"Look to the skies, Pokémon! The planets speak, and what has happened of late answers! On this day, the second of Zygarde's Moon, I tell you the end times are upon us! Repent!"
That was the first thing I heard as Rye and Mavy led me out of the infirmary and into the clear afternoon. How comforting. As a pair of Magnemites hurried over to drag the doomsday-preaching Drowzee out of the Guild, the three of us paused in the road for a second to look around the quiet Guild campus. I'd been cooped up in the place for a good couple of days now, and after the little chat we'd had with Arden the previous day, I was happy to see I wasn't alone in being a bit unsure of what to do.
"So," Rye said. "What now?"
"I danno. Bahse?" I asked. Rye gave me a quick look, immediately reminding me of the state I'd last seen our little abode in.
Hanging my head a bit, I stole a look down the road, where a couple of Ground-types looked to be clearing out the area. The little clay base had been the closest thing to a home I'd had this past month, and seeing it in this state... well, it sucked, to say the least.
"I-it's alright, they'll finish up in a couple days. Ms. May's letting us stay in their base till then," Rye reassured me. "Uh, we brought your stuff there, wanna go and check if everything's there?"
I gave a cry of approval, so I limped after my teammates as they headed out the Guild's gate. Before we could turn the corner to the big bases, though, my ears stuck up at the sudden sound of a horn from town. We stopped in our tracks, two out of three of us looking over confusedly.
"Wha dat?" I asked.
"Well, that's a horn, ya blow in it and it floots," Mavy said half-seriously. "Really, though, ain't that the type they got at the port back home?"
"Huh?" Rye asked.
"Yeah, they used to sound it before ah was born, whenever a boat came in before... well, before they quit comin' in," Mavy said. Rye quickly looked towards the direction of the sound with newfound vigor.
"A boat? I've never seen one come here! Come on, let's go see!" he said, jogging towards the town. Mavy started zigzagging after him, though stopped as he took notice of my limp.
"Ey, wait, he can't-" the Zigzagoon started, though Rye had already gone too far to take notice. "Well, then. Ain't that nice? Reckon ah'll hatchlin'-sit ya oer there."
"Shee, thanks," I groaned, hobbling alongside Mavy.
As we walked into town, the first thing I noticed was the general buzz that'd taken hold. What seemed like every Pokémon in Impetus Town were out on the streets, craning their heads curiously in the direction of the river as the horn continued to sound. After a decent amount of weaving through the small crowd, Mavy and I caught sight of Rye, coming up next to him and peeking our heads out just in time to see a trio of Ice-types freeze an impromptu dock out of the river's water. A minute passed before the ship causing the commotion revealed itself around a bend in the river. Yes, the ship; not a raft or something, a full-blown caravel, the type I'd expect to see human explorers discovering continents in.
'I... never actually stopped to consider if actual ships still exist, now that I think about it. I don't know, seeing one in this sort of society after all this time is just... weird.'
Its sails billowing in the wind, the word 'GALAHAD' painted in Unown-script on its side became visible. The Galahad dropped her anchors and ground to a halt, staying still for a moment before a figure came to view on her deck: a Lycanroc, Midday breed, with a bag around her chest and eyeglasses perched atop her snout. At the sight of the Pokémon, an exasperated groan sounded out from behind me.
"Oh, damn it," Arden growled to himself. The three of us flinched at the unexpected Quilava and spun around to meet his eyes, though he and the nearby May only glared at the Lycanroc as she barked an order to her crew.
"What?" Rye asked, unsure of the two's demeanors.
"It's this bitch," Arden sighed. "The Society sends an inspector every year, and half the time it's this piece of bourgeoisie. She thinks she's hot shit because Lee the Luxray was her grandpa. She even bought his old ship there to show off that he-wi-tage, the fucking douchebag."
A ramp was dropped from the Galahad's deck, then as the Lycanroc began to descend, eyeing the townsmon as a pair of Indeedee with parchment and pens followed, then the rest of the ship's crew. Seeing this, May got close.
"Alright, crash course. She hates us and we hate her, but don't acknowledge it. Just don't make eye contact or talk smack and you'll be fine. You're not Arcanine, so anything she doesn't like gets written d- ah, shh!" she said hurriedly, shutting up as the crowd parted to let Lycanroc through. Turning to look at the crowd, she let out a long sigh.
"Inspector, Exploratory Society of Great Darkil. I start tomorrow. Don't follow us," she said flatly in a quasi-Galarian drawl before starting for the Guild. As murmurs arose around us, Arden scoffed.
"See? She's got glasses, even. Can you say rich snob?" he said before giving Mavy a sideways glance and starting back into town, though May stayed behind long enough to give me a long stare before following him. As the crowd around us slowly thinned, the three of us just stood there, watching after May and Arden for a moment before Rye and I exchanged a silent glance and started walking, intrigued yet unsure at the nature of the arrival.
"Uh, as I was saying, we're staying in their attic for a couple nights. It's pretty nice, actually, there's a l- e-enough room to keep us comfortable. A-as long as Mr. Pike doesn't finish up with whatever's going on with him, I think we should be fine," he said. "At least till we hear from Mr. Arcanine, we really need to talk to him sooner or later. I-if he knows..."
"I reckon all we can do is wait, huh?" Mavy asked. Rye looked at him bemusedly.
"You don't have anything, like, snarky to say about that? Do you believe us about-" he started.
