It was evening by the time Silvally managed to make it to Treeshroud Forest. Exhausted from the long run, he stumbled through that shimmering rift in space and stepped into the ever-changing landscape of the Dungeons.

His first goal was to find food. He staggered through the trees, hunger gnawing at his insides. He grimaced but carried on. He wasn't going to find food if he just fell to the ground and waited.

Despite his weakened condition, he managed to take down several small Pokémon with relative ease. His stomach growled as he loomed over their defeated forms, defenceless before him.

Should he eat them? It would help him immensely, and they had attacked him first after all. The more he thought about it, the more he hated the idea. They were just defending their territory, and reacting to a stranger in their homes.

Even if the base idea was immoral on its own, eating them raw would likely make him sick. He didn't have nearly enough energy remaining to cook them properly. Besides, they were people too… Maybe. It felt wrong to consume what could possibly be a sapient being. Maybe they just hadn't been taught how to speak.

Silvally left the downed Pokémon behind, and continued. The path he was on spat him out in another clearing and near the middle sat two apples. His steps were hesitant, and he looked around with a sharp gaze to spot any potential traps in the grass, or Pokémon that had set up an ambush for him.

There was no such thing. He lunged for the food and consumed it far too fast, enough that his stomach started to hurt. He fought through the pain and continued on anyway—this pain was nothing compared to what could happen if he stalled for too long. He had to get further. Once he cleared this, it was a straight shot to the more dangerous jungle further east; he knew he could lose them there.

The Mystery Dungeon seemed to blur by as he worked his way into the forest. Silvally made sure to collect anything he came across: seeds, berries, a gummi, a couple of orbs, and some of those annoying rocks that explorers loved to throw at him—they were pretty useful, he had to admit.

It had been a couple of hours at this point, and Silvally was exhausted. Luckily, it was late in the evening now. The sun was touching the horizon and the world was lit up in a beautiful display of oranges, reds, pinks, and purples. Silvally looked up at the sky through the odd shimmering layer of reality that separated the Mystery Dungeon from the rest of the world, admiring the colours that danced across the sky.

As awful as this world was sometimes, it was little moments like these that felt like everything was worth it, at least for a little while. He seated himself in a little grove, pulled out an Oran Berry to snack on, and watched the light fade from the sky. The healing properties of the Oran Berry worked through him, dulling the aches and pains in his mish-mash of a body. He sighed in satisfaction, able to properly enjoy the moment.

Soon enough the sun dipped over the horizon, leaving Silvally in a darkening dungeon. He had made his way through a good number of sections and shifts within the dungeon. There shouldn't be too many more to go at this point.

Silvally yawned sharply and winced from the twinge of pain in the hinge of his jaw. He shook his head and blinked hard several times, trying to wake himself up. His lack of sleep was catching up with him. He raised one of his front talons, looking down at the shaky limb with an annoyed sigh. Maybe he would take an hour or two to sleep before continuing on.

It's not like the explorers came after him in the night anyway. They never had before, so why would they now?

Silvally staggered forward and his vision grew dark around the edges, causing him to trip. He jerked his head up, and his eyes snapped open once more. It was then he realized that he needed to rest, whether he wanted to or not.

Clenching his jaw, the chimera Pokémon made his way to the closest barrier of bushes. His metal face shoved branches and bushes out of the way, and he staggered into them—he'd be safer here than in the open. He fell into the bushes and huffed, the wood and leaves feeling so much softer than they had any right to.

Maybe… He could afford just a few minutes.

He would be able to get away with a short nap. Then, he could keep going. All he had to do was get to the more dangerous forest before dawn. That would be simple.

His breathing evened out, and his eyes slipped closed. Sleep had a tight grip on him, and was dragging him deep into the depths of unconsciousness. The comforting warmth and darkness were a luxury he hadn't been able to appreciate for a few days now, aside from the short nap atop the mountain.

Silvally gave in to the natural urge to sleep and settled in for the night.

"OUTLAW! YOU'D BETTER RUN!"

That was, until an explosive shout ripped through the forest, the volume straining the barriers between reality and the dungeon. The ground rattled from the volume of the shout, leaves falling from the trees and sending Pokémon scattering. The sound itself carried a wave of energy that immediately had the chimera Pokémon wide awake. Beyond the volume of the sound, the bellow carried with it a power that forced Pokémon awake against their will.

Silvally bolted upright and fought through the bushes as quickly as his form would allow him, staggering back out into the clearing. He looked around, seeing nothing near him in the forest. That didn't matter though.

They were coming for him. He needed to run.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

The plan was simple. Exploud, Bibarel, and Dugtrio would go in first. Exploud would use Uproar in combination with a Roar at the entrance to the dungeon. This would send all the Pokémon running if they were smart.

Dugtrio would come into play next, burrow through the dungeon, and feel for vibrations of the retreating Pokémon. A weird thing about dungeons is when a Pokémon steps through to the next area of the dungeon, they vanish from the current area. Dugtrio could find where the Pokémon fleeing had vanished and then relay the information to Bibarel and Exploud. Then the trio could run to the next section far faster than any normal Pokémon would be able to find.

In addition to that, Dugtrio could tell Pokémon apart by how they walked. The vibrations their steps made let him know where and what everything was. He'd been chasing the Outlaw with the others often enough that he could narrow down exactly where he was among a group of Pokémon.

Bibarel, for his part, was acting as the defence of the group. He'd protect them if any Pokémon decided to head toward the earth-rattling voice instead of running away. Bibarel was fairly strong and could send Pokémon flying with a single hit of his tail.

The three would use their technique to rush through the Mystery Dungeon in an attempt to push the Outlaw out of hiding and force him out into the open.

Going in behind them would be Artemis. She was the backup—the heavy hitter meant to take out the Outlaw once and for all. She'd hang back and follow behind the three, covering their rears and ensuring that the Outlaw didn't attempt to take them out from behind.

If they did manage to get to the Outlaw, the Rollcall Orb each member of the team had would teleport everyone directly to him.

Wigglytuff was rather excited for his part in all of this. He hummed to himself and stood at the entrance of the dungeon. They could trust the Guildmaster to handle the Outlaw on his own, in the event he used an Escape Orb or backtracked passed the team.

Wigglytuff was having fun! It had been a while since he had been able to go on an adventure with his friends! Oh, he'd have to tell Chatot all about it when they got back to the guild.

Artemis… was mildly annoyed. It shouldn't take this much effort to take down one outlaw. She should have had him months ago, but the freak continued to slip away, using traps, tricks, and moves that would stun her long enough to escape. She'd much rather be in bed resting right now and was just slightly pissed about it.

Mew, however, wasn't in the dungeon at all. She was waiting near the Mysterious Jungle for the moment the Outlaw would be pushed from the Mystery Dungeon. If the others didn't capture him first, that is.

