Rocard found himself in the green-and-yellow void once again. He balled his fists, scrunching up his face in frustration.

"Just what is it now?" he groaned. "Unless you've strengthened your connection, I'm not gonna bother listening."

His voice echoed through the emptiness. The cyndaquil waited for a moment, then exhaled. Sitting down, he muttered, "Can't even hear you. Why are you still trying? I don't even know you!"

Just as he said that, a silhouette faded into view, clearer than last time. He squinted his eyes to make out additional details. Though still blurry, he could make out a flowing dress.

"-can-hear me-" the figure asked, voice ambiguous in gender. "Roc-you hear-now?"

Rocard sighed. "Yeah. You're still cutting off quite a bit, though."

"Oh, thank Arc!" they responded. "The connection should-a little more stable as-talk."

When the mystery pokémon finally became more than a silhouette, Rocard blinked a couple of times, then faltered. "G-Gardevoir."

"Yes, that's me!" the psychic gleefully affirmed, bowing. "Pleased to finally meet you!"

To finally meet me?

"Do… Do you not remember me?" Rocard questioned, crestfallen. "Rocard? The guy you visited a lot as a kirlia? Before that whole fiasco at Phenac? I-I know I'm a cyndaquil right now, but surely you… recognize me?"

Gardevoir's lips creased. "...I'm afraid not. I was born in the world you're currently in."

It took a moment for Rocard to truly wrap his head around the answer. "I… guess I'm really the only one I know here, then."

"Fortunately, that's not true," Gardevoir corrected. "If I recall correctly, there's… about three former humans in this world, other than yourself. I'm sure at least one of them is someone you know."

"Right, three humans from a world with billions of them," the cyndaquil remarked, huddling his arms close. "Though granted, I've yet to see a human here. The closest to friends I've had were pokémon… Ironic, considering the group I was forced into. Well… Maybe one person was nice…"

"The group you were…"

Straightening up, the psychic-fairy-type's mouth went ajar. "Ah, I see. No wonder you might've thought me to be familiar."

"Wait, how did you do that?" Rocard blurted. "Not even Alakazam could read my mind. You look like you hardly took any… effort… Oh."

"Who do you think made you that shield?" Gardevoir questioned, giggling. "Well, to be fair, I did have help with it."

The fire-type's eyes widened in realization. "Huh. Just to keep myself from confusing you with… er, the gardevoir I know, what gender are you? Your voice doesn't give any indicators for me."

"Oh! Well, I'm a fe-"

Parts of the void started graying out. Alarmed by the sudden change, Gardevoir drew closer to the cyndaquil. "But that's not important right now. Right now you need to comfort Lockjaw and find a jumpluff in the Square in the morning-"

Then, the void disappeared, along with Gardevoir.

Unlike the other two, Lockjaw couldn't catch a wink of sleep. How could he sleep with the sort of news he learned only hours ago?

He sat on his haunches, head resting on his claws. I know Dad wants me to help Rocard, but if he's supposed to save the world… I can't mess up! If he fails, then it'd be my fault that I didn't support him enough… right? Sure, he's a pretty decent guy, but…

Lockjaw stood up, quietly stepping around the other beds and heading for the door. He twisted the yellow fabric of his replacement scarf. Hopefully, a walk will calm me down.

As he turned the knob, though, something shifted behind him. He turned to see Rocard tossing and turning on his straw bed. The totodile hesitated, unsure if his partner was waking up or simply having a nightmare.

Then, he shut his eyes in frustration and finished opening the door. Not now. It'll just be a couple minutes of walking.

He exited, taking extra care not to make any noises upon closing the door behind him. Looking up into the night sky, simply basking in the moonlight eased his nerves. The totodile even started making a couple of constellations with what stars he could see. Granted, the shapes didn't resemble anything to him, but the activity proved relaxing to him regardless.

Even still, he couldn't quite dispel his anxiety. What mission did the other two go on, anyways? I didn't see any big injuries or anything, and they seemed too peppy to have failed… but why didn't they take me with them? Tired or not, I can still fight! I can…

A pair of footfalls behind him tore him out of his thoughts. Lockjaw whipped around, grasping his scarf, and leered at a cyndaquil.

