Book 2 Chapter 3: Temple Ruins
Several readers recently have mentioned not liking the frequent perspective changes, so I'm trying something different this chapter; one perspective per scene.
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The sky was heavy with stormclouds the next morning when they returned to Pokémon Square, and the wind bitingly cold. Their excursion to Treasure Town had gone as well as he could have hoped, Arcanine thought, but somehow it didn't feel like a victory. All he wanted to do was curl up somewhere warm with his team and sleep for a day or two, but he didn't think that was going to be an option; probably not for a long time.
No one asked how their mission had gone. Xatu or Mewtwo had probably already briefed Alakazam, and the condition of Electrike and the four other prisoners who had chosen to return with them forestalled any further questions about whether he had been right or wrong.
Their gathering quickly moved into the warmth of the manor. Delphox and Espeon sat side by side at one of the tables, eyes closed in concentration, and and several other Pokémon were working around the room.
"Kangaskhan's has been filling up with refugees," Tyranitar said as Team Warmth, Team ACT, Mewtwo and the former prisoners gathered around an unoccupied table, "but there's still some room, if you all need a place to stay."
Electrike pressed against his foreleg, her request silent but obvious; Team Warmth were already friends, and she didn't want to be sent away with strangers in a strange town. She seemed like a capable Pokémon, or would be when her strength returned, and didn't need looking after, but he would feel better having her nearby as well. Still, Arcanine thought, it would be less awkward if Zorua or Absol suggested it first.
"Electrike, would you like to stay with us?" Absol offered, then looked around to Tyranitar and the rest of the team. "If that's alright with everyone.
"Of course she's staying with us," Zorua immediately agreed.
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"Just a moment," Delphox said as they turned to lead Electrike into the library, "Zorua, I'm in contact with Braixen in Meadow Town; Lucario would like to speak with you."
"Oh." A dozen horrible scenarios raced through Zorua's mind. The Ice-types had attacked again, and Lucario was badly injured, or Luxray's family, or Braixen. She dismissed them; if there was an emergency, Delphox would be calling for Alakazam and Mewtwo to join, not her. "Is everything okay?"
Delphox nodded, smiling slightly. "I think you'll considered this good news."
Zorua took Mewtwo's Ring Target from Absol. She expected to feel something as she slipped it on, but nothing happened. "I've never done this before," she admitted, "what do I do?"
Delphox patted the empty bench beside her, and Zorua jumped up next to her and sat down. Delphox's hand rested gently between her ears.
"Now, close your eyes," Delphox instructed.
Zorua did.
"Good. Now try to relax."
Everything was darkness. It wasn't a frightening sort of darkness, though, but the warm, comfortable kind, like snuggling under a blanket. While she couldn't see or hear or smell Delphox, she could feel her presence. They were under the same figurative blanket, she supposed.
#Are you alright?# Delphox asked.
"Yeah," Zorua confirmed, "this is kinda weird."
It wasn't really that dark. She could still see the lobby of the manor around her, and feel Delphox's hand on her head and the solid plank of the bench under her paws.
#It is, the first time. Try not to see the outside; just stay under the blanket with me. Just a moment...here they are.#
Zorua felt two more presences nose under the blanket with them. One of them was...
#Zorua?#
Filtered through Braixen and Delphox, the voice was still clearly Lucario's.
"Lucario!" she answered excitedly.
Though she couldn't see it, she could feel his smile like a warm sense of contentment.
#See? You've been missing out as a Dark-type. How are things going in Pokémon Square?#
"Okay, I guess. There's so much to do; it's kinda scary. I miss you."
#I miss you too.#
Zorua could almost feel his strong arms around her. She didn't know how to respond, but she imagined her head tucked under Lucario's muzzle and focused on the sensation as hard as she could.
#I feel it,# Lucario said, #thank you.#
Zorua let the image go. "That's not why you wanted to talk, is it."
#No,# Lucario said, #I know it's not much compared to everything you're dealing with there, but I thought you'd like to know. Bayleef has officially retired as mayor. The first thing Chikorita did was ask Luxray to be his second; the two of them are getting on quite well.#
"That's great!" Zorua said. There had never been any question about who would eventually replace Bayleef, she supposed, but Bayleef had been mayor her whole life, and she'd never seriously considered anyone else in his place. "Hey, if Bayleef and the Orrery are both gone, Luxray doesn't need you any more, right? That means you can join us!"
#Maybe,# Lucario said, #I'd like to. I've discussed it with Luxray, and we both agree that there's still a problem; we don't know whether those Ice-types know it's not here any more.#
"Oh," Zorua said, "I didn't think about that."
#Unfortunately, unless we see them again, there's no way to be sure.#
"I guess not," Zorua agreed, disappointed. "Hey, Absol and Arcanine are here, too. Do you want to talk to them too?"
#I'd like to talk longer,# Lucario said,#but this isn't easy for Braixen and Delphox. We should let them rest.#
"Oh, right." She'd almost forgotten that there were two other Pokémon in the blanket with them. "Lucario...you know I love you, right?"
#I know. I love you too.#
Zorua could still feel Lucario's arms around her as Delphox lifted the blanket and she found herself blinking back in the manor.
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The mood was unusually somber, Absol thought, as Team Warmth, Team ACT, Electrike, Delphox, and Mewtwo filed into the library a few minutes later.
Umbreon and Team Easy were already there, the three of them sitting around the same table where they had been working on their translation of Instruments of Creation.
Lopunny, Gardevoir, and Medicham of Team Charm, and Gallade, Rhyperior, and Roserade of Team Raiders were present as well, sitting and laying on the floor in front of the stove. Tyranitar arrived last, with a bag of Apples, which he passed out to the assembled Pokémon.
"I'm sure the three of you would like some rest," Alakazam began, looking at Arcanine, herself, and Zorua in turn, "but I'm afraid we haven't time. We've arranged for you to teleport to Relic Town tomorrow morning for another attempt at Temple Ruins. We had planned to send Team Razor Wind with you, but since they're not available, Team Raiders has volunteered to join you and Team Charm instead."
Absol looked around at her team, and then at the assembled Pokémon. The fight with Team Magnezone hadn't been that hard. She was already recovered from their exertions on Mount Mistral, and Zorua looked ready to go as well. Arcanine had the same worn down look he'd had in Obsidian Village, as if he hadn't had most of two days to rest since then.
It was a look he shared with Mewtwo, though neither of them was as ragged as Alakazam. It had to be worry at least as much as exertion, Absol thought. While it had been her vision which began their work, those three bore the burden now. Managing the crisis was so far beyond her capability that she was just another explorer and researcher.
As much as she wanted to suggest that they all did need a day to rest, she didn't think it would help; Arcanine, Alakazam and Mewtwo would spend it worrying instead of resting, and then they'd be a day further behind and still exhausted.
According to all the stories Absol could remember, Team Charm and Team Raiders were two of the most experienced teams in the world. She and Zorua weren't very strong, but Arcanine could probably defeat most professional teams by himself. Still, four teams hadn't been able to make it through last time; would the nine of them be enough now? Beside her, Zorua seemed to have the same thought.
"Is that enough?" Zorua asked, "and who's gonna rescue us if we get stuck?"
"I believe your team and Team Raiders each have an Escape Orb," Alakazam said, "so there should be no need for a rescue. As to the first question..."
Alakazam gestured toward Lopunny, who was stretched out in front of the stove with her head in Medicham's lap and her oversized feet propped up on a cushion. She sat up.
