Chapter 12 - Questions, Enemy, and Loss

So tell me, oh-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa.

Will my voice echo throughout the whole town?

Oh I don't know-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

what tomorrow will bring.

I am anticipating!

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Daichi walked through the streets with Jackett by his side… flying, of course. The bug looked around, clearly trying to find the others, or at least Onyx.

"They're not coming with us today?"

"No. I think a small group, like the two of us, should be enough." Daichi said, shrugging the best his stubby arms could. "...Granted, not ideal, in my opinion."

"No, no." Jackett buzzed, nodding to him. With the news of what happened in Hillford the day before, they needed to be cautious. "Considering the "Zeraora" creature they found, I think we should take our time investigating. That is, if this… Infernape?"

"Yeah, they said something about crap forcing 'im to evolve."

"...I am fairly sure they didn't say the c-word."

To that, Daichi let out a boisterous laugh, tapping his teammate on the back. "Are you seriously tryin' to censor me?!"

…Which made Jackett blush and pout. "Hush! I believe it's crass and crude!"

"They're both words that start with "c"! Are ya gonna censor 'em too?"

"Well, that much is true, and a lot of words start with—but they're not swears!"

Luckily, the few people that looked at that playful display didn't think much of it, though some of the bystanders did share a laugh or two. Jackett himself was laughing, although only inside his mind, trying to stop Daichi from teasing him any further.

"I gotta admit. Kinda like how we are right now."

Jackett buzzed again. "Eh? What do you mean?"

"Friends. And, err… I have a long way to get better from now on, but I should proooobably thank you for convincing that other human about us all workin' together." Daichi rubbed his chin. "Yeah, that's what I wanted to tell you."

"Hm… I accept the thanks." Jackett nodded. "Granted, I still have a hive mentality. I would like to request assistance in freeing myself from it."

"Sure."

The duo managed to reach the hospital, being met with a familiar gaze.

"Don't overwhelm him."

Amelia stood in front of the town's hospital, crossing her arms and with a raised brow towards the Golem and Beedrill next to her. She sighed, keeping her gaze solely on them.

"Miss, we're not gonna do that." Daichi said, shaking his head and peeking through the half-open door.

Jackett bowed to the nurse. "Indeed. As part of the effort to investigate Hillford, we must ask him a few questions, if you allow us, of course."

"I… never said you couldn't," the Kirlia deadpanned, frowning at them. "As long as you don't overwhelm him with questions, you're free to go. Frankly, I'm glad your entire team isn't here. I would actually stop you all if that were the case."

"Yeah, figures. We decided to be just us." Daichi shrugged. "Can we…?"

"Yes." Amelia got out of the way, opening the door to them. "Again, don't overwhelm him."

"Let's go." Jackett buzzed his wings, entering the hospital without saying another word. For all his talk of trying to escape the mentality, using it right now would help with the investigation.

Daichi followed him.

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The hospital was calm, anonymous walls and rows of empty beds highlighting how little activity there was, with nary a doctor or nurse in sight from where they were. Jackett even smiled, knowing that with so few patients, it meant life in the town was relatively peaceful, save for the occasional criminal activity.

Daichi, on the other hand, shivered. White walls, used to help bring comfort to patients, caused him to begin sweating, though the Golem rubbed it off as fast as he could.

"Huh, really hot in here, eh? Must be summer."

"...It's fall." Jackett deadpanned.

"Oh."

He was about to reply, but then something came up. Jackett tilted his head, raising an arm and sighing. "...Daichi."

"Uh, yeah?"

"We need to see the patient," he answered, crossing his arms.

"We're gonna."

"Really? Where's the room?"

It only then dawned on him. "...Oh, I see it now."

The door creaked open and soon closed, Amelia walking next to them. "Second floor. First door on the left. Or, if you're this terrible even when receiving directions, follow me. Also, no flying. Walk like a normal Pokémon."

"I like her." Jackett chuckled, descending to the floor. He was so used to flying, but walking wasn't any issue at all.

"Well, frick." Daichi grinned. "Jackett, I'm gonna get back at ya for that little stunt. Though I can't say I don't like it."

Amelia was already ahead of then, stopping to look at the duo. "Are you two following me or not? Just get on with it already."

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After following her, the duo were allowed inside the room, which was very calm and full of light. Each bed had blankets and a pillow, to make sure the patients were comfortable.

In this particular room there was only an Infernape, flames out, eating from a bowl of soup. Because of it, he didn't notice the two at first; too busy "enjoying" hospital food.

Although that wasn't what Jackett noticed. According to reports from Onyx, this Infernape was berserk, attacking anyone in sight, and by the moment the team got there, he was already fighting.

Meaning: he should be hurt, or bruised, but there was none to be seen. For all intents and purposes, Infernape was healthy. At least physically. His mind was yet to be proved healed.

"Greetings." Jackett said, leaving the wave for Daichi.

"Heya." Daichi was the first one to get closer. "Mister…?"

"Used to be Monferno, but that ain't the case anymore." Infernape sighed, putting the bowl on his bed. "I know what you two want from me, so hit it. What use can I be?"

"First… what do you remember happening there?" Jackett asked. He did get a full report, but hearing it from the one who experienced it the most was far better.

"Hittin' me with your best shot, eh?" Infernape grumbled, clutching the blanket tight.

"See, that's the thing. Not much; when I got there, there was this weird… dark thing. I tried fightin' it, or like, torch the bloody thing."

Daichi huffed. There was nothing he could or should say, so instead he was relegated to listening to this story, not even finding it absurd. After all, he did die and come back to life, so something like that was fairly believable.

"Didn't work, and it, uh… grabbed me." Infernape shivered, a tiny spark of flames appearing on the top of his head. "Next thing I knew, I felt… strong. Like, hella strong! I was at the top of the world! And then… blam! Don't remember a single thing before waking up on the road, being carried here."

