Hey everyone! It feels so good to finally be done with all the school stuff! Ah, I've been looking forward to that for so long! And do you know what else I've been looking forward to? Getting another chapter of Reflecting Balance done for all you guys, of course!
At this point, it has been forty chapters since Frederick's introduction. He and Azure were always intended to become parts of the main characters' rescue team very late in the story. Of course, much has changed since those initial planning stages. As mentioned before, Azure ended up joining the rescue team sooner than I originally intended because it felt like the natural progression of the Character Development she was going through. It took a while for Frederick to really start getting involved in the rescue team stuff, but things have really picked up for him in recent chapters.
As I mentioned before chapter 41, I originally had plans for Frederick to evolve at some point during the story, which were scrapped because there were already so many other plot lines to take care of. Plus, as writing for Era showed me, writing for a character with multiple heads can be complicated.
You guys can probably tell at this point that Frederick will have a bit of focus during these next few chapters? :P
(He won't be the main focus of these chapters, though.)
Thanks to everyone who has been following the story so far, and if you have any thoughts you'd like to share, feel free to leave a comment! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 44: Frederick, the ghosts aren't going to eat you!
Another new day had begun, and Sera was having breakfast together with her older siblings as usual. She wasn't paying too much attention to the small talk between her older brothers and sisters as she ate, her thoughts being elsewhere. Flare glanced over at his younger sister, familiar with her usual expressions and her body language. Once they were all done eating, the young Flareon decided to approach her and find out just what was on her mind.
"Is something bothering you?" Flare asked.
"Oh, I'm just wondering what to do…" Sera responded, looking away.
"Do about what?" Flare inquired, tilting his head slightly.
"Well, Blitz has been leading our rescue team for a while now," Sera responded. "He said it'd only be for a little while, until I was feeling better."
"I see," Flare replied, nodding his head slightly. "And how are you feeling now?"
"I'm fine, I guess…" Sera responded, looking down at her paws. "However, Blitz hasn't asked me to take back the position of leader yet."
"Have you thought about asking him about it?" Flare asked.
"I was thinking about whether I should do so, but… I'm actually okay with not being the leader," Sera responded, looking up at Flare. "Blitz is a better leader than me, anyways, but…"
"Ah, I see," Flare replied. "The issue is that you don't know how he really feels about this whole thing."
"I know he didn't like the idea of being a leader because of the issues with the Luxray pride and all that…" Sera said, her ears drooping down just a little bit. "But… he hasn't really complained all that much. It might just be because of everything that's happened recently, with Bow and Hercules and all that…"
"And you're not sure how to bring the subject up with him; because you're worried you might upset him?" Flare asked.
"… Wow, you know me really well," Sera commented, blinking a few times. "So, um… What do you think I should do?"
"I think that's something you need to figure out on your own," Flare responded, patting Sera on the head with his paw.
"I guess you're right…" Sera replied, sighing. "I know I have to talk to him about all of this eventually, even if I'm not sure what to say…"
"Don't worry too much about the details," Flare said, smiling at Sera. "Just tell him how you really feel!"
"… Right," Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. "Well, I'm heading out now."
"Good luck!" Flare said, still smiling.
"Thanks," Sera responded, smiling back. "See you later!"
As Sera made her way into the town plaza to meet up with her friends, she noticed that a few of the rescue teams standing around and talking amongst themselves. She wondered what was going on, since they had such serious expressions. She soon spotted Blitz and the others standing in the center of the town plaza, glancing around at the other rescue teams with expressions that suggested that they were just as curious as she was as to what was going on with them.
"Good morning, guys," Sera said, walking up to the others. "Anything happen?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Azure responded, her ears twitching as she tried to listen to the various conversations around them. "It'd be a bit easier if there weren't more than one conversation to listen to, though."
"But they're all talking about the same thing?" Chiaki asked, looking over at Azure.
"Seems that way," Azure replied, nodding slightly. "From some of the words I keep picking up from each of these groups, it sounds like another crystal has been located, but none of them want to head into the mystery dungeon where it is in order to retrieve it."
"Whoa, is that what's going on?" Chiaki asked, looking rather surprised.
"Yeah, she's right," another voice responded, and the five turned to see Bow walking up to them.
"Hey there, Bow!" Azure said, smirking. "So, what's the story?"
"Well, last night, my mom had a vision showing the location of one of the missing crystals, and this morning, we informed the other rescue teams," Bow explained.
