Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds
Chapter 15 — Bonds Altered
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Lucario panted, aura eyes constantly darting everywhere. Out of Stringed Forest’s gloomy shade he went, Eira the Vulpix behind him and Eevee and his ghostly siblings in front. Mew and Aerodactyl were nowhere around, having likely Teleported away.
Eevee led them south through the rocky plain fields, passing by a small grove that held one of the entrances to the Tallgrass Meadow dungeon. Their haste belied their fatigue, accumulated throughout the day. If I have to fight again, it’ll be too soon, Lucario muttered.
Even now Mew’s appearance left him stunned, as it had the Stringed Forest villagers, who strangely let them go. A mere grace period, he growled to himself. Once they overcome their shock, they’ll return to their stupid paranoia, and Ariados will hunt us again.
His sense of justice boiled with displeasure. Letting Aerodactyl mutate her was too far, fine, but he should’ve made her pay in blood, until she learned never to approach Eira again. A due recompense for the suffering the filthy spider gave them. He just saved his human from murder yet again, for crying out loud!
Never again, He told himself. No more risks. Have to keep her safe, even if it kills me.
Have to keep her safe.
The thought became a mantra as Lucario redoubled his vigilance. In the cover of the night, he and the others kept creeping through the plains, watching for unfriendly lurkers or human-hunting explorers.
Trees swarmed them soon enough, the terrain growing rugged and hilly. A dense forest shrouded them in soothing comfort, the cries of unaware Hoothoot chirping in ambience. “I’ve got a hideout nearby,” Eevee stated. “We’ll rest a short while there.”
Rest. What a sorely needed comfort. “You certainly look like you could use it,” said Lucario.
Vulpix raised her head, as if stumbling out of a bad dream, and Eevee and his siblings turned with haggard faces. “I’m running on a Tiny Reviver Seed,” said Eevee. “I ate it before saving you from Team Heavendust, and it gave me a second wind after Ariados knocked me unconscious, which is how I caught up to you guys so fast. It won’t keep me afloat for long, though.”
A scowl. “Espeon didn’t notice Mew in Stringed Forest with us. Had he chosen to fight, or had Aerodactyl been in better shape—”
Lucario clenched his teeth, refusing to think of it. “I tried reading Mew’s thoughts,” he informed Eevee.
“Oh? And?”
It was at the same time he formed his Aura Sphere. Lucario had hoped for a better insight into who this Primal Gear person was, but instead? “I was blocked,” Lucario said. “It was like the threads of his aura were folded in on themselves. Couldn’t sense even an emotion.”
Except one. Mew had sensed his failed intrusion, and found it funny. Rude to invade one’s privacy, isn’t it? he had teased, before making his own Aura Sphere twice as quickly.
Mismagius could create hallucinations to throw Lucario off, but never had someone’s aura been entirely untouchable. Then again, wasn’t Mew a Mythical? His cordial attitude was much more baffling in comparison, leaving Lucario all the more confused about the Abhorrent menace. “I don’t get him,” he said. “What made you think he made the mutagens, Eevee?”
If Eevee was upset that Mew’s thoughts were unreadable, he didn’t show it. “He makes the Z-Crystals,” he corrected, glancing at Vulpix. “You noticed, didn’t you? Mew is part Necrozma.”
Vulpix gave a dreadful hum. “They’re from another world,” she whispered. “They eat and control light itself, which can be shaped into the crystals.”
The fur on Lucario’s back stood on end. Yep, definitely a good thing that Mew didn’t fight them.
“Point being, he makes the Z-Crystals holding the mutagen, not the mutagen itself — or so he himself said. There’s corrupted Mega Stones too, but no clue who makes that.” Eevee stared at his siblings with a tight grimace. “Dunno what to think about Mew either. He’s courteous, like the Lycanroc who—”
He paused as Jolteon and Umbreon gave him odd looks, and Vaporeon a cautious one, much to Lucario’s curiosity. “Story for another time,” said Eevee, flicking his tail in a direction. “Hideout’s over there.”
So it was. They stopped at a large, rocky hillside with thick bushes adorning its base, Eevee moving aside shrubbery to reveal the opening to a burrow. Tonight’s sanctuary.
The entrance was a little tight, but the inside was blissfully spacious, the ceiling well above Lucario’s head as he crawled in and stood. Vulpix scooted in after, Eevee covering the entryway back up before joining them. A Will-O-Wisp flew out from Flareon’s misty body, its faint light letting Eevee find and activate an Electric Gem-powered lamp lying to one side.
The resulting illumination revealed a small collection of items stored in the burrow — berries, seeds, orbs, and whatnot. “My humble stockpile,” said Eevee, flicking Oran Berries at the pair. “Eat.”
They did. All of them took their berries, Lucario slumping against the wall as the rejuvenation effect kicked in. Vulpix heaved, caressing her chest, and Eevee laid down and breathed.
For so long it’d been one crisis to another. This once, Lucario could settle down. He could relax. Chances were they wouldn’t get another moment of respite until they reached Kabutops.
Yet Lucario couldn’t embrace the moment of serenity. He stayed restless, his nerves itching. His aura eyes kept searching about, a million thoughts zipping through his head on how things would somehow get worse, because they always did.
For crying out loud, even Vulpix had gone rogue, this whole disaster caused by the foolish girl’s blabbing. What else?
Vulpix’s head was in the clouds, he noticed. Her stoic face masked the grand turmoil Lucario could tell was brewing in her head. Fears of prophecies, of Eevee, of herself—
You know better than to pry, he scolded himself, keeping away from the details of Vulpix’s thoughts. The temptation ate at him, however — didn’t he have the right to know what bothered his protege? Surely he deserved that much for his troubles.
Seeking a distraction, he instead focused on the raw fatigue leaking from the Eeveelutions. Their forms seemed to waver, Eevee looking ready to collapse — and perhaps he would, if not for that Tiny Reviver Seed he mentioned. “You fine?” asked Lucario.
Eevee scraped his head against the earth. “We’ll live.”
“I could Heal Pulse—”
“Healing won’t cure exhaustion. I’ve been fighting non-stop today, you know? Stormsoaked Shores, Stringed Forest, doing everything I can to keep you safe — you’re putting me through the grinder, trying to clean up your messes.”
