Kidnapped again. I had a knack for doing that, somehow.

I had flinched back from Irida after she had whispered those words, and she seemed happy to watch me shrink away. Bibi hadn’t taken a liking to the Pearl Clan leader, however, and went in for a nip of her ankle. I yelled out for him to stop, but Glaceon froze his head before he could reach her skin and Bibi’s head fell onto the snow as if it weighed too much for him to support.

“Let him go!” I demanded. “Now!”

Irida didn’t blink, but Glaceon complied and the ice around Bibi’s head shattered. I let out a relieved sigh when he simply shook his head and blinked. I had wiped my face with my hands and resisted the urge to cry. It had all gone so wrong… “Just tell me what you want,” I mumbled to nobody in particular. “Or get it over with and kill me or whatever.”

“Kill you?” Irida sighed and actually had the gall to look offended. “Sit by the fire instead of cowering back like that. You’ll trip and fall off if you keep backing away.”

“Just tell me what you want!”

Irida’s eyes hardened. “Sit. Down.”

Was this some sort of cruel trick? What was she playing at? It wasn’t like I had much of a choice, however. Irida held all of the power. She could fly off in a moment and leave me here to freeze and I’d be powerless to stop her. I motioned for my team to follow me and sat next to the fire. The warmth comforted me like a blanket on my back, but it did little to alleviate my anxiety. “Now,” I had noticed Irida strayed as far from the fire as she could- like she was afraid it would burn her. “I need you to help me.”

That took a second to process. “Excuse me?”

Irida crouched down so that she was eye-level. I noticed her Glaceon slink around behind her, but it seemed more interested in the snow now than me. “You quelled Lilligant,” she did that creepy-tilt thing with her head again. “And I can’t figure out how.”

I thought it was obvious? “We battled her until she burnt up that weird glow around her. That’s all we-”

“Lies,” Irida snarled. In a blur, she stood and scowled down at me. “You’re lying to me.”

Fear blossomed once more, but it was eclipsed by confusion. I blinked. “I’m not though?”

Irida stared at me for a few seconds, gauging my honesty. “Oh?” she dragged out the word. “Is that so?”

I shot my Pokémon a look. I really didn’t know what she was wanting from me. “What makes you think I’m lying?”

“I paid Kleavor a visit,” Irida watched me for a reaction as she spoke. “And tried exactly what you did with Lilligant. I battled it.”

My eyebrows tightened. What was she getting at? “So…?”

“It didn’t work! I ended up just killing the useless little snit,” she growled and her fists balled so tightly I watched her skin turn white. “So, stop hiding the truth and tell me!”

Whoa, whoa. I had to run Irida’s words through my mind another time to register all of that. Did she just say she killed Kleavor?! The Noble Pokémon Kleavor? Her own clan’s Pokémon?!

Irida sensed my genuine shock and seemed to simmer down somewhat. “It was weak, anyways,” she waved off Kleavor’s life like it was inconsequential. “It was barely a Noble and would’ve done little to help us in the war against the Diamond Clan. Why else do you think it discarded out in that useless patch of trees, surrounded by Diamond Clan territory?”

I thought Nobles were supposed to be the defining factor in their war, though? So, why care so little over one of only four? That put the Pearl Clan at one Noble to the Diamond Clan’s two. Was that not a big, big problem? Or was Irida hiding something?

“I don’t know why it didn’t work…” I said slowly. “Battling Kleavor should’ve exhausted it enough to dispel the energy.” At least, that was what the theory behind it was. Had we inadvertently achieved the right outcome with the wrong method? Why else wouldn’t it work on Kleavor?

Irida didn’t look convinced, but she shrugged and glanced back towards her Glaceon. “Oh well. You’ll have plenty of time to figure it out in the Coastlands.”

The Coastlands? I didn’t like where this was going…

“Come on,” she gestured towards Braviary. “Hop on.”

My eyes widened. “No way I’m getting on that thing!”

