Chapter One: Sagefox's Warning
Evaki, a female noivern, scoured the skies over the Sanctuary forestlands for hours, heeding Sagefox's word of the Witch possibly being out and about the area. The noivern was a recent visitor to the haven, once having been known as a terror of the skies thanks to her impressive feats in the air and the way she swooped down upon her victims. Now she was "retiring" and taking it easy at the Sanctuary, though she certainly did not expect to be helping anyone with a task such as this. Regardless, she figured it would not take much effort, and she had to thank the delphox anyway.
Evaki was given directions by Sagefox to the Witch's caverns, which took the form of a small mountain. The noivern wondered to herself that if the Witch was such a nuisance, then why would they not take measures to destroy the rock itself? Surely the female delphox was not that intimidating that a collected effort would not be effective against her. Regardless, the noivern knew not to question the wise fire-type—there had to be a reason that they stayed idle for so long despite the Witch's bloodlust and her insatiable yearning for Sagefox's death in her hands. For now, she had to stay focused on her mission, which was to survey the area and seek out the malicious delphox. She was told not to do anything else but come back and alert Sage if she were to find any trace of her.
Circling the small mountain that housed the Witch's lair, Evaki could not find anything peculiar about the landmark. She was able to pinpoint the entrance, which appeared as a sharp fissure against a cliff face, but other than that, the noivern was unable to detect anything that distinguished itself from the banal forest landscape. Evaki was thinking about giving up, as she had also searched across the entire area surrounding the Witch's lair as well as the haven. She had located the dilapidated human buildings in the distance and also inspected that section with no success. Evaki even considered going inside out of sheer curiosity, but knew better than to deal with random humans.
A short and quick "chi" escaped from Evaki's throat when her eye finally became attracted to a figure standing on a stony platform off the fissure of the mountain. She was sure that this creature had not been standing there just a minute ago. Upon closer inspection, the noivern gasped quietly to find that it was a female delphox, her coat of an unnatural color. There was no doubt in her mind that this had to be the Witchfox herself. Fear filled her heart as the two locked eyes together. Despite her distance and her advantage in the air, the noivern felt daunted being in the presence of the delphox, as if there was a purely evil aura radiating off of her.
The Witch's eyes appeared to glow as she lifted a hand, pointing towards the noivern. Evaki could say nothing in response, simply bracing herself for what was to come. Her muscles tensed as she flapped her large, powerful wings at a slower pace. Suddenly, a mass of glistening ice shards appeared in front of the Witch, conglomerating as they floated menacingly. A distinct chill ran down Evaki's spine as the shards seemed to be pointing towards her. The noivern reacted with gusto as the shards rocketed towards her with blinding speed. She twisted in the air, dodging most of the terrifyingly sharp ice until one pierced through her right wing. She cried out in pain, blurting out a string of loud "chi"s and circled, gliding away in desperation. There was no way she was staying around that creature any longer. She felt she could understand now why the others were so afraid of her. She had not felt fear of this degree in a very long time.
Malgam and company returned to their base, the eevee in particular exuberant with the success of their mission, or at least their perceived success. They managed to distribute the posters, as they should have, but that was the easiest part. Malgam was quite ecstatic that they had not riled up too much suspicion or, even worse, caused any fights; that would have surely made the mission a bust, considering how well-connected the creatures of the Sanctuary were. Word would have spread like a wildfire. Now that the posters were handed out, all they had to do now was wait at the door for anybody to come in and join their cause.
The eevee sat on the couch behind his box fort, looking up at the ceiling as he reclined comfortably. He needed to focus on the next part of his mission now—to acquire sylveon! Malgam was waiting patiently for Xerxes to come in, the zoroark having reported a grand success on his end as well. He was able to receive valuable information from the mienshao about the structure of the haven and some of the secrets that lied beneath the ground. Malgam, however, was beginning to notice that the zoroark was taking too long, and feared that he might have been troubling Malice again. He could not let the zoroark die, at least not now; he still had his uses for certain.
The eevee lord sat up, ready to go out and look for the dark type himself when the zoroark appeared suddenly in front of his door. Malgam reeled back in fright, then chuckled nervously, scratching his mane in embarrassment.
"Sweet Arceus, you can be a scary one, you know that?" Malgam said off the side of his lip. Xerxes scoffed and shook his head.
