Chapter 12

The Silent Warrior

The unmistakable noise of Scizor's careful and boisterous steps on the porcelain floor met the ears of everyone gathered in the foyer. He emerged from the hallway, stepping into the middle of the room, along with another Pokémon in tow, a golden furred Lucario. Jackson's steely look scrutinized every Pokémon present as he followed the Bug-type. Arriving at their destination, Scizor would hand off a scrap of paper to the Lucario, who gave it a passing glance before engaging in a conversation with his red advisor.

To everyone quietly standing around, this was an unspoken message to start freely congregating amongst each other. They all quickly converged by the stone Milotic fountain, Gloria taking the opportunity to make small peeks into the hallway, looking for a familiar figure to emerge.

"Where is Liam? He might miss the announcement!" she harshly whispered.

Monferno snorted. "I thought the guy went ballistic when hearing any news about the expedition?"

Staravia kept hovering in mid air. "M-Maybe I should go check?" He flapped his wings. "What if he f-fell asleep?"

The Fire-type shrugged. "He's probably just having his usual staring contest with the ceiling."

"Mony!" Braixen barked out. "Please try not to make more rude comments, lest you cause another fight with him."

Roark chuckled. "I'd listen to her, Monferno. Who knows how many patient beating methods Hatterene taught her?" He waved a crimson claw. "And how are you gonna teach your kids right from wrong when you're an asshole yourself?"

Rockruff laughed. "Ooh, burn!"

Monferno scoffed in retur. "Oh puhlease. As if you're one to talk, the guy with no family to his name."

"Ooh, double burn!" Mightyena yipped, slapping his paw on top of Rockruff's.

"~Mreow… I understand that kind of feeling, darling," Purrloin lamented.

"Awww, but you're like a sister to me!" Mightyena replied, nestling himself on the cat's side, much to her chagrin.

"Or mother…" Purrloin grumbled.

Roark leaned against the Milotic statue. "No family? What are you talking about, Mony?" He extended an arm down to pat Gloria's head tuft. "... I have the sweetest sister in the world right here!"

The Vulpix wiggled out his grasp. "Eheh, right." She dug a paw into the floor. "What about you, Leafeon? Don't you, um, have another sister besides Sylveon?" She hoped this would get Roark off her case.

The Grass-type in question adopted a smile. "If you consider all seven of my sisters - yup! Glaceon was the only one that actually came with me and Shaymin here to Celestic after leaving the Grass Continent. Right, Shaymin?" She looked around the room to find her partner still gliding around the room.

The aerial wonder touched down after hearing her name, stretching her freshly used joints and furry white 'wings'.

"Yeah, cause Leafy couldn't be a cook for ole mom and dad forever, so we went straight 'ere. But that Glaceon was super cold to everyone, sparing the irony. "

Leafeon sighed. "That's true. and she hasn't really written much about where she is or what she does now to me or the rest of our family." She started to smile, specifically towards a white Vulpix. "But… at least I have Sylveon. And another sister right here with me at the guild, which brings the total up to eight."

Gloria blushed. "Thanks… Leafeon."

"S-seven sisters?" Rockruff squeaked out, bewildered.

"That's Eevee families for you," Leafeon remarked.

Shaymin groaned, shaking her head. "You dweebs are such saps."

This earned a chuckle from Roark. "Get sappy with us, Shaymin! Tell us all about your cute widdle brothers and sisters back in the village."

A chorus of nodding heads and shouts of encouragement followed the fox's words.

Shaymin chuckled. "Nah, only child. But they do shove that whole 'everyone is family' junk in your face. Though, soaring the clear skies with my mates is good enough as family."

An excited Rockruff bounded in front of Shaymin's face, crouching down as if ready to pounce her.

"No way! That's like… the same thing the Lycanroc clan does! This other Rockruff I played with was, like my blood sister!" The Rock-type sighed. "I guess we're the same, huh? Because we both left… or well, I got kicked out in my case… hehe."

Shaymin rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Shaymin!" Monferno shouted. "Did you get yourself a new frie-" He was cut off by a swift jab in the ribs from Braixen.

Laughter from everyone crowding around the statue flooded the room, only to recede when the appearance of a yawning and stretching Riolu stumbled through the halls. One of his red eyes cracked open to view everyone huddled around each other, swiftly hastening his pace to join them.

"Morning," Liam said flatly, yawning again. "... I thought I was going to be late."

"You know I don't like you taking late night jobs by yourself," Gloria scolded. "You could get hurt, or… or worse!"

Roark grinned, placing both sets of claws on his hip. "Aww c'mon, sis. Let the boy have his heroic night adventures. I know you came to terms with my own late outings once I got you a little midnight snack," He teased.

"That's… different," Gloria sputtered, shaking her head. "Look, I just don't think you're getting enough sleep, Liam. So, can you stop for me…. please?" She looked deeply into Liam's tired orbs.

Roark gasped. "Ooh, she's giving you the 'look'. Fun time's over, Liam."

Rockruff was mesmerized. "Wicked. Gloria, do you know, like… Baby-Doll Eyes somehow?" A slap on the head from Purrloin was enough to awaken the Pokémon from his trance.

Liam sighed, a smirk worming its way on his face. "C'mon, Gloria. You know I can't say no. I'll stop going out by myself."

The Vulpix smiled warmly. "Good, because you almost missed out on the announcement today." She pointed a paw at Scizor and Jackson, who were still conversating.

"Announcement?" The Riolu was now spurred out of his morning fatigue, the tail behind him starting to wag. "Is it… about the expedition?"

"Yup," Roark confirmed, grinning madly. "They've just cancelled it, and now everyone is on cleaning duty for a week."

His words shook Liam to his core. "Wait a minute… WHA-" He shoved a paw into his mouth once he saw Gloria shaking her head and shooting daggers at Roark.

Leafeon giggled. "No, no, we're still going. And I heard from Indeedee that the Guildmaster has decided already."

Indeedee smiled. "That is correct, Leafeon." She laughed softly into a paw. "Charizard couldn't help but mention it in our daily talks."

Liam tilted his head. "Okay, but whe-"

"ATTENTION!" the gruff voice of the Guildmaster shouted. "POSITIONS!"

Everyone loitering around the statue scrambled to get into their daily arrangement, forming a singular row and column of eager Pokémon.

"MORNING ADDRESS! Three… two… one-"

"STARLIGHT! STAR BRIGHT! WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT, SHINE A LIGHT ON US TONIGHT!"

Scizor stuck to Jackson's side as the Lucario took a step forward, crossing both arms behind his back and viewing each individual present before speaking. "I'm fully versed in the rumor floating around. That is, the confirmation of our future expedition. And to that, I say you will all walk out today with more knowledge of this expedition."

Liam's chest tightened, a tiny drum beating in his heart and a permanent smile on his face. A few cheers from the small crowd arose, quickly stifled by Jackson's raised paw.

"Exactly two months from now, we will depart on a week-long journey out of the Meadow Region by carriage. We will arrive in Elysium City to stay for one day, before leaving for the main part of our expedition, which is..." The Lucario paused. "Celestial Mountain."

An even louder ensemble of cheers and clapping from almost everyone filled the room. The drum in Liam's chest began to beat louder, his contagious smile spreading to Gloria as they exchanged a silent look of excitement. Once the noise settled, Jackson continued.

