Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Advent of Dreams

by Joe3562

Summary:

An ordinary family vacation takes a strange turn for Aster and his eevee, Brooke. They both end up in a world populated by only pokemon, brought there by the mythical Jirachi. Who sends them on a quest to find the shattered remains of the First Star. A powerful artifact imbued with the wish pokemon’s powers. Able to grant the wishes and dreams of the pokemon of Kino.

But a wicked pokemon by the name of Roland is preparing to take over the land of Kino and his lackeys have been given the fragments. To use them to sow mischief and mayhem to aid Roland’s plans. To guard the shards and prevent the mythical pokemon from awakening. Aster will embark on a journey across the many regions of Kino. He’ll encounter many pokemon. Some friend, some foe, and some not aligned to Roland’s ambitions.

Dark forces are at work that threaten all of Kino. Evils that have lurked in the shadows are about to come to light. Pokemon who seek power and fame are on the move to find the shards. Does a human turned pokemon and his partner eevee have what it takes to rise to the challenge, to save Jirachi and Kino from the darkness before it is too late?

(Updates every Saturday)

Chapter 1: Family Affairs

I lazily watched the landscape roll on by below. Blankets of pure white snow with only a few outcroppings of slate grey stone to break the monotone. The snow glowing blindingly white in the evening sun. A faint orange glow marring the sky as the sun moved towards the horizon. Glimpses of the shadow of the helicopter appearing just beyond the edge of the window I sat by. I could just barely make out a thin lone winding road weave its way up the mountainside. Not a single vehicle traversed the wetted blacktop.

I rested my forehead on the cool glass, the heat in my body fading at the cold contact. Yet it was welcomed, I felt stifled in my thick fur lined jacket. A jacket that seemed redundant with the portable heater my sister had brought with her. She could never feel warmth no matter what. Always blaming poor circulation. I peeled my eyes from the mountainous landscape below and to the other occupants of the helicopter, my family.

Mother. Her head covered in waves of auburn hair that gleamed like perfectly molded metal. Reaching well past her shoulders and down her back. Sharp steel grey eyes that lazily scanned the pages of the book she was in the middle of reading. I wasn’t sure what it even was, the cover had no indication of its contents. She had a perfect amount of makeup applied. It didn’t seem like too much that it was obvious she was wearing any. Thin enough to let her natural beauty shine through. A bit misguided with the few rounds of plastic surgery she had already undergone to get rid of a few laugh lines and crows’ feet. Already a new set of the avian markings were forming. She would no doubt go for another session in a few months. She was dressed in a thick furret fur lined red sweater. She wore this over a maroon sequin evening gown with a pair of pearlescence white flats.

Sister. My older sister, Sophia, by three years. Her hair was just like mother’s, just not as silky smooth. Hers was done up in a ponytail that was held together by a clamperl pearl scrunchie. Her eyes were a solid emerald green. She was dressed in an overstuffed jacket that made her look like an oversized litwick. Her hair was just the wrong shade to complete the illusion. She even had a thick baby blue wooloo wool blanket wrapped around her. Not to mention she was right next to an amber glowing square box of heat. Underneath all those layers she had a short skirted dress that matched her eyes.

Father. The last member of my family unit, who sat right up front with the pilot. He was dressed in a full black tux complete with a red bow tie to match mother’s dress. His short cut black hair was slicked back and glowed like it was obsidian. The few specks of silver peppering it after his last dyeing to rid him of the sign of his age. His hard green eyes focusing on the air ahead of us. He said something to the pilot, but the headphones we all wore blocked out any noise.

The helicopter spun in place, giving us a perfect view of the mountain top. Perched on the edge of it was a massive building. Half of it jutting out over the blankets of pure white snow. The family mountain top retreat used every autumn. A single helicopter pad stretched even further out, like a lone metallic tree branch, and served as the only real entrance. Other than the small road that led to the mountain resort town of Aurora further down the mountain.

We touched down a few seconds later and the rumble of the craft slowed. I groaned, picking myself off the window. The door opened from the outside and a blond hair man in a black and white stereotypical waiter’s uniform stood at the threshold. He flashed a pure white smile and shouted over the whine of the blades, “Welcome, Master Belmont and family.”

My mom huffed, snapping her book closed like a whip and disembarking without any fanfare. She made her way towards the entrance, but not before shooing the blond hair man only a few years older than me aside. He didn’t respond, his smile never faltering. But there was a faint twitch in the corner of his cheek.

Sophia was next. She turned off the heater and made for the exit. She accepted the man’s hand. She flashed him a smile and followed in mother’s shadow. I got up as dad said to the pilot, “Thanks for the safe arrival, Brian.”

“My pleasure, sir,” the pilot said with a nod.

I didn’t face my dad as I hopped off the helicopter and made my way towards the mountainside mansion. Looking more like a UFO had crashed here instead. The peak looming about another hundred feet above us. The entire building made of glass and concrete on the outside. Something that didn’t look that far out of place in a spy movie as the lair of the main villain.

I stopped as a boom sounded off in the distance. A rumble that shook the ground softly quickly followed. I gave the blond man next to me a quirked brow. He flashed me a nervous smile and answered my unasked question, “There was a blizzard two nights ago. The slopes are unstable, and the resort is setting off controlled detonations to get rid of the avalanche prone areas.”

I gave him a silent nod and continued onwards without any further exchange. The metal of the pad sang under my footfalls as I crossed it and made my way towards the glass double door entrance of the building. The cold wooden handle still bit through my gloved hand, the environment and height doing nobody any favors. Why grandfather had this place built in such a remote part of the Albatre Mountains was lost on me. There were far better options. The coast of Kalos was ripe for secluded getaways. And he definitely could afford to buy an entire island out in Alola. Yet he chose the high peaks of the Albatre.

Inside was a stark difference in temperature. The cold of the mountain was banished by a wall of heat. I quickly disrobed my thick furret jacket and slung it over my arm. My mittens followed suit and stuffed in a random pocket. I crossed the dark stain wooden floors. The wood looking like mahogany, but probably a much more expensive material I had no desire to know. The walls that weren’t dominated by floor to ceiling windows were made of slate grey painted concrete.

The floor was a long curved stretch of wood that overlooked the large sitting area below. Two pairs of long black planks at both ends of the walkway jutting from the walls acting as stairs. Three circular pits in the floor below were occupied by dark leather couches. A massive gas fire pit sat in the center of the arrangement. All of it in place to look out the wall of glass that gave one an unobstructed view of the mountains and the lowlands of Kalos beyond that.

Sophia had already claimed her spot next to the roaring fire pit. The top of it covered in tempered rocks that glimmered like stars. Flames sprouting from the various pipes that ran the length of the rectangular pit. She had shed her blanket, but still had her jacket on. She had swapped the helicopter headphones for a pair of pink fuzzy earmuffs. There was no sign of mother, but there were others down there with Sophia. I leaned on the chrome banister and observed who was already here.

My twin cousins, Derrek and Nathan, were by the bar off to the side. They gave the bartender no attention as they talked to each other. Uncle Clovis was sitting down with a dark blue haired woman draped over his shoulder. She had to be only a few years older than Sophia, but it was hard to tell from this height. Grandmother was walking about talking to everyone there before moving on to the next, taking big swigs of her tall glass of colorful liquor between each encounter. There were also the waitstaff filtering about with platters of hors d’oeuvres.

Footsteps to by left drew my attention away as father stepped forward. He had already taken his jacket off with no hint of where he had stowed it away. The helicopter already taking off and heading back down the mountain. No doubt to pick someone else up and bring them up here. The entire family was expected to be here by dinner. It was out annual family holiday to the secluded mountain top above Kalos. All of this starting with grandfather’s birthday dinner.

“Not joining your family, Aster?” Dad asked with only a hint of venom lacing his voice.

The way he said it was like a lawyer would ask a man sweating on the stand, trying to wring out the truth. Which wasn’t far from the truth given his profession. I turned away and said, “In a bit.”

“Good,” he stopped at my side and adjusted his tie. He added, “And do not let your pokemon out of its ball if you please. There will be none of that at dinner,” he placed a hand on my shoulder and tightened his grip with a small bit of pressure. He pressed, “Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” I flatly answered, not turning to him.

“Good,” he nodded and made for the staircase. I watched him go.

Once he was down and mingling I extracted myself from my perch and made my way towards one of the hallways, this one leading to the room that would serve as my quarters for our stay up here. I saw mother through one of the open doors I passed. She was touching up her lipstick that matched her dress. I moved on before she could see me and made it to the room that had been mine every time I’ve been here. Two doors down from my parents.

The wood floor was replaced by plush black carpet that easily yielded under my feet. A silver and white queen sized bed sat along the back wall. The wall opposite looking out at the mountains. A small fireplace sat in the corner, currently off. A desk and chair in the opposite corner. A dresser in the other. A closed mahogany door, true mahogany this time, led to the bathroom. I ignored all of this and tossed my backpack on the bed along with my jacket. I reached for my pocket and pulled out a pure white pokeball.

I enlarged the device, the metal still cold. I double tapped the button, unlocking it. It opened with a hiss not a second later without any action on my part. A flash of bluish white light erupted from the device and coalesced on the bed. Silver fur with a faint sparkle to it. A fluffy snow white ruff. Long pointy ears with the insides a slate grey. The tip of its bushy tail looking like the end of a brush dipped in white paint. Eevee. A shiny eevee. My eevee. My only pokemon. Brooke.

She blinked her grey eyes, looking around the room confused. Her eyes landed on me, as she tilted her head with a small squeak. I knelt down and scratched her behind her ears. She purred happily, shutting her eyes and leaning towards the affection. I softly said, “How you doing, girl?”

She purred a bit louder and gave me a happy cry. I smiled. “Sorry you had to be all cooped in your ball.”

I stopped the petting, which she whined at. I chuckled as I picked her up and laid down on the bed. She imitated a silver loaf on my chest as I gently stroked her back. Her warmth was more inviting and relaxing than what they had pumping through the entire building. She hummed happily at my affection. I rarely put her in her ball, preferring to have her out and about. But father didn’t want her out of her ball inside our house, or anywhere really. Always saying that the house was no place for a pokemon. They belonged outside like any other animal. Just because they are intelligent and had crazy powers didn’t make them any different from common beasts. At least, in his opinion.

Brooke bopped me in the face. I shook my head in a daze as I gazed down with a confused look at the eevee. She gave me a concern one in return with a quiet purr. I chuckled, “Sorry, Brooke. Was lost in thought.”

She nodded and went back to her loaf spot on my chest. I sighed looking up at the ceiling. I still had no idea why dad let me keep her. She was a gift from grandfather for my birthday a few months ago. He laughed at my father’s fuming face and told me, ‘Maybe you will go on a pokemon journey like your old pappy and actually win the damn thing.’

The idea was tantalizing. I always wanted a pokemon. The fact my dad denied me one when I turned twelve, when everyone else normally got one, was a permanent scar that never rightly healed. He refused any time I brought it up and killed the conversation. But it was on my sixteenth birthday that grandfather went around my father’s back and got me Brooke. I would have taken any pokemon after being denied year after year. The Kalos starters. a simple rattata or buneary. Heck a bidoof would do. But an eevee. And not just any eevee, but a shiny one!

She was more than I could ever ask for and I never stopped loving her. The day I got her I hugged the fox the instant she popped from her white ball and didn’t let go of her till I went to sleep. She was a glutton for affection and would always seek it out. I was the only one in my family that was willing to give it to her and she was perfectly fine with that. Her fur was always soft, an exorbitant grooming kit I purchased being the main driver in that. I always loved how it sparkled even when it was dark.

Now that I had a pokemon I wanted to go off on a journey of my own. Who didn’t want to go on a gym circuit and try to prove how good they were. The only issue was the timing and my parents. The Kalos circuit had just finished before my birthday, so it wouldn’t be for another two years at this point. It probably wouldn’t be so hard getting an invitation to Galar, but I heard some horror stories about how things were done in the hermit kingdom. Political upheaval, a looming energy crisis from its isolationist policies, and a massive ban of what pokemon were allowed within the borders of the country being at the forefront of most articles about travelers to Galar.

Paldea was another option, but had similar issues to Galar. If Galar was a hermit, then Paldea was a full blooded recluse. The kingdom having been closed off since the war fifty years ago. The old dictator still alive and kicking, even if he was eighty. His regime keeping the country closed off since it came to power after the bloody Paldian Civil War. Which wrote that right off as a possibility for my journey anytime soon. Maybe if he died…

I shook that thought away. The other nearby region of Russa was also out. It suffered an economic collapse and the hegemony broke. Smaller states breaking away from the monarch they had become fed up with. Not even factoring in they haven't held the Iron Conference in over a decade. It was not safe to travel that region with the current state it was in.

The only other real option on the continent was Unova. That was at least open to travelers compared to the other regions and its league was to start again next year. The only hold-up from heading there right now was my parents. How do I explain to them I want to go?

My dad probably already expects that I want to, but he had made it clear he does not want me to go off on a pokemon journey. Saying I was too old to go off. That it was more for kids. Not my fault that I didn’t do it three years ago like everyone else!

I glared at nothing as that memory of the heated argument resurface. Brooke gave me a little tilt of her head. I flashed a smile and gave her a quick scratch. I stopped before I indulged her too much. She turned away a bit downtrodden, and I said, “I have to go to dinner, Brooke.”

I put her down on the bed as I stood up. I then ordered, “You stay here and don’t make too much noise. Okay, girl?”

She gave me a sad look. But I ignored it, she didn’t quite have the baby-doll eyes effect down yet. I pulled a bag of pokemon food and two bowls out of my backpack. I filled one bowl halfway with food and set it in an empty part of the floor. Brooke patiently sat down on the bed and watched me. I used the sink in the black and white granite bathroom to fill the other with ice melt water.

I stopped to check my appearance in the mirror. Pale peachy skin, short jet black hair, and emerald eyes. Light blue button down shirt with a simple black tie that matched my dress pants. I brushed away a few stray strands of Brooke’s hairs that made it on my pants. Her summer coat already making way for her winter one. She was going to be shedding for weeks now. Her shimmering fur always stood out no matter what it stuck to. Fan-frickin-tastic.

I set the water bowl down by the food and moved to give her another pat on the head. One she gladly accepted. I ordered, “Don’t make too much of a mess.”

I made for the exit as she hopped off the bed and towards her food. The hallway was empty and the noise from the main room was louder than before. I made my way over and down to see everyone else had arrived. Aunts and uncles I’ve rarely seen and their kids. There was even my cousin Vicky with an infant in her arms. Everyone had a beverage in their hands and were mingling about. The platters were moving faster now, and people were partaking in with gusto. No one was moving towards the dining room in the back just yet. A room dominated by a massive black pure granite table. The room carved out of the rock of the mountain itself. Looking more like a cave dungeon than a dining room. It was already set with room for thirty with room to spare.

 

“Look who decided to finally join us."

I spun around to see Derrek and Nathan making their way over to me. They both had sun kissed skin and dark chocolate colored hair. Derrek’s was done up with a bit too much gel, it was brittle and already flaking. Nathan’s was buzzed short, not surprised with his recent enrollment at Vertex Military Academy. Hazelnut colored eyes scanned me up and down. Derrek was dressed in fresh black jeans and a button down that mirrored TV static with a thin jacket over that. Nathan was dressed in olive green fatigues with a single black and silver chevron on his shoulders.

They were both two years younger than me, but they still had a good foot on me. I was always short, a constant point of mockery. Pipsqueak, short stuff, runt. Those were only a few of the insults thrown my way by various tormentors. I greeted them with a neutral tone. “Hello.”

Nathan did a quick scan of the room. He turned back and asked, “Where’s your little rodent?”

“She’s a fox,” I countered through grit teeth.

Nathan chuckled and took a sip from his fizzy drink. Rum and coke?

Derrek asked, “Did your daddy get rid of your puny pokemon already?”

He flipped the edge of his jacket aside to show he had four shrunken luxury balls on his black crocodile skin belt. He smugly said, “Anything you would catch would be puny to a quarterfinalist in this year’s Lumiose Conference.”

“Only quarterfinals?”, I asked moving around them and towards the bar. I peered over my shoulder and finished, “Who was the ten year old who beat you?”

I had watched the competition this year, the winner was some unknown black haired youngster native to Kalos who rocked a black and blue charizard. Derrek grumbled something out, but I ignored him as I caught the bartender’s attention and quickly ordered, “Kalos Connection, please.”

The buzz cut with a thin mustache nodded and got the ingredients ready for my drink. I was turned back around by Derrek’s hand on my shoulder. He pointed a finger in my face and said, “I’d like to see you even get a single badge.”

I quirked a brow. “It really isn’t that hard to get just one.”

“Like your dad would even let you do it,” Nathan said before gulping down the rest of his drink in one swig. He slammed the glass on the black granite bar. He ordered, “Another.”

The bartender placed down an amber colored drink next to me and picked up the empty glass to remake Nathan’s. I rolled my eyes and said, “Like I would even do Kalos.”

“What then,” Derrek asked, “Gonna leave Kalos and go to another league?”

He nudged Nathan with an elbow. He gave a half chuckle, “Of course he would, Kalos would be too much for a pipsqueak like you.”

He poked me in the chest. I swatted the hand away and grabbed my drink. I walked away from the two and said without turning, “Just let me know if you want to and we can join the same league and see who gets to the semifinals. I might just do it with just my little fox.”

I tuned them out as I crossed the room, the two of them not following me. I did hear a loud foot stomp and couldn’t stop myself from flashing a smirk. They may be pricks, but it was easy to get under their skin. And that made it all worth it. Large egos were easy to break and theirs were inflated to the point that a small prod could do the job. I didn’t make it far across the room till someone else made their way towards me. I took a sip of my drink.

I stopped at the edge of the fireplace as Grandmother made her way towards me. Her skin was a bit paler than mine and wrinkled. She had half-moon glasses with golden frames. Her light blue eyes still bright and full of fire. Her curly mop of silver hair bounced as she made her way towards me, a smile plastered on her face. She was dressed in a salmon colored dressed with a thin glittery shawl of the same color draped over her shoulders.

“Hello, Aster,” Grandmother held out her arms in greeting.

“Hello, Grandmother,” I responded reciprocating the hug and pulling her in tightly. The faint aroma of meadow flowers tickled my nose.

We parted a second later. She flashed me a smile and asked, “How is the little dear Brooke?”

“Good,” I answered with a nod of my head, “Won’t leave my side.”

She gave a small titter at that, covering her mouth with a white gloved hand. She said, “She was very affectionate when your grandfather first picked her up.”

I smiled at that, not finding it hard to picture Brooke brushing up to grandmother’s side seeking scratches and pets. Putting to use her big eyes pleadingly. Grandmother added, “I was half tempted to keep the little princess for myself.”

She gave me a smug look. I chuckled behind my drink and gave her an amused smile, “How would Grandfather have taken that?”

“Not well,” she laughed, “But I figured she was a better pokemon for you than me.”

She turned to the side, “I still don’t know why Nicholas held off on you getting one of those cuties for so long.”

I followed her gaze to the back of my dad’s head. He was off to the side with an arm wrapped around my mother’s shoulder speaking with his brother, Uncle Francis. I shrugged and said, “He never told me why, just said he didn’t want me to have a pokemon.”

“It’s really a shame,” she said with a slight frown, “They’re such great companions.”

She held a hand to her chest, “I should know, my darling togekiss is my closest friend.”

“Not including your Grandfather,” she quickly added in a hushed tone. We shared a laugh as I finished off the last drops of my drink.

A metal jingle broke all conversations and the clamor in the room instantly died. We all turned to the noise to see a waiter standing at the entrance to the dining room with Grandfather at his side. The elderly man of the hour cleared his throat with a wet hacking. He opened his mouth, but was cut off by a bang from upstairs. This was followed by a few others and the distinct cry from Brooke. A cry of distress. A duo of screams followed as heavy feet stomped above. I picked out the scampering of claws on wood. My eyes widened as I rushed backwards. A grey shape jumped over the banister above and down towards us.

“Brooke!” I dropped my glass and quickly scrambled to catch the flying ball of fluff. I turned and pulled her to my chest as I fell down onto a couch. I gasped as the air was knocked from my lungs. Derrek and Nathan peered from the banister and down at all of us. Their eyes focusing on me the most. I picked up Brooke and turned her to face me. She was spooked, ears limp and a slight tremble wracked her body. I hugged her tightly as I glared up at the two. I shouted out, “What did you do to her?!”
“Just figured we’d help your little fox,” Derrek smugly said. He snatched something from Nathan’s hand and held it up. A pale green rock with a leaf motif on it. A Leaf Stone!

I tightened my grip on Brooke as I picked myself up. I seethed out, “You were going to force her into a leafeon?”

“What did I say about keeping that animal in her ball,” my dad’s voice rang out from the side. He pushed his way through the crowd and loomed over me.

I ignored him as Derrek waved the stone back and forth, “What’s wrong with having a leafeon?”

“Nothing,” I bit back, “But I wouldn’t force it upon her.”

“She’s a pokemon,” Derrek said it as if it was obvious, “They’re supposed to listen to your commands. You can do with them as you please. Why shouldn’t you evolve it into whatever you want?”

“Because- “

“Enough,” My dad stomped his foot, and pointed a finger at me, “Put that damn beast away.”

“In a minute,” I snapped at father. I picked myself up and made for the stairs.

Derrek watched me, tossing the stone up in the air and catching it. He asked, “If you don’t want a leafeon, then which one do you want?”

“We haven’t chosen yet,” I answered ascending the stairs. Keeping my eyes focused on them and shielding Brooke with my arms. If they so much as make a move.

“We?” Derrek parroted back with a chuckle.

I may have only had Brooke for four months at this point, but I already knew I wouldn’t evolve her unless she decided what she wanted to be. There were eight choices and that meant it was to be a difficult one. I didn’t have a team, so type and power balancing wasn’t currently on my radar. I wouldn’t evolve her until I was actually in a gym circuit. It served no purpose to do it now. It was just as much as her decision as it was mine and I wouldn’t make her evolve if she didn’t want to.

“Maybe he wants a vaporeon,” Nathan finally chimed in. He leaned towards Derrek to say it, but said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

“He did name her Brooke,” Derrek smugly stroked his chin, his other hand clenching tightly on the leaf stone. “He already named it after water.”

“You know what they say about vaporeons and compatibility,” Nathan offered. The two of them sharing a quick laugh at that. I just scowled as I continued up the stairs.

“I bet he wants one of those stupid friendship evos,” Nathan offered up as I reached the top of the stairs. They both removed themselves from the banister and blocked the hallway. Derrek still held the leaf stone firmly in his grasp.

Don’t respond. Don’t give them ammo. Just get to your room and Brooke to safety. Derrek snickered, “Is that what you’re waiting for. A stupid espeon or umbreon.”

“Maybe even a sylveon,” Nathan added.

Derrek waved it off, “The only ones who get sylveons are those that fuck ‘em.” The FUCK!

“Shut it!” I shouted stalking towards them, “Just shut the fuck up you two pricks!”

I was now only a few feet away from them. I glared them down, Derrek’s smug grin never faltering from his face. Nathan did take a step back, but held his ground when Derrek held him in place. Brooke hissed in my arms. Derrek smirked and threw the stone forward. I leapt back with a yelp, but the stone missed and clattered to the floor at my feet. Brooke jumped from my arms and at Derrek, biting his ankle. He screamed and kicked her off, sending her rolling.

“Fucking rat,” he said rearing back to kick her. I rushed forward and delivered a swift punch to his face. He staggered back, catching himself on the banister. He rubbed the side of his head. I quickly pocketed the stone to get it off the field. I scooped up Brooke and pushed past the two. Derrek glaring at me the entire time, Nathan a stone wall just observing. I rushed to my room, ignoring the shouts and the commotion outside.

I dropped Brooke on the bed and quickly slipped my jacket on. The door was thrust open as my dad marched in. The door banged against the wall, leaving a dent. He bellowed out, “What the hell was that, young man?”

“Me defending my partner,” I answered. I picked up Brooke and pushed past him.

He grabbed my shoulder in a vice and coldly corrected, “Your beast.”

I rolled my shoulder to knock him off. I made for the back exit at the end of the hall. My dad followed in my shadow. He seethed out, “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Out.” I firmly said with venom in my voice.

“Out?” He repeated back confused.

“Yes,” I said throwing the door open letting in a cold blast of air. My dad stepping back in a failed attempt to get away from the cold. I stared him down, “I’m going out!”

I stepped beyond the threshold and slammed the door shut. I turned and marched across the flat expanse of snow. The sun had nearly set at this point. The sky off to the side was a blazing orange that bled towards a dark blue on the other side of the celestial dome. Faint stars already beginning to pierce the veil and a silvery half-moon rising towards its apex. The cold bit at me now more than ever. I zipped my jacket all the way up and pulled Brooke in tighter. Even though she had fur, this cold was still a bit much for her.

The soft powder crunching under each of my heavy steps. I marched across the area that faced the massive slope. Discarded ski gear covered in snow was off to the side. A distant boom stopped me in my tracks. I scanned the nearby mountains to see where the explosion had come from this time. There were several ski resorts up here so it could have been from anywhere. The ground beneath me cracking drew my attention. I made to jump off the slab of snow I was on, but the ground fell from under me before I could move an inch. I fell on my back as the snow began to move. I pulled Brooke tightly to my chest and made myself as close to a ball as I could as we began to fall. I shut my eyes tightly as up became down and my world became white. I tumbled this way and that, hitting snow and other things on the way down. Brooke screamed the entire time, her claws digging through my jacket and scratching my chest.

I wasn’t sure how long it took for it to all end when we finally came to a stop. I cracked an eye open and saw nothing but white. I tried to move, but I was stuck. The weight of the snow on top and around us held me firmly in place. My heart began to beat fast. Brooke wiggled from my grasp and gave me a concerned look. I gave her a small pet and said, “We’re going to be ok, girl.”

She still shivered as she examined the snow encapsulating us. I searched the powdery substance for any sign of where I would even begin digging our way out of here. Brooke didn’t know the move dig, so that option was out. I took slow deep breaths to try and calm myself. You cannot panic in a situation like this. Need to keep yourself level headed.

My breath was coming out in deep foggy clouds, and I already felt the coldness biting at the tips of my fingers and my ears. I brushed aside the cold and spat out. I watched which way the glob went, directly ahead. Okay, up is down.

I kicked and moved around to give myself a bit more room and to orientate myself with the surface. I slipped my gloves on and began to move the snow away as best I could. The fact it was still light and powdery helped with the task. If it was the dense wet stuff, it would feel like trying to move concrete. I couldn’t just dig it out, I didn’t have anywhere for it to go. I needed to make a passage upwards. I wasn’t sure how far down I was, but I also knew I couldn’t stay in here for long. Brooke joined in and began digging, even if it wasn’t the ground type move it still helped.

It took a couple minutes for me to actually make some progress, a tunnel just a bit larger than me a few feet forward. My small hollow was widened so I could move around better. But shivers wracked my body, slowing me down. My mittens were soaked through, and my fingers were numb. I stuck my hands in my armpits to help warm them up, but I only made my armpits colder. I pulled myself in to keep what was left of my body heat as enclosed as possible. My nose burned and I couldn’t feel my ears anymore. I tried moving my toes, but I couldn’t even feel if they had moved or not. The light had also faded and we were in near darkness, only a faint glow of the night outside left for us to work by.

I had no way to tell how much further we had to go or whether or not I would be able to get help at this point. I hoped they were looking for me. But the side of mountain after an avalanche would be a massive search area. I may never be found.

This isn’t good. Brooke also gave me a worried glance. Her fur was wet and matted with snow, looking more like a glaceon now. She too shivered, but she couldn’t muster the strength to shake the snow off. I sighed and pulled her close. I removed the built up snow on her body. She was cool to the touch, her usual warmth gone. I pulled her ball out of my pocket and ordered, “Ge-get in your ba-ball, Br-oo.”

She gave a short angry cry and jumped from my arms and went back to digging. Even if her little paws couldn’t move all that much and the snow hardly budged anymore. I tried to pull her back, but I didn’t have the strength. My limbs felt like lead. I lifted up the ball, but my fingers couldn’t move to activate the retrieval process. I won’t let us die here…

 

I won’t let her die here. I dropped the pokeball and tried to speak. My mouth was dry, my saliva frozen in place. My tongue didn’t know which way to move, “Ba-broo…”

I gulped down nothing, “Brooke.”

That got her to stop. My breath felt cold. My voice a meek whimper. She turned to me with big sad eyes. I gestured her towards me, and she limped forward. Darkness crept on the edge of my vision, and I felt sleepy. Once she was close enough I reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close. I gently removed the snow from her face and asked, “Pa-pa-ple-e-ese. Ga-ga-get. I-in. Th-th-th. Ba…”

It was hard to speak. Brooke craned her head upwards to look me dead in the eye. She had small frozen tears on the corners of her eyes. I felt the tug of similar one’s on my face as I cracked a small smile, “Yo-you ‘ll b-be sa-safe. I I’ll ma-make sa-su-re yo ‘ll bee afe.”

She gave a spluttering cry as she pushed herself against my chest, easily knocking me on my back. My head coming to rest on the soft snow. This feels nice.

My heart slowly beat as I felt my eyelids slip down. I tried to find the ball, but I couldn’t see it anymore. The darkness was all around. I felt her small body tremble on top of me. The tremble slowly fading and she went still. My heart beat faster, a small spike of fear flaring up a moniker of warmth that was quickly snuffed out by the cold that was my world now. I didn’t have the strength to check her. Just a quick nap…

My eyes closed as I no longer felt cold. I didn’t feel anything anymore. My heart beat slowly. My body was numb. My limbs barely hurt anymore. The weight on my chest the only thing I could feel. And I was fine with that. At least Brooke and I would be together forever now. It would be just us. And I was happy about that. I felt a smile crack across my face, my muscles straining to just do that. But I didn’t complain. I was happy. Goodnight, Brooke…

Notes:

This my first Pokemon fic and first one on AO3. Thank you for giving this a read and I hope to bring more chapters soon. I have big plans for this story and there is a lot ahead. Any critique or feedback is welcome and I'd greatly appreciate it.

Chapter 2: When You Wish Upon A Star

Summary:

Aster awakens after succumbing to the elements in a strange black void. Only he isn't alone, and isn't just Brooke.

Warmth. That’s the first thing I felt after I have no idea how long. One moment I was falling asleep under the snow with Brooke, the next I was warm. A feeling I never expected to feel again. Did I die?

 

It felt like I did. Felt like I should have. Yet I didn’t feel like I was dead. Granted I had no idea what being dead felt like to begin with. I figured you would be awake and living one second and the next nothing. Blackness. I wasn’t sure what exactly was on the other side. And most people couldn’t quite agree upon what one saw once they slipped their mortal coil.

 

I blinked my eyes open once I felt like they could move. The last bits of coldness seeping out of my body as I beheld where I now was. I was not under the snow. There was no white light at the end of a tunnel. No pearly gates resting in a sea of clouds and sky. No fire and brimstone. No floating chucks of land in a spiraling mass of black and purple. No lush tranquil fields. No white and grey horse like being with a golden ring around its waist to greet me. No line leading to a massive red demon at a desk dictating where I would go.

 

I was in an endless expanse of blackness. There was a sea of floating motes of light wavering around like dust in a sun beam. Only this was in every direction I glanced. There were massive pillars of magenta dust floating up and down towards the nothingness above and below further out. I was floating as if I was now in space. I turned every which way, but I saw more of the same. I saw no hint of Brooke either. I quickly cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, “Brooke! Where are you?!”

 

My voiced echoed out till it was lost, but no reply came. No voice. No cry. Nothing. I was alone. Where am I?

 

I tried to find any hint of where I was. Looking everywhere for something. Any hint of where to go. But there was nothing else besides what I saw already. Floating dots of white light and columns of purple dust in a sea of pure pitch blackness. I shouted out again, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

 

I listened to my voice trail off to nothingness again. There was no reply this time either. Then as if finally sensing my presence, the motes of light whizzed by and shaped themselves in front of me. It was a star. I shielded my eyes from the blinding white light. It blinked out with a sparkle and a pokemon was floating before me. It twirled about in the air with a happy smile on its face. It was a pokemon I recognized from pictures and depictions, but never seen before in person. And most hadn’t seen in person.

 

A white body with a yellow three point head. Three teal tassels hanging from the ends of the points. It had stumpy legs to complete the five point star shape. Black beady eyes with teal triangles and a small mouth. Three fingered hands sat at the end of its arms with two long sleeve like yellow tassels floating in the air behind it. A closed eye slit rested on its stomach. Jirachi. The wish pokemon. One that slept for nearly a thousand years at a time. Only waking for a week to grant three wishes from the one that woke it up. And it was floating around right in front of me happily with a smile plastered on its face. It stopped turning about and faced me. It gave me a small wave. I held up my hand and was compelled to wave back. It then opened its mouth and spoke, “Hello there.”

 

The high pitched voice that came out was masculine but also feminine at the same time. I couldn’t place what it was. But my brain didn’t have time to dissect that. It was more focused on the fact the pokemon in front of me spoke. It spoke perfectly. It may be a psychic type, but it didn’t speak with its mind like any other psychic type could do. It spoke with its mouth. A living breathing literal talking pokemon was floating before me. Not just any pokemon, but fricking Jirachi.

 

I quickly pinched my arm, hissing as the pain radiated across my limb. I pulled back and shook my arm out. I asked the star shaped pokemon, “Are you real?”

 

“Yep,” They said with a nod of its head. The little teal tassels waving frantically as it did so.

 

“This isn’t a dream?”

 

“Nope,” Jirachi answered. They floated forward, their arms crossed with their head resting on them. They floated around me in a lazy circle. I turned to keep my eyes on the pokemon, afraid the mythical would disappear the second I stopped looking. They declared, “This is one hundred percent happening.”

 

“But how?” Was all I could muster.

 

Jirachi came to a stop and folded their legs and stopped moving. Their whole body bobbed up and down like a fishing lure. Their gaze meeting me dead in the eye. They answered, “Because I’m Jirachi and I brought you here?”

 

I gave the mythical a confused look. In all my wisdom and experience I was able to uttered one single magnificent question. “What?”

 

Brain please report?

 

Brain has left the building, please come back after reality makes sense again.

 

“I saved you,” Jirachi said, bringing me back to the current unreal situation I seemed to have found myself in.

 

“Saved me?”

 

“Yes,” they nodded. Jirachi pointed a finger at me, “You weren’t doing so good trapped under that much snow. Freezing to death is a peaceful, but still a horrible, way to go.”

 

I snapped to attention and blurted out, “Where’s Brooke?”

 

“Brooke?” Jirachi cocked their head to the side in confusion. The puzzlement evaporated a second later, before I could even answer. The motes of light formed the vague shape of a lightbulb over Jirachi’s head as they said, “The eevee!”

 

Jirachi snapped their fingers. Another figure appeared in the void with us in a flash of white light. A shiny eevee. I reached for it shouting, “Brooke!”

 

I pulled her towards me and hugged her, but she didn’t return it. I lifted her up to see she was out cold. Jirachi chimed in, “She’s asleep right now. I thought it best to let the little thing rest for the time being.”

 

“Thank you,” I choked out cradling the small bundle of silver fur. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I never thought I’d see you again.

 

I gave her a small kiss on the forehead. A smile formed on her face as she gave a happy coo. She snuggled closer to me, my arms being a gentle cradle for her. I proceeded to gently stroke her back, the action settling my nerves and keeping me calm. I was always calm in her presence. Her warmth against my body was a welcome gift after what just happened. My hold tightened on her. I’m never going to let you go again.

 

“There is something I’d like to discuss.”

 

My attention was pulled away from Brooke and back to the star pokemon before me. I asked, “What?”

 

“I need your help,” the serious tone in Jirachi’s voice was a strange juxtaposition with its squeaky voice.

 

“You need my help?” I asked not believing the words coming out of my mouth. This was a mythical pokemon, the wish pokemon, before me. Not that far removed from the legendries and the gods. What in dis does it need my help with?

 

“Yes,” Jirachi gave a single curt nod, “There is great danger and destruction that threatens my home, and I need someone to help prevent it.”

 

“What?” What did they just say?

 

Jirachi’s gaze didn’t leave me as they said in a hollow tone, “The world is in great danger from dark forces who have stolen my power.”

 

I went to ask another question, but a pressure on my mouth held it tightly sealed. There was now a teal aura covering my mouth keeping it closed. I glared down at Jirachi with a quirked brow. They gave me a sheepish smile. A faint teal aura covered their right pointer finger. They said flatly, “This is a long story, and I do not want interruptions.”

 

The aura on their finger faded and the pressure on my mouth lifted. They quickly asked, “Please?”

 

I wordlessly nodded. Jirachi flashed a smile with a clap of their hands. A snap of their fingers brought the motes together in a massive shape above us. An eight point star with the center also made of another eight point star. An imitation of a starmie without its gem came to mind. Jirachi explained, “This is the First Star.”

 

The three dimensional star turned slowly above us. Jirachi continued, “This is a powerful artifact imbued with my powers, and it was stolen.”

 

I peeled my eyes off the star and back to the wish pokemon as they continued. “A pokemon, known as Roland, stole it about a week ago with intentions to take over the world. The Star acts in my stead when I am in my slumber. It grants the wishes and dreams made by all good natured pokemon when I cannot.”

 

The image above shattered. The eight arms of the star flying off and dissolved away to nothing. The motes returned to their mindless floating. “The pieces were stolen by Roland and scattered across the land to prevent me from awakening and stopping him. As it stands, no one can stop him once he makes his move. Which is why I need you.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yes,” Jirachi nodded, “For whoever holds the Star holds powers equal to my own. I need the pieces taken from those who hold them, and the Star rebuilt.”

 

“But why can’t you go get it?” I couldn’t help but ask. “I’m just a single human,” I gestured to the pokemon before me, “And you are a legendary pokemon.”

 

“Mythical,” Jirachi corrected before rebutting, “It’s because I am asleep right now.”

 

“But you- “

 

Jirachi shushed me and the aura on my lips returned. They continued, “I cannot take on physical form at the moment. The battle with Roland was intense and I exhausted most of my energy trying to stop him. I am locked within my chrysalis till I regain my strength, which may be years. We are currently in my mindscape. It is the only way I can talk with you and explain what I need you to do.”

 

But why me? The thought rang through my head, and I wanted to vocalize it so hard, but the psychic aura on my mouth prevented me from doing so. I gave the star shaped pokemon a hard look. They gave a soft chuckle while they covered their mouth with a hand. They asked with a sly smirk, “Why you?”

 

How-

 

I rolled my eyes as such an idiot I was. I slapped myself in the head. Oh…right. Psychic pokemon.

 

“It’s simply because even the smallest piece of my Star can easily corrupt pokemon. The energy it manifests can turn the purest of hearts to evil. Corruption and greed easily taking root in the minds and hearts of pokemon who come into contact with even just a fragment of it. That is why I need you. That is why I chose you. That is why I saved you.”

 

Jirachi gave me a pleading look, “Please, Aster. I need you to find the shards of the Star. I need you to stop the followers of Roland and any who seek its pieces for nefarious purposes. Do this and I will give you anything you wish for. I could even send you home as if you never died.”

 

Died! Hearing the mythical say that caused my heart to run cold and a shiver to run down my spine. I held onto the sleeping eevee in my arms a bit tighter. I knew that I had died, it wasn’t that farfetched of an idea to wrap my head around. The events before ending up here still flashing in the back of my mind. I knew I had died. But hearing it so bluntly stated still took me by surprise. I did die. I actually died…

 

Jirachi’s pleading expression didn’t falter one bit. They gave me a humble look. The request not spoken, but clearly stated.

 

“What will I have to do exactly?” My eyes shooting down to my mouth the second after I spoke to see the aura had faded. When did that happen?

 

I shook the thought from my head and turned back to the wish pokemon. They gave me a small, “Thank you.”

 

“This will be no easy task,” Jirachi quickly added.

 

I rolled my eyes, “Never expected it to be one coming from a damn mythical.”

 

Jirachi was undeterred from my counter and continued, “You will need to travel across the realm of Kino and find the pieces of the First Star held by Roland’s minions. There should be nine in total. They have been scattered to the winds, and I cannot sense where exactly they lie. I will not be able to aid you much along your journey. My indisposed nature prevents me from doing so.”

 

“Kino? Where is Kino?” The name was not familiar in the slightest. I never heard of a place, region, or even a town by that name.

 

“Kino…,” Jirachi went to speak, but the words died in their throat. They gave a small hum and proceeded to rub their chin, locked in serious thought. I felt like there was no need to interrupt and waited for them to formulate the words they wanted to say correctly.

 

It took a good minute before Jirachi turned back to me and continued, “I’m going to be frank with you, the world I speak of is not yours.”

 

I tried to speak, but my mouth usually flapped like a magikarp out of water…or a magikarp in general. Jirachi didn’t give me the time to speak and explained, “I come from a world populated entirely by pokemon. There are no humans. That is why I chose you. I was looking for a champion to undergo my task. The pokemon of my world are out because of the nature of the Star as I said. I needed someone from a different world. Anyone would have done, but I saw you as the perfect one to do it.”

 

“But,” I finally found my voice, “I’m a human.”

 

“Yes,” Jirachi gave a single nod and jostled their tassels, “Which makes you the perfect candidate to reforge the Star for me.”

 

“But I’m human,” I countered with a bit more force to my tone. Trying to make it clear of the one glaring issue in the mythical’s plan.

 

“That will not be an issue,” Jirachi said as if I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb. I’d be a human in a world populated only by pokemon. I figured not to question that reality. I was literally speaking to a mythical wish granting star shaped pokemon after I just died. I was still alive because of their actions, and they were talking clear as day without the need for the use of their psychic powers. The things that would be improbable and strange was little in comparison to what I was currently going through. I had no ground to stand on to counter what they were saying. I had no argument that couldn’t be explained away by the strangeness of what was going on. It still felt all too surreal. Like it was a dream. But it was happening. This is all real.

 

Every single bit of this is happening. I died. Brooke died. I was saved by the mythical star shaped wish pokemon known as Jirachi. This Jirachi hailed from a different world. A different reality to my own. One where humans did not exist and pokemon lived without them. How they did was a difficult thing to wrap my head around, but it wasn’t too hard. Pokemon lived in the wild without issue all the time. There were more wild pokemon than those tamed by humans. A world without them would just look like any of the wild and undeveloped areas of the world. Not that hard to imagine.

 

But I was also being sent on a quest. To find the broken pieces of the wish pokemon’s all-powerful star and put it back together. To save a land from an evil pokemon who plans on using the wish granting artifact to take it over. How I was going to do so was lost on me. It seemed so far out of my comfort zone. So far out of my field of expertise. I wasn’t the hero type. I wasn’t the adventuring type. I hadn’t even gone on a single pokemon journey yet. I had no experience. I was a pampered rich kid who never had to lift a finger in my life. This was the exact opposite of something someone like me would ever do. Not even bringing up the fact I was going to be a human in a world full of only pokemon. I’d stick out like a sore fucking thumb.

 

“I’ll turn you into a pokemon when I send you to Kino,” Jirachi’s words drew me back to whatever reality we were currently inhabiting.

 

“What?” I asked, “Turn me into a pokemon?”

 

“Yes,” they nodded, “I can make you one so that you won’t stick out like a sore thumb.”

 

I hate psychics. I couldn’t help but grumble that out with the fact my inner thoughts were not safe from the wish pokemon’s powers. I asked, “But, if I’m a pokemon won’t that mean I’d be affected by the Star?”

 

“No,” they shook their head, “Because you will not be a pokemon of that world. You will still be a human in soul, so that will protect you from the corrupting effects.”

 

“But how can I even do this?” I asked drained. I wanted to help, but this felt way beyond my capacity. Something someone with a bit more metal and experience under their belt to handle. Not little old me. I added, “How do you expect me to do any of this?”

 

“Simple,” Jirachi responded with a coy smile, “I have complete faith in you, and you will not be alone.”

 

They pointed a finger at the pokemon in my arms. I tightened my hold on Brooke. I couldn’t help but ask, “What?”

 

“Like I’d send you there alone without a single iota of help,” Jirachi rolled their eyes.

 

“But what pokemon will I be?”

 

“That’s up to you,” Jirachi shrugged. The motes rushed towards us and formed a massive spiraling wall around us. They shifted and morphed and formed images of various pokemon. I scanned the figures, my eyes dancing from image to image. There was a delibird, a dunsparce, a bisharp, an axew, an umbreon, a mimikyu, a metang, a riolu, a kirlia, and so, so many more. Too many to count and call out.

 

Jirachi added, “It’s up to you.”

 

I peeled my eyes away from the mesmerizing menagerie of pokemon with some difficulty and back to the mythical one before me. I spared them one more glance before asking, “I can choose any?”

 

“Within reason,” Jirachi advised. They gave a half laugh, “Not like I can send you there as a Rayquaza or anything like that. My power is still vastly limited in my current state.”

 

That still didn’t help me choose. To be any pokemon I wanted. That sounded like a dream. Who wouldn’t want to try being a pokemon?

 

I softly ran a hand through the fur on the side of Brooke’s face. I don’t know about being an eevee…

 

My hands came under my scrutiny next. Do I want to lose my hands?

 

I shook my head, “There are too many options.”

 

“Over a thousand by my last count,” Jirachi added from the peanut gallery.

 

“Not helping,” I snapped back. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I groaned and threw my head back. “I can’t choose.”

 

“There’s too many options,” I lamented, “How can I choose just one. Anyone would give an arm and a leg at the opportunity to be a pokemon. It’s probably the most thought of dream or wish a person would have that isn’t self-serving. Who wouldn’t want to know what it’s like to be a pokemon? They probably have it already thought out which one they want. But now that the option is literally brought before me I have no idea. How can I choose when I know I actually will be that pokemon? No hypothetical. I literally will become a pokemon.”

 

I picked up the snoozing shiny eevee, “I always loved eevees and their evolutions. I like dark types and ghosts. But how do I choose? Even narrowing it down to just that leaves me with hundreds to choose from.”

 

“That leaves about a hundred and fifty with those parameters,” Jirachi chimed in.

 

I shushed the pokemon and they chuckled in response, falling on their back and rolling about in a fit of laughter. I ignored them as I thought it over. This was a big decision. I was probably making it worse than it actually was. It probably wasn’t this hard to choose. I just had to pick one and that would be it. It’s not like I’d be stuck as that pokemon forever. But it will be a while.

 

Who knew how long it would take for me to get all the pieces of the Star? I would have to choose a pokemon I would be comfortable being. And what about evolution? Could I evolve? Would I even evolve?

 

“You’re getting off track,” I muttered to myself. I shook my head. I turned back to the wall of pokemon images still moving about around us. My eyes catching a few more. Deerling, milotic, audino, pikachu, delcatty, glaceon, lapras, and volcarona. I peeled my eyes away from the distracting game and went back to Jirachi. They had stopped laughing and returned to their floating cross legged position. They gave me a patient look, awaiting my decision. I turned away and said, “I can’t choose.”

 

“Want me to?”

 

Jirachi floated forward with a face splitting grin. I sighed, “Probably would be for the best. I can’t decide.”

 

“Any preferences?” Jirachi leaned back and a notepad appeared in one hand and a blue pencil in the other. A pair of silvery half-moon glasses on their face as well, even if the lenses didn’t line up with their eyes. Nor did they have a nose.

 

I rubbed my chin as I thought it over, “Having hands would be one thing.”

 

“Anything that could serve as hands other than actual appendages or psychic abilities an alternative at all?”

 

“Psychic?” Oh right.

 

This was me being a pokemon. I would have all the powers and abilities a pokemon would have. That would include psychic abilities if I was a psychic type. That’s something that completely skipped my mind. I answered, “Hands would be preferred over those abilities.”

 

Even though it sounded nice it still probably would come with a massive learning curve, one that I wasn’t that keen on mantling. I rather stick with something I was familiar with. Or at least somewhat familiar with. Jirachi nodded as they scribbled away at the small scratchpad. “Any types you wouldn’t like?”

 

That’s a loaded question. There were a lot to choose from and some I liked more than others. I already stated my preference for dark and ghost types. I always liked them. Something about them always stirred something in my core. I wasn’t sure what, but I just liked them. But were there types I didn’t like? Granted this was talking about which type I would become and not just the type the pokemon on my team. That was an entirely different conundrum. Do I want to be a dark or ghost type?

 

Dark wasn’t so bad of an option. More often than not it was paired with another typing. That would give me somewhat better options when it came to living as that pokemon. Ghost was a bit unnerving. To be an undead pokemon when I just died. It felt wrong. Some part of my psyche not liking that. It didn’t sit well. I didn’t want to dwell that much on the fact I died. I was alive now and I was going stay alive as long as I could. For me and for Brooke.

 

Normal had a lot of pokemon, but was also sort of bland. And most of those were not that far of a cry from run of the mill animals. I wanted to be a pokemon, not an animal. A miltank is still better than a cow. Fighting wasn’t too bad either, and most did have humanlike bodies. So the finger issue would be somewhat solved if I went with that. Bugs weren’t so bad, but I didn’t want to be one. Water would have been another good choice if it wasn’t for the fact that majority of them were fish or fish adjacent. Grass were mostly plants, and I didn’t feel like experiencing the pokemon world as a shrub. Fire was also a mixed bag. There were a few good ones, but also some monsters in the mix. It was hit or miss.

 

Psychic could be another viable option, but those also felt weird to me. The power that came with it might be more of a hinderance than a boon. Something else I would have to tackle and learn during my time as a pokemon. Steel, Rock, and Ground were all rocky or stone creatures. That honestly didn’t sound appealing. Poison was too random and interspersed that I could get anything, and I never felt that much a draw towards that typing. Flight didn’t sound too bad of an idea, but I’m not sure if I wanted to be a bird. Flying with wings was a whole lot different than just flying. Ice wasn’t that good of type match-up wise. I probably would have a tough time making good use of being an ice type. Plus I didn’t want to be cold all the time. I like the cold, but I don’t want it to be my life. Especially not after the avalanche.

 

Electric types were just as random as poison, but I liked electric types more than poison types. It wasn’t the worst type if I had to be it. Fairy was a bit strange. There weren’t that many fairy types I could recall all that easily. It was the newest type distinction made, only discovered about a year or two ago. Several normal types being reclassified as fairies. I wasn’t sure if it was a good fit or not. Lastly, there were dragons. Dragon types were the hardest to train and very defiant to their trainers. The defiant part was basically a none factor with me actually being the dragon this time. However, the training would still be an issue. I felt like being a dragon would cause the most problems for me. It might sound the coolest, but where the cons worth the pros?

 

“I guess I’m fine with fighting, dark, and electric. Maybe fire or psychic.”

 

Jirachi nodded and wrote that down in a fury. “All good choices.”

 

They tapped the tip of the eraser to their lips as they asked, “Any preference on body type and or shape?”

 

“As close to human as possible.”

 

“In the beginning or after evolution?” They asked pointing the eraser at me.

 

“I’ll evolve?”

 

“Of course,” they rolled their eyes, “Evolution is kinda the thing when you are a pokemon.” They hummed, biting the eraser, “Unless you want a single stage.”

 

Would I be okay not having hands till I evolved? I wasn’t sure how to answer that one. On one hand I would still have my hands, but my options might be limited because of that. If I started without them and got them after evolving that gave me more options on what to be. I slowly answered, “I do want to evolve.”

 

I wonder what that will feel like? Jirachi wrote more down as they asked, “Hands out right or no?”

 

“I…I’m not sure,” I truthfully answered. To be a pokemon would be such a novel experience. Maybe it would be worthwhile to try it without hands for a bit.

 

“I’ll put you down as a maybe,” Jirachi noted writing a quick flourish of the pencil. The pad was small, and they had been writing on just one page, never having flipped it over once. The thing must be a garbled mess of graphite at this point.

 

“Do you wish to be male or female?” Jirachi asked with the straightest face I’ve ever seen.

 

“Excuse me!” I sputtered out with complete confusion. Where the dis did that question come from?!

 

“Do you want to choose your gender?” Jirachi asked as if the question didn’t come with some heavy consequences and serious implications.

 

“Ma-male,” I answered not really sure why I needed to answer such an out of the blue question. Could I have changed it…

 

I shook my head. It’s not like the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Who wouldn’t ponder how the other sex lived. It is a thought that crossed my mind from time to time, but not like I’d ever act on it. And who didn’t pondering that hypothetical for a just a moment. I was certain with my gender, and I didn’t want to add that changing on top of becoming a pokemon. And I was still wrapping my head around that fact. Still feeling that this could all be a dream. A strange and very realistic feeling dream.

 

I wasn’t sure if any of this real, even if Jirachi had stated contrary to that fact multiple times. The whole situation was strange. Dying was a sobering reality I felt I had to accept, but the events of today were clear and cut. I died. But I was okay with that because of Jirachi’s interference. They saved me and were giving me a second chance. Who wouldn’t accept that. And they asked for me to complete a quest in return. This whole situation was ripped straight out of a story or something. It sounded like something familiar, but I couldn’t justly think of what exactly right now.

 

A quest given to me by a literal mythical pokemon. One only a fair few had ever seen, less even encountered. A fetch quest to find lost pieces of an artifact and reforge the ancient item before the forces of evil took over the kingdom. Artifacts that were scattered to the wind and lost…

 

How in the name of dis am I ever going to find them?

 

“I believe that is it then,” Jirachi claimed, snapping me back to attention. The notepad and pencil blinked out of existence. They flashed me a smile and asked, “Ready to go?”

 

“Wait,” I held a hand out to stop them. Jirachi gave me a confused look, but didn’t speak. I quickly asked, “How will I even find the pieces?”

 

Jirachi gave me a small hum of confusion. I explained, “You said the pieces of the Star are scattered across this…Kino place. How exactly am I to find them?”

 

Jirachi immediately answered, “There’s a map.”

 

“A map?” I parroted back.

 

“Yes,” Jirachi nodded, “Long ago someone made a map to try and steal the Star. It is attuned to the energy of it. That map still exists and can lead you to the shards. Even in its fractured state you will be able to use it to find the pieces wherever they may be. You will just need to get the map, and you will be smooth sailing.”

 

“And where can I find this map?”

 

Jirachi tapped their chin and aloofly answered, “I believe it is kept by the guild in the city of Eldergrove. Head there and you should be able to acquire the map.”

 

First quest set. I nodded, “Okay. Is there anything else?”

 

“Not really,” Jirachi shrugged, “Are you ready?”

 

“If I give any more thought I might just back out,” I said with a chuckle, “I still don’t think any of this is real.”

 

“I guess you’ll see in a moment,” Jirachi gave me a smug smirk as they cracked their knuckles.

 

“Guess, I will,” I returned the smile, just not as smug as theirs. They shut their eyes as teal magic sprang to life on their fingertips. They waved their hands around, creating sparkles of energy that danced around their form. As they worked I asked, “Will I see you again?”

 

“Maybe,” they barely opened an eye to look at me. They closed them and got back to work. The brightness in the aura increasing as the motes of light began to spiral faster and closer to us. The magenta pillars flashed with purple lightning. As they worked they added, “I am still very weak. I used most of my energy to save you and Brooke. I’m using what little power I have left to bring you to Kino. It will be some time before we may see each other again.”

 

“Okay, Jirachi,” I said with a determined nod. The teal sparkles started to float towards me. My body felt warm. Like a nice blanket had been draped over me and I was drinking hot chocolate. A soothing comforting warmth. I also felt like falling asleep again.

 

“Thank you for doing this,” the wish pokemon offered.

 

“Thank you for saving me,” I said back.

 

Jirachi opened their eyes and smiled as I was hit by a blast of energy. I was thrown backwards, and Brooke was ripped from my arms. The warmth stayed as the feeling in my limbs faded. I felt numb as my world was consumed by whiteness. But I wasn’t scared. I trusted Jirachi. I was their chosen champion, and I would do the task set before me. It was the least I could do. They saved my life and now I would return the favor. I would collect the shards of the First Star. I would reforge it and stop Roland. And I would do it as a pokemon. Not exactly the pokemon journey I expected, but I wasn’t complaining. I smiled as I faded, and sleep took over me.

Chapter 3: Who's that Pokemon?

Summary:

Aster awakens in a forest to find that the whole business with Jirachi was real. He has actually been turned into a pokemon. But he has some troubles immediately make themselves known. How does he operate his new body? How does he use moves? And more importantly, what pokemon is he?

Luckily, true to the mythical's words, he won't be alone in trying to solve these troublesome thoughts.

I awoke with a jaw splitting yawn. I just had the deepest and best sleep I could ever recall having. The blurriness that had consumed the world evaporated as I blinked my eyes. The grogginess slowly faded as I took in where I now was. I wasn’t in the family retreat in the mountains above Kalos. I wasn’t in the starry void with Jirachi. I was in someplace green. A whole lotta green.

 

I was in a forest. Tall oaks and other coniferous trees loomed over me. They stood like skyscrapers. Leaves forming a cloak that blotted out much of the sun’s rays. I could only feel the warmth of the burning ball of gas because of the small break in the thick canopy I was under. It felt strangely calming and energizing at the same time. The sky above was a brilliant soft blue with only a few wisps of clouds to speak of. The clearing I was in was covered in tall blades of grass that danced gracefully in the gentle breeze that wormed its way through the forest I ended up in. Just this isn’t a dream and Jirachi really did whisk me off to a world of pokemon.

 

I was half hoping it was some fever dream I had concocted. But that wasn’t the case. I really did die on that mountain. I really was saved by the star shaped wish mythical pokemon. I really was in a world populated only by pokemon. I was a pokemon. I was a pokemon!

 

I jumped to my feet, but soon lost my balance and ended up on my back. I hissed as I twinged something. I gave off a meek ‘ow’. But I stopped there. My voice sounded different. Still male, so Jirachi didn’t pull a fast one on me with the whole gender question. At least…I hope.

 

But my voice didn’t sound human anymore. Not how I remembered it sounding like. Which after a second I realized, made perfect sense. I wasn’t a human anymore. I was a pokemon. But which one?

 

I glanced down at my body and was greeted to more green. Every inch of my new body was covered in light green fur. The area under my neck had a large tuft of darker green fur. I had four legs, no arms, covered in the stuff as well. My back legs were bent at a weirder angle than I felt they should be, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable. Am I a cat?

 

I gave my limbs a once over and saw I now had small pink paw pads with retracted black claws. Am I a cat!

 

A fluttering lower down my body drew my attention. A fluffy bulb of a tail sway lazily in the grass. I craned my neck a bit forward and spied what lie between my hind legs. A small sheath and green fuzzy balls next to it. It wasn’t exactly what I was accustomed with, but I wasn’t surprised with me now being a cat pokemon. It didn’t feel all that weird to now have a sheath. I was half tempted to coax myself out and inspect it fully. What does it look like? Does it have barbs?

 

I ignored those thoughts for the time being, figuring there were far more pressing matters than that at this moment. I let out a sigh of relief with my fears lessened. I was half expecting Jirachi to play some joke on me and change my gender anyway. I wouldn’t have been that surprised them being a mythical pokemon and all. Gods playing pranks on mortals was a common trope and I was glad they didn’t do so this time.

 

I laid my head back and simply watched the faint clouds drift on by in the sea of blue above. I was content to just relax and absorb all this in for the time being. I closed my eyes and basked in the sunlight dancing across my green coat. The gentle breeze rustling my fur, the feeling a bit strange but also nice. Like I was getting soft pets all over my body. No wonder Brooke likes this.

 

I am a pokemon. I am a real life pokemon. I am a green cat…

 

“What pokemon am I?” I asked the question aloud as I opened my eyes. Light green fur, cat like features, tail and claws, pink beans. I really need a mirror.

 

All of these weren’t features of a pokemon I could easily recall. There were a few cats I knew. Litleo, espurr, meowth and persian, the shinx line, skitty and delcatty, purrloin and liepard, even some of the eeveelutions could be considered cat like. But none of them were green. Except leafeon, but that was more tan than green. Unless I was a shiny of any of those felines, but I had no knowledge of what colors their shiny variants were. I ran a paw through my fur, it didn’t sparkle as Brooke’s always did. Guess I’m not a shiny.

 

Wait! My head snapped up and I tried to search the area for any hint of the shiny eevee. Which was a bit hard being on my back. I couldn’t see well do to being on my back or the tall blades of grass. I shouted out, “Brooke!”

 

The only response I got was a startled caw of some birds as they took flight. I spun and tried to get to my feet, but I fell face first. I picked myself up and spat out the grass that got in my mouth. Peering down, I saw my four legs perfectly planted on the ground. Oh, right…quadruped.

 

“I didn’t really want to have four legs,” I grumbled. But I guess I didn’t really have a leg to stand on in that argument. I did kinda leave it up to Jirachi on what pokemon I would be. I just figured it would be one that I knew. I didn’t have a clue on whatever green feline I had become. And that fact bugged me. I knew a lot of pokemon, I studied for my eventual pokemon journey that never actually occurred. And I now was presented with a pokemon I didn’t know. This irked me fiercely.

 

“They did say I should have hands when I evolve,” I noted aloud, giving my body one last once over. The fact that I was naked was a bit disconcerting, but it also made sense. Pokemon didn’t wear clothing. Not unless their trainer’s dressed them up, but that mostly amount to accessories. Ribbons and scarfs and such. Some pokemon had parts of their bodies that resembled clothing, a gradevoir’s dress coming to mind. But being free of fabric was the norm. Being covered in fur did alleviate most of the concerns, but there was the fact I was exposed for the entire world to see if they wanted. My tail did seem to block the view from the back…mostly. Brooke’s tail and fur did well to hide her backside most of the time.

 

I shook my head, “You have more pressing concerns.”

 

I searched for anything else in the clearing, for any hint of my partner. The trees stood so tall that it made me wonder how short I was. I probably was the first stage in an evolutionary line if Jirachi took all my wishes down perfectly. Which meant I should be a small pokemon, but without anything to perfectly gauge myself against I had no idea how much smaller I was now. Always the runt.

 

I hissed at that, and actual cat like hiss coming from my mouth. I blinked in confusion. I tried to get a clear view of my mouth, but all I could see was a small green muzzle with a pink nose on the end. It even twitched as another breeze rolled through and buffeted me. I could faintly smell flowers on it.

 

A groan to my side made me perk up. I felt something on my head move in the direction of the noise before my head could. I stopped and craned my eyes upwards, and I could see the faint visage of large dark green pointy ears on top of my head. They swiveled of their own accord. It felt weird. So foreign. So alien. So, this is me…

 

“What happened?”

 

A soft voice weakly said from the direction my ears were pointed towards. I turned back around as someone picked themselves out of the grass. Silver and white fur. Long pointy ears. Fluffy collar. Big bushy paintbrush like tail. A faint glimmer to the fur. My heart skipped a beat at seeing her once again.

 

“Brooke!” I shouted out and rushed towards her. I got a few steps before my legs tangled together and I crashed face first and tasted grass. Again.

 

I picked my head up, spitting out a clod of grass and dirt. Brooke then asked, “Who are you?”

 

“Brooke,” I got back up till I was standing on all four of my legs once again. My legs shook under me, but I held my ground. I turned to her and said, “It’s me, Aster.”

 

I scraped my tongue on my teeth to get the plant matter off it. I hissed as I nicked it on a tooth and tasted metal. I stopped my musings and nursed my tongue with a whimper. That hurt.

 

“Who. Are. You.”

 

I felt my hackles rise as the dark tone the silvery eevee address me in. She had her head low, and her front paws bent. She flashed her little fangs and growled. Tail swishing back and forth in sharp movements. I lifted my front legs to placate her, but all I did was end up face planting. I groaned, opting to just lay there for the moment. My nose hurt. I rolled my head to the side so I could at least look at her. She did pick her head up and cocked it to the side in confusion. She asked, “Um?”

 

Hearing her speak was a weird thing. I guess the blow delivered by Jirachi kinda numbed me a bit. I had a full blow conversation with the damn thing. Granted, that was a legendary. So it wasn’t that strange of a thing really. But hearing Brooke speak was different. Rather than the chorus of yips, barks, and uses of her name, she was speaking in normal speak. Is this how it is for all pokemon?

 

She sniffed the air and turned to me. She softly asked, “Aster?”

 

She didn’t even seem to believe she was even uttering my name. Like she wasn’t convinced it was me. I picked myself up and answered, “Yesh.”

 

I sat down and pulled my front legs in, assuming a position I’ve seen many cats take before. It felt comfortable. My tongue was a bit numb, and I could still faintly taste blood. I moved it a bit more gently and felt my teeth. They were a lot sharper, and I even had fangs. Right…cat.

 

Brooke asked, “Who are you really?”

 

“I am Aster,” I stressed.

 

“You smell like him,” she countered, “You don’t look like him.”

 

She’s got me there. I chuckled and said, “It’s a long story.”

 

“Where is he?!”

 

“Wait,” I said holding up a paw to dissuade her from attacking. She could easily beat me up. She was a natural born pokemon, she had attacks. I no doubt did so as well, but I didn’t have an inkling of what I had or how to use them. I quickly shook that train of thought away and said, “We were in an accident. An avalanche.”

 

“Who are you? How do you know that?” She got back in her ready to pounce position. She growled and flashed her fangs.

 

“Because I’m Aster,” I answered. I felt my hair rise as the impending attack loomed over me, “We were saved by Jirachi. They brought us here. They turned me into a pokemon.”

 

“Prove it,” she snarled.

 

I gave her a devious look as I smugly said, “You can’t stop your leg from kicking when you’re scratch right at the base of your ears.”

 

“Wha,” she pulled from her lower stature and gave me a wide eyed look. There was a faint bit of pink in her inner ears. She asked, “How?”

 

“Will you let me explain?”

 

“But.” She turned away.

 

“Brooke.” She slowly turned back towards me. I said, “I’m Aster.”

 

“Aster?”

 

She took a tentative step forward. Her nose twitching as she sniffed. She asked, “What happened? Why are you a pokemon? How can you understand me? What is going on?”

 

“Sit,” I ordered. She followed it without question. She was now right in front of me. She scanned me up and down. I pulled my front paws in to cover myself a bit more. Heat blossoming on my face. I don’t like being naked.

 

“What is going on?” She asked in a flat tone. She gave me a serious look. She wanted answers and wasn’t going to wait for them.

 

I cleared my throat, “This is a bit of a long story.”

 

“I’m in no hurry,” she said with an unamused glare.

 

I chuckled and went on to told her everything. Storming out of the party after my cousins tried to make her a leafeon. The avalanche that trapped us under the snow. Trying to dig out and succumbing to the elements. She broke down to tears at that. She quietly hiccupped, “W-we de-de-died?”

 

I closed the distance and sat next to her. I really couldn’t give her a full on hug given the fact I no longer had arms even if that is what my heart yearned to do at this very moment. I instead pressed my side against hers. She nuzzled and curled towards me. My short bushy tail wrapped around her larger one as I returned the gesture. Having her close to me again was nice. We were basically the same height, so the cuddling was a bit easier. I finally got my answer at how small I was now, we were both just about a foot tall. I was just a hair bigger than her. I gently rubbed my fur against hers, the feeling so much better than it was with just my hands or bare skin. The tears slowly tapered off as she cried, a wet patch forming on my fur, but I didn’t care. I let her get it out. She sniffled and pulled back only slightly, still staying within my embrace.

 

I pushed my face close to her ear and softly said, “We did, but Jirachi saved us.”

 

“Je-Jirachi,” she stammered out, the tears threatening to fall again, “Really?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded and nuzzled her again. I went on to tell the rest of what transpired while she was asleep. The conversation with Jirachi. The Star. The quest they had given me. My choice of pokemon to become.

 

She gave a small titter of a laugh and asked, “So you went with a cat?”

 

“I kinda left it up to them,” I answered turning away and feeling my ears heat up.

 

“And you have no idea what you are,” she said poking me in the chest with a paw.

 

I batted it away and asked, “Do you?”

 

“No,” she said with a shrug, “But I expected the human to know what pokemon is what.”

 

She had me there. I knew a lot of pokemon. But what I was, was not one of them. There were a few cats, but none of them were green. Which I would assume made me a grass type. Most cats were normal or dark if I recalled correctly, with a few other types mixed in. Mostly fire. But none of ones I knew were green in color or grass type. I shook my head, “How could I possibly choose which pokemon to become?”

 

“Your favorite?” She smugly said while flashing a smile.

 

I returned it and said, “You are my favorite, I felt it would be a bit weird to choose an eevee.”

 

She gave a small pout and turned away, “Cheesy McCheeserton.”

 

“It may be cheesy,” I chuckled, “But it is true. I like eevees and their evolutions.”

 

She went silent for a good while before mumbling something. I probably wouldn’t have been able to hear it, but with my new cat ears I picked out the small question, “What evolution is your favorite?”

 

“My favorite?” I repeated back to her.

 

She gave a tiny gasp and jumped away. She turned, her ears plastered backwards. She shook her head violently, her ears slapping her in the side of her head. She blurted out, “Forget it, you don’t have to answer.”

 

I smiled, “Not so easy talking about me when I can understand you.”

 

“Shut it,” she barked giving me a heated glare. Which quickly faltered as she sagged, “I love it, and I hate it.”

 

“Still getting used to it myself,” I said with a laugh in my voice. If I had the ability I would be scratching the back of my head. My limbs were shorter and not as mobile in this new form. A lot more moveable than I expected for a quadruped, but still not the full range of motion I was used to as a human.

 

“So what do we do now, Aster?”

 

“You believe me?” I asked, faintly remembering her almost ready to chew my throat out before. “You believe all of that? That I am who I say I am and not some random cat.”

 

“You’re Aster,” she confirmed. She stepped towards me and nudged her nose under the tuft of fur on my chest, “You smell like you.”

 

“And what do I smell like?” I asked. Genuine curiosity bubbling up. I have a smell?

 

She kept her nose there, closing her eyes. She gave a small happy hum before answering, “You used to smell like books. Now you smell like books sprinkled with freshly cut grass.”

 

Guess that does confirm me as a grass type. At least I’m not a hundred percent a plant.

 

“So,” she pulled my attention back. She had stepped back, but remained standing, “We’ve been sent on a quest by Jirachi.”

 

“Yes,” I nodded, standing back up.

 

“To find and collect these pieces of a magical star?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Did they tell you where they will be?”

 

“Nope,” I shook my head. She went to complain, but I cut her off, “There is a map we will need to find that will show us where the pieces of it are.”

 

“And where is this map,” she said not that convinced.

 

“They said it’s in a place called Eldergrove.”

 

“Is that name familiar?”

 

“No,” I shook my head, “We’re not in Kalos or even on Earth anymore.”

 

“Where are we then?” She asked with a confused tilt of her head.

 

“Jirachi said this place is called Kino,” I explained, “It’s a different reality. One where there are no humans, only pokemon.”

 

“That explains why they made you a cat then,” she said walking over and poking my side with a paw, “Kinda woulda stick out if you still were you.”

 

I bopped her on the head, causing her to jump back. I corrected, “I am still me.”

 

“Not a human anymore,” she said in a singsong voice as she brushed up along my side.

 

“But still Aster,” I hip checked her. She recovered and giggled.

 

“Already getting the hang of your new body?’ She asked with mirth filling each of her words.

 

“I still can’t walk,” I said turning away and feeling my ears flush.

 

She placed herself right in front of me and ordered, “Let me see you walk.”

 

“Aren’t I the one who is supposed to be the one giving commands?” I asked with a smirk.

 

“Get walking,” she pushed me with her head. I laughed as she easily did so. I hopped out of her reach. She nearly face planted, but caught herself and glared. “Move it!”

 

I laughed, but turned to face the longer stretch of the clearing. Then I examined my paws. Four legs, not two. How exactly am I supposed to do this.

 

I gulped and lifted my right foot and placed it ahead. I did my front left next, but ended up stretching myself and sliding down to the ground. I grunted as the air left my lungs. Brooke giggled from the side. I slowly picked myself up on shaky legs. I gave a fake laugh as I sourly said, “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up while you can.”

 

“Might be a while,” she giggled out covering her mouth with a paw. She was off to the side completely okay with sitting there and watching me fail. I could picture a bag of popcorn at her side if she had it.

 

I ignored her and moved my front right paw, then my back left. Front left, then back right. I moved a bit without falling over this time and I was basically standing as I was before. I glanced over to her. She wasn’t giggling. She gave me a nod and said, “You got the basic order down, now you have to go a bit faster so that is looks natural.”

 

“But it isn’t natural,” I countered not following her instructions.

 

“Because your focusing too much on which leg to move,” she explained, “Just move and your body will do the rest. Do you overthink walking on two?”

 

“Well,” I bit my lip. I hissed when I felt a pinch. I added, “Not really.”

 

“Then do the same,” she said with a smile, “Your body’s natural instincts should take over. Don’t think, just do.”

 

Don’t think about it? I cocked my head to the side as I turned away and faced forward again. It didn’t make sense. But it also made sense. She was right about the fact of how I walked normally when I was a human. You didn’t really think about it. You just moved, and your body did what it did without you having to consciously think what leg you were moving. Most of the time at least. The same should ring true with four. It was just so alien to me that I had to overthink it. And that may be why I’m struggling.

 

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath through my nose. The scent of flowers hitting my senses. But there was another scent. A stronger one. It was more earthy. A pleasant smell, like something freshly baked. One that was sweet, like a cake. That is what my mind envisioned. I craned my head towards where the scent was coming from. I opened my eyes to see I was looking right at Brooke. She gave me a confused look and asked, “What?”

 

Is that her scent? She never smelled like anything to me, mostly whatever shampoo I used. Which was a standard pokemon shampoo with leppa and pecha berry extracts. To rejuvenate and promote healthy fur, as the bottle declared. Whether that was true or just some marketing bullshit was lost on me. It smelled like a fruity cocktail most of the time, but I didn’t detect any fruitiness in this scent. It was more like what you smell passing a bakery making fresh goods.

 

I shook my head, ignoring her questioning look. I turned ahead and started walking. Focusing just on getting to the edge of the clearing. I kept my gaze locked ahead, not down at my paws. I stumbled and tripped, but I kept myself upright. I stopped to get my balance back before continuing. But I eventually crossed the small clearing and made it to the shadow of one of the trees. Brooke cheered from the other side, hopping up and saying, “Good job, Aster!”

 

I walked back with a bit more speed and soon arrived back in front of her. Taking less time to make my way back. She smiled and said, “You’re a natural.”

 

I returned the smile and said, “Helps when I’ve got a good teacher.”

 

“Trainer,” she corrected with a laugh.

 

“I’m the only trainer here,” I countered sitting down next to her.

 

She asked, “Are you even my trainer anymore?”

 

“I,” I tried to speak, but my brain cut me off. I pondered her question. I gave her a confused look. Was I still her trainer?

 

I felt like I was. She was my pokemon. But I wasn’t human anymore. Did that not make me her trainer anymore? Was she a free pokemon? That didn’t scare me in the slightest, I knew she was loyal to me and wouldn’t abandon me. But the idea did make me a bit uncomfortable. I asked, “Can a pokemon be a trainer?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Brooke tapped her chin with a paw in thought, “I mean, some pokemon can look like humans. Could they fake being one?”

 

I shook my head, “I feel like that is a topic for a different day.”

 

“I guess,” she nodded. She gave me a predatory grin, “Now that you can walk like a pokemon, how ‘bout you act like a pokemon.”

 

“Act like one?” I took a hesitant step back not certain where she was going with this.

 

“I mean,” she trailed off, “we kinda have to make sure no one thinks you aren’t one. Don’t want to get all messed up in that situation. No?”

 

“Would be best to avoid something like that,” I shook my head. I gave her a sideways glance, “But what do you mean?”

 

“Attacks,” Brooke tapped the ground with a paw, “All pokemon can used different attacks. I bet we’re gonna have to use them on Jirachi’s quest. You are a pokemon now, you can use moves.”

 

“But,” My fur bristled as her words set in, “I don’t know any moves.”

 

“Every pokemon knows at least one move,” she rolled her eyes, “I knew double kick and tackle when I first hatched. You have to know something you can use.”

 

“Where do I even start?”

 

“Tackle,” she quickly answered, “That’s a basic move most pokemon can use. We can start with that.”

 

“How do I even do it?” I asked, “Do I just rush at someone?”

 

“No,” Brooke shook her head and stood up. She faced a tree and explained, “You have to want to hit them. You want to take them down. Your moves are your motivations brought to life. You have to want it just as much as you do it.”

 

Her body was cloaked in a white aura, and she rushed forward in a blur. She jumped and slammed all four of her paws against the trunk of a nearby tree. She then pushed off with a mighty kick, coming to a landing closer to where she started from. The attacked tree now sporting four new chips in its bark. The aura faded as she cracked a smile and said, “You just have to envision attacking someone. Think about what would happen if you do not attack.”

 

She sat down and nodded her head towards the tree she just attacked, “Now, you try.”

 

“Me,” I took a step back in hesitance.

 

“Yes,” she nodded, “You can’t expect me to do all the work this time around?”

 

The cheeky grin she gave made my stomach churn. You little stinker.

 

I snarled and stared down the tree. I closed my eyes and focused. I have to want this. I have to want to attack it. I have to learn how to attack. I am a pokemon now. I will have to attack.

 

I hissed and rushed forward. I jumped and angled my feet right at the tree as Brooke did. A second later I was plastered against the tree. My body came to a stop as I gave the tree an inopportune full body hug. I groaned, my entire body aching. I fell down in a heap. I just lay there, my entire body burned. …ow

 

“You okay?”

 

Brooke’s face was etched in worry as I leaned back with a whimper. I closed my eyes as the pain radiated across every fiber of my body. I grumbled out, “That hurt.”

 

“You didn’t focus enough,” Brooke offered, “It’s not just about throwing yourself at the target. You have to want to hurt them.”

 

“But it’s a tree,” I bemoaned opening my eyes again. I rolled over and picked myself up. I quickly shook myself without thinking about it. It felt weird but also nice.

 

“Think of it,” Brooke started, but stopped. She pondered for a second before saying, “Think of what will happen if you do not hit them. Think of what will happen to you or your teammates if you do not stop them.”

 

“Is that what you do?” I asked walking back towards her to give it another go.

 

“That’s hard to say,” she turned away, “Most pokemon know how to do it by pure instincts,” she turned back with a smirk, “Instincts that you lack.”

 

I rolled my eyes. She giggled and added, “That’s the best way I could put it for you to understand what we think when we do attacks.”

 

I nodded and stared the tree down again.

 

What would happen if I don’t attack? I could get hurt. I could be hit with a status move. Others could get hurt…

 

Brooke would get hurt. Brooke quickly offered, “Maybe don’t go for the fancy stuff I do and just use your body.”

 

I gave a quick nod and rushed forward. I felt like I was faster this time. I leapt and threw my side at the tree.

 

And promptly impacted it with a startled cry. I fell to the ground, my entire side burning in agony. It stung to breathe. I shut my eyes as I quivered in pain.

 

“Aster!”

 

Brooke rushed to my side, I felt her presence there even with my eyes screwed shut. My ears had swiveled in the direction of her approach. That feeling was still strange, but it was overshadowed by the waves of agony radiating through my body. My ribs stung and I felt a bit numb. My legs didn’t want to move right now. I felt her shadow loom over me as she asked, “Where does it hurt?”

 

“Ribs,” I said through grit teeth.

 

She moved to my side, and I felt her press closer. She didn’t touch me, but she seemed to inspect me. I cracked and eye open to see her inspecting my side, her face hovering mere millimeters from me. She clicked her tongue and said, “I think it might just be a bruise.”

 

“Still hurt like dis,” I groaned out, opting to just lay there.

 

She sat down and aloofly stated, “I guess tackle isn’t one of your moves.”

 

“I guess not,” I said a bit crestfallen. I thought I had it.

 

“I mean,” her words pulled me back, “You did it correctly. The power just failed to manifest.”

 

“I did?”

 

“Yep,” she flashed me a wide smile with a nod of her head, “You did it right, but you just didn’t have the move for the power to actually work.”

 

That’s a relief. I felt warmth boom in my chest, but not from the pain. Even that was beginning to wane. I knew how to do it. I knew how to attack. I just needed an actual move I could use to actually do it. My eyes found the ground more interesting. I asked, “But what moves do I have?”

 

“Well,” she nodded her head from side to side, “If tackle isn’t one, then quick attack is out.”

 

“I don’t want to be useless,” I mumbled out.

 

“And you won’t,” Brooke offered giving me a gentle nuzzle on the side of my head. I mirrored the action. She stepped away and sat down in front of me. I picked myself up and did the same. She tapped her chin with a paw and thought out loud, “If you don’t have tackle, then you could have maybe pound. Or maybe one of the furies. Maybe scratch?”

 

Scratch? I ignored the rest of what she was saying and lifted up a paw. I focused on my retracted claws. I then turned my focus to the tree. I stepped up and brought up the thoughts from before. Failing. Taking damage. Brooke getting hurt. Letting her down.

 

I hissed and brought my paw forward and swiped at the tree. Glowing white claws raked across the surface and left three perfect deep furrows in the bark. Splinters scattered to the side as I felt the energy leave my paw. I stared at the damage I had delt. I felt a surge of happiness in my gut. I was then quickly tackled as a weight pressed in and wrapped around me. I blinked to find Brooke giving me a tight side hug. She exclaimed, “You did it!”

 

I beamed, “I did.”

 

She extracted herself and smiled back at me, “You just did your first attack, Aster. How does it feel?”

 

“Good,” I said looking at the claw marks. I lifted my paw to see my claws already retracted. I felt a snap in the back of my head. Aster has learned Scratch.

 

“At least you won’t be so useless anymore,” she smugly said from the side.

 

I gave a fake huff of annoyance. I raised my nose and shut my eyes. I spun and batted her in the face with my tail, “Who are you calling useless?”

 

I peeked back and saw a stunned expression on her face. My eyes widened as a bit of panic wormed its way into my mind. What did I do? Did I just flash her? Oh shit, why did I do that?

 

A second later, she shook her head, and the dazed look was gone. She turned away, her ears flattening to the side of her head. She softly said, “I guess tail whip is another one of your moves.”

 

“Tail whip?” I asked, turning my head to look at my tail. The small bulb of fluffy green fur rose and shook softly from side to side. It still felt so weird to have a tail.

 

Having four legs instead of two was a bit to deal with, but at least it was still four limbs. That I was used to. The tail was a whole new appendage. Like I had a small extension at the back of my body. Sometimes I took notice of it, other times I didn’t. It had a mind of its own and it was a bit weird. I hadn’t really focused on it all that much because I didn’t try to. Who would focus on a body part they didn’t have before?

 

I never had to think about having a tail, so the idea never really crossed my mind. It was just there. An extension of me. Yet I could control it. I asked Brooke, “Tail whip?”

 

“Yeah,” she gave a slow nod, “Definitely felt the effects of a tail whip when you hit me.”

 

Aster has learned Tail Whip. The same feeling welled up in the back of my mind and faded soon after. I asked, “You okay?”

 

She didn’t answer for a second, she was staring off at nothing in particular. I was about to ask again, but she shook her head. Her ears snapped back to attention as she answered, “Yeah, yeah, just the effect was taking a bit to wear off.”

 

“You good?”

 

She righted herself and stood up. She nodded, “Yeah, I’m good.”

 

She gave me a quick scan. “I think that’ll work for now. At least you know how to use moves, and you know what ones you have.”

 

I kneaded my paws in the grass, “But their only normal type moves.”

 

“And what’s wrong with normal types?” She asked with a hint of woundedness in her tone.

 

I snapped straight fumbling to form any words. The smug look she gave me showed there was no real hurt in her tone. I huffed as she giggled. I rolled my eyes and added, “I’m a grass type.”

 

“And?” she got out through her cackles.

 

“I would like to have a grass type move.”

 

“Maybe you do,” she offered, “You just don’t know how to use it. If it’s a special move it is a bit different to physical attacks.”

 

“And how do I do those?”

 

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, “I don’t know any special moves. I’m all physical.”

 

She was right there. She only had tackle, tail whip, double kick, and sand attack. Sand attack was a status move and not a special move, so it probably worked differently than either of the other two. I figured not to press the issue, and I would solve it in due time. I at least could attack and status. It wasn’t much, but it would work. I just hope we don’t run into too much trouble out here.

 

“So, where do we go?” Brooke asked looking to the forest around us. I did as well.

 

The clearing was a small near circle a few yards wide coated in grass, most of it flattened from our activities. It was hemmed in by a fence of tall wooden sentinels. Thick dark wood capped with large fans of leaves above. Beyond the trees was a gloomy darkness, the forest cloaked in shadows. Only small cracks in the canopy letting some light through. The ground around the trees was covered in a carpet of fallen sticks, leaves, and undergrowth. A few mushrooms of various colors hugged the large foliage. Bushes and some lichen were mingled in as well.

 

But there was no clear indication of anything besides this. It was mostly all the same in every direction. There was no sign of civilization. No road. No smoke in the distance. There wasn’t really any noise besides the rustling trees and grass as another gentle breeze still rolled on through. No hint of anyone else in the forest with us.

 

“I don’t see anything,” Brooke said with a bit of worry in her voice. She turned to me and asked, “Did Jirachi say where to head exactly?”

 

“No,” I shook my head with a pit of glumness forming in my stomach, “They just said to head to Eldergrove.”

 

“And did they say where that would be,” she said a bit annoyed.

 

“N-No,” I answered giving a forced smile.

 

She huffed and rolled her eyes, “Arceus damned mythicals.”

 

She paced around and said, “I guess we have nothing better to do than to try and find our way to some form of civilization.”

 

“Where do we even begin?” I asked, “Jirachi said this world is only inhabited by pokemon. There are no humans. Are we even sure there is anything to find.”

 

“You think everyone is wild here?”

 

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. I nearly fell doing the action, but I caught myself. How did she do it without falling over?

 

“I don’t think that’s the case,” she shook her head. She stared off at nothing in particular, “That wouldn’t make sense. Eldergrove sounds like a town name. And if that is a town, then that means civilization. And if there is no humans, then it must be a pokemon civilization.”

 

She glanced back to me, “We just have to find some pokemon, hopefully they can point us in the right direction.”

 

“But,” I countered, “We are in the middle of a forest, where do we even begin?”

 

She didn’t answer and moved past the tree line and under the darkness of the leaves. “We just head in one direction. Maybe come across a river or a road. I figure Jirachi would put us down close to some form of civilization. Maybe even this Eldergrove.”

 

“Okay,” I nodded and fell in line. I crossed under the threshold and was cloaked in the shadow of the trees. I shivered. Being out of the sunshine felt weird, like the energy was slowly seeping out of me. Is this what being a grass type feels like?

 

I shook the thought out of my head and scampered to catch up to Brooke. We walked side by side through the forest. I felt a warmth in my chest. This is it! Our journey begins now. We are off together. Not how I envisioned my first pokemon journey going, but I’m fine with this. I’m ready!

Notes:

Thank you so much to all who have given kudos, commented, subscribed, and even just gave this story a read. Every little bit goes a long way and makes me happy that people are reading my story.

Also, going forward I am going to be setting myself to a commitment of posting a chapter a week. I'll see you soon!

Chapter 4: Into the Wilds

Summary:

Aster and Brooke make their way through the forest in search of pokemon and or civilization. But the forest isn't as safe as they thought it was. And there are mysteries in the woods that a far more dangerous than wild pokemon.

Nothing really stood out as we crossed the forest, nothing changed. It was just trees, trees, and more trees. There were a few different ones in the mix to change up the monotone of the oaks. There were a few birches and pines in the mix, but it was still just trees. There were no other clearings, just the oppressive ceiling of leaves cloaking us in near darkness. The only hint that the sun was still out was the small cracks in the vegetation the light could find. I did cross through these beams whenever I could. The simmering dread in my stomach lifted with the small tastes of sunlight I could get. The bushes and undergrowth was more of the same, but we did come across one bearing berries. Bright blue plump ones. Oran berries.

 

We stopped to pick them for a small meal. It had be close to noon when we did find it. But with no clear visual of the sky I couldn’t check where the sun was. I felt a pang of hunger when we did find the bush, not realizing how hungry I was. Food completely skipping my mind dealing with all the business with Jirachi and becoming a pokemon. It was near dinner time when this all happened…

 

I ignored the past and focused on the three blue berries before me. Brooke sat across from me eating hers with a happy purr. She held no hesitation when she dug in, but I hadn’t touch my first one yet, simply batting it with a paw. I was hesitant to eat it. Human’s couldn’t eat berries without getting sick. But pokemon were perfectly fine. But you aren’t a human anymore…

 

The fact I lost my humanity was a bit of a downer. I was a human at heart, and I knew I was, but I was a pokemon now. I liked being a pokemon, but I still wished I was a human again. But I also knew why I couldn’t. It was still a bit hard to wrap my head around, but I had to remind myself of that fact to keep me straight. I’ll be a human again after this is all done.

 

“Something wrong?”

 

I perked up. Brooke had blue berry juice all over her muzzle, staining her sparkly silver coat. It always was a pain washing anything out of her fur, she stained easily. She gave me a slightly concerned look. I shook my head and answered, “No, just thinking.”

 

“About what?” She asked before finishing off the rest of her first berry in one bite.

 

I poked one of mine, “Just the fact I am a pokemon now…”

 

“What about it?” She stopped before she could bite her second berry. She corrected her posture to be level with me.

 

I turned away and answered, “It’s just such a change. I’m not sure if it’s fully set in that I am a pokemon now.”

 

She didn’t respond immediately. I turned back as she gazed down at the two berries before her. She said, “I know I can’t speak from experience to give you any insight. But I know you can make it through this. We can make it through this. It’s the journey we wanted, just with a little twist.”

 

She offered me a smile and I couldn’t help but return it. I knelt and bit down. The flesh of the berry was tender and packed with sweetness. I hummed in bliss as the flavor filled my mouth. It was like eating a very fresh and juicy grape. There was a bit of sourness to it, but it was still so sweet. I also felt better. The small dull pain from my earlier escapades with the tree bled away. The sting in my side vanished. I felt like myself again…at least my pokemon self.

 

“Enjoying yourself?” Brooke snickered from the side.

 

I ignored her and finished off the berry. She just chuckled and went back to her meal. Not using my hands to pick up the berries was a bit weird, but I figured I would have to get used to not having apposable thumbs for the foreseeable future. Not until I evolved. I made a silent prayer to any deity listening. Whether it be Jirachi, Arceus, or any of the other legendries. Please let my next evo have hands.

 

We finished the rest of our meal in silence. We left the rest of the berries on the bush as they were, not seeing any reason to take them with us when we didn’t have pockets or anything to carry them with. So we left them and continued on our trek through the forest. Hoping to find any hint of civilization. Any indication of where to head. But it still was just trees and other forest flora.

 

The fact we didn’t come upon any pokemon was a bit weird as well. Forests were usually brimming with pokemon. Mostly bugs and such, but it still was pokemon. Yet we hadn’t seen a single other one since we had started. It had to be a good hour or two at this point. It felt weird and I was a bit concerned. Where is everyone else?

 

I stopped when a noise pierced the quiet of the forest. Brooke did as well. It sounded like running water. Our ears perked and swiveled. We rushed off in the direction of the water without a second to waste. Water meant a river or stream. That meant civilization. Maybe not where we were heading, but if we went down river we would eventually come across something or someone.

 

Our ears guided us correctly, the trees opened up and a sizable stream stood before us. It was a good few feet wide and at least a foot or so deep. The gentle flow of the water broken by a few wayward stones sitting in the stream. The stream sat in a dirt and rock covered gorge that snaked its way across the forest, heading off around a bend and somewhere deeper in the woods.

 

I sat down and let my breath lessen after running here. The fact I was running when I was struggling to even walk before was a shock to me. Brooke hopped down and lapped at the water. I opted to just stay where I was and soak in the bit of sun I was able to get from here. I did check and saw it had moved past its pinnacle. It was officially the afternoon. Brooke stepped back from the water with a satisfied sigh, “That felt good.”

 

She sat down by the water’s edge on a dry stone and simply watched the water. She moved a paw through the stream, making small waves. It was nice to rest for a bit after walking for so long. My paws were starting to hurt. But I got up and leapt to the water’s edge. It wasn’t a perfect mirror, but it did reflect somewhat. I finally could get a good look at myself.

 

The visage of a cat greeted me. Green fur with darker green forming a mask of sorts over my eyes. My emerald irises gone and replaced with a soft pink color, almost matching my nose and beans. My head was a bit disproportionally larger than my body, a bit larger than one would expect it to be with the size I was. A circular dome with pointy green ears, the inside fur the same shade as the rest of my coat. I even had wispy tuffs sticking off the side of my face.

 

I poked the image with a paw, the water felt nice. I waded forward till all my legs were submerged. I hummed, basking in the sunlight and the moister. A laugh to my side drew me out of my reprieve. I turned to Brooke as she asked, “Having fun?”

 

“Yes,” I said turning away.

 

“We should probably get going,” she advised. She jumped out of the small gully and onto the barren forest floor that lined the river. She added, “We don’t know where anyone is, and we probably don’t want to be out in the forest when it is dark.”

 

I knew she was right, lamenting the loss of the small rest we had taken already. I got out of the river and joined her. We made our way through the forest following the stream as it snaked its way through the woods. The terrain becoming a bit more hilly and uneven as we went. But we still did not see any signs of any pokemon or civilization.

 

But I was happy I wasn’t alone. I was with Brooke, and I knew the loyal shiny eevee would always be by my side. She was the best partner pokemon I could ask for. I was just happy she was okay. That we both were okay. Jirachi didn’t have to do what they did, but they did it anyway. Saved the both of us. Gave us both a second chance. And we would collect the shards of their Star. It was the least we could do in return for all they had done for us. I wasn’t sure if I could even do anything without Brooke. She was the only thing keeping me somewhat sane and rooted right now. So much had changed, but with her around I felt calm. I felt safe.

 

“I’m really glad Jirachi brought you along with me,” I chimed in, voicing my thoughts.

 

“You really think they wouldn’t have done that?” She gave me a sideways glance.

 

“I’m not sure,” I gave a small shrug. This one didn’t cause me to falter like last time, “I’m just happy they did.”

 

“Where would you be without me?” she chuckled.

 

“Probably lost, injured, and have no idea how to walk,” I listed off.

 

She hip checked me with a bark of a laugh. I lost my footing and fell off the small cliff into the dirt below with a grunt. She gasped in surprise, “Aster!”

 

I groaned as she poked her head over the edge. A rock was jabbing me in the back. I picked myself up and shook the dust off. I hopped back and joined her. She asked, “You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” I said continuing onwards. She fell in step. As she joined me I gave her a toothy smile, my small fangs catching on my lip as I did so. I said, “I’m gonna get you back for that.”

 

“Oh are you now,” she gave me a raised brow, “Going to pick on your pokemon?”

 

“We’re both pokemon now,” I corrected, “It’s not picking on if I’m not a human anymore.”

 

“Already giving up your humanity,” she said with a shake of her head. She said in mock worry, “How quickly they go native.”

 

We shared a laugh at that. A laugh that was short lived when a sharp caw of a bird pierced the air. We both stopped in our tracks as a shadow danced over us. A small bird landing on a wayward branch of a tree on the other side of the river. A small round brown, black, and white bird with bright orange talons and a beak. It’s eyes were a dull pupilless grey. A starly.

 

It flared its wings out as it gave another angry tweet. Yet the noises it made were just animalistic. It didn’t speak clearly like Brooke was. It was almost like when I was a human, I couldn’t understand the bird pokemon. I leaned towards Brooke and asked, “Can you understand it?”

 

“No,” she answered with a tremble in her voice. The starly gave one more cry before it took to the air and dove at us. I jumped to the side, rolling on the grass to avoid the strike. Brooke turned on the balls of her feet and leapt at the bird. She was cloaked in a white aura as she tackled the bird, sending it off course and towards the trunk of a tree. The bird squawked in pain. It got to its talons, one of its wings was bent at an angle. It shrieked and took to a struggled flutter and flew away.

 

I watched its fleeing form as Brooke walked back to me. I asked, “Do wild pokemon normally not speak?”

 

“No,” she shook her head. She walked onwards and I followed her. She continued, “All pokemon can speak normally, it’s just humans that can’t understand us.”

 

She glanced in the direction the starling pokemon flew off, “But that starly,” she shook her head, “It was just animal noises. No intelligence.”

 

I gulped, “I don’t like the sound of that.”

 

“That isn’t normal,” she stared me down with a serious look dead in the eye, “That pokemon wasn’t normal.”

 

This world isn’t normal. I didn’t want to voice that comment. I could see that the starly had unsettled Brooke. Her body was tense, and her paws hit the ground hard with each step. I moved closer and pressed my body against hers. She stopped, her hair bristling. She gave a faint glance, a quiver in her eyes. I gave her a gentle smile and said, “It’ll be okay, Brooke.”

 

She pressed further towards the touch and nuzzled under my chin. I mirrored the action, she was so warm. I loved it when she nuzzled and cuddled me when I was a human. The contact always soothing my nerves and helping me relax. I hoped I could do the same now that I was fuzzy. Not as much as she was, but more than when I was a human. She took in a deep breath and sighed out, “Thanks, Aster.”

 

“You’re my pokemon,” I said resting my chin on the top of her head. I stayed still, simply enjoying the contact. “It’s my job to comfort and protect you.”

 

“That’s the human you’s job,” she countered separating and giving me a small boop on the nose. I scrunched up my face, my nose twitching rapidly.

 

I eyed her and said, “Still my job even if I’m a pokemon now.”

 

“Sure,” she said not that convinced. She rolled her eyes and continued onward. I was right by her side, matching her steps. We kept an eye on the trees and the sliver of sky we could see for any sign of a wild pokemon or any pokemon in general. We hoped there were pokemon like us, ones who could talk and reason and were not just plain animals. Pokemon back home were wild, but they still were intelligent. That starly didn’t seem anything like that. Just a normal bird.

 

It was strange to see a pokemon act that way, and it obviously freaked Brooke out. I kinda understood why. What if I met a human out on the street, and they acted like a monkey or any animal. Didn’t talk, just made grunts and such and they attacked me. I would be unnerved. I would be scared. Something I expected to act one way acted the complete opposite. That had to be what Brooke was feeling. And it made sense why it spooked her. But I wouldn’t let her face the danger and scariness of this world alone. We were in this together. We would face anything and everything together.

 

The canopy of the forest thickened after some time. We didn’t encounter anymore pokemon on the way, which was good. But the light of the sun disappearing wasn’t great. I felt a small wave of exhaustion wash over me as we went under the shade once again. The sun had moved somewhat, and the clouds had increased in volume. It wasn’t a full blanket of clouds, but they were increasing in thickness. A few were even a bit darker. If that meant rain we would be in trouble. Trudging through the forest during the rain would be a bad situation to be in. Especially at night. We would have to hunker down, and that meant finding shelter. But as it appeared for the moment, there wasn’t much in viable shelter from what we had passed thus far.

 

We came to a stop as the stream barreled over the edge of a cliff. It wasn’t too large, a few good yards from what I could tell at a quick guess. But that was a lot when you were only a foot tall and not just above five feet. We carefully hopped down a set of rocks near the edge of the small falls. A faint mist filled the area as the stream formed a small shimmering pond. Another stream snaking off to somewhere else in the woods.

 

The area was devoid of trees, but the canopy was still thick above us, blocking out most of the afternoon sun. The rays of light catching the mist and making small rainbows. In the dead center of the area, just at the edge of the small pond, were two thin birch trees. They were bent towards each other in a small arch. The air between them seemed to shift and waver. The mist seemed to even hang a bit heavier around them. I felt drawn to the trees. Brooke stood off to the side and soaked her sore paws in the water. We had been walking almost none stop for most of the day now. She was used to it more than me, but she hadn’t ever walked on rough terrain as much as we did today. I was tempted to join her, but the trees drew my attention. Something about them just attracted me. Like a bug to a light.

 

I stood before the arch, looking at the air waver as if it was water. There was a glittering metal symbol etched in the trunk of the tree. An upside down triangle with a teardrop in the center. I had no idea what the symbol meant, never seeing anything exactly like it. My head was a buzz with curiosity as to why this random tree in the middle of the forest was marked with it. I inched a bit closer, a tiny voice in the back of my head telling me to cross the threshold of the arch. Yet there was another voice telling me not to do it. The first filled with wonder. The second filled with fear.

 

“Something feels off about those trees,” Brooke chimed in walking over.

 

“I know,” I agreed, not able to take my eyes off them, “But I don’t know why.”

 

A hiss from behind startled me. I jumped and spun on the spot as a large pokemon, at least in comparison to my small stature, slithered out of the shadows towards us. Bright blue eyes glowing in the dark. A long bulbous body, mostly a bronze brown. The head was covered in white fluff with orange and red spikes sticking out. Six stubby black legs moved it towards us. A larvesta.

 

The eyes were a solid blue. No pupil, just like the starly before. The bug screamed and fired a small burning ember at us. I jumped to the side, the heat of the blast making my fur tingle. Brooke went in for a tackle, but the bug fired a blast of sticky string that tripped her up. She fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs and web. The bug moved towards her, embers licking at its spikes.

 

Got to protect her! I rushed forward and charged up the energy in my claws, scraping them across the bug’s body. It tumbled backwards, large gashes leaking light green fluid scoring the side of its body. The bug screamed angrily, its blue eyes turning red. More flames flickered from its spikes and began to cover its body. I scrambled to my paws and bolted. The bug was faster and collided with me. Fire coated my body as the flames washed over. I screamed as I was sent tumbling. Every inch of my body hurt. I smelt burned grass and hair. My vision blurred as darkness creeped in. My heart beat slowly as I struggled to take in breath. I tried to pick myself up, but my legs gave out and I collapsed to the ground with a grunt. The larvesta chittered happily as it closed in, more flames licking at its body. I grunted, closing my eyes awaiting the attack.

 

“Aster!”

 

Brooke shouted, I struggled to open my eyes as she zipped across and tackled the bug to the side. She crawled up to my face, “Come on. We have to get moving.”

 

“C-a-can’t…move,” I struggled to speak. She rushed around and I felt something bite down on the back of my neck. My body went limp as I was dragged across the grass. I could see the fire bug get up and reignite the flames all over its body. A wave of mist passed over and the forest faded. I felt myself tumble and the pressure on my neck lessened.

 

I was still on the ground, my vision getting hazier by the second. Brooke rushed forward and rustled her tail. A blue blob dropped out, bouncing a few times. She nudged it forward with a paw and ordered, “Eat this, Aster.”

 

She pressed it to my muzzle, I followed the order and bit down. Sweetness filled my mouth as I ate. The sting in my body faded and my muscles stopped screaming. I finished the rest in a second bite, and I felt awake. I rolled over and shook my head. I groggily said, “That hurt.”

 

“That’s what happens when you get hit by a fire type attack when you are a grass type,” she stated matter-of-factly.

 

I picked myself on shaky legs and asked, “Where did you get that oran berry?”

 

“I stashed one in my tail just in case,” she answered by flicking her tail back and forth. She smiled, “And good thing too.”

 

“Thanks,” I said. I nuzzled her cheek.

 

She returned it, “I can’t have you fainting on me just yet.”

 

“I don’t plan on it,” I said turning away and looking at where we were. We were no longer in the forest by the arched birch trees and the lake. There was no sign of the larvesta. The area around us was entirely made of pale beige wood. The floor and walls all looking like they were the inside of a tree. No hint of bark anywhere. The ceiling was a rolling blanket of fog that seemed the glow, lighting up the area as if it was under direct midday sun. Yet it didn’t feel like it was real sunlight. I felt no warmth or comfort from this light. We were in a hallway of some sort, with only one way forward. The area behind was a clean wall with no openings. No sign of where we had come from. I asked, “Where are we?”

 

“I don’t know,” Brooke answered looking over every inch of the area as I was. She added, “I moved you towards those strange trees. Sensing that going under them would get us away from the bug.”

 

Which it seemed to do, as we were by ourselves once again. But questions quickly arose in my mind. Where were we? How do we get out of here and back to the forest? I gave myself a quick examination, most of my fur was now an ashen grey. Some of it was burned away and exposed the whitish pink skin underneath. The skin looking to be recently burnt but not fully healed. No doubt from the effects of the oran berry.

 

“I don’t like this place,” Brooke said stepping forward and starting down the hall. I followed at a slower pace. My body still hurt. The oran didn’t heal all my injuries, but it did stave off me fainting.

 

“What even is this,” I asked as we entered a large circular room. The floor looking like the rings of a tree stump. Lazily walking about in the room was a red and black insect. It’s solid golden eyes landed on us and it rushed forward, purple fluid dripping off its mouth and staining the wood. Brooke tackled the venipede, sending the bug backwards. It slowly got back up as more dark purple fluid dripped out of its mouth. Brooke didn’t pause and rushed it again, smashing in with another tackle.

 

The bug rolled to a stop, but didn’t move to get up this time. It’s body went limp and faded away in a cloud of grey mist that flew up and joined the fog. Brooke stared at the spot the bug once occupied. I asked, “What happened to it?”

 

“I don’t know,” Brooke answered just as confused.

 

“This place is weird,” I said walking up to her. There were no more pokemon in the room with us. I felt a nagging sense of unease in my stomach. I didn’t know what was going on. I felt like I could grasp being a pokemon. But the events with the larvesta and the venipede showed I was not prepared for whatever this realm had in store. What kind of world is Jirachi from?

 

I sighed sitting down next to her, “Why did it have to be bugs.”

 

“We’re in a tree?” Brooke asked looking over the wooden room we were in.

 

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” I grumbled, “I’m weak to so many types,” I hung my head, “I hate being a grass type.”

 

“I like you being a little grass cat,” Brooke offered leaning over and pressing against me. I accepted the contact. But my body still stung from her actions. I pushed through the pain as best as I could.

 

“You like it because you can tease me about it,” I pulled out of the touch and examined the room. There were two paths leading somewhere else. The way we came had sealed off and there was no hint of that hallway ever existing.

 

“At least you can actually understand what I’m saying when I’m teasing you,” she chuckled.

 

I rolled my eyes, “At least it lets me know when to not give you cuddles anymore.”

 

“Don’t you dare,” she gasped out as if I actually wounded her.

 

“Maybe I will,” I smirked and turned away. I stepped towards the middle of the room, a glimmer off to the side drawing my eye.

 

I walked towards it as Brooke shouted out, “Aster, please don’t.”

 

She scampered forward as I checked the object on the floor. It was a heart shaped pink berry. I nudged the pecha berry, half expecting it to jump out and attack me. I had no idea what to expect in this strange world any more. She came to a stop at my side. She asked in an exacerbated tone, “Please tell me you were joking?”

 

I responded by nuzzling her, she gave a small purr of joy. I said, “Like I’d go without something I like as well.”

 

We parted as I added, “It feels even better with fur for some reason.”

 

“Is that a pecha berry?” Brooke asked as she picked up the berry.

 

“Looks like it,” I said as she stowed it away in her bushy tail. I gave mine an analytical look. I wish mine was as fluffy as hers.

 

“Might come in handy,” she offered, “Lot of bug pokemon have poison moves.”

 

I contemplated the two possible ways forward. I got the impression we were in a maze of some kind. The entrance we had used no longer present. The only thing we could do now was continue onwards. The exit had to be ahead. I just hoped we wouldn’t encounter anymore wild pokemon. I asked, “Which way should we take?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Brooke said, giving each passage a glance. She turned to me and said, “You can choose.”

 

“I don’t wanna really,” I meekly said, “I feel useless right now.”

 

“You’re not useless,” she booped my nose. I scooted back and glared at her. She just laughed.

 

I picked myself up and made for the passage on the right. I sighed, “Let’s just find our way out of here.”

 

Brooke got up and we entered the wooden hallway. It curved to the left and brought us to a perfectly square cut room. The floor wasn’t perfectly flat, but had cubes jutting up in a random jumbled pattern. There was another pokemon in the room. It lazily floated in the air. A ball of puffy white with leaf like wings and dull orange eyes. A cottonee.

 

It didn’t seem to pay us any attention and just lazily floated about on some unseen wind. We decided to not interact with it and snaked our way along the outer wall. We came to another passage and dipped in before anything else could happen. This one sloped upwards slightly before opening up to a circular room. It was smaller than the first one. Luckily there were no pokemon in here, wild or otherwise. There was a blue berry on the ground. Brooke picked it up and stowed it in her tail with the pecha.

 

Further dungeon delving brought us to a small square room with a pair of stairs in the center of it. The stairs seamlessly crafted out of same wood as the floor and leading upwards towards the fog. I stared at the stairs and asked, “Is this the way out?”

 

“I don’t know,” Brooke tapped the wooden steps. It gave a dull muted knock.

 

“It’s better than nothing,” I said and climbed the steps. The fog parted as soon as I crossed the threshold and found myself in another wooden room. Brooke popped in at my side a second later.

 

She sighed and her ears drooped. “More tree.”

 

“Guess there’s more to go,” I said walking forward towards a glowing object on the ground. It was a small silver coin. I tried to put it in my tail like Brooke had done, but the appendage was basically solid. Brooke snatched it from my grasp and stowed it away.

 

“Wish I could do that,” I grumbled.

 

“It isn’t that comfortable really,” Brooke said adjusting her tail fluff so that the items inside it wouldn’t fall out.

 

“Still wish I could do more,” I groaned.

 

She hip checked me, “What did I say?”

 

“Still doesn’t help when I feel it,” I sat down.

 

She sat down next to me, and leaned against me. I returned the gesture and pushed closer towards the comforting warmth. I softly said, “I’m not a real pokemon. I have no idea what I’m doing, and I nearly got taken out in my first fight.”

 

“It was against a bug and fire type,” she countered giving me a small nuzzle, “And you only know scratch and tail whip, you can’t counter that.”

 

I hung my head, “I just feel so useless. You’ve done everything so far.”

 

“I am the pokemon who was trained to fight,” she said, “Your first fight was with a tree. Mine was with other eevees.”

 

She stepped away and sat in front of me. She grabbed my face and pulled it, forcing me to look her in the eye. She stared me down with a hard glare, “I don’t care about me doing the fights. I’ll never care about that.”

 

“But I do,” I tried to pull my face from her grasp, but she held me firm, “Jirachi chose me for this quest. I have to be able to actually handle myself.”

 

“But you’re not doing it by yourself. You have me. We’re in this together.”

 

She let my face go, but I didn’t drop my gaze from hers. Her eyes softened as she sat down and said, “You’ll get the hang of this. You just have to train some more. That’s what pokemon do. We train and get better.”

 

“Okay,” I nodded. I knew she was right, but I still felt pathetic. I couldn’t do much and haven’t done much. It would have been fine if I was a trainer, pokemon were expected to do most of the work in battles. But with me being a pokemon I had to do my fair share. It didn’t seem fair for her to do all of the work when I could actually contribute now.

 

We stood up and took the only passage out of the small room. We weren’t sure where we were going, but we knew the only way to get out of this strange wooden maze was to continue onward. I just hoped there wasn’t too many more pokemon in this place. And if we did, I just hoped I could do something. I needed to do something. I can’t just let Brooke do everything for me. I will not be useless!

Chapter 5: A Warm Welcome

Summary:

Aster and Brooke continue through the mysterious wooden maze in search of the exit. Along the way they come across a pokemon that doesn't seem as mindless as any they have met in this world thus far.

After a few more twists, turns, and strangely shaped empty rooms we came upon another set of stairs. We ascended them without any hesitation. We hoped to exit the tree, but we were sadly greeted with more wood. Not too long after that we found a pair of pokemon asleep in the center of another chamber. Two spiky red and white caterpillars. They had one yellow horn on their head and two long spikes on their backs. Wurmple.

 

There was a glowing item right next to them, but we would no doubt wake them up if we went for it. Since they were bugs, I nudged Brooke along the wall, and we made for the passage on the opposite side of the room. My eyes never leaving the dozing bugs, watching in case they heard us and attacked. We walked slowly and carefully trying to make no noise as we went. We luckily got to the doorway and rushed down it as fast as we could, leaving the bugs in the dust. The passage curved to the right and opened to a long room. Streams of water cascading down from the fog and into pools that lined the expansive space. A meandering path of wood snaked its way to the other side, where the only way forward seemed to be.

 

There were several pokemon lazing about in the shallow waters and on the path. Bright blue and soft pink slug looking ones. I easily recognized that they were both forms of shellos. It was strange seeing both in the same area. Given the fact that they usually differed in color based on the coastline they inhabited. But I was happy that we encountered a water type and not a bug or poison type this time. If only I had a grass move…

 

Brooke stepped a bit closer to me. The amount of pokemon in the room was unnerving. I counted at least a dozen. The only good thing being that none of them had noticed us yet. But even then, crossing the room would be no easy task. Even if we tried to fight our way to the other side, we would not win against so many enemies. At least not without the aid of a super-effective move, of which we both lacked. I grit my teeth as anger boiled in me. Why can’t I be of any use!

 

I felt a surge in my chest, a power growing. It was the same feeling I got when I was attacking the tree. Yet I hadn’t charged up anything. The only move I have is scratch. That would do some damage, but not so much to deal with this many water types. Yet I let my body do its thing. My answer was a voice in the back of my head. Aster has learned Leafage.

 

Leafage! I stared down the nearest shellos, a blue one. It did finally notice us and was shuffling forward. I felt the power in my core increase and rushed forward. The tuft of fur on my chest glowed brightly, and a swarm of leaves raced outwards right at the pokemon and consumed it. Once the magical green glowing leaves disappeared the sea slug pokemon did as well, becoming a thin trail of smoke that flew upwards yet again.

 

“How’d you do that?” Brooke asked.

 

“I don’t know,” I said watching the last of the leaves disappear, “I just felt like I knew the move.”

 

Brooke took a step forward, “At least you now have a grass type move.”

 

I smiled as confidence ballooned in my chest. A warmth that made me smile as fire flashed in my eyes. I took the lead and felt the energy swell up again. I kept a leafage charged as we made our way across the winding path. The next two shellos scurried away as soon as they caught sight of us. I didn’t mind, the fact I actually scared a pokemon felt nice. I did notice that their eyes were a soulless yellow. At least it’s easy to tell wild pokemon apart from normal ones.

 

Brooke picked up another oran berry that was in the middle of the path. She stowed it away saying, “I don’t think I can fit anymore in here.”

 

A blue shellos rushed forward, but the leafage I’d been charging dealt with it in one quick blast. It faded to mist in a flash. I did feel a little drained from unleashing that extra powerful leafage. But there was still many more pokemon in the room that might try to attack us. I began to charge another. I didn’t care about the drain, I needed to be ready with all these wild pokemon.

 

The next few shellos fled without any confrontation. Maybe they had seen what happened to their former brethren and didn’t want to face the same fate. Or they could see the grass type energy radiating off me as my fur brightly glowed. They dove under the water and swam away. Brooke chimed in, “Are you okay? Your tense.”

 

“This is taking a lot to keep this charged,” I strained. I felt sweat beading on my forehead. How that was possible for a furred creature was beyond me. But pokemon weren’t exactly animals, so I figured this was par for the course and something I would have to get used to.

 

“Charging up an attack is a higher drain than just using it normally,” she advised, “It’s not a good thing to do.”

 

“I don’t know if I should release it,” I grit my teeth looking at the four remaining shellos.

 

“You don’t have to beat them in one hit. You can weaken them with a quick leafage, and I can finish them off with a tackle or double kick.”

 

I nodded and pulled the energy back. The glow in my fur faded, but I still felt the drain like I used the attack anyway. I hung my head, “Being a pokemon is hard.”

 

“No one said it is supposed to be easy,” she rubbed a paw over my back.

 

We continued onward and another shellos approached. I fired off a quick leafage, as Brooke said to do. The swarm of leaves knocked it back, but not out. Brooke rushed in as soon as the leaves faded, her hind paws glowing orange. She jumped kicked out with her hind paws. Hitting it on the head, she leapt up and went to deliver a second kick. The shellos was already smoke before she could finish off the attack. She splashed in the water, losing her footing and falling on her back. She sputtered and flailed as she righted herself. I could help but let off a chuckle at her antics. She stood up in the water, her fur matted and all wet, shooting me a death glare. She grumbled and pulled herself onto the wooden path. She shook herself clean, getting me all wet in the process. I felt it was a bit of retribution for laughing at her misfortune. Even if I was a cat, I liked the sensation. I felt a bit of relief from the water hitting my burnt fur and raw skin.

 

Brooke checked her tail to see everything was still there and we continued down the path, the passage right ahead of us. Another two shellos ran away. Another was defeated with a leafage and tackle combo. It did get off a blast of water, but I took the hit. The not very effective attack not really hurting in the slightest. It felt more like a light slap than a full on water gun.

 

With that shellos defeated we were clear to exit. We rushed to the end and entered the hallway. It was a short one, opening up to a small circular room with another set of wooden stairs. We exited the fog and were dismayed to find we were still in the wooden dungeon. Brooke’s form went limp as she groaned, “How big is this place?”

 

“There is some strange magic at work here,” I said looking at the wooden walls around us.

 

“But what is this place?” She pressed, “What is the point of this?”

 

My eyes fell upon her limp tail. I offered, “Maybe the bit of loot we came across.”

 

“But it’s only a couple of berries,” she countered, “Not really worth all this trouble and battling.”

 

“The coin then?” I guessed remembering the silvery coin we had found. That seemed valuable in some sort. Was it an ancient coin or just for a currency. Why would there be money in the middle of a magical maze?

 

“Didn’t seem that special,” she offered pulling the coin out and rolling it in her paws. The coin didn’t have a single marking or anything etched into it. A perfect circular lump of glittering metal.

 

“Maybe it’s just money,” I said with a shrug.

 

“Still doesn’t seem worth it,” she said stowing it away. She added, “We’ll need a bag or something. I do not want to carry everything in my tail. It’s starting to itch.”

 

She ran a paw through her tail, but was mindful to not let the items in it fall out. I took a step towards the passage forward. I gave a bark of laugh, “You sound like you might want to do more of this.”

 

“No,” she cut back, “This is strange and weird, and I don’t like it.”

 

She stood back up and came to my side, “It’s just the fact of supplies. You always had a bag for our stuff, we’re going to need one for our journey.”

 

I wordlessly nodded in agreement. She was right. Jirachi said it may take a while to find the shards, so having supplies would be a given. And a mode to carry them would be needed.

 

We continued down the path, this one going upwards towards a small circular room. There were no pokemon, nor anything on the floor. I scanned every inch of the room, finding nothing. “Why do I feel like this room shouldn’t be empty?”

 

“I don’t think it was,” Brooke said moving off to the side and pawing at grooves in the wood. Not natural ones, but those looked to be made by a pokemon. “Looks like something used a rollout or something here.”

 

“Venipede?” I asked. I knew that pokemon learned rollout at a low level and we saw one already. I wasn’t sure if the other wilds we saw could learn it naturally.

 

“Maybe,” she scuffed the marks. She asked, “But why would it use the attack if it wasn’t fighting anything? And where did it go?”

 

I stared at the way ahead. “Do you think someone else is in this place with us?”

 

“Maybe it isn’t a wild pokemon,” she offered rushing towards the way forward. I followed in her wake. The passage round back and forth. I could just make out the sounds of a battle just around the corner. Brooke slowed and turned back to me with a look of concern. We pushed forward and entered the next chamber. It was a massive circle with the center dominated by a patch of dirt. A venipede was in the center rolling around in a ball. A tan figured dodged out of the path of the attacking bug. The rollout striking the wall, leaving a nice dent in the pulp. The venipede rolled its head around in circles, no doubt dizzy from its failed attack. The impact probably didn’t do it any justice.

 

The tan pokemon picked themselves off the floor, they shook their body to get rid of some dust. Even from this distance I could tell the pokemon towered over me or Brooke. Their body covered in tan fur with their paws a darker brown. Their tail and ears looking like fresh green leaves. A leafeon.

 

Their brown eyes had pupils and weren’t a soulless solid color. This was not a wild pokemon. My heart swelled with our first encounter with a pokemon that didn’t seem like a mindless wild animal. The leafeon lowered to a pouncing stance and bared their fangs, still facing the venipede. Their back was to us, I wasn’t sure if they even knew we were here. A green aura cloaked their tail as they declared, “You chose the wrong vee to pick a fight with.”

 

The voice was no doubt feminine. The leafeon spun and unleased a flurry of razor sharp leaves at the venipede. The bug screamed and scurried away from the attack, right towards us. Even if it wouldn’t do much, I charged up a leafage. As soon as it got close I let it lose. The venipede skid to a halt, not expecting the attack. The leafeon rushed forward, a black cloudy aura covering their mouth. She jumped and sank her fangs down on the bug. The venipede gave a screech and twitched. It then faded to mist and vanished. The leafeon spat out a glob of green gunk. She rubbed her mouth with the back of her leg.

 

She turned to us, a confused expression on her face. She asked, “Who are you two?”

 

The leafeon was looking right a Brooke when she asked. The shiny eevee stepped forward, I was right behind her. I noticed the leafeon had a chocolate brown dyed satchel strapped to her side with the strap woven around her body. Brooke answered, “I’m Brooke,” she poked her chest with a paw. She pointed to me next, “And this is Aster.”

 

“Aspen,” The leafeon gave a single nod of her head. She stared us down, which was easy when she was more than double our height. She asked, “Are you an adventure team?”

 

“Adventure team?” I parroted back on reflex. What’s that?

 

“I guess not,” she responded with a small smirk.

 

“We were running from a larvesta,” Brooke answered, “We- “

 

“And you ran into a mystery dungeon to escape it?” Aspen cut off whatever else Brooke was going to say. The leafeon’s tone clearly stating that we chose the fire over the frying pan.

 

Mystery dungeon? That was a weird name. But I also felt it described this place perfectly. It felt like a stronghold in some S&D campaign or something. And I was definitely getting a mysterious vibe out of the whole thing. Like it operated on its own rules. Like reality didn’t at all make sense inside this place. Brooke answered, “We didn’t know we would end up here.”