Jackett nodded, eyes closed. "Hm. This corroborates with what this "Zero" said. The Crack forced mister Monferno to go through the evolution process."

Infernape raised a finger after hearing the name, but put it down and started thinking.

"Nothin' else?" Daichi asked. "Like, do you know who that guy was? 'Cause we sure don't."

"Maybe? Look, my memory's all fuzzy, dude." Infernape huffed, the flames burning brighter, and his tail twitching. "Though… name's familiar. Think my contacts mentioned the guy before, something about being cautious and stuff."

"Being cautious." Daichi repeated, groaning. "Just great. If you remember anything else, can you let us know? Talk to the Kirlia, she's an ally."

"Oh yeah! She's really cute!" Infernape nodded, the fur on his face turning red. "Totally my type, too!"

"Relatable." Daichi turned around, taking a glance at him. "But really, let us know. We're gettin' to the bottom of this."

"It seems this "Zero" is a piece of work, and not one of the good ones." Jackett mentioned, walking towards the door. "We should tell the others."

"Aye." Daichi nodded. And with that, they left the room, leaving Infernape to rest some more.

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Liz let the waves of the ocean rub against her roots, and kept watching the horizon. Home had never been so far, so out of reach. Yet, she extended an arm to try and grasp it, knowing well that was a pointless struggle.

Oh, how it hurt. Her pride, her body, everything hurt after the loss during the investigation. Deep inside her, everything hurt. Her back ached, burning like the wound from that one training session never healed.

How can I be this weak, this pathetic? I can never defend my… friends. Not like this. Perhaps the world really is out to get me—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a splash of water in her face, snapping Liz back to reality, where she heard a familiar voice.

"Sheesh, ya can only brood so much before it sucks the happiness outta everyone." Onyx sat next to her, dipping her toes in the water. "Ah… this is nice! Would rather have it be hotter, but y'know, I can deal with this."

Liz looked at her with a quirked brow. "...I assumed the members of the Charmander line could not handle water."

"What? No, that's just a myth." Onyx flicked her tail, the flame in it growing stronger. "Honestly, Bouquet, I'm offended."

"Bou…quet?" Liz blinked. "Because I am a Roselia?"

"Fits, doesn't it? 'Sides, you look like you need some company!"

To that, Liz pouted. "What I need is to be stronger. To fight better, and defeat that Zeraora. Not just for my friends, but for me as well. Losing is—"

"It ain't an option, right?"

Onyx had finished the sentence for her, and Liz nodded in reply. The Charmeleon sighed, looking at the ocean in silence.

"Losing… is part of the job. It sucks, and you feel bad about it. Nothing wrong with feelin' that way. What you should do is not let this bring you down."

Liz crossed her arms. Better to humor this Charmeleon. Or perhaps, instead of humoring, she really wanted the help. "...And how do I stop these feelings?"

"Well, for one, ya don't. Feelings are important." Onyx said, then stood up. "Secondly… there's a lesson you gotta learn. You lost once before, but that was from you forfeiting. I'm going all this way to say this, Liz. Fight me."

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"Hmph. You fight with a member of the royal guard. The chances of you winning are neglectable." Liz snarled, and Onyx saw the fire in her eyes again.

Part of her plan did involve getting into the Roselia's nerves, and this seemed to work.

"Oh, so you're brooding and arrogant? Whoa!" Onyx flicked her tail again, showing off a toothy smile. "Don't mind it one bit! C'mon, fight me already! Whoever gets pinned down first wins!"

"Conditions accepted. Or perhaps you should say when you get pinned down." Liz began to spin, gathering petals beside her. She knew they were flammable, and frankly, it was a foolish idea to attack her with such a simple strike. Not that Liz cared, as all she wanted was to win.

And Onyx had preparations of her own, breathing a thick smoke that clouded the area, forcing Liz to step back and replan things. Or she could keep going with her previous idea, gathering the petals to create a makeshift shield, one that was quickly torched by a powerful punch.

Liz could feel a vein popping despite having none. She coated her roses in poison again, noticing the cloud was gone; she now had her sights set on Onyx, right in front of her. Liz went with a parry, trying to hit her opponent, and only that.

Her mind was focused solely on fighting, not caring for strategy at all. Due to this, Onyx could easily dodge the attacks and fight back, but she decided to simply dodge.

"Tch! Stop this nonsense! I am more than capable of—"

Onyx ducked and kicked both of Liz's roots, making her fall down. Liz gasped, looking up with her mouth gaped open, unable to speak anything else.

"You were sayin'?"

"B-But… no! I refuse to acknowledge this! Let us fight again!" Liz stood up as quick as she could, preparing another jab.

"No. I've made my point here." Onyx huffed, crossing her arms. She knew Liz was smart enough to figure out what the point was, but with that much rage, maybe she should help at least a little. "...So, what just happened? Or is the "member of the royal guard" too salty to admit it?"

"I… lost." Liz canceled her strike, now wondering just what she meant. It was just… a loss. That was all that happened.

"Yes, you did. You lost, and?"

"And… nothing?" Liz tilted her head. This felt like the right conclusion to that line of thought. But she still didn't know what it was all about.

"Exactly. You lost, and nothing bad happened." Onyx turned her head to face the horizon again. "...That was my point. Losing doesn't mean the end of the world."

"It… does not." Liz said, mostly to herself, gasping again. It was such a simple message. So, so simple. "I… can lose."

Onyx chuckled. "Bingo. There's something else, though. Because I had the same thought a while ago, when I was a wee lil 'mander. I wanted to evolve, because evolving meant…"

"...You could help those you love." Liz completed the sentence, still with her mouth opened. "You are… wiser than you look."