"I see," Azure responded, nodding slightly. "So, what's the deal with this mystery dungeon?"
"Why doesn't anyone want to go there and get the crystal back?" Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Have you guys heard about Nightmirror Forest?" Bow responded.
Everyone immediately turned to Blitz.
"Uh… I may have seen the name on the map," Blitz replied, rubbing his forelegs together. "I don't really know anything about it, though."
"Ah, I see," Bow responded, nodding her head slightly. "Well, you see, this mystery dungeon is notorious for being nearly impossible to get through because of the ghost types living in it."
"G-G-G-Ghosts?" Frederick said, nervously taking a few steps back.
"Frederick, just why are you afraid of ghosts?" Azure asked, glancing over at him. "You're part dark type, which gives you the type advantage in a fight against them!"
"So… These ghost type Pokémon are really tough?" Blitz asked, looking over at Bow.
"I'm not sure how strong they are," Bow responded, shaking her head. "But, it's not their power level that makes them difficult to deal with."
"Go on," Blitz replied.
"These ghost types use their powers to confuse and mislead those that try to explore the mystery dungeon, making it difficult to tell whether you're even going anywhere or if you are just going around in a circle," Bow explained. "Most rescue teams that have attempted to explore the place would eventually give up and go home. There are also rarely any missions involving the place, so most rescue teams tend to just avoid the place."
"But there has to be a way to get through that dungeon, right?" Azure asked, looking over at Bow. "I mean, surely there's some trick to it, or something?"
"I don't know too much about it," Bow responded, holding a hand to her chin. "But… perhaps if you can convince the ghosts to help you instead, then it might be possible to reach the crystal."
"But ghosts are scary!" Frederick exclaimed, shuddering. "H-How do we convince one to help us?"
"I'm not sure," Bow replied, shrugging slightly. "Like I said, that's really all I know…"
"Thank you, Bow," Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. "This information has been quite helpful."
"You're welcome!" Bow replied, before skipping off happily.
As Bow was heading home, Azure turned to her teammates with a cheerful smile on her face. Blitz had a feeling he knew what she was thinking.
"What are you guys waiting for?" Azure asked, grinning. "Let's get ready to explore the Nightmirror Forest!"
"Y-You really want to explore a scary place like that!?" Frederick exclaimed.
"Hey, Bow did give us a useful hint!" Azure responded, still grinning. "Come on, somebody has to go get that crystal!"
"N-Not me…" Frederick said, turning around and trying to walk away. "I-I'm not going into a mystery dungeon full of scary ghosts…"
"Oh, yes you are!" Azure responded, grabbing Frederick to keep him from leaving.
"W-What!?" Frederick exclaimed, turning around so that he was facing Azure. "Azure, I… I can't!"
"You've got to face your fears, buddy!" Azure cheerfully replied. "This is a chance for you to overcome your fear of ghosts!"
"It's not as simple as that!" Frederick responded, shaking his head. "My mom says that it takes time to overcome your fears, and that you should do it carefully, one step at a time!"
"Your mom's a smart dragon," Azure replied, nodding slightly. "But I still think you should go."
"What? Why?" Frederick responded.
"Consider it the first step to overcoming your fears!" Azure replied, affectionately patting Frederick on the head.
"Hey, wait a minute," Chiaki said, holding a paw to his chin. "What about Samara? Frederick's not scared of her!"
"Well, she's friendly," Frederick replied, lowering his head a little. "It's the scary ghosts I'm afraid of…"
"… That makes no sense," Azure responded.
"You know, like Erebos and Malefica!" Frederick said.
"Malefica's not that scary," Azure responded. "As for Erebos… I'm not sure if he counts as a ghost type, but I do understand why you'd be scared of him."
"So, you'll let me stay here?" Frederick asked with a cautious smile.
"Nope," Azure replied, grinning. "We'll need your dark type attacks to deal with wild ghost type Pokémon and whatever else we have to fight in there!"
"Aww…" Frederick responded, sighing.
"… I shouldn't be going along with this, but Frederick's dark type attacks would indeed be very useful in this situation," Blitz commented, holding a paw to his chin. "So, it may be best to bring him along for this one."
"And besides, it's not like you'll be alone in there!" Azure said, patting Frederick's back comfortingly.
"That's right," Sera replied, nodding her head. "We'll be by your side, so you won't have to face the ghosts alone!"
