Along the empty roads surrounded by a beautiful forest of trees came three Fusions dragging their feet lazily. Well, rather, two of them dragged their feet while the bigger Fusion stomped lightly behind them since he wasn't suffering from the same problems as them.

Vivi and Eddie were both hungry, having not had much to eat since their last meal. Cash was pretty hard to come by, even with odd jobs to hold them over. Given their pressing agenda and a possible spot on top of Sinnoh's most wanted, staying in one place for too long wouldn't benefit their stomachs. They got lucky when they passed the occasional wild tree growing fruit, but that's about it on their luck.

Eddie was hanging in a lot better than the Ledian-Decidueye. Sadly, this wasn't the first time he had to go some days without food. Not a proud moment in his life he loved to admit, but it happened. He felt sorry for Vivi, who was clearly suffering from her lack of sustenance.

"Fooooooood…" she moaned desperately.

…though, that sympathy got torn to shreds smaller and smaller every time she opened her mouth and complained. Eddie believed he could exercise good patience, but he had a limit before his mood would turn sour.

Eddie closed his eyes and grumbled under his breath before saying, "Kid, quit your damn whining. I got all I could purchase the other day…deal with it."

"But I'm huuuuungry…" she whined.

Eddie could already feel a frustrated tic mark pulsing on his forehead. "Whining isn't going to make food magically fall out of the sky!"

Vivi groaned and finally gave in to her fatigue. Eddie had to stop and stare down at the younger Fusion as she collapsed to her knees and planted her forehead with the asphalt road. "Go on without me, Eddie…I'll only slow you down." She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky. "There's no hope for me left…"

Eddie facepalmed and groaned inwardly. Damn brat. He looked up at Bartleby, who bent down and poked at Vivi to check and see if she was actually dead. It was equal parts amusing and weird for the Hitmonlee-Typhlosion. He held his hips and sighed. "If you're going to mess with her, at least carry her the rest of the way."

Bartleby stared at him silently before pinched Vivi by the feathered cloak, picking her up, and dropping her into his hand. Vivi continued to play dead, though she added, "Ah yes, the perfect resting place…this shall be my grave…"

"STOP BEING MELODRAMATIC! YOU'LL BE FINE!" Eddie scolded in annoyance. He glared ahead and continued walking with his arms crossed, Bartleby tailing close behind. After reining his temper in, Eddie said, "Just relax, kid, I'll solve our food situation in no time. Just have some Arceus damn patience for once…"

Thankfully, that got Vivi to quiet up as they walked down the street. Eddie searched around the road to find anything that could help them solve their problems. He was really aiming for another group of berry trees to pick clean, but there didn't seem to be any wild ones for miles.

There was, however, something that caught his eye.

Passing by a telephone pole, there was a loosely hanging flyer stapled to it. "Hello, what's this?" He ripped it off and took a closer look at it.

Vivi lifted her head up a bit and groaned, "Is it food?"

"Potentially. Seems there's a berry farm in this area, just outside the main towns. Says they're offering free meals and a place to sleep in exchange for labor on the farm."

Vivi sprung to her feet and leaned over Bartleby's finger, significantly better than before. "Free food?!" she exclaimed. Eddie could see her salivating with glee.

He narrowed his eyes and waved the flyer up at her. "Free food for labor. We don't have to pay with money, but you actually need to earn it."

Vivi pouted in disappointment. "Dang it…" She then smiled boldly and crossed her arms. "Hmph, fine by me! No use crying over it!" She pointed in a random direction. "That way, Bartleby! Take us to the farm!" Bartleby began to turn around and head in the opposite direction.

"Other way!" Eddie shouted, causing Bartleby to stop. The flame kicker pinched between his eyes before walking the right way. "Just follow me before one of you gets each other lost." Bartleby turned on his heel and followed after him while Vivi danced excitedly on his palm.

"Eat up, everyone!" Annabeth exclaimed as she set out lunches for her guests and daughter. It was a quiet, yet busy day on the farm with some work being done outside. Dez, Emily, Charlie, and Marion thanked her for the food before eating.

Just outside the window, they got a good view of the backyard and the rows of trees that were in view. They could see some Pokémon and Fusions working out in the fields, like a Kangaskhan, a Gabite, a Druddigon-Starmie, a Clefable-Gengar, and a few others that were out of view. Every day, the three Gappei Fusions got to see different types of Fusions coming to the farm for free meals and working for them. It felt nice to see the community aspect of this farm take a positive influence on everyone.

One Fusion to enter the house was Cade, who wiped his brow of sweat. "Phew, I'm working up a sweat out there."

Annabeth smirked. "Getting soft, dear?"

Cade boomed with his jolly laugh. "Oh, heck no! I've still got a fire cooking inside me! This is nothing I can't handle!"