Artemis had warned Mew that the Outlaw was fast, cunning, and relentless. The pink feline merely giggled and waved a paw at Artemis. She had a plan for that. The Outlaw wasn't going to be any trouble for her.

No, if she ran into him, the legendary would flatten the Outlaw, she had no doubts about that.

So, plan in action, the four went into the dungeon. Artemis scouted around with her Agility-enhanced speed, while the trio bolted for the next section as fast as possible—Artemis followed after them. They worked through area after area, terrorizing the local Pokémon into finding the exit for them, and then raced toward it. It wouldn't be much time before they caught up to the Outlaw.

Sure enough, Dugtrio popped up in front of Exploud and Bibarel, startling the pair. He let them know that the Outlaw was just two rooms north, and that he was going to use his Rollcall Orb in moments.

"WE FOUND HIM!" Exploud cried out. The sound echoed around the forest for Artemis's benefit, letting her prepare for the teleport.

They all vanished in a flash of light.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

The booming shout that echoed around the forest had Silvally's heart leap into his throat. No, he had come so far! He was sure he was almost out of the forest now, just a few more sections and he would be free!

Silvally felt the ground under his feet shift, and he launched himself to the left to avoid the powerful attack from Dugtrio. Dirt shot into the air and peppered his fur as he skipped to the side. Silvally came to a halt and whirled around to face the tunnelling Pokémon. He knew from experience that water and grass attacks would be effective, and he began trying to string together techniques around that.

His plan came to a screeching halt when a flash of light filled the area. Stunned, Silvally reared back to cover his eyes, his sleep-deprived mind slogging through information as fast as he possibly could. The light gradually died down, and with it, Silvally felt his heart sink. Dread filled his being as he looked upon the clearing, his whole body shaking with nervous adrenaline.

Directly in front of him was the tunnelling Pokémon that had tried to attack him moments earlier. To his left stood the loud sound Pokémon, the one that continually tried to deafen him. The rotund, bucktooth Pokémon was to his right—its tail hit the ground hard enough for it to be felt where he stood.

A sharp, chillingly familiar growl sounded out behind him. Silvally turned himself around, taking cautious steps, doing his best to avoid setting off the Pokémon that had him surrounded. Behind him was none other than that hybrid fox, flames already flickering in the back of her maw. Her red eyes were narrowed, filled with hatred.

Briefly, he entertained the idea of surrendering—he was exhausted. He didn't have the power to fight them all off at once even when fully recovered and rested. Now…

Thinking fast, Silvally's form blurred around the edges. Multiple copies of himself popped up around the clearing, the Double Team disguising his current form. The illusions followed his movements, and tensed up, preparing to sprint from-

"EARS!" Exploud said 'softly'.

The Pokémon surrounding Silvally dropped to the forest floor and covered their ears, or disappeared underground. It only took Silvally a second to realize what was about to happen, too slow to prevent it from occurring when the purple Pokémon inhaled.

He was hit by an absolute wall of sound from Exploud. The illusion copies he had made shattered in an instant. Silvally was sent sprawling back from the force of the sound, completely disoriented by the blinding pain and the ringing in his ears. He staggered to all fours, his balance thrown off; hot fluid ran down the sides of his head, oozing from his ears.

Silvally had no time to move as a searing hot pain enveloped his entire side, the burning fires of none other than Artemis washing over his form. He arched away from it as much as he could, pain wracking his form. As if by reflex, his type changed. His crest and tail lit up a blue colour, and the water-type energy cut the pain of the flame in half. Talons and paws hit the ground; he tried to run away-

Silvally wasn't able to take more than a step before he was hit hard again. Bibarel's rock-covered form slammed into his legs, the Rollout sending Silvally sprawling. He tumbled across the forest floor, and rolled to a stop, the world spinning around him—he was still disoriented from the sound attack.

The intense heat bathing his side seemed to have stopped, only for him to writhe as sheer cold washed over his other side. Silvally screeched in agony, unable to defend himself from an attack while he was being assaulted from all sides. The tight beam of pure cold ate at his side, ice-type energy chilling him to the bone.

In desperation, Silvally swapped his typing once more. Yellow glowed from several spots on his body, and he clawed at the ground, trying to fight through the pain and get out of the way. Silvally was unable to get any traction from the ice that spread across the forest floor.

The sheer cold bathing his side cut off, leaving Silvally shaking in pain and cold on the forest floor. He tried to move, only to get caught by another attack.

Dugtrio slammed into him from underneath, crashing through the ice and hitting Silvally in the ribs. A loud crunch sounded out from inside himself, but he wasn't able to process having his ribs shattered. The force of the impact sent Silvally airborne, and he somersaulted through the air, battered, bruised, barely conscious.

He hit the ground hard, the impact driving his already broken ribs inwards, and hit the forest floor hard enough to bounce on impact. Hot, white, searing pain filled his being, driving the air from his lungs, unable to think through the sensation. He tried to do something, anything, to get away from the pain they were causing. Luckily, his body responded.

A sharp flash of white filled the dark forest, carrying with it a piercing soundwave and intense light. He had used Flash—not intentionally, but the attack still went off, catching the four attacking Pokémon completely off guard.

There wasn't much time left. Silvally clenched his jaw and shoved his bruised talon into his bag. A familiar shape brushed against his claws, and he pulled it out. Without wasting any time, he shoved the seed into his mouth, and bit down. He really hoped he didn't pick up any other weird seeds and didn't remember them.

The Warp Seed activated, and his body folded in on itself, his massive form vanishing with a pop of displaced air. Silvally panted, trying to take a moment to recover now that he was safe. They would be after him soon—he had to keep going.

Desperately, he pulled out two Oran Berries and ate them as fast as he could, feeling the healing energies washing through his form. The stabbing in ribs ached slightly less, and he found he was able to push himself to all fours. His back left leg wasn't able to hold much weight, and from the way it shifted when he moved, he really didn't want to look at it.

An enraged shout echoed from just several sections down and Silvally scrambled. He had only moments before that tunneling Pokémon would be after him. With his electric typing still active, he forced himself to speed up with Agility—time seemed to slow around him and a purple haze formed around his legs. Another Double Team, and a dozen battered Silvally's surrounded him, all copying his movements.

Then his pursuers were upon him again. With his enhanced speed, he avoided the explosion of dirt from underneath him, the Pokémon missing him by mere inches. Silvally didn't stick around as another bright flash of light filled the clearing. He'd already taken off, Agility helping him race away, limping along as fast as he reasonably could.

He glanced behind himself, only to find the furious red eyes of Artemis baring down upon him, the fox rocketing down the pathway toward him. Flames spilled from her jaws, and her teeth glowed with fire-type energy. Furious wisps of steam rolled off her back, and her paws left hot glowing marks in the grass with every powerful step.

Silvally clenched his jaw and pushed himself as hard as he was able, paws and talons digging up the ground beneath him. Just a little further to another clearing, away from the death trap that was limited movement space between trees.

