Chapter 10: Absol and Zorua

So this was Pokémon Square, Zorua thought, staring down into the valley below. It was pretty big, compared to Meadow Town, with forty or fifty buildings around the crossroads at the center of town, and dozens of stalls lining the roads. There were more buildings scattered across the hillsides or tucked into the forest outside of town, and probably more back in the trees that she couldn't see from here, too. Arcanine would have had some clever way to guess how many.

The weather had been cooperative, at least. It was still colder than it should be for this time of year, but it hadn't rained or snowed on the way. Pushing herself most of the way through the nights, she'd managed to make it in only five days. She was pretty proud of that, but she was exhausted now, and her paws were sore. She needed to find a place to rest up for a few hours before she began her search.

It was early morning, barely after sunrise, and already the town was bustling with activity. There were Pokémon out in the fields, harvesting berries and tending the bushes. A Mudsdale in a harness and his helpers dragged logs, limbed and bucked into uniform lengths, to a clearing by the river where two Timburr cut notches in the ends while Conkeldurr and Gurdurr prepared a foundation. Vendors along the road bartered and bantered with customers and passers by. Other Pokémon chased each other, played hide-and-seek amongst the buildings and bushes, or just stood around talking. Somewhere down there were Team ACT and their allies, the enemy. Somewhere down there, she hoped, was Arcanine.

Zorua looked herself over once more to be sure of her disguise; it was flawless, indistinguishable from a real Poochyena. Disguised as another Dark-type, she would not raise suspicion from Alakazam or other Psychic-types who might try to read her. Unlike the more complex illusions that her mother or other Zoroarks could make, her simple personal disguise required no concentration or effort to maintain; so long as she avoided being hit hard enough to cause injury, the effect would sustain itself until she dismissed it, and Poochyena's shape and size were similar enough to her own that no one would find her movements suspicious.

As she started down the hill into town, Zorua considered how to begin her search. If Team Act had Teleported directly back to Pokémon Square after capturing Arcanine, the news was a week old now. Pokémon were probably not discussing it any longer, and asking strangers on the street might arouse suspicion. For now, she thought, she would mingle and explore the town; maybe she could pick up his scent. Tonight she could check out some of those outlying buildings more closely. It was also possible, she knew, that Arcanine was no longer in Pokémon Square, or had never been here at all. She thought she remembered him saying that it was Treasure Town, another week's walk north around the bay, where he had gotten into trouble, and Team ACT could have taken him there directly.

No one paid her much attention as she walked through town. The stalls lining the street in the Square offered all sorts of goods; scarves and orbs and food and bags and anything else a Pokémon could want. She needed a new bag, she thought, since Team ACT had stolen Arcanine's. It would be nice to have one in her size, too; she didn't need a big one like Arcanine's, just enough for some Poké and a few berries.

Too bad she'd left all her money back in Meadow Town, under the loose floorboard in the closet. She didn't even have anything to pay the Pelippers. Just like Creepy Tunnel, she'd been too upset to plan, rushing off to fix everything herself. Arcanine would have disapproved. She'd keep her eyes open, though. Maybe she could steal something; she didn't really want to be a thief, but no one would recognize her, and it was for a good cause, right?

She didn't pick up Arcanine's scent around town; she thought she smelled Tyranitar and Charizard several times, but the scents weren't strong enough to follow. They probably lived in one of those bases in the woods outside town; she could check those later.

Following the mouth-watering scent of cooking food and Chesto Berry tea, Zorua found a bar by the river tended by an old Ampharos. The back third of the building was built of stacked logs, while the front two-thirds was a large open patio with two rows of thick logs supporting the roof. Heavy tarps rolled up around the sides looked like they were intended to be unrolled to enclose the rest of the structure during bad weather. Right now, the place was quiet and mostly empty, but judging by the dents and cuts and burns which marked the posts and furniture, it could get rowdy at times. A tough-looking Zangoose, Scyther, and Sandslash ate breakfast a table near the center of the room, and several small Pokémon sat at or on the bar, chatting with Ampharos while he grilled skewers of berries and vegetables.

Zorua's stomach growled, reminding her that she'd been in too much of a hurry on the trip from Meadow Town to eat more than a few berries she found along the road. She wandered in and jumped up onto a chair at one of the many unoccupied tables. The smell, and the atmosphere of the place, reminded her of the lodge at home. It would be a pleasant place to rest, and maybe overhear some news, even if she couldn't eat.

After a few minutes, Ampharos noticed her and came over to the table.

"Mornin'," Ampharos greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Morning."

"Get you anything?"

"Well, no," Zorua said, "it smells great, but I don't have any money."

"New in town?

Zorua nodded.

"You look like you've been on the road a while. Let's call it a free sample. Sweet, sour, or spicy?"

"Ooh! Spicy," Zorua said excitedly.

Ampharos left, and Zorua looked down at herself. She was looking a bit dirty and ragged, she though. Her basic illusion didn't hide her condition, it only made her look, sound, and smell like a different species or individual. She could give herself virtually any appearance she wanted, and it would appear to interact properly with the environment; further changes, like making dirty fur appear clean, or wet fur appear dry, required more attention. Mostly, it wasn't worth the effort.

Ampharos returned, bearing a small bowl of tea and a skewer of roasted Berries and vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces for for someone her size. The smell was wonderful, and she was already salivating as Ampharos set it down in front of her. Zorua dug in immediately, not even remembering to thank him; it was hot and spicy and delicious.

By the time she finished eating, Zorua was feeling drowsy. She curled up on the chair with her muzzle on her paws, and allowed her eyes to close. That team at the other table was talking about the weather, and something about Kyurem and mystery dungeons. Ordinarily she would have been interested, but right now, all she really wanted was a nap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Of course Team ACT lived in the biggest, nicest house in town. Save a few of the outlying houses like her mother's, Zorua thought, all of Meadow Town could have fit inside their courtyard. Obviously, kidnapping paid pretty well. Tyranitar was up on a platform of logs, doing something to one of the large trees in the courtyard. His scent, and Charizard's and Alakazam's, were the strongest, but from the many tracks in the wet ground outside the gate and the recent scents of other Pokémon, she guessed that many of the local Pokémon frequented the manor as well. After breakfast and a nap and a bath she felt much better, and she figured she could wait and watch for a while.