"Thanks." Onyx's grin grew wider. "Ya wanna evolve, become stronger. That's why you're so mad. You haven't evolved yet."

"No. A Shiny Stone could accelerate the process, but I have yet to acquire one."

"Let's train, then." Onyx looked at her again, offering a paw. "Train, 'til you evolve. Sounds good?"

Liz looked at the sand, sighing, and nodded. There was a tint of green blush in her face. "I accept."

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The only one that was in their base was Nick… enjoying a cup of black coffee. Pure black, in fact, with not a single drop of sugar. After all, he was in a bad moment, and bad moments needed—

"Pfffft!" Nick spit the coffee out, rubbing his tongue in pure disgust. "How can anyone taste this?! It's awful!"

And here I was trying to act all cool and broody. Nick put his head on the table, groaning. He knew everyone in the team was dealing with their loss in a different way. It just happened that he didn't know what his way was.

"Maybe I should uh… well, I dunno."

So instead of deciding how to deal with it, Nick remained with his face planets on the table, groaning every now and then, and sometimes raising his head just to breathe.

From his position, he managed to see a shadow being cast in front of the table—and the footsteps, which he recognized, much to his own surprise, revealed it was one his teammates: Terry.

"Oh, uh… hey?"

"Hm, hi. You look awful." Terry sat in one of the chairs, opening a comic. With how sad Nick looked, the Tyrunt was surprised that their headquarters looked fine, clean, even. "...Why are you like this?"

"Dunno, kinda tired, and sad?" Nick raised his head, grumbling. He blew on the goggles, removing a bit of dust that gathered in them. "Thought I could ignore the feeling by acting like a broody teenager, didn't work."

"Huh… figures." Terry put his comic down. "I'll be frank with you—"

Nick spun in his chair. "Okay, Frank."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Go ahead, Terry."

…Nick kept spinning. Terry blinked, watching that and getting increasingly dizzy. He shook his head.

"I'm angry too. Not that we lost, or anything like that. I'm more angry… that some of us got hurt. Shiron and Liz both fought head-on. Is this common?"

Nick tilted his head. Even though it was Terry that asked a question, Nick felt as if Terry instead came up with an answer. "For someone like us? Yeah."

"...So you got experience with it, then? Because I'm angry, and I could use a friend."

"Mom and Dad." Nick said, his ears drooping. "...Were like us. I don't have experience, but I remember what it was like living with them."

Terry didn't need to hear more to realize what was written under the lines when Nick mentioned his parents. "O-Oh! My apologies, I didn't mean to…"

"Y'know what? I could use a friend too." Nick said, hopping out of the chair. "I wanna know about you. Both because you're my teammate, and because you're my friend. Sounds good, right?"

"I… suppose so." Terry nodded, flicking his tail. Nick was trustworthy, and they fought together. In one of the comics, I learned fighting can bring Pokémon closer. Meaning he really IS my friend.

"Alright," he finally said. "Learning more about Riolu. Sounds good to me!"

"Eh, I don't have much to talk about my species. Other than the fact we're awesome!"

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All of that talk begged the question of where Nick should start. Since there were so many questions, he knew some of them weren't going to be answered. And so, he decided to ask for the one that bugged him this entire time.

"Terry… why'd you run away?"

Of course that was what he asked. Terry groaned, knowing that was going to happen sooner or later, even if he really hoped it was as late as possible. He remained sitting on his chair, and tapped the table with a claw.

Nick raised an arm. "One second. I'm gonna… get something in the fridge real quick."

"Sure."

A few seconds passed, and Nick came back with two glasses of water, handing one of them to Terry.

"Better? I dunno about you, but I was thirsty. And it's not even summer! I'm just glad to not be shedding."

"...Now I'm glad I don't have fur." Terry sipped his water until he was halfway done. "So, as you know… I'm a prince. I'm supposed to succeed my father in the throne, as opposed to my younger sibling."

Just with those words, Nick had a hunch of Terry's reasoning for traveling. Even so, he decided to wait. At least to confirm his suspicions.

"I never wanted to be King." Terry added, his face shifting into a frown. "It's not in me, I don't want to rule over anyone, I want to… be free. Free to be me, you know?"

"In the end, isn't that what we all want?"

Nick closed his eyes and opened them, flashing a bright smile with one of his fangs poking out. "Me too. I wanted to be a hero to prove I could. And… well, protecting others is a nice thing to do."

"Yeah, when we win…" Terry muttered.

Nick replied, picking his goggles to look at them. "We're not alone in any struggles. Trying to ignore my feelings was wrong. I can say talking about 'em with you is the right choice."

"Hm… is it my turn, now?"

The Riolu flashed a thumbs up in reply. "Yup! Ask me anything!"

"Okay… what does aura sensing feel like?"

Ouch.

That was the question to ask him. Nick bit his lip, not wanting to sugarcoat things; being direct was the best thing he could do in this scenario.

"It's like… imagine you're listening to a band playing. Each of them has a different instrument, right?" Nick began fiddling with his fingers, moving left and right as he explained. "So when you listen to it, you recognize which one's which."

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"Or… that's how it's supposed to be," he muttered, looking down. "For me? It's like someone's scratching a chalkboard, most of the time. Unless I'm really focused."

"Oh! I'm sorry Nick! Maybe I shouldn't have asked!" Terry got out of the chair, running to give his friend a hug.

"...It's alright. I asked something personal too. It's only natural." Nick still returned the hug anyway. "But this is nice. I learned something new, right?"

"Me too, I suppose." Terry smiled, his tail wagging. "And… as for the whole Crack thing, this is the "path of a hero"! That's what we should strive for!"

Nick could only blink. "What?"

"Something I read in a comic. Maybe we should buy more?"

