Sentry Sentret was having a perfectly normal day until the unmistakable figure of a Grovyle appeared in view. The Sentret squinted his eyes to make sure, but there was no doubt - it was Grovyle.

"It's Grovyle, it's Grovyle, it's Grovyle!" he hollered cheerfully, running to the gecko, "He's back, he's back, he's back!"

"Hello, hello, hello," Grovyle chuckled, limping past him.

The Sentret, his short arms waving around in excitement, kept up with the gecko's pace and barraged him with questions. "What happened? Where were you? Are you hurt? Why are you limping?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he grinned, panting however, "Just... the way out was much longer than the way in. I guess the dungeon must have changed, for the worse."

Meanwhile, Zero, Dexter, Mismagius, Manectric, and Aurealis emerged from the guild and ran down to meet him.

"Hiya," Grovyle greeted, beaming at them innocently. He stopped and rubbed the back of his neck nervously when he noticed the stern looks they gave him. "Uh... what's wrong? What have I done now?"

"You disappeared for over a day, that's what," Manectric growled, "Not that I care, but when someone disappears, I've got to ask why."

"Don't listen to that old grump," Mismagius hastily cut in, her mesmeric voice calming Grovyle's edginess, "We were worried about you. Where have you been?"

"Librarian Sceptile said you'd gone to Loran Forest to look for me," Aurealis pointed out. "Is that true?"

"Yeah!" Zero concurred, "I mean, no offense, but you don't look like you could survive in there for a day. You've got no items, no badge; nothing."

Grovyle glanced at them all nervously. 'I'm going to have to lie to them,' he thought glumly. 'No, I'd better change the subject...'

He did his best to look offended. "Is anyone glad I'm back?"

"Oh, of course, silly," Mismagius chirped, hugging him briefly, with everyone following suit, "It's just that we were worried about you, you know. We though you were... gone. We organized a search, but you weren't anywhere to be found."

"I couldn't even sense your aura," Aurealis added.

"So, spill it," Manectric barked, earning a scalding glare from Mismagius, "where were you?"

Although everyone disapproved of the Manectric's tone, they all looked at him with the same question evident in their eyes. Grovyle shrank back a bit and knew that there was no evading the question this time.

"I did go to Loran forest," he began, taking comfort in the fact that he was still technically telling the truth, "In the morning, after everyone left to the mystery dungeons, Mismagius told me to go to the library. And so I did... I looked up Loran Forest and read that there was some kind of monster lives there. And so I ran there to warn Aurealis, who I knew was in there, searching for the relic."

He took a deep breath. This was where he had to lie; lie to pretty much all the Pokémon in the guild he cared about. "I, er, ran into a Wurmple, and got poisoned... I didn't know what it was, I ignored it... Eventually, I fell unconscious... I don't know how long I was out, but somehow I awoke some time later. Since I couldn't find Aurealis, and I was getting tired, I just went back."

They stared at him like statues for a moment, and he was afraid that they saw through him like glass.

But then Aurealis breathed, "You went in there, all alone, no items whatsoever, incapable of defending yourself... for me?"

Grovyle turned to him and looked into his stunned face. "Yes, yes I did. Even though I'm still mad at you, I owed you for saving my life at the Flat Fields... and apparently you're safe, so... I still owe you."

The others didn't interrupt as Grovyle and Aurealis gazed at each other for a long minute. Then the Lucario's eyes widened slightly, as if he'd realized something. "Neither you nor I ran into any monster," he pointed out, "Isn't that strange? The book you read claims a monster lives in Loran Forest, so... where is it?"

Grovyle cringed. The Lucario fixed him with his deep, crimson eyes, and it was then that Grovyle realized Aurealis knew he was hiding something. The gecko looked around to see if anyone else seemed to suspect anything, but they all respectfully stayed in silence. He had to keep talking. "I don't know, but... isn't it a good thing that neither of us ran into it?"

"I suppose," the Lucario mused, turning away, much to Grovyle's relief, "Now, I think we should all take this afternoon off. We were all a little stressed out with your disappearance, and you must be tired as well..."

"And starving," Grovyle added, rubbing his stomach, "I haven't eaten anything since the last dinner I had."