"As you are all well aware, Celestial Mountain is a very important landmark on this continent and across the globe, being the tallest mountain in the world. However, its importance to us as a guild relies on its relationship between the birth of this world, and the Mystery Dungeons." He stopped and looked over to his side.

Scizor took the floor. "Various data collected throughout generations of research has concluded to the fact that Celestial Mountain is home to the biggest concentration of Mystery Dungeons in the world. This information correlates with another fact that Celestic has the most dungeons out of any other continent."

Jackson nodded to his words. "And the theory of Arceus' early actions on this earth; that he created Celestial Mountain first. It all connects back to the Mystery Dungeons. That perhaps, the creation of this mountain is tied to the origin of the dungeons."

Liam soaked in all this info. It made sense for the guild to be interested, and it even reminded him of the time in the Empyrean Library where Gloria shared almost the same theory.

'Maybe these two possibilities really are connected, and the truth of this world lies within Celestial Mountain.' He wanted to know more, with the Guildmaster obliging him.

"The guild is interested in this claim. We will scale this mountain and dissect its secrets and ruins. If this expedition succeeds, we will gain further insight on our mission of locating the source of all ley lines, and eliminating the Mystery Dungeon once and for all. But that is not all. Team Drarosteel, yes, the Team Drarosteel, will be accompanying us on this expedition as well. They will arrive here tomorrow for a quick check in, but will be staying in Empyrean City in the meantime."

'Team Drarosteel… why does that name seem familiar?' Liam thought. 'Have I met them before?' He was currently drawing a blank, mostly from how giddy he was feeling.

Another round of explosive ovation came, along with another lift of Jackson's paw.

"That is all the information I will give out right now. Please, do not let your excitement affect the quality of your work in the coming months up to this expedition. For today, take up your duties as given yesterday. Dismissed."

Everyone began to spill out into the hallway, now a lot more pep in their morning attitude. Liam and Gloria met up and began walking slowly towards the hallway. The Vulpix the first to spew out her delight.

"I can't believe it! That we're not just going to any place, but Celestial Mountain out of them all! And they even think the same thing that I do!"

"Yeah, but like the Guildmaster said, we shouldn't get too excited," Liam teased.

Gloria huffed. "As if you're one to talk. Aren't you finally happy to get out of this region for a bit?"

"Yup, I think I can die happily now. After we go of course." She giggled at this.

"Team Requiem! Please stay for a moment."

The voice of the Guildmaster halted their movements, the pair exchaning a look before walking straight towards the stiff Lucario, the three of them now the only Pokémon present in the foyer.

Jackson cleared his throat. "I hope the two of you remember almost two months back when I sent you on a mission to Criss-Cross Creek to locate a Mystery Dungeon, yes?"

"... Of course, Guildmaster," Gloria replied.

"Good, because you two are not taking job requests today, but instead are going on another mission. Specifically, a trip back to the creek to find that Mystery Dungeon there. Recent revelations still make this mission a main priority to our cause."

Liam frowned. "Orders are orders, but… last time we went, the boats didn't seem that effective in scouting the area." He avoided mentioning the fact that he was also ineffective at properly scouting that time.

"Exactly, which is why you will be using a different search method."

Gloria tilted her head. "What did you have in mind?"

"Flight. Charizard will fly over the creek with you two on his back. There you will get a bird's eye view of the entire area, which should be more effective."

Liam's eyes grew wide. "... No offense, but shouldn't we have done this instead of boats?"

Jackson sighed. "Yes, but Charizard has been… difficult the past few months. We would've gone with another flyer outside of the guild, but now Charizard has insisted he would take you."

That was a bit relieving and also surprising to them, even if they had rarely seen Charizard, a supposed founding member of the guild and Team Moonlight, ever inside the guild itself.

"After breakfast, head over to Leafeon's garden outside the guild. He should be there… sleeping, most likely."

"We'll get it done, Guildmaster. You can count on us," Gloria assured.

"Good, get prepared after breakfast and get this mission done. Hopefully, you will find what this guild is after." Jackson turned his back on them, marching into the hallways.

A small window of silence appeared after the Guildmaster's departure, only to be broken by Liam placing his paw on Gloria's shoulder and wearing a wide smile.

"Race ya to the table. Winner gets the other's cobbler!" He then took off into the corridor.

"Wait! I didn't agree… ugh!" Gloria sped off in hot pursuit of the Riolu.

Once the two arrived in the mess hell, they took a seat at one of the already occupied tables, where Rockruff, Mightyena, Monferno, and Braixen were all situated. The curious Rock-type at the table couldn't help but bring up something he noticed.

"Hey, did the Guildmaster reprimand you two or something?"

"Awww, I know how that feels," Mightyena sadly confided.

Liam shook his head, "Nah, he wants us to go on another mission, back to Criss-Cross Creek again." He shrugged. "Whatever there must be very important to the Guildmaster."

"Like… to the guild's cause of destroying the Mystery Dungeons or something?" Mightyena asked?

"Yeah."

Rockruff and Mightyena gave silent looks of apprehension to each other, with Mightyena pushing the Rock-type slightly.

"C'mon, tell them the story!"

"No, you do it!"

"You're the one who asked him, so you!"

"Uh... fine."

Rockruff looked around the room before leaning across the table and whispering. "Have you guys heard of the Team Hydra Incident?"

"Hmm?" Gloria inquired. "I've… never heard of that. What is it?"

Liam picked up the sounds of Monferno laughing slightly through his meal, along with Braixen narrowing her eyes at the hound duo. He couldn't tell exactly why.

Rockruff shifted his eyes. "Well, me and Mightyena ran into this one guild member near the Empyrean City markets that graduated over ten years ago! He told us about this incident that happened then which threw the entire guild into chaos - stir crazy!"

Mightyena took over. "Yeah, and that there was this team - Team Hydra. They went to this secret dungeon to investigate its connection to the guild's cause." He leaned in as well. "Guess what, they never returned because… they died!"

This was a surprise to the pair across the table, but they weren't quite sure on why this story was of importance to them.

"Oh," Gloria said with a bit of sadness. "That's sad, but... those sort of things can just happen. I know that all too well."

"No, no, no!" Rockruff countered. "They weren't just killed by an accident, or by the dungeon 'mons. They were killed… by other Pokémon!"

The silence that followed was palpable, shocking both Liam and Gloria. The much louder laughter of Monferno then broke the tense atmosphere.

Liam wasn't convinced. "How are you sure that they were… murdered? How would you even prove that it was what really happened to them?"

"Because they found the, uh… bodies of them." Mightyena gulped. "They were placed far away from the dungeon they entered, and that's not even the craziest part! They all had fragments of bullets within them, like someone shot them all!"

Liam couldn't believe that. "Bullets? Like from one of those rifle things the guards around Empyrean carry?"

Rockruff nodded. "Yup, and it was most certainly their cause of death then. No dungeon 'mon is capable of pulling a trigger… I hope."

"But I don't understand," Gloria said wistfully, tugging on her scarf. "Why would any Pokémon just… kill another for something as senseless as going into a dungeon?"

Liam couldn't figure that out either - perhaps a disagreement, or some other details and context they lacked. Regardless, he was skeptical at best. "I agree with Gloria; it doesn't make sense as to why this happened."

