Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds
Chapter 11 — Soul Pressure
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Eira the Vulpix gasped, pain poking her within her very soul. She pawed her chest, then looked up.
Porygon-Z’s face peered over the counter, Togetic hovering nearby. “Vulpix?” came her worried voice.
The false vixen could almost feel Shaymin and Lucario’s hardened gazes on the back of her head. “It’s nothing,” she blurted.
Togetic kept staring, unable to wipe a frown off her face. Eventually she turned back to Porygon-Z to finish her altered recount of their trip to Mud Passage, claiming they never found Jumpluff and that Lucario sensed Aerodactyl on their way back with his aura. Vulpix inwardly sighed, again inspecting the nothingness within her.
It was an itch not too long ago. Now it stung, like a constant pinprick.
More than that, she could begin to discern what exactly she was feeling. More than just a sense of mere emptiness, it was like her soul was chafing against her body. Like it was rejecting it? What did Ariados do to me? she wondered.
At last Togetic pulled back, Porygon-Z acknowledging her words with a grave expression. He slid a bag of Poke over the counter, then jabbed keys with his beak as he typed up information to the computer-like device he operated. “Funny how we ended up completing that skeletal Abhorrent task after all,” Shaymin commented.
Togetic bit her lip, hesitantly throwing the Poke reward for said task into her Treasure Bag. The Dungeon Board was now aware of Aerodactyl’s identity, and they already told Tangela about Jumpluff. The chieftain half-panicked at the thought of the Abhorrent possibly hiding around Mudstream Village, but assurances that Lucario didn’t sense him around the perimeter got him to calm down.
That left one last person to relay their adventure to — and the only Pokemon they would tell the full truth to. “Do we really need to tell Gabite?” whispered Lucario as they moved away from the counter.
“It’s only fair he knows,” replied Togetic, before letting out a weary sigh. “Though I admit, I’m already dreading the thought. How am I going to explain today’s events to him?”
“Don’t?”
Heat coated Vulpix’s face as she processed what she just said, everyone giving her odd looks. She couldn’t help herself though — the scrutiny she’d face once Gabite learned she and Lucario stood up for Jumpluff made the nothingness within her shudder, and that was before Eevee was added into the equation. “Just, um, tell him about Aerodactyl?” she pleaded. “For now?”
Togetic looked between her and Lucario, the jackal arching a hopeful brow. “I see where you two are coming from,” she said. “But I’m afraid it won’t matter. Knowing Gabite, he’ll wriggle out the whole story, one way or another.”
She offered a reassuring smile. “But don’t worry. I’ll do my best to make him understand.”
It all sounded hollow to Vulpix, but for the sake of politeness, she returned the smile. Togetic and Shaymin left the “Task Management” wing, and she began to follow before peering over her shoulder. Porygon-Z was somehow floating upside-down, rubbing his head as he stared at the screen of his device.
Lucario picked up on her pause in movement, stooping over. “Gabite implied Porygon-Z’s a native,” he stated.
Vulpix had once asked in passing, and Lucario gave the same response then. The more she considered it though, the more glaring the contradiction became. The gem-powered devices in the Dungeon Board could be excused as emerging tech in Haven Archipelago, but a Porygon-Z? She didn’t get it.
“How?” she whispered, scrutinizing the oddball Pokemon. “Isn’t Porygon-Z man-made?”
“And how would a man-made Pokemon wash up here, long before us?”
That did stump her, admittedly. The circumstances of their own arrival were already unique, and a Pokemon like Porygon-Z couldn’t reach the archipelago without catching widespread attention. Wouldn’t Gabite or Kecleon have said something?
Perhaps there was something else to this conundrum. “But we could still ask,” said Vulpix.
Her guardian’s frown deepened at that. She looked to Lucario, noting the rigidness of his expression, the hollowness in his eyes, the endless worrying he’d been harboring since Jumpluff. The fears he held.
Irrational fears. A sigh left Vulpix’s maw.
“We should tell the others about Eevee,” she said.
She’d been cringing ahead of time, well before Lucario’s gaze sharpened. “Vulpix—” he hissed.
“They know,” she argued. Lucario was stressing himself out for little reason. What was the point of pretending otherwise? “We just look suspicious, trying to hide it.”
“I won’t take silly risks,” said Lucario, Vulpix unable to notice the uncanny resemblance to Eevee’s parting words. “Don’t put us into danger, Eira, there—”
A cough sent the pair spinning around. Shaymin floated behind them, arching an eye at their silent arguing.
“We, uh, have company,” she said.
They sure had company. Vulpix resisted the urge to break into a nervous sweat as she looked out to the main garden hall, where Gabite ambushed a stiff Togetic beside the fountain centerpiece. Kecleon of all Pokemon stood to the side, winking in their direction.
“I was looking for you lot,” Kecleon said as they approached, his cheery demeanor offset by the intensity in his eyes. “You told your team, huh? We’ve got Ariados-related matters to discuss.”
Shaymin and Togetic eyed Vulpix, while Lucario eyed Gabite. “Seems Kecleon’s got you covered with your matriarch problem,” said their team leader, before adopting a perplexed expression. “Seriously, Togetic? Is something the matter?”
The angelic clearly didn’t appreciate how one of her troubles decided to walk right into her. “Gabite?” she said. “You and me, outside. There’s things we need to discuss.”
