Astral Cave B2F
"Gee, I'm getting kinda hungry..." Vigil moaned.
"Maybe we should stop for a bit and rest," Fallen proposed.
Team Inferno stood at the top of the stairs, their vision suffocated by the bright lights on the walls.
"You are not starving, are you?" Azure asked Vigil.
"Well, no," the Sentret answered.
"These mystery dungeons drain your energy much quicker. It will make you want to eat within shorter intervals, and if you do not manage your food properly, you will run out. If I knew we would not be in Astral Cave for a long time, we could have stopped right here. However, that togepi can be anywhere. It is in our best interests to preserve our food for as long as we can."
"If you say so..." Vigil sulked.
"Let's just hope that togepi is close by," Fallen shuttered.
After meandering through another tunnel, Team Inferno was welcomed by a pair of geodude enjoying a meal of apples. They had not yet noticed the team enter the room behind them, a fact Fallen thought to exploit.
"Vigil, think you can get underneath them?" Fallen asked.
"Shouldn't be too hard," Vigil said.
"Then dig, but don't come out until I say so. Alright?"
The sentret prepared to claw into the ground until he was halted by Azure, "Are you sure about this plan, Fallen?"
The lucario's stern demeanor caused Fallen to second-guess. He was so sure of his last plan, only for it to end in disaster. But this time...his plan was foolproof. There was no way that either of them could mess it up.
Then again, perhaps Azure knew something about the situation that neither of them realized. Maybe he was being hesitant to get Fallen to pay closer attention to the environment. The cautious treecko took in his surroundings once again. The room was empty aside from the geodude in the center. None of the lights were bright enough to be exposed as carbink, and not a single pokémon hung from the ceiling.
But what good were the treecko's eyes compared to the abilities of his two companions? Vigil's species boasted exceptionally sensitive sight, and Azure possessed an incredible talent for detecting aura. Fallen was not alone.
"Vigil, see anything strange?" the treecko asked.
"Hmmm," Vigil scrutinized the room. "Nothing out of the ordinary here."
"Azure, can you double-check?"
The lucario stood perfectly still, smiling down at Fallen.
"Azure?"
"I have already scanned the room with the remnants of aura I am able to muster," Azure said. "Other than those geodude, it is empty."
Fallen was immediately taken aback, "What? Then why did you—"
"Because I wanted you to learn how to take advantage of your resources and strategize accordingly. Had I not warned you, Vigil would have obeyed you blindly. The two of you were prepared to wander into a situation in which you did not collect enough information. Of course, without Vigil's eyesight or my aura, I would not expect you to survey every inch of Astral Cave. The fact is, however, that your teammates are just as important to success as you are."
Fallen clung tightly to Azure's words. He resolved to repeat these lessons in his head, in order to lead Team Inferno the way Azure expected him to.
"Ready, Vigil?"
"Sure thing!"
The sentret extended his claws and pierced the ground, prying away dirt and rocks and creating a cloud of dust at the end of the corridor.
"Phew," Fallen said. "The geodude still haven't noticed."
"Then I suggest you finish executing your plan," Azure replied.
"Right," Fallen nodded. "Mind holding the Luminous Orb for a bit? We can't risk those geodude seeing it."
Fallen handed the glowing orb to Azure before silently emerging from the dust cloud. The two geodude continued eating with their backs turned, letting the sly treecko approach. Sweat dripped from Fallen's face as he inched closer and closer. His nerves took over, forcing him to shudder and stumble.
He fumbled around on all fours until he regained his balance. Holding his breath, he remained perfectly still for several moments, ready to strike in case the rock-type duo decided to turn around.
Much to Fallen's surprise, the two pokémon carelessly chomped on their meal, putting the treecko's fragile heart at ease. When Fallen was mere centimeters behind the pokémon, his pulse sped up yet again. Adrenaline pumped through his body, and he wasn't sure whether it was from fear or excitement. Either way, Fallen detested it, because the result was him being a coward or a psychopath.
"Now, Vigil!" he yelled before bashing his tail into one of their heads. Vigil rose from beneath the dirt and hurled the other one away before it could lunge at Fallen. The two geodude groaned before picking themselves up.
"It wasn't enough!" Fallen said, gritting his teeth.
"How about we both take one?" Vigil proposed.
"Sounds like a plan."
The two children split up, each cornering a geodude. Before Fallen could get close, however, the other rock-type flung itself in his direction. With no opportunity to dodge, Fallen was left defenseless, bracing himself to take a lethal blow from the flying stone.