"Think about it, man!" Rockruff barked. "It's the sign of a total cover up! Team Hydra found something big, something that cost them their lives!"

The Riolu didn't budge. "That… sounds more like a conspiracy than anything."

"Tell em, Monferno!" Mightyena said.

The Fire-type seated next to the pair of dogs took a bite out of his apple, making loud crunching sounds as he finally gave his input. "Isch true," he spoke through a stuffed mouth. "Schomeone killed that team for what they schaw." He gulped down his food. "Thing is, nobody knows what Pokémon or group is responsible. Tell me this, Mr Personality..."

Liam growled lowly upon hearing his dreaded nickname.

"Maybe you can thrash a stupid dungeon 'mon around any time of the day, but what about a reeeal Pokémon? One that's smart enough to really kill you with just a pull of a trigger." Monferno smirked. "Can you dodge a bullet, Mr Personality?"

The Riolu in question sighed."No. No I can't."

As Monferno laughed at his response, Liam glanced over at Gloria as she continued to fiddle with her scarf, a downcast look on her face and clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"It's not funny, Monferno," Liam growled.

"Please don't spread rumors, Rockruff and Mightyena," Braixen piped up, a bit irritated. "And stop trying to scare Pokémon. We're supposed to be professionals, not kids at a campfire."

"Awww, I'm not trying to scare them. I just want my friends to be safe," Rockruff bemoaned, his ears flopping.

The fiery fox closed her eyes. "That's fine, I guess." She shifted her attention to Monferno. "You too... and don't talk with your mouth full."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Monferno relented, raising his hands. "Just be careful out there; you never know."

Liam didn't like those words - 'you never know.'

But it was too late to respond, the discussion already dead and gone. As he waited for Leafeon to finish their meals, he thought about it long and hard, stealing another look at Gloria, who was still visibly disturbed.

'Why would any Pokémon do that?'

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Liam and Gloria strolled through the halls, content with their fill of today's breakfast. Once they were out of earshot of everyone remaining in the mess hall, the Riolu went to reassure a still startled and paler than usual Vulpix.

"Don't worry, Gloria. Braixen is right, it's just a stupid rumor meant to scare you."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I just… it unnerves me, y'know?"

"Team Requiem."

The two spun around at the sound of a stark voice and the 'clack' of Scizor's steps on the ceramic floor. The Bug-type checked his surroundings to make sure no one else was present, before engaging the pair.

"I overheard something at breakfast. Something about this… incident?"

Gloria straightened up, brandishing a nervous smile. "Oh! Rockruff was telling us about it, but it was just a rum-"

"No. It is true," Scizor casually let out, albeit tinged with sadness. "This event did happen, and three out of the four members of Team Hydra were-" He stopped to sigh, "Murdered... by an unknown party by use of rifle fire."

Liam couldn't believe what he was hearing, that the rumor was true according to Scizor. It brought back memories of the exact words the Guildmaster had told them aboard the carriage ride their second day at the guild.

'Forces, ones beyond even the guild, seek to stifle any recent unearthing's of the Mystery Dungeons, lest they cause massive unrest, or any other reason. The identity of these groups are just as mysterious as the dungeons themselves.'

'But he said that it was all hearsay and speculation. However, it was very real apparently, if the Guildmaster wasn't lying to us.'

He did not like the sound of that reality, not one bit.

Gloria's chest tightened, her eyes tearing with emotion. "Why, why would anyone do such a thing?"

The Bug-type sighed again. "My memories of that horrible day are hazy at best, but the fourth member that we know lived, fled the guild and has never returned. And the location of where they were sent has been lost to time. Which means that our way of knowing what happened exactly is near impossible. But me and the Guildmaster have already drawn our conclusions."

Liam raised a brow, "What… conclusion?"

"That Team Hydra obtained information about the Mystery Dungeons that was never meant to be discovered, and this other Pokémon or group present made sure it was never to get out. Thus, sealing the team's fate."

'Huh, guess Mightyena's conspiracy theory is correct according to the Guildmaster himself,' Liam mused sadly.

"Team Requiem." Scizor's eyes sharpened. "When my home village of Areos was annihilated by the ley lines, I swore and dedicated myself to find the truth and do the world justice. And we've gone through many setbacks after twenty years of operations." A fire almost seemed to light in his orbs. "But I swore to those souls of that lost village that I wouldn't give up in the face of adversity, and that these groups that wish to stop us will realize that we will not."

It was an unusually confident declaration from the quiet and astute Pokémon, to Liam at least. The Riolu didn't want to give up either. The truth had to come out, eventually.

'But what about Gloria? Does she feel the same?'

"Team Requiem, I am ask- no… I am pleading with you to not cave to these threats against our cause. All our hard work will be for naught if we did what they wanted, which we won't." Scizor felt he said enough as he began to walk down the hallway, only to stop and turn around. "Please go and complete your mission with Charizard. Any discovery, big or small, helps us get closer and closer towards our goal."

Scizor was now gone, leaving a pair of conflicted Pokémon in his wake. Immediately, Liam faced the Vulpix beside him, who wasn't looking very well after the Bug-type's corrections, almost hyperventilating.

"Gloria, you alright?"

She swallowed a little, fidgeting with her scarf. "I-I just… sorry, I'm just…"

The Vulpix sorely needed a hug.

Liam stepped forward and embraced her. "Hey, hey, don't worry about it. You know what he said, right? We can't give up to these guys." He hoped he could help.

Gloria melted into the hug. "Yeah, I won't. I'm just so confused about the whole thing."

He let her loose. "About what?"

"Why would any Pokémon want to protect knowledge about the Mystery Dungeons? They do nothing but harm us! And to..." she paused, hating to say this word, "... Kill another Pokémon for it? I didn't think anyone was capable, really."

Liam knew she always saw the good side of Pokémon rather than the bad. It would've been her downfall if he or Roark wasn't there to provide her with that sense of edge she needed for situations like this.

"There's obviously something more to this, and we gotta find it and stop them, or help, I'm not sure. Though, I'll protect you from these guys if needed." He grinned, flexing an arm.

She softly giggled in response, her anguish disappearing in the face of humor. "... Okay, 'Mr Macho 'Mon'. We... should go get Charizard now for our mission."

He could only agree, the both of them picking up the trail once again. After pushing the wooden entrance doors open, they also pushed past many of the Pokémon stationed by the entrance just waiting for the guild to open.

A paved path to the right of the building led straight to the gardens, a haven for all things growable, be it hot peppers, colorful fruits, or green vegetables. The path ended at the gate of a wooden fence that stretched the entire perimeter of the garden. The gate swung open as they entered, the two scouring the wide grassland for any signs of Charizard.

Liam squinted his eyes. "See anything?"

"Nope, just crops and-" Gloria caught something, pointing at it with her paw. "There's a hammock over there with something orange and big on top of it."

This was their Pokémon for sure. They lightly jogged towards the hammock, which was suspended with rope by two trees. Once they arrived, Liam tiptoed near it to get a look at its occupant.

"Yup, that's Charizard alright."

The Fire-Flying-type's immobile body sunk deep into the cloth supporting it, his eyes closed and arms crossed behind his neck, the large flaming tail connected to him lazily drifting along the grass. Puffs of hot smoke and even cinders seemed to billow out of his nostrils as he snored loudly, clearly fast asleep.