Gabite pursed his lips, before suspicion strangled him. “The Abhorrent Mud Passage task?” he asked, Kecleon raising brows at this. “Blast it, Togetic, what happened?”
Togetic gave no response, patiently waiting. Gabite’s tail flicked from one end to the other, an eye straying toward Lucario, the jackal pressing his lips. Then that eye fell upon Vulpix, like a shining dagger itching to prod out her secrets, and the false vixen mustered all the willpower she could to not betray any body language.
Just wait until Togetic tells him, she mourned to herself.
Gabite huffed, a finblade swishing through the fountain and scattering water droplets as he headed back to the Dungeon Board’s entrance. At last Togetic unclenched her face, a more natural expression of worry taking over as her gaze snapped between Kecleon and Vulpix.
Shaymin nudged her. “Meet us at the dojo courtyard?” she said, putting on a grin. “I think I could get Vulpix to finish up with Extrasensory in the meanwhile.”
That grin moved toward Vulpix, who hummed in uncertainty. Working on Extrasensory? That sounded like a good way to take her mind off things. Still, the thought of going toward the dojo made her hesitant.
As did Lucario. “So long as she’s not there,” he said.
“Mismagius?” The way Kecleon dismissed the witch with a wave of his arm, he made her seem like nothing important. “Like I’ll let her pester you over lessons again. She’s probably not around anyway.”
Shaymin and Togetic faced each other in silent communication, the latter failing to wipe the frown off her face. She gave Lucario one last look, eyes shimmering with a shard of the scrutiny Gabite gave off, before flying off to catch up with the dragon-shark.
Hopefully she’d at least keep him from going ballistic. For now Kecleon was the bigger issue, or rather what he had to say about Ariados. The way he kept eyeing Lucario, Vulpix had a feeling he already knew what happened.
Shaymin rubbed her paws awkwardly once Togetic left. “I probably should apologize,” she said to Kecleon with a great deal of formality. “I know it’s been a while since our last session—”
“I’ll have none of that, young one. We’ll discuss lessons later.” Kecleon pointed a digit at Lucario. “Just not while I’m busy with him. He and Vulpix haven’t seen the dojo before, have they?”
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Lucario gawked.
Even from a good distance away, a square-shaped pagoda hovered over the other buildings like a jewel of Berrypark Town. The dojo? he thought. How have I never noticed that before?
The dojo consisted of layers of aged red apartments with roofs covered in silvery blue shingles and Psychic Gems adorning the corners, the stack growing narrower as it ascended all the way to a spiraling tip prodding the cloudy heavens. A courtyard sat on one side, fenced off by scaly walls similarly decorated with Psychic Gems and a moody gate. The double wooden doors to the pagoda were far more inviting, opened wide to let in cool winds and Pokemon alike.
One look at it was enough to entrance Vulpix. “It’s like a little piece of Johto,” she whispered.
Having no idea about Johtonian architecture, Lucario simply hummed at the remark. “Something tells me you like it,” Shaymin told Vulpix, whose vacant nod made Kecleon chuckle.
Lucario saw past the chameleon’s cheery mood, however. A flare of aura over his eyes and he was privy to his irritated inner thoughts, revolving around fresh memories of Ariados leisurely taunting him. She told him what happened, didn’t she?
You shouldn’t be reading private thoughts, his inner voice warned.
The jackal huffed at his slip-up, instead eyeing the dojo. Presences within the building revealed themselves, with the second floor showing a Hitmonchan gesturing in front of a Breloom, a Clefairy, and a third Pokemon he couldn’t identify. The first floor, meanwhile, had a Kirlia, a Meditite, and a Hypno sitting in cross-legged positions, as if meditating.
No Mismagius though. Good. He was not in the mood for that witch to pester him again. Not that I could force her to stop, he thought, before grounding his teeth. What did she want anyway?
There was something suspect about her. Her excuse that Kecleon dragging Vulpix and then him away made her interested in the both of them? Flimsy. And the way she looked at them, and the way she spoke? It’s almost as if—
A metallic whine broke him out of his thoughts. Without realizing it he was standing in front of the dojo courtyard, Kecleon pulling open its creaking gate to display the earthy fields it guarded. White lines formed a series of rectangles, serving as boundaries for sparring Pokemon, and a decorated side-door connected it to the dojo itself.
As it was, two figures were currently present, Lucario having a double-take as he beheld a small pink witch toss her bulbous ponytails to deflect a head-on tackle from a scrappy fish. “Yo, that’s Feebas!” exclaimed Shaymin, watching the Pokemon flip backward and shield her eyes as the witch flashed a retaliatory Dazzling Gleam. “Who’s that, though? Her Hattrem friend?”
How’d he miss those two during his aura inspection? Lucario checked the courtyard, making sure no one else was present, while Vulpix answered Shaymin. “You can’t tell?”
“Hey, nobody taught me much about Pokemon species back home — Togetic’s the geek on that topic. Don’t know what a bumpkin like me would do without her.” Shaymin fingered her petal scarf when Hattrem turned their way, Feebas freezing up as the witch stared with indifferent eyes. “Uh, Lucario? You didn’t leave on bad terms with her after the Weavile incident, right?”
Lucario’s nape prickled as he felt Kecleon’s gaze pierce it, the merchant shooting him questioning looks. Well kick me over while I’m already in a sour mood, he growled to himself. Hattrem was still mad? Why does every coincidence I run into end up being a bad thing?