"Well, it's still early afternoon, so there's no meal ready," Mismagius intoned, joining into the conversation, "but you could go to Magnolia Square and buy something."

"That's a great idea," Aurealis beamed, turning to the gecko again, "let's do that."

"But do we have the Poké to do that?" Grovyle asked, not really caring about the money at all but rather the fact that Aurealis would probably interrogate him on the way.

"Sure we do," the Lucario smiled, "3000 Poké, to be precise."

"3000? But we've only been on two missions, and that got us 2200 combined! ...Hold on. Don't tell me... you went on a mission without me? While I was risking my life and soul - for you - in Loran Forest?"

"Uh, yeah... I apologize," Aurealis muttered, lowering his head, "I couldn't resist."

"Oh, that is so very typical of you," the gecko growled, stomping away down the road, glad to have found an excuse for leaving, though he knew the Lucario would follow anyway.

"Sorry for that, see you later," Aurealis hastily said to the group of Pokémon before running to catch up.

"So, Grovyle, mind telling me what you're hiding?" Aurealis asked cheerfully, walking alongside the Grovyle, "Your story might be plausible, but you can't fool me. You were intentionally leaving something out, weren't you?"

Grovyle swallowed and quickened his pace. "That's just not fair, you know. You can tell when someone's lying, how they feel... heck, you might as well be telepathic!"

"I am telepathic," the Lucario replied bluntly, and for a moment Grovyle thought things were hopeless, until Aurealis continued, "Well, kind of. Don't worry, I try not to use these powers. It's somewhat of a curse; others' thoughts and intentions whispering out to me constantly; their aura - their life essence, their emotions - constantly visible to me. But don't change the subject, Grovyle. I want the truth."

Aurealis proceeded to stare into the gecko's eyes in such a piercing way that lying again was out of the question. Finally, Grovyle looked away and stammered, "I'm sorry, Aurealis, but I can't say... I promised."

The Lucario's eyes widened with surprise, but then his face relaxed into the blank slate it usually was. "All right, fair enough. I wouldn't ask you to break a promise."

"Thanks," the gecko whispered, sighing in relief, "Please don't mention this to anyone."

"I promise," Aurealis smiled and stopped. "We're here: Magnolia Square."

Grovyle looked around and realized he was right. They were standing in the middle of the square, surrounded by Castform Market, Magmortar's Storage, and the occasional passing Pokémon. The gecko sniffed the air and caught the scent of apples, peaches, berries, and other foods that made his mouth water at the thought of them. "C-Can I buy something?" he pleaded, his eyes fixated on a crate of apples nearby.

"Yep, I'm going to give you all 3000 Poké. Just... spend wisely, okay?" With that, Aurealis gave Grovyle the entire bag. The grass type fished through it and put six coins into his palm.

"Thanks," Grovyle grinned gleefully and ran to the Castform Market. He slowed down as he approached it and looked it over. The shop, comprising of a long, stone counter laden with boxes filled to the brim with items, was run by two Castform; one Sunny Castform, and the other a Rainy Castform.

Grovyle approached the former, as he seemed much more inviting with the optimistic smile on his face. "Great Arceus, a customer!" the Sunny Castform exclaimed, "Welcome, welcome!"

"Oh, big deal, the Rainy Castform mumbled, eyes downcast, "he's probably poor, by the looks of it."

Grovyle looked between the two confusedly. "Um, hi," he greeted awkwardly.

"I'm very sorry for my brother here," the Sunny Castform apologized, though a smile was still somehow plastered on his face, "For some reason, when he was small, he became stuck in this rainy form and he's been such a pessimist ever since."

"Well, it's better than your cheery, gerbil-faced optimism," the Rainy Castform countered.

"Anyway, good day to you, youngster! I don't think I've ever seen a Grovyle around these parts. You must be new! Tell you what. For your first ever visit to Castform Market, you can have any one item for free."

"Really?" Grovyle couldn't take his eyes off the boxes of fruits and berries, and hastily said, "I'll have an apple, then. I'm starving."

