plank of splintered wood.

Torn apart. One of the Pokemon, or whatever they were, fired a cacophonic attack that came the ship’s way. Lucario had seen it below deck, yelled out in terror, but nothing could be done. A maelstrom of water and wind hurtled over, cries resounded everywhere—

His trainer was gone.

The people on that ship were gone, along with their Pokemon. Either killed by the attack, or left to drown. If they were lucky, they were adrift at sea, lost and starving.

Lucario’s breaths went shallow, eyes going shut again. A boom of lightning went unheard by his ears. It was all fuzzy from there, but he didn't recall seeing any Water-type Pokemon about when the ship exploded into tiny fragments. Maybe other survivors existed, but the violent separation of trainer and Pokemon messed with him, despair clogging his head. The ship's staff had been too slow to respond, the attack too calamitous — how could he dare give himself false hopes? His trainer, his companions, the other passengers, all of them were gone.

He was alone. A single cursed witness.

But it can't be! he yelled to himself. I'm alive! There must be others! How can't there be others? 

Shivering and with tears quivering in his eyes, Lucario slowly turned to the driftwood that he had somehow hung on to. Then jerked with a start at the sight of the brown-skinned human girl beside him, clutching it firmly. Unconscious.

It brought back the last vestiges of his memories out of their watery grave. One moment the ship had been splintering, the next he was sinking to the ocean and looking for his trainer, but to no avail. Instead he had found this girl, sinking along with him and crying for help. It had triggered his guardian instincts, the need to protect the life of somebody, anybody, giving him strength.

He had fought tooth and nail to bring her back to the surface, finding a piece of driftwood and getting the surprised girl to hang on with him. A large wave grabbed her not a moment later, tossing her into the ocean again, and he’d been quick to swim back down to save her. Past that, he had lost all sense of time as they floated there on the driftwood, the girl faint and hanging on tighter than ever.

Lucario coughed out some water that was in his mouth, staring at the young girl. Wet brown hair clung to her modest blue dress, loose black leggings underneath. Even unconscious, she seemed afraid, like their implausible chances of survival would drown with them.

Yet it didn’t. Fate had given him and her, of all the people on that ship, another chance.

Lucario at last brought himself standing. To his surprise, he was in better condition than expected. His muscles were sore, a few gashes deep in his blue fur, but he could walk without too much difficulty. He’d faced worse in Pokemon battles before.

The tidal waves seeped dangerously close to the human girl, threatening to unmake all his efforts to keep her from drowning, and Lucario rushed to pull her further onto the sandy beach. Darn, it was almost as cold as the upper Coronet Highlands out here. All this rain pouring down without abandon, it made him shiver, the three metal spikes on his chest and on the backside of his palms terribly frigid to the touch. The girl had to be just as cold and damp as him, wasn’t she? Weather this bad could make someone sick. Dangerously sick.

The thought of it made him panic. Pokemon were made of hardy stuff, and while an illness could cripple them, they’d be able to tough it out. For a young human girl, however? It could be possibly lethal.

Not without proper healthcare anyway. But where would he find that? What was he supposed to do? Thinking about how to care for someone wasn’t his thing. He was a trained Pokemon, for crying out loud! He was used to listening to commands, not being the one to command himself! He didn’t know how to handle this, or where to start, or—

Get a hold of yourself, Lucario. Now.

His inner voice snapped, Lucario snapping to a state of alertness. Right now you are the only person this human has, the voice went on. Are you going to let her down? Make your sacrifice mean nothing?

No. No, he wouldn’t. He looked over his shoulder at the unconscious human, the tension in his body disappearing. He knew not the steps needed to protect her, he realized, but that didn’t matter. In the end, the goal was simple.

He and this girl were alive.

Now they had to survive. 

The jackal Pokemon turned his attention to the surrounding area. The sandy beach transitioned to a grassy slope with sparse trees, leveling off at around fifteen feet over the ground. The shipwreck had happened in the middle of the sea — this had to be some unmapped island. He checked up on the girl one last time, before running up the hillside.

A quick scouting at the top showed more of the same. A plains-like field spread across in front of Lucario, trees, bushes, and tall grass scattered throughout. No Pokemon though, barely a noise even. Assuming this was an island, it didn’t appear to be tiny, so there had to be some Pokemon around.

The thought of it made Lucario put on a half-smile. If he could find a Pokemon, he could ask for help. Maybe get someone who could shelter them and make them a fire, or give them directions to any humans who might be living here. That would be a start.

But again, he wasn’t spotting any natives around. It was raining hard, sure, but it still concerned him. This wasn’t a desolate island, was it?

Or the Pokemon live further inland, he reasoned. Could be a cultural thing. What would the culture be like on an island like this, anyway? And moreover, what’s the rest of the island like?

Questions to explore later. Lucario turned back to check up on the girl, inwardly wishing the rain would let up. His fur felt like a sponge.

The girl was still in the same place as he left her, right on top of the driftwood, but as Lucario approached she began to cough and sputter. A shudder went through her body, head slowly turning up and eyes squinting through the dark. “ W-where? ” she said in wonder, hands reaching out to the sand around her. 

Lightning flashed, making her turn her head over. Lucario’s eyes met hers in that instant, and she reeled back in alarm. “Don’t worry, I don’t mean you any—” Lucario told her, before pausing. 

Ah, good ol’ language barrier. The girl didn’t seem to process his words, looking at him with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Being a Lucario, he had an innate gift for understanding just about anything the girl said, but most humans and Pokemon had trouble making out each other’s words. It was a learned skill of Pokemon Trainers, being able to piece together what their fellow Pokemon said, and vice versa — but from the looks of it, she wasn’t one. A problem? Maybe.

He bent his knees a little and raised his arm non-threateningly, trying to make himself seem as small as possible. The girl relaxed, a twitch in her eyes as she recognized him. “You,” she mouthed, peering at the wooden plank she was lying on. “You saved me.”

Lucario nodded, flashing a little smile. She returned it.

Instinct kicked in, turning his red eyes into a fiery blue, the natural color of aura. The four teardrop appendages flowing from the back of his head stiffened, then rose into the air. Ripples ran across his vision, the world turning into a network of blue strings that overlapped with each other, and the girl appeared to turn light blue all over. A feeling of cuddly warmth laced the ominous cold coming from her.

Good, his aurasense detected her as friendly. And her fear was being interrupted by her moment of gratitude.

The girl flinched under the blue-aura eyes but kept her smile. Much to his perturbance, Lucario could literally hear the silent gratitude coming from her head, and he turned off his extra sense before he intruded upon more private thoughts.

Using his innate powers with aura gave him an idea, though. By manipulating aura, he could gain access to the emotions of others and their thoughts. Couldn’t he also send them back? Admittedly, he was a little rusty with using his emotions to communicate — his trainer Adam had never needed it — and true telepathy was beyond him. Too much interference and language-translating, among other technical issues. 

Emotions should be good enough for the girl to interpret though. Wanting to show the girl his wish to help her, he conjured a feeling of assurance and care, packaging it into a strand of aura. From there he sent it over to her, pleased when a gasp escaped her mouth.

She couldn’t see the aura, of course, but she felt the message that came with it. “Y-you—” she stammered, processing the alien feeling that had entered her head. An expression of peace took over her face, pleasing the aura-controlling Pokemon. Good, she understood.

The girl tried to get up, then hissed, propping herself on an arm and clutching her right leg. Wounded?

Lucario put his paw forward in a gesture to wait. His mind raced through the list of moves he innately knew, until he settled upon two that would help. 

One was Life Dew, which healed himself and anyone near him, but was best suited to healing scrapes and minor wounds. The other was Heal Pulse, which only affected one person at a time, but the healing was far more effective. If the girl had any fractures in her bones, this would be the better choice, but it didn’t seem like her injuries went that far. 

Heal Pulse was overkill then. I could use a fair bit of healing too, he considered, concentrating on using Life Dew.

His body glowed a faint aqua, magical water drops surrounding him amidst the heavy rain, while some flew to the amazed girl. The drops landed, instantly fixing the gashes in Lucario’s body and making his muscles feel less sore. His injuries weren't debilitating to begin with, but he certainly felt the difference. 

The girl, meanwhile, looked invigorated. Her hand was still clamped around her leg, but she could move it without a problem. She offered another smile and a word of thanks as she gently rose, Lucario taking note that she was a good foot taller than him and looked childish — a twelve year old, he estimated. Two years younger than Adam.

His eyes went back to the ocean, a stormy mess of waves leaping over each other, and a whine came from his throat. His trainer, Adam, lost to the sea. Him and his other Pokemon.

The girl acted likewise, taking in the full vastness of the ocean. “Mother,” she said, the sacred hush of her whisper shifting into a horrible scream. “Mother! MOTHER!”

She rushed to the sea, and Lucario darted in alarm, blocking her off. “No, please!” she bargained, trying to move past. “M-my Mother’s o-out there! S-she—”

Her arms fell limp. Desperation gave way to gloom, cold as the rain, and the girl came to the same conclusion Lucario couldn’t stop himself from thinking either.

“She’s gone,” she said, as quiet as death. 

The twosome stood still as if in a trance, watching the sea rage on beneath gloomy thunderclouds. A flash of lightning turned the night sky white for a moment, and Lucario could have sworn he saw some kind of monolith rising out of the ocean, far in the distance. Even further out was this strange rippling effect that seemed to encompass the entire horizon, bending the light in a mystical manner. It was hard to make any of it out with all the rain and the tears clouding his eyes — but that definitely hadn’t been anywhere near the shipwreck. How far and for how long had the sea taken them away?

The girl hugged her damp body. “Cold,” she realized. “We s-shouldn’t be out h-here.”

Lucario turned away from the otherworldly scene. Right, the human still needed help. The mourning would have to wait.

He gestured to the girl to follow. She quickly nodded, walking behind him and burying her own woes for later. “You understand me, right?” she asked. “You can, uh, communicate with your aura power?”

Lucario nodded, going up the hilly slope past the beach. The human looked at her feet, hands clasped behind her back. “Eira,” came her shy voice.

Eira. Her name.

“Lucario,” he wryly responded. Despite herself, the girl couldn’t help but chuckle — she must have gotten the joke. Pokemon languages were funny like that.

Reaching the field once more, Lucario looked around for signs of Pokemon. Still nothing. Sure, it was dark and stormy and miserably cold, but even in this weather there had to be someone around. Maybe they were in underground burrows? He tried searching with his aurasense, careful to tune out Eira’s thoughts, but nothing lit up even after a long while of searching. 

There just weren’t any Pokemon around, simple as that. But there has to be a Pokemon out here in the wilderness, he insisted. Is there no one on this island?

The thought of it made him groan with worry. The human girl Eira looked at him funny, but he waved her expression away. If there was no one to help, that made everything way more difficult. He needed a plan B.

At this point, even shelter from the rain would be enough. The heavens were pouring on him and Eira, and he felt soaked to the bone. Couldn’t there be at least a large tree to stay under? So far the only trees he had seen were soaking wet, the storm laughing at the feeble shade they offered.

Minutes of walking made Lucario start to question if this place really was an island when he thought he saw figures up ahead. Heavy rain and darkness blocked his vision, but his aurasense took care of that, letting him pick up on two blobs of aura in the distance. Both shone a neutral gray.

Pokemon. Finally!

Lucario beckoned Eira, trying to make out who the figures were from their glowing silhouettes. One of them had frills on its head and a long tail that rolled itself into a spiral — probably a Kecleon. The other one, meanwhile, had the form of a spider larger than the Kecleon. Considering the spiky horn on its head, the four-legged body, and the two appendages sticking upward from its back, he guessed it was an Ariados.

Which puzzled him. Ariados lived in forests, not grassy fields. What was an Ariados doing here with a Kecleon in a place and at a time like this? 

The gray blobs of aura went to a dull red, and Lucario stood still as their bodies twisted toward his direction. He still couldn’t see them normally, what with the nighttime rain getting in the way, but they had noticed his presence. Glowing blue eyes in the dark do that, he surmised, kicking his mind for not thinking about it ahead of time.

Lucario warily moved in closer, his aurasense showing the two auras grow increasingly red. “Hey, who goes there?” an aging voice hollered.

Eira flinched at the noise. “A Kecleon?” she whispered, obviously not understanding the words. 

Motioning her to stay back, Lucario shouted in return. “Strangers who came here by accident! Could any of you be of help?”

At last he could get a glimpse of the two Pokemon themselves. A Kecleon and Ariados stared at him from beneath the shade of a gnarled tree, one whose umbrella-like foliage blocked out the heavy rain. Beside the tree was a muddy mess of a dirt road.

That road said a lot about this place. For one, the island had to be large enough to warrant such a road, and for another, it must mean that there were humans who made it. Lucario’s worries turned to relief.

He and Eira would be fine.

“Goodness gracious,” the Kecleon cackled, waving a paw at Lucario. In typical Kecleon fashion, the bipedal chameleon had green scales, yellow lines around his eyes and over his lips, and a red zigzag stripe crossing through his midsection. “I thought you were a Luxray at first, up until you spoke. I forget some Lucario can do something similar with their eyes too. What’s one of your kind doing on Grassbranch Island of the Haven Archipelago?”

Haven Archipelago? He was in a place made up of multiple islands? He never heard of such a place, and yet it sounded like some kind of region. And he was on Grassbranch Island right now?

The Kecleon didn’t notice Lucario’s confusion, too busy listening to the red spider that was Ariados agitatedly whispering to him. Aurasense told the jackal Pokemon that Kecleon’s blob had returned to gray, even a smidge of light blue, while Ariados was still in the red zone, a feeling of trepidation coming from her aura. Unlike the calm Kecleon, Ariados was for some reason suspicious of him.

“Don’t worry, Ariados, a stranger is not someone we need to be afraid of,” Kecleon said aloud. “Well met, Lucario. You an explorer or something? I’m betting you didn’t mean to come to Grassbranch Island, but the sudden storm made your ship veer off-course and crash.”

Explorer? He wasn’t an explorer, he was just a Pokemon. What was going on?

“Veer off-course — how does a ship get to here because of a storm?” Ariados’s silky feminine voice cut in, glaring at Kecleon with purple eyes. “There’s not a single island north from here, and yet he comes from that direction!”

“Um, about that—” Lucario said when Ariados turned on him.

“And you, what’s with your eyes?” she hissed. “Your kind can stare into minds with those eyes, can’t they? You dare pry into the secrets of a matriarch?”

Shame made Lucario turn off his aurasense and hang his head. Ariados’s expression softened, but just barely.

“Ariados, please.” Kecleon shook his head, lips curved in a smile. “I don’t know where or how he came here, but I do know he’s quite stupid for staying out in this weather.” He patted the spot next to him under the tree. “Well Lucario, what are you doing trying to get yourself sick in this cruel storm? Get under here.”

Lucario took a step before looking over his shoulder. Eira stood silently, clearly uncomfortable in the rain.

“Whoops, didn’t realize you had a friend,” Kecleon said heartily. “Can’t see who it is from here, no thanks to the weather. You gonna invite the feller over or what?”

“Um, yeah, thanks.” Lucario tilted his head to tell Eira to come, and she meekly approached. With how slow her pace was, he wondered if she was really shy or really, really cold.

“No big deal. Merchant Kecleon, by the way. Proud member of Kecleon Wares — perhaps you’ve met my brothers in one of the other islands. Ariados here was just talking about business with me.”

Lucario blanched. Hold up, the Kecleon was a merchant.

A merchant . Pokemon weren’t merchants!

Unless that’s how things work here, he quickly thought. Maybe Pokemon on this archipelago have jobs. And that dirt path, maybe it was made by Pokemon. But if that’s the case, does this mean that I’m in a place where Pokemon run things? And if so, what about humans? Do they exist here?

Something felt very, very off. In a moment of hesitation Lucario nearly signaled to Eira not to come closer, but by then Kecleon and Ariados had seen her, a nervous girl in blue with her wet clothes and hair clinging to her nape.

Their incredulous expressions said miles.

“What in—?” Kecleon said, jumping back. “Is that an Abhorrent?” 

An Abhorrent? What was an Abhorrent? Lucario briefly let his eyes glow blue, peering into their auras. Normally he’d never stoop to reading others’ thoughts, but this was an exception.

He barely got anything about what an Abhorrent was between the twosome, just images of what he assumed were messed-up looking Pokemon. Their thoughts were focused elsewhere, on a different idea that made him gasp.

Lucario turned off his sense as Kecleon’s thoughts became words. “No, that can’t be, that’s a, a—”

“A human.” Lucario was already in between Ariados and a startled Eira as the spider Pokemon panicked, shifting her position. No aurasense needed to tell him that she had the red-hot aura of an enemy. “A human!”

A being that isn’t supposed to be on these islands, Lucario finished the unspoken thought, arms spread out. “Now hold on—”

“And she’s your master!” Kecleon cried, getting up.

The aggression made Eira take a few steps back. “L-Lucario?” she asked.

Ariados leapt.

Eira raised her hands in terror, right before Lucario rushed to her defense, throwing Ariados back with a sharp punch to the face. “Stop!” he said, noticing that Kecleon had disappeared. “You’re making a mistake here! She’s not—”

He shoved down the urge to curse as his aurasense flickered, revealing an invisible Kecleon. Realizing his cover was blown, the chameleon Pokemon revealed itself and flicked its tongue out in a Lick. Lucario grabbed it at once, pulling Kecleon over and throwing him to the side. Pokemon who live on an island where not only do humans not exist, but also are treated as foul creatures, he thought. Just our luck.

Ariados got up, opening her maw. Purple darts spread out in what appeared to be a Poison Sting, and he intercepted them with his body. Each dart gave a tingling feeling, but nothing more.

“Steel-types with their stupid Poison immunity,” Ariados said with all the malice she could muster. Lucario gave a frightened Eira a reassuring look, his mind skimming through the list of moves he liked to use in battle.

Aura Sphere was his ranged attack, and Bone Rush, Force Palm, and Metal Claw were physical moves. Quick Attack and Detect were useful as movement options, and he had Copycat for situational uses. Of course, Ariados would shrug off the Fighting-type energy of Aura Sphere and Force Palm but was weak to Bone Rush, while Kecleon — well, his kind changed their type to the last move they were hit by, but no problem. Metal Claw would turn him into a Steel-type, and Aura Sphere, Force Palm, and Bone Rush were all effective against that type.

Still, Lucario would rather settle this peacefully. “If you two could just listen—”

Ariados didn’t, too busy conjuring swords of light around her. The blades circled around her body before folding in, her purple-yellow appendages bathed in red energy. Sword Dance.

“Get out of the way,” she ordered, lunging with her empowered legs.

Lucario didn’t give her the chance. His body cloaked itself in the white energy of Quick Attack, everything around him slowing down. For a moment he hesitated, not wanting to fight. He had to get through to these Pokemon somehow. There had to be a better way.

Then came the harsh reminder that a human girl’s life was on the line, and he blurred forward. His body smashed into the airborne Ariados, the spider tumbling into the muddy dirt road.

Lucario kept going, reaching the gnarled tree where the two Pokemon had been. Pushing off of it, he changed direction and sped toward an unprepared Kecleon, slamming into his gut. Rebounding, Lucario ended his move back at his original spot, turning around to find Kecleon flying head over tail.

Amazement struck him as Kecleon landed cat-like on all fours, his expression relaxed. The green chameleon Pokemon didn’t seem bothered by the attack whatsoever, almost pretending like it never happened, and that gave Lucario a sinking feeling. The young Ariados matriarch seemed to be an easy target — her Level was likely lower than his own — but Kecleon might be much stronger than he thought. Someone to tread carefully with.

On the other hand, Kecleon was less rash than Ariados. Which wasn’t good for him when it came to a fight, but perhaps he was also more open to reason. A two-on-one battle was difficult when he had to also make sure neither of his foes hurt Eira, but if he got Kecleon to listen to him, it would turn the tides.

“You have nerve,” Ariados said, returning to the field. The spider Pokemon seemed miffed with the blow she had taken, one of her appendages rubbing her abdomen.

“You’re the one who started this,” Lucario shot back.

Oddly enough, she took that as a reason to laugh. “You don’t get this, do you? You don’t get a single strand of what it means that you and that accursed ill omen are here, do you now?”

Lucario found Eira shaking with her eyes locked on the Ariados, who sneered back with her fangs left bare. The girl couldn’t understand the words, but the intensity behind it was hard to miss.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Kecleon said in a calmer tone, sneaking over to Ariados’s side. “Whatever brought you here shouldn’t have worked. Getting past the distortion field that hides the archipelago from human eyes makes sense, but the towers should have kept her from making it here. Why, she shouldn’t have even gotten close.”

Towers. The monolith Lucario had seen out at sea, that was a tower? One that can somehow repel humans? he thought. 

“And I told you, we came here by accident,” Lucario said, leaving the matter for another time. “There was a shipwreck, and by some miracle we washed up here.”

“A miracle!” At this point Ariados was chortling like a Pokemon gone mad. “A miracle, you say! What you call a miracle, we call a tragedy.”

“How does that even make any sense?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Ariados hissed, putting on a grim expression. No, a warped, horrific expression of rage no spider should be able to put on, one filled with the stuff of nightmares— 

Eira shrieked, making a move to run away but tripping, and Lucario immediately covered his eyes as his teeth chattered.

No use. Scary Face had hit.

His arm aimlessly swept to the side, only to reel back as Ariados bit it with Bug Bite. Lucario stumbled, shaking off his unnatural fear and lunging at the spider with an outstretched Metal Claw, but Ariados easily moved out of range. The back of her body faced him, a spinneret with two black dots that created the image of an angry face, and a web of string shot out of it.

Lucario rolled to the side, his Metal Claw slicing into the belly of an approaching Kecleon who grunted in pain. His skin turned a gray metallic hue to reflect his type change, and Lucario took advantage by summoning aura, shaping it into a femur bone that pulsed with blue light. He swung, clubbing Kecleon with his Bone Rush, and the merchant put his arms in front to endure the strikes.

The jackal Pokemon didn’t wait to see him change to a earth-brown color of a Ground-type, Eira’s screams and Ariados approaching her catching his eye. Lucario flashed forward in a Quick Attack, tackling the spider.

“It matters all right,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’re attacking a defenseless, innocent child.”

“I’m removing a threat,” Ariados coldly stated.

Lucario’s response was to swipe her all over with Metal Claw.

An astounding force threw him off. In a flash he was rolling to the side, grappling with the brown Kecleon that was on top of him. “Sorry kiddo, but I’ve let this go on long enough,” he said, slicing at his face with sharp nails.

A howl came out his throat, the jackal throwing Kecleon off him before dancing out of reach. By now Eira was running into the thick of the rain, an Ariados covered in ugly gashes scuttling after her. Lucario readied another Quick Attack.

“Oh no, you don’t.”

Lucario had no time to react as Kecleon came faster, reaching him in the blink of an eye. His tail lashed out, its speed lending the attack so much momentum that Lucario found himself sailing, tumbling hard into the grass. Aerial Ace? Why did this merchant’s Aerial Ace hit so hard?

He didn't have time to figure it out as Kecleon jumped on top of him. His mouth opened wide, fire twirling within.

Lucario’s eyes widened before everything burned. Flames, flames everywhere, meant to cook him alive. There was little stormy weather could do to stop a Flamethrower launched point-blank like that.

By the end of it all Lucario was charred and coughing out smoke, his body smoldering. Suddenly the cold weather wasn’t so bad, being his only respite against the unnatural heat he felt. No burns somehow, and his soaked fur had taken some of the damage for him, but he still came out feeling as dried up as a raisin.

“Had to be done,” Kecleon whispered. “No hard feelings.”

The rain chose at that time to calm down. In a moment much less was obscured by the falling droplets, allowing Lucario to see — and rasp in horror — as he saw what had become of Eira.

The girl was tied up in string, yelling in pain. The human girl he tried to save, and failed.

And Ariados was on top, stabbing her with appendages coated in Poison Sting.

“No,” Lucario said, his voice hoarse.

Kecleon’s eyes turned to slits at the sight. “What—” he yelled, blurring forward to Lucario’s shock.

The next moment Ariados was thrashing underneath the chameleon’s weight. “—are you doing to her?”

“What are you doing?” Ariados screamed, flailing her legs uselessly. “She’s a human!”

Kecleon grunted. “You’re trying to poison the girl to death.”

“Of course I am!”

“You’re poisoning a girl! A young girl!”

“A young human girl! She’s a human, an ill omen—”

Kecleon’s hand glowed, giving her a Slash on the nearest leg. Ariados made a crooning noise as it bent in an awkward way. Lucario slowly pushed himself up, astonished by the sudden change of heart. 

“I don’t care about any of that, you’re trying to kill her!” a fury alien to the Kecleon rose to his lips. “You cannot go killing someone like that! Not even the most hardened criminals are killed without going through a legal process!”

“I AM THE LAW! I AM A MATRIARCH!” Ariados screeched, redoubling her efforts and throwing a flurry of Fury Swipes. Kecleon turned back to his normal green hue as he absorbed the attacks, retaliating by opening his jaw.
Lucario shut his eyes. Just because Ariados was a lunatic killer didn’t mean he wanted to see her burn in the face of a Flamethrower, just as he had.

Only when the roar of flames ended did he open his eyes. Kecleon was shoving the crippled, smoking spider away. She hadn’t taken as much damage as he had expected, but her injuries had added up, her speed barely any faster than a crawl.

“A poor excuse of a queen, clearly. Get lost,” Kecleon told her.

With the tables turned Ariados had no choice, but on her way out she gave Lucario a death glare. She inched away, until she vanished behind a veil of pouring rain. 

One threat handled. Lucario scrutinized the other possible threat, a Kecleon whose stern look was mixed with sorrow. Then he stumbled toward Eira, pushing against his own pain and hissing at the injuries Ariados left behind. Her stabs hadn’t gone too deep, but still left nasty wounds.

He didn’t hesitate, kneeling beside her. Soothing pink energy coalesced over both paws and shaped itself into a sphere, and Lucario urged his Heal Pulse toward Eira’s tied-up body, its blessed light diffusing into her. The girl breathed with a start, muscles repairing themselves and scabs covering up the injuries, leaving only ripped clothing and blood stains as a clear sign of what had transpired. Lucario cut open the strings binding her with a Metal Claw, and she peered up at him, wonder in her eyes. 

And then Eira vomited purple ooze, making him and Kecleon flinch. “Shoot,” the latter muttered, running back to the gnarled tree. There he grabbed a bag Lucario hadn’t noticed, before returning, Eira bracing against herself as he came aside and pulled out—

An Oran and a Pecha Berry. “Eat,” Kecleon demanded as Eira slowly raised her head, placing the Pecha Berry in front. Her hand lingered to it before retracting, a look of suspicion in her eyes.

“Good grief, girl, you’re poisoned!” Kecleon said with a roll of his eyes. “Pecha Berries heal poison! Can’t you tell when someone’s helping?”

Lucario nudged the berry closer still, giving Eira a pleading look. The human girl turned between him and the Kecleon, as if questioning whether he was siding with the once-hostile Pokemon, but with a violent cough she forced herself to nibble at the berry.

Kecleon backed up, tail twitching erratically. “Of course she would trust you,” he muttered.

“I saved her from drowning twice,” Lucario answered, making sure Eira finished her Pecha Berry. Already she was looking less pale. “And you tried to hurt her.”

“Wha- that was Ariados! I never aimed for her.”

Lucario tightened his stern gaze.

Kecleon could only hold out for so long, dropping eye contact after a while. “Whatever,” he said, nudging the Oran Berry over. “Look, I apologize if I came off as a murderer. I only meant to subdue her, not do what Ariados wanted with her, but I can see how you would think otherwise.”

Lucario gave the berry to Eira, who got onto her knees and ate it. What little that remained of her wounds began to close, scabs turning into scars, but she didn’t marvel at the Oran Berry’s healing powers. She was too busy being leery of Kecleon anyway.

“Let me repeat myself.” The jackal paced around, trying to keep his temper down. “I am not her Pokemon. As far as I know, she doesn’t have any. The two of us came here by complete accident, our ship being destroyed during the storm.”

Pain coursed through his chest, Lucario clutching it with a grunt. Kecleon hastily retreated to his bag, pulling out more berries.

“Here,” he said, giving him an Oran Berry, a Rawst Berry, and even an Aspear Berry, perfect for resisting the cold. Lucario immediately snatched the latter, having Eira eat it too before taking his own set of berries.

With the Rawst Berry his minor burns stopped throbbing, the searing pain gone. The Oran Berry took care of the rest, fatigue giving away to strength as Lucario tested his muscles. Not in perfect condition by a long shot, but everything felt so much better.

Eira looked healthier too. The cold seemed to stop bothering her, the girl no longer shivering. She still kept her distance from Kecleon though. “Does she even understand me?” the chameleon asked.

“Humans have their own languages. I only understand her—”

“Because you come from their lands?”

“More like a Lucario can naturally comprehend human speech. Not speak it, but understand it.”

Kecleon nodded, waving him and the girl over to the shade of the gnarled tree. It felt weird, being under a mostly dry roof when he had been showered in rainfall for this long.

The merchant’s brows arched in annoyance when Eira sat at the edge of the shade, staying as far away as possible and positioning herself so that Lucario was in front of her. “Since you seem to be able to reach out to her, could you explain to the girl that I’m not going to slit her throat out?” he said.

Eira buckled at his little outburst, not caring about the rain as she edged further away from him. Lucario looked between the two, resisting the urge to scoff. 

“It’s superstition, okay?” yelled the Kecleon, before softening his tone when the girl curled up with a whimper. “When I saw her, I noticed that she was wearing all those clothes, and I linked it to rumors about humans and what they were like. These islands are a Pokemon-only place, inaccessible to the fabled human race, and to see one walk right up to me was enough to give me a stroke. How would you expect me to react?”

“The rumors?” questioned Lucario.

“There’s a lot of them. Stuff about humans capturing our sort in these gizmos called ‘Pokeballs,’ putting us into fights for fun, capturing the Legendaries themselves for their own greedy ends — that, and a wide range of beliefs that humans are evil, mischievous, harbingers of destruction, nature haters, you get the point. The moment I saw her, I thought I was doomed.”

The ridiculousness of a Pokemon being afraid of a human amused Lucario. How strong was this guy again?

He asked. “Level 84,” answered the merchant.

Good grief, this Pokemon had trained himself hard — that was high, way higher than his own Level! And to think this guy was afraid of a human of all things? Lucario didn’t know whether to blanch or to burst out in laughter.

Kecleon pointed at Eira. “What about her? What’s her Level?”

Laughter it was.

Lucario’s dark chuckles left both Kecleon and Eira bewildered. “Humans don’t have Levels, dummy,” he sneered. “They don’t come with any built-in awareness of their inner strength. After all, Levels mean nothing to a creature born without any kind of powers.”

Kecleon’s face became discolored, the green scales and yellow stripes literally graying out. “T-they don’t have Abilities? Moves? They can’t tap into the energies of their inner spirit at all?”

Lucario shook his head. Kecleon was right when he mentioned the existence of Pokeballs, but he knew very little about humankind, that was for sure. 

“So she’s defenseless.” By now Kecleon had lost all his composure. His gaze darted to wherever Ariados had gone off, his breathing heavy. “I-I nearly let that paranoid spider kill someone who could do nothing to fight back. I nearly let her kill a harmless child who looks like she’d be scared of her own shadow.”

“Let me drive this point into your head,” Lucario went on, taking advantage of Kecleon’s emotions. “Humans are not what you think they are. There’s only so many rotten apples you can find amongst them. You do know Lucario evolve through high friendship with a trusted partner, right?”

“Your trainer.” Kecleon couldn’t bear to turn his head. “You mentioned a shipwreck, didn’t you?”

Lucario grimaced as the memory stung his eyes. Calling this a terrible day? That would be quite the understatement.

Eira was finally letting herself relax, though the somber moment infected her too. Lucario could see her lips fall ever so slightly, her head burying into her knees. Thunder boomed in the distance, a lament from the crying sky.

Kecleon turned his hand into a fist. “Gah, rumors. This is why I don’t listen to those stupid things. Makes one unable to think straight.”

He sighed, strapping his bag to his side. “Look, I’ve done all I could, but I can’t save you. People are going to be in an uproar if they catch wind of your human girl. You two have to get off these islands.”

That Lucario had already realized. A place that humans shouldn’t be able to reach would be loaded with Pokemon who had the wrong ideas about humankind. Eira wouldn’t be safe. There would be more people like Ariados out there, willing to get rid of her on sight.

“But how?” he asked. “You said something about human-repelling towers and a distortion field—”

“Curses,” spat Kecleon. “The distortion field isn't a problem, it’s this anomaly in spacetime that keeps Haven Archipelago hidden from the world at large, similar to how Mystery Dungeons work. The towers, however, they’d keep the girl from leaving.”

Lucario’s own fist clenched up. They were basically stranded in some other world, then. Maybe a powerful Teleport user could get them past, but it’d have to be a Pokemon who was sympathetic. And in the meanwhile, they needed a hiding place and food. 

If he wanted to keep Eira safe, he needed help. Help he wouldn’t get on these islands. 

“I don’t know either,” Kecleon said, reading Lucario’s strained expression. “I suppose I can keep Ariados from spreading the word, but you’re on your own. I don’t have any way to get you out of here, and believe me, I’d like to get you two off this place as soon as possible. Less trouble for you and for us.”

He got up and eyed the dirt path. “If anything, avoid the roads. There’s a large forest south from here—” he pointed further into the island, away from the beach where they had come from “—which could serve as a place for shelter. Most Pokemon live in towns, you might be fine if you’re lucky enough to find a place to lay low. Just keep your distance from the pathway that goes straight through the forest, got it?”

Lucario nodded. “And about Mystery Dungeons, and Abhorrents?” he asked, trying to get as much information as possible. “What on earth are those?”

Kecleon’s forehead creased. “Beware both. Dungeons around here aren’t too dangerous for you, but your human cannot safely travel through those labyrinth distortions. And Abhorrents, well, you don’t want to take your chances with those mutated, savage folk.” A short pause. “Ariados makes her home in the Stringed Forest dungeon a good distance east of here, come to think of it. Avoid that place at all costs.”

That was some cryptic information Kecleon was giving, but Lucario doubted he could pull much more out of him. Help was help anyway, and so he nodded in appreciation. Avoid the dungeons, especially Stringed Forest, and watch out for what were apparently mutant Pokemon. He could do that.

Kecleon looked one last time at Eira. “I can’t believe myself. A few minutes ago I intended to take down the girl and take her away to see what was true about the rumors, to judge how dangerous she was and if I needed to take her to the authorities. Looking at her now, however, I feel like a criminal.”

He walked out of the thick shade of the tree, only stopping for a moment. “Storm’s finally letting up. If you must find me, Lucario, and I pray you won't need to, I live in the town beyond that forest I mentioned. Stay safe, will you?”

Lucario didn’t bother to watch him depart, immersed in his own thoughts. A frown hardened on his face, one borne out of concern for the future.

“W-what happened?” Eira whispered, finally speaking now that no one else was around. “Are w-we safe?”

Lucario fervently shook his head. Instant no on that. Not safe. Not here.

Anxiety flashed across the girl’s face before she took a deep breath. The expression of forced calm that followed perplexed the jackal Pokemon. One would think that, between the ship’s destruction and their not-so-welcome arrival to this island, she would be a mess of emotions. She didn’t even know what was happening because of the language barrier, all she knew was that this place wanted her dead.

And yet she was trying to keep herself together. Trying to have hope.

And if she could do that, there was no reason for him not to do the same. Maybe it was silly to think of leaving the archipelago altogether, but he’d get them both to safety. He wouldn’t let her get harmed again.

Sure, he could just abandon her, and then he would be safe from hostility. He could live the rest of his life here with no worries. But how could he dare do such a thing? She trusted him, and the right thing to do — the just thing — was to return it.

Blue flames erupted over Lucario’s eyes as he scanned the area. No auras around save for Eira’s, good. He would have to make sure he didn’t get near any Pokemon, or the trouble would start all over. The last fight was tiring enough, and he didn’t know if he could hold out in another. There was only so much time he had before the sun rose, and the cover of darkness was the best time to find themselves a hiding place.

Lucario rose to his feet, walking into the rain. Eira hastily followed, hands clasped as she walked behind him. The twosome headed out, looking for a place where no one would disturb them.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 2 — A Changeling

The rain had stopped, leftover water dripping from leaves onto the forest floor. Lucario ducked as a drop fell on his head, his glowing eyes scanning the trees. Not an aura in sight.

Eira's nervousness flowed into his mind, and he pushed the feedback away. The brown-skinned kid being so close to him, his aurasense kept running into her thoughts and emotions, and it took all his willpower not to eavesdrop.

Communicating with his emotions, he had managed to explain to Eira what happened with Ariados and Kecleon. Learning there was a Pokemon civilization that was superstitious about humans and that they'd be stuck here for a long while made her jittery, but she kept herself together and looked to him for support. It was touching, really. The timid girl put so much faith in him.

Lucario couldn't let her down.

A few cases came where they had to change direction to avoid groups of sleeping Pokemon. The first time, it was a Combee nest. The second time, it was a trio of Hoppip. The third time, Lucario didn't even look at the shape, turning away with a stifled sigh.

As Kecleon had mentioned, there was a path that cut straight through the forest, north to south. Lucario took a good look at it, keeping Eira within the shadows as a precaution. It was more convenient than walking through the thick of the forest, and there didn't seem to be Pokemon using the road at this time, but he chose not to risk it and went back into the greenery.

When we find a good spot, he told himself, ducking under a branch, I should build a makeshift hut. Not sure how they're made, but I will. Then maybe I can go to the nearest town, find out how things work around here, and try to get myself supplies. If Pokemon live in towns around here, they must have some form of currency, right?

The idea of working for money made him squirm. The way things were done here put him way out of his comfort zone.

Like a Magikarp out of water. A world where Pokemon have formed their own advanced societies has got to be the most alien thing I have ever come across. For a moment his eyes flickered to Eira, who wordlessly followed. Then there's her, a human in a world without humans. A world where she's the alien.

Eira was the sort to keep to herself, Lucario realized. She barely uttered a word, only speaking when she felt like she had to. Not once did she complain about how damp her clothing and shoulder-length hair was. She probably wasn't one to complain or argue anyway, the girl was passive.

Yet something told him she was stronger than she looked. She had been in the same wicked shipwreck that they survived against all odds, understood her loved ones on that ship were likely dead, and nearly died herself to an Ariados continuously stabbing her with Poison Sting.

And yet she didn't cry. Bleak as the situation was, she kept going.

That iron determination seeped into Lucario. He still couldn't find any place suitable for a hideout, and finding a way back home was another affair, but no matter. He would find a way to protect the girl, he was sure of it. They beat the odds so far. What more would it take for another miracle, another saving grace, to take care of their survival problem?

Lucario abruptly stopped, Eira doing the same with muted worry. His aurasense felt off, as if it could sense someone else around, but there was no aura to see in the forest. Not a Pokemon to be found. How unusual.

He spun in a circle. Nothing. There were little insects, but no sign of intelligent life anywhere. Was something wrong with him?

Rubbing his eyes, he looked once more but still failed to find where the pesky aura was. Still, he could feel something prick the four black appendages falling from his head, as if something sinister was closing in on him. That wasn't a good sign.

Was there a Pokemon that could suppress its aura?

Eira had said nothing, but her tight face gave away the question in her head. Lucario put his hands to his lips, drawing her over to the shaded side of a tree trunk. His blazing blue eyes shone, arm extending to put his palm in front of him.

Bluish wisps covered the palm, Lucario channeling his control over aura into it. Fine, he couldn't see this unwelcome presence, but he could feel it. He'd use that feeling to find where it came from.

Waves of aura flowed around him, overlapping and fluctuating in an ethereal sea. His palm adjusted as he felt the waves, separating those flowing from his body, Eira's, and that of the world around him. He did so until his attention was drawn to a particular wave of aura that felt similar to the one making his aura-feeling appendages uneasy.

Lucario's head tilted upward, and his eyes followed. Well, that explains why I didn't find the aura, he muttered, resisting the urge to facepalm.

He hadn't expected the Pokemon to be directly above him.

Thick foliage was in the way, blocking all vision, but his aura-eyes could see the newcomer's red aura without a problem. In other words, the Pokemon hadn't seen him and Eira yet. That was the good news.

Bad news? Something was off about that aura. Very, very off.

It had the misshapen form of an Aerodactyl, but that wasn't all. A closer inspection at the aura revealed that the Aerodactyl body was… lifeless? It was like the aura merely extended its reach over the body, puppeteering it, while the actual host resided further within the Aerodactyl. The host had an even stranger composition, reminding Lucario of a spectral parasite.

And then there were the uncomfortable feelings radiating from this creature, whatever it was. He could sense its groans and aches, along with a dark and insidious hunger — a will to feed upon another, no matter what it was, so long as it could take away the suffering. It was almost animalistic.

An Abhorrent?

Lucario found himself choking on the monstrous Pokemon's emotions. Cutting off the connection, he brought himself to the ground to take a breather from its plagued aura.

"Rrgh?"

An animalistic growl whistled through the night air, chilling Lucario to the bone. The Aerodactyl's aura stirred in the air, its deformed head turning from side to side with clear urgency. The red hue of said aura intensified.

"My imagination?" it said with a chilling male voice that sounded like bones clicking together. "I did take a serious beating, it could be just my sore head. But no, there was this teeny sound just now, I am sure of it. Is someone there?"

Oh shoot, he knew. The Abhorrent knew. This was an Abhorrent, wasn't it?

Thank goodness Eira did not make a peep, opting to let her eyes widen instead. Lucario edged closer to her with all due silence, watching the aura of the figure above them. His paw clasped around her arm, and the tip of his tail felt the thick tree trunk at their backs.

The creature kept speaking. "Might've scared them away. But yet, it's not like they got far, and I am suffering a lot right now. Perhaps I could get away with stealing just a piece of their lifeforce — no, no, restraint, must have some restraint. Still, I could — gah! Hurts too much, too much—"

A snarl came out of the Aerodactyl monster, and Lucario held his breath as his head tilted down, as if intending to check the forest floor. Aurasense alerted him to the panic within Eira's mind, a pure emotion that spilled over into her shakiness. They needed to get away right now. They needed to hide.

Giving Eira a look, he skirted around the base of the tree trunk beside them, putting it between them and the Aerodactyl. The glow of his eyes would still give them away, but unwilling to drop his aura sight, he chose to position himself so that the tree trunk would effectively block out the light.

"You're here, and I know it." Leaves scattered as the Aerodactyl broke through the foliage. Lucario couldn't see him from behind the trunk, only his hostile aura, and that was a good thing. Curious as he was to see what this monster really looked like, doing so was beyond foolish.

Aerodactyl spun in a circle, searching for them. "I know you're listening, whatever you are. I understand if you're afraid of me, it's only natural. It's hard not to show some fear in the face of what looks and sounds like a monster. But really, I don't want any trouble, and I'm sure you don't either."

Lucario didn't budge, ignoring the sweet-talk. "You're making this difficult," the figure went on, his cordial tone strained. "I don't appreciate that one bit — it rattles my bones to know you're being this way. I'm a nice guy if you get to know me, and why, if I wasn't empty-handed at the moment, I'd be willing to give you a gift for your troubles. All I need is, er, a quick favor. It'll be painless."

All the while the Aerodactyl was flying in a slow, collected manner, craning his head around trees and peering into the leaves and branches. He was looking for them, and at this rate, they were going to be found.

Dang it, Eira could not be found under any circumstance, or this would be way worse than what happened with Ariados. This Pokemon clearly was one of those Abhorrents Kecleon warned him of, and Lucario didn't want to think of what he would do to the girl.

He considered leaving her for a moment to deal with the Aerodactyl when leaves rustled to the side. Lucario's eyes darted to a tree close to where the Aerodactyl was currently checking, a blue aura within. An ally?

Lucario blinked at the sudden aura. Wait, where did this guy come from? And if he was friendly, why did his aura seem messed up like the Aerodactyl's? There were a bunch of fainter auras inside this aura!

Aerodactyl was upon the newcomer in a second. "There you are," he hummed. "Ah, but not what I was expecting. You already have the gift."

"Your idea of a gift is pretty messed up, sicko," the figure retorted. Lucario looked to a relieved Eira, who understood that they had been saved. The surprise in her face was evident, though.

Hearing the mature voice and the unique Pokemon-speak behind it, Lucario found himself surprised too, but for a different reason. That's the language of an Eevee, he thought.

An Eevee Abhorrent who must've also been aware of their presence, and yet chose to save them. Huh?

"Well, you found me, what now?" the Eevee said. As he did so Lucario paid attention to his strange aura. It had the shape of an Eevee all right, with an appearance that looked like a dog, cat, and fox blended together, but there were several spike-shapes jutting out of its head. And then there were the extra auras that were hidden inside the Eevee's aura, like he was hosting other Pokemon within his body. All those auras held the same friendly blue color as the Eevee himself, voices babbling from each of them.

Aerodactyl's aura shrugged with its wings. "Come now, no need to be so blunt. I only wanted to say hello, maybe ask for a little help—"

"You don't say? You're looking like someone skinned you alive. Did the storm leave you chilled to the bone, pun intended?"

"Way to be crass, little Eevee. You poking fun at my appearance? You're no different from me, Abhorrent. You maintaining the edges on those rainbow spikes?"

Yep, there was the confirmation. They were both Abhorrents, but for some reason, one of them was subtly protecting him and Eira. Lucario felt tempted to see into Eevee's thoughts to figure out why he was doing this, but held back.

"Very funny, Aerodactyl. Look, I can see you took a beating, but you have some serious nerve if you think I'm willing to let you use some health-draining move on me—"

"Why would I ever do that?" the Aerodactyl purred. "Besides, it's not like I have any nerves to begin with."

Eevee snickered. "Now you're just making fun of your own state. Why are you still here when you've got all those injuries to attend to? I say you do yourself a favor, grab yourself an Oran Berry from the nearest tree, and scram."

Aerodactyl sighed, grumbling something that Lucario couldn't overhear. His red aura seemed to veer toward the sky when he hesitated.

"But wait." A sour note rang in Aerodactyl's voice, making Lucario's heart skip a beat. "I don't recall hearing any noise from this particular tree. There should be another person here, no?"

"There was a storm, doofus, could be just dewdrops or wind you heard," scoffed the Eevee. "Or it's one of the wild Pokemon of the forest, losing its mind at what a freakshow you are."

But Aerodactyl wasn't convinced. Lucario stiffened as the red of his aura flashed, the Aerodactyl searching the place again and mumbling unintelligible words. Eira couldn't see of course, but the rustling noises made by his search unnerved her.

"Say, didn't you mention something about a gift?" Eevee's voice now had an edge to it. "Maybe I shouldn't let you go, it sounds like you're one of those Abhorrents—"

"I know you're protecting someone." Aerodactyl dropped his facade, his bloodthirsty voice making a Hoothoot well in the distance cry out in panic. "You think you can hide them from me, traitor?"

He was right beside their tree now. Lucario gave up on them being completely undetected — he really wanted to avoid a battle, but no choice now. He put a finger to Eira's lips as he prepared himself, ready to keep this monster from finding out about the human.

"Aerodactyl, you make a move—" Eevee warned.

"Someone important to you, is it? Someone special?" Aerodactyl began to search their tree. "I'm afraid—"

Lucario's palm pressed against a skull wreathed in dark flames. Aura seeped out of the palm, exploding outward.

Aerodactyl screamed as he crashed into a trunk a good distance away, Lucario hissing at his horrid appearance. He looked even worse than he thought! There was no skin nor muscles covering his skeletal body, only a miasma of darkness that flared up around his bony head. Lacking eyeballs, his empty eye sockets had red pinpricks of light instead, focused entirely on him.

His skeleton seemed splintered, especially his wing-bones. Hanging from said bones were wings made of pure burning darkness that were still as could be, yet somehow kept him floating in the air. "YOU DARE?" snarled the undead pterodactyl, moving toward him.

Ghostly spheres impacted him from the side, however, fired one after the other. They didn't look like they should've hurt much, yet Aerodactyl screeched all the same, his bones creaking and his dark aura fizzling. Soon he was rising into the air, breaking through the treeline and scattering leaves in his wake.

Aerodactyl had chosen to retreat, thank goodness. Lucario watched his red aura dim as he left the forest, then eyed the blue aura that surrounded the Eevee as the latter canceled his next Shadow Ball attack.

The friendly Abhorrent sat upon a branch, his brown furry face and long ears sticking out of the tree. He looked like a normal Eevee, except there was a crown of crystalline growths upon his head. There appeared to be eight in total: pink, red, yellow, green, light-blue, blue, purple, and black. The night shaded their dazzling colors.

"Should've just knocked him out while we had the chance," muttered the Eevee, his paw fingering a pouch that dangled from his neck. "It was obvious from the start that he was no good, but whatever, he's long gone now."

Aurasense alerted Lucario to various emotions coming from the additional auras that lived inside Eevee. "Yes, yes, moment of truth," the Eevee said as if he was communicating with those other auras, before whipping his head over with a smirk. "You know, Lucario, most people bolt at the sight of me. Are you not going to panic and skedaddle like them, or did someone throw a Mean Look your way so you wouldn't escape?"

Lucario bit his lip as he turned off his aurasense, not sure how to proceed with his strange benefactor. "Just who are you?" he questioned. "Or what are you, exactly? Your aura tells me you're on my side, but I don't know what to make of you, never mind what a creature like you wants from me."

"Hm, I guess I did have more than one reason to save you from that Aerodactyl." Eevee gestured with a lazy swipe of his paw, pointing at the tree Eira was behind. "You know you can't hide the human from me, right? Do bring her out, I don't need her being scared of me."

Any tiny hope Lucario had in him being unaware of the girl was crushed. At least he didn't seem to have any evil plans for her, and his aurasense didn't lie.

Eira relaxed upon seeing him return, before noticing the urgency in his expression. She turned her head past the tree, understanding she was being called upon, and a concerned frown covered her face. Ariados had left a lasting impression on her, and it was clear she didn't feel comfortable coming out. Frankly, Lucario didn't feel comfortable with this either. Did he really want to show his human to a freak of nature?

Not that Eevee gave them a choice, as he leapt into a tree branch in plain view of the duo. Eira reeled back, spotting the crystal spikes growing out of the Eevee. "Wha- th-that Eevee, he's—" she stammered, not understanding what she was seeing. "L-Lucario?"

"Oh hey, she said your name!" said Eevee, waving to her in a friendly manner. "She said your name, right? I always figured Unown-script and human speech would be similar. Guess I'm right — a shame it doesn't help me understand her. How did a human reach Haven Archipelago anyway, and what is it doing with the Lucario we have here?"

Lucario put himself in between the two. "'I don't need her being scared of me,' you say?" he barked.

"Come now, you surely understand I'm not like most other Abhorrents," said an amused Eevee. "I'm certainly nothing like that messed up Aerodactyl. Human or no human, he would've done something terrible to you if he got the chance, and you two are very, very fortunate that I was around to put some pressure on him."

Lucario frowned, noting the way in which Eevee's lips curled up.

"But don't thank me yet. Seems to me you have a predicament on your paws, huh?" Eevee directed his attention to Eira, the girl shying away from his eager gaze. For some reason, he was getting excited, as if meeting the human was the greatest thing ever. What was getting into him?

"Well yes, she is in danger here," Lucario told the Eevee, barely restraining himself from tearing into Eevee's thoughts. "And there's no easy way to get us back home. But why do you care?"

"Fabulous question. I'm just going to dodge that question for now and ask you the same thing — why do you, Lucario, care?"

Lucario clutched his forehead — just how annoying could this Eevee be? "Of course I care, why wouldn't I? She's the only other survivor of the shipwreck we survived to get here, and I can sympathize. I'm not letting anyone take her second chance at a life away."

He couldn't help but glance at Eira as he said this, and she gave a tiny smile back. The human wore a brave face right now, waiting patiently to see how his talk with the friendly Abhorrent Eevee went. Underneath it, though, Lucario could sense the worry gnawing at her heart, telling her she would not make it for much longer.

Conjuring a feeling of confidence and hope, he sent it to Eira. Her eyes widened for a moment before nodding, her smile turning a more natural shade. It put a smile on his face too.

Eevee looked between the two with a longing gaze. "Strong sentiment, I admire that. I know plenty of Pokemon would freak out at the sight of a human, but I'm not one of them — I mean, I'm just as much of a freak as she is, am I right?" A strained laugh left his throat as he tucked his head back into the tree he was sitting within, rummaging through his pouch for something. Lucario and Eira shared a confused look.

Then Eevee popped right back out. "Well, I didn't do all this just to chat. I think I might just have something to even the odds." His front paw extended, and Lucario raised his brow.

An ordinary white wristband hung from the paw.

Eevee dropped it, letting it flutter to Lucario's feet. The jackal warily picked it up, holding it at arm's length. "I've had that thing for a long while, but it doesn't work for me," the Abhorrent Pokemon explained. "Hasn't worked for any Pokemon I've known. But I have this sinking feeling that it'll be a different story for her."

He pointed to the band, then to Eira. "W-wait, it's for me?" she said, understanding plenty from the gesture alone.

Lucario stared at the band with a dumbfounded expression. It didn't even look like the band would fit on her wrist, it was too small. Perfect for an Eevee, but tiny for a human. What was it even supposed to do? Was it safe?

"Trust me on this, Lucario," said Eevee. "It's not going to hurt her, you'll see. Seeing as I've already helped with Aerodactyl, you have to wonder: If you can't trust me, who on these islands can you trust?"

A mumble left Lucario's lips. With both reluctance and wonder, he brought the wristband to Eira. She was just as hesitant to take the band, but after a long pause she worked up the courage to take it.

Her gaze wandered to Eevee, who watched as if witnessing a life-changing moment right before his eyes. Biting her lip, she slipped the wristband onto her right hand, and for a moment it struggled to go past her fingers. In the end, however, both she and Lucario were amazed when it somehow came on without any trouble. A perfect fit.

A gasp escaped her lips. Lucario wiped the sweat in his forehead, while the Eevee made an anticipatory humming noise, sounding much like a kettle that was about to erupt steam. "Do I—?" Eira murmured, her gaze distant.

Lucario nearly shrugged to respond when he froze, the girl becoming enveloped in a white light that reminded him of evolution.

Her form shrunk, becoming quadrupedal in shape. Her human ears and hair disappeared, and out sprouted a curly tuft of hair on her head along with fox-like ears and a snout. As if that wasn't startling enough, six tails popped into existence at her back, just as curly as her newfound hair.

The halo gently faded. Lucario's reaction was nowhere as gentle — he jumped back, jaw hung and eyes as wide as can be. His heart might have done acrobatics on the spot.

Staring back at him, at half his height, was an equally shell-shocked Eira in the body of a Vulpix.

And not the fiery red sort he was accustomed to. Her fur was snow-white, with blue paws and her ears just as blue, if not darker in shade. Her eyes were also blue, with white irises flying about in a panic. She twisted around, gaping at her six tails and feeling them with her paws, then spied the white band that snugly fit on her right paw. All her human clothes had disappeared, but the band stayed, blending with her fur.

"I- this—" she stammered, her voice squeaking at the impossibility she'd become. "H-how? How?"

She looked up at Lucario for an explanation — something he could use himself. Lucario went through a lot today, but this topped everything. Eira was a Pokemon! And not just a Pokemon, she was an Alolan Vulpix!

"Eevee?" he said in a raised voice, checking on Eira's aura. Although her unique signature was still the same, it took a slightly altered shape, confirming that she had the form of a Pokemon. "What did you do to her?"

Joyous laughter erupted from the Pokemon in question, and Lucario found himself bombarded by a flurry of thoughts from within Eevee's other auras, forcing him to turn off his aurasense. "It works!" he yelled, spinning around from atop his perch. "Eat your spirits out, guys, I told you holding on to that silly thing would pay off one day!"

His raucous behavior died down as Lucario gave him a baffled look. "Er, don't mind me," he said, "just speaking with the voices in my head. Not the best time to explain."

Eevee took on a more regal posture. "Anyway, your human is now an Alolan Vulpix. Or at least, I think that's what they're called. I'm told they're a regional variant from a human place called Alola." A pause. "What, you've got nothing to say? I just gave you a really special item—"

"An item that turns her into a Pokemon, yes, I know!" Lucario circled around, a hand on his forehead. Eira was still inspecting her form, her face stuck between disbelief and marvel. "How is that possible? Where did you get something like that? Scratch that, why on earth do you have a freaky magic item for a human to use when humans don't exist here?"

"Great questions. You ever wondered where the guys who made the human-repelling towers got their resources from? Haven Archipelago is quite a magical place."

That was not an answer. Lucario was sorely tempted to grab the Eevee by the chest-fur and shake him all about for a proper response, but the weight of what just happened caught up first. It sounded like a fever dream, but Eira was an Ice-type Vulpix — she blended in with other Pokemon.

Oh.

Lucario pinched himself, staring at Eira with a dropped jaw. The girl-turned-Pokemon was twisting her ears and playing with her tails, figuring out how they worked with a glassy expression. Eventually she leaned over and gave out a deep exhale, then jumped her entire height into the air as her frigid breath froze the grass solid.

OH.

It really wasn't just some illusion or trick. Eira was truly a Pokemon, complete with all the powers that came with it. She didn't need to worry about being a human anymore, this was the perfect disguise.

OH MY—

Falling to his knees, Lucario placed a paw on his beating chest. "Eevee," he breathed, eyeing the culprit responsible for the transformation. "I-I'm speechless. This is too much to handle."

With that, he brought himself to look Eira in the eye, a thought crossing his mind. No, that would be too good to be true, but could it be?

"Do you understand me?" Lucario whispered.

Eira tilted her vixen head in confusion. Lucario repeated himself, but she didn't respond, a sigh on her lips. "I, uh, still don't know what you're saying," came her words.

Eevee leaned over from his perch. "That's not right," he said. "I can see the wristband is doing its job since she can transform into a Pokemon at will — in her case, an Alolan Vulpix — and she has the affinity to ice too. But she's also supposed to have the appropriate language too, so where's her Vulpix-speak? She should be able to respond."

Was that so? Her Pokemon form didn't seem to come with the ability to understand or speak the language, otherwise she would've reacted much sooner. A glaring flaw in her disguise, but this was still better than Lucario could hope for.

"Hold on, I have an idea." Eevee leapt out of his spot, falling to the forest floor with grace. Lucario couldn't help but notice an anklet attached to one of his hindlegs, a brownish crystal affixed to it.

Eira crouched as Eevee strode up to her, notably smaller than her even while transformed. "Hello," the Abhorrent said, mouthing the word.

She didn't get it, at least at first. But as Eevee said the word over and over again, something seemed to click in her mind, enlightenment creeping its way throughout her face. "Yes, go on," urged Eevee. "Follow my lips and repeat after me. Hello."

He said it one more time, and much to Lucario's awe, Eira responded. "H-hello?"

The word itself sounded surprised to have come out of her mouth. Eevee had said 'hello' in his own Pokemon tongue, and Eira responded likewise. In fluent Vulpix-speak.

"No," breathed Lucario, shaking his head on instinct. "No, no, no."

Eira slowly turned to him, and he felt his face go flush. "No?" he whimpered.

"No." Eira's tails rose ever so slightly, having as much difficulty understanding how she was doing this. "No."

"Ha, yes!" Eevee butted in, pleased with his work. "I knew it! Yes, yes, yes!"

Now Eira was staring at him. Eevee grinned, nodding as if to tell her to do the thing, and she didn't disappoint. "Y-yes?" she said. "I- my head, it's—"

She shook herself, pawing her forehead for a moment. "It's like there's this alien language floating inside my mind," she stated in a wispy voice. "I don't understand at first, b-but when you speak enough to me, things just fall into place, and I can say it too."

Lucario relayed this to Eevee. "Just as I thought, she's having trouble adjusting and needs a jumpstart," he said. "Must be because of how different human and Pokemon languages are. Just keep speaking with her, repeat a bunch of words over and over, and she'll get the hang of it soon enough."

The weight of what just happened left Lucario nauseous. He propped himself against a tree trunk, rubbing his eyes to make sure Eira the Vulpix was still there, and as expected, she was. This was happening. This was real.

His eyes wandered to the Eevee with the strange crystal spikes, worry seeding in him. "There has to be a catch."

"A catch?" Eevee rolled his eyes. "I see a poor human clinging to you, in a world where she doesn't belong, and I can't help but give her the mercy that others won't give at first glance. If there's a catch, it's that you make sure she doesn't lose her gift— er, the wristband."

He coughed into his arm, muttering something about the word 'gift' being ruined for him. "Just remember, she's still human on the inside. She can change back and forth, but should the band ever come off, she automatically reverts, so don't let anyone take it off or steal it. Got it?"

Lucario nodded. No way he would let her lose something this precious.

"I'm sure there are other questions you have in mind, but it's getting late," said Eevee, covering a yawn. "I'll come find you two when I get the chance tomorrow, and we can chat then. Ah, but a few things first — you said you two came here by shipwreck, right? It's one thing to cross the distortion field hiding the archipelago from humans, but how did she get past the towers?"

"Her name is Eira." Lucario glanced at the vixen, blinking his eyes. "And we don't know, really."

Eevee nodded. "Then you're stuck here. And seeing how you've been wary of anyone finding your dear Eira, I have a feeling you've been spotted already."

A gust of fear whipped up, chilling Lucario to the bone. Right, that could still be a problem. Maybe Eevee could help him with this too?

He briefly explained what happened, and Eevee took a moment to ponder on it — or perhaps, to discuss it with the so-called voices in his head. "The Ariados matriarch of the Stringed Forest dungeon, right?" he said at last with a huge grin. "Not a problem. She's known to be a little unhinged, and besides, there's plenty of tall tales about humans. I should know, I've been chasing them for some time now."

A long exhale left Lucario's lungs. Then they were safe. So long as Ariados didn't find them again and see through Eira's disguise, there wouldn't be anyone chasing them down.

"And you got a Kecleon merchant on your side too, that's an instant plus." Giddy emotions were practically flowing out of Eevee. "Oh, what a lovely day it's been. Who would have thought my search for a human on these lands would end like this?"

With that he straightened himself, nodding his head. "But really, I must be going. Just one suggestion — perhaps you should try starting life anew here? I know it'll be rough for your Eira to adjust, but it might be your best option. The band can't deceive those human-warding towers."

Eira ran up to Lucario, managing to get some basic control over her four legs and six tails. "Thank you?" she said, pointing her snout at Eevee.

Lucario guessed what she wanted immediately. "Thank you," he said, before turning over to the kind Abhorrent. "Thank you!"

"T-thank yo-you," Eira repeated, fumbling with the words. In a way, though, it seemed to make it all the more sincere.

"Oh, we're touched to hear that from her. You're welcome." Eevee gave a wink, his crystal-spikes flashing at the same time. "Me and my siblings will be back soon, so stay out of trouble, okay?"

He whipped around, his bushy cream-tipped tail swinging over, and then he retreated into the leaves. A loud rustle ripped through the trees, and he was gone. One last check with aurasense showed his receding figure leaping from branch to branch.

Lucario could still hear the chaotic thoughts of the other voices that haunted Eevee's mind as he muted his aurasense. Did he just refer to those voices as siblings? That Eevee sure raised a lot of questions.

He scanned Eira's Pokemon form, still processing that this was her now. There wasn't much of a need to hide anymore — her being a Pokemon simplified things. No one would react with hostility the moment they saw her. They could skip right to figuring out a means of transportation that would take them back to the human lands.

How wonderful. Now there was a fighting chance that they could leave this place and go home.

…And go home?

Gloom gnawed at Lucario's heart. What about home? His trainer and his fellow Pokemon were gone. His birthplace, Sinnoh, was no home for him.

Adam drowned.

Sitting down cross-legged, he took a deep breath as the day's events came back to him. It had been just another uneventful moment in their travels. His trainer Adam had taken a ship to Alola, taking an interest in the region's Z-Crystals, which could be used in battle to empower moves.

Then the shipwreck happened.

Lucario had little reason to believe he made it. Typically people on a ship that ripped apart the way it did were as good as dead. How he himself had escaped relatively unscathed, he had no clue. Those two Pokemon who were fighting at sea had some serious firepower if one of their attacks could so easily break the ship apart. Could they be Legendaries?

It was only himself who was out of his Pokeball. The rest of the team — Torterra, Lanturn, Banette, Duosion, and Dragonair — were stuck within their balls. Maybe Adam had managed to bring Lanturn out in time, or even Dragonair, but there wasn't any reason to be so hopeful. Even if Adam somehow came here, after all, the inhabitants wouldn't give him a warm greeting.

He'd rather assume he didn't make it, and that the others were left drifting on the open seas in their Pokeballs. Lanturn can swim underwater, though, so if she broke out of her Pokeball, maybe she could get the others to safety, Lucario reasoned. Or maybe their balls did end up washing up somewhere in the archipelago. Still, the chances of me finding them are just too narrow. I certainly won't see Adam again.

Tears dripped off his face. What is there for me to go back to? he lamented. This shouldn't have happened! Adam shouldn't have—

"Lucario? Are you okay?"

Lucario raised a brow at the Vulpix that had come beside him, concern in her expression. It wasn't hard to match that face to the shy human girl he saved from the shipwreck. If anything, he had her, a fellow survivor who was as lost as him in this strange place they ended up in.

The girl quickly noticed his tears, and grief trickled into her own face. "No?" she said. "You're not fine, are you? Y-you must've lost someone too."

If not for his current mood, hearing Eira practice her Vulpix-speak would've gotten him to chuckle. "No," he admitted, before bringing himself to calm down. "I am not fine. But I will manage."

He accentuated his speech with a little use of aura to communicate his emotions, and Eira trembled when she felt the message. Yet if Lucario looked closely enough, he could see a determination burning in her soft blue eyes. She had hope for the future.

It was amazing that the girl could keep herself this composed. Then again, humans were often raised to handle themselves like adults by the age of ten, so he shouldn't be too surprised.

Lucario breathed, considering his current situation. Since keeping Eira hidden was no longer an issue, he instead had to concern himself with making sure she acted like an authentic Pokemon. That meant teaching her what she was capable of, how to use her powers, and giving her a basic understanding of the language. The latter was critical — it would not do for her to be clueless when someone was speaking to her.

Perhaps he should start by having her embrace her new identity. "Vulpix."

He pointed to the transformed human. "You're saying my name? Eira?" she asked.

Never did he think he'd be using his natural understanding of human speech in this way. "Eira," Lucario repeated, shaking his head. "Vulpix." He nodded this time.

It took a moment for her to understand, but she got the message. "Eira, Vulpix," she murmured. "Oh, of course — I have to call myself Vulpix now, right? Yes?"

"Yes."

Eira — no, Vulpix nodded. "Y-Yes. Got it."

A yawn came from the fake vixen, creating a slight chill in the air, and Lucario too felt the onset of sleepiness. It was late in the night, and he had stayed up long enough. There was that dirt path in the forest that could take him to the town south of here, where Kecleon lived, but it was probably all muddy from the storm and he didn't feel like going the rest of the way.

Lucario looked to Vulpix, who seemed to have her own thoughts on the matter. "I-I don't mind sleeping outside," she said. "Done it before."

"As you wish," he responded, aware she was paying attention to every word he said and trying to understand their meanings. Speaking more often should help her learn faster.

But that was for tomorrow. Laying down on the hard ground, flashbacks came and went in Lucario's mind of his days as a wild Pokemon, then of times where he and his trainer were camping out for the night. Sleeping in a Pokeball was much more comfortable. Would he get used to this?

As if he would get used to the absence of his old companions, or to being in this Pokemon-only world. These were things he had no control over, however — all he could do now was move on and forge a new path.

Lucario eyed Vulpix, who was figuring out the best way to sleep in her Pokemon form before settling on curling up and laying down on her belly. If anything, he had a duty to care for the kid. Keeping her safe felt like the most important thing to do.

His noble heart wouldn't have it any other way.

Eira the Vulpix sneezed, blinking her eyes, then panicked at the sight of white curly tails tickling her nose. What in—?

I'm a Pokemon.

And thus she remembered. With a start she rose to her four feet, astonished at how natural the action was. Her six curly tails — she had tails! — swished to and fro, pulling muscles she shouldn't possibly have.

Around her grew a thicket of trees, their foliage almost holding back the light that streamed through its gaps. Here and there Vulpix could make out pieces of a blue sky, an indication that she had slept through the whole night, and quite soundly too.

Her head dipped toward the white wristband on her paw, the item responsible for her transformation. Not only did it conveniently blend in with her snow-like fur, but her form was the Pokemon she adored above all others — an Alolan Vulpix.

Thinking of that made her think of Alola, her home, which in turn made her think about the shipwreck. From there, pretty much everything that happened since came rushing back, and it gave her a splitting headache. Being saved by a Lucario from sinking into the ocean, getting attacked by an Ariados and Kecleon, learning from her savior that this place feared humans for some reason, hiding from a monstrous Aerodactyl, obtaining this magical wristband from an unusual-looking Eevee—

Vulpix pressed herself flat against the ground, a paw on her forehead as something threatened to burst out of it. One thing at a time, Eira, she told herself, going through it all at a slower pace. Too much had happened, and it hurt.

It was a lot to take in. Just yesterday she and Mother had finished their latest bout of traveling and were heading back to their home in Alola, and now here she was, in a world where Pokemon freaked out at the sight of a human and attacked them. Ariados almost poisoned her to death under the assumption that she was a monster, and although Lucario did his best to defend her, the fact remained that Kecleon's change of heart was the reason she survived.

Still, she wouldn't be here in the first place without Lucario. Where other people might've drowned, he didn't let the same happen to her. And who knew what Kecleon would've done if Lucario wasn't there to speak on her behalf, or how far she would get without bumping into a dangerous Pokemon that Lucario could detect with his powers?

The kind Pokemon was her only companion now, her guardian, and she owed him her life. Of course, he was no substitute for Mother — who was, after all? Mother was everything, and the forced separation couldn't be more painful.

Vulpix's eyes went adrift, resting upon an asleep Lucario, the Pokemon who was aiding her. His blue and black-furred canine form was sprawled on the grass in a way that looked painful, with the spike protruding out of his creamy-colored chest sticking into his right arm. The spike on the palm of his left hand, meanwhile, was poking one of the four black appendages that hung at the back of his head — aura feelers, they were called. It was what most Lucario used to detect auras, though in her guardian's case, he seemed to do so through other methods.

Well, he wasn't awake right now, so he couldn't sense her aura, and by extension, her emotions and thoughts. In other words, he wouldn't have to deal with the stress of her own burdens. Now was as good as any other time to do this.

She lied down, buried her face in her arms, and let herself weep. Mother.

Icy water dripped down to the tips of her paws before blanketing the dew-filled grass. Not a noise came from her, however, save for the ebb and flow of her chilled, shaky breath and the occasional sniffle. It wasn't that she was trying to avoid waking up Lucario, it was that she simply saw no point in doing so. Why scream like a whiny child over her loss? These tears had been stuck with her for the better part of last night, and she just wanted to let them go.

They felt nice, but they didn't bring back Mother. Nothing would.

I wasn't ready to lose you too.

It took a few minutes, but soon she composed herself. Losing Mother, it was no different than losing all her limbs, but she couldn't let it drag her down. What else could she do? She was still alive, and life wouldn't wait for her to adjust.

For now, she had a rather unusual predicament to address. Vulpix raised her tails to her face — again, tails! — feeling all the ways they could twist, bend, and wrap around each other. This is real, she thought.

It was the strangest thing. Instinctively she understood how to control her tails, just as she understood how to walk in her new canine form. Yet being a Pokemon was so alien to her, like an out-of-body experience. She felt like she was supposed to be standing up on two legs, not four, and that she was much smaller than she should really be. And that, goodness, she should be bothered by how cold she felt. Her insides were like a refrigerator!

Breathing out again, Vulpix stared in awe at the tiny ice particles that came out, melting before her eyes as they drifted off. It was like she was born to be a force of winter. If not for what got her to this point, maybe she would be ecstatic about being a Pokemon — better yet, an Alolan Vulpix. A silly childhood dream come true.

As it was, she was simply grateful that the strange Eevee with the colorful crystals on his head gave her this form, as a protection from the inhabitants here. Where was here anyway? To think an advanced Pokemon civilization was hidden in a land inaccessible to humans, it was crazy. Just as crazy as the fact that she got in anyway, and was probably stuck here for who knew how long. Maybe forever?

So many thoughts to get lost in, and she didn't even know half of what Lucario must've learned — she'd be here all day at this rate with her questions and worries. Shaking herself, Vulpix got to focusing on what seemed most important: what her wristband did to her inside.

First and foremost? Deep within her body and its inner cold, she felt something profound and ethereal — she could only describe it as a pond trickling with energy and lifeforce, suffusing her entire self. Her soul. Or her spirit.

She could feel her literal spirit as a Vulpix. It seemed faint and weak, but with her current form, somehow she felt it. And it felt like… her, in a way of speaking.

A soul was what made a person themselves after all, she supposed.

Eira the Vulpix fingered a lever anchored to both her mind and spirit, the toggle she had flicked that turned her into a Pokemon. Flick it again and she'd turn back into the human she really was. The lever felt glued to her by some strange magic, but she guessed that if she took off the band, she'd transform back the hard, painful way.

With that lever came a set of instincts and an understanding of how to act like an Alolan Vulpix. Besides that, however, when Vulpix tried to delve into her actual spirit, knowledge flared within her mind. Bizarre knowledge that felt like pieces of supernatural essence and magic, yet somehow it deciphered into terms and ideas she could understand.

All she needed to do was focus, and she knew she had moves. And a Snow Cloak Ability. And an Ice typing. And—

Level 1?

That last part Vulpix couldn't quite comprehend. She tapped her soul, and it responded with a feeble, newborn touch that whispered into her head. Level 1. Did all Pokemon feel these things within her spirit?

She knew what moves, Abilities, and types were, but she couldn't fathom what a Level meant, or why she understood it as a Level. A gauge of her strength? Her experience with her Pokemon powers? She wanted to ask her guardian, but unwilling to wake him up, she backed away.

It wouldn't hurt to practice her new skills though. Her Ability was supposed to help her hide in a snow or hailstorm, so that wasn't important now. Not much could be done for learning the language of a Vulpix either — that was the one thing the band had instilled into her that hadn't clicked right away — but she could definitely give her moves a test run. How did they work?

She only knew two moves at the moment, probably as a result of her low Level. Vulpix could sense all the basic information for both of them, including the actions needed and what would happen. How convenient.

She willed herself to use one, raising her six tails straight in the air. The energy within her very soul stirred and surfaced, powering her move.

The tails just wiggled and whipped about in place, forming circles.

Vulpix pouted at her Tail Whip. In all fairness, there wasn't much to expect from this move. It was a little distracting, but she couldn't see how she could make use of this. Maybe if she was running away from someone? Why did such a move need the energy that came out of her, anyway?

Her other move was more promising in the event that — and she hoped it wouldn't come to this — she needed to defend herself. It was more difficult to perform though. Tapping on her inner energies again, Vulpix reached out to the icy cold within her chest, but she couldn't get it to cooperate with her at first. Something came out, but it was only a puff of chilled air, and not what she wanted.

Maybe because I'm overthinking it, she considered. She had the necessary reflexes, after all, she just had to rely on them.

Her second attempt was somewhat better. Commanding her inner cold, little pellets of snow came into her mouth, and without thinking she shot them out. They didn't go far before dropping to the ground and melting, but progress was progress.

Vulpix worked on it for a good while. The warm weather seemed to combat her attempts to use her icy move, but soon she got the snow to stop melting so easily. Adjustments to her breath allowed her to breathe out a gust of wind that accompanied the snow, launching them farther, faster, and with more strength. Her Powder Snow move was working!

Anything the snow hit, a touch of frost covered it. Leaves and grass turned whitish, and dewdrops from last night's storm froze into tiny pellets. Vulpix found herself enchanted that, though the move didn't look powerful, it could do all this.

One more time. Vulpix steadied herself before holding in her breath. Snow pellets coalesced in her mouth, a cold wind in her throat ready to launch at will. Turning to a tree trunk she wanted to target, she blew her attack out.

And gasped when someone blurred right into the attack, taking the pellets to his face and blindly crashing into her.

The figure tumbled over her, face-planting. Vulpix drew in a handful of air, her breath all but knocked out of her. Shaking her head, she almost did a double-take as a large, mystical flower drifted off her curly hair. What was this?

Her paw reached for it.

Terrible mistake. A claw slashed her into the nearest tree, and everything spun. "Vi weav va, weavile!" came a furious voice.

Vulpix's eyes dilated at the sight of a dark-gray weasel Pokemon. A red, feathery crown and collar grew on his body, along with a pair of ear-feathers and two tail-feathers. A yellow oval marked his forehead, and gripped in one of his razor-like claws was the flower. The other claw caressed a nasty wound on his side, one she hadn't caused, and a small pouch hung from his neck, much like the one Eevee had.

His red eyes burned into her, and she cowered, tails in front of her face. Never mind she couldn't talk to this Pokemon, she most certainly could not fight him. And of all the Pokemon it had to be, it was a Weavile. Didn't they treat Alolan Vulpix as natural enemies?

The Pokemon was ranting at her, shaking his flower-holding-fist and baring his teeth. Vulpix couldn't dare move, paralyzed by fear. This would be like Ariados all over again, painful and agonizing.

Weavile took a step forward, then suddenly crashed to the floor. Huh?

Vulpix's heart resumed beating when she saw the figure behind him, a Lucario with an outstretched claw covered in metal. His eyes kept focused on the would-be-attacker, but she felt an emotion of amusement drifting from him. One of his aura powers.

"Ca ria, lucario?" Her guardian questioned the Weavile.

Weavile hissed, then straight up vanished. Lucario wasted no time, turning around to intercept a strike from the weasel Pokemon. Vulpix watched with concern as Weavile jumped back, swinging his arm and throwing shards of spear-like ice.

Lucario shook his head as he dodged, then ran to meet the foe. Their attacks clashed.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 3 — Chilly Mistakes

Sparks flew from Lucario's Metal Claw as it struck the white energy surrounding the Weavile's Slash. "You have nerve," the aura-commanding Pokemon barked, sweat forming on his brows.

"Blame the kid for attacking me," Weavile retorted, his statement coming off as funny to Lucario. Really? Vulpix, hurting someone to draw their ire?

Never mind that. Disengaging, Lucario brought out his palm, wisps of blue aura gathering around it. The wisps swirled into a spherical, translucent mass of energy, the Aura Sphere crackling with power.

The projectile fired with a hiss, and only Weavile's incredible speed allowed him to roll away from the attack, his neck-pouch flying about in a frenzy. A sneer crossed the weasel face as he prepared to strike back.

Lucario just scoffed as Aura Sphere made a u-turn, following Weavile's movements, and smashed against the back of his head with a bang.

The blow threw Weavile to the floor, Lucario quickly propping a leg over Weavile's prone body to keep him down. "It homes in on your aura, dummy," he said, "it's not just some super-effective attack. Never seen an Aura Sphere before? They may as well be the bane of your species."

The weasel could only rasp and cough in response. Lucario looked over his shoulder to where Vulpix lay, her calm facade betrayed by her trembling. Weavile hadn't harmed her much, meaning he woke up just in time. Who was this guy, anyway?

And what was this thing in his claw, some flower? It was large and pink in color, with a sweet scent emanating from it. "What's this about?" he asked the Weavile, pointing to the flower.

Weavile bared his teeth. "Look here, I was just passing through when your little friend spat snow in my eyes, okay? Just let me go, and I'll pretend this never happened."

Someone was avoiding the question. Suspicious about the Weavile's intents, Lucario let his eyes glow up as he peered into his aura.

Weavile's thoughts of escape and panic flowed into his mind, along with a powerful will not to let anyone take the flower. Lucario stopped the feedback before he brushed against more sensitive thoughts, having heard enough. This flower didn't really belong to this Weavile.

He had himself a thief. Whatever the big deal was with the flower, he hadn't looked into it, and he didn't care. What should he do with this low-life? Find the Pokemon he stole from and return the item?

Weavile suddenly struck at his leg, throwing Lucario off-balance. "Stinking mind-reader," he heaved, rolling to his feet and about to make a run from it.

Lucario was quicker on the draw, however. He lunged at his shoulder, tackling the Weavile to the ground. The two grappled with each other, wrestling for control.

"Get off me, you hooligan!" Weavile hollered, at a disadvantage as he struggled to keep the stolen flower in his claw.

"Not a chance," Lucario responded, pressing his paw against the Weavile's head.

Aura flowed out of the paw in volts of sizzling energy, shocking the thief as he screamed. His claw went limp from the paralysis caused by the Force Palm, and the flower fell out of his grasp, its petals still whole.

Lucario snatched the flower out of curiosity. Was this thing magical or what? What a resilient-looking plant, able to withstand a fight and all. It must be precious for a thief to steal it.

"I'll be taking this, thank you," he told the fallen Weavile.

He turned, then stumbled back as a spinning blade of wind slammed into his chest. Vulpix cried out and curled herself up, and Lucario growled as a second blade scraped the fur on his ears.

His aurasense flickered to life, the black dreadlock appendages at the back of his head tensing at the presence of two new hostile auras. Backup? assumed Lucario as he looked up, before taking cover behind a tree as a swirling trio of beams colored red, yellow, and blue razed his former spot.

The Pokemon responsible for the Tri-Attack flew overhead, a petite, white figure with angel wings on her back and red and blue triangle patterns all over her body. A Togetic. And riding her—

Lucario moved out of the way, a green orb of energy shooting past, and blanched at the little grassy hedgehog mounting the Togetic. "Drop it!" she demanded in her tart voice.

That wasn't a Pokemon Lucario recognized. Who was this? And what was her deal?

The hedgehog was primarily white, just like Togetic, but with grass and greenery covering her back. She spat Energy Ball after Energy Ball, and Togetic assisted, sweeping her arm and conjuring a gust of Fairy Wind in its wake, Lucario hard-pressed to evade it all. He fired back, Aura Spheres dispelling attacks and striking the duo.

It caught him off-guard when the hedgehog blurred, the miffed Pokemon leaping off Togetic and ramming into him with a startlingly forceful Quick Attack. No sooner did she rebound off, wind coalescing around her paw into an Air Slash that she flung his way. It gutted Lucario, the sheer knockback throwing him to his side and making him drop the flower.

The hedgehog pounced toward the mystical plant, and only then did Lucario take notice of the flowers growing on the side of her head, pink in color. They looked just like—

She touched the flower. And before Lucario's eyes, her form lit up and morphed.

A reindeer-like creature emerged from the transformation, shaking her white wing-like ears and grassy mohawk. "Alright, now you're having it, punk," she said, a flower-like scarf wavering from her chest. Her Pokemon-speak betrayed her species name, telling Lucario this was a… Shaymin?

Cold shudders ran down Lucario's back as he realized his situation. Shaymin are a Mythical race in Sinnoh, he thought. The flower's a Gracidea Flower.

Her flower.

Lucario internally facepalmed. She's not an enemy, dummy! He admonished himself.

Shaymin took her flower and flew at him in her reindeer form, air swirling into a blade around her green forepaw. "Wait! I'm—" said Lucario.

She didn't listen, bashing him with the Air Slash and tossing Lucario airborne. Even then he forced himself through the pain, throwing an Aura Sphere back in defense. Shaymin raised a brow before letting her next Air Slash dissipate, instead crossing her arms in front of her. A green barrier poofed into existence, the Aura Sphere crashing harmlessly against it.

Because of course the Mythical knew Protect. What was he doing anyway? He shouldn't be tempting a Mythical Pokemon's wrath!

Lucario rolled to the side, before being shoved to the ground by another Air Slash. His skull throbbed from the impact, the jackal's eyes twitching toward the Mythical Pokemon hovering above him, then to the flower in her left paw and the blade of wind forming in her right paw. A blustering noise came from it, like the winds of a mini-hurricane on a crash course with him.

Shaymin scoffed. "Talk about bandit-ception," she said. "Yo, thief, do you never flinch or something? I know those Air Slashes should've left you curling into yourself."

"I—" Lucario felt his jaw slacken. "Thief? Now hold on—"

Shaymin waved her Air Slash dangerously close to his snout. "I believe it's his Ability, Shaymin," came Togetic's soft voice, the angelic joining her side. "Inner Focus keeps him clear-minded, meaning your Air Slash can't make him lose his guard."

Shaymin huffed, as if she'd been robbed of some quality-level fun. "Your kind are supposed to be the honorable, lawful sort," Togetic continued, throwing a perplexed look at Lucario. "What would drive one of you to steal?"

"Like actually, the nerve! 'I'll be taking this, thank you?'" Shaymin shook her head. "What's two outlaws doing, trying to get their grubby hands on my flower?"

Lucario felt like tugging his feelers off. Good grief, this was such a bad misunderstanding. "I didn't steal," he insisted. "Weavile's the only—"

Shaymin's paw shifted, and for a moment it was like something had hit a pressure point in his feelers, Lucario's watchful eyes glowing with intense blue light. His body moved without his command, time appearing to all but halt for him. Her blade moved, but he moved with unnatural reflexes, rolling to his feet and moving several feet away from both Pokemon in the blink of an eye.

The Air Slash drove a crack into the earth before the duo snapped their heads toward Lucario's afterimages. "What in—?" said Shaymin.

The Mythical had Protect, but Lucario had Detect — a protection move augmented by his aura abilities. Should've done this earlier, he muttered to himself.

Well, no matter. "Just calm down!" said Lucario, putting his paws up. "You're making a mistake! I wasn't—"

Shaymin rushed him again, much to Lucario's indignation. He strafed away from her Quick Attack, then ducked under an Air Slash that went too wide. Opportunity presented itself, and he thrust his paw forward.

It pressed against her chest. The Mythical stared at it for a split second, before aura burst outward, sending her tumbling toward the nearest tree. Togetic made a pained noise as she hurried over and clutched Shaymin, whose muscles had jolted into involuntary spasming.

She rolled her head toward Lucario with great difficulty. "Can I explain myself now?" he barked, huffing to himself. At least a Force Palm's paralysis could keep the Mythical busy. "I swear, I have no intention of stealing your flower! I was just—"

Lucario's voice died along with his soul as Shaymin glowed a cleansing green, losing all the stiffness in her muscles. She rose back to the air with casual mirth.

"Real cute of you, pulling that stunt off," she said. "You know I can just get rid of the paralysis, right?"

Shaymin could heal off status effects. Perfect.

"You're not a garbage fighter by the way, you know that? Most people are easy pickings, but stupid flinch immunity or not, you're more durable than I thought. I'm almost enjoying myself."

The compliment derailed Lucario for a good moment, along with Shaymin's stupid grin. Sorry? She thought him to be competent?

"She's not wrong, you seem rather capable," Togetic cut in, the angelic growing uncertain as she looked between the two. "Shaymin, I really should check his purity. Are we sure he's another thief? I'm starting to think his soul might be taintless—"

"You saw him!" said Shaymin, dismissing her level-headed approach. "Dude's just another low-life who's stealing my flower."

"Shaymin, we could be making a mistake—"

"A thief's a thief, Togetic—"

The two bickered for a while, the forest sighing in apology to Lucario. A trainer's Pokemon shouldn't have to deal with this, he complained, before Vulpix's cry stole his focus.

The dark side of him laughed when Togetic and Shaymin turned their heads with him, noticing an icy vixen hunkered down next to a trunk and vacantly staring. "Wait, you have a kid?" Togetic said, stubby nubs cupped over her mouth. "Shaymin, he has a kid!"

Lucario didn't pay much attention to how Vulpix accidentally solved his problem, however. Where Vulpix stared, a patch of flattened grass indicated the spot where a certain Weavile had once been.

Shaymin caught on too, head swiveling around. "Shoot, where's that—"

Ice Shards impaled her and Togetic, making them drop. Lucario had a double-take when Shaymin's flower left her grasp, disappearing into literal nothingness. In its place a beam of frost fired, encasing Togetic and Shaymin in solid ice.

He reacted faster, however, rolling under the Ice Beam when it came his way. Shaymin lit up before him as she morphed back into her grounded hedgehog form for some reason, but ignoring it for the time being, he shrouded his eyes in a blaze of blue aura, revealing the outline of a certain Weavile. How'd he turn invisible?

Weavile spat out a curse, seeing Lucario had foiled his trick with aurasense and preparing to use Quick Attack. That was bad — Weavile would be too fast for him to catch if he did that. Lucario fired an Aura Sphere immediately, not caring about its puny size so long as it slowed down the thief.

Unfortunately, Weavile predicted this and zipped behind Lucario, shoving him right into the sphere before he could yelp. The attack stung, moreso because of how the Fighting-type energy clashed with his Steel-typing.

Adding insult to injury, Weavile then shoved him to the ground. "You had to make this personal, kid, didn't you?" he spat in his ear. His clawed feet padded over his back, thrusting Lucario's snout into the dirt as the good-for-nothing thief stepped over his body and began to run off.

Only for him to make a pained noise and hit the ground as a violent roar of flames sounded. Lucario pushed himself up to see a beam of purplish fire fading into flickers as it rolled over the thief, stripping him of his invisibility. The flower in his claw fluttered to the ground.

A green glow pulsed, ice shattering beside an amused Lucario as a landbound Shaymin thawed out of her icy prison. Her Quick Attack launched her at the Weavile, throwing him to the side before he could reclaim the flower. "Frost-ridden jerk!" she said. "Why, I oughta—"

Weavile pulled something tiny from his pouch and ate it. And he vanished.

No, not vanished, he was literally gone. Lucario could sense his aura shift, as if he had teleported away. There's a thing you can eat that does that? he wondered, rubbing his forehead. Must've had something for invisibility in that pouch too. Maybe a berry, or a magic seed?

Yeah, why not, magic seeds. That made perfect sense.

Shaymin whipped her head around in livid disgust as she looked for Weavile and, failing to do so, yelled something about stupid Ice-types and their stupid freezing attacks. Her anger subsided, she then brought herself to her flower and grabbed it, transforming into her flying reindeer self again, and then hurried over to a frozen Togetic. One cleansing green aura later and she was thawed out too.

Lucario got a whiff of a numbing aroma from the green glow, making his muscles relax on their own accord. Aromatherapy, that's what the status-healing move was. Mythicals, he muttered to himself.

"Are you okay?"

Something cold brushed Lucario's fur, Vulpix coming beside him with a shaken expression. Lucario couldn't help but chuckle at her sudden concern for him. "Are you okay?" he repeated, as if redirecting the question.

Impressively, Vulpix caught on. "A-are y-you okay?" she said in the Vulpix tongue, making the question return to sender. Her expression softened when he nodded, reverting to a passive, calm state.

"Well, what a mess we've got here."

And then a male voice made her scamper behind him. Lucario rose to meet a Pokemon who looked like a bipedal dragon with shark fins on his arms, back, and tail. A bag dangled from one said arm. His scales were blue, but his chest and stomach regions were red, with a light blue underside. Ears shaped like jet engines hung at the sides of his skull, and a frown adorned his face.

A Gabite. So this was the Pokemon who fired off those purplish flames — that must've been Dragon Breath.

Shaymin and Togetic were quick to float in front of the dragon-shark Pokemon, their expressions awkward. "Weavile used a Vanish Seed while you and Togetic were busy messing with someone else," Gabite said in a chiding tone. "Ate an Eyedrop Seed so I could see him. Why did you target Lucario and not the actual thief?"

The forbidden knowledge of magic seeds actually existing gave Lucario a migraine somehow worse than the pummeling he had taken. "Uh, well," stammered a red-faced Shaymin, "thing was, Weavile looked like he was down and Lucario had my Gracidea Flower—"

Gabite's eyes became razor-sharp, digging into Shaymin's skull. "I didn't see how it started, but it seems Lucario tried to knock out Weavile to protect his kid. Yet you still attacked him on a whim?"

"I—" Shaymin stole a glance at Lucario. "Crud, I messed up."

"You don't say?" All the while Togetic had her eyes glowing with a soft pink, much to Lucario's curiosity. She gazed straight through Lucario and Vulpix, a groan escaping her lips. "Oh, this is just as much my fault. You and your little one's hearts, they're filled with kindness and goodwill. I shouldn't have attacked you — Shaymin, he had a kid! How could we both miss her?"

Huh. Lucario knew Togetic were able to sense kindness and purity in others, but not that it could be used like that. It was similar to his preferred way of detecting aura.

He shook his head, noting his injuries. All this fighting left him battered and bruised, a few cuts running deep into his skin, but nothing he couldn't patch up. Noting the slash in Vulpix's fur, courtesy of Weavile, he readied a Life Dew.

Togetic raised her head, noticing the blue glow around him and the water pellets forming around him. "Your kind learn that move too?" she said, before shaking herself. "Hold on, it's only right that I make amends. Here."

Before he could turn her down she glowed a soft blue as well, conjuring her own healing droplets of water. Well, if she insisted, so be it.

He stepped back, allowing Togetic to seize control of his Life Dew pellets and add them to her own. They fell upon her, Shaymin, and Lucario, the moisture soothing the ache in his body and patching up his injuries. Vulpix tensed when the droplets came to her as well, only letting out a quiet sigh when they healed her too.

Togetic observed her, grimacing when the false vixen shied away behind Lucario. The jackal examined her with blue glowing eyes, his aurasense picking up on a chill that ignored her resistance to the cold. Fear? Poor kid kept facing too many encounters with aggressive Pokemon.

Lucario put his paw in front, sending calming messages through his command of aura. Nobody here was an enemy, and through his messages, Vulpix managed to understand this, accepting the foreign feelings as the chill went away. Something else took its place, however, jittery and itchy to the touch. Nervousness.

She looked at him, and laid bare her wish to be anywhere but here. Away from other Pokemon. That wish multiplied in force when she noticed the Gabite staring at her, a gleam in his eyes. It was like how he had glared at Shaymin and Togetic, but with none of the malice.

For now. Here's hoping the disguise holds, thought Lucario as he showered her in condolences, and a request for patience. "You're in charge of those two?" he asked aloud to Gabite.

Gabite hummed, ripping his stare away from his kid. "Team Heavendust at your beck and call," he said in a sardonic voice. "Apologies about your run-in with Togetic and Shaymin, they're usually better than this."

He threw the abashed pair one last disapproving look. "We're a notable explorer team around these parts," he continued, before scrutinizing Lucario's face. "But I get the impression you've never met explorers before, have you?"

Lucario twitched as Togetic and Shaymin gave him odd looks. "Uh—"

"No worries. Some people live their whole lives without encountering us, though Shaymin's a poor benchmark to judge by." Gabite shrugged when the Mythical huffed at him. "We're a lot of things, but we often deal with work related to Mystery Dungeons and peacekeeping."

"We're adventurers," said Shaymin, her voice strained.

"Rangers might be a more accurate term?" said Togetic.

"Depends on the task," finished Gabite. "There's plenty of exploring and Pokemon-helping to be done, especially with dungeons. Our group's the sort to do local errands, but there's a Braixen I'm friends with whose team loves to go traveling abroad."

Explorer teams, huh? Kecleon had called him an explorer earlier — it shed a little light on dungeons too. Lucario got the impression that Pokemon got stuck in them and needed help, and these guys were battle-ready professionals who saved them. The exploration part also caught his fancy, it sounded a little like the sort of journeys he went on with his Pokemon Trainer.

Might be a way to make money on this archipelago, he thought, noting it down for later. "So explorer teams like you would capture thugs like Weavile?" Lucario asked.

Gabite nodded with a grumble, looking into the distance. "Fat chance we're catching that speed demon though. Doesn't help that he had Warp Seeds to make a quick getaway," he said. "On behalf of my team, you have our thanks for intercepting him and getting back Shaymin's flower. You and Vulpix are travelers, I take it? If I had to guess, you're likely from Peakcrag Island."

Interesting. Now Lucario knew another place besides Grassbranch Island that made up this archipelago, and it sounded like a mountainous area fit for a Lucario and Alolan Vulpix. He shrugged, playing along with whatever Gabite thought of them.

"Strange to find travelers deep in the woods instead of using the dirt roads," the dragon-shark went on. "Then again, the roads did turn to mush from the storm yesterday. You must have been out in that miserable downpour, weren't you? Why, if it was night, I'd have you come to my place to rest and get that wet smell out of your furs. Are you and your kid doing alright? Shaymin didn't spook Vulpix too bad, did she?"

Again he stared at the vixen, and again Lucario felt her silent plea to leave this place and never return. "She's shy," he said, assuring her again through aura. "It doesn't help that this wasn't the first time either of us got attacked."

Shaymin and Togetic reeled, while Gabite's face turned dour. "Abhorrents?" he snarled.

Lucario shook his head — were most Abhorrents as bad as Aerodactyl? "No, just two everyday Pokemon who weren't very friendly to her."

The trio didn't take long to see what his words implied. "Double crud," spat Shaymin. "Now I feel really, really bad about all this. Super sorry about beating you up, I get real prickly with keeping my Gracidea Flower safe."

Lucario narrowed his eyes, before dropping the matter. An apology was an apology, he supposed. No justice in holding on to grudges.

Noticing the lull in the conversation, Togetic gestured to Gabite, who pulled out two red objects from his bag — apples. "You two look famished," she said, offering Lucario the apples herself. "It's the least we can do after what happened earlier. We'll escort you to the road too if that's all right, it's not as muddy as it was yesterday."

"Sounds good to me," said Gabite. "Shall we?"

He waved a claw, Vulpix noticing the gesture. Lucario made eye contact with her, whose lips quivered as if to object, before letting out a resigned sigh. The jackal threw her one more feeling of peace, promising it would be over soon.

He followed Gabite, who led the way to the dirt path crossing through the forest. Vulpix stuck close to his side, eyes on the ground, and Togetic and Shaymin floated at the back. In their hushed whispers, Lucario overheard Shaymin questioning his glowing blue eyes, and Togetic explaining aura, which seemed to cast awe upon her friend.

"You lasted a while against her, you know. Not a bad feat."

Lucario's ears perked as Gabite spoke to him, a lighthearted grin covering his face. "Uh, yeah, the Shaymin," he said, unable to help himself. His trainer always dreamed of challenging a Legendary or Mythical Pokemon one day, but darn, encountering one and living to tell the tale wasn't something Lucario ever expected to accomplish in his life. "Is this normal around here? For Mythicals to hang around these parts?"

Shaymin overheard him, Vulpix holding back the urge to flinch as she zipped over. "What about me being a Mythical?" she said in a grouchy tone. "Doesn't mean much."

Gabite coughed. "Biggest understatement anyone's ever heard—

"But fine, I admit I'm one of a kind," Shaymin said, speaking over Gabite. "Had a tribe I belonged to, but I couldn't stay cooped up with them and ended up traveling on my own. Can't call yourself a Pokemon of legend if you don't live up to the title, yeah?"

She muttered to herself about useless Legendaries, before scratching her pelt. "Look, this fiasco's my fault alone," she quietly added. "Togetic's a good person. It's me who goads her into doing stupid things—"

"You don't have to apologize twice," muttered Lucario. Shaymin pursed her lips, before drawing back, pretending like nothing happened.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the road, a soggy mess of a trail with nary a Pokemon walking upon it, what with it being a little too early in the morning. "We could accompany you to Berrypark Town too," Gabite said, "the one down south. That's where you'll find explorer teams around here going, and it's a pretty area. One of the more populated places in Grassbranch Island."

One look at Vulpix and Lucario knew he ought to decline — that was enough contact with Pokemon for now. "Vulpix needs a little space," he said, "and besides, I have a few things to take care of first." He waved the apples in his palms, making Gabite and Shaymin snort.

Togetic, meanwhile, was busy giving Vulpix a sad look, further addled by how the vixen backed away from her approach. "The poor thing," she whispered, sounding every bit like a doting mother. "Vulpix, sweetie? I'm really sorry if we scared you by attacking your companion, it was an honest mistake. I get it if you don't want to say anything, but I hope you understand."

Vulpix's ears twitched, recognizing her Pokemon name, but otherwise she looked deaf to Togetic's words. Understand, thought Lucario, scoffing to himself — that was the one thing Vulpix couldn't do.

Something he had to rectify soon. "She does this with most Pokemon," he said, covering her. "I'm one of the few she's fine with. It's not your fault anyway, we haven't had the best of days recently and both of us are on edge."

Togetic silently hovered there, trying to swallow what he said. Only when Gabite called her did she stir.

"Well then." Togetic nodded to Lucario with a strained smile. "So sorry again for bothering you both, we'll be off now. I hope you two see better days in the future."

"Same," Shaymin said, putting on a shamefaced grin. "Thanks again for keeping Weavile busy, I would've lost my flower otherwise. See you in town, maybe?"

Gabite gave his own goodbye. Lucario returned it, and the trio departed at a brisk pace down the road. Gabite turned back once, eyes lingering upon Vulpix one last time, before Shaymin hollered at him to keep up.

And again it was just the two of them, a Lucario and human-turned-Vulpix in a world they weren't from. Lucario raised his head upward, the sun in its rightful place as it ascended to the cloudless sky. Not a trace of last night, nor its stormy weather, could be found.

A reincarnated day, thought Lucario. Reborn to a new chapter of life.

Eira the Vulpix exhaled, flopping her face into the muddy road. With the others gone, her anxiety was finally free to scamper back into the deepest recesses of her mind, exhaustion left in its place. Lucario almost found it amusing.

For a first encounter, the wristband did its job well enough.

Vulpix eyeballed him for a long while, working up the courage to speak. "I-I don't- I just—" she said, before blurting it all out. "What was with those three Pokemon? How did Weavile disappear like that? W-why was Eevee a monster? Aerodactyl's a monster too, isn't he?"

She blushed as Lucario raised a brow at her questions, ones he couldn't easily explain. "S-sorry," she mumbled, pulling her tails to her face, then instantly pulling them back with a shiver. "I— this is weird. Everything's weird. Pokemon hate me, there's mutant Pokemon, I'm talking to a Pokemon, I literally am a Pokemon—"

"Kid, you okay?"

All of those words were ones Vulpix recognized. She held herself for a moment, pondering upon the question Lucario asked her, and considering her answer.

"Hurts," she said.

"Hurts?"

"H-hurts."

Did Togetic's Life Dew not do its job? Lucario examined Vulpix's body for wounds, before she shook her head. Her paw drifted to the left side of her chest, her gaze faraway and mournful.

"Your powers can't heal someone inside," she said, clutching her heart, "can they?"

Ah. the shipwreck. Lucario grumbled, sitting himself down on the side of the road. "Your Mother, wasn't it?" he asked.

It took a few repetitions for Vulpix to understand. "M-mother," she confirmed. "You? Was it your trainer?"

And his fellow Pokemon companions. Lucario painstakingly went through the names, and she picked up on them one by one. "We're in the same boat here," he went on, using aura to accompany his words with relevant feelings and emotions. "Two strangers. Lost, lonely, and with no home to go back to."

Vulpix felt more than she heard the words, giving a slow nod. She observed the forest with dull eyes, staring at a world so familiar yet so alien.

"What's happening?" she said, her calm voice but a mere disguise. Much like her vulpine body.

Lucario wished he could explain. Darn, he wished he could explain everything to himself. His eyes went shut as he breathed in and out, wondering, questioning. Mourning.

His trance broke as bushes rustled, then burst open. Lucario opened an eyelid, before blinking as a rabbit hopped in front of him and a goggle-eyed Vulpix. Yes, a rabbit. The animal kind, not a Pokemon.

Were animals common in this archipelago? Finding them wasn't easy back home. Blame that on over-hunting, he remarked to himself.

The rabbit turned to hop away when a flash of blue-gray feathers swooped in. The next moment Lucario was staring at a Corvisquire landing upon a tree branch, talons deeply embedded into the struggling rabbit.

The Corvisquire plucked at some loose feathers, a talon moving to the rabbit's throat before she eyed him and Vulpix. "What?" the crow-like Pokemon squawked.

Lucario moved close to the vixen and held an apple-clutching paw over her eyes. Unfortunately his protective act proved ineffective, foiled by a simple trick: Vulpix scooting out of reach. She threw a flat stare at him.

"Civilized sissys." Corvisquire flew off with her meal, intent on feeding elsewhere.

Well, maybe over-hunting was also an issue here. Even in Haven Archipelago, some Pokemon chose the rough, wild life. Lucario took a look at Vulpix, still frowning at his most benevolent attempt to protect her innocence, and made a swift decision.

I am not putting her through that lifestyle. Not if I can help it.

Foraging all day and working for basic necessities was a pain. Money was a thing in this world, where Pokemon lived in towns and had jobs like being a merchant or whatever, and as much as it messed with Lucario's mind — when did he start playing the role of a human? — having a source of income would do them a lot of good. That explorer team thing did sound like a decent fit for him, and Kecleon said he was capable of handling dungeons, which was something explorers seemed to deal with constantly.

And maybe it'd give him a better idea of what was up with this weird archipelago, and even some potential way to get around the human-warding towers and leave. But first and foremost, they needed stability. Eira needed stability.

I can fret over my woes later.

Only then did Lucario recall that there were apples in his palms, ripe and ready to be eaten. "Here," he said, offering Vulpix one.

She awkwardly grabbed it with both her paws. For a good moment she stared at the fruit, perhaps intimidated by its size, before taking a small bite while on all fours and chewing. Lucario sensed her silent struggle in doing an otherwise ordinary task in her Pokemon form — the out-of-body experience had to be messing with her.

She sat down on her hind legs, continuing to eat. At some point she brought her front paws over to grab her apple before blushing as Lucario watched, becoming self-conscious of how human-like her action was. "No, it's fine," he comforted her. "I've seen Pokemon of your build eat like that, you're not doing anything wrong."

Though she hardly understood, the tone was enough to put her at ease. Lucario munched on his own apple, Vulpix's adventure in eating as a Pokemon making his lips curl up. She gnawed and chewed, every action slow and deliberate.

Soon enough they were finished, Vulpix swallowing the last piece of her apple. "T-thank you," she said, her tails fidgeting when Lucario glanced at her. "For, um, the apple. And for saving me, a-again. And for, well, everything?"

Lucario's curled lips turned into a full smile, which she returned with a tiny one. Darn it, Eira was nothing like Adam, yet he couldn't help but be fond of the human. I'll burn down a forest if anything happens to her, he thought.

Lucario snatched the barren core that remained of Vulpix's apple, leaving the leftovers of their breakfast behind a tree to decompose. Back to business then. Eira's transformation wristband was a blessing that changed the dynamic of their situation, but it wasn't going to solve everything. Where should he start?

"Um, the language?"

A contemplative Vulpix answered his unspoken question. "You're going to teach me the language, right?" she asked, getting up on her feet. "I don't think I'll ever understand what's going on otherwise."

Never mind the trouble she'd have in future Pokemon interactions. It was high time she got some practice. "Good to see you're eager," said Lucario, moving toward the path. "Come along, Vulpix."

Vulpix perked her ears, barely catching anything from either sentence. Lucario gestured for clarity, pointing at her before waving with his hand. "You. Come along." He repeated it, watching as Vulpix's lips went to work.

"You… come? A-along?" Seeing Lucario nod, she obediently followed him, the two moving at a leisurely pace. "What about 'I'?"

I, the simplest of phrases in the human tongue. Lucario said it in his own Lucario-speak, and she repeated using her Vulpix-speak, a tiny smile on her face. She then asked more words: 'me', 'him', 'her', 'us', 'good', 'bad', 'help', and plenty more. Lucario offered them all as they trekked down the quiet forest path.

A few repetitions were enough for her to recognize common words as a Pokemon. Forming sentences by herself tripped her up, however. When Lucario wanted her to put the words 'you help me' together, for example, she stumbled multiple times before stringing the words together.

Likely the result of her human mind clashing with the complexity of a Pokemon's speech. What counted as a mid-sized sentence in the human tongue, made of multiple distinct words, could be shortened to mashing together syllables in one's species name once or twice, or even just a grunting noise. She'd get used to it.

For the time being, crude sentences were the best she could do. "Gabite, Togetic, S-Shaymin," she said in choppy Vulpix-speak, having asked him how to say Pokemon names in the Pokemon language. "Eevee? Him, help u-us?"

Lucario chuckled at her attempt, giving a nod. The Abhorrent did promise to return later to assist them, come to think of it. What kind of help could he offer?

He casually checked the surroundings with aura, only for his aura feelers to twitch with distaste as they directed him to a faint red aura on the left side of the path, lurking within the forest. Bad timing — was that Ariados?

The wannabe murderer was the last person he needed to run into again. Although Vulpix wasn't in human form, she might put two and two together once she spotted him with the girl.

He examined the aura's shape, before his muscles relaxed — and then tensed back up. Waves of pained fatigue came from this Pokemon, fresh and unlike the burning sensations he would sense from Ariados and her fiery injuries from yesterday. It was hard to make out from here, but that wasn't the shape of a vengeful spider.

It was the Weavile.

Vulpix flicked her head over as Lucario paused. "Bad?" she asked, tails raised and alert.

"Yes, bad," he responded, the aura around his eyes hissing and wavering. His fist clenched up as an urge welled up in his soul. "Weavile."

Vulpix took a moment before repeating the word to herself, eyes widening once the name clicked. Judging from the aura, Weavile seemed to be leaning on something, a claw fingering what was probably a sore spot on his leg.

His injuries must've added up, preventing him from running off with the blistering speed Weavile were known for, and thus he ran here to hide and recover in the forest shade. The thief wasn't aware of their presence either. Should he knock him out and turn him in at the nearest town?

His natural inclinations toward justice asked as much, pulling him toward the thief, but Vulpix's presence made him hesitate. Risking her safety to take down this criminal didn't seem right, but still, Weavile was pretty weak. What were the chances that he could threaten her at his current state?

So long as he was careful. Lucario gave Vulpix a solemn look before rushing headlong into the trees, leaves shuddering in his wake. The thief had it coming for the trouble he put him into with Gabite's teammates, and for trampling upon his honor.

Weavile barely whipped his head at the noise, his legs already on the move and his aura retreating. He wasn't making any ground, however, too hurt to go at full speed. He'd be caught within a moment, and even a Metal Claw would take him down.

At least, Lucario was sure until his foe's aura blinked out of existence. One moment he was just ten or so feet away, able to catch a silhouette of his arm, the next he had disappeared in his entirety. Not a trace.

It was understandable not to see the Weavile himself, what with all this greenery in the way, but for his aura to disappear too? How?

Lucario halted, examining the spot where he last saw him. No matter where he looked, he was gone, aura and all. This wasn't like how he teleported away earlier. Weavile had somehow erased himself from this place.

Vulpix caught up to Lucario with a pant, positioned as if wary of her surroundings. "Weavile?" she asked him with a timid voice.

This was a head-scratcher. "He was just here," he replied, walking forward. There had to be something responsible for Weavile's silent exit, there was no way he could otherwise vanish from his aurasense. Maybe there was some magic or supernatural force at work here?

Lucario bit his tongue when a tingle jolted his body, leaving him numb for a moment. His vision clouded at the same time, and something about the atmosphere suddenly felt different. He rubbed his eyes, taking a look around before twitching.

This wasn't the spot he was at a moment ago.

He could tell because of multiple reasons. For one, the trees were more shaded and dead-looking, their foliage extending to all but blot out the sky. The density of trees was also greater, grouped in such a way as if to block anyone from passing. A path that shouldn't be here snaked in front of Lucario, the barricade of trees suggesting that he take it to the small glade it led to.

Most importantly, Vulpix was not here for some reason, both her and her distinct aura. Instead there was a different, more hostile aura up ahead — Weavile.

He was standing at the glade, eyes trained on Lucario with something in his hand. As much as Lucario wanted to approach him, the bizarreness of what just happened kept him rooted. Where was he? What happened to the forest, and why was Vulpix not at his side?

A gasp made him jump, Lucario resting a paw on his heart once he saw where it came from. Never mind, Vulpix was here now.

And she was just as bewildered, eyes darting at her new surroundings before falling on him. "Y-you wer- you were g-gone for—" she blurted before steadying herself, lying down on the ground. "W-where are we?"

"Where." Lucario paid no mind to Vulpix repeating the word in Vulpix-speak, still watching Weavile. Apparently he had disappeared for Vulpix too, just as she did for him when he entered this place. Then she followed, and here she was with him. Maybe they got teleported somewhere without realizing, or was this another kind of anomaly?

Vulpix cringed once she finally noticed Weavile, yet kept herself from stepping back. Lucario could've sworn the thief had been smirking at them this entire time. "What, too shocked to finish the job?" he yelled out, arms spread out.

Lucario's growl only made him laugh. "Stupid aura-sensing Lucario and their unholy love for so-called justice. You didn't expect to walk into a Mystery Dungeon in the middle of nowhere, huh?"

Mystery Dungeon. Lucario's fur bristled — wait, this was one of the labyrinths Kecleon mentioned? And he just walked into it?

"Shame you don't have any items to help you get out," said Weavile, shifting his claw and letting Lucario see he was holding an orb. "That's what you get for making me lose that sweet Gracidea Flower. Consider this a warning to stay out of my way next time, will you?"

Before Lucario could do anything, Weavile's orb shattered, converting into a light that engulfed the thief. In a moment the light shot into the sky like a bolt of brilliant lightning, and the thief was gone, leaving behind a thunderous cackle.

Vulpix turned to the jackal, mimicking the frown he wore. This could be a problem.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 4 — Into The Woods

This was a problem.

Eira the Vulpix chewed on her lip as a frustrated Lucario threw a metal-covered claw at the dense thickets sidelining the pathways. Strangely enough, not even a scratch appeared on the bark, nor did a leaf shake. It was like some undamageable barrier.

They had both tried wiggling through the gaps, but there was never enough space to get through — the trees seemed to lean in the way anytime they tried. The bark was slippery like a wet rock too, preventing any climbing. Except for that one dim, sinister path that led to the glade where Weavile disappeared using a strange orb, there was nowhere else they could go.

They had to delve into this terrifying… Mystery Dungeon. Or a Misery Dungeon? Her inner translator didn't quite get the phrase Lucario kept muttering, but the former seemed more likely. What kind of place was a dungeon anyway? It felt like she was stuck in some kind of unsettling mirror world.

Lucario gave up his futile attempts to attack the tree barrier, noticing her perturbed expression. Without warning a feeling of courage and peace blossomed within Vulpix's heart, the vixen taking a moment to absorb the foreign, fuzzy feelings.

"Lu?" asked Lucario.

Vulpix relaxed as she looked up at him. "Sorry?" she said, unsure what he just said.

Lucario repeated himself — oh, that was the Pokemon term for 'better.' Pokemon speech was weird! One could say the same syllables in his or her species name, yet the slightest nuances in pitch, length, and emotion made for drastically different meanings. Yes, he was asking if she felt better.

"Yes, b-better," she replied, using the newfound word. Lucario nodded, eyeing the path to the glade.

He walked that way. So did Vulpix, for neither saw any other option, going deeper into this so-called Mystery Dungeon. Whatever was happening, her guardian would keep her safe, wouldn't he? He hadn't let her down so far.

Though sunlight continued to light up the forest, Vulpix couldn't help but notice the glow wasn't quite the same. The sun itself had an orange tint instead of the usual glaring white, yet the sky was as blue as ever. Not a root overstepped the boundaries of the pathway either, the trees arranged in a clear-cut line. Even the air felt unnatural, an eerie wind ruffling her curly hair.

It took some effort to keep her face straight when they reached the glade. Not much of anything was here, just the silent grass and watching trees, but three other pathways intersected with this area. "It's like a maze," she noted, realizing the purpose of the tree barriers.

A Mystery Dungeon was a labyrinth. Weavile had tricked Lucario into entering a mirror world labyrinth of the forest they'd been wandering in, and to get out, they needed to find an exit route.

Lucario nodded at her words, glancing at the different pathways. Vulpix took a moment to withdraw into herself, needing a moment to process the craziness—

Something alien was swimming in her mind and soul.

Terror overran Vulpix, before reducing to mere bewilderment. Within her head and surrounding her spirit drifted a red-purplish fog, a chaotic haze that shared its space with her otherworldly knowledge of Levels and moves and the like. A cautious prod made her reel as its magic prodded back, forming into a list of strange sigils arranged in a sentence. Those sigils then rewrote themselves into Unown-script — not the standard, ancient script found in Johtonian and Sinnohan ruins, but a simple version that lacked the eyes, making it look similar to everyday written Alph.

Sapling Woods, B1F. What? Was that the dungeon doing this to her?

Lucario gave her a questioning look before blanking out. A terse, startled grunt left his maw as he rubbed the spike on his chest, and soon after his eyes glowed up with aura.

"You see it too?" Vulpix asked.

Lucario stared at her for a long time, perhaps to compare the haze in his spirit with her own, before giving a decisive nod. His glowing eyes darted toward something.

It scared Vulpix to no end when the jackal lost his composure, jaw hanging as a few tense words dropped from his mouth. What? Was something behind them? Please, no, she whimpered as she slowly turned around, her forehead throbbing. Not like this, not like—

A Caterpie.

That was it. It was a Caterpie, mindlessly crawling from one of the pathways toward them. Lucario was afraid of a green caterpillar Pokemon?

Vulpix almost threw Lucario a baffled look when the Caterpie locked eyes with her. One second later and she found herself rolling to the ground, a String Shot sailing past. Right after the Caterpie went low to the ground before leaping at her, and with a gasp she braced for its Tackle.

Lucario's Aura Sphere came first, imploding against the aggressive Pokemon. Caterpie fell limp to the floor, and Vulpix too lost her composure as the Pokemon flickered into nonexistence, her forehead pounding.

No, that wasn't her seeing things. It was literally fading away, wisps of neon red-purplish colors rising out of the body. The same color as the invasive fog touching her soul.

