Chapter 7: Meeting Cerise.

'Welcome to Grace Forest. The friendliest forest yet!' Says the sign attached to a random tree. In the forest, Grass and Flying types roam around the area while some Water types swim in the lakes peacefully. They communicate with each other and relax throughout the entire scenery. Nearby the sign lies a feline creature with light blue skin colored at the front of her body (black at the rear back), large oval ears, and has yellow eyes: Shinx. The Shinx stares at what seems to be a Pokemon egg next to her, sighing in disbelief.

"Well this is great. After the battle between me and that blasted angel awhile back, my mistress and I got separated by her secret surprise attack!" The Shinx says, shaking her head. "And thus, how I met you, random egg." The Shinx tosses the egg up and catches it with her tail, looking at it. "I would leave you by the decaying log to rot, but I might need something to snack on later...Just to let you know." The Shinx then realizes what she's doing. "Why am I talking to an egg?" She looks up to the sky, lowering down her ears. "Maybe it's because this is the only thing I can talk to in this world…" The Shinx looks at the ground while mobbing, sighing heavily. "I miss you, mistress…"

Soon the Shinx blinks curiously before gasping in surprise. She paces around eagerly, looking in every direction. "I sense her! I sense my mistress nearby...I hope!" The Shinx then sets the egg onto her back, holding it with her tail. "Come on, egg! Time for me to reunite with her at long last!" The Shinx then takes off immediately, heading towards a village up ahead.

. . .

Iris' ship continue to sail across the Pirate Sea, Ashen steering the wheel while Mark and Jimmy help Lucas remove the statue in front of the ship. Inside of the room, Iris, Anna and Natalie are shown laughing during a conversation; Iris lying down on the right cot with her paws behind her head, Anna sitting on the left cot, and Natalie relaxing next to Anna.

"So why did Ego embarrass Maza like that?" Anna asks.

Iris snickers. "Maybe he just wanted to find her weakness. So shouting her crush on Lawrence out loud was one of them."

"Haha. I may do that when Lucas tries to hit on Carly again."

Iris blinks at the Ninetales. "Oh really?" The Dragonite says into curiosity. Natalie nods her.

"Yep! Haven't you seen the conversation he had with her?" Natalie says with a smirk.

"He clearly tried to impress her with his 'bravery' and 'heroic' ways, only to fail miserably when me and Ashen called him out." Anna comments with a giggle following along.

Iris smirks and shakes her head. "I see. So even till this day, he's still trying to hit on her, huh?" The Dragonite snickers once more.

"Yep! And from here on, I'll be teasing him about her planning to eat him." Anna says with a smug look on her face.

"Now that's just cruel."

The girls continue their gigglefest, all sighing in happiness at the end. Iris then takes her eyes on Natalie.

"So Natalie, you still don't remember how you heal yourself and the other two?" The Dragonite asks the Zorua. Natalie shakes her head.

"Not a thing...Sorry." Natalie says, looking down.

Iris sighs. "It's alright. We'll figure it out soon, okay?" The Zorua looks at Iris and nods. Anna cuddles the Zorua, making her feel comfortable.

"And by the way, Iris...I saw Mark carrying a bow after saving me from Alro but never questioned it...Nor did the others in the Noctis Village, now that I think about it..." Natalie shrugs awkwardly. "Weird...but anyway, I'm not so sure on what they are."

Iris blinks at the Zorua. "Oh. That. Well…" The Dragonite then goes to explain to Natalie about the existence of Weapon Mischief along with Marvel. The Zorua thinks for a moment before nodding.

"I see...They seem like pretty nifty objects!" Natalie says happily.

"Indeed, they are." Anna says, agreeing with the Zorua.

Meanwhile, Lucas and the other two begin their last push, removing the statue completely as it floats away. The three pant while Lucas sighs heavily.

"Well...there goes my...hard work..." Lucas says with tears building up in his eyes. Ashen sighs and rubs the Furret's back.

"It'll be fine, Lucas."