Talons and paws flew across the forest floor, flinging back dirt and grass toward his pursuer, who just pushed through it. He was almost to the clearing! The energy welled up inside himself, and he pulled. He felt lighter once more, flying-type energy coursing through him.

Artemis's paws hit the ground right behind him, and he could feel the heat radiating off her body. He jumped, then soared across the clearing, certain that Artemis had jumped after him as well. His eyes darted around the clearing, hoping to find something, anything that could help him-

There! A trap, hidden in the grass. He had no idea what it would do, but he needed anything to help him.

Silvally slammed a talon into his bag and pulled out a GravelRock, one of those dense stones other Pokémon threw at him constantly. With a twist and a searing pain in his ribs, he flipped himself around mid-air. He aimed and hurled the rock at the trap he was currently flying over, his momentum carrying him past the trap and onto the other side of the clearing.

Artemis was over the trap the moment the rock hit it. Her eyes were wide as if she just noticed the trap beneath her. The rock hit the hidden panel on the ground.

Click!

An explosion ripped through the clearing and hit the hybrid fox full force. Artemis sailed across the room, trailing smoke and fur, impacting the upper branches of a tree with a wet crunch. Silvally was sent hurtling backward as well, his form tossed end over end into another corridor of trees, his body kicking up dirt and grass, slowly skidding to a stop.

The chimera Pokémon groaned and spat out a glob of blood onto the grass. He clenched his jaw and tried to push himself to all fours once more. Silvally's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto his front, his shattered ribs shoving painfully into his middle, causing him to gasp and clench his body. He forced himself to all fours once again, keeping weight off his back leg entirely now as he limped forward. Gradually, he gained speed, the energy of Agility working over him once again.

Running through the maze, he stumbled upon the shimmering tear in reality and hurled himself through it, hitting the ground running on the next section. He staggered to the left and slid a little, running down a narrow hall and leaping over a wild Pokémon—his vision was too tunnelled to see what it was.

He needed to escape. They were going to kill him.

Silvally ground to a halt and slid his way around a corner, limping toward an Oran Berry on the forest floor. Not a moment was wasted as he consumed the fruit. The ache in his ribs faded and his burns cooled the smallest amount. He felt the ground shake and rattle again, exactly the same as when Exploud had shouted before.

But he couldn't hear any of it.

Silvally raised a talon up to his ears and carefully felt around, then brought it back down and found his claws stained red with blood. Anxiety filled his form, but he steeled himself and shook it off. He could panic once he was safe.

Another Agility had him racing through the woods as fast as he was able on three legs. He was this far ahead, and if the fox was still recovering, then that meant-

A quick switch of his typing to water allowed Silvally to intercept the tunnelling Pokémon, leaping over the assault and returning fire with a powerful swipe of his talons, scraping the water-coated claws across his opponent. The super-effective move sent the Pokémon rocketing out of the ground and skipping across the forest floor. Silvally didn't wait to see what became of it as he landed and continued running.

Silvally hobbled forward into another clearing, and his Agility wore off. He was running on fumes, and another wet cough spat more blood to the ground. He shook his head and pushed onward at a regular pace, taking a brief respite to recover the slightest amount of energy as he loped along the forest.

In the next clearing, he saw it! The tear in reality! He would make it to the next section. He couldn't have that many more left, he was sure of it. One or two at the most! He raced forward, hobbling on three legs as he reached out to the rift and-

The world shook, and Silvally was swept off his feet by a powerful force. He careened to the left, and his body skipped across the ground a few times, tearing into his damaged sides, before he came to a halt at the base of a tree, impacting his ribs once more. He saw white, pain blinding him; stars in his vision as he tried to regain stability.

The ground beneath him rumbled with the approach of something thundering toward him, but he was unable to hear what it was. In desperation, Silvally threw himself to the side and landed hard. He wheezed in pain, the frozen and bleeding side against the grass.

The tree he had been up against shattered and the rock-covered form of Bibarel slammed into it. The tree creaked, tilted to the side, and came to the ground with a thunderous crash. Bibarel merely shook himself free of the rocks in his fur, and fixed his eyes on Silvally, already preparing another assault.

Silvally pushed himself to his feet with a grunt, stumbling as he did. He glanced behind himself to see the approaching form of Exploud, the sound Pokémon running toward him for some kind of melee attack. Maybe he had strained himself with too many shouts?

He turned his attention back to Bibarel, who was now covered in rocks. The Pokémon curled himself into a tight ball, and launched himself at Silvally, kicking up rocks and flattening the ground beneath him. Silvally widened his eyes, and attempted something he had only managed twice successfully.

Fighting through the pain, Silvally planted his back legs firmly in the ground, his claws digging in. He type-shifted once again, pulling on something he rarely used, struggling to remember the feeling. With a sudden shift, he changed, an orange colour lighting up his crest and tail. Silvally ignored the pain in his back leg, and waited, readying himself, energy coating his talons.

Silvally went for the Counter.

He shoved himself toward the incoming boulder, leaning forward with his talons up to intercept it. Metal talons met rock in a horrific screech of material. The Rollout move hit Silvally hard, spinning faster and faster as it fought against that strong grip. Silvally was pushed back several feet from the force of the impact, but held his ground, preventing the attack from bowling him over.

Silvally clenched his jaw as the spinning grew faster still. A shrill shriek sounded out from the contact of talons on rock, growing louder as the boulder sped up, throwing dirt and mud back behind it. Bibarel was getting harder to hold, and his talons shook from the effort. Finally, Silvally followed through with his defense.

Muscles bunched and he let out a scream of anger and agony, the effort nearly impossible to fight through. Silvally tensed, and hurled Bibarel to the side, launching the high-speed spinning attack at Exploud. The boulder spun faster and lurched forward, traction sending the hyper-velocity rock straight at the Pokémon that had been about to strike him from behind.

The attack exploded on impact, and sent Bibarel and Exploud hurtling into the forest, toppling end over end in an uncontrollable arc. They vanished into the trees, and several thumps and thuds let Silvally know they had likely gone through a tree or two.

Now that he was alone again, he staggered to the side from the effort, his back leg in absolute agony. It was definitely broken, and he had to do his best to avoid using it until he could find somewhere safe to recover. He made for the rift in the dungeon, intent on continuing.

Before he was even fully through the shimmering barrier, he was hit full force from behind by Artemis, the fox hybrid fully healed and looking more furious than ever. She sank her teeth into his shoulder and let out a furious flamethrower, the point-blank move causing the fire to burn past any defences and straight into his skin. He wailed, the powerful sound causing the Ninetales to grimace, but she didn't stop.

Desperately, Silvally slammed his metallic head into her skull, the sickening crack causing Artemis to reel back and release the heavily injured Pokémon. His front leg wouldn't cooperate, the limb damaged extensively and burned from the fire-type move. On his side, Silvally struggled to even think. He blindly reached forward in an attempt to crawl away, only to get a good look ahead of himself.