She didn't have time to comprehend this as something whacked her to the side. There, in the corner, a Pokemon with a yellow bulb-shaped head and a brown twig-like body had appeared out of nowhere, a Bellsprout with a long vine snaking out of one of its arms. It took her a lot of effort not to yell out as the Vine Whip came at her again, the attack slapping the grass beside her with a muffled snap.

Another one of Lucario's Aura Spheres and it was downed too, transforming into dying wisps. A shudder went through her guardian as the wisps ascended, fading away just like the body. "T-they're not real," Vulpix said, her forehead burning. "W-why aren't they r-real?"

Lucario's expression had become unreadable, the light of aura gone from his eyes. "Luri," he muttered.

Vulpix repeated the phrase over and over to herself before her inner translator kicked in. No aura. That was what he said — no aura.

They didn't have a living aura.

No aura, and they had the same color scheme as the words forced into her head, presumably by the dungeon. A dungeon called Sapling Woods, she realized, her forehead raging. A dungeon that traps people inside its mirror world, forces them to go through a horrible maze, and attacks them with illusionary Pokemon.

Did Weavile tell Lucario this was a Mystery Dungeon? Did the Kecleon tell him something? Worse thoughts began to run through her mind as Vulpix panicked. B1F, that's like a floor number for a building — there's multiple layers to this place? And what if—

No, it couldn't be. "Are there more Mystery Dungeons out there?" she asked Lucario, dreading the answer.

A slow, pained yes came out of his lips, and Vulpix felt her worldview tilt, her forehead screaming. The idea of it all! Here she was, stuck in an anomaly called a Mystery Dungeon, forced to find an escape route while contending with soulless, phantom Pokemon used by the dungeon to keep her from leaving, and there were multiple of these dungeons around in this unknown region.

A region where no humans lived, only Pokemon with their own special society, and she was disguised as one for her own safety. What kind of horror world was this?

"I-I don't understand," she whimpered, her forehead in too much pain. A headache ravaged her mind — was it just her, or was this weird pink glow lighting up her face? — and she needed to set it aside. She begged for relief, for the stress within to not explode her head off.

She tried to shove the madness away, her face scrunching up as the pink glow intensified. Lucario yelled something, but it came a little late as something released within Vulpix's mind, ejecting the headache.

Literally. A ripple of pink waves expanded out of her head, imploding against a tree trunk. Vulpix and Lucario gawked at the resounding bang it produced, echoing throughout the dungeon forest, before glancing at one another.

The next moment emotions of relaxation drowned her mind, Lucario's powers slamming her into a state of impossible calm. "T-thank you — I needed that," she mumbled, before feeling her spirit and stumbling upon a new move. Extrasensory? She gained a Psychic move from stressing out?

She tried calling upon the move, but for some reason it eluded her, refusing to show how to use it. There was this weird tingle, but nothing more. Maybe because she didn't understand the move's psychic's nature or something?

She asked Lucario, and he took a moment to think about it before putting up a paw, as if to ask him another time. Might be too complicated an answer for me to pick up on, translator or no translator, Vulpix surmised, shelving the problem. She'd work out this strange new move another time.

Preferably after they found the exit to this disturbing mirror world.

Lucario began moving again, choosing one of the pathways at random, and Vulpix followed. What came next was a series of crisscrossing paths and clearings in the mirror world forest, laid out in such confusing, twisty patterns that it left her mind spinning. It was like traveling through an erratic corn maze, but there were trees everywhere instead of corn, and you couldn't cut through them like an irresponsible child who refused to read the signs.

More phantom Pokemon got in the way, and Lucario had no mercy taking them out, turning them back into wispy essence. The encounters weren't too frequent, but they wouldn't stop coming. The good news? They weren't that dangerous as she had thought — once a Bellsprout managed to whip her with its vines, and a Caterpie had bit her another time, but the pain was bearable. Weavile had done much worse with a single scratch, never mind Ariados.

Things got weirder when she spotted a spiky red-yellow seed poking out of a patch of dirt. Lucario made a bemused noise when she showed him, the jackal pulling it out with care. Where she was wary, however, Lucario treated it like it was an interesting bug he just caught.

He wouldn't eat that, would he? It looked terribly sharp, and bad for digestion.

Lucario did not do that, of course, instead turning to a Pidgey that was flying toward them. One well-aimed toss later and the seed flew toward the brownish bird.

The seed blew up. No, actually, the seed burst open in a conflagration of flames, destroying the poor phantom Pokemon and making Vulpix scramble back. Her eyes fell upon a rigid, gaping Lucario.

Her guardian huffed, rolled his eyes, and left.

The weirdness didn't end there — not long after they chanced upon a clearing with a staircase digging into the ground, descending into total darkness. Gray bricks surrounded the top of it and adorned its inner walls, making for an odd structure in the middle of nowhere. "The exit?" Vulpix mouthed, and Lucario gave her a shrug.

Only one way to find out. With a deep breath she stepped in, her guardian raising a brow at her bold move before joining her. It was weird, walking down these stairs as a quad-legged creature. It gave this sense of vertigo that twisted her sense of direction, as if she wasn't just walking, but also falling to the bottom.

Worry struck her as a grating noise rumbled, a sliding stone sealing up the entrance. Lucario spun around, but it was too late to back out. In a matter of seconds the pair were left standing still on the steps, drenched in pitch-blackness and waiting for the dungeon to do its worst.

Instead, it showed mercy — a stone door raised itself up at the bottom of the stairs, bringing in newfound light. Vulpix sighed, coming down to see what came next. Maybe there was a cavern down here, or an underground chamber to explore—

Her head shattered as she exited the stair passage. The forest, again? And that up there was the sky, no way! They just went into the earth! It was like they never left!

Nothing made sense. Vulpix gaped at the trees, brushed her paws against the grass blades beneath her, and took in the ever-so-perturbed noise Lucario made as he came beside her. Turning around, it didn't even faze her that somehow the stairway passage they came out of had vanished into thin air. They were in the forest, again!

I don't even know anymore, she thought, massaging her headache before it turned into another Extrasensory.

If it was any small comfort, the text within the red-purplish fog in her mind had changed: Sapling Woods, B2F. The stairs are the way out then, she thought. That's how you progress through a dungeon and eventually leave it.

It would've been nice if they had that weird magic orb Weavile used to escape the dungeon early, but at least they were getting somewhere. Feeling a little more sure of her situation, Vulpix gave the familiar thickets a once-over before trailing behind Lucario.

Ironically, exploring this place felt relaxing. Walking was like therapy for Eira the Vulpix, and she liked traveling and seeing new places anyway. This wasn't quite the same, but there was something magical about going through the Mystery Dungeon, and the oddness it beheld.

The Pokemon phantoms were the only truly scary part. Not that she had anything to fear, since Lucario could defeat them with a single Aura Sphere or—

In front of her, Lucario gasped before seizing up, Vulpix leaping back as he fell limp to the ground. Yellow spores coated his torso, and in front of him lay a giant, bulbous, yellow plant with giant lips and green leaf-hands, victorious. A Weepinbell — the evolution of Bellsprout.

It didn't gloat. It didn't smile. It just turned its derpy face upon Vulpix. Vulpix turned to Lucario, the jackal twitching from Stun Spore's paralysis.

Oh.

The Weepingbell retched and spat out poison.

OH NO NO NO—

Vulpix tumbled to the side, yelling out as Acid burnt a part of her tail. She immediately wiped it against the ground, putting as much distance as possible from the Weepinbell. Something to note: four legs meant sidestepping wasn't a thing, she had to turn first.

Another thing: they were fighting in a corridor, and it was cramped. Vulpix could only dodge to the side so many times, evading Acid like her life depended on it. Did it? Would illusory Pokemon kill her? Lucario was down, she couldn't fight back, she was so weak and frail—

Eira! snapped her voice of reason. You're a Pokemon!

Eira the Vulpix shook her head, before groaning to herself. She had moves, she could defend herself! But I can't fight that thing, she thought, I-I've never fought before—

Vulpix jerked back as whitish Spores scattered themselves in front of her, then cried out as a beak Pecked her, feathers blinding her for a moment as a Pidgey swooped past and joined the fight. Do something! said her voice of reason, and the girl committed, afraid of more Pokemon phantoms appearing to help Weepinbell.

With a deep breath she tapped on the icy energies of her move, then let her maw open wide. Powder Snow responded, a gust of cold wind carrying snowy pellets forward in a cone shape. Pidgey warbled in pain as bits of snow struck it, leaving frost behind on its brown wings. She turned to Weepinbell right after, firing a second volley that made it screech.

Both turned upon her, enraged. The Pidgey flapped with fury, sending a Gust her way that knocked her off her feet. Her tails swished to and fro as she tried to pull herself together, aware that Weepinbell's spores or Acid might come crashing on her any second—

A confused chirp and gurgling noise caught her ears as Vulpix got up, finding Pidgey and Weepinbell distracted as they followed the movements of her tails. Tail Whip works? she thought, amazed to find the move being useful after all.

Best not to waste the moment. She leapt at Weepinbell and sprayed him in Powder Snow, frostbite marks making Weepinbell shudder. From the corner of her eye, Pidgey broke out of its stupor and dive-bombed her again, but Vulpix steadied herself for the strike.

Its shape blurred forward, but before Pidgey could strike she spun around, tails swishing forward with that odd energy that came anytime she used a move. It was a simple attack, but the feeling of impact against feathers and hollow bones wasn't something she'd forget for a long time.

The improvised Tail Whip finished the Pidgey, sending it head over tail before dissolving into those red-purplish wisps. A breathless Vulpix watched them float away like a fleeting dream, before Weepinbell's cries woke her up.

Too slow. Leaves grappled her face, and Vulpix choked out as Weepinbell squeezed her hard. She turned, spat Powder Snow into its giant mouth, and yanked herself out of its Wrap.

The Weepinbell gagged and gave out, falling to its side. It tried spitting at her one more time, before the hard strike of a flying aura bone made it explode into wisps.

Vulpix panted like she'd sprinted a marathon, a paw over her beating heart. Lucario was finally up, throwing arm still outstretched and his eyes appraising her with great respect. "Oh my goodness," she said, staring at the dissolving puddles of Acid amidst the grass.

Lucario tsked at the wispy remains of the Weepinbell, before doing a slow clap. "Lurio."

Vulpix needed a repeat of what he said before it soaked into her head. "You did it?" she whispered, before changing the wording. "I-I did it. I actually did it, didn't I? I mean, you finished it—"

But both knew it'd been mostly her. Vulpix collapsed, feeling a powerful warmth in her heart that drove out the cold, sinister vibes of this forested dungeon. Maybe the Pokemon phantoms weren't so bad either. She wasn't helpless after all.

But still, never again. That had been rough.

Checking her spirit, Vulpix grew astonished when she felt a widening in the fountain of her lifeforce, more energy gushing out than before. "Level 4," she muttered. That was quite a jump. Fighting and using her abilities did apparently increase it, but what it exactly meant, she still didn't know.

Maybe Lucario could give a hint? "Do you know what's with Levels?" she asked.

The smirk he wore implied that he did, but it was hard to explain, just like her Extrasensory. Vulpix wondered how much quicker the fight would've been if she used that move — it did seem rather powerful — before throwing the errant thought aside.

She had no control over that move. But like her newfound language, she'd surely figure it out with time. And Levels too. Everything, really.

Again her guardian set off toward a path. This time Vulpix made a point of practicing her moves on the Pokemon husks, mowing down Bellsprout and Pidgey with newfound confidence and a hint of amazement at herself. Fighting wasn't her thing, but why should she be afraid of a couple of phantoms? These were the least of her troubles.

She preferred them over Ariados, hands down. Or paws down.

Darkness, then light. Lucario stood within a stairway passage, watching an exit open up at the bottom and feeling the strange reddish-purple fog within him shift, bizarre sigils changing into readable human-like text. Sapling Woods, B3F, he noted.

He exited the stairway passage, then looked over his shoulder to find it gone, Eira the Vulpix emerging from literal nothingness. All around them was more forest and greenery illuminated by a false sun, despite the fact that they obviously just went down a 'floor'. "Weird," Lucario said, his voice dry. "Everything about this is weird. Really weird."

"W-weird?" said Vulpix, managing to pick up the word. "Um, yeah. Weird."

Lucario shook his head. Between the strange mazy layouts and the way the stairs worked, not to mention the vicious not-Pokemon, it was clear dungeons loved to trample on the laws of spacetime until they were finely crushed grains, then sell those grains to the marketplace.

At least it wasn't as dangerous as he feared it'd be. Might be a stroke of luck, Weavile leading me into a dungeon with low-Level Pokemon even Vulpix can fight, he thought, scoffing at himself. Although the Weepinbell's a slight concern. Never getting caught off-guard by those again.

A part of him still fumed that the thief evaded capture by taking advantage of a freak anomaly that just so happened to be in the middle of the woods, but it was what it was. His desire for justice would have to go unfulfilled on that matter.

Seeing Vulpix progress with her vocabulary was enough to offset his annoyance with Weavile anyway. "There," she said in the Pokemon language, pointing at a green bulb-like plant Pokemon whose head was shaped like an onion, three leaves sprouting out. A Petilil.

It hadn't seen them, wandering in the opposite direction. Lucario took a moment to bring up his aurasense, squinting at the lack of aura the false Pokemon had. To be fair, it did have a spark of aura — all things did — but not the concentrated aura that a truly living thing would have. Even an artificial Pokemon had a proper aura, complete with emotions and thoughts to discern, but not these things.

There was, however, something else that Lucario sensed, a strange energy that perhaps fueled the phantom. The red-purplish wisps? The dungeon Pokemon did appear to be made out of them. Was there some special aura linked to those wisps?

He readied an Aura Sphere, intending to see for himself when a peculiar sight caught his eye: a living, gray blob of aura, far up ahead and bouncing around. The zigzagged path Petilil was taking appeared to be headed in a similar direction.

Another Pokemon's in this dungeon with us. Lucario let the Aura Sphere fly and take out the Petilil, finding the wisps that emerged did feel similar to the energy he sensed. Something told him the energy was tethered to something else, but he couldn't tell what.

But that wasn't so important right now. Another Pokemon's in this dungeon with us.

Asking Vulpix to come, he went down the path and after the gray aura, trying to make out what this Pokemon was. Shaped like a fish, it impressively stood on its underside, flopping and leaping like mad but never toppling. A Goldeen, on land? But the shape was different, closer to that of a Magikarp or a—

The fish slammed into something, sending a Caterpie around a bend and into the twisted path he and Vulpix were in. It soared into the nearest tree, flopped over, and broke apart into red-purplish wisps. "That's another," a feminine voice said.

Lucario peered past the bend in the pathway and scowled at a clearing chock full of phantom Pokemon.

Caterpie and Petilil crawled about, Bellsprout flicked their vines, and Pidgey flew in circles. A sole Weepinbell was present too, the legless bell-shaped Pokemon making Lucario clench up his fist. Its Level was demonstrably higher, its attacks more lively and stronger-looking than that of its brethren.

In the middle of it was a blue-finned fish with a light brown body covered in dark hideous markings, fighting against the swarm with well-executed leaps. Twisting to the side, she escaped a Caterpie's String Shot and went under a Vine Whip, slamming her weight on a Petilil unfortunate to be underneath her. She sprung off the dizzy foe, stomping on the Weepinbell before slipping away from the Acid it spat out. How she kept landing on her underside, being a fish out of water, he had no idea.

A Feebas, he thought with awe. The scrappiest Feebas I've ever seen.

The Feebas spotted him, slapping a Caterpie away with her tail and headbutting a Bellsprout. "Oh, hey," she said in a relaxed manner, dodging white spores from the Weepinbell and spinning away from the breeze of a Gust attack. "You mind giving me a hand? I've been stuck here for the better part of last night and I'd rather not get knocked down again."

Lucario and Vulpix looked at each other. The same ready expression appeared on each others' faces.

A barrage of Aura Spheres and Powder Snows followed, pelting the phantom Pokemon and reducing their numbers. Feebas steered clear of the friendly fire, leaping toward any stragglers to finish them off. Weepinbell lasted the longest and tried to fight back, but Lucario and Vulpix refused to give it any quarter.

It wasn't long until it was covered in markings and ice flakes. Feebas rammed it for good measure before removing two remaining Caterpie from the field. They all faded away and joined the haze of wisps drifting in the air, a display of the number of phantoms defeated.

Where more than a dozen Pokemon had appeared, none remained. "That was a lot of them," Lucario noted, folding his arms.

"They do that sometimes," said Feebas, hopping over. "Think it's one of the features of the Sapling Woods dungeon — the Pokespawn like to swarm together every once in a while. Not a true Monster House, but similar."

A Monster House? That sounded like a wretched trap. And the dungeon Pokemon were called Pokespawn?

"Anyway, thanks for the help, it would've taken me way longer to get rid of all those guys on my own." Feebas arched an eye. "You entered the Mystery Dungeon by accident, didn't you? You two don't look like an explorer team. How much do you know about them?"

"Well, uh—" Lucario's eyes involuntarily turned to Vulpix, who slinked behind him. "Not much. Kind of a first for us."

"Well, same here. Vulpix's a shy one, huh?" Feebas gave her a little wave with her fin. "I guess most people have to end up in a Mystery Dungeon at some time in their lives. Pocket-dimensions that force you to go through floors of ever-shifting mazes, with stairs connecting the floors? Pokemon constructs and traps whose purpose is to keep you from escaping, and various items lying around to help you fight back? Rings a bell, doesn't it?"

Sounded right to him. I suppose it makes sense that dungeons can rearrange their labyrinthine floors, he thought, shaking his head. "And there's also that mist I believe the dungeon puts in your spirit, along with the dungeon name and floor."

Feebas nodded. "Yep, that's the basics. Shall we get out of here then? Believe it or not, I've been stuck here for a long while, but the Pokespawn won't be much of a nuisance between the three of us."

Lucario turned to Vulpix with a smile, and she smiled back in understanding.

The action alone was an answer in and of itself. "Cool," said Feebas. "I'm told Sapling Woods has four floors, and since this is the third, we should be out in a jiffy."

That was a relief. Lucario conveyed this to Vulpix using his fingers, the vixen nodding at this. Her eyes narrowed as they fell on the fish Pokemon, bouncing down the nearest pathway without looking back.

"She—?" said the kid, before whispering. "Fish Pokemon can breathe on land?"

Lucario snickered to himself. Lanturn had taught him that — moisture was all that most marine Pokemon needed for traveling on land. It'd be a fun topic to explain.

Onward they went, wandering down curved pathways, doubling back on dead-ends and exploring more clearings. Pokespawn, if that was what they were called, would pop out from all sorts of places to ambush them. All of them were stopped within seconds.

His eye kept drifting to Eira the Vulpix, her jaw clenched as she kept watch for further attacks. Extrasensory, a thought ran across his mind. A painful Psychic move she learned from mental pressure, one she normally wouldn't come across at her current stage.

It shouldn't be surprising she stumbled upon the Vulpix species's latent psychic powers in this way — the poor kid had been going on an adventure and a half. He was no psychic himself, but maybe he could help her work out the kinks once they left the dungeon.

"So is there any way to tell where the stairs are?" he asked Feebas. "Cause it seems like we're just moving in circles."

"Yeah, that patch of land there does seem familiar." Feebas turned to a side path, narrow and with gloomy, twisted shade. "And no, you can't tell. Unless you've got some power to see the surrounding land or something, the best you can do is keep searching and remember where you've been."

Lucario took out his disappointment on a Petilil, blasting it away with Aura Sphere. "Makes one wonder why these dungeons should exist if they're this cruel."

"Oh, they're not all that bad," Feebas stated, cracking a smile. "Most dungeons have marked boundaries, so you won't just wander in by accident. They're good for training your battle skills, and they can produce lots of neat items. See that right there?"

Up ahead was a brownish orb lying in the grass, an image of an outstretched claw suspended within. It was small enough to fit in his palm, but Lucario didn't quite pick it up — the moment his fingers touched it, a pulse went through his mind and deep into his spirit. What?

Information coursed into him. "A 'Mug Orb?'" he said, sensing a spiritual trigger to activate it. He retracted his paw, and the trigger vanished. When Vulpix showed confusion at his antics, he bade her touch the orb herself, and startlement etched across her face as its power invaded her mind too.

"Yeah, a Mug Orb," Feebas commented. "Think those ones can be used to snatch belongings off someone else, like using the move Thief or Covet."

The orb already told him as much. Okay, not letting anyone use that on Vulpix, he told himself. "Vulpix and I found this explosive seed too, back on the first floor."

"Red-yellowish and spiky?" Feebas took in Lucario's nod with a thoughtful face. "Should be a Blast Seed then, those things are combustible. There's all sorts of seeds, orbs, and other magical goodies dungeons can conjure. Some dungeons can produce far more special items, like treasures, power-granting objects you can wear, and even evolutionary stones. Some people make a profit through them, like the infamous Kecleon merchants."

Well, didn't that tip over Lucario's opinions on dungeons — it was likely worth the risk if he could use them for a living. "Still seems dangerous though," he remarked. "I don't think I'd want my life on the line, even for a good payday."

Feebas shook her head. "You really don't know much about Mystery Dungeons, huh? They don't kill anyone, just beat you up unconscious before evicting you. Sure, they steal some of your belongings and scatter them across the floors as punishment, and I'm told you'll feel like you got run over by a diseased Mamoswine for the next few days, which is why people would rather hang tight and get saved by explorer teams, but that sure beats dying."

That last part didn't quite reach Lucario's ear as his eyes fell on Vulpix's white wristband, complimenting the color of her fur. Oh.

Great.

Instead of death, the dungeon would politely snatch the transformation band off her paws.

"Like I said, you'd have to be badly hurt in a dungeon for that to happen," Feebas added, seeing Lucario's grim expression. "Like, so hurt that you can't recover, and with no one around to help. If you go down but manage to hold on, the Pokespawn will ignore you until you're able to fight again, and you won't lose anything. Vulpix won't lose her wristband."

Well, maybe it was worth it after all. So long as we're careful, Vulpix and I could both traverse Mystery Dungeons, he thought. A possible source of income, and a way for Vulpix to apply her moves on actual foes, making her a better fighter. We should find an explorer team to join, shouldn't we?

Not that bad of an idea. It was weird for him to say this, but dungeons were growing on him. "Should we take the Mug Orb?" he asked Feebas.

She slapped it away with a fin. "No point. It's not worth much, and Sapling Woods's Pokespawn aren't smart enough to carry items for us to steal."

It took some more searching, but after a while the group came upon the stairs, sitting in the center of a sunlit glade. Feebas hopped in, and Lucario and Vulpix went after, the entrance closing in their wake. Right after, light poured in from the bottom as the exit door moved out of the way, allowing the group to see—

Vulpix made an odd noise through her teeth. "Wait, this isn't a maze," said Lucario, scratching his head.

No trees stood guard in this place, only appearing at the edges of what looked like a giant field in the shape of a perfect square. Grass covered every inch of the expanse like a short layer of fur. As Lucario looked around, he caught sight of a low-lying structure made of worn bricks — the final flight of stairs, a good distance away from here.

But seriously, what was up with this area? "Is Sapling Woods supposed to look like this?" he asked Feebas. "Like one big, flat space? It's almost too easy to get to the stairs on this floor."

The brown fish was just as lost as him. "Not sure, this is my first time in a dungeon after all," came her answer. "Maybe another special feature of this Mystery Dungeon? This is supposed to be the last floor, so it could be something—"

Her words trailed off as clouds of red-purplish mist appeared at random all over the field, condensing into themselves. One of them shuddered before breaking into smoky particles that rose into the air, leaving in its wake a Caterpie. The Pokespawn instantly set its sights on them, crawling with enraged speed.

The other clouds acted the same way, leaving behind more unusually hostile Pokemon in their wake. "Ah," said Feebas, folding her lips. "I mentioned Monster Houses before, right? I think this is an unavoidable, one-floor Monster House."

Vulpix buckled as a few Weepinbell gave out ear-piercing shrieks, hopping toward them at full speed. "Huh," Lucario muttered, watching all the Pokespawn converge on their location. There had to be at least twenty-four of them.

Yeah, he wasn't dealing with all of these dungeon 'mons. "Feebas, Vulpix," he ordered, pointing to the stairs. "Now."

While Vulpix braced herself to run, Feebas was hesitant. "I mean, I'm not that quick, and we might do better if we just fight them—"

An Aura Sphere shot out of Lucario's palm and took down an incoming Pidgey. "Just go, I'll make a path," he said, moving into action.

More spheres charged up and fired away, imploding against the Pokespawn in a show of sizzling energy. The Pidgey being the fastest, they were first to be removed, followed by Caterpie and Petilil.

Much to his disgruntlement, one of the Weepinbell accelerated its pace, leaping in front of him to guard the stairs. It seemed to be readying a spore-like move, but not in the mood for status effects, Lucario blurred into the enemy with a Quick Attack. One moment later he was wrestling with the plant Pokemon, Acid spraying out of its mouth and harmlessly coating him.

"Poison," scoffed Lucario, a bone of aura conjuring in his grip. With it he bludgeoned the Weepinbell, whacking it until it fell limp. One less problem to deal with.

He immediately moved on to the next closest target, a Bellsprout out to avenge its illusionary sibling. It never got the chance, an Aura Sphere defeating it in the blink of an eye. A quick check on Vulpix and Feebas showed they were close behind, and the stairs weren't far—

The Weepinbell he thought he got rid of turned to its side and spat out a purple powder.

Vulpix had time to react and rolled out of the way, but Feebas wasn't as ready. Mid-leap, the powder still got her, sprinkling all over her scales and leaving her gagging. It was the first time Lucario ever saw Feebas flop to her side, looking mildly ill.

He rushed forward, placing his body in front of Weepinbell and absorbing the rest of the Poison Powder with his Steel-type immunity. Right after he grabbed the cruel creature by its giant lips, forcing them shut, and flung it into the nearest approaching Pokemon with all his might.

"You forget to make sure your foe's as good as downed for one moment, and this happens," he hissed to himself before dusting off the powder, turning to Feebas. Despite her discomfort at being around a stranger Pokemon, Vulpix was crouched beside the fish Pokemon, worried for her well-being.

Luckily, it seemed Feebas hadn't been hit with that much powder. "Can you manage?" he asked, firing a quick Aura Sphere at another Petilil.

Supporting herself with her fins, Feebas managed to stand on her underside again. "Just peachy," she replied with a calm smile, coughing once. "But we should hurry."

And they did so, Lucario firing Aura Spheres at the remaining Pokespawn while Vulpix sprayed them in Powder Snow. Two Weepinbell got dangerously close, and Feebas managed to slam the first one away even in her poisoned state. The other spat out a Stun Spore, but with one last burst of speed the group ran past the yellowy particles, diving into the stairs.

Never was Lucario so relieved to see that stone lid covering up the entrance, separating them from the Weepinbell. "There," he breathed. "Last floor conquered. We did it."

He caught a glimpse of Vulpix nodding before the darkness overtook them. "We did it," she quietly repeated.

Feebas murmured the words too before coughing again. That poison could be a problem in the long run — it certainly wouldn't kill her, but it could take a few hours to recover from.

"Oh yeah, about the poison," said Feebas as the way out opened up, and both Lucario and Vulpix were astounded to find her healthy again, with no sign that she'd been suffering before. The powder had disappeared like magic. "It's a weird but neat thing the dungeon does: anytime you go through the stairs, you get cured of any and all afflictions. That means burns, poisons, paralysis, confusion, even effects that hamper your strength, defense, or speed."

Well. That was nice to know.

Lucario stepped outside, rejoicing as he found himself back in the normal world again, the forest returning to its proper appearance. The trees were livelier-looking and not as bunched up, and a Metal Claw showed that he could peel the bark off them just fine. The air no longer felt as stale, and a proper sun hung over the foliage, bathing the place in natural warmth. Was it him, or had the sun risen a notable amount?

Guess we were in there for longer than I thought. Looking over his shoulder, Lucario found amusement in Vulpix dropping her face into the grass, frosting it with a weary exhale.

"Yeah, it's good to be out of there, thanks again." Feebas propped herself against a tree, shooting Vulpix an understanding look. "Dungeons can be a little scary when stuff gets out of hand. You guys okay?"

Understanding the last sentence, Vulpix peeked out from the ice-coated grass and gave a terse nod, going back to hiding behind a further amused Lucario. "Thank you too, you weren't that bad," he said.

Feebas shook her head. "I didn't do much to help, you two had it covered."

"Maybe, but you did help me understand dungeons some more." Lucario took a moment to sit down, taking in the natural scenery again. A quick check on his spirit showed the red-purplish mist was gone, a final confirmation that they had left Sapling Woods.

Dungeons could be dangerous, that was for sure, and not to be underestimated. They were a challenge of endurance, and the slightest slip-up might lead to some nasty consequences. He and Vulpix would need to keep their wits about if they were to explore those weird places.

Because the way he saw it, they definitely were going to enter more of them in the future, by accident or on purpose.

"We should get going, I guess," he said, looking around. "Sheesh, how's anyone supposed to tell where Sapling Woods begins? It would be plain awful if we were to escape that place, only to wander back in."

"They really should send explorers to mark it." Feebas waved her fin at a spot where the woods seemed shaded for some unknown reason. "But that looks like the area where you'd get sucked into the Mystery Dungeon. I should know, I kind of came here searching for it."

Lucario batted an eye. A Feebas, intentionally walking into a dungeon with Grass-types. "What," he flatly said.

Feebas began to rub her fins together. "Um, yeah, I meant to go inside. I was always fond of trying my fin at dungeon exploration, but I haven't really entered any before. I came here around the time that a freak storm whipped up, wanting to get some first-hand experience—"

Okay, this sounded stupid to him. "I know you said you were in there for the better part of the night, but for that long?" he barked. "No, hold that thought, you dared yourself to enter a dungeon without being sure if you could make it out?"

Maybe Feebas wasn't the fastest at bouncing around on land, but boy, could she rub those fins like nobody's business. "I mean, I know my kind aren't that strong, but that's never been an issue for me. I was certain I could take on whatever the dungeon threw at me by myself, and for a while, I did—"

"Until a swarm got you?" a voice butted in.

Vulpix jumped behind Lucario, whose head whirled around to find a familiar Gabite leaning against a tree. A bag was slung over the dragon-shark's shoulder. In his one-fingered claw, he tossed an odd-looking metal object that looked like some kind of emblem, showing impressive dexterity for someone who didn't exactly have hands.

Togetic hovered nearby with a sad smile, though Lucario thought he saw a trace of amusement in the angelic's face. Shaymin was there too in her flying reindeer form, smugly watching from atop a branch.

Feebas locked eyes with the emblem Gabite was playing with before noticing the reindeer, her brows creasing. "A Mythical?" she said with uncertainty.

Shaymin's expression fractured. "Of course that's the first thing she's gotta point out," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, my bad, I didn't mean—"

"Nah, you're good. Still a better response than those Pokemon who start squealing and poking their limbs into me or whatever." Shaymin gave a wink to Lucario, making Feebas blink at the familiarity between them.

"She attempted to run me over like a diseased Mamoswine," he muttered, giving Gabite a questioning look.

Gabite stepped forward, beckoning Feebas over. The fish Pokemon did so, and Gabite brought up the emblem he held. In a way, it kind of reminded Lucario of a Pokeball, but with a red bulge instead of a button at the center and wings sprouting out of it. A bunch of other buttons adorned the object.

The bulge glowed, and a yellow outline enveloped Feebas for a moment. Gabite gave a nod before speaking.

"As I was saying, a swarm of Pokemon got you," he told Feebas. "Those usually are what trip up anyone who enters the Sapling Woods dungeon, alongside Weepinbell when they start abusing their status-inflicting moves. They left you on the verge of falling unconscious, didn't they?"

"Yeah, it took a while to recover. I was careful never to take a hit after that, but all those Pokespawn made finding the stairs hard." Feebas's face turned a tad apologetic. "There was a request from Hattrem?"

"That was our client, all right." A smirk crossed Gabite's face. "A close friend, I take it?"

Feebas nodded. "She must have deduced what happened. I'll have some apologizing to do when I get back to Lakehome Town."

Gabite eyed Togetic for a moment. "Well," the angelic Pokemon spoke up, "it's good you're no longer stuck inside. If you really want to explore dungeons, you should do so with utmost caution, or you'll find yourself falling unconscious at each and every turn. Bring a partner next time, okay?"

"What she said," said Gabite. "Take it from me, going solo is a rookie mistake. Either you end up stuck in a Mystery Dungeon, waiting for someone to help you out, or you get evicted with a nasty bout of Dungeon Plague." A shudder went through his spine, as if reliving bad memories.

Feebas nodded in understanding. "The explorer emblem should have registered that you're safe and outside the dungeon," said Togetic, "so you're free to go. Should we return to the dirt trail?"

They did just that. Gabite and his party moved ahead, with Feebas hopping along and Lucario and Vulpix lagging behind. "They, help?" the kid whispered to him, pointing to the trio, then to the dungeon's general location, and finally to Feebas. Right, she didn't know they rescued people in dungeons for a living.

He responded with a yes, leaving her with an intrigued look. The way it sounded, Gabite's explorer team had a job to rescue Feebas from the Sapling Woods dungeon, but he and Vulpix accidentally beat them to it. All because of him chasing a Weavile.

Fate had a strange way of working.

Soon enough the group came upon the open road, a brown line stretching through the greenery of the forest. Feebas gave Lucario and Vulpix another word of thanks before going on her merry way, hopping into the distance.

Lucario brought his attention upon the explorer team once she left, the two parties staring for a long while. "So this is awkward," said Shaymin.

Gabite let out a snicker. "Not where I thought I'd meet you two again, but no matter," he said. "You doing our job for us, eh, Lucario? Whatever lured you into the Sapling Woods dungeon?"

Vulpix hung behind the jackal Pokemon as he gave the group a summary of what happened. "Weavile, huh," said Gabite, tapping his chin. "Smart thief, using the dungeon as an escape route in case of pursuers. I should have guessed he'd be around."

"They really need to put up a sign or something to mark where Sapling Woods is, it catches too many poor Pokemon by surprise," stated Togetic.

Shaymin and Gabite bobbed their heads in agreement. "But never mind that," Gabite went on. "I appreciate you and Vulpix finding Feebas and getting her out. We may be the ones who took the task of rescuing her, but since you're the ones who completed it, I believe this should be yours."

Putting away the explorer badge into his bag, he pulled out a handful of shiny coins with what looked like a Pokemon shaped like a 'P' on it. Lucario stared at them with raised brows, realizing this must be the archipelago's currency. Vulpix took notice too, her eyes blinking.

Without warning Gabite shoved the coins onto his palm, putting him off-guard as the weight settled in. There weren't that many, but the numbers engraved on each coin gave him the impression that this was a decent sum, enough for daily needs at the very least. There were large coins with '100' written on them, smaller ones with '50,' and some with '20' as well.

Was this for helping Feebas escape a dungeon? "I don't think I can take this," Lucario said, offering it back to Gabite.

"Please, it's only fair," Gabite refused. "Take it, if at least for the troubles you've dealt with."

"No, no, I don't even have anywhere to keep this on me—"

"I insist." What looked like puzzlement crossed Gabite's face. "Though now that you point that out, why the lack of traveling supplies? Not even a carrying bag? You're giving me the impression that you're in really dire circumstances."

Sweat formed on Lucario's brows as he struggled to come up with something to say. As if it was a reflex, his gaze shifted to Vulpix, who stepped back with her lips pressed together. "Yeah, I take it neither of you would like to answer that," Gabite concluded from their silence. "But really, are times that hard? You must be trying to get your lives back on track, readjust to your situation and all."

Togetic and Shaymin sent pitying looks as he said this. "You could put it that way," Lucario said after a while.

"Hmph." A thoughtful Gabite tapped his chin. "Well, I know two lost souls when I see one. Perhaps you could use a little assistance, something to get you back on your feet. What do you think, Togetic?"

"I'm sure we could assist in some way, it's what we do as an explorer team after all," replied Togetic.

"How about it then, Lucario?" Without caring to hear his answer, he waved him and Vulpix over. "Come over to my place. We might just be able to help you out."

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 5 — Call to Exploration

Atop a rocky hill, Lucario admired the view he got of the forest clearing Gabite brought him to. This was where he lived?

It was quite charming, that was for sure. Directly below him rested a dusty dirt field, a good spot for battling or for training one's moves, and cattails and tall grass swayed in a nearby pond. A path marked with pebbles went up the hill he now stood on, leading to a large cottage with a brick-covered exterior supported by dark wooden frames. Little windows adorned the building, and if he went to the back of the cottage, he'd end up at the hill's cliffside, a flower garden sitting underneath.

His eyes strayed to a beat-down trail beyond the dusty battlefield, rolling through trees and underbrush and back to the large pathway that cut through this entire forest. "You three own this place?" he asked, catching his breath.

Eira the Vulpix was looking around in awe too. "I own it," Gabite clarified, standing behind Lucario. "Togetic and Shaymin have their own wing to themselves in the cottage. The whole thing cost me a pretty Poke, but I couldn't pass up the free real estate. Berrypark Town's got some cozy homes, but the scenery here was just begging for someone to buy this place, you know?"

Lucario nodded, his fingers rubbing the fistful of coins in his palm. Poke must be the name of the currency in this archipelago. Unoriginal, but it worked.

Togetic and Shaymin floated near the cottage, right above a wooden door with a long, rod-like handle that even the latter could reach in her grounded hedgehog form. The door itself was quite tall and somewhat wide — so Pokemon of unusual proportions can get in and out if needed, he presumed. If a cottage in the middle of a quiet forest was built this way, that said plenty about how a Pokemon town could look like.

"So what's all this about lending a helping hand?" he spoke up, deciding to get to the point.

Togetic broke off from her conversation with Shaymin. "About that," the angelic said to Gabite. "What exactly do you have in mind? I don't think we'd want to make Lucario and Vulpix tarry here for longer than they must."

Gabite simply waved his digitless claw and approached the door to the cottage, his teammates moving to either side. With a bit of finagling he swung it open, ushering Lucario inside.

Greeting them was a cozy living room with a couple chairs to the side, a rug and a low table sitting in the middle. Hung on the walls were shelves topped with trinkets and plants, and a staircase at the back led to a second floor. Adjoining the room was what looked like a kitchen, complete with countertops, cabinets, a sink, and what must be an oven and a refrigerator.

Confusion made Lucario stare at the kitchen appliances. Haven Archipelago's Pokemon knew how to use electricity? And here he thought that was a luxury he would be missing. Or maybe there was something else that powered them?

It looked to be a mix of both, judging from the unlit lamps hanging on the walls. Instead of lightbulbs, strange yellow gemstones sat inside each lamp — Electric Gems. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but that could mean the oven and refrigerator used Fire and Ice Gems to operate. One weird thing about this place that I actually like a lot, he thought.

Two hallways hung on either side of the cottage. "One on the left leads to my room and the guest room, the one on the right is where the washroom and the ladies' sleeping quarters are," Gabite mentioned, his eyes gleaming. "You caught off-guard by the appliances and lamps, by the way? Seems to me you may have come from more wild origins, if you know what I mean."

Flashbacks to Lucario's days as a little Riolu in a tribal pack replayed in his head. Insightful, aren't you, Gabite? he thought, starting to become apprehensive of Team Heavendust's leader and his sharp, watchful gaze.

Gabite had him wait, going up to the second floor to put away his bag and to retrieve some things. Shaymin and Togetic turned to Vulpix in the meanwhile, trying to look friendly. Vulpix, of course, reacted to the attention by shrinking behind Lucario and staring at them like they would jump her at any moment.

Lucario heaved as the flying duo put on stricken faces — Vulpix keeping her distance around other Pokemon was smart and understandable, but still, she shouldn't act like everyone was Ariados or Weavile. "They're good Pokemon, you know," he told her.

In case she didn't get the simple sentence, he also threw her a message of aura — a soft, buttery touch, and a feeling of ease and security. Vulpix's ears flattened, realizing the impact of her action on Togetic and Shaymin, and she relaxed her posture. With a deep breath she stepped out of Lucario's shadow, giving both of them an apologetic nod.

And then she slinked back to her original spot. "I know," she whispered to Lucario.

The jackal smirked. "Hmph," he said aloud, seeing Togetic and Shaymin's mood had been lightened. "Told you she's shy."

"Yeah." Togetic managed a smile. "Shy."

Soon Gabite returned, bringing with him a bag not unlike the one he carried. In a deft motion he tossed it over, Lucario snatching it by the strap. The items inside weren't heavy, but seeing the sheer number made his arm sag. How did all of that fit in there?

"Just an extra Treasure Bag we had on us," Gabite stated. "It's got a weak enchantment that makes the space inside larger than on the outside. There's an assortment of berries and fruits, all safe to eat, and I put in a water canteen and a small sleeping bag too. Ah, and a Fire Gem tailored to start campfires."

The weight of the coins and the bag in Lucario's paws magically doubled, beginning to strain him. "This seems like overkill."

"Only once you notice the pouch on the side filled with dungeon seeds." Gabite laughed at how Lucario sputtered at the mention of even more items. "You probably can't tell the difference between them, but I can explain their uses if you want."

Great, he had magic seeds too. Seems like something all good explorers have, he remarked. Them, and petty criminals like Weavile.

These seeds had to be a great boon, whatever they all did, but Lucario couldn't bring himself to accept any of this. It was far too generous! He might be in a dire situation, but this much hospitality hurt him.

"Just take it, will you?" insisted Gabite. "Maybe you won't need the seeds, but traveling can be dangerous, and it's good to have something for an emergency. And while we're at it, can I give you a quick warning?" He leaned into Lucario's ear, voice flat. "Don't go wandering into dungeons alone if you can help it."

Giving up at last, Lucario deposited his newly-earned coins in a second pouch of the Treasure Bag. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said.

Gabite scoffed, Lucario wincing from the glare of his sharp eyes. "You would, I'm sure. You know how many Pokemon go to those places seeking to make a profit, or to train and challenge themselves like Feebas did? I'm sure the thought must've crossed your mind, but I don't care how strong you are. Unless you're prepared and have a companion who is not a kid like Vulpix — who hasn't even raised her Level past the single-digits, I'll bet — I suggest you avoid entering them."

Good grief, was Gabite always this intuitive? Lucario raised his paws in surrender, nodding without even thinking. Vulpix too couldn't help but nod, not needing to understand much in order to tell they had been given a command.

Only then did Gabite relax. "A little harsh?" Togetic told him, giving a sympathetic look to Vulpix. "It's demeaning to assume she's that low in Level, you know. A lot of Pokemon have Levels much higher than their actual battle strengths, and vice versa."

Shaymin chimed in too. "And even if she's lacking in both, she's got Lucario at his side. Me and Togetic did fight against him earlier, and sure, we would've destroyed him eventually, but even with our advantage he pushed us into a stalemate. What's your Level anyway, dude?"

His Level? Lucario felt his spirit, a pulse of iron strength touching back. "Level 52," he stated.

"So he's on par with you guys!" Shaymin said to her team members. "And better than a lot of other Pokemon these days. He can totally manage dungeons by himself."

Gabite rolled his eyes. "Just because he's a Level above me, it doesn't mean—"

"Pfft! And at what Level did you start going into dungeons, our esteemed team leader? Chances were you were still getting used to not being a Gible then."

"What do my experiences have to do with this? Levels don't mean much anyway."

"Meaning you could crush me in a fight?"

Gabite scowled and covered his eyes, putting a satisfied smirk on Shaymin's face. "Point is, Lucario will do just fine, and I wouldn't be surprised if he could train Vulpix to catch up with him. If an explorer team got them as recruits, they sure won't be disappointed."

A long, contemplative quiet descended on the whole group. Lucario's fingers curled around the Treasure Bag strap.

Mystery Dungeons. Recruits. Explorer team. Job.

Wait a minute.

His fingers spread out and bridged the width of his forehead as Shaymin too realized. "Hey!" she exclaimed, zipping in circles. "We should've thought of this earlier! We could totally recruit them, Gabite!"

In a moment she was a foot away from Lucario's snout, the jackal putting some space between them in response. "It's perfect! Team Heavendust could use recruits, and you guys are unemployed and homeless—"

"Shaymin," warned Togetic.

"Sorry, sorry, kinda spat whatever was on the tip of my tongue." She came behind Togetic, leaning on her with the widest grin she could manage. "But come on, you gotta agree with me here! Unless Lucario's got something already lined up—" she looked at him expectantly.

"N-no, don't really have much planned." Lucario kept blinking his eyes, processing the moment. He had been thinking about joining an explorer team anyway. Being invited to Team Heavendust? These guys seemed skilled at their job — this was a convenient opportunity.

But also a little problematic. His eyes darted to an expressionless Gabite.

Shaymin seemed oblivious to his conflicted expression, continuing to chatter away. "We'll finally have teammates who won't crumple into balls of paper against Ice-types! Better yet, we get a freaking Lucario on our team! Didn't you tell me just a while ago how awesome they are, Togetic?"

Togetic rubbed her face, shooting Lucario and a very confused Vulpix a bear-with-her look. "Please, Shaymin, there's no need to be pushy. I agree they would be a boon—"

"No," said Gabite.

Everyone gawked at Gabite, Vulpix observing their reaction to the simple word and scrambling to follow suit. Lucario didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed.

"Now I'm sure Lucario is inclined to the idea of being on an explorer team, and I'm sure he can ignore the fact that you did try to maul him earlier this morning." Gabite's pause left Togetic and Shaymin uncomfortable. "But even then, I fail to see the merit of having him join when Vulpix must come too."

And that summed up Lucario's main concern: Vulpix. He did like the idea of being on an explorer team, from what little he understood of it. The noble nature of his kind appealed to him to take up an offer like this, to be part of a team of Pokemon that worked to help out others from trouble like getting lost in Mystery Dungeons. However, it left him with a dilemma.

What were the chances Gabite would find something amiss with Vulpix?

In a place surrounded by freaking human-repellent towers, it's crazy to think he'd call her out as a human, he thought, but it's still possible. Joining this explorer team would give us a place to stay and all, but is it worth the risk? Come to think of it, would Vulpix even be okay with joining an explorer team and delving into dungeons?

"For as far as I'm concerned, she is no fighter," Gabite said, listing his own issues as he turned to Vulpix. "No offense to you, kid, but we're leagues above you, and the dungeons we'd go through would be too much for you to handle. Can you handle the danger of Mystery Dungeons, or of outlaws we might have to fight? Cause sometimes, we'll get a job to apprehend bad Pokemon, or even to restrain one of those Abhorrents."

Gabite practically hissed the last word. Blank as Vulpix's face was, Lucario could see her panicking on the inside, not getting why Gabite was directly speaking to her. Darn this cursed language barrier — it was such a nuisance!

"You're scaring her," Togetic said.

"Obviously, and that's my point. She isn't built for this kind of thing!" Gabite bit his lower lip. "Lucario alone, I could consider, but with Vulpix in tow? Nuh-uh, I am not going to bend over for her needs so she can waste who knows how many months of my time playing catch up. You know how much she'll hold us back?"

The way Gabite spoke down on the kid made Lucario bristle. "Vulpix can fight just fine," he said with full-hearted certainty. "And like Shaymin said, I can help her. She takes to it like a natural, and I'm certain I can make her a reliable ally, or at least not a thorn in anyone's side."

Togetic agreed, defending her too. "Besides, Gabite, you don't have to stop doing the higher-ranked missions. We can treat Vulpix as an escort, except we help her out with fighting the dungeon Pokemon and honing her abilities. As the assigned co-leader of the team, I see no problem in letting them join, so long as they don't either."

Gabite began to argue, but Shaymin's tart voice overrode his own. "Come on, it'll be worth it in the long run! If you're going to be this stuck-up about it, at least give them a few days so we can see how it works out for everyone!"

Taking in his team members' dissenting opinions and ideas, Gabite gave a long, defeated sigh. His eyes swept over Vulpix, whose own eyes were darting around as she tried to figure out why everyone appeared to be arguing about her. It wasn't long before her eyes swept over him in turn, their gazes locking.

Lucario raised a brow when, instead of shying away, she stood a little straighter and put on a steely expression. By sheer coincidence, she was making herself look like she was willing to take on whatever was thrown at her, or perhaps she figured out Gabite had been critical of her and felt like standing up against whatever rude comment he had said. The tremble in her tails was the only sign of her anxiety, unsure if this was the correct action to take.

Gabite looked away, a little wistful. "Great, now I feel like I'm dismissing her on a whim. I could spare a week or two with them and see if it works out, how about that?"

Shaymin cheered, yelling about new teammates as she flew laps around the room. Togetic, being more prim and proper, simply put on a beaming smile, thanking Gabite for being understanding.

Lucario, meanwhile, was having his doubts again. Am I really just going along with this? he wondered.

Everyone seemed to notice his hesitance, coming together and giving him a patient look. "Sorry, I really am laying this on you without thinking, am I?" Shaymin said with a chuckle. "How do you feel about it then? Go on, be honest, I won't take offense if you think you guys aren't cut out to work on an explorer team."

"A quick reminder, we do a lot of things, mostly related to dungeon activity, helping out Pokemon in need, and occasionally dealing with an outlaw or two," said Togetic. "We usually take up jobs and requests from Berrypark Town's local Explorer Board, where you can find all the tasks Pokemon have for us and other conveniences for us explorers. It might be a lot to take in at first, but we can guide you through it."

A grumble came from Lucario. "Yeah, yeah, just one moment. Vulpix?" When the kid perked up, he waved her out the front door, signaling the others to wait. They had to talk about this first. He needed to hear from her.

Eira the Vulpix gave him an odd look as they walked out of the cottage and to the side, where the trees bordered the building. Once certain they were out of earshot, she groaned out, whispering to him a single word. "Huh?"

A question that expressed how little she understood about what was happening.

It took multiple gestures and a few messages of aura before she managed to piece things together. "We're staying with them?" she asked, Lucario nodding. "They rescue Pokemon like Feebas from those Mystery Dungeons, don't they? Is that what we're doing with them?"

To this Lucario also nodded, albeit in an apologetic way. He should've asked her first if she was fine with this. Surely she'd squirm at the thought of being in those dungeons again, and with a group of strangers who'd turn on them in the unlikely event they learned she was human. The Gabite was especially troublesome, and besides, she needed more time to get used to being a Pokemon—

"Okay."

Lucario blinked as Vulpix gave a submissive shrug, not minding one bit. "Vulpix?" he said, his voice tender. "Are you sure?"

"Sure?" Vulpix tasted the word, before passively nodding. "Uh, yeah. Makes sense to me. A-are you're not sure?"

No, he wasn't. He was speaking with her for that very reason, to get her opinion and see if she approved, but she was just accepting this without question. Did she understand what she was agreeing to? "Kid, think about this—"

"We get more of those coins Gabite gave you for doing this, right? We need those, don't we?"

Intelligence swirled in Vulpix's eyes. Lucario held his tongue, slowly nodding.

"And they'll keep us safe in dungeons?"

Another nod. "But—"

"You're worried they'll find me out, aren't you?" Vulpix laid her eyes on the cottage. "I mean, so am I, but it shouldn't be that big an issue if I quickly learn the language and my moves. It's not like we know where else to go, and besides, Ariados wouldn't suspect us living here with Gabite and the others. And we don't have to stay with them forever, do we? It's not exactly what I'd want to do, b-but I can put on a brave face if you believe this is good for us — if it helps us get our bearings."

She took in a large breath. "Lucario, I'm lost. You know more about what's going on, and I'm going to trust you. Please, do what you think is right. Okay?"

A far more thorough answer than Lucario expected from her. Even then, his head was muddled up with doubts and confusion, tugging at his mind with their whispers. How did humans deal with all this messy decision making? Making choices wasn't his strong suit.

Bah, never mind the details. He was making this whole thing more complicated than it ought to be, but in the end, what mattered was that Vulpix — Eira — stayed safe. Is joining this explorer team worth the trouble? he asked himself.

He knew what his response was.

It took no more than a handful of seconds to re-enter the cottage, the others being in the same spot they were in when they left. "Vulpix and I are in," he said, palms pressed together. "But if this doesn't work out for either of us, we'll part ways, fair?"

"Fair enough for me." Gabite grinned, snatching the Treasure Bag Lucario held since he wouldn't need it. "We'll have to arrange for your stay then, work out pay. But for the time being, welcome to the team!"

Togetic and Shaymin threw in some respective cheer too, the jubilation so strong Lucario could feel it tingling the air, even with his aurasense on mute. He couldn't avoid a smile, one he shared with the Vulpix beside him.

Like dungeons, this was a gamble, but he just had to be careful. This could work in their favor, and if necessary, he had an excuse to leave the explorer team.

Gabite was swift to show them the guest room, where they'd be staying. A rug took up the center, and a window hung on one side with some potted plants on its sill. A lamp with an Electric Gem inserted within sat on a desk, equipped with a switch to turn it on and off. Two matted, wooly-looking beds lied flat on the ground with a pillow each, and curled up at the other side of the room was a round, cushioned bed.

For now, this would be their new home. For him and the transformed girl.

"Think I already mentioned that the other door in this hallway leads to my room," Gabite told them as they exited the room. "The washroom's the first door in the other hallway, by the way, don't go any further or you'll intrude upon the privacy of the ladies' quarters. Second floor is an attic I use as storage and as a makeshift library. Make yourself at home while you're here, okay?"

"You heard him!" Shaymin exclaimed, floating a distance away with Togetic. "Oh, this is gonna be awesome. You know how rare it is to find someone I can't defeat with brute force? Like I have to think about how I'm going to best you in a battle, and that's something."

The Mythical's praise left Lucario abashed. No way he was that good in battling, he just happened to have Detect and an Ability that guarded him from attempts to flinch him into submission. He was about to point this out when Gabite spoke up.

"She won't stop talking about you, huh?" He caressed his arm-fins, scratching them as if to smoothen their edges into razor-sharp blades. "I never really saw your fight before, but you do carry yourself like a warrior. Always ready for battle, always alert and watchful — I don't know if she's overestimating you, but her words sure are driving me crazy. Now I've got this itch that I can't help but ask you to scratch."

Lucario furrowed his eyes when Gabite approached him with an all-too-familiar look. The explorer team leader's eyes had a gleam to them, but not the sharp kind that he had whenever he was scrutinizing something. There was an unspoken challenge in those eyes, a will to show one's mettle against another. Pokemon Trainers gave each other that look all the time.

"You're challenging me to a duel," Lucario said with a dark grin.

Togetic and Shaymin looked between themselves, excitedly whispering. "I am," Gabite declared.

They all but locked heads, Lucario hardly shifting his gaze at Vulpix's gasp. Everyone, even her, knew where this was going. The flames of rivalry were ignited.

"Some say the universal language is that of the fist in the Pokemon world," Gabite said, intensifying his stare. "Or, for those Psychic-types who'll have a bone to pick with the word choice, fighting. Good clean violence. No one can ignore that kind of message."

"I suppose you have a point," said Lucario, "since everything you just said went in one ear and out the other."

Gabite cackled, walking past with his pupils still stuck on him. "Quit the trash-talk and get outside, jackal."

And outside they went. Gabite leapt off the hillside, reaching the dusted dirt field that'd serve as their sparring grounds. Lucario took one look at Vulpix and directed her to do the same, the false vixen hesitating at the thought of jumping down several feet before obeying. Muted shock ran across her face when she landed with grace on all fours, amusing Lucario as he slid down the steep slope.

Togetic and Shaymin flew over, of course, moving to the sidelines as Gabite edged toward the other end of the field. "Should I stay with them?" Vulpix whispered to Lucario.

He held back a chuckle, gesturing that she could stand wherever she liked. Vulpix scampered off, going to the same side as the two flying Pokemon but staying a distance away, and sat on the ground with her six tails sticking out. Her encouraging smile offered a strength that drove away any lingering soreness in his muscles.

Spacious boundaries we have here, he noted, examining the battlefield. Kind of muddy and damp from the rain yesterday, but there's some leftover dust. Stepping onto the field, it pleased him that the ground underneath his feet didn't melt into a goop of too-soft dirt. Traction wouldn't be an issue.

"Don't think we'll need a referee for this. Just one thing, try not to hit the cottage or the flower field," Gabite requested. "Ready? Let me warn you, Lucario, I will not hold my punches."

Good, he wanted him to go all out. After all the other scraps he'd gotten into since coming here, he could use a clean, friendly duel with no holds barred. A fight that he could actually enjoy for what it was.

Extending his arm, Lucario waved his hand toward him in a come-and-get-me gesture. Gabite nodded, the twosome staring each other down as they carefully approached. Togetic yelled a warning, he thought, but no part of his mind bothered to register it. Right now, it was just him and his opponent.

Gabite made his move first.

The fins on Gabite's arms glowed white, twin Slashes coming forward. As Lucario sidestepped both attacks, his thoughts went into overdrive, observing how to best deal with the dragon-shark. As expected, he was a physical attacker, good at tearing into his foes with his blades and claws, and he'd want to come as close and personal as possible.

That offense served as a good defense, too — when Lucario tried to strike, Gabite's fins came in the way, poised to shrug off any hits. Both his arms turned a shade of purple as he swung them down in a counterattack, and Lucario had to back away from the Dual Chop.

Gabite pressed his advantage and kept going, relentless in his whirlwind of attacks. A cut grazed Lucario's shoulder, then a stab at his chest. Need to push back, he thought with a hiss.

A scoff might've left Gabite's mouth as he put all his weight into a downward Slash, and Lucario saw his chance. His arm came up to defend him, grabbing Gabite's wrist and holding his Slash in place.

From there he conjured up his bone of aura, giving him a one-handed thrust into his gut. This earned him a loud wheeze as his foe doubled over, his Slash attack losing its white energy, and Lucario couldn't help but twirl his bone in a cocky gesture.

A gesture that followed up with a proper Bone Rush attack. The bone of aura swung about like a club, hammering into Gabite's arms, legs, and once on the shoulder too. Lucario finished with a broad strike into the chest that sent him spinning to the ground, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

"Told you he could handle himself!" yelled Shaymin, grinning like a loon.

"Oh, rub it in," Gabite muttered, lying on his belly.

Vulpix's forepaws came together as if to clap, putting Lucario in a good mood. The kid was cheering him on in her own silent way, how nice of her. He shot her a smile, dispelling his bone.

A gasp was forced out of him as a steel-coated tail whacked his torso, knocking him aside. Lucario rolled to the ground before quickly picking himself up, Gabite charging at him with friendly malice.

A Slash went deep into his chest, plowing into the metal-spike at its center. "Just getting warmed up," Gabite barked, throwing a flurry of bladed fins at him.

Lucario took a few blows before having enough, tackling him in a burst of Quick Attack. Both Pokemon tumbled to the floor, swiping at each other as if in a dogfight. For every Metal Claw that hacked a scale or two off Gabite, a Slash or a Dual Chop nicked at the skin underneath Lucario's fur. Mud and dust stained them both as they kept going at each other. Like the fights I got into back when I was a wild Riolu, he noted, starting to see how different this was from battles done in the human world.

No matter. The rules had to be different when he commanded his own self, without a human watching over him. And as Lucario resisted Gabite's petty swipes and wore him down, he could tell he'd adapt just fine.

Soon Gabite broke off, realizing he was getting nowhere with this. "Blast it," he said, his breath ragged. "I forget you're part Steel-type. Most of my attacks just bounce off you, don't they?"

"May I ask you to save your self-pity until I've buried you into the earth where your kind feel at home?" Lucario taunted.

Gabite's face turned devilish. "How about you come along for the journey?" he shot back.

A lump grew in Lucario's throat as Gabite slammed his foot down, a minor quake spreading out with a rumble. Instantly he distanced himself with a Quick Attack, the slightest tremor jolting up his leg, and he held back a curse.

Steel-typing was great against most types, even Dragon energy. But Ground moves? That was a fatal weakness.

Another foot slammed down, Lucario escaping the second Bulldoze with no more than a small jolt to his legs. "You can't keep running, you know," Gabite reminded him, moving closer. "How do you plan on fighting me if you can't approach me?"

Lucario rolled his eyes and fired an array of Aura Spheres.

A high-pitched noise left Gabite's mouth as he attempted to dodge the attacks, only for the spheres to curve around and pop upon touching his scales. A frown creased his face as he braced himself, Lucario shaking his head as he continued to fire more Aura Spheres. That would hold him—

Gabite was shredding through the spheres. The what?

No, that was literally what he was doing. One moment he was curling up, the next he was ripping them apart with his body, dispersing their energies with loud pops. Soon he was charging again, slicing two Aura Spheres with a well-timed Slash, smacking a third with his tail, and even throwing his head down to crush a fourth. Lucario stopped firing, awestruck for a slight moment.

Then the awe passed, and he ran in with his palm flaring with energy. Gabite had no time to react as Force Palm pressed against his chest, the crackling burst of aura launching him back. So long as he kept this up, Gabite could never get close enough to land a crippling blow.

As it was, he was as good as defeated, panting and aching. His roughed up appearance only lended to his ferocity, however, the leader of Team Heavendust rising to his feet. "You're not getting anywhere at this rate," Lucario stated, bringing both palms out and charging a full-sized Aura Sphere. This time Gabite could not simply attack the projectile and break it apart.

"I'm afraid you won't be taking me out," Gabite still insisted.

"Talk to the sphere, Gabite."

Lucario let his attack loose, watching it dive toward his opponent. Gabite had his eyes shut and his head hung, as if to accept this outcome.

And then a sleazy grin overcame him, and he dove through the earth with his arms outstretched. Lucario blinked as the Aura Sphere struck the ground, a pile of dirt unburied where Gabite just stood. Dig!

Lucario's aurasense flickered on, catching his faded red aura burrowing to the left. No sooner did he locate him, however, Gabite broke out of the mud, purplish flames leaping out of his maw. The Dragon Breath was easy enough to dodge, but by then Gabite was underground again.

And then he popped out from behind, sweeping mud and dust at Lucario's face.

Though his aura sight allowed him to see regardless, Lucario couldn't help but rub his eyes as the dirt stung them. A metal-coated tail smashed into his back, throwing him to the ground and kicking up a small yet irritating cloud of dust.

No, not just dust. Lucario brought himself up, only for waves of sand to batter at his limbs and face. An arm went over his eyes as he took in the sandstorm vortex he was out stuck within, noisy winds swirling to keep the earthly barrier up. In between the gaps, however, he could catch the eerie smile of Gabite.

More sand crashed into him, knocking him against the vortex, which in turn threw him back into the center. He was trapped in a Sand Tomb, wasn't he? That wasn't good, this left him open to—

Lucario buckled as tremors dug their way into his leg-bones, the Bulldoze forcing him to one knee. Yet another wave of sand came from the Sand Tomb, throwing him face-first into the wet dirt, and he knew the tables had been turned.

"Shaymin's right, brute forcing my way to victory doesn't work against you," Gabite jeered as the sands kept their hold on Lucario. "I made this way too easy for you in the beginning, but now that I'm trying to be clever, I can't help but wonder if I'm making this too hard."

Lucario's aurasense had yet to turn off, and that left him vulnerable to the haughty emotions running through Gabite. Further out was a sensation of disappointment from Shaymin's drooping figure and a wave of calm patience from Togetic's, as if she wasn't surprised by this turn of events but also expected him to have a trick of his own.

And from what little he could see of Vulpix's figure, she seemed as stoic as ever, but it didn't match the distress she held back. He may as well have let her down. What if this had been a lethal fight?

Gabite's mood shifted, Lucario could feel it. As the sand began to die down at last, he could catch a glimpse of him raising his foot again, ready to unleash another Bulldoze. Really, he just needed one good blow on Gabite, and he'd knock him out. He just needed to—

The foot went down, and the light in Lucario's eyes lit up the dying sand vortex in a flash of blue. He might as well have been possessed, his body having him leap precisely into a growing hole in the Sand Tomb, letting him slip out while Bulldoze kicked up flecks of dirt in slow motion. The tremors couldn't reach him, however, Lucario landing right outside of its range before Detect ran out.

Remarkably, Gabite spotted him and wasted no time firing a widespread Dragon Breath. Weak from his Ground-type attacks, Lucario barely could withstand it, purple flames clouding his vision and volts electrifying his skin, but he gritted his teeth and cloaked himself in white energy. A Quick Attack, and then this'd be over.

Gabite's breath ran out, and Lucario ran in.

He saw it too late, the tired Gabite bringing his arms up in defense and readying a Slash in a bid to beat him to the punch. Gasps rang out from the sidelines, and Lucario found himself smirking at the last moment. So be it, he thought, throwing his palm in front.

The Slash got him deep in the chest, and Force Palm struck Gabite's belly. The dragon-shark Pokemon went sailing past the edge of the battlefield, skidding to a stop, and he slumped at last in defeat. Lucario pressed his paw to his latest wound, out of breath and still quivering from the Sand Tomb and Bulldoze combo. But he got Gabite, right?

Lucario trudged over to the dragon-shark. And—

It was a while before he stirred, prone on the floor and his mind fuzzy. A pained groan left his throat. Everything hurt, especially his chest, and for some reason he was having deja vu. Was this grass his paw digits were playing with? He thought he'd been standing on the dirt.

His other paw felt scales, and Lucario found himself beside Gabite, collapsed like him and half-groggy. Something cold tickled his arm, making Lucario crane his head ever so slowly to the source.

Vulpix leaned over, tails raised and her breath too close for comfort. "Please don't," he requested, to which she became aware of what she was doing and withdrew.

The distress remained, however. "You okay?" she whispered.

Lucario nodded, tensing when something wet and soothing fell on him. Above him, Togetic was conjuring Life Dew, the droplets falling onto him and reducing the ache in his body. She did the same for Gabite.

Only then did it register that he was lying on the grass for a reason. "A draw?" he said, unable to hold back his disappointment that he too had fallen unconscious. He must've trudged over to Gabite before dropping to the ground.

"Looks that way." Gabite coughed, wearing a cheesy smile. "I went down first though. Not bad, Lucario, not bad."

"What do you mean, not bad?" Shaymin exclaimed.

Lucario's neck twisted in a painful way as the reindeer Pokemon floated in front of him, looking every bit like a human toddler who had seen a Skwovet cross the street. "That was awesome! You were so going to beat up Gabite, but then he was going to beat you up, and then you tried to take him down with you—"

"Shaymin, they're recovering," Togetic said. "Please don't fangirl over Lucario."

"Ah, right." Shaymin brushed her grassy mohawk. "And for the record, I am not fangirling."

"You're acting the way people do when they learn you're a Mythical."

To that Shaymin stayed silent, her face scrunched up as she considered that. She soon darted away, returning a while later and plopping Oran Berries at the two injured Pokemon. Sitting up, Lucario and Gabite took their respective berry and ate.

Lucario could already feel his vigor returning, though it contested with the pain and exhaustion he incurred from the battle. Pokemon were hardy creatures, but he'd need some time to recover from this. Maybe they went just a tad bit overboard?

"I said not to go overboard," Togetic stated as she continued healing them, Lucario holding back a snort. "I mean no disrespect, Gabite, but couldn't you have settled for a simple spar instead of trying to go at each other until someone fainted? Besides, we were supposed to go to another dungeon today."

"Blunder Field?" said Gabite, to which Togetic gave a non-answer. "Yeah, sorry, Lucario and Vulpix joining threw me off-track. How about you and Shaymin deal with it, and I'll have these two get comfy here while we rest up? Their work can begin tomorrow."

Togetic accepted this, satisfied with her Life Dew's patch job. She and Shaymin went back to the cottage, returning with Gabite's Treasure Bag.

"Well, welcome again to the team, Lucario and Vulpix," Togetic said as she swung the strap over her little shoulder, focused mostly on the ice fox. "I hope we can get along well with each other."

Shaymin settled for a grin. The twosome gave their farewell before flying off.

Gabite got up properly once they left, stumbling for a moment with his hand-spike somehow clutching his belly. Although still drained, Lucario couldn't help but have him stay still, conjuring a sphere in his hands. Not the blue, shocking ball that formed when using Aura Sphere, of course, but a relaxing, glittery pink orb — his Heal Pulse.

Lucario fired it with a gentle prod, and it went off, coming into contact with Gabite's stomach and breaking into waves of light that flowed throughout his body. Vulpix made a curious noise as the move made Gabite visibly relax, scales regrowing in multiple spots and injuries fading away.

"Better?" Lucario asked.

Gabite rubbed his belly as the effect faded. "I didn't think you were going to take over as the healer of the team," he joked. "Just aches a little."

The twosome stood there a while longer, as if in respect of each other. "Well, you have today to get settled in," said Gabite, "but after that I intend to work with you on your daily tasks. Us explorers don't slack off, Lucario, and you and Vulpix will be expected to earn your pay while you're with us. You both understand?"

His eyes drifted between the two of them, and Lucario felt a twitch in his tail. He slowly nodded, then gave Vulpix a look. Thankfully she took no time to catch on, nodding too.

"Good," said Gabite, staring at her for a while longer. "Don't want you two thinking this is a playground. I may cut Vulpix some slack because of her age and inexperience, but even she has to give some results. I'll leave you two to your own affairs while I rest up in my room."

Rubbing his arm-fins, he made his way around the hill, going up its slope and back to the cottage. Lucario and Vulpix stayed where they were, content to enjoy the scenery.

"You're amazing," whispered Vulpix.

Air Slashes didn't make Lucario flinch. But praise sure did.

Once certain Gabite was inside the cottage, Lucario raised an aura-covered paw to eye level. He hadn't paid much attention to it, but there was this familiar thread of aura he could grasp, the feedback coming from past the pond and into the forest. Weak, ghostly strands of aura accompanied it, as if they were merged with the main thread. Come to think of it, he'd spotted a certain aura in that general direction when using aurasense in his fight with Gabite.

Letting his aurasense fade away and calling Vulpix over, Lucario walked that way and left Gabite's home turf, trees and bushes sprouting all over as he entered the forest fringes. It was time for a talk.

Movement from above made Lucario look up to find an impatient Eevee, rays of sunlight bouncing off the colorful crown of shards growing out of his head. Like before, an anklet with some crystal was attached to his hind leg, and a little pouch hung from his neck. "Sketchy move, joining an explorer team," he said before putting on a smile. "But I suppose it works. Hello, Eira the Vulpix."

Vulpix winced, processing Eevee's words. Her eyes warily ran over the Abhorrent's unusual appearance as she took her spot next to Lucario. "Hello," she said in a low voice.

Eevee's smile grew wider, almost in a teasing way. "Really, Lucario, when you agreed to join those guys, was that your species's instincts for justice talking? Might be a little dangerous for the girl — there's safer ways to earn a living."

"No worries, we can bail if we have to." Lucario folded his arms. "If it works out, it works out, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Eevee brought his head lower, resting a cheek on his paw. "Look here, I'm not gonna nag about whether you made the right decision or not, that's your choice. All the same, I'm taking a liking to you two, and it wouldn't make me happy if Eira the Vulpix was in danger. Does her human form have any powers she can protect herself with?"

It made sense that Eevee wouldn't know humans lacked Levels and powers, but the inquiry still made him scoff. "If you've heard anything about humans having special powers or whatever, it's all junk. A Magikarp could be more threatening than her."

"Figures. Obviously you won't let her lose that wristband then, right? You won't let dungeons steal it? You won't ever put her in peril?"

What kind of question was that? Lucario vigorously shook his head.

"Good, good. I'd like you to listen up then, cause there's another thing I ought to ask you to do." The way Eevee hung from the branch, Lucario was all but waiting for him to fall off. "I hope you understand you have a little predicament because of me helping you out. Our relationship has got to stay secret, okay? People shouldn't know you're affiliated with an Abhorrent."

He figured as much, but an odd curiosity overtook him. "And why is that?"

"Oh come now, look at me." Eevee banged his crystalline spikes. "I'm a freak. An Abhorrent. Pokemon like me have a pretty bad rep, no thanks to all the crooks among us, or the fact that a lot of us are kinda crazy in the head."

"Like you calling the voices in your head siblings?"

No.

Lucario jumped as purplish wisps steamed out of Eevee's purple crystal, condensing into a slender, cat-like ghost. Her two-pronged tail swished in silence as she hovered over them with intense eyes, a red glow coming from a gemstone on her forehead.

A strangled gasp left Vulpix's throat as she beheld the apparition. "Someone's feeling chatty," sang Eevee. "And what brings you out on this lovely day, sis?"

The ethereal Pokemon barely spared him a glance, content on staring down at Lucario and Vulpix. An Espeon? thought the jackal, bringing up his aurasense. Sure enough, a small aura blob similar to the ones inside Eevee was stored within this Espeon ghost, with a thread that linked it to Eevee's own aura. No, chained it.

"Okay, that's just—" Lucario flicked off his aurasense, shaking himself. Soulbound ghost siblings who talked to you in your head, why not?

Eevee gave a shrug, like his situation was as normal as could be. "I know, kinda messed up. You'd think that when you get altered into a freak Pokemon, your eight Eeveelution brothers and sisters wouldn't get sucked up into it all, yet here we are. Funny thing is, we're the lucky ones."

Eevee had his literal family bound to himself in the form of spirits, and they were lucky. The what?

Many Abhorrents go feral, Espeon explained using telepathy. Much to Lucario's disturbance, her mouth parted to yawn, except she had no mouth, and no actual voice to yawn with either. Few are rational, and fewer are lawful like us. The rest are outlaws or lunatics.

Eevee put on a half-smile. "And then there's people like Aerodactyl who like to spread our little 'gift' — case in point, you can't let people know you're buddy-buddy with us, especially the part where we gave you a gift of our own." He waved at the wristband worn by Vulpix, who stared at Espeon with a pale face. "Because then they'll panic, probably rip it off, and freak out even more as they discover a human's in a place meant to be a haven from them, pun intended."

Only now did Lucario pay attention to the sweat stinking up the fur on his forehead. Boy, did that answer only leave him with many more questions about Abhorrents. What was all this talk about Aerodactyl and gifts, anyway? Was that how Abhorrents were made, through these gifts?

Eevee must've read his face, because before he could ask anything, he gave a firm swipe of his paw. "We can discuss Abhorrents another time," he insisted. "I don't want to hold you up much longer in case — Espeon, is that Gabite gonna come out any time?"

Espeon's gaze turned toward the cottage. He's wondering where you two are.

"Guess we better hurry this up." Eevee tilted his head at Lucario. "The wristband, then?"

That was the other thing Lucario wanted to know from Eevee this whole time. His eyes fell upon Vulpix, then on that bizarre, magic item that lended her this form. Where on earth would someone find such a thing, an object meant to transform humans into Pokemon, in an archipelago where humans didn't exist?

There was nothing about it that made sense, and Eevee being on the search for a human to give it to was even less sensible. "There is a catch to this, right?" he said. "I can't see why someone would give that band away for free. No way you just found that thing lying around in a dungeon either."

"Nah, I didn't. Someone made it." Before Lucario could exclaim at the absurdity of this, Eevee pressed on. "I was actually meaning to bring you to him, but joining an explorer team's going to delay that. This guy, he's an Abhorrent Kabutops, and he was trying to make a version of that wristband that turned Pokemon into other species. It never worked out, but he believed it might work on an intelligent creature that isn't a Pokemon."

There was only one intelligent creature out there that was not a Pokemon. "He told you to find a human to test it on."

"Yep."

"You're kidding."

"I kid not, for I am no kid." Eevee chuckled to himself as both Espeon and Lucario glowered at him. "My siblings wouldn't shut up about how crazy I was for listening to that Abhorrent. You should've heard the clamor they made when Espeon sensed you guys in the forest!" His chuckles grew louder, his paw gripping his branch for support.

What a tale. An Eevee who roamed the archipelago, searching for a human in a land where no humans lived, sent by a mad scientist of a Pokemon. When it came to craziness, this place never disappointed.

"I'm sure Kabutops would explode from sheer happiness if he met Eira the Vulpix," Eevee went on. "I'd recommend you meet him as soon as possible. Don't worry, he's not as crazy as I'm making him sound like."

The way Espeon shrugged made Lucario skeptical, but fair enough. Perhaps he and Vulpix could meet this Kabutops someday.

Gabite's coming out, Espeon announced, her ears twitching.

"And that's our cue. A pleasure to meet you, Lucario and Vulpix — I speak for my siblings when I say we hope to be of service to you. Don't get into any trouble, okay?" Eevee gave an elegant flourish as he turned, then leapt away, going from branch to branch. Espeon gave one last nod before evaporating into mist, the invisible link between her and Eevee pulling her away.

Lucario turned to find Vulpix getting up from her spot, her lips creased and a look in her eyes that requested to know what she missed. She didn't even get Espeon's telepathy, did she? Maybe Espeon didn't know how to translate languages with mind-speak. Probably because she's new to human languages, he considered, wondering how he would explain what Eevee said.

They came out of the woods just as Gabite emerged from the cottage, a half-opened book in his claw. "Still out?" he called upon seeing them, a perplexed look on his face. "Come now, Lucario, you ought to be resting up from our fight, not wandering around the grounds. Why don't you come inside for a while?"

Not wanting to be rude, Lucario came up, following Gabite back into the cottage with Vulpix in tow. The dragon-shark made a dramatic gesture toward their room, and he nodded, letting the kid go in first. He closed the door behind them, getting a peek of Gabite returning to his own quarters with his nose stuck into that book of his.

The moment the door went shut he dropped onto one of the two wooly mats lying around. Meanwhile, Vulpix scrambled up the bed cushion at the other end of the room, perfectly tailored for someone of her build. Once she was on top she turned over, poking its soft surface with childish interest, before sinking into it.

And Lucario watched, trying his best to ignore how the soft wool of his bed tickled his fur. It had been a long night and an eventful day, but already they had somewhere to stay. Shelter, food, and income secured, all in one fell swoop.

They had time to breathe. To relax.

Relax.

Lucario choked on a bitter laugh. Relax! Imagine that! Him, relaxing after all that had happened! Bah, his mind would never allow that, and he didn't need mind-reading to know it that neither would Vulpix's.

In her attempt to do so, all she ironically did was make herself remember. He saw how her face shifted, how she frowned and her eyes grew downcast. She squirmed in her cushion, unable to get uncomfortable.

She glanced at him, raising her brows, then looked away. "Mother," she whimpered — to him? To herself? To the deaf ears of the dead? "I-I can't stop thinking a-about—"

Her tails clutched her face. Lucario looked away too, a garbled hum in his throat. Through the window, he could see the cloudless sky, yet the roaring pitter-patter of a downpour reached his ears all the same. Waves turning and tossing, wood splintering, voices yelling—

A giant, birdlike figure, and another creature with an inexplicable form, appearing to move in ways that seemed to defy whatever shape it was. Those were the two who fought with each other and caused a shipwreck in the process. They were the ones responsible for their circumstances and for the deaths of many innocent lives.

They were the ones responsible for his and Vulpix's plight.

Flaming aura engulfed Lucario's fist, fueled by the rage in his heart and tempered by a just will. Those monsters! It was their fault that this happened! He didn't know who they were, but they ought to be taught a lesson, causing senseless destruction in the wake of their terrible fight! How could he relax, knowing vile creatures like those two ran amok, uncaring for the lives of others?

Vulpix made a noise, and at once the flame smoldered and died out, Lucario turning around to blanch at her spooked expression. "Uh," she said, staring at him as if any other part of his body would erupt into flaring energy. "L-Lucario? You o-okay?"

Her words splashed his heart with cold clarity, and Lucario forced himself to lay down, taking a deep breath. He was letting his instincts get the better of him. What could he do to Pokemon like those two anyway? Even if he could identify and track them down, their firepower warned him that either one could knock him senseless. Fighting them would change nothing.

Adam's gone, he told himself with a mournful sigh. Him, Torterra, Lanturn, Banette, Duosion, Dragonair — they're gone. You already know they're not coming back, Lucario.

His eyes drifted over the ceiling, over the wooden walls and simple furnishings of this room. This is your life now.

"Lucario?"

The jackal raised his head, meeting Vulpix's gaze. Almost immediately she lowered her eyes to the floor, her front paw wiping the edge of her cushion. "No, of course you're not okay," she said, as if scolding herself. "Your trainer Adam must've meant a lot to you. And your Pokemon companions."

And oh, did he miss them. Their voices lingered on in Lucario's head, faces he would never see again haunting him like spirits. Was this grief? He had never understood why Banette spoke of it the way he did—

"C-could you listen to me? For a moment?"

Lucario raised his head a little more. Hm?

Vulpix was nervous now, it was impossible to miss, yet the emotion in her words was anything but. "I-I know I already said it earlier, but, well — thank you. Thank you so much. I owe you my life several times over, you know that? I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I wish I could do something for you — I-I wish I could've done something for Mother—"

Lucario held up a paw, silencing her before she went plunged deep into her own agony. There were little tears in his eyes, he could feel them wriggling around in there. All it took was a blink, however, and they were gone.

"No, I am not fine," he told her, repeating his words from yesterday. "But I will manage."

Vulpix slowly nodded. She stared at the floor, borrowing the steadiness of the earth beneath the floorboards, and breathed.

"Before we met Eevee," she said. "You told me we were stuck here."

"I did."

"And that we can't exactly leave."

He nodded. That was their predicament, all right.

A solemn look overtook Vulpix. "I hardly even know you," she muttered. "Everything is stressing you out too, isn't it? I have to learn to talk and use my moves like any other Pokemon, but you're the one who has to keep me safe. And I—"

Her shoulders straightened, posture fixing itself, and all of a sudden Vulpix's nervousness went away like a lifting fog, revealing something deeper within her, something closer to her core being. Determination.

"I don't want to be a burden to you," she insisted. "I'll be here for you, Lucario, just like you are for me. It's the least I can do. We'll get through this together."

A tiny smile overran Lucario at her heartfelt words. She didn't even know half of what was going on, but despite her fears, she was willing to take it on, for both their sakes. A storm still drifted within his head, roaring with cruel thunder, but now he saw that the clouds had a silver lining.

He had lost his family. It was time to start another.

"You and me, Eira?" he asked, the rain in his head lightening up.

Eira the Vulpix smiled back. "You and me."

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 6 — Transition

One last mighty exhale and Eira the Vulpix's Powder Snow again went flying, traveling almost twenty feet before slowing, the vixen panting for breath. "That good?" she whispered to Lucario, relying on her Vulpix-speak.

Her guardian had his eyes fixated on the Powder Snow as it melted into nothingness over the grass, giving a nod of approval. At last Vulpix dropped to the ground, glancing at the hillside upon which a cozy cottage stood, then at the moonlit sky above. All this training was exhausting her.

Trying to learn the language had already been a lengthy process, one that went on until the afternoon. All the while she'd been asking Lucario questions, using her growing list of words to learn everything he knew that she didn't.

The answers she got were a lot to unpack. For goodness's sake, when she was told they were stuck in this 'Haven Archipelago' place, for example, she didn't know giant human-repelling towers in the ocean were literally trapping her inside! How did I get past in the first place? she wondered.

But thinking about the weirdness she was knee-deep in only made her head want to let loose an Extrasensory blast — best to stay focused on the present. A check on her spirit showed her efforts weren't in vain. Reaching Level 6 gave her a sense of satisfaction, especially considering this was her first full day as a Vulpix.

From what she understood from Lucario, it was indeed a marker of growth in her moves and power. The higher it went, the better she'd be as a fighter, and the better she'd be with her abilities. Her guardian had said something else — something about the spirit.

It'd been a little difficult to understand, but she caught the basic stuff. Calling upon her Powder Snow, chest rising and cold air swirling in her lungs, she felt the now-familiar sensation of energy pouring out from within her very soul. It responded to her will, energizing her inner cold and shaping it into the snow pellets forming within her, but it faded the moment she dismissed the move and left the pellets to melt away inside her.

Her spirit was what lended power and structure to her inner cold, letting her use Powder Snow. It was the same with Tail Whip. When she wanted to use the move, her soul churned on instinct, making her tails wag with a hypnotizing effect. And the higher your Level, she recalled, the more energy your spirit can use.

When she tried calling upon Extrasensory, however, all she got was a forced headache for her troubles. Unlike her other moves, there were no instincts that explained how to use this move, never mind how to call upon her spirit for assistance. Why was that?

Lucario had turned to his own devices, Vulpix watching as his body glowed an icy blue. Moments later he swiped his paw forward, Powder Snow pellets flying out in an almost straight line before drifting downward, joining fresh markings of ice and white snow that littered the grass in the darkness. "What are you—?" she asked, before waving at the melting snow.

The jackal glanced once at her before giving a casual shrug. He didn't actually know Powder Snow, but he knew a power that let him do a perfect imitation of her attack. Copycat, she recalled the move's name, watching him glow up blue and repeat the move again. It seemed like he was experimenting, looking for other ways the attack could be used.

Earlier he'd been teaching her ways to use her move, like how to aim, how to spread out the pellets or narrow them down as she fired, and how to make them go farther. Copycat was a great way to show how to use her own powers, and Lucario was just as great a teacher, copying and outdoing her on a move he never used before. His range and control impressed her.

Lucario was a talented fighter — she could tell even with her little knowledge on battling. Weren't Pokemon so wondrous? She wished she learned more about them when she was younger.

Well, not like we have a choice anymore, Eira, she told herself.

A voice called, Lucario stopping halfway with a Powder Snow and looking over his shoulder. A white, angelic Pokemon descended from the cottage hillside — that was Togetic, a member of the so-called explorer team she and Lucario were now a part of. The night's darkness shrouded her kindly face.

"Tog, tegetio icto oget, togetic?" she whispered, and only barely did Vulpix catch a mention of 'Shaymin' in her statement. Lucario shook his head, making the angelic sigh as she began searching the grounds — her friend was missing, wasn't she? She usually saw them together.

Lucario returned to copying Powder Snow, testing the move some more while Vulpix watched. Rapid fire, slow but powerful bursts at close range, swarms of tiny pellets — he sure was finding some interesting ways to modify the attack. Her instincts only told her how to do the basic steps, but they didn't explain how she could change the way her own moves worked.

That she had to learn the hard way. What about Extrasensory, then? Did she need to figure out the basics before they were instilled into her, and then she could try to modify that attack? She had to know.

She got up from her rest, Lucario eyeing her. "Could we work on Extrasensory now?" she said, before shaking her head. "I-I mean, um, could we, uh—"

Too much Vulpix-speak, she couldn't manage that. Her guardian frowned, and it took a moment before she took notice of her shaky limbs and ragged breath, her body still tired from huffing out so many Powder Snows. "I can, um — I can manage it," she insisted. "Just, uh, show me?"

Lucario told her the words for 'manage' in the Pokemon tongue before shaking his head, a strange look on his face. When Vulpix grew confused, he said another phrase, one she needed a moment to understand.

"You can't show, uh, what you don't see?" she repeated, the length of the sentence a little much for her to repeat. Lucario nodded, his body bathed again in icy blue light, and Vulpix realized the problem.

Lucario had to see her use Extrasensory in order to copy it. Except she couldn't use Extrasensory in the first place.

And Lucario doesn't know any similar moves to help me learn either.

Vulpix groaned, slumping to the ground. Lucario threw her a pitying smile, as if to assure her she could learn another day, but it didn't help. It seemed her training was done for today.

Togetic was still around, fluttering over the flower garden beneath the hill cliffside before she shook her head and moved on. Vulpix watched her search the rest of the area, calling out to Shaymin. Her body curled up, six tails drifting over her forehead, and she stared at the extra body parts with an arched eye.

It was silly, come to think about it — here she was, sulking about being unable to figure out Extrasensory when she had far bigger things to be mulling over. For crying out loud, she wasn't a Pokemon to begin with, but a lost human. One stuck in a Pokemon civilization that wasn't friendly to her kind. For her safety, she had to be careful not to expose herself to Togetic, Shaymin, or that sharp-eyed Gabite.

She had to be careful not to expose herself to anyone.

Or I'll die.

Vulpix shook off phantom images of Ariados, the feeling of poison setting her nerves on fire clogging her thoughts. No, she shouldn't think such things, that would cause—

Lucario snapped his head over as Vulpix beheld the pink glow coming from her forehead. Togetic noticed too, rubbing the little spikes on her head before looking away. Well. That worked.

Extrasensory was bouncing around in her mind, a painful headache to go with it, but Vulpix grit her teeth and took advantage of the moment. If she was careful to neither fire the attack, nor let it fade away, she could study this move. She did want Lucario to Copycat it too, but first she wanted to get a feel for the Extrasensory power. Powder Snow was a cool attack, but this one would be a blast to use, a total banger—

Can you not make cheesy puns, Eira? moaned her voice of reason.

It was hard to make sense of the move. The force felt odd and inexplicable, supernatural even, but she could tell it was a Psychic power. Her soul powered this attack too, but so did her mind, fueling it with her stressful thoughts. It was like how her cold body provided her the means to create snowy pellets inside her.

As she relaxed, however, the mental energy her stress gave her waned, and the pink glow left her. She tried to hold onto the Extrasensory, examine it some more, but the power ignored her and slipped away. Her soul no longer nourished it either, it would soon be gone again.

Still she made a grab for the strange psychic energy it left behind, trying to place it back in her head. She fell short, however, and instead found herself placing it elsewhere.

And she felt something tingle in her eyeballs. Huh?

She tensed her eyes, and something changed. Not only did the psychic force listen, but her spirit flared up too, and her vision became tinted with a bright blue. More than that, a soft glow was coming out of her eyes. She strained them a little more, and the light intensified, Lucario grunting in wonder. What was this, some kind of night vision move?

It really stung her eyes. Vulpix slowly turned, first to the pond in the corner, then to the trees, and then to the flower field. Feedback struck her as something lit up within the patch of flowers, outlined in blue light. It had the shape of a hedgehog.

Vulpix recoiled and turned off the power as the flowers rustled. "S-shay?" hollered a tart voice as the hedgehog leapt out, sleepy eyes shot open in alarm as she whipped her snout around.

Togetic zoomed over in a heartbeat, a flushed look on her face, and Vulpix took the moment to hide behind a snickering Lucario. That was Shaymin, in her grounded hedgehog form! She hit her with a move!

Whatever that move was anyway. Vulpix took a peek into her mind, discovering 'Disable' had been added to her list of powers. A sigh of relief left her mouth — unlike Extrasensory, this move did come with instructions on how to use it and what its purpose was. It was like Ariados's Scary Face, except it would stun a Pokemon, and it also blocked him or her from using the last move used for a while. It wasn't a full-on attack.

But that didn't stop her from feeling like the scum of the earth as Shaymin stared at her, Lucario still chuckling with a paw over his grinning face. She was sleeping in the flowers, wasn't she? In her flying form it would've been easy enough to spot her lithe body and winglike ears, but her green-furred hedgehog body blended too well with the flowers and grass.

She racked her head for how to say 'sorry' in Vulpix-speak, but as it turned out, Shaymin was already shrugging off what happened with an embarrassed grin. "Shaymin, mi, nia shi shay," she said in an easygoing manner.

Togetic looked at her too, and Vulpix resisted the urge to cower from their gazes. Neither of them seemed mad at her, she was very grateful for that, but she wasn't sure how to respond—

Shaymin twitched, her green back appearing to shimmer for a moment before she let out a little laugh. Togetic whispered something to her in the form of a question, and she gave a heavy nod. This made Togetic sigh, and the two of them shot a warm smile toward a very confused Vulpix before going up the hill to the cottage. Did she miss something?

No matter. They weren't going to make her apologize or anything, she was okay. She feared Shaymin would make her speak up when she still lacked control over the language, but thankfully, she seemed laid-back and friendly enough for a Mythical.

Oh yeah, Shaymin were a Mythical race. One of the few she begrudgingly didn't know much about — and she usually made a point of learning about them. That flower Weavile stole? It was her Gracidea, a flower that transformed her kind into a flying form.

Most people longed to meet such special Pokemon once in their lifetimes. Mother certainly hoped to in their travels. To actually live with one, it was unfathomable.

Unimaginable.

And yet, compared to everything else that happened — tame.

The past twenty-four hours had turned Eira the Vulpix's world upside-down. She nearly got mauled by a skeletal Aerodactyl mutant, interacted with an Abhorrent Eevee and his ghost sister Espeon, got sucked into a forest Mystery Dungeon, ended up on a team of Pokemon explorers — and that all paled to the fact she was even here in the first place. In a Vulpix body no less.

On another day, it would have been crazy to learn ocean-bound Pokemon could breathe on land, so long as they kept moist. Now it was just another random detail that Lucario had explained to her, amongst far more incredible things.

The worst part of it all? Mother.

She was gone.

I won't see her again.

Vulpix let out a wounded sigh, watching her cold breath cover every blade of grass it touched with frost. The events leading to this point were all so surreal, yet there was no other way to go about this, was there? Like it or not, her life had been upended by its roots. This alien place was where she lived now, and she'd have to carry on. Without Mother.

What else do I do, she thought, but accept my new reality?

Tears didn't come easy for her. She couldn't let go of her beloved Mother, of course, her one constant companion. The bleeding hole in her heart couldn't be patched so easily. It hurt.

She hurt so much.

I didn't even say goodbye.

And yet she couldn't let it weigh her down.

She had a second chance at life. Mother would be relieved for her, wouldn't she? She had warned her that one day, she might have to take care of herself, that she might have to go on alone.

"Lirio?"

But she wasn't alone.

Eira the Vulpix turned to a concerned Lucario, his red eyes seeing past her. "I'm good," she replied, putting on a shaky smile. "Better than yesterday, I-I guess."

She had a guardian. A savior. And she'd return the favor he did for her several times over, if it was the last thing she did. You don't have to worry about me, Mother, she thought.

Lucario copied her smile, before falling into contemplation himself. To her own surprise, Vulpix really did feel better. Coming to terms with her situation lifted some of her stress away, leaving her more clear-minded and ready to take on her brave new world. Even the burden of losing Mother felt just a tiny bit lighter.

Yet as her worries drifted away, one of them kept bugging her. When Lucario brought her up to speed, there was something he said that made her heart leap, a nameless concern that stuck to her like glue. Two powerful Pokemon had been fighting at sea, she remembered, and they caused the shipwreck.

Two Pokemon. One with a writhing shape Lucario couldn't describe, the other a giant, winged creature.

A storm, and two fighting Pokemon.

Something was on the tip of her tongue, but what? Two Pokemon locked in combat, a storm brewing around them. One of the fighters was something shapeless, the other a huge bird.

Huge bird. Storm.

Vulpix frowned. Traveling to other regions had been something she and Mother loved doing. Sometimes they went to see the native Pokemon, but many other times they took trips to various landmarks to learn about the culture. That meant she'd seen and heard a lot of myths about the fabled Legendary and Mythical Pokemon.

And among those tales, she faintly recalled one about a Pokemon that had power over storms.

She just didn't know what it was. It had been a long time ago, and she couldn't remember what it looked like, only it seemed like a massive bird creature. It had a name, of course, but she didn't remember what that was either. It was on the tip of her tongue.

Her tails swished in frustration as she rummaged through her head for the mysterious creature, a Legendary being that could be connected to the tragic shipwreck that happened yesterday, the one that claimed Mother's life and many others. Who was that Pokemon?

No answer came to mind.

"And that's the gist of it!" Shaymin exclaimed, short of breath. "That good enough for you?"

Lucario gave a weary look at the road ahead, going through hilly, tree-less fields and toward the stone brick walls of what was apparently Berrypark Town. "A little too much information about your species, maybe," he told the flying reindeer — her Sky Forme, she called it? And her default hedgehog self was her Land Forme.

"You did ask for everything," Gabite pointed out, Togetic trailing behind him. Both carried their own Treasure Bag. "It was part of the trade, remember?"

Lucario just shrugged, turning to a silent Vulpix. Her head appeared to be in the clouds.

It was the first day working with the explorer team, the sun having risen not too long ago, and they were headed their way to Berrypark Town to get started. Out of interest, Shaymin asked about what was up with his kind and their power over aura, and Lucario asked in return about her own abilities and her two forms.

He might've chewed more than he could bite with that question — Shaymin were a rather intricate race. Their flying forms were caused by being near the magical Gracidea Flower, but they couldn't maintain that form during night or if frozen solid. Not only that, but they were natural purifiers, able to turn even toxic wastelands into lush fields, make flowers grow wherever they roamed, and cure a variety of diseases and bad statuses. Mythicals had quite the assortment of strange powers, it seemed.

Oh, and her Land and Sky Forme respectively had an Ability each: Natural Cure and Serene Grace. The former healed bad conditions like burns and frostbite over time. The latter?

It assisted the user in better harnessing the side-effects of their attacks, like burns or paralysis. Or flinching — which Air Slash was already good at causing. A sixth sense for Pokemon crippling, Adam liked to call it, Lucario wryly thought. Didn't Togetic's evolutionary line have the same ability?

"I believe you skipped one very important thing," Togetic told Shaymin, making Lucario drop his head in exasperation. "Remember? It's what everyone associates your kind with."

Shaymin gave a knock on her forehead. "Oh yeah, we're known as the Gratitude Pokemon, how can I forget that? We literally sense gratitude like Togetic senses kindness and inner purity, or how you can sense aura. Vulpix was radiating that stuff last night when I forgave her for giving me a nasty wake-up call, heh."

Right, Vulpix learned Disable yesterday after fiddling around with her Extrasensory, and by mistake she used it on Shaymin. "Passive sense?" he asked.

Shaymin and Togetic looked at one another. "I mean, Shaymin senses gratitude without trying," said Togetic as she lit up her eyes with pink light, flashing them. "But when I want to take a look at another's purity, it's easier when I do this."

"Same." Lucario let his aura flare up over his eyes and palms for a moment, wreathing them in blue faux-flames. "I can't stand sensing aura passively. Having other people's emotions and thoughts flow into your head non-stop, it's enough to drive anyone crazy."

Gabite's brows rose as he stared at the black aura feelers hanging from Lucario's head. "You mean you have those things dampened?" he asked. "I thought they were crazy sensitive to aura."

Lucario nodded, tugging at his feelers. That sensitivity was the very reason he didn't like to rely on them. His own methods were better suited to control what he sensed and what he didn't.

It wasn't long before the group came upon the open gates of the town, a Granbull and a Houndoom standing guard. The inside made Lucario pause for the briefest moment as he took in everything.

This was nothing like a human town. Actually, it seemed more appropriate to compare this place to a city, except with a more rustic and rural look — yellow dirt pathways paved the road, but grass grew freely on the sides, mounds of flowers growing and trees here and there. As for the buildings, they all had different color palettes, with some being tiny, some large, some dome-like and some square, and some even resembling Pokemon. It was so disorderly, and yet so impressive.

And it blended perfectly with the landscape it was built on. Pokemon of various shapes and sizes roamed it, bringing the place to life. Simple, natural, and as intricate as any other human settlement I've seen, mused Lucario. I like it.

A look at Vulpix made her snap out of her dazed trance, the young girl falling into step with him. A slight quiver ran throughout her body, the town and its many Pokemon leaving her with a strong feeling of alienation.

Lucario's aura feelers couldn't help but twitch as more and more Pokemon surrounded them. It was nowhere as bad as some human cities, but it was hard to keep his powers in check around busy areas like these. The moment he opened up his aurasense, even for just a moment, a flood of unwanted emotions and surface thoughts could come crashing through.

"You and Vulpix doing okay?" Gabite asked, Lucario snapping to attention. "Both of you seem out of it, like you haven't been in a place like this before."

A Teddiursa running from her Ursaring father all but jumped over a startled Vulpix, the vixen looking over her shoulder as the brown bear yelled at the child to get back. "It's the crowd of Pokemon we're in," said Lucario with a smirk, avoiding contact with the rock-gray skin of a nearby Rhydon. "You could say we're not quite used to it."

"Yeah, I hear you," said Shaymin, shooting him a sympathetic look. A couple of Pokemon were throwing stares at the Mythical, some wide-eyed and others with arched brows, but she ignored them all. "Just wait till you see the marketplace."

Said marketplace was abuzz with Pokemon, flocking to merchants and shopkeepers selling their wares behind colorful stands. Gabite strode onward without concern, slipping through gaps in the crowd with practiced ease, while Togetic and Shaymin had the luxury of flying past. Lucario followed in the wake of Gabite's path, Vulpix right on his heels.

Both had their gazes wandering over the different stalls. One sold farm-fresh berries, another had all sorts of fruit, and yet another offered strange talismans. In one barren corner was a Medicham, the pink humanoid Pokemon arranging what looked like a set of scarves, bands, and hats.

"Hey," said Gabite, pointing into the distance. "You two can't go through here without feasting your eyes on the shop everyone knows about."

Lucario slowed down as he saw it — a large structure shaped like a Kecleon's face, staring back at him with its hollow eyes. Pokemon stopped by on occasion, a small line forming as two Kecleon worked to serve them behind the counter. Neither were the Kecleon he met though. The first one had slightly lighter green skin, and the other had a unique purple color with a shiny sheen to it.

"If you're going to be on an explorer team, you can't ignore Kecleon Wares," Gabite stated. "They're everywhere, but particularly in towns like this one, serving as a general market for anything you could get your hands on in a Mystery Dungeon. They're essential for explorer teams, and there's plenty of stock they reserve just for us."

Lucario's eyes met Vulpix's before she went back to staring down the structure. Since Kecleon said he lived in Berrypark Town, this had to be where he worked, but he wasn't around at the moment. I'll have to find a way to speak with him, he thought.

Obviously Kecleon didn't know of Vulpix's disguise — he would need to fill him in on that. This was one of the few people who knew he had a human with him, and he could use some advice from the chameleon. Part of him wanted to tell him about the Abhorrent Eevee who was helping them too.

Except that might be unwise, a part of him warned. Judging from Eevee's words, even Kecleon might not respond well if he learned about that part. What do I do if he gets nosy about where I got the band?

A problem he'd figure out in due time. Who said he had to find Kecleon right away?

Team Heavendust passed by a bank and a few more shops before leaving the crowd. "That's the marketplace for you," remarked Gabite. "I'd like to show you the dojo too, but that can wait for another day. You see that building up there?"

Lucario's pupils rose as they took in what must be their destination. Atop an elevation in the town sat a large facility, its outskirts a pretty sight. Cobblestone paths went past hedges and flowerbeds and under arches, making their way to the actual building. One of the more prominent arches had some words written on it, in two different scripts.

Shock shot through Lucario's spine when he got close enough to see the text. Funny thing about the Pokemon language — because crying out parts of your own name in various patterns and pitches didn't translate well into written speech, another system would be needed for writing. The script on the bottom testified to that, being composed of a series of strange footprint runes. The text on the top was no different, but unlike the runes, there was something special about it.

He could read it.

And not just that, the script was the exact same as the one in Sapling Woods. Unown letters but without the eyes, making it look somewhat like the human alphabet, he noted. His ability to understand human speech had helped him learn to read written Alph, and this was close enough.

This archway had the words 'Explorer Board' inscribed on it. "This is the place?" asked Lucario.

Togetic nodded. "Every major town has an Explorer Board," she said. "They contain services for explorers, such as a magic storage system and a database on various Mystery Dungeons, and they also give us tasks to complete."

"Really neat system," said Gabite with a faraway look. "So nifty, in fact, that Their Highnesses got off their throne for once and made it official policy to have these facilities installed."

Lucario bit back the urge to ask what Gabite meant by Their Highnesses, still staring at the simplified Unown script. Sapling Woods had shown him the dungeon's name and floor in this very script, but he chalked that up to the magic-looking sigils translating into a tongue he understood. Regardless, why was this human-like style of text the primary writing system of Haven Archipelago? Not that he would complain, it was good that the language was so familiar. That meant he and Vulpix wouldn't need to learn how to read—

Lucario facepalmed as he noticed the empty space next to him. "You're kidding me," he groaned aloud, as if it would cover for his inner panic.

"Hey, what do you—" said Shaymin before she and the others turned over. "Oh. Uh."

"Vulpix is missing?" said Togetic, frantically looking around.

Gabite gave a hiss of disapproval, folding his arms. "Like we would've noticed, the kid's a silent shadow," he muttered. "She's your responsibility, Lucario."

Lucario nodded and gestured to them to wait, aurasense engulfing his vision as he ran off. She couldn't have gotten far, probably lost somewhere in the crowd.

Vulpix's unique aura signature was indeed back at the marketplace, amidst a sea of auras whose emotions he blocked out. Please tell me she's safe, please tell me she's safe, he kept repeating to himself, disgusted that he let her out of his sight for even a moment. He let her get lost! How could he let himself lose her?

There she was, her friendly blue aura standing still. Two Deerling, a Luxio, and a Miltank went by before he saw the snowy vixen herself, and for a moment his heart's thumping slowed down. Then he noticed that she was fidgeting, staring at someone right next to her, and the thumping sped up.

"Lucario." Kecleon, the one who had fought with Ariados, stared at him with eyes colder than the vixen beside him. "You shouldn't leave your little one unattended like this."

The slightest streak of red coursed through the merchant's aura, a fearful rage forcibly cooled by reason and foresight. Lucario's fingers squeezed his forehead as he stared back at Kecleon, a few Pokemon skirting away from the confrontation.

"Joined Team Heavendust, did you?" said Kecleon. "I saw you're with Gabite, Togetic, and good ol' Shaymin. That's a cute little wristband Vulpix has, by the way, it matches her fur well. Seems real useful too."

A glowering smirk went across his face, and Lucario pinched his forehead harder, rubbing the skin beneath the fur. He knew.

Of course he knew.

Kecleon took his time coming up to Lucario. More and more Pokemon edged away as he came beside him, leaving a circle of empty space around them and Vulpix. "Care to explain where she got it?" the old merchant hissed into his ear.

So much for having time to figure out what to tell Kecleon. Try as Lucario might, no good lie for explaining the magic wristband came to mind. What was he to say, he found it in a dungeon by sheer luck?

He'd have to dodge the question then. "With all due respect, Kecleon," he said, "I think you're sensible enough to know she and I aren't enemies."

Kecleon blinked multiple times. Only then did Lucario realize he still had his aura-eyes active and shut them down in a show of goodwill, but not before seeing the streak of red in Kecleon's aura turn pink-ish. Hope that won't cost me, he thought.

"Enemies." A strained look shadowed Kecleon's face. "Bah, of course I'm sensible enough to know you're not enemies. On the other hand? Your girl wields a treasure the likes of which I've never seen in all my dungeon explorations — I know I'm not staring at an illusion, I can feel the cold she radiates. She even can speak a little in our tongue. How exactly do you want this old coot to react to such an impossibility?"

The longer he spoke, the more frenzied his movement became, until he was throwing his arms around with great exasperation. "I'll ask this again, Lucario. Where in Haven Archipelago did she get it?"

It took all of Lucario's willpower not to step back as he struggled to say something. His eyes darted once to a still, meek Vulpix before he gave a sigh. "The person who gave us it would rather stay anonymous."

Too big a hint. Kecleon read between the lines in a flash, his lips curling up. Just like that, all the discomfort in his face faded without a trace, leaving behind a sense of clarity and peace of mind. "I see, then."

"You do?" said Lucario, raising a brow.

Kecleon's smirk grew wider. "Reasonable enough. You're the one who can sense thoughts and emotions here, you'd be a better judge of character when it comes to Abhorrents."

Of course he leaps to that conclusion. Lucario kept his face neutral, not wanting to give the merchant any more satisfaction in knowing he was right.

"Come now, those freaks have half as much reason to stay hidden like you two, you were far more likely to meet one of them than a normal 'mon." Kecleon backed away, and it was as if the tension in the air had been sucked out. "You really did come across one, didn't you?"

A rhetorical question, but Lucario answered anyway, checking if anyone was listening in on them. "We did."

"And not only was he friendly, he just so happened to have that wristband for her to use?"

"It—" hesitation made Lucario wince. "It's a faulty invention. It doesn't work on Pokemon."

Incredulity showed on Kecleon's face. He began humming to himself, trying to make sense of this piece of information, but after a while he shook his head.

"Then all I can say is fate's been more than kind to you," he said. "What are the chances of it all? Joining a noteworthy explorer team so soon, meeting an Abhorrent who gives you a transformation item only meant for her kind — and here I'm still scratching my head over how you reached the archipelago, dang it."

He shot Vulpix a sorry look before continuing. "I knew it was her the moment I saw you two walk past, and let me tell you, that disguise of hers threw me for a loop. Got the irrational side of me steamrolling, it did. You know what people would think if they knew not only did a human infiltrate our lands, but she was posing as one of us too?"

The thought of it made Lucario's gut turn into a pile of knots. From that perspective, Kecleon's move to hold up Vulpix made a little sense. As just a human, she was only a strange, possibly dangerous outsider. As a human with the form of a Pokemon? She looked like a spy.

"I can see the gears working in your head, you got my point." A bitter laugh left Kecleon's maw like a cloud of smoke. "I would have done more than just stop her had I not known better."

Lucario frowned, before glancing back to the elevation where the Explorer Board was. "We should be going," he said, coming closer to Vulpix.

"Of course, of course, I wouldn't want to keep your explorer team waiting." Kecleon's pupils moved to the side, distaste showing as they locked onto someone in the distance. "Ah, shoot. Hold that thought for now, we have a situation on the loose."

Before he finished his sentence Lucario's paw was lit up in aura. Emergency sirens went off as he touched a hostile aura amongst the swarm of Pokemon that was closing in on them. Oh, for goodness's sake, not her!

Ariados was in town.

Though she had yet to spot them, the spider was coming their way regardless. Not good. Kecleon had no trouble seeing through Vulpix's disguise, so if she spotted her, especially with him around—

"Get away," he warned Vulpix, waving a paw. When she looked at him funny, he shoved a nasty feeling into her mindscape, one that bubbled and boiled like acid burning through muscles, complete with the want to vomit.

There was only one person Vulpix could associate with the feeling of poison. Swooning from the imaginary feeling, she nevertheless wasted no time, slipping into the flow of the crowd.

And not a moment too soon — eyes burned into Lucario's nape, and he turned to face the enemy. Ariados was a short distance away, crawling past Pokemon with venomous grace. Tiny scorch marks could still be made out on her body.

"This'll be interesting," Kecleon whispered. "Just act casual and follow my lead. Oh hello, Ariados!"

The jovial tone slowed down Ariados, but that didn't stop her from shoving her face into Lucario's, her breath tainted with loathing. The jackal took it without batting an eye.

"Hey, hey, show some manners with my friend here," said Kecleon, pushing Lucario out of the way to take his place. "We never finished making that business deal, are we still arranging for a supply of assorted berries? I never got a confirmation."

Ariados glared. "Forget the deal," came her sweet, cruel voice. "Where is she?"

"Hm? Looking for someone?"

"Don't you two play dumb with me!" she yelled, increasing the circle of empty space between them and the crowd. Lucario held back a chuckle as he caught sight of Vulpix's tails in the mix. "I know you're hiding the human! Where is she?"

A few rattled heads looked their way. Lucario turned to Kecleon before giving an exaggerated shake of his head. It was acting time.

"A human?" Kecleon said with a snicker. "Oh come on, dear Ariados, are you still going on about this? Leave the Lucario alone."

"You think—"

Lucario cut her off before she could begin to speak. "Honestly, I tell you I met a human once — which again, I really didn't, it was just a little story I made up! — and now you're stir crazy over it," he said, arms spread wide. "Kecleon, please explain to this Pokemon how unreasonable it is for humans to be found inside Haven Archipelago."

Whether Kecleon was grinning at his improvisation or at Ariados's tomato-like face, Lucario couldn't tell. "Ariados, he doesn't have a human, they don't exist here. Though I will admit that if there was one, I most certainly would be interested in the challenge of hiding such a rare, eye-catching creature."

Ariados looked like she was about to learn Explosion. "Oh, this again!" she snarled, throwing her legs up for a moment. "Everyone thinks I'm some crazy spider, even my own people, and you're using that against me! You really think you can keep her hidden from me, don't you?"

Lucario put a paw to his face. "Please, I don't need this nonsense," he said in a calm voice. "I must ask that you stop bugging me with all this human talk, I have business to attend to."

Sputtering noises came out of Ariados's mandibles. "Why, you insolent—"

"Ariados." Lucario was glad the stern undertone in Kecleon's words was directed toward the spider and not him this time. "Do leave the Lucario alone, we don't want any trouble."

For a moment Ariados looked ready to attack them inside the town walls, but she held herself. Instead she spat out a thread of string before leaving, appendages stomping tiny cracks into the pathway.

She brushed past Vulpix on the way, staring at her for a moment. The ice vixen stared back, as nonchalant as could be, and something shifted in the spider's expression. Lucario held his breath.

"Don't know why I'm bothering, of course I sound crazy," she muttered, before redoubling her gaze on Vulpix and waving a leg at her. "Do you mind?"

The kid turned her head in the opposite direction, leaving Ariados to march away. Only once she was out of sight did she let out a puff of her cold breath, running back to Lucario.

"I think I'm going to faint," she whispered, her voice tight. "A-are we, uh, fine?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Lucario put a paw to his beating heart, wishing it still. "A little close, but fine."

"She thinks Vulpix is an ill omen." Lucario turned to Kecleon, who now wore a worn-out look. "People say it was when the Stringed Forest dungeon popped out of nowhere, two months ago, and sucked up her village that she ended up with a few screws loose. It was unheard of, a dungeon relocating an entire town inside of its spatial distortion, and she insisted there was some deeper, ominous meaning to it. She sees the human the same way, I'm sure."

A moment of silence followed. A merciful part of Lucario couldn't help but feel for the matriarch — it must be unsettling, to have your entire village gobbled up by one of those dungeons. Ariados might want Vulpix gone, but that didn't mean he couldn't pity her.

"Oh, there you are!"

Togetic flew right in front of a startled Lucario, her voice reaching them despite the noise of the crowd. "I've been looking everywhere for you two," she said. "Where have you been—"

Her eyes wandered toward Kecleon before her entire body locked up, words trailing off and her mouth hanging limp. The merchant drank up her moment of shock, a wry smile covering his face. Togetic slowly turned to Lucario, then to a fidgety Vulpix, and then back to Kecleon.

"Held them up for too long, did I?" Kecleon's lips stretched across his cheeks as Togetic made a slight nod. "Yes, yes, how rude of me to take Lucario's kiddo aside and make him come looking for her, and then make you come looking for both of them. Just give us a moment, I was just wrapping up."

With that Kecleon brought himself next to Lucario again, Togetic floating out of his way. "Look, you've got yourselves a miraculous situation here, and you can't botch that up," he whispered. "Keep up whatever you're doing to help Vulpix fit in. Don't let Ariados ever see you with your girl or your explorer team, that'll get messy fast, and never take up a job listing from Stringed Forest. Use your free time to learn all you can about this archipelago, you'll need it."

Lucario nodded, noting it all down. He could use any piece of advice he could get.

"That should do it for now. I'll deal with Ariados if she tries pulling any more stunts, you focus on your tasks, okay? We'll keep in touch." Kecleon began to leave.

"Wait, just one thing," Lucario blurted, the chameleon pausing halfway into his turn. "You really believe me? That despite the fact I'm admittedly getting help from an Abhorrent to disguise the human, and despite the fact she got past your towers wards, you're taking my word that she's not a threat or a spy or whatnot? That I'm not deceiving you into letting a terror loose on the archipelago?"

Kecleon stood in place for the longest time. "Deception isn't your forte, Lucario."

His colors faded out into nothingness, until all there was to see was one red stripe that refused to disappear like the rest of the chameleon. The stripe moved away, Lucario, Vulpix, and Togetic gaping as a Bulbasaur brushed against the invisible Pokemon, saw the stripe, and jumped into the air in sheer fright.

"Did he just—?" Lucario asked. Vulpix rubbed her eyes with one paw before nodding.

"I'm more concerned that Kecleon held Vulpix up." It wasn't hard to miss the blanched expression written on Togetic's face. "You met before? You didn't cross him, right?"

Awkward questions. "Maybe?" Lucario scrambled to his defense as Togetic shot him a panicked look. "There were some misunderstandings, we sorted it out. I assure you we're on good terms."

Togetic pursed her lips. "If you say so," she said. "I mean, no one would ever slight a Kecleon, but the one you were just with? Shaymin trains under him in the dojo."

Kecleon was a teacher for a Mythical? That sure left him with goosebumps. Good thing he was on his side, not Ariados's.

With a wave Togetic bade them come along, flying back to the Explorer Board. Lucario began to follow when something made him look over his shoulder. There, floating amidst the crowd, a pair of red eyes had been watching him.

Those eyes belonged to a ghostly, purple figure with a large witch hat and red gem-like spheres on her neck, a Mismagius. Lucario arched an eye at the observer, and she waved back with a cloth-like arm, uncaring that she'd been caught in the act. Wait, how long had she been there?

"Lucario?"

Lucario flinched at Vulpix's quiet voice, the kid shooting him an odd look before looking past him, her expression turning sour. The moment he turned back to Mismagius, however, the witch was already moving back into the crowd, a cackle coming from her W-shaped mouth. How suspicious.

But it seems she didn't overhear anything sensitive, Lucario noted, his aurasense detecting no undercurrent of bad emotions from her. No alarm, no shock, nothing to hint she heard any of his and Vulpix's secrets. Still, it concerned him that she was spectating them in the first place.

Vulpix seemed to think the same way. "Is she bad? Er, a problem?" she asked. For someone who just survived a close-up with Ariados, her aura seemed oddly calm and collected.

Lucario frowned at the spot where the ghost formerly was. "No, not for now," he said, dismissing the Mismagius. They had other matters to attend to.

Over cobbled paths and under the Explorer Board archways they went, catching up with Togetic just as she met back with Shaymin and Gabite. The latter two were waiting at a bulletin board with news articles, just outside the building itself, and the angelic Pokemon began explaining what took Lucario so long before either could give him and Vulpix a scolding.

Vulpix gave the bulletin board a once-over as Togetic spoke, and Lucario smiled when she let out a gasp, bringing herself closer to the board with bright, disbelieving eyes. Yep, she noticed the localized Unown script too.

Already her gaze clung to the words, like a treasure hailing from her youthful past. Halfway through the papers, however, the light in her eyes flickered as she froze upon a particular article. When Lucario asked her if something was up, she pointed at it.