Rainy Castform turned to his brother and grumbled in protest, "This is a business, not a social club with gifts! We're never going to get any money if you keep giving things away!"

"Hush now," Sunny Castform hissed, then regained his smile and handed Grovyle an apple. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Grovyle breathed, and immediately chomped away on the apple, devouring it in a matter of seconds. When he was done, he licked his lips and added, "I'll have one more, please..."

"My, you certainly weren't lying when you said you were hungry! This one'll be 30 Poké."

"Uh... I hope you've got change." With that, the gecko handed him the 400 Poké coin.

"But of course we do," the Sunny Castform smiled, promptly handing the Grovyle several golden coins in exchange and another apple.

The grass type nodded in gratitude and munched away, this time in a relatively civilized manner. "All right then, I feel much better. Now, uh... I'm in an exploration team. Is there any item you could recommend?"

"I'm glad you asked!" the Sunny Castform grinned.

...And that's how, nearly quarter of an hour later, Grovyle ended up broke, trudging back to Aurealis, who was still standing there, with a seed of sorts, an extra apple, another seed, a blue orb, and a strange disc thing, all of which he had no idea what was for.

"So, how much Poké did you spend? What did you buy?" Aurealis inquired, looking nervous as though he were afraid of the answer.

"Uh, everything. I spent everything."

"What? What did you buy?"

"Er..." Grovyle lowered his head as if he were being scolded and handed him the bag. "To be honest, I have no idea what this stuff is..."

Aurealis seized the bag and rummaged through it. "Hmm, all right," he mumbled absentmindedly while taking out and examining each item in turn, "Reviver seed; good, that'll come in handy; an apple, you couldn't do without one, could you? Sleep seed, fine, petrify orb... Huh, these are actually pretty useful items."

"Well, I'm glad," Grovyle sighed, "I barely understood what that Castform was saying, I just bought whatever he told me to."

"Ah, what have we here?" the Lucario mused, ignoring his partner completely and looking at the shiny green disc, "a TM... A Giga Drain TM. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?"

"What's a TM?"

"It stands for Technical Machine. It teaches you a move. This one is specifically designed to teach Giga Drain. And that is a move you can learn."

"Oh, really?" Grovyle shifted closer to him and examine the disc. "How does it work? Can I try?"

"Of course." Aurealis placed and held the disk against Grovyle's forehead. "Don't move. It might feel a little weird."

The gecko shuffled awkwardly, not knowing what to expect. He didn't have to wait long; almost instantly, the disc began to shine white, and he felt the peculiar sensation of something in his head stirring. As suddenly as it had come, the sensation and glowing ceased. He shook his head and looked around as if expecting a change, but nothing was different. "That's it? ...I feel exactly the same."

Aurealis raised a brow. "Well, what did you expect?"

"I... don't know," he shrugged, "Something. So, how do I use that move, whatever it is?"

"All right. Giga Drain needs a recipient to work, so use it on me. Just think of Giga Drain and your mind should do the rest."

"Okay, I'll try..." With that, Grovyle closed his eyes and silently mouthed the words 'Giga Drain' to help him focus. It felt like trying to look for something that wasn't there, but soon he opened his eyes and noticed a faint, translucent green glow surrounding them both. He watched with wonder as wisps of it flew from Aurealis into him. And every second that passed by, the gecko felt more foreign energy rush into him.

"Wow, this is awesome!" he grinned. Any pain or tire he'd felt before vanished, and he examined his arms in awe, feeling stronger than ever.

"That's my life force you're feeling," Aurealis grunted, looking a bit unsteady on his feet. "You can stop now."

Grovyle blinked and focused on something else. Sure enough, the glow disappeared, but his grin remained. "So, this move drains your energy and gives it to me?"

"In simple terms, yes," Aurealis replied, straightening himself.

"That's great!" the gecko exclaimed, "I won't have to worry about running out of energy!"

"Well, everything has its disadvantages," Aurealis argued, "Firstly, the move doesn't work as well at long distances, and it can be stopped by breaking your concentration. In other words, all your enemy has to do in order to stop it is hit you, distract you somehow, hide from your line of sight, or simply run as far as possible."

"Oh," Grovyle said bluntly. "Well, thank you for ruining my moment of joy."