Oh. That wasn't good. Pokémon were filtering into the room. He glanced around, noticing the number of items on the ground around them.

A trap room. Also known as a Monster House by explorers. Houndoom, Alakazam, Vespiqueen, Kirlia, and even a wild Ninetales all blurred into reality, having been waiting for their next victims to appear.

Silvally reached into his bag, talons grabbing one of the orbs he had managed to pick up before he started running. He looked up to see the incoming form of a Houndoom barreling toward him, dark energy coating its jaws.

He crushed the orb in his grip.

The room lurched to a stop.

The Foe-Hold orb activated, freezing every Pokémon in place. The entire section of the dungeon stopped. Silvally took a moment, shaking in place on the floor. He was alive by pure chance. The chimera clenched his jaw and forced himself upright, staggering as his vision went black and the room spun.

He was almost there. He could do it.

He hobbled forward on two legs, barely staying upright as he limped into a pathway through the thick trees. A glance behind himself showed the tear in reality, only to see it ripple. Exploud jumped through, hateful eyes locked on Silvally's retreating form. He didn't appear to see the room around him properly, as the moment he let out a shout, the entire area spurred into action once again.

Silvally staggered as the yell shook the floor, but it didn't seem to affect him. He couldn't hear what was said regardless, so if it was supposed to intimidate him, nothing happened. The chimera looked over his shoulder as he hobbled away, just catching a glimpse of the Houndoom barreling into the purple sound Pokémon. A moment later, the form of Artemis was sent careening past his field of view, surrounded in a pink glow, followed shortly after by an Alakazam.

Silvally staggered, trying not to fall as he worked his way forward. His front leg was unresponsive and his back one hurt too much to set it down. He didn't want to look and see how bad the damage was just yet. Silvally willed himself on, step after step. Two legs were absurdly difficult to balance on, but he continued on. One step at a time.

Turning one last corner, he saw it! The exit!

His throat felt tight, and breathing was difficult, but he made it forward. Hope soared within him, encouraging him on, giving him that last little burst of energy he needed to complete his journey. He stepped through; the world shifted around him and then lurched to a stop.

He had made it out.

Silvally looked up at the sky; it was well into the night now. He just had to keep going east. It wouldn't be long before he was at the more dangerous and dark section, and then he could use the dungeon to his advantage. Traps, pitfalls, and hidden rooms would serve him well there. He could find them easily—he always did—and hide until he recovered.

Stolen novel; please report.

Silvally took shallow breaths as he hopped forward one step at a time, trying not to breathe too deeply to keep his ribs from aggravating his insides. They had been ruthless this time. They were going to kill him, he had no doubt. He pushed down the wave of fear that rolled through him.

Run. Panic later.

"I dunno, I'd panic a little right now if I were you…"

Silvally jumped in surprise—it was the first thing he had been able to hear since that initial sound attack. He whipped his head around and wobbled from the sudden vertigo. There was nothing around him.

He gingerly set his back leg on the ground, hissing through his teeth as he hobbled forward. Sharp pain lanced up his leg, but he continued on, he needed to use his back leg if something jumped him. His front leg was still useless from the burns—he couldn't feel it at all.

A little pink form darted in front of him, coming to a stop right in his face, the two nearly nose-to-nose. Silvally jerked away from it and his back leg crumpled under the sudden weight transfer, causing him to collapse to the ground. He hit the ground hard and shuddered, clenching up to ease the pain that washed over him.

"Ouch, that looks like it hurts!" The voice was far too cheerful for the scenario.

He glared up at the pink feline, not at all enjoying its tone. Its blue eyes worked over him, taking in all his features with an interested hum.

"I've never seen something like you before! You're a little creepy…" The small Pokémon zipped back and forth above him, flicking her tail. "What are you… a fish? No, that part is for bugs. This must be steel type then. Oh, but these are feathers. And dragon scales? But then-"

Silvally had the good graces to roll his eyes. Despite the situation, she still had time to insult him. Then she started looking over him like he belonged in a museum. Wonderful. At least she wasn't attacking him, that much was a saving grace.

"Oh no, we're going to fight! I want you to get ready first though, so it'll be fair!" The pink Pokémon twirled in the air, her tail snaking to-and-fro as she floated around him. She was far too energetic and excited for what was about to come.

Silvally groaned and pushed his good front leg underneath him, and then shuffled to push up with his back leg, clambering to all fours once again. Well, if she was insistent that they were going to fight, and made the mistake of letting him prepare, then he would take advantage of that.

He glanced into his bag, silver eyes looking over everything. There wasn't anything he could readily use without losing the use of his front leg and falling over. He saw a seed rattling around in the bottom, a Stun Seed, he believed. Maybe if he propped himself against a tree?

Without much else going for him, Silvally did his best, which was all he could do. A tug on something within him caused his feathers and tail to glow a bright yellow, and blue electricity crackled over his fur, the electric typing settling in.

The small pink Pokémon floated around him, and leaned in close, inspecting his feathers closely. She prodded at one of them and pulled away when a small shock zapped her paw.

"Hey, that's really cool! Can you teach me how to do that?" The Pokémon asked. She looked at him closely, bobbing up and down in the air before him.

Silvally did his best to ignore her and focused inward instead. The familiar rush of Agility worked through him, and things seemed to slow down. A light haze formed around his limbs as he layered Agility on itself, each time causing his vision to swim just a little more.

After the fourth Agility use, he staggered, his vision going black for a moment. He managed to catch himself, and clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stay upright. An exhausted sigh escaped him, and he huffed, taking a breath and standing upright.

"You're really hurt. If you want, you can just stop and wait for them to arrest you. Or you can talk with me!" She twirled around in front of him. "My name is Mew! Well, that's what I am. My name isn't important. But what are you? I've never seen anything like you!"

Silvally looked at her in disbelief, the stream of words in his mind just confusing him further. He really didn't want to fight her. Mew seemed too innocent and nice, and on top of that, he didn't think he'd be able to do much. He was on his last legs, literally and figuratively.

Wait, maybe he could just get around her—leave her behind and go to the next forest as fast as he could. Then he could find a spot to rest and recover and hide from the exploration teams.

…Why wouldn't they just leave him alone?

"Ready?" Silvally asked. Well, he thought he did. He had no idea what he said, unable to hear what was happening. Mew merely bobbed in response, floating in the air, her tail giving a playful flick behind her.

Silvally bunched his muscles and launched forward with a Quick Attack powered by electrical-type energy. He bolted past Mew, leaving a trail of blue behind him, his talons and paws thundering across the forest floor. He ran as well as he could given his injuries, hopping over rocks, and swerving between trees. Feeling gradually crept back into his other front leg, and he allowed it to hit the ground, aiding in his balance a little as he ran.