"B-But...my dedicated work. She asked us to build it for her since we first got this ship…" Lucas hits the side of the ship. "ONLY FOR HER TO TOSS IT AWAY LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!" Tears stream down like waterfalls as he whines. Ashen and the other two sweatdrop as they look at him. Lucas then sniffles and wipes the tears off from his face. Someday, I'll get you back for this, Iris. I don't know how but I'll find a way! He thinks while Ashen continues to rub his back.

"Again, it'll be alright...Maybe next time we build something, it has to be...well...small." Ashen shrugs, unsure of what to say next. Lucas looks at the Linoone with puppy eyes.

"S-Sure, I guess…" Things become quiet for a moment before Lucas continues to speak. "A-Anyway, removing that thing was tough, mate."

Mark and Jimmy nod in agreement. "Yeah. Even for Fighting types like me and Mark, this statue is no joke when it comes to weight." Jimmy says with a laugh. "Took us like an hour in a half to get rid of that outrageous heavy thing!" Mark looks at the statue floating away, feeling uneasy about it.

"I-I hope that statue doesn't harm other travelers along the way…" The Riolu says, gulping afterwards. Lucas looks at him, scratching the side of his head while snickering.

"Heh. I'm sure that nothing bad will happen if they see the statue aiming towards their way." The eye-patched Furret says as Mark shrugs, sighing in relief. "Anyway, thanks for helping me get rid of the statue, you two. I could've done it all by myself, since I knew why Iris got mad at me for leaving it intact, heh heh…"

Mark blinks curiously. "And why's that?"

"Erm...because the statue was making it obvious that we're pirates...and we don't want any townsfolk potentially reporting us for it, heh heh…" Lucas sweatdrops while the other two blink at him, shocked to what he's said.

"Wait, you guys are pirates!?" Mark and Jimmy say, surprises filling throughout their bodies. Ashen holds his head down, hearing the conversation in front of him as he sails. Lucas smiles gleefully.

"Why yes we are, fellow mates!"

"Cool!" Mark says excitedly.

"Oh dear." Jimmy says worriedly. "Um, aren't pirates considered enemies of the O.P. government? Since most of them do criminal related activities?" The red scarfed Heracross asks, looking rather confused. Lucas scratches the side of his head.

"Uh...yeah." Lucas turns to look at Ashen.

"No matter how good they may be…the O.P. government would most certainly be biased on every single pirate. So yeah, we're considered their enemies despite not having done anything pirate related yet." Ashen says, shrugging awkwardly. Jimmy felt uneasy as Mark stares at the Linoone.

"That's not good." The Riolu winces.

"If that's the case, then I don't want to become a pirate." Jimmy says.

"Y-Yeah. I-I don't want to deal with those huge groups of Pokemon, if they really are a group." Mark trembles.

Lucas shrugs. "You...really have no choice, mate. Especially for you, Mark. You and Natalie have no one to take care of you besides us."

Mark stops trembling and sighs. "Yeah, you do got a p-point there…"

"And you chose to stay for the cooking, right Jimmy?" Lucas smiles, trying to enlighten the mood.

"Err...agreed, I guess. But I didn't expect us to become pirates just like that." Jimmy says, feeling more uneasy. "Feels rather forced, to be honest."

"Well, you're pirates now. Welcome aboard the crew. Hope you enjoy." Ashen says, having a bead of sweat by the side of his face before continuing to steer the wheel. Mark and Jimmy have the same sweat as well, looking at the Linoone in a very uneasy manner.

"Anyway, thanks again for helping me, you two." Lucas says with a smile.

"U-Um, you're welcome, Lucas..." Mark says, being a bit cautious.

"Call my name in case you need help on anything else." Jimmy says calmly but a bit cautiously as well.

"Will do, mate." Lucas replies. Then the two Pokemon go towards the ship's room calmly. Lucas stops by the pole holding up the mast and soon sees something moving from the top. "Hmm?" The Furret blinks. "Hey! Who goes there!?"