"Wut? Naw, naw, a-ah still think yer nuts. Ain't seen no evidence but mons sayin' so, miss me with that shit," Mavy deflected. We grimaced a bit, though shook it off as we turned into Team Apex's base.
'Somehow, I get the feeling you'll be seeing some of that evidence soon enough.'
As I'd expected, the attic we'd been plopped into was... decent, I'll say. Though the room was cramped and dusty, there was enough room for us to put our stuff and still have elbow space to spare. The last of the police had left earlier that day, and the ambient silence that accompanied this helped a good bit. I wasn't necessarily excited about sleeping in here for the next couple nights, but I felt I would survive. Given Pike was still out, I was decently content. This in mind, I adjusted my back against the wall as I listened to Rye try to debrief us.
"Okay, so here's what we're gonna do. Uh, we'll stay here in town for a couple days while Beck heals, then we'll go to Mr. Arcanine and tell him everything. You know, the visions, the tugging, the Phoenixes. From there... I-I don't know, it's up to him, I guess," Rye said.
"Wha? Nah, am fine," I objected. I wasn't about to let us get delayed a couple days because I hurt a bit, though as I stood and did a dance to demonstrate, I quickly proved myself wrong, doubling over in pain as I clutched my sides. Rye and Mavy exchanged a glance.
"Y-yeah. Ms. Audino said an Oran three times a day and some stretching till you... uh, don't hurt like that, alright?" Rye asked. My back still screaming at me, I bit my lip and reluctantly nodded. With this, my partners got up, though Rye bumped his head against the ceiling beams. Ignoring the envious look from both of us for his short stature, Mavy made for the door.
"Well, come on, now, ah'm hungry. Best get good spots in the dinner line, right?" he gestured us on.
The Zigzagoon quickly zigzagged out the door, leaving me to quietly whisper what would've been obscenities as I crawled out of the tight space I'd managed to squeeze myself into. Grabbing my paw and pulling me up, Rye helped me out the door and pushed aside the couple of curious apprentices that'd gathered outside. As we turned the corner, I stopped as I found Mavy peering over the balcony at the ground floor. Doing the same, I found May and Arden at the front door, looking up at us confusedly.
"Huh? M-Ms. May? What're you doing here, isn't it dinnertime?" Rye asked.
"What are you doing here? Didn't you go to the gathering?" May asked. Rye and I blinked.
"Gathering?" Rye asked. Arden and May looked at each other.
"Well, the dog called for an emergency gathering at sunset, top priority. I guessed you missed it," Arden said. Rye shrunk back, going pale as the Quilava scratched at the back of his head. "Uh, come on down, we'll give you the gist of it."
Gulping, Rye shakily climbed over the balcony and started climbing down the wall, leaving Mavy and I to hurry down the stairs after him.
Before long, all of us were gathered around the team's dinner table, the doors closed as to keep the team's apprentices out. Sitting at the head of the table, Arden glanced over the three of us before sighing.
"You want the bad news or the decent news first?" he asked.
"B-bad first, just to get it out of the way," Rye said. Arden clicked his tongue.
"Cool. Lycanroc's staying the week to do her inspecting schtick. That's gonna be a real fucking treat. Dammit, you're lucky you aren't a bigger team, you only have to see her once or twice," he said. "Okay, so decent news. See..."
The words seemed to catch in the Quilava's throat as he looked over us, our stares only earning us a defeated look as he hung his head a bit. Noting this, May put her front paws on the table and pushed herself up.
"Well, Arcanine said yeah, that little trip to the stadium did happen, and we did find a map. They finished up their research on the thing, and they said they found some natural formations, some coordinates, some other stuff on it, and they used all that to track the mother down," she paused. "We've got an expedition. We're going to the Caves of Being!"
"R-really?"
"Wha?"
"No shit?"
Grinning, May gauged our reactions as the info sank in. Before long, Arden sat up.
"We got a week to the day. They'll be announcing who's coming sooner or later, but I'm sure even a lobotomized Slowpoke could tell you you're already in," he said. Ignoring a glance from May, he continued. "My best advice is to squeeze in as much as you can till shit goes down. Stock up, train some, do whatever you gotta do to get ready, because I doubt these Phoenix mons will let up for this. You know, I'm right here if you need a couple tips, maybe a training session for-"
"No, we're good," Rye butted in. Arden gave a light glare.
"What?" he asked. Rye shuddered a bit, though after a moment's hesitation, looked into Arden's eyes.
"We're good," he said, more insistently. He and Arden stared at each other, tension hanging in the air until May cleared her throat.
"So! Uh, how's a quick and dirty toast to our success before dinner sound?" she suggested. Arden's gaze didn't break at first, though he eventually nodded, getting up and heading out of the room, soon returning with a glass bottle filled with a colored liquid.
"O-oh, no, w-we're not-" Rye started.
"We're not that negligent, come on," May said. "Here, just take an empty gl- hey, whoa, not that much, Arden, you know what this crap does to Fire-types."
"Wha?" I asked curiously. May glanced at me.
"Alcohol's... a tricky thing for them. You know how their cores like to behave like fire, right? Fire likes alcohol. Get too much of it in your blood... yeah, not a fun time for anyone," she said. That image dancing through my mind, I shuddered and nodded, reaching for the little glass Arden had put down in front of me. While breathing fire did sound cool on paper, I was willing to give the Voice credit: the feral thing did suck, but I could've ended up way worse than an Oshawott.
