Despite the initial friction, it became clear to Iris that Aureia had no genuine objection to her presence, for she said nothing further on the matter as she led the group along the passageway. Iris allowed her gaze to wander a little bit, studying the layout of the Ruins area. According to Kaito, this was the main chamber of the Ruins of Alph. It was a large underground chamber, forming several long stretches instead of individual rooms, and supposedly the cave-like chambers, such as the one she and Kaito had examined before coming across Sorin, were set somewhere above this larger room.
It hadn't really made much sense to Iris when the Togetic first explained it, and realistically, it still didn't make much sense, but now that she was able to see just how large the underground section was, she could roughly guess that it extended far enough to have some section of its corridors directly beneath the respective research areas.
The walls were heavily decorated with runic symbols and occasional statues, every surface faded with age, if not outright crumbling, but there was still a sublime beauty to the area, a reminder of an age long past, but whose legacy remained, however cryptic it may be. If she really wanted to, Iris could probably relate this to some aspect of her own life or the world in general and build a deeper meaning and greater appreciation of the Ruins, but in truth, she really didn't want to do that.
Maybe she was simple-minded, but she felt that connecting with the present and looking towards the future was better than clinging to and dwelling in the past. It was why she had joined with Kaito and the others - to build a better future for herself and for others, and to surround herself with the caring bonds of people who understood the hardship that many had to go through.
Sorin had followed Iris somewhat reluctantly, and seemed to be deliberately keeping his distance. This behavior admittedly intrigued Iris. She had only met the Altaria once or twice since she had met Kaito, and she rarely had the opportunity to really talk to him and figure out the little details of his life and interests, without the distraction of others around. He and Kaito seemed to know the Charmander, yet she had given no indication of recognizing them, but likewise no indication that she didn't know them.
The rest of the group was just as fascinating to the Kirlia. Aureia seemed to be the leader of the three, or at least the one with the most experience. However, Iris still could not pick up any significant emotional vibes from the Vaporeon. She had been curt, but there was no anger. She had been a touch dismissive, but there was no arrogance or malice. It was the strangest thing, as if the water Pokemon was perpetually neutral, rarely shifting moods. Then there was Ember, who was possibly the exact opposite. She gave off an aloof demeanor, but emotion was constantly brewing beneath the surface, and ever-changing. There were flickers of anger and frustration, yet also a pronounced calmness that kept the other emotions at bay. When they had shook paws, however briefly, Iris had felt an odd vibe of happiness from the Charmander, as though the specific attention towards her had sated some unknown craving the fire lizard had.
Lastly, there was Avis. Iris really wasn't sure what to make of the conflicting vibes she was picking up. It was almost as if Avis herself wasn't sure what emotions she had, because they shifted unnaturally. Then again, Iris suspected that the Ruins were interfering with her usual ability to sense the emotions of others. Down here, she could once again detect an unnatural vibe from the area, as if hundreds of minds were scattered around her, each with their own thoughts, but no emotion or malice.
Iris shook herself. Regardless of the cause of it, she could tell that she was going to be getting an inaccurate vibe if she continued to feel around with her emotion sensing abilities. She had not spent nearly enough time honing and perfecting her technique, so it was easy to mislead her judgment of a person's personality or feelings if the vibe got distorted or if the person was particularly emotional for some reason.
After going around several corners and stretches of passageway, the three trained Pokemon came to a halt, and Iris could see a human youth pacing before a stretch of wall, occasionally pausing to jot something down and move on to the next section. Aureia muttered something to her companions, which was met by a shrug from Ember before the three of them settled down. Aureia sat down where she was, indifferent to the fact she was literally in the middle of the passageway, requiring someone to brush past her if they wanted to get through. Ember leaned against the wall nearest to the 'doorway', her arms folded over her chest. Avis seemed to consider before opting to sit down cross-legged roughly an equal distance from both Aureia and Ember, so that their group formed a triangle.
"Is that your trainer?" Iris asked, nodding towards the human.
"Yup!" Avis replied. Iris sat down carefully, wincing a little at the coldness of the stone on her legs, but otherwise making herself comfortable and regarding the three Pokemon with interest. The fact that they were all different types, and indeed types normally regarded as forming an elemental triangle between them, intrigued Iris slightly. Was this a deliberate choice by their trainer, or was it a coincidence?
It then occurred to the Kirlia that she really didn't know anything about their trainer, other than that his name was Adrian and he apparently was skilled at handling difficult Pokemon. Sorin hadn't even elaborated on what that meant, so...
"How long has he had you guys?" Iris asked, her pink eyes widening with interest as she looked between the three Pokemon.
"Two years," Ember stated stiffly. She was looking at her claws idly, but she glanced up momentarily when answering.