"I have the information you wanted," the zoroark stated quietly, as if he wished to avoid causing a reverberation with his voice. Malgam crossed his arms and bobbed a foot from side to side.
"And I am listening!"
"MeiLi has given me good insight into the hidden creatures living in the Sanctuary. Most of them are trapped beneath the place with ancient ghosts, but some remain above in a constant slumber."
"Well, the one I need is underground, right?"
"Yes," Xerxes confirmed. "The creature you seek goes by the name of ditto."
"Ditto? That sounds kinda funny," Malgam said with an insincere tone that got on Xerxes' nerves immediately.
"The pokémon is very powerful and carries powers of transformation," Xerxes pointed out after a slight pause. Malgam looked like something hit him and he gazed off, pondering on what the zoroark just revealed.
"That is very powerful indeed," the eevee lord said dreamily. "I see where this is going." He clapped his paws together. "We can have this ditto transform into sylveon, and he can tell us all its secrets!"
"I suppose," Xerxes said, leaning against the wall behind him.
"Hm? Are you unsure of something, my dark friend?" Malgam asked snootily. Xerxes hissed softly in disdain.
"Other than the knowledge of its existence, there is no telling what the creature is like or what its own goals are. What makes you think it would want to help you with your mission? Remember that it can transform into anything." Malgam snickered, his body bouncing as he did so.
"Why do you lack faith in me, right-right-hand? I am Lord Malgam. There is nothing that I can't do, and persuading this ditto will be but a leisurely task. Put your trust in me for once, zoroark." Xerxes felt heated up, his annoyance only growing stronger with each second he interacted with the eevee. Now he wanted to get the conversation over with as quickly as possible so that he could leave.
"When do you wish to return to the Sanctuary?" the illusion fox asked. Malgam grinned and stretched out.
"We'll head back there after a couple weeks maybe. I want to see how many of those Sanctuary dwellers we can get into our ranks. This will be an all-out raid!"
Hildegard wandered about the Sanctuary, still attempting to take in its layout and every little detail that stood out to her. The lucario failed to notice right away that ever since she stepped foot into the haven, there was something off about the place. Sure, it was home to a lot of ailing pokémon and even she would admit that Sagefox and Fleur were doing a good job of monitoring everything and taking care of the sick ones. Regardless, the lucario felt there were secrets buried within—things that Sagefox himself was attempting to hide. The golurk she saw back when she and Sagefox faced each other on that stone arena was certainly a creature of the ancient type. Hildegard does not think she has ever heard of such a golem in her life. It radiated a unique aura that Hilde has not quite let go of despite distancing herself; it permeated the entire Sanctuary. In some areas the aura was weaker, thus Hildegard concluded there must be more ancient pokémon dwelling someplace in the haven. It might have been a long shot, but the lucario hoped that through this aura and the creatures that held them, she could learn the deeper attributes of life itself.
The lucario stopped in her tracks once her eye caught sight of a familiar figure appearing in the midst of the trees. It was approaching her. Stepping out of the shade, the figure revealed itself as Sagefox himself, who held an off-putting, humorless countenance. Hildegard braced herself, as she could detect the delphox's aura, it telling her that he was indeed troubled and even suspecting of her. He then smiled, though his feelings could not be masked.
"Be at ease, Hildegard," he said softly, the lucario unwavering. "Ah, yes." He then chuckled, pointing at the back of his own head. It took Hildegard a while to pick up on what he was gesturing—he was signalling that he understood the function of her sensors. "What amazing creatures you all are, with your aura."
"Don't start patronizing me," Hilde growled.
"I see you're still upset with me," Sagefox sighed, shaking his bowed head. He adjusted his spectacles. "That is a shame. I really do wish I could help you."
"What do you want?" the lucario asked curtly.
"I'm not sure if you have seen any, but not too long ago there were some interesting visitors to the haven," the old delphox explained. "They were handing out posters."
"What?" the Lucario blurted out. "Posters?"
"Posters. You know, big pieces of paper?" Hildegard vigorously waved a paw sideways, telling Sage that she already knew what they were. "They were hoping to recruit some of our residents."
"Don't pokémon just walk in and out of here?" Hildegard questioned firmly. Sagefox nodded with a smile.