Annabeth giggled. "I should have figured. Well, at the very least, help yourself to some lunch. I made sandwiches."

The Pangoro-Spiritomb snagged his plate off the counter and sat himself down. "Looks yummy as usual!" He grabbed the sandwich and took a large bite out of it.

Annabeth smiled fondly at him before facing their daughter. "Marion, sweetie, make sure to rake the leaves up from under the trees."

Marion saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" She nibbled threw her sandwich like a shredder until it was all gone. She patted her stomach in satisfaction, then grinned at the three Fusions. "Any care to join?"

Charlie shot his hand. "All aboard!"

Dez raised his paw lazily. "Eh, sure."

Emily, however, shook her head. "I'll pass. I'm just going to take it easy this afternoon and catch up on my meditation."

Marion gathered her empty plate, along with Dez's and Charlie's, and placed them in the sink. "Suit yourself! Come on, fellas!" She raced out to the backyard with the two following at a much slower pace.

Emily rolled her eyes and sipped on her juice. "That kid has way too much energy for her own good."

Cade snickered through his teeth. "That's my little girl." His left spiral eye glanced to the side and looked over the Mawile-Froslass with intrigue. It's only been a few days, but he felt a definite change in her demeanor and the air around her. That cold exterior she kept around her was thawing. "You seem much mellower these days, Ms. Skull."

Emily closed her eyes and smiled subtly. "Really? Haven't notice."

Cade smiled and looked out the window, watching the Pokémon and Fusions working outside. "I knew bringing you here was the right call. The slow pace of the country land, away from the noise and chaos back home. Annabeth has been doing a great job trying to make everyone feel welcomed out here. It's not often you here Pokémon and Fusion getting into bloody fistfights in Sinnoh."

Annabeth smiled over her shoulder as she tended to the dishes. "Give yourself some credit, Cade. Gappei Village has been doing a lot of work to improve relations in Kanto."

"It was a slow progress over the last twelve years," Cade admitted. "Julian's little shove helped boost our influence."

Emily rolled her eyes. "For as underhanded as it was…" she muttered quietly.

"But even so, I feel we're doing better with Kanto. Maybe with enough patience, the rest of the world will have a much more accepting view of Fusions and forget the bad blood we've shared." He smiled lightly. "Not like I'm asking for world peace, just…peace."

Emily looked down at her juice, her reflection staring back at her. "I've…been given some time to think things over, to be honest." She gripped the glass with a minor, sour glare. "The hate I felt has dwindled, but…it's not completely gone." She shook her head. "A part of me still can't get over the cruelty that was done to me. The cruelty done against Fusion kind."

"Buuut…" Cade encouraged to continue.

Emily tapped on the glass lightly. She exhaled a cold breath, then looked up at the councilman. "Despite everything, I'm willing to overlook the actions of the past and focus on the individual. I was wrong of me to give Marion crap from the start. I…will try and not let lasting impressions sway my judgment of other Pokémon."

Cade smiled and patted her on the back. "Atta girl. I knew this trip would be good for you."

Emily didn't say a word after. She focused back on her juice, then smiled a bit more openly before taking a sip of her drink.

After gathering the rakes from the barn, Dez, Charlie, and Marion got to work gathering the leaves from some trees with buds of berries growing off the stems. There was quite a lot of leaves scattered under the trees. Yardwork was always an activity to get done out here.

As Marion raked the leaves, she went on to explain the purpose of the chore. "We like to use any of the fallen leaves to help our baby trees grow. Since they still have nutrients in them, it'll help the little ones grow faster. We normally do this with the baby trees to have them grow nice and healthy, otherwise we just leave them for the other trees and don't bother them."

Charlie nodded. "I get what you mean. I actually help out with gardening back in the village, making sure there's some beauty and life in our wonderful little world. I know quite a bit about plant care."

Marion grinned. "No wonder you've been loving the farm so far!"

Charlie chuckled awkwardly and looked off to the side. "R-Right, definitely not because I'm surrounded by delicious, mouthwatering, sweet berries…"

"Eh, Charlie? Why are you drooling?"

The Munchlax-Lilligant quickly erased the saliva off his mouth and smiled sheepishly. "What? I wasn't drooling over food!" Marion narrowed her eyes with a sly, knowing grin.

They turned their attention to Dez and his mildly frustrated grunts as he attempted to rake the leaves with the rake held between his teeth. A lack of hands and thumbs made tasks such as this a little difficult, especially when he was too lazy to ever bother learning how to use a rake.

"Ugh…should have thought this through…" he grumbled.

Marion laughed and set her rake over her shoulder. "Aww, don't be like that. Raking leaves is easy."

"For a biped, maybe, but I'm clearly a four-legged creature with paws."

Marion pumped her fist. "You can do it! Go, go!"