Lucario bristled. “I said I’d bite your heads off, didn’t I?” said Eevee, Vulpix snapping to attention at his barbed tone. His siblings stood behind him like a grand jury, impartial as could be. “You never knew what you were doing, Lucario. It’s only a matter of time until word reaches Their Highnesses, and if anyone’s going to mercilessly search for you, it’s them. All my efforts to keep your human secret, and you couldn’t do your one job?”
“Things spiraled out of control, do I have to keep repeating that?” said Lucario, noticing Eevee’s aura was a mixture of blue and orange. “And in case you forget, Eevee, you ran like a coward when Togetic spotted you at Mud Passage, told us nothing about the dangers of staying transformed—”
“You set a Lugia on us.” Eevee lowered his head, as if aiming his crystalline crown of spikes to impale Lucario’s throat. “As if letting Ariados find you wasn’t bad enough, you brought Vulpix to the Psychic Legendary responsible for your shipwreck. What were you thinking?”
The orange was creeping up on the blue. “And you,” said Eevee, pivoting to a pale Eira the Vulpix. “I warned you not to trust your teammates so much. And what did you do?”
“I—” Vulpix’s voice came out hoarse. “I-I needed help.”
A scoff. “You let her get too attached, Lucario. But I admit, I could’ve done better too. I could’ve taken charge from day one and marched straight to Kabutops, instead of letting you make the idiotic choice to join Team Heavendust. You’re not cut out to care for your human.”
Lucario’s sense of guardianship churned. What? Excuse him?
“Yeah, you heard me. You couldn’t handle the responsibility, and now Haven Archipelago’s going to hunt you like vermin. So I’m taking matters into my own paws — from now on I decide how to best keep her safe. Not you.”
Not you.
Thunder rumbled in Lucario’s clouded mind. He was already worn out from the series of unfortunate events he’d been subjected to. Already ticked off at Eevee berating him for matters outside his control. Now he dared undermine his devotion to Eira?
“I gave my life to serve her,” Lucario snapped, rising to his feet. “You think you care as much for Eira?”
“Considering I gave her the means to stay safe in this archipelago? More than you ever have.”
Shock. Then addled fury.
Eevee’s orange aura seemed borderline red to Lucario, like an enemy’s. “Take that back,” he said, grabbing the startled Abhorrent to the alarm of both his siblings and Vulpix. “You take that back now!”
“Wha—” stammered Eevee.
Espeon fired a warning glare. Drop him, she demanded, the other Eeveelutions tensing up.
Of course, Eevee’s siblings only chose now to interfere. “She means the world to me,” growled Lucario. “You only want her for Kabutops’s experiments. Take it back, Eevee!”
Eevee flailed out of his grasp, rolling away. Lucario would’ve darted after him, if not for Vulpix blocking the way. “W-what’s with you?” she said.
Fool girl. “You’re defending him?” questioned Lucario. “The person you’re afraid of?”
Vulpix’s face froze over at being called out, the Eeveelutions all turning toward her with baffled expressions. “What?” said Eevee. “Why would she be afraid of an ally?”
The kid looked between him and Lucario, squirming in place. She pawed the ground.
“You knew about the prophecy?” she said.
Eevee’s face twitched, before darkening. “Tall tales,” he stressed. “What nonsense did Ariados feed you? That I was going to lead you to destruction?”
No longer could Lucario ignore the prophecy’s existence, however. And with Eira’s words, something suddenly clicked. “You gave her the wristband,” he realized, “making her the ‘transfigured human that doesn’t belong.’”
It was as if a light winked out in Eevee’s eyes. He stilled, as did the Eeveelutions, as if they were no longer of this earth. Distress contorted Vulpix’s face.
“You’re steering us,” Lucario accused. “Trying to bring about the stupid prophecy? Or maybe it’s the other way around. You knew you needed to get rid of her, but wanted to get your cure from Kabutops first. You made her become the ill omen just for your own petty needs.”
No response from Eevee. Vulpix trembled and curled into herself, the jackal certain he nailed her exact fears. Of course, even the Abhorrent who gave them the wristband was a threat, and his siblings were on it too. What a punchline.
There wasn’t anyone to trust on these islands. Lucario turned to the burrow entrance.
Instantly Eevee was in front of him, his face drenched in sweat as he blocked the way. His siblings held a myriad of emotions, ranging from unease to concern, and from anger to worry. “We need her,” insisted Eevee. “Lucario, please, this isn’t—”
Idiot. Lucario charged Aura Sphere.
Eevee paled but held firm in the wake of the crackling sphere. None of his siblings gave any indication of charging their moves — perhaps because they couldn’t afford to. “One hit and you all fall,” he said.
The soulbound Abhorrents shared their vitality, and Eevee was spending plenty of it just to stand. “I can’t lose my lead,” he said. “Reason with me, Lucario! Your girl was in this prophecy the moment she bypassed the towers. I swear, I didn’t know giving her the wristband—”
Aura Sphere fired. And if not for Espeon’s telekinesis diverting the homing projectile to the side, Eevee would’ve been a goner. “Come and take my human,” said Lucario, readying another sphere. “I dare you. She’s mine!”
Funny how Togetic had a point about the limits of his aurasense, although instead of Jumpluff, it was Eevee he should’ve scrutinized more. Even now, his pacified gray aura held streaks of stubborn orange, his words half-truths at best. Lucario could feel it — he knew interacting with Eira could lead to the prophecy, somehow, some way.
Everyone wanted his girl, huh? Over his dead body. “Final warning, Eevee!”
Still Eevee stood, the brave dunderhead who led his foolishly loyal family. My brother meant no harm, Vaporeon’s voice came through telepathy, the corresponding ghost standing guard over Eevee. Please, Lucario, let us explain ourselves.
He caught on to their trick though. Espeon was using Psychic to pull from the item stockpile an orb, while Eevee pulled from his neck-pouch a Stun Seed. Lucario instantly fired his—
He staggered, Disable’s blue light paralyzing him and his Aura Sphere evaporating into thin air. “Stop it!” yelled Vulpix, throwing herself in between both parties. “Enough! Lucario, quit it!”