Hearing voices on the path down to Pokémon Square, Zorua shrank back into the bushes along the trail. Delphox, Espeon, and Umbreon passed by into the courtyard. Half an hour later, Metang and Beldum floated down to town, carrying an empty wooden crate between them. Charizard, Absol, and a pair of Eevees ate lunch under a large Pecha bush in the courtyard, then went back inside; Absol was wearing a black and red checkered blanket with one end tied around her neck, and the other hanging down across her back like a cape. Metang and Beldum returned; the crate was full this time, but she couldn't make out its contents.

The weather was perfect, just chilly enough to make the warm sun feel wonderful on her fur, and after a couple hours, Zorua began to get sleepy again. It was time to do something else, she thought. She probably wasn't in any real danger here, even if she fell asleep and got caught. The courtyard was all scent-marked, but not out here, so Team ACT didn't consider this their territory, and there were enough Pokémon coming and going on the roads and trails that a stranger sleeping under a bush wasn't too suspicious; still, she'd rather remain anonymous for now.

Zorua took the long way back to town, following one of the trails which circled around through the forest; not for any practical reason, but because she didn't know what to do next. There had been no scent of Arcanine around the manor or in town. After dark, when there would be less Pokémon around, she could sneak into the courtyard, maybe even into the manor, and look around, but she didn't really expect to find him there.

The trail brought her down around the other side of town to a large clearing. A dozen or so Pokémon were there already, mostly other quadrupeds. There was an Absol in the group; Zorua thought it was the same one she'd seen at the manor, but she wasn't wearing the blanket now, and Zorua wasn't sure. The group seemed to be in the process of dividing itself into teams, not by intentional selection, but chance by movement as Pokémon talked, with one team coalescing around Absol and the other around Rapidash and Machop. This would be a good opportunity to get to know people, she thought, so long as the game didn't get too rough. Her illusion could survive some bumps, but if she got hit too hard, or pinned down, she wouldn't be able to keep it going.

Attempting to look nonchalant, she wandered over and sat down between the two groups. When no one seemed to notice her, she stood, scratched her ear, and took a couple steps closer to Absol's group. Liepard glanced up, examined her for several seconds, and returned to her conversation with Meowth and Absol.

The grass rustled beneath her paws as she took another step, and Jolteon and Flareon turned to face her.

"Come on," Jolteon said, waving her over, "we've room for another."

"Thanks," Zorua said, moving over to sit beside them, "what are we playing?"

"We call it Pawball," Flareon said, "it's pretty simple; knock the ball into the other team's net for a point. Playing rough is okay, but no Moves or fighting. Also, you can't pick up the ball."

"Got it," Zorua said. It sounded simple enough.

"New here?" Jolteon asked, "I don't think we've seen you before"

Zorua nodded.

"Where you from?"

Zorua's first instinct was to lie, to name someplace else, like Boulder Town. What if another Pokémon in the group had been there, though? She didn't know enough about any other towns to make up a convincing story. Anyway, Meadow Town wasn't a suspicious place to be from. It wasn't that far; there were probably other Pokémon in Pokémon Square who had lived in Meadow Town. Her mother had even come here sometimes to sell her potions.

"Meadow Town," Zorua answered.

The name got Absol's attention; she excused herself from Meowth and Liepard to join them.

"You're from Meadow Town?" Absol asked, "were you there when Arcanine attacked?"

Zorua stared for a moment, shocked. Was that what Bayleef had told them? She'd never really liked the mayor; he was boring and grumpy and selfish, but he was still mostly an okay Pokémon. She hadn't had any difficulty believing he or Ralts or Snivy could have recognized Arcanine and turned him in for a share of the bounty, but she hadn't thought any of them mean enough to make up a story like that.

Absol seemed to misinterperet her silence for reluctance to talk about it. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business, is it?"

"Um, yeah," Zorua said, "I was there, but he-"

"You guys ready to play?" Rapidash called.

"I guess we shouldn't keep everyone waiting," Absol said, "but can you tell me about it later?"

Machop was handing out green scarves to their team; Zorua saw that the other team were already all wearing red ones. She slipped her own red scarf off and allowed Machop to place a green one around her neck. Absol and Rapidash faced off across the ball in the center of the field, with Machop standing next to them, and the remaining Pokémon spread out on their own sides of the field. Zorua stayed at the back of her team, not wanting to risk her illusion getting caught up in the fight for the ball.

"Ready?" Machop asked.

Absol and Rapidash nodded in unison.

"Okay, go!"

Zorua was glad she'd stayed out of the way as the teams collided. No one was using moves, like Flareon said, but they were all playing pretty rough. The ball came rolling toward her side of the field, with a pair of Nidorans in pursuit. Zorua didn't want to chase after it; she really didn't want to be here at all, playing this dumb game while there was work to do. She needed to put on a show of enjoying it, though, or the others would start to wonder why she was here. She ran after the ball halfheartedly, careful to stay out of the Nidorans' way.

They played for a while, Zorua trying to her best to stay near the action without getting involved. The other team scored, then her team scored, and the other team again. Eventually someone kicked the ball off into the woods. While some of the others went off to find it, Zorua lay down in the shade. She hadn't been playing hard enough to need a break, but she didn't feel like helping search; besides, if they lost the ball, it would be a good excuse to quit, right?

Absol lay down nearby in the sun. Jolteon and Flareon joined them, both looking somewhat battered. Jolteon was favoring a forepaw which Rapidash had stepped on.

"Want to try out that Moonlight again?" Flareon asked.

"Sure," Absol said, getting up, "I'm not sure I can do it right now, but let's try. Can you guys sit together here?"

After a few days practice with Umbreon, Absol thought she was figuring it out, but so far she'd only been able to make it work at night, and only when she was calm. Right now, in the daylight and the excitement of the game, she didn't think she could draw on her energy in the sort of peaceful, relaxed way which Moonlight required.

The two Eeveelutions sat side by side in front of her, and Absol placed a forepaw on each of their foreheads. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to slow her breathing and heartbeat. She imagined the cool, silver light of the moon shining off of her fur like Umbreon had shown her, radiating out along her outstretched forelegs and flowing down over Flareon and Jolteon.