Dez looked to the side and sighed with an exasperated smile. "Save the pep talk for later, kid…" He tried to correct his form with the rake, but a sudden jolt through the ground caused him to lose his balance and fall on his stomach. "AH!"

Marion and Charlie jumped in alarm from the sudden shaking of the ground. Charlie looked around panicky. "Whoa, what's going on?! Are we having an earthquake?!"

"I don't remember earthquakes happening all the way out here!" Marion cried. "Besides, earthquakes aren't this rhythmic! It feels more like someone's walking!" She peeked her head out from behind the trees and looked at her front yard. "I could be something else-!" Her eyes widened and her rake slipped out from between her fingers.

With her silence, Dez and Charlie poked their heads out from behind the trees, too. "What's wrong?" Their eyes bulged out in shock, catching exactly what Marion saw.

Walking down the road, in plain view, was a large Golurk, bigger than any Golurk they've ever seen before. To top it off, it didn't appear to be made of stone and clay like regular Golurk were, rather it was made of wood and leaves. It was some sort of nature automaton.

"A Golurk Fusion?!" Dez quietly exclaimed.

"He. Is. Huge," Marion mumbled in awe.

Dez narrowed his eyes. "I should probably get your parents." He raced off to the fetch Cade and Annabeth.

Charlie looked at Marion questioningly. "Should we go introduce ourselves?"

Marion smiled lightly. "Why not? We always get Fusions coming by to work for food. Nothing new."

"But have you ever gotten Fusions who towered above your house?" the flowery glutton pointed out, emphasizing the scale of the wooden golem.

Marion crossed her arms and tilted her head with her face scrunched up. She tapped her foot a couple of times before relaxing her pose and pulling a silly face. "Nope, can't recall!"

They would've discussed the matter further, but a female voice called out to the farm. "Yoohoo! Hey, farmer people! Anyone there farming?!" They could've sworn they heard it coming from the Golurk Fusion, but they saw a figure standing on its hand.

"Kid, has anyone taught basic decency?!" The other voice sounded old, but not elderly.

Marion and Charlie got in closer through the trees and finally identified their two other guests. A Ledian-Decidueye standing on the Golurk-Torterra's hand and a Hitmonlee-Typhlosion standing next to the golem's legs. He looked rather impatient as he glared up at the Ledian Fusion.

Marion's eyes sparkled excitedly. "Wow, more company!" She dashed off to greet them. Charlie tried to grab and stop her, but he ended up tripping onto his face. She skidded to a halt in front of the gates and waved to her new guests. "Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you all!"

Vivi looked down and blinked thoughtfully. "Do you have food?"

Eddie glared at her again and shouted, "KID, I will smack you upside the head if you don't shut up!" He cleared his throat, then proceeded to greet Marion with a respectable bow to start. "Excuse me, young lady, but we wish to speak to the head owner of your farm. We heard you offered free meals in exchange for labor on your property. Is that correct?"

Marion teetered on her heels and grinned giggly. "That's right! Pokémon and Fusions of all kind are welcomed to volunteer on the farm!"

"Woohoo!" Vivi cheered before gliding off Bartleby's hand and landing in front of Marion to shake her hand. "You're a lifesaver, friend! Truly are!"

Eventually, Dez returned with Annabeth and Cade, with Emily tagging along to see what the ruckus was about. Charlie rubbed his sore face and joined their side to greet the newcomers as well. Annabeth held her chin and observed their guests with a thoughtful grin. "Well, you all seem like an eccentric bunch. I hope my daughter hasn't been giving you too much trouble."

Eddie shook his head. "Not at all, ma'am, she's been very helpful as of now." He gestured to himself, then his companions. "My name is Eddie. This here is Vivi, and our giant friend, Bartleby."

Vivi waved enthusiastically. "Salutations, everyone!" Bartleby raised his hand and waved slowly, making quiet creaks in his joints. "Just for the record, our pal here isn't able to speak, but he's really good at charades!"

Annabeth giggled. "Duly noted. I'm Annabeth, the head of this farm. You've already met my daughter, Marion. And this is my husband, Cade." Cade waved with a light grin while Marion beamed with her usual enthusiasm. The older Emolga gestured to the three other Fusions. "These are Cade's charges, visiting from out of the region. Dez, Emily, and Charlie."

The three bowed politely. "Pleasure to meet you."

Eddie bowed back, with Vivi and Bartleby mimicking him. "The feeling is mutual."

Annabeth clasped her hands together and laughed. "It's always nice to have more hands on the farm. I hope you're ready for some hardwork."

Vivi folded her upper set of arms behind her head and crossed the lower arms over her stomach. "Haha! We're looking forward to it, ma'am-!" Her growling stomach cut her off. Vivi's face remained frozen with her cheerful demeanor, with her saddening hunger peeking through the façade.