"Chill, it's just me!" Rocard pleaded. "I, uh, just woke up and heard the door open. You weren't in bed, so I went out and looked for you."

Of course he woke up, Lockjaw internally groaned. He loosened his grip on his scarf, if only slightly.

"So…" the fire-type started, tapping his digits together. "Anything you wanna talk about? Anything on your mind?"

"Nothing you'd be concerned about," Lockjaw mumbled, gazing off to the side.

"That sounds like something someone with an issue and a half would say," Rocard stated, looking away. He mirthlessly chuckled. "And probably something I'd say in response to such a question."

The totodile hissed, crossing his arms. "Tell me about it."

Rocard glanced at him. "We aren't gonna stick together if we keep secrets from each other. Might as well start now."

"Start what?" Lockjaw questioned.

Realizing something, the cyndaquil faltered. "Well… I'm not sure what to start with, actually…"

"Then why did you go on about prying secrets off of each other?" the water-type demanded, huffing.

"I-It's…" Rocard stuttered. "You wouldn't believe me."

Lockjaw narrowed his eyes. "Probably more believable than a former human with powers from an ancient tale impressing the best psychic around."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Rocard inhaled. "...Yeah, probably. Well… Basically, a gardevoir communicated with me by telepathy."

"Where's the unbelievable part?" the totodile noted, relaxing his arms. Thinking of something, he wiggled his brow. "Is she a secret lover of yours?"

Deadpanning at the remark, Rocard shook his head. "Apparently, she knows plenty about me, and she's the one responsible for the psychic shield… Though she said she wasn't the only one who did that part."

"Still kinda' believable," Lockjaw stated. "What else?"

"She knows of at least three former humans aside from myself," Rocard continued, tapping his hands. He paused the moment he looked at the lack of digits in each hand. "...And right before the connection cut off, she told me to 'comfort' you and find a jumpluff later today around the Square."

"Aaand there it is."

"Which part?"

Lockjaw rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, the random jumpluff-Which do you think it is?! One human is unheard of, let alone four in the same generation!"

"Doesn't that mean there were humans before all this?" Rocard pointed out.

"It's common knowledge around here," Lockjaw agreed. "There's only been two major stories that contained a human in them…"

He stopped walking to sneer at the cyndaquil. "But you should quit trying to change the subject! Weren't you trying to 'comfort' me or whatever that gardevoir said?"

"I kinda' can't do that without you opening up!" Rocard countered. He simmered down, putting a hand under his jaw. "And arguing isn't helping either of us do that."

"I-"

Lockjaw curled his fists, turning away. Exhaling, he looked up, saying, "Yeah, this isn't helping. Where do I start?"

Rocard glanced up at the sky as well. "Well… Does this have to do with some particular person?"

"Yes," the totodile sighed. "Dad wants me to make sure you stay alive, help you out and whatever."

"Doesn't seem too bad," Rocard said. "You've done both of those things well enough so far."

"Did I really?" Lockjaw retorted. "You and Skarmory went out on a mission without me! I should've gotten up and joined you when-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, jumping to conclusions, are we!" the fire-type interjected, putting a hand on the totodile's shoulder. "We left you at the house to rest! You spent all night to make sure you were ready once I woke up from-"

"But you were still transitioning from deino to cyndaquil-"

"Let me finish-"

"You interrupted me first!"

Rocard halted, deciphering the blunder on his part. "Oh. Ha-ha… right."

"As I was saying," Lockjaw resumed, "you had just switched back, and even a heal seed didn't immediately help with your recovery. Why couldn't I have joined you to give an extra helping hand?"

"Because you helped me recover at your expense," Rocard softly, yet firmly stated. "So I let you recover. Skarmory was better off than the two of us combined, so she could assist me if I needed it."

He turned the rest of his body to face Lockjaw. "You know Skarmory and I have your back just as much as you have ours'. Just remember that."

The totodile nodded, steadying his breathing bit by bit. "Right."