"Ah, that's right…" Frederick responded. "If you guys are with me, then… I guess it's a little less scary…"
"It's settled, then!" Azure said, raising her hand. "Come on; let's go get the supplies we need!"
After making a few stops at the shops and the item warehouse, Blitz and his teammates made their way to the rescue team HQ. Mirage and her team, having decided against trying to retrieve the crystal, were looking at some missions on one of the bulletin boards. Blitz and his teammates instead went straight for Kala's room, but as they got close to the purple curtain, Frederick began to take a few steps back.
"O-On second thought, maybe we should do something else instead," Frederick said.
"Come on, Frederick," Azure said, patting the Deino's back. "You're a big, brave dragon, aren't you?"
"… No," Frederick responded, shaking his head.
"Remember the talk we had about self-confidence?" Azure asked.
"Uh… Yes, but…" Frederick replied, turning away. "You're better at this than me!"
"Oh, but I'm too impatient and impulsive for a mission like this!" Azure responded, smiling sheepishly. "I'd just get frustrated about not knowing how far into the dungeon we are, and I'd probably mess up our chances of getting the ghost Pokémon of the forest to co-operate with us!"
"… She's probably right," Blitz commented, holding a paw to his chin.
"That's why you're going on this mission instead of me!" Azure said, grinning. "I believe in you, Frederick! I know you can do it!"
"Even if you say that…" Frederick responded, sighing. "I'm still scared to go, you know?"
"I think all you need is a little push!" Azure replied, smirking. "Here, let me help you out, buddy!"
Azure then took a few steps away, before suddenly charging at Frederick and tackling him with enough force to send him flying into Kala's room. The other Pokémon in the room stared blankly at the scene, especially as the sound of the young Deino landing on something inside the room was followed by a startled scream.
"AH! THE ZOMBIES ARE BACK!" the startled-awake Kala shrieked as she attempted to get out from underneath the Deino that had just crash-landed on top of her.
"Oh, hey there, Kala…" Frederick said, somewhat dazed. "Are you scared of ghosts too?"
"H-Huh? What's this about ghosts?" Kala responded, still attempting to push the Deino off of her. "Get off me, will you?"
"Oh, okay…" Frederick replied, getting off of Kala.
"Thank you," Kala responded, sighing. "Man, what was that all about? If you need to wake me up so I can teleport you somewhere, just shake me by the shoulder or something!"
"Ah, I'm sorry about that!" Azure said, peeking into Kala's room with a sheepish smile on her face.
"Really, Azure, why does your solution to most problems involve brute strength or your water attacks?" Blitz asked, looking over at Azure with an annoyed look as he entered the room.
"And this is exactly why I shouldn't go on this mission!" Azure said, chuckling nervously.
"So, where do you want to go?" Kala asked as she hovered in front of the rescue team with her arms crossed.
"Nightmirror Forest," Chiaki said, looking up at Kala.
"Nightmirror Forest?" Kala repeated, blinking a few times. "Why do you want to go there?"
"Stella says there's a crystal there," Sera explained, taking a few steps forward. "We want to try to retrieve it."
"Hmm… I see," Kala responded, holding a hand to her chin. "However, if you intend to go there, there's another place where you need to go first."
"Oh?" Blitz replied, tilting his head slightly. "Do you know something about this mystery dungeon, Kala?"
Kala hovered up to the large map on the wall, and pointed a finger at one of the marked mystery dungeons on it.
"This is Nightmirror Forest," Kala said, before moving her finger to another area not far from the forest. "And around this area here, is a Cubone tribe."
"A… Cubone tribe?" Sera inquired, tilting her head slightly.
"The Cubone and Marowak who live there have developed a special relationship with the ghosts of Nightmirror Forest," Kala explained, looking over at the five Pokémon. "If you wish to make it through Nightmirror Forest, you will need to ask them for help."
"I see…" Blitz responded. "So, they know what to do…"
"Whoa, that's amazing," Azure said, blinking a few times. "But… if even the town oracle didn't know about that… Kala, how do you know about this?"
"Ah, I'm glad you asked," Kala responded, yawning and stretching her arms as she began floating back down to her pillow. "You see, sometime before I moved here, I… I was… and then… something… and…"
Kala fell back down onto her pillow and started snoring lightly, the other Pokémon in the room just standing around awkwardly for a few moments.
"… I guess she's back to normal now," Blitz commented, before walking up to Kala and lightly shaking her shoulder. "Um… Kala?"