It seemed so unimportant, hidden behind sheets of other papers, but there it was: 'Rumored Sightings of Strange Pokemon Flying During Freak Storm.'

Lucario read the title over and over, unsure how to feel about this. There wasn't much to the actual article, just random Pokemon claiming they saw some large silhouette out at sea during the storm. Any other person would dismiss it as rubbish.

He wasn't any other person. The coincidences keep on piling up, he thought.

"Weird, right?"

Shaymin popped in front of Lucario and Vulpix, making both jump. "Can't understand why this dingy piece of news's pinned here," she said. "They don't even describe what the Pokemon looks like. Wonder if there's something more to it?"

She shot him a grin. "But eh, it's not as interesting as you guys being buddy-buddy with Teacher Kecleon. How'd you manage that?"

Gabite strode over too, Lucario feeling a lump in his throat. "Really, though, what's up with him?" he asked. "Guy takes Vulpix, forces you to come over so he can have a word, and you say you're all chummy with him? Like, how does that—"

Togetic barged in, shielding Lucario and a nervous Vulpix. "Guys, please, let's not throw at him questions he doesn't want to answer," she said on his behalf. "We should get back to getting these two registered on the team, we're wasting enough time as it is."

Gabite and Shaymin muttered in agreement, moving aside. Lucario gave a thankful nod to Togetic, glancing one last time at the news bulletin before following Team Heavendust through a large doorway, bringing them inside the Explorer Board.

The inside had a lobby room with a Klinklang floating behind a desk, the gear-comprised Pokemon giving Lucario and Vulpix a once-over as they went past with the rest of Team Heavendust. The main part of the building was far more impressive, being a large indoor garden with a running fountain at the center. Flowers and berry-laden trees grew in the greenery, basking in the sunlight that pierced through the glassy triangular roof. The fragrance of roses, alliums, and other flowers brought life to Lucario's limbs, and Vulpix couldn't seem to take her eyes off the beautiful display.

A few Pokemon shuffled around the area using stony pathways, walking into side corridors with hung signs written both in the simplified Unown text and in the smaller, less used footprint text. Gabite and the others were headed down the path to the 'Task Management' wing, prompting Lucario and Vulpix to hurry after them.

They ended up in a simple room with an ovular machine powered by an assortment of Electric and Psychic Gems that had a computer-like screen and a keyboard affixed to it, an baffling sight made several times more bizarre by the hovering duck-like Pokemon manning the device from his desk. His head rattled as he noticed them, manic eyes focused intently on Lucario and Vulpix while his beak morphed into an odd smile.

Togetic introduced the twosome as new recruits to the alien being, Lucario and Vulpix giving twin stares at his legless red body, tiny antenna, and blue arms, tail, and striped chest. What was that thing? A Porygon-Z?

Said Porygon-Z was twisting his head at a right angle, taking out two slips of paper and a pen from a desk compartment and sliding them over. There wasn't much to the slips other than a briefing on what it meant to be on an explorer team and a few terms and conditions. At the bottom were a few lines asking for one's Pokemon species, any applicable name, and the team one wished to join.

Lucario eyed Porygon-Z a little longer before fumbling with the pen, having trouble gripping it. Filling a form was a simple task, yet so uncanny for him. He had never written anything before, and although he was familiar with the language of humans and could mimic the local Unown-script, he wasn't sure how to spell out his own name. What were the letters?

Vulpix sensed his trouble, luckily, and with a gesture she had him hand over both slips and the pen. It embarrassed him when she figured out how to best hold the pen despite having never done so as a Pokemon, filling in the information with elegant handwriting. She skipped over the part where she could write down her name, realizing that Eira might be a strange name for a Pokemon here.

The stares of his teammates crawled down Lucario's back. "Yo, she can write but you can't?" Shaymin asked with a goofy look.

"Scratch that, you can read but can't write?" added Gabite.

In a deft motion Lucario took the pen and papers and handed them over for Porygon-Z to process. "We don't speak of this," he said in a flat voice, earning him a few chuckles.

Porygon-Z soon announced their acceptance to Team Heavendust with a beeping noise of fanfare, his blue nubs spinning in circles. "It's official then, you're part of the team," Gabite said as they went back to the indoor garden hall. "Now there's a lot we should discuss if we're going to get you two settled into this job, so listen up. For the time being, I'll be your mentor and show you the ropes, got it?"

Lucario nodded, prodding Vulpix to have her do the same. Gabite gave her a frown before shrugging to himself.

"It'll be redundant to have Togetic and Shaymin with us, so they'll be doing their own tasks," he continued. "Togetic's in charge of her group, of course. You two better not slack off while I'm away."

Shaymin snorted. "Wouldn't dream of it. Hey, Togetic, could we go for a tough mission this time, something like S-rank or above? Gabite hasn't been giving me a challenge in a while and I'm feeling a need to go all out on something."

Togetic gave a lady-like chuckle. "Lucario didn't satisfy your battlelust?"

"Did it look like we had a conclusive fight?" Shaymin pointed at the Pokemon in question with a grin. "You and me, one of these days. Last time was a fluke."

She whizzed off in an instant, dragging Togetic along and leaving Lucario stone-faced. Gabite wheezed out a laugh, his claw moving to his throat.

"She'll murder you," he said with the appropriate gesture, making Vulpix bite her lip.

Lucario eventually shook his head, wistful thoughts in his head. The Mythical reminded him of Dragonair in many ways. Similar attitude, and just as thirsty for blood.

Gabite kept a grin on his face as he walked onward. "But there's more important things to get on with. Why don't I introduce you to how this whole explorer team business works?"

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 7 — Low Tide, High Tide

"And here's where all the tasks are posted."

Lucario looked around. The 'Tasks Board' room Gabite was showing them had a small flower bed in the corner and windowsills near the roof. A chandelier and lanterns hung on the wall held glowing yellow gemstones, their light brightening up the room's many bulletin boards. All of them had an assortment of papers pinned to them, each depicting a task. Shaymin and Togetic had been here a short while ago, but now the cheeriness of the room was only cast on him, Gabite, and Eira the Vulpix.

This was their last stop for Gabite's tour of the facility. He had also shown him the aforementioned database for Mystery Dungeons and the magic storage system granted to all explorers. The former was a group of digital interfaces similar to the device Porygon-Z ran, holding a catalog of all the known dungeons and any relevant information about them, such as their name, the number of floors, their danger level, and what kinds of Pokespawn spawned in them. The technology was clunky and basic — a complete joke to the earliest commercialized versions of human computers — but in a place like this, it marveled him.

Out of curiosity Lucario had taken a peek at the Stringed Forest dungeon, learning it was located in a small, dark forest northeast from here. A healthy enough distance from where Gabite's home was too, thank goodness. The place was apparently crawling with web traps and spider Pokemon, and it boasted seven floors. Ariados ruled the village that somehow existed at the end of the dungeon.

And the magic storage system? Lucario shuddered as he recalled the faceless stone statue of a Kangaskhan holding a large bowl, elemental gemstones embedded into sockets in its neck. Gabite had simply touched the statue, and it lit up in greenish light as a few seeds rippled into existence on the bowl.

"Lucario, you with me?"

The hollow look in Lucario's eyes disappeared as he returned to the present. "Sorry, sorry," he blurted to Gabite, "thoughts were elsewhere. That Kangaskhan statue was weird."

Vulpix tripped on her paws upon recognizing the word 'Kangaskhan,' righting herself just as quickly with her eyes squeezed. "Oh come on, you two have more reason to be freaked out by dungeons than an advanced storage system that uses Pokemon statues to store and withdraw your items," teased Gabite.

"They're both weird," Lucario countered. "I've seen a lot of weird things, and that never makes them any less weird."

Like Eira being a disguised Vulpix. But Lucario kept his eyes away from her, instead glancing to the side, in the direction of the Task Management room. Gabite smirked.

"Yeah, most people don't know what to make of Porygon-Z," he told him. "His kind are as rare as Mythicals, or so Porygon-Z himself says, and erratic by nature. He's served the Explorer Board for a good while though, and for all his quirkiness, he runs the place well."

Lucario chewed on that for a second. Duosion had mentioned the Porygon evolutionary line to him once — something about them being built by humans. And yet Gabite's implying his kind are native to Haven Archipelago?

What a paradox. How did that work? No, how did artificial Pokemon exist anyway? The whole concept made so little sense to begin with.

Maybe it wasn't worth giving himself a migraine over it.

Gabite brought his attention to a board with the words 'Local Tasks' imprinted on top in Unown-script, Pokemon footprint runes underneath. "You'll notice there's another section for island-wide tasks, and another for very important tasks happening elsewhere in Haven Archipelago," the team leader said, pointing absentmindedly at the respective boards.

Lucario scanned the Local Tasks boards. These were all job requests, asking an explorer team to do something on behalf of a client in exchange for a reward. Danger levels also accompanied the requests in a letter grade scale, the job requests placed in order of increasing danger. They also specified a location, usually a dungeon.

Most of them revolved around helping someone in need. They were a few mentioning criminals that needed to be captured, or doing investigations of places or Pokemon. All, however, involved dungeons in some way.

"Yeah, Mystery Dungeons dominate most tasks," Gabite commented on this. "Those maze-like distortions have the word 'Mystery' in the name for a reason. There's people who want to explore all their secrets, hide within them to lay low from the law, uncover and make use of their strange resources, and so on. There's also a need to check the boundaries of new dungeons, look into their layouts and dangers, and assess their value, and to update any changes that happen to pre-existing ones."

He gave a half-turn to Lucario. "Mind you, though, not all explorer teams work with dungeons, that's just what Team Heavendust tends to focus on. It's a broad job, covering a spectrum of fields having to do with exploration, helping out Pokemon, news-gathering, hunting relics and other things of the past, you get the point. You learn a lot about the world from careers like these."

Lucario couldn't help but smile at that. Learning about Haven Archipelago was exactly what he needed.

Vulpix had been diligently reading through the many tasks posted on the board while they had been talking, leaving for a moment to inspect the 'Grassbranch Island Tasks' board as well. Soon she came upon one particular task that made her face scrunch up.

A curious Gabite came over, Vulpix flinching, and stared down the task that had caught her interest. His face morphed into a seething frown. "Something up?" Lucario said, before his eyes glazed over the task. There was a keyword in this mission.

Abhorrent.

ㅤ

ABHORRENT SIGHTING NEAR SUNBURST VALLEY

Sighting of a hostile Pokemon! It lives close to the Sunburst Valley dungeon and appears to pursue anyone who goes in. A few Pokemon from explorer teams have disappeared at its hands. Survivors report that it is an Abhorrent Pokemon, resembling a Staravia but with a winged insectoid body featuring six hooked feet, four eyes, and pincers instead of a beak. Appears to be feral. Experienced dungeon explorers should take heed and capture it as soon as possible!

Client: Sunburst Town Council

Goal: Subdue Abhorrent Staravia.

Location: Sunburst Valley dungeon and surroundings

Danger: S Rank

Reward: 4000 Poke

ㅤ

Gabite jerked away, his breaths ragged. "I swear, we used to go weeks without a single task concerning these monsters," he said in a taut voice.

Disturbed by the image of an insectoid Staravia, Lucario distanced himself from the paper, his aura vision flashing to reveal Gabite's aura — still blue, but writhing as if something had disturbed him on a fundamental level. "You all right?" he said.

"Bad memories." Gabite shook himself. "Excuse me if I lose my composure when it comes to Abhorrents, it's an issue I'm working on. The ones who've gone feral, I can pity, they never deserved to be turned into those freaks. But the rational ones—" A snarl. "They can go up in flames for their crime against the world."

It took a moment before he was perfectly calm again, though his gaze kept peeking at the task in question. Lucario and Vulpix stared on, Gabite's little breakdown imprinted into both their minds.

"A-are Abhorrents," Vulpix whispered to Lucaro, "that bad?"

Lucario huffed in a non-answer. As much as he wanted to broach Gabite on what it was that he hated about the Abhorrents, see his perspective on them, it seemed wiser to ask another time. Besides, from what little he got from his interactions with Eevee, he had a rough idea of what he meant by a 'crime against the world.' Or as Aerodactyl might call it, a gift, he hissed to himself.

Next chance he got, he was interrogating Eevee about this whole Abhorrent situation.

Gabite eventually came upon a task in the Local Tasks section that seemed to please him. "This'll do," he said, waving Lucario over. To the jackal's amusement, this task seemed immensely childish.

ㅤ

SCARVES LOST

Two blue scarves accidentally lost in a place known as the Rocky Shores dungeon. Request for dungeon explorers to find and return scarves, either to the Dungeon Board Item Retrieval or directly to the client.

Client: Buizel

Goal: Retrieve scarves.

Location: Rocky Shores dungeon

Danger: E Rank

Reward: 500 Poke

ㅤ

Lucario and Vulpix shared a look. "Really? It's that easy?" he asked Gabite.

"Not for the clients, but us? Rocky Shores is a pushover, even by the standards of a dungeon." Gabite wagged a finger at Vulpix. "But I take it you haven't been in many dungeons, and Vulpix isn't one to battle much, so we're going small. This is about learning how we do things in Team Heavendust, you understand?"

He took the paper with the job they were taking off the board. "We'll bring this to Porygon-Z so he can register that we're doing this task, and then we're off. Come now, we don't have all day!"

Lucario looked out the window to see the morning sky. "I think we do."

Gabite rolled his eyes with a humored snort, leaving the room in a mood that contrasted with how he acted when he saw the Abhorrent Staravia task.

The roar of waves and the sight of a sandy coastline stretching to either end made Lucario's stomach queasy. As it turned out, Rocky Shores was at the north-most region of Grassbranch Island, located in a cave that settled upon the beach.

And the path they took crossed the very spot where he and Vulpix were washed ashore two days ago.

The driftwood they had latched onto was still there, forlornly watching the rise and fall of the tide. Gabite paused as he got close to it, muttering something about washed-up junk, before moving along. Vulpix vacantly stared at the plank, before Lucario's cough coaxed her to turn away.

Of all the places a Mystery Dungeon could be, he muttered to himself.

The cold, unforgiving ocean rippled with tiny waves, a few splashing against a distant, gigantic monolith that broke out of the watery surface. It looked somewhat like a tower, but Lucario thought it looked more like a huge beacon. An irony, since beacons weren't supposed to ward people away from a certain area.

The shimmering distortion field was also there, at the expanse of the horizon. Ripples ran throughout it, much like heated air in the middle of summer, and any beam of light that touched the barrier would bend itself in strange angles, giving it the faintest tints of a rainbow hue.

Lucario clenched his fist as he stared at it all, chest heaving. This time Vulpix coughed to pull him out of his sour mood — right, they had a job to do. He didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary anyway, it would only worsen the ache in his heart.

A few minutes passed before the duo found Gabite waiting by a stony cliff that overlooked the beach, a sloped cavern built to the side. A sign was posted nearby, warning visitors of the Rocky Shores dungeon that lurked within.

Gabite rummaged with the stuff in his bag once more before closing it up. "Here it is," he stated, "the foot of the dungeon known as Rocky Shores. Only four floors, a small and simple layout, and weak Water Pokemon. Finding the stairs doesn't take long — it's the perfect place for training rookies. No offense to Vulpix."

Vulpix perked her ears upon hearing her name, but her focus was on the inside of the cavern, which sloped down to one side with stalactites hanging overhead. Water droplets fell rhythmically, trailing down the slope in little rivulets.

"But enough dilly-dallying. Come along," Gabite ordered, stepping into the cave. He gave Lucario and Vulpix a sidelong look before going out of sight.

The pair gave each other blank stares. Vulpix took a deep, cold breath before going inside, and naturally Lucario stuck with her. Nothing to be afraid of, he reassured himself. This time we know how these weird places work.

The cavern went through a bend, looping at a tight angle before changing direction. The floor rose gradually, sunlight gleaming through might've been an exit. Before they could reach it, however, a strange tingle shook their bodies, and everything twisted. Just like that the cave was gone, Gabite waiting nearby with his foot tapping on sand.

Surrounding them was the beach, but not the beach they had just been in. Large hills of rock covered the area, slippery to the touch. Pathways between the expanse of rock cut into the sandy hollow he stood in, crooked and twisting in nature. Moats of tropical water filled up the corners, and one featured a submerged Krabby.

The orange crab Pokemon left the water and scuttled toward Gabite only to be slashed apart into red-purple particles. "So we're doing a fetch quest, right?" asked Lucario, adjusting to the change in scenery. "All we have to do is find where these scarves are, and then we leave."

Gabite nodded. "That means scouring the whole dungeon, however," he pointed out. "We weren't given the exact floor where the scarves were lost, unfortunately, so we'll have to check each one before we can take the stairs. You do understand how dungeons work, right?"

Feebas's words came to mind, and Lucario explained it to Gabite — the ever-shifting, labyrinthine nature of dungeons, the traps and Pokespawn that defended it, the items that spawned all over, and how information on the dungeon name and current floor was embedded into one's being while inside. As he said that, he couldn't help but check on that red-purplish mist that had shrouded his spirit again, declaring that this place was Rocky Shores, B1F.

"Oh, and there's other stuff like losing your items and getting kicked out if the dungeon floors you, pun possibly intended," Lucario added. "And status effects like poison and paralysis disappear when you go in between floors for some reason."

Gabite nodded. "Yeah, dungeons are dangerous, but they never kill. That being said, that doesn't mean you can go nilly-willy into these places, not unless you like getting beat up and evicted over and over. You know about Dungeon Plague?"

Lucario arched a brow. Gabite mentioned that before, during his lecture with Feebas. "Does it make you feel like you've been run over by a diseased Mamoswine?"

"Odd way to put it, but close enough." Gabite gave a shrug. "It's why Pokemon would rather sit tight in a dungeon and wait for help instead of walking into danger so the dungeon can spit them out. I've gone through it plenty of times, and I still can't get used to it."

As if the danger of Vulpix losing her band wasn't enough.

"But hey, we're professionals. Neither of you are collapsing in a Mystery Dungeon, not on my watch." Gabite took a moment to Slash at an incoming Shellos, the pink slug bursting apart into motes. "Now why don't we go find those scarves?"

They went down sandbars surrounded by water, a shimmering false sun beating down on them. Rock formations loomed over them, watching their progress with indifference. A Shellder leapt from a shallow pool, Vulpix staggering at its ambush, but an Aura Sphere from Lucario took care of it.

A turn to the left led them right into a dead end. Navigating these mazes was ridiculous, they'd be wasting time trying to find the scarves. "We could split up," Lucario pointed out. "You go on your own, me and Vulpix go together. I can always find you again with my aura abilities."

Gabite scoffed, turning away from the dead end. "You kidding me? You never split the party in a dungeon. Forget about how easy it is to get lost once separated, you also become easier pickings for the dungeon's threats."

"I mean, this dungeon doesn't seem—"

"Dangerous?" Gabite dug his claw into his Treasure Bag. "Not at all, but that's no excuse to start a habit. Dungeon delvers work as a synchronized group to complement each other's strengths and to patch up their weaknesses, and that's a skill I've drilled into Togetic and Shaymin. If you two are going to be on this team, I expect the same, and that includes being ready to listen to your team leader at all times."

With that he tossed a seed out of the bag, Lucario catching it with care. A wise move, as this was a familiar red-yellowish spiky seed, shaped a little like a flame. Blast Seed.

"Gabite?" he asked. "Isn't this thing unsafe to—"

"Throw!"

At the same time Lucario spotted an Omanyte, the helix-shelled Pokemon inching forward on its little sky-blue tentacles. Without thinking he threw the seed, pitching it at the mollusk's face.

An explosive flare released itself from the seed with a resounding boom, engulfing the Omanyte whole. Prepared for the blast, Lucario and Vulpix still winced from the aftermath, the latter inching behind him and covering her ears. By the time the roar settled down and the smoke lifted, the Pokespawn's defeated wisps were already on the retreat, sand displaced where the Omanyte once stood.

Gabite nodded in approval. "Good reaction time. Another thing to note, items are always handy in a dungeon. Seeds, orbs, whatever it is that a dungeon can produce, it's good for you to know how to identify and use each one, and to stockpile them for when you're in a pinch."

"You don't say." Lucario kept glancing at the explosion site, a scowl forming on his face. "If I didn't catch that, you know, I could've been roasted."

"Nah, I know you can take it. Here, how about I toss a more harmless one at you?"

Gabite pulled out another seed, crescent-shaped and with purplish lines wrapping around as if to constrict itself. Lucario stiffened at the toothy grin that covered his face.

Detect activated, and he found himself stepping away as the seed flew past the bridge of his nose in slow motion. By the time the move's effect had worn off the seed had imploded against a rocky wall, Vulpix registering what happened with a grimace. "Stun Seed," Gabite explained. "It immobilizes anyone it hits for a long time, or until something hits the stunned Pokemon hard enough that he or she breaks out of it."

"What was that for?" Half-formed curses came to Lucario's lips, and he swallowed them back. "Who chucks magic seeds at their new teammates?"

"Consider it a learning experience, Lucario." Gabite's grin turned malicious. "Of all the items dungeons create, seeds are the ones people don't know the difference between, and what better way to learn than a trial by fire? Totter Seed."

An orange, yellow-striped seed curling into itself whizzed by the jackal's head, striking a Krabby behind him and popping. The Krabby began moving around in erratic circles, confused at where it was going and walking back the way it came. Lucario watched it all before turning back to Gabite with a start.

He had pulled out a rosy pink seed, and this time he was aiming at a wide-eyed Vulpix.

An Aura Sphere flew right as the seed left Gabite's claw, making the seed burst mid-air into pink, drowsy smoke. "And that one? Sleep Seed," the dragon-shark informed them. "Protective of Vulpix, aren't you?"

A grumble left Lucario's throat as he threw the amused Gabite a warning glare. Pelting him was one thing, but Vulpix? Absolutely not.

"Hey, I promise not to throw more seeds at her, okay? I'm not that kind of a person." Gabite went past Vulpix with a friendly smile, which only made her frown all the harder. Lucario caught her repeating the word 'Sleep Seed' under her breath while giving a wary glance at their team leader.

Ironic, that. Gabite's impish method of teaching them about seeds actually worked.

It didn't take long for the group to search the whole floor, finding nothing but water, sand, and Pokemon everywhere. Certain that this floor didn't have the scarves they were after, Gabite led them to where the staircase was. The stairway itself was immaculate, as if a barrier existed between the stone bricks and the sandy terrain surrounding it.

That was fixed as the trio dragged their dusty feet inside. As a stone covering slid over the entrance, a sudden gut feeling poked at Lucario's stomach.

His paw nimbly caught a seed with an orange eye pattern, and he threw it back at Gabite as darkness briefly settled in the stairway, the seed popping upon contact. The childish part of Lucario's sense of justice found immense satisfaction in watching Gabite cry out, rubbing his eyes like mad.

Light poured out at the bottom of the stairs, yet it didn't help as his foot stumbled. Soon he was tumbling, going all the way down until he bumped his head against the rising stone door.

Vulpix stared at the mess of limbs Gabite had become. "I can't see, great," he said, a claw blindly searching for where his Treasure Bag had fallen. "Blinker Seed."

It was impossible for Lucario to hold back a snicker. "Do that again, jerk," he said. "I dare you."

The phrases being simple enough for her to make sense of, Vulpix too gave in and allowed herself a tiny laugh, much to Gabite's humiliation. At last his claw made a purchase on the strap of his bag, the dragon-shark gingerly getting up and putting it over his shoulder.

"I suppose I deserved that," he said, managing a rueful smile. "Can't believe you actually caught that seed, Lucario. Color me impressed."

The effects of the Blinker Seed didn't last too long, and after regaining his vision Gabite led them onward without throwing any more seeds. The second floor was no more exciting than the first, with nothing to find other than a blue, crystal-shaped seed with a green vine wrapping around it, the item half-buried in the sand. Gabite cleaned it up before stuffing it in his bag, calling it a Warp Seed.

The third floor came soon enough, the lack of danger simultaneously soothing and irritating to Lucario. This dungeon was too easy! Be it ambushes from the water or small groups attacking at once, all the Pokemon here were still low-Leveled fodder, easy to destroy with one of his smaller Aura Spheres or even a few kicks. It almost cast the eerie nature of the dungeon in a ridiculous light.

It was almost like Gabite had chosen a task in Rocky Shores to help him and Vulpix get comfortable in the strangeness of these Mystery Dungeons. Which I appreciate, he thought, but it does make the fighting spirit in me boil.

"So what about her?"

Gabite gestured towards Vulpix, Lucario stiffening ever so slightly. "Sorry?" he said.

"You fight well. Lucario. You know the Pokespawn here can't touch you. But what about your kid?" Gabite stared at the sandy area ahead, a pair of Omanyte crawling out of a pond nearby. "I've yet to see her capabilities. Vulpix, how about it?"

Lucario opened his mouth, but surprisingly, Vulpix spoke for herself. "Them?" she said, watching the Omanyte and realizing what Gabite wanted. "A-alone?"

Gabite raised a brow, taking in her soft voice before smirking at Lucario. He nodded, and Vulpix turned to the jackal, her face betraying her anxiety, her dislike for combat. Her caution.

Her willingness to take on a challenge.

"S-sure."

She ran forward, huffing out and raining down Powder Snow at both Omanyte. Both shuddered and locked gazes with her, the blue mollusks curling up into their shells and rolling towards her. Vulpix leapt on a dime, tails tucking in to avoid being sandwiched by both Rollouts, and launched another spray of Powder Snow.

She winced when water splashed her face, turning to notice a blue Shellos surfacing from the pond and spraying Water Guns, which she froze in their tracks with defensive Powder Snows. Lucario watched on as she adjusted to facing three opponents at once, taking cover by keeping the two rolling Omanyte between her and the Shellos. Once he thought an Omanyte had glared at the slug Pokemon upon accidentally taking the brunt of its Water Gun.

Vulpix was weak, her Ice move ineffective against the Water-types, but they too were weak. A perfect encounter for her to test herself without fear. Soon her Powder Snow had halted one of the Omanyte entirely, its body breaking up into red-purplish wisps.

The kid had a knack for fighting. Perhaps the wristband helped? She'd done well against Weepinbell, and this fight was no more dangerous—

One of the Omanyte stopped its Rollout next to her, having had enough, and flung its tentacles. Vulpix yelped as it yanked her into a Bind, the kid kicking up sand as it restrained her paws and neck. It tugged at her fur, then clumsily latched onto her wristband, Lucario's brows shooting upwards. He shifted.

"Don't."

Only Gabite's stare kept him rooted. "She doesn't need help yet, you know that," he said. "Let her learn."

Lucario bit his tongue, watching a horrified Vulpix wrestle with the Omanyte over her wristband. Her eyes glowed, before faltering, her panic overriding her attempt to use Disable. Shellos gargled victoriously with a Water Gun ready, and dread touched Lucario's spirit. Gabite didn't understand! He couldn't let her band get tugged off—

His fears wandered elsewhere as Vulpix's tails, the one part of her body Omanyte neglected to restrain, swished back and forth in desperate circles. Shellos stopped its attack, narrowed eyes darting at the Tail Whip's motions, and even Omanyte's grip weakened.

It was enough for Vulpix to yank herself free and slap Omanyte aside with her tails, annoyance turning her follow-up Disable a dark blue. Omanyte locked up entirely, falling into its shell, and when Shellos snapped out of its trance to finally use Water Gun, Vulpix had gotten behind the Omanyte and thrown its shell up as a shield.

The attack made Omanyte rasp as it broke into red-purplish wisps, and Lucario let his heartbeat settle down as Vulpix bombarded Shellos with multiple concentrated Powder Snows.

The slug was soon gone as well, Gabite crossing his arms as she returned to them, slightly fazed. "A lot to be desired," he said, "but Vulpix's clever. Not too shabby for someone who hasn't fought much."

"And that's why I wasn't worried about her in the slightest," said Lucario. Gabite rolled his eyes, calling him a deadpan Shaymin before continuing the search for the scarves.

Vulpix and Lucario hung back a short distance, enough for the former to whisper into his ear. "Pokespawn are the worst," she said, before flattening her ears. "S-sorry for, uh— for scaring you like that."

"Had to happen once." Lucario sighed, giving her a weary thumbs-up. If the kid at least gained something from the experience, then she'd be all the safer for it. "Learn from your mistakes, yeah?"

Vulpix managed an exhausted smile. "Yeah."

With the third floor also devoid of scarves, Lucario began to wonder if they had missed the items and would need to repeat the dungeon over again. Gabite soon made the call to go to the fourth and final floor, the trio entering the staircase that would take them there.

Unlike Sapling Woods, the last floor of Rocky Shores was just as maze-like as the rest of the dungeon. The same old rocky formations surrounded them, with pools of water interrupting the monotony. Lucario barely had looked around when he saw them.

There they were. Two blue striped scarves.

In the grasp of a cotton-candy colored witch Pokemon, staring at a long, narrow stretch of water.

She was a pinkish figure around the same size as Vulpix. Her hair shaped itself into a comically large hat with a blue brim, a pink cone transitioning to white, and a crooked tip — A Hattrem. Instead of holding the scarves in her actual arms, she carried them using her two braided ponytails with blue, two-fingered bulbs at the end. "Excuse us?" Lucario said, and she looked over, as expressionless as could be. "We were looking for those scarves."

Hattrem raised her ponytails and the scarves they held. Water droplets fell from the fabric, as if they'd been half-submerged in water and pulled out not too long ago. "These?" she said, no tone to her voice.

Gabite stepped forward, pulling out his winged explorer emblem. "Team Heavendust, here to complete a job request," he stated, eyeing her with interest. "Say, we did a job request for a Hattrem the other day. Would you be her?"

The little witch blinked once. "You're the ones who helped Feebas out of Sapling Woods," she noted.

"Well, I mean, I didn't do much, it was these two that—"

"I know." Hattrem tossed the scarves over to Lucario and Vulpix, the jackal catching them before they fluttered into the sand and got all dirty. This was the same Hattrem Feebas had mentioned? Small world.

Well, they had the scarves now. "Thanks," said Lucario. "Oh, and really, Feebas helped us out too, taught me and Vulpix plenty about dungeons. Send her our thanks."

Before he could move, however, Gabite raised a claw. "One moment," he said, sounding every bit like a teacher about to lecture his students. "Hattrem, what are you doing in a dungeon to begin with? I don't know your strength, but this is no place to wander into for fun."

"I'm not alone." Hattrem turned back to the water stretch, her forehead creasing in concentration. "Still in the same spot? What's holding her up?"

Considering Hattrem's Psychic typing, Lucario guessed she was locating her partner, and maybe communicating with telepathy too. His aurasense popped up, and he scanned the waters before locating the aura of a fish Pokemon, floating somewhere beyond his sight. Somewhere past that long, narrow body of water and to the right.

And yet it looked like it was a dead end, with rocky walls enclosing the pool boundaries. "She swam up from here?" he asked, and Hattrem nodded. A hum came out of Lucario's throat as he stared out at the pool again, trying to see what he was missing.

Hattrem's partner was swimming back now. Her aura dove into the waters, then back up to surface level before turning, coming perpendicular with the narrow stretch of water. Lucario had a double-take as a brown fish with blue fins came from the right side of the dead end, her faraway figure appearing to emerge from the wall itself.

There must be another water stream there, and he simply couldn't see it from the beach. Interesting.

The brown fish swam their way, eyes going large as she noticed the group waiting for her. "Well, what do you know? More surprises," said Feebas once she came close, chilling in the water with a wide smile. "Nice to meet you again, Lucario, Vulpix, and Gabite. You two joined his explorer team?"

As expected, Hattrem's partner was Feebas. "That we have," said Lucario as he raised a paw in greeting, Vulpix copying him with a look of surprise. "You took up someone's advice to go into dungeons with a partner, huh?"

Feebas nodded and waved back before swimming to the water's edge. Hattrem was upon her in a moment, whispering something about not straying away for so long, and Feebas made a short apology.

All the while, Gabite had been staring out at the waters. "It doesn't look like it, but there's a very tight passageway where the pool appears to end," he stated with narrowed eyes and a face full of awe. "Might be something weird with how the dungeon creates its maze-like floors."

"Oh, no, it's more than that." Feebas rose her head, a sheen on her worn-looking scales. "It leads to what looks like another dead end, but underneath the water, there's this hole that carves through the rock walls."

Gabite whipped his tail around in no time flat. "What?" he yelled.

Lucario couldn't help but express surprise too. An underwater passage that went straight through the walls, hidden in a part of the water almost no one would come across? Why would a dungeon make such a wayward path?

"I wasn't done." Lucario held in his breath as Feebas spread out her fins, radiating with excitement. "At the end of that passageway? It leads to a small tropical island surrounded by water and rocky walls. There's a stone pillar there with an etching of some weird creature."

Only now did Hattrem show a hint of a reaction. "Let me see."

Feebas consented, dipping her head. Hattrem stared at her with great focus, her eyes bulging as she read her mind. "Curious," she said, caressing her cheek. Her ponytail gestured toward Lucario, Vulpix, and Gabite. "Perhaps one of you might know what it means?"

She didn't wait for an answer, a faint feeling of psychic force dipping into Lucario's head. It was there for such a tiny amount of time, but the image that came with it stayed imprinted into his thoughts.

There it was, a mound-shaped island surrounded by water, which in turn was surrounded by walls of brown, slippery rock formations. The island itself was vibrant, a little oasis covered in grass and tacky palm trees that bore some exotic-looking fruits. Were they edible? He couldn't tell for sure.

None of that mattered compared to the stone pillar at the center, however, touched by rays of dungeon sunlight that gave it a wondrous air. The top was flat and looked like something was meant to be placed there, while the sides were chiseled with lines and squiggles. In particular, the front-facing side beheld a carved image of a beastly flying creature, each of its wings large enough to cover the rest of its body.

"What in Haven Archipelago?" Gabite murmured. "I didn't know there was a secret area within Rocky Shores."

His eyes fell upon Feebas and Hattrem, both giving him expectant looks. "No idea what that pillar means, or what Pokemon is carved into it," he told them. "But this is interesting. Dungeons can hold all sorts of secrets within their confines, and this seems like one of them. Plus, considering how young this dungeon is, you may be the first to discover it."

Feebas made an intrigued noise. "And to think I was just checking out the layout of the water pools," she said, her smile sheepish. "Didn't think I would find a full blown secret."

Lucario hummed, looking back at the image Hattrem had sent into his mind. The flying creature caught his interest again — he couldn't quite place it, but something about it made his heart stir, made his paw curl. Why?

He turned to Vulpix, saw her frozen look, and realized.

That creature had a shape similar to the large winged Pokemon he'd seen before the shipwreck. Same scaly bird head, same wingspan. It couldn't be, yet it was.

That was one of the two Pokemon who fought each other at sea.

And Vulpix recognizes it? Lucario shot her an arched eye, but she didn't respond, forcing herself to put on a neutral expression. He could feel undercurrents of her bewilderment, however, reaching him even with his aura inactive. A bit of irritation too.

Hattrem must've sensed it too, for she clutched her forehead with a grunt. "Excuse me, strong emotions like that hurt," she growled at Vulpix, raising a fist-like ponytail bulb when she blanked out. "You know?"

Simple enough words for Vulpix to understand. "What?" said Gabite as he swung over, the attention making her shrink into herself. "You two know something?"

Hattrem's sensitivity to emotions for the win. Lucario stepped in front of Vulpix, saving her from the need to talk. Now, how to put this?

"The Pokemon looks familiar, that's all," he said aloud. "Might've seen something like it before, but we're as clueless as the rest of you." Gabite's eyes drilled into his forehead and a nervous Vulpix's, looking for something more, but Lucario didn't mind. Why should he? He wasn't telling a lie.

Their team leader relaxed after a handful of seconds, scratching his forehead. "If you say so," he said. "Look, I sure don't know what this 'mon is, but I'll bet my other teammates could. Togetic knows most kinds of Pokemon and their powers, and anything she doesn't recognize, Shaymin should know. Try out a library in the meanwhile, there's bound to be something."

As Feebas and Hattrem nodded, Lucario returned to a pondering Vulpix. He never told the kid more than what the Pokemon was shaped like, yet she was quick to match it to the etching on the pillar. More than that, she had an idea of what that Pokemon was.

First the article on the bulletin board, now an etching on a hidden pillar. Lucario shook his head. She's been mulling over this for a while, hasn't she? She recognizes the Pokemon, but she doesn't know what species it is.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but we're gonna get back to exploring the rest of the dungeon floor," said Feebas. "Um, if you don't mind—"

"Course I'll check if anyone else's seen this hidden area," Gabite agreed. "Stay safe, you two."

Hattrem blinked. "The Pokespawn here are a joke."

On that absolute truth, the twosome left the area. Hattrem used her ponytails as legs as she moved onward, while Feebas hopped onto the sand and followed. Gabite watched them go around a bend before stretching his arms out, bag dangling along.

"You two aren't the worst at masking your thoughts, I'll give you that." He turned on Lucario and Vulpix, his tone stiff. "Alright, start talking. What's with the pillar?"

Lucario batted an eye. What was he talking about? "It's as I said, I really don't know more," he said.

"You don't, but she does." Vulpix tensed as Gabite's sharp eyes fell on her. "I know you have a mouth, young lady. What are you keeping to yourself? Or does Lucario always talk on your behalf?"

Oh, that, Vulpix having some clue as to what the Pokemon on the pillar was. Lucario didn't see a problem with Gabite knowing about it, if not for one thing: Vulpix could barely explain whatever she knew in the Pokemon language. "You know she's a shy one," he reminded him. "I'll ask her later."

"Shy." A dour look crossed the dragon-shark's face. "Lucario, this may be pivotal information I need to hear. What, can your kid not speak or something?"

Lucario grimaced at the word choice. Vulpix stood there, nervous and lost, as he and Gabite stared each other down. In the dungeon, the lack of lapping waves was almost deafening.

Gabite shook his head. "We're talking about Vulpix, yet she's hardly listening. Why is that?"

The random comment threw Lucario off, his tail twitching ever so slightly. What?

"See her eyes? They're glazing over. She was like this with Feebas and Hattrem too, you know that? It's like she hardly gets what anyone's telling her."

Vulpix blinked, Lucario noticing her struggle to piece together what Gabite said about her. Poor attention span, caused by her inability to understand half of what we say, he realized, the jackal grabbing his paw to avoid facepalming himself with it. Gabite noticed that? Darn it, now wasn't the time for this, not when Vulpix couldn't speak in her defense.

"Any reason for that, Vulpix?" Irrationality laced Gabite's voice as he glowered at the vixen, whose tails curled into feverish knots. "Quit the daydreaming and spit it out. The pillar, you know something about it. What is it?"

Vulpix shut her eyes. "I—"

"Gabite," warned Lucario.

"Or can you not talk? Is there something I should know—"

"I-I don't know!"

Vulpix's outburst stilled Gabite. The vixen trembled, slinking behind Lucario for comfort. A wind of silence blew past, ruffling her hair.

"I don't know," she slowly repeated. "I-I'm not, uh, s-sure."

Choppy as her words were, her limited vocabulary was just enough. Lucario inwardly sighed, Gabite stirring as he tapped a foot at him.

"Blast, I'm being stupid, aren't I?" Gabite pressed a claw against his forehead, chiding himself. "Sorry about that, I shouldn't nitpick on Vulpix. Thing is, I get riled up when there's a possible clue to a mystery dangling out of reach, and I might still be a little peeved with her joining the team."

Lucario glared.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The dragon-shark occupied himself with his Treasure Bag for a while. "You'll tell me if she has something to share about the pillar, right?"

Bah, he could overlook this one incident, just the one time. "Just don't do that again."

A nod. Gabite gestured to Lucario and Vulpix, and they continued on, in search of the stairs. "Do you know anything?" whispered Lucario to Vulpix. "That Pokemon, on the pillar? Do you know it?"

The Ice-type swept her eyes back to the narrow pool one last time. "I, uh, might? Maybe?" Before Lucario could open his lips, she hastened to repeat the word in Vulpix-speak. "M-maybe."

The last flight of stairs awaited them in an area not far from here. The group went through, leaving the Mystery Dungeon as they ended up in a cavern-like area identical to Rocky Shores's entrance. The noontime sun greeted them outside, Lucario comforted by its not-so-eerie rays of sunlight, along with the very sign that warned Pokemon of the dungeon. They had gone in a complete loop.

Space doesn't make sense in dungeons, he thought to himself, raising the scarves in his paws. A speck of dust covered one of them, and he wiped it away.

Gabite snatched the scarves from him right after. Pulling out the winged explorer emblem, he pushed a few buttons and did a quick scan of the scarves before stuffing everything back into the bag. "That'll show the Explorer Board this task is done," he said. "Now it's just a matter of giving the scarves to their staff so the client can pick them up. Simple enough, isn't it?"

It sure was. Lucario glanced back at the Mystery Dungeon they just left, taking notice of some fresh imprints in the sand. One of them looked like two-fingered bulbous feet, the other like someone had been hopping from spot to spot.

A Mystery Dungeon, locked inside of a cavern. To think such an anomaly could fit itself in there, twisting reality into floors of mazes filled with magic items and Pokespawn, it was jarring. He was coming to terms with the weirdness of dungeons, but still, it was hard to ignore how wrong those places felt.

"I just don't get why these things exist," he muttered. "Where do they come from?"

Gabite's face shifted. "That," he said, "is a question all explorers wonder about. Where do they come from? No one on this archipelago knows, or if they do, then no one's telling us about it. They just spawn from out of nowhere, transforming the land they consume into strange mazes, adapting to the local environment and gaining their own themes and properties. If I didn't know better, I'd say these dungeons are alive, alive as the rest of us Pokemon."

A chuckle. "But for all their dangers, Haven Archipelago wouldn't be the same without them. Why do these things exist? No one asks that question, because we don't need to. They are simply part of our ecosystem — for the harm they cause, they make up for it with the riches and wonders they can hold. Some make coveted things like Elemental Gems or evolutionary items, or transport you over vast distances, or hold even more interesting secrets."

"Like the one Feebas found?" Lucario asked.

"Exactly, exactly!" A yelp left Lucario's throat as Gabite shook his shoulders, a manic grin plastered on his face. "Just what could it mean? Is it the key to something grander? Why is it that your kid might know something about it that I don't, blast it?"

He gave a quick glance at Vulpix. The kid wisely put her tails in front of her, frowning at the change in behavior.

Gabite just laughed it off, letting go of an unamused Lucario. "As a little Gible," he continued, "my interest had always been in Mystery Dungeons. The thrill of exploration, the giddiness of finding a nifty treasure, the thirst for a challenge, it all spoke to me."

His gaze searched for the stars hidden in the midday sky. "I may be content here, doing jobs to help out the locality, but someday I want to conquer each and every last one of these dungeons — to delve through the most mysterious and dangerous of them, combing through all of their secrets, and to discover the source of these spatial anomalies. I want to know what makes them tick. It might be a silly dream, but that's my dream."

Hearing Gabite's words left Lucario with a bundle of bittersweet emotions. A dream. His trainer Adam had one of those too, one he shared with his Pokemon teammates.

Take home the title of Pokemon Champion, the strongest of all trainers. Dang, did that dream decide to take a rain check, thought Lucario with dark mirth. A very long rain check — even if I got back by some miracle, I'd have to start over with another trainer, and I don't know if it's worth going back in the first place.

Vulpix was lying in the sand, tails swishing in tandem with the tide. I certainly can't leave without her, he told himself.

"That reminds me." Lucario snapped out of his thoughts as Gabite put on a curious face. "Ever since we met, there's been this burning question in my mind. Have you ever tried to see the aura of a Pokespawn?"

Lucario's first thought was of the Petilil he tested his aurasense on in Sapling Woods. No, those husks had no aura, but there was something else to be found in them, an energy that he couldn't identify. Whatever that energy was, however, it took the form of those red-purplish wisps, and something else was linked to that energy. The aura of some powerful entity? Some kind of energy source? He didn't know.

He mentioned it all to Gabite, who silently drank in the information. Only when he finished did he stir, tapping his forehead as he reviewed what he'd been told.

"Fascinating," he said. "More or less what I expected, but still quite fascinating, and something to think about. You have my thanks."

Lucario shrugged it off, looking away. His eyes fell upon the sea, from the splish-splash of the tide, to the black human-warding monolith standing proud in the far distance. The shimmering distortion field painted the background, its enchanting sky-ripples wavering throughout the horizon. In a way, there was something fantastical about the scene, driving home the idea that Haven Archipelago was no ordinary place. Certainly no place for humans, anyway.

A sigh left his maw as he glanced at Vulpix. He wanted to know Gabite's opinion. Should he ask? Could he? No harm in trying, this wasn't quite the same as asking about Abhorrents. Yet, was it wise to bring it up?

"You ever wonder what's beyond those odd sea towers and that screen thingy?" he blurted.

Gabite's expression was incredulous. "You don't know?"

"Er, maybe I've heard a thing or two?"

A silence hung in the air for a few moments. "Figures, the wild's not the best place to learn about the wider world," said Gabite. "You really did live under a rock your whole life, didn't you? That screen thingy is a distortion field surrounding the archipelago, and the sea towers are there to protect us from the outside world. From humans."

Lucario could see and feel it from Gabite — fear, unmasked and wild, making his very essence shudder. His eyes seemed to lose their intelligence for one moment. "Picture this, a creature similar to a Machoke or a Sawk or any other Pokemon with similar builds. Humans look like that, with tall, lanky forms covered in clothing, and hair growing out of their heads. Probably not that scary-sounding, if not for the freaking fact that they're everywhere outside of the archipelago."

"Humans? I recognize that name." Lucario made himself sound interested, careful not to betray any inner emotions. Not the time to slip up that he knew more than he was letting on. "What do you mean they're everywhere, though? Is that a problem?"

Gabite's snarl came out as more of a whimper. "They're Pokemon enslavers."

Oh. Boy.

"There's not much we people of Haven Archipelago know about those outsiders, but what we all know is there isn't a place out there that they don't rule. There's Pokemon too, to be sure, but they're subjugated to the whims of humans, forced to obey their orders." Sweat glistened in the scales covering Gabite's back. "We're the only ones safe from their strange capturing capsules and whatever magic powers they have."

Reminders of Ariados's intent to kill Vulpix went in and out of Lucario's thoughts. Should he be surprised that Gabite's beliefs on humans weren't much better? Not only did Pokemon on this archipelago know little about humans, what little knowledge they did have was enough to make them assume they were enemies. Or at least, it made people like Ariados and Gabite deathly frightened of them.

A shame. He was hoping Team Heavendust's leader would have a more open-minded viewpoint, akin to Kecleon's, but it was clear letting him in on Vulpix's true identity would be a cardinal mistake. "They're worse than Abhorrents?" he said.

Gabite growled. "Those scum, they already make me go crazy enough as it is. If I found a human slipping in here? I'd be beyond terrified, Lucario."

"Yikes." Lucario's eyes drifted to the side before expanding with a jolt. "Um, tall, lanky, and with lots of clothes, right?"

His shaky tone made Gabite stand up straight, his face turned into one of horror. All sense of rationality disappeared as he threw his head in every direction. At the same time, his stance morphed into one ready for the most dangerous fight of his life.

"WHAT?" he screamed. "WHERE? WHERE'S THE HUMAN?"

His panicky, almost animalistic voice made Vulpix leap out of her thoughts and into the air. Seeing what had become of Gabite, the vixen frantically searched too, without a clue as to what to look for.

It took a moment before both of them noticed the cackles roaring out of Lucario's mouth. The jackal had to curl up on his stomach, wheezing out laugh after laugh while tears ran down his face. His paws gripped a pile of sand, crushing it into a makeshift ball. Was this one little joke going to cost him?

"Lucario!" Gabite yelled.

Of course it would. Was he pleased with himself?

"You really are beyond terrified of them, huh?" he said in between wheezes.

Yes, he kind of was.

It took many dodges from Gabite's agitated swipes, not to mention an interrogative look from a Vulpix who'd just been minding her own business, before things calmed down. The leader of Team Heavendust soon brought himself into a sitting position, claws folded over his laboring chest. A scowl strained his face.

"Not funny," he said through clenched, blade-like teeth.

"I might still be a teeny bit annoyed with you nitpicking on you-know-who." Lucario had one last laugh as he sat down too, just out of Gabite's reach. "Come on, they can't be all that bad. You said it yourself, we don't know that much about these humans."

Gabite fervently shook his head. "You don't understand," he said, watching the sea as if to make sure a real human hadn't washed up on the shores. He failed to notice the one right beside Lucario. "Haven Archipelago's the only place where you can find any semblance of a Pokemon civilization. Everywhere else, Pokemon are savages, subdued and tamed by humans for their own agendas.

"The one thing that protects us from their domination is the ancient magic protections we see in front of us, Lucario and Vulpix." The vixen raised her head as Gabite gestured to the grand black tower and the ripples in the horizon. "Together, the circle of towers around Haven Archipelago create a strange force, diverting humans away and preventing them from getting past. The distortion field serves as an additional protection, bending space just like Mystery Dungeons do."

That made Lucario's heart skip a beat. "Wait," he said, trying to process the meaning of this. "Like Mystery Dungeons? Are you telling me—"

Gabite silenced him with a raise of his claw. "I know, it's a mouthful to swallow," he said. "Thanks to the field, not only is Haven Archipelago invisible to outsiders, there's only a select area in the ocean where they could stumble across this place. Move too many yards to the side, and you'd entirely bypass us without even knowing."

Oh. Oh goodness, the whole dang place was in a space anomaly of its own. We're even luckier than I thought, Lucario realized with a start.

For if Gabite was right, that meant there was only a tiny space outside that'd allow him and Vulpix to get through the distortion field. Moreover, wouldn't the exact spot from which they entered also affect where they appeared inside the archipelago? Move a few feet, and they might have washed ashore on an entirely different island.

Even without the towers, their survival was a miracle from the very beginning. Not only was it impossible for humans to get in, it was nigh-impossible for a Pokemon too. Not unless they knew exactly where to look, and in a vast ocean, who would know? Only someone who was exiting the archipelago's pocket dimension for a short period of time, like those two Pokemon who appeared out of nowhere and caused the shipwreck — assuming they were natives of this crazy world.

Insult to injury, huh? Lucario yet again found himself watching the sea churn on itself, waves tickling the black tower that stood against the wear and tear of the waters. His eyes went further, fixed on the hypnotic shimmer reflected by the distortion field's screen. As if I wasn't already aware that my old teammates can't be here, now I really have no reason to think anyone else from the shipwreck did.

With the warding towers to steer humans and their vessels away, and with the distortion field in play, considering it was pointless. Nobody was here. Nobody from his world could've ever come here.

It was just him and the human. Alone.

The sobering thought left him despondent. Vulpix noticed his mood and stared out too, tails drooping and her face stuck in a faux calm.

Torterra, Lanturn, Banette, Duosion, and Dragonair — Adam was doomed to die, but why couldn't one of them survive? He wished at least one of them had come with him. It'd been comforting to have Torterra's wisdom at his side, or Lanturn's bubbly personality, or Duosion's insatiable need to understand the world around him, or Dragonair's sheer bravado. Even Banette's grim, cynical attitude would do.

And Adam, with his confident grin and carefree way of thinking, he could use that. He could use company. Someone who could share his pain.

But I already have that.

He quietly eyed Eira the Vulpix, a human girl in disguise with a resolute heart behind her timid self. I lost those I cared for, and found someone else to care for in their place.

Such was fate. It touched everyone, and it surprised everyone. And it had bound them together. Was I brought to this archipelago for Eira's sake? he wondered. Or is it the other way around?

"Lucario? Hey, get out of that funk of yours, what's with you and Vulpix looking so out of it?"

The jackal snapped his head, Gabite standing over him. "Huh?" he said.

Vulpix took notice of their team leader too. "You were all sad looking for a whole minute, it was making me worried," stated Gabite. "What kind of awful memories were you two reflecting on?"

Lucario turned to Vulpix, and she backed off with a don't-pull-me-into-this look. Now that he thought of it, Gabite reminded him of Duosion. Sharp mind, and just as curious. Nosy too — he asked too many questions.

Gabite arched a gleaming eye as Lucario kept his silence. "Yeah, fine, personal matter or whatever," he huffed, showing a tinge of Torterra's grumpy side. Maybe a little of Banette's indifference too? "We should go back now, I think we've stuck around long enough."

He began walking off, headed the way they took to come here. Lucario watched him go, trying hard not to compare his gait to Torterra's when the tortoise Pokemon was taking a casual stroll. Memories, he huffed, bringing himself to walk when Vulpix's motionless body gave him pause.

She was currently in the middle of a staring contest with the ocean tower. She wasn't doing well, seeing how her eyes kept wavering and moving to the side before fixing themselves. "The tower," she told him once she gave up, "I can't— when I look at it, my head feels all tingly. Like it wants me to ignore it?"

The tower's magic must have quite a reach to do that. "Weird," Lucario said.

"Weird," she agreed, glancing between him and the tower. Lucario caught Gabite staring at them from afar before moving on, even slower than before.

Vulpix knew plenty of words to talk if necessary, yes, but she was still not ready to get into full conversations. If today was anything to judge by, he needed to speed the learning process up. She needed to be able to understand everything a Pokemon said as soon as possible, and be able to respond. How would he do that?

He mulled over it as he took one last look at the cavern where Rocky Shores lay, scoffing at the exact words printed upon the nearby warning sign. "Rocky Shores Mystery Dungeon, beware if you value your life and sanity," he read with a roll of his eyes.

Vulpix's ears pricked at his words. "Dramatic, I know," he told her. "You reading this, kid? Even you could get through that joke of a dungeon—"

His words died as something struck him. His gaze went to the signboard, with its over-the-top warning, then back to Vulpix. Then to the signboard, then to Vulpix. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Vulpix could read that, and he could translate that into Pokemon speak.

"L-Lucario?" Vulpix asked, unsettled by the shining grin creeping up his face. "Why— w-what's gotten into you now?"

The jackal just chuckled. Perfect.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 8 — Fox Fledgling

As an avid reader, Eira the Vulpix approved of the cottage attic.

With boxes of junk neatly shoved to one side, the rest of the space was dedicated to an assembly of bookshelves, tomes and books competing for space. Gabite was around at this hour, lounging on a chair in such a way that his back fin and tail rested on the armrest. His eyes stayed glued to the book he somehow propped up with a digitless claw, but Vulpix could've sworn his pupils dilated upon noticing her and Lucario's presence.

Lucario muttered something about getting a few books, and he waved them onward. Folk stories, a guide to Pokemon types, some history on a 'Tumbledust Island', and for some reason a Physics textbook were amongst the many books Vulpix found.

Apparently Pokemon here had an interest in fiction too, judging from a few shelves filled with fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi stories. She grabbed one, thankful her quadrupled form was gifted with six handy tails, before spotting something very important upon another shelf. A general book on Legendaries and Mythicals?

Need that. She swiped it within seconds.

Lucario had two other books of his own, his eyes narrowed on a third on the shelves. Disgust flooded Vulpix upon seeing the cursed title — oh, the horror. The Physics book was one problem, but was that a second-rate romance novel?

The dragon-shark defended himself with a "Ga Gabite" when questioned by Lucario for his tastes. Something about it being better than it looks, Vulpix thought he said as she climbed back down the stairs, careful not to drop her books. She could've sworn Gabite was watching her with those glaring, scrutinizing eyes of his, but she didn't dare confirm it.

Their team leader was weird. And scary. And probably going to find out what she was and go berserk on her. Didn't Lucario say when Gabite freaked out at the beach, it was because he made him believe a human was around?

Which reminded her. Lucario had an awful sense of humor.

So much goes on around me and I can't tell because of the language, she drawled to herself as she and her guardian moved past the living room, down the hall, and into their sleeping quarters. Dropping their books haphazardly onto the floor, Vulpix couldn't help but look at them with wonder. Is that why Lucario wanted us to get these books?

It was a saving grace that Haven Archipelago and its dungeons used an Unown-script closely resembling the human letters of Alph, allowing her to read. Tracing her paw over the title of the fantasy book she picked up, Vulpix voiced the words out in her native language, an ear perking when Lucario did the same.

In his own tongue.

The words far more compact, yet clearly matching hers.

They could both read this. She knew the words in Alph, and he could translate them into Pokemon speech.

Her wristband made it simple to translate between languages once she knew what the words were in Pokemon speech, and reading would make it doubly easy.

"Oh." Vulpix stared out at the ceiling rafters, seeing where this was going. Her lips took their time curving upwards into a ecstatic, wide smile, tails wagging with increasing intensity.

Her paws shot toward the book, removing it from the pile and flipping right to the beginning in record time, and pleading was all one could find in her sparkling blue eyes. Lucario laughed at her enthusiasm, tracing the words with a digit while reading aloud.

She followed along, matching the words to his voice, having him pause every once in a while to make sure she recognized certain phrases. The learning exercise was, to put it one way, super-effective — soon she was asking less about the words and paying more attention to what Lucario said, matching the compact, subtle sounds of the Pokemon language to the sentences of the book. She began to actually listen to the story for what it was, a story, and not just an improvised dictionary.

Not only was this better than Lucario teaching the words by himself, it was far more engrossing too. Time flew past, the duo going through chapters with increasing speed until the night snuck up on them. "Hey," Vulpix blurted in Pokemon speech when her guardian suddenly shut the book. "We can't stop there."

Lucario set aside the book, dreadlock feelers shaking. "That's more than enough for now, kid. Later."

Vulpix blinked, her face a blank canvas, and Lucario displayed a triumphant grin. "I take it this worked well? You look weir**d out."

At some point, the words must've started clicking. Vulpix simultaneously heard his words in Lucario-speak and its translation — however, it seemed anything her wristband had trouble deciphering would be translated into a garbled, foggy word.

It wasn't hard to infer the meanings though. "W-weirded," said Vulpix, tasting the new word. Her speech sounded less alien than before. "I-I didn't think, uh, I could learn, uh, this fast."

A small frown curled her lips at the stammered, verbose 'V-vul, vul, pix' she used. "Trouble with long sentences still," Lucario noted. "But you understand plenty."

No foggy words there. "I-I do. I understand."

Vulpix shook off the lightheadedness she felt, sheer delight creeping over in its place. Embarrassment couldn't stop her as she pranced in front of Lucario like a giddy little kid. True, she needed much more practice for proficiency, but right now she couldn't help but bask in the moment.

She could begin to communicate with Pokemon. Pokemon!

A whole new realm was open to her. To be able to talk with such enchanted creatures — to be one herself! Eira had always thought of what it'd be like as an Alolan Vulpix, but to be her favorite Pokemon, complete with icy powers and six beautiful fluffy tails, it was simply incredible.

But soon enough her rush of joy faded, and Eira the Vulpix returned to reality. Nothing changed the fact this archipelago was out for her. Nor did it change the fact that the shipwreck happened. Mother was still gone.

And her absence pained her. She would've been amazed to see me like this.

Thoughts of longing flowed through her mind, but Vulpix kept her face neutral, unwilling to bother the kind Lucario who'd helped her. It was silly to bother, though — the jackal easily saw past her mask, perhaps because he wore a matching one. "You wish she was here," he said in a low voice.

The river of thoughts diverted. "I-I do," Vulpix said, words freefalling out of her mouth. "She— Mother was my one and only friend. No matter where we were, or what I was facing, she was there for me. We cooked together, we traveled together, we did everything together. It feels so wrong to not have her around."

A pained smile creased her face. "She was a novelist. She had a few stories published, and a few manuscripts she was working on, but—"

A strange sensation of silence pressed against her, Lucario cringing at the words he didn't seem to want her to speak. All those novels, never to see the light of day.

It seemed her guardian was quite fond of stories. "Did Adam, er, read to you?"

The jackal nodded, taking her words as an excuse to talk himself. "Adam was a nice kid," he said. "I've had other tr**n*rs, but he got me to evolv* for a reason. He knew how to lead me and the others — he saw us as partners, tried to bring the best out of us. I wouldn't be the f*gh**r I am without him."

A few garbled words there, but the point came across. "I miss him," murmured Lucario. "Now you're my tra*ner, aren't you?"

Her? His Pokemon Trainer? Vulpix tried to protest this, state she could never be such a thing, but the words stayed lodged in her throat. "Oh, it's good to have you understand," said Lucario, giving his best impression of a butler. "How may I serv* you, young Eira?"

Seconds passed before he fell into a wheezing fit, warding off the melancholy in the room, and Vulpix found the corners of her lips lifting. It was a strange form of solace, having the Lucario at her side. Something to keep her going. Mother would've preferred that she kept moving forward, instead of how she'd been when—

Father. Vulpix nipped her lip at the word. It wasn't often that she thought of him. She didn't like to.

Even the disaster that took Mother couldn't hold a candle to what took him.

Her eyes went astray as they fell over the pile of books. Instantly they targeted a specific book, the one on Legendaries and Mythicals, and urgency possessed her. Time to finish something.

She pounced on the book and slammed the front flap open. "Uh, kid?" asked Lucario.

Vulpix held up a paw as she went through the first pages, pleased to find a table of contents. First she'd been haunted by an article with rumors of a large flying creature, then taunted by a pillar with an etching of a winged Pokemon — the one Lucario described when he mentioned how the shipwreck happened. Goodness, who was that creature again? She knew what it was, but the name kept eluding her!

Bent on finding an answer she'd been searching for all day, she skimmed the table of contents, waiting for something to pop out to her. Latios? No, that was one of those Eon twins from Hoenn. Zapdos? Wrong storm bird, though come to think of it, the Pokemon she wanted was its master. Ho-Oh? Almost there, but that was the rainbow one said to give eternal happiness, not its twin opposite—

Gravity pushed down Vulpix's paw as she found the name, then the provided page number. She flipped through the book, pages flying, until she was face to face with an image of a white scaly beast rising out of the ocean, back covered in blue plated protrusions and accompanied by a stormy backdrop. Foreign spite arose within her at the sight of it, scattering waves with gigantic wings shaped like hands, but she ignored it in favor of satisfaction.

Here it was, the creature lurking in the back of her mind, and its name? "Lugia," she declared.

Lucario barely heard her, eyes glued to the image. His paw curled into a fist, briefly ignited with flames of aura before he forced himself to calm down. "Lugia," he repeated, scowling at the accompanying text. "That Pokemon caused the storm? A Lugia?"

So that was how its name was said in Pokemon speech. "Lugia," she repeated, tails bending to an imaginary breeze. Thunder and a torrential downpour flooded her ears.

The Legendary was known for its immense power, able to conjure terrible winds and storms with even an accidental flap of its wing, and dispel them too. Had it intended to cause the storm that rocked their ship? Was it forced to create it by the Pokemon it was fighting, or was that other Pokemon trying to stop it? If not for that storm, maybe the ship's crew would have a chance to notice the two battlers and steer clear of them.

But that's wishful thinking, Eira, her inner voice reminded her.

A sudden knock rattled the door, interrupting the moment. Vulpix assumed it was Gabite calling them for a dinner of berries and a meaty stew, but Lucario opening the door revealed not only the dragon-shark, but Togetic hovering a distance away too. Standing nearby was Land Forme Shaymin — wasn't that the term for her grounded hedgehog form? Why was everyone here anyway?

"Excuse us," said Togetic. "Gabite said you, Feebas, and her friend Hattrem found a strange pil*ar at Rocky Shores? We're looking for a book."

Vulpix's gaze returned to the book lying beside her, Lugia's image shown in all its majesty. Oh.

Gabite and Togetic peered past Lucario, seeing where her gaze went. "What in—" the dragon-shark began, Vulpix crawling away as he strode over. "That's the figure on the pillar, isn't it? Lugia?"

Shaymin's face went wide with realization as she came inside too, much to Lucario's disgruntlement. "Lugia, that's what it's called!" she exclaimed, leaping onto the book. "Told you I knew, I just needed its name."

"About that." Gabite glared at Vulpix with soul-piercing eyes. "Guess who also knew?"

Never had Vulpix felt so uncomfortable. Her tails fanned out, masking her face as Shaymin also stared, albeit with growing excitement and wonder. "Yo, I was wondering why she paid attention to that silly art*c*e!" she said, smirking when Gabite jerked his head over. "What, your sharp eyes failed to catch that? She saw the ru**r on the bu*let*n board and must have linked it to the storm, and later to that pillar thing."

Another coal to the fire. Gabite was glaring harder now, and at once Vulpix wished to be invisible, to be anywhere but here. Did Shaymin have to say that? Shy or not shy, a human in the guise of a Pokemon could do without all this attention!

Togetic was still floating outside the room out of courtesy, and only when Lucario waved her over did she enter, scanning the book. "The storm was caused by a wand*ring Legendary," Gabite said in a low, muddled voice.

Shaymin nodded. "Yep. That freak storm from earlier? A Lugia did that. It must've placed the pillar inside Rocky Shores too, using its magic."

"It's a special power the greater Leg*end**ies have," Togetic jumped in, seeing the confusion on everyone's faces. "Or so Shaymin tells me. They're able to twist and *l**r Mystery Dungeons."

"Only to some ext*nt. Lugia must've used it to make a secret path to this pillar thing, but I'm not sure why or when. It could've always been there for all we know." Shaymin's face hardened as she said this. "Don't know why Lugia caused that storm either, come to think of it. Why would one of those good for nothing Legend*ries show its face here of all times?"

The question hung in the air, a new mystery for the group to piece together. "Well, if anything, Br*ix*n's going to flip that a months-old dungeon so close to home has something like this, once he and his team get back from their latest adventure," said Gabite.

His eyes fell again upon Vulpix, scrutinizing as ever. "I never knew anything about a Lugia," he remarked, before letting a smirk slide over his face. "You're something else, aren't you?"

Was that praise? Vulpix raised a brow as he departed from the room, his smirk growing all the while. This whole time she was sure he'd question where she learned about Lugia, but instead he praised her.

And Gabite wasn't the only one. "What he said!" Shaymin declared, Vulpix scampering back when the little hedgehog thrust her snout at her. "You were like me, knowing everything but the actual name! You like to read up about Legendaries, Vulpix? How many do you know about?"

Togetic had to block the perky Shaymin from coming closer. "She needs space," she whispered, before looking over her shoulder to beam at Vulpix. "What a bright young lady you are, sweetie. I think we made a good decision to let you and Lucario stay."

Her honeyed, tender words and Shaymin's admiration of her left Vulpix blushing. She had every reason to distance herself — no one would speak so kindly of her if they figured out she was human —yet she couldn't help but warm up to the duo. She should respond, shouldn't she?

Her paw dug into the lines in the floorboards as she tried to smile. "T-thank you?"

Shaymin twitched even before Lucario and Togetic could react to the sound of Vulpix's hushed voice, as if the Mythical had been lightly shoved. Her back rustled and shimmered, and at once pink flowers resembling her Gracidea bloomed, a vibrant contrast to her green fur.

Charmed by the prettiness, a little gasp left Vulpix's mouth, while Lucario wore a curious look. "Oh, these things, they go off when I'm in a good mood," said Shaymin with a chuckle. "Easy on the gratitude, Vulpix, I didn't say much."

Shaymin senses gratitude. The Ice-type fidgeted, recalling what Lucario said about the Mythical. How could she forget?

"Relax, it doesn't hurt." The hedgehog peered at Lucario. "Togetic's right, you two are cool. You don't mind me taking that book along? Gonna make sure my know-how on Legendaries isn't slipping."

Lucario threw Vulpix an asking look, and she meekly gestured it was okay, allowing Togetic to grab it for Shaymin's convenience. "Learning a Lugia's around on your first day," she said with a friendly smile. "My, you're both off to quite a start."

The door went shut as she and Shaymin left, and a cold sigh of relief left Vulpix's lips. That whole ordeal was nerve-wracking, and her head spun from all the translating. Pokemon words sounded so much clearer, but her understanding was far from perfect.

And she wasn't that confident with her speaking skills either. Vulpix got to picking up the remaining pile of books, neatly stacking them, when Lucario called her out. "It wouldn't hurt to talk more," he said.

Her excuse was poor, yet she held to it. "I-I don't like to," she murmured. "I'm shy."

"And there are times where a shy person has to speak, and it's not good if you don't know how to string your words together. Surely your Mother made you speak sometimes?"

Those words inflicted Eira the Vulpix with memories of Mother putting her on the spot, telling her to pay the bus driver or go ask the restaurant hostess for a table. He wasn't going to do the same thing to her, was he? She'd rather let her guardian do all the talking.

Yet for her safety, she unfortunately had to leave her comfort zone. "I guess I could, uh, make myself talk more," said Vulpix, satisfying him.

Dinner should be served soon. In the meanwhile, Lucario lied down on his wooly mat, falling into an uneasy nap. Vulpix watched over him, her thoughts drifting through her odd circumstances, hopes for the future, and laments for Mother.

At some point her eyes peeked at the storybook she and Lucario had been reading, habitual desire making her paws tremble. Lucario would understand, wouldn't he? Trying to recall what chapter they were on, she reached for the book.

Lucario rushed out of bed to block her, a smirk curling on his face. "You're not reading ahead," he announced.

Vulpix pouted innocently. Well, she tried.

"Blue orb with downward arrows?"

The question came suddenly, but Lucario kept his gait steady as he, Gabite, and Vulpix left the Task Management wing of the Explorer Board. Porygon-Z was waving them off, his face somehow entangled in the straps of the Sunkern-shaped satchel they recovered from today's mission. "Slow Orb," he answered Gabite.

The dragon-shark nodded. "Red orb with yellow spots and a six-pointed star?"

"All Power-Up Orb."

"Red orb shaped like a spiky star?"

"You trying to trip me up? One-Shot Orb."

Gabite chuckled as they walked around the fountain at the center of the nature-themed main hall of the Explorer Board, leading them to its exit. "Okay, Vulpix this time," he declared, making the vixen snap to attention. "Pink orb with clouds inside?"

Lucario caught it — for the briefest moment, she made a face at the description, before muttering something under her breath. The poor kid seemed to have a mini heart-attack when Gabite somehow heard her quiet words. "Slumber Orb, correct."

He waved to the Klinklang supervising the lobby, and Klinklang gave a slow turn of his gears back. "Didn't take you to be the type of Vulpix who holds grudges," chuckled their leader as they strolled out of the building. "Come on, I had good reasons to throw that Sleep Seed."

"Oh yes, what a letdown that you can't use orbs on friends like you can with seeds." Lucario prodded Gabite in the gut. "Sharp hearing you've got. Comes with your echolocation?"

The dragon-shark opted for a mysterious smile, twisting his jet-engine shaped ears. Day two of being on Team Heavendust had taken them on a trip to find a satchel in Sapling Woods, where Gabite was swift to teach Lucario and Vulpix about the use of Wonder Orbs, as they were called.

To be specific, he showed off his skill with echolocation, using it to locate and mercilessly track down Pokespawn to use the orbs on. Didn't know his species had that ability, Lucario muttered to himself.

Sapling Woods's concentrated groups of Pokespawn made the demonstration all the more impressive. Many orbs affected multiple targets at once, and some worked on the user and his or her allies, like the All Power-Up Orb, while others only worked on those hostile to the user. The One-Shot Orb had particularly caught Lucario's eye — Gabite used it on the Monster House floor of the dungeon, and the sight of it arbitrarily firing red beams that destroyed any Pokespawn it touched still filled him with sinister exhilaration.

The showcasing left Gabite's bag a little empty, however. "We'll restock at Kecleon Wares," he said, taking them toward the ever-crowded marketplace. "Maybe I'll be able to teach you about a few more items."

Nice as that sounded, a complication was in their way. Shuffling through the crowds of Pokemon, Lucario caught notice of a floating red stripe a few yards from his position and approaching rapidly.

Vulpix kept herself from flinching as Kecleon's face appeared, then the rest of his body, the chameleon quick to snag Lucario's arm. "Top of the morning!" he cheered, the jackal allowing himself to be dragged away in front of a flabbergasted Gabite. "Don't mind me, just borrowing your pals for reasons that could land me in prison for a few decades!"

Gabite could barely sputter at the public display. His gaze swept across the parting crowd, frowning at their murmurs, then to Vulpix, who sucked in a mouthful of air before running after.

With Gabite left behind, the trio ended up in a shady corner behind two unused market stalls, away from the noise. "An explorer team reported to the Explorer Board early this morning, on a discovery from a young Feebas and Hattrem," said Kecleon. "What's this about Lugia?"

The resulting twitch from both Lucario and Vulpix made him scoff. "Figures you two were involved," he went on. "Talk's going round about Rocky Shores and the storm. You're lucky you weren't mentioned, you know — Ariados overhearing you're on Team Heavendust would be a pain in all of our hips."

Good grief, that'd be a problem and a half all right. Lucario fiddled with his aura feelers, his aurasense alerted to the immense whiplash of emotions Vulpix felt. Gabite indeed gave Porygon-Z a formal report of how they, Feebas, and Hattrem came across a water channel in Rocky Shores that led to a pillar related to Lugia, and that coincidentally, the Legendary could've caused the unusual storm that happened a few days back. The dragon-shark also had Togetic send Feebas and Hattrem a letter on the situation.

Well, no harm done, that was all that mattered. On that note he checked for eavesdroppers, satisfied that the crowd was almost intentionally ignoring them. Should he tell Kecleon the true significance of Lugia's presence?

No reason not to. He explained it all — their trip to Rocky Shores, their research, and the shipwreck that underlined it all. "The Lugia attacked your ship," Kecleon exclaimed to himself, appraising Vulpix from the corners of his eyes. "Shaymin knowing about Lugia is a no-brainer, but you say your girl's also aware of the Legendary and its powers?"

The kid grew bashful at his silent admiration. "Not sure, um, who Lugia fought, though. Another Legendary, maybe?"

Kecleon nearly tumbled into the stall countertop behind him as he took in Vulpix's improvements in speaking. "Magic wristband and some tutoring from yours truly," Lucario explained, keeping his prideful cackles to himself as Kecleon silently processed this. Boosting Vulpix's language learning with books? He deserved a pat on the back for such cleverness, and a poffin. Though he doubted the locals knew what poffins were.

One of his sillier reasons to miss Adam — but right now, Vulpix's words gave him something to consider. Who was Lugia fighting? He still didn't understand that, or why it was here in the first place and caused that storm. Did the pillar mean something?

All questions he told Kecleon about. "All I can say is that your circumstances are strange," he stated. "Legendaries like Lugia haven't shown their faces in a long, long time. Perhaps there is some greater significance to be found here, a plot larger than us all."

A groan of a laugh scratched his throat. "A human and a foreigner Pokemon on these lands, surviving a Lugia and possibly another Legendary. And I thought being Shaymin's battle tutor would be the most exciting thing of my life."

He never mentioned that tiny detail to Vulpix, Lucario realized, seeing how she shaped her lips into a circle. He considered asking Kecleon about his relationship with Shaymin and Team Heavendust when the fur on his nape stood on end, feeling a set of eyes haunt them. One look over his shoulder, and—

Oh, for goodness's sake.

There was Mismagius again, the moving crowd oblivious to her sitting atop the striped roof of a stall. If anything, Lucario's glare only seemed to keep her further rooted, feeding off his ire as she raised a cloth-like hand to her mouth and tittered. "H-her?" Vulpix said with distress, glimpsing the witch Pokemon and her mocking presence. "Again?"

Kecleon was looking too. "Who?"

"Mismagius on the other side of the road," spat Lucario. There was absolutely no way she could overhear them with the chatter of passersby muting their voices, but twice wasn't a coincidence. Was she getting a sick kick out of this, or was she concealing nastier intentions?

Either way, this warranted a mind-read. His palm glowed with subtle blue light, Lucario cursing when a barrage of random thoughts trickled into his head. The passing market crowds interfered with his senses, whispers of unwanted voices standing in between him and Mismagius. He navigated past the shifting maze of minds, trying to reach her—

"What Mismagius?" said Kecleon, an unwelcome distraction to his work. "I don't see whatever you two are so focused on."

Vulpix pointed her out with a trembling paw, but the merchant still seemed unable to find her. More concerningly, neither could Lucario's aurasense — he saw her cackling form, felt her general presence, yet somehow he couldn't locate and latch onto the signature she emitted. Was the crowd tripping him up that badly?

A cough came from behind, and the threesome spun. "Wrong direction, dears," said Mismagius as she tipped the brim of her hat.

Vulpix made a loud peep, jumping behind Lucario for cover. "Wha—" the jackal sputtered, their heads swishing back to the spot where Mismagius just was. Empty.

They shared a bewildered look. "Ah, that Mismagius," said Kecleon, squeezing his forehead.

"Oh no, you're still looking in the wrong direction." Mismagius waved them around, and Lucario and Vulpix found yet another Mismagius with them, identical in appearance. One look back, and the doppelganger who'd just been speaking had vanished into spectral nothingness.

While Kecleon took this in stride, Vulpix was whirling her head around, checking for more duplicates. "You can settle down, dear, I'm the real one," the newest Mismagius assured her, and Lucario confirmed this when his energy-doused paw brushed against her signature, aura filled with petty wickedness. "Do ignore those three floating to your right."

Three other copies of her hung low in the sky, politely waving in the most menacing way possible. "Hallucinations," Lucario groaned in realization, before repeating for Vulpix's sake. "The Mismagius line can make you see and hear things."

A tidbit he'd learned from a certain Gym Leader — Fantina, was it? — whose Mismagius threw Adam off-balance through false self-copies and illusionary attacks. Boy, did my aurasense come in clutch back then, he thought, turning a stiff lip at the smirking Ghost-type. Her eyes eerily burned into Vulpix's flank, following the vixen and her poor attempts to hide behind him.

"You make innnnnteresting company, Kecleon," said Mismagius, Lucario noting the familiarity between her and the chameleon Pokemon. "Now why is it that one of the merchants of Kecleon Wares dragged away a special little lady the other day, then took her guardian aside the next?"

Great, she'd been stalking them from the very start. "Mismagius, a wandering battle instructor who entered town a few days back," Kecleon told him and an antsy Vulpix. "Care to explain, Mismagius, why you're spying on our business?"

His aggressive tone only widened Mismagius's smile. "That's not a threat, is it?" she purred. "You've seen a few of my tricks in the local dojo. You have finesse and skill to make up for your weak spirit, relative to your oh-so-mighty family, but whether it's enough to banish the likes of me is questionable."

A flush of pink spread throughout Kecleon's tail, but he maintained his composure and kept staring. So did Lucario, wary of this enigmatic lurker and wanting her gone. Vulpix hesitantly joined in, waves of threefold tension crashing against the pillar of Mismagius's laidback, unbudging presence.

"I thought I'd apologize," she said.

The waves broke formation. "What?" said Lucario.

"Apologize," Mismagius repeated, her smile so fake he could've sworn she meant to get a rise out of him. "I'm sure my presence must have been most unnerving."

"You were eavesdropping—"

"Eavesdropping? Hee, I'd never!" Mismagius shook her head without abandon, cackling the whole time. "I'm not so rude as to listen in on your touchy conversations. Why would I ever do such a thing?"

She wasn't lying — an aura check showed nothing but a clean, truly apologetic soul. "Though I suppose there was small talk from the crowd on what ridiculous thing that Ariados accused you of," the witch went on. "Talk that didn't get far, mind you. Who can be bothered to care for stale rumors about humans anymore?"

Lucario relaxed as he caught Kecleon throwing him the slightest of nods. Firsthand proof there's really nothing to fear about Ariados spreading rumors, he mused. Mismagius hadn't been listening in after all, good.

He still didn't like this mischievous figure though, and he freely expressed his indifference toward her. "Oh dear, perhaps I've slighted you a tad much," she said, turning to Vulpix. "What about you, little one? Could you forgive this silly old hag?"

Though no longer afraid, Vulpix still bent her head out of shy passivity. "Uh," she brought herself to say. "I-I guess?"

"Good enough for me, hee!" Mismagius celebrated her rather silly victory with a clap of her cloth-arms. "Then I believe I've overstayed my welcome. You are explorers, yes?"

A glassy tint darkened her eyes as she again stared the ice fox down. "Your soul wields strength a cut above many others of our time, aura guardian, but your little one's? It is raw and undeveloped, her Level a droplet in a raging storm. Her untapped potential yearns for guidance. I do wonder if either of you would be open to some training lessons?"

Her greedy look left Vulpix rearing back, and Lucario's indifference tilted back towards distaste. "Leave," he ordered.

"That I will. You two, though, I sure hope you won't leave. It'd be such a drag if I had to chase after such innnnnteresting people." The witch gave a wink before twirling into the sky, and before Lucario could blink she dove into the ground, wisps of purplish-pink descending as she phased through and made her dramatic exit.

The bustle of the market rambled on. "You heard her, human sightings are a joke these days," remarked Kecleon. "Just stay out of trouble and you'll be fine."

Vulpix nodded, frowning at the spot where Mismagius poofed into the earth. "I-I don't like Mismagius," said the vixen. "She's creepy."

"Creep's more like it." Lucario idly watched the crowd of Pokemon, tsking at the few glancing over from the corners of their eyes. "Could you have taken her on?"

A drawn-out sigh slipped out of the old chameleon's maw as he leaned against the stall counter behind him. "Dunno. Us Kecleon merchants have a reputation not to be messed with for a reason, but Mismagius is similar in that regard. I could match her in trickery and wisdom, but I've always been weak compared to my brothers."

A Level 84 Kecleon, and he said his family was stronger? That was enough to make Lucario's heart skip a beat, overwhelmed by the rigorous training the merchants clearly must've undergone. And if Kecleon was implying Mismagius was just as dangerous—

She just had to take uncanny interest in the kid, darn it. Recalling the witch's aura signature, Lucario primed his feelers to be on lookout for her presence. Her snooping on Eira the Vulpix would be disastrous. And while he was at it, why not stay alert for Ariados's aura too?

It wasn't long before Gabite found them, shuffling out of the crowd with a well-fed Treasure Bag, replenished with stock. "There you all are," he huffed, a sharp eye aimed at Kecleon. "Shaymin's mentor, right? What's going on here anyway? Lucario and Vulpix haven't been here until yesterday, and you keep dragging one or the other away."

As he had with Togetic before, Lucario explained they had some misunderstandings, and they worked it out. "Mistakes happen, you know?" Kecleon jumped in with a gilded smile. "Nothing you need to worry about, Gabite of Team Heavendust."

Gabite looked to Lucario for confirmation. "I swear he's not threatening us," he said.

"We're fine," mumbled Vulpix, though with how the others winced at her dry words, it could've been a shout.

It got Gabite off their back in any case. "You two are the strangest Pokemon I've met," he said, eyes scrutinizing the pair one last time before ushering them away from the amused Kecleon. Into the bustling cobblestone streets of the market they went, on a journey back to the cottage they called home.

The dragon-shark too was a problem, Lucario had to remind himself. The explorer team was nice and all, but its nosy leader could be just as troublesome as Mismagius and Ariados. How long could he and Vulpix afford to stay here?

Something to think about. In the meanwhile, he was interested in having a chat with Eevee. Plenty had happened since they last met, and Lucario had a decent idea of how he'd react to Lugia.

"Hold on, hold on, I need a moment." Eevee leaned against the trunk of the tree whose branch he sat on, cries of Pidgey echoing from afar. "Lugia?"

Vulpix scooted closer to the fallen log Lucario sat upon, both nodding, though she could've sworn a smirk crossed her guardian's face as he did so. Not long after coming back from Berrypark Town and Gabite returning to his cottage, Eevee had the duo follow him to this forlorn, shaded spot of the forest with calluses of barren dirt tearing up the grass.

And they had just piled upon him everything that happened to them so far. "Unbelievable," said the Abhorrent, pacing around his branch. "The storm Legendary itself appears, sinks your ship, and there just so happens to be a strange pillar in Rocky Shores it's related to. Which you discovered."

It made sense Eevee was floored by such news, but his words caught Vulpix off-guard. "You know Lugia?" she asked.

Eevee's ears rose to their limit. "Ah, right," he said, a sheepish smile popping onto his face. "You understand now, Eira the Vulpix — one piece of news I can happily digest. You and I share an interest in legends and tales, I take it? I could share a few tall tales about humans someday."

Vulpix shrugged, mildly interested. "But anyway," continued Eevee, "no reason for me to be bothered with this Lugia affair, though I suppose I'll take a look at the pillar. Mismagius, she's not something I need to make a fuss out of either if you're both sure she's not trouble."

Was she sure that eerie witch wasn't trouble? Not at all — even with her apology, her behavior rubbed her the wrong way, and Vulpix was sure Lucario thought so too. But his aurasense said she didn't eavesdrop, so it should be fine, she comforted herself.

"But telling Kecleon about me?" Irritation cut into Eevee's suave tone. "I said not to tell a soul about me, Lucario."

Lucario rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear what I said? He backed me into a corner and deduced things for himself—"

"And he doesn't mind Abhorrents that much, lucky for our necks." The Eevee plopped himself down, legs swatting leaves off his branch. "I'll let this slide, but just because someone is cool with us, that doesn't stop me and my siblings from being wary. How'd you feel if I told you I hinted to some random people I know that a human washed *sh*re on the islands?"

One second.

Two seconds.

Three very awkward seconds.

As much as she didn't want to fuel any verbal sparring, she couldn't help herself. Vulpix turned over and snorted cold winds of disapproval at Lucario, who had taken to twiddling his digits. "I- wha- you did that?" cried Eevee. "Lucario, you idiot, what kind of—"

Without warning the Abhorrent convulsed, Vulpix leaping behind the fallen log as an anguished scream ripped itself out of his mouth. Before her very eyes, Eevee burst open into a drenched monstrosity of black ooze, its form constantly shifting into insensible shapes.

Her guardian jerked and yelled out, falling prone to the side of the log as he squeezed his aura feelers. "Lucario!" Vulpix said as she came to his side, before yelping as Eevee tumbled off his branch. Buzzing glitch-like clouds cloaked his writhing, shadowy form, yet the eyes were still hard to miss — pure white, spiral-shaped, and filled with a primitive void whose sights were set on the jackal. "W-what's happening? E-Eevee?"

Eevee, if that was still Eevee, ignored her words and continued to snarl in bizarre voices. The shadows of the forest fled when he rushed forth with his shapeshifting glob of a body, showing Vulpix the meaning of horror as his face unhinged into a colossal mouth of barbed, blackened teeth. He was attacking them! He was—

Instinct kicked in as Vulpix leapt atop the fallen log, eyes flashing with warding power. A blue outline grabbed Eevee's incohesive form, foul screeches ringing out of his maw as he stumbled back. "S-stop!" pleaded Vulpix, conscious of the pink glow of the Extrasensory pounding her forehead and the static roar of the clouds surrounding the Abhorrent. "Please!"

Mouthless faces grew out of the eight spikes on his head, eyeing her vacantly. Eevee raised his own nebulous head, and Vulpix stared, paranormal fear driving her muscles to act if needed. Lucario still lied defenseless, groaning from whatever Eevee was doing to him — what even was this? And she thought the dungeons were otherworldly!

She barely blinked when lucidity flashed in the Abhorrent's eyes, the air settling down as the buzzing glitch clouds broke apart around him. His form of black ooze collapsed, condensing into itself.

And Eevee dropped to the floor, back to his usual, non-fiendish self. "What," Vulpix breathed, letting her Extrasensory power down, "what was that?"

Lucario was fine now — he stopped clutching his feelers, pulling himself up and throwing a shaky look at the heaving Abhorrent. "Could ask the same," he grunted. "The what, Eevee? My aurasense was down, and I felt that."

Eevee coughed, flicking an ear as he got onto his feet. "D*st**t**n F**nz*."

"Dist*rt*on what?"

"Distortion Frenzy." The Abhorrent shook his ruffled fur. "Or at least that's what Kabutops called it."

A very fitting name for the most nightmarish thing Vulpix had seen. "You felt what I was going through, didn't you? Sorry, it's easy to slip into that cursed state when my emotions reach a fever pitch," Eevee added, before managing a smile. "Wise to Disable me while I wasn't myself, Eira the Vulpix. Despite the monstrous form, the resulting agony actually leaves us Abhorrents quite vulnerable."

Vulpix brought herself to smile too, though mostly out of sheer relief. It's fine, she consoled herself, the afternoon sky growing a little darker overhead. Everything's fine, Eira. Eevee's back to being himself, and if it happens again, you can stop him.

It was then that she noticed his wording. "Uh, us Abhorrents?" she repeated. "Y-you all do that?"

Lucario cut in with a snarl. "Okay, as much as I want to rant about this Distortion Frenzy thing, I'm steering us toward a bigger topic."

He caressed his feelers one last time before locking eyes with Eevee, his voice gaining momentum. "I've been given clear s*gnals about Abhorrents being crazy and dangerous and all, but you know what? I've never been told anything solid about what's going on here. What's the deal with you mutants? What crim*s have your sort caused?"

His eyes narrowed into slits. "What exactly is this gift you said Aerodactyl spre*ds?"

Eevee patiently took in the questions Lucario demanded. A silence took over the forest, a stretched moment of stillness enveloping all life therein. Vulpix too obeyed it, muscles going stiff, but her mind hummed with her own questions.

A Quick Attack propelled Eevee right onto one side of the fallen log Vulpix stood on, the vixen jolting from the lopsided force. "I'm an odd example of an Abhorrent," he said, his colorful crown of spikes gleaming as he stood there like a king who'd descended from his branchy throne. "Most have their powers alt*red, or their type, but I'm unchanged. I'm not crazy in the head either, thankfully. But you know what is in my head?"

The gleam intensified, and Vulpix found her eyes shooting upward as colored mist poured out of each of the spikes. They condensed into eight elemental apparitions that resembled cats and foxes alike, serving as the king's council. His siblings! she realized.

"My siblings." Eevee amused himself with the wide-eyed expressions Vulpix and Lucario wore. "Espeon, if you'd allow the others to introduce themselves?"

Espeon floated amongst the group of eight, giving a weary roll of her eyes but otherwise remaining as stoic as ever. A telepathic thread nuzzled Vulpix's mind, making her presence known, and she and Lucario reeled as a flurry of babbling voices assailed them. "One at a time," ordered Eevee.

The Vaporeon ghost joined Espeon in accommodating his words with stern looks, order chopping chaos's throat as the voices went silent. The other Eeveelutions eyed one another for a long time, engaged in unheard mind-speak — or perhaps soul-speak? — before regrouping.

The voices came much smoother this time. It's wonderful to see you again, came a voice in Sylveon-speak, the corresponding white and pink-accented ghost waving the ribbon feelers protruding from his wispy body.

Well met, came Flareon's, the fluffy, fiery ghost's voice measured and elegant.

Good afternoon! came Jolteon's, bright and energetic — much like her spiky, electric appearance.

How's it going? said Leafeon and Glaceon, the tanned, leafy Pokemon and his icy sibling topping off their synchronized words with a wink.

Vaporeon gave a regal swish of her blue dolphin-like tail. We are pleased to make your acq**intan*e, Lucario and Eira.

Espeon's nod said volumes. Yes, hello, Umbreon finished, the black specter yawning with his lack of a mouth and pretending to scratch the half-moon pattern on his forehead.

Eevee regarded his family with forlorn warmth. "When I got my gift, none of us expected that it would affect them too. They're bound to me as int*ng**le ghosts, unable to touch physical objects and needing me or Espeon to speak. It's lucky they can still use their moves."

Sympathy bled from Vulpix's heart as she gazed at the unfortunate Eeveelutions. "Surely that's not normal," Lucario muttered.

"Compared to other Abhorrents, nope." Eevee's tail brushed against his hind leg, pushing down an anklet attached to it. "You said you wanted to see the gift Aerodactyl offers, Lucario? As it so happens, I kept mine in memory of our tragedy."

One flick and the anklet came off, Vulpix watching it unceremoniously fall to the ground. There, surrounded by dull dirt, the shiny brown gemstone it held captivated her attention without fail. Was she seeing things?

Even from a distance, there was no mistaking it. The stone's crystalline structure, a tiny footprint of an Eevee in the center of the transparent, rhombus-shaped material — how did she miss the Abhorrent holding on to such a familiar item? "That," she said with awe, "that's a Z-Crystal."

Those special words got Lucario to recoil. "That?" he said, eyeing the gem with perplexion. "The gift is a Z-Crystal?"

Vulpix shrugged as she got off her seat on the fallen log, moving her snout close to the gem. Not a second later and she was tossing her head back, repulsed. Correction: that was a Z-Crystal.

Now? It was something hideous.

Glaring irregularities ruined the crystal — mainly, the corroded black spikes smashed into the side-tips of the crystal, sharp enough to draw blood upon touch. Remnant, dried splotches of an ooze disturbingly similar to Eevee's Distortion Frenzy form smeared its surface, showing it was used up. Wrapping over both ends of the corrupted item glowed a trio of white rings, appearing to float around its translucent surface.

Lucario seemed to turn into mush as Vulpix pointed all of this out. "It's like an evil DNA serum," she realized, the sight of such an uglified work of art making her want to puke. "That's the gift. An evil Z-Crystal."

"Most commonly, a Z-Crystal."

Eevee and his Eeveelutions appeared beside her, nine sets of attentive eyes making Vulpix shrink into herself. "On occasion, those spikes are also embedded in Mega Stones," said the Abhorrent, an impressed smile on his face. "Lugia's one thing, kid, but you have Z-Crystals in the human world?"

Cogs turned in Lucario's head. "You're from Alola," he deduced.

Vulpix slowly nodded. "And she's an Alolan Vulpix," said Eevee, "what a coincidence. Odd that us archipelago folk separate var**nts of a species by human regions, isn't it?"

We're getting off-topic, chided Espeon.

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there." Eevee snatched his anklet back, reaffixing it on his hind paw with some difficulty. "The spikes on that crystal? That's the crime of the Abhorrents. Aerodactyl's just one of many mutants who poke others with these so-called gifts, making more of us. In time, the whole archipelago could become a land of us monsters."

As if her human problems weren't enough to worry about. Vulpix felt herself shaking, appalled by the thought of this civilized Pokemon world falling into an entropy of feral, crazed mutants with Distortion Frenzy states to boot. That was horrible!

"And before you ask, no, we don't know why it's happening, or how to cure it. No one does." Eevee absorbed the twisted expressions Lucario and Vulpix made. "But see, that's where you come in, Eira."

What? Her? Eira the Vulpix gestured to herself with shock, Lucario just as stupefied, before both spied the wristband on her paw.

The one giving her a Pokemon form.

"That band was Kabutops's attempt to find a way for Abhorrents to hide themselves as a short term solution," Eevee stated, glancing at each of his siblings. "Your pr**en*e, Eira, is a chance for him to see why the band affects you but not us Pokemon, and could even be a step in reaching that c*vet** cure. With your help, we might just find a solution."

Lucario had told her of the Kabutops who made her band and wished to see her, but only now did Vulpix see the significance. She could help free Eevee and his poor siblings from their fallen fate, and others too.

"So there was a catch." Her guardian folded his arms. "Not sure how I feel about the kid being exper*m*nted on, though."

"It's harmless for her, I assure you. Kabutops isn't careless as they say Their High**sses are."

The title and Lucario's interested reaction to it got Vulpix's attention. Galari*n Slo*king and his She*l*er, added Espeon. They work together.

Chills. A Shellder that cooperated with the Galarian Slowking it latched onto, instead of seizing absolute control over it? It was unthinkable.

"Our aloof rulers who usually keep to their experim*nts, might I add. Creepy stories about those guys, but again, we're off-topic." Eevee thumped his tail against the fallen log. "If this goes well, Kabutops will have a new lead on dealing with the Abhorrent plague, and in return, he can help you find a possible way off the archipelago. That sounds good?"

Even without the incentive of an ally, Vulpix was already sold, nodding vigorously. It was only the right thing to do, and she ought to repay Kabutops for the wristband.

Eevee grew pleased when Lucario nodded too. "Like my sense of justice can turn this down. We'll work something out." A scowl cracked through his face as he said so, his paws balling up. "So Aerodactyl spreads your kind, huh? I wonder if that bl*ghted soul's still around."

It was impossible to miss the pent-up aggression in Lucario's voice. "Y-you want to find him?" Vulpix said, violently shaking her head. "Lucario, that's a terrible idea."

An idiotic idea, reworded Umbreon, Vulpix frowning at his crudeness.

Sylveon jumped in before Lucario could argue with either of them. It would be tragic if you were infected too, he pleaded. Were you aware he was armed with an altering spike-crystal back when you met him in the woods?

Might've been armed, corrected Flareon. He was hiding something in his claw, but we didn't see what.

The chance that Aerodactyl could've mutated her back then left Vulpix queasy. Really, just the very thought of the Abhorrent gleefully spreading the infection sickened her — she almost wished she could've been capable enough to stop such a horrible cycle — but while she could empathize with Lucario, she couldn't let him chase Aerodactyl. It wasn't safe.

Well, for them at least. "Can you get, er, infected? Twice?" she asked Eevee.

The Abhorrent and his siblings raised their heads as one, eyeing each other as if in shared reflection. "I don't know about this," Eevee said aloud. "I'm not risking our necks to fight—"

What risks? Jolteon questioned. Vulpix's got a point, we can't get mut**ed again! Plus, there's nine of us, attacks can only hit you, and that nutcase totally deserves a skull-bashing.

She's right, said Leafeon and Glaceon, gesturing toward the excited Electric-Type.

Other voices came, but a nod from Vaporeon silenced them all. Abhorrents who spread the mutu*ion are rare, Eevee. What if Aerodactyl could give us a few answers on how the altering spikes are made, or who he works for and their end goal? What if it helps us with that cure? At the very least, we'll be slowing the spread.

The forest kept silent as Eevee considered this. At first it was a frown that marked his face, deep and troubled, but then the lips curled into a little smile. Then a grin, vicious and hungry for both bones and knowledge.

Lucario copied that grin. "Knock him down for us."

"Please." Vulpix pressed her forepaws together.

Eevee gave a lighthearted cackle. "Expect us to be away for a few days. Until then, stay out of trouble for good this time, okay? I take it there's been enough close calls, and you cannot let anyone pry at our secrets."

Espeon severed the mental connection, and she and the other ghosts broke down into wisps, returning to their color-coded spikes. Eevee waved, turned, and ran off.

Leaving them in the care of the forest. A few moments passed before Lucario heaved, sitting down on the fallen log. "You're from Alola."

Vulpix scooted back onto the log herself. "Uh, yeah. You?"

"Sinnoh."

Made sense. She and Mother had been returning home from the cold, legend-ridden lands of Sinnoh. Lucario's trainer must've taken the same ship to reach Alola.

A dark, terse laugh wheezed out of Lucario's throat. "Funny," he said, as if she wasn't present. "Adam had hopes of obtaining Z-Crystals. To think that there's mutants here, turning those gems into—"

His words trailed off, snatched away by a rotten breeze. Under swaths of shuddering leaves and branches, the sky shying away above, a single ray of sunlight took a peek upon a melancholic Lucario and Vulpix. Nature followed its familiar course, for even in this supernatural land, some things stayed the same.

A part of her liked this strange world, she had to admit it. Who could say the fantasy of being a Pokemon never crossed their mind? Being an Alolan Vulpix was a fever dream — her fledgling command over ice a magic to cherish, and her Vulpix-speak an added layer of delight.

Haven Archipelago wasn't so bad either, even with its dungeons. To her, it was an uncharted land whose otherwise familiar creatures held unusual cultures, all of which she'd love to explore. Except I can't share the thrill with Mother, she lamented. And it's not safe here to begin with.

She was growing used to the cold mist that accompanied her sighs. "Can Kabutops get us back? For real?"

Lucario barely stirred, eyes shut in his own thoughts, but a response came nevertheless. "If he could make your wristband, perhaps he could."

And if he could, then she'd be safe. No need to fear hostile Pokemon or Abhorrents wanting her mutated on sight. But then what? Mother was gone — gone back to Father. She had nothing to go back to.

She wasn't just lost on this archipelago, she was lost in every other way. "What are you hoping, um, to go back to?"

Her guardian frowned, stress lines on his forehead. A silly question in hindsight, of course Lucario had little waiting for him at Sinnoh. His trainer was gone too, and all those Pokemon who were with him. As he had put it, she was his trainer now.

Ironic. A trainer took care of their Pokemon, but Lucario was the one babysitting her here. That isn't right, she mulled to herself. He shouldn't be buried by both of our struggles.

"I said I'd, well, be here for you. Remember?" Vulpix faced her guardian, who opened an eyelid to peer at her. "You can't possibly deal with everything yourself. Whatever you need, I'll support you too, okay? We'll figure out a way, the both of us."

There went the frown and the stress lines in Lucario's face. Something far softer took its place as he let out an easygoing chuckle. "Eira," he said. "Just don't do anything stupid. You're all that remains of the home I once had."

"I'd never." Vulpix shot him a mock-glare, stunning Lucario with the unusual change in attitude. "But you would."

"Wha- hey, I had good reasons to joke about humans to Gabite."

Somehow she didn't doubt that, but the principle still had to be upheld. "Don't do it again," she urged. "Please."

Lucario raised a palm to appease her, a trace of self-deprecating humor in his expression. It was strange she managed to warm up to the jackal so swiftly. She'd never been much for interacting with people, but with her Pokemon guardian, she felt perfectly relaxed. A product of her circumstances?

Whatever it was, she could reciprocate Lucario's words — he was all she had left of her old world. Mother wasn't here, and Mother was home.

She held back a sniff. Where would she find home now?

Inspiration struck her, and Vulpix called on her Disable attack. As per usual, something stirred deep within her, the spirit that resided within her, and an odd energy poured out and flowed toward her eyes.

She nudged it toward her forehead instead.

Sheer happiness resulted when the energy obeyed, a slight pressure building on her forehead as it briefly glowed pink, but the moment was ruined when the energy leaked out right after. Vulpix scrambled to push it back, but it wouldn't stay long enough for her to use. Soon it was all gone — yet another failure.

"Now what's happened here?" came a honeyed voice, and the vixen raised her head.

Togetic and Sky Forme Shaymin were back from their mission and flying back to the cottage grounds, engrossed in the various markings, a pile of upturned soil, and tiny pools of melted ice that littered the dirt battleground. At once they turned to her, and Vulpix shyly looked away, toward the silent Lucario who'd been observing her training routine. At least greet them, Eira, said her voice of reason.

Should I? she questioned. They already see me as one to shirk and keep to herself, and if I act too differently from before, they might—

No excuses, Eira. Do it.

But—

Lucario threw her a look and a wave of cordial emotions, and she succumbed. "Hello?" she said to the airborne pair.

Togetic beamed as she returned the greeting. "Hey Vulpix," said Shaymin, spinning around. "Someone's been busy."

"She's having trouble learning Extrasensory," said Lucario, much to her embarrassment. Did he have to tell them that?

It was an understatement, though, she was completely stuck with this move. Powder Snow, Disable, and even the mediocre Tail Whip got some progress, but Extrasensory just refused to work. Lucario managed to Copycat it when the stress of trying to work out this move made her accidentally fire one that sent piles of soil flying, but his attempts to explain it weren't helpful, nor his tips.

Clear her mind? That didn't do anything. Visualize the mental power she wanted to use? No good. She couldn't even begin to control this move — worse, it only worked once the fatigue of trying got to her head. It toyed with her.

"Vulpix's been doing it for the better part of the hour," mused Lucario. "I've told her she needs to take it easy."

She couldn't take it easy. She had to learn this move! How could she know it, yet be unable to call it at will?

Frustration must've been showing on her face, because Togetic came to comfort her. "It happens," she said. "There's always obst**les in learning your abilities. Shaymin can relate."

The Mythical huffed. "Seed Flare."

"Seed Flare." Togetic gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Just a look around shows the hard work you put into learning your moves and adv**c*ng your Level, Vulpix, and that's something to be pleased with. Still, if you're having trouble, perhaps it would be best not to burn yourself out? You'll find it's more pr*d**tive to work on other moves, think about your problems on the side, and take time to relax and re*h*rge."

Vulpix frowned, then hung her head. Even if she could bring herself to argue, Togetic was right. This wasn't getting her anywhere, and there were better tasks to do.

She reluctantly held back on her Extrasensory training. "Hey, chin up," Shaymin told her. "I bet you'll find out where's your problem in no time. Maybe someone at the local dojo could help."

"We're certainly willing to assist," said Togetic, the twosome wearing infectious smiles. They seemed like such nice Pokemon, and strangely, Vulpix found herself growing attached. Was that wise of her, knowing they'd turn on her if they knew of her humanity? It wasn't likely she and Lucario would stay for long.

But at least she could return the friendliness. "Thank you, I guess."

The flying duo's smiles reached peak brightness, before waning. "I almost forgot, there's something pressing we came across in the news," said Togetic, Shaymin nodding. "Is Gabite around?"

No sooner did she ask, a cough sounded from the hillside, heads turning to find their team leader closing the door to the cottage. "Convenient time to come outside," he remarked, sliding down the rocky hill and staring at the mess Vulpix made out of the dirt battlefield. "What happened?"

Togetic's sigh heralded the bad times to come. "There's a report from Mudstream Village," she said. "A skeletal Abhorrent covered in black fire's been spotted around the Mud Passage dungeon."

No one bothered to notice her and Lucario's silent cringe, not with the keg powder that was Gabite being set off. A scowl swallowed his face whole, tail crashing against the ground as if to tear it open, and he turned away with an animalistic growl. "Details," he demanded.

Shaymin's dark expression was the controlled equivalent of Gabite's. "Got none," she simply said.

"What do you mean—"

"Those were the details. No one knows his or her base species or what this creep's doing, or if he or she's got Abhorrent mut*g*ns to spare. Guy seemed interested in the Mystery Dungeon, that's all."

Gabite shifted his jaw, staring down the flying Mythical with killer eyes, and Vulpix could almost believe the earth was quaking with concern — or maybe that was just her shaking legs. It was a relief when the dragon-shark muttered livid words, storming back to his cottage. "He doesn't take news on Abhorrents well," Togetic told her and Lucario.

No kidding. For a good moment she feared Gabite would whirl on them, read their expressions with his master sleuthing skills, and interrogate them to death on what they knew. Aerodactyl's still here, she noted with a pout. On the bright side, maybe Eevee would be able to capture him for the information he wanted?

"Eh, he'll be dealt with soon enough. Not the first time those freaks of nature came knocking," said Shaymin, returning to a more relaxed stance. "Maybe we'll crush him ourselves, Togetic?"

Togetic tossed her head in consideration of this. "In any case, the situation will be handled," she assured them. "No need to worry."

Her guardian clicked his tongue as the flying duo headed to the cottage. No need to worry, thought Vulpix, wishing she had the strength to do just that. When could she stop worrying? Without Lucario and Eevee's wristband, she'd be as good as dead in this place. It was a miracle she washed ashore on this archipelago at all.

It was excitement after excitement ever since, and she wanted a break. Surely she'd have calmer days to look forward to, right?

Right?

Maybe she shouldn't have challenged destiny with that question.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Special Episode 1 — Something About Plants

"Observe."

The tip of Braixen's wand ignited. Staring down the mossy, leaf-beridden walls of the Mystery Dungeon, the bipedal fox exhaled, then struck it with the flame. Instantly the fire jumped toward the greenery, cackling as it tore it apart into cinders.

In its place, a gaping hole appeared, leading into a hallway of darkness, and Braixen turned to smile at his teammates. Heliolisk was in shock, no pun intended, the electric desert lizard's feet gripping the cracks of the stony brick floor. Behind him, the towering, silver-armored form of Goliosopod stared with an empty look.

And then Heliolisk fired off a grin. "Dang," he said, folding his arms. "Didn't know Lush Temple had secrets behind the moss walls. How'd you figure that one out, Braixen?"

Braixen merely tapped on his forehead, bushy yellow tail curling with contentment. He had figured as much — all this overgrowth was too suspicious to ignore, and this part of the wall felt especially hollow. A pity no one bothered to check, he thought, readjusting the Treasure Bag strapped to his shoulder before stepping inside.

A new flame lighted up his wand, driving away the shadows of the hidden corridor. Heliolisk and Goliosopod followed, one with a confident stride, the other quietly eyeing the walls. Even here, green moss and plants swarmed the temple brick layout, giving the solemn place a wild look to it.

Unlike the rest of Lush Temple, however, the greenery was getting out of hand here. The further Braixen went, the thicker the leaves got, long vines snaking out in the distance. More of those vines appeared the further in he went, until all he could see was vines. Pulsing, writhing vines. It made him twitch when his feet, stepping onto the vines, felt a bizarre sensation of heat crawling up into his skirt-like fur.

Something was extra wrong here. Could it be?

Goliosopod began to tremble as they kept going, the vines growing in size. Suddenly the arthropod pointed with three of his six arms — one of the meaty claws at the top of his body and the two spindly ones underneath. "You got something, big guy?" Heliolisk asked, and he nodded, staring with dread at a shape lying at the back of the hallway.

They were now in a spacious, green room, the vines encasing this place like a pile of giant, organic wires. The shape itself was a hideous thing, drenched in a mass of these vines, and it stood upon a crumbled pedestal. With a snap it turned, and Braixen bared his teeth at the Roserade trapped inside.

Well, it was a Roserade, complete with bouquet-flower hands and white rose petals blooming from its head. But judging from the flower's sunken red eyes and the mass of vines sprouting out of it, not to mention that beating heart of coiled vines attached to its chest? It was now something else.

It locked eyes with them, and Braixen felt the walls glare at them. "Aaaaaaand trouble," said Heliolisk, giving Braixen a playful smack. "Must be our lucky day. You think this Pokespawn's special?"

The Roserade-vine monster had yet to move, but the room was alive with its silent malice. Braixen set his eyes on that vine-like heart throbbing from its body, ears picking up on the faintest of heartbeats. "That heart is special," he stated. "I suspect all these vines originated from it."

"And if we destroy it?"

"Or," Braixen considered, a thin smile on his face, "we could take it instead. Golisopod?"

No time wasted. In a snap the armored bug blurred forward, the spiky tips of his arms encased with faded green light. The Roserade could barely turn before he jabbed the Pokespawn with First Impression.

It screeched, body flailing and tumbling off the pillar, and the giant vines crawling all over the walls snapped off. Braixen immediately handed his Treasure Bag to Heliolisk, wand at the ready, and with a twirl he summoned a vortex of flame. Fire Spin unleashed itself as it blew out in all directions, vines hesitating as the flames chased after them.

One of the vines moved too quickly and got burnt, Braixen raising a brow as a whole chunk turned to flaky ash all at once. Fire worked wonders on these vines, didn't it? Best to remove them before Roserade could utilize them. He got to work, embers spitting out of his trusty wand.

Golisopod and Heliolisk had the Roserade itself covered, the shaggy mess of a plant monster staggering toward them, only for Heliolisk to stun it with electric charges. Golisopod attacked more directly, slashing at its outstretched vines. One of the giant vines on the floor flicked up to attack, but one Flamethrower from Braixen and it was nothing more than dust.

Their teamwork was beautiful. Lush Temple was no mere dungeon, its high danger rank stemming — pun not intended — from its traps and some very vicious Pokespawn. This Roserade was no different, firing off Petal Blizzards to ward off Golisopod and Heliolisk, but the duo were quick to disengage wherever the storm of deadly petals came their way, then fight back with electric shocks and some deadly pincer attacks. The creepy plant hissed at Braixen, but the fire fox kept burning vines, making sure they couldn't threaten them.

The monster tried changing tactics, raising one of its bouquet arms, and a purplish ooze fired out at Golisopod. Heliolisk anticipated this in advance, however, and had already pulled out a pink scarf that he threw into Golisopod's arms. The bug wrapped it over his arm before smacking the ooze, the Toxic poison dissolving as the scarf glowed with power.

Pokespawn weren't the sort to have real emotions, but Braixen was sure Roserade was gnashing its teeth at them. "So welcome to your worst nightmare, Pecha Scarves to counter your silly poisons," Heliolisk taunted. His frill flared out and sparked, Roserade's vines doing their best to absorb the resulting Thunderbolt. "500 Poke for our gardening services sounds fair, eh?"

Golisopod rolled his eyes before absorbing another Toxic, firing back with an array of spikes firing out of its claws. The Pin Missile storm drove Roserade to its knees, and it desperately threw its body forward, the remainder of its vines snaking out—

But now it was weak, and Braixen was ready to wrap things up. A blaze left his wand and branded the Roserade from the side, leaving it to drop to the floor. Golisopod leapt in right after, puncturing the vine-encased Pokespawn in the neck.

Roserade gave up and crumbled into nothingness. Red-purplish wisps took its place, the stuff that dungeon Pokespawn were made of, and floated toward the ceiling.

And all that remained was the pile of vines that once covered it. They turned a shade of yellow, as did the vines growing all over the room, and withered away. Braixen sighed as the air became far less suffocating, peering at the vine heart that remained.

It was no longer beating, yet clearly intact. "Score, a creepy artifact of unspeakable vine magic," said Heliolisk as he handed back the Treasure Bag and Pecha Scarf. Behind that smug, easygoing face of his, however, Braixen could sense his excitement — his developing Psychic power could feel it in all three of them.

They, Team Elementri, had ventured to Junglebush Island in search of the legends, magic, and treasures buried within their homeland, Haven Archipelago. A special archipelago that not only held the world's only true civilization of Pokemon-kind, hidden away from those strange, terrible humans, but also featured supernatural powers and forces. The Mystery Dungeons were an extension of those forces, pocket dimension mazes that were filled with all sorts of traps, Pokemon constructs known as Pokespawn, and strange wonders hidden in its corners.

And this vine-heart? This was a unique kind of wonder. "That can't be an exclusive item," Heliolisk remarked. "Not some fancy magic tool only a specific Pokemon can use. We really hit the jackpot this time, didn't we?"

Golisopod mumbled a word or two, making a soft chuckle leave Braixen's throat. "That's sorcery that lies at our feet, my friends," he said. "No dungeon could have made this. Nay, this must have been hidden here by some unknown person, or it existed long before the temple was transformed into the Mystery Dungeon now present."

He allowed himself to touch their prize, unafraid of what would happen next. Sure enough, he felt the magic within the heart respond, and its strange power touched his mind. At once he understood what this was: a charmed item that could cover its user in a shroud of living plant-like armor, with a bonus of Grass-type energies to command at will. The Roserade, being a mere Pokespawn, could not hope to use it to its full extent.

Braixen had searched for a find like this for a long, long time. He remembered all the searches they made, all the letdowns they'd gone through. Too often did they find Elemental Gems or the occasional evolutionary stone, but this time, fortune smiled upon them. Lush Temple had been rumored to hold some odd treasures, and now he had found this organic… organ.

That pun was not intended either — but never mind that. They made a real discovery this time. Who would make such a strange artifact, he knew not, but it was a matter for another day. Now he and his explorer team could celebrate.

This time, Team Elementri had done themselves proud.

Perhaps he had been hasty to enjoy their victory, though. One moment Braixen was clutching the heart, the next an electric jolt left him keeling over, the magical item yanked out of his grasp. With a jerk he looked back, catching sight of a metallic, floating creature with magnets for hands and a tail, a yellow antenna still sparking on top of his head. A Magnezone?

The Pokemon was retreating into the darkness, and Braixen groaned as he saw Heliolisk and Golisopod kneeling down. "Elementri, thief!" he barked, and his teammates forced themselves up, wearing the same disgruntled look as him.

A Magnezone, a Pokemon known for its lawful nature, stole from them. And at a defining moment for them too — unbelievable. Braixen began running, wand lit aflame with cool anger, and the others followed. That thief would not get far.

Indeed, they caught up to him just as they emerged out of the secret hall. Magnezone floated up in a room adorned with worn archways and pillars, his big red eye and the ones on his shoulders watching them. The vine heart rested within the grasp of his left magnet-hand. "Excuse me, sir, but you have something of ours," Braixen declared.

Golisopod nodded, while Heliolisk threw the robotic Pokemon a glare. "Zzt, this?" Magnezone asked, shaking the vine-heart.

"That." Braixen inclined his head. "It would be best if you were to hand that back, please."

"Zzt, but you are mistaken." Magnezone's eyes trembled, and he held the heart a little tighter. "I was the one who found that passageway first. If not for that Roserade knocking me out—"

"You lost to a Roserade?" Heliolisk blurted, trying not to laugh. "A Roserade? You resist Grass and Poison can't even affect you, yet you lost to a silly Roserade?"

Magnezone was silent. The urge to sigh welled up in Braixen's throat — a freeloader and a thief. How pathetic could one get?

Eventually their foe shook his head, waving his free arm. "But that matters no longer," he stated. "The magic artifact is mine. All that was needed was a chance to take it from the Roserade abomination, and you provided it, zzt. Now it no longer matters how weak I am."

Braixen didn't waste time — he knew the danger that vine-heart could pose if used right — and cast flames upon the Magnezone. Sadly, the thief expected it, steering clear of the attack with a metallic cackle. The vine heart pulsed once, then twice.

Then madness came knocking.

Vines sprouted out like tentacles, latching onto Magnezone's body and wrapping around. The metal Pokemon raised his magnet-hands, and the vines swarmed all over, covering them up entirely. Then its magnet-tail, then the shoulders, and then the central body, Magnezone's red eye full of giddy mania as the vines took over his face. Last was the antenna, vines climbing up to shroud it from sight.

Team Elementri could only watch as the vines kept growing, covering the Magnezone many times over. Elongated vine arms took shape, along with an oversized dragon tail. A new, living antenna grew on top, sparking with newfound power, and a giant, vine-filled grin took over what was now Magnezone's face. "I never had a real mouth before," he said as he tested his green lips, flowers blooming where his three eyes should be. "How do I look?"

It disturbed Braixen on a fundamental level when the flowers all winked at him. "Uh, does he actually see with those?" Heliolisk asked, Golisopod clutching his purple stomach with wide eyes.