Vaporeon glowered with annoyance at Espeon and Eevee, the twosome abashedly putting away their items. “Eira—” snapped Lucario.
“Do you need to beat up everyone?” she spoke over him, her voice shrill. “Eevee’s all we have!”
“He’s using us! Eevee’s not our ally!”
“Just let him speak—”
“He caused the prophecy to—”
Vulpix’s eyes flickered a vile purple. “Stop.”
And Lucario did, so flabbergasted was he to find himself the target of Vulpix’s Spite. The girl squeezed her eyes, instantly mortified by her own action, but kept going.
“What’s with you? You didn’t have to hurt Ariados so much!” she said. “Or make enemies out of Togetic and Shaymin like you did! And now Eevee too?”
She was going rogue again. “Eevee doesn’t care about you—”
“But you do?” Vulpix stamped up to him with icy defiance. “Enough to ignore your sense of justice and let me do something terrible to the entire archipelago?”
Lucario quivered.
“It doesn’t matter.” Vulpix kept her firm stance, even as her voice quavered. “I don’t care if Eevee brings about the prophecy. If I’m destined to be a monster, nothing can stop that. Do you know what that’s like? That one day, You’ll break the world by doing evil, thinking you did something good? And that someone has to break you to stop it? If you do care, w-would you stop me?”
He couldn’t. He didn’t want to. He pleaded he didn’t have to. The enormity of such a deed pained him.
Why was this archipelago so bent on taking everything he had away? Why did it take Adam?
“I-I can’t lose another human.”
Vulpix’s tails drooped. Mercifully, she didn’t say aloud the dreaded words he sensed she was thinking of, a thought so close to the tip of her tongue his aurasense detected it with little effort.
Maybe you have to.
Eevee sighed, Lucario turning over. The Abhorrent was pawing his Z-Crystal anklet, tracing its grooves and edges. Sylveon moved close to him in what looked like a comforting gesture, one he weakly waved away.
“It’s my siblings,” he said. “I take it back, Lucario — I got carried away and misspoke. It’s not Eira I care about, it’s my siblings. I wanted your girl because I’m desperate to fix what I’ve done. I mentioned a Lyranoc when we came here, remember?”
Eevee’s siblings all turned toward their brother as one, in a way that made Lucario concerned. “He mutated you?” he guessed.
“I took the mutagen willingly.”
Eevee gave a forced laugh as Lucario’s eyes bugged out, as did Vulpix’s. The what?
“I was fueled by greed — Kabutops told me a good number of Abhorrents are like that. The weird blue Lycanroc who gave it, he even warned me of the dangers, but I didn’t care. The idea of having your own, unique Eeveelution? Tell me it doesn’t sound enticing.” His tail crumpled into itself. “It’s my fault my siblings are chained to me as undead spirits.”
We could not know, comforted Vaporeon, getting nods from the others. It was unusual, even by Abhorrent standards.
Biting words formed on Lucario’s tongue, but Vulpix’s warning stare made him swallow them back. “So it was a mistake?” she asked.
“The same way that me giving you the wristband was a mistake,” said Eevee, Vulpix flinching at the heat he spoke with. “I didn’t know about it. Never looked too deep into this prophecy.”
“It’s a prophecy, you didn’t—”
“Have a choice, Eira? Ariados wanted you either dead or off the islands to avert the prophecy, am I getting that right?” Eevee harrumphed at the slow nod Vulpix gave. “Then that cinches it. We can avoid it, but I ensured its continuation by giving the wristband. Sure, I didn’t know how the prophecy would occur, but I knew it existed, and I ignored it.”
Turmoil floated within Eevee’s aura, its color a pale blue. “I assumed it was just prejudiced legends. I thought that in case you couldn’t go home, you could instead start anew in the relative safety of a backwater village, without having to explain you’re tied to a doomsday prophecy. But if Ariados wasn’t lying, then it’s not a legend, is it? I gave you the one item that ensures you’re the ill omen, just for my own petty needs. I-I didn’t want that.”
Honest words, true as truth could be. Eevee dropped to the ground, vulnerable, and all traces of Lucario’s rage left him. Regret kicked in afterward, the jackal questioning why he hastened to assume the worst — that Eevee’s role in the prophecy made him yet another villain to save Eira from.
How ironic. He’d been ticked off when Shaymin and Togetic assumed he was a thief, then later a sympathizer with evil Abhorrents. Yet he was acting no better. Was Eira right? he wondered. Could I have talked to Togetic and Shaymin first before striking?
Have I grown too zealous in protecting my human?
Regardless, Team Heavendust would never trust him now. And Ariados’s deal was in cinders. Had he been an actual leader, not some dumb Pokemon meant to take a trainer’s orders, they wouldn’t even be running for their lives.
But no time for what-ifs. He’d salvage what he still could. “Eevee,” Lucario began, “I shouldn’t have—”
“We’re all tired, Lucario.” Eevee wore a forced smirk, seeing his repentant face. “I feared I’d lose your human, just as you did. I lashed out first, and you—”
You mean we lashed out? said Jolteon. All of us?
Flareon shook his furry mane in disagreement. Technically, only Eevee said anything—
But he speaks for us all, Sylveon said with a flourish of his ribbon feelers. And some of us felt Lucario ought to be berated.
That does not count as—
“Point being,” Eevee said, both brothers going silent at his pointed stare, “that what’s done is done. Listen, we can still overcome this prophecy with Kabutops’s help. He lives in Swampblot Island, south of here. An Abhorrent can’t cross the sea, of course, never mind our Lugia dilemma, but there’s a dungeon with a secret route that’ll warp us over. Nobody will find you once we’re with Kabutops, and we’ll work from there. Help each other out.”
A dungeon that could take them to another island? What a perfect way to skirt around the Legendary-shaped threat breathing on their necks. Lucario nodded before looking at Eira, the false vixen relieved to see them getting along.
A frown still adorned her muzzle, though, as she considered the murky future ahead. “You really think we can escape the prophecy?” she questioned. “T-that Kabutops can get me back?”
“We can only—”
Espeon shook with alarm, and Lucario tensed, both turning to the side. In the distance, red auras closed upon them. Three of them.
Everyone else may as well have been hit by a Stun Seed, realizing what was wrong. “Hope,” finished Eevee, the word symbolically wilting as it fell off his tongue. “Oh.”