"We made it pretty far ourselves, last time," Lopunny said, "Hydro, Dragon, and Mighty took longer to cover the same distance because they had to stop and search every side corridor for us. It won't be easy, but I think we can do it together."
"There aren't three better teams for this," Medicham continued, "We've explored more dungeons than anyone except maybe Team ACT. Raiders are all expert fighters, and you three have dealt with these things twice already."
Lopunny and Medicham were right, she supposed; other that herself and Zorua, they were all strong, experienced Pokémon. Everyone else was busy with other important tasks. Besides, there were some things she wanted to ask Gardevoir about, and this would be a good opportunity.
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Zorua was in the courtyard after dinner that evening as Grey and Pink were leaving for a walk. She had been wanting to talk with Grey for a while. There were questions she could only ask another Zorua or Zoroark, and since her mother had disappeared, she'd had no one to ask. Even if everyone at the manor already knew what Grey was, though, it wasn't something her species just discussed in public.
"Can I join you guys?" Zorua asked as they passed.
Grey and Pink looked at each other. "Sure!" Pink said cheerfully, and Grey nodded.
They left the courtyard and started up the trail which ran around the hillside outside Pokémon Square. It was the trail the watch patrolled.
Tyranitar was supervising the watch, now that he was back, with Growlithe's help. She was actually pretty good at planning and organization, most of the time, when she was sober. Just as importantly, it was an opportunity for her to contribute; both a reason to remain sober, and a distraction from her pain.
"Something you wanted to talk about?" Grey asked after a few minutes.
Zorua hesitated; it was a pretty personal question, and even if they were living and working together, she still knew very little about Grey.
"It's okay," Grey encouraged, "ask anything."
"Okay," Zorua said, "everyone knows you're really Zoroark, right?"
"Mostly." Grey nodded.
"So, why are you Eevee all the time? Isn't it a lot of work?"
"Pink likes it," Grey answered immediately. It was a reflexive response, Zorua thought, not a considered answer; he had probably gotten the same question a lot. "It's easier for us to talk."
"Oh." Zorua had hoped for more than that.
"Sorry," Grey sighed and looked over at her. "That wasn't a good answer. Pink does like it, but that's not why."
The three of them walked side by side in silence for a few more minutes. Grey was in the center, and she and Pink left enough space on either side for his real body. She didn't push any further; Grey would answer when he was ready, or not. What did the two of them look like from up there, Zorua wondered. Was Grey looking ahead, or down at them?
"It's not something I would try to explain to anyone else," Grey said, "but I think you'll understand. When was the last time you used your illusion?"
"Yesterday," Zorua answered immediately, "fighting Team Magnezone."
"Hmm. And before that?"
Zorua thought for a moment. "When I got here, and I was Poochyena."
"So a month and a half," Grey said, "and you haven't used it at all? Your most powerful ability?"
Zorua shook her head. There was nothing obviously judgmental about the question, or Grey's tone, but for some reason it made her feel defensive.
"Why not?"
It was her turn not to answer immediately. She hadn't needed it, since they'd only been fighting ferals. There was no use in looking like a different Pokémon, because a feral would attack anything. While that was a true answer, it wasn't a complete answer. She hadn't wanted to use it, had wanted to be herself, since the fight in Meadow Town. Why?
She hadn't needed her illusions once everyone in Meadow Town learned who she was, either; she'd used them by habit, or to trick people, or just because it was fun to look like someone else. What was different now?
"Well," Zorua said eventually, "I want everyone to know I'm me. I had to hide as Eevee for years. Then, after mom disappeared, I mostly used it to be mean. I don't want to do that any more. I, uh, I don't want to do things that I want people to blame on someone else."
Grey nodded. "It's something similar for me," he said, "I wasn't a good Pokémon. It's natural for us, I think; our illusions give us a sense of anonymity which lets us think we can get away with things. For a while, we can, but only by not letting anyone else get close to us."
The three of them moved off the road as Rapidash and Machop approached with a wagonload of lumber. "Evening!" Rapidash greeted them with a puff of flame as he and Machop slowed to pass.
Machop waved, and the three of them waved back.
"Finding Pink forced me to reevaluate," Grey continued once the wagon had passed, "I wasn't happy, and I didn't want her to live like I had. I wanted her to have a home, and friends, and respect. It does take a lot of effort to be Eevee. It's a constant reminder that things are different now."
Zorua didn't know what to say. But, she thought, Grey wasn't expecting an answer, because he already knew that she understood. They walked in friendly silence for silence for several more minutes.
"Grey?" Zorua asked.
"Hmm?"
"Could I see you? Like, real you?"
"Of course," Grey agreed immediately.
A ripple of purple light, and he was walking beside her as Zoroark. Pink gave no indication that she noticed the change. Grey was older than she had expected. His fur and mane were streaked with grey, and dozens of scars scattered across his body. Still, he moved with an impressive confidence and grace. He was a strong Pokémon, she though; not as strong as Arcanine, but with his illusions, he could have been a very formidable opponent.
Zorua leaned in close and took a deep breath. There was nothing particularly familiar about his scent. She hadn't expected there would be; their species wasn't uncommon, and she didn't even know whether her father had been a Zoroark.
"You don't know anything about my mother, do you?"
Grey shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Zorua said, "I didn't think so either."
Grey smiled down at her. Another shimmer of purple, and he was Eevee again, innocent and unassuming. The three of them continued on. They passed several other people, and stopped briefly to chat with the evening watch.
"Can I still ask anything?" Zorua asked, once they were alone again.
Grey nodded.
"You don't like to go down in town, do you."
"No," Grey said simply.
"Why not?"
"Because they're mean," Pink answered instead.
"Pink doesn't like that story," Grey said, "but ask Charizard sometime; he'll tell you."
She was going to be like that some day, Zorua thought as she left Grey and Pink in the courtyard and walked back to the library to rejoin her own team; strong and confident and clever, but quiet and unobtrusive so everyone would underestimate her. Just like Grey. Just like her mother would have been if she hadn't needed to hide. That was how a Zoroark should be.
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There were five of them when they finally settled down in the library that night. She was making progress with Mewtwo, Absol thought; he no longer needed encouragement to curl up with her and allow himself to be groomed. She could feel his muscles relaxing rather than tensing now under her paws and tongue. He no longer struggled in his sleep, either, when they were all sleeping together.
Zorua, despite her previous objections, wriggled in next to her. She braced her back against Arcanine and began to knead Mewtwo's neck with all four paws.
You couldn't really know a Pokémon until you slept with him, Absol thought. Someone, somewhere, had hurt Mewtwo very badly. During the day he was confident and strong, but at night he still curled up tightly, like a frightened cub, even thought she knew it was warm enough in the manor for all the others to be comfortable.
Last night, in Team Magnezone's base, Electrike had slept in the middle of their pile. Tonight, she curled up at the edge of the cushions with her chin on her forepaws, and her shoulder against Arcanine's outstretched paw. It was close enough to be comfortably together, but far enough to make it clear that she didn't quite consider herself part of the group.
That was reasonable, Absol thought; Electrike still had her own team, somewhere out there. Several of the Pokémon who had spent the night with them in Treasure Town had agreed that Lycanroc and Glameow had escaped Team Magnezone when she was captured.
Her blanket, unneeded in the comfort of the manor and their shared warmth, rose in the pink glow of Mewtwo's Psychic and settled gently across Electrike's back.
Electrike raised her head and yawned. "Thanks," she mumbled sleepily.