Several vines wriggled out of Magnezone's body and roped themselves into streaming wires, all pointing threateningly at the group. "Now then," he said, pointing at the beating vine heart affixed to his underside. "You say this was yours? I must urge you to consider that — it is mine."

The arms swung first, then the wire-vines. Braixen and Heliolisk leapt back as they swiped at them, but Golisopod was slower, the vines sweeping him to the ground with a grunt. "Mine first! MINE!" said Magnezone as Golisopod tried to protect himself from the next wave of attacks. "With this power, I can shed my metal body and take on the essence of the plant. You are witnesses to my final form — my omega form, zzt!"

Flames jumped out of Braixen's wand, but unlike Roserade, these vines did not burn so easily. Shades of black discolored them, Magnezone gritting his plant-mouth as if the attack physically hurt him, but it wasn't enough to destroy them. "I am Omega Magnezone, and you will learn to fear me!" he yelled, and the fox sighed. On top of being a freeloader and a thief, this guy was a nutcase too.

Heliolisk was ducking and leaping over vine after vine. "Aren't sequels just the worst?" he joked, flipping over Magnezone's extended arm. "Look, Braixen, it's Attack of the Vine Monster Two: Death by Electric Plant Boogaloo!"

Braixen had enough time to gawk at his teammate and his funky words. "Electric what?" he asked, firing more flames. "What in Haven Archipelago is a 'boogaloo'? Heliolisk, if you're going insane too—"

"Is it insanity if it's intended?"

Too many vines. Braixen defensively walled himself with fire, protecting himself from Magnezone's chaotic plant attacks. "For crying out loud—"

"Skip the crying and get to the thrashing, eh?" Heliolisk fired a quick Thundershock, disappointed that it barely affected Magnezone. "What's the plan here? I can't do much against this guy."

"Working on it!" Braixen unleashed a torrent of flames that warded off the vines attacking Golisopod, giving the muscle of their team enough time to fight back. Because of that vine-heart, Magnezone had effectively gained an organic layer of armor. He was practically an Electric, Steel, and Grass-type all at once, meaning Heliolisk's Electric moves were useless.

But his weakness to Fire was greater than ever, and Magnezone would feel it even through those thick vines. He gestured to Golisopod, and the bug jumped, a warbled gasp leaving Magnezone's mouth as he latched onto his body and weighed him down. Vines flicked toward him, and only Golisopod's Pin Missiles could keep him from drowning in the attacks.

Braixen again tossed his Treasure Bag to Heliolisk — why was he the bag bearer anyway when he never used it? — and the lizard caught it mid-leap over a vine. "Blast Seeds?" he asked.

"Whatever gets rid of that meddlesome armor," Braixen replied, charging the element of fire into his wand. He still wanted that vine-heart — to destroy it would be such a pitiful waste. Yet if he was to take out Magnezone, only the strongest of his Fire-type moves would do.

This called for a Fire Blast.

Suddenly deciding that maybe using vines all the time was too predictable, Magnezone called on his other newly gained powers, eyes shedding a fierce Petal Blizzard that buffeted Braixen and his mouth spitting out point-blank Bullet Seeds at Golisopod. The armored bug screeched as they struck the purple skin in between his silver-plated armor, leaping back to evade the attacks. "I need him still!" Braixen ordered, and Heliolisk began throwing Blast Seeds from the bag, trying to distract Magnezone.

No good. "I see you, zzt," mocked Magnezone as the Blast Seeds detonated in flaming bursts, only for vines to regrow the damage they caused. His organic antenna sizzled with electricity, and Braixen took cover behind one of the pillars, the stone cracking as a powerful bolt struck it. "You think you can defeat the Omega Magnezone?"

Braixen kept charging his Fire Blast — he needed all the power he could get. Terror shook his frame when the light of an accursed Hyper Beam glowed from within Magnezone's maw. If that so much as grazed him—

Golisopod thrust his body against the Magnezone, and the Hyper Beam fired off to the side and deep into one of the temple's hallways, Braixen's ears folding from the blaring noise. Heliolisk didn't miss a beat either, climbing on top of Magnezone and raising his leg.

Then he stomped down, and Magnezone quaked with a groan, falling down. "Yeah, how's about that improvised Bulldoze?" said Heliolisk as vines crawled toward him.

But at last Braixen was ready. He leapt past the pillar and brought out his wand, now smoking and full of red light. Magnezone's flower-eyes blinked, then seemed to shed their petals. "My cue to leave," Heliolisk said with a chuckle, and he and Golisopod scrambled away.

Then fire.

A beautiful blaze of explosive fury, engulfing the so-called Omega Magnezone whole. The robot behind the plant armor screamed, thrashing its fire-coated vines everywhere. Stone pillars snapped, archways were chipped, but the unbreakable walls of the dungeon held strong as ever.

It may as well be his greatest Fire Blast to date. Heliolisk leaned against one of the walls as he watched the fire show, while Golisopod kept a neutral position. Braixen himself was already striding forward, certain that this charade was well over.

By some miracle, parts of Magnezone's vine-armor survived the flames. Most of it was stripped away and turned into ash, the true metallic body of their foe poking out at certain places. One of the shoulders was still mostly intact, its arm reduced to a silly nub. The other arm dangled to the side, and a desperate swipe from Magnezone showed it was still usable. How impressive.

What mattered, though, was the vine-heart still attached to the underside. "No, you can't," came the Pokemon's cracked voice, vines stretched out in warning as Braixen came closer. "I-I am Omega Magnezone! You cannot take my power from me! I WILL NOT BE WEAK!"

He flailed his vines, and Braixen cast flames aplenty, burning them away. Yet the Magnezone kept fighting, growing more vines that had to be turned into cinders. Heliolisk chucked a Stun Seed over, but the remaining vine-arm intercepted it, the seed popping uselessly against it.

But Braixen refused to leave without that magic artifact, and he wasn't letting this crazy Pokemon keep it either. If you won't allow me to come closer, he thought, then so be it.

A purple light doused his wand, and Braixen locked onto the vine-heart, a purple glow enveloping it. "What? No, no, NO!" Magnezone screeched as Psychic took hold, tugging at the artifact. What looked like a Magical Leaf attack flew out of the remains of Magnezone's plant mouth, but Heliolisk fried them with a Thunderbolt. Then vines grew toward Braixen, which Golisopod was quick to rip apart with his Pin Missiles.

Still Magnezone continued to resist. Vines kept the heart lodged in place, and Braixen yanked harder, hands trembling. "Release it," he said.

"NO! I WON'T, ZZT!" came the crazed reply. Magnezone thrust his arm toward his heart, trying to put it in front of the Psychic hold. "YOU CAN'T—"

Something went squish.

It was such an insignificant sound, yet everyone flinched at the noise. Then Magnezone wailed in pain, a shockwave spreading out from him that knocked Team Elementri to the floor. Braixen was swift to get up, eyes wavering at the rapidly dying vines laid in front of him.

There was Magnezone, toppled and knocked out. The remains of his vine armor were spread all over the temple floor. And there, in a puddle of ooze, a crushed heart of yellow vines thumped for the last time.

The magic artifact was gone. In a total klutz move, Magnezone had managed to squish it. Now it was withering, turning into dust like the vines it produced.

Gone.

Braixen slowly turned to Golisopod, who looked stupefied beyond belief, and then to Heliolisk. The electric lizard was still processing everything. His cheeks puffed out once as if to laugh, but upon seeing the null void that was Braixen's face, he caught himself and coughed.

Why no Pokespawn had appeared during that whole fight, Braixen did not understand, but now there was a Claydol floating into the room. A blade of water formed in Golisopod's claw as he dealt with the living, eight-eyed golem, striking it down with Razor Shell's power before turning to Braixen.

"I've failed," he rasped, hanging his head.

Braixen waved the gesture away. "You did nothing wrong," he said, releasing a long, tired sigh. "None of us did."

All that work to secure the strange magic object, and this fool of a Magnezone messed it up. They would not be bringing the vine-heart back home. They would not be able to study the strange item further and find out its origins. They would not get a chance to show it off to their fellow explorer, Gabite of Team Heavendust.

Oh, how amazed their friend would've been. For once they had found something noteworthy — not the most spectacular thing, but good enough not to ignore — and their treasure was now reduced to nothing. What a letdown.

There, the vine heart was completely gone now. Braixen stared at the greenish ooze it left behind, failing to notice the yellow hand that clamped over his shoulder. "Bummer," Heliolisk said, an honest frown on his face. "I know how happy you were when we got that artifact. You need a moment?"

Braixen turned to Magnezone, the silly Pokemon spinning around on its antenna even though it was out cold. "I am quite fine," he replied, dusting off his skirt-like fur. "A waste of time, to be sure, but it is what it is."

"Mhm." A smirk took hold of Heliolisk's face. "But if we found one of those crazy treasures here, we can find another 'round these parts, eh?"

Maybe, just maybe. The thought of it made Braixen raise his tail a little higher — finding mysteries was what his explorer team did, and no setbacks would stop them from pursuing their goals. With Mystery Dungeons, there was always going to be something special to discover.

And Team Elementri was going to keep on searching. "First things first, though," Braixen said, pointing the tip of his wand at Magnezone. Heliolisk and Golisopod stared at the fallen Pokemon, and all three of them shook their heads in unison.

This guy was a menace, even to his own self. "Why don't we bring him to the authorities?"

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Interlude 1 — Without A Trace

Human.

That was the second word that popped up in Lopunny's mind, right after Abhorrent. At once her paw went to her chest, legs rearing up as she swallowed her breath. The mouth of the cave was only several paces away, the dim night sky willing to obscure her if she needed to escape.

Wasn't that the name of that bizarre skin-creature sleeping at the end of the shallow cavern? The one wearing clothes all over its body, with trimmed brown fur covering the top of its head? At first she thought it was an Abhorrent Sawk — or at least, some other bipedal Pokemon that'd been turned into one of those horrifying mutants — but the longer her eyes had to adjust to the dark, the better she could tell this was no ordinary mutant.

Pokemon didn't wear this much clothing. The legends said that was a tradition of humans. She was facing a live human in the flesh.

And every part of her wanted to panic at the impossibility.

Why was she still here? Was it foolish curiosity that kept her rooted, or paralyzing fear? It seemed the creature had been in this part of Peakcrag Island for a brief time, judging from the ample berries it had scavenged and left lying in a corner. If Lopunny was afraid, so was this creature, judging from the taut frown it wore.

Its tossing and turning kept her jumpy. Lopunny peered out of the cavern for a moment, past small stony hills that fell downward, until they reached the ocean that ran throughout the horizon. It was faint, almost imperceivable, but there was the familiar shimmer of the distortion field that ran around her archipelago home. If she'd been outside, maybe she'd be able to see the ocean towers too. The ones that kept humans out in the first place.

Surely the human hadn't been living here all its life — the idea of humans living in secret within Haven Archipelago, that was just a bunch of tall tales. So why was this terrible being here? No, how could it be here? Did the towers stop working, or had they never been built to block out humans after all? Maybe the Ruptures, those terrible distortions some years back, had disabled them?

She didn't know, and she didn't care. It was an ill omen, they said, for one of the humans to discover and infiltrate their home. Come to think of it, there'd been a nasty thunderstorm that brewed just yesterday, coming and going without warning. A coincidence? She thought not.

One side of her demanded she leave now — this was a dangerous being she was dealing with, one well beyond her reckoning! Should it awaken, she'd likely become the next subject of the strange, foul magic that humans wielded. Why would it give her time to escape and warn others of its evil presence?

Yet another side felt perplexed. It looked so fragile in its sleep, and so cold, its attire damp from the earlier storm. A strange, motherly compassion made Lopunny come closer, descending into the cave's belly, until she was beside the fabled creature. Was it just her, or did this human seem quite young?

It could be a lost child. How was she sure the poor thing wanted to harm her, anyway? It was all superstition that she heard about humans — no one really knew what they were like, or what powers they had.

Her fear inched away as she watched the admittedly cute creature. It returned in full force as its eyes shot open and stared at her.

Had her fur been a shade of gray, Lopunny would've blended almost seamlessly with the stone, her posture still as a statue. It was awake. What would it do?

The human never took its eyes off her, aware of her presence but seemingly unable to see well in the dark. "Hello?" it uttered in some alien language. Lopunny saw it make a sharp movement, and nerves got the better of her.

Her fist glowed in warning, a shock of white light flashing throughout the cave, and the human scrambled back with a gasp. The pity Lopunny felt for it didn't last long — its hand was reaching toward an object she hadn't noticed in the cave before, a red-white ball that looked to be a capsule of sorts.

A device known as a 'Pokeball,' supposedly meant to capture and enthrall her kind. The cold air seeped deep into Lopunny's bones — she let its youth deceive her! The child was a threat!

Down came her Mega Punch, the human rolling away from both her attack and the hideous contraption. "No, wait!" it cried in fright. "I-I didn't mean to—"

Lopunny swung again, and the human scampered back, yelling out an array of words. Whatever it was saying, it didn't sound like it was chanting any magic spells. Its powers must be weak overall, for it wouldn't fight back or use any elemental abilities, instead trying to edge away and reach the Pokeball. Either it planned to capture her, or there already was an enslaved Pokemon inside, which it'd combat her with.

Deathly afraid of either outcome, she grabbed it for herself. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" the human whimpered, raising its arms as it backed up against the cave wall. "I don't even know where I am, please don't hurt me!"

Some kind of False Surrender? Lopunny didn't know, but she kept a firm grasp over the Pokeball. The human cowered as she came closer, fist still glowing with brilliant energy.

A twinge of sympathy aroused in her heart for the young human, but she bitterly shoved down the emotion. "Sit," she commanded, pointing so it would understand, and the human wasted no time slumping to the rocky ground. Good to know it was obedient.

Without the Pokeball, it seemed defenseless. Now what? Bringing this creature to the authorities sounded wise. Maybe she could use the capsule against it — it'd be poetic, imprisoning the human within its own machinery.

Of course, there might be a Pokemon trapped within. Was it suffering in there? Lopunny inspected the object, wondering if she could safely let it out without risk of being attacked by it, when something crashed into her forehead.

YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE.

The booming mind-voice startled Lopunny. Her fist cocked back, ready to strike the human, only to find it in its own state of abject fear as its eyes ran everywhere. It didn't do that to her, did it?

The voice rang out again. AND YOU, LOPUNNY, HAVE SEEN SOMETHING THE ISLANDS OF HAVEN ARCHIPELAGO WERE NEVER MEANT TO WITNESS, it declared. DO NOT RESIST. FOR YOUR SAKE, I SHALL CLEANSE YOU.

"What?" cried Lopunny, forgetting all about the human as she dashed to the cavern entrance. No creature stirred in the silent, mountainous landscape of Peakcrag Island, nor the nearby ocean. "Who's there? What are you?"

"W-What's happening?" she heard the human say, whatever its words meant.

WHAT I AM, YOU SHALL NOT REMEMBER FOR LONG, answered the voice. NOW, HUMAN, YOU AND YOUR DEVICES MUST BE BANISHED. PERISH FROM OUR LANDS. BEGONE!

A shocking sensation came afterward, and Lopunny felt her mind split, as if struck by lightning. Instantly she fell, noise ringing through her ears. The air screamed, ripping itself apart, and the yells of some other creature were torn away.

There she lay for a while, paws clamped over the tremendous aching in her forehead. One eyelid fluttered open, finding herself level with pebbles and dirt. The night sky shaded the world, darkness bouncing along each and every hill she could spot from her vantage point.

She got up, trying to put herself together, and faced the nearby cavern. Her paws clasped themselves, her brows furrowing at something beyond her recollection. Hadn't she been holding something just a moment ago?

Come to think of it, what was she doing at this cave again? Something had happened, but she didn't remember — maybe it had to do with her unusual headache. It was important, wasn't it?

All she remembered was coming to this cave, then noise, lots of it. Looking around, however, there was nothing special to see. The ground was barren, and an inspection at the cave's inside only showed an odd pile of berries, left behind by an unknown visitor. The only conclusion she could make was that someone had tampered with her mind, then scurried off.

What a worrisome thought. Strange she wasn't hurt in any way, though, save for her memory issue. What had she forgotten?

Lopunny walked away from the cavern, considering if she should ask a trained psychic to help her remember. A frown creased her face — there was one other thing she recalled, for some vague reason. A single word that made no sense to her, one that left her muddled and uncomfortable, yet somehow relieved.

Human.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 9 — Bandit Band Bane

SKELETON ABHORRENT ON THE PROWL

Mudstream Village has recently reported the appearance of a strange Abhorrent with a skeletal form engulfed in black flames, showing possible interest in the nearby Mud Passage Mystery Dungeon. Has since disappeared. Motives unknown, and state of rationality uncertain. Explorers up to the challenge are asked to scout out the whereabouts of this Abhorrent, but not to take action unless proven safe and necessary, and report back. BEWARE: chance of mutation may be possible.

Client: Berrypark Explorer Board

Goal: Track down and identify mystery Abhorrent, and if possible, subdue it.

Location: Mud Passage dungeon and surroundings, northern region of Grassbranch Island

Danger: ?

Reward: 5000 Poke

Addendum: Mission cannot be reserved by any single team. Please keep this task posted on the board until its completion is confirmed.

Lucario rolled his eyes as Gabite stared down the last task on the 'Grassbranch Island Tasks' board, willing it to burn up into blackened scraps. Still a better reaction than the day before — the paper looked quite disheveled with those puncture marks in the corner.

Beside him, Vulpix nervously curled her tails. "Shouldn't we, uh," she said, flicking her head toward Gabite, "do something?"

"On it." Clearing his throat, Lucario called out to their team leader. "Don't we have better things to do?"

A growl. Gabite's glare swept over, charring the bright stony floor before landing on them. "Can't help it," he muttered, dragging himself away from the task. "You understand what these fiends do, right?"

After talking with Eevee two days ago, Lucario certainly understood, perhaps even more than Gabite did. Corrupted poison spikes in items like Z-Crystal, used to warp the bodies and possibly the minds of Pokemon — how sickening. As if Eira's safety isn't enough of a problem, he thought, cringing at the thought of encountering Aerodactyl again.

It was fortunate Gabite had no interest in pursuing him. "Even if my claws weren't full with you two, I can't handle tasks like those," he said in a low voice. "Blast, I wish Braixen was here. Berrypark Town's only got so many explorers, and that Abhorrent might be long gone before teams from elsewhere can help with scouting."

Gabite mentioned Braixen before, back when they first met and also when Vulpix figured out Lugia's identity. "Who's this guy anyway?" Lucario asked out of curiosity.

A large smile removed the traces of frustration shadowing Gabite's face. "Leader of Team Elementri — spelled with the Unown letter 'I', not 'Y' — and a dear friend of mine. Met him years back, when I was still living on Tumbledust Island. It's not an understatement to say I wouldn't be an explorer without him."

Vulpix's progress in the Pokemon tongue showed as she caught on to the nuance of the team name, brows arching at its spelling. "Braixen, Heliolisk, and Goliosopod, they're good company," Gabite went on. "They're chasing after weird magic items in Junglebush Island right now, but you'll meet them soon. If you're staying on the team, of course."

If they were staying on the team.

Which they were not.

A part of Lucario felt guilty at the thought. It was what, their fourth day of being explorers now? So far Eira the Vulpix had made notable progress in learning to defend herself, both in terms of fighting and being able to speak. He almost felt jealous — the kid had pushed herself, learning about combat and increasing her Level quicker than he ever bothered to as a young, naive Riolu.

She was a novice still, but she had the basics. They both had a rough understanding of the world and its signature Mystery Dungeons, and a lead for finding their way back too. Why stay here then, he thought, where Ariados can catch us at any moment?

Yet he hesitated, unwilling to leave the team so soon. "But who am I kidding? Of course you'll stick around," said Gabite, elbowing him before turning to the 'Local Tasks' board. "Now then, you two have been breezing through these missions, so I think it's time to try something harder. Maybe something in—"

His smile dropped, as did his gaze as it landed on a particular task. Silence followed, and Vulpix tilted her head at Lucario before going around Gabite, trying to see what the problem was.

She barely read the words before rearing back, tails shooting into the air. "W-Weavile," she stammered.

The name pulled a trigger in Lucario's head. Not a second later and he was pouncing toward the task, nearly barreling into Gabite in the process. At once he shoved his snout against the paper, glaring at its contents.

"Him again?" he growled, fists engulfed in the energy of aura's justice.

THIEF LURKING NEAR TALLGRASS MEADOW DUNGEON

A string of thefts has occurred on the roads nearby! Travelers, merchants, and explorer teams going from Berrypark Town to Lakehome Town are encountering a Weavile who makes a quick steal before getting away. Has made use of the nearby Tallgrass Meadow dungeon as an escape route. Both towns' officers are currently incapable of resolving the matter, so anyone capable of subduing this criminal in a timely fashion will be rewarded well.

Client: Berrypark Officer Toxicroak

Goal: Arrest Weavile.

Location: Road between Berrypark Town and Lakehome Town, Tallgrass Meadow dungeon

Danger: A Rank

Reward: 4000 Poke

Gabite had found a new task to shoot daggers at, and so did Lucario. "Weavile," hissed Gabite. "You'd think Shaymin would force Togetic into doing this one."

Of course the stupid thief who threatened Vulpix and tried stealing Shaymin's Gracidea was still around. Shaymin and Togetic came here ahead of them to get their tasks — how did they ignore this?

"No surprise he's at Tallgrass Meadow." Gabite eyed Lucario from the side. "The dungeon's a perfect escape route. It's got multiple entrances and exits, which makes it ideal for thieves to shake off pursuers."

His dark smirk contrasted with the cozy lighting the room was adorned in. "I could use something to offset the foul mood that skeletal Abhorrent's put me in," he remarked. "How about we take down our old friend Weavile?"

It was an arduous struggle for Lucario not to take that task and slam it on Porygon-Z's desk. His base self desired — no, demanded Weavile's downfall, his blood boiling to strike him down for his lawlessness. Leave this mission alone, and he'd surely get away again, his stealing spree unchallenged. How could he allow for such a thing?

What kept him rooted was a breath of cold clarity that brushed against his leg.

Vulpix had noticed his train of thought, her face set in a grimace, and justice wavered under the torrent of a subtler urge — guardianship. Kid's my main priority right now, Lucario scolded himself. I can't let Weavile harm her in any way. What if he took the band?

Yet the thought of letting Weavile walk away continued to tear at him. It's three on one, and you'll knock out Weavile before he can so much as twitch a muscle, said a voice in his head. What are you afraid of?

The jackal grumbled, shaking his dreadlocks. I won't endanger Eira.

You're not endangering Eira.

The silent war stretched on, Gabite and Vulpix watching with taut faces. "Right, almost forgot about your kid," said the former, rubbing his chin. "Your Pokemon instincts are messing with your wish to protect her, huh?"

A chuckle left his throat at the terse grunt Lucario made. "Yeah, I feel you. It took some tough love for Braixen to make me control my obsession for shiny objects." A glint of greed shone in Gabite's eyes as he admired the Electric Gems lighting the room. "But look, I understand the risks, and I wouldn't take this task if I wasn't confident in our chances. All you need to do is follow my lead, and we'll have him caught in no time. Nobody's gonna get hurt."

He gave a significant nod toward Vulpix. "Consider it our first serious mission. Any objections?"

The vixen trembled at his expectant gaze. Looked toward the ground in contemplation. Bit her lip.

"We could do the task," she murmured.

Not only was it unlike her to speak to Gabite where a shake of her head would suffice, it also sounded like she was convincing herself more than anything else. "Kid?" said Lucario, frowning at her passivity. "Think about what you're saying there. This is dangerous for you."

He accentuated his words with an aura message — a yanking sensation, pulling at the forepaw. A tinge of frosty dread too. Yet despite how Vulpix flinched, the girl stayed adamant, shaking off the feelings as if they never happened.

"I-I'll be fine." Anxious courage emanated from her, wavering yet willing. "And you'll keep me safe, like before. Won't you?"

Now the weight of Gabite's gaze fell upon him. Lucario groaned, finding himself saddled with the curse of decisions. Why was a Pokemon like him forced to call the shots here? Vulpix was being too compliant — she knew better than this.

But her words poked at a prideful side of himself. With his favorable typing and skills, he was more than capable of protecting her. Weavile wouldn't stand a chance.

Why was he giving up this opportunity?

Such thoughts kept pestering him, instinctual justice clawing at Lucario's sense of guardianship. Soon he could bear it no longer, the pangs of defeat making him bare his teeth at Gabite. "You better have a plan," he said.

Gabite bared his teeth back in a toothy smile.

The way to Tallgrass Meadow was pleasant enough, with hills bobbing up and down and plenty of blooming flowers and trees. Grass grew wild, their blades sticking up to hoard as much sunlight for themselves. The only noise came from winds that made the greenery sway ever so gently, and from the footsteps of three Pokemon walking on a dirt road.

That tranquility wasn't enough to tone down Lucario's alertness. His paw was pressed against his side, glowing with a blue mist as he paid attention to the surroundings with his aurasense. Waves of aura were weaved into this place, he could feel it, but none of them linked to any distinct Pokemon except for the two traveling with him.

Vulpix's wary emotions leaked out, mixed with the vigilance Gabite showed. While Lucario's eyes kept watch of everything, Gabite's jet-engine-shaped ears pulsed at intervals, the dragon-shark listening in for the ultrasound waves his kind could produce. It seemed silly — aurasense had far better range.

But it didn't hurt to be prudent. Weavile was somewhere around here, and they needed to be ready for him.

"One of Tallgrass Meadow's entrances should appear in several more minutes," Gabite stated. "The path bends toward it on the right. If you look to your left now, you might notice the outskirts of where the Mystery Dungeon known as Stringed Forest lies."

Lucario's tension doubled as he and Vulpix both turned in the same direction. True to Gabite's word, the trees in the far distance had gathered up into proper clusters befitting of a moody forest. It stretched out to the horizon, marching its way north to where the ocean lied, and although it seemed ordinary at first glance, Lucario could feel malevolence stalk them from within its shaded kingdom of thickets.

So that's where Ariados lives, he thought, double-checking for any sign of the vengeful red spider. His aurasense found nothing, thank goodness.

"Strange place, that dungeon." Bitterness arose in Gabite's tone. "There was a normal village there, but it got swallowed up by the distortion two months ago. Their Ariados matriarch gained limited power over the dungeon, however, allowing the inhabitants to live there without being threatened."

Fear and pity coexisted inside Vulpix's aura as she listened to Gabite, and Lucario offered her a few soothing emotions. "Sounds creepy," he said, making himself sound curious. Perhaps Gabite could tell him more about Stringed Forest. "Dungeons do that often?"

"Spawn on top of a Pokemon settlement? Unheard of, mostly." The bitterness shot up a few notches. "But then again, we've had reports of dungeons acting up in ways that are odd, even for them. More worrying, the timings line up with the recent appearance of the Abhorrent disease."

Good grief, more mutant business. "What, you think they're related?" Lucario asked incredulously. That didn't seem likely to him.

But Gabite thought otherwise. "It's a little too coincidental for me to ignore. The dungeons acting funny and swallowing up villages, or creating floors that don't follow usual dungeon logic, and then these blasted Abhorrents show up?" The dragon-shark snarled at the thought of it. "Something about it smells fishy. Those freaks can turn other Pokemon into monstrous ferals, and if Legendaries can alter the dungeons, why can't they?"

Fearful mutters ran deep within Gabite's aura, like water droplets plopping against the floor of a dank cellar. "But never mind that," said the dragon-shark, returning to a more pleasant mood. "My point is, Stringed Forest is quite an interesting place, with some interesting company. It rarely gets any missions, but maybe I'll take you two inside someday."

Vulpix put on a stony face beside Lucario, the jackal making a disinterested hum. Better steer Gabite away from that idea. "It sounds like a place Vulpix and I wouldn't want to explore," he told him.

A snicker. "What, you scared? Come on, Stringed Forest isn't that bad a dungeon, and although Ariados can be a little stir-crazy, she and the village folk are nice—"

Gabite slowed, face scrunching up as he placed a claw on his chin. "Wait a minute," he said with deliberation. "This road goes between Lakehome Town and Berrypark Town, going west and crossing Tallgrass Meadow and Stringed Forest on the way, then bends south toward the woods where I live. We met you guys headed toward Berrypark, and not Lakehome. That would mean—"

His eyes expanded. "It was her, wasn't it?"

If Gabite's mention of the dungeon was the lightning, this was the thunder that came after. "What?" said Lucario, the fur on his nape rising.

"Ariados. She attacked Vulpix." Gabite slowly faced him, his aura rippling from revelation's shock. "You said someone messed with her some time ago, yeah?"

For the love of— why did he remember that, and why did he have to put two and two together? Lucario's mind whirled with thoughts on how to throw him off track, but it was far too late. Even if he could somehow make up a good lie to cover them, Vulpix's intake of air at the mention of Ariados was enough for Gabite to know he was right.

"And you said there was another person." Gears whirred in Gabite's head. "Kecleon?"

Insult to injury. Lucario didn't bother hiding his emotions, and nor did Vulpix — the damage had been done. Now the dragon-shark would surely look for answers, leading to a confrontation with Ariados herself.

He had to deter him from doing that. "Gabite—" he began.

It wasn't necessary. "Don't tell me why she attacked, I'll bet the reason's something stupid," said Gabite, the duo dropping their jaws at his statement. "Don't need that clouding my judgment of you two. I assume Ariados's still angry with you, but Kecleon must have attacked by mistake and apologized, which would explain your interactions with him. He's been helping you out?"

Well, no reason to hide this. Lucario nodded, sensing no interest in Gabite's aura to look further into the matter. Really? Their team leader suddenly didn't want to pry?

"It isn't hard to realize you really don't want me snooping into this," explained Gabite when Lucario stared for too long. "And I'll respect that. Odd as you two are, I know good, trustworthy people when I see them, and Togetic knows even better with her purity-sensing powers. Anything else I should know?"

This worked out far better than he could anticipate. Lucario let his eyes dance along the blue flames licking his palm, dimly aware of the sincerity in Gabite's aura. He had that much trust in two strangers he met a few days ago? A real shame he couldn't return that level of trust and, well, let him know everything. If not for his fear of humans and Abhorrents, maybe he could let Team Heavendust's leader in on their secrets.

But he could share a little. "Ariados showed up in town when I went searching for Vulpix," he said, making Gabite grimace. "Kecleon and I had to hide her amongst the crowd. She's been after us the whole time."

"Say no more. Vulpix?" Gabite's words shook the human-turned-Pokemon out of her disbelieving stupor. "That Ariados will not be allowed twenty feet near you. You have my guarantee."

Never had Gabite's aura been such a brilliant blue. Good thing Shaymin wasn't here, because the gratitude blooming from within Vulpix's soul was enough to make Lucario sick. That intense feeling slipped out of a crack in her reserved demeanor, and Vulpix gave Gabite a bright, childish smile.

"That means a lot to me, Gabite," she said.

Gabite batted an eye, not expecting such a direct thank-you from the vixen, before nodding. "Just saying, it'll be a problem if you guys stay on the team and Ariados remains hostile toward you," he informed Lucario. "Let me know if you need any help."

Lucario's reply was a polite non-answer. He sent a discreet wink to Vulpix, and the false vixen smiled harder, relief in both their faces.

It wasn't long before the trees of Stringed Forest thinned out, and not much longer when the path twisted toward a flatter, rockier patch of land. A group of Whimsicott and Cottonee sailed by in the distance, carried by the slight winds, and even a regular odd rabbit sat upon one of the few mounds in the terrain, ears twitching toward them. A bird-like Pokemon circled overhead, as if eyeing the animal as a future meal.

For some reason Lucario's feelers churned, sending warnings as the bird darted off, but he didn't get the chance to check why as Gabite held up a claw. "So we're here," he announced, eyes staring way into the distance. "And it seems there might be a complication."

Vulpix turned over, showing her concern. At the same time waves of aura ran into the blue flare that covered Lucario's paw, and he felt more nearby presences. "Oh, yeah, that's not what I expected," he said, staring too.

Trees grew more abundantly up ahead, mixed with huge boulders and tallgrass, until they clustered into a grove so tightly bound its trees seemed to smother themselves. The grass parted around an ugly pathway of sticks and dirt that tunneled into the out-of-place grove, a sign planted there to inform travelers of the dungeon beyond.

More importantly were the Pokemon that were present. Lucario snuffed out the flame on his palm, eyes lighting up blue in its place — no reason to feel the surrounding area now that he knew where to look — and made out the one red aura mingling with two light-blue auras.

The red one was Weavile's, no mistake. The crimson color of his head-feathers became visible as they crept closer, using trees and rocky formations for cover. Vulpix's eyes stayed glued to the thief, while Gabite scratched his chin as he focused on the other two Pokemon.

There was only one pair of Pokemon that would consist of a brown fish and a pink witch whose hair resembled a pointy hat. Feebas and Hattrem, here? Lucario thought, squinting at the twosome.

No mistaking it, it was them, and they were engaged in an argument with Weavile. No battle had broken out yet, but from the way Hattrem shook her ponytails and how Weavile clenched his clawed hands, there was some ice-cold tension between the two parties. A tension that could heat up at any moment.

On the bright side, they wouldn't need to go searching for the thief. "We better help them," Lucario murmured.

Gabite nodded, fumbling with his Treasure Bag. Out came an orb swirling into its center with orange and black lines — a Foe-Seal Orb. "I'll activate this, and Weavile won't be able to move," he instructed. "We need to knock him out fast though, since us living Pokemon can shake off the effects of items much faster than conjured Pokespawn. If this misses, I need Vulpix to Disable, and you to Quick Attack over and pin him down."

Simple enough, Lucario reasoned. Use the orb, show Weavile the fist of the law, and then drag him to the nearest prison. What could go wrong?

And then the bird came back.

A sudden jab prodded his aura feelers at its incoming presence. Lucario barely turned before feathers flashed, raking him and Gabite. It took a moment for both to realize the orb had been shattered within the grip of Gabite's claw, glass breaking up into motes of light.

Vulpix took longer still just to process the attack. Gabite instinctively clutched his Treasure Bag as the flying Pokemon — A Swellow — looped back, only to still himself in the air, red chest and white stomach puffed out. He spread out his blue wings, feathers flaring out along with his inner red aura.

"Hi," he said.

The shriek that came after made Lucario's ears bleed.

It was only natural that Weavile and Hattrem paused their verbal spar to turn toward the source of the deafening noise. A mistake for the former, as Feebas leapt into action the moment his back was turned, slamming into him with a force that defied her species's low strength. A stunned Weavile was still tumbling onto his face when Hattrem too responded, striking with her ponytails.

Weavile cursed, darkness wreathing his claws. Swellow twisted his beak as his partner in crime struggled to fight the pair off, before cocking an eye at Lucario, Gabite, and Vulpix. "Oh," said the latter, resigned.

And then Swellow swooped in, his speed almost on par with Weavile's. Lucario frantically put up his arms as the bird raked at him, then turned on Gabite, battering him with his wings. A blue light struck him and he screeched, dropping to the ground for a moment, and Gabite took the moment to bring up one of his arm-fins.

The following Slash sent Swellow airborne, feathers flying off as he brought himself upright. He scowled at Vulpix's glowing eyes, zigzagging away before another Disable could unbalance him. "Explorer interlopers," he muttered. "As if Weavile having tea with two girls wasn't bad enough."

Weavile had shaken off Hattrem and Feebas by then, dashing back to Swellow with darkness-encased claws held in front like an evil X-Scissor. "Not my fault they ran into my hiding spot," he growled, before facing Team Heavendust. "First two wannabe explorers treat me like some E-class crook, and now the very people who made me lose a terrific profit the other day want my head. You joined the Gabite, didn't you, Lucario? Does your kind ever get tired of settling trifles in the unholy name of justice? You even have your little one taking after you, how disgusting."

Lucario could see Vulpix's lips twisting at his words. A standstill played out as Hattrem and Feebas moved toward the trio, their nods serving as a greeting, a word of thanks, and a silent agreement all at once. Together they formed a line, their gazes fixated on Weavile and Swellow.

"There's two of you," growled Gabite.

Swellow cackled in response. "I'm just that good of a scout," he said, his eyes darting to the side for some reason. "These guys ain't worth it, Weavile. Nothing worth taking."

"No." Weavile narrowed his eyes, one of his claws losing its dark energy. "But the stash's gonna need protecting. And I think I need to show these lot a lesson first."

It was through sheer chance that Lucario reacted so quickly — one moment Weavile claw had blurred in and out of the pouch hung around his neck, the next Lucario blinked at the spiky red seed he had caught, throwing it back without a second thought. Weavile and Swellow scattered, the explosion of the Blast Seed well behind them as they rushed toward the party.

It was war from then on. Weavile's claws swept out in arcs as he ran circles around the group, Ice Shards flying forth and pelting them. Occasionally he'd weave in and out, Night Slashing at them, while Swellow struck with beak and wing before darting out of reach.

It infuriated Lucario as his attacks kept striking at Weavile's afterimages, until his frustration was let loose in the form of raging, crackling Aura Spheres. Even this Weavile countered, arrays of Ice Shards making them implode from afar. Vulpix and Feebas were trying their best to respectively Disable and Tackle the duo, but their speed was too great an advantage. Hattrem once clipped Weavile when light flashed from her eyes in a Dazzling Gleam, but that was it.

Then Gabite reached into his Treasure Bag and downed a seed.

His next Dragon Claw came impossibly fast, a startled Weavile twisting out of the way in time to have his red tail-feathers shaved off. "Two can play that game," he declared, reaching into his item pouch.

The orb he pulled out was instantly struck by another orb Gabite lobbed at him. A dour look creased Weavile's face as both shattered into brilliant motes. "Comeagain?" Gabite said, his words blurring together.

And then he blurred forward, Weavile ducking and retreating from his lightning-quick Slashes. Out of his pouch came what was likely a Stun Seed, but Gabite effortlessly evaded it and pressed onward with vicious teeth bared. Lucario took a moment to smirk at the dragon-shark suddenly being able to keep pace with Weavile — courtesy of what must've been a Quick Seed — before craning his head toward Swellow.

With Weavile not around for backup, the poor bird was left to fend for himself, his eyes darting all the more frantically as he fled from Feebas's leaping headbutts, Hattrem's light energy attacks, and a cautious Vulpix's Disables. Kid should be fine with those two, he decided, pivoting back to Weavile.

The weasel was put on the back foot by Gabite's onslaught, firing Ice Shards and throwing seeds without abandon. Gabite threw his own seeds back, the two playing a game of item attrition. In other words?

It was too easy to catch Weavile off guard — one Quick Attack and Lucario was behind him, paw flaring with power. Force Palm followed, aimed to the torso, and the unprepared weasel was sent catapulting right into Gabite's waiting fin-blades. His Slash struck true, and Lucario's sense of justice found satisfaction in Weavile crumpling from their combined efforts.

Just in time as Gabite rebalanced himself from the swift movement, his burst of speed fading as suddenly as it came. Seed's effects wore off fast, Lucario idly thought, before grimacing as he observed Swellow tumbling from a head-on collision from Feebas. Okay, was it just him, or was that bird's eyes twitching too often to the side—?

The rushing noise of a turbulent water stream crashed into Lucario's ears like a siren call, and everything clicked as Lucario witnessed an Aqua Jet leap into the sky before storming toward them. That screech Swellow made? That wasn't for Weavile.

There was a third thief.

Before he knew it the Aqua Jet crashed down upon Gabite with a meteor's impact, its conjurer leaping out of the implosion of water pellets with a beaky grin. "Clean up duty!" hollered Golduck, the red gemstone on the huge blue duck's forehead flashing with a Psychic will, and Lucario choked as a matching red glow enclosed around him and constricted the air out of his lungs.

The mental force pushed, and he flew directly into a startled Hattrem, Feebas, and Vulpix, bowling them down. The entangled pile of limbs was made complete when Golduck threw a dazed Gabite after them, Lucario clenching his teeth as spiky scales stung the skin beneath his fur. "Finally!" said Swellow. "Where were you this whole time?"

"Safeguarding the moola, silly bird." Golduck let out a chortle. "Had to relocate it, but it'll be easy for us to pick up later. We done with these clowns or what?"

Vulpix's curly hair was a mess as her head popped out of the pile, her expression bordering on panic. "Th—" she whispered, before catching her near slip-up. "Th-there's one more?"

Like it mattered to Lucario how many of these crooks he had to fend off. With a grunt he shoved Gabite off him, Aura Spheres flying from both of his palms. Golduck's response was nothing more than a sheer insult as he casually swept his gaze over the spheres, psychic power pushing them into each other. A spark roared out in the wake of their collision.

"Oh no, they want more trouble," the duck jeered. "We can oblige, can't we, friends?"

The others had managed to free themselves by then, but it wasn't enough. A second wind broke loose as Weavile's eyelids shot open and Swellow took to the air, Lucario clutching his side as the latter slashed him with Aerial Ace's speed. Gabite moved to strike the bird when Ice Shards impaled his back, the super-effective attack making him reel.

A hiss and a gasp rang out, Lucario's eyes darting toward Feebas as Swellow's talons sunk into her sides in front of a stupified Hattrem, the bird flying away with the fish in tow. Weavile moved forward too, Vulpix locking up as his claws reached toward her with malice. No! thought the jackal, his feet carrying him—

His feet couldn't move. He couldn't move. There was a red Psychic glow surrounding him, and Golduck's laughs were burning holes into his already injured eardrums.

The only sound worse than that was Vulpix's squeal of pain, Weavile's claws shaving white fur off her back. "Now that'll be enough funny business," he growled, throwing the vixen under the weight of his foot.

She struggled, squirmed, aimed her head to fire a Disable at him, only for Weavile to crush her head into the dirt. Feebas fared no better, her face strangely at peace as Swellow kept his talons dug into her scales, Hattrem watching with livid silence. Lucario snarled, hammering a crack into the psychic power as he fought against Golduck's mental grasp.

Then he saw Weavile's finger pressing against Vulpix's throat. Saw the kid turn whiter than snow at the subtle yet lethal threat. Saw Gabite's gaze, warning him not to put up a fight.

And he stopped resisting, staying stock still even as Golduck dropped the Psychic hold. Not even his seething instincts for justice could make him twitch.

Not while Vulpix was in such a dangerous position.

"Even an outlaw like me's above maiming, but you all are forcing my claws here." Dead silence reigned as Weavile scowled at each of them, Golduck sauntering to his side. "Maybe if I didn't waste my items on that fight, I wouldn't need to resort to this sort of thuggish behavior.

"Now if you all behave and let us get our 'belongings', maybe we can all go on our separate merry ways." Weavile's eyes dropped, peering at Vulpix's paws and noticing the wristband blending in with her fur. "Well look at what the kid's wearing."

Oh. Oh no.

Vulpix's eyes inflated to the size of baseballs. "Fun fact, Swellow and Golduck, she's the reason I missed out on a rare Gracidea the other day," said Weavile, relishing in the immense terror that contorted her face. "Thing's worth plenty to you, little miss? Seeing how you and your caretaker haven't learned their lesson—"

His claw shifted toward the band, and Lucario stopped listening, justice and guardianship fusing into an urge that dominated his soul. This was the worst-case scenario — How could he let Vulpix be in this position?

No choice. Must stop him, he thought.

Hattrem must've sensed his frenzied emotions because she swung her head over to yell at him not to do it, but Lucario was already in motion. His feet shoved against dirt, racing forward and refusing to heed her cries and Gabite's. Golduck barely batted an eye before bringing up his Psychic grasp again.

But not this time. Lucario's eyes glowed a brilliant blue to counter Golduck's red, and his body reflexively shifted away from the area of constriction, Detect hurtling him the rest of the way toward a bewildered Weavile.

He struck.

Built-up fury and determination blasted out in a shock of aura that sent the weasel airborne, somersaulting a few times midair. No time to watch him fall back to earth, however — his arm swept to the side near-instantly, bashing into Golduck's gut with a second sizzling Force Palm. The duck rolled multiple yards away, waves of paralysis hissing all over his body.

Vulpix rapidly blinked, burdened no more by the weight of Weavile's foot. An examination proved her cuts were thankfully shallow. "All good?" he asked just in case.

The kid nodded, shamefaced as she turned away. A breathless gasp escaped her maw.

Lucario saw where she was looking and cringed. Oh shoot.

Desperation had blinded him to Feebas's own plight, Swellow piercing her scales with brute force. Her captor squawked as he was slammed again and again into the ground, under the pressure of Hattrem's Psychic power. Still his talons held firm, Feebas baring her teeth as they cut deep into her flank. "Let her go," the witch said with glowing, glaring eyes.

Her demand wasn't enough. Even when Gabite walked over with his arm-fins poised, Swellow brought his talons deeper, Feebas hacking from the torment. "Let her go?" yelled the bird. "How about you let us go—"

A frown hardened Vulpix's face, her eyes firing off dark-blue energy. Disable silenced the bird as his limbs locked up, talons retracting, and Gabite slashed. Hard.

Swellow slumped over, allowing Feebas to wriggle out from his loose grip. Clear lines of blood left her scales uglier-looking than usual. "Ow?" she said with a grim smile.

Hattrem ran toward her without missing a beat. "I know Heal Pulse," said Lucario as he joined her, "I can—"

He lost his voice as Hattrem scowled — a level of emotion that was abnormal for her species. One ponytail moved in front as if telling him to get out of town, while the other placed itself upon Feebas. It glowed with pink refreshing energy, blood flaking off the fish's body as Hattrem's own Heal Pulse sealed her cuts and repaired her scales.

"You got her injured," she said, her tone deathly blank.

Lucario raised his paws as he attempted to defend himself, only for his words to be cut short by Gabite's interjection. "And for what?" he barked, eyes ablaze with heavy scrutiny. "To save your kid's wristband? Do you mind explaining what's so special about that thing that you'd risk Feebas for it?"

If Vulpix wasn't already jittery from being under Weavile mercy, it was Gabite's words that shook her deep to her core, Lucario unable to meet her gaze. Good grief, the last thing he needed was Gabite growing suspicious about her wristband. How did he let this all happen?

"In case you haven't noticed, Feebas bled." Gabite looked back at the recovering fish with — was that anxiety? Distress? "Pokemon don't bleed easy, Lucario, you know that? Us explorers don't ever put civilians at risk."

"Oh, lay off him," Feebas interrupted with a wave of her fin. "I'll be just fine."

Hattrem tsked, Gabite rolling his head in disagreement. "You should've waited for orders," he continued. "Blindly attacking criminals when hostages are involved? There's nothing sensible about that. And again — all that for a wristband?"

Before Lucario could try again to speak on his behalf, Swellow's body lit up red, hovering into the air. Everyone's heads snapped as the knocked-out Pokemon sailed off with blistering speed, before dropping right at the entrance of Tallgrass Meadow.

Right in front of a waiting ally. "You really just let me recover, eh?" mocked Golduck, Weavile slumped over one of his shoulders. His webbed feet stood steps away from the dungeon. "Paralysis doesn't last forever."

So distracted by the fiasco with Feebas, Lucario had completely forgotten to finish the job with Golduck. Oh, you're kidding me, he thought, hurrying forward—

Only to despair himself of redemption as a familiar red gleam sparked in Golduck's gemstone, grabbing Lucario in place. Beside him, Gabite too was caught by Psychic, his claw frozen stiff inside his Treasure Bag and a primal scowl on his face. "Anyone else?" said Golduck, taking in the others' stony expressions before draping Swellow's wingspan over his other shoulder. "Thought so. Here, let me say a little something on behalf of my buddy Weavile."

A cold smirk. "You all made enemies today."

He walked backward, and Tallgrass Meadow stole him and his fellow thieves from this realm. Lucario covered his face as soon as the Psychic hold vanished, his sense of justice in mourning.

Weavile got away.

Again.

The way Gabite stared at the dungeon entrance, it was as if he was trying to set the spatial anomaly within on fire. Seeing Hattrem clutch her forehead with discomfort, however, he forced himself to tame his inner rage, shaking claws dropping to his sides. "No point in chasing them, Weavile would've packed an Escape Orb inside his pouch," he said. "Golduck can just pop out of the dungeon from one of the other exits."

Long grass blades wavered under a forlorn wind, the meadow offering them a moment of silence. "At least you helped me and Hattrem out?" Feebas offered, rubbing her healing scales. "Weavile could've done worse."

Hattrem grumbled in dissent as she shot Lucario one last death glare. "Look, I—" he said, before hanging his head. Again, how did he let this all happen? "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight, and I didn't mean to get Feebas hurt."

A friendly nudge from Feebas was enough to make Hattrem soften her expression, but only by a smidge. Vulpix crawled toward Lucario, her face cloaked with layers of gloom — a byproduct of seeing their efforts go to waste.

"Blast," muttered Gabite, shaking his head. "Maybe we could find the stolen items before they retrieve them?"

They did not find the stolen items before they retrieved them.

Eira the Vulpix lay sprawled upon the edge of the hillside where Gabite's cottage was, stalks of soft grass cushioning her head. Beside her, Lucario quietly sat, his eyes shut in brooding. Above her, the sky had turned a shade of gray, trees swaying from fidgety winds that might preclude a little rain shower.

And within her, many thoughts waited in line for her to dwell upon.

They did not find the stolen items before they retrieved them. By some fortune, Gabite did stumble upon the hiding spot, hidden within a knothole of a tree with a boulder standing over to shade its existence, but to no avail. A half-emptied pile of supplies awaited them, looking like two sets of hands and a pair of wings had rummaged through it for the valuable stuff. Their team leader had snarled upon spotting two plain-looking seeds amongst the pile, muttering something about 'Tiny Reviver Seeds.'

In other words? They didn't get those thieves. She worked up the courage to take on the very Weavile who attacked her the morning after the shipwreck, and it was for nothing. What kind of vengeance would he and his friends exact on her if they met again?

Weavile still had a grudge. He could've ripped the wristband off, she thought to herself, holding up her paw as if to assure herself that yes, the band was still there. Why did I think I'd be safe in a battle with him? I've only gone against Pokespawn so far, not real, thinking Pokemon.

The weight of Weavile's foot upon her back still left a cold imprint on her spine. Lucario's save was all that protected her, at the cost of harming Feebas and making her Hattrem friend angry at him. And Gabite getting nosy about the band, she lamented. I shouldn't have let that all happen.

I should've done better.

It was then that Lucario stirred with a shudder, an imaginary rain cloud hovering over his head. Slowly he faced her, examining the haggard look she wore. His feelers dropped lower than usual.

"Okay, look, I know today was a rough one," he told her. "It's not much of an apology, but I should admit it — I messed up. This was my fau*t."

His fault.

His fault?

"Your fault?" Vulpix threw her snout over, her voice rising. "It was my fault."

Incredulity cracked through Lucario's face. "What?" he said, before giving a firm shake of his head. "Kid, I was supposed to protect you, and I failed to—"

"But that was my fault," Vulpix argued, pushing herself up into a fierce standing position. "I did next to nothing that whole fight."

"What are you talking about? You got a few Disables in!" Lucario was straightening himself, an electric current sparking between their eyes as they began a tug of war, trying to prove themselves more guilty than the other. "And you're not a fig*ter to begin with. Besides, I sensed Swellow, and I should've ant*cip*ted that we would get g*nged up on—"

"And that shouldn't have mattered!" What was getting into her, Vulpix didn't know, but she pressed forward. "I should have been able to help, but I was barely lifting a finger! Er, a paw! Weren't you training me to handle myself?"

"I'm training you for self-def**se, not to take on three thieves! It's my job to keep you safe in situations like that! Darn it, I shouldn't even have agreed to chase after Weavile—"

"I'm the one who told you it'd be fine—"

"And I'm the one who went along with you and Gabite! It's thanks to me that he's now susp*c*ous of you and the wristband!"

"So? If I wasn't weak, I wouldn't have been captured by Weavile—"

"That wasn't your fault, Eira!" Lucario stood up, pointing at her with his entire paw. "None of this is your fault!"

"Well, it's not your fault!" Vulpix snapped back in the Pokemon tongue, cold air hissing out of her bared teeth. The two glared at one another as a few gusts of wind came and went, too timid to split them apart in their heated moment. Not an eye blinked, nor dared to blink.

Yet all the while, Vulpix could feel herself slipping in her position, her paws shifting ever so slightly as she considered how childish this whole argument was. Soon she found herself looking away, embarrassed and somber, and from the corner of her eye, she found Lucario doing the same.

"I'm scared." Eira the Vulpix curled into herself, tails taut around her like a blanket. A wish that this was just a prolonged nightmare echoed in her head, caused by some dream-eating Pokemon or even a Darkrai. "I'm so scared."

Why isn't Mother here with me?

She might've allowed the pink light burning from her forehead to implode against her, if not for a surge of sheer calm that slammed into her emotions. Lucario's paw was outstretched, blue aura swirling out to mentally caress her with minty waves that blocked out all other feelings, forcing her impromptu Extrasensory to slink away. A pained smile crept upon her lips before she let the feeling become wholly hers, cocooning herself within.

Her fear of this dangerous world was still there, but this time she held it at arm's — er, paw's length. She really couldn't say today had been their fault, not when nobody had been prepared to fight others besides Weavile, but she still didn't want a repeat of what happened. Lucario shouldn't have to babysit her. Who knew how long they'd be on Haven Archipelago for?

Currently she was at Level 11, a number that took her four or so days to reach when she'd been able to hit Level 6 on her first day as an Alolan Vulpix. Probably because strengthening her spirit took more effort as she progressed? In any case, Lucario and the others were far stronger than that, and she needed to catch up.

Lucario can't protect us all the time, Eira, her voice of reason stated. We should be able to stand on our own four paws.

It'd be better though if they could avoid any more possible dangers. "When are we, uh, going to Kabutops?" she asked.

Lucario pinched his forehead as he thought long and hard about that. "We do need to move on event*ally," he muttered to himself. "Gabite agreed to keep us around for a week or so, yeah? We'll discuss it when Eevee gets back from his hunt since he'll be guiding us to him, but I'd say a few more days."

A few more days sounded manageable. "But to be honest?" Lucario went on. "I think I'll miss Team Heavendust. Good company here, and I kinda liked the whole explorer gig — this would be a nice place to stay if not for our situation."

Vulpix found herself agreeing to his words. It wasn't so bad here, was it? If not for her being a human, maybe she could convince herself to settle down here. A small part of her wanted to stay, even with how intense exploring could be.

But she couldn't. She shouldn't. She had no home to go back to, and yet she had to go back.

It just isn't safe here.

Lucario seemed like he was going to say more when his dreadlocks shuddered, the jackal furrowing his brows. "Hold on," he said, looking over his shoulder with glowing blue eyes. "Who in—"

It was for the briefest of moments that Vulpix saw panic explode from his expression. Eyes bulging at some incoming threat. His tail bending as if to choke itself out. A half-formed word leaving his mouth in warning.

All of it was futile. Vulpix didn't even have a chance as a living nightmare materialized from out of nowhere, the spidery arm-leg on its back flinging seeds that popped with a stunning force. It took a good few seconds for Vulpix to realize she was immobilized, as was Lucario, their muscles stiff as stone.

Her lips were sealed too. And she wanted to scream.

"Did I interrupt something?" asked Ariados, her silky voice filled with casual mirth.

Vulpix was hyperventilating on the inside, her pupils shrinking as the red spider loomed over her. Her purple eyes had a bizarre red tint hovering over them like glasses, a pouch dangling from one of her arm-legs and a blue and green-striped scarf wrapped tightly around the other. Lucario's bewildered look seemed to flicker and morph into a death glare, as if fighting the effect of the Stun Seed afflicting him.

He wouldn't be fast enough though. And Ariados knew that.

Ariados knew.

She knows, she kept yelling to herself. She knows, she KNOWS, SHE—

Already she could feel the venom coursing her veins, burning her insides out and choking her of a life she was doomed to lose. "Clever, yet so idi*tic," Ariados whispered. "Now don't give me that blank look, I can tell you understand what I'm saying this time. That is you, human, isn't it? I don't know if I should be enraged or impressed that you slipped past me back in Berrypark Town."

She cackled into her foreleg. "You had every chance to elu*e me," she told Lucario. "And yet you stay here, right where I can find you? You think some tra**form*tion sorc*ry is enough to keep me from locating you both? Enough to stop me from destroying the threat?"

A Stun Seed's powerful paralysis wasn't enough to block her breathing, yet even that was taken away from Eira the Vulpix as Ariados's horn touched the faux vixen's forehead. The red light hovering over her eyes seemed to brand her, like an empath injecting fear into the deepest places of her brain. Lucario was struggling harder, his paws shaking with protective fury.

"Lucky for you, there's been a change in plans." Ariados let her eyes droop. "I don't need the girl dead anymore."

What terror Vulpix could allow to leak from her stiff expression was turned into sheer confusion. Huh?

Lucario stopped fighting his paralysis, his aura-coated eyes twitching ever so slightly. "No, I'd rather not dirty my ap**ndages when there's better ways to deal with the ill om*n. Now don't test my mercy by running away — you can't escape the web you've trapped yourselves within." Ariados winked, the red light over her eyes blinking in tandem, before prodding at Vulpix's flank.

At once the stunning force that held her disappeared, Vulpix backpedaling as she beheld her greatest not-quite-a-foe. "Y-y-you—"

A stilted chuckle left Ariados's throat at her incoherent words. "You might live yet, little human," she said, swapping her sour tone with a sweet one more befitting of her voice. "But alas, now isn't the time to explain. I'll visit again soon, and maybe then we can have a proper discussion about what I really need from you. Would you be a dear and free your guard dog for me?"

Her scarf seemed to ripple for the slightest of moments. And then Ariados vanished.

No, not just vanished. Off-beat noises of shaking leaves and branches sounded from within the forest, and Vulpix realized she wasn't the only one with a magic item. Her tail gave a quick smack at Lucario's leg.

"S-she can teleport?" she said, wonder overriding the fear in her voice.

Despite the Stun Seed wearing off on her guardian, he didn't budge, his gaze stuck on the spot where Ariados had stood. "I saw her aura," he said, glowing blue eyes returning to their usual red. "She really doesn't want you dead."

That was the more important matter here. "A-and she wants to talk?"

A dumbstruck nod. Vulpix stared listlessly, the world spinning around her. Ariados had found them — her disguise was compromised.

And yet she didn't want to hurt her now? Why?

"I don't think we have a choice but to hear her out. Not unless we want her to drop her baffling goodwill and spread the word about us." Stress lines fractured Lucario's head as he gripped his snout. "Gah, freaking telep*rt*on. What was I supposed to do there?"

What Ariados could possibly want from them, Vulpix didn't know, but it messed up so many things. She could rat them out at her own leisure. Their plans to find Kabutops might be delayed, or worse. How would they explain this to Eevee?

Jumpy from her brush with Ariados, she nearly yelped at the sound of the cottage door swinging open. "Ah, you're both outside," remarked Gabite, stepping out with an arched brow. "Something wrong? You look rattled."

Lucario and Vulpix eyed each other. Could they? Should they?

No. Silence was better. Gabite confronting Ariados would be bad, she considered to herself.

"Not my business then, fine." Gabite covered his face with a claw. "Look, I ou*ht to apologize. I shouldn't have pressed you two to appr*h*nd Weavile in the first place. And I could have done better — I should've noticed Swellow and Golduck jumping in."

His eyes turned toward Vulpix. "The wristband does mean something to her, yeah?"

It was astonishing how Ariados's arrival made Gabite's suspicions seem like a trivial issue in comparison. "Er—" Lucario began.

"Like it's important to her and you know that, hence why you got emotional and attacked Weavile. Like Shaymin and her Gracidea Flower, I assume, but without the transformation part."

Why. Vulpix stuffed her tails against her face. Why he did say it like that.

At least there was one good piece of news there — Gabite didn't seem to suspect something was wrong with her. "She is quite clingy to it," Lucario said with a wry yet cautious expression. "Never takes it off."

A melancholic smile spread over Gabite's face. "To be honest, Lucario, I think we were all high-strung back there. We find out Weavile's got friends, things didn't go to plan — Hattrem lashed out at you because she cares for Feebas, you know? Part of it was also her species's inst*nct to silence anyone with strong emotions. Frankly, my own instincts nearly got the better of me.

"And I also kinda played on your instincts, trying to make you go after Weavile and all. So again, I'm sorry. That whole f*a*co was my fault."

Vulpix shared another look with Lucario. "It's not your fault," he huffed.

Gabite looked like he was about to make the mistake of protesting when another diversion in the form of a green-white blur dove in between them, Sky Forme Shaymin circling around the group once. "Back!" she cheered, before reading their looks, then turning to the gray sky above. "Yo, did Lugia show up and throw a tropic*l depres*ion at you all?"

Lucario and Gabite stared at her like her joke was both garbage and yet ingenious — which it was, admittedly. Vulpix put her focus on Togetic though, the angelic flagging behind Shaymin with an arm tucked over her own Treasure Bag.

She caught her breath as she landed close to the vixen. "You all look troubled," she commented. "Is something the matter?"

Gabite took to explaining everything, Shaymin and Togetic startled at the mention of a task concerning Weavile, then intrigued as he recounted the actual events of their encounter. Disappointment creased Togetic's face at hearing how Weavile and his teammates escaped, while Shaymin fumed.

"So you're telling me you didn't get those jerks?" she said, crossing her arms. "Like come on, there were like five of you! How are you supposed to lose?"

"Shaymin." Togetic shook her head. "My guess is the task was posted just after we left — you had a rough day, didn't you all? Don't worry, it happens, and there's always next time."

"Eh, she's got a point." Shaymin put on a sheepish grin. "Lucario and Vulpix shouldn't have done that task anyway, they shouldn't be busting criminal scum so early. Say, Vulpix, you holding up fine? Weavile didn't rough you up too much?"

Both she and Togetic threw Vulpix a gentle, comforting look, the young girl growing bashful at the gesture. She shook her head, and Togetic's beaming smile kept her troubles at bay. "Good to hear," she said. "I'm sure you've already been through enough trouble as it is, and I don't want to see you left terrified and in harm's way."

Oh, if they'd only been here a minute earlier.

"Which reminds me." A twinkle entered the angelic's eye. "Weren't you having trouble with Extrasensory, sweetie?"

The slight irritation at being reminded of her Extrasensory woes was pushed away as Vulpix noticed the giddy expression Shaymin put on. The reindeer elbowed Togetic in a silent command, and the angelic nodded, twisting her body toward one of the trees. She closed her eyes.

And her forehead glowed pink.

Concussive force shot out like a bullet, with a banging sound to match as the blast punctured a hole into the tree. Vulpix and Lucario stared at the cracked, ugly bark for a long while, all while Shaymin whooped and clapped at the spectacle.

An embarrassed cough from Togetic got her to stop. "Turns out," she said, the pink light on her forehead flashing and ebbing at her command, "I can learn that move too."

Togetic knew Extrasensory. Flustered joy turned Vulpix's cheeks red as she looked up to the angelic. Togetic had seen her struggles with Extrasensory and taught herself the move.

And it was obvious why. This—!

It was too great a kindness, one that shot deep into her heart. To learn from a Pokemon using Copycat was one thing, Lucario's mimicry could only help her so much. But from someone who actually knew the move and could guide her step-by-step?

She almost forgot Gabite had been standing there, up until he moved from his spot. "Perhaps you could teach her in the dungeons?" he said, eyes sharp and insightful.

Everyone turned heads as he strode back to the cottage. "I'm thinking I'll go solo for a day or two. Togetic, Shaymin, you two work with Lucario and Vulpix. Teach them something useful."

The door going shut never seemed to reach Vulpix's ears. She gawked at Lucario, his brows raised to their limit, and then to a speechless Togetic and Shaymin.

Well, Shaymin wasn't speechless for long. "Sup, partners!" she cheered. "We're gonna pol*tely kidnap you two for some tasks! How about it, Togetic? Wh*tcha think about that?"

Togetic gave out a weary sigh, searching for a piece of Shaymin's boundless energy. "I think," she said, giving Vulpix one last smile, "I'll be seeing you two tomorrow."

She ushered her Mythical friend back to the cottage, shutting the door. Once again Vulpix found herself alone with a half-smiling Lucario, her thoughts simultaneously at a new high and a new low. Going with Togetic and Shaymin for some tasks, instead of that watchful Gabite, and also getting to learn Extrasensory? This was great.

But again. Ariados.

With the distractions gone, her encounter with the spider returned in full force. To think she got caught like that — she felt so vulnerable. Endangered. Afraid. She'd been the one to tell Lucario they'd be safe from her here, wasn't she?

No, not the time to mull over past mistakes. Her only hope was that Ariados wasn't weaving anything bad for her. Maybe she could convince her she wasn't the threat she thought she was?

Lucario noticed her pensive face, offering a few feelings of protection and comfort. "I'll figure this out, don't worry," he told her. "Ariados won't ever harm you."

Vulpix nodded as she lied down on the hillside, surveying Gabite's land with a paw on her chest. If the worst came to be, she still had her guardian. Maybe with Extrasensory too, she'd have a fighting chance in case Ariados did end up trying to get rid of her.

She only hoped it wouldn't happen, that Ariados was really giving her a chance here. The thought of it being otherwise made her soul queasy, and—

Huh.

Wait.

That wasn't just queasiness. Vulpix pressed against her chest a little harder, a grimace on her muzzle. She could actually feel something deep in her soul, something… wrong?

It was so faint, like a droplet of oil in the ocean, but it was there. A feeling of pure wrongness, a sensation that just didn't belong. It wasn't painful or anything, but somehow she could sense it, warning her that something was off, but not explaining how or why.

That hadn't been there before.

Was she okay?

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 10 — Mind Correction

"Hurry up, you two!" Sky Forme Shaymin called out, her words diluted within the waves of chattering Pokemon in Berrypark Town's marketplace.

Togetic floated a little behind the excited Mythical. Like we can just float over, thought Lucario, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he weaved through the flowing crowd, Vulpix hurrying to follow the path he forged. The jackal's gaze swept around on occasion, checking for signs of Kecleon.

Or Ariados. Well, there was also Mismagius, but she wasn't important right now.

That spider had upended so many things by her sheer presence yesterday. Again and again, his head cycled over what had happened, how it happened, and how he could've stopped it — and again and again, he was forced to admit nothing would have changed the outcome. Teleportation made her appearance too sudden to detect, he grumbled to himself. It's a darn miracle she's no longer interested in attacking Vulpix.

He couldn't understand it. The irrational fear that once consumed Ariados's aura had all but vanished, replaced by a more careful, ambivalent attitude. She still saw Vulpix as a threat, and yet she wished to talk things out with them. Why the sudden change?

All he understood was that she had found them — in hindsight, staying anywhere near her home was idiotic. Should've ran off when we had the chance, he thought. Now I've put Vulpix in a bind.

Aurasense quietly flared inside the folds of his clenched fist, Lucario bracing as he filtered out the roar of foreign emotions that bombarded him. He sidestepped a Nidoking before mentally prodding the kid, a feeling of questioning to go with it, along with a throbbing sensation that pulsed at the crux of oneself. Eira the Vulpix gave no outward reaction, but his aurasense picked up her response — a vague discomfort that made her soul uneasy. A shallow sense of wrong that wriggled from deep within.

She had told him about this yesterday. Right after Ariados left, she sensed something off within her. It'd been negligible back then.

To a degree, it still was. But it was still notably worse.

He could sense it within her aura this time, now that he thought of it, Lucario shuddering at the silent touch of unraveling void. That was Ariados's fault, wasn't it? Perhaps a way to keep them on a leash, forcing them to have to talk with her?

"It's starting to scare me," Vulpix whispered in his direction.

Gah, Ariados having total leverage over them was a nightmare. Lucario assuaged her fears, showing off a confidence he didn't even remotely feel. Their situation had gotten out of hand. What was he supposed to do this time?

The moment Vulpix looked away, he allowed himself to indulge in a moment of weakness. Playing guardian was hard — unfitting for a mere Pokemon like him. Adam, he moaned, I don't know what I'm doing.

The image of a roguish-looking boy with dark skin flashed before him, his smile declaring that there wasn't a problem he couldn't adapt to. What would you do? thought Lucario.

Shaymin zipped over at that moment, blurring through the image and getting a little too close to his snout. "Sheesh, you two are slow," she said, positioning herself to look away from a gawking Smeargle and Skitty. "Could you not get lost in the clouds for a sec? Time's a wastin', and besides, I've got out-of-town folk staring and it's bothering me."

An inward sigh left Lucario — he'd have time to fret later. Whatever Ariados wanted, he'd find out.

He and Vulpix soon were out of the crowd, and together with Togetic and Shaymin, they proceeded toward the hilltop where the Dungeon Board resided. Klinklang gave the group a once-over at the lobby, and the scent of flowers wafted through the garden hall, the pitter-patter of the water fountain giving ambience to the currently empty room. Calming for Lucario's nerves.

"So this'll be great," Shaymin cheered as she practically led the group into the room of bulletin boards depicting missions. "Me and Togetic were itching to get a job or two done with you guys."

Togetic nodded. "We'll make it a good experience, yes? We might get somewhere with your Extrasensory too, Vulpix."

Vulpix nodded with anticipation, her and Lucario hanging back as Togetic and Shaymin shifted over to the 'Local Tasks' bulletin board and combed through the tasks. "Tallgrass Meadow could be ideal," the angelic considered, "but that might be too easy for you both."

"There's two tasks for Blunder Field," Shaymin suggested. "Should be manageable between the four of us—"

"But the terrain's too shifty there and they could get trapped in crevasses. Not to mention the number of Pokespawn there who'll steal your items or afflict you with bad status conditions. Perhaps they've had enough of thieves for a while?"

Nope, definitely didn't want a repeat of anyone taking away the wristband. Lucario pursed his lips while Vulpix made a noise of disagreement. "Heard ya," said Shaymin, turning to give them her full attention. "Oh yeah, and we definitely can't do Stringed Forest."

"Right, Gabite told us yesterday about Ariados." Togetic turned too, a disturbed look of pity turning her features bitter. "That must've been awful for you two. Vulpix, sweetie, please know you'll have nothing to fear so long as you're with us."

"What she said, we've got your back! Nobody's gonna bother you guys."

Lucario and Vulpix eyed each other, shaky smiles slashing through their faces. They'd been waiting to bring that topic up, huh? How unfortunate it was that they couldn't rely on Team Heavendust's support against Ariados.

As much as they could use the help, fear of any resulting complications made Lucario averse to the thought. Still, a kind gesture wasn't to be ignored. "We appreciate it," said Lucario.

"What Lucario said," Vulpix added quietly.

Togetic acknowledged their words back. "Say, what about Mud Passage?" offered Shaymin, swerving back to the bulletin board. "Cramped and smelly, but filled with Ground and Dragon-types. You bothered by Ground Pokespawn, Lucario?"

A dungeon where Vulpix's Ice-typing works to her advantage. Lucario approved, and seeing his quick reply, Vulpix nodded too. He could stomach a few super effective moves for her sake.

Togetic agreed as well. "Sounds perfect for our little lesson on Extrasensory," she said, scanning the board for tasks in the appropriate Mystery Dungeon.

Her eyes went hazy for a moment.

Shaymin yelped as Togetic yanked on her winglike ear, pulling the Mythical over and pointing at a particular task. They both squinted at the text, and a frown overcame Lucario as the two whispered to one another.

"Crud, just our luck. Guys?" Shaymin pulled back, letting him and a worried Vulpix read the task. It made him twitch to see a familiar word on this mission — Abhorrent.

ㅤ

ABHORRENT HIDING IN MUD PASSAGE

Report from Mudstream Village — an Abhorrent Jumpluff was spotted, spooked by antsy villagers on patrol and fleeing into the Mud Passage dungeon. Confirmed feral, and while not aggressive, will attack if provoked. Jumpluff is tannish-red in color with cotton puffs that emit combustible spores. Relationship with mystery skeleton Abhorrent unknown. Explorers are called to capture the Abhorrent with caution and hand him over for the authorities to deal with.

Client: Mudstream Chief Tangela

Goal: Subdue Abhorrent Jumpluff.

Location: Mud Passage dungeon

Danger: B Rank

Reward: 3600 Poke

ㅤ

"Oh boy," said Lucario, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Vulpix stared on, tails tying themselves into a crisscross of knots.

"Yeah, that's awkward." Shaymin shook her head, her gaze hardened. "It's bad enough that skeletal mutant's still running amok. Does this mean the Jumpluff's a victim?"

"I pray not." Togetic bit her lip as she reread the paper. "I understand you two know about Abhorrents, right? We might be obliged to do this mission."

Lucario could only imagine the livid reaction Gabite must've had when he came to the Dungeon Board ahead of them and saw this. A feral Abhorrent, how sickening. Was Aerodactyl responsible for this? He wasn't sure how he felt about this task.

Togetic noticed his discomfort, taking in a deep breath. "If you're worried, this task seems safe enough," she stated. "No chance of mutation here. A type disadvantage overall if Jumpluff's part Fire-type, but there's not much risk if it's only one of the calmer ferals."

"Eh, I can handle a little fire. Abhorrent won't know what hit it," declared Shaymin, before donning a more serious look. "But hey, your call, Lucario. You and Vulpix okay with handling this Jumpluff? We shouldn't leave that thing running wild."

Knowing it was safe for them was only one of Lucario's concerns. Mudstream Village was the same place where Aerodactyl showed his face, taking interest in the local dungeon. Why? Maybe there was something there that'd offer a clue about his intentions, or maybe his whereabouts too.

Which, as badly as he wanted to know, Togetic and Shaymin would also be curious for their own reasons. They wouldn't use this as an excuse to follow his trail, right? he thought.

It impressed him that Togetic deduced his train of thought. "We're not chasing the skeletal Abhorrent, of course, that's too dangerous," she stated, before reading Vulpix's conflicted expression. "And sweetie, we're not going to hurt Jumpluff if we can. What we do is send ferals like it to a special preserve, to be tamed and live peacefully on their own. Hopefully to cure them all, someday."

That eliminated another of Lucario's concerns. "Ah," Vulpix whispered, before facing Lucario. "That should be fine, I guess?"

Just one thing kept Lucario hesitant now — paranoia. Weavile had seemed like an innocent mission itself, yet it managed to blow itself out of proportion. What if it happened again? What if their encounter with Jumpluff led to something bigger, something that put Vulpix at risk?

But he knew he was being a worrywart. Beyond Ariados, there was only so much that could trouble them. Weavile's team threw him off because he hadn't considered such a scenario.

He just needed to take precautions against the worst possible outcomes. "So long as we keep it safe," he told Togetic.

The angelic nodded. "No worries!" said Shaymin. "You're in good paws."

The road to Mud Passage meant the group ended up passing by Mudstream Village. A cozy and earthly place, Vulpix considered, what with its structures of brick mud and clay that mingled with the forest trees. Hardened paths of dirt intersected the town, and the distant lullaby of a river could be heard from the north side if one strained their ears.

In crossing the area, they ended up with a temporary companion. The Tangela chief, to be precise.

"It's ho*rid, I tell you!" said the living bush of vines, steering the group toward a well-trod pathway that brought them south from the village and toward the neighboring dungeon. "Ever since that skeletal freak showed up, it's gotten everyone riled up, and now there's another! Another! What'll it take for our home to go back to normal?"

Vulpix couldn't help but notice the stiffness Lucario and Shaymin showed around the wound-up Pokemon. He seemed a little… much.

Togetic patiently listened to Tangela as he kept going. "I can't begin to thank you enough for your t*mel*ness. Bless our souls that it's only an unknown feral — probably drifted in from who knows where. Not to deme*n the poor thing, but it'd be far worse had it been one of us. A true trav*sty that would be, a true nightmare I say!"

An Abhorrent Jumpluff feral. That was the reason they were here. Did she like the idea of having to capture him? No, but if it led to Jumpluff being put somewhere safe from fearful Pokemon, she could work with that.

More worrying at the moment was the sense of wrongness quivering within her spirit. It was slowly worsening, the silent itch making Vulpix shudder. What exactly caused it? Ariados was a likely possibility — maybe something to do with the glowing eyes.

Whatever it was, she was getting apprehensive of this bizarre feeling that shouldn't be there. At least I can ignore it, she thought.

For now.

The entrance to Mud Passage soon revealed itself, a slanted cavern jutting out from a large forested hill. A sign warning travelers of the dungeon stood on standby, beside the cave. "We chased the Jumpluff in there, as you know," huffed Tangela. "He's been hiding there since. You can dispatch him for us, can't you? The hardiest of my villagers can traverse the dungeon without fearing the St*nfi*k or even the D*ud*igon lurking inside, but—"

"Abhorrents get on their nerves," Togetic finished, adjusting her Treasure Bag. "We'll handle it, no worries."

Tangela nodded, muttering a few words of thanks. Shaymin and Lucario relaxed as he ran off, the latter raising a brow at Togetic. The angelic simply ushered them onward.

By now Vulpix felt used to that strange tingle that shocked her form whenever she entered a dungeon, as was the experience of suddenly being transported to some otherworldly location. The inside of Mud Passage revealed itself as an underground network of tunnels made of brown, rocky earth, dim lanterns interspaced at intervals.

The stench smashed against her nostrils without warning, making Vulpix gag. She frowned at the muddy puddles littering the area, then leapt back as dust, mud, and grime spurted out from a peephole — or a geyser? — bulging out of the stone.

Her tails brushed against Shaymin, Vulpix twirling to meet her smirk. "So?" she asked.

Lucario wrinkled his snout, grimacing at the ickiness of this place. "It's awful," he muttered.

Very awful. My fur's gonna be a mess, Vulpix lamented to herself.

Even the Pokespawn contributed to the mud madness. No sooner did Togetic lead their party, a Kantonian Diglett showed its face, tossing mud around with its mole head. Then a blue Shellos and an orange, large-mouthed Trapinch, spitting out mud.

The Stunfisk were the worst — brown flatfish camouflaged within the mud that fired volts of electricity whenever someone came too close. Vulpix scrambled back when one opened its eyes to blink at her, sparks buzzing over its body, before Togetic fired off a swirling triad of beams its way.

Lucario impulsively fired an Aura Sphere to add to her Tri-Attack, Stunfisk bursting into wisps on impact. "There's seven of these floors," stated the angelic. "Lucario, I'll need you checking each with your aura for Jumpluff. You and Shaymin will also watch for the geys*rs and Pokespawn."

Shaymin nodded. "Done," said Lucario, the caves briefly illuminated in the blue light of his eyes as he made a quick check.

Togetic took note of him shaking his head, before turning to Vulpix. "And you, sweetie?"

Here was what kept her spirits high, in spite of the mission and the dungeon it took place in. "Extrasensory?" she asked with anticipation.

A ladylike chuckle. "Extrasensory."

Shaymin and Lucario flanked the twosome as they traversed the tunnels. Pokespawn ranging from Trapinch to Diglett popped out from the shadows, where the lantern light didn't shine enough, only to be sent back as Aura Spheres and Energy Balls barraged them. Vulpix pitched in with an occasional Powder Snow, but otherwise, her rapt attention was on Togetic.

The angelic's forehead would glow at various intervals, before unleashing Extrasensory's explosive power on the Pokespawn unfortunate enough to evade Lucario and Shaymin's onslaught. "Psychic moves are about focus and absolute will — an intent from deep inside your head. You imagine a power fueled by your mind, then command it to spill into reality, if you will," she explained. "Your spirit should do the rest."

That sounded vague. An awkward moment passed as Vulpix tried to find her words — it would be a first for her to hold a full conversation in Vulpix-speak. "I, uh, don't know if that helps."

Togetic smiled, as if finding bliss in her quiet voice. "Just giving you something to think about," she said. "I know I've seen you create the move before. You know how you did it then?"

She had done it before, true. On all those occasions, stress had forced the move to surface, but there was the time when she tried using Disable to jumpstart it. She got close then, her forehead glowing up and all, but she wasn't able to maintain it long enough to fire the attack.

It was a good thing she had acquired enough words to say as much to Togetic. "Stress?" she said after being told, brows furrowing. "From Ariados?"

Vulpix's lips twisted at the remainder of that dreadful spider, her gaze running toward the stairway Shaymin and Lucario were leading them toward. Er, sort of? Mostly?

"Sorry, I shouldn't ask." Togetic escorted her into the stairs, her tender smile lingering well after the entrance sealed itself and left them in momentary darkness. "But anyway, that won't do. Wild emotions cause wild Psychic-type powers, often without one's input."

Vulpix pursed her lips as the exit opened up, allowing the group to enter the next floor. That explained a lot, actually. If something addled her mind, it could make her Extrasensory go out of control. Like a primal instinct, or a fight or flight reaction.

"Oh, and Disable. That's not a Psychic move, sweetie."

It wasn't? Vulpix gaped, eyeing Lucario for confirmation. Her guardian's aura gaze swept around the cave, confirming Jumpluff wasn't here, before throwing her an amused look — one that silently said, did you not know this?

She always assumed it had been, seeing how she used Extrasensory to first form Disable. Yet again, however, Togetic had an explanation. "It's like the difference between shaking a paw and walking with it," she pointed out. "Extrasensory does share a supernatural element with Disable and a need for focus, but it takes much more to create Extrasensory."

Meaning Disable was simpler than Extrasensory. "I'm guessing you haven't figured out Psychic energy then," Togetic stated, wearing the pleased smile of someone who had found their way past a great obstacle. "We'll fix that."

Thus began the instructing process. First Togetic asked her to call upon her Disable, then shift it toward her head, just as she did before. Satisfied when the resulting pink glow gave a brief tint to the cavern walls before blinking out, Togetic then got to the hard part: creating the other aspects of the move.

"Start by, uh, pushing energy out of my mind?" Vulpix repeated.

Togetic nodded before whirling around, firing a pulse of Extrasensory at a large patch of mud. Lucario and Shaymin jerked as a sparking Stunfisk flew out of the displaced mud puddle, the duo hastily throwing their ranged attacks to knock it out.

"You nearly walked into that one," Togetic called out, before returning to Vulpix. "It's no different than drawing from the cold element within you for Ice-type moves. I know, it's the hardest part when using a type you're unfamiliar with. If it helps, it should feel like an extension of yourself — like a muscle you never knew you had."

Vulpix's six tails straightened at the thought of it, her ears flexing in contemplation. "I could do that," she said.

She immersed herself in the frigid touch of her inner cold before trying to do the same with her mental power, feeling for some phantom limb she could use. Focus and will, right? That was what Togetic said Psychic moves were based on.

It was mind-wracking — pun intended in every way — trying to find what she wanted. Floors went by as Vulpix searched for the elusive trigger, something that would compel her spirit to offer the energy she sought. How exactly had she been drawing out her stress-powered Extrasensory attacks?

The ordeal soon exhausted her. Her devotion flagging, Vulpix massaged her lost, pounding forehead, just in time to overhear an ongoing conversation between Lucario and Shaymin. "It's not anything unique, really," her guardian said.

"Of course aura is!" Shaymin replied, casually flicking an Air Slash to take out a Dugtrio. "Like it's got it all! X-ray vision, emotion-sensing, mind-reading—"

"And? That's a general set of powers," Lucario countered. "Besides, your and Togetic's abilities to sense gratitude and purity aren't that different from aura, just more speci*liz*d in their usage."

Togetic perked her head at this. "In a way," Shaymin admitted. "But I still think you're dow*pl*ying how awesome your species is. I know I've got a flying form, but you've got yourself a Mega Evolution! If anything, it'd be nice if my gratitude sense was better at mind-reading — being only able to sense what somebody's being thankful for is kinda limiting."

Vulpix and Lucario batted eyes. A plume of dust erupted somewhere in the distance.

She could what?

"Er," said Shaymin, fidgeting at their expressions. "Did I not make that clear on day one? I, uh, sense gratitude and the emotions and thoughts behind it."

Meaning they had to be careful with thoughts of thankfulness. I never gave away anything to her, did I? worried Vulpix, a worn-out sigh leaving her maw. Lucario's reaction was more expressive, Shaymin withering under his unamused stare.

It was either out of mercy, curiosity, or a mix of both that made Togetic divert Lucario's attention to her. "It's interesting you say that aura and purity sensing are similar," she said, eyes glowing pink. "Even the way I use my power matches yours."

Her gaze turned and lingered on Vulpix. "Maybe it's aura I'm seeing when I do this," she wondered, the flicker of a confused frown morphing into an earnest smile. "Your little one has a brilliant heart, you know that? Her purity is clear as day, but if I look hard enough, I feel like I can sense her res*rved, lovable nature — she's the kind of person my species can't help but spread happiness to."

Such flattering words left Vulpix's cheeks burning with cozy warmth. Under that context, Togetic's treatment toward her showed itself in a new light. But no, she couldn't be that good of a person, that was—!

Ridiculous or not, it gave her newfound energy. She'd been ready to take a break, but now the desire burned anew. Her headache was swiftly forgotten in her zeal.

Togetic's lessons would prove fruitful, here and now.

Once more with feeling, Vulpix searched for her mental focus. She pushed, she pulled, she pressed against her mind for it — and then stopped.

Realized.

Allowed herself to let go, and instead of chasing after the energy, as she'd done so many times before, calmly bade her will to summon it to her. To let her thoughts drift toward her instead, and shape themselves into something greater.

Something clicked, and she felt it, the pulse of something rising from her soul and charging her mind. She let her intent guide its flow, the power reverberating through her forehead.

The slightest of pink glows manifested.

Her happiness was unparalleled. So that was it! It still didn't make full sense to her, but all this time she'd been trying too hard to force out the energy, trying to replicate what her stress did! Rather, she needed to find her zen — a calm focal point in her mindscape to draw the psychic power toward herself.

Triumphant, Vulpix immediately launched her first successful Extrasensory, letting it fly free.

Her lips fell to the ground at the pathetic, tiny waves of pink that dispersed after a few feet.

The dramatic shift in her emotions made Lucario snort. "Well, you got her somewhere," he told Togetic. "Stairs ahead by the way. Watch the geyser on the right."

Shaymin offered an impressed grin as the team sidestepped the plume of dirt spitting out from the ground. "You got ahead of yourself, sweetie," Togetic assured Vulpix with a kindly wink. "See, you did it! That's your Psychic power right there, but that's only the hard part done. Now you need to charge up and shape your energy, so you can create a proper Extrasensory."

Ah, she launched her attack prematurely. Vulpix put on an awkward smile as the group went down the next set of stairs. "I-I didn't realize," she replied.

"Hey, progress is progress," said Shaymin, floating beside her. "Gotta be proud of that."

Vulpix nodded as the brief darkness of transitioning between floors settled in, the flying duo at her side. She'd gotten a lot more comfortable with these two, huh? Maybe too comfortable, she considered.

Lucario wore a deep-seated smile as the next floor opened up, before his aura-infused eyes locked on something. "Jumpluff's here," he barked.

Everyone went on high alert. Further training would have to wait — the main event had begun.

The tunnels twisted and zigzagged in meandering fashion, but soon enough they found their target. A mid-sized room opened up before them, geysers hacking out wet mud at the sides. In the center of it all floated a reddish spherical Pokemon with two arms and a hair of fluffy cotton balls, the Abhorrent Jumpluff idly watching two Dugtrio below him bump their heads together in confusion. The Pokespawn seemed unable to attack him.

Lucario's glowing eyes widened by an uncomfortable amount, Vulpix noticed, as they stared down the Abhorrent. She got no chance to ask about it though as Jumpluff stiffened, sensing their gazes and turning over.

A Zubat-like shriek left his mouth as he bounced onto one of the Dugtrio, leaping away with great agility. "Yep, not hostile," said Shaymin.

Her guardian frowned. Hard. "Chase him?" he said with a stony voice.

Togetic gave a firm nod. "Chase him."

In a flash they were off, Vulpix scrambling after the group. The Dugtrio were swept aside as Lucario and Shaymin dashed ahead, while Togetic caught on to her struggle to keep pace. She said something to Lucario, who gazed at Vulpix with hesitance before nodding.

"They'll go ahead," Togetic told her as she pulled back. "Just the two of us, Vulpix?"

Sounded like she was spending more time with her. Vulpix eyed Lucario once, who sent a wave of warm, secure emotions before running after Shaymin. "Sure," she told Togetic.

Being separated from her guardian Pokemon was out of her comfort zone, but it was hard to feel nervous around the kind angelic. "I'll have to thank Lucario later for that talk about aura," she said as her eyes glowed pink. "I've never thought of it before, but with my ability to sense hearts, I should be able to keep track of Jumpluff. We'll try to corner him."

Vulpix agreed with the plan, and so they got moving, Togetic hovering over her right shoulder in almost poetic fashion. The path they used steered away from that which the others took, bringing them past small boulders and muddied stone. Pokespawn kept popping up in the way, and being in a hurry, Togetic fired off Fairy Winds or Tri Attacks to push them back. Once she glowed with white energy and slammed into a group of Trapinch in a dark corridor, bowling over the surprised would-be ambushers and allowing them to run past.

Vulpix chipped in, Disabling a Stunfisk in the way and even using Tail Whip to distract two Dugtrio — speed was of the essence in catching Jumpluff. Powder Snow would take a little too long to charge, she considered. Would be nice if I had a faster attack.

Huh. Wait a minute.

Vulpix's mind leapt toward a certain Ice-type move Weavile had been fond of using when Lucario fought him yesterday. He liked to throw frozen shards.

Ice Shard.

Ice Shard's a fast move, right? Vulpix thought as they kept going, Togetic's glowing eyes looking through the stone walls. And I think Alolan Vulpix can learn those early. Er, at a low Level.

The prospect of learning another move excited her nerves. If she could learn Disable through messing with Extrasensory, surely she could figure out Ice Shard by playing with her Ice-type abilities.

A dragonfly Pokespawn Vulpix recognized as a Vibrava flew over — a perfect target. Vulpix called on her Powder Snow, cold within swirling in response. Before any of the pellets or frigid wind could begin to stir, however, she bade the cold seep through her, conducting it away from her lungs and toward her forepaw instead.

She must've done something right, for ice crystalized in the grip of her paw. Her soul glowed with approval, and she tossed the attack without a second thought.

The evolution of Trapinch blinked as half-formed, teeny tiny pieces of ice scattered over its face. A little too hasty, Eira? Vulpix chided herself as Togetic slammed the Pokespawn out of the way too. Vibrava kept buzzing after them, however, giving Vulpix an opportunity to try again.

This time she spent a second letting the ice shape itself fully before throwing, and Vibrava shrieked as pellets of frost struck it out of the air, breaking up into wisps. "You're learning Ice Shard?" said Togetic, picking up on what she was doing. "Oh Vulpix, I'm speechless!"

Vulpix gave a sheepish smile, finding delight in the little victory. First Extrasensory, then Ice Shard! And here she'd been worried about her slowing progress.

Better not let that distract that though — they still had a Jumpluff to catch.

Togetic's eyes went through the walls again, putting on a frown. "Jumpluff just disappeared," she said. "And Lucario and Shaymin too. They must have reached the stairs, somewhere in that direction."

She turned into a side-corridor, Vulpix scampering after. Lucky for them, the path took them straight to a small hollow with the stairs located to the side, covered by a stone lid that was sliding back open.

Vulpix went to step inside when Togetic blocked her. "That leads to the last floor," she warned.

In her Extrasensory training, she hadn't paid close attention to the floors — the fog in her head informed her that this was currently floor B6F of Mud Passage. "Um, meaning?" said Vulpix.

Togetic side-eyed the stairs. "The final floor of Mud Passage is guarded by four Vibrava and a strong Druddigon," she stated. "The exit won't open until they're all knocked out."

Oh. Yikes.

It was as Togetic stated. Entering the last floor, Vulpix found herself within a hollow arena of grand boulders with stalactites watching from above, an unknown light source illuminating the whole field. A booming roar shook the cavern, a terrible blue dragon with a red scaled head and spiky wings leaping upon one of the boulders, flanked by a Vibrava assistant.

Its eyes were what made Vulpix queasy — a red-purplish hue overlaid its irises, like splotches of watercolor shining in eternal sunlight. A glow of the same color enveloped its frame, flaring out with magical strength. And its size, that thing was huge! That was Druddigon?

A blast of draconic energy burst out of its maw, Vulpix following it to find Lucario strafing out of the way, rocks scattering in the beam's wake. "Oh hey, guys!" Shaymin hollered, the reindeer throwing wind blades to ward off two other Vibrava who were chasing a screaming Jumpluff. Flaming spores indiscriminately flared out from its cotton balls in an attempt to protect itself. "You gonna help us out here?"

Togetic hummed before spinning on a dime, the flapping of wings making Vulpix scramble to fling Ice Shards behind her. The fourth Vibrava reared back as icicles pinged it, angered that it failed to sneak up on them and screeching out a loud buzz that physically struck them.

Where Vulpix staggered. Togetic resisted the sound waves, taking out the Pokespawn with Fairy Wind. "One down," she muttered at the dissolving wisps, before spinning yet again with a gasp.

She shoved Vulpix aside, right as Druddigon slammed into the ground beside them with an earth-shattering force that numbed her paws. Alarm struck the vixen as the great dragon raised its claws, burning bright with regal purple energy as it locked eyes with Togetic.

It struck.

And amazingly, the Dragon Claws sputtered on contact, Togetic unfazed as they literally bounced off her. She retaliated with a sweep of her arm, and Druddigon gave a rumbling yelp, flayed by a protective Fairy Wind that stirred concern within its furious eyes. It reared its head, an wicked iron sheen coating it—

But now Vulpix was prepared, eyes flashing in a Disable, and Druddigon rasped as its Iron Head lost its luster. She and Togetic took advantage, the former flinging Ice Shards and the latter unleashing a display of elemental beams that burned, shocked, and froze the scales off the Pokespawn.

It was then that Lucario leapt in, scattering the wisps of a defeated Vibrava in his wake — the one that'd been with Druddigon earlier, most likely — and forming a bone of aura in his right paw. Graceful strikes followed as he hacked away at Druddigon, parrying a flimsy swipe from the Pokespawn before sweeping his free palm against its gut.

An electrifying force of aura burst out, and Druddigon tumbled, kicking up dust. A flying Air Slash sliced into his belly, and the dragon released its dying moan before its red-purplish wisps joined two other clusters melting into the ceiling. "Got rid of Jumpluff's Vibrava," Shaymin stated. "That all of them?"

"Should be," replied Lucario, concern spilling from his face. "Vulpix?"

With Druddigon out, Vulpix found she could breathe air again. "I'm fine," she said, casting glances at the scorch marks and grime that plastered Shaymin and Lucario. Jumpluff had clearly given them a run for their money, or rather, Poke.

Togetic waved her arms about, casting a Life Dew upon everyone to wash off both dirt and injuries. "You didn't harm the Jumpluff, did you?" she asked Shaymin.

"Kinda wished I did," muttered Shaymin, looking upward. "Look at the fiery mess that jerk feral made."

Indeed, the ceiling was covered in clusters of burning spores, Jumpluff using them like a shield as he warily watched from above. Togetic and Shaymin rose to approach him, and the feral eeped, throwing flames in front as it circled away with primal terror. Lucario and Vulpix watched from below, aura coating her guardian's eyes.

He frowned. Hard. Not the first time either. "You okay?" Vulpix asked.

Lucario caressed what remained of his burns. "Jumping into the stairs with Jumpluff didn't go too well," came his absentminded response. "You were using Ice Shard on Druddigon?"

Vulpix's tails bent to the side. "It wasn't too hard to learn."

"Hm."

Something was off with her guardian, and it involved Jumpluff. Vulpix squinted at the Abhorrent, catching his eyes twitching toward them, then moving elsewhere. She followed his line of sight to the telltale brick structure of a flight of stairs at the opposite end of the room.

With Druddigon and its allies gone, it must've opened. It was planning to escape?

For a terrified, unfortunate feral who found itself in the wrong place, that level of intelligence bugged her. Almost as if—

He's lucid.

The glimmer of thoughtful focus in its eyes was suddenly obvious, as were the staged movements and noises. "He's not a feral," she whispered, "is he?"

Lucario coughed. "Nope."

Jumpluff was pretending then. At first horror iced her limbs — why didn't he say something? She'd been warned that thinking Abhorrents were bad news! — but then a complete realization followed. "He's one of the good ones," she said, the void of wrongness within her cramping up.

Lucario's lips curled in an indescribable way.

This was a troubling situation, to say the least.

Eira the Vulpix's conflicted emotions touched Lucario as he observed the careful pink aura of Jumpluff, who continued to ward Togetic and Shaymin off with a deluge of flames. Neither of them noticed their foe was faking his act all along.

He knew though. He and Shaymin had chased him, bounding past mud-lobbing Pokespawn and dodging the flames he left behind. They managed to slip into the stairs with him, at the cost of Jumpluff branding them in fire within the cramped subspace between dungeon floors. They encountered this strange battle arena where, according to Shaymin, its Pokespawn had to be wiped out before they could exit the dungeon.

And all that time? He'd been tracking Jumpluff's aura. His surface thoughts, his feelings — they had been anything but animalistic.

It triggered alarms in Lucario's mind. His original thoughts had been to warn the others, but then questions arose, and he chose to double-check the Abhorrent's motives. Why the act? Did he come here for malicious reasons? Maybe he had something to do with Aerodactyl?

Instead, he came across the thoughts of an innocent soul. Fear that the explorers pursuing him would steal his freedom, along with a pleading hope that perhaps this meant there weren't any Pokemon patrolling the entrance and he could safely leave this awful dungeon. He likely had entered Mud Passage in the first place to hide from the villagers.

Far from being one of the maddened Abhorrents or the evil sane ones, Jumpluff was only a timid soul fending for himself. Not once did Lucario sleuth out a trace of malice — and he'd been double-checking.

He shut off his aurasense as Togetic slowly drifted toward Jumpluff. The Abhorrent cowered, however, bouncing against the floor before springing toward the stairs. "Hey, don't do that!" said Shaymin, blurring with Quick Attack's speed to block the way.

His escape foiled, Jumpluff scampered back, waving his cotton puffs threateningly. "Easy now," Togetic said as she joined Shaymin, placing her arms in front of her in a disarming manner. "We won't hurt you."

Lucario and Vulpix came over, sticking to the sidelines as Jumpluff tilted his head, though he kept his fire-spitting puffs raised. "Shouldn't we do something? We can't capture him," whispered Vulpix.

No, they shouldn't — but that was where the complication kicked in. "How would Togetic and Shaymin react if we told them?" asked Lucario.

Vulpix flattened her ears at the sobering words. "T-they might not believe us," she admitted.

Indeed. Pokemon on this archipelago saw thinking Abhorrents as vile scum — they shouldn't assume Shaymin and Togetic would be exceptions. We'll only look suspicious if we help Jumpluff, Lucario dryly noted.

It was best not to interfere. If they kept quiet, Jumpluff would only be sent to a feral preserve. Then he could either blend in with the actual ferals, or make a quiet escape.

Jumpluff was still acting wary of Togetic. "I could calm him with Aromatherapy," said Shaymin, a pensive look on her face. "It's weird, though — dude's been acting like a scaredy-Delcatty the whole time. Yet now that we're between him and the dungeon exit, he's not budging. If I didn't know better, I would say—"

A pause. Sweat coated Jumpluff's brows as he bore witness to Shaymin's death stare. Her eyes narrowed, then became slits, slicing through his facade.

"Shaymin?" said Togetic, before putting a similarly scrutinizing look.

Vulpix went stiff. Lucario resisted the all-consuming urge to caress his impending headache. Chaos cackled with sadistic glee.

Jumpluff lunged.

Shaymin's smaller size and floatiness meant his surprise attack sent her tumbling a good several feet, leaving the Abhorrent free to dive into the stairs. "It's a trick, he's faking!" yelled the Mythical as she uprighted herself and flew after, only to be pushed back by a gorge of flames erupting out of the stairway passage. "Lucario, why didn't you say something?"

Well, so much for keeping silent. "Excuse me?" said the jackal.

"You saw his aura, Lucario! You knew!" Shaymin again tried to barge into the stairway, but Jumpluff was persistent, a continuous wave of fire and burning cotton spores roaring out of the entrance. "D-do you sympathize with thinking Abhorrents?"

The accusation floored him. The what? Did she actually jump to that conclusion?

He barely had a chance to speak when a stone lid began to seal off the entrance. This only drove Shaymin further, her paws placed in front as a green shield materialized in front. The sealing stone groaned as she wedged the Protect against it, then pushed past, breaking through the fire and slipping inside.

Jumpluff's startled croak and sounds of fighting echoed back, before the stairway entrance shut itself with a grinding halt, one that slapped Vulpix out of her stupor. Togetic blinked, then pivoted to Lucario, her expression morphing from sheer shock to something sterner.

"He's not a feral," she said.

This would be such a pain to clean up, even more so than everything that went down with Weavile. "Look, this is going to sound crazy, but—"

"You knew that and told Vulpix. Neither of you spoke."

Being lumped into the address, Vulpix's face burned up. "I-I-I didn't—" she stammered.

"I don't know how to feel about this." A strained patience soured Togetic's voice of honey. "Why weren't Shaymin and I warned we were dealing with a deceptive outlaw ahead of time? He could've been armed with mutation items or something."

"No, see, that's the thing." Lucario took a deep breath. "He's not an outlaw. He's sinless."

Togetic narrowed her eyes. "Lucario, good Abhorrents don't exist."

It'd been quite cold in the caverns, come to think of it, yet Lucario found himself feeling unbearably hot. Those were the very condemning words he didn't want to hear, especially from Togetic.

And they were just a sample. "All known encounters with rational Abhorrents show as much," she went on. "There's no reports saying otherwise. As far as we're concerned, the mutation always leaves victims with dark tendencies that overwhelm them — even passive ferals will rampage if provoked, never mind what goes on with the rational ones."

Though Vulpix somehow kept a level face, Lucario could see her heart-wrenching pain at the firm statement. Just perfect — even Togetic, the calmest and most understanding member of Team Heavendust, would have trouble being convinced otherwise. "Meaning you don't trust my judgment?" he questioned.

"Are you perfectly sure Jumpluff is innocent?"

"Togetic—"

"I apologize, Lucario, but I believe your ability only reads surface thoughts." Togetic floated a little closer, her face softening with concern. "You may have read Jumpluff's will to be safe and free, but that doesn't mean you've seen his future plans, or his past. For all we know, he might be here to help that skeletal Abhorrent and keep a low profile. So again — are you perfectly sure Jumpluff is innocent?"

Lucario opened his lips, then hesitated. Shadows crawled under his skin, shrouding him in doubt. Was he?

Togetic technically had a point, after all. All he knew was Jumpluff's desire for freedom, not what he'd do with said freedom. It was just like how he knew Ariados had lost interest in harming Vulpix, but didn't know when that could change, or what she truly wanted with her.

Could Jumpluff have ulterior motives he never read?

The possibility broke him for a moment, leaving him at a loss, and it rattled Vulpix. "Lucario?" she whispered, her high pitch matching with the way her paws shook. "I thought— you said—"

"I'm not sure." The admission slipped out without his input — why would he say such a thing? Did he, a Lucario, truly have this little faith in his judgment of character? Yet he spoke the words anyway, confused and uncertain. "I'm not sure."

For a long moment, Vulpix just stared, refusing to believe him. It was Togetic's sigh that made her snap her head over, the angelic flashing a pitying look. "I just don't get why anyone would defend an Abhorrent," she said. "I know you're not bad 'mons, so I can only assume it's out of ignorance of their kind—"

"Can't you tell?"

Lucario's mind rebooted as Vulpix blurted the words. A piece of his uncertainty detached from him, taking its time to slither over to Togetic as she processed the meaning behind Vulpix's words. Soon it claimed her as its new vessel, the angelic putting an arm over her mouth.

The trio eyed the stairs. Its entrance had already opened up, impatiently waiting.

The forest outside looked a little worn for wear when Vulpix exited the Mud Passage dungeon. Leaves strewn about, new branches littering the floor, a few charred marks on the trees and some burned-up grass — all signs of a scuffle.

One that Shaymin had won in a landslide victory, the Mythical casually pinning down a groaning Jumpluff with only a few burns as casualties. Disgusted winds swirled around her the instant she noticed Lucario, the jackal raising his paws as she pointed an Air Slash blade at him. "Shaymin?" yelled Togetic.

"What do you expect, Togetic?" Shaymin spat back. "Jumpluff's one of the rational ones, and Lucario never said a word! Is someone gonna explain that to me?"

Togetic positioned herself in between the swirling wind-blade and Lucario. Lowering her gaze to Jumpluff, her eyes flashed, the pink hue of purity sense kicking in.

Unable to trust his own judgment, she judged him herself.

Lucario's brows furrowed the longer Togetic kept still, Jumpluff blinking in wonder. Purity sense was more suited to seeing one's goodness — it ashamed him that Vulpix had to be the one to point this out — but it wasn't guaranteed that Jumpluff was the guiltless soul she believed he was. And what if he was clean, yet Togetic refused to believe it?

The pendulum of time swung back and forth, until Togetic shut her eyes, her verdict falling like a hammer. "Release him."

Shaymin's brutish appearance cracked, her wind blade losing cohesion until it broke into dumbstruck breezes that galloped into the woods. "Togetic?" she questioned.

"There's no blemish on his soul, Shaymin." An ugly mess of distress and self-disgust warped Togetic's face. "I-I'm speechless, Lucario and Vulpix, you're right. Jumpluff's rational, yet his purity is unstained. We're capturing an innocent."

Burgeoning relief uplifted Lucario's body, Vulpix letting out an exhausted sigh. His judgment wasn't wrong after all.

"Are you for real?" cried Shaymin, although she was already releasing Jumpluff, the Abhorrent in a state of unadulterated disbelief. "There's no such thing as good Abhorrents, everyone knows that! You can't— Lucario still should've—"

And then she hovered back. Her eyes swept over grass blades as if to count them. Her lips folded.

"You're sure?" she quietly asked Togetic.

Togetic rubbed her face. "Believe me, Shaymin, I'm just as stunned as you are."

"Crud." Shaymin let herself drop to the ground, struggling to swallow the pill of truth she'd been handed. "Good Abhorrents? Those really exist?"

It'd take some time for the twosome to digest this, Lucario reasoned. He hung back, letting the two converse to each other in hushed, lost tones. Jumpluff rose at the same time, recognizing the ones responsible for his aid. He took a step forward before clutching a gash on his leg.

At this Lucario fired a pink orb, Jumpluff startled as it made contact, before being amazed as Heal Pulse stitched up his injuries. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to say something, before settling for a grateful nod — one worth a thousand words. For a twitching Shaymin, twice the amount.

Vulpix smiled toward the jackal. "See? You were right about Jumpluff," she lightly chided him.

Lucario hummed. Even though there had been a chance he misjudged Jumpluff, it was still unlike him to doubt himself that easily. What had gotten into him back there?

Maybe it was stress. He had been building up a lot of it lately, and he could use something to rid himself of it. All this worrying over Vulpix's safety was taking its toll on him.

It was during this reflection that something tickled the back of Lucario's mind. A familiar psychic tingle followed, Vulpix stirring as he felt her get roped into its grasp. Before either could move, however, the tingle morphed into a signal, an urge to stay put. Keep quiet and relax. Pretend nothing odd was going on. Speak with their minds if need be.

Then came the words. I have no words for this.

Lucario and Vulpix turned their backs and distanced themselves from an idle Jumpluff, as if to have a private conversation — which they were indeed having. Eevee? Vulpix called in Pokemon-speak within the shared psychic link.

A discreet use of aurasense informed Lucario of the multi-aura lying in the foliage of a nearby tree. Espeon sensed you while I was snooping around for Aerodactyl's whereabouts, Eevee answered, disgruntlement in his mind-voice. What part of 'stay out of trouble' do you continue to not understand? You're starting to worry me sick.

How convenient that Eevee was in time to catch the tail-end of today's dilemma. I did what I had to, Lucario defended. It's not our fault that this job turned out to—

I know, I know, I overheard enough to put the pieces together. Bad series of coincidences and whatnot. Eevee's sigh could've been mistaken for a quiet wind. Really, we're just in shock — me and my siblings altogether. You get yourself accused of sympathy with Abhorrents, and somehow, someway, you do the unthinkable: make two Pokemon recognize there's good guys even among us mutants.

But all the same? I can't have you getting into more of these kinds of jams. Your Gabite leader will surely watch you like a hawk after this incident.

Any sense of relief the twosome had in overcoming the ordeal with Jumpluff cracked in that moment. What about Gabite? Convincing Togetic and Shaymin was one thing, but Lucario doubted he could get the dragon-shark out of his Abhorrent prejudice. He'd go bonkers when he found out about Jumpluff.

Point being, it's not safe to stay put, Eevee concluded. We really should get plans underway to meet Kabutops.

The mention of the scientist left a pit gnawing at Lucario's stomach, disquiet leaving him mute. Oh, moaned Eevee. Oh my goodness, Lucario, what—

Ariados f-found me, Vulpix mumbled in his stead. She wants something from me. We couldn't do anything about it.

Now Eevee was the silent one. Of all topics, this had been the one Lucario wished he didn't have to explain to the Abhorrent. He was bound to have a freak-out over this.

But it didn't come. No explosions. No yelling. Not even a shard of rage.

Just condensed disappointment. One job, said Eevee, stretching out the words. We gave you one job. You mind if I take a moment?

A psychic prod and Lucario and Vulpix found themselves spinning around, a distraction unfolding before them. Togetic had split off from Shaymin, Jumpluff clasping his cotton puffs as she approached him. "Excuse me?" she said. "On everyone's behalf, I apologize for the trouble we've put you through. It's just—"

She took a moment to collect her thoughts. "No one's reported a friendly Abhorrent before," she said with an abashed face. "Everyone's heard of the corrupted items used to make Abhorrents, but there's still so little we understand of the situation. Can you tell us what happened to you? Are there others like you out there? Is there anything you could share about what's going on?"

The loaded questions left Jumpluff shuffling on his feet. "I—" he croaked, before clearing his wispy voice. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

A shrug. "It's fuzzy," he said. "There was a weird Pokemon — I-I can't remember — she looked like a fiery ghost though. She offered me a cursed power, and I accepted." Embers wriggled out of his cotton balls. "This happened."

The flames died out. "Never met others," he continued, speaking so quietly everyone had to lean forward. "All in hiding like me, I'd think, scared of prejudice. Scared of what they are, scared to be arrested. They probably don't want trouble too, just like me. S-sorry I don't know much."

He lowered his head, before jolting right back up as something occurred to him. "The village people, they're all on edge," he murmured. "It's not just about me, is it?"

Lucario's fur prickled at his tone, Vulpix shuddering beside him. "Uh, yeah," Shaymin told him. "There was a skeletal Abhorrent who—"

"Aerodactyl."

Horror and revile were the logs and dried grass that ignited the biting fire Jumpluff spoke with. Vulpix winced as its burning wind scraped against her cold skin, while Lucario hissed as it branded the metal spikes on his chest and the back of his paws.

The effect was subdued for Togetic and Shaymin, but the message left its mark regardless. "You met the 'mon?" the latter asked.

Jumpluff dropped his feral, meek posture, leaving behind only the weariness. "Near a different dungeon. Creep thought it was great I was like him, said I should enjoy my gift more. I saw through him though — just a monster with a twisted mind, one who'd watch the world burn with a smile."

Shaymin gritted her teeth. "A different dungeon, huh?" she said, nudging a pale Togetic. "I'm getting the feeling this guy could have mutagens."

"Um, maybe not mutagens."

The group turned back to Jumpluff. "Didn't get a good look," he said, "but he had something when we met — was hiding it in his claw. Shone like a bright metal in sunlight, but not a crystal or something. Had a feathery look to it."

Everything Jumpluff had said was what Lucario expected to hear, except for this one perplexing thing. A feathery metal thing? He eyed Vulpix, whose face scrunched up in confusion. Togetic and Shaymin were equally as stumped, not knowing the meaning of such an odd item.

A certain eavesdropper, however, had a far different response. Oh, Eevee whispered with a gravity of mesmerized dread. Oh.

You know something? asked Lucario.

Good news, this might be a lead. His tone shifted, returning to indignation. Bad news, since you've put us on a time limit by failing to do your duty, Lucario, I only get one last shot at catching Aerodactyl.

Excuse him? Eevee—

I gave you the freedom to figure out how best to help your human. And you know what? Letting you join your explorer team in the first place might've been a mistake.

The biting words upended Lucario, the jackal unable to formulate any response. Wasn't that the very thing he'd been scolding himself about in the morning, anyway? That he'd been sticking around Team Heavendust for too long, when he should've fled far away from Ariados's location?

Vulpix for her part kept silent, any pained emotions she had being buried within her. Listen, Ariados is a major threat to everything, and for your safety, we need to reach Kabutops as soon as possible, Eevee insisted. Talk to you later about that. Right now I've got to see if this metal feather thing will help me find Aerodactyl.

Having seen no further reason to occupy Jumpluff, Togetic thanked him, and the Abhorrent took it as his cue to leave. He leapt into the air, letting his cotton puffs catch a breeze and whisk him away. Oh, and thanks for helping Jumpluff, maybe? added Eevee. Speaking in defense of an Abhorrent was foolish, but I may as well show gratitude regardless.

Gratitude.

Er.

Lucario eyed Shaymin, the reindeer stiffening up before looking wildly around. Togetic noticed her activity, her gaze sharpening in turn, then glowing up pink.

Vulpix went taut as her gaze flung itself toward Eevee's location in the trees. What, Lucario heard him say with all the dryness he could muster.

In a flash Shaymin bolted, crashing into the foliage. Vulpix went further rigid as Eevee's yelp resounded, the little fox-like Abhorrent being tossed out for the world to point fingers and laugh at him. "A-another one?" said Togetic. "An Eevee?"

Eevee rolled his eyes at the obvious statement, crystal-spikes glittering in synchronization. Before Shaymin could react, he swiped a seed out of his pouch and bit on it.

In a flash he vanished. "Wait!" hollered Togetic. "We only want to talk!"

Normally, Eevee getting revealed like this would've been a nightmare scenario. In the wake of Jumpluff? It was no more than an inconvenience.

Hence why the Abhorrent's actions left Lucario dumbfounded. Why are you running? he called to Eevee, eyes glowing up and spotting him — he'd warped to a location not far away, blitzing from tree to tree. You know they won't see you as an enemy!

All Eevee had in response was a bitter scoff. Stay out of my affairs, Lucario. I told you, I didn't even approve of Kecleon knowing of me — you think I'd get all chummy with your teammates? I don't take such silly risks.

What risks? He was acting more suspicious by fleeing instead of explaining himself! Lucario tried to reach out again, only to swallow back a snarl as the mental link between him and Eevee severed. Not too long after, the Abhorrent's aura faded, going out of range.

Vulpix's transformation into a statue was complete as the duo absorbed what just transpired. Unbelievable. What was Eevee thinking? Did his siblings even have a say in the matter?

Shaymin hadn't bothered to give chase, huffing as she watched Lucario's eyes return to their normal red. "Guess that hooligan's gone," she said, before rubbing her snout. "Two of these guys at once? It's almost too coincidental."

Togetic shook herself. "A friend of Jumpluff?"

"With the way he was acting, he can't be. More than that, he was giving off gratitude." Shaymin pointed at Lucario. "Directly toward you."

Lines creased Lucario's forehead as she and Togetic gave him twin stares, each with somewhat casual scrutiny. Vulpix — well, it wasn't like she could get any stiffer, the way she stood.

The full meaning of the Mythical's words weren't lost on him. More than simply being grateful for Lucario's fair treatment of Jumpluff, Eevee had addressed him in specific. Almost as if there was some kind of secret aura communication between them. After all, there was a difference between feeling thankful and saying it to someone.

Truly unbelievable. Lucky for him, their encounter with Jumpluff was softening the blow Eevee caused, but still, why did he bail on him and Vulpix?

Togetic sighed, placing a hand on Shaymin's flank. "It's been a messy day," she stated. "Goodness, I can't fathom how I'll explain this to Tangela or the Explorer Board. How about we leave this for now, wash off at the local stream, and then return to Berrypark Town?"

Shaymin scratched her ear in tacit agreement. Her gaze lingered on Lucario for a moment longer, before she grew shamefaced and drifted off. The angelic followed, but not before offering him and Vulpix a strained smile.

"I'm sorry this mission didn't work out as we hoped," she said. "If there is something you do want to share, Lucario, I'm all ears."

With the flying duo moving ahead, Lucario and Vulpix were left trailing behind them. The vixen loosened up from her rocky posture as she stepped into line with him. Her tails pressed against her side.

"Why didn't you tell them about Eevee?" she asked. "They already know of him—"

"No." A scowl pressed against Lucario's lips. It was one thing if Eevee introduced himself as just another friendly Abhorrent to the pair, one who was chasing down the Aerodactyl who'd been hiding around this part of Grassbranch Island. For Lucario to bring up their relationship, however? "It'll bring unwanted attention to us. There'll only be more questions, until your human nature gets involved."

Vulpix batted an eye. "Isn't that a little— um, a little far-fetched?"

"Don't patronize me, kid."

His harsh voice left Vulpix submitting to his will, but not without her offering a few worried looks. Lucario ignored them, hyperfocused on the path ahead.

There was always something going wrong in this accursed archipelago. Weavile, Ariados, even Eevee had caused them some form of trouble. As it was, the Abhorrent seemed bent on hastening their journey to Kabutops.

Which would surely infuriate Ariados. For crying out loud, there was still that void spell she casted on Vulpix, a piece of leverage held against them. What to do?

The jackal heaved, paws clenching and unclenching. The quiet solemnity of the forest did little to assuage his building stress. He couldn't stand to take more of these complications.

But hey, maybe he should look on the bright side. Count his blessings.

At least he didn't have to deal with Aerodactyl.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 11 — Soul Pressure

Eira the Vulpix gasped, pain poking her within her very soul. She pawed her chest, then looked up.

Porygon-Z's face peered over the counter, Togetic hovering nearby. "Vulpix?" came her worried voice.