Within a flash, a green blob-like creature leaps off from the top, screaming as the creature lands on Lucas' face. Lucas makes some muffling sounds as he tries to get the blob off from him. Ashen whistles to himself, not hearing the drama going on behind him. Then his fluffy ear flickers to his brother's muffling of all sounds and sighs softly.

"Lucas, if this is another one of your antics, I'm not going to look." The Linoone says, continuing to steer. Lucas' muffling becomes louder and louder as he bumps against the pole. Ashen then turns around due to the bumping. "Alright. If this is a trick again, then I'll have to-" Ashen notices the situation and his eyes widen. "SAVE YOU ON A SWEET HONEY TRAIN! Lucas!" Ashen dashes to the Furret to help him as he tries to pull the green blob off but couldn't. "It's stuck!"

Mark and Jimmy stop for a moment, hearing the noises behind them. "You...hear that, young fella?" Jimmy asks.

Mark nods. "Yeah. I do." The two Pokemon then turn around, seeing Ashen trying to aid the Furret. They gasp and immediately rush to the situation.

Back to the room, Anna flickers her ears, hearing some muffled and grunted sounds coming from the outside. "Uhh. Do you two hear anything?" Anna asks. Natalie blinks at the Ninetales and yawns.

"I don't think so." She says, leaning her head down against Anna's back. Iris shakes her head.

"I don't hear anything, either." The Dragonite replies. Anna thinks for a moment.

"Huh. Could've sworn that I heard som-" Suddenly, Lucas' screams loudly, leading the three Pokemon to yelp and stare at the door.

Then the three rush out of the door to see Jimmy pulling the blob-like creature off, Mark tugging right behind him. Iris and the other two's eyes widens in confusion.

"The hell am I looking at?" Iris says, raising her brow.

Anna shakes her head slowly. "I have no idea of what's going on right now."

"Same…" Natalie says, cringing uncomfortably while sweatdropping.

Soon, Jimmy finally pulls the green blob off from Lucas' face, holding the creature while falling onto Mark. Lucas gasps for air, putting his paw on Ashen's shoulder.

"Oh my blimey! That felt like I was drowning. Like the time Octo and Pus were choking us, brother!" Lucas says, groaning uncomfortably. "Not being able to breathe...nor see the light of day...nor-"

"We get the point, Lucas." Anna says bluntly. Lucas looks at the Ninetales cutely as he chuckles nervously. Jimmy soon hears grunting sounds as the blob-like creature struggles to move.

"Hmm? Who's grunting?" Jimmy asks. He is then tapped by the side and looks behind him, seeing Mark being sat on.

"Th-That would be m-me." Mark says, groaning once more.

"Oh. My apologies, Mark." Jimmy gets off from the Riolu, letting him stretch in freedom.

Soon everyone looks at the creature, confused by its existence as the green blob remains restrained in Jimmy's grasp. Natalie taps on the Dragonite's leg.

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"Hey Iris, what is that thing over there?" Natalie asks. Iris shakes her head.

"I don't know." She answers.

"What? I mean, don't you sorta know every single Pokemon species on Solark?" Anna says, blinking a bit confusedly. "Well, technically we all should know but still…" Iris shrugs in a unsure manner.

"Well, it's just that...I never seen that kind of Pokemon before. In fact, I don't know if it's even a Pokemon or what..." Iris says, scratching the side of her head.

"I mean, it looks like a Pokemon to me." Ashen says, shrugging.

"Hmm, I don't know...Maybe we should ask it." Iris walks towards the creature in Jimmy's grasp. The green blob stops struggling and looks at Iris, blinking curiously. "Hey. Who are you?"

The blob didn't say anything for a moment before speaking in a calm male voice. "I...I don't know who I am…"

"WHAT!?" Everyone says, shocked by the answer.

"Um...Do you at least know your name?" Mark asks. The blob shakes his head.

"I...don't recall having one."

Mark puts his hand against his chin, thinking curiously. "Hmm. Maybe he must have amnesia just like Natalie. When me and my sister first met her." Natalie gazes at the Riolu.