Annabeth brought her hand up to her agape mouth. "Oh dear, are you all hungry?"

Eddie waved it off. "Don't worry about her. She's just a wee bit gluttonous-" His stomach emitted a low growl, causing his face to flush with heat. "…we've…been a little short on cash as of late."

Annabeth held her hips and sighed. "Good grief, I can't have you all working if you're going to collapse from hunger."

Cade laughed out loud. "Well, I guess we'll have to treat you to lunch first." He wagged his finger at them. "But you can't go skipping out on work after lunch. That's the rules around here."

Eddie closed his eyes and snorted a laugh. "We weren't planning on running, but we promise not to."

Annabeth smiled. "Great! We'll make you some lunch right now!"

"Yaaaay…" Vivi cheered in blissful relief.

The adults and Marion led Vivi and Eddie to the house for lunch while Bartleby attempted to follow behind, awkwardly stepping around in the property to find somewhere to sit while being mindful not to step on anything or anyone. Some of the few Pokémon and Fusions working in the fields were agape at seeing the large Fusion.

Dez tilted his head and looked at his friends. "Geez, they must have it rough. I can't imagine not being able to eat for days."

"I don't think they were THAT hungry," Charlie pointed out, "but I see your point." He then smiled brightly. "Still, they seem pretty cool. Vivi seems like she'd be a blast at parties."

Dez snickered. "Sounds like it. They were all pretty unique looking, too." He looked at Emily. "What do you think?"

Emily crossed her arms and sighed. "They're alright, I guess. Kind of weird, if you ask me." They jumped in alarm. Apparently, Bartleby finally found a place to sit and plopped himself on the ground.

They kept their balance and saw he was sitting in the backyard. Charlie smiled awkwardly. "Maybe a little."

After whipping up another round of sandwiches, Annabeth set the plates of food down in front of Vivi and Eddie. "There you go. I hope you enjoy."

Eddie bowed his head. "Thank you very much."

Vivi grinned. "Yeah, looks delicious!"

Annabeth smiled in appreciation, then looked out the window and caught a glimpse of Bartleby- or rather a part of his side. "Oh, does he need any food as well?"

Eddie waved it off. "Don't worry yourself over it. In the time we've been together, we discovered he doesn't consume food like us."

"He likes sunlight!" Vivi exclaimed with a bright grin.

Eddie blinked slowly at her, then nodded at their hosts. "Yeeeeah, something like that."

Cade held his chin as he stared out the window. "I've got to say, this is the first time I've ever seen a Golurk-Torterra before. He looks pretty sturdy. I suppose being a mix of the Continent Pokémon has to do with his increased size."

Eddie nodded in agreement. "We've come to that conclusion ourselves." He picked up his berry and, through unknown means that couldn't be perceived with his species, ate a piece off it.

Cade sat down at the table with them. "So, you've all be traveling together lately?"

Vivi nodded. "Yep!" She slugged Eddie in the arm, playfully. "This guy and I go way back!" Eddie rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink.

"Oh, I see. Are you her father figure, then?" Cade asked innocently.

The sudden question caused Eddie's eyes to bug out before preceding to choke on his drink after swallowing down the wrong pipe. He wheezed out in shock as he pounded his chest to get himself back under control.

Vivi, acting like her friend wasn't in a brief panic, laughed and waved the absurd comment off. "Oh no, he's just my friend." She leaned forward and whispered into the phantom panda's ear teasingly, "Plus, he's terrible with kids. He'd make a horrible father."

Eddie heard that comment and glared harshly at her. "Oh, shut the hell up, you annoying brat!"

"See?" Vivi continued to pick on him, laughing as he barked fury at her.

Cade held his hands up and laughed, which got Eddie to cool off. "My apologies. I figured you two weren't related by blood, but I just assumed you were her parental guardian."

Eddie took a breath, then lifted his glass. "I see…well, I'm not her guardian. We're just traveling together." He took a sip, praying not to get another scare like that again.

Annabeth sat down with her husband. "So then, what brings you all the way out here? Where are you traveling to?"

Eddie could see the subtle, nervous glance Vivi shot at him. He acknowledged the stare with a blink before looking back at their hosts. We've been out in the open quite a lot since our little break in with the military. These two don't recognize our faces. The military doesn't know if we're dangerous or not given the circumstances of our intrusion. Either they're keeping who we are secret or we're getting off lucky that no one recognizes us. We have to play our cards carefully.

"Where are we traveling to? Heh, nowhere in particular." Eddie waved his glass around gently. "I found the kid and golem myself. Just passing through and they tagged along with me. Personally, I'm not looking for any set destination. We're just traveling the roads as we see fit." He shrugged. "Though, we've hit a string of misfortune before finding our way to your farm. Personally, we just couldn't resist lending our assistance to you lovely people."