Aureia blinked, realizing attention had shifted to her next. "How long? A little longer than two years, I think...longer than Ember, at least." She frowned to herself thoughtfully, but then shrugged.
"I'm new to the team!" Avis said brightly, playing with her leafy tail absently as she spoke. "Couple weeks, tops?"
"Oh, so there's quite a gap between you two and her? Any reason for that?" Iris asked, adjusting her skirt slightly as she shifted her sitting position.
Aureia glanced at the Kirlia with a hint of annoyance, but her tone remained flat and indifferent. "Adrian doesn't capture Pokemon. He is usually asked to take care of them, depending on circumstances."
The Kirlia blinked. "I don't understand. What kind of circumstances?"
However, it was Sorin who answered this. Iris had almost forgotten that he was behind her because he had been so quiet until now.
"Pokemon that have been abandoned, or are being rehabilitated," the Altaria said seriously. "Many such Pokemon have bad habits or are simply too aggressive, even traumatized, to safely be released or passed to other trainers."
Aureia gave a curt nod, indicating the accuracy of the dragon's statement. Ember didn't react at all, and Avis just smiled.
"Ohh...would it be inappropriate to ask your circumstances?" Iris asked tentatively.
"Yes, it would," Aureia said flatly. Iris winced, despite the fact that Aureia hadn't raised her voice or harshened her tone. She had suspected that the question might be treading over the line, but having it confirmed so bluntly still touched a nerve within her. It reminded Iris of the days when she was so weak and helpless that getting on anyone's bad side was to repeat the cycle of being unable to do anything but flee.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend-" the Kirlia began, but Aureia shook her head.
"I'm not offended," she said, placing the emphasis on herself. "I was abandoned by my first trainer. Then recaptured by a member of Team Rocket, who proceeded to botch his first field assignment and ended up in custody. I was presumed stolen and confiscated."
"O-oh...um...thanks for sharing," Iris said, biting her lip nervously. She would have liked to ask more questions, but for the first time since meeting Aureia, she was picking up an emotional vibe from her. It was definitely not a happy one, but neither was it aggressive. It was cold and bitter, although the Vaporeon's expression and tone gave nothing away, Iris could feel it. Aureia did not like her past memories, and although she had overcome enough of the issues to speak of the past nonchalantly, there was still pain burrowed within, surrounding her heart.
A glance towards Avis and Ember confirmed the opposite - neither of them were willing to reflect on their circumstances. Ember was gazing at her claws intensely, and the flame at the end of her tail was burning noticeably stronger. Iris had spent more than enough time around Cecilia to judge the meaning behind the strength of a fire-type's external flames.
"So um...what do you do...I mean, like, how does he train you?" Iris wondered. It didn't seem like Adrian, with his reputation, was the type to enter the competitive environment, but it confused her as to what sort of training might be involved. She was no expert, but Aureia and Ember in particular had the sort of figures she'd expect from Pokemon that were excellent fighters, and Avis was a coin flip that could go either way.
"I'm guessing you don't have a trainer," Ember stated from her corner, lifting her gaze from her claws. Iris shook her head, and the Charmander shrugged. "He often gives me access to a gym or a rec room for training and observes me, occasionally giving me advice on my form. Every so often he's able to arrange a spar or other battle, but I'm usually on my own."
Iris looked blank. "So you don't train against other Pokemon? Even friends? Or one of them?" she asked, nodding towards Aureia and Avis, who were observing the exchange with mild amusement. Clearly, they knew something Iris did not.
The Charmander snorted, but her tone lacked any arrogance. "Why? It wouldn't be a fair match-up. Aureia auto-wins in water. Outside of water, she's a good opponent to train my reflexes and counterstrategies, but she's not an equal."
"What am I missing?" Iris asked, now becoming annoyed by the amusement on the other Pokemon's faces.
Avis giggled. "Sorry. Guess you wouldn't know this, but...Ember specializes in claw combat. Aureia and I don't, so we'd only be useful to hone her skills in getting close to opponents that can't face her head-on. And then we'd promptly lose because once she's close enough, she wins."
"Ooh..." Iris whispered, then tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I guess that's the same reason Lin doesn't spar with us."
"Who?" Sorin asked blankly, again startling the Kirlia into remembering he was there.
"Kaito's never mentioned Lin?" Iris asked, taken aback. She knew the Weavile and Sorin had never met, but for the Altaria to not even recognize her name was weird to her. "She's a Weavile, and-"
"Oh right, no, he's mentioned her name, but I don't remember everything we've ever said. I remember faces better," Sorin explained hastily.
"A Weavile?" Ember repeated, and Iris twitched. Even without looking, she could sense the eager interest radiating from the Charmander. "Is she any good?"
"Um..." Iris began, but then realized she literally had no idea what the answer was. She had never seen Lin in combat, not even casual battles or spars.