 

“Where are you from?” The leafeon asked as she made her way towards the other end of the room.

 

I didn’t answer her right off the bat. An unsettling rumbling in my gut didn’t want to answer her question. I didn’t want to give her any info. She was the first pokemon that could actually speak actual words. But every single pokemon we had come across leading up to her had been hostile. She was one I could have a conversation with, but that didn’t get rid of the suspicion I still had for other pokemon. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I couldn’t trust her. Brooke noticed my silence and slid up to my side. She whispered, “What’s going on?”

 

Aspen gave us a look of confusion, but she didn’t speak. She seemed worried, but refused to press us to answer, opting to simply stand there and wait. I leaned closer to Brooke and answered, “Jirachi said that Roland has minions all over Kino and that there are others not loyal him that are after the shards. I’m just being careful of who we can trust.”

 

“I say we trust her.” Brooke stepped away from me and towards the leafeon. “We’re not going to get far if we don’t trust anyone.”

 

What am I doing? I sighed and shook my head. I knew it was probably unwarranted, I wasn’t sure why my paranoia was so rampant right now. We were on a quest from a mythical pokemon. A quest that would put us at odds with some evil pokemon bent on conquering all of this strange land. One with agents in league with him all over this place to ensure it happened. We had just met this leafeon and I felt like I couldn’t completely trust her.

 

Yet, Brooke was right. She didn’t know who we were. She didn’t know the quest we were on. She had done nothing to warrant my mistrust. She was just a friendly leafeon looking out for us. Two kids she found in the middle of this strange dungeon. She’s just trying to help.

 

Before I could salvage the tense situation I had made, the leafeon let off a ragged cough and collapsed to the floor. A cloud of purple gas radiated off her body.

 

She’s poisoned! I rushed towards the fallen pokemon. She was shivering as she let in wheezing breaths. Another wave of purple gas rolled over her form. She grit her teeth and said with a harsh bark, “Poison.”

 

I could see a splotch of purple gunk staining her leafy tail. She moved a shaky lethargic paw for the satchel. She tried to open it, but she struggled to do so, her limb falling limp. I batted her paw to the side and opened it. She took in sharp shaky breaths. I could tell each one stung. I searched her pouch for something to render aid. There were many things, but I couldn’t find the distinct heart shaped pink berry.

 

“Poison?”

 

Brooke asking the question pulled my attention away from the pouch. She was sitting before the leafeon with a pecha berry in her paw. She set it down and nudged it towards the eeveelution. The leafeon leaned forward and took the whole berry in her mouth in one bite. After a few chews, Aspen rested her head on the floor as her breathing slowed. She offered a meek, “Thanks.”

 

She was no longer shivering and no more poison fumed from her body. I sighed as I stepped back and sat down. Aspen rolled over till she was resting on her stomach. She eyed us both and asked, “How did you two get in here?”

 

“There was this archway of birch trees,” I answered.

 

Aspen gave me a confused look, “The one in the middle of the Timberland? How did you end up in the middle of the forest?”

 

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to explain my circumstances. Everything with Jirachi. The quest I was on. The fact that I was human. I wasn’t sure if the pokemon of this world would even know what a human is. They might think I’m crazy or something. Those were things I probably wanted to avoid telling anyone I came across. But that also meant I had nothing to tell pokemon. I had no lies made up to explain where I am from and what I am doing. I had no cover story crafted and I suddenly realized now that I would need one to not stand out. I also didn’t want to give any truths that might catch me in a lie. I wasn’t ever good at lying. I have such a terrible poker face.

 

“We got lost in a mystery dungeon and we exited it in the middle of the forest,” Brooke answered without any hesitation. A bold faced lie, but I figured it didn’t sound that unbelievable. Aspen seemed to accept that with a short nod of her head and her features relaxing.

 

“Which one?” Aspen asked concerned.

 

“Don’t know,” I offered, “It was a snowy one.”

 

Half-truths. Half truths will do. We were in the snowy mountains of Kalos before this. And I figured if this dungeon was like a tree when in the middle of a forest, then others had to look like other environments wherever they were. Whatever these mystery dungeons were.

 

Aspen appeared even more concerned as she asked, “A snow mystery dungeon. In the Timberland?”

 

“Yes,” Brooke said. A strained smile on her face.

 

Aspen sighed and picked herself up. Her legs shook a bit, but she was able to remain on her paws. She ordered, “Come on, let’s at least get out of this dungeon.”

 

I had no reason to object and fell in line behind the leafeon, Brooke at my side. Aspen glanced back at us and asked, “Where are you two from?”

 

“Eldergrove,” I answered.

 

“Eldergrove?” She parroted back a bit confused.

 

“Yes,” I nodded.

 

“And you’re not an adventuring team?” She seemed skeptical.

 

“We’re planning on making one.” Brooke offered.

 

Aspen seemed to accept that and turned back forward as we continued down the straight path. The next room was a small circular one without anything in it. There were signs of battle, the wood all marked with grooves and dents. There were even purple splotches of dried poison staining the wood. Aspen didn’t seem willing to talk or ask us anything else. Which I was more than welcome for. I didn’t really want to be heavily interrogated. At least not without discussing a proper cover story with Brooke first.

 

We weaved our way round the puddles of poison and took the only passage forward. This was a twisting one that opened up to a massive square room. There were columns of wood filled with intricate carvings of various pokemon. There was a few doorways branching off of it, but at the end there was another set of stairs. Only these had a massive column of white light radiating down on top of them.

 

“There it is!” Aspen brightened up and rushed forward. We followed her as she took the steps up two at a time. We pierced the fog, and we appeared surrounded by trees in the middle of the forest. The wooden maze and unnatural light vanishing in an instant. I half expected to end up in another wooden hallway. The sun had set at some point and the area was cloaked in cold darkness.

 

The trees all around us the same as before, mostly oaks or maples. But right behind us was a large black barked tree with streaks of blood like sap trailing down it. Etched in the surface of it was the same metallic upside down triangle. I gave the symbol an inquisitive glance. Is this related to the dungeons maybe?

 

“Finally,” Brooke let out a relieved sigh. She collapsed to the ground. “Out of that Arceus damned dungeon.”

 

“Come on,” Aspen ordered walking in a random direction. “I’ll take you to Shamrock. You can stay the night before heading back to Eldergrove. It’s not safe to be in the forest at night.”

 

“Shamrock?” I asked back, not moving from my spot at Brooke’s side.

 

The leafeon turned around and answered, “It’s my village. It’s not far from here.”

 

“The forest isn’t safe at night,” she repeated. Aspen kept her eyes trained on the darkened woods surrounding us, but she didn’t move forward. She did spare me a glance before focusing ahead again. “There’s ghost lurking about trees at night and it isn’t safe for you kids to be alone out here.”

 

I bit my tongue as I felt compelled to ask her what she was talking about. I did wonder if she meant literal ghosts or ghost pokemon. Or if it was just a lie they told kids so they wouldn’t go off in the woods at night and get lost or hurt. I felt I would dig myself a deeper hole asking such a question. I figured it was probably something everyone knew already. I also wanted to correct her that I wasn’t a kid, but I stopped myself from doing that as well. I may be sixteen, but I sure as dis didn’t look my age anymore. Especially with me being this first stage small grassy cat pokemon. Guess I’m stuck being a kid for a while.

 

We set off and made our way through the forest with Aspen guiding us to wherever her village was. It didn’t take long for the tall trees to bleed away. There was a small stream that cut across the grassy area. It fell down what looked like a series of terrace farms loaded with berry bushes. It then snaked past patches of crops before disappearing amongst the trees of the forest. Beyond the stream was a collection of a dozen or so wooden and moss shacks in a loose T shape around a worn dirt path. One made by the trotting of pokemon flattening the grass. The structures looking something one might see in an old history textbook of medieval or earlier life. There were a few like this in the older parts of Kalos. They didn’t look exactly like those, but the similar design was noticeable. The sky above was a sea of dark blue with the pinpricks of faint stars beginning to twinkle though. A silver half-moon making its way towards its apex.

 

“Aspen?”

 

We all turned as a figured skulked out of the darkness. The moonlight gracefully lighting their form. A lavender furred espeon stepped forward with careful and calculated steps. Their eyes pools of intense amethyst. Their forked tail lazily swishing in the air. The red gem in their forehead glimmering in the moonlight. Their fur shimmered even though they weren’t a shiny. Aspen smiled and quickly exchanged a nuzzle with the other eeveelution.

 

The espeon separated from the contact and asked, “What took you so long?”

 

“Ran into these two in the dungeon,” Aspen answered with a nod of her head in our direction. Brooke offered a meek wave. I went to lift my leg to do the same, but I hissed as my limb burned and fire raced up the length of it.

 

“What happened to you?” the espeon asked looking right at me. Her voice was more feminine than Aspen’s.

 

“I…uh…” the words died on my lips, and I hung my head. I felt so embarrassed how I was nearly knocked out by one fire type move. I’m such a weakling.

 

“We got into an altercation with a larvesta,” Brooke quickly swooped in and saved me. Or she may have just wanted to rip the band-aid off and not have me floundering to protect the small amount of pride I had.

 

“Feral?” The espeon pressed.

 

“Yes,” I nodded.

 

“You should go see Cello in the clinic,” the espeon said in a tone that made it seem more like an order than a request. I saw no reason to counter her. She turned to Aspen and said in the same tone, “You should come get a check-up as well.”

 

“Why?” Aspen asked confused.

 

“Your tail,” the espeon said with a deadpan stare, pointing a paw at the aforementioned limb.

 

Aspen turned and lifted her tail. A noxious purple splotch marring most of the foliage like appendage. Even the green of the leaf had faded to a sickly yellow. She lowered it with a chuckle, “Sure. Will do. I just need to drop this stuff off first.”

 

She shook the satchel on her side and departed before anyone could say anything else. The espeon shook her head with a sigh, “That leafeon sometimes.”

 

She snapped her attention to us and said, “I’ll meet you at the clinic. It’s the white painted building in the center of town.”

 

The espeon turned and walked forward with slow deliberate steps. Her tail held high like her head. The forked end lazily waving in the air. I watched her depart. My eyes tracing her figure. She was thin and shapely, a divine body. She definitely took pride in her figure and showed it off well. But there was the hint of muscles rippling beneath her thin lavender fur with each powerful step she took. Her fur clean and well groomed, not a hair out of place. I was getting serious cat energy from her. But the most striking thing my eyes zeroed in on was the plush triangle of dark purple flesh on full display when her backside was fully facing me. I spun quickly around, my ears burning. I buried my face in my paws. I felt so weird. My mind almost liking what it had seen. A strange feeling of desire welling up in my gut. A feeling I only felt on a few off occasions with some girls in school. Why? She’s a pokemon! I don’t like pokemon. I shouldn’t like pokemon. This is wrong on so many levels.

 

A giggle tickled my mind. I snapped my head up and turned back to the espeon. She wore a wide smile on my face. She gave me a sultry look with her eyes. She winked. You’re cute.

 

I could tell the voice was in my head. But it was not of my own inner monologue. It was a foreign voice. It was her voice. She was speaking to me in my mind. Shit! Psychic!

 

Her tail was now covering her spade, but the sway of her hips gave me fleeting glances of the treasure hidden there. My eyes glued to the sight. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The feeling in my stomach bleeding out and gripping my heart. As well as below. I spun and buried my face in my paws. My face felt hot. This is so wrong!

 

She giggled in my mind again as she finally left and the strange presence in the back of my mind faded. A presence to my side drew my attention, only my burning ears turning towards the approaching shiny eevee. Brooke leaned in and asked, “Aster? What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing!” I shouted a bit too hastily, but I didn’t care. I did not want to tell her a single thing about what just happened. I wouldn’t tell a single soul. I buried my face as deep as I could get it.” I’m good.”

 

“Are you sure?” She seemed not that convinced.

 

I groaned and rolled over to my back. I splayed myself out as I felt the pressure on my body lessen. My back hurt, and I still had the faint pain from the burns from earlier. I felt the tension bleed off my body and that only left a dull ache. A numbness that threatened to whisk me off to sleep on the spot. I stared at the expanse of twinkling stars and tried to pick out any constellations I could recall, but came up short quickly. I thought I found Orion when I saw three stars in a perfect line, but the surrounding stars didn’t quite make the shape of the familiar pattern.

 

“You okay?”

 

I turned to face Brooke, who was standing at my side looking down at me. I knew I was basically on full display to her, but I honestly didn’t care at the moment. I was too sore and pained to really move right now. I was comfortable and I wanted to be off my paws for a bit. There was also the fact that pokemon were always naked and showing off their bits without much concern. I was a pokemon now, this was something I would have to get used to as long as I was here. I was going to be on full display whether I liked it or not. Like the espeon.

 

I clamped my eyes shut and tried to dispel the image of her backside from my mind, but it was seared in there. I could still picture it, and my body seemed to crave picturing it. What is wrong with me?!

 

I slowly moved my hind legs to give me at least a morsel of coverage as the warmth welled up in my body as the image still persisted there. I felt a stir down south, and I tightened my legs. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any of this. But my body seemed to want it. I hate being naked.

 

Aspen didn’t have any clothing on her, besides the satchel, so it seemed that clothing wasn’t a normal thing. Granted, most pokemon’s bodies had natural ways of at least giving them some form of coverage so they weren’t flaunting their bits out and about. I didn’t want to stand out and broadcast I was human or anything, so getting some form of clothing probably wouldn’t be a good idea. I was already on a quest from a mythical pokemon, so I was the textbook definition of a protagonist in a story already. I didn’t want undo attention when I would be on this quest.

 

I turned away, not wishing to meet Brooke eye to eye at the moment. A nudge to my side drew my attention back to her. It tickled a bit. She gave me a slightly concerned look as she asked, “Aster?”

 

“Yeah.” I leaned my head back, still not looking her way, and basked in the moonlight. It didn’t give me as much comfort as the sun did. I answered her unasked question, “I’m fine, just a bit sore.”

 

“We probably should head to that clinic,” she advised.

 

“You’re probably right,” I groaned as I rolled over and got onto all fours. My legs hurt, shaking a bit. My body not wanting me to move right now, but I knew I had to.

 

Brooke started moving first and I followed in her wake. As we walked I added, “Being a pokemon hurts.”

 

“It will,” she commented looking back at me for a fraction of a second. She turned back and added, “That’s the nature of it.”

 

I shook my head, “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

 

“But you’re gonna have to deal with it so long as you are a grassy cat.”

 

I groaned knowing she was right. I sighed picking myself up and catching up to walk alongside her. There were more pokemon out and about even at this late of an hour. There was a pikachu with a heart shaped tail conversing with a togetic that gently hovered a few inches off the ground. They were by a dead fire pit that sat in the center of the intersection of the town. A thin trail of smoke wafting off the pile of black and grey ashes. A few specks of red still glowing in the darkness. There were a few benches placed in a loose circle around the pit. It seemed like the place wasn’t originally meant to serve as the town center. Nonetheless, it had been crafted into one. Not a dedicated space, but one that morphed to fit the role.

 

A pair of nidoran, one teal and the other purple, sat on one of the benches, nuzzling and cuddling each other. An umbreon, whose golden rings glowed beautifully in the darkness, walked on by with a small brown eevee nipping at their ankles. The male eevee skidded to a stop and gawked openly at Brooke, his mouth hanging open in a small ‘o’. The shiny eevee scooted closer to my side, turning away from the mesmerized fox. The umbreon rushed back and pulled the tiny fox away. The eevee’s eyes never leaving Brooke as they were dragged away. The eevee nearly shouted in a squeaky voice, “Mommy, why’s that eevee all silvery?”

 

Brooke nearly jumped and buried her face in the scruff of my neck. The umbreon gave us an apologetic glance. She turned back and whispered something to the brown fox, shaking their head as they continued on by. I could just make out the little eevee ask in a shocked tone, “That’s why Auntie Garnet is red?”

 

From where we were I could see the white painted building the espeon had pointed out. It had even been designed to look like a white medical tent. The front door a split hinge with yellow light bleeding out. It stood out amongst all the other homes of the village, as most of them were dark. Not that much of surprise with how late I expected it to be.

 

I came to a sudden stop as a cold chill ran down my spine. I felt like something was staring at the back of my head. Trying to ignite my fur with the intensity of their glare alone. I spun around, but I only saw the pikachu and the togetic. They weren’t even looking us. Brooke asked, “Something wrong, Aster?”

 

A worrying began to form in the bottom of my stomach. My hair bristled up slightly. I walked a bit stiffer as we headed towards the clinic. I offered, “I’m not sure. Something just feels…off.” What’s going on?

Chapter 6: Liar, Liar

Summary:

Aster gets checked at the clinic and gets interrogated by the espeon. Only he was not prepared to be interviewed by a psychic. His small web of lies about who he is and where he's from comes undone in an instant. And his strange feelings for the espeon come back with a vengeance.

The inside of the clinic was covered in cream colored tiles and three empty white sheeted beds. There were a few white wooden cabinets along the back wall. A privacy screen had been pulled aside, leaving the whole place on display. Aspen was already on a bed and had a bandage wrapped around her tail. In the middle of everything was a tall beige and pink pokemon. They had glistening blue eyes, short stubby legs, and wing like ears. An audino.

 

They flashed a smile and said in a sweet singsong voice, “Hello.”

 

Her eyes landed on me, and she gave a small gasp, “What happened to you?”

 

“Lost a fight with a larvesta,” I said.

 

“Are you burnt?”

 

I figured she meant the status condition given I already looked like I tried to bear hug a fire. It should be clear as day what had happened to me. I hoped she was a qualified medical practitioner and could easily see what ailed me. I shook my head. She nodded and ordered, “Please get on the bed.”

 

I followed the order and hopped up on the bed in the middle. It was low enough to the ground that it wasn’t that high of a jump. It was long enough to fit a human, leaving a lot of space with just me on it. Brooke joined me up there and hovered close to me, a vacant look on her face. I watched the audino, who I assumed was Cello, dig through the cabinets. I also spied a small amount of movement in the corner of the room. The espeon was sitting there, silently watching the room. Her amethyst orbs locked on to me with a burning strength. One that nearly made we wilt. Her tail moving like a blade of grass in a gentle breeze. I turned away with my face feeling hot again.

 

Cello returned with a small jar filled with a light blue substance. She flashed a smile and said, “This is a rawst and yache berry cream that helps alleviate burns.”

 

“Do I eat it?” I quirked a brow at the glass jar of jam in her paws.

 

“No,” she gave a small laugh and shook her head, “Rawst only helps if you are actually afflicted with the burn status. But a topical application helps sooth burns.”

 

She set the jar down on the bed and picked up a wooden tongue depressor. She went to open the jar, but a cough from behind made her stop. The espeon cleared her throat and stalked forward. She came to a stop at the edge of the bed and said, “I just have a few questions for you two.”

 

“About what,” I asked confused. Did we do something wrong? Is this for me looking at her?

 

A shiver ran down my spine as I shuffled a bit closer to Brooke. The espeon either ignored my question or didn’t care. The espeon said, “Just so you two know, I am in charge of protecting the pokemon of Shamrock and those in this area of the Timberland. It is my responsibility to look after those in this town. Be them residents or visitors.”

 

She walked around, pushing the audino out of the way with a gentle push of her tail. She came to a stop directly in front of us. Brooke stood up and lowered ready to pounce. I put a paw on her shoulder and pushed her down. I whispered, “Let’s not be quick to attack.”

 

“Fine,” she grumbled and sat down at my side. Her tail curling towards me. I moved mine to reciprocate the gesture.

 

We turned back to the espeon, she patiently watched our exchange. She said, “Now, my dear sister,” she gave a glance back to the leafeon. Aspen gave a weak chuckle and wave of her paw. The espeon rolled her eyes as she turned back and continued, “Informed me that you two entered the Oaken Knoll dungeon to escape a larvesta after coming out of a different snowy mystery dungeon. Is this correct?”

 

“Yes.” I gave a single nod of my head.

 

“Now.” She began to pace. Her tail flicking almost like a whip, “We have a record of all of the permanent mystery dungeons in the area. Oaken Knoll, Evergreen Glade, Lithic Cavern, and Darkmoss Swamp.”

 

“But,” she came to a quick stop and leaned forward. “We do not have any record of a snow like mystery dungeon in the vicinity of Shamrock,” she pulled back. “Or anywhere in the Timberland.”

 

She turned away as she asked, “Care to explain?”

 

Shit! I balked as I realized I basically gave myself up. I hadn’t been here a full day, and my story fell to tatters already. I had been found out and there was probably no stopping this espeon from prying the truth out. I wanted to keep the fact I was human a secret as long as possible. And that didn’t seem so likely anymore. I wasn’t sure if they would believe me. They may think that I’m crazy. Or they may have unsavory thoughts of humans. I’ve of several stories of wild pokemon that detest humans. And seeing how these all were pokemon that lived without humans, they could have horror stories about us. We had some old wives’ tales about dangerous pokemon.  Anything was possible. Which is why I really didn’t want to reveal such a fact to everyone really. Screwed that one up, now didn’tcha you dumbass.

 

“It’s the truth!” Brooke spat out.

 

My heart beat increased and I shivered. The eeveelution glared at the eevee with an unamused expression. Obviously not believing what she or I have said. I stepped forward and drew her attention. I figured I had to be truthful about the events that transpired before we entered the dungeon. But I also felt I needed avoid the full truth. But I needed to be careful. My eyes flashing to the espeon for a second before finding a different part of the room more interesting. Especially with little miss lie detector.

 

“Are you two really from Eldergrove?”

 

It was Aspen that had asked the question. The espeon glared at the leafeon, who shrank under the gaze. Aspen whimpered out, “Sorry, Lily.”

 

 Lily shook her head and turned back to me. She flicked her tail at me and ordered, “I want an answer.”

 

“We’re from Kalos,” I answered. I figured they wouldn’t know of the place, so telling the truth was a better option than fabricating a lie I could be caught in. And I figured it was best to start there and craft the rest of the lie alone the way. Hopefully it’s believable.

 

“Kalos?” Aspen tasted the word on her tongue, no doubt a foreign word she never heard of.

 

“Where is that?” Lily asked.

 

“To the south,” I answered on the spur of the moment. I figured they were going to ask for more details. I felt it would be best to be as vague as possible when providing answers on such a topic. I just need to get through this, healed up, and then we can make our way to Eldergrove.

 

The espeon pondered something for a second before asking, “So you lied about being from Eldergrove. Is that the port you came in from?”

 

“Yes,” I quickly answered latching onto the offered lie.

 

“And the snowy dungeon,” she pressed, “I need to know where it’s entrance is so that the Royal Guild is notified of a new one.”

 

“I don’t remember,” I said, “We were traveling deep in the forest when we stumbled upon it.”

 

“I think it was to the north,” Brooke quickly added.

 

Lily nodded and turned to Cello, who had been silent during the entire ordeal, “They’re all yours, Cello.”

 

Lily stepped away and went over to Aspen. Cello approached and flashed a smile. She pulled the jar of jelly out and said, “Now, let’s get you two checked out.”

 

She did me first, seeing as I had more visible injuries than Brooke. I stood and let her look me over. I felt fine with her checking my eyes, ears, and mouth. I clicked my maw shut as she said, “Everything looks healthy.”

 

I figured this must be how Brooke felt when I took her to the vet when I first got her. The audino checked my fur next. I was still ashen in a few places and the fur thinner in the spots it has been burned away. She tsked as she ran her fingers up and down my body. I shuttered at the gentle feeling, wincing as she hit some sore spots. Tensing when she hit a ticklish one. She then slowly applied the paste my burns. It stung with a cold snap to my body. I arched away when it first touched my skin. She gave me an apologetic glance and said, “It’s gonna be a bit cold.”

 

I nodded and shut my eyes. I tensed and let her go about her musings. I shivered with each application of the salve. The faint scent of mint filled my nose as I was coated in the blue gel. She let out a sigh once she was done and said, “You will have to keep that stuff on for at least an hour for the burns to properly heal. Just take it easy and no heavy lifting.”

 

She stowed the jar and tossed the depressor. She returned and asked, “Anything else hurt?”

 

“No,” I shook my head.

 

She nodded and moved on to Brooke. I moved off to the side and watched my eevee go through a similar checkup as I just did. Cello retreated after giving Brooke a clean bill of health. The audino giving her a small cup of yellow juice. She then made her way back to Aspen. She gave the leafeon a once over and said, “You should be all good, Aspen. Just take it easy tomorrow and no dungeons.”

 

Aspen stood up and stretched her back like a cat. She let off a loud yawn as she shook her fur out. She leapt from the bed as Cello added, “You should keep those bandages on till the morning. If anything feels off, don’t hesitate to come back.”

 

Why did you lie? I reeled backwards as the foreign voice echoed through my head. I nearly fell off the bed, but I caught myself. No one seemed to pay me any mind. Aspen was speaking to Cello in hushed tones. Brooke was resting in a small silvery ball on a pillow, nursing the cup of juice. I searched around for any hint of Jirachi or some other entity that the voice could belong to. My eyes landed on the espeon who was staring a hole straight through me. I looked to her and asked, “You?”

 

Please keep this conversation in your head if you will. Her voice echoed through my mind. It brought with it an unpleasant pressure in my head. Like a blanket wrapped around my head a bit too tightly. It felt weird to have someone else speaking in my mind. When she did it earlier it was a quick little interaction, but this felt like there was more power behind her connection. This felt more deliberate and solid of a mental bond. I sighed. I hate psychics.

 

She gave me a harder glare. I trembled backwards realizing she heard that and asked. What is it?

 

Why did you lie? She thought to me with a narrowing of her eyes. Her tail lashed in a quick whip.

 

I didn’t-

 

There is no such place as Kalos. She cut me off. I know of every city, town, settlement, and region in Kino. There is nothing south of Kino other than the Sapphire Isles. There is no place with or a having a similar name to Kalos.

 

I gulped. She pressed. So, where are you two really from?

 

Her voice made my head sting. Her presence bearing down on my psyche like a boulder on my head. I saw no reason to lie to a psychic type. I answered. I really am from a place called Kalos, only it isn’t anywhere in or near Kino.

 

She gave me a quizzical look, but didn’t speak. I continued. I was sent here by Jirachi. They sent me here to find the stop someone who stole the First Star.

 

The First Star? She was surprised at that, her voice filled with bewilderment. She quickly dispelled that and added. The Star is a myth.

 

What about humans? I pressed. I saw no reason to leave anything off the table. I just hoped she wouldn’t freak out, get an angry mob, or just dismiss all I said as fake. Maybe she would do all three.

 

They are more of myth than the Star. She stared me down.

 

At least that answers one of my questions. I flashed a smile. Which promptly fell realizing I thought that, and she could clearly hear it. I shook my head and said. I am a human. Jirachi brought me here to find the shards of the Star. It shattered and Roland stole the pieces.

 

The connection between us went silent after that. The presence I felt at the back of my mind faded. Lily stood up and slowly walked towards the door. She gave me a sharp look. Stay here.

 

I sat down and followed the order. Even if she hadn’t used the move psychic or a move similar to it, I felt compelled to follow her order. I watched as she made for the exit. But my eyes were again drawn to her exposed spade. I snapped my eyes shut. Stop looking you pervert!

 

I cupped my face with my paws as I heard Lily giggle in the back of my head. I shook my head from side to side in a vain attempt to dispel her. But I could still faintly feel her. I spoke in a soft murmur to myself, “Get a hold of yourself, Aster. She’s a pokemon.”

 

There was a chuckle off from the side that grated against my skull like rusty nails. One that wasn’t in my mind. I peeked from behind my paw bunker. Aspen was smiling wide, mirth filling every ounce of her body. She said in singsong voice, “Looks like someone likes what they see.”

 

My head snapped up and my face flashed hotter than when I was attacked by the larvesta. I tried to counter her. I tried to say anything, but my throat constricted. I couldn’t move. I was frozen. Her eyes flashed to Brooke as she added, “Maybe you should evolve into an espeon too. Maybe he’d love that.”

 

“Aster?” Brooke turned to me with a concerned look, “What is she talking about?”

 

My heart tried to jump out of my chest. I took in shaky short breaths. A dull ring filled my ears. My vision blurred. I’m disgusting. I like pokemon. A human can’t like pokemon like this. You are sick. You have such a dirty mind. You’re a fucking perverted freak!

 

The next thing I knew I was running. I bolted out of the clinic. Brooke shouted something, but my ears were ringing too much to hear a thing. I heard a shout from the espeon in both my mind and ears. But I drowned it out as I rushed across the street. I squeezed through the gap between two buildings and made my way towards the stream and the forest. I needed to get out of the town. I needed to get as far away from this place and the espeon as quickly as I could. A solid mass appearing out of nowhere stopped me in my tracks. I was tossed backwards and landed on my back. I screamed as my spine stung.

 

A large shadow loomed over me. The ringing in my ears faded, but my heart beat even faster. I gulped as a cold sweat broke out over my body. I shivered as a cold claw of despair gripped around my heart and froze me to the spot. Blocking out the moonlight was a pure white furred dog shaped pokemon. Purplish black skin with blood red eyes leering down at me. A long sickle like horn sticking out of the right side of their head. Three large claws on the end of each foot and a sword like tail raised high. I pulled my paws in and made myself as tiny as possible under the menacing glare of the disaster pokemon. An Absol!

 

Do not hurt him! The espeon shouted through the mindscape. The absol didn’t make a move. Their forepaws mere inches from my body. Their eyes flashed behind me. They snarled, showing off rows of teeth that could rend flesh with the slightest touch. They stepped back and barked out in a gruff tone, “Get out of my head, Lily.”

 

I felt the presence of the espeon lift as she spoke aloud, “He’s not escaping or anything, he was just spooked.”

 

“From what?” The absol didn’t step away, still looming over me. The hardness in his eyes didn’t fade. I still couldn’t move, a small tremor wracking my body.

 

“Aster!” Brooke’s worried cry pierced the air.

 

I peeked backwards, still remaining on the ground where I was. Brooke and Aspen rush in. Lily still stood between them and me. A flick from her tail halted them in place. Lily asked, “What was that all about?”

 

“I, uh,” my words died. The shadow of the absol still keeping me rooted in place. Nor did I want to say why exactly I ran. Especially not aloud with all these pokemon here.

 

“Because he likes espeons,” Aspen guffawed out. Fuck you! You damn bitch!

 

I cowered, pulling myself in as tight a ball as I could. I shut my eyes and pulled my paws in to shield myself. I felt as hot as a fire type. I awaited the laughter and judgmental sneers. But nothing came. The night air was quiet. I didn’t remove myself from my cocoon. Jirachi, please kill me. End this. I’m done. Just put me back under the snow. I want to die now. I welcome the sweet embrace of death.

 

“Aspen!” The espeon admonished the leafeon.

 

“Maybe you can finally get mom off your back about kits.” Her cackle split the air.

 

“Jasper,” Lily barked at the absol. She ordered fuming, “Please take these two back to the clinic.”

 

“You’re not going to fuck him, are you?” The absol accused. Oh, please sweet Arceus, this cannot be happening right now. Please smite me.

 

“Not on the table,” the espeon laughed. She then pressed, “Please, if you will?”

 

“Fine,” the absol huffed and stepped away. The looming pressure on my body lifted, but I didn’t unfurl from my protective ball. I’m such a freak!

 

Brooke objected, “I’m not leaving him.”

 

“You will, if you do not want to be thrown in jail tonight,” Lily threatened.

 

“Aster?” Brooke asked. But I couldn’t respond. I was to paralyzed to do anything. I’m a disgrace.

 

I faintly heard the sound of several feet departing. Silence befell the night again. This was broken by a heavy sigh. Lily was still here, and she was the only one with me. She asked aloud, “What’s the matter?”

 

“You already know,” I squeaked out, “You can read my mind.”

 

“I know,” she said. I heard her sit down not that far from me. She then said, “But I want to hear it from you and not through your mind.”

 

I dropped my legs and laid down spread eagle. I stared up at the moon high in the sky. I silently watched the twinkling stars. My heart still beat a bit faster, but it was slowing down. The fire that had consumed my body had vanished in the cold air of the night. I felt tears well up. I gave a small sniff and said, “I feel horrible for even thinking those things.”

 

“Thinking what?”

 

“You already-"

 

“Say it aloud,” she softly ordered.

 

I sighed, “I shouldn’t be thinking things like this. It’s wrong. I’m a human, you’re a pokemon. Pokemon and humans shouldn’t think of each other in the way that I was.”

 

“Why is that so wrong?”

 

“Because…” I trailed off. Because that is how it is. Pokemon aren’t humans. Pokemon are almost like animals. People don’t do those things with pokemon. Only sick people do.

 

“Are you ashamed of thinking those things?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But you aren’t a human anymore,” Lily said, “Does that still make it wrong?”

 

“Are you coming on to me?” I asked. I picked myself up and finally faced her. She was sitting in the grass not that far from me. Her eyes and gemstone glimmered in the moonlight. Her tail lazily waved in the cold air. I felt a burning return to my chest as I gazed at the beautiful sight that would no doubt be on some unsavory websites. I turned away, heat in my ears once again. I hate this!

 

She covered her mouth with a paw and tittered, “While I adore the attention, I will have to decline any such activities.”

 

“But I feel so conflicted,” I cried out, “I shouldn’t like pokemon that way, yet I do! It hurts!”

 

“How old are you?”

 

“What?”

 

“How old are you?” she asked again. There was no power in her voice, only a soothing calm tone.

 

I found the ground more interesting as I answered, “Sixteen.”

 

“Sixteen moons?”

 

“Years,” I corrected.

 

“I assume humans don’t reach maturity for several years then?” She asked.

 

I nodded, “We usually go through puberty in our early teens.”

 

She flashed me a smile, “You are just a kid. Your body is still developing. Still a raging mess of hormones still trying to figure itself out. I assume you are attracted to female humans?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then it seems to be a matter of your body chemistry,” she offered, “Your mind says to like human females, but your body is saying female pokemon.”

 

“Then what do I do?” I asked, throwing myself on the ground at her paws, “I don’t want to feel like this.”

 

She let off a small hum. She reached a paw out and pulled me off the ground. Her touch was soft and gentle. She brushed some flecks of grass off my body. As she did she asked, “Are pokemon considered intelligent beings in your world?”

 

“Yeah,” I answered, not quite certain where she was going with this.

 

She stopped her musings and set her paw down, “Are some pokemon human like in shape?”

 

“Yeah,” I turned away, “There’s an entire egg group called human-like.”

 

“Are those pokemon attractive to humans?”

 

I hung my head, “Maybe.”

 

“Then why couldn’t you be attracted to any pokemon?”

 

“Because they look like animals.”

 

“Humans are animals, no?”

 

“But- “

 

“There seems to be not that much of a difference between pokemon and humans as you may think,” she cut me off, “You may not be able to hold a conversation with a pokemon as a human, but they still can understand you. And you them. They are logical thinking beings, not simple instinct driven animals. They still have feelings, hopes, dreams, worries, desires. Just like any human would. Why should the way they look matter? Why are you so quick to dismiss the possibility simply because you are not the same species? Pokemon have relations with those not of the same type all the time. Why are humans any different?”

 

I didn’t have an answer to her question. At least not an answer I didn’t like. But it’s so wrong…

 

“Why is it wrong?” she pressed.

 

“It just is,” I bit back, “It’s always been that way. A human shouldn’t love a pokemon that way. It’s just wrong. It’s…”

 

My words failed as I felt tears streaking down my face. A small silence settling over us. I couldn’t meet her eyes. I wiped away the wetness with the back of a paw. She then asked, “Can you not return to your world and human body?”

 

“Not until I find the shards of the Star and finish this quest for Jirachi,” I answered, somewhat relieved from the change of questions.

 

She turned and stared at the moon. I mirrored her action. She said, “That will take you some time to do if the Star actually exists. You may be in this body and situation for an extended period of time. Are you prepared for that?”

 

“No. I’ll just avoid it.”

 

“Avoiding is not solving,” she said. Her tail wrapping around my body in a gentle hug. The warmth returned, but not as fierce this time. She continued, “You will have to face this at one point, your body is steering you towards that eventuality. But only you, and you alone, can decide how you want to act. The body and mind not being in sync can have disastrous consequences. You will have to resolve it eventually.”

 

“But how?” I asked looking to her pools of amethyst, “I can’t just act on these feelings. It just isn’t right.”

 

“Why can’t you?” she pressed.

 

I turned away and said, “You wouldn’t understand.”

 

“Maybe I don’t,” she offered, “But maybe you don’t either. You have been told by countless people who have been told by countless people before them that it is wrong. It is a fundamental part of you and all humans. It is a habit born of constant ingrain. One that is not so easily broken.”

 

I didn’t have a response to her words, she was right. Pokemon-Human relations have always been taught as immoral. It just always was. An unspoken truth. A fact of life. Humans only had relations with humans. Those that crossed the divide and did those acts with pokemon were freaks. Sharing a bed with a creature instead of a human was blasphemous. Simply something no one did because everyone said it was.

 

Lily’s words drew me back in, “But you should not be so quick to dismiss these feelings. The heart is sometimes wiser than the mind. And,” she pulled me closer with her tail, forcing me to look at her, “You may have no choice in that matter. The longer you avoid this the worse it may get.”

 

“Come on,” She stood up, using her tail still wrapped around me to pull me up as well. She pushed me forward with a paw. She ordered, “Let’s get back to the clinic.”

 

I replayed her words in my head as I slowly walked forward. How can I just do the things she said to do? It’s wrong. So very wrong. I’m human. They’re pokemon. Humans do not have relationships with their pokemon.

 

A memory flashed through my mind from earlier in the day. What my cousin said. ‘The only ones who get sylveons are those that fuck ‘em.’

 

I shook my head as a sour feeling filled my throat. I lurched to the side a second later and voided the contents of my stomach. A gentle paw running down my back eased the stinging burn in my body. Lily said in a worried tone, “I may have another solution for you, but it is a bit extreme.”

 

“Please,” I pleaded. I wiped my mouth as I spat out the last bits of the sour taste on my tongue. I desperately begged, “Please. I’ll do anything. Anything. To get me to stop feeling like this.”

 

She took a step back, her smile fading. She held up a paw and I sat back down. She fixed me with a cold gaze and said, “What I am about to suggest is a measure that law enforcement only use in extenuating circumstances.”

 

I dare not speak and prevent her from giving me this fleeting bit of salvation. She turned away and said, “It is usually done to pokemon who have committed sexual based crimes.”

 

Oh great Arceus above. I gulped, worry rising in my body. Lily continued, “It is a mental block we are authorized to place on such criminals to block out their desires. It will make you unable to see anything sexual on a pokemon. Penises, balls, spades, teats, even the anus will become invisible to your sight. You will be unable to perceive them so long as this block exists.”

 

That’s exactly what I need! My tail began to wag as I pleaded, “Please do it! Please, please, please.”

 

She held up a paw and I bashfully lowered my head as my tail sagged. I offered a small sorry. She flashed a smile, but it quickly evaporated as she continued, “This will not hide your own body from yourself, for obvious reasons. Furthermore, you still will be able to perceive anything if you are witness to an explicit action. The block cannot work when it is impossible for the spell to avoid hiding it.”

 

“No problem there,” I commented.

 

She quickly added, “Or if you are in the presence of one you have genuine feelings for. The block will not be able to work on ones you desire.”

 

“Again,” I said, “No problems there.”

 

She gave me an unamused look and a small hum. Her face straightened out as she asked, “Do you understand the ramifications of what I’m about to do? You will be nearly completely incapable of perceiving any pokemon’s genitalia or other sexual characteristics. They will still be able to see yours, it will only effect how you see the world. This will persist for as long as you wish it to. This is to be used on criminals or those with conditions that warrant its use. Never on civilians.”

 

“Yes,” I nodded.

 

“This block can be removed at any time you wish. Either by me or any psychic type law enforcement. All of them have practice with applying and removing it and the only ones certified to do so.”

 

“I won’t need that.”

 

“Lean forward,” she ordered. I did as she said.

 

“Close your eyes.”

 

I did as instructed. A second later I felt her forehead press against mine. Her gemstone placed right between my eyes. The contact was cold, and a shiver rolled down my spine. Then it felt like several hands were moving across every inch of my fur. The phantom caress was gentle and comforting. The hands pulled back and covered my head. The embrace was a bit tight, but not to uncomfortable. Then they pressed harder, and I felt something in the back of my mind snap. The hands faded and I only felt Lily’s head against mine.

 

Lily pulled away and ordered, “Open your eyes.”

 

I blinked them open. Her looming figure so close felt a bit unnerving. I asked, “Did it work?”

 

She wordlessly and quickly turned around and flagged her tail. I squeaked as I turned away and buried my face in my paws. I felt the heat return. She laughed and admonished, “How can you make sure it works if you won’t look?”

 

I hesitated a peak, seeing her presented lavender backside. I hid away again. Come on you big baby!

 

I lowered my paws and did as she requested. She was turned away from me with her backside right in front of me, her tail raised skyward. But there wasn’t anything there. No spade. Nothing. It was as if it had been erased, and she just lacked the anatomy. A smooth expanse of lavender fur with no features whatsoever stood before me. I reached a paw out to check. A snap of her tail on my paw made me yelp and jump backwards. I held my smarted limb as she turned to face me. “Poking around will break the block on the pokemon you touch.”

 

I nodded. She asked, “See anything?”

 

I shook my head. She flashed me a smile, “Good. Just remember everything I told you. Okay?”

 

I nodded. She ushered me forward again with a light tap of her tail. She pushed me ahead and added, “Just be careful who you tell, most pokemon know it is used on criminals. Don’t give them the wrong impression of why you have this block on you.”

 

I didn’t turn back to face her. I asked, “What if someone tries to present themselves to me?”

 

“You won’t see anything unless it is expressly explicit or you have desires for them,” She answered.

 

We exited the alley, and the clinic loomed before us. The yellow light still bleeding out from the inside. I saw no sign of Brooke, the absol, or Aspen. My blood boiled thinking of the leafeon. She was nice, but her recent actions filled me with a low simmering rage. I should have never saved her. I should have left her in the dungeon.

 

But I didn’t believe my thoughts. I knew I would never do that. I could never do that. I skidded to a stop, and I huffed, “I’m too good for my own good.”

 

“That isn’t something to be ashamed of,” Lily came up to my side, “That is a quality too many pokemon lack this day and age. You should be proud that you care too much. Maybe you will fare better in this world than in yours. Are you happier here?”

 

“I don’t know,” I hung my head, “I wanted to go off on a pokemon journey. I wanted to be with pokemon. But my dad always said ‘no’. He didn’t even want me to have Brooke. He hates her.”

 

“But you love her?”

 

“Yes,” I answered. I quickly snapped my head up, “But not in that way.”

 

She gave a single nod and smiled. She then moved towards the clinic. I followed. She paused at the threshold and offered, “Well, I wish you the best of luck on your journey.”

 

She stepped on through the door and left me out in the cold night. I glanced back up at the moon and twinkling stars. Why do I get the feeling I’m going to need it?

 

You won’t face it alone. Lily’s voice rang through my head with an aura of compassion washing over every inch of my body. I sighed and crossed the threshold.

Chapter 7: Partners in Crime

Summary:

Aster and Brooke receive an offer to spend the night at Lily's before heading off to Eldergrove. Seeing no reason not to, they accept. But Aster is still wrestling with his feelings and he doesn't wish to keep Brooke in the dark to any of it.

I entered the clinic and mindlessly returned to the bed I was on earlier. I could see Brooke in the corner of my vision. She stepped closer and asked, “Aster? What’s going on?”

 

“Nothing,” I said. I didn’t want to talk about what happened with everyone around. I’d rather do it when it was just me and her by ourselves. She pressed closer, barely giving me a side hug. The touch lessen my frayed nerves a bit. I whispered to her, “I’ll talk about it later.”

 

Lily came over and gave me a small dish of water, which I took with a small thanks. She gave me a gentle hug over the mindscape before stepping off to the side to Cello. A quick check of the room revealed no hint of Aspen. I welcomed the small blessing of her absence after everything. My shoulders sagged as I leaned down and nursed the water, feeling the horrid taste in my mouth evaporate.

 

I checked to see Lily was by the door talking with the absol. A chill still ran down my spine looking at the disaster pokemon. The absol nodded after they finished talking and made for the exit. Lily turned and did so as well. I quickly called out to her. She stopped and spun on the spot. She gave me a confused look, but it still held some warmth in it. She asked, “Yes?”

 

“Do you know how to get to Eldergrove from here?”

 

“Eldergrove?” She repeated the name back to me.

 

“Yes, we were planning on heading there.”

 

She didn’t answer right away. Her voice didn’t invade my head at all. She nodded and said, “It’s not too far,” she pointed in a vague direction behind her, “Just head south along the road through the forest and you’ll be at Eldergrove in a day’s time.”

 

She flashed me a smile as she set her leg down, “But it would not be wise to go out in the woods till morning.”

 

I returned the smile, “Thanks. For everything.”

 

“If you like,” she pulled my attention back, “I have a spare bedroom you can use for the night.”

 

“Beats sleeping in the clinic,” She lazily inspected the room before she quickly glanced to Cello, “No offence.”

 

The audino gave a small smile and a gentle shrug. “None taken.”

 

“Really?” I asked. I fiddled with my paws, “I’m not sure.”

 

“It’s the least I could do after what Aspen did and I wouldn’t feel right with you to out in the woods all by yourselves,” she said with a smile. She turned to Cello, “Are they all good to go?”

 

“Yes,” the audino nodded.

 

“Come on,” Lily nodded her head towards the door, “A good nights rest is in order.”

 

We had no real reason to object her offer. We didn’t have a place to stay and that was the second time we were told the forest was not safe at night. It wasn’t even safe for us during the day with the damn starly and larvesta from earlier. If more wild pokemon were out and about at night, then we would be in serious trouble if we were attacked again.

 

We hopped off the bed and followed the espeon out. She was mindful of her tail and kept it down as she led us, even if I couldn’t see anything anymore. Which made me smile just a bit. Brooke seemed sluggish and dragged her paws. The town was dead at this hour. Not a single pokemon was out, except for us.

 

I normally liked the silence. It gave me the time I wanted to go over things in my head. But now it was grating, like an icy dagger scraping along my skin. I cast a sad smile to Brooke, but she wasn’t looking my way. I wish I had told her everything the second I could, but this was a very private conversation that I wanted to ensure it would be just the two of us. I just hoped we could quickly get to the room Lily had offered and get this done with. Brooke deserved to know. I still felt relieved for what Lily had done. A kindness she didn’t need to give me, but she did it all the same. I felt liberated and free. The first time in a while. And I happen to be a pokemon when it happened. I almost felt like I was happier now than I was before as a human. I may have only been here less than a day, but I already liked it. Coud I just stay here?

 

I wasn’t sure how I wanted to answer that one. On one hand I wanted to be human again. I wanted my life back. But on the other, I was in a strange and exciting new world. An experience I couldn’t pass up. An exciting change of pace. I was no longer under the shadow and thumb of my father and family. No longer tormented by my family and peers. I am free. Utterly free. Maybe I’ll see if I actually want to stay here after this is all said and done. Can’t hurt to…right?

 

I moved closer to Brooke and brushed my side against hers. My tail touching her floofier one. She started, stepping away from me. But she kept in stride with me and Lily. Her eyes flashed to me. She tried to remove the small frown from her muzzle, but it remained. I gave her a gentle one in return and said, “Everything’s okay, Brooke.”

 

“O-okay.” She didn’t seem that convinced, but she pressed back to my side. Her head coming to rest against mine. I leaned towards her as well. Lily came to a stop at a building and pushed the door open with her paw, golden orange light rushed out and filled the area.

 

She held the door open and said, “Please, come in.”

 

The room beyond was a cozy quaint living space. The floor made of polished wood, the walls and ceiling were covered in sunny yellow paint. A circular brick fire pit sat in the center with a small orange fire lighting up and warming the room. Around the fire were haphazardly placed red and blue pillows. A kitchen like area sat in one corner of the room. A desk and bookshelf in the other. There were two closed doors on both sides of the room.

 

Currently occupying two of the pillows was an umbreon and an absol. The two pokemon snuggling up to each other and watching the fire. The umbreon’s ears perked up and turned a second before their head did to look at us. The absol turned around after that. A cold shiver ran down my spine as the disaster pokemon stared me down. The absol spoke first, it’s voice had a familiar gruffness to it. “What are they doing here?”

 

Guess it’s the one from earlier. Lily stepped in and shut the door with her tail. As she did she answered, “I offered them the spare room for the night.”

 

“Are they the same ones Aspen was talking about?” The umbreon asked. She extracted herself from the embrace of the absol. The large canine scowled at the removal of their companion.

 

“Yes,” Lily answered as she walked off to the kitchen area.

 

The umbreon came forward. She gave a wary smile as she said, “I’m sorry if my little Arthur cause you any discomfort earlier.”

 

Arthur? I gave the umbreon an analytical look over, trying to recall when we met. There was the umbreon with the…

 

My eyes snapped open as I realized what she said. Brooke quickly said, “It’s no problem at all. I’ve gotten reactions like all the time,” she paused looking off to the side, “It’s just been a while, it took me by surprise.”

 

The umbreon gave a short laugh and held out her paw, “The name’s Bella.”

 

There was a quick exchanging of our names and paw shakes. The fact that four legged pokemon still performed an act only bipeds really did was a bit strange. But I figured not to ponder or question it too much. Bella then pointed a paw at the absol and said, “And that grump over there is my mate, Jasper.”

 

The absol leered at us before turning away. He turned to Lily who sat down at the fire with a mug floating at her side in a ghostly blue aura. Bella walked back to the fire and gave us a small wave of her paw. “Please, come sit by the fire.”

 

Even though I wanted to get to a private setting as soon as possible, I also knew it would be rude to reject the invitation. I nudged Brooke and asked, “Do you want to sit with them?”

 

Brooke gave the other pokemon a quick glance before leaning over to me. She whispered harshly, “I want to have that conversation now.”

 

Her voice was low, but still held a lot of strength. Even though she didn’t outwardly say it, it was a command. I knew I promised, but I was also afraid of actually saying it to her. Thinking over the events in my head was one thing. It was a safe space for me and only me. My eyes did flash to the espeon. Most of the time.

 

But I knew I couldn’t keep my new body’s strange feelings from Brooke. We needed to be on the same page. We were in this mess together and she deserved to know everything, no secrets. I sighed and faced our hosts and said, “Sorry, but we’ve had a long day and want to get an early start getting to Eldergrove tomorrow.”

 

“Oh,” Bella seemed to wilt ever so slightly. She shook it off and walked off to the side, “Let me show you to the spare room.”

 

Lily eyed us judgmentally as she took a sip from her drink. Jasper observed as well, his face neutral. Bella crossed to the back room on the right, right next to the bookshelf. She nudged the door open with a paw. She smiled and said, “You two have a good night.”

 

Brooke crossed the threshold without a peep. I stopped and returned the smile and gave her a small thanks. I faced Lily and added, “Thanks for everything. Goodnight.”

 

Bella returned the gesture with a wide smile, showing off her sharp fangs. Lily gave a curt nod as she offered the same. Jasper didn’t respond at all. I shut the door behind us as soon as we entered the room. I checked for a lock, but there was none. Beggars can’t be choosers.

 

I turned to the dark room. The floor and walls were exactly the same as the main room. A pair of piles of hay off to one side. The other half of the room was piled up with boxes and crates. A single circular window sat opposite the door with a large beam of moonlight coming on through. Brooke had sat down in the center of the spotlight. I slowly walked forward and sat down next to her. I rubbed my side against her and placed my tail on hers. Her tail didn’t move to reciprocate the action. Her body was tense, and she was taking in long breaths through her nose.

 

I stared out the lone window and to the starry expanse above. A dark black mass with swirls of purples painted across it. A sea of so many stars. More stars than I have ever seen. A glowing silvery half-moon the only blemish in the ocean of twinkling stars. Most of them were white, but a few were blue. A small splattering of reds. And maybe even a few greens and purples in the mix. The sky a rainbow of colors that filled my heart with joy. I was already falling in love with this world after only a day. The magical nature of it enchanting me, drawing me in. It was so liberating to be here. Away from my family. To be a pokemon. I will only stay if she wants to. We are a team. We make our decisions together.

 

I turned back to Brooke, her eyes locked on the window. Her face contorted in concern. She glanced at me and gave a fearful look. She asked, “Aster?”

 

“Yes?” I spoke in a soft tone.

 

“What happened back there?”

 

I turned away. I sighed, not sure where to start with this whole thing. At least Lily could read my mind and forced me to talk. But I wasn’t even sure if Brooke was aware of what exactly happened. But it also wasn’t right to not tell her anything about it. She had to know what Lily did to me. She deserves to know my feelings and thoughts. I can’t keep secrets from her.

 

“Do you like espeons?”

 

The way she asked that sound like she was concerned. That she was afraid of whatever I might say. My head snapped back, and I asked, “What?”

 

“You were looking under Lily’s tail a lot.”

 

Shit! She does know! Brooke turned away with a frown on her face, “Would you prefer me to be an espeon.”

 

“No!” I shouted. Her lip began to quiver, and her eyes misted over. I moved in front of her, but she didn’t look at me. We were still on the fence of what form she would evolve into. I did not want the events of today to taint her decision. I wouldn’t let her do it just because of the strange feelings this body was giving me. It was her body. It was her choice. Her opinion matter more than mine. I grabbed her cheek with a paw. She sniffled. The inklings of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. I stared dead in those teary pools and said, “I’m going through a lot right now, Brooke.”

 

I pulled my paw from her and stepped forward to nuzzle her. She mirrored the action. I whispered, “I’ve been having these strange feelings since I woke up in this body, Brooke.”

 

“What feelings?” She asked pulling out of the embrace.

 

I hung my head, “I felt so wrong having these feelings. Sexual feelings towards pokemon. I am turned into one and these feelings come out of nowhere,” I took in a harsh hiss of air. I felt tears welling up, “I was so scared. Scared that I’ve been changed in some way.”

 

“Aster,” Brooke softly said, her voice nearly breaking. I tried to blink the tears away, but they just came out faster. I lifted my head to meet Brooke’s eyes. She wore a small smile, “I don’t care who or what you like. “

 

“I was so afraid that I wasn’t me anymore,” I closed my eyes as the tears stung, “So afraid of what you would…”

 

She pushed forward and wrapped her front legs around me. I hiccupped and returned the embrace. I didn’t hold back and let the tears spill freely. Brooke just tightened her hold on me as she rubbed a paw over my back. She whispered, “I would never judge you for that.”

 

My breath warbled as I let my sadness out. I was so scared. So afraid. There was just so much. Not just these feelings, but the events of today. Nearly losing my eevee to a forced evolution because my cousins wanted to be dicks. The avalanche. Dying in a cold tomb. The quest I had been put on. I wasn’t sure if I could even complete it. But I had to, this world needed me. An entire world was depended on a sniveling hormonal wreck of a human turned pokemon. Jirachi chose the worst person for the job.

 

I felt so, so small. But none of that matter right now. All that mattered was Brooke. I pulled her in tighter. Her warmth chasing away the chill of the night. I sniffled back my tears, “Lily helped me.”

 

“Helped you?” She asked pulling back, “Help you how?”

 

I tapped my head, “She placed some sort of…mental block on me. I won’t be able to see pokemon in that way so long as I want.”

 

“What?!” She pulled out of the embrace with a jump, “You let her mess with your mind?”

 

“I had to,” I lamented, “I couldn’t live like that. I couldn’t trust myself with these feelings. I couldn’t lose myself. Not more than how much I already lost.”

 

I hung my head, “I didn’t want to lose what little I had left of my humanity.”

 

She jumped and wrapped me in a tighter hug, sending us to the ground. My back stung, but I didn’t care. I returned the embrace with as much strength as I could muster. I wanted to stay like this forever. I would stay with Brooke till the heat death of the universe and then some.

 

She pulled her arms back, but I couldn’t let her go. I didn’t want to let her go. Silence befell us as we just embraced each other. It was just the sounds of our muted breathing in the cold dark room. My heart noisily beat in my ears. The muted chirping of some wild bug pokemon filtered in through the closed window. It was nice and peaceful.

 

“What about my evolution?” Brooke’s question pierced the serenity. She pulled from the embrace and sat back down. I got up and mirrored her stance.

 

“What about it?”

 

“Do you want me to be an espeon?”

 

“That would be your choice,” I repeated what I had said before. I added, “I don’t want you to choose just because of what happened with Lily.”

 

“What exactly did she do to you?” She cast me a concerned and accusatory glance. I explained it to her in Lily’s words. I couldn’t see anything. I wouldn’t be able to see anything. So long as the block existed. Also that it wasn’t perfect. If I saw something explicit I would see it. And if I had the desire the block wouldn’t stop me from perceiving whatever it was.

 

“Desires?” She asked a bit confused.

 

There was something strange in Brooke’s words. Her face was plastered with worry. I explained, “If I actually have feelings towards them the block will not work on them.”

 

“Are you sure that was a good idea?” She didn’t seem as concerned, some of it having waned in my explanation, “Seems a bit extreme.”

 

I was at least relieved that she wasn’t out right chewing me out and was accepting what I had done. I was happy I could lessen her fears of what had happened. I chuckled as I added, “Lily said it was really only used on sex offenders.”

 

“You had a sex offender spell placed on you?!” The accusatory tone returned in full force. She had jumped up to all fours.

 

I shushed her and moved my paws in a placating manner. My eyes darting to the door. Half expecting it to burst open and a team of police in swat gear to come in and arrest me. I released a breath I didn’t even know I was holding after it didn’t happen.

 

“Brooke,” I placed a paw on her shoulder, “This was for my own good. I asked for this. She tried to get me to back out a few times, but I needed this. I couldn’t continuing having these feelings mess with me. I cannot be distracted with the quest we are on. I just couldn’t. Okay?”

 

“Okay,” she said the least bit satisfied, “If that is what you want.”

 

I gave her one last tight hug before pulling out of the embrace, “It is for the best.”

 

I stood back up and made my way over towards the piles of hay, which I assumed were to be our beds. They were the only thing in the room that wasn’t a box. I know pokemon beds were just fancy pillows half the time, but this seemed even less than that. How can this be comfortable?

 

“So are you a wanted sex offender now?” The mirth in Brooke’s voice was palpable. She seemed overjoyed she had something new the tease me with.

 

I laughed as I stepped onto the pile of hay. It had some give to it. It was soft, far softer than I expected it to be. It wasn’t scratchy and prickly as I assume it would be. It was almost like a large memory foam pillow. Some drive deep down compelled me to lay in it and fall asleep. Some animalistic urge I was finding it hard to fight. I opted to just play around with the hay as I explained, “Lily said to keep the fact I have this block on the downlow because of what pokemon might think if they know I have it.”

 

“So what do you see if you can’t see anything?”

 

“Nothing,” I shrugged, “It looks just like they lack anything under their tails.”

 

“And you know this because…”

 

She trailed off, leaning towards me with an anticipating look in her eyes. A fanged smirk stretched across her muzzle. I rolled my eyes as my ears felt a little bit hot, “She tested it on herself to make sure the block works.”

 

“And…” Brooke shuffled closer, her smirk only increasing in size.

 

“Nothing but a field of lavender fur.”

 

“Must have been a nice looking field,” she said as she hip checked me. I stumbled onto the pile of hay, ending up on my back. She rushed forward and quickly flagged her tail. She asked, “What about me?”

 

I turned away as my face burned. I pulled my paws up to cover my eyes. “Really, Brooke?!”

 

“What do you see?” she laughed while raising her butt and shaking it.

 

I groaned and did as she asked. I had seen below her tail before back when I was human on several occasions. When I gave her baths or when she moved her tail certain ways. I thought nothing of it back then because she was my pokemon and it was only natural for her. It was of no concern or consequence to see such things on a pokemon when I was human. Now that I was a pokemon made it totally different. But now I didn’t see anything under her tail. Nothing. Just more silvery fur. I picked myself up and answered, “Nothing.”

 

“Nothing?” Her body sagged ever so slightly as she repeated the word. She seemed almost sad. She pressed her face close to mine. She asked, “Really?”

 

“Yep,” I nodded, “Just silver fur.”

 

“Guess it does work then,” she said as she sat down. I nuzzled up to her and she returned the gesture. We remained there in silence. Simply basking in each other’s presence. The cold of the room chased away by our shared warmth. The darkness a welcome shade for us to just sit here in. There were no sounds coming from the other room. I couldn’t hear any hint of anyone prying. I hoped at least.

 

“So we just head to Eldergrove in the morning?” Brooke asked aloud.

 

“Yes,” I nodded, “I have to find the map in the guild in Eldergrove so that I can start finding the pieces of the Star.”

 

“We,” she said forcefully. I turned to her. She quickly bopped me on the nose.

 

“We have to find the pieces,” she stressed, “You aren’t doing this alone.”

 

She gave me a smug smile, one I happily returned. “Never expected to.”

 

She looked to the window as she asked, “Can we even do it?”

 

“I don’t know,” I honestly answered facing the window as well. I still had my doubts that I would be up to the task. But I also felt I at least had to try. I had to give it my all. Jirachi chose me for a reason, and I wouldn’t make them regret doing so. I said, “But we have to at least try.”

 

“That’s the least we can do.” She agreed with a determined nod.

 

I smiled and nuzzled closer, pressing as close to her as I could. She giggled and returned it. She didn’t let the silence return as she asked, “But what eeveelution should I go with?”

 

“Whatever you want. You should choose whatever you feel the happiest with.”

 

“And an espeon?” There was a small giggle to her question.

 

“If you want,” I quickly answered as I felt my ears burn. I shook the feelings away and my muzzle was split by a massive yawn. My body felt weary and drained, my nerves were frayed. So much happened in so little time. My body still hurt from my battles. Today’s been a long day.

 

“I’m getting a bit tired too, Aster,” Brooke said giving a small yawn.

 

“We’re going to have a big day tomorrow to,” I stated.

 

“Yeah,” her ears fell as she played with a loose piece of hay, “Do we have to head to Eldergrove first thing in the morning?”

 

“I feel we have to get the shards as soon as possible,” I said, “I don’t want to waste too much time.”

 

“But are we even prepared?” She asked stepping off the hay pile. She played with her tail and allowed our loot to drop to the floor. A single oran berry and the silver coin. She scooped them up and set them off to the side at the edge of the bed. She observed, “We don’t really have any supplies.”

 

“We don’t have money to get anything,” I countered. I still wasn’t sure how much that coin worth. If was worth anything to begin with.

 

“We can try and get some in Eldergrove. Do some odd jobs to have some monetary funds,” she offered, “We don’t have to go directly for the shards. We can rest in the town and get all tooled up so that the journey will be less of a hassle for us.”

 

I nodded in agreement, “Might be the best thing for us to do.”

 

“We should probably rest for the night,” she added. She joined me on the bed and curled up. She patted the spot next to her with her tail. She gave me a sleepy smile.

 

I glanced at the other bed of hay, then back to her. Her smile fell along with her tail going limp. She quickly said, “We don’t have to sleep together.”

 

I shook my head and smiled. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

Her smile returned and her tail wagged ever so slightly. I moved over and laid down next to her. I curled my body, brushing our sides against each other. It just felt natural to rest like this. I figured it was the instincts of this cat body. I wiggled myself closer to Brooke, her warmth drawing me in. She did so as well, resting her head against mine. I closed my eyes and felt myself drifting off. Brooke’s gentle voice made one of my ears flick. “Good night, Aster.”

 

“Good night, Brooke,” I mumbled out as sleep finally took me.

 