Vulpix frowned, inching closer to him. “Maybe you should—”
“I know, kid, I know.” Lucario struggled to tear off the scowl on his lips as he strode forward. “Are we still having a dispute over this?”
Hattrem kept quiet, her arms loosely falling to her hips. The look in her dead eyes held the same power as the stalking gaze of a group of Cacturne, quietly trailing a dying animal in the desert.
Lucario couldn’t bear it, facing away and sighing. “Weavile threatening Vulpix clouded my mind, and I acted on emotion,” he said. “It wasn’t my intent to put Feebas in danger.”
Hattrem blinked. “All to save a piece of clothing,” she muttered.
“Hattrem, please.” Feebas hopped over, throwing a reproving look at her friend. “Can we stop the petty squabbling and move on? You’re letting the whole ‘me being maimed’ thing cloud your mind too.”
That aroused something in Hattrem, the Pokemon’s lips twitching. Feebas placed a fin on her shoulder, and at last she discarded her judging gaze and nodded.
Apology accepted. A grain of Lucario’s troubles fell off his back.
With the tension sucked out of the courtyard, a relieved Vulpix and Shaymin joined them. “Glad that’s over,” the latter said. “You mind us sharing the space? I’m gonna see if I can help Vulpix figure out Extrasensory.”
Hattrem laid a thoughtful eye on Vulpix, before stepping closer. “Not useful against Dark-types,” she noted, Feebas rolling her eyes behind her back. “But regardless, a solid move. Perhaps I could help?”
Vulpix stiffened at being directly addressed, but the kind request quickly turned her attitude around. She looked to Lucario, who gave her a shrug.
“I guess I don’t mind,” she told Hattrem with a little smile.
Just like that both girls and Shaymin were splitting off, Feebas dragging herself over a moment later. Kecleon came to Lucario’s right, who watched as Shaymin elaborated on Vulpix’s progress on Extrasensory while Vulpix herself offered a little quiet input. There was a comfort to seeing the kid handling herself around Feebas and Hattrem, a showcase of her really beginning to blend in with other Pokemon.
Kecleon harrumphed, a few of his scales tinged red, and Lucario rubbed the spike on his chest as he faced the glowering Pokemon. If only it was still that simple.
“Do you not know how to stay out of trouble?” Kecleon began.
Lucario kept quiet.
“I was not amused to have Ariados herself gloat to me about getting you and Vulpix under her grasp.” The merchant shook his head, the rage draining out of him. “Stupid me — I should’ve seen this coming. After she found you in the market, all she had to do was ask around town about the Lucario newcomer. I should’ve told you to leave right there and then.”
“She teleported to us before I could sense her,” said Lucario.
Kecleon’s face literally blackened. “Modified Warp Scarf.”
“She wanted to make a deal.”
“I know.” The merchant snorted. “And apparently it’s not the only incident you had.”
Lucario was all too willing to spill it all, explaining his mishaps with Weavile, then the Abhorrent Jumpluff and Eevee. “It’s been a mess,” he finished, watching from the corner of his eye as Vulpix released a tiny Extrasensory that fizzled out before it could move even a considerable distance, Hattrem saying something inaudible in response. “Worst of all, Ariados left some void spell on the kid that gets worse with time.”
Impassiveness left Kecleon’s face as rigid as stone. “Wonderful. How bad?”
Lucario checked Vulpix’s aura, feeling the needle-like pain quietly poking her from within. “Like an ache that doesn’t go away.”
An ache he didn’t know the cure to. If he wanted to protect her, he had to get Ariados to lift whatever she did. He had to play by her rules.
And Eevee wouldn’t likely accept that.
Lucario’s palms balled themselves into fists. “I can’t satisfy both Ariados and Eevee,” he said. “What am I supposed to do? Darn it, Eevee knew Togetic and Shaymin recognized the existence of good Abhorrents and he still fled! How am I supposed to work with such a stubborn—”
His feelers twitched without warning, and silence overtook Lucario, followed by exasperation. He placed a palm against his snout, waiting for a few seconds, before cocking his head to the left.
And like magic, Mismagius was there, wisps fading from the ground beneath her as if she’d just risen out of it. Why do I even hope? thought Lucario.
Her attention was entirely devoted to Vulpix’s training under Shaymin and Hattrem. At first Lucario thought they were too engrossed to notice her arrival, but then Feebas gave a passing glance their way. Her gaze fell upon him and Kecleon, but not once upon the witch, as if she was invisible to her.
Because of course, hallucinations. “Can I help you?” hissed Lucario.
Unlike Feebas, Kecleon could see Mismagius just fine, his eyes sharpening. “I didn’t expect you here,” said the witch, her pupils never shifting. They stayed glued to Vulpix, and Vulpix alone. “Isn’t it beautiful? Your girl has such a passion for fiiiiiguring out a specific move, a will to refine her soul into something greater. A shame she won’t get to benefit from the tutelage of a master, isn’t it?”
Whether she meant to tick him off or was simply stating her thoughts, Lucario couldn’t tell, and he didn’t care. “I’m not in the mood,” he said.
“We were in the middle of a private conversation,” Kecleon dryly added. “Perhaps you could go elsewhere?”
Mismagius gave a worthless nod as she stayed in place. Gleaming curiosity poured from her eyes as she lazily watched Vulpix conjure her Extrasensory attacks, pulling a cloth-appendage over her too-wide smile. Lucario couldn’t stand it.