He moved to his stash of items, seeking an Orb, but too late. One of the auras came close, and the ground shook with bloody violence.
Lucario collapsed instantly, his knees giving in. Too late did he register the Worry Seed plinking the small of his back. Air Slash came right after, he and Eevee gasping as their bodies caved in against its blustering force.
Eira! was all Lucario could think. EIRA—!
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Eira the Vulpix was in agony. The ground was her archnemesis, shaking her physically and mentally. Eevee was already out from the first Air Slash, his siblings falling with him as they exploded into unconscious mist, and several more barraged Lucario until he too collapsed. She yelled his name, then cried out as Tri-Attack lit up the area, sniping her to produce the sensation of an electrifying frostburn.
It hurt a lot. Both the beam and Togetic’s unrepentant face.
She stumbled away, unable to look away from the angelic, nor her expressionless Shaymin rider. At least, until the floor broke apart, stones flying as Gabite emerged with tracking lights over his eyes and a desire to maim. He wasted no time, Iron Tail sweeping around and sending her hurtling.
It hurt a lot too. Worse than Togetic’s attack, in fact, and yet less.
The cavern wall rudely cushioned her crash landing, ripping open healed scars. The agony was completed when a Mug Orb crashed against her, the third time Eira felt her Vulpix body burn to sizzling ashes and reform into her true human self. She scrambled back in a daze, aware Gabite was following up with a crazed Slash, and raised her hands in defense.
The attack never came. Eira raised her head in wonder, before feeling the raw chill coming from her hands.
Which were emitting magical, icy mist. Which Gabite had reeled back from, his eyes dilated and a fearful hiss on his lips.
Togetic and Shaymin were as stiff as could be, equally unprepared to see human magic. Eira could relate too — she stared at the sorcery spewing out from her hands for a solid, bizarrely tranquil moment.
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They’re afraid of this? she thought.
Maybe Lucario influenced her more than she thought, for inwardly, she found herself indulging in dark laughter. It was ridiculous! Team Heavendust found them, she was defenseless, and all that protected her was some silly magic mist—
It’s over.
The thought seized Eira, leaving her an empty shell. Almost like how she’d been since accepting Father’s death.
For so long she hid in fear, clinging to sparks of hope. But at last, there was absolutely no escape. And even if there was, why delay the inevitable? If it wasn’t Team Heavendust who caught her, it would be Their Highnesses.
As reassuring as Eevee tried to be, her leaving the islands was always a long shot — at least this way she wouldn’t get a chance to fulfill that horrible prophecy. What good was freedom, after all, if freedom forced her to hurt people? If it forced her to destroy an archipelago?
She was tired of fighting.
She didn’t want to anymore.
She’d rather accept whatever came next. Better than living a life of fear — fear of both her hunters, and of herself.
Her only regret was dragging Lucario and Eevee into her mess.
Eira let the cold mist abate, slowly raising her hands in surrender. Gabite, Shaymin, and Togetic side-eyed each other, nobody so much as twitching in the brief lull of the moment, before Gabite started barking words at her. Which she barely understood, being without her wristband and all.
It must’ve shown on her face since Shaymin realized and spoke to Gabite, waving at the wristband he tightly gripped. Gabite scowled, then muttered to himself, before chucking the accessory at her. Eira chose not to test his patience and slipped it on.
Team Heavendust circled her, Shaymin leaping off Togetic and Gabite stealing from Eevee’s pile an orange orb with a black swirl pattern. The Foe-Seal Orb broke into motes at his command, the black swirl forming into beams that circled Eira before solidifying around her arms and torso, restraining her in an energy ring.
They still wanted her, it seemed. “You’re not finishing me off yet?” asked Eira.
Togetic and Shaymin’s expressions cracked ever so slightly. “Did I ask you to speak?” Gabite said, flashing his claw. “But no, that’s not our duty. We’ll show you to the Dungeon Board, and they’ll handle the rest. Ship you to Their Highnesses or whatever.”
Meaning she’d become a prisoner of the kings, maybe for life. How should she feel about that? Scared? Relieved?
“Now spill, spy,” ordered Gabite. “I want answers straight from your mouth, not whatever filtered junk the authorities would give us. How did you find us? What are you after?”
There was more to those questions than just what Gabite was asking, Eira could tell. They wanted the whole story. Fine with her — maybe Team Heavendust would at least hear her out.
“I wasn’t meant to be here,” she said. “Lugia and Aerodactyl fought at sea, and they sank my ship. The humans who survived got past the towers somehow, but Lugia finished them off. He told me I’m the only one he missed.”
Whether it was the off-chance of other humans lurking on the archipelago or the murder of so many souls that sickened Togetic and Shaymin, Eira couldn’t tell. “And we’re supposed to believe your sob story?” said Gabite, his scowl growing.
Figured. This conversation was pointless too. “How can I make you believe?” asked Eira. “Have Togetic see for herself?”
That drew the angelic’s ire. “See what, your false purity?” she said, Eira wincing at her strained tone. “Just quit it already! You’re just trying to pull at my heartstrings, acting innocent to prey on me.”
“I-I’m not acting—”
Gabite pushed his claw near her throat, demanding her silence. “Why would a Lucario work with a creature like you, or a Kecleon merchant?” he said, red tracking lights sizzling with his barely-contained fury. “No, you influenced them with your magic, maybe with your human gizmos too, all as part of some greater plot involving Lugia and the Abhorrents. You enslaved their minds, the way Aerodactyl enslaved Eevee’s and Corvisquire’s.”
Shaymin alone showed no real loathing for her. In fact, she seemed uncertain, if not curious, like she was but a complicated puzzle to solve. Worn out too — only now did Eira notice the half-healed wounds she, Togetic, and Gabite had, the result of Eevee’s ambush.
“I demand the truth, infiltrator.” Gabite pulled his claw back a little, his voice a grating whisper. “I know your humans better than you think, you and your powers. But you’ll never get us again. You’ll never get me again! Answer me, what were you doing in my team? What did you do to our brethren beyond the sea? Why must your blasted kind plague us too?”
Eira felt the full force of Gabite’s heaving breath, scarcely able to look away from him. His gaze burned her tender flesh, and the tracking lights seared it further. One strike, and it was off with her head.