He ran, eyes narrowed to try and see through his blurry vision and the dark forest. The clouds overhead did little to help him see in the night. Despite all that was hindering him, he saw something in the distance. It was familiar. It was-

The entrance to the Dungeon! The rift shifted and warped, shimmering with all possible colours in the middle of the forest. Silvally felt the energy and hope return to him, encouraging him onward. He could see his goal, and sprinted straight for it, ignoring the pain in his legs and sides in favour of speed.

He raced for it, seconds from entering. There he would be able to hide and-

A solid pink wall popped into existence before him. There was no time to react, or even attempt to slow down. Silvally hit the barrier head-first at full speed and bounced off, the impact driving the breath from his lungs. He fell to the ground hard, unable to brace himself, and hit his side—damaged ribs shifted and stabbed into his middle. Silvally wheezed, trying to take in air and roll off of his ribs. Muscles bunched and he tensed up, trying to withstand the pain, and blinked the stars from his vision.

"You wasted your turn, silly! I can't let you run away!" The little pink Pokémon popped into existence in front of him. She whirled around, and flitted back and forth, waiting for him to react.

Silvally huffed, and coughed wetly, blood flecking out onto the grass. He pushed his legs beneath himself and heaved himself upright once again, shaking from the effort. Maybe he could just knock her out with a well timed electric-swipe, or maybe illusion copies could distract her long enough for him to slip away.

"Nuh uh, those won't work on me. Besides, it's my turn."

Reality shifted around him and he felt the power enhancing his speed slip away. A bright whirl of pink radiated out from Mew, and she let out a little giggle. Silvally's eyes widened as the little pink Pokémon became a blur, zipping across the forest at an absurd speed. She shot around him and blurred from side to side, giggling the whole time.

"Hehe… Trick Room! You should have been more careful! Now all your speed boosts are mine!" Mew sounded far too excited and happy about the situation they were in. She whirled around the clearing and darted in between trees.

Silvally staggered toward the psychic barrier and pressed a shoulder up against it, bracing himself. He sank his working forelimb into the bag and fished around for that Stun Seed still in there. The orbs were useless outside of dungeons, and the berries were of no use to him, but seeds worked outside of Dungeons.

Something familiar brushed his talon and he tried to grab at it, only to have his hopes ripped from him, like the bag. Mew zipped right by him and the bag was enveloped in a pink glow, before bring torn off of him.

His heart sank—his helmet was still in there, he needed it! A shaky step brought Silvally closer to Mew. He struggled toward her, his eyes locked on the bag. All he wanted was to get it back.

Silvally wasn't able to react to the speedy form of Mew rocketing toward him. She spun around in a tight circle, and her tail whipped out, coiling tightly around his uninjured back leg. A sharp tug ripped his leg out from under him. Unable to rely on his other back leg, and with his heavily damaged front, he wasn't able to balance his weight on one talon.

He hit the ground hard. Silvally gave a pained wheeze, gritting his teeth, eyes rolling back. Black crept in around the edges of his vision, and he struggled to stay awake. He just… needed to get up… He could still do this…

"Shhh, go to sleep…" Mew's voice was soft and comforting.

Silvally managed to focus his eyes for all of one moment, getting a good look at those bright blue eyes staring into his own. With a flash of pink, the world faded to black.

"Sweet dreams…"

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

Mew giggled and gently set the rather heavy head of the Outlaw down on the ground, giving him a little pat on the noggin for good luck. She floated back and looked at the odd form of the Pokémon before her. This was the first time she'd seen anything like him! He looked weird, all things considered, as if someone had taken several types of Pokémon and just mashed them together.

She hissed through her teeth at the rather awful burns along one of his sides, and the other that charred his shoulder and upper leg. On his other side, extreme frostbite, with split skin, ice still clinging to his form, and the cold obviously impacting him still. His back leg was bent in the wrong direction in two places, and his ears had blood leaking down from them.

He was a tough piece of work if it took that much to make him stop. Why didn't he give up before it got this bad? Maybe he stole something important?

Curiously, Mew grabbed the treasure bag and hefted it up. She shook it around and emptied out all the contents onto the ground. Let's see… a Pecha Berry, a Stun Seed, a Warp Orb… mostly boring junk.

Thunk!

…And whatever that was. It looked heavy! A metal helmet of some kind, or at least that's what it seemed like to her. Mew tossed the empty bag to the side and pawed at the helmet a little, hefting it up with her psychic powers. She moved forward and ducked her head into the helmet, floating in a little circle while exploring the inside of it.

There wasn't a lot of room in there! There was a small slot for what seemed like food, and a space for eyes, but that was it. And it was heavy—it weighed more than Mew many times over again.

Finding nothing else interesting inside, she pulled back and set it down on the ground. Mew worked her little paws over and examined the object. This was fun! Like a little treasure hunt while she waited for her friends to arrive!

Mew tapped her tiny paws across the helmet and found it fairly rigid as if it were solid metal all the way through. Large arches and green gems at the base of the helmet reminded her of something, it had to be important, but she just couldn't put her paw on it. Working her way up, she glanced around the area where the neck would sit and found a little engraving. It was an old language; one she hadn't seen in quite some time.

"Hmm… 'Silvally'? Is that your name? Or is that what you are? Maybe a secret code!" The joyful Pokémon floated away from the helmet, humming to herself. Well, if the helmet wouldn't give her answers, she would have to look a little deeper!

Mew floated over toward the Pokémon sleeping on the ground, frowning a little as she listened to the pained, desperate wheezes he was making as he tried to breathe in his sleep. She might have to heal him if his natural healing didn't start soon. For now, she needed him weakened and asleep, at least until everyone else arrived.

Mew purred as she floated down to settle on the grass beside the odd-looking Pokémon. He had been oddly reluctant to attack her. Maybe he was a gentleman Outlaw? Oh, how exciting! That might be fun, the crime-causing villain, and the dashing heroine! Unable to force themselves to fight because of mutual respect and feelings. Oh, that sounded like it would be a wonderful little romance!

Giggling to herself, Mew settled on the grass and shifted forward a little, planting her little paws on his head. Her eyes glowed, and a soft purr escaped her as she pressed her focus into the mind of the Outlaw.

…

It was… Dark? No, it was empty. Mew giggled—it's not like criminals had a lot of brains going for them anyway!

Mew hunted around in the dark a bit and found relatively little. Was he resistant to her ability? It didn't feel like it. Curious, the pink feline worked her way back a little, looking over the events of the day: lots of running, fighting, scrambling. She appreciated the Outlaw's situational awareness though, using traps and tricks to his advantage. He must have been raised by some cunning bandits then!

Pushing her way further, Mew followed that train of thought. She went aaaaaallll the way to the beginning, settling herself in for the long ride. It usually took a while to dig up memories that far back, and-

She was there already. Well, that didn't take long at all. Maybe she was right, he was just empty-headed! Typical Outlaw. Mew giggled and gave a curious hum, attempting to look at the earliest memory she could.