Annabeth giggled. "Aww, aren't you sweet?"

Vivi nodded. "Yep! Good Samaritans, we are! Any job you've got for us is no hassle! Once we've gotten our rest, we'll be hitting the road soon!"

"Well, stay as long as you need to," Annabeth encouraged. "It's no trouble as long as we can cooperate."

Eddie bowed his head. "Thank you again for your kindness."

"You're welcome. Now, eat up so we can get to work."

"Yes ma'am!" Eddie and Vivi exclaimed before going back to their sandwiches.

Once lunch was finished, Annabeth led Eddie and Vivi out back to a row of small trees. They weren't small like the baby trees, but they were in the beginning stages of growth. They were spaced out so that, when they reach their full size, they'll have enough room to be crowded next to each other.

Vivi bent down and stared at the tiny trees in awe. "Wow…" She gently poked it. "So tiny…" She squeaked in surprise as Eddie grabbed her by the cowl and turned her to face Annabeth.

"Quit lollygagging, kid, we've got work to do," Eddie grumbled.

Vivi pouted at him. "Why can't I have a little fun?"

"We already ate their food, I don't want to screw up whatever chore we're getting!" Eddie growled.

Annabeth chuckled lightly, trying to dismiss the mild fuming between the two. "Now, now, no reason to get tense. Yes, a lot of the work on our farm is tiresome, but simple to get across. I'm not asking you to know complex farming techniques or anything."

Eddie dropped Vivi back on the ground, who then responded with, "So, what's our first task, Ms. Annabeth?!"

Annabeth held out two watering cans for both of them. "Pretty straightforward. I just need you to water these trees. Nothing too demanding. I ask that you be mindful of how much water you give them. Wouldn't want to overwater our poor trees."

Vivi took a can and saluted. "You got it, ma'am!" She then blinked in confusion. "Wait, you can overwater plants?" Eddie facepalmed and groaned inwardly.

Annabeth chuckled. "Yes, dearie, you can. More water doesn't always equal better." She smiled. "Just remember to take it easy and not worry about it. I trust you both can handle this."

Eddie took his can and looked it over. "Um…right. We'll do our best."

Annabeth nodded. "That's all I'm asking for. Have fun!" she exclaimed before walking off.

Vivi smirked at her friend. "Huh, huh! So, we 'CAN' have fun!" She nudged her watering can. "G-Get it?! Because we're holding watering cans! And you were just talking about that we can't…" The unchanging expression of dryness in the flame kicker's eyes made her stop and deflate in disappointment. "Yeesh, maybe we should be watering you."

Eddie pinched between his eyes and groaned. "Why couldn't I just paint the house or something…?" He turned to the first row of trees in front of them. "I'll take this row, you handle the other. Try not to get lost," he added teasingly.

Vivi rolled her eyes with a mild sneer. "Haha, very funny. I'm not that directionally challenged!" She stepped into the second row of trees and started watering. "How come Bartleby doesn't have to work?"

"Do you really think he can help us water these trees without crushing them?"

"…fair enough." Vivi crossed her arms in annoyance. "We're still nowhere near close to finding the doomsday tower," she brought up, intentionally keeping her voice low. "And that orb thingy, too. What are we missing?"

Eddie looked around quietly, making sure no one else was present, before glancing at her. "Honestly, I don't know. We can't keep checking every damn mountain we come across. We haven't even searched them all in Sinnoh, assuming it's even in Sinnoh. And the orb…ugh, don't get me started on finding something that might be buried underground."

Vivi grinned uneasily. "Heh, yeah…not exactly the best of leads to work with." She looked over her shoulder and took another glance at Bartleby, who was just sitting and staring off into space. "I feel kind of bad for Bartleby. He must be sad that he can't help us."

"Kid, don't forget, he knows where all this stuff was hidden. He worked closely with not just your ancestor, but also Data." Eddie ceased watering and scratched his chin. "That guy…I still can't get a read on him. What is he up to if he hid away all his secrets? What good would they be now without him?" Eddie closed his eyes. "There's definitely something not adding up, but we don't have any context clues to work off of. All we have is Bartleby and your ancestor's journal."

Vivi crossed her arms. "It's the best we can work with, unfortunately."

Eddie sighed and scratched his head. "Makes me feel like I'm in over my head."

Vivi smiled cheerfully. "Don't be a grump, Ed. You need some optimism in your life! Sure, the challenge seems impossible, but reachable!"

"Not in my lifetime," he mumbled under his breath.

Vivi smirked. "Hey, I didn't come this far just to give up! I sacrificed my plans for a better future to see this through! Whether you're with me or not through it all, I'll be the one to complete this mission! That's a promise!"

Eddie narrowed his eyes, then sighed before chuckling dryly. "Stubborn brat…" Vivi snickered cheekily.