 

~~~

 

 

I was surrounded by darkness. Before that I wasn’t sure, it was all a blur. The darkness wasn’t that of the room I had fallen asleep in. I wasn’t there, nor was Brooke by my side. I called out her name and scanned every direction for her, but saw nothing but more inky blackness. It almost felt familiar. I hesitated for a second before quietly asking, “Jirachi?”

 

But no response came to that either. My voice echoed off into the dark till it was but a whisper. I was alone wherever I was. It didn’t feel as warm or comforting as Jirachi’s realm was. This was cold darkness. A true abyss. Where am I?

 

I took a step forward. The fact I was on solid ground and not floating in a sea of motes was a sharp contrast. My eyes flashed to the floor I could barely see. A spotlight of ethereal light that only made a yard or so around me visible. The ground was covered in graham cracker brown colored sand. The grains soft and the sand flowed like water around my feet. Wait! Feet?!

 

I examined myself all over to see I was no longer a grass cat pokemon. I was back in my own body. Pale peachy skin, not a hint of green fur. Human feet and hands with five digits. Two legs and two arms. I was back to my usual height, no longer only a foot off the ground. My ears were back to the side of my head and didn’t swivel around on their own accord. No muzzle with a small pink nose constantly sitting in my field of view. I had no stumpy little tuff of a tail either.

 

I was also nude. I didn’t dwell on that fact for long. I really couldn’t be bothered about that fact. I didn’t feel all that concerned and saw no reason to question it. There was no one around and I felt no one would be around to see me in my undressed state. I was just relieved to be back in my body. But there was a pang that stabbed at my heart like a knife. Like something had been taken from me. Something I had forgotten. But I honestly didn’t care. I’m me again.

 

“Come to me.”

 

The whisper that tickled my ears made me jump. I fell to the sand and rubbed my smarted backside. The sand rolled off me without much prompting. It didn’t scratch or irritate me as I expected sand to do. It almost tickled. Not an unwanted sensation, but a gentle loving caress that ever so slightly flared my nerves.

 

“Come to me.”

 

The whisper came again from the black abyss. This time louder and more commanding. As if it was displeased with me not following the order already. The voice was flat and neutral. I couldn’t tell who it belonged to or if it was male or female. It was just a voice. I tried to find any hint of the speaker. Of any indication of where it was coming from. But all I could see was the pitch blackness of the cold evil void and the small patch of disturbed sand around me.

 

“Come to me.”

 

I felt compelled to follow the simple command for some reason. Some drive within me wanted to get up and follow the three simple words. And I did. I rose to my feet and walked across the sand forward. Not sure why I went this way, but just feeling that it was right. That this was the direction the voice was coming from and where it was leading me. To what I wasn’t sure, but I expected to find out eventually.

 

“Follow my voice.”

 

I quickened my pace as the voice rose from a whisper to a soft tone. The blackness bled away, and something appeared in the fog. A large column of beige bricks loomed above me. I quickly crouched on all fours and leapt to the top of the object. I landed on my paws. Paws?!

 

Glancing down I found that I was back in the body of the grass cat pokemon. Four small legs supported me on the edge of the object I now stood on top of. I could see my muzzle once again. I could feel my ears twist and turn picking up whispers on the wind. Indiscernible voices that I couldn’t make out what they were saying. My tail hung limp, and a shiver rolled through my body. It still irked me that I didn’t know what pokemon I was.

 

I turned away from the abyss and to whatever I was now standing on. It was not a column, but more like a well. There was nothing on top to send a bucket down, but there was a hole in the center of the well leading down and down and down. I couldn’t see anything but blackness in the pit. It seemed even darker than the abyss around me. I leaned closer trying to get a glimpse of anything in the darkness the well contained.

 

“Join me.”

 

The voice echoed out of the depths of the well and rattled around in my head. I hissed as I pulled back. I gripped my pulsing head. A vice like pressure clamping down, making me fear my head would burst from the weight.

 

“Jump!”

 

I whimpered as the pressure rolled across my entire body. I collapsed to the floor as my muscles twitched. My paws falling from my head as the pain became too much.

 

“Join us!”

 

I squinted past the tears in my eyes at the well. I felt the desire to jump. To swim in the blackness it contained. The voice stirring something in my core. I wanted to listen to the voice. I wanted to do as it commanded. I felt warmth and safety in the commands the voice gave me. I wanted to do as it said. A sense that I would be rewarded in doing so. Whatever the reward was, was of no consequence. I just wanted to do as it said because I felt I should.

 

“We’re waiting for you, Aster.”

 

The pain subsided and I mustered what little strength I could to roll myself forward and over the edge. I slipped past the threshold and gravity took me. I fell. But I wasn’t afraid. I was happy. I smiled as the blackness bled away to a rainbow of light. Some colors I recognized, while others I could not place a name to. The light rolled around me and over me. It caressed me as I fell. The multitude of colors eventually all bled together and became pure white light. Light that burned at my fur. At my very being. Even my soul felt like it was set aflame. But the burn was good. It felt welcoming. It felt safe. I didn’t feel alone. I felt…

Notes:

One month. Advent of Dreams is one month old. I'd like to thank each and every single one of you who have given this story a read, given kudos, left comments, subscribed, and bookmarked. I appreciate every little bit and it motivates me to continue writing.

Chapter 7 marks the end of the first act of this story, The Star's Plea.

See you all next week with the next chapter and the start of the next act, Road to the Royal Guild.

Chapter 8: The Reaping

Summary:

Aster awakens from his strange dream and has some breakfast with his hosts. But before he and Brooke can head out on the road to Eldergrove, a group of pokemon visits Shamrock. They have come with a declaration, a Reaping shall be held.

I awoke with a scream. My limbs flailed as I tumbled about and fell off the bed of hay. I landed on my back with a grunt. I moaned as reality finally settled in around me. My heart beat crazily, I took in deep gulps of air, and my body feeling hot. And not just from the last moments of my strange dream. I couldn’t rightly recall what had transpired, only flashes of it floating in my mind. I remembered being alone. I remembered running. I remembered something calling me. I remembered falling right before I woke up. I tried to remember anything else, but it was soon gone. I couldn’t recall a thing. I shook my head with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. Probably wasn’t that important anyway. It’s just a dream.

 

My sparked nerves lessened. I remained on the cold wooden floor as the last bits of sleep left me. The floor felt comfortable right now and I didn’t really want to move. Brooke groaned from off to the side, pulling me out of my mind. My head whipped to the side. She must have been pushed over in my animated awakening.

 

I rushed to help her, “I’m so sorry, Brooke.”

 

She sat up and rubbed her head. She closed her eyes as she slowly woke up. She mumbled out, “Whawashat?”

 

“Bad dream,” I answered dissecting her tired speak, “Sorry for waking you.”

 

She fell back on the hay and pulled her legs in and became a loaf. She mumbled out, “Givee ainut.”

 

I nodded and stepped off the hay bed, “I’ll be in the other room.”

 

“Mkay,” she sleepily said and was soon snoring again.

 

I yawned as my body finally started to wake up. I kicked my legs out and stretched my limbs to work out the kinks. I even did a classic cat like stretch, my back popping happily with the movement. It just felt natural to do it. I groaned as the kinks were undone. My back felt better than it did before. I sighed, just sitting in the warm early rays of sunlight streaking through the window. I felt energized from the peaceful rays. I couldn’t see the orb of light above the canopy of the trees, it had to be early in the morning. The sky was a pale blue with a lot of big fluffy clouds. Not enough to block out the sun, but enough to threaten some bad weather in the future. Looks like rain…

 

I turned away from the sky and made my way towards the door. The main room was darker than it was last night. The fire pit in the center dead and the only source of light was a skylight in the ceiling. The other three doors were shut, but there was one lone pokemon in the kitchen area. Aspen was in the section moving about with utensils and a baking sheet hovering around wrapped in leafy vines sprouting from the leafy tuft on her chest. They didn’t look exactly like I recalled vines looking on other grass types. Normally they were monotone feelers of dark green plant matter with a bulbous end. These looked like tubes made of over lapping leaves pressed into the shape of a vine.

 

Her ears perked up and stopped what she was doing. She turned to me with a sparkle in her eyes and a smile on her muzzle. She softly said, “Good Morning, Aster.”

 

“Morning,” I lazily offered, stopping to stifle another yawn. She went back to whatever she was doing as I crossed the room towards the kitchen area. The wooden floor replaced by rusty red brick tiles. The back wall was filled with eggshell white cabinets topped with dark wooden counters. A stone stove and a fridge hemmed in the feature. A stone bowl like sink sat in the center. Aspen was currently at the stove, a warm red light illuminating the inside. The light dulled by the black glass of the door. Do they have electricity?

 

Aspen set down the baking pan on the counter. It was filled with golden brown baked goods. They vaguely resembled biscuits…or scones. They had small specks of blue in them. Scones?

 

A heavenly sweet aroma filling the area. I couldn’t help but sniff, my eyes closing as I took in the scent. I felt myself beginning to drool. I quickly said, “Smells good.”

 

“Thank you,” the leafeon said as she placed a dirtied baby blue bowl and whisk by the sink. She retreated her vines and asked, “Sleep well?”

 

I nodded. I really didn’t want to talk with her that much, not after the events of last night. From the way Lily acted I got the feeling she wasn’t trying to be hurtful or mean, but it still hurt all the same. I didn’t feel all that much like talking to her beyond basic pleasantries. Not like it’s going to matter all that much soon.

 

Brooke and I would be heading out and we probably never come back here. We had our quest to deal with. Finding the shards of the star needed our full focus.

 

“Aster.”

 

Aspen’s quiet tone pulled me from my thoughts. It sounded far to reserved coming from the excitable leafeon I met yesterday. My head whipped quickly to look back at her. Her leafy ears and tail were limp. She even still had the bandage wrapped around her tail. Her head was lowered, and her eyes focused on the floor. She scuffed a paw against the tiles as she said, “I- “

 

She took in a deep breath and straightened her back. She locked eyes with me. “I want to apologize if I upset you in anyway last night.”

 

I blinked owlishly at her. I didn’t expect an apology. Especially first thing in the morning. Aspen wilted slightly under the silence. She found the ground more interesting as she added, “I didn’t mean to upset you or make you feel uncomfortable.”

 

“It’s,” I went to speak, but my throat felt dry all of a sudden. I took a deep gulp, Aspen glancing my way. At least she apologized.

 

I gave her a small smile as I said, “It’s okay, no need to apologize. Water under the bridge.”

 

She brightened up at that, her ears snapping to attention and her tailed wagged ever so slightly. A vine stretched from her ankle and over to the scones. She grabbed one and held it out for me. She quickly asked, “No hard feelings?”

 

“No hard feelings,” I repeated as I held my paw out with a smile. She deposited the warm baked treat. It wasn’t hot enough to hurt my paw. I felt I had built a bit of a resistance to heat after being nearly turned to charcoal by the larvesta. I gave it a curious sniff. There were beautiful hints of fruity goodness mixed in with the scent of perfectly baked bread.

 

“I’m glad you stayed the night,” Aspen said as she grabbed another scone in a vine and made her way over to the dead fire pit. I didn’t follow, looking to the baked good currently occupying one of my legs. I only had three on the ground. How am I going to walk?

 

“You okay?” Aspen had sat down and was watching me with a mix of confusion and concern.

 

“Yeah,” I answered not so convinced. I popped the treat in my mouth and quickly walked over to join the eeveelution. I could taste the berries in the scone, the familiar tang of oran berries was easy to pick out. But there was also a sweetness that wasn’t the oran berry. There were far too many other berries for me to even begin pegging down which one it was. Aspen had sat down and already taken a bite of her breakfast. I sat down across from her and dropped the scone in my paw.

 

“You’re a strange sprigatito,” she said with a shake of her head.

 

Sprigatito? I nearly asked that aloud, but I held my tongue. I couldn’t stop the tilt of my head in confusion. I had stopped in the middle of taking a bite. Is that what pokemon I am?

 

At least I now know. That’s one mystery solved. I shook my head and said, “I didn’t see you last night. So, thank you for giving us a room for the night.”

 

Aspen swallowed her bite. “I figured you two had nowhere to sleep and asked Lily to offer the room to you.”

 

“Thanks,” I smiled and took a bite. The appetizer I had of the scone on the way over paled in comparison to the true flavor of the baked good. The sour oran berry mixed well with the other sweet berry and the scone was crunchy, but the inside was fluffy and light. I savored the bite as long as I could.

 

“How are they?”

 

“Amazing,” I said, quickly going in for a second bite.

 

Aspen gave a small laugh. “Thanks.”

 

As I ate, a chime went off in the kitchen. Aspen popped the rest of her scone in her mouth and made her way back to the kitchen. Another door opened and I watched Bella walk in. She rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes with a paw. A blur of tawny fur rushed past her and over to the pillows. The little eevee came to a screeching halt as their eyes widened. I felt uncomfortable from the gaze. The eevee, Arthur I assumed, asked, “Who are you?”

 

“He’s a friend of Aunt Lily,” Bella walked over with two scones held in her tail. She sat down and handed one to Arthur. He thanked his mother and quickly occupied himself with eating. Bella asked, “How’d you sleep?”

 

“Good,” I answered. Aspen came over with a plate stacked with the rest of the scones and several cups all suspended in her vines. I gave her a sullen look as I watched the quadruped expertly move about without any issue without the need of hands. I miss my hands.

 

I studied the leafy crest on my chest. Some small part of my mind trying to will a similar vine to sprout from it. It would give me some semblance of hands. At least before I would get them back whenever I evolved. Jirachi, I swear. If you screwed me over in the end.

 

I just wanted a fraction of my humanity back. A piece to root me just a little bit more. Despite my attempts, nothing happened. I pushed harder, but got the same result. Can I learn vine whip?

 

It made sense. I was a grass type. Most grass types could use vine based attacks of some kind. Aspen wasn’t even using an attack, she was using her strange vines like tentacles. Wonder how it works?

 

“When do you plan on heading out?” Bella asked as Aspen took a scone and sat down between us. The leafeon placed a clay mug of water in front of each of us.

 

“As soon as Brooke is ready,” I said looking at the closed door to the spare room.

 

“You mean the silver eevee?” Arthur quickly asked.

 

“Yes,” Bella answered looking down and petting her son.

 

I gave the other doors a quick glance. They all remained closed for the moment. I asked, “Where’s Lily?”

 

“Jasper and her had to head to work early,” Bella answered, “Someone spotted a group of pokemon in the woods headed in this direction, they’re making sure it isn’t a pack of ferals.”

 

The word ‘feral’ made a shiver run down my spine. It felt so wrong to refer to a pokemon as a feral. We called pokemon not bound to a trainer wild back home, but we never called them feral. Feral made it sound like they were even wilder than wild pokemon. Like they were more animal than pokemon. That would explain the starly and the larvesta.

 

“Where are you two from anyway?” Bella asked.

 

I stiffened at the question. Not wanting to answer so quickly I popped the rest of my scone in my mouth to give me some thinking time. Telling lies with Lily last night didn’t really work with her being able to read my mind. Kalos wasn’t a recognizable name that could be no doubt seen through easily. Brooke and I didn’t think of a cover story all that much and we didn’t really have a location to offer up other than Kalos. And Aspen had already heard the name, so I couldn’t say something else without her calling me out. Wait!

 

My eyes lit up as I recalled a name Lily did use last night. I swallowed and answered, “We’re from the Sapphire Isles.”

 

Arthur’s eyes sparkled as he stared with wonder, offering up a small, “Wow.”

 

Bella asked, “How did you two end up in the Timberland?”

 

“We came from Eldergrove and headed up here to get some training before going to the Guild.”

 

“Planning on making an adventure team?” Aspen asked.

 

“So cool,” Arthur mused quietly.

 

“Maybe,” I answered with a shrug and grabbed another scone. As I pulled back, a drowsy Brooke walked out. Her head was hung low, her ears drooping down and nearly dragging on the ground. She stumbled forward like a drunk. She never was a morning person, I usually had to tempt her with treats to get her up and moving most mornings.

 

She grumbled as she made her way over and landed face first into the pillow right next to me. I gave her a gentle pat on the head and asked, “How’d you sleep.”

 

She just grumbled harder, but I couldn’t make out what she said. If she even said words at all. I moved a bit closer and gave her small back rubs. She sighed contently and fully collapsed onto the pillow.

 

“I thought you said you were from Kalos?” Aspen quickly countered. I snapped back to the other eevees in the room.

 

Shit! So soon. My mouth flapped uselessly trying to think of a good response. I didn’t have a scone to plug my mouth either. I turned away and answered, “Kalos is the town we’re from. It’s in the Isles.”

 

“Wha- “

 

A shrill blare of a horn pierced the air a killed whatever Aspen was going to say next. My head snapped to the door, my ears trying to find where the tone had come from. A second later a loud voice echoed seemingly from everywhere, “Citizens of Shamrock. By order of the Eldergrove Guard, please gather outside at once.”

 

“What’s that?” I asked looking to the group of eevees. They all wore faces of dread. An unsettling formed in the put of my stomach. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

 

“Can they turn down the volume?” Brooke hissed as she picked herself up.

 

“Come on,” Aspen said as she and Bella stood up.

 

“What’s going on?” I pressed not removing myself from my spot. Brooke leaned forward and grabbed a scone. She set it on the ground and slowly nibbled at the treat.

 

“Mommy?” Arthur ask falling in line with his mother as she moved towards the door.

 

“Don’t worry, dear,” she wrapped her tail around him and moved him in her shadow. She exited out the front, but left the door open.

 

Aspen glanced between the door and back to us. I gave her a hard glare. She scuffed her paw on the floor and turned away. She went to say something, but she closed her mouth with a click. She turned around and simply said, “Just come along.”

 

I didn’t move and watched her make her way out the door. I could see other pokemon walking by as well. All of them heading in the same direction. Brooke sat up as I said, “I don’t like the sound of this.”

 

“Me neither.”

 

“Probably should see whatever is going on.”

 

“Can I at least finish my breakfast first,” Brooke whimpered looking at her half eaten scone then the plate of still warm treats.

 

I rolled my eyes and ordered, “You can finish after whatever this thing is.”

 

“Fine,” she grumbled. She quickly scarfed down the half-eaten scone. I made my way towards the door, but remained at the threshold. She was quick to catch up and we made our way out. We shut the door and joined the small crowd of pokemon forming in the center of the village. Everyone had gathered in a circle at the T intersection. In the center was a collection of five pokemon around the ashen fire pit.

 

There was a bisharp and a purple and blue lizard flanking a strange rapidash. It’s coat was an ivory white instead of cream color and its mane and tail resembled rivers of cotton candy instead of fire. It’s horn was also black and longer, like it could pierce even the armor of the nearby bisharp. Behind them was the massive coiling body of a milotic and the stout form of a yellow torkoal. The alternate coloring making me check to see if their scales sparkled at all, but I couldn’t see any. Each member of the quintet had long evergreen scarves around their necks, or approximate area in case of the noodly tender pokemon. Purple and golden accents made an array of symbols on the garments I couldn’t make out from this distance.

 

I made my way over to Aspen and Bella, the umbreon keeping Arthur between her legs like he might vanish if he left her side. The entire area was tense. The pokemon of Shamrock nervously watched the five strange pokemon. I sat down next to the leafeon and asked, “What’s going on?”

 

“Nothing good,” she answered, not taking her eyes off the five.

 

“Why?” Brooke asked sitting down next to me. I moved closer and rubbed my side against hers, our tails laying on top of each other. The embrace doing little to calm my nerves.

 

“The guards of Eldergrove never come here,” Bella explained, “Not unless they have a reason to be here.”

 

That made me very wary of these pokemon. The electric lizard gave their bronze horn one last small toot. The bisharp took a step forward and spoke, “Presenting, Major Percival. Here on behalf of his majesty, King Alexander of Eldergrove.”

 

The milotic floated over the other four and set themselves down in front. Their eyes moved over the crowd. Giving every single pokemon gathered a hard critical eye. He then declared, “I require all those between five and twelve moons of age of this settlement to present themselves at this moment.”

 

The pokemon of the crowd murmured and looked amongst themselves, but no one moved to follow the order. The milotic seemed unfazed by the townsfolk ignoring his order. As the seconds ticked on by a chill ran down my spine drew my attention behind me. Coming through the crowd towards us were Lily and Jasper walking side by side. The absol gave me a hard glance before quickly moving towards Bella and Arthur. He entombed them both with his body, the umbreon nuzzling against his thick fur. Lily stood behind us, but didn’t say a thing. Aspen seemed to want to ask her something, but held her tongue.

 

“You heard the Major!” The bisharp shouted with a heavy stomp of his cloven foot. A sound akin to a gong echoed out and silenced the crowd.

 

“What is the meaning of this?” An old, but strong, voice spoke out. The crowd parted as an old floatzel limped forward on shaky legs. Their orange fur having faded to grey in some places. They walked with a slight hunch and used a bulbous stick as a cane. A raichu quickly ran to their side and helped them walk out of the crowd and towards the towering serpent.

 

Percival glared down at the two. He let off a sharp snort and answered, “We are here to collect candidates for a Reaping. We will require two pokemon to either volunteer or we will select them.”

 

A Reaping? I didn’t like the sound of whatever that was. From what he did say it sounded like they were taking pokemon against their will for whatever reason. His tone gave no room for argument. It wasn’t a statement, it was an order. Clear and simple. They would leave here with two pokemon and that was final. A Reaping is an old tradition in Eldergrove.

 

My head snapped to Lily, instantly recognizing the voice invading my head. An aura gripped my head and forced it forwards. She ordered. Don’t move.

 

Okay…

 

I wanted to nod, but her psychic grasp held me in place. But I still wanted answers. Seeing as she was in my mind I took advantage of the opportunity. What’s a Reaping?

 

A sighed echoed through my head, yet she didn’t speak. My eyes were glued forward as pokemon slowly made their way out of the crowd and before the milotic. The floatzel had disappeared in the mass of pokemon, but the raichu remained with a pichu perched on their head. A Reaping is used to collect pokemon who may become the companions to royal children when they come of age. It’s a massive party to celebrate their twelfth moon.

 

Doesn’t sound all that good for the pokemon being reaped. I eyed the five pokemon. They didn’t seem to notice us, paying more attention to the pokemon being brought before them. The nidoran couple from last night held onto each other tightly, shivering under the glare from the nearby bisharp. A buneary whimpered as they clung to the leg of a lopunny. The larger rabbit whispering something to the smaller bunny, but unable to calm the nearly hysterical rabbit. A phanpy gingerly stepped forward, a nudge from a donpahn’s trunk pushing them the last few inches. A snivy held their head high as they marched forward. They were the most well composed pokemon thus far.

 

Are all of them going to be chosen for this companion thing?

 

No, only one of the reaped pokemon is chosen. The others are forced into the guard.

 

That sounds horrible.

 

It is.

 

Her voice was sad and the aura on my head finally relented, but I didn’t turn to her and kept my eyes forward. A deerling and wooloo had walked up together. A raticate with two rattatas shuffled in as well. A pair of poochyena quivered and nuzzled each other. Lastly, with a flurry of black and blue feathers a crow like pokemon came to a landing. They had a small navy blue bag looped over their body.

 

All of the gathered pokemon formed a loose semi-circle before the large water pokemon. A few seconds passed and no new pokemon stepped out. Making a total of thirteen pokemon. Percival analyzed each of them. Giving them a second or two of his attention, all of them wilting under his gaze. Except for the bird and the snivy.

 

“Any volunteers?”

 

The sweetness lacing his words made my stomach churn. He was getting some sick joy out of terrorizing these poor pokemon. They didn’t ask for this. They didn’t want their lives uprooted by some king who probably didn’t give two shits about them. Typical monarchy bullshit.

 

I grit my teeth and bared my fangs. A paw on my shoulder kept me in place. Lily softly said, “Just keep quiet, Aster.”

 

I knew she was right. I sighed, my ears sagging as I reeled myself back in. We all watched as not a single pokemon responded to the simple request. I half expected the snivy to do so, but they didn’t volunteer. Percival didn’t seem all that surprised as they rested their head on their fan like tail. They lazily turned to the rapidash and asked, “Any spines amongst them?”

 

“No, sir,” an almost female angelic voice came out of the mouth of the equine.

 

“The hard way it is then,” the serpent softly said as he shook his head. He snapped his tail at the torkoal and ordered, “Lieutenant Dwight, if you will.”

 

“Yes,” a deep baritone left the maw of the coal pokemon as they walked forward and towards the closest candidate for the Reaping, the two rattatas. The turtle asked, “Names?”

 

“Bi-Bishop,” one of them stuttered out full of nerves. I could see everyone else up there shaking in some way. Everyone was nervous. No one wanted to be chosen for the Reaping. Yet they all knew someone would. The guards made it clear they were taking two pokemon. But who that was going to be was the big mystery everyone was waiting to see answered.

 

The other rattata answered, “Marshal.”

 

“How old are you?”

 

They both answered seven.

 

“What moves do you know?”

 

“Tackle, Sand Attack, Tail Whip, and…” Bishop started to list, but his voice fell to a whimper as he finished off. The last word was mumbled so lowly no one could hear it.

 

The turtle stomped their foot, startling the young rat. The turtle ordered, “What was that last one?”

 

“Flail,” the rapidash answered in a sweet melodic tone. Her eyes glowing a ghostly blue. Is she psychic?

 

Dwight nodded and went to the other rat, who listed off the exact same moves. He turned and went on to the next pokemon, the phanpy, and asked the same questions. She answered them in kind. She held herself with just as much composure as Bishop. She took in a shaky breath as she answered the last, “Growl, Tackle, and Ancient Power.”

 

Dwight nodded and moved on to buneary next. Her list included Pound, Defense Curl, Baby-Doll Eyes, and Power-Up Punch. The turtle actually smirked at the one. Maybe she’ll be taken.

 

The avian, named Rueben, was next. He answered the questions and gave his move set; Hone Claws, Leer, Pluck, and Tailwind. The confidence in the gathered pokemon had grown a bit knowing what the torkoal would be asking. They no doubt were running their responses over and over in their heads. Knowing what he wanted to know they were preparing for their turn.

 

The raichu pulled the pichu off their head with a small struggle. The small mouse jumping back towards their parent’s arms the second their paws hit the dirt. The raichu opted to just hold their child as the torkoal approached and asked his questions. The pichu didn’t answer and instead broke down to tears. They cried out, “Please don’t take me! I want to stay with my mommy!”

 

She said it over and over again. Each word stabbing at my heart. I glared at the five pokemon, as did a few others in the crowd. Heartless monsters.

 

“Waste of my time,” the torkoal grumbled and quickly moved onto the next candidates, the poochyena siblings. What I assumed as their mother, a mightyena, stood right behind them with her hair raised and her fangs bared. The bisharp unfurled their blades and they glowed with orange energy. The lizard sparked with electricity as it widened its stance.

 

“Names?” The torkoal asked ignoring the rising tension. A battle was on the brink of breaking out between these guards and the pokemon of the village. A gentle breeze was all it seemed it would take to tip everyone over the edge. And I wasn’t so keen on being in the mix.

 

“Hanna.”

 

“Oliver.”

 

Hanna seemed to hide behind her brother, even when he just a hair smaller than her. Her ears and tail were flat and unmoving. His ears were perked up and his tail was swaying slowly, just like their mother’s.

 

“Moves,” the torkoal didn’t seem phased by either of their reactions.

 

Oliver planted a paw firmly and answered first, “Tackle, Howl, Sand Attack, and Bite.”

 

“Tackle, Howl, Poison Fang, and Bite.” Hanna only answered after getting a small nudge from her brother.

 

The torkoal nodded and moved on towards the snivy, who straightened their back and puffed out their chest.

 

“Stop!"

 

The command ripped across the town and silence fell. The tension seemed to break with the command. It had come from the equine. They took a step forward and said, “The girl lies.”

 

“What?!” Their mother said stepping forward, her body hovering right over her children. She pressed, “Those are my daughter’s moves, how dare you call her a liar.”

 

“She isn’t you’re daughter,” the horse declared as a surge of pink sparkling energy manifested on their horn. They lowered their horn and aimed it at the family of hyena pokemon and unleased a dazzling beam of pink energy. Everyone gasped at the unwarranted attack. Yet no one moved to retaliate.

 

As the pink sparkles faded the mother mightyena had been pushed backwards several feet. She ended up on her back with a small divot made in the dirt showing how far she had been pushed. Her two kids were on her stomach. The boy seemed to be in as much pain as his mother, but the girl had changed. There on was longer a silver and black furred pooch, but a black furred fox. My eyes widened at the revelation. A zorua!

 

The trickster pokemon jumped off their mother and snarled at the equine. It didn’t look exactly like the few I’ve seen before. The fur was a tad bit puffier, and the tail seem longer as well. I quickly chalked it up to the fact she did just get hit with a super effective fairy type attack. I blinked my eyes as a faint shimmer warped her from and she resembled what I remembered a zorua looking like. She growled at the guards, but even it sounded full of fear rather than anger.

 

“Found our first candidate,” the torkoal said stepping up. He glanced to the horse, “Good find, Sergent.”

 

The horse snorted with a smirk. She returned to their false elegant stance. The mightyena pushed herself up and rushed forward, “You will not take her!”

 

“By order of the crown I have every right to do so,” the milotic said. His body cloaked in a blue aura as he charged up some sort of attack. The hyena skid to a stop by the zorua, which rushed to her for safety. Percival turned to the crowd and said, “Any pokemon that attacks will be lawfully arrested for assaulting a protector of the realm.”

 

“More like bully,” I grumbled under my breath.

 

The bisharp stepped towards the mother and daughter, Oliver rushing to his mother’s side as well and growling at the sword blade pokemon. The bisharp ignored the small pooch as orange energy radiated up and down their blades. The dark-steel type ordered, “Relinquish your child, madam. For they have been chosen for the Reaping.”

 

The mightyena quivered for a second before dipping her head. Oliver shouted out, “But, mom! You can’t let them take Hanna.”

 

She quieted him and knelt down closer to her daughter, who was quivering with tears flooding out of her eyes. She whispered something to her and the zorua stood up and walked forward. Her head hung low and her tail dragging on the ground. The bisharp led her towards the lizard, who still sparked with energy. The lizard hovered a hand right by the black fox. The fox sat down and let their tears flow freely.

 

The torkoal nodded and went towards the snivy to continue the reaping. At least he tried before the rapidash interrupted again, “There is a pokemon here of age who didn’t step forward.”

 

Everyone turned their attention to the horse at the declaration. My eyes shot to Arthur. But he seems too young?

 

“A volunteer,” the milotic stated with a strange hunger in their voice.

 

“There,” the horse pointed a hoof. To some place in the crowd. Right at us.

 

Jasper’s hair bristled as he growled. Bella quickly countered, “My son is only three moons old!”

 

“Not your little runt,” the rapidash huffed out. Jasper rose to his paws and growled even louder. A dull vibration filling the air around him. His horn gleaming with a faint magenta aura of a psychic type move. The horse then moved their hoof over a few inches, right at…

 

Me? I followed the angle of the appendage. The black hoof at the end of his leg pointing right at me. But I’m sixteen?

 

“The shiny eevee,” the equine declared.

 

“No!” I quickly said standing up and stepping in front of Brooke, blocking her with my body. I counted, “We aren’t even citizens of this town.”

 

“But you are here,” the milotic countered looking at us. He tilted his head and asked, “How old are you, little vee?”

 

“Like I’d answer that,” Brooke said stepping up and mirroring my stance. The crowd dispersing around us.

 

“She’s seven,” the psychic horse interjected.

 

The milotic smiled and said, “Perfectly in age range and you didn’t follow an order of a Major. That is immediate grounds for volunteer duty for a Reaping.”

 

“I’m not going with you.”

 

“Your compliance isn’t a factor.”

 

“You’re not taking her,” I countered as energy welled up and I unleashed a leafage. A wall of bluish-green energy erupted and quickly ensnared and dispelled my attack. A second later, a jet of water raced forward and smacked me in the face. I was sent head over tail backwards, ending up on my stomach. My head spun as I was seeing doubles everywhere. A wave of nausea washed over me as I tried and failed to pick myself up. Brooke shouted my name and rushed towards me, but a loud clank stopped her in her tracks.

 

The bisharp had leapt forward and now stood between us. Their blades drawn and cloaked in orange energy again. Brooke staggered backwards, right towards the lizard that delivered a quick punch to her side. His fist was covered in crackling electricity. She was sent flying by the powerful strike. I summoned energy for a scratch and slashed at the bisharp. The move did absolutely nothing. I turned to run as a cloven foot came down and smashed by back. I screamed as something snapped. I crumpled to the ground as agony raced over every fiber of my being.

 

Brooke screaming from the side snapped me from my bubble of pain. I tried to push the foot off my back, but it didn’t move an inch. I grit my teeth and glanced around. The crowd had all but scattered back, vacating the center of town. Brooke was on the floor with waves of electricity sparking all over her body. She twitched and heaved in pain. A patch of fur on her side was black and burned. Her eyes slowly closed as she fainted.

 

“It seems we have two volunteers today,” Percival said as he slithered between the two of us. The zorua wrapped up in his coils. She struggled and tried to bite and scratch at the serpent, but she didn’t leave a single mark on his hide. He didn’t even seem fazed by her attacks at all.

 

The lizard stalked over to me, electricity gathering in its paw. I squirmed harder to free myself from the bisharp’s hold. I hissed out, “I’m going to kill you.”

 

“I’d like to see you try,” the milotic smugly said before barking out a laugh. He turned to the dispersed crowd, “You all have a lovely day citizens of Shamrock. This has been a fortuitous Reaping, and I hope we may have another very soon.”

 

The lizard knelt down and delivered a thunder punch right to my face. I was out before my head hit the ground.

Notes:

To note, Aster's knowledge of pokemon species is not 100%. He won't know every pokemon, thus will not be able to put a name to some of them. As he is from Kalos, he will be able to identify most pokemon from Gen 1 to 6. He does know a handful from Alola because of vacations to the region. But he knows next to nothing about any pokemon from Galar and Paldea.

Chapter 9: The Painted Pokemon

Summary:

Aster awakens to find himself in a cage and on his way to Eldergrove in the possession of the guards. Trapped with Brooke and the zorua, they can't do anything but wait for whatever lies ahead of them. That is, until the group is set upon by some strangely marked pokemon.

I groaned as my aching body came back online. Everything stung. Everything hurt. And my muscles felt like they had been stretched and pulled like taffy for hours. The events from right before I blacked out coming back. The battle the freshest memory. If it even could be called a battle. They swept the floor with us. We hardly did any damage, if we did any at all. They knocked both of us out. Where are we?

 

I was being jostled, bumping ever so slightly here and there. I heard footsteps of various kinds belonging to a bunch of pokemon on all sides. There was also the complaining of aged wheels in desperate need of maintenance and oil. I cracked an eye open and was greeted with a dark grey cold metallic floor. The walls of whatever we were in were made of thick metal bars, the ceiling the same color as the floor. I sighed as realization hit me as hard as that thunder punch. This is a cage.

 

I slowly sat up and analyzed the cage I was trapped in. A three by three by three box of pure metal with not a hint of where it even opened from. But I wasn’t alone, Brooke and the zorua from town were both in here with me. Brooke was still out, but the zorua was awake. She was curled up in a tight ball in the corner, small sniffles filling the air. I moved toward Brooke and placed a paw on her side. It rose and fell with faint breaths, only quivering a bit. The fur on her right side was still black and burned, but it seemed superficial. I nudged the eevee with a paw. “Brooke?”

 

She whimpered and batted me away with a weak swat of her leg. She mumbled out, “Get off me.”

 

“It’s me, Brooke,” I said pushing her weak limb down.

 

She groaned as her eyes fluttered open. Sadness pooled in her eyes as she asked, “We got our asses kicked, right?”

 

“Yep,” I answered with a nod.

 

“Fuck,” She let out a heavy puff of air, “My sides hurt.”

 

I was a bit taken aback by hearing her curse. Cursing wasn’t that strange of an occurrence. I did it probably more than my mom was happy with. But hearing those words coming out of Brooke’s mouth was a bit weird. That sweet cute eevee voice cursing was so bizarre. Such a juxtaposition, like if a baby’s first words were just a slew of obscenities. I did wonder if any of her previous vocalizations of ‘eevee’ when I was human were curses. Do I need to get some soap?

 

“You did take a thunder punch to the gut,” I noted, making sure I didn’t touch the more than likely sore area. She slowly sat up and shook a bit of dust and dirt that had coated her. Her fur didn’t sparkle all that much and she jerked to a stop. She hissed as she gingerly placed a paw on the patch of charred fur.

 

I nuzzled the side of her head and asked, “Do you still have that oran berry?”

 

“No,” she answered without checking her tail, “I left it in the room. Didn’t plan on getting arrested.”

 

A chuckle to the side drew my attention to someone outside the cage. I finally took notice of the world beyond the bars trapping us. The cage sat in the back of a wooden wagon and right next to us was the yellow torkoal. Being this close I caught a faint glimmer to his scales and coppery shell.

 

“Did you honestly think we wouldn’t check you for any items or such?” The turtle asked.

 

“She needs a berry,” I said standing up and moving towards the torkoal, “She’s injured.”

 

“It was a low powered thunder punch,” a different voice rang out. I turned around looking out the back of the cart. The bisharp and the purple lizard walking right behind, keeping pace with the wagon. I glanced forward to see the head of the cotton candy rapidash bobbing up at the front, no doubt the power currently moving us onward. But I couldn’t see any hint of the milotic. We were on a dirt path surrounded by trees. Still in the forest?

 

“Still hurt,” Brooke hissed at the lizard.

 

“You have no grounds to complain,” the bisharp snapped back, “You assaulted guards of Eldergrove. Your life was forfeit. You are lucky we only saw to arrest you for your crimes.”

 

“You had no right to choose Brooke for your Reaping, we aren’t even from Eldergrove or Shamrock.”

 

“Shut up,” Percival snapped as the milotic floated in from above. His coils coming to a rest around the cage and his head lowered till it was level with it. He glared and said, “Where you are from is of no concern. You assaulted protectors of the realm and have been arrested for this transgression. The usual sentence is death, but I have been lenient with just choosing you two for the reaping.”

 

He pressed his face against the bars of the cage and coldly asked, “Do you wish for me to revoke such kindness?”

 

His grin was clearly asking for me to say ‘yes’. He would no doubt take satisfaction if I did as he wished. He was just that sick and twisted. I hissed angrily at the serpent and sat down next to Brooke. The milotic leaned back and tapped his chin with his fan like tail. He gazed off at nothing in particular and added, “We could just kill you two and head back and reap someone else,” his gaze flashed to me. There was darkness in them. A wide smile split his face as he coldly said, “Maybe we’ll take that little eevee instead.”

 

“You wouldn’t dare!” I barked standing up. This bastard!

 

Percival just laughed. He turned away as his coils lifted up in the air. He turned to his troops and said, “Let’s get these firebrands back to Eldergrove, we cannot be late for the ceremony.”

 

The serpent levitated away back to the front of the cart, and silence overtook the air around us. Brooke shuffled closer towards me, but was still mindful of her injured side. She whispered, “That bastard. Threatening a kid.”

 

“We can’t let him get his damn scales on Arthur,” I hissed sitting back down.

 

“What have we gotten ourselves into?”

 

“A whole lot of trouble,” I answered, observing the guards all around us. The bisharp looking off to the side at something more interesting. The purple and blue lizard, that I still hadn’t caught the species name of, was keeping an unfocused watch over us. His eyes looking glassed over. The torkoal had lowered his head and seemed to be dozing, the embers on his back having faded to near black. I could hear a conversation being exchanged between the rapidash and milotic, but they were too hushed for me to make out the exact words.

 

“Why must you antagonize them?”

 

My head snapped to the zorua who had turned from her corner to leer at me. I was grateful it wasn’t the actual move and just a hard glare. She had streaks marring the fur on her muzzle. Her eyes were puffy and red and there was a hint of snot on her nose. She sniffled and said, “You’re just going to make it worse for us.”

 

Her voice was filled with hollow defeat. A hollowness that stabbed at my heart. She turned back around and rolled up in a ball. She folded her tail to cover her face. Her body was wracked with wave after wave of trembling shivers, her soft cries piercing the still air. I looked to Brooke for some support, but she had laid back down on her side that wasn’t bruised. I hung my head and sighed. I turned to the black fox and said, “I don’t agree with what they are doing.”

 

“And how can you fight them?” She bit back with a growl, “They’re more of them. They’re bigger than us. They’re older than us. They’re stronger than us. Why fight when you will only lose?”

 

“Just giving up isn’t a way to live,” Brooke glumly said.

 

“And you’re fighting?” The zorua gave her a biting look.

 

“At least I tried,” she said. Her head lowering and her ears dropped. She pawed at the floor. I moved towards Brooke and laid down at her side. The eevee leaned towards me as must as she could without aggravating her side. The zorua shuffled away till she hit the bars of our cage.

 

I tried to meet the black fox’s, but she turned away, looking off to the forest slowly moving on by. I asked, “You can’t honestly want any of this to happen?”

 

“No,” she snapped back and flashed her fangs. I didn’t flinch at the display. She huffed and turned back around. “I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay with my mama. I didn’t want to be taken from my home.”

 

“So,” I drew out the word till her eyes flash to me, “You’re just going to let them win?”

 

She rolled her eyes and pulled her tail back up for coverage, “They already did.”

 

“No,” I curtly said as I inched closer. I offered her a kind smile and determined look. At least I felt I was. She returned it with one of confusion. But she didn’t counter me. She didn’t return to her fluffy black bubble. I saw it as her giving me the go ahead to continue. “So long as we still have our will to go one, they haven’t beaten us.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Why what?” I asked cocking my head to the side.

 

“Why,” she pulled out of her ball and laid down facing me, “Why are you trying to make me feel better? Why should you care? We don’t know each other?”

 

“Why should that matter?” I asked with a shrug.

 

“Pokemon aren’t like that,” she bit back and turned away, “They only care for themselves. They don’t trust anyone. Their afraid of the unknown.”

 

“Aster just cares,” Brooke chimed in from the side, “He’s like that.”

 

The zorua gave me a quizzical look before shaking her head. She didn’t hide in a ball, but she did lay her head down. As she did she said, “You’re weird. You’re both weird.”

 

“Doesn’t mean I’m not right,” I said with a toothy smile.

 

She just huffed with a small titter, “You are the strangest pokemon I’ve ever met.”

 

A paw bopping me on the nose snapped my eyes open. I reeled backwards from the assault. I crossed my eyes to look at my smarted muzzle, then quickly to the zorua with a cheeky grin on her face. She snickered before holding a paw out and saying, “Name’s Hanna.”

 

“Aster,” I accepted the paw with a smile. I nodded by head to the side, “That ball of fluff over there is Brooke.”

 

“This ball of fluff can beat you ten ways to Sunday you grassy cat,” she snapped back, “Don’t push your luck.”

 

Hanna covered her mouth with a paw as she laughed. She turned to me and asked, “Where are you two from? I never saw you in town before.”

 

“The Sapphire Isles,” I answered. I figured to stick with the story I had made this morning. I saw no reason to tell anyone the truth who didn’t need to know it.

 

Brooke seemed to perk up at my statement. Hanna asked, “How did you end up in Shamrock?”

 

“We came through Eldergrove up here,” I answered.

 

“We were planning on joining the guild there,” Brooke added.

 

The lizard gave off a single loud laugh at that. I glared at him and asked, “What’s you’re problem?”

 

“Like the Royal Guild would take in criminals like you,” he shook his head. Even the bisharp cackled. They evidently didn’t think we were up to snuff. Damn bullies.

 

“Not to be the bearer of bad news,” Hanna said. She had turned away, ignoring the two guards. “But we are currently on our way to be either be made the companion to a noble or become one of them.”

 

She nodded her head towards the bisharp and lizard with the end of her statement. She added, “I can perfectly see why you would want to join the Guild, we have one glaring issue stopping us.”

 

“And that would be?” Brooke asked before I could.

 

“How exactly do you expect to get away from them to get to the Guild and not captured?” She tapped her chin with a paw and examined the cage, “Or even get out of this cage?”

 

She waved a paw at the metal bars all around us. I gave the cage a once over. It was made of seamless metal, not a hint of a door or hinge. It was no doubt tough and not willing to yield all that easily. How did they get us in here in the first place?

 

The wagon suddenly grinding to a halt pulled me from my thoughts. We were all sent flying backwards against the bars of the cage. We ended up in a pile of limbs with Brooke and Hanna on top of me. There were shouts and screams from the guards and other pokemon. The sounds of battle firing off. The milotic shouted, “Ambush!”

 

“I just got to sleep,” the shiny torkoal slowly got up and scampered off the cart. Brooke hissed as we untangled ourselves. I shook my fur as I watched the scene play out before us. The purple lizard was driven to the ground by two krokoroks. The bisharp was trading blows with a gallade. The torkoal was letting off bursts of flames, sniping at two fletchinders that were flying circles above and pelting the area with pop shot embers. The milotic let loose a water pulse and sent one of the krokoroks flying straight through a tree. A second later an arc of electricity crossed the road and struck him right in the head. His levitation faltered and another blast quickly hit him again. A magneton floating its way out of the trees was the source of the attack. The rapidash rushed in and angled its horn at the other krokorok. But a blue and black blur tackled the horse, sending them careening off course. The rapidash ended up smashing their head against a tree. Their horn spearing the oak and getting stuck. The riolu who had done the maneuver landing on the edge of the cart.

 

The baby jackal turned and glared daggers at us. Hanna rushed behind me and cowered, which was a bit hard with her being nearly twice my size. Brooke took a step back as well. I wanted to join Hanna at the moment. All over the canine’s body were markings that were the shade of dried blood. But it wasn’t, it was more like the fur had been painted over or tattooed. The blood red ink twisting and turning, forming strange intricate symbols. It was such a vast array of glyphs I couldn’t tell where one ended and the next started. Its entire body had been turned into a canvas. But it was unsettling, something in the back of my mind telling me this was wrong. The riolu’s eyes were a dull steely grey instead of the normal red.

 

Silver energy formed on its paws as it rushed forward. We hunkered down as it brought its claws down and cleaved a gash in the top of the cage. Its other paw came down and raked another line clean through the metal. It kicked the cage, denting the bars with each orange cloaked kick. I summoned a leafage and released it right at the canine. It howled and staggered backwards, falling off the cart.

 

Hanna moved first and quickly squeezed through the hole in the bars. Brooke pushed me and said, “We have to get out of here!”

 

I didn’t need to be told twice and followed her through the bars. Thank Jirachi for making me a tiny cat.

 

Hanna had paused at the edge of the cart. The lizard was down, his neck was torn open and staining the dirt road red. His lifeless eyes staring up to the blue sky above. The riolu ran off took the bisharp down with a low kick. The gallade followed up with a slash of his blades. The dark and steel type collapsed, but the attackers didn’t stop there. The gallade didn’t relent, cutting the bisharp’s body up. Gashes forming in its tough armor as blood ran freely, soaking the gallade crimson. But the markings on its body still stood out.

 

A quick glance confirmed all the attackers had the blood red paint all over their bodies. I dry heaved. Brooke shuffled close to my side. Hanna whimpered and stepped back in the cage. None of this made sense. Pokemon could take a beating, their bodies very resilient and accustomed to taking heavy hits and damage. Their natural barriers prevent most wounds. They always bounced back. The injuries faded with time and healing as if they never happened. Fighting was a basic instinct for them, so their bodies always healed back better than ever. That’s why they loved to fight. That is how it was. But right here, right now, that wasn’t the case.

 

These painted pokemon were eviscerating the guards. Their attacks were rending flesh. They were spilling blood. The worst of injuries sometimes bled, but never like this. Never full on cuts and gashes. Never causing death. This was unnatural. This was wrong on so many levels.

 

The milotic dodged a blast of electricity. Blisters covered his body and some scales were flaking off, exposing the raw red flesh underneath. He fired off a massive deluge of water that took care of the last desert crocs. The torkoal tanked the fire from the fletchinders, but even his shell was cracking and smoldering. The rapidash had pulled free from the tree and fired off a dazzling gleam. The magneton dodged and fired off a pulse of energy. The equine tensed and collapsed. The magnet pokemon rushed forward and smashed the horse’s front legs. A sickening double crack and a scream signaling the damage delt. The trio of balls swung back and did the same with the rapidash’s back legs.

 

Brooke pushed me from my stunned state and ordered, “We have to get out of here.”

 

She jumped off the cart and rushed away from the battle and towards the trees. I went to jump, but stopped. I turned back to the cowering zorua. Hanna had formed an even tighter whimpering ball this time. Letting off a constant barrage of the same words. “I want my mommy.”

 

I grit my teeth and rushed towards her. I moved to gently tap her side, but she screamed and drove a paw cloaked in bubbling black energy square in my gut. I groaned as I collapsed, I pulled my legs towards me as I wheezed out in short labored breaths. Trying to get the air that had been forced out of my lungs back in.

 

“Aster!” She rushed forward, pushing her face right up to mine. Fresh tears matted her fur, and her eyes were red once again. Worry etched on every inch of her face. She cried out, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you!”

 

I pushed her aside and got to my paws. My chest hurt, but I screamed out, “Later! Move!”

 

She didn’t budge an inch, going back to cowering in fear. I growled and bit down on her tail to just drag her. But there was a shimmer, and the black fox vanished. I released her tail with a gasp. The black fox was now replaced with a snowy white zorua. A scarf like ruff that waved in a nonexistent breeze. Her long tail and tuft of hair on her head did the same. The ends looking like they had been dipped in crimson. Her teal eyes became a bright amber that seemed to glow. She had splotches of black marring her fur that didn’t look natural.

 

She flinched back and quivered in the corner. I rushed forward and bit on her ruff and tossed her towards the exit. I barked, “Just get moving!”

 

She whimpered, but followed the order. I nudged her backside and pushed her off the cart. She landed and rushed off to the left. I cursed when I didn’t see any hint of the shiny eevee. The magneton was on the ground in various pieces. The two fire birds had vanished. The milotic was sprawled out with a deep gash running along nearly the entire length of his body, his insides now outsides. The torkoal was fending off the gallade’s furious slashes with constant protects. The barriers a faint blue and not as solid as they should be. His shell cracked and leaking magma.

 

I jumped off and followed Hanna. She screamed as the riolu jumped at her with a metal coated paw. I rushed forward and tackled the canine. I knew it wasn’t the move, but I just wanted to daze the jackal. To get it away from the scared fox. But my tackle did nothing but make my head hurt. Damn steel body!

 

I rolled to the side, canceling the scratch I was charging and dodging the metal claw that sent clods of grass and dirt flying. The riolu spun and rushed towards me wrapped in a golden white aura. Before I could respond, the attack pushed me backwards and through a bush. I picked myself up and readied a tail whip. I need to get some stat changes up in here.

 

I burst through the bushes and maneuvered my body so my tail would hit the riolu. It responded with another kick, her entire leg wrapped in golden aura. Pain exploded through my lower body as I was sent flying towards a tree. Stars danced in my vision as I curled up, my hind legs going limp. I dry heaved as my body went numb. I could only wheeze weakly. I whimpered as pain became my world. More so than when the bisharp tried to snap my spine or when Hanna punched me. Tears rolling down my face as I rocked back and forth. It kicked me in the…

 

A mocking chuckle pierced my ball of pain and misery. I peeked an eye open. Tears blurred my vision, but I could clearly see the colorful blue and black canine against the greens and browns of the forest. The riolu was laughing a sickening murderous laugh. It reached forward and lifted me by the scruff of my neck. I didn’t fight against its hold. My body hurt beyond belief, and I couldn’t muster the strength to move at all. It dangled me there and barked a laugh in my face.

 

“Unhand him, you bitch!”

 

A blur of silver tackled the riolu and sent it flying off to the side. I fell to the ground with a whimpered groan. I didn’t get up, I couldn’t. I tried to will myself off the ground and away from the canine, but my body refused to listen to my commands. I still couldn’t feel my lower half. Brooke rushed to my side and picked my head up. Worry was etched across her face. “Aster? Are you okay? What happened?”

 

I tried to speak, but I couldn’t form words, only sobs coming out of my mouth. The pain still coursing through my entire body. The riolu howled in anger. Brooke set me down gingerly as she turned to face the riolu. She hunched down ready for a fight and demanded, “What did you do to him?”

 

The canine only snarled in response. I could just barely see her. Moving my head was a chore. She stood opposite Brooke, her paws cloaked in metal energy yet again. Brooke snarled and rushed forward. She slammed her paws down, sending a spray of dirt and grass right at the riolu. The canine blocked the attack with her paws. Brooke then jumped high with her legs covered in orange energy. The riolu dodged to the side, Brooke’s double kick missing. The riolu turned and delivered a metal claw swiftly to her side. Brooke was pushed back, but she planted her paws and took the brunt of the attack. She closed the distance and delivered a quick tackle to the riolu’s gut.

 

The jackal groaned in pain as its body tensed up. It fell down a second later and didn’t move. It had fainted. Brooke stood on top of the downed canine. She moved forward and pressed her mouth to the riolu’s neck. She gripped the riolu in her fangs. I quickly ordered, “Don’t.”

 

My voice was week and shaky and a few octaves higher than normal. Brooke pulled her head free and fixed me with a hurt look, “Why not? She deserves it.”

 

While I could agree with the all-encompassing pain the riolu had brought upon me and what we witness earlier, I couldn’t allow Brooke to do that. I fixed my eevee with as hard of a look as I could muster, which probably looked pained nonetheless. I said, “Leave it.”

 

Brooke hesitated for a second before rushing over and hugging me. I hissed and she pulled away. She gave me a worried look and asked, “You okay? What did she do to you?”

 

I laid down on my back, the pain just beginning to wane. I closed my eyes as I felt pins and needles all over my lower body. But the pain still radiated from my crotch. I breathed out, “Kicked me in the balls.”

 

“What?!”

 

“Just get me out of here, can’t feel my legs.” Can’t believe I got hit in the balls with a quick attack.

 

Brooke set me down and quickly wormed her way under my body. She lifted me on her back and ran off. The sounds of battle had died down as we crossed the forest and left the path behind. I was okay with this, I didn’t want to stay around any longer. Brooke rushed down a small bluff and got us under the cover of some bushes. Once there, she put me down. I shifted in place, keeping off my lower back as best I could. As soon as I got settled she moved forward and slapped me in the face. I saw stars again as I righted myself. I seethed, “What was that for?”

 

“Where in dis did you go?” She cried out, tears forming, “I ran off, but I didn’t see you anywhere.”

 

She sniffled and the tears broke, “I-I-I thought I lo-lost you.”

 

She hugged me, one I gladly returned. I ran a paw along her back as she cried. She pulled me in tighter as she said, “I went looking for you, but I couldn’t find you. I came back hoping you would be here, and I find you being attacked by that damn riolu.”

 

I held on to Brooke tightly as said, “I had to get Hanna out of there.”

 

“Where is she?” Brooke pulled away and checked around us.

 

“I don’t know,” I shook my head, “I stopped the riolu from attacking her and she ran off into the woods.”

 

I tried to pull out of the hug, which Brooke protested and kept me in a vise like grip. She declared, “I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”

 

I chuckled and answered with a mock tone of bravado, “I can fend for myself.”

 

“Can you now?” Brooke gave me a sideways glance and a raised brow, “How does lying on the floor in pain constitute fending for yourself.”

 

“I was kicked in the balls with a quick attack,” I deadpanned, “You tell me when that is a common occurrence.”

 

“Don’t use your nuts to block an attack in the future,” she answered back before quickly devolving into giggles.

 

“Oh, ha, ha, ha,” I pushed her away. She fell over, but remained on her back, laughing the entire time. I rolled my eyes and picked myself up. My legs were a bit shaky, but they held me well enough that I didn’t fear I was going to collapse. Everything still hurt down there, but it was a dull throb. I couldn’t feel my back legs as much, it stung with each step I took. This is the worst kind of pain.

 

A small sniffle stopped me in my tracks. My ears swiveled and tried to find the source of the small cry. A quick glance at Brooke showed she heard the same noise and was equally confused. She got off the floor and started looking around. My ears zeroed in when I heard it again. It was coming from ahead, and it was close. I walked towards the noise, taking my steps slowly and carefully so I didn’t crumble from the static that had consumed half my body. I weaved my way over sticks and leaves to eliminate any noise I would make. Brooke right by my side and mirroring my actions. It got louder and clearer the closer I got to a large bush on the edge of the clearing. I got down to my belly and wiggled my way through the bush. Beyond the wall of leaves was a figure huddled in a hollowed out golden yellow stump. A familiar white wispy figure.

 

Hanna was curled up in the darkness of the fallen tree. She was quivering and crying. Her tail coiled around her and still flowing in a nonexistent breeze. Clear tears falling to the grassy floor, a thin layer of frost around the body of the wispy fox. I pushed myself through the rest of the bush. The rustling leaves startling the ghostly fox. She spun around with a yelp. She shuffled back and whimpered. She hit the back of the stump and screamed. She screwed her eyes shut and cowered. I sat down and held up my paws. I spoke in the softest voice I could muster, “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”

 

She cracked a glowing amber eye open, then they both shot open a second later. She nearly shouted, “Aster?”

 

The voice sounded eerie and cold. A chill running down my spine when she spoke. There was a faint undertone of ghostly wails to her voice. She turned to me and asked, “What happened?”

 

I simply waved my paws in a motion for her to sit. I softly said, “Calm down. It’s only us.”

 

The zorua let in rapid breaths, her eyes darting back and forth. She still trembled. I took a single step forward, she recoiled back. She asked, “Are you going to hurt me?”

 

“Why would I do that?” I stopped in my tracks and gave her a confused look, my head tilting to the side automatically.

 

She quivered and answered, “Because I’m a ghost.”

 

“You are?” I asked genially confused. I know zorua are dark types. Is she not a zorua?

 

“Yes,” she nodded rapidly, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

 

“No,” I shook my head, “Why would I be afraid of a ghost type pokemon?”

 

“Because everyone is.” She answered sullenly, fresh tears falling and making more snow.

 

I inched closer, keeping myself just beyond the hole in the stump, but not blocking her only exit. I didn’t want her to escape, but I didn’t want her to feel trapped. I asked, “Why would they be afraid of ghost pokemon. I like ghost pokemon.”

 

She sniffled, her teary eyes boring into me. Her face laced with a mixture of fear, sadness, and confusion. Her brain short circuiting as she uselessly flapped her mouth open. She lifted her leg, but set it down. Her ears twitched and the wispy tails unfurled from her body. She sat down in a loaf. She hesitantly asked, “Yo-you’re na-not sca-scared of me?”

 

I sat down and shook my head. I gave her a small smile, “Not in the slightest.”

 

“Why are pokemon afraid of ghosts?” Brooke asked sliding up next to me, but being mindful of the gap in the stump. “Ghosts are just ghosts.”

 

“Everyone has always been afraid of ghost pokemon,” Hanna explained, “It’s just the way it is. Ghosts are scary. Ghosts are mean. Ghosts are…”

 

She snapped to attention and asked, “How in dis do you not know this?! Everyone does. Everyone is afraid of ghosts.”

 

Tears streamed down her face as she curled up again. I rushed forward and quickly embraced her as best I could, given the size difference. At least with Brooke we were the same size, but Hanna easily shadowed me. I didn’t care about keeping my distance. Brooke followed suit. The white fox whimpered, but she didn’t try to flee. She leaned closer to me, soaking my side with her tears. Her body felt cold against my skin. Like it was pulling all the warmth and joy out of me. Like I wouldn’t feel happy ever again. But I didn’t care. She balled out her tears onto my side.

 

She eventually petered out and extracted herself from us. We separated but remained inside the safety of the hollowed out stump. She gave another sniffle and wiped her mouth. She gave a small smile, “Thanks.”

 

“Don’t worry,” I said with a wave of my paw.

 

“You okay?” Brooke asked.

 

Hanna gave a small hum and nod of her head. She sniffled again and asked, “You really aren’t afraid of me?”

 

“No,” I shook my head. Brooke did the same. “We aren’t like most pokemon. We don’t care what type you are or not. We wouldn’t judge you based on who or what you are.”

 

 I nodded at Brooke. She gave me a determined nod back with a gentle smile.

 

“You shouldn’t feel ashamed of what you are,” Brooke said giving the white fox a small pet on the back.

 

Hanna smiled, “Thanks, you two.”

 

We simply sat there in silence. The sounds of the forest surrounding us. There were no pokemon to be heard of, wild or otherwise. It was just us in the hollow. The wind flying through and rustling the leaves. I broke the silence asking, “Are you a zorua?”

 

The question had been nagging at the back of my mind and was desperate to come out. Hanna fixed me with a scorned look. Like I had just slapped her, her brother, and her mother in the face. I quickly added, “You said you are a ghost, but I know that zorua are dark types.”

 

She hung her head and batted the dirt and debris with a paw. She mumbled out, “I’m somewhat of a zorua, but also not.”

 

“You do look like one,” Brooke added.

 

In a shimmer of light the white fox vanished and was replaced with a normal black zorua. Hanna continued to play with the remains of the decaying tree. “I’m what is called a zorsune. I’m a different type of zorua. Those are dark types, but I’m a ghost and normal type.”

 

“Zorsune?” I repeated back, tasting the word on my tongue. I’ve never heard of that type of pokemon. I’ve heard of variants of normal pokemon living in different environments before. But not one of zorua or zoroark. I’ve seen an alternate raichu with a softer looking body and larger tail. A different muk that was a rainbow of colors instead of noxious purple. A black and white zigzagoon. Maybe that rapidash was one of those too?

 

“Yes,” Hanna nodded, “That’s my species name.”

 

She seemed embarrassed of the fact. Like she didn’t want to be different. I quickly nuzzled up to her. She stiffened at the reaction, but she didn’t move away from me. I pulled back as something dawned on me. “But you were black in town when your illusion was shattered.”

 

I turned to her and pressed, “How come you weren’t white then?”

 

She lowered her head and kicked her paws as she answered, “My mama has me cover myself in charcoal to make me look black before I put on my poochyena illusion. Just in case it is ever shattered I’ll still look like a normal zorua long enough for me to apply an illusion to look like one instead of a zorsune.”

 

“Clever,” Brooke said with a bit of surprise in her voice. I was as well. It was a bit ingenious if you wanted to hide your ghostly nature at first glance. The white fur was so striking against the normal black. I didn’t even catch it when the illusion first fell. She looked like any normal zorua. Zorua were the only pokemon that could hide their appearance so you would expect to see a black fox when you did shatter their illusion.

 

“Thanks,” she gave a small smile and pulled her legs back in.

 

Brooke stood up and shook herself off. She asked, “Should we get you back to town?”

 

“Shamrock?” Hanna asked seeming a bit confused by the declaration.

 

I stood up “We can bring you back before we head off to Eldergrove.”

 

“We can’t!” The disguised fox shouted jumping to her paws.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Yeah,” I asked confused, “Why can’t we?”

 

Hanna shook her head, “We can’t head back. Not after we’ve been reaped.”

 

I wanted to ask why, but the zorsune didn’t give me the chance to ask. “If we head back they’ll know something is up. They will ask questions. They will find out what happened…”

 

She trailed off to a whimper. She fell to the ground as more tears began to fall. Her eyes became unfocused as she stared off in the distance. My gaze turned to the general direction we had run here from. From the ambush. The bloody massacre of the guards. I gulped as I realized what she meant.

 

If we went back to Shamrock they would ask questions. They would want to know why we were back when they never expected us to return at all. They would investigate. They would find the bodies. They would find the carnage. We were the only ones with the guards. We would be suspects in their death. We would be brought back to Eldergrove for the whole reaping thing again. That’s if they didn’t charge us with their murders and do something worse. Would they even believe our story?

 

I sat down hard, sending a cloud of dust around me. “Fuck.”

 

“What do we do?” Brooke asked as she sat down, the realization hitting her as well.

 

No one spoke. Neither of us wanted to speak. We didn’t know what to do, we were frozen in stunned realization of just how screwed we were.

 

“Wait.” Hanna’s voice shattered the silence like a bowling ball thrown at a mirror. My head snapped to her fast enough to probably give me whiplash. The zorsune asked, “You said you wanted to join the Guild in Eldergrove right?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Isn’t it not safe to go to that city after what happened with the guards?” Brooke couldn’t help but counter.

 

“Then we’re saved,” the disguise fox gleefully stood up with the widest smile I saw on her face, which seemed almost strange in some sense.

 

“How?” Brooke pressed just as confused as I was.

 

Hanna paused for a second, confused at our confusion. She asked, “Do you not know?”

 

“We’re from the Sapphire Islands,” I explained, “I’m not that familiar with everything here on the mainland.”

 

Hanna seemed to accept that and explained, “The Guild can offer us sanctuary. They can protect us from the guard, they’re known for protecting some criminals from the kingdom’s judgment.”

 

“Within reason,” she quickly added.

 

“Murder might seem like a bit of a stretch,” Brooke countered.

 

“Accusation of murder,” I corrected. I stood up and smiled, “We can plead our case to them, tell them our side of the story that the crown probably wouldn’t give two shits about. We don’t really have any other option other than living out here in the forest. Seems like our only option right now.”

 

“Isn’t it the Royal Guild though?” Brooke asked, “Doesn’t that mean they have to do whatever the king or whatever says?”

 

“No,” Hanna shook her head, “It’s only royal in name. It was founded a hundred years ago. Back under the King of Kino who unified the entire land. Ever since that kingdom collapsed the Guild never answers to anyone other than themselves. The King of Eldergrove has no real authority over them.”

 

“Then it’s settled,” I stood up, “We’ll make our way to Eldergrove and to the Guild. Hopefully they’ll let us in.”

 

Hanna squeed in joy. She danced around and said, “I always wanted to be on an adventure team!”

 

I turned and made for the exit of the stump. My paw came to rest on the edge, and I touched something cold. An icy tingle coursing up my limb. I lifted the paw and inspected what it was. A pit quickly formed in my stomach. My breath hitched as I felt my blood run cold. Right where I had placed my paw was a silvery upside down triangle with a tear drop in it. Mystery dungeon!

 

The ground began to shake around us. Hanna leapt forward and grabbed me by the neck. She screamed, “What’s happening?”

 

The floor below us opened. Forming a deep black pit that swallowed us before I could utter a word. We fell and the ground sealed up around us, locking us in complete darkness. We kept on falling.

Notes:

Adding the regional variants brought up an issue, the fact that none of the regions the variants are named after exist in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon world. It wouldn't make sense to call them by their regional names when places like Galar, Alola, and Hisui do not exist. But just naming them by their default species name didn't make sense to me either. There was no way to differentiate between them when both forms of zorua would be called "zorua".

Thus I went through all of the regional variants that plan on appearing and gave them all different names. Hisuian zorua will be referred to as zorsune, a combination of "zorua" and "kitsune". A fitting name in my opinion with them being ghostly / spirit foxes, like kitsune.

Chapter 10: Cavern Chaos

Summary:

Aster, Brooke, and Hanna face their first trial as an adventure team; making their way through the mystery dungeon they accidently ended up in.

Notes:

Thank you all so, so, so much for getting Advent of Dreams to over 1,000 Hits!

I picked myself off the cold rough floor with a groan. I definitely sprained something when I hit the ground. A mass rolled off my back and let out a small grunt. There was hardly any light, but I could see two amber eyes in the inky blackness. Hanna must have landed on my back. Another set of grunts from the side must have been Brooke. My body was getting battered and bruised beyond belief today. My spine felt like I had a massage from a machamp. My back legs still hurt, and I couldn’t quite feel my nuts either. I should probably check them when I get a chance.

 

I rolled my shoulders and stretched my back. A light bursting to life a second later. My hackles rose as the faint blueish light erupted from rocky sconces in the wall. The entire place was made of unevenly cut dark brown rock. We’re underground?

 

I turned every which way, but only the fixtures nearest us were illuminated. I could see the hallway stretch further till the abyss swallowed it up. The path behind us was a solid wall of rock. Only forward I guess.

 

There was no sign of where we fell, it was just more solid rock. I sat down and sighed, “Another Arceus damned mystery dungeon?”

 

“What happened?” Hanna sat up and rubbed the side of her head. Her illusion had shattered from the fall. She examined every inch of the small cave we ended up in. She turned to me with a fearful expression, “Where are we?”

 

I shook some dust off and answered, “We fell into a mystery dungeon.”

 

Her face flashed with worry, but it quickly evaporated as she smiled. Her eyes scanned over every inch of the small bit of the dungeon we could see, “I always wanted to go into one. My mama never let me go anywhere near them.”

 

Brooke stepped forward, towards the only way onward, “We ended up in one yesterday. It was all tree like and filled with bug types.”

 

“I wonder if this is one of the ones Lily talked about?” I asked mindlessly looking at the cavern we now ended up in. It was a different dungeon that was for sure. I was glad there might not be bug types in this one, my fur bristling at the thought. With it being a cave I hoped for rock types. At least then I’ll have a type advantage.

 

I stood up and moved forward, the sconces on the wall lighting up as I passed them. I smiled, “We can do this together.”

 

“This isn’t like one of your stronghold and demon things,” Brooke countered.

 

“I know it isn’t,” I retorted, “But we can’t just sit around.”

 

With no objections we set out, Brooke and I walked in front with Hanna right behind us. We came upon a massive room that I couldn’t see the top of. Above us was only blackness. The room was cloaked in darkness with only faint motes of light filtering around. The ground was uneven with massive brown boulders haphazardly sticking out of the ground. I could just make out two other pathways branching off. Hanna asked, “So what’s it like in a mystery dungeon?”

 

I slowly walked forward. “It’s a crazy massive magical maze that is full of treasure and hostile pokemon.”

 

“Like those strange painted ones?” Hanna asked as we neared the center of the room. I spied a small blue blob on the ground. I made my way towards and picked up the oran berry. I handed it to Brooke who stowed it in her tail.

 

“Kinda,” I offered, “But more like run of the mill animals than thinking pokemon.”

 

“Will they attack us?”

 

“Most likely,” Brooke said as she kicked a pebble. She quickly turned to the white fox and asked, “Can you use any moves?”

 

Hanna shuffled backwards and mumbled out something, but I couldn’t catch a word of it. I turned to the zorsune and asked, “If you don’t want to fight, that’s okay.”

 

She whimpered, “I do want to fight, but I’m not really good at it.”

 

“What moves do you know?” Brooke pressed.

 

Hanna scuffed her paw on the rock ground and answered, “Leer, Scratch, and Sucker Punch.”

 

Was on the receiving end of that last one earlier. I rubbed my stomach where I felt a bruise already forming. I was tempted to take the oran berry, but I felt it would be better to save it till when someone desperately needed it. I said, “Not a bad list.”

 

“No ghost type moves?” Brooke asked. Hanna just shook her head.

 

I gently offered, “Maybe we can do some training when we get out of here.”

 

“Really?” Her tail wagged.

 

“If we’re going to be joining the Guild, I expect we’ll be going into a lot more of these dungeons on our quest.”

 

“Quest?” Hanna tilted her head in confusion. It was a perfect mirror of a confused puppy.

 

Before I could respond, Brooke brushed up to my side and nudged me to turn around. I gave the other fox a fleeting glance before following Brooke a few steps away. She whispered, “Are you sure we should even make a team with more pokemon with the whole Jirachi mission and human thing?”

 

I glanced back at Hanna, she was watching us with an apprehensive look. I turned back and said, “Having more members on a team couldn’t hurt,” I smiled, “Type coverage and all that.”

 

“You’re not wrong,” Brooke nodded, “But what about the whole quest thing.”

 

“We have to trust someone, Brooke.” I felt weird to use those words against her after my trust issues with Aspen the other day. But I felt just the two of us would struggle if we didn’t have help. A willing partner like Hanna was leagues better than nothing.

 

“But what if- “

 

I stood up and cut her off with a slap of my tail against her muzzle, “No buts, Brooke.”

 

I walked back to Hanna, she snapped to attention as I did. She asked, “What’s going on?”

 

I sat down and silently motioned for her to do the same. She hesitantly did so. I took a deep breath before saying, “I’m going to need you to listen for a second.”

 

“Okay?” Hanna scooted back an inch.

 

“I need you to promise that you will tell no other pokemon what I’m about to tell you.”

 

“Wha- “

 

“Promise,” I cut her off with a hiss, “I need you to promise. I need to tell you something before we do this whole adventure team thing.”

 

“I promise,” she quickly said with a small shake. Brooke sat down at my side with a huff.

 

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been sent on a quest by Jirachi to find the shattered remains of the First Star.”

 

“Jirachi?”

 

I nodded.

 

“The First Star?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“The star my mama said was used to defeat the evil Amalgam. That First Star?”

 

I paused a second before nodding. I guess so. Jirachi never told me that story.

 

“Are you a human?”

 

That question floored me. Of all the things she could ask I was not expecting that one. I felt faint. My heart pulsed slowly, and my blood ran cold. Is she?

 

“How do you know?” Brooke pressed. She had stepped forward and took a defensive stance in front of me.

 

Hanna didn’t sense the danger Brooke was emanating or simply ignored it. She giggly answered, “They’re stories all across the world of humans turned into pokemon popping up in times of great danger that have threaten the world in past decades.”

 

She gazed off dreamily, “There was a torchic and eevee that defeated groudon and helped stop a meteor from hitting the planet. A vulpix and shinx that saved the world from time paralysis. A pikachu and oshawott that defeated the evil Bittercold. Even a mudkip and a riolu that stopped Dark Matter and saved the Tree of Life. All of them were humans who were turned into pokemon.”

 

She turned to us, her amber eyes sparkling even brighter, “There have always been stories of humans turned pokemon being brought here to save the world from some disaster. Everyone has been wondering when and where the next one would pop up.”

 

She squealed and hopped in place. Pure euphoria on her face as she shut her eyes and smiled from cheek to cheek. “And I found one. I’m going to be an adventure! I’m going to save the world!”

 

She jumped forward and pressed her muzzle right up against mine. She asked, “Do you have amnesia?”

 

“Amnesia?” I asked as I shuffled backwards in an attempt to preserve my personal space.

 

“Yeah,” she nodded, “All those humans lost their memories when they first woke up as a pokemon.”

 

“No,” I shook my head, “I don’t have amnesia.”

 

“Huh,” her energy faded somewhat, “That’s strange. I wonder why Jirachi didn’t take your memories.”

 

She quickly snapped to attention and said, “You have my word, Aster, I will not tell a soul that you are a human.”

 

“Good,” I nodded. I half expected her to jump at me again. What happened to the scared little zorua from earlier?

 

“So what’s the deal with the First Star, was it broken and we need to fix it so that pokemon’s wishes can come true?”

 

“No,” I shook my head, “Someone by the name of Roland stole it.”

 

She gasped. I rolled my eyes and continued, “It broke into nine pieces, and he gave them to a bunch of minions to keep it separated so Jirachi couldn’t wake up and stop him.”

 

“And we need to find the pieces and put the star back together to stop him!”

 

“Yes,” I couldn’t help smile. Her energy was somewhat infectious.

 

“Then let’s get going,” she rushed forward and towards the nearest passage, “Adventure awaits!”

 

Brooke zipped past in a blur of white energy and blocked her. Hanna skidded to a halt and asked, “What’s wrong.”

 

“Let’s not rush into this so willy nilly,” Brooke attempted to reel in the overexcited fox, “We are still in a mystery dungeon.”

 

“Oh,” Hanna seemed to deflate, and she stepped back, “Okay.”

 

“Brooke,” I said walking over to the two, “We are a team, no fighting.”

 

“Sure, Aster,” she straightened up and we made our way towards the passage.

 

“Are you a human too?” Hanna asked Brooke.

 

Brooke shook her head, “Nope, pure breed eevee since the day I was born.”

 

“Where are you from then?”

 

“Same place as Aster,” Brooke answered.

 

“She’s my partner pokemon,” I added.

 

“Partner pokemon?” Hanna’s face was awash with confusion. No doubt not understanding what I meant at all.

 

Brooke answered, “He was a pokemon trainer back in his world. I was his pokemon.”

 

“What’s a pokemon trainer?”

 

“A person who trains pokemon, goes on journeys, battles gyms, and a whole lot of other things.” I listed off, “I was getting ready to go off on my journey with Brooke before the whole Jirachi thing happened.”

 

“And the whole thing with being from the Sapphire Isles?”

 

“A lie to not raise too much suspicion,” Brooke explained.

 

“That is a bit more believable than the whole human and Jirachi thing,” I offered, “And I kinda would like to stick with that story.”

 

“Sure,” the white fox nodded and fell in line.

 

Large boulders of white crystal floated around the next room. They lit it up far better than the last was. The floor fell away to a massive lake of black water in the middle. The water silent and unmoving. I hesitantly inch forward, looking around for any feral pokemon. Movement out of the corner of my eye got my attention. I focused a leafage as the figure lumbered out of the shadows.

 

The creature was a small sphere of dark blue rock with tiny brown legs. It also had a stem like part on the top of its head, all giving it the appearance of a stony fruit. It lumbered forward, giving off a rocky cry before rushing. I unleashed my wall of glowing green leaves a second later. They battered and sent the obvious rock type rolling backwards. It came to a stop on its back, its little legs kicking. Brooke followed it up with a golden cloaked tackle that sent it flying. The rocky fruit dissolved along its arc and the mist floated upwards, joining the inky blackness. Was that quick attack?

 

The golden glow meant the attack she just used was not tackle and the quicker moving aptly named quick attack. I moved towards the silver eevee and asked, “When did you learn quick attack?”

 

“Not sure,” she answered looking down at two reddish orange seeds the rock pokemon left behind, “I just suddenly felt like I could move a lot faster when I went to stop that riolu earlier.”

 

“Was that really quick attack?” She asked. I just nodded in response. The move had to be quick attack. I had seen plenty of pokemon use it before, and the aura that had consumed her body was exactly the same. We had practiced improving her tackle and to get her to learn quick attack a while back without much progress. I guess it came down to her needing a bigger push to learn it than simply training. And me being in danger was evidently a big one.

 

Brooke picked up the seeds. She rolled them over in her paws. She looked to the two of us and asked, “What are these?”

 

I took one from her and inspected it. The seed was hot to the touch, like a piece of warm charcoal plucked from a recently extinguished fire. It was hot, but not enough that it hurt. A comfortable warmth.

 

“Blast seeds,” Hanna answered peering down at them, “If you eat it you can spit a blast of fire, or you can throw them to make a small explosion.”

 

“I don’t know if I want to try eating these,” Brooke said stowing them in her tail.

 

“We really need to get a treasure bag or something to carry the loot we get,” Hanna said, “The Guild should be able to give us some.”

 

“Aster, dodge!” Brooke screamed.

 

The shout jolted me, and I leapt backwards without a second thought. A ball of purple fluid impacted right where I once was. A puddle of noxious goop that fizzled and ate away at the rocky floor. The smell stinging my nose. A figure popped above the surface of the mirky water, disturbing the once mirror like pool. It was a bulbous light blue jellyfish with two large red bumps on its head. I summoned another leafage and fired it at the jellyfish like pokemon.

 

The water pokemon dove under and avoided the attack. The magical leaves hitting the surface and dissipating. I charged another one and waited for it to appear again. Brooke stepped forward and asked, “Should we just leave? We don’t have any real ranged attacks, and I don’t think it can leave the water.”

 

“Probably,” I sighed. I gave the water one last glance, but the jellyfish didn’t return. We turned and rushed down the path behind us. I wasn’t sure if it was the only one, but it was the closes. The hallway was the same as the last, only this one curved to the left.

 

The next room was vaguely circular with a thin layer of light brown sand in the center. I scanned for any signs of life, but there was no one else in here besides us three. A glance behind yielded no sign of the jellyfish having followed us. Brooke made her way forward. Walking on the sand was a bit weirder with paws, but I caught up to her. We stopped in the middle of the sandy room. From here there were three paths forward. I found a few coins in the sand and handed them off to Brooke. There were a few dull grey ones, a couple copper ones, and two silver coins. She grumbled, “Don’t have much space left in here.”

 

She glanced to Hanna and asked, “Can you store some?”

 

The zorsune shook her head, “Sorry, no. Not really. My tail fur isn’t that dense to hold anything like yours.”

 

With no pokemon coming out to fight we continued onward and made our way towards the door on the right. We continued on in silence and soon came upon a small room at the end of the hallway. A set of stairs perfectly cut from the rock stood in the center and rose towards the black mist. We didn’t waste time ascending them.

 

I passed the threshold and was consumed by the blackness. A wave of anxiety washed over me as I crossed to the next floor. It was the same as the first. Brown rocky hallways leading off to somewhere else in the dungeon. I shook the foreign feeling off as I felt a chill grip at my body. Being in the dark was starting to drain my energy. I needed sunlight. Brooke and Hanna materialized a second later at my side. The zorsune shook herself and said, “That was creepy. Right?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded,” Something felt a bit off about going up those stairs.”

 

“I like this dungeon less than the first,” Brooke said as she moved ahead. We turned a corner and entered the next room. This one was a long stretch of land with steaming mounds dotting it. The air inside was sweltering. There were several feral pokemon moving about in the heat like it wasn’t a problem. Which for fire types, of course, it wasn’t. There were a few slugma, a numel, and some houndour.

 

Shit! Fire types. I took a tentative step backwards. Brooke’s gaze swapped between me and the room a few times before she stepped closer and asked, “You okay.”

 

She no doubt saw the worried expression on my face. I couldn’t feel anything but fear as my eyes remained locked on the hot box of a room ahead of us. This was the only path forward. The way back having already sealed up behind a solid wall of stone. Visions of the larvesta flashing in my mind. I nearly collapsed from a single fire type attack. I couldn’t survive in that room. I’m screwed.

 

I stepped back under the safe glow of the blue lights. The heat of the room chased away by the coldness of the cavern. I answered, “That room is full of fire types and I’m a grass type. I have no hope of getting through there.”

 

“I don’t know,” I said with a despairing wail. I sat down. “I have no idea how to get us through this damn dungeon.”

 

“Come on.” Hanna nudged my side. Her cool touch chasing away the heat. “We can’t just stay here.”

 

“This is the only path,” I bemoaned, “There isn’t any other way out of here.”

 

“We can’t just give up.” Brooke said.

 

I peered back at the room, the faint red glow of the pokemon illuminating the walls and pillars of steam. Hanna remained at my side as she asked, “Can we just make a run for it?”

 

“We could,” I agreed, “But one fire attack and I’m screwed.”

 

I picked myself up and moved towards the entrance. The foxes by my side. I looked to them and asked, “Any ideas?”

 

“How ‘bout these,” Brooke said pulling the two red seeds out.

 

“That might work,” Hanna nodded with a smile.

 

“Let’s just throw one to daze them and just run.”

 

They both agreed and we took positions back at the entrance to the boiling room. Brooke put one of the seeds back in her tail. She gingerly held the other in her paw. I squared my shoulders and hunkered down ready to leap forward. I stared the scorching room down. “Just run as fast as you can and don’t stop.”

 

“One.”

 

Brooke curled her leg back to chuck the seed.

 

“Two.”

 

Hanna mirrored my stance, her tail wagging ever so slightly.

 

“Three!”

 

Brooke tossed the seed forward. It hit the ground and erupted in a ball of orange flames, sending rocks and pokemon flying. I jumped and ran as fast as my paws could carry me. A houndour barked, trying to alert the other pokemon in the room, but the blast had confounded the others. One hound that was away from the seed fired off a small blast of flames. I dodged to the side and behind one of the steaming mounds. A slugma came forward and released a cloud of black smoke. I leapt back out of the attack and made my way around as the numel rushed towards me cloaked in white light. I summoned a leafage and swirled the leaves around me to distract the pokemon. The damage would be minimal with the type disadvantage doing basically nothing to them.

 

Brooke rushed on by, using the energy from a quick attack to dodge out of the path of the numel. Hanna was right behind her, the joy she had in exploring the dungeon was gone as she screamed, a rogue houndour letting loose a few pot shot embers at her. One of them hit its mark and she was sent flying across the room, her white fur stained black.

 

I jumped out of my flurry of leaves and rushed forward. My claws extended and I hit the houndour. It yipped in pain, but quickly dove in for a bite. Its teeth dripping with black energy. I jumped backwards out of the reach of its jaws. The houndour growled angrily at me for dodging its attack. It then shrieked and all the feral pokemon seemed to quiver with excitement at the action. I jumped up on one of the mounds to avoid an ember. I pushed off and towards another smoking mass. Hanna had recovered and was running forward, dodging a slugma releasing a black toxic cloud. I leapt through the steam to avoid the smog. My eyes stung and I mistimed my landing. I fell to the ground in a heap as sulfur filled my lungs.

 

A houndour rushed me and let off a blast of flames. I jumped back, but wasn’t fast enough. The attack hit my front legs, burning at my grassy fur and flesh. I screamed as I hit the ground. My legs buckled as three houndour cornered me. I hissed as I tried to pick myself up, but my legs gave out. I collapsed to the ground with a huff. Flames licking at the mouths of the houndours, ready to sink in and rend my flesh. Their eyes pure white with no pupils, but I could see the hunger in them. I shied away and closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

 

A flash of heat singed my face. The houndours screamed as they ran away. I peeked an eye open to see the dark pokemon had fled. The ground around me was charred and crispy.

 

“Aster! Run!”

 

Hanna pushed me to my paws and quickly nudged me towards the exit. Brooke was at the end of the room, her face wrought with worry. I hissed pulling myself up and rushed towards her. The feral fire pokemon had left the area and it was a straight shot to the end. We entered the passage and rushed the rest of the way down, not daring to look back and just kept on going forward. I collapsed as we rounded a wide bend. My legs giving out, unable to support me anymore. The adrenaline already bleeding off. I screamed as the pain came rushing back. My legs felt like they had been ripped off and sown back on with a molten needle.

 

I grit my teeth and checked out the condition of my legs. The fur on the front of my forelegs was burned away and the flesh was a raw red. The fur on the edge of the burn was charred black. The scent of burnt leaves lingered in the air. I felt even more drained. I must be close to fainting.

 

Brooke rushed over and placed the oran berry on the ground in front of me. She ordered, “Eat it.”

 

I inched forward and grabbed the berry with my fangs. The juice ran down my throat and I could already feeling the burn in my legs fading. They no longer stung like dis. I ate the rest of the berry, and the redness faded in my limbs. My stomach didn’t ache all that much from the earlier sucker punch. Even my balls stopped aching the small bit they had been for a while. I stole a glance, a bit of relief welling in my gut as they were exactly as I remembered them. Small, green, and fuzzy. No bruising, swelling, or hint of any permanent damage. Fuck that riolu.

 

I didn’t feel that weak anymore and stood back up. I shook myself, a bit of soot coming loose. My legs were still burnt, and my fur was still black. But I felt so much better. Brooke wrapped me in a hug. I whimpered as she pressed against my burns. She jumped back with a worried expression, “Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” I hissed continuing onwards slowly. My back right leg felt a bit off, and I kept weight off it. Probably pulled something.

 

Brooke brushed along my side and asked, “You okay?”

 

“I’ll be fine,” I said mustering on. I may have been healed, but I was still injured. We needed to get out of here soon. I hate fire types.

 

I gave her a perplexed look and asked, “How did you scare off the houndour?”

 

“The other blast seed,” she answered.

 

I flashed her a smile, “Thanks for saving me.”

 

“Like I’d let you die that easily,” she rolled her eyes and hip checked me.

 

“I’m touched,” I held a paw to my chest in faux gratitude. We shared a laugh at that.

 

We continued onwards in silence. The hallway opening up to a small brightly lit room. The center dominated by a massive cluster of glowing white crystals. The walls had also shifted to slate grey stone. The light of the crystals still couldn’t pierce the oppressive ceiling of black fog. Water dripped from the fog in a gentle drizzle, forming small rivulets that meandered towards the singular pathway out of the room.

 

I stopped in my tracks as a figure shuffled out of the shadows of the waterlogged path. It was a bug pokemon, but one I didn’t recognize. It’s hide a few shades darker than the stoney walls around us. It had massive spherical navy blue compound eyes, six spindly legs, and neon blue hair like frills all over its body. Looking almost like a nincada. Is it a different variant?

 

I shuddered as it just stood there, menacingly blocking our exit. Hanna asked, “Want to rush past this one too?”

 

I considered it, but it was only one pokemon. However, I figured it had to have type advantage against me. Again!

 

I wasn’t familiar with the bug, so I wasn’t sure what moves this pokemon had. Before we could make a move it gave a clittering screech. It flashed its black mandibles and skittered towards us. It summoned a ball of dark blue fiery energy and chucked it forward. I dove to the side out of the path of the attack. I wasn’t familiar with the specific move, but it had to be a fire type attack. Another fire bug!

 

I summoned a leafage and hit the bug square in the face. It moved through the leaves like they weren’t there and rushed right at me. Arceus damn double resist!

 

I jumped back as its pincers saturated in dark type energy aimed for my neck. I missed the bite by only a few inches. I recovered and leapt forward with a scratch. The bug writhed and scurried away towards the other side of the room. Brooke headed it off with a quick attack, sending the bug flying. It recovered and rushed at Hanna with the same black energy covering its maw. The zorsune squeaked and shivered at the advancing bug. A second later her paw became cloaked with dark energy as she closed the distance and hit the bug square in the face with a sucker punch. The bug never got a chance to bite down as it sailed away. Bouncing off the crystals in the center of the room with a sickening crack.

 

Yet it wasn’t down. It still rushed towards the zorsune. Hanna went to move, but tripped on the wet rock. The bug closed the distance and went to bite down on her. Fucking bugs! Fuck Bugs! Fuck this damn bug!

 

I felt a surge of energy rush forward. Darkness filled my vision. Aster has learned Bite.

 

I leapt forward sinking my fangs into the side of the bug. It screamed more and thrashed against my hold. A rogue leg to my face made me released my jaw and the bug. It quickly scurried off to another side of the room. Brooke hit it with a kick, and it finally stopped moving. The bug gave off a pained screech as it went rigid and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The faint taste of something strange lingered on my tongue. I stepped back and spat the flavor out.

 

Hanna picked herself up and quickly said, “Thanks for that.”

 

“No problem.”

 

There was now a dark green seed with faint hints of yellow along its ridges where the bug once was. It had a strangely near perfect straight shape, like two pyramids pressed together. I picked it up, but I didn’t feel anything from it. There was no warmth or anything else. I had nothing to go off of what type of seed it was. I held it to Hanna and asked, “What’s this one?”

 

“That’s a reviver seed,” she answered, “If one of us faints, it can be used to revive us. Very useful to stop us from getting separated.”

 

“Separated?” Brooke asked taking the seed and stowing it in her tail.

 

“Yes,” Hanna nodded, “If you faint in a mystery dungeon you get teleported to either the entrance or a random room,” she shrugged, “Some sort of safety feature built within the magic of the dungeons.”

 

“Hopefully we don’t experience that then,” I said making my way forward. The entire passage was covered in a thin layer of water. The path sloped downhill. The gentle sound of trickling water echoing off the tight walls of the hallway. It calmed my nerves a bit after the struggle with the bug.

 

Brooke asked, “What kinda pokemon was that?”

 

“I have no idea,” I shook my head, “It’s not one I recall. It almost looked like a nincada.”

 

“Is there a variant of nincada like zorsune is to zorua?” I asked Hanna. She frowned and shook her head.

 

Worth a shot. I continued, “I’m not even sure what typing it was. It was obviously bug, but I’m sure it was also fire. But I’m also not a hundred percent certain even that. That blue fire ball had to be a fire type attack, but not one I recognized.”

 

“Do you really not think it was fire type?” Hanna questioned.

 

“Most fire types have some bit of fire aesthetic to their appearance,” I explained, “That one really didn’t look like a fire type. The coloring was more electric type, but it seemed more resistant to my leafage than it should be. It had to have had double resistance to grass type moves.”

 

“I mean,” Hanna offered, “I don’t know all of the pokemon types that live in Kino or the rest of the world for that matter, so it could be one of them. Or from a different continent entirely. How many pokemon types are there?”

 

“Over a thousand from the latest reports.”

 

“That’s a lot,” she said with a bit of amazement.

 

As we continued the sound of the water increased to a dull roar. I could feel the ground shaking beneath my paws. The path curved to the right as the roar increased to the point a faint headache formed in the back of my head. The downwards slope also increased as we rounded yet another bend. This turn ended in a bright light.

 

I blinked my eyes to adjust to the different light level of the new room. It was not shrouded in darkness like all the others. It was like it glowed in the sunlight, but again I didn’t feel the usual warmth from the actual sun. This room was more massive than any of the others I’ve encountered thus far. Even larger than the shellos room from the other dungeon. It stretched upwards, downwards, and forwards for several hundred feet. The ceiling above was a clustered mess of rolling light grey clouds. The two long walls were covered in dozens of pure white waterfalls each. Each of them coming through the clouds and dropping their contents to the churning mass below. A good two hundred or so feet down was a white foamy mass of water. A dulled loud roar filled the room.

 

Before us was a long wood and rope bridge that crossed the massive pit of water towards a lone stone pillar at the back of the room. I gulped as I pressed the tip of my paw on the bridge. It creaked and groaned, but held. I moved my entire paw next. With no further reaction to the additional weight I tested my other front paw. There was a bit of give in the wood, but it held firm. I shut my eyes and took a calming breath. I stepped fully onto the bridge. It groaned again, but didn’t show signs of collapsing any time soon. I took it slowly, not wanting to rush or stress the bridge. It looked ancient and I didn’t want to risk the fall to my death. Brooke was right behind me with Hanna taking the rear. Brooke offered, “This feels like the end.”

 

I nodded, “Seems like it.”

 

I kept my eyes forward, not daring to look down. As I walked rainbows began to form in the air above from the massive amount of mist about. It was honestly a pretty sight. I felt the tension in me melt as we hit the midway point and continued on towards the other end. I hoped this was the end of the dungeon. I couldn’t see any other paths leading off from the isolated mass of rock at the end of the room. An unsettling feeling in my gut fearing that we took the wrong turn at some point and were now trapped behind the sealed pathways. Please be the exit. Please be the exit. Please be the exit.

 

I repeated the mantra as I reached the end of the bridge. A pair of stairs wreathed in white light stood in the center. I sighed, my entire body sagging, “There’s the exit.”

 

Hanna rushed towards it, but stayed back. I nodded my head in the direction of the steps, and she moved up them. As she reached the top she vanished in a pulse of white light. I made my way forward and crossed the threshold as well, Brooke right behind me. White light filled my vision as the dungeon faded, and trees filled my vision. Only they didn’t look like the ones around us when we first entered the dungeon.

 

The trees were larger and a lot more densely packed in a near perfect ring around us. Even their bark was darker. A faint mist clung to the floor. The ground around us was loose dirt, no signs of grass or any undergrowth. A cold shiver sapped my energy. In the very center was a large long birch barked tree. Hanna was off to the side, running a paw through the mist that twirled thicker around her. Almost like tendrils reaching out to grasp her. She had reapplied her illusion and looked like a normal black zorua once again. She turned to me and asked, “What happened? Where are we now?”

 

I opened my mouth to speak, but the sound of crushing wood made me stop. The hair on my back stood up as I felt a heavy sense of unease wash over me. I looked for a sign of whoever or whatever made the noise. Hoping it was a normal pokemon and not another wild one. A cold wind ran through the forest and shook the trees. I hunkered down trying to fight off the cold. The trees around us creaked and groaned. Another twig snapped. A deep and gravelly voice asked, “Who’s there?”

 

The tree next to me cracked and split open. The area inside was pure black. The roots lifted out of the ground along with massive wooden hands. A large red eye appeared in one of the gaps. I fell back and screamed.

Chapter 11: The Wandering Wood

Summary:

Aster, Brooke, and Hanna find themselves in the middle of the forest surrounded by trevenants and phantumps, and are brought before their leader.

I remained frozen on the ground as the forest around us sprang to life. Several of the trees uprooting themselves, all of them trevenants. They weren’t all the classic oak or the rare birch. They were several different shades and types of trees. I could easily pick out pine, elm, and even a few willow. The other trees I couldn’t put names to. The elder tree pokemon lumbered about as they formed a ring around the three of us. Several phantumps with similar alternate colorations also filtered about. They hid behind the larger trevenants. Most of the ghost pokemon were glancing at Hanna. She cowered under the piercing gaze of dozens of pokemon, the zorsune moving to my side.

 

A large pale white barked trevenant with yellowed leaves broke through the circle and approached us. They lowered down in what seemed to be as close to a seated position as they could replicate. The large red eye at the top of their body looking right at us. They gave a small hum as they asked, “Who are you three?”

 

The voice was deep and distorted, but still sounded male. I rolled over and picked myself up as I introduced the three of us. The trevenant responded with a grunt, “Theon.”

 

He folded his arms and asked, “Why are you three here?”

 

“We were in a mystery dungeon,” I answered stepping forward and in front of the two foxes. “We accidentally ended up in a cave like mystery dungeon. We exited out here.”

 

I gave the forest around us a onceover before adding, “Wherever here is.”

 

“Why are you with these pokemon, little spirit?”

 

Theon’s question was directed at Hanna. The zorsune let out a small eek and used Brooke as protection. Brooke rolled her eyes and ordered with an emotionless tone, “Just drop the illusion.”

 

Hanna whimpered, but still followed the order. She shimmered and was back to her white furred self. The trevenants around us all whispered amongst themselves. Theon raised a single hand and they instantly all quieted. He gave Hanna a judgmental glare as he asked, “Have these two pokemon harmed or coerced you in any way?”

 

“No,” she shook her head and took a step forward, “They’re my friends.”

 

Friends? I wasn’t so certain I could consider us that close after spending just one mystery dungeon together. But I also didn’t want to kill the bit of happiness that Hanna seemed to get from saying those few words. I couldn’t bring myself to burst her bubble. And honestly, I didn’t feel all that compelled to say otherwise. I didn’t have that much in terms of friends back home. I never really was a social butterfly, sticking to the small crowd of friends that I did have and rarely going beyond that. Having a lot of friends was a concept I wasn’t that familiar with, but one that I wasn’t against. I felt warmth well up in me at the thought of Hanna being my friend. She’s part of our quest now. Why shouldn’t we be friends?

 

“Friends?” Theon asked with a thunderous tone.

 

Hanna eeped and rushed towards me for cover. The feeling of her cold paws on my backside was a bit weird. Not to mention the fact she was right next to my ass. My ears flared up in heat as I tried to think of anything but where her muzzle was right now. She peered from behind my back and answered in a tiny voice, “Yes.”

 

Theon’s face softened, as much as a tree’s face could. He gave a small frown as he said, “I’m happy for you, little spirit, to find pokemon who do not hate ghosts.”

 

“What?” I couldn’t help but ask.

 

“Why does everyone say that?” Brooke asked.

 

“Do you…” Theon struggled to ask the question he was thinking. He seemed confused by our reactions. It took him a few good seconds to compose himself and ask, “Do you two not know?”

 

I figured it had to be about what Hanna said how ghosts were treated earlier. Which still seemed so weird to me. Yes, some people were afraid of ghost type pokemon. Some feared bugs. Not everyone liked every type. There were so many pokemon and so many types, there were bound to be people afraid of some somewhere. But for everyone to outright despise an entire type seemed so strange. To ostracize and actually despise some pokemon just because they were ghost made absolutely no sense. Where does the hatred come from?

 

I really was compelled to find out why. Where the hatred stemmed from peeked my curiosity. I wanted to know why such prejudices permeated this pokemon society. Hatred was a nasty parasite with roots that ran deep and was hard to remove and unroot fully. Theon actually smirked as he explained, “It is a long held notion in these lands that ghost pokemon are not to be trusted. They are viewed as monstrous beasts that steal the souls of the living. That they are evil and seek to kill other pokemon to make more ghosts.”

 

That’s horrible! I glanced at Hanna. Brooke let out a small gasp. Theon continued, “It is rare that an outsider would willingly associate with one of us,” he fixed me with a hard glare, “Most shy away. Run in fear. Or even attack. Which is why most of us stick to the fringes of society,” his eye twirled around, “Like the Wandering Wood here.”

 

He loomed forward, “So why are you three here?”

 

I gulped, taking a step back. I knew I couldn’t fight against him or any of the trevenants. I was still weak from the dungeon and highly inexperienced. I answered, “Like I said, we accidently entered a dungeon, and it spat us out here.”

 

“And why you specifically?” Theon pressed.

 

“We were escaping some guards from Eldergrove,” I answered staring the trevenant down. Brooke stepped up as Hanna moved from behind my back. Both of the foxes flanked my sides as I finished, “We were chosen in a Reaping.”

 

“A Reaping?” Theon asked scratching the general area he would have a chin. I nodded. He gave a loud hum of thought as he glared at the gathered ghosts. He waved his arms shooing them away, “Off with you, I’ll take these three to Timber.”

 

The trees and stumps followed the order and lumbered off, reforming the tight ring of trees. Some of the trevenants just rooted themselves where they stood and went back to looking like normal trees. Theon gave a simple bark of an order, “Follow.”

 

I didn’t hesitate to follow the order, and we did just that. Brooke gave me a nervous glance. She leaned over and whispered, “Are you sure it was a good idea to say we were in a Reaping?”

 

“I don’t know,” I whispered back, “I figured if what they say about ghosts is true, then they wouldn’t being us back to the guard.”

 

We approached the birch tree with red leaves in the center of the misty clearing. Nothing grew alongside the massive wooden sentinel. It had to be at least ten feet tall, easily dwarfing any of the trees or trevenants. The mist seem to roll off the large tree as if it was the source. Theon walked up to the tree over twice his height and gave a short bow. He spoke aloud, “Oh, great Timber. I have brought you two beings who openly accompany and befriend a little spirit. One is a silvery vulpine. The other is a grass feline.”

 

The ground trembled as the dirt split apart. Fissures opening from every inch of the dirt floored clearing. I was knocked down as a think root erupted from the ground. The large tree groaned and shifted as the bark broke open. Blackness consumed the interior of the tree. A bright blue orb flashed to life and gleamed down at us. It’s a trevenant. It’s a giant trevenant!

 

The giant elder tree pokemon leaned down. A deep voice echoed out of its maw, “What are you doing here, little spirit?”

 

Its voice made my ears ring slightly, they pressed against my head as I hissed. Hanna quivered and held onto me for support. The giant trevenant, which I figured had to be Timber, flashed a smile as he leaned back to his full height. His eye moved towards me, “And what does a sprigatito and eevee have business in our forest?”

 

“Wait,” Timber’s voiced deepened ever so slightly. He rubbed his trunk with a claw as his eye focused intently on me. I shuffled closer to Brooke under the intense glare. The giant tree pointed a woody finger at me and said, “We have a human amongst us.”

 

I yelped, “Ha-How- “

 

“How do I know you are human?” Timber finished the question I couldn’t even begin myself to form. I hunkered down and just nodded. The holes in his trunk tilted upwards in the visage of a smile. It still was unnerving given the ghostly and massive nature of the being. He answered, “I can see your soul is different than a pokemon’s. I’ve seen humans before.”

 

“You have?” Brooke asked with genuine shock. I was as well and wanted to ask the same question, but the intense pressure exuding from the giant kept my lips sealed.

 

“Not for a long time,” Timber corrected, “But we do have tales of human children lost in the woods becoming phantumps.”

 

I vaguely remembered some old ghost stories back home that said the same thing. Children that get lost in the forest becoming phantumps. I always thought it was an old wives’ tale. Nothing more than something to scare misbehaving children. Not to run off in the woods and get lost. To listen to their parents and not suffer the same fate as those fictious kids. Maybe it is true?

 

Theon chimed in, “Great Timber, the young spirit claims to have befriended these two pokemon and that they have been brought here by the machinations of a mystery dungeon.”

 

Timber nodded. He turned to me and asked, “And what has brought you to this world of pokemon, human?”

 

I gulped and stepped forward, “I was brought here by Jirachi.”

 

“Jirachi?” Timber tilted his massive head, “The wish granter?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded, “They sent me to this world to find the pieces of the First Star.”

 

Timber chuckled at that, shaking the entire wood, “A quest for the First Star.”

 

He continued to laugh, wiping away a stray sappy tear. He tapered off as he wistfully said, “You are not the first to seek out the Star. I remember when the Star was first forged. Has it truly been broken?”

 

When it was forged! I had gone to nod my head, but his words made me pause. I wasn’t sure how old the star was, but since it was a mythical’s artifact it had to be ancient. Timber had to be one of the oldest things on this planet if that was the case. He seemed old, but not like a wizened grey wizard. Like a being who has just been around for a while. He got a wistful look in his eye. He softly said, “I was an old trevenant when it first lit up the sky with dazzling beauty. The world was in such turmoil then, the light of the star was a beacon of hope for all pokemon.”

 

Theon cleared his throat, breaking Timber out of his stupor. He wore an expression that easily said that this was a common occurrence. He curtly asked, “Sir?”

 

Recognition ignited in Timber’s eye, and he said, “We were talking about why you are here, no?”

 

“Yes,” I said stepping up to Hanna’s side.

 

“You are no doubt, human. You are but a myth to most pokemon,” he chuckled, “Even to us trevenants and phantumps they are. The last such tale of such a thing occurring was over sixty years ago.”

 

His big blue eye moved towards Theon. He smirked, “Isn’t that right? Theodore?”

 

Theon’s eye rolled around its socket as he grumbled, “Yes, lord Timber.”

 

He just laughed, grabbing his belly as he shook the ground. He wiped another sappy tear away. “You were such a lost little child back when you were a little stump.”

 

“Yes,” he balled her fists to the point his wood creaked and cracked.

 

“Wait!” Hanna leapt forward and her entire body jittered. She beamed up at Theon and asked, “You’re a human too?”

 

“Yes.” The anger didn’t drop in Theon’s voice.

 

Hanna didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care as she asked, “Did you have amnesia? Did you join the Guild? Did you save the world?”

 

“No,” Theon flatly answered and crossed his arms, “I came here when Groudon woke up. But that was on the other side of the planet”

 

“Oh,” Hanna deflated and shuffled back in line.

 

“Now,” Timber leaned towards us, “Why are you in the company of this feline and fox, little spirit?”

 

I told him a quick rendition of the events that transpired today thus far. He nodded the entire time, a small smile spreading on his face as I went on. Once I finished he righted his posture as he said, “Thank you for protecting this little one, you two.”

 

“It’s the least we could do,” I offered back. Brooke nodded in agreement.

 

“Some would disagree,” he said with a bit of venom in his voice. He shook his head, sending leaves fluttering down. He turned to Hanna, “Although you aren’t a phantump, I still treat all ghosts as my children. Most are ostracized and feared by the pokemon of this land. We phantumps and trevenants stick to the forest that sprouts in my wake. We migrate across this forested land looking after these trees and protecting them from those that wish to do them harm. Which is why I wish to extend an offer for you to stay with us.”

 

Hanna seemed hesitant, inching just a bit closer to me. Timber gave a soft smile, “You don’t have to accept the offer. I just simply give it because you will not be the subject of judgement here like you may out there.”

 

“We look after our own here,” Theon chimed in from the side.

 

“And I won’t refuse you coming back later if you change your mind,” Timber added.

 

“No,” Hanna shook her head, “We are planning on forming an adventure team. I want to be with them.”

 

Timber gave a single nod. But he quickly countered, “I’ll have to advise against that course of action.”

 

Hanna huffed and glared at the giant tree, “And why is that?”

 

“It will not be safe for you to travel amongst other pokemon. Most will be afraid of you as you already know. You may not be safe, even in the company of the feline and vulpine. Or the Guild.”

 

“You don’t think we can protect her?” Brooke seemed immensely offended by his statement.

 

“It is safer here for you,” Timber said ignoring Brooke. The eevee fumed with an angry growl.

 

“I can protect myself,” Hanna said. She shimmered and took her normal zorua form, “I can hide my ghostly appearance.”

 

“Yes,” Timber nodded, “You are uniquely gifted in the ability to hide your shape.”

 

He sighed and added, “But how long will such illusions last.”

 

“We’ll protect her,” I answered. Hanna dropped her illusion and gave me a small smile as I added, “She’s part of our team.”

 

“If that is what you wish,” Timber shrugged, but he didn’t seem all that convinced.

 

“I’d suggest you stay here, little one. We stay close to the Wandering Wood because of the fear,” Theon advised, “We are far safer here than anywhere else in Kino. Pokemon are afraid even more so of us trevenants and phantumps than other ghost types and they don’t dare tread near here.”

 

“But why?” Hanna meekly asked back.

 

“Because of stories that we steal children to turn them into phantumps,” Theon answered, “That we kill any who enter our forests. That we steal their souls to grow the trees. To name a few.”

 

“That’s horrible,” Brooke said.

 

“Why would they think that?” I asked, “Not even back home do we have stories like that about phantumps or trevenants.”

 

“It’s the fear of ghost pokemon that permeates the minds of most of the pokemon in Kino,” Timber said with a shrug, “I’ve dealt with it most of my life. That is why I created the Wandering Wood. This is a paradise for our kind to keep us safe from those that dislike us.”

 

“That still doesn’t make it right,” Hanna snapped back with a stomp of her paw.

 

“Just because it isn’t right doesn’t mean pokemon don’t think it,” Theon said, “Pokemon are always judgmental. It’s a biological mechanism to weigh the danger before you. Whether you should run or fight. Ghost pokemon just make this mechanism go haywire and pokemon always flee. We’ve accepted this reality.”

 

“It’s a horrible one,” Hanna pouted. I felt that she had some personal experience with that aspect of the racism towards ghost pokemon that seemed to be everywhere here in Kino. Back home I knew that it still wasn’t perfect and there was still racism, bigotry, and other such things all over. But the world had made strives to strike down the false images and stereotypes that marred basic human connection. There were still growing pains, but we were all the better for it. This world seemed to suffer the same issues and had yet to make the turn towards acceptance. Guess pokemon aren’t that different from humans after all.

 

“Yes it is, little spirit,” Timber sighed. A melancholy look in his singular eye, “Back in my day I had a few friends before the prejudiced views took hold. One of them even was one of the mons that Jirachi gifted the Star.”

 

“You aren’t going to force her to stay here, right?” I pressed.

 

“If she does not wish to stay here we cannot force her,” Timber answered, “It wouldn’t be right. I just wish to inform her of the dangers she will face. Of the possible persecution. Of the harm she may endure.”

 

“We’ll make sure it never comes to that,” I tried to lessen his concerns.

 

“If that is all then,” Timber sighed. Which sounded more like the wind. He said, “I see no reason for you to remain here any longer and we will see you upon the journey the wish maker has sent you upon.”

 

I made my way backs towards Hanna and Brooke. A throat clearing stopped me in my tracks. The noise was more like a snapping tree than a cough. Timber leaned down as he said, “I also wish to thank you for all you have done for Hanna. She may not be staying here, but she is still a little spirit. I wish to return the kindness you have shown her that so few normally would.”

 

“You don’t,” I went to stop him, but he held up a hand.

 

“Please,” his eye seemed sad. He continued, “If you are to go upon the quest Jirachi has selected you for, you will need any help you can take. Collecting the fragments of the Star will be no easy feat.”

 

He reached up and plucked a small branch from his head. He brought his hand down, a flash of purple smoke covering the piece of wood as he presented it to me. In his palm was a bag. It was a pale white item with streaks of black giving it a marbled texture. Almost resembling his bark. Timber pulled my attention back as he spoke, “Allow me to give you at least this small gift. This will aid you in your journey. I see you lack the proper equipment to traverse mystery dungeons. You will no doubt face more on your journey. You will need to be properly equipped. And this will fit you nicely.”

 

I reached forward and grabbed the offered item. It didn’t feel like wood as I expected it to. It felt like the softest silk ever. Brooke rushed over and helped me slip it on. I lacked the dexterity and the apposable thumbs to properly do it myself. The strap going around my stomach with the bag resting on my right side. It didn’t even feel like it weighed all that much. The only issue I saw was my inability to take it off. I could reach the loop to open the flap of the bag, but the strap was out of limited reach. Guess I have to have Brooke or Hanna take it off.

 

 Timber explained, “This will hold as much as you need, and you will never feel any weight from it. I enchanted it with the same magic that allows us to inhabit these trees. It is durable and will never break no matter the damage it may endure. And any food placed inside will not perish.”

 

“Thank you,” I said with a bow. I corrected the pouch till it was sitting comfortably. Timber brushed aside the thanks with a wave of his hand.

 

“It is also very easy to recall anything from it,” he added, “Simply hold your paw over the flap and think about what item you want, and it will come to you.”

 

I nodded with that added bit of info. That solves one issue.

 

He smiled, “It’s the least I could do for the champion of Jirachi.”

 

Hearing myself referred to as that felt weird. Like I was a prophesied hero of sorts. I was more or less on a hero like journey. And Hanna’s description of the humans turned pokemon in the past kinda made it seem even more so. But the way he said it felt like there was more grandiose things to come. Like I was a shining knight in armor that would save the world. Which you kinda are really…

 

Brooke pulled our loot from her tail, and began stowing them in the bag. She waved her tail about with a satisfied sigh, “Feels good to get those out of there.”

 

Timber turned to Theon and asked, “Can you take them back?”

 

“Yes, sir,” the trevenant said walking forward. He asked, “Where were you before you entered the dungeon?”

 

“In the middle of the forest not far from the road.”

 

“Maybe take them to the edge so they can get to the city faster,” Timber advised.

 

“Yes, sir,” Theon bowed. Hanna rushed over and we huddled close as Theon stood behind us.

 

Timber waved and said, “It was wonderful meeting you all.”

 

“Likewise,” I responded.

 

“Thanks for everything,” Brooke said with a nod.

 

“Goodbye,” Hanna said with a wave of her paw.

 

“Safe travels, and good luck.”

 

I waved him goodbye. Theon stepped forward and placed a hand on my back. The chill he wrapped me in was colder than Hanna’s, but I didn’t mind. A pulse of dark purple energy consumed us as I felt myself falling. A second later we emerged from the void and amongst rolling fields of grass. Theon removed his hand and stepped back. He gave me a bow and said, “Farewell.”

 

I waved him goodbye as he was consumed by a swirling black and purple mass of ghostly energy and vanished. The sun had risen higher in the sky and was close to its apex. Being back in its warmth felt great. The dreariness that had consumed me since entering the dungeon bled away as I sat down, my eyes shutting as I sighed. The fresh air tasted divine, there was even a hint of saltiness to it. Are we close to the coast?

 

I opened my eyes and beheld the new landscape before us. We were at the top of a hill with a dense line of trees to our back. Brooke was at my side. Hanna was just within the shadows of the trees. She had already reapplied her black zorua illusion. The hill was covered in a rainbow of flowers all swaying gracefully in the breeze that was laden with salt. Beyond that were fields of crops. And past that was a sparling mess of buildings pressed against a curved coastline. Sailboats of various sizes moving about in the bay the city called home. This has to be Eldergrove.

 

The city below made Shamrock look pitiful in comparison. There were so many buildings clustered together in winding streets. The buildings were made of stone, and the roofs were red bricks instead of thatch. A massive blueish grey stepped pyramid sat in the middle of the city, easily dwarfing any of the other buildings. The top was dressed in vibrant green foliage that seemed to almost glow. Several waterfalls ran down the different levels and to a nearby river below. The only structure equal in size was a castle made of tannish bricks on a cliff at the water front. The dark green topped roofs and towers made it look like a small forest on top of the hill. One of the towers stood out amongst the forest. Instead of the uniform tan bricks it was made of black stones, almost as if it was bathed in fire at one point. Guess that’s where the king is. Gonna avoid that.

 

The only other thing my eyes were drawn to was a chateau looking building sitting on an island in the harbor. There were smaller satellite buildings alongside it. The island was on the opposite end of the water from the castle. A bridge serving as the only path to the luxurious resident. Some rich hotshot must have a lot of money to burn.

 

“That’s the Guild,” Hanna rushed forward and thrusted a paw forward. She pointed right at the manor I just scrutinized. I blinked and asked, “Really?”

 

“Yep,” she nodded setting her leg down, “That’s the Eldergrove chapter of the Royal Guild right there.”

 

“At least we know where to head,” Brooke said stepping up. I could only shake my head after Hanna pointed out our next destination. Aren’t I judging books by their covers.

 

“Let’s not waste any time then,” I said looking at the two, “We want to get there as soon as possible and before any authorities might spot us. Understood?”

 

I got a duo of confirmations. With nothing else to do, we set off towards the city. A nearby dirt road that weaved its way through the farms led us towards Eldergrove. We walked in silence, simply enjoying the rolling fields of grass. The warm sun soothing me. The scent of flowers and salt making me smile.

 

I turned to Hanna and quickly asked, “You said it was the Eldergrove chapter of the Guild?”

 

“Yeah?” She asked back giving me a confused look.

 

“Are there others?”

 

“Yes,” she nodded with a smile, “There are four main chapters. The one in Eldergrove. Another in Whitehallow to the north. Archforn to the south. And lastly, there’s one in Thunderrock out east. There are a few smaller chapters all across Kino, but those are the main ones pokemon go to when they want to join the Guild.”

 

“And they’re all the same?” Brooke followed up.

 

“No,” Hanna shook her head, “They kinda…”

 

She trailed off as she swayed her head back and forth. A look of deep thought etched across her face. We had stopped in the middle of the road for a few good seconds before she finally found her words, “They kind of work by themselves. They’re all related to each other, but they work as if they are separate guilds.”

 

“Sounds like a recipe for trouble,” Brooke said as she continued onwards.

 

Hanna gently offered with a frown, “I don’t know.”

 

We got closer to the farms, but I couldn’t tell what was growing in the segregated portions. It was just a sea of produce. Brooke suddenly absentmindedly said, “I’ve been thinking about my evolution.”

 

I nearly stumbled, but caught myself. I quirked a brow at her, “What about it?”

 

“About the fact we might be here for a good amount of time,” she answered staring off. Her gaze locked on the clouds. They were getting thicker, rain no doubt close. “And it probably would be in our best interest for me to evolve at some point along this quest.”

 

That might be best. I simply nodded along, figuring to let her speak. She added, “I don’t want to be an eevee forever. And I feel I could help more if I do evolve.”

 

“Right now?” I asked a bit concerned at the sudden change. I was not yet ready to lose my little shiny eevee. I don’t want her to change just yet.

 

“No,” she quickly shook her head, “But eventually. I’m still not sure which one I should go for. I’ve just been weighing my options to best aid us. I was thinking this over before we got reaped.”

 

She chuckled. I rolled my eyes and said, “Best laid plans of rattata and men.”

 

“What were you thinking?” I asked with genuine intrigue. Most of our conversations of about what she would evolve into were one-sided. I just listed off the different forms and the pro and cons of each. All she could give me as an eevee were chirps and yips agreeing or disagreeing with me. But that was when I was still human. Now that I could understand her, we could have an actual open discourse over this topic.

 

“I don’t think leafeon is a good option,” she said immediately.

 

“Why not?” I asked at the quick dismissal of that one. I wasn’t against or for it, I was just curious at how quickly she shot it down.

 

“For one,” she glanced at me, “You are a grass type.”

 

True. I nodded. But I countered, “But what if we return home after all this, I won’t be a grass type anymore. I don’t want you to make a decision based on a possible temporary situation.”

 

“Wait,” Hanna interjected, “You’re going home after this?”

 

Her voice was filled with fear and worry. I wasn’t expecting such a response from the ghostly fox. I figured it was obvious we would go home after all this. I opened my mouth to answer her, but Brooke quickly asked, “Are we going to be going home after this?”

 

Even she seemed concerned about the possibility of going home. Or not.

 

“I mean…” I trailed off. I still wasn’t so sure if I wanted to go home. I had already somewhat fallen in love with this pokemon world. But there was still the life I left behind. The human me I left behind. I accepted this whole hero’s quest expecting that I would be going home after everything was said and done. That I would get my humanity back. But now that Brooke was questioning it made me less certain. Do I want to go back?

 

I sighed, turning away, “I’m not sure about that. I mean we could stay here I bet. But we can go home. I’m just not sure which one I want to go with. I’m not sure what I want just yet.”

 

“Doesn’t mean we have to make the decision now,” Brooke offered.

 

“All of the other humans turned pokemon stayed,” Hanna added. Her voice meek and with hardly a hint of any strength. No doubt afraid of us leaving. We are her only friends.

 

“I guess,” I said with no real energy behind my words. It would no doubt suck for Hanna if we just left her behind after we stopped Roland and saved Jirachi. To lose her only friends who accepted her in a world that hated who she was. I was still on the fence about staying, and I probably would be for a while. But I knew I couldn’t do that to Hanna. Could she come with us?

 

I figured not to ask that. Not yet at least. She no doubt would say no, and I didn’t want to force her. This was her home, why would she leave it behind? Nor did I want to get her hopes up if we decided to stay here. That eventuality was a long ways away, so I really didn’t want to put much thought into it. Problem for future Aster.

 

“I guess we can cross that bridge when we get to it,” Brooke shrugged.

 

I nodded, “I want to feel this out. See if I like being a pokemon. I’m already loving the ability to actually have a conversation with you and to actually understand you.”

 

Brooke flashed me a smile, which I openly returned. She continued, “Jolteon isn’t that bad of an option either. It is really only weak to ground types and is an overall good pick.”

 

“The high speed stats are also good,” I added.

 

She gave a nod with a small hum, “I’m not so sure with flareon. It isn’t a bad choice, but I’m not sure if I want to be warm all the time and be that…floofy.”

 

“It’s your choice,” I said with a shrug.

 

“Vaporeon wouldn’t be that bad a choice,” she tilted her head, “Water isn’t a bad typing and vaporeon are rather bulky, I could take a lot more damage in that form.”

 

I nodded, figuring to just let her speak her mind aloud. Hanna seemed intrigued and was intently listening. Brooke continued, “I’m not sure with glaceon for the same reasons with flareon,” she shivered, “I don’t like being cold.”

 

Hanna said, “The cold isn’t all that bad, I lived in Forsend before moving to Timberland.”

 

I figured Forsend was the name of some part of Kino that was colder than here. This place seemed temperate at best. I figured Kino had to be large and have diverse environments to suit the needs of the various pokemon types that called this place home. Forests, mountains, fields, caves, rivers, jungles, deserts, icy plains, and probably so many more. I wonder how big Kino is?

 

But thinking of the cold made memories of being trapped under the snow flash in my mind. An icy hand gripped my heart, and I found it hard to breathe. Darkness encroached upon my field of view as my breath felt cold. I shivered and stepped closer to Brooke. I rubbed my body against her to try and get warmth back into my body. She flashed me a worried smile as my breath warmed. My vision cleared and the icy hand retreated.

 

She hesitantly looked at me as she continued, “Espeon could also be good.”

 

I stepped away as my face got warm. She chuckled at that, “Seems you agree.”

 

I turned with a cough, “I have no comment on that one.”

 

“What?” Hanna asked in utter confusion.

 

Brooke chuckled and a pit formed in my stomach. I turned, trying to stop her from speaking. She used quick attack to get away from my pounce. She quickly said, “He got caught staring under an espeon’s tail back in Shamrock.”

 

“Traitor!”

 

“Wait,” Hanna looked between us, “An espeon in Shamrock. You mean Miss Lily?”

 

I groaned as I covered my eyes with my paws. Brooke just laughed. My face and ears felt warm. Curse you, you damn eevee!

 

She laughed even more. Something started poking at my shell of shame, but I refused to remove what little safety it offered me. Brooke said, “Espeon might be a bit fun, but so too would umbreon for that matter.”

 

I heard the two of them beginning to walk again. I sighed and lamely followed, keeping my eyes locked on the dirt road. Brooke rubbed up against my side and ran her tail along mine. I cracked a small smile as I returned the gesture. Brooke then tilted her head in thought. “I am a physical attacker, so umbreon might be a bit better. Espeon is almost all special, but dark typing allows a mix of physical and special.”

 

I nodded, knowing she was somewhat right. She moved forward and stopped right in front of me. I reeled backwards as she then looked me dead in the eye. “Did you name me Brooke because you wanted me to be a vaporeon?”

 

“Na-no!” I took a hesitant step backwards, “That wasn’t the reason.”

 

She stared me down, “Most trainers name their eevees a name close to what they wish them to become. Bolt, Vapors, Flame, Gem, Flora, Shadow, Frost, Sylvie,” her eyes narrowed, “Brooke.”

 

“No!” I bristled and quickly countered, “We chose that name together, we went through a lot before you chose that one.”

 

“We went through like four.”

 

“Still better than me just choosing whatever and not letting you have any say in your name,” I said, “I almost went with Sylvie.”

 

“Sylvie the sylveon is the worst name ever,” Brooke barked. She let out a huff and continued onwards.

 

Hanna asked the shiny eevee, “Didn’t you have a name before you two met?”

 

“No,” Brooke answered with a shake of her head, “Most pokemon do not have a name and only get one if their trainer decides to give them one.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes,” I answered, “Some don’t even give them names and just stick to their species name.”

 

“That’s so weird,” Hana shook her head and continued onwards.

 

Brooke quickly added, “Sylveon still isn’t that bad of a choice either. “

 

I added, “I’ll be happy with whatever you choose. If your happy, I’ll be happy.”

 

She turned and gave me a quick lick on the cheek. She sprang to her feet and rushed off, a dull heat forming in my core that was gone in a flash. I flared a smile and jumped to catch up to the fleeing fox.

Chapter 12: The Yuletide Chapter

Summary:

Aster, Brooke, and Hanna make their way through the city of Eldergrove and towards the Guild. Sanctuary is nearly within their grasp and they are one step closer to starting Jirachi's quest.

We continued down the dirt road at a quick pace. A clap of thunder early making us do so. We rather not get caught out in the rain if we could. The clouds had darkened, and the rain would be coming any second.

 

The grass around us gave way to fields of various crops. We didn’t pass any pokemon on the road, but there were a few amongst the fields. An aipom and ambipom swung from tree to tree in an orchard, picking bright red apples as they went. A winter sawsbuck and a mudsdale tended to a field of wheat that seemed close to harvesting. A gumshoos stalking amongst the tall stalks of corn. They pulled back the covering of an ear and grumbled, walking off to another portion of their land. A trio of skiddo hopping through a clover filled field with the stems of some other plant poking through. A family of diglet and one dugtrio plowing the land and planting seeds in a plot of fresh dirt. Each head of dugtrio had a fabulous mane of shiny blonde hair. The family of moles chanted a simple song of their names. “Diglet dig, diglet dig. Trio, trio, trio.”

 

We moved a bit faster to escape that repetitive ear sore. The next plot was filled with berry bushes. A vaporeon and a female eevee went about the area. The vaporeon watering the plants with a gentle water gun and the eevee picking the ripe berries. Wicker baskets strapped to her side and ladened with a rainbow medley of different berries. The vaporeon spied us and gave a gentle smile. They were the only one that gave us any attention, the other pokemon in the fields fully occupied with their crops. The bubble jet pokemon gave us a small wave, the eevee doing so as well. We silently returned the gesture and continued on our way.

 

I stopped in my tracks as I felt as if someone was staring a hole in the back of my head. I turned around, but I couldn’t see anyone looking in our direction. There was no one on the road coming from either direction. The vaporeon and eevee had returned to their berries. I checked on the nearest fields, a quagsire slowly walking through the flooded area. Small sprouts of young rice sticking up through the muddy brown water. A large brown quagsire like pokemon was also with them, it laid on the ground instead of standing on two legs. But both were focused on their crops and paying neither of us any attention.

 

Brooke nudged me in the side and asked, “Aster? What’s wrong?”

 

“I don’t know,” I gave the area around us a slow once over, “I felt like someone is watching us.”

 

Which to me meant danger given the possible criminal status we already had placed upon us. I wasn’t sure if the aftermath of what happened to the guards had been found yet, but I didn’t want to be sitting idly by just awaiting the authorities to find us. The faster we got to the Guild the safer we were.

 

“I don’t see anyone,” Hanna commented doing the same as I just did. She shrugged and continued onwards, “Maybe it’s just nerves over the guards?”

 

“Maybe,” I agreed not that convinced. I did one last survey before giving up. I rushed to the girls, and we continued onwards.

 

The dirt of the road changed over to gravel and then to cobblestone as we approached a large river with a grey brick arched bridge spanning. A wooden sign with leafy designs all over it inviting us to ‘Eldergrove’. The town proper sat on the other side of the river, the bridge the only entrance I could see from where we were. The buildings still kept with that medieval look, only more developed and made of sturdier materials than those back in Shamrock. The city was abuzz with activity. Pokemon of all shapes, sizes, and types running about or even flying about. Two starly passing overhead made me hesitate and tense up. A reassuring nuzzle from Brooke broke me from my stunned state and we continued across the bridge. They aren’t going to attack you. They aren’t wild.

 

I focused on the earthbound pokemon instead. The end of the bridge opened up to a shop lined square with a bubbling fountain in the center. A statue of a staryu stood on the top with water coming out of three of its points. A shimmering red rock that I wasn’t sure if it was a gemstone or not was the only color on the marble fountain. Pokemon moved around the area in all directions with practiced ease, going where they wished without hesitance or break in their stride.

 

A houndour stood at a stall cooking veggie filled skewers with small uses of ember. They handed the food item to a minccino. I stood clear of the dark pokemon, still not over the encounter with the pack of them in the cavern dungeon. A raichu walked along holding the paw of a pichu. A smeargle sat off to the side with an easel and drew on it with their tail, their gaze shifting between the canvas and the meowstic couple standing in front of them. The female white and blue, but the male had sparkly yellow and white. A pink and dark brown stuffed bear pokemon I couldn’t place the name of happily walked along with a satchel much like ours, only black instead of the marbled complexion of Theon’s bark. They walked along with a goofy smile humming a gentle song. They wore a yellow bandana tied around their neck with a gleaming pin on it, displayed for all to see. A white circle with a black dot in the center. It was almost reminiscent of a pokeball. It had a pair of golden wings on the sides and a bronze three point crown on top.

 

This place was a lot more active than Shamrock. Granted we were they’re at night and the morning was taken up by the Reaping. But this town was leagues larger than it. I couldn’t count the number of buildings that made up the city in total, they were too close to each other to determine where one ended and the next began. There was a lot more pokemon to observe, but we didn’t have the time to people watch. We needed to get to the Guild as quickly as possible. I checked for any sign of a way forward, or guards to avoid. I knew the general direction of where to go, but navigating the roads was a different story.

 

The signs above the entrances to the shops here were all made of metal. They had pictures and letters punched through the blackened iron. There was a pair of scissors and comb on one. Another a book. Hanna softly said, “It’s this way.”

 

She hunkered down and tried to make herself small, but being twice our height really made that hard for her. And she couldn’t drop her illusion to make herself smaller now that we were in the city amongst so many other pokemon. Someone would see her ghostly nature and we didn’t want to deal with that. We did not want to draw attention to ourselves.

 

Hanna didn’t take the lead, opting to stay in the back and give directions towards the Guild. I still checked out the signs hanging over the various places of business we passed along the way. I wanted to see what they had to offer. I was mostly looking for a butcher or someplace that sold meat. Berries were fine and all, but I knew we needed something more substantial for a diet. Pokemon back home couldn’t sustain themselves on fruit alone, even the herbivores. Plus I was beginning to miss eating meat and I wanted to be certain I wasn’t craving something that was taboo here.

 

Pokemon chow didn’t taste all that good, do not ask me how I know that. It at least had the vitamins and minerals pokemon needed to grow healthy and strong. Berries were a small treat that did some of the job, but could never be a perfect substitute. That also didn’t bring up the fact we were two foxes and a cat. We no doubt needed meat. Brooke was a glutton for white meat, and I knew she was missing that part of her diet. But that also had me wondering about it. I hadn’t seen any prepared meat. I hadn’t seen any livestock. Do they even have normal animals here?

 

I still had yet to see any cows, chickens, pigs, or anything like that. And I didn’t want to ask, especially if they didn’t and I came off as some cannibalistic freak. That would be a horrible faux pas.

 

As we walked I saw a loaf of bread, a chair, a knife and fork, a pair of glasses, and a scarf that was coiled like a snake. I stopped as a sense unease of being watched welled up again. I turned back around, but still didn’t see anyone. Granted it was harder to make out anyone looking right at us with the crowd of pokemon in the street. I didn’t see any pokemon wearing a green scarf. Nor was there anyone specifically looking my way. What is going on?

 

“Aster?”

 

Hanna calling my name snapped me back and I rushed to catch up. As I did Brooke asked, “I was wondering. If there are guards, what exactly do the pokemon in the Guild do?”

 

Hanna smiled and explained, “The Royal Guild was first founded to explore and map the mystery dungeons when they first started popping up across Kino. Since then they’ve taken on other roles. They assist pokemon with various different issues and needs. They even close off dungeons to stop ferals from getting out. They capture outlaws and bandits.”

 

“Sounds like stuff the guard should do,” I commented.

 

“The guard take care of the larger cities,” Hanna corrected, “Adventures help those in smaller towns and in the wilderness. There isn’t enough law enforcement to watch over every inch of Kino, and most don’t care to leave the major cities. That’s where the Guild takes over. And guards couldn’t be bothered to waste their time in dungeons when they have to keep the peace. As well as the fact not all quests are really worth the guard’s time. Delivering items or escorting isn’t really something they are paid to do.”

 

Another roll of thunder passed on by and the heavens opened up. It started with one drop of rain, but quickly increased. Pokemon rushed for cover, whether that was in a nearby building or going home. We picked up the pace and rushed across the cobbled street. My fur instantly getting wet as we rounded a bend, and the houses gave way to a pathway that ran along the waterside. The number of ships in the harbor had decreased and those that remained were on their way in, several docks littering the edge of the city already housing most of the ships.

 

We quickly made our way under a nearby open awning for a little bit of cover from the increasing downpour. The air under the shelter was hot, chasing away the cold of the rain that had begun to seep in. My fur already matted from the sprint through the rain. The precipitation pattered against the cobbled street noisily. Rivulets of it streaming downward through the grooves in the stone right to the sea.

 

A harsh cough to the side made me jump with a small squeal. There were two pokemon with us under the awning staring us down. One was humanoid in shape and height, clad in knight like attire. It was black with a bulky golden suit of armor covering its chest with matching gauntlets on its arms. Fire wisped off its red eyes and the back of its helmet. The other was a bright pink two foot tall humanoid. They had short stubby legs and three fingered hands. A head of pale pink hair in a ponytail. Both were pokemon I could not put a name to.

 

The area was a smithy or something like it. There was a lit forge in one corner. The pink pokemon was next to it standing at an anvil that was the same size as them. Resting on the anvil was a heated plate of bright red metal. A hammer nearly as large as the pink pokemon was easily held in a single hand. They had stopped mid swing. The knight pokemon had paused in his task as well. They leaned on the pole of a shovel buried in a pile of coal. The knight asked, “Can I help you three?”

 

The deep baritone of the guy’s voice made my body quiver, I took a hesitant step back. The pink one lifted the hammer and rested it on a shoulder, not fazed by the weight at all. I answered, “Just trying to get out of the rain.”

 

The knight huffed and scooped up another shovel full of coal in the smeltery. He ordered, “Get moving.”

 

“Sure,” I turned to make an exit, looking for our next possible destination to avoid most of the rain. I could just barely see the island the Guild called home.

 

Hanna stepped forward and said, “Come on, it’s not that much further.”

 

We braved the rain and rushed down the road towards the bridge that would lead to the Guild and our sanctuary. Turning another corner we came to a stop at a tall stone wall topped with black iron spikes. There was a solitary black metal gate in the wall. The stones in the arch above the gate were colored black spelling out the words ‘Royal Guild of Kino’. The arch provided no coverage, and the rain hit us unabated. I pushed the gate with a paw, but it didn’t budge. The metal clanking along with a roll of thunder.

 

“Pokemon at the gate!” A high pitched voice echoed out from off to the side. It sounded like a young boy’s.

 

I didn’t see any pokemon on or behind the wall. I raised a brow and asked, “He-hello?”

 

“Who goes there?” The voice asked with a bit more authority. Which seemed fake given the young sounding nature of the unseen speaker. It almost sounded like it was coming from the wall itself.

 

I opened my mouth to answer, but a second voice cut me off and declared, “Three pokemon detected.”

 

The second speaker sounded a bit older, but the voice was still a bit high pitched. I craned my neck as far forward as I could to try and see who was speaking, but I couldn’t make out anyone on the other side of the gate. Who’s speaking?

 

“Sprigatito, eevee, and zorua,” the first voice confirmed after a slight pause.

 

“What’s going on?” Brooke asked sliding up to my side.

 

“I have no idea.” I gave her a concerned look.

 

“What is your business?” The younger voice demanded.

 

“We come here seeking sanctuary,” Hanna said taking a step forward. I quickly checked around us that no guards or eavesdroppers were about. The rain must have chased away most pokemon as we were alone.

 

“Sanctuary?” The voice came back confused. There was a shimmer and a rock resting on the other side of the gate disappeared. In its place was a dark brown furred zorua with bright blue highlights. They wore a white bandana with a zigzag black pattern around their neck. A regular zorua, besides being a shiny, and not the ghostly variant that Hanna was.

 

I jumped back and screamed, “Where did you come from?!”

 

“I was there the whole time,” the shiny zorua flashed a smug smile. His eyes flashed to Brooke, then to Hanna. A smile crossing his muzzle. The zorsune in disguise took a tentative step back, putting me out front. The zorua shook his head, the smile vanishing. He tapped on the gate with a paw. He asked “You wish for sanctuary? From what?”

 

“We were in a Reaping,” I answered.

 

The zorua bristled at that, his eyes widening. He stuttered to repeat,” A Re-Re-Reaping?”

 

I nodded, “The guards escorting us to Eldergrove were attacked. We escaped in the chaos and rushed here.”

 

The zorua gulped and stepped aside. He murmured aloud, “I’ve never heard of this.”

 

“What’s going on, Mason?”

 

The zorua jumped a foot in the air and whirled around as a new pokemon walked towards the gate. A cinccino wearing a similar bandana, that almost got lost in their long white tassels. Their fur was matted and beginning to darken as the relentless rain continued. The cinccino asked, “You are wishing for sanctuary?”

 

“Yes,” I said stepping forward, nearly brushing my muzzle against the gate that separated us.

 

“And the only crime is you three escaped being reaped?” The cinccino asked with an accusatory glare and folding his arms.

 

No reason to lie. I sighed, “The guards were killed by some wild pokemon. They nearly killed us too, and we were only lucky to get away while they were distracted with the bodies.”

 

“And you didn’t choose to help?”

 

“The guards were basically dead when we could have,” Brooke answered with a fiery tone, “We barely could scratch the guards, what hope did we have against pokemon like those.”

 

“Fair,” the cinccino nodded. He turned to the shiny zorua, “Take them to Dawn.”

 

“Okay,” the zorua nodded and pushed the gate open with a gentle tap of their paw. He flashed a smile, “Welcome to the Yuletide chapter of the Royal Guild. My name is Mason.”

 

We each greeted ourselves while Mason held the gate open. The cinccino walked away, back to the safety of a small hut hidden behind the wall. He grabbed a towel and began to wipe himself dry. The feeling of eyes on the back of my head made me pause and look back, but I only saw the empty street. Not a single pokemon in sight that would warrant the sensation. A paw on my shoulder pulled me back. Brooke gave me a concerned look, “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” I nodded and passed through the gate. Something is seriously going wrong. This can’t be nerves. It has to be something else…but what…

 

Mason closed the gate once we were through, the lock clicking loudly. The area beyond the gated wall was flat and void of much structures besides the small shack the cinccino retreated to. A soft amber glow of a fire emanated from the open doorway. Ahead was a flat stone brick bridge that spanned the water towards a small nearby island. There were more buildings on that and another bridge leading to the larger island where the Guild proper sat.

 

In a flash the tricky fox pokemon was in front and leading us along the bridge. Mason asked looking over his shoulder, “Will you three be planning on joining the Guild or just looking for sanctuary?”

 

“Joining,” I answered.

 

Mason smiled with a cheer, “It’s so nice to have new members of the Guild. You’ll love it here.”

 

The small island was dominated by the road leading towards the next bridge. The rest was taken up by a small cluster of buildings. One large one sat in the center flanked by two smaller ones that were more like tents than buildings. The larger building was a simple apartment with various balconies jutting out from the dwellings. On the left was a black tent with two pink impish pokemon at the cloth wrapped table serving as a counter. They were animatedly conversing with each other and the same stuffed bear pokemon from earlier. Still sporting the same yellow bandana. I spied a few more of the small pink imps in the back of the tent. The tent on the right had a lone nidoqueen behind the wooden counter. The wall behind her was covered in drawers.

 

The nidoqueen gave a smile and wave. I returned it before we made our way across the other bridge. Passing the bear pokemon as they yelled at the imps in an exasperated huff, “I told you, I wanted the silvers deposited and the bronzes turned to krownes!”

 

The imps shouted out a cacophony of replies that all melded into a mess of indistinguishable obnoxiously loud noise. The bear groaned and slapped their face with a paw. We continued down the bridge and made our way towards the main island of the Guild’s compound. Mason glanced back at the buildings we just passed and said, “That was Grimm’s Exchange and Sovereign Storage back there. Any coins you find in dungeons can be exchanged for krownes. At Sovereign you can store any items you may collect while adventuring that you do not want to bring with you. They have ports all over Kino you can retrieve from before entering any dungeons.”

 

“And the building in the middle?” Brooke asked.

 

“That’s the housing for those that are not employed by the Guild, but still work here,” Mason answered with a smile, “The adventure teams all live in the guildhall.”

 

He pointed a paw at the three story building that looked more like an aristocrat’s residence than the headquarters of a band of adventuring pokemon. Being this close I could tell it wasn’t a long rectangle as I originally seen. The center was one long block, but it had two branching sections that gave the whole thing a three pronged fork shape. It was made of peach colored bricks broken up by normal red ones between the stories. It didn’t scream exploration or adventure, it was more old-money and silver spoons. It honestly was a spitting image of some of the homes my aunts and uncles had in southern Kalos. Wonder if it was converted?

 

“Are you planning on joining a team together?”

 

My attention snapped back to Mason at his question. Hanna answered first, “Yes.”

 

Mason nodded and quickened his pace to the end of the bridge. The rain had lessened, but we were already soaked through and through. We were in desperate need of a towel and some heating. I was shivering from the cold sting of the rain matting down my fur. I hate having fur now…

 

We reached the end and made it to the Guild grounds proper. The main building dominated the small amount of flat land on the island, but it wasn’t the only building. There were four more flanking the main one, all of them matching the color scheme. The roofs all made of charcoal black shingles. The lower southern portion of the island was covered in farmland with several crops crowing, but not a single pokemon was out in any of the fields at the moment. The entire island was covered in cleanly cut grass with a gravel driveway connecting the buildings. There were a few trees and flowers speckled across the area, almost like anywhere not occupied by a building was covered in flowers, shrubs, and trees.

 

Mason brought us to the main building, holding the door open for us. The inside was alight in a soft orangey golden glow. The walls and floor made of dark stained wood with various scuffs and scratches marring the floorboards. It wasn’t much that repair was needed, but it did show it was well-trodden by pokemon of various types and sizes. Rooting the walls were clusters of yellowish-white crystals that pulsed with energy to illuminate the room. A massive lit fire pit sat in the center. Warmth blanketed the entire room. The whole place had the feel of a ski lodge. I was half tempted to rush to the fire to dry myself off and chase away the chill of the rain.

 

There was a vaporeon and glaceon sitting on a series of red cushions that encircled the warm pit. They had glittering silver bandanas on. At the back of the lobby was a desk with a wobbuffet behind it. Two long open hallways flanking the desk led deeper into the building. Off to the right side of the room was a bar. There were shelves of glass bottles filled with various colored liquids. A rainbow of selections I couldn’t put a name to. There were even maroon colored barstools. A lopunny sat behind the bar with a small black bow tie on their neck. One of the stools was occupied by an emolga with a red bandana. The flying squirrel was nursing a small glass of light blue liquid.

 

On the left side were three large corkboards covered in papers. A vulpix and deerling were standing in front of one. The deerling reached up and plucked one of the weathered papers and passed it to the vulpix. The exchanged a few words before nodding and rushing off with the paper in tow. They both had sunny yellow bandanas.

 

“Follow me,” Mason ordered. He rushed to the long wooden desk and the wobbuffet.

 

The vaporeon quickly glanced at us before turning away and nudging the glaceon. The ice type more blatantly watched us before hopping off the cushion. They went towards the edge of the room were a staircase led to the second floor. A balcony above overlooked the lobby area. Beyond that I could spy a single hallway leading back to who knows where. Coming down the right staircase was another vulpix. Only this one wasn’t the classic brown and red, nor was it the yellowish shiny version. This one was white as snow with faint blue undertones. It was quickly followed by a pawniard. The vulpix stopped and stared at us with an agape mouth. A nudge from the pawniard got them moving. The vulpix apologized to the sharp blade pokemon and the two made their way down one of the hallways. They had black bandanas on. What is with the color coding here?

 

As we arrived at the desk, the wobbuffet asked, “Who are these three?”

 

“Three mons seeking sanctuary and who want to make a team,” Mason declared. The wobbuffet nodded. Mason flashed a smile and turned to make his exit, “I’ll leave them to you, Marty.”

 

Mason left without any other fanfare. He waved at a few of the other pokemon before walking back outside. Marty cleared his throat as he leaned on the counter. He coldly asked, “Names please.”

 

He pulled out a clipboard with a piece of paper on it and picked up a pencil. We quickly gave him our names, which he jotted down. He then asked, “Why do you three wish sanctuary?”

 

We told him the story of what transpired in the forest. He jotted all of that down without ever looking down at the pencil or paper, keeping his squinty eyes locked on us. Once done he asked, “And why do you three wish to make an adventuring team?”

 

“We wish to go on adventures,” I answered. That seemed like the most on the nose type of answer I could give, but it was the truth. We were already on a quest, we were on an adventure already.

 

“And to help pokemon in need,” Hanna added. I smiled and nodded at her addition.

 

Marty wrote a few more words in a flurry of movement of pencil on paper. He then asked, “Where are you three from?”

 

“Shamrock,” I answered without pause. Figuring the whole truth wasn’t entirely necessary here. At least it’s true in Hanna’s case.

 

“Any past criminal record that the Guild should be made aware of before we look for ourselves?”

 

“Other than the whole Reaping thing,” Brooke said in a quick murmur. I simply shook my head.

 

“Any experience with mystery dungeons?”

 

“A little,” I answered.

 

“Have you been to any other Guild chapter?”

 

I shook my head.

 

“Will it just be the three of you?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded.

 

He finished his writing and pulled the paper free from the clipboard. A door behind him opened and a furret walked out. Marty handed the paper to the long body pokemon and said, “Please run their records, Isabella.”

 

She nodded and wordlessly left with the paper. Marty turned back and said, “Let’s go check in with Dawn while Isabella gets everything squared away.”

 

He left the desk and led us down the hallway on the right. It seemed to run the length of the building, ending in a turn to the left. The wobbuffet brought us to a door near the end that was flanked by a pansage stoically guarding it. Marty nodded to the grass monkey, who returned it. The primate gave us a quick smile and wave. Marty knocked on the door twice and said, “Dawn, I have three pokemon wishing for sanctuary and to join the Guild.”

 

“Enter, Marty,” a powerful deep voice echoed from behind the door.

 

Marty opened the door and held it for us. We entered and he closed the door, not coming in with us. The room beyond was an office. A dark wooden desk sat in the center on top of a navy rug. A potted plant bloomed magnificently in the corner. A pair of bookshelves sat in another with a pair of red cushions near it. A trio of closed chests were in the other, they wouldn’t be misplaced on a pirate ship. Behind the desk was a ninetales looking pokemon, I assumed Dawn. They looked exactly what I expected the white vulpix from the lobby would be after evolving. The aura of power radiating off her was a strange mix of strength and kindness all wrapped up in cold. The room even felt like it was air conditioned. A stark contrast to the warmth that permeated the rest of the building. I felt an icy finger trace the contours of my heart for a fleeting second, then it vanished without a trace.

 

She wasn’t the only pokemon in the room. Standing off to the side next to a closed door was an empoleon. Their flippers crossed as they leaned against the wall. They fixed us with a hard glare. Dawn drew our attention with a soft clearing of her throat. She asked, “You three are seeking sanctuary from the Yuletide Chapter of the Royal Guild? May I ask from what?”

 

“Yes,” I answered with a nod. I crossed the room and stood beside the large red cushion at the foot of her desk, “We were all in a Reaping and escaped the guards who arrested us when we came under attack by wild pokemon. We wish for protection from anything that might arise from what happened with those guards.”

 

“What happened?” The empoleon gruffly asked.

 

“They were massacred,” Brooke answered, “I don’t believe any of them made it out alive.”

 

Dawn nodded and rifled through a few sheets of paper on her desk, “You are not the first to seek our protection from a Reaping,” she paused in her actions, “Though I haven’t seen a case like this in several years.”

 

“It is our duty to protect those who need it if the charges are only what they say,” the empoleon added, his hard eyes landing on me. I shuffled closer to Brooke as he bore down on us.

 

“May I ask as to why you chose this chapter in particular?” Dawn waved a paw at the cushions. Seeing the open invitation, I didn’t hesitate to sit down. Brooke sharing the cushion with me. Hanna sat down on one by herself.

 

I didn’t have a good answer to Dawn’s question. I didn’t want to say anything related to Jirachi’s quest, wanting to keep that information within our small team and only that. Brooke seemed to realize this and answered, “We heard great things about this Guild and figured it was the right one for us.”

 

“Trying to butter us up, huh?” The empoleon accused with a small chuckle. Dawn did so as well, only daintier.

 

“Quiet, Pip,” the ninetales fixed him with a hard look that still radiated warmth. He grumbled and leaned back. She turned back to us with a smile and asked, “Do you three wish to form a team by yourselves or join an existing one?”

 

“Or separate ones?” Pip chimed in from the side.

 

“We would like to be on a team together,” I answered. It would be easier to do our main quest if we were by ourselves and not pulling others in. Especially if we would have to rope them in with the whole Jirachi story. I wasn’t sure if I would bring other pokemon along for the ride. I was happy with just the three of us. Having to get more pokemon clued up on the whole First Star business could get tiring if we added more to the team.

 

“How old are each of you?”

 

“Seven,” Brooke and Hanna both answered nearly at the same time. I didn’t respond right away, not quite sure what I should go with. Should I just say that I’m the same age or say sixteen moons instead of sixteen years?

 

The piercing eyes of the snow white ninetales stiffened me in place and I blurted out, “Sixteen.”

 

Dawn went to say something else, but a knock at the door stopped her. Someone spoke from the other side a second later, “May I enter, Dawn?”

 

“Yes,” the ninetales answered without a pause. The door opened and a furret walked in. Isabella shut the door behind her and held a sheet of paper to her chest. Dawn asked, “Isabella?”

 

The furret scurried across the room and handed the paper to the ninetales. Dawn accepted the paper and scanned it over. Nearly a minute passed before she lowered the paper and thanked the furret. Isabella bowed and made her exit. Once she was gone, Dawn spoke, “We reached out to the sheriff’s office in Shamrock.”

 

Oh shit! I gulped. What info did they give them?

 

A nuzzle from Brooke calmed my spiking nerves. I flashed her a smile and returned the gesture. Dawn silently watched our exchange, a smile plastered across her muzzle. There was a smugness to her eyes. I turned away, not willing to meet her eye. She wiped the smile away and turned to the emperor pokemon. She asked, “Pip, if you will?”

 

Pip grunted and quickly left through the entrance. After a few seconds Dawn turned back to us and continued, “We reached out to them and got a briefing of your time in Shamrock from an espeon by the name of Lily.”

 

I snapped to attention at the mention of the sun pokemon. My hair bristled and my spine ran cold. What did she say about us? Did she tell her I was human? The mental block? Was this a horrible, horrible mistake?

 

Brooke shuffled away from me with a pained look. The absence of her contact making my chest tighten. Dawn either didn’t notice or ignored my state as she held the paper up and read aloud. “It says here you came to Shamrock last night, you two do not live there.”

 

Lie number one caught! I took a tentative step backwards. Hanna quickly answered, “I do.”

 

Dawn gave the zorsune a single nod of her head. She continued, “You arrived after assisting a leafeon in the Oaken Knoll dungeon.”

 

“Yes,” I answered, “We ended up in that place after a larvesta attacked us.”

 

She nodded. “It also says here that you attacked the guards in the Reaping in attempt to stop it?”

 

Dawn seemed confused and a bit surprised at that factoid. I gulped and gave a single nod. I didn’t face her as I answered, “Yes, they tried to reap Brooke.”

 

The eevee moved back to my side. Brooke added, “But Hanna didn’t attack them. It was only Aster and me.”

 

The zorsune silently rejoiced in that small statement. She wasn’t cowering as much and her tail wagged ever so slightly. Dawn pressed, “And where do you two come from?”

 

“The Sapphire Isles,” Brooke answered.

 

The wintery ninetales smiled and asked, “Is that all?”

 

“Is there more on the paper?” I asked back.

 

“Just that Lily is relieved to hear you are all safe and sound and that she will tell your mother.”

 

The last statement was directed at Hanna, who beamed brightly with her tail wagging a mile a minute. I smiled and asked, “Can you give Lily our thanks?”

 

“That can be done,” Dawn answered with a nod of her head. Her smile didn’t falter as she continued, “But in all honesty it is not all that bad. No real criminal history besides the whole business with the Reaping, but nothing too severe that would require us to turn you over to the guard.”

 

That was a possibility?! I nearly jumped from my seat, Brooke basically holding on to me the only thing keeping me in place. Hanna looked about ready to faint. Dawn clearly saw our worry and gave us a small laugh, hiding her mouth behind her paw. She lowered it and quickly said, “You are not in trouble for lying, I see entirely why you did so.”

 

“But, to get us all wrapped up here,” She straightened her back and leveled us with a stoney glare. “You three understand the responsibilities that you will undertake being members of my Guild? You will be going off to far off places, delving into mystery dungeons, fighting wilds and outlaws, helping pokemon who need it. You cannot shirk on these duties. If you do, then the sanctuary we offer may be rescinded. Any future crimes committed against Eldergrove, or the other kingdoms, may not be easily forgiven. The guard may even still try to arrest you even with our protection. Confrontation in that case is advised against, and we expect you to wait for the Guild to act on your defense instead.”

 

She leaned forward and bared her fangs. A low tremble echoing out of her throat, “You will be expected to do your duties as all are expected. You will not shirk your responsibilities for any trivial reason. I will not give you three preferential treatment because of your sanctuary status. You will have to earn your rank and board just as anyone else does. I may be lenient with the jobs you take because of this, but I still expect you to focus on them first.”

 

She leaned back and asked, “Do you understand all the rules, requirements, and expectations presented before you if you do so choose to join the Royal Guild of Kino?”

 

I saw no reason to argue with her. We had no real ground to stand on and we needed their help more than they needed us. If we were to go off on our quest for the First Star we needed some form of liberty and the sanctuary they offered would allow that. Doing stuff for the Guild would also help us train for the trials we no doubt would face in acquiring the shards of the Star. Trials I felt we currently were woefully unprepared for. Taking jobs enroute to wherever the shards were would benefit both us and the Guild. I stood up and squared my shoulders. I gave a nod and said, “I have no problem with that.”

 

I turned to my shiny eevee. “Brooke?”

 

“Yes,” she stood up at my side, “I’m fine with that.”

 

“As am I,” Hanna said with a determined smirk on her muzzle.

 

Dawn dropped her snarl and smiled widely, a few of her tails even wagged. She nodded, “Wonderful, then we can get started on you joining.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes,” she nodded and picked up a piece of paper. She walked around the desk as she spoke, “I have no issue with you three joining. I can see you mean what you say. I feel like I can trust you,” she came to a dead stop in front of us and fixed us with a hard glare, “Don’t make me regret trusting you three.”

 

“You won’t,” I said stepping forward.

 

She nodded and added, “We’ll just have to go over a few formalities before it is official.”

 

“Like what?” Hanna asked.

 

Dawn set the paper down at her paws. I couldn’t read the tiny scribblings on it. She explained, “Just how things work around here and in the Guild. What will be expected of you and such.”

 

I nodded. She accepted the silence and went on. “As members of the Royal Guild you will be expected to take jobs posted on the boards in the lobby. Maybe one a day or a few at a time. You can take rests between jobs, but you will be expected to go on missions from time to time. You cannot just laze about in your quarters, we are not an inn. We'll go over the mission system and everything later.”

 

I nodded understanding our job’s expectations thus far. It didn’t sound that hard or complex. The real challenge would be the actual jobs. Going into more mystery dungeons and such. I knew I couldn’t escape those damn places that easily.

 

“Each job will be posted with a reward from the postee. This may be monetary in nature or with some supplies. Any supplies you are rewarded with is yours to keep. But any payment you will receive, a half of that will be given to the Guild.”

 

Seems a bit excessive, but makes sense. I wasn’t all that in it for the money, so it didn’t hurt to be losing half of whatever we would be making. I was a bit curious as to how this place financed itself by helping pokemon based off of requests, but seeing that it got a cut of everyone’s pay cleared that up.

 

“Jobs posted here may also appear on the boards of the other chapters, the reward is paid on a first come basis. I’m forewarning you, you may be competing with teams from other chapters from time to time. You are all members of the same institution, so keep the infighting between chapters to a minimum.”

 

Sounds really cut throat.

 

“Now,” she sighed, “Before you officially join the Guild you will have to go through an assessment.”

 

“Assessment?” I parroted back with a tilt of my head. The door behind us opened and Pip silently entered the room. He shut the door behind him and stood guard, his eyes staring off at nothing.

 

“Yes,” Dawn nodded not giving the empoleon any attention. “We need to get a gauge of your powers and fighting experience to properly place you in the rank you are to start at.”

 

She turned to Pip and asked, “Has the assessments of the other rookies already started?”

 

The empoleon nodded, “Just started a few minutes ago,” he extracted himself from the door and added, “If they head now they could still be slotted in today.”

 

Dawn smiled. “Good, can you take them there?”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” the empoleon turned to us and ordered, “Follow me.”

 

“We can finalize everything after the assessment,” Dawn said happily waving us goodbye. We quickly stood and followed the empoleon out of the office and back towards the front.

Chapter 13: Trials and Tribulations

Summary:

Aster, Brooke, and Hanna undergo their assessment to join the Yuletide chapter of the Royal Guild. Along with some others wishing to join as well. But before that, they encounter an...interesting guild member.

We had entered the lobby once again. The vaporeon and glaceon were still by the fire, but a jolteon had now joined them. The duo by the boards were gone and I saw no hint of the vulpix and pawniard. The emolga was missing as well. Pip stepped off to the side and ordered, “Wait here for a moment, I need to finish some stuff before we head over to the dojo.”

 

I offered a small okay as he turned and made his way behind the desk, the wobbuffet still manning it. Brooke sat down next to me and said, “This seems nice.”

 

“It is!” Hanna nearly beamed. She fidgeted in place, “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. I’m going to be a member of the Royal Guild.”

 

I couldn’t help but smile at the zorsune’s enthusiasm. It was such a difference from her reserved and quiet demeanor that she normally had. It felt nice to see her happy after the unfortunate turn of events that had befallen us. And her especially.

 

“Yes,” I said with a nod. I quickly turned to her and asked, “You have no issue with all of this, right?”

 

“Nope,” she stopped for a second to shake her head, but the smile never left her face. A throat clearing behind us stopped her. She froze in fear as we spun around, the jolteon having come up from behind at some point. How they did so without us seeing or hearing them was a bit discomfiting. Their eyes flashed to me for only a second before landing solely on Brooke.

 

“Apologies for interrupting,” the male jolteon gave a small bow, “But I couldn’t help but hear that you plan on joining our fair Guild.”

 

“Yes.” Hanna was all smiles, and her tail was wagging a mile a minute.

 

The jolteon gave a small hum of acknowledgment, then went back to looking at Brooke. The look seemed utterly predatory, and it made my stomach twist. I moved closer to the eevee, till our sides touched. I didn’t want the jolteon anywhere near her. The yellow dog flashed a fanged smile.

 

“My name is Camille” he said puffing out his chest. He quickly asked, “Yours?”

 

“Brooke.”

 

“As- “

 

“I would like to extend an offer to join my team if you so wish to,” he cut me off the second after Brooke said her name. Hanna didn’t even go to say hers. Her smile evaporated and she shuffled closer to us. I was happy she got a sense of unease from the eeveelution as well.

 

Who the hell is this guy? I fixed him with a glare. His smile faded as he turned to me. He quickly added, “Only to the beautiful eevee of course.”

 

I raised a brow at his statement. Category five dick detected.

 

“That’s a wonderful offer,” Brooke said painting each of her words with far too much sweetness. It felt weird hearing her speak like that. She scuffed a paw on the ground and her face was flushed the faintest bit of pink. She didn’t meet the jolteon’s eyes as she added, “I’ll consider it.”

 

“You won’t be disappointed if your do. My team is the best in Yuletide and one of the top ones in all of Kino. You will be well known and praised for working for me. A pretty vee like you deserves to be seen amongst greatness,” Camille never dropping his smile during his entire sales pitch. A smile that seemed not to fit the muzzle of the dog like pokemon. It didn’t seem genuine with the words he was saying. A painted on masquerade to hide his true face.

 

“Aren’t you the charmer,” Brooke fluttered her eyes at him. I bit my tongue to stop myself from laughing.

 

“I’ve been called that among other things,” the jolteon rubbed a paw through the white quills on his chest. He turned and presented his side, “You’ll get many benefits from joining my team.”

 

Brooke’s eyes traced him up and down. She covered her mouth with a paw. I gave him a confused look. What’s going on?

 

“An interesting offer,” Brooke said after dropping her paw, “Do you give that benefit to all the girls on your team?”

 

“Yes,” he nodded smugly, “Metis and Gemi love it.”

 

Did he flash his junk at her?! I narrowed my eyes and bared my fangs. Brooke asked aloofly, “What about Aster and Hanna?”

 

“Who?” Camille asked.

 

“Aster. Me,” I answered stepping forward and between him and Brooke, “Brooke is my partner. We are together.”

 

“And Hanna is our friend,” Brooke said wrapping a paw around the zorsune. Hanna stiffened and forced a hardly convincing glare and a wary smile. The jolteon let out a bark of a laugh.

 

“Team VeeVee is an eevee only team,” he lowered his head to meet mine. A low growl like grumble coming from his throat, “She would be better off with her own kind than a weak prissy kitty like you.”

 

“I’ll have to pass,” Brooke said stepping up to my side.

 

Camille rightened himself, his snarl not dropping, “You’ll regret that, little vee.”

 

He spun on the spot, but kept his eyes on Brooke. He said, “The offer still stands if you get tired of tiny cat dick.”

 

He jogged away and back towards the vaporeon and glaceon. He licked the ear of the icy eeveelution and placed a paw right between the hind legs of the fishy one. Brooke huffed the second he was out of earshot. She make a gagging noise, “What a slimeball.”

 

“Did he actually proposition you?” I couldn’t help but ask.

 

“You didn’t…” she trailed off before smacking herself in the head with a paw, “Right, the block.”

 

She shook her head, “Yes, he did. He was peaking.”

 

“What block?”

 

I froze as my veins turned to ice. I quickly shot over and nearly tackled Hanna over, placing my paws over her muzzle. She let off a small yelp, but it was quickly silenced by my actions. Her eyes widened in fear, and she trembled in my grasp. I quickly checked to see where the jolteon was, but he was still playing with the two eeveelutions. The two girls giving off faint moans as he continued to lick the ear of the glaceon and fiddle between the vaporeon’s legs. A check of the room saw no one was giving us any attention. Pip had not yet returned. I hissed and whispered, “Don’t ask. Don’t even ask. I’ll tell you later when we have some privacy.”

 

Hanna whimpered, but nodded her head. I returned the gesture and pulled my paws away. She smacked her jaw and rolled her tongue. I offered a quick apology. She didn’t accept it or say anything, but she didn’t press the question. I sighed and asked Brooke, “Does he think that works?”

 

“He must,” Brooke shook her head, “Like I’d be grateful he would even consider having sex with me.”

 

I watched the departing trio of eeveelutions make their way upstairs. The vaporeon and glaceon clinging to his side. The vaporeon’s tail plastered to her backside, nearly tucked between her back legs. The glaceon’s tail was hiked to the ceiling, yet I couldn’t see anything but cold light blue fur. Camille glanced back and gave a nod in our direction. I rolled my eyes. I leaned towards Brooke and whispered, “Might be the only good quality about him.”

 

Brooke giggled and I joined in. Hanna remained quiet.

 

“Aster. Brooke. Hanna.”

 

We snapped out of our giggle fit as Pip returned with three white bandanas draped over one of his flippers. He moved towards the front door and ordered, “Follow me.”

 

The rain had not let up in the slightest as Pip brought us towards one of the satellite buildings. There was no distinguishing features to tell them apart from each other. Like someone came and copy pasted the same building several times. That didn’t stop him as we moved towards the closest one on the left. He held the door open and allowed us in.

 

The inside was a massive empty room that seemed to occupy most of the building. The floor was a field of packed dirt with chalk lines in the shape of a normal battlefield one might find in a pokemon gym back home. It gave me a strange sense of nostalgia that twisted my gut. A pang stabbed at my heart as a longing I had never felt before surfaced. Am I feeling homesick?

 

I shook the thought aside, reminding myself that now was not the time to dwell on the past. I focused back on the room before us. The ground was marred with pockmarks and scars of battles and various elemental attacks. The wall was covered in padded material that you wouldn’t be hard-pressed to find in a typical martial arts studio. They too showed the signs of battle wounds, but they were faded and less fresh than those covering the field. The area at the entrance was a raised platform with benches behind a wooden barrier to separate the spectators from those on the field. There was a lone mon, a mawile, on the bench surrounded by a collection of bags and other such items. Their eyes flashed towards us as we entered, but quickly snapped back to the pokemon occupying the field.

 

“Take off your bag and put it there,” Pip ordered casting a flipper towards the mawile and her collection. Brooke undid the bag and shimmied it off my body. I shook myself out as Pip ushered us on the field. Standing in the center pokeball design was a medicham with a burgundy and pink tartan bandana. Seated around it were five other pokemon, all of them wearing white bandanas. A cubone, a dedenne, a mudkip, a chatot, and a grassy looking pokemon with two yellow olives on their head. The medicham said, “I will now want you each to come at me with your best and strongest…”

 

Her words died as she saw Pip enter. The other five quickly turned as well. They stood up and bowed at the obvious senior member of the Guild. From the fact he was there with Dawn I figured he was the second-in-command or something like that. The medicham asked, “What brings you to us, Pip?”

 

“Three more potential members for the Guild,” he answered stepping aside and pointing a flipper at us. I stood still, Brooke puffed out her chest, and Hanna stepped backwards. Pip asked, “I hope this isn’t an inconvenience, Helen?”

 

“Not at all,” the medicham shook her head and stepped forward, “I always love to see what the little ones can bring to the table.”

 

She stared us down and said, “Come, join the others.”

 

Pip handed us the bandanas as he jovially offered us a quick ‘good luck’. His tone made me feel like he didn’t actually mean it and wanted us to fail. He turned and joined the mawile without another word. Hanna and Brooke had the pieces of fabric around their necks in a matter of seconds. I couldn’t tie it in a knot and grumbled as the eevee had to help me. She snickered and whispered to me, “Missing your hands.”

 

“How do you do it without thumbs,” I groaned as we joined the circle of pokemon around the medicham. Helen had retaken her position in the center. Her eyes landing on each of us for a second, but she was focusing more on the three of us now.

 

“Now.” She clapped her hands, her eyes piercing each of us with her intense glare. “Since everyone else has already had introductions. Why don’t you three introduce yourselves to the rest of the group?”

 

Even if it sounded like a question it was definitely an order. Brooke stood up first. “My name is Brooke.”

 

“I’m Aster,” I offered remaining seated and waving a paw.

 

“Ha-Hanna,” The zorsune offered with small squeak. She shuffled closer, almost using me as a shield.

 

Helen had the others do the same. There was Danny the mudkip, Evan the chatot, Zoe the dedenne, Taylor the cubone, and Fiona the dolliv. I was happy I did get confirmation of the olive pokemon’s species name. Once introductions were complete, Helen gathered our attention with a loud clap. The medicham ordered, “Everyone line up single file.”

 

She pointed down the field and we all rose to follow the order without question. Helen remained in the center of the field and watched us with a piercing glare as we formed our line. Once we were settled she ordered, “Now, you will each come at me one at a time and hit me with your strongest attack.”

 

Helen squared off in a horse stance. Danny went up first. He stomped a paw, cracking the ground and sending a rock half the size of his head upwards. With a grunt he encased the rock in a brown aura and tossed it at the medicham. Helen didn’t move, nor did she flinch from the rock impacting her chest. The mudkip huffed and stomped another rock up and did the same attack. Again it had no effect on the medicham. Helen barked, “Halt.”

 

Danny froze in the middle of his third attempt, his paw hanging limply in the air. He gingerly set it down. Helen’s face was neutral as she said, “Your execution of the attack is quick, but it sacrifices power in doing so. If you can focus more power into the boulder you can get a larger one that will do more damage. But rock type energy is hard for you to manifest strong enough, especially with you being a natural counter to it.”

 

Danny gave a somber nod and stepped out of the line, the chatot moving up next. He took flight and circled Helen. He sped up with each revolution, the medicham lazily tracking him with just her eyes. Evan came to a stop and whipped up a torrent of light blue wind around him and unleashed it at the meditate pokemon. Helen raised a magenta cloaked arm forward and blocked the incoming attack. Her stoic expression didn’t falter as the wind died down and she ordered, “Stop.”

 

I tuned out Helen’s critique of the chatot’s move, instead focusing on the others in line; dolliv, dedenne, cubone, and then Brooke. Hanna was behind me in the last spot. I focused on what move I would do. I only knew scratch, leafage, and bite. Scratch was a run-of-the-mill normal attack that it made no sense to use it. Leafage was the only one that matched my typing. Bite would be neutral along with leafage against a psychic-fighting type. Leafage seems the best…

 

Fiona stepped away after unleashing her attack, a pulsing ball of water that soaked the medicham. The dirt around her greedily drinking the liquid and the chalk outline fading. The attack did leave a nice red welt on the forearm the medicham had used to block it. Helen gave a nod and said, “Weather ball is an interesting attack to have in your arsenal that is a bit of a gamble, but it can pay off rather well when used in the right situation. Your casting is near perfect. A good balance of power without taking too much time to complete.”

 

Fiona skipped cheerfully off to the side where the mudkip and chatot were sitting and watching. A wide smile on her face as she hummed a happy tune. Zoe went next and performed a tackle. Helen didn’t even move to block or intercept the move and just took the hit to her leg. She was pushed back an inch, but that was it. The medicham scowled and asked, “Tackle?”

 

The dedenne shuffled backwards and trembled at the vitriol lacing the larger pokemon’s voice. The cubone rushed forward and embraced the small rodent in a hug. Helen stepped out of her stance and stood up straight. “I wanted to see your best and strongest attack. While tackle is a good all-rounder of a move to have, it is a basic move many mons can learn. It is a dime a dozen. It has no strengths and is far outclassed by several other normal type attacks. Is that what you wish to bring to the Royal Guild of Kino? Is that the best you got?!”

 

The dedenne let off a wail as tears erupted from her eyes. She sprinted off the field and towards the exit. The cubone right on her heels. The mawile intercepted and pulled the distraught pokemon aside. They fixed the medicham with a glare. Helen just rolled her eyes and resumed her stance. Her voice was filled with indifference as she snippily said, “Next.”

 

Brooke leaned back and asked, “What should I go with? I was thinking double kick, but now I’m not sure.”

 

“Quick attack,” I quickly answered. Even though she had just learned the attack today and we hadn’t gotten much time to practice it like we had done with tackle or her other moves, I knew it was the best of all her moves to use right now. First of all, quick attack was better than tackle because it allowed her to bypass most moves any other pokemon could dish out, which made it better in some cases as a first strike. Secondly, not all pokemon that could learn tackle could learn quick attack and vice versa. It wasn’t as common as tackle. And lastly, there was her ability. Adaptability made her normal type moves far stronger than they normally would be. If Helen wants to see her best attack, then it has to be quick attack.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Today, fluff ball!” Helen spat out.

 

“Yeah,” I nodded.

 

Brooke rushed forward in a blur of golden light and tackled Helen in the chest. The medicham’s eyes bugged out as she grunted. Her feet digging divots in the ground as she fought the force of Brooke’s attack. Brooke angled her body and kicked off Helen, sending her off balance. The medicham staggered, but caught her footing. Brooke came to a landing in the center of the wet patch of dirt.

 

“Not bad,” Helen said stepping forward, “Quick attack can really get the jump on a pokemon and with your boosted power it can do some serious damage.”

 

Brooke beamed at the praise and marched her way towards the other sitting off to the side. I smiled as well. At least one of us avoided her ire.

 

Brooke sat down next to the dolliv, whom she exchanged a high five with. The cubone and the dedenne had yet to return and were still with the mawile. Pip was with her as well. Helen quickly added, “But I can tell you are new to the move and will need more practice on your exit. You tried to push me back for too long. If I wanted to retaliate, I could have done so very easily. Quick attack is made for diving in, striking, then retreating as fast as you can.”

 

Brooke gave the medicham a single nod of her head. Helen smiled and returned to her spot and retook her stance. She stared me down and ordered, “What do you got for me, weed cat?”

 

I stepped forward and squared my shoulders as I built up energy in my crest. Keeping the medicham’s judgments in mind I didn’t want to overcharge this one. She liked quick and fast attacks, but she also wanted power behind them. Once the drain was enough I released the attack and sent a storm of leaves at her.

 

The medicham was consumed by the leaves, but she didn’t move or block the incoming storm of glowing foliage. Even before the leaves dissipated, Helen spoke, “Not bad for a standard grass type attack.”

 

She had not moved from her spot and her stance had not falter in any regard. There wasn’t a new scratch or welt on her body to signal if I did any damage whatsoever. I knew I shouldn’t expect anything, but it still hurt that I couldn’t leave a mark or make her flinch. She dug her feet in the ground as she continued, “You didn’t overcharge it like so many grass types do. Leafage is a quick move that can distract just as easily as it does damage. It also is a good move to adapt into magical leaf, a far more powerful and versatile grass type attack.”

 

I nodded at her assessment. It was equal parts constructive and analytical as the others were, so I didn’t feel that put off by her words. She didn’t degrade me as I feared she would. A tug at my tail stopped me from stepping away. I jerked back to Hanna, my tail whipping out of her muzzle and plastering to my backside. I asked, “What?”

 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said trembling on the spot.

 

“Next!” Helen shouted, “The fox.”

 

I ignored the medicham and stepped close to the zorsune. I quietly told her, “You have to do this Hanna, you may not like to fight, but you will if we are to go forward with this. Brooke and I will be there for you, but right now you have to do it by yourself. Just in case we can’t in the future.”

 

“O-okay,” she meekly said, not at all that convinced. She shook her nerves away and squared off against Helen. She flashed me a pleading look and asked, “What should I do?”

 

“Sucker punch,” I answered without hesitation. She did stiffen at my suggestion. I didn’t give her a chance to say anything else as I stepped towards the others observing, leaving her alone on the field with the medicham.

 

“Any day,” Helen bit back with a tap of her foot.

 

Hanna took in a deep breath and let it out through her nose. She asked, “Ca-can you attack m-me first?”

 

“Attack you first?” Helen asked back confused, standing up straight.

 

“Ye-yeah,” Hanna gulped, “My best attack is sucker punch.”

 

“Sucker punch, really?”

 

Hanna nodded. The medicham stepped out of the center and walked slowly towards the disguised zorsune. Hanna took a tentative step back, shivering yet again. Helen came to a stop and said, “I will not actually attack you, as that is not the purpose of the exercise. I will still use a move, if you do not use your sucker punch you will fail.”

 

That was the first time I heard of us failing. She never said anything to that affect before. I figured this was more of a formality. Dawn already went through all the basics with us before we came here. The ninetales didn’t say anything about us not being accepted. What does that mean for the dedenne and cubone?

 

Helen pulled back her fist as it became cloaked in bright red flames. She jumped forward, Hanna screamed as dark energy consumed her body. She rushed to close the distance and delivered a sucker punch to the medicham’s gut. It did nothing to stop Helen, but she quickly canceled her attack. The fire dying as she lowered her fist. She took a step back and said, “Not the worst sucker punch I’ve been hit with.”

 

Hanna escaped the presence of the medicham and rushed over to us. Helen didn’t seem to mind as she continued, “Your response time is near perfect. I almost feel like you don’t need a pokemon to attack you to use it. So long as you feel in danger, sucker punch will activate correctly. You just need more confidence in your attack, it suffers greatly from this.”

 

Helen turned to the front of the building and asked, “How are the other two doing?”

 

“They left,” the female mawile answered monotonously. True to her word, the dedenne and the cubone were nowhere to be seen. Pip was no longer there as well.

 

“Very well.” The medicham didn’t seem all that phased by the fact. She instead retook her place in the center of the field. A loud clap of her hands drew our attention as she ordered, “We will now go onto the second phase of the assessment. Please file in.”

 

We all did as she ordered. With the possibility of being rejected now looming over us I was afraid. We needed to be accepted. We were screwed if we didn’t have the protection of the Guild behind us.

 

Once we were all gathered, Helen explained, “Now that I’ve gotten an assessment of your power levels, I will now be testing your reaction time and evasion.”

 

“To do so,” she stepped forward, “You will be split into teams of two. You will take turns. One will attempt to land a hit while the other will dodge to the best of their ability. But,” she stomped her foot hard enough to crack the dirt, “This is not a real battle. We are not fighting to faint.”

 

She then split the six of us up. The mudkip and chatot were paired with each other. Brooke was paired with the dolliv. Hanna and I were the last team. Danny and Evan were the first to fight. We all retreated to the side of the field sitting right up against the padded wall. Helen took a referee position off to the side while the mudkip and chatot took their starting positions. Helen raised a hand and said, “This will be a two minute fight. Danny will be the only one allowed to used moves. Evan, you can only dodge. After the time is up, Evan will get two minutes to do the same. Understood?”

 

She got a pair of confirmations. With nothing else to say, she started the battle. Danny rushed forward and quickly tossed a rock at the chatot, who took to the air and easily dodged the attack. I lazily watched the fight play out. It was very much one sided. The fact Evan could fly made him far more evasive than any of us could be. He maneuver gracefully around the rocks and jets of water the mudkip hurtled at him. It was a bad match up whoever got paired with the music note pokemon. Danny was able to land a few glancing hits, but he missed far more often.

 

“Aster?”

 

I turned away from the boring fight and to the cowering form of the black zorua sitting next to me. Brooke did so as well, the dolliv she had been paired with not sitting next to her and instead intently watching the battle. I asked, “Yeah?”

 

She checked around us for a second before leaning in closer and whispering, “How are we going to fight when as soon as you hit me my illusion will shatter?”

 

Shit! I bristled at her realization. I didn’t think of that possibility at all. We were screwed if her illusion shattered. They would all see her in her ghostly form. We were surrounded by strong pokemon that could easily overpower any of us. They would capture us and have her sent to the castle for the Reaping. Or they would just kill her. And who’s to say Brooke and I would be spared, they might do the same because we associated ourselves with her and hid the fact she was a ghost. We would lose the whole umbrella of safety we would be granted because they would find her out. All because we didn’t think this through. How were we supposed to know we would have to do a mock battle where her illusion would be at risk of shattering. If she was attacked…

 

I blinked as an idea came to me. This was actually perfect. Because it was me paired with Hanna she was safe. We would get through this with no problem. Hanna seemed to sense my faint sense of calm and asked, “Aster?”

 

“Your illusion only shatters if you are hit with an attack, right?”

 

“More or less,” she waved a paw side to side, “A few different things can break it, but being hit by an attack is the easiest way.”

 

“Then we’re safe.”

 

“How?” Brooke asked. Both foxes gave me confused looks.

 

I smiled and explained, “It’ll only shatter if I hit her. So I just won’t hit her with any of my attacks.”

 

“But,” Hanna tried to speak, but she failed to form the rest of her sentence.

 

“How are you going to fail to hit her when the whole objective of the fight is to land hits?” Brooke countered, speaking where Hanna could not. She asked, “Do you honestly think you can get away with that?”

 

“What other option do we have?” I asked, “We can’t let her illusion fail. We can’t let them know she’s a ghost type. But we need to be here. We need the safety and protection of the Guild before we go after the shards. Not the mention the map that is supposed to be here. Do you have any other idea?”

 

“Na-no,” Brooke scuffed the ground with a paw.

 

Before anyone else could say anything, Helen’s voice rang out, “Good fight, you two.”

 

Danny and Evan stopped where they were, the light blue energy that had encased the chatot’s beak blinked out in a flash. He came for a landing next to the mudkip. Both had scuffs and knicks, some of Evan’s feathers were bent at weird angles. Helen silently eyed the two up before speaking, “Very well done."

 

She turned to the bird. “Your speed in the air is good for someone your size, but you could take your turns a bit faster to be a bit more agile. From the air you are good at hitting a target, but you hold yourself in one place far too long to execute it. You need to work on charging up an attack mid flight rather than stopping to use it.”

 

Evan nodded, his wings sagged as he took in deep breaths of air. Helen focused on the mudkip next. “You need to work on your mobility when attacking and dodging. You tend to stand your ground and attack from one place. This will make you a sitting duck and most ferals will not waste the opportunity going after a still target.”

 

“Dismissed.” the two left the medicham. Helen checked the rest of us and ordered, “Next, the cat and black fox.”

 

I stood up and whispered to Hanna, “Don’t worry, we got this. You’ll be safe.”

 

“O-okay,” she stood up and we both walked towards our starting positions. We stopped and turned to face each other. I squared my shoulders, but Hanna couldn’t suppress the quivers that wracked her body.

 

Helen raised a hand and said, “This will be a two minute fight. Aster will be the only one allowed to used moves. Hanna can only dodge. Understood?”

 

Best to get my attacking round done first. I lowered to a pounce to start. Hanna didn’t move at all. Helen lowered her hand, “Begin.”

 

I rushed forward and prepared a scratch. Hanna was on the move in an instant and fled backward. I knew I couldn’t just let her get away and I had to sell that I was trying to hit her without actually doing so. I picked up the speed and leapt for my attack. Hanna jumped to the side, and I missed completely. Maybe I won’t have to sell it.

 

I charged a leafage and aimed it where she was currently, not tracking it to her movement. The blast went wide and had no hope of hitting her. I prepared another and did the exact same, missing entirely. Hanna still ran like her life depended on it. Her method of avoiding my attacks mostly amounted to running circles around me. She was faster and nimbler than I could be. I wasn’t sure if it was just because she was a fox or if her ghostly nature gave her some uncharacteristic speed.

 

Not wishing to just stand around firing off barrages of leafage, I rushed after the fleeing fox. I also wanted to avoid using my grass type attack for the most part. It had the largest spread, which meant it had the greatest chance of hitting Hanna even if I was trying to not hit her. I didn’t want Helen to be any the wiser to what we were doing. I dove for a scratch and missed her by a mile.

 

“That’s enough!”

 

Helen’s words killed the leafage I was charging. I sat down as the power fizzled out. Hanna walked over to me as Helen did the same. The medicham’s face was etched in anger. No doubt pissed I didn’t land a single hit on the zorsune. She crossed her arms and asked, “Care to explain?”

 

Her tone made her words sound more like an order than a question. She wanted an explanation, and she wouldn’t have the second fight continue till she got it. I answered, “I couldn’t hit her.”

 

“More like you were actively trying not to,” She countered, barely holding back the rage in her words. I gulped as I took a tentative step back. Hanna rushed behind me to use me as a shield once again. Shit! She saw through it!

 

“So,” Helen tapped her foot impatiently, “Care to explain why you decided to forgo the battle practice? Do you not wish to be part of the Royal Guild? Did you think it was fun to waste all of our time?”

 

“Na-no,” I answered taking a step forward. A bead of sweat forming on my brow. She didn’t seem to like my answer, flames beginning to lick at her clenched fists. I dryly gulped, “I didn’t want to hurt her.”

 

“Didn’t want to hurt your mate?” She accused as she lifted up a fire cloaked fist.

 

“What?! No!”

 

“Then I see no reason for you to stay here if you won’t participate in this assessment,” Helen walked passed us and towards the center of the room, “I’ll fail all three of you in your little group.”

 

“Wait!” I jumped after her, “You can’t do that.”

 

“I can, and I will,” she didn’t turn to look at me.

 

“Please,” I pleaded, but she ignored me. I came to a stop as she took her spot. A poke at my side drew my attention to the zorsune there.

 

Hanna gave me a sad look and meekly said, “Do it, Aster.”

 

“But,” I breathed out. I couldn’t form the words. I knew what she was asking me to do, but I knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t risk her life just to get us in the Guild. I wouldn’t. We would leave here and just go on the quest on our own. We didn’t need the Guild. I would never hurt the shy ghostly fox. Coming here was a mistake.

 

She placed a paw over my muzzle, “Just do it.”

 

I shook her limb off and shouted to the medicham, “I want another chance!”

 

“You had your chance,” Helen bit back, “You should have thought of that before you decided to ignore my instructions.”

 

I grit my teeth and pulled the energy for a scratch. I’m sorry, Hanna.

 

Before I could bring my paw up the illusion shattered. I didn’t attack her, Hanna had dropped it herself. I moved in front and shielded the exposed fox from whatever attack the medicham would unleash. Hanna’s cold paws grabbed on to me for dear life and her trembling form held me like a vise. I tensed up awaiting the hit. But nothing came. I peeked an eye open, Helen was looking right at us. The anger in her face had evaporated and her eyes had widened. Almost like there was a bit of recognition there. She gave a single quick nod before she cupped a hand over her mouth and called out to the ceiling, “Sheldon.”

 

In a flash a new pokemon appeared at her side. A floating husk of a pokemon with a crescent moon halo hovering over its head. The shedinja wore a matching burgundy bandana along with a red and yellow scarf. Helen asked the shed pokemon, “Can you please tell them the Guild’s stance on ghost pokemon?”

 

The shedinja floated forward. An eerie voice echoed around the room, “The Yuletide chapter of the Guild accepts all pokemon no matter their upbringing, sex, orientation, or type. It is one of the few organizations in Eldergrove that accepts ghosts, nat or evo.”

 

“I assume that is why you flubbed that battle then,” Helen pressed.

 

“Yes,” I said. Hanna let go of me, but kept close to my side. I continued, “I didn’t want to reveal that Hanna was a ghost. I thought you would attack her.”

 

“There never was any fear,” Sheldon said before zipping off back towards the ceiling. I could just make out the shedinja in the rafters.

 

“Shall we do the battle again?” Helen asked.

 

I asked the white zorua clinging to my body like a life preserver, “Do you want to go again?”

 

She gave me a small uh-huh and a quick nod of her head.

Chapter 14: The Name Game

Summary:

After going through the assessment, Aster, Brooke, and Hanna set about finishing the last few things needed before officially joining the Royal Guild. The most important being, what will be the name of their team?

My second battle with Hanna went almost the same as the first. Her speed was on full display, yet again. She was a bit hesitant at first, no doubt not feeling comfortable in her own fur in front of so many other pokemon. She eventually found her stride and was a force to be reckoned with. I was forced to blasting her with as large as a leafage as I could manage to actually get some hits in. When it was her turn she wiped the floor with me. I had some speed, but nothing in comparison to her. She easily caught me several times, and I got a scratch for my troubles each and every single time. I was glad she didn’t use a single sucker punch at all. Helen was pleased with her performance and gave me advice to work on my speed. I couldn’t disagree with her.

 

I was still in a bit of shock over the whole thing with ghost pokemon. I still didn’t quite believe the words of the medicham or the shedinja. But the fact the ghost type shed pokemon was here made me somewhat believe their words. Since coming to Kino I’ve been repeatedly told to be afraid of ghost type pokemon. Multiple sources confirming the same thing. That ghosts were feared and ostracized because they were ghosts. And it was confirmed by several different ghosts. Even Theon believed in the near complete prevalence of this prejudice. Yet here we were presented with a place that didn’t care about that fact. The Guild didn’t care if you were born a natural ghost pokemon or you evolved into one. The terms Sheldon had used, nat or evo, respectively. Hanna even confirmed that society was still split on discrimination on evo ghost types. They weren’t born as ghosts, and society was a bit more accepting of them. At least the younger generations were in that regard. The older pokemon being behind with the times and still racist against any ghost type pokemon was no big surprise. Seems our worlds aren’t that different after all.

 

Sheldon was the only ghost pokemon I had seen in the Guild so far. But it wasn’t like I was going out of my way to check all the pokemon that were here. But I did want to check to see if there were other ghost types here or not. I still didn’t trust his words. But Helen didn’t kick us out after Hanna revealed herself, nor did she attack her. Hanna was still shivering and reapplied her zorua disguise the second our battle finished. Only then did her nerves settle somewhat. Which didn’t surprise me. She had lived her entire life hiding who she was from everyone. Her fear of showing herself off was far to ingrained and I saw no reason to stop her from getting any form of comfort she needed.

 

After us was Brooke and Fiona’s battle. Fiona was able to pack a lot of power behind her attacks, which wasn’t that hard to believe with her being a second stage and the rest of us were all first stages. But Brooke was able to avoid most of the olive pokemon’s attacks and able to do some damage herself. Helen had nothing but praise for their fight, she had no constructive criticism to speak of.

 

Once that was over, Helen congratulated each of us. Her voice didn’t have any joy to it, but she did say we all passed, and she welcomed us to the Guild. The cubone and the dedenne never returned, but Pip did come back to escort all of us back to the main building. The rain had stopped, and the blanket of clouds had broken. The warmth of the sun was chasing away the chill of the rain as we entered the lobby and the empoleon brought us back to Dawn.

 

The wintery ninetales was happy to see all of us, but she did ask about the two that were missing. Pip answered her. “They left after being discouraged by Miss Helen. I tried to get them to retry, but they refused. I’m not sure if they will return or try a different chapter.”

 

“That’s a shame,” Dawn responded with a tiny frown. She banished it in an instant, instead focusing on the mudkip and chatot, “Now let start with you two.”

 

The two stepped forward and the ninetales pulled up a piece of paper. She read off it, “Now you two wish to form a team by yourselves still, correct?”

 

“Yes,” Danny answered.

 

Dawn nodded, “Based off of that and Helen’s assessment, you two will be placed at iron rank,” she pushed the paper forward, “Please go over this form and come back later with your team name. You will be given your supplies and badges once you fill this out.”

 

“Pip,” she ordered the empoleon, “Please escort them to their room.”

 

The chatot swooped in and snatched the paper gently in his talons before following the penguin out of the room. Dawn called Fiona up next. “Now Miss Fiona, I know you came here without a team and wish to be placed within one with an opening.”

 

The dolliv nodded, “Yes.”

 

“We do have a few teams with openings,” Dawn pulled out another piece of paper, “Based on your assessment, you could hold the rank of bronze. We do have a few bronze rank teams you can look at to see if they will accept a new member. But we do also have a few iron and stone ranks that you can join as well. Maybe a silver rank could work.”

 

The door opened and a white and red zangoose entered. Dawn pushed the paper towards Fiona and said, “Miss Victoria here can help you seek out the teams I have listed here,” she tapped the paper and pulled out another sheet, “Talk with them, find a team that works for you and have them sign this paper agreeing to you joining their team. Once that is all said and done, you will be an official member of the Yuletide chapter of the Royal Guild.”

 

Fiona grabbed the papers and gave the ninetales a deep bow, “Thank you, Guildmaster.”

 

“Thank you for considering our chapter in the first place.”

 

The zangoose led the dolliv out of the room, and now it was just our team alone with the nine tailed fox. Dawn smiled at us and said, “You three did well in your assessment, most sanctuary seekers are not cut out for the Guild if history has anything to say about it.”

 

She pulled out a piece of paper. “Now you wish to form a team of three amongst yourselves, correct?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded and quickly added, “Just the three of us.”

 

I wasn’t sure what rank we had been assigned yet, nor did I even know what the ranks meant exactly. But I also didn’t want us to be an option for Fiona. Not that I didn’t like her, but I still wanted to keep our team as small as possible. Just the three of us was perfect. And I wasn’t even sure what the team member limit was. Something in the back of my head said the limit was six, given the pokemon limit for a trainer’s team back home. But even that seemed like a lot of pokemon. Could it be less than that? Is there a limit?

 

Dawn nodded as the door opened and a squat pokemon waddled in. They were like a walking fusion of a dinosaur and an apple pie. It had a green body with a reddish helmet covering their head. Long ears dangled at the side of their head. The sweet fruity and cinnamon aroma of a freshly baked pie filled the room. Dawn smiled at the pokemon and said, “Mutsu will show you to your quarters.”

 

She pushed the paper forward, “Please look over this form and have each of you sign it and think about the name for your team. Your assessment has placed you three in iron rank. Mutsu can explain what this means for you three going forward and he’ll go over some of the finer details you will need to be proper members of the Guild.”

 

Mutsu stood at the door and said, “Come along, kids.”

 

The apple pokemon’s voice was slow, but also sweet. Like an old grandparent who wanted to give you a butterscotch candy. It almost sounded like my Grandfather’s. Brooke stepped forward and grabbed the paper. She stowed it in my bag, and we followed the apple pie pokemon out of the room. He led us to the front of the building and to the corkboards. He waved a leg at the boards and said, “These are the mission boards, now that you are almost full fledge members of the Guild you will acquire your missions from these boards. As you are iron rank, you will only be allowed to accept iron or stone rank jobs. This is to keep the more dangerous quests out of the paws of pokemon who might now be ready for them. Your safety, alongside the client’s, is our number one priority.”

 

One of his ears flipped open and there in the center of it was a pupil. I nearly jumped out of my fur at the sight. Those are his eyes!

 

The flap fell back down, obscuring his eye. I gave him a quizzical look. How does he see?

 

Mutsu stepped towards the first board, “This board is for job requests. This may include doing some work or delivering something for a pokemon. The middle board is for mystery dungeon related missions. Where you will delve into a mystery dungeon either to help someone lost in it or maybe find an item. The board on the right is for outlaws. Criminals who have escaped the purview of the guard, most likely seeking shelter in a mystery dungeon. You will not be allowed to accept any missions from that board unless you are at least silver rank. Most of the missions your rank will be allowed to take are on this board,” he nodded his head towards the leftmost one, the one filled with jobs. “They all update daily from either submissions made here in Eldergrove or from the nearby smaller chapters. Missions posted on the boards of the nearby chapters will appear here as well. But you may be doing them against those other adventure teams. Your badges will allow you to claim a mission as well as the reward once you complete it.”

 

“Any questions?” He looked to each of us with a smile on his face. It still felt weird that I couldn’t see his eyes, yet he was perfectly looking in our direction. Which still bugged me out slightly now knowing where his eyes were.

 

I didn’t have any questions immediately on my mind, he covered a bit more than Dawn did. But the system he described made sense. We were only allowed to accept quests equal to our rank for our safety and no doubt to ensure pokemon of the proper skill level took the job. We may not be the only one doing a job and half of the money we made went to the Guild. Brooke didn’t speak up. I was a bit curious at the whole rank system and how many there were. Stone sounded like the lowest, which meant we were just above that rank. I was half tempted to check the board of outlaws to see if Roland was there or not.

 

Hanna did ask, “How easy is it to rank up?”

 

“That is up to the discretion of the Guildmaster,” Mutsu answered, “Ranking up is based on performance and merit. Doing jobs and doing them right will help you rank up, but don’t expect to raise in the ranks easily.”

 

I didn’t expect it to be an easy thing with the discrepancy we experience with Helen. I wasn’t sure what her rank was, but she had to be a high rank. I wonder what rank the Guildmaster is?

 

“Now,” Mutsu moved away from the boards and towards the steps, “Let me show you to your room.”

 

We had to take the stairs slowly to keep pace with the slow moving apple pie. The balcony at the top opened up to a long hallway that ran the length of the building. It was split by another hallway that led towards the two branching off sections of the guildhall. The one on the right was for the staff of the Guild, those not part of an adventuring team but still working for the whole institution. It mostly included teams that have graduated or retired, but still stayed to help the Guild in other avenues other than going on missions.

 

On the left were the living quarters for the teams. The doors were all the same except for a small wooden placard slotted in holders with the team’s name on them. I read the names as Mutsu led us up a set of stairs and towards a cluster of doors without nameplates. There was Team Sunshine, Team Rainbow, Team RAD, Team Tempest, Team Wonder, Team Skull, Team POG, Team Dusk, and Team Unity. Mutsu stopped at a random unmarked door and waved a leg at it, “This will be your room from now on. Once you come up with a team name we’ll put a sign denoting this.”

 

He pulled out a badge just like everyone else on a team had. His badge had a green gemstone like crown on it. He held it up to the door as he explained, “Your badge will only allow you and members of your team to unlock your room. For the time being it will be unlocked till you get your badges later today. No one else will be able to open your room unless they are a part of your team.”

 

The door unlocked and he held it open for us. We filed in and the apple pie followed, the door shutting but not locking behind him. The room beyond was Spartan, not a single decoration. The floor was the same hard wood, and the walls were painted a soft peach. A singular square window gave us a view of the roof of the central part of the guildhall. There was a solitary wooden chest, a circular wooden table in the center of the room, and two piles of hay as the only furnishings in the room. There was a closed door leading off to an adjacent room. But that was it.

 

Mutsu said, “You can furnish your room however you please, just do not make it a nuisance for your neighbors and the Guild. We all share this place.”

 

“I’ll go check on your badges and be back,” He left without waiting for a response, the door shutting behind him.

 

Hanna collapsed in a heap on one of the beds of hay with a groan. Her illusion flickered out a second later. Brooke made her way towards the other room. She poked the door open and quickly declared, “It’s a bathroom.”

 

She rushed inside without saying another word. I made my way over to the limp fox on the pile of hay. I sat down at her side and placed a paw on her back. She stiffened at the contact, but then went lax again. She groaned out. I proceeded to pet her. I softly asked, “How are you feeling?”

 

“Like this was a mistake,” she sadly said. Her voice muffled by the hay.

 

“You don’t have to worry,” I countered as I continued to rub her back, “Like Helen and Sheldon said, it doesn’t matter that you are a ghost, the Guild doesn’t care about that. You don’t have to worry, you’re a full member of the Guild.”

 

“It feels so weird though,” she rolled on her side to face me. I inched closer and continued to pet her side. Her cold fur felt nice, and I liked the feel of it. It was just as soft as Brooke’s. She didn’t tell me to stop, so I kept on doing it. She even gave off a small purr like noise.

 

“It probably will for some time,” I offered, “You went from hiding your ghostly nature for your entire life to having it exposed in front of so many pokemon in one day. But,” I pressed, “You don’t have to be afraid of anyone.”

 

“Thanks,” she meekly said giving me a small smile.

 

“No problem,” I responded, giving her a big smile in return.

 

Silence began to settle around us, but Hanna didn’t let it encroach too far as she asked, “What was that whole block thing you nearly tackled me over for?”

 

I stiffened and my paw abruptly stopped on her side. I pulled my leg back to my side as my face felt warm. I let off a small cough as I turned away from her stare. I tried to answer, “It was…”

 

I trailed off trying to think of the words I wanted to use. I wasn’t sure if I should say more or less what I told Brooke. She at least had context of what happened and why I did it. But Hanna lacked any of that. It also felt embarrassing to talk about looking at pokemon’s junks. Not to mention that this whole block thing was a sex offender spell.

 

I decided to distract myself by trying to get a handle on my paws and to be able to take off and put on my bag without needing assistance. I didn’t face the white zorsune as I asked, “You know that I’m human?”

 

“Yeah,” she responded in confusion.

 

“Well,” I was able to get the bag off with a bit of stretching that my legs weren’t too happy with. I fiddled with the straps, “As a human I was attracted to girls.”

 

Hanna gave me a confused little squeak. She got off her side and was now laying down like a loaf. Her eyes bore into me as her ears stood up straight and pointed right at me. I sighed as I set the bag down. “But when Jirachi turned me into a sprigatito some wires must have gotten crossed because my attraction for girl humans turned into attraction to female pokemon.”

 

“You’re not…”

 

Hanna seemed almost afraid. She had shuffled away a bit. She almost seemed afraid of me. I threw up my paws and said, “You don’t have to worry, I don’t have feelings like that for you.”

 

That seemed to lessen her nerves somewhat, but she didn’t return to her original position near my side. Her face etched with worry still. I continued, “It felt weird to have such feelings. It felt so wrong to be attracted to pokemon. I felt like I was losing myself to this body. That this body was in more control than my mind was. That I wasn’t me anymore.”

 

I sighed pushing the bag aside. I hung my head, “I had Lily the espeon place a mental block on me so that I couldn’t see anything. That I could suppress these feelings. To keep me, me.”

 

“So wait,” Hanna sat up, “You had a mental block placed on you?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded, but didn’t face the zorsune, “I cannot see anything on a pokemon.”

 

“You had the sex offender mental block placed on you?”

 

My face felt warmer as I screwed my eyes shut and gave a single nod of my head. Why does it sound so filthy when that is pointed out?

 

“You aren’t. Right?”

 

“No!” My head snapped to her as my face and ears burned, “I’m not a sex offender!”

 

“That we know of,” Brooke said stepping out of the bathroom.

 

I shushed the sparkly vee. She giggled and sat down on the other bed. I added, “But please keep the whole fact I have the block on a need to know basis. I don’t want anyone to know of this with it being a whole sex offender thing and all.”

 

Hanna nodded. She asked, “What do you see?”

 

“What?” I turned back to her.

 

“What do you see if the block makes you unable to see anything.”

 

“Nothing,” I shrugged. I pulled out the paper Dawn had given us as I added, “I just can’t see anything.”

 

My eyes flashed to Brooke, then to Hanna. I quickly ordered, “Don’t you dare flash me.”

 

“What?!” Hanna bolted upright and her face was bright red. “Wha-wha-why would you say that? Why on earth would I do that?!”

 

I rolled my eyes and pointed a paw at Brooke, “Because she did.”

 

“I was curious,” Brooke bit back.

 

“Still doesn’t mean you had to flash me,” I grumbled as I flattened the paper out. I stopped as a thought occurred to me. I’ve been flashed by a lot of eevees.

 

I gave Brooke a judgmental look and asked, “Why is it that the only pokemon that have flashed me since I became a pokemon are eevees?”

 

“What?” Brooke asked back confused by my question.

 

I listed off, “There was you. Lily did it after she applied the block. Then there was the jolteon from earlier. All of you basically flashed me,” I gave Brooke a smug smirk, “Are eevees just that perverted?”

 

“We are not!” She jumped to her paws and pointed an accusatory one at me, “That is slander.”

 

“Still doesn’t make it untrue,” I singsonged.

 

“That is only three eevees,” Brooke countered, “Aspen and Bella didn’t do anything.”

 

“But that jolteon was basically having sex with the vaporeon and glaceon. That makes it five,” I shrugged, “Face it, eevees are perverts.”

 

“I’m gonna make you regret those words, cat,” Brooke growled out as she hunkered down ready to pounce. Her tail swishing aggressively from side to side.

 

“Umm…guys?”

 

Hanna’s hesitant words stopped Brooke, who stood back up and hid her face. The eevee sighed heavily. “I’m not a pervert.”

 

“I know you’re not,” I confirmed. I knew she wasn’t, but I wanted to poke fun at her. It was too much of a good opportunity to pass up on. It was no doubt a strange string of unconnected coincidences, but that didn’t make it any less funny. Just the fact that the only pokemon that had flashed me were eevees made it all the funnier.

 

I leaned over the paper to read what was on it. My eyes drawn to the massive coat of arms at the top of the paper. The shield was divided into three fields. The top left had a quartet of light blue lightning bolts descending from a silver crown in a field of gold. The top right had a set of interlinked rings on a field of white. Each ring a different color; one half pink and magenta, one orange, one black, one purple and yellow, and a green one. The bottom section was a set of five beige pillars in a light blue field. Flanking the shield was a stylized luxray on the left and a pokemon that resembled a black and red arcanine on the right. Around the whole thing was a winding scroll of faded parchment that coiled around the shield and the two pokemon. On the bottom of the scroll was the phrase ‘Custodiant, Explorarent, Casus’. It seemed like Latin, but I wasn’t sure what it meant. The middle word seemed close enough to ‘explore’ I figured it had to be that. I couldn’t make heads or tails of the other two words. ‘Custodian’ didn’t make sense at all, and I gave up on the third one. I guess that’s the Guild’s motto.

 

I added, “I just wanted to get you back for the sex offender comment from earlier.”

 

“I’ll get you back for that,” Brooke hissed out.

 

“I be surprised if you didn’t,” I responded. I quickly said, “Let’s take a look at this, shall we?”

 

Hanna inched closer and Brooke joined us on the bed of hay. I read the form aloud, “This form is to detail and outline the responsibilities and expectations of members of the Royal Guild of Kino, if you so choose to join the institution. This form will act as your acceptance of these terms and conditions.”

 

“Great,” Brooke turned away and laid down, “Legal speak.”

 

I chuckled. “I can read it to myself if you don’t want to hear it.”

 

“I kinda don’t,” the eevee answered, “I bet its just the normal run of the mill don’t break the law, don’t break the rules, yadda, yadda, etcetera, etcetera.”

 

I gave the rest of the form a quick look, “Kinda looks like it is.”

 

“Then no,” Brooke shook her head. She pointed a paw at me, “You’re the human with a lawyer for a dad, you should be perfectly suited to find any faults with it.”

 

I looked the paper up and down and absentmindedly said, “I bet my dad could tear this thing to shreds in seconds.”

 

“Then its settled,” the eevee curled up in a ball and pressed close to my side, “Let me know where I need to sign.”

 

“My dad is technically a counsel.”

 

“Same difference,” she flicked an ear at me.

 

I rolled my eyes and turned to Hanna, “What about you?”

 

“You can read it aloud,” she flashed a small smile.

 

I nodded and went back to the legal document. “Where you must accept all of the stipulations laid out before you. If you do not agree with these conditions, please return this form to the head of the chapter.”

 

The word ‘Yuletide’ was written in a fill in the blank area. “In doing so you relinquish your application to the Royal Guild of Kino. If you do accept these conditions, please sign at the bottom of the form with your paw, hand, talon, appendage, or approximate body part.”

 

The bottom of the form was a blank area with four lines. The last one had ‘TEAM NAME’ before the blank. I lifted up my paw and asked, “Just sign with my paw?”

 

“Yeah,” Hanna nodded, “that’s how everyone signs anything. Not everyone can hold a pencil to write, so paw prints are typically used in place of written signatures.”

 

“Makes sense.”

 

“Just sign the damn thing,” Brooke tried to snatch the form with a swipe of her paw. I pulled the paper out of her reach.

 

“You can’t just sign things willy nilly without at least knowing what you are signing up for.”

 

“Why bother?” Brooke asked, “We’re going to join the Guild no matter what.”

 

“I mean,” Hanna said, “She’s right. I don’t plan on not signing it.”

 

“But we should at least know,” I countered.

 

“Then read it in your head,” Brooke ordered.

 

I rolled my eyes, “Fine.”

 

I stepped off the bed and sat down on the other one by myself. I curled up and read the rest of the form in my head. After the small warning it went on to describe the legal side of the Guild. The expectations and the limitations of the job. That we would be representatives of the Guild and must perform our jobs to the best of our ability and to not make the Guild look bad. Not to endanger anyone’s life and to follow orders. It constantly warned that failure to comply with the terms of the form would result in ‘disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the Guild’.

 

We were expected to listen to those in authority, those holding higher ranks than us. I wasn’t sure what the cut off for that authority level was. Is any rank above us a level of authority? What are the higher ranks?

 

It did list what was called the ‘lead team’. I assumed that it was Dawn and those part of her adventure team. This was her chapter, so it made sense that her and her teammates would be the ‘lead team’ in charge of this chapter. I recognized the names. There was Dawn, Pip, and Mutsu. Victoria the zangoose we saw for a fraction of a minute earlier. And lastly, someone I have get to meet, Joel.

 

It then talked about reporting our superiors if we felt they were abusing their position or misusing their authority. Where we would have the right to report them to the relevant authorities. This included the head of our chapter, the head of a different chapter, or just going straight to the guards. And to not seek out our own justice. No vigilantism then.

 

Then there was a bit about not messing with the guards or other members of the Guild. To respect our fellow guild members and to still follow the laws of the land. We were not above the law being part of the Guild. And we could still be arrested. Gonna avoid that as much as possible with the whole Reaping.

 

All and all, the form wasn’t that bad. It was as Brooke said. Basically don’t break the rules, don’t break the law, do as you are told, yadda, yadda, yadda. I hate that she’s right.

 

At the bottom was the section for us to place our paw prints and put down our team name. I pulled back from the paper. Brooke was there, but Hanna was missing. I saw no hint of her black or white form. Brooke seemed to notice this and said, “She’s in the bathroom.”

 

I was a bit surprised I completely missing her getting up, crossing the room, and entering the bathroom. I didn’t think I was that engrossed in the form, but seeing as she did all that it had to be the case. I nodded. I picked up the form and brought it over to Brooke. I said, “Let’s sign this form.”

 

“Is it all good?” She asked, not willing to look at the paper.

 

“Yes,” I nodded, “Standard job form, don’t break the rules, follow orders, be a good person and such."

 

“I told you so,” she smugly said.

 

I rolled my eyes. “Excuse me for being careful when it comes to legal documents.”

 

“Give me that.” She reached out and snatched the form. She then asked, “How do we sign it?”

 

I had no idea. We didn’t have a pen or pencil to sign it, or ink to dip our paws in. The bathroom door opening drew my attention. The black zorsune froze under my glare. Hanna asked, “Everything okay?”

 

“How do you sign this?” Brooke whined out shaking the paper in her paws like she was trying to strangle it.

 

“Just put your paw on it,” Hanna answered a bit confused and motioning the action with a paw.

 

Brooke set the paper down, her focus shifting to her paw, “Just put my paw on it?”

 

“How does that work?” I asked the zorsune.

 

“The paper is enchanted,” she answered walking over.

 

“That’s a bit freaky,” Brooke said pulling her paw off the paper. Staining the off white paper was a perfectly formed black paw print. I moved over and did the same. I placed my paw squarely on the paper right next to Brooke’s print. I lifted it a second later and a small paw print now sat next to the eevee’s. Hanna took the paper and placed hers right next to mine.

 

She nudged the paper to me and said, “We will need to pick a team leader.”

 

“Why?” I asked.

 

“Every team has a leader,” she answered in a similar tone as one might use to say that the sky is blue.

 

“So, Aster then,” Brooke quickly said.

 

“Me?!” I asked not expecting the quick decision of me as leader of our team. I countered, “Hanna should be the leader, she knows more about the Guild than either of us.”

 

“I don’t want to be leader,” Hanna said with a shake of her head. She didn’t look my way and scuffed the floor with a paw.

 

“Looks like you’re the leader.” Brooke gave me a fanged smile.

 

“Fine,” I sighed. I didn’t see a reason to fight if neither of them wanted to be leader.

 

“We’ll need a team name as well,” Hanna advised, “Every team needs one.”

 

I stared at the blank area for our team name. I asked, “How do we write our name on the paper.”

 

“I figure we’ll just tell Dawn what name we choose, and she’ll write it down for us,” Hanna offered.

 

I figured that made sense. I then asked, “What name then?”

 

“How ‘bout Team Badass?” Brooke offered.

 

“Team names can’t have anything vulgar in them,” Hanna quickly shot down that idea. “Team names are public knowledge, and they don’t want little mons to see or hear anything they shouldn’t. Like a curse word.”

 

“That’s no fun,” Brooke kicked a stray bit of hay, “Why do they have to be dicks about censorship.”

 

She quickly perked up. A smug smile spread across her face as she said, “Guess we can’t go with Team Dick then.”

 

I rolled my eyes and Hanna nearly yelled, “Especially not!”

 

“Wouldn’t make sense anyway,” Brooke shrugged, “Only one of us has a dick.”

 

“Oh ha, ha, ha,” I shook my head as Brooke’s eyes squarely locked on me.

 

“Really?” Hanna asked with a deadpan.

 

“Why not?” Brooke chuckled with a shrug, “That jolteon would be a great addition to Team Dick.”

 

“We can’t go with the name Dick,” I reiterated.

 

“Still would have been a fun name,” Brooke chuckled.

 

Hanna softly said, “I always wanted to have the name Unity.”

 

“Unity?” Brooke parroted back to her with a confused look.

 

“Yeah,” Hanna gave a small smile, “That was the name of the original team that founded the Royal Guild. They were the strongest, bravest, and kindest pokemon in Kino. They created the whole thing,” she waved a paw at the room and the wider building beyond it, “I want to be just like them. And why not use their name as well. Plenty of teams have used the names of past teams.”

 

“I like it,” Brooke smiled.

 

I frowned as one of the names on our way up here surfaced in my mind. I sadly rebutted, “There already is a Team Unity here.”

 

“What?” Hanna gave me a wounded look.

 

I turned away and stared down the entrance to our room. “I read some of the team names on the doors, one of them was Team Unity,” I turned back to the heartbroken zorsune, “I figure they can’t have two teams with the same name, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Hanna buried her muzzle in her paws and her entire body went limp. Brooke shuffled closer and gave her a comforting pat on the back.

 

“Any other name you would want?” I offered to try and better the mood of the room.

 

“Not really,” Hanna shook her head, “That’s the one I always wanted.”

 

“How ‘bout something similar to Unity?” I proposed. I tapped my chin as I thought of similar words. I listed off what I could think of, “Union? Harmony?”

 

“Want to look at some of the other team names to figure out one?” Brooke offered.

 

“Wouldn’t it feel a bit weird using a name similar to another team's?” Hanna countered.

 

“We could also use it for ideas,” I rebutted standing up, “And we could make sure the name isn’t already taken.”

 

“We could do an acronym name,” Hanna offered. She stood up as well. As if sensing our unspoken question she quickly added, “It’s where we take the first letter of our species name and make a word out of it. The leader’s letter is first, then everyone else’s follows in any order to make a word.”

 

“So,” I trailed off in thought. I stopped where I was as I attempted to make a word. I’m a sprigatito and we have an eevee and zorsune. That gives us S, E, and Z.

 

“Sez?” I said aloud, tasting the word on my tongue. It felt weird. Like I was missaying ‘says’ or trying not to say the word ‘sex’.

 

“Sounds a bit weird,” Brooke agreed.

 

“We could take the letters of our final evolutions," Hanna offered, "Like Team ACT from the Air continent. They had an alakazem, charizard, and tyranitar. A, C, T. Act.”

 

“What even is my final evo?” I asked stopping at the door.

 

Hanna wordlessly shrugged. She didn’t know as well as I or Brooke. The fact mine started with the word ‘sprig’ meant it would no doubt follow a plant like naming convention. But I never heard of sprigatito until I became one. I had no clue as to what my final evolution would be named or even look like. And I couldn’t be certain it would still start with ‘S’. I added, “And with an eevee on the team that kinda seems hard when we don’t even know what you want to become yet.”

 

Brooke nodded at my statement. Hanna seemed somewhat defeated by us shutting down her ideas. She quickly rebounded and asked, “How about Maelstrom? Or Plasma? Those are names some famous human teams used.”

 

“Human teams?”

 

“I’m gonna veto Team Plasma,” I quickly said. I pushed the door open and made my way out to the hallway. There wasn’t any mons around. Hanna and Brooke followed right behind me.

 

The zorsune gave me a confused look and asked, “Why?”

 

There were only four doors with nameplates. The others left blank, like ours. Team Unity and Sunshine were across the hall. Team Dusk and Rainbow were to the left of our room. I made for the stairs as I explained, “About a year ago, back home, there was a terrorist group by the name of Team Plasma. They tried to save pokemon from people.”

 

“Save?” Hanna parroted back the word I had stressed as we reached the landing. The hall was still vacant of any pokemon besides us three. On the right was Team Tempest, Queen, and POG. I gave the last one a scrutinizing glare. Is that an acronym one like she said?

 

I turned away from the doors and back to Hanna. I answered, “They believed that pokemon were basically slaves to humans and wished to,” I sat down and used both of my forepaws to make air quotes as I then said, “liberate them. They kidnapped people’s pokemon and tried to take over all of Unova. I do not want to be associated with them.”

 

“Okay,” Hanna glumly said, “Then what about Maelstrom?”

 

The other doors had the names for Team Skull, Wonder, RAD, Spark, and Diamond. I answered, “I’m not so sure if I want to go with a name that another human did. I don’t really want to broadcast that I am one.”

 

“Oh,” Hanna glumly said as she limped forward.

 

“Maybe something with the whole Jirachi quest?” Brooke offered.

 

Hanna perked up. “Yeah. Like Wish or Star?”

 

“Star isn’t that bad,” I said making my way towards the next set of stairs leading towards the first floor. The name wasn’t all that bad. I didn’t like that we were somewhat broadcasting the whole First Star thing. But Star was also vague enough that it really could just be about stars in general. Or that we wanted to be stars. Only we would know the true meaning behind the name.

 

“Well, hello there.”

 

The voice froze me in my tracks. Mutsu walked forward with a smile on his face. Both of his eyes were erect for a second before they flapped back down. A shiver ran down my spine, the fact that his eyes acted like ears still creeped me out. He asked, “Getting a bit stir crazy?”

 

Hanna and Brooke filed in as we waited for the apple pie pokemon to close the distance. He chuckled at his question as he asked, “All ready to join the Guild?”

 

He tilted his back to show he had three white badges resting there. The same white pokeball design with golden wings and a steely grey crown on top. Brooke stepped towards the stairs behind us and said, “We left the form in the room, I’ll go get it real quick.”

 

She disappeared in a flash of quick attack assisted speed. Mutsu nodded as she left. He further presented his backside and ordered, “Take these and put them on.”

 

Hanna and I took the offered badges. It was cool to the touch. The zorsune easily placed it on her white bandana and the badge adhered without much prompting. I mirrored her action and mine stayed attached to mine as well. There was no need to actually pin it to the fabric, it just attached itself of its own accord. Brooke returned in a golden flash with the piece of paper in her maw. She dropped the paper in front of Mutsu and said, “We signed it, but didn’t write down our team name yet.”

 

“We couldn’t exactly write it,” I said holding up a paw. I handed Brooke her badge and she put it on as well.

 

Mutsu nodded and asked, “Did you come up with a name at least?”

 

He picked up the form and placed it on his back and he made his way back towards the lobby. We fell in line. Hanna answered his question, “Yes we did. Team Star.”

 

“Good name,” Mutsu nodded as he led us back towards Dawn to turn in the form and become full members of the Guild.

Chapter 15: The Wondrous Map

Summary:

The newly minted Team Star winds down from the hectic day they've had. They head off to have some dinner and meet a few more of the teams. But there is still the matter of the reason they came to the Yuletide Chapter of the Guild in the first place. Where is the map Jirachi told them about?

Dawn accepted our form with a smile and Pip signed our team name, officially making us Team Star of the Yuletide chapter of the Royal Guild of Kino. The nineyule, which I learned was the species name of the wintery ninetales variant, asked the three of us what color we wanted our bandanas to be. After I gave our white ones a quick glance, she explained that each team had a color to represent them. The basic white we currently were wearing was saved for pokemon not on an adventure team. This included pokemon wishing to join the guild and those on the staff that so chose to wear them. I wasn’t sure what color I wanted to wear. Brooke seemed to hold the same sentiment. Hanna instead seemed to have it already chosen and asked, “Can we go with gold?”

 

Dawn’s smile faded as she sadly said, “That color is already taken by another team. We try to not have the same color or matching designs used for different teams.”

 

Hanna deflated at the loss of the color she wished for. She glumly murmured, “I already saw another team wearing it. So, I guess that means we can’t go with black either.”

 

Dawn’s frown answered her question. I asked, “Can we do black and gold?”

 

Hanna perked up and her tail wagged ever so slightly. Dawn turned to Pip. The empoleon unfolded his flippers and gruffly answered, “That can be done.”

 

Dawn smiled. “We can do that. Any particular pattern you wanted it to be?”

 

The only patterns I’ve seen thus far was the tartan on the medicham and shedinja and the zig-zag on the zorua and cinccino from the gate. I tried to think of a pattern that would work best with black and gold. Tartan wouldn’t be that bad, but we could go with something different. Maybe something like it…

 

“Can you do an argyle pattern?”

 

“Argyle?” Dawn parroted back with a slight tilt of her head in my direction.

 

“Sue knows the pattern,” Pip answered. Dawn turned to the emperor pokemon as he added, “It’s the one with diamonds and Xs.”

 

Dawn’s expression clearly conveyed the question she didn’t seem able to vocalize ‘How do you know that?’. She shook her head and turned back to us and said, “We’ll send the order to Sue, and she should have your bandanas ready by tomorrow morning.”

 

With nothing else to discuss Dawn waved us goodbye as she said, “That is all. Why not go have some dinner, your supplies should be in your room after you are done. Thank you and welcome to the Guild.”

 

We thanked her in return as the apple nectar pokemon led us out of the room. Mutsu, who I finally learned was a pokemon by the name of appletun, gleefully led us out of the nineyule’s office and towards the back of the guildhall. Where the cafeteria was. The room was already packed with a large assortment of diverse pokemon in the midst of eating. The room was filled with the clattering of utensils on plates and the thunderous chatter of several conversations going on all at once. Not to mention the medley of various scents of food wafting through the air. I could make out hints of cheese, fish, bread, eggs, and meat. A shiver ran down my spine as the umami flavors danced on my nostrils. Meat…

 

The lighting in the room was a bit dimmer than the rest of the guild. The crystal clusters here were a bit smaller and duller. It gave the whole place a more relaxed atmosphere, like one you might find in a restaurant. The room was dominated by three long dark wooden tables with matching benches covered in dark blue cushions. There was easily room to fit ten medium sized pokemon on each bench. Towards the end of the room was a cluster of chrome furnishings that seemed to be the kitchen. It kinda reminded me of Geoffrey Hunt’s show, Dis’ Kitchen. Mutsu led us towards the end. As we walked, my eyes were drawn to the various pokemon in the room engrossed in their meals. Some of them gave us glances, but returned to the meals without paying us much attention.

 

There were a pair of bidoofs both eating toasted sandwiches stuffed with lettuce, tomato, and avocado. A pink pachirisu set down their fork ladened with verdant lettuce to look at us. The black and brown pig sitting next to them turned as well. The white squirrel hopped closer to the pig and whispered something, but I couldn’t make it out over the noise of the room. A sabelye scurried away from the kitchen with a light blue bowl held above their head. They rushed off to the other side of the room with a toothy smile on their face.

 

“This is the kitchen,” Mutsu drew our attention as he waved a leg at the long counter separating the kitchen from the cafeteria. He pointed to a small paper placard right behind him, “They serve breakfast and dinner here each day. The menu updates daily.”

 

He then went on to explain the different stations. First was the salad bar, where you could custom order a salad with a variety of different ingredients. Next was the sandwich station, where they had a few different options for vegetarians, omnivores, and carnivores. Third, was the entre station. Where they had a selection of dishes made fresh by the cooks. Lastly was a wooden burning brick stove for personal pizzas. It honestly felt like too much, like this whole set-up made more sense being in some fortune 500 company than a hall of explorers and adventures. Mutsu made his way over to the salad bar as he said, “Pick whatever you like, everything is free. Just order and they’ll have someone bring it to you when it is done.”

 

Hanna and Brooke both went towards the sandwich area while I made my way towards the pizza oven. A monferno was tending to a pair of pizzas as I approached. They spun around and gave me a smile, “How may I help you today?”

 

“What kind of pizzas do you have?” I asked picking myself up to look over the counter at their selection.

 

“New here?” The female monferno asked with a smile.

 

I nodded, “Just joined today.”

 

“Let me be one of the first to welcome you to the Royal Guild of Kino,” she twirled the wooden peel in her grasp, “The name’s Anna.”

 

“Thank you, I’m Aster,” I said before she then listed off the personal pie options they had. There was a plain cheese and tomato pie. A pepperoni one. A veggie one covered in a medley of green peppers, black olives, onions, and brown mushrooms. The other option was a white pie. I didn’t dwell on it and ordered a pepperoni pie. I hadn’t had pizza in forever and I wanted to indulge myself in the food my family rarely partook of. And I wanted to satisfy my meat craving. Two pidgeys with one stone.

 

Anna smiled with a nod and got to work on my pizza. Following Mutsu’s directions I turned to the tables. Brooke and Hanna were still at the sandwich station. The appletun had vanished. A quick glance of the room yielded no results of his whereabouts. I figured he saw no reason for him to stay with us for dinner. I wasn’t concerned all that much. I guess he took his meal and left.

 

I turned my sights for anywhere for just the three of us to sit. Most of the tables were filled with only a single or two spots separating the parties already eating or awaiting their meals. My eyes finally caught the end of the table on the right, right next to the pizza station. It was barren of most pokemon with room to spare. I made my way over and claimed the spot opposite three other pokemon.

 

A heart tailed pikachu who was eating a BLT. Another rodent pokemon whose right side was brown, their left black, and they were yellow down the middle with pink cheeks. They had a steaming bowl of soup in front of them. The last was another rodent. They had light orange fur with yellow cheeks. They had a ham and cheese sandwich. I got the sense that the two I could not name were electric types, just like the pikachu. Each of them wore golden bandanas, the crown on their badges a glittery silver.

 

The pikachu took notice of me first, swallowing her bite before turning and stating, “I haven’t seen you in the Guild before.”

 

The other two electric rodents turned to me. I felt a bit of pressure bearing down on me from all three of them looking my way. I gulped as I said, “I just joined the Guild today.”

 

The multi colored one clapped their paws and said with a smile and sweet voice, “Oh, you are one of the new recruits.”

 

“That would explain the white bandana,” the orange one dryly said before taking a bite of her sandwich. She turned and stared off to the other end of the room. Not looking at anything in particular, just not looking my way.

 

“I’m Maria,” the smallest of the group said. She pointed to the pikachu, “This is Ashely.”

 

Ashely gave me a smile and a short wave, which I returned. Maria then gestured to the other member of their group, “And this bundle of joy is, Nina.”

 

Nina rolled her eyes, but didn’t do anything other than that. Maria shook her head, then turned to me and asked, “And you are?”

 

“Aster,” I answered.

 

“You part of a team?” Ashley asked.

 

“Yeah,” I nodded, “Team Star.”

 

“We’re Team Spark,” Maria puffed out her chest and fluttered her bandana like a cape in the wind with a whip of her paw.

 

“Who are your teammates?”

 

Before I could answer the pikachu’s question, Hanna and Brooke arrived at the table. Brooke claimed the spot on my right, and Hanna on my left. I turned to the pikachu and said, “This is Hanna and Brooke.”

 

There was a quick exchanging of names and pleasantries. I was able to learn Maria was a morpeko and Nina was a pawmo. Hanna’s eyes seemed to rest on their golden bandanas as Maria asked, “So, how are you finding the Guild so far?”

 

“Not bad,” Brooke said with a nod, “Really nice place.”

 

“Glad you like it,” a new voice said.

 

A sylveon wearing a bandana with stripes of pastel yellow, blue, red, and green slid over next to Nina. The pawmo let off a heavy sigh as she pushed closer to the morpeko to retain some of her space. A small white hedgehog pokemon wearing a matching bandana to the sylveon shuffled close to the eeveeultion’s side. Their back a verdant leafy bush. He said with a smile, “You’re going to love it here.”

 

It took me a second to figure out what the hedgehog pokemon was. The bright red six petal flowers on the side of their head finally ringing a bell. I nearly jumped seeing a shaymin here. Another mythical pokemon. Yet it seemed so casual. The others didn’t seem all that surprised to see a mythical pokemon just sitting here with them eating and being a part of the Guild. Is it just normal to see mythicals and legendries out and about? Are they more common here?

 

The sylveon introduced herself as Aurora and the shaymin introduced himself as Kyle. Their team, Team Rainbow, had a third member, a dewott by the name of Max, who had already retired to their room because of some illness. The eight of us settled into casual conversation, mostly talking about the Guild. The two teams telling us some of the missions and adventures they went on. Most of them being their exploits inside the various mystery dungeons in the area around Eldergrove. Hanna smiled and leaned in listening intently to each of their words, but not really offering much to the conversation. The others didn’t seem to mind and didn’t press the shy fox.

 

Our food came in the middle of the whole conversation, delivered by an electabuzz. Hanna got a black bean and rice burrito. Brooke got a turkey and cheddar sandwich with lettuce and tomato on pumpernickel. The pizza I got was a godsend. It made anything I had as a human pale in comparison. Granted, what I had back when I was human was limited, and I didn’t have much to compare it to. Pizza was far too much of a ‘commoner’ food for us to every really partake in it. Except for the expensive shit that used strange ingredients that did not belong on a pizza. Just because it has three different types of caviar, unovian lobster, white truffles, bouffalant cheese, and alolan sea salt does not make it a good pizza.

 

But this was still the best pizza I ever tasted. The sauce was perfect. The cheese was a flawless gooey mess of stringy goodness. The crust was fluffy but also crispy, only charred lightly. But even that added to the overall flavor. The pepperonis added the meatiness I’ve been craving. A fact I was afraid I might loose being in this pokemon only world. The whole thing was a perfect medley of flavors that weren’t mashed together for the sake of it. Goodbye caviar pizza.

 

I lazily kept up with the conversation, my focus more drawn to identifying the other pokemon in the cafeteria. Danny and Evan were here as well, talking with a stunky and a koffing. Fiona was sitting with the snowy vulpix and pawniard from earlier. My eyes were drawn to a large group of pokemon in the middle of the room in an animated loud conversation. I couldn’t make out their words, but I could still hear the speakers amongst the cacophony of the room. It was two teams of four sitting opposite each other.

 

On one side was a team wearing orange bandanas. Their group was made up of a frogadier, lucario, and a pokemon just like the pink one from the blacksmith. The last member of the orange bandanaed pokemon was a small pinkish pokemon with a massive head of hair in the shape of a hat. It even had hand like ponytails that it used to grab its food with. The other team wore light lavender bandanas. There was a combusken and an azumarill. My heart did skip a beat at the sight of the purple lizard in their group, just like the one from the guards from the Reaping. Only this one was yellow instead of blue. The last member of their team was a yellowish green monkey pokemon.

 

Aurora and Kyle left to go check up on Max, saying goodbye and wishing the three of us luck with our first mission tomorrow. Team Spark left soon after, offering us the same wishes. That just left the three of us alone, Hanna seemed to finally relax once that was the case. Brooke nudged the last few bites of her sandwich she left uneaten. As she did she said, “They all seemed nice.”

 

“Nicer than the jolteon,” I added.

 

“I bet anyone here will be nicer than him,” Brooke gave a bark of a laugh.

 

“Sucker’s bet,” I said before taking a bite of my pizza. I had only been able to eat about three quarters of the thing. Hanna had already finished her dinner and was calmly watching the other pokemon in the room. The amount had died down and there weren’t that many left. The staff had stopped serving food and had begun cleaning up the kitchen. The only other team still eating was a quartet of bird pokemon all wearing red bandanas at the table on the other side of the room. A swablu, an emolga, a pidgeotto, and a shiny dartrix.

 

Brooke let off a small yawn as she asked, “Wanna head back?”

 

“Yeah,” Hanna agreed, stifling a yawn of her own. I bit my lip as I felt the urge to mimic them. Tears welling up the corner of my eyes as I fought my body’s natural instincts. I already felt sleep trying to claim me. Today had been long, so much had happened in just a single day. The Reaping, the attack from those wild painted pokemon, the cavern mystery dungeon, Timber and the Wandering Wood, joining the Guild, the assessment, and everything else in between. Looking back, I couldn’t believe that today was the same day as the Reaping.

 

I decided to call it. We stood up from our cushions. A pair of hoppip fluttering over and took our plates. One of them asking me, “Do you want us to wrap up your pizza?”

 

I shook my head no. I didn’t want to waste the food, but we didn’t have the means to store it to keep the leftovers fresh. We did have the bag from Timber, but I didn’t want to stuff the pizza in there. That was for adventuring, not to be a refrigerator. Maybe we can get one of our own.

 

We made our way out of the cafeteria and up the stairs towards our room, but I came to a sudden stop at the four way intersection. My eyes were drawn to the end of the hall. I got the impression the room at the end was massive. I could also make out several bookshelves. Enormous bookshelves filled with tomes of various colors. I hadn’t noticed the room before when we came this way, focusing more on Mutsu and his tour. But now the room had my entire focus for some reason. I felt drawn towards the library at the back of the guildhall. Mutsu never told us about it.

 

Brooke and Hanna both noticed I wasn’t following them and rushed back to my side. The two foxes followed my gaze. Brooke asked, “What is it?”

 

“I don’t know,” I answered, not taking my eyes off the library entrance, “I just feel drawn towards that room for some reason.”

 

“The library?” Hanna asked, “I heard the Yuletide chapter originally was in charge of keeping the records of all of the Guild chapters current and in the past.”

 

“The past you say?” I asked the zorsune.

 

She nodded, “Yeah, in the beginning this chapter was a depository for any and all documents for the Guild. Before it was made a full fledge adventuring chapter decades ago.”

 

The map! Something clicked in the back of my mind at Hanna’s words. This is why Jirachi told us to come to this chapter of the Royal Guild. This was where they kept all the info, the history, about the Guild and to an extension Kino. If any place would house a magical map to locate a wish granting star it would be that library. It made perfect sense. It had to be in there. If I could find it, maybe I could figure out a way for us to get it. It was no doubt a treasured artifact of Guild history, but maybe I could figure out a way to get my paws on it. I said as I pointed a paw down the hall, “You two head back to the room. I’m going to take a look in there.”

 

“Are you sure?” Brooke asked.

 

“Yes,” I nodded, “I have a feeling the map we need to find the First Star is in there.”

 

“Shouldn’t we come with you then?” Hanna asked.

 

“No,” I shook my head, “I just want to see where it is. We don’t have to take it yet.”

 

“Oh-okay,” Brooke said, “Just don’t get into any trouble.”

 

“I promise,” I gave the two a small smile. The two turned and made their way to our room. I watched them walk down the hall and turned the corner. Once they were out of sight, I focused back on the library and made my way towards it.

 

The octagon shaped room was massive, easily dwarfing the lobby and cafeteria combined. Immediately on my left was an empty desk that took up one of the eight sides. The librarian would more than likely be stationed behind it, but they were nowhere to be seen. The ten nearly two story tall fully laden bookshelves loomed above and were stationed like marks on a clock. The center of the room was dominated by a large blue dome with splotches of greens, browns, and whites on it. It gave me the impression of only the top of a massive globe that was rooted in the floor. Above the globe a dome of glass in the ceiling gave a perfect view of the darkening sky above. It was a deep blue with the faint pin pricks of stars just beginning to appear.

 

Encircling the sunken globe was a series of tables. They were mostly bare and not occupied, but a few pokemon were currently seated on the chairs and reading from various books. There was a black and purple lizard that was reading a book nearly the same size as them. A mienfoo was whipping their head back and forth between two different books. The other was a flareon who seemed to be just finishing up, closing the book they currently had and placing it on top of a stack of three others.

 

I lazily entered the room, my eyes drawn upwards to a series of large tapestries hanging from the ceiling. There were four in total, hanging on the straight sides of the octagon. The one dead ahead was an old style map. Like one you might find in a history book or in a museum. One made long ago during the middle ages. The coloration, wear, and faded nature of it a striking resemblance. I rushed to the center to get a look at the other wall hangings. Are any of these the map we need?

 

The first one had a large landmass that vaguely gave me the impression of a fusion of Sinnoh and Kanto. It was too high up for me to read the text scribbled all over it. The fact it was front and center, made me feel like it had to be a map of Kino. On my right was a map that was a mess of large and small landmasses. One of the ones in the upper left corner was a smaller version of Kino from the first map. I guess a world map?

 

There were equally sized and larger landmasses along with what I assumed was Kino. There was a large almost T shaped one in the center of the map directly across from Kino. Below that one was a small circular continent. Towards the right side of the map were two more massive continents with islands between the cluster of four. Figuring that the shards of the Star would only be in Kino, I disregarded that map as my objective. But just knowing that there was a lot more out there than just Kino made this world far larger than I expected. I felt all a bit more smaller.

 

On my left was not a map, but a tapestry showing a scene frozen in time. A black and yellow luxray wearing a silver crown stood on top of a stone tower and pointed to the other side of the scene with an outstretched paw. Below them a group of five pokemon marched towards the feline’s directions. In the front was a zoroark with a mischievous smirk on their face. At their side was a gardevoir and primeape. The gardevoir had a neutral expression while the primeape was raving mad. Behind the three of them was the coiled form of a serperior that seemed disinterested. Floating above the group was a rotom with a wide smile on their face. The land around the group was a vibrant, if faded with time, green that transitioned to a dull grey and then a cold snowy whiteish blue on the other side of the scene. The right half was dominated by a massive mountain that was drawn to look like it was made entirely of crystal. Streaking in the sky overhead were two shooting stars, one was a golden five point star and the other a pale blue eight point one. The sky around the mountain was consumed in a raging blizzard with a cornucopia of different ice type pokemon trapped within the frozen tempest. In the center of the spiraling wintery mass was a pair of evil looking dark violet eyes in a miasma of blackness.

 

There was definitely a fantastical story behind the scene played out on the tapestry. No doubt some historical event that probably every pokemon in Kino knew about. Some adventurers who long ago went out on a quest to stop some evil pokemon. I moved away from the image and took a few steps forward to get a look at the one hanging right above me. This one was another map. Only it wasn’t that of a continent or the world. It was a city, and the large fancy letters in the bottom right corner said it was ‘Eldergrove’. The detailed map of the city was vaguely similar to what I saw when we exited the Timberland. There was the castle on the cliff, the large step pyramid, even the islands the Guild called home.

 

With no other hanging maps to look at, I turned back to the first. I stepped closer to get a better look at it. As it seemed to be a map of Kino it made the most sense of what I was looking for. But I was immediately made aware of several issues I would have acquiring and keeping the map. For one, it dangled nearly twelve feet off the floor. I had no hope of getting the map without damaging it if I didn’t have the ability to fly. There was also the matter of how large it was. It would be so unruly to carry and transport with us, even with the enchantments in my bag.

 

“That map of Kino was commissioned in ten-eighty-six.”

 

I jumped a foot off the ground with a yelp at the intrusive voice that snuck up on me. I spun on the spot to face the speaker that had silently crept up. Floating a foot or so off the ground was a gengar. Their usually creepy smile was softer. They wore a ridiculously long scarf wrapped twice around their neck that still had enough length to dangle off their body and nearly reach the floor. It was a mismatch of various colors in a random pattern. There was yellow, brown, burgundy, orange, grey, beige, and even a bit of dark green.

 

The gengar gave me a warm smile as she pointed behind me and towards the map I was previously looking at. She said, “It was commissioned in ten-eighty-six by Lord Johnathan Ironside of Bronzemour a year after the Moonshard Incident.”

 

I gave the map one last glance before turning back to the ghost pokemon. Her smile didn’t falter as she offered her hand and said, “Welcome to the Yuletide chapter’s library, my name is Amy.”

 

“Aster,” I said shaking the offered limb.

 

Amy said, “It took the cartographers a whole year and a half to map out every nook and cranny of Kino. To this day that is one of the best preserved most detailed maps of the continent that is over three hundred years old.”

 

Must be the librarian. With the amount of info she was spewing and the fact she greeted me, she had to be. Which was perfect. If anyone would know where the map to the First Star was, it would be her. But I couldn’t just outright ask about the map. I felt that it would be stupid to blatantly announce why I was here. I needed to wait before bringing that topic up. But one thing she did say did peak my interest. I asked, “Moonshard Incident?”

 

“Yeah,” Amy said as she floated up to the map and pointed to a triangular marking at the very northern tip of the continent. I stepped closer and studied the details on the canvas. A mountain range followed the northern coastline. A forest dominated a region to the south west with another mountain range nearly splitting the Sinnoh and Kanto portions of Kino apart. The center of the continent was consumed by a massive desert that stretched all the way east towards a spindly mountainous peninsula. The bottom half of Kino was in the distorted shape of an upside down U with the right peninsula more than double in size than the left one. A forest separated the lower left side from the area south of the first, larger spattering of trees. At the end of the longer peninsula was a massive collection of islands. Some of them dots and others smudges.

 

---

---

 

“In ten-eighty-five,” Amy explained, “A piece of the moon fell from the sky and landed right here in the north of Kino. Forming what became known as Mount Moonshard right at the end of the High Throue Mountains. This unleased disasters all across Kino. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, even the first mystery dungeons were said to have opened up in the aftermath of the mountain’s fall. It remains to this day in the far north of Kino. A massive chunk of lunar crystal teeming with energy, glowing north of the Forsend Fields.”

 

The little history lesson was a bit interesting. I wanted to learn about this pokemon only world, to find out more about this land and its history. It was some drive deep down in me that I’ve been compelled by before. A desire to learn as much as I can about an interesting topic. Which didn’t surprise me with my usual pastime of spending what free time I had nose deep in a book or some learning material. Most often ones about the various pokemon of the world and other such related subjects. But the fact she called the mountain at the top of the map a chunk of lunar crystal drew my eyes to the triangular gemstone mountain on the tapestry with the team of five pokemon and the winter storm. I pointed a paw at it and asked the gengar, “Is that Mount Moonshard?”

 

Amy’s eyes flashed to the image and her smile widened. She floated down next to me, still keeping her feet off the floor. She answered, “Yes, that is Mount Moonshard there. That tapestry shows the final mission of Team Unity, where they defeated the evil Amalgam. That was in thirteen-eighty-seven. The ghost had taken control of the mountain and was using it to create a blizzard to encase all of Kino in an eternal winter. After they defeated and banished Amalgam from our world they returned to Archforn and founded the Royal Guild of Kino.”

 

I figured some of what she said was well known, especially to pokemon in the Guild. But I could also tell she enjoyed teaching anyone about anything. I saw no reason to stop her, but I also saw a possible way to learn where the map for the First Star was. Maybe I can get her to tell me where it is.

 

I turned to the map of Eldergrove and asked, “When was the chapter here built?”

 

Amy followed my gaze and answered, “The Yuletide chapter, or when it was first founded, the Apogee chapter, was originally the estate to the Duke of Eldergrove, Alexander the third. But after his conquest of the Timberland in fourteen-o-nine he changed his title to King of Eldergrove and started the construction of the Evergreen Palace across the water.”

 

She pointed to the castle on the cliff, “The chapter was first used as a place to store documents and artifacts with only a few adventure teams. Archforn was still the only city at the time with a full fledge chapter. It wasn’t until the influx of new mystery dungeons about forty years ago that the three other main chapters opened up.”

 

I nodded and smiled as she talked. I paid attention to most of what she said, but some of it went over my head. I gave the world map a glance, but I didn’t feel like asking about the other landmasses out there. I was only really invested in Kino and finding the map. Seeing no reason to prolong this, I figured it was time to see where the map I had come here for was. I asked, “Are there other maps besides these?”

 

I waved a paw at the four hanging tapestries. Amy smiled and floated off to the side. She answered, “We do have one other. Do you want to see it?”

 

“Sure,” I nodded with a smile and followed her towards the outer perimeter of the library. The walls were also covered in bookshelves filled with books, rolled up scrolls, and a few other knick-knacks. There was a small alcove in the shelves with a glass covered display case nestled in it. The wood of the case was a darker stain than the surrounding shelves. Red velvet covered every inch inside. Resting inside the display was an unfurled ancient looking piece of paper. The edges nicked and burnt. There wasn’t a single detail on the old brown paper what so ever. Save for a small, blood red diamond in the center. I gave it a quizzical glance. I peered down at the brass placard in the center of the case ‘The Wondrous Map’.

 

Amy slid up to my side and explained, “This is the Wondrous Map. The map made by Team Unity to find Jirachi.”

 

“Find Jirachi?” I parroted back, turning towards the gengar.

 

She nodded with a small hum of confirmation. She placed a hand on the side of the display, “Yes. Nicholas, the leader of Team Unity is said to have a had a vision of how they were to defeat Amalgam. The only way they could was with the aid of Jirachi and a powerful item in their possession, the First Star.”

 

Bingo! I could barely hide my smile. This is it! This is the map!

 

Amy continued none the wiser to my thoughts, “It is said they sought the aid of the King of the Iron Isles, Aaron Hellstrand, to weave the magic needed into the map. It led them to Jirachi, and he gave them the Star to defeat Amalgam. The map still retains its magic to this day and your wonder map is based off of the same magic infused in this one.”

 

“My what map?” I asked fighting to peel my eyes off the piece of old paper.

 

“Did you just join?” Amy asked back. I nodded. She chuckled as she explained, “Every team is given a ‘wonder map’, it helps guide you to your mission objective as well as map out the altering environments of mystery dungeons.”

 

“Can my wonder map lead me to Jirachi as well?” I asked looking back to the Wondrous Map. Do I even need it?

 

“No,” Amy said with a shake of her head, “The expertise that was used to make this map,” she tapped the glass, “Is lost to time. Only this map can do that.”

 

I nodded, but a yawn broke free with me unable to stop it this time. Sleep was really calling my name now. I stepped down from the display and thanked the gengar. She brushed aside the compliment and said, “No problem at all. Let me know if you need help finding anything else.”

 

She floated off to another corner of the library. I gave the display case one last fleeting glance. How am I going to get you?

 

Figuring it was no use to dwell on trying to think of a way to steal the map, I made for the exit. I at least learned where the map was now. All we had to do was get it and we could begin our quest finding the shards. We were so close, but we had one last major obstacle in our way before we started. I figured to tell the girls, and we could collectively figure out a way to get the map.

 

I waved Amy goodbye as I left the library and made my way up to our room. Already a placard with our team name had been placed in the holder, proudly declaring the room as ours. I held up my badge to the door and the lock unlatched with a faint click. Brooke and Hanna were sharing one of the beds, a brown bag like my marbled one sat before them with the flap open and a collection of items strewn about on the ground. Their heads perked up and their ears alerted as I entered. Brooke asked, “Find anything?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded my head with a smile. I explained what I found out as I stepped up. Once I was done I looked at the items on the floor. There were two oran berries, a pecha berry, a small red berry with a spindly stem that had to be a cheri berry, a spherical seed with a blueish tint, and a fiery blast seed. There was a golden yellow rock cut in the shape of a trapezoid. There was also an unfurled smaller version of the Wondrous Map. Is this a wonder map?

 

“Where did all of this come from?”

 

“In our treasure bag,” Hanna smiled as she held up the dark brown bag, “It was here when we came back.”

 

I was a bit surprised at how fast that was, but I couldn’t complain. Neither could I complain about the supplies they had given us. It wasn’t much, but we didn’t have much to even begin with, so any little bit was helpful. We no doubt needed to get more, but our funds were still the major hold up to that. Hopefully we can get some decent money tomorrow. Even with them taking half.

 

I knew we needed more supplies before we went off for the shards. As any S&D campaign has taught me, those ill-prepared for their quest will suffer greatly. A few dead characters were a testament to that. I stepped towards the map to get a better look at it. It was made of the same aged paper as the one from the library. I figured that it was just the look of it since the wondrous one was over a century old. This one also actually had details on it. It was a map of Eldergrove with a yellow dot in the center, right on the main island of the Guild.

 

Brooke scooped up and stowed the items away in the treasure bag and she said, “I think we should call it.”

 

The view outside the window was cloaked in darkness. I nodded my agreement as I said, “We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

 

“Our first mission,” Hanna giddily said as she smiled wide.

 

I made my way towards the bathroom as the two foxes got ready for bed. It was a small area with a square white porcelain tub in one corner, a matching circular toilet without a back cistern in the opposing corner, and a counter with a sink in another. I got down to business and quickly went through the routine. But I did struggle at first, new body and all that. I even stopped to get a look at myself down there. My curiosity too great to not do it now when I hadn’t gotten a private moment yet to do so. It was more or less what I expected, a pale pink taper with rings of bumps along its surface. At least it isn’t barbed.

 

It felt weird to see such anatomy on me, but it wasn’t surprising. It was so foreign, yet I wasn’t that taken aback by seeing it attached to my person. It still didn’t feel right, and I felt another pang of my lost humanity seeing such an alien object replacing an integral part of my being. I was a cat now, I should have a cat’s equipment. It was still jarring all the same as I watched it slip back within my sheath with no hint of it peeking out. There really wasn’t any sensation as it disappeared back inside.

 

But I finished and washed my paws in the sink before exiting. The crystal in the center of the ceiling had faded and the room was only lit by the dim moonlight making its way in. Hanna and Brooke had curled up on the same bed and were already asleep. I made my way to the lone one and mirrored their actions. The drain from this hectic eventful day hit me all at once and I was quickly off to sleep.

 

 