…

It was dark. Cold. She was floating? No, she was swimming?

Something happened, she wasn't sure, but the world shook and the ceiling started collapsing. Suddenly, she was on the floor, sprawled out, and cold. Where was she? Who was she?

She looked at her front legs. They were wrong. Something was wrong! She brought those horrifying talons up to her face and met metal. She felt around blindly, panicking. She was trapped! She wrestled with the contraption around her head for a moment, struggling and straining. The metal was latched tight, digging painfully into her neck. It was too heavy, weighing her down.

She tried to regain her composure and looked around the room. She saw… Oh no... She saw the rotting, floating corpses of something that seemed like it had the same front legs and the same metal contraption on her head. She struggled to her feet, straining to lift that heavy metal helmet. On wobbly legs, she staggered forward, taking in the grizzly sight of that mess of parts floating in the fluid.

Glancing to her right, she saw a similar chamber. That's where she had come from. There was a rock at the base. It looks like it shattered the glass.

The world shook again, the roof caving in further, rocks bouncing off the helmet, and sections of the area caving in. What was happening?

…

Mew pulled herself from that memory with a gasp, her heart racing. Just what in the world was going on? Why was that the first memory? Surely there had to be more somewhere! She hunted forward a little. Maybe there was something a little further on that explained everything…

Mew hummed and worked forward a little bit, her psychic powers flaring. She pressed calm and sleep upon "Silvally", keeping his mind relaxed as she worked through the memories.

…

She was drowning.

Sea water was filling the helmet and the heavy thing was trying its best to drag her down. Despite the large paws and the fish-like tail, the effort to swim was extraordinarily draining. Still, she fought on, every kick sapping her energy, every tail movement causing her spine to ache.

She was almost there though! She thought she could see land! It was just a little farther! She had made it this far; she would be damned if she gave up now. She focused and fought, straining toward the land. She'd come so far; she'd been swimming for hours. There was no turning back.

There was a tug inside her, and energy rolled through her body. This wasn't adrenaline, this was something else entirely. What was happening to her? She turned her focus forward again, reinvigorated, pushing forward hard. She was going to make it. She wasn't going back to that tiny cave; she didn't have to be stuck with those walls around her.

Just a little further…

…

Mew pulled back, her mind reeling. This wasn't helping her at all. The psychic Pokémon furrowed her brow and her tail gave an irritated flick.

Hm… wait, irritation. Anger! She hunted around, trying to find something that had a strong emotion attached to it. What made the Outlaw angry?

Memories came rushing forward and flooded her mind.

…

She was angry at… herself? No. Her situation? That she didn't know anything about herself? It was confusing, not knowing where she was, who she was, or even what she was, wandering around this weird land. She glared at the odd creatures that roamed by, trying to keep herself separated from them. She didn't know what they were, or what they might do.

Why was this place changing? She growled, frustrated at this stretch of beach that just never seemed to end. She should be able to find her way out, so why couldn't she? Steep sand walls blocked her way, keeping her from climbing out. Not that she could with that heavy helmet weighing her down.

A group of those creatures approached her. They were talking, and saying things she could actually understand! Maybe they could help! She walked toward them, and-

Wait! Why was she being attacked? What did she do to them? Those three shouted something about "freak" and charged her! Why!? She cringed away from their claws and teeth, rearing back. She attempted to avoid them, but the helmet weighed her down. She couldn't retreat fast enough and recoiled in pain at the searing claws tearing into her side. She whipped her head around in desperation and slammed the heavy metal helmet into one of the creature's sides. The smaller creature was flung away and skipped across the sand from the force of the hit.

She didn't know she was that strong. That was meant to make it stop, not throw it across the beach!

The others renewed their attacks, and it hurt. She had to protect herself! She pushed forward and worked through the attacks, taking the hits and forcing through them. One of her talons lifted and then slammed one of the smaller creatures into the sand. Its fighting and struggles stopped instantly—luckily it was still breathing.

She charged for the last one who was throwing rocks at her—they bounced uselessly off her helmet. She reared back and stomped on the creature, driving her talons onto it over and over again. It was on its back, but still thrashing, so she kept slamming it into the sand, blow after blow shoving it deeper down. Finally, it stopped moving, and she pulled away.

With the attacking creatures no longer moving but still breathing, she gave a sigh and retreated. She tried to look at her side through the limited space in the helmet. Her fur felt all wet and sticky, and she was certain the wounds were more severe than they felt if the blood falling to the sand meant anything.

…

Mew gasped, mind reeling. No… no! This couldn't be right! There had to be more. She desperately pulled at more memories. Words came to mind. Outlaw. Exploration Team. Arrest. Wigglytuff's Guild. Assault. Bad Pokémon. Artemis. Oran Berry. Mystery Dungeon. Arceus.

What was happening? He couldn't be blocking memories; he was still completely unconscious.

Mew searched for something, anything that would help. She looked at all the intense moments of anger, or fear, and found the same thing. He was being attacked. Over and over again. He didn't know why. He had tried pleading once, and they kept hurting him! He offered to help them, and then they threw something at him and blinded him!

These exploration teams… All attackers! Criminals!

Encounter after encounter. Everything was the same. They sought him out, looking for a fight. He learned. He grew. A heavy attack caught him in the side of the head, and in desperation, he managed to tear his helmet off. There was so much blood. Why did his face have metal on it? What was he? Who was he?

The helmet only held one word. Silvally.

Those ones from the first encounter came back. He was stronger this time. He took their possessions and left them with the bare minimum. He could shift energies within himself and used it to his advantage. He got stronger still. More fighting, more running, more pain, more more more more more moremoremoremore—

Panic. Fear. Anger. White fur, red eyes. Ice and fire. She wouldn't leave him alone. He had learned he couldn't convince them, and talking hurt. Why did she keep chasing him? He had to run. He needed to sleep. He was starving. He hurt. Burning pain, freezing cold, broken legs, running, fear, escape—

…

Mew pulled away from Silvally with a gasp, her mind racing, chest heaving. She looked at him and found those silver eyes staring back at her, or maybe through her. The two just stared at one another, Mew reeling with the knowledge she had pulled from his mind. The other was too exhausted to move, taking short, shallow breaths, trying to focus on the pink being before him.

"You… You're lying! Tell me you're lying!" Mew demanded, her emotions all out of sorts. This couldn't be true, could it? If it was…

Silvally gazed at Mew, blinking softly, barely conscious. He was quivering in place, body trembling, attempting to respond in some way to all the sensations crashing into his mind at once. He was too hot. Too cold. He couldn't hear anything right now and was barely able to see. Mew was able to sense all of this while looking at him.

"You… I… Oh no…" Realization hit Mew, the bubbly Pokémon struggling to comprehend exactly how badly things had gone wrong. She flinched when Silvally gave a rattling cough in front of her, a little more blood flecking the grass. He clenched his eyes in agony for a moment.