"I hope I won't be too much of a burden."

Both of them blinked at the unanimous statement. Then, they bursted out laughing.

Only when they made their way back down the path did Rocard see the glimmer of sunrise in the east. He checked himself, realizing that he had forgotten to take his bag and badge with him. Lockjaw only seemed to have his scarf, too. Probably could hide a badge in there… Wait a second. That doesn't look like the scarf I remember seeing before.

"Hey, Lockjaw, quick question," he hastily said, "what kind of scarf is that? You had one that let you go through walls, so what does this one do?"

"Uh…" the totodile droned, peeking down at the yellow material. "It's a defense scarf. The mobile scarf I had before is… well, unusable now. Because of that whole… yeah."

Rocard only hummed back. He had it on my… wound. Feels like such a long time ago, even if it's only been days.

In an attempt to bounce back from the mood shift, the cyndaquil added, "There aren't a lot of scarves that boost stats in my world. The only one I can think of has a pretty hefty cost to it."

"Ah," Lockjaw noted, gripping the cloth around him. He glanced to the fire-type. "Do humans fight alongside pokémon? What kind of powers do they have?"

Rocard flinched as if struck by a bite attack. Oh gods, what a can of wurmple. How do I respond to that?

Staring long and hard at the cyndaquil, Lockjaw sighed. "You'd rather not say. We can talk about that later, I guess. Just don't forget."

Considering the topic of keeping secrets had been discussed not too long ago, Rocard felt a strong urge to answer regardless of his hesitance. He licked his lips, standing up straighter.

"I can talk about it now," he mumbled. "I don't know how well I can describe it to you, though."

"...If you insist," the water-type relented.

Rocard took in a deep breath. "Humans, for the most part… uh, don't have powers that pokémon do. Some can lift heavy objects or swim for extended periods of time, but that takes years of practice, and not everyone can even reach that point. What we lack in strength or endurance, we instead… have more determination, charisma… strategic prowess."

"So… basically, humans are smarter than pokémon?" Lockjaw summarized.

"N-No!" Rocard denied, eyes wide. "Well, maybe? There are different kinds of intelligence - knowing a bunch of useful facts doesn't mean anything if you can't put them to use, and… well, even the best strategies aren't a hundred percent foolproof."

"Uh, okay?" the totodile responded, arching a brow ridge. "Is there a reason why you're acting all flustered, then?"

"Um, well, I-" Rocard stuttered. He took a moment to steady himself. "H-Humans and pokémon tend to cooperate pretty well, even if humans typically can't… understand pokémon."

"But where's the embarrassment in that?" Lockjaw pressed.

Rocard went quiet, noticing that his body had started trembling. He's right. Where is the embarrassment in that? Why am I locking up all of a sudden?

Time seemed to stop when he recalled something.

"I was researching the intellectual differences between humans and pokémon," he whispered. "During the last couple of weeks I was there, in my world. But… something happened. Something about that spiraled out of control. What could've done that…?"

Lockjaw breathed out, straightening his face. "How about we get back to the house? We'll take a little break there, okay?"

"But I-"

"No, you're not ready," the totodile stated. He pulled Rocard along. "Even though you said you could talk about humans, you clearly can't yet. C'mon."

Despite the argumentative thoughts rising up his throat, the fire-type remained silent, letting his partner drag him along.

Upon returning to the brick house, Lockjaw knocked on the door a few times before slipping in. Skarmory lifted her head almost instantaneously, breathing shallowly. Facing the other two didn't quite seem to calm her, either.

Rocard tightened his lips. "What's wrong, Skarmory?"

The steel-type's beak opened and closed uselessly for a few seconds. Shuddering, she uttered, "I need to get to Mount Freeze. I gotta' go to… I gotta' go find someone there!"

Rocard only barely managed to withstand Skarmory rushing into him. He pushed her back and slammed the door shut. "Whoa, hold it! Who do you need to find?"

"I-I-I don't know!" she stuttered, spreading her wings in a panic. "But I need to find him-her-augh! I have to get to Mount Freeze!"