"Yeah but I know my name...he doesn't." Natalie says, making a point in the discussion.

"True."

Anna puts her paw underneath her chin, sitting rather calmly. "Hmm...How about we give him a name then?" Anna suggests. Everyone looks at her and nods.

"Yes. If the 'Pokemon' himself agrees with it." Ashen points out as he stares at the creature. "Are you?" The blob nods smoothly.

"I suppose so. Just to make things easier on all of us..." The blob says, smiling slightly.

Everyone soon begins to think up different names to call the blob. Lucas snaps his fingers after coming up with one.

"Green Blob of Doom will be his name, mateys!" He shouts. Everyone, even the blob-like creature, forms a bead of sweat by the side of their faces. Feeling rather embarrassed by the thought of such a name.

Anna shakes her head. "Hell no." Anna and Iris both say immediately.

"B-But it resembles who he is! He's a black spot, almost suffocating me!"

"No. We're not calling him a death threat because of the incident, Lucas." Iris says, squinting her eyes at the Furret. Lucas sighs heavily.

"Oh alright." Lucas looks away angrily, puffing his lips adorably. Anna squints her eyes at the Furret, giving him a stern look.

"Well, how about the name Greeny?" Natalie says. The four Pokemon cringe at the name.

"E-Erm...sounds silly, Natalie." Mark says, rubbing his arm.

"Oh…" Natalie looks down from the reactions.

"U-Um...not as silly and ridiculous as what Lucas suggested!"

Lucas glances at the Riolu and yells, "Oi! It was supposed to be a pirate name, for crying out loud, mate!" Natalie raises her brow and gazes at Lucas.

"A pirate name?" The Zorua asks.

"Yeah. Since we're pirates, mate!"

"Wait, you guys are pirates!?" Natalie's eyes widens a bit.

"Yeah...Forgot to mention that to ya, little Zorua…" Iris says, scratching the back of her head. She then looks at the blob-like creature, who seems to feel even more uneasy due to the conversation. "...Oh right, we were in the middle of giving you a name. Um…" Anna looks at Natalie.

"I'll explain everything later, Natalie. Right now, let's focus on him, alright?" Anna suggests. Natalie nods slowly with concerns.

"Okay…" She says.

"So anyways, how about the name Green Star? He kinda look like a star to me." Ashen says. Anna slowly stares at him, blinking with big concerns while raising her brow.

"Are you just...absorbing some of Lucas' stupidity now?" Anna says, glancing at the Linoone.

"Sorry...Just trying to think of something creative to say."

"And how does that thing look anything like a star to you!?" Anna points at the blob with one of her tails. Ashen shrugs in a uneasy manner.

"I mean, look at the red dot. It's like the sun, which is a star!" Lucas blurts. Anna slowly has one of her tails lean against her face, shaking her head in disappointment. Jimmy and the blob raise their brow at Lucas, giving him an odd look.

The Dragonite begins to think for a moment, staring at the red dot on the blob's belly. She then smiles warmly. "I know the perfect name for you. How about Cerise?" Iris says confidently. Everyone stares at her, becoming peculiar about the name.

"Cerise? Why's that, Iris?" Anna asks.

Iris looks at her and says, "Because there's a red dot on his stomach, and cerise is a shade of red. Sounds like a silly reasoning to give someone that name but at least the name itself fits him for that purpose.". Anna thinks for a moment before beginning to nod.

"Now that I think about it, that does sound like a good name to suit him." She then looks at everyone else. "How about you guys?"

Mark and Natalie nod. "Sounds cool to me." The Riolu says happily. Ashen nods as well, agreeing.

"Yeah. I agree with the Riolu." Ashen says. Jimmy nods and says he agrees as well. Iris then looks at the blob.

"How about you? Would you like your name to be Cerise?" Iris asks. The green blob-like creature thinks for a moment, looking at his red dot before nodding at Iris.

"Sure. I'll accept the name for now...until I find out who I really am." Cerise, the green blob, says. Iris smiles softly.