Absol could feel the pair of them there, still and trusting under her paws. She could feel the power inside her, waiting to be tapped. A Snarl or Dark Pulse would bring it out instantly, explosively, but that wasn't what she wanted right now. The energy wasn't inherently curative or injurious, it simply was, waiting inside her to be used.

No matter how hard she concentrated, Absol couldn't find the calmness she needed.

"I'm sorry," Absol said, opening her eyes, "I haven't quite got the hang of it yet."

"It's okay," Jolteon answered, "you've only been at it for a few days."

The three of them lay back down.

"What were you saying about Meadow Town, earlier?" Absol asked.

There was no reason not to tell them the whole story now, Zorua thought, except for her own involvement, but where to start?

"First," Zorua began, "Arcanine didn't attack Meadow Town; the Ice-types did. Arcanine rescued us-"

"Ice-types?" Absol asked intently.

"Yeah," Zorua said, "they were weird Pokémon that no one saw before. There were some shaped like a giant snowflake, and little black and orange triangle ones, and two that were also Ghost-type-"

Absol stood abruptly. Zorua flinched, thinking for a moment that Absol was angry.

"Would you come back to the manor with me?" Absol asked, "I think Team ACT and the others need to hear this."

"The manor?" Zorua was pretty sure she knew what Absol meant, but she didn't want to sound like she'd already been checking the place out.

"Team ACT's base," Absol explained, pointing across the valley, "it's that big earth and stone building on the hill."

What was Absol suddenly so excited about, Zorua wondered. Before the game, she'd seemed interested in Arcanine, and now it was the Ice-types. This would be the perfect opportunity to spy on Team ACT, and maybe even ask questions. It was exactly what she came here for, but it was too fast and easy. Zorua's instincts told her that this had to be a trap, that there was some other plot in motion here besides her own. She wanted to refuse, and demand explanations first.

"Um, sure," she said instead, "right now?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The manor felt dark and foreboding as she stepped through the large doorway, like entering a mystery dungeon. Inside, she paused a moment to allow her eyes to adjust. It wasn't nearly as dark inside as she had expected; windows at regular intervals around the outside wall allowed plenty of light into the room.

In the center of the large main room was a wooden frame almost as tall as the ceiling supporting two large bottles made of clear glass. The bottom bottle was upright, and the top inverted, and a slow stream of sand trickled down the narrow neck connecting them, forming a conical pile in the bottom bottle. Beside it, a Metang was pouring more sand into several smaller bottles, not yet mounted on their own frames. Zorua had no idea what any of it was for.

Absol led her through the curtain at the other side of the room and into the library. Zorua had never really been interested in reading, but it was still a pretty impressive collection; she hadn't know that many books even existed.

Two Pokémon were already in the room, a pair of Eevees. They were sitting on one of the room's several tables, surrounded by stacks of books. Zorua recognized them immediately; they'd been at the back of the group who attacked her and Arcanine on the shortcut.

"Hey guys," Absol greeted the pair, "Poochyena, this is Grey and Pink; they're Team Easy. Can you guys help me find everyone? Poochyena says the Cryogonals and some other Ice-types attacked Meadow Town."

There was something not quite right about how Grey moved, Zorua thought as Team Easy passed them on the way to the exit. Something very familiar; a biped's interpretation of how a quadruped should walk. Just like her mother, when she'd disguised herself as Sylveon.

Charizard was the first to arrive. He smiled and nodded to the two of them as he entered, then went to the stove and began to make tea. Tyranitar arrived next, with a basket full of Berries, then Xatu and Alakazam, and finally Team Easy returned with Delphox. Everyone seemed friendly enough, but it was still intimidating being in a room with so many strong Pokémon, especially Pokémon who might not be so friendly if they knew who she really was.

There were cushions and stuff scattered around the room, but Zorua didn't feel like relaxing right now. She sat on the floor near the stove as the others found places around her.

"Everyone's here," Absol said, "can you tell us what you were telling me earlier?"

Zorua began with waking up to fighting in the square in front of the lodge, and rushing out to help. That part was true. She filled in the details of what had happened inside the lodge based on what Riolu and Luxray told her afterward, since she had left to fetch Arcanine as soon as she saw that they were totally outmatched.

"…then Zorua and Riolu came back with Arcanine and they battled all the Ice-types. Mostly Arcanine 'cuz he's way stronger than everyone else."

It felt weird to talk about herself in third person, Zorua thought; she reminded herself that she wasn't Zorua now, she was Poochyena. There wasn't really a Poochyena in Meadow Town, but there could have been, and she could have been trapped in the lodge with the other Pokémon, and she could have really seen all those things.

"Zorua tried to wake up Treecko…but he…she…"

Her throat felt tight, and her eyes were stinging. No, she told herself, she wasn't going to break down in front of all these other Pokémon. She wasn't Zorua, Treecko's best friend, she was Poochyena. Poochyena was strong, and she wouldn't cry over some dead Grass-type.

"…he was…"

Zorua turned away. This wasn't something she could hide effectively with her illusion, any more than being dirty; she could hide her tears, but there was no way to disguise the breaks in her voice between breaths. Someday, when she was Zoroark, she would be able to do that.

Absol got off her cushion and sat beside her, not quite touching, but close enough that Zorua could feel her presence. Charizard got up and poured tea for everyone, a small bowl for her a a midsized bowl for Absol. There wasn't enough to go around, so he started another pot.

"So, um," Zorua continued, once she had recovered enough to speak clearly again, "Luxio sent them to rescue Bayleef from the rest of the Ice-types. We drug all the knocked-out Ice-types out of town and Audino healed everyone. The next day Arcanine and Zorua and Riolu and Bayleef came back."

"Why Meadow Town?" Delphox asked, "what did they want?"

She expected questions about Arcanine, not the Ice-types. Why did they care about that?

"They kept demanding something called an Orrery Fragment," Zorua said, "but I don't even know what that is."

But Arcanine does, Zorua wanted to add, thinking back to their conversation in Creepy Tunnel. It didn't seem like quite the right time for that, though; Poochyena wouldn't know what Arcanine knew, and anyway, she didn't know if Arcanine knew enough to be useful. He had know what the word meant and what the weird picture on the door was supposed to be, but he hadn't seemed to know anything about this orrery or door, specifically.