Kala opened her eyes slightly, and sat up, looking around at the rescue team.
"So, um… Want me to teleport you guys to where the Cubone tribe is?" Kala asked as if nothing had happened.
"… Yes, please," Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly.
"All right…" Kala replied, drowsily nodding her head. "Leave it to me…"
"Good luck, guys!" Azure said, cheerfully waving to her teammates.
"Thanks, Azure," Frederick responded with a nervous smile. "I'm probably going to need that…"
In a flash of green light, Blitz, Sera, Chiaki and Frederick were teleported out of the room. As Kala went back to sleep, Azure exited the room and began making her way back to the café. She stopped for a moment, turning back.
"Was I being too hard on him?" Azure muttered, looking slightly concerned. "Ah, well… I'm sure he can handle this. After all, Blitz, Sera and Chiaki are with him… Yeah, he'll be fine."
In a flash of light, Blitz, Sera, Chiaki and Frederick arrived at their destination. Looking around, they spotted what appeared to be a small village a short distance away from where Kala's teleport put them. It had to be the home of the Cubone tribe that Kala was talking about. As the four of them began making their way towards the village, they suddenly noticed a brown bipedal Pokémon approaching them. The Pokémon had a white skull-like head, and was carrying a bone in one hand as it approached the rescue team with his eyes closed. It then stopped in front of them, and opened his eyes.
"Visitors…?" the Marowak said, looking over the rescue team. "That's quite the rare sight around these parts. What could possibly bring you here?"
"An Abra brought us here," Frederick responded.
"Um… We're here on an important mission," Blitz explained, rubbing his forelegs together.
"An important mission…?" the Marowak responded. "Interesting… Tell me more."
"You may already know this, but the crystals from Axis Tower were stolen a while back, and we've been trying to retrieve them so they can be returned to their rightful place," Blitz explained. "One of them is apparently hidden within the deepest part of Nightmirror Forest, and a friend of ours told us that you guys knew how to navigate the forest."
"So, please," Sera said, looking up at the Marowak. "Please help us out!"
"I see…" the Marowak responded, holding a hand to his chin. "A rescue team on an important mission, risking everything in order to protect their loves ones…"
"Uh… I guess so," Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
"… Oh, such noble Pokémon! And at such a young age too!" the Marowak exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the rescue team. "Being in the presence of such courageous Pokémon… it fills me with admiration!"
"… Okay," Blitz responded, glancing around and taking a step back.
"Please tell me!" the Marowak said, grabbing one of Blitz's forelegs and gazing into his golden eyes. "Tell me how I may be of assistance, noble heroes!"
"Um… Could you take us to your leader?" Blitz responded, staring nervously at the Marowak.
"Yes, little blue one!" the Marowak replied, nodding his head. "Follow me!"
As the group made their way through the village, several young Cubone cast curious glances in their direction as they walked by. Chiaki cheerfully waved at a few of the Cubone they walked past, before they soon reached the leader of the tribe. The leader of the tribe was wearing a necklace made with dark blue gems. If they were of the type of gems that glowed in the dark, they would probably be giving off a soft glow at night.
"Leader, a rescue team from Fenix Town has come to seek our help!" the Marowak exclaimed, grinning as he pointed to the four of them with his bone.
"A rescue team…?" the tribe leader inquired, looking over at Blitz and the others. "Rescue teams don't usually bother coming all the way out here."
"Well, you see, we have this important mission…" Blitz explained, rubbing the yellow rings on his forelegs together. "Our friend Kala told us that the Cubone tribe here knew how to get through Nightmirror Forest."
"I see," the leader replied, nodding his head slightly. "And what is this mission you speak of? Did another group of explorers get themselves lost in there, perhaps?"
"No, sir," Blitz responded, shaking his head. "We need to retrieve a crystal that was taken from Axis Tower."
"A crystal from the Axis Tower…?" the tribe leader replied, looking surprised. "Are you telling me that some Pokémon actually stole the crystals from that place?"
"You hadn't heard?" Blitz asked. "It's been a while since it happened… We've been doing our best to retrieve the crystals."
"We've managed to get four of them back so far," Sera added.
"I see…" the tribe leader responded, holding a hand to his chin. "This does explain the strange things that have been happening in some of the other areas near here…"
"You mean… distortions in space?" Blitz inquired.
"Yes," the tribe leader responded, nodding his head. "Some of the Cubone have reported seeing small distortions in the fabric of space in more and more places lately."