"...On it."

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Back at Nick's house, Shiron was using his break time to watch TV… and chat with Magnus, after he went to deliver what he promised. Except it was something else. He came with a batch of cookies. Not chocolate chip cookies, even. They had… a different taste. It was bitter, but not bad.

Magnus finished doing the dishes, and strutted to the couch, hopping on it. "Phew. If mister Rowan was here, I bet Nick would be grounded. Do you know how much I had to clean? A lot."

"Uh… yeah, I figured that was the case. He seems a little messy." Shiron said between bites.

The Marshtomp was eating, but slowly. Nothing like how everyone knew he liked to eat. Not to mention he took his time to properly chew, which, although a better way to eat, was strange.

It could only mean something was wrong. Maybe it had to do with his cooking?

"Shiron… are the cookies any good? Sorry it wasn't the cake, I know it's your favorite, but I wanted to test how Rawst berries would work for cookies, and… well?"

"H-Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah! It's good! You outdid yourself!"

There was… a lot of truth in his words, but Magnus still thought something was off about the fish. He could either try to find out, or leave Shiron the way he was.

Magnus went for the first option. "Are… are you okay?"

"Who, m-me?!" Shiron ate a rather large bite, coughing a little of it. "Yup! Never been better!"

"...I don't believe you." Magnus pouted. "I've only known you for around a month, but during this time, we became friends. I know there's something bothering you. What is it?"

Shiron looked at the bowl of cake between his legs, and his gills started flopping down. "I… it's my fault, Magnus. I'm the reason we didn't do any good at that town."

"W-Wha?" Magnus blinked, looking down, sighing, and then pressing both of his hands on the two sides of Shiron's face, looking at him straight in the eye. "Shiron. Stop. There's no way that was on you."

"But… b-but…" Shiron didn't even try to defend the growing blush and how good the touch felt. He was more concerned about trying to defend his depressive thoughts. "L-Look. If I was stronger, I could've taken on that guy. But that's not even the problem! I just went and… attacked him for no reason. I know Liz has some sorta hunger for battle, but me? I dunno. And if I was stronger, if I was faster, I—"

"If this, if that." Magnus interrupted, pressing tighter. "Don't make your life full of "what ifs". We're all a team. This means that, even if it was your fault, it's everyone's loss."

"..." Shiron had nothing to say, and nothing to do but tremble.

Words escaped his mouth, all except one. "Why?"

Magnus sighed, finally pushing away. "You saved my brother, you helped my friend, and you're all around a nice guy. I don't see why you'd think those things about yourself."

"Because I—" Shiron stopped himself from spilling everything. But Magnus was trying to help, and he wanted said help. At the very least, Shiron could say something. "I… remember a few things. Mostly, I remember my parents. Awful, awful people."

"You remember them?" Magnus blinked, turning to face his friend. "What do you mean awful?"

"They did… a lot of things that damaged my self-esteem. I keep getting those thoughts about being worthless, all the time. No matter how hard I try, they just… don't stop."

The Quilladin frowned, leaning closer to Shiron. So that was why he was so shy and nervous all the time. That was the reason, and although Magnus wondered how long Shiron remembered this, what mattered the most was comforting him. Therefore, he gave the fish a powerful hug.

"I'm… really sorry that happened to you."

"I…" Shiron stopped himself from speaking anything else, and simply locked eyes with Magnus. His heart skipped beat after beat, and he was at a loss of words again. "Thank… t-thank you."

"Listen, Shiron. I mean it when I say you're a friend. And a nice guy." Magnus smiled.

A smile so bright Shiron almost went blind from it. Metaphorically. How could anyone say those things about him? There was no way they could be true! And yet… and yet… Shiron knew they were. It was hard to admit, to agree with them, but his heart told him Magnus was telling him the truth.

"Can… can I ask for another hug? I-It was nice."

"Of course, buddy! What are friends for?"

"Friends…" Shiron repeated the word in his head until it lost its meaning. "I haven't told anything about my parents to anyone, by the way, can you—"

Before he knew it, the fish was enveloped by another hug, one that smelled of chocolate.

"...If you're asking me to keep it a secret, I'm more than happy to do it."

Shiron only nodded, leaning deeper into the hug. A knock on the door made the two pull apart from one another.

"Guess I gotta go, huh?"

"Yeah." Magnus kept his smile up. "I don't have work today, though, so I can… keep you company if you want."

"I'd love that!" Shiron nodded, getting off the couch. "Just, uh, lemme get the door."

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"Greetings."

It was the robust figure of Ivan, the Houndoom Shiron grew to know over the past month. Month, as in, thirty days.

…Oh shoot, the Porygon! Shiron facepalmed, groaning once he finally remembered that boring ordeal.

"Is… anything the matter?" Ivan tilted his head. He was sitting on all fours, clearly waiting for the door for a while.

"Gah! Sorry, m-mister! Just remembered how stupid and forgetful I am! Uh, forgot to change our team name."

"Ah, that. Frankly, it's a complaint we get a lot. We're working on it."

"Good to hear…" Shiron gulped. He would be surprised, but even the Pokémon world had bureaucracy from the looks of it.

Ivan huffed out a tiny cloud of smoke, his tail flicking left to right. "Well, I've been watching your team with great interest, perhaps you'd like me to change the name without going through Porygon?"

"R-Really?" Shiron would normally say yes without any hesitation, but… "I'd love to, but I don't have any good name ideas right now, and we're busy with the whole "evil cracks" thingy. Sorry."

"Suit yourself." Ivan nodded, peeking through the door. "...Do I smell cookies? Ah, nevermind. I've heard of what happened, though I don't have every detail."

"Yeah… bad things. I was reckless and attacked our lead, Liz got into a fight too, we lost, but at least we managed to save that Monf—Infernape."