~~~

 

 

In the middle of the haze of images of my dreams I found myself back in the desert in the middle of the black abyss. I wasn’t back in my human body, nor was I in my sprigatito one. I was in some strange mix in between the two. I was standing on two green furred legs, the fur on my lower legs a darker green. I was still covered in fur head to toe. I was definitely bipedal now, which made a smile split my face. The crest on my chest was longer, stretching halfway to my knees. My paws were covered in darker fur and my claws seemed longer and sharper. And I actually had hands instead of four paws. I felt taller, but not as tall as I would be as a human. Am I still a sprigatito? What am I?

 

Without a mirror or other reflective surface I couldn’t exactly get a good look at myself to what body I was in now. It felt weird, but also familiar. Like this was right for some reason. I peeled my eyes away from my body and to the abyss around me. I asked aloud, “Anyone there?”

 

I half expected the tantalizing voice from last time to call me to follow, but it didn’t. My voice echoed out with no response calling back from the blackness. A blink later and my field of view expanded. I could see more of the graham cracker sand, but I also could see I wasn’t alone. There were other pokemon standing with me. All of them as still as statues and staring in the same direction. I tried to call out to them, tried to wave them down, tried to move, but my body refused to do anything. My throat tightened up so much it hurt. My arms and legs felt like they were filled with lead.

 

Stuck where I was, I simply inspected the pokemon around me. There was a purple skinned jynx whose blonde hair was done up in a long braided ponytail. A kirlia froze in the middle of a pirouette, but not showing any strain from holding the stance indefinitely. A cacturne with their arms folded and head bowed ever so slightly. Their eyes closed, and a frown etched on their face. A lopunny wearing a tight form fitting black and white leotard. A gothorita with the white bows on her body dyed baby blue instead. The last pokemon I could see was a white rabbit with red and black fur that resembled a hoodie. They even had their front paws stuffed in a thicker patch of the charcoal colored fur like it was pockets.

 

“Come join us.”

 

The ground shook. I probably would have been knocked down if I could move. A light illuminated in the black abyss. A perfect yellow glowing dot hovered in the air above us. I felt like it was an eye, but also like it wasn’t. Something was off with the glowing orb, yet I couldn’t look away from it. I was drawn towards it. I wanted to keep my gaze locked on it. But it wasn’t alone. A blink later and a second similar yellow orb flashed to life right next to the first. Really giving them the impression of eyes.

 

“Come.”

 

The kirlia set her foot down and walked towards the yellow dots. She didn’t dance or do any fancy footwork as she moved. She just walked forward. It felt a bit weird to see a kirlia not dance in any capacity. The darkness consumed her, her figure fading to nothingness. Three more dots flashed to life in an upside down triangle pattern right above where the kirlia vanished.

 

“Join us.”

 

The cacturne lifted their head marched forward, still keeping their arms folded. The jynx did so as well, the two walking side by side as the darkness enveloped them and they disappeared. I wanted to scream out to them. I wanted to call them back. Something in the back of my head telling me that they shouldn’t enter the dark veil surrounding us. There was something off with it. There was something malicious lurking beyond the shadows. Something drawing us in that was not to be trusted.

 

“Come to me.”

 

The gothorita and the rabbit moved next. A pair of vertical yellow dots appearing where the jynx had stepped beyond the shadowy veil. A diamond of dots formed for the cacturne. An X of five dots blinked open from the gothorita. A single dot for the rabbit. I stared at the array of yellow dots that now consumed half of the dome of darkness around me and the lopunny. I still had not yet felt compelled to walk towards them as the other pokemon had. I knew I shouldn’t, but I also feared that would eventually happen. That the voice will call out to me, and I would follow the command without question.

 

“Join us.”

 

The lopunny unfroze from her spot and walked forward. Her hips swaying back and forth sensually. Her wide hips and long ears swaying hypnotically back and forth as she vanished. My face felt warm as I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, watching her tail twitch as she vanished just like everyone else. A line of three dots appeared where she vanished. And I was alone. I felt so very much alone. It was just me and the dots. Their gaze boring straight through me.

 

“It is better here.”

 

My legs began to move against my will. I stepped forward like a zombie. I tried to will my legs to stop, but they refused to listen. My arms hung limply at my sides, swinging like pendulums. I couldn’t make a finger twitch. I tried to scream, to plead with the voice to not let the darkness consume me. Yet my throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. I stepped closer and closer to the edge of the small piece of the desert I could see. The looming wall of darkness riddled with glowing dots that I felt were eyes now more than ever. They all stared down at me. Watching as I reached the edge, and the blackness wrapped around me.

 

A chill wrapped around every inch of my body as the light faded and the darkness became my reality. Even the dots vanished from my view. Yet I could still feel their gaze upon me. The coldness got sharper, biting at my fur and skin. I couldn’t feel my legs anymore, nor could I even feel if I was moving forward or not. All around me was darkness with no hint of anything else. No sand or the floating glowing yellow orbs. My swinging arms faded next. My body followed not even a second later. I felt like it was just my consciousness floating in the darkness. I soon faded and I felt the world beginning to do the same.

 

“We are better all together.”

 

The silhouette of a crescent moon flashed into life before everything faded.

Notes:

And with the end of Chapter Fifteen, we have reached the end of the second act.

I want to thank you all for reading, leaving kudos, commenting, subscribing, and bookmarking.

I hope to see you all again next week for the next chapter and the start of Act Three: Trouble Brewing.

Chapter 16: The Game Plan

Summary:

Team Star starts their first day as members of the Royal Guild of Kino. This includes the morning report and picking their first mission to go out on.

I awoke with a groan as the last words from my dream rang out in my head. At least I tried to remember them, but they vanished as soon as I tried to recall them. The dream slipping away soon after. I couldn’t remember a single thing about it. It almost felt like I had just fallen asleep and woken up a second later fully rested without nothing happening in between. Like I hadn’t dreamed at all. I felt like there was something off, that something wasn’t right. But I couldn’t put my finger on it. Sleep left me and so to did the feeling till it was gone from my mind. Sunlight streamed in through the window and lit the room up. I smiled at the warming rays. I sat up and turned to face the sun, basking in the glow. The light chased away the faint chill that gripped at my bones.

 

Good Morning. Everyone wake up. Morning report is in twenty minutes. I stiffened at the voice invading my mind. I scanned the room for any sign of Lily, but it was just me, Brooke, and Hanna in the room. The voice didn’t even sound like the espeon. It sounded male for one thing. It also didn’t feel like it was perfectly in my head, but like someone shouting from down a long hallway. Brooke and Hanna began to stir.

 

“What the dis was that?” Hanna asked picking herself up. She rubbed a paw on the side of her head.

 

“Sounded like a wake up call,” I said watching the white fox pick herself up. She stretched her back and let off a deep yawn.

 

Brooke groaned and mumbled out, “Shuddap, pokmon are twhying to sheep.”

 

Hanna gave me a confused look, no doubt not understanding half of what Brooke just said. I chuckled as I stepped over and nudged the silver eevee with a paw. “Time to get up, Brooke.”

 

“No,” she curtly said as she coiled up till she was a tight ball of fur.

 

I shook my head as I said, “Today is our first day as members of the Guild, we cannot be late.”

 

“Fine,” Brooke whined as she stood up and shook herself out.

 

There was a knock at the door, someone from the other side speaking up not a second later, “Good Morning. Everyone wake up. Morning report is in twenty minutes.”

 

They then left and I could faintly hear them knock on another door and say the same thing. Hanna marched towards the bathroom with a skip in her step and a smile on her muzzle. “Let’s get ready for our first day as an adventure team!”

 

A quick round of using the bathroom and getting ourselves presentable took a few minutes, but we exited our room in good spirits. I had contemplated using the bath, but I didn’t feel all that dirty that I actually needed one. Nor did I want to waste the time. I did look at my tongue in the mirror, faintly recalling many cat like pokemon and normal cats using their tongues to clean themselves off. The concept didn’t excite me all that much. I didn’t want to lick myself clean. One, because I didn’t want to taste what I had been rolling in. Two, the sharp barbs on my tongue dissuading me from rubbing it over my fur. I opted to just splashing a bit of water on my face. My fur easily absorbed the moisture and filled me with a bit more energy than I expected the simple act would do.

 

In the hallway, there was a floating pink pig pokemon with flower patterns in its thin fur knocking on the door to Team Sunshine. He then said the same thing to the pokemon inside as he did to us. “Good Morning. Everyone wake up. Morning report is in twenty minutes.”

 

I guess that’s who I heard speaking in my head. I couldn’t place what the pokemon was, the species not familiar with me. I ignored it, not really feeling like stressing over yet another unknown pokemon. I was no doubt going to see more along my journey and it wasn’t something I really should worry myself with. We made our way down the stairs with the other teams. Brooke was still a bit groggy and dragged her paws, but she followed behind me and Hanna. The zorsune had applied her zorua illusion once again. She was also wearing our new treasure bag. We still had the white bandanas, but we now had our new badges proudly pinned and on display. We followed the stream of pokemon lazily making their towards the lobby. Standing in front of the gathered pokemon at the foot of the desk was Dawn, Pip, Victoria, Mutsu, and an ampharos I didn’t know the name of. Logic dictated it had to be the last named member of Team Yuletide, Joel.

 

The other pokemon formed orderly lines in front of the lead team, all of them grouped by their teams. We followed the masses and took an empty spot next to Team Rainbow, still sans the dewott, and an absol, murkrow, and sable eye all wearing charcoal grey bandanas. I still got an unnerving presence in the back of my head from the absol. Even if they greeted me with a smile and a wave. I hesitantly returned it.

 

“Good Morning, everyone.”

 

Dawn’s voice pulled everyone’s attention forward as the wintery ninetales took a step forward. She smiled as she said, “I’d first like to start today by introducing our new members to the Guild and our new teams.”

 

“Fiona has joined Team Valorant,” she waved a paw off to the side where the dolliv stood alongside the snowy vulpix and pawniard. All three wearing pitch black bandanas.

 

“And we have two new teams,” Dawn continued and quickly pointed out our group of three and the team the mudkip and chatot had made. “Team Star and Team Skyward.”

 

There was a round of applause from the gathered pokemon. Those with hands clapped, those without stomped the ground, those without limbs cheered the loudest. It all felt a bit too much, and I wanted to join Hanna as she took cover behind me.

 

Dawn cleared her throat. The room fell silent again, everyone giving her their unbridled attention. “With Nathan and Francis still out, I will need a new team to volunteer for sentry duty.”

 

There were faint murmurs amongst the gathered pokemon, but no one stepped forward. Dawn didn’t seem to mind the lack of response to her request, her smile not faltering. She patiently waited till Aurora stepped forward holding up a ribbon, “We can do it, Guildmaster.”

 

“Thank you Team Rainbow,” Dawn nodded once with a smile. The smile vanished as she then asked, “Where is Max?”

 

“Still sick,” Aurora answered, “It wouldn’t feel right to go on any missions till he got better.”

 

“Of course,” Dawn said with a nod. She then asked, “Has he been checked by Jessie?”

 

“Y-yes.” Kyle stuttered out.

 

“We can make sure he sees her again today,” Aurora offered.

 

“Good,” the nineyule smile returned as she turned back to the group at large and continued, “We have also been requested by the guard for additional security for their upcoming ceremony for Princess Paige’s twelfth moon.”

 

There was a chorus of groans and grumblings from the crowd at large. At least we all can agree on not liking the guard.

 

“I know, I know,” Dawn waved a placating paw. The teams took longer to fall silent from this announcement than the cheers for the new members. Dawn sighed and continued, “We will of course do no such thing. We do not take orders from the guard, so we will do nothing to aid them in their barbaric ceremony. I request that all of you don’t do anything if you are ordered by a guard. We are to not involve ourselves with any matters related to the ceremony or to the pokemon in their possession. Simply make your way back to the Guild before any confrontation may occur. Do not engage the guards in any way. Do not try to free those in their possession. We must keep our noncommittal obligations either way. Understood?”

 

There was a mix of yeses, grumbles, and a few ‘Yes, Guildmaster’. The nineyule added, “Additionally, on that matter. The Guild has gotten numerous requests in the Eldergrove area for us to rescue pokemon that have been reaped. Sadly, as with the past Reapings, we cannot take on these jobs. We cannot interfere in any way even if we wish we could. Most of these requests have been caught and removed in the screening, but a few may still find their way through. If you do find any, please report them. If a mission you go on turns out to be a request to save a reaped pokemon, please kindly decline the job and inform the client of the Guild’s inability to move against the guard. The guild and the guard are both here to protect pokemon, we cannot interfere with the guard. As are they to not to interfere with us. You are also to refund the client of any transactions immediately in this case.”

 

She got another round of grumbles and a few boos. Someone shouted out, “Fuck the guard!”

 

Dawn sighed as she stared off to the side at nothing in particular and quickly said, “One last thing.”

 

A gengar wearing a long scarf floated from the shadows towards the Guildmaster’s side. Amy gave a wave to the gathered pokemon as Dawn said, “Amy is still taking down names for those interested in joining her new game night session tonight. Please speak with her if you would like to join.”

 

Game night? Amy thanked the nineyule and floated off to the side. Dawn straightened her posture and finished off, “And that is it for our morning report. Remember everyone, conduct yourself with poise, dignity, determination, and righteousness.”

 

“As always Guildmaster!” Everyone shouted with a cheer.

 

The crowd instantly separated and the pokemon went about their business. Some went back upstairs, others went to the boards, and the last group of mons made their way towards the back of the hall. Dawn, Mutsu, Victoria, and the amphoras followed the last group. Pip stepped towards us. He glanced at Danny and Evan and ordered, “Team Skyward, fall in.”

 

The mudkip and chatot made their way over as Pip waved to someone off to the side. A weavile stepped up with a bag held in their clawed arms. Pip addressed us, “Sue has your team’s bandanas for you.”

 

The weavile smiled as she gave us a quick bow, “Good Morning, dearies.”

 

We returned the pleasantry as she unfurled the bag and pulled out five pieces of cloth. Two of them were a pale sky blue, which she handed to Danny and Evan. She took their white ones and stuffed them in the bag. She then handed black and gold ones to us. The bandana was black with golden diamonds across its surface with white X’s. It was exactly as I expected. We handed our plain white ones over. She asked, “Are they to your liking.”

 

“Yes,” Danny and Evan said in unison.

 

Brooke nodded. I offered, “They’re perfect.”

 

“Thank you so much!” Hanna screamed as she rubbed the bandana to the side of her face with a wide smile.

 

Sue chuckled, “No problem, dearies.”

 

She left without another word. Pip dismissed Team Skyward the second she left. The mudkip and chatot saluted before rushing off to the board. The empoleon asked us, “How much did Mutsu go over the job boards with you three?”

 

I told him what the appletun had explained to us. The penguin sighed and placed his flipper over his beak as if he was trying to pinch his nonexistent nose. He shook his head, “That damn airhead.”

 

He marched past us and towards the boards. He ordered without turning to face us, “Follow me.”

 

We wordlessly followed the command as Pip brought us towards the job board and pulled out his badge, it had an emerald crown just like Mutsu’s. He then gave us a quick rundown of how the job boards and how taking missions worked. There was a thing called a dropbox in every town in Kino. There was usually only one in a town, but the larger cities had multiples scattered throughout them. Pokemon could write their mission requests and deposit them at these dropboxes. The requests then were delivered to a city called Demerest, where the central hub for missions for the Guild was. There the requests were verified and rated on their difficulty before being distributed to the appropriate chapters. From there they were placed on the boards for any team at the chapter to take if they met the rank requirements. If you wanted to take the job, you just held up the black dot of your badge to a QR code looking symbol on the paper. The badge would then confirm you accepted the job.

 

The penguin then went on to explain a bit about mystery dungeons. More specifically, the dangers with them. He touched on the teleportation mechanic, saying more or less the same as Hanna did when she told us. He did also mention the magic of the dungeons would ‘steal’ some of the items we had in our possession when it teleported us. We would need to be rescued by other members of our team or another one of the teams at the Guild.

 

If we ever got in danger in the dungeon where we would not be able to escape, all we had to do was press the two wings on the badge down at the same time. It would then send out a distress signal to the chapter to come and save us. Another way for us to get out of the dungeons was pressing the crown down. It functioned as a teleporter that would blink us out of the dungeon and back to the guildhall. It took several hours to recharge the ability, basically making it a once a day action. And it could teleport only two pokemon at a time, so long as you were holding on to them when you pressed the crown. He also advised it was handy when you wanted to exit a dungeon without having to find the actual exit. Not all objectives would require us to go through the entire labyrinth.

 

Once he was done he departed with a huff and left us to our own devices. We quickly stepped up to the board and searched for the mission we would tackle for the day. Hanna offering up, “Can we do just a simple job today? I don’t really feel like going into a dungeon so soon after that one from yesterday.”

 

Brooke and I had no complaints as we stepped towards the regular job board. It was filled with more requests than the one related to dungeons. It also had just a few more than the outlaw board. That fact did not fill me with the most confidence of the current climate of this world if there were that many wanted pokemon. After a bit of searching and scrutinizing the jobs presented before us, we settled on a simple transport one. A waxy brown stamp in the upper left corner marking it as a stone rank mission.

 

 

Request: Need help transporting supplies into town

 

Requester: Oscar (Primeape)

 

Type: Transport

 

 

Description: I have shipments of chestnuts that need to be delivered to a five locations in Eldergrove. I recently broke my foot and cannot do the transportation myself and I don’t have anyone able to do it for me. I have five bundles of chestnuts that need to go to Bakery of Champions, Nuts Emporium, Dream Den, Crème & Dough, and Honeywisk. Please help.

 

 

Location: Honor Hill Farms

 

Payment: 100 krowne and 2 chestnuts per shipment delivered

 

 

The pay wasn’t all that bad. If we did all five and with the fifty percent cut we still would get over 200 krowne. And with our nonexistent funds, anything was better than nothing. I pulled up my badge and held it up to the paper. There was a small chirp, and the badge flashed blue. I gave the badge an analytical look. I asked aloud, “Is that it?”

 

“Yep,” Hanna nodded with a smile. She took the paper out of my paws. “We should be all good to do that mission now.”

 

“Do we have to do just one?” Brooke asked stepping up to the board looking over the papers once again.

 

“We could do multiple,” Hanna said a bit apprehensively.

 

“Let’s not overload ourselves,” I quickly said, “It is our first day.”

 

“I know,” Brooke said standing on her hind paws, “While I am okay with the chestnut one, I just want to do something other than lugging stuff across town.”

 

“Like what?” I asked stepping up to her side.

 

“Even if we aren’t doing a mystery dungeon,” she leaned closer to a paper to read it, “I still want to do a little bit of fighting.”

 

“It’s rare you would find a job request that will involve fighting,” Hanna advised, “You only really would face combat in a mystery dungeon.”

 

“How ‘bout this one,” Brooke triumphantly said as she jabbed a paper on the board. This one had a black stamp to signify it as iron rank. As it was equal to our rank, there was no issue if we did accept it. I plucked the paper off the board and read the mission aloud.

 

 

Request: Need flock of birds removed

 

Requester: Donna (Gumshoos)

 

Type: Pest Control

 

 

Description: A flock of feral starly has moved in to the trees on my property and have become a nuisance, eating my corn and destroying property. I’ve tried everything to get rid of them, but those damn rats with wings will not budge. Please come over and chase these damn pests off my property.

 

 

Location: Golden Kernal Farms

 

Payment: 300 krowne and 3 joy seeds

 

 

I asked the two foxes, “What do you girls think?”

 

“It’s just knocking a few birds around,” Brooke said trying to lighten the danger Hanna no doubt felt. The ghostly fox was stock still with a mask of fear.

 

I turned away from the shiny eevee and faced the disguised zorsune, “We need the practice, Hanna.”

 

“But…” She whimpered, not finding the words. She turned and scuffed the floor with a paw.

 

“We are going to need practice fighting,” I said stepping closer to the zorsune, “This seems like our best option without having to go through a mystery dungeon. It’ll be a bit safer without the added danger of the maze.”

 

“Oh-okay,” Hanna said with a tab more confidence in her voice. But there was still the underlying hesitance. She at least was able to lock eyes with me when she said it.

 

I stepped closer to her and softly said, “We are a team, Hanna. I won’t force you to fight, but we need to work together and that means everyone putting in their all. I’m fine with Brooke and I doing most of the fighting, but the two of us can’t do it all by ourselves. I know I can rely on you. Can’t I?”

 

“Of course,” she answered reeling backwards, almost like I had wounded her with my words. “You can trust me, Aster.”

 

“Good,” I said with a nod and a smile. I helped up the paper and scanned the code. The badge flashed blue without issue. I lifted the form in my paw and asked, “What do I do with this?”

 

“We take them,” Hanna answered, “We have to show the client proof that we took their job and to make sure no one else here accepts it as well by accident.”

 

“Makes sense,” I nodded and stowed the papers in my bag. My eyes flashed forward, right at Amy who was talking with Aurora. The idea of a game night was tantalizing. I had several with my small group of friends back home, a Friday night tradition that we had kept strong for over three years now. I was a bit crestfallen that I may not be able to join them anymore. A cold pang at my heart at the idea of never seeing them again. To never to play with them.

 

We played a multitude of games; some party games, card games, social deductions, long winded RPG style ones, anything really. All in all I wanted that feel of playing a board or card game again. If I wasn’t going to be going back, I needed some alternative. Something to fill that hole that was growing day by day. They were my friends back home, but I had friends here now. I had two lives, and I wasn’t sure which one I wanted to keep. Why can’t this be easy…

 

I gave Brooke and Hanna a glance before asking, “Would you two want to do that game night thing?”

 

Brooke groaned out with a heavy sigh, “Of course you’d want to.”

 

“Come on,” I pleaded, “It could be fun.”

 

“That’s more of a you thing,” Brooke said with an unamused glare and an accusatory paw waggled my way, “You’re the one who likes those dumb RP-whatever things.”

 

“Hanna?” I asked the trickster pokemon, “Would you be up for it?”

 

“I’m…” Her words died on her tongue.

 

My body drooped as I seemed outvoted. I dejectedly said, “I won’t force you two to go if you don’t want to, but I want to at least see what it is.”

 

The two didn’t object and we made our way onward, myself towards Amy and the two foxes towards the back. We had agreed to have breakfast before heading out on our missions. We didn’t get far before a blur of yellow and white rushed out of nowhere and blocked our path. Hanna leapt back with a mighty scream. I pulled energy for a leafage. I felt the massive aura bleeding off of Brooke as she charged up a quick attack. The pokemon that blocked our path gave us a smug smile. It was the jolteon, Camille.

 

He gave us a fanged smile, his eyes focusing once again on Brooke and only Brooke. He depreciatively said, “You do know that it is against the rules to use moves or elemental energy against fellow members of the Guild, right?”

 

“What do you want?” I asked through grit teeth as I didn’t reduce the energy of the leafage I had charged. Brooke lessened the energy in her move, but she didn’t drop it entirely. Hanna remained behind the two of us.

 

The jolteon turned away and gave a somewhat conceited look to the wall. “I just wanted to congratulate you on joining the Guild.”

 

“Thanks,” Brooke said not trusting his no doubt false words.

 

He either didn’t hear the tone of her voice or just didn’t care as he turned to her. His smile as smug as ever and a hunger in his eyes I did not like. He responded, “I’d still like to offer you a chance to join Team VeeVee.”

 

His eyes flashed to our badges. He gave a fanged smile as he added, “A pretty, special eevee like you deserves to be a higher rank than iron.”

 

“You deserve to be in gold rank.” He fluttered his bandana with a swipe of his paw to show off the badge pinned to it. The crown of his a brilliant gold. He absentmindedly tapped his chin. “I could even talk to Dawn about getting you moved up with little to no trouble.”

 

“While I love the offer,” Brooke shook her head, “I’m going to have to pass on anything from you.”

 

“This will be the last time I make this offer,” The jolteon snapped back, his voice cold and hollow. He loomed forward as he said, “Don’t make a mistake you will regret. No one says no Camille.”

 

“Well.” Brooke leaned forward with a fanged smile and an evil glint in her eyes. She smiled wide and said, “No.”

 

Camille smile fell. He took a hard step back and said in a bitter tone, “You’ll regret that, you stupid bitch.”

 

He turned and stalked away. As soon as he turned Brooke gagged out and said, “What a prick.”

 

“Forget him,” I said nuzzling against her side, her body was tense. She relaxed under the contact. I quickly ushered us back on track. His words were just empty threats. I pushed the jolteon to the back of my mind. He was of no concern of mine, Brooke’s, or Hanna’s. The two foxes heading off to breakfast as I made my way towards the gengar and sylveon.

 

“Can you at least give me any hint to what the game is?” Aurora asked the ghost with an overly sugary tone. If she had any, I bet the sylveon would have fluttered her eyelashes.

 

Amy shook her head, “Sorry, no can do, Aurora.”

 

“Ah, poo,” Aurora sagged for a second with a sad smile. She instantly brightened up and smiled. “Still count me in though.”

 

“Sure.” The gengar nodded. “And what about Max and Kyle?”

 

The intertwining pokemon shook their head, “Kyle would have no interest and Max is still sick.”

 

“Also,” The sylveon cut off whatever Amy was going to say with a raised ribbon, “If Max is feeling better, the two will more than likely be going out tonight. They missed their last one.”

 

“Of course,” Amy nodded. Her eyes flashed to me. She gave me a small smile and waved me over, “Aster, good morning.”

 

I returned the greeting, and did the same with Aurora. Amy asked, “Do you wish to join my game night?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded.

 

Amy clapped happily. She then asked, “What about the rest of your team?”

 

“More than likely not,” I said scuffing the floor. I tilted my head as I asked, “Can you tell we what we would be playing, I can maybe convince them if I knew what it was.”

 

Aurora barked out a laugh, “Good luck there, kitty cat. I just tried to wring the info out of Amy and got squat.”

 

Amy covered her mouth with a hand as she chuckled. “I want to keep it somewhat of a surprise.”

 

I nodded. The gengar quickly said, “Come by the library later to today. But I will tell you that we will be playing a social deduction game.”

 

I thanked her, still saying it will only be me joining, and made my way to the back. Aurora left to go check up on the other members of her team. The mess hall wasn’t as crowded as it was during dinner, but it was still just as noisy. The aroma of cooking food permeated the air as I made my way to the kitchen and placed my order. Still feeling somewhat full from last night I went with a simple order of oatmeal with oran berries and cinnamon. It didn’t take me long to find Brooke and Hanna either. The shiny eevee sticking out like a sore thumb no matter where she was. I quickly joined the two of them, taking the empty spot on Hanna’s right. Sitting across from them were a servine, heracross, and a rotom inhabiting a fridge. All three of them wearing seafoam green.

 

We quickly went through introductions, they were Team Willow. The servine, Eryn, was their leader. The heracross was named Jordan and the rotom Liam. Everyone already had food and was eating, but also conversing. Team Willow was in the middle of a story about the mystery dungeon they went through yesterday. It was mostly Eryn telling the tale between bits of her omelet. Jordan lazily took sips of his orange colored smoothie. Liam didn’t have any food, which didn’t surprise me with him being a rotom. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of rotoms really eating anything. Or even having the need to actual consume regular food. Maybe they eat electricity. Do they have anything like that?

 

I hadn’t really seen any true source of electricity. The lighting in the Guild was done with crystals. Maybe the kitchen had electric appliances. But then where was the power coming from. We were on an island. I didn’t see any cables leading here and I doubt they would lay cables underground to connect an island to their grid. I didn’t see anything like that in Eldergrove either. So what does he eat?

 

I shook my head, figuring I wasn’t going to get anywhere. And I didn’t feel all that compelled to ask. This world didn’t have electricity, it was definitely on par with the middle ages. The stuff pokemon said and the ascetic of everything gave that impression. With only a few hints of modern life sprinkled in. I suspected it to be the influence of the humans turned pokemon who have come here in the past. Bringing some of the comforts of home to this world to make their lives here a bit more manageable. A piece of home in a foreign land. Who wouldn’t want that?

 

I turned to my team. Brooke was idly eating her plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon as she listened to the story from Team Willow. Evidently there was a mystery dungeon by the name of Toxic Necropolis not that far outside of the city. It was an ancient burial ground in the past that then experienced something called ‘a shift’ and became a mystery dungeon. One full of poison and ghost type pokemon. Their mission was to save a raboot, no idea what that pokemon was, that had tried to venture through the dungeon but had succumbed to a bad case of poisoning and needing rescue. Hanna was more engrossed in the story than Brooke was, the zorsune barely touching her omelet.

 

My food came not too long later. Team Willow finished their meals and left wishing us luck. We returned it as their dishes were carried off. The trio going off on whatever mission they had for the day. As soon as they left Brooke asked, “So what did that gengar have to say?”

 

“Not much,” I said with a shrug as I swirled a spoon through my bowl of oatmeal. I was a bit surprised I was able to grip the utensil at all. I really couldn’t grasp it in the traditional sense, but it seemed to just adhere to my paw pad like it was magnetic. I didn’t question it and just accepted it as some magical aspect of this pokemon world that didn’t limit quadrupeds that much in comparison to their bipedal brethren. I added, “She wanted to keep it a bit hush-hush and only said it was a social deduction game.”

 

“Social deduction?” Hanna parroted with a cock of her head, “What’s that mean?”

 

I smiled, to which Brooke immediately groaned and slammed her face on to the table. I smiled wider with a bit of a chuckle. Hanna seemed a bit concerned with the exchange. I ignored the eevee as I explained, “A social deduction game is one where you try find out to the other player’s hidden roles or which team they are on. There is usually two teams, one good and one bad. The bad guys typically all know each other while the good ones do not. The good guys are given, or can find out info to root out the bad guys to stop them from winning. Usually the bad guys win by eliminating the good players. The good guys win by getting rid of the bad guys.”

 

Hanna seemed to grasp most of what I said, but she still had a look on her face like she was confused. It was a bit hard to give a general explanation of social deduction games, as most had their own rules and roles that didn’t translate that well to another game. But the basic concept was the same throughout most. I had played a few and they were very popular amongst me and my friends. Werecanroc and Trouble Brewing were the two more common ones we played.

 

“Are you going to play?” Brooke asked before returning to her meal.

 

“Of course,” I said doing the same.

 

“Did you rope the both of us in?” Brooke pointed a piece of bacon at me like it was a knife. I just shook my head in response. She nodded before popping the piece of cooked pork in her mouth. She was no doubt relishing in her not being barred from eating meat, and some foods I rarely gave her. Bacon was not a typical thing I fed her, sticking to fresh pokemon chow that had a medley of animal meats mixed it. Actual cuts of meat, which included the once in a blue moon strip of bacon, were a rare treat for her. But that was back when she was my pokemon and I was her trainer. I no longer had a say over what she could and could not eat. I still wanted to do so, the drive still there. But it would feel weird for me to restrict her with us both being pokemon. With us being equals.

 

“Not unless you want to join,” I said.

 

“Pass,” Brooke said with a shake of her head. Hanna didn’t offer any reply, but I figured it was a pass from her as well. No doubt the social aspect dissuading the fox. I didn’t mind, they didn’t have to follow me around and do what I say. We were a team. We could have our own interests. An idea sparked to life in my head. I leaned in and whispered to the two, “You two could come to the library and try to figure out a way for us to get the map, maybe.”

 

“Not to play?’ Brooke pressed.

 

I shook my head, “There’ll probably not be that many pokemon in the library other than our group and we probably will be distracted enough for you to slip in and out with it.”

 

“Wa-was that your pa-plan all along?” Hanna asked with a small tremor.

 

“No,” I answered pushing my empty bowl away, “It just came to me. There may be more pokemon in the library than we would like, but all of those pokemon will be distracted by the game. It’s the perfect situation for us to get the map.”

 

“And where exactly is it?” Brooke asked, “You said it was in the library and nothing else.”

 

“It’s in a display case. No doubt locked.”

 

“You want us to try and pick a lock.”

 

“I can maybe get it.”

 

My head snapped to Hanna with her declaration. I couldn’t help myself as I asked, “How?”

 

Rather than tell us, the zorsune lifted up a paw and lowered it to the table. Rather than her limb coming to rest on the wood, it phased through the table and came out the other side. It was transparent the entire time she displayed her ghostly ability. She held up her leg and it seemed solid once again. She gave a small smile, “I could grab it like this.”

 

I returned the smile and said, “You’re amazing, Hanna.”

 

The fox pulled in on herself, her ears plastering to the side of her head as she shrunk in on herself. She couldn’t meet my eye, and she murmured out something unintelligible. I stood from my spot and said, “Let’s hash out the plan on our way to our missions.”

 

There were no objections as we departed the cafeteria and made our way towards the front to get started on our work for the day. I couldn’t help but smile. Everything was looking up. We had made it to the Guild. They had accepted us. We had found the map and now had the workings of a plan to get it. We were one step closer to finding the shards of the First Star. We were on our way to stopping Roland and saving Jirachi and Kino.

Chapter 17: A Hard Day's Work

Summary:

Team Star sets out on their first missions. Aster even learns how pokemon swap out their four moves without the use of a computer. But before they do any of that, they have to go through the classic tutorial of the facilities at their disposal.

“Hey, Team Star!”

 

The second we stepped out of the guildhall a smiling shiny zorua waved us down. Mason called us forward. There was no sign of his partner, the cinccino. We exchanged greetings, the zorua’s eyes flashing to Hanna every so often. The zorsune stepped behind me with a small whine. Mason’s smile didn’t falter as he asked, “How’s it being members of the Guild so far?”

 

“Not bad,” I offered.

 

Mason smiled as he fell in line with us, heading towards the bridge. As we walked he said, “Pip told me to go over the exchange and storage services with you. If that’ll be all right?”

 

I saw no reason to say no, nor did I see why we needed it. The exchange was a bank, and a storage service was self-explanatory. I didn’t see a reason for him to explain it. I figured Hanna could do just the same. But, if Pip told him to do it then I saw no reason to stop the shiny. He brought us to the Exchange, where we were greeted by a pink goblin like pokemon, an impidimp, and a taller and more fiendish looking evolution, a morgrem. The morgrem gave us the Exchange’s spiel.

 

There was an Exchange for every chapter of the Guild and a few placed throughout the major cities of Kino. The coins found inside dungeons were not krownes, the currency used all across of the continent. The coins found in mystery dungeons were ancient moneys that weren’t really accepted by most vendors in Kino. The Exchange would do exactly what its name implied, exchange those dungeon coins for krownes. We gladly handed over the coins we already procured from our two dungeon runs already. The impidimp rushed in the back and returned with thirty-three shiny bronze coins. These coins actually had embossing and engravings in them, not like the featureless coins we just handed over. The front had the side profile of a luxray. The back a five pointed crown surrounded by a ring of lighting bolts.

 

The morgrem also said the exchange operated as a bank for adventure teams. We could set up an account so we could deposit or withdraw from any Grimm Exchange in Kino. The idea sounded nice, and we set up one for Team Star. We probably would need funds throughout our journey and lugging that much coin across Kino would not be beneficial. The morgrem was more than happy to fill out the paperwork in a matter of seconds. Once the last T was cross and I was dotted, he gleefully said, “I am pleased to declare your account has been opened, Team Star. You will just need to present your badges as proof of your team, and you can withdraw or deposit to your hearts content. As an added bonus, Guild teams are granted a starting sum of three-hundred krownes.”

 

While the starting funds were a bit of a surprise, I thought not to question it. Nor did we take him up on his offer to withdraw anything. We had some supplies on us and would be getting funds with our jobs today. So we saw no reason to spend any of our limited resources or take more with us. We didn’t have to go shopping just yet with us just doing jobs around Eldergrove today. The morgrem smiled all the same and waved us goodbye.

 

Mason then brought us over to the other building on the small island next. A nidorina was standing at attention instead of the nidoqueen from yesterday. Sovereign Storage was a service only offered to Guild teams. Our bags had limited amount of storage and the nido run business allowed us to store any items or supplies we wished. They also had statues placed all across Kino, mostly by mystery dungeons, where we could drop off or withdraw anything from them. Not having much, and not wanting to part with what little we had, we didn’t store anything and made our way towards the gate. Kyle and Aurora were already there at the gatehouse. They waved us off.

 

As the gate closed, Mason took a step away from our group and said, “Well, I have to head off to Spelunkies to get some supplies. I’ll be seeing you around.”

 

He turned and gave us a short wave and departed. He turned a corner and was gone. As soon as he left Hanna let out a heavy sigh. She moaned out, “Why must he constantly be looking at me?”

 

“What?” I asked confused by her statement.

 

Brooke stepped closer to the zorsune and whispered something to her. I couldn’t hear what it was, but Hanna shook her head in response. I ignored the two, seeing no issue and not wanting to press. I didn’t see any real reason for me to do so with something I wasn’t that concerned with. We had other things to focus on right at the moment. I pulled out our wonder map and held my badge up to it. The lines on the map shifted and moved like snakes as they reformed in the shape of Eldergrove’s streets. Two bundles of lines coalesced and formed two yellow dots on the map, both on the outskirts of the city, in the middle of the fields of crops we first crossed through. Yellow cursive letters formed over the two dots. Hanna and Brooke had stepped up and watched the whole spectacle with me. I turned to the two and asked, “Which one should we do first?”

 

“The starly one,” Brooke answered. She tapped the map at the closer of the two dots. Hanna agreed and we set off.

 

The streets were as busy as they were when we first entered Eldergrove. The pokemon going about their business and paying us little mind. Some gave us a few glances, some even a smile and a wave. The bandanas and badges we now wore a clear reason as to why. The pokemon knew and respected the Guild. We weren’t like the guard, we were for the people. At least that is what I figured. We were like a merry band of heroes to the pokemon of Kino. It felt nice.

 

I returned the gestures in kind, Brooke not so much. Hanna outright ignored the looks. She was looking less comfortable now that we were out in the city with so many pokemon around us. Let’s get to the farm quickly and out of the crowds.

 

Weaving through the throngs of pokemon and a few turns later we arrived at the bridge leading out of the city proper and towards the farms that surrounded it. We came to stop to check our direction, Hanna pulling out the map. As she did, the yellow trapezoid thing fell out of her bag. It hit the ground with a dull thud. Brooke moving to pick it up. I had no idea what that was or why they gave it to us. It was just a dumb painted rock. I voiced my confusion at it. “Why did they even give us a painted rock?”

 

Brooke snagged to a halt, jerking the stone back with a confused look. Hanna dropped the map and did as well. The zorsune asked, “You don’t know what a keystone is?”

 

“Keystone?” I asked back. I shook my head, “Never heard of it.”

 

Brooke lightly slapped herself in the face with the rock. She held it up and explained, “A keystone is a special rock that can allow a pokemon to change their moves.”

 

“Can’t you just do that with a computer?”

 

“What’s a computer?”

 

“And point proven,” Brooke said with a deadpan look my way and a wave of the keystone at the confused zorsune.

 

“Fine,” I rolled my eyes, “But what does it do?”

 

“It let’s you see your core and kernels,” Brooke explained as she closed her eyes and tapped the stone to her forehead, “There you can change out your four moves. Pokemon in the wild use them all the time. But your computers allow you humans to do it as well.”

 

I nodded understanding what she said. This was how pokemon altered their moves without the need of humans. But I asked, “Core and kernels?”

 

“Take a look for yourself,” Brooke held the stone out for me.

 

I grabbed the stone, it was far heavier than I expected a simple rock to weigh. It almost felt like it was made of solid iron than just a plain old yellow rock. I closed my eyes and gingerly placed it to my forehead as the eevee had done. A flash of light in my vision almost made me open my eyes. But I stopped when I saw a floating orb of white light before me. Four smaller dots orbited around the glowing orb. I wasn’t really seeing them, more like I was perceiving them. Like they were only in my mind and the stone was allowing me to view whatever this was. Brooke spoke up, “That is your core and kernels.”

 

The orb was pulsing and shifting with energy. The kernels did so as well, but not as strong as the sphere. Two of the kernels were white just like the orb, one was a verdant green, and the last was an abyssal black. Brooke continued, “The core is your font of energy. The power that you call upon to manifest the various moves you use. It also contains all of the moves you have learned but are not actively using. Those are stored in your four kernels.”

 

I imagined she was waving her legs around in the vague area where the glowing objects were in my mind’s eye. “Your core is made up of the basic energy that all pokemon can harness. Some call it mundane. Other colorless. But most call it normal type energy.”

 

I nodded as the eevee continued, “Your kernels take on the energy of whatever the type the move it is for. What are yours?”

 

“Two white, one green, and one black.”

 

“The white ones are scratch and tail whip. The green is your leafage and the black…”

 

She trailed off not knowing the move. I finished for her, “Bite.”

 

“Okay,” She said, “Your core will send the energy through the kernel when you try to do the move. The kernel contains all of your knowledge of the move. The more you do it the faster this will be. Since every pokemon can only have four kernels, but countless moves, keystones allow you to swap them out as you so choose. Each move is stored in a kernel, and they can be swapped at will. Those not being used will remain inactive till you swap them back in.”

 

I didn’t see any other kernels besides the four already around my core. I pulled the keystone away and the visage vanished. I opened my eyes and handed the stone back to Brooke. The eevee asked, “You get all that?”

 

“Mostly,” I said with a nod of my head. Everything made sense. She basically explained what I would have done at a computer to swap out her moves. It was just a bit different coming from a pokemon’s perspective without such technology.

 

“You can find these almost anywhere in the wild,” Brooke said holding up the keystone. She handed it off to Hanna as she added, “I bet there’s one in those computers that makes it able to do the whole move changing thing.”

 

“What’s a computer?” The zorsune pressed as she laid the map on the ground between us.

 

Brooke didn’t answer, instead waving a paw my way. I rolled my eyes and answered the black fox’s question, “Think of it as a…”

 

I trailed off trying to find my words. I never really had to explain a computer, everyone already knew what it was and what it did. There was never a need to explain how it functioned or what it was used for. Even my grandfather knew how to use a computer. My eyes flashed to the treasure bag on Hanna’s side, where the keystone was. Brooke explained that easily, I can do this.

 

I shook my head and took in a deep breath. I returned by gaze to Hanna as I said, “Think of it as a device that can store just about any information you want it to. It can do mostly any task you give it. It’s a very sophisticated device that humans use on a daily basis.”

 

“To do what?” Hanna pressed still seeming to be confused by my words.

 

“A lot,” I answered with a shrug. “It’s kinda hard to explain without actually having one.”

 

She seemed to accept that and turned back to the map. She pointed at a spot on it and said, “The pest control job is just down this road.”

 

She pointed ahead before rolling it up and stowing the map away. I ran the farms we passed through my head, and I could only recall one gumshoos amongst all of the pokemon. I made my way across the bridge and asked, “Is it the corn field from yesterday?”

 

“I don’t know,” Hanna answered with a shrug as the two foxes fell in line behind me.

 

The road was just as devoid of pokemon as it was last time. They still stuck to their plots of land with hardly any of them walking along the road. The rice patties were silent and still, the quagsires nowhere to be seen. The vaporeon and eevee were absent and their berry bushes were ladened with the inklings of crops. The dugtrio made their way through the rows of new sprouts without any of the diglets in sight. The trio of skiddo weren’t merrily jumping through their field, they were gently tending to the clovers and whatever the small stems were.

 

We stopped as we came to the field of corn. The large ears were still on the stalks, but it no doubt will be harvested soon. There was a wooden gate that served as the entrance. A plaque placed next to it that proudly declared this as ‘Golden Kernal Farms’ with gold leaf pressed into the engraved letters. The gate was not locked, and we made our way inside. I didn’t see any sign of the patron, but figured they had to be somewhere either in the field or at their home. Since I didn’t see any building it had to be some ways deeper in the plot of land. A worn dirt path split the corn field in two. We made our way down the trail, looking every which way for the gumshoos or anyone to point us in the direction of the invasive starly. I did spy a few of the flying type pokemon in the air above, all of them heading in the same direction as we were.

 

We crested a hill, and the corn gave way to fields of grass. A two story pale grey plantation house sat towards the back and a fenced off pen dominated the grassy area. Chickens freely roamed in the enclosure. Amongst them were a few gumshoos and yungoos. One of the stakeout pokemon noticed us and made their way towards the edge of the white painted fence and waited for us. We closed the distance as I pulled out the paper for the job. The gumshoos asked, “You from the Guild?”

 

“Yes,” I answered. I then asked, “Are you Donna?”

 

“That’ll be my mom,” the female gumshoos answered. She cupped a paw over her mouth and shouted out, “Mom! The Guild is here!”

 

“Coming!” Another gumshoos stopped in the middle of feeding the flock of chickens around them and rushed over to us on all fours. The gumshoos stood up and asked, “You took my request?”

 

“Yes,” I answered holding up the paper to show her.

 

The gumshoos quickly read the paper. She nodded and slipped through the gap in the fence. She pointed and said, “Let me show you where those damn bird’s nests are.”

 

We followed her down the path and past the chicken coop. As she led us onward she said, “Those damn bastards have been pissing us off for nearly a week. At first it was just a few of them, but they no doubt told their little feral friends and now we got nests of the fuckers.”

 

We crested another hill, the grassy field replaced with a small wooded area with a gleaming light blue pond at the back end of their land. A plank of weathered wood hung from a branch with a length of old rope. It lazily swung over the water with two starly resting on it. The starling pokemon in the air were more numerous here. Small flocks and wings fluttered about in the sky. Their animalistic calls droned on and on. There had to be a couple dozen of the black and white birds flying about and roosting in the trees. Donna came to a stop and waved a paw at the birds. “We tried to scare them off, fight them, pretty much anything and the damn rats keep on coming back. My chickens are afraid, my corn is being pilfered, there’s shit everywhere. I’m at my wits end. Take care of these if you will.”

 

She didn’t wait for a response as she turned and left us there. Brooke stepped up and commented, “That’s a lot of starly.”

 

“We have to fight all of those?” Hanna hesitantly asked.

 

“Maybe we can scare them off,” I said walking forward. I kept my eyes on the ground to watch for any of the droppings Donna spoke of.

 

“How?” Brooke asked rushing to my side. “She said she did already.”

 

My eyes flashed to the zorsune in the back. I asked, “Could you maybe make an illusion to scare them?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Hanna said jumping forward, “I’ve never really done that many illusions other than poochyena and zorua.”

 

“Would that even work?” Brooke questioned.

 

“There’s lots of pokemon scarier than a gumshoos,” I said. I turned away from the foxes. I hummed as I came to a stop at the end of the small glade of trees. The starly flew above with no real interest in us. A few turned our way, but returned to whatever they were doing. Mostly just chirping and resting. A few were eating either stolen produce or other things. What’s a pokemon that would scare starly easily?

 

There were plenty of good options that could scare the average pokemon. Only these weren’t average. These were ferals, basically animals. Regular birds were far more skittish than a flying type pokemon. I’m quite surprised that Donna and her family had been unable to clear them, but they weren’t that threatening. Attacks probably didn’t phase ferals as much since they had some as well. They just lacked the intelligence and reasoning a normal pokemon would. They wouldn’t know an illusion from the real thing.

 

I turned back to Hanna and asked, “You can mimic any pokemon you’ve seen right?”

 

She nodded, “Any I can remember, yes. The more I’ve gotten a look, the better the illusion.”

 

“What’s the biggest pokemon you can recall?”

 

“Are you sure this will work?” Brooke asked as Hanna screwed her face up in thought.

 

I shushed the eevee, “If attacking them won’t work, scaring them with something that is actually scary might.”

 

Brooke seemed dejected at my words. She eyed the starly up, “But I wanted to fight.”

 

“So did I.” I followed her gaze, “We’re going to need the training.”

 

I tried to count the birds, but they were moving too fast and slipping in and out of my view that I couldn’t get a good count. I stopped once I hit fifteen. I added, “But there are far more here than I expected. If we do attack, they may swarm us and that will not be good.”

 

“I guess,” Brooke hung her head.

 

“Fight smarter, not harder,” I added. Brooke gave a grunt in response.

 

“I’m not really sure,” Hanna chimed in, “I guess I can make myself look like Pip.”

 

“An empoleon is threatening, but I’m not sure if its good enough,” I thought aloud. I tapped my chin as the first pokemon came to mind. “Maybe a pyroar?”

 

“What’s that?”

 

I sighed seeing that option was a bust. I tried listing off other large and frightening pokemon, “Hydregion? Beartic? Aggron? Tyranitar? Electivire? Galvantual? Salamence? Scolipede? Luxray?”

 

Each one got a no or shake of the zorsune’s head. My voice getting less confident with each one shot down. I sat down as I tried harder to think of something else. Brooke then asked, “What pokemon can you make illusions of?”

 

Now it was Hanna’s turn to get a deep thoughtful expression across her face. She sat down and stared up at the partly cloudy sky. She took a few seconds to answer, “Not much really. Poochyena, mightyena, zorua, espeon, umbreon, leafeon, absol, nidorina, phanpy, serperior, wooloo- “

 

“Wait!”

 

I cut her off. She flinched at my voice. Even some of the starly cawed in annoyance, but they didn’t leave their perch. More had filtered in, no doubt curious as to why we were here and what we were doing.

 

“W-what?” Hanna hesitantly ask me, still shying away.

 

I smiled as I said, “Serperior might work.”

 

“How?” Hanna asked back.

 

I scanned the trees full of birds, “A serperior is a massive snake, they should be afraid of it.”

 

I pointed to a bush near the edge of the pond, “Hide in there and wait for me to send up a cloud of leafage. Become a serperior and they should scatter.”

 

Hanna gave the bush a hesitant look, but she eventually silently followed the order. Her illusion dropped the second before she entered the bush. I made my way towards the pond, already pulling the energy for a leafage. I knew it had to be a big one to sell it coming from a serperior.

 

“What if they realize there isn’t a serperior here and come back?” Brooke asked rushing to my side, concern lacing her words.

 

“They aren’t normal pokemon,” I responded with a shake of my head. My eyes training on the flock of starly. “They might be dumb enough to not risk a return.”

 

“And if they do?”

 

“A scare-perior?” I offered as the energy drain started to hurt a bit.

 

“A scare-perior,” Brooke bit back with an unamused glare.

 

“It could work,” I stepped away from the eevee and charged up my attack the last bit. I asked aloud, “You ready, Hanna?”

 

“Yes,” she answered back without any conviction.

 

I eyed the starly up. Some were glancing our way, but their hollow eyes seemed disinterested. Most were not even looking our way. A few were still flying about, taking off or coming in for landings. Not wishing to waste any more time, or burn myself out more, I puffed out my chest and unleashed the stored up energy. A massive tornado of glowing green leaves surged to life and filled the air around the pond. The starly all cawed in annoyance and took to the air. The fluttering of wings nearly drowned out the wind whipped up by the leaves. A rustling drew my attention behind me. There was a massive looming green snake standing in the middle of the clearing. A coiling grassy regal looking snake that didn’t move. It was like a statue almost. Its yellow eyes staring off at nothing with pure disinterest. The starly screeched even louder and they all turned and flew off.

 

The spiraling leaves died down and blinked out of existence. The glade had gone silent, the faint fluttering of feathers and bird calls dying as the specks disappeared in the distance. The serperior vanished and Hanna stepped out of the bush. She stared up and said, “I did not think that would have worked.”

 

“I half expected them to attack,” Brooke added.

 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said shooting the two of them a death glare. Hanna replied by reapplying her zorua illusion. Brooke just laughed. But that was cut short by an ear splitting screech. My fur bristled as a shadow flashed over us. A large bird swooped down and came to a hover over the lake. Small waves rolling across the tranquil body of water under the beats of its massive wings. The staravia glared at us. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I felt a sense of dread grip my body. I tried to summon a leafage, but I couldn’t bring myself to draw the energy. The bird took the initiative and rushed towards us in a blur of golden light. Brooke disappeared in her own burst of golden energy and Hanna dove to the side. I couldn’t move fast enough and took the brunt of the quick attack. A sickening crunch echoed out as I was sent airborne. It lasted for a second before I hit the ground and rolled. I kept on going till I was stopped by a tree. My body ached, and I struggled to take in a breath.

 

A flash of golden light rushed in and sniped the bird out of the air. The bird corrected itself and landed firmly on its talons. It didn’t get a second to rest before a white blur rushed in cloaked in a menacing black aura. The bird shrugged off the sucker punch and took to the air. It screeched in anger as it got away from the eevee and zorua. I hissed picking myself up and fired off a leafage. The bird easily rolled away from my attack and zoomed upwards. It held out its wings as they became cloaked in light blue energy. It swooped in for another attack. Brooke rushed to my side and pulled me out of the path of the bird and behind the tree. The staravia turned and soared back up, its wings still covered in flying type energy.

 

“What do we do?” Hanna asked rushing over to us.

 

“We have to clip it’s wings,” I said with a pained grunt, “So long as it is in the air it will have power over us, and it hits hard.”

 

“We can’t do much with it being in the air,” Brooke pointed out.

 

The staravia came back around for another swipe. I fired a leafage, the bird barreled through the attack and continued towards us. Hanna took the form of an absol. The staravia squawked in fright and quickly turned away. The energy fading from its wings. It still rocketed upwards as it prepared for another sweep. We moved away from the tree and towards the pond. As we moved I asked, “Do we have an item to help us?”