"I didn't mean to do that," Aurealis smiled, "It's really a great move, especially for your species. As you probably didn't know, Grovyle have the Overgrow ability, which makes their attacks stronger when they're about to collapse. So, Giga Drain is an extremely useful move when you're in pain or near unconsciousness."

"I'm just glad I don't have to be so weak and useless anymore." Grovyle paused, as if expecting his partner to say something, and then huffed, "You're supposed to say I'm not useless."

"Sorry, I missed the cue there," Aurealis chuckled briefly. "Anyway... I know you're going to enjoy using Giga Drain, and the energy you receive is going to feel empowering, but please don't take it too far. If Giga Drain isn't stopped, it can keep sucking energy until nothing is left but the skeleton of the victim. That would be murder. And make sure to be careful and remember all the things I've told you about it."

"Okay, I will... Wow, I'm actually excited to go on a mission now and this move out. It must be the first time."

Aurealis chuckled again. "Tomorrow, perhaps, if we're not occupied by the relic search, we could try a D-rank one, now that we're more experienced."

The gecko's excitement vanished. "Are you sure?" he asked nervously.

"Don't worry, D-rank missions are exactly the same as E-rank ones, except they take place in slightly harder and more distant dungeons. Plus, the outlaws are slightly more cunning and tough, but the difference is barely noticeable."

"I hope so..."

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Aurealis patted his shoulder and announced, "I'll be going. I promised Dexter I'd see him this afternoon; he said he had something to show me. What are you going to do?"

"I..." Grovyle stopped himself and thought hard. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite remember- 'Right! I wanted to see the Pidgeot Police!' "Nothing really," he lied, "I'm just going to look around..."

"If you say so," the Lucario smiled meaningfully, "Anyway, here's the bag. You'll have more use for it than I will." Aurealis handed the gecko the bag and turned to walk away. "See you at dinner."

Grovyle stared after him. 'He knew I was lying. That cheeky, mind-reading little-' He sighed, not wanting to finish that thought, and looked around for any signs that would lead him to the Pidgeot Police. 'Darn, how am I going to find the place? I'm going to have to ask someone...'

His gaze fell upon a Marowak, and that someone was revealed. He recognized her as the guild's cook, and she was heading his way. She caught him staring and he looked away rapidly and noticed, for whatever reason, he was blushing and was at a complete and utter loss for words.

Fortunately, she turned and approached Castform Market instead. He felt like a fool; standing there rigidly and watching her argue with the two Castform brothers. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, he could conclude that she was trying to buy the entire crate of apples, but the Rainy Castform had something to say about it. Finally, the Marowak resolved the issue by slapping an extra gold coin onto the counter, and with that, she seized the crate of apples and, struggling slightly with its bulk, began to walk away.

Grovyle was snapped out of his trance when the Marowak stumbled over something and fell flat onto the ground, smashing the crate in the process and causing the apples to roll away in all directions.

'Aha, this is my opportunity. Divine, if not a little cliché,' he mused, 'Well, it's now or never...'

Suppressing the inexplicable feeling of shyness, he made his way over to her and offered a hand. "Are you okay?"

She grabbed it and he pulled her up to her feet. "Yes, I am, thank you," she replied with a huff, brushing herself off. Without even looking at him, she grabbed the largest remained of the crate and began to gather all the apples into it. Grovyle knelt down and helped her, though it soon became obvious that they wouldn't all fit.

"You're taking these to the guild, right?" he asked, grabbing the rest of the apples and dropping them into his bag, "Do you need help carrying them?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful, thanks," she replied, already standing with the crate and waiting for him.

"Here, I'll take the box, you can carry the bag; it's lighter and easier to carry."

"But... your wrist; isn't it-"

"Nah, it's okay," he insisted, laying down the bag in front of her. Reluctantly, she handed him the crate. It was heavier than he expected, and sure enough, his wrist tingled mildly with pain, but he did his best to ignore it.

She picked up the bag and without another word, the two set off towards the guild.

It was only once they were well out of the square that Grovyle mustered enough bravery to make eye contact and try to break the ice. "So... how long have you been at Mismagius Guild?"