"Where's Mount Freeze?!" Rocard nearly shouted. "We can't help this someone if we don't know!"

The lack of an answer, along with Skarmory's frantic glances, cemented the point.

"Dad might know," Lockjaw said, shaking his head. "But all I know is that Mount Freeze is a long way from here."

"I'm not going to help them!" the avian retorted. "But I made-I made a promise to someone! I-I promised someone that I'd…"

She quieted down, still distraught. "I don't remember what…"

Rocard sighed, rubbing his temple. "Let's try not to worry too much about this if we can't do anything about it. I promise that we'll go there as soon as we can. In fact, hold up just a moment…"

Picking up his badge, the fire-type squinted his eyes at the bright screen. "Now is there a record feature on this thing?"

"Initiating vocal recording…"

"Oh, good, there is," he noted, then took a deep breath. "This is a reminder that I promised Skarmory to take her to Mount Freeze once we can. End recording, please."

"Saved. Play record-"

"Nope!" Rocard interrupted, snapping the device shut. "Okay, now that that's over with… How about we go to the Square?"

Lockjaw gawked at the cyndaquil. "We only just got back! Can't we stay here a little longer?"

"The more time we spend here, the less time we have to search for that jumpluff and find a path for Mount Freeze," Rocard argued. "We can't sit around all day!"

"But we're not!" the totodile returned. "The sun's barely up, and you're already willing to exhaust yourself doing too many things at once! We can afford to stay inside for, I dunno, a couple of hours. You were told to meet up with this jumpluff in the morning, right?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Then we could be here for a while and it would still be morning!" Lockjaw pointedly remarked. "Not everything can be done at once!"

Rocard looked away, knitting his brow. He sat down and crossed his arms, going deep into his thoughts. I still can't just sit around knowing I can do something. Why do I need to stay? I'm not some helpless kid!

Somehow, that train of thought struck a chord with him. Scratching his head, the cyndaquil tapped his feet. But I am still not a legal adult yet. I will be in a few months, though! And I'm still nowhere near helpless!

A rhythmic tap broke him from his thoughts. He looked to Skarmory, who had been clicking at the floor with her talons absentmindedly.

Tap-tap-tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap.

Rocard's eyes widened. Recognizing the pattern, he waved at the steel-type frantically. "Skarmory, what is it?"

"Uh-What?" she stammered, her talons going still. "Was it something I did? Is something on me?"

Furrowing his brow, Rocard shook his head. "You were tapping in morse code. Do you… not know what it means?"

"In what code?" Skarmory glanced downward. "...Oh, I guess I was bored. It's just a familiar pattern to me. Never thought it meant something."

"It… does," the fire-type reaffirmed. "It's a distress signal, used to tell someone far away that you're in danger and need help."

Tensing, Skarmory's beak flapped open. She looked away, blushing. "Oh… That's why you were so panicked. S-Sorry about that."

Rocard gazed at her for a few more moments before sitting back. He checked Lockjaw, but the water-type only shrugged. If that particular message is 'familiar' enough to her… She must've been in extreme danger some time before her memory loss. Unless there's no established morse code?

"Does that pattern mean anything to you, Lockjaw?" Rocard asked, more disturbed than anything at this point.

"No?" the totodile responded, leaning against the door. "Probably better to ask my dad, though. I don't know what this 'morse code' is all about."

Sighing, the cyndaquil twisted his bag strap a couple of times before unwinding it. "Yeah… Even in my world, it's hardly seen use. Technological advances made distance communication way easier."

The room fell into silence yet again. Rocard wrung his hands, eyeing the windows constantly. He watched Lockjaw exit the house briefly before coming back in with some papers. How long have we been sitting here?

"Hey, guys, come look at this," Lockjaw said, holding up a newsletter.

Approaching the totodile, Rocard looked at the article, looking back with a deadpan expression. "Can't read in footprint runes, remember?"

While Skarmory's eyes widened at that remark, Lockjaw rolled his.