"A what fragment?" Delphox asked.

"Orrery Fragment," Zorua repeated, "I think they said it was something for astrology."

"Are you sure?" Absol asked, "Ninetales taught me some astrology, but I've never heard of that. Xatu?"

Xatu shook his head. "I think not, m'dear."

Pokémon looked at each other, but none of them had anything else to contribute.

"Are you certain you heard correctly?" asked Alakazam.

"Nope," she said flippantly, "I was busy bleeding all over the floor."

That shut them all up for a few seconds. A lie, but without Arcanine, it would have been true.

"Well, this gives us a new avenue of inquiry," Charizard broke the awkward silence, "since we've run out of places to search for Kyurem."

"And Darkrai," Tyranitar agreed.

They all talked for a while about Ice-types and the weather and mystery dungeons and some teams Zorua had never heard of. None of it made much sense to her, but she'd obviously stumbled into something important. Eventually, Xatu, Tyranitar, and Alakazam left, Alakazam with a stack of books floating ahead of him. Team Easy returned to their table, and Charizard went to the bookshelves at the far side of the room, leaving her her somewhat alone with Absol and Delphox.

"So what's so important about this weather stuff and Ice-types, anyway?" Zorua asked. She wanted to ask Absol what that blanket was for too, but she refrained. The two of them didn't know each other well enough yet to ask that kind of personal question without being rude; Absol could wear whatever she pleased, and it was no one else's business, even if Zorua had never seen a Pokémon wearing a blanket as a cape before.

Both Absol and Delphox looked at her in surprise.

"You don't know?" Absol asked.

"Know what?"

Absol turned to Delphox. "I know you sent the message to Meadow Town too, didn't you?"

Delphox nodded. "To, ah, Ralts, the Federation representative there. The Pelippers confirmed delivery of all those letters."

"I bet him and Bayleef and Snivy know, then," Zorua said, "but that doesn't help the rest of us."

"I'm sorry," Delphox said, "we all assumed that was why you were here."

Zorua shook her head.

"Okay," Absol said, "now it's my turn to tell a story, but let's get comfortable first."

Absol went to the pile of cushions by the stove and lay down, letting her blanket settle around her. Zorua found a place on the floor in front of her while Delphox poured more tea for the three of them.

"Five weeks ago," Absol began, "I lived on Mount Freeze with Mother and Ninetales. Ninetales is hundreds of years old, and very wise, and he knows more about astrology than anyone else, except maybe the Lord of the Stars himself. Pokémon travel thousands of kilometers to climb Mount Freeze and ask his counsel. Mother is a seer, just like her mother. There is a natural order to the world, and every Absol can feel in his horn when that order is disrupted, but we are particularly sensitive. For longer than anyone can remember, the first female in each generation of our line has lived on Mount Freeze…"

Absol must have told that story a lot in the last few weeks, Zorua thought. She had it down pretty smoothly, much better than her own retelling of the attack on Meadow Town. Zorua was only half listening, though, because she was already busy plotting. This was something really big, much more important than her and Arcanine and even a million Poké. The two of them had the information for which Team ACT had been searching for weeks, or at least she thought she could bluff that they did. Maybe this was going to be easier than she had expected.

"So, will you help us?" Absol asked eventually.

She couldn't just demand Arcanine back right now, Zorua thought; she didn't even know what he was supposed to know, yet.

"Sure," Zorua said, "but first I need to send a letter to someone competent in Meadow Town so they can prepare for this stuff."

Delphox frowned, and Zorua reminded herself that she needed to be polite to these people, at least for now.

"I can help with that," Delphox offered.

"Um, yeah. Thanks." Delphox probably just wanted to spy on her, Zorua thought, but she had hands, and it would be awkward to refuse.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So what are we doing?"

Absol looked up from her book to see Poochyena waiting in front of her.

"Team ACT has a whole lot of books about astronomy," Absol she explained, "hopefully we can find something about an orrery. Unfortunately, we've already been through most of these books looking for other clues."

"That doesn't sound fun," Poochyena said.

Absol sighed. "No, it's not. Delphox and Xatu and Alakazam and Espeon will spread the word to the Federation. We'll ask Mother and Ninetales, too. Whiscash might remember something; everyone will ask around. Right now, though, this is what we can do to help."

"Sorry," Poochyena said, "I totally wasn't expecting any of this."

"I know you don't want to think about it, but if you can remember anything else they said, anything at all that might be a clue…"

Poochyena nodded. "I'll try."

"Thank you," Absol said, "Charizard can find you some books to get started."

After Zorua left, Delphox sat down beside her on the cushions.

"She didn't come here to tell us about the Ice-types," Absol said quietly.

Delphox shook her head. "Most of the letter was your story, but she mentioned 'another job'. Obviously, it's not something she wants to tell us about."

"So the whole town really doesn't know what's happening?"

"It sound like there's some dispute in Meadow Town," Delphox said, "her story doesn't match at all with what Bayleef told Team ACT, and she's clearly hostile to both Bayleef and Ralts. Her letter seemed to imply that most of the town was."

"Why come here, though?"

Delphox raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer.

"Arcanine?" Absol suggested.

"I don't see what else," Delphox said, "if the Pokémon Team ACT met with aren't talking with the rest of the town, they may not know he had a bounty, or why we took him."

"We just kidnapped their hero."

Delphox nodded.

"What should we do?"

Delphox shrugged. "I don't think we need to do anything, yet. Let's wait and see how she handles it."

Zorua was sure that Absol and Delphox were talking about her; why else would they be whispering? She had talked a lot, and she couldn't really remember now all the things she had said. Had she said too much? Did they guess who she was? Zorua didn't know what would happen if they found her out. There wasn't a bounty on her, but Arcanine had seemed certain she was in danger too, when they were attacked on the shortcut. Arcanine might not be the best guide, though; he was a smart Pokémon, but he didn't seem to have the strongest grip on reality.

What if there was a bounty on her now, though? Bayleef probably got a share of the Poké from capturing Arcanine. He could make up a story about her, too. She was weak, so it probably wouldn't take much money. Bayleef wasn't smart enough to think of something like that, but Ralts and Snivy were. Maybe she should sneak out tonight, while everyone was asleep, instead of waiting to be captured in the morning like Arcanine had been.

