"I said to wake me after the rain," Leaf complained, for what seemed like the sixth time since they had left A/C's den. Ebony clouds loomed above them, pelting their bodies with stinging raindrops. Water soaked into their fur, and even the grass felt mushy beneath their paws.
"I told you, you didn't have to come," Shadow reminded his brother through gritted teeth. He was no more fond of the present situation than his brother was, and even if the storm had not been a factor, he would still have been reluctant to investigate the situation at the Solaceon Ruins. Sure, he might have been a little curious as to why Cecilia might have come back, and how it might possibly relate to Diablos, but that didn't mean he had to get involved.
Renard had repeatedly warned him that Diablos was not an enemy to be trifled with, and this was a reality that Shadow knew all too well. Every encounter with the demon was an experience he was not eager to repeat, so it baffled him to no end that Astrid actively wanted to pursue him.
Much like when Renard planned to investigate the Eterna Forest, Shadow felt it would unwise for the Absol to venture into potentially dangerous territory on her own. She was undoubtedly more capable in battle than he was, but there remained the distinct possibility that, even if Diablos himself was not present, Cecilia or one of her other allies may exceed the huntress' strength. After all, Cecilia was the one who defeated the Sigilyph guardian on its home turf, even if Astrid was the one who ultimately killed it the second time around.
That said, Shadow was uncomfortable with leaving Leaf behind, asleep and unguarded, without at least telling him what was going on. Although irked by being awakened, the young Leafeon had insisted on coming with them, which evidently didn't come with a guarantee that he wouldn't complain.
Raze volunteered to accompany them to the Ruins, citing that he would need to head back soon anyway, as the storm was picking up too much for him to enjoy staying outside. As they drew nearer to their destination, he commented that Aureia and Blaze must have felt similarly about the storm, as they were no longer cavorting about in the rain.
The group rounded a final bend, and found themselves looking ahead to a large cave entrance. A flash of lightning dramatically lit their path, and Leaf bolted for the cave almost at once, as eager as any of them to get out of the rain. Shadow cursed under his breath and hurried after him. There was no telling how many people or Pokemon might already be taking shelter from the storm, and to burst in on them like that risked sparking a conflict they couldn't afford to have.
The two of them reached the entrance almost simultaneously, and Shadow exerted a psychic force on his brother, pulling him back a little and draping his tail around Leaf's shoulders as a gentle signal for him to wait before proceeding any further than the cave's mouth. Leaf whined in protest, but the Espeon shushed him softly, licking his cheek and peering into the cave. His eyes pierced the darkness with ease, taking note of the trail of water leading from the outside. He followed the trail to a pair of larger puddles, an indication that the individuals who had tracked water inside had lingered in one area long enough for water to collect on the ground, and then the trail proceeded deeper into the interior of the Ruins, towards the very back of the room.
Shadow nodded to Leaf and cautiously ventured into the stone corridor. The Solaceon Ruins looked almost exactly like it had the last time he had been here. The walls were covered with carvings and bizarre runes, and the ground was worn with age. Sets of crumbling staircases branched off in different directions, but the corridor itself seemed empty. If not for the trails of water leading inside, one might have gotten the impression the room had been undisturbed since their last visit.
The storm clouds obscuring the sun prevented natural light from filtering into the chamber, and while Shadow's eyes had no difficulty penetrating the gloom, Leaf's vision was not as adaptable. The Leafeon practically clung to Shadow's side, whimpering nervously with every step they took. Astrid and Raze arrived moments later, the Absol nonchalantly shaking water from her mane, as Raze gazed around uncertainly.
"Is it pitch-black in here, or did my eyes stop working?" the Buizel asked, sounding legitimately concerned. "It was definitely not this dark when I left."
"The storm's gotten worse," Astrid pointed out. "And I can see fine, although Shadow blends in WAY too well."
"Where did everyone go?" Raze asked, cautiously feeling his way along the perimeter of the room. "Not you guys, I mean my trainer and other companions...I don't think they'd have left during the storm."
"There's a trail of water here," Shadow commented, but then frowned as he glanced back towards Raze. The four of them were dripping water all over the room, and if he hadn't noticed the water trail originally, he might not have known some of the water had been left by someone before them.
Astrid giggled, her tail wagging. "I'm also picking up the scents of different Pokemon," she said, sniffing at the ground and briefly at the air. Raze let out a startled cry when the Absol's wagging tail slapped his arm, and he recoiled, his eyes darting around in a futile effort to locate the shapes of the other Pokemon present.
"So did they go to a lower floor?" the Buizel asked, cautiously swiping his paw into the empty space before him, and tentatively tapping his foot against the stone floor before stepping forward.
"Astrid, can you just guide him over here?" Shadow asked impatiently. The white-furred quadruped giggled and nodded, turning to the Buizel and murmuring instructions until he managed to grip the fur at her shoulder, then walking slowly over to where the Eeveelutions were standing.
"Thanks," Raze muttered, but he looked around apprehensively. "Are we going to have to go down stairs next?"
"Probably," Shadow admitted. "I remember that most of the stairs lead to dead-ends, but this sign back here has a clue. I dunno...A/C translated the symbols and wrote it down, so..."
"Ooh, let me see," Astrid said, darting towards the plaque Shadow was indicating, Raze nearly stumbling at the sudden removal of his guide. "Unown lettering, been a while since I've seen that," the Absol murmured, her eyes scanning the inscriptions. "Top Right..."
She proceeded to mutter something to herself, occasionally gesturing to one direction or another, and then closed her eyes before repeating them all again, and concluding by looking up at the plaque again to verify.