But it was too late to fear death. And her earlier outburst with Lucario made it all the easier to snap a second time.
“What did I do to you?” she said, letting the ordeal of the past week burst out of her. “I joined your team because I was lost! Because I didn’t want to die, like my parents did! I just learned today that humans have magic, because no one does back home — only the wristband Eevee gave me keeps me safe! That and Lucario, who Shaymin knows I’m grateful to for choosing to help me, when he could’ve left me to my fate!”
All her work learning the Vulpix tongue, and it culminated in this. Shaymin’s grasslike pelt whitened to match her fur as she dwelled on her words, while Togetic sputtered, trying to order her to stop but too rattled to do so. In the back of her mind, Eira wondered if she could reach out to them after all. Make them see past their prejudices.
Not that it mattered. Above all, even as Gabite widened his maddened eyes, his claw rising in a final warning, Eira simply needed to vent. “Get a Psychic if you won’t believe,” she said. “Can’t you tell, Gabite? I feared you as you feared me. I’m just a poor girl you could kill in a single—”
“Enough!”
Gabite struck. Her chest was on fire.
Arms bound, leaning away was all Eira could do to protect herself. The Slash tore through her regardless, ribs screaming from the dreadful strike. “Cursed creature!” Gabite roared. “Keep your poisoned words—”
His eyes noticed the bloodied gash he sliced through Eira’s chest. He blanched, then raised his claw.
Stained red.
A drop of blood fell from it, and he let out a mangled noise. Fumbled back, veins popping out of his forehead. Kept staring at his claw, Shaymin and Togetic just as calamitously horrified by the sight.
“Wha—” Gabite choked out.
“G-Gabite!” stammered Togetic. “You j-just—”
“She bleeds?” said Shaymin.
Breathing hurt, her lungs possibly fractured — not that Eira could check with her tied hands. What about me bleeding? she thought, bracing against the bitter torment. Of course I’d bleed—
Except that was because she wasn’t a Vulpix. She was human. Pokemon don’t bleed easy, Lucario, you know that? Gabite’s words echoed in her head.
But humans bled easy.
Team Heavendust was in disarray, Gabite wiping the blood off his claw to little avail. “No, this can’t be real, it doesn’t make sense!” he said, unable to stop shaking. “Why does she bleed? They never bled!”
“They?” Shaymin said in a raised voice, before her eyes refocused. “Crud, Togetic, help her!”
Togetic may as well have been splashed with a bucketful of water. A shrill gasp left her as she pulled an Oran Berry out of her Treasure Bag in record time.
She thrust the berry toward Eira’s mouth, pleading with her. Eira obeyed and bit.
Warmth diffused through her wound the moment the juice dribbled down her throat, the bleeding stanched by its healing properties. Togetic went on from there, Life Dew condensing over the gash and knitting it shut at the angelic’s command. A haunted, gaunt look filled her face as she did her work, as if imagining the consequences of leaving the wound open.
Gabite was in a wild trance, eyes squeezed and half-choked gasps of air coming out of them. “It shouldn’t be possible, it—” he said, before violently snapping his head. “No, shut up! Don’t mock me now!”
Shaymin’s brows narrowed. She glowed green, and Eira and Togetic gagged as the overwhelming scent of Aromatherapy ruined their sense of smell. It hit Gabite particularly hard, the dragon-shark rousing to meet Shaymin’s scrutinizing look.
He pressed his non-stained claw against his forehead. “I-I need a moment,” he said. “Handle the girl.”
And he turned and Dug into the ground, burrowing away.
Shaymin and Togetic hollered after him, but he was long gone. They shared a frown, before Togetic let her eyes wander about the room, taking note of a slumped Lucario and Eevee, then the faint lantern light in the back of the cavern. Then the item pile, before reluctantly turning back to Eira.
A new fear lit her eyes. Not one of humans, but of what she could do to them. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.
Funny. Kecleon switched sides after learning how defenseless humans were. “Tried to warn you,” muttered Eira.
Exhaustion left an edge in her voice, one she couldn’t fully dull. “Kick me while I’m down, won’t you?” said Togetic, copying the exact tone. “What do you want with me?”
“Togetic—”
“I put my trust in you, and you lied to me! I tried giving you a second chance, and you just stood there and let Lucario beat me senseless!” Togetic scowled, but it held no real bite, Eira seeing the insecure, emotional mess behind it all. “And now this, as if this wasn’t already the most taxing, painful day I’ve ever had in my life! As if you haven’t already broken my little heart into a million pieces! And all I can think is why — why do you have to put me through this? Why did you have to come and turn everything upside down?”
It took everything and then some for Eira not to crack. “I didn’t want this either,” she said.
“You think? I’m suffering too, you know! But no, you don’t think about that! You still keep tugging at my feelings, making me hurt inside! You made me miserable, you stupid, selfish monster—”
Togetic forced shut her mouth and swallowed the hot coals on the tip of her tongue, a kingdom’s worth of tears streaming down her face. She turned away, huddling in front of the lantern. The rest of the cave dimmed, her sobs an inconsolable melody Eira could hardly withstand.
“Y-you’re so fragile,” said Togetic. “Why is this happening? V-Vulpix?”
Anguish. Eira dropped her gaze to the floor, and found Shaymin waiting. The hedgehog shot her a tired look.
In a way, Eira did feel like a monster, or rather a monster in the making. “I’m an ill omen,” she whimpered.
“Oh great, you’re going crazy too? As if me being forced to be the responsible one isn’t enough.” Shaymin rolled her eyes, before softening her expression. “Small wonder you’re grateful for Lucario. I don’t know zilch about humans, but Pokemon don’t bleed like that.”
“I-I mean—”
“Kecleon trusted you, didn’t he? Kid, please, the truth. Spit it out before I lose it too.”
The truth. Eira told her the truth.
She told her about the shipwreck again, her original encounter with Kecleon and Ariados, her close-call with Aerodactyl, and how Eevee gave her the wristband. She told her about the help Kecleon gave them, then how Ariados found her, but with the desire to strike a deal instead of killing her. She told her about Mismagius, who’d been apparently on to her from the start.