She couldn't just leave, though; she wasn't going to get an opportunity like this again. She still didn't even know where Arcanine was. Also, they must be desperate to get so exited about this Orrery Fragment thing without even knowing what it was. She knew where to find it, and that gave her something to bargain with. She could play along for now, get them to trust her, then maybe she could make them an offer for Arcanine.

Charizard returned, placing several books in front of her.

"These should get you started," he said, "let us know if you need anything else."

"Thanks," Zorua answered. She already had another idea, though.

She needed something to draw with; it wouldn't be very good without hands, but maybe she could get the idea across. Absol and Delphox were still sitting together, but Delphox had left her clipboard and pencil on the table with her letter to Meadow Town. That would work.

Zorua jumped up on the table and took the pencil in her teeth. There had been a ball in the center, with a small circle around it; no, an oval. Her oval looked more like a Pecha berry missing a bite, but she figured it didn't really matter. Then there was a bigger oval, and a bigger one…

The sixth oval reached the edges of the paper. Zorua thought she remembered nine or ten of them, but six was close enough. All of the ovals need some smaller circles on them, and then some of the smaller circles needed their own small circles too. There wasn't room to draw all that on one page; the paper was already a mess.

Everyone in the room was watching her as she pulled another sheet off the clipboard and began to draw again. Zorua ignored them. It wasn't necessary to draw all the little circles on all the big ovals, she thought; one of them would be enough to explain what she meant. How many circles did each oval have? She was pretty sure there had been one exactly at the top and bottom, and left and right, and then one or two in between each of those. Hers didn't line up neatly like the ones on the door, but that was okay. By the time she finished, her jaws were cramping, and it was getting difficult to hold the pencil.

"What have you got there?" Absol asked, coming over to look at her drawing.

"It's, um, a picture they had," Zorua said, "there's a ball in the center, and ten ovals…"

The others gathered around as she explained. Pink jumped up on the table with her for a closer look, and Grey's illusion joined her. Pink circled the sketches several times, studying them from every angle.

"That's a mess," Pink declared eventually, "it doesn't look like anything."

Zorua couldn't disagree; it wasn't really recognizable. Pink was just bold enough to say what everyone was probably thinking.

Grey's ears dipped in embarrassment as Pink jumped down and walked away.

"I'm afraid I can't make much of it either," Delphox said.

"Pink has an amazing memory," Absol said, "when we identified the Cryogonals, she remembered just where she'd seen them in another book. That's what led us to Kyurem."

"Would you let Charizard help you re-draw it?" Grey suggested, "he's a decent artist. If Pink's seen it, she'll remember."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took them several hours, and several attempts, to get a drawing with which Zorua was satisfied. Charizard was incredibly patient with her, and if he hadn't just helped kidnap Arcanine, she would have thought he was a pretty good Pokemon. It wasn't the sort of quality one would find in a book, but it was much better than her own. By now it was dark, and Grey's illusion was up on the table next to her, holding the Luminous Orb to illuminate Charizard's work.

Delphox and Absol were still working, but Pink was curled up asleep on top of the open book she had been reading.

"Let's not wake her," Grey said, "she'll be too grumpy to help anyway."

That was just fine with her, Zorua thought; she was getting sleepy too.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Absol asked

Zorua hesitated. She didn't mind sleeping outdoors, so long as the weather wasn't too awful, and she still didn't feel comfortable around Team ACT, even if Charizard seemed nice. The last few days; however, since Arcanine's capture, had been the first time in years she had slept without other Pokémon nearby; herself, Riolu, and Treecko each in their corners of the common room in the lodge, or with Riolu in the storeroom after the attack, or with Arcanine. It was an uncomfortable feeling. It wasn't fear, or loneliness, it just made her more comfortable to have other Pokémon around, to be able to hear them breathing and smell their scents. Perhaps, she thought, it reminded her of the months she had spent alone in their cottage after her mother disappeared.

"I don't think Team ACT will mind if you stay here," Absol said when she didn't answer, looking to Charizard for confirmation, "there's some rooms at the front of the manor, or you can stay in the library like I am."

Charizard nodded in agreement. "The manor isn't really ours anyway. We're more...caretakers. Espeon and Umbreon are staying here too, and Metang from the Federation to look after the sandglasses."

"Um, thanks," Zorua said, "I guess I'll sleep in the library."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The click of claws across the wooden floor woke her early the next morning. Zorua raised her head to watch Absol slip through the curtain out of the library. Looking up through the windows, she could see the orange glow of sunrise just beginning to illuminate the sky. She yawned, wriggled over onto her back, and stared up at the ceiling. Arcanine would like this place, she thought. He seemed like the sort of Pokémon who would enjoy books and maps. Once he was free, she should bring him back here and show him before they returned to Meadow Town to deal with Bayleef and help everyone prepare for the cold time Absol said was coming.

Had she done all the right things yesterday? Everything happened so quickly after she and Absol started talking at the game. They'd invited her right into their base, and everyone was being friendly, and she hadn't even really had to lie, just leave out a few bits about who she was and why she was really here. It was exactly what she had wanted, but the ease with which it had all happened made her nervous.

She may as well get up, Zorua thought. She wasn't going to get back to sleep now, and maybe she could catch Absol alone and ask her about Arcanine.

Absol hesitated in the doorway, watching the fat, white flakes drift lazily to the ground. It was the kind of fluffy, perfect snow that only happened when the air was cold and dry. Back on Mount Freeze, before her dream, she wouldn't have hesitated to run outside to play and roll in it before it began to crust over in the sun.

No, she though, she wasn't going to let the cold stop her today. There was work to be done, a new lead to relieve everyone's frustration. Also, it was nice and warm in the manor, and she probably ought to stop letting the cold air in.

Absol heard light footsteps behind her, and turned to see Poochyena approaching.

"Morning," Poochyena greeted her jauntily, walking past her through the door without slowing.

Absol followed Poochyena outside, letting the door swing closed behind them. She couldn't decide whether her cheer was real or feigned.

"So, what are we doing today?" Poochyena asked.