 

“I think we still have a blast seed,” Hanna said. Brooke quickly removed said fiery orange seed from my bag. The staravia came in and hit the eevee in a blur of golden light. She was sent flying towards the water. The bird flew back up and prepared to deliver another attack, it’s body taking on a white aura with a faint greyish tone to it. Brooke breached the water with a sputtering gasp.

 

I rushed for the downed seed as the staravia zeroed in on me. I popped the seed in my mouth and held it between my fangs. I squared my stance as it closed the distance. The bird cawed loudly as I bit down on the seed. An unbelievable burning heat filled my mouth. Like I had just eaten the hottest pepper in existence, and it turned me into a fire type. I opened my maw and unleashed a massive torrent of flames. The staravia screamed in pain, but still powered through the flames. Its wing sent me flying back. The impact hurt far more than the one from earlier, my body jerking backwards as I left the ground. My vision faded as blackness consumed me. I faintly heard Hanna and Brooke screaming my name as I hit the ground. I was out the next second.

 

 

~~~

 

 

I blinked my eyes open as my body came back online. Everything stung and felt numb. I was on a beach. At first I thought it was the edge of the pond, but the body of water before me was far larger than it. The gentle cresting waves also a sign that it was not the tranquil still pond from the corn farm. I bolted upright and immediately screamed out, “Brooke! Hanna!”

 

My voice was drown out by the surf and the caws from some birds above. I flinched at the shrill noises, but none of the avians paid me any attention. They either circled the beach from above or flew off to something else of interest. Where am I?

 

I didn’t see any hint of Eldergrove. The beach was a small expanse of soft off-white sand. A few brick red rocks and boulders broke up the flat expanse and a dauntingly high cliff of the same material loomed over. There were small beach shrubs and palm trees all around. A path weaving through grass and trees was on the right end of the beach. The mouth of a gaping cave was on the left. The ocean, now that I could get a good look at the whole thing, reached out to the horizon with not a single thing marring its surface. The wide expanse of water was like a massive mirror reflecting the orange sun as it dipped closer to the horizon.

 

Which didn’t make sense, it was morning when we arrived at the farm. It couldn’t even be noon, let alone sunset. Yet here I was watching the sun near the point where ocean met sky in a blazing orange atmosphere. A pop to my side raised my hackles. I spun on the spot, my eyes landing on a cloud of bubbles lazily floating in the air. Krabby sitting on the rocks the source of them. The bubbles reflected the light and gave the whole area a mystical feeling. I couldn’t help but watch the light of the setting sun reflect off the bubbles. The water sparkling like gold in the light of the setting sun. I felt calmed by the beautiful sight. Like I didn’t have to worry about anything, like everything was going to be okay for some reason. Even if I was worried as to what happened after the staravia hit me, where I was, and where Brooke and Hanna were. But those fears melted to the back of my mind.

 

A grunt to my side drew me away from the sight. Resting on the edge of the beach, battered by the gentle surf, was a black and blue pokemon. I rushed over to the prone form. The sand around them was marred with the faint hints of blood. I picked up the pace and closed the distance. I came upon the pokemon, the thin tail ending in a yellow four point star making it obvious it was a shinx, and held a paw to their side. Their chest rose and fell, but only a bit and with tremors. I reached for my bag, but found I was sans it. I didn’t have anything.

 

I got behind the pokemon and pushed them out of the waves. I struggled, but I eventually moved the feline out of the water and on to dry sand. They rolled on to their back and I collapsed by their side with a huff. I didn’t rest long and checked the shinx over for any injuries. They a had a few cuts and gashes, but they were mostly healed up. Their fur was soaked through. No signs of active bleeding. I gingerly placed my head on the top of their chest, my ear placed against their wet fur. Their chest still rose and fell slowly, but it seemed to be getting stronger. Their heart was beating away at a gentle pace. I stepped back with a sigh, “At least I didn’t have to do CPR.”

 

For one thing, I had no idea how to do it. Secondly, this was a shinx, a pokemon. I had seen people doing CPR on TV, in movies, and such. But that was on other people, not pokemon. I had no idea if it even translated well with such different biology. Thirdly, I did not want to give some stranger the kiss of life. Checking the fur pattern I found out the shinx was male. Which made me even less of a fan of performing that act.

 

The shinx bolted up right and quickly spat up a large amount of water. I rushed to his side and rubbed his back as he spat the salty water from his mouth. Once he settled, I asked, “You okay?”

 

The shinx spat one more glob of water and spit before croaking out, “No.”

 

“At least you’re awake,” I said stepping back. The shinx shook himself, spraying a bit of water everywhere, before he sat down with a heavy thud. He glanced up and down the beach. He stared out at the golden ocean and the floating array of bubbles. His voice was airy and light as he asked, “Where…where am I?”

 

I wasn’t quite so sure on that either. This was undeniably not where I was a minute ago. And I wasn’t even sure how I ended up here. That staravia must have hit me hard.

 

The fact I was alone with no sign of Brooke or Hanna didn’t stir any alarm in me and I wasn’t really all that concerned with that fact. Nor was I concerned with how I ended up wherever this was. The idea slipping away as soon as it surfaced, my attention more drawn to the shinx that almost drowned.

 

I settled on an easy answer. “Kino.”

 

The shinx seemed to accept the answer, but didn’t ask anything else. He simply sat there, staring at the sand and running his paws through it. I asked, “Do you have any idea how you ended up here?”

 

He turned my way as he shook his head once in the negative with a small frown on his muzzle. I pressed further, “What’s your name?”

 

The shinx didn’t respond or move at all. I took it in stride and said, “My name’s Aster.”

 

Finally the shinx vocalized a response. His voice small and frail as he said, “Nyx.”

 

“Are you sure you are okay, Nyx?” I asked again. My eyes flashed to the path leading off the beach. I could faintly make out some buildings on the cliff head. Maybe a town.

 

“I can take you to see someone,” I quickly added.

 

Before either of us could make a move, a nasally chuckle pierced the serene air of the beach. Nyx’s head snapped to the side where two figures made their way down the beach and towards us. Electricity sparked to life across his fur, but he staggered back with a wince and the energy died. Coming towards us was a koffing and zubat. The koffing chuckled as they came to a stop, the same nasally one I heard. He spoke in a heavily accented deep voice, “Well, well, well. Whot do wey ‘ave ‘ere.”

 

“Looks like too little runts,” the zubat answered in a creepy tone.

 

“Who are you calling runt?” I stepped forward drawing energy for a leafage.

 

“Youse two,” The koffing answered spewing out a cloud of noxious gas. I took a tentative step back. I did not want to be hint by a super effective poison attack. The fact both were poison types was a bit unnerving, but I wouldn’t stand down to them.

 

I charged up my leafage. I stated, “So you’re a bunch of bullies then.”

 

“Correct,” The zubat said as he flapped his wings and sent a wave of wind at me. I unleashed my leafage. The two attacks colliding and cancelling each other out. The koffing rush forward in a white aura knocking me back and colliding with the shinx. We tumbled across the sand and ended up in a heap in the shallow waters. My chest stung from the attack, my ribs burning as it hurt to breathe.

 

“Stay down,” the koffing ordered floating back to his buddy.

 

“Now,” the zubat fluttered forward with his wings covered in light blue flying type energy, “Be a good pussy cat and don’t get any wise ideas.”

 

“Fuck you,” I seethed out picking myself up. I bared my fangs and hissed.

 

“Ahh,” The koffing mockingly said, “I tink youse pissed off de widdle pussy cat.”

 

“Did I?” The zubat laughed. The koffing soon joined in.

 

I growled as energy surged through my body and down to my paws. Only it wasn’t for a scratch. I mashed my claws together. The sound of metal scraping against metal broke through the laughter and crashing of the waves. I felt stronger. I felt better. I felt faster. Aster has learned Hone Claws.

 

I rushed forward channeling a scratch and leapt for the koffing. The floating purple orb’s eyes widened in shock as I raked my claws against his face. The koffing screamed as it floated out of my reach. The zubat unleashed his gust, but I jumped out of the way. I rushed back in and scratched him as well, slicing at his wing. The bat fell to the ground with a grunt and a puff of sand, but he didn’t rise back up in the air. The koffing shouted, “Dat ‘urt youse punk.”

 

“I’mma rip ya to shreds,” the zubat leapt forward. A blur of black and blue fur tackled the bat and sent it flying towards the water. Nyx came to a stop as electricity sparked across his body.

 

The shinx grit his teeth and bared his fangs. He declared, “I’m done being afraid of you two.”

 

Koffing raced forward for another tackle, but Nyx unleashed a blast of electricity that closed the distance faster. The koffing came to a stop and fell to the sand, his once purple body now blacked and singed. His eyes were unfocused. He had fainted. Nyx panted as electricity still sparked across his fur. The zubat had surface, but was swimming off to the other side of the beach. With both of them dealt with I sat down with a heavy sigh. I smiled as Nyx turned my way. I said, “Thanks for stepping in there.”

 

“Th…” his words died on his lips as he turned away. Electricity still sparked across his body. He sat down with a frown. It quickly shifted to a meek smile as he said, “Thanks for standing up for me.”

 

I returned the smile as I opened my mouth to speak, but the world was consumed by a blinding flash of white light. I felt reality slip away and Nyx the shinx vanished. The last thing I saw was a golden yellow crescent moon wreathed in an aura of light blue and magenta.

Chapter 18: A Game of Deception

Summary:

Team Star continues onward to complete their missions for the day. Afterwards, Aster prepares for his game night.

Notes:

Thank you all for over 2600 hits and 70+ kudos!

I groaned as reality came back to me. My entire body hurt, like I had been run over by a car a few good times. It hurt more than it should from my battle with the koffing and zubat, they only got one tackle off. I refused to move all that much, simply lying on the soft thing I was currently on. It didn’t feel like the sand of the beach. I couldn’t hear the crashing of waves or the caws of the birds. The air still smelled salty, but it was a faint note. The ocean was near, but I was not directly next to it. What happened?

 

A gasp to my side that sounded like Brooke. I felt her at my side as she asked, “Are you okay?”

 

“Been better,” I mumbled out as my body returned to me. I blinked my eyes open to see nothing but blackness. It wasn’t the night or the void, but black fur.

 

“I must thank you for chasing off those damn starly,” Donna the gumshoos said walking over. I blinked as my brain finally caught up to what was happening. I vaguely recalled scaring a bunch of starly then fighting an irate staravia. The battle not going the best with me blacking out at the end of it. Did I faint?

 

But then there was what happened after the staravia. The beach, Nyx the shinx, then the battle with the koffing and the zubat. Was that a dream?

 

I didn’t see a sign of the beach, the shinx, or the zubat and koffing. It had to be a dream. I must have fainted and dreamt whatever that was. But it felt far too real to be a dream, it didn’t feel like one. I stopped when I didn’t see someone else that should be here. Where’s Hanna?

 

“You good?” The zorsune’s voice coming from right in front of me. I blinked as I realized I was lying on her back. My chest flush with her back, my legs hanging off her sides. Her tail pressing up against…

 

I yelped as I flailed my limbs and rolled off the zorsune and onto the ground. I landed on my back, but I quickly rolled over and got to my paws. Everyone was looking my way. Brooke was concerned. Hanna was a bit frazzled. Donna’s face was coated in unadulterated slyness. My face felt hot, and my ears splayed backwards. I turned away from the three sets of eyes.

 

“You good, kid?” The gumshoos asked with a smirk on her face.

 

“Yeah,” I said keeping my eyes focused on the white puffy clouds in the sky. The near midday sun felt nice and almost made up for what just happened. Why was I on her back?

 

“Oh-kay,” Donna said a bit forced. Her focus turned away from me as she said, “As I said, I’m so glad you took care of those birds, even that staravia.”

 

“Its no problem,” Brooke answered.

 

“Just remember what we said about the serperior scarecrow,” Hanna added, “It should keep them from returning.”

 

Scare-perior. I bit my tongue and turned back once I felt the heat finally subside, but I didn’t look Hanna’s way. Donna smiled as she pulled out a burlap bag that jingled with each movement. She handed it to Hanna, who stowed it away in her bag. As she did, Donna said, “Three hundred krowne, as promised.”

 

She pulled out another, far smaller, bag and said, “And here are the joy seeds as well.”

 

Hanna took them too. With our business done we said our goodbyes and stepped beyond the gate. I didn’t even realize we were at the front of the farm till we were already off the gumshoos’ property and were making our way down the road towards our second job of the day. Brooke and Hanna took lead, the zorsune giving our map a quick glance to figure out the path to the other farm. I stayed back. Brooke then asked, “What happened back there?”

 

I shook my head, “Don’t worry about it.”

 

I did not want to think about how I was positioned on Hanna’s back. It made my stomach churn thinking about it. I was just glad no one said anything about it and that the block was still in place. I still kept my eyes trained on the road. I rushed forward to keep their backsides out of my view. I did not want to break the block for any reason. She was a friend, I shouldn’t think of her as anything but. I just hoped my body would finally listen for once. I didn’t trust this body not to go against my wishes. Nor did I want to risk it. Keep calm, Aster.

 

I needed a distraction. I was still a bit fuzzy on what happened after the fight with the staravia. I turned to Brooke and asked, “So what happened back there?”

 

“That’s what I asked,” Brooke shot me a smug smile. She no doubt knew what I was thinking just now and wanted to say something about it. A jab to make herself laugh. I couldn’t blame her, she’d done it in the past. It just felt different now when Hanna was involved with the situation instead. I was such an easy target because of these strange desires of this pokemon body and the block.

 

I rolled my eyes. “After the staravia knocked me out.”

 

Brooke’s smile didn’t falter as she answered, “It hit you with a double-edge and launched you across the area knocked out.”

 

“I figured,” I bit back with a hollow tone. Brooke just laughed.

 

“I hit it with a sucker punch before it could do anything else and it fled,” Hanna added.

 

“The rest of the starly flew off after that,” Brooke finished.

 

“And after that,” I pressed.

 

“I carried you back and then you woke up,” Hanna said not turning my way.

 

I offered her a small thanks, not able to meet her eyes either. Brooke had this look on her face like she wanted to say something, but she stilled her tongue. I expected it would be something at my expense given what had happened and my ongoing issues with my messed up desires. I knew I would regret it, but I asked, “What?”

 

“What?” The eevee repeated back to me.

 

“You know what,” I gave her a deadpan.

 

She shook her head. “I’d rather not say it.”

 

“You thinking it still doesn’t help,” I said. I stopped and jabbed a paw at her. She stopped and turned back around, taken aback somewhat. “Can we please just let it die. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t you thinking about it. This is embarrassing for me, and you know it. You know the issues I’m having with this body.”

 

She scuffed the ground and gave a small, “Sorry.”

 

“Come on, guys,” the zorsune said as she took a few hesitant steps back, “Let’s just forget about it. Nothing happened. I’m the biggest one here,” she eyed Brooke, “We both agreed on me carrying him.”

 

“Okay,” Brooke straightened herself out. “It was just too funny not to think about it.”

 

“But it still is something I don’t want to talk about,” I said. Brooke nodded and apologized again.

 

Hanna stepped up. “We’re a team, we have to work together. Making fun of something the other doesn’t find funny is not a good team dynamic.”

 

We all agreed and got back on our way towards the second job. Brooke sliding up to my side and rubbing up against me. I smiled and returned the gesture. She hesitantly gave me another apology. She following it up by asking, “We good?”

 

“I can never stay mad at you.” I nuzzled up to her. She returned it with a wide smile. As we separated I said, “Just please keep the ribbing to a minimum and not when I’m in a situation like that.”

 

She gave one last apology and a resolute nod of her head. We then turned off on another road, this one led us right to our next mission. A large plot of land close to the edge of the Timberland forest.  The area filled with perfectly straight lines of trees. Sitting on a chair on the porch of the simple house was a primeape. Their left leg done up in a cast. They perked up as they saw us walking towards them. They shouted, “You from the Guild?”

 

We walked through the gateless stone fence and up to the porch. A sign at the entrance declared it as ‘Honor Hill Farms’. I pulled out the paper and answered, “Yes we are. We’re Team Star.”

 

I showed him the form. The primeape, who I assumed was Oscar, gave a happy snort and pointed to a pile of bags off to the side. He explained, “As I said, I have five orders, those bags, of chestnuts that need to be delivered. I picked them yesterday, but I twisted my damn leg getting out of the tree. Docs says I won’t be able to walk for a week. But I already got mons that paid for these nuts, and I don’t have no one to deliver them for me. Just drop them off at where they need to go, they’re already paid for. Deliver all five, and I give you your cut.”

 

I nodded and we made our way over to the bags of chestnuts. They were nearly as big as me and weighed even more than that. Luckily they all fit within my bag with ease. The weight of just one of the bags would have sent me tumbling, being the lightest of the group, but I didn’t feel a shift in my center of gravity at all. All five of them felt like nothing. Oscar whistled as he watched us. He jovially said, “I would kill to have a bag with those enchantments on it. Where’d ya get it?”

 

“A friend,” I answered.

 

Oscar seemed a bit sullen from that answer. He asked, “Could you see if your friend could make me one to. That would save me a fortune delivering my nuts.”

 

Not wanting to tell the true nature of my bag’s origin, nor did I want to upset the prone to anger pokemon species, I offered a noncommittal, “I’ll talk to him and see.”

 

The primeape seemed to accept that. Oscar thanked us and quickly waved us off. A check of the map showed it had updated and now had five locations marked instead of the one we just came from. All of them spread out in the middle of Eldergrove. We made our way back to the city and towards the closest delivery point. The first place was a store towards the back of the city. Located amongst smaller homes that were made more of wood than stone like the ones closer to the coast. A wooden sign hung over the door with a burned picture of a pile of assorted nuts and berries on it. ‘Nuts Emporium’ was proudly etched above the picture. Inside were two fox like pokemon of a species I had not seen before. One had a rust red fur coat with a white underbelly and black ears. Their paws covered in black tufts of fur that gave the impression of boots. And a tail that brushed along the ground behind them like a broom. The other had silver fur instead of red that had a faint sparkle to it. They had to be the shiny variant of whatever they were. They accepted the bag of nuts and passed on well wishes to the primeape.

 

The next stop was right by a river weaving its way through the city. A restaurant by the name of ‘Honeywisk’. A cacturne wearing a golden tie accepted the bag without a word and shooed us out the next second. As the door shut behind us I heard him mumbled out, “Fucking Guild.”

 

I ignored his words and pushed us towards the next drop. This one was in the middle of the city in a large square. The edge dominated by stores and shops of various types. Wooden stalls also filled in the space, most of them selling food. A grassy area with a birch tree and tulips stood in the center. Our stop was a bakery with the less than humble name ‘Bakery of Champions’. Fittingly, a machoke was the baker behind the counter. He gleefully accepted the bag and even gave us a kee berry and cinnamon cookie each. They were a little spicy, but it wasn’t all that bad. Granted my mouth was still a bit cooked from the blast seed from earlier. But I still could taste the cinnamon that complimented the heat of the kee berry nicely.

 

Our next stop wasn’t that far away along a street branching off of the large market area. It was another bakery by the name of ‘Crème & Dough’. Inside two pokemon greeted us. One was a small dog pokemon that looked like they were made of dough. The other was like a living pile of whipped cream. Their body was mostly a pale blue with the only other color being their strikingly yellow eyes and a pair of stars upon their head. I could see where they got their store’s name from.

 

We dropped off the nuts without any issue or flare and made our way towards the last delivery. We had to cross a river and quickly came upon the last one, a restaurant called ‘Dream Den’. It wasn’t on the riverfront like the other one, but it was larger. Honeywisk had the impression of a fine dining establishment. Dream Den seemed a little less formal, it even had a bar off to the corner. The entire place staffed by bug type pokemon. A vivillon with a dark green pattern greeted us. He almost brought us to a table before we pulled out the last bag of chestnuts. He thanked us and still asked if we would want a table. Even though the only thing we had for lunch was the cookies from the machoke, it was well passed midday, and we didn’t want to keep Oscar waiting for us. The vivillon was happy all the same and said, “Come back whenever you like.”

 

We left the restaurant and crossed Eldergrove and made it back to Oscar’s property. The primeape was all smiles, even if I couldn’t see his mouth, at the job being done. He directed us towards another large bag on the porch, this one filled to the brim with coins. There was a smaller bag inside with the chestnuts also promised. The whole thing was leagues heavier than the chestnuts from before. We struggled to lift it, Oscar having to help us store it in my bag. The primeape gleefully said, “Don’t spend all of it in one place.”

 

We shared a laugh and made our way back to the Guild. The sun already on its path to the far horizon. Today was an eventful, but rewarding day. Although the jobs weren’t that intense, as Brooke would have liked, we still got some action. I did end up promising her that we could look for a mission involving a mystery dungeon for tomorrow. I wasn’t sure how long we were going to be here. But getting as much experience and funding before heading off for the Star wouldn’t be a bad thing. I hadn’t heard of anything on the First Star or Roland. Maybe he hasn’t done anything yet?

 

The hardest part of today was just all the walking. I thought my paws hurt from my first day as a pokemon, but that paled in comparison to today. I probably walked more today than I did in several months back when I was a human. But it wasn’t all bad. The experience itself was nice. Being a pokemon was nice. As was being able to talk with Brooke, Hanna, and everyone else. To understand her was so, so much better than trying to infer her vocalizations when I was human.

 

 The pokemon in the street were nice to. Some waving, no doubt seeing our Guild attire. Which wasn’t much considering it was just a bandana and a badge, but it was no doubt recognizable. Everyone just seem so much friendlier here, like this world was so much better than my own. It really was growing on me, and I honestly wasn’t sure if I wanted to leave at all. I may have been a human before coming here, but being a pokemon was far better than that.

 

We had spotted a few guards throughout the day, their long evergreen and purple scarfs making them stick out like sore thumbs amongst the unclothed pokemon of Eldergrove. We avoided them like the plague, taking paths out of their sight. Even if we had the protection of the Guild, we did not want to risk a confrontation with the guard. The events of yesterday and with the announcement Dawn had given this morning driving us to steer clear of any pokemon of authority.

 

Aurora and Kyle were still at the gate when we arrived back. We skipped storing anything and depositing our funds, since we did have to hand over half of it to the Guild. The lobby was not as busy as it was this morning, but a few pokemon were milling about. Sitting around the fire was a bayleef, mankey, kirlia, and flareon. All four of them wearing dark green. At the bar was a hypno and a secptile with rusty red bandanas. The two of them both drinking cloudy drinks. The same lopunny with the bowtie was behind the bar. A lairon, sudowoodo, and midnight form lycanroc were looking over the outlaw board.

 

We made our way over to the front desk, currently being manned by Isabella the furret. She greeted us with a smile as she said, “Good afternoon, Team Star.”

 

We returned the greeting. I pulled out the two papers for our jobs. Hanna pulled out the two bags of money we had been given. I said, “Here are the jobs we completed today.”

 

Isabella took the papers and skimmed the contents. She nodded and stowed them behind the desk. She asked, “And the money?”

 

Hanna and Brooke pushed the bag from Oscar onto the desk while I grabbed the one from Donna. Isabella took them with not as much trouble as we had. She turned back and said, “Julie, can you please split these for the Guild’s take?”

 

“Yes,” a grumpig said stepping over and grabbing the bags. She took the two papers as well.

 

Isabella turned back to us, still smiling, and asked, “How was your first day?”

 

“Not bad,” I answered.

 

The furret nodded. “That’s good to hear.”

 

We had a quick conversation over what jobs we did. Julie stepping up with only a single bag in her hands, this one smaller than the one from Oscar. She placed it down on the desk with a thud. She said, “You’re all set, Team Star. Your take away is four hundred krowne.”

 

We thanked her and stowed the coins in my bag, we decided to deposit them tomorrow on our way out. We could also buy some supplies. If we were to be facing a mystery dungeon it made sense to have enough supplies to keep us out of trouble. With the day basically over, we made our way towards the back for dinner. It was a bit early to eat, so the other teams probably were going to come by later. The room wasn’t as filled as it was last night, but the noise of conversation and active eating still rang throughout it. We quickly made our way towards the kitchen to place our orders. We didn’t have much trouble to find a spot to sit and claimed an area away from the others already eating.

 

“So,” Brooke started as she sat down, “You’re going to be doing that game thing tonight right?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded.

 

“You want us to try and figure out a way to get at the map?” The shiny asked.

 

I know we discussed the possibility of the two of them coming to the library tonight to basically case out the joint to steal the Wondrous Map. It still wasn’t a bad idea. I answered, “Probably won’t be that bad of thing to do. I bet most will avoid the library tonight because of the game. You two can come to…say look up info on a mystery dungeon.”

 

Brooke nodded at the suggestion. I added, “We do plan on doing a mystery dungeon tomorrow. So that at least gives us a reason to be in there.”

 

“We could do both,” Hanna offered. She flinched at both of us turning to look at her. She poked at the table as she added, “Getting some info on the dungeons we would be dealing with around here along with checking out the map isn’t that bad of an idea.”

 

I nodded in agreement. “Just don’t get into trouble. I rather not us get kicked out of the Guild after only one day.”

 

“You can trust us,” Brooke declared with a wide smile. I knew I could trust her, but a nagging in the back of my head was just worrying me. They had given us sanctuary and we were returning their kindness with trying to steal from them. But it was for the greater good. Roland was out there. The First Star was in pieces. Jirachi asked us to defeat him and reforge the Star. We had to do it. Sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures. I hope they’ll forgive us for stealing it.

 

Our food arrived soon after. Brooke got a bowl of chili with a biscuit and cheese resting on top of it. Hanna had a lemon drenched block of tofu done up to look like a filet of salmon. I got a sandwich. Ham, cheese, pickles, and spicy mustard. It wasn’t as filling as the pizza, which was perfect. The pizza was too much for me to eat anyway. The sandwich was far better. No one sat down next to us, so we ate in relative silence. Not saying much other than discussing our plans for tomorrow. Brooke wanted to look at the board right after dinner to pick a job. Hanna advised that some of those jobs might not be good anymore and it would be best to check in the morning. I agreed with the zorsune. Brooke wasn’t happy, but she relented. She saw the reason and we agreed to find a mission in the morning.

 

We finished soon after that, the same pair of hoppip coming by and taking our plates. With nothing else to do, we left and made our way up to the library. It was as dead as I expected. Only a few mons were actually moving through the stacks. Four of the tables had been moved around to form a semi-circle in the center of the room, the other tables were pushed off to the side. Amy was floating about placing pieces of paper on the tables at twelve seats set up.

 

She wasn’t alone. There was already a kirlia sitting with Aurora at the first table conversing. At another table was an amaura, an ivysaur, and a kecleon. I handed my bag off to the shiny eevee, not seeing a need for it during the game. I bid the two goodbye, pointing them in the direction the map was in. I then made my way over towards Aurora and the kirlia, the sylveon waving me over with a paw and ribbon with a wide smile. “Hi, Aster.”

 

“Hello,” I returned the gesture with a bit less enthusiasm than the intertwining pokemon.

 

The kirlia gave me a wave as well, “Nice to meet you, Aster. I’m Elly.”

 

“Are you waiting for anyone else?” I asked gesturing to the empty third seat at the table. Both said no and I claimed it for myself. Each table had three seats at them, making our group a dozen strong. Lot of pokemon for this game.

 

“Are Hanna and Brooke not joining?” Aurora asked.

 

I shook my head. “Not really their thing.”

 

“But I saw you walk in with them,” the sylveon stated. She perked her head higher trying to find the two foxes.

 

“They’re doing some research on the dungeons nearby,” I answered. My heart relaxing as the white and pink pokemon sat back down. “We plan on doing a mystery dungeon job tomorrow and want to familiarize ourselves with whatever we might come across.”

 

Aurora chuckled, “If only I was that mindful before I joined. I was still a headstrong eevee when I barreled right into Salty Cove without a team.”

 

“What about Kyle and Max?” I asked.

 

“Those two idiots were the ones that saved my sorry ass,” Aurora said with a hint of embarrassment, but there was also longing. The reminiscing of a happy time. The sylveon shook her head. “I remember following those two back to the Guild basically making myself a part of their team before they could even say otherwise.”

 

“Where are they?” I couldn’t help but ask.

 

“On a date,” Aurora answered, “Max finally got over his cold and the two went out on the one they planned before he got sick.”

 

A loud clap from the gengar drew all our attention and silenced the library. Other pokemon had filtered in and claimed their seats. The seat to my right was empty, but a maractus and a sableye claimed the two other spots at that table. The kecleon, ivysaur, and amaura took the third. A lone bidoof claimed the final seat in the setup, the other two at their table still empty. Amy smiled, “We’re about to get started, just waiting on a last few mons then we can begin. I’d say start by reading the paper in front of you to get familiarized with the roles if you haven’t played before.”

 

She floated off back to her desk without saying another word. I figured to do as she said and picked up the paper right in front of me. On it were a series of colored icons with a line or two of text next to them. Before I could read an emolga rushed in and quickly claimed the seat next to me. Amy spun on the spot and shot the electric type a glare. The flying rodent shrunk back and offered a meek, “Sorry.”

 

Amy rolled her eyes and went over to her desk. I ignored the pokemon next to me and read the paper. In bold at the top was what I assumed was the name of the game. ‘A Bump in the Night’.

 

Looking at the roles they were almost a spitting image of Trouble Brewing back home. There were the green villager roles, the good team. The good, but also not as beneficial, blue traveler roles. The orange evil minion roles. And the red villain roles. The names were somewhat the same, but there were a few roles that seemed unique to the version the pokemon played here. Did a former human import the game here?

 

I ignored the thought, seeing as it wasn’t really that much of a concern. Now that I knew more or less what we would be playing I leaned in and read the roles to see what was the same and what was different.

 

There was the Guildmaster. Their symbol a shield. They started the game by given three player’s names, one of which was evil. The Investigator. Their symbol a spyglass. They knew that one of two players were a certain minion role. The Knight. Their symbol a sword. They knew that two players were not the villain. The Empath. Their symbol a heart. They knew the alignment of the alive players sitting next to them. The Herbalist. Their symbol a bunch of flowers. If they were in play, then the evil players wouldn’t know each other until the Herbalist died. The Jester. Their symbol a stereotypical court jester’s hat complete with bells. They wouldn’t die the first time they ought to. The Nurse. Their symbol a cross. They chose a player, not themselves, to protect each night from being killed. The Farmer. Their symbol a pitchfork. If they were killed at night, a random good player becomes a new Farmer. The Escort. Their symbol a pair of crossed rings. If they were to be nominated for execution, the player that did the nomination would die. But only if that player was a villager. The Vigilante. Their symbol a crosshair. They got one free kill to use during the day. If they went for the villain they killed them. Anyone else that was targeted would not die. The Nun. Their symbol a pair of glasses. They started knowing the role of one of the good players. But if that player died, so to would the Nun. The Seer. Their symbol a chalice. They chose a player each night and learned one good and one bad role that the player might be. The Insomniac was the last villager role. Their symbol a night cap. They chose a player and learned the role of one of the player’s that visited them in the night.

 

The traveler roles included the Drunk, the Golem, the Old Man, and surprisingly the Human. The last made me do a double take. I knew the pokemon of this world were aware of humans and they were heroes to a lot of them. But to see them blatantly broadcasted in a social deduction game gave me a bit of pause.

 

The Drunk had a glass of beer. They would think they are a villager role, when in fact they were not. The Golem had a little puppet. They would choose a player and become their alignment, but wouldn’t know whether they became evil or stayed good. The Old Man had a cane. They had no power other than they could die at any time during the game. The Human had a human hand print. If they were checked they might register as good or evil. They could also be seen as the villain. Why do I feel like that’s a bit racist?

 

The minions in play were the Potion Master, the Hypnotist, the Assassin, and the Pestilence. The Potion Master had a vial of some liquid. They chose a player to poison each night, messing with whatever information they may gather. The Hypnotist had a small pendant like a hypno would use. They forced a player to pretend they were a different role or face execution. The Assassin had a curved dagger. They had the ability to kill one player regardless of any protections. The Pestilence had a pile of dung with flies around it. If they died they chose two players. One would get a new role of their alignment, the other would die. Some interesting powers there.

 

There were only three possible villains. The Demon, the Leech, and the Miasma. The Demon had a stereotypical three point demon’s pitchfork. They simply chose one player a night to kill. The Leech had a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. They chose a player to become their host, and they could only be killed if the host was killed. The Miasma had a swirling vortex of fumes. They chose a player at night to poison, doing the exact same as the Potion Master. Only that player would die the following night, like a delayed reaction. That could get messy no matter which one we get.

 

Another loud clap from Amy startled me, sending my paper nearly flying off the table. The gengar floated to the middle of our setup and asked, “Is everyone ready?”

 

A quick glance showed that the other seats had been filled while I was reading the roles. I stiffened at the sight of a jolteon and glaceon occupying the last two seats at the table with the bidoof. Camille and the glaceon from his team were here. Why, in the great name of the Distortion World, is he here?!

 

“I see you noticed Camille and Gemini joined us,” Aurora’s hushed voice tickled my ear. I jumped at her voice invading my personal space, but a feeler wound around my body held me in place. She leaned closer and said, “I’d watch out for him if he hasn’t made a move on Brooke yet.”

 

“He has,” I whispered back. Aurora huffed and pulled her feeler back.

 

“That sleazeball pulled the same shit on me when Max and Kyle brought me to the Guild.” Her eyes glared right at the jolteon, but he was not paying us any attention. He was to engrossed in some conversation with the bidoof. “How he gets to stick around here pulling that same shit on female eevees is lost on me.”

 

“Nepotism?” I offered. It wouldn’t be that farfetched. I had some personal experience with it given my family practiced it like we had Olympic gold in the sport. My uncle a prime example my dad would remind us at nearly any family gathering.

 

“Probably,” Aurora huffed. She shook her head. “Just be careful, he’s not above playing dirty tricks. He threatened to hurt Max and Kyle if I didn’t join him. I’m lucky he never did, but Gemini wasn’t so much in that case. That glaceon doesn’t deserve whatever Camille did to force him on his team.”

 

Him? The fact she called the glaceon male made me pause. The display from earlier in the lobby flashing in my mind. I thought the glaceon was female?

 

I was curious as to why Camille would want a guy on his team when he seemed to only want female eevees. I shrugged. I have no right to judge Gemini, but I don’t trust Camille.

 

I almost felt sad for the glaceon. He seemed to bundle in on himself, not really wanting to be here, but forced by Camille for whatever reason the jolteon was here for. I knew it wasn’t the game. He had to have some ulterior motive. Did he know I’d be here? Is he here to try and get at Brooke?

 

I hope she knows he’s here. I couldn’t exactly run off to find the shiny eevee and disguised zorsune right now. If I did, Camille would no doubt notice. I needed to keep him here and away from the two of them. Amy’s voiced pulled me back to the game, “Let’s first get some introductions in order so everyone knows who’s who.”

 

She pointed to Elly, and we went down the line after that. After me there was Barbie the emolga. Alex the maractus. Ryan the sableye. Kirby the kecleon. Flora the ivysaur. Melody the amaura. And Bobbie the bidoof on the end. Amy then lifted up a large royal purple painted cardboard box in one arm as she explained the game, “Tonight we will be playing a social deduction game called ‘A Bump in the Night’. There will be two teams, one evil and the other good. The good team is made up of the villagers and the travelers.”

 

Amy used the influence of the move psychic to levitate a piece of paper like the one in front of us by her side. She pointed to the green villagers, “The villagers have powers and abilities to help the town try and locate the evil team. The travelers are also part of the town, but their abilities aren’t as helpful to the town. But they are still good guys.”

 

She pointed to the orange and red roles. “There will be one villain that will be one of these three roles. The minions are there to help the villain go unnoticed, spread misinformation, or to help kill off the town.”

 

She returned the paper. “The good team wins if they can find and kill the villain. Each day you will be allowed to nominate and vote up players for execution. There will be only one execution per day and the day ends immediately after an execution. A player can only make one nomination a day and a player can only be nominated once per day. I’ll go over the rules with voting when we get to them.”

 

She floated back to the center. “Each night some of you have abilities that you can use to try and gain any information or do stuff for the evil roles.”

 

Again her eyes flashed amongst all of us seated. “In the morning you can discuss what you found out openly, or you can go off to have secret conversations with only a few other players. We have four designated spots. The Weaving Dagger, the Wondrous Map, the S.S. Indominable model, and my desk.”

 

She pointed to each of the four in that order. Each was a corner of the octagonal library. She turned back around. “With twelve players we will have seven villagers, two travelers, two minions, and one villain. Any questions?”

 

There was a lot there, but I knew the basic gist of the game. It was a carbon copy of Trouble Brewing. I played it before a handful of times. The differently named roles were the only new thing. No one seemed to have any questions. Amy smiled and said, “Good. If you have any while we are playing, don’t hesitate to ask. But I will state this now, if it wasn’t already clear. No using of any powers or abilities of any kind.”

 

Some nodded at her statement. She returned it and ordered, “Everyone close your eyes and remain silent.”

 

I shut my eyes and straightened my back. I didn’t have to wait long before I felt a tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see a serious faced Amy. She held up a small wooden token before my eyes. On it was an orange pile of feces with flies hovering around it, the Pestilence. She put the chip back in her box, but she quickly pulled out another. A green chip with a bundle of flowers, the Herbalist. She put that away and mimed closing her eyes. I nodded and did as she ordered. As soon as I felt her float off, my shoulders sagged. Shit! I’m evil and I don’t even know my fucking team!

Chapter 19: A Bump in the Night

Summary:

The game of A Bump in the Night begins. Aster is desperate to figure out who his fellow evil players are and to not be outed too early. But some of the player's present might have other plans.

“And everyone wake up.”

 

I opened my eyes following Amy’s order, everyone else doing the same. Everyone was shifting their eyes amongst the group. Some, no doubt, trying to read the other’s faces for any information. Camille’s eyes boring a hole through me. I turned away as Amy spoke up, “You all awaken and arrive at the town square to find my dead body in the town square.”

 

Her eyes flashed to each of us at random. “There is a killer amongst you all. But who can it be? You will have five minutes to discuss before voting will begin.”

 

She floated back, her silence saying the floor was open for us to begin the day phase. I checked the list of roles in front of me again. With me being on the evil team, I needed to choose a good one to pretend to be. But I was also a role that wanted to die. I wanted to be found out and killed so I could use my ability. But I also didn’t know who my fellow minion or villain master were. Getting myself killed this early would be bad because I might accidently target one of them. I need to get rid of that damn Herbalist.

 

Aurora tapped me on the shoulder with a ribbon and asked, “Want to talk privately?”

 

Saying no would look suspicious. I nodded and we walked off. I grabbed the role form as I followed the sylveon towards a pedestal set between the bookshelves. As we left the bidoof asked the room, “Does anyone have any information?”

 

I tuned out the responses as some either discuss openly in the town center or went off for their own private conversations. I did see Camille and Gemini walk off for one of their own. We arrived at the pedestal holding a rock with a dagger stuck in it. It resembled a loose mimicry of the sword in the stone story from Galarian folklore. The bladed weapon was an odd looking one to say the least. Not just because of the strange dark blueish metal it was made of, but its tear drop like shape as well. It even had a faint purple glow.

 

Aurora stopped and faced me. She instantly asked, “What role are you?”

 

Just outright saying what I was or providing a lie was risky when I didn’t even know what she was. I gave the paper one last glance and quickly choose a role to pretend to be, the Golem. I avoided her question and said, “I’m not sure I want to say what I am just yet.”

 

“I know what you are,” she pressed.

 

Shit! I tried to hide the startled nature of her declaration. She had to be one of the investigative roles and got a hit on me being evil. Or she could be fishing and had no info at all. But I also could make her believe she was wrong. I could make her believe she was drunk or that she got poisoned. I took in a deep breath and rebutted, “Do you now?”

 

“Yep,” she answered with a smug smile. She asked again, “So, what are you?”

 

“Golem,” I answered.

 

She blinked owlishly at that, no doubt not expecting my answer. She repeated it back to me. I nodded. She then asked, “Who did you choose?”

 

I pointed a paw at her, “You.”

 

She gave me a judgmental glare, “That’s awfully convenient you would just choose me as Golem.”

 

“Are you evil then?” I pressed back.

 

“Nope,” she shook her head. She then pointed a paw at me, “But I know you aren’t the Golem.”

 

“I am,” I corrected her. I then asked, “What are you? Are you at least town?”

 

“Yes, I’m town.”

 

“Then we’re both good.”

 

“Sure we are,” she rolled her eyes and stepped away from the dagger and back towards the center. I went to follow, but a tap on my shoulder stopped me in my tracks.

 

Brooke and Hanna were both there, the eevee had a serious expression on her face while Hanna seemed concerned. The eevee asked, “I assume you saw Camille, right?”

 

“Yea,” I answered stepping closer to my team. I leaned in and said, “Him being here is a bit suspicious. I bet he saw me talking to Amy this morning and figured you would be here as well.”

 

“You think he’s going to try to pull something?”

 

“Possibly,” I responded with a shrug, “We can’t take that chance.”

 

“You want us to leave then?”

 

“It probably would be best.”

 

“Are you sure?” Hanna asked.

 

“Yes,” I nodded and pointed a paw at Brooke, “He no doubt planned on you being here. He’s planning something and it would be best to ruin it before he could do anything.”

 

“Okay,” Brooke agreed, but she didn’t seemed pleased with it. Running and hiding was not her style, she wanted to face the problem head on. But this was a battle we should not engage in. I didn’t trust Camille not to pull some dirty trick even if we had the numbers on him. Something was off about him being here, something in my gut telling me he had an ulterior motive. And Aurora’s words rang back in my head. He tried to pull the same shit on her as he did Brooke. A desire for female eevees to be on his team. But Gemini was male apparently. So why is he on Team VeeVee?

 

“We did take a look at the map.” Hanna’s words pulled me back to reality.

 

“And?” I held the word looking for the zorsune or eevee to add a bit more. I was still trying to figure Camille’s game plan. But I also knew I couldn’t forget our mission. Our objective. The map was more important than a horny jolteon.

 

“The case has some enchantments that will not let us open it,” Brooke explained.

 

“But,” Hanna cut in before I could respond, “I think I can phase through it to grab the map.”

 

“Can you?”

 

She waved her paw in a so-so pattern. She gave me a hesitant look and she answered, “I can get my paw in, but I wouldn’t be able to get the map out without tripping whatever spells are on it. I need to practice.”

 

I nodded, “Good, you two head back to the room. I’ll be here.”

 

We said our goodbyes and the two left the library, taking the long way around to avoid Camille spotting them leave. I came back to the center. Aurora was off by the desk talking with Elly and Bobbie. Camille and Gemini just returning from their sidebar. The jolteon giving me a smug smile as the two eeveelutions took their seats. Amy perked up and rang a small bell, drawing everyone’s attention. The gengar announced, “Discussion time is over, everyone return to your seats.”

 

Everyone did as she commanded. Once everyone was back Amy explained, “We will now do the voting phase of the game. I will open nominations in a moment. If someone wishes to nominate someone for execution, clearly state who you want to nominate. Both sides will have time to defend and accuse appropriately. After that we will vote to execute or not. You will need votes equal or greater than a majority of living players to put a person up for execution. A player can only nominate once per day and a player can only be nominated once per day. Multiple people can me nominated and voted for. Only those that have reach a majority, and with the most votes will be executed. If there is a tie, no one will be executed. Understand?”

 

She got a mix of yesses and nods. She held her arm out and slowly moved it to the side. “When I call for a vote you will raise a hand, limb, body part, whatever, to signify that you vote to execute. You do not have to hold it up at the beginning if you do not want, but it must be up before my arm passes you. Dead players get one, and only one, vote to use after they die.”

 

She got another round of affirmations. She smiled with a nod and said, “Nominations are now open.”

 

“I nominate Aster.” All eyes snapped to the glaceon that declared my name without a second of hesitation. He shrank away from the attention, but a glare from Camille forced him to right his posture. The fuck!

 

“Gemini nominates Aster,” Amy declared. She waved at the glaceon, “Gemini, the floor is yours.”

 

“My information points to Aster being evil.” He said in an almost rehearsed tone.

 

That’s it! I put my front paws on the table and pushed myself up. I asked, “What proof?”

 

“What’s your role?” Camille pressed with Gemini slinking back to hide in the shadows he seemed to prefer to be in.

 

“Don’t trust his claim,” Aurora cut in before I could even answer, “I checked him last night and he claimed a role he can’t be.”

 

“I am the Golem,” I declared glaring at the sylveon, “And I chose you, so I’m good then.”

 

She smirked and rebutted, “Well, I’m the Seer and I checked you last night.”

 

She pointed a pink paw at me and said, “You could be either the Nurse or the Potion Master. So your claim of Golem doesn’t match.”

 

“Unless you’re drunk or poisoned,” I countered. The fact her info didn’t contain Pestilence made me believe that. Is my ally the Potion Master?

 

“What was your info, Gemi?” the ivysaur asked.

 

“He’s the Guildmaster,” Camille answered for him, “He was told Ryan, Aster, and Elly.”

 

“That makes it a one and three,” I nearly shouted back, “You're going to execute me based on a one and three chance.”

 

“We have two pings on you,” Aurora said.

 

“Two very weak pings,” I countered.

 

“Time’s up,” Amy cut in, “voting will begin at Aurora. You need at least six votes to put Aster on the chopping block.”

 

Camille’s leg shot up the second it could. He elbowed Gemini in the side and the glaceon copied him. Are they both evil? Are they on my team? Arceus damn Herbalist!

 

Aurora’s paw went up before Amy started moving her arm. Elly’s did at the last second. The gengar quickly moved to the bidoof, passing the glaceon and jolteon. Melody, Flora, and Kirby didn’t budge. Ryan didn’t raise a hand either, but Alex did. Barbie did not. Amy lowered her arm and said, “That is only five votes, that is not enough to execute.”

 

“What the dis are you guys doing!” Camille raged. “We have proof that he’s evil. We should have voted him out.”

 

“Voting on day one with only one night of info isn’t a good thing to do,” Ryan advised.

 

“Plus why are you accusing him and not letting Gemini speak at all?” Flora asked the jolteon.

 

“I nominate Elly!” Camille said jabbing a paw at the kirlia, who seemed frightened by the sudden declaration.

 

“Camille nominates Elly,” Amy noted down before looking at the jolteon.

 

Camille smiled smugly as he said, “Based on Gemi’s info one of them has to be evil. We screwed up our shot on Aster, so let’s go down the line. Killing all three guarantees we get at least one bad guy out.”

 

“I told you we shouldn’t be doing this,” Ryan grumbled.

 

“I am not evil,” Elly calmly said, “There are pokemon that can back me up on this,” she straighten up as she fixed the jolteon with a hard look, “Plus killing three to get one bad guy is a horrible way to go about this when there are three bad guys in total.”

 

“Elly isn’t evil,” Aurora quickly jumped in.

 

“Time’s up,” Amy declared once the room got silent, “Voting will begin at Bobbie. You need at least six votes to put Elly on the chopping block.”

 

Camille and only Camille’s paw went up as the gengar completed her clock like movement. The jolteon cursed us out as he sat down with a huff. Amy spoke up, “One vote is not enough to execute. Any more nominations.”

 

I wanted to nominate Camille on the spot for his baseless accusations. He was too gung-ho about wanting to execute someone. I wasn’t sure if he was just playing aggressively, or he was evil and wanted to get some early kills in. Or he was just targeting us because he didn’t give two shits about the game. But no one made any more accusations. Amy nodded and ordered, “Everyone go to sleep.”

 

I shut my eyes and listened to the silence of the room. I heard the creaking of chairs and the shuffling of pokemon in seats. As I didn’t die, I didn’t expect to be tapped by the ghost during this night phase. But I was still curious about Camille. I wasn’t sure if he was playing the game or just going after me. He didn’t declare his role, but was quick to throw out Gemini’s. Was the glaceon’s info even correct?

 

I narrowly avoided being killed. I knew I wanted to be, it was the whole point of my role. But I wanted to make sure I knew who to target. I didn’t want to accidently screw over my team when I didn’t even know who was on it. If Gemini was town, then Camille had to be as well. Targeting the two of them if I die wouldn’t be so bad. I could get a bit of revenge screwing with them. I smiled at the thought.

 

“Everyone, wake up.”

 

We all opened our eyes and watched the gengar float about. She kept her face neutral, as neutral as an evil smile wearing ghost can, as she said, “You all wake up and make your way to the town center, where you find,” she rushed over to our table and pointed right at the sylveon, “the dead body of Aurora.”

 

“What?!” The sylveon shouted in a mixture of surprise and horror. She quickly snapped her head in my direction and gave me a death glare. I shuffled away from the irate pokemon, nearly falling off my chair. I half expected her to strangle me with all of her feelers.

 

“Discussion is open,” Amy said floating back to the center.

 

“It has to be Aster,” Camille quickly said.

 

“Like dis it is.”

 

“Seems too obvious of a kill,” the sableye said, “This was probably done to make him look guilty.”

 

“Sidebar,” Aurora quickly ordered looking at me and Elly. The building rage in her voice bubbling out as she barked out the single word. She didn’t wait for a response and rushed back to the dagger. I followed the sylveon with a bit of hesitance. The kirlia also giving me a judgmental look. What the fuck is going on?!

 

“You Arceus damn liar,” the sylveon accused pointing a paw and feeler in my direction once we arrived back at the dagger. “You killed me.”

 

“No.” I vehemently denied the accusation. “I didn’t do anything last night.”

 

“What did you get?” Aurora asked Elly.

 

Elly tapped her finger tips together as she answered, “I got a one.”

 

“Then you are evil,” Aurora declared with a smile, pointing a ribbon back at me.

 

“No, I’m not.”

 

“She’s the Empath,” Aurora declared waving a paw in the kirlia’s direction.

 

The emotion pokemon explained, “I got nothing night one when my neighbors were Bobbie and Aurora,” she placed a hand on the sylveon’s shoulder. She then pointed it at me, “Last night I got a one.”

 

“And with me being dead,” Aurora’s smile got even smugger, “You were her new neighbor, villain.”

 

“I’m not the villain,” I rebutted.

 

“Sure you aren’t,” the sylveon winked at me and the two fairy types left to go back to the center. I huffed and stomped angrily. What the fuck is happening? How did they catch me so soon!

 

I skulked back to the center, not moving towards my seat just yet. I stopped when my name was called out. I turned to the kecleon, sableye, and amaura waving me down and towards the desk. I sighed and made my way over to them. I asked, “What?”

 

“You’re town right?” Ryan asked.

 

“Traveler really,” I corrected him, but I nodded all the same.

 

“Right.” Kirby nodded back. “We might have a way to prove if you are innocent.”

 

“How?” I asked with a quirked brow. From the way things were going I was to be executed today. Aurora was dead set on getting me executed and Elly was following her. With Camille also piling on and Gemini doing whatever he said a third of the town was already against me. There was too much suspicion on me far too soon into this game. The writing was on the wall. I’d been basically placed on the chopping block without any info on my team. I would no doubt be choosing blind tonight after being executed.

 

“Nominate me,” Melody declared.

 

“What?”

 

“I’m the Escort,” the icy fossil pokemon declared. I pulled up the paper listing the roles and reread what the Escort did. They killed the player that first nominated them. But only if they were a villager. Which I wasn’t, and neither was my fake claim of Golem. But I’m not…

 

“That won’t work,” I said shaking my head.

 

“Why not?” Flora asked confused, “You are town right?”

 

“I’m a traveler,” I corrected, “The Escort only kills villagers.”

 

“Shit,” Kirby cursed with a stomp of his foot. The sableye groaned out cursing Arceus, Giratina, and a few other legendries. Kirby kicked the floor with a dejected look. “I thought we were on to something.”

 

“Thanks for the offer guys, but I don’t think I can get myself out of this,” I said turning to go back to my seat. A cold hand on my shoulder stopped me in my tracks. The sableye turned me around.

 

His gemstone eyes focused right on me as he asked, “You swear you’re the Golem?”

 

“Yes,” I answered with a nod.

 

“Then Alex has to be evil.”

 

“How?” I asked with a cock of my head.

 

“I’m the investigator,” Kirby declared. I quickly checked the role as he explained, “I was told that either you or Alex are the Pestilence. And that damn maractus wouldn’t tell me shit yesterday. He has to be the Pestilence.”

 

Thank you, Kirby! I smiled as I said, “It has to be him.”

 

“But we can’t kill him,” the sableye quickly objected.

 

“Why not?” Kirby gave him a confused look.

 

“The Pestilence screws us over if we kill them,” the ghost type said poking the role on his paper, “They’re better left alive so long as we know they are evil and they can’t use their ability to kill one of us.”

 

“So, we don’t nominate them?” Melody asked confused.

 

“Yes,” Ryan nodded. “Just don’t believe any shit he says and watch how he votes.”

 

We agreed and separated, just as Amy called us all back. Once we were seated the gengar said, “Nominations are now open.”

 

“I nominate Aster,” Elly declared. I rolled my eyes, but I wasn’t all that surprised.

 

“Elly nominates Aster.” Amy noted and gave the floor to the kirlia.

 

“We have multiple pokemon all saying that Aster is a bad guy,” she explained, “Aurora confirmed he was lying about his role. He is one of the pokemon Gemini was given. And lastly, I’m the Empath.”

 

A few checked their role charts as she continued, “On night one I got a zero and my neighbors were Aurora and Bobbie. Night two, Aurora died before I woke up so that made Aster my neighbor and I got a one. He has to be evil.”

 

She sat down with a smile, Aurora mirroring her. I sighed as I sat up and countered, “I said I was the Golem, and I still am the Golem. Aurora must have be drunk or poisoned when she checked me- “

 

“I got Nurse and Potion Master,” Aurora cut me off, “You are a lair.”

 

I shushed the sylveon and said, “As I said, drunk or poisoned. I chose Aurora. If she is dead, then I must be good.”

 

“But you are evil,” Elly pressed.

 

“Your information is wrong,” I countered, “I’m not.”

 

“There is more info pointing to you being bad than good,” Camille finally chimed in.

 

“Gemini’s info isn’t all that damning with me being a one and three chance,” I rebutted, “Aurora’s info is also suspect.”

 

“Then what about Elly’s,” Aurora pressed, “The Empath confirmed that both me and Bobbie are town, but she only got an evil ping when you were her neighbor. And Bobbie is still alive.”

 

She jabbed a paw at the bidoof who flinched at being drawn in. Amy cut the discussion. “Voting will begin at Aurora. You need at least six votes to put Aster on the chopping block.”

 

“Don’t use your ghost vote yet, Aurora,” Ryan quickly said.

 

The sylveon didn’t seem to like the order, but she lowered her paw with a frown. Elly’s shot up in a flash, as did Camille and Gemini’s. Amy started the process and Aurora’s paw went up anyway. She smiled and winked at me, Ryan just groaned and slammed his head on the table. “Town should not vote on this.”

 

Amy moved passed Elly, Bobbie’s paw going up too. Camille and Gemini kept theirs up. She passed Melody, Flora, Kirby, and Ryan who all didn’t raise their hands. But both Alex and Barbie did. I gulped.

 

“That’s seven,” Amy declared, “That puts Aster up for execution. Does anyone else want to nominate?”

 

No one spoke up and few shook their heads. They were dead set on killing me today. I shrugged and sat back, “Fine, kill your Arceus damn Golem, good job town.”

 

“You aren’t the Golem,” Elly accused.

 

Amy turned to me and said, “And with that, Aster is executed.”

 

She paused, “And the game continues, everyone go to sleep.”

 

I shut my eyes and waited a few seconds before smirking. I didn’t have to wait long for the tap on my shoulder as Amy woke me up. She waved a hand to the ‘sleeping’ pokemon around me. I hated the fact I had no clue who my teammates were. I could accidently kill my fellow minion. But I doubted Amy would just kill the villain if I chose them. Ending the game on an accidental use of my ability didn’t seem all that likely to occur. The gengar obviously wanted this game to go on for a while and ending so soon would be somewhat stupid.

 

Going after Ryan, Flora, or Kirby probably wouldn’t be good since they were somewhat on my side, and I could still use that to misdirect them away from wherever my teammates were. But finding the Herbalist would also be good. If I could get them, then it would really help my team. But the Herbalist would no doubt want to lay low and not openly say their true role or make themselves stick out much. Or maybe…

 

I leaned forward and pointed at Camille and Gemini. I knew it probably wasn’t the best move, the kirlia was the most dangerous being the Empath. But I also figured that the rest of my team would take care of Elly in some way. Camille had yet to actually claim a role and Gemini was a spent town. Changing him up might be advantageous. Plus I had the feeling that Camille was being a bit too outspoken. An evil player wouldn’t accuse so openly, it would paint a target on them too much if an evil player was so open to executing players. He had to be town. And maybe, just maybe, he was the Herbalist.

 

Amy floated over to the table and gave me a confused look, pointing to the two eeveelutions. I nodded. She returned the nod and put me back to sleep. It only took a few more minutes of silence before the gengar woke us up again. We all exchanged glimpses, no doubt everyone wondering who had been killed in the night. Amy lazily floated about in the center, keeping us all in suspense.

 

“You all wake up and make your way to the town center, where you find,” she rushed over to our table and pointed right at the kirlia, “the dead body of Elly.”

 

“Figures,” the kirlia grumbled resting her head in the palm of her head. Aurora shot a glare my way.

 

“And,” Amy floated over to the other side of the semi-circle, “The body of Bobbie.”

 

“What?!” Ryan shouted in shock.

 

“And,” the gengar continued, “The body of Gemini.”

 

“How?!” Aurora asked just as confused as Ryan. Everyone else seemed surprised at the large amount of deaths in one night. Gemini was mine for sure. The villain probably went after either Elly or Bobbie, probably Elly. But that still left hanging who killed Bobbie. I picked up my role board. Not knowing who was on my team and what roles they were was annoying. I could have sworn I had a Potion Master on my team, but maybe I didn’t. Maybe it was the Miasma. Was the other kill an Assassin?

 

That didn’t make sense, it was still too much of a gamble for the Assassin to kill with the Herbalist still being alive. They no doubt knew I was another evil person with the amount of blame shot my way. But that still left the villain unknown. At least to me. Did the other minion find the villain already?

 

Amy left us to begin our discussion. I felt the presence of someone staring me down from behind with the intention to set me ablaze. I turned and nearly jumped at the jolteon glaring at me. His eyes full with pure hatred. Which wasn’t saying much, but it felt more so with this look. As if it was possible for the electric type to be even angrier with me. He seethed out, “Sidebar.”

 

He turned and walked off, not saying anything else, but not leaving any room for me to ignore his clear order. I didn’t want to go with him. I didn’t want to be with him alone. He’s been targeting me all game, and that’s not to mention the animosity he had for me because of his almost stalker level of desire for Brooke. But I needed to play the game. I sighed and hopped off my chair and followed the jolteon off towards the display case with the map in it.

 

The second I stopped, the jolteon rushed forward and picked me up. I yelped as I was slammed against the bookshelf, the contents knocking about but none falling. One paw pressed close to my neck while the other on my chest. My legs feebly kicked at the air trying to dislodge the larger pokemon off of me. Electricity arced across my body as Camille growled right in my face. It didn’t hurt all that much, but it was not at all that comfortable. I tried to shy away from his sharp fangs, but I was stuck where I was. He sneered as he spoke through his clenched teeth, “You bastard.”

 

“Wha-what?” I choked out, finding it hard to talk with one of his paws pressing on my throat. I took in shallow breaths.

 

“You were on my team, and you fucked me, stupid minion.” What does he…

 

“You’re the villain?”

 

“Ding, ding, ding,” he sarcastically said, “We got ourselves an asshole.”

 

“Can it,” I said trying to pry his paws off me, but I couldn’t get myself free. The jolteon just pressed harder. I glared at him, “Let me go.”

 

“Like dis I am,” he said as another wave of electricity rolled through my body. I wanted to scream from the pain, but my muscles didn’t respond. My throat closed up and my limbs stiffened. Camille removed his paws, sending me to the ground, but I couldn’t pick myself up. He paced around me, just outside of my vision on the floor. He coldly said, “I’m going to make you regret not giving up your eevee girlfriend. I’m going to make you pay for making me waste my fucking time by coming to this stupid game shit and not bringing her here.”

 

I growled at him, the noise coming out weaker than I wanted it to. The jolteon barked out a laugh. His muzzle lowered to be level with my face. A smug smirk plastered on his mug. His voice was laced with pure unadulterated joy, “I’m going to make you forget that pretty little shiny eevee.”

 

He tapped the top of my head with a paw, sending more waves of electricity coursing through my body and trapping me again on the floor. This paralysis was nothing like I expected the status condition to be. Pokemon could usually power through the paralyzing waves of electricity affecting their body. But this felt far stronger, far more permanent. This didn’t feel like normal paralysis. I wanted the scream at him. I wanted to curse him out. I wanted to get the attention of the others. But I couldn’t do a thing. I was stuck here on the floor. I was trapped.

 

He slowly pulled me away from the bookshelf and towards the center of the walkway, pushing me onto my stomach. As he did he spoke, “I’m going to fry your stupid tiny cat brain till you won’t even remember how to piss right.”

 

He leaned in, his body looming over mine. His quill like fur bristling and stabbing at my back. His muzzle came down right by the side of my face. My ear flicked away as his hot breath tickled it. He smugly said in a soft tone, “Then I’m going to do the same to your little eevee and that zorua too. I’ll make them my little puppets just like I did with Metis and Gemi. I’ll make that eevee only remember my dick. She’ll love my knot so much she’ll become a sylveon. I’ll knot her day in and day out. And I’ll make you watch all of it.”

 

“My little slave.” A paw ran down the side of my face. I wanted to bite at it, but I couldn’t move. The limb was out of my reach in a flash. Camille pulled back, but his body remained over mine. A growing sense of dread filled my stomach. I wanted to scream so much. I wanted to run away. I wanted to flee. But my body refused to respond. I was stuck where I was. I was a prisoner in my own body. I couldn’t see anyone. I could hear a discussion in the other side of the library, but they were none the wiser to what Camille was doing. A paw brushed my backside. I shivered as electricity danced along under my tail. He isn’t!

 

I tried to move. I tried to run. But I couldn’t. Tears welling up in my eyes as I feared what he was going to do. What he said he was going to do. I wanted to beg him not to, but I couldn’t speak. I was powerless to stop him, and no one was around to help me. To save me. The jolteon let out a sigh, “I’m going to screw your brains till they are nothing but mush and you’ll be begging for my dick every second for the rest of your pathetic life.”

 

“Pe-please,” I was finally able to say. My voice weak. My body trembling as something warm covered my back. I screwed my eyes shut as the tears flowed. He’s going to rape me!

 

The jolteon just laughed as he pulled back. “I’m going to love breaking you in.”

 

“Too bad you won’t remember anyth-EEEEEEEEEEE!”

 

A flash of black and a whip of wind herald the ear splitting scream that rocked the library. Something grabbed me by the scruff and dragged me out from under the jolteon as he collapsed to the floor. His face screwed up in a picture perfect example of pure agony. His eyes shut and his jaw clenched tight. His back was raised off the ground and his face planted firmly in the wooden floor. One back leg was off the ground twitching. His bright red knotted dick was fully unsheathed. His yellow furred nuts were nowhere to be seen and the skin around where they should be already blue and bruised. Even his dick seemed to have an unnatural kink in it.

 

“Aster, you okay?”

 

The concerned voice next to me pulled me out of my mind. My body still hurt and refused to move all that much, but holding tightly onto me was Hanna. The white zorsune on the verge of tears. She blubbered out, “I heard what he said I saw what he was going to do I had to act I couldn’t let him do that.”

 

Her words came out in a garbled mess, but I didn’t care at all. She saved me. I struggled to move, but I pulled the zorsune towards me and wrapped her in the tightest hug I could manage. Tears flowed out as my heart still beat a mile a minute. I was so close to suffering a fate I never could have imagined. Something I never thought would have happened, not here or back home. I trembled as I cried, drenching her fur. She returned the embrace in kind as I felt a few tears come from her. I mustered the strength to let out a weak, “Thank you.”

 

“What’s going on here?”

 

Hanna pulled out of the hug and got between me and the crowd that had settled in around us. Everyone from the game was here beholding the aftermath of the scene that unfolded. Hanna puffed out her chest and said, “Camille was going to rape Aster.”

 

Hearing it stated aloud was like an icy dagger through my heart. My chest tightened and I let off a pained whimper. I curled in on myself. I wanted to run and hide. To never be found again. I didn’t want anyone to see me. But my body refused to move, and I didn’t want to leave the safety Hanna offered me.

 

The group was shocked at her declaration. The jolteon hissed from the ground, “That bitch punched me in the nuts for no Arceus damn reason. We were just talking about the game.”

 

“Then why is your dick out?” Hanna bit back with a growl.

 

Camille responded with a snarl and leapt forward. Amy snapped her fingers, and bright purple light encompassed the library for a split second. The jolteon moved through the air like he was in slow motion. The gengar floated over and slammed him right in the face with a shadow cloaked fist. He was sent flying backwards towards the bookshelf covered wall. He crumpled as a few books fell and landed on top of him. Amy turned back and asked, “What happened?”

 

I tried to move, but the paralysis kept me rooted in place. Hanna rubbed against my side, the warmth of her touch a welcoming sensation when I couldn’t really feel much of anything at the moment. I rolled my tongue in my mouth, it felt heavy, but I felt like I could speak. “He wahs upshet that Brooke wouldn’t join hish team. He shaid he wahs going to erase my mind and make her, me, and Hanna his puppets. Just like Metis and Gemi…”

 

The glaceon gasped. He shrunk back from everyone looking right at him, but he didn’t run. He didn’t move to attack. Elly rushed to him and grabbed his face in her hands. He struggled at first, but the kirlia softly whispered something to him and he froze. She leaned in, placing her forehead against his. Several seconds passed before she pulled back with a horrified gasp. She covered her mouth with a hand as she declared, “His mind has been tampered with, the entire thing has been written over.”

 

A collective gasp of shock rolled over the crowd. The glaceon lowered his head as a few tears began to fall. He sniffled, “Ca-can yo-you un do-do it pl-please?”

 

“No,” Elly said sadly with a shake of her head. The glaceon nearly broke down, but the kirlia quickly said, “But my mom can.”

 

She disappeared in a flash of white light. Amy quickly gave out orders, sending pokemon out to fetch Dawn and other pokemon. It was a whirlwind of activity with the gengar at the center. Flora blasted the jolteon with a spray of sleep powder to knock him out for good. Her and the amaura stood by, guarding his sleeping form. Aurora picked me up in her ribbons and escorted both me and Hanna to the infirmary.

 

A cheri berry provided by a chansey, by the name of Jessie, cured me of my paralysis. But I was forced to remain in the hospital bed. Aurora looming over me like a mother protecting her kits. Hanna was by my side, still without her illusion. Brooke rushed in with tears matting her fur sometime later. She clung onto me like I would disappear if she ever let go. She babbled out apologies about not being there for me and statements that she’ll never let me out of her sight ever again. That it was stupid of her to just send Hanna alone to keep watch. That she should have been there to tear the jolteon’s dick off and shove it up his own ass. I smiled and hugged her just as tightly. Hanna joined in as well. The two foxes covering me from both sides to protect me from anything.

 

I could still feel the electricity faintly coursing through my body, even if the cheri berry chased most of it away. It was still there, a phantom pain of my muscles failing me. Of being a prisoner in my own body. Of being helpless and powerless to stop anything from happening. The icy threatening words of the jolteon ran on repeat in my head. What he said he would do to Brooke, Hanna, and me. What he had done to others. Then there was the heat. The weight. What he almost did. I felt tears welling up again. I was almost raped.

 

The two foxes held on to me tighter, their limbs entangling with mine and wrapping me in the warmest blanket possible. The warmth chased away the cold words of the jolteon. His threats fading to nothing. The electricity vanished. This warmth was far more comforting than anything else in this world or my own. I felt safe. I felt like Camille, or anyone, would never harm me when I was like this. When I was with Brooke and Hanna nothing could ever hurt me. Ever.

Chapter 20: Mind over Matter

Summary:

The fallout of what happened last night with Camille settles in. Aster tries to figure out how he will let it affect him and what him, Brooke, and Hanna will do next.

I was back on the sandy beach with the looming red cliffs above me. The golden sun hovering just above the horizon, turning the ocean golden once again. The krabby were out making sparkling bubbles too. Bird pokemon flew in the air above giving off various caws and calls. Gentle waves rolled in and crashed against the beach in bubbly white foam. There was still the path off to the right and the cave to the left. But there was no sign of any other pokemon. No Nyx, zubat, or koffing. The only new thing was a building on the far off coast to the right. I vaguely recalled it was a mass of dark green trees last time I was here. But now there was a large grey stone structure standing on the water’s edge. Like a fortress had been built in a single day. What is this dream?

 

I knew this was a dream. The first time I was confused as to how I ended up here, but the fact I woke up after it more or less where I was before I fainted proved that fact. And this time I knew for a fact I was in the infirmary in the Guild before ending up here. And I knew that Brooke and Hanna would never let me out of their sight. Not after…

 

My face burned hot, and my body shook as the events from last night played through my mind. The pulsing pain of my muscles failing me. The inability to speak, unable to call out for help. Not being able to fight back. The pricks of pin like fur and the heated pressure on my back.

 

I jumped with a scream and turned to see nothing there. I felt cold. I pulled myself in a tight little ball. I wanted Brooke and Hanna at my side. I wanted them with me. I felt alone. I was scared not having them by me. Anyone could come by and take advantage of me. I was a weak excuse of a pokemon. I couldn’t protect myself. I never could.

 

“Aster?”

 

I sprang from my ball with a scream. Energy forcing its way out of my body as I prepared a scratch. I pulled my paw back to strike at whoever was there, but my limb froze in place. Standing before me was a shinx. Worry and fear etched on their face. I could tell it was Nyx. His eyes wide and fur standing on edge with a faint hint of electricity coursing over his body. His tail was raised high and stock still. A hesitant singular paw lifted off the sand, like he was frozen mid step. His nose twitching and his large ears flicking around from the faint sounds filling the area.

 

My paw hit the sand with a dull thump, the energy I had pulled fading to nothing. I sat down as I found the ground more interesting. I ran lines through the sand in front of me. Nyx stepped forward cautiously and asked, “Are you okay?”

 

I couldn’t answer, my throat closing up tightly. My body not wishing for me to say anything. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. I screwed them tightly shut and vigorously shook my head in the negative. Nyx took a step forward and sat down right across from me, his shadow casting over my form. He asked, “Want to talk about it?”

 

I shook my head, my paw coming to a stop in the divot I had dug.

 

“You know we’re dreaming, right?”

 

I hesitantly gave the feline a glance. His face was covered in concern with a faint hint of a pang of sympathy. I grit my teeth at that. I didn’t want to be treated like I was a baby. I didn’t want others to think I was a weakling. Like I needed to be protected. I could protect myself. But I can’t…

 

I sighed and turned my gaze back to the sand. I gave him a nod in response. He then asked, “You are real, right?”

 

“Are you?” I asked back with bitterness lacing my words. I glared at the shinx. How dare he ask that?

 

I was real. How dare he, a figment of my imagination, accuse me of not being real. After what I just went through. I wished that Camille wasn’t real. I wished that damn jolteon would up and disappear from existence. I glared daggers at the shinx sitting across from me. The imaginary flash pokemon that I saved from two poison types last time we were on this beach. I stood up to those fakes yesterday, but I couldn’t even stop one jolteon. I’m so weak.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

“What?” I bolted upright at the cub’s declaration.

 

“I said, it’s okay.” There wasn’t concern or hatred. No judgmental tone to his words. There was only a soft understanding. A comforting voice. I shivered as I couldn’t stop the tears from coming out. I collapsed to the sand and wailed. I bawled out as the pain gripped at my body like a vise. Electricity coursed through my body. I twitched as my muscles tightened and failed me.

 

My body tensed up and my tears hitched as a body pressed to my side. I tried to jump away from the contact, not wishing to be touched by anyone. But my body didn’t listen to the commands I was sending to it. I was frozen in place as soft fur rubbed against my side. Nyx was rubbing up against me. He let off a soft purr as he whispered, “You’re not alone.”

 

“Wha?” I uttered out pulling away from the soft contact. Nyx didn’t let me rest as he pressed forward and embraced me in a tight hug.

 

He softly pet my back as he said, “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself for what others have done to you. You are strong. You’ll get through this.”

 

I tried to speak, but his words had quelled my body. The spark of electricity had faded. I didn’t feel like weeping anymore. My throat hurt from crying, but the pain was dulled. I leaned against his side and found myself purring along with him. He seemed to know what I wanted to say and answered my unasked question, “You’re not the only one.”

 

I gave him a confused look at his words. Not the only…

 

“You- “

 

“No,” he shook his head with a sad tone in his voice. He turned away and now played with the sand. A deep frown scarred his muzzle as he said, “But you aren’t the only one who has suffered a similar experience.”

 

I asked, “You are real, right?”

 

He nodded. His gaze fixed on the ocean before us. “I wasn’t sure at first. I just thought you were part of the dream I was having after those two attacked me the other day. I must have fallen asleep from shock or crying myself till I collapsed. But after I woke up,” he turned to me with a smile on his face, “I could tell that you were real. I just felt it in here.”

 

He placed a paw over his chest, where his heart was. He nuzzled close to my side. “I knew for some reason we shared a dream yesterday. I wasn’t sure why, or how, but I know now. We need each other. To help each other.”

 

I smiled at his words. The fears that were holding me in place vanished. I trusted his words. I felt the same desire he had. We were both not alone in this and we wouldn’t be alone. I felt like I wanted him to join me. To never be apart from each other, the same way I felt with Brooke and Hanna. I asked, “Where are you?”

 

The world blinked out of existence before Nyx could open his mouth. I saw the same visage of the yellow crescent moon shrouded in blue and purple. Only the face of it was marred and burned black. It soon faded and I felt reality return to me.

 

 

~~~

 

 

I woke up with a start. I took in deep breaths as I blinked my eyes, chasing away the haze that had consumed my vision. I was no longer on the beach, but back in the bed in the infirmary. Still with Hanna and Brooke holding tightly on to me. The comforting smells of Brooke’s sugariness and the subtle tone of mint, I assume was Hanna’s scent, lulling me to a calm. There was no sign of the beach or Nyx. But his words still rang out in my head. His gentle touch. The feeling he gave me. I needed to meet this shinx. The fact I now knew that he was real. That he was out there in Kino somewhere. That he went through something like I did. And I just had this feeling that he didn’t have someone like Hanna to come and save him. He didn’t have a Brooke to defend him from anything. I needed to see him. I needed to find him. A drive in my core to go to the ends of the world to meet the pokemon that comforted me when I needed it. But he wasn’t the only one.

 

I smiled and nuzzled closer to the two warm bodies at my sides. Aurora was nowhere to be seen, I wasn't sure when she left after bringing me here. Jessie was off in the corner working at a small desk. But we weren’t alone. The infirmary had seven beds in total in the white sterile antiseptic smelling room. Last I recalled all of them were empty besides ours. But two new occupants now called the beds closest to the chansey theirs. A vaporeon and glaceon in their own bed. Both of them were asleep. Their faces screwed up in slight pain. A gardevoir with teal hair gracefully moved away from the vaporeon they had a hand placed upon the head of. They froze as their eyes snapped to me. I bristled as she locked eyes with me. She gave a gentle smile. Morning.

 

The voice that echoed through my head was like a soft warm blanket that dispelled any fear or cold. She floated over as she asked. Do you mind if I take a look?

 

She held out a hand, but stopped at the edge of the bed. I shrunk back from her and under the protection of the two sleeping foxes. She pulled her hand back, but was not discouraged in the slightest. She clasped her hands in front of her dress, her small smile never faltering. You do not have to worry, I just want to make sure that jolteon didn’t damage anything.

 

I hesitated a few seconds before extracting myself from my furry bunker and inching towards the end of the bed. I sat down and asked in a hushed voice, “Are they going to be okay?”

 

I pointed a paw at the sleeping forms of Metis and Gemini. The gardevoir’s smile faltered, becoming a tight thin line. She sighed heavily, “The damage done is excessive. Constant electric pulses used to rewire the brain is not so easily undone. The mind is a delicate thing, one you need a gentle hand if you want to interact with it. What that jolteon did was like waving a sledgehammer in a glass store.”

 

The venom dripping off her words was palpable I felt it could even poison a poison type. I frowned. “They don’t deserve this.”

 

“No mon does,” the gardevoir said. She turned back to me and held out her hand, “The name’s Elizabeth.”

 

“Aster,” I took the offered hand.

 

“I would really like to check your mind just in case,” she pressed, “I know he didn’t get much time to do whatever he wanted to do, but I can’t in good consciousness not check you as well.”

 

"Didn't you do that already?" I wasn't sure if that was the case of not, but she seemed to have been doing it for Camille's other victims. Why wouldn't she have done it already?

 

"I only took a cursory glance at your mind," the shiny answered, "It is against the law to delve as deep inside a pokemon's mind, as I would need to in your case, without their permission."

 

Makes sense. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted her digging around in my head. I narrowly avoided Camille messing with my mind. I already had Lily poke around in it and place the block. And I didn’t want another psychic type or anyone in there. Especially not with that block still up. I wasn’t sure how she might react if she found it. What would she think?

 

But I also wanted the peace of mind. I wanted to make sure he didn’t do anything to me. That I was still me. I gave her a small nod. She gave me a wide smile as she lifted her hand up, “Just relax, you’re safe.”

 

The only way I would feel safe was with Brooke and Hanna right by my side. They were in the bed with me, but they were asleep. They couldn’t protect me if she wanted to do anything. But I trusted her, she was looking out for me. But I also felt like she was stepping on eggshells. Treating me like a delicate piece of porcelain that could break if you breathed on it wrong. That made my blood boil. I am not weak!

 

She placed her hand on my head and a calming wave rolled across my body. I closed my eyes as she did whatever she was doing. We stayed like this for a decent amount of time. Long enough that I almost fell back to sleep, but she pulled her hand back the second before I could try. She stepped back and the smile didn’t fall from her face. It didn’t seem as big, and her eyes were a bit sad. She softly said, “I cannot detect anything out of place, everything seems fine. But there is a small bit of damage done.”

 

My breath hitched at her words, my heart pumped just a little bit faster. She quickly added, “But it seems superficial. The jolteon didn’t have much time to do anything to your mind. It seems to be only the inklings of what he was planning. Your mind is safe and unaltered. It will heal the damage done in time and there will be no mark of him left.”

 

Says you. I bit my tongue. I could never forget him so long as I lived. I did not want to forget him. She gave me a wider smile as she made her way back over towards the glaceon. She placed a hand on the fresh snow pokemon’s forehead. Gemini’s quivering stopped and his body relaxed. My heart settled as her words sank in. A wave of calmness came over me at the clean bill of health and the fact the block hadn’t been found. Either she didn’t find it, or she ignored it. Either way I was happy it wasn’t brought up. Camille hadn’t done anything to me. There was no damage. I’m still me.

 

“Aster?”

 

I turned to Brooke’s soft voice tickling my ears. In a flash the silver eevee was clinging onto me and crying. I returned the hug and nuzzled her. She babbled out, “I was so afraid. I thought I lost you.”

 

She pulled back and said, “I should have never left you there with that damn jolteon. I’m never letting you go anywhere by yourself again.”

 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said embracing her again. I still didn’t want to be coddled by anyone. I wanted to prove that I could stand up for myself. But I also knew I couldn’t do it alone. I never wanted to be alone again. And if I had to put up with Brooke protecting me, then I was happy with that. She would always be there for me.

 

“Neither will I,” Hanna declared as she joined in hugging both of us. I shifted to properly hug her back.

 

A throat clearing behind us snapped me from my fuzzy warm cocoon. Brooke rushed in front of me in a flash and got between me and the new pokemon. Dawn was standing at the foot of our bed. A frown across her muzzle. She softly apologized, “Sorry for interrupting.”

 

Brooke sat down, but remained on guard. The nineyule didn’t seem to mind the aggression. She gave me a sad look as she said, “I know it may not count for much, but you have my upmost sympathy, and I apologize for the transgressions made against you by a member of my Guild. I take full responsibly for Camille’s actions.”

 

“You better,” Brooke barked angrily at our Guildmaster. She pointed a paw at the nineyule, “How can you let a pokemon like that into the Guild? How can someone like that even get away with not just harming Aster, but them as well?”

 

She waved a paw at the sleeping forms of Metis and Gemini. Dawn’s expression didn’t falter. She squared her back and said, “The vetting process for Camille and his team was done just like everyone else. Nothing came up in it. It is an oversight upon me and this chapter of the Guild, and I will do everything in my power to right these wrongs.”

 

“How?” Brooke pressed.

 

“Firstly,” she didn’t back down from the rising tension in the room, but it did feel like it got just a tiny bit colder in here. “Camille has been handed over to the proper authorities and will face justice for his crimes.”

 

“They better chop off his dick,” Brooke grumbled.

 

Dawn didn’t show any reaction to her statement, her face remaining neutral. “He will no doubt spend the rest of his days behind bars locked within the Black Tower.”

 

“That’s too good for him,” Brooke huffed.

 

“It is out of my paws,” Dawn said, “We are not the law here. The guard will handle him as they see fit.”

 

“Are we to trust the guard?” I pressed.

 

Dawn’s face softened as she said, “I know you do not have the best record with the guard, but your identity has been kept from them. They only know of his transgressions done, the amount of pokemon known to be his victims, but not as to who they are. The guard has promised me that he will be found guilty of these crimes and any others they may uncover. He will never see the light of day again.”

 

“Still seems like it isn't enough,” I said in complete agreement with my eevee.

 

“Be that as it may,” a gruff voice sounded off. Pip made his way in and stood next to the wintery ninetales. He gave us all a glance, crossing his flippers. He continued, “What’s done is done. We cannot undo the actions of the past, but only work towards mediating their effect and preventing them in the future.”

 

“Still doesn’t do shit for them,” I pointed to the comatose eeveeultions.

 

“They will receive the best care to undo the damage done,” Dawn said, “I will make sure any pokemon under my protection is cared for in full. I will make sure the sins of that jolteon are undone completely.”

 

“It will take time,” Elizabeth advised as she crossed back towards the vaporeon.

 

“I do not care how long,” Dawn gave the gardevoir a fleeting glance and a small frown, “So long as it is done.”

 

“It will,” the shiny said placing a hand on the vaporeon. She had a similar reaction to the touch as the glaceon, a wave of calm passing over her form.

 

“So you’re just here to apologize?” Brooke said in a judgmental tone.

 

“I also wish to see how you were doing,” Dawn corrected, “I cannot imagine the pain you have been through, all of you. But I will set myself to the task of making things right. You came here looking for sanctuary and I already failed in that regard.”

 

Brooke’s anger seem to finally temper at the open admission of the nineyule’s failure. She stepped back and pressed against my side. She asked, “How can you be sure it won’t happen again?”

 

“We are increasing our background check system,” Pip answered, “We will be doing a thorough investigation and putting measures into place to ensure there are no other troublemakers in our organization.”

 

“The head offices have already expressed their dissatisfaction in our fault,” Dawn added.

 

Their statements had the same vibe as a bland response from a company caught in a sexual scandal. A case of sexual harassment or something similar was brought to the public eye and they issued a blanket generic apology and said it would never happen again. That they would put measures in place, maybe some training for their staff and legal action against those responsible. This had the exact same feel as that. A noncommittal pledge to prevent it when they really only were trying to save face with the public. It made my stomach churn with fury.

 

I wanted to believe their words. But they just felt hollow to me. The damage had already been done. It had been going on for who knows how long, and they didn’t know. I got off relatively unscathed. My eyes flashing to the sleeping forms of the other members of Team VeeVee. They suffered far more than me. And I didn’t even know how long they were at Camille’s mercy. How long he toyed with their minds. Made then do what they didn’t want to do. Forced them to do as he pleased. Did they even want to be in the Guild? Did they ever have a choice?

 

“You three can take as long as you wish to take another job,” Dawn’s words pierced my bubble of thought. She turned and made for the exit. She gave us one fleeting glance before adding, “I am happy to see that you are okay, but do not hesitate to come to me with anything that troubles you.”

 

Pip silently followed her out. Brooke screamed as soon as the door shut, “Sorry my ass!”

 

“I’m sorry for that jolteon nearly raping you,” she uttered in a mocking tone, “I didn’t know he was messing with the minds of other pokemon. What’s done is done. Please except my apology why I try to save face.”

 

She screamed at the door, “Your Guild sucks!”

 

She turned to me and Hanna and said, “We should have never come here.”

 

“They did apologize,” Hanna offered meekly.

 

“It was an empty statement to appear apologetic,” Brooke bit back with a huff as she sat back down.

 

“The empoleon was here all night watching over you three while I worked on Gemini and Metis,” Elizabeth said floating over towards us.

 

“Still doesn’t change the fact,” Brooke turned away from the other shiny.

 

“Dawn was the one that alerted the incident to the main chapter in Archforn,” Elizabeth continued, “Her and Pip even offered to step down as heads of this chapter.”

 

“What?” I asked finally finding my voice.

 

The gardevoir nodded, “They felt it was only right to give a pokemon better suited for the job, one that wouldn’t let such actions occur, take over this chapter.”

 

Dawn and Pip’s words felt different with that bit of information. It’s one thing to remove the pokemon that committed the crime, but to also willingly give yourself up. That felt different. Her words hit different. They didn’t seem so hollow and forced anymore. They felt far more genuine. Brooke rolled her eyes and said, “She’s still here.”

 

“I just thought you ought to know,” Elizabeth said before returning to her patients.

 

“What are we going to do?” Hanna asked creeping closer. Worry was etched across her face.

 

I honestly didn’t have an answer to her question. I still wasn’t so sure myself. We still needed their protection, but I didn’t feel all that safe here anymore. We could just leave and make our way towards the shards of the Star. We didn’t have to come back here. We could just grab the map and go our separate ways with the Guild. I only came here to find the map to get us started on this quest. Brooke tagging along because she’s my partner. We did find the map, but we just hadn’t gotten it yet. But Hanna wanted to be here. She wanted to be part of the Guild. It didn’t feel right to kill her dream because I wanted to go. She wanted to come along on this quest. She was a part of this. She was my friend. But Elizabeth’s words made me reconsider just leaving. Dawn and Pip had rectified the situation as best as they could. They did what was within their power and were trying to make amends. Their words weren’t hollow practiced phrases. They weren’t some copy-pasted apology that everyone used. These pokemon were better than humans.

 

I sighed and hung my head, “We can’t just leave.”

 

“You can’t honestly believe the shit they said,” Brooke asked back in alarm.

 

“I do,” I straightened my back and gave the eevee a hard look. “They’re different Brooke. This world is different. Pokemon mean what they say. I trust them. We have to trust them.”

 

“But- “

 

“But nothing,” I cut her off, “What’s done is done, we can only look forward. We just have to forget about it.”

 

It hurt me to say that, but it was the truth. I didn’t want to dwell on what had happened. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want it to define me. The weak hapless sprigatito from last night was not me. I wouldn’t let others do that to me again. I wouldn’t let it happen to others. I was going to be stronger. For Brooke and for myself. I had to be.

 

“How can you just ignore what happened?”

 

“Because I have to Brooke,” I answered, a quiver coursing through my body. I felt the tears well up, “Because I have to Brooke. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to remember it. I don’t want to feel weak again.”

 

“You aren’t weak.”

 

It was Hanna that said that as she wrapped me in a hug from behind. My body sagged as I leaned towards the contact. I murmured, “But all I feel is weak. I’ve felt weak every second I’ve been a pokemon. I got beaten in one hit by a larvesta. Any bit of fire does me in an instant. I’m the only one on our team that’s actually fainted from a battle. I have next to know experience fighting, Hanna has more experience than me.”

 

“Aster,” Hanna turned me around till I was looking right at her. She kept a paw on my cheek to force me to look when I tried to shy away. She gave me a small smile and said, “You are the strongest pokemon I know.”

 

“But – “

 

She shushed me with a paw placed gingerly over my mouth. She said, “Fighting doesn’t make you strong. You stood up to the guards even when you knew you couldn’t win. You came back for me when those strange pokemon attacked us. You could have just run off and saved yourself, but you got me out of there. You know how to fight. You know what move is best used in a situation. You are smart. You are strong.”

 

I wanted to fight her, wanted to say she was wrong, but I couldn’t. I shut my eyes and grabbed the zorsune in a tight hug. I said, “Thanks, Hanna.”

 

She returned the hug, her warmth encapsulating me. Brooke shuffled closer and softly added, “And you won’t be alone, Aster. You’ll have both of us to back you up.”

 

I gave the eevee my thanks as I separated from the ghostly fox. I sat down and quickly said, “But I don’t want to be coddled. I don’t want to be protected. I’m not some baby that needs protection because of this.”

 

“We won’t treat you any differently,” Hanna said placing a paw on my back.

 

Brooke slid up and nuzzled my side, “I’ll still keep you safe, but not because you can’t do it yourself.”

 

“Thanks, girls.”

 

“So, what are we going to do then?” Brooke asked pulling out of the shared embrace.

 

“We’re going to still be part of the Guild,” I declared first, “It’s still better for us to stay here till we actually can get the map.”

 

“Still need to work on that,” Hanna said looking at her paw. It faded from existence for a second before reforming.

 

“Which is why we will stay here till we can get it without trouble,” I said with a resolute nod of my head.

 

“Ok,” Brooke agreed, “But what about the Guild? Are we really going to still be a part of this whole thing?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded, “It’s for the best if we stay here. We have their protection and their support.”

 

Brooke grumbled, but didn’t counter. I knew she didn’t want to, but it was for the best. We were better off staying here as long as we needed to. We were not ready to go off on this adventure, at least I wasn’t. But I also knew we needed to train more. If Camille proved anything, it was that we were too weak to accomplish this quest in our current state.

 

But I didn’t want to stay here in the Guild forever. The shadow of the jolteon now looming over me every second I was here. The unconscious vaporeon and glaceon also not helping. I knew they weren’t responsible for anything, but they were still a reminder. And I felt like having a distraction.

 

“Why don’t we go find a job to do?” I offered looking to the two.

 

“What?”

 

“Really?” Brooke gave me a concerned look. “Why would you want to go off doing anything after what happened. We should just rest like Dawn said.”

 

I scuffed the bedding as I said, “I don’t really want to stay at the Guild right now. I don’t want to be here. I want to get my mind off what happened, and I feel like doing a job is the best distraction.”

 

Brooke relented with a puff of hot air. “Okay, fine.”

 

“What kinda job?” Hanna asked.

 

I know we planned on doing a mystery dungeon job today. I wasn’t so certain if I wanted to now, but I also didn’t want to go back on my promise. But that also felt like the best thing to keep us away from the Guild for a decent amount of time. I offered, “Let’s do a mystery dungeon like we said.”

 

Brooke seemed hesitant and Hanna seemed jovial. The eevee gave me a pained look. The zorsune’s tail wagged ever so slightly. But there were no arguments to the plan, and we made our way out of the infirmary. The chansey stopped us in our tracks, first giving me a once over to make sure I was ready. After her, Elizabeth did one last check as well. With a clean bill of health we made our way towards the lobby and the job boards. Hanna reapplying her illusion a second before stepping out of the infirmary with a small squeak.

 

The lobby wasn’t all that full. It was no doubt past the morning report, and everyone was either off to work or doing something else. The bar was staffed by spinda wearing a red wine colored vest. The spinda had spots on the tips of its ears and over its spiral eyes. A yellow, blue, and red ancient looking bird and a roselia were currently conversing over pale green drinks. An absol was sitting by the fire talking with a riolu. A stunky and trubbish were at the main desk talking with Marty. Mason and his cinccino partner were at the boards, looking over the outlaw missions. The cinccino gave us a short glance, but didn’t say a thing. Mason turned our way and greeted us. Brooke ignored the zorua and focused on the mission board. Hanna took a hesitant step back and put me between her and the shiny zorua. He didn’t seem all that put off by the cold shoulder. His smile vanished as he leaned closer and whispered, “I heard what happened. Are you okay?”

 

A low growl reverberated out of my throat. I grit my teeth as I tried to stem the bit of rage growing in me. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

 

The zorua’s ears plaster back and he stepped closer to his partner. He covered his muzzle with a paw as he let off a cough, “Yeah, uh…”

 

He turned his focus to the board as he said, “Just, um…”

 

He let off a heavy sigh, “Sorry, I’ll give you some space.”

 

He moved away with his tail between his legs. The cinccino gave me a measured look, but his focus snapped back to the board as he pulled off a paper and silently showed it to the black fox. I know he was just being considerate, but I also could feel he was going to try and baby me. I didn’t want to talk about it. I couldn’t help myself and reacted the way I did. I wanted to apologize, but the two were gone in a flash and out the door. I sighed as my body sagged.

 

“Give them time,” Brooke said nuzzling up to my side. I leaned towards her as she added, “They mean well, they’re just concerned.”

 

“I know,” I said sitting down. My ears falling to the side of my head. “I just don’t like being looked at with sympathy. Like I’m damaged.”

 

“You are,” Brooke said bumping my side. I stepped away from her feeling wounded. She quickly corrected, “You’re going to look like that to everyone. They all know what happened, it’s just the natural reaction to someone like you.”

 

“Thanks,” I gave her a deadpan response and glare.

 

“They just care about you, Aster,” Hanna added.

 

“I wish they would care less.”

 

“Let’s just get you out of here and your mind off it,” Brooke said reaching up and plucking a paper off the wall. She flattened it out and showed us the iron rank mission. “How ‘bout this one?”

 

 

Request: Item Stolen

 

Requester: Amber (Tepig)

 

Type: Retrieval

 

 

Description: A gible and dewott stole my golden soothe bell the other day. I tried to chase them down, but they escaped into the Salty Cove mystery dungeon. But when they were kicked from the dungeon fainted they didn’t have it anymore. It has to be still in there, but I can’t go in myself. Can you please go in and find it. I’m not sure which floor it is on.

 

 

Location: Salty Cove

 

Payment: 120 krowne, 1 oran berry, 1 iron, and 1 ginseng

 

 

I saw no reason to reject it. I really didn’t care about the job all that much. I just needed the distraction. I needed something, anything, to get my mind off what happened. I needed to get away from the Guild. Any job was good enough for me. The two foxes had no objections, and we agreed to take it. A quick scan with Brooke’s badge and we made our way out of the guildhall. We stopped off at the Exchange and deposited all but 150 krownes. We planned on getting some supplies in town to prepare ourselves for our first official mission in a mystery dungeon. We stored the joy seeds and chestnuts, seeing no need to hold on to either of them, but kept everything else on us.

 

Helpful directions from the nidoqueen at the storage place brought us to a store guildmembers frequented, Spelunkies. A store that specialized in items anyone looking to explore mystery dungeons went to. They mostly sold various types of berries. The large brown squirrel pokemon greeted us as the bell on the door jingled. We didn’t stay there long and left with our purchase. We took an additional two oran berries, an extra pecha, two rawst, a chesto and a babiri berry just in case, and a trio of cheri berries that I kept close to my side. All of which cut our funds in half, but the supplies were worth it.

 

Our second stop before heading towards the dungeon was to pick up something to eat. We had skipped breakfast, but Hanna warned us that we would be in for trouble if we entered a dungeon hungry. Again noting some strange magic in the pocket dimensions that made you tire out and get hungrier faster than normal. We stopped by a place selling produce. Normal fruit, none of the special berries and such pokemon would have. We picked out half a dozen red apples. We each had one and kept the other three for later. With our shopping done, we pulled out the map and followed it south out of Eldergrove and along the golden sandy coast towards our destination. The Salty Cove mystery dungeon.

Chapter 21: Life's A Beach

Summary:

Team Star arrives at Salty Cove mystery dungeon and begin searching for the lost soothe bell.

The soothing smell of sea salt and the sound of crashing waves filled the air as we marched down the soft sandy beach south of Eldergrove. The road down this way was back along the stoney cliff above us with several farms alongside it. The map had directed us off the road and onto the beach, the entrance to the dungeon was close. My focus remained on the ocean before us. The waters covered in white foamy waves as they crested and crashed against the beach. The boats out in the water weren’t as numerous this far away from the harbor at the heart of Eldergrove. There were still a few still about. The water wasn’t as perfect or reflective from my dream. A pang in my gut wishing for the presence of the shinx. I wasn’t able to learn wherever he was. But he had to be out there. I knew I would find him eventually.

 

The beach wasn’t as desolate as I expected it to be. There wasn’t a swarm of krabby to make bubbles, but there were a few pokemon about enjoying the beach and surf. A coldness in the air told me that summer was on its way out and autumn was fast approaching. It felt weird since it was the middle of autumn back home before I came here. The seasons not perfectly lining up was a bit strange, but I figured it was just another difference between here and home.

 

I turned my focus to the pokemon sharing the beach with us. A pair of slowpoke with yellow heads rested on a black boulder with their tails entwinned. A purugly sat on a towel watching over a glameow and a purrloin building a sandcastle. A red furred growlithe with a floofier grey mane and tail rested alongside a rockruff. A corsola happily performed a solo swim routine in the shallow waters. A pompous looking white and blue duck with a massive head of hair laid down on a towel with a pair of black sunglasses over their eyes. A pale green and black lizard pokemon that resembled a motorcycle greedily soaked up the sun next to them. A diglett and a long white noodle diglett like pokemon played around in the rolling surf. A flock of wingull flew by overhead heading out to sea. A large spout of water out in the middle of the water herald the breach of a massive wailord.

 

A buizel and brionne swam through the water together. A green cat that looked like a bigger version of me tailed behind the adept water types. I was half tempted to call out the pokemon to maybe get some insight on their evolution. Whether they truly were the next stage in my evolutionary line or not. And I wanted to know how they evolved. Whether it was simply level, or activated by a stone, or friendship, or some other factor. But I also felt it would be a bit weird to jump a random stranger asking questions that any normal sprigatito probably knew. The one positive I did take away was the fact they seemed to be bipedal. A bit of happiness finding its way into my day at the revelation I will have hands as soon as I did evolve. A happiness I was more than glad to have after everything that had happened.

 

It didn’t take long for us to finally reach the point our wonder map had brought us to. There were no pokemon on this section of the long beach. No doubt none of them wanted to venture too close to the mystery dungeon just sitting out in the open. I got the faint recollection of the beach cave from my dream. The cliff rose a bit higher, and a massive cave shrouded in darkness sat in the center. Etched in the boulder at the peak of the entrance was the same upside down triangle with a tear drop. The sand of the beach gave way to a small tide pool that sat in front of the cave entrance. Jagged black rocks sprouted from around the edge of the shallow pool. Nestled off to the side was a small rocky statue reminiscent of a substitute doll. I figured that was the totem thing that was linked to the storage system.

 

A feeling of unease washed over me as the shadow of the cliff loomed over us. A shiver racing across my body. Brooke took a step towards the black veil blocking the entrance to the cave. She gave it a cursory glance before turning back and asking, “This it?”

 

“Yeah,” Hanna answered rolling up the wonder map and stowing it in her bag. She faced the dungeon entrance. “That’s Salty Cove.”

 

“I assume we’ll encounter a lot of water types?”

 

“Most likely,” Brooke said stepping back to my side. That fact made me a bit happy. At least I’ll have a type advantage for once.

 

“So we just have to find the bell and then we can get out of there,” Hanna said stepping up and correcting her bandana and righting her badge.

 

“With no idea where it can be. We’ll have to search everywhere in the dungeon for it, we can’t leave any stone unturned.” I got two sets of nods from the foxes. I returned it and stepped towards the dungeon entrance. “Let’s go, Team Star.”

 

Brooke nudged me with a giggle and rushed across the distance. Her form vanishing as she crossed the inky blackness of the dungeon entrance. I following her wake with Hanna hot on my heals. The salty aroma and the crashing waves vanished as reality blinked away. I skid to a stop in a circular sandy room lined with rough chalky white walls. The sand here was nearly bleached white. The ceiling above was a thick blanket of white clouds. The light coming through again not feeling natural, it felt like what came out of an old fluorescent tube. Water trickled down the walls and formed a thin moat of water around the edge of the room. The air felt damp, but there was a faint bit of salt to it. It was a bit harsher than the natural smell from the beach. Brooke was standing off to the side dipping a paw in the water. Hanna landed with a huff at my side, sending sand everywhere. She gagged and tried to spit the offending material that had invaded her mouth.

 

I stepped towards her and tried to whip the sand out of her fur. She stood up and shook herself, sending more flying. I flinched back and hissed. She gave me a sheepish smile in response. Brooke’s voiced echoed off the white walls, “You two goofballs done over there?”

 

“You try getting sand out of fur this thick,” Hanna countered stepping towards the way forward. I rushed up and we made our way down the path. The short hallway leading us towards a square room at the end. It was exactly like the last room, just different in shape. A shellder entered from another path on the right. Its eyes pure white circles with no pupils. Its tongue lazily dragging along with sand sticking to it. I charged up a leafage and hit the bivalve pokemon before it was even aware of our presence. It let off a yelp as it was sent tumbling by the flurry of leaves. Brooke rushed forward with a quick attack, and it vanished in a cloud of mist.

 

Taking the path the shellder had come down opened up to a long room filled with water. The entrance sat on a raised cliff with a ramp leading down to the water below. Reaching out of the water were pillars of light blue stone topped with sand. They were staggered in a strange pattern, all leading to another cliff on the opposite end of the room. Is this a…

 

“A jumping puzzle?” Hanna voiced exactly what I was thinking. I didn’t doubt our ability to clear the jumps, but the pair of corsola floating in the water below wouldn’t make it easy. We decided to head back and take the other path from the previous room, just to check before we attempted to cross the pillars. The other path was a long winding hallway of sand, but it was a dead end. I hung my head with a sigh, “Of course it’s a dead end.”

 

We turned and made our way back. A white noodle diglett sprung from the sand the second we entered the square room, a cloud of sand kicked in our direction. I screwed my eyes shut as the coarse particles descended upon us. A second later a blast of water sent me flying backwards. Brooke rushed in with a quick attack, the pokemon bending its slender snake like body out of her path. She hit the ground face first, her body going limp. Hanna stepped back to me and helped me out of the sand. A shove to the side kept me out of the path of another water gun.

 

I fired off a leafage, the cloud of leaves too large for the noodle to dodge. It collapsed to the ground and sunk back down the small hole it had emerged from. In its wake was a bronze coin. Brooke picked herself up with a groan and shook herself free of sand. She spat a glob of spit and grit and brushed a leg against her tongue. She moaned out, “That hurt.”

 

Hanna scooped up the coin as I made my way over to the eevee. I asked, “You good?”

 

“Yeah,” she shook the last bit of sand from her body.

 

With no more adversaries, we made our way back to the pillar room. The corsola were still floating about, but they were not close enough for me to fire a leafage at them. Going out in the water wasn’t a good idea, battling while swimming against a water type was a recipe for disaster. Crossing the pillars and giving the two of them free rain to snipe at us was equally as bad. I need a better move…

 

I need to be better. I closed my eyes as I focused on the draw of energy for a leafage. It was a close range attack, but still acted on the principle of summoning grass type energy laden leaves. There were other stronger moves that did just the same. And there was one I was told I could work my leafage towards. I just had to figure out how to make my leafage become magical leaf. It was still a leaf based attack. But it wasn’t a cloud of them sent out, it was only a few enchanted leaves. These leaves stronger and having the ability to lock on to a target. I didn’t care about the locking on mechanic, I cared more about actually performing the move. It was a special type attack, which offered me more range than leafage did.

 

I drew the energy for a leafage, my crest glowing with light. I focused on the energy flow more intently. The transfer from my core and through the kernel. It was a slow pull that grew with time as I pulled more energy. I held the draw back, feeling that too much energy would just make a large cloud of leaves, which is exactly not what I wanted. The energy for my attack lessened and I felt it contract in on itself. The glow lessened and I felt it was right. Something within me telling me that the amount of energy and concentration pulled into the attack was just right. I opened my eyes and zeroed in on the nearest corsola. I released a small collection of large dark green leaves at the pokemon. They fell to the water in a cloud of green dust. The attack never reaching its target. The pupilless corsola noticed my actions and swam towards us.

 

“What was that?” Brooke asked stepping up to my side with a confused look on her face.

 

I sighed hanging my head, “That was supposed to be magical leaf.”

 

“You know magical leaf?” She asked a bit surprised.

 

“I wish,” I said looking to the remnants of the failed attack on the water’s surface. I pointed a paw at the decayed leaves, “That was supposed to be it.”

 

“Doesn’t look like you gave it enough power,” Hanna said stepping forward.

 

“You think?” I asked cocking my head. She nodded.

 

“It died before it could reach its target,” she said pointing at the corsola rounding a pillar and closing the distance. We all took a step away from the edge. She then offered, “Try putting more into it.”

 

More into it? It didn’t make sense since I felt more power would just give me another leafage. But who was I to argue against the actual pokemon. I glanced down at the crest of fur on my chest, then past it and to my claws. Memories of the hone claws move I used on that beach with Nyx flashed in my mind. I knew it was a dream, but I also knew it was more real than that. It felt real enough to me.

 

My claws popped out and I felt the energy course through them as I slashed them against each other. The power of hone claws pulsed through me, and I pulled the grass type energy like I did before. My crest began to glow again. I compressed the energy as I did before. Only this time, I pulled a bit more grass type energy. The coral pokemon fired off a water gun. I tanked the hit and responded with my attack. Dark green leaves with a faint tint of rainbow light on them rushed out and all zoomed towards the pink and blue pokemon. Each one hit, knocking the corsola back with each strike. It winced in pain with each leaf. By the fourth it collapsed and vanished, the last few leaves hitting the water and fading away. Warmth welled up in my chest as I felt a click in the back of my head. Aster has learned Magical Leaf.

 

“You did it.” Brooke stepped forward and said in a somewhat surprised tone. It almost sounded like a question, like she wasn’t believing what she was seeing.

 

“You did it!” Hanna exclaimed as she rushed to my side and nuzzled me. I smiled and couldn’t help but return the affection. I stepped back and charged up another magical leaf. The pull was much easier, and it felt even quicker than when I did leafage. I released the dark green leaves, and they flew off towards the remaining corsola. The leaves did quick work of it as well and the room was empty of any hostile pokemon.

 

“How’d you know that would work?” I asked the zorsune.

 

“My mama taught me.” She turned away and stared off at nothing. A wistfulness washed over her face as she said, “Zorsune can’t use dark moves like zorua can because of our ghostly nature. I wanted to learn some to better hide that I was a ghost, and she taught me sucker punch.”

 

She flashed me a smile as she lifted a paw, her claws glowing white. “She taught me how to channel dark type energy into my scratch to make it a dark type move. I mirrored her sucker punch and learned it that way. But she always told me to put more energy than I thought the move would need. And since dark type moves are emotion driven they really rely on type energy to be effective.”

 

The white energy turned a noxious black as it bubbled over and covered her entire limb. “The amount of energy you pull can spell the difference between life and death. Too little and you can never fight back. Too much and you might just kill someone. It’s a delicate balance.”

 

The dark type energy faded as she set her paw down in the sand. “But only you can figure out what the balance is.”

 

“Wise words,” Brooke said sitting down next to the zorsune.

 

“I miss her,” Hanna hung her head as a stray tear fell.

 

“You’ll see her again,” I said sitting down on her other side. “We’ll all go see her someday.”

 

“Thanks.” She said with a smile. She sniffled and used the back of her paw to wipe away the wetness on her face. We sat there in silence for a good minute, just resting in the presence of each other with no one else around. The gentle sounds of running water filled the salty air.

 

“We should probably get going,” Hanna finally said sitting up and shaking herself free of sand. We agreed and stepped up to the edge of the cliff, near to the closest pillar.

 

Brooke gave the series of pillars, six in total, an analytical glance as she asked, “So, we just jump to them?”

 

“Probably would have been a lot harder if the corsola were still here,” I said stepping up to her side.

 

Brooke leapt and cleared the distance with no trouble, sand displaced by her landing falling to the water below. She peered over the edge then back to us. She asked the zorsune, “Can you swim?”

 

“I can,” Hanna answered.

 

I opened my mouth to say we all could, but I stopped. My mouth shutting with a click. I gave my green furred body and four legs a once over. I gulped. “I don’t think I can.”

 

“You can’t?”

 

“I mean,” I turned away from the white fox, my face heating up. I faked a cough. “I used to when I was human.”

 

“Oh,” Hanna said when the realization struck.

 

“Don’t fall?” Brooke offered with a fake smile.

 

“Thanks,” I deadpanned at my partner.

 

“You go before me,” Hanna said with a nod of her head towards the pillar.

 

I ordered the eevee, “You go ahead, we shouldn’t crowd the pillars.”

 

Brooke nodded. She got in a pouncing stance, her tail wagging before she rushed forward and cleared the distance to the second pillar. I made my way towards the ledge and the first pillar. My confidence quickly vanishing as I peered down at the water below. I had no idea how deep it was, but that didn’t matter. I had no experience swimming as a pokemon. I had no idea if I could swim or float anymore. I wasn’t a water type so I couldn’t even bullshit my way with any natural instincts of this body. Most pokemon could swim, that was a fact. But they still needed to learn, and some learned better than others. Bipedal pokemon learned the easiest. Quadrupeds really depended on what animal they were related to. Cats could swim naturally and cat like pokemon learned just as easily, if not better. But there was the whole fact of it being a learned skill. I knew how to swim with two arms and two legs. I now had four legs, which was a completely different scenario. The mechanism was not the same in the slightest. I gulped as I watch a few flakes of sand fall to the crystal blue waters below.

 

Hanna shuffled up to my side and asked, “You want me to go?”

 

“No,” I said with a shake of my head, “You should stay back just in case I fall in.”

 

“We need someone to save his ass,” Brooke chimed in from the fourth pillar.

 

“Maybe it should be you,” I shot back pointing a paw at the eevee.

 

“I’ve saved your ass enough times already, give Hanna a chance.” Brooke countered as she cleared the jump to the fifth pillar with ease.

 

“Thanks,” I said with a roll of my eyes. The eevee just cackled from her perch. I stepped back to give myself a bit of a running start. Hanna stepped off to the side to give me room. I took a deep breath and shut my eyes. I held it for a second. I can do this.

 

I rushed forward and jumped. I crossed the distance and landed on the sandy pillar. I lost my footing and slipped off the edge. Spinning around I dug my claws in the soft rock and kept myself from tumbling to the waters below. Hanna gasped and shouted out, “Aster! You good?”

 

“Yeah,” I answered picking myself up and shaking the sand off. I moved towards the second pillar and jumped to it. I landed on all four paws and didn’t nearly fall this time. It was quick work, and I made it across the simple jumping puzzle and joined Brooke at the end of the room. Hanna was right behind and finished right after me. Once we were all across, we made our way towards the next room. Which contained the mystical stairs leading down to the next floor of the dungeon. There was not a single pokemon or loot in sight. But there was another path leading off of this one. Since we had no idea where the golden soothe bell was, we needed to check every inch of the dungeon. With it being gold and metal it would stick out like a sore thumb in this white washed placed.

 

The path was short and opened up to a small room with a lobster like pokemon in the center. It screeched and clanked its large claws. It rushed forward and I charged up a magical leaf. The rainbow leaves sliced through the feral and it collapsed in a cloud of mist. An oran berry was left in its wake. There was no sign of the lost bell. With no path leading off of this room we grabbed the berry and turned back to head to the next floor. I stowed the berry in my bag and tailed the two foxes as we walked back. The two walking at each other’s side, their tails waving with their strides.

 

But I stopped in my tracks when I saw under them. With the block that wouldn’t be something that would concern me. I wouldn’t check because it wasn’t polite, but my eyes were drawn to their backsides for a fleeting second with them being right in front of me. And I didn’t see what I expected. Instead of featureless fur I saw their spades. I screamed as I collapsed to the ground and screwed my eyes shut as tightly as I could. I covered my eyes with my paws. I tried to dispel the sight I just saw. But I could still see it. It was burned in my eyes. I could still see Brooke’s slate grey spade and Hanna’s black one. Why can I see them?!

 

My face felt warm as I tried to find an answer to that question. I shouldn’t be able to see anything. The block would prevent me from doing so. Yet here I was able to see them both. It made no sense. The block was still there. I knew it. It had to be. Yet I saw what I saw. Which meant only one thing. Lily’s words ringing through my head like a deadly gong. ‘The block will not be able to work on ones you desire’.

 

But that couldn’t be true. I couldn’t have feelings for them. I just couldn’t. Brooke was my eevee. My partner. Almost like a pet. And Hanna, she was a friend. And they both were pokemon. I couldn’t think of either of them like that. It was so wrong. My face felt warmer as I couldn’t dispel the image. It was burned in my mind, and it wouldn’t go away. I felt warm all over and my chest hurt. I couldn’t breathe. I stiffened when a paw landed on my shoulder. I jumped up and leapt away from the shiny eevee with a scream, “Don’t touch me!”

 

“Aster?” Brooke took a hesitant step back with a paw remaining where I once was. Her eyes were wide and filled with shock. Hanna was at her side with a worried expression all over her muzzle.

 

“Don’t touch me!” I ordered again stepping further back from the two. I kept my eyes off them and trained on the sand in front of me. My voice quivered and died as I meekly said, “Please, don’t touch me.”

 

“Aster,” Brooke said in a broken voice. She took a step forward, but Hanna held a paw out stopping her from advancing.

 

“What’s the matter?” Hanna asked.

 

“I,” my voiced died as I tried to answer her. How could I answer them? How could I tell them what I saw? I was a freak. I had feelings for both of them. I didn’t want these feelings. The block was meant to stop me from having these feelings. But now it wasn’t working on either of them. I couldn’t look at them. I couldn’t face them. I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t want these desires. But I knew I didn’t have feelings for them. I didn’t see them in that way. It was this pokemon body that had these desires, not me. Then how come the block isn’t working?

 

I gulped as my throat ran dry. Camille. The damn jolteon messed with my head. He must have messed with the block somehow. He must have ruined it, broken it, or something. It wasn’t working anymore, and it was that damn jolteon’s fault. That’s why Elizabeth didn’t say anything when she checked my head, she didn’t find the block because it didn’t exist anymore. I hissed out, “Fuck that jolteon.”

 

“Excuse me?” Brooke asked back.

 

“Fuck him!” I shouted slamming my paws down, sending a puff of sand up. I fumed. “The block isn’t working! He must have ruined it when he tried to…”

 

I lost my voice and collapsed to the sand with a wail. I couldn’t hold back the tears. I curled up in a ball as my mind raced. A ringing buzzed through my ears. This was just too much for me. Everything had gone wrong since coming to this world. Learning to be a pokemon was novel, but it has been nothing but trouble after trouble. I’m weak. I can’t really fight. This body not agreeing with me and forcing these urges on me. The Reaping. Camille. This whole dang quest. I can’t do this.

 

A paw on my shoulder froze me to the bone, but I couldn’t muster the strength to run from it. I quivered at the contact. I kept my eyes shut and let the tears fall. Brooke’s broken voice pierced the collapsing bubble I had erected around myself, “Aster.”

 

Her voice was weak, trembling almost. My breath hitched as I peeked a glance at her. She had laid down in front of me. Her paw slowly withdrawing back to her body as she sat down in a loaf. Her ears were splayed backwards and her body limp. A deep frown etched across her muzzle and her eyes were misty. She didn’t take them off me as she softly declared, “You’re going to be okay. We’re here for you.”

 

Hanna stepped in and sat down next to the silver eevee. She too was concerned, a deep frown over her face with sad eyes. I turned away and pawed at the sand in front of me. I hated the pitying looks. I didn’t want to feel fragile. I didn’t want to be something others tried to fix. To swaddle and baby.

 

But I was. I was a broken mess. I have been ever since I came here. I didn’t belong and the cracks showed more with each passing moment. I didn’t want any of this anymore. I was blinded by the grandeur of this world, but that luster had vanished already. I didn’t want to be a pokemon anymore. I want to go home.

 

“Please,” Brooke pleaded, “Talk to me, Aster.”

 

My eyes flashed to the eevee, but quickly went back to the divot I had dug in the sand. Her voice was on the verge of breaking. She pressed, “I don’t like seeing you like this. I want to help. Please let us help you.”

 

“Just tell us,” Hanna begged. She was doing no better than Brooke.

 

A shuttering tremor wracked my body as my paw jolted to a stop in my musings. I pulled it back and hung my head. I finally answered them, “I don’t want to be here.”

 

“We can leave the dungeon,” Brooke offered.

 

I shook my head vehemently. I tapped the sand and corrected, “I don’t want to be here. This pokemon world. I want to go home. I hate this. I don’t want to be a pokemon anymore. I want to be me.”

 

“Aster,” Brooke softly said. She inched forward and placed a paw on mine. She grabbed it as she said, “You are still you. It doesn’t matter if you are a sprigatito, a human, or a fucking magikarp. None of that makes you, you. You will always be you.”

 

“But I don’t feel like me,” I said pulling my paw out of her grasp.

 

She shuffled closer and continued, “I know you, Aster. You are still you. You haven’t changed in the slightest. Nothing has changed. You haven’t lost yourself. You never will. I’ll never let that happen.”

 

“But,” I sniffled back the tears. I turned to her, “But the block.”

 

“Fuck the block,” she bit back with a hard look. “I hated that you got that damn thing. I only let you keep it because it gave you peace of mind, but that was a mistake.”

 

“But the desires.”

 

“Do you love me?”

 

“What?” I asked pulling back from the shiny eevee.

 

She hardened her glare and asked the same question, tapping the sand with a paw with each word. “Do. You. Love. Me.”

 

“No,” I answered back with a shake of my head.

 

“Do you love Hanna?” Brooke pointed a paw at the zorsune. Hanna let off a small eep and covered her face with her paws.

 

“No,” I answered a bit more grounded.

 

“Do you want us in that way?”

 

“Never!”

 

“Then there’s nothing to be concerned about,” She stood up, “Pokemon are naked all the time. Pokemon’s bits are on display all the time. Just looking doesn’t mean shit. You’re still thinking of it like a human where you are always covered up. Don’t you look at human girls all the time?”

 

“Yeah.” I hated to admit that, but she was more or less spot on with that one.

 

“Do you want to have sex with every single one you see?”

 

“No.” I hesitantly answered.

 

“Is looking at them at all mean you want to?”

 

“No.” I responded with a bit more strength.

 

She waved a paw towards her backside, “So what if you see our spades.”

 

She pointed at me, “So what if I see your balls and sheath.”

 

“It doesn’t mean shit,” she stamped a paw in the sand, “Looking doesn’t mean you want to fuck us. The block just kept it out of mind. But having it or not doesn’t mean anything. You are still you. You know you aren’t attracted to pokemon, and you never will be. Okay?”

 

Her voice quieted to a whimper at her last word. She stared me down, her eyes hard and full of power. Her words ran through my head. They chased away the fear as I realized she was right. I was so focused on not looking at pokemon. Treating their naked nature as something taboo. Like I shouldn’t see anything. That it was wrong for me to see anything. But that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t wrong to look. It wasn’t wrong to see it. The shock of seeing Lily no doubt messed with me. But I didn’t have feelings for the espeon. Brooke was right, I didn’t have feelings for anyone. There wasn’t anything wrong with me. That block was a mistake.

 

“Do you want to leave?” Hanna asked picking herself up.

 

“The dungeon?” I asked back.

 

“The world,” she corrected.

 

“I don’t know,” I hung my head and went back to playing with the sand. “I don’t really want to think about that right now.”

 

“Then let’s not,” Brooke said holding a paw out for me. I accepted the offering, and she pulled me to my paws. She nudged me forward and said, “Let’s find that bell, then just do nothing for the rest of the day.”

 

Her offer was tempting. I shook myself free of sand and made my way back towards the stairs. Brooke right at my side and Hanna behind us. The eevee leaned close to me, her warmth a welcome comfort. She softly said, “You’re not weak.”

 

I came to a stop at the edge of the staircase leading down. I separated from the eevee and countered, “But I am. I- “

 

“What that jolteon did doesn’t count,” she cut me off, “He’s a dick and he took advantage of you and other pokemon. But that does not make you weak. You are the strongest pokemon I know.”

 

“You don’t know that many pokemon,” I bit back.

 

“Still doesn’t change the fact that you are strong and brave. You are the greatest, kindest, noblest person I know, Aster. You are anything but weak and I will not stand to hear you call yourself that. Saying that makes that jolteon win. Is that what you want?”

 

“No,” I answered weakly hanging my head.

 

Brooke bumped her chest against mine, forcing me to look at her. Her face had hardened once again. She flashed her fangs as she asked, “Do you want to let him win?”

 

“No.” I said with a bit more strength.

 

“Then calling yourself weak lets him. You are not weak. You were never weak.”

 

“But,” I hung my head, “It was only because of Hanna- “

 

“So what?” Brooke thumped me in the side of the head with a paw. “Hanna will always be there for you.”

 

Hanna started from the attention and declaration. But she righted herself and gave a determined nod. Brooke pulled my head back to her with a gentle nudge of a paw. She added, “I will always be there for you. We’re a team. We face anything together. You are not alone in this, Aster. And you never will be.”

 

She gave me a soft smile, one I happily returned. She pulled her paw away and said, “You’ll let us know what you’re thinking, okay. I don’t want you wallowing inside your own head ever again. We’re here for you.”

 

“Okay,” I answered with a nod. She closed the distance and wrapped me in a hug. I returned it. Her sweet scent a welcome comfort.

 

Hanna stepped up and joined in as well. The ghostly fox added, “We’re a team, Aster. We look out for each other.”

 

“Thanks,” I said to both of them.

 

The two just tightened their hold on me. We stayed like that for a few more minutes. It was just us in our cuddly bundle of warmth in the middle of the damp mystery dungeon. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. We parted and I felt in better spirits. The pain of yesterday was dulled significantly. I didn’t feel the cold presence of Camille looming over me. I didn’t feel weak. I felt more like myself. I felt happy for once. I sobbed trying to fight back the new set of tears forming. But I let them out. These were tears of happiness this time.