Feeling just a bit better over this, I clumsily held up the empty glass, joining my partners and the others.
"Any requests?" May asked, holding up her drink with a vine.
"J-just that everything goes well from here?" Rye suggested, to which the Leafeon nodded.
"Alright, okay. Basic, but good, we'll go with that," she decided, thrusting her glass up. "To a better tomorrow, a successful expedition, and the betterment of our future!"
"Here's fuckin' hoping," Arden agreed. Our glasses clinked.
And so the countdown began.
Six days to go.
"Shagh?" I moaned, prying my eyes open. Sitting up and stretching my aching limbs, I blinked confusedly.
'Huh, I guess that was just a dream?'
I'd seen myself waking up as a human again, only it seemed I wasn't quite sure what humans really looked like, given that everyone was still a Pokémon in some manner. It really didn't help that I still couldn't speak. Glancing around at the unfamiliar surroundings my brain hadn't quite yet registered as Team Apex's attic, I couldn't help but be a bit confused. Just to be sure, I spit up a small Water Gun on the floor, glancing at my reflection in the puddle.
'Yep, still an Oshawott. Of course you are, you just used Water Gun, you- wait. Wait a minute. Oh, Palkia damn it.'
Turning my head a bit, I squinted to see a crude drawing on my cheek, apparently scribbled on my face while I was sleeping: a dick, what else? As I grimaced at having been Jigglypuffed, Mavy peeked out from behind a solitary crate, then burst out cackling as he held up a charcoal pen between his claws. I groaned in annoyance, trying and failing to reach for the drawing with my stubby arms, which only made Mavy laugh harder.
"Ugh, whehr Rye?" I asked, giving up on trying to wipe it off.
"Ahahah! Oh, Arceus, a-ah can't breathe!" Mavy wheezed in response.
"Mafee," I sighed.
"Aight, aight, h-he went on down into town, you can go and look fer him. You know, just waltz on into the square with that on yer face...!" the Zigzagoon started laughing again. Trying once more to unsuccessfully wipe the drawing off my cheek, I growled quietly and limped out of the room.
It was a nice day out as I hobbled into town, though that was juxtaposed with the looks I kept getting as I uselessly tried to cover my cheek, my face hot with embarrassment. Despite this, I kept up my slow walk into town square, looking for Rye for a moment before I caught sight of the Treecko, something in his hand as his gaze fell on me.
"Oh, Beck! I... uh, y-your face?" he asked concernedly.
"Ugh, yeah, yeah," I sighed, taking a mental note to dunk my head into the river later. Looking around, Rye hurriedly started leading me out of the square before anyone else could notice, only relaxing once we were nearly out of town.
"I-I was just in town to grab this here," he explained as we slowed, revealing a decently sized green gummi in his hand. "Mr. Kecleon had it for sale, actually, only 400 Poké today! Uh, I-I just think I'll need it some time soon."
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, uh, you know, the expedition coming up. I-I just don't think I'm ready, I need to train. You saw how the Phoenixes fought, and I still don't have Dragon Breath down. I-I don't wanna lose control again, like, I almost evolved! Th-that... I'm not doing that again. I-I'm gonna be training for the rest of the week we have, starting tomorrow. I think this'll help," he reasoned, gesturing to the gummi in his hand. Giving a nod at his game plan, I glanced over.
"Why nah teh-day?" I asked.
"Uh, well... I-I wanted to tell Mr. Arcanine what we know today. The more time he has to use that info to plan things out, the better," Rye said.
"Huh, yeah... ah-kay, shaa-a," I agreed. Rye gave a small smile with the schedule agreed upon, though his eyes fell on the crudely-drawn family jewels on my cheek.
"Sh-should I talk to Mavy about that first?" he asked.
"Nah. I gaht it," I reassured him, giving a mischievous smile. Rye paled a bit, knowing full well what that meant, but remained quiet nonetheless as we slipped back into base.
"Th-the whole tugging thing was the last really notable thing that happened, really. There hasn't been anything really unusual with him since then."
As Rye concluded his explanation, a moment of silence hung in the air between Team Reach and Guildmaster Arcanine, the quiet crackling of the fire in the Shiny's quarters being the only sound as he considered. With Beck remaining behind in Team Apex's base and a tense encounter with the Bisharp guards behind them, it would be an understatement to say Rye was nervous. As he inched ever closer to his partner, Arcanine quietly looked back up at them.
"...allow me to repeat. You and Maverick here are aware of young Beck's nature, you plan to engage the Phoenix League in some manner before they can access this... "link" Maverick has purported, and he has been in indirect contact with a higher power that guided his hand to discover the map during the expedition?" the Guildmaster asked.
"Y-yes, sir," Rye nodded. Arcanine hummed to himself.
"I see," he said. A minute passed before Rye shifted uncomfortably, looking at Mavy for some guidance before straightening himself up.
"Wh-what should we do, sir? I-is the Guild gonna-?" he began.
"Please, do allow me time to sit on this information, child. I require time to deduce what to do with this," Arcanine said. "Before I send you off, though, I must commend you, young Rye. It takes a strong Pokémon to not waiver from a path such as this, even after a moon and a half of hardship."
"I-I, n- uh... th-thank you, sir," Rye bowed his head. Arcanine gave a warm smile and nodded, turning his eyes towards Mavy.
"And you, young Maverick. You are a noble one, continuing this fight even in the light of... recent revelations," he said. The Zigzagoon was quiet for a moment.