"When Team Easy wake up, we'll see if Pink remembers your picture," Absol said, "before that, I need to visit Growlithe. I promised to see her last night, but after you told us about Meadow Town, I forgot. First, though, we should have breakfast."

Growlithe had probably stayed up late hoping that she would come, Absol thought. The injured Pokémon never said much, but seemed so exited every evening when she came to visit. With Team Mighty still out searching for Kyurem, Growlithe must be so bored up there alone in their hut, but she had declined all of Absol's invitations to help her down to town.

Balancing on her hindlegs beneath one of the shorter trees, Absol picked fresh Apples for the pair of them. Under the tree, there was only a light dusting of snow on the ground. The sun was warm and the absence of wind pleasant, and she determinedly ignored the sense of cold seeping from her horn.

Poochyena finished eating first. She sat there silently, nudging the core of her apple around with one paw and looking everywhere but at Absol. Absol took her time, hoping that Poochyena would take the opportunity to say whatever it was on her mind without further prompting.

"Would you like to visit Growlithe with me?" Absol eventually asked, "She's pretty shy, but I think she'd like to hear your story."

Poochyena finally turned to look at her, staring for a few seconds before answering, as if trying to decide whether it was a trap.

"Sure," Poochyena said, standing and stretching, "lets go."

Absol let them out of the courtyard and started along the trail toward Team Meanies' old base, with Poochyena following beside her, half a step behind.

"So, what happened to Arcanine?"

Delphox had been right, Absol thought; she was here for Arcanine. Where should she start the story? Poochyena must know that it was Team ACT who took him, but maybe not why or where. She didn't want to be too abrupt about accusing their protector of murder.

"They teleported him to Treasure Town; Team Magnezone was offering a bounty. They say that five years ago, he killed five Pokémon there."

That was a pretty big thing, Zorua thought; no wonder Arcanine hadn't wanted to talk about it. Did he even remember doing it, though? Five years ago was about when he claimed that his memory ended. Well, he must remember something, because he'd mentioned that Pokémon from Treasure Town were hunting him.

Something pretty extreme must have happened in Treasure Town, she thought. Arcanine wouldn't have just attacked them, he wasn't that kind of Pokémon. He had killed the Ice-type's leader in the lodge, and that little one in the bush, too, though Riolu and Luxray hadn't been able to tell if that one was intentional. Still, those had been pretty extreme circumstances. There was a good chance that the other Pokémon in Meadow Town would have decided to kill her anyway, after what she'd done to Luxray and Treecko. He hadn't been excessively rough any of the other times she'd seen him fight, even in Creepy Tunnel with the rest of the Ice-types. Thinking back, she couldn't even remember any other times he'd seemed angry.

"Who did he kill?"

"I don't know," Absol said, "Delphox and Team ACT said they remembered hearing about it, but they didn't know any of the details."

It could have been some sort of misunderstanding, Zorua thought. She didn't like the idea that he might have killed five Pokémon, even if they had started it.

"How do you know he really did it, then?"

Absol shrugged; this wasn't something that she wanted to argue with Poochyena about. "I'm sorry. I don't know."

That had sounded more accusatory than it should have, Zorua thought. None of this was Absol's fault; Absol was being really friendly, and she needed to try to return the courtesy; Absol wasn't just her best lead on getting Arcanine back, she also seemed like a really good Pokémon.

"What did they do to him in Treasure Town?"

"Aromatisse says Team Magnezone have enchanted cages made by Conkeldurr and Gurdurr that can't be broken by moves, and they'll keep him there a long time."

"They can't do that!" Zorua said, "even if he killed people five years ago, he's not a bad Pokémon now."

After meeting Arcanine, and hearing Zorua's story, Absol couldn't disagree, but she wasn't sure how to answer. They walked in silence for several minutes.

"Who's Growlithe?" Zorua asked eventually.

"She's Team Mighty's friend," Absol said, "her legs were hurt fighting bandits, and she can't walk much. I think she gets really lonely up there while Team Mighty is gone. I've been visiting every day, but she's too shy to come back to the manor with me."

The base smelled like Mightyena and Growlithe, but there was another scent too; the medicinal smell of alcohol and herbs. It was a familiar scent to Zorua, just like the potions that her mother used to make for sick or injured Pokémon.

Absol scratched at the wall beside the door. "Growlithe? It's Absol."

From within, Zorua could hear rustling, then a thud, then the clink of glass on glass.

"Who's 'ere," Growlithe's groggy voice called through the curtain.

"Absol," Absol repeated.

"C'm in."

"I brought a friend. Can she come in too?"

There was no immediate answer, but she could hear someone moving inside. Eventually, Growlithe's muzzle peeked out around the side of the curtain to stare at them sleepily. After a minute, she withdrew without answering. Interpreting Growlithe's silence as assent, Absol led the way inside.

Growlithe was facing away from them as she limped back the bed, giving Zorua a clear view of her legs. Zorua stared in surprise for several seconds. When Absol had said that they were hurt, she had thought Absol meant a fresh injury from battling, but this was something else; the wounds were long since healed over, but the lower pair of bones in both Growlithe's hindlegs has set at the wrong angle. Zorua's stomach turned just looking at them. The smell of the potions was much stronger in here, but it didn't disguise the scent of pain.

While Growlithe wasn't looking, Zorua bent down to sniff the mouth of one of the empty bottles on the floor. It was strong stuff, she thought, licking some of the sticky residue from the opening; not a healing potion, but a potion for pain.

Growlithe turned around to face them, sitting down on the bed.

"This is Poochyena," Absol introduced her, "She came from Meadow Town to tell us about Arcanine and the Ice-types who attacked them.

"Team Mighty caught him," Growlithe said proudly. She wasn't looking at either of her guests; she stared up at the ceiling, eyes not quite focused. Absol didn't seem to notice, but it was obvious to Zorua that Growlithe had been taking far too much of her potions.

"They should have killed him," Growlithe continued, "that's the only way to stop bad Pokémon."

"I don't think -" Absol began to object.

Zorua nudged her rump against the larger Pokémon's ribs, cutting her off. Under the circumstances, she didn't think arguing with Growlithe was going to get them anywhere; it was an emotional response, not a logical one; she was certain Growlithe had ample reason to hate bandits.