Waddling footsteps made their way to the door, Magnus barely able to squeeze through, not until Shiron moved to the side.

"Oh, hi, mister Ivan! Yes, I've made a batch of Rawst Berry cookies!"

"Hm… really? I do hope you'll sell them at the bakery sometime." Ivan's tail wagged faster now. Perhaps he also had a sweet tooth. "Ahem, back to my reasoning behind checking in. I wanted to make sure you, Shiron, were feeling alright. So?"

Why… why are there so many people worried about me? It makes my stomach get all fuzzy and warm, but like, why? Shiron blinked, tugging on his scarf. "Better, I think? It's nice to have so many—"

Which word? People? Pokémon?

Shiron elected to use neither. "—So many of you supporting me."

"Good." Magnus grinned, looking directly at the Marshtomp. "You deserve it, buddy!"

"Well, if that's the case, perhaps I should return." Ivan slowly stood up and smiled. "While I'm at it, Shiron, if you ever need anyone to talk to, you can talk to me. It's likely I'll be at the bank, but I'll find some time for you."

Well, ain't that nice? Shiron clutched his scarf and raised it to cover his face, but nodded anyway. "...T-Thanks."

"Bye, mister Ivan!" Magnus waved, watching the Houndoom turn back and ran down the hill.

While the two watched him go, they also saw someone else climbing: Daichi. He was alone, and the big frown in his face told them it was about business.

"Hey, Shiron. We're calling a team meeting, so… let's go to your base, alright?"

Before the Marshtomp could reply, Magnus stepped forward. "I'm going too, even if it's just for support."

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As they climbed down, Daichi grabbed Shiron's hand, eyeing Magnus in front of them.

The Golem shrugged. "Hey. I need to talk with him for a while, can you go on ahead? It's… leader stuff."

"Uh—"

"Gotcha." Magnus nodded, running ahead.

"Okay then." Shiron's gills dropped while he adjusted the scarf. "What'd you want?"

Before saying anything, Daichi watched Magnus getting farther and farther, until he could no longer hear the two.

"When I said leader, I meant human," he answered, squinting his eyes just to be sure Magnus was away enough. "...Infernape didn't say much. Well, I mean, he did, but anyway. Do you remember Zeraora? Like, do you know if he existed back home? In Hoenn?"

"Oh, that's it?"

Shiron crossed his arms, frowning, thinking and trying to remember it hearing anything about such a Pokémon.

"I… I…"

Daichi quirked a brow, waiting. "Yes?"

"...No, nothing." Shiron sighed, disappointed in himself. Nothing came to mind about Zero, or his species. "I've never heard of it before, and to be honest, I don't know every species there is. Or types and stuff like that."

"Hm, fair enough." Daichi shrugged. "Same here. Don't think I knew. I asked because, considering none of us do, it might be either rare, or a legend. I'm considering the latter."

"Legend? Like Xerneas…? I don't know much, and I've never even seen one before her." Shiron started walking away, motioning for Daichi to follow him. "There's a lot we don't know, and here I thought this world was peaceful…"

Daichi looked ahead one more time and followed Shiron. "Thought that too, y'know? But even here, there's a lot of problems to be solved."

"...Yeah." Shiron stopped, thinking again, but once more, he realized there was nothing he knew. "But… we're gonna figure something out, I'm sure of it."

"That's the spirit! Now c'mon! If we're gonna kick electric butts, we gotta roll out!" Daichi jumped, retreating his limbs into his rocky shell… and rolled down the hill.

"What?" Shiron rubbed his eyes, taken aback by this. Sometimes I wonder if coming here was a bad decision. But hey, better this than home… if this really is what I deserve.

More importantly, he was left behind! He ran ahead, once more cursing his stubby legs for making him slow.

Magnus was waiting, waving for him, while Daichi jumped once he passed the Quilladin, his limbs popping off and back to normal as he landed.

"I'm—huff—here!" Shiron stopped and got on his knees, catching his breath. Other than that, he didn't seem all that tired, quickly standing up again. "Okay… that was easy enough. But what was that for?"

"Fun." Daichi grinned.

Magnus kept a smile on his face. "If it makes things better, I thought you did well!"

"You always seem to think that." Shiron thought he didn't need to ask why, and he wanted to keep going anyway. "Everyone's there?"

"Probably, I sent Jackett to call your friends. And Onyx said she was checkin' up on that plant, so that shouldn't take too long."

"If I knew, I'd have prepared more cookies, and maybe some waffles." Magnus pouted. Oh well, better luck next time!

"In your defense, the ones you made were great!" Shiron tapped his satisfied stomach and followed Daichi, who was rolling again.

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Half an hour passed, and the two teams had gathered together at Shiron's headquarters, at the top of the hill. Daichi stood in the middle of the office, accompanied by Onyx and Jackett to his left and right.

Liz crossed her arms, waiting for the meeting to properly start. Meanwhile, Magnus served coffee for each of them, carrying a large platter.

"No, thanks." Nick refused, leaving the additional mug to be taken by the Golem, who slurped it in seconds.

Shiron sat in one of the chairs, putting his hands on the table. "Are we starting now? We seem to have everyone here."

"I believe we can," said Jackett, nodding. "We're here to discuss what to do next, how to continue our investigations, and how to discover the mysteries of the Cracks."

"If I may," Liz flicked her cape back. "As a guard, I had to learn numerous methods of defending my liege. One of them was to predict what my opponents may think."

Terry visibly flinched when he called a liege. "I… think she means we can try using what we know of Zero first."

Onyx snapped a finger, whistling. "Good idea. I do wanna add that there's a lot of us, so we should divide this into groups."