"We need to get the rest of the crystals back," Chiaki said, looking concerned. "Most of the distortions so far may have been small, but who knows how long it'll stay that way?"
"Indeed," the tribe leader responded, nodding his head again. "I'll have someone guide you through the dungeon. With the current situation, I'm sure the ghosts won't make it too difficult for you guys."
"I-I hope not…" Frederick muttered, shivering a little.
"Please, give me this task!" the Marowak that had brought the rescue team here exclaimed, looking up at the tribe leader hopefully. "The thought of assisting these noble heroes fills me with determination!"
"I'm sure it does," the tribe leader responded dryly. "If you want to help, then go find Lodestone and let him know we need his help."
"Lodestone…?" the other Marowak replied, looking a bit disappointed.
"You will get your chance someday, but for now, leave this to him," the tribe leader said.
"… All right!" the other Marowak responded, nodding his head. "I'll go get him right away!"
The other Marowak quickly headed off somewhere to look for this Marowak called Lodestone.
"Lodestone has helped guide many Cubone through the ritual in the forest," the tribe leader explained to the rescue team. "He knows the ghost-type Pokémon well, so you'll be in good hands."
"Ah, I see," Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together. "So, um… What was that about a ritual?"
"Once a year, the Cubone that have reached a certain age are accompanied by a Marowak guide as they head into the Nightmirror Forest," the Marowak tribe leader explained. "The ghost-types test their courage and determination as they make their way through the dungeon."
"Aren't they scared of t-the ghosts…?" Frederick asked.
"Why would they be?" the tribe leader responded. "The ghost-types of the forest have been our comrades for a long time."
"I see," Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly.
"You hear that, Frederick?" Chiaki asked, smiling as he looked over at the Deino. "The ghost Pokémon of the forest must be really good friends with the Cubone if they help out with this ceremony every year!"
"Yeah, it sounds like they're nice Pokémon," Sera added. "I don't think there's anything to be scared of!"
"This necklace was a present from the Spiritomb that lives in the deepest part of Nightmirror Forest," the tribe leader explained, holding up part of the necklace he was wearing. "She gave it to me after I became the new leader of this tribe."
"A Spiritomb?" Blitz inquired, tilting his head slightly. "Is she the leader of the ghosts, or something?"
"Close to it," the tribe leader responded, nodding his head. "She is one of the oldest ghost Pokémon of the forest, looked up to by the other ghost-types."
"I see," Blitz replied.
"She currently goes by the name "Nereza"," the tribe leader said. "Supposedly, she changes it every one-hundred-and-eight years."
As the tribe leader finished his explanation, another Marowak walked over to them. The Marowak was carrying a bone with an orange gem tied to one end of it.
"You called for me?" the Marowak asked.
"Lodestone, I need you to guide this rescue team through Nightmirror Forest," the tribe leader explained. "They need to retrieve a crystal that was taken from the Axis Tower and hidden somewhere in the forest."
"Understood," Lodestone responded, nodding his head slightly.
"Considering the circumstances, the ghosts shouldn't make things too difficult for you," the leader said.
"I-I hope you're right…" Frederick responded nervously.
"He is right," Lodestone replied, looking over at the young Deino. "Nereza and the other ghosts will surely assist us in the search for this crystal."
"Thanks for helping us with this," Blitz said, looking up at Lodestone.
"There is no need to thank me," Lodestone responded. "Rescue teams do their best for the sake of all Pokémon in this region, don't they?"
"I-I suppose," Blitz replied, smiling sheepishly.
"Let's do our best together," Lodestone said. "I'll meet you by the entrance to the mystery dungeon once I've prepared my supplies."
"Oh, that's not necessary," Chiaki responded before pointing to the bag Blitz was carrying. "We brought items!"
"I can see that," Lodestone replied, nodding his head slightly. "However, I'd still like to bring some items of my own, even if this mission should be an easy one."
"Okay," Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly.
"The entrance to the dungeon is over that way," Lodestone explained, pointing his bone in the direction of the forest. "You can't miss it."
"Got it," Blitz responded, nodding his head with a determined look in his eyes. "We'll meet you there."
After a short walk from the Cubone tribe's home, Blitz and his teammates found themselves in front of the entrance to Nightmirror Forest. They just needed to wait for Lodestone to show up before they could head inside. Frederick was shivering in fright at the thought of encountering ghosts inside the forest, while Chiaki was trying to reassure him that things would be okay. Sera sat down next to Blitz, looking up at the two tall trees on each side of the entrance to the mystery dungeon.