None of them spoke for a few uncomfortable moments. Neither Zorua nor Growlithe seemed inclined to continue the conversation, so Absol decided it was up to her.

"Would you like to hear Zorua's story?"

After a brief hesitation, Growlithe nodded.

This time, she didn't begin with the attack on Meadow Town; she began a month earlier, when she'd first seen the strange Ice-types in the valley north of town. Absol and Growlithe both listened intently as she told about her escape, and getting lost in Haunted Forest, and her rescue by Arcanine that night. Growlithe began to get restless, thought, as Zorua told about spending the next day talking and napping with Arcanine on the ledge outside the cave.

"You should have run away," Growlithe said abruptly.

"He was really nice," Zorua said, "and I didn't know he had a bounty. Besides, there was nowhere to go but back into the dungeon."

Growlithe turned away. Zorua didn't know whether she was still listening, but Absol was, so she continued.

"Well, so, we both slept in his cave again, and in the morning, he showed me how to get back to Meadow Town without going through Haunted Forest. He said if I came back another time, he'd take me to a mystery dungeon."

Zorua continued, through their trip to Sinister Woods and Grassy Marsh, and the same version of the battle at Meadow Town she had told Absol and the others before.

"That doesn't make him a good Pokémon," Growlithe said without looking at either of them, "he still killed people."

"You're from Treasure Town, aren't you?" Absol asked, "do you know what happened there?"

Growlithe shook her head. "I wasn't there that long. Team Mighty was, though. They hunted him last time. If they say he's a bad Pokémon, then he is."

With anyone else, Zorua would have wanted to argue; Growlithe seemed so helpless despite her aggressive attitude that it just didn't seem fair.

"We should head back to the manor and see whether Team Easy has found anything," Absol said, "can we come back tomorrow evening?"

Growlithe nodded. Zorua and Absol turned to leave.

"Wait," Growlithe said.

Absol and Zorua turned around in the doorway. Growlithe stood and began to gather the empty bottles on the floor back into Aromatisse's bag.

"Would you ask Aromatisse to make me some more? I don't think I can wait till Team Mighty returns. I don't have any money, but it they'll pay for it when they get back..."

It was a simple request, but Growlithe's voice was pleading and desperate. She absolutely hated having to ask for help, Zorua thought.

"Of course," Absol said, taking the bag from her.

"Five bottles," Zorua said as they started back toward town, "how long did it take her to drink all that?"

Absol thought for a moment. "I brought them the day Arcanine was here, so six days, I guess."

"Six days?" That was even worse than she had thought. "Absol, a bottle of that stuff would knock out Tyranitar for a day. If she keeps doing that, she's going to kill herself. Who's making this for her? Does he even know how much she's taking?"

"Aromatisse makes it," Absol said, "I don't think she even knows who it's for; Team Mighty just brought her the recipe from Blissey in Treasure Town. The Mighties…they don't communicate very well, and I don't think Growlithe has left the clearing around the hut since they've been here."

"Well, we need to talk to Aromatisse. Growlithe needs to talk to Aromatisse."

"You saw her legs," Absol said, "they must hurt so much. She just needs it until she heals." Absol found herself defending Growlithe, and she wasn't sure why.

"Her legs aren't going to just heal!" Zorua heard her voice getting louder. They weren't far from the hut yet, and Growlithe might hear her from here, but Zorua didn't care. "It must have taken her months to build up a tolerance like that."

"What else can we do, Poochyena? We can't just let her suffer."

"We're going to get her more," Zorua said, "but first, we're going to make sure she understands what she's doing to herself."

"Poochyena, wait!"

Zorua wasn't waiting; she was already headed back toward the hut at a trot. Absol followed.

Zorua didn't scratch or announce herself, just pushed through the curtain. She was sure Growlithe had heard her by now anyway. Absol followed her in, still uncertain whether she was trying to stop or support Poochyena. Growlithe looked up to glare and growl at them as they entered. Zorua took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"Growlithe, I'm sorry, but we need to talk, okay?"

Growlithe didn't answer.

"My mother was an apothecary. I watched her make all kinds of potions for years. I wish I had paid more attention and learned from her when I had the chance, but I know enough to know that's some really strong stuff, and the kind of dose you're taking just isn't safe."

"It's mostly Pecha and Oran juice," Growlithe said, "that makes it safe."

"Sleep Seed and Soothe Seed and Totter Seed and Vile Seed powders dissolved in Pecha and Oran wine," Zorua said, "Growlithe, when you use Sleep and Totter Seeds every day you get resistant to them. When you started, you didn't need much, right? Just a couple sips a day?"

Growlithe nodded.

"And now you need, like, a whole bottle a day?"

Growlithe nodded again.

"Growlithe, the more you use, the worse it's going to get. You get resistant to the good effects, stopping the pain and making you worry less, but it's still poisonous, and the Pechas aren't perfect. Eventually you're going to take so much that you just don't wake up, if the Vile Seeds don't poison you first."

Growlithe sighed, head dropping in defeat, and Zorua could see tears beginning to form in her eyes. She had already known all that, Zorua thought, or suspected it, she just tried not to think about it.

"Poochyena, I need them. You don't understand how much it hurts."

"No," Zorua agreed, "I don't, and I'm not saying you have to stop; you can cut back, a little at a time, try different combinations so you're not as resistant."

"We're going to bring you some more potions as quick as we can," Absol said, "but I really do think Aromatisse could help you. She's a really nice Pokémon, and she know a lot. We could get someone to carry you, or bring Aromatisse up here..."

"Its worse when you're alone, too, isn't it?" Zorua asked, thinking back to the months she'd lived alone in the cottage near Meadow Town after her mother disappeared, "when Team Mighty is gone? There's nothing to do, so you think about it all the time?"

Growlithe nodded.

"I've only been in Pokémon Square for a day, but everyone seems pretty nice. You could come visit Absol while they're gone."

Zorua looked to Absol for confirmation, and Absol nodded in agreement.

"No one will mind if you stay at the manor," Absol said, "You could even have your own room, with a door, and no one would bother you if you want to be alone."

Growlithe looked like she was considering it, Zorua though, but she was too proud to just agree. They had said enough to get her thinking; push her too far and she would refuse out of stubbornness.