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The ruins spread out for kilometers around them. There were thousands of them, ranging from a few scattered blocks, to overgrown mounds the size of houses, to a few mostly-collapsed structures larger than the mansion and stadium back on Cinnabar. Every one of them was built from large blocks of the same light grey stone. The stone and snow seemed to blend together, and often Arcanine couldn't pick out precisely where a structure ended and a drift began.
"Most of the dungeon is inside," Lopunny explained as they walked, "there must be hundreds of miles of corridors of this stone. The upper levels have windows, but they're not really windows to anything; the light comes in like sunlight, always the same, but if you try to look out, it's just, well, empty."
"How can it be just empty?" Zorua asked, "There has to be something there."
"You'll see what I mean." Lopunny shrugged. "Below that, there are tunnels in the ceiling with light from above. It gets slowly darker, the deeper you go. We must have gone down fifty-some flights of stairs; that's why we couldn't just bring a wagon..."
At least Temple Ruins wasn't as difficult to reach as Mount Mistral had been, Arcanine thought. The two-wheeled cart he was pulling rattled along the ancient cobblestone road behind him, and Lopunny had to speak loudly to be heard. It contained, in theory, all of the parts they would need to assemble a sturdy four-wheeled wagon once they reached the final room.
Creepy Tunnel and Mount Mistral had both been laid out in a manner which facilitated removing their spheres. The first had the largest corridors he had seen in an interior mystery dungeon, and they were just large enough to accommodate a vehicle and the largest sphere. The exit from the treasure room in Mount Mistral had been just large enough to fit a vehicle and it's sphere. Two dungeons could be chance; if Temple Ruins followed the same pattern, that implied intentional design. Why, and by whom?
"Haxorus the Wanderer claims in Dungeons of the South that some of the lowest levels have torches in the walls that never burn out." Lopunny was still talking; Arcanine didn't know how much he'd missed. "He documented at least eighty-four levels, including several courtyards and the treasure room."
A freestanding stone arch rose across the road ahead of them, the most intact structure they had seen so far. Arcanine had been in enough mystery dungeons to guess what it was.
"This is the entrance," Gardevoir announced.
Gallade and Gardevoir unhitched him from the cart before they entered, packed the harness, and replaced it with a wooden yoke that hung across his shoulders. It wasn't nearly as comfortable to pull, but he could duck in and out quickly without assistance. If Temple Ruins was going to be as difficult as they expected, he would need to fight alongside the others without the hindrance of his cargo.
Xatu, and Murkrow, Pidgey, and Swellow of Team Flighty, swooped low over their column, circled, and came to perch in a row atop the arch.
"Be careful," Xatu called down, "we shall await your return!"
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Absol stepped through the arch behind Team Raiders. For an instant, her stomach lurched and she felt as if she were falling incredibly fast. The sensation was over before she could react, as always, and she was standing in a well-lit corridor of grey stone about two meters wide and three tall. There was no time for further observation, as Gallade and Rhyperior were already fighting an Onix beside her.
She hurriedly ducked its lashing tail. Gallade and Rhyperior weren't pressing their attack, but retreating, leading their serpentine opponent away from the entry point. She wasn't likely to land a decisive hit from behind, Absol thought, with its tail in the way, and if she attacked now, she would be turning it back toward Arcanine and Zorua as they entered.
A flurry of Razor Leaves from Roserade whipped around Onix's head. They did little damage, but distracted it long enough for Rhyperior to land a solid Smack Down. Onix's long body crashed thunderously to the stone floor.
"You guys started without us?" Zorua asked in mock complaint behind her.
Now that it was over, she had time to look around. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made of the same blocks of grey stone they had seen in the ruins outside, only here they looked clean and freshly cut, while outside they had been weathered and overgrown.
In either direction from here, the hall ran straight, far enough that she couldn't see either end. The wall to her right, facing the way she'd entered, was lined with windows, about five meters apart, each casting a bright rectangle of sunlight on floor. They'd been traveling roughly westward, outside, which would have made that the north wall; they must have gotten turned around as they entered. Along the left wall, she could see several corridors branching off from their own.
Zorua ran to the nearest window and jumped up on the sill to stare outside. "That's creepy," she announced after several seconds.
Absol joined her, standing up with her forepaws on the sill. At first, the light was all she could see. As her eyes adjusted, she could see that the light wasn't shining in from outside; instead, it appeared to emanate from the glass itself. Beyond, where there should have been sky and the sun, there was only darkness.
She shivered, remembering the endless empty sky in her dream. This was something similar, but it somehow lacked the terrifying sensation of infiniteness she remembered.
Without turning her gaze from the window, she felt Arcanine's flank press against her shoulder, and heard the rustle and footsteps as the others gathered around.
The space outside the window wasn't completely empty. As she stared, a faint red light moved at the edge of her vision. She glanced toward it, but it was already gone. Something else moved, and again, but each time she tried to focus, it slipped away from her.
"There's something out there," Zorua said almost whispered, as if she was afraid that it would hear her.
Absol nodded silently in agreement.
"Don't see it," Arcanine said.
"Maybe it's best if we don't," Absol said.
The almost-movement outside was mesmerizing. Absol pulled her gaze from the window with difficulty and stepped back. The window was full of warm sunshine again, and she felt instantly warmer.
"Yeah," Zorua agreed, jumping down beside her, "lets not break any windows, guys. Whatever's out there, I don't want to let it in."
Roserade withdrew a sandglass from his bag and looped its lanyard around his neck. He tapped it several times, made a note in his journal then let it hang.
The main corridor made a large square around the perimeter of the floor. Sunlight shone in from the creepy not-windows in all four directions; the uniform light from all directions, and the way the angle didn't change throughout the day, was more disturbing than the idea that something lurked beyond them. The latter, at least, she could ignore, while the former was a constant reminder of the unnaturalness of the whole place.
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"More stairs?" Zorua whined, "I hate stairs."
Immediately, she felt a little bit guilty. She and Absol didn't have to do anything on the stairs besides stand watch; Team Charm and Team Raiders had to unpack the cart each time, carry everything down by hand so that Arcanine could safely maneuver the empty cart down the steps, and repack it at the bottom.
Each floor shared the same square corridor around the outside, but the layout of the halls and rooms inside was different each time. The stairs weren't in the same place on each floor either, which meant that the outside walls weren't right on top of each other. Her head hurt to think about how that was even possible, so she decided not to.
Roserade checked the sandglass around his neck as they finished reloading the cart, and made a note in his journal. "This is floor fourteen," he announced, "six and a half hours since we entered, give or take."
The longer they stayed inside, the less able they would all be to assess their own mental conditions; hence the importance of the sandglass. There weren't enough strong teams left in Pokémon Square for a rescue now, unless Mewtwo came himself, and Alakazam was counting on them to take care of themselves.
After four days or so, they would all begin to have difficulty thinking clearly. In five days, the damage began to be permanent, and after six, few Pokémon made it out of a dungeon, even with rescue.
After seven or eight they would be feral, no longer sapient enough to prevent the dungeonfrom changing; no rescue was possible then, because whatever dungeon the rescue teams entered wouldn't be the one they were in. What happened after that, no one knew.
If there were more than eighty like Lopunny said, they had to do more than twenty each day to be safely out in four days. They were only halfway through the day and already everyone was tired and sore.
They began again, and Zorua resumed her place, scouting in the front of the group. They were the best three teams for this, she reminded herself, just like Lopunny said. She'd volunteered for it just like everyone else, and if they couldn't do it, who would?