Mew blinked back tears, and floated off the ground, backing away. She looked down at the broken form of Silvally and brought her paws to her face, covering her mouth. She flitted back and forth with indecision for a moment, before floating back down. Her heart clenched in her chest when she reached out to hold Silvally's head, only to have the Pokémon try to pull away, eyes widening in fear.

"W-wait! Hang on! Let me make this right!" Mew flitted away and looked over his form, trying to figure out what to do first. The short, shallow breaths drew her attention, and she moved lower, holding her little paws above his broken ribs. A wave of energy rolled from her paws and into Silvally, the Healing Pulse pushing her energy into him with the sole intent of fixing him.

Mew wasn't sure if it would work. She still didn't know what he was. Yet, she kept at it, her concern dropping as she watched the ribs shift back into place, and his breathing deepened. Oh, Arceus, was he supposed to be that thin?

She flitted back and forth, looking over him, then moved to his front leg first. She winced as he twitched away from her paws, and Silvally writhed in pain.

"Shhh, I'm sorry. Let me help. Please…" Mew poured her energy into the wound, burned flesh knitting together, nerves becoming functional once more. She watched Silvally clench and relax his talons, his gaze growing a little clearer. "There, that's it. I'm not going to hurt you."

Those silver eyes glanced up at the floating pink Pokémon, who took a moment to float backward, giving Silvally room. The Pokémon groaned and shifted, taking deeper breaths, watching Mew closely. After a moment, he attempted to stand, pushing his front legs under himself, followed by the back one that wasn't broken. He staggered a little, and Mew reached out with her psychic powers to help him upright. The upwards assistance made Silvally tense for a moment, worried she was going to attack him.

The pair looked at one another for a long while. Blue eyes gazed at silver. Blood continued to drip from Silvally's injuries, the poor Chimera unsteady on his feet, yet determined to meet her gaze.

"Will you let me help you?" Mew whispered, floating a little closer. Her tail flicked nervously behind her, and she brought it forward to hold with both paws. She squeezed gently, watching the large Pokémon make a decision.

Mew was focused on Silvally, holding her breath. She smiled as he took a step forward, ducking his head down in a nod, working closer toward the floating pink Pokémon. Mew could feel the loneliness filling his being, and the caution in his decision. He was so certain she would hurt him, but he was willing to try.

Mew was too focused on Silvally, letting him approach. Silvally's eardrums were still ruptured. Neither heard Artemis coming until it was too late.

"Mew! Look out!"

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

The Outlaw was far too close to her old friend, and Artemis intended to fix that. Her cry of warning came just before she lunged for the criminal, fire coating her jaws, and power thrumming through her body.

A single Quick Attack launched her across the distance between the two, and in an instant, the Fire-Fang she prepared sank into the Outlaw's upper shoulder, near the base of his neck. The momentum from the attack sent the two shooting away from Mew and into the forest.

Artemis kept her jaws clamped down on the Outlaw, and the two tumbled across the ground. Despite hitting trees or bouncing off of roots, she kept her grip firm, powerful jaws burning the Outlaw's flesh. There was no chance she'd let him get away this time.

They crashed through bushes and bounced off trees. Artemis managed to get the upper paw in the tussle while the criminal flailed and struggled. Her eyes flicked up, and she adjusted herself, using the Outlaw like a cushion as the two careened toward a tree. The sickening crunch from the ribs of the Pokémon below her didn't concern her in the slightest.

With the Outlaw stunned from the harsh attack and impact, Artemis reared back, and opened her jaws, fire flickering at the back of her throat. Then, she unleashed the torrent of flame onto the criminal, ignoring the horrific cries of pain from the creature beneath her. She bathed the Outlaw in fire, searing his side, his frost-bitten flesh burning.

"No! Artemis, stop!" Mew's voice cried out. "Don't hurt him! You don't understand!"

Artemis snapped her jaws shut with a click, cutting off the river of fire pouring from her jaws. The fox had no time to look upon the downed Outlaw.

A bright pink glow surrounded her form, and Artemis found herself hurtling through the air, ripped away from the criminal. She flailed and fought against the powerful psychic grip that held her in the air, trying to determine if it was Mew or the Outlaw that had her in their clutches.

Artemis's struggling halted when she spotted Mew. Her little paws were outstretched, and a psychic barrier stood between Artemis and Mew. She had placed herself between Artemis and the Outlaw. The fox let herself dangle in the grasp of Mew's power, brows furrowed, trying to understand what was happening.

"Artemis, please," Mew begged. "Look at him, he's down. You need to stop."

Red eyes roamed over the Outlaw's form. Sure enough, he was still on the ground, unable or unwilling to move from his spot. Artemis had to admit he was in rough shape: his body was still smoking; burns coated his form, having singed away flesh and fur alike; the fire-fang attack at his shoulder had sizzling puncture wounds oozing blood from the gashes.

"Why are you defending him?" Artemis accused. She kicked in Mew's psychic grasp, unwilling to break out just yet. She could, but the strain it would put on both of them would be unpleasant.

"I'm protecting him!" Mew exclaimed. Her mental voice was angry and laced with emotion. "He was trying to run from you, and from me."

"Why? Did he do something to you? What did he-"

"He's innocent, Artemis! He's been hunted and attacked for two years!" Mew's words shook her mind, and rattled around inside her head, making the fox wince. The psychic hold on Artemis loosened, and she was lowered to the ground.

"What are you talking about? He's been wanted for two years. And what about all those teams that were knocked out, or the-"

"They attacked him first! He was defending himself!" Mew snapped. "I looked through his memories, Artemis. Can you honestly tell me it's impossible?"

The frustration and guilt Mew felt was bleeding through into Artemis's mind through that psychic connection, causing all sorts of unpleasant feelings to course through the fox. She shook it off and made her way forward.

Mew retreated at the same time. She turned away from Artemis and floated her way back over toward the downed Outlaw. The large barrier spanning between Artemis and Mew vanished, only to be replaced by a spherical one around just Mew and the criminal.

Soft steps carried Artemis forward, and she curled around to get a good look at the Outlaw out of his line of sight. She sat down at the edge of the psychic barrier and watched on with a tilted head, ears perked to hear everything. Her gaze was on Mew, but she also watched the downed Pokémon closely.

"Hey, are you still with me? I'm going to help, okay?" Mew's voice resonated through Artemis's head, and from the twitch of the criminal, his too. "Just breathe, I've got you. Let me help…"

Artemis winced at the anger and sorrow that Mew projected—Artemis used her own abilities to shrink that mental connection a touch. She had to admit that maybe she was a little rough on the criminal.

He was curled in on himself, one of his talons covering his face, covered in burns. It looked like he had tried to defend himself as well as he could and curled to protect his more vulnerable areas. That other talon was limp before him, blood pooling under the limb, open wounds and burns covering it. His breathing was shallow and quick, and Artemis swore she saw blood trickle from his mouth.