"I was going to read it to you," the water-type hissed, then cleared his throat. "'The controversial Team Shiftry are still missing after attempting a rescue at Silent Chasm. Their client, Floe of Skyward Theatre fame, claims a monster from the shadows took the hapless leader. She is currently requesting any rescue teams to investigate the mystery dungeon. Come to the Square for more details.'"

He shot Rocard a suspicious look. "There, you got your wish. Let's go to the Square."

Rocard sighed, patting his bag. Finally, we get to go.

"R-Right," Skarmory agreed. She plucked a few feathers nervously, standing by the door and temporarily looking over Rocard.

Lockjaw sent one last glance at the cyndaquil, expression softening into a mix of emotions.

Just how many are there?

When the team had arrived in the Square, Skarmory couldn't help but feel quite claustrophobic at the mere sight of the crowd. Her height did well in observing over the waves of pokémon, but even she could barely make out a jumpluff guarded by two nuzleaf.

"Awright, everybody stand back!" one of the nuzleaf shouted. "I know y'all wanna help out the miss, but this ain't doin' any of us any favors! Form a neat lil' circle about this far around us! If there ain't enough room, make another one!"

The crowd of apparent rescue teams didn't seem to comply at first. However, once the inner parts began spreading out, everyone else followed suit. Skarmory felt a tug at her talon from Rocard, who pointed towards a portion of the outermost circle.

She followed him, apologizing to whoever she bumped into. Once they reached the spot, she leaned down, telling Rocard, "Lockjaw wasn't kidding about her fame, huh?"

"I suppose not," the fire-type laughed, though the following chuckles died in the sea of voices. "Mind if I hop on your back? Wish I were tall enough on my own."

"Er, I don't see why not."

Skarmory bent down, letting Rocard climb on, and turned to Lockjaw. A dismissive wave of his claw gave her the answer she needed.

"Now that y'all are situated nicely," the other nuzleaf continued, "quiet down while Miss Floe chooses the team that'll go on her behalf!"

Almost immediately, the surrounding pokémon hushed at once. Floe daintily floated above the group, hovering over a disappointed octillery. She weaved around a stantler's horns, all the while looking left and right.

Skarmory stared on in awe of the grass-type's inspirational acrobatics. A beautiful work of art. Even when panicking, she can smoothly ride the wind. No wonder she's popular.

It took her a moment to realize the jumpluff had stopped mid flight. Floe gazed straight at the avian - or perhaps the cyndaquil atop her back.

The jumpluff slowly approached Rocard, nervously glancing sideways. "...You there, Cyndaquil. Will you help me?"

Rocard paused, looking around at the gasping audience. A small chuckle escaped him. "Um, I don't suppose there are any other cyndaquil here… Yes, my team and I will."

"How curious…" Floe commented, staring him down a little bit longer before floating back to the center. She whispered something to the pair of nuzleaf.

"It's been decided, then!" the first nuzleaf announced, bringing the attention back to him. "Those that ain't part of the cyndaquil's team, go back to whatever y'all were doing! Rocard's team, c'mere!"

Amidst the series of groans that rang throughout the crowd, Skarmory smiled. "Looks like we get to talk to her now-"

She halted at the disbelief in Rocard's face. "...Rocard?"

"I didn't tell her my name," he uttered. "That's no coincidence."

Skarmory hesitated, eyes widening. "A-All the more reason to meet with her, right?"

"Maybe," Rocard replied, vacantly gazing into the distance.

"Hey, can we get moving?" Lockjaw reminded, tugging at Skarmory's leg. "Can't have either of you distracted…"

"Oh! Right," the steel-type exclaimed.

They waded through the remaining crowd. Skarmory shrunk a little at the jealous glares some passersby sent at them, but that gave her all the better reason to catch up with the nimble Lockjaw. When the team finally stood in front of Floe, Skarmory let Rocard down from her back.

"Hey there," the cyndaquil greeted, extending a hand. "Name's Rocard… Though you seem to already know that."

"A pleasure," Floe said, taking his hand and shaking it. "I… had a hunch, so to speak."

"Hell of a hunch that is," Rocard noted, though he flinched at the daggering glares from the nuzleaf. "Sorry, just a lot on my mind."