"Glad to see that you agree on it."

Cerise smiles back as Lucas huffs. "Green Blob of Doom could've been the better name, though…" The Furret says, frowning. Anna snarls at him.

"Shut up, Lucas." She says, glaring at the Furret. Lucas looks at her, yelping and saluting immediately.

"Aye aye, sir-I mean, madam!"

Anna shakes her head at the Furret as Lucas sweats and jitters. Cerise looks at Jimmy, noticing that he's still holding him and becomes uncomfortable.

"Um...It would be nice if you put me down, please." Cerise says. Jimmy blinks for a moment.

"Oh. My apologies." The Heracross says as he puts Cerise down. Cerise sighs in relief, finally being free from the Heracross' grasp and gazes up at Iris.

"So what're you guys' names?" Cerise asks softly.

"Iris." The Dragonite says as everyone else goes and introduces themselves as well.

Cerise smiles at them. "Nice to meet you guys, too."

Suddenly, Iris hears a telepathic call noise in her head.

"Hmm? Seems like someone is calling me through telepathy." Iris says as she goes to close her eyes. The gang looks at her while she answers the call. "Hello?" She says in her mind.

From the call, she sees an visual image of Ego in his home next to his bed, having his eyes closed as well. "Iris, you there? This is Ego here."

The Dragonite raises her brow. "Hey, Ego. Why did you call me?"

Ego coughs a bit before he continues. "Just wanted to let you know that I saw a green figure jump onto your ship. Don't know if my eyes are deceiving me or not..."

"Uhh…" Iris shrugs. "Yeah, We've got a green blob here."

"Oh. What is it then?"

"I don't know."

"Does it know what it is?"

"No, sadly. We're trying to figure that out together."

"Ah, I see."

"Anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"Hmm...Oh yeah. Sorry to say this but I have misspoken of Maple Town's location."

"Excuse me?"

"It's not in the Pirate Sea. It's, I meant to say, in the East of the Aurora Ocean. Far from the Pirate Sea. The description of the place is still the same so no need to worry on that end."

Iris slowly facepalms. "Well then...Should've told me that before I left the village."

"Hey, sorry. As old as I am, I'm gonna forget some things." The Slowking grins.

"Even though you're a Psychic type?"

"Yep. Not all Psychic types are capable of remembering almost anything from time to time, just to let you know."

Iris sighs softly. "Anyway, thanks for the conversation, Ego."

"Anytime, Iris."

Soon, the telepathic call cuts the visual image off and Iris opens her eyes, staring at everyone. Anna walks up to her.

"So who called you?" Anna asks curiously.

"Ego. He told me that he saw Cerise...and he also reminded me of our primary location not being in the Pirate Sea but in the Aurora Ocean instead..." Iris shrugs.

"Oh. Well that's pretty damn far off."

Ashen's eyes widen. "Tell me about it!"

Soon, Iris goes to look at Cerise. "Anyway, Cerise, I wanted to ask you something." Cerise looks at the Dragonite, tilting his head slightly.

"Yes?" He says.

"Why did you board my ship? Just wondering."

Cerise looks at Mark and Natalie, sorrow drowning his face before staring back at Iris. "Well...just to follow these two…"

"Hmm…?" Iris looks at Mark and Natalie for a moment then back at Cerise. "Why do you want to follow them?" Cerise shrugs.

"Because I...feel bad for them...having their only guardian killed off like that…"

"Wait, you knew about that?" Iris asks, forming a stern look.

Cerise nods slowly. "Yes...I witnessed it all while I was roaming around the forest, lost…" Cerise stares at Mark, wincing. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mark…"

The Riolu's eyes widen, gritting his teeth and gripping his fist. Natalie notices the rage boiling within Mark and hugs him drastically. Mark lets one tear slide from his face, letting out a sigh as he calms down slowly. Cerise and the crew gaze at the two, feeling crushed while watching them. Everything seem quiet for a moment before Anna begins to speak.