There was no way this Pokemon just decided a random kid was of interest to her. The more Lucario thought of it, the more his heart palpitated, as if wanting to assume he was overthinking things. As if it feared the weight of one more burden being added to his pile of woes.
But he couldn’t take this either. “Stop playing with me,” declared Lucario, stepping in front of her. Something within him recoiled when Mismagius’s eyes didn’t flicker, like she still saw Vulpix through him. “I want answers. How?”
For the first time Mismagius actually gave him her attention. “Hm?” she said, tilting her head.
The jackal took a deep breath. “You know.”
Kecleon stiffened in the background, uneasy at the accusation. For a good while Mismagius stared in obliviousness, much to Lucario’s frustration, before her lips twisted in on themselves.
“Why yes, the girl’s unwell,” she noted. “Under the effects of a soul-deep backlash that is worsening. I can’t say I fully understand the cause behind it, but her resistance does speak about what an exceptional creature the girl is.”
Lucario’s eyes narrowed, the world silent to his ears. Creature.
“I’ve never seen a soul like hers,” Mismagius continued. “I’ve seen a vast number of Pokemon, but hers feels fundamentally different. Special.”
If he checked Vulpix’s aura right now, he’d be able to see its intricately unique pattern. One acknowledging her Pokemon appearance, yet stayed human deep at its core.
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Never seen a soul like hers.
“She’s too inexperienced to create such a perfect facade, it’s fascinating. It cannot be healthy for her to keep maintaining it for very long either. Has she not known to take breaks?”
Facade. It was all Lucario needed to piece things together. Mismagius never had to eavesdrop on him all along. “Ever since Ariados spread her rumors, you’ve known,” he stated.
Because she could see for herself.
Kecleon’s eyes went wide as he understood too, while Vulpix and the others remained unaware of the terrible revelation unfolding only a distance away. Mismagius drifted a small distance back, her shadow fluttering along like a wraith.
“So it comes to this.” Mismagius rested a cloth-arm against her cheek before letting out a drawn-out sigh. “And I don’t know where to begin. By what circumstance was Haven Archipelago cursed with the pleasure of a human wandering our lands? Was her kind always around after all? Did the fallout of the spacetime distortions several years ago strand her here?”
Lucario’s fur oddly prickled at the mention of ‘spacetime distortions’, searching Kecleon’s scrunched-up face for an explanation. Some event in Haven Archipelago? And yet, why did it leave him with a lingering, once-forgotten sense of fear?
For a moment, he found himself distressed, terrible things tickling the back of his head. Sinnoh was known for its legends on spacetime distortions, but this, it felt like—
“But I sense she is new here,” finished Mismagius. “Brought past the towers by some mishap, with only her meager magic to disguise her. A shame if she’s the one meant to harm us.”
And like that, Lucario freed himself of the unwanted thoughts, turning back to the real matter at hand. “Are you kidding me?” he hissed. “She’s not a threat! And she has no powers — none of the humans do!”
Something sly twinkled in the witch’s eyes. “You imply you too came from their lands? I’m afraid you speak of falsehood. Humans were known for their wizardry.”
The sheer idiocy of such a statement rankled Lucario. “I dealt with the girl,” Kecleon spat as he joined the war of words. “Completely harmless. She’s only able to take a Pokemon form because of a wristband she got on this island!”
“So you say.” Mismagius shut her eyes. “But that changes little. What you don’t understand is that the girl’s arrival marks an ill omen.”
Any biting response Lucario had prepared withered at those last two words. Ill omen. The same words Ariados used to refer to Eira the Vulpix.
Mismagius gave a somber chuckle, seeing she had his and Kecleon’s attention. “The human-warding towers could only protect us for so long. You see, there is a prophecy too few of us remember. One stating the return of a human, and how it will inadvertently bring ruin to Haven Archipelago.”
Lucario’s jaw refused to shut, disbelief blocking out her words. A prophecy? Just how much insanity was this archipelago stockpiled on?
This had to be the pinnacle of ignorance. “You’re telling me,” he said, “that some little girl who just wants to get off these islands is going to be the harbinger of their destruction?”
Mismagius barely could get a word in before the jackal cut her off. “It’s always something!” he ranted. “From the moment I’ve gotten here, someone had to cause trouble, or mess up things, or put me and Vulpix in a bind! No matter how much I try to protect the kid, there’s either lunatics who catch wind of her existence, or—”
His lips froze, literally. Lucario found them welded together, Mismagius staring intently with pink Psychic energy flowing out of her eyes.
“You’re exhausted, aren’t you?” she said, tsking to herself. “I should have waited until you were better prepared. We’ll discuss this later.”
She broke off her Psychic hold and melted into the ground. Kecleon silently came beside Lucario, who stared on, his mind a deranged mess.
A prophecy. It was ridiculous, the very idea of it. Even more so than the thought of humans having magic. How foolish could that Mismagius be?
He should’ve taken the time to closely inspect her thoughts during the conversation. What was her agenda? Did she want Eira gone too? But if that were so, she would’ve done it in advance. What then—
Lucario winced as Kecleon yanked his snout, pulling him to eye level. “Now call me selfish,” he said, “but I’m linked to your human mess too. I can’t exactly afford to let you fall.”
His narrowed eyes stared into his own. “So get a grip, you dunderhead. Speak with Ariados. Make Eevee see reason. Deal with Mismagius tomorrow. Stop worrying about things out of your control and start working on solving them, or your kid will be a goner for sure.”