Neither of them had any clue on how exactly to proceed.

Gloria plodded forward. "Should we wake him?" She hesitantly nudged her paw a few times into the dragon's big belly, hoping to stir him awake.

However, her efforts were in vain as the Pokémon just kept on snoring noisily.

"Maybe we should just wait for him to get up?" she suggested.

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"Nah, I got this."

Liam bent down and searched for a big piece of grass. After finding the correct size, he plucked it from the ground and raised it over Charizard's nose, aiming the tip of the leaf into one of his enlarged circular nostrils.

Then he started tickling it.

As the Riolu did his magic, more gusts of steam and cinders shot out of Charizard's nose. Liam could even feel a new heat in the air as it intensified, but he kept at it. Soon enough, Charizard's nostrils flared up as his head started to shake, his blue eyes along with his gaping maw opening before the inevitable explosion could release.

Then it did.

"AAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Liam instantly removed his appendage before the rocket of flames from Charizard's nose could envelope his paw. The leaf he held was blasted into nothing but ash, the long stretching blaze even burning some leaves of the tree connected to the hammock.

When the flames receded, Charizard yawned, stretching his arms and back as he sat upright in the hammock.

"Woah, that was some serious nasal firepower this time. Must've been the pollen," His baritone voice grumbled tiredly.

Gloria cleared her throat. "Charizard? Uh… the Guildmaster told us to come and wake you for our mission today."

Only now did the Fire-type realize that there were two others here, quickly hopping out of the hammock and facing the both of them.

"I didn't expect the two of ya to actually wait for a washed up 'mon like myself to fly you there! Guess I should thank Jack for his kindness," He said, whipping his flaming tail around.

Liam tossed the remaining bit of leaf in his grasp. "So… you'll take us?"

"Of course I will!" Charizard hollered. "I was the one who suggested it in the first place. This old but awesome explorer needs to stretch his wings and fly far from this boring place, ya feel me?"

Two adequately timed nods was all Charizard needed as he fired up his internal engines, the draconic wings across his back unfolding and spreading out as he stretched them.

"Great! Now go get prepared, 'cause I'm ready to take off at any moment. And I fly fast."

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A large orange figure wearing a brown saddlebag flew through the clear, blue skies at impossibly fast speeds, his impressive wingspan piercing through the air and creating streams of gale. Furious wind whipped against Liam's face as he held on to Charizard's warm scales for dear life. Gloria more so did the same, hunkering down to avoid the wrath of the hostile blasts of air.

"Charizard!" Liam screamed through the chaos. "Ease up a little! I think we're here!"

The Fire-type miraculously heard the Riolu as he swerved his head. "You got it, kid." With a flap of his leathery wings, their speed was adjusted to be more serene.

With their flight now more calm, Liam was able to get a better look at his surroundings, peering down at the terrain below. He could now see where the name Criss-Cross Creek came from, as multiple rivers ran through each other and created tiny islands of land in between. Their game plan was simple - hover above the area and locate the Mystery Dungeon or anything of interest located on the islands. This encirclement lasted for about a half hour, until Liam could make out some oddly shaped bits of grey stone-like objects on one of the green islands.

"Charizard! Right there, take us down!" The Riolu pointed right at his target.

A puff of smoke swelled out of Charizard's nose as he again flapped his wings, now descending towards the earth at alarming speeds. Luckily, he halted his momentum before they could barrel into the ground, landing softly on the grass and allowing his occupants to jump off.

Liam could now get a better look at what he saw, traversing the wet grassland to see exactly what it was. The pillars were indeed some sort of stone material, but they were mostly crumbled, only faint patterns visible in the cracked stone.

"Gloria, Charizard, I… think these are some ruins." He looked past the object, his eyes widening. "No, we definitely found some ruins."

What lie ahead were more decayed pillars and walls reduced to nothing more than debris from the passage of time. Overgrown mossy flora obscured the majority of the ruins and blended in with the greenery, almost invisible to an untrained eye. The only somewhat intact structure was a cracked grey stone brick wall, a large faded symbol was engraved into it, drawing Liam's attention most of all.

"Hey, check this out. There's something on this wall." He carefully inched toward it, trying to get a better view.

It was a strange drawing. A golden yellow skirt-like object was depicted, with four green objects seemingly encrusted into it. There was no text where Liam could decipher a clue to this mysterious painting.

"Gloria, have you ever seen this symbol before?" he asked the Vulpix who plodded over to his side.

She analyzed it, slowly shaking her head. "No, I don't recognize one like this. And I have a book on symbols!"

"Step aside, let me see it," Charizard grunted, stomping his way over. "... Well this brings back old memories, that's for sure."

"So, you do recognize it?" Liam inquired.

"Yup, even if faintly. Back when Scizor, Jack, and I explored the continent, we came across these strange ruins and symbols across the regions."

Gloria took a shot in the dark. "Does the Guildmaster think these places are related in some way to the Mystery Dungeons?"

Charizard shrugged, scratching his neck with a claw. "I don't know what goes on in Jack's head, but I assume that would be the case. Keep poking around, these places always have something more to 'em."

They heeded his advice, studying each part of the ruins they came across. Petrified shovels and other tools for digging were found, meaning some Pokémon were interested in the ruins even long ago. However, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until Liam came upon a large mound of dirt and unearthed tree roots connected to the mess of stone.

He wasn't expecting much, simply walking around the edges for anything that looked interesting, when something got him to investigate further. It was a tablet around his height placed against the mound. The material was stone like the rest of the ruins, but in perfect condition, as if it was recently placed there. He placed his paw on it, then knocked on the stone.

It felt hollow.

Liam knocked the stone again, "I think… I think there's something behind this tablet." He tried pulling on its side to release it, but it was futile.

"Don't worry, I got this." Charizard lumbered over to the Riolu's position and grabbed the opposite side. "Pull!"

Together, with their strength combined, the tablet was forcefully ejected from its place. Gloria carefully peered into the gaping hole where the tablet once stood, her mood changing completely at what she saw within. Inside was a void of complete darkness, where light never seemed to get past.

Undoubtedly the telltale appearance of a Mystery Dungeon.

"It's a Mystery Dungeon! Inside the mound!"

Liam peeked his head in. "Wow… do you think it's the same one we're looking for?" He popped his head back out. "Charizard?"

The dragon took a gander as well. "Most likely, especially with that symbol you found. But... " Charizard frowned upon evaluating the frame of the tiny doorway inside. "Me and my big gut have no chance of fitting inside, so the job of exploring it is up to you two. Think you can handle it?"

Liam adjusted the cream saddlebag around his shoulder. "Sure can... Right, Gloria?"

The Vulpix took a deep breath, internally psyching herself up. "Mhmm, we totally got this, Charizard."

"Very well…" The Fire-type tapped his saddlebag with a claw. "If something happens and you need transport, just contact me through your ELE. My number is 6." He then flexed his leathery wings, smiling. "In the meantime, I'll stop by Sandslash's place here and catch up on old times. Until then, little explorers!"

WOOSH!

In less than a second, Charizard was airborne and flying far away from their location. Their mission was just now beginning.

"Alright, you ready?" Liam asked, cracking his joints and smirking away.