"So Iris...where are we sailing to?" She asks.

"To a nearby town or village for now, I guess." Iris says, shrugging awkwardly. Natalie stops hugging Mark and gazes at Anna.

"Oh, Anna. I almost forgot...Can you explain to me on why you guys are pirates?" Natalie says, blinking confusedly. Anna shrugs while laughing nervously.

"Alright. Well you see-" Anna walks away, chatting with the Zorua as she follows. Ashen heads back to the steering wheel and steers the ship. Iris takes a glanced look at the Furret.

"I suppose you're the reason for telling Jimmy and Mark that we're pirates as well." Iris says with a bit of a snarl. "Just don't go around any villages or towns, shouting 'we're pirates' all over the place. Alright?" Lucas gulps and salutes.

"N-No worries, princess." Lucas says, having the Dragonite folding her arms and glaring at him due to the word 'princess'. "I-I mean, boss! Heh heh…" Lucas sweatdrops, trembling a bit. "It won't happen! I'll guarantee ya, mate!"

Iris sighs, shaking her head with a soft smile. "You know, I'm sometimes happy that I let you tag along with me. You're something, Lucas. Pretty big something alright…"

"Hehe. Thanks." Lucas chuckles cutely. Then soon, Ashen's voice roars the two's attention.

"Hey Iris! I see land up ahead!" Ashen shouts. Iris rushes towards Ashen's side along with Lucas. She and the other five see some houses and a sign saying 'Verdant Village: What else could be worth more than staying in our peaceful mirth?'.

"...Um, why do I get a sense of restriction from that place now…?" Iris says, feeling uneasy.

"Who knows? Maybe it means that they love peace." Jimmy says.

"Eh...Maybe."

Cerise begins to tap on Iris's leg with his tail and she stares at him. "Hey Iris, I've been wondering about this but...we're pirates?" Cerise asks.

Iris shrugs and says, "Yeah...Lucas seems to repeat it a lot so, it should be obvious that we are.".

"Hmm...oh well. Not much I can say about it."

Iris raises her brow. "Despite the whole government thing?"

Cerise tilts his head a bit. "What government?"

"Err, let me explain it to you. You see…"

. . .

In the Corruption Realm, Alro and the others seem to be preparing themselves or socializing with each other. Then Misstrike creates a sudden gasp, her eyes beginning to turn pure black. Sebastian looks at Misstrike, concerned about her action.

"What's wrong?" The Serperior asks.

"T-The three Marvel Mischiefs! They're heading towards a place called 'Verdant Village'." Misstrike answers, sighing as her eyes go back to normal. Sebastian nods, looking at Alro.

"Alright then. We should prepare our little team and take whoever wields those Mischiefs out. We don't know if they're powerful or not but if they are, then be ready." Alro says with a grin. Clemence nods, agreeing with the crazy Malamar.

"I'll go get the rest of the Malamar soldiers. For the meantime, you guys wait here." Clemence says before she gazes at Alro. "By the way, didn't I mention that you look dashing today?" Alro gazes back at her, winking.

"Why, you haven't before. Or at least I assume. Either way, thanks for the compliment." Alro chuckles.

Clemence giggles softly before floating off in another direction. Meanwhile, Sebastian slithers towards Dead Snow and Nexus, the two leaning against a black wall. Everyone else is minding their own business.

"So Nexus...who is this true love you speak of?" Sebastian asks, curiosity spreading across his face. Nexus looks at him slowly, croaking silently before speaking.

"She's an Infernape named Eliza. She and I had an amazing time together. We'd trained together, ate together, and even supported each other on personal problems...Everything was going so well until these groups of Pokemon appeared out of nowhere and…" Nexus pauses for a moment, stabbing the ground with his fist. "Killed her right in front of me…"

Sebastian slightly glances at him as the Glaceon slowly gazes at the two. "Did you recognize the attackers appearance?" The Serperior questions.