"What's all this about a mission?"

The two Fusions suddenly froze up and paled at the sudden voice. Their eyes slowly turned towards the newcomer and landed on Emily, with Dez and Charlie standing next to her. The Mawile-Froslass had her arms crossed and her brow raised curiously.

Vivi, with her brain overloading with panic, dropped her watering can and screamed at the top of her lungs. "ABORT MISSION! ABORT! WE'VE BEEN COMPROMISED!" Vivi ran in circles, flailing her arms, before making like a Doduo and diving head first into the ground. However, she accidentally dug her antenna into the ground and caught herself in a head stand. She flailed in her trapped position. "AAAHHH! I'M STUCK!"

Eddie facepalmed and sighed inwardly. Oh yeah, real subtle, kid. That doesn't make you look suspicious.

Emily, thankfully, didn't think much of the hidden implications of her sudden panic. "Um…is she okay?"

"If we're being honest, I don't think her brain is functionally properly," Eddie admitted.

"HEY!" Vivi shouted in offense.

Dez snickered behind his paw. "What's got you all wound up? That almost sounded like real fear."

Eddie glanced off to the side, thinking carefully. I can work with this. He cleared his throat and faked an explanation- or rather, a half-truth, "Vivi's very excitable, as you can see. She's always making a game out of everything and rarely takes anything seriously."

"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD!" Vivi cried angrily, all while still flailing upside-down.

"See what I mean?" Eddie continued with narrowed eyes.

Charlie laughed a bit. "Yeah, I can see that. Do you need help getting up?"

Vivi's anger quickly turned into her usual optimism. "Oh, no thanks! I can get myself out." She spat into her hands, rubbed them together, then pushed against the ground to pry herself out.

Eddie rolled his eyes, then looked back at the three Fusions. "Anyway…Dez, Emily, and Charlie, right?" They nodded. "What brings you over here?"

Emily shrugged. "Well, we heard you two chatting, so we came to see what was up. I'm guessing it was nothing important."

Eddie nodded with a lighthearted, albeit awkward laugh. "Oh yes, trivial drivel we wouldn't want to bore you with."

Dez looked over at the wooden golem near the house. "You have an interesting group going on here. Though, I have to say, your friend there looks…um, old. I know some Pokémon have a pretty long lifespan, but he's pretty old looking. Almost ancient."

Eddie shrugged. "Well, Golurk and most Ghost-Types in general are known for living far past the life expectancy of a mammalian Pokémon. Though, I don't really know much about Bartleby since he can't speak." Eddie held his hip and sighed. "We found him…off the streets, you could say. Vivi was responsible for bringing him into our little group." An experience I'll never forget because of the heart attacks I almost had.

Vivi was getting her antenna closer and closer out of the ground. "Barty's a real sweetie, though! And a great listener! You can talk to him for hours and he'll even respond with little gestures here and there!"

Emily narrowed her eyes at the large Pokémon. "Hmm…sounds like someone I can get along with, then."

Vivi finally pushed out of the ground and fell flat on her back. "Woohoo!" she cheered, raising her fists.

Charlie folded his arms behind his back and teetered on his heels. "I'm actually pretty curious. We've met quite a few traveling Fusion and hear a lot about their travels. What brings you all the way out here?"

Eddie crossed his arms, trying to fabricate a believable story without being a blatant lie. "Hmm…nothing special. We're just traveling and visiting place to place. Kind of like a road trip around the whole region. So much to see and explore."

Vivi decided to add to the story. "Oh yeah, and it's loads of fun! You know, when you look past the money shortage and dying from starvation…" She smiled blankly as she internally recalled those painful hours of walking with no food. "That…That wasn't fun…"

Eddie sighed as the Fusions gave her disturbed looks. "As overdramatic as she's being, she's not far off the mark. They say you go on vacation to get away from stressful activity, but even that's unavoidable on vacation. Sometimes I feel like I'm foregoing sleep to keep moving."

Vivi snickered and jabbed him teasingly. "In all fairness, you are pretty old-"

Eddie bonked her on the head with the heel of his foot, glaring irritably. "I'm not that old, you brat!"

The Fusions stared in mild bafflement before easing up. Dez flashed a toothy smirk. "You all are certainly an odd bunch. Is fighting normal with you two?"

Eddie groaned. "She's an irritating pest, but…guess I've grown used to it."

Vivi snickered. "Just like I've gotten used to you being an old grump!"

Eddie resisted the urge to bonk her again. "Uh huh…anyway, I don't think we ever asked. Where are you three from?"

Emily took the liberty of answering. "We came here with the Pangoro-Spiritomb, Cade. We actually live out in Kanto, in Gappei Village."

While Eddie gave an interested look, Vivi silently gasped in disbelief. She hid behind Eddie and stared at them in awe. They're…from Gappei Village? THE Gappei Village?