Lucario slowly nodded. “Good lad,” said Kecleon, eyeing the spot where Mismagius vanished. “I’ll go find that witch, maybe butter her up for you. Loaded junk she left us with — there’s questions I’ve got that I won’t wait to leave unanswered.”
He went through the courtyard entrance dojo, likely anticipating she was inside. Lucario turned his gaze up to the sky, grayed out by the clouds above.
A representation of his mood. There was one thing Mismagius got right — he was exhausted.
And Kecleon’s right too. Things will get worse if I keep wallowing over my problems, he thought, composing himself. I need to regain control.
Better make like a Maushold and Tidy Up this mess.
A half-decent Extrasensory sailed across the courtyard, Lucario watching it crash into the wall. Or rather, against a protective barrier that rippled into existence a split-second beforehand, the Psychic Gems on the wall’s pillars lighting up in tandem as it absorbed the blast. Vulpix lit up at her process, Shaymin and Feebas cheering behind her, and the jackal felt a tug at the corners of his lips.
It fell a little when he noticed the side-looks Hattrem threw at him. Her ponytail hand caressed her forehead — like the others, she never saw Mismagius, but she must’ve sensed the stress she gave him and Kecleon.
Maybe he’d wait to tell Vulpix what happened, let her have her moment of happiness for now. Come to think of it, was there something he was forgetting?
Not the spacetime distortions, he mused, although something about that bothers me way too much, darn it, and I should’ve asked Kecleon for information. Not that nonsense about magic and prophecies either. What else did Mismagius say about Eira? Something about her soul?
The courtyard gates screeched open, Gabite wandering inside with Togetic following him. A haggard look aged his face, and the weary look in his eyes only added to the effect.
Lucario’s chest, already tight from Mismagius, found more ways to constrict into itself as Gabite closed the distance between them. Never mind.
For a good few moments Gabite glanced at Vulpix, something indescribable in his expression, before putting on a dull scowl. “Good Abhorrents, huh?” he said.
Lucario matched the scowl with his own worn-out look. “They exist.”
“Apparently.” Gabite shook himself, surprised to find himself uttering such a thing. “There’s a part of me that still rejects the thought of it. The wild part of me. If I didn’t trust you and Togetic and your abilities, I’d say you were all gullible idiots.”
Considering his hoarse voice, it seemed like he was convinced only after a lengthy and heated argument. Lucario’s respect for Togetic rose a couple notches.
“But this is clearly an exceptional case,” Gabite stated, his scowl deepening into something malicious. “Much unlike this Aerodactyl character. Cursed fiend, searching dungeons — something tells me he’s out to tamper with one using his weird metal feather.
“Funny thing too, how he made waves at Mudstream Village, and then a mutant Eevee goes snooping there as well.” Gabite leered at Lucario. “And he sends you a mental message, thanking you for clearing the Jumpluff’s name. Strange, isn’t it?"
Lucario’s respect for Togetic fell a couple notches. The angelic looked away as he shot her an offended look for mentioning unnecessary details, before facing Gabite again.
How would he get this sharp-eyed Pokemon off his back?
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Vulpix exhaled as her latest Extrasensory rushed forth, loudly popping against the barrier that materialized over the courtyard wall. She rubbed her forehead, beginning to ache from expelling so many attacks, but she couldn’t throw off the smile that plastered her face.
“You should stop,” said Hattrem. “Any more and you’ll be pushing yourself.”
The vixen winced as she caught the witch Pokemon massaging her own forehead. “Oh,” she blurted, “I-I didn’t—”
“Not you.” Hattrem pointed, and Vulpix turned to discover Gabite and Togetic had arrived, the former having a lifeless staredown with Lucario while the latter awkwardly floated there. “Your guardian’s been stres*ed since he got here. He’s better now, but the others don’t help.”
Feebas eyed Shaymin, the airborne Pokemon scratching an ear. “It’s been a day,” she said.
Vulpix curled her lips as she eyed Gabite, then Lucario. Well, at least she wasn’t causing Hattrem’s slight headache — with how happy she’d been as she got the hang of Extrasensory, she almost worried it would ruin her concentration.
Which brought her a small pang of disappointment. Hattrem didn’t know Extrasensory herself, but her Psychic-type guidance helped her shape the attack. Once she had the energy, all it took was to swirl it around until it was tightly wound into a concentrated mass, then launch it out. Getting consistent didn’t take long.
The problem? Fire too quickly and she’d end up with a pathetic, misty short-range attack, without any of the explosive force. For that, she needed to make sure the attack was properly compressed and stable, during which she needed to keep her focus the whole time.
Which was hard, especially if her emotions got in the way. And charging the attack hurts, Vulpix commented, squeezing her forehead. Is it even practical in a real battle?
“Yo, Vulpix,” said Shaymin, and Vulpix whipped around to see her disapproving smirk. “You still beating yourself over not being perfect with Extrasensory? C’mon, I’ve got moves that took months before they were second-nature to me. I’m sure Hattrem and Feebas can relate a little.”
Feebas coughed.
“I’m sure Hattrem can relate a little,” Shaymin corrected, her flushed face making Hattrem’s lips curl.
Vulpix’s thoughts were elsewhere, however, the idea of moves taking so long to control leaving her startled. “Months?” she asked, brows furrowing as she remembered something. “Like, uh, Seed Flare?”