Lockjaw flicked a bit of stray cotton from his arm, then stepped slightly forward. "Where is Silent Chasm? We can worry about how you know him later."

Floe looked to the other grass-types and nodded. "Right. Follow me."

As the rest of the group trailed behind the jumpluff, Skarmory fell behind a little, gazing downward. She reminds me of someone. Meek and tender, yet graceful… Guarded by someone at almost all times… If I had a clipboard, I'd write down all the traits and-

She stumbled, but flapping her wings kept her from completely falling over. A clipboard? What use would I have for one? I can't write! At least, not with my wings… Maybe there's a way to write with talons that I've forgotten?

"Skarms, you okay?" Rocard called. He blinked, face abruptly glowing pink. "Uh-If you're fine with that nickname! I just-"

"I'm okay," Skarmory affirmed. "Just tripped."

Come to think of it, a nickname would be nice. Not that one, though - too simple.

Stupid, stupid-She gives herself the name, I shouldn't be thinking of nicknames for her- I'm not like them or-

Rocard did his best to hide his blush. Considering he was in a public street with several people - pokémon - around him, it was safe to assume his efforts were pointless. I mean, I don't love her or anything! Nicknames are for familiarity and convenience, right? Augh, I'm just screwing it up even further…

He heard Lockjaw snort, only furthering his embarrassment. Even somebody like him knows I messed up! And then when I inevitably go around nicknaming him and Skarm-Skarmory, it's just gonna' go downhill from here-

"Yeah, just saying 'Skarmory' is a big mouthful," Lockjaw snarked, patting a claw atop the cyndaquil's back. "We're familiar enough with her to call her by… whatever her nickname is."

"Wha-I-Gah!" Rocard spluttered, unable to form a cohesive argument.

The totodile raised a brow ridge in amusement. "Do pokémon not nickname based on familiarity in your wo-where you're from?"

"No, they-I-"

Rocard forced himself to look around, recalling that they were still in a public area. "No, th-they don't. Usually, most of us there have names that… aren't related to our species. Nicknames are generally reserved for more… intimate relationships - or if somebody has an inscrutable name, or just really good friends. I think."

While one nuzleaf partially turned his head - likely to listen in on the conversation - Lockjaw snickered. "That explains the blush. A lot of the pokémon here give themselves nicknames when they grow up a bit… or so my dad says. It's pretty commonplace for a pokémon to state their nicknames to acquaintances - even strangers, in some cases."

Slowly, Rocard relaxed, adjusting the bag at his side. "I… yeah. I don't know what came over me."

"If y'all are done," a nuzleaf piped up, "we're here."

Rocard looked ahead to see a hotel (what he assumed to be one, at least). Compared to the various buildings in Orre, he found this place… underwhelming. It had an impressive height, for sure, but the cracks on some corners were visible even from here. The walls themselves had a mishmash of brick, wood, concrete… How could anyone stand going to this place, let alone stay a night or two?

He looked to Lockjaw, who stared back.

"Well? What're y'all waiting for?" the other nuzleaf prodded, gesturing to the entrance.

Rocard sighed before following the grass-types inside. That accent's going to be the death of me, I swear.

When the group reached one of the many rooms on the first floor, Floe gave one nuzleaf her bag. The nuzleaf pulled out a key and unlocked the door, giving both items back to the jumpluff in a robotic fashion.

"We'll be on the lookout, Miss," he said, nodding to the other nuzleaf. "Hopefully y'all get Boss back safe n' sound."

"Hopefully," Floe repeated, leading Team Redemption into the room.

The door shut behind Skarmory, who winced at the noise. She scurried closer to Rocard, sitting down by the only window. Floe lifted the glass, a slight breeze entering the room.

"Any reason why we're here and not at Silent Chasm?" Rocard asked. "Like Lockjaw said, you knowing me doesn't matter if we need to rescue somebody."

"But that's all the more reason to explain what could happen," Floe countered, the cotton ball atop her head bobbing. "The winds do more than carry me. Every current speaks to me; some give advice, inspiration… predictions."