She told her about the wristband and its creator Kabutops, whom Eevee wanted to bring her to. She told her about the band’s limits, how she’d nearly torn herself apart by being transformed for so long, and the damage Aerodactyl did to it. She told her about Lugia and his intention to wipe everyone’s memories of her before eliminating her, like the other humans.
She told her about the events at Stringed Forest. She told her how afraid she was, all this time. She told her about Lucario — how he’d been on the shipwreck too, and his unwavering loyalty to get her back home, no matter the cost.
She told her about the prophecy.
She told her the whole truth, and incriminating as it was, that included the prophecy. Even the mention of Mew only had Shaymin bat an eye, but the entire prophecy discussion left her ruffled. “I’m an ill omen,” she repeated. “Even if I’m innocent now—”
“Nope, don’t you finish that sentence.” Shaymin paced for a moment, grumbling to herself, before shaking her head. A mournful look overcame her. “You lost your parents, you said?”
Eira bit her lip. “My Mother. Father’s been gone.”
Togetic fidgeted and hugged herself tighter in the corner. Shaymin regarded Eira, taking in her meek, human appearance.
“This is stupid.”
“Huh?”
“You being some evil outsider spy? Never made sense.” Shaymin gave herself a little smack. “Third time I’ve assumed ill of you and Lucario. I got so blindsided by how suspicious you guys acted that I got sidetracked from the freaking fact that you’re just a frightened young girl. A human, fine, but what do I know?”
Eira could practically feel Shaymin’s self-anger trying to burn her from the inside out. “Your whole week’s been a bunch of trauma drama,” continued Shaymin. “And you’re somehow not a broken mess inside?”
Well, she was close to being one — she was barely keeping herself together, just knowing about the prophecy as it was. “You already told others about me, right?” Eira asked. “I-I should probably turn myself in—”
“Nevermind, you’re a total wreck.” Shaymin shook her head. “You realize the chaos we’d have if word leaked about a human running amok? We haven’t told anyone — we were focused this whole time on combing the entire region, before you could escape and force us to warn the public. We hoped to show you to the Dungeon Board as quietly as possible, and to get answers ourselves.”
Oh. Huh. Her secret was still relatively contained.
“Being honest, I still don’t know what to make of you, and I feel like we gotta keep you on a leash, just in case. But turn you in because of some dumb prophecy?” The silver shine of steel shimmered in Shaymin’s eyes. “Nuh-uh. Not happening. Togetic, you tell her.”
Togetic lurched. She faced Eira, seeing her for the first time as a human and not a creature. Her face, soaked in dried tears, twisted with regrets.
“I—” She shuddered, turning sideways. “I-I can’t talk to her, Shaymin.”
“Hey, it’s fine—”
“I m-manipulated her. Made her speak when she d-didn’t want to, told her I’d trust her no matter what and t-then immediately broke my promise.” A loud sniff. “I-I’ve hurt her, and I d-don’t know why. H-how can I pretend i-it’s all fine?”
Only now did Eira notice the energy ring restraining her was gone — long gone in fact, probably while she’d been busy telling everything to Shaymin. The desire to comfort Togetic made her move—
Pain. Too much of it in her chest. She caressed it, wincing as bones protested against the touch. Her head spun.
Togetic was already there before Shaymin could yell, alarm in her eyes. “Your internals d-didn’t heal,” she said. “D-did Eevee give you an Oran beforehand? Oh, for goodness sake, Orans aren't as effective if you’ve already taken one, and I-I can’t heal internal injuries with Life Dew — Shaymin, I can’t h-help her! I never wanted— I wish I could—”
She paused. Shook. Then exhaled.
“Wish.” Determination overcame her as she brought her nubs together, hyperfocused. For a moment, all was still, before a tiny white sphere bloomed to life in her arms. It grew, becoming a ball of mist, lights twinkling inside with loving desire. Togetic let it coalesce, before releasing it.
It hovered overhead, curious. Thoughtful. And then it enveloped Eira, and amazement prevailed as a powerful soothing mended her chest from within. Bones repaired themselves, and muscles squirmed, the human gasping as they knit themselves back.
The pain lingered, but no more than mere soreness. “Uh, Togetic, was that—” Shaymin asked.
“Wish. Learned it just now. I-I had to, I can’t let her—”
Togetic looked at Eira. Eira looked at her. Their eyes slid off each other.
Togetic groaned and pulled away, a faint pink light coloring her eyes. “I can’t turn you in,” she said, peeking at Eira’s soul. “You’re innocent, you have to be. Oh, what have I done? I wish I c-could say sorry, but I don’t deserve—”
“Please, Togetic.” Eira’s voice came out raw. Was this real? Would she be safe, against all odds? “I-I’m fine.”
The angelic choked and buried her face, dropping to the ground. Shaymin patted her in reassurance, whispering something into her ear. She weakly nodded.
“G-give me time, sweetie,” she whispered. “It’s a lot to t-take in. I’m just going to—”
She stood for a long while, trying to recuperate. As was Eira. Shaymin too. Too much had happened to them all.
Eventually Togetic pulled herself together. She glanced at Shaymin, before moving toward a fallen Lucario and Eevee.
Her guardian was healed first. Shaymin was on standby, Eira crawling over as Togetic cast her Wish upon him, then prepared a second one for Eevee. Lucario trembled, a hoarse noise leaving him, before blinking bleary eyes. He grimaced at Eira’s scarred chest wound, caused by a now-absent Gabite, then at Shaymin and Togetic. Realization followed.
“L-Lucario?” said Eira.
“You’re too much, kid.” Lucario formed a dull scowl. “What did I miss?”
Underneath the harsh demeanor, however, his immense relief washed over her. His gratitude touched the heavens, and Eira felt it, nearly as overwhelmed as Shaymin was. Bliss.
Eevee hacked and sputtered, Togetic scrambling away as he shook himself. He cocked an eye, seeing everything too. His scowl was much more meaningful than Lucario’s, yet far more tired.
“Not a midnight person, huh?” Shaymin made the vibrant flowers bursting to life on her back retract. “Gabite’s away and Togetic’s emotionally taxed, so I’m somehow in charge. You mind if I ask questions to corroborate the human’s story?”