"That is true, though there are some that dedicate their time and energy to advancing our living conditions, such as Fleur, or Marmalade. Have you met Marmalade?" he asked. Hildegard's eyes darted from side to side and then she subtly shook her head. "A bayleef?" The lucario remained silent. "You should meet her. She tends to our berry gardens."
"I've seen those," Hilde stated.
"Ah, good! Do you also know we don't feast on each other here? It isn't like the rest of the wilderness."
"Are you accusing me of something?" the lucario snarled.
"No, just making sure you knew is all. We take that quite seriously here."
"Well, I could've figured that."
"Anyway!" the delphox said, beaming. "You have not seen any of these particular pokémon wandering about? Ones with posters?"
"No," she replied bluntly. The delphox suddenly gave Hildegard a suspicious look, to which the lucario slowly put a foot back. Sage played with the tuft of fur from beneath his chin and started to amble towards her casually. Hildegard tensed up, having no idea what the delphox was up to. His mind was clear and she could not detect anything that could give her an advantage.
Sagefox then lashed out, bumping into the lucario roughly with his shoulder. The blow was surprisingly powerful and Hildegard stumbled back. The lucario bared her sharp teeth and growled angrily, going into her ready stance. Regardless of his attack, the delphox did not follow up, appearing dumbfounded. He then laughed and crossed his arms.
"I really do apologize for that, Hildegard."
"What the hell is your problem, you old bastard?!" the lucario shouted in confused rage.
"Please calm down. Let me explain." Hildegard felt a soothing, calming aura flow from the delphox, and it was succeeding in placating her anger. She slowly let go of her stance while keeping a sharp eye on the delphox, her quick breathing decelerating. "When the visitors were here, I thought I caught a glimpse of a zoroark."
"A zoroark?" the lucario repeated. "I've never seen one."
"Zoroarks have an illusion ability. I did not get the closest of looks at the creature, but it appeared to me like it shifted its form, using the body structure of a lucario to mask itself."
"So you think it's still around?"
"I'm not certain, but the posters that were handed out are greatly troubling, their message that is. Would you mind following me to the main grounds?"
Hildegard proceeded to tail behind Sagefox. She found it a frustrating trek since the delphox took his time moving forward through the forests. Even when she tried to slow her own pace, she eventually found herself moving faster once again. Soon enough, the lucario gave in and walked past Sagefox, the fire type catching her with his peripherals.
"Where are we meeting up?" she said impatiently, to which the old delphox chuckled.
"Easy there, young one. It's just past that line of trees." Surely enough, Hildegard could spot a large clearing past a few rows of trees in front of them. She also noticed that this part of the forest was a little more populated; she spotted movement from within the vegetation and there were even a few pokémon lounging in the clearing itself. Off to the side, she caught sight of a dip in the landscape leading into a river. Water types were hanging around this area, some of them already having eyes set on the duo.
As Hildegard and Sagefox emerged into the clearing, pokémon seemed to begin congregating to the area, as if attracted by the aura coming from the two. Hildegard noticed a sawsbuck approaching them, its movement graceful and its antlers decorated with a bouquet of vibrant, pink flowers. The deer and fox pokémon gazed at each other, nodding respectfully.
"I have a message for everybody. Could you spread the word to meet by the stream clearing?" the old delphox asked gently. The sawsbuck responded with a bow and turned to prance off into the thick of the forest. Other pokémon in the area offered to spread the word as well, to which Sagefox could not refuse—as the quicker everybody could hear his message, the better it would be.
Soon enough, many of the residents of the Sanctuary arrived in the clearing, a lot of them appearing perplexed and nervous. It was not often they had to do anything like this, and Sagefox was very much aware of it. He understood the mass confusion, and hoped he could do away with it as quickly as he could, as he did not wish for discord to linger over them—the Sanctuary was meant to be a place where peace of mind could easily be achieved.
Of course, there was no way the old fox could keep track of every individual who resided in the forestlands, but after enough waiting, he figured that it was a good time to begin relaying his message. Even if he did not reach everybody, the word would surely spread like a wildfire after he was through. Sagefox eased his way through the crowd and towards the middle of the clearing. Once everybody noticed that he was preparing for his message, excited voices quieted down into hushed whispers until eventually there was no sound aside from the rustling leaves of the surrounding trees and the chirping of distant bird pokémon. Off to the side, Sagefox noticed that Fleur had just arrived as well as her children. The rabbit pokémon inched closer to Hildegard, who bitterly eyed the lopunny without turning her head, shuffling slightly away from her.