"Ah...I believe they looked like a Blastoise, Golem, Kingdra, and two Metagrosses. I don't remember their names because they never mentioned them to me, but I do remember seeing the Blastoise wearing some stone on his necklace. Anyway, she and I couldn't take them on and we lost…" The Toxicroak grips his fist. "I'd asked myself, 'Why would Arceus do this to me? What did I ever do to deserve this? To deserve having my love being taken away…?'" Nexus becomes quiet for a moment before continuing to speak. "After that day, I've met Misstrike and joined this team because of her kind offer…"

"I see…" Sebastian pats the Toxicroak's back. "I feel sorry for your loss, Nexus. But you're not the only one suffering from Solark's cruelties." Nexus looks at him, giving him a brief stare before sighing. The Glaceon nods, agreeing with the Serperior.

"With a corrupted family and a member betraying you, I couldn't agree more." Dead Snow says. Sebastian looks at her, blinking curiously.

"What happened in your family?" Sebastian asks.

"My mother was batshit insane with her unnecessary punishments and tried to nearly kill me and my siblings at times. And my father, well...he tend to have suicidal thoughts and baited my mother in trying to save him a lot...I couldn't trust either of them because of the vicious actions these two performed. The only two members I trusted were my sister, Charlotte the Espeon, and my brother, Seth the Flareon." Dead stares at the ground, squinting her eyes. "I thought I could trust them until one day...I saw my brother kill my sister. His paws being covered in her blood as he looked at me with terror in his eyes. I was furious that he would do such a thing. That he would be crazy just like my mother and father. He told me that he didn't kill her but I didn't believe him and killed him with all my might and hatred." She then glances at Sebastian. "I escaped after my father witnessed me murdering my brother and met Misstrike. She offered me to join this organization and I did...Till that day forth, I've never heard of my family ever again."

"I see..." The Serperior sighs heavily. "That's a burden to carry if I ever heard of such."

"Oh trust me…" The Glaceon grits her teeth, looking down at the ground. "It is…"

"I know how exactly you feel when it comes to family issues." Sebastian snarls. "In fact, my family despise me for things I didn't commit back in the Solar Village. Such as assuming that I stole some lady's belongings when really it was some bullies that like to pick on me and my friend. They're the ones causing all the drama in the village and even when they're caught, the adults took it lightly on them."

Nexus looks at Sebastian. "Sorry to interrupt you but you mentioned about having a 'friend'?" Nexus says, tilting his head slightly.

Sebastian gazes back. "Yes...She was a Feebas named Helena. No one liked her because of her appearance. The bullies there especially love to pick on her because of such. But despite all of that, she remained calm and focused, setting her priorities to join the Savior Unit one day. She never let those negativity gets to her and that's why I admire her. She was the only person I got to stick closely to in that village...but then at some point in time…" Sebastian pauses for a moment, looking down. "I hurt her heart by leaving the Solar Village after setting it on fire, mainly the bullies' homes. The flames ended up spreading throughout the entire village and I saw the look on Helena's eyes. Still remembering the tears slowly dripping from her eyes as she said to me, 'Why?'" Sebastian soon wipes a tear off from his face, shaking his head. "I left without answering her question and met this here team, thanks to Misstrike." Dead Snow notices the sorrow drenching out of the Serperior and hugs him.

"We got each other now, Sebastian...Our past friends, families and true loves are no longer with us." Dead says. Sebastian looks at the Glaceon and hugs back with his tiny hands.

Later on, Clemence returns to the group with about five Malamars. "Alright, darlings. I've chosen about five more Malamars to bring on this mission." Clemence says. Alro claps his scythe-like hands.

"Excellent! Then we'll be on our merry way to that village, baby! Let's go!" Alro yells, feeling quite excited and confident as Clemence giggles with joy. Sebastian, Dead and Nexus look at the group.

"Looks like they're ready, guys. Let's get moving." Sebastian suggests, stretching his serpentine body. The other two nod and head towards the group, the Serperior following along swiftly.

Soon, Misstrike closes her eyes and dark mist forms around her and everyone else, all disappearing within it.

End of Chapter 7.