But Irida was steadfast and eventually got me to ride with her on Braviary. I mean, what else could I have done? Stubbornly refused only to get forcibly taken? At least I could recall my Pokémon this way so they wouldn’t be left behind.

We flew for quite a while. An hour if I had to estimate. By the time we landed, my legs and back were on fire. But at least Braviary had flown relatively low to escape the cold and my new fluffy snow hat kept my head warm.

I was thankful to retrieve my hands from around Irida’s waist and hop off. I stretched my arms out in relief and walked around to ease the ache in my legs. “How can you ride around that thing so much?” I worked the kinks out of my back while Irida petted Braviary’s snow-white mane. “I feel like I’ve just ridden a Mudsdale for hours on end.”

“I don’t feel pain,” Irida turned her gaze onto me. I had thought her blue eyes were like water when I first saw her, but now I saw them in an icier hue. “Who’s Mudsdale?”

“Not who. What. Mudsdale is a Pokémon,” I sighed at the recurring topic. No matter what, it seemed, I’d always slip up. “But whatever. Now what?”

Irida cocked her head at me. “Do you know of many Pokémon outside of Hisui?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “I mean… I guess?”

The stare lingered for a moment. “We’re in Spring Path. You’re surrounded from the north, the south, and the west by tall unscalable cliffs. A bay lies to the east. Don’t be mistaken into thinking you can ride that Bibarel out into the open ocean. I have powerful clan members guarding the sands.”

It seems she’d considered the possibility I’d try to escape the second I could. “Okay.”

“I have errands to run,” Irida moved to mount Braviary again but paused mid-step. “Explore Spring Path and Islespy Shore all you like. Try to escape if you dare- I won’t punish you. It’d be good training for my security. But know that even if you do slip by…” her features tightened, “you’ll only end up deep within Pearl Clan territory. No one will help you.”

“Wait,” I perked up slightly in realisation. “You’re leaving?!”

Irida sat atop Braviary’s back and peered at me from behind its neck. “For now. I will be back for you soon, don’t doubt that.”

With that, Braviary stretched its wings and took flight. I watched it gain altitude and, for a split second, I was sorely tempted to try and throw my last empty Poké Ball up at it. If I hit, Irida would fall from the sky as Braviary was sucked in.

But it was too far to even attempt it, and murdering the Pearl Clan leader within her own territory was bound to go wrong anyways. Besides… I just couldn’t bring myself to take another’s life.

I sighed and took a deep look at my surroundings. I appeared to have been deposited within a narrow valley nestled between two giant cliffs. There were lush trees surrounding me and Pokémon like Mothim were everywhere. I could taste a slight hint of salt in the air. Wormadam lowered themselves from tree branches- tethered by tiny strings of silk- and would stare for a moment before shooting back up into the leaves. I saw Graveler rolling around on cliff edges.

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My immediate thought had been to try and climb out, but that was quickly put out of my mind. Irida had obviously accounted for that and, even if I managed it, I had zero idea where I actually was. She did mention a bay, however- Islespy Shore-, that was probably next to the ocean. Perhaps going there to get my bearings was a start.

I used the sun to orient myself. East, did she say the bay was? Unfortunately, I could only go north or south in my current location, but it did look like the valley curved around towards the east in both directions.

On a whim, I decided to pick north and started walking.

I released all of my Pokémon when I set off. Bibi came out first and made his signature deep cry before absent-mindedly turning his head to check out his new surroundings. Edith emerged talons raised and screeching but soon realised I wasn’t actually in any danger, bless her. Golett stood to attention and followed behind me and Ralts clambered onto its shoulder to keep watch.

We soon discovered that I wouldn’t be let alone. The many, many Mothim that were flittering around the trees apparently took offense to my presence and would often attack in small groups. Contrary to the wild Pokémon we had fought in the past, these Mothim curiously weren’t bothered much by my Pokémon and instead made a straight dash for me.