"...What kind of predictions?" the cyndaquil finally questioned, something falling to the pit of his stomach.

"Warnings." She made an effort to still her cotton-filled limbs. "Rocard, if you need any precautions to take… Don't rush your attempt at rescuing Shiftry, and don't use the only reviver seed in your bag."

Lockjaw straightened up, reaching for Rocard's bag but stopping just short. "You have a reviver seed?! When did you-"

"A fake," Floe interrupted. "Take a look at the seed."

Digging inside for whatever seeds he could find, Rocard pulled out three of them and placed them on the carpet. "Which of these is the one, though?"

"That one," Lockjaw said, pointing at the one closest to Floe. "Looks pretty real to me."

"But if we flip it over," she stated, revealing the other side of the seed, " the symbols aren't identical. A reviver seed has a sun-shaped mark on both sides, but this has a hollow circle on one side - a reviser seed, if you will."

Lockjaw gawked at the distinction. "Oh. No wonder you warned about that. Good… call?"

"What's the difference, aside from the markings?" Rocard experimentally inquired.

"Reviver seeds do what you'd expect," the totodile responded. "It brings back a KO'd pokémon. Reviser seeds do the same thing… only… Something happens after the revival. Rumor has it this causes the pokémon affected to go some level of crazy, and they fall unconscious again."

"Yeesh…" Rocard said. He shook his head wildly. "Okay, this thing's going out! What was the other thing you mentioned…"

"You shouldn't rush through the dungeon," Floe repeated. "Rescuing Shiftry will not be a quick endeavor, regardless of your pace. The winds only speak ill of the Ascendant if he pushes himself too hard."

Recoiling at the mention of his title, Rocard glared hard at the jumpluff. "...Right. Please, don't call me that. How do you know?"

"Exactly how I told you, and how I knew of the reviser seed," Floe returned. "Every current speaks to me."

As if on cue, the wind picked up, nearly blowing the grass-type off her feet. Her face lit up. "Good, good… I suppose I'll send you three off."

"Weren't we just talking about how I shouldn't rush things at the moment?" Rocard deadpanned.

"Rushing through the dungeon," Floe corrected, shutting the glass window. "There is a reason that place is named Silent Chasm, after all."

Lockjaw flinched. He clutched his stomach, muttering, "I think I got a stomach ache just from imagining that reason…"

"Gee, thanks for mentioning that," Rocard groaned. "You probably wouldn't have gotten that stomach ache if you didn't linger on the thought for so long."

"In any case," Floe continued, guiding the three to the door. "Good luck. Find Shiftry, and bring him back."

Skarmory braced herself for the door to slam shut once again… but a soft click echoed through the hall instead. Rocard sent her a brief look before checking the hallway. Only one nuzleaf guarded the entrance.

"Nice n' quick, aintcha'," the grass-dark-type observed, pulling out a silver badge and looking into the screen for a bit. "Y'all still doin' the rescue?"

"Er, yeah," Rocard confirmed.

"'Preciate it, pardner. Name's Harvey, by the way."

"Oh!" Lockjaw exclaimed, hopping a little. "How come I didn't recognize you sooner? It's me, Lockjaw!"

Harvey grinned at the totodile. "Hey, good to see ya'! Ardy's havin' a blast with that toy you got 'im! Can't believe I haven't thanked you yet for helpin' out my little brother like that…"

"Really? I didn't think a small toy like that would entertain him that much. Reminds me of the time you…"

All the while, Rocard unenthusiastically mumbled, "It's a small world after all…"

He tuned out the conversation at hand, instead opting to watch Skarmory pace around. Even she's getting impatient. Maybe she's still thinking about Mount Freeze… Who might be important enough for her to persist in going there?

Eventually, Rocard grabbed the totodile by the arm, passive-aggressively telling Harvey, "Fun chat and all, but we really need to get to Silent Chasm."

Lockjaw glared at the fire-type before sighing. "We'll talk later. Say hi to Ardy for me."

"I gotcha'," Harvey replied, waving the three farewell. "Good luck!"