"You'd be no match for her," Kaito stated, and Iris flinched, pivoting around wildly until she located the Togetic. He had somehow returned from whatever section of the Ruins he had been studying, all without any of them noticing.
Ember gave Kaito a death glare. "And how would you know?" she demanded. A tiny wisp of flame escaped the corner of her mouth as if to punctuate the question further. Kaito didn't even flinch, his eyes scanning the wall next to the Charmander's face.
"For one, she's an evolved form of a species that has devoted claw battlers among the majority of their members. She's trained under harsh conditions few could dream of even enduring, and that's just credited to her species' lifestyle. Her personal drive and skill goes well beyond that."
Ember scowled. "I'd still WANT to face her."
Kaito shrugged slightly. "Yeah, maybe I'll mention it to her in a week or so." He muttered something further under his breath that Iris couldn't catch, but the glare Ember gave Kaito intensified.
"Um..." Iris began, and she fidgeted awkwardly. The tension in the room had just jumped several points purely because she had mentioned Lin's name in passing. "Any reason why you specialize in claw battling?" she asked, hoping this would distract the Charmander long enough for her growing aggression to simmer down.
"Yes."
Silence followed that statement, and Iris very quickly abandoned the subject. Aureia had tensed up, and Avis was looking worried. But these signs paled in comparison to the feeling that Iris was picking up. Similar to Aureia's brief flickering of pain and anger when touching upon her past, Iris was able to identify a similar vibe coming from Ember. Except it was infinitely stronger. So strong that the Kirlia was actually starting to feel nauseous.
"Can someone else talk now?" she squeaked finally. Ember hadn't done anything. She hadn't glared at her or made any threatening motions, but the shift in her emotional state had been so intense that Iris was terrified that the next thing she said might set off the Charmander's rage.
"You knew that Adrian works with Pokemon that have past trauma or excessive aggression," Kaito said quietly as he floated over to Iris, keeping his voice soft enough so that the other Pokemon couldn't overhear. "Why would you ask probing questions about their past or motivations?"
"I...was just...curious," Iris began to stammer, but the Togetic shushed her gently, bestowing an extremely brief smile upon her, then floated over to Sorin and conversed with him quietly.
Avis had gotten up and had walked over to Ember. From Iris' current angle, she couldn't see if Avis was saying anything, but Ember was definitely focusing on the Snivy, and the tension in her body was gradually fading. Aureia glanced at the two bipeds and shrugged to herself, turning to face Adrian with blatant impatience. Iris didn't really mind the lack of attention on herself, but it was awkward to be aware that literally no one was paying attention to her. With Force absent, the fact she got minimal attention in a group was more noticeable than usual.
Just when the awkward silence had stretched past the breaking point, Aureia perked up slightly, and Iris saw Adrian walking towards them, and she rose to her feet, drifting over to Sorin and Kaito. Adrian cast the three of them a curious look before focusing on his Pokemon.
"Everyone doing okay?" he asked them. He wasn't talking loudly, but he wasn't bothering to conceal his words from the unfamiliar Pokemon, either. "Okay, we're just about..."
The human broke off, casting a glance sideways. He gave that area a puzzled look for several seconds before turning back to his Pokemon.
"Did anyone hear that?"
The human now had Kaito's full attention, whereas she and Sorin remained baffled. Judging by the expressions of the other Pokemon, they had no idea what Adrian had possibly heard, either.
"Hm...anyway, as I was...wait, is that my phone?" he muttered absently, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small device. He peered at the display for a moment, then glanced upwards in confusion. "Why'd my ringtone change? I didn't change any of the settings, I just set the alarm for twenty minutes."
Now that Iris could focus her hearing, she was starting to understand the human's bafflement. The device he was holding was emitting an odd tone, the likes of which Iris had never heard before. It was eerie, like the compilation of several sounds distorted until they were no longer recognizable, yet still feel vaguely familiar.
Adrian shook his head and pressed something on his device, the tone ceasing at once. "Whatever, not important. I'm ready to...seriously, again?" he complained, pulling out his phone and examining its display, the device again emitting that same eerie tune.
That's when several of the symbols on the wall lit up. One by one, each of the alphabetical sigils scattered around the passageway began to glow with a pale blue light, and Iris shuddered, abruptly aware of dozens of different vibes surrounding her. Individual minds, but only tiny pieces of a greater existence.
"What the...?" Adrian wondered, his eyes widening in surprise and confusion. The glowing symbols began to slowly emerge from the wall, separating from the stone entirely and leaving the space of the wall they came from completely bare.
"Unown," Kaito said, his eyes lighting up with eagerness. For such a normally jumpy creature, he was taking the alarming situation quite well. Everyone else seemed bewildered and even a little afraid. The living symbols swirled around the group, then began to move away, phasing through the nearby wall and disappearing from sight into the neighboring corridor.