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Bisharp turned to face Zorua as she charged, bladed hand descending in a long, deadly arc. She was expecting it; a leap to the right and she was safely out of it's path. Bisharp's Metal Claw whistled past her to slam into the floor with a sharp crack. Bisharp realized it's error and quickly stepped back, but too late. Zorua slipped between Bisharp's legs, and her jaws snapped closed on the back of Bisharp's leg, above the armored foot.
It wasn't quite a Feint Attack, she thought, but she was getting closer. Her claws scrabbled for purchase on the stone floor as Bisharp spun to one side and then the other, trying to reach her without turning its back to Gallade and Rhyperior. If she could keep it off balance a moment longer, one of them would finish it off.
Bisharp's other foot caught her in the ribs. Zorua felt something pop in a blinding flash of pain, and she was sailing through the air. Twisting instinctively to land on her feet, she turned back in time to watch Gallade dispatch it with a Low Kick.
Zorua breathed in deeply as Roserade's Pollen Puff filled her nostrils. The expansion of her chest hurt even more that Bisharp's kick, but she gritted her teeth and continued, knowing that it would take only seconds for the healing magic to begin to work. Learning Feint Attack was good, she thought, but it was a huge dungeon and she had to be more careful. Getting hurt made Absol or Roserade or Gardevoir work harder, and she wasn't strong enough to be much help anyway.
They continued on, and within a few minutes, the pain in her ribs had retreated to a sharp ache. There were only a handful of ferals on each floor, but that added up to a lot over the course of the day. The endless maze of nearly identical corridors was worse; every one looked the same, and she couldn't begin to guess how many kilometers they'd already walked.
Another identical hallway, and another fight. Golett's Mega Fist cracked the wall behind her as she darted past, spraying them both with chips of stone. Her claws Scratched deep furrows across the side of it's spherical torso. This time she didn't stop; by the time it recovered and swung around to face her, she was already out of reach.
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Halfway down the stairs to what Absol thought must be the twenty-sixth or twenty-seven floor, Rhyperior missed a step. He hit the floor with a heavy grunt. One of the timbers he'd been carrying on his shoulders caught Lopunny in the back, and she went down as well.
They were packed together on the staircase, and there was nowhere to dodge. Rhyperior rolled into Roserade and the wheel in Lopunny's hands hit the backs of Medicham's knees, and they all went sliding and bumping down the stairs together.
They came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, and for a moment, no one moved. Lopunny was unconscious. One of Medicham's legs twisted at an unnatural angle, obviously broken, and Rhyperior pressed a paw against his ribs.
Absol hesitated a moment. She didn't want to do this again; Moonlight was no longer calming and refreshing to use; it was exhausting. The light no longer flowed on its own, but had to be dragged forth and forced outward. She wasn't sure if she could do it again.
She had to; the others were injured, and everyone else was exhausted too, and her Moonlight was more efficient for healing multiple people than Roserade's Pollen Puff or Gardevoir's Heal Pulse. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly, searching for the cool glow of Moonlight light in the darkness how Umbreon had shown her when she had begun to learn. It was there, faint and distant, but no matter how had she tried, the light wouldn't come to her.
Absol felt a hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes to look up at Gardevoir.
"It's okay," Gardevoir said, "I'll get this one."
"Next room with one entrance," Arcanine declared, "we rest."
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"I'll watch first," Arcanine said, settling beside the entry.
Absol watched his eyes flicker across the rest of the group; assessing how tired and injured the rest of them were, she thought. Despite her exhaustion, she sat up straighter as he looked at her, silently volunteering to join him on the watch.
"Zorua, with me?" Arcanine suggested, "Absol and Gardevoir second, then Medicham and Lopunny, Roserade and Gallade last. Two hours each?"
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Everything hurt. His foreleg where Growlithe had gnawed. His back, radiating down into each leg. His shoulders and neck, from pulling the cart all day. His head throbbed. His teeth gritted as he sat down, but he kept his face carefully neutral. Zorua didn't need to know how much pain he was in. No one did; it couldn't be helped, and they all had enough to worry about already.
Somehow, as long as they were moving, he could compartmentalize the pain and exhaustion and continue to function. It was still there waiting, though, and it all caught up to him at the end of the day, and all he wanted to do was collapse in a corner and cry.
Growlithe's solution was perfectly rational, he thought, even if most Pokémon couldn't understand. He could retreat from the pain into their work. Without immediate responsibilities, Growlithe had retreated into her medicine. It wasn't weakness; she'd chosen from the options available to her, just as he had.
"You okay, big guy?" Zorua asked beside him. A warm weight leaned against his haunch.
Her voice was concerned. Arcanine didn't know how long he'd been woolgathering.
"Yeah," Arcanine grunted, "sorry."
Zorua looked unconvinced, but didn't press him further.
"You know," Zorua continued, "I guess Mewtwo's not that bad..."
Arcanine nodded slowly. He'd been pleased to see the two of them getting along, the last few days.
"...but he's still not telling us stuff."
He nodded again.
"Well, what's he hiding?"
Arcanine sighed. He had been wondering the same thing lately; he could make some good guesses, and he trusted Mewtwo, but that wasn't the same as knowing.
"There are more players involved than we know," Arcanine said, "Mew, I think. Darkrai. Maybe others. But like he said, Legendaries are fickle; he doesn't want us to rely on them."
Darkrai had created Absol's dream in Creepy Tunnel, and Mewtwo had said that Mew encouraged him to come here, so it wasn't unlikely that they were still involved, but even Mewtwo might not know what they were doing.
"He's worried about our world," Arcanine continued, "About the Family. Think he's found someplace, another world, we can shelter if we fail, but he can't take everyone he wants to take. The Family won't want to go. I won't want to."
"He's going to abandon us?" Zorua asked indignantly.
"He doesn't want to use it. I don't either, but I may not have a choice."
"He can't make you go!" Zorua objected, "it's your choice."
"He can. And, well, it's complicated"
Zorua was silent for a moment. "If it happens, you should go with them," she continued quietly, "it's better for someone to survive."
Arcanine couldn't think of a good answer, so he didn't. There was more, and it wasn't something that she would like. He didn't know whether he should tell Zorua or not. Mewtwo wasn't wrong, withholding information from them; there was no use in worrying everyone with factors they couldn't control. Zorua was his partner, though, and she deserved to know.
"Even if we succeed, Zorua, when Mewtwo goes home, I think I'll have to go with him."
The weight of his exhaustion seemed to double as he said it, and Arcanine felt as if he could barely keep himself upright. It took a moment for Zorua to understand.
"What?" Zorua nearly shouted, and Arcanine could hear some of the others stirring behind them.
Zorua flinched at her own volume, then continued more quietly, "Arcanine, why? We're partners, right?"
Her voice was hurt, almost desperate, and Arcanine hated himself for betraying her trust.
"Zorua...there are problems in our world; not as urgent as the weather, but still important. The Family is trying to fix them. It's my responsibility to help."
She turned away without answering. If they weren't on watch, he thought, if they weren't twenty-some floors deep in a mystery dungeon, she would have bolted.
"I'm sorry," Arcanine sighed, "Zorua, I don't want to go. I love you, and Absol, and Lucario. I have to help there, if I can, like we had to help here."
"It's not that," Zorua sniffed. "Everyone has to leave. Mom. Treecko. Ri- Lucario. You. Absol. Arcanine, I know I'm being selfish, but why can't we all be together?"