"Gappei Village, you say? That little Fusion village out in Kanto?" Eddie asked.

"That's the one," Charlie confirmed. "Cade's one of the members of our council, but he took some time off to spend more time with his family. We tagged along to relax."

Dez closed his eyes and chuckled. "Though, I wouldn't say 'little' is a proper description. It's an ever-growing piece of land that makes Fusions feel welcomed and loved. Trust me, we call it our slice of paradise for a reason."

Eddie chuckled wryly. "I've been hearing about how you all have been taking a more productive route outside your village's walls. Helping the general public and maintaining crime, as I recall."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Wasn't delivered to us on a silver platter. Heck, it was dropped on us without warning. We weren't given much choice about doing it or not…"

Charlie smiled. "But it turned out alright with satisfying results, so what's to complain about?"

Eddie laughed in amusement. "Sounds rough, but at least you kids have it easy. Cherish that for all it's worth."

Charlie grinned. "Hey, there's no reason that paradise can't be extended out to you. We don't push away Fusions from joining the village. Maybe you three could come to Kanto and stay at Gappei Village."

The flame kicker held his hips and shook his head. "It's a tempting offer, but not one I can accept. Sorry, but the kid and I are pretty busy out here in Sinnoh."

Dez shrugged. "Your loss."

Emily turned away with a small smile. "I think we should get going. Marion's probably got more chores for us to do." She gave a small wave to the two. "Sorry for distracting you from work."

"No apologies needed," Eddie replied as he picked up his watering can. "You three take it easy."

"Will do!" They waved off to Eddie and Vivi, then headed straight back for the house.

Eddie snatched up the second watering can and handed it off to Vivi, who watched the Fusions retreat back into the house. "Back to work, kid. We can't waste any more time."

"…right." Vivi, for once being quiet, headed over to her section of trees and began watering.

After getting their chores done and filling up on dinner, night had already set in. Vivi and Eddie slept outside in the backyard, which they didn't mind since that's what they've been doing lately. Bartleby was on his back, mindful of his surroundings as usual, while the two Fusions slept on his chest.

Eddie, who had his hands behind his head, stared up at the sky for a long while before glancing up at the wooden golem. "You know, for a wooden golem, you're surprisingly comfortable to sleep on." He got a groan in response, which Eddie interpreted as appreciative. "Um…you're welcome…" They stared up at the starry sky with drowsy eyes. "It's been a while since I've seen stars this clear out."

Vivi's bulbous eyes reflected hundreds of stars as she stared with uncharacteristic silence. She nodded her head in agreement and offered a small, "Yeah…"

Eddie glanced at her suspiciously. "Are you doing alright, kid?"

"I'm…fine."

Eddie blinked, then looked back at the sky. "You've been pretty quiet all day. That's not like you." He narrowed his eyes. "Anyone like you who stays silent must have a lot on their mind. Am I wrong?"

"…no, you're not." Vivi shifted onto her side and hugged herself.

"Well, do you want to talk about it?" Eddie asked. "It's just us out here. No reason to feel afraid or ashamed of anything."

Vivi's orange pupils narrowed slightly. She didn't respond for a solid minute, leading Eddie to believe she didn't want to talk. He just shrugged it off and closed his eyes, awaiting sleep to overtake him.

"…Gappei Village…"

Eddie opened his eyes and glanced at her. "Hmm? What about it?" Though, Vivi didn't need to answer once Eddie recalled one of their previous conversation. "Oh yeah, you told me before how you planned on going to Gappei Village. Never did because you've been traveling place to place over this…conspiracy shit."

Vivi smiled weakly. "Heh…it's funny how plans can change so suddenly. Even I never expected it." She rolled onto her stomach and rested her head in her folded arms. "I heard some many wonderful things about Gappei Village. The very place I knew I would be accepted." She looked down. "Kind of wish I knew what I was missing out on. I had big dreams to go there. Paradise…fun…adventure…a chance at love…"

Eddie glanced at her. "Love?"

She chuckled dryly. "Just because I act like a child doesn't mean I'm not interested in finding a boyfriend. Though, I suppose I don't meet a lot of guys interested in me, since I've lived around Pokémon who despised me…"

Eddie blinked, then stared up at the sky once more. "No one's forcing you into this conspiracy shit. You don't have to do it."

"Someone has to," Vivi responded with a sigh. "No one may know about the device now, but rediscovering it could bring about cataclysms if the wrong people got hold of it. I'm trying to prevent a future like that from happening." She narrowed her eyes sadly. "Even so, it would be nice to…have something like Gappei has."

"And what's that?" Eddie asked.

"…a real family."