"Got it!" she said, returning to Raze's side and allowing him to grip her fur again. "First it's this one right here..."
Shadow carefully descended the stairs, guiding Leaf's own footsteps with whispered instructions and reassurances, and they soon emerged on the second level, another room much like the first, with a number of different staircases. Whoever had been tracking water through the Ruins had evidently been following the correct pathway. It amused Shadow to some extent, that even if Astrid hadn't been able to translate the Unown script, they could still have made headway simply by following the trail of water of those that had gone ahead of them.
The water led to one of the staircases across the room, situated on the same side as the one he and Leaf had just descended. Shadow took a few steps in that direction, but then tensed, noticing light flickering from that stairway, indicating that whoever they were following were closer than he initially thought.
"What's wrong?" Leaf asked, dropping his voice to a concerned whisper, his brown eyes searching the room vainly.
"There's light coming from over there," Shadow answered, gently guiding Leaf's head to be facing in the direction he was indicating.
"So?"
"It's probably Raze's trainer or something," Shadow explained seriously, as Astrid and Raze joined them. "If he's not upstairs and probably hasn't left, then they might be exploring the Ruins," he continued, looking over at Astrid uncertainly. There was really no point to exchanging looks with Raze, when the Buizel probably couldn't even see him.
"I'll check," Astrid said, lowering her head to the floor and sniffing around curiously, then raising her head to sniff the air. "Yeah, definitely a human scent, but also Pokemon...hmm..."
Astrid took a few steps further into the room, closing her eyes and breathing deeply, but then frowned to herself.
"What is it?" Shadow asked, as neither Raze nor Leaf seemed able to see the Dark-type's expression with any clarity. Their eyes were definitely adjusting to the darkness, but they still kept close to their respective guides.
"There's another scent in the air...something foreign, and I don't recognize it," Astrid said carefully. "It's...sweet and alluring...but has a poisonous fragrance to it...like a rose that's on fire, if that makes any sense."
"It really doesn't," Raze said blankly. Shadow frowned and sniffed the air tentatively, surprised to find that he, too, was picking up a strange scent. It was a very pleasant aroma, both familiar and completely foreign. Sweet and yet distinctly bitter. Alluring, but with a hint of smoke and flame. It reminded him of Cecilia...but was completely different from her. And stranger yet, the scent burrowed within his nostrils, eluding his attempts to identify it, but making it nearly impossible for him to forget it, even after he stopped inhaling.
"It kind of reminds me of the incense breeders use," Astrid murmured, still sniffing the air curiously. "Or like...I dunno, a dragoness in heat, or whatever."
Shadow coughed awkwardly. While he was definitely concerned about what might be producing the scent, the last thing he wanted was for Leaf to ask questions about what Astrid was attempting to describe, because that wasn't a conversation he wanted to have right now.
"I don't smell anything," Leaf complained, and Shadow breathed a soft sigh of relief.
"It's probably coming from something up ahead," Raze reasoned. "Either way, I've got to regroup with Marcus, so come on."
Shadow reluctantly started towards the stairs, before the Buizel's words fully sunk in, and he stopped dead in his tracks, his silver eyes widening. "W-wait...your trainer's name is Marcus?" he asked, looking back at the water weasel.
"Uh...yeah, why?" Raze asked blankly.
"He's tried to capture me before!" Shadow yelped, and Leaf jerked away from him, startled by his brother's cry. "Wait, does he have an electric Pokemon named Sparky?" he pressed, silently praying that he was mistaken, and the similar name was just a coincidence, or a case of him misremembering the youth's name.
"Yeah, a Luxio," Raze said, frowning. "And a Lopunny named Laura."
Shadow cursed under his breath, his fur bristling. "I can't go near him, he's already gone after me twice!" he insisted. "Last time, Frost had to intervene."
"Oh yeah, I remember that," Raze chuckled, seemingly unfazed by the Espeon's agitation. "Marcus had stopped at the Pokemon Center when I was there, and I overheard him mentioning the Glaceon who kicked Sparky's tail. I figured that meant Frost, but I had no idea he had been trying to capture you. Don't worry about it, you'll be fine."
"Easy for you to say, you've already BEEN captured!" Shadow snapped.
"Shadow, calm down," Raze said seriously, stepping over and attempting to reassuringly touch his paw to the Espeon's mouth, only to lightly sock him in the nose instead. "Whoops, sorry..."
"I'm impressed you found my face at all," Shadow growled, rubbing his nose.
"Your gemstone's glowing," Raze pointed out, and Shadow glanced up, realizing that a pulsing silver light was emitting from his forehead. "Anyway, just calm down now...I'm with you, I'll call Sparky and Laura off if Marcus gets any bright ideas."
"Why would they listen to you over him?" Shadow demanded skeptically. "And how do I know you won't attack me if he tells you to?"
Raze stared at Shadow incredulously. "Do you think Pokeballs brainwash you or something? Or that Pokemon are compelled to obey their trainer's command, no matter what that command may be? Good grief...they'll listen because I'm stronger than they are, and I'll make it clear that I'd fight against them. Besides, if I recall correctly, you barely had any psychic control last time, and you're way more capable now."
"I'm here, too," Astrid pointed out brightly. "Even if he's not superstitious enough not to mess with me by default, I've got years of training to back it up."
"And I'm here!" Leaf added, just as brightly. "I fought him the first time he went after you, and that was after I had just evolved! I'm way tougher now!"
In spite of himself, Shadow cracked a smile. It was genuinely reassuring to have all of them standing behind him, and vowing to defend him if he was put in any danger. He took a deep breath to relax his nerves, and then nodded, continuing to the stairs