From the forest, Gloria swore she heard the rustling of a nearby bush, but she swallowed her fears and answered back.

"Lead the way…"

He did just that, stepping into the narrow passage and straight into the void. Gloria gave her surroundings one last scan before following her partner on into the unknown.

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

?

BF 1

The dirt floor beneath them expanded, cracked stone brick walls exploded out of the ground, paintings splashed across their eroded surface. Mossy vines appeared out of nowhere, coiling around the walls and digging into the floor. As usual with the surreal nature of these places, dungeon Pokémon appeared out of every crevice or corner they could, intent on attacking the invading pair.

Liam did what he does best.

BOOM.

The Blast Seed he threw exploded on impact with the Aipom's face with fiery success, the Pokémon quickly vanishing into orange light. The Riolu didn't relent, already cocking back his arm and forming a Force Palm to swat away a pesky Yanma that got in his range.

A sweeping chill of freezing vapor spewed out of Gloria's mouth at a group of encroaching Phanpy. She amped it up a little by creating pellets of her trademark Ice Shard to hurl at the Ground-types.

Once they wiped the floor with their foes, the two grouped back together to navigate through the winding corridors of the dungeon. However, Liam couldn't help but stare at the walls of each room they went past, the paintings on them intriguing him.

Mystery Dungeons always had the same variation in designs. Some grassy, some rugged. And that the ley lines copied whatever land it stole to reform it as a dungeon with its similar terrain. But this dungeon seemed to defy that claim of randomness. At first he thought the paintings were random gibberish spat out by the dungeon. But when he took a closer look, they all seemed unique and held an air of importance to him.

Then it struck him. The ley lines must've taken a piece of the murals from the land it dungeon-ized. And that what they were passing through right now was the possible history of this place.

He stopped at one in particular. "Gloria, are you seeing this?"

The Ice-type was brought out of her world. "Hmm? What is it?" She gazed upwards at what he was looking at. "Oh… that's… a mural of something? Those are Legendaries!"

The scene depicted two Pokemon, Zekrom and Reshiram respectively. In the middle of the drawing was the same symbol they had seen previously outside the ruins, shining as the two legends seemed to guard it.

"Do you have any idea?" he questioned, unconsciously already knowing the answer.

She studied the mural for a moment. "Maybe this place has something to do with the Legendaries? I can't infer much from one painting… but that would be fascinating if true!" she gushed.

Liam looked around the room, "Maybe if we go to another floor we can find another mural."

"I believe so, too. Let's continue!"

?

BF 2

Liam narrowly dodged another lightning fast Sucker Punch through use of Quick Attack. This Scrafty was giving him more trouble than the others. His paw glowed a bright magenta as he charged up a Force Palm, using Quick Attack again to rush his opponent. The Scrafty met him head on with its own Brick Break, their fists colliding against each other in a clash of purple and black energy.

What Liam didn't count on was a mystifying wave of harsh pink wind to start assaulting the two of them. He cringed in pain as the wind bristled his fur, almost like he was getting burned by it. With a little quick thinking, he grabbed the Scrafty by its shoulders and held it against the wind, shielding himself from the accursed pink current while his opponent suffered the full brunt of it.

It was successful, the Scrafty vanishing into glowing light as the wind also receded. Liam's eyes darted across the room for the culprit, until they landed on a horrified Vulpix.

"Gloria... did you do that?"

She stiffened, "I-I… I was trying to use Frost Breath. But then I had a thought and it, um… came out as Fairy Wind, I think." Her gaze met the floor. "I'm sorry if I hurt you or anything."

Liam laughed at her worry, popping open a pouch in his saddlebag. "I'm not mad, your new move is cool!" He brought out an Oran Berry and bit into it, enjoying the rejuvenation it provided. "Anyway, check out the new mural."

This time it was even stranger. There was a mountain drawn, with four of the symbols from before bursting out of the mountain's sides in different directions. Again, none of it made any sense to the two onlookers.

'If only the creators preferred text instead of cryptic wall drawings…' Liam muttered in his mind.

Gloria tapped her chin, "Maybe the symbol is some artifact?" She shrugged. "That's… all I can gather."

Liam could only silently agree. They needed to keep looking.

?

BF 4

Another floor, another mural. This time it seemed to be some random building, the symbol from many times before proudly displayed on top of the structure.

Liam was stumped. "I'm… not too sure about this one either. Thoughts?"

It took a second, but Gloria gasped in realization. "I got it! The symbol is an item that this building… or now dungeon is keeping inside to protect. And the Legendaries are involved somehow in this protection. That's my theory, anyway."

The Riolu smiled. "Wow, I'm surprised you could come to that conclusion. It does seem probable."

She blushed in response. "Uh, thanks."

"Maybe we can get some confirmation of your theory once we reach the end of the dungeon."

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

After taking the last flight of stairs, darkness enveloped their vision, only to diminish as they were released by the void. They quickly scrutinized their surroundings, a bit alarmed at the lack of light given to them. The end of the dungeon led them into a dank narrow hallway, a stone sliding door at the end.

Liam stumbled a bit through the dark. "I'm not sure where we got spat out." He walked towards the stone door and tried pulling it, only to realize that it didn't budge. "Oh… that's not good."

Gloria winced. "Uh… I'm not sure what we can do now."

"Wait a second. Stay here."

The Riolu spotted a tall shaft in the walls that was large enough for him to fit in. He jumped for it, hoisting himself up. "There's gotta be some way to enter. If I start screaming, you run," he joked, earning a giggle out of the Vulpix.

Liam crawled through the shaft, hoping to find any button or control switch for the door mechanism. He got his wish when the shaft ended near a dusty grate and peephole, a switch next to it. It took a little elbow grease to pull on it, but when he did, he was greeted with a muffled grinding noise.

'Liam! You did something to the door!' he heard Gloria shout.

The Riolu began worming his way out of the shaft, landing back onto the stone floor with a 'thud'. A quick analysis of the door told him that he must've unlocked it through the switch. He put both paws on its side, intent on trying again to open it.

"Moment of truth…" he groaned out as he pulled on it with all his might.

A grinding noise filled the air, his efforts succeeding at sliding the door into the wall. With the entrance now open, the two quickly piled into the new room, to be free from the claustrophobic hallway. Once they entered, the scale of the room immediately became clear as they gawked at their vicinity.

Large sheets of stained and broken multicolored glass cut into walls of cracked stone bricks that wrapped around the chamber's sides. Grand pillars were erected, reaching the crumbling ceiling, where a grand chandelier was suspended from, rusty and unlit. Massive underground roots, vines, and other foliage thrived here, snaking their way across anything in their path. Dirty water leaked out every crack possible, creating small streams and rivers on the floor.

And just like with the other ruins, various shovels and other excavation equipment were strewn everywhere, along with some other scattered objects they couldn't quite put their paw on.

"This must be the main hall of the place! Wow..." Liam spoke with awe.

Gloria wandered aimlessly, carefully avoiding any mud puddles. "Was this place built underground?"

The Riolu stared into one of the shattered windows. It gave the fantastic view of a solid dirt wall. "No, this place was buried… by time most likely. It's in complete disrepair." He effortlessly tore a piece of stone from one of the pillars.