He understood how she felt. There were twenty-one Pokémon waiting for him in their world. More, now; Nidoqueen and Rhyhorn's cubs, plus however many more they'd all had in the five years he had been gone. There were five morewhom he could never see again. Vaporeon. Hitmonlee. Gyarados. Golduck. Vileplume. They had given everything to protect their Family; how could he do any less?
"Your Family in the other world," Zorua asked eventually, "you remember them now?"
"Somewhat."
"That's good," Zorua said, "they're good Pokémon?"
Arcanine nodded.
"Will you tell me about them?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It felt like only minutes had passed when Absol woke to Arcanine's gentle nudging. She vaguely recalled Zorua shouting and there were new scorches on the floor outside the room, but both of them seemed alright.
She checked Roserade's journal lying open by the door, while Gardevoir turned the sandglass. The last three time marks were in Zorua's messy scribble; the half-hour when they'd begun and two full hours. It was just like Arcanine to do more than his share without telling anyone, Absol thought.
They hadn't made bad time today. That extra half hour of rest probably wouldn't hurt them; it was better than making mistakes tomorrow. Zorua and Arcanine were already laying down, but they lay a short distance apart instead of curled up together how they ordinarily slept. Had something happened between them last night? Neither of them seemed inclined to stay up and talk, she thought; she would have to find out in the morning.
Although Team Charm had been staying in the manor the last few weeks, they hadn't had much opportunity to talk. She didn't know much about Lopunny. Medicham had been on Team Meanies; Mother had a few stories about her, and some of them weren't very complementary. Gardevoir was more familiar. Mother had talked a lot about her; they had been friends, and even traveled together for a while with Team Go-Getters!
Now that she and Gardevoir had two hours to pass together, she didn't know where to begin. Some of the questions she wanted to ask were rather personal. She didn't know how much Gardevoir remembered now of her past, or how she felt about Ninetales cursing her.
"How has your mother been?" Gardevoir broke the silence first.
"She's well!" Absol answered, smiling, "thank you. She and Ninetales moved down from Mount Freeze to the valley below Frosty Forest."
"Is it that bad already?" Gardevoir wondered, "they normally stay the winter up there, don't don't they?"
"They do," Absol confirmed. There weren't many other Pokémon who overwintered that far up the mountain. "We thought we might need them to interpret the door puzzle, before Mewtwo arrived."
The two of them traded storied for a while. Gardevoir's recollection of the events following Murky Cave was somewhat different than Mother's, and it was fascinating to hear another version of the story. Eventually, Gardevoir paused and turned to face her with a gentle smile.
"But, what you really want to ask about is Gengar, isn't it?" she guessed.
"Yes." Absol nodded, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice, "do you remember anything from before? What happened with Ninetales? Was he really Human? What was he like?"
"I don't know," Gardevoir admitted slowly, apparently unphased by the barrage of questions, "I don't hate him now. I don't have a grudge against your father, either. I've heard the story, like everyone else, but I don't remember anything before waking up in Murky Cave."
Gardevoir hesitated, then continued. "Actually...I was hoping you would know more. Has Ninetales said anything else? Why he cursed us? Why I was chosen to be the spirit guide?"
Absol thought for a moment, trying to recall anything else her parents might have said which Gardevoir might not already know. Cursing Gengar and Gardevoir was one story Ninetales had always refused to share, and most of what Mother knew was already common knowledge.
"You know Go Getters dreamed about you?"
Gardevoir nodded.
"And you brought him here?
Gardevoir nodded again.
"I'm sorry," Absol said, "Ninetales doesn't talk about it, and I don't think Mother knew much more."
"It's okay." Gardevoir turned back toward the door, signaling an end to the subject. "It's done, and knowing wouldn't change anything now."
Despite her words, Absol could tell that it wasn't okay. Gardevoir was missing years of her life, from before her encounter with Ninetales, and the hundred or more she might have spent as a spirit. Absol was certain she wouldn't have been okay with it in her place.
"Maybe you could ask Mewtwo?" Absol suggested, "if anyone could fix your memory, I think he could."
Without turning back to look at her, Gardevoir shook her head. "I think want to know, but I'm not sure. I have everything else that I want now; friends, one of the best teams in the world, eight years of good memories since I met your mother and Team Go-Getters. What if finding out does change something?"
There wasn't an answer to that, Absol thought, so she didn't try. Her tail curled around to brush against Gardevoir's back, and Gardevoir's hand clasped her forepaw. The sand in the glass was running low. It was strange to think that two hours had passed already, and the illumination provided by the false sunlight hadn't changed at all.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The third floor down the next day, the creepy windows were gone, replaced by creepy skylights. It was a minor improvement, Zorua thought; at least she didn't have to keep looking at them. There was still something discomforting about them, and as she passed beneath each one, she had the sensation of being watched.
It wasn't just her imagination; all of the others seemed to avoid standing directly beneath them as well. As they descended each stairway, the skylights receded further and further into the ceiling, and their light grew correspondingly dimmer.
Looking up from the Golett that she and Roserade had just knocked out, Zorua saw that Arcanine was staring at her again. He had been all morning, when he thought she wasn't watching. Quickly, he looked away. He always kept an eye on the rest of the group in dungeons, but he never stared.
He needed reassurance, Zorua thought; he was big and strong and tough but he still doubted himself, sometimes, just like she did. She dropped back to walk beside him.
"Doing okay, big guy?" she tried to sound nonchalant.
"Zorua, I'm sorry," Arcanine began, "I didn't really understand until-"
Her tail flicked across his muzzle, cutting him off with a snort. Part of her wanted to retort that he should be sorry, that he was ruining everything, but she knew that was the wrong answer. He had done everything she had asked of him since they met, even when he hadn't wanted to. No one was trying harder to save the world, even if he claimed not to want to.
"Don't be sorry," she said instead, trying hard to mean it, "you have to do what's right, even if I don't like it. And...whatever happens in the future, thanks for helping us and being my partner now."
While she didn't like it, Zorua felt better saying it. The tension between them since last night seemed to dissipate with her acceptance. Arcanine smiled. He leaned his head down and she stretched hers up, and their muzzles brushed against each other as they walked.
"Thank you," Arcanine answered, "wouldn't be here without you."
They walked on for a few minutes. Arcanine was still glancing at her, but now it was more like the companionable looks they had shared before, walking together or laying in the sun outside Arcanine's cave in Haunted Forest.
"You know," Zorua continued with a grin, "you didn't answer the first question."
"Hmm?" Arcanine cocked his head, inviting her to continue.
"How are you doing?"
"Fine." Suddenly, Arcanine didn't seem so eager to look at her.
"You're tired, aren't you," she prompted.
"We're all tired," Arcanine answered.
She dashed in front of Arcanine and turned to face him, forcing him to stop. Their gazes met, and his eyes betrayed him. She could see how hurt and exhausted he was, and he knew it. He sighed and nodded slowly.
"There's nine of us and eight spots for watch," Zorua said, "you should give yourself the night off."
"Can't." Arcanine shook his head. "Not fair to everyone else."
"You're pulling the cart and fighting too," she said, "plus you basically start every dungeon already injured. No one will think you're lazy."
Silently, Arcanine shook his head again. Why did he have to be so stubborn, she wondered; he didn't even want to be here.
"Well, I'm team leader," Zorua said, "and I say you're sleeping all night."
She wasn't at all certain that her authority as team leader extended that far. Despite Arcanine's insistence that she lead, he still took charge most of the time, and everyone deferred to him, especially when they were in mystery dungeons. Still, it was worth a try.