Shaymin’s face clouded up like the sky above, coated in layers of gray. “My kind’s sign*t*ure attack,” she said. “Kecleon’s done me a solid in the short time I’ve been here, opening my eyes to new moves and better ways to use old ones, but I’ve gotten nowhere with this one.”
“But you’ll get there soon,” said Togetic as she came over, greeting Feebas and Hattrem in turn, before smiling at Vulpix. “I see you’ve been getting some help, sweetie.”
“She was a sharp student,” Hattrem said. “I hope my assistance was of use.”
It was Vulpix’s turn to flush as she nodded toward her, while Feebas and Shaymin gave their own smiles. All this friendliness, this kindness from Pokemon who barely knew her, it kept overwhelming her. It’d been years since she experienced these feelings.
Ever since Father vanished from Alola, she never really bonded with anyone. Just Mother.
As if resonating with her thoughts, the inner pain of wrongness within her pinched. Vulpix’s fur shivered at its touch, and worry cascaded over the others’ faces. Especially Togetic’s, whose eyes gleamed pink with her purity sense.
She sucked in a mouthful of breath. “I’m going to speak with Vulpix in private,” she told Shaymin. “Maybe you should meet up with Gabite. Hattrem, Feebas, if you don’t mind?”
Hattrem and Feebas backed away after a moment of hesitation, while Shaymin took two such moments before flying off, but not before throwing a look at Togetic. The angelic descended next to Vulpix, the vixen learning the rather unimportant fact that when grounded, she was only slightly taller than her.
“You’re hurting.” Togetic’s glowing eyes narrowed. “Is everything okay, Vulpix?”
She can sense it? Eira the Vulpix found herself tongue-tied, the space around her appearing to melt away. Her paws scraped against the ground.
“It’s like something’s wrong at the c*** of your soul. I’m not sure why my purity sense can see that, but it’s there.” Togetic placed her hands on her chest, like she was willing to offer her heart to replace the damage. “Maybe there’s something you need to tell me?”
Fear kept her silent, Vulpix averting her gaze to the earth. “Oh, there’s too many things on my mind right now,” complained Togetic. “That encounter with Jumpluff earlier, or that Eevee — why was he there? What was he after? Or what about Aerodactyl? Just knowing that Abhorrent’s running am*k and we don’t know his plans—”
She shook herself. “But never mind. Look, there’s a lot of weirdness going on with you and Lucario, and it’s only adding to my worries. If there is something bothering you, and I can see there is, you can always tell me. I promise I won’t judge.”
Won’t judge. Vulpix trembled, looking back up at Togetic.
“And I mean that.” The angelic seemed to be rambling, eyes glossy. “Be it Ariados, Abhorrents, anything else — I know better than to think evil of a soul as pure as yours. There’s clearly a lot of issues you’re keeping secret, but if you need anything, I’ll hear you out. I won’t want you to be alone with your problems, okay?”
My problems, thought Vulpix. I- I-
Her words struck a nerve. Vulpix couldn’t help but notice her inflection when she spoke of Eevee and Abhorrents too. From the beginning, she knew there was some relationship between the mutant Pokemon and her and Lucario.
And yet she wanted her to explain for herself, instead of leaping to conclusions. She was ready to assume the best in her. Why?
Lucario had visibly relaxed when Shaymin joined him and Gabite, striking up a quiet conversation. Like Hattrem said, he was under stress — Ariados alone was enough of a burden for the both of them.
Sharing something so intertwined with her human situation was beyond unwise. Pretending Eevee had nothing to do with them, on the other hand, wasn’t doing her or Lucario any favors. Gabite likely knew by now too, and feigning ignorance only made them look worse.
Eira the Vulpix hated the thought of going rogue on Lucario and Eevee. Acting behind their backs, it was slimy. And yet—
“You’re a friend to me, Vulpix.” Togetic closed her eyes. “Please remember that.”
Friend.
Trust was dangerous. Saying too much would cost her. Still, Togetic’s words wore down Vulpix’s meager defenses, like water poking holes through a collapsing dam.
“I’m being pushy, aren’t I?” Togetic’s eyes flicked open, seeing Vulpix’s inner discord. “I’m so sorry, this is far too rude of me. I’ll give you some space—”
“Eevee saved me from Aerodactyl,” Vulpix blurted, tails over her face. “The night before you met us. He’s been helping us since.”
Togetic stepped back, thrown completely off-guard by her whimpery voice and the confession it brought. She turned around, finding only Feebas and Hattrem facing their direction, the latter wearing an inquisitive look as she touched her forehead. Togetic then eyed Lucario, and Vulpix buried her face further, ashamed of her crime.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” she whispered.
Togetic shook herself. “I shouldn’t have made you say that.”
She drew closer, resting a nub on her shoulder. “Easy now,” she comforted her. “I told you, I won’t judge. Should I keep this a secret for now?”
Vulpix dared to glance at Lucario, giving a weak nod. “I see. It’s not what I expected to learn, but thank you,” said Togetic. “I understand this isn’t something you’re sharing lightly. If you ever have more to say, I’ll be waiting.”
The tenderness in her voice batted away some of Vulpix’s guilt. Togetic didn’t question why she never said she knew about Aerodactyl all along. She wasn’t looking at her like she held alliances with demonic mutants.
She was being genuine. How much more could she tell her?
No, nothing else, not now. This was low-risk info — other matters were far more sensitive. Still, Vulpix wondered, maybe I can put some trust in Togetic.