She eyed him briefly before returning her gaze to the road ahead. "Six years. I came here looking for work. My family was, well... I was the only one who could work, and we desperately needed the money. Mismagius offered me the job as a cook, and the pay was incredible... I'd be a fool not to take it."

"Six years? Wow... What do you think about the guild? Do you like it there? ...Have you, um... seen anything suspicious?"

She stopped suddenly and faced him. "Oh, now I remember you! Well, not that you're hard to forget. You're that eccentric Grovyle with memory loss, right? You were asking funny questions about the food for dinner. What was that about?"

"Uh, yeah, that's me," he chuckled nervously, hiding his face behind the box to hide his embarrassment.

"Is it true you don't have a name?" she inquired, starting to walk again.

He felt an itch to introduce himself as Loran, but that would be breaking a promise. "Yep," he sighed, "I'm just Grovyle. Do you have a name?"

"Yes, I do, though no one really refers to me by it. To most Pokémon, I'm just the cook, you know."

"Aw, come on, let's hear it," he smiled, facing her insistingly.

"Abby. My name's Abby."

"Well, nice to meet you, Abby," he grinned, grunted as he shifted the box so it was supported by his shoulder, and extended an arm for a handshake.

She stared at it for a moment before shaking it. The two's gaze met for a moment before Grovyle turned away and repositioned the crate so he held it in both arms again. No one said anything for a while after that; Abby appeared to be deep in thought. The silence was really quite unnerving, and Grovyle's injured arm was beginning to protest with more intensity. At least they were almost there.

"You know, I can't imagine it," Abby abruptly said.

"Imagine what?"

"Amnesia... I can't imagine how it must feel."

Grovyle stayed silent for a moment, perhaps a bit too long. "It's not so bad," he replied quietly, looking at the ground, "I don't really miss anything, since I don't remember anything."

"Still," she continued, "you're a Pokémon. You must have some cravings and desires. There must be something you miss; something you want."

"Well, yeah, I suppose there is..."

"Anyway, we're here," she announced as they approached the guild entrance.

"Where are you taking these?" Grovyle asked, shifting the box in his arms.

"On the dinner table will do."

Thanks to the fact the visitors were presently banned from entering the premises, the hallway was almost completely empty. All the exploration teams were either in their rooms, grouped along the walls, or away on some errand, so Grovyle and Abby were undisturbed as they walked through the hall and descended the stairs to the dining room.

Grovyle set the crate on the table and gratefully stretched his arms. Meanwhile, Abby dumped the contents of the bag onto the table and began grouping together all the apples.

"Uh, one of them's mine," he pointed out, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Right." She put one apple into the bag and then the rest of his items. "Here you go."

He nodded in gratitude and slung the bag across his shoulder. "So... I guess I'm done here."

"Thanks a lot for your help," she said, "I would've been in a lot of trouble if it weren't for you."

"Nah," he replied, managing a grin, "I was just as the right place at the right place at the right time... if there is such a thing."

An awkward silence settling in, he hurriedly added, "Well, I'll be going then."

"See you around," she smiled, returning her attention to the box.

Grovyle turned to leave but then remembered he still hadn't asked the only question he had wanted to ask. "Uh, sorry, one more thing... Do you know where I can find the Pidgeot Police?"

"Of course I do. You take the road opposite the library. It's a pretty long walk, but there's no other turns; it should be easy to find."

"Right, thanks." With that, he hastily ran up the stairs, feeling his cheeks flush again.

Upon following Abby's orders and taking the road opposite the library, he learned that the Pidgeot Police base was simply a group of tall trees with countless thick branches jutting out and serving as perches for the birds.

He approached the trees, glancing around in all directions in fear of being spied on, but was abruptly stopped by a sturdy Machamp.

"What is your business here?" he demanded, his voice gruff and raspy.

"Uhm..." the gecko was taken off guard by the question, and he couldn't help but shrink back in fear of the imposing figure. Finally, he gathered himself somewhat and stammered, "I-I'm here to see Zeph."

"Why?" came the second question, the Machamp's voice unwavering and absolutely emotionless.