Arcanine seemed to consider for several seconds, then nodded once in acceptance.
"Thanks, big guy."
She grinned up at him again, and he smiled back.
"You're team leader," Arcanine said.
There was a hint of teasing in his voice, but she was sure that he meant it, too.
Their conversation was interrupted by the tolling of a large bell, echoing down the hallway ahead of them. Without further warning, fat raindrops began to fall from the ceiling.
"Eww!" Zorua shook reflexively, though she wasn't wet enough for the motion to have any effect. "That's not fair, we're inside!"
The bell continued to toll, and soon it's source came into view around the corner ahead. The Bronzog continued to accelerate as it approached, preparing to Heavy Slam into their group. If it tried to ram straight through, Zorua thought, the rest of them could probably dodge, but Arcanine and the cart would be an easy target. They needed to intercept it before it reached them. Rhyperior, Medicham and Lopunny all rushed forward to engage. She darted between them. At that speed, Bronzog couldn't avoid her Surprise Attack. Sparks flew as her claws raked across one eye, but it didn't slow down.
Arcanine's roar got everyone's attention, and they scattered away from Bronzog as he inhaled. His Flamethrower arced through the group to wash across it's front. For a few seconds, Bronzog was carried onward by its own momentum. With a deafening shriek of metal on stone its base hit the floor, then it toppled forward onto its face.
From here, Zorua could see up into Bronzog's hollow base. She walked back to it and struck the rim with a forepaw. She had expected it to ring like a bell, but there was only the thud of flesh on solid metal. Disappointed, she turned away.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
By the time they stopped the second night, the skylights were recessed thirty or forty meters overhead, and the light in the corridors had faded to a dim twilight. Zorua didn't mind the darkness, and the farther away the creepy windows were, the better. With the best night vision, she and Absol took the lead, and Roserade and Gardevoir were each carrying their team's Luminous Orbs.
Arcanine assigned her the second watch, and Lopunny quickly volunteered to join her. True to their agreement, Arcanine left himself off the schedule. The middle watches were the least pleasant, she was discovering, dividing the night into two unsatisfyingly short naps. Zorua didn't mind tonight, though; most of the others looked like they needed the rest more than she did. Anyway, if Lopunny wanted to talk, that was probably going to be interesting enough to keep her awake
Zorua waited for Arcanine and Absol to lay down together, then snuggled into the gap between Arcanine's shoulder and Absol's neck, burying her face in his mane. After their talk last night, they'd both needed some space, but she was going to make up for it now.
Lopunny turned the sandglass and marked their time in Roserade's journal as they began their watch.
"Fifty-two floors," Lopunny said, "that's about as far as we got last time before we badged for help."
"You got this far alone?" Zorua asked, surprised.
Lopunny nodded. "We didn't have the cart, remember, so we were moving a lot faster, and we could avoid some of the ferals."
"Oh, right." That made sense, Zorua thought; the cart made retreating from fights impossible, and negotiating it and its contents down each flight of stairs consumed a significant portion of their time and energy.
"Besides," Lopunny continued with a grin, "we're Team Charm. We're the best."
"Of course." Zorua grinned back.
"Was that Feint Attack you've been practicing?" Lopunny asked.
Zorua nodded.
"You're picking it up quick," Lopunny said. "I was pretty good at Feint Attack before I replaced it with Return. Would you like some tips?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They were sixty or so floors in, Arcanine thought, when the lighting changed again. He wasn't really keeping count. That was Roserade's job, and in the end, it didn't matter; they would go as far as they could, and either reach the bottom, or abort. Rather than the dim false daylight they had gotten used to, this floor was illuminated in a dirty red-orange by glass bulbs at intervals along the wall. These must be the torches that never burned out.
"Everything looks awful," Zorua complained, "Absol, you're orange."
"At least the windows are gone..." Absol agreed, sounding dubious.
As they reached the first one, he saw that they were indeed incandescent bulbs; the bright line of the filament was clearly visible through the warped glass. A black spot on the side of the glass facing them gave it the appearance of a baleful eye.
The others gathered around to examine it, and Arcanine took the opportunity to shift his yoke again, trying to find slightly less sore spots for it to rub. He didn't try to explain; he was too tired to care, and who knew what sort of physics applied in a place like this, or where their power came from? It might as well be magic.
Though the windows were gone, the feeling of being constantly watched remained. The ferals were getting tougher as they descended, and their injuries more frequent.
On what Roserade said was level seventy-two, they stopped for the night. Their chosen room was small, with a single bulb by the door. Briefly, Arcanine considered smashing it to give them some darkness, and, perhaps, privacy. Somehow, it didn't seem right. He remembered what Zorua had said the first day about not breaking windows, and decided to leave it be.
Arcanine chose the closest corner and flopped down on his side. Absol curled up against his chest, and Zorua lay against Absol's. He reached a foreleg around both of them, and felt Zorua rub her cheek against his pads.
Team Charm had formed a pile of their own. Gallade and Rhyperior, on the first watch, sat flanking the door, and Roserade lay behind them. Team Raiders all shared a glance, then Gallade turned back to face the rest of the party.
"We need to talk," Gallade announced. Gallade sounded just as worn out as he felt, Arcanine thought. They all were, but everyone's head rose and turned to face him.
"We've been inside about sixty-six hours," Gallade continued, "it will be seventy-four in the morning, and tomorrow is the last day we're all going to be thinking clearly enough to make the decision to Escape Orb out. We need to discuss what happens if we don't reach the bottom by tomorrow night."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The red lights grew slowly dimmer and began to flicker as they descended on the fourth day. As soon as she started down the stairs to the eleventh level of the day, Absol could tell that the next floor was different. Rather than echoing back up to her, the tick of her claws on the stone seemed to vanish in the darkness below, and she could feel a movement of air across her whiskers which had been absent the last few days.
At the landing, they paused. The walls to either side of the stairs ended here, and there was no illumination on this level, just blackness extending ahead and to either side. The glow of the Luminous Orb behind her cast wavering shadows on the stairs below, but failed to penetrate into the darkness around them.
The echoes of their movements were gone entirely now. The room must be far larger than any they had seen in Temple Ruins so far, Absol thought; perhaps even the entire level. Now that they were still, she was certain she could hear faint sounds of movement around them below, scratching and rustling and whispering.
She and Zorua, side by side, shared an uncertain glance. Already she could hear the others unloading the cart. They couldn't stop here, exposed and silhouetted on the stairs. They couldn't risk splitting up or leaving the cart behind.
Roserade stopped beside them, cupping his petals around his Luminous Orbs to direct its light outward. It glittered off something golden below them in the dark, then another, and another. There were dozens of them, and above each one, as the light passed, a pair of red eyes blinked open.
"This isn't good," Zorua said quietly.
Absol nodded in silent agreement.
"What are they?" Zorua asked.
She didn't answer. Neither did Roserade, nor Medicham and Rhyperior, who had stopped behind them with their arms full of wagon parts. She didn't think Zorua was really expecting an answer.
"They're what's outside the windows, aren't they?" Zorua continued.
"I think so," Roserade agreed. His voice was as quiet as Zorua's.
Lopunny, Gardevoir, and Gallade crowded onto the landing with them, each burdened with more parts, leaving Arcanine stuck on the upper stairs with the cart itself.
"What do they want?" Zorua asked again.
"Lets not wait to see," Arcanine growled, leaning the cart against one wall and ducking out of the yoke. The others followed his lead, setting their burdens down where they could make space on the platform.