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Liz moved to the center, making Daichi shuffle to the side to make way for her, due to his stature. The Roselia nodded in approval, slowly turning around in 360 degrees while she talked.

"First, I would like to apologize for my rash actions. I wanted to win more than anything. Of course, this thought still remains in me, but I shall work to deal with these feelings better."

Shiron opened his mouth, but didn't say anything yet, reminded of the words Magnus said before.

This was on all of them, as a team. "It's… it's alright, Liz. We just need to do better now."

"Yeah, don't worry." Nick gazed at Terry, the prince nodding at him in return. "We're all in this together."

"Good job." Onyx grinned, two fangs sticking out.

"Thank you, everyone." Liz closed her eyes, thinking, musing about their plan. Or plans. "If we are to deal with this as a group, then I suggest we each designate a function. I would like to request—"

"Me." Onyx raised an arm, her grin still shining brightly. "I volunteer to be your partner for this one. Wanna help, after all."

"W-Wait." Magnus put the platter in one of the tables, blowing on the few mugs that were left. "But I'm not very good at fighting, can I still help…?"

"Hell yeah," Daichi spoke. "Even if you're not in the front lines, support is appreciated. And if you want to fight, we can always train you."

Shiron raised an arm, wanting to talk next. "I'm not that good either, but I'm still trying my best."

"Ahem." Liz cleared her throat. "Before we settle on pairs, it would be wise to decide what our other goals are."

"Then let's focus on predicting what Zero will do." Jackett said. "According to your reports, he seemed brash, arrogant, or perhaps confident? And repeatedly dissed your efforts."

"Infernape said his contacts warned him about it, which means they should know… something, at the very least." Daichi added, rubbing his chin. There were too many variables, but with a group as large as them, they could get there. Maybe.

Liz nodded again. "Very well. In this case, I believe a group should talk with Infernape's contacts, and we might have a lead."

Which begged the question of who should be tasked with this. Liz walked in circles, folding her arms behind her back, wondering which of them would be best. They didn't know exactly how communications with them would go, so someone that was level-headed and someone diplomatic could work well.

"...Sire, Jackett," she finally said. "I have reasons to believe you two are fit for this job."

"Oh, me?" Terry eyed Jackett, the bug smiling at him. "...Can't say it was what I expected, but I can work with this."

"Very well. Do be careful, sire." The Roselia turned her attention back to Daichi. "There are other things we should plan."

----------------------------------------

Indeed. Daichi bit one of his fingers, wondering which thing they should focus on. Then, he remembered the conversation with Infernape, about how strong he felt after the Crack empowered him.

"...Did any of you feel different when you were in the town? 'Nape said something about it."

A wall of silence was raised between them, until Nick realized he was the best to answer this, given his senses. "A little bit. There was this… presence there. I could feel it in Infernape, it was strong and—honestly, can't describe it that well. Weird? Creepy? Probably both, and even more."

"Energy." Liz repeated. "All I felt there was anger. At myself for being weak, at him for belittling us, and so I acted on said anger."

Jackett buzzed to himself. "Do you think that perhaps that anger was related to that energy? If it empowers you, it might empower your feelings as well."

"Amplifying my aggression. And since I was not directly exposed to it, I did not evolve…" Liz considered that. Perhaps if I was, I could have defeated this "Zero". Hmph, I shall do that the next time we meet.

She kept that thought to herself. It would never help them, and it was something personal, something she needed to overcome as well.

"And… just makin' sure," Onyx was the next to raise her voice, leaning against the wall. "Does anyone know about this Crack thing other than us?"

Terry slapped his tail. "That's something I'll try finding out!"

"Correct. We will get rid of this variable as soon as we can." Jackett stated.

Nick crossed his arms, nodding to each and everything they said, while his head was busy with thoughts. Particularly, about what he sensed. He snapped a finger, adjusting his goggles.

"Guys! Maybe we can find a way to track that aura! 'Course, we need a sample for that to work, and I dunno if Audrey has all the resources here, but…"

"We might need to travel a bit for this." Daichi sighed. "Man, hero stuff is hard. But yeah, we're on the right track here, I think."

Magnus raised his arm, after doing a second round of serving refreshments to them. This time, glasses of water.

"Err, can't we try to get some weather reports? Maybe Bright Dawn could have it… that city's incredibly big."

"Good point." Liz smiled at him, but quickly turned it into a frown, as to not be seen that way.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Onyx noticed, keeping it to herself.

"In other words, a group goes to investigate Infernape's contacts, Nick tries finding a way to track the aura, and a third group gets the weather reports we need." Liz explained it, loud and clear to everyone. "However, it is likely that the deeper we get into this, more developments will appear, putting a stop to our schedule."

"Meaning… prepare to be unprepared." Onyx groaned, flicking her tail.

"Sounds fun." Daichi rolled his eyes, showing he thought the opposite.

Shiron had been silent for most of this, but even he could agree preparing for everything was impossible. Just what was Liz thinking…?

----------------------------------------

Regardless, it did seem like his friends had it figured out. And without any input from him, which could only mean this plan was flawless! If Shiron tried to help, he'd only make things worse for everyone. That was the truth—

Magnus' words echoed inside his head once more. If they lost, they'd deal with it as a team. But if they won, then it was the team's win. Shiron, being part of it, was a winner too.

Whoa. That's so simple… and my brain still refuses to accept it. Shiron groaned, putting his head on the table. Or, y'know… I could trust myself just a little more. Everyone else seems to.

Shiron fiddled with his fingers, watching the conversation, but not hearing anything other than his heartbeat. Too distracted with anxieties to pay any attention. And he knew that, which would probably make dealing with this anxiety easier.

First, count everything he could see. That was easy: his friends, the tables, the chair he sat on, his scarf, the platter and its carrier, Magnus.