Hattrem and Feebas were still staring, but a shake of her head to indicate nothing was wrong got them to turn their attention away. Instead they moved toward Gabite’s group, and after a moment, Togetic and Vulpix joined them, the latter keeping her distance from Gabite.
“If you’ll forgive my ruden*ss,” Hattrem cut in, and the dragon-shark paused his conversation with Shaymin to raise a brow. “But you all continue to flood me with strong emotions. What may be the cause?”
The group gave each other uncomfortable looks, before Gabite harrumphed. “You heard about an Abhorrent in the local area? We have a lead on him.”
“An odd one at that,” said Togetic. “He’s a skeletal Aerodactyl with a metallic feather on him, visiting the nearby dungeons.”
“And we’re trying to figure out the significance of that,” said Shaymin. “But we’ve got nothing. What’s a metal feather supposed to mean?”
Gabite threw a probing look at Lucario, who shrugged with honest confusion. Togetic glanced at Vulpix, and the vixen flicked her tails in wonder, taking in the serenity of the dojo and its tall pagoda-like structure.
Eevee knew the meaning behind the metal feather. Would he catch Aerodactyl in time? She hoped so — that way Eevee could get the information he wanted, and it would be one less monster causing horrible things in the archipelago.
Hattrem and Feebas took in everything the others said, both lost in thought. “Don’t think we’re much help there,” said Feebas. “Must be quite a week, huh? Facing those thieves yesterday with some of you guys was already exciting enough, never mind the whole Lugia affair. A Legendary stirring that storm several days ago, the pillar at Rocky Shores — it’s all kinda wild.”
Vulpix’s brows knitted themselves. She squinted her eyes at the dojo, noting its familiar style — a little like the Bell Tower in Johto, or the Burned Tower before it had been destroyed long ago. She raised her head, letting it ascend the tiers of the dojo building and up to the spiraling point on top, before reaching the clouds huddled above. Gray and darkening still, seeking to consume the sky in a false night.
The perfect backdrop for thundering realization to smite her soul. Vulpix staggered back, choking out, horror grasping at her throat and grief bubbling in her veins.
“No,” she whispered.
Everyone faced her. “Vulpix?” cried Shaymin, before seeing her transfixed gaze. She followed it to the sky, and found herself hexed by the same binding force, unable to turn away from the warning of the clouds. “Aw, crud.”
“What?” Lucario stirred, dread widening his eyes. “Vulpix, what’s wrong? What is—”
“I’m a dunce, that’s what!” said Shaymin, slamming her paw down as if to smash the air itself. “How didn’t I see this right away? Jumpluff wasn’t talking about a metal object shaped like a feather!”
She exhaled. “Aerodactyl has a Silver Wing. One of Lugia’s feathers.”
The calamity of those words left everyone stock-still. Togetic and Feebas seemed out of it, and Gabite even more so, his eyes bugging out. Alarm stained Hattrem’s otherwise blank face.
Vulpix herself might’ve been drowning for all she knew. Rain and thunder stormed her mind, accompanied by the explosive scream of blustering winds and of dying humans. Lugia was one of the Pokemon present when the shipwreck happened.
The other was Aerodactyl.
This all happened because of him.
----------------------------------------
This all happened because of him.
Silent rage consumed Lucario, his seething sense of justice making his muscles tremble. Adam’s face tore itself to shreds before him, as did those of his Pokemon teammates, clawed apart by a bony monstrosity. Countless other souls suffered the same fate, and only the utter shock of Shaymin’s words held back his fury at such unbridled slaughter.
It explained Aerodactyl’s crippled state when he first met him. Aerodactyl fought Lugia. He helped sink the ship.
He and Eira the Vulpix got stranded here because of him?
Lucario never had to worry about losing it — Gabite did that first, primal fear bursting out of him. His face warped into something ghoulish, a deranged roar squirming out of his throat. “Cursed blight!” he yelled. “That monstrous, malicious, malevolent—”
And then, as if spellstruck, an eerie calm settled over him. “The pillar?” Gabite asked Shaymin.
“He’s gotta be after it,” replied the Mythical.
“To summon Lugia?”
“Or something worse. He probably fought the Legendary and lost, and now he’s trying to lure him or her back.”
“And for all we know, it’s working.” Grim determination seeped into his terrified scowl. “We need to stop him.”
Everyone stirred as if they’d been resurrected to undeath. In those words, Lucario sensed the mother of nightmare scenarios.
“We?” he said, letting out a dramatic scoff. “Oh no, Gabite, Vulpix and I didn’t sign up to hunt an Abhorrent that fights Legendaries! Do we look insane to you?”
Vulpix had her tails standing on end, shaking her head in agreement. “You can’t even handle Abhorrents!” cried Togetic, placing herself between her and Gabite. “How are we equipped to deal with this?”
“We’re not.” Gabite’s veins were popping out of his skull. “No explorer in this town is.”
He gripped his Treasure Bag tight to his chest. “Shaymin, inform Porygon-Z. Find backup if you can, then meet us on the way to Rocky Shores.”
“No, we’re not heading to Rocky Shores!” Lucario jabbed a digit at Gabite’s chest in a challenge, refusing to be sabotaged again. “This whole thing is lunacy! I am most certainly not putting my kid in that kind of danger!”
“The entire freaking island is in danger, Lucario!” said Gabite, shoving his digit away. “Do you not realize what it means if Aerodactyl gets his claws on a Legendary? Yes, Vulpix’s better off staying out of this, but I need you!”