They were strong, but Edith was viciously tearing into their frail bodies with her flying type attacks and Bibi had me covered with Protect. Ralts helped out from Golett’s shoulder, but when the clay-Pokémon stepped forward, I told him to stop. “Let the others fight,” I commanded. “Just make sure I stay safe in case any break through.”

I needed to stop relying on Golett. At least, until the rest of my team caught up somewhat. Our near-miss with Lilligant had taught me that much. Honestly, I doubted Golett would ever be dethroned as my most powerful team member- such was the advantage of being man-made, even back when technology barely existed- but at least leaving him out of fights would allow the rest to grow faster.

Interestingly, the Mothim were utterly ignoring my Pokémon. Such was their obsession with attacking me that they would offer a terribly distracted counter-offense when confronted by Edith. Ralts was shooting Psybeam after Psybeam and clambering all over Golett’s head and shoulders to get better angles. Bibi was holding up with Protect but seemed to be growing weaker as each attack-

Two of the three Mothim shattered Bibi’s Protect and barrelled toward me. A dense weight clamped around my head and my vision blurred and exploded into pink circles and abstract shapes. I groaned and clutched my head as a needle-like pain scattered across my skull. I felt dizzy. A vague sense of self yelled in the background of my misery. Psychic.

A Bug Bite was stopped just shy of my neck when Golett’s arm snapped out and grabbed at one of the Mothim’s four wings. Bibi headbutted it over and over while it furiously tried to lurch itself forward to bite into my flesh. I fell to my knees. The pain was incredible. It shattered all rational thought and left me a distant husk obsessed only with the agony inside my mind. I think I groaned something out loud, but had no idea what I’d said.

I heard a faint song-like screech and the pain in my head instantly vanished. My eyes opened. Vision returned. Edith had finished off the third Mothim and had intercepted the one that had been using Psychic on my mind. The other in Golett’s hand was chirping and buzzing incessantly and kept throwing arcing white blades of air at me- Air Slash- which Bibi was dutifully blocking for me between Headbutts.

Ralts and Edith managed to defeat the second Mothim and, with their combined might, helped Bibi to finally finish off the third. I sighed in relief when the bug/flying type fell to the ground and resisted the urge to throw up. Adrenaline combined with the nausea after-effects from Psychic made for a pretty horrible tincture. I used Golett to help bring me to my feet and nodded my thanks to my team. “Let’s go before anymore attack,” I smiled at each member to let them know I was thankful. “Those three might want to give chase when they recover, too. Let’s not wait around for that.”

I took a step, only to moan when the nausea intensified. “Actually… I don’t think I can move right now.”

I remember suddenly feeling a deep respect to all Pokémon who could tank these attacks like they were nothing. Or maybe they just expressed pain in a way that I, as a human, couldn’t recognise?

My legs felt unstable. I needed to sit down. But Golett surprised me by scooping me up into its arms and lifting me onto its shoulders. I almost retched at the sudden movements, but patted the top of Golett’s head when I settled. I was riding the clay-Pokémon piggy-back. Its hands were securing my legs and I held onto its head for support. Ralts Teleported onto my shoulder and I immediately winced at his weight. “Whoa, there, buddy. You’re ridiculously heavy for something so small!”

Ralts chirped in what I interpreted as an apology and Teleported onto Bibi’s back. Edith perched onto the Bibarel’s head and started ruffling through his fur with her beak. I watched in amazement as Bibi spurted a small amount of water from his mouth and Ralts used some form of telekinesis to condense it into a sparkling aria that he then used to smother a patch of missing fur from when Bibi had caught an errant Air Slash.

“What kind of move is that?” I marvelled at Ralts display of power. He was learning a new move, it seemed, entirely of his own volition. I gasped aloud when he diverted some of the aria towards my head and felt a cold but soothing sensation drench my skull. The nausea eased a little. “A healing move?”

That would be useful.

With Golett carrying me and Bibi carrying Edith and Ralts, we set off once more.