Eevee lifted a paw, before deciding it wasn’t worth the waste of energy. “I hate you.”
----------------------------------------
Gabite surfaced, his haggard appearance enough to spook the surrounding hills and dense forestry. His claw sunk deep into the bark of an unfortunate tree, Gabite instantly regretting it as his mind conjured the sensation of piercing an animal’s flesh.
Like an animal. Humans were like animals. Magical animals, yes, but just as easy to tear apart.
But it can’t be.
It was. He knew that. His claws were wiped with dust, yet the smell of blood lingered still — all the perfumes of Tumbledust Island could not sweeten its stench.
It’s an illusion. Another human trick.
And that was what the human who masqueraded as a Vulpix wasted her magic on? He and his teammates were battered enough from Eevee’s assault, and she chose to use hallucinations? Instead of freezing them with super-effective Ice energy?
It doesn’t matter! the fear-addled part of Gabite’s brain kept screaming. She’s one of them! She—
You can never escape us.
Gabite jerked. The red lights over his eyes winked out as his Radar Orb’s power faded, leaving him only scant starlight to see. And in the darkness of the night, he swore he saw their figures. Human figures. Robed. Decayed. Grinning.
She’ll subjugate you too. Finish what we did, and release the inner monster your kind always were.
“Shut up! SHUT UP!” Gabite hollered, sinking his claw further into the tree and giving it a one-armed death hug. “I escaped you! Never again!”
The raspy voices wouldn’t stay silent though. They kept murmuring, whispering, taunting — forcing him to relieve his darkest traumas. Slithering their foul magicks into his head, even though he was islands away from the dungeon they were trapped in, and driving him mad. Just as intended.
It was a lot like what Aerodactyl could do to Abhorrents. Eevee probably understood what it felt like too, having one’s mind enslaved by horrific, undying demons. Aerodactyl’s voice even reminded Gabite of them, to his disgust.
But the Vulpix faker. She only resembled them in appearance and name, he realized. His captors were eerie, unnatural things a Legendary could fear. Not-Vulpix was like how Porygon-Z, that amnesiac robot built by freaking humanity, had described their kind. And he could kill her.
It was luck that he managed to escape those twisted human creatures so long ago. Even evolved, he’d have to fight for his life against them. But this girl? A swipe to the neck and he’d be a murderer.
It’s you or her, beast. She’ll claim you.
“No,” hissed Gabite.
Make the difficult choice. Give in to your lower self, or else face a lifetime of horror again! An animal cannot be free until it executes its captor!
“Shut up!” A terrible pounding rang in Gabite’s ears. “Get out of my head!”
Humanity was meant to subjugate! You creatures are our tools! It is engraved in your souls—
Gabite screamed and, before his wild instincts got the better of him, threw himself prone. He embraced the earth, and the earth embraced him back, giving him its love. He clung tight to that love, yelling to himself that he was more than a mere creature, that the voices weren’t real, that he wasn’t still in that horrible horrible dungeon of mind-broken primal Pokemon amongst Pokespawn and fiendish fiendish human-like sorcerers that wanted him too to break break break—
There’s nothing to be afraid of here, brother.
Braixen’s gentle, gentlemanly voice was the balm to his inflamed mind. The rasping voices vanished like the mirages of Tumbledust Island, and Gabite rested a claw on his chest. Then grunted, remembering where he struck the human girl, and instead caressed his forehead.
There was nothing to be afraid of, indeed. With the panic settling down, Gabite’s spinning mind grasped at puzzle pieces, seeing past the fact that Lucario’s girl was human, and seeing the actual facts. It made no sense, after all, that Kecleon could be mind-controlled by such a frail girl, or that she was up to anything diabolical. Why go to so much effort anyway to join a random explorer team?
She was so bad at being covert it was ridiculous. And if she had enthralled Lucario and Kecleon, why not Ariados too? Or him and Togetic and Shaymin? The longer he analyzed the situation, the more he got the picture of a confused fish out of water.
He too was confused. Or baffled? No, he was lost. So lost on what was happening, or how. How did she get past the towers? He wondered. And didn’t she say there were others, whom Lugia got rid of? Why is Eevee helping?
Too many questions. Too many uncertainties. If the human was a threat, it was the most roundabout, unconventional one he ever saw. Gabite pulled himself up, taking in a whiff of fresh midnight air, and let himself be one with the forest, hoping to find the peace of mind he needed to figure this out.
All he found was madness though. And he wanted to shout at the world for what it threw at him.
“How?” he questioned. “How?”
He stood there for a long while, trying to understand. And failing. He didn’t know.
But he had to. He needed to.
But he couldn’t! She was human, the one thing he—
But he needed to know—
Rustling noises. Gabite whirled over, blade unconsciously outstretched. The figure of Togetic came into view, her glowing eyes puffy and her face pale.
It told him everything. “Keeping her?” he asked.
The angelic didn’t comment on his feral stance. “What else would we do?” she said.
Perfect. Just perfect.
“Just don’t make me face the human herself.”
----------------------------------------
“What do you mean she’s staying with you?” questioned Eevee, his voice startlingly monotone.
For what it was worth, Lucario wasn’t surprised at all by Shaymin’s demand. Of course Team Heavendust would keep her. Why would they let her out of their sight? Better than the alternative, he mused.
Eira was fine. She was alive. The girl sat a distance away, a hand over her healed chest wound. Team Heavendust had harmed her, but apparently the firsthand sight of how weak humans were had shaken them out of their superstitious beliefs. This once, fate was in his favor.
He and Eevee were as good as defeated, and yet they’d been spared.
With Togetic fetching Gabite, Shaymin was left to speak on their behalf. “Seeing your human’s likely not a threat, you shouldn’t have a problem,” she said. “She’s a walking trouble magnet, if you haven’t noticed. Lugia and some Mismagius found her out, yeah? And a whole village led by a paranoid Ariados?”
Eevee gave Lucario a flat look. The jackal only sighed.
“Gah, I’ve already got a migraine and I’m barely getting started.” Shaymin side-eyed Eira, as if still processing that, yes, a real human was beside her. “Dealing with you’s gonna be messy, I can feel it. Hey, uh, did Togetic’s Wish not heal you enough?”