Catch it! Fallen screamed in his head. His fighting instinct—or at least what he assumed it to be—took over. He held out his hands in front of him and waited for the moment the geodude made direct contact.
Fear struck yet again, and rather than watching and waiting to catch the rock, he cringed and squeezed his eyes shut, in hopes that maybe, just maybe, this really was one ridiculous dream.
The treecko screamed as the spinning geodude scraped against his palms, but also reveled in what he had just accomplished. Somehow, Fallen had actually caught the geodude. The treecko refused to let it go, for his instincts had something else in mind.
Fallen pressed his fingers against the geodude, allowing himself to be enveloped in a bright green light. The geodude cried out as the pressure within Fallen's leg lifted. Using the geodude's life force, Fallen was able to speed up the healing process.
He didn't want to let go either. It was rejuvenating, especially after all the pain he had experienced in the past few days. Even the remnants of poison in his system seemed to thin out until it disappeared completely.
The geodude in his hands no longer screamed in agony. Instead, it wheezed and choked, as if Fallen was suffocating it. It was then that Fallen realized what he was doing, and flashbacks from the mountain path came spiraling back. He remembered how Vigil slashed that spinarak, not even allowing it to run away. He could recall how it gasped for air and begged for mercy, just like this geodude did.
Fallen tossed the geodude away before sinking to the ground. He buried his face in his hands and let the tears stream down his face.
Is this the instinct Vigil and Azure talked about? Is this what happens when instincts take over? Do they make pokémon murderers?
"Fallen?" Vigil approached his dejected friend.
"He has not yet controlled his instincts," Azure said, trailing behind. "Do not blame yourself, Fallen. There is a savage part of all pokémon that has plagued us for centuries. We can never truly separate from it, but for the most part, it can be suppressed."
"What if—?" Fallen whimpered. "What if I end up hurting someone I care about?"
"That will never be the case," Azure said. "So long as you care about the well-being of those around you, feral instincts will never turn against you."
Astral Cave B4F
Team Inferno had been searching for several hours. Fallen was beginning to wonder if he had left that poor togepi on the first floor when he decided to venture forth. It was a judgement call he made on a whim, a split-second decision influenced entirely by instinct, something he vowed never to rely on so heavily ever again.
The Alliance members traveled through a narrow tunnel, this one much darker than the floors prior. Not a single gem provided light in the somber passage. Fallen now relied on the Luminous Orb to guide them through the dim corridors, while Vigil and Azure adjusted their senses accordingly. The soft lights and the allaying warmth of the orb put Fallen at ease, if only for a while.
However, as Fallen began to calm down, Vigil was beginning to lose composure. His sensitive eyes revealed the slightest shift in the environment, one that he knew meant danger was lurking somewhere.
"Is it just me, or are the walls coming closer together?" he asked.
Fallen took a look at the walls around him and shrugged, "It's too dark for me to tell the difference."
"I am not sure myself," Azure said. "However, you sentret have eyes stronger than mine will ever be."
Much to their dismay, Vigil turned out to be right. After a few more minutes of walking, the ceiling inched closer and closer to Team Inferno, leaving Azure very little room to stand up straight. The walls tightened around them, forcing them into a perfect single file. The only way to move now was forward.
"Looks like Vigil was right," Fallen said.
"Indeed," Azure added. "Your eyes are unlike any other sentret I've seen."
Fallen continued to lead the team down the attenuated tunnel. After several more minutes of meandering, Fallen saw something in the distance.
"I think the end of the tunnel is up ahead," Fallen said, squinting at the hole just a few yards away.
"Thank Arceus!" Vigil sighed. "I thought for sure there would be—"
Screech!
A cacophony of high-pitched terror resonated through the tunnel. The room began to shake, forcing Team Inferno to lose their balance and collapse. Struggling to pick himself up, Fallen covered his ears and saw the source of the noise.
There had to be one hundred of them, all swarming in front of the team. A wall of golbat hovered over Team Inferno, all expelling the same blaring tones. Their mouths gaped open, and within them was the last thing Fallen wanted to see. Their fangs were soaked with a sinister liquid, one that Fallen was all too familiar with...
Venom.
Before he could process what was happening, the golbat soared towards them. Fallen felt the world around him fall apart, just as it did when he was attacked by the spinarak. Flashbacks of that awful day came spiraling back.
He thought he could be brave. He thought that maybe, in this horrific world, he could survive, and maybe even make a difference for the one pokémon who gave him a second chance. All of his hopes and dreams, crushed in an instant. That was, until Fallen heard a voice.
"The orb! Use the orb!"
An idea developed in Fallen's mind after the voice spoke, one that might get all of his friends out alive.