This time, be it because of my proximity to Golett maybe, no more Pokémon attacked. Here in Spring Path, the wild Pokémon seemed quite harmonious towards one another. I wondered why that was. Usually, there would be the odd cry of pain or panic as an unfortunate soul was caught by a predator Pokémon, but here they were all safe. “Probably why there’s so many blasted Mothim around,” I grumbled. “No predators to keep their populations low and now they’re all cocky for it.”

It took a few tense passings of Mothim hordes before I was able to start relaxing. Golett’s movements were rhythmic and I felt a humming warmth encapsulate my body. There were slight grinding and gear-like sounds softly wafting from its internal furnace and its eyes were growing brighter as it kept recovering more and more energy after its defeat to Lilligant. That would no doubt become more useful as it grew. Already, the torch-like beams flowing from his enlarging eyes were now more like spotlights.

There was a slight pause at a nearby pond where we encountered a colony of Toxicroak gathered around the water. The evolved version of Croagunk rose to around chest-height and were incredibly humanoid in body shape. They had three fingers tipped with red venom injectors and sported a permanent cheeky grin on their faces.

There were a few hunkered together- like campers around a fire- making these wheezy laugh noises at each other. One had its head poking out of the water and was licking its own eyeballs with its tongue. Another was lazing on its back like a Snorlax, napping. Its red, venom-filled, sac inflated and deflated rhythmically with its breaths.

I caught sight of Bibarel, too. They had formed a crescent shaped dam to cordon off their half of the pond from the Toxicroak and were belly-up in the water with newly born Bidoof on their stomachs. A good number of them were resting on the pond bank. One caused a momentary stir when it rolled into the pond and caused a big splash. It sputtered and emerged from the stirred-up waters, shook the droplets off of its fur, and then went right back to sleep.

Looked about right.

Bibi cried out upon sighting his fellow comrades and started waddling over to greet them. I hissed at him to stop- there were Toxicroak everywhere!- but he either didn’t hear or completely ignored me and soldiered on. “Golett,” I sighed. My ride complied silently.

Golett and I kept an eye on the Toxicroak as we followed Bibi. His passengers, Edith and Ralts, barely seemed aware of the danger. I wanted to yell out to them, but feared doing so would break a metaphorical dam and send the Toxicroak running. There were easily enough to overpower us and, considering the strength of those Mothim, were strong enough to take us down with relative ease- Golett aside.

A few Toxicroak looked our way. Some even met my eyes. But they were quick to dismiss us and continue about their day. Even the same species that had rather angrily spat water at us back at Tidewater Dam were utterly complacent here, too. Bibi clambered over their dam and mingled among the Bibarel who took his presence in their stride. They didn’t even seem to care that Edith and Ralts were there, either.

The eye-licking Toxicroak that was submerged in the pond trudged out and approached Golett. The clay-Pokémon offered the wild poison/fighting type a hand and, to my surprise, the wild Pokémon actually accepted it. But when Golett’s fingers clasped around it, Toxicroak shot its hand back and raised it to its mouth with a cackle.

Did it… just play a prank?

It… looked like it was very proud, too.

“At least I don’t look like I’m wearing lipstick,” I muttered to myself. Golett didn’t seem all that offended thankfully. If it lashed out with a revenge punch, I’d have given myself seven seconds before getting bombed by Toxicroak’s compatriots.

We mingled for a bit. To be honest, I found myself loving the small refuge we had found by the pond. So long as I sat atop Golett, none of the Pokémon were bothered by me and I felt protected by so many Toxicroak around us. It was shameful, I knew, but I had to try and relax else I’d simply wither in stress and worry.

But there was no stopping the blooming pang I felt in my chest whenever my thoughts turned to Akari and Laventon. I was worried about them. Irida claimed she left them unharmed, but could I believe her? If so, what were they doing now?

Would they try to find me? Or would The Galaxy Team think it too risky to incite the Pearl Clan by rescuing me? I found the latter more likely.

It looked like I was stuck here, playing Irida’s game. I just had to hope that she’d let me go unhurt.

To put it simply. My fate was in her hands.