"...sir. With all due respect, I ain't doin' this for this buckass hoo-mon crap. I'm doin' this for my pa," he said. Arcanine's smile wavered a bit, though this was short-lived.
"Of course," he said, getting to his paws. "I suppose you both should be going, there is much I must do."
Rye and Mavy both bowed their heads and turned to leave. With the two young explorers' disappearance up the ladder at the end up the hall, Arcanine once more sat alone. With one of Lycanroc's impending visits a while away, the Guildmaster made for his quarters, only stopping to survey his collection. More information than the common Pokémon could ever learn in their lifetime sat in this room... though what, if anything, would the Caverns add to such knowledge he desired?
Arcanine pondered this for a second before humming to himself and entering his room, leaving the human skeleton hanging just by the door to grin at thin air.
Five days to go.
Rye was out early to train. It was the perfect time to strike.
As Mavy stirred, his eyes fluttered open to meet mine, then bugged out as he felt the charcoal pen in my paw. He scrambled away in a flash, and although there wasn't a mirror he could see himself in, it seemed he knew full well what I'd done as he tiredly narrowed his eyes.
"You asshole," he sighed, feeling for the dick I'd drawn on his face as I started laughing. "Ah deserved that, didn't I?"
As he stretched his legs, my laughter calmed to a few chuckles, though as I took another look at Mavy's face, the smile on my face faltered. The Zigzagoon was looking behind me, his expression not saying anything particularly positive. Turning my head to follow his gaze, I jumped back in panic.
Pike stood in the doorframe, his piercing eyes regarding us as I stopped pressing my back against the wall, my expression souring enough to make a lemon seem sweet.
"Wut're you doin' here? You back to pack yer shit?" Mavy growled. Giving him and the doodle on his face a flat look, Pike ruffled his feathers.
"They didn't toss me out, at least," he said. Averting his eyes from our looks, he sighed. "Damn it, don't look at me like... look, I'm here t' apologize."
The reaction was immediate, coming from Mavy in the form of a scoff.
"Oh, yeah, wreck our lil' house, nearly murder Scruffy here, and fling me outta window and nearly break mah spine, and all you got's an "oopsie, didn't mean it?" Real sincere there, thanks," the Zigzagoon spat.
"He was-! Look, if I'd known he was a human, even not a feral at the very least, I woulda thought things through! Be pissed all ya want, but take it to Arden, he..." Pike said before trailing off. Noting that neither of us seemed any less on edge, he sighed, his feathers flattening. "Sorry. I understand if ya won't forgive me, I'd smack my face inside out if it were me. But... I grew up wild, we lived out in the woods. I nearly got mauled twice, maybe, I couldn't help but be..."
He hung his head, and after a moment of quiet, he looked away, muttered another quiet apology, and walked out of the room, leaving Mavy and I staring after him.
"Hmph. Ah'd prolly have some witty insult ready right 'bout now, but I say he ain't worth it. And this is the same 'mon who led the charge at Gazette Heights, the fuck happened?" Mavy mused. I nodded in agreement, trying to rub at the massive bruise I figured was on my back as Mavy started trying to feel for the long-forgotten drawing again.
Let me be the first to say, I wasn't about to just forgive Pike, no way in distortion, this wasn't some sappy kids' movie. But... there was something genuine in Pike's demeanor there, I thought. Maybe...?
No, he'd tried to gut me just a couple days ago, I wasn't just gonna wave it off. He'd given me nothing but shit since I woke up like this, done... that, and now he was acting all buddy-buddy? Heck, I'd beat the guy senseless if I could, honestly, just to give him a taste of his own medicine. But my conscience kept telling me to at least consider his apology...
Damn it.
Four days.
"Heads up, boys! We got mail!" Arden announced, holding up a stack of papers as he walked into the base. Our heads peeked over the stairs' bannister in time to see the Quilava plop the load onto the dinner table, May and Pike gathering around to hear whatever news the mail entailed. The three of us hurried over and took seats opposite from the others as Arden glanced over them.
"Right, this one's crap, crap, neighbors, crap- ah, this looks to be for Rye's team," he said as he broke the seal and unfolded the letter. "Repairs on your base have concluded, and you can return whenever you want. How about that?"
The three of us glanced at each other, sharing a grin as Arden finished leafing through the bundles, then held up what looked to be the only other letter of note: a scroll, a red rod in the center and with Arcanine's pawprint. The tension in the air seemed to climb by the second as he unrolled the scroll and held it up to read.
"To Teams Apex and Reach. Blah, blah, you're to be deployed in the recently discovered, uh, Caverns of Being. The members appointed with this task...? Uh, are as follows: from Team Reach, Rye Treecko, Beck Oshawott, and Maverick Zigzagoon, and from Team Apex, Arden Quilava... and May Leafeon. All not mentioned are to remain."
We looked up just in time to see Pike's face fall. He sputtered for a moment, his face one of horror, though before long he simply hung his head, grinding his beak. Giving his teammate a long look, Arden bit his lip and continued.
"T-the expedition is to leave in four days' time. It is expected the area will possess at least one mystery dungeon, and it is not guaranteed your badges will be able to transport you out of this uncharted territory. Prepare accordingly."
Everyone was quiet for a second. The first to budge was Pike, who simply hopped off his chair and sulked out the door, his expression unreadable. Mavy gave a quiet snort.