"Just think about it, okay?" Zorua said, "we'll go ask Aromatisse for your potions right now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the two of them entered the manor, Pink dashed out of the library to meet them.

"I fooooooound it! I fooooooound it! I fooooooound it!" Pink chanted, jumping in circles around Absol and Poochyena as they walked.

"That's great!" Absol said.

Grey and Delphox were waiting for them at one of the tables, piles of papers spread in front of them. Absol sat beside them, and Zorua jumped up on the table for a closer look. Charizard's sketch and a faded illustration on a loose piece of paper lay side by side.

"That's it," Zorua confirmed. The door didn't look like the one in Creepy Tunnel, but the picture on it was the same, as close as she could remember.

Absol read aloud the caption at the bottom of the page. "The Door at the Heart of Temple Ruins, Rumored to Contain the Fragment of the Great Orrery of Palkia."

"Unfortunately," Delphox said, "this is all we have. It's a page from the journal of Armaldo the Explorer, but all of the nearby pages are missing."

"How did you find it?" Absol asked, "this wasn't part of our research."

Pink was sitting beside her on the table, grooming her ears and looking quite proud of herself. Grey looked slightly embarrassed.

"No," Grey said, "it wasn't." He hesitated.

"Three years ago, I found an egg in Forgotten Woods. I'd never seen an egg in a mystery dungeon before; as far as we know, ferals don't reproduce, so I took it with me. Pink hatched that night."

Pink continued to groom, apparently totally unaware that she was now the subject of discussion.

"She didn't look or act like a feral, but she wouldn't talk, just 'Eevee' noises. I thought it might help if she heard other Pokémon talk, so I brought her here and read to her. I'm not sure how much she understood, but she enjoyed the pictures. This was one of the first things we read."

That could explain Pink's odd behavior, Absol thought. Pokémon who stayed too long in mystery dungeons began to lose their intelligence and sanity, and eventually went feral and became unable to leave. Sometimes Pokémon were rescued before going completely feral, but they never fully recovered.

"I don't think I've heard of Temple Ruins," Absol said.

"Neither have we," Delphox said, "or Team ACT. I'll put the word out to the Federation this afternoon though; someone may know where it is."

This wasn't fair, Zorua though. They weren't supposed to just find it somewhere else without her help; if they did, she was going to lose her only leverage. It was called a fragment; that meant there was more than one piece, right? Maybe they needed all of them to make them work, like with the Time Gears. Either way, it was time to make her move.

"Absol," Zorua said, "I have an idea. Can we talk outside?"

"So this Orrery thing is really important?" Zorua asked. They were both sitting on one of the benches in the courtyard now, after Zorua had brushed off the snow.

"I think it could be," Absol said, "if it's really an artifact of the Lord of the Stars, it could be something very powerful, like the Time Gears."

"And if bad Pokémon found it first, that would be really bad?"

"It could be. We don't know what it does, yet."

"And if it's called a fragment, that means there's more than one piece, right?"

Absol considered for a moment, then nodded. "That's reasonable."

"And the other pieces might be in different dungeons…"

Absol nodded again.

Zorua shifted nervously; even if they'd just met yesterday, Absol already seemed like a friend. She knew she didn't have the confidence to demand what she wanted from Team ACT directly; she felt guilty about forcing Absol to intermediate, but there wasn't another option.

"Absol, um, I lied to you all a little bit before."

Absol turned to face her, expression neutral.

"That thing with all the circles wasn't a picture they had. It was on the door in the mystery dungeon where me and Arcanine rescued Bayleef."

"You know where it is?" Absol jumped up, suddenly excited. "We have to tell Team ACT right now! They can send a team out this afternoon when they contact Ralts. We-"

"Wait," Zorua interrupted, "there's something else. I didn't come here for the weather thing…"

Absol waited, already knowing what Zorua was going to say.

"Absol, I know this is really important, and I want to help, but I came here to get Arcanine back. He saved my whole town, and he's my friend."

"Team ACT will have to talk to Team Magnezone," Absol said, "and to all the other teams who've been promised a share. It might take them a while to figure it out. We need to start on this right away."

Zorua shook her head. "Absol, I, um, I can tell you're a good Pokémon, but Team ACT kidnapped my friend for money. They didn't even ask what happened, or try to talk to us first. I already told you most of what I know, and I'm not saying anything else till I have Arcanine. If this is as important as everyone says, they'll have to find a way."

Absol sat back down. Poochyena's position wasn't unreasonable, she thought, but Alakazam wasn't going to like it at all. Having to bring Arcanine back would be an admission that he had been wrong, and Alakazam hated to be contradicted. Also, he'd already promised a lot of Poké to the other teams who had helped capture Arcanine, and to cover the expenses of the teams who had been searching for Kyurem and Darkrai, and if he couldn't collect the rest of the bounty from Team Magnezone, he wouldn't be able to pay. She was sure Grey and Aromatisse and Team Mighty would understand, but what would Team Hydro and Dragon and Raiders and Razor Wind think?

Absol didn't like it either, but for entirely different reasons. They had spent a month of research in Team ACT's library with nothing to show for it. A month of all those teams traveling and exploring mystery dungeons for some sign of Kyurem or Darkrai. The weather was getting worse. How much time did they have left? How much time would it take to convince Team Magnezone to return Arcanine? She was sure Alakazam would be able to reason with them eventually, but they finally had a solid lead, and she wanted to do something right now.

Poochyena was still sitting beside her, not quite staring at her, but not looking away, waiting for her to reach a decision. Poochyena was a good Pokémon too, even if she'd deceived them a little. She'd cared enough to go back and talk to Growlithe, even though it had done nothing to further her real mission here. Absol didn't necessarily approve of how confrontational Poochyena had been, but Poochyena had gotten through Growlithe's stubbornness and the haze of her medicine, where she had failed.

"Poochyena, you're sure it's there?"

Zorua wasn't sure of that at all; all she knew was the picture on the door. She didn't want to keep lying to Absol, but neither did she want to cast doubt on her own story.

"I'm….Absol, I'm not; we saw the picture on the door, just like the one in the book, but we didn't know how to open it. Those Ice-types were sure though, sure enough to come all the way to Meadow Town from where ever and attack us.

"Alright," Absol said, "let's go find Team ACT."