Eddie looked back at her with some surprise in his eyes. He could see the longing look reflecting off her bulbous eyes. "Kid…"

Vivi breathed steadily as she stared off into space. "An entire village where everyone is one big, happy family. A place of acceptance…somewhere that I can feel wanted. Feel loved. Feel respected." She sighed. "Anything's better than what I got…"

Knowing she was referring to her actual blood family, Eddie visibly scowled in annoyance. "Don't give them any thought, kid. Those jackasses aren't worth remembering…they're all in the past."

The younger Fusion narrowed her eyes softly and looked down at the wooden surface of Bartleby's chest. "…do you think they…regret what they've done? That they…miss me in some way?" A bitter chill ran up her back. "Or…was I really that pointless in their lives?"

She froze as a comforting hand landed on her head and gave a firm pat. The hand was warm and soothing. She looked up and met with Eddie's sympathetic eyes. "…Vivi…people can change with time. Some regret their actions, some feel discomfort for them, some revel in their actions…and there are those that feel nothing. What's important…is that you be better than what they were to you. If you ever have a family of your own in the future…raise them right. I don't believe in a pointless existence. I believe in wasted potential, though, when someone gives up on themselves." He narrowed his eyes. "…that's how I've lived the last few years of my life, giving up on myself as a Fusion."

Vivi blinked in awe. "Eddie…"

He gave her head a few more pats before laying back down. "You're a bright kid, Vivi. Never forget that." He rested on his side. "If you want to learn more about what Gappei Village is like, just ask. You'll get some closure."

"You…really think so?"

"Yeah, sure…maybe if…no, when we find and destroy that stupid doomsday device, you'll be able to live out your dream there. Like I said, though, don't let this mission stop you from living out your dreams. You're still young. Treasure that."

"…I think I'm gonna started heading to bed," Vivi said as she wrapped herself in her cloak.

"That's probably for the best." Eddie yawned before finishing off with, "Goodnight, kid."

"Goodnight Eddie…goodnight Bartleby." The wooden golem groaned his reply. Vivi stared down at herself contemplatively, then closed her eyes with a tiny smile on her face.

"Fusion…Arsenals?"

A day after coming back from his meeting with Cragtail, Julian was informed that one of the Fusions from Gappei needed to speak with him. Currently, he was in his office with Quinn standing before him sternly. The Charmeleon-Darkrai got through explaining the deal with the black market and the secret tunnels made underground, topping it off with the Rogues and their connection to the powerful set of weapons.

Quinn nodded. "Yes, sir. That's what they're referred to as. Powerful weapons. They gave my friends and me a tough time. We made sure to have them confiscated and safely kept with the police. I'm sure you would like to look at them."

Julian pressed his cheek against his knuckles and narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "How could the Rogues have access to powerful technology like that?"

"We have reason to believe the Unovian labs have something to do with it," Quinn replied. "After all, their sudden crime sprees started up days after your trip there."

"I suppose that makes sense…" Julian closed his eyes. "I'll make sure to look into these weapons myself. And what of the black market's location?"

"We haven't been able to get it out of the three crooks we apprehended. All we know is that the market is stationed somewhere in a deserted area outside of Grandis City. Almost like a desert."

The Machamp's knuckles whitened, subtle enough that Quinn didn't notice. "Abandoned outskirts…you say?"

Quinn nodded once more. "Yes…you wouldn't happen to know anything about them, do you?"

"…no…can't say I do." Julian shook his head. "I'll speak with the police chief and discuss how we should go about handling the black market. A full scale search and we'll pick up on their exact location. You can go now. Give your council my regards."

Quinn bowed. "Certainly. You have a good day, Mr. Roteman." Quinn turned and exited the Machamp's office.

Julian put up a friendly smile as he left, but, once he was in private again, his mood soured into a frown. They're using the unpopulated outskirts…a stretch of land that holds too many horrible memories from the past. All four hands pressed down on the desk. The bloodshed created there…when peace was crippling from the tension…no wonder we didn't find out about this sooner. Not a lot of people even know about those outskirts for a reason.

Julian glanced over at his phone, sitting temptingly in his view. He glared at it. The Rogues are going to repeat a dark history if those weapons get into the hands of too many criminals, but there's no way a police squadron would be enough. He clenched his eyes shut and growled uncomfortably. I…have no choice. I can't believe I'm doing this.

Before he changed his mind, he picked the phone up and dialed in the appropriate number before placing the device against his ear. He waited in unnerving silence, save for the phone's ringing. Finally, it picked up and a familiar voice answered.

"Julian, my friend! Calling already?! What a surprise! Whatcha' need?"

Julian stayed silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts and rationalizing his decision. "Cragtail…if you really do have the means to bend my laws…then I found suitable targets for the Enhancer Serum." Julian could feel the unsettling, excited smirk that appeared on the Golem's face. He didn't need to say anything else, other than:

"Who…and where?"