Next, he moved to what he could hear. Birds tweeting outside, the creaking of his chair whenever he moved, how Liz kept tapping her roots on the wooden floor… Shiron then began to get a feel for his gills, twitching them and detecting the waves.

Even far from the beach, he could still hear the waves crashing into the ocean; strong and serene. There was also the wind, it was blowing much faster than usual. Did that mean it was going to rain…?

All those things were far, and while it was fun sensing them, Shiron wanted to focus on the present. He found himself looking at Magnus, still ignoring every chatter. Or rather, everything but the Quilladin. His focus was entirely on him. Whatever the others were talking came in deaf ears.

He remembered Ivan, too. The Houndoom kept talking with him so many times that Shiron wondered if he had any secret agenda. On second thought, that was probably him just being nice. Nice. Everyone there was nice, even the once abrasive Daichi. Now he had so many others to rely on.

Guess I never had that back home, did I? I was always… alone. Shiron sighed, but his gaze remained on Magnus, and without noticing, the Marshtomp began to smile. Not anymore. I'm grateful.

Slowly, his heart was normal, his gills were back up again, and his smile grew wider. Shiron managed to calm his anxiety. Who would've thought. Everyone in this world is important to me. I can't—won't let them down. We gotta be… Honest. Endearing. Reliable. Outstanding. And I didn't even know I knew that last word!

Shiron tugged on his scarf again, now listening to the conversation again. He didn't quite know how long that little thought exercise went on for, but at least, the meeting didn't seem to be over. And luckily, he snapped back in reality just in time to receive a question, Liz gazing at him.

"Shiron. I believe we can successfully complete this mission. What do you think?"

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Shiron still had a big, goofy smile on his face, and he stood up to give Liz a thumbs up… with his three-fingered hand. Luckily that was never a problem, and neither was grabbing things.

"I think so too!" he said, smiling wider. "...I still have to continue my training with mister Ronan, but I'll do my best! I… I'm not gonna be a liability for you guys!"

"Liability…?" Liz tilted her head. "You are mistaken. Although your fighting skills are… lacking, I believe you are what they call a "diamond in the rough". You can be polished and become a better version of yourself."

Magnus went for another hug, even trying to lift the fish up, to no success. "What she said!"

"Yeah, dude." Nick shrugged. "Don't gotta act like that. We've all got each other's backs."

"Nicely said." Daichi added, nodding. He looked at everyone there. "Now… I think that's it for today, there aren't any topics we need to cover, are there? If not, I'm just gonna roll out again, maybe get some grub, and start workin' on this."

Nick left his chair, yawning. How long had they been there…? "Sounds good to me. Bye, Daichi."

Jackett was the second to leave, after Daichi opened the door for them to go. Onyx, however, stayed there.

And Magnus pulled from the hug, chuckling. "Right! Shiron, can I be your partner in training? I wanna help you guys too, and just cooking isn't gonna do it."

"Really?" Nick leaned closer, smirking at the baker. "I've been trying to get you to train for years now, and Shiron doing it is what gets you to go?"

"Oh! Well, he did save my little brother, so there's that…"

"Mhm. If you say so." Nick shrugged again.

Shiron pulled the scarf up to his face, then fiddled with his fingers for a while. "I-If you wanna go… sure! I mean, you don't need to, but I could use the company."

"Alright! I'll go with you, then! I dunno what's so fun about fighting, but if you're there, then it has to be!"

"I mean…" Shiron shook his head in denial. "I don't like fighting, but if it's gonna help my friends, I'll do it."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Magnus raised a fist in the air, cheering as his tail wagged.

Onyx chuckled to herself, rubbing the back of her head. "Guess everything worked out just fine in the end, eh? Hopefully y'all won't be Juniors by the end of this."

"We will not." Liz stated, fierce like before. "I know my goals, and I will work to achieve them. Because… I am a protector."

"Sounds fun." Onyx replied.

Shiron picked a glass of water and sipped it down. If he had any anxiety left, it was gone with the water. Another way of helping, for sure. "Guess we gotta go, huh? And it's not… wait, what time is it?"

Terry pondered for a moment, looking out the window. "Probably afternoon."

…I miss digital watches. Shiron sighed.

----------------------------------------

"Alright!" Nick clapped both of his hands together. His grin was wider, somehow. "Now that we have the rest of the day to ourselves, we could do something fun! Like, I dunno, a party!"

"Party?" Terry raised a single claw. "...I've never been into one. It could be fun!"

"Hey, we could have slushies!" Shiron smiled, pulling down his scarf. "Maybe read some of the books you guys have been getting! I wasn't—"

Shiron once again stopped himself before saying too much. Wasn't allowed to read anything other than those stupid high school books. Yuck.

Magnus scratched his chin. "I did want to try my hand at making slushies…"

"I will refrain from such activities." Liz said, then, she looked at Onyx. "May I request our training to begin earlier? I want to be at my peak as soon as possible. I will be stronger."

"Heh. Don't sweat it." Onyx walked towards the exit. "Come along! And you guys have fun at the party or whatever it is you're gonna do."

The girls left. Shiron sighed, but he wasn't sad, or mad. His smile quickly returned. "So, the first stop is at the comic book store?"

"We can even meet here again!" Magnus said. "I'm gonna get some stuff back home to make the slushies, but it shouldn't take too long."

Terry seemed to agree with that notion, his tail flicking. "I'm up for it. Nick?"

"You had me at slushies, to be honest."

EVeryone wanted it. Shiron just laughed at the entire situation, not even because it was funny, but because it helped with his anxiety. They were all his friends.

Even so, he didn't know what friendship was really like. "Friends do stuff together, right?"

"Aye. Fun stuff!" Nick cheered with two arms, bobbing his head back and forth.