"Err, I... I wanted to ask him some questions, that's all."

"Are you an explorer?"

"Y-Yeah, I am."

"Show me your badge."

Grovyle prayed it was somewhere in the bag, and thankfully, it was. He dropped it into his palm and offered it to the Machamp. The fighting type grabbed it with his massive hand; the badge seemed like a speck of gravel in comparison. The Machamp nodded and threw it back the Grovyle, who of course didn't catch it and fumbled to pick it up.

"You may enter. Zeph is on the tree at the very left."

"Right, th-thanks," the gecko muttered, hurriedly walking past the fighting type and towards the tree he'd indicated. He looked around again to double check there was no one following.

The tree was tall and adorned with several branches, so many, in fact, that Grovyle wasn't sure how he would find Zeph. Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot were constantly flying to and from the branches, filling the air with their squawks and the flaps of their wings. They all looked practically the same to him.

Fortunately, he noticed a panel with the names of the birds in alphabetical order, with miniature bells hanging next to each of them. He figured each one had a different chime that summoned the bird whose name it was next to.

Although there were at least a hundred names on the billboard, Zeph's name was the last and thus easy to locate. Timidly, he rung the bell and looked to see if Zeph had heard.

Sure enough, a Pidgeotto he recognized as Zeph appeared from the high branches and fluttered down to perch on the billboard. "Hello," he greeted routinely, "you summoned me?"

"Hi, Zeph," Grovyle began, "remember me? I'm Grovyle from team AuraBlade. We brought in D'aron earlier. Anyway, there's something I need to talk to you about, in private."

His face changing to one with slight concern, Zeph jumped down from the top of the panel to face the gecko. "What is the matter?"

Grovyle glanced around again, wondering whether the spies could eavesdrop on them even here, inside Pidgeot Police itself. "First, I need to know that you won't tell anyone about this. You'll have to pretend we never had this conversation."

"Uh... Listen, Grovyle, if this is something serious, you should talk to someone more qualified than me. I am relatively new here, and not very-"

"No, it has to be you. You're the only one I know here, and so I trust you the most."

"All right, I guess. You have my attention and confidentiality."

"Okay. It all started when my partner and I decided to join Mismagius Guild. Do you know about the test the applicants have to pass in order to get accepted?"

"You have to find and bring back a Blue Gem, right?"

"Yeah, that. Well, during our mission, we kind of... split up, and I was ambushed by several Mightyena. They told me they had a job to do, and one of them was about to kill me before Aurealis came. Anyway, I didn't think that was significant until a couple days ago. Aurealis and I went to Tremolo Cave to rescue a Taillow, and when we did, she told me some very disturbing things... She said that one of the guilds' members is a criminal, and that they have spies to monitor everyone. She said that if anyone tried to escape, they'd be caught, killed, and used for dinner. Of course, I didn't believe her, that is until I found out we had Taillow meat for dinner that night."

The Pidgeotto's eyes widened slightly, and he tried to look unfazed, but his voice faltered: "It could have been a different Taillow."

"I thought so, too... But the look of fear on her face when I mentioned that we worked for Mismagius Guild; that couldn't have been made up. She was genuinely afraid of something. And after she told me everything, she kind of looked like she knew she was going to die."

"But why would anyone do that? What, if they exist, would the criminal want?" Zeph, his face increasingly more stressed, glanced around helplessly, as if hoping someone else could take care of this problem. He sighed, "What do you want me to do? I can't do anything until you've got some sort of physical evidence."

"That's exactly it," the gecko whispered, "I can't get proof. I don't know how. If I get too curious, they'll notice and I'm done with. Plus, I'm really sorry for dragging you into this, but you're in danger now, too. As long as you keep quiet, though, I don't think they'll do anything to you. As for me, I already crossed the line. It all depends on whether they know I'm telling you all this."

"Well, perhaps we could find out," Zeph suggested. "Who do you think the spies are? Any ideas?"

"The Mightyena, I'm pretty sure. I keep getting the feeling that they're following me."

Zeph leaned in to the Grovyle's ear and whispered, "Then, we could send out some birds to scan the area. It would hardly look suspicious; birds come and go and fly around all the time."