"This is already lookin' to be a better trip, eh?" he asked. May only gave him a look.
"Z- Maverick, even if he's... not a great Pokémon, he's at least still our friend," she chided.
"Well, ma'am, git better friends," Mavy rebutted. Rye made a guttural noise before hurriedly standing up.
"Uh, l-let's just...! Bas- uh sp-space, they need space, let's, uh, b-base!" he sputtered out, practically pushing us out of the room before any further conflict could arise and leaving both Arden and May staring after us. As the three of us piled into our little attic room, the Treecko let out a shaky sigh.
"Mavy... ugh," he hissed. "Wh-why'd you mouth off to Ms. May, of all of them?"
"Sorry, couldn't think of nothin' else to say," Mavy replied. Rye groaned, his voice tinged with stress as he put his hands on his head. A moment of silence passed before he sighed and straightened himself up, looking over the both of us.
"O-okay, then. Expedition. W-we shouldn't be focusing on Mr. Pike right now, th-the Guild's done everything they're gonna do, I think. We have to keep getting ready. Beck, how are you feeling?" he asked. I threw an experimental punch, happy to note that the pain from doing so was now reserved to a lingering crick in my back, so with a "sha!" of affirmation from me, Rye gave a nod. "Alright! Uh, let's just get our stuff together and head back to base!"
The packing process wasn't hard, given all we had was a couple bags and my banjo, so in no time at all we were giving Arden and May as best of a wave as we could muster while lugging our bags along.
"Y'see, this is why bein' a four-legger is so handy, mind the pun there," Mavy noted as he zigzagged along empty-pawed, gleefully watching as we hauled our loads. I shot him a glare as we staggered into the Guild, turning the corner back towards our base.
Whereas the structure had been half rubble when I'd been hurried to the infirmary a few nights ago, there was no remaining sign of damage to it, something I was at least pleased to see. In front of the base, however, stood an unfamiliar sight in the form of that Lycanroc glancing inside and talking to herself, her Indeedee helpers scribbling down every word.
"Um, excuse me? C-could you move over, please? We have to go in," Rye requested, trying as best as he could to seem respectful. Lycanroc glanced over her shoulder, blinking as the sun glinted off her glasses.
"Ah. I suppose you're..." she paused, glancing at the carving by the door. "Team Reach? Mm, so you're the bunch ol' Creepshow was gushin' about. Least I'll have one less stop to look o'er you lot."
Swishing her tail to gesture to the Indeedees, she took a look at our increasingly unsure selves.
"A Treecko, fine and well, I suppose. Close to evolvin' by the looks of it, though looks a bit weakly," she quietly muttered to herself. "A Zigzagoon. Who seriously puts a Zigzagoon on a team? And... wot's wrong with this Oshawott? Looks like he hasn't bathed in at least a bloody moon, I'd say he was feral if I didn't know any better. This is wot it takes to get this Guildmaster excited these days? Typical for Greys, I suppose, not surprised their standards are this low."
Without another word, Lycanroc simply moved along, leaving me quite offended. I tried to angrily yell after the inspector, though the shas caught in my throat as she started looking over another base, not even sparing us a flutter of her eye. Looking at the others, I quickly noted they were just as angry at what they'd heard, though despite this, Rye held back.
"Remember what Ms. May said. D-don't talk smack," he whispered to himself before continuing into the base, followed shortly thereafter by Mavy and I as we reserved our frustration to teeth-grinding.
Despite that damper on my mood, though, I gladly participated in my usual routine of throwing my bag aside and falling forward onto the fresh new straw bed waiting for me. Rye only gave me a bemused look as he dug up Mizu's Iron Thorn and put it back in its place in the window.
"I-it's not even midday yet," he observed.
"Shaah," I replied. Curling up in his own bed, Mavy offered a nod.
"He's got a point there," he said. Rye watched us for a moment before sighing and continuing with his home improvement duties, leaving the two of us to just lie on the floor like the menaces to society we were.
Three days.
"That's three laps! Keep that tail beating! Don't stop now, kid!" Bert called.
"Shaaugh!" I groaned in response.
Summer had arrived with a vengeance, the sun glaring down on us both as I kept stiffly swimming down the river, my Wartortle trainer close behind. When I'd come down here to train for whatever was coming, I hadn't expected him to put me this sort of workout.
Unfortunately for me, it seemed Bert had several more laps in him, which he showed clearly as he suddenly popped out of the water and dove at my position. Having gotten clonked on the back several times up to this point, I weaved out of the way in time to avoid another fifty-pounder. No sooner than the Wartortle had submerged did he breach the water again, tucked into his shell as it spun and streaked straight for me. I responded to the Rapid Spin with a hard Aqua Slap, and while it hurt like distortion, it did accomplish the intended effect of knocking Bert away. Bearing the pain in my tail as I kept swimming, I panted as he caught back up to me.
"Sorry 'bout that, gotta keep you loosened up, y'know! Heard about what happened that last expedition, don't want you getting snuck up on out there!" he said.
"Yeah, tahnks," I groaned. Bert grimaced a bit.
"You got sass for a feral, kid, I'd have stayed with that Lycanroc if I wanted to hear sass. Best keep it to yourself or-" he paused. Getting a look at my twitchy, aching beaver-tail, his expression softened. "Say, how abouts we stop here? Three laps ain't bad," he offered.