He fired a frown at Feebas and Hattrem, shooing them off. Feebas pursed her lips as if to protest, but Hattrem covered her mouth, reminding her this was well out of their league. They distanced themselves, leaving the team of explorers to continue their discussion privately.
“He’s right.” Shaymin moved in, pale-faced. “Some of the worst schemes caused by Pokemon involve messing with the Legendaries. If Lugia gets turned into a mindless mutant—”
Vulpix gulped, edging herself toward the jackal. “N-nowhere would be safe,” she whispered to him.
Lucario could imagine the damage. A stormbringer gone mad, laying waste to the lands, stirring natural disasters on mere whims. If the shipwreck was a tragedy, this would be many more, his sense of justice unable to accept such a massacre—
No, no, this wasn’t his problem! “Don’t guilt-trip me into thinking I’ll make a difference!” said Lucario. “I’m through with being mixed up into these fiascos!”
Gabite’s stare sharpened. “This isn’t just about Vulpix, is it?”
Lucario’s arms unconsciously moved into a defensive position.
Seeing he made his mark, the dragon-shark pushed on. “And I thought better of you,” he said. “I just said Vulpix could stay back. Can’t you realize she’s in just as much danger if Aerodactyl succeeds, huh? Or what’ll become of him?”
Lucario’s face scrunched up. Eevee.
Gabite was baiting him.
Eevee knew the secret behind the feather. He was likely at Rocky Shores right now. Aerodactyl’s gonna maul him or worse, his sense of justice warned him.
He’s got eight other siblings, he assured himself. Ariados and Mismagius know about Eira, and I’m not letting Gabite get any closer to figuring it out too! Eevee can take him.
And if he can’t?
This was it, the internal dilemma to end all dilemmas. Pride and justice accused Lucario of cowardice, urging him to do his sworn duty and stop this menace, and vengeance chastised him for not already getting a move on. Aerodactyl was the abomination behind this, behind everything that led to this point!
But if he went there, his connection with both Aerodactyl and Eevee would be exposed, bringing him under heightened suspicion. Or something worse could happen. Can’t let things get worse, he told himself, can’t give the others another foothold, can’t let them chip away at our secrets and find out—
And then he noticed the look on Vulpix’s face. The way she bit her lip at Gabite’s words, how she and Togetic looked at each other for the briefest of seconds. He’d seen them talking in private earlier, out of the corner of his eye.
Vulpix seemed distressed then. “What? What did you do?” he questioned her and Togetic, and Gabite turned too, quick to scrutinize them.
Their stiff faces told him everything. Seriously? Vulpix told Togetic about Eevee? How could she do—
Oh, I’m not bothering with this anymore.
Lucario’s resistance collapsed as he let his instincts roll over, aura branding his paw. “Have it your way, Gabite,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get even with that Eevee for saving my kid’s neck from that Aerodactyl fiend.”
As bewilderment covered the others’ faces, Togetic stunned for her own reasons, Lucario turned upon a shame-faced Vulpix. “There, happy?” he said. “Go stay with Kecleon, or Hattrem and Feebas if you don’t find—”
A pause. Lucario craned his head toward the dojo, his encounter with Mismagius fresh in his mind. Chances are she’s not there, but—
His feelers tensed on cue, Lucario’s lips curving into a dour look as he felt a different, yet just as unwelcome presence. Oh, you too.
He couldn’t separate himself from her. “Change of plans, you’re coming,” he said.
Vulpix’s fur somehow managed to turn whiter than it already was as she scrambled back and mouthed formless words, the others giving similarly explosive responses. “E-excuse us?” yelled Shaymin.
“No, not Vulpix!” cried Togetic.
“Why would you—” snarled Gabite.
“I can’t leave her out of my sight!” Lucario said, scowling at his own idiotic weakness. “If she’s going to be in danger, she’ll be in danger in a place where I can protect her.”
Togetic and Shaymin sputtered, only for Gabite to slam his tail with an aggressive thud. “Fine, bring her, but we’re wasting time,” he said. “And I’m not letting this vile bone monster tear down Grassbranch Island with a Legendary. Togetic, Shaymin, act like we’ve got an escort. Vulpix—”
The vixen shuddered as she made herself turn toward him.
A softness appeared in Gabite’s face. “I messed up with Weavile — not again. Just follow my directions, and we’ll come out of this safe and sound.”
Lucario used that moment to soothe Vulpix’s emotions with aura. She blinked, quivering and questioning his decision, before finding her self-control. She stood nervous yet prim, ready as could be.
Togetic clutched her stomach. “We’re really doing this,” she said, turning toward Shaymin.
She patted her on the shoulder. “You know why I left my clan,” she muttered, before darting to the Explorer Board.
Her action sent the rest of them in motion, Lucario, Vulpix, and Togetic following Gabite as he hurried out of the courtyard gate. The jackal threw a glare toward the main dojo entrance as they did so.
Ariados gawked back, an eye arched as she watched them turn their backs on her and leave. Lucario heard Vulpix suck in a mouthful of air, partially realizing what spurred him to his decision.
Togetic didn't notice Ariados, too self-absorbed in the darkening sky as she was. But Gabite did, slowing until he was beside Lucario. "You have too much to explain," he said.
“I keep things from you for a reason,” Lucario warned.
The dragon-shark glanced at Vulpix, before facing the road ahead.
“I know.”