If he had just laid down and given up, then she wouldn't have had to go this far!

She ignored the absolutely scathing glare from Mew when she thought that. Artemis was fully certain she was in the right, finally putting an end to the reign of terror the Outlaw was putting on exploration teams and innocent Pokémon. The end result was a bad Pokémon being stopped; that was enough for her.

"Hey, this might hurt a bit. I'm not trying to harm you, I promise. You're safe now," Mew hummed.

Those little paws spread apart, and a blue-green glow radiated out from between them. Artemis recognized the Aqua Ring being used on the Outlaw, and stifled her protests. She trusted Mew to know what she was doing. Instead, Artemis sat and watched those burns fade away with every wash of cool, healing water over the criminal. She tensed when the Pokémon twitched away from the contact, but nothing more happened.

"Can you look at me, please? Let me see your face, I need to make sure you're alright."

Mew's little paws grabbed at those large talons and peeled them away from his face. Artemis couldn't exactly see what was happening, but the little relieved sigh from Mew let her know nothing was horribly damaged.

The Outlaw tensed once his talon was removed from his face, and his leg fell to the forest floor as if he had given up. Well, finally, it was about time. This whole song and dance had gone on for way too long, in her opinion.

Mew's paws settled on the Outlaw's cheek, and the criminal relaxed. That glow of light rolled from Mew's paws again, a Heal Pulse washing over the Pokémon's head. He jolted, and his ears flicked around as if he was finally hearing the world around him. Knowing how loud Exploud could get, that was completely possible.

Dugtrio, Bibarel, and Exploud finally caught up to them and emerged from the forest. Unfortunately, they stepped into the Outlaw's line of sight, and the immediate reaction had Artemis on edge. She raised a paw up, signalling the trio to stop.

The criminal still tried to stand, muscles bunched, and a panicked sound escaped him. He only managed to get his front talons beneath himself, and struggled, before he fell to the ground hard. A pained wheeze escaped him from the impact, and his ears folded back. Mew panicked and floated closer in an attempt to reassure him.

"No no no! Just relax, you're safe now. I promise. Just focus on me, the pretty pink one!" Her attempt at humour fell flat. Mew floated down to set herself in front of the Outlaw, blocking his view from the three still standing there. "I'm not going to let them hurt you. They're going to stay away from you."

Wave after wave of Heal Pulse washed over the criminal, and Artemis sat silently, watching. She firmly believed that they should take the Outlaw to prison first, and then get him medical treatment. It would be better if he was secured and in custody first, so he wouldn't pose more of a risk.

The injuries gradually knit together, bones shifted, and Mew's sadness seemed to grow if the light sniffles and tears dripping down her cheeks said anything. That, and the near-crushing depression that radiated from the psychic Pokémon and forced itself into everyone's minds. Bibarel seemed to wither a little from the sensation, and Exploud grimaced.

"Hey, it's okay, you can sleep. I'll be here." Mew promised. "I'll keep you safe. You… You don't need to hurt anymore. It's going to be okay."

"Please…" the Outlaw whispered.

Artemis reeled back a touch. She was so certain that the Outlaw was mute, he had never spoken at all between any of their encounters. Now that he was hiding behind Mew's empathy, he spoke? He was probably tricking her, or had some training with manipulating psychic types and thoughts. If he could do the impossible and change his typing at will, who knew what else he could do?

But Mew was holding his comparatively massive head up, and his whole body went slack. The way she set down his head and gently brushed a paw against his cheek just made Artemis even more confused.

Why did Mew care so much about this Outlaw? Why was she crying? What happened in the brief few minutes between getting caught in a fight with a dozen wild Pokémon, and chasing down the Outlaw outside the dungeon? She couldn't be right about everything…

Could she?

Artemis glanced over at the other three Pokémon that had been pursuing the Outlaw within the dungeon and met their eyes. She shook her head when Exploud looked at her and tilted his head toward Mew and the Outlaw.

No, she would leave them be. She would trust Mew to know what she was doing. Even if she was wrong, Chief Metagross was more than capable of ripping through a criminal's memories and pinning them for everything they were guilty of. If he was innocent—she scoffed at the thought—then all would be well. He would just have to move far away so no one would recognize him and she'd never have to see that horrific mess of a Pokémon again.

If he was guilty though… If he had been attacking teams for years and was trying to wriggle out of punishment… If he was manipulating Mew into defending him…

She would throw his broken form into prison herself if she had to. Not even the pink legendary would stop her.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

Mew was concerned. Conflicted. In her many, many years of living, she couldn't recall a situation quite like this. She had no idea who or what this Pokémon was, and from his memories, neither did he.

When she had the chance, she'd have to see if she could figure out exactly where he came from. She looked upon him, and once again, that semi-familiar shape tugged at memories in the back of her mind. There was something she was missing.

Silvally twitched in his sleep and pain coursed through him. His leg was still broken, and Mew wasn't sure she could fix it completely. His ribs, sure, they seemed pretty normal, at least in comparison to the rest of him. But she didn't want to risk fixing something wrong and making things worse.

The thing that bothered her the most about this?

Not only did Artemis not seem to believe what Mew told her, but the psychic type could feel the distrust and anger toward the sleeping Pokémon. Maybe it was just pride? Mew thought it something far more deep-seated than that if the swirls of anger inside Artemis meant anything.

And poor Silvally. When she'd held his head in her paws, he felt safe. He struggled to not sleep and fought as hard as he could to keep his eyes open. The only thing that coursed through his mind at that moment, was the hope that if he stayed awake, this moment of peace wouldn't end. He had fought, and pled, struggling to enjoy that moment of kindness and care just that little bit longer.

It broke her. Mew hadn't gone through his memories in-depth, but from what she had seen…

This was the first time he'd had someone care about him, or for him. He'd chosen to trust her, despite everything, and he'd been hurt for it.

Mew fought back tears and kept her paws on his side, working over his fur. Gradual pushes of energy had skin and fur regrow, and she pressed carefully, making sure his ribs sat solidly beneath her paws.

Arceus, he was thin. His ribs protruded far more than she thought necessary. That is unless he was naturally like this. She doubted it—his shoulders were too wide, and his legs too bulky for that. Silvally was freakishly tall, and the proportions seemed off, even if he was a mishmash of different parts.

Mew sighed, and wiped at her eyes, paws coming away damp. She knew she'd have to help them take him into custody. There was no point in keeping him away when everyone would still be after him. She wasn't going to let them take him until he was awake and knew what was happening though.

She promised she would keep him safe, and that she would help him.

Mew was going to stick by her promise. And if she had to fight off Artemis, or the entirety of the Exploration Society, so be it. She would make sure he was in good hands before thinking of leaving his side. Wigglytuff would be someone she could trust without hesitation. She'd be able to count on him if things didn't go well.

Mew would keep her promise. She wasn't going to let anything hurt him if she could help it.

Things were going to work out, she was sure of it.