She poked at a shovel still stuck in a dirt mound. "That must explain all the equipment we've seen. Someone must've tried to unbury it all."

He nodded, looking around. "There has to be something of importance here, then. Let's see what we can find."

They separated their work, each having a side of the room to scrounge around the floor and investigate further. All Gloria seemed to find were empty cylindrical shells, or broken tools and fragments of paper too heavily damaged by water to be deciphered. It was Liam's side that produced the most fruitful findings, with something already catching the Riolu's eye as he picked it up.

It was a thin, square shaped, metal card-like object. He wiped away the grime it collected, now able to see its glossy black finish as it gleamed in what little light there was in the room. A strange pattern was engraved into the metal, with lines crossing through other lines in a random maze-like fashion.

"Hey, Gloria! Check this out!"

The Vulpix stopped what she was doing to jog over to his location. "What is it?"

He displayed the small black item to her. "This thing, do you have any idea what it is?"

It took a moment before the gears in Gloria's head started to turn, letting out a gasp. "That's… that's an Entercard! I recognize it from one of the books I read about them, but… why is it here out of all places."

Liam shrugged. "I just found it lying on the floor." He popped open the saddlebag to throw the card inside. "I know the Guildmaster spoke about them before; do you have a clue what they do exactly?"

She flinched. "Er, I know they do something to Mystery Dungeons, but that would probably be better for him to explain. Did you find anything else, though?"

"Uhh, let me see."

The Riolu went back to surveying the floor for anything of value. It took a few more minutes, but it proved successful once when a slip of paper with actual comprehensible text on it was found. He brushed aside the black armband that was covering it, picking up the half damaged paper and cleaning up the muck with a paw.

"I can kind of interpret some of this. A lot is damaged, though... "

Gloria placed a paw over her chest. "Go ahead, read it."

He gave it his best shot.

"First digsite didn't lead to… and we'll need to find a new loc… markings for proper Entercard placement. Luckily, the Mystery Dungeon here… natural barrier against... Allfather is expecting results… I don't know… to find this thing so we can go home already."

Liam stopped reading. "That's all that could be salvaged. Does the name 'Allfather' ring any bells?"

She shook her head. "No clue, these messages must be very old and from long lost groups. But what I'm most interested about is what they were trying to excavate."

He wasn't sure either, but Gloria's theory came to mind. "Maybe they're looking for the symbol, if it's some artifact like you think it is."

Gloria smiled at her little success. "Right! But uhh… we don't really have much to work with." She glanced around the desolate room. "We should move on, maybe there's more ahead."

Liam stuffed the paper into the saddlebag. "There's a corridor to the right, I think I saw the shadow of a Mystery Dungeon in it."

Sure enough, there was another slender hallway for them to cram into. The shadow splotch of a Mystery Dungeon was at the end of the long hall.

"Either this is the next area, or the exit. Think we saw enough?" Liam suggested.

"Yeah… I think so." She shivered a little. "This place is starting to give me the creeps."

He laughed, "Alright, let's move on."

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

When they popped out of the darkness of yet another dungeon, they appeared in some confided dim and earthy room.

Gloria squinted her eyes. "It's really dark... Where are we exactly?"

Liam could see a few rays of white light shimmering off the dirt walls. "I think we're above ground again." He needed to be sure.

The Riolu found a rusty shovel wedged into the earth, picking it up and hacking away at the wall where the light was coming from. After a few minutes of intensive digging, the wall came crashing down. He immediately stepped back before he could be buried, cracking open an eye to look at his actions. Bright sunlight bathed the room, revealing a window to the outside world was formed. Liam grinned, already running into the opening to get some fresh air.

"Hey, wait up!" Gloria called out, dashing off as well.

Liam examined the wide grassy and forested environment they emerged from. It looked like they came right back out of the large dirt mound they entered, the mossy stone ruins still scattered everywhere. He stretched his arms, happy to just see the sky again. Once Gloria was by his side again, he unhooked the ELE from the saddlebag and started walking.

"I can't believe we actually found something for once; a hidden chamber nonetheless!" He started turning the dial to six, flipping the switch on the side to contact Charizard.

A rustling noise from the nearby bushes nearly distracted Gloria. "Hopefully, the Guildmaster will reward us for our efforts." She giggled. "Maybe then you'll get your wish and we won't get tax-"

SMACK!

A speeding white blur collided into the Vulpix, sending her careening and tumbling across the grass, only to smash her head against a tree - knocked clean out.

"GLORIA!"

Liam dropped the ELE and made a mad dash towards the incapacitated Pokémon. He had no time to think about the whereabouts of the aggression, if it weren't for the attacker now blocking his path. His aura tassels immediately flared up in response.

"What the-"

'DUCK!' his mind screamed at him.

He did just exactly that, instinctively bending forward before the rush of black claws above could slice into him. The attacker became a white blur again, bounding backwards as Liam staggered back to a full stance. The Riolu could now see who exactly was the culprit.

It was a bipedal arthropod-like Pokémon with a hunched over posture. Silver colored plates of armor covered the bug's purplish body. Its face mandibles twitched erratically, the beady black eyes of it boring straight into Liam's. Without a doubt in his mind, he knew this Pokémon.

It was a Golisopod.

A calm breeze blew through the grassy fields, bristling the fur of Liam as he engaged in a staredown between him and the Golisopod. None of them moved a muscle, content with examining their opponent. This stillness would eventually be broken by Liam, who slowly reached for his saddlebag.

Golisopod sprang into action, scurrying towards the Riolu with his sharpened black claws. Liam abandoned his idea, pivoting to the left before planning his counterplan.

'Shoot! This guy is giving no time to thin-'

His thoughts were cut off by a swipe propelled by bubbles of water from Golisopod's arm. Liam jumped back a bit too late, the bug's claws slicing a side of his stomach as he cringed in pain.

'Water… Water-type! Okay then.'

Liam needed to get back in the game and get on the offensive immediately. Coils of sparkling yellow electricity pulsed around both of his enclosed paws. He sprinted towards his target, slamming his electrified fists into Golisopod's armored white shell.

The Pokémon didn't even flinch.

'What?! How am I supposed to…' His gaze wandered over to its belly region. 'There!'

Liam ducked below Golisopod and charged up his double Thunder Punch combo again. This time, he hammered down on the bug's unarmored belly, beating and shocking the exposed flesh. Golisopod's mandibles twitched in pain, the Pokémon putting his massive clawed arm in between the Riolu's assault. With a massive amount of force, the arm flung Liam from his position, catapulting him a few yards away.

"G-AH!"

Liam grunted as his back smacked against a decayed stone pillar. He had little time to regain his bearings, as in his blurry sight, the vision of something fast and blue was barreling towards him.

'Move! Move!'

His aura feelers shot up, his body now acting faster than his brain. A well timed Quick Attack allowed him to flee his position.

BOOOOOOM!

The impending column of water smashed the pillar into smithereens, sending cascades of mossy stone everywhere. Liam scrambled to his hind paws, hastily opening a pouch in the saddlebag to retrieve a sorely needed item. Golisopod emerged from the monolith of water, intent on continuing his onslaught.

However, a Blast Seed lobbed directly at his face had other intentions.

BOOM!

Liam threw another seed, this time, a Stun Seed. Before it could even reach the disoriented Pokémon, the Bug-type swiftly sliced the seed in half while it was mid air.