Grovyle's face lit up. "That's a great idea!"

"All right, let's get to it." Zeph let out a series of high-pithed squawks, and at his command, several Pidgey flew out from the branches and circled above the trees. "If they see one, they'll notify me."

"Could we interrogate it if we found one?"

"Yes, I suppose we could. But if the situation is as complex as you say it is, I doubt we-"

A Pidgey abruptly dived down from the air and landed next to Zeph. "That was fast. Did you find one?"

"Yes, sir, we did," the Pidgey panted, apparently in a hurry, "he's hiding right over there in the bushes, the sly dog! How'd he even get there without us noticing?" The bird purposely avoided pointing towards the said bush, but everyone knew he was talking about the thick undergrowth which flanked the tree.

"Good," Zeph nodded. He then whispered to the Pidgey, "call Bruce; we're going to interrogate the intruder."

The Pidgey fluttered over to the entrance and squawked. The Machamp turned to them and headed casually towards them. A snarl sounded from the bush, and a Mightyena bolted out from it, sprinting away as fast as possible, apparently realizing their intentions.

However, Zeph let out a low-pitched signal, and the canine was promptly halted by an onslaught of birds pecking into his fur and talons raking his face. He growled and unleashed a pulse of dark, electric-like energy, sending the birds flying a short distance away. But before he could use this chance to run away, Bruce caught up and grabbed the Mightyena by the scruff of his neck, stopping it in its tracks. The dark type snarled and bit Bruce's arm, but he didn't even flinch and struck the Mightyena a glancing blow across the face. He staggered on his feet, dazed, before he tripped himself and fell to the ground.

"This is a feisty one," Bruce noted dryly, "bring me some rope, we need to bind him."

Grovyle and Zeph, who had stayed behind and watched the commotion from a distance, timidly stepped closer to the fallen Mightyena. They gazed slightly disgustedly at the Mightyena's body, its fur a mess and its face bloodied from the birds and Bruce's punch. However, the Mightyena was still awake, albeit just barely, and its gleaming crimson eyes stared back at them.

The Mightyena's eyes fell upon Grovyle, and suddenly he began chuckling. "You shouldn't have done this, lizard boy. Master ain't gonna be happy. And when Master ain't happy... ooh. You're in for it."

Grovyle swallowed, fidgeting, and shrank back a little. Zeph stepped in front of him protectively and demanded, "Who's your master? Who do you work for?"

The Mightyena narrowed his eyes and snarled, "S'cuse me, chicken-face, I ain't talking to you."

With a huff, Zeph glared daggers at the canine before stepping away. Meanwhile, Bruce arrived with the rope and bound the Mightyena, tying both pairs of his legs together. Bruce also fitted a leash around the canine's neck and tied it to a nearby tree. Then he left without a single word.

"Answer the question," Grovyle finally said after the Machamp left, braving to step closer to the canine.

The Mightyena ignored him completely and chuckled maliciously. "I think you should be more worried about yourself. You crossed the line, lizard boy. I'm sure you know the consequences that follow. I wouldn't be surprised if we had lizard meat for dinner today. Or maybe Lucario meat. I love both." He licked his fangs and a twisted grin spread on his muzzle.

Grovyle flinched and stared at the canine, eyes wide with dread. He tried to keep his composure but his fear was evident and he spoke falteringly. "Y-You're lying. You're the only one spying on me, so you're the only one who knows about what I did. Now that you're confined, news of this won't get out."

The Mightyena chuckled again. "You just keep thinking that way. Let me put it this way: Mightyena never travel alone."

The gecko's eyes widened further, but before he could react in any other way, the Mightyena continued, "Anyway, considering your act today, we need something to keep you in line. So listen up, lizard, here's the deal. If you run your mouth off one more time like you did today, we're going to cook your friends alive and then force you to eat them. Is that clear?"

"Y-You're sick," Grovyle cried, stumbling back from the grinning canine. "You're j-just... sick!"

"Are you going to behave now?"

The gecko sniffled and wiped his eyes before nodding slowly.