The false vixen could almost feel Shaymin and Lucario's hardened gazes on the back of her head. "It's nothing," she blurted.

Togetic kept staring, unable to wipe a frown off her face. Eventually she turned back to Porygon-Z to finish her altered recount of their trip to Mud Passage, claiming they never found Jumpluff and that Lucario sensed Aerodactyl on their way back with his aura. Vulpix inwardly sighed, again inspecting the nothingness within her.

It was an itch not too long ago. Now it stung, like a constant pinprick.

More than that, she could begin to discern what exactly she was feeling. More than just a sense of mere emptiness, it was like her soul was chafing against her body. Like it was rejecting it? What did Ariados do to me? she wondered.

At last Togetic pulled back, Porygon-Z acknowledging her words with a grave expression. He slid a bag of Poke over the counter, then jabbed keys with his beak as he typed up information to the computer-like device he operated. "Funny how we ended up completing that skeletal Abhorrent task after all," Shaymin commented.

Togetic bit her lip, hesitantly throwing the Poke reward for said task into her Treasure Bag. The Dungeon Board was now aware of Aerodactyl's identity, and they already told Tangela about Jumpluff. The chieftain half-panicked at the thought of the Abhorrent possibly hiding around Mudstream Village, but assurances that Lucario didn't sense him around the perimeter got him to calm down.

That left one last person to relay their adventure to — and the only Pokemon they would tell the full truth to. "Do we really need to tell Gabite?" whispered Lucario as they moved away from the counter.

"It's only fair he knows," replied Togetic, before letting out a weary sigh. "Though I admit, I'm already dreading the thought. How am I going to explain today's events to him?"

"Don't?"

Heat coated Vulpix's face as she processed what she just said, everyone giving her odd looks. She couldn't help herself though — the scrutiny she'd face once Gabite learned she and Lucario stood up for Jumpluff made the nothingness within her shudder, and that was before Eevee was added into the equation. "Just, um, tell him about Aerodactyl?" she pleaded. "For now?"

Togetic looked between her and Lucario, the jackal arching a hopeful brow. "I see where you two are coming from," she said. "But I'm afraid it won't matter. Knowing Gabite, he'll wriggle out the whole story, one way or another."

She offered a reassuring smile. "But don't worry. I'll do my best to make him understand."

It all sounded hollow to Vulpix, but for the sake of politeness, she returned the smile. Togetic and Shaymin left the "Task Management" wing, and she began to follow before peering over her shoulder. Porygon-Z was somehow floating upside-down, rubbing his head as he stared at the screen of his device.

Lucario picked up on her pause in movement, stooping over. "Gabite implied Porygon-Z's a native," he stated.

Vulpix had once asked in passing, and Lucario gave the same response then. The more she considered it though, the more glaring the contradiction became. The gem-powered devices in the Dungeon Board could be excused as emerging tech in Haven Archipelago, but a Porygon-Z? She didn't get it.

"How?" she whispered, scrutinizing the oddball Pokemon. "Isn't Porygon-Z man-made?"

"And how would a man-made Pokemon wash up here, long before us?"

That did stump her, admittedly. The circumstances of their own arrival were already unique, and a Pokemon like Porygon-Z couldn't reach the archipelago without catching widespread attention. Wouldn't Gabite or Kecleon have said something?

Perhaps there was something else to this conundrum. "But we could still ask," said Vulpix.

Her guardian's frown deepened at that. She looked to Lucario, noting the rigidness of his expression, the hollowness in his eyes, the endless worrying he'd been harboring since Jumpluff. The fears he held.

Irrational fears. A sigh left Vulpix's maw.

"We should tell the others about Eevee," she said.

She'd been cringing ahead of time, well before Lucario's gaze sharpened. "Vulpix—" he hissed.

"They know," she argued. Lucario was stressing himself out for little reason. What was the point of pretending otherwise? "We just look suspicious, trying to hide it."

"I won't take silly risks," said Lucario, Vulpix unable to notice the uncanny resemblance to Eevee's parting words. "Don't put us into danger, Eira, there—"

A cough sent the pair spinning around. Shaymin floated behind them, arching an eye at their silent arguing.

"We, uh, have company," she said.

They sure had company. Vulpix resisted the urge to break into a nervous sweat as she looked out to the main garden hall, where Gabite ambushed a stiff Togetic beside the fountain centerpiece. Kecleon of all Pokemon stood to the side, winking in their direction.

"I was looking for you lot," Kecleon said as they approached, his cheery demeanor offset by the intensity in his eyes. "You told your team, huh? We've got Ariados-related matters to discuss."

Shaymin and Togetic eyed Vulpix, while Lucario eyed Gabite. "Seems Kecleon's got you covered with your matriarch problem," said their team leader, before adopting a perplexed expression. "Seriously, Togetic? Is something the matter?"

The angelic clearly didn't appreciate how one of her troubles decided to walk right into her. "Gabite?" she said. "You and me, outside. There's things we need to discuss."

Gabite pursed his lips, before suspicion strangled him. "The Abhorrent Mud Passage task?" he asked, Kecleon raising brows at this. "Blast it, Togetic, what happened?"

Togetic gave no response, patiently waiting. Gabite's tail flicked from one end to the other, an eye straying toward Lucario, the jackal pressing his lips. Then that eye fell upon Vulpix, like a shining dagger itching to prod out her secrets, and the false vixen mustered all the willpower she could to not betray any body language.

Just wait until Togetic tells him, she mourned to herself.

Gabite huffed, a finblade swishing through the fountain and scattering water droplets as he headed back to the Dungeon Board's entrance. At last Togetic unclenched her face, a more natural expression of worry taking over as her gaze snapped between Kecleon and Vulpix.

Shaymin nudged her. "Meet us at the dojo courtyard?" she said, putting on a grin. "I think I could get Vulpix to finish up with Extrasensory in the meanwhile."

That grin moved toward Vulpix, who hummed in uncertainty. Working on Extrasensory? That sounded like a good way to take her mind off things. Still, the thought of going toward the dojo made her hesitant.

As did Lucario. "So long as she's not there," he said.

"Mismagius?" The way Kecleon dismissed the witch with a wave of his arm, he made her seem like nothing important. "Like I'll let her pester you over lessons again. She's probably not around anyway."

Shaymin and Togetic faced each other in silent communication, the latter failing to wipe the frown off her face. She gave Lucario one last look, eyes shimmering with a shard of the scrutiny Gabite gave off, before flying off to catch up with the dragon-shark.

Hopefully she'd at least keep him from going ballistic. For now Kecleon was the bigger issue, or rather what he had to say about Ariados. The way he kept eyeing Lucario, Vulpix had a feeling he already knew what happened.

Shaymin rubbed her paws awkwardly once Togetic left. "I probably should apologize," she said to Kecleon with a great deal of formality. "I know it's been a while since our last session—"

"I'll have none of that, young one. We'll discuss lessons later." Kecleon pointed a digit at Lucario. "Just not while I'm busy with him. He and Vulpix haven't seen the dojo before, have they?"

Lucario gawked.

Even from a good distance away, a square-shaped pagoda hovered over the other buildings like a jewel of Berrypark Town. The dojo? he thought. How have I never noticed that before?

The dojo consisted of layers of aged red apartments with roofs covered in silvery blue shingles and Psychic Gems adorning the corners, the stack growing narrower as it ascended all the way to a spiraling tip prodding the cloudy heavens. A courtyard sat on one side, fenced off by scaly walls similarly decorated with Psychic Gems and a moody gate. The double wooden doors to the pagoda were far more inviting, opened wide to let in cool winds and Pokemon alike.

One look at it was enough to entrance Vulpix. "It's like a little piece of Johto," she whispered.

Having no idea about Johtonian architecture, Lucario simply hummed at the remark. "Something tells me you like it," Shaymin told Vulpix, whose vacant nod made Kecleon chuckle.

Lucario saw past the chameleon's cheery mood, however. A flare of aura over his eyes and he was privy to his irritated inner thoughts, revolving around fresh memories of Ariados leisurely taunting him. She told him what happened, didn't she?

You shouldn't be reading private thoughts, his inner voice warned.

The jackal huffed at his slip-up, instead eyeing the dojo. Presences within the building revealed themselves, with the second floor showing a Hitmonchan gesturing in front of a Breloom, a Clefairy, and a third Pokemon he couldn't identify. The first floor, meanwhile, had a Kirlia, a Meditite, and a Hypno sitting in cross-legged positions, as if meditating.

No Mismagius though. Good. He was not in the mood for that witch to pester him again. Not that I could force her to stop, he thought, before grounding his teeth. What did she want anyway?

There was something suspect about her. Her excuse that Kecleon dragging Vulpix and then him away made her interested in the both of them? Flimsy. And the way she looked at them, and the way she spoke? It's almost as if—

A metallic whine broke him out of his thoughts. Without realizing it he was standing in front of the dojo courtyard, Kecleon pulling open its creaking gate to display the earthy fields it guarded. White lines formed a series of rectangles, serving as boundaries for sparring Pokemon, and a decorated side-door connected it to the dojo itself.

As it was, two figures were currently present, Lucario having a double-take as he beheld a small pink witch toss her bulbous ponytails to deflect a head-on tackle from a scrappy fish. "Yo, that's Feebas!" exclaimed Shaymin, watching the Pokemon flip backward and shield her eyes as the witch flashed a retaliatory Dazzling Gleam. "Who's that, though? Her Hattrem friend?"

How'd he miss those two during his aura inspection? Lucario checked the courtyard, making sure no one else was present, while Vulpix answered Shaymin. "You can't tell?"

"Hey, nobody taught me much about Pokemon species back home — Togetic's the geek on that topic. Don't know what a bumpkin like me would do without her." Shaymin fingered her petal scarf when Hattrem turned their way, Feebas freezing up as the witch stared with indifferent eyes. "Uh, Lucario? You didn't leave on bad terms with her after the Weavile incident, right?"

Lucario's nape prickled as he felt Kecleon's gaze pierce it, the merchant shooting him questioning looks. Well kick me over while I'm already in a sour mood, he growled to himself. Hattrem was still mad? Why does every coincidence I run into end up being a bad thing?

Vulpix frowned, inching closer to him. "Maybe you should—"

"I know, kid, I know." Lucario struggled to tear off the scowl on his lips as he strode forward. "Are we still having a dispute over this?"

Hattrem kept quiet, her arms loosely falling to her hips. The look in her dead eyes held the same power as the stalking gaze of a group of Cacturne, quietly trailing a dying animal in the desert.

Lucario couldn't bear it, facing away and sighing. "Weavile threatening Vulpix clouded my mind, and I acted on emotion," he said. "It wasn't my intent to put Feebas in danger."

Hattrem blinked. "All to save a piece of clothing," she muttered.

"Hattrem, please." Feebas hopped over, throwing a reproving look at her friend. "Can we stop the petty squabbling and move on? You're letting the whole 'me being maimed' thing cloud your mind too."

That aroused something in Hattrem, the Pokemon's lips twitching. Feebas placed a fin on her shoulder, and at last she discarded her judging gaze and nodded.

Apology accepted. A grain of Lucario's troubles fell off his back.

With the tension sucked out of the courtyard, a relieved Vulpix and Shaymin joined them. "Glad that's over," the latter said. "You mind us sharing the space? I'm gonna see if I can help Vulpix figure out Extrasensory."

Hattrem laid a thoughtful eye on Vulpix, before stepping closer. "Not useful against Dark-types," she noted, Feebas rolling her eyes behind her back. "But regardless, a solid move. Perhaps I could help?"

Vulpix stiffened at being directly addressed, but the kind request quickly turned her attitude around. She looked to Lucario, who gave her a shrug.

"I guess I don't mind," she told Hattrem with a little smile.

Just like that both girls and Shaymin were splitting off, Feebas dragging herself over a moment later. Kecleon came to Lucario's right, who watched as Shaymin elaborated on Vulpix's progress on Extrasensory while Vulpix herself offered a little quiet input. There was a comfort to seeing the kid handling herself around Feebas and Hattrem, a showcase of her really beginning to blend in with other Pokemon.

Kecleon harrumphed, a few of his scales tinged red, and Lucario rubbed the spike on his chest as he faced the glowering Pokemon. If only it was still that simple.

"Do you not know how to stay out of trouble?" Kecleon began.

Lucario kept quiet.

"I was not amused to have Ariados herself gloat to me about getting you and Vulpix under her grasp." The merchant shook his head, the rage draining out of him. "Stupid me — I should've seen this coming. After she found you in the market, all she had to do was ask around town about the Lucario newcomer. I should've told you to leave right there and then."

"She teleported to us before I could sense her," said Lucario.

Kecleon's face literally blackened. "Modified Warp Scarf."

"She wanted to make a deal."

"I know." The merchant snorted. "And apparently it's not the only incident you had."

Lucario was all too willing to spill it all, explaining his mishaps with Weavile, then the Abhorrent Jumpluff and Eevee. "It's been a mess," he finished, watching from the corner of his eye as Vulpix released a tiny Extrasensory that fizzled out before it could move even a considerable distance, Hattrem saying something inaudible in response. "Worst of all, Ariados left some void spell on the kid that gets worse with time."

Impassiveness left Kecleon's face as rigid as stone. "Wonderful. How bad?"

Lucario checked Vulpix's aura, feeling the needle-like pain quietly poking her from within. "Like an ache that doesn't go away."

An ache he didn't know the cure to. If he wanted to protect her, he had to get Ariados to lift whatever she did. He had to play by her rules.

And Eevee wouldn't likely accept that.

Lucario's palms balled themselves into fists. "I can't satisfy both Ariados and Eevee," he said. "What am I supposed to do? Darn it, Eevee knew Togetic and Shaymin recognized the existence of good Abhorrents and he still fled! How am I supposed to work with such a stubborn—"

His feelers twitched without warning, and silence overtook Lucario, followed by exasperation. He placed a palm against his snout, waiting for a few seconds, before cocking his head to the left.

And like magic, Mismagius was there, wisps fading from the ground beneath her as if she'd just risen out of it. Why do I even hope? thought Lucario.

Her attention was entirely devoted to Vulpix's training under Shaymin and Hattrem. At first Lucario thought they were too engrossed to notice her arrival, but then Feebas gave a passing glance their way. Her gaze fell upon him and Kecleon, but not once upon the witch, as if she was invisible to her.

Because of course, hallucinations. "Can I help you?" hissed Lucario.

Unlike Feebas, Kecleon could see Mismagius just fine, his eyes sharpening. "I didn't expect you here," said the witch, her pupils never shifting. They stayed glued to Vulpix, and Vulpix alone. "Isn't it beautiful? Your girl has such a passion for fiiiiiguring out a specific move, a will to refine her soul into something greater. A shame she won't get to benefit from the tutelage of a master, isn't it?"

Whether she meant to tick him off or was simply stating her thoughts, Lucario couldn't tell, and he didn't care. "I'm not in the mood," he said.

"We were in the middle of a private conversation," Kecleon dryly added. "Perhaps you could go elsewhere?"

Mismagius gave a worthless nod as she stayed in place. Gleaming curiosity poured from her eyes as she lazily watched Vulpix conjure her Extrasensory attacks, pulling a cloth-appendage over her too-wide smile. Lucario couldn't stand it.

There was no way this Pokemon just decided a random kid was of interest to her. The more Lucario thought of it, the more his heart palpitated, as if wanting to assume he was overthinking things. As if it feared the weight of one more burden being added to his pile of woes.

But he couldn't take this either. "Stop playing with me," declared Lucario, stepping in front of her. Something within him recoiled when Mismagius's eyes didn't flicker, like she still saw Vulpix through him. "I want answers. How?"

For the first time Mismagius actually gave him her attention. "Hm?" she said, tilting her head.

The jackal took a deep breath. "You know."

Kecleon stiffened in the background, uneasy at the accusation. For a good while Mismagius stared in obliviousness, much to Lucario's frustration, before her lips twisted in on themselves.

"Why yes, the girl's unwell," she noted. "Under the effects of a soul-deep backlash that is worsening. I can't say I fully understand the cause behind it, but her resistance does speak about what an exceptional creature the girl is."

Lucario's eyes narrowed, the world silent to his ears. Creature.

"I've never seen a soul like hers," Mismagius continued. "I've seen a vast number of Pokemon, but hers feels fundamentally different. Special."

If he checked Vulpix's aura right now, he'd be able to see its intricately unique pattern. One acknowledging her Pokemon appearance, yet stayed human deep at its core.

Never seen a soul like hers.

"She's too inexperienced to create such a perfect facade, it's fascinating. It cannot be healthy for her to keep maintaining it for very long either. Has she not known to take breaks?"

Facade. It was all Lucario needed to piece things together. Mismagius never had to eavesdrop on him all along. "Ever since Ariados spread her rumors, you've known," he stated.

Because she could see for herself.

Kecleon's eyes went wide as he understood too, while Vulpix and the others remained unaware of the terrible revelation unfolding only a distance away. Mismagius drifted a small distance back, her shadow fluttering along like a wraith.

"So it comes to this." Mismagius rested a cloth-arm against her cheek before letting out a drawn-out sigh. "And I don't know where to begin. By what circumstance was Haven Archipelago cursed with the pleasure of a human wandering our lands? Was her kind always around after all? Did the fallout of the spacetime distortions several years ago strand her here?"

Lucario's fur oddly prickled at the mention of 'spacetime distortions', searching Kecleon's scrunched-up face for an explanation. Some event in Haven Archipelago? And yet, why did it leave him with a lingering, once-forgotten sense of fear?

For a moment, he found himself distressed, terrible things tickling the back of his head. Sinnoh was known for its legends on spacetime distortions, but this, it felt like—

"But I sense she is new here," finished Mismagius. "Brought past the towers by some mishap, with only her meager magic to disguise her. A shame if she's the one meant to harm us."

And like that, Lucario freed himself of the unwanted thoughts, turning back to the real matter at hand. "Are you kidding me?" he hissed. "She's not a threat! And she has no powers — none of the humans do!"

Something sly twinkled in the witch's eyes. "You imply you too came from their lands? I'm afraid you speak of falsehood. Humans were known for their wizardry."

The sheer idiocy of such a statement rankled Lucario. "I dealt with the girl," Kecleon spat as he joined the war of words. "Completely harmless. She's only able to take a Pokemon form because of a wristband she got on this island!"

"So you say." Mismagius shut her eyes. "But that changes little. What you don't understand is that the girl's arrival marks an ill omen."

Any biting response Lucario had prepared withered at those last two words. Ill omen. The same words Ariados used to refer to Eira the Vulpix.

Mismagius gave a somber chuckle, seeing she had his and Kecleon's attention. "The human-warding towers could only protect us for so long. You see, there is a prophecy too few of us remember. One stating the return of a human, and how it will inadvertently bring ruin to Haven Archipelago."

Lucario's jaw refused to shut, disbelief blocking out her words. A prophecy? Just how much insanity was this archipelago stockpiled on?

This had to be the pinnacle of ignorance. "You're telling me," he said, "that some little girl who just wants to get off these islands is going to be the harbinger of their destruction?"

Mismagius barely could get a word in before the jackal cut her off. "It's always something!" he ranted. "From the moment I've gotten here, someone had to cause trouble, or mess up things, or put me and Vulpix in a bind! No matter how much I try to protect the kid, there's either lunatics who catch wind of her existence, or—"

His lips froze, literally. Lucario found them welded together, Mismagius staring intently with pink Psychic energy flowing out of her eyes.

"You're exhausted, aren't you?" she said, tsking to herself. "I should have waited until you were better prepared. We'll discuss this later."

She broke off her Psychic hold and melted into the ground. Kecleon silently came beside Lucario, who stared on, his mind a deranged mess.

A prophecy. It was ridiculous, the very idea of it. Even more so than the thought of humans having magic. How foolish could that Mismagius be?

He should've taken the time to closely inspect her thoughts during the conversation. What was her agenda? Did she want Eira gone too? But if that were so, she would've done it in advance. What then—

Lucario winced as Kecleon yanked his snout, pulling him to eye level. "Now call me selfish," he said, "but I'm linked to your human mess too. I can't exactly afford to let you fall."

His narrowed eyes stared into his own. "So get a grip, you dunderhead. Speak with Ariados. Make Eevee see reason. Deal with Mismagius tomorrow. Stop worrying about things out of your control and start working on solving them, or your kid will be a goner for sure."

Lucario slowly nodded. "Good lad," said Kecleon, eyeing the spot where Mismagius vanished. "I'll go find that witch, maybe butter her up for you. Loaded junk she left us with — there's questions I've got that I won't wait to leave unanswered."

He went through the courtyard entrance dojo, likely anticipating she was inside. Lucario turned his gaze up to the sky, grayed out by the clouds above.

A representation of his mood. There was one thing Mismagius got right — he was exhausted.

And Kecleon's right too. Things will get worse if I keep wallowing over my problems, he thought, composing himself. I need to regain control.

Better make like a Maushold and Tidy Up this mess.

A half-decent Extrasensory sailed across the courtyard, Lucario watching it crash into the wall. Or rather, against a protective barrier that rippled into existence a split-second beforehand, the Psychic Gems on the wall's pillars lighting up in tandem as it absorbed the blast. Vulpix lit up at her process, Shaymin and Feebas cheering behind her, and the jackal felt a tug at the corners of his lips.

It fell a little when he noticed the side-looks Hattrem threw at him. Her ponytail hand caressed her forehead — like the others, she never saw Mismagius, but she must've sensed the stress she gave him and Kecleon.

Maybe he'd wait to tell Vulpix what happened, let her have her moment of happiness for now. Come to think of it, was there something he was forgetting?

Not the spacetime distortions, he mused, although something about that bothers me way too much, darn it, and I should've asked Kecleon for information. Not that nonsense about magic and prophecies either. What else did Mismagius say about Eira? Something about her soul?

The courtyard gates screeched open, Gabite wandering inside with Togetic following him. A haggard look aged his face, and the weary look in his eyes only added to the effect.

Lucario's chest, already tight from Mismagius, found more ways to constrict into itself as Gabite closed the distance between them. Never mind.

For a good few moments Gabite glanced at Vulpix, something indescribable in his expression, before putting on a dull scowl. "Good Abhorrents, huh?" he said.

Lucario matched the scowl with his own worn-out look. "They exist."

"Apparently." Gabite shook himself, surprised to find himself uttering such a thing. "There's a part of me that still rejects the thought of it. The wild part of me. If I didn't trust you and Togetic and your abilities, I'd say you were all gullible idiots."

Considering his hoarse voice, it seemed like he was convinced only after a lengthy and heated argument. Lucario's respect for Togetic rose a couple notches.

"But this is clearly an exceptional case," Gabite stated, his scowl deepening into something malicious. "Much unlike this Aerodactyl character. Cursed fiend, searching dungeons — something tells me he's out to tamper with one using his weird metal feather.

"Funny thing too, how he made waves at Mudstream Village, and then a mutant Eevee goes snooping there as well." Gabite leered at Lucario. "And he sends you a mental message, thanking you for clearing the Jumpluff's name. Strange, isn't it?"

Lucario's respect for Togetic fell a couple notches. The angelic looked away as he shot her an offended look for mentioning unnecessary details, before facing Gabite again.

How would he get this sharp-eyed Pokemon off his back?

Vulpix exhaled as her latest Extrasensory rushed forth, loudly popping against the barrier that materialized over the courtyard wall. She rubbed her forehead, beginning to ache from expelling so many attacks, but she couldn't throw off the smile that plastered her face.

"You should stop," said Hattrem. "Any more and you'll be pushing yourself."

The vixen winced as she caught the witch Pokemon massaging her own forehead. "Oh," she blurted, "I-I didn't—"

"Not you." Hattrem pointed, and Vulpix turned to discover Gabite and Togetic had arrived, the former having a lifeless staredown with Lucario while the latter awkwardly floated there. "Your guardian's been stres*ed since he got here. He's better now, but the others don't help."

Feebas eyed Shaymin, the airborne Pokemon scratching an ear. "It's been a day," she said.

Vulpix curled her lips as she eyed Gabite, then Lucario. Well, at least she wasn't causing Hattrem's slight headache — with how happy she'd been as she got the hang of Extrasensory, she almost worried it would ruin her concentration.

Which brought her a small pang of disappointment. Hattrem didn't know Extrasensory herself, but her Psychic-type guidance helped her shape the attack. Once she had the energy, all it took was to swirl it around until it was tightly wound into a concentrated mass, then launch it out. Getting consistent didn't take long.

The problem? Fire too quickly and she'd end up with a pathetic, misty short-range attack, without any of the explosive force. For that, she needed to make sure the attack was properly compressed and stable, during which she needed to keep her focus the whole time.

Which was hard, especially if her emotions got in the way. And charging the attack hurts, Vulpix commented, squeezing her forehead. Is it even practical in a real battle?

"Yo, Vulpix," said Shaymin, and Vulpix whipped around to see her disapproving smirk. "You still beating yourself over not being perfect with Extrasensory? C'mon, I've got moves that took months before they were second-nature to me. I'm sure Hattrem and Feebas can relate a little."

Feebas coughed.

"I'm sure Hattrem can relate a little," Shaymin corrected, her flushed face making Hattrem's lips curl.

Vulpix's thoughts were elsewhere, however, the idea of moves taking so long to control leaving her startled. "Months?" she asked, brows furrowing as she remembered something. "Like, uh, Seed Flare?"

Shaymin's face clouded up like the sky above, coated in layers of gray. "My kind's sign*t*ure attack," she said. "Kecleon's done me a solid in the short time I've been here, opening my eyes to new moves and better ways to use old ones, but I've gotten nowhere with this one."

"But you'll get there soon," said Togetic as she came over, greeting Feebas and Hattrem in turn, before smiling at Vulpix. "I see you've been getting some help, sweetie."

"She was a sharp student," Hattrem said. "I hope my assistance was of use."

It was Vulpix's turn to flush as she nodded toward her, while Feebas and Shaymin gave their own smiles. All this friendliness, this kindness from Pokemon who barely knew her, it kept overwhelming her. It'd been years since she experienced these feelings.

Ever since Father vanished from Alola, she never really bonded with anyone. Just Mother.

As if resonating with her thoughts, the inner pain of wrongness within her pinched. Vulpix's fur shivered at its touch, and worry cascaded over the others' faces. Especially Togetic's, whose eyes gleamed pink with her purity sense.

She sucked in a mouthful of breath. "I'm going to speak with Vulpix in private," she told Shaymin. "Maybe you should meet up with Gabite. Hattrem, Feebas, if you don't mind?"

Hattrem and Feebas backed away after a moment of hesitation, while Shaymin took two such moments before flying off, but not before throwing a look at Togetic. The angelic descended next to Vulpix, the vixen learning the rather unimportant fact that when grounded, she was only slightly taller than her.

"You're hurting." Togetic's glowing eyes narrowed. "Is everything okay, Vulpix?"

She can sense it? Eira the Vulpix found herself tongue-tied, the space around her appearing to melt away. Her paws scraped against the ground.

"It's like something's wrong at the c*** of your soul. I'm not sure why my purity sense can see that, but it's there." Togetic placed her hands on her chest, like she was willing to offer her heart to replace the damage. "Maybe there's something you need to tell me?"

Fear kept her silent, Vulpix averting her gaze to the earth. "Oh, there's too many things on my mind right now," complained Togetic. "That encounter with Jumpluff earlier, or that Eevee — why was he there? What was he after? Or what about Aerodactyl? Just knowing that Abhorrent's running am*k and we don't know his plans—"

She shook herself. "But never mind. Look, there's a lot of weirdness going on with you and Lucario, and it's only adding to my worries. If there is something bothering you, and I can see there is, you can always tell me. I promise I won't judge."

Won't judge. Vulpix trembled, looking back up at Togetic.

"And I mean that." The angelic seemed to be rambling, eyes glossy. "Be it Ariados, Abhorrents, anything else — I know better than to think evil of a soul as pure as yours. There's clearly a lot of issues you're keeping secret, but if you need anything, I'll hear you out. I won't want you to be alone with your problems, okay?"

My problems, thought Vulpix. I- I-

Her words struck a nerve. Vulpix couldn't help but notice her inflection when she spoke of Eevee and Abhorrents too. From the beginning, she knew there was some relationship between the mutant Pokemon and her and Lucario.

And yet she wanted her to explain for herself, instead of leaping to conclusions. She was ready to assume the best in her. Why?

Lucario had visibly relaxed when Shaymin joined him and Gabite, striking up a quiet conversation. Like Hattrem said, he was under stress — Ariados alone was enough of a burden for the both of them.

Sharing something so intertwined with her human situation was beyond unwise. Pretending Eevee had nothing to do with them, on the other hand, wasn't doing her or Lucario any favors. Gabite likely knew by now too, and feigning ignorance only made them look worse.

Eira the Vulpix hated the thought of going rogue on Lucario and Eevee. Acting behind their backs, it was slimy. And yet—

"You're a friend to me, Vulpix." Togetic closed her eyes. "Please remember that."

Friend.

Trust was dangerous. Saying too much would cost her. Still, Togetic's words wore down Vulpix's meager defenses, like water poking holes through a collapsing dam.

"I'm being pushy, aren't I?" Togetic's eyes flicked open, seeing Vulpix's inner discord. "I'm so sorry, this is far too rude of me. I'll give you some space—"

"Eevee saved me from Aerodactyl," Vulpix blurted, tails over her face. "The night before you met us. He's been helping us since."

Togetic stepped back, thrown completely off-guard by her whimpery voice and the confession it brought. She turned around, finding only Feebas and Hattrem facing their direction, the latter wearing an inquisitive look as she touched her forehead. Togetic then eyed Lucario, and Vulpix buried her face further, ashamed of her crime.

"I shouldn't have said that," she whispered.

Togetic shook herself. "I shouldn't have made you say that."

She drew closer, resting a nub on her shoulder. "Easy now," she comforted her. "I told you, I won't judge. Should I keep this a secret for now?"

Vulpix dared to glance at Lucario, giving a weak nod. "I see. It's not what I expected to learn, but thank you," said Togetic. "I understand this isn't something you're sharing lightly. If you ever have more to say, I'll be waiting."

The tenderness in her voice batted away some of Vulpix's guilt. Togetic didn't question why she never said she knew about Aerodactyl all along. She wasn't looking at her like she held alliances with demonic mutants.

She was being genuine. How much more could she tell her?

No, nothing else, not now. This was low-risk info — other matters were far more sensitive. Still, Vulpix wondered, maybe I can put some trust in Togetic.

Hattrem and Feebas were still staring, but a shake of her head to indicate nothing was wrong got them to turn their attention away. Instead they moved toward Gabite's group, and after a moment, Togetic and Vulpix joined them, the latter keeping her distance from Gabite.

"If you'll forgive my ruden*ss," Hattrem cut in, and the dragon-shark paused his conversation with Shaymin to raise a brow. "But you all continue to flood me with strong emotions. What may be the cause?"

The group gave each other uncomfortable looks, before Gabite harrumphed. "You heard about an Abhorrent in the local area? We have a lead on him."

"An odd one at that," said Togetic. "He's a skeletal Aerodactyl with a metallic feather on him, visiting the nearby dungeons."

"And we're trying to figure out the significance of that," said Shaymin. "But we've got nothing. What's a metal feather supposed to mean?"

Gabite threw a probing look at Lucario, who shrugged with honest confusion. Togetic glanced at Vulpix, and the vixen flicked her tails in wonder, taking in the serenity of the dojo and its tall pagoda-like structure.

Eevee knew the meaning behind the metal feather. Would he catch Aerodactyl in time? She hoped so — that way Eevee could get the information he wanted, and it would be one less monster causing horrible things in the archipelago.

Hattrem and Feebas took in everything the others said, both lost in thought. "Don't think we're much help there," said Feebas. "Must be quite a week, huh? Facing those thieves yesterday with some of you guys was already exciting enough, never mind the whole Lugia affair. A Legendary stirring that storm several days ago, the pillar at Rocky Shores — it's all kinda wild."

Vulpix's brows knitted themselves. She squinted her eyes at the dojo, noting its familiar style — a little like the Bell Tower in Johto, or the Burned Tower before it had been destroyed long ago. She raised her head, letting it ascend the tiers of the dojo building and up to the spiraling point on top, before reaching the clouds huddled above. Gray and darkening still, seeking to consume the sky in a false night.

The perfect backdrop for thundering realization to smite her soul. Vulpix staggered back, choking out, horror grasping at her throat and grief bubbling in her veins.

"No," she whispered.

Everyone faced her. "Vulpix?" cried Shaymin, before seeing her transfixed gaze. She followed it to the sky, and found herself hexed by the same binding force, unable to turn away from the warning of the clouds. "Aw, crud."

"What?" Lucario stirred, dread widening his eyes. "Vulpix, what's wrong? What is—"

"I'm a dunce, that's what!" said Shaymin, slamming her paw down as if to smash the air itself. "How didn't I see this right away? Jumpluff wasn't talking about a metal object shaped like a feather!"

She exhaled. "Aerodactyl has a Silver Wing. One of Lugia's feathers."

The calamity of those words left everyone stock-still. Togetic and Feebas seemed out of it, and Gabite even more so, his eyes bugging out. Alarm stained Hattrem's otherwise blank face.

Vulpix herself might've been drowning for all she knew. Rain and thunder stormed her mind, accompanied by the explosive scream of blustering winds and of dying humans. Lugia was one of the Pokemon present when the shipwreck happened.

The other was Aerodactyl.

This all happened because of him.

This all happened because of him.

Silent rage consumed Lucario, his seething sense of justice making his muscles tremble. Adam's face tore itself to shreds before him, as did those of his Pokemon teammates, clawed apart by a bony monstrosity. Countless other souls suffered the same fate, and only the utter shock of Shaymin's words held back his fury at such unbridled slaughter.

It explained Aerodactyl's crippled state when he first met him. Aerodactyl fought Lugia. He helped sink the ship.

He and Eira the Vulpix got stranded here because of him?

Lucario never had to worry about losing it — Gabite did that first, primal fear bursting out of him. His face warped into something ghoulish, a deranged roar squirming out of his throat. "Cursed blight!" he yelled. "That monstrous, malicious, malevolent—"

And then, as if spellstruck, an eerie calm settled over him. "The pillar?" Gabite asked Shaymin.

"He's gotta be after it," replied the Mythical.

"To summon Lugia?"

"Or something worse. He probably fought the Legendary and lost, and now he's trying to lure him or her back."

"And for all we know, it's working." Grim determination seeped into his terrified scowl. "We need to stop him."

Everyone stirred as if they'd been resurrected to undeath. In those words, Lucario sensed the mother of nightmare scenarios.

"We?" he said, letting out a dramatic scoff. "Oh no, Gabite, Vulpix and I didn't sign up to hunt an Abhorrent that fights Legendaries! Do we look insane to you?"

Vulpix had her tails standing on end, shaking her head in agreement. "You can't even handle Abhorrents!" cried Togetic, placing herself between her and Gabite. "How are we equipped to deal with this?"

"We're not." Gabite's veins were popping out of his skull. "No explorer in this town is."

He gripped his Treasure Bag tight to his chest. "Shaymin, inform Porygon-Z. Find backup if you can, then meet us on the way to Rocky Shores."

"No, we're not heading to Rocky Shores!" Lucario jabbed a digit at Gabite's chest in a challenge, refusing to be sabotaged again. "This whole thing is lunacy! I am most certainly not putting my kid in that kind of danger!"

"The entire freaking island is in danger, Lucario!" said Gabite, shoving his digit away. "Do you not realize what it means if Aerodactyl gets his claws on a Legendary? Yes, Vulpix's better off staying out of this, but I need you!"

He fired a frown at Feebas and Hattrem, shooing them off. Feebas pursed her lips as if to protest, but Hattrem covered her mouth, reminding her this was well out of their league. They distanced themselves, leaving the team of explorers to continue their discussion privately.

"He's right." Shaymin moved in, pale-faced. "Some of the worst schemes caused by Pokemon involve messing with the Legendaries. If Lugia gets turned into a mindless mutant—"

Vulpix gulped, edging herself toward the jackal. "N-nowhere would be safe," she whispered to him.

Lucario could imagine the damage. A stormbringer gone mad, laying waste to the lands, stirring natural disasters on mere whims. If the shipwreck was a tragedy, this would be many more, his sense of justice unable to accept such a massacre—

No, no, this wasn't his problem! "Don't guilt-trip me into thinking I'll make a difference!" said Lucario. "I'm through with being mixed up into these fiascos!"

Gabite's stare sharpened. "This isn't just about Vulpix, is it?"

Lucario's arms unconsciously moved into a defensive position.

Seeing he made his mark, the dragon-shark pushed on. "And I thought better of you," he said. "I just said Vulpix could stay back. Can't you realize she's in just as much danger if Aerodactyl succeeds, huh? Or what'll become of him?"

Lucario's face scrunched up. Eevee.

Gabite was baiting him.

Eevee knew the secret behind the feather. He was likely at Rocky Shores right now. Aerodactyl's gonna maul him or worse, his sense of justice warned him.

He's got eight other siblings, he assured himself. Ariados and Mismagius know about Eira, and I'm not letting Gabite get any closer to figuring it out too! Eevee can take him.

And if he can't?

This was it, the internal dilemma to end all dilemmas. Pride and justice accused Lucario of cowardice, urging him to do his sworn duty and stop this menace, and vengeance chastised him for not already getting a move on. Aerodactyl was the abomination behind this, behind everything that led to this point!

But if he went there, his connection with both Aerodactyl and Eevee would be exposed, bringing him under heightened suspicion. Or something worse could happen. Can't let things get worse, he told himself, can't give the others another foothold, can't let them chip away at our secrets and find out—

And then he noticed the look on Vulpix's face. The way she bit her lip at Gabite's words, how she and Togetic looked at each other for the briefest of seconds. He'd seen them talking in private earlier, out of the corner of his eye.

Vulpix seemed distressed then. "What? What did you do?" he questioned her and Togetic, and Gabite turned too, quick to scrutinize them.

Their stiff faces told him everything. Seriously? Vulpix told Togetic about Eevee? How could she do—

Oh, I'm not bothering with this anymore.

Lucario's resistance collapsed as he let his instincts roll over, aura branding his paw. "Have it your way, Gabite," he said. "Maybe I'll get even with that Eevee for saving my kid's neck from that Aerodactyl fiend."

As bewilderment covered the others' faces, Togetic stunned for her own reasons, Lucario turned upon a shame-faced Vulpix. "There, happy?" he said. "Go stay with Kecleon, or Hattrem and Feebas if you don't find—"

A pause. Lucario craned his head toward the dojo, his encounter with Mismagius fresh in his mind. Chances are she's not there, but—

His feelers tensed on cue, Lucario's lips curving into a dour look as he felt a different, yet just as unwelcome presence. Oh, you too.

He couldn't separate himself from her. "Change of plans, you're coming," he said.

Vulpix's fur somehow managed to turn whiter than it already was as she scrambled back and mouthed formless words, the others giving similarly explosive responses. "E-excuse us?" yelled Shaymin.

"No, not Vulpix!" cried Togetic.

"Why would you—" snarled Gabite.

"I can't leave her out of my sight!" Lucario said, scowling at his own idiotic weakness. "If she's going to be in danger, she'll be in danger in a place where I can protect her."

Togetic and Shaymin sputtered, only for Gabite to slam his tail with an aggressive thud. "Fine, bring her, but we're wasting time," he said. "And I'm not letting this vile bone monster tear down Grassbranch Island with a Legendary. Togetic, Shaymin, act like we've got an escort. Vulpix—"

The vixen shuddered as she made herself turn toward him.

A softness appeared in Gabite's face. "I messed up with Weavile — not again. Just follow my directions, and we'll come out of this safe and sound."

Lucario used that moment to soothe Vulpix's emotions with aura. She blinked, quivering and questioning his decision, before finding her self-control. She stood nervous yet prim, ready as could be.

Togetic clutched her stomach. "We're really doing this," she said, turning toward Shaymin.

She patted her on the shoulder. "You know why I left my clan," she muttered, before darting to the Explorer Board.

Her action sent the rest of them in motion, Lucario, Vulpix, and Togetic following Gabite as he hurried out of the courtyard gate. The jackal threw a glare toward the main dojo entrance as they did so.

Ariados gawked back, an eye arched as she watched them turn their backs on her and leave. Lucario heard Vulpix suck in a mouthful of air, partially realizing what spurred him to his decision.

Togetic didn't notice Ariados, too self-absorbed in the darkening sky as she was. But Gabite did, slowing until he was beside Lucario. "You have too much to explain," he said.

"I keep things from you for a reason," Lucario warned.

The dragon-shark glanced at Vulpix, before facing the road ahead.

"I know."

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 12 — Chaos Crackle

Thunder flashed in a cloudy, rainless sky, the ocean churning in apprehension. A large dark figure blurred over the beach, then a smaller one, flying into a nearby cove.

Espeon only sensed the smaller Pokemon. Peeking out from the foliage of a tree bordering the beach, Eevee saw both, and recognized the other.

Aerodactyl.

His siblings awoke from their ghostly stasis, thoughts and emotions whirring between them. Eevee's ears flicked at the growing buzz within his head — their head? With their mutation making them like a hivemind of sorts, he sometimes slipped into thinking as if they were all a collective entity — before adopting a grin.

Aerodactyl had come. Lucario's idiocy hadn't cost them their opportunity after all.

Blunders, rebutted Sylveon. Lucario made blunders. It's not his fault.

Are you kidding? He should have known better, Flareon said with a scoff, Umbreon giving a mental nod. Who messes up this bad in hiding one's secrets?

Leafeon jumped in. You think we haven't made mistakes of our own? he said. For crying out loud, Eevee—

Eevee grimaced. Running when we got seen wasn't a good idea, finished Glaceon. We looked so suspicious!

And what were we supposed to do? Explain ourselves? said Jolteon in his defense.

Even as a hivemind, family bickering never changed. Eevee gritted his teeth as his siblings spoke over each other all at once, Espeon tsking in the background. Their argument turned their melded minds into a battlefield, sides forming over whether Lucario or themselves were to blame for messing up their plans. Try as he might, ordering them to settle down did nothing.

Excuse me?

Vaporeon, however, wasn't him. Just two words and the noise evaporated, Espeon's tsk echoing all the louder for it. Aerodactyl, the Psychic-type said on both his and Vaporeon's behalf, and the others shook themselves, remembering their current priority.

Eevee thanked his two reasonable sisters — ignoring Glaceon's snort and Jolteon's protest — before breathing in. His paw touched the pouch hung around his neck, aware of the orbs, Berries, and seeds stored in the spatially enlarged space inside. He lifted his rear paw, the one with the anklet.

The corrupted brown Z-Crystal inside greeted him, like a dull memorial. Mistakes, thought Eevee.

Fool or not, meeting Lucario had led to a fortunate series of events. Eira the Vulpix could free them of his mistake, with Kabutops's assistance. Aerodactyl could free them.

Aerodactyl. The monster who brought the human here in the first place. He has a Silver Wing, huh? And he even has a partner, Eevee thought with a savage grin. Tough luck, Aerodactyl, but you're not getting your Lugia.

He moved.

For all the constant traveling Eira had done with her mother, she rarely had to move as she did now. Did she always have this much endurance, or was that the fault of the extra energy packed into her Alolan Vulpix form?

Regardless, she kept pace with Lucario and Gabite, their hurried gait leaving her panting in silence, while Togetic hung a distance behind them. They traveled northward through the forest where Gabite's home was, over the dirt road that split it down the middle.

It had yet to rain, but the clouds continued to darken still, like a timer urging them back toward the beach where everything started. Every step she took deepened the thorny terror gripping her heart, her reasonable self begging her to reconsider throwing herself into what would surely escalate into a deadly conflict with Aerodactyl, or even Lugia.

Every step that followed spat in the face of both terror and reason. Eira, we can't do this! they yelled in tandem.

Step.

After everything you've gone through, you're going to throw your life away?

Another step.

Shaymin abruptly flew in, staying at eye level with Gabite. "We're alone," she said with a gloom as dreary as the weather. "No one's helping us. Couldn't even find Teacher Kecleon, and I was sure he'd understand, just this once." She rolled her eyes as Lucario moved his lips, adding, "Dojo was the first place I checked. What, did he tell you where he disappeared to?"

Her guardian frowned. His glowing blue eyes flicked elsewhere, scouting for danger abroad.

Not an emotion showed on Gabite's face beyond resignation, like he had expected this battle to be theirs alone. He nudged Lucario, quietly asking about Aerodactyl, and Lucario admitted he knew little about his abilities or his motives, though he did describe his demeanor and the full details of his appearance. "He's probably Dark and Flying," he guessed.

Shaymin harrumphed. "And you kept this to yourself?" she said. "Come on, I can't be the only one who thinks this reeks of crud! Forget whatever your deal is with Eevee, everyone's been looking for any lead on this skeletal freak and you didn't even say—"

"Stop pestering him, Shaymin."

Vulpix and Lucario blinked as Gabite threw Shaymin a silencing look. "Wha- G-Gabite, he should've told us—"

"If Lucario and Vulpix don't want to speak, they won't. Focus on the task at hand." A beastly flare ignited in Gabite's dull eyes, and a muttering Shaymin backed off, Togetic coming over to soothe her.

Vulpix hardly believed it. Gabite, of all Pokemon, not wanting to get nosy about them keeping quiet about their knowledge on Aerodactyl! The same Abhorrent who caused the shipwreck, could slice her to meaty ribbons with a single stroke, who she was so foolishly running toward—

Don't think about it, she snapped at herself, pushing against the dread that threatened to freeze her cold. She didn't want to do this, but she had to follow along, she—

I shouldn't have told Togetic.

Said angelic was now approaching her, her arm pressed her Treasure Bag. "You shouldn't be here," she whispered.

Much like how the forest began to open up into a series of spaced-out trees, Vulpix found herself falling into a sea of contemplation. "It isn't your fault," she told Togetic. Why was she and Lucario hurrying toward Rocky Shores to stop Aerodactyl's plans for Lugia? Because she told Togetic things she shouldn't. Because she pushed Lucario to do this—

But it isn't your fault either, her inner self chided. The others knew about Eevee. And why did we have to hide our knowledge about Aerodactyl, anyway?

Yet she still acted behind Lucario's back, and Eevee's. She shouldn't have!

And so you're going to blame yourself as the reason that Lucario's bringing you to Aerodactyl?

Vulpix bit her lip. Admittedly, Lucario had very different reasons to bring her along. The thought of Ariados confronting her alone made the void of nothingness in her soul prickle. She could've stayed with Kecleon, or Hattrem and Feebas, or gone back to the cottage, but was that security enough?

And so she agreed to this death mission instead. "Please, Vulpix," said Togetic, wanting to talk her out of it. "This is too dangerous for you."

So was Ariados. But at least Lucario would be there to guard her. And Togetic too, and Shaymin and Gabite.

Up ahead was a fork in the path, the dirt road splitting to either side — away from the beach, as if afraid to confront the stirring nightmare there. But Vulpix understood too well the calamities Pokemon like Lugia could cause. Weak as she was, could she live with the thought of herself doing nothing to stop it?

Mother wouldn't have either. The horrors of a widespread catastrophe had been engraved deep into both their heads. They could upset nature, devastate and distort lands, rend apart families—

Father.

A bitter frown slashed across Vulpix's face. In one leap she was flying over the path and through the grass, breaking through.

For you, Father.

Step. Another step.

Seeing she couldn't be swayed, Togetic dropped her head. "I'll do everything to see you're safe," she promised.

Vulpix's frown lightened. "I know that," she said. "But thanks, Togetic."

The beach was in sight, Vulpix's eyes sliding off the human-warding monolith far out at sea. Even here, she felt its suggestion to go and look elsewhere, to ignore it. A bolt of lightning flashed out, its light refracting at the horizon where the distortion field was.

A tremor pulsed through her paws, and Vulpix staggered. She instinctively went flat on the ground, Lucario and Gabite toppling into each other before getting into all fours. "What in—?" her guardian said, Togetic and Shaymin gaping as the earth shook with a growing rumble.

Trees splayed their leafy branches all around. Vulpix turned to Gabite, the dragon-shark baring his teeth toward the direction where Rocky Shores was. Instantly she understood.

Trouble was beginning.

Gabite pushed himself back up, keeping his balance as he trudged onward. "Get to the dungeon!" he ordered, and they obeyed, Lucario copying Gabite's scowl. As Vulpix half-ran, half-crawled toward the beach, pushing through the earthquake, a single thought permeated through her head—

What is that Aerodactyl doing?

Eevee hugged sand as the fourth floor of Rocky Shores tossed it all about, pools of water splashing against rocky formations in a heightened frenzy. Amidst the continuous shouting of his siblings in his head, Eevee forced himself to look up, the red light hovering over his eyes following. Behind a series of rocky pillars, the light exposed Aerodactyl's and his bird servant's exact position, outlining their floating figures in a glowing outline.

He moved too slow, and now the entire dungeon was shaking. Aerodactyl must've reached the secret Lugia pillar area and used the Silver Wing.

As if to confirm his thoughts, a thin, vertical pillar of light appeared where Aerodactyl and his partner were. It was hardly distinguishable from the dungeon's unnaturally clear sky, but it grew brighter and brighter, until it suddenly flashed like a beam of lightning.

The dungeon shook its hardest — too hard. It began to rip.

Ruptures of jagged black lines appeared in the sand, in the water, in the sky, red-purplish particles bursting out from their infinite darkness. Eevee wilted as they formed a haze, Vaporeon's warning to Get out of the dungeon! making him turn around—

The path in front of him, once a straight path, was zig-zagged. And literally curling in on itself.

The very space Eevee was in was curling on itself, the world around him appearing to turn sideways. Or was he sideways? He ran despite the quakes, only to trip over himself, finding himself somehow flung into the air. Before him, paths curved and flipped themselves upside down, the sky expanded and ebbed, and black chasm-like tears ripped through the dimensions, spilling out more dungeon particles.

With a jolt he landed on his side, finding himself next to a pillar etched with symbols and the image of a great winged being, under the shade of strangely bent palm trees. A shining silver feather rested on top, encased in a bubble-like container.

The disoriented roar of voices in his head went silent at once, Eevee's fur standing on end. "Primal Gear always wanted to see one of these," purred a raspy, gnarled voice, and Eevee turned to find Aerodactyl looming over him.

A reanimated skeleton of a winged prehistoric lizard, consumed in fire-like darkness — it was the most succinct way to describe him. A black pouch hung around his neck. With him was a Corvisquire, her beak curved in a zigzag shape and with bright yellow feathers mixed with her black and blue, all standing on end like she'd been overcharged with electricity. Her eyes were just as yellow, and filled with ferality.

Both were dripping wet, observing the warping world. A bare layer of bone-colored lips parted to reveal his teeth as he smiled at Corvisquire, who hissed back but kept still. "Maybe you'll meet him someday, friend," he said, before turning that smile upon a stone-like Eevee. "Well, what a surprise! I didn't know I had a rascal following us."

He was at the hidden Lugia pillar. With Aerodactyl. How?

More and more rips appeared, particles scattering everywhere and twisting the land with their presence. Soon they were like a bloated tumor with no concept of personal space, writhing and tearing at everything. "Isn't it beautiful?" said Aerodactyl, amused at Corvisquire's disturbed squawks and Eevee's loud intake of breath. "Such a splendid sabotage, if I've ever seen one. And you're just in time for the best part."

The earthquake began to abate, but too late. His siblings screamed over each other as the black tears began to quiver, matter losing cohesion before it—

Before it—

It—

Lucario's ears folded against a cacophonic boom. Togetic, Shaymin, and Vulpix froze, while Gabite cursed.

With the tremors finally settling down, the group managed to reach the beach, waves tossing themselves and slamming onto the shore like the fists of angry children. The driftwood he and Eira had held on to when entering the archipelago was nowhere to be seen, likely stolen by said waves. On a less sentimental and far more important note, Rocky Shores's cavern entrance was coming into sight.

And it was crackling with chaotic energy, red-purplish wisps bursting out to shake hands with the blackened clouds above. The cove itself fizzled and writhed, twisting itself and its shadow into unnatural shapes, as if trying to rip itself asunder. "He's altering it!" yelled Gabite, Vulpix sucking in her breath at the sight. Lucario looked at it, then the silly signpost beside it.

Well, at least its warnings of 'Rocky Shores Mystery Dungeon, beware if you value your life and sanity' made sense now.

"I told you." Though the earthquake had stopped, Gabite still shook in place, eyes wide and his breath shallow. "Abhorrents can tamper with dungeons too. Oh, I hate this, I hate this, I hate—"

He clasped his head, forcing himself into a state of rationality. And to think Eevee's inside, Lucario thought, a scowl lodged into his face. The things he ought to do to that Aerodactyl! Never had his sense of justice been so aggrieved, so disgusted by any other being before, and the searing need to pummel him to the dirt ate at him.

Aerodactyl would pay. He had to.

"But why?" yelled Togetic, breaking out of her stupor and practically flinging herself between Gabite and Shaymin. "Is this bait for Lugia? What does Aerodactyl get from corrupting a dungeon?"

"Don't know." Shaymin wore a resolute face. "Don't care either. Gabite?"

Gabite came as close as he dared to the dungeon entrance. "Ambush him at the entrance," he ordered. "Throw everything you have. Vulpix, stay back and Disable him. Shaymin, stun him with Air Slash. Lucario and Togetic, just keep pelting him from afar — he must have some mutation items on his person. Try to avoid friendly fire on Eevee if he comes out of there too."

Unease rippled through Lucario's veins. Beyond his concern for Eevee's well-being, their plan sounded easy, too easy. If this was like every other encounter he faced on Haven Archipelago so far, wouldn't this be the part where something went wrong? His aura-lit eyes searched around, checking the sea for a brief moment. No Lugia yet.

Then he turned back to the dungeon's cavern entrance. And its shadow.

The shadow shifted in a pattern completely unlike the cavern that cast it. It made Lucario think of hungry appendages, searching through the sand for their next meal. "We're too close," he blurted, "we shouldn't be—"

The entire cavern rippled into distorted shadow. And then the surrounding beach, the sand beneath Lucario's feet shattering into an abyss of spectral colors and impossible darkness. He gasped as shadow snatched his ankles, shoving him inside—

Reds and blues and purples, breaking and reforming—

Things prodding at his nape, breathing down it—

The shadows—

What was time or space? What was earth or heaven—

Agony, a strange, sickly agony—

A terrible jolt made him spasm, and suddenly everything condensed and settled down. Lucario coughed like mad and awoke upon an island, under the deluge of crashing rain and booming thunder.

Too-green grass tickled his prone form, and his muscles howled as he got onto his legs, narrowing his eyes at the palm trees swaying in submission to the winds. The island abruptly turned sandy at its edges, and beyond, an ocean of tumultuous waters slammed against titanic rocky formations. More islands appeared, scattered throughout the fake sea and connected by thin, half-submerged sandbars.

In his head, sigils from the red-purplish fog coalesced into a set of words: Stormsoaked Shores, BF1.

Gabite and Vulpix laid splat against the sand, and further away, Togetic thrashed as if warding off something. "It grabbed me!" she said, a swollen mark on her side. "Something took me in there and- and—"

She jumped as Shaymin flipped onto her back next to her. "Agh," the Mythical groaned, rubbing her forehead. "What did the dungeon just do to us?"

Lucario wondered himself — whatever just happened, it had taken something out of him. The others seemed no different, groaning from phantom aches. Especially Vulpix, whose pain complemented the soul backlash within her.

The kid had her own question. "What," she whispered, "happened to the dungeon?"

Only then did the others notice the new state of Rocky Shores, or rather, Stormsoaked Shores. Togetic and Shaymin shared a grimace, while primitive hatred burned through Gabite's eyes as he pulled himself into a battle stance in one swift motion. As the others got up, they took notice of a few giant red-purplish tentacles that rose in the far sea, swishing about in patient motions.

"That's not a Pokemon," said Vulpix.

"That's not a Pokemon," confirmed Lucario.

Gabite snorted. "A dungeon trap, actually, and somewhat normal. That distortion thing that happened back there? Completely not normal."

Another such tentacle emerged next to their island, shaking off water droplets before snapping in their direction. Vulpix and Togetic yelped, but Lucario was there before it could grab anyone, his Force Palm blasting against the appendage.

It instantly exploded into dungeon wisps, fading into the faux stormy sky. "Surprisingly easy to destroy," remarked Shaymin.

"But still a threat." Gabite was hastily digging through his Treasure Bag. "This whole island gimmick is unusual, even for a dungeon, and I'd guess this place might be an S-ranked dungeon or worse. I'm certainly not staying to learn about its Pokespawn."

Out of the bag came an Escape Orb as black as space, with starry dots of green and white drifting within. "This dungeon can't stop us," said Gabite. "If we can get out before Aerodactyl—"

And then his expression broke. The orb rolled off Gabite's claw, and Lucario saw the true extent of their misfortune.

"Orbs don't work here," whispered Gabite.

Twin noises of horror left Togetic and Shaymin as they swiped the Escape Orb, fiddling with it as if somehow they could use it. Lucario too took the object, feeling for the mental switch that would activate the item — except it was jammed, Lucario only finding the noxious touch of dungeon fog that somehow disabled his access to the item's power. He turned to Vulpix, the vixen refusing to even bother trying, her face vacant of emotion.

A laugh not too unlike Weavile's taunted him in the back of his head. The thief used this very orb to escape him back in Sapling Woods. Now here he was, unable to use one, and thus allowing Aerodactyl to get away with his scheme.

The monster, the cause of his woes, was going to turn Lugia into a mutant.

Just like at the dojo, Lucario never had the chance to lose it. Gabite did it faster and better, anguish screaming out of his throat as he thrust both fin-blades into the nearest palm tree, throwing himself against it. "No, no, NO!" he roared, all sanity drained into the surrounding ocean. "NOT LIKE THIS! NO, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! CAN'T LET HIM WIN, CAN'T LET—"

"Gabite!" yelled Togetic.

Abruptly the dragon-shark snapped his head over, and Lucario recoiled at how maddened his expression was. "I won't fear him," he babbled, Vulpix scrambling back as one of his fin-blades slid out of the half-cut palm tree like a sword being unsheathed. "Not this time! If I have to claw my way through this accursed dungeon to stop Aerodactyl, I'll do it, mark my words! This won't be like before! I'll do it, and tear that blasted fiend apart and throw him into the Distortion World where you scourges belong!"

"Gabite?" yelled Shaymin.

At once Gabite dropped to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Only then did he actually notice his teammates, his gaze refocusing. A claw fell upon his face.

"Ah." He caressed his forehead. "So much for your help, Braixen. I slipped again."

He let his eyes wander about, before shaking his head. "I've got scars in this head of mine," he said with a bleak chuckle. "Shaymin, can you scout for the stairs? We might still have a chance if we've fast enough."

Shaymin narrowed her eyes at their team-leader. She didn't waste time, however, speeding off to explore the various islands. Togetic and Vulpix threw a look of their own toward Gabite before the former approached the latter, assuring her that everything would be alright. Lucario was last to break off his stare, a deep frown on his face.

For all of Gabite's odd behaviors, he never acted like this before. Hatred of Abhorrents indeed, mulled Lucario. Just what exactly happened in his past that he'd react this way to impending failure?

He'd bug him about it later — ironic as it might be, this wasn't something he was going to ignore. For now Lucario turned his gaze toward the ocean, a frown on his muzzle as lightning snaked throughout the sky in hypnotic patterns. He thought about his brief moment in the abyss he'd been thrown into—

And reeled, refusing to relive the moment, the scenes too unbearable to make sense of. Then reeled further as Mismagius's talk of spacetime distortions plagued his head. His mind's eye drifted to the dungeon name inserted into his head, in letters shaped like eyeless Unown.

He imagined that for a moment, the letters screeched at him in warped, alien warbles. He hissed and shoved out the distorted noise at once, trying to recompose himself.

Aerodactyl, what did you do?

A sharp turn and Eevee evaded the beam of pure darkness roaring past him, his tail tingling from the dreadful fallout it left in its wake. "What did you do, Aerodactyl?" he shouted over the clamor of the dungeon thunderstorm. "What did you do?"

Rocky spikes jutted out of the sand and grass, Eevee thankful for his small size as he weaved between them. One thing he was not thankful for?

The fact that there's no hiding from this guy? deadpanned Flareon.

Eevee cursed as a skeletal figure zipped in front of him, Aerodactyl wearing a bloodthirsty grin as his winged claw swung down with crackling dark energy. Eevee swung around, his tail taking on a Steel-type sheen, and thunder laughed at their sport as Night Slash grinded against Iron Tail.

"Me?" Aerodactyl laughed along with the thunder, Eevee biting his lip as his claw began to burn through the metal. "Oh, if only, little Eevee! You think I did this to the dungeon?"

Eevee turned tail and ran. Not that he could run. Not from the memory of everything twisting before his eyes.

Rocky Shores, with its tight, mazy corridors of sand, was gone. He and his siblings had seen it rupture into motes, leaving behind a cosmic soup of ever-shifting colors that seared their minds, up and down losing all sense of meaning. They saw voided light, light-filled void, things they collectively couldn't hope to comprehend. It was like the entire dungeon had fallen into its own version of a Distortion Frenzy. So maddening was the scene, in fact, that he was sure they themselves had fallen into a Distortion Frenzy, nine pairs of eyes that couldn't blink facing insanity upon insanity.

And then just before that collapsed too, the madness restitched itself together, leaving behind Stormsoaked Shores's series of islands in an open sea. To his annoyance, this constricted his movement, while Aerodactyl and Corvisquire could fly. And Aerodactyl was freakishly fast when he wanted to be.

Not to mention that whatever had happened, it had left him exhausted and with scratches that shouldn't be there, hurting in ways that shouldn't. Eating an Oran Berry helped, at least.

A dangerously close bolt of electricity only worsened Eevee's mood, the Abhorrent Corvisquire screeching in feral fury as she appeared to intercept him. "You think I altered the dungeon? It was already growing unstable!" yelled Aerodactyl as Eevee took cover from Corvisquire's assault, using the palm trees to his advantage. "All I did was activate the pillar, and it was enough to collapse it!"

It was mocking, the skeleton mutant casually taking mirth out of his running around. And we're just gonna play passive? questioned Jolteon.

Plan B, reminded Eevee. He failed to get the jump on Aerodactyl, but there was one other trick up his fur.

"In fact, I'm sure Lugia was counting on that, hoping I'd get injured during the distortion. Not that it worked!" Aerodactyl's wheezy laugh was like the rattle of bones. He smiled a little harder, before darting.

Eevee gasped as he came upon him, his claw clamping over his body. "But enough," he said, motioning to Corvisquire. The mutant obeyed him like a disgruntled trained animal, stilling itself in the air. "I know you're here to thwart me, traitor. You realize how futile this is? How little you can do to stop progress?"

Eevee scowled at his captor, but inwardly, he and his siblings saw their moment. "I barely need to lift a paw to stop you," he taunted.

Aerodactyl guffawed. "Brave words, coming from—"

And then he screeched, Eevee slipping out of his grasp as a menagerie of attacks struck him. Electricity, ice, and fairy light all fell upon him, Corvisquire squawking as psychic power crushed her against sand while dark waves frayed her feathers. On sheer reflex Aerodactyl lashed out behind him, only for his claws to swipe harmlessly through Jolteon, Glaceon, and Sylveon, their misty forms rippling yet untouched.

A split second of pure disbelief was enough for Flareon, Vaporeon, and Leafeon to punish Aerodactyl, their elemental triangle of fire, water, and grass attacks making him tumble toward a waiting Eevee. Only at the last second, like a grain of sand slipping through his paws, did the skeleton upright himself and soar past his Iron Tail.

Aerodactyl flew several yards before turning. He looked at him, then his brothers and sisters, then Corvisquire, reduced to a pulp by Espeon and Umbreon's savagery. She must've been frailer than expected, perhaps in part due to the dungeon distortion, for red-purplish tendrils ruptured out of the sand. Resembling the bones in a ribcage, they latched on to her, dragging the bird through solid ground to evict her from Stormsoaked Shores.

"Oh." Aerodactyl smiled.

Stormsoaked Shores, B3F. And the exit to the next floor was in sight.

Unlike previous dungeons, the exit wasn't a staircase, but instead a ruined structure of gray brick, a circular platform in the middle. It glowed as Vulpix and the others stepped onto it, before slowly descending into layers of deepening void, the world above vanishing. All that could be was the platform, its brilliance etching out the shape of a stormy canvas, capturing the chaotic landscape of the dungeon down to its strange islands and unscalable rocky spires. The void then swallowed it up too, Vulpix queasy at the unnatural darkness that remained.

It reminded her too much of the paradoxical scenes she witnessed when she got dragged into the dungeon, even if it barely held a candle to those scenes. I never want to see a dungeon get altered again, she thought, calming herself by focusing on the lingering taste of Oran Berry juice instead. Everyone had eaten one to recover from any pain they'd received, both from the dungeon distortion and from Pokespawn.

Eventually holes tore into the darkness, until it ripped away altogether, revealing the island they now stood on. And it was an utter mess.

It was as if the dungeon-made lightning that sizzled above but never fell decided to make an exception this once — if that lightning was also joined by a surge of elemental turbulence. Burnt grass and palm trees, some smoking with dark, evil wisps, coated the area. Some spots were coated in thin yet resilient layers of ice, and a few trees had blade-like leaves cutting into their bark. Slash marks and mounds of displaced sand were everywhere, along with little paw prints, all speaking of a glorious battle.

Another island a relatively short distance away looked identical in terms of damage. "Uh?" said Shaymin.

Lucario's glowing eyes searched with thrice the hastiness shown in earlier floors. "Eevee," he muttered. "Don't see him. Nor Aerodactyl."

"All these attacks?" whispered Togetic. "By that Eevee?"

Gabite's face was an uncanny stone wall. It'd been that way after his freakout. "He—" Vulpix said, before meekly eyeing Lucario, who gave an indifferent sigh. "He has siblings."

That only made Togetic and Shaymin more lost. Gabite inspected the various pathways, before pointing.

Further away still was a relatively huge island, a grand stone temple in its center that attracted all who saw it. "The way out," said Gabite.

Enough said. At once the group advanced toward it. Toward doom.

From island to island were half-flooded land bridges of sand, just wide enough for Lucario and Gabite to walk astride if they dared, and with sections where jumping became a must to avoid the water. Pokespawn leapt out of the sea the moment they crossed one, Tentacruel and Seadra and Mantine alike, and Togetic and Shaymin dispelled them before their ambush could do anything. A Pelipper dive-bombed them from out of nowhere, but Vulpix caught notice and strained her eyes, paralyzing it with Disable. It fell right into Gabite's waiting claws, whereupon the dragon-shark slashed the large-billed pelican to motes, while Lucario's Aura Sphere crashed and eliminated a giant dungeon tentacle before it even rose halfway out of the water.

No chances, no mistakes. Gabite, Shaymin, and Togetic were already a well-oiled team, Vulpix could see, and they covered each other without needing to say a word. Even when Togetic or Shaymin missed or failed to bring down a Pokespawn, Gabite was ready with a Blast Seed. Lucario held his own alongside them. She helped a little too, and a little was a lot. Just one slip—

A Mantine rammed her, Vulpix gasping as the beady-eyed ray tossed her into open waters. Her head plunged underwater, and memories of her shipwreck experience made her kick like mad. She managed for a moment to rise and swim — her! Swim as a four-legged Vulpix as if it was the most obvious thing in the world! Was the wristband doing that too? — only for a large mass of tentacles to burst out of the water, looping around her body. Vulpix could've sworn eyes watched her from deep below, connected to the tentacles dragging her down.

With a start Vulpix found arms pulling her up at the same time, Shaymin and Togetic yanking at her. One sweeping Tri-Attack from the latter and the tentacles popped, the eyes vanishing. Supported by the flying duo, Vulpix half-swam, half-flew back to the shore, panting for herself and her wide-eyed guardian. Multiple times she assured everyone, herself especially, that she was fine.

—One slip and someone would drown. Left for Aerodactyl to play with like carrion.

It took relatively little time until they reached the island where the temple sat, Gabite grumbling as he pointed out the lessening amount of battle markings. Said markings vanished around the temple steps climbing up to a smattering of ruins at the top, except for steaming dark wisps clinging to the stonework. Vulpix would've dwelled on its ominous meaning, had she not spotted the large circular platform at the center of the temple ruins. The exit.

And in front of it, displayed with wicked pride? A gleaming silver feather, suspended in a bubble-like case upon a short, etched pillar. Everyone flinched at its bold presence.

Oh, was all Vulpix could think.

Gabite drew in a mouthful of air as he gingerly approached it. A tap on the bubble and his claw bounced back, the dragon-shark shaking it like he somehow burnt himself. He spat an ember of Dragon Breath, the group backing up when it too forcefully rebounded off the bubble.

"I didn't think we'd just come across this," said Gabite. "Shaymin? Does it mean anything to you?"

Shaymin pressed her lips. "It might."

She dropped, landing in front of the markings on the pillar. Her paw sketched over the image of the great winged Lugia, then drifted to three inconspicuous dots at the base of the structure. The leftmost one glowed blue.

Currents of uncertainty rippled through Team Heavendust. "There's more pillars?" asked Togetic.

Shaymin tapped her paw against the stone, as if to chip it away. "Three pillars," she thought aloud. "They can't each be a means to summon Lugia, so why? Or is Aerodactyl after something more?"

Gabite rubbed his claw, staring at the shiny feather. A piece of art, floating naively in its own little bubble that would never be popped, guarding it from reality. Placed upon a pedestal that chose no longer to be hidden, in the wake of the dungeon's reformation.

"No point standing around," he said. His breath grew labored, terrified, for a moment, the dragon-shark calming himself with a claw upon his heart. "Aerodactyl. We have to get him."

Shaymin rose back up. "Yeah. He'll give me answers, one way or another."

The circle platform descended once they set foot upon it, Vulpix's nerves knotting into each other as darkness consumed them. Unlike before, this platform didn't vanish, instead blurring into indistinct shapes, its glow swimming over her eyes and rippling over the darkness. One blink and suddenly they were in the cavern entrance again, in the real world, where the rain had yet to come crashing down.

Red-purplish mist lingered in the area, Gabite unfazed at its presence. "I've seen this," he whispered. "Particularly dangerous dungeons always have warning signs like this. Lucario, are we too late?"

Lucario's eyes stared through the stone as the others crept toward the mouth of the cave, everyone holding their breath. It'll be fine, Vulpix told herself once more. Eevee's softened him up, right? You can stand against Aerodactyl.

Lucario's gaze rose and fell before he frowned. Cautiously he came to the edge, a croaking noise leaving his body. "Aerodactyl and Eevee aren't here," he said, "But—"

The others made similar noises, and Vulpix brought herself to peek outside. And cry out.

A Corvisquire. Doubtlessly the same one she'd seen catching a rabbit for her meal, her mutation only noticeable by how her feathers stuck out as if charged with static. Some of those feathers were now yellow, just like her half-lidded, glazed eyes.

She convulsed and violently coughed, stuck in multiple waking nightmares. "Dungeon Plague," Gabite hissed.

The group left their shelter, surrounding the stricken crow Pokemon. "Aerodactyl got one," whimpered Togetic. "Is she—?"

"Feral," Lucario said, his glowing gaze intense. Corvisquire stared back as if she didn't see him, or any of them, in the slightest. At once the jackal reeled back, hacking out air. "Her thoughts are completely animalistic. I-is that the plague I can sense from her?"

"A severe one," replied Gabite. "It's bad enough in low-level dungeons, but when evicted from a place like Stormsoaked Shores, the illness comes with adverse effects. It won't kill itself, but it'll cripple her for weeks if left untreated, if not leave her open to things that do kill."

Vulpix knew Pokemon could fight even while under poison or paralysis — for them, status effects were painful, but more of a hindrance than a death threat. Corvisquire, however, looked like she was nothing more than a bug whose legs were cut off. She was truly, horribly sick. And a feral Abhorrent, she thought. Why?

Lucario ripped his gaze away, toward the ocean. "No Lugia either, but the storm's still stirring," he remarked with a dark scowl. "Where's that cursed Aerodactyl gone?"

No sooner did he say it than Vulpix saw his feelers twitch. Towards the black clouds Lucario jerked his head—

Sand. Sand in her eyes.

Vulpix scrambled back and blinked rapidly, tails covering her face as displaced sand swept over her. The others suffered less, Togetic and Shaymin avoiding the brunt of it by being airborne, while Gabite and Lucario threw their heads back, arms raised. In a moment the sand wave passed, and they saw him.

She'd never seen Aerodactyl before, but Lucario's descriptions were only ample enough to describe how fearsome he looked. Like a demon from a fantasy story brought to life.

A monstrous fiend of bones dwarfed them all, the grim dark weather a perfect compliment for the shadowy mantle that enveloped his skeleton, hissing and spouting out like murderous fire. Bloodshot rubies were the color of the glowing pinpricks that served as his eyes, eyes that instead of repelling her as the human-repelling towers did, sucked her in instead. Eyes that forced her to relearn the meaning of dread.

In his claws, Eevee slumped, face buried deep into a ditch of sand. "Pitiful nuisance," cackled Aerodactyl, before raising his skull, an eerie smile appearing at the sight of a deathly still Lucario. "Oh? Explorers too? More friendly friends? I didn't expect you to be here, Lucario, friend of Abhorrents."

Vulpix trembled — the appearance she was unfamiliar with, but the voice she knew, even if she thankfully couldn't understand the words back then. "And this vixen child?" Aerodactyl said, dropping the limp Eevee. "You guard her like your fallen friend guarded you? A strange thing, for a sympathizer to work with explorers who hate—"

"They know," growled Lucario.

Aerodactyl blinked, his pupils dimming out before glowing harder. "All of you, sympathizers," he realized, fingering the black storage pouch hung around his neck. His own pouch, not Eevee's. "Friends of Abhorrents, but not quite. It means little to respect the gifted when you still refuse the gift."

Everyone held their distance as they noticed the pouch, but Gabite paradoxically stayed his ground, looking like he saw a ghost risen from the dead. "Just like them," he hissed. "Of all you horrors, you're the most like them."

Aerodactyl's eye sockets shifted shape, as if to raise a brow. "No, things are different here," Gabite continued. "Old fears won't stop me. I don't know what drove you to warp Rocky Shores with your sorcery, Abhorrent, but you're not getting Lugia too."

Aerodactyl stared. And laughed.

It scraped Vulpix's soul, that foul, mad laughter, tearing right into the throb of nothingness in her soul. His cackles cast upon her fear, terror, and… spite?

"The dungeon? The consequence of Lugia's poor attempt to harm me from within. You think I know the means to manipulate dungeons?" Aerodactyl grinned to himself. "Oh, Gear, how you'd laugh if you heard these naive fools!"

Shaymin paled. "You mean—"

"Why, look at you all," Aerodactyl cut her off, "a menagerie of Pokemon seldom seen around this island. You think I need Lugia, Mythical? You alone would make half as great an ally, and twice as convenient as that seabound beast." His head whipped toward the ocean in seething defiance. "ARE YOU LISTENING, COWARD? I KNOW YOU'RE LURKING DOWN THERE! I, OBLIVION MATTER, CHALLENGE YOU!"

The rain finally let itself down, at first a slight plop-plop on Vulpix's head, before turning into a shower, then a barrage of rain. Aerodactyl smirked as if he'd already won, the rain fizzling against his inky flames.

"A pity. He's content to watch me, mock me. But we both know I no longer need him, although this would be so much easier if he'd just give in to change." Aerodactyl idly shook Eevee, checking his condition. "Lugia's hiding something, you see, something I mean to take in due time."

Shaymin's forehead creased. "The pillars," she said. "They don't summon Lugia. You're seeking entry into his dungeon lair."

A twitch from Aerodactyl. "What would a Lugia protect in his home that an Abhorrent wants?" Shaymin wondered aloud. "Powerful artifacts? Ways to better produce your mutations?" A hint of certainty entered her voice. "Or perhaps, 'the means to manipulate dungeons?'"

Faces twisted, Gabite's most of all. Aerodactyl tilted his head, before allowing himself to clap a few times.

"Perhaps," he said. "Perhaps. But regardless of my motives, you explorers want to stop me. So let me ask: why aren't you?"

Lucario and Gabite bared their teeth, Togetic biting her lip, but no one attempted to move. No one wanted to. Vulpix almost hoped they wouldn't have to.

Aerodactyl gave a dry chuckle at their hesitance. "Unsurprising. You're afraid of what I am, of what I have. I'd beg you to reconsider your stance, but your biases are too strong, yes? It's fine, I'll help you. I'll show you the way to a new, wonderful order. I'll make friends out of you yet!"

He pointed a bony talon, and Eevee jolted. His head shot up, and he screamed. Aerodactyl pointed to Corvisquire too, and she screamed. Lucario's feelers snapped back as he echoed both screams, and Vulpix found the world in a state of thunderous uproar. Aerodactyl's eyes consumed that world.

"I'll GET YOUR LOYALTY, MY KIN!"

Eevee threw his head back and, with maddened eyes filled with rainwater and tears, lunged at them.

Vulpix barely knew when she started defending herself. Eevee's siblings manifested in every direction she looked, their eyes haunted and wild as the mist-like spirits let their elemental powers go haywire. Eevee himself blurred around, each haphazard sweep of his tail firing star-shaped projectiles. She'd find herself breathing out a heavy Powder Snow to shatter the homing stars, throwing Ice Shards at Razor Leaves, or falling flat and sucking in air as searing waves of heat caressed the top of her body.

Once or twice she saw Togetic and Shaymin, bewildered at the sight of the Eeveelution ghosts as they tried to ward off their colorful assault. She thought she heard Gabite's snarls redouble, and judging from whatever Lucario was yelling at him, probably because he learned the hard way that attacks simply phased through the siblings. Was that Water Pulse that crashed into an Energy Ball meant for her? Did that Tri-Attack save her from a Psybeam she nearly leapt into?

Weak volts of electricity blinded her as they snaked around the battlefield, Corvisquire looking like she was killing herself trying to discharge every last spark of electricity within her. He is killing her, isn't he? Vulpix thought, barely glimpsing Aerodactyl as he hung in the background, laughing. He's doing this to her, and Eevee!

And he could do the same to Lugia.

Horror, flowing in her blood. Panic in her blood. Dread. Spite? She never felt this kind of bitterness before, not even when Father had been—

Corvisquire cried out, and Vulpix acted, the bright blue light of Disable flashing out from her eyes. It was more than effective, the bird dropping limp and ceasing all her attacks. Unconsciousness claimed her.

One issue down, but it was only the beginning. Aerodactyl had moved in the corner of Vulpix's eye, his claw elongating into a blackened, accursed blade aimed for Gabite. The dragon-shark gave a mangled gasp, like an animal meeting its natural predator.

It struck a nerve in her. No! snapped Vulpix as her eyes burned with loathing, Aerodactyl staggering in surprise as a dark blue outline locked onto his body. Too slow did Gabite thrust his fin-blade forward, the pterodactyl darting back and swiveling his head—

Aerodactyl seemed impossibly large so close to her, his scowl vile and slimy. "RUDE," he hissed, and Vulpix's bravery melted as fast as it came, her feet glued as his claw now reached for her. The emptiness in her soul contracted, the rain pounded against her ears—

"Claws off!"

Even without Force Palm's added power, Lucario knew the slap he threw against Aerodactyl's ribcage would've sent him veering off. As it was, it sent him straight into a craggy cliffside.

Lucario barely caught the way Vulpix blinked her eyes in wonder, all thoughts consumed by the desire to break Aerodactyl. He darted, speeding into his ribcage and shoving him further into the cliff, rocks chipping off. The mutant grunted, slashing at him point-blank with Dragon Claws, but aura suffused Lucario as Detect made him dodge every move.

And for every dodge, he struck right back, straining against the abominable aura that flared out from the skeletal Abhorrent, leaked into Eevee and his siblings, and bashed against his feelers. It didn't affect him, but he sensed it regardless, from ten different sources — nine agonized by oily, polluted tendrils that drilled through their brains like infectious nails, and one creating the agony.

Aerodactyl was controlling them. He held power over fellow Abhorrents.

He made Abhorrents. He made Corvisquire into a feral mutant and, despite the Dungeon Plague leaving her bedridden, made her hack out electric attacks to harm them. Only now in her unconscious state was she spared, but Lucario didn't forget how rotten it felt to sense the plague within her.

Aerodactyl did that to her. He fought Lugia. He sunk his and Eira's ship!

Even in his just fury, he couldn't bring down Aerodactyl fast enough. A nauseating wave of command flowed from Aerodactyl to Eevee, and Lucario found himself mentally thrown aside by Espeon, the jackal forced to roll under waves of electricity and ice from Jolteon and Glaceon. "Strange," remarked the skeletal Abhorrent as he casually pulled himself up. "You act as if we have a personal grudge."

Flames from Flareon, darkness from Umbreon. Lucario darted onto his feet, jumping back with a scowl as the Eeveelutions kept pushing him away from his target. "Murderer," he spat.

HE TOOK ADAM AND THE OTHERS AWAY.

Aerodactyl's expression twisted in a strange way. "Murder?"

Gabite roared as he bolted in, Aerodactyl parrying his Dragon Claw. "Corvisquire, you cretin!" he spat, slashing without abandon. "Look at what you did to her!"

Another silent command from Aerodactyl, and Gabite retreated as Glaceon and Sylveon fired Ice and Fairy projectiles at him. "You too hold a grudge," said Aerodactyl. "How odd, childish even. Grown Pokemon should know better than to seek revenge for every little misunderstanding they face."

He wagged a talon, and Gabite snapped. With a bestial cry he charged, strafing past an Ice Beam, and unleashed his Outrage in Aerodactyl's direction. Draconic energy laced the field wherever he swung, Aerodactyl's smirk as he dodged only furthering his anger. With a start Lucario found himself recklessly charging in as well, and too late realized their own emotions had been turned against them.

Taunt.

Aerodactyl intercepted his strike, grabbed Gabite's arm mid-swing, and slashed with a metal-coated tail.

Gabite tumbled into the sand in a complete stupor, while Lucario was flung to his side. Gasping for breath, he caught wind of Eevee bouncing between Shaymin and Togetic, pestering them while his siblings did the actual damage. Eevee suddenly switched direction and blurred at him, fangs blackening and bared at somehow him and Aerodactyl alike.

The Bite didn't come — Disable's blue glow encapsulated him, and he tottered, his siblings suddenly pausing their chaos and twitching in place. "What? No, don't resist!" said Aerodactyl, before glaring daggers at the Vulpix responsible.

Lucario moved on instinct, but Togetic was closer to the frozen vixen, throwing up a bubble of light up — a Safeguard — that Aerodactyl shattered with a single swipe. "Get back!" she warned, casting a Fairy Wind his way.

Aerodactyl hissed and reared back. He took an Air Slash from Shaymin, his black flaming cloak flaring out with spiked intensity. Lucario's tail curled into itself as he spat out a Dark Pulse, crackling with unusually great energy.

It imploded against the ground and spread out in wrathful shockwaves, Detect the only reason Lucario managed to bypass it. Shaymin had moved too, throwing Protect over Vulpix. Gabite and Eevee had no such protection and groaned out as the waves tore them off their feet, and Togetic only held due to her resistance against the vile energy, while Corvisquire helplessly rolled into the distance. "Dark Aura?" Shaymin said. "Guys, he's—"

A shift of Aerodactyl's claw and Stone Edge pillars burst out of the ground, walling Lucario off just before he could reach the blighted Abhorrent. They smashed into Shaymin, prematurely silencing her, and dug into Togetic's wings, ripping a scream out of her throat. Both fell dazed, Aerodactyl slapping Shaymin aside with an Iron Tail for good measure.

Eevee and Gabite hadn't recovered yet. That left Lucario alone with Aerodactyl and Vulpix, the latter scrambling back. At once he leapt in front of the frightened kid, seeing the scratches on Aerodactyl's bones that he himself inflicted. Too few.

"You fight Oblivion Matter, fool." Aerodactyl cocked his head. "You think to resist perfection?"

Murderer. Lucario's palms flashed with justice's desperation, Aura Spheres flying out.

Aerodactyl laughed despite the pain as they pounded against his skull. He brought his claws together, a violet sphere buzzing into being between them. "No!" Vulpix cried out, her eyes glowing up.

But Aerodactyl shifted away from her line of sight, the sphere detonating into a death beam. Lucario's fur felt like it was being turned to stone as it ripped through him, scraping at the very fiber of his being, the jackal yelling and buckling. Then Aerodactyl redirected the beam—

Pain unimaginable. Like she was being baked into hardened clay.

The torment seemed to suck the literal life out of her, Vulpix screaming out with the all-consuming desire for mercy as Aerodactyl's attack withered her away. It even touched the voided nothingness within her, amplifying it several notches. Her insides stabbed at her, like daggers being used as sewing needles. It hurt so much, so much!

Without warning the killer beam swung off her, and Vulpix found herself collapsed and disheveled, the pouring rain a strange relief for her throbbing body. She dared to peek up, finding Shaymin had pulled herself together and interrupted Aerodactyl, dueling him with blustering Air Slash blades. Aerodactyl himself looked filled with new vigor as he struck with force equal to Shaymin's. "Eevee, to me!"

Eevee roused, head snapping to the side as if Aerodactyl was yanking him by a chain. Gabite burst out of the ground before he could fall back under the lich mutant's control, however, turning Dig's momentum into a wild slash that left the Abhorrent sprawling. The dragon-shark flashed a primal smile at Aerodactyl's irritated expression, before joining Shaymin.

Togetic was rising with a groan, and beside Vulpix, Lucario was kneeling, panting for breath against whatever Aerodactyl did. Vulpix herself huffed, a paw against her thumping chest. She should've done better, but in the end, fear won. Aerodactyl had gone for her, struck at those who protected her, and she just stood there. Exactly like when Ariados first tried to kill her. And now she suffered for it, the ripping feeling in her soul unrelenting—

Her wristband. It was scorched.

Vulpix blanked out as she saw the charred lines blackening a good portion of the band, ruining the pristine white color that fit perfectly with her snow-like fur. The nothingness with her had evolved too far, the vixen clutching herself as it sliced her from within, a pain she struggled to hold herself against.

Was it the damage done to the band? Was her curse attached to it, and had Aerodactyl accelerated it?

Her Pokemon form was intact, her moves and language still accessible. But it could've been worse. If Aerodactyl hadn't been interrupted, Eira the Vulpix realized, he could've destroyed the band altogether.

Even if she didn't die, she would have been as good as dead then. The torrent of falling rain filled Vulpix's head as she turned to the trembling ocean, then to Aerodactyl, fending with all his might against Shaymin and Gabite.

He hurts people with his mutagens. He wanted to hurt people with Lugia.

He could've killed Corvisquire. He could've killed you. He's killed before.

He killed Mother.

Emptiness. Then sheer hatred, an experience novel to her.

Aerodactyl's entire body flared out like a vengeful miasma as he dove back, his gleaming eyes covered by the Dark Pulse he was charging up. One that seemed even more terrible than his last. Vulpix grunted. A blue tint coated her eyes, then a dark blue tint, before becoming a baneful purple.

She cast Spite.

It marked Aerodactyl, the skeleton making an awful clicking sound as he slumped to the ground, his attack dispersing. Specters seemed to rip themselves out of his body, cackling at his sudden weakness. "What—" he heaved.

Gabite slashed. And Shaymin slashed.

Their combined force brought out a real screech of pain from the Abhorrent. He darted away, thunder booming as he narrowed his eyes at Vulpix. A split-second later and he was upon her.

She Disabled, and Aerodactyl's Dragon Claw lost its power, dully striking at her. "BRAT!" he roared, only for Vulpix to spit Powder Snow in his face. "STOP IT!"

Another Spite. Aerodactyl gagged as it sapped his strength, and Lucario shifted from his spot. He Force Palmed him toward the cavern where Stormsoaked Shores was.

Aerodactyl crashed into the stone, spitting out gibberish. He moved, only to be Disabled again, letting Lucario throw a free Aura Sphere in his brief pause. Then Gabite's Dragon Breath crashed upon him, and a Tri-Attack from a determined Togetic. He howled, dropping to the sand in a moment of submission.

And then he blurred, and Shaymin blurred too.

She threw herself in front, and Protect came up, sparks screeching out as Aerodactyl shoved a tiny barbed object against the green shield of light. The vindictive fog in Vulpix's head lifted at the sight of it, replaced by a heavy dose of alarm as she realized what he must've held, despite the rain obscuring its shine.

A Z-Crystal mutagen.

Aerodactyl withdrew, and Shaymin followed suit, the latter shuddering as she stood guard in front of her leery teammates. "Enough," said Aerodactyl, waving the crystal toward them. His eyes burned horrendously bright. "I tire of playing this game. I wanted to save my crystals for Lugia, but with you meddlers around, I see little point in conserving. You think you can protect them from what I wield, Shaymin the Mythical? Or you for that matter, Vulpix the pest?"

Vulpix could almost feel the crystal drilling into her, merging with her inner agony and warping into something too horrible to speak about. She huddled closer to Team Heavendust, to Lucario and Togetic. Their stances were taut, and Gabite's and Shaymin's even more so.

He was going to target her. Of course he would.

Aerodactyl put on a sardonic smile. "You'll understand in time, friends."

His bones shifted.

Vulpix readied her gaze and prayed.

But no need. Eevee crashed into him mid-flight, throwing Aerodactyl sideways while his siblings exploded out of the crystal-spikes on his head. The skeletal Abhorrent bellowed as they sought their revenge, pelting him with elemental attack after attack. Espeon mentally ripped the Z-Crystal out of his grasp, and she, Leafeon, and Umbreon took a moment to strike at it with all their fury.

Before everyone's awestruck eyes, it shattered. Reduced to less than even flecks, the ooze within the crystal instantly evaporated with a shudder. "No, NO!" said Aerodactyl. "STOP IT!"

Eevee's face scrunched up, but he didn't relent. No matter how many times Aerodactyl ordered him, he and his siblings kept assaulting him, almost as if their single-minded goal was the only thing blocking out his mind control.

Before they could finish him, however, Aerodactyl darted to the sky, bones cracked in multiple places. "Terrible friends, all of you!" he yelled, clutching the pouch on his neck. "Wasting my time when I've got better things—"

The pouch ripped off its cord, Aerodactyl watching it rip out of his grasp and toward the sea. The sky rumbled, and several bolts of lightning fried the bag to a crisp, eradicating whatever was inside. The water split open, crashing waves reversing back in fearful respect.

And Vulpix saw him. Lugia.

A majestic silver beast of a bird, covered in scales and blue protrusions, its wings so enormous she knew they were enough to hurl hurricanes. The Psychic glare in his eyes dimmed, but the glare itself sharpened.

His tail flicked, and electricity snapped upward, jumping into the sky. Aerodactyl stared upward at the blackened storm clouds, crackling with violence, before grumbling.

"Coward."

Vulpix shielded her eyes as everything flashed an electric yellowy-white. Somewhere she faintly recalled hearing of Thunder, a devastating move that always struck its target during a storm, and understood why Aerodactyl didn't bother dodging. He deserved it, she thought, before frowning — when was she one to wish evil upon someone?

Aerodactyl's bones were altogether gone, leaving a smoking shadow sprawled on a pile of sand. It laid still, before gnashing its fangs, Vulpix jumping as it glared at everyone with bloodshot red eyes. Burning straight through the sand, it vanished just before a second bolt landed with a deafening blast.

Gabite's eyes had bugged out at the shadow, a claw resting on his chest. "That was Aerodactyl," he whispered.

Lucario seemed nearly as creeped out, Vulpix and Togetic giving each other uncomfortable frowns. "And he got away," said Shaymin with a harrumph. "Great."

Eevee rested a good distance away, taking slow, methodical breaths. Corvisquire was still knocked out. Vulpix chewed her lip in concern for the abused bird's health, before turning to Lugia.

The Legendary stared at where his second Thunder had struck, superheated sand having turned to glass, with a rigid scowl. His gaze swept around to inspect the damage, overlooking them, arching once at Eevee.

And then his neck craned toward Vulpix. Eyes widened. Then narrowed.

Pressure struck her head, Vulpix gasping as she swooned and choked on air. She saw nothing but Lugia. Lugia saw nothing but her.

WHAT TRICKERY?

His voice slammed into her mind like the deluge of an entire sea. Drowning her in her own head.

I THOUGHT I HAD DEALT WITH ALL OF YOU SURVIVORS. YET HERE YOU ARE, A STRAGGLER DISGUISED THROUGH SOME SORCERY.

YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE, HUMAN.

No air to breathe. He knew. He knew, and now she would—

Shaymin slammed into her, Vulpix gasping and hyperventilating. "Snap out of it!" she yelled, Togetic brutally shaking her at the same time while Lucario stared on with horror. His gaze alone fired emotions of willforce and serenity into her like lasers, breaking her panic.

Gabite had his gaze transfixed toward Lugia. The Legendary held his wings out in front of him, a pink orb of light conjuring itself before launching into the air. "Blast," whispered Gabite as the clouds directly above took on a pink tinge, sparking.

THEY SHALL NOT REMEMBER YOU FOR LONG. NOR WILL YOU, THEM.

Psychic-empowered lightning fell, a bolt of each of them.

Eevee's siblings poofed into existence and formed a ceiling made out of Protects, walling it all off. Eevee himself stood right next to Vulpix, his legs buckling as if feeling the bolts straining against the shields. He pulled an orb out and smashed it, a wave of light radiating out that left her feeling light like a feather, yet as quick as a flying arrow.

Lugia screeched. "Run inland!" Eevee told their dumbstruck party. "Go!"

They did. They practically vaulted out of the beach and over grassy fields, so fast were they, the storm seething at their retreat. Lightning boomed all around, rain and wind battering at them. Vulpix could still feel Lugia's eyes locked onto her fleeing tails.

She almost expected any moment to find Lugia tracking her down, locking her within some psychic force and finishing what he started. He spoke to me, she thought, powering through the sharp pain within her. He was going to get rid of me, just like—

Her mind churned. Survivors?

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 13 — Melting Mask

The forest offered ample shelter as Team Heavendust took a breather. Lucario clutched his chest, eyes periodically turning to the dark sky above. A light drizzle, and no Lugia.

Togetic took in a mouthful of air. "Are we safe here?" she asked.

Shaymin perched on a tree branch, resting against it. "Should be. Considering the environmental damage he might cause and the unwanted attention he'd attract, Lugia won't give chase over land. Not unless he's desperate."

She hung onto that last word for a moment. Lucario gripped his chest a little harder as he and the others turned to Eira the Vulpix, Gabite's face as blank as paper. The false vixen quivered, before stumbling with a groan.

Her tails pressed against her flank, eyes squeezed. "Vulpix!" cried Togetic, pulling her up. "Here, lean on me."

She did, resting just a little against Togetic's form as she held against her suffering, her fur a mess of darkened blotches. Lucario promptly conjured a pink sphere of aura, diffusing the Heal Pulse throughout Vulpix's body, and most of those spots faded as the kid's trembling lessened. The black streaks on her wristband remained, however, a permanent memento, and Lucario felt the nape on the back of his fur rise.

"Oblivion Wing." Shaymin rubbed her grassy pelt. "Aerodactyl was using a life-draining move, and he had a Dark Aura Ability too. They're signature powers of the Legendary Yveltal."

Togetic's grimace was a strange mimicry of Vulpix's. "The Death Pokemon?" she said, and Lucario found himself making that grimace too, as did Gabite. There was a Pokemon like that?

But Shaymin shook her head. "The Destruction Pokemon, Togetic," she said. "No Pokemon controls death itself. Not Ho-Oh or Arceus or Latios and Latias, no matter what tales you've heard about their Soul Dews, or—"

A cough from Gabite stopped her rant. "Aerodactyl called himself Oblivion Matter," he noted. "He could force his will upon fellow mutants. He's not some petty Abhorrent, is he?"

"Can't be. Remember the pillars? They're linked to Lugia's domain — many Legendaries use the properties of Mystery Dungeons to conceal themselves. Aerodactyl's activating them to gain access, and plunder something he wants inside. Something too dangerous to be hidden anywhere else."

Gabite grew twitchy, and Lucario spoke up, delaying the talk he knew was coming. "The power to warp dungeons, right?" he asked. "Wouldn't you know how that works?"

Shaymin waved the notion aside. "Me? Pfft, maybe one of my elders, but like they'd ever blab about it. Anyway, Aerodactyl's likely after something like that, and with his powers over Abhorrents, mutating Lugia would've saved him time. He must have other feathers with him."

Perhaps it was just Lucario, but the whole forest seemed several degrees chillier. "Didn't he say something about a 'Gear?'" Togetic brought up, curling into herself.

Gabite growled. "An ally. We're entering a whole conspiracy here." He took a moment to turn away, caressing his Treasure Bag. "Blasted fiend. All that effort and he just slips away like a Ghost-type. Should've remembered I had items."

Togetic eyed her own bag, dangling to her side. "Should've remembered mine too."

Vulpix hissed to herself, and everyone seemed to remember their wounds, Lucario taking a moment to sit down and brace against the pain Aerodactyl had inflicted. Togetic cast upon them Life Dew, and he mindlessly did the same, the rejuvenating effect of the droplets tingling his rain-soaked skin.

He hadn't been at his best when fighting Aerodactyl either. His mind had been compromised at the sight of the creature responsible for everything. Everything that had happened so far, and everything that would happen afterward.

He could see it in the others, they were stalling. Trying not to draw attention to the elephant — the Copperjah? — in the room. But they wouldn't hold out forever.

"Corvisquire!" Togetic yelled, nearly tearing away from Vulpix. "She's still—"

"Eevee probably has her," Shaymin consoled her. "Or the Espeon, technically. Darn it, Lucario, when you said he had siblings, you didn't—"

"I know." Lucario looked at Shaymin, and she looked at him. Her eyes were pensive, searching him.

A matter of time. Again avoiding the instinct to turn toward Vulpix, his mind spun wild with thoughts on how to handle the greatest setback he could've ever faced, only to grasp at nothingness. There wasn't a single convincing lie he could make up.

"If anyone paid attention, Aerodactyl didn't alter Rocky Shores," continued Shaymin. "I'm guessing that when he activated the pillar, it fully destabilized the Mystery Dungeon. Lugia worsened the effect, hoping to take out the Abhhorents inside."

"And when we got stolen into the dungeon—" went on Gabite.

"Lugia might've noticed and made it rebuild itself," finished Shaymin. "Not too sure. Regardless, Lugia was nearby the whole time, waiting to finish off Aerodactyl from a distance."

"And then he found himself a different target."

A numbness clouded Lucario's head as Gabite finally made his move, folding his claws and facing him. Shaymin and Togetic followed suit. Vulpix seemed to gain an unnatural vigor, pulling her head up to observe with pursed lips.

"Lucario," said Gabite. "Where do I start?"

"Please don't," muttered Lucario. His muscles stung, and his headache stung worse.

Lugia had cast down pink lightning bolts upon them, singling Vulpix out all the while. Everyone felt the Pressure Lugia had placed, but they all knew who it'd been focused on.

How was he supposed to wave it off as a mere happenstance?

Gabite pulled himself up. "I've held this off for a long time," he said, "but no more. I'll do you a favor and let you explain yourself. Or would Vulpix like to share?"

Vulpix, of course, kept her mouth glued shut. Togetic sensed her anxiety, holding her tight and throwing Gabite a warning look, but otherwise kept quiet. Shaymin watched on, a trickle of pity leaking through her questioning gaze.

"Well?" said Gabite.

He had to pull him off course. "You think I can simply explain this?" said Lucario. "Tell me, Gabite, how comfortable would you be in sharing why you went ballistic in—"

"The barren deserts of Tumbledust Island are brutal places for wild Pokemon to grow up, never mind what some of the dungeons were like. Good for finding food, bad for mental stability. I can't repay Braixen enough for what he's done to heal the madness I've built up living there. Should I carry on?"

Lucario found himself dumbstruck, more so than any of the others. What— he actually responded?

"I'll take that as a no. Good choice, Braixen knows what happened the last time I tried to detail my worst experiences as a wild 'mon." Gabite took in Togetic's horrified expression and snorted. "So that's my secret. Well?"

Utter silence.

"Have it your way then. See, there were oddities surrounding you and Vulpix from day one, albeit things that I could overlook. Your reactions to the use of Elemental Gems and their use in appliances and lights and other wonders, your shared discomfort when being in Berrypark Town for the first time, how Vulpix practically hid in your shadow and seemed confused and afraid all the time, your mention of her being attacked by some Pokemon earlier — concerning, but stuff you can explain away."

Sweat beads formed on Lucario's forehead as Gabite arched a brow at him. This wasn't how he expected this conversation to go.

He hasn't figured it out, has he?

"But then, things got far stranger. Do you know how weird it was for me to realize the matriarch Ariados, known for fearing superstitious things, was one of your attackers? That she was so invested in bothering you that she came to the cottage yesterday?"

Lucario's eyes widened. "I didn't see, of course, but I could tell," Gabite clarified. "Thought I heard her voice too. I have sensitive hearing, you know — good enough to overhear things like Vulpix whispering in what sounds like a completely alien tongue."

The jackal learned what whiplash felt like in that moment, his neck cursing his carelessness as he snapped his head toward Gabite. Vulpix's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, her body forgetting it was supposed to be shuddering in pain. "Uh, what?" said Shaymin.

Togetic blinked and shook her head. "Gabite, this isn't necessary—" she began.

But Gabite was on a figurative Rollout, unable to be stopped. "It's odd, especially with her phasing it out in favor of Pokemon speech, almost as if she couldn't speak it well before. Not to mention whatever odd connections you have with that Eevee and Aerodactyl — you think I didn't see the visceral reaction you had toward the bony mutant? And considering it too, it's puzzling that Vulpix had such a vested interest in Lugia, like it was more than mere curiosity driving her to recall who the Legendary was. You two did know more than you let on, didn't you?

"I could also bring up how, despite Vulpix getting comfortable with us, she kept giving me wary looks, like she was afraid of my scrutiny. Afraid of me learning why Ariados would harm a child for supposedly no reason." Despite the stormy sky, Gabite's eyes flashed like razor-sharp daggers catching the light of the sun. "Afraid of me learning why Lugia sees her as a threat, to the point that he was willing to strike down all of us."

Shaymin frowned. "Lugia are part Psychic-type," she muttered.

"Everyone, please—" insisted Togetic.

"And I believe I know the focal point of everything." Gabite's eyes fell, and Lucario felt their impact as they came upon Vulpix's fried wristband. "I get why you stopped Weavile from slashing her little accessory to pieces. She needs it, doesn't she?"

Vulpix hastened to cover her wristband, her breaths shallow. From the moment Gabite spoke, panic had festered in Lucario's head, rampaging like a wild Vigoroth, and now he could scarcely feel anything else. Gabite saw too much, pieced together the scraps, and was on the precipice of revelation.

I've failed, he thought. Does he know?

"I need answers, Lucario. Let me hear it from you." Gabite loomed over him. "Vulpix's not a Vulpix, isn't she?"

He does.

And the panic drained away, resolution in its place.

Lucario felt the rain, able to count every last droplet that grazed his back. Rising to face his foe, he took in how Eira's soul left her Vulpix body, how Togetic and Shaymin seemed to break into glass shards at Gabite's accusation. "I keep things from you for a reason," he snarled.

"You can't anymore," said Gabite.

A quiet anger simmered behind his indifferent facade, tinged with a speck of fear. Lucario's paws palmed into fists, his knees bending into a fighting position. Multiple plans for an escape route crossed his mind.

Eevee was right. Joining this team was an enormous blunder.

"I get why you've hidden this," Gabite told him. A wind blew past, the forest howling in its wake. "Especially from someone like me. But this has to end, and I'll see to it that it does. Tell me, Lucario, what's with you and your kid? Where are you really from?"

"You're making a mistake."

Gabite narrowed his gaze, letting the anger spill out. "You still think you're entitled to hide anything? I see now that you're keeping secrets about Lugia and Aerodactyl, all because it somehow relates to your kid. Eevee too — he learned what she really is, and that's why he's helping you. It's why Kecleon attacked you both, then had a change of heart and decided to keep your secret. It's why Ariados continued to pursue her, and why Lugia tried to eliminate her, and us by proxy! What, you think you can cast doom upon us without explaining yourself?"

"There's nothing left to explain!" Aura sparked in both of Lucario's palms, his senses taking the full rage boiling in Gabite's mind, the dazed circles spinning in Togetic's and Shaymin's, and the absolute horror consuming Vulpix's. "She's done nothing wrong! Mark my words, Gabite, the moment you make a move—"

"Stubborn idiot!" roared Gabite, his claw shifting. "You've tested my patience enough. Who are you two? Can we trust you after all?"

"I'm warning you—"

"Why is it so difficult for you to confess you're caring for an Abhorrent?"

The bone of aura Lucario was forming melted like goop. He stood quiet for a moment, processing the words.

"What?" he said.

Vulpix had paused halfway from tearing herself out of Togetic's grasp, her face clouded with befuddlement. Gabite looked between her and Lucario, his inner rage converting to uncertainty.

"What do you mean, 'what?'" he replied. "Vulpix. She's a very special type of Abhorrent, disguised by the wristband. A runaway important to their cause, I'd think."

An Abhorrent. Gabite thought she was one of those mutant Pokemon? Lucario wanted to laugh so hard. That was the most ridiculous thing he heard, It made no—

Huh. Actually, he could see the overlap. Far more reasonable to make that conclusion, mused Lucario. Who could believe a human came here, slipping through the towers?

Gabite blinked several times as he read Lucario and Vulpix's expressions. "Are you toying with me?" he said. "You must be."

Lucario eyed Vulpix. Vulpix eyed Lucario.

"I'm, uh, not an Abhorrent?" said Vulpix.

"Vulpix doesn't toy with others," said Lucario.

"For goodness's sake, there's nothing else that makes sense!" Gabite threw his head, waving his arms in front of him. "Why else would you two be so non-judgmental to Abhorrents? Why else would Eevee be your ally? Why would Kecleon—"

He turned around, and now fear was what oozed out of him. "W-what are you?" he said.

And like that Vulpix was back to cowering. Lucario shifted as Gabite began to move forward, but Togetic reacted faster. In a blink of an eye she had released Vulpix and thrown herself in between.

"Stop it!" she snapped, and Gabite pulled back like a wounded dog. "I don't care about what is and what isn't about Vulpix!" She then came upon Shaymin. "She's still one of us, isn't she?"

Shaymin practically tripped over herself. "Huh? Uh, Togetic, I don't know if—" she faltered, glancing at Vulpix like she was a complete stranger.

Togetic threw her arms up. "It doesn't matter!" she said. "Even if a Lugia attacked her, even if Vulpix is some other kind of creature, what of it? What else could she be b-but—"

She faltered too, her gaze quivering as she eyed Vulpix. Then Lucario, a pleading in her face that everything was alright. The jackal could only scowl.

It would've been smart if he went with Vulpix being an Abhorrent, but he figured Gabite would realize his assumption couldn't be true. Nevertheless, he now saw a way to defuse this situation. An opening.

"Vulpix has a condition of sorts," Lucario stated. "One best left unseen. I am going to ask you all not to peep further into this."

"Excuse me?" said Gabite. "She—"

But Lucario wouldn't be on the backfoot this time. "Is that too hard a request for your nosy mind? Darn it, Gabite, I never joined your group to get into all this trouble. You realize what it's like, protecting a cursed girl from things that don't understand her?"

"Ariados—"

"Saw something she couldn't bear, and nearly killed her."

Vulpix recoiled at his blunt statement, their teammates aghast. "K-kill?" Gabite repeated. "I-I thought she was merely harassing— she wanted to kill?"

Was that not clear before? Maybe murder was more taboo than he thought. "Just her, not Kecleon," said Lucario when he saw Shaymin's gruesome expression. "The last time I let people get any details on Vulpix's issues, that happened. I won't tempt fate again." He arched an eye at his squirming leader. "For everyone's sake, don't snoop into the issues Vulpix has, because if Ariados and Lugia were any signal, chances are you'll freak out too at what you see."

Near-truths. He disliked having to admit so much, but this was needed to hold back Gabite — lies would only fall flat. Please let it be enough, he prayed, avoiding the warped look on Togetic's face.

Gabite heaved out at once, his tail wrapping close to him. "Kecleon and Eevee know," he said in a low voice. "Lucario, please, I wouldn't so much as maim your kid. We're allies. Togetic's seen your purity."

But of course, the dragon-shark kept pushing. "You had reasons not to go into details about your past," Lucario said.

"That's different!" Gabite's voice was shaking, Lucario sensing his emotions breaking up into turmoil. "A Lugia tried to slaughter us! How little trust do we have that you're hiding so much? Just open up, we can work this through—"

"No!"

Vulpix's outburst made the whole group jump. The vixen seemed ready to tear up, yet held a steely look in her eyes. "Y-you don't understand!" she yelled. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't want to put you in danger, b-but I can't! I can't let anyone else know! Can't you accept that?"

She huffed out a plume of icy breath before seizing up, falling face-first. Muffled squeals of agony sputtered from her as she writhed in place. Togetic rushed over but drew back her arm, afraid to touch the vixen.

Her eyes glowed pink, Togetic's face turning far whiter than normal. She sees, realized Lucario, feeling the same abject horror as his eyes lit up too, peering into Vulpix's soul.

The sensation of swords disemboweling her from the inside out nearly made him teeter. "H-help," Vulpix said in a tiny voice.

Togetic held her chest tight. "It's like she can't hold herself together," she said. "Like she can't, er, maintain her f-form, and it's killing her to stay this way?"

Beyond the angelic's shaky acceptance of Vulpix not being quite what she seemed, her words struck something in Lucario. Mismagius's voice echoed like a blaring siren.

She's too inexperienced to create such a perfect facade, it's fascinating. It cannot be healthy for her to keep maintaining it for very long either. Has she not known to take breaks?

Has she not known to take breaks?

"Shoot."

Lucario scooped up Vulpix, the girl limp in his arms. "If you know what's good for you," he told his teammates, "you won't follow us."

Togetic wilted, while Gabite and Shaymin listlessly stared on. The jackal bolted off, cursing his idiocy numerous times.

Trees flew by as he hurried, distancing himself from his teammates. His blue aura eyes scanned for Pokemon-free areas, the jackal darting about until he chanced upon a little clearing, secluded as could be. A giant blessing.

There he dropped Vulpix, as gently as can be. Her agony kept growing at an alarming rate, Lucario's feelers snapping up in fear of what would happen if it wasn't stopped. "End the transformation," he ordered her.

Pain couldn't prevent astonishment from twisting Vulpix's face. "What?"

"We're safe here, just do it!"

The girl stared at him through bleary eyes for a short moment, before suffering forced her to obey. Lucario stood back as her form glowed with transformative light, her body expanding and lengthening before him.

And there lay Eira the human, lying flat in her blue dress, with rips in the back where Ariados had punctured her body with Poison Stings. She stared at her hands, foreign to her after close to a week of being a Vulpix.

"It's gone." She winced, Vulpix-speech flowing off her tongue as smoothly as ever. "The pain, Lucario, it's gone."

Or more accurately, the pain was fast fading. In her true form, Eira's soul regained a state of tranquility. Ariados didn't curse her, thought Lucario, she was overtaxing her wristband's power.

Yet with the threat gone, something else kept his feelers standing tall. Lucario's gaze snapped to an aura far in the distance — one that blinked as he spotted it, the air in front both human and jackal ripping in the exact same moment.

There Ariados appeared, the tinted red lights hovering over her eyes yet again, along with the Warped Scarf tied to her arm-leg at the back. She shook off her disorientation, Lucario's heart skipping a beat at her grandiose sneer. Eira gulped.

"How embarrassing," said Ariados. "Did you idiots not know this? If a Ditto or any other transformed creature stays transformed for too long, the soul rejects their form, and they die. Horribly."

Eira the human — was it still correct to call herself Vulpix? — shrunk into herself as Ariados cackled at her misfortune. Though she was much smaller as a Pokemon, she felt many times less secure as a human.

Those who stayed transformed for too long die. The words hit her like a sledgehammer, giving her a splitting headache. One that most definitely wasn't Extrasensory-powered.

Lucario hung his head. "Mismagius had been giving me advice," he muttered in a low voice.

Eira blinked, processing the meaning of his words. Wait, Mismagius knew? How? When?

"So Kecleon isn't the only one who found out about your human?" Ariados made a chiding noise as she faced Eira. "And seeing what we have here, your teammates might be suspicious too. These storm clouds above us, and the earthquake that happened earlier — something big happened, yes?" Her brows furrowed. "Something Legendary?"

Lucario opened his mouth, only for Ariados to hush him. "No, not you, guard dog. Your master knows our speech, does she not? I wish to parley with her. She alone will speak."

She stared at Eira in anticipation, the undisguised girl stiffening at her demand. Her. Speak alone.

"Excuse me?" said Lucario, his expression turning hostile. "You don't—"

"I hold power over you," Ariados stated. "I offered a truce. Do you want me to break it?"

Lucario bared his fangs, and with a start Eira realized she had to step in. "It's fine!" she blurted, and the jackal paused, throwing her a questioning look. "I-it's fine, I can—"

She looked at Ariados. The spider stared back like she was but prey to her. A shiver went down Eira's throat at the thought of speaking to the bane of her existence, but she composed herself, slowly getting into a sitting position. Ariados said it herself, hadn't she? She only wanted to talk.

And so Eira would talk. "L-Lugia," she said. "There w-was an Abhorrent, trying to g-get him. We stopped him, b-but Lugia attacked us."

No reason not to explain when Ariados knew too much anyway. "So now a Legendary seeks your dem*se," mused the spider. "And your teammates are questioning why."

Eira looked to the ground. Lucario spat something under his breath.

"It would be a shame if such a credible team found out and reported your existence," Ariados commented. "This may surprise you, but in hindsight, I'm happy the authorities didn't listen to my human reports. All they would've done is send you away to Their Highnesses' fortress in the Nexuswatch Islands. You'd be experimented on by Slowking and Shellder, yet kept alive in our lands."

Ariados skittered a little closer. "I can't let that happen."

On instinct Eira scooted back, Lucario raising a glowing fist in warning. "Now, now, didn't I say I wouldn't kill her?" Ariados told him.

It didn't make sense. Eira remembered too vividly how much Ariados wanted her gone, how paranoid she'd been in their first encounter. Now here she was, still wanting her gone, yet disinterested in murder. "W-why?" she stammered. "I didn't want to hurt anyone."

Something softened in Ariados's insectoid face. "I realized that, girl."

"Huh?"

The matriarch peered upward at the dreary clouds, their rain nothing more than a lighthearted drizzle. "I had time to think. Seeing how you rely on a mere transformation item to stay safe, or how timid you truly are, made me understand you really are a fool child who came here by accident. Not a conventional threat."

Conventional threat? Eira made a face, before noticing how Lucario's body seemed to crease into itself. Like he could tell what horrible thing she was about to say.

Ariados noticed. "So your Pokemon servant knows? Human, your coming is a tragedy, made worse by the fact that you're so innocent." A pause. "You're prophesied to destroy Haven Archipelago, ill omen."

And as Eira felt herself fracture, the spider began to recite.

A human transfigured that doesn't belong,

Its naive wish to do good gone terribly wrong.

Cold and aloof, deceived by a false song—

Break it, we must, else the world shatters before long. ㅤ

"That is only one of the stanzas," Ariados finished. "My esteemed elder Rabsca knew only this one, and the rest I've only heard phrases of. I won't mention them, lest they break you further."

Eira almost thanked her for that, so overwhelmed was she. Lucario had fallen to his knees, perhaps even more broken than her. A transfigured human.

Me.

"B-but it can't be!" she said in desperation. "There w-were others! Lugia told me I wasn't the only human!"

Lucario flicked an ear but didn't otherwise shift. "And?" said Ariados, the lights over her eyes flashing.

Eira's head fell. "And that he," she whispered, "had dealt with them."

"So it is." A sigh left Ariados — one of relief, or maybe of pity. "You alone live because he overlooked you, likely thanks to the mercy of your disguise."

She wished it wasn't her. This prophecy had to mean someone else. But it describes me, she thought. Me!

And if Lucario was any indication, Ariados wasn't making this up. Its naive wish to do good gone terribly wrong, Eira whispered to herself, her soul drowned in a pool of umbra.

"The towers protect us not only from human conquerors but also from the fulfillment of a doomsday prophecy," the matriarch said in her viciously silky voice. "The twisting of the dungeons, the Abhorrents, they were all signs. The breaking of spacetime some years ago, even that must've been a sign."

"Mismagius mentioned spacetime distortions," mumbled Lucario. A nameless discomfort seemed to cloud his face. "How much had she told me?"

The mention of spacetime distorting stirred something cold deep within Eira, a set of painful memories she shoved away before they broke her further. "T-the breaking of s-spacetime?" she asked, despite herself.

"The Ruptures are but a tangent," Ariados replied. "What matters is you're here, human, the naive calam*ty to ruin us all. Killing you off would avert that. But perhaps there is another way." Whimsy reached her eyes. "We get you off these islands."

Eira breathed in with a start. Leave the islands.

"It would bypas* the prophecy, if not altogether prove you aren't the ill omen being described. And it saves me the morality crisis of killing to possibly prevent a bad future. I'm willing to do everything in my power to get you back."

Ariados wanted to bring her back to the human world. Unbelievable. Am I dreaming? she wondered.

"If you truly came by accident, not seeking to cause evil, then I can offer you this opportunity." Ariados reached out with her leg. "You will swear never to return or let your homeland know of this place, and my village will shelter you until we find your way home. I cannot apologize for my earlier actions — but I can repent."

Eira's mind refused to stop spinning, stuck in a state of overload. A prophecy, condemning her as the villain of this archipelago. And then Ariados, who tried to murder her, proposing a deal she couldn't turn down.