I immediately went limp in the water, floating on the surface for a moment before I felt Bert swim under me and carry me towards shore. As I pulled myself onto the stone of the Water-type grounds, my tired body happy for some relief, Bert looked down at me sympathetically.
"Sorry to push you that much. Tell you what, I'll go easier on ya at sparring tomorrow," he requested. I blinked.
"Sh-shpa-wing?" I asked, dread tinging my voice.
Two days.
Aqua Tail, Aqua Slap, Rapid Spin, dodge, Water Gun, Protect.
The sparring match between Bert and I was too quick to really stop and think about what was happening, so nothing but attack names ran through my head as I ran around like a panicked Rapidash trying to get a hit in on Bert. As Mavy watched from the sidelines, I received a blow to the face, though I was quick to see an Aqua Tail coming and dove out of the way before he swung it.
"Not bad, not bad!" Bert called before coming at me again. Although he'd thankfully been adamant on not hitting my back so far, he'd been relentless in just about every other regard. A Water Gun proved ineffective, so I took a quick glance around. Just moves weren't about to take him down, given he was a Water-type too, so...
Bert took advantage of my brief pause by knocking me off my feet, though I hurriedly crawled away before getting to my feet and running for the short wall around the stone arena where Mavy was sitting. He seemed to grow ever more unsure as I hauled ass over, and as I hopped behind for cover, the Zigzagoon scrambled to the side as Water Guns streaked over his head.
"Using your environment, that's what I like to see!" Bert commended, his voice growing closer. My face scrunched up as I heard footfalls among Mavy's panicked yelps, and as they grew ever closer, I used the brief period of rest I'd gotten to think up a battle plan. As Bert's footsteps reached the wall, I climbed up and jumped over my teacher's head. Landing hard on the back of his shell, I held on tight as he started trying to throw me off. It was only a matter of time before he would retreat into his shell and spin me off, so I had to act fast here. My paws' nubs cramping up, I managed to snag my scalchop, swinging it in an arc before stopping it just short of Bert's neck.
The Wartortle froze as he craned his head over, raising an eyebrow. He hesitated for a moment before sighing and hanging his head in surrender.
"Not bad, kid, I was actually kinda trying there," he grinned as he stood and dusted himself off, leaving me sliding off his shell onto the ground. "Could use some work, no doubt about that, but you can hold your own, I'd say."
He reached down, offering a paw to help me up. Giving a little smile, I accepted his paw and got to my feet. From behind the wall, Mavy offered a grin and a nod of approval, though failed to suppress a laugh as Bert headbutted me in the forehead. As I staggered back in shock, he blinked and rubbed his head in embarrassment.
"Sorry, that's just how we Squirtle types show respect, we butt heads," he coughed.
"Ugh, sha," I groaned, rubbing at the new lump on my head as I slowly regained my bearings. As I did, though, I became aware of a distant boom followed by a familiar frustrated groan. Raising my eyebrows, I started jogging towards the Grass-type grounds, Mavy quickly hopping up to join me as Bert shrugged and followed.
Stopping at the fenced-off stretch of overgrown plants where the Grass-types trained, I found no Rye, but another boom drew my attention in the direction of the Dragon grounds. Biting my lip as I realized what was happening, I took off, the others in tow.
The Dragon-type grounds... could I really call them grounds? They were more of a patch of dirt circling around a half-buried crumbling statue of some Legendary dragon. Reshiram, maybe? Zekrom? I wasn't sure, I apparently never learned which one was which. Just in front of the broken statue stood Rye, his eyes indigo as he tried to concentrate, though as he released the blue flames of a Dragon Breath from his mouth, he hit himself in the head and yelled once more, all while a Goodra watched concernedly.
"Ugh... I-I'm sorry, Master Goodra, I just... I can't," he groaned. The Goodra pursed her lips, apparently at a loss at what to say by now as we approached. Noticing us, Rye hung his head.
"I-I can't do it. I just keep losing control, it's just..." he said shamefully. A bit of hesitation later, he started sulking off. "I-I'll wait at base for you two."
"Rye-" I started, though the Treecko didn't once stop as he made for the training grounds' exit. I watched him go for a minute before turning back to the others. Thankfully, Mavy didn't seem to have any snide comment ready, so he and I just stood there in silence as Bert gave the Goodra a nod.
"Molly," he greeted.
"Bert," she greeted back. Pleasantries exchanged, the two masters glanced at us before shuffling off to return to their usual business, Bert shooting me a smirk as he walked off. Left standing alone with Mavy, I thought for a bit as I started waddling towards the exit.
'Surely there's a way I can help him out? It's the least I can do, I mean, come on. I sure can't help him figure Dragon Breath out, but I could always get him an item of some kind, right?'
"Mafee? Uh, mahny?" I asked. Mavy snorted.
"Money? Fuck naw, we've only paid, like, seven hundred outta that ten thousand ya gotta fork over. Amateur tip, don't buy whatever it is you're plannin' to buy," he said. I bit my lip at the blunt reminder of our financial situation, which only earned me another snicker from the Zigzagoon. "Ah'll say it again, you really shoulda just sucked it up and let me fuck off."
His humored grin quickly melted off his muzzle as he saw my expression shift, an idea forming in my head.
"Oh. Oh, naw, you ain't actually fixing to do that, are ya?" he asked worriedly.
One day more.
"Yer sick in the head. I can't believe you actually roped me into this."