'What the- how did he…?! Oh no.'

Golisopod summoned another Waterfall, wrapping himself in another column of water. He charged the Riolu at breakneck speeds, the Fighting-type failing to get away and getting launched backwards by the strong current. The two's journey ended up colliding with more pillars, sending bits of stone flying.

Liam spat some blood out. 'Now's my chance!' He got up as fast he could and fired up his twin Thunder Punch's again.

WOOSH!

Another pair of black claws aimed at Liam, another scream from his aura tassels to move. He tumbled out of way before Golisopod's attack could gut him like a fish, the claws smashing into a nearby pillar and sending pieces of rock everywhere. Getting back up, he skidded towards Golisopod with a Quick Attack. The Riolu closed in and unleashed his fury into the distracted Bug-type's belly, beating into it like a drum with the occasional uppercut. Golisopod thrashed in agony after each crackling paw landed their blows, his tiny legs almost buckling. In a rage, the bug threw him again with a swing of his monstrous arm.

Liam plummeted a few feet away, tiredly rolling his body out of the way before the Golisopod struck the ground where he once lay with a devastating Razor Shell. The Riolu stumbled onto shaky legs, heaving as he did so. He didn't have much left in him, and none of his attacks seemed to only make the Bug-type more ferocious. Worse yet, his saddlebag was knocked out of his grasp.

A two clawed swipe whipped his face, producing thin bloody streaks across his cheeks. It didn't stop, as Liam was pummeled by relentless jabs from Golisopod. Soon enough, the damage and his fatigue was too much, and the Riolu collapsed to his knees, shutting his eyes closed.

'I can't...'

Golisopod raised his arm once again, forming a deadly Razor Shell to seal in his opponent's fate. Liam braced for impact, but it never came. In fact, he felt warmth amongst the cool breeze. Then that warmth turned into an almost burning feeling. He peeked his eyes open to see a torrent of red hot flames being spewed from the mouth of a flying orange dragon, slamming into Golispod's back, who screeched in agony.

'Charizard?!'

Charizard closed his mouth and landed onto the earth with a 'thud'. "NO ONE messes with our rookies. Got that, little bug?" Flames licked the edges of his mouth, ready for any sudden movement. "What's it gonna be, huh?" Charizard growled, grinning viciously. "Charred, or squashed?"

The Bug-type took a step back from them both, accessing the situation. To Golisopod, a skilled and honorable warrior, he had only choice.

Emergency Exit.

He again turned into a white blur and vanished at insane speed, leaving just like the way he came.

Liam, still a bit winded, got back on his feet. "Charizard… how did you even-"

The Pokémon tapped the ELE on his saddlebag. "You must've turned it on, because I was able to hear the commotion. Sandslash was even talking about strange figures he saw lurking around, so I was on alert anyways."

Liam sighed. "Well thanks, I almost… I... "

"Don't sweat it, kid. Sometimes we all lose one, and sadly I've had a lot of losing recently. You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, just peachy," Liam responded in deadpan, looking around for the lost saddlebag.

Charizard swerved his head around. "Say, where's the girl? What was her name again? Maria?"

"Gloria," Liam corrected, his eyes then expanding in awareness. "Gloria!" He ignored his exhaustion and sprinted towards the still motionless Vulpix beside the tree.

Once Liam was by her side, he held her head with a paw, checking for injuries. On the back of her skull was a nasty bruise and a cut, a small pile of blood soaking into the grass. But she was still breathing, which was all that mattered to him at this moment.

"Charizard!"

A flapping noise was heard as the Fire-type descended on Liam, who gingerly picked up the Vulpix and held her close.

"What happened to her, kid?"

"I don't know. We just got attacked out of nowhere," Liam said honestly. "We need to go see Hatterene right away!"

Charizard contracted his wings. "Why didn't ya say so? Let's fly!"

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

"And… after you exited this dungeon, you were randomly attacked by this Golisopod?" Scizor summarized.

Liam nodded, scratching his itchy bandages. "Yeah, and then Charizard swooped in to come pick us up."

When the three of them returned to the guild, Gloria was immediately handed off to Hatterene, who after a period of sharp glares, began to work her nursing magic. Luckily, the Vulpix just suffered a concussion, and would recover after some much needed rest. Afterwards, Liam was expected to present his findings to Scizor in the Bug-types personal quarters. Currently, he had gone through everything they had discovered, but he had yet to show the Pokémon the note and Entercard they had found within.

Scizor inhaled deeply. "I see... I must apologize to you and Gloria for putting you both in danger for this mission." His features softened. "But I must tell you that your findings are revolutionary for our cause. You mentioned taking some items found there?"

Liam placed Gloria's cream saddlebag on the table, opening one of the pouches and retrieving two things, a slip of paper, and a thin metal card-like object. Scizor grabbed the card-like object first, analyzing the strange patterns engraved into it.

"This... is an Entercard." He studied it again "But I've never seen patterns like this before. It's almost too well made... like it was manufactured. Interesting."

Scizor's curiosity got the better of him as he then snapped up the dirty note with a pincer. The researcher was immediately shocked to see actual text that was coherent, his mood changing completely as he began to read.

"Yes… yes!" Scizor stood up and marched over to the giant map of Celestic. "While the information is basic, it gives me exactly what I need to... " He took a pin and nailed the note to the map, swaddling some string to it. "Make some connections that make sense… uh."

Liam simply watched the Pokémon operate in a separate world from his own. Scizor only noticed after a few minutes of rambling to himself.

"... Apologies, Liam. You are free to take your leave. Thank you so much for your and Gloria's efforts. The Guildmaster and I will work hard to reward your team properly."

Liam picked up the saddlebag and turned the knob to the door. He swung the door wide open amd entered the pitch-black hallway. The Riolu then took a deep breath, leaning against the door as he was finally able to think in peace. They had discovered something amazing today, but the aftermath left a bad taste in his mouth, and he couldn't tell why.

"Hey!"

"AAH!"

Liam yelped in shock, before registering the suave voice of Roark, along with the snickering that came afterward. He shot a glare at the almost invisible ruse fox lurking in the dark.

"Ha, you… hahaha!" Roark tried to speak through his laughter. "You should've seen the look on your face!"

"Very funny, Roark. Why are you awake this late? I thought you were sleeping in the nurse's office last time I checked."

The fox shrugged, "I just wanted to check up on you. After all, you did fight that gnarly bug all by yourself. That had to be rough, right?" He laughed. "If I was there, then I'd have to activate 'Big Brother Mode'."

Liam sighed, "It sure was, and… if Charizard wasn't there we woul-" he shook his head, "I'm sorry... that I wasn't able to protect Gloria, but it was so sudden."

"Don't worry about it. Gloria's a big girl, and I know she will walk it off with one of her cute smiles. And don't forget your safety is important too. Even if I've only known you for two months, you're still good as family to me."

Liam smiled, "Thanks, Roark. I guess... I guess I needed to hear something like that."

"Great! 'Cause that's enough sap from me today." The Zoroark slinked into the dark halls again, waving a claw behind him. "Get some rest yourself! My sister needs her sidekick in prime condition!"

Liam was now alone, again. And he wasn't quite sure if liked that, being in an eerily quiet and now empty guild. But he sure wasn't tired with the thoughts swirling in his head; he was restless, and desired some time to think about things alone.