"… Are you nervous?" Sera asked, looking over at Blitz.
"… A little," Blitz responded, rubbing one foreleg against the other. "But I'm sure we'll be fine. Lodestone seems to have a lot of experience with this dungeon."
"I see," Sera replied, nodding her head slightly. "All we have to do is follow his lead, I guess…"
"Yeah, I suppose," Blitz responded, taking a deep breath.
"… Do you think Frederick will be okay in there?" Sera asked, glancing over at their other two teammates.
"Well, at least he knows attacks that will be super effective against the ghost-types," Blitz responded. "If anything, Chiaki might have a more difficult time since he doesn't know many attacks that would be effective against ghosts."
"Oh," Sera replied, turning back to Blitz. "I didn't even think of that."
"However, since Lodestone said the ghost-types would probably co-operate once we explained the situation to them, we probably won't have to face too many battles," Blitz said.
"Oh, right," Sera responded, smiling at Blitz. "Guess we won't have too big a challenge with retrieving the crystal this time around!"
"Yeah…" Blitz replied, looking away. "At least, I hope that's the case…"
Blitz noticed an orange light in the corner of his eye, and turned to see Lodestone approaching them. A small sack was now tied to his bone club, while the orange gem on top of it was shining brightly.
"Sorry for the wait," Lodestone said as he walked up to the rescue team. "Is everyone ready to go?"
"I-I'm not…" Frederick muttered, shaking his head.
"Frederick, the ghosts aren't going to eat you!" Chiaki said, petting the Deino's back. "The Marowak told us they were friendly just a few minutes ago!"
"Y-Yeah, they're friends with the Cubone," Frederick responded. "B-But… we're not Cubone…"
"Don't worry!" Chiaki replied, grinning. "I'm sure they'll be our friends too!"
"Come on, you two!" Sera said, waving her paw at Chiaki and Frederick. "Let's get going now that everyone's here!"
"Yes, we shouldn't waste any more time," Lodestone added, looking at the entrance to the mystery dungeon. "Come, follow me."
Lodestone vanished from sight as he stepped through the entrance to the dungeon, soon followed by Blitz and Sera.
"Come on, let's go," Chiaki said, smiling at Frederick. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave!"
"Oh, good point…" Frederick responded, nodding his head. "All right, let's go."
The two quickly made their way into the dungeon and caught up with the other three Pokémon at the first floor of the mystery dungeon. Trees were forming the labyrinth around them, as Lodestone stepped up and cleared his throat.
"Ghost type Pokémon of Nightmirror Forest!" Lodestone called out. "It's me, Lodestone."
There was no reply. Blitz, Sera and Chiaki looked around, but couldn't see any other Pokémon around.
"This rescue team needs your help," Lodestone called out, looking for signs of his ghostly allies. "You may or may not already be aware of this, but an important artifact has been hidden somewhere within this forest. You need to help us look for it!"
There was still no reply. Blitz couldn't tell what Lodestone was thinking, but could tell from the way Lodestone was now looking around that something wasn't right.
"… Maybe they're not here?" Frederick suggested in a half-hopeful tone.
"… The atmosphere feels different somehow," Lodestone said, glancing around. "Let's head deeper into the dungeon."
"O-Okay," Blitz responded, nodding his head.
Unbeknownst to Lodestone and the rescue team, they were being watched as they walked away to explore the rest of the floor. Even as they left, the three Pokémon in the shadows refused to leave their hiding spots.
"So… What should we do?" a female voice whispered to the other two Pokémon.
"Those Pokémon don't look that strong," a male voice commented.
"That's really hard to tell, you know," a second male voice responded. "We of all Pokémon should know that appearances can be deceiving!"
"… He has a point," the female voice commented, sighing. "I guess we have no choice, do we?"
"I guess not," the first male voice responded, shrugging slightly.
"Then it's settled," the second male said. "We must do what we can for Nereza's sake!"
"Yes!" the other two voices replied affirmatively.
The three voices continued whispering amongst themselves in the darkness, working out a plan for how they would deal with the rescue team that had entered the forest. They knew they would have to resort to tactics they didn't normally use, but reminded themselves that it was all for the sake of the ones they wanted to protect as they set off to put their plan into motion…
End of chapter 44