 

“Let’s go find that bell,” Brooke said as she made her way down the staircase. I followed right behind her with Hanna right on my heels.

Chapter 22: Watch Where You Step

Summary:

Team Star continues through Salty Cove in search of the lost soothe bell. But Aster learns a crash course in some mechanics of mystery dungeons.

Notes:

Thank you all so much for over 3600 hits and 90 kudos!

There was a faint flash of white light, and the second floor of the dungeon materialized around us. It was a short hallway that opened up to a square room with two branching paths off of it. Still the same sandy floor and chalky white walls. At least there’s no ferals in this room.

 

I took a step towards the closest path and the floor beneath me sank with a soft click. The sand disappeared to reveal a stone plate with a pale green diamond on it. I gave it a confused glance with a tilt of my head. The air felt heavy. Hanna gasped and said, “Warp- “

 

Her voice faded as the world became a blurry mess of white as if I descended another set of stairs. I felt weightless and like I was falling down a windy tunnel. This all ended abruptly, and I came crashing down on a waterlogged stone floor. I reeled back and spat the salty water that invaded my mouth. A blast of water hitting my head knocked me down. I growled as I summoned a magical leaf and sent it flying at my attacker. There was a small scream, and the room went quiet besides the soft trickling of water down the walls. I spat out more salty water and rubbed my tongue on the back of a paw in a vain attempt to get the taste out of my mouth. I asked aloud, “What the dis was that?”

 

My voice echoed off the walls, but no response came. I shook the water off my body to see where Brooke and Hanna were. I was in a different room. This one circular in shape with a few inches of water covering most of it, the water just barely reaching my stomach. An island of sand sat in the center with a few of my leftover magical leaves embedded in the sand. A blast seed sitting right in the center. There were four paths leading off in the cardinal directions. But there was no sign of the shiny eevee or the ghostly fox. I called out their names, but no response came yet again. My heart beat a little bit faster. My chest tightened, forcing me to take in quick short breaths as my vision narrowed. I’m alone.

 

I frantically ran around the waterlogged room and shouted out the names of my team members. My voiced echoed off the walls and down the branching paths. But I got no response back other than my own voice. Tears streaked my face as I desperately called again and again with no answer. I had just felt the comfort of their company and companionship before we descended the staircase. We had just talked about being there for each other. And now I was alone again. My body felt cold as a tightness blossomed in my chest and gripped my heart. I felt a heavy weight on my back. I spun and fired off a magical leaf. I shouted in desperation, “Get away from me!”

 

The leaves hit the island in the center of the room and nothing else. Yet I still felt the presence on my back. The heat of the jolteon was still there. My body trembled and my tail tried to hide between my legs. My eyes snapped to every inch of the room as I made my way towards the sandy area and out of the freezing water. I shook myself off, but the moisture clung to me like slime. My fur was matted, and the scent of salt grasped me. I called out again, but my voice was meek. I didn’t expect them to come or hear me. I was alone. I was lost in a mystery dungeon, separated from my team. I sat down with a huff.

 

Some part of my mind was telling me to just sit here and wait for them to eventually come upon me. But another part was telling me to get up and try finding them myself. I wasn’t sure which side I should listen to. I vaguely recalled advice that you should stay put when separated or lost and wait to be found. Moving around made it less likely for help to find you. But that was if you were in a forest or something, this is a mystery dungeon.

 

Brooke and Hanna were in here. There was a limited amount of space in here. They would eventually find me. But that also meant that I had limited paths to travel as well. I felt like the whole ‘stay put’ idea really didn’t apply to my current situation. And that was dependent on whether I was still on the same floor as them or not. I reached for my bag and the map to see if I could check. My paw coming back empty as I sighed. “Right, Hanna has the map.”

 

I tried to rub some warmth back into my body to chase away the chill of the water that bit at my skin. As I did, I mused aloud, “At least they can hopefully find me with it.”

 

I stared down the four paths before me. “But I could at least give them a look.”

 

But I did not want to go down a path and have the girls come by and miss me. I needed a way to tell them where I was if we missed each other by a room or so. My eyes landing on the leftover magical leaves gave me an idea. I summoned another magical leaf and planted them in the sandy island. I made a makeshift arrow with them pointing towards the path directly in front of me. “I hope these persist if I leave the room.”

 

I scooped up the blast seed and waded my way towards the path I had chosen. I scanned the floor for any hint of another tile like the one that sent me here. “What even was that?”

 

I knew I wasn’t going to get an answer, but I just needed to voice the question. From the single word I could recall from Hanna’s shock at seeing it, she must have some idea what exactly it was. It seemed like it was a pressure plate trap thing. This one in particular must have teleported me to a random point in the dungeon. It’s what made the most sense. Do all dungeons have traps like these? What other traps are there?

 

Again, I knew I wouldn’t have an answer and would have to ask the zorsune once we got back together. I sighed and set myself on my current task of finding them. The path I chose snaked back and forth as it rose out of the water and back on to sandy ground. I shook myself off before reaching the end and entered a square room with a singular palm tree in the center. Movement at the base of the tree froze me in place as a feral took notice of my entry.

 

I quickly scraped my claws together as the orange hermit crab with a rock on its back made its way towards me. The crab dug its claws in the ground and sent a spray of sand right at me. I stepped back to avoid the sand attack. I charged up a magical leaf and fired it off. The crab screeched and retreated to its rocky shell seeing my attack whiz towards it. The rainbow leaves raking across the pebble and scoring deep gashes in its surface. The crab reemerged and gave an angry cry and snap of its claws. They glowed sickly green as it closed the distance and rushed me. My claws elongated as I prepared to counter the crab. It swiped with its first claw, I sidestepped the broadcasted attack and scratched the side of the feral. Pain shot up my leg as my claws felt like they were going to snap against the rocky shell. I hissed as I jumped away from the crab. It didn’t relent and its other claw came in and hit me in the face. Pain exploded across my body as I was sent flying backwards. My face burned as I tumbled to a stop a few feet back. What attack was that!

 

The crab gave another cry as it charged up the same attack and rushed me. I summoned a magical leaf and let it loose before the feral could hit me again. It collapsed to the ground and disappeared in a puff of smoke. I groaned and laid down on my side. My face still stinging. I grumbled, “Was that a bug type move?”

 

It couldn’t have been a fire type. Most of the pokemon in this dungeon thus far were water and rock. The shell on its back made me believe it was part rock. But if it was water, then one magical leaf would have melted it. Yet it took two. Which meant it had to be another type that resisted grass. Bug made the most sense, as did whatever move it did. Great, bugs suck.

 

Not wanting to waste time just loafing about, I picked myself up and scoured the room. There were no other pokemon. Nor any items. Not even the glint of the soothe bell. There were no branching paths either. I sighed and made my way back to the flooded room.

 

I made it back with no hint of Brooke or Hanna. My arrow of leaves was still there. I rearranged them to point towards the next path I had chosen to go down. This one was shorter than the last and ended in a massive near vertical stone wall. But the path did continue onwards. There were also small outcroppings in the wall that could work as handholds for larger pokemon and people. Or in my case, ledges to leap on. Strange instincts from my feline body took over and I ascended the wall with little to no issue. The path at the top was equally as short and opened up to another square room. There were no pokemon or any items in the room. But in the very center were the stairs leading to the next floor. I sighed as my head sagged. “At least I found the exit.”

 

I turned and hopped down the rocky wall and back to the flooded room. But it wasn’t empty anymore. Floating about in the water was a pair of silvery fish. They both fired off water guns at me. I rolled away from the twin attacks and let loose a magical leaf. All of the dark green leaves zeroed in on the closest fish, quickly dispatching it. The other one hit me with another blast of water. It stung, but not that much. I used another magical leaf to get rid of it. Both fish left behind bronze coins I grabbed and stowed away. I called out to Brooke and Hanna again to see if they had made any progress towards me. But I got no response. I sighed as I made my way towards the island in the center of the room. The leaves I had left in an arrow were gone. I gave the ground a scrutinizing glare before casting a magical leaf to remake my arrow. This one pointing towards the next room. I also left a single one in the direction of the staircase. Don’t want to forget where that is.

 

The next hallway quickly rose out of the water and onto rocky ground. The path was straight and narrow, the faint visage of the room at the end visible a fair distance away. The soft sound of a click and the ground beneath me falling away made me jump backwards with a scream. My heart beat a mile a minute as I watched the ground I had just occupied fall away to reveal another pressure plate. Fuck these things!

 

This plate had a yellow lightning bolt on it instead of the green diamond like the last did. I gave it a quizzical glance and a tilt of my head, “Paralysis?”

 

I just felt that would have been the effect if I actually stepped on it. I shivered at the thought of electricity coursing through my body. The weight and heat on my back returned. I summoned a scratch and swiped behind me as I scream, “Get off!”

 

But there was no one there. I shivered as the energy of my attack faded, but the presence on my back persisted. I sat down as I felt a coldness at my core. Tears welling up as the phantom pain from the jolteon slowly faded away. “I hate this. I don’t like being alone. I want Brooke. I want Hanna.”

 

My voice was weak and had no strength. I felt cold all over as the loneliness settled in deeper and deeper. I wanted to find them. I needed to find them. I didn’t like being alone. I never wanted to be alone again. But I also knew that just sitting here crying wouldn’t get me anywhere. I sniffled the last of my tears away and rubbed my nose with the back of a paw. I stood back up, sidestepped around the electric plate, and made my way down the rest of the passageway. I need to keep on moving!

 

The new room was a massive stretch of rocky land with piles of sand forming from cascading falls of the coarse material. Like there were several broken hourglasses just above the ceiling of fog spilling their contents all over the place. The floor free of sand was covered in loot. There were several berries, an apple or two, a jar of some amber liquid, some seeds, glittering coins, two crystal balls, and a few large white beans. My mouth was salivating at the shear amount of loot just lying in there with not an enemy in sight. But a chill running down my spine halted me in my mad dash to scoop up the treasure trove. Something in the back of my mind telling me something was wrong with this. This much loot didn’t make sense to be just lying around without anything guarding it. A large amount of loot in any of my games meant danger was right around the corner. The gear up and heal before a boss battle a common occurrence. And this felt just like that.

 

A blood curdling scream pierced the air and made the hair on my back bristle. Shadowy forms fell from the cloudy sky and crashed down. There had to be at least a dozen of them. All of them pokemon. And all of them had pupilless eyes. There were two shellders, a marill, two corsolas, another one of the lobster ones, another two of the hermit crabs, a sunflora, a krabby, a torkoal, and a growlithe. All of them were looking at me. I gulped and took a hesitant step back. Even if there were a lot of pokemon I was super effective against, there was still too many pokemon for just me to fight. And the two fire types freaked me out. I charged a magical leaf and bolted the second after I cast it. There was a yelp from whichever one I had hit before all the ferals gave chase.

 

I jumped over the electric pressure plate. I spun mid air and fired off another magical leaf at the advancing horde. The leaves zeroed in on and decimated the lobster pokemon. The growlithe shot an ember in retaliation. I screamed as I pressed myself to the floor to dodge the errant ball of flame. I shot to my feet and continued back towards the waterlogged room. The sound of a lightning bolt piercing the air signaled the ferals had triggered the trap. At least their stupid enough.

 

I made it to the island and quickly gnashed my claws together. I charged up a magical leaf as powerful as I could before the horde could descend upon me. The first pokemon exited the passage and trotted through the water towards me, a krabby. I released the move and the river crab pokemon vanished. The two corsola came in next, both letting off water guns. I jumped off the island to dodge the attacks. I readied another magical leaf and hopped back up to the top of the sand bar. A blast of fire greeted me and smacked me in the face. I screamed as I tumbled backwards and landed in the water. The cool liquid helped to chase away some of the burn, but my face stung like I just rubbed it over hot coals. My head felt heavy, and my vision blurred as the pain settled in. I struggled to get back on my feet. The sound of splashing water got closer as the rest of the horde closed in. A hollow pit formed in my stomach. There are too many of them.

 

I wasn’t sure how much further I could go on. Another fire type attack and I was done. Enough water attacks would also spell my doom. I just couldn’t do it by myself. I couldn’t fight them all. I couldn’t win. I would faint and then be teleported to a random part of the dungeon. I would be lost all over again. Brooke and Hanna might never find me. Where are they?

 

Why am I so useless? The pit in my stomach grew deeper as the feral pokemon closed in. The sounds coming from both sides. I was surrounded. I was outnumbered. I was out classed. I was…

 

I grit my teeth and growled. Fire burned through my veins as I charged up another magical leaf. I’m not going down without a fight!

 

I straightened my back as the water around me glowed green. A corsola came in first. I jumped out of the path of its water gun and away from the island. The other coral pokemon joined its brethren and fired its attack as well. I dodged the water gun, still charging up a magical leaf. I needed an extra strong one. I just needed more power to prove that I could win this fight.

 

The drain was beginning to hurt, a headache beginning to form in the back of my head. The growlithe mounted the sandy island and let loose a terrifying bark. A shiver ran down my spine as I felt my legs nearly buckle from the noise alone. Flames licked at its maw as it prepared another fiery attack. I took in a sharp hiss of air and unleashed the pent up power of my magical leaf in one massive burst of energy. A surge of wind herald a massive blizzard of sharp green leaves. The glowing foliage was picked up by the wind and filled the entire room. The corsolas instantly evaporated. The shellders shattered and vanished as well. The hermit crabs followed suit and turned to mist.

 

The growlithe was forced from its perch and fell off the island. The torkoal retreated to its shell to ride out the storm of leaves. The sunflora remained where it was with a dopey expression on its flowery face. Those three didn’t disappear. But I couldn’t muster the energy for another attack. A splitting migraine pierced my skull, like someone had tried to cleave my head in two with an axe. I fell to my haunches as I brought a paw to my aching head. The torkoal emerged from its shell and stared me down. The growlithe retook its spot with an angry bark and a growl, flames licking at its fangs yet again. The sunflora obliviously walked off to the side as if it didn’t have any desire to maul me like the other two did.

 

I couldn’t move, I was frozen in place. The last move zapping me of any energy I had left. My vision began to blur and darkness crept in. I knew this wasn’t the end, I would only faint and be teleported somewhere else. I hoped against hope Brooke and Hanna would find me after I disappeared again. I grit my teeth and puffed my chest out as the puppy pokemon prepared to attack. A blur of gold and silver jumped out of nowhere and collided with the growlithe before it could do so. I instantly recognized Brooke as she took the spot on top of the sandy island. Her eyes landing on me, they were filled with a mix of fear and joy. The puppy pokemon yelped in pain as it was sent sailing to a far off corner of the room. The white form of Hanna intercepted the sunflora, delivering two quick slashes of sharp white claws. The sun pokemon collapsed to the floor, its head falling under the water. Yet it didn’t faint, nor did it move to rise. The torkoal screeched as it turned towards the shiny eevee to attack her instead. Brooke growled at the torkoal as she leapt out of the path of its ember. She landed an orange cloaked paw on its head, submerging it in the water. She jumped up and landed a second kick on the top of its shell. She springboarded off the collapsing turtle and landed in the water. She then vanished in a blur of gold and the torkoal was sent tumbling, but still not fainted.

 

Brooke rushed to my side and wrapped me in a tight hug. I returned it, my paws wrapping around her shaking form. She bleated out, “I thought I lost you!”

 

“I knew you’d find me,” I said as I felt tears streak down my face. I nuzzled the eevee, never wanting to let her go.

 

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” she declared pulling back ever so slightly to look me in the eyes. Her face was hard and the glare she gave me was somewhat possessive. I gulped and only could respond with a nod of my head.

 

“A little help here,” Hanna quickly said as she dodged an ember from the torkoal and moved in to deliver a sucker punch to its neck. The turtle’s ember sputtered out in a cloud of black soot. The turtle reeled backwards as it hacked out the smoke and gasped for air. The sunflora rose from the water like a zombie as its petals began to glow. I pulled away from Brooke and rushed for the turtle. I tried to summon a magical leaf, but I just got a twinge in the back of my head in response. I huffed and instead pulled the energy for a scratch. I raked my claws along the back of the torkoal and it finally collapsed to the ground with a grunt, and it turned to dust. Hanna screamed as the sunflora pulled a pulsing ball of energy from her body and brought it towards itself. I charged another scratch and slashed the sunflower. It had just finished consuming the ball of energy before it fell as well. A yip from behind heralded Brooke slamming through the growlithe with another quick attack. I let off a heavy sigh and collapsed to the water as we defeated all of the pokemon from that treasure room. “Thank Arceus, that’s over.”

 

“What the dis was with all those pokemon?” Brooke asked as she joined us.

 

“Monster house,” Hanna quickly answered as she made for the island and shook herself off.

 

I lazily joined the two on the sandy island. I plopped myself down on my back and sunbathed in the fake sunlight. I groaned as I felt the chill water roll over my body. My legs still burned, my face still stung from the ember, my head was pounding like a blacksmith’s hammer and anvil. I wanted to take the longest catnap right about now. I shut my eyes and basked in the reprieve we had been given.

 

This was cut short by something being pressed against my mouth. I struggled to get out of the grasp of whatever it was. My eyes shooting open to see it was Brooke pressing an oran berry to my muzzle. Her face stern as she ordered, “Eat.”

 

I saw no reason to object and took the entire berry in my mouth. She gave me an approving nod as she and Hanna each took a berry of their own. We ate in silence. The only sounds filling the room were the dripping water and the distant crashing of waves. Brooke asked, “What’s a monster house?”

 

Hanna groaned as she answered, “It’s a special type of room in a mystery dungeon that is usually packed with a lot of loot, but as soon as you enter a lot of pokemon materialize out of thin air.”

 

There was a pause before she asked, “I assume that’s what happened? Right?”

 

When Brooke didn’t answer I figured the question was directed at me. What she described was exactly what happened, and I confirmed this. I then asked, “What was that thing that teleported me?”

 

“Warp tile,” she answered. She quickly explained, no doubt knowing I was going to ask, “There are a bunch of hidden tiles and plates in dungeons that do a lot of different things. One can poison you, paralyze you, do some damage, explode, summon a feral. Just about anything really. The one you stepped on was a warp tile, it teleports whoever steps on it to a random spot on the floor.”

 

“Where did it said you?”

 

“Here,” I answered the eevee’s question with a wave of my paw at the room. I didn’t feel as faint anymore. My legs didn’t hurt, and the headache disappeared to nothing. I sat up and tried to brush myself clean of the sand in my fur. But it was a fruitless endeavor. I grumbled. Stupid fur.

 

“Did you find the bell?” Hanna asked.

 

I shook my head no. And seeing as she asked, they must not have found it either. My gaze fell to the path leading to the stairs and the one I had yet to explore. I pointed to each and said, “The stairs are that way, and I haven’t searched there yet.”

 

“We already searched the rest of the floor up to that monster house,” Brooke added.

 

“We didn’t find anything other than a few coins, an apple, and some berries,” Hanna finished off as she showed a red apple, a trio of silver coins, an oran berry, a pecha berry, a cheri berry, and a yellow berry that resembled a turnip.

 

“Let’s get moving and find that bell then,” Brooke ordered. We all agreed and made our way back to the monster house to collect the forgotten loot. The haul was massive. We made off with three more oran berries, a sitrus berry, two lum berries, a cheri berry, a strange looking black and white berry with a question mark on it, two large red apples, a glass jar of honey, two yellow seeds, a reviver seed, an orange potato with an almost rock like skin, a brown tuber, three white jelly beans, a golden coin, three more silver coins, five bronze coins, a pale blue glass orb, and a pale beige orb. All of which ended up in my bag. Hanna did confirm the yellow seeds were stun seeds, which did exactly what the name implied. The orbs were magical items that had various different effects when you broke them. She did confirm the blue one was an escape orb, which would allow us all to leave a mystery dungeon without the need for our badges. She could not say what the other one did.

 

After storing the rest of our loot we checked the last path. This one led to another square room, but it was empty of ferals and loot. It had only one path leading off it. This path a long winding hallway that was uneventful and reached a dead end with nothing of note along the way. There was no sign of the bell. We made our way back to the waterlogged room, up the rock wall and down the set of stairs to the third floor.

 

The light of the staircase faded to reveal a massive room. One larger than any I’ve seen in a dungeon before. Maybe on scale with that waterfall one from the Timberland. The room was dominated by an island we ended up on the beach of. It wasn’t a small sandy bar like the waterlogged one, this was a proper island. A white sandy beach running around it slowly morphing to dirt covered in a mix of grass and a carpet of leaves. Palm trees and other tropical foliage covered nearly every inch of the island that wasn’t covered in sand. A gentle breeze rolled through the room, bringing with it the scent of salt. The water that surrounded the island came crashing in small waves. But there still were the same white chalky walls around us and the ceiling of white clouds.

 

“What?” Brooke exclaimed looking over the massive room around us. “How?”

 

“How does it make rooms like these?” I asked.

 

“Mystery dungeons can do just about anything,” Hanna offered as an answer, “Sometimes it’s like a maze, other times it can be whole environments.”

 

The zorsune pulled out the wonder map and unfurled it to show a massive square room that dominated nearly the entire surface of it. There were seven separate passages branching off it. I turned to the right to see the one on the south side of the island. A series of stones made a path one could hop across to reach the split in the white wall. I rolled up the map and advised, “Let’s search the island, hopefully the bell is here.”

 

“And no separating and watch out for tiles,” Brooke said brushing up to my side. Her tail brushing against mine as she walked in step with me. She was keeping to her word of not letting me out of her sight whatsoever. Which I was more than grateful for. I loved the contact. I wanted her to be close to me after everything that happened. I didn’t want to be alone again. Hanna kept close to me as well. Standing on my other side, but not brushing up against me like Brooke was.

 

We made our way around the island, sticking to the beach. We didn’t want to miss an area, and the bell, so we decided to comb the beach for any hint of gold that was the lost item. If we didn’t find anything, then we would move towards the center of the island to search. Along our way we came across a singular rocky hermit crab. It was quickly taken down before it could get off a move. With all three of us together we wouldn’t have much trouble. Unless there’s another monster house.

 

I turned to the zorsune and asked, “Does every mystery dungeon have monster houses?”

 

Hanna returned the look, then shrugged. “Don’t know, they’re just a thing that is a part of them.”

 

“Was the room of fire types back in the forest a monster house?” Brooke asked, “Or the room full of shellos?”

 

“I don’t think so,” Hanna hesitated to answer. She gulped and added, “There wasn’t much loot in the room with all those fire types, so it probably wasn’t one.”

 

“And none of them dropped from the clouds like they did for me,” I added, “They were already there.”

 

“Unless someone else was in the dungeon before us and triggered the room,” Hanna offered, “But I have no idea how we could ever figure that out.”

 

A screech piercing the calm crashing waves and breeze froze us on the spot as a figure flew out of the trees and rushed towards us. We dove out of the path of the bird pokemon. My heart raced with staravia flashbacks. My eyes landed on a large red and black bird standing in the sand where we once were. The bird danced on the spot, whipping its wings back and forth making them look like a flourishing dress. A green aura pulsed over their form before they rushed towards me. Brooke intercepted with a quick attack, sending the bird flying. It squawked as it took to the air and flew wide over the water. It’s wings beginning to glow blue as it zeroed in. I sent a magical leaf its way. The bird screeched and disengaged and flew high over the tree tops. The rainbow cloaked leaves failing to keep pace with the airborne enemy. Brooke stomped a paw in the sand, “I hate flyers.”

 

“I have a feeling they’re not going to give up till we beat them,” Hanna said coming back.

 

“And we don’t really have ranged attacks,” I said preparing another magical leaf.

 

“Maybe we can try to ground it,” Brooke offered looking to Hanna. The zorsune gave her a hesitant nod as the red bird came back around, its wings covered in flying type energy again.

 

“Weaking it will also work,” I said, “Brooke sand attack, Hanna leer.”

 

The two followed the order. Hanna squared her stance and locked eyes with the bird. Brooke spun and dug her back paws in the ground, sending a flurry of sand upwards. The bird couldn’t dodge both moves and plowed through the sand as the leer took effect. It crashed to the ground in front of us. Not wasting a second I unleashed the magical leaf right in its face. The bird stood up and the leaves bounced off its body with out a single mark, some of them even burning and bursting into flame. A fucking fire-flying type!

 

Brooke followed up with a quick attack, she sent the bird flying backwards through a bush. She returned to the group with another use of the move. Hanna warily approached, keeping her gaze locked on where the bird had disappeared to. I commented, “The damn thing is fire and flying type, so I’m useless against it.”

 

The bush was decimated as the bird rushed at us with its wings covered in the same energy yet again. Hanna rushed forward and slammed a dark cloaked paw right in its face. It crashed to the ground and turned to dust, leaving behind a custap berry. We stowed the berry and continued along the beach. I groaned as I asked aloud, “Why must we always encounter pokemon that quad resist me?”

 

“Bad luck?” Brooke offered.

 

“I would like to speak to Jirachi about making me a grass type,” I said with a huff. Brooke giggled in response.

 

“Did you not want to be one?” Hanna asked with a tilt of her head.

 

“No,” I answered, “We talked about it, and I told them I wanted to be dark, fighting, fire, or electric.”

 

“Then why did they go with grass?” The zorsune asked even more confused.

 

“To mess with me,” I huffed out.

 

“That seems a bit cruel.”

 

“Maybe you will be one of those,” Brooke offered.

 

“My secondary typing?” I asked back.

 

The eevee nodded. “You could be grass-dark, or grass-fighting.”

 

“If only I knew what sprigatito evolved into,” I said taking lead.

 

A pair of krabby rushed us and were both done in with a double use of magical leaf. We got a single bronze coin for our trouble. We rounded a bend in the beach and came upon a rocky cove. A small indent in the island bordered by black hexagonal pillars of stone. There were a few krabby and shellder resting on the edge of the water, but they scurried away as soon as they noticed us. Swimming circles in the water was a vaporeon. Around the eeveelution’s neck was a glittering golden ball. The bell!

 

The vaporeon stopped swimming and fired a water gun at us. We dodged the attack, but the vaporeon jumped out and rushed at me with black energy dripping off its fangs. I met the attack with a scratch. I lashed the side of its face while it clamped down on my leg and bit down. I screamed as I kicked the vaporeon off me. It pulled back, Brooke coming in with a quick attack sent it flying backwards off the small cliff and back to the water. I hissed as I tried to put weight on my front leg, but it hurt to do so. Blood dripped from several punctures. I grit my teeth as I exclaimed, “Bitch!”

 

“You good?”

 

“I’ll be,” I said as I charged up a magical leaf. At least I can do damage to a vaporeon.

 

“You saw it had the bell right?” Hanna asked joining us.

 

“Yeah,” I nodded, “We just have to beat it.”

 

The vaporeon leapt back up and quickly fired a water gun. Brooke took the hit for me as Hanna rushed in with a sucker punch. The vaporeon fell to the ground in a heap. I didn’t give it a second to rest and unleashed my magical leaf. The eeveeultion screamed in pain as the leaves dug gashes across its body that quickly began to bleed. It struggled to get back up on all four of its paws. Brooke came in with another use of quick attack. The vaporeon collapsed to the ground and slowly faded away to mist. It left behind the golden bell. Brooke picked up the item and smiled. “Looks like that’s mission complete.”

 

We stowed the bell away and utilized our badges to exit the dungeon having no more need to traverse the salty maze. Before we did, I munched on an oran berry to stem the bleeding of my leg and lessen the throbbing pain. Still hurt like a bitch. We vanished in a flash of white light and the mystery dungeon was replaced with a room in the guildhall. We ended up in a small room dominated by a circular stone platform with several magenta runes and symbols etched in it. Some of them resembled unown.

 

“Oh,” a small voice sounded off from the side. My eyes snapped to a baltoy floating there. The clay doll pokemon floated over as it asked, “Team Star?”

 

“Yes,” I answered stepping off the stone platform and approaching the ground-psychic type.

 

“Welcome to the retrieval station,” the baltoy waved a hand at the room, “I assume this is your first time here. No?”

 

“Yes it is,” Brooke said sliding alongside me.

 

The baltoy nodded, “Very well. Whenever you do use your badges to teleport out of a dungeon you will arrive in this room. My name is Elton and I’m in charge of the retrieval station. I assume it is just you three and no one else?”

 

“Just us,” I confirmed, “We were looking for a lost item in a dungeon and we found it.”

 

Elton nodded, “Very well. You can hand the item off to the pokemon at the front desk and they can contact the client so they can come get it.”

 

We thanked the clay doll and exited the room and moved towards the lobby. Isabella was at the desk when we arrived. She happily took the bell and the mission form. The furret smiled as she said, “I’ll let you know when the client comes by.”

 

We didn’t make it two steps away from the desk before a pokemon blocked our path. Brooke growled as she stepped forward and blocked me from the glaceon now standing in front of us. Gemini took a hesitant step back. His ears and tail going limp. He weakly asked, “Aster?”

 

I placed a paw on Brooke’s shoulder to placate her. She gave me a concerned look, but relented. I turned back to the glaceon and asked, “Yeah?”

 

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

 

“Sa-sure,” I hesitantly agreed. The glaceon flashed a small smile as he made his way over to the fire pit. Hanna and Brooke right on my heels with their gazes locked on the eeveelution. I took the seat opposite Gemini with Hanna and Brooke on my sides. I looked him up and down. He curled in on himself, hiding his face behind his tassels and wrapping his tail around his body. He didn’t look my way. I offered, “It’s good to see you out of the infirmary.”

 

He gave a weak thanks, still not looking my way. He scuffed the cushion with a paw. He absentmindedly said, “I want to thank you for everything.”

 

“Thank me?” I asked back.

 

“Yea,” he gave a single short nod of his head, “If it wasn’t for you, Camille still would have…”

 

His words died and he gave off a pained whimpered. He tried again, “Camille would have…”

 

His voice faltered again. I quickly stopped him, “You don’t have to say it, I understand.”

 

“Thank you,” he gave me another small smile. He left off a heavy sigh as he continued, “It’s because of you that I am finally free of that damn jolteon. He promised me so much, but took everything from me. He stole my life from me and it’s because of you that I am finally free of his influence. I finally feel like myself after so long.”

 

“It really wasn’t me.” I tried to dissuade his praise. I didn’t do anything but almost become a victim like him. I added, “Hanna was the one who stopped him.”

 

Hanna just gave a nod in response. Gemini locked his gaze squarely on us, “I still want to thank all of you, Team Star, I owe you my life.”

 

“We’re sorry for what you had to go through,” I offered.

 

“I know Metis would like to thank you just as much, but Elizabeth is still undoing the damage he did to her.”

 

“Will you give her our well wishes?” I asked.

 

“Of course,” he nodded, “I just wanted to catch you and let you know how grateful we both are for saving us. If you ever need help in any way, don’t hesitate to ask. We are forever in your debt.”

 

It felt weird for him to offer such a thing. I didn’t want someone owing me a life debt. It didn’t sit right with me. I felt like I didn’t deserve it. I was just a victim like him and Metis. Maybe not as long as they were, but I didn’t do anything to stop Camille. I was in the same boat as they were. I didn’t deserve it. But I also knew that this was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I could tell Gemini was already set with his decision and I could not make him budge on the matter.

 

The glaceon stood up from his spot and made to leave, but he stopped in his stride. He gave us a hesitant glance before finding the floor more interesting. He scuffed a paw on the floorboard as he meekly said, “If it isn’t too much of an ask…”

 

Again his words failed on him, and he went silent. His body tensed and he went rigid. Even his paw stopped mid movement. He shut his eyes tightly as he grit his teeth and blurted out, “I know it’s probably too much to ask, but I don’t know who else to ask, but if you ever come across a devolution stone can you please save it for me.”

 

“Devolution stone?” Brooke and I both asked at the same time.

 

“Yes,” Gemini said still unable to look our way. He still had his eyes shut as he explained, “I never wanted to be a glaceon. That bastard forced me to become one.”

 

Brooke gasped, a paw flying to her muzzle. I leaned in close to her. Hanna asked, “He made you become a glaceon?”

 

Gemini nodded, “I had no say when under his control. I couldn’t fight him, and he forced me to evolve. I,” he bit his tongue, “I always wanted to be an umbreon, but he stole that from me. Stole my choice in my evolution. Which is why I want a devolution stone so I can finally be what I want to be. But those stones are super rare and expensive to boot.”

 

He bristled, “Not like I’m asking you to spend all your funds on me. It’s just…”

 

His form went limp again, “It’s just that I want to remove everything about him and changing back to an eevee will really help me do that.”

 

“Of course,” I answered, “We’ll be on the lookout for one.”

 

Gemini gave us a small smile and a quite thanks before he departed. Once he was gone, I turned to Hanna and asked, “Does that stone do what I think it does?”

 

She nodded, “It really only works on pokemon that have multiple evolutions, but it can revert them back an evolution so they can choose a different one if they so desire. It’s a very rare stone that is very expensive if you try to buy one. I’m not even sure if anyone sells them or not.”

 

“I can’t believe that bastard,” Brooke seethed out as she mashed the cushion with her claws.

 

I hugged the eevee and softly said, “He’ll get what he deserves.”

 

That seemed to temper her rage. We didn’t sit around that much longer and made our way back to our room to relax for the rest of the day.

Chapter 23: Ghost Pepper Challenge

Summary:

Team Star unwinds from their mission in the Salty Cove dungeon. The next day they set off on another mystery dungeon mission. This one to find a rare pepper than can only be found in one particular dungeon, the Toxic Necropolis.

The rest of our day was simply just us relaxing in our room after the dungeon. We did go through our haul from the monster house, and the dungeon as a whole. We had far too much to keep on us, so we did plan to drop off some of what we didn’t need at Sovereign in the morning. And to exchange the various coins we acquired at Grimm. But we did take out the brown tuber, which was ginseng. A root that increased the accuracy stat of whoever ate it. The potato which was called a protein spud, or just protein, acted just like the same named medication back home. Which seemed a bit weird when the protein I was used to was a pill based supplement. I guess this is what it is when you don’t have pharmaceutical companies.

 

The jar of honey was a specific type of honey that would increase the speed of the consumer. The custap berry would do the same. Lastly, there were the three jelly bean things, called gummies. Specifically, they were white gummies. Apparently there were gummies for each pokemon type, and they gave a boost to a pokemon if their type matched them. Being white gummies they were best consumed by normal type pokemon.

 

Seeing as these were all stat boosting items we agreed to eat them now to get ourselves buffed up for our next mission and for the quest. Any boosts we could get would be good. We sadly couldn’t share the items, you had to consume the whole thing in order to get the full effect. If you didn’t eat the whole thing than it was like you didn’t eat it at all. No half-assing.

 

We each took one of the gummies first. Brooke and Hanna moaning at the taste of the jelly bean, while it was a bland mess for me. Like a candy with no flavor whatsoever. Brooke claimed the protein next and gnawed at the rocky item. Hanna and I agreed to split the speed stat items, she took the custap berry and me the honey. The honey was a nice change from the boring jelly bean. I regretted not eating the two at the same time, the gummi really needed the flavor enhancement the sweet jar of honey offered. It felt weird to down a small jar of honey by itself, but the feeling coursing through my body after consuming it was worth it. The ginseng was forked over to me, both foxes claiming it was better for me to have since I was the only one with a special type move that would benefit from the increased accuracy. Even if magical leaf never failed to reach its target. Brooke was still working on the protein as I started to eat the ginseng. She had gotten the tough skin off enough for her to begin eating the soft inner flesh. My root vegetable was bitter and faintly tasted of ginger. I struggled to eat the thing, but I eventually got it down.

 

Once we were all done with our boosting, we freshened up and made our way down for dinner. I was surprised that so much of the day had gone by while we were in the dungeon. We had a quick dinner before retiring for the night. On the way, we did catch the tepig as she came by to retrieve her golden soothe bell. The fire pig pokemon was overjoyed and profusely thanked us. She jovially gave us the items for completing the mission and Isabella took the Guild’s cut. We stored away the oran berry, ginseng, and the iron. Again the metallic named item wasn’t in a prescription bottle like I recalled. Instead it was a small cluster of dark grey leaves almost like spinach. Hanna informing us it went by the name ferrous florentine, or simply iron. We decided to not stuff our gullets with more items for the day and save them for tomorrow. We called it a night, and it was an uneventful affair. Which was strange since my dreams of late seemed to always be full of some sort of action.

 

That night my dreams were dull. I was a bit sad I didn’t get to see Nyx again. I still wanted to know where he was. I still wanted to see the shinx. But he was nowhere to be seen. I did dream of the beach again, but it was different. The ocean was gone and replaced by a river that had a strange rainbow sheen to it. The opposite side of the river was dominated by a massive stone structure like one of those old star forts. I tried to get to the fort, something telling me that I had to go towards it. I half thought that Nyx was in it. But I couldn’t cross the river no matter what I tried. Eventually the dream faded. But I did hear a soft voice cry out for help as reality slipped back in.

 

I awoke with no idea who the voice belonged to or why I was having the same dream all the time basically since I became a pokemon. I wasn’t even sure who to even ask about it. I decided to not dwell on it much, figuring I might get some answers when I finally found Nyx. I knew I would. I just knew it.

 

After getting ready for the day, we made our way down to the lobby for the morning report. We all lined up in front of the five lead pokemon. I did notice a lack of Gemini and Metis. Dawn gathered our attention once everyone was settled. “Good morning, everyone.”

 

We all returned the greeting. The smile on her muzzle vanished in an instant as she said, “I would first like to start today with a bit of some sad news.”

 

The mood of the room instantly fell, everyone sensing the heaviness in what she was about to say. She let off a heavy sigh as she spoke, “As most of you probably know, Team VeeVee has been officially disbanded.”

 

Murmurs made their way through the crowd. Dawn let them go on for a few seconds before continuing, “The leader of the team, Camille, was guilty of committing heinous crimes against our fellow guildmembers. He has been removed from the organization and been handed over to the guard for proper judgment. The other members of Team VeeVee are among those victimized by him. I please ask you to not bother them and give them time to heal. They are remaining here under our care till such time the damage done is mitigated.”

 

She finished and the room went silent. There wasn’t a whisper or word said. Dawn straightened her back and kept her face stern as she continued, “On to the second matter of business. We have also received several reports from the guard outside Eldergrove and in the Riverlands of some sort of new violent pokemon gang going about attacking and kidnapping pokemon. As such, a large influx of requests and missions have come in to apprehend members of this gang and find their hideout. As they have employed some horrendous measures to make their low level members near feral, you are advised to take extreme caution as they have taken the lives of several in the past few days.”

 

That got the crowd murmuring once again. Some voicing concern over the fact pokemon would so willingly take a life. Dawn didn’t wait for the conversations to die as she continued, “Thus most missions involving these pokemon have been ranked as gold at the minimum.”

 

Several pokemon groaned and bemoaned the high rank restriction on any missions involving this new gang. Dawn gave the crowd a hard glare, the pokemon quieting somewhat. Once she had the floor again she added, “We have received multiple reports of their appearance so you can take appropriate caution. The pokemon within the gang are mixed and there is no type preference. Although poison types seem to be the majority. But they can all be noticed by their bodies being covered in a complex array of runes made in blood red ink.”

 

Blood red ink! My blood ran cold, and my ears snapped straight as she said that. She couldn’t mean…

 

“Does she mean those pokemon from the forest,” Brooke whispered exactly what I was thinking.

 

“She has to,” Hanna voiced her thoughts as well. She had to come to the same conclusion as both of us.

 

“It’s none of our concern,” I told both of them, “We are only iron rank, and you heard Dawn, only gold and higher can go after them. We just don’t engage or do missions involving them. It is not in our wheelhouse.”

 

Hanna gulped and took a step closer to me. Dawn ended off the morning report and left us to our own devices. We made our way over to the mission board to find another one for the day. We decided on doing another mystery dungeon one. The first reason was to gain more experience and battle practice. The second being the haul we got with the first. More loot was never a bad thing. We made sure to avoid any for Salty Cove. Even if I would have the best type advantage, we agreed not to head back to the saline environment.

 

We did see a few for rescue requests. Pokemon that weren’t part of the Guild that entered a dungeon and succumbed to the ferals and-or hostile environment of them. We avoided those for the time being, trying to stick to the lower difficulty requests. But it did make me ponder something about the rescue requests on the board. All of them were written by the pokemon trapped in the dungeon themselves and not a family member or friend requesting their rescue. Based on what Pip had said, the requests we received were made through a mail like system. Then how do they request for help if they’re trapped in a dungeon?

 

I asked this to Hanna. The zorsune was confused at first, but I elaborated, “Pip said that pokemon send in requests using dropboxes placed through the city. They go to Demerest before coming back here.”

 

“Yeah?” She hesitantly responded with a slow nod of her head.

 

“Then how do these,” I pointed at a rescue request, “End up here if these pokemon are trapped in a dungeon?”

 

“I…um,” she trailed off seeming to not have an answer for me.

 

“It’s the magic of the dungeon,” a hypno with a rust red bandana answered plucking the rescue request I had just pointed to.

 

“Excuse me?” I pressed.

 

The female hypno huffed loudly will a roll of her eyes. She pinched her nose, and answered, “The dungeon can sense when a pokemon in it is in distress and it sends off a request for the rescue straight to Demerest. Some sort of life line system built into the magic of it.”

 

The hypno stalked off before any further words could be exchanged. She showed the form she had taken to the other members of her team, a sceptile and a light grey persian with a rounder face and blue gem instead of red.

 

With my curiosity satiated, we returned to the task of choosing our mission for the day. Hanna was the one to point out one that caught her eye and pulled the iron rank mission from the board.

 

 

Request: Get this item for me

 

Requester: Mindy (Buizel)

 

Type: Retrieval

 

 

Description: I’m to have my partner’s parents over for dinner soon to finally meet them. I want to impress them with a dish that the fire types would love, but I lack a crucial ingredient for the dish I plan to make. It is the ghost pepper that is known to grow only in the Toxic Necropolis mystery dungeon. No vendor I found sold it at a price I could afford. Can you please go in the dungeon and get me a few peppers. I only need three or so for my dish.

 

 

Location: Toxic Necropolis

 

Payment: 400 krowne, 1 calcium, 1 figy berry, and 1 red gummi

 

 

The pay wasn’t bad at all. I did wonder how much the pepper was being sold if 400 wasn’t enough for it. Damn price gouging probably.

 

We accepted the mission and had breakfast. Hanna spent most of the time attempting her intangibility practice. Trying to pull her utensils through the wood with her ghostly paw from underneath the table. She was able to grasp the silverware, but unable to take it through the table along with her paw. I didn’t expect her to get it down so quickly and told her we didn’t need to get the map as soon as possible. We had time to prepare ourselves before we needed to acquire the map and go after the shards. She accepted that and we made for the exit.

 

We stopped off at the Exchange to get the coins from the dungeon converted. We ended up with another 125 krowne. We kept that so we could buy some supplies before heading off to the dungeon. At the storage we dropped off a bulk of the loot we got from yesterday as most of it was not needed. We left the Guild grounds and made our way back to Spelunkies. We bought two more oran, four pecha, and one chesto. We mostly wanted the pecha in case of poison since the dungeon we were going to was notorious for its poison typed ferals. The oran because more healing items were never a bad thing. The chesto was in case of sleep, as a lot of poison types new some of the powder moves. Sleep powder a common annoyance.

 

After that we made our way north of Eldergrove following our wonder map to the mystery dungeon. We weaved our way through the somewhat crowded streets of the city. This bled away to the dirt roads snaking their way through the farms that bordered it. Those too faded away as we followed the barely worn path through the grassy hills and towards the looming tree covered mountains. The path meandered and waved through the flower covered hills as the near ever-present scent of salt faded away to nothing.

 

We rounded a bend, and the hills gave way to a stone walled off area in the shadow of a rocky black cliff. Wrought iron spikes accented the weathered stones that enclosed an area devoid of grass and filled with tombstones. An unsettling feeling filled my gut as we passed the open gateway and entered the modest graveyard. The tombstones here were old and in disrepair. Some had chips in them while others had completely collapsed to rubble. The words etched in them were faded to the point where most were unreadable. A clear path split the graveyard in two, this led towards the cliff where an ornate marble mausoleum-like entrance was imbedded in the wall. The marble feature showing no signs of age like the rest of the area. Like it hadn’t been touched by the rough hands of time. The door to the mausoleum was missing and replaced with a spiraling purple mass. The stone at the top of the doorway was an upside triangle with a tear drop. Another statue sat off to the side covered in moss. Guess this is it.

 

We stopped before the threshold and double checked our supplies. As we did I spoke aloud, “I do not like the feeling this place gives me.”

 

“Ditto,” Brooke agreed stepping closer to the entrance to the dungeon.

 

“Really?” Hanna asked with a confused tilt of her head, “I don’t feel anything.”

 

“Maybe because you’re a ghost type?” Brooke offered.

 

Hanna shrugged not seeing a reason to counter her statement. She lowered her illusion and shook her fur out. Brooke hesitantly stepped forward. “Why not you go first?”

 

“Me?” Hanna screeched at what the eevee said.

 

“Why not?” Brooke shrugged, “You are a ghost, this dungeon has a lot of ghost types.”

 

“And poison types,” the zorsune added.

 

“We’re all going in anyway,” I countered stepping forward, “We’re a team, we go in together.”

 

The two agreed. Brooke rushed forward, her form consumed by the spiraling purple mass that was the dungeon entrance. I took a deep breath and jumped headlong after her. Cold wrapped my form as the entrance was replaced by a swirling tunnel of purple light that faded soon after. I landed on all four of my paws in the grass. It wasn’t the same grass outside the abandoned graveyard. The grass there was a bright and vibrant green. A bit unkempt and with only a bit of decay from the proximity to the dungeon. But the grass here was far more unruly, patchy and long in random spots. It was also muted, like the color and life had been drained from it. A quivering mist covered the ground. The ceiling was a churning mass of grey fog. The walls were made of chipped and broken weathered stone. They were in the vague shape of tombstones. Is this the graveyard?

 

It wasn’t all that surprising given the fact this was a mystery dungeon born of a tomb and what we had seen just outside it. But I expected it to be more cavern like, not like an actual graveyard with tombstones and everything. Brooke was rubbing a paw on one of the stones a bit ahead. Hanna grunted as she appeared in a heap at my side. I checked the stone slabs to see if I could find any text on them to confirm my suspicions, but they were all featureless. I asked, “Why do I have a bad feeling about this dungeon.”

 

“It feels off,” Brooke said pulling her paw off the stone.

 

Hanna picked herself up and shivered. She quietly said, “The air feels weird here.”

 

The fact she made a complete 180 on her feelings for the dungeon did not fill me with that much confidence. I shook myself out and said, “We just need to find this ghost pepper and then we can get out of here. The request said they grow here, so we just have to be on the lookout for any plant life.”

 

We stayed close to each other as we made our way down the passageway and towards the first room of the dungeon. This one was a small square area with the walls still made of tombstones. Smaller ones dotted the area around us. This really is a graveyard. Why the dis is this dungeon a graveyard?

 

I didn’t have long to ponder this as an eerie howl pierced the foggy air of the room. Brooke instantly got in a fighting stance. My hair raising as two figures lumbered from behind the headstones. They were scruffier dark haired rattata. Their soulless white eyes fixed on us and rushed forward. I dodged to the side as I charged up a magical leaf. Brooke rushed forward and delivered a quick attack to the first rattata. She sent it flying towards a tombstone with a sickening crack that broke the edifice in two.

 

 The second rattata turned and moved towards me. I released my attack. The rat screeched and rushed off to the side, but my leaves curved and followed after the fleeing rat. Hanna gave chase and hit it with a scratch. The rat stumbled and my magical leaf hit it a second later. The leaves rending it to dust. Brooke used another quick attack to finish off her rat. She yelled in excitement, “Damn, that felt good.”

 

“You give her some drugs, and she thinks she’s all that,” I said with a shake of my head.

 

“They were just rattatar,” Hanna said dismissing the celebrating eevee.

 

“And we’ve faced tougher pokemon than them,” I added. I did take note of the name Hanna used to describe the alternate rattata.

 

“Spoil sports,” Brooke responded sticking her tongue out. She picked up a bronze coin dropped by her rat. We shared a chuckle before looking at the paths ahead. There where three in total. Since we didn’t know where the peppers would be growing other than anywhere in the dungeon, we knew we had to do what we did last time and scour the floors for any plant that resembled a pepper plant. I figured we would know it when we saw it.

 

“Alright you bloodthirsty vee,” I nipped at Brooke’s ear and dragged her off. She yelped as she pulled free and kept her distance from me, fixing me with a scowl. I just laughed and moved onward, picking the path all the way on the left. It was a straight shot and brought us to a room just like the last. Only this time crooked wrought iron fences dotted the area instead of tombstones. They were capped with sickly sharp points. There weren’t any ferals in here. But there were two oran berries we scooped up.

 

Hanna yelped and quickly grabbed one of them, tossing it to the far corner of the room. I blinked owlishly at the strange action. Brooke shouted out, “What was that for?!”

 

“That’s an oren berry,” she said with a hint of fear in her voice.

 

“I know,” Brooke rolled her eyes, “Why did you toss it?”

 

“Not an oran,” the zorsune stressed, “An oren. It’s a completely different berry that looks just like an oran berry. But it actually hurts you if you eat it.”

 

I made my way over to the discarded berry, still holding the normal oran in my paw. I placed them side by side. The two looked almost exactly the same. But there were subtle differences between the two. The oran was oblong in shape while the oren was more spherical. The skin of the oran was fleshy, while the oren had a waxy complexion. I left the oren berry where it was and stowed the oran in my bag. I asked Hanna, “How did you know the difference?”

 

“I did a lot of research on the lookalike berries that exist in mystery dungeons,” she answered turning away and scuffing the grassy floor.

 

“At least one of us did our homework,” I said making my way towards the only other path out of the room.

 

“Why are there even different berries that do the opposite of the real ones?” Brooke asked as we made our way down the long winding path.

 

Hanna shrugged, “Some strange magic of the dungeons that wants to trick pokemon.”

 

“Sounds like some sadistic maniac’s idea,” I added.

 

“Just be mindful of some lookalikes,” Hanna advised. She went on the list some of the commonly known ones. Citrus berry, a sitrus lookalike that dealt damage along with making you vomit. Pacha berry, a pecha lookalike that caused poison instead of healing it. Reviser seed, a reviver seed lookalike that doesn’t do anything. Heel seed, a seed that caused a random status effect when consumed. The wander gummi, a gummi lookalike that caused you to go temporarily blind. And there were many more than that. Basically anything that could be found in a dungeon had a lookalike that did the opposite, some negative debuff, or had no effect at all.

 

She stopped listing them off as we entered the next room. This one had a single large pile of broken rocks in the center and nothing else. The second we entered, the pile cracked and split open. A pair of green blobs jumped out and stared us down. The gulpins scowled at us with snarls on their faces. Great…poison types.

 

I grumbled as I charged a magical leaf. I knew it wouldn’t do much, but it would at least be something to hit with before I used scratch or bite. I shivered at that thought. I do not want to bite those walking stomachs.

 

Brooke charged in with a quick attack on one, sending it rolling backwards. She followed up with a double kick, firmly planting the green blob in the rubble pile. Hanna scratched the other. It tanked the attack, but red lines now marred its face. The gulpin quivered as it released a cloud of purple smoke. Hanna leapt back with a scream, which quickly morphed into a hacking fit as she breathed in the noxious fumes.

 

The second the gas dissipated I unleashed my magical leaf. Seeing what it did when Hanna got in close, I changed my plan of following up with scratch and let loose another magical leaf instead. The gulpin released another cloud and the poison gas dissolved my leaves before they could even reach it. The gulpin then launched a ball of poison fluid right at me. I dodged and unleashed another magical leaf. It tanked the hit and sent out another cloud of purple gas. I jumped to get out of the way, but the fumes were faster. I screamed, falling back as the smoke tore through my body. My eyes watered. My lungs burned. My body felt like it was made of fire. I rolled around screaming as the poisoned seeped further in and touched my very core.

 

A second later the effects faded, but the dull burn still coursed through every fiber of my being. I blinked the tears back as something pulled me away from the fight. Peering back, Hanna held me by the scruff of my neck and grunted as she pulled me away from the gulpin. It slowly hopped after us. Brooke dodged a volley of sludge and mud as she delivered a quick attack to her opponent. Dodging away with a blur of golden light as hers released a toxic cloud of poison as well. Her gulpin leaned to the side and quivered, nearly down for the count.

 

A flash of green drew my attention back to our gulpin, who had jumped up and was rushing towards us. I kicked Hanna to the side, the gulpin landing right on top of me. I grunted as the air was pushed from my lungs. The crushing weight and the burn in my veins riled something up inside me. Anger at the poison type giving us so much trouble. Anger at it still standing after so many hits. I just wanted the fight to end and move on, but it wasn’t letting us. My anger boiled over and coalesce in my mouth as my fangs became coated with dark type energy. I leaned forward and bit down on the body on top of me. The gulpin screeched as it bounced away. Hanna gave chase and hit it with a sucker punch, finally knocking the damn thing out. She collapsed as a wave of purple fumes seeped off her form.

 

Once I was able to open my eyes again the room was much calmer. I picked myself off the ground to see the other gulpin was gone. Brooke was picking up a silvery coin. Hanna was spitting out a glob of spit as the round of poison affecting her ended. Another wave of poison burned at my insides. I undid the flap of the bag and pulled out a pecha berry. I bit the sweet juicy berry, humming in relief as the burn slowly faded away. I pulled out another pecha for the zorsune as the two foxes came to my side. Hanna flashed me a smile and took the berry, quickly scarfing it down. Brooke immediately asking, “You two okay?”

 

“Poison,” I said dryly before popping the rest of the pecha berry in my maw and chewing it. Relishing in the sweet juice running down my throat. Quickly replacing the aftertaste of chomping on the gulpin. The last of the burn fading as I sat down. I let out a heavy sigh as I finally didn’t feel like I was dying. “Poison sucks.”

 

“At least we have the pechas,” Hanna commented finishing off hers.

 

“You didn’t get poisoned,” I asked looking to the shiny eevee, “Right?”

 

Brooke shook her head as she answered, “No.”

 

“Good,” I nodded.

 

“You two gotta be a bit more careful,” Brooke said looking at both of us with a smirk, “Can’t have you both fainting on me because of a little poison.”

 

“I’m a grass type,” I bit back with a glare. I stowed the coin away and then turned to the two paths before us. I asked, “Which one should we choose?”

 

“Given our direction,” Hanna mused and pointed to the one on the right, “That probably leads back to the first room.”

 

I turned to the path on the left, “Then that should lead us onward.”

 

“Shouldn’t we check the entire floor?” Brooke asked.

 

I made my way towards the left path. “We technically don’t have to scour every inch like we did with the bell. We just have to find three of these peppers. We have several floors to look for them.”

 

I turned to Hanna and asked, “How many floors are there in this place anyway?”

 

Hanna tapped her chin as she mused, “I think the servine said it was seven or so.”

 

“Then we have ample room to check for them,” I said with a smile as we made our way down the path. It was a short one that led to a small room with the stairs leading down. There was no sign of any pepper plants, but there were a few items as well. There was a pure white bean pod that Hanna called calcium. Again the full name was marrow edamame, but everyone just called it calcium. There was also a figy berry and a flat pale pink seed. The zorsune stating it was a totter seed, one that caused confusion. We snagged them before making our way down the stairs.

 

The same passage of spiraling purple unease led us down to the second floor. We arrived in another grassy room enclosed by unmarked tombstones for walls. The room was featureless beyond this and didn’t have any ferals to annoy us. There were six paths branching off to somewhere deeper in the dungeon. One to the north, one to the west, two to the east, and two to the south. We gave each a glance to see if we could see anything down them that would give us a possible idea of where to head first. But we could only see the narrow paths hemmed in by tombstones with no rooms visible from our vantage point. Basically playing a game of eeny-meeny-miny-moe, we settled on the first one on the right.

 

As we walked I tried to summon my bite move again. I had only used it twice and that was more out of reflex than me actually summoning the move properly like I had done my others. I wanted to be able to use it as reliably as magical leaf was for me. And I didn’t want to use it when I was under the body of another gulpin or similar poison type. I still could taste it on my tongue. I scraped my taster against my teeth in an attempt to remove it. But I only made the flavor increase in intensity. I gagged and spat out a tainted glob of spit.

 

“You good?” Brooke asked stepping up to my side.

 

I nodded and spat out the last of the gulpin taste from my mouth. I shook myself out and said, “Just trying to get the taste of gulpin out.”

 

“That’s what you get for biting a poison pokemon,” Brooke said with a roll of her eyes as she stepped forward.

 

“How do you get dark type moves to work?” I asked the white fox at my side. She gave me a confused look. I explained, “I can’t get my bite to work.”

 

“As in the draw of type energy to summon the move?” She asked back with a raised brow.

 

“Yes,” I nodded, “I could only do it twice. Back in the Timberland dungeon with the bug and just now with the gulpin.”

 

“Dark type moves are heavily dependent on your emotions,” the zorsune advised, “Moreso than any other type. And dark type moves rely on angry and malicious intent to properly manifest.”

 

We took a right turn that quickly turned again and got us heading back to the room we just left. We had yet to come across another room along this path. I grumbled. Did we just loop back on ourselves?

 

“You’ll need to think of something that makes you angry,” Hanna’s words brought my attention back to her. “A time when you were angry at someone. Or you were scared that something bad might happen. Or when you wanted something bad to happen to someone else. Any of those can be used. You just have to focus on those feelings as you try to do the move, and it should work.”

 

She scuffed a paw against the ground, “For my sucker punch I think about what someone might do to me if I don’t stop them. I channel that fear to use the move.”

 

I nodded understanding what she meant. My emotions played a large role in me using my attacks, and dark type ones even more than that. I needed proper motivation in order for me to successfully use bite and any other dark type moves I could learn.

 

She quickly snapped to attention and said, “But it doesn’t have to be something big, just something small. Too much emotion can cause the move to backfire or consume you. Just a minor inconvenience someone did to you will work most of the time.”

 

I nodded. I was just about to use my feelings for Camille in an attempt, but I figured that was too recent and raw to be useful practice. I tried to think of something to use for me to attempt at using bite. Last time I was angry at the gulpin, before that I wanted to prevent Hanna from getting hurt by that bug pokemon.

 

The path we chose indeed was a loop back to the room we started from. Only this time it wasn’t vacant of any occupants. Floating about in the center was a duskull. It turned to us and a black pulse of energy flashed off its body. I hissed as the attack struck me like an icy dagger had been plunged through my heart. My breath hitched as I felt cold all over. I shivered as I clamped my eyes shut. Warm paws on my side snapped me out of the dark fog that clouded around my mind. I turned to a concerned Brooke holding on to me. Hanna was running off to the side distracting the duskull as it sent ghostly fireballs at the fleeing fox. Brooke called my name. I shook the fluff from my ears and turned to her. She asked, “You okay, Aster? You spaced out on us.”

 

“Yeah,” I nodded slowly, “I’m good.”

 

I shook the last of the cobwebs as Brooke said, “Good, because you’re up. I can’t do shit to a ghost type.”

 

I rolled my eyes and stepped forward. Hanna went in for a sucker punch, but the duskull vanished in a ghostly portal and reappeared behind her. It tried to strike her with a blast of black energy, but it fazed harmlessly through her. Right, normal type.

 

I took in a deep breath and tried to bring up the thought of my teammates getting hurt by the duskull. But I failed. They weren’t in danger, most of its moves couldn’t touch them. I was the only one in any form of danger. I need something else to use bite.

 

I drew upon my original idea, Camille. I needed an idea fast and that was still fresh on my mind. The damnedable jolteon. The bastard that took advantage of other pokemon just because he wanted to. Because he felt entitled to it. What he stole from Gemini and Metis. How he tried to go after Brooke several times. What he tried to do to me.

 

I felt a surge of anger course through my body, pulling from my core and out through my mouth. I felt the pulse as my fangs felt sharper. I growled as I rushed forward and snapped my black oozing muzzle on the duskull’s side. The ghost pulled back violently and sent another pulse of ghost energy at me. I grit my teeth and squared my stance. With my fangs still dripping with dark type energy I closed the distance and bit down on it again. The ghost vanished in a puff of dust. I landed on all four paws. I still felt the rage coursing through my body. I still wanted to bite something still, there still had to be targets around. The danger was still there, I could feel it. My mind racing with rage. My vision blurred as I took in heavy breaths. Blood pumped noisily through my ears, but that did little to drown out the high pitched tone that wormed its way in them. My eyes landed on the first thing and rushed towards it. Something white. It froze as I clamped my fangs down on it. A bloodcurdling scream filled the air. But it wasn’t down. I pulled back with my fangs still dripping with energy and went in for another bite. Something slamming against my side sent me flying away from my target.

 

I hit the ground with a grunt. I picked myself up in a flash, but the dark type energy had faded. The rage and the sense of danger vanished in a flash. I turned to the two targets in front of me. The white one was on the ground, not moving. There was a silvery one standing protectively over the white one. A voice pierced the buzz in my head, “What the fuck are you doing?!”

 

The voice was Brooke’s. I blinked and the fog that had clouded my sight vanished. Brooke had her fangs bared as she defensively stood between me and the limp form of Hanna. A large bite marred her side and was dripping blood. A good chunk of fur and flesh had been torn clean off. The ringing in my ears stopped. The anger and fire coursing through me dwindled to nothing. I could taste blood. I could taste blood…

 

I sat down with a dull thump. I lifted up my paws as I felt cold once again. My body shivering as I put the pieces back together what had happened in my daze. I attacked her. I attacked Hanna.

 

“What the fuck was that?” Brooke screamed as she pulled out the bariri berry and an oran. The bleeding had increased and stained the rest of the zorsune’s fur. She was more blood red than white now. She quivered on the ground as she took in shallow breaths. Her eyes shut tightly. Brooke pressed the berries to her muzzle and ordered, “Eat.”

 

Hanna weakly nibbled at the berries in front of her. Brooke spun on the spot and shot me a death glare. I was frozen in place. Both from fear of her and the paralyzing realization of my actions. A numbness took over my body. She gave off an angry bark, “Why did you attack Hanna?!”

 

I couldn’t speak. My voice died in my throat. I didn’t have an answer really. I had just been overcome with rage and lashed out. I didn’t listen to Hanna’s advice on controlling my emotions and used something she said not to use for manifesting my bite attack. She was the closest thing. I hung my head in defeat as I meekly answered, “I lost control.”

 

“Lost control?” Brooke bit back as she stalked forward. “That’s it. What the fuck did you do, Aster?”

 

“I- “

 

My words failed me again. I couldn’t look Brooke in the eyes. I screwed them shut as I felt tears welling up. Don’t you damn cry you idiot! You don’t deserve to cry!

 

I grit my teeth and shouted, “I was an idiot! She told me not to think about Camille for my bite and I didn’t listen.”

 

My head snapped up and I stared the eevee down. She had paused halfway between me and the injured zorsune. Hanna was still working on the berries in front of her. Her focus was entirely on them and nothing else. I continued, “I wanted to use bite so badly. I tried so hard to think of something to get me angry and I fell back on that when my first idea failed. But I lost control. My anger made me lash out at the duskull and then Hanna after I took it down. I…”

 

I hung my head, “I messed up.”

 

Brooke zipped over in a flash of quick attack, instantly closing the distance. I flinched back and quivered under her intense glare. She lifted up a paw and smacked me across the face, sending me to the ground. She spat out, “You Arceus damned idiot!”

 

I took the verbal and physical lashing. She was right. She didn’t pull any type energy when she slapped me, but it still stung. She proceed to kick my sides as she spouted out, “You don’t do shit like that. You put yourself and everyone else in danger when you do stupid shit like that.”

 

She pulled my head from the dirt and turned me towards the limp ghostly fox. Brooke ordered, “Apologize to her, you dumbass.”

 

I picked myself up and stalked across the room towards the prone zorsune. Hanna had finished her berries, but she remained on the floor. The bleeding had stopped, but her entire right side was stained red. Her flesh had stitched back together, but the fur around her injury was gone. Her breathing was slow and shallow. Small quivers pulsed across her form. Her eyes were unfocused, and her muzzle matted with tears. But she did glance in my direction, a small tremor rolling through her body. I paused at that. My heart broke. She’s afraid of me.

 

I froze on the spot, not wishing to frighten her more than I already did. I sat down with a whimper as I hung my head. I softly said, “You don’t have to, and I don’t expect you to, accept my apology Hanna. But I am so, so, so, so, sorry for attacking you. I was an idiot. I didn’t listen to what you said and did exactly what you said I shouldn’t do. I was a dumbass, and you paid for my actions. You don’t have to accept this in any way, and I’d understand if you hate me for the rest of- “

 

“Aster,” Hanna weakly croaked out. Her frail voice cutting my voice off to a pain croak. I gasped as my eyes flashed to her. Fresh tears were rolling down my face as we locked eyes. The zorsune slowly rolled over till she was on her belly. She gave me a scared look. Her eyes and body trembling. Her face hardened as she declared, “You’re an idiot.”

 

“Yea,” I lowered my head in shame.

 

She continued, “You have to have better control. Especially when using dark type moves.”

 

“I’ll never use it again,” I quickly declared. That seemed to take her by surprise. She didn’t say anything, nor did I.

 

I pulled out the keystone and tapped it to my head. My core and kernels manifesting in a flash. I located the one that contained bite and swapped it out for leafage. I felt relief that the move was no longer usable and relegated to the shadow of my core. I pulled the keystone away. I kept my eyes locked on Hanna as I said, “I’ll never hurt you again.”

 

“Isn’t that sweet.”

 

The smug voice that pierced the air made a shiver roll down my spine. It was a voice I recognized. A voice I didn’t expect to ever hear again. I jumped to my paws and turned to the two new figures that had appeared in the center of the room. A jolteon and an infernape. The infernape wore a green scarf of the guard. The jolteon had a black collar around his neck that stood out from his yellow fur. Camille!

 

“Did you have a widdle fight with your mates?” Camille asked as he stalked towards us. His voice laced with a horrible twinge of sweetness.

 

I growled as I charged up a magical leaf. I blocked Hanna from him. I asked, “What in the name of distortion are you doing here?”

 

“A group of my guards were assaulted on their way back to Eldergrove a few days ago,” the infernape answered crossing his arms, “They were on their way back with three pokemon they reported reaping from a backwater hovel known as Shamrock.”

 

The flame pokemon’s eyes flashed to each of us. No one moved, no one threw an attack. The tension in the room was high and a single spark could set it off. Brooke was already in a position to pounce, a faint white aura covering her form. The strain from the magical leaf I was summoning was beginning to hurt. I could see Hanna cowering in my shadow. Camille stood in the center of the room with a smug look on his face and electricity sparking across his prickly fur. The infernape didn’t seem to be channeling any move. He just remained towards the back with his arms crossed with an unamused expression. The simian continued, “In a report they sent before they were ambushed, they said they had a zorua, a sprigatito, and a shiny eevee within their possession.”

 

He snarled, “And it would seem we found our missing reapings.”

 

“They had no right to reap us,” Brooke snapped back.

 

“Oh really,” the infernape turned to her with a raised brow, “By their report they were attacked by the sprigatito and eevee. Which normally would result in an arrest for assaulting a keeper of the peace, but my late Major instead gave them the lenient charge of being reaped instead.”

 

“That was lenient,” I bit back, “They were terrorizing the pokemon of that town.”

 

“As they had every right as being members of the guard of Eldergrove,” He snapped back pulling his arms to his sides. Flames licking across his knuckles. He snarled, “But you three are also liable for their murders.”

 

“Like dis we are,” Brooke growled.

 

“When we found their corpses.” the infernape ignored her rebuttal, fire still weaving around his clenched fists. “We could tell that the only ones utilizing moves were my former guards and their assaulters.”

 

“Those Painted Pokemon,” I interjected.

 

The infernape didn’t respond to my interruption. He simply continued on with his spiel, “But we saw no evidence of either of you three in the attack. Which means you left my men for dead.”

 

“They were already dead,” I rebutted, “We had no hope to defeat the pokemon that attacked them. The riolu alone gave us trouble and we barely escaped with our lives.”

 

“You did escape,” he snarled, “You escaped and made your way to the Guild for safety. I had no idea of this till the other day when a member of the Guild was arrested.”

 

He waved a hand at Camille, who didn’t respond to his words. The infernape continued, “To my surprise he told me of three pokemon matching the description of my lost reapings and that they arrived at the Guild seeking sanctuary.”

 

He smiled a lecherous smile as he took a step forward, the flames around his hands coalescing over the entire appendage like a gauntlet made of fire. “So we quickly worked to track you down.”

 

“And you three made it far too easy,” Camille chuckled.

 

“So what then?” I asked, “Going to take us in and let the rapist go.”

 

“He’s proven himself worthy material to be accepted in the guard,” the infernape nodded.

 

“Just a bunch of criminals pretending to be the good guys,” I bit back.

 

“We are keepers of the peace,” the infernape refuted, “And you three will be coming with me willingly or we will be forced to knock you out.”

 

“Like dis we are,” Brooke screamed as she rushed forward in a golden blur. Camille zipped off and intercepted her path with a quick attack of his own. She lost the trade off and was sent flying backwards to the far corner of the room. I snarled as I unleased my overcharged magical leaf. The infernape waved his hand and a wall of flame erupted between us. The flames easily destroying each rainbow coated leaf. Camille leapt through a hole in the flames and right at me. I gasped as he hit me with a quick attack, sending me flying towards the tombstone wall and crumbling to the ground next to Hanna. I felt something snap, and I screamed as pain radiated across my back. Camille just laughed as he stalked forward. I felt faint, sluggish to pick my head up as the jolteon marched towards us. Electricity still jumped across his quill like fur.

 

He barked out a laugh as he said, “All bark and no bite.”

 

I hissed as I struggled to get back to my paws. I placed myself over Hanna as I declared, “I won’t let you take them.”

 

The infernape laughed from the side, drawing my attention to him as he plucked Brooke up in a hand. She was out cold. He shook her as he said, “Know when you already lost, you stupid cat.”

 

A fire ignited in my core at seeing Brooke in his grasp and already out of the fight. My eyes flashed to the weaken form of Hanna underneath me. A frown was etched on her muzzle, and she gave me pleading eyes. I hated that Brooke was already in their grasp. I snarled. I won’t let them get Hanna!

 

I unclipped my badge and quickly pointed it at the zorsune. Hanna gasped as her eyes widened in shock. A second later, she disappeared in a flash of white. I dropped the badge as I smugly declared, “You’ll be only getting two of us.”

 

“So be it,” the infernape shrugged. He pointed a finger at me and ordered, “Take him.”

 

“Gladly,” Camille gave me a fanged smile as he unleased a bolt of electricity at me. I screamed as my body locked up and my fur and flesh burned. I collapsed to the ground as darkness crept in. Camille slowly walked forward. As he did, he said, “I told you, you’d pay for what you did.”

 

He brought his paw up and slammed it down on my face, and I fainted.

Chapter 24: Welcome to the Party

Summary:

Aster and Brooke find themselves in the clutches of the guard and amongst the other reaped pokemon. Just in time for the ceremony for one of them to be chosen by the Princess.

My everything hurt. I awoke with a groan as I tried to recall what exactly happened before I blacked out and woke up in so much pain. I remembered the graveyard mystery dungeon. Memories of attacking Hanna formed a hollow pit in my gut. But that was instantly replaced with rage as I remembered Camille. The damn jolteon and the infernape guard with him. How they let him go for his crimes just because they wanted him in the guard. He wasn’t going to face justice because the guard accepted him. The rage boiled over. I felt my body’s desire to manifest a dark type move. The energy making its way towards my mouth and fangs. But with the kernel inert, the energy had no chance to manifest. Yet the energy still coursed through my body as my hatred for Camille, the guard, and this whole messed up system increased with each passing second. Still the dark type energy failed to manifest beyond pulsing through my body.

 

Eventually the anger faded to a dull seething rage. I was fully awake now. The pain was still there, but it too had faded to a dull ache. My head and chest hurt. There was a slight twinge in my side when I inhaled. A phantom sensation of heat and pressure formed on my back. I screamed as I charged up a magical leaf. I spun around to unleash the attack on the jolteon. But he was not there, nor did the move manifest. I tried to summon a magical leaf again. I felt the draw of energy, but nothing came from it. My crest didn’t even glow.

 

On the edge of my vision I spied something black around my neck. I craned backwards in an attempt to get a better look at whatever had been placed on me. It was a collar. A black collar, just like the one Camille was wearing. It had a small fringe of silver. I tried to pull it off, but it hardly moved and felt like I was choking myself when I did so. I grunted and left the collar there, sensing it was a fruitless endeavor to try and remove whatever it was. I also noticed that I was sans my bandana, my badge, and the marbled bag from Timber. I had absolutely nothing on me. No supplies. Nothing.

 

I asked aloud, “What’s going on?”

 

I pawed at the black collar. “What is this?”

 

I was not in the necropolis mystery dungeon. I wasn’t in the Guild. I wasn’t outside of the dungeon either. I was in a stone room. It had to be no more than five feet in all directions. The floor, walls, and ceiling all made of scuffed black stone with dark grey mortar between them. A small slit in the wall before me let sunlight stream in. The hole too small to let any pokemon slide through.

 

I was on a bed, and a pale excuse at that. A simple cushion that had seen better days resting on top of a stone edifice and nothing else. The cushion stained with various different splotches that made my stomach churn at their origins. There was another bed on the other side of the room, where Brooke was curled up in a little ball. My heart swelled at the sight of the shiny eevee. I hopped off the stained monstrosity and made my way towards her. I stopped when my eyes landed on the last wall of the room we ended up in. It was dominated by thick metal bars. A jail cell?

 

Given that we were attacked by the guard, it did sort of make sense for us to end up in a jail cell. Beyond the threshold of the wall of steel bars was a narrow hallway lined with more cells filled with more pokemon. The one directly opposite mine had a maractus sitting in the center of the room right in the path of the sunbeam streaming through the slit like window. The one on the left had a litleo and purrloin coiled up together on one of the horrid beds. The one on the right had a yellow and brown canine gnawing at the bars of their cell to no avail. A teddiursa sat on the bed and lazily watched the futile escape attempt of the canine. One thing I did notice was they all had black collars on, ones just like mine.

 

I ignored the other pokemon and the collars, figuring I would get at least an answer to the new accessory eventually. And as to where we now were. I instead made my way towards Brooke. I joined her on her bed and nudged the sleeping fox. She too didn’t have her bandana or badge anymore. She groaned and batted a paw lazily in my direction, “Et away.”

 

I smiled and nuzzled close to her. She stiffened and struck with both of her back paws, sending me flying off the bed and to the stone floor with a pained grunt. She bolted up right and screamed, “Get away from me, you rapist!”

 

A second later she flabbergasted said, “What? Why can’t I use quick attack?”

 

She proceeded to attempt her various moves with the same failure for each. She ran across the bed, but there was no golden aura. She kicked the cushion, sending a few stray down out, but there was no oomph to the move. She whipped her tail back and forth, but no energy radiated off to signal the debuff move. With no dirt or soil she didn’t even attempt sand attack. She came to a screeching halt. Her body tense and her eyes wide and full of worry. She hollowly stated, “I can’t use my moves.”

 

I quickly jumped up and hugged her as tightly as I could. She tensed up, but returned it. Her body shivering as she asked, “Why can’t I use my moves?”

 

“We’re okay, Brooke.” I tried to comfort the eevee, petting her back. She sniffled and leaned closer to me.

 

“But,” she croaked out, “What’s going on?”

 

She pulled away and scanned the room around us. She asked, “Where are we?”

 

“Jail?” I offered not so sure myself, looking around the room just like she was doing. I turned back to her and said, “We were captured by Camille and that guard.”

 

She pushed off and jumped from the bed. She shouted out, “If that damn jolteon put his paws on either of us.”

 

I wanted to say he didn’t do anything. I wanted to think that. I wanted to believe that. But I couldn’t will myself to do so. I didn’t feel pain back there, but I wasn’t so sure if he did or didn’t do anything. My mind didn’t feel tampered with. I still felt like me. I still felt like Aster. Which made me feel that the jolteon didn’t do anything. That he didn’t mess with either our minds or our bodies. Maybe the guard didn’t let him do anything.

 

Brooke was pacing the room and fuming. Muttering to herself obscenities directed at the jolteon and the various things she would do once she got her paws on him. A lot of them involved removing his dick and shoving it inside various holes in his body. Some natural and others she planned to make in him.

 

“I’m flattered you think so highly of me.”

 

Brooke froze mid stride as the smug voice of the jolteon pierced the air. My head snapping to the iron bars, where the jolteon was now standing outside of. He no longer had the black collar, but now had a guard’s green scarf draped over his back like a cape. Brooke screamed and rushed the bars. She tried to swipe the jolteon with her claws. He just leaned backwards out of her reach with a smile on his face the entire time. Brooke seethed out, “I’m going to rip you to shreds. I swear if you did anything- “

 

“I didn’t,” he quickly said with a sour look on his face.

 

Brooke stalled, but quickly went back to trying to attack him. “You fucking liar!”

 

Camille actually rolled his eyes as he said, “I was under orders to not do anything like that to you two.”

 

I gave off a single bark of a laugh. I leapt off the bed and made my way next to Brooke. “I’d sooner believe I was the son of Arceus than anything you’d say.”

 

Camille laughed as he took a step back. “You two were reaped. As policy of the guard, we are not to allow any harm to come to you once in our care that cannot be undone with simple healing.”

 

I was about to snap back before he cut me off and added, “Plus we are to not mess with your virgin status.”

 

The way he stressed the word ‘virgin’ made my skin crawl. The jolteon continued with a predatory smile, “While I would have loved to finally get at your cookie.”

 

His eyes flashed to Brooke for a second before landing on me. Brooke snarled and huddled close to me. Camille seemed to love the reaction even more so. “Or turned your brain to mush. I couldn’t.”

 

He shrugged, “I am a member of the guard and keeping the peace is my job.”

 

“Bullshit!” Brooke jabbed an accusatory paw at the jolteon.

 

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a load of bull and you know it. You just saw an opportunity to not face justice for your crimes and took it like a coward.”

 

“Maybe,” Camille nodded. He flashed his fangs as he then asked, “But who is in jail right now?”

 

He laughed as he turned and strode down the hallway with a swing in his step. Brooke pressed herself up against the bars as she shouted, “When I get out of here I’m going to enjoy ripping your dick to pieces!”

 

Camille just laughed harder. A door slammed shut with a heavy thud and the prison went silent. Brooke huffed and extracted herself from the bars. She came to a stop in the middle of the room. I rushed to her side and embraced her in a hug. I comforted her as I said, “We’ll get out of this.”

 

“How?” she asked looking over every inch of the room again, “We’re in a cell. We can’t use our moves. We…”

 

Her words died and silence filled the cell yet again. Her eyes widened as she pushed me away and asked, “Where’s Hanna?!”

 

She rushed to the bars and scanned up and down the narrow hallway lined with cells. She called out for the zorsune, but no response came. She asked again, “Is she here?!”

 

Before she could get more frantic I said, “I teleported her out of the mystery dungeon.”

 

“You what?” She asked turning to me.

 

I gestured her to come towards me, which she followed. I hugged her as I explained, “I used my badge to teleport her out of the dungeon after I saw they had you.”

 

“But you didn’t…” She trailed off not able to finish her sentence.

 

I figured she was wondering why I only teleported Hanna out of there and didn’t go myself since the badge could have taken both of us with no issue. I smiled as I hugged her tighter. “I couldn’t live with myself if I let them take you from me. I knew I had to get Hanna out of there, but I would never leave you in their clutches alone.”

 

She sniffled as she returned the tight hug. She croaked out, “You’re such a sap.”

 

“And you’re a sap’s pokemon,” I said back with a laugh.

 

She groaned and pushed me away. “And now we both are trapped here.”

 

“At least we’re together,” I said, my smile not faltering.

 

“And how are we going to get out of this?” She asked running a paw along one of the bars.

 

“We’ll figure something out,” I offered. I quickly added, “The Guild will do something.”

 

“I doubt that.” A gruff voice answered from one of the other cells.

 

I stepped closer to the bars and said aloud, “We can’t just give up.”

 

“Listen, you idiot,” the same pokemon responded, “We were reaped. We are all here because the damn princess will pick one of us to be her personal sex slave for the rest of our lives. Everyone else will be joining that jolteon as members of the guard. We are not escaping. No one is coming to save us. No one gives two shits about us anymore. No one ever escapes being reaped.”

 

“Well, aren’t you a ball of sunshine,” Brooke said stepping back from the edge of the cell.

 

“Doesn’t mean I’m not right,” the same guy said.

 

I ignored him and followed Brooke back to the center of the room. We opted not to sit on the cushions, feeling the floor was probably cleaner than them. She gave the slit window a glance as she said, “We need to get out of here.”

 

“I know,” I agreed, following her gaze towards the window. It was too small for either of us to squeeze through. The bars of the cell were too close together for us to attempt to squeeze through them either. The room was sealed off completely. Plus our inability to use any of our moves made it even harder. Not to mention the fact we were in a prison and there had to be countless guards patrolling the area and would stop us if we even tried. My paw slowly lifted and felt up the collar still secured snuggly to my neck. I felt it had to be the reason as to why I couldn’t use moves. I stopped musing with mine and gave Brooke’s a cursory glance. Can we take these off?

 

I stepped behind Brooke to inspect her collar for any clip or something to undo it. She gave me a perplexed look, turning my way as she called out my name confused. I shushed her and pushed her head forward, giving me a better look at her collar. I said, “I want to see if I can take these off or not.”

 

I checked for anything to remove it; a clip, a buckle, a button, anything. But there was nothing. The collar was a smooth piece of black leather with no hint of how they slipped it on or around our necks. I huffed as I pulled away from Brooke. “Figures that would be too easy.”

 

“How are we going to get out?” Brooke asked. The faintest bit of worry trembled her words. She actually seemed scared. It felt so weird to see the blood thirsty, battle loving eevee scared. She was never scared. “We can’t stay here, we have to get out, we can’t stay trapped, we can’t let them choose us, we can’t join the guard.”

 

She was breathing rapidly, and her eyes were unfocused and darting this way and that. I quickly jumped forwards and grasped her. She yelped, but didn’t move to get out of my hold. I turned her till she was facing me. I sternly called her name. She froze and blinked focus back in her eyes. The inkling of tears forming in the corners. She hesitantly said, “I don’t want to be here, Aster.”

 

“We’ll get out of this, Brooke,” I softly said as I embraced her again. I nuzzled the side of her head. She returned it with a few sniffles. I added, “I promise. We will get out of this together.”

 

The door to the hallway opening loudly killed the moment. Several sets of footsteps made their way down the prison. Everyone perked up and watched the pokemon make their way in. Their gazes only landing on us prisoners for a short moment before flashing to another pokemon or some disinteresting part of the room. The party came to a stop just beyond our cell. There were three pokemon in total, all of them wearing the green scarves of the guard. There was the infernape from before, who was now flanked by a taller than normal girafarig missing its iconic tail. But the hoodie like covering it was wearing looked exactly like its lost toothy tail. The other pokemon was a ninjask. The infernape cleared his throat, “Good evening, reapings.”

 

The simian got a chorus of grunts, boos, and curses. Brooke and I collectively hissed at him. He just smirked in response, his eyes landing on the two of us for a few seconds. He continued, “I am glad to announce that your hour is nearly at hand and one of you will be chosen by our dear Princess to be her companion. For the rest of you, you will have the prestigious honor of being welcomed within our ranks.

 

“You will all be brought before our groomers so that you may be made presentable before joining the rest of the festivities,” he lazily turned to look at each of the cells. He came to a rigid stop looking right at us, his face hardened. “I will make myself clear on this and state this once and only once.”

 

He turned away next. “You will be on your best behavior. I will not tolerate any discontent today. I will not allow any attempt to ruin the Princess’s day. You may be guests here, but you are all under my control. Any disrespect at all is grounds for execution. And I will gladly undertake this duty without pause today. Do. Not. Tempt. Me!”

 

His fists combusted as he channeled the energy for whatever the fire type move was. He bared his fangs. He straightened his back, and his face returned to its neutral state with a loud huff. The fire on his fists extinguished with a sizzle. “Do I make myself clear?”

 

He got no response from anyone. He growled, flashing his fangs again. He nearly shouted as he repeated the question. “Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear!”

 

This time he got another round of grumbles and grunts from those gathered. He seemed to except this. He walked down the hallway as he continued, “Do as you are told and do not step out of line and we all can walk away from today alive.”

 

The door opened once again, and more guards filed in. Camille walked in line with a larger version of those foxes I saw at Nuts Emporium. As well as a black skinned marowak. The ends of the bone keeper’s namesake were alight with fiendish teal fire. The four antenna on top of the girafarig’s head lit with psychic energy and the bars of the cells followed suit. All at once the bars slid upwards with a horrific sound of scraping metal as they were absorbed by the stonework. No one moved and simply watched the display of power as all of the cells were opened at once. The metal bars came to a stop with only an inch or so sticking out. The rest of the bar seeming to have been fused with the black stones of the prison. The infernape ordered, “Let’s get moving.”

 

He made his way towards the exit and the other guards ordered us to follow. With us having no ability to fight back we could only do as they say. The giraffe stayed back as the other guards ushered us along in two rows. The large fox took point with Camille and the marowak flanking our group. The jolteon making sure to stay close to me and Brooke. I didn’t turn his way even if I felt his eyes on my back, trying to bore a hole through my skull. The ninjask floated above keeping watch over all of us. I walked in front of Brooke. In front of me were a pancham and a multicolored ancient bird just like the member of the Guild. Behind Brooke was a zigzagoon and a poliwag. The left column of pokemon was made up of a teddisursa, the yellow canine, the purrloin, the litleo, an elekid, and a popplio. Bringing up the rear and hopping at a slower pace than the rest of us was the maractus. They jingled with each hop.

 

We were led out of the prison and down a set of stairs that curved around wherever we were. The staircase opened up to another floor full of jail cells. These were not full of pokemon, but supplies. Wooden crates of various sizes, swords, spears, more rotten beds, and some other odds and ends. We paid the cells and their contents little mind and crossed the room and out the door on the opposite side. This one led outside of the prison. The area around us was a castle courtyard of some kind, looking exactly like one you might see in a fantasy story. There was a hedge maze in one corner. Various trees and out of place flora dotted the area. No doubt imported from all across Kino to become a part of the collage of plant life. Fountains and other water features mingled in. Perfectly manicured stretches of grass. We were surrounded by tan walls capped with dark green tiles. Instantly telling me where we were, the castle on the cliff. The King’s castle. Looking back, the building we had come from was the only different stonework in the area. The black tower I first saw standing out against the brown and green of the castle. I guess that’s the castle prison.

 

We were ushered along the outside of the courtyard, avoiding the grass type pokemon tending to the immaculate area. The guards brought us to a random door along the retaining wall and through it. The room beyond was done up like a massive spa. A wooden tub filled with water dominated one side of the room. A trio of shelves off to the other side, packed to brim with various brushes, combs, and other grooming supplies. Front and center was a pale blue tiled area with thirteen wooden stools placed in a semi-circle. It wasn’t glamorous, just a room made to fit a form. No doubt the royal family had an actual spa with the proper facilities and aesthetic. They probably even had two or three.

 

Filtering about the room were a bunch of pokemon. I could quickly identify an aromatisse, a scyther, a wigglytuff, an audino, a golduck, and a female wobbuffet. There was also a white and dark purple humanoid plant like pokemon that had a heavily proportioned female figure with long green leaves in the shape of flowing locks. Last was what appeared to be a larger version of a morgrem covered in brilliant white hair made to look like muscles.

 

The infernape stepped up to the aromatisse and said, “We’ve have brought the reapings.”

 

The fragrance pokemon gave us a scowl. They turned back to the monkey and said with a nod, “Good, leave us to our work.”

 

All the guards made their way out of the room and left us with the groomers. No one opted to fight or make a break for it, there was no point in doing so. The guards were no doubt going to be just outside and with us unable to do any moves, even these stylists could defeat any of us in a fight. Eventually, we were ushered forward and ordered to sit on the stools. I scowled as I hopped up on my designated spot, Brooke on my left and the purrloin on my right. The wigglytuff went to Brooke while the golduck moved towards me.

 

What followed was a quick round of rough handling and scrubbing as we were cleaned of basically any spot of grime. We were brushed to the point where my fur felt like it was going to fall off. A pair of clippers were born down on me and snipped away bits of unruly green fur. The water was lukewarm at best, I still shivered when a bucket was dumped over my head. When the golduck moved for under my tail, I snapped and tried to bite the duck pokemon. I was forced to the ground with a flipper on my head and they proceeded to wash my underside with a hard bristle brush. It felt so humiliating to be treated like a pet. To have no agency what so ever. My face burned and I felt the heat and pressure on my back like before as they touched everything. I shivered more from the touch than the cold water.

 

I glared daggers at the golduck when they released me. My tail remained plastered to my backside. I kept my eyes locked on the ground with my ears folded backwards once the golduck left. I wished so much that I could summon a move at all lot. Just to make the water type suffer. A single magical leaf would do them in. I tried to summon the energy for the move, but I only gave myself a headache as the energy failed to manifest yet again.

 

Our less than glamourous spa session all ended with the aromatisse in charge blasted me with a cloud of some flowery perfume. I couldn’t help but gag from the offending aroma that invaded my nostrils and made my head spin. After all of that, we were ushered out of the room and back to the courtyard, where the guard were all waiting for us. Even a few more of the green scarved pokemon had joined. There was now a toxicroak, a scolipede, and a goodra. They all surrounded us, and we returned to our two row formation as we were brought across the courtyard and to the castle proper.

 

The inside of the castle was a maze of hallways and rooms with various pokemon servants making their way about the place. There were pokemon cleaning the floors and various objects. Random knick-knacks that the royal family had gathered over the years and slotted into random spots to display. Just in the off chance a visitor might wander across this random section of the sprawling mess. All of the working pokemon were wearing the stereotypical black and white maid uniform. They gave us little attention as we were brought to a random corner of the castle and to a set of two large dark wooden doors covered in bronze bracers. Two more guards flanked the door, a bisharp and a lickitung. The two wordlessly nodded and opened the door for our entourage.

 

The room beyond was an expansive ballroom. The entire place had a theme of whites and greys. The floor was made of white marble with black streaks, the center of the room covered with silvery wooden planks. The walls were painted a soft grey and the ceiling matched. A trio of hanging crystal chandeliers lit up the room. The entire right wall was made of windows and doors with a flower garden on the outside. Circular tables dotted the room, all of them covered with the whitest white tablecloths. Looking more like cakes covered with freshly rolled fondant that had yet to be trimmed and smoothed. Silver and white chairs were set around the tables with silver place settings. At the back of the room was a raised platform with a long table. There was another long table off to the left, this was the only table without any pokemon sitting at.

 

A five piece band in the corner of the room sputtered to a stop at our entry, drawing everyone’s attention to us. I stiffened at all the eyes snapped in our direction. Countless pokemon looking at us. I didn’t like it one bit. I shuffled closer to Brooke, and she did so as well. Her touch was a comfort, but the flowery aroma clingy to us soured the contact. I missed her fresh bakery scent.

 

All around the room were pokemon of different sizes, types, and evolutionary stages. There was a pikachu and raichu talking to a sceptile. A nidoking with a gardevoir, politoed, and weavile all in flowery dresses basically cuddling the drill pokemon. A cotton candy rapidash walked alongside a meganium. A delcatty and purugly fussed over a skitty in a large frilly pink dress. A glaceon and shiny sylveon were sitting on the same seat and feeding each other. A serperior lazily weaved around the tables in a waiter’s waistcoat with several platers of appetizers balanced on their vines.

 

At the table at the end of the room was a collection of feline and canine pokemon. There was an arcanine and two growlithe. One of which was the darker variant. A sole absol. A leafeon with an eevee. And a pair of luxray with a luxio and a shinx. One of the luxray wore a gleaming silvery crown with purple and blue gems cut in the shape of lightning bolts. They also had an obnoxious velvet cape with white puffy fringe. Guess that’s the King.

 

All of the pokemon gathered were dressed in some fashion. There were tuxes for the bipedal pokemon or the front half a tux for the quadrupeds. Some wore robes and other medieval style clothing. There were dresses and skirts of various designs. And every single one had some jewelry of some kind. All of this was a bit weird, since up to this point I’ve seen pokemon either bare or with only small accessories.

 

The infernape stalked to the middle of the room and gave the table of felines and canines a deep bow. He remained in it as he said, “Greetings, King Alexander. I have brought to you the reapings gathered for this fantastical evening.”

 

The luxray with a crown stood from his black chair was a deep growl. He flashed his fangs with a predatory smile. His eyes moving over each of us thirteen reapings. I shivered and pressed closer to Brooke. The King turned back to the infernape, who still held his bow, and said, “Thank you, Colonel Wallace.”

 

The feline turned back to us and gave a wide wave of his paw. “Welcome, valued guests. I am so pleased that all of you have the honor of joining us on this momentous day of my daughter’s twelfth moon.”

 

He rested a paw on the back of the white chair of the shinx sitting next to him. The flash pokemon preened at the declaration. She was wearing a lavender dress with a silver tiara with the same blue and purple gems in a lightning pattern. But it was still smaller than her father’s. Had to keep his ego as inflated as possible. Alexander made his way around the table. “I am pleased to continue this great tradition of our land, and I hope you are just as pleased to be worthy of being considered for this prestigious position. Even if you aren’t chosen to be my daughter’s companion, you still will have the honor of being welcomed amongst the ranks of my elite guard.”

 

Big doubt to all of that there. I rolled my eyes. The King continued on his path around the table and towards the front of it. He waved a paw at the empty rectangular table off to the side. “Please sit. Eat. Mingle. Rejoice. And we will conduct the Choosing Ceremony soon.”

 

Wallace stepped back from the center of the room and ordered us towards the table. The other guards guided us to our assigned seats. Before the place settings were small paper placards with our species names written on them. And just our species name, we didn’t have the honor of being known by our actual names. On my left was the popplio and on my right was the litleo. Brooke was placed a few seats down. She gave me a worried look when we separated. I gave her a small nuzzle and said, “I’m not that far away.”

 

The place setting was two porcelain plates with silver fringe stacked on top of each other. The second one smaller than the larger one underneath. A snow white napkin folded in the shape of a crown sat in the center. Another small plate and a matching bowl were off to the left and right respectively. I had two forks on my left and two knives and a spoon on my right. A goblet sat next to the small bowl. Above the plates was another smaller fork and spoon. All the silverware was actually made of silver and the handles were marble. I gave the whole thing a sad look with a frown. Just like home.

 

A small cough drew my attention away from the silverware and to the serperior waitstaff. He leveled the trays of food as he offered, “Hor d’oeuvres?”

 

Another vine extended from his neck and pointed to each tray one at a time. “Mini quiche. Toast with diced tomatoes and tamato berries. Fried mushrooms. Cocktail shrimp. And deviled eggs.”

 

The mini quiches were cupcake sized yellow treats with hints of green, red, and brown in them with a toasty brown crust. The toast was perfectly charred with grill lines. The mixture of tomatoes and tamato berries was dressed in oil and chopped basil. The fried mushrooms were golden brown spheres of fried dough with shredded cheese and chopped green onions splattered over them. The shrimp were a perfect pink, and the saucer of cocktail sauce had a faint spicy aroma to it. The devil eggs were filled with a fluffy pile of pureed yolk with a dusting of paprika.

 

I was tempted to take something to eat, my stomach beginning to hurt with hunger. But I also really didn’t want any of what they were offering. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to join in these festivities. This wasn’t a party. We weren’t guests of honor. We were lesser pokemon to these spoiled lords and ladies. One of us was going to be a slave to the shinx princess, the rest forced to be members of the guard. We need to get out of here.

 

I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that given the multitude of guards posted around the room. The door we came through was a no-go. The flower garden seemed to be walled in, without a passage out of it. There was a door towards the back corner of the room, close to the band who had started playing light music again, that the waitstaff was coming and going through with their platters of food. That could be a possible point of exit. But again the guards would be an issue. Especially with Camille sitting off to the side with his eyes locked on us. No way can we slip free with him here.

 

I gave the serperior a shake of my head and he moved on without any reaction, offering the same collection of food to the other reaped pokemon. Most of the other reapings didn’t indulge in the offered food. The only ones partaking were the pancham, the purrloin, and the fossil bird pokemon. The grassy snake was not discouraged by the declined offerings and made his way towards the pokemon who actually wanted to be here.

 

We didn’t get a second of rest before someone else came upon our table. It was the King with his precious daughter in tow. The luxray gave all of us an analytical gaze. He seemed pleased if the smile on his muzzle was anything to go by. The female shinx seemed disinterested. Her gaze was locked off on some other corner of the room with half lidded eyes. The luxray turned to his daughter and asked, “So what do you think of the reapings I’ve gotten for you, sweetie?”

 

If smartphones existed here, I feel the shinx would be scrolling nonstop on some social media site. I could see her posting something about how she didn’t want to be here and wanting her dad to just leave her alone. The only thing missing would be some pink bubble gum. Maybe the little tuft of hair on her head being died black or some neon color. Why do I feel like she would be friends with Sophia?

 

The shinx gave us reapings the same indifferent look. She gave a small exhale before turning away as she said, “I want to see their moves.”

 

“We can’t do that, dear,” the King quickly responded turning to her, “They have those null collars on for a reason.”

 

The princess rolled her eyes. “But they’re boring like this.”

 

Why do I feel like a piece of meat? The King pulled her off to the side and whispered something to her. The two left without another word. The maractus jiggled on the spot as they said, “Maybe none of us will be chosen.”

 

“Like that’ll be any good, then we’ll be all be made members of the guard," the bird said with a short tone before popping a deviled egg in his beak.

 

Guess that’s Mister Sunshine from earlier. The pancham slammed a fist on the table. “Why don’t you shut the fuck up. I’m tired of your Arceus damn defeatist attitude.”

 

“Why do you have any optimism?” the bird snapped back at the panda. “Where all fucked.”

 

I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t you keep it to yourself, birdie?”

 

“You only got here today,” he said turning to me and pointed a feather like a finger in my direction, “I’ve been here for four. You have no idea the shit I’ve been through since they took me prisoner.”

 

“We’re all in the same boat, you ass,” Brooke snapped back, “Us fighting each other does us no good.”

 

“Quite down,” the scolipede guard barked coming up behind our table, “You must be on your best behavior.”

 

“Or what?” I couldn’t help but ask.

 

“We’ll make sure you end up in the guard.”

 

“Not really a threat,” I said with a deadpan.

 

“Why you little,” the scolipede grumbled as he stalked up to me with a glare. His twin tails took on a metallic gleam as you said, “You think you’re better than the guard?”

 

Before I could utter anything else, the door to the room open with a bang. The two halves were blasted off their hinges and sent flying across the room. One smashing through the right wall in a shower of broken glass. The other crushing a table and impacting the wall with a deafening thud. The room went silent, the band sputtering to a cacophonous halt quicker than our entrance. A mound of knives and a pile of coiled bubble gum tumbled into the room as black smoke filtered in from the passage.

 

The scolipede stepped away from the reaping table and rushed forward with the other guards. The partygoers screamed in horror as the guards quickly formed a line of defense. The infernape ordered, “Get them out of here!”

 

The marowak, toxicroak, and a lizard covered in metal plates followed the order and moved to get the civilians out of the room. The door to the kitchen blasted open next, sending a florgres flying across the room where they sent a table soaring. The three guards took positions blocking the door. A lucario and a bayleef stepping through the doorway squared off against the guards.

 

Next the flower garden exploded as a series of titanic pokemon landed heavily in the small area. A tyranitar, an aggron, a charizard, a beartic, and a chesnaught. More guards splintered off from those at the door to stand off against the third point of attack. The brick red fox, the ninjask, the goodra, and a shiftry being those. Leaving Wallace, Camille, the girafirag, the scolipede, and a dark grey ghostly primeape the ones standing at the door. The partygoers were all clustered together on the wooden section of the ballroom. Most of us reapings remained where we were. The yellow canine and the teddiursa being the only two that rushed towards the group of nobles for safety amongst the crowd.

 

Acting on instinct, I dove off the chair and under the table. A slit in the table cloth giving me a slightly obscured view of the room. Brooke made her way over to me and huddle close. She was tense and I felt the faintest quiver in her body as she nuzzled close to me. She whispered, “What’s going on?”

 

“I don’t know,” I answered back, “But I have a bad feeling about this.”

 

Something in my gut telling me this was all wrong. That we shouldn’t be here. That we needed to get out now. But with all points of entry were blocked by the guard and whoever these pokemon were, that was now a complete impossibility.

 

The pit in my stomach dropped further as a deep cackling laugh echoed throughout the room. “Sorry for being tardy.”

 

The smoke in the main doorway vanished in a flash. Like someone wiping away some moisture on a fogged up mirror. In its place was another cluster of powerful looking pokemon. In the back was a steelix and a metallic looking earthworm. Standing between them was a kangaskhan. Next there was a hydreigon and a dusknoir. And in front was a shiny hawlucha and a strange looking misdreavus flanking a figure in a blood red cloak. The robed figure held within their grasp a gnarled ashen grey wooden staff with a glowing fiery orange eight point star floating within the forked end. The cloaked figure stepped forward.

 

The infernape summoned his fiery fists as he asked, “What is the meaning of this?”

 

The cloaked figure simply chuckled in response. They removed the hood of their attire with a white furred limb that ended in a black clawed hand. Which was strange since their limb clasping on to the staff was that of a charcoal scaled lizard or dragon. The head was equally as miss-mashed. Their head was that of a blaziken, but they had two ears sticking out. One was that of a wigglytuff, the other a pikachu. What the dis is this?

 

The miss-match rightened their posture as they spoke in a strange tone, “We have come here to put an end to the tyranny caused by the corrupt and outdated systems of absolute monarchies that have reaped these lands for countless centuries. To end the suffering of those squashed under their paws once and for all.”

 

They slammed the staff down, cracking the marble flooring and sending small chips of the polished rock flying. Their voice sounded masculine and feminine at the same time. Almost exactly like how Jirachi sounded, only this one wasn’t as squeaky and childish sounding as the mythical’s. It still sounded overall male. Their words were also weird. Almost sounding like the ramblings of that Maximilian Wolfram guy from Russa. The guy who led the collectivist faction during their civil war.

 

“You dare intrude here?” The infernape asked. He took a heavy step forward. “You dare invade this castle and think you will get away with this transgression?”

 

“Yes,” the chimera said with far too much enthusiasm. He slammed his staff down, the star floating inside it spun like a fan on the highest setting. The ground around the guards morphed and formed tentacles that quickly ensnared them. They were dragged to the ground, brought to their knees in a second. Those with arms had them pulled behind their back. Others were dragged to the ground and pulled as if the floor itself was trying to consume them. A wall of razor sharp spikes erupted and surrounded the cowering collection of nobles in the center of the room. A strange field of energy pulsed around the circle of spikes and the pokemon trapped within the field seemed to be zapped of their energy. Some falling to the ground, unable to hold themselves up. Others looking on the verge of falling asleep.

 

The robed leader slowly stepped forward as he chuckled. The girafarig reared their head back as a cloud of white stars formed around their head. The glowing stars shot off and towards the miss-matched pokemon. They disappeared in a flash before the attack could close the distance. The swift stars sliced through the discarded robe, rending it to scraps.

 

The miss-match reappeared in a flash of orange light off in the corner of the room. With his robe no more he was laid bare. The true mismatched nature of his body on clear display. His overall body shaped seemed to mimic a lucario, but he had no features of the aura pokemon. His torso was that of a lopunny. Even if he sounded male, he had large breasts covered in the typical creamy lopunny fluff. I quickly turned away from that, but my eyes landed on the only article of clothing now on him, a tattered dark brown loincloth that did little to hide the bulge underneath. I whimpered and turned away, but not before seeing his legs were two different ones. One was a long slender pure white and the other was a blue frog’s leg. Lastly he had a massive vaporeon tail.

 

He huffed with snarl, “You cheeky bugger.”

 

He raised his staff, and the star flashed white. Another tendril shot from the ground and wrapped around the neck of the giraffe. They let off a garbled grunt as the stoney appendage wrapped around their neck several times over. Their eyes bulged out and their tongue flopped out as they gasped for breath. The magician jabbed the staff in the direction of the long neck pokemon, the tendril tightening ever so much more. The miss-matched seethed out through uneven yellowed fangs, “You insufferable reprobate.”

 

A soft snap filled the room as the tendril fully encompassed the entire length of the girafarig’s neck. Pokemon screamed. Others yelled. The magician jabbed the staff forward again and the light around the star increased. The giraffe’s body flashed orange, and they were transformed into a pillar of metal stars that clattered to the floor noisily. The tendrils that once held it in place unraveled and returned to the floor. The screams increased, some of them going hysterical. Wallace growled out, “What did you do to him?!”

 

“What I did to your other guards,” the miss-match said with a wave of his wand at the pile of knives and the coil of bubble gum. I gulped as my blood ran cold. Did he kill them?

 

“What do you want?” The luxray king said bodying pokemon aside as he made his way through the crowd and towards the edge of the cage trapping him and his guests.

 

“Sire, stand back,” the infernape barked in a desperate tone.

 

“Who are you?” Alexander ignored the words of his guard and pressed his muzzle through the gap in the blade like spikes of wood and marble. He glared at the miss-match, who just chuckled in response.

 

The chimera sashayed across the floor and towards his captives. He passed the incapacitated guards, waving his wand back and forth like a baton. He gave a fanged smile and declared, “My name is Roland. I am the Lord Protector of the Iron Islands. And I have come to destroy your kingdom. All kingdoms. To set the pokemon of Kino free."

Chapter 25: Revelations

Summary:

Aster and Brooke are trapped by Roland and his forces. They need to escape from the mad miss-match before its too late. But something seems wrong with the shard of the First Star.

Roland! I stiffened at the declaration. This is Roland!

 

Brooke shuffled close and asked, “Aster? What do we do?”

 

“I,” my voiced died. I didn’t have an answer. I couldn’t think of one. I was numb. All I could do was keep my eyes locked on the strange miss-match of pokemon parts that was the villain I had been brought here to defeat. Here he was standing before me. Yet I wasn’t expecting this. I didn’t know what he was, but I never would have guessed this. I figured some big ferocious pokemon like the tyranitar or aggron outside. I didn’t expect some chimera of various pokemon parts to be the being that had defeated Jirachi and stole the First Star. My eyes flashed to the staff, more specifically the orange eight point star lazily rotating within the confines of the fork in the pale wooden object. That must be a piece of the First Star.

 

“Do you honestly think you’ll get away with this?” Alexander’s booming voice asked back angrily at Roland.

 

“Yes,” Roland said jovially, spinning his staff. He clasped it with both hands and stared longingly at the star. He ran his lizard claw across the object and said, “I very much think I will.”

 

He turned back to his captives, “I already have in fact.”

 

“You won’t leave this palace alive,” the infernape said straining against his bonds.

 

“I very much think I will,” Roland said back. He pointed his staff at the monkey. “The real question is, will you?”

 

He then waved the staff at the crowd before them. Some flinched back from the powerful weapon. Some used the larger pokemon as shields. Roland cackled. He continued in a maniacal voice, “Will any of you make it out of here alive?”

 

He spun on the spot as he merrily asked, “Who here will join me on my crusade to liberate Kino and bring about a brand new golden age?”

 

He pointed the staff at the scolipede, whose horns twitched aggressively. Roland asked, “Will you forsake this tired old institution of pompous bloodlines and join my cause.”

 

“Fuck you,” the bug pokemon said as he spat in Roland’s face.

 

The miss-match’s manic expression didn’t falter as he wiped the saliva off his cheek. He shrugged as he brought his staff to bear. “Very well.”

 

He tapped the tip of the star to the massive bug’s chest. His body was consumed in orange light. A pile of black and magenta tires having replaced the bug type. Screams echoed out across the room. Some pokemon broke down to tears, collapsing to the ground. Some muttered prayers to Arceus. Roland just laughed as he danced across the marble, “Pray. Pray all you want.”

 

“But here’s a news flash,” He pirouetted on the spot for a few turns before coming to a stop in a curtsied. “Your god is dead.”

 

“For I am your new god!” He declared throwing his arms out to the side. “And I won’t be listening to sniveling fools who must learn their place.”

 

“So, what do you say little monkey.” He pointed the staff at the infernape next as he asked, “Want to join the winning side.”

 

“I’d rather die.”

 

Roland tsked. “Really poor choice of words.”

 

The infernape was consumed by orange light and was reduced to a pile of red plastic monkeys and a cardboard barrel. The light seemed just a tiny bit darker, and the star began fidgeting around its holding as if it wanted to break free.

 

“Aster?” Brooke hissed in my ear in a desperate tone. I peeled my eyes off the scene outside as Roland made his way over towards the hulking form of the goodra. My eyes locked with the eevee's. Hers were filled with fear, her body trembled. She asked, “Wha-what da-do we da-do?”

 

I glanced back through the gap in the table cloth as the bindings around the goodra unwound and the dragon type was allowed to stand. The other guards hissed and booed at the slimy pokemon as they made their way close to the aggron and charizard. I turned back to her and said, “We have to get out of here.”

 

I knew we had to. I knew we needed to get out of here this instant. Even if the bad guy we were supposed to defeat was in the room with us, we had no chance of stopping him. He alone defeated dozens of pokemon. Incapacitating them in a matter of seconds. Rendering them lame and unable to do anything as he basically toyed with them. The power of the First Star fragment he had made him an insurmountable force. He was killing pokemon with a horrific smile on his face. He was getting joy out of this. He was demented. We couldn’t touch him without risking the same fate as the guards he had killed. It hurt to be so close to the end goal of our quest, but unable to do anything about it.

 

“We will,” I barely could muster myself to say.

 

“Bu-but, how?” Brooke asked. Her voice still twinged with fear.

 

I wanted to say we will. That somehow against the odds we would get out of here and back to the Guild. That we would get the map and go off to find the other shards of the star. To stop the other pokemon working for Roland. That once we got the others that we would stand a chance against the crazy chimera. That we could defeat all of them even if they were overpowered to oblivion because of the corrupting nature of the Star. I hoped that Roland was the strongest because he was the leader. That he had the strongest piece of the star and that we even stood a chance to do any of this.

 

But a sinking pit in my stomach told me that it was a lie. That we wouldn’t get out of here. That we didn’t stand a chance. Roland’s presence before us was the cold hard reality being rubbed in our faces. That this whole quest was too big for us. That we had no hope of stopping him. That it was over before it even started.

 

But I couldn’t say that. I didn’t want to say that. I didn’t want to accept that reality. I couldn’t just lay down and accept this fate. We needed to succeed. We needed to defeat Roland. We were the ones chosen by Jirachi to do this. The mythical believed in us. They chose us for this task. We had to do it. We had to surmount the impossible odds. We just had to. I swallowed the pit down and said, “We will. We just will, Brooke.”

 

She went to ask, no doubt not trusting my words, but she was cut off my someone else speaking, “Maybe I can help?”

 

We spun on the spot. I pulled the energy for a magical leaf, but all I got was a headache. I hissed in pain as I cancelled the move. Standing before us was the fossil bird. He was just as scared as Brooke and I. Clasped between his wings was a knife from the table above. He lifted it up and gave me a nod of his head. My eyes flashed to the collars around our necks, then back to the knife. I returned the nod and said, “Do me, I have scratch.”

 

He gave another nod, and I turned around. I lowered my head to give him the best access to undo the collar. With them off we had a chance of getting out of here. We didn’t have to fight, we just had to run. My eyes flashing to Brooke as I asked, “Can you grab pokemon to take them with you when you use quick attack?”

 

“Maybe?” she said not sure of herself as I felt a tug on the back of my neck. I stifled a gag as the collar went taunt. With me being unable to speak as the knife worked its way back and forth through the collar, I remained still and watched what was going on outside. I couldn’t help but growl as the sight of Camille worming his way out of the retreating tendrils of marble and joining the ranks of Roland’s forces. Fucking bastard!

 

I had so wanted to see him be transformed. Maybe he’d become a pile a sludge or reduced to ash by the maniac miss-match. Maybe even a pile of dildoes, so he can be a dick through and through. But that would not be the case as the jolteon planted himself under the shadow of the strange misdreavus. Roland went on to turn the shiftry into a pile of white leaves and the ninjask a stone imitation of a shedinja when they refused his offer of joining. The star had darkened in shade and sparks were flashing off its surface like an exposed live wire.

 

The pressure around my neck disappearing with a snap pulled me away from the events unfolding outside. The bird fell back with a small yelp. My black collar fell to the ground broken. The pressure in the back of my mind faded and I felt a surge of energy as my core reignited. I felt stronger. I felt powerful. I quickly summoned the energy for a scratch and my claws elongated in white light. I reached for Brooke and cut through her collar like butter. I rushed to the bird next and did the same to his. Brooke tapped happily on her paws. A faint white aura flashing across her body, but she didn’t manifest a move of any kind. A light blue aura pulsed across the birds feathers as well. He let off a relieved sigh.

 

“You will pay for your transgressions,” the King bellowed out with anger. Roland just laughed. The King snarled and continued, “You will never leave my palace alive. You and your lackies will face justice for your crimes.”

 

“I’d like to see that,” Roland said as he twirled his staff about, “I really would in fact.”

 

The large fox accepted the chimera’s offer and their bindings were undone. I turned away from the scene and said, “We have to get out of here now.”

 

“But how?” Brooke asked. She surveyed the room through the small sliver we could see from. “They have every inch of this room covered and I doubt there’s a way through the garden.”

 

I took a step towards the other end of the table and glanced at the only other way out, the kitchen. The bird responded, “We should just save ourselves and join this Roland guy.”

 

Brooke hissed, “You honestly think that guy is the good guy?”

 

“Of course he isn’t,” the bird rolled his eyes, “But at least then I’d be alive.”

 

“You’re horrible.”

 

“It’s your funeral.”

 

I shushed the two as I lifted the tablecloth to get a look at our only chance of escaping. The metal plate lizard, marowak, and toxicroak were still rooted to the floor. The lucario and bayleef that had burst through the door were standing away from the passage and watching the scene unfold across the other side of the room. I turned back and called Brooke over. She was by my side in a flash. The bird grumbled and went his own way. I didn’t waste my time calling him over. If he made his choice to join Roland then I wasn’t going to waste my time with a lost cause. I had bigger problems than him. I pointed a paw at the door and asked, “Think you can quick attack both of us there?”

 

“Maybe,” she said not that convinced.

 

“You can do it,” I said back trying to muster as much of my confidence I could right now. Which wasn’t much with my heart racing over the fear of Roland. The power he wielded, and his lackadaisical nature made him a loose cannon I did not want to face right now. I wanted to avoid him like the plague until I had the other pieces of the First Star.

 

Brooke took a deep breath and bit down on my ear as she was cloaked in a golden aura. I hissed as I felt my body pulled faster than I thought I could ever move. The sensation ended abruptly. I was jerked forward, my face smacking against the ground. I groaned in pain and picked myself up. I quickly said, “Good…”

 

The words of congratulations to the eevee dying in my throat seeing where I was. I wasn’t in the doorway or in the kitchen beyond. I was in the middle of the floor. Brooke wasn’t by my side. And a shadow loomed over me. I yelped and tried to flee from the lucario standing over me. I didn’t get far before the large body of the bayleef blocked me. I shivered as they both crowded around me. A metallic shine covered the lucario’s fists and two vines sprouted from the grassy dino’s neck. The lucario growled and asked, “Where did you come from little cat?”

 

“Looks like someone was trying to flee,” the bayleef said back.

 

I jumped to make a move for the door. I didn’t get far before the vines wrapped around my body and hoisted me up. I screamed and tried to worm my way out of the hold. The dinosaur shouted out, “We got a fleer, Lord Roland.”

 

I froze and locked eyes with the chimera across the room. He pulled the staff away from the primeape looking pokemon and cast a confused stare in our direction. The eight point star was darker now, nearly black. He asked, “What?”

 

I glanced over to the door to the kitchen, where I saw a concerned Brooke. I shook my head in the negative once and mouthed, ‘Don’t’. She didn’t seem to like the order, but she relented and stepped back in the shadow of the door, but I could still make out her silvery form. I knew it must be killing her to not come in and try to free me. But she also had to realize that this was not a fight we could win. I didn’t want her to risk herself when it was a fruitless endeavor. I just hoped there was some way for me to still get out of this.

 

“Caught this one trying to escape,” the canine answered. The bayleef bringing me forward and forcing me to the ground. I grunted and tried to pick myself up, but the vines just tightened their hold on me. Roland slowly walked over, tossing the staff back and forth between his hands.

 

As he closed the distance he asked, “Who are you aligned to, young sprigatito?”

 

I grit my teeth as his shadow loomed over me. I wanted to tell him exactly who I was. Why I was here. He was the soul reason why I was brought here. He was the villain I had been tasked with defeating. I wanted to let him know exactly that.

 

But I was also afraid to do so. He was far stronger than me. I was a weak little kitten. He was a mis-matched monstrosity of various pokemon parts sewn together. He had the power of a shard of the First Star. Telling him I was sent here to stop him would only end in my death just like the other guards that had been transmuted. I couldn’t let that happened. And I couldn’t let Brooke suffer the same fate. If he did anything to me, she would no doubt attack and be transformed just like the others.

 

I needed to get us out of here. I needed a way to escape. I needed to get out of his clutches. But how I did so was lost on me. I couldn’t say anything about Jirachi. I couldn’t say anything about being human. Saying anything about the guard or nobility was a death sentence as well. But what about the Reaping?

 

Roland squat down, but still kept himself above me. His loincloth parted and gave me a near unobstructed view of his crotch. But instead of seeing whatever was making the bulge, I saw nothing but a tuft of black fur that was not large enough to make said bulge. My eyes were fixed on his lack of anatomy. Which didn’t make sense with the obvious presence the loincloth originally did little to hide. Wait what?

 

Roland reached out with a claw and lifted my head. The thought in my mind vanished before it could fully form. I gasped at the touch and my eyes snapped to his. I snarled as he forced me to lock eyes with him. He gave me a fanged smile as he let off a small chuckle. He said in a quiet, yet dark tone, “You’ve been touched my him as well.”

 

His smile widened as he sweetly whispered out, “Jirachi.”

 

He knows! My blood ran cold, and my eyes widened at what he said. My breath hitched and I couldn’t will myself to breathe. Roland pulled his claw back as he brought the staff to bare. His smile didn’t falter as he asked, “Did he send you to stop me after I didn’t do as he wanted?”

 

“How?” That was all I could muster once my voice returned to me. It still came out strained and meek.

 

Roland gave me an amused look. “How do I know he sent you here?”

 

I just glared in response. Roland stood back up as he answered his own question, “I can see it in your eyes, you fool.”

 

He pulled the bottom of his eyelid down to expose the red flesh underneath. “There’s a power behind your eyes. Power that no normal pokemon can have. That is the power of a human.”

 

He pointed the staff down at me. I stiffened at the weapon being directed right at me. The star was nearly entirely black now and orange energy coursed across its surface near constantly. Something in the back of my head was telling me that it shouldn’t be like this. That something was going wrong with this shard of the First Star. That something bad was about to happen. Not because he was about to use it on me, but something different. Something worse than me becoming a pile of grass clippings or leaves.

 

“Power like mine,” Roland finished off as the air around us grew heavy. The energy sparking across the star increased in intensity and hue.

 

I turned away from the sparking weapon and locked eyes with the chimera. I gave him a confused look at his words. Does he mean that he’s human too?

 

“Yes,” Roland smile widened as he cackled, “You’ve figured it out.”

 

“You can’t be,” I said back.

 

“Oh," he laughed harder, “But I am. Jirachi sent me first to get the Star.”

 

He turned to the side wistfully, “Must had pissed that little runt off when I decided to take it for myself.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Why?” He repeated back to me. I just hardened my glare. He just laughed. “That self-centered, pompous, prick of a mythical only needed me to retrieve the Star from some forgotten dungeon it was banished to long ago.”

 

He lifted his staff and beheld his corrupted star fragment. He sensually ran a hand along the pronged end of the wooden object. “But when I beheld the Star, I knew I couldn’t just give it up to Jirachi. I knew what I had to do. I could use it to save this world. A world the mythicals have forsaken because they think themselves better than anyone else.”

 

“I mean,” He said turning to me, “You have realized that they always send humans to clean up their dirty work because they can’t be asked to do shit.”

 

He waved the staff, and the ground bubbled and boiled in the wake of his motion. “They are lazy good-for-nothings that do not deserve the words and prayers of the pokemon of this world.”

 

He slammed the staff down, cracking the marble once again. “I will set the pokemon of Kino and this world free of their shackles and bring about a new age of prosperity without the meddling of the legendaries and mythicals. They are the true source of all strife in this world, and I will expose their treachery to the good pokemon of this world.”

 

“You’re demented,” I bit back.

 

“Demented am I?” He asked with an exaggerated cock of his head to the side. He pointed the staff back at me, “You should know better than anyone else. You haven’t been fed lies your entire life to trust those stronger than you. You know that the gods are just pokemon. I expected more from a human.”

 

“Still doesn’t make you right,” I said through grit teeth as I mustered the strength to stand on all four paws.

 

“I think it does,” he said indifferently as the energy coursing around the eight point star increased yet again. Roland chuckled, “But I feel the point is moot with you being my captive. Soon you will be nothing but a pile of some shit and I will be free to do as I please without anyone to stop me.”

 

“I won’t let you!”

 

My blood chilled once again as Brooke screamed and rushed across the room and towards Roland in a golden aura. The chimera cackled wildly as he waved the staff. Brooke was plucked from the air and slammed against the wall. She screamed out as a crack echoed out across the room. She collapsed to the floor and remain there. Her back left leg bent in a way it should not. She let out ragged breaths as her body twitched. She writhed in pain.