"I'm afraid I don't know much. Father mostly paid the citizens to be my friends…" Terry frowned. "Mother was very angry when she found out."

Magnus, hearing this, locked eyes with Nick. "We need to give these two a good time. Popcorn?"

"With the slushies? Of course!"

"Aw… we didn't even have time to plan! We could've made it even better!" Magnus pouted, looking away.

"Oh yeah? Guess we'll just need to up the quality of this party!"

Shiron began to sweat, and Terry too. Both were looking at one another. They didn't have any idea of what the others were talking about, and that was… scary? Exciting?

Please let this be fun… Shiron gulped. No, he should ignore any anxiety and just… enjoy his time with his friends. And I even went on a long speech to myself about 'em! This is so weird. I can't say it's bad, but…

"Hm, 'kay!" Nick finally turned to his Marshtomp friend. "We're gonna make you two have a great time! Okay?!"

Good. It was good, Shiron tried to acknowledge that. "Okay…"

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A portal burst forth, and out of it hopped Zero, still wearing his vest, but now sporting a satchel.

Is this the town…?

The landscape was... gloomy. Beyond two twisted trees, enveloped by a green fog lay a sprawling swamp. Great mushrooms towered over the land, providing shade and homes for the people. Pathways marked by fences littered the surface of the murky waters, all leading to a creepy looking log hut situated in the center. With a few sticks in the shape of a trident on top, it gave off the appearance of importance.

In the distance a pair of large hills gave off an eerie backdrop. Water flowed down one, into the murky waters drowning the path. It would be impossible to live here, and not get wet...

Seems like it is. The Zeraora walked away from the portal and zipped his satchel. Well, at least I got to HQ after being done with those kids. And speaking of…

This place smells awful.

Zero covered his nose. This was the next target? And he probably couldn't even reach out, because why would there be any reception in that ugly town?!

Okay. Calm down! He never gets it wrong… Zero rubbed his forehead, groaning. First things first, look for any anomalies here.

He zipped his satchel, taking a notebook and a pen. Zero opened it, reading the instructions inside.

"The first sign of an anomaly refers to the attitude of any 'mon nearby. They are more erratic, more energetic, and are likely to do things they normally wouldn't do." Zero scratched the back of his head. To notice that, he'd have to actually know the inhabitants, which could take a while.

For now, he leaned against one of the trees, reading the notes again. "This happens because, as the meteors grow closer, part of it might splinter, releasing tiny amounts of the Crack. They're normally too small to be perceived, but its effects can be noticed when studying the population. Of course, exceptions are probable."

Zero grimaced. Whoa, he's one huge nerd. Dunno why I'm even surprised…

So he needed to investigate how the population was doing? Considering my reputation 'round these parts, that might be a little harder than I wanted.

Before reading more, Zero climbed the tree, remembering one of the notes. Check for the sky, he said. It'll tell you everything, he said.

Once he arrived at the top, Zero squinted his eyes, looking up. Night had arrived, and he could see a bunch of shiny dots, some stars, some planets. A few of the dots were blinking.

If I remember correctly… ah, who am I kidding?! I don't! Better read this bloody thing…

"Although we have yet to discover the cause behind these storms, we have theorized it comes from outer space. Due to this, one can check the sky, though without the proper equipment, the most anyone can see is a shooting star. This might be related, but until confirmation with the adequate methods, it cannot be taken at face value."

So why did I even bother doing… man, I'm dumb. Zero climbed down the tree, landing on his feet, as his kind was known to. If his kind was more than one Pokémon, that was. Guess I should look for other signs of an anomaly, then.

He sighed, looking at the town once more. Too far to see anyone important, though. Zero glanced at the notebook. Guess I gotta keep reading… there has to be another way of finding out. Can't risk getting the citizens wrapped in this. Too dangerous.

----------------------------------------

Zero took another look at the notebook, this time flipping through pages. A few of them even had sketches of the cracks, some were even colored—orange and blue were the primary choices for those. But that wasn't what he looked for, so the Zeraora kept flipping, ignoring the drawings completely

…Gotcha!

"Perhaps the easiest way of recognizing an anomaly site is the climate. It can change wildly in mere days. The reason is yet to be discovered, but we have theorized it's a way of forcing a selection of attributes compatible with the fragment. An evolution, if you will. It appears to align with the effects of the Crack."

Bingo. So I just gotta check for weather anomalies? That's easy! This is a swamp! If I see a heat wave or a blizzard, I know I'm in the right place!

Out of curiosity, and because he was almost done with the page, Zero kept reading.

"Due to this, and the nature of the fragments, we have decided to call the combined structure Extraterrestrial Variable Organic Lifeform, or Evol for short."

Evol. Zero repeated. Just hearing the name was enough for him to start sweating… but he had to be brave. Brave enough to face that thing on his own, with no backup at all.

Tch. And those kids even seemed like they wanted to help. Too bad. It's a dangerous job. Zero yawned. Okay, so maybe he did need to see at least someone in town to get somewhere to sleep. Alternatively, he could sleep under that tree. It was comfortable.

Not as much as a bed, though. Zero groaned once more. "You don't like getting wet, do you?" Said that dumb idiot. He sure knows how to tease me…

Zero looked at the notebook again, and at the page he left off. He kept staring at the final words, about this "Evol". His blood boiled just from reading. Y'know… maybe I shouldn't have acted like a jerk to them. Using allies could work. Oooor it could mean they'd die horribly! Either or! Or hell, maybe both would happen! Who knows?!

He took a final look at the book, before closing it and putting the thing back in his satchel. No use wasting his time thinking about it, after all.

Evol's my enemy. The world's enemy. Zero put the book down and groaned, sparks of electricity flying off of him. My duty, my job… is to defeat them.