"Can we go home now?" Aureia muttered. Adrian had stared at the wall for a moment, then began jogging towards the doorway leading into next corridor. Aureia sighed, but immediately followed, walking at a far brisker pace than she had earlier. Ember and Avis wordlessly followed suit, and before Iris could even ask the question, Kaito had beckoned for her and Sorin to likewise pursue.
Moments later, they found themselves in the last stretch of corridor on this side of the Ruins. There was no doorway leading beyond this point, only stretches of wall, but the glowing symbols had nevertheless gathered at the far end of the corridor, merging with a blank section of the wall and leaving behind glowing imprints in the same shape as the Unown themselves had been.
"What was that about?" Sorin asked, confused. Iris could understand the fluffy Pokemon's bewilderment. For all intents and purposes, the Unown had materialized, done some flashy dance, gone into the next room, and then returned to the stone walls for no reason.
Adrian paced back and forth before the stretch of wall, writing frantically in his notepad. He paused only to flip to the next page and then resumed scribbling. Kaito paid the other Pokemon no attention and hovered over to the now-carved wall, tracing his paw over the lettering.
"Could this be the sort of activity that's been happening at the Ruins?" Iris wondered to Sorin. That was the whole reason she and Kaito had come here - to investigate the strange activity. If this didn't count as strange activity, then she couldn't imagine what could.
"Possibly, but it's different somehow," Sorin said thoughtfully. "Except for this example, none of the scientists mentioned Unown actually appearing. Only signs, like glowing and things appearing or disappearing. And if it was all the work of Unown, what's the purpose behind it? What are they trying to show us?"
"Or hide from us," Avis suggested. Aureia gave the Snivy a look, but didn't comment.
"Doubtful it's to keep something hidden," Kaito argued, shooting Adrian a resentful look as the human gently nudged him aside to better peer at the writing. "It's been going on for three months, remember?"
"No, I don't remember," Avis said blankly. "When did it start?"
Kaito looked over at Sorin. "Mid-December?"
"The seventeenth, probably," the Altaria answered with a shrug. "But I don't see the significance, it's an irrelevant date-"
Iris felt the explosion of emotion a split second before it happened. With no time to think of anything else, she acted purely on her instinctive reflexes and Teleported to a spot four body lengths to the right of where she had been standing a moment before.
SLAM!
Iris had never been in danger, fortunately. Yet the incredibly loud slamming sound caused everyone to jump (Kaito flinching in a far more undignified manner), and everyone's eyes turned towards the source, to find that Ember had slammed her claws with reckless force into the wall, purple flames surrounding the paw, which probably was the only reason she hadn't broken every bone in her paw.
"...what the hell was that for?" Adrian asked, staring at the Charmander in alarm. "Good lord, are you okay?"
"December...seventeenth...is not...insignificant," Ember snarled. She was breathing harder, obviously in a great deal of pain from the strike she had just performed on the stone wall.
"What?" Aureia said blankly. The Vaporeon and Avis both looked completely stunned by Ember's reaction. In fact, only Kaito and Sorin seemed to realize what had set the Charmander off.
Sorin looked horrified. "Oh shit...no, no, that wasn't a slight against..."
"Idiot," Kaito muttered. "Of all the ways to put that sentence you had to...hm?" the Togetic stopped, staring at the section of the wall Ember had struck. The purple fire surrounding her claws had become absorbed into the wall, and several runes glowed, this time with a matching purple light to the flames that Ember had produced. With a groaning sound, a panel of the wall slid to the side, exposing an opening.
Adrian blinked, clearly torn between curiosity at the discovery, and wanting to be sure Ember was okay, but also wary that Ember might turn her rage on him if he got too close to her.
"Are you okay, girl?" he asked the Charmander softly. He began to reach to touch her back, but then withdrew his hand uncertainly, repeating his attempt two or three times before finally steeling himself and lightly touching her shoulder. Ember growled, but turned and offered him her paw, averting her gaze shamefully. Adrian nodded and very gently touched her paw, examining the digits and claws with expert familiarity.
"What happened? What'd you do?" Iris asked Sorin, her gaze flicking between Ember and the Altaria in bewilderment. Sorin was looking absolutely terrified, and he just shook his head, unwilling to elaborate.
"I'll explain later, when she's not around," Kaito whispered. "It's not something we should discuss around her, as you can probably imagine."
Iris nodded silently, looking over at Ember again. Adrian had finished inspecting her paw and was talking to her in a soothing tone as she continued to look away from anyone attempting to meet her eyes.
"Okay, let's see what's beyond here," Adrian said, stepping over to the newly unveiled opening. "And then we're done here, promise."