"Wait," Zorua said quickly, "I think that's what they want."
Everyone turned to Zorua, awaiting further explanation.
"Remember the leader of the Ice-types in the lodge?" Zorua ignored everyone else, directing her question only to Arcanine, "and Lucario told you not to hit her?"
Arcanine nodded.
"I think this is the same kinda thing."
"I think she's right," Lopunny agreed, "they're waiting for us to do something."
"What do we do?" Arcanine asked.
For a moment, no one answered. Absol didn't know either. Being Dark-type, the darkness didn't bother her, but the sixty or more disembodied red eyes glowing around them made her horribly uncomfortable. Instinct insisted that she turn to face all of them, or flee and find a corner where they couldn't get behind her. She didn't. They were all professionals, and she knew that even though she couldn't watch in every direction at once, her groupmates were.
"We're too crowded here," Rhyperior pointed out. His voice sounded just as disconcerted as she felt.
It was true, Absol thought; with all of them on the landing, there was no space to dodge or fight. They would have to rely on Protect and Deflect and Light Screen for defense; against so many opponents even Arcanine couldn't protect them for long. Their mysterious assailants wouldn't wait forever.
"Leave the parts here," Gallade suggested, "advance and force them to act."
No one disagreed with the plan. They all parted, crowding to the edges of the landing, as Arcanine squeezed thought to the front. Roserade followed him with his Luminous Orb. She and Zorua followed behind, on Roserade's flanks, and the rest of the group fell in behind them.
The eyes at the base of the stairs retreated slowly as they approached. It was difficult to judge distance with no visible backdrop, but the eyes behind them seemed to be closing in.
Somewhere in the distance, beyond the ring of eyes, a lone voice began to chant. She couldn't make out the words, but the voice was deep and hollow and cruel. It was a signal; the demeanor of all the eyes shifted at once, and Absol was certain that whatever move they had been using before was no longer in effect. An Ominous Wind began to blow toward their group, quickly gaining force. Medicham's Light Screen formed around them.
Arcanine leapt ahead, undaunted by the wind. Flames from his nostrils and mouth whipped back around his head in a halo. In seconds, Arcanine was amongst the eyes, then beyond them. Fire poured from his jaws and was immediately caught in the Ominous Wind and whipped back toward the Ghost-types in front of them. They howled in pain as the flames washed around them, and Absol could see them, silhouetted against the fire; each one was a head, with three appendages extending from the bottom, the center limb holding a golden mask. She didn't recognize their species.
The bars of Medicham's Light Screen flickered under the combined assault of wind and fire, and shattered into millions of fragments, arcing through the darkness for an instant like shooting stars.
She and the rest of the group, save Roserade, charged into the lines of Ghost-types to either side of Arcanine's conflagration. As they neared their opponents, the wind ceased as abruptly as it had begun.
Absol's Night Slash found more resistance than she expected as her horn clove through the first Ghost-type's center limb, like trying to walk through an open doorway and encountering a curtain instead. The Ghost-type fell back with a rising wail as its mask clattered to the floor. Three more moved to surround her. Wisps of dark energy flowed out from them, groping toward her like hungry tentacles. Her Magic Coat shimmered and sparked under their touch, and they slid harmlessly away.
Lopunny's Heal Bell chimed behind her. The grunts and cries of her companions were loud against the silence of their spectral opponents, but Absol didn't have time to look around to see how the others were doing.
An angry Snarl drove all three of them back a step. She could feel something tangling about her legs as she turned to swipe at the next Ghost-type, but in the darkness, she could see nothing there. Her claws and fangs passed harmlessly through its wispy body, leaving a phantom chill in her limbs and face. Another Night Slash, and its eye went dark as it collapsed to the floor.
Lopunny's Heal Bell rang again, and again, and she could smell the scent of Roserade's Aromatherapy. Absol's remaining two opponents hesitated, and she risked a quick look around the room. The others weren't faring as well as she was. Their enemies weren't very strong, individually, but their numbers were overwhelming. Absol didn't recognize the moves which her Magic Coat had intercepted, but they seemed to be seriously hindering the others. She needed to finish quickly, she thought, so she could help.
The two Ghost-types spread apart to flank her. Instead of stepping back to keep them both in view, she chose one and pounced. Like the others, one solid hit was enough to knock it out. Absol stumbled as a Shadow Ball hit her from behind. The pain was simultaneously burning and freezing, and all of her muscles spasmed at once. The Ghost which had hit her turned to flee as she spun to face it, but it was far too slow.
By the time she finished, the fight was nearly over. Arcanine was down, but still struggling. Zorua darted around him and an unconscious Gardevoir, fending off a pair Ghost-types, but unable to land a decisive hit. A short distance from them, Medicham, Gallade, and Roserade protected Lopunny and Rhyperior from several more. Absol Snarled as she charged Zorua's group.
As the last of their visible opponents fell, the chanting abruptly ceased, plunging the room into eerie silence. The fight wasn't over yet; there was at least one more Pokémon with them somewhere in the chamber. For a moment, she, Zorua, Medicham, Gallade, and Roserade stood still, peering out into the darkness around them. Nothing happened.
Arcanine struggled to his feet, and limped over to the base of the stairs. His injuries looked relatively minor, but his painful movement suggested otherwise. It was difficult to tell sometimes, particularly fighting incorporeal Pokémon. Medicham, Gallade, and Roserade dragged Gardevoir, Lopunny, and Rhyperior to lay beside him. Absol could see from here that most of the wagon parts which they'd left on the stairs were gone, scattered by the Ghost-types' Ominous Wind.
This time, Absol thought, she really could manage one more Moonlight. It didn't matter that she was injured, or that she was more exhausted that she had ever felt before, or even that they were saving the world. Her friends needed help, and she was going to help.
Eyes closed, she forced herself to be calm. The light was there, as always, but faint and distant like a star. All of her will focused on the light, and with each breath, she pulled it closer. Finally it reached her, and with the last bit of energy she could muster, she forced it outward. The world wavered as the pale light enveloped the group. Something was wrong with her legs, or the ground. Medicham was speaking, and it sounded important, but none of the words seemed to have any meaning.
The taste of Reviver Seed lingered in her mouth, and her muzzle lay in Lopunny's lap. She raised her head and looked around. Rhyperior and Gardevoir were awake and sitting up now as well, and Roserade stood watchfully over the three of them. Arcanine, Zorua, Medicham, and Gallade's scents were a few minutes old.
"Pollen Puff?" Roserade offered.
Absol sat up and shook her head, and immediately regretted it as the dizziness returned. Everything hurt, she though; she felt just how Arcanine had looked.
"Easy." Roserade placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Just wait for the others to come back."
Fire flared in the distance; a hundred meters away, or two, or three, she couldn't tell in the dark. The others must have found their quarry. It went of for fifteen or twenty seconds; longer than she had previously seen Arcanine sustain a flame. Were they alright? Was that a signal of victory, or his desperate final stand? Suddenly freezing, she pulled her blanket tight around her shoulders. She should be out there, she thought, fighting to the death with her team, because if they didn't make it back to Pokémon Square, she didn't want to, either.
Lopunny and Gardevoir leaned against her on either side, wrapping their arms around her shoulders.
"They'll be okay," Lopunny said quietly, and Absol wasn't sure whether Lopunny was trying to reassure her, or herself.