Eira’s face reddened as she eyed the hand covering the rip in her dress, and the scarred gash beneath. It struck Lucario that, with the worst of their ordeal behind them, she’d suddenly remembered to be modest.
Shaymin too grew awkward once he explained. “Of course, the clothes aren’t for show,” she said, before tossing her head. “I’m out of my depth, okay? I wasn’t prepared for a human tonight, or to have to make arrangements for keeping said human a secret—”
“I can manage her just fine,” pressed Eevee. “You’ve no reason to keep the girl.”
“I have every reason,” Shaymin shot back. “An imposter Vulpix amongst us, following an Abhorrent around? Super suspicious. She’s safer with a reputable explorer team in case rumors spread, or trouble comes knocking.”
“And what good is reputation when the authorities panic, hearing you’ve given a human refuge? I wouldn’t even bother with this conversation if I had the strength to—”
Let them, Eevee.
Eevee twitched as Vaporeon solidified beside him, with Espeon in tow. Forgive us, the Eeveelution told Shaymin. We have difficulty trusting, as you know. But Espeon feels you are earnest. We will tolerate your hold on Eira, so long as she remains unharmed.
Espeon nodded along. Lucario expected Eevee to protest, but on the contrary, he kept a humble silence, deferring to Vaporeon. Shaymin arched her brows at the Water-type specter, before facing Eira with a gloomy expression.
“Wouldn’t dare.”
Lucario, too, knew Shaymin was earnest. Only the teeniest dot of red marred her shining blue aura, the small part of her that still felt on edge. Not a sign that she was an enemy. Just a wary ally.
To be fair, he felt the same way. “So that’s it? We’re really on good terms now?” he said.
Shaymin’s gloom intensified, enshrouding her like a fog. “This shouldn’t have happened,” she said. “And I’m sorry. For everything. Darn it, I get why you’ve acted the way you did, keeping a human safe must be draining.”
Luck. Luck saved Eira, not him. The thought made Lucario itch all over, knowing he could’ve done better. He needed to correct that.
He needed to improve.
“I’m just glad you understand humans aren’t vile creatures with magic,” he said.
Shaymin made an amused face as Eira shriveled up. Creases formed on her forehead, and she slowly extended her hand, concentrating.
Ice manifested.
Ice.
There was ice on her hand.
She just—
What—
But that isn’t—
Lucario stared. Eevee stared. Vaporeon stared. Espeon tried not to stare, but stared regardless, Shaymin unable to suppress a chuckle.
They stared. Lucario stared at the ice, seeing a hint of his reflection. Seeing the impossible. He stretched out a shaking paw.
Eira gave him the ice. It was cold.
Oh.
“It happened at Stringed Forest,” Eira explained. “And again, when Team Heavendust captured me—”
A hole ruptured in the floor. Gabite hesitantly pulled himself out, before freezing like a Deerling at a crossroad as Lucario verbally jumped him. “She has magic?” he yelled.
The stupefied Gabite pressed his lips together. Lucario found himself glaring at everything, from Shaymin, to a mystified Eevee, to an uncomfortable Togetic who chose to enter the burrow tunnel at the worst time possible. “I-it was an accident?” Eira said.
Exasperation. How did this happen? No, how was it possible? It didn’t—
Humans were known for their wizardry.
Lucario snarled, Mismagius’s voice haunting him like a plagued, insufferable banshee. “How does that Mismagius know?” he said. “As if she wasn’t already on to something with the prophecy—”
“A what?” said Gabite, gawking as if he hadn’t heard correctly. “S-Shaymin?”
“Hey, we haven’t even got to Primal Gear the Mew yet,” Shaymin said back, disrupting Gabite’s ability to make normal facial expressions. “Tell you everything later. You taking over?”
Team Heavendust’s leader dared peek at Eevee. Then Eira, the girl growing jittery. “Not like them,” he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. “I-I can’t. Too out of it to—”
“Yeah, yeah.” Shaymin suppressed a yawn. “Guess we need to meet this Mismagius, sounds like she’s got answers on your kid’s magic and on this prophecy thingamajig. Unless?”
She eyed Eevee, who finally recovered from witnessing human sorcery. “Nope, only know the bare bones about the prophecy,” he said. “Didn’t know humans actually can do magic either — that definitely shouldn’t be a byproduct of the wristband.”
Speak with the Mismagius. Yes, that was exactly what Lucario needed. Had Kecleon wrangled answers out of her yet?
Kecleon. He’d get to see him again. Oh goodness, he was still having difficulty believing that everything was fine, that Team Heavendust had realized their error.
That he wouldn’t need to run. Maybe.
Shaymin yawned again, her eyes drooping. “Mismagius then,” she muttered. “Alright, enough diplomacy, my brain’s boiling and we all need sleep. Oh, and before you get too finicky, Eevee — we’ll talk later about this Kabutops figure, promise. And uh, this whole Abhorrent situation going on, and the human’s role in it all.”
Eevee eased up at this, finally letting himself accept the situation. We would appreciate that, said Vaporeon, swishing her tail in contentment.
“Yep, yep. Any objections to us keeping the human for the time being, Gabite?”
Gabite let himself droop, his expression muddled. “Whatever you told them,” he said. “I-I just don’t know anymore.”
“Sure thing. Togetic?”
Togetic pulled herself a little out of the entrance where she’d been practically hiding. “I—” she stammered, before gaining her bearings. “I just want to be done with these misunderstandings.”
As did Lucario. Everyone nodded to that.
All but Eira. She clasped her arms, her expression flustered and endless worries running free in her head. “I—” she said to Shaymin. “I-I’m sorry, I— you’re actually doing all this? For me? I don’t think I—”
Togetic clutched her chest, hurt from her words. “Eira,” Shaymin said, throwing the titular human a silencing look. “That’s what you’re called, yeah? Don’t talk like that, it’s fine. Least I can do after the suffering you’ve gone through.”
Eira eyed the ground, solemn. A part of Lucario felt warm.
“Thank you,” he told Shaymin.
“Don’t thank me, I’m doing my freaking job. Barely touched upon the other layers to this complex human dilemma as it is.” Shaymin huffed, resolution etched into her face. “But that’s tomorrow's problem. Now go rest, people.”
They did. It was the first peaceful rest Lucario had in a while.