Gathering a good deal of air in his lungs, Sagefox spoke loudly so that all could hear him. "Everyone, thank you for coming by, and I apologize if I have inconvenienced anybody. We have a situation here in our haven. Have you all received posters from some suspicious individuals?" All the pokémon in the clearing looked at each other for a moment before mutterings of confirmation sounded out, loudening with each passing second.
Sagefox noticed Fleur taking one of her huge ears and digging into the dense but soft fluff that comprised the lower section. She pulled out one of the posters from this fluff, which was folded neatly. Hildegard was watching in awe as the lopunny unfolded the piece of paper, revealing that it was indeed one of the posters. Fleur walked over to Sagefox as the crowd once again grew silent. "Thank you, my dear," Sagefox said with a warm smile as he took the poster, displaying it for all the pokémon to see. He turned his body around so that it could meet everyone's eyes. "This poster signifies the existence of a type of guild. I have met with one of their higher representatives. This drawing here clearly symbolizes him." The delphox pointed at the silly drawing of the strange eevee, who was adorned with a broad chest and powerful muscles. Stifled giggles could be heard within the crowd along with quiet chatter. "It may be humorous, but I must warn all of you now. Do not associate yourself with anybody from this guild."
"Are they evil, Mr. Sagefox?" a familiar, young voice sounded out from the crowd. Sagefox detected the direction from where it came and he spotted the curious growlithe amongst the group, his arcanine mother looming over him and shaking her head with an embarrassed grin.
"As of now I cannot say for sure, Rory," Sagefox explained. "But rest assured they cannot be trusted. There is no telling what their goal is, but I am to find out. They can easily blend into our society except for one specific creature. He is the very eevee drawn on this poster." Sagefox pointed out the drawing once again and waved the poster in the air. "If any of you spot him or a representative of this guild, please find me, Fleur, or MeiLi immediately and report it. Have I made myself clear?" Short mutters sounded from the audience as they all nodded in understanding. "Good! Now—"
Before Sagefox could continue, a cacophony of shrill chis blared from the sky accompanied with heavy flapping sounds. Everyone looked towards the canopy opening above to see the figure of a noivern clumsily hovering down into the clearing. Pokémon made way as the noivern landed, skidding slightly as she attempted to compensate her balance for her sloppy landing. The dragon-flying type breathed heavily, turning her attention to Sagefox.
"I saw her," the bat-like creature blurted out.
"Easy now, Evaki, easy," Sagefox said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Oof! Watch it!" she shrieked.
"What happened?"
"The Witch was outside of her hole," Evaki said while trying to catch her breath. "She almost diced me up." Evaki showed off her wings, which were torn in a few places. Pitiful murmurs and revolted gasps emanated from the crowd.
"Thank you, Evaki." Sagefox turned to Fleur, who was standing by. "Fleur, would you escort her to our medical center and patch up these wounds?" The lopunny was aghast at this request and her jaw trembled.
"M-Me?" she asked, putting a hand up to her breast. "I don't know if I can treat injuries that grievous, I mean…"
"Why do you doubt yourself? You've made excellent progress on your abilities."
"I mean, would there not be better results if you were to use your powers? This seems quite serious!"
"Fleur, you must trust yourself. Consider this a test. I know that you can do it," Sagefox stated with great confidence in his tone. Fleur did not say another word, and the delphox knew that the lopunny simply did not wish to question him further in the midst of so many open ears. Eventually, the mother nodded and Sagefox grinned widely in response, proud of his student.
"Wait, did you call this a test? You're using me as a test subject? I can't fly properly like this, you know!" Evaki squawked rebelliously.
"She will take good care of you, Evaki. We've gone through extensive medical training, and she needs this type of situation," the delphox explained. Evaki just sputtered cynically as she ambled over to Fleur. As the two pokémon exited, another came rushing into the scene, the crowd parting as they barrelled inward.
"Make way, please! Make way! Sorry!" Sagefox saw that the creature was none other than Marmalade the bayleef, tender to the berry gardens. Once the two met eyes, she shouted, "Sage!"
"Marm, my friend, what is the matter?" the delphox asked. He was quite taken aback by all the interruptions, but he considered the warning to have been disseminated by this point. He turned to the crowd quickly to give his final remark. "Everyone, heed my warning! You can carry on with your day now. Thank you for listening!" Everyone began to scatter while some stayed behind to see what Marmalade was upset about.