"Sorry, Gloria. Guess I'm staying up again, just this one time."

He decided on stargazing for a while, swinging open the wooden doors of the guild's entrance to greet the dusky and midnight blue world. Once outside, he promptly gazed upwards, his eyes glistening at the dazzling view. It was a totally different experience than viewing the night sky in a place like Empyrean City, where the city lights drowned out the nightlight. But here he could see every bright star, every splatter of cosmic light, debris, or dust.

"Wow..."

The Riolu stopped his unblinking stare to tread the sides of the purplish building. After one of his now defunct late night missions, he would come to this cliff at the back of the guild to get an amazing view of the night sky. It was his favorite spot, so getting a view right now was a must.

But as he got closer towards the cliff, he began to hear something, a distant voice.

'Starlight… star bright.'

'Huh?'

'With all your might…'

The voice was gruff, but was singing as softly as possible. And it was familiar to Liam, who carefully snuck forwards towards it. What he saw next was shocking, because hanging off the cliffside was none other than a golden furred Lucario, who was speaking to the flickering orange ring on his paw.

"Shine a light on our child tonight." He chuckled lowly. "That's what we'd sing... right?"

"... Guildmaster?"

As soon as that word came out of Liam's mouth, Jackson whipped his head back and lowered his paw, an angry scowl on his face. But that scowl quickly faded once he realized what exact Pokémon disturbed him.

"Liam… why are you still awake? It is already past midnight."

The Riolu gulped. "Uh, I couldn't sleep, and I sometimes come here to stargaze. Who… were you talking to?"

Jackson stared for a while. "No one... I was talking to myself."

"... I think I'll leave then, and not disturb you." Liam turned to leave, following the same path he took to enter.

"Liam."

"Huh?"

"You can stay; you just caught me off guard."

"... Okay."

Liam hesitantly made his way over as Jackson patted the dirt next to him. He took a seat, instinctively looking up at the sky and just soaking in everything.

Jackson joined him, "You know… Pokémon don't really wonder about the stars. They don't know what they hide, how large they can be, how powerful, how destructive. They're content with living simple lives that just see the stars as a backdrop."

"The stars? What about them?" Liam wasn't exactly well versed about space.

"Billions of years from now, our sun, a star itself, will start to die. It will enlarge itself and turn into a red giant, swallowing everything in its surroundings, until collapsing to start the process all over again, to begin new life. It is inevitable." Jackson smirked. "I always found it funny how much in common the ley lines and stars share. The ley lines will eventually consume the planet, wiping out all life and land. And Pokémon, just like the stars, don't know about it. Sometimes... I wonder if saving this world is pointless, and that the ley lines are inevitable. And maybe we'll just succumb to attrition."

"But that… can't happen!" Liam argued. "You swore to destroy the ley lines after your village was wiped out, right? That's what Scizor still dedicates himself to, and Charizard too, I imagine! We still have to protect everyone from a threat, even if they're not aware of it!"

Silence reigned after the Riolu's choice words, Jackson contemplating them before deeply exhaling and narrowing his eyes.

"Liam… I know you've been lying to me. You're not actually from the Shore Region, are you?"

Liam's blood ran cold. "You… knew?! Are you..." He urgently stood up.

"Sit," Jackson commanded. "You're not in trouble, if you let me finish."

It took Liam a second, but he slowly sat back down, clenching a paw.

"Liam, I've had many characters join and leave the guild in the past twenty years. Thieves, liars, or just plain criminals. You are not one of them."

The Riolu eased up, sighing deeply. "... How did you know?"

"Call it a hunch." Jackson faintly smiled. "I know about being a criminal, because I was one, a damn good one at that."

"... What?"

"Yup. I never told any of the others, so you're the only one to know this. But I did all sorts of the bad shit you see now on the bulletin boards. Robberies, extortion, gangs… murder. I didn't see meaning in life at all, only living to thrive in the chaos I caused."

Liam wasn't quite sure if he should be appalled, or fascinated by how different he is now. He would've never guessed that the professional leading the guild for so long was just another street criminal.

"How did you change?"

"I didn't, but I did meet someone that tried, and she was my everything." The Lucario's faint smile grew. "My little wallflower."

Liam huddled his legs together, eyes still fixated on the sky. "Was she your girlfriend? Or someone else?"

"Wife. I remember the time she told me she was pregnant, and that I was going to be a father. And she was so happy, to be with a scumbag like me that... I just didn't understand. That's when I realized I craved something more than chaos - fatherhood - the kind I never experienced." He attempted to smile. "I was... going to have a son of my own - something I didn't even know I wanted. Of course I was worried; maybe about money, or responsibility, but I-"

He stopped.

Jackson rubbed his eyes, shifting his legs and exhaling loudly. "I remember arriving and the doctor taking me into a room with this bundle of plastic tubes and wrapped cloth on a bed, and telling me... telling me my son didn't make it through birth. And... um… I." The Lucario slowly shook, overcome by this alien emotion. "I didn't know... how to even... react. I thought maybe... that this was my punishment, and it was never meant to be for someone like myself. There was never a chance for me to experience fatherhood, to bond, to give a good life, to give my son a good childhood, one I wish I had."

"But… what happened to your wife?" Liam questioned, wincing once he caught the immediate angry look Jackson gave off.

"... Revenge begets revenge, and past actions and past dues of your sins eventually catch up. I still loved every bit of her, and she reciprocated. But I couldn't protect her from my own sin, and I was now alone in a hateful world I helped create. My grim reminder."

There was another stretch of silence after his words, Liam not being able to piece together a sufficient response. It was heavy, out of nowhere, and he didn't want to say the wrong words.

"... Do you want to protect Gloria, Liam?"

"I… yeah, I do. But I'm just not strong enough to do that. I thought I could, but I can't."

"Charizard told me of what happened today. Do you think it's scary?"

Liam tilted his head. "What is scary?"

Jackson's eyes sharpened, "That you failed to protect someone, in this case, Gloria?" He looked over. "Do you think you failed to protect her?"

The Riolu's posture sagged. "I really do. Roark told me not to worry, but if the circumstances were different, me and her could've been… killed."

Even if in a joking manner, the words of Monferno seemed to ring out through his head at just how easy it would've been.

'Can you dodge a bullet, Mr Personality?'

A third spell of silence was cast over them, only to again be broken by Jackson.

"Tomorrow you will not work on job listings."

"Huh?"

"No, instead you will be personally trained by me on how to properly utilize your aura in combat situations." The Lucario's eyes flashed a bit of emotion. "Then you will learn how to fight and defend your loved ones if any harm comes to them, got it? Because we're the same."

Liam hastily nodded multiple times, his heart beating in his chest. "I'll be ready as soon as you are, Guildmaster. Should I... sleep now to get ready?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, stay here… stay and keep a bastard like me company for a while longer."

And Liam did just that. For what seemed like hours, they pointed and gaped at various oddities and constellations in the night sky. The Lucario sharing more insane facts about the cosmos and universe to an amazed Liam. Enjoyment replaced past sorrows.

Today, the night seemed to last much longer than usual.

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Under the blanket of ten thousand blinking stars, share the view with someone the same as you.

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Next Time:Audacious Aura Action