"Good. Don't believe for a moment that we wouldn't do it," the Mightyena leered. "Now... scram!" he suddenly roared, causing the gecko to yelp and jump back in fright, despite the canine being immobilized and harmless. "I have nothing more to say to you."

Reluctantly, Grovyle edged away from the Mightyena. Zeph, who had walked out of earshot when the Mightyena sent him off, approached the gecko and asked, "What did he say?"

"N-Nothing I didn't already know," the grass type stammered in response, averting his gaze to the ground and treading hastily past the bird and towards the exit, which was now once more under Bruce's surveillance, "Listen Zeph, I... I've got to go. It's almost dinnertime at the guild; they... they'd be suspicious if I'm not there. Th-thanks for everything."

"No need to thank me," the Pidgeotto nodded, "it's my job. Anyway, you'd better go then."

"Right, well... T-Take care, Zeph."

"I can take care of myself; I'm more worried about you. You look shaken up... Be careful."

"I-I will. See you."

Grovyle came back to the guild just in time for dinner; everyone was already heading downstairs to the tables. The gecko silently followed the crowd and took his usual place at the dinner table, followed by Aurealis, who sat next to him. Grovyle gazed sorrowfully at his partner for a long time as if he were going to be taken away at any moment. It was a strange feeling; Aurealis' life rested on the gecko's actions, and the Lucario had no idea.

Soon, everyone was seated at the table, and the feast began. As always, bowls of fruits were laid out at the center of the table, filled to the brim with apples, peaches, and the like. However, Grovyle's attention was drawn to a plate laden with strips of meat. As a feeling of sickness overcame him, he remembered the Mightyena's words and he felt as though the criminal was taunting him; reminding him of his fate if he chose to disobey. His stomach hurt from thinking about it and he curled up slightly to ease the sensation.

He was fortunately snapped out of his thoughts when Team Dawn, the Poliwrath, Ivysaur, and Ursaring who sat at the edge of the table, began narrating their day as accustomed. Listening only semiconsciously, he carefully avoided the meat with his gaze and grabbed a big apple from the bowl.

'What should I do now?' he thought glumly to himself as he munched away on his apple, 'Everyone's in danger because of me... I can't risk their lives... I have to live here like it's normal. I have no choice.'

He looked around the table and at the Pokémon's expressions; munching away on their meals and laughing heartily. Their faces were all so innocent; so stupidly oblivious to the true nature of things. How could they just sit there and laugh while there was a murderer sitting and laughing with them?

Aurealis started talking, and the gecko was snapped out of his thoughts again. The Lucario narrated his day, how he went exploring and, like everyone else, found nothing out of the ordinary; no sign of Magnolia Relic.

'Of course they didn't,' Grovyle sighed to himself. 'I'm the only one who knows where it is, and I can't tell them. They can never find it. This search is useless.'

Aurealis had finished talking. For some reason, he then found himself being stared at expectantly.

"Oh, right," he remarked nervously, his eyes downcast. He wasn't in the mood for talking at all. "You all don't know what happened to me. Well, it really isn't anything spectacular..." He paused to take a deep breath, thought through what he was going to say, and continued, "About a day ago, when everyone left to search for the relic, I went to the library, since I wasn't allowed to go on a mission; not with my wrist. Anyway, I... read that there was a monster in Loran Forest, and I knew that's where Aurealis was, so I... I ran in after him. I was knocked out, though... I really can't remember anything. I made my way back as soon as I woke up."

Everyone silently continued staring at him as though they expected him to say something else. He felt it, an almost sensible pain. He'd lied to all of them. Lied by omission, but lied nonetheless.

Fortunately, everyone relented their gaze. "Well, we're glad you're okay," Dexter chimed in, agreement echoing from the rest of the crowd.

"Thanks, guys," he smiled forlornly, "and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

The crowd nodded and, much to the grass type's relief, the conversation shifted elsewhere. Grovyle excluded himself from it and continued eating in silence.

Once he was done eating, he said his goodnights and treaded sullenly to his room. He felt strangely detached as he walked through the empty hall and slumped onto his bed. It was as though this wasn't real life but rather some nightmare he couldn't wake up from; a sick game to torture him.

It was going to be another sleepless night, he knew.