"Shaah," I replied deviously, sticking my scalchop between the rotting boards of Kecleon's shop and popping one out. Looking around the empty, dark street to check that we hadn't given away our position, I tossed the board aside, glancing at a derisive Mavy as it hit the ground with a thunk. A minute of hesitation passed before he let out a sigh and squeezed his small form inside the new hole.
I waited for a minute before he popped out again, shaking the webs and grime off himself before heading to the edge of the roof and craning his head down.
"Ev'rything looks good in there, Mr. Green, sir. Just the outside that's all rotten, shouldn't be much harder than poppin' 'em out," he called.
Below us, the green Kecleon shopkeeper gave a hearty smile as he watched us.
"Excellent, excellent! You two do that, and we'll have the paint ready once you're finished! Just let us know if you need anything!" he piped before heading back into the shop. I looked over to Mavy, who only gave me a flat look.
"Y'know, if ah wanted to paint shit, I'd have stayed in Littora Town 'n waited for Ol' Man Furret's hut to start flakin' again," he said, firing off a Pin Missile to try and help pry off the boards. "We better be getting' that thing fer all this trouble, otherwise- oh, shit, there's Rye now!"
I seized up and frantically spun around, only to find the street empty. A given, seeing as it wasn't even dawn yet. I gave my own flat look to Mavy, who only smirked as he stood up on his hind legs and went back to work. Sighing, I picked my scalchop back up and did the same.
It must have been hours before we descended from the shop roof, paint and splinters all over and my paw throbbing from however many times I'd bonked it with a hammer. The sun high in the sky and Pokémon now bustling as they glanced at us curiously, I held the fruit of our labor close as we turned into the market, glancing around for Rye. We'd been lucky he hadn't seen us while we were busy, so it was understandable that he was confused as he stepped out of one of the shops, bags in hand as he cocked his head.
"Beck, Mavy, w-where've you been all morning? Why's there paint on-?" he started. I stopped him short by holding out the little parcel the Kecleons had given us, which the Treecko confusedly accepted. Unwrapping the fabric around it, he stumbled back a bit. A seed sat snugly inside, nearly twice as big as usual and adorned with a green tint. Rye looked up at us, his eyes wide.
"Th-this is a Miracle Seed! Wh-where... we can't afford this right now!" he cried out.
"Naw, Beck here felt bad 'bout how piss-poor you did at your Dragon Breathin' and got us to work our asses off for the Keks all morning for that, they said it was all good," Mavy explained. As Rye looked back and forth between us, his eyes wide, I clapped a paw on his back.
"Sha-prise!" I piped. Rye hesitated for a minute before he smiled and closed his fingers around the seed.
"Th-thank you, you both, I... I don't deserve... t-thank you," he said, wiping at his eyes.
"Don't thank us just yet, you ain't carryin' that thing in your hand all around. Come on, Beck'll getcha a necklace, bracelet, wutever you city 'mons put that sorta thing on. I've done mah part," Mavy said, waving us on with his tail. Rye blinked and mumbled in agreement, following us into the market in a daze.
"...uh, w-we need Orans, too, maybe ten to be safe. They're on sale, so that's nice," he soon said, a genuine smile on his face as he got a feel for the Miracle Seed in his hand. "Oh, and a couple Petrify orbs, who knows what could be down there..."
The air over the amphitheater was one of quiet anticipation as the three of us sat there, waiting nervously for the inevitable sunset address that was to come. Everyone on the expedition had apparently been summoned here, and the party of over thirty present showed. We all knew the gist of what the Guildmaster would say here, but why not show up? Not like we had anything better to do after preparing all day.
As Rye fidgeted with the Miracle Seed bracelet now around his wrist, a clamor arose, indicating Arcanine's arrival. The Guildmaster, his Bisharp bodyguards, and that Lycanroc and her stupid glasses took their places, heralding a moment of silence before the golden dog cleared his throat.
"Apprentices, no, fellow explorers. For the second time in many of your lifetimes, the fate of this continent lies in delicate balance. In this grave hour, as the hand of terror and destruction once more rises over our land, our friends, families, and all in between cower at the prospect of what is to come. But not us," he began. "At this time tomorrow, we will be hundreds of miles departed, preparing to plunge into the unknown and perhaps find a way to restore the peace so many sacrificed everything for ten long years ago. A creature of great power has descended into these Caverns, and it is my belief that whatever now awaits us holds the key to besting the wretches that now plague our lands."
Arcanine paused briefly as a map was hung up behind him, unfurling to show a typical map of Gray Proper.
"Given the nature of this expedition, I shall accompany you until the end. We shall leave by sea at first light tomorrow, after which we will take two days' rest in the city of Westgrove-on-Sea for final preparations," he said, gesturing to a bay on the eastern side of the map. "After that... to the Caverns of Being."
He stood up, looming over us.
"My friends, though two of the orbs of spacetime lie in illicit hands, be not discouraged. What lies inside this untapped wonder could very well be our saving grace. If the worst comes to pass and nothing comes of this, fear not! As a great human once proclaimed, the darkest hour of the night comes just before the dawn! Let our cause this day be a light in these dark times, let our resolve ring true from the walls of Ironside City to the cliffs of the Victoria Mountains! Let all the earth hear our call today: we shall prevail!"