"It's Sol," she finally revealed, to which Sage swallowed dryly, only foreseeing something bad. "He's rooted again. I'll show you where he is."
Sagefox followed the bayleef while others trailed behind, curious enough to spectate, as Sol was a well known member of the haven. Sure enough, the grovyle was found beneath a large tree, sleeping away with such stillness that one might have considered him dead. All around his body, thick roots have grown and embedded themselves beneath the ground and into the very tree he slept against.
"I could not cut through the roots," Marmalade stated with frustration. "How many times has this happened now?"
"This would be the third time," Sagefox said with a hint of sadness. "It is very worrying indeed."
"How do you suppose this actually happens?" the bayleef asked in wonderment. The two pokémon stood there for a minute, pondering.
"I really can't say," the delphox replied, approaching Sol's body. He squatted down, his robe-like fur sweeping against the grass. He reached out and poked at one of the roots with his claw, Marmalade and the others watching intently.
"So you've broken him free before?" the bayleef asked inquisitively.
"I have. I'm just trying to wrap my head around this. Sol's body has already grown vegetation of its own," he disclosed, pointing to the vine-like tendrils that sprouted over his arms. "This might just be an extreme growth effect from staying in one place for too long, and it would not surprise me if that were true." Moans and mutterings of interest rang out among the group.
Sagefox whipped out a new stick he had carved, which was hidden inside the furry sleeve that lined his forearm. Grasping it gently, he brought the stick down so that its tip pointed at the root that he had touched previously. A small flame flickered at the tip and smothered the vine. The flame grew and compressed in cycles, as if Sagefox were controlling the intensity of the fire. The root began to crackle and break apart, the fire strong enough to sear through its tough skin and pierce into it. Soon enough, the root snapped in two, and Sagefox proceeded to do the same to the rest of the vines until Sol was completely freed.
Even after Sage removed the roots, Sol remained asleep. Standing over him with a disappointed look, the delphox scratched his chin, appearing perturbed. Sagefox took his stick once again and inched the tip down over Sol's snout. He hovered it underneath the grovyle's jaw and everyone remained quiet with anticipation. He then moved it so that the stick's tip was directly in front of Sol's snout. He caused a flame to ignite at the tip, one small enough so that it would not hurt the lizard pokémon.
In a matter of seconds, Sol's entire body twitched violently as he awakened from his slumber, scrambling against the tree and grunting in surprise. His eyes grew wide and he started hyperventilating. Sagefox immediately went to the grovyle and set his hands on his shoulders, trying to placate him.
"Sol, calm down!" the delphox shouted. Sol gradually began to compose himself in the presence of the old fox, his breathing slowing as well. Silence hung over the air, the atmosphere tense. The grovyle kept his back against the tree, his eyes trailing downward as he contemplated quietly. Sagefox sighed deeply. "Sol, your sleeping habits are dangerous." The lizard turned his head to the side, scowling. "All the idling you do is taxing on your body. If you continue to laze about this way, you might even become one with the forest."
Sol grunted audaciously and said with a dry tone, "Maybe I should. I'm not worth anything." With that, he began to walk off angrily. Sagefox gazed at him as he disappeared in the distance, unable to speak out to the grovyle. His disappointment and sadness disabled him from pushing his lecture further. At this point he was not sure what to do about Sol.
Marmalade approached him with her head slightly bowed, sensing his defeated countenance.
"Sage, are you alright?" she asked, already knowing the answer. The delphox crossed his arms, still looking out into the forest.
"Why has he become so neglectful and discouraged? When he first came in, he was full of life and potential," Sagefox said. "Could it be that I pushed him too hard? Did I dampen his spirit during a training exercise? I just cannot recall."
"Don't beat yourself up," Marmalade spoke up, attempting to cheer him. "We just have to focus on the now. I'll make sure to keep an eye on him and see that he doesn't do anything crazy, alright?" Sagefox eyed the bayleef, a warm smile forming on his face. He nodded to her in acknowledgement and respect.
"Thank you."
"It could be a condition too. Mental maybe. Perhaps one of my berries might help treat him."
"I considered that one time. At this point, it's certainly more plausible," Sagefox said. "Whatever it is, though, I can't help but feel I could be part of the reason for it."