 

Something in the back of my head snapped. My vision became red. I fumed and made a jump for the mis-match, the vines keeping me rooted in place. My claws extended and I felt darkness bubbling in the back of my throat. I screamed, “I’m going to murder you!”

 

“I do love the enthusiasm,” Roland laughed. He pointed the staff at Brooke. She tried to get up, but her leg gave out and she screamed. He flashed me a fanged smile, “What should I turn your mate into?”

 

“Don’t you dare!” I struggled against my bindings as the hatred boiled up my throat, over my fangs, and out my mouth. It dripped to the floor in vicious black sludge. It boiled over and coated my fur. I stamped a paw down and let off a heated huff. “You leave her the fuck alone!”

 

“I don’t think I will,” Roland laughed as he charged up energy in his staff, “Maybe I’ll make her a pile of silver. Or maybe a fluffy plushie that no pokemon can resist hugging."

 

I snarled as the energy in me reached a peak. I wanted to rip his throat out. I wanted to break every bone in his body. I wanted to kill him and every single one of his minions. I wanted to shove the staff up his ass and tear his miss-matched limbs apart. I let off a monstrous scream as the pure unadulterated hatred boiled over and pulsed off my body. It took the shape of spheres of pure blackness that raced towards the pokemon nearest to me. The bayleef gave a yelp of pain as they recalled their vines. The lucario grunted, but weathered the attack. Roland hissed as he was forced to a knee. Aster has learned Dark Pulse.

 

Not wasting any time I rushed over and quickly maneuvered Brooke onto my back. She hissed in pain as she called my name. I snapped back, “Shut up! I’m getting us out of here.”

 

“Over my dead body,” Roland screamed as he raised his staff and pointed it in our direction. Energy built up along the eight pointed star, but the staff exploded in response. Roland screamed as the two halves of the wooden instrument clattered noisily to the floor. The room went silent as everyone’s attention was drawn to the floating black star wreathed in a cloud of hazy orange energy.

 

A sense of wrongness filled me to the brim and froze me on the spot. I couldn’t help but remain where I was and watch as the aura around the star darkened till it became a sphere of pure blackness. Like a void had appeared in space. Like everything inside the sphere of darkness was gone. Like it consumed all light, joy, and existence.

 

The sphere then throbbed, and an ocean of purple and blue energy ignited on its surface. It let off a mighty groan that shook my bones and rattled my teeth. A primal fear took over my body and told me to run. To get as far away from whatever this was as quickly as possible. But I couldn’t move. I was still cemented to the floor.

 

But Roland didn’t seem to be affected by the sphere as much as I was. He reached towards the sphere longingly. He mused aloud, “It’s gorgeous.”

 

He touched the sphere, and he screamed in agony. He tried to pull away, he tried to remove his hands from the surface of the sphere. A surface the churned angrily. His body was consumed by the matter of the sphere, becoming just as black as it. His voice petered out and he dissolved as if he was made of dust. The particles of his body becoming one with the sphere. Everyone screamed in terror. The nobles trapped in their cage tried, to no avail, to break down their cage. The remaining guards fought against their bindings, but they held firm. Roland's minions were stunned with shock, unable to comprehend what just happened. I was equally as confused. One second the big villain I was sent here to defeat was threatening everyone and killing pokemon like it was no big deal. And the next he was gone. The black hole that was once the fragment of the First Star had consumed him. The sphere throbbed again, and it began to expand. A wind whipped up and formed a small cyclone in the room. All the heat vanished in an instant. The frantic nature of the gathered pokemon increased.

 

“Aster!”

 

Brooke’s voice pierced my bubble, and I finally felt my legs return to me. I didn’t waste a second and made my way for the door. Her paws wrapped around me tightly as she held on for dear life. I ran out of the kitchen and to the hallway beyond. One way led up while the other led down. The castle around me began to rumble and quake as the black hole that had been unleashed continued to grow. I ran for the way down, hoping that I made the right choice. I needed to get out of the castle before it was consumed by whatever the fragment of the First Star had become.

 

I didn’t dwell on my actions and just the twists and turns of the castle hallways as I saw fit. I wasn’t certain if this would lead me outside the castle, but I just needed to keep on moving. The castle was shaking more violently with each passing second. Chunks of rock broke free and fell to the ground as the entire place began to crumbled under its weight. Pokemon were running for their lives as well and I figured to follow the crowd. These were pokemon that lived here and if they knew the way out, then that meant safety from the black hole currently consuming the palace.

 

It only took a few more turns before a massive passage with light streaming out of it appeared. Everyone was rushing towards it as guards held open the heavy doors. They barked out orders of everyone to flee. I followed the crowd out to the dirt and gravel courtyard. I hazard a glance back, the black hole had breached the castle walls and was still growing. The tower of black stones listed to the side and collapsed like a felled tree. Only for it to stop mid fall. The entire structure reversed course and was consumed by the abyss. Stone, mortar, and pokemon were all consumed by the endless hunger of the expanding void.

 

“Aster!”

 

Brooke’s scream pulled me from the harrowing sight, and I followed the fleeing crowd out the gatehouse and to a plaza. Here the crowd finally stopped fleeing, pokemon openly gawking at the sight of the palace being consumed by darkness. I paid them no heed and made my way out of the plaza and to the streets of Eldergrove. Every way I went there were panicking pokemon. Some were gathering their things and preparing to leave. Others were frozen in the streets or on the roofs of buildings, all of them watching the spectacle. Some on the ground praying to the legendaries and mythicals to spare them. The bird pokemon in the sky had fled, leaving the airspace uncharacteristically silent. I just kept on heading west. We need to get back to the Guild now. We need to leave now. We need to find Hanna. We need the map.

 

It took a substantial amount of time to finally arrive at the gate entrance to the Guild. The hectic nature of the city made it a chore to weave my way through it. The streets were crowded, and my small stature didn’t help me in the slightest getting through the throngs of pokemon standing still or hogging the limited real estate. Carrying Brooke the entire way didn't help either. By the time I arrived I was drenched in sweat. My lungs hurt. My legs felt like jelly. My heart wanted to take a permanent vacation. Sprinting most of the distance was probably not my wises decision as of late.

 

The gate was left open and there wasn’t a single pokemon on guard duty. I paid it little mind and rushed across the bridge. Brooke gasped and pointed a paw off to the side, “Aster, look.”

 

I stopped on the spot and turned to where she pointed, right at the castle. Where we could once see its visage across the waters outside Eldergrove, it was now gone. Every single part of the forest like palace was gone. Even the cliff was gone, the bottom of the sphere of destruction resting just above the waters of the harbor. All of it consumed by the hulking mass of the black hole. A soulless pitch black sphere now in its place. A churning storm of black and blue energy raced across its surface.

 

The one good thing I could note was that it seemed to have finally stopped growing. It wasn’t increasing in size. It wasn’t consuming anything else. It was just resting there. The hunger of the void had been satiated. But I felt that wasn’t to last. This was only the beginning. The void was always hungry, and it would feed again soon. And the only way to stop it was to continue on the mission. This was born of a fragment of the Star, and it made sense that the other fragments could undo it. We need to get out of here now!

 

I turned away and rushed across the bridge. As I ran I said, “We need to find Hanna.”

 

“And do what?” Brooke asked.

 

“Get out of here,” I answered.

 

“And do what?” She asked again.

 

“We have to find the Star.”

 

The impidimps and the morgrem inside the Exchange were frantically gathering all of their coins and other finances in various bags in a mad dash. The Storage was empty of any patron. I kept on my way as Brooke asked, “Why? He’s dead.”

 

She may be right about Roland, but that didn’t mean there still wasn’t any danger that threatened Kino. The ominous sphere of destruction was now the danger. We may not have to gathered the shards of the Star to stop him, but we now had to do it to stop that. I just knew that was the case. Our mission hadn’t changed, but the end objective had. I told Brooke exactly this and she accepted that fact. She then asked, “Are you sure that will work?”

 

“No,” I answered with a shake of my head. “But I just have this feeling that is what we have to do. The Star is the only thing that can stop that. I just know.”

 

“Then we’ll need the map,” she said as we reached the end of the second bridge and entered the Guild grounds. The entire area was a mess of activity. Pokemon were either packing up their belongings or openly watching the now stagnant sphere of destruction. The setting sun turning the sky a fiery orange and made the black hole look like it was now aflame as well. The light bending around the sphere of darkness making it a spitting image of that recent first picture of a black hole they had just taken back home.

 

“Aster! Brooke!” A voice filled with worry and relief pierced the tense air outside the guildhall. I didn’t get a second to process it before I was tackled to the ground by a black blur. Brooke was sent tumbling with a yelp. I was quickly enveloped in a hug by Hanna.

 

“What the dis is wrong with you?!” Hanna screamed as she separated and slapped me across the face. I was frozen in shock as she continued, “Why did you send me away? What happened to you? Where did they take you? What happened to the castle?”

 

At the last question she finally got off of me and turned her attention to the looming black hole in the distance. She punched me in the shoulder and glared. “That’s for sending me away, you idiot. Don’t you ever do that again.”

 

She went in for another punch, but this one had no strength behind it. Just a small boop on my side. She followed it up with a nuzzle to the spot she just hit. “I was so worried about you two.”

 

“I’m sorry,” I apologized as I wrapped her in an embrace. Brooke joined in as I said, “But it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”

 

“Color me surprised,” Dawn said stepping up to our group, “I didn’t expect to see you two here.”

 

“And what?” Brooke asked with a glare. She pointed at the void, “Expected us to be in that thing? Because we almost were. We were at ground zero when that damn thing starting consuming everything.”

 

The eevee nearly growled, flashing her fangs at our Guildmaster. Dawn didn’t respond to her hostility and turned to me and said, “I was just about to make my way to the palace to negotiate your release.”

 

“Oh, lot of good that did,” Brooke said with a roll of her eyes. She leaned against me for support and kept weight off her injured leg. She asked the zorsune, “You got an oran?”

 

“Yeah.” Hanna pulled the requested berry out of the treasure bag and offered it to the eevee. The ghostly fox added, “You should probably have Jessie check on your leg.”

 

“In a minute,” Brooke said before stuffing the berry in her mouth.

 

Dawn clearing her throat drew our attention back to her. Her face was stern as she said, “Hanna has told me the events that transpired in the dungeon where you encountered Camille. Is this true?”

 

“Yeah,” I said turning away from her and looking back at the blazing black hole. I was still pissed at the bastard avoiding his crimes. He got away with it and was made a member of the guard. The idea of their institution being corrupted wasn’t in question any longer. Neither was I all that surprised at the fact. They let a rapist go free. He didn’t answer for his crimes. If anything he was rewarded for them. That made my blood boil, and I felt the surge of dark energy in my core yet again.

 

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I shut my eyes and tried to steady my breathing. The dark type energy faded away. I need to be in control of that shit.

 

I opened my eyes and stared at the abyss hanging over the city of Eldergrove. The orb of destruction created by Roland. Somehow, for some reason, the shard of the First Star he had in his possession did whatever that was. Consumed everything and everyone. Created a void in reality that destroyed everything in its wake. I hope Camille was consumed by it.

 

I wouldn’t lose an ounce of sleep over that jolteon. Anything he got was too good for him. He was better off trapped in the Distortion World being tormented by Giratina for all eternity. And that still would be too good for him.

 

“Care to elaborate more on the matter,” Dawn pressed with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

 

I gave her an annoyed side-eye as I responded, “They made him a member of the guard in return for helping capture us.”

 

“The Reaping?”

 

I nodded. “They were holding the ceremony today.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“A strange pokemon made up of a bunch of different parts crashed the party with some magical artifact that went haywire and caused that,” I explained, ending off waving a paw at the black hole. I figured not to tell her exactly everything about Roland and the First Star. Still wanted to keep that between just the three of us of Team Star.

 

“Very well,” Dawn said with a curt nod of her head. The hard expression on her face softened as she added, “I’m glad to see you made it out of there…relatively unscathed.”

 

She said the last words looking at Brooke’s leg. She quickly ordered, “You should see Jessie before you leave.”

 

“Leave?” Brooke asked confused. She beat me to the punch. I was just as confused at wintery ninetales’ declaration. How could she know we would be leaving to go get the shards? Did she figure out our plan?

 

“I’ve ordered the evacuation of the Guild,” she answered in a somber tone. Her answer calmed my heart and the sweat forming on my brow stopped.

 

“I gave the order as soon as that happened,” she explained pointing at the black hole. “It’s stopped for now, but whose to say it won’t start consuming more soon. Eldergrove is not safe. You should head on home until this matter is resolved.”

 

Home? Resolve it? I gave her a confused tilt of my head as I asked, “How do they plan to resolve it?”

 

She didn’t turn my way as she answered, “I’m bringing the high rank teams to assist and assess the situation to see what can be done about it. All other members of the Guild have been ordered to vacate Eldergrove and get to safety, wherever that may be. The second one applies to you three.”

 

She bid us a good evening and made her way over to a gaggle of pokemon. All of them packing their bags with tons of supplies. As soon as she was out of earshot, Brooke huffed. “Stupid Guild.”

 

“Come on,” Hanna said standing up, “Let’s get you checked out and go home.”

 

“We can’t!” I shot up. Brooke screamed as her support vanished. I rushed back and kept her steady. I offered her an apology. She jabbed me in the side in response.

 

Hanna gave me a confused tilt of her head as she asked, “Why not?”

 

I got Brooke on my back and made my way over to the chansey hanging back by the guildhall entrance. I explained, “The pokemon that attacked the palace was Roland.”

 

“Roland?” She repeated the name back. “Like, the First Star Roland? That Roland?”

 

“Yes,” I answered with a nod, “He was the one. And he had a shard of the Star with him. He used it to do that.”

 

I nodded my head in the direction of the black hole. Hanna gasped, “He did?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“But it went crazy,” Brooke added pointing at the black hole, “For whatever reason it created that, and it erased everything.”

 

“And the shard?”

 

“It has to be in there,” I said looking at the abyss.

 

“How?”

 

“A gut feeling?” I offered still not that convinced of the shard still existing somewhere in the blackness. I just knew somewhere deep down it was. A feeling I couldn’t shake. That our quest to reforge the Star was not jeopardized by the existence of the black hole. I just had this feeling that getting a shard or all of the others would help us undo the sphere of pure destruction and be able to get the piece lost within its depths.

 

“So…we’re still going on the quest?” Hanna asked with a bit of reluctance in her voice.

 

We arrived at the chansey who took a huffy Brooke off to the side to tend to her leg. Once the two were gone, I answered Hanna’s question, “Yes, we need to do it now more than ever. Roland may be out of the picture, but his minions across Kino are still out there. They’re still going to do whatever they planned with the shards. And that,” I pointed at the black hole, “Is not going to stop. Roland isn’t the one threatening Kino anymore, that is.”

 

“Okay,” she answered with a nod, “Then what about the map?”

 

I checked Dawn, she was talking with a collection of powerful looking pokemon. I turned back to the disguised fox and answered, “Everyone is leaving the Guild. No one is going to care if we steal it now.”

 

“I still didn’t get my move down,” she said with a dip of her head.

 

“We don’t need to be sneaky about it anymore,” I said making my way up the steps. But she didn’t follow me. I ushered her with a wave of my paw, “Let’s go get it and then head off.”

 

“Oh…okay,” she said, hesitating for a second before following me up the steps. We passed through the ajar front doors and entered the vacant lobby. The fire pit in the center was dead and the crystals on the wall were dimmed to near nonexistence. The entire place cloaked in darkness, the only real source of light being the twilight streaking through the open door. The notice boards were still full of requests, with only a few discarded papers on the floor. The bar was silent, the rainbow of drinks eerily glowing in the half-light. The desk in the back was empty and the whole place was silent. It was a bit unnerving.

 

Not wanting to waste time, we made our way up the staircase and down the dark hallway to the library. Even this level of silence in the normally silent library was strange. It was too silent for my liking. The light from the ceiling dome made it easier to navigate our way to the display case where the Wonderous Map was kept. Amy was nowhere to be seen, and the shelves were still stocked to the brim. No doubt they can’t take all of this and are just leaving it.

 

Hanna asked as we came upon the display case, “How are we getting it out?”

 

“Can you unlock it from the inside,” I asked hopping up on the glass. It crackled and groaned under my weight, but held firm.

 

“No,” she answered joining me up on the glass. The map a mere few inches from our paws.

 

“Then brute force it is,” I channeled the energy for a scratch. My claws extended, the sound of a rusty nail on a chalkboard pierced the quite of the dead library.

 

“Are you sure,” Hanna took a hesitant step back. Her back leg fell off the edge of the display and she scrambled back on to the case.

 

“You got any other ideas?” I asked with a cock of my head, “I rather not sit around and have someone find us before or after we steal this.”

 

I tapped an extended claw against the glass. “We need to head off to the closest shard as soon as possible before that thing starts growing again.”

 

Hanna gave me a resolute nod and pulled the energy for her own scratch. I went first and slashed the glass with both of my claws. I dug furrows in the thick material, but it did not give. A second later the glass flashed purple, and a blast of coldness sent me flying backwards. I hit a bookshelf and tumbled to the floor.

 

“Aster!”

 

I groaned, opting to remain with my face planted in the wooden floor. A cold, hollow feeling seeped deep down in my core and made me feel like everything was helpless. The only thing I could really feel was Hanna picking me off the floor and getting me on my back legs. I groaned and collapsed backwards, my head coming to rest against the books. Hanna dropped her illusion and asked, “You okay?”

 

“What wash shat?”

 

“Astonish,” she flatly answered. “Someone rigged the case up with an astonish to go off when you attacked it.”

 

“Right you are.”

 

Hanna gasped and took a defensive stance in front of me. Phasing through the stack in front of us was the ghostly Amy. She was sans her scarf. Her friendly, yet sinister, smile was gone and replaced with a frown as she floated above us. She folded her arms and asked, “What are you two doing?”

 

Hanna fumbled for a response and quickly rushed behind me, using me as a shield. I pushed myself up with a groan, my body protesting the action. I got on to my paws and stared the irate gengar down. I answered, “We need the map.”

 

“The map?” She asked turning to the display case. The glass still glowing purple. She turned back and asked, “Why in the name of dis are you trying to steal my map?”

 

I didn’t want to tell her the truth. I didn’t want to answer her questions. I just didn’t want to. I just wanted to grab the map and go. But I also knew she wouldn’t let that happen. She wanted an answer and she no doubt would attack us if we tried to do it again. Going off how she easily dispatched Camille, and the fact I was still a bit wobbly from the astonish, I knew it wouldn’t be a fair fight. But I couldn’t think of a valid lie to explain away all of this. Like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

 

Amy tapped her foot in impatience, awaiting our response. The impact of the action lessened with her just floating there and not actually tapping it against the floor. She hissed out, “Well?”

 

“We need the map,” I answered. It’s the best I could come up with without telling her a lie or the truth. But I also felt that the truth was the better option to explain why we needed it. I just hope she believes me.

 

“You need it?” She asked back with a raised brow. “Why do you need this artifact? Why were you trying to steal it?”

 

“To stop that,” I pointed outside in the vague direction of the black hole. “We need the map to find the shards of the First Star to stop it.”

 

“Come again?” Amy asked back even more confused. I took a deep breath. I shut my eyes and tried to compose myself for what I was about to do. I know I already did this for Hanna, but this felt different. At least with the zorsune, she already had some dream to go off on a mission like this. But I had no clue about Amy and how she felt about humans being brought to this world. Lily’s viewpoint from a few days ago showing what pokemon who didn’t even think any of the humans were real thought. Now or never.

 

I let out a deep breath and squared my shoulders. I explained, “I’ve been sent on a quest by Jirachi. The First Star was broken and stolen by a pokemon named Roland. He attacked the palace and created that black hole. He had a shard of the First Star in his possession, and it created it. The other eight shards of the Star are scattered across Kino, and they are needed to destroy that void before it consumes all of Kino. I need the map to find those shards.”

 

Amy remained silent for a couple seconds before she gave me a hard glare and asked, “You really expect me to believe any of that?”

 

“No,” I answered. I stomped my paw and said, “But you have to believe me. It’s the truth.”

 

“Next you’re going to tell me you’re a human with amnesia. Right?”

 

“I don’t have amnesia,” I muttered turning away from her.

 

“Real funny, kid,” Amy snapped back with no enthusiasm.

 

“He’s telling the truth,” Hanna said stepping up to my side, “He’s a human that Jirachi turned into a pokemon and sent him on a quest to find the Star.”

 

“He’s lying to you,” Amy said with a roll of her eyes. She waved a hand at me, “Loads of pokemon pretend to be humans just to get attention.”

 

“Test me,” I ordered.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Test me to prove if I’m a human or not. Ask me some questions only a human would know. Or that a pokemon from Kino would know since I am not from here.”

 

“I’m not going to do that,” she said folding her arms, “I’m going to escort you two out of here and we’ll forget about your little bit of thievery.”

 

“I’m not leaving without that map,” I said with a stomp of my paw, “We need it to stop that black hole.”

 

“And I said no,” Amy hissed as ghostly energy bubbled in the palms of her hands. I drew the energy for a magical leaf. Hanna took a hesitant step back and meekly called my name. I ignored her and continued my stare down with the gengar. Both of us drawing the energy for our attacks, but no one making the move to go first. I knew I was screwed if we came to blows. She was stronger than me. But I needed the map, and I wasn’t backing down.

 

“Give them the map.”

 

The energy I had been pulling for my attack fizzled out in an instant. The same happened with Amy’s. We all turned as someone else entered the library. Their long shadow crawling up the bookshelves as they turned a corner. An empoleon. Pip!

 

The empoleon gave all three of us a hard glare as he came to a stop and crossed his arms. Wrapped around the top of his left forearm was a dark navy blue bandana with an intricate array of white floral designs across it. Clipped to it was his badge with a gleaming emerald green crown. He stared down Amy and ordered, “Give them the map.”

 

“But, sir?” The gengar floated back with a look of worry on her face.

 

“I gave you an order,” Pip snapped, cutting off anything the ghost type was going to say. He repeated himself. Amy nodded and rushed to the cabinet. She waved her hand over the glass and a loud click filled the empty air. She lifted the top and rolled the map up.

 

She clutched onto the aged paper like her life depended on it. She turned to Pip and said, “I’m not giving it to them."

 

“I am still your superior, Amy, and you will do what I say,” Pip unfolded his flippers as an aura of black and red pulsed across them. “You will give them the map, or I will make you.”

 

“But they were trying to steal it,” she countered tightening her grip on the rolled up piece of paper.

 

“Didn’t you hear them?” Pip asked with a cock of his head to the side. The aura on his flippers increased in intensity. I felt the negativity dripping off the dark type move. It felt far more potent than anything I’ve ever been able to conjure up. The move I used in the palace felt like nothing with the vile aura emanating off the emperor pokemon.

 

“He’s a human turned into a pokemon by Jirachi. Brought to our world, like so many other humans as before, to save it from some disaster. That thing outside is a clear as day the disaster he’s here to stop. And if he needs that map to stop it, then he will be getting that map.”

 

“But, sir? You can’t honestly believe a word of what they say? Right?”

 

“I do,” the penguin said in an empty tone. The move he had been channel dissipated. “I believe them wholeheartedly.”

 

“Why?” I couldn’t help myself from asking. Why does he believe me? Why is he helping me?

 

Pip lowered to a kneel, his focus locked squarely on me. He flashed me a smile as he asked, “What region are you from?”

 

“Excuse me?” I asked back with a cock of my head. What sort of question is that?

 

“You assume aren’t from Hoenn or the nearby regions,” he mused aloud, “I’d put krownes on Kalos or Unova.”

 

What in the name of Arceus?! My eyes widened in shock at what he just said. The fact he called off various different regions from my world took me for a spin. But that means…

 

Pip chuckled as he stood back up. He asked, “How many krownes do I get?”

 

“But how?” I breathed out. Does that mean…

 

“I was once like you, kid,” Pip said with a fondness in his tone. He stared off at nothing, “I just wasn’t here to stop some world ending crisis.”

 

“But I was once a human just like you.” He turned back to me. “I lived in some small coastal town in Hoenn. I was just setting out on my pokemon journey when I ended up here instead. I had no memory of who I was, just that I was human. I didn’t even know my own name. When Dawn found me I just went with Pip because I was a piplup. No one questioned it.”

 

He shrugged with a chuckle. “We formed Team Yuletide when we joined the Whitehallow chapter. She always wanted to be a part of the Guild, and I was a lost little piplup with nothing better to do. But we did get messed up in some business and helped stop a war between Whitehallow and Eldergrove. That’s the disaster I stopped, but it wasn’t by the behest of a mythical or legendary. No one came out to tell me my mission or to congratulate me when the war was adverted. But that isn’t the case for you. Right?”

 

“Na-no,” I fought to answer him. I was still coming to terms with what he said. Still trying to process it all. The fact that he was a human turned pokemon. That he had a case of amnesia that seemed to be par for the course for any human that had come to this world. A common feature of their stories that I did not conform to. Yet he believed me all the same. Because he was just like me. He was once a human that was turned into a pokemon. I had so many questions for him. They buzzed around my head like an angry swarm of beedrill. Yet I couldn’t voice them. I could not form the words. My brain refused to think of a coherent question. My tongue refused to move to form them. My body remained like stone as reality came crushing down on me. The reality that I wasn’t the only human in Kino that had come here to complete a quest.

 

Pip gave me a nod. He turned to the gengar. He ordered, “Give them the map.”

 

“Sir?”

 

Pip growled as the black and red energy reignited on his flippers. “I will not ask again.”

 

Amy seemed to be having a war within herself as she still desperately hugged the ancient map to her body. Her eyes flicking to me and Pip in rapid movements. A frown etched on her face as her hands shook.

 

After nearly a minute she closed her eyes and let off a heavy sigh. She pulled the map away from herself and held it out in offering. Pip dropped his attack as he grabbed the map and thanked the gengar. She scowled and said, “I still don’t like your choice, sir.”

 

She didn’t say anything else, nor did she wait for a reply as she went intangible and sank through the ground. Pip then held the rolled up map to me as he said, “I believe you needed this.”

 

I took the map, Hanna quickly grabbing it and stowing it away in our treasure bag. I turned back to the emperor pokemon and asked, “Are you really a human?”

 

“Yes,” he answered with a nod of his head.

 

“Everything you said is true?”

 

“A hundred percent.”

 

I still had the swarm of questions in my head that I wanted to ask him. Yet I still couldn’t form one. Pip seemed to notice this and said, “You have a world to save. Don’t you?”

 

I glanced at Hanna, the zorsune giving me a concerned look in return. I turned back to the penguin and gave as determined a nod as I could, “Yes.”

 

“Then, you better get moving,” Pip said waving towards the exit of the library.

 

I gave him another nod and turned to Hanna, “Let’s go.”

 

“Okay,” the zorsune returned with a determined nod of her own.

 

Pip waved us off and shouted out, “Good luck on your mission, Aster!”

 

I returned the wave as we exited the library and made our way back to Brooke. As soon as we exited the library, Hanna pressed in close and asked, “Did you know he was a human?”

 

“No,” I answered with a shake of my head.

 

“I can’t believe our lead team was a human team,” Hanna said happily with a small skip in her step. I still couldn’t believe it myself. I was still coming to terms with what Pip had revealed. What he had said. I wanted to ask him so much, but I also knew I didn’t have the time. But there was one that made it to the forefront of my mind. One that made me want to rush back and ask him. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted an answer to it. I was afraid of what he would say. But I also wanted to know. Maybe I can ask him it later…

 

I didn’t really convince myself to that fact. I wasn’t sure if and when I would be back in Eldergrove to ask him. Or if he would even be here when I got back. The looming danger of the black hole making me feel I might not see the emperor pokemon for a considerable amount of time.

 

Yet the singular question still bounced around my head. Why did he stay?

Notes:

And thus we have reached the end of Act 3.

I want to thank all you for giving this story a read. Thank you for over 4300 hits and 95+ kudos. Every little bit is greatly appreciated.

Another thank you to all who have subscribed, commented, and bookmarked.

 

Now a bit of an update...Advent of Dreams will be going on hiatus for the next month. This break is mostly to let me recoup and to regrow my buffer of chapters.

Thank you so much! I’ll see you in about a month with the next act of Advent of Dreams: Blight of the Riverlands.

Chapter 26: Exodus

Summary:

Aster, Brooke, and Hanna finally have the Wonderous Map. Now they have to figure out where the shards of the First Star are and plan out their course before they leave Eldergrove. And which one they will head towards first.

Notes:

I'm happy to say the hiatus is over and Advent of Dreams will be returning to weekly updates!

I would also like to thank all of you for getting Advent of Dreams to over 4800 hits and 100+ kudos.

Now, here is the start of Act 4: Blight of the Riverlands.

Hanna had reapplied her zorua illusion in the lobby before we left. Before she did, I noticed that a large patch of fur on her side was shorter than the rest. I could see her black skin faintly through the peach fuzz like fur. It was the spot that I had bit her. The damage had been all but healed, but the mark was still there. I couldn’t help but frown as a sense of hatred welled up inside me. Hatred for myself. You hurt your friend, Aster. You have to be better.

 

We exited the guildhall to find Brooke resting at the bottom of the steps with her back leg wrapped in gauze. The eevee perked up at seeing us. She slowly rose to her paws as she asked, “Where did you two go?”

 

“To get something,” I answered closing the distance. I didn’t want to say exactly what we did with so many pokemon still about. There was still the massive crowd around Dawn. Where Pip was slowly making his way towards. The penguin having passed us by without saying a thing. The rest of the pokemon had thinned out, several groups already making their way across the bridges.

 

“Get what?” Brooke pressed. She stood up, but still kept weight off her back leg.

 

“Not here,” I said stepping up and making my way towards the bridge. The two foxes falling in line as we made our way out of the Guild grounds. We came upon the small guard hut right next to the open gate. There were no pokemon around, thus I saw it as the perfect time to explain what happened. I rushed towards the darkened building with Brooke and Hanna hot on my heels. I checked inside and outside for anyone. With the coast clear, I told Brooke everything about what happened in the Guild just now.

 

Hanna pulled out the map as the eevee asked in shock, “You got the map?!”

 

“Yeah,” Hanna said unfurling the Wondrous Map on the floor.

 

Brooke eyed the map, then asked me, “And Pip is a human?”

 

“Apparently,” I said with a shrug. I still was a bit surprised by that fact. It came completely out of the blue. And I honestly still didn’t believe it. I still felt that he might have been lying just to help get us the map. His reasons behind that were still lost on me. Trusting us alone didn’t seem like a perfect reason for him to make up a story of him being a human turned pokemon as well. Unless he was telling the truth.

 

But if he was indeed human, I still wanted to ask him a few things. But I knew those questions had to wait. We had more pressing matters. I turned my focus to the map on the floor. It was nearly twice the size of our normal wonder map. It was a blank featureless canvas with only a small red diamond smack dab in the center. On closer inspection it wasn’t made of regular paper. It almost seemed like a strange composite of paper and leather. The back looking more like the texture of a wallet than a map. It was a bit thicker than I expected because of this.

 

Hanna gazed at the map as she asked, “How do we make it work?”

 

She poked the edge with a paw, but the map didn’t respond to her actions. I gave it a quizzical look as I said, “I’m not sure.”

 

I half expected it to just start working the second we got it. Jirachi didn’t say anything about how to use the map, just that we had to get it. But now that we got this far, I had no idea how to progress further. Brooke stepped up and placed her paw on the map. It didn’t react to her as well. She sighed and stepped back. “Maybe it’ll react to you?”

 

I shrugged, seeing no reason not to at least try. I stepped up and placed my paw on the map. The diamond flashed and the blank surface of the map pulsed with black ink. Like drops of it were being placed randomly across its surface and dissolving in water. The ink twisted and morphed as it took shape. It resembled Eldergrove and the area around it. It wasn’t as detailed as the map hanging in the library, but I could still make out a few of the main streets crisscrossing the city. There even was a massive blob of black ink where the black hole was. Like someone spilled an inkwell on that part of the map. Is the map like a satellite image?

 

The ink wasn’t restless either, it still retained its liquid like quality as it formed the streets of Eldergrove. There was the massive step pyramid not that far from the edge of the undulating mass that was the black hole. There was the two rivers that split the city up. A sliver of the Timberland with small trees to denote the area as forested. A small cluster of squares in a T just on the edge of the map had to be Shamrock. Mountains forming a small cleft in the top middle. There were another two clusters of buildings off on the right side. One along the coast and another on a tributary of one of the Eldergrove rivers right in the middle of another forested area.

 

There was a flash of white ink along the edge of the map as rainbow colored dots of different sizes came into being. There was one the size of a Unovian quarter right next to Shamrock, another one about half that size was a few inches to the left of that. The largest dot, nearly the size of my paw, was in the top right corner. There were four other dots clustered next to it. On the top side of the map was one half the size of a quarter and one that was just a speck of dust. On the right of the map was one half the size and another a quarter of the size of the Unovian currency. The last dot, another quarter-quarter in size, was in the bottom right corner. In total there were eight dots. Are those the shards?

 

“It really works,” Hanna gasped out in surprise. She leaned over to get a better look at the map.

 

“It actually worked?” Brooke added in a bit of bewilderment. I chuckled at the eevee. She gave me a pout and asked, “How come it worked for you.”

 

I shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

 

“Maybe because you’re human?” Hanna offered.

 

“That doesn’t seem that plausible,” I countered, “None of Team Unity were human, right?”

 

“No,” Hanna answered with a shake of her head.

 

“So what are these?” Brooke asked poking at one of the small rainbow dots on the edge of the map.

 

“I guess those are the shards of the Star?” I mused as I tapped the ones closest to me, the two by Shamrock. The ink spiraled and quickly reformed in the shape of a new area of Kino. This a massive forested area with several towns around the edge of the trees with rivers cutting through the mass of foliage. The red diamond was centered right over a rainbow dot, smack dab in the middle of the woods. I pulled my paw back.

 

“What was that?” Brooke asked.

 

“I don’t know,” I hesitantly said as I tapped the diamond. The ink returned to the view of Eldergrove. I tried the dot right on top of Shamrock, the map shifting again. This time showing the top half of the Timberland and a large section of mountains. The red diamond focused in a random spot in the middle of the peaks, not that far from a small town next to the mountains. The entire center of the map was stylized as farmland. I mused aloud, “I guess it can show exactly where the shards of the Star are.”

 

“But only one at a time?” Brooke seemed a bit displeased at the revelation.

 

“Can we look to see where they all are at once?” Hanna asked.

 

I gave a small hum as I tapped the diamond to focus the map back on Eldergrove. I tapped my chin as I stared at the eight dots on the edge of the map. If this works like a touchscreen…

 

I leaned over and tapped the diamond again. The ink swirled and spiraled as it now took the shape of Kino in its entirety. Now looking like a spitting image of the one hanging in the library. This one lacked the markers for the towns and geographical locations. But it have eight rainbow dots placed throughout the area. There still was the same ink blob for the black hole spiraling over Eldergrove.

 

There was one dot not that far north-east of us, where a bunch of rivers converged. That was the closest one. There was one in the mountains north of the Timberland. The forest further north of that, close to where Whitehallow was, was another dot. There was another in the center of the inland desert. A dot right where Mount Moonshard was. Another in Thunderrock. There was one in the only other noted forest further east of the river dot. The last dot all the way down near the southernmost part of Kino.

 

---

---

 

Brooke blinked as she surveyed the entire map. Hanna gave a small whine as she said, “I didn’t think they’d be that spread out.”

 

“We’d have to cross basically all of Kino,” Brooke said as she tapped the southernmost marker.

 

“That seems to be the closest one,” I waved a paw at the river marker. I was mindful to not actually touch the map this time and accidentally change our view. “We should probably get that one first.”

 

“You want to plan our route now?” Brooke asked.

 

“Why not,” I shrugged. I leaned in and hummed. I thought aloud, “But which one would be closest next.”

 

“Either this one in the Ghostwood,” Hanna pointed to the one east of the river marker. She then leaned over and tapped another, “Or this one north of Timberland.”

 

“The Timberland one does put us closer to that one north of it,” Brooke said, “The Ghostwood one really only puts us close to this one all the way in the south with those mountains blocking off that one here.”

 

She tapped the Thunderrock marker to emphasized her point. Hanna shook her head and tapped a random part of the southern mountain chain, “There’s actually a massive cave around here through the Low Throue Mountains. So we could head towards the desert one and Thunderrock one if we want to use that passage.”

 

My eyes traced invisible lines between the dots trying to figure out our best path. Some RPG fueled part of my mind trying to figure out the quickest path that would bring us to each of the markers with the least amount of backtracking. Something I always did to hit up the various side quests I had active in one fell swoop. I rarely used the fast travel mechanic some games had as a personal preference, and I liked plotting my course to be the most efficient I could be.

 

“How ‘bout this,” I said leaning forward. I hovered my paw above the map, again making sure not to touch it. I pointed to the river marker, “We get this one first because it’s the closest.”

 

“In the Riverlands,” Hanna added.

 

I nodded. I traced my paw back past Eldergrove, through the Timberland, and towards the one directly north of it. “We than head through the Timberland to this one.”

 

I moved northwards. “Then we head up towards this one.”

 

“In the Nightelm Forest,” Hanna said.

 

I traced the path through the mountain pass and towards the desert. “Then we go towards the one in the desert.”

 

I waved towards the Thunderrock one and then the Mount Moonshard marker. “Then we hit up Thunderrock and then make our way to Moonshard after that.”

 

I traced a line directly south of the mythical mountain and towards the lower mountains, right towards the spot Hanna had tapped earlier, “Then we make our way south through the cave in the mountains.”

 

Hanna flashed me a smile. I then motioned to the marker in the Ghostwood and then at the southernmost one. “Then we hit up these last two.”

 

“That last one looks to be in Archforn or Demerest,” Hanna advised.

 

“That doesn’t seem that bad,” Brooke mused with a nod of her head.

 

“I like it,” Hanna said with a smile and wag of her tail.

 

“Then we don’t have time to waste,” I said as I started rolling up the map. The ink began to fade as the two joined in and we got the map stowed in our treasure bag. A pang gripping my heart at seeing Hanna put the map away. The fact we no longer had the bag Timber specially made for me or most of our supplies hurt. We were severely under prepared to start this quest. I still wanted to get more supplies and experience, but we no longer had that luxury. We couldn’t sit around and train up anymore. Not with the Yuletide chapter closing down and the looming threat of the abyss ready to consume everything.

 

I gazed back at the black hole on the horizon. The hole that had consumed the castle. The castle where our bandanas, badges, and supplies were no doubt stored after they were confiscated. They had to be in the castle, and now they were in that abyss. Hanna still wore her bandana and had her badge clipped to it. I felt naked without any of my stuff. I scuffed the floor, “I can’t believe they took my bag and everything.”

 

“Plus our bandanas and badges,” Brooke said stepping up to my side.

 

Hanna peeked at hers with a frown. She stared back at the guildhall. She offered, “Maybe we can ask for replacements? I bet Dawn will understand.”

 

I shook my head. I pointed at the black hole and said, “They have more important things going on trying to stop that.”

 

“We can go on without them, I guess,” I said stepping out of the guardhouse.

 

“Not like we’re really working for the Guild anymore,” Brooke added.

 

Hanna gasped and held on tightly to her bandana. I flashed her a smile, “You can keep yours on Hanna, it’s no big deal. We technically are still part of the Guild, we just aren’t going to be doing Guild stuff anymore.”

 

“Oh, okay,” she let go of her bandana and smoothed out the wrinkles she just made.

 

“But not having Timber’s bag is going to hurt our ability to carry supplies,” I added.

 

“How are you going to break the news to the big guy you lost his gift already?” Brooke asked with a smug smile.

 

I rolled my eyes and shoved her to the side. She just giggled. I shook my head and asked Hanna, “What do you got in there?”

 

“Not much,” Hanna answered undoing the flap. She rifled through the contents of her bag and listed them off, “I’ve got two orans, two pechas, a heal seed, two lum berries, two rawst, an apple, the maps, and the keystone.”

 

That’s not much. I didn’t think I had that much in my bag. I sighed and hung my head, “Guess we’ll have to make do with what we got.”

 

“It’s better than nothing,” Brooke offered.

 

“Yeah.” I let off a heavy sigh. I shook my fur loose and squared my shoulders. I took a step towards the gate. “Let’s get moving Team Star.”

 

“Still going to call ourselves that?” Brooke asked with a chuckle as she joined me on my left.

 

“Of course,” I flashed her a smile.

 

“Then we’re off to the Riverlands,” Hanna said stepping up on my right.

 

We all shared a nod and made our way through the gate and to the streets of Eldergrove. They were silent and strangely vacant of pokemon. Every time we’ve crossed the city it was bustling with pokemon going about their day. Now it felt like a ghost town. Some pokemon were still openly gawking at the looming black hole on the cliff. There were still no bird pokemon in the skies to speak of. Most of the pokemon we saw were making their way out of the city. Packing up their homes and livelihoods in backpacks and carts. But there were those that seemed to have no intentions of leaving and were going about their business as if there wasn’t a massive black sphere of doom and destruction looming over the entire city. I just shook my head at those pokemon. Some peop…pokemon.

 

There were always stories of people stubbornly choosing to stay put when disaster was bearing down on them. Even going against evacuation orders. The best example I could immediately think of were the people that remained in their homes in Unova a few years back even when a hurricane was headed right towards them. Staying put even as the storm surge and torrential downpour submerged everything around them.

 

Most of the pokemon that valued their lives were heading eastward. Hardly any were heading the way we were going, towards the black hole. The streets got even less populated, if that was even possible, as we crossed the first river and made our way around the massive step pyramid and towards the back of the city. Hanna led us in the direction of the road out of Eldergrove and towards the Riverlands. As we neared the thoroughfare we came across more pokemon departing the city in this direction. There was a mixture of wagons and carts laden with bags and supplies. We fell in line with a wagon being pulled by a gabite in front. A wooden wheelbarrow being pushed by two lycanrocs was behind us. One of the wolf pokemon was light brown and the other orange. A rockruff slept on top of the burlap bags in the wheelbarrow.

 

The buildings of Eldergrove gave way to nothing but grass, and we made our way along a gravel road leading up a hill. The road mirroring the path of a massive river. It had to be at least a thousand feet wide. The water calm and gentle, but a murky brown that hid how deep it was. There was a lone bridge that cross the entire expanse that formed a forking path leading east that some of the pokemon fleeing Eldergrove were taking. Most stayed on the path that went north. We joined a long procession of pokemon making their way down the road that stretched onwards along with the winding river. There had to be at least twenty groups of pokemon in front of us and about half that behind us.

 

By this point the sun had all but set, the sky was nearly void of any light. The fiery expanse now was a blanket of black and purples with twinkling stars and a brilliant full moon. I couldn’t help but let a yawn loose. Brooke asked, “Should we try to find a place to sleep for the night?”

 

“There isn’t much between here and Arcadia,” Hanna advised.

 

The area around us was populated by farms. The fields empty of pokemon, but a few were still hanging about watching the line of those fleeing Eldergrove. But it was only farms in the area. Which meant there really wasn’t anywhere for us to set up camp. We didn’t have any funds, as I was the one holding our on hands krownes. And with our bag stolen and lost to the void we no longer had any money on hand. The rest of our funds were with the Exchange. And with the impidimps closing shot when we arrived, we couldn’t take anything out. Rendering us penniless.

 

With no money we couldn’t really compensate anyone to board us for the night, and it didn’t sit right in my stomach to ask any of these pokemon when we couldn’t pay them for shit. I didn’t know how long it was to Arcadia, but I couldn’t see anything beyond the farms and small clusters of trees. It was already dark, so no light pollution from this town was visible as of yet.

 

“Maybe we should just find a place to hunker down,” I offered.

 

“Where?” Brooke asked.

 

“It doesn’t seem right to sleep on any of these farms,” I said gesturing with my head at the fields that flanked us on both sides.

 

“Then where?” Brooke pressed, “The woods?”

 

“Is that even safe?” Hanna asked.

 

“Probably not,” I responded, “But what other option do we have?”

 

“I don’t really like this idea,” Brooke commented.

 

I stepped off the path, which had transitioned from gravel to dirt at some point, and made my way between the barriers of two farms. It was a narrow stretched of grass the separated the loose rocky walls. Hanna and Brooke followed me down the path and away from the road. At the end of the divide was a small cluster of trees on top of a hill. I turned back to the two foxes and said, “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

 

“I don’t think I can make it to Arcadia,” Hanna said before letting off a yawn of her own. “I didn’t get much rest after the mystery dungeon and the healing that Jessie put me through didn’t help either.”

 

I felt a pang in my chest at her statement. With me being the cause of the reason she was so drained after I attacked her. Brooke added, “Guess it’s better than nothing. At least no one should bother us out here.”

 

“It doesn’t look like its anyone’s property,” I said eying up the cluster of trees. The stone walls fencing off the hill, making me believe no one owned this spot of land. The fact the path was covered in unkempt grass also made me believe no one would mind us spending the night here.

 

We ascended the hill and made our way through the trees, opting to settle down at the top. The trees gave way faster than I expected. I assumed the entire hill was covered in them, but the trees seemed to only form a ring around the hill. The entire center devoid of any wooden sentinels. However, the top of the hill wasn’t bare either. Right in the center of the clearing was a building. It was a wood and stone two-story structure that gave me the impression of an inn. All the windows on the first floor were aglow with amber light. A worn path in the grass looped around the building and off through a small notch in the tree line. A sign nailed above the entrance proudly declared the building as ‘The Hearthstone Tavern’.

 

“A tavern?” Brooke said with a bit of disbelief.

 

“Why is there a tavern in the middle of these farms?” Hanna asked just as confused.

 

“Your guess is as good as mine,” I said giving the place a muddled glance. I let off a sigh seeing our plans already ruined. I said to the two, “Looks like this idea is a bust.”

 

“Why not just stay here?” Brooke asked nodding towards the building.

 

“With what money?” I said giving her a serious look.

 

“Don’t we have any?” Brooke asked even more confused.

 

“Not on hand,” I answered, “I had all of what we took out in my bag and the guards took that from us.”

 

“And I don’t have any krownes in my bag,” Hanna added.

 

“Which means we’re broke till we can find an Exchange,” I finished off.

 

“But it’s right there,” Brooke moaned, throwing her front legs out and collapsing to the floor.

 

“We’ll just need to find somewhere else to sleep for the night,” I said turning to start our way back to the road. I came to a stop as two pokemon came through the woods down the dirt path. A leafeon and a vulpix. The two froze on the spot as they locked eyes with us. They both were wearing cherry red bandanas and had Guild badges clipped to them. The crown on top a glimmering gold. But I didn’t recognize either the two from the Guild. Even their badges were a bit different. Theirs had an additional three black lines in a Y pattern. Are they not from Eldergrove?

 

The leafeon’s eyes flashed to the tavern, then back to us. He stepped forward and asked, “You three heading to the inn?”

 

“No,” I answered with a shake of my head.

 

“It’s not safe out on the road at night,” the male vulpix said stepping up next to his teammate, “Not with those Painted Pokemon wreaking havoc.”

 

“We can’t really…afford it,” I said a bit embarrassed to say. It’s something I’ve never said, not with my family’s near unlimited funds. Being without money felt weird. Almost alien.

 

“Why would that matter?” The leafeon asked with a confused tilt of his head. “You’re Guild member’s right?”

 

He craned his neck upwards, no doubt spying Hanna’s bandana and badge. The vulpix added, “This inn is very nice. Guild members get free rooms for a night.”

 

“They do?” Hanna asked.

 

“Yep,” the leafeon nodded. He then waved a paw forward, “Come on.”

 

He and the vulpix stepped forward and made their way towards the entrance. I exchanged a look with Brooke and Hanna. The eevee gave me a shrug. Hanna seemed apprehensive, but she didn’t say anything. Seeing no reason to doubt the words of the vulpix and leafeon, we followed them towards the tavern. The leafeon held the door open, letting the amber light out. He then said, “My name is Sam.”

 

He waved a paw at the vulpix. “This is my partner, Dante. We’re Team Foxy.”

 

The vulpix gave us a nod of his head. We exchanged our names, and I added, “We’re Team Star.”

 

The leafeon nodded and pushed the door open just a bit more. Dante ducked inside without another word. I followed suit with Brooke and Hanna right behind. Sam let go of the door and made his way in. He drew us forward with a wave of his paw, “Come, I’ll introduce you to Milly.”

 

The inside of the tavern was lit up by a square fireplace in the middle of the large main room. A fire burning brightly in the stone structure the main source of light, clusters of crystals on the wooden wall lighting the spots the fire’s light couldn’t reach. The floor was covered in reddish brown stained wooden panels, the area around the fireplace made of light grey stone. There was a counter off to the left right next to a staircase leading upwards. Most of the floor space was taken up by wooden tables and benches, all matching the floor boards. Off to the right was a bar with stools and a collage of bottles behind it. The number and colors of the bottles made the one back in the Guild pale in comparison.

 

Behind the front counter was a miltank wearing a black apron. The bar had a smeargle and a large black and pink bear. It had to be the evolution of the stuffed bear looking pokemon from the Guild. Only a few of the stools were occupied by pokemon drinking and eating, there was a nuzleaf, a minun, and a candy apple looking variant of an appletun. Some of the tables were occupied, but there was a large crowd concentrated around a singular one. Seated at the table across from each other were a shiny purple furred braixen and a hulking rock and salt golem looking pokemon. The two locked in some sort of card game while the crowd around them cheered and jeered as the fox pokemon played a card with a smirk. The golem didn’t react at all to the move. The braixen smugly lifted a dark brown drink as they said, “Having some trouble there, salty?”

 

I tuned the crowd out as Sam moved towards the miltank. The milk cow pokemon smiled at the leafeon and said, “Well hello, Sam. How are you?”

 

“Good, Milly. How are you?”

 

“Wonderful,” the cow answered with a wide smile. She then asked, “You two want a room?”

 

“Yes,” the verdant pokemon answered with a nod of his head.

 

She reached under the counter and pulled out a shiny key. She handed it off to the eeveelution and waved a cloven hoof towards the stairs. “You’re in room twelve.”

 

Sam took the offered key as Milly asked, “Do you want your usual sent up?”

 

“That would be lovely,” Sam said. He then waved a paw at us and said, “This is a Guild team that is also looking for a room for the night.”

 

The leafeon and vulpix made their exit and went up the stairs, leaving us with the cow. The miltank turned towards us, her smile never faltering, and she asked, “Welcome to the Hearthstone Tavern. Is this your first time here?”

 

“Yes,” I answered stepping up. I stopped and hesitantly asked, “Sam said that Guild members get rooms for free?”

 

“Yes they do,” Milly answered with a nod of her head and a beaming smile. She gave us each a confused glance before asking, “Where are your badges and bandanas?”

 

I couldn’t hide the nervous gulp as my eyes flashed between Brooke and myself. Our necks bare of our black and gold bandanas and no longer sporting our badges. The only indication we were even members of the Guild was Hanna. I turned away from the miltank and answered, “We got into a bit of trouble with the guard, and they confiscated our stuff.”

 

“What about her?” Milly asked pointing at the zorsune. Hanna shuffled out of her line of fire and behind me.

 

“She escaped before the guard could capture her,” Brooke answered. She turned to me and hung her head. “We…weren’t as lucky.”

 

“Are you from Eldergrove?” Milly asked next with a hint of mirth in her tone. She added, “I know all of the teams from the Arcadia chapter, and I’ve never seen you three before.”

 

“Yes, we are,” I answered, “We’re from the Yuletide chapter.”

 

She nodded before rummaging under her counter. As she did she asked, “You have a mission out here?”

 

“Yes,” I answered simply. I figured just to say that and nothing more. Not alluding to the exact nature of our mission. Not wanting to divulge the real reason we were out here. I still was not going to trust anyone I didn’t expressly know. Even if Roland was gone, he still had minions out and about.

 

She turned back around with a key in her hoof. She smile and said, “You should maybe stop by the chapter in Arcadia and see about getting your badges replaced. It isn’t good to go around, especially in dungeons, without those.”

 

“Thank you,” I said grabbing the offered key.

 

“Why didn’t you get replacements at your Guild though?” She pressed with a raised brow.

 

“Did…you…not hear?” Brooke hesitantly asked.

 

“Hear what?” Milly asked back with a faint hint of concern.

 

“There was…” Hanna tried to say, but the words died on her lips.

 

I let off a heavy sigh. “There was an attack. A black hole consumed the entire castle in Eldergrove. The city is in danger of being consumed as well. The Eldergrove chapter was forced to evacuate. That’s why we’re here.”

 

Milly gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves. Her eyes flashed to the gathered pokemon, either drinking or watching the card game still going on. She softly said, “I haven’t heard. Did this just happen?”

 

I nodded my head. She gave off a smaller gasp as she lowered her hooves. She sadly said, “I’m sorry to hear that. Are you three all right?”

 

“We’re good,” Brooke answered.

 

Milly nodded. She waited a few seconds before saying, “Your room is number nine.”

 

“Would you like anything to eat for the night?”

 

A quick exchange between us proved we were more tired than hungry. We said no before thanking her and making our way up the stairs and down the long hallway of rooms. We found our room and quickly rushed inside. The door shut behind us with a click, locking us in the dark room. The darkness didn’t last before a cluster of crystals in the ceiling sprang to life. The room was almost a spitting image of ours back at the Guild. There was a wooden table with two pale blue cushions in one corner, a single bed of hay in another, a door to an adjacent room in the next, and the last corner taken up by a potted rubber plant. There was a lone window in the center of the wall opposite the door, only this one was square and not circular. We quickly settled in and got ready to rest for the night. The adjoining room was a small bathroom with simple amenities. Only sporting a white porcelain toilet and a bathtub. We took rounds at relieving and freshening up before we retired to the bed. We cuddled together in the dark, having turned off the crystal, and sleep quickly took hold of us.

 

 

~~~

 

 

At some point my dreams brought me to a long dark grey stone hallway. Sconces lined the walls and were filled with pure white fire. There were no windows or doorways to break the monotony of the hallway. It stretched in both directions to the point I couldn’t make out where they ended. It felt far too long of a hallway. Something unnatural about it made my stomach churn. Something that didn’t sit right with me. I wanted to get as far away from whatever this place was as quickly as I could. The only thing stopping me was having no clue which way would get me the fastest out of here.

 

I spun on the spot trying to see anything down either end of the liminal hallway to find a hint of which way to go. But there wasn’t any feature that stood out. It was just an endless stretch of stone walls, floor, and ceiling. The occasional glowing sconce with white flames. And there was nothing else. A shiver rolled over my body as the unsettling feeling grew.

 

A shrill moan echoing down the hall made me jump several feet in the air. The hair on my back bristled up as I landed on the tips of my paws. My tail was raised high. My ears flicked in the direction the scream had come from. Even if every fiber in my being was saying to avoid whatever made that noise, I knew I had to find whatever made it. Something telling me to find out what or who caused it. I could faintly make out smaller yelps and moans, but nothing as loud as the first.

 

“Ha-hello?” I called out. My voiced echoed down the hallway till it was drowned out by the strange noises. But I got no response. If anything, the noises increased in volume and intensity. I paced on the balls of my paws, my head whipping back and forth. I checked for a sign of anyone, but I was alone. No Brooke. No Hanna. Nor was there any sign of Nyx. I had a feeling he would be here, but he wasn’t. The unsettled pit in my stomach deepened as my mind pondered the possibility that the noises involved the shinx somehow.

 

Another shrill moan made me flinch. This one was quickly followed by a desperate, “Please. Stop.”

 

I recognized the voice in an instant. It was Nyx’s. I got my paws under me and rushed down the hall towards wherever the flash pokemon was. Something was happening to him, and he needed help. My heart beat as I feared whatever was happening. My mind immediately jumping to him being tortured in some way. Don’t worry Nyx, I’m coming.

 

The strange noises increased in volume as I ran towards whatever was going on. Amongst the moans I could make out the sound of slapping, like someone was being beaten. I increased my pace to save Nyx from whatever was going on. It couldn’t be anything good, I just could tell.

 

Eventually the monotony of the hallway ended as the wall gave way to a segment of rusted iron bars. I skid to a stop, sending loose pebbles flying. My lungs burned from my run and my heartbeat echoed in my ears. The scene before me made my blood run cold and froze me on the spot. Yet my face warmed instantly. My breath hitched and I took a hesitant step away from the iron bars. Locked in the large cell was a collection of pokemon. All of them in the midst of carnal activity.

 

A deerling was forced to the ground with a granbull keeping the season pokemon’s head planted firmly on the stone as the canine thrusted away with reckless abandon. The two stood in a puddle of thick white liquid that was slowly growing. A male umbreon was crushed under the weight of a well-endowed male arcanine. The eeveelution giving off mewling cries of pain and pleasure as the bulk of the legendary pokemon bounced up and down, taking the umbreon knot and all with each plunge. The air forcefully pushed from the moonlight pokemon’s body with each impact. Lastly was a shinx held down by a smeargle. The tail of the painter pokemon was wound tightly around the flash pokemon’s midsection. They kept their back paws on Nyx’s backside as they hammered away without restraint. Each impact jostling the shinx a few inches in either direction. Both the arcanine and the granbull were covered in the same blood red ink of the Painted Pokemon.

 

The hallway was filled with the sounds of sex. The air was heavy. The scents in the air mingled together to form a dizzying concoction that made my face heat up and my back legs tingle. My sheath began to stir as well. I felt heat and pressure on my back and quickly fired a magical leaf backwards. The rainbow tinted leaves hit the stone wall and fell to the ground lamely.

 

“Aster.”

 

My head snapped back to the scene playing out in front of me. Nyx was looking right at me. His face was a wash with bliss, but there was pain there. Tears rolled down his face as he pleaded, “Help me, Aster.”

 

I shivered on the spot. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t act. I tried to will the energy for a move, but nothing happened. I tried for a magical leaf, but my crest remained dull. I tried for scratch, but my claws remained at their normal length. I tried to think of anything negative for a dark pulse, but I couldn’t will myself anything else but fear.

 

“Aster!”

 

Nyx bleated my name to the heavens as his body went rigid. The smeargle’s tail tightened around him as they too came to a stop with a heavy grunt. The shinx whimpered as he collapse to the ground, the smeargle extracting himself from the cub. His demonic neon orange eyes locked with mine as he grabbed his tail and twirled it about. The fact it had two brush like ends instead of the normal singular one was striking. The tips covered in blood red ink was also frightening. The exact same shade as the ink on the Painted Pokemon. I took a hesitant step back as he licked his lips. My face felt warm, and my back legs felt weak yet again. The pressure on my back froze me on the spot as the smeargle asked in a lecherous tone, “Who are you?”

 

There was a flash of blue light, and the scene vanished. Reality slipped and I felt myself waking up.

 

 

~~~

 

 

I awoke with a groan. Warmth surrounded me on all sides. Which wasn’t that strange given that I fell asleep in a cuddle pile with Brooke and Hanna. But at this moment, the heat felt stifling. The carnal scene for my dream replayed in my mind. I felt warm all over. Especially…

 

I screamed and kicked at the warm body latched on to me. I ran away from the bed, trying to remove myself from the warm bodies. But the heat chased me even as I stopped in the middle of the room. I couldn’t shake the warmth that covered every inch of my body. Especially the warmth and moisture that coated my crotch. Brooke screamed out, “What the dis?!”

 

She rolled over and stood up. She locked eyes with me and asked, “Why’d you kick me?”

 

I ignored her and rushed to the bathroom. I shut the door and ran over to the bowl like bath, turning on the cold water. Brooke made her way in by forcing the door open. The anger in her tone had vanished as she called my name. Her words were coated in worry. I still ignored her as I threw myself in the water. The cold bit at my skin like tiny knives, but it chased away the heat in an instant. I ended up on my back as I watched my taper retreat back into its housing. The bead forming on the tip washed away with the running water.

 

“What’s going on?” Hanna asked as she entered the bathroom.

 

I proceeded to wash away the evidence as best I could. Brooke spoke up, “I’m not sure.”

 

She reached a under her and towards her crotch. She gasped and asked, “Did you?”

 

“Don’t!” I screamed throwing my head over the lip of the white porcelain bowl. I jabbed a paw at the eevee. “Not another word!”

 

“But- “

 

“Brooke!”

 

Her mouth shut with a click. I turned to Hanna and said, “It’s nothing.”

 

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Brooke mumbled turning her head away.

 

“I said zip it,” I growled at my eevee, “End of discussion.”

 

“Can you at least give me a turn to clean myself off?” Brooke asked with a deadpan look.

 

“What happened?” Hanna pleaded.

 

“Nothing,” I quickly answered hopping out of the tub. I made my way back to the main room as fast as I could. A loud splash telling me Brooke claimed the bath to clean up the evidence I left on her. Of my…

 

Arceus dammit! I slammed my paws on the ground, the wood groaning slightly from my action. I hissed out, “What is wrong with me?”

 

“What is going on?” Hanna asked stepping out of the bathroom. The door closing behind her, leaving Brooke alone to tend to herself.

 

I turned away from the zorsune, my face feeling hot once again. I snapped, “Drop it.”

 

“But – “

 

“Drop it!” I ordered, baring my fangs. Hanna shuffled backwards in fright.

 

The door to the bathroom opened with a wet Brooke trotting her way out. She had removed the bandage on her leg and was able to put weight on it without issue. She glared at me and asked, “Care to explain?”

 

“No,” I turned away from her and raised my nose at her.

 

“What’s going on?” Hanna pleaded in pure desperation. “What happened?”

 

“He had a nice dream,” Brooke teased.

 

I bristled. I growled and bared my fangs, “Can it.”

 

“There’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

 

“Not when I’m cuddling you,” I snapped back with a paw pointed at her.

 

Brooke rolled her eyes, “It was a dream, Aster.”

 

“It felt real,” I said hanging my head and pawing at the ground. Nyx’s pained face was seared in my mind. I have to save him.

 

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Brooke said walking towards me, “It’s perfectly natural.”

 

“Still feels wrong,” I said taking a step away from her. I didn’t feel like being touched right now.

 

“Wait!” Hanna screamed as realization finally dawned on her. Her white fur turned a brilliant shade of red as she let off a small eep. I groaned and collapsed to the ground and covered my head with my paws. Brooke let off a small chuckle.

 

“It’s like Lily all over again,” Brooke added.

 

“Not helping!” I snapped glaring at her.

 

She shrugged as she walked over and sat down at my side. She said, “It was just a dream, Aster. It doesn’t mean anything. We’ve been over this.”

 

“But- “

 

“But nothing,” she cut me off and covered my muzzle with a paw. She locked eyes with me as she said, “It. Was. Just. A. Dream.”

 

She removed her paw as she asked, “You good?”

 

“Yea,” I answered hanging my head.

 

“Good,” Brooke smiled as she nuzzled close to me. I wanted to flee from the contact, but I also didn’t. Her being this close was a comfort. Her sugary sweet scent also helped to calm my nerves.

 

A rapid series of knocks on the door froze us in place. A concerned voice from the other side sounded off between the knocks, “Team Star! I need your help!”

 

I extracted myself from Brooke and opened to the door to a frantic vulpix. Dante paced back and forth restlessly. His eyes were unable to focus on anything for more than a fraction of a second. His fur was disheveled and there was a hint of tears having stained his muzzle. I gave the vulpine a confused look and a raise of a brow as I asked, “Dante? What’s wrong?”

 

“Have you seen Sam?” He blurted out nearly throwing himself on me.

 

I yelped back, but he closed the distance and grabbed me. He asked again, “Have you seen him?”

 

“What’s going on?” Brooke asked stepping up.

 

“It’s Sam,” Dante nearly screamed pulling away from me, “He wasn’t in his room when I woke up. I asked everyone else, and no one’s seem him. He’s gone missing.”

 

Fresh tears began to fall as he pleaded, “Pa-Please ta-tell m-me that you’ve seen hi-him.”

Chapter 27: The Lost Leafeon

Summary:

Team Star help Dante the vulpix find his missing partner. They'll look for clues and try to piece together the events of last night to figure out what happened to the leafeon.

We were able to clam down the distraught vulpix and he was able to explain everything that had happened that led up to him knocking on our door in a frenzy. He had spent the entire night with Sam, they just shared a meal before retiring for the night. They did discuss their plans for the morning. Specifically with the nearby mystery dungeon they had taken a few requests for, the Lodestone River. Apparently a few pokemon have gone missing and there were hints that they may be in the dungeon. With the growing concern with the Painted Pokemon in the area, Sam surmised that their hideout might be within the dungeon. The two were simply going to investigate and report it back, not planning on taking an entire pokemon gang by themselves.

 

But when Dante woke up, he saw no sign of his leafeon partner. He wasn’t in the room, anywhere in the tavern, or outside. There was no hint of the verdant pokemon. No one had seen him, and he left no clue as to where he was going. Which led to the fox pokemon banging on our door all worked up. Apparently we were the only other Guild team in the inn at the moment as he had nowhere else to go. After spilling his guts and explaining everything he prostrated himself as he pleaded, “Please, you have to help me. I have no one else to turn to. I can’t do this by myself. We have to find Sam.”

 

“Where would we even begin?” Brooke asked.

 

“I don’t know,” Dante answered. He sat back down as he explained, “This isn’t like Sam. He would never run off without me. He wouldn’t just leave without telling me where he’s going.”

 

“None of this is making sense,” I added. I tapped my chin, “Based on everything you said he shouldn’t have done any of this.”

 

“Yeah,” Dante agreed with a small nod of his head.

 

“So then it begs the question,” I continued, “What happened to him?”

 

“That’s what I want us to figure out,” Dante said exacerbated.

 

Hanna seemed to catch on with my train of thought as she rebutted, “But we have to think this out. We have to know what happened to him to even begin looking for him.”

 

“Maybe there’s some clues in your room?” I asked.

 

“I already checked everything,” the vulpix said with a small pout.

 

“But maybe a fresh set of eyes can see something you might of missed,” I offered.

 

Dante agreed and led us back to his room. It was exactly the same as ours, which wasn’t all that surprising. Same table, same singular hay bed, even the same potted plant. The only difference was the disheveled state of the room. The bed of hay was nearly ripped to shreds with several loose strands coating nearly every inch of the room. The potted plant was tipped over and pulled out of its soil. The door to the bathroom had a nice dent in it. The table had a few scratches on it and the contents of their bags were strewn about the surface as if a tornado had tossed them about.

 

After taking in the entire room, I turned to the vulpix and asked, “Can you go over every single thing that happened last night again?”

 

He had only given us a rough rundown of their nightly activities, but I wanted a more in-depth summary to see if there was any hint of what happened to the verdant pokemon. Dante nodded and made his way over to the door, “After we got in our room we decided to go over our plans for tomorrow before our food got here.”

 

He walked over to the table and rifled through the papers, berries, and other items strewn about on its surface. He pulled out a trio of job request forms, all of them gold rank. He laid them out as he said, “We’ve been getting a lot of requests in Arcadia for missing pokemon.”

 

“The Painted Pokemon gang?” Brooke asked.

 

Dante gave a nod of his head and a small hum of acknowledgement. He played with the papers, “No one knows where their hideout is. They keep on popping up in random spots all across the Riverlands, hitting the smaller communities around Arcadia. It has everyone spooked. More and more pokemon are going missing each day, the chapter is overrun with missing pokemon requests.”

 

“Sam took these three,” he tapped the papers, “As they were all in the area around here.”

 

I leaned in and stole a look at the three missing pokemon requests. One was for a pair of wooper twins. Another for a fidough. The last for a riolu. My mind immediately flashing back to the Timberland and our first encounter with the Painted Pokemon. Fearing that it was the same riolu, I leaned in and read the form. My fears were quickly abated as the missing riolu was male. At least it isn’t her.

 

Dante reached for another paper. This one a map, but not a wonder one. It was of the local area. He tapped a red X in the upper left corner of the drawing. Not that far from the farms or the inn, which was perfectly marked on it. Dante explained, “This is the only mystery dungeon in the area, and it is very common for criminal gangs to set up shop inside dungeons. Not too many pokemon wish to brave a dungeon to break up a gang. It allows them a good bit of security with the ferals in them. As well as the fear most pokemon have of dungeons. This means they don’t have to waste resources patrolling the entire thing, just the area inside they have staked as theirs.”

 

He pushed the map aside and pulled the three requests towards him. He let off a heavy sigh, “Sam figured that the Painted Pokemon have multiple bases throughout the Riverlands. It’s the only reason they could attack from so many different areas at the same time. And he reasoned that they had one in the Lodestone River. We planned to just go inside and see if we can spot any of them or any signs of pokemon having set up shop inside the dungeon other than ferals.”

 

“And you were going to do this today?” I pressed.

 

He nodded. He pointed to a set of dirty plates and cups as he continued, “We had just finished double checking our plan when our food arrived.”

 

Hanna poked at the plates. Brooke asked, “Who brought the food?”

 

“A sylveon,” he answered, “His name is Bruce. He’s worked here for years.”

 

He tilted his head as he quickly asked, “Why? You think he did something?”

 

“Can’t remove any variables we cannot account for just yet,” I said, catching on to Brooke’s inkling.

 

“He may be a bit rough around the edges, but he’s a nice guy,” Dante jumped in to defend the sylveon.

 

Brooke went over to the plates and cups and gave them a sniff. She instantly screamed, which transition to a retch. She turned tail and bolted to the bathroom where she dry heaved. I jumped to my paws and rushed after her. “Brooke. What’s wrong?”

 

She had her face in the toilet. Her ears were limp. She pulled herself out of the porcelain throne with a groan and fell down on her back legs. She gave one last heave before whipping her mouth with the back of a paw. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes. She turned away and said, “I’m good.”

 

She sounded anything but. Before I could say anything, she jabbed a paw at Dante and asked, “What did you two have last night?”

 

“We both had some grilled- “

 

“No!” Brooke cut him off, “To drink!”

 

Dante recoiled slightly from her scream. He quivered as he answered, “I ha-had some je-juice a-and Sam had moomoo milk.”

 

“Moomoo milk?” She parroted back to the fox.

 

“Ye-yeah,” Dante gave her a confused look, “He was feeling off all day and wanted to be good for when we- “

 

“His milk was laced,” Brooke cut him off as she jumped to her paws.

 

“Laced?” Dante gasped out

 

“How?” I asked.

 

Brooke nodded. She turned as she retched again. She hopped up to the bowl, spitting out a glob of spit. She groaned. “It was laced with male sylveon cum.”

 

“What?” Dante asked reeling backwards.

 

“Excuse me?” Hanna asked in utter confusion.

 

“Come again?” I asked not feeling I heard her correct. “Sylveon cum?”

 

“Yeah,” she fought back another gag. She laid her head on the side of the toilet, “That milk stinks of it.”

 

“I didn’t smell anything,” Hanna commented, casting a lazily glance back towards the room.

 

“You wouldn’t,” Brooke countered, “Only an eevee can really smell it, but it was pungent as all dis. It smells awful.”

 

“How can you- “

 

Brooke cut me off with a death glare. She asked, “Who was raised on an eevee breeding farm?”

 

“Breeding farm?” Dante asked.

 

Brooke ignored him and explained, “Male sylveon cum is a very powerful aphrodisiac. It was used extensively on the farm to get as many females pregnant as quickly as possible. Exposer to it in any way will drive any eevee sex crazed, the more they are exposed to it the longer they will stay in an artificial heat or rut state.”

 

“But he didn’t seem sex crazed,” Dante countered, “We ate and then went to sleep. We didn’t do anything last night.”

 

Brooke pulled herself from the toilet and moved to my side. She nuzzled up to me. I returned the gesture. She shivered as she said, “It also puts female eevees in a lulled state, making them very acceptable to any advances.”

 

“But Sam’s male …” Dante said with no energy behind his words.

 

She flashed her fangs, “I know what I smelled!”

 

“But who would do that?” Hanna asked.

 

“The only sylveon that works here,” Brooke said nuzzling my side, rubbing her face against my fur. She let off a purr as she sniffed and then licked my neck. My back bristled, but I couldn’t will myself to move. Is she…

 

“But why?” Dante asked, “It makes no sense. He wouldn’t do that.”

 

“Why not ask this Bruce ourselves,” Brooke said finally extracting herself from my side. She still stayed close. I wasn’t so certain I was okay with this contact anymore given what she said the sylveon love juices could do to her. She was always affectionate, but a part of me believe this was more to do with the laced milk than her natural cuddliness.

 

I nudged her and asked, “Are you sure you’re good?”

 

“I’m fine,” Brooke dismissed with a wave of her paw, “I got away from it before it could take effect.”

 

“Are you sure?” I wasn’t that convinced.

 

“Positive.” Brooke stood up as she said, “Let’s question this Bruce and see if he knows anything about why Sam’s drink was laced with cum.”

 

Dante rushed out of the bathroom and quickly gathered his things. Hanna left to go back to our room to grab our stuff. On our way out, I eyed up the discarded cup with the remnants of the laced moomoo milk. Fear bubbling up inside me that the small amount of contact my eevee had with the substance affected her more than she realized. Brooke and I stepped out and waited in the hallway for the two to finish up their packing. Once the door clicked shut Brooke was at my side again. She rubbed her face alongside my fur and began to lick my neck again. I jumped back with a yelp. She gave me a pained look. I took a step back as I said, “I don’t think your clear of that stuff yet.”

 

“But…” She shivered and turned away. Her face fell. She lowered her head and pawed at the floor. She sat down with a dull thud. Her ears and tail going limp. She scuffed the floor as she said, “I’m still me.”

 

“I know you are,” I said. I wanted to go over and comfort her, but I wanted to keep my distance. Even if she only got a whiff of the stuff. Even if she said she got away from it in time. She was still being affected by what was in Sam’s drink. This level of affection was not like her. She wasn’t clear in the head. But I also didn’t want to send her away or anything. I would just have to be more mindful of her actions till this stuff ran its course. I added, “But this stuff is having an effect on you. I just want you to be safe and make sure it doesn’t take you over.”

 

“It won’t!” Brooke screamed out with a hint of desperation. “I promise.”

 

“I just want you to be safe, Brooke,” I repeated, “I don’t want this stuff to make you do things you wouldn’t normally.”

 

“It won’t” She said again, “I’ll make sure of it.”

 

I nodded and gave her a small nuzzle. She leaned forward and purred. I separated before she could do anything else. She seemed hurt but relented, knowing we had to be more mindful till this stuff actually ran its course. Dante stepping out of his room had us separating. He eyed us up, but didn’t say anything. He had one treasure bag strapped to his side, with a second one on his back. He leaned forward and offered the second one, “I packed both mine and Sam’s bags, who wants to take his.”

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea to take it?” I asked.

 

“I don’t want to leave anything to chance,” Dante said.

 

I saw no reason to argue and took the offered bag and put it on. It was a big larger than the one I was used to, and it took a bit of fenagling to actually get it properly on me. It felt so right to have a bag back on after so long. I got so use to having one that it felt weird to be sans the accessory. Hanna soon stepped up and asked, “We all good?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded.

 

We then made our way downstairs. I was in front with Brooke at my side, but she was making sure to walk alongside me and not leaning against me. I could see her struggling to keep herself from doing so. Milly was manning the desk at the bottom of the steps again. The miltank eyed us up and smiled. “Morning you three.”

 

She quickly asked Dante, “Did you find Sam?”

 

“Not yet,” Dante said with a sad shake of his head.

 

Milly frowned, before her smile returned in a flash. She offered, “I’m sure you find him. That boy couldn’t have gotten far.”

 

“Do you know where Bruce is?” Brooke asked.

 

“Bruce?” Milly asked back confused, “Why would you need to see him?”

 

“He was the last pokemon besides Dante to see Sam,” I answered, “We just want to see if he might know anything.”

 

I didn’t want to reveal we suspected the sylveon of anything nefarious. I still wasn’t convinced he was behind whatever happened to Sam. Brooke’s evidence was a bit damning, but something didn’t sit right with me on this sylveon being the one responsible for the laced moomoo milk. But I also didn’t want to announce our suspicions to the world. We needed to be strategic and approach this carefully and levelheaded.

 

“He should be in the kitchen,” Milly said pointing at a door behind the bar. “Just tell Barbara you want to speak with him.”

 

We thanked the miltank and walked towards the bar. The smeargle was the only pokemon behind it. We each went for a stool, but Brooke instead joined me on mine. She proceeded to begin rubbing against my side. I ignored her as best I could. I didn’t reciprocate her tail brushing mine or her nuzzles. The smeargle smiled at our approach and asked, “What can I do for you four today?”

 

“Is Bruce in?” I asked.

 

“Bruce?” Barbara asked back. She stopped in the middle of cleaning the glass she was holding. She asked, “Why do you want to speak with Bruce?”

 

“We have some questions for him,” Brooke said.

 

“It’s about Sam,” Dante added, “He’s missing.”

 

“Sam’s missing?” the dog gasped out. She turned to Dante and said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

 

“But why do you have to see Bruce?” She asked setting the cleaned cup down.

 

“Bruce was the last pokemon to see Sam, other than me,” Dante explained, “We want to know if he noticed anything off about him.”

 

“Of course,” Barbara nodded and poked her head through the door. She called out, “Bruce! Can you come here for a second. Some pokemon want to speak with you.”

 

Barbara turned back and flashed us a smile, “He’ll be with you in a jiffy.”

 

She stepped away as another pokemon approached the bar, the shiny braixen from last night. The door opened a second later and a white and pink eeveelution hopped up on a stool to look over the bar counter at us. His fur was a bit unkempt, and he had scars crisscrossing his legs where the fur never fully grew back. A gash had been burrowed right next to his left eye, but missed the blue orb. One of his ears was notched and hung limply. And he only had three feelers instead of the normal four, he was missing one of the ones sprouting from his ear bow. The same ear that was limp. He turned to Dante and said with a nod of his head, “Hey, kid.”

 

His voice was a bit deeper than I expected for a fairy type. As with Aurora, her voice was light and had a faint musical thrill to it. I expected the same with Bruce, but what I heard was one I would have expected from a buff fighting type. He turned to the three of us and asked, “Barbs said you wanted to talk with me?”

 

“Yes,” I said with a nod.

 

“Sam’s missing,” Dante bleated out before I could explain.

 

Bruce gave the vulpix a quizzical look as he asked, “Missing?”

 

“Yes,” I answered, “We just wanted to know if you recall anything from last night that could help us find out where he is. Maybe something he said or did.”

 

Bruce gave each of us a glance before setting his eyes solely on me. His lips formed a tight thin line and he remained silent. I asked, “Can you just go over what happened last night?”

 

He gave me another hard look before speaking, “I delivered their orders. We exchanged some small talk, but nothing else.”

 

His ribbons stiffened as he jabbed one in my direction, “Are you accusing me of doing something to Sam?”

 

“Yeah,” Brooke jumped up. She jabbed a paw at him, “Sam’s milk was laced with sylveon cum.”

 

Bruce’s face remained neutral as he now glared down Brooke. She didn’t falter in her stance. I stepped up and got between the two of them. I stared the sylveon down. “Care to explain?”

 

“You think I would ever taint any mon’s food. Like cum in it?” Bruce asked with a quirked brow. Faint pink sparkles manifested on his lips and glowed. He bared his fangs, “You’re accusing me just because I’m the only sylveon here.”

 

“If the shoe fits,” Brooke growled.

 

I pushed the eevee back, placing her right behind me. I kept my eyes locked on the sylveon. I said, “We aren’t accusing you, we just want answers.”

 

“Fuck you,” he sneered. He turned to Dante, “You shouldn’t involve yourself with pokemon like this, Dante.”

 

“Fuck you, you damn pervert!” Brooke shouted out.

 

I kicked back, sending her tumbling to the ground. I quickly set on damage control. “We just want answers.”

 

“Fuck off,” Bruce snapped and hopped off his stool. “You don’t baselessly accuse pokemon of crimes just because of their species.”

 

He left without another word. I groaned and slammed my head on the bar counter. I groaned out, “That could have gone better.”

 

“He’s hiding something,” Brooke said jumping back up.

 

I spun on the spot and grabbed her by the neck. I leaned in and asked, “Why the fuck did you accuse him? We have no proof it was him.”

 

“He’s a sylveon,” Brooke said with a wave of her paw at the door to the kitchen, “He’s the only sylveon here. He handled their food. He has to be the one.”

 

I pushed her back, but she didn’t fall off the stool this time. “What the dis is your problem?!”

 

“My problem?” She fired back.

 

I growled and leapt forward. I bit down on her ear and dragged her out of the tavern. She shrieked, kicking and screaming the whole way. I tossed her forward once we were outside. She tumbled to the ground, but quickly sprang to her paws. Her face was flush as she glared daggers at me. “What the fuck are you doing?”

 

“I could ask you the same thing,” I said closing the distance and bumping her with my chest. She matched the action and pressed her face into mine. “Why did you antagonize him? We were just asking him questions, not accusing him.”

 

“He did it,” Brooke bumped me back. I struggled to keep my footing, “He’s the only sylveon here, he’s the guy.”

 

“He isn’t,” I said. I tried to bump her back, but she remained rooted on the spot. “We can’t just accuse him without hard evidence. All we have is the scent of male sylveon cum.”

 

“And he’s a male sylveon,” Brooke pushed again, sending me falling backwards. She leapt forward and pinned me to the ground. She snarled in my face, “He did something to Sam.”

 

I struggled to get the shiny eevee off me. She pressed down harder with her paws, trapping me under her. The hardness in her face softened and the blush increased. I gasped and tried harder to wiggle myself free. She leaned in, pressing her body against mine. Warmth bloomed all over me as she rubbed her body against mine. Her tail dipping down and brushing my balls. Her muzzle rubbed up against mine. She softly said, “Aster, I need this.”

 

I charged up a magical leaf and blasted her off me. She landed in a heap a few feet away. I scrambled to my paws. I slashed my claws together and felt the rush of hone claws take effect. I widened my stance and charged up another magical leaf. I shouted out, “Get a hold of yourself, Brooke! This isn’t you. This is that damn moomoo milk.”

 

“Aster,” she desperately called my name as she got to her paws. She stared me down. Her face wasn’t masked with anger, but fear instead. Her eyes were wide and her pupils pinpricks. She trembled as she said, “I can’t fight it. I can feel myself slipping.”

 

“I know you can fight it,” I called out, “You’re stronger than some stupid sylveon splooge.”

 

She quivered, her back legs grinding against each other. She pleaded, “I don’t know if I can.”

 

“Deep breaths,” I ordered. I didn’t drop the pull for a magical leaf. I kept charging it in case she made a move. Brooke’s unfocused eyes trailed off to somewhere else in the clearing. She opened her mouth wide and took in a deep breath. She let it out, her body shaking the entire time.

 

She did it a second time. She hopped back and forth on the balls of her paws. “It’s not working.”

 

“You’re doing great,” I encouraged her, “You are stronger than some stupid cum.”

 

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose and out her mouth. The eevee stopped shivering and her body finally relaxed. She sat down and took another deep breath, letting this one out slowly. She opened her eyes, blinking them rapidly a few times. The fox gave me a meek smile and said, “Thanks.”

 

“You good?” I asked, finally letting the overcharged magical leaf die down.

 

“Yeah,” she answered with no emotion and a curt nod of her head. She laid down and kept her eyes locked on the ground.

 

“Can I come over?” I asked taking a hesitant step forward. She didn’t answer. She whimpered as she wrapped her tail around herself and balled up. I remained where I was as I said, “You are perfectly okay, Brooke. You are still you.”

 

“I can still feel it,” she cut in, “I want to rush over there so badly. I want to…no, need to take you, Aster.”

 

I gulped at her declaration. That she wanted to actually do something with me. That she had this insatiable drive to do such things with me. That the aphrodisiac was having such an affect on her. That she probably could overpower me and do whatever she pleased to state this artificially induced sexual state. She could take advantage of me without much issue. Just like Camille.

 

I shook those thoughts away and squared my stance. I shouted out, “You’re stronger than these basic instincts, Brooke. You know it. You can fight this!”

 

“I don’t know if I can,” she said with a shake of her head. She shivered, “You’re not safe around me.”

 

“I only feel safe when you are around me,” I countered, “I’m not afraid of you. I know you won’t hurt me or do anything you and I don’t want. You just have to trust yourself. You have to believe you are stronger than some pheromones.”

 

“But I’m not,” she screamed out, “I’m not stronger than this.”

 

“Yes you are!” I said with a stamp of a paw. I had enough and rushed forward, tackling her. She screamed as we rolled down the hill.

 

We ended up with her face down in the grass with me on top of her. I planted my paws on each of her limbs, holding her down. I pressed my stomach against her back and nuzzled my head beside hers. Her bakery sweet scent had morphed to an almost caramel like smell. It boarded on the cusp of burnt sugar. She squirmed as she called out, “Aster! Get off me. You have to get away from me!”

 

I ignored her as she tried to break free, but didn’t. Her backside rubbed against my crotch, pressing something warm and moist against my sheath. I ignored it as I pinned her down harder. I said, “You can fight this, Brooke.”

 

“I can’t,” she whimpered as she began to cry. She pressed against me harder.

 

I didn’t move away, keeping her trapped under me. I pulled my head back and hissed, “Yes. You. Can.”

 

She planted her head in the grass as she cried, “I’m weak, Aster.”

 

“You are stronger than some stupid bodily fluids. You are Brooke. You are my eevee. You can fight this. You are the strongest pokemon I know.”

 

She just whimpered in response. I continued, “I need you Brooke. I need you by my side. I need my Brooke.”

 

“I can’t,” she said as she deflated. She stopped pressing against my sheath, but the heat remained. I desperately fought my body’s instincts and kept myself contained as best I could. I couldn’t fall to these same instincts either. Brooke needed me to be resolute. She needed me to anchor her to something other than the reality the damnable sylveon cum was trying to force upon her.

 

I nuzzled her as I asked, “Is that what you are? A pokemon blinded by some stupid heat inducing pheromones.”

 

“No…” she croaked out turning away from my affection.

 

“Then prove it,” I all but screamed in her ear, “Prove to me that you are stronger than this.”

 

She struggled against my hold, but didn’t move me an inch. She stopped and whimpered, letting off a puff of hot air. She sank to the ground, but I kept my hold on her. She fearfully said, “I don’t think I can.”

 

“Yes you can,” I nuzzled the side of her head, “Yes you can.”

 

“Aster. Brooke.”

 

“We got some…what are you doing!”

 

I bristled, my head snapping to the side. Where Hanna and Dante had exited the tavern and were looking at me and Brooke. With me having her pinned down and on top of her. Hanna was stock still and wide eyed. Dante gave us an exhausted look letting off a puff of hot air. I felt hot all over as I screamed and leapt off of Brooke. I backpedaled several feet as I said, “It isn’t what it looks like.”

 

“Looks like you two were having sex,” Dante deadpanned.

 

“We weren’t,” I rebutted. My voice having raised a few octaves. My face felt like it was on fire.

 

“But…” Hanna meekly said, her words trailing off.

 

Brooke finally picked herself off the ground and dusted herself off. She bit back, “We weren’t doing anything.”

 

She glared at the vulpix as she said, “He was trying to help me get over that damn sylveon spunk.”

 

“Still?” Hanna asked rushing to the eevee’s side.

 

“Yeah,” Brooke hated to admit. She turned away from the blushing fox with a blush of her own. She quickly added, “But I think I’m good now.”

 

“Are you sure?” I pressed, “You said that before.”

 

“I mean it,” her head snapped to me, “I only feel like I want to snuggle you, not have sex with you.”

 

I rolled my eyes, “Sounds like you your old self again.”

 

She smiled and moved to get close to me. I took a step back and said, “But let’s air on the side of caution and keep the contact to a minimum till we are certain that stuff is no longer in your system.”

 

She froze, her ears and tail going limp. She frowned and let off a heavy sigh. “Yeah, you’re right.”

 

She sat down, Hanna rushed to her side and nuzzled close to her. Brooke didn’t return the affection nearly as much as she did with me, but she welcomed it with a small thanks. I smiled seeing her beginning to wind down from the sylveon pheromones. I knew she could do it.

 

Dante clearing his throat drew my attention. He flashed a smile and said, “We got a lead.”

 

“You did?”

 

“Yep,” Hanna answered with a smile and a nod.

 

“That braixen,” Dante explained pointing back at the tavern, “He saw Sam last night leaving the tavern and heading off in that direction,” he pointed off to the side, “Which is in the direction of the Lodestone River.”

 

“So, he’s in the dungeon?” I asked.

 

Dante nodded, his smile faltering somewhat. Hanna added, “But he wasn’t alone.”

 

“Was it Bruce?” Brooke asked. I glared at the eevee.

 

“No,” Dante shook his head. Brooke seemed to deflate that she couldn’t accuse the sylveon anymore. “It was a toxicroak.”

 

“A toxicroak?” I repeated.

 

“Covered with blood red ink runes,” Hanna added.

 

“A Painted Pokemon?” I asked.

 

Dante hummed with a nod of his head. Brooke surmised, “They must have a sylveon. They must be using them to coerce eevees to their hideout.”

 

Dante pulled out the three missing pokemon forms. He eyed them up as he finished, “I bet all of them were brought to the dungeon, just like Sam.”

 

“Then we have no time to lose,” Brooke said jumping to her paws.

 

This lead was amazing. Not only did we have verification of where Sam was, but also that the Painted Pokemon were involved. We also got confirmation that Sam was right, their hideout had to be inside the Lodestone mystery dungeon. We got ourselves together and made off towards the dungeon. Dante and I took point, the vulpix leading the way. Brooke and Hanna were right behind us. I knew Brooke wanted to be at my side, but we agreed it was better to keep our distance from each other. She was not happy with this, but did relent. But I also felt wronged by this decision. Like it hurt me to not be near her when she needed and wanted me. To deny her what she wanted made my chest hurt. I wanted to ignore our forced distance, but I knew I couldn’t. We can get through this. She can get through this.

 

We weaved our way through the farms that surrounded the Hearthstone Tavern. I asked Dante, “What kind of pokemon can we expect in this dungeon?”

 

“Mostly steel and rock types. Maybe a few fairies.”

 

Not the worst match up. At least some of us have type advantage. I nodded at his answer. I then asked what supplies he had in his bags. He happily listed off what was in his and Sam’s bag. The vulpix had most of the supplies, oran berries, pecha berries, cheri berries, some apples, a blast and heal seed, and a reviver seed. Sam’s bag had all of the maps, forms, and other paper work inside. Along with a few orans, some chesto berries, an escape orb, a blast seed, and a reviver seed. I also had two apples, one of which was far larger than the other. The last item was another egg shaped seed, this one white with light grey stripes. Hanna called it out as a blink seed, able to turn whoever eats it invisible for about half a minute.

 

Hanna also listed off our limited supplies. Dante took notice of it and asked, “Why do you have so little on you?”

 

“The guard stole my bag, which had most of our supplies,” I answered, “And we had to leave Eldergrove in a hurry, so we didn’t have a chance to resupply.”

 

“Why did you have to leave in a hurry?” the vulpix asked with a cock of his head.

 

We quickly explained what happened with the castle and black hole now presiding over the city. He gave a horrified gasp once we finished. He asked, “Really?”

 

“Yes,” I nodded. I then turned my eyes to the farmland around us. Pokemon were out and about tending to their farms, but all of them seemed somber. The fields didn’t look as lively as I expected. The farms by Eldergrove were vibrant and in full bloom, harvest season being close. Which surprised me with the farms here looking anything but ready. The cropland appeared to be all dead and withered.

 

There was a field of upturned dirt, holes dug across the entire area. Each filled with a festering pile of black sludge. A pair of hippopotas lumbered their way over to the next patch of untouched soil, their pace lethargic. An orchard of leafless black barked trees creepily dominated the next plot of land. An exeggutor and a tiny flying dragon-apple unleashed powerful pulses of grassy terrain to no avail. The green energy revitalizing the once browned grass, but the trees remained dead. The apple collapse to the ground in sobs. A field of wheat was flattened to the ground, each of the blades was coated in a grey slime. A team of water type pokemon worked to clean the gunk, only to reveal the wheat underneath had blackened. What the dis happened here?

 

“What’s with all the farms?” I asked glancing at a field of berry bushes. All of them yellowed. A tropius laid in the dirt crying their eyes out. A large fluffy white bug that resembled a ground bound volcarona tried in vain to comfort the distraught fruit pokemon.

 

“Blight,” Dante answered.

 

“Blight?” Hanna asked, “What happened?”

 

“No one knows,” the vulpix answered with a shake of his head, “Just a few days ago, the farms in the Riverlands started going bad. Fertile land becoming sterile. Crops failing overnight. It all came as a shock to everyone with most of the harvests just around the corner. Some say it’s something in the air. Others, the water.”

 

“Sounds horrible,” Hanna said in a somber tone.

 

“Any leads on that one?”

 

Dante shook his head. “The Guild is investigating, but nothing has borne fruit.”

 

We made our way through another grassy path between the farms as we approached the end of the plotted land. An expanse of grassy fields and a massive tree line greeted us. Dante pointed forward, “The dungeon entrance is just over there.”

 

I scanned the area for any feature that stood out in the wall of leaves and bark, but I couldn’t see anything. Every dungeon entrance so far had some striking feature that stood out from the surrounding environment to clearly broadcast it as a dungeon. There was no tree different from the rest. There was no structure that contrasted with the natural foliage.

 

“Wait!” Dante skid to a stop and threw a leg out. He hit me square in the chest, making he grunt as the wind was knocked out of me. I stumbled backwards as my chest stung.

 

“What’s wrong?” Hanna asked coming up to Dante’s side.

 

Brooke quickly took advantage of us stopping and nuzzled up to me. I pushed her back and she let off a little whine. Dante pointed forward and said, “The dungeon entrance is gone.”

 

“Gone?” I asked. I couldn’t understand what he meant. How could a dungeon up and disappear?

 

“How can it be gone?” Hanna followed up.

 

“Are you sure we’re in the right area?” Brooke asked before nuzzling me. I sighed and pushed her back yet again. She gave a small pout, but kept her distance this time.

 

“I’ve been in this dungeon a dozen times,” Dante said with a small glare pointed the eevee’s way, “I know where it is.”

 

He waved at the forest ahead of us, “There’s supposed to be a stone circle right about here, the entrance is there. But now it isn’t. Which means…”

 

He trailed off as his tone got gloomier. His paw hit the ground with a dull thud. He shook his head and grabbed a rock. He tossed it forward as hard as he could. The rock disappeared midway through its arc. The air shimmering where the rock vanished. The glow rapidly increased in size. As if a yellow and white aurora borealis had materialized out of thin air. The vulpix cursed, “Rift.”

 

“Rift?” I parroted back, “What’s that?”

 

“What?” He gave me a look one might give someone that just asked why the sky is blue.

 

Hanna pointed ahead, “A Rift is a phenomena when a mystery dungeon breaches its containment.”

 

“That can happen?” Brooke asked.

 

Dante nodded. Hanna asked, “You’ve ever seen that triangular rune in any entrance to a mystery dungeon?”

 

I nodded. She explained, “That is the control rune. The magic that creates mystery dungeons also forges that rune into existence any time one of them is created. That rune keeps the dungeons locked within the confines of the location they inhabit. Keeping the unstable nature held back and from infecting our world. But if that rune is broken, for whatever reason, the dungeon begins to leak outside and becomes what is called a Rift. The area around the dungeon becomes unstable and unsafe. Ferals can exit the dungeon and attack pokemon. Towns could be consumed and lost within the expanding distortion. Loved ones…lost within the expanse.”

 

Her ears fell and she pawed at the ground after finishing. She stepped over to my side, her eyes seeking comfort. I leaned in and gave her what she wanted in the from of a small side hug. I figured not to ask what was wrong. She no doubt had some personal experience with a Rift that did not end well. If she doesn’t want to talk about it, I won’t force her.

 

“All in all,” Dante continued, “This is not a good situation. This makes the dungeon all that more dangerous.”

 

He hung his head with a heavy sigh, “But Sam is in there.”

 

“We’ll find him,” I said stepping up to the fox’s side.

 

He gave me a small smile and a nod of his head. He stared down the shimmering veil before us as he said, “We need to stay close and not separate. A rifting dungeon is far more dangerous than a normal one.”

 

As if sensing what I was going to ask, Dante explained, “The layout is unstable and can sometimes shift, completely altering a floor while we are on it. And like I said, possibly separating us. You have a wonder map right?”

 

Hanna wordlessly produced ours. Dante nodded, “If a shift does happen, we need to check the map to check what has changed and to help locate anyone if we do get separated.”

 

“Additionally,” he sighed, “the ferals inside the dungeon are going to be worse. They may be very high level, and they can be just about any pokemon. We could see anything, not just rock and steel types.”

 

“This is sounding very annoying,” Brooke murmured out.

 

“It is,” the vulpix agreed with a sad nod of his head. He glared at the veil that finally stopped shimmering, returning the air to its normal state. Everything looked normal with nothing out of place. Even if the entrance to the dungeon was still right there in front of us. He squared his back and said, “But Sam is in there and we are his only hope to save him from those Painted Pokemon.”

 

“We will save him,” I said hip checking the vulpix, “I promise, we will find him.”

 

Dante flashed me a smile before locking eyes with the dungeon. We all advanced together, the air shimmered as we approached the entrance and crossed the threshold. A tingle coursed through my body. The air felt heavier, like it was full of electricity. The faint scent of ozone stung my nostrils, I fought back a sneeze that dared to come out.

 

I gave the sight before us a confused tilt of my head. Instead of appearing in the classic hallway or dungeon room we have thus far, we seemed to be in the exact same area. There was no maze. The sky above was the same, no ceiling of clouds or fog. Yet, I could feel that the light beaming down on us was not natural anymore. It had the same artificial feel like all the other dungeons had.

 

We were still in the grassy field. There was a circle of seven towering jet black stones not that far ahead. They were just as tall as the trees. But what I didn’t see was the forest that was once there, nor the mountains beyond that. It was just more grass. A flat plain of verdant blades stretching off to the horizon. Turning around I saw the exact same thing. There was no hint of the farms, or the tree covered hill the tavern was on. It was just grass as far as the eye could see.

 

“What is going on?” Brooke asked turning her head in every direction.

 

“It’s a Rift,” Dante curtly answered as he made his way towards the stone circle. The stones were unevenly cut and gleamed in the sunlight. All of them roughly the same height. Towards the back, chunks of the jet black rock laid haphazardly in the grass.

 

We lazily followed the fire fox. I then asked, “Why does this dungeon look different?”

 

“We technically didn’t enter the dungeon proper,” Hanna answered, “The first floor of a rifting dungeon mimics the environment it has consumed.”

 

“But we can still come across ferals,” Dante added. His head on a swivel.

 

I mirrored his actions, checking around for any signs of other pokemon. But it was just us and an infinite expanse of grass. As we got closer to the looming stones Dante said, “We will have to search each floor till we find signs of the gang.”

 

A dull thud shook the ground, and we all came to a stop. A figured stepped from behind one of the glass like pillars that formed the circle. A bright red scizor. It’s eyes pupilless. It raised its pincers and snapped them aggressively. Dante yelped, “Scatter!”

 

He bolted off to the side. I followed his order and ran back the way we came, Brooke tailing me. Hanna went her own way as the scizor took to the air and chased after me. I charged up a magical leaf and sent it flying forward. The dark green leaves quickly turned around and zeroed in on the bug. It’s pincers glowed grey as it punched the leaves out of the air with ease. Its wings buzzed harder as it worked to close the distance. I grit my teeth and pulled the energy for a dark pulse. I focused on Brooke and I getting hurt from the bug. I pulled that fear to manifest the dark type move. I ordered, “Hit it with a double kick as soon as you get an opening.”

 

Brooke nodded and peeled off as her back paws began to glow orange. I leapt forward and spun around to face the bug type. My paws it the ground just as the dark type energy peaked. I planted myself and stared the scizor down. I screamed as I released the swarming mass of darkness. The bug was pushed back by the black balls and fell to the ground. Not a second later, Brooke landed a kick right on its abdomen. A sickening crack filled the air. She jumped up and delivered an equally powerful second kick. The bug grunting as its limbs went limp.

 

It didn’t stay down as its pincer was cloaked in orange energy, and it punched Brooke right in the side. An even more sickening crack echoed out. She screamed as she was sent flying, landing on the ground hard. She rolled several times before coming to a stop, collapsing in a heap and not getting up. I screamed out her name, but she didn’t move. A second later her form was consumed in white, and she vanished. Did she just faint?

 

It took her out in one hit? I gulped as the scizor got back to its feet. Its claws glowing yellowish green as it got to a lazy hover. I stepped backwards as my heart began to race. I took in rapid breaths as it stared at me with malice. My paws intertwined and I fell on my back with a grunt. The scizor lunged forward. I screamed and covered my face with my paws. A blast of immense heat followed and then silence. I peeked beyond my green furry bunker to see no sign of the scizor. Bright orange flames filled the air along with the dust the pincer pokemon had been reduced to. The flames forming a trail right towards Dante.

 

“Are you okay?” Dante screamed running up. Hanna was right behind him.

 

“Where’s Brooke?!” I screamed jumping to my paws. I looked all around the grassy field, but I couldn’t see any hint of the silver eevee. I belted to the heavens, “BROOKE!”

 

My throat burned as my voice echoed off to nothing. Yet no reply came. A paw on my side made me jump. I charged up a magical leaf, but killed it instantly. Hanna had fixed me with a sad smile. She softly said, “She fainted. She was teleported, Aster.”

 

“Why didn’t you hit that damn bug with that attack when you first saw it?!” I screamed bullying my way past Hanna and pushing up against Dante.

 

He cowered back, falling down. He stammered out, “I-I ca-couldn’t charge it in ta-time.”

 

“You could have saved Brooke!”

 

“I’m not a fighter,” Dante pleaded, “Sam does all the fighting. I just back him up. I can’t charge up my flamethrower quickly. It would have gotten to me before I even got a spark going.”

 

“And you just let it attack us!”

 

“I’m sorry,” Dante pleaded on the verge of tears. He raised his paws to protect his face.

 

I took in a deep breath and let it out in a loud huff through my nose. I turned away from the vulpix. I declared in desperation, “We have to find her.”

 

I needed the eevee at my side. I needed her now.

 

“We will,” Hanna said moving my side and giving me a gentle nuzzle, “We’ll find her.”

Chapter 28: The Rift

Summary:

Aster, Hanna, and Dante continue on their way through the rifting Lodestone River. They are on the lookout for Sam, the Painted Pokemon, and now Brooke. But not having the eevee at his side and having no idea where she may be beings to eat away at Aster.

No other pokemon came out as we made our way back to the stone circle. In the very center was a set of stairs leading down. A hollow feeling filled me without the presence of the shiny eevee at my side. Even if she was a bit more touchy recently because of the sylveon pheromones, I still missed the contact. I didn’t like not having her by my side. I felt hopeless and weak without her support. Like a piece of me had been forcibly ripped away. I didn’t feel complete without the eevee with me. I felt alone and isolated, even if I wasn’t. Hanna was a bit of a relief in that, but she couldn’t replace the evolution pokemon. My heart still felt like it was shattering with each second Brooke was missing, and it has only been a minute.

 

“She’s down there somewhere,” Dante offered, “She’s still in the dungeon. We’ll find her.”

 

We better. I internalized the venomous tone of my voice. I glared at the back of the vulpix’s head. We were here to help him find his partner, but it’s been nothing but trouble for us. First it was the damn sylveon cum that basically took over Brooke and made her sex crazed. I nearly lost her to some damn pheromones. And now this, actually losing her. Her losing a fight. I nearly lost to her to animalistic instincts, but I clawed her back to me. I kept my Brooke with me. But it was for nothing. Now she was gone, and I didn’t know where she was. I didn't know if she was okay. A pit forming deep inside me, a hollow that couldn’t be filled. An ache in my chest. It hurt every time my heart beat.

 

Hanna stepped up close to my side, just shy of nuzzling me. She gave me a small frown as she said, “Normally when a pokemon faints they are teleported to somewhere on the same floor.”

 

I snapped away from her and scanned the grassy expanse for any hint of the shiny eevee. Yet I couldn’t see anything. I prepared to bolt out and search under every blade of grass for her. Hanna’s voice cut me off before I coudl move an inch, “But because this dungeon is rifting she could have been teleported anywhere.”

 

I sagged and collapsed to the floor. Why must you pull the rug you just placed down.

 

Hanna asked the vulpix, “How many floors does this dungeon have?”

 

“Six,” Dante answered standing just before the staircase.

 

Six! Six floors to check to find her. The pit in my core deepened. Despair flooded my veins. I didn’t feel like moving from my spot. But I also knew I needed to move. I needed to find Brooke. I needed to check every inch of all six floors till I found her. I would hug her and keep her by my side forever. I wouldn’t care if she sniffed or licked me. Or if she tried to fuck me. I just needed her by my side. To make me whole once again.

 

Dante took the lead and went down the staircase first. A nudge from Hanna got me up and down the stairs with her at my side. My legs moving more on autopilot. I felt numb and couldn’t focus on anything. The only thing I could think about was not having Brooke at my side. This felt worse than back in Salty Cove. There I was alone by the machinations of the dungeon. But I knew she would find me eventually. I knew she was not that far away from me. Here it was her missing because she lost a fight. A pokemon knocking her out with one punch. The way her body rag dolled after the hit made my stomach churn. There was also the fact that I had no idea if I could find her. I had no idea where she was or if she was in even more danger with the ferals and the Painted Pokemon about. I didn’t feel up to the task. It felt far too daunting. And it made me sick to think that I couldn't save her. That I'd lose her because of my ineptitude.

 

Why am I so useless? I sighed as I peeled my eyes from the ground and to the dungeon around us. The grassy plain had vanished and we were now in an equally grassy gully. High walls of dirt and rock hemmed us in, too high to even attempt to scale them. Trees on the top of the cliff created a large ceiling of leaves. Clusters of bluish grey crystals dotted the area. The air around them humming. The scent of ozone was stronger, forcing a sneeze out of me. The sky above was a nice shade of robin egg blue marred with a yellow and white aurora stretching across it. But there was also no hint of the sun anywhere, yet everything was lit like it was midday. This feels wrong.

 

We were in a small square room with one path ahead and another behind. There were no items or ferals with us. Dante gave each path a hesitant glance before he asked, “Which way should we go?”

 

“Doesn’t really matter,” I answered in a dull tone.

 

Dante said, “We have to search every corner of the dungeon for any sign of those Painted Pokemon and Sam.”

 

“And Brooke,” I added sternly.

 

“And Brooke,” Dante agreed with a quick nod of his head.

 

Yet we remained standing in the room with no one making a move towards either of the paths. I gave the two foxes a curious glance. Hanna gave me a hopeful look. Which wasn’t all that surprising since I was the leader of our team. I always was the one taking point. Or Brooke. I just didn’t feel like leading all that much right now. I didn’t have the drive to do so. Dante didn’t move either. The pokemon that brought us along this side mission not taking the lead pissed me off. I huffed and rolled my eyes. Damn escort quests.

 

Seeing that everyone was waiting for someone else to move, I turned and made my way towards the path in the back. Hanna falling in line at my side with Dante bringing up the rear. The path was more of the same rocky cliff with looming trees. The glimmering crystals dotted the walls. Some had even fused with the trees. The path turned to the left and brought us to a long room. A small stream cutting across the length of it. The water glowing the same hue as the crystals.

 

Floating about in the center of the room were two geodudes. Their eyes pupilless and their rocky hide not marked in red ink. I sniped the closest one with a magical leaf, the move instantly rending it to dust as it dropped a copper coin. The second geodude growled and rushed towards us. A second magical leaf did it in like the first. We collected the coin and then pondered the way forward. There was one path dead ahead and one on our left. Dante pulled out his wonder map and watched the squiggly lines form the two rooms we already been in, and leaving off the unexplored areas. There were three blue dots in the room we were in. But there wasn’t a fourth anywhere else on the map. I frowned. Guess she’s not on this floor.

 

Dante lazily drew his paw over the unmapped portions of the dungeon. He mused aloud, “This path probably will loop back to the first room.”

 

He had traced a circle from the left path to the north one from the first room. He then moved to the other path. “This will either lead to a satellite room or a dead end.”

 

“How do you know?” Hanna asked watching him.

 

“You can kinda guess a dungeon’s layout after you’ve been in dozens of them,” he answered rolling his map up. He glanced at the path on the left. “The satellite room will probably be where the stairs are.”

 

Seeing no reason to question his judgment, and just wanting to find the floor Brooke was on, I took point and went down the path he chose. The straight and narrow ditch led right to a massive room. A large maple tree half consumed by crystals stood in the center. Even some of the leaves were crystalline and filled the air with an array of rainbows. Fluttering about in the air were three small specks of yellow and white fuzz. They each had four tiny black legs that swayed with their erratic movements. Their gossamer wings buzzing away a mile a minute. All at once they turned and flew towards us. I summoned up a dark pulse, the bottomless pit in my core was easy fuel for the move, and flooded the air with malice laced spheres. The bugs flinched and scurried away from the noxious orbs of dark type energy.

 

Hanna zeroed in on one and swiped at it with her glowing claws. The bug was faster than her and easily avoided her attack. A clapping noise from behind drew my attention to the vulpix. Dante was standing on his hind paws and had his forelegs above his head. He gave a little dance as he clapped his paws together. One, two, one-two-three.

 

A pulse of rainbow light glittered off him and towards me and Hanna. I felt a surge of strength like never before. Dante flashed me a smile. I didn’t return it as I sensed the bugs coming back for another attack. There were two of them and both their bodies were coated in sickly green bug type energy. Since they were bugs, I knew magical leaf would be basically useless against them. I charged up another dark pulse. The bugs plowed right through my attack as if it was nothing and bit my sides. My skin burned as their tiny teeth broke fur and flesh. I thrashed about, dislodging them. They flew off to the far corner of the room. I screamed as I collapsed to the ground. The twin attack making my entire body ache and my sides burning like I just hugged a pillowcase of poison ivy. I felt light headed.

 

The two bugs came back for another round, still coated in bug type energy. I tried to summon a dark pulse, but the sting in my side killed any chance of me drawing the energy needed for the move. A flash of black and white heralded Hanna sucker punching both of the bugs with one hit. They fell to the ground and vanished in faint pink sparkles. Hanna landed on her paws, hunkered down in front of me protectively, checking the room for any more threats. But there were no more bugs flying about. She relaxed and turned to me. I got myself to a seated position as she asked, “You good?”

 

“I will be,” I answered opening up my bag and pulling out an oran berry.

 

“What was that move you used?” Hanna asked stepping towards Dante.

 

The vulpix scuffed the ground and answered, “Helping hand. It boosts the power of any allies next move.”

 

“I felt it,” I said downing the tangy berry. I felt my energy return to me. The sting in my side faded to a dull throb. I no longer felt like my skin was radiating heat.

 

Dante flashed a smile, “I always hang back and use it whenever we encounter ferals.”

 

“What other moves do you have?” I asked as I inspected the room for any loot.

 

“Other than that, I currently have will-o-wisp, dark pulse, and flamethrower active,” he answered.

 

It wasn’t the worst move pool. Flamethrower for type advantage power. My dark pulse was proving to be a very good move since I learned it, and I expected his to be just the same. Will-o-wisp was good for tanky pokemon and helping hand was good support. Which he seemed to prefer to be. Behind the front lines and supporting Sam, but still having attacking moves so he wasn’t a sitting duck.

 

With no loot visible in the room, we checked the two paths forward. One on the left and another on the right. Dante took his map out again and traced his paw on the imaginary paths he envisioned. He pointed to the left path, “That should lead back to the first room.”

 

He then pointed to the right, “That probably loops back to the other room or a satellite one.”

 

“Where to then?” I asked. Based on his logic before, the right path was where the stairs were. But he had been wrong about this room being a dead end already.

 

Dante rolled up the map and pointed to the right path, “The satellite room has to have the stairs leading down.”

 

I still half expected him to be wrong. I honestly felt like he was spouting some bullshit and was just guessing which way to go. But I saw no reason to counter his judgement. He’s been exploring dungeons longer than I was. And the golden crown on his badge clearly showed he was experience in dungeon crawling than either of us. Unless most of it was Sam.

 

I shook the thought aside and followed the vulpix’s direction down the path on the right. We came to a T-intersection. One path leading south, no doubt towards the room were we encountered the geodudes. The other leading north. We took that one and made our way around a curved bend, arriving at a small circular room. The stairs and a reddish purple spike ball of a seed were there. Hanna called it a violent seed, one that increased a pokemon’s attack power and inducing a near berserk state for a small amount of time. We grabbed the seed and descended the stairs to the next floor.

 

This floor of the dungeon was still a grassy depression with the trees looming over us. The aurora in the sky burned brighter and the shimmering crystal clusters were larger and consumed more of the terrain. The room we were in was a large plus shape with a path leading out of each end. Dante pulled out his map again. I leaned in to see if there was any sign of Brooke on this floor. Sadly, there still was only the three blue dots to signify us. I huffed and turned away from the vulpix as he mused about the four options ahead of us. With the map not showing the rest of the floor it was a crapshoot on which one to take. Hanna seemed to come to the same conclusion as she offered, “I guess we just play eeny-meeny-miny-moe.”

 

I proceeded to do just that as Dante huffed and rolled up his map in defeat. My paw landed on the path to the right once I finished. I didn’t waste a second and quickly made my way down my chosen direction. I wanted out of this dungeon as soon as possible. The quicker we found Brooke and got back on our main quest the better. I didn’t care if we found any hints of the Painted Pokemon in this dungeon or not. I almost had an inkling of even not caring if we found Sam or not. But that died quickly. We still need to find him.

 

I cared less about the leafeon and more about my missing eevee. The pit in my center was there. Still eating away at me. Still driving me to find the eevee so I could banish this hollow feeling inside me. To feel whole again. My heart ached, each beat hurting my chest. I grit my teeth and sucked down the creeping darkness and made for the room at the end of the passageway. This was another long room with a seam of glowing crystals running down the length like a river of stones. I guess that’s where this dungeon gets its name.

 

I didn’t have long to ponder before I was tackled to the side by Hanna. A second later the area I once stood on exploded in a cloud of dirt and grass. We weren’t alone in the room. A lone feral bronzor floated in the air not that far away. It gave an angry metallic cry as it summoned a ball of blackness in front of it. Pure malevolence leeched off the charging attack and turned the air around us cold. A shiver rolled across my body from the no doubt ghost type move. We scattered before it could fire its attack. I let a magical leaf off as I ran. The bronzor released its attack to intercept mine. The ball of spiteful energy absorbed my leaves and then exploded, filling the room with thick smoke.

 

The smoke was instantly obliterated by a pillar of orange flames. The heat radiating off the flamethrower had me stepping back in caution. A twinge of fear constricting my mind, almost making me want to flee as far away from the fire as possible. But the inferno died down as soon as it appeared. The smoke, and the bronzor, were both gone with no trace of them or anything left. Dante shook himself out as he asked, “Everyone good?”

 

“Yeah,” Hanna said making her way over. The dark type energy that coated one of her paws fizzling out. I gave the red fox a nod of my head and a small thanks.

 

The ground trembled and trees shook. I widened my stance to keep myself from falling. The sky flashed golden white as a tempest picked up. The wind was my undoing, and I was tossed aside like a plastic bag in a tornado. The breath was knocked out of my body as I hit the wall. Hanna and Dante suffered a similar fate as they were thrown across the room.

 

Almost as quickly as it started the catastrophe halted. The wind died down and the earth settled. With the wind no longer pressing me to the wall, I collapsed with a grunt. I slowly picked myself up on wobbly legs with a groan. I checked on the two foxes. Hanna was in a heap on her back, her tail and ruff lazily floating about. Her eyes were unfocused and almost seemed to be spinning around in their sockets. Dante’s face was planted in the ground with his body ramrod straight up, his tails draped over him. The sky above had settled as well, but there was now no signs of the aurora anymore.

 

I asked, “You guys good?”

 

“Yeah,” Hanna answered in a strained voice. She rolled over and shook herself out.

 

Dante flopped down as he answered, “Been better.”

 

“What was that?” I asked.

 

“A shift,” Dante said getting back to his paws. He pulled out his map in a flash and unfurled it. He stomped his paw angrily a second later with a curse. Hanna and I walked over to see the map was blank of anything except for the room we were in. There was no indication of the plus shaped room we first arrived in.

 

“Does it shuffle the entire floor?” I asked. I got a pair of confirmations from the two foxes.

 

We still had the three paths leading out of the room, but the one we came from no longer led to the plus room. It was like we were on a brand new floor of the dungeon. We settled on the northern exit simply because it was the closest. The path led us on a winding route till it came to a four way intersection. Glancing down each of the paths offered us no hint of where to go. Dante pulled out the map again, but it only showed the four way intersection and the path we already took. He laid down with the map in front of him. He tapped his chin with one paw as he ran the other one along the map, tracing more invisible paths. He again mused aloud, “This way probably loops back to some isolated room, but nothing useful.”

 

He was talking about the left path. He moved to the right one. “This one could be advantageous.”

 

He quickly tapped the north path. “But so could this one.”

 

He groaned and slammed his face against the ground. He murmured against the grass, “I can’t figure this out. Sam is so much better at directions than me.”

 

Has he been guessing the entire time? I gave him an incredulous look as Hanna stepped over and gave him a soft pat on the back. She offered a small encouragement, “You’re doing fine.”

 

“No, I’m not,” Dante protested shaking his head no, but also rubbing his muzzle in the grass.

 

What has he been doing this whole time then? I took a step back and checked the paths again. I disregarded the vulpix, and his apparently lacking dungeon crawling experience, and checked for any obvious hint of a way forward. The one on the left was a long straight path that gave no hint of a room. The north path quickly turned right giving no indication what it led towards. The right one did exactly the same. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Let’s head this way.”

 

I didn’t wait for a response and took the right path. Dante yelped as he scrambled to his paws. Hanna followed right behind with the vulpix taking the rear again. Hanna stepped close and asked, “What are you doing?”

 

“Trying to find Sam and Brooke,” I answered keeping my gaze locked forward.

 

“What about the map?” Hanna asked.

 

“We’re wasting time stopping every turn to check it,” I bit back, “We need to find Brooke before anything else happens to her.”

 

Dante spoke up, “But what about- “

 

“And to find Sam and the Painted Pokemon,” I cut him off.

 

The fox let off a loud puff of air. But I honestly didn’t care. I just wanted to get this over with now more than ever. The hole inside my chest increased in size and began to fill with bubbling contempt. Contempt for everything going on. And it’s all because of that damn vulpix.

 

He pulled us into this whole endeavor. All because his partner vanished with one of those Painted Pokemon. He came to us just because we were the only other Guild team at the tavern. All because he was too weak.

 

No he wasn’t weak, he could take down powerful pokemon with one flamethrower. He’s just useless.

 

I couldn’t help but growl and bare my fangs as we reached the end of the path and entered a circular room. A second later a purple blur slammed against me and carried me off. I screamed, but that was cut off as the thing that tackled me tightened its hold. Every inch of my body was constricted all at once. I felt my joints pop and all the breath was squeezed out of me. All I could see was purple and red. The thing crushing the life out of me was covered in rough scales. A snake?

 

I summoned the energy for a dark pulse, but the coiling snake just tightened its hold on me. I screamed as my concentration was broken, and the energy fizzled out. The snake hissed and lowered its head to leer at me. Seeing its painted face gave me a clear indication of the pokemon trying to squeeze the life out of me. An ekans. The snake’s forked tongue darted out of its mouth as it glared at me. Its purple and yellow scales were covered in blood red ink. Painted Pokemon!

 

Its maw opened wide as dark type energy dripped off its fangs. Both of us were sent tumbling to the side before it could bite down. It’s hold on me lessened and I quickly summoned a dark pulse. The snake screamed before collapsing to the ground, fainted. Its form was consumed in white light, and it vanished.

 

“Aster!” Hanna was at my side in an instant. She asked, “You good?”

 

“Yeah,” I said with a nod as I shook myself off.

 

Hanna let off a sigh of relief. Dante rushed over shouting, “There are Painted Pokemon here!”

 

“One pokemon doesn’t mean a hideout,” I quickly countered, “There are six floors, they could be on any of them.”

 

“But that does mean their hideout may be here,” Dante said pulling his map out again. He smiled as he added, “Sam was right.”

 

“Any way that map will tell us if there are more Painted Pokemon?” Hanna asked.

 

“No,” Dante said with a shake of his head, “It really can only show us and our objective.”

 

“Which is those three missing pokemon.” I added.

 

“Four,” he corrected, “One is for a pair of wooper siblings.”

 

He folded the map up with a sigh. “We will be blue dots on the map and any pokemon we are here to rescue will be yellow dots. I keep checking to see if any will pop up.”

 

“And if they do,” I surmised, “then that will be where the hideout is?”

 

“Yep,” he flashed me a smile.

 

I hated his logic. It was sound. I hated him being right. But I did have one question. “How will we know if they are on the floor if we don’t map the whole floor first? And doesn’t that negate the whole reason to keep checking the map.”

 

“Pokemon that need rescuing appear on the map regardless if we mapped that location or not,” he answered back.

 

Arceus dammit! I bit back the snarl at again his logic being sound. I wanted him to be wrong. I wanted his judgment to be off. I wanted him to be the sole reason everything has gone wrong thus far. He got us in this messed up situation, yet he was undoing it. I didn’t want him to be the reason we saved Brooke and the others. I had to be the one to save Brooke. I didn’t want him to succeed. Yet he always had something to help us progress. Why can’t you just be a failure like me?