Was it too good to be true? What would Eevee think, if she went with the matriarch instead of him?

Lucario's dazed expression mirrored her own, his eyes alight with aurasense. His expression was proof enough of Ariados's sincerity. "I-I don't know," Eira made herself say. "I need time to think."

Ariados frowned. "I am your only hope," she told her, not knowing the words she spoke were false. "Think on it well, human. If you cannot accept my peace, then you've accepted war."

Her scarf glowed brilliantly, a loud hum buzzing from it. Ariados turned away, and again the air ripped around her, before she warped away. Lucario made a clicking noise as he checked the area, his aura-eyes expanding as they locked into something far off.

"An intimidation tactic," he muttered. "Being able to do short teleports and also charge up for long-range ones — that Warp Scarf's the vilest item I've ever seen. No way she just conveniently found us in the middle of the forest either."

At once Eira understood the purpose of the red lights over Ariados's eyes. "It's like aura," she said. "She tracks people with the lights."

Lucario grumbled at that. He and she stared at each other for the longest moment.

And then it all came out.

"When did Mismagius know about me?" Eira snapped. "You never said a thing!"

"You didn't warn me Togetic could see the void in your soul!" Lucario yelled back. "How much did you let her know?"

"A prophecy? You hid a prophecy from me?"

"How gullible are you? It can't be true, it's all nonsense!"

"And you should've warned me! I didn't know it was bad to stay transformed!"

"Lugia talked to you? And told you there were other freaking humans?"

"Just stop!" Eira demanded. "Stop, please, I can't! Do you know how much this all weighs on me?"

Guilt bit at her when Lucario did stop, acting like a servant who had slighted her master. Eira pressed her very human hands against her very human face, trying to hold herself together. She wouldn't break down. Not here, not again.

It took a long moment for her to regulate her breath, a finger tracing her blackened wristband. For a moment she felt the mental switch in her head that would make her a Vulpix again, nearly flicking it, before a pricking sensation made her avert the transformation. A wisp of something wrong rose from her soul, warning her of the danger of switching to Pokemon form so soon.

"I have to be human to recharge the band," she realized.

Lucario nodded. "And the damage Aerodactyl's done to it may have shortened its use time," he said, rubbing his arm. "Vulpix? Er, Eira? There's a few things I think I need to explain."

He brought up Mismagius, summarizing how she concealed herself with her hallucination powers, and the things she said to him. The prophecy was the big thing, obviously, yet Eira couldn't help but fixate on how Mismagius mentioned spacetime distortions. The Ruptures, Ariados had called it. It happened several years ago? she thought. And Mismagius wondered if I came from it?

Her body involuntarily quaked, rocking back and forth. Lucario noticed. "Her talk of distortions, it's messing with me," he said, before letting out a restless rasp. "Shouldn't I know something? Do you?"

Eira did. She feared she did. She considered the timing, the obviousness of it all, how Father had disappeared—

On top of everything else, the memories flayed her. She curled into herself, again blotting everything out. "D-don't you remember?" she managed to whisper.

Lucario's frown said it all. He must've been a wild Pokemon then, too young to recall anything. Or perhaps he'd blocked out the thoughts. Was it wise to tell him now, anyway? He'd only stress himself for no reason over—

No. No thinking about it. "Later," she told Lucario. "I-I'll explain later. My head, it's— I r-really don't—"

Lucario understood. He raised a paw coated in aura, and at once the crushing pressure in her chest lessened, relaxation making her muscles de-tense. "Take your time," he said.

Eira nodded, grateful. She needed time. A lot of it.

There were other things she needed to explain on her end, though. It took a little effort, but she managed, bringing up her talk with Togetic at the dojo, then stating what Lugia did. "He tried to make everyone forget I was here," she explained. "And then get rid of me. J-just as he did with the other humans."

A terse grunt left Lucario. He stared into space, contemplative. Thinking about his trainer, perhaps? To think — there might've been a chance that Mother, her dearest Mother, had lived only to be struck down by Lugia. It was like frostbite to Eira.

She was the final human Lugia had to hunt down. Maybe she could evade a Legendary, but then what? If I can't be transformed all the time, she thought, someone else will catch me.

She needed help. And she feared Eevee's wouldn't be enough. "Is it better to work with Ariados?" she wondered aloud. "Make an ally out of a foe?"

Lucario's only response was to resume checking their surroundings for intruders.

It wasn't what Lucario wanted to do, but he walked onward, down the dirt path carving through the forest south of the beach, north of Berrypark Town. Toward Gabite's home, with a haggard Eira the Vulpix in tow.

More than half an hour was enough to ensure she could safely transform again, with the soul backlash regressed to its earliest state, too faint for Lucario to sense it himself. It was a horrible problem, needing to regularly go back to being human. If the backlash didn't kill Eira, her getting spotted at an unlucky moment would. Right now, the walls of Gabite's cottage were ironically the safest place for them.

Ariados, however, could be even safer. It's a trick, his heart said, but his mind never stopped dwelling on it. Could Eevee ever hope to offer the same level of aid? Could Kabutops? Darn it all, Ariados knew too much to be antagonized, but going rogue on Eevee could come with its own problems.

Speak of the Giratina. It wasn't long before he and Vulpix came toward a beaten-down road at the side of the forest, leading into Gabite's land. And as he stepped over trampled patches of grass and broken twigs, he caught wind of Eevee's agitated voice.

"—best that you stay ignorant," he was saying. "I've seen Vulpix's true appearance. There's a reason Lugia tried to slay her."

"We've interacted with her for days," came Togetic's peeved voice. "We know better. I'd trust her with my life."

Vulpix shivered beside Lucario. "Would you?" shot Eevee.

"Why would you think otherwise? You were there when Shaymin and I accepted that there's good Abhorrents like you. Who hurt you so much that you have trust issues?"

"Our closest friends."

In the ensuing silence, neither Lucario nor Vulpix could remove the grimace twisting their lips. Eevee's nature suddenly made a little sense, even down to his dislike of Kecleon being aware of Eira's Pokemon disguise.

"My siblings and I went into hiding when we were mutated," explained Eevee. "But we trusted our closest friends with our secret. And at first, they accepted everything. Even promised to get our village to understand what happened and support us."

A snarl. "Next thing we know, the entire village is upon our hiding place, with our so-called friends spurring them onward to 'deal with the monster Eevee.' Friends who genuinely want the best for us, only for paranoia to change their minds. You think you're immune to that?"

Vulpix's grimace grew even deeper as she shifted on her paws. "I'd never," Togetic tried to counter. "I-I've seen her soul's purity."

"And? Elygem read our minds to prove our honesty. Sylveon's still hurt from seeing him lead the operation to capture us." A harrumph left Eevee's mouth. "Everyone knows you're here by the way, you two. Get out of there."

Lucario and Vulpix stiffened at the call-out. They walked forward, right into the open field to find Togetic's glowing eyes tracing them, Gabite behind her and rubbing the protrusions that served as his ears. Shaymin floated next to a limp Corvisquire, giving them no notice as she watched over her.

For once Eevee was out of the trees and on the ground, a good distance away from Team Heavendust. Faded bruises covered his body like a plague, but otherwise, he had escaped Lugia's anger unscathed. "Now if there's nothing else to discuss," he said, firing a glare toward Lucario, "then I think I'll be having a private talk with Vulpix's guardian. If you would be so kind as to not eavesdrop? Looking at you, Gabite."

Gabite rubbed his ears harder, a scowl plastered to his face. He spun away with half-wild eyes, and Togetic and Shaymin carried off Corvisquire, the trio moving up to the hillside where the cottage stood.

Eevee's glare darkened several degrees once they had their backs turned. "Interacting with your teammates, the one thing I never wanted to do," he hissed through his teeth. "I wouldn't even have dared visit, but Corvisquire's better off in their care. Real nice of you to bring your team along to handle Aerodactyl, by the way, at the cost of a Lugia catching word of your girl."

"You didn't share that story just for them," whispered Lucario, "did you?"

"Thought you might learn from it. Just how idiotic are you, telling those three so much about us? Telling them your kid has a condition of sorts?"

Even on the ground, the little fox-like Pokemon had a way of exerting a dominating presence, like a wrathful Legendary seeking a reason not to smite someone's face off. Vulpix buckled under it, but it did nothing to an exasperated Lucario. "I didn't have a choice," he said.

Eevee rolled his eyes. "You had a choice, long ago. When I gave you the wristband, I expected you to use it well, not to go running to an explorer team you knew was dangerous to join. What, you still in shock over the shipwreck? Trying to pretend normalcy, that you still have a semblance of your old life?"

Such barbed words hit far too close to home than Lucario would've liked, images of his old teammates flashing before him. "You dare?" he said with all the vitriol he could muster. "You didn't even warn us Vulpix's transformation had a time limit!"

"That's why you weren't here, wasn't it? Did I need to spell that out too? There shouldn't have been issues with the timer anyway, and you certainly didn't tell me she had such issues!" Eevee snorted as he turned his head to the side. "Shut it, Flareon, I didn't hear you or the others mention warning them about the way transformation powers work."

For the slightest of moments, Lucario could've sworn Vulpix wore a disgusted look. "Regardless, you know now," Eevee continued. "And you can't stay, Ariados and your teammates know too much. You need to get to Kabutops before everything collapses, you get me?"

Long had Lucario anticipated the reaction his next words would evoke from Eevee. "What if I told you Ariados wanted to make peace and help us get home?"

Eevee went quiet for a moment. And then seethed.

"She made you a deal?" he spat, stomping over until he was right in front of the jackal. "And you're considering it?"

"It's an option! One of our problems gets solved—"

"She tried to kill your girl, imbecile!" Eevee's tail snapped like a whip, injuring grass blades in its wake. "Have you understood anything I've told you? She'll only cooperate for so long. When Ariados tires of finding some way to get your girl off the islands, what then will she do?"

"I—"

"Listen to me! There's no one you can trust in these Distortion-twisted islands — the only reason we trust each other is because we're fellow outcasts who need each other's help! Kabutops needs your girl, on the off-chance that she can lead to a cure for us Abhorrents. You need us because we can get you home."

Eevee put his paw down. "So here's what you'll do. You'll tell Gabite that you can't continue this whole team business, not after what's happened. You leave immediately, I meet up with you, and then we chart a course to Kabutops, where you'll be—"

"Safe?" Vulpix interrupted, shaking herself. "Give us a night, Eevee. We need time to think."

Lucario and Eevee batted an eye at the disguised human. Rather than be cowed from their twin stares, she offered them a frown, hardened and worn-out.

Eevee whipped his head around, the crystalline spikes on his head dimming. "We thought you were better than your guardian, human," he said. "But have it your way."

You'll soon see who you're safe with.

The warnings of Eevee's siblings rang throughout Lucario and Vulpix's skulls in discordant waves, startling both as Eevee strode off into the forest. Gone.

It never crossed Lucario's mind that the other Eeveelutions might agree with their brother — at least, they did in this scenario. And Eevee did make good arguments, to be fair. But he's irritating, stubborn, and an unapologetic jerk, he muttered to himself. Even Ariados had more tact.

Vulpix dropped her eyes. "Was it wrong to speak up?" she wondered aloud.

Lucario sighed. "A little surprising for you to speak, yes," he said. "But not wrong."

He looked over his shoulder, finding Gabite, Togetic, and Shaymin converging on them with Corvisquire still held up by the flying duo. Neither flagged from the weight of the larger Pokemon.

Corvisquire hacked and squirmed before stilling again. Chills went down Lucario's spine as she cocked an eye at him, almost in recognition, before returning to her spiritless state. "We're meeting with Officer Toxicroak so she can bring Corvisquire to a preserve, and to report about what happened with Aerodactyl," said Shaymin. "Your talk with Eevee didn't go well?"

Shadows covered every inch of Gabite's face. He tilted his head at Lucario, the jackal waiting for him to speak first.

It didn't take long. "Unpleasant person to be around, that Eevee," muttered their team leader. "Lucario? Tell me a little something. Why did someone with your circumstances join the team?"

He deliberately avoided mentioning Vulpix, Lucario noted. The jackal held back a scowl as Eevee's words continued to ring clear in his head.

What, you still in shock over the shipwreck? Trying to pretend normalcy, that you still have a semblance of your old life?

"My circumstances were recent," stated Lucario.

"I had a hunch about that."

"I needed to get my bearings. I hoped for a chance at—" he bit his tongue "—normalcy."

An awkward somberness spread throughout the group. "We agreed to a week to see how things work out," said Gabite. "And they aren't. You're leaving, right? I don't know how you could stay if—" he bit his tongue too. "If there's Pokemon here seeking your death. Is there anything we could do?"

Oh, if only. Lucario shook his head, Vulpix drooping beside him.

"Figures. I've gathered up the Poke you're owed in advance, but you can stay for the night before leaving, if you want. A little apology for blowing up on you earlier."

An offer to break off the deal and even get some rest at the cottage was all the convenience Lucario wished for. He graciously accepted it, and Gabite hastened to leave, before stopping mid-way.

His eyes drifted to Vulpix before leaping back, as if singed by the action. "Please," he requested. "If there's anything you can share — whatever else you've hidden about Abhorrents, Lugia — tell us. Aerodactyl's a big issue, and we explorers need all the help we can get."

Then off he went, retreating into his cottage. Togetic gave out a grand exhale, turning to Vulpix. Both shared the same distant look.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," said the angelic.

She lowered herself and Corvisquire — Shaymin dropping to stay level with them — and leaned toward Vulpix. "I won't lie. The thought of you being not quite a Vulpix, it's a lot to grapple with," she said with an uneasy laugh. "But you're still my little sweetheart. You must've suffered a lot, you poor, innocent angel, and I hope I've done something to illuminate your life in the short time we've known each other."

Her expression twisted. "A young girl shouldn't have to live in fear of being killed," she finished. "Stay safe. I love you, no matter what."

If Lucario found himself twitching from the heartfelt words, Vulpix was altogether discomposed, the kid's lips failing to produce sound. "Can't top that," added Shaymin, her brows creasing. "Crud, what am I supposed to think? It's just so bizarre that Vulpix's some—"

Togetic scowled, and the Mythical caught herself, cheeks reddening. "I caused you guys a lot of trouble," she instead said. "Sorry for that."

The cottage grounds felt more forlorn than usual as she and Togetic escorted Corvisquire away. Lucario bristled at the sensation, rubbing the spike on the back of his paw for comfort. Eira the Vulpix's gaze followed Togetic until she vanished into the forest, her tails forming jittery shapes.

"How do I react to that?" she said, squeezing her eyes. "I- Lucario—"

The kid was too unbalanced. "Don't get distracted, she'd take it back if she saw the real you," said Lucario.

"I-I mean, maybe—"

But Lucario kept an adamant stare, boring into Vulpix's skull until she reluctantly conceded. Even if Vulpix had blabbed to Togetic about Eevee, she knew too well not to expose her humanity. They cut it too close today, and escape was imperative.

There was just one thing.

He didn't know where to escape.

That thought plagued him up until that final night, when he closed the door to his room and laid his head down to rest on his wooly mattress. At the other side of the room and away from the door's line of sight, Eira had returned to human form again, lying on the second mattress instead of the round cushioned bed. With what Aerodactyl did to the band, it was a necessity — the soul backlash came quicker than before, and sleeping as her Pokemon self could be catastrophic.

That weakness was why they needed the sanctity of walls to guard them. By Lucario's rather crude estimation, Eira could go transformed for two or three days at the very most before needing to spend a night as a human. A nasty handicap.

Not that you had the wristband when you first came here, he reminded himself. Even without Aerodactyl's meddling, what would change?

Regardless, this was a complication. They needed security soon, and Eevee promised to give them that.

But Ariados would pursue them if they ran off. Or maybe get desperate and tell people what Vulpix really was, riling up a full hunt against them. Could Eevee protect them against that? It was one thing for people to chase yet another Abhorrent, but a human might be an entirely different matter. Who knows what maniacs would leap at the chance to capture the only real human on this accursed archipelago? he thought.

All that would be avoided by working with Ariados. But as truthful as she was, could she be trusted? And what would Eevee do in response?

It sounded stupid, trusting a spider who had wanted Eira dead over some stupid prophecy thing. And that reminded Lucario of Mismagius, an unpredictable third wheel who told him of the prophecy in the first place. And that humans wield magic.

Madness, all of it. This prophecy had to be wrong, it had to! How could it be real? What would Mismagius do, if she truly believed in such a thing? How would he guard Eira from her? How could he guard her from a prophecy?

And then there was Lugia.

Inwardly, Lucario yelled to the heavens. He couldn't handle this. He was just a mere Pokemon. He couldn't make difficult decisions, Adam did that for him.

In that moment, Eevee's pointed insults pierced his torn heart. I really was trying to pretend normalcy, he thought. Team Heavendust was an excuse to be part of a team again, to have someone else leading me around. To feel safe.

How he managed this long not to be compromised by Adam's death, and the unknown fate of his former teammates — Torterra, Lanturn, Banette, Duosion, and Dragonair — he had no idea. They're gone, he thought, grief leaking through. They're all gone. Adam, what do I do? I need help!

There'd been other trainers before Adam, but none suitable to bond with. He didn't remember them, only Adam. The first human he truly grew close to.

He should've tried harder to save him. A silent whine left Lucario as a stormy sea swallowed his mind, Adam's yells and frantic splashing drowned out by thunder and the torrent of waves that tossed his body. He was his human's guardian, and he let him drown!

Then lightning flashed to reveal Lugia, indifferent to Adam's plight, and Lucario realized his trainer never had a chance. There were other survivors, he remembered. But Lugia hunted them down. He got rid of them.

Except one.

The image twisted, a frightened Eira taking Adam's place, and Lucario eyed the girl, sleeping in fear of tomorrow. He saw the human she was and the Vulpix she could disguise as, and saw why despair hadn't claimed him yet.

He lost Adam. But I will not lose another, he resolved, a wisp of aura branding the inside of his clenched fist.

I can't bear to lose a second human.

Eira guessed it was past midnight when she awoke. Lucario had fallen into a fitful slumber, the kind brought upon by constant worrying.

She got up. In her human proportions, the room felt unfamiliar. The cushioned bed she slept on as a Vulpix was now more of a plush seat, and the draped window and nearby desk much lower in elevation than she recalled. Maybe it was a little darker too?

Idly she touched her wristband. A prophecy, she thought.

If Ariados spoke the truth, she was a monster in the making, a person whose goodwill would twist into evil. She didn't want to cause any calamities, of course, she only wanted to be safe. But who could give her that?

The matriarch obviously came with risks, but Eevee was beginning to strike her as not necessarily any better, and she didn't know who to rely on. Or how each side would retaliate when they weren't chosen. Or how Mismagius — she knew too! — and Lugia would factor into everything, or that cruel, cruel prophecy. And what would Gabite do, if and when he figured out her humanity?

She was going to die. She'd been acutely aware she could, ever since she'd been on these islands, but now it seemed too real a prospect. And maybe it has to happen, she feared. How the prophecy must end.

Too many factors, too many ways to go. There had to be another way.

And, well, there was.

Eira shuddered, but held firm to her intent. Her body shifted, morphing from human to Pokemon, and Eira the Vulpix adjusted to her changed perspective. She snuck to the door.

She pried it open, its silent creak too loud in her guilty ears. Lucario didn't shift a muscle, remaining fast asleep. Please don't hate me, she silently begged him.

And then she slipped through the door, moving through the hallway, past the living room and kitchen, and then into another hallway. She stopped at its end, where the door to Togetic and Shaymin's room loomed over her. A final warning not to commit her greatest evil yet.

But she saw no other alternative. Eevee and Ariados could be allies, but they weren't reliable allies. Was Kecleon? Maybe, but he wouldn't help them here, she imagined.

She needed new allies to trust. She reached for the handle.

And then pulled her paw back. You can't, Eira! she rebuked herself.

But I have to.

They wouldn't understand!

They'll realize anyway. Gabite will tell them.

Eira, no!

She fidgeted there, paralyzed by the magnitude of her decision. Togetic had thought evil of Abhorrents before. What would stop her from thinking the same of the real her? Her love for me, she replied to her own question.

It'll do you no good! her voice of reason pleaded. Just go with Eevee or Ariados! Don't complicate this further!

But Togetic had promised to listen to her without judging. She genuinely cared. Who else? She can help us, she insisted.

You're insulting everything Lucario did for you, ungrateful girl!

You think I want to do this? she snapped, aware of how silly it was that she was vividly arguing against herself. Sometimes, she was her own best friend — and greatest foe. I'm sorry for going against Lucario, and I'm eternally grateful for him risking everything for me when he could've run away and left me to die, but Lucario's even more lost than I am! It was a good thing when I told Togetic about Eevee, wasn't it?

That was wrong too! Who cares if that did everyone a favor? For crying out, Lugia wouldn't have known you existed if—

The door opened.

Ah.

With it being the middle of the night, it took Vulpix a moment to register Shaymin in her hedgehog Land Forme, staring at her like she was the most pitiful abomination she ever laid eyes on. Dark, sickly flowers bloomed on her back.

Eira the Vulpix couldn't find her tongue, the guilt in her eyes redoubling. She senses gratitude, she recalled too late.

Shaymin craned her snout to look past her, seeing no one else. "I've never felt something so disturbing in my entire life. Forced me out of my sleep," she said, before peeking back into the room. "Togetic?"

The sleepy angelic hovered into view, before her eyelids shot open at the sight of Vulpix. A stubby arm went to her mouth, the gravity of the situation grounding her.

Well, no turning back now. "I, uh," Vulpix whispered, "think we should talk."

Togetic slowly managed a smile. She waved her in.

She and Shaymin had a rather lovely room. A flowery-looking carpet, two large cushions beside the window sill that served as beds, and a few mahogany drawers at the side furnished it, with an assortment of potted plants to complete the look, each teeming with vibrant greenery. Togetic's Treasure Bag laid on top of one of the drawers.

"I'm touched, really." Togetic's voice quavered as she escorted her to the middle of the carpet, then darted to a lamp to activate its Electric Gem, coating the room in a dim light. "I didn't think you had this much faith in me. Lucario doesn't know?"

Vulpix shook her head. Her nerves ate at her, the false vixen resisting her growing anxiety. She looked at Shaymin, a little frown on her face.

Togetic frowned too. "Yeah, I get it, you guys would prefer that I leave," the Mythical said in a strained voice. "I just, I don't know— does it hurt that I'm curious? I know I won't like what's gonna happen, and yet—"

"I know, Shaymin. I already feel faint, just thinking about it." Togetic caressed her forehead, her breath a conscious activity. "Do excuse me, Vulpix. I need a moment to prepare myself."

Shaymin's head dropped for a good moment. "Look, I can't go without hearing this too," she said. "Please, Serene—"

Togetic whirled around. "Grace," she spoke flatly.

Vulpix felt her face heat up, sensing the sacredness behind the spoken names. Togetic and Shaymin eyed each other, as if mentally arguing, until Togetic sighed.

"Shaymin is a sister to me, Vulpix. Whatever you can trust me with, you can trust her too." She threw a stern look at the Mythical. "Don't act rash with what you learn here. I don't want a repeat of Jumpluff."

"Wouldn't dare." An unsteady smirk drew itself on Shaymin's face, one that grew shakier as she eyed Vulpix. "Go ahead, I guess?"

Togetic nodded, withdrawing to give her space. Both she and Shaymin watched with kind yet grim faces, too aware of how heavy a revelation this could be.

Eira the Vulpix had only planned for Togetic to listen first, then enlist her help in telling Shaymin. The presence of both at once made her paws clammy, and she found herself questioning everything. Only now she realized how outlandish the truth sounded. Even if they believed it, wouldn't the knowledge of a human that got past the warding towers send them into hysteria?

But she couldn't turn tail now. How could she explain this?

"Sweetie?" Togetic was starting to rub her arms.

Vulpix exhaled. "I'm sorry, I don't know," she said without thinking. "I-I—"

"Deep breaths," Shaymin offered. "You're fine. Go on."

"Am I fine?" She was slipping, she realized, and she couldn't stop. "Lugia and Ariados want me gone for a reason. You both know I'm a monster, deep down. Why else would you be so nervous?"

"Easy, Vulpix, it's just the stress of the day," Togetic said in an attempt to calm her. "It's a lot to take in, and it's appalling to learn people want you dead—"

It took all of Vulpix's willpower to keep herself from yelling. "Of course they want me dead!" she said. "Why wouldn't they?"

"Vulpix—"

"I'm not a Vulpix! I—"

Eira the false Vulpix panted, a cunning thought coming to mind. A different way to show them. "I was a Vulpix," she lied. "I got turned into a human."

Togetic and Shaymin grimaced, like the word was poison, and Vulpix felt certain she made the right choice. "Eh?" said Shaymin. "Repeat that part again? A human?"

"I expected something completely different," added Togetic. "Are you sure? How could you be a human?"

There was an obvious way to show them. Eira transformed.

She was flinching long before the duo yelled and flung themselves to the walls, terrified at the sight of her human self. "V-Vulpix?" said Togetic. "W-what—"

"Y-you just—" said Shaymin.

"Please don't panic!" Eira cried out, making herself as small as possible.

All three of them breathed in synchronization, recovering from the bombshell of forbidden knowledge. Togetic turned away for a moment, eyes squinting.

"God," she said. "I wasn't prepared enough."

She glanced back, slowly adjusting to Eira's appearance. The human shied back as she gingerly eyed her arms, her clothing, her hair, everything. Shaymin too took a gander, her expression so lost it needed a map.

Togetic opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "Go on?" she choked out.

Well, she wasn't torn apart already, that was a good sign. "I-it was a Ninetales," Eira continued, sitting down as she spun her tale. "She wasn't from around where I lived. I d-did something really bad to her, and she laid a curse on me out of sheer hatred, turning me into what I am now. I didn't know my kind could use such magic, or do something so cruel."

Togetic and Shaymin shared a glance. "I had to run away," Eira went on. "It wasn't that long ago either. Lucario was the first to find me, and he only believed my story because of his aura powers. Eevee, well, he had been looking for humans, and he gave me the wristband."

Eira ignored the putrid taste in her mouth, certain that story was convincing enough. Ninetales were said to hold mystical abilities, particularly curses, and were known to be on the vengeful side. One turning her from a Vulpix to a human? It was far-fetched, but still more reasonable than what actually happened.

And Lucario's mind-reading abilities make it more credible. They'll believe it, right?

"The ability for a Ninetales to lay complex curses on others is a misconception."

Numbness spread through Eira when she learned otherwise.

Togetic stared with a face as stiff as her voice. Shaymin held a similar expression. "I-I thought that too," Eira hurriedly said. "This Ninetales, she was different. She—"

"And a Ninetales can't turn someone into a being they've never seen anyway," Togetic interrupted her. "A human? They don't exist in Haven Archipelago."

"Gabite said you'd whisper in a different language, before gradually using Vulpix-speech," recalled Shaymin.

Eira broke into a nervous sweat. "I—"

A soft pink light flashed from Togetic's eyes. "Even your purity wavers. You're lying," she said, before backing up. "Y-you're—"

"—a real human," finished Shaymin. "From outside."

There and then, Eira questioned if she ever had a plan to begin with. Lucario would kill her for this. "I-I am," she admitted.

The cottage sighed.

Eira bit back a shriek as Togetic's heartbroken fury whipped her. "You were using us!" she said. "Lucario's just your pawn, isn't he? Was there anything he did that had nothing to do with you? Were you manipulating us through him? Is your quiet, shy personality all just an act to soften us up?" Her voice cracked. "Were you just taking advantage of my kindness, this entire time?"

In a second the angelic was upon her, grabbing Eira by the shoulders and forcing herself to see her misery. "Answer me!" she demanded. "You tricked my purity sense somehow, didn't you? What, was all that talk about there being good Abhorrents a trick too? Was everything a lie? Why are one of you monsters here, disguised as one of us? What did you come to us for, human?"

The bitterness in how Togetic called her human stung worse than anything else. What did the prophecy say about her? That she was naive, and someone whose well-wishes would go wrong.

If Togetic had never hated humans before, her fake story gave her a reason to.

"I said to answer me!" said Togetic, shaking Eira. "Speak!"

She couldn't. Eira twisted away with shut eyes, curling into a pathetic ball and waiting for judgment. She prayed it would be quick.

But nothing came. No attacks. No more yelling. In fact, it was too quiet now. Eira peeked back and—

Togetic was frozen, all her attention on the punctures at the back of Eira's dress, markings of Ariados's cruelty. Shaymin too, conflict overriding her deathly expression. They remained that way for a short while.

"Tell me I'm wrong," Togetic said with a sniff. "Just tell me I'm wrong."

Eira tried. She choked on her own words.

"Please, tell me I'm making a mistake, that you're not some kind of demon!" Togetic's tears fell on her back, each a question in its own right. "Why is this happening? V-Vulpix?"

Anguish. Eira dropped her gaze to the floor, and found Shaymin waiting. The hedgehog shot her a stern look.

"I'm sorry," whimpered Eira.

"Are you?" Shaymin answered back. "The truth. Spit it out."

Togetic composed herself, her expression a cross of pleading and scrutiny. Eira trembled as her eyes glowed pink, gazing into her very soul.

The truth. The truth would fix everything. "I-it's hard to explain," she stammered out.

"Don't give me crud," said Shaymin, "give me the truth. What are you doing here?"

"J-just a minute, please—"

"Stop stalling! I don't—"

"Let her," said Togetic, and Shaymin went mute. Eira's heart throbbed as Togetic patiently waited. Even now, she defended her.

A great mercy. She caught her breath, refreshing herself.

Lucario bashed open the door, eyes ablaze with aura, and struck Togetic and Shaymin.

Eira could barely cry out as both were smashed into a wall, Lucario Force-Palming each multiple times until both Pokemon slumped, under heavy paralysis. Even that wasn't enough as his paw whirred toward Togetic's open Treasure Bag, her guardian tossing Stun Seeds to fully immobilize them. "Change back," he barked.

Before she thought of what she was doing, she was Eira the Vulpix again, Lucario immediately grabbing her now smaller form and racing off. "Why?" Lucario questioned her.

She couldn't form coherent words to answer. Her mind found itself stuck on the way Togetic and Shaymin looked, like she'd betrayed the last of their trust. Just like how she betrayed Lucario.

What have I done?

Lucario grunted, his aurasense wavering in annoyance, and Vulpix instantly saw why. Gabite stood guard at the cottage front door, wearing his Treasure Bag and waiting for them with a predator's scowl.

"Heading somewhere?" he said.

"You were just asleep," replied Lucario.

"Lying awake in bed? That isn't sleep."

Gabite rushed at him, a sweep of his tail flinging them back. An orb crashed against Eira, and she screamed as her Vulpix body tore apart, involuntarily shifting back to human form. Gabite screeched, muttering something barely comprehensible.

The wristband was gone from her arm. Gabite held it close, his eyes in a fanatical frenzy at the sight of her. "Giba abi et gabite!" he said, and Eira realized something horrible.

I need the wristband to understand Pokemon.

Lucario's fangs gleamed as he pulled himself up, facing the Gabite blocking their exit. "Just like them," he was raving to himself, glancing at Eira's panicked form as if direct eye contact would magically kill him. His claw trembled with the wristband he stole using a Mug Orb, the first accursed orb Lucario ever saw in this hostile archipelago. "She's the spitting image of them in every way—"

He dropped his head, his voice a hoarse growl. "A human," he said, his battle stance animalistic, yet filled with crystal-clear lucidity. "You were mocking me when you joked about them at Rocky Shores, knowing you served the whims of an enslaver who breached our towers. One who took the guise of a timid Pokemon who in reality was scouting our homeland."

This. This was precisely why Eira shouldn't have blabbed to anyone, but the girl just had to do the stupidest thing imaginable. How could she make such a mistake? If not for him, Togetic and Shaymin would've struck her down.

"So this was what Ariados and Lugia sought to slay? No wonder you wouldn't tell us — it's our greatest nightmare in the flesh, a sorcerer finding our lands at long last." Gabite stomped forward, seeking violence. "But I've had similar nightmares before, and I will not succumb again. Surrender, scum!"

Never happening.

Gabite slashed, but Detect let Lucario predict the attack well in advance. In one flowing motion, he sidestepped and flicked his wrist, Gabite too slow as the third Stun Seed he stole from Togetic's Treasure Bag sent him into stasis. In Gabite's rigid expression of surprise, he thought he saw inklings of the irascible rage overflowing in his red-hot aura.

"Paranoia doesn't suit you," he deadpanned to Gabite, carefully snatching the wristband out of his claw without breaking the stun effect. He threw it back to Eira, who watched on with a heavy gaze. "Put it back on, kid."

Eira blinked at him once, before slipping the band on. "R-repeat that?"

Lucario made a face. What, could she not understand without the item's influence? "Transform," he commanded.

Eira hesitated, looking back, and Lucario bit back a curse. How foolish was this girl? "There's no time!"

"You don't—" Eira shifted form, thankfully, morphing into her Vulpix self. "Lucario, I could've—"

She yelped as Lucario snatched her and ran, bolting out of the cottage. His muscles still felt sore from Aerodactyl, the darkness obscured his vision, and once the Stun Seeds wore off, he knew the pursuit would begin.

Doesn't matter. My trainer will live yet.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 14 — Kill Her and Make This Right

Peace cozied itself at the shores of the beach. Tranquil waves out at sea lapped over each other.

A small figure, blacker than the clouded night sky, floated over the beach's coastline and found what he suspected.

A battle had taken place here, with remnants of elemental attacks scattered about. Even one with an Oblivious Ability couldn't ignore the smoking crater of burnt sand at the epicenter. He touched it, feeling bits of hot glass nick his crystalline armor-like body. And something else too, something brittle that crumbled at the touch of his oversized claw.

Shattered bones.

The figure rasped, his tail swishing with agitation. One of the keys to Lugia's domain had been activated too — it'd been hidden in the nearby Stormsoaked Shores dungeon. On a whim, he turned his head to the sea, probing its depths.

Deep within, he felt an overwhelming presence. Lugia was still here? How unexpected. For what reason would he remain in this place?

Perhaps he should send him a message. An associate, he said, spitting out the phrase with distaste, came for you today. I can shackle that hound for a favor. Give me the item he seeks, and you will find peace.

The presence shifted. Loathing emanated from Lugia, but the figure sensed the fear beneath, the storm bird swimming away to keep a distance. Ironic — he was hardly a match for Lugia. He doubted he could even get an opening to stab him with a mutagen, not that he would resort to such idiocy.

But somebody else would.

The figure spun away from the sea, having more important matters to attend to. The Dungeon Plague take you, Oblivion Matter! Where are you?

He Teleported.

Eastward. That was the direction Lucario fled in, trees blurring past.

He'd considered heading to Berrypark Town, considering it was the last place where Team Heavendust would expect him and Kecleon might be able to assist, but the low chance of finding him quick enough and the lower chance of getting actual help made him reconsider. Mismagius turned that reconsideration into a certain no.

Kecleon would curse him regardless, and he pitied his inability to at least warn him. He didn't feel any guilt, however, nor deserving of the merchant's irate temper.

This wasn't his fault, after all. "You told them," he judged Eira the Vulpix.

The false vixen hung tight in his arms, facing away from the constant wind blowing into their faces. "I—"

"Do you have the slightest idea how moronic that was?" Lucario zigzagged past a large trunk, resisting the urge to bite his lips off. "Acting behind my back and ruining everything?"

"I- they were going to—"

"Listen? Sympathize with the real you? Are you so naive that—"

"Excuse me?" Vulpix's tails swished with sudden agitation, like he had hurled expletives at her. "Who are you to talk?"

The audacity in her words nearly made Lucario trip. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. "You'd be dead if not for me!"

"If not for you? Thanks to you, now they're certain we're villains!" Vulpix snapped back. "They were just about to hear me out—"

They never would have. "Their auras were bright red! I watched the whole time—"

"They were scared! I could've calmed them down if not for you—"

Wind whistled, and Vulpix yelped as Lucario strafed to the side, but to no avail. Something plopped onto his back, between the blades of his shoulders, and he could've sworn everything seemed a little hazier, his focus dulled. It gave him a strange sense of anxiety, his sleepiness suddenly gone—

Worry Seed?

Aurasense was up too late. An Air Slash tossed Lucario into the air, the jackal hanging on to Vulpix for dear life and forcing himself to ignore the biting urge to drop prone and curl into himself. In the depths of his mind, he howled at his accursed luck.

One, his Inner Focus Ability was gone, replaced by Insomnia.

Two, Shaymin and Togetic were already free from their stun condition.

Which led to three — they were virtually everywhere. Lucario's aurasense saw Togetic's red aura darting amongst shadows with impossible speed, Land Forme Shaymin riding atop her. Their attacks spoke for them, Lucario hard-pressed to dodge Tri-Attacks and Air Slashes with a combination of Quick Attacks and Detects. Vulpix had her eyes wide and her breath shallow, understanding what would happen if he stumbled.

Which, without Inner Focus's flinch immunity, was a very real threat. One hit from Shaymin's Air Slashes would end everything. How did they catch up already? questioned Lucario, before realizing the obvious answer.

Shaymin's Natural Cure to shake off the Stun Seed's effect, Togetic's purity sensing, and a Quick Seed. His only consolation was that the Mythical couldn't fly herself during nighttime. Should've gotten rid of Togetic's Treasure Bag, he mindlessly thought.

Yet Gabite could just loan them his items, couldn't he? His sense of justice snarked back. You're failing her, you simple-minded fool. Your trainer's as good as—

An Air Slash nicked his aura feelers, Lucario growling at his poor attention span. In a deft motion he moved Vulpix, cradling her with one arm and scrabbling for the Worry Seed planted on his back with the other. Feeling its shell, he crushed it and tossed its remains away, his Inner Focus returning to him. One problem handled.

A second Worry Seed whizzed by, followed by quick beams of Tri-Attack and Energy Balls. Lucario fired back with Aura Spheres, defending himself from the hailstorm of moves. Rocks surged from the ground ahead with bright energy, and in fear Vulpix's eyes flashed out.

By a miracle her Disable connected, Togetic's Ancient Power crumbling to dust. Momentum carried her and her passenger Shaymin into a tree trunk, both grunting. "N-no wait, I didn't—" stammered Vulpix.

Hollow words. Lucario barely distanced himself before a scowling Togetic was upon them again, Vulpix stiffening as the angelic's forehead glowed up. Oh, irony, thought Lucario.

Multiple Extrasensory attacks followed, puncturing tree trunks and kicking up dirt with every explosion. Lucario practically rode the aftershocks, searching for an escape. It came in an unexpected way when Togetic foolishly darted in front of him.

Detect was enough to dodge a point-blank explosion. Lucario's aura-eyes shone as he slipped to Togetic's side and struck as painfully as he could with Metal Claw, before Force Palming her away. Vulpix hid her face as she tumbled over dirt, tossing Shaymin off. Lucario didn't let up, firing Aura Sphere after Aura Sphere at the Mythical.

And then aurasense made him roll to the side, Gabite propelling out of the earth like a bullet. Red tracking lights hovered over his eyes, which equally saw red. "Forgot someone, traitor?" he said, forcibly slowing his words to balance out the Quick Seed he too had eaten. "What did she offer you for your loyalty?"

If dead silence conveyed Togetic and Shaymin's aggression, then Gabite's rant was a garbled poem of rancor. "Or do you have a choice?" he asked, Vulpix choking on air as he inspected her like an eldritch bug he yearned to squash. "She brainwashed you, didn't she? Like they did. Making you follow her half-baked plot for who knows what."

Lucario edged back, only for the earth below him to rupture. He yelled, barely managing to leap away as a flare exploded out, Lucario having a double-take when he noticed Shaymin's paw pressed forcefully against the ground.

Gabite gave a manic grin. "She has Earth Power, you know that? There isn't a place you can run away with your monster. Maybe now you'll answer the questions bubbling in my mind? The questions that I've been waiting for SO LONG TO HAVE ANSWERED?"

He stomped closer, hissing like it was but breathing to him. Shaymin covered Lucario's back, and Togetic rose to complete the circle. Vulpix shook under a constant tremor.

"P-please," she pleaded.

Togetic spared nothing but her most demonic glare. "A friend wouldn't lie," she whispered.

And Shaymin, her dirtiest scowl. "There's a reason you two always kept so quiet about your situation," she said. "Why would you do that, when Togetic's purity sense should've been enough to trust us? Instead, the human tries to coax us with a fairytale story to gain her sympathy, and when that fails, the jackal covers for her and assaults us."

And Gabite — well, he was simply deranged. "I didn't think the rabbit hole went so deep," he said. "A human working with Abhorrents fighting against other Abhorrents. A power struggle, perhaps, a faction war? And Lugia surrounding it all? You two are the center of everything."

To all this, Lucario could only think of one thing: Paranoid idiots.

Gabite brandished his claws. "Run and I'll make this far more painful than necessary."

Vulpix squeezed her eyes, her forehead a swirling mess of psychic energy. Lucario only smirked, however, and Gabite suddenly became uncertain, fear seeping into his frame as he scrutinized the false vixen's forming Extrasensory. "A s-spell?" he questioned, Shaymin and Togetic backing up. "No, I—"

A perfect accidental distraction. Lucario grinned with relief as Eevee and his siblings razed the field.

He stood in the calm eye of their hurricane, Team Heavendust pelted under a barrage of element attacks. Fairy lights, flames, volts, waves, leaves, darkness, it all engulfed them. Espeon flung the trio at each other, Gabite unwillingly dogpiling his teammates with a roar, only for Glaceon to finish them with a sustained beam of ice.

In moments, they were frozen over, encased in layers of ice. Relief and mourning flashed in Vulpix's eyes as Lucario turned to their rescuer with his aura eyes, Eevee staring back from atop a tree branch.

"Never question me again." Eevee's siblings congregated over his head, the Abhorrent himself taking labored breaths. "Now hurry, I don't want to learn how fast they can thaw out."

Very fast, considering Shaymin's Natural Cure. Lucario ran after Eevee.

The twosome blitzed through the forest in record time, both bursting forward with timed Quick Attacks. Eevee became appalled when Lucario explained the situation, including how Vulpix had messed everything up. "Eira told them?" he yelled in a low voice.

"I'm as stunned as you," replied Lucario, looking at Vulpix. The girl pursed her lips.

Eevee rolled his eyes. His siblings floated alongside them, ready for another fight if need be. "I'll bite your heads off for this later," said Eevee. "We're now on the run, you two. We'll lie low for a short while, then get off this island posthaste. I need your full cooperation, you understand?"

Ariados's deal lingered in Lucario's thoughts, the jackal sighing to himself. Had he chosen her, what would she do to protect Eira if word about her humanity spread? Regardless, he was forced to follow Eevee now. Abhorrents of all people might know where to best stay hidden, he considered.

Vulpix made a throaty noise. "This shouldn't have happened," she lamented.

"You caused it," Lucario said back.

"I-I could've made them understand."

Though Eevee didn't understand the raw human words, he still picked up on how stubbornly foolish she was being. "You still hope to win their trust?" he said. "And I was told humans were known for their sharp intellect and insight. Even a child wouldn't be so aloof to her plight."

Eira the Vulpix writhed. The forest thinned out ahead, Lucario and Eevee reaching the hilly plains beyond. Considering their current location, Tallgrass Meadow wasn't too far away from here, with the road to Lakehome Town up north. And Stringed Forest too.

They descended a small hill when Vulpix's mouth opened. "Did you know?" she said. "About the prophecy?"

Eevee skidded to a stop, his siblings appearing uncomfortable. In the silence that ensued, Lucario realized why she asked — because Eevee would've known. Because he'd been searching for humans, and knew rumors about them.

The Abhorrent's reply came a little forced. "Tall tales," he said. "Who told her, Lucario?"

The jackal prayed it was only tall tales — that Eevee could show Eira the silliness of this whole prophecy thing. "Ariados," he said. "And some Mismagius."

"Wha- excuse me? There's a Mismagius who knows about the girl?"

Feverish warmth spread through Lucario's face. Did he have to tell Eevee about the witch? "Look, she could see through her disguise—"

"Imbeciles," snapped Eevee, his tail spiked upward and seeking to stab someone. "How'd you let everyone and their deceased Shedninjas know your secrets? Do both of you have no sense of self-preservation?"

Lucario clenched his teeth. "I swear, Eevee, I've done all I could to keep—"

"How much did you know?" Vulpix cut in, Lucario barely able to keep her restrained in his grasp. "Is it true? Am I a m-monster?"

Eevee's mouth opened to yell, only to pause when Vaporeon swooped upon him with a restraining look. The Abhorrent fidgeted and dropped his aggression, though impatience remained.

"As I said, I'll bite your head off later," he told Lucario, who snorted in response. "And Eira the Vulpix, please, save this prophecy thingy for later. We need to reach shelter before your former teammates catch up."

Vulpix tilted her head in reluctant acceptance. Scarcely did they resume moving, however, when Espeon swung her head in alarm. Lucario felt his feelers twitch, and the other siblings turned as one, Eevee darting to the top of the next hill.

Ariados teleported in front of him, accursed red tracking lights over her eyes, and swiped without abandon.

Lucario failed to process, much less react to the moment. Startled from the teleportation, Eevee took every single blow before being tossed aside by the spider, his siblings sharing his pain as their forms wavered. Espeon hurried to lock her in place with Psychic, but Ariados again teleported to Eevee, scoffing as her foreleg sharpened into a needle glowing with Bug-type power.

Eevee took the Fell Stinger to the chest and collapsed. His fellow siblings ruptured at once, turning into agonized wisps that fled back into their soul-linked host, and Ariados beheld a horrified Lucario and Vulpix with sheer malevolence.

Red energy shot up from her needle and coursed through her entire body, empowering her. "You accepted war," she hissed.

Dropping Vulpix, Lucario conjured a Bone Rush and ran at her. A foolhardy attempt, as Ariados punished him and blitzed forward to throw a Sucker Punch first, hurling him with great strength. She spat out a glob of webbing, and Lucario grunted as the sticky material latched on and expanded into a net, entangling him.

That grunt turned into an animalistic howl when Ariados forced down a flailing Vulpix, her screams muffled as the spider furiously spun her into a ball of silk. Soon she was trapped in a solid cocoon.

"I came to get a response on our alliance, and I find you here, cooperating with Abhorrents." Ariados tossed the cocoon onto her abdomen, the arm-leg appendages on her back clutching her with a death grip. "What innocence is there in such a deed?"

The Warp Scarf on her arm-leg glowed and hummed, and Lucario felt heartache. Ariados had caught them with Eevee.

No.

She was going to murder Eira.

No, I refuse!

He failed at his one purpose.

I WON'T LOSE HER TOO!

Metal Claws tore apart the Sticky Web, Lucario's guardian instincts on overclock as he flung himself at Ariados. The spider fired more webs, but he evaded with a single Detect, dashing into her—

The air twisted, and Lucario and Ariados tumbled away from each other, the jackal sensing the abrupt change in surroundings. A dirt path lay underneath him, next to the shaded woods he immediately recognized as Stringed Forest. He'd been teleported.

And the resulting dizziness cost him. Ariados wasted no time scurrying off with the squirming pile of silk that was Vulpix's cocoon, her legs moving with Agility's swiftness. She'll lose me in her dungeon! realized Lucario.

He ran, but Ariados had her headstart. The further they delved into the forested area, the gloomier it got and the more twisted the trees became. Thick webbing began to hang from the branches as an ominous marker, Lucario getting the feeling that once he went past—

Ariados vanished in the deepest part of the gloom. Lucario gasped and dove after, his body tingling as the Mystery Dungeon laid bare its true form before him.

The twisted trees stayed, but spider webs now grew all over the moody place, silk dangling from tree branch to tree branch. Coarse brown paths covered in stray leaves, sticky webbing, and fallen twigs carpeted the ground. Eerie bug-like noises chattered in the background, an irritation to Lucario's ears.

And Ariados stood a distance away, mocking him with her still gaze. "Drop her," rasped Lucario, his body burning up with a warning flare of aura.

Ariados blinked at the brilliant blue light, the tracking lights over her eyes shifting in tandem. Red-purplish mist swirled around her foreleg.

Lucario moved too slow as she struck the earth, a field of mist bursting out and condensing into enraged spider Pokespawn. Green Spinarak restrained the jackal with String Shots, and tiny yellow Joltik jumped and shocked him with their Electrowebs. In moments he was lying on the ground, the spiders crawling all over him.

He could've sworn he heard Vulpix's voice, drenched in terror as she called for him. Despair stabbed Lucario, and he hacked away at the swarm of Pokespawn, fighting to save the one and only thing keeping him from breaking apart. "ARIADOS!" he roared out.

The matriarch scuttled away. In his mind, eyeless Unown forming the phrase 'Stringed Forest, B1F' jeered at him in garbled, distorted screeches.

Lucario yelled like never before.

She was a goner. Eira the Vulpix knew that. And yet she screamed for help anyway.

Nobody came. Nobody could.

Though only the tiniest gaps in her cocoon did she even see what happened, Lucario fighting off the swarm of Pokespawn with a ferality that matched Gabite's. She shivered when Spinarak walked past her and Ariados like they were invisible, the spider waving them toward Lucario with her hindleg.

She'd been told Ariados held minor control over her dungeon — that was where she was now, wasn't it? — but summoning and commanding Pokespawn did not feel minor. How much power did Legendaries have then in controlling dungeons?

Ariados turned a corner, obscuring Vulpix's ability to see Lucario's plight. The hole in her heart throbbed.

This wasn't how she wanted to reunite with Mother.

All this because she messed up her talk with Togetic and Shaymin. She'd been too worried about saying the truth, too slow to say it, and Lucario's overzealousness in keeping her safe ruined her last chance. They could've hindered Ariados from spreading the word about a Vulpix disguised as a human, she thought. With their reputation as explorers, people would believe them over her, right?

And Kecleon didn't already do that for you, Eira?

Vulpix frowned and let her eyes droop.

Perhaps owning the dungeon gave Ariados a sense of direction too, for she quickly found the stairs she sought. You didn't plan for anything, her inner voice snapped as Ariados descended, darkness covering what little vision Vulpix had as the entrance sealed itself. Once Ariados revealed the exact disguise you're taking and who you're with, who'd save you then? You never knew how Togetic and Shaymin could help you! You just hoped they'd understand.

True. All of it was true. She put herself at risk without even knowing what payoff she wanted, and that brought her here. But we needed allies, she still argued. People to trust.

And so you compromised Lucario and Eevee's trust.

Ariados emerged onto Stringed Forest's second floor, Vulpix stuck in a hopeless rut as she hurried onward to carry out her execution. It was stuffy in the cocoon, come to think of it, like a bed blanket thrown over her entire body. A sticky, gross blanket she could practically taste, pressed too close against her muzzle and making her want to gag.

Another set of stairs. Vulpix waited as Ariados delved into the third floor, wondering when she would do the deed. How much distance did she need from Lucario? He can't save me now, she whimpered.

Her eyes glazed over an Oran Berry covered in layers of webbing, squished into a gooey and unusable mess. I'm going to die.

Oh, get a grip, Eira.

Her inner voice took on a commanding tone, alerting Vulpix to her left paw. It had a little wriggle room in her cocoon, just enough to shift her paw freely.

Ice Shard. You can cut open the cocoon.

A pointless effort. She'll catch me again, Vulpix muttered.

So? Fight her off. Run away. Or do you really have no sense of self-preservation? What would Lucario think?

She hesitated. Questioned her chances.

What would Mother think?

Vulpix's chest burned. She commanded her inner frost, and a single, needle-like Ice Shard manifested within her paw.

It was a slow, grueling effort. The webs were thick, and she needed mobility. She twisted her little ice blade to hack away at the silk holding her foreleg first, giving her a little more wriggle room. Carefully did she move, trying not to alert Ariados. Much to her alarm, the spider was already crawling into the next staircase, and with a calmer gait than usual.

She had to hurry, or else. Vulpix tore at the webs bound to her chest, and then her other paw, chopping them off with the kind of deftness she reserved for chopping up a salad for Mother. And then shuddered, because the thought of it made her homesick, and she had no home left.

Just keep going, Eira, she told herself, cutting through the webs and through her pain. Please, keep fighting.

She breathed a little easier upon tearing off the webs smothering her face. She couldn't reach her stiff back legs or tails, but fine. She cut up enough of the internal cocoon. Now she had to rip it open.

She elongated her Ice Shard into a dagger, but scarcely did she begin to thrust holes into her cocoon when she realized Ariados had entered one more set of stairs, stone covering the entrance and plunging her into darkness. "The jackal has too many advantages," Ariados muttered aloud. "Better typing, aura powers — I only bested him with Kecleon's help. But he's too far away now to track us."

Dim moonlight streamed in as the door at the bottom of the stairs opened up to Stringed Forest, B5F. Vulpix gasped as Ariados tossed her down, the vixen rolling into a tangle of limbs within her cocoon.

Barely could she see Ariados's face peek into the cocoon, the red lights over her eyes gone. "Trying to escape, weren't you?"

Vulpix cried out in pain as the spider jabbed her through the cocoon and deep into her fur, poison oozing into her wounds. Nausea flooded her mind, a burning sensation in her veins. Bad, Bad!

Vulpix thrashed in her prison, throwing her whole weight to the side, but Ariados kept digging her bladed legs through the cocoon. Each time, more holes were punctured through the string. An opening? A way out? Was Ariados helping her? Of course not, she wanted her dead—

Poison made her delirious. Scars from Aerodactyl's earlier assault burned anew, and Vulpix felt her tipping point. Her mind was fire, and fire wanted to explode.

It did. Extrasensory sent her ripping out of her prison, and Ariados toppling onto her back. Remnants of her cocoon clung to Vulpix's back, the vixen slicing them off with an Ice Shard and wriggling her tails free. Wow, she should've blown herself up with Extrasensory earlier! It was so liberating to be able to walk and prance around again—

Eira the Vulpix threw up bile and yelled at what little sense of being she had to run. Somehow she thought of the dungeon stairs — Feebas had been poisoned before, and she cured herself by going down a dungeon floor. She had to hurry.

Ariados lunged at her, and Vulpix's wide eyes shone on the spot before dodging, the spider hissing as she took the Disable and tumbled past her. The vixen peppered her with Ice Shards, making a blind run for it as the spider screeched.

Twice the vixen toppled before rolling back to her unsteady feet, her forehead burning up again. "Stay and die!" demanded Ariados as she came upon her again, only for Vulpix to send her keeling with Extrasensory's concussive force. Why did she want to get rid of this poison again? Extrasensory was easier to use with all this pain aiding her—

Vulpix grabbed her face with her tails and ran harder, zigzagging between corridors. She stumbled, somehow dodging a String Shot, and found the stairs before her. Her head spun, and she practically tripped inside.

Ariados came after, but Extrasensory instantly threw her out, a sliding stone moving to block access to the stairs. The spider crawled back and peered through the gap, chittering with rage as she thrust her appendages against the stone. For a moment Vulpix feared she'd force it open, but the spider reconsidered in the end, retracting her legs and letting it close.

Total darkness came over her, and Vulpix groaned from happiness. Her muscles slackened, leaving her to lie content on the stair steps. Already she felt the poison fading, and with it the sick feeling that made everything woozy.

How did she pull through against those odds? Pokemon were such hardy creatures.

No time to reflect though. Injured and hurting as she was, Vulpix kept her pace up as the stairs opened up, leading her to the sixth floor of Stringed Forest. How many more to go?

And what next, for that matter? Where would she go if she escaped? Gabite might've found Eevee in his knocked out state already, and waiting for Lucario would only make her an easy target for Ariados. Maybe Kecleon? But chances were that Team Heavendust already alerted Berrypark Town to what she was, and Mismagius complicated things further. And Togetic and Shaymin definitely won't help me now.

Distress grabbed her neck, but she shoved it off. Spotting an incoming group of Spinarak, she iced them in Powder Snow before fleeing from the remainders. Somehow, she would make it. Lucario was her main hope now. He had to make it, but first she had to escape Stringed Forest. And Ariados, who could appear at any moment.

Spider webs lay on the floor around the next staircase. Vulpix sidestepped them and went in, glancing outside the stairs as it closed itself off. She gasped when something snuck in, instantly showering it in snowy pellets.

When light finally filtered in from the exit, she found herself staring at a freshly made Joltik-popsicle. The Pokespawn shuddered inside until it evaporated into wisps, Vulpix restaining the urge to pity it. She moved down the stairs, freezing when she saw floor seven.

It was like an entirely different place, the dungeon air losing its foreboding touch. Gone was the ominous webbing and dreary darkness. Well, there was string lying around—

But they made up hammocks and silky ropes hanging around a large village of houses built with modest materials. Wooden, cozy homes, clean dirt pathways, stone structures mixed with ones of faded clay and brick, and lantern lighting gave ambience to the sleepy place, the faux night sky above twinkling with dot-sized stars. Some of the buildings seemed to be reinforced with webs, while others had silk threads layered onto them, dyed in muted colors as an oddly cute decoration. Towering, not-so-gnarled trees surrounded the whole place in a kindly circle, with much smaller ones growing inside the village itself.

Nobody wandered the streets this late. Vulpix turned back, surprised to find she'd stepped out of a gate-shaped knothole in one of the giant trees around the perimeter. The tree in the opposite direction housed a similar hole, clearly the dungeon's exit.

Stringed Forest Village, Vulpix read the information the red-purplish mist the dungeon gave her about this place. It's beautiful.

But she couldn't dawdle. She needed to reach the other side.

As she went down the streets and past humble houses, however, something told her it was too quiet here. Almost sure she could hear legs skittering and moving about, she glanced at windows built with string nets for meshes. She saw nobody, but her fur spiked up regardless.

Afraid, she beelined for the knothole. Her paws kicked up a puff of dust as she came upon an empty field that could pass for a training area.

And there she found someone. An old-looking scarab beetle with white, prominent white hairs and a beet red face that sharply contrasted with his teal body. Waiting.

He floated mid-air, holding a purple sphere with a red-pinkish sphere inside with his arms. "I was told we might have visitors," he croaked. "You're the one, aren't you?"

Vulpix had a double-take upon realizing the Pokemon's mouth was above his eyes. As it turned out, he was upside-down, holding his sphere with his legs. What kind of Pokemon is he? she wondered.

As if hearing her, the Pokemon inclined his head. "Our matriarch told my name to you, human. I am Elder Rabsca."

Elder Rabsca. The one whom Ariados learned the prophecy from. Vulpix sucked in a mouthful of air, her feet suddenly refusing to budge despite the threat of Ariados's imminent arrival.

Not as if it mattered. Emerging from the darkness, a stern Heracross stomped into view, the large beetle flexing its powerful arms. Then a creepy green-brownish spider with a mustache and cylindrical arms and legs, bunched into pairs so that it stood much like a human trained in martial arts. A Scyther flew beside him, the two bickering to each other before staring at her with muddled curiosity.

Now Vulpix was certain she felt eyes watching her back. In the alleyways, she spotted ample shapes, all retreating with hushed whispers upon being spotted. A Butterfree was one of the exceptions, her hands clasped as she watched the scene. Another was a Larvesta, her five red horns drooping as she spoke with the trembling Wrumple beside her.

Turning to the knothole exit, her resolve faltered as she found a tarantula Pokemon she guessed was a Galvantula, standing guard. "You're trapping me here," she said.

Rabsca eyed the villagers who'd joined him with a melancholic chuckle. "So you're not mute," he said.

"The matriarch," grumbled Heracross. "She said she would return with the human and her Lucario accomplice. To find them a way out of our homeland."

"But the infiltrator comes alone," hissed the green-brownish spider, waving at Vulpix. "A sign, a terrible sign. She will destroy us."

"I doubt it, Spidops." Scyther elbowed the spider, who chittered back with anger. "This is the prophesied human Ariados worries herself to sleep over, Rabsca? What a strange thing for our people to fear. She's so timid, so underwhelming, so—" he waved his mantis-like blade. "So pitiable."

"An irony." Rabsca shook himself, facing Vulpix again. "I sense your thoughts and memories, child. The prophecy scares you."

Vulpix only noticed it then, a silent pressure prodding at her head. The other villagers' gazes shifted, and she looked over her shoulder with expectancy. A short distance, crawling into the lantern light, was a tired-looking Ariados.

She caught up.

"I'm sorry that I cannot comfort you," said Rabsca, and Vulpix sensed he meant it. "But I know my myths well, transformed human, and your presence aligns with the prophecy. Somehow, you're meant to harm us."

"I—" Vulpix pressed her tails against her, forcing out the words. "How? In what way could I shatter the world? What—"

Ariados's leg tapped her spine. She shivered.

"My people remember how this dungeon swallowed up our home," stated Ariados. "We were lucky. As the dungeon warped our land and ravaged the village, I stumbled upon a strange shard-like piece, blue with red-purplish veins and a distorted, shadowy aura, and accidentally absorbed it." She closed her eyes, reliving the memory. "It gave me fl*dgling control over this place.

"The village survived intact, and Pokespawn wouldn't harm us so long as I willed it. Still, it never should've happened, and many of my people left in fear. The rest of us wondered what would come next." Ariados tsked. "Then along you came, an ill omen in a time of erratic dungeons and Abhorrent monsters. And you chose to ally with one of those monsters."

Murmurs came from all around. Vulpix felt like a spectacle on display, a criminal for a mob to dump their grievances upon as she took in Spidops's vicious scowl and Heracross's hardened gaze. "The Eevee," Rabsca said. "If you'll excuse me, however, dear matriarch? She's helping him, yes, but apparently to find a cure for the mutation—"

"Is it possible her naive wish to do good will go horribly wrong? Has she deceived herself with a false song?"

Hearing an echo of the prophecy's verses, Vulpix found herself gutted, a nameless anxiety made crystal-clear to her. Why did she feel a little hesitant to work with Eevee? Why did she think Togetic and Shaymin were better options?

Because she feared this. Because maybe helping Eevee would inadvertently bring about the prophecy.

Scyther sighed as if he was the only reasonable person around these parts. "Surely the human recognizes her mistake, matriarch," he said. "If we must get rid of her, why do we commit to murder? Wipe her mind of this place if you want, cast her off the islands by tying her to a ship or by finding some Ultra Wormhole to drop her in—"

It took massive amounts of willpower for Vulpix to not violently squirm. Ultra Wormholes? Anything but those horrible murder rifts, anything!

"—but killing is a grave thing. Death could prove her innocence anyway, that another human is fated to do the deed. Must we be so rash?"

More murmurs. Heracross softened a little at the thought of execution, and even Spidops seemed reluctant to kill, human or no human.

It meant little in the end. "Only a villain or a naive fool works with Abhorrents," Ariados chided, before expressing a piece of her inner turmoil. "Believe me, Scyther, I'd prefer this to end without bloodshed. But humans are too dangerous, and this one chose a path toward our world's destruction. The dead can't come back to haunt us."

She pinned down Vulpix. "Your guard dog isn't the only one who'll go to any lengths to protect what he holds dear," she whispered, a strain in her voice. "You know what you are, and fear yourself just as we do. By killing you, we make things right."

Vulpix shivered. In spite of knowing she was a goner, in spite of the prophecy's condemnation, she still clung to life. "Please," she begged.

Scyther fidgeted with his bladed mantis-like arms. "You're sure she's a human?" he said with a tone of defeat.

Ariados's leg snapped toward Vulpix's wristband. She snatched it away.

She may as well have torn off her skin and muscles, Eira feeling herself rip apart before forcibly morphing back into her normal self. Gasps from the village audience ran around at the sight of her larger, helpless human form, Rabsca turning away and Scyther eyeing her with resignation. Heracross's face was a mask, Spidops hissing beside him.

Ariados said something she couldn't translate without her band, which she now threw to the ground. The leg she wasn't using to pin her down glowed, seeking to rip apart her only means of protection.

It was silly, really. She couldn't do anything to stop Ariados, yet she still reached out to spare her wristband. Instincts from being a Vulpix held on tight, Eira calling upon her spirit as her hand moved forward.

It scared her when her soul responded. Ice formed.

Ariados leapt back as much as she did, everyone present freaking out at the bolt of misty frost that left her fingertips. Eira and Ariados scrambled away from each other, Eira withdrawing her hand and disbelieving the sheer cold she felt come out of it. What? Did she— how? How?

It was too surreal to think about. In a daze she turned back to the wristband, left unclaimed. "Rii!" screeched Ariados, darting to snatch it away first.

A loud whack reverberated throughout the village, and Ariados went high into the air. Eira's eyes rose with further disbelief as she grabbed the wristband and met Lucario.

Her saving grace had come, and a boulder's weight was lifted off her shoulders.

And then she realized something was amiss. Lucario was growling like mad, aura bone spinning in his paw and his chest heaving with fury. Recklessly he leapt at Heracross, striking away his powerful horn and hurling him with a vicious Force Palm. An uproar occurred amongst the hidden villagers, Rabsca fleeing for his own safety while Spidops shifted into a fighting position. Scyther scowled and joined him.

String Shots flew out from the shadows, Eira hastening to put the wristband back on before morphing into her Alolan Vulpix form. Few targeted her, fortunately, the villagers focused on restraining Lucario as he slammed into Scyther with a roaring rage. Spidops swung his many arms only to receive a brutal uppercut, Lucario grabbing his body to use as a meat-shield against the String Shots. What's gotten into him? thought Vulpix.

Silk covering his sputtering face, Spidops locked his arms behind Lucario's and flipped. The jackal gasped as he flung him off in a fancy act of acrobatics, Vulpix feeling the impact of his body crashing into one of the stone buildings. Ariados reemerged, her visage warped into pure disgust as her foreleg glowed red-purplish.

Pokespawn appeared at her command, Spinarak and Joltik striking the stunned Lucario. He can't fight them off, Vulpix realized, before shaking herself. Not alone.

She rushed to Lucario's side, aware of Spidops moving to stop her. Intense focus sent her into a trance, and Vulpix's forehead lit up, Extrasensory forming with an awaiting hum. Hers to command for once.

She fired, and the explosive force sent him careening away. Vulpix continued onward, tossing Ice Shards and buffeting Ariados's Pokespawn in Powder Snow, the matriarch watching them vanish into wisps with widened eyes. Those eyes shifted to Lucario, who pulled himself up with a dark cackle.

"You'll pay," he said.

"Stop them!" Ariados ordered, and Scyther moved. He and Lucario traded blows, swiping at each other with swift strikes, Lucario's greater strength only beset by his accumulated fatigue. Vulpix's Ice Shards instantly put down Scyther, however, the mantis staggering from the super-effective blows.

Lucario knocked him away without a second glance, dashing toward Ariados with vengeful intent. Ariados's eyes widened, her face twisting into a look of unbearable horror—

Vulpix Disabled her Scary Face, Ariados flinching from the stun. Horror followed when Lucario followed up with a barbaric Bone Rush, bludgeoning her like it was his sole mission. One definitive strike and she was sent sprawling, labored breaths coming from her chest.

And he kept going. "Lucario, stop!" cried Vulpix.

"YOU'LL PAY!" said Lucario, bashing her again and again as Ariados feebly fought back. "TRYING TO KILL HER—"

Vulpix pinged him with an Ice Shard, Lucario swinging around to freeze under her cold stare. "She's not worth it," she said, "just get us out!"

That pulled him out of his bloodlust, thank goodness. Lucario growled once at Ariados before moving to the exit, and Vulpix followed, clutching her head.

Villagers moved in the shadows, spitting out String Shots and other attacks, and Vulpix covered for Lucario by blocking with her Powder Snows. The Larvesta from before rolled in, a spinning wheel of fire that she stopped cold with her icy breath. Butterfree flew in, only to flee back as she fired Ice Shards at her. Heracross again came for her, but Extrasensory again pushed him back, knocking him into an unprepared Spidops.

The villagers were generally wary enough not to engage. Their real hurdle to escape came instead from the knothole exit itself — the Galvantula there had webbed it in crackling Electro Webs, making it impassable. Rabsca too was there to defend, his eyes glowing with Psychic force.

Lucario and Vulpix found themselves immobilized under its weight. "I truly am sorry," Rabsca said, "but I am obligated—"

Disable. Rabsca reeled and lost his Psychic hold.

Scyther, Heracross, and Spidops converged on the exit, a wounded Ariados teleporting to the sidelines. "They can't escape, THEY CAN'T!" she yelled, and Galvantula moved to defend her temporary web trap. Lucario engaged the electric spider with Bone Rush, and Vulpix charged up Extrasensory, aiming at the web. Ariados engulfed her leg again in red-purplish dungeon aura, seeking to delay them with Pokespawn.

And then blazing darkness everywhere. Black flames ravaged the area, the web somehow spared from the attack, and Vulpix turned around as Ariados screamed.

She screamed too. Pretty much everyone in the village was screaming, all eyes on the large shadowy monstrosity whose claws nicked a hyperventilating Ariados. "Now why is everyone awake at such a bewitching hour?" asked Aerodactyl.

White spindly pieces of regrowing bones floated in his body. His skull was barely existent, his mouth nothing more than a wreath of darkness that parted to reveal a throat of shadowfire. Not him, not him! thought Vulpix.

Aerodactyl gave an unhinged smile, his teeth made up of solidified void. "My, even the Lucario and Vulpix brat are here," he said with a polite snarl, Lucario's face white as a sheet. "You know what a nuisance you and that Eevee were, getting in my way? I'd love to chat with you—"

He swung his head toward Ariados, pressing his claw deeper. "—But I have business here. I've heard of your dungeon, Ariados, the one you've tamed with a very special item. Give it to me." His other claw unfurled, and Vulpix had a heart attack at the corrupted icy Z-Crystal he carried. "Now."

Nobody dared to move. Not Scyther, nor Heracross or Spidops. Rabsca was a stiff statue, the other villagers made a point of hiding from Aerodactyl's bright red eyes, and Ariados was looking onward like his threat was far graver than any human-related prophecy. And it was, for Vulpix realized if she gave up control of the dungeon, she gave up the entire village.

Ariados couldn't do that. "You are testing me," purred Aerodactyl. "Amusing. But I've had my fair share of being tested, and while your item only mimics a fraction of the power I seek, it'll suffice in the short-term. It will make for a wonderful gift to a friend of mine." A smile too large for a creature of flesh and bones stretched across his body of dark miasma. "But of course, we're not yet friends, are we?"

He was going to mutate her. Despite all that Ariados did, Vulpix couldn't stand the thought. She eyeballed Lucario, who bared his teeth, yet offered the slightest of grim nods.

Aerodactyl's back was turned. "I can fix that," he said, Ariados shaking as he raised his corrupted Icium-Z. "We can make a trade offer, you see! My gift for your—"

Vulpix let loose a Disable, and as Aerodactyl screeched and spun to glare daggers at her, Lucario leapt in and ripped the Z-Crystal mutagen out of his grasp.

Instantly Aerodactyl clawed at him, the crystal tossed to the ground in the scuffle. Scyther moved faster, however, slashing without abandon at the shadowy monster. Then Heracross and Spidops, the latter hissing with disgust as they ganged up on Aerodactyl. Being little more than a mass of darkness over a barely reformed skeleton, the blows practically warped his very shape, Aerodactyl writhing as he kept nabbing the crystal only for a well-timed strike to make it slip out of his claws.

Nobody else dared clutch the crystal, too afraid of risking Aerodactyl's full ire or getting accidentally mutated. Ariados's face stayed stuck looking upward, as if Aerodactyl still held her.

Lucario clutched his feelers as Aerodactyl imploded, his body of shadow turning into ever-shifting black ooze. His eyes were white spirals, Vulpix pressing her lips at the static clouds cloaking him, otherworldly screeches coming out of whatever his mouth had been twisted into. Distortion Frenzy, she realized.

Still Heracross bravely assaulted the crazed Abhorrent, Scyther grunting and following suit. Mindlessly Aerodactyl swiped his mangled not-quite-a-claw, frothing when an uneasy Spidops pinned it down with a Sticky Web. He thrashed and swung his tail, only to clutch his face when Vulpix fired another Disable. A terrible crackle sounded as his head morphed into a myriad of gnashing mouths, one somehow stretching out to grab the unclaimed Z-Crystal.

A smile blossomed on that mouth as it flung the crystal at Vulpix. Just barely slow enough for her to see her life flashing before her eyes, to see pure devastation in Lucario's as he fired an Aura Sphere to intercept—

The crystal paused mid-air, stuck in a Psychic hold just inches from Vulpix's snout. The false vixen tumbled back in reflex, looking to Rabsca but finding him just as bewildered, his Psychic apparently still Disabled. The Aura Sphere harmlessly flew past.

And then Aerodactyl screeched at a new yet familiar torment, Scyther, Heracross, and Spidops backing off as Eeveelution spirits attacked his distorted form with their elemental attacks. He turned his head of mouths in time for a collision course with a stony Eevee's Iron Tail.

The attack sent him flying into Galvantula's Electro Web, partially tearing it. The resulting electrocution practically shocked him back to clarity, Aerodactyl reforming into a blob of dinosaur-shaped shadow with shattered bone pieces floating within. He pointed at Eevee, but the Abhorrent only batted an eye. "What, too weak to control us?" he taunted.

In front of the dumbfounded village, he struck once more with Iron Tail, felling Aerodactyl. Espeon levitated the Icium-Z in front of him, giving him a front-row seat to watch it shatter under her and Umbreon's attacks. Vulpix breathed out.

Saved. By Eevee. How'd he recover so fast from fainting?

Spidops took a step toward Eevee, but Heracross stopped him, waving at his ghost siblings. Ariados finally stirred, her eyes glazed as she eyed Eevee, then Lucario. They lingered a little longer on Vulpix, lost.

"I'm taking back the girl, so no more funny business, please and thank you." Eevee whipped back to Aerodactyl, his voice loud and theatrical. "Maybe there's some good to this catastrophe after all? You can't run this time, Aerodactyl. Your people have mutated too many good Pokemon, and now you're going to spill everything to me, right in front of these lovely folks."

The little fox stared down the large shadow dinosaur. "Who's behind this madness, and how does Lugia play into this? Who's this Primal Gear person you mentioned, a colleague of yours? Talk, you blighted creature! How do I freaking cure this disease you're wrought upon us so me and my siblings can live normal lives again?"

Aerodactyl rasped in pain. "N-no cure."

"Don't give us that kind of—"

A black crystalline figure Teleported on top of Aerodactyl and pushed with Psychic, Eevee tumbling back.

A final round of gasps resounded throughout the village. Vulpix quaked as she beheld a fusion of fables floating before her, fearful wonder crossing Lucario's face. "Gear?" said Aerodactyl.

Primal Gear. He was a Mew, covered in the black prism armor of a Necrozma. The floating cat's three-fingered claws were nearly as large as his entire body of crystal, and his eyes were twin murals of colorful stained glass.

Vulpix could only be mesmerized in front of the dazzling Abhorrent. A Mythical creature of innocence and delight — said to have the essence of every other Pokemon that did and didn't exist — tainted with the power of a Legendary being of light that once ravaged Alola. Z-Crystals came from Necrozma, she recalled with a jolt.

Perhaps Eevee thought the same thing, pulling himself up to face the Mew. "You make the mutagens," he breathed, his siblings shaken at the Mythical's sheer presence. "You're the leader?"

Ariados sucked in a mouthful of air, fearful whispers coming from villagers trying to keep hidden in the darkness. Mew swept his eyes over them, then over a still Rabsca. Over Heracross, Spidops, and Scyther, rigid and afraid. Over Lucario, a storm of sweat on his brows.

His eyes strayed toward Vulpix for far too long, the vixen feeling like her own inner cold would freeze her to death. Mew's mouth quirked, and a metallic laugh scraped his throat.

"I am not," he said, his voice like clanging pieces of iron. "Nor do I make the mutagen itself. You and your two canine friends hindered Aerodactyl's quest to mutate Lugia?"

Fear. It flowed in Vulpix's veins like poisonous quicksilver. Did he see her mind? She never sensed it. How much did he see?

"Wise," he said when Eevee nodded. "I am Primal Gear, but Mew will suffice." He flicked Aerodactyl's snout with an irritated grumble. "Pleased with yourself, Oblivion? You've wasted the altering Z-Crystals just to stir trouble, your stunts with Lugia nearly caused pointless destruction that could even rouse the cowardly Legendaries out of hiding, and now I've shown myself in front of a crowd just to save your sorry tail. For once, you might get more than a simple scolding for this unauthorized venture."

Eevee and his siblings tensed, objecting to Mew taking away the vile Aerodactyl. As did Lucario, who formed an Aura Sphere.

Mew arched an eye and formed his own Aura Sphere in half the time, Vulpix wincing twice as hard as her allies did. "The Ariados," whispered Aerodactyl. "She—"

"She safeguards her cursed village with an item I refuse to take," snapped Mew. "But of course, the idiot who nearly created a feral Lugia doesn't understand the necessity of morals."

Ariados became a confused mess at this, her eyes drooping to the ground in contemplation. Lucario frowned as he made his Aura Sphere dissipate, and Mew in turn did the same.

"I thank you for stopping Aerodactyl, but I can handle him from here. Eevee, you and your siblings seek a cure for your most unusual and unfortunate mutation." Mew waited for Eevee to acknowledge this before continuing with a wistful look. "I wish you luck, for I don't know if there is one either. And as you've put it, we have mutated too many good Pokemon, haven't we?"

With that he began dragging Aerodactyl, who hissed as his shadowy form scraped the earth. Mew tossed him into the knothole exit, nobody contesting him. He entered after, vanishing inside.

Vulpix's tails touched her chest, her heartbeat erratic from the string of extraordinary events. Lucario and Eevee turned around to face Ariados, the spider stiff as stone.

"As if fate itself interfered," Spidops muttered. "We're not meant to get rid of the human."

Heracross regarded Eevee, who gave them a warning glare. "If the human and her Abhorrent did save us from a rampaging Lugia," stated the large beetle, "can she still be the prophesied one?"

Scyther scoffed. "Whatever she is, Their Highnesses can handle her for all I care. Who kills a child?"

The few villagers within earshot grew more and more hesitant, the fight drained out of them. Ariados moved her mandibles to yell, then stopped, eyeing Vulpix like she was something she no longer knew what to do with. Rabsca was the one to approach their group, shaking his head.

"Just go," he said.

They did. Amidst the chaotic whispers of the village, Vulpix, Lucario, and Eevee entered the knothole. A tunnel of darkness greeted them inside, stretching onward.

"Another big name amongst the Abhorrents," said a rankled Eevee. His siblings scowled with him, ticked off at losing Aerodactyl.

Vulpix tailed them and a speechless Lucario, Heracross's words lingering in her head. Eevee was an Abhorrent, yet one who'd been helpful all this time to her. Surely she wasn't naive by following him? Nothing prophecy-related would come of it, right?

The thought of it made her light-headed, as if the last hour or so hadn't already done that. Team Heavendust, Ariados, Aerodactyl and Mew, it all overwhelmed Vulpix. What could come next? Her head fell to her wristband, the one Eevee gave her, and only found a greater burden. In all the excitement, she'd all but forgotten a life-changing detail.

She cast ice. As a human.

But that's impossible.

Eevee and Lucario vanished in the darkness, and a pallid Eira the Vulpix joined them, leaving behind the village of Stringed Forest.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 15 — Bonds Altered

Lucario panted, aura eyes constantly darting everywhere. Out of Stringed Forest's gloomy shade he went, Eira the Vulpix behind him and Eevee and his ghostly siblings in front. Mew and Aerodactyl were nowhere around, having likely Teleported away.

Eevee led them south through the rocky plain fields, passing by a small grove that held one of the entrances to the Tallgrass Meadow dungeon. Their haste belied their fatigue, accumulated throughout the day. If I have to fight again, it'll be too soon, Lucario muttered.

Even now Mew's appearance left him stunned, as it had the Stringed Forest villagers, who strangely let them go. A mere grace period, he growled to himself. Once they overcome their shock, they'll return to their stupid paranoia, and Ariados will hunt us again.

His sense of justice boiled with displeasure. Letting Aerodactyl mutate her was too far, fine, but he should've made her pay in blood, until she learned never to approach Eira again. A due recompense for the suffering the filthy spider gave them. He just saved his human from murder yet again, for crying out loud!

Never again, He told himself. No more risks. Have to keep her safe, even if it kills me.

Have to keep her safe.

The thought became a mantra as Lucario redoubled his vigilance. In the cover of the night, he and the others kept creeping through the plains, watching for unfriendly lurkers or human-hunting explorers.

Trees swarmed them soon enough, the terrain growing rugged and hilly. A dense forest shrouded them in soothing comfort, the cries of unaware Hoothoot chirping in ambience. "I've got a hideout nearby," Eevee stated. "We'll rest a short while there."

Rest. What a sorely needed comfort. "You certainly look like you could use it," said Lucario.

Vulpix raised her head, as if stumbling out of a bad dream, and Eevee and his siblings turned with haggard faces. "I'm running on a Tiny Reviver Seed," said Eevee. "I ate it before saving you from Team Heavendust, and it gave me a second wind after Ariados knocked me unconscious, which is how I caught up to you guys so fast. It won't keep me afloat for long, though."

A scowl. "Espeon didn't notice Mew in Stringed Forest with us. Had he chosen to fight, or had Aerodactyl been in better shape—"

Lucario clenched his teeth, refusing to think of it. "I tried reading Mew's thoughts," he informed Eevee.

"Oh? And?"

It was at the same time he formed his Aura Sphere. Lucario had hoped for a better insight into who this Primal Gear person was, but instead? "I was blocked," Lucario said. "It was like the threads of his aura were folded in on themselves. Couldn't sense even an emotion."

Except one. Mew had sensed his failed intrusion, and found it funny. Rude to invade one's privacy, isn't it? he had teased, before making his own Aura Sphere twice as quickly.

Mismagius could create hallucinations to throw Lucario off, but never had someone's aura been entirely untouchable. Then again, wasn't Mew a Mythical? His cordial attitude was much more baffling in comparison, leaving Lucario all the more confused about the Abhorrent menace. "I don't get him," he said. "What made you think he made the mutagens, Eevee?"

If Eevee was upset that Mew's thoughts were unreadable, he didn't show it. "He makes the Z-Crystals," he corrected, glancing at Vulpix. "You noticed, didn't you? Mew is part Necrozma."

Vulpix gave a dreadful hum. "They're from another world," she whispered. "They eat and control light itself, which can be shaped into the crystals."

The fur on Lucario's back stood on end. Yep, definitely a good thing that Mew didn't fight them.

"Point being, he makes the Z-Crystals holding the mutagen, not the mutagen itself — or so he himself said. There's corrupted Mega Stones too, but no clue who makes that." Eevee stared at his siblings with a tight grimace. "Dunno what to think about Mew either. He's courteous, like the Lycanroc who—"

He paused as Jolteon and Umbreon gave him odd looks, and Vaporeon a cautious one, much to Lucario's curiosity. "Story for another time," said Eevee, flicking his tail in a direction. "Hideout's over there."

So it was. They stopped at a large, rocky hillside with thick bushes adorning its base, Eevee moving aside shrubbery to reveal the opening to a burrow. Tonight's sanctuary.

The entrance was a little tight, but the inside was blissfully spacious, the ceiling well above Lucario's head as he crawled in and stood. Vulpix scooted in after, Eevee covering the entryway back up before joining them. A Will-O-Wisp flew out from Flareon's misty body, its faint light letting Eevee find and activate an Electric Gem-powered lamp lying to one side.

The resulting illumination revealed a small collection of items stored in the burrow — berries, seeds, orbs, and whatnot. "My humble stockpile," said Eevee, flicking Oran Berries at the pair. "Eat."

They did. All of them took their berries, Lucario slumping against the wall as the rejuvenation effect kicked in. Vulpix heaved, caressing her chest, and Eevee laid down and breathed.

For so long it'd been one crisis to another. This once, Lucario could settle down. He could relax. Chances were they wouldn't get another moment of respite until they reached Kabutops.

Yet Lucario couldn't embrace the moment of serenity. He stayed restless, his nerves itching. His aura eyes kept searching about, a million thoughts zipping through his head on how things would somehow get worse, because they always did.

For crying out loud, even Vulpix had gone rogue, this whole disaster caused by the foolish girl's blabbing. What else?

Vulpix's head was in the clouds, he noticed. Her stoic face masked the grand turmoil Lucario could tell was brewing in her head. Fears of prophecies, of Eevee, of herself—

You know better than to pry, he scolded himself, keeping away from the details of Vulpix's thoughts. The temptation ate at him, however — didn't he have the right to know what bothered his protege? Surely he deserved that much for his troubles.

Seeking a distraction, he instead focused on the raw fatigue leaking from the Eeveelutions. Their forms seemed to waver, Eevee looking ready to collapse — and perhaps he would, if not for that Tiny Reviver Seed he mentioned. "You fine?" asked Lucario.

Eevee scraped his head against the earth. "We'll live."

"I could Heal Pulse—"

"Healing won't cure exhaustion. I've been fighting non-stop today, you know? Stormsoaked Shores, Stringed Forest, doing everything I can to keep you safe — you're putting me through the grinder, trying to clean up your messes."

Lucario bristled. "I said I'd bite your heads off, didn't I?" said Eevee, Vulpix snapping to attention at his barbed tone. His siblings stood behind him like a grand jury, impartial as could be. "You never knew what you were doing, Lucario. It's only a matter of time until word reaches Their Highnesses, and if anyone's going to mercilessly search for you, it's them. All my efforts to keep your human secret, and you couldn't do your one job?"

"Things spiraled out of control, do I have to keep repeating that?" said Lucario, noticing Eevee's aura was a mixture of blue and orange. "And in case you forget, Eevee, you ran like a coward when Togetic spotted you at Mud Passage, told us nothing about the dangers of staying transformed—"

"You set a Lugia on us." Eevee lowered his head, as if aiming his crystalline crown of spikes to impale Lucario's throat. "As if letting Ariados find you wasn't bad enough, you brought Vulpix to the Psychic Legendary responsible for your shipwreck. What were you thinking?"

The orange was creeping up on the blue. "And you," said Eevee, pivoting to a pale Eira the Vulpix. "I warned you not to trust your teammates so much. And what did you do?"

"I—" Vulpix's voice came out hoarse. "I-I needed help."

A scoff. "You let her get too attached, Lucario. But I admit, I could've done better too. I could've taken charge from day one and marched straight to Kabutops, instead of letting you make the idiotic choice to join Team Heavendust. You're not cut out to care for your human."

Lucario's sense of guardianship churned. What? Excuse him?

"Yeah, you heard me. You couldn't handle the responsibility, and now Haven Archipelago's going to hunt you like vermin. So I'm taking matters into my own paws — from now on I decide how to best keep her safe. Not you."

Not you.

Thunder rumbled in Lucario's clouded mind. He was already worn out from the series of unfortunate events he'd been subjected to. Already ticked off at Eevee berating him for matters outside his control. Now he dared undermine his devotion to Eira?

"I gave my life to serve her," Lucario snapped, rising to his feet. "You think you care as much for Eira?"

"Considering I gave her the means to stay safe in this archipelago? More than you ever have."

Shock. Then addled fury.

Eevee's orange aura seemed borderline red to Lucario, like an enemy's. "Take that back," he said, grabbing the startled Abhorrent to the alarm of both his siblings and Vulpix. "You take that back now!"

"Wha—" stammered Eevee.

Espeon fired a warning glare. Drop him, she demanded, the other Eeveelutions tensing up.

Of course, Eevee's siblings only chose now to interfere. "She means the world to me," growled Lucario. "You only want her for Kabutops's experiments. Take it back, Eevee!"

Eevee flailed out of his grasp, rolling away. Lucario would've darted after him, if not for Vulpix blocking the way. "W-what's with you?" she said.

Fool girl. "You're defending him?" questioned Lucario. "The person you're afraid of?"

Vulpix's face froze over at being called out, the Eeveelutions all turning toward her with baffled expressions. "What?" said Eevee. "Why would she be afraid of an ally?"

The kid looked between him and Lucario, squirming in place. She pawed the ground.

"You knew about the prophecy?" she said.

Eevee's face twitched, before darkening. "Tall tales," he stressed. "What nonsense did Ariados feed you? That I was going to lead you to destruction?"

No longer could Lucario ignore the prophecy's existence, however. And with Eira's words, something suddenly clicked. "You gave her the wristband," he realized, "making her the 'transfigured human that doesn't belong.'"

It was as if a light winked out in Eevee's eyes. He stilled, as did the Eeveelutions, as if they were no longer of this earth. Distress contorted Vulpix's face.

"You're steering us," Lucario accused. "Trying to bring about the stupid prophecy? Or maybe it's the other way around. You knew you needed to get rid of her, but wanted to get your cure from Kabutops first. You made her become the ill omen just for your own petty needs."

No response from Eevee. Vulpix trembled and curled into herself, the jackal certain he nailed her exact fears. Of course, even the Abhorrent who gave them the wristband was a threat, and his siblings were on it too. What a punchline.

There wasn't anyone to trust on these islands. Lucario turned to the burrow entrance.

Instantly Eevee was in front of him, his face drenched in sweat as he blocked the way. His siblings held a myriad of emotions, ranging from unease to concern, and from anger to worry. "We need her," insisted Eevee. "Lucario, please, this isn't—"

Idiot. Lucario charged Aura Sphere.

Eevee paled but held firm in the wake of the crackling sphere. None of his siblings gave any indication of charging their moves — perhaps because they couldn't afford to. "One hit and you all fall," he said.

The soulbound Abhorrents shared their vitality, and Eevee was spending plenty of it just to stand. "I can't lose my lead," he said. "Reason with me, Lucario! Your girl was in this prophecy the moment she bypassed the towers. I swear, I didn't know giving her the wristband—"

Aura Sphere fired. And if not for Espeon's telekinesis diverting the homing projectile to the side, Eevee would've been a goner. "Come and take my human," said Lucario, readying another sphere. "I dare you. She's mine!"

Funny how Togetic had a point about the limits of his aurasense, although instead of Jumpluff, it was Eevee he should've scrutinized more. Even now, his pacified gray aura held streaks of stubborn orange, his words half-truths at best. Lucario could feel it — he knew interacting with Eira could lead to the prophecy, somehow, some way.

Everyone wanted his girl, huh? Over his dead body. "Final warning, Eevee!"

Still Eevee stood, the brave dunderhead who led his foolishly loyal family. My brother meant no harm, Vaporeon's voice came through telepathy, the corresponding ghost standing guard over Eevee. Please, Lucario, let us explain ourselves.

He caught on to their trick though. Espeon was using Psychic to pull from the item stockpile an orb, while Eevee pulled from his neck-pouch a Stun Seed. Lucario instantly fired his—

He staggered, Disable's blue light paralyzing him and his Aura Sphere evaporating into thin air. "Stop it!" yelled Vulpix, throwing herself in between both parties. "Enough! Lucario, quit it!"

Vaporeon glowered with annoyance at Espeon and Eevee, the twosome abashedly putting away their items. "Eira—" snapped Lucario.

"Do you need to beat up everyone?" she spoke over him, her voice shrill. "Eevee's all we have!"

"He's using us! Eevee's not our ally!"

"Just let him speak—"

"He caused the prophecy to—"

Vulpix's eyes flickered a vile purple. "Stop."

And Lucario did, so flabbergasted was he to find himself the target of Vulpix's Spite. The girl squeezed her eyes, instantly mortified by her own action, but kept going.

"What's with you? You didn't have to hurt Ariados so much!" she said. "Or make enemies out of Togetic and Shaymin like you did! And now Eevee too?"

She was going rogue again. "Eevee doesn't care about you—"

"But you do?" Vulpix stamped up to him with icy defiance. "Enough to ignore your sense of justice and let me do something terrible to the entire archipelago?"

Lucario quivered.

"It doesn't matter." Vulpix kept her firm stance, even as her voice quavered. "I don't care if Eevee brings about the prophecy. If I'm destined to be a monster, nothing can stop that. Do you know what that's like? That one day, You'll break the world by doing evil, thinking you did something good? And that someone has to break you to stop it? If you do care, w-would you stop me?"

He couldn't. He didn't want to. He pleaded he didn't have to. The enormity of such a deed pained him.

Why was this archipelago so bent on taking everything he had away? Why did it take Adam?

"I-I can't lose another human."

Vulpix's tails drooped. Mercifully, she didn't say aloud the dreaded words he sensed she was thinking of, a thought so close to the tip of her tongue his aurasense detected it with little effort.

Maybe you have to.

Eevee sighed, Lucario turning over. The Abhorrent was pawing his Z-Crystal anklet, tracing its grooves and edges. Sylveon moved close to him in what looked like a comforting gesture, one he weakly waved away.

"It's my siblings," he said. "I take it back, Lucario — I got carried away and misspoke. It's not Eira I care about, it's my siblings. I wanted your girl because I'm desperate to fix what I've done. I mentioned a Lyranoc when we came here, remember?"

Eevee's siblings all turned toward their brother as one, in a way that made Lucario concerned. "He mutated you?" he guessed.

"I took the mutagen willingly."

Eevee gave a forced laugh as Lucario's eyes bugged out, as did Vulpix's. The what?

"I was fueled by greed — Kabutops told me a good number of Abhorrents are like that. The weird blue Lycanroc who gave it, he even warned me of the dangers, but I didn't care. The idea of having your own, unique Eeveelution? Tell me it doesn't sound enticing." His tail crumpled into itself. "It's my fault my siblings are chained to me as undead spirits."

We could not know, comforted Vaporeon, getting nods from the others. It was unusual, even by Abhorrent standards.

Biting words formed on Lucario's tongue, but Vulpix's warning stare made him swallow them back. "So it was a mistake?" she asked.

"The same way that me giving you the wristband was a mistake," said Eevee, Vulpix flinching at the heat he spoke with. "I didn't know about it. Never looked too deep into this prophecy."

"It's a prophecy, you didn't—"

"Have a choice, Eira? Ariados wanted you either dead or off the islands to avert the prophecy, am I getting that right?" Eevee harrumphed at the slow nod Vulpix gave. "Then that cinches it. We can avoid it, but I ensured its continuation by giving the wristband. Sure, I didn't know how the prophecy would occur, but I knew it existed, and I ignored it."

Turmoil floated within Eevee's aura, its color a pale blue. "I assumed it was just prejudiced legends. I thought that in case you couldn't go home, you could instead start anew in the relative safety of a backwater village, without having to explain you're tied to a doomsday prophecy. But if Ariados wasn't lying, then it's not a legend, is it? I gave you the one item that ensures you're the ill omen, just for my own petty needs. I-I didn't want that."

Honest words, true as truth could be. Eevee dropped to the ground, vulnerable, and all traces of Lucario's rage left him. Regret kicked in afterward, the jackal questioning why he hastened to assume the worst — that Eevee's role in the prophecy made him yet another villain to save Eira from.

How ironic. He'd been ticked off when Shaymin and Togetic assumed he was a thief, then later a sympathizer with evil Abhorrents. Yet he was acting no better. Was Eira right? he wondered. Could I have talked to Togetic and Shaymin first before striking?

Have I grown too zealous in protecting my human?

Regardless, Team Heavendust would never trust him now. And Ariados's deal was in cinders. Had he been an actual leader, not some dumb Pokemon meant to take a trainer's orders, they wouldn't even be running for their lives.

But no time for what-ifs. He'd salvage what he still could. "Eevee," Lucario began, "I shouldn't have—"

"We're all tired, Lucario." Eevee wore a forced smirk, seeing his repentant face. "I feared I'd lose your human, just as you did. I lashed out first, and you—"

You mean we lashed out? said Jolteon. All of us?

Flareon shook his furry mane in disagreement. Technically, only Eevee said anything—

But he speaks for us all, Sylveon said with a flourish of his ribbon feelers. And some of us felt Lucario ought to be berated.

That does not count as—

"Point being," Eevee said, both brothers going silent at his pointed stare, "that what's done is done. Listen, we can still overcome this prophecy with Kabutops's help. He lives in Swampblot Island, south of here. An Abhorrent can't cross the sea, of course, never mind our Lugia dilemma, but there's a dungeon with a secret route that'll warp us over. Nobody will find you once we're with Kabutops, and we'll work from there. Help each other out."

A dungeon that could take them to another island? What a perfect way to skirt around the Legendary-shaped threat breathing on their necks. Lucario nodded before looking at Eira, the false vixen relieved to see them getting along.

A frown still adorned her muzzle, though, as she considered the murky future ahead. "You really think we can escape the prophecy?" she questioned. "T-that Kabutops can get me back?"

"We can only—"

Espeon shook with alarm, and Lucario tensed, both turning to the side. In the distance, red auras closed upon them. Three of them.

Everyone else may as well have been hit by a Stun Seed, realizing what was wrong. "Hope," finished Eevee, the word symbolically wilting as it fell off his tongue. "Oh."

He moved to his stash of items, seeking an Orb, but too late. One of the auras came close, and the ground shook with bloody violence.

Lucario collapsed instantly, his knees giving in. Too late did he register the Worry Seed plinking the small of his back. Air Slash came right after, he and Eevee gasping as their bodies caved in against its blustering force.

Eira! was all Lucario could think. EIRA—!

Eira the Vulpix was in agony. The ground was her archnemesis, shaking her physically and mentally. Eevee was already out from the first Air Slash, his siblings falling with him as they exploded into unconscious mist, and several more barraged Lucario until he too collapsed. She yelled his name, then cried out as Tri-Attack lit up the area, sniping her to produce the sensation of an electrifying frostburn.

It hurt a lot. Both the beam and Togetic's unrepentant face.

She stumbled away, unable to look away from the angelic, nor her expressionless Shaymin rider. At least, until the floor broke apart, stones flying as Gabite emerged with tracking lights over his eyes and a desire to maim. He wasted no time, Iron Tail sweeping around and sending her hurtling.

It hurt a lot too. Worse than Togetic's attack, in fact, and yet less.

The cavern wall rudely cushioned her crash landing, ripping open healed scars. The agony was completed when a Mug Orb crashed against her, the third time Eira felt her Vulpix body burn to sizzling ashes and reform into her true human self. She scrambled back in a daze, aware Gabite was following up with a crazed Slash, and raised her hands in defense.

The attack never came. Eira raised her head in wonder, before feeling the raw chill coming from her hands.

Which were emitting magical, icy mist. Which Gabite had reeled back from, his eyes dilated and a fearful hiss on his lips.

Togetic and Shaymin were as stiff as could be, equally unprepared to see human magic. Eira could relate too — she stared at the sorcery spewing out from her hands for a solid, bizarrely tranquil moment.

They're afraid of this? she thought.

Maybe Lucario influenced her more than she thought, for inwardly, she found herself indulging in dark laughter. It was ridiculous! Team Heavendust found them, she was defenseless, and all that protected her was some silly magic mist—

It's over.

The thought seized Eira, leaving her an empty shell. Almost like how she'd been since accepting Father's death.

For so long she hid in fear, clinging to sparks of hope. But at last, there was absolutely no escape. And even if there was, why delay the inevitable? If it wasn't Team Heavendust who caught her, it would be Their Highnesses.

As reassuring as Eevee tried to be, her leaving the islands was always a long shot — at least this way she wouldn't get a chance to fulfill that horrible prophecy. What good was freedom, after all, if freedom forced her to hurt people? If it forced her to destroy an archipelago?

She was tired of fighting.

She didn't want to anymore.

She'd rather accept whatever came next. Better than living a life of fear — fear of both her hunters, and of herself.

Her only regret was dragging Lucario and Eevee into her mess.

Eira let the cold mist abate, slowly raising her hands in surrender. Gabite, Shaymin, and Togetic side-eyed each other, nobody so much as twitching in the brief lull of the moment, before Gabite started barking words at her. Which she barely understood, being without her wristband and all.

It must've shown on her face since Shaymin realized and spoke to Gabite, waving at the wristband he tightly gripped. Gabite scowled, then muttered to himself, before chucking the accessory at her. Eira chose not to test his patience and slipped it on.

Team Heavendust circled her, Shaymin leaping off Togetic and Gabite stealing from Eevee's pile an orange orb with a black swirl pattern. The Foe-Seal Orb broke into motes at his command, the black swirl forming into beams that circled Eira before solidifying around her arms and torso, restraining her in an energy ring.

They still wanted her, it seemed. "You're not finishing me off yet?" asked Eira.

Togetic and Shaymin's expressions cracked ever so slightly. "Did I ask you to speak?" Gabite said, flashing his claw. "But no, that's not our duty. We'll show you to the Dungeon Board, and they'll handle the rest. Ship you to Their Highnesses or whatever."

Meaning she'd become a prisoner of the kings, maybe for life. How should she feel about that? Scared? Relieved?

"Now spill, spy," ordered Gabite. "I want answers straight from your mouth, not whatever filtered junk the authorities would give us. How did you find us? What are you after?"

There was more to those questions than just what Gabite was asking, Eira could tell. They wanted the whole story. Fine with her — maybe Team Heavendust would at least hear her out.

"I wasn't meant to be here," she said. "Lugia and Aerodactyl fought at sea, and they sank my ship. The humans who survived got past the towers somehow, but Lugia finished them off. He told me I'm the only one he missed."

Whether it was the off-chance of other humans lurking on the archipelago or the murder of so many souls that sickened Togetic and Shaymin, Eira couldn't tell. "And we're supposed to believe your sob story?" said Gabite, his scowl growing.

Figured. This conversation was pointless too. "How can I make you believe?" asked Eira. "Have Togetic see for herself?"

That drew the angelic's ire. "See what, your false purity?" she said, Eira wincing at her strained tone. "Just quit it already! You're just trying to pull at my heartstrings, acting innocent to prey on me."

"I-I'm not acting—"

Gabite pushed his claw near her throat, demanding her silence. "Why would a Lucario work with a creature like you, or a Kecleon merchant?" he said, red tracking lights sizzling with his barely-contained fury. "No, you influenced them with your magic, maybe with your human gizmos too, all as part of some greater plot involving Lugia and the Abhorrents. You enslaved their minds, the way Aerodactyl enslaved Eevee's and Corvisquire's."

Shaymin alone showed no real loathing for her. In fact, she seemed uncertain, if not curious, like she was but a complicated puzzle to solve. Worn out too — only now did Eira notice the half-healed wounds she, Togetic, and Gabite had, the result of Eevee's ambush.

"I demand the truth, infiltrator." Gabite pulled his claw back a little, his voice a grating whisper. "I know your humans better than you think, you and your powers. But you'll never get us again. You'll never get me again! Answer me, what were you doing in my team? What did you do to our brethren beyond the sea? Why must your blasted kind plague us too?"

Eira felt the full force of Gabite's heaving breath, scarcely able to look away from him. His gaze burned her tender flesh, and the tracking lights seared it further. One strike, and it was off with her head.

But it was too late to fear death. And her earlier outburst with Lucario made it all the easier to snap a second time.

"What did I do to you?" she said, letting the ordeal of the past week burst out of her. "I joined your team because I was lost! Because I didn't want to die, like my parents did! I just learned today that humans have magic, because no one does back home — only the wristband Eevee gave me keeps me safe! That and Lucario, who Shaymin knows I'm grateful to for choosing to help me, when he could've left me to my fate!"

All her work learning the Vulpix tongue, and it culminated in this. Shaymin's grasslike pelt whitened to match her fur as she dwelled on her words, while Togetic sputtered, trying to order her to stop but too rattled to do so. In the back of her mind, Eira wondered if she could reach out to them after all. Make them see past their prejudices.

Not that it mattered. Above all, even as Gabite widened his maddened eyes, his claw rising in a final warning, Eira simply needed to vent. "Get a Psychic if you won't believe," she said. "Can't you tell, Gabite? I feared you as you feared me. I'm just a poor girl you could kill in a single—"

"Enough!"

Gabite struck. Her chest was on fire.

Arms bound, leaning away was all Eira could do to protect herself. The Slash tore through her regardless, ribs screaming from the dreadful strike. "Cursed creature!" Gabite roared. "Keep your poisoned words—"

His eyes noticed the bloodied gash he sliced through Eira's chest. He blanched, then raised his claw.

Stained red.

A drop of blood fell from it, and he let out a mangled noise. Fumbled back, veins popping out of his forehead. Kept staring at his claw, Shaymin and Togetic just as calamitously horrified by the sight.

"Wha—" Gabite choked out.

"G-Gabite!" stammered Togetic. "You j-just—"

"She bleeds?" said Shaymin.

Breathing hurt, her lungs possibly fractured — not that Eira could check with her tied hands. What about me bleeding? she thought, bracing against the bitter torment. Of course I'd bleed—

Except that was because she wasn't a Vulpix. She was human. Pokemon don't bleed easy, Lucario, you know that? Gabite's words echoed in her head.

But humans bled easy.

Team Heavendust was in disarray, Gabite wiping the blood off his claw to little avail. "No, this can't be real, it doesn't make sense!" he said, unable to stop shaking. "Why does she bleed? They never bled!"

"They?" Shaymin said in a raised voice, before her eyes refocused. "Crud, Togetic, help her!"

Togetic may as well have been splashed with a bucketful of water. A shrill gasp left her as she pulled an Oran Berry out of her Treasure Bag in record time.

She thrust the berry toward Eira's mouth, pleading with her. Eira obeyed and bit.

Warmth diffused through her wound the moment the juice dribbled down her throat, the bleeding stanched by its healing properties. Togetic went on from there, Life Dew condensing over the gash and knitting it shut at the angelic's command. A haunted, gaunt look filled her face as she did her work, as if imagining the consequences of leaving the wound open.

Gabite was in a wild trance, eyes squeezed and half-choked gasps of air coming out of them. "It shouldn't be possible, it—" he said, before violently snapping his head. "No, shut up! Don't mock me now!"

Shaymin's brows narrowed. She glowed green, and Eira and Togetic gagged as the overwhelming scent of Aromatherapy ruined their sense of smell. It hit Gabite particularly hard, the dragon-shark rousing to meet Shaymin's scrutinizing look.

He pressed his non-stained claw against his forehead. "I-I need a moment," he said. "Handle the girl."

And he turned and Dug into the ground, burrowing away.

Shaymin and Togetic hollered after him, but he was long gone. They shared a frown, before Togetic let her eyes wander about the room, taking note of a slumped Lucario and Eevee, then the faint lantern light in the back of the cavern. Then the item pile, before reluctantly turning back to Eira.

A new fear lit her eyes. Not one of humans, but of what she could do to them. "I don't understand," she whispered.

Funny. Kecleon switched sides after learning how defenseless humans were. "Tried to warn you," muttered Eira.

Exhaustion left an edge in her voice, one she couldn't fully dull. "Kick me while I'm down, won't you?" said Togetic, copying the exact tone. "What do you want with me?"

"Togetic—"

"I put my trust in you, and you lied to me! I tried giving you a second chance, and you just stood there and let Lucario beat me senseless!" Togetic scowled, but it held no real bite, Eira seeing the insecure, emotional mess behind it all. "And now this, as if this wasn't already the most taxing, painful day I've ever had in my life! As if you haven't already broken my little heart into a million pieces! And all I can think is why — why do you have to put me through this? Why did you have to come and turn everything upside down?"

It took everything and then some for Eira not to crack. "I didn't want this either," she said.

"You think? I'm suffering too, you know! But no, you don't think about that! You still keep tugging at my feelings, making me hurt inside! You made me miserable, you stupid, selfish monster—"

Togetic forced shut her mouth and swallowed the hot coals on the tip of her tongue, a kingdom's worth of tears streaming down her face. She turned away, huddling in front of the lantern. The rest of the cave dimmed, her sobs an inconsolable melody Eira could hardly withstand.

"Y-you're so fragile," said Togetic. "Why is this happening? V-Vulpix?"

Anguish. Eira dropped her gaze to the floor, and found Shaymin waiting. The hedgehog shot her a tired look.

In a way, Eira did feel like a monster, or rather a monster in the making. "I'm an ill omen," she whimpered.

"Oh great, you're going crazy too? As if me being forced to be the responsible one isn't enough." Shaymin rolled her eyes, before softening her expression. "Small wonder you're grateful for Lucario. I don't know zilch about humans, but Pokemon don't bleed like that."

"I-I mean—"

"Kecleon trusted you, didn't he? Kid, please, the truth. Spit it out before I lose it too."

The truth. Eira told her the truth.

She told her about the shipwreck again, her original encounter with Kecleon and Ariados, her close-call with Aerodactyl, and how Eevee gave her the wristband. She told her about the help Kecleon gave them, then how Ariados found her, but with the desire to strike a deal instead of killing her. She told her about Mismagius, who'd been apparently on to her from the start.

She told her about the wristband and its creator Kabutops, whom Eevee wanted to bring her to. She told her about the band's limits, how she'd nearly torn herself apart by being transformed for so long, and the damage Aerodactyl did to it. She told her about Lugia and his intention to wipe everyone's memories of her before eliminating her, like the other humans.

She told her about the events at Stringed Forest. She told her how afraid she was, all this time. She told her about Lucario — how he'd been on the shipwreck too, and his unwavering loyalty to get her back home, no matter the cost.

She told her about the prophecy.

She told her the whole truth, and incriminating as it was, that included the prophecy. Even the mention of Mew only had Shaymin bat an eye, but the entire prophecy discussion left her ruffled. "I'm an ill omen," she repeated. "Even if I'm innocent now—"

"Nope, don't you finish that sentence." Shaymin paced for a moment, grumbling to herself, before shaking her head. A mournful look overcame her. "You lost your parents, you said?"

Eira bit her lip. "My Mother. Father's been gone."

Togetic fidgeted and hugged herself tighter in the corner. Shaymin regarded Eira, taking in her meek, human appearance.

"This is stupid."

"Huh?"

"You being some evil outsider spy? Never made sense." Shaymin gave herself a little smack. "Third time I've assumed ill of you and Lucario. I got so blindsided by how suspicious you guys acted that I got sidetracked from the freaking fact that you're just a frightened young girl. A human, fine, but what do I know?"

Eira could practically feel Shaymin's self-anger trying to burn her from the inside out. "Your whole week's been a bunch of trauma drama," continued Shaymin. "And you're somehow not a broken mess inside?"

Well, she was close to being one — she was barely keeping herself together, just knowing about the prophecy as it was. "You already told others about me, right?" Eira asked. "I-I should probably turn myself in—"

"Nevermind, you're a total wreck." Shaymin shook her head. "You realize the chaos we'd have if word leaked about a human running amok? We haven't told anyone — we were focused this whole time on combing the entire region, before you could escape and force us to warn the public. We hoped to show you to the Dungeon Board as quietly as possible, and to get answers ourselves."

Oh. Huh. Her secret was still relatively contained.

"Being honest, I still don't know what to make of you, and I feel like we gotta keep you on a leash, just in case. But turn you in because of some dumb prophecy?" The silver shine of steel shimmered in Shaymin's eyes. "Nuh-uh. Not happening. Togetic, you tell her."

Togetic lurched. She faced Eira, seeing her for the first time as a human and not a creature. Her face, soaked in dried tears, twisted with regrets.

"I—" She shuddered, turning sideways. "I-I can't talk to her, Shaymin."

"Hey, it's fine—"

"I m-manipulated her. Made her speak when she d-didn't want to, told her I'd trust her no matter what and t-then immediately broke my promise." A loud sniff. "I-I've hurt her, and I d-don't know why. H-how can I pretend i-it's all fine?"

Only now did Eira notice the energy ring restraining her was gone — long gone in fact, probably while she'd been busy telling everything to Shaymin. The desire to comfort Togetic made her move—

Pain. Too much of it in her chest. She caressed it, wincing as bones protested against the touch. Her head spun.

Togetic was already there before Shaymin could yell, alarm in her eyes. "Your internals d-didn't heal," she said. "D-did Eevee give you an Oran beforehand? Oh, for goodness sake, Orans aren't as effective if you've already taken one, and I-I can't heal internal injuries with Life Dew — Shaymin, I can't h-help her! I never wanted— I wish I could—"

She paused. Shook. Then exhaled.

"Wish." Determination overcame her as she brought her nubs together, hyperfocused. For a moment, all was still, before a tiny white sphere bloomed to life in her arms. It grew, becoming a ball of mist, lights twinkling inside with loving desire. Togetic let it coalesce, before releasing it.

It hovered overhead, curious. Thoughtful. And then it enveloped Eira, and amazement prevailed as a powerful soothing mended her chest from within. Bones repaired themselves, and muscles squirmed, the human gasping as they knit themselves back.

The pain lingered, but no more than mere soreness. "Uh, Togetic, was that—" Shaymin asked.

"Wish. Learned it just now. I-I had to, I can't let her—"

Togetic looked at Eira. Eira looked at her. Their eyes slid off each other.

Togetic groaned and pulled away, a faint pink light coloring her eyes. "I can't turn you in," she said, peeking at Eira's soul. "You're innocent, you have to be. Oh, what have I done? I wish I c-could say sorry, but I don't deserve—"

"Please, Togetic." Eira's voice came out raw. Was this real? Would she be safe, against all odds? "I-I'm fine."

The angelic choked and buried her face, dropping to the ground. Shaymin patted her in reassurance, whispering something into her ear. She weakly nodded.

"G-give me time, sweetie," she whispered. "It's a lot to t-take in. I'm just going to—"

She stood for a long while, trying to recuperate. As was Eira. Shaymin too. Too much had happened to them all.

Eventually Togetic pulled herself together. She glanced at Shaymin, before moving toward a fallen Lucario and Eevee.

Her guardian was healed first. Shaymin was on standby, Eira crawling over as Togetic cast her Wish upon him, then prepared a second one for Eevee. Lucario trembled, a hoarse noise leaving him, before blinking bleary eyes. He grimaced at Eira's scarred chest wound, caused by a now-absent Gabite, then at Shaymin and Togetic. Realization followed.

"L-Lucario?" said Eira.

"You're too much, kid." Lucario formed a dull scowl. "What did I miss?"

Underneath the harsh demeanor, however, his immense relief washed over her. His gratitude touched the heavens, and Eira felt it, nearly as overwhelmed as Shaymin was. Bliss.

Eevee hacked and sputtered, Togetic scrambling away as he shook himself. He cocked an eye, seeing everything too. His scowl was much more meaningful than Lucario's, yet far more tired.

"Not a midnight person, huh?" Shaymin made the vibrant flowers bursting to life on her back retract. "Gabite's away and Togetic's emotionally taxed, so I'm somehow in charge. You mind if I ask questions to corroborate the human's story?"

Eevee lifted a paw, before deciding it wasn't worth the waste of energy. "I hate you."

Gabite surfaced, his haggard appearance enough to spook the surrounding hills and dense forestry. His claw sunk deep into the bark of an unfortunate tree, Gabite instantly regretting it as his mind conjured the sensation of piercing an animal's flesh.

Like an animal. Humans were like animals. Magical animals, yes, but just as easy to tear apart.

But it can't be.

It was. He knew that. His claws were wiped with dust, yet the smell of blood lingered still — all the perfumes of Tumbledust Island could not sweeten its stench.

It's an illusion. Another human trick.

And that was what the human who masqueraded as a Vulpix wasted her magic on? He and his teammates were battered enough from Eevee's assault, and she chose to use hallucinations? Instead of freezing them with super-effective Ice energy?

It doesn't matter! the fear-addled part of Gabite's brain kept screaming. She's one of them! She—

You can never escape us.

Gabite jerked. The red lights over his eyes winked out as his Radar Orb's power faded, leaving him only scant starlight to see. And in the darkness of the night, he swore he saw their figures. Human figures. Robed. Decayed. Grinning.

She'll subjugate you too. Finish what we did, and release the inner monster your kind always were.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Gabite hollered, sinking his claw further into the tree and giving it a one-armed death hug. "I escaped you! Never again!"

The raspy voices wouldn't stay silent though. They kept murmuring, whispering, taunting — forcing him to relieve his darkest traumas. Slithering their foul magicks into his head, even though he was islands away from the dungeon they were trapped in, and driving him mad. Just as intended.

It was a lot like what Aerodactyl could do to Abhorrents. Eevee probably understood what it felt like too, having one's mind enslaved by horrific, undying demons. Aerodactyl's voice even reminded Gabite of them, to his disgust.

But the Vulpix faker. She only resembled them in appearance and name, he realized. His captors were eerie, unnatural things a Legendary could fear. Not-Vulpix was like how Porygon-Z, that amnesiac robot built by freaking humanity, had described their kind. And he could kill her.

It was luck that he managed to escape those twisted human creatures so long ago. Even evolved, he'd have to fight for his life against them. But this girl? A swipe to the neck and he'd be a murderer.

It's you or her, beast. She'll claim you.

"No," hissed Gabite.

Make the difficult choice. Give in to your lower self, or else face a lifetime of horror again! An animal cannot be free until it executes its captor!

"Shut up!" A terrible pounding rang in Gabite's ears. "Get out of my head!"

Humanity was meant to subjugate! You creatures are our tools! It is engraved in your souls—

Gabite screamed and, before his wild instincts got the better of him, threw himself prone. He embraced the earth, and the earth embraced him back, giving him its love. He clung tight to that love, yelling to himself that he was more than a mere creature, that the voices weren't real, that he wasn't still in that horrible horrible dungeon of mind-broken primal Pokemon amongst Pokespawn and fiendish fiendish human-like sorcerers that wanted him too to break break break—

There's nothing to be afraid of here, brother.

Braixen's gentle, gentlemanly voice was the balm to his inflamed mind. The rasping voices vanished like the mirages of Tumbledust Island, and Gabite rested a claw on his chest. Then grunted, remembering where he struck the human girl, and instead caressed his forehead.

There was nothing to be afraid of, indeed. With the panic settling down, Gabite's spinning mind grasped at puzzle pieces, seeing past the fact that Lucario's girl was human, and seeing the actual facts. It made no sense, after all, that Kecleon could be mind-controlled by such a frail girl, or that she was up to anything diabolical. Why go to so much effort anyway to join a random explorer team?

She was so bad at being covert it was ridiculous. And if she had enthralled Lucario and Kecleon, why not Ariados too? Or him and Togetic and Shaymin? The longer he analyzed the situation, the more he got the picture of a confused fish out of water.