"Vigil! Take the Luminous Orb!" he tossed the orb at the sentret.
"R-right!" he yelled through gritted teeth, catching the sphere with his tiny paws.
"Azure! How long can you hold them off!?"
"That does not matter. I will fight until you say otherwise." And with that, the lucario focused energy into both of his hands, creating two masses of aura in each. He sent them flying at the swarming golbat, displacing a few of them until they reformed into the same voluminous cluster.
Fallen didn't mind. In fact, Azure was doing exactly what he wanted.
The treecko rummaged the bag of supplies until he came upon two orbs. One was the eerie Slumber Orb he found early on the mission, and the second was a bright blue sphere emitting a comforting, sheltering essence. Zig called it an Escape Orb, and explained that it could transport a group of pokémon out of a mystery dungeon. Team Inferno bought one for a situation just like this, a scenario when all odds seemed completely stacked against them.
But now he had this Slumber Orb, which could put a few of the golbat to sleep, if not all of them. However, doing so would mean Fallen would have to continue to brave this horrid dungeon, carrying on until the togepi is found.
Then Fallen remembered the togepi. Team Inferno couldn't leave that scared togepi here, especially with a flock of golbat flying around. Should they escape, it would be dead for sure.
Either Fallen would have to take a life away, or risk his own.
And so, he held the desired orb into the air, commanding it with his mind. A flash of light filled the room, only to dissipate mere seconds later.
Vigil clung to the Luminous Orb with his eyes shut. Meanwhile, Fallen stood up and rested his eyes upon the dozens of golbat lying on the ground unconscious, lulled to sleep by the purple shards of glass that were strewn about.
When challenged with a decision between bravery or cowardice, Fallen put others above himself for the first time. The treecko grinned in admiration of his fortitude.
Azure returned to Fallen and kneeled before him. He placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"I recall you telling me that you were not fit to lead Team Inferno," he said.
Fallen was right. He wasn't fit to command his team. In fact, without that voice to guide him, he would have died right where he stood. Rather than bringing the mysterious voice to Azure's attention, he let his mentor praise the decision as if it were solely his.
"Maybe you were right," Fallen smiled, trying his hardest to feign honesty. "Maybe I can be a leader."
"I didn't doubt you for a second, Fallen!" Vigil cheered. "I knew you had it in you!"
Fallen laughed at Vigil's comment. However, it was tough for him to wear an honest mask in the face of his sentret friend. He had promised never to lie to Vigil, and already he was breaking that promise.
But the voice was a mystery even to Fallen. How would he explain to his comrades that he was hearing someone else speak to him in his mind? It was as difficult as trying to prove his former humanity to Vigil and Waver, who he suspected still had their skepticisms. Besides, he already had a slew of problems that were out in the open. Opening another can of worms seemed like a bad idea.
Fallen decided to drop the subject entirely, "We should probably get going before these golbat wake up."
"Good idea," Vigil agreed.
Team Inferno cautiously tiptoed around the sleeping golbat horde. Fallen and Azure did so with ease, as their legs were long enough to reach over to the gaps. Vigil, however, found himself needing to use his tail to bounce over the dormant pokémon.
When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, Team Inferno opted to take a short reprieve. Fallen and Vigil pulled apples from the bag and ate as Azure pulled out one last Chesto Berry to ensure he would be alert for the rest of the expedition.
"I hope you understand why these mystery dungeons are so dangerous," he said as he bit into his Chesto Berry.
Fallen nodded, "Anything can happen here. Just when I thought it would be smooth sailing, we nearly died."
"Your decision to put them to sleep rather than run away was a brilliant act of altruism. You allowed the togepi a chance to live, a chance to be free from this twisted space."
"What made you think to use one of the orbs anyways?" Vigil asked.
"Well, I-uh, I just—"
"Someone! Anyone! Please!"
A shrill cry reverberated from the other end of the room. Out of the tiny alcove came a distressed pokémon, clad in a broken eggshell and running for dear life. Tears ran down its face as it hurried away.
"Say, is that...?"
"Hey! Wait!" Vigil called out, forcing the pokémon to stop dead in its tracks.
"P-please don't hurt me!" the poor child sniveled.
"We're not going to hurt you," Vigil said calmly. "We're from the Pokémon Alliance. What's your name?"
"I'm...Grace," she mumbled. "Grace the togepi."
"Well, Grace," Azure approached. "We will escort you out of the dungeon and back to the Alliance base."
"Stay between the three of us. You'll be safer that way," Fallen commanded.
"Uh...o-okay."