 

I shook my head and banished the thoughts. I gave the room a once over. It was just a circular pit with the grass in the center replaced with dirt and dark brown stones. The only way out was a path on the southern end of the room. There were no other pokemon, feral or painted, in the room. The fact we did come across a Painted Pokemon was also a bit disconcerting. That the gang was actually here made my stomach churn. They were immensely powerful pokemon, not counting the ekans obviously. And there would be more of them if they really had a hideout in the dungeon. And they had several pokemon hostage. Maybe even more than the four Dante and Sam were here for, including the leafeon himself. I just hoped they hadn’t found Brooke yet.

 

My head snapped to the vulpix as I quickly asked, “Will that map also show Brooke?”

 

He gave a small hum and nod of his head as we walked across the room. He answered, “She would appear as a blue dot since she is a part of your team and we both are in the dungeon.”

 

“And Sam too?” Hanna asked with a tilt of her head. Dante just offered a nod in response.

 

Again I hated that his plan of checking the map constantly was going to help us locate our missing teammates and the kidnapped pokemon. Again he was right about something. Just be wrong for a chance!

 

The path was short and brought us to another small room, this one with the stairs leading down. Dante gave the map one last check and confirmed there were no others pips than ours. With no further need to stay on this level we made our way down the stairs and to the next floor. We ended up in a small square room right next to a far larger one. The short passage between them being an archway of two leaning crystal trees. The exposed ground was made up of more crystal than dirt. Even the grass was crystalline. The aurora had returned to the sky above. The archway was the only path out of the small room.

 

The room beyond easily dwarfing any I’ve been in thus far. It wasn’t as large as the island room from the Salty Cove. Maybe as large as the waterfall room from the cavern mystery dungeon from the Timberland. Massive crystal trees dotted the arena like room. The thick body of the several hundred foot trees made of brilliant ruby. They had to be dozens of feet wide at their bases. Their leaves looking like emeralds. All together, the trees swathed the area in a strange kaleidoscope of red and green light. The light also caught on the treasure trove of items dotting the floor. I gulped as realization dawned on me. Monster house.

 

And there was no other way forward, the only room we could enter was the monster house. I got right up to the edge and peered in the room to see if the trap had already been triggered by a Painted Pokemon or not. But the room was deathly silent. There was the faint roll of a breeze that made the crystal leaves clatter like wind chimes, but nothing else. There were a lot of berries, coins, and other dungeon loot scattered all across the floor. Yet, there was not a single pokemon in the massive space. The only thing that did break the monotony of the crystal forest was a large stone tower sitting in about the center of the room. It was a near perfect square made of light grey square blocks. The ones on the corners having a slightly browner hue to them.

 

“No one on this floor either,” Dante declared as he stowed his map away.

 

Hanna stepped up to my side and checked the room out as well. She asked, “You don’t think?”

 

“I do,” I hollowly said knowing where she was going.

 

She took a step back and turned away from the death trap before us. She asked, “Do you think we can get through it?”

 

“Through what?” Dante asked confused. He glanced at the both of us. He pressed, “What’s going on?”

 

“That room’s a monster house,” I dryly answered with a wave of my paw at the crystal forest ahead of us.

 

The vulpine stiffened, his six tails going rigid. His pupils shrank to pinpricks as he stammered out, “Ma-ma-monster house?”

 

“Yep,” I said turning back and watching the silent room. Half expecting the trap to trigger before we even entered for some reason. I glanced at Hanna and asked, “Any chance we could skirt the edge of the room and avoid triggering it?”

 

“No,” she answered with a shake of her head. She pointed a paw forward. “The second we step in there it will activate.”

 

“And the only way forward is no doubt on the exact opposite side of the room.”

 

“How do you know that?” Dante asked a bit incredulously.

 

“Call it my intuition of having played a lot of S&D, that when you have a massive room like this the way out is the farthest point from the entrance.”

 

“S and D?” Dante repeated back at me.

 

“Strongholds and Demons,” I answered not turning his way, “It’s an RPG game where you plays as a hero who goes through dungeons to complete quests. It has a lot of similarities with mystery dungeons.”

 

I wonder if there is some connection between the two somewhere? Mystery dungeons were old in this world, so it could stand reason that a human had been transported here in the past and went back home and they brought the idea of mystery dungeons back with them. Maybe not one of the founders of S&D, but someone who influence the making of the game.

 

I shook the tangent aside and stared the massive room down. We needed a game plan if we wanted to survive whatever this monster house was going to throw at us. I spoke to the zorsune first, “Hanna.”

 

She stiffened and snapped to attention as I said, “Hit anything that gets to closely with a sucker punch the second it gets in range. I’ll throw out magical leaves to try and snipe targets before they get close. Dante- “

 

“Who put you in charge?” Dante asked back with a raised brow, cutting off what I was going to tell him.

 

“Since I’ve been leading us most of the way through the dungeon, I figured I was the de facto leader amongst our joint adventure,” I shrugged and stepped back. I waved a paw at the room. “But if you would like to take charge, by all means.”

 

“Wha?” the vulpix’s face exploded in shock as he took several steps back. “What do you…”

 

The open display of weakness ignited something in me. All of my growing contempt for the fox pokemon boiled over in an instant. The pit in my core had filled with anger and it reached its limit. I was angry over everything that has been going on. Everything that has befallen Brooke and I since coming here. This whole Arceus damn quest. Becoming a pokemon. Losing my humanity. The strange desires I’ve been battling with, which was made worse with Brooke’s intoxicated state. I’d somewhat overcome that, but recent events brought my aversion back to the forefront of my mind. Then there was being captured by the guard and the whole fiasco with Roland. The chimera was another thing that I had to unpack at some point. That whole day was a blur in general. The black hole. Then there was everything that happened revolving around the missing leafeon. The sylveon cum, Bruce, Brooke fainting, and then the incompetence of the vulpix who brought us on this side quest.

 

Every single little annoyance that had befallen me festered together all at once. A bubbling noxious haze clouded my being. I felt the dark type energy leech off me as I snarled at the vulpix. He cowered back with fear in his eyes. I sneered out, “You Arceus damn waste of space!”

 

I slammed my paws down, cracking the crystal floor. “This has been one gigantic shitshow. We should have never agreed to help you. This has just been mistake after mistake.”

 

I began to pace. “I loose Brooke the instant we enter this damn dungeon. Not to mention the fairy cum that messed with her mind.”

 

I stopped to jab a paw at him, the vulpix flinching back. “All because you asked us for help. You are the gold rank team, you should be better than us. You shouldn't need our help. Yet we’ve been doing everything.”

 

I leered at him, he cowered with his paws protecting his face. “I bet Sam is the one that deserves that rank more than you. All you’ve done is let us be attacked while you sit on the sidelines playing with your Arceus damn wonder map. A map you have no idea how to read and are just guessing.”

 

The dark type energy boiled over, nearly forming the largest dark pulse I’ve ever summoned. “You are a weak, insufferable, bitch!”

 

“Aster,” Hanna called out in shock. She moved to get between me and trembling fire type.

 

I ignored her. I was having none of it. I pushed past her and made my way towards the archway. I didn’t turn back as I hollowly said, “I’m going to find Brooke.”

 

“You’re right.”

 

The hopeless tone froze me on the spot. I didn’t turn back, keeping my eyes locked on the crystal forest ahead. I couldn’t move, yet I wanted to. But my body refusing to listen. Soft whispers filled the dead air. Hitched breaths and open sobs quickly followed. My body instantly sagged and the anger instantly evaporated. The hollow feeling returned, but this time it felt worse than before. Regret flooded in as my words echoed out through my head. Did I really just say all that?

 

A punch in my side broke my reprieve and sent me tumbling forward. I couldn’t catch myself in time and faceplanted. The grass didn’t cushion my fall at all, and my face hit solid rock. Hanna fumed, “What, in the name of Arceus, was that?”

 

I picked myself and peered back to see her rush towards the vulpix. He was laying down with his head in his paws bawling his eyes out. His body shivering. Hanna laid down at his side and gave the fire fox small nuzzles. She shot me a glare before petting his back and saying, “You’re not weak.”

 

“Ye-yes I a-am,” Dante blubbered out as he buried his face deeper in his paws.

 

My heart broke at the sight. I wasn’t sure why I said what I said, I just did. My anger having reached a tipping point and I lashed out at the closest thing, which happened to be him. I hung my head as his cries increased in volume. He choked out, “H-he’s ra-right, Sa-Sam does ev-every ta-thing. I’m na-nothing!”

 

He collapsed to blubbering tears and his words became an indiscernible sobbing mess. My heart ached and the numbness returned. I turned away, not wanting to see the vulpix in despair. But I also knew that I had to fix this. He didn’t deserve any of this. I was just angry at everything that had befallen me. He was the most recent thing that irked me, and I just went after him. He didn’t deserve any of this. I wasn’t even sure why I was angry at him. Maybe I just wanted to be angry at something. Maybe I wanted someone else to blame for everything. Maybe I didn't want to be the only failure.

 

I got to my paws and gingerly stepped forward. Hanna took notice of me first. Her head snapping to me, fixing me with a glare. I hung my head and pawed at the grass. Dante’s crying hitched as he gave a small sniffle. I could also feel his eyes on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look his way. I found the ground more interesting as I said, “I just…I just….”

 

I couldn’t find the words. I just couldn’t form what I wanted to say. I wanted to apologize. I wanted to tell him I didn’t mean any of it. But I just couldn’t will myself to say it. My tongue couldn’t move to form the words. My lips uselessly flapped as not a single sound escaped me. Do it you pussy!

 

I grit my teeth and squared my stance. “Dante.”

 

That drew the attention of both of the foxes. I puffed out my chest. “I didn’t mean any of that, Dante. You aren’t weak. You aren’t anything that I said you were.”

 

I shut my eyes and took in a deep breath through my nose. I let it out of my muzzle at a slow pace. I opened my eyes and locked gazes with the fire fox. He kept his eyes on me. He still gave me a fearful look, tears threatening to fall again. I hardened my stance and said, “I’ve just been dealing with a lot in the past two days. A lot of shit has not gone my way, and I’ve felt powerless because of it. I was angry at the constant string of misfortune that has befallen me. Stuff that was beyond my control. Like fate had purposely been screwing with me. Yesterday, I finally had a semblance of control back. Of some peace. And then I lost it.”

 

I grit my teeth and turned away, not wanting to flash my fangs at the vulpix. I continued, “Those damn eevee pheromones took over Brooke’s mind and it triggered something in me. Some part of me not wanting to lose her. I got her back, but then I immediately lost her anyway. I lost her because she was taken down with one move. Brooke is the strongest pokemon I know. And to see her be beaten so easily, it just made me feel hollow. I don't even know if she is safe or okay wherever she is. And that uncertainty scares me."

 

I sat down and ran a paw over my stomach. I frowned, “Brooke is my rock. She is everything to me. I’m nothing without her. She’s the one that’s been keeping me sane and straight through these past couple days and seeing her fainted form like that broke something in me. Being separated without any certainty that I can find her again terrifies me. I felt a deep empty pit consume me.”

 

I sighed, hanging my head. “I was angry at everything. And more importantly I was angry with you.”

 

I raised my head and locked eyes with the vulpix. The inkling of tears vanished. He didn’t look as afraid of me anymore. “I blamed you for everything. It was because of you that Brooke was exposed to the pheromones. It was because of you that we went in the dungeon and Brooke got attacked by that scizor. You were the closest thing for me to blame for everything.”

 

I hung my head. “But that wasn’t right. You didn’t deserve that. You weren’t responsible. Nothing was your fault. It was just the turn of fate that seems to conspire against me and my team.”

 

I laid down and played with the grass. “I want to say I’m sorry. Truly I am. But I know sorry isn’t enough for what I said. Sorry can’t excuse my actions or my feelings. I don’t expect you to accept it. I know I never would. I wouldn’t be surprised if you hate my guts. I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest if you never want to see me again after this is all done."

 

I lifted my head and locked eyes with him one last time. “But I am sorry. I didn’t mean a word that I said. This isn’t your fault. You are not weak. You are not anything I said you were. I…”

 

I hung my head and planted it in the grass. I could only say those words that felt hollow and meaningless now, “I’m sorry.”

 

Not waiting for a response, I got to my paws and inched closer to the archway. I didn’t pass through the threshold, not wishing to trigger the monster house. But I wanted to give the vulpix as much space as possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if he told me to leave right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hanna did something similar. She had been quiet the entire time, but I could see the small bit of contempt in her face. She wasn’t happy with me, and she had every right to be. Maybe she’ll leave me too.

 

A shutter rolled across my body at that idea. Of the ghostly fox abandoning me after everything we've been through. After everything we’d planned to do. Joining the Guild, making a team, agreeing to join me and Brooke on our quest for the shards of the First Star. If she left me, then I would be all alone and have no hope of finding Brooke. Maybe it’s what I deserve.

 

Something warm and soft coiling around my back made me stiffen. It wasn’t the warmth I felt from the lingering presence of Camille. This was a comforting warmth. Not of unbearable pressure, but like sitting by a camp fire in the middle of the woods. Of being around friends and roasting some marshmallows. The faint aroma of charcoal and the night mingling together as you shared a moment with those close to you.

 

That’s the feeling that encompassed me as the fuzzy invader nuzzled my side. Dante’s soft voice pierced the bubble, “I forgive you.”

 

No! I didn’t want him to forgive me. I wanted him to be angry. I wanted him to curse me out and say he never wanted to see me again. I didn’t want his forgiveness. I didn’t deserve it. I wiggled out of his grasp and rushed towards the other corner of our small room. The vulpix gave me a confused and almost hurt look. I said, “No. You don’t get to forgive me. I was horrible to you. I blamed you for my own failures. You shouldn’t forgive me.”

 

“But I do,” Dante said with a small smile. He stood up and strode towards me. I leapt back, trying to keep my distance from him. He paused and didn’t advance any further. He added, “You’re under a lot of stress.”

 

“As am I,” he said tapping a paw to his chest, “We’ve all been through a lot. Tensions and feelings are high. I want to go off and find Sam, Brooke, and the others just as badly as you do. And I forgive you, I can tell you are genially sorry."

 

“Aster?” Hanna called my name stepping up to me. I didn’t flee from her, but she still kept her distance. She softly said, “No one is to blame for anything that happened. It is a whole mix of situations that came together. A whole lot of crazy stuff that no one pokemon is responsible for. And it isn’t good to keep that stuff bottled up like this.”

 

“But I miss her,” I sobbed out as I collapsed to the ground. “I need Brooke. I can’t do any of this without her.”

 

“But we’re here for you,” Hanna offered waving a paw at herself and Dante. The vulpix gave a smile and nod of his head. Hanna smiled as well. “And we’ll find her. I promise you, we will.”

 

“But,” I fumbled out. I wanted to counter her. I wanted to tell her that this was different. Losing Brooke like this felt so much worst, almost like when we nearly died under the snow. Like I would never see her again. That I would never see her eyes or her smile again. Never get to hold or cuddle her. The fact that both of us lost in the fight with the scizor felt just like us failing to get out of the snow. And not having her by my side felt so much worse now more than ever. The hollowness gnawed at my insides, eating away at my very being. A coldness gripped my heart, it felt like it was being torn in two. I found it hard to breathe. My vision blurred as coldness seeped in my form. A blink later and the grassy mystery dungeon was replaced with the snowy mountains of Kalos. A chill pierced my skin and stabbed at my very core. A coldness that consumed all joy and warmth from my life.

 

A set of furry paws wrapping around me banished the coldness in a second. Another blink and the snow was gone. I was back in the dungeon. The cold hand gripping my heart slithered away. The hollow pit stopped growing, but it still remained there. The feeling of being broken still persisted. Without Brooke it would still be there. I found myself wrapped in a hug by both of the foxes. Their warm bodies encapsulating me in a comforting embrace. Hanna nuzzled me and said, “I swear on my life, we will find her.”

 

I lowered my head and nuzzled the both of them. I gave off a meek, “Okay.”

 

“Okay,” Hanna repeated back, but didn’t pull from the embrace. Neither did Dante.

 

The vulpix then added, “We’ll find all of them.”

 

I nodded and we quickly disentangled. We made our way towards the crystal forest ahead of us. It was unchanged, the area still bathed in green and red light. The loot littering the floor was still there, just tempting us to go in and scoop it all up. The tower in the center was unmoving. It was so out of place it had to be something from the Painted Pokemon. But there was no sign of the gang. The purpose of the structure didn’t make sense. It wasn’t a fortress of any kind. It was just a pile of rocks in the middle of the dungeon with no one to man it.

 

Hanna and Dante were at my side, waiting for my orders. My leadership reaffirmed. An understanding. The nerves and tension lessened. The bridges burned, but rebuilt stronger than ever. I no longer felt contempt for the vulpix. It was unfounded. I didn’t hate him, he was just the closest thing for me to be angry at. And I knew better now. We were in this together. We were all here to help each other and find the missing pokemon. Don’t worry, Brooke. I’ll…We’ll find you.

 

I gave the room another once over before turning to my two companions. I then ordered, “We will skirt the edge of the room. We will not engage with any ferals if we can avoid them. We will take no loot. Just run and do not stop. No one is left behind and we all cross to the other side together.”

 

I turned to Hanna. “Hanna, I want you to play defender and keep anything that rains down on us from above away. Hit them with a sucker punch the second they get close. I’ll take lead and throw magical leaves to clear out the path in front of us. Hanna you will be in the rear.”

 

I turned to Dante next. “Dante, I want you in the middle and using helping hand whenever you get a chance. And I want you to always have a flamethrower charged to hit any tough ferals that get too close. Understood?”

 

I got a pair of affirmations. I squared my stance and began charging up a magical leaf. Dante did a quick round of helping hand. The boost coursing through my veins. I felt we could do this now more than ever. We weren’t going to fight. We were just going to run to the other side of the room and nothing else. We can do this.

 

“Ready?” I got a pair of yesses.

 

“Go!”

 

I kicked off the ground and sprinted forward. A rush of wind herald the two foxes following in my wake. An ear piercing screech filled the air, but we ignored it. We wormed our way along the edge of the room, hopping over roots and clusters of crystals. But there were no shadows descending from the sky. There was no impact of powerful pokemon coming to attack us. Instead there was a groan. Like a tree was beginning to fall. I checked the room for anything, but didn’t see any movement from any of the trees. The ground shaking sent me tumbling. Hanna and Dante followed. We ended up tangled together in a pile.

 

The ground cracked and splintered as the groaning increased. The sound of crunching stone filled the air. My eyes snapped to the tower in the center of the room. The blocks shifted and twitched. The ones on the edge detached and formed four legs that lifted the entire structure up. The inside was a black abyss covered in blue eyes. A hole in the side of the structure opened and another blue eye stared right at us. Each block of the legs also had eyes on them. Every block had an eye. A deep sense of danger welled up in my gut at the creature staring at us. It almost didn’t seem like it was a pokemon at all. Like it was some other monstrosity altogether. Something alien.

 

The tower let off a mighty growl as it picked up its front legs and slammed them down. The ground quivered like it was made of sand. More cracks spiderwebbed out as all of the eyes turned red. The despair in my gut spiked and my heart skipped a beat. What is this thing?!

Notes:

Advent of Dreams had been going for over 6 months now, thank you all for over 5200 hits and 110+ kudos in that time!

Chapter 29: A Lode of Trouble

Summary:

Aster, Hanna, and Dante continue to face many more troubles and trials as they search the rest of the Lodestone River for any sign of Brooke, Sam, or the Painted Pokemon.

“A-aster.” Hanna called my name with a full on tremble. Her entire body shaking against mine. I would be to if it wasn’t for the two foxes on top of me holding me down.

 

“What is that thing?” Dante asked in pure fear.

 

My danger senses cranked up to eleven with the vulpix’s declaration that he had no idea what this thing was either. I expected him to know more pokemon species with his greater experience in dungeon crawling, but that was not the case with the living tower looming over us. I kicked and said, “Let’s just get the fuck out of here!”

 

They didn’t have to be told twice as they got off me and we all bolted. The living tower stomped the ground angrily as it charged at us, but the lumbering mass was immensely slow. Ketchup was pushed through a narrow pipe faster than it. I didn’t dare look back as I rushed across the room with the vulpix and zorsune at my side. I used magical leaf, the rainbow leaves flying backwards. A screech like grinding gears reverberated off the walls and crystal trees. But the walking tower still followed us. I jumped over the scattered loot, ignoring it entirely.

 

The tower creature, which I felt wrong calling a pokemon since it looked nothing like one, groaned and the ground shook as rocks erupted around us. We all lost our footing and were sent tumbling against the wall of stone that now hemmed us in. Dante quickly clapped out a helping hand, power surging through me in an instant. I rose to my feet and fired off a dark pulse. Dante stepped forward and unleashed a flamethrower. The spheres of my attack made the monstrosity pause, but the flamethrower made it let off a metallic screech of pain.

 

I nudged the two foxes and ordered, “Move!”

 

Before the living tower could get its bearings we were off running again. I knew we couldn’t defeat this thing. We had hit it with several attacks, but they all seemed to annoy it more than anything. It did scream in pain, but it didn’t look damaged at all. We had no hope of stopping it and we just had to run. It would be a waste of time that could exhaust ourselves and our supplies if we stayed and fought. And we couldn’t waste our time on it when we had to find Brooke, Sam, and the other pokemon taken by the Painted Pokemon.

 

We moved around the trunk of one of the massive crystal trees to try and put as much distance between us and the tower. Ahead I could see a wall, the opposite wall we’ve been heading towards this entire time. I could also see a doorway in the crystal coated wall. Elation filled me at the sight of our exit. We were close to escaping the clutches of the living tower.

 

The ground shook as the tower let loose another earthquake attack. Again, we lost our footing and collapsed to the floor. The sound of shattering glass pierced the room. One of the gigantic trees shattered and collapsed. It hit the ground like thousands and thousands of panes of glass exploding on concrete. Dante quickly did another helping hand. I let off another magical leaf just as the surge of power flowed through me, but I nudged the others forward before I finished casting the move. The tower flinched, but powered through the attack and rushed after us. I screamed, “Move!”

 

I pushed my legs as fast as I could as we got closer to the exit. The passage had an arch of crystal covered trees just like the entrance. The arch was clearly lower than the living tower. I just hoped against hope that it wouldn’t be able to follow us once we passed under it. Hanna leapt up and spun in the air, coming down facing the tower. She fixed it with a hard glare, but it didn’t stop. I grabbed her ruff in my mouth and dragged her along. She grunted at basically being choked, but quickly fell in step with me. She asked, “What was that for?”

 

“What were you doing?” I asked.

 

“Trying to stun it with a leer,” she answered.

 

The tower jumped up and came down for a hard landing in front of us, freezing us on the spot. We crashed together, stopping with the creature standing directly between us and the exit. It let off a mighty cry. Its dozens of red eyes each glaring at us. It raised its front legs and brought them down with a tremendous thud, the ground splintering under its force. Dante screamed and scampered backwards. Hanna slid up to my side. We all huddled together as the stone monster slowly marched forward, closing the distance. Its body began to grow metallic as it charged up an attack. Hanna rushed forward in a flurry of black energy. She drove her paw right in the socket of the main eye. The creatures screamed as it stumbled backwards and collapsed on its back with a boom. A large cloud of dust filled the air.

 

I blinked as the zorsune zipped back to my side with a worried smile. She asked, “We good?”

 

I shook my shock off and rushed towards the exit, the two right on my heels. The monster didn’t get back up as we rushed towards the small room. There were no paths out of here, just the staircase down. We didn’t wait a second and descend them to the next floor. We all collapsed with a joint great sigh of relief as the crystal trees and the living tower vanished without a trace. The adrenaline quickly burned off and I struggled to get in air as my heart finally began to settle. I took in greedy gulps of air as I asked, “It won’t. Follow us. Right?”

 

“No,” Dante said picking himself up.

 

“What was that thing?” I asked next. I stood up and shook my fur out.

 

I got two ‘I don’t knows’ from the both of them. I figured I wasn’t going to get an answer to what pokemon that was, nor was I ever going to see one like it. I filed that pokemon away as an unanswerable question for the foreseeable future. I did not like not knowing, but I also knew I was never going to get the species name for it. Just forget about it, Aster, you have other problems.

 

The forest had vanished, and we seemed to be in a crystal lined cave. The walls made of pitch black stone with gems faceted in almost every inch. They all glowed with a strange bluish light. The charge in the air was still there, the faint hint of ozone hadn't lessened in the slightest.

 

Dante fished out his map and placed it down for all of us to see. It highlighted the hallway we ended up in and a small portion of the room right in front of us. There were our three blue dots, but there was a pair of dots not that far ahead of us. One was yellow and the other was red. Dante’s tails wagged excitedly as he tapped the pair of dots. “There’s someone on this floor with us.”

 

“What’s the red dot mean?” I asked tilting my head to get a better look at the map. The pair of dots were slowly moving away from us.

 

Dante gulped and simply answered, “Enemy.”

 

“Enemy?” I repeated back. My heart dropped at his declaration. Does that mean…

 

Hanna answered, “A red dot means a hostile pokemon.”

 

“Then it has to be one of the Painted Pokemon,” Dante said as he rolled the map back up. He rushed forward down the hallway, leaving the two of us in his dust. I figured he hoped that it would be a straight shot to whoever was on this floor with us and not a maze of twisting paths. We were off on the left side of the map, and their dots were towards the middle. I wasn’t sure how large the floor of the dungeon was. Or of any of the dangers that separated us from them. I wasn’t even sure who it was we saw on the map. We were here for quite a few different pokemon, it could be any of them. But if the red dot was one of the gang members, then they could show us to where their hideout was. And where the rest of the missing pokemon were. I was a bit sad that there wasn’t a blue dot, which meant that Brooke and Sam were still unaccounted for. But I just hoped that whoever we were heading towards knew where they were and that they were safe and unharmed.

 

Hanna and I got to our paws and followed after the fleeing form of the fire fox. The path meandered for a bit before it finally opened up to a spacious, large, curved room. We came out on a small ledge that seemed to run the entire perimeter it. A deep drop down below was another level with the center of it dominated by a lake that glowed along with the crystals. Trickling waterfalls fell from the rocky ceiling and fed the lake below. An eerie fog filled the room. But it didn’t hide the several ferals mucking about in the gloom. Most of which were in the waters below. Most seemed to be water type pokemon. From my vantage point I could spy a binacle or two, a school of luvdics stained a pink streak through the blue waters, a group of corsola huddled in a pile, some krabby and shellder blew bubbles at each other, and there was a small dolphin looking pokemon swimming laps.

 

A quick check of the map proved the two pokemon were still on the floor with us. But they were not in this room as far as we could tell. But it also showed that there were a lot of branching paths from this one room. There were six other pathways other than the one we came down. And we couldn’t tell if they were on this level or the one below. This sucks.

 

“I guess we go for this one?” Dante asked with a lot of hesitance in his voice. He pointed at the path on the northern end of the kidney bean shaped room. It was the closest path to where the pair of slow moving dots were.

 

With no objections we walked along the ledge and towards the path we decided upon. I just hoped it was on the same level as us. The map had no way of telling us if the paths were on this floor of the room or the one below. I couldn’t see a way down to the floor below other than jumping. And that fall would be a nasty one. It had to be at least thirty or so feet down. Hitting the water from this height wouldn’t be any better. Nor did I want to test the theory that cats always landed on their feet. Mine would shatter no matter what. I gulped as I stepped back from the ledge and continued onwards with the foxes at my side. The fog got heavier as we ran. We didn’t want the enemy and whoever they had in their possession to get away. We needed to close the distance and find them before they made it to the next floor. I was glad that there were no wild pokemon up here to slow us down.

 

We reached the end of the room, and I couldn’t help but utter a thanks to Arceus that the passage we had chosen was actually up here. I rushed forward, ahead of my two party members, and down the sloping hallway. I half expected it to curved back round at the end and lead us to the lower floor. A click echoed out and my heart sank. I barely could catch that the floor beneath my paws had turned white before I felt gravity take hold of me. I screamed as blackness consumed me. Hanna screamed out my name as she vanished and I kept on falling.

 

It abruptly ended and I came crashing down hard on the stony ground. My legs gave out and I collapsed in a heap. I groaned as my aching legs screamed in agony. The only other sound with me was the dripping of water off the crystal ceiling. I called out, “Hanna!”

 

My voiced echoed down the cavern like walls of the dungeon. But no response came other than my rebounding voice. I was alone, no sign of either of the foxes. I called out again, “Hanna! Dante!”

 

My echoing voice faded out with no response coming from either of them, nor any other pokemon, yet again. The pit in my gut returned with a vengeance. I felt lightheaded and took in quick shallow breaths to try and get the air my body craved. My vision blurred as I scanned for any hint of anyone else. Above me was nothing but the ceiling of the mystery dungeon. Which for once wasn’t a cover of rolling clouds or fog. Instead it was solid black rock with glowing crystals. There was no hint of whatever hole I fell down. It had to be some tile.

 

“Brooke!” I called out in a desperate attempt of finding anyone else down here with me. But I was alone in a passageway in a random part of the dungeon. I didn’t see any hint of the massive room we just left. I had no idea where in the dungeon I was now. I had no idea what that trap even was. It definitely was not a warp one. It didn’t feel like I was teleported. It felt like I fell through the floor.

 

I got my paws under me and gave each direction before me a hesitant glance once more. But both ways were exactly the same, curving off to the distance. The near circular tunnels were filled with an ungodly amount of mist that made it impossible to see that far ahead. I didn’t even go for the bag on my side, I was the only one without a map. Hanna still had ours and Dante had his. Which meant I had no means of telling if anyone was on the same floor as me. I had no way of telling if Brooke, Sam, or the Painted Pokemon were down here with me. A coldness gripped at my form as the hollow feeling increased to consume more of me. I felt like curling up in a ball and crying. I felt so hopeless. I felt so useless.

 

This felt worse than it was with the warp tile. At least with that one I knew Brooke and Hanna would find me. But now I wasn’t so sure about that. I had no idea where Brooke was, so I couldn’t count on her to save me. Especially when I was the one that was supposed to be saving her right now. Hanna at least had Dante and the map. But I knew they had to be a somewhere above me. They still needed to find some means to get down here. And I had no idea how long that would take them.

 

But is that what Brooke would want? I unfurled from the ball I had curled up in. I was lying on the ground. I sniffled back the tears and rubbed the snot off my nose. I grit my teeth and spoke aloud, “She wouldn’t give up.”

 

I got my paws underneath me. “She wouldn’t lay down and take this bullshit!”

 

I shook myself off and walked forward. Sitting around crying to myself and wallowing in my own loneliness was not going to get me anywhere. It was not going to find Brooke. It was not going to save Sam and all the other pokemon captured by the gang. It was not going to get me out of this dungeon. It was not going to find the shards of the Star. It was not going to save Kino.

 

I puffed out my chest, trying to instill some of my confidence back in me. But I still felt hollow. I still felt the crushing despair of failure on my back. I let out a sigh, having done nothing to make myself feel any better than I was. I still felt alone. So terribly alone. I shook my head, trying to distill the darkness creeping in the back of my mind. It faded, but still lingered there. I figured getting myself moving was the only way to keep myself from becoming a ball again and crying. I moved forward and rounded the bend.

 

The mist gave way to a circular room, the walls covered in gnarled vines. But the room wasn’t empty. Standing right in the middle was a purple plant like pokemon with pink tentacles coming out of a larger bud. Inside the bud were two yellow dot like eyes. They locked on me and the feral gave a horrid screech. A second later it launched a glob of orange slime at me. I dodged to the side and let off a magical leaf. The rooted pokemon couldn’t do anything but take the hit. It screamed in pain, but it recovered with minimal damage. It summoned a rock in its maw and fired it. I rolled to the side to avoid the attack, but a second rock quickly followed the first. I was hit in the side and sent rolling. A third and then a fourth rock pelted me. Each impact stinging and cutting my fur and flesh. I felt warmth drip down my side. My entire body hurt and protested me standing back up. I yelped as I rolled to dodge another glob of poison. My side screamed in agony. I screamed out in pain, writhing on the floor.

 

I powered through and quickly pulled the energy for a magical leaf before the plant could get another attack off. It summoned rock, and I fired off my flurry of leaves. My attack cleaved through the rock and continued on to hit the plant. I didn’t sit still, not wanting to give it the chance to lock on me again. The fact it was rooted in the center of the room meant it could never dodge any of my attacks. I charged up a dark pulse as I got behind the plant. It hissed when the dark type attack hit. But the plant swiftly followed up with a flash of green energy. A second later I tripped, and my face smacked hard against the ground. A glance back showed a grassy vine had sprouted from the floor and ensnared my leg. My ears twitched and I rolled the second before another glob of orange poison was hurled my way.

 

I need to keep moving. I got my paws back under me and rushed around the edge of the room. I charged another magical leaf as I kept moving as fast as I could. The world seemed to blur as I pushed myself as fast as I could go. I didn’t want to be hit by a rock or a ball of poison. Nor did I want to give it the chance to trip me up again. I rolled out of the way of another rock and the next thing I knew I was kicking the plant with all four of my paws. The action made my legs ache, but I ignored the pain as I then released the magical leaf I was charging. Hitting the plant point blank in the face. The feral screeched as I kicked off and rushed back to the edge of the room. I shook off a bit of dizziness the quick movement had given me. But a glob of poison shot my way made me move again. A haze covered my vision as I zipped away. I ended up hitting the wall. I yelped as I pulled my smarted face off the rocky surface. Aster has learned Quick Attack.

 

The click in the back my head filled me with a rush of energy. I felt like I couldn’t be stopped. Like I could defeat this pokemon and any that stood in my way. That I could find Brooke, Sam, and all the others. An aura flashed over me and my vision became golden as I closed the distance and slammed my good side against the pokemon. It stung to do it, but I didn’t relent. I backed off and fired another magical leaf before it even realized I was there. The feral gave one last screech before it collapsed to the ground and vanished in a cloud of black mist that sank downwards, incorporating itself in the ground. Energy still coursed through my body. I wanted to just keep on running and never stop. Is this what Brooke feels like?

 

Then all at once the energy died and I collapsed to the ground in pain. The adrenaline of running so fast had vanished and my injuries made themselves known. My side stung with blood still dripping from the wound. All four of my paws ached like I had walked several miles nonstop. My other side hurt just as much as the other and it hurt to breathe. I pulled an oran berry out and scarfed it down. My pains vanishing in an instant as the sweet juice filled my mouth. My paws didn’t hurt as much, the bleeding stopped, and I could breathe normally again.

 

I double checked the room, but there was no loot or anything else of note. Besides the passage I came from, there was only one way forward. I shrugged and ventured down the tunnel. It curved and went downwards, but eventually opened up to another circular room. This one was empty of any distinguishing feature or feral pokemon. I did find a totter seed and stowed that away. I stood in the center of the room and glanced at the two possible paths forward. I didn’t know which one to take. Without a wonder map I had no way of telling if I was heading in the right direction. I had no idea if there was any other mons on this floor with me. I didn’t know if the Painted Pokemon were in one direction or the other. I was lost. And without anyone else at my side, I felt even more soul crushingly lonely. What if I choose the wrong one…

 

I sighed and figured not to dwell on it. The longer I sat here the longer it would take for me to find anyone. Whether that be the Painted Pokemon or Brooke. I chose the path on the right and followed the tunnel as it led me back up to wherever in the dungeon it led. I just hoped it was the right choice, and I didn’t have to backtrack. I wanted out of this dungeon this instant. Keeping track of floors meant this was the sixth one of the dungeon. Which meant that this was the final floor. We had yet to see any sign of the Painted Pokemon on any of the prior floors, the ekans notwithstanding. So, they have to be on this floor.

 

I quickened my pace. I needed to find their hideout. I knew I couldn’t take it on by myself. The toxicroak that had kidnapped Sam could defeat me all by himself. The fact we encountered an ekans in their ranks meant they had to have more poison type pokemon here. I grumbled at that. Why must I be a grass type?

 

The next room was a long hallway with stalagmite and stalactites covering a good portion of the space. Shimmering pools dotted the area. The water dripping off of the spikes from the ceiling. But movement in one of the pools froze me on the spot. I charged up a magical leaf as something breached the surface. I caught sight of a yellowish-brown helix spiral pattern shell before I unleashed the storm of rainbow tinted leaves at it. The dark green leaves sliced through the feral and instantly turned it to dust. An oran berry floating in the water was all that was left of it. I retrieved the item, making sure not to fall in the pool of water.

 

A second similar pokemon hopped out of another nearby pool. It had the same large helix shell, but sticking out of the bottom was a pale blue body with a multitude of tiny tentacles and two beady black eyes. I hit this one with a magical leaf and it two was evaporated. I guess its quad weak to grass.

 

I made my way down the hallway like room with another magical leaf charged. Yet no more of the shellfish pokemon popped out of the pools of water. Neither did any other ferals. I made my way to the end with no further incidents and continued down the only way forward from there. It was yet another winding tunnel that led to a two way fork. I stopped and gave both of the ways forward a look. But they were both filled with too much fog to see more than a few feet down each of them. I sighed heavily at the fact I’ve been given another two paths to choose from. I really hope I’m going in the right direction.

 

Figuring to stick with the right path, I went down that one and followed the long spiraling path till I came to yet another circular room. The walls covered in vines sprouting burgundy spade shaped leaves. There were also snow white berries in the mix. But the room was a dead end. There was no passage further beyond, nor were their any stairs. There also was no pokemon in the room. Figures.

 

I shook my head and turned to go back and take the left path. The dungeon shaking knocked me to the ground. The mist in the tunnel got heavier as moisture began to cling to my fur. I collapsed as the gems in the walls all flashed red and filled the dungeon with an eerie light. The fog faded a second later and I was no longer in the vine covered room. The walls were black rock once again and the gems were glowing blue as if nothing just happened. Another shift?

 

I was in another circular room, but this one was not like any of the previous ones. These walls were covered in slowly dripping glowing green slime. A screech from the side made me jump. I leapt out of the path of a massive blue flower trying to run me down. It gave off a shriek as it filled the area with dozens of floating sharp purple brambles. The surge from quick attack came on before I realized it and I zipped to the side out of the field of toxic spikes.

 

The living six petaled flower didn’t like that one bit. The small yellow dots for eyes in the center of the flower gave me an angry glare as the pokemon summoned a rock and tossed it forward. I shred the rock to nothing with the use of a magical leaf, the attack continuing onwards to hit the feral. They never hit the pokemon, the field of purple spikes rendering my leaves to nothing in an instant. I took a hesitant step back at the obviously powerful poison type. I could feel the aura of energy emanating off its body. I had no counter to it.

 

A thick layer of purple slime formed on its body as it slowly began to spin around rapidly. I charged up a quick attack and used it to blast me towards the only way out of the room I could see. I vanished in a blur of gold and only came to a stop when my face met rocky wall. I winced as I was sent tumbling on my ass. I checked behind me, the flower was no longer spinning but it was closing the distance. Poison was still dripping off its body as if it just swam in a pool of the gunk. I scrambled to my paws and ran down the tunnel.

 

The passage was short and led to the same circular room with the gnarled vines on the wall. There was no plant pokemon in it this time. But now there were three pathways out of the room in the other cardinal directions. I didn’t wait a second longer and took the closest one, the one on the left. The screech of the flower echoed down the cavernous dungeon as it still followed me. I poured on another quick attack and blitzed down the tunnel till my paw snagged a rock and sent me tumbling forward head over tail. I finally came to a stop when I smacked my head against something hard.

 

The world spun as my pupils found it hard to focus on anything after rolling around more times than a stunt driver’s car. The impact did me no justice and stars swam in my vision as well. I closed my eyes and tried to dull the throbbing headache that had begun to set in. The screech of the flower pokemon made me start and I jumped to my paws. Which was a bad idea as I felt a head rush and collapsed on my haunches.

 

I tried to shake the feeling off, but it wouldn’t go. But I also knew I couldn’t stay here. The flower was coming after me. I needed to keep moving. I grit my teeth and got my paws under me. I checked my surroundings, but I stopped as soon as my eyes landed on what I had hit. A perfectly cut set of marble stairs that had no business being in this type of environment. An ethereal spotlight pierced the clouds above and wreathed the white stairs in pure white light. I gave a silent prayer to Arceus as I rushed up the stairs, giving the poison soaked flower pokemon one last glance before white light became my reality.

 

It was over in an instant and I was out of the dungeon. The crystal cavern and trees had vanished. I now was in the middle of a wooded area. All around me there were tall oak and maple trees in every direction. The ground was a blanket of fallen leaves and small plant life. A dense fog covered the area like a thick blanket. The sky above was a ceiling of puffy white clouds. I felt cold. Far too cold for it to be natural. Something was off about where I was. I checked every inch of the area, but all I saw were more of the same. The only tree that stood out was the one right behind me. Its bark was an alabaster white and its leaves glimmered like they were made of gold. A large portion of its bark was marred with a sickly black and purple mark. Like someone took a massive burning hammer to the tree and it had begun to rot.

 

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I looked for a sign of any pokemon nearby. I made it out of the dungeon without finding the hideout of the Painted Pokemon. I never found any other members of them other than that ekans. Which seemed weird. I figured I would have found signs of pokemon living in a mystery dungeon at some point. I had covered a decent amount of the place. Maybe not the whole length of the dungeon, but enough that I figured I would have come across other members of the gang at least. Yet it only was the snake and no one else. It was just ferals. My stomach dropped at the realization I exited the dungeon without finding Brooke, Sam, or any hint of the gang. Did I miss them all?

 

But something also made me second guess that. The fact the dungeon was rifting made me believe no pokemon would be sane enough to actually set up shop inside it. I would steer clear of a place that could alter its topography at random. That’s if the pokemon in that gang were sane to begin with. The state of the first troop of them we encountered seemed borderline feral. That then made me question the painted poison type we did come across. Was it truly in the dungeon because that is where their hideout was, or was the ekans there because they accidentally entered the rift? Something seems off here.

 

Something in my gut was telling me that not everything was lining up. That there was something terribly wrong going on here. The only reason we even went to the dungeon was because of what that shiny braixen said they saw. They told us they saw Sam walk off with a painted toxicroak last night towards this dungeon. I didn’t look to question it, but something didn’t add up. Why did they wait until the morning to tell us that?

 

Did they want us to go in the dungeon? It was a perilous place. And that wasn’t even factoring in that it was a rifting mystery dungeon. Did they want us to go in it?

 

It felt like it almost was a trap for us to face off against powerful pokemon. Having us weakened by them or ending up fainting. To be separated by the magic of the dungeon. And the braixen was at the heart of it all. I just knew it. Something in my gut was telling me that was the case. But I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why they did it. Could they be in league with the Painted Pokemon?

 

It didn’t make sense. From what I’ve been told, subterfuge didn’t seem to be the gang’s forte. They were more keen on raw strength with the ones we encountered. Leading pokemon off to a dungeon to their doom didn’t seem like the way to get pokemon to join your gang. Unless they want you to faint.

 

A heavy stone settled in my stomach realizing that is exactly what happened to Brooke. She succumbed to the dungeon and had been teleported somewhere in it. That had to be what the braixen wanted. They wanted us separated and fainted. They wanted us weak so they could come in and take us to the real hideout. The dungeon was a misdirect. It just had to be. Their real hideout had to be somewhere nearby. Not in the dungeon, but near to it. Which means she’s near.

 

I got to my paws and rushed forward, looking for any hint of civilization in this wooded area. I had to be in the wood just outside of the farmland we passed by earlier. The woods on the edge of where we entered the dungeon. This had to be another exit. And maybe, just maybe, near to where the Painted Pokemon had set up shop. But with the fog I couldn’t see a thing. If there was any hint of where their base was it was lost in the oppressive grey moisture. I skid to a stop under the shade of a large maple. I sat down as I dejectedly said, “I’m never going to find her.”

 

I felt cold and hollow inside. I felt numb. A cold hand gripping at my heart made my chest hurt. Tears welled up as the grim realization set in. I lost Brooke. I was never going to find her again. The gang had taken her. They were going to turn her into a mindless monster with their strange blood red ink magic. I lost my eevee. I lost my rock. I was alone. Truly and utterly alone. I curled up in a tight ball as the tears came out unabated. I let them flow. I couldn’t feel a thing. I was numb to the world. I had no will to go on. Not without Brooke at my side. We were supposed to do this together and now I had no hope of finding her again.

 

I failed. I failed Jirachi. I failed all of Kino. But more importantly, I failed her. I failed my perfect, beautiful, silver furred eevee. I’m sorry…Brooke.

Chapter 30: Absolution

Summary:

Aster catches a faint whiff of Brooke's scent. He desperately runs after the scent in the hopes he can find the eevee. But along the way he will come to a realization about his true feelings about being a pokemon and other things. And he might not like what he comes upon.

Bread. The scent of bread pierced the bubble I had confided myself to for however long I’d been crying. I had lost track of time at some point. It could have been just a minute or two, or several. But it was not the scent of just any old bread that I smelt, but the hint of fresh baked goods that was Brooke’s natural odor. I could just make out a small whiff of it. It was a fleeting whimper of her. But it was still her. My head snapped up as I tried to catch another taste of her scent. To tell where it had come from. To maybe actually find her. A faint whisper of hope sparked in my core at the possibility of actually finding her. Where are you, Brooke?

 

A few deep inhales later and I got a second hint. I was up in a flash. I was running off before my body registered I was. I ran off pure instinct in the direction I knew that Brooke was. I could find her. I could save her. The cold hand gripping my heart vanished as warmth returned to me. The chance of finding Brooke driving me blindly onward to wherever she may be.

 

The ground fell away from me a second later. I screamed before coldness consumed my form. Thick, chilled liquid invaded my lungs as I flailed about in the water. The vile fluid invaded my mouth as I tried to take in a breath. I surfaced, but a second later I threw up foul water and bile. Yet the taste lingered in my mouth. Like I had drunk from a dirty gas station toilet that hadn’t been cleaned in over a month.

 

I didn’t dare use a paw to rub the foulness off my tongue, the limb being drenched in the same liquid would only rub it in more. I shook myself off as I instead rubbed the liquid out of my eyes. I was in a small mire. A depression filled with dark brown water that I had just disturbed. The spiraling mixture of lighter browns radiating away from me struggled to mix back together with the rest of the water. The cliff I had not seen in the fog was directly behind me. The surface of the small swamp was covered in a sea of lily pads. Frogs croaked angrily at me as they either glared from a distance or swam away.

 

I was relieved that I could stand in the shallow waters, but I didn’t like to be in this disgusting mess. The murky water had made it up my nose and I lost the scent of Brooke I had barely even got a read on. I hung my head as I made my way to the shore and shook myself as best I could. Mud and gung clung to my fur and weighed me down. I cursed my continuing misfortune as I tried to paw it away. I hoped that if I could get the stuff off me I could find the scent of fresh baked bread again.

 

A heavy splash piercing the quiet of the forest froze me on the spot. It was louder than the frogs. I turned back just as a blast of water hit me in the face. The attack send me rolling backwards with my face stinging from the high pressure jet. I growled at the small blue and orange head that poked out of the murky water. I fired a magical leaf in response, the wild pokemon dove underwater avoiding the leaves entirely. My attack couldn’t pierce the horrid murk and came to a stop on the surface.

 

I charged up a dark pulse instead. I watched the water waiting for the lurking menace to rear its head again. The mudkip popped up and fired another jet of water. I sidestepped the attack and released the spheres of dark type energy. Again the water type dove under in a flash. The dark pulse pierced the murkiness, but I could not tell if my attack hit or not. I grit my teeth and growled at the stagnant water. Fucking bitch!

 

I didn’t blink as I watched the water right ahead of me for any disturbances heralding the water type’s return. I stood there frozen with the faint hum of energy circling through me as I prepared to unleash my attack as soon as I got a hint of the mud fish pokemon. After nearly a minute, there was a small ripple on the surface and everything became a blur. My vision was a blurry colored mess as I rushed forward with the energy of a quick attack. I hit something blue and then the grass right after. I rolled for several feet down a hill, coming to a stop at the bottom. I shook my head to stop the world from spinning. The mist that clung to the ground seemed even thicker than before.

 

Another shake got rid of the last of the dizziness. I was now at the base of a hill with the trees having thinned out. There was no sign of the mudkip or the swamp. But the scent of the dirty water was still all I could smell. I huffed and got to my paws. I figured to just head in the direction I was going in previously. I just hoped that the lingering presence of my eevee didn’t deviate from that path at all. And that I could eventually catch Brooke’s scent again at some point.

 

A small stream cleaving its way down the hill was my only indication of which direction led away from the swamp. The fog made it next to impossible to get a sense of direction. The ceiling of clouds blocking out any hint of the sun didn’t help either. I followed the small indent filled with the murky water, hoping against hope that I made the right decision to do so.

 

I more or less aimlessly wandered through the oppressive low hanging moisture with the stream as my only guiding light. The mist eventually parted as the stream came to an end at a lake. A perfectly silent mirror like body of water that the fog refused to cling to. The water here didn’t seemed polluted, looking good enough to drink despite the swamp water currently mixing in. I made my way to the thin line of gravel that surrounded the lake. Hoping to use the cleaner water to cleanse the rest of the muck off of me and to clear my senses so I could catch Brooke’s trail again.

 

I sat down and slowly washed myself off. As I did, I checked for any indication of where to head next. This was if I couldn’t get her scent again. I didn’t want to be aimlessly walking the fog shrouded forest for all eternity. The fog was thick around the edge of the lake, making it impossible to see anything beyond it. The only thing of note was a cylindrical structure looming above the tree line surrounding the lake. It was too shrouded in mist for me to clearly make out whatever it was. But I could tell it wasn’t natural. It had to be tower of some kind.

 

I quickly finished off cleansing myself and stepped out of the water. I felt refreshed, but I still only smelt the lingering bits of the swamp water and nothing else. I could get hints of a bit of grass and some other forest smells, but they were quickly overshadowed by the muck. I especially couldn’t get another hint of Brooke’s scent. I sighed and made my way around the edge of the lake towards the tower. Hoping it could lead me in the right direction…somehow. I was at least glad no other wild pokemon came out and assaulted me.

 

As I neared the structure, the fog finally began to part enoguh for me to get a better picture of it. It indeed was a circular tower. Specifically, not square like the living tower monster from the dungeon. I did pause, half expecting this one to come to life as well and attack me. Don’t. You. Dare.

 

After a good half minute of staring it down and nothing happening, I continued with that concern melted away. It was just an aged and partially collapsed stone tower and nothing else. The top was an uneven mess. There were square cut stones scattered about the area, signifying the tower was once taller in its heyday. The base of the tower was surrounded by tangled spike covered vines. The only good thing I could note was that the top of the tower pierced the thick blanket of fog. I wonder…

 

I stepped forward with my plan set. If I could get to the top of the tower, or at least what remained of it, I could probably get a good view of the surrounding forest and maybe even find a sign of where I was. Maybe I could see the edge of the forest and the farms. Or I could see wherever Brooke was. She had to be near if I had caught her scent before. Maybe there was a cave or a building nearby. The Painted Pokemon's base had to be near to the dungeon exit.

 

I knew it was probably not that likely that I could find any hint of where she was, but I held on to the little bit of hope I had left. That I could find her. That I will get her out of this. That we can wash our paws of this and never have to come back to this damnable mystery dungeon ever again. That we can go on towards the shard of the Star and never look back.

 

The massive tangled mess of thorny vines brought me to a stop. The mass covered the base of the tower, blocking off any path to it. I could not see a clear entrance to the structure because of the thick plant life. I studied the ruined tower up and down for any hint of where to even begin looking for an entry point. I gave up on that endeavor and turned back to the thorns. I summoned a quick magical leaf and fired it at the mass. The leaves barely made a dent in the brambles, but I was able to cut a few of them down. I smiled and charged a proper magical leaf. Just don’t drain yourself, Aster.

 

The rainbow tinted leaves cleaved through the vines, cutting a decently sized furrow in the foliage. I put more strength in my next use of the move. My chest began to burn, and a dull headache formed as the drain began to take its toll. Not wishing to hurt myself right now, I released the attack. A wave of dark green leaves exploded out and cut down the brambles to size. The leftovers made their way through and hit the tower.

 

My smile widened as I made my way through the gap in the thorns and towards the tower. A giddiness wormed up in me at the sight of the base of the tower actually being free of the thorny vines. It was a tight space, but I easily pressed myself up against the tower and made my way around it to find the entrance. No way in dis would I be able to fit if I was a human, but I was happy with my smaller stature. I scurried along, my fur brushing against the coarse weathered stones as I searched for any entrance. Whether that was an actual door or a hole in the masonry. The surface seemed to be made of stones entirely with no entrance whatsoever. There weren’t any windows to speak of either.

 

Fate, or some legendary, seemed to be looking out for me as I did come across a single solitary entrance in the form of a partially collapsed archway. I scurried through as quickly as I could. The inside of the tower was completely barren. Everything was made of the same stone; the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. There wasn’t a single thing to accent the interior, it was just a barren husk. There was a fine layer of dust and cobwebs in the corners. A staircase lined the opposite wall and led upwards.

 

A screech piercing the quiet tower stopped me in my tracks. I was tackled to the side by a large blue fuzzball a second later. A quick burst of quick attack and I was on the other side of the room. I slammed all four of my paws in the wall and kicked off to stop my momentum. I charged up a dark pulse as my eyes landed on the flying ball of fuzz. A woobat.

 

The bat let off another screech and a pulsing ring of rainbow energy shot forward. I released my dark pulse, which shred the bat’s attack to nothing. The spheres of malice continued onwards and knocked the bat out of the air. The wild pokemon hit the ground with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust. It limply flapped its wings, getting to a hover only a few inches off the ground. The bat gave a pained angry screech before zipping out the partially ruined door. I watched the entrance in case it came back, but after a minute I figured I scared it off. I scanned the rest of the room, but only saw more dust and cobwebs. There weren’t any other pokemon or creature to speak of. With the distraction gone, I ascended the stairs.

 

The second floor was the same as the first, only it didn’t have a woobat, zubat, or any other bat pokemon to accost me. I made my way across the floor and up the next set of stairs. The third floor was a mess, as it was what remained of the top of the tower. Half of the wall remained standing while the rest had crumbled away with time. I was back in the muted sunlight standing in a field of broken stones. I slowly hopped over the debris to the edge so I could finally get a sense of where I was, and to possibly see if I could figure out where to head next. I still could not smell any hint of Brooke, which lessened my mood. I had hoped I would catch another whiff of her to lead me onwards. But with no such success in that front, I knew I had to just hope I could find something from this higher vantage point.

 

Standing on the edge gave me a clear view of the fog cloaked forest. And that is all I could see. An endless sea of trees, trees, and more trees with white mist weaving through them like water. There were hills and snowcapped mountains in the distance. But other than that it was just trees. No other buildings or structures to see. No wood line to denote and end of the foliage. Neither was there a hint of civilization. No indication of the dungeon entrance either. Nothing. There was no one. It was just me and the fog laden trees.

 

I made my way over to a different side in the hope that I could see something else. A desperate attempt as the hollowness began to grow in me once again. I now faced the lake, seeing more of the same. Peering down I could see the missing portion of the tower was under the water. There had to be at least another two or three floors based on the remaining structure I could see beneath the surface of the clear water.

 

Peering out across the lake I saw more fog and more trees. I let off a heavy sigh as hopelessness wormed its way in my heart again. I was lost in the woods with no one to help me or guide me. I had no idea where I was. And I didn’t have Brooke. She was still lost, and I had no idea or hope of getting her back. I sat down, sending up a puff of dust. I hung my head as I ran a paw along the filth, drawing a circular divot in the thick material. I mused aloud, “What am I going to do?”

 

My voice sounded hollow and meek. I knew no one could hear me, but I just needed to say the words aloud. I needed to hear something other than the quiet of the forest. I felt so alone, and hearing just my own voice didn’t help me either. I had no idea what I could even do now. I was lost. I was adrift with no guiding light or direction. I had nothing left. I was in a sea of fog, drowning in my loneliness. I sniffled, trying to fight back the tears welling up. I softly declared, “I need you, Brooke.”

 

“I can’t do this by myself,” I slammed my paw down, sending more dust skywards. I grit my teeth. “I need someone. You. Hanna. I’d even take Dante.”

 

My gaze moved up to the ceiling of clouds. “I just need someone here with me. Someone to help me. Someone to be at my side.”

 

I hung my head as a tear slipped free. “I don’t want to be alone.”

 

The hollow pit in my stomach grew. My heart ached as if it was going to break. Ice flowed through my veins. I was aimless without a course or anything to keep me here. Everything was hopeless. I lost everything in less than a day. The weight of everything had finally come crashing down. I collapsed and curled up in a ball as I let the tears out unabated. I cried out, my weak wail instantly dying on the foggy air.

 

Did the little pipsqueak lose his little rat?

 

My head shot up faster than a bullet. My ears were pointed and swiveling to find the source of the snide voice that had echoed in my head. Yet I was still alone. I didn’t see any one up here with me. I checked the sky for any sign of the woobat. It was a psychic type, so it could theoretically talk to me telepathically. Every psychic type I’ve encountered thus far has done so. Yet the sky was clear of anything other than clouds.

 

Thank the legends, that vile creature is gone.

 

I shot to my paws as anger boiled in me. Something igniting in my core hearing the second voice. I could tell it was a different speaker than the first one. I knew they were talking about Brooke. I snarled and shouted out, “Show yourselves!”

 

I got a duo of chuckles in response. I hissed and kicked a loose pebble off the edge of the tower. The dull plink of it hitting the water sounded out as the anger boiled within me. I felt the dark type energy course through my body as a dark pulse quickly charged up.

 

You didn’t deserve her anyway.

 

I started at the familiar voice. I instantly recognized the unpleasant tone of Camille. My dark pulse died as I scanned the area for the jolteon, but I couldn’t see a quill or spark of the electric type. It was just me, alone, on top of the collapsed tower in the middle of the fog cloaked forest. I took a tentative step towards the edge. Wondering I actually could catch a glimpse of who, or what, was toying with me. I knew it couldn’t be the jolteon. He was either back in Eldergrove or consumed by the black hole. But that didn’t mean someone else wasn’t the culprit. The two other voices I heard could belong to whoever was messing with me.

 

Peering down, the mirror like lake stared back at me. In a flash the visage of clouds was replaced by a trio of faces. A cold hand gripped my heart as the three faces in the lake stared right through my soul. There was my father, Derrek, and Camille. I reeled back with a scream. I recovered and rushed back to the edge to confirm what I saw was real. Looking back down, they were gone. I tried to find where they went. Or what the dis was going on. Yet I still saw nothing but the same as before, the reflective surface of the lake and the ruins of the tower beneath it.

 

My tongue felt heavy as I asked, “Wha-what’s going on?”

 

Scared, you prick?

 

“Shut it!” I shouted at my cousin. My throat felt tight.

 

You just had to keep that monster around, now you are one.

 

I screamed and fired a magical leaf straight up. The rainbow leaves flying off to the other side of the lake before they stopped and fluttered uselessly to the water. I stomped a paw. “Fuck you, dad!”

 

A wave of relief washed over me when I said that. I never in my life said it, but I wanted to for so long. The feeling flooded my system at finally uttering those words. Yet there was a slight hollowness to them. I knew I didn’t say them to my actual father, but it still felt cathartic as dis to finally say it.

 

But something else clicked. A brilliant light of realization washed over my mind. Their words and all of the events of today came together like a puzzle. His words demeaning me, Brooke, and all pokemon. I took it as a personal slight against me and all pokemon. He wasn’t treating me as human, nor did I feel like one anymore. I’ve lived such a better life as a pokemon than as a human. I hadn’t even been here a week, and my life felt a million times better already. I felt more at peace with myself and everything as a sprigatito. I never felt this free before. I never felt more like myself than I have ever. I didn’t want to be human anymore. I didn’t want to go back to him, my old life, any of it. I wanted to stay here. As a pokemon. With Brooke, Hanna, and all the others. But especially Brooke. I was happier when I was with her. I was more myself when she was around. When I could understand and talk with her. When I treated her as an equal and not a partner. I wanted to be with her. I wanted to never leave her side. I wanted to…

 

I wanted to be with her. Not as we were as partner. Something...more. I could feel it in my core. A desire. A warmth. Not like what I felt with Lily or any pokemon before. This was not some sexual desire of this body acting against my wishes. The hole that had been eating away at me vanished as it was filled with these warm fuzzy feelings. Feelings I had for Brooke. My heart didn’t feel like it was going to break anymore. I felt like I was finally being true to myself. True about wanting to stay a pokemon. And true to how I felt about Brooke. I…love…

 

This was me. A hundred percent pure me. This wasn’t the disconnect of my mind and body, this was the two uniting in unison in this moment to one truth. I wanted to remain as a pokemon. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to live my life as I wanted to. To finally choose for myself and not have others guide me in ways I didn't want. I wanted Brooke at my side through it all. She was always there for me. She always supported me. Especially through all the trials and tribulations we’ve been through since coming to Kino. She never gave up on me, and neither did I on her. I liked her. I wanted to hug and cuddle…and kiss her. I love…her.

 

The words rang out in my head. I loved Brooke. I wanted to be with my eevee. Not just as partners, or as friends. But something more. This was an attraction, but not sexual. I liked Brooke. And I was perfectly fine with saying that. I loved her. Not like a human trainer loves their pokemon. This was a desire to be with her. To always be around her. And I wasn’t afraid of it. I wanted to be with Brooke. Not as her trainer, but her partner…her mate. She was always there for me. I wanted to do the same in return. She cared for me, and I her. I love Brooke.

 

You’ve gotten everything you deserved.

 

Camille’s smug voice pierced my mind, and I fired another magical leaf right at his visage in the lake. His face vanished as the leaves impacted the surface. I had no idea what was going on, but it was pissing me off to no end. I wanted the voices to stop. I wanted them to leave me alone.

 

What’s wrong, do you love your eevee? Going to fuck her into a sylveon.

 

Something inside me snapped at my cousin’s mocking words. Unbridled rage bubbled up in my being. I felt the dark type energy drip off my body and fangs as it boiled to a peak. I wanted to kick my cousin to the ground. I wanted to beat him to a pulp. I wanted to tell off my dad and leave him. Never to look back and go off on the journey he denied me for so long. I wanted to see Camille dead.

 

I felt the world blur, the malicious intent and dark feelings consuming me. I let it out in a massive beam of black energy. It cleaved across the lake, sending waves across the once pristine surface. Gravel and dirt exploded as the attack made landfall and continued onwards. The fog parted. Trees snapped and fell against the onslaught of the overcharged dark pulse. And it was done in a flash.

 

I felt drained of all energy and will to live as I collapsed to the ground with a grunt. I felt like falling asleep. I could still hear the lingering mocking words of my tormentors. But I couldn’t will myself to get angry again. All my anger left me in that attack. Now it was just a dull hatred. I couldn’t move and just stared out at the destruction I had rout. The fog slowly coming back to fill in the gap I had made. But my eyes caught a fleeting image as the fog sealed back up. It was the top of a house. The triangular peak of a wooden abode.

 

I shot to my paws and craned my neck in the direction I saw the building. But all I could see was fog once again. But I knew what I saw. I knew what it was. There was a building out here. There was someone here. There were signs of civilization. I noted the direction I saw the house, and ran back down the tower and out the gap in the thorns. I made my way around the lake and towards the building.

 

I hoped against hope that this would lead me to Brooke. Maybe she was inside that house, or whoever lived there knew where she was. I just hoped that the Painted Pokemon at the crux of all of this was far from here. But a small stone in my gut had me fearing that this was their base of operation. Which spurred me on all the more. If they were here, then so too was Brooke. I needed to find her. I needed to tell her how I felt. I needed to be true to myself and her with this new realization of what I wanted.

 

I left the gravel lined lake behind as I weaved through the trees, following the divot my dark pulse had dug. The fog seemed to part as the forest gave way to a grassy clearing. The small area was dominated by a ragtag shack. It was made of mismatching wooden planks and logs strewn together in the rough shape of a house. There were stones and bricks of different sizes and materials making up a single wall. There wasn’t a hint of mortar and the gaps between the asymmetric building materials showed more wood.

 

It looked more like a pile of rubble than a house. There were no windows and only a single obvious door. There was a leaning chimney looking like a tree frozen midfall. Mist was funneling out of the top of it and merging with the thick moisture that crowded the woods. Except the clearing around the house was free from the oppressive grasp of the fog.

 

I walked up to the door. There wasn’t a handle or knob to grab, so I pushed it with a paw. Yet the door didn’t yield an inch. The wood groaned under the action, but that was it. I took a step back and glanced over every inch of the simple piece of lumber that had been fashioned in the rough shape of a door. The only hint that it was even a door were the rusty hinges attaching it to the structure. I knocked, the aged wood crackling with each impact of my paw. Each knock sounding hollow as I could hear each strike echoing from the inside. What I wasn’t expecting to follow was a chorus of screams. I even heard someone shout, “Help!”

 

I bristled at the fear and despair in the pokemon’s voice. I shook the shock off and squared my stance. The rush of a quick attack consumed me, and I rammed forward. The door was blasted off it hinges and reduced to splinters as I crashed into the shack. I planted my feet firmly and came to a skidding stop a few feet inside. The blur of the attack faded, and reality came back to me. I gasped in horror at the sight. My breath hitched and my heart hiccupped.

 

The building was a singular room with a cold stone floor. It was cloaked in darkness with a singular small crystal dangling from a cord the only source of light. Strewn about the room haphazardly was trash, bags, and boxes. But amongst all that were pokemon. Pokemon that were chained and held down by straps and belts to various wooden benches, the floor, and other devices. I was frozen solid as my eyes flashed from pokemon to pokemon in tortured states.

 

There was a paras strapped down by a pair of leather belts on a wooden board. Their pincers were removed. Their entire back ripped open, exposing their innards to the air. Metal clamps kept their shell from forming back over. There was another one of those dough dog pokemon with pieces of its body missing. All four legs, a chunk of their backside, and an ear were all removed. Nails had been driven in the nubs of what was left of their legs, bolting them to the rocky floor. A leafeon was spread eagle on their back and held down on a pile of dirt by a series of ropes. Their fur had been shaved clean off in random spots. Their tail and other leaf like body parts had been severed, dried blood covering their wounds. A pair of wooper were hanging by a set of chains attached to nails driven into their feet. They hung upside-down attached to a pane of glass covered in condensation. Water dripping off their bodies was filling a wooden bucket below their hanging forms. The moisture coming from a boiling pot of water at the other end of the pane of glass. Like some sick twisted water distillation setup.

 

All their eyes were dull and full of nothing. Like they had given up on life. Like they were all dead inside. Numb to the world and the state they were in. But that quickly changed. I saw a flush of sparkle in their eyes as they all flashed to me. What the fuck is going on here?!

 

“Aster!”

 

My name being called pulled me from my stunned state, my eyes instantly locking on the silvery furred pokemon peeking their head around a corner. My heart swelled at the sight of the familiar eevee. Relief and joy coursed through me relentlessly. I rushed past the other pokemon and right to her. Brooke! I found her! What is she doing here? What did they do to her?

 

Rounding the corner I saw even more pokemon being tortured. A riolu was strapped to a table with tubes connected to their wrists, slowly filling bottles with their deep crimson blood. There was a pokemon that resembled a clump of coal. But they seemed smaller than they should be, as if their body had been harvested just like the doughy canine. There was nothing holding them down, but they didn’t have any limbs or anything to even attempt to remove themselves from the small crate they were seated in. Lastly, there was a sylveon in the far corner. He was rooted in place with a ropes and a metal bar keeping his back legs separated. There was a surprising lack of all four of his ribbons. He had a cloth stuffed in his mouth. His bright red knotted dick was hanging free and dripping his essence in a metal doggy bowl under him. His body jostled in a perfect tempo. A pained look was permanently fixed on his face.

 

I struggled to pull my eyes off the pokemon and instead focused entirely on Brooke. All four of her legs were bound together with rope. Another length of it was wrapped around her neck and attached to a hook in the ceiling. I quickly asked, “What happened to you, who did this to you, are you okay, did they hurt you?”

 

“Shut up!” Brooke screamed. I whimpered and flinched back from her screech.

 

My mouth uselessly flapped like a fish out of water. I tried to ask her something, anything, but my voice had died. I didn’t even know what I asked her to begin with. It was just an incomprehensible spiel of word vomit. I was both relieved to see her and terrified of anything that might have happened to her since she was teleported away. She glared at me and nodded her head to the room, “Save them first.”

 

I knew not to argue, her tone making that perfectly clear. This was an order to shut up and do as she said. I promised myself that I would get answers from her once I did as she ordered. I moved to the riolu first. I drew the energy for a scratch and quickly cut their bindings free. The emanation pokemon rolled off the table with a relived grunt, the tubes drawing their blood popping free.

 

I didn’t wait and rushed towards the sylveon next. He gave me a grunt as a very hard thrust moved his entire body. Tears welled up from his eyes. I could easily read his silent thanks. I pulled the gag free, tossing the moistened dirty thing off to the side. The sylveon let in a heavy breath of air as he meekly said, “Thank you.”

 

“Don’t thank me yet,” I said as I worked to undo the ropes binding his front paws to the floor.

 

“Stop this damn thing in my ass first!” he pleaded as another powerful thrust rocked him. His dick throbbing with unwanted pleasure. I rushed to his backside, where a rod of wood cloaked in a faint magenta aura was pistoning in and out of the sylveon’s ass under its own power. I gulped. What the fuck is going on in this shack of horrors?

 

I hesitated. Not really wanting to touch something currently fucking another pokemon. Especially something in another guy’s ass. But I also knew I had to. The sylveon was in pain and wanted this thing out. I let off a deep breath and steadied my nerves. You need to help him.

 

As the sodomizing tool pulled out I jumped forward and grabbed it with both of my paws. The magenta aura winked out of existence the second I touched it. I pulled and the large object left the sylveon with a loud pop. He let off a loud moan mixed with a scream as I fell to the ground with the wooden pole. A mixture of unknown fluids dripped off it and drenched my fur. I gagged and tossed the tool as far away from me as I could. I tried to shake the stuff off me to no avail. The sylveon all but collapsed but the metal bar on his legs forced him to remain standing. His body trembled as he weakly said, “Thank you, so much.”

 

I pushed myself up and tried to undo the metal bar, but it was secured with a lock. I figured the key had to be somewhere in the room. I walked around the sylveon as I asked, “Any idea where the key is?”

 

“No,” the intertwining pokemon answered with a shake of his head. He quickly added, “Just leave me here for a bit, free the others.”

 

I nodded and made my way to Brooke. The riolu had gathered their faculties and was currently working on getting the woopers out of the device they had been made a part of. Blood dripped from the wounds on the canine’s wrist, staining their fur. They ignored the bleeding entirely and focused solely on their objective. I turned to Brooke and charged up a scratch. She wiggled and slammed her paws out. Hitting me square in the leg, causing me to buckle. I gasped and the energy for my attack faded. I bleated out, “What was that for?”

 

“Don’t untie me,” Brooke all but screamed. Her eyes wide. She was breathing heavily, and her face was flush. Before I could ask why, she said, “That damn braixen made me swallow a cup of sylveon splooge.”

 

I froze at her words. The world faded as they settled in the back of my mind and repeated on loop. Seeing my distressed state she added, “I woke up in some cavern after that scizor knocked the living daylights out of me.”

 

Her words did break me out of my reprieve, but I didn’t move to untie any of her bindings. If what she said was true, it was probably for the best to keep her tied up for the moment. I so wanted to undo them and hold her and profess my feelings. Keeping my feelings bottled up was hurting. She was so close to me. I got her back and I needed to tell her. I wanted to tell her so badly. I wanted to tell her I wanted to stay a pokemon and I wanted to be with her. But I also knew now was not the time.

 

I grimaced at the fact she brought up the bug. There was a surge of a sour taste in the back of my throat at remembering her having fainted. I was relieved that I finally found her. I never wanted her to leave me again. I wanted her by my side. I didn’t want to be apart from her. I wanted to protect her. To never let something like this to ever happen again.

 

“That’s when that purple furred braixen found me.” Brooke’s words drew me back in. Purple furred braixen! I was right…

 

I took a hesitant step back as she added, “He knocked me out and dragged me here with all of these other pokemon. He then forced me to drink…that.”

 

I felt unbridled rage and fury at what the braixen had done to her. That it was them all along and not the damn Painted Pokemon. For sending us towards this trap. For taking Brooke from me. For kidnapping her. For doing these things to her. For doing it to all of these poor pokemon. I wanted to kick his ass and reduce him to a bloody pulp. He was not a pokemon, he was a horrid monster that deserved a similar fate as to what he did to these pokemon. A dark pulse festered in my core and dared to bubble over just like it did at the lake. I’m going to kill him.

 

My eyes flashed to Brooke, and the darkness instantly dwindled. I hated the braixen so much, but he wasn’t here. There were more pressing matters than thinking about what I was going to do to the fox. I needed to help these pokemon first. Especially before the fire type came back. But my focus remained on the bound eevee.

 

I wanted to leap forward and hug my shiny eevee in as tight of a hug as I could. To comfort her and tell it was going to be all right. To tell her everything. But I also knew I couldn’t. But I also didn’t care.

 

I leapt forward and hugged her. She screamed in surprise. I nuzzled my cheek against hers as I said, “I thought I lost you.”

 

“I’m right here,” she said.

 

She tried to return the gesture as best as she could. She did rub her face against mine and softly licked the side of my face. I loved the contact. But I also knew she was being driven by the pheromones in her system. I didn’t want to profess my love for her, fearing that her altered state might just make her play along. That she didn’t harbor the same feelings for me. The hollowness daring to return fearing she might reject me. I had no idea how I would recover from such a blow. I was finally true with myself, and I didn’t want her to reject what I wanted to be. But I also didn’t want to let go. I wanted her reciprocated actions to be the truth. That she loved me to.

 

I didn’t relent and hugged her tighter. I felt tears well up. I bawled out, “I thought I’d never see you again. I thought I would be all alone. I thought. I thought…”

 

My words died as I full on cried. She just nuzzled me in return. She softly said, “Like I could ever leave you.”

 

“Please,” I pleaded, “Please never leave me again.”

 

“I won’t,” she said. I felt wetness build up in my fur from her. She was crying to. “But you really should let go of me.”

 

“I don’t want to be alone.”

 

“And you never will,” she said. She continued to lick me. She even began to rub her face in my crest as well. She was audibly inhaling my scent. I knew I had to pull away from her. I knew I had to reduce our contact till she was of sound mind and body again. But I couldn’t will myself to do so. I wanted to hold on to her and never let go.

 

I was only able to pull myself back a bit, pulling my body just out of reach of her head. She gave me a perplexed look. Her beautiful pools of grey locked with my pink. Her gorgeous shiny silver fur still sparkled as it always did. Her cute nose twitched ever so slightly. I quickly leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. She stiffened, but didn’t pull away. I just remained there, with my lips pressed against hers. It was a bit awkward with our muzzles, but she moved to the side to lock our lips together better. Her breath tickled my nose. I shut my eyes, and I just melted. I let the feeling of being this close and intimate with someone else consume me. My heart beat in my chest and filled every inch of me with warmth.

 

She soon returned the affection, her mouth parting as well. Her tongue brushing against my lips, asking for entry. I eagerly obeyed the request, her taster invaded my mouth in a flash. She bullied my tongue as she let off a moan. She pressed her body even closer as she touched every inch of my mouth.

 

I pulled back with a gasp, not realizing how out of breath I was. Brooke gave me a hurt look, as if she didn’t want the kiss to end so soon. She was panting and her entire face was flushed red. I felt equally as warm. I couldn’t but smile as I declared, “I love you, Brooke.”

 

The words left my mouth before I even realized it, but I didn’t care. I wanted to…no needed to say them. I needed her to know. I was never more sure of myself than in this moment. I loved her and I wanted her to know. I wanted to spend the rest of my days with her. Please, tell me you love me too.

 

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened with the faintest bit of a gasp. She stuttered out, “A-a-aster?”

 

The hollow returned. Worry began to worm in the back of my mind. Worry that she didn’t reciprocate my feelings and it was just the affect of the sylveon cum on her. That I made a terrible mistake in kissing her. That I should not have professed my love for her. But a part of me also felt like I needed to do what I just did. That I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do and say what I just did at this moment. That I couldn’t sit on these feelings anymore. I may have just discovered them, but I also knew that they were true. That my love for her was not unfounded or misplaced. I knew what I felt. This was not the desires of my pokemon body messing with my head. This was not me lusting after a random pokemon. This was someone who I knew. Someone I trusted. Someone I had genuine feelings of attraction for. This was just something more than simple desire.

 

“I love you, too.”

 

Her words pulled me back to reality like a slap to the face. The feeling of despair vanished in an instant and was replaced with elation. I shot in and gave her a small peck on the lips. I pulled back and smiled. I asked, “Really?”

 

“This isn’t the cum speaking,” she answered. She hesitantly asked, “D-do you really love me?”

 

“I do,” I said nuzzling her. She returned it letting off a happy purr.

 

“But you really should help the others,” she forlornly said pulling back. I sighed, knowing she was right. I gave her one last parting peck on the lips before disentangling myself from her. I summoned a scratch and quickly undid the bindings on her legs and severed the rope around her neck. She stood and shook herself off.

 

“Can you keep yourself under control?”

 

“I’ll try,” she said taking a hesitant step away from me.

 

I nodded and moved towards the lump of coal. The two of us got the rock type out of their holding and placed them down on the ground. They had no means of moving, the box serving as more of a prison than anything. They let off a heavy sigh and said, “Thanks for the save, but it will take me some time to regrow everything.”

 

We left him there and moved on to the next pokemon needing saving. The riolu had gotten both of the woopers free, as well as the dog made of dough. They were currently working on the paras’ bindings. Brooke and I moved to the last pokemon, the leafeon. And given everything that transpired, I assumed it was Sam. But I wanted to sure. As we neared I asked, “Sam?”

 

He barely lifted his head as he asked back, “Team Star?”

 

“Yes,” I answered with a nod. I cut his bindings with a quick flourish of scratch.

 

His head lazily flopped about, his focus shifting between the both of us. He then asked, “What are you doing here?”

 

“Dante came to us for help when he found you missing.” I answered.

 

“Where is he?” Sam frantically asked looking around for any hint of the vulpix.

 

I went to answer, but my ears twitched. I sensed the energy in the air spike. It was not a good feeling and my body screamed for me to run. I rolled to the side just as a beam of purple and blue energy shot overhead. The blast blew a section of the wall apart. The shack shuttered under the attack. I whipped my head to the side, to a figure standing in the doorframe. Looming in the threshold was the simmering form of a purple furred braixen. Clasped in their paw was a sleek metallic rod with the end burning like a lit coal. Draped over their shoulders was the limp form of a purple and yellow snake covered in blood red markings.

 

I took a hesitant step back as the braixen’s eyes locked on to me. I felt his eyes bore right through me. I felt like I might ignite at any moment. The fox snarled and declared, “So, you decided death.”

 

He lifted his staff and aimed it right at me. Brooke rushed in with a quick attack. The fox sidestepped the attack and smacked her with his wand. She yelped as she was sent flying off to the side. I screamed and fired a dark pulse. The braixen braced his forearms in front of him and weathered the attack. Sam charged up a glowing ball of green energy in his maw and hit the braixen with it before they could respond. The fox was sent tumbling back and out of the shack.

 

Sam turned to the other pokemon and ordered, “We need to get out of here!”

 

“Like dis you are,” the braixen said as he rushed in with their entire body cloaked in fire. A second later the fire pulsed off his form in an expanding dome. Sam rushed me and shoved me out of the path of the flames, which then consumed him. He screamed as the fire burned at his skin and fur. He collapsed to the ground burned and fainted. I was unscathed, having been pushed out of the path of the powerful fire type attack. The braixen stood tall as fire began to build up on their body again.

 

I stared him down. I grit my teeth and hissed. I asked, “Who the dis do you think you are?”

 

“Who am I?” He asked back as he leveled his wand which began to glow brightly once again.

 

“What monster does this to other pokemon?” I said waving a paw at the pokemon cowering in the back of the shack.

 

He gave me a smug smirk as he straightened his back and crossed his arms. He answered, “A visionary that sees that not all pokemon are created equal. There are some that serve the rest better as resources.”

 

I growled as I felt the malice and hatred bubble inside me with each word he said. The fire fox laughed as he continued, “You’d be surprised what can be made from harvesting these lesser beings.”

 

His eyes flashed to the crowd in the back as he listed off, “Paras mushrooms and viscera make a great cure-all. Fidough flesh is far easier to grow and use for bread than wheat that can suffer from poor harvests or blight. Wooper’s skin naturally cleanses any toxins from water. Riolu blood can be made into a potion that increases one’s strength and stamina. A leafeon’s tail, when brewed properly, makes a quite good calming tea. A rolycoly’s flesh makes a perfect catalyst for increasing the strength of fire type moves,” he waved his burning wand saying that. His eyes steeled on Brooke, who was slowly picking herself up. He finished off, “And sylveon cum makes an amazing aphrodisiac that can lull the senses of any pokemon once you purified it.”

 

My blood was boiling and dark type energy dripped off my fangs. I snared, “You’re a monster.”

 

He leveled his wand again and he said, “I wonder what sprigatito fur can be used for?”

 

Brooke moved first, wrapped in a golden aura. She hit the braixen in the side, causing him to stumble. She didn’t relent and quickly transitioned to a double kick. She landed the first on his leg, causing him to fall to a knee. He swung a fire cloaked fist and hit her square in the jaw. She screamed as she was sent flying backwards. She hit the ground with a dull thud and collapsed in a heap. The sight made me snap and the dark energy I’ve been building doubled as I screamed, “I’ll kill you for touching her!”

 

A beam of pure hatred shot from my maw. The braixen braced as best he could, but the attack bowled him over and sent him tumbling outside once again. I didn’t hesitate as I rushed forward with my own quick attack. The braixen was just picking himself off the ground as I rammed my head right in his leg. A sickening snap echoed out across the foggy woods. The fox screamed as he collapsed. The fractured bone was protruding from his broken leg. He seethed out, “You insufferable reprobate.”

 

I circled back around, still cloaked in the golden aura of quick attack. I closed the distance and slammed all four of my paws in his face. His jaw snapped as his head shot back, and he went limp. I made a quick turn and came to a stop next to his form. He was not moving. His leg was bent at an angle it should not be. His jaw was dislodged, and he was bleeding from the back of his head. I snarled as I charged up another dark pulse. I placed a paw on the fox’s throat. I could faintly feel a pulse and labored shaky breathing, but he was out cold. But I wanted him dead. That’s what he deserved for what he did to those pokemon. For what he did to Brooke. I snarled as the energy dripped off my fangs and body. My voice was hollow as I said, “May Giratina have mercy upon whatever is left of your soul.”

 

“Aster! Stop!”

 

My head snapped to the side. The attack in my mouth died down as two forms made their way out of the mist. Hanna and Dante rushed over and surveyed the scene. Hanna fell to her hind paws with a gasp, her front paws flying up and covered her muzzle. Dante rushed towards me and asked, “What happened?”

 

The vulpix moved me off the braixen, the malice I was brewing vanishing as the sight of the two foxes tempered my nerves and filled me with elation. They’re here. They’re safe.

 

I gave them a quick rundown of what happened after we got separated. Hanna did inform me that the tile I stepped on was a pitfall trap. Which I figured was aptly named since it did drop me down a hole. Apparently it drops you down a level in a dungeon, which also explained why I found the exit stairs so quickly. After that I explained crossing the foggy forest and discovering the shack. I hesitated leaving the braixen, but Dante assured me that he wouldn’t get away. I trusted his words and led them to the shack, leading it off with saying, “But I did find Sam and the other missing pokemon.”

 

“Sam?!” The vulpix screamed and rushed towards the shack, “Where is he?”

 

The ear piercing scream that followed shook the forest. “What happened?!”

 

I rushed to the building. Dante was next to the fainted ash covered leafeon. He was nuzzling the burned pokemon with tears rolling down his face. He mumbled out an incompressible spew of words as he held the leafeon’s head in his paws. He ran a paw over Sam’s cheek. I did catch one of the mantras he was repeating to his fainted partner. “Please wake up.”

 

The other pokemon slowly gathered towards us. Brooke was off to the side, just beginning to pick herself up. I rushed to her side and helped her to her paws. Hanna entered calling her name. She gave the eevee a small nuzzle, which she returned. Brooke then rested against me, gently snuggling my side.

 

The riolu stepped forward and asked, “Are you with the Guild?”

 

“Yes,” I answered with a nod of my head.

 

Dante snapped from his state and quickly unclipped his badge. He declared, “I need to get Sam medical attention now.”

 

“What about us,” The riolu asked waving a paw at the other pokemon that had been tortured by the braixen.

 

Dante’s eyes swept over the crowd of victims. He then lifted his badge and said, “My badge can only teleport one pokemon with me.”

 

“But they all need medical attention,” Brooke said.

 

Dante nodded and said, “I’ll have the Guild send a party to come get you all. I swear.”

 

That seemed to calm the pokemon. The two vanished in a flash of white light as the vulpix used his badge. Hanna stepped towards the others, opening her bag as she said, “I might have a few berries and such that can help.”

 

Brooke and I remained off to the side, simply basking in each other’s embrace. I couldn’t help but smile. I saved her. I saved all of them. The braixen had been defeated. And I finally resolved the turmoil in my mind. I never felt more sure of myself than I did than at this moment. I wanted to be a pokemon. I preferred to be one. I loved Brooke and she loved me back. I was finally happy for once in my life.

Chapter 31: Mystical Magical

Summary:

With the braixen defeated; Aster, Brooke, Hanna, and the other pokemon wait for Dante's reinforcements to arrive and take them to the nearby Guild chapter.

Once there, they meet the guildmaster and the Lead Team, Team Mystic, and finally get time to relax and settle in after an arguidos day.

Hanna returned to us after giving the injured pokemon what treatment she could offer. I had offered up what I had in my bag, which wasn’t much either. They needed proper medical attention and not berries and seeds. But they accepted what we gave and scarfed down their portions with gusto. They had no doubt been starved by the braixen to keep them in a weak enough state that they couldn’t fight back. Our group had moved outside, leaving the injured to rest inside until rescue came. Brooke and I sat just outside the shack, watching the fainted form of the braixen and the painted ekans for any movement. Hanna was off to the side just out of my view. I didn’t want to let either of the two of them out of my sight till Dante’s rescue party arrived. I wanted to make sure the braixen answered for his crimes. And the ekans would be valuable to get information on where the Painted Pokemon’s base of operations was. Enough time had passed that the fog had subsided and the clouds above parted. The sky was a beautiful mixture of brilliant gold and vibrant orange.

 

Brooke was pressed against my side, actively switching between licking me and inhaling my scent. A few times I had to bat her paw away from my crotch. I knew she would be under the affect of the sylveon spunk she had been force fed for a considerable amount of time. She no doubt would need to be medically checked and probably isolated till she was clear of the vile stuff. She whined each time I stopped her advances, but she relented. Opting to instead hold on to me tighter and basically grind herself on my side. The air around me was full of her bakery sweet scent. It was driving me mad having a sex crazed eevee basically using me as a humping post, my body slowly stirring to her ministrations. But I fought the urge to indulge her. Now was not the time, nor the place. Nor did I want my first time to be sullied by the events of today and influenced by the pheromones playing with her mind. I wanted that event to occur naturally. My first time…

 

Those words felt weird to think about. To actually consider losing my virginity to her. I’ve thought about it back when I was human, but no person ever really peaked my interest to have a relationship with. Granted, I was sixteen and I still had time to find the one for me. But I never considered it could be my very own pokemon. And I wasn’t concerned about that at all. My family was gone. I was here with just Brooke. She was all the family I needed. I was not a human anymore. And I honestly didn’t feel like a human anymore. I preferred being a pokemon and I wanted to remain one.

 

But I was also concerned about Brooke’s mind in her current state. I know she professed her love for me, but I was afraid it was just the pheromones talking and she didn’t actually return the feelings. A nagging in the back of my mind that I messed up royally and I might scare her away once she was back to her normal self. Wishing not to let it eat me up further than it did already, I nudged Brooke with my shoulder, breaking her out of her stupor. She finally paused in her sex fueled actions. She asked, “What?”

 

“Do you love me?”

 

“Of course,” she said back with an almost hurt look, “I said I did.”

 

“But is that you, or the pheromones talking?” I pressed, “I want to believe that you have the same feelings I have for you.”

 

“This is me,” Brooke answered, “The pheromones haven’t changed my mind on that.”

 

“So,” I hesitantly asked, “You do love me?”

 

“Yes, you goof,” she answered with a role of her eyes. She returned to leaning against me. I felt a flutter in my chest at her confirmation. She added, “I’ve always loved you. Back when you were a human it was more like the simple devotion one has with their trainer. But since coming here,” she paused and ran a paw through the grass. I figured not to speak and let the words come to her. My frayed nerves didn’t dare intrude and make her backtrack with what she already said.

 

She let off a soft sigh. “But after that stunt with Lily and you putting that block in your mind, I felt something different. Like you would never see me for more than your pokemon, but I wanted to be more than that. I wanted you to have the same reaction to me as you did her.”

 

She shrugged. “Maybe it was because she was an eeveelution that I thought I could be that to you too. Some jealous part of my brain wishing it was me that got a rise out of you instead of her.”

 

“Not like I liked having those thoughts,” I murmured out.

 

That earned me shove from the eevee as she said, “Which is also why I didn’t do anything. Thinking we would return to simply being pokemon and trainer after all this and I didn’t want to make it weird. I didn’t want to mess up what we already had.”

 

She went back to playing with the grass. “I kept those thoughts aside because you were so uncomfortable about being a pokemon and all that.” She turned to lock eyes with me, “But the pheromones brought everything to the surface. My true feelings for you, Aster. You are a kind, devoted pokemon and I love you because of that. You are the only one I want to be with.”

 

She turned away. “Not physically, but just like this. Cuddling. Relaxing. Being with each other.”

 

“Me too,” I finally spoke up. My mouth was dry. My heart still beat rapidly. But I was relieved beyond relief that she did in fact harbor similar feelings for me. That this was mutual. That this wasn’t the product of artificial attraction.

 

“What about you?” The eevee asked jabbing me in the side.

 

“What about me?” I asked back with a cock of my head.

 

“When did you finally find feelings for me?” She asked with a sly smirk on her muzzle.

 

I turned away as my face felt warm. She let off a laugh as she poked my side. “I just dumped my feelings on you, it’s only fair that you do the same.”

 

I didn’t turn her way as I answered, “Today.”

 

“Today?” She repeated.

 

I nodded. “After you were knocked out I fell into a deep spiral.”

 

I hung my head, and it was my turn to play with the grass. “Like a deep darkness had taken root inside me. A hollow feeling when you were not by my side.”

 

“You going to cling to me like this then?” She asked rubbing her head against mine. I returned the affection.

 

“I just felt lost and alone without you. Like I was incomplete. I didn’t know what it was till I figured out that I wanted to stay a pokemon.”

 

“Stay a pokemon?” She repeated back a bit shocked. “You do?”

 

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I feel so much happier as a pokemon than I ever was as a human. I want to be a pokemon. And I want to do it with you.”

 

“Sappy,” she said poking me again.

 

“I’m your sap,” I said sticking my tongue out at her.

 

“Yes, yes you are,” she said removing herself from me. She jumped in and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. She purred as she said, “You’re all mine.”

 

“Uhh, guys?”

 

I jolted upright and to my paws as Hanna made her way over to us. She gave us a hesitant look before she asked, “Are you two okay?”

 

“We’re good,” Brooke said nuzzling me.

 

“What’s going on?” She looked to me, then back to Brooke. She quickly asked, “Should I leave you two alone?”

 

The insinuation in her tone had me blushing and Brooke laughing. The eevee rolled on the floor, unable to form a word. A clearing throat stopped us. Standing in the doorframe was the collection of rescued pokemon, the riolu at the front with the rolycoly in his hands. The woopers right behind them. The sylveon had the fidough on his back. The paras brought up the rear. The riolu asked, “Is the Guild going to be here soon?”

 

“They should be,” I offered. I wasn’t sure how long it would take them to get here. I had no idea how far away they were to begin with. But I figured that was the best response. It had been a good long while since Dante vanished with Sam. I figured he must have told them about us the instant they appeared back in their Guildhall.

 

“We all just wanted to thank you for saving us, Aster,” the riolu added. The rest of the gathered pokemon shared the same sentiments. I felt a bit weirded out by the multitude of praise coming from so many pokemon all at once.

 

“It wasn’t just me,” I quickly said, trying to deflect some of the praise off of me.

 

“But you were the one that found and freed us,” the sylveon said.

 

“You’re the one who defeated the braixen,” one of the woopers added.

 

The more they pressed the more I realized their were right. But it still felt weird. I know I was a guild member, but all I’ve done up to now is collect items and fight ferals. This is the first criminal I actually faced. This is the first real heroic thing I’ve done in my life. And Guild members do this stuff for a living.

 

A small bit of pride welled up inside me as I realized that their praise was not placed wrong. That I was a part of the reason they were all free now. I saw no reason to fight them on the matter and let it be. It felt good to hear how happy they were to be liberated from the torturous life they thought they would endure for the rest of their days. And I played a major part in that. I couldn’t help but smile. I’m a hero.

 

A screeched piercing the air made the fur on my back bristle. I jumped to my paws as I quickly gathered the energy for a magical leaf. My eyes shot to the sky as the silhouette of a large bird circled overhead. The riolu rushed out and peered upwards. He asked, “Is that the Guild?”

 

“I hope,” I said, not dropping my attack as the bird spiraled down towards us. As it got closer I could easily make out it was a talonflame. But they also had a bag looped around their body and a bright teal scarf was wrapped around their neck. They made a few more circles before coming to a hover in the clearing. They silently analyzed each of us. Their eyes lingering on the fainted braixen and ekans. Their eyes settled on Hanna and asked, “Team Star?”

 

“Yes,” I answered stepping forward. “Did Dante send you?”

 

The bird nodded and came in for a landing. They pulled a small grey cylinder out of their bag. The scorching pokemon raised it up and a bright blue flare shot forth and high up in the sky. They then stowed the device away and turned to us. “The rest of my team will be here in a moment to take you all to the Guild.”

 

A subdued cheer rang out from the gathered pokemon as they exited the shack and congregated around the bird. Not even a minute later two more flying types quickly descended upon us. There was a noivern and a pitch black metallic bird that joined the talonflame. Both had the exact same bright teal scarves. The noivern pulled out a small chrome cube which faintly glowed blue. The dragon type ordered, “Everyone fall in, and we’ll get you all to the Guild.”

 

No one had to be told twice, and we did as he commanded. The metallic bird scooped up the ekans in their talons and the talonflame did the same with the braixen. Once we were all gathered, the bat held up the cube. Bright blue light consumed us, and the misty clearing and shack vanished. We appeared in a room where every inch was made out of wood. Not wooden planks or logs, but wood itself. Like we were inside of a tree. We were standing on a circular stone platform with glowing magenta runes.

 

A group of pokemon quickly descended upon us, startling me to the point I just barely begun to charge up a magical leaf before the one in the lead said, “Will all pokemon needing medical attention please follow me.”

 

The one that spoke was a towering figure with long cotton candy blue and pink locks that were modeled in the shape of a dress. They had a wide brimmed, almost witch like, hat on their head that had a long arm like tassel that ended in a three fingered hand. At their side was a chimecho and what seemed to be a floating lei. The tiny little ball with eyes the only indication the lei was an actual pokemon.

 

The next several seconds were a whirlwind of activity. All of the pokemon from the shack fell in line and followed the trio through the only archway out of the room. The trio of avians left as well, with the braixen and ekans in tow. Brooke refused to leave with the medical staff, remaining at my side clinging to me. She licked and nuzzled me as she said, “I’m fine, I don’t need medical attention.”

 

“You were force fed sylveon cum,” I deadpanned, “You need to get that stuff out of your system before we do anything else.”

 

“B-b-but,” she blubbered as she wrapped her paws tightly around my neck.

 

The lei floated over. They asked in a tiny squeaky voice, “What happened?”

 

“She.” I nodded my head at the eevee locking me in a death grip. “Was given a large amount of sylveon cum to induce a heightened sexual state.”

 

The lei nodded and then said to Brooke, “You need to come with me so we can get that gunk out of your system.”

 

Brooke gave me a pleading look. She was desperate to not be separated from me now that we were back together. But I knew it was for the better. She needed to get well, first and foremost. It was a bit humorous that she was now the one not wanting to be separated. Looks like the shoe is on the other foot.

 

I was okay with her leaving because I knew she would be safe and that it was only till she was back to her normal self. Hanna helped with extracting the shiny from my side. Brooke pouted, shooting me a hesitant glance as she followed the nurses out. I gave the eevee a smile and offered, “I won’t be far.”

 

That didn’t seem to make her feel all that better, but she did relent and followed the lei out of the room. I wanted to follow her and join her, to not be that far when she obviously wanted me by her side. But I also knew my presence would be counterintuitive to her getting the medical aid she needed. She did not need her focus of attraction around her when she was being cleaned of the aphrodisiac coursing through her system. It was best for us to separate till then. I just hoped it wouldn’t be too long.

 

After everyone left, it was just me and Hanna in the room. The only other pokemon with us was an elgyem, who had silently watched the whole arrival and departure of all of the pokemon. They weren’t facing us, nor did they ever speak up. I wasn’t sure what to do or where to go now. I knew we were in the guild chapter Dante and Sam called home, but I had no idea where this place was or the layout of this strange building. I doubted that all of the chapters were build the same and followed the same layout. Hanna seemed just as hesitant as she asked, “What do we do now?”

 

“Can you two please come with me,” a deep but timid voice sounded off as the towering form of a charizard lumbered their way in. The massive lizard shying away, unable to meet our eyes. His wings wrapped around his body like a protective blanket. I gave the fire type a raised brow. He scuffed the floor, somehow not scoring the wood with their clawed foot, and added, “The guildmaster would like to talk to you two.”

 

The lizard didn’t make to move, nor did we. He remained in the doorway tapping two of his claws together while he silently waited. I was a bit hesitant to follow the charizard willingly, not knowing who they were. I didn’t know anyone here, but I also knew this was another Guild chapter. I figured everyone here was trustworthy. It was just the events of the day that had me a bit on guard. I was curious about what the guildmaster would want with us. I figured we would stay here till Brooke was good and then we would leave. Not really involving ourselves with the goings on of this chapter. Cash out what krownes we still had and get ourselves prepped for going after the shard of the Star nearby.

 

“Why do they want to see us?”

 

“They would like to talk about what happened in the Lodestone River,” the fire type answered. He took a step out of the doorway. “Please follow me.”

 

That made perfect sense. I did want to avoid any interaction with a guildmaster I had no history with. Mostly because of our situation with the guard and the whole sanctuary thing. Dawn and Pip were at least informed and accommodated our special circumstances. Plus the penguin knew I was human. But I had no idea who the guildmaster here was. But, I also saw no reason not to trust the charizard, and did as he asked. I moved off the platform and towards the door with Hanna right behind me.

 

We followed the fire drake down a short hallway to a colossal room. Again everything was made of wood, and the room gave the impression we were inside a massive hollowed out tree. We were on what seemed to be the ground floor with several hallways leading off to other sections. A staircase carved out of the tree led upwards in a spiral to more floors up the entire length of the gargantuan tree. I counted four in total. The cavernous like hollow looking to be at least sixty or so feet tall and twenty wide at the ground floor. It did taper as it rose up. Holes bored through the trunk let amber light stream in and cast the interior in a warm glow. The ceiling at the top was dominated by a massive chandelier that resembled an upside down glowing white leaved tree.

 

The entire area was alive with activity, pokemon moving here and there. Bird pokemon were taking advantage of the large air space. There was a line of pokemon at a circular desk that sat in the center of the ground floor. A pair of indeedee, a male and female, were manning the station and dealing with the various teams turning in their completed jobs for the day. Off to the side was a large hole in the tree that led to the outside, pokemon going both ways through the gap. The sounds of an active city filtering in through. I saw none of the medical staff or any of the pokemon rescued from the braixen. Thus I had no hint of where Brooke was. Some pokemon were coming from a set of stairs leading even further down. They had crates and barrels in their arms or similar appendages. A large collection of pokemon were making their way down one particular pathway as well.

 

We ignored the desk and the crowd of pokemon as the charizard walked towards the staircase. I knew he could easily fly to where he was leading us, but since we were ground bound he no doubt was staying terrestrial. Some pokemon turned our way, but I ignored them. Hanna shuffled closer to me and used me as a shield to hide behind. The fact she was sans her typical zorua disguise did strike me as odd since she almost always had it on whenever we were around others. I couldn’t help but lean in and asked in a whisper, “Why don’t you have your illusion up?”

 

She gave me a timid look, then turned away. She softly answered, “I don’t want to hide behind it anymore.”

 

I know she wanted to hide the fact that she was a ghost type for obvious reasons that were still lost on me. I just saw that as a means to avoid persecution from the less openminded pokemon. I never saw it as her hiding behind a false mask. I know that was what zorua were know for, but it was more for playing tricks. Yet, she wasn’t all that much of a trickster. But there was still the racism towards ghost types that I never got a clear answer on. I wanted to press and ask her why, but I also felt like now was neither the time nor the place to do so. I felt it would be better when we were alone and not in the middle of the Guild to ask such questions.

 

We remained silent the rest of the way as the charizard led us up to the second floor and along the long balcony that ran the entire length of the tree. The lizard turned down a random hallway. This one was short and had only three doors. He went up to the one in the middle and knocked on it. The door opened from the inside, a large purple nidoking standing in the passage. I guess that’s the guildmaster.

 

They gave us a toothy grin as they said, “Well, hello there.”

 

“Hello,” I offered with a wave of a paw. Hanna mirrored the action, but remained silent.

 

“Ursula wanted to see these two,” the charizard said. The nidoking nodded and stepped aside.

 

Ursula? Then who is the nidoking? The charizard shuffled in, ducking his head under the lower doorframe. He moved off to the side and gave the nidoking a quick peck on the cheek. The poison type huffed and shoved the large lizard aside. The charizard just chuckled as the two moved off to the side and sat on a pale lavender couch. The two of them pressed closed together.

 

I shuffled in with Hanna. The room was a spitting image of Dawn’s back in Eldergrove, giving me a strange sense of déjà vu. There was a light stained desk with a black wing-back chair. The back of which was turned towards us. There was a bookshelf off to one side with a pair of purple armchairs. A pair of chests sat opposite that. One corner was dominated by a small garden of various sad looking plants in various states of decay. A plush black and purple rug ran the length of room. There was another armchair near the garden that a staraptor occupied. The large avian giving me flashbacks to the middle evolution we encountered back at the farm. I shied away from the meaning glare of the bird. Is that Ursula?

 

“So,” a voice echoed out from behind the chair at the desk. My attention snapped to it, as did everyone else’s. “You two are this…Team Star?”

 

“We actually have a third member,” I corrected whoever was speaking, “An eevee named Brooke, she’s currently being treated in your infirmary.”

 

“And you two are?”

 

“I’m Aster,” I answered tapping my chest with a paw. I waved at Hanna and said, “And this is Hanna, the other member of our team.”

 

“Now.” the speaker let off a heavy sigh. “Can you please recount to me the events that transpired in the Lodestone River mystery dungeon.”

 

The chair spun around, revealing who I assumed was Ursula. Sitting in the chair was a tiny pokemon in comparison to the three others gathered. Seated in the chair was a dedenne. I did a double take. Not expecting the tiny pokemon to be the guildmaster when the rest of, what I assumed was the lead team, were far larger than them.

 

I shook off the shock and squared my stance before answering her request, “We were spending the night at the Hearthstone Tavern when Sam, the leafeon, went missing. His partner, Dante, requested our assistance as we were the only other Guild team at the tavern at the time.”

 

“Which chapter are you from?” The dedenne asked.

 

“Eldergrove.” I answered.

 

Hanna added, “Yuletide.”

 

“Where are your bandana and badge?”

 

She was no doubt asking me that since Hanna was the only one with such items anymore. I started, “I…”

 

My words failed me, and I turned away from the intense look the rodent was giving me. How can such a tiny pokemon make me feel so terrified?

 

It was something about the aura radiating off her that made me fear her. The fact she was the leader of a team with much larger pokemon than her meant she had to be tough. I slowly continued, “Brooke and I had an…altercation with the guard. They confiscated my bag, bandana, and my badge.”

 

Ursula gave a small hum and nod of her head. She waved a paw. “Continue.”

 

I turned back to her and did as she commanded. “We were directed towards the mystery dungeon by a shiny braixen.”

 

“The same one that was the root of this whole issue?” Ursula cut in.

 

“Yes,” I answered with a nod.

 

She simply waved for me to continue, which I did. “The braixen said that Sam was taken by a toxicroak covered in blood red ink to the Lodestone River. We proceeded through the dungeon, getting separated by Brooke fainting and me falling through a pitfall trap. Upon my exit from the dungeon I found a shack in the middle of the woods that had a host of pokemon being tortured. I went about freeing them when the braixen arrived. A fight ensued. Sam was one of the pokemon being tortured and he saved me from a powerful fire attack from the braixen. Brooke and I then proceeded to defeat the fox and knock them out.”

 

I sighed having finished off my retelling of the events that transpired today. Ursula gave a small series of hums and a couple nods. She turned to the staraptor and asked, “What do you think, Irene?”

 

“What about you, fox?” The bird asked pointing a wing at Hanna. The zorsune stiffened at being called out and shuffled closer to me.

 

“Wha-what a-about me?” Hanna asked.

 

“As the sprigatito has said,” Irene explained, “He was separated by a pitfall trap and the one that fainted was the eevee. No?”

 

“Ye-yes,” Hanna answered with a small nod of her head.

 

“Then what happened with you and Dante while they were dealing with the braixen?”

 

I was curious myself about what had happened after I got separated. I hadn’t had the time to ask Hanna with all the hectic events going on after the braixen was defeated. Nor did I feel all that compelled to do it, figuring I could ask her later today. But now that the question was in the air, I listened with rapt attention as the ghostly fox answered, “After Aster fell down the pitfall trap, we made our way through the rest of the dungeon trying to find any hint of the Painted Pokemon. We scoured the rest of it as best we could, but didn’t find any hint of them. We came upon the realization that the braixen had lied to us and we then worked to get out of the dungeon.”

 

“How did you find Aster and the others,” Irene pressed.

 

“We saw a massive dark type attack shoot across the forest right after we exited,” she answered, “I figured it had to be either Aster. We headed straight for where it came from and that’s when we found Aster and everybody.”

 

The avian nodded and sat back down on her perch. The dedenne cleared her throat and drew our attention back to her. She gave a small smile as she said, “That checks out with what Dante had told us.”

 

In two quick jumps she hopped from her chair to the desk and then to the floor. As she walked she said, “I want to personally thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty in this matter.”

 

She came to a stop and gave us a small bow. “You didn’t need to involve yourselves in this matter, but you did all the same. Because of your actions several pokemon are now free, a bad pokemon will answer for their crimes, and we have a possible lead on the Painted Pokemon with one of them now in our custody.”

 

She smiled even wider as she continued, “I will see to it that your are rewarded for your efforts.”

 

“Thank you,” I said on instinct. I wasn’t expecting much of anything, but a reward for the trouble we went through would be nice. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I trusted the electric type would make good on her promise.

 

“I’ll have Sophia make you new bandanas if you’d like,” she offered, “It isn’t right going about as a guild team without the proper identification.”

 

She quickly added, “And I can have your badges replaced as well.”

 

“That would be greatly appreciated,” I said with a smile.

 

“Black and yellow?” The staraptor asked.

 

I took me a second to realize she was asking about our bandanas. I gave her a nod and added, “Argyle pattern.”

 

The bird returned the nod and made for the exit. Ursula then said, “We can have that ready for you by tomorrow.”

 

I thanked her again. She then pointed to the charizard and nidoking and said, “Riley and Francis can show you to the mess hall so you can have something for dinner. I’ll have a room set up for you while you stay here.”

 

She pointed to the charizard first and the nidoking second when she called out their names. We thanked her again as the large pokemon led us out of the room. I stopped and rushed back in as I realized the weight on my side. I slipped off the bag as I said, “Also, this does belong to Dante and Sam. I never got a chance to return it to them.”

 

“We’ll make sure it’s returned to them,” Ursula said before the avian retrieved it from me.

 

I bowed as I exited and followed the charizard and nidoking down the staircase. As we walked Francis asked, “So what brings you to Arcadia?”

 

“We were fleeing Eldergrove just like everyone else,” I answered.

 

“The black sphere thing mons are talking about?” Riley, the charizard, pressed.

 

“Yeah,” I answered with a nod of my head.

 

My focus shifted to the hollow tree when they didn’t ask any more questions. I still couldn’t believe we were inside of an actual living tree even with it hollowed out this much. Any normal tree would die from even a fraction of this evasiveness. I tried to find any hint that it was just a building made to look like a tree, but I couldn’t see anything to support that possibility. I then asked, “Are we actually inside a genuine tree?”

 

“Yes, we are,” the nidoking gleefully answered as we reached the ground floor and followed the river of pokemon heading to where I assumed the mess hall was.

 

The poison type continued with a flourishing wave of his arm, “This is the Great Tree of Arcadia, and the home of the Mystic chapter of the Royal Guild. This tree is one of the oldest in all of Kino. Believed to have been the mother tree to most of the ones in the Godwoods. A lot of the homes here are built out of hollowed out trees.”

 

“But,” I followed up, “How do you keep the trees alive if you hollow them out?”

 

“These are cernun trees,” the poison type answered, “Trees unique to Arcadia and the Godwoods. They can keep on living even when chopped down. They have been blessed by the grace of Xerneas. That is why they can survive in such a state.”

 

Hearing the name of a legendary pokemon from my home region was a bit surprising. But thinking about it for a few seconds, it also was not. Pokemon from every region back home seemed to live all around Kino and this world. There were even ones I had no idea where they came from. So it kinda made sense that all of the legendries and mythicals would also exist here. Does that mean Yveltal is here too?

 

We walked the rest of the way in silence till we arrived in a large oblong shaped room. The floor and walls were covered in stone and only the ceiling was made of the wood of the magical tree. Glowing white moss in the ceiling lit up the room as if we were in sunlight. A collection of diverse tables and chairs dotted the area in a loose splattering of controlled chaos, no two seeming to match. The room was pounding with activity as pokemon ate and conversed. The smells of several different meals filtered in the air and made my mouth water. It wasn’t as large or packed as the one back in Eldergrove, but it still had the same charm and relaxed environment.

 

We migrated towards a table in the center of the room that was empty of any occupants. A few pokemon glanced our way, quickly turning away the second my vision passed in their direction. I could make out a few hushed whispers amongst the cacophony of noise. My cat ears making it an easy task. I wouldn’t be able to do so if I was still human.

 

“Who are they?”

 

“Are those two a new team?”

 

“Do you think they’re part of those pokemon rescued today?”

 

“Why are they with Francis and Riley?”

 

“Is that a zorsune?”

 

I ignored them as Riley claimed the empty table, opting to sit on the ground than in one of the chairs that was a bit too small for the large lizard. The charizard turned to Francis and said, “I’ll stay here, you take them to the food line.”

 

Francis nodded and asked, “You want the usual?”

 

“Yes, please,” Riley said with a smile and nod.

 

Francis waved us forward and we moved towards the back of the room. As we walked, I took a bit more notice of the pokemon gathered here. They had just blended into a mess of faces and bodies as I was focused on other things when we first arrived here. Now that we had a moment of calm, I set about identifying what species I could. There was a butterfree, a snubbull, a durant, and a reddish brown bulldog looking pokemon sitting at one table. Another had a heart tailed pikachu, a buneary, a male eevee, and a furfrou. The poodle pokemon’s fur was done up in the debutante style. Only the accents were a smokey grey instead of yellow. Another table had a golduck, what seemed like a fire rabbit football player, a pink mantis made of petals, and a bipedal electric yellow feline.

 

The food line was a long stone counter with several stations manned by various pokemon. Those collecting food moving down the line with trays and selecting what they wanted from the options available. I got faint memories of the cafeteria back in school. I hope the food is actually edible.

 

We joined the line with Francis grabbing four trays and taking the lead. There was a spot for Hanna and I to jump up on so we could be level with the food behind the glass barrier. The nidoking kept the trays moving as we moved down the line and selected what we wanted.

 

There were six distinct stations in total. The first two were vegetables and fruit respectively. However, the options were lacking. The grumpig and xatu serving them sadly said it was due to the ongoing blight that they didn’t have much to offer. I opted out of anything, what they had didn’t attract my interest. Francis took a bowl of apple slices for both him and Riley. Hanna took a cluster of grapes and a scoop of corn.

 

The next two stations were meats and side dishes. Francis got two helpings of grilled chicken. I took one as well. The nidoking got a simple small salad; lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, and dried cranberries. I opted for a scoop of mashed potatoes. Hanna took a helping of potatoes as well. We then moved on to the last two stations, which hosted a collection of premade sandwiches, a large pot of soup, and some baked goods. Hanna took a grilled cheese and a mini apple pie. Francis and I both took small blueberry tarts.

 

With our meals made, we then crossed the room back to the charizard. The nidoking easily held all four trays and brought them over. Riley stepped in to help dish them out when we arrived. We ate in relative silence. We made small talk about the matters going on and some tales of missions. We didn’t have much to offer up in the latter category, but the two of them had stories to spare. Being the lead team they had seen and done a lot. I was perfectly fine with letting them control the conversation, I was really just following the motions. I was drained and just wanted to get this day over with. I wanted Brooke to get better, and I wanted to be on our way towards the shard.

 

But I also knew we couldn’t be too hasty with our quest. I didn’t want us to jump headlong in without being properly prepared, and I knew we weren’t. Roland proved that he and his forces were powerful pokemon one shouldn’t take lightly. And that wasn’t even considering the enhancement, and mania, the shards gave them. Roland was powerful beyond belief and easily dispatched several pokemon with ease. I expected his minions would be just as powerful. And the Lodestone dungeon proved we also needed to get better. We needed to train. We needed to power up.

 

And that wasn’t even bringing up our limited supplies. We already lost a good chunk with what the guard confiscated. We lost even more helping the pokemon tortured by the braixen. We had no funds on hand either. We would need to find an Exchange and do some shopping before doing anything else. But that would also zero out our funds and leave us with nothing for the rest of our journey. There were seven other shards to get, and they were spread far and wide across Kino. We need to get some more money.

 

One positive was that we were now in an operating chapter of the Guild. It may not be the one we joined, but I figured we could do some jobs to make more funds to keep us going after we got this shard. Taking some time to do some smaller jobs, getting ourselves ready for our main quest, didn’t sound all that bad to me. But I also wanted to get Hanna and Brooke’s opinion on it to see if they felt the same. And with Brooke sequestered till she was no longer under the influence of the sylveon splooge that would have to wait till then. I didn’t expect either of them to say no to the plan, but I just wanted to make sure.

 

We finished dinner not that much later and Francis took the trays to return them. While the poison type was busy, Riley offered, “Let me show you to your room.”

 

We left the nidoking behind and followed the lizard back to the main room of the guildhall. We ascended the stairs once again, but this time to the third floor. A lot of pokemon were heading this way as they too retired for the night. We still got stares from those we passed and there were more hushed whispers. The ones I could make out innocently asked who we were and if we were a new team. I was a bit happy they weren’t any that went beyond that. I ignored the stares, but Hanna shied closer to my side.

 

Riley came to a stop at a random door and used his badge to unlock it. His crown was a brilliant sapphire blue. He turned to us with a smile and said, “This will be your room for your stay here. You won’t be able to lock and unlock it till you get your own badges.”

 

I nodded and gave him a quick thanks. He pointed down the walkway to the only open entryway, all the others were closed off by doors. He said, “The bathrooms are over there.”

 

He turned back and then asked, “Do you need anything else?”

 

A shared glance with Hanna proved we were good, and I said as much to the fire type. He gave us a nod in return and made to leave. He stopped midstride and quickly added, “I’m just down a floor if you ever need anything. Don’t hesitate to come find me.”

 

He waved us off and left us to our own devises. We returned the gesture. Hanna made for our room, but I didn’t. I said to Hanna, “I’m just gonna go to the bathroom real quick.”

 

She gave a silent nod and retired to our room. I made my way towards the bathroom, nature requesting I answer its call. I didn’t care for it being a communal bathroom. I much rather prefer the privacy of a solitary one. Beggers can’t be choosers.

 

Right at the entrance to the bathroom was a paper nailed to the wall with bright red text, ‘Please keep your water usage to a minimum’. I figured it was because of the ongoing blight affecting everything. We’ve been told repeatedly in passing the affects and seen some of the effected farms, but the true scope of the ongoing disaster had yet to be said or revealed. How bad is it truly?

 

I passed the sign and entered the pale blue room. The wood of the tree had been replaced with blue and white tiles with pale grey mortar between them. Every inch of the area was covered in them, leaving no hint of the tree exposed. Two partial walls, not running the full length of the room, split the space into three sections. The area in the middle was lined with cubbies and wooden benches.

 

Standing in the middle were two pokemon, a delcatty and a lucario. The two were engrossed in a conversation, and I gave them little attention. At least, that was until I spied something. Or the lack there of. The delcatty’s rear was turned towards me, giving me an unobstructed view of their backside. But there wasn’t anything. No slit, spade, balls, or sheath. It was just a flat field of cream colored fur. The lucario had a towel wrapped around their waist, so I couldn’t check them if I wanted to. This gave me pause, but I quickly adverted my gaze so they wouldn’t catch me staring.

 

Rather continue standing where I was and draw attention to myself, I quickly moved off to the left. But the fact I couldn’t see anything on the feline didn’t makes sense. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t see anything. I knew for a fact the block had been broken. I had seen Brooke and Hanna’s spades back in the Salty mystery dungeon. I hadn’t really focused on any other pokemon’s groins as I figured I somewhat adapted to the nude state of most pokemon. I had come to terms that I could see pokemon’s bits. I hadn’t willingly looked at anyone else since then out of disinterest as well as not wanting to creep on anyone. At least...I thought I did.

 

Now, I had no idea if the block was even still a thing. I thought it had been broken by the damn jolteon. I never double checked to see if that was the case for obvious reasons. But this delcatty had accidentally openly exposed themselves to me, yet I didn’t see a thing. A vague memory of Roland surfaced in my mind. Specifically that he lack any anatomy when he flashed himself at me back in the castle. I didn’t really thing about it at the time because of more pressing matters. But the memory resurfaced with a vengeance.

 

I rushed towards a shower stall, as that is what this side of the bathroom was dominated by. I needed some privacy and solitude, and the shower was the perfect place. I grabbed the curtain and drew myself shut in the tiled enclosure. I sat down as the memory of the mismatched maniac replayed in my head. Even if he had both male and female features, he was outwardly male. I was confident in that fact. So, I expected him to have the matching anatomy. As the fragmented memory played out in my head, I recalled there was nothing of the like. Nor was there anything to denote he was a she instead.

 

But that didn’t answer as to why I saw Brooke and Hanna and still no one else. The block would not work on pokemon I had an actual desire for. Which implied that I had feelings for the both of them. I now had such feelings for the eevee, but I didn’t have them back then. At least…I think so.

 

That was a can of worms I didn’t want to open, but the implications still did terrify me somewhat. Even though I loved her now, the fact the block knew me better than I did myself felt a bit wrong. Like I couldn’t trust myself. I was a bit relieved it was more or less water under the bridge after the events of today.

 

But then there was Hanna. I knew for a fact I didn’t have feelings for her, she was just a friend. And I didn’t want her to be more than that. And I only saw Brooke as a partner, my pokemon, back then. Unless I always loved her…

 

It still didn’t answer Hanna and the delcatty. Camille had to have broken the block. It was the only thing that made sense. Yet I had evidence to the contrary. I had proof that it was still functioning. I didn’t want to go out there and test it to be sure, I did not want to come off as a creep or a pervert. Yet I needed answers. I needed to know if the block was truly still in place and working as it should. And if it was, why I still saw Brooke and Hanna unblocked back then. Yet I knew I wasn’t going to get any answers sitting in a shower by myself. The only way would be to go back to my room and ask Hanna, but I did not want to do that. The idea of asking a friend to present themselves to me for science did not sit well in my stomach. I could ask Brooke…

 

We had professed our love for each other. But I didn’t want to ask her either. We had just told each other our feelings today. It still would feel weird to ask her to do such a thing. I didn’t want our relationship to jump immediately to something like that request might entail. That was for something well down the line when we wanted to take a step further. Nor did I want to try and sneak a peek to check. That feels even creepier.

 

I shook my head as I softly asked myself, “What the dis is wrong with you, Aster?”

 

I knew no one would answer me, but I just needed to voice the question. It was just too weird. Nothing made sense anymore. And I had no viable way to solve this without it being weird, awkward, creepy, or some combination of the three. The only other option I could think of was to ask Lily herself. She was the only one I trusted with digging in my mind to check if the block was still there and working properly. She was the only one I could go to. Yet she was miles away in the opposite direction of where we were headed. She was not an option either.

 

I resolved myself to not figuring out what was going on till I discussed it with someone I trusted, whether that was Brooke or Lily. I did not want to rope Hanna in on this whole situation. I let off a heavy sigh and hung my head. “What is wrong with me?”

 

Again, I didn’t expect an answer, I just wanted to voice it to the world that I was confused about my situation. The quirks of this pokemon body were still lost on me and I felt like I wouldn’t find out all the answers. At least, not for a long time. And not by myself.

 

I moved towards the curtain to exit the shower and get back to the main reason I came here. I didn’t see any toilets or such, so I figured they had to be on the other side of the bathroom. But my mind was still racing with questions on the state of the mental block. I figured it was gone, but with the possibility of it still being there had me concerned. It left far too many implications in the air.

 

I let off another sigh as I rounded the corner, passing by a white and blue rabbit with a long bushy striped tail wrapped around their waist like an innertube. Don’t dwell on it Aster. You’ll figure this out eventually.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! Any critique or feedback is welcome and I'd greatly appreciate it.