He too was confused. Or baffled? No, he was lost. So lost on what was happening, or how. How did she get past the towers? He wondered. And didn't she say there were others, whom Lugia got rid of? Why is Eevee helping?

Too many questions. Too many uncertainties. If the human was a threat, it was the most roundabout, unconventional one he ever saw. Gabite pulled himself up, taking in a whiff of fresh midnight air, and let himself be one with the forest, hoping to find the peace of mind he needed to figure this out.

All he found was madness though. And he wanted to shout at the world for what it threw at him.

"How?" he questioned. "How?"

He stood there for a long while, trying to understand. And failing. He didn't know.

But he had to. He needed to.

But he couldn't! She was human, the one thing he—

But he needed to know—

Rustling noises. Gabite whirled over, blade unconsciously outstretched. The figure of Togetic came into view, her glowing eyes puffy and her face pale.

It told him everything. "Keeping her?" he asked.

The angelic didn't comment on his feral stance. "What else would we do?" she said.

Perfect. Just perfect.

"Just don't make me face the human herself."

"What do you mean she's staying with you?" questioned Eevee, his voice startlingly monotone.

For what it was worth, Lucario wasn't surprised at all by Shaymin's demand. Of course Team Heavendust would keep her. Why would they let her out of their sight? Better than the alternative, he mused.

Eira was fine. She was alive. The girl sat a distance away, a hand over her healed chest wound. Team Heavendust had harmed her, but apparently the firsthand sight of how weak humans were had shaken them out of their superstitious beliefs. This once, fate was in his favor.

He and Eevee were as good as defeated, and yet they'd been spared.

With Togetic fetching Gabite, Shaymin was left to speak on their behalf. "Seeing your human's likely not a threat, you shouldn't have a problem," she said. "She's a walking trouble magnet, if you haven't noticed. Lugia and some Mismagius found her out, yeah? And a whole village led by a paranoid Ariados?"

Eevee gave Lucario a flat look. The jackal only sighed.

"Gah, I've already got a migraine and I'm barely getting started." Shaymin side-eyed Eira, as if still processing that, yes, a real human was beside her. "Dealing with you's gonna be messy, I can feel it. Hey, uh, did Togetic's Wish not heal you enough?"

Eira's face reddened as she eyed the hand covering the rip in her dress, and the scarred gash beneath. It struck Lucario that, with the worst of their ordeal behind them, she'd suddenly remembered to be modest.

Shaymin too grew awkward once he explained. "Of course, the clothes aren't for show," she said, before tossing her head. "I'm out of my depth, okay? I wasn't prepared for a human tonight, or to have to make arrangements for keeping said human a secret—"

"I can manage her just fine," pressed Eevee. "You've no reason to keep the girl."

"I have every reason," Shaymin shot back. "An imposter Vulpix amongst us, following an Abhorrent around? Super suspicious. She's safer with a reputable explorer team in case rumors spread, or trouble comes knocking."

"And what good is reputation when the authorities panic, hearing you've given a human refuge? I wouldn't even bother with this conversation if I had the strength to—"

Let them, Eevee.

Eevee twitched as Vaporeon solidified beside him, with Espeon in tow. Forgive us, the Eeveelution told Shaymin. We have difficulty trusting, as you know. But Espeon feels you are earnest. We will tolerate your hold on Eira, so long as she remains unharmed.

Espeon nodded along. Lucario expected Eevee to protest, but on the contrary, he kept a humble silence, deferring to Vaporeon. Shaymin arched her brows at the Water-type specter, before facing Eira with a gloomy expression.

"Wouldn't dare."

Lucario, too, knew Shaymin was earnest. Only the teeniest dot of red marred her shining blue aura, the small part of her that still felt on edge. Not a sign that she was an enemy. Just a wary ally.

To be fair, he felt the same way. "So that's it? We're really on good terms now?" he said.

Shaymin's gloom intensified, enshrouding her like a fog. "This shouldn't have happened," she said. "And I'm sorry. For everything. Darn it, I get why you've acted the way you did, keeping a human safe must be draining."

Luck. Luck saved Eira, not him. The thought made Lucario itch all over, knowing he could've done better. He needed to correct that.

He needed to improve.

"I'm just glad you understand humans aren't vile creatures with magic," he said.

Shaymin made an amused face as Eira shriveled up. Creases formed on her forehead, and she slowly extended her hand, concentrating.

Ice manifested.

Ice.

There was ice on her hand.

She just—

What—

But that isn't—

Lucario stared. Eevee stared. Vaporeon stared. Espeon tried not to stare, but stared regardless, Shaymin unable to suppress a chuckle.

They stared. Lucario stared at the ice, seeing a hint of his reflection. Seeing the impossible. He stretched out a shaking paw.

Eira gave him the ice. It was cold.

Oh.

"It happened at Stringed Forest," Eira explained. "And again, when Team Heavendust captured me—"

A hole ruptured in the floor. Gabite hesitantly pulled himself out, before freezing like a Deerling at a crossroad as Lucario verbally jumped him. "She has magic?" he yelled.

The stupefied Gabite pressed his lips together. Lucario found himself glaring at everything, from Shaymin, to a mystified Eevee, to an uncomfortable Togetic who chose to enter the burrow tunnel at the worst time possible. "I-it was an accident?" Eira said.

Exasperation. How did this happen? No, how was it possible? It didn't—

Humans were known for their wizardry.

Lucario snarled, Mismagius's voice haunting him like a plagued, insufferable banshee. "How does that Mismagius know?" he said. "As if she wasn't already on to something with the prophecy—"

"A what?" said Gabite, gawking as if he hadn't heard correctly. "S-Shaymin?"

"Hey, we haven't even got to Primal Gear the Mew yet," Shaymin said back, disrupting Gabite's ability to make normal facial expressions. "Tell you everything later. You taking over?"

Team Heavendust's leader dared peek at Eevee. Then Eira, the girl growing jittery. "Not like them," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. "I-I can't. Too out of it to—"

"Yeah, yeah." Shaymin suppressed a yawn. "Guess we need to meet this Mismagius, sounds like she's got answers on your kid's magic and on this prophecy thingamajig. Unless?"

She eyed Eevee, who finally recovered from witnessing human sorcery. "Nope, only know the bare bones about the prophecy," he said. "Didn't know humans actually can do magic either — that definitely shouldn't be a byproduct of the wristband."

Speak with the Mismagius. Yes, that was exactly what Lucario needed. Had Kecleon wrangled answers out of her yet?

Kecleon. He'd get to see him again. Oh goodness, he was still having difficulty believing that everything was fine, that Team Heavendust had realized their error.

That he wouldn't need to run. Maybe.

Shaymin yawned again, her eyes drooping. "Mismagius then," she muttered. "Alright, enough diplomacy, my brain's boiling and we all need sleep. Oh, and before you get too finicky, Eevee — we'll talk later about this Kabutops figure, promise. And uh, this whole Abhorrent situation going on, and the human's role in it all."

Eevee eased up at this, finally letting himself accept the situation. We would appreciate that, said Vaporeon, swishing her tail in contentment.

"Yep, yep. Any objections to us keeping the human for the time being, Gabite?"

Gabite let himself droop, his expression muddled. "Whatever you told them," he said. "I-I just don't know anymore."

"Sure thing. Togetic?"

Togetic pulled herself a little out of the entrance where she'd been practically hiding. "I—" she stammered, before gaining her bearings. "I just want to be done with these misunderstandings."

As did Lucario. Everyone nodded to that.

All but Eira. She clasped her arms, her expression flustered and endless worries running free in her head. "I—" she said to Shaymin. "I-I'm sorry, I— you're actually doing all this? For me? I don't think I—"

Togetic clutched her chest, hurt from her words. "Eira," Shaymin said, throwing the titular human a silencing look. "That's what you're called, yeah? Don't talk like that, it's fine. Least I can do after the suffering you've gone through."

Eira eyed the ground, solemn. A part of Lucario felt warm.

"Thank you," he told Shaymin.

"Don't thank me, I'm doing my freaking job. Barely touched upon the other layers to this complex human dilemma as it is." Shaymin huffed, resolution etched into her face. "But that's tomorrow's problem. Now go rest, people."

They did. It was the first peaceful rest Lucario had in a while.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 16 — Second Contact

Foliage blocked the sun, but not its rays. Eira the false Vulpix stared onward as their light bathed the dawn sky, a blur of orange transitioning to blue. Clouds quietly drifted above, the birdsong of a small Pidgey flock heard far in the distance. Peace.

It didn't make sense to her. How was she still standing?

From the moment she woke up, it'd been on her mind. She'd gone through a shipwreck, a hateful Ariados, Weavile, Aerodactyl, Lugia, Team Heavendust — she shouldn't have escaped, yet she came out in the end. Would that last, she wondered?

She was still a threat, even if the others no longer saw her as one, thanks to the prophecy. And it wouldn't take much for trouble to start all over again. Someone else was bound to find her.

But there was no pressure for now. Team Heavendust was on her side, despite the odds, and she had time to wind down. To actually not worry for her life.

To think. To think too much.

I should've been a goner too.

She felt deflated. Empty inside, like her soul had already departed, leaving only a husk to live the rest of its numbered days. Alive or not, she still lost Mother. And Father had been gone long ago.

The breaking of spacetime some years ago, even that must've been a sign, Ariados had said.

She refused to think about it then. Now? It was all she felt like brooding about.

For once, she didn't see the immediate threat of Haven Archipelago, but the symbolism behind it. This was a place of minor distortion and spatial anomalies, an encore of her suffering from Father's disappearance given flesh and blood. Not content with mere despair, she faced physical harm too. She got to feel what Father must've been through.

Six years ago, Father was taken away and made to suffer, and left her and Mother grieving. Now her Mother was taken away, and she suffered, with little room left for grieving.

The latter's cause? A shipwreck caused by a Lugia and mutant Aerodactyl. The former? Spacetime distortions.

Both involved forces not to be reckoned with — and those who reckoned with them anyway. And failed. But the damage was still done.

As if the prophecy didn't make her miserable enough.

Her ears swiveled, Eira — even transformed, calling herself Vulpix didn't feel right anymore — catching wind of Lucario and Gabite's conversation. She was on the hillside atop the burrow, and they were below, her jackal muttering something about trainers, the land overseas, and that yes, he was a Pokemon from the human lands.

One could've mistaken their talk for a quarrel, if not for the hollowness in Gabite's tone. Lucario was explaining things about humanity to him, and he was firing back with questions. About trainers, their tech, what Pokemon civilization was like there, Pokeballs—

Pokeballs. Weird that an isolated place like the archipelago knew that was a thing. Kecleon had apparently known — he told Lucario back before she had the wristband — and Gabite too, but how?

Eira again considered the distortions that swallowed Father. And then with a jolt, she remembered Porygon-Z. The oddity.

She'd been too engrossed with yesterday's madness, but in light of what she'd learned since, something finally clicked. Fossil Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Kabutops weren't that outlandish — she learned in her travels a few had survived up until the present in hidden caverns and islands — but Porygon-Z was a Pokemon built by humans. Could he really be a bizarre local? Perhaps an imitation of the man-made versions?

Or is he what I think he is?

Sky Forme Shaymin was now present too, listening in on Lucario and Gabite as if she was a mediator between them. Completely unnecessary, but an appreciable gesture. Why was Shaymin smirking at her?

Oh yeah. Appreciation was close enough to gratitude.

Eevee was long gone, having left behind a note promising to meet later. Eira began to wonder where Togetic was, before catching Shaymin's eyes briefly sliding to the side—

"Vulpix?"

Eira was not proud of how high she jumped at Togetic's voice, the angelic throwing herself back in tandem. Both shied away, anxious. Estranged.

And yet, Togetic pushed onward, psyching herself to reforge the connection. "N-no, sorry, it's Eira, right?" she said. "You're alone."

She was. Lucario did not substitute for Mother.

"Things bothering you? Your face says a lot."

It probably did, and yet it said so little. Nobody could read every detail of a person's life—

"This isn't a first for you, is it?"

But they could glean enough. "I—" said Eira, caught off-guard. "Well—"

Bitter grief filled Togetic's frown. "I feel like I can sense it, your inner tragedy. It's that strong," she said. "I heard everything you told Shaymin, you know."

Father.

Eira couldn't stop herself. "There were—"

So Togetic stopped her instead. She shot over, covering her mouth before she could rip open her oldest wound. Then reeled back at the touch, as if she'd drenched herself in poison.

For a moment she stared at her nub, lips quivering. Fear and discomfort and agony flickered across her face, before she tossed them all aside. Dropping to the ground, she approached Vulpix with tiny steps, both growing more jumpy at the shortening distance between each other.

Togetic reached out with a nub. Vulpix hesitantly brought her paw forward.

They touched. Again.

Predictably Togetic winced, yet held firm. As if in a trance, she traced her paw, so alien yet so familiar, her half-lidded eyes filling up with quiet vigor. "This is wrong," she said. "As if losing your loved ones isn't enough, you're trapped in a place where everyone vil*f*es you for existing, and there's a prophecy that justifies their reasoning? You're beating yourself up over that, I can see it. Forget fearing for your life, a young girl shouldn't have to go through any of this."

She tilted her head. "But you're not quite a young girl, are you? Young, but of age."

Eira gave a non-answer to that. Twelve was more than old enough to make her a legal adult, and if forced to, she could live on her ownsome. Pokemon Trainers did it, and Mother had prepared her for that eventuality.

"And to think I've only made things worse." Here Togetic's voice wavered, her arm squeezing Eira's paw. "It's not even the human part, it's that you lied to me for your own protection. I thought after everything I promised, we had absolute trust in each other, but you didn't. A-and you were right to, seeing how I reacted."

Togetic had latched onto her as her precious little girl, and recoiled when she didn't meet expectations. An unhealthy relationship. A tiny bit like the one Eira had with Mother— It took too long for them to stop clinging so tight to each other.

"It's terrible to say, but if not for Gabite attacking you, I don't know if anything would've changed." Togetic swatted a lone tear off her face. "But now I know how deep your woes are, and I'm going to fulfill whatever remains of my empty promises. You're broken, and I'm going to put you back together."

Touching words, shot straight into the holes in her bleeding heart to patch them up. Why? Why was Togetic so good at breaking down her stoic walls?

Togetic must've noticed what she was doing too. "You're right, honeyed words mean nothing," she said with a scowl. "Not after everything I've done. I'm sorry, it's just — I need to do this, okay? Let me help you, Eira, please. Let me apologize in the only way I should."

Eira's tails hugged her flank. "I don't deserve this," she whispered.

A scoff. Togetic pulled her forward, then — as if afraid she'd never work up the courage otherwise — hastily smothered her in an embrace.

"Doesn't matter, sweetie."

Togetic did not substitute for Mother either, but she knew how to try. Eira choked and let herself feel loved.

She also made a quiet apology to Lucario. He was still a good guardian, if rash and also clingy to a fault. Not that it excused her act of Spite toward him — why had she done that? It was entirely unlike her.

Lucario and Gabite's discussion was growing strained. Once out of Togetic's hug, Eira scampered down the hill, listening in.

"—can't tell me Pokemon would willingly let themselves be captured, or help fight others and get them captured in Pokeballs—"

"Gabite, there is nothing stopping us from escaping a human if we wanted to—"

"How would they? Magic or no magic, a trainer's mind-bogglingly loyal Pokemon could just beat up the rebel. Which again, why the loyalty? You cannot tell me you're all so depraved that you'd put yourself in fighting arenas and act like beasts in exchange for food and conveniences."

Lucario had a startlingly good grip on himself, his voice remaining even. "It is how things are," he said. "Few Pokemon back home care for advanced, complex societies, and are absolutely fine with humans handling that nonsense. They take us in and ask for requests or to pursue goals of interest, and we follow along and benefit from the exchange. Do some humans abuse their privileges? Sure, but you're acting as if that's the norm. What say you, Eira?"

Eira froze up. Gabite's eyes dilated and shifted away from her, while Shaymin, quietly listening as she was, turned to her with curiosity. How would she answer that? Outside of traveling and seeing their homes, she hardly interacted with Pokemon. She just thought of them as spirits to be respected, magic creatures that cared for you if you cared for them. Haven Archipelago had startled her with how capable they were of being just like humans—

"What do you mean, just like humans?" asked Shaymin.

Eira went red-faced, realizing she had spoken aloud her exact thoughts. "I-In lifestyle?" she stammered. "A lot of Pokemon in my world, t-they're more like—"

Like Corvisquire. But she didn't say that.

"Like me," Gabite finished instead, still refusing to look anywhere near her. "Wild creatures that scav*nge nature's gifts."

"W-well—"

"No, I get it." Gabite tapped Lucario's shoulder. "It's funny. We both started wild, ended up civilized to some degree, but you're from outside. I— well, I already mentioned Tumbledust Island isn't the nicest place. Especially for a Gible ditched from birth to survive its deserts alone."

Togetic put an arm over her mouth, Lucario scowling. "Gabite, I assure you wild Pokemon in the human world aren't all barbarians."

"I wasn't implying anything." Gabite's eyes lost their luster, a void enveloping them. "I still can't come to terms with the idea of good humans. Maybe your kid isn't guilty, but others—"

"Their tech only does so much against us. Besides Eira, humans don't have magic, remember?"

"Mine did."

It took a moment for Eira to properly process Gabite's words, another for its implications to set in, and one more for frostbite to numb her spine. Two words, casual sounding, and yet their weight left the entire group stunned.

Sorry? Other humans? That Gabite served?

If Gabite had seen their faces, he might've been amused, but he didn't. His eyes were blinded to the realm they belonged in, keenly observing another set in a mutilated past. "Though it depends if you want to call them humans. Porygon-Z didn't."

A migraine bloomed in Eira's head. Porygon-Z.

Spacetime distortions.

"Their dungeon in Tumbledust Island was easily the worst one I ever entered," Gabite rambled. "Don't recall its name or location, it's too deep into the uncharted wastelands. The humans, they looked ancient, in the gruesome, undying way. They— the entire place's under their mind control, both Pokespawn and real Pokemon. Nearly got me too.

"It took, I can't remember, days to escape? Weeks? A month? They wouldn't bleed, wouldn't relent. Wanted me to serve as their monster minion. They tormented me, kept me from being kicked out of the dungeon, tried to make me snap. Maybe they succeeded. I thought I got the voices out, but they still taunt me—"

"Are you fine?" blurted Togetic.

"You faced literal humans?" yelled Shaymin.

Gabite let out a shaky breath. "No and maybe," he said. "They can't leave the dungeon, not sure why. I wouldn't have escaped otherwise."

Lucario stared on, his discolored expression speaking for itself. Eira couldn't blame him. Evil sorcerer humans hiding in Haven Archipelago?

"How?" she said. "The spacetime distortions?"

Gabite clutched his face, almost as if threatening to rip it off. "What? No, I doubt they emerged from the Ruptures," he said. "Well, Porygon-Z doubts it. He said they can't be Fallers too—"

"F-Fallers?"

Lucario's eyes dilated, the jackal beginning to pace. "I've heard that phrase before," he said. "Something about people getting warped places? Sinnohan term?"

Togetic and Shaymin held themselves from having another outburst. "Alolan," Eira said, face hardening. "But it recently got popular in other regions. E-especially Sinnoh."

Fallers were people who traveled through spacetime to other places or dimensions, even universes. It was originally coined for those who ended up in Ultra Wormholes.

Father.

Gabite's eyes suddenly regained clarity, the void melting off as they sharpened with an intelligence a mindless, bestial Pokemon wouldn't have. "Fallers, a human term?" he said. "Porygon-Z never told me that. He's one of those elusive Pokemon from outside, transported into Haven Archipelago by the Ruptures. He's a man-made machine, you know that?"

That was the tipping point for Togetic and Shaymin. The former grew agitated, mumbling to herself about how she knew Porygon-Z was too irregular for a Pokemon, while Shaymin stared at Gabite like she wanted to spontaneously learn aurasense. "You knew," Vulpix couldn't help but blurt out.

"A Faller's secret isn't shared lightly," Gabite simply replied.

He seemed expectant, waiting for her to speak. Lucario scowled, yet it was self-directed more than anything. Perhaps borne from shame, due to his failure to see Porygon-Z as he was. Or perhaps because of everything else.

"Something happened back home, didn't it?" he said. "Kid? What am I missing?"

He was struggling to understand. Unfortunately, Eira did understand.

"Ariados and Mismagius mentioned the Ruptures," she said.

It wasn't called that in the human world.

Gabite's gaze sharpened further still, all too willing to turn the discussion away from his sorcerer captors. "You think the dungeons nowadays are out of whack?" he told them. "You should've been there during the Ruptures, it was mayhem. I was rather young then, but I faintly remember staying clear of dungeons around then."

Shaymin grumbled. "My village was a mess for a long while. Freaked little me out."

"There were rifts everywhere," said Togetic. "Ultra Wormholes, portals to the Distortion World and even the Unown Dimension, it was awful. Several Fallers came that way, I'm told."

Eira caught Lucario unconsciously shuddering at the mention of the Distortion World and Unown Dimension, moreso for the latter. "It was six years ago, wasn't it?" she asked.

Togetic and Shaymin's eyes widened with horror, but Gabite's held a glint of satisfied expectation instead. A mirthless smile uglified his face.

"Porygon-Z called the distortions by another name," he said. "'The Spacetime Pandemic', yes?"

And Eira let herself slump. There. The perfect confirmation.

Porygon-Z had been gobbled up by one distortion and spat out of another.

She noticed Lucario grow flustered, goosebumps on his arms. "That phrase rings a bell," he said. "But I can't remember why. And I'm almost afraid to."

For Eira, the memory wasn't buried deep enough. "There were Ultra Wormholes," she recalled, to Togetic's distress. "All over Alola. Where I'm from."

"And Sinnoh?"

"I-it was the epicenter, I heard. Rifts. Paranormal weirdness. S-swarms of maddened Unown."

Shaymin grimaced like she had uttered a curse. At once Lucario croaked out, ears folding from transcendent noises.

"Them," he complained. "Noisy reality warpers — I shouldn't have asked."

Togetic and Gabite put on confused frowns, Shaymin scoffing at the latter. "What, is that something Porygon-Z never told you about? That Unown can bend reality in large groups?" she said, before spinning back to Eira. "It's like everyone's trying to put me in an information coma! You're saying the Ruptures weren't just in the archipelago?"

Eira nodded. Supernatural phenomena had in fact occurred in the vast majority of regions, now that she reluctantly recalled it. The Spacetime Pandemic was a global anomaly, and the Ruptures an extension of the worldwide distortions.

Rifts were the most notable of the problems it caused, and for her, the most impactful too. "Ultra Wormholes?" Togetic dared ask.

"They took my Father," whispered Eira.

Lucario and Togetic's eyes misted, and Shaymin and Gabite hissed in somber solace. Eira paid it all little heed, falling into her own personal distortion.

It'd been sudden. Gone to work in the morning, reported missing and likely in Ultra Space in the afternoon, like plenty of others. Father was amongst the majority who weren't recovered, presumed dead. Or hopelessly lost, which was close enough.

If six-year-old Eira hadn't already been one to keep to herself, she became a shut-in. Mother was no better, afraid of bonding with people only to suffer again. Inconsolable, they ended up glued to each other since, unable to bear losing each other too.

Yet deep down, Eira always anticipated it would happen, because that was life. People you became attached to left you. Mother's death was closure in that way.

It took too long to recover from losing Father, and she had told herself to not break down when it invariably repeated with Mother. Did she succeed? She wasn't sure. At least she wasn't a wailing, insufferable mess, though she couldn't blame her six-year-old self.

Lucario caressing her with empathic emotions barely registered. Same with Togetic gently touching her flank. "Anything you need?" she asked.

Relationships were out of her comfort zone, but all the same, she missed them. Eira shook her vulpine head.

"Of all the humans I could've encountered," said Gabite, before letting out a dispirited grumble. "I wish I could take it back — I shouldn't have struck. I should've realized you couldn't be the monster I feared, but it's hard to shake off old traumas—"

"It was just a mistake," said Eira.

"Darn it, you meek girl, would you let me apologize? Look, I still feel unwell and on edge around you, you're like an innocent caricature of my nightmares. And I don't like your kind, even with Lucario's attempts to portray you kindly. But I also know my enemies, and you? You're not one of them."

He turned to Togetic and Shaymin. "I never told you, but Porygon-Z and I have confided in each other," he said. "Braixen's doing, you see. He wrangled it out of him while doing research on humans, and he thought we'd mutually benefit. I'm guessing you didn't consider what he was, Lucario? Assumed you were the only foreigners around or something?"

Lucario slowly turned to Eira, the most self-annoyed expression possible stuck on his face. She pouted.

It got a humored scoff out of Gabite. "No matter," he said. "If we're trying to get you back to your world, Porygon-Z's a good place to start. He struggles with distortion-induced amnesia, but he might know something valuable about spacetime distortions or dimensional travel, and I doubt he'll react poorly to your human."

A hum left Eira's lips. It would be ironic if a rift was how she returned to the human world. That Team Heavendust was helping at all, it was surreal. And it wouldn't be enough.

Still, she'd like to be wrong. Maybe she could escape fate.

"Porygon-Z, a human-made Pokemon," Togetic said to herself. "Honestly, that's what gets me. How?"

"Don't think I forgot your baggage by the way, Gabite," muttered Shaymin. "Dungeon humans, sheesh. Any chance Mismagius knows something about them?"

Gabite chewed upon the possibility, wondering aloud what such an enigmatic figure knew, before his eyes resharpened. They skirted around Eira, never fully locking onto her.

"It's funny," he said. "Porygon-Z also told me the Ruptures and Spacetime Pandemic started in Sinnoh, his home region, and I assume Lucario's too. But he never specified an exact cause."

The silent request behind his words made the icy cold in Eira's stomach burn up. Oh. The exact cause. That—

That was—

She took one look at Gabite, and forced the thoughts down. No. Not yet. Remembering Father's demise was enough for now.

She wasn't ready to tell Gabite about the humans who did the dirty deed.

Seeing her reluctance, Gabite mercifully restrained himself from pushing the matter. He moved to quietly discuss plans with Togetic and Shaymin, leaving Eira to scamper back to Lucario, the jackal unsettled at her ruffled state. "That bad?" he asked.

Eira mimed her mouth shut, unwilling to give even the slightest hint. "What about you?" she asked. "When the distortions—"

Lucario's fur stood on end. He gave her a dead stare.

"Not talking either, kid."

He shouldn't have asked Eira anything. He shouldn't have asked Eira anything.

The fear Lucario so subtly felt when Mismagius mentioned spacetime distortions was on full cacophonic volume. His ears heard the crunch of dirt and the gentle whistle of wind as Team Heavendust approached Berrypark Town, but his mind heard the yelling and screams.

Yells of his tribe, and screams of the Unown, heard through the ears of a scared little Riolu. Those who'd been allowed to leave the den had sometimes returned… strange, if not unwell. It must've been a suppressed, wayward memory, for none of his experiences in the archipelago, with its Unown-styled writing system, dungeons, and warped Abhorrents, had triggered it. Only after Mismagius's talk of distortions had he gotten close, in Stormsoaked Shores and Stringed Forest.

To be fair, that experience of screeching Unown was all he had. Before Eira shredded his blissful ignorance apart, it was all he knew of the Spacetime Pandemic, aside from little tidbits like rifts and Fallers that Adam's other Pokemon mentioned in conversations he stayed out of. Moreover, he'd been preoccupied with his human predicament.

Speaking of which, he thought, muting the din in his head and taking in the present. Gabite was taking point lead, arguably to avoid eye contact with his kid. Vulpix — no, the disguise wasn't that meaningful anymore, he may as well think of her as just Eira — walked beside Lucario with a nervous gait, whereas Togetic's anxiety was better masked. Shaymin alone had no flaws in her composure. Berrypark Town's walls waited in the distance, housing their main target Mismagius, and Kecleon. Plus Porygon-Z, the Faller.

It was a blessing that Team Heavendust was helping them, a blessing he couldn't fully process. With them as allies, he now had the chance to resolve matters with the witch and merchant. Maybe work with Porygon-Z too? Oh, did Lucario feel like a fool for ignoring the impossibility of his existence. Eira had warned him, but he'd let himself ignore her, assuming he couldn't be an outsider that reached the islands long before they did, that there had to be something else to him. And again, he'd been preoccupied with his human predicament.

Or maybe he just didn't think. If he had been one to think, he would've questioned Porygon-Z on sight. No, Eira wouldn't have suffered to begin with. It was tunnel vision that made him struggle for so little reason, going through the Distortion World and back.

"Trouble."

And although things were beginning to look up again for him and Eira, Gabite's warning reminded him that true safety was a luxury they wouldn't have for a long time still.

Gabite had taken a roundabout path to make it look like they were coming from the cottage as usual — without straying near the shore where Lugia could appear, of course. It was a precaution, and it was proving to be a smart choice. "Trouble?" asked Togetic. "What do you mean, Gabite?"

Shaymin squinted her eyes, checking the town gate. "Yeah, that's a bad sign," she muttered. "See her?"

It was hard to miss. Berrypark Town had a north and south entrance, usually with two Pokemon manning it. Today? The north entrance had three.

Granbull and Houndoom were familiar sights. The Toxicroak slouching against the town walls wasn't — she was a two-legged, blue frog with black lines marking her body, and a red vocal sac. The sinister smile that perpetually sat on her kind's face curled at the group's approach, much to Eira's unease.

"Officer Toxicroak," Gabite whispered. "Something's up. Keep calm."

Toxicroak signaled to the guards before striding forward. Gabite met her, Lucario and Eira hanging back as inconspicuously as they could, leaving the remaining three members of their group in between them.

"Morn, folks." Toxicroak spoke with a slight rasp, arms folded. "Sorry about the hassle. Team's doing well, yes? Recruits pulling their weight?"

Gabite glanced at his group of six. "Doing well," he intoned. "Is there a problem?"

Toxicroak's vocal sac bulged as she croaked in faux thought. "I'd hope not," she said, giving a nod of acknowledgement to Togetic and Shaymin. "Corvisquire's fine, if you two were wondering — we'll send her off soon. I again thank you for handling the situation with the Aerodactyl Abhorrent, and for foiling his plot with a Lugia." A forced chuckle. "You've been kept anonymous, of course, but people will figure it out. Town's never been this lively since your Mythical rolled in."

"Was it?" said Shaymin. "Like I'm used to the weird glances—"

"It was behind your back, hon, but you were the talk of the town. Now news is spreading about Aerodactyl and Lugia. Add in the tremors yesterday and that Rocky Shores transformed into an S-tier dungeon, and everyone's understandably riled up." Toxicroak eyed the group members one by one — Gabite, Togetic, Shaymin, not Mismagius, Lucario, Eira — until she landed upon the kid's wristband. "Hopefully we won't have even more talk spreading. Particular things are being said about you, little miss."

Eira the Vulpix made a timid noise. Now that she mentioned that, Lucario couldn't help but notice the Houndoom guard watching Eira with an odd level of scrutiny. His foot unconsciously shifted toward the disguised girl.

Toxicroak picked up on the gesture. "Your kiddo or something?" she said. "No, of course — I heard a report or two about a certain Ariados harassing a Lucario and Vulpix who were speaking with a Kecleon. Superstitious nonsense, dealt with it before. But here's the thing." She leaned forward. "Apparently people from Stringed Forest, and startlingly, not the Ariados, spread word that they encountered a disguised human, using a magic wristband to appear as a Vulpix. And that a Lucario and Abhorrent Eevee were protecting her."

Rumors. Lucario had prayed Berrypark Town would remain immune to those, but of course there were rumors, and people were listening to them. Fear enveloped him, only to be quashed, the jackal suppressing Eira's as well with his aura. Ariados isn't involved? a part of him thought.

"Which is the pettiest thing I've ever heard," finished Toxicroak, a sympathetic look on her face. "I'm ashamed this is even necessary, but people obey the law more than they obey good citizens trying to shush the nutcases spreading this about. You've nothing to hide, yeah?"

Oh, they had a lot to hide. Lucario's eyes darted to a resigned Eira, then to the other four members of their group. Gabite, Shaymin, and Togetic eyed each other too, silently devising an emergency plan. A futile gesture.

"If you would, Miss Vulpix," said Toxicroak, "I have to ask you to remove your wristband, just for a moment. Houndoom and Granbull will be witnesses and should clear your name. Can you manage that for me?"

Toxicroak and the guards were going to learn Eira's secret, and Lucario knew Team Heavendust couldn't deter them with excuses, nor was he sure if Mismagius could help. How would he stop this from escalating out of control? Anticipation flogged him as Eira stood there, frowning, considering.

"I, well," she said, before appearing confused for a moment. Her ears twisted, and she complied. "Sure."

She pulled the wristband off. Eira the Vulpix gave it to Toxicroak.

Nothing happened.

The what.

Instead of Eira's Vulpix body combusting, Lucario's mind combusted. He stared, just like back when he learned about her magic. Gabite stared. Togetic stared. Shaymin stared. Mismagius stared.

Eira stared. Houndoom and Granbull stared from afar, the former turning shamefaced as the latter chided him about silly rumors. "Hmph," Toxicroak said, inspecting the charred marks on the wristband. "What savagery."

"It was Aerodactyl," mumbled Eira.

"Ah, I see. Had it been anyone else—"

Rancor flashed in Toxicroak's eyes. "Sorry again, it's my job," she said as she handed back the wristband to Eira, who dutifully put it back on. "What scum, saying outlandish things about young Pokemon — I'd arrest them if I had the jurisdiction. You're free, folks. Keep your young lady safe, you hear?"

Toxicroak escorted them to the gate, then gestured to Houndoom. The horned demon dog joined her all too eagerly, leaving Granbull to watch the gate, before marching off into the chattering groups of Pokemon up at this time. A Watchog, a Sunflora, and a Gloom were already giving Eira the stink eye, only to be swiftly berated by the duo as they dismissed the human rumors, Houndoom doing so with vehement zeal.

Granbull chuckled. He gave Gabite a salute, and an apologetic grin to Lucario and Eira. Lucario barely registered it, moving along with the party as they went past the gates, then down a relatively secluded path. "Uh, how?" Eira asked Mismagius. "I-I mean, I know how, but—"

"I ought to be asking that question," snapped Gabite, unusually willing to stare down Eira. "Illusion magic? How do you have that if you just discovered magic yesterday?"

"Huh?" Eira blinked, before stuffing her face with her tails. She pointed to Mismagius.

Everyone looked at Mismagius.

Mismagius.

Lucario blinked, before his eyes popped out of his skull. "When did—"

The manipulative witch covered her mouth with a cloth-arm, cackling as the others registered and freaked out at her presence. "You?" Shaymin exclaimed. "Y-you were there! We saw you!"

Mismagius took full pleasure in her agitation. "You did, barely," she said. "Only the human was supposed to see and hear me, but the rest of you — well, I must be getting sloppy if you could get a peek past my illusionary cover-up. Looking for little ol' me?"

She flashed a knowing smile, cloth arms folded in wait. The others looked between themselves, before Gabite gritted his teeth.

"We never met."

"Not in person we haven't, Gabite."

"We need to talk."

"You want to talk."

"I'm not—"

"I'm pleased to see you well, dear Eira," Mismagius interrupted with excess cheer. "Your soul's recovered from the stress of your disguise, I see. Aerodactyl and Lugia didn't hurt you too much yesterday, did they? Or Ariados, or your teammates? You know, we haven't had a human here in forever, not since—"

She pretended to count on her arms, before dramatically throwing them in the air. "Oh, too long. A shame so few remember the old times. How rude that your Aerodactyl Abhorrent burned your lovely white wristband by the way, it made creating an illusionary copy ever so slightly harder, hee! I heard something about you having magic?"

An overwhelmed Eira could only stand there as a twinkle entered Mismagius's hungry eyes. The longer she talked, the more frustrated Gabite became, much to Lucario's dark amusement. He himself would have snapped at her flamboyance, but his mind was busy focusing on a few notable details.

Mismagius just protected Eira's identity through her hallucinations.

Mismagius called Eira by her name. I never mentioned it to her.

Mismagius recognizes the trouble Eira went through yesterday.

But most of all? Mismagius suggested there were humans here once. She talked about wizard humans before, noted Lucario, connecting it to Gabite's experience with his dungeon-bound humans. Just what kind of past does this archipelago have?

The witch closed in on Eira, and the false vixen backed away, Lucario, Togetic, and Shaymin simultaneously moving to guard her. To their mutual astonishment, it was Gabite who came to her defense first, claws at the ready. "You're the only part of this convoluted mess surrounding the human that I can't glean anything out of," he hissed. "I know nothing about you, only that you know strange things, and that you might be a problem. Tell me, are you a problem?"

Lucario heard his unspoken cue, and let the blue shine of aurasense flash in his eyes. This only made Mismagius relax more, and to his disgruntlement, he understood why. After all, in front of a truth detector—

"I intend not to be one."

—The honest had nothing to fear. And Lucario couldn't deny that Mismagius, for all her antics, had helped in her own mischievous way.

"We did not expect your team would overcome their prejudices, but this saves us time," Mismagius said. "You see, we have been expecting you. The moment the rumors began spreading, we knew something went wrong. Perhaps Lugia sensed the girl, and things devolved from there. Or perhaps you figured out what she was on your ownsome."

Again Team Heavendust eyed each other. "We?" said Eira.

"As in, Kecleon?" added Togetic.

Nobody else could have told Mismagius about Eira's name. Kecleon's collaborating with her, Lucario thought. He trusts her that much?

Mismagius, of course, didn't confirm or deny. She only chuckled, then began to drift further down the path. Mystified and with burning questions in their heads, everyone else could only follow.

"I don't like her," said Shaymin.

"Join the club," Lucario deadpanned.

Even this early, there were throngs of Pokemon crowding the marketplace, which Mismagius made a point of completely avoiding. She led the group down quieter streets, in what looked like a residential area. Here and there Pokemon wandered around, a Politoed once passing by without ever noticing them, courtesy of Mismagius's hallucinatory powers.

Simple, cozy houses of painted brick and cobble lined up the roads, with rose bushes and wildflowers in front and large bushes in between, nature and civilization finding a way to complement one another. Once they passed by an empty park, dotted with adorable play structures, berry-laden trees, and discolored benches of various sizes.

And then one last turn took them to the one and only Dungeon Board and its large, indoor garden-like structure, and the trimmed shrubbery and elegant archways that dotted it. An odd location, all things considered, for Kecleon to be. Before Lucario could comment though, they were right outside the lobby, where Klinklang was busy whirling his gears in a farewell to—

Hattrem stared them down, Lucario instantly noticing the Treasure Bag hung around one of her bulbous ponytails. "Oh," said Feebas, rapidly blinking at them. "Fancy bumping into you guys yet again. How's everything? We heard the news about Lugia— say, who's your ghostly guest? Is it okay to talk about this around her, or—"

"You're all unwell," interrupted Hattrem, Feebas holding back a sigh. "Must've been bad."

Mismagius didn't veil herself from sight this time, giving a polite nod. Unwell, the empath says, remarked Lucario. If only she knew.

As Klinklang moved out of the way, Shaymin assured Feebas, saying it was fine to mention their role in stopping Aerodactyl — Klinklang knew as a worker in the Dungeon Board, of course, and they were about to speak with Mismagius about it. "We're getting some things cleared up with her," she said with a strained smile. "Lots of stuff came up that she could explain. You guys have a reason to be at the Dungeon Board?"

Feebas chose not to pry. "We've been thinking ever since you ran off for Lugia. Things seem to be getting a little wild, yeah? An Abhorrent trying to capture a Legendary is big trouble. And I'm a little ashamed I couldn't do something—"

"She finally formed an explorer team and I opted in," said Hattrem.

"Hey—"

"Pay's decent," she said, allowing the tiniest of smirks as Feebas grew exasperated with her. She opened her bag, and out came an Explorer Badge, the winged emblem a proof of their membership. "But more importantly, it's two more hands helping the community. Both of us want to be more capable in case another crisis happens."

There was a pleasant surprise if Lucario ever heard one. Gabite gave them an appraising nod while Shaymin congratulated them, Eira smiling at their decision. "That sounds wonderful," said Togetic. "So long as you don't push yourself. Dungeons can be dangerous, and you don't want to neglect your other responsibilities."

Feebas and Hattrem nodded, before stepping aside with a start as Porygon-Z literally flopped into the lobby. His eyes locked onto a startled Eira, then Mismagius. Inside the Dungeon Board garden hall, Lucario caught Kecleon wryly staring, an illusionary clone of Mismagius whispering into his ear before promptly vanishing.

The real Mismagius smirked. "Business."

Feebas and Hattrem understood, letting the group pass onward with Klinklang silently observing the affair. An unprepared Team Heavendust let themselves be ushered through the hall, Kecleon narrowing his eyes at Gabite, Togetic, and Shaymin.

"Well, best case scenario," he said, over the noise of the fountain centerpiece. "Ashamed of yourselves?"

The trio radiated remorse. Lucario looked at him, then at Porygon-Z, who was hovering in circles around the entire party. "Uh, what's going on?" he asked.

Kecleon scoffed, his scales tinged a slight orange. "Somebody," he accused, "should've told me Porygon-Z was a literal man-made creature. What do you think's going on?"

Considering the full-on grin Mismagius wore, Lucario had a hunch at what had happened. Porygon-Z too? he thought.

Porygon-Z had the group hole up in the Task Management room, zipping behind his desk and pulling out a small stand with a 'Service Temporarily Unavailable, Please Wait Outside' poster. Assembling it at the entrance, he then turned to regard the group. His antenna flashed, and a holographic green textbox appeared.

~Alert: human present. Confirmation Y/N?~

Lucario and Eira blinked at the simplified Unown text. Yes, Porygon-Z was communicating via text. Yes, his paragraphs were marked with squiggly lines.

Shaymin and Togetic eyed the textbox like it was some alien entity, apparently having never seen this before. Lucario gave the confirmation, and the text instantly changed, Porygon-Z beeping as it formed. ~Conflicting directives found. Human is prime suspect of a prophecy (source: Mismagius), associated with an Abhorrent, and officially a threat to Haven Archipelago. However, prophecy ironically asserts the human's innocence, and human has protected Haven Archipelago from 'Oblivion Matter' Aerodactyl. Kecleon states the human intends to leave the islands, Y/N?~

Eira slowly nodded. ~Honesty detected. Setting threat level of 'Eira' Vulpix, aka (also known as) the human to negligible. Greetings, dear human! My apologies, but I hold scant memories of your species' morals and needed to confirm you won't cause harm. In light of your unusual circumstances, logic dictates that I assist you as needed. I hope to be of service!~

Porygon-Z flailed his arms around, an odd expression of his pleasure. "You knew what he was," Lucario said to Mismagius. "You told him?"

"We told him," Kecleon corrected. "Or rather, we confirmed his suspicions. I was telling Mismagius about your story in exchange for her knowledge about humans and prophecies, and that's when Porygon-Z showed up."

~Internal scanners detected soul-level pain from the human yesterday, akin to transformative stress. I had prior dialogues with Mismagius about her knowledge of humans ever since she deduced my unusual origins, and Kecleon was reported to have actively defended you against Ariados's initial accusations. Porygon-Z's arms began to blur, flailing at speeds that could conjure a miniature hurricane. I do not ignore rumors, you see. I naturally questioned the twosome, and since then, we have shared everything we could. Everything.~

The Faller tilted his head at Gabite, his arms freezing mid-flail. ~You worried me, friend. I estimated a 96.37% probability that your past would blind you from the human's innocence and unique plight. You have harmed her, haven't you?~

A disquiet fell on the group, Gabite making a pained scowl and Togetic turning her face away. Shaymin moved her lips to apologize to Kecleon, but he put up an arm, shushing her.

"Tell us the story," he said. "After I left, what happened?"

Aerodactyl and Lugia was already a wild story to recount, and the aftermath only boosted the drama manyfold. Team Heavendust summarized it all, Lucario noting Ariados and her knowledge of the prophecy, and Eira recounting her experience at Stringed Forest Village and how she stumbled upon her magic. They brought up the incident in Eevee's lair, with Shaymin explaining how they realized their mistake.

It impressed Lucario that the insanity of it all hardly fazed Kecleon, Mismagius, or Porygon-Z, with only a few details being notable enough for commentary. It wasn't Lugia's desire to remove Eira that caught their attention, for example, but rather that he already did the same to several human survivors. Ariados's kidnapping ploy was expected, but not her tacit decision to let Eira escape. That it took a little bleeding to make Team Heavendust see their mistake, it made Kecleon snort, though Lucario didn't miss the side-glance he gave his disguised human. Nor did he miss Mismagius's, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"The matriarch knows of the prophecy too," she said at the end of their recount. "Amusing. And the Aerodactyl seeks the means to alter the dungeons."

"I'm a little more concerned about his role in the shipwreck, and that he could fight Lugia head-on," Kecleon stated, before coughing out a raspy laugh. "This Mew figure, however — how do you get into these situations, Lucario? How?"

Porygon-Z gave a distressed nod, his pupils spinning in crazed circles. ~Your recount of 'Primal Gear' Mew is of grievous concern. On behalf of the Explorer Board, I thank you for your contributions against the hostile Abhorrents and will raise the alarm. He and 'Oblivion Matter' Aerodactyl will be flagged as high threat targets.~

Mismagius cleared her throat. "For now, however, we have other matters to attend to," she said, the weight of her gaze slamming down on Gabite. "Your team sought me for a reason. Porygon-Z tells me you faced dark wizards in Tumbledust Island?"

A frown was etching itself onto Mismagius's face, the expression unnatural for a Pokemon species whose smiles and wicked grins were second-nature to them. Her voice remained smooth and even, but Lucario could sense something simmering beneath it, as if Gabite's experience personally bothered her.

Gabite too frowned, although for him, it was a mask that hid the pain deeper within. "Do you know them?"

At first, a disappointing shake of her head was Mismagius's response. But then she followed up with words, and told them something far greater. "Old relics," she said. "I speak only in conjectures, but a foul force lies in that dungeon. A remnant of a dark past, I believe, or an abominable sorcery. It stems from when humans roamed these lands."

Kecleon flashed Lucario a queasy smile. The room held its breath.

"I seek history, young ones. And history is why I seek humans." Mismagius waved her cloth-arm, and blue Mystical Fire conjured at her command, shaping themselves into ships that bobbed and dipped as if in water. "I will share a story. Centuries ago, perhaps even before the Mystery Dungeons existed, humans came upon Haven Archipelago. They brought innovations we Pokemon never thought of, being the wild creatures we were then.

"They taught us the tenets of civilization and technology, and we prospered for it. We became organized, unified. In turn, we taught them about the power of the spirit. And they learned magic."

The flames turned a plethora of colors, swirling into gales of sheer beauty that bedazzled the eye. Her narration cast its own spell, leaving its listeners silent and attentive. Togetic grew overwhelmed, Shaymin fell into bemused wonder, and Gabite took numerous mental notes. Porygon-Z leaned in with startling interest, and Eira, in particular, became awestruck at it all.

Lucario could hardly turn away himself. It sounded like a fairy tale, yet he'd seen and believed stranger things, hadn't he? Humans lived here, and they were taught magic.

Pokemon could teach humans to use the elements?

"But something must've happened. A disaster, enough for humankind to be vilified and chased out. Enough for them to be remembered for their wizardry, and for the towers to be built, ensuring they'd never return." Mismagius let her Mystical Fire be fire, a blaze that stretched over everything, leaving behind ash-like flames that reformed into formidable spires. "I know not what caused this purge, but your mind-enslaving wizards, Gabite, may be a clue. That they are living, breathing humans is questionable, but perhaps they are advanced dungeon constructs, doomed to reenact a blasphemous evil of their real counterparts."

Porygon-Z concurred with a nod. Gabite huffed, a little skeptical, but accepting her words regardless.

Of course," Mismagius said with an ominous tone, "the towers could not block everything. A prophecy was said — a garbled warning of unordinary timelines, converging to cause terrible events that shouldn't occur, yet they do. They dictated that a human would return, transformed, and unwittingly shatter our world."

Eira the Vulpix sighed. "Me."

"'It begins with a stranger poisoned by malady, the towers left useless in the wake of its landfall.'" Mismagius let her towers rot away, leaving behind a miasma of purple flames that she then extinguished. With a start, Lucario realized she had uttered a portion of the prophecy, his fist clenching.

Her show done, Mismagius knelt close to the sullen vixen, her cloak billowing over the floor. "I pity you, child," she said. "Lugia surely seeks to destroy you to prevent the prophecy. No other human could match so perfectly with the few verses I know."

Her eyes drifted to Lucario. "'The guardian serves the harbinger, ever fervent,'" she recited. "I did not consider Ariados's tall tale for little reason. Though I do not know the context of this verse, I suspect it refers to you both. You are linked."

Perfect. The prophecy even mentioned him. As if it wasn't painstakingly obvious that this wasn't some prank.

Lucario hated it. "Tell it to me straight," he said. "What does it mean that Eira has magic? And this prophecy—"

"Please tell us we can get around it," urged Togetic, arms clasping her heart. "It shouldn't have to happen."

"Besides that," Shaymin butted in, "what's your deal? You're not doing this just to be nice — you want something from Eira."

Took the words out of Lucario's mouth. He waited, Mismagius's lips curling into a guilty smile. Kecleon snorted in the background.

"She is human."

"And?"

"Do you remember them, dear Mythical? Only scant manuscripts, the oldest of Legendaries, and remote Mystery dungeons speak of humans. Fallers are treasure troves, but none can teach us the unspoken history of Haven Archipelago, and few have reasonably intact memories or even the willingness to admit their Faller status and speak of their world."

~Too problematic, Porygon stated, beeping with annoyance. Common Pokemon will pester you and spin tales out of your statements, or worse.~

Mismagius's smile widened, eyes alight with rapture. "But her, hee!" she said, pointing at Eira. "Your human changes everything. She knows what no Faller does, and she has magic, hee hee! Her experience as a Pokemon must have been a shortcut, showing her how to tap into her inner power as her untransformed self. Do you realize what we could learn from her? What she could learn from me, if I lent my tutelage to help her explore her talents? Her human magic?"

Eira's lips pursed with airy wonder. Even Lucario couldn't help but consider it, recognizing the benefit of such a transaction. Mismagius was high-Leveled and skilled, and her Mystical Fire display showed a glimpse of that.

Goodness, his head spun just thinking about it. If he understood correctly, Pokemon moves weren't that different from human magic. Learning them taught Eira how to do the latter on a base level, and Mismagius could awaken that skill further.

Mind-boggling. "And the prophecy?"

"Difficult, that. 'Parallel timelines seek to summon their aberration,' you see." Mismagius laid her head back. "It's like river rapids — you're fighting against a stream, pulling you towards the demands of the prophecy. Either the human breaks, or the world shatters. But veer off-course enough, and you may swim out yet."

A confirmation of what Eevee said. Returning to the human world should suffice then. It was the third option.

And much like Eevee, Mismagius saw Eira as a cosmic boon. Yet Lucario remained bothered, unable to accept her as another ally. "Why?"

"Hm?"

"Yesterday you made a big deal of Eira being a prophetic threat to the archipelago, and now you're all chummy and invested in helping us? What's changed?" Lucario's aura-tinted glare snapped toward a silent Togetic, a squinting Shaymin, and a contemplative Gabite, before homing onto a waiting Kecleon. "Why did you and Porygon-Z trust her?"

Eira fidgeted, looking to Kecleon and his sagely reasoning behind his decision. The merchant allowed his expression to turn sheepish.

"I never said I fully trusted her," he said.

"Wha- Teach?" Shaymin blurted out, Togetic restraining herself from doing the same. "That doesn't—"

"Nothing."

An impassiveness coated Mismagius's voice, quieting Shaymin. The red irises in her eyes flickered like candles, haunted faces reflected in the jewels adorning her body. "Nothing has changed," she said. "But perhaps your lack of perception is to be expected, isn't it? Believe me, jackal, I would've chased you to the ends of the earth had you not returned today. I'd take your girl for myself if necessary. The prophecy concerns me, as it always has."

She lowered her head, partially obscuring her face with her witch hat. "But tell me, why must I cause undue harm if it can be avoided? The girl desires no evil, so I will bear no evil. By helping you, I further my own goals, which I've so kindly laid bare to you. I told you the prophecy to warn you, aura guardian. I told you so that you will understand why others seek you out, and why I kept and will continue to keep an eye on you. Had your mind been clearer yesterday, you would've learned this."

And Lucario knew she meant it. Aurasense saw no lies.

"I am prepared to take action should the prophecy force my hand, but I pray it won't come to that, and that you will succeed in preserving your girl's life. To that end, I will give you my aid, and give Eira the ability to defend her human self if need be." Warmth returned to Mismagius's voice as she faced Kecleon. "Is such a wonderful offer so difficult to understand?"

Kecleon smirked, his expression a silent note telling Lucario to decide himself how to deal with Mismagius. What choice was there, though? Of course Kecleon trusted her — the alternative was slighting a person of great power. What did he gain by rejecting her, and what would he lose by accepting her?

It was like Ariados all over again. Mismagius was eccentric and irritating, yes, but Lucario's aurasense knew she wished to help, and he needed help. Eira with human magic could be a godsend, he considered.

Eira already made her decision, eagerness creeping into her smile. "I'd like to learn," she said.

Mismagius let out a titter, a hallucinatory clone splitting out of her form. "You'll looooove to learn," she said, letting the clone orbit her before dissolving into scattered mist. "Imagine, dear, what if you could cast illusions? No need for a wristband when you can trick the senses yourself, hee!"

Human magic is a godsend. One look at Eira's bedazzled face and Lucario knew saying no was impossible.

Togetic and Shaymin still seemed uneasy with the witch, but an assuring look from Gabite made them reluctantly accept the situation. "Don't get carried away," Kecleon told Mismagius with a taut smile. "The human has to leave these islands before this prophecy hogwash gets out of hand. You've got limited time with her."

"I have enough time." Mismagius smiled back with half-lidded eyes. "I will say, I always anticipated a human would bypass the towers through rifts and such, not by literally going past them. And several other humans too? 'Reality shall crack as our magicks face a finality,' it is said — mayhaps the towers have lost their function."

Lucario shuffled his feet, wood panels creaking under his shifting weight. The prophecy verse was something to chew upon, yet something didn't feel right. "Didn't the tower at the beach compel you to look away and ignore it though?" he asked Eira.

The vixen's brows raised as she gave a swift nod, making Mismagius's smile turn a tad forced. "Regardless, Lugia's there," Kecleon brought up. "They need a way out that has nothing to do with the towers. And from what I've heard from Porygon-Z, nothing distortion-related either."

Porygon-Z aggressively nodded. ~Caution: do not seek rifts! My experience with the Spacetime Pandemic (locally known as the Ruptures) was most undesirable, leading to critical damage to long-range communication systems, audio speech, and persistent memory. In general, dimension travel is unsafe and will leave one stranded or in undesirable locations.~

Gabite threw Lucario a shrug, as if to say he'd tried. Really, getting Eira back was what mattered at the end of the day. The distortions, the past of Haven Archipelago, it was all a backdrop to Lucario's ultimate goal. Regardless of whether the towers keep Eira inside or not, Lugia makes the sea a no-go area, he thought, and dimension travel is just unreliable. What would it take to get out?

He didn't know. But he'd find the answer, somehow, some way.

~Tangent-wise, may I also make a request, Y/N? An upbeat chime sounded from Porygon-Z as he hovered close to Lucario. You may have noticed, but I retain some of my memories — I spent years recovering them. With your help and your human's, the process can be accelerated! I am struggling to remember my original functions and how exactly the distortions sent me to Haven Archipelago, and sharing your memories may allow me to recall my own. In turn, I may be able to find methods for a return trip home, in case the Kabutops scientist you said your Eevee wished to bring you to cannot help.

Porygon-Z wanted them to share what they remembered from back home? Lucario didn't mind that, it sounded like a kind gesture to do for the Faller. He inclined his head, Eira doing the same.

"We could do that," she said. "Talk about the human world and all."

"Darn it all, who here doesn't want that?" Kecleon pulled himself to his full height, jabbing Lucario with a digit. "Same demand, jackal. All this worrying you've given me with Lugia and Ariados and your teammates, the planning I've done to keep your human unknown and our necks safe — at least return the favor and sate my own curiosity, would you?"

Lucario held his paws up, much to Mismagius's amusement. "I, of course, have my ooooown endless list of questions," she said. "Your cultures and interests, the Spacetime Pandemic you had, the surprising feebleness of humans in your world, I must know it all! All! Everything!"

Glee overcame her as she began sinking into the floor. "We will accomplish so much together, Eira. Kecleon and Porygon-Z, if there is anything else of importance, I am not far. Do let me know if Ariados or Lugia keep acting like pests, would you all?"

Her robe-like body phased through, then her head and hat, until nothing else was left. Togetic exhaled as if the room had become far less suffocating, the lights a little brighter than before.

"Still don't like her," muttered Shaymin.

Gabite wheezed, keeling over for a moment. "Whimsical witch," he said. "You can't leash her, can you?"

"Better that she's with us, rather than against us." Kecleon shuffled over to Lucario, shaking his head. "The time it took, just finding her — you owe me, you know that?"

A bold phrase. And a fair one too. Lucario reflected on that first night when Kecleon had aided Ariados in taking down Eira, then on how the merchant had helped since. How he had deduced with Mismagius and Porygon-Z what happened with him and Eira, and how Mismagius safeguarded his human's secret from Toxicroak. Perhaps at Kecleon's behest.

He compared, judged, and decided Kecleon had more than repaid for his initial actions. "I won't forget this," he said.

Eira nodded along, making Kecleon's frown melt away. "Just stop getting into more trouble, and I'll sleep fine at night," he said. "Speaking of which, do you mind, Gabite? We need to talk about the situation you've gotten into with Lugia and all."

He, Porygon-Z, Gabite, and Shaymin moved to the side, beginning their long discussion. Lucario gave them little heed, his feet rooted where he stood and his eyes rooted at where Mismagius once was. Eira did the same.

Togetic chose to linger a moment with them. "Mismagius, well, she's quite a character," she said. "You're fine with her, Lucario? Eira?"

Lucario shrugged. "She hasn't done anything to hurt me," said Eira, flicking her tails with spirited nervousness. "And learning magic's nice, I guess. I can work with that."

A little smile graced her face. Togetic smiled back, a slightly worried smile that nevertheless took some comfort in Eira's opinion. Eventually she broke off, joining Kecleon and the others, and Eira glanced once at Lucario before shyly joining her.

The jackal let her, absorbed in his thoughts. Pondering over the things he learned today. Wondering over it all meant for him and Eira. Every time he thought there wouldn't be something crazier for him to swallow, somehow there was. Dungeon humans, magic powers, human wizardry, it all sought to twist and bend his worldview.

And of course, the Spacetime Pandemic was a thing. The warbled cries of Unown prodded Lucario's head, but he ignored them, pitying the orphan girl he guarded. Eira's Father disappeared due to distortions, her Mother died from the shipwreck, and she had the weight of a prophecy and a hateful archipelago pressing down on her. And yet she persists.

Tough young lady. Lucario wondered what it'd take to bring such a troubled person a normal life. And then, considering Eira's Vulpix speech and her magic, realized how silly that question was.

After what they had experienced? The girl would never know normalcy again.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 17 — End of a Beginning

Atop a small cliffside in a clearing in the forest, there stood a cottage. And upon a tree branch nearby, there stood Eevee.

He watched, waited. Batted the pouch hanging on his neck. Grumbled to himself. Questioned.

Wondered why he trusted others. Pondered. Inside his head, Espeon scoffed.

You dwell too much on these matters. All will be fine.

And if it isn't?

You hope Kabutops can make a miracle out of the human.

Very much true. Eevee didn't know how Eira could bring him closer to a cure. He only hoped Kabutops knew what to do.

Espeon was skeptical, but still she listened to him, if only because she was stuck with him anyway. And because she hoped a little too. The others—

Eevee knew their opinions, but he couldn't feel their thoughts right now. His siblings were in a drifting stasis of sorts, their strange equivalent for sleep. A side-effect of being spirits was that anytime they weren't active — when they weren't fighting or talking or manifesting themselves in the physical world — they became inert and fell into a mindless trance.

They were often like this. If they were up, it was for discussing matters or small talk, or short bursts of activity. For example, against threats like Aerodactyl. Or Lugia. Or Ariados, and they needed a Tiny Reviver Seed then.

As usual, only Espeon was awake. Barely. Go rest, Eevee told her, eyes sweeping over the clearing several times.

I do not need rest.

A white lie. Eevee felt her struggle, Espeon wavering between alertness and unconsciousness. She always did this, stubborn, loyal sister that she was, insistent on keeping watch with her psychic talents.

The others lacked her level of endurance. Eevee sighed, sensing their comatose states, and again lamented—

It is not your fault.

Eevee felt Espeon mentally wince at her cranky tone, Vaporeon stirring for the briefest moment before returning to her undeath. Eevee, for his part, didn't argue back. His siblings had said this numerous times. Their unique mutation was something he couldn't really be blamed for.

Yet Eevee couldn't be content. He needed a cure. He owed his siblings a cure. And if Eira couldn't help them?

But she has, Eevee. In a more pragmatic way.

Eevee leaned against the trunk of his tree, paws clamping against his branch. Yes, she had, hadn't she? It was unintentional, but he knew of Aerodactyl and Mew, Abhorrents involved in a terrible plot. If not for Eira's presence, perhaps he would've never learned.

He could hound them, and their allies. Their master even, whoever that was. Mew claimed he knew nothing about reversing the mutation, but maybe Kabutops could glean something from them.

Still. The human.

If Team Heavendust, Lugia, or anyone else does something to her, we will handle it. As we have before.

Eevee heard something condescending in Espeon's voice. But for now, she continued, Team Heavendust isn't our enemy. They are mortified at their deeds. Trust me.

Trust. Eevee didn't like giving that out, but trust was valuable in the right hands. It was another thing Eira gave them: a group of explorers he could interact with.

Maybe they'd turn on him too, like his village friends. Then again, Team Heavendust already fought the human, realizing their wrongdoing afterward. The Shaymin seemed bent on mending the situation. Would she betray them still? Or was this the start of an alliance?

He risked a lot, doing this. The future was unclear, and the unknown scared him. He didn't like the unknown. He didn't like any of this.

But Vaporeon had insisted, and so here he was, negotiating with explorers who knew he wasn't like Aerodactyl and his group. They had his human. And they could help.

Maybe.

Eevee took a deep breath. And then his eyes shifted, before widening. You didn't see her? he questioned Espeon.

Who? There isn't—

And then Eevee felt Espeon grow awkward, seeing through his eyes as Ariados appeared, moving across the clearing and up the hillside. Her right front leg moved gingerly, the matriarch eyeing her Warp Scarf before humming, insistent on walking despite the pain. Eevee smirked.

I said to rest, Espeon.

And Espeon obeyed, recognizing even she had limits. Her mind went hazy and her soul stilled, her presence receding until Eevee could only feel her fragile existence deep within him. Alone, he watched as Ariados clambered toward the cottage door.

She stood there. Caressed her injured leg. Moved it to tap at the door, before letting it hang there, uncertain. Her head drooped.

And then it stiffened. She looked up with subdued eyes. Right at Eevee.

The thick foliage covered him, but she saw through it. Eevee stared. Ariados stared back. The world seemed permanently still, the clouds stuck in their spots in the sky.

Ariados glanced away. "Abhorrent."

"That I am." Eevee felt his fur, locating where he'd been stabbed by a Fell Stinger. "Well?"

"The others aren't here, it seems."

A statement with a double meaning. Team Heavendust wasn't around, yes, but she wasn't just speaking about them. "No, they aren't."

"They accepted her?"

The matriarch knew Eevee wouldn't have strayed from the human, and certainly not to just chat with Team Heavendust. And Eevee knew Ariados wouldn't come here for no reason either.

"The human runs off with an Abhorrent, and they caught her. They knew." Ariados grew slightly unhinged, chortling at some joke nobody else could hear. "And yet they accept her. They're in town? Explorers would be at this hour. Did they curb the rumors? Stupid villagers, spreading trouble behind my back—"

Her words devolved into angry mutterings, to Eevee's bemusement. Was he hearing this right? Did word leak about Eira and her appearance in Stringed Forest, and Ariados was mad about that?

For a while the spider quietly rambled. And then she turned, facing the entrance into the clearing. She waited, and Eevee waited. At some point he boldly hopped out of his hiding place, Ariados hissing but making no move against him.

They waited for the same person to show up. A person not from these lands, who wasn't supposed to be on these lands. A person saddled with a cursed fate, whom he had staked his hopes upon, not realizing the burden he placed upon them both by doing so. "You realize what she represents, mutant?" Ariados said.

Eevee did. "An ill omen."

"Yet you shelter her. It was you who gave her the wristband, wasn't it? You gave her the transformation she needed to traverse her dark path."

He hadn't known that until Lucario told him. A small part of Eevee wished he could take it back — but he knew why he did the deed. "I wanted her for a cure, and I don't want her dead. Do you?"

Something flickered in Ariados's hollow eyes. It could have been revulsion. Pain. Angst. She leaned on her good leg, trembling, and brought up something that'd been on Eevee's mind. Something he needed to know for everyone's sake, and to quell his inner guilt.

"How do you fight a prophecy?" she asked.

How do you fight a prophecy?

Togetic could hardly think about anything else. She flew silently through the dirt trail cutting through the forest, right behind Team Heavendust as they marched back to the cottage. She stayed a good distance back, feeling like a spectator thrust into a show she didn't belong in.

The others were in their own moods. Lucario appeared to be contemplating, Gabite's eyes were vacant yet calculating, Sky Forme Shaymin wore a taut face, and Vulpix — no, Eira — was stuck in her own world, more lost than even she was.

And Togetic was very lost. All these shenanigans with Aerodactyl, Lugia, Ariados, Mismagius, distortions, a real human in the archipelago that just so happened to be Vulpix herself—

It would've been nice if the only bombshell she had to swallow was the idea of good Abhorrents. Simpler times.

Literally yesterday at noon.

One encounter with Jumpluff and Eevee and then things escalated so fast. Now she was neck-deep in dilemmas she never imagined getting into. And all she could think of, beyond the looming threat of Lugia, the plots surrounding Aerodactyl and Mew, and the human she wronged, was a simple question.

How do you fight a prophecy?

Shaymin slowed her pace, drifting back until she reached the lone Togetic. The angelic broke out of her thoughtful stupor, Shaymin forcing a grin as she jabbed her. "Well?"

Togetic tried to smile. "Honchkrow would never let me hear the end of it."

A chortle. Shaymin lazily eyed the countless trees they passed by and the clouds drifting overhead, though Togetic knew she was in fact being vigilant, watching for just about anything. "Your brother probably has every right," she teased. "I know my elders would do the same. We go looking for adventure, and guess what we get?"

Shaymin waved at Eira the not-actually-a-Vulpix-even-though-she-disguised-as-one, doing so with a ridiculous elegance the Mismagius would've been proud of. She smiled a little harder, and Togetic saw the exhaustion behind her facade.

They said it together. "Her."

Eira was human. That still wasn't registering in her head, but it was true. A scared, timid girl had walked into her life, and she'd taken to her like a moth to a flame, wanting to understand her fears, her grievances, and heal whatever cracks were in her pure soul.

Then she outed herself as a human. And she hurt her. She hurt her! And for what depraved reason did she break her fake, meaningless promises about not judging her? Because she couldn't handle the truth.

Because she couldn't stand being lied to.

Because Eira obviously, obviously was a monster. But she wasn't. The only monster here was—

"Hey."

Shaymin jabbed harder, Togetic rubbing the spot she bruised. "Don't blame yourself, we were all stressed idiots yesterday, yeah?" she said. "Lucario barged in at the wrong time, Eira was a bundle of nerves and couldn't explain herself, Gabite's got his issues, and even Eevee was having a bad day if I understand his story. But you know, we can fix our misunderstandings with Eira. Help her and make things right, yeah?"

Help her and make things right. Exactly what Togetic wanted to do, if only she knew how. But that was why she apologized earlier, right? Better than nothing.

Better than being an unrepentant monster. "You know me too well," muttered Togetic.

Shaymin shrugged it off. "Nah, you just looked just like Eira does now. See her? She's beating herself over things outside her control."

She was. Now that Togetic noticed, Eira seemed haunted, her face but a mask for the whirlwind of thoughts in her head. She made that face when she brought up the prophecy, or when she stated that she didn't deserve help.

She believes she's a harbinger of destruction.

The girl was internalizing. That hurt Togetic even more than the broken promises she made. As if all the accumulated tragedies Eira lived through weren't enough!

And she had to somehow help her escape her twisted destiny. "We're caring for a human," Togetic whispered, all but restraining the strangled laugh lodged in her throat.

Shaymin smiled even harder. "Yep."

"We're engulfed in things way bigger than the two of us."

"Not to mention the nonsense we've learned about. Magic and humans? Evil sorcerers in dungeons? Porygon-Z and spacetime distortions?"

"And yet you're taking all this in stride."

But even as Togetic said that, she knew otherwise. Shaymin's smile was too large, too disfigured, ready to fly off her face the moment someone pushed her a little too far. "Doing my best to not drown," she said, a whine in her voice.

To not drown. Oh, what a struggle it'd be. Not only did they have to atone for their aggression against the human Lucario guarded, but they had to send her back to her homeland, for her sake and their own. And all the while, they had to protect her.

What a tall order. After Mismagius's departure, Gabite and Kecleon had spoken at length about their situation, and the myriad of dangers they had to consider. The most pressing of those dangers?

Lugia, of course. Togetic looked at Shaymin, and she grimaced. "He'll literally drown us," she said, double-checking that the clouds in the sky stayed white, scattered, and few in number.

With every step they made toward the cottage, they came closer to the sea. Too close, and Lugia's wrath would surely come upon them. Was the cottage in range? Togetic had brought it up in their discussion with Kecleon, but Gabite dismissed her concern, pointing out that he would've struck yesterday if that was true, while they were still recovering. The others hesitantly agreed that it'd be safe to head back.

But Togetic didn't want to test that theory. She shifted to Gabite, the dragon-shark already eyeing her in expectancy. He moved his lips and—

And Lucario's feelers snapped, eyes aflame with aura and flicking toward the incoming sidepath that split off from the trail, ran into the forest, and led to the cottage. Everyone turned at once, watching his scowl give way to a confused frown.

"Ariados," he muttered. "She's with Eevee?"

A moment passed with the others batting eyes. Eira sagged, a trace of worry hidden in her listless eyes. And then she actually sagged.

No, more than just sagged. Crumpled? Crashed against the ground? She jerked her head—

Her rather loud yelp threw Togetic into a panic. Her tails clutched her forehead, an action that told her everything. Oh, of course! Of course this happened, and their team leader thought they'd be—

Togetic instantly held onto Eira and glared at a wide-eyed Gabite. Shaymin joined her, shaking Eira until her eyes refocused. "M-my head — please! I d-didn't—" the disguised human stammered.

Lucario growled a string of angry, incomprehensible words. His eyes sparked with blue aura, Lucario wincing as he stared intently at Eira, and Togetic found her own eyes glowing with pink light. Eira's soul appeared to her, diffused throughout her body with a bright sheen of purity, and swaying ever so slightly from duress.

Yes, Togetic could see these things. But she wished she could see the things Lucario saw, like the words she knew were being shoved into Eira's head—

Be careful of what you wish for, some would say. As Eira suddenly eased up and Togetic felt something shredding through her skull, she decided she needed to start listening to that old proverb.

WHAT? THEY KNOW OF YOU TOO?

Lugia's words screamed like a thunderclap drowning out the crash of tidal waves. A mental Pressure weighed down on Togetic, and if not for everyone else sharing that weight, and if not for the distance, she might've straight up collapsed. As it was, it just made her feverish, Togetic unsure if Eira was leaning on her, or she who leaned on Eira.

SCANDALOUS. I WASTE ENERGY, HAVING TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU ALL FROM AFAR. I WASTED TIME AND RESOURCES, FORGING A MAKESHIFT PSYCHIC EXTENDER FOR THIS PURPOSE!

Gabite and Lucario grunted, and Shaymin pawed her head, more miffed than hurt. Togetic looked up, finding the sky no cloudier than before, the sun shining through. This was the voice of the majestic Lugia, who removed all other humans from the archipelago? It suited him.

THE GIRL DOES NOT BELONG HERE. DO YOU FOOLS NOT REALIZE HER THREAT? YOU GIVE REFUGE TO—

"A human," Shaymin spat. "And?"

Everyone gawked at her. Even Lugia paused, Togetic getting the notion he was raising eyebrows at her brashness. YOUR MEAGER STATUS GIVES YOU NO AUTHORITY OVER ME, INSOLENT MYTHICAL, he warned. DO NOT SIDE WITH THE COMMONERS!

Togetic fervently shook her head at Shaymin, insisting to her to not anger Lugia further, but Shaymin only winked in return. "All I'm saying is you've got bigger problems than a human trying not to fulfill some dumb prophecy," she said. "Like, you know, Abhorrents plotting to plunder your home?"

An even longer pause. Gabite's brows arched before a sleazy grin overcame him, the dragon-shark nodding back at Shaymin. Lucario and Eira didn't get it, however, and Togetic most certainly didn't. What? Was she missing something?

SO YOU KNOW. When Lugia grumbled, it was a softer noise, like the faraway crackle of a storm cloud. A SIMPLE SCAN WAS HOW I FOUND HER. HER MIND IS UNLIKE A POKEMON'S. SHE THINKS IN HUMAN WORDS.

Eira shrunk into herself, groaning at Lugia's admission. THE TRIFLING DISTANCE BETWEEN US IS TOO GREAT, mused the Legendary. THE LICH SURELY WAITS FOR ME, AND REGARDLESS, YOU WILL SIMPLY SCATTER. ALL I GAIN IS BANEFUL ATTENTION — I CANNOT FULFILL MY SACRED DUTY THIS WAY.

Command flowed into his voice. I WILL ASK THIS ONCE. OFFER YOURSELVES UP AND RETURN TO THE BEACH, ALONG WITH YOUR MONSTER EEVEE. FOR YOUR SAKES AND THE ARCHIPELAGO'S, I WILL SEND THE HUMAN WHERE SHE BELONGS, AND WIPE YOUR MINDS OF THIS INCIDENT. THIS ACCIDENT SHALL BE RECTIFIED IN FULL.

To another, that might be a tempting offer. Her latest experiences left Togetic's mind aflame, and it would be soothing to let the madness stop. No more mind-melting knowledge, no looming prophecy, no furious Lugia, nothing. It'd be like Eira was never here.

But Togetic couldn't forget. Wouldn't. She refused to forget Eira, whom she so badly wanted — no, needed to mend ties with, regardless of what she was. She refused to succumb to a Legendary's bloody demand.

She refused to let the human die.

"You have no right to take her," she whispered, holding Eira a little closer. She peered at her, like a sinner staring at mercy.

It was worth the increased Pressure Lugia placed upon her. YOU SPEAK AS YOUR GROUP'S LEADER?

Gabite looked like he wanted to laugh. "I speak, as the team leader," he declared.

"And as the kid's personal guardian, so do I," Lucario chimed in. He began to grin too, somehow figuring out what was amusing Gabite so much. "You're not doing away with her, like you did with the other humans. Come back when she does an actual crime, would you?"

Stupid, unwavering defiance, in front of a force much greater than them. But there could be no compromise. Even Gabite, for all his baggage concerning humans, would not stand for murder.

Lugia naturally took offense. A PERSONAL GUARDIAN — A SERVER OF THE HARBINGER? he screeched. FIENDS! LUNATICS! HUMANS CANNOT REMAIN HERE, ESPECIALLY NOT HER! YOU ACCELERATE THE DEAD WINTER THAT MARKS OUR RUINATION BY ASSISTING—

Leave.

Togetic's eyes widened as pink fog swirled overhead, swirling into the shape of an irate, spectral Espeon. Trees rustled at the same time, Eevee blasting out of the foliage and falling right beside Espeon. The Abhorrent and his cursed sister stared through Eira, as if witnessing Lugia himself.

"We're already handling the human," Eevee said with formal grace. "She'll be out of your scales in no time. I suggest you consider the Lucario's advice and return only if the prophecy gets out of hand, fair?"

YOU. Lugia's voice grew garbled, Togetic reeling from his searing rage. YOU MAY BE UNLIKE THE OTHER ABOMINATIONS, BUT I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOUR ACT. YOU AND YOUR SPIRITS HAVE SINNED DEARLY BY ALLOWING THE HUMAN TO ESCAPE ME YESTERDAY! I WILL—

One more moment of silence, sudden and deafening. Lucario grumbled and turned, then Shaymin and Gabite, Eira sighing out as she looked over her shoulder at the disturbance. Eevee snorted, and even before looking over herself, Togetic already knew what happened.

For there she was, the matriarch of Stringed Forest. Ariados stood a distance away, face impassive, eyeing Eira with a heavy yet dull gaze. If Lugia was the greatest of their issues, she was somehow the least.

Ironic, for Lugia balked at her appearance. ANOTHER?

Ariados twitched at his voice. "Lugia," she muttered. "You seek to fight destiny too? I tried."

YOU TOO KNOW THE VERSES. Lugia's panic condensed into a ball of throbbing anxiety. HOW MANY? HOW MANY HAVE FOUND HER?

Eira, Eevee, Espeon, and Ariados all shared a glance. A glint of understanding entered their eyes, leaving Togetic alone to wonder why everyone was acting up. And then—

Oh.

Lugia doesn't know?

"Can you not see yourself?" asked Ariados, amused. "My whole village. They saw her. And—"

AND A KECLEON. AND A MISMAGIUS.

Lugia spoke mechanically, as if reading Ariados's exact thoughts. As if he couldn't be bothered to probe her mind for answers. Perhaps because he couldn't, not from so far away? Or had he simply never thought to?

A rumbling sigh came from the Legendary. A pained one. THEN MATTERS ARE TOO FAR GONE. I'VE FAILED.

The pressure all but eased, allowing Eira to pull away from Togetic and Shaymin's support. EVEN IF THE SECRET REMAINS CONTAINED, spoke Lugia, TIME WILL ERODE ITS VEIL. I CANNOT CLEANSE SO MANY. DO YOU THINK MY SEABOUND NATURE MAKES YOU IMMUNE FROM MY WRATH, HUMAN? THAT I CANNOT FIND OTHER MEANS TO COLLECT YOU? The Legendary let out a death-like hiss. YOU ARE AMUSED, MYTHICAL.

Shaymin had the gall to put on an obscenely large grin. "You don't say?" she said, before jerking her head with a yelp.

TAUNT ME ALL YOU DARE! I DID NOT EXPECT THAT MY PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS WOULD BE SO FALSE, BUT IT MATTERS LITTLE NOW. YOU ALL COMMIT A GRAVE CRIME, ESPECIALLY YOU, JACKAL — A GUARDIAN OF MAN! THE SHEER IDIOCY, TO GIVE REFUGE TO THE ILL OMEN! BUT GO ON, AND PLAY THIS GAME OF YOURS. SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REJECT MY BENEVOLENCE AND FORCE MY WINGS.

YOU WILL REGRET THIS FOR THE REST OF YOUR PALTRY LIVES.

And then it ended. Togetic felt Lugia pull away, and the connection severed. Her ears rang, even though the cacophony had been all in her mind, and her head pounded. As did her heart.

Espeon was for some reason arguing with Eevee over the futility of sleep. Eira was resting her face against the ground. Shaymin?

She laughed her lungs out.

"He didn't find out that Porygon-Z also knows! Or that Lucario's not just Eira's guardian, but a foreign Pokemon too!"

Shaymin couldn't help herself, grinning like a maddened loon. It was hilarious! Lugia hadn't even realized they all knew of the prophecy until they referred to it, or that there was a whole flipping village that saw Eira! Not to mention that he didn't notice Eevee or Ariados being around until the last moment. The big-wig Psychic Legendary stank at his job, ha!

The funny bird had made way too many assumptions, and he was too cocky to make sure all of them were true. "You still didn't have to draw his ire," Togetic told her, far less entertained. "He reminds me of what you were once like, you know?"

Their group was briskly returning to the cottage grounds, Gabite, Lucario, and Eira slightly ahead of them as they emerged out of the forest and into the clearing. "Nah, even I was better than that," asserted Shaymin. "Lugia's on a whole different level of silly. What kind of Psychic doesn't do deep reads on his sworn enemies?"

Gabite nodded, wearing a little grin of his own. "It was only when Eira's thoughts drifted toward us that Lugia realized we knew of her human nature," Lucario noted, making the titular false vixen rub at her forehead, apologetic.

And it is only after Ariados thought of the others who've seen the human that Lugia learned of Kecleon and Mismagius. Togetic and Shaymin winced as Espeon, the ghostly pink cat with a red gemstone on her forehead, floated alongside them with cold, droopy eyes. Her anchor, the Eevee, hung a distance back. Lugia seems to check for surface thoughts, though perhaps he is not the most attentive.

It might've been his siblings, trapped within him as hive-mind apparitions, or his crown of colorful crystals that gave an eerie regality to his youthful form, but Eevee made Shaymin uncomfortable. Even more than Eira did. But yes, the Espeon was right. Lugia would've known of Porygon-Z too, but he had focused on the wrong person.

He was exactly how she thought Legendaries were: socially incompetent recluses who were all pomp and pride, and with no actual idea of how to effectively deal with their problems. Simply put, he was dumb.

And a coward. And a jerk. And a killer. And killing was dumb, so Lugia was super dumb. Not to mention he wanted Eira, and Shaymin was absolutely not letting Lucario's human be more miserable than she already was.

All in all, Lugia was a poor excuse for what a Legendary was supposed to be. "I think I get why Lugia didn't fight Aerodactyl head-on until the very end," she brought up. "He's super afraid of him, and of being mutated."

Which was reasonable, but pathetic too, leaving explorers to do all the work of fighting the mutant. "He did mention that he made a psychic extender, though. I'm guessing Lugia knows how to craft simple artifacts to boost his Psychic powers."

Eira flattened her ears. "And will that be a problem for us?" asked Gabite.

Unfortunately, it was. "Lugia may not be the brightest, but make no mistake, he's still a powerful Legendary," said Shaymin. "Him being able to make artifacts makes him far scarier. He'll need time to prepare though — we've got a few days before we need to be further inland."

There was plenty to unpack about the Legendary, and Shaymin was beginning to see a bigger picture. But for now, she felt like taking a break to worry about a lesser threat.

Like Ariados.

She was last to join them, trespassing into Gabite's territory as if to challenge the dragon-shark to shoo her away. Lucario and Togetic kept a steady eye on her while Eira slunk back, tails twitching. "Right, you," Gabite eventually said. "What's the meaning of this, matriarch?"

Despite having been here with Ariados, apparently Eevee and Espeon didn't know her reason for visiting either. "We have met before, Team Heavendust," she replied. "Only Team Elementri precedes you in reputation around these parts."

Shaymin resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Yes, they'd been in her dungeon before. Yes, they were reputable explorers. "And?" she questioned.

Ariados threw her a significant glance. "There was," she said, pausing for a second, "an incident yesterday at my village. I know you faced one yourself, at the now-dubbed Stormsoaked Shores. Perhaps, dear Mythical—"

Her leg glowed and rippled, and the strangest object Shaymin ever saw phased out of her body, Ariados clutching it like it was her lifeline. "You might know what this is," she finished, leaving the others in startled wonder.

Gabite almost threw himself forward in curiosity, but in the end he waved Shaymin forward. She could only gape as she observed the object, a dark blue chunk of some unknown material with glowing cracks of purplish-red traced throughout like veins. A black mist poured out of those cracks, engulfing the object whole like a possessive specter, and Shaymin gagged when she caught a whiff of its nauseating, polluted scent. Was the object moving? It looked like it was shaking about, leaving behind fuzzy afterimages—

It was distorting. The object was distorting, and the mist was not just mist. It was literal shadow, defiantly clinging on to the object despite the sunlight clashing against it. Shaymin moved to touch it, and to her surprise, Ariados allowed it, keeping a firm grip while she pawed the warping grooves and felt the inky, sticky substance of the shadow. Was it a gas or a liquid? A part of her almost wondered if this thing was toxic to the touch.

"Oh my," whispered Eevee, Espeon rubbing her intangible eyes. Their gazes slowly fell to the anklet Eevee wore, and the Abhorrent Z-Crystal attached. An Eevium-Z mutagen, with barbed, blackened tips with haloed rings wrapped over them, and dried remnants of shadowy ooze inside.

Unsettlingly, the ooze seemed like a thicker, stickier blob of the shadows surrounding Ariados's object. Shaymin and Gabite exchanged looks.

"Uh, Shaymin?" whispered Togetic. "What is that?"

Lucario gasped. "That thing Ariados has, it's—"

"It's what lets you control your dungeon," said Eira, breathless.

It could be nothing else. And it gave Shaymin much to chew on. It broadened her horizons. Didn't Eira say Aerodactyl wanted to take this from Ariados?

"It appeared during the formation of Stringed Forest, and I claimed it. Should I lose this shard, my village will cease to be. What remains of my humble people will scatter." Ariados held the object close to her, before it violently shook, the spider hissing as it disintegrated into waves of red-purplish energy that flowed throughout her body. "You are amongst the few I've dared mention it to, and yet, the Abhorrent Aerodactyl and Mew who invaded my home — the human has told you, no? — knew I had such an item. More concerningly, the Aerodactyl spoke of it as a lesser version of the power he seeks."

Lucario and Eira gave subtle nods of recollection, Shaymin's distress peaking. The 'shard' was a fragment of distortion, meant to warp Ariados's own dungeon. Were there others like it, for other dungeons?

And yet, the shard was a lesser item? Lesser?

Did the Legendaries' power to alter any dungeon come from more powerful shards? thought Shaymin. My home, was it made using—?

Duh, it was. She always suspected something like this! Her elders always kept quiet about such things, but now she had evidence. The greater Legendaries had an enhanced version of Ariados's shard, empowered to let them control any dungeon.

And Aerodactyl sought to steal such an artifact from Lugia.

Light filled Shaymin's eyes, much to Ariados's satisfaction. "You have gained something from my shard," she remarked.

Many things. Where did the Legendary 'super shards' come from, though? Considering they could shape any dungeon without limit, it sounded like they didn't naturally appear, but were instead made to subjugate Mystery Dungeons. Perhaps a master creator of artifacts from the Jade Age forged the enhanced shards? Or a Giratina from those times, or one of those humans that Mismagius said had once lived here? A Missing One? Well, surely not a Missing One, but—

"Then I will not waste any more of your time." Ariados turned around. "My apologies for intruding."

Shaymin tore herself away from her thoughts. "Wait!" she blurted. "You—"

"Excuse us?" Lucario took over for her, moving past her to confront Ariados. "That's it? You just showed up to demonstrate your little shard thingy? You don't even care what it means?"

Ariados shook her head. She rubbed her bruised leg, peering at the peeved jackal with a huff. Eevee's mouth quirked with mirth.

"No, forget that!" Lucario laid bare his fangs. "Is this your way of pretending we're all even now? That we should let bygones be bygones? After what you've done—"

The matriarch stepped to the side. "I didn't anticipate the human would be with you," she said to Gabite.

Lucario held his tongue, but continued to glare. "Your villagers and their gossip nearly landed us in hot water," the dragon-shark commented. "Apparently, you had nothing to do with it."

The spider confused Shaymin. The Mythical remembered seeing human Eira's back, and the stab marks punctured through her clothing and skin — Ariados had been bent on the girl's death. Now she lacked even a shred of malice.

She tilted her head at Ariados. She in turn faced Eira, whose brows slanted as she waited with bated breath. "You," said Ariados.

Eira frowned. "Me."

"You're an ill omen."

"I-I am."

"You stopped the Aerodactyl from taking my shard."

The false vixen and her Lucario guardian blinked, neither unable to reply. Ariados stared into the distance, an agonized melancholy simmering in her eyes. Turmoil too.

And a pinch of insanity. "You're going to destroy us," she said, chuckling to herself. "It'd be karma, if my actions brought you further down the road to doom. Look at you! You're protected. I'm out of tricks. The prophecy continues. Why, human, must you complicate everything?"

Shaymin couldn't unsee it. The way Ariados held herself — how would Togetic put it? — it was like an Archeops with its Defeatist Ability active. She could continue to fight, but what was the point?

"I can neither curse you nor thank you." Ariados shook her head. "I thought to dissuade you, explorers, from wasting time chasing after the girl, but that seems unnecessary now. You seek to get her off these islands?"

She didn't wait for their answer. "Go ahead. Change destiny. My villagers may not understand, but no one benefits anyway if the archipelago finds out about the girl. And yet, if you are left with no other choice, will you bring yourself to put down the ill omen before she destroys everything?"

Eira's tails knotted themselves into a ball. A flash of whimsy reached Ariados's face, and with it, a nervous laugh. A long, fearful laugh, one she didn't seem to know how to stop. And then—

"Shaymin."

The call-out made Shaymin's grassy fur wither.

"Lugia holds a power greater than mine, I realize. That Aerodactyl — perhaps the Mew too — they will take it. You of all Pokemon would seek to stop them, wouldn't you? And you, Eevee? Perhaps all of you?"

Ariados spoke solemnly, as if she'd gazed into their souls and known their deepest desires — her deepest desires — if only for a fleeting second. Shaymin trembled at her unspoken request, barely aware that she was nodding.

Ariados respectfully nodded back, a tiny weight lifted from her shoulders. "Well, what more do you want, an apology?" she told Lucario. "They don't mean much when it comes to murder."

She left on that self-incriminating note, scuttling away with a forced smile. Down the hill, past the dusty field in the center, and into the woods she went. Ariados departed, done with playing her role on a stage she no longer wanted anything to do with.

"At least she realizes that," muttered Lucario.

Shaymin fidgeted, Togetic and Gabite's stares pressing down on her nape. She'd have to speak, of course. There was much to discuss. And Eevee—

The matriarch was here? Must've been quite the show.

It was the red Flareon spirit that spoke, him and the other Eeveelution ghosts rising out like smoke from the crystal structures on Eevee's head, as if waking up from a deep slumber. Shaymin's breath caught for a moment, the strange group catching her attention. The pink Fairy one was a Sylveon, right? Leafeon and Glaceon were the Grass and Ice ones, Jolteon the energetic, yellow Electric one, the fish-like Water-type was Vaporeon, and — Umbreon, was it? — was Dark. "Back from the dead, you all?" said Eevee. "Flareon, no straining Espeon's mental powers for small talk."

It is fine, insisted Espeon, her eyes drooping. I can manage—

Espeon, we have told you repeatedly not to strain yourself so, Vaporeon chided. To the rest of you, our apologies — we were in a state of rest. Have we missed much? I believe we are here for a discussion.

She and Eevee faced Shaymin, treating her like some sort of ambassador. The Mythical fidgeted some more, under the weight of the Eeveelutions' presences.

—Eevee had matters of his own. His needs, Lucario and Eira's, and the matter of Lugia and the Abhorrents all tied together in a jumbled mess, one she was qualified to sort out.

Unfortunately. "Just a second," Shaymin said, making a face at Gabite and Togetic. "Will somebody get Eevee and his siblings up to speed? I need a moment to think this through."

When both hesitated, Lucario and Eira pulled up to do so. They explained everything that happened on their end, while Eevee explained Ariados's appearance to his formerly asleep siblings — they could sleep? — freeing Shaymin to do some hard thinking. Ariados hadn't come here for Lucario, Eira, or Eevee, but rather for Team Heavendust.

Particularly her, the sole Mythical around these parts. Who else?

Shaymin wasn't a master of deduction like Gabite, but she had enough of a brain to see a narrative. Why did Eira end up on the archipelago? Because of Aerodactyl and Lugia. There had been a storm—

Lugia was repelling a human ship. Aerodactyl seized the moment to attack.

The ship was destroyed in their fighting, and by some unknown circumstances, several humans ended up past the distortion fields and the human warding towers, reaching the islands. Aerodactyl had been defeated, but he got away with a few of Lugia's feathers, leaving Lugia to clean up the mess.

He's afraid of the fallout. He doesn't want anyone finding a human and stirring a panic. Or for word to reach someone important, like a Legendary, or—

Or Their Highnesses? Regardless, Lugia was taking the human situation personally. As a guardian of the sea, it seemed likely that he felt obligated to ensure no humans could approach the shores.

He spoke of removing the humans as his duty. He knows the prophecy and even recognizes that Eira fits the bill, transfigured human and all.

The weirdest part about Lugia? He tried to hide it, but Shaymin was sure he badly wanted — expected — them to give up Eira peacefully. His whole spiel was just an intimidation tactic. Could Lugia really catch them if they went deeper into the island? He might have to show his face to do so, or resort to unreliable tricks. Lugia wanted a clean sweep, not a messy fight that'd attract unwanted attention.

But back to Aerodactyl. The Lugia pillars, Shaymin thought. He's already placed one feather atop the pillar in Stormsoaked Shores. There were three dots inscribed on the pillar, and one was glowing.

One pillar found, two to go. If the Lugia pillars weren't some Legendary trial that would grant access to Lugia's lair, Shaymin didn't know what. Lugia has shards like Ariados's, but far more powerful, she noted. The power to alter all dungeons.

The greater Legendaries had that power. Mew was not a greater Legendary.

"Aerodactyl's getting Lugia's artifact for Mew, isn't he?"

A shaky Togetic had approached Shaymin, Gabite standing a little further back. "Except he's not even the leader," he muttered. "There's someone else. Someone who might actually destabilize the dungeons, or worse."

Worse. Shaymin eyed Eevee's Z-Crystal and the ooze within, and wondered what worse meant.

Lucario and Eira had long finished talking about Gabite's wizard humans, spacetime distortions, and Berrypark Town shenanigans to a pale-faced Eevee and his siblings, faces that grew grave once Shaymin shared her thoughts about Lugia and Aerodactyl. "Ariados's right," she told them. "I can't ignore this. If the Abhorrents get Lugia's shard—"

"We'll have a crisis on our hands." Veins bulged on Gabite's face, infernal scenes writhing in front of his eyes. "That can't be allowed."

Togetic clutched her wing in a death-like grip, uncomfortable at the thought, but understanding how dire the situation was. As did Eira, pale Eira, the human girl who shouldn't be wrapped up in such dangerous games. "You know how I feel about this," growled Lucario, though his voice seemed subdued. "My human needs help, not more risks to her life."

"Easy, Lucario," said Gabite. "If I'm getting this right, Aerodactyl and his group need two more pillars, which could be located in any possible dungeon."

Exactly. The pillars were hidden elsewhere. "Once Aerodactyl finds them, they'll have access to Lugia's lair," said Shaymin. "Lugia can't just disable that feature, I'm sure of that."

"Pity." Gabite hummed, flicking his claw toward his Treasure Bag. "The Kabutops person we're looking for is in Swampblot Island. Being seabound, Lugia would likely hide his pillars in dungeons near an island's shores. Not that we can cross the sea—"

We know a dungeon with a shortcut.

At the southern part of Grassbranch Island.

Leafeon and Glaceon spoke one after the other, Eevee nodding along. "I don't like whatever Aerodactyl or his Mew friend are up to either," he stated. "But I've got precious cargo to deliver."

"Who said we have to chase them?" Gabite let out an amused puff of air. "I say we get this task of bringing the human to Kabutops over with, and along the way, we warn the locals about the Abhorrents as is needed. We find out what we can about local dungeons, which ones are likely to have the pillars, and maybe get some of the other explorer teams to scout around."

Shaymin frowned, finding this plan a little too passive. "I can't just—"

"And then, once Lucario, Eira, and Eevee are with Kabutops, safe from Lugia, the rest of us can focus on the Abhorrents," Gabite assured her. "I can likely get Braixen in on this situation too — his team's supposed to head back to Berrypark Town in a few days. Assuming Lugia doesn't try pulling a fast one on us in the meantime, I'll speak with them before we depart for Kabutops."

Shaymin pursed her lips. Team Elementri was coming back? Those guys were veteran travelers and explorers. They'd be a big help.

It was a decent proposal, one that could satisfy all parties. It'll do, said Umbreon.

The other Eeveelutions agreed in a mixture of voices, Vaporeon clearing her mental throat to quiet them. It is a boon that we have any sort of help. Eevee?

Eevee let out a thoughtful sigh. "Better if the human has explorers as her escort instead of an Abhorrent," he said, adopting a little smirk. "Fine. We can work out logistics and details later. You help us a little with getting the human back, and I suppose we'll help a little with thwarting the Abhorrents, yeah?"

Sounded fair to Shaymin. She nodded, and Lucario wearily consented to their plan, while Eira shrugged, content with any plan whatsoever. Togetic looked between them all, before rubbing her head.

"This is really happening," she whispered.

"Our duty, Togetic," Gabite reminded her. "I know you didn't sign up for this, but something's gotta be done." His face grew wrinkled, weary at the madness approaching. "Blast it, Lucario, I wish I could keep you around. Even your human and her Disables, it'll make things safer in case we get into a rough spot."

The guilt-tripping wasn't intentional, but Lucario seemed disgruntled, almost like he wished he could help fight the Abhorrents. Even more so with Eira.

"I just don't know anymore," muttered Togetic. "This shouldn't be— could you all excuse me?"

She flew to the cottage with a fake smile, as proper and graceful as can be. The others watched in consternation, and Eira whipped around, paws shifting as if she wanted to chase after her.

Shaymin held up a paw. "Let me."

Eira slowly sat down. "It's not me, is it?"

"Nah. Course not."

It was everything.

Trusting Gabite wouldn't go bonkers while she was gone, Shaymin followed Togetic. Up the hillside, past the cottage door, and into the living room, with a little table and a few chairs atop a rather tacky rug. To the side, passing by the corner of the room that served as the kitchen. Then into a hallway, going past the washroom, before stopping at the ladies' quarters.

Shaymin breathed, then pushed it open, the door creaking ever so slightly. In she went, admiring the far more elegant, flowery rug she and Togetic had adorned their room with, and the potted plants she took good care of, resting on the window sill and atop a few mahogany drawers. The wood color reminded her of home.

And there was Togetic, flopped over on her cushion bed, as improper and graceless as can be. The angelic had her face smushed against the fabric, arms and legs dangling to the side. She groaned.

"What's someone like me doing here, Shaymin?" came her muffled voice.

Shaymin rested beside her. "A prophesied human's enough of an ordeal," Togetic went on. "Abhorrents out to take over the archipelago too? It's like the world's gone upside-down. Is this real? Are we actually doing this?"

She raised her head, breathing in a mouthful of air. Shaymin offered a paw, and Togetic clenched it, her grip murderous.

"It's like a fever dream. Or a nightmare. Both." Togetic fired a friendly scowl at Shaymin. "The consequences of befriending a Mythical, I guess."

Funny how they met. Two dummies snuck away from their homes, one wanting to explore the world, and the other despising the idea of hiding away from it. Both had wanted to do something meaningful, be it a chance to do something good, to find the unknown, or to experience the thrill of a grand adventure to conquer.

Well, wish granted. Here it was, an adventure. And adventure sucked.

At least Shaymin could rub it in her fellow kind's faces. Legendaries were creatures with special talents — they weren't supposed to rot away in hidey holes and whatnot! What if danger reared its ugly head again? Who would deal with it, and would they do it quickly enough, before things went too far?

Everyone saw her kind as heroes. Ariados did. But guess where the Legendaries were? All in hiding, keeping their necks buried in the sand. All but a human-hunting Lugia, and—

"Mew does scare you the most, doesn't he?"

And him. Primal Gear the Mew. Creator of not the mutagens, but the Z-Crystals containing them. Who made the Mega Stones then, the Yveltal-like Aerodactyl?

Never mind that. "A Mythical working with the Abhorrents? That's worse than bad, Togetic. That—"

Dread, burning her veins. Making her skin boil. A Mew wouldn't join such a defiled group, not without deep, disturbing motives. The Abhorrent plot was Legendary in scale. Maybe even worse, if Mew's leader was something beyond Legendary.

And that was completely ignoring the fact that she had a human, a living, breathing human, to escort back home before a stupid prophecy destroyed the archipelago.

God.

This was why she left home. As a Mythical, she may as well be sworn to deal with such dilemmas. She practically sought them out.

I'll never think of everyday explorer work as boring again.

Togetic pulled Shaymin closer, and suddenly her iron grip became soothing, a gentleness beneath its firm hold. "I know you can't let this go," she said with a sigh, strength returning to her voice. "I can't either — it's why we're explorers, aren't we?"

"For three months, Togetic."

"Three months and a half. And we've traveled for much longer." Togetic put on a loving smile, one that would raze all her troubles to the ground. "Don't worry about me, sister. I'm afraid, believe me, so very afraid, but you know I'd follow you to the Distortion World and back. If we must fight Abhorrents, then I'll be with you all the way. No matter the cost."

Togetic always had a way with words. Shaymin absorbed her smile, and found it contagious. "And Eira?"

Togetic's lips quirked. "Curse us if we don't make up for what we've done to her. We'll give her a happy ending yet, Grace."

"Serene."

For a moment, peace was shared between pseudo-siblings. A silent pledge too. They stared at each other, and found boundless loyalty.

"Just—" Serene the Togetic sheepishly scratched her cheek "—let me recuperate a little longer, okay?"

Grace the Shaymin laughed. Harder than she meant to.

"Take your time. I'm here for you too."

Gabite grumbled. Leaves rustled to a calm wind, the sort that came before a storm, and the greenery of his cottage sanctuary seemed a little more yellowy today. As if it had overheard his group's discussions, and feared the world was crumbling, piece by piece.

It just might, if Aerodactyl had things his way. Or the Mew. It was disturbing, this whole situation, especially for one like him.

The Abhorrents were a blasphemy, a blight. They were unnatural. Kind of like them, his human tormentors.

Never did he imagine himself teaming with an Abhorrent. Or stranger still—

Gabite almost turned toward her. Almost, but not quite. Even as a Vulpix, the timid human still made his scales itch like mad. Made his mind burn, and agitated the voices in his head. He couldn't look at her straight.

The girl cursed with a darned prophecy.

He owed her a way back to her homeland. Of all the people to saddle such a burden upon.

She covertly watched him, equally as uncomfortable. Lucario was bolder, staring him down in expectancy, and Eevee was no different. Neither were his siblings, spirits chained to the Eevee to form a stranger kind of abomination. The kind that made people curious, even pitying, while still injecting a fear of the otherworldly into them.

There was an anklet on Eevee's forepaw. A mutagen Z-Crystal was affixed to it, already used. Gabite could barely make out the dried ooze on it.

The Abhorrents look like that ooze in — what did Shaymin say the human called it? — their Distortion Frenzy.

And the shadows of Ariados's shard looked a little like the ooze. Gabite hated the coincidence.

Lucario and his human seemed to understand his concern, eyeing the Z-Crystal with apprehension, and Eevee took stock of the group's stares. "It better not mean anything," he said, replying to an unspoken question.

Gabite was supposed to speak, he realized. He was Team Heavendust's leader. With no Shaymin or Togetic around, the others expected him to continue the conversation. To say something, anything.

But he didn't know what to say to an Abhorrent family, a human, and her human guardian.

Blissfully, Eevee threw him a bone. "The Mismagius's teaching Eira magic, huh?"

In the corner of Gabite's eye, he thought the human's cheeks had reddened. Meek girl — why did she have a Vulpix's form, instead of something like a Mareep? "It won't interfere with our plans," he replied.

Though regardless, he should warn Mismagius about their planned travels. "Hmph," said Eevee. "She knows about me and my brethren."

Slight indignation, but no real anger. "Nothing I can do about that, Abhorrent."

"Whatever. This Porygon-Z person—" Eevee side-eyed Lucario with disbelief "—he's a human machine?"

"Not your typical Faller, I'd say."

Spectral, judging eyes stared him down, making him bristle. "Weird," Eevee eventually said. "Guess some rumors about humans are true after all, like their tech. Or their magic, or the idea of them having lived in our lands before."

Wisely, Eevee didn't mention the prophecy. Not with the human present. The Mismagius would've taught us something, hm? the Flareon ghost stated. More than the stale junk you've found.

"Who asked, Flareon?"

The Mismagius. The things she knew. The things she said.

Things she said about humans.

They brought innovations we Pokemon never thought of, being the wild creatures we were then.

They taught us the tenets of civilization and technology, and we prospered for it.

Blasted irony. His captors tried to make a feral out of him. Like Aerodactyl did with the mutagens.

But the words haunted him. Was it true? That the Pokemon of Haven Archipelago were wild, like the ones in Lucario's world, and they learned from humans? Were their lifestyles and customs — the cities they made, the economy they contributed to, the cultures they developed — all because of them? Humans?

Without them, were we just beasts?

Lucario wasn't. But he'd been raised by a human. A 'Pokemon Trainer'.

Gabite knew he was being ridiculous, but irrationality had a pull on him. He clutched his face, whirling over, and made himself face the human. Her stock-still Vulpix form branded his eyes.

A beast is all you ever were, the voices echoed.

Shut up.

"What are you?"

The human stepped back, eyes large. Gabite thought he felt blood trickle down his claw.

The spider and the silver bird knew better. She is your omen.

Shut up.

"What is she, Lucario? What are you, for that matter?"

Lucario's stance shifted. A feral part of Gabite smelled a challenge to his dominance, the birthright of a Dragon.

The dog serves. He knows his place. You will either join him in his fetters, or—

Get out!

"I still don't understand! How? How could you ever chain yourself to her kind? Why—"

Gabite moved forward, and so did Eevee and his siblings. He saw them and cowered, not wanting to be like those vile apparitions, controlled by— by—

They weren't controlled. Eevee cooperated with his siblings. He ordered them like a leader, not an enslaver.

Did human trainers do that?

Porygon-Z had never answered him on that front, his spotty memory not knowing much about them. But Lucario implied they did.

Numbness. It felt foreign, distant. Gabite cocked his head at Lucario, his paw bathed in blue aura, then eyed the human one more time. Eira, she was called.

Strange name.

He breathed, ripping his gaze away. "Do we Pokemon need them?" he asked, in the calmest voice he could manage. "The humans?"

His claws shook. Gabite stilled them. Lucario seemed to understand, seeing his attempt to rein himself in from the madness within. He spoke.

"No."

A pause.

"I chained myself to several humans, Gabite. I left all but one."

That took Gabite by surprise. Several? Lucario had gone through the process of giving himself up to Pokemon Trainers multiple times, being exchanged from one human's Pokeball to another?

The Abhorrents listened in too, enraptured, and Eira too swiveled her ears over. "You had other trainers?" she whispered.

Lucario smirked at her curiosity. "Did nothing I said in the morning click for you, Gabite?" he said. "Yes, Pokemon back home take up the wild life. Many of us like it that way. But some get the itch to see more, to do more, to explore beyond their little home — like a certain Riolu who left his tribe."

His shrug was the kind an amnesiac Slowpoke would give. "I don't remember the humans, but we didn't mix well together. Some had an attitude I couldn't get by, or a level of immaturity I couldn't stand, or our interests simply didn't align. They'd want to be a cook or a performer or a news reporter, and I just didn't care for it. Eventually I'd go looking for someone else, or if the human was understanding, they'd hand me over to someone else who could better work with me."

Gabite couldn't wrap his head around that. He just left? Or the humans would allow him to go? It sounded too simple. What was the catch? Why—

"And Adam?" asked Eira.

Lucario's smirk turned into a wistful grin. "Him," he said. "I was soul-searching, Gabite. I never knew my love for fighting until Adam awakened it. Ever heard of the Pokemon League?"

Everyone but Eira batted an eye.

"Course not. Biggest battle tournament you'll find in each region, for only the greatest of trainers and Pokemon to compete in. Adam was passionate, especially about the League, and he rubbed off on me. My skill's the result of his coaching and direction, and my diligence."

"You needed him."

"Hardly, Gabite. But he pushed me. He cared." Lucario shook his head. "It's not that we go to humans to be civilized, for all the advancements and cleverness they have in lieu of raw strength. We're just two races striving to learn from each other, and the ways we live. Adam made a point of understanding the Pokemon he worked with, and respecting their interests. I stuck around to understand him in return, and because I liked him."

A sigh. "He's gone."

Grimaces all around. Even Gabite grimaced. Why was he doing that? It was just a human—

"Outdoorsy person, he was. Did plenty of camping trips near the Coronet Highlands when we weren't focusing on the Pokemon Sinnoh League circuit. Loved exploring. Most of all, though, he enjoyed hanging out with us all — me, Torterra, Lanturn, Banette, Duosion, and Dragonair. Did activities with us, ate with us, read books with us, whatever."

It was still well before noon, yet twin sunsets shone in Lucario's eyes. "Is any of this reaching you? We're not beasts for humans to tame and exploit. We're creatures with great power who can live entirely without them, yet we choose to accompany them. Likewise, they're beings that respect us, despite their dominance over the lands.

"They learn as much from us as we do from them, although Pokemon don't teach humans about magic back home. We don't need them, but we become something else through them. Humans, they seek to harmonize with us, to be our companions. Neighbors. Friends. Adam was that friend to me. He—"

A choke. Lucario's eyes dimmed, sunsets setting.

"He meant everything."

The Pokemon language was one that relied not on mere words, but rather subtle cues like pitch and emotion. And Gabite could hear the affection in Lucario's voice, so raw he'd get food poisoning if it was edible.

He couldn't swallow it. Pokemon were still subordinates, used by humans for their labors, or for sport. Lucario had admitted that to him earlier. They catch us in balls and make us do what they want! he wanted to yell. Humans aren't compassionate creatures! They control us, they rule over us, they—

But that was just irrationality talking. The part of him that still felt trapped in the underground chambers of the dungeon his humans had wandered. Humans that tried to reduce him to a mere beast.

He wasn't a beast though. He was a thinker.

Plenty of Pokemon in the archipelago chose the wild life, but they were hardly animals. Wild, yes, but they had some sense of civility. And Lucario did say he lived in a tribe — his relationship with a human was far from just a silly need.

Nor was it a matter of compulsion. It was a matter of mutual benefit, and a friendship with an entirely different kind of creature. Lucario must've evolved under his human, thought Gabite. Adam.

Stranger name. Just as strange as the human-Pokemon dynamic. It wasn't… bad, but it still sounded like Pokemon got the short end of the stick. They weren't equals.

But the human, Eira. She herself spoke of Pokemon as spirits to be respected. That they would care for you if you cared for them. Gabite thought about that, and then—

"Human."

Eira jolted, her anxiety rising. Meek, docile girl. "The spacetime distortions," Gabite said, and her face squirmed, already hearing his question in advance. "They happened in your world. Your kind caused it, didn't they?"

It'd been a hunch of his. "T-they—" Eira stammered "—I-I mean, most of u-us would never—"

"But there are humans who'd do such evils, yeah? People who abuse the powers of Pokemon for their own gain? Or at least common folk who mistreat their Pokemon subordinates?"

"S-some, yes, but—"

"I already said some humans abuse their privileges," Lucario said in a cranky, worn-down tone.

True, he did. But it felt better hearing it from the girl. "You make them sound too wonderful," Gabite said, his mood lightening. "Do they fear us Pokemon? The humans?"

Eira dared to peek at him. "We're in awe of you," she whispered. "Always have been."

Awe. Wonder and fear. "What would happen if a human was to wrong a Pokemon?"

"Intentionally? Other humans w-would step in. Or the Pokemon would fight back."

Gabite eyed his claw. It wasn't bloodstained.

"That could get them killed."

"Maimed. Or c-cursed, or something else. Everyone knows Pokemon shouldn't be messed with." Eira frowned, scratching her curly tuft of hair. "Why do people think humans are in charge, anyway? Does no one think about the wrath of a Legendary?"

Gabite smelled the underlying dread in her voice, borne from a knowledge of old fables and folktales. He never thought about the Legendaries, in retrospect. There are consequences, he realized. Checks. Limits.

Huh.

That made things interesting. There was an equilibrium of sorts, a layered structure to the relationship between humans and Pokemon. He could live with that.

"Maybe your world isn't awful after all," he replied, finding Lucario's exasperated face to be priceless. Gabite flashed his teeth at him, before throwing Eevee a significant look. "You staying?"

"Huh?" Eevee sat up, his siblings cocking their heads. "Staying?"

"At the cottage, until we depart for Kabutops. No reason to be cooped up in that den of yours." Gabite casually waved a claw around. "You know, I'm surprised you're not being more possessive over the human."

Eevee blinked. And then hacked out a laugh.

"Listen, pal. I don't like your team having her, or the Mismagius for that matter," he said. "But do we have a choice? We're technically your captives, and besides—" Eevee waved his tail toward Vaporeon "—my sister here told me to back down."

It is not worth gaining their ire, Vaporeon stated. I will take gambles as needed, and I believe this one must be taken.

Espeon nodded along, the others not contesting her and Vaporeon, though Gabite could see wary expressions from the Sylveon, Flareon, Jolteon, and Umbreon ghosts. Half the group, really. And Leafeon and Glaceon seemed to be on the fence, though they looked hopeful enough.

As weird as it made Gabite feel, he supposed he'd have to win them over. "Well, Eevee? You staying?"

Lucario and Eira eyed Eevee, choosing not to give their own input. Gabite began tapping his foot.

"You realize you shouldn't be seen with an Abhorrent, right?" Eevee argued.

"You realize I shouldn't be seen with a human, right?" Gabite shot back.

"Why the gesture, anyway? You're paranoid of my sort."

"Just like how you're paranoid of us? Who said I'm not keeping you around out of paranoia?"

Eevee raised his brows. Gabite raised his own in return. They stared, and a smile touched the former's lips.

"You're not." Eevee took in the scenery, before giving a shrug. "Our den's nice enough, thank you very much. But we'll visit often."

Indeed. But enough — we need not prolong this discussion. Vaporeon glared at Espeon, the sleepy Psychic pointedly ignoring her. We will be in touch. Prove to me that I'm not wrong to let your team keep Eira, will you?

She vanished, the Eeveelutions reducing to mist that flowed back into Eevee's crown of crystals. "Although," stated Eevee, "the fact you're doing any of this, despite having actual reasons to hate humans — that means something, doesn't it?"

He brushed off dust from his anklet, then adjusted his pouch. He waved a tail, then left.

Gabite decided to do the same. "Good talk," he told Eira, and specifically Eira, because it was fun seeing Lucario so flustered. "Oh, what a mess you've brought me. I'll be inside, yeah?"

He took off for the cottage, walking the hillside and hiding a queasy smile. Him, fighting Abhorrents while working with an Abhorrent and getting some ill omen human off his homeland? It was like the antithesis of his existence.

But Eevee was right. He didn't invite him to stay out of paranoia. Gabite was unsettled by him, and fine, maybe a bit wary himself, but more than anything—

Well, he was curious. He never spoke with an Abhorrent before.

Or a human.

The moment Gabite closed the door to the cottage, Lucario whirled upon Eira. "What did you say that satisfied him?" he spat. Eira just shrugged.

Unbelievable. He poured his soul out, made himself relive memories, and somehow a quick back and forth with the kid pacified Gabite. Because of course.

Lucario grumbled and sat down, hands behind his head. The sun shined wonderfully, the world a picturesque scene where he sat. A fragrance from the flower patch drifted his way, cattails swaying to a dreamy breeze that stirred the faintest of ripples in the pond they grew in. The trees kept stalwart, pleased at the day's tranquility, as if nothing was wrong whatsoever. A dragonfly zipped in, admiring the gorgeous scenery, and for a still, immortal moment, one could think all was wonderful.

But it wasn't. And the dragonfly understood, aware it had to move on to other things, and so it left this illusion of perfection. Lucario too understood, and yet he hesitated to leave.

He wished he could pretend things were normal. But nothing would be ever again.

"I'm sorry."

Eira gazed up at him. Lucario sighed. "Gabite's just messing with me," he told her. "At least whatever you said worked—"

"I'm sorry about Adam," Eira clarified.

Ah. That. "I'm sorry about your mother," Lucario said back.

Eira's face scrunched up. "Apologies don't bring back the dead."

No. No, they didn't. But memories kept them alive in the hearts of the living.

"Byron." Lucario felt his nerves spark with electricity, the name making his muscles tense up for battle. "Gym leader of Sinnoh, at the Canalave Gym. His son Roark leads the Oreburgh Gym — he was the first Adam fought, and a pushover for us. His father though? Anything but."

Perhaps Eira knew nothing about the Sinnoh gyms, but only she could really understand what he was talking about. "He used Steel-types, built to withstand physical moves. Three on three, with only the challenger allowed to switch mid-fight, the usual standard rules. We thought it'd be more than doable, given Torterra's Ground moves, Lanturn's resistances, and my Fighting attacks. What good is physical defense when Aura Sphere bypasses it?"

A chuckle. "But he walled us, twice. The first time, his Steelix shredded Torterra with an Ice Fang and had me on my knees with repeated Earthquakes, and Lanturn couldn't put up a fight against his Bastidon. The second one was far closer—"

Lanturn against Steelix. A matchup far more suitable, with both wielding super-effective attacks in a war that Lanturn narrowly won, before Byron's Magnezone finished her. Torterra was in position to clean up — except that accursed Magnezone could use Magnet Rise to evade otherwise deadly Ground attacks, set up a Light Screen in advance, and even brought Torterra down with him in a grand Explosion. It still made Lucario fume, for if not for Light Screen, his Aura Spheres would've devastated Bastidon. As it was, their close-quarters brawl had been a narrow fight to the finish, with him falling in the end. Two losses for Adam.

The finer details he kept to himself, keeping things simple for Eira. "That fight exhausted us," he said. "We thought to take a break, and Adam had gotten interested in a trip to Alola. He thought about obtaining a Z-Crystal if possible, but also wanted to sight-see for a little while."