The crowd roared in approval, with even the usually silent Rye clapping over the noise. I'll admit, even I got a bit passionate, giving a whoop or two as Arcanine stepped down from his place. The Bisharps flanking him made it clear very quickly that the Guildmaster was not to be swarmed, so the impassioned crowd quickly dispersed, chattering excitedly all the while. As the three of us descended from our place, I saw Lycanroc hum as she addressed Arcanine.
"Not a bad speech. I've seen better, though," she said. Arcanine furrowed his brow.
"I fed those words all the fire in my soul, and it is simply not bad?" he asked.
"Meh," Lycanroc sniffed, pawing at her glasses to adjust them. Arcanine stared blankly at her for a moment before sighing deeply.
"There are approximately three hundred thousand words in the Graytongue language, and none of them can quite get across how much I would like to hit you with a chair in this moment," he said. With a simple scoff from Lycanroc, the two dogs parted ways, leaving my partners and I to start the short walk back to our base.
Before we made it far, though, the flapping of wings met my ears, and I instinctively put a paw on my scalchop as Pike landed just behind us. The three of us were quick to get over the momentary panic that his arrival brought and coldly regarded the Swellow as he hesitated. After a bit, he silently dropped the bag he was carrying and stuck a foot in, withdrawing a colored disc.
"What is...?" Rye asked.
"It's a TM, human made. We found it in Bewilder Forest a moon ago. They weren't sellin' any normal TMs for your kind, so we got some help to fix it up over the week, and... well," Pike said before pushing the disc over to me. I stared wide-eyed at the device, then looked back up at Pike distrustfully as he stared back at me, very clearly judging me at present. Despite this, he hung his head. "Keep Rye safe out there. Good luck."
With this, Pike spread his wings and flew off. We stood there at a loss, all our eyes trained on one thing: the disc he'd left behind. Rye inched over before cautiously picking the device up, looking it over as we started back on the path.
"Wut's this thing supposed to do, anyways?" Mavy asked, leaning in to look at the disc we'd been given as we sat in a circle.
"I-if human TMs are like normal TMs, it's supposed to teach a Pokémon a new technique, like saying 'here's how your energy's supposed to flow, now you can use it.' I can't tell what this one would be, it's really discolored," Rye explained. "Beck, can you make it out?"
I took the disc, peering at it for a moment until my eyes caught a glimpse of faded text.
'Silph Co. of Unova. TM 13...'
"Iesh Beem," I read out. Rye perked up in response.
"Ice Beam? Wow, that could be use... ful, no, we can't trust this. I-it's from Mr. Pike, and... y-you know. Wh-what if this is just a trap to, like, finish the job?" he asked. My fantasies of the possibilities this move could bring were quickly dashed by the memory of Pike's murderous glare, and as I ran a paw across the crick in my back, I hesitantly nodded and put the TM down. Seeing this, Mavy looked at us like we were insane, or rather, more so than usual.
"You ain't even gon consider it? Yeah, I know Swellow's a jackass, to put it kindly, but if this thing can magic a technique into the 'wott's skull here, shouldn't the option at least be on the table? Might could be useful for the expedition," he reasoned. Rye only bit his lip in response as he stared at the offending disk, then picked it up and tucked it in our bag.
"I-if he wants to, it'll be there," he nodded, glancing at me with a "please don't" expression. There was a bit of quiet before Rye cleared his throat.
"So. O-on that note, the expedition, what do you think the Caverns'll be like? I always thought when I was little that they'd be, like, this big, grand hallway going all the way through the earth. But, y-you know, probably not, right? I don't know if we're even gonna find anything," he sighed.
"Have some faith, why don'cha? I reckon it'll be exactly like a regular cave, but... uh, cooler. Dunno, ain't a very imaginative 'mon," Mavy shrugged. "How 'bout you, Beck?"
"Danno. I... eugh," I shuddered. Rye gave a nod in response.
"Yeah, I understand that," he said. "Th-there's only one way to find out, though!"
He reached his hand out palm up, a gesture I quickly accepted by slapping it in a high-five. As Mavy did the same in quick succession, Rye stood up confidently.
"To the darkest corners of the map, to the wildest lands under the sky, to the farthest reaches of the earth, Team Reach... will..."
His confidence melted on the spot as he hurriedly looked around to make sure no one else had heard that.
"That sounded stupid, I'm sorry," he said.
"Iunno, had a nice ring to it. Bit long fer a motto, though, how 'bout this instead: Team Reach! It's Zigzagoon and the other two! Eh?" Mavy suggested.
"P-please don't," Rye groaned.
"Mattoh? Uh, danno, shaah," I offered. Mavy snickered.
"Yeah, sure, that's a nice motto. Every outlaw's heart fills with fear at the whisper of our callin' card: shaaah," he said dramatically.
"L-let's... just... f-figure that out another day, okay?" Rye asked. We both nodded, watching as the Treecko straightened himself back up. "Uh, Team Reach!"
"Yeah!" I responded as we all pumped a fist into the air. As we did, though, a horn sounded in the distance signaling bedtime. With a final smirk at my partners, I shot a Water Gun at the torch as per usual, blanketing the base in the darkness of night.
Zero days remained.
…
...ugh, where...? No, oh, no, not another-
Human.
AH! Y-you?!
The time draws near. The day approaches where you shall understand.
What? Understand what?
Trust in your judgment and follow the light, and the truth shall be revealed. Know that we shall meet again soon.
No, wait! Who are you? Why did you send me? Why like this? Why-
I cannot remain. Farewell, human, and may fortune be ever on your side.
Wait-!