Arcanine, Zorua, Medicham, and Gallade were silent when they returned, and their grim expressions made her shiver. Medicham carried a pair of treasure bags slung over her shoulder which she hadn't had before. This had to be the end of the dungeon, she thought, because none of them had any more to give. They couldn't risk another fight without resting. They couldn't spend another night inside; would they still remember why they were here in the morning?
"Think this is a stable room," Arcanine said after a few minutes, "felt it coming in. Those Pokémon were too coordinated for ferals."
"I agree," Lopunny said, "this must be the end."
"Take hours to find the parts and open the door in the dark," Arcanine continued.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Can't let them wake up." He gestured to the unconscious Ghost-types around them.
It took a moment for everyone to realize what he was proposing.
"Arcanine..." Zorua began, then trailed off. For a few seconds, no one else spoke.
Absol wanted to object as well, but she couldn't think of a reasonable alternative. Even a few of the Ghost-types would be deadly, while they were spread out searching for the rest of the wagon. Failure here would cost them a week or more, time which they didn't have.
"Please tell me there's another option," Arcanine said tiredly.
It didn't take long for the others to come to the same conclusion. She watched their faces, in the cold blue glow of the Luminous Orbs, as they considered the situation, and each reached the same decision that Arcanine had.
"Whether they're feral or not," Gallade said, "they've been stalking us for days with no attempt to communicate."
"Honest Pokémon don't live in dungeons and attack explorers," Rhyperior said.
"There were bones out there, scattered around the big one," Medicham said, "dozens of Pokémon. And these."
Medicham held up the two treasure bags for inspection. No one needed to ask what they meant.
No one else spoke. Absol shivered as the silence stretched on uncomfortably long. It had been a tough fight, even with nine of them. Those Ghost-types could have been adding their own bones to the pile right now. No one deserved to die like that, scared and trapped in the dark.
"I'll do it," Arcanine said, "help gather them."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They didn't waste time searching for a better room, just collapsed into piles at the top of the stairs, happy to be back in the light. The smoke of burning Ghost-types wafted up from the room below, oily and foul. Killing other Pokémon shouldn't be so easy, Absol thought. She ought to be more upset about what they'd had to do, but instead, she just felt exhausted and numb and grateful that they wouldn't have to deal with them again when they went back down.
Was the dungeon getting to her, she wondered, or was it an ordinary response to their extraordinary circumstances? How had Arcanine felt when he killed Magnezone, or that Ice-type in Meadow Town, or those Pokémon in Treasure Town?
Everyone pawed through their bags, gulped the last of their berries and drank the last of their water. There was no reason to save anything, now; one way or another, everyone knew that this was going to be the end of the dungeon for them. After eating, they all curled up for the two hours rest that they had agreed to allow themselves. Arcanine volunteered for watch, and not even Zorua had the energy to argue with him.
As exhausted as they all were, Absol thought, he shouldn't be watching alone. It would be too easy for him to doze off. Even if a feral didn't find them, who knew how long they would sleep? Maybe the dungeon was starting to get to him. Maybe he wanted to be alone with his guilt. Maybe he just wanted to let everyone else rest. Either way, she wasn't going to let him take that risk.
"Arcanine." It was only one word, but she tried to fill it with as much friendship and comfort as she could.
Arcanine looked back and gave her a tired smile. She wriggled between his forelegs so that her back pressed against his warm chest and her head was half-buried in his mane. For several minutes they sat together in silence.
"Absol," Arcanine said slowly, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Absol hadn't been expecting an apology.
"Sorry you had to be part of that."
"Arcanine." Her back arched, pressing harder against his chest. "That was an awful thing to have to do, but it's not your fault. We all agreed there wasn't another way."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The chamber was similar to the one in Mount Mistral, the first room containing the exit, and the second the sphere. The four corners of the room held the expected four altars with their scenes of destruction, each illuminated by one of the same red-orange incandescents which illuminated the lower levels of the dungeon. Arcanine paid them little attention, but Team Charm was fascinated. The sphere was similar to the one in Mount Mistral as well, though slightly smaller; a bit under two meters in diameter, he guessed. A similar and equally unrecognizable pattern of continents was etched into the silvery surface.
Their cart hadn't fared well in the Ghost-types' wind; one axle was split, and one of the iron-banded wheels had splintered into a handful of pieces. Some smaller parts, and the metal spikes and bands to fasten everything together, were missing as well, still scattered across the enormous, dark room outside. Team Raiders gathered around the wreckage of their wagon, grunting and pointing as they discussed what to do with the parts which remained.
They had passed the remains of the Ghost-types' leader again in the search, it's obloid body slumped from the heat of his breath. There was a lot of gold there, he though absently; another time they might have tried to drag it out, but today, no one cared. He'd lost control there, briefly; given in to his anger and revulsion. Maybe it was the dungeon getting to him. Maybe it wasn't.
Zorua looked from the sphere to the wrecked cart, and then to him. For a moment, he felt guilty about dragging her and Absol into all of this. Or had they asked him to join? At the moment, he couldn't remember how they had all gotten here; it didn't matter, he supposed.
"What now, big guy?" she asked.
"Just have to get it outside," Arcanine said tiredly, "can bring us a new wagon."
Rhyperior grunted for their attention. "Think we can give you front wheels and rear skids," he said, "floor is flat enough we can drag it in here, but it won't pull on the road."
"Do it," Arcanine agreed.
This part was up to Team Charm and Team Raiders, Arcanine thought; there was nothing that he could do to speed the process. With the door closed, no one would be bothering them. Flopping down in front of one of the altars, he closed his eyes. He didn't acknowledge Absol and Zorua as they curled up against him. He was too exhausted for the friendly licks and nuzzles which they usually shared, and too exhausted to care.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Zorua hadn't realized how dark it was in the treasure room until she stepped out into the ruins. The sun was low on the horizon, but still she had to squint to see where she was going. The cold breeze ruffled through her fur; it had been pleasantly warm inside, too.
"Ah, the chosen one comes at last." A voice from above made her start. "I have foreseen your arrival."
The top of a leaning stone pillar between her and the setting sun moved, then spread its wings, casting a long shadow across her path. Xatu alit from his perch and circled once to land beside her.
"I'm sorry," Xatu continued, "you look awful. Is everyone okay?"
They were ten meters from the door by the time Zorua realized that she was still walking, and Xatu was hopping along beside her, waiting for a reply.
Zorua nodded. She stopped and looked around. The block beside her was larger that Arcanine, and she flopped down on her side in its lee. Absol emerged through the rock arch behind her, flinching and turning away as the wind hit her, then pulling her blanket more tightly around her shoulders. Medicham appeared behind Absol.
Following them was Arcanine, pulling Team Raiders' reconstructed wagon. It swayed precariously with each step, and the skids were already beginning to splinter from the force of grinding against the pavement stones. Just as Rhyperior had said, it wasn't going to go much further
Arcanine stopped beside her, and lay down with the yoke still around his shoulders. Absol immediately snuggled against his side, and Zorua joined her. Team Raiders and Team Charm sat and lay around them, leaning on the rock and Arcanine and each other
Xatu still stood patiently beside her, waiting for her to continue, and Zorua remembered that she was team leader. Technically, she supposed, that made her leader of the whole expedition, and it was still her responsibility to get the Sphere and everyone else home.
"Call Alakazam," she told Xatu, "Arcanine can't go any further. We need a new wagon, too."
"I can't reach Pokémon Square from here unexpected," Xatu said, "but Mewtwo has been contacting me every few hours for news." Xatu winked, and she tried to smile back. "I think he's worried about you all."