Eira was smart enough to see where this was going. "The Canalave Port," she muttered. "Mother and I took a ship there, back to Alola."

"So did Adam. And—"

"And—"

They stared through each other, and saw the voids in their hearts.

Eira pushed her face into her tails, huffing once. "The mid-winter season, right?" she said. "I heard Sinnoh's annual League Conference happens then."

So it did. "Weird time, considering the region's naturally cold climate," said Lucario. It was still late summer now, wasn't it? "We were a little ahead, with five months to get our last three badges. Adam hadn't been participating last year when I joined him, focusing on getting and raising a core team instead. I was the quick hitter, Torterra was our wall, Duosion focused on disruptions, Banette played an infiltrator role, Dragonair had weather control and forced pressure through Dragon Dances and immobilizing moves, and Lanturn served as a wild card. We had great synergy with Adam, and I daresay we had a shot at the League."

Lucario clenched a fist, then unclenched it. His emotions felt volatile, and he applied his aura abilities upon himself, forcing himself into a state of calm. It was barely enough.

"But they're gone."

Maybe he shouldn't have spoken. Ripping open the bandaid stung.

There was no danger now. No Abhorrents around. No Ariados or anyone else they had to hide from. Nothing left to distract him from what happened.

No Lugia. A part of Lucario seethed at the Legendary, but the rest of him just felt detached from the slaughter he'd done. He'd been tempted to yell at him for getting rid of all those humans who'd survived the shipwreck—

But wouldn't the natives do the same thing? It doesn't matter if they never had a chance.

"We're the only ones left," he said. "Well, excluding Fallers. But no other survivors."

No other humans,” Eira whispered. "The Pokemon—"

"—might've made it. But alive or not, my old teammates are as good as gone from my life. I won't see any of them ever again, Eira, I—" Lucario hung his head, clutching it. "Could I at least say goodbye to them? Is that too much to ask?"

Eira crept a little closer. Lucario noted the pain in her eyes, eyes that yet managed to hold an undying flame in them, despite the silent grief. "Life just goes on, doesn't it?" she said in a wispy voice, the kind a soft-spoken sage might use. "I miss my Mother, Lucario. I miss her very much. But—"

"Yeah, yeah, you can't dwell on it forever."

"Er, there's that. But also that people always leave us. Why cry so much over what was lost, when it was a gift to have anything at all?"

Lucario stirred, the words poking deep into his flesh. "Wise, aren't you?" he said.

"I cried and mourned for years over Father. Mother did too. It was unhealthy." Eira grew solemn, a warning plea in her heart. "You'd do the same, wouldn't you, Lucario?"

He would. Had he lost Eira too—

Never.

But he understood her point. To heal, you had to accept what was lost. "All the same, however," he said, "emotions are natural. You should let yourself grieve a little."

"I've grieved enough for Mother," Eira insisted, shifting topics before Lucario could respond. "You know of Team Galactic?"

And what a topic change it was. The phrase echoed in Lucario's head, faintly resonating with memories too faded to remember. It had a taboo air to it, the kind of thing his teammates would rarely and unwillingly speak of in nightly talks, the ones he particularly avoided. Yet when they did, it was with utmost seriousness, and—

He shivered, fur standing on end. "The Spacetime Pandemic?"

"T-they caused it. I heard they were some terrorist faction that wanted to reshape our world or something."

What a goal to chase after. Really? Some upstart humans tried messing with cosmic forces because they felt like rewriting reality? Ridiculous.

And dangerous. Unspeakably dangerous. "Swarms of maddened Unown," he thought aloud. "But was it just Unown?"

Eira's silence told him that she didn't know, that nobody in the public knew. But her bleak face told him that she feared to.

Sinnoh was known for its spacetime legends. Unown were powerful together, but their power was localized. On the other hand, if one were to tamper with a Legendary that existed to keep the fabric of the world stable?

The ripple effect would be horrendous. Even the Abhorrents weren't that bad in comparison.

"Father's gone because of them. And Mother's gone because of Lugia and Aerodactyl." Eira put on a crooked smile. "What about me?"

The ill omen. A girl condemned to accidentally bring about a disaster. Ariados thought it was inevitable, didn't she? That, or the girl had to break. No other way.

And yet, Lucario wondered if she wanted to be shown otherwise — that things didn't have to follow a script.

Well, challenge accepted. "What about you, kid? We change destiny."

Eira's smile straightened a little, going from crooked to uncertain. "Change destiny," she echoed in wonder.

The circumstances were entirely different this time. They had a Lugia watching them, but a cast of allies too, and a Kabutops waiting for them. They had a chance, and Lucario wouldn't squander the precious gifts he had. Never again.

For the girl's sake.

Lucario yawned and stretched, pulling himself up. "Everyone else's gone," he said. "Why don't we rest? We might not get much of that in the near future."

Not when they were fleeing from Lugia and his punishment. "Uh, no thanks," Eira said, watching the clouds. "I'll stay out."

"Sure?"

"I'll be fine."

She would be. Lucario would never get Adam back, nor his teammates, but he had Eira. In memory of Adam, she'd live on — his sense of justice would see to it.

I'll do for her what I couldn't for you, old friend.

The resolution brought warmth to Lucario's scabbing heart. He left toward the cottage, starting anew once more.

And then there was one.

One girl. One survivor. One changeling. One omen.

Eira.

On a whim, she went to the pond, brushing aside surrounding tallgrass to stare at the water. The reflection of an Alolan Vulpix stared back. She dipped her paw into the water, and the reflection reached out, touching back.

She felt her inner cold, ever soothing. Flexed her tails and wiggled her ears. Tapped into her very spirit, at the core of herself, and felt the energy emanating at its gates. Hers to control.

It pulsed, telling her its strength. Level 14. All in a day, from fighting Aerodactyl and Ariados. Still less than she'd like, but no reason to complain.

She delved into herself, and felt her Ice typing. Her Snow Cloak Ability. The moves she knew. Spite was the newest, a terrible power that channeled hatred to sap another's energy. She used it on Aerodactyl, and nearly on Lucario.

She was not proud of that. Nor of the fact that the move felt perfectly right to her. A Vulpix thing? Ninetales were known to hold grudges and be vengeful.

Troublesome. She wasn't a real Vulpix, but her charred wristband made it as if she was. Even in personality, perhaps? She prayed not.

Although, her human self was already compromised to a degree. Were she to transform back, she wouldn't feel all these things, but she'd still have her spirit. And if she tapped into it, she'd cast magic.

Magic. Was this how it started? How she'd become an ill omen?

Maybe so, maybe not. It was ludicrous either way. A week ago, she'd laugh at the idea of her turning into a Vulpix as a mere fantasy.

Now here she was. Her Mother gone and a Lucario by her side, she had faced a life that was very much a fantasy. She'd been spirited away to a hidden Pokemon civilization, met an Eevee who wished to bring her to a Kabutops who could help her get back, gained a Pokemon disguise and a corresponding language, adventured inside Mystery Dungeons, and faced off against bandits and mutants. She had a prophecy plaguing her, a Lugia after her, a formerly hostile team of explorers that were now allies, a Mismagius that intended to teach her literal magic—

And the Abhorrents were attempting a terrible plot to gain an artifact that could control all dungeons. It sounded almost as bad as Team Galactic.

Who was their leader again? A man with sociopath issues named Cyrus? Eira tried to remember the image she saw on newspapers, with a stern face and spiky blue hair, and found a tiny grudge snarling within her head. It held no sway over her.

He had been responsible for the Spacetime Pandemic, or as Pokemon here called it, the Ruptures. Officials never said how he did it exactly, But the damage he caused was inconceivable. Because of him, Father was gone.

But it was an indirect cause, and Eira just couldn't care. Unlike with Aerodactyl, a monster whom she had met firsthand. Lugia, well, at least she could excuse him for his fears over a prophecy being fulfilled. The humans he killed were goners anyway.

Still, he might've struck down dear Mother. Or Lucario's trainer Adam.

Eira rasped, her breath creating a thin layer of ice over the pond. Was it the prophecy's fault that she got to this point? Was that why she lived? With how she kept getting into the most ridiculous of situations and escaping death by the skin of her teeth, one could think—

Oh.

Oh no.

Was this an actual fantasy story?

Are Lucario and I main characters?

Eira burned with such intensity she feared she'd transform into a Kantonian Vulpix. All these twists and turns, it was like a story! The amount of plot armor she had to be smothered in right now! The drama she was drowning in!

This was it, the ultimate joke. She spent her life as a bookworm, and now she was paying for her reading crimes. Mother would laugh and tease her so hard if she was here. And then Eira could tease her back for using her novelist powers to do this to her. Then Mother would feign innocence and blame her for having an imagination so powerful it had rewritten reality, and Eira would argue that she'd never put herself in such a horrible situation, and, and—

Her face plunged straight through the ice, and into the pond water. Nobody would find her tears here.

I don't want to cry I don't want to cry I don't—

She pulled out her head, a whimpering mess. Her breathing almost sounded like hyperventilating. Everything hurt.

I don't want to hurt anyone I don't want to hurt—

She was going to be a monster, and she had no choice. She wished Mother would comfort her. Wished with all her heart and soul.

I don't I don't I don't I—

Eira plopped down and clasped her beating heart, forcing herself to get a grip on her mind. She could do that. She did it all the time.

Must keep going must keep going—

A young adult. That's what she was. She could manage herself just fine, but a child still dwelled in her. The child wanted to cry forever. She didn't.

She wouldn't. She couldn't.

Lest she break again.

It's hard, Mother. So hard.

Breaths. Deep, steady breaths. One step at a time. Wasn't it a gift that she had Mother at all? She had been wonderful, and did the best she could for her. It would be rude if she threw it all away and—

"Sweetie?"

Eira jumped into the pond by accident. She coughed out water, her head somehow afloat and her fur an instant soggy mess. Her face flushed.

An equally embarrassed Togetic pulled her out, Eira the false Vulpix crawling onto the bank with a huff. "Hey, easy now!" Shaymin said, her face stuck between silent mirth and serious concern as she flew beside her. "You good? It's only us."

The girl pouted. Great going, Eira, she chided herself.

Once on drier land, the duo began addressing her. "Seriously, we saw you acting up," said Shaymin. "You need anything?"

Mother. But she wasn't here. "I'm fine," Eira said.

Togetic and Shaymin exchanged looks. "You're not," said the former.

"Obviously."

Eira winced, regretting the bitterness in her voice. "S-sorry," she told the duo. "It's been a week, I guess. I didn't mean—"

"We know, sweetie." Togetic nudged her. "How about you lie down?"

She did. In hindsight, it wasn't Mother being dead that was making Eira tear up. It was all the bad things she faced ever since, fears and foes she had to brave without her support. Who could blame her for not keeping herself together after everything she'd been through? Especially when the person she relied on most couldn't share her pain?

Eira let her nose rub against grass blades, an insignificant distraction from her agony. Togetic stared on, as did Shaymin. All of them waited, hesitant.

"Yeah, I don't know where to start." Shaymin shook herself, volunteering to blast the mutual awkwardness between them into smoking smithereens. "You being human makes this weird, no offense."

"This all must be strange to you, isn't it? Having to hide amongst Pokemon and talk to them and all." Togetic managed a shaky smile. "How is it? Being one of us?"

Eira shrugged. "Not so bad."

"Yes? Go on."

"I-it's amazing." The words slipped out, and Eira couldn't help herself. She wanted to admit it. "I don't know a human who didn't want to be a Pokemon. To speak their tongue, have special powers — I always dreamed of being an Alolan Vulpix. To actually be one—"

"It must be literally cool, huh?" said Shaymin.

Eira blinked, then gave Shaymin a flat look. The Mythical sheepishly looked away, snickering at her bad pun. Her eyes though, and Togetic's — they reflected a quiet astonishment.

They never expected humans could have such yearnings. "Your kind want to be like us?" Togetic said. "Pokemon?"

"In passing. But yeah." Eira put on a stoic smile. "I just wish it didn't come with consequences."

Somber hums came from the duo. It was weird, talking freely to them like this. Wondrous, really. For once, it really felt like she was sitting down and having a proper chat with a Pokemon.

Or at least, one who wasn't Lucario. "Alola's your home region, right?" said Shaymin. "I was thinking about it. If humans did live here long ago, they're probably why we refer to Pokemon with alternate variants by human regions, yeah?"

"Or because of displaced Pokemon or wanderers from the sea spreading the terminology around. Maybe both." Togetic rubbed her cheek when Eira gave her a baffled look. "Oh, nobody mentioned that to you, did they? The Fallers are the vast majority of the Pokemon who are foreigners here, but there's always been tales of Pokemon getting warped in by accident. And there's ocean Pokemon who come around the archipelago too."

Huh. That made sense to Eira. Had the opposite ever happened?

"Not an important tidbit, honestly," Shaymin said. "But you can see where some of our human rumors come from. Crazy stuff about human tech and Pokeballs and whatever."

It was almost pleasant, being with these two and hearing them jabber on. It kept Eira from thinking of her woes. More than that, it just felt nice, in a way she didn't fully understand. To think they were enemies just last night — and now they were her allies. People who wanted to help her.

People with names. "Didn't you call each other something before?" Eira said, her tongue working without her permission. "Serene and Grace?"

Togetic and Shaymin snapped to attention, the words holding power over them. "We were given those nicknames when we were young," the former said.

"Needed one in my village of Shaymin. But apparently out here, custom is to not use nicknames except in serious cases, or for denoting closeness." Shaymin stared hard at Eira. "But it's not like that for a human, is it? You use them all the time, like we do in my village."

"It would be strange to call you 'human', I'd think," added Togetic, her nubs clasped together. "You'd prefer to be called Eira, right?"

Eira nodded. "But Vulpix works too."

For when they were in public, where a human name would come off as unusual. Togetic smiled, and Shaymin smiled, and suddenly Eira couldn't help herself.

"Why?" she asked.

Togetic came closer, her eyes twinkling with sorrow. "I suppose I could stop beating around the bush," she said. "Er, do humans use that expression? Never mind — Eira? Can you forgive us?"

Forgiveness? For what? "O-of course," said Eira, "but—"

Closer still. "Good, good," Togetic said, taking solace in her answer. "That means everything to me. Look, I mean to make up for what's happened to you. I want to help you, the real you."

"Things got a little messy between us, but we get it now." Shaymin approached too, determination in her eyes. "There's still a lot we don't understand about your world, or you. And we're not gonna learn if you keep quiet, you know?"

They were too kind to her, Togetic and Shaymin. Why were they sticking their neck out for her? "A Lugia's after me," she whispered. "I-I'm an ill—"

Shaymin forced her lips shut. She huffed.

"You fret too much," she said. "Forget the prophecy. Forget Lugia. I haven't seen anything more messed up than your life, and as a Mythical who intends to deal with super messed up stuff, I ain't quitting until I have your gratitude for eternity. Got it?"

Togetic worked up the will to caress her back, Eira shuddering at the tender touch. "Lucario must've been a great guardian to you, but you didn't have friends, did you?" she said. "Well, no need to hide from us anymore. Until the day you can finally go back, you'll be welcome with us."

A ladylike laugh. "We never really got to know each other. Maybe we can start from the top? I'm Serene, but I go by Togetic."

"Grace, but Shaymin's good enough."

They waited patiently. Eira felt herself tearing up again, but for an entirely different reason. They were intentionally distracting her from her woes, she knew it. Trying to keep them out of her head, and replace them with happier thoughts. And it was working.

Friends. She didn't want to make more bonds, especially knowing she wouldn't hold them forever. Not if she became the ill omen, nor if she did succeed in going back. But she couldn't resist.

Eira smiled, full of gratitude. The dark clouds in her head seemed far away, and the emptiness abated, just a little. Despite the impossibility, she thought she just might have a shot.

Maybe I'll make it through after all, Mother.

"I'm Eira. Nice to meet you."

It felt like the end of a beginning.

Mew Teleported. Aerodactyl hissed, sprawled over like a dead lump of darkness. He glared at him.

A simple forest clearing surrounded them, their destination. Grassy, noiseless, and tranquil. But not empty.

This afternoon, it was a meeting place. "Was he hard to find?"

The voice came from where the air burned, with no discernible source. The heat moved, creeping up to his side and warming Mew's armor, though he barely felt it. "Annoying," Mew corrected. "He was messing with villagers."

"Truly?" Another voice spoke, coming from flashy green eyes hiding in the forest's darkness. "How quaint. Oblivion Matter, the horrific hunter of a Lugia, playing games with everyday people."

Aerodactyl rolled his eyes, fiddling with a rather important pouch hung around his neck. His bones were reforming, white pieces floating in his injured shadow body. Mew had been forced to make him rest and heal, lest even a simple Teleport harm him.

Utter nuisance. News of his fight with Lugia had quickly spread across islands, the only reason Mew had found Aerodactyl so fast. Even Their Highnesses wouldn't ignore such a matter.

Of course, it was not the only news that was spreading. "I was in Mellowpetal Town," came the voice coming from the burning air. "They know of you, Gear. How were you spotted?"

A pity his mutation left him unable to Transform, but his invisibility worked fine. Mew had checked Berrypark Town in the late morning, and as expected, his name was on the wanted list too, beside Aerodactyl's. In a day or two, that name would reach the other side of the archipelago.

Fine by him. "I saw no reason to hide, Rainbow."

"What?"

The air rippled, and Bitter Rainbow the Froslass materialized, gaping. Far from the snowy humanoid ghost she should've been, her dress-like body was a searing scarlet, with a light blue sash around her torso and demonic horns on her ghoulish head. Fanlike arms attached to said head swished in perplexion, her fiery yet apathetic eyes scrutinizing him. "You'd never do such a thing," she said.

"There were Psychics and a Lucario present. Besides—" Mew tapped Aerodactyl's head "—things have changed."

A growl came from the forest. Hyper Meteor thrust his snout forward, the Lycanroc peering out of his shaded spot to ensure Aerodactyl could see his full ire. His blue coloring often threw off people, making them think he was a Shiny Pokemon, but what they mistook for sparkles was actually tiny electric sparks fizzling in his fur. "What have you done?" he asked. "So help me, Aerodactyl, if you have compromised this operation—"

His green eyes began to flash red, only to revert as Mew signaled him to hold. Dusk Form, they called his sort. Calm and collected, until someone unleashed the vicious animal inside them. "He has not compromised much, Meteor," assured Mew. "Though I do believe the Mistress will not be pleased—"

"Are you all done mocking me?' snapped Aerodactyl. "What do you understand about the Mistress anyway, contract worker?"

Contract worker. Hah. "What would you do, were I to depart with Bitter Rainbow, and thus deprive you of free Z-Crystals?" asked Mew, Froslass scowling with plain distaste beside him.

"It is not easy to make Mega Stone mutagens, must I repeat this? The cost and labor of finding enough Evolution Stones to craft them—" Aerodactyl shook his head, smirking. "But go on. Tell them."

Mew harrumphed. It was almost disappointing that he had to do this. "You nearly mutated a Lugia—" he began.

"Mutated?" Lyranroc cut in, horror overriding his rage as he reared away. "Rainbow, you didn't—"

"There was no mention of this!" Froslass said back, equally as appalled. "Mellowpetal's Explorer Board only reported there was a clash! I knew not—"

"You nearly mutated a Lugia." Mew held up a gauntleted hand, silencing the twosome. "You were unauthorized to even be here in Grassbranch Island, never mind your continued sloppy conduct for spreading the mutation."

His multicolored eyes glowed with glittery light, and Aerodactyl's pouch opened. Out came a fistful of silvery, shiny feathers, their sparkle inspiring awe in Lycanroc, and muted intrigue in Froslass.

"But." Mew put on a humored expression. "You did get these."

Lugia's Silver Wings. Tools that could open a passageway to his lair. Just having them was half the battle. "You even found one of the corresponding locks to Lugia's domain, a pillar in an unsuspecting dungeon. There are two others left, it seems."

Lycanroc couldn't look away, his rage abated by the magical sight. "Lugia's hoard," he said, exhaling. "There couldn't be a better opportunity. Are we already this close? So soon?"

Aerodactyl grinned. "I remembered what you said about Lugia, Mew. It was luck, but when I realized he was nearby—"

"Your misconduct will still be reported," Mew stated, making his grin crack. "Not that I expect your darling Mistress to punish her loyal servant. But you did do something right, if it means anything."

He returned the feathers to Aerodactyl's pouch, pleased. A part of him still wondered at what lured Lugia out to begin with, but his research hadn't turned any clues. Regardless, the Legendary knew they were coming for his treasures. Several of the strange shards that altered the dungeons, that he and the Mistress sought, were ripe for the taking.

Lycanroc kept staring on into the distance, thinking of what it all meant. "So much work saved," he whispered.

"It does change much, doesn't it? We will finally progress," said Froslass. A smile touched her face, one that made Mew's day.

The girl seldom smiled. "Secrecy was never meant to last, little one," he replied. "The world has already opened its eyes to the Altered Ones. Us admins will be noticed soon after. Even the Mistress may be marked in due time."

He allowed himself a cackle. "The existence of an Altered Mythical will cause quite the shock, I presume. But no matter. We have what we need now."

Once Lugia's shards were theirs, everything would truly begin.

His mind wandered back to that village where Aerodactyl had been. There'd been a commotion, come to think of it, surrounding that Lucario, Vulpix, and Altered Eevee there — he had sensed it in the air, but didn't choose to pry. He didn't bend the rules of morality that far. Would those three chase after him?

Perhaps. It was far more likely than the Legendaries waking up and lending aid to Lugia. The hopeless fools wouldn't lift a finger in this age. Even Lugia wouldn't care, beyond the theft of his items. Their arrogance, their seclusion, their refusal to be present in the world abroad and do their job, it would come back to haunt them.

A pity that I must be the one to fix their blindness.

Mew's crystalline claw curled into a fist. The Legendaries would reap the consequences for their silence. Change was coming, and even he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But who could stop him? Nay, who could stop her, the Mistress?

No one.

Perhaps I sin, brethren. But I do what I must.

Come. Do something! I dare you all.

Maybe then you'll realize the world already crumbles under our feet.

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{END OF VOLUME ONE: COVERT CASTAWAYS}

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[9/5/2023]: Author's Note #1

With this chapter, I've fulfilled my original purpose of writing Altered Bonds: to explore a scenario of a Pokemon and a human from the trainer world, ending up in a PMD land where humanity is feared. I wanted to see how these two worlds would mix with each other, and for all of its shortcomings, what I've written satisfies that curiosity of mine.

Now, you must be asking: "With volume 1 done, when do we get volume 2?" Short answer? I don't know, cue the [INDEFINITE HIATUS] of doom. Because I can never escape the hiatus mosh pit.

Actual answer? I need a break, dear reader. Maybe I've hidden it well, but I've been burnt out since early last year, yet I've forced myself to write all this for the reader's sake. Which is probably unhealthy. Not to mention that I'll be loaded with IRL responsibilities for the next couple months, so I literally can't write anyway.

But more than that — Altered Bonds is meant to be my pet project, not one of my flagship stories. Did I mention I write actual novels? You know, original works that I can monetize for a small profit without getting sued for intellectual property infringement?

I've, uh, been putting them off for the sake of honing my craft through this story. And I really should get back to working on my commercial works. That might put this fanfiction on the backburner, which stinks, but I do what I must.

Still, I do intend to write something. Either the fanfic, or the original stories. Maybe both? I do not know what path God has set for me, and we will have to see.

I've chosen to complete this arc with the feeling that the story I always intended to write is complete. I am at peace with that, and I hope you can be too. Should I update this story again, however, it may be a sign I've committed to giving you the full fairy tale. And goodness, it'll be quite a ride.

And if I choose to drop it permanently? That likely means I'm elsewhere on the internet, publishing those original works. I'll try to be in touch either way. Oh, and if I update Altered Bonds Extras — that just means I'm goofing off, and does NOT mean I'm doing work for the main story. Just saying.

It's been a pleasure, folks. Good night, all! You've been a wonderful audience.

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Special thanks to all the people who have reviewed, followed, favorited, and so on. And of course, thank you very much for reading. God willing, I'll see you all soon.

Peace be upon you,

~SaadTheConjurer

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[1/1/2024] Author's Note #2

Well, I'm not dead yet, so that must mean something.

Altered Bonds has been updated! All chapters have been revised, and Volume 1 is now polished for a better story experience.  For those of you who read the story beforehand, you may be interested in doing a re-read for your own enjoyment, and to see some of the changes made.  Mind you, the story is still the same, with major plot points left unchanged, and the few important changes have to do with worldbuilding, better character/plot development, and a few minor retcons.

In case you don't want to burden yourself with a re-read, I have prepared a full list of changes, which will be given at the end of the author's note. Go ahead and look at those, and see if there's any specific passages you feel like skimming over.

Some of you, however, are looking for an update on Volume Two. Is it coming, you ask? Still don't know. With my free time opening up again, I've started doing a little work, but at the same time, I'm writing for my original stories too. And I do have work, studies, and family affairs to balance on top of that.

For now, we'll say that Volume Two will probably exist, but it'll be a rather long while before I can begin posting chapters. I'm thinking Fall 2024, or maybe longer if life throws another curveball my way. It's still very possible that I won't do any work either, since I am treating Altered Bonds as a pet project and not my main job.

Because fanfiction isn't my job. I would be sued for that.

Apologies if that isn't the update you wished to hear, but such is the misfortune of a non-profit activity done purely for leisure. I do have some stuff stored for Altered Bonds Extras though, and again, the main story has been revised, so that's something to tide you over.

The future is not ours to behold. It is not for us mere mortals to be privy to the accords of time. But God willing, we will see where things are headed, and the paths destined for us.

Thank you all for understanding. We'll keep in touch.

(P.S.  — Feel free to offer a few thoughts on what you're interested in seeing from Volume Two. It helps me a little with keeping track of what needs to be touched upon in the next part of the story. Questions are always welcome too.)

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[CHANGELOG]

General

-Less pesky typos

-Slightly better wording for most chapters

-Lucario thinks more of his teammates and Adam in early chapters

-Eira talks (and does) more, especially in early chapters

-Chapters 1-7 are notably improved and changed, all other chapters are given varying levels of polish and improvements

-More consistent wording (Pokemon Ability is capitalized, "[element] type" changed to "[element]-type", trainer is capitalized only when using the phrase "Pokemon Trainer")

-Revamped Pokemon language to have slightly more structure; it's a subtle change, but it's more consistent compared to before

-Likewise, made Pokemon cries in Eira's POV (pre-language comprehension in Chapter 8) consistent with later chapters

-Revamped Levels, how moves are done, and the spirit; they're discussed in a cleaner and more effective way for the sake of better storytelling, and to tone down the gamey feeling a little

-Porygon-Z and spacetime distortions are weaved better into the overall story. Not sure if I did it right, to be honest, you'll have to give me feedback on those two elements!

-Changed most author notes

-Added Duck

-Removed Duck to stop him from using Jirachi as an infinite source of stale bread

-Fun fact: feeding ducks bread is actually unhealthy. Please feed them things like oats, barley, sliced grapes, or small corn pieces, and only a handful; ducks tend to overfeed themselves if you're not careful and you don't want them growing dependent on you as a food source

Chapter 1

-Now displays the first volume's name and [REDACTED]

-More clarity on the attack on the shipwreck being enough to get people killed

-Lucario and Eira are more mortified by their losses; notably Eira, but Lucario has more of a reflection too

-More description on Kecleon and Ariados's appearances

-Added ill omen wording (turns out I never wrote it into this chapter!)

-Post-Ariados's defeat, added a part where Lucario rushes to heal Eira's injuries with Heal Pulse instead of just Kecleon giving her an Oran Berry

Chapter 2

-Slightly more description on Aerodactyl's appearance

-Lucario is more wary of Eevee

-Eira's POV is given a glow up

-For consistency's sake, Eira's discovery of her powers is rewritten. She now feels her spirit, and within her spirit, she feels her skills and her Level

Chapter 3

-I don't like this chapter

-The pacing of it frustrated me

-So I redid several scenes (the Shaymin/Togetic fight, meeting with Gabite, and Lucario's quiet reflection with Vulpix afterward) to be less obnoxious

-I dislike it less now

Chapter 4

-Eira scene has been improved, redid her fight scene to have actual stakes

-The red-purplish dungeon fog now appears in both one's mind and spirit. Feeling it will cause one to gain info about the dungeon, displayed in sigils that translate to an appropriate language (in this case, simple Unown-script)

Chapter 5

-Eira has a more nuanced talk on why she's fine with joining an explorer team

-End scene is revamped to be much more effective

Chapter 6

-Eira scene is notably altered; made her reflection over Mother more bittersweet

-Eira does recognize Shaymin is a Mythical, but she's never known much about her species

-Moved mention of Shaymin's Ability to this chapter

-Lucario reflects more on the human-like Unown script of the archipelago

-Lucario is more surprised at Porygon-Z, taking a moment to figure out his species

Chapter 7

-My new least favorite chapter, though I suppose it's not that terrible

-Added a section where Gabite talks a little about Porygon-Z

-Spruced up Eira's fight scene (as it lacked stakes or real interest due to Chapter 4 edits)

-Spruced up Gabite's freakout over Vulpix's shyness and poor attention span to make it more natural

Chapter 8

-Added a little foreshadowing to the Spacetime Distortions, at the part where Eira thinks of her Father for the first time (right before she looks for Lugia in the Legendary/Mythical book)

-Gave the Eeveelution ghosts slight descriptions to get a general idea of how they look, for the sake of being a little beginner-friendly for those new to Pokemon

Special Episode 1

-Heliolisk's "Attack of the Vine Monster Two: Death by Electric Plant Boogaloo" comment gets a slightly bigger reaction out of Braixen

Special Episode 2, aka Interlude 1

-Changed to Interlude 1. Where Special Episodes are optional side stories that are tangential to the story, Interludes are short yet important side stories that you really, really should be reading.

-To prove my point: there is now a clear mention of the Ruptures within the interlude. Cheers.

Chapter 9

-Nothing to note, just some general polish

Chapter 10

-Tiny tweaks to Vulpix learning Extrasensory, general polish

Chapter 11

-Greater emphasis on Porygon-Z. Not sure if I've overdone it

-Lucario has a more visceral reaction to spacetime distortions

-Slight hint and foreshadowing to the spacetime distortions via Eira's thoughts of Father (after Hattrem praises her quick learning ability, before Togetic makes her talk too much)

Chapter 12

-Fixed Flareon's dialogue in the first scene

-Added a more obvious hint to the spacetime distortions, via Eira remembering Father (when heading to the beach)

-Added a little foreshadowing for spacetime distortions and Unown at the end of Lucario's POV when being forcibly thrown into Stormsoaked Shores

-I made a mistake where Fairy energy was reduced under Dark Aura when that's not what the Ability should do; this is fixed now

Chapter 13

-Changed Gabite giving everyone Oran Berries to Togetic and Lucario using Life Dew post-Aerodactyl fight, as they already ate berries while hurrying through Stormsoaked Shores (timewise, they'd need from half to a full hour before a second Oran Berry would heal them effectively again)

-Ariados mentions the Ruptures by name

-Added a scene where after Ariados leaves, Lucario asks Eira about the distortions, but she can't bring herself to explain, and asks him to talk later. Not a perfect fix, but should (hopefully) be enough to dampen the infodumpiness of Chapter 16

-Lucario had a moment where he explicitly thought of his teammates as dead, which is inconsistent with Chapter 2's notes of their fates being unknown; wording has been fixed to maintain the ambiguity

Chapter 14

-More foreshadowing for Unown at the end of Lucario's POV, when entering Stringed Forest (it possibly changes the context of his irrational rage later when fighting Ariados, at least a little; not intended, but it won't detract from the scene)

-Slightly more emphasis on Eira being unnerved by the thought of Ultra Wormholes, with a tiny hint to the exact fate of her Father

Chapter 15

-General polish

Chapter 16

-Revamped Eira's whole scene. Her thoughts about Porygon-Z and spacetime distortions, and the discussion thereafter, should (hopefully) work somewhat better.

-Togetic's scene with Eira is slightly tweaked for better emotional effect, and to showcase her overcoming her irrational discomfort with humans

-Small edits to Lucario reflecting upon the Spacetime Pandemic; this is to reflect the overall changes made in this updated draft

-Porygon-Z's dialogue tweaked to make him more active and lively in the conversation

-Mismagius speaks in a slightly more crass and annoying way to Lucario after being questioned about her aid

-Lucario properly thanks Kecleon for his help; felt like it was needed

-The chapter probably still feels like it wraps up too much in one go! Feel free to give me commentary on that

Chapter 17

-In Lucario's POV, clarified Eira's 'no other humans' statement further

-Had Hyper Meteor the Lycanroc and Bitter Rainbow the Froslass react more to learning that Oblivion Matter the Aerodactyl tried to mutate Lugia

-Bitter Rainbow the Froslass's sash used to be colored yellow, retconned it to light blue

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Special Episode 2 — Looming Threads

Most days Butterfree pitied Ariados, even if she had issues with her troubled line of thinking. Years had gone by without them managing to see eye-to-eye on matters.

Today broke the streak.

"Spreading rumors about a human in our village!" she exclaimed, a poor Masquerain the subject of her irritation. Butterfree could've sworn the patterned false eyes on her drooping antennas were averting their gaze. "I'd expect this from Ariados, not the lot of you! Am I the only one here who sees the foolishness of this?"

"I-I didn't s-say anything!" Masquerain managed to squeak out, her pink face reddening and her four wings buzzing with anxiety. "I n-never went outside—"

"You better not have!" Butterfree clasped Masquerain, the flying water strider shifting as if electrocuted by the touch. "Whoever did it, they best pray I don't find out! What do I know anyway? Maybe you said something that made someone else do something, or maybe you could've stopped that something from happening in the first place! Maybe—"

Butterfree stopped herself, growing self-conscious of how unhinged, how Ariados-like, her rant was becoming. Around her, homes decorated with string and silk-woven articles stood as firmly as ever, the dwellings of hardy village folk who had picked themselves up despite the worst. The orange dungeon sun above gazed in wonder at their continued defiance. Perhaps it wondered, too, if such defiance could still last after the events of yesterday.

"No, I shouldn't be blowing steam on you." Butterfree let go of Masquerain, forcing upon herself a sense of sorely needed calmness. "Sorry about that. I fear yesterday was, well, a bit too much for me."

Masquerain shied away a little, toward the door of the little wooden hut she had marked as her home. "I-it was a lot, wasn't it?" she said. "I n-never thought I would s-see—"

"A real human? Or two Abhorrent chiefs?"

Larvesta, the large moth larva, had crawled over to the twosome with a gaze almost as haggard as Butterfree's. "I don't know how to process it either," came her quiet voice. "I know the matriarch had warned us to prepare for a human's arrival, but I never thought she'd ever be right about her superstitions. And yet, for her to let go of the human — to actually be furious at whoever spilled some of what happened here?"

If Butterfree hadn't caught a livid Ariados returning to the village, yelling at the village for spreading rumors behind her back, she herself wouldn't have believed it. This part of the streets had emptied out at her wrathful tone, so quickly had villagers scurried away to their dwellings. Her reluctance to raise the alert about a human had been just as startling as said human herself, and the Abhorrents that had shown after.

A human. The emotions it brought upon Butterfree left her hollow and conflicted. An actual human that casted magic. An ill omen.

A pitiful girl, cursed by a very real prophecy. The child clearly hadn't even known of magic, considering how her shock had mirrored the entire village's.

A human guarded by an Abhorrent Eevee with soulbound ghost siblings. The Aerodactyl who tried to mutate Lugia too. And an armored Mew monster?

No fever dream could match it all. Scyther had known a little lore about Legendaries — apparently the Mew's form was reminiscent of the Legendary Necrozma, the light giver and devourer that wandered through Ultra Space. And the source of the power that made Z-Crystals.

Like the mutagen-infused crystals that Abhorrents wielded. "Ariados almost became like the mutants," Butterfree said without thinking. "The human and her guardian jackal—"

"T-they saved her," whispered Masquerain.

"Technically the Eevee did too," added Larvesta.

An uncomfortable silence wedged itself between the threesome. And in that silence, all Butterfree could do was question everything. Everything she had known of Abhorrents and humans, not least of all their sense of morality.

"Do you think t-that's why?" Masquerain blanched when Butterfree and Larvesta focused their gazes upon her, yet pushed onward. "W-why Ariados let the human go? Why she doesn't want us talking?"

It had some influence, that was for sure. But Ariados's reasons surely had a logical component too. "Telling the archipelago would only go poorly, Masquerain," said Butterfree. "What will any of us get from it? Mass hysteria? Their Highnesses coming to imprison her for their own whims and fancies? Heavy scrutiny on our village? What would be the point, if the girl lives to unleash her prophecy?"

Larvesta's five red horns curled at the thought. "Could we even kill her, if she was the prophecy?"

Butterfree had no answer to that. She didn't know how such things worked. And perhaps that uncertainty was exactly the root problem at hand.

How did one fight a prophecy? How did one start in the first place, and how could it be averted? Fables and folk stories loved to poke fun at the idea of people trying to change a predetermined destiny, only for it to backfire tremendously. But even so, what if she's not the ill omen Ariados fears she is?

A lose-lose. Either the girl was an innocent life shed without reason, or someone bound to unleash everlasting consequences even if she did die. And for all the terror the human's presence had inflicted upon her at first, Butterfree couldn't stand a human dying just to potentially thwart a terrible future. Besides, what if killing just delayed things? she fretted. Could another human take her place as the omen?

"D-does it even matter?"

Masquerain's question. The bug looked around her with trembling, haunted eyes, Butterfree and Larvesta grimacing as they half-consciously did the same. Houses and workstations and a few brooding villagers who hadn't fled inside at Ariados's rage, they all stood against the whims of the dungeon that encapsulated them. "Aerodactyl could've taken it all away," whispered Masquerain, "if n-not for the human."

It all came back to this subject. The human was a likely ill omen — Elder Rabsca had been certain of it.

But she kept our home alive.

She felt hot. Her face felt hot, so hot. Butterfree turned, and the world warped before her steaming eyes. Earth breaking, dimensions twisting, red-purplish wisps rupturing out like newborn geysers eager to consume and destroy, it all charbroiled her like a Blast Burn. Trees withered as wisps gobbled them whole, buildings splintered and crumbled and snapped into pieces, villagers screamed—

The screaming. God, the screaming. Pokemon were hardy, but being crushed by your own house was more debilitating than people thought. Worse so when the literal fabric of the universe was itself folding on you, rending itself apart. And the holes left around where the red-purplish wisps came! And the things watching! The things!

Things, distortions, shadows. They had tried to scoop them up. Her up! Her up! As if they were little little playthings to toy with. They tried to pull her deep into a chaos of colors with no sky or ground, make her feel feelings she couldn't describe, hurt her in ways that felt so so wrong. They, they, they—

Butterfree sputtered as water splashed her, Masquerain's eyes large and full of concern. Her wings touched her, impossibly soothing. The touch of someone real and alive in the dead world they'd taken as their home. "Y-you were hyperventilating," she whispered.

Had she? She hadn't noticed. "T-thanks," Butterfree managed to say.

"We were all there too, you know. Though it probably was worse for you." Larvesta's horns were drooping the lowest they'd ever been, appearing to writhe like worms stabbed by knives. "M-maybe we shouldn't speak about this. You need something, Butterfree? Tea? I have leftover mint leaves if you'd like."

A heave left Butterfree. Her wings tapped mid-flap against the wooden structure behind her, and somehow, that made her more nauseous. As if she couldn't stomach the reminder that all their dwellings — their foundations, not so much the decorations — were just conjurations of the dungeon. Created by the matriarch, instead of using real materials that'd break and fall on them.

"I-I'm going to see Ariados."

Butterfree gently pried Masquerain's wings away. With no small amount of effort, she schooled her face toward pure neutrality.

"I want to see Ariados."

"With Rabsca." Larvesta pointed with one of her digits, all the way to the giant tree with the gated knothole leading out of the dungeon proper. "I saw her there last before coming over."

Good. Something to busy herself with. Butterfree went over at once.

She didn't hurry, of course. There wasn't much to see in their humble dungeon abode, but Butterfree could still admire the sights, if at least to relax herself. Over there, Galvantula's house could be seen, the electric spider herself weaving a silky piece of fabric. Not too far off, dust kicked up from the barren field in the center of the village, Butterfree catching Heracross and Spidops clashing in a fierce duel that locked horn against limbs. The purple butterfly came upon Scyther picking up a bag of berry fruits from Swadloon at his home, his other scythe-like arm cradling a sleeping Metapod.

Scyther threw her a loving smile as she passed by, and Butterfree returned it full force. Her husband shifted as if to fly over and offered to leave Metapod in her care, but she gently shook her head, gaze lingering on their child for a short, strangely excruciating moment.

The graveyard wasn't far from here. Right on the outskirts, a notable detour away from where Ariados should be. Butterfree hadn't meant to wander this way, but there it was: a small area surrounded by black wire fencing, with a few tombstones for the fallen. All but one had been briefly displaced by the dungeon formation, requiring new graves to be dug for the remains of the deceased.

The exception stood in the center. A youthful Beedrill who had died near-instantly when her home collapsed and warped inward on her, crushing her between the earth and stony rubble.

A dead Pokemon. Many had been injured or scarred, physically and mentally. But usually, it took severe sickness or old age to take down a Pokemon.

Yet it happened. Pokemon liked to think otherwise, but their powers and endurance didn't make them invincible.

They could get killed too.

It could've been my little Caterpie.

Butterfree floated up, gazing upon the village at large. Much smaller than it had once been. And unusually silent and grim, even compared to what she had grown used to since the dungeon had swallowed everything. As if yesterday's near-repeat of their home's destruction had knocked the wind out of everyone, destroying what little spine they had held onto.

We're spreading rumors about a feeble human girl instead of the Abhorrents themselves. What's wrong with us?

Butterfree shook her head. She shifted, before pausing, finding herself inspecting an even plainer tombstone, somewhat to the right of the Beedrill's.

Webwill Ariados. The old matriarch. Natural death, of course.

Much earlier than expected though.

Meandering as she was, she eventually had to arrive at her destination, the great tree serving as the dungeon exit. Larvesta had been right — there Butterfree went, and there Ariados was. The matriarch conversed in hushed tones with Elder Rabsca, the wizened scarab Pokemon with a knowledge of many things ordinary and extraordinary. Even prophecies.

The Elder gave one last nod before departing, returning back into the thick of the village. Ariados collapsed once he had gone, her legs bending until her body was only inches from crashing into the ground. One of her arm-leg appendages on her back was adorned with that blue and green-striped scarf of hers, the matriarch appearing to have taken a liking for the Warp Scarf as a vanity item.

Seconds passed, before Ariados sighed. "You came to speak with me?" came her silky, hollow voice. "Veildust?"

Her nickname. This was going to be one of those conversations, wasn't it? "Weaverwish," replied Butterfree.

"Nobody's called me that in years."

"It's been years."

"Since I became your matriarch?"

"Since we drifted apart."

A dull hum. Ariados raised her head, slanting it toward the sky, and Butterfree's heart seized up at her posture. Exactly the same as when Aerodactyl had threatened to mutate her. Wasn't this the exact same spot too, come to think of it?

Only her emotions held no resemblance. Not a shred of terror touched her cold eyes, only unease, overlain by a veneer of calm that masked her volatile thoughts. "The human's under Team Heavendust's protection," she said.

The team with a Mythical. "Wasn't she with them before?" Butterfree inquired.

"They hadn't known her secret then. Now they do. They accepted her and the Eevee mutant." Ariados's little laugh brought chills into Butterfree's wings, contrasting with the remnants of heat that still burned her face. "I showed them my shard."

The shard. The heat grew unbearable yet again, worsened by the chills. Only once had Ariados shown her the blue shard, covered in red-purplish veins with a mantle of shadowy mist coating it. A node of distortion that somehow controlled the dungeon. Ariados had found it by sheer luck — the object had practically appeared in front of her, drilling itself into the warping earth.

It was all that allowed the villagers to stay here. Ariados had only shown her the shard out of extreme trust and her role in handling village affairs, and due to old bonds. Barring important figures like Elder Rabsca, the matriarch had never let anyone so much as get a glimpse of it. Even explorers.

Until now. "I-it really is that bad then, isn't it?"

"The Abhorrents have a Mythical in charge. You saw."

"You think they're more of a threat?"

"They're a threat we can do something about. That we need to do something about."

Focusing on the Abhorrents. Not the human or her prophecy. A week ago, Butterfree couldn't have imagined anything like this.

What's gotten into you, Weaverwish?

Ariados rubbed her injured leg, still healing from the bruising the human's Lucario guardian had given her. "Team Heavendust hopes to send the girl away. They might fail. They might have to kill her or do something to stop the shattering she'll cause."

"Might cause," corrected Butterfree.

"Might." Another laugh. "I can't do anything, Veildust. The prophecy eludes me. I don't even think anyone's meant to break her so early on, that something wrong will happen first before anyone can break the human. How much do I know, anyway? Rabsca's only heard a stanza and little pieces of the full prophecy. But the Abhorrents—"

Ariados stopped herself, her mouth squirming. Her legs dug a little deeper into the dungeon soil, displacing crumbs of dirt.

"The Aerodactyl nearly took me. One prick from his crystal, just one, and it would've been done. I almost thought the human and Lucario would've let it happen too."

The Lucario might have entertained the thought, sure, but Butterfree questioned the thought of him allowing such a thing, even against an adversary. Certainly not the human. It was not the first time the twosome had done something that had protected their home, technically speaking.

The Mew called them out on their work in stopping Aerodactyl from turning Lugia into a mindless monster.

And now, they owed the ill omen for keeping their village intact. From preventing a second warping that would surely end it for good. Earth breaking, tears opening, things, things watching—

Butterfree had thrown herself on the ground, a deep intake of air giving her mind needed clarity. Ariados regarded her with deep concern, the larger spider shifting a little closer to her.

"I forget how unpleasant your experience with the dungeon's creation had been," she said.

Her body burned. Her mind spun. Her spirit churned. Butterfree slowly brought herself onto her feet, for once knowing what it must've felt like to be Ariados. Afraid of the world, and afraid of what terrible things it hid. "I would hope," she said, "your experiences were but a candle to mine."

"You saw beyond the fabric of the dungeon. The liminal. I haven't." A third laugh, softer this time. Less agonized and more defeated. "Better that I haven't, isn't it? Better to have an Abhorrent breathing down your face, claw sunk into your abdomen and a mind-breaking mutagen in the other, perhaps?"

Butterfree held silent. They both did for a moment, in respect of each other's traumas. One light moment, under the strange shimmer of the dungeon sun, the world windless and still. Like a painting frozen in time.

Ariados grumbled. It seemed strangely friendly. "What did you want from me, Veildust?"

Fair question. "I-I don't know," said Butterfree. "With everything that happened, well, I needed to clear my head, talk with someone—"

"Someone whose behavior and attitude you have difficulty working with?" came Ariados's dry response. "About what, the human I can't do anything about? The Eevee that for some reason happens to be one of the few actually decent Abhorrents, who's using the girl for some far-flung cure? The accursed Mew that acts strangely benign and intolerant of his Aerodactyl hound for his attempts at wanton destruction, despite also being the very being responsible for creating the awful Z-Crystals that contain the Abhorrent mutagen? What exactly?"

"I don't know!" repeated Butterfree. For a moment their conversation had lost its sacred, personal touch, on the precipice of devolving into a feud between the estranged. "You just had to be right for once, didn't you? There just had to be a human here, and some dumb prophecy that dooms us through her! And on top of that, the Abhorrents somehow knew you have a dungeon-controlling shard! Twin to-be-disasters in our home — we may as well have the literal Calamitus descend upon us! How do you expect any of us to hold ourselves together against this? What—"

She silenced herself, before the burning took over for good. Her arms covered her mouth. Her mind, aching, sought desperately to ward off the madness. The certainty of doom hanging over her head.

Afraid, afraid. So afraid. So terrified.

When will I ever feel safe again?

Ariados stared at her for a long while, before returning to the scene of the village before them. "They say humans mature slowly," she said. "Not only do their bodies develop like animals do, instead of in stages like us Pokemon, but they typically don't reach physical adulthood until their age reaches the double digits. And still with room to grow afterward."

A distraction. Not the irritated response she expected from Ariados, nor one of distress that matched her own. But a tangent, meant to divert Butterfree from her free-falling thoughts. "The human girl you found?" she asked, latching onto her kind gesture.

"I never asked," replied Ariados. "But chances are she's not so far from our own age."

That old? The girl had seemed much younger in Butterfree's eyes. Then again, there had been a spark of maturity and wisdom from the girl, and thoughtful compassion too. She had forced her Lucario guardian to show restraint when he had been furiously pummeling Ariados, hadn't she? And was it not her who had shown the bravery to Disable Aerodactyl, making an opening for said Lucario to disarm him of his mutagen crystal?

Bah, age. It was like Levels, a silly number people loved to use to make generalized assumptions about people. A decent marker for hinting how much of an adult someone might be, but nowhere as useful compared to the way one actually conducted themselves.

She should know as a Bug-type. And as Ariados's former friend. "You still feel you were too young to take up leadership of the village?" asked Butterfree.

"Too early. Not too young, even if I was little then."

A small quaver had crawled into Ariados's voice, and suddenly Butterfree wished she hadn't broached such a touchy topic to Ariados. She opened her mouth to dissuade her, but the matriarch silenced her with a look. "I had thought Mother would live long," she said. "It came upon me too suddenly, having so many responsibilities hoisted upon me. Elder Rabsca and the rest of you were nothing less than a godsend."

Butterfree remembered that. She and Scyther had been prominent helpers for Weaverwish Ariados. Still are.

"I don't know how I handled it then. Or now. It's not even the leading part that gets me, but the pressure. The stress." Ariados was lying down as low as she possibly could, crumpled under invisible weights. "Making sure I'm doing everything right. That I'm being the person everyone needs me to be."

"I'm amazed you handle it at all," said Butterfree. "You're certainly better at it than I."

Ariados smirked. Yes, that was a smirk on her face. "You really think I'd believe such a fib?" she said.

"I-I wasn't—"

"Don't hide it, Veildust, I was already problematic even before the dungeon formation. After? I was a complete mess, stressed over little problems and superstitions and snapping at every inconvenience that came our way. You couldn't stand my antics, thought I was proving a poor leader—"

She turned her head away.

"I never understood why you befriended me when we were little."

Butterfree's heart burned, but not in the way the scarring memory of the dungeon closing in on their village did. She pulled Ariados's head back, the matriarch squirming as she caressed her cheek.

"There was a cute, shy little Spinarak who was scared of change and new things, and worried her head off about everything in life," said Butterfree. "I thought she needed someone at her side."

Ariados shifted a leg, before deciding not to fight the touch. "You need one just as much," she commented. "I may jump at Ghosts, but you dread the Dark. You all do."

Butterfree knew that particular metaphor. Clever, whoever had thought of it. And she knew it was true. "The dungeon forming over our village was enough," she muttered. "Knowing there's an ill omen of a human out there, or that the Abhorrents seem to want more shards like yours for who knows what — it's like everything is going to collapse on us before we know it. I don't know how you cope with it."

"I hardly cope at all." A sigh. "But I suppose it's better this way. I no longer need to wonder if we're going to be destroyed, because now I know."

That was when Butterfree decided something truly had changed with Ariados. She had sensed as much ever since she allowed the human to walk free yesterday. Her encounter with Aerodactyl and Mew, had it been the catalyst? Had something else been, beforehand? For a brief time, Ariados had surprisingly dropped her murderous fear of the human and considered letting her hide in Stringed Forest Village, to keep tabs on her and to hopefully send her back to where she came from.

Long had Ariados jumped at shadows, at threats that didn't quite exist. Perhaps the unknown being finally known to her had done something. Perhaps facing her nightmares had quelled something in her. The same jumpy spider still stood in front of her—

But now she didn't need to imagine the danger. In the wake of a near-certain shattering of their world, be it from Abhorrents or prophecies, she'd been drained of her panic, left with nothing more than the will to do something. Anything.

Whatever would stop their archipelago from crumbling apart.

But neither of them were legends. At the end of the day, Butterfree knew they were but cogs in the wheel of a greater design. "Team Heavendust is handling the human, right?" she asked. "They know of the Abhorrent menace, don't they?"

Ariados slowly nodded. "I asked them to stop the mutants."

It eased the clamping that had been constricting her chest for so long. A gentle breath, and Butterfree felt better. So much better, knowing there was something that could possibly hold against the great tide of destruction that threatened to wash all of Haven Archipelago away.

"Maybe we'll make it then." Butterfree took in her home, her still-standing home, alive despite the tragedies that had beset it. "But until then, we have our own battles here, don't we? Your people still need to be kept in line."

Dumb rumors. They were but a nuisance for everyone, including the human girl. The trouble they might cause was unpredictable. The Abhorrents would catch wind of it, Butterfree thought with a numbness. If they mutated the human, would that contribute to the prophecy? They'd chase after her like crazed dogs, wouldn't they?

She might've spiraled back into her terrible thoughts, if not for Ariados's harsh poke into her side. "Dreading the Dark, are we?" she said. "The rumors won't spread, Veildust, I'll make sure of that. I will not tolerate annoyances that only serve to make this whole situation even more chaotic."

For all her flaws, Ariados still had that sense of leadership within her. Butterfree admired that. She's the matriarch for a reason, she thought.

Ariados pulled herself back onto her four legs, her vigor restored. And yet, as always, there was that little trace of concern digging into her. "Cursed, blessed human," she muttered. "I sorely wish I could go out and keep an eye on her, Veildust. I don't know what might become of her—"

"Jumping at Ghosts, are we?" Butterfree crossed her arms. "Weaverwish, you're needed here, and you'll be more of a wreck by chasing after rainbows. Unless you plan to kill that human after all?"

Ariados shook her head with such certainty, Butterfree would've thought she had never considered murder in the first place. "Then forget about her," she said, shaking her head too. "For goodness's sake, I think we all need to forget about her. Whatever happens with that human, it's out of our hands now."

"Yes, b-but—"

"Please promise me you won't abandon your village just to go after the human. We need you."

Ariados grimaced at the ultimatum. Positioned as she was, dungeon trees shaded half her body, the other half illuminated by dungeon sunlight.

"I can't do promises."

She shifted away from the shade, and toward the light.

"But for all your sakes, old friend, I'll fight my urges till the bitter end."

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Interlude 2 — Another

Kecleon Wares was the store that stayed up the longest out of all the market stalls, but even it had its closing hours. A Chansey and Whimsicott pair had rushed over at the last minute for a purchase of some fruits and berries, and once the relieved couple had been given their needed items and left with an apology for their lateness, the Kecleon family was set to disperse for the night.

For most of the merchants, that simply meant going to their cots in the storage area of their humble store, or to their rooms in the inns they were staying in. Kecleon, however, wasn’t one of those merchants.

“Gotta be real nice having a whole freaking summer suite to yourself, old coot, am I right? Must be one mean retirement plan the big guys upstairs gave you.”

The ‘old coot’ snorted, finishing up a quick polish of the counter before throwing a friendly glare at the fellow Kecleon beside him. The lad wasn’t that much of an adult — younger than the Lucario foreigner, and with a maturity not much better than Shaymin, down to his crass way of speaking. Possibly his little way of getting on the nerves of his supervisors.

He found it endearing though. “It’s a small house with four rooms, Lashbark,” he said. “And I stay here all year long. Maybe a few trips if I’m called for it, but no more.”

“Yeah, whatever. You’re missing out, you know — nothing like the freedom of being out there in the open, under the twinkling light of the stars and the love of the sunshine.” Lashbark held his claws behind his head, staring with tender affection at the constellations above. “Though having your own space sounds like a wicked good trade-off.”

Another snort. “I’m old enough to get away with it, fresh blood. You want to settle down someday, live on your own terms? You either work yourself to death for the next couple decades or find a demanding wife that’d put our bosses through the wringer.”

“Or I could just be a deadbeat runaway.”

“It’d be funnier if you got the wife.”

Lashbark cackled. With a spin he sat himself on top of the counter Kecleon had just cleaned, much to the merchant’s mild annoyance. “Gotta sleep on that one,” he said. “Though I dunno if I’m one to settle down.”

Oh, the naivety. “Best and worst decision you’ll ever make,” Kecleon told him. “Take it from a fool who never learned his lesson until he was too old for any lady to bother with.”

Or to have kids. Sometimes he wondered if that was the real reason he took up a tutoring job at the dojo — because he enjoyed having younglings to give guidance to? Because he saw them as if they could’ve been his own kin? It wasn’t like he went to the dojo for the sake of finding a warrior worthy of challenging.

Well, Shaymin was an exception. Spunky girl, that one. He admitted it, he was fond of the silly Mythical who dropped into his life, a powerhouse fighter who wasn’t sure where to go anymore. Who better to train? He’d put his all in giving her a sense of direction, both in her battle skills and even in life itself.

It would’ve been nice to have a real son or daughter to teach the ropes to, though. How to fight, how to haggle, how to compete and excel at life. Someone to keep him company. They wouldn’t probably stay too long, of course, what with the rigors of life as a family member of the Kecleon line.

But at least he’d be there with them for a short while. He’d be a father. He’d be someone special to them.

Someone to care about, to be their shining sun. Someone to mourn, when all was said and done.

It made him think of Lucario, oddly enough. And the girl. Kecleon shivered at the thought of the girl — a human child, alone in a world she had no place in, protected by a guardian whose loved ones were gone. As were her’s.

Eira.

Ironic how human speech was so meandering and obnoxiously wordy, yet they used single-word names packed with complex nuances, emotion, and hidden meaning. With the way the Pokemon tongue worked, Kecleon could even get a sense for those meanings — and there were a few things that leapt out at him whenever he thought of the shipwrecked girl’s name, especially when he heard Lucario using it. Things like mercy, tranquility, and beauty, but more importantly—

Innocence and snow. Funny coincidence, that.

Too many times did the human girl and Lucario nearly jeopardize themselves and himself by extension. The only thing that gave him more of a headache than making sure those two didn’t get themselves killed? The nonsense they attracted to his doorstep, like a Mismagius with way too much knowledge about prophecies and humans, or monstrous wizards in a desert dungeon deep within Tumbledust Island. And nevermind Lugia, or the Abhorrent situation.

And the junk about Ruptures and the Spacetime Pandemic. Working with Mismagius and Porygon-Z had left too much of his brain fried — but he supposed that was the cost of knowledge. He’d been lucky that he even caught Mismagius in the first place. He remembered too well his frantic search for the witch, how he finally cornered her in an odd grove not too far from town. And how, halfway through their tense dialogue about the human, Porygon-Z showed up out of nowhere.

What a strange sight that had been, seeing Porygon-Z there. And a stranger time it had been still, to behold his most unusual way of talking and learn of his human origins. His panicking over the recent news of Lugia and the human’s transformation backlash too, and his concern over the human’s presence and what Gabite and his team members might do in response. A concern that had been magnified when rumors of Stringed Forest reached them in the early morning.

Porygon-Z was more of a worrywort than one would’ve thought. And Mismagius, well, was something. But at least her illusionary skills came in handy.

Kecleon thought back to the conversations they’d shared. And then went back to the human girl, who had done the impossible and got past the warding towers meant to keep her out. As did several other humans, whom Lugia had removed.

Supposedly.

“Uh, old coot? Swiftcloak? Everything going swell in that noggin of yours?”

Kecleon blinked, before arching a brow at a concerned Lashbark. Boy had actually bothered to call him by his nickname for once.

“Nothing you ought to fuss over, kiddo.” Kecleon threw at him the cleaning rag he’d been using to wipe the counter, before leaping out of the stall. “I’m heading off. If I find any smears or streak marks where you’re sitting right now—”

Lashbark raised his claws to quiet him, taking the rag and getting off the counter to wipe off the smudges he had left on its surface. Kecleon smirked, before moving on.

He’d go home in a moment. But first, a visit.

The Explorer Board was a quick trip from the sleepy marketplace. Kecleon casually walked the quiet streets, under the streetlights of Electric Gem-powered lamps, before making his way up the cobblestone steps and past archways and flanking shrubbery that led to the facility. Past the bulletin board, with only a brief pause to look at the headlines — Stormsoaked Shores, a dungeon transformed in the wake of an Aerodactyl’s plot to strike down Lugia, only to be thwarted by explorers.

The story brought up the Lugia pillar the Feebas and Hattrem duo had discovered in the area, along with how there’d been a previous clash between Lugia and Aerodactyl a week back, and that Silver Wings were somehow involved. It didn’t mention the actual purpose of the wings, however. And it omitted Aerodactyl’s intentions to mutate said Lugia, and the identities of those who defeated him.

Though that’s a no-brainer to figure out.

The locals knew their explorers after all. Journalists had been very, very quick to assume the obvious, publishing articles about Team Heavendust’s involvement that Kecleon knew would spread through the archipelago like wildfire. That fame was a double-edged sword — but there were worse things to be concerned about the public knowing.

For once, Klinklang wasn’t at the Explorer Board’s lobby, so late it was in the night that even the mechanical Pokemon had gone home to rest. Instead, it was Porygon-Z that stood guard, right next to the door to the rest of the facility. Unlocked.

~I calculated a 88.72% probability you would arrive within this half-hour. Have you come to discuss matters, Kecleon?~

Kecleon read the textbox projecting from Porygon-Z’s antenna, his lips curling a little. If Pokemon like Klinklang had strange behaviors and ways of thinking, then Porygon-Z was on a level beyond it all. He thought like a Metagross, and moved and acted like — well, a Spinda was extremely tame in comparison to the quirky human-made Pokemon. “Stuff’s been cooking in my mind,” he said. “Need to get it off my chest.”

Porygon-Z waved him onward with an erratic whip of his arms, the twosome walking through the greenhouse hall that served as the main area of the Explorer Board. The quiet pitter-patter of the fountain and the shaded serenity of the place made the knots in Kecleon’s stomach unravel a little.

~Team Heavendust was kind enough to send me a couple papers this afternoon. They have proven instrumental in self-memory recovery — I approximate an 64% increase compared to my previous state. Do you wish to see them, Y/N?~ Porygon-Z zipped into the Task Management room without waiting for a reply, Kecleon catching up to find him behind his desk and throwing papers around like a messy child before finding the ones he wanted. The sentences scribbled into them made Kecleon raise a brow.

These were decently compiled lists, mentioning topics of various things like regions and technology and all. Kecleon took notice of a place called Sinnoh — cold climate, with a large mountainous range known as the Coronet Highlands, and an abundance of old legends and ruins. Places like Snowpoint Temple, Solaceon Ruins, and Spear Pillar.

Mentions of great beings like Heatran, Cresselia, Darkrai, and Regigigas. Shaymin, to Kecleon’s intrigue. The Lake Trio, consisting of Uxie, Mespirit, and Azelf. And most of all, the Continuity Quartet.

Dialga. Palkia. Giratina. And Arceus.

The regulators of spacetime and the integrity of the world at large. Their kind are important there? Kecleon’s eye twitched, catching on to a footnote about Lucario being native to the region. Huh.

~Sinnoh was my homeland, before I became a Faller. This information is of particular interest to me. Porygon-Z tapped on the word ‘Solaceon Ruins’, apparently a home for the mysterious Unown. This location stirs something within my fragmented memory banks. It is flagged as a top priority topic. Current intentions are that I question Lucario about it tomorrow.~

Kecleon grimly nodded, skimming over other bits of information that made his head spin. Mainly the bits on technology, from the oft-rumored devices that were Pokeballs to calming devices called Stylers that were used by human Rangers to placate a Pokemon. And stranger things still — the idea of a ‘television’, an entertainment tool that somehow used ‘radio waves’ to communicate with central stations that could broadcast pre-recorded shows with special effects, particularly amused him. So did the concept of an ‘internet’ that took the same concept of radio wave communication to allow people to connect, communicate, and share ideas through digital devices much like the databases in the Explorer Board, except far sleeker and far more advanced.

The merchant eyed the bulky steel device with an equally large monitor screen sitting on Porygon-Z’s desk, its heavy hum filling the room, and wondered what ‘far more advanced’ was like. “Do humans even use Elemental Gems?” he thought aloud.

~Mostly electricity. Humans have methods to generate it with Pokemon and through other natural means, if my spotty memory serves well.~

Humans. Crafty creatures.

Kecleon slid away the papers with a weary face. All this information about human things greatly interested him, but he had other reasons to be here. “About your Faller nature,” he began.

~As I have previously iterated, I am a Faller, deposited onto Haven Archipelago about six years ago, during the Spacetime Pandemic (locally known as the Ruptures). The consequences of my journey have damaged critical functions, including my memory bank. I remain uncertain of the exact means that led to my transportation.~

Porygon-Z took in Kecleon’s neutral face before stiffening, his arms and tail stretched out as if to form the Unown letter T. ~Ah. But I sense I have misinterpreted the question. Recalibrating — were you interested in my relations with humans, or my experiences? I cannot remember anything of note on such matters either, I’m afraid.~

Kecleon skimmed the text with a shake of his head. “How about something that doesn’t require your dump of a memory?”

~Memory dump? I do not follow. My memory dump is functional and records critical data in the event that my system crashes, and allows my self-diagnostic scripts to—

“What gibberish are you talking about?” Kecleon swiped at Porygon-Z’s textbox, making the artificial-duck pause. “Look, I’ve had a little something that’s been bugging me. Some things about humans and the prophecy. The stuff Mismagius said about them.”

Porygon-Z quivered slightly, a troubled beep emanating from him. Thinking of the Mismagius made Kecleon’s head throb a little more — the old witch hadn’t known too much of the prophecy, but what she had said was skin-crawling enough. And her deep knowledge of humans was just as perplexing. Mismagius had brushed off her fears of the false Vulpix that accompanied Lucario, but Kecleon knew the mask she wore.

She hadn’t told them everything. There were things she hid, from him and from Team Heavendust, and those things haunted her. She was truthful about preserving the ill omen’s life, but what other truths had she omitted? What was the girl to her, really?

But this too was off-topic. No, something far bigger was troubling Kecleon. “‘A transfigured human that doesn’t belong,’” he recited. “And a ‘guardian that serves the harbinger, ever fervent.’ That does describe Lucario and his human well, doesn’t it?”

A slight nod from Porygon-Z. ~But then, what of my Faller nature? It is tangential to the prophecy. What is its relevance in your query?~

Kecleon rolled his eyes, before resting his back against Porygon-Z’s counter. The hum of his machine filled the room for a couple seconds.

And then the dumb robot stopped being dumb. His head twitched with a maddened spasm, as if having an accursed epiphany — or just suffering from the quirks that made him, him — and he slowly faced Kecleon with squinted eyes. “Well?” asked the merchant.

~Kecleon, your concern is of no relevance. Calculations indicate it is impossible.~

Well, okay, the robot was still half-dumb, but it was progress. “Let me put it this way,” said Kecleon. “Over the history of Haven Archipelago, we’ve had a scant amount of Pokemon from outside show up. A couple of marine-bound Pokemon who’ve only heard tales of humans, for example, or some unlucky soul that happened to get thrown here by means of portals or whatever. When the Ruptures occurred, there were still very few foreigners that ended up here, but the number went up drastically.”

~Erroneous logic detected. It does not—

“Everyone knows Fallers exist, but hardly where to find them. And of course, it’s not like we’ve documented every entity that the Ruptures tossed onto the archipelago, have we?” Kecleon clasped his hands together. “But that’s just one of my concerns. Don’t forget, we’ve also had an influx of humans that Lugia had purged from our lands, except for Lucario’s girl. Or so Lugia believes, at least.”

~‘Swiftcloak’ Kecleon, I must ask—

“And that’s without considering the fact that humans once existed here, and that we may have a few naughty remnants of their ilk in Tumbledust Island, equipped with mind-rending magicks. Furthermore, we know Eira has magic herself, and we know Mismagius can teach her illusions. And the wristband? That thing may be a magical wonder, but chances are, it may not be one-of-a-kind.”

Porygon-Z’s squint was so narrow Kecleon thought he was grumbling on the inside. ~Meritless points, he said with a strained series of beeps. Your body of flesh will lose needed sleep over such things.~

Too late for that. “Do the math for me, Porygon-Z. Are we sure there are no other humans on this archipelago?”

The Pokemon stared blankly at him.

“If Lugia could’ve overlooked one human, he could’ve overlooked others. If Fallers fell into the archipelago en masse during the Ruptures, one of them could’ve been a human. If humans used to live here, chances are that stragglers still exist, hiding from the world at large like the Abhorrents have.” Kecleon tilted his head, putting on a mirthless smile. “Any one of them could have their own guardian. Maybe a way to transform too, if we’re darned unlucky enough. And is it needed for a transfigured human to be a Pokemon, and not something else?”

An Abhorrent human, for example. Or perhaps even the human-like creatures that tormented Gabite. The more Kecleon thought of it all, the more he saw possibilities.

This prophecy thing could be far, far more complicated than they realized.

A groaning, static-y noise emitted from Porygon-Z’s beak. ~Fine. Accounting for all statistics. Probability: 2.23% that another human exists. Caveat: it is pointless to worry about such an unlikely event. Mismagius has clarified that Eira best matches the prophecy.~

So she had. “But there could be another that triggers the prophecy, right?” mused Kecleon. “Even if the girl escapes, that prophecy’s still going to loom over our pretty little heads.”

~It may be so. Nevertheless, this exercise is fruitless. What are we to do anyway, if other humans exist? How would we find them?~

Kecleon turned his head northward, seeing past the Explorer Board facility and the town at large. His mind’s eye saw past the forest where Sapling Woods lurked and Team Heavendust resided — where a human and her guardian lived in secret — and further out still, until the beach was before him. And past that, a grand black tower jutting out of the sea, and a shimmering light that marked the boundaries of the distortion field that encapsulated the entire archipelago.

Outside that barrier, a human vessel had been sunk by Lugia and Aerodactyl’s fighting. An act that perhaps was the final requirement for the gears of a prophecy to begin turning.

“I’m just saying. Maybe Lucario’s girl isn’t the one. Maybe the prophecy will happen sometime in the distant future, beyond our lifespans. Or maybe it’ll happen this very moment, by another human we never accounted for.”

~But you understand there are no other humans, Y/N? Escorting Eira out of the archipelago will be sufficient to avert the prophecy. There is no reason to worry.~

Porygon-Z was worrying, Kecleon knew — worrying big-time. Clinging to denial as a coping method. But he chose not to call him out. “No other humans, you say?”

~None.~

Eyes blinked. Bleary. Everything was hazy.

Cold. Warmth. Warmth to drive away the immense cold.

Voices. Alien voices. So tired. So cold. More sleep? Sleep was good.

A hand. His. He was—

Was—

Tip of his tongue. He forgot? Funny.

No thoughts. Head empty. Drifting.

Hand? His. Five fingers.

He—

So numb everywhere.

He was—

Eyes shut. Gone. No name.

But.

One word.

Human.

Chapter Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

{VOLUME TWO: TORRENTIAL TEMPESTS}

......

A human transfigured that doesn’t belong,

Its naive wish to do good gone terribly wrong.

Cold and aloof, deceived by a false song—

Break it, we must, else the world shatters before long.

......

Chapter 18 — Calm Before the Storm

It was the dawn of Eira’s ninth full day on Haven Archipelago. Nine days since the dreaded night that left her shipwrecked here. Three days after she had fought Aerodactyl, survived Stringed Forest, and had her secret revealed to Team Heavendust. Two days since they spoke with Kecleon, Mismagius, and Porygon-Z, and later faced Lugia and Ariados.

Two days since she had truly befriended Togetic and Shaymin. And right now?

“Hah! Called it, she’s clearly taller than Gabite!”

Eira the human was standing straight in the duo’s room, feeling like an ugly weed getting a mugshot. And severely questioning her relationships.

“I mean, sure, Gabite’s gonna be a hulking beast when he evolves, but still!” Sky Forme Shaymin was leaning against one of the mahogany drawers and rattling the plants atop it as she slapped the wood, unable to hold in her giggles. “See, Togetic? I told you! Oh, this is the funniest thing ever, I can’t—”

She wheezed and laughed harder, much to Eira’s humiliation. On a plush cushion atop the flowery rug in the center of the room, Togetic looked up from the book she was reading, her expression flat. As if she too was questioning her relationships.

“It’s too early for this, Shaymin,” she muttered.

Eira let herself be drawn to the huge crack in the wall that blemished Togetic and Shaymin’s room, the one Lucario caused. The first time she willingly showed her human self to the pair, it’d been a tragedy.

Today was the second time, and it was a comedy — at her expense. Eira’s fingers rubbed against the blue cloth strips Togetic had kindly bought for her that she’d sewed onto her dress, covering spots where Ariados and Gabite had torn it open.

She shouldn’t have caved in when Shaymin pleaded to see her human self again.

She should’ve waited another day to mend her dress, to give herself an excuse.

She—

“Do humans use feet or centimet*rs? I’ve heard humans grow gradually like animals — I’m guessing you still have room to grow, yeah? How much taller are adults?”

She wanted to throw Shaymin out the window.

Eira stared down Shaymin, reddened cheeks contrasting with her desire to fire lasers out of her eyeballs. The reindeer only grinned, if at least sheepishly. “Just curious. You said we could ask literally anything—”

“I know,” said Eira, barely holding back the sourness in her voice. Why hadn’t she been more careful with her wording? “Both, yes, and depends.”

“Depends?”

“I-I mean, men are generally taller than women, and it can depend on the region too. Women in Kanto are around my height, for example, and women from Johto, Sinnoh, and Alola are only a little taller. In Galar, well, they’re on the tall end—”

“Point being you’re tall amongst your peers?”

Forget laser eyes — Eira really, really wanted to cast the human equivalent of Disable on Shaymin, maybe even a Spite. “Can we please quit talking about this?” she said.

Having had enough of the conversation herself, Togetic shut her book, tossing it to the side of her cushion. “Shaymin, you’re embarrassing her,” she scolded. “It was bad enough when you made her talk about her age.”

The distress in her voice made Eira wince. Even after a whole night to sleep away, the angelic was still bitter about that topic. “Togetic—”

“Twelve!” Togetic spread her arms wide as she whirled upon her. “I knew you were of age, but I expected seven at most! Three years my senior, and I’ve been calling you ‘sweetie’ like you were some child?”

Shaymin snorted. “I’m close to Eira’s age, and you still call me ‘princess’ sometimes—”

“Put a scarf in it, sister, that’s completely different!”

In a way, Eira almost preferred Shaymin making her height-conscious. Learning she was older than the rest of Team Heavendust? That wasn’t too upsetting — she already figured Lucario was young for all his gruffness, and it made sense the others were rather youthful themselves. Pokemon grew up fast.

Togetic did not take it the same way, however. It very much hurt the angelic to learn she’d been doting over someone older than herself, and it hurt Eira to see her in such a state. “Y-you’re still more of an adult, you know,” Eira said, sitting down cross-legged. “I don’t mind—”

“ I mind!” Togetic caressed her forehead, turning away with a groan. “Even Mythicals don’t mature so slowly, for goodness’s sake.”

Since Team Heavendust had learned her secret, Eira had spent quality time with the duo, talking about herself and the human world. And it sometimes led to shenanigans like this. Apparently the differences between Haven Archipelago, the human world, and Pokemon and humans themselves were harder to grasp than she thought, even without the details about culture and technology.

She had been in the middle of writing down several pages of notes for Porygon-Z two nights back, to help him remember the human world and what it was like, and Togetic and Shaymin had requested to take a look. Big mistake. It was a miracle she managed to crawl out of their room in time for bed, after all the flabbergasted questions they kept throwing at her.

Just explaining that she was half-Alolan and half-Galarian was enough to warp their entire worldview. Apparently Pokemon from the archipelago couldn’t wrap their heads around the idea that humans didn’t have ‘regional forms’, yet called themselves Alolans or whatnot. Or that they inherited a mix of traits from both parents, or that all humans, despite their enormous range of different appearances, counted as the exact same species.

Even now, Eira could feel the duo’s gazes upon her — Shaymin boldly doing so, Togetic peeking from the side of her eyes — silently judging her appearance. Dark brown eyes and shoulder-length hair, tawny brown skin, five-fingered hands with fingernails, blue dress, black leggings, shoes, anything and everything. Dungeons were a familiar sight to the pair, but she was a real mystery. A truly otherworldly being.

She was to them what an Ultra Beast was to an Alolan. “I must seem so strange to you,” she murmured. “Don’t I?”

Shaymin and Togetic exchanged looks. The angelic hummed, before getting up, walking toward Eira with slow, rigid steps. She extended an arm toward her, and she gingerly did the same.

Togetic clamped onto her fingers with a wince, before relaxing at the touch. “Skin,” she said, her nub feeling the human bones beneath, then moving toward her palm, rubbing it. A wistful smile spread across her face. “Soft, smooth, sensitive skin. Pleasant to the touch.”

Her gaze briefly slid toward the crack in the wall, before back to Eira. “You’d think a monster wouldn’t feel like this,” she added. “Like a person. Someone with fears and dreams of her own. All I had to do was reach out, and I would’ve seen past the strangeness.”

Eira could almost hear the self-loathing in her voice. She nearly assured her, but Togetic redoubled her hold on her fingers. “I’m fine,” she said, changing the subject. “I’ve never heard you speak in your own tongue, you know.”

No, Team Heavendust hadn’t yet. “Why would I? You wouldn’t understand,” said Eira.

Togetic and Shaymin blinked. Then rolled their eyes. “You’re teasing us, I know it,” said the latter.

Eira’s lips drew themselves into a playful smile.

“Stinking p*lygl*t.” Shaymin lightly smacked her. “Making fun of us for not being bil*ngual.”

Sometimes, their talks led to awkward situations — but other times, it led to nice moments like these. Eira laughed, a good-natured laugh free of the burdens of her cursed fate. “What if I said I know more than two languages?”

“Trilingual? Shut up.”

Another laugh. Eira threw Shaymin an asking look, and she obliged, grabbing a pen and paper atop the drawer she rested upon and placing it in front of her. Various phrases were scribbled upon, like the Tapus, Solegalo, Lunala, Ultra Beasts, various human regions and locations, and so on. She scribbled two new words onto it, before showing it to the duo.

“Alph and Omewa?” said Shaymin.

The two main languages of the human world. Eira committed to memory the way Shaymin said both words, trying to replicate it with her Vulpix tongue. “A-Alph’s based on Unown letters, and most people know it. But regions like Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh have Omewa, which—”

“You learned from your travels, yeah?”

“Uh, not exactly.”

Eira wrote another phrase, which Togetic read. “Malie City,” she said.

“It’s where I lived in Alola.” A moment of gloom poked Eira at the thought of her old home, before she dismissed it. “It’s influenced by Kanto and Johto’s culture, and has a lot of immigrants from both regions who speak the tongue. I picked up on some words when I was young—”

“And traveling gave you some practice?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m not the best, but— [I can speak well enough.] ”

Eira carefully spoke in the Omewa tongue, Togetic and Shaymin paying attention to the way it sounded. “It does have a different cadence to it,” noted Shaymin. “Light, elegant, and with a fluid flow, if you ask me.”

“And even more confusing,” added Togetic. “At least Alph makes me think of how the Unown alphabet would probably sound, if us Pokemon spoke it.”

The group stared at the paper Eira held, littered with words akin to both Alph and classical Unown script, words that both of them read and understood. “And to think we share that alphabet,” Shaymin said, pawing her cheek. “And several other old human customs and sayings. Crazy, that.”

And eerie too. The idea of humans roaming the archipelago centuries ago made even more sense in light of such facts. It amazed Eira, yet unsettled her.

It’s like home. And yet nothing like it.

“But it’s a good coincidence for you, being able to read the archipelago’s Common Unown script, so that’s cool.” Shaymin hovered over Eira’s right shoulder, arms crossed as she leaned upon it. “I guess we do have a lot in common, huh? You know, Togetic and I used to travel lots too.”

Togetic smiled. “It’s how we met.”

“Yep. And you know how awesome it is to have somebody else who actually knows some deep stuff about Ultra Beasts? Lots of people won’t even bother learning more than the bare minimum about Legendaries!” Shaymin leaned in, her petal scarf tickling Eira’s neck and her head positioned beside her ear. “You’re probably the coolest human I could’ve ever met.”

A pun. The Pokemon language was an exceptionally different beast compared to Alph and Omewa, breaking the rules of sentence grammar in favor of pitches, lengths, pauses, and most notably, pure emotional weight. It was chaotic and full of nuances that made her head hurt, her wristband a saving grace in recognizing all the little cues she had to watch out for. Words were meaningless, for there were no true words, yet impossibly, there was meaning.

But yet with the archipelago’s shared writing system and expressions as an influence, the Pokemon language still accounted for things like puns. Hence when Shaymin called her the ‘coolest’, Eira could hear both meanings. One was the informal compliment she gave.

The other was her actual joke. Eira the human swatted Shaymin off her shoulder, the reindeer laughing at her annoyance. “Get it? Coolest?” she teased. “Oh, I’m so making a whole gag out of this.”

Togetic covered her face in exasperation. “You’re the worst,” Eira said, her tone dry as a desert.

“Course I am! I’m doing my job as a friend!”

It’s like home. And yet nothing like it.

Despite herself, Eira couldn’t resist a scoff at Shaymin’s comment. A light, pleasant scoff.

But it’s good enough, isn’t it?

There and then she admitted it to herself: being with Togetic and Shaymin felt wonderful. It felt therapeutic. For all the burdens she felt, for all her fears of an archipelago that feared her, a prophecy that doomed her, and a Lugia that sought her destruction, they seemed so distant. The looming danger of Abhorrents seemed trivial. Even the loss of her Mother, dearest Mother, was an agonizing wound that burned less than it should have. As if her heart was beginning to heal.

Mother would’ve been overjoyed to see it. Who had she ever made friends with, other than Mother? How long had it been since she bothered to make meaningful relationships with others? She no longer had Mother, yes—

But I have Lucario. And Togetic and Shaymin.

Friends.

Togetic was holding her hand again, her white nub resting against her palm. The angelic smiled, as if in a quiet question, and Eira smiled back in an answer. It put both of them at peace, for each their own reasons.

Togetic let her arm slide down, tapping on the charred wristband resting against the cuff of her sleeve. “Eevee gave you quite a useful disguise,” she remarked. “It must mean everything for a powerless human like you.”

Shaymin blinked, as did Eira. She raised a finger, pulling on the depths of her soul, and Togetic twisted out of the way as she conjured frost from its tip.

It was a feat she thought to be impossible for mankind. And yet it wasn’t. Lugia, the Abhorrents, even the prophecy — none of it could trump this miracle.

Humans do have powers.

Togetic scoffed. “You know what I meant, sweetheart.”

The sass in her voice amused Eira, but she kept her focus on the ice she’d formed. Hers to use.

She touched her soul, examining it. Unlike her Pokemon self, no feedback about Abilities came to her. No moves. No typing. But she still sensed her well of energy, potent and brimming with novice will.

Level 14. I still have a Level? thought Eira.

And she felt herself. As a human, not a Vulpix. The difference was inexplicable, but somehow she felt it all the same. Even her pool of magic felt altered. And although she had no typing, nor the natural cold her Alolan Vulpix self held within, she still felt a faint attachment to Ice. As if she was drawn to the element in particular. As if she had an affinity for it, like human psychics did for Psychic-related powers.

Human psychics.

“I know I said my kind didn’t have magic in the human world, but—” Eira’s face scrunched up as she realized the conundrum she was headed toward. “But there’s a few rare humans that can have psychic powers. O-or other supernatural abilities, like aura.”

Arched brows rose on Togetic and Shaymin’s faces. Eira quickly explained what she found in her soul, before addressing the questions bubbling up in her mind. “It’s weird that I still feel my Level,” she stated. “I never heard of a human having that. Or anyone with any kind of Ice powers, either.”

The duo gave each other thoughtful looks. “You never tapped into your spirit before you got your wristband, right?” asked Togetic. “Maybe only a select few humans can do it?”

“More like the few that didn’t need to be taught by a Pokemon.” Shaymin’s face scrunched up in vexation. “Though if they learned on their own, maybe they don’t actually know how to feel her spirit, or their Level? And they just tap into their energies on pure instinct?”

“And why only specific abilities and skills? Why not other elemental powers?”

“Maybe the rest keep quiet about it or something? And anyway, why don’t humans get inherent types, yet they feel a connection anyway? What does that mean?”

Eira wondered too. And she wondered what answers Mismagius would have in store for her. Today was the day she’d start teaching her magic, wasn’t it? It’d only been two days, but the wait was beginning to kill her. The questions she had! To have elemental powers as a human, it was frightening, yet she couldn’t suppress her wonder either. Her desire to learn.

Real magic was possibly the only thing more amazing than being a Pokemon.

“Hey, hit me real quick.”

Eira shook herself, blinking several times at Shaymin. The floating Mythical had her paws crossed, waiting on her to follow her bidding. “S-sorry?”

“Your magic.” Shaymin flicked the melting ice off Eira’s fingertip. “Hit me with it.”

Both Togetic and Eira looked at her like she was dumb. Attack Shaymin? Why would she want to—

She wants to see how much it’ll hurt.

The trio tensed at the mind-speak, then lurched as an icy blue head of mist popped out of the floorboards, the icy bangs on the sides of her head unnaturally still despite the sudden jerk of her movement. Glaceon, one of Eevee’s many ghost siblings, pulled herself out and stretched her body, before taking note of the others’ startled faces.

Oh, and sorry for barging in. I should’ve knocked first.

A pause.

Figuratively speaking. I can’t interact with doors without using moves. But again — Shaymin wants to feel how strong your magic is.

And like that, Shaymin was acting like Glaceon had always been in the room all along. “You heard her!” she said, poking Eira. “C’mon, I’m not afraid of a little super-effective damage! Ice me!”

Togetic shook her head, but moved aside anyway, leaving Eira with her insistent friend. Could she do an actual attack? She had played with her ice a little, but she never did any real training. She might make a mess, trying to cast spells she didn’t know how to form, or—

“I said to hit me, wimp! Do it! Throw something at me, if you humans have any spine in your backs!”

The taunting did her in. Eira sighed, reached into her soul, and flicking her hand as if to throw an Ice Shard, shot a bolt of frost.

It was slightly inaccurate, but it caught Shaymin on the paw, the reindeer tensing at its cold bite before cackling. “Stings a little,” she remarked, “but I could take a lot of those. You mind doing the same thing as your Vulpix self?”

Eira pursed her lips, before acceding, flicking her inner switch and bracing against the vertigo of transformation. Her hands became her forepaws, six tails sprouted from her back, and her chest filled up with cold might. Eira the Alolan Vulpix shook herself, taking in the feel of her vulpine body, before summoning an actual Ice Shard.

Just one shard, with much better accuracy. This time Shaymin did reel from the strike, brushing the fur where she’d been plinked by the ice. “Really felt the Ice element that time,” she said.

“Same-type energy boost.” Togetic caressed her cheek, losing herself in thought. “Pokemon are deeply connected to their elemental types, but humans aren’t. It’s like me trying to use Ancient Power when I don’t have the corresponding type.”

Or maybe, her spirit isn’t compatible enough yet?

Glaceon’s words drew the room’s attention. Eira had to learn magic, but we know to use it straight from the egg, she stated. The elements are part of us, but for humans, it’s a foreign tool. Maybe she’ll develop her type as she progresses?

“That doesn’t explain why humans normally have specific kinds of powers though, like psychic control. Or aura, which I don’t think belongs to any one type.” Shaymin grumbled at the thought of it all, shooting Eira an unamused look. “Like really? Did you have to throw in that little curveball about rare magic humans in your homeland now?”

The vixen shrugged, considering all the theories the others had given. It was strange, really. Why didn’t humans use other elements back in her world? Was it just easy for human psychics to be discovered because people were used to finding them, along with aura users, or was her Ice attachment something unique to her? And again, why didn’t other humans with supernatural abilities talk of Levels and such?

What’s the difference between them and the old human wizards of the archipelago?

So many questions. So much she didn’t understand. “I-I should speak with Mismagius,” said Eira.

Togetic and Shaymin slowly nodded. “Wacky witch might know something,” the latter said, before gesturing to Glaceon. “You know, I don’t think I’ve seen any of you without Eevee. Is anyone else going to pop in?”

Hm? Glaceon looked at her vacantly, before shaking her head. Oh no, it’s just me. Eevee’s talking about news and travel plans with the guys yet again, and I don’t know, I just got bored and felt like popping in here. Overhearing you guys talk about ice magic and stuff made me curious, and I kinda wanted to interact with somebody other than Leafeon for a change, and Espeon’s for some reason letting me have a conversation with you all—

Glaceon blinked, her face turning sheepish. She dropped her gaze to the wooden floor.

Am I being a bother? I-I can leave if you want.

Togetic, Shaymin, and Eira the Vulpix looked at each other, before Shaymin shooed her concerns away. “Stay if you like, nobody minds,” she stated. “You haven’t heard too much about human stuff yet, yeah?”

I, uh, haven’t heard much. Nor the others—

“No big deal, I’m sure we can get you caught up. Anyway!” Shaymin darted back to Eira, the Vulpix rearing up at both her sudden speed and at the sinisterly goofy face she wore. The face of a madwoman with inane questions she wanted to fire, like cannonballs into the hull of a fisherman’s boat.

“You said you humans have a lot of forms of entertainment, right?” she said. “Nonsense about illustrated magazines and moving visual images on screens and good ol’ fashioned novels? Lots of different ways to convey stories? You’re into stories and stuff, am I right?”

Eira sweated a little. What was the punchline to this? “Y-yes?”

“Any stories about yours truly?” Shaymin’s eyes glittered with childish curiosity. “About Shaymin? I mean, I’m a sucker for old myths and legends, but what kind of crazy fantasy tales do humans make up these days about my kind?”

Togetic and Glaceon lended an ear, growing a little interested in the conversation. Eira’s heartbeat slowed, if only a little — it wasn’t the worst question she could’ve been asked. “Well, uh, I really don't know too much about Shaymin myths,” she admitted. “Lucario might know more, I guess? But I think there was this television show about a Shaymin magical girl—”

Television? asked Glaceon.

“Big screen for moving visual images.” Shaymin pointed Glaceon to Togetic for a further explanation, before sticking her nose into Eira’s. “A magical girl, eh? Like some kind of superhero wizard Shaymin or something?”

Eira the Vulpix stared at the Mythical’s expression. Her heartbeat picked up again.

I’ve said too much, haven’t I?

“M-more like she can transform into a magically powerful version of herself? Something to do with being blessed by Arceus to, um, fight the forces of the banished Giratina.”

Glaceon and Togetic perked at this, their intrigue but a candle flame to Shaymin’s burning fascination. “A spin on the age-old feuds between the two Legendary clans, and one of my kind’s the hero? Crud, now I kinda want to see for myself. And this transformation — what is it, just a souped-up Sky Forme or something? I suppose my flying self is pretty magical compared to my Land Forme, ha.”

Having never seen the show, Eira couldn’t really answer, but at least Shaymin was enjoying herself. A small joy. She could probably file this away as one of her nicer moments—

“So that kinda makes you a magical girl too, yeah?”

Eira felt her icy cold freeze up her brain. “Uh, what?”

Shaymin’s smile was too wide. She prodded at Eira’s wristband. Eira stared at the wristband.

The one she used to transform into a Pokemon. An innately magical creature.

“I—”

No—

“T-that’s not—”

I can’t be—

“Shaymin—”

Her tails shifted toward her face, partially obscuring it. Frozen sweat glistened on her forehead, horror possessing Eira whole.

“Oh my goodness, I’m a magical girl.”

Shaymin’s yell of triumph gave her a start. “Magical girl buddies!” she cheered, yanking her over until their cheeks were smushed against each other. “C’mon, it works! We’ve even both got awesome magic items to make us magically cool!”

Which was actually a magical girl thing, to Eira’s distress. “But I-I have magic as a human too!” she cried, grasping at straws. “It shouldn’t—”

“Nah, it counts! Togetic, look, the magical girl squad’s here to save the day! Strike a pose, Eira!”

Somehow, someway, Shaymin had found something that bothered Eira more than commentary on her human height. She threw pleading looks to a flummoxed Togetic, in dire need of a non-magical girl to save her. Then Glaceon, who seemed possibly traumatized by the ridiculous pose Shaymin was making that was, infuriatingly, too close to what a magical girl would do.

Is this normal? Glaceon asked.

Togetic slowly turned her face away and made what sounded like silent prayers, leaving Eira to fend for herself. “Hey, try a pose!” Shaymin insisted. “Just once! It’s not that bad!”

“I-I don’t—”

“One time, for your fellow magical girl! I’m not asking for—”

“Shaymin, no!”

If there was a silver lining, at least crippling embarrassment from a friend was nowhere as bad as being condemned by a human-fearing archipelago and a prophecy.

Even now, everything felt like a fever dream to Lucario. His tail brushed against the too-fluffy rug in the living room, his paws clamped onto the wood of the table atop it, and his eyes swished back and forth, scanning the window near the second floor stairway at the back, the familiar yet odd refrigerator at the kitchen side-area, and the hallways of the cottage. Then they returned to Gabite and Eevee, the former beside him with a newspaper beside him, and the latter sitting on the table, messing with a map and his tail fidgeting. As if the Abhorrent felt just as out of place as he did.

It still hadn’t processed in Lucario’s head that this cottage was his home and sanctuary. That he had a place here. That Team Heavendust were their allies.

That any of this was happening.

The jackal let himself be drawn to the map, as if focusing on it would make things more real. Far from it, however, seeing the scale of Haven Archipelago and its many islands only made his head swim even more. Most notable was the cluster of landmasses floating around a central area with a simple sketch of a castle atop it — the Nexuswatch Islands. Grassbranch Island was located at the upperleft corner, and to its right and above the Nexuswatch Islands was the mountainous Cragpeak Island, with a snowy shield-shaped region further off to the right that was fittingly called Tundrashield.

At the bottom of the map, from left to right, was the sandy world of Tumbledust, the overgrown Junglebush, and the gloomy Blitzfield. And to the left and right of Nexuswatch was the marsh-like Swampblot Island and the weathered lands of Shardmyth Island, respectively.

Eevee’s paw had run itself ragged, tracing lines between Swampblot and Grassbranch. The eight crystals spiking out of his head like a crown of gradient colors, one for each of his spirit siblings — the price of his Abhorrent mutation — sparkled from the faint light of a dawn sky, pouring in from a window. His eyes would dart on occasion, scanning the cottage walls with a hint of trepidation.

Far better than how he’d been yesterday, when claustrophobia seemed to be the Abhorrent’s personality. Being a monster in a former enemy’s home does that to you, thought Lucario, before taking note of Gabite’s own shifty gaze. Though I suppose the same goes to him.

Housing a human clearly had been a difficult adjustment for Team Heavendust’s leader, even if practically nothing had changed. Having an Abhorrent guest only put him further out of his comfort zone.

But he’s trying, noted Lucario. And so is Eevee.

Discomfort wasn’t enough to stop the two from talking business. Their goal? To get him and Eira to Kabutops, who’d keep them safe for the remainder of their time in Haven Archipelago. To get to him, they would use Flowerpond Trails, a Mystery Dungeon in the southern part of Grassbranch Island with a hidden pathway they’d use to warp to Swampblot Island, bypassing the threat of Lugia. And from there, Eevee would guide them toward Kabutops’s secret lair.

They already had discussed this yesterday. Right now Eevee and Gabite were finishing up on finding desirable routes to take, allowing Team Heavendust to hit up a few major towns where they’d hopefully find others willing to take on the Abhorrent menace, while staying on track to reach Kabutops. “Of course,” Eevee was saying, “you’d hardly need to make so many pit stops if Team Elementri can do the recruiting for you.”

Team Elementri, Gabite’s allies, were slated to arrive today according to a message the dragon-shark had gotten from them. “I’m planning just in case Lugia acts early and we can’t meet,” Gabite said, a deriding huff leaving him as his claw poked the newspaper at his side. “Though I doubt they’d let that happen. I can already imagine the questions they’ll pepper me with.”

Lucario huffed too, frowning at the newspaper. ‘Scoop: Team Heavendust as Heroes of Stormsoaked Shores’ was amongst its headlines, with profiles given of its team members, and eyewitness reports of how their group had been rushing out of town to stop Aerodactyl from taking down Lugia.

Unsurprising that people had sussed them out, and very unsurprising that the article put a little focus on Shaymin’s Mythical nature. At least there were no footnotes on the Stringed Forest rumors, though he did not appreciate the attention called upon him and Eira the Vulpix being newcomers to the team. Or well, the attention in general. With news about the near-disaster at Stormsoaked Shores apparently catching like wildfire throughout the whole archipelago, why wouldn’t news about the explorers who stopped it?

“I suppose the fame would help with finding yourselves volunteers, at least.” Eevee briefly smirked at the thought of it. “How much of a net gain is it, having your explorer friends helping out?”

“Plenty,” was Gabite’s reply. “Everything counts against Aerodactyl and the other Abhorrents. Team Elementri’s a veteran group—”

“Oh, I get that. But what of her?”

Eevee gestured toward the hallway leading to the ladies’ bedroom, and Lucario felt a pit form in his stomach. Eira — the disguised human. His protege, and a giant liability in this archipelago, even discounting the whole prophecy nonsense. It had been a huge blessing that after everything with Team Heavendust, she had made it out alive. But could such miracles repeat themselves against another explorer group?

Gabite rested a claw on his chin. “Braixen is a bit of a sleuth himself, I admit, just as good as I am. And he’s rather protective of me. He knows about my traumas—” he rasped and shook off haunting memories, human horrors that Lucario felt tempted to glimpse with his aurasense, yet refrained in fear of what he’d see “—and he would assume the worst about a human being in my team. I could get away with telling them about you—”

“Excuse me? You’d tell them about me?”

“If Togetic can talk me down from reacting violently to your existence, Abhorrent, I can do the same with Braixen and the others. Hardly much to lose by doing that. A human, though? Too dangerous. And between Lugia and the Stringed Forest rumors, Braixen’s bound to hear something about her.”

What went unspoken was the solution: a cover-up story, to keep Eira concealed. And judging from Gabite’s expression, Lucario sensed he already had come up with a few ways to divert Braixen from the truth. Here’s hoping it’ll be enough.

“More people knowing about us, how perfect.” Eevee grumbled under his breath, tail sweeping across the table. “Whatever. Blab about me and my siblings if you dare, but if things backfire and the human’s compromised—”

“Don’t sweat it, Abhorrent, I don’t fumble around like Lucario here does.” Gabite elbowed the jackal in question, who rolled his eyes in response. “I’ll handle my friends. You deal with your stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah. What about Mismagius?”

The witch who knew of a prophecy detailing a transformed human that’d shatter the archipelago. “Gabite spoke with her about our travel plans,” Lucario said with a sour note. “She means to join us.”

A tsk. “Figures.”

Lucario hardly liked it either. But Mismagius was rather insistent on keeping tabs on Eira, and on teaching her everything she could. He didn’t know what to make of such an oxymoron, — that Mismagius intended to give magic to the very creature she deemed a threat. And he didn’t know what to make of Mismagius herself.

But how do you shake off a Pokemon like her?

Eevee folded up his map, managing to tuck the parchment into his neck-pouch. “Everything’s out of my control now, isn’t it?” he said. “Putting up with you explorers, dealing with an angry Lugia and some messy convoluted plot with Abhorrents that I want no part of—”

“Do I look like I want anything to do with you or your fellow monsters, or a prophecy-condemned human?” A half-feral glare touched Gabite’s eyes, the dragon-shark throwing his head forward. “None of us are in control. We’re all hung by strings, and it’ll be a fortune if any of us puppets can steer the pulling where we want to.”

“Flowery language from a former wild ‘mon.”

“I try.”

The twosome grew listless, Lucario seeing how they stared into distances far beyond the confines of the cottage. Far into the past that was, the future that could be, and how they converged on the present. They quietly questioned — perhaps to each other? — how this exact, fleeting moment of time came to be.

How two strangers from outside their archipelago washed ashore, in defiance of the towers.

How everyone’s secrets were spilled to each other.

How their unusual alliance sought to reach Kabutops, in hopes of thwarting a prophecy and finding a cure for Abhorrents.

How they’d need to outrun a Lugia they crossed.

And never mind the Abhorrents, who sought to infiltrate said Lugia’s lair. And somehow, they had to stop it.

They.

Lucario scowled at the thought. How many would volunteer to help stop the Abhorrent menace, when mutation was the likely cost? Who’d dare approach them? He himself couldn’t stomach the thought of a third encounter with Aerodactyl, not when the last two had cut it close enough. And Mew? A Mythical Abhorrent? Who wouldn’t cower at such a nightmare?

But it sickened him too. He wouldn’t be there to help Team Heavendust either, not with Eira in his care. He’d unjustly leave them to fight something that’d ruin the archipelago just as much as any prophecy. Coward, his inner voice told him.

Puppets aren’t cowards, Lucario replied.

Silence. And then pain.

An overload of sensory garbage pounded against his feelers and leaked into his skull, Lucario dropping to one knee at the otherworldly turmoil he sensed from nine linked souls. Eevee had ripped apart into a half-melted, trembling goop of endless void, buzzing static clouds cloaking him and white spiral-shaped eyes staring into the Distortion World. His crystals slowly dripped off, turning into slugs writhing down his body, with a few sprouting eyes and staring just as he stared.

Gabite was spouting gibberish, his body poised in a fight-or-flight reaction and his eyes dilated. One of his fin-blades inched toward Eevee, and the Abhorrent’s neck snapped apart, Gabite stumbling back as Eevee’s head dangled to one side like a broken jack-in-the-box. His paws — claws? Flippers? Spider legs? — pounded against the table.

Seconds passed. And then the static faded, and Eevee’s body reformed into his normal, panting self. Lucario exhaled at once, shaking off the nausea he felt from the lingering, toxic touch of Distortion Frenzy. “Could’ve done with a heads-up, Eevee,” he grumbled.

Gabite too was panting, a claw upon his heart. Footsteps sounded, and Lucario glanced to find a worried Eira the Vulpix arriving into the living room, followed by Togetic and Shaymin. “Uh, what happened?” asked the latter. “Glaceon was with us and she went poof—”

I’m fine, I’m fine! Just a little Distortion Frenzy, it happens!

A frazzled Glaceon manifested before the group, Eevee putting on a grim smile beside her. “Superb timing for you all to show up,” he said. “Alright, I know this is sudden, but that frenzy we went through? Thing is, my siblings and I were just thinking about something that’s been bothering us like mad, ever since our talk with Ariados two days back. You mind telling us if you saw any weirdness happening around Stormsoaked Shores’s entrance when it broke down? Dimensions twisting, up becoming down — anything like that?”

Heavy question. And certainly not one the girls had emerged from their room to hear about, nor one Gabite seemed to like. With all their ongoing troubles, the topic was one they had entirely forgotten about.

And Lucario wished it could stay that way, for the recollection flayed him. “We were in it,” he mumbled.

“You were?”

You were?

Eevee had leapt to the edge of the table, nose nearly crashing into a startled Lucario’s, and with Glaceon only a short distance back. “Big primordial soup of insanity? Yeah, dungeon went kablooey from the outside and dragged us in,” Shaymin said.

“Left us all sapped by the time it reformed,” growled Gabite. “Not a fun feeling.”

“S-something yanked me inside,” added Togetic, cringing as she gingerly touched her side. “I-it was a shadow thing, and it did something to me in there. I think it left a mark.”

It had. Lucario faintly remembered, but he had seen Togetic with a swollen bruise that day. “A shadow thing,” muttered Eevee, rubbing his fur as if feeling for scars that didn’t exist. “We might’ve faced those too, come to think of it. Things that left weird scratches all over my body.”

Hard to remember when you’re going into a Distortion Frenzy in a literal distortion, commented Glaceon, her brows arching as she thought about it. I-it wasn’t that much different, was it? The dungeon breaking, it felt—

“A little like our Distortion Frenzy?”

Chills. Everyone turned to Lucario, the only person other than Eevee’s family who could know such a comparison firsthand. “A little,” he agreed.

Both had a sense of maddening warpedness, after all. And a sickeningly toxic touch too, though Distortion Frenzy was more like the feeling of acid burning you into formless ooze, while the broken dungeon made you feel like you were breathing in poisonous fumes. Not to mention that one was an internal sensation that ruptured the body, and the other, an external pressure that scarred the mind.

And yet still, it wasn’t far off. Why wouldn’t there be parallels? The Abhorrents and the shards that manipulate dungeons are related, after all.

“Uh, t-the dungeon tentacles?”

Eira’s voice. The vixen girl was pawing the ground, the urge to speak overriding her clear discomfort. “I-I think the tentacles had eyes. They tried dragging me underwater, and I-I saw.” Stares swarmed her faster than they swarmed Lucario, and she shied back. “B-but maybe it doesn’t mean anything?”

Gabite’s forehead creased. “Dungeon traps shouldn’t have eyes.”

He stood and began to pace, shaky claws clasped behind his back. Once he looked toward Shaymin for an explanation, and she instantly averted her gaze, uncomfortable. Eevee sighed.

“I know the whole point of me bringing this topic up is because I’m seriously worried about what was up with that dungeon break,” he said, “but eyes? You sure that’s a problem?”

“I practically grew up in dungeons, Eevee, I know what I’m talking about,” Gabite spat back. “But fine, forget the eyes. What about the shadows then? When a dungeon breaks apart, and there’s still something there, what do you say about that? You think some poisonous proto-dungeon atmosphere can leave physical wounds on us?”

Eevee wilted, unable to refute that. Glaceon shuddered, and Shaymin scrunched up her face further. Togetic copied her, averting her gaze too — not out of sheer confusion, Lucario realized, but out of reluctance to speak. As if the duo had realized something, but feared to say it aloud.

Eira caught it too. “Togetic?” she said. “W-when I first told you that I was human? You said you were ‘expecting something else.’” The angelic jolted a little at the statement, and Eira pushed on, picking up steam. “When Lucario told you Ariados tried to kill me, because she ‘saw something she couldn’t bear,’ you didn’t really question it much. W-what did you think I was?”

Good memory, the girl had. Togetic squirmed at her question, and Lucario took advantage. A long-suffering growl left his throat, grabbing the room’s attention.

“Has anyone here,” he said, “neglected to tell my girl and I that anomalous dungeon monsters lurk in your spatial dungeon anomalies?”

Grimaces. “They’re not supposed to be alive,” Gabite said, glaring twice as hard at Shaymin.

T-there’s stories about that kind of thing, though, Glaceon added. Eevee?

Eevee’s eyes went vacant for a moment, Lucario getting the impression he was quietly debating with his siblings, before he opened his mouth. “Heard a few during my search for humans,” he muttered. “Warped forces that were very much alive, preying on passerby in dungeons. Thought it was just junk though, like the prophecy—”

“Missing Ones.” To the group’s surprise, it was a downcast Togetic who spoke, the angelic avoiding the slack-jawed expression Shaymin threw at her. “I-I’m told it’s an old term Legendaries used for unknown spirit creatures that aren’t Pokemon. Particularly living dungeon monsters.”

A terrible admission to Lucario’s ears. “There’s a term?” cried Gabite, throwing his arms onto the table. “Excuse me?”

Shaymin managed to force her lips into a dull frown. “Gabite—”

“You knew this whole time about things lurking in the dungeons? I asked you questions—”

“Gabite, you can’t expect me to—”

“M-my humans? Were you keeping information from me about—”

“Your humans aren’t spirit monsters!” yelled Shaymin. “And I’m not supposed to blab about super taboo stuff like this! Give me a break, Gabite, all Togetic told you was a dumb term! It’s not something people have to worry about!” Her voice faltered as she reflected on her words. “It’s not supposed to be something people have to worry about.”

A disquiet fell upon the group. Lucario took note of Eira’s distress, the girl ashamed of her own role in sparking the conversation, and raised a palm glowing with aura. He caressed her with comforting emotions, the false vixen half-heartedly accepting the spiritual touch.

Togetic was slipping an apology to Shaymin, who shook her head at her. “Not your fault,” she said, before speaking to the others. “But uh, yeah, there might be things in dungeon space. Didn’t ever think the stuff in Stormsoaked Shores was one of those, though — thought it was just erratic dungeon behavior. Not living monsters of old.”

A deflated sigh left Gabite, his eyes darting toward Lucario’s glowing paw. “The tentacles?” he asked. “Did they have an aura?”

Never had Lucario thought he’d so badly want to go back to Stormsoaked Shores. The thought of there being something more to the tentacles, it ate at him. Alas, if there was something, he hadn’t picked up on it last time they were there. And with Lugia around, I can’t go back to the beach to check, he thought. Do the eyes really mean something, though? And what exactly was with the shadows that snatched us into the dungeon, darn it?

More than ever, he wondered how deep the rabbit hole was, and just how interwoven dungeons were with the Abhorrents’ goals. Of the deeper meaning behind the entities they faced in the dungeon. Of how the dungeon’s breaking, and the altering shards, appeared to be connected to Abhorrents and their Distortion Frenzy.

How does the mutation tie into it all?

Seeing Lucario had no response, Gabite sighed, waving the matter away. “Save it for later,” he decided, before Shaymin could say anything more. “I’d rather if we had Braixen’s team to talk this over with.”

Slow, weary nods from everyone. Eevee took it as his cue to hop off the table, Glaceon trailing him as he strode toward the front door. His paw pulled the handle, the door swinging to the side, and Eevee breathed in the fresh morning air outside.

“Well, I don’t want to hold you up longer,” he said. “You go handle your explorer business, yeah?”

We’ll get back in the afternoon, added Glaceon. Uh, have fun learning magic with Mismagius, Eira? I’d love to hear about it later. I mean, we all would, but me especially! And all the other human stuff too!

Lucario couldn’t help but catch how Eevee’s lips curved at Glaceon’s enthusiasm, finding pleasure in her newfound interests. Team Heavendust watched as he left, Glaceon bursting into wisps that retreated alongside him. “You heard him, we’re wasting daylight,” said Gabite. “Do your thing at the dojo, ladies. Lucario and I will be at the Explorer Board with Porygon-Z.”

Togetic and Shaymin nodded at this, the former rushing back to her room to retrieve her Treasure Bag. Gabite excused himself to do the same. That left Lucario with Eira and Shaymin, the two side-eyeing each other.

“A dungeon monster?” she asked. “Me?”

Shaymin snorted. “Somehow made a little more sense to me than a human.”

Eira hummed, inching toward an amused Lucario. He smiled at her. The girl found the strength to smile back.

It fueled the warmth in his mending heart. The disguised girl was a comfort to him, a soul to care for in the wake of Adam’s demise, and that of his old Pokemon teammates. It pleased him, seeing that the silent worry that’d been creasing her face was as far away as the human world was — the result of Togetic and Shaymin’s company, no doubt. It had done wonders for her, warding away all of her fears, prophecies and monstrous forces alike.

Friends were such a good thing to have. And it seemed Togetic and Shaymin wouldn’t be the only friends she’d make. “Talking about human stuff with Glaceon, huh?” remarked Lucario.

Eira’s smile dropped. “Uh, yeah,” she said, tracing lines over her partly-charred wristband. “Do you think I count as a magical girl?”

Lucario went rigid. What?

“Since I can transform into a magic creature and all?” Eira hastily added. “I-I mean, I don’t know if you know what a magical girl is—”

“I do know,” Lucario said, vaguely recalling his old teammate Duosion’s description of young girls that used magical alter-egos to fight villainous forces. He eyed Shaymin, who had begun drifting to the side with an awkward expression, and held in a fatherly sigh. “What were you telling Shaymin?”

Eira blushed, realizing her use of human speech to keep Shaymin unaware of the conversation wasn’t working out so well. “T-there was this show about this Shaymin chosen by Arceus to fight Giratina—”

“‘Petals of the Angel Gracidea’?” To both Lucario’s surprise and Eira’s, he knew exactly what she was talking about. Funny thing too, considering their Missing One talk. “The one about Giratina and his shadowy eldritch forces?”

Shaymin batted an eye. “Uh—” said Eira.

“Torterra mentioned Adam reading that once, said it was a classic book series from an acclaimed Sinnohian writer. They adapted it into a show, huh? Never saw it myself, and I joined Adam long after he finished the books, so—”

“The show has a book series?”

Eira’s pained whisper dug into Lucario like a thicket of thorns. “Uh,” he said.

“The show has a book series. A-and it’s a classic.”

And the girl could not read it, not in this archipelago. Lucario dared to nod, and Eira groaned her heart out, a bookworm in dismay. Slowly she turned upon a stiff Shaymin, vixen ears flat and her expression somber.

Togetic returned right at that moment, Treasure Bag hung around her shoulder as she caught wind of Eira’s mood and the one indirectly responsible. “Shaymin?” she cried, before scowling at her friend. “I wasn’t even gone for a minute!”

“I-I didn’t do anything this time!” Shaymin replied with a vigorous shake of her head. “It’s not my fault!”

The two argued, Lucario feeling his nape burn from the awkwardness. Gabite returned too, brows furrowing at the commotion and Eira’s void-filled stare, and Lucario signaled not to ask.

Small correction: friends were usually a good thing to have.

The girl got better, and soon the group made the journey to Berrypark Town. Lucario spied the gates from afar, amidst the meadow fields and rolling hills, and took a moment to bask in its humble glory.

It had been relatively quiet since their encounter with Lugia and Ariados. Two days wasn’t enough time for the Legendary to enact any plans, it seemed, and thus far there’d been no sign of danger. That could change like the sudden flash of lightning — and their group had been prepared with emergency escape plans, just in case — but for now they could hold their breath.

No trouble from Ariados either. The matriarch had seemingly put her villagers in line, an act that Lucario begrudgingly had to appreciate. The rumors that’d been spread had been mostly curbed at this point.

The only real nuisance? Nosy folk. “How many Pokemon you reckon will pester us this time?” Lucario asked Gabite.

To the side, Shaymin had paused her quiet conversation with Togetic to roll her eyes, while Eira the Vulpix settled for a brief frown. “Depends,” was Gabite’s curt reply. “Gossip’s probably gonna spread a little with the news articles going around.”

“Are we ever going to talk about our role in Stormsoaked Shores?” asked Togetic.

Gabite made a disdainful noise. Pretty much everyone in town could tell they’d been the ones to stop Aerodactyl, but that didn’t mean they’d have to admit anything. Give an inch, give a mile, thought Lucario with a smirk. Story of my life right there.

There’d been people asking questions about the dungeon’s unexpected transformation, or the fight against Aerodactyl, or whether they actually saw a Lugia or even the mysterious Mew. To Lucario’s chagrin, one jittery yet inquisitive Swadloon even asked about Stringed Forest and whether really Eira was, in her words, ‘something more than just a Vulpix’. Gabite had to keep them all at bay, be it through denial, refusals to talk, or insisting on privacy.

Lucario couldn’t help but wonder if Ariados had to deal with any pesky townsfolk snooping into the events at her village. And if Team Elementri gets a whiff of what happened there, he thought, what then?

But they’d handle them in due time. Right now, he and Gabite had to first see if they were around, and they had to follow up with Porygon-Z. They had sent him several papers of notes Eira had written down, and chances were the Faller might have recovered something useful as a result. Or at least he’d have a few questions. And of course, Eira would be with Mismagius.

Learning magic.

The stuff of tall tales. Lucario wasn’t oblivious to the silent buzz in Eira’s head — the buzz of anticipation. Every one of her steps betrayed her tense eagerness, like a hesitant moth drawn to a flame. She feared it’d burn her, yet she wanted to touch it all the same. What would Mismagius do to her, when all was said and done?

I really need to stop fretting over everything. As Team Heavendust walked through the towngate, its guards Granbull and Houndoom acknowledging them as they stepped aside, Lucario let himself breathe. It was a clear, storm-free day, the sun radiant and cheerful, and he let himself absorb that cheer.

And then he sensed something was off in Berrypark Town. Too many people were up and about on the streets at this time of day, yet there was no roar of voices talking over each other, only the hiss and silent buzz of whispers passing between them. A couple glanced at their group before muttering on, voices chilled, concerned, and yet strangely relieved all at once. “What happened here?” Shaymin muttered, Togetic and Eira sharing uncomfortable looks and Gabite arching a brow at the uncanniness of it all.

Lucario mulled over the oddness for a moment, before he caught Granbull and Houndoom coming over, matching Gabite’s stride as they flanked him. “Realized we might wanna warn y’all,” the former quietly said. “Got us a itty bitty commotion rumbling through these streets here.”

Ah, but of course. Trouble. “More rumors floating about?” said Gabite.

“Nah, nah, nothing like that. Out of the ordinary, this case here. Us two lousy louts couldn’t ever have seen it coming—”

“Yet we clearly should have,” Houndoom said with a posh scoff. “Whole bunch of rubbish goes down with a stinking Abhorrent and a Lugia, and we think the big guys themselves are gonna sit this one out?”

“They always sit these darn cases out, Houndoom, when have you ever seen it be otherwise? Nobody could’ve expected—”

“A Legendary, mate! You think Legendaries aren’t enough to rouse them from their throne in the Nexuswatch Islands? When’s the last time you ever heard a peep about Legendary fellers poking their heads out of the hidey holes they love cozying up in?” Houndoom coughed, giving Shaymin a sheepish look. “No offense upon you, milady.”

Team Heavendust eyed each other with perplexed looks, before Houndoom’s words sank in. “Uh, their throne?” Shaymin asked.

“Nexuswatch Islands?” said Gabite.

Granbull and Houndoom smirked, before craning their heads to the side. Lucario followed their gesture, catching notice of some motion at one of the streets in the distance. People were shifting to the edges with wide eyes, as far away from the middle of the road as they could manage. It was like a wave’s current, sweeping through the street and spilling over to adjoining areas as others followed suit — and with it, a veritable silence that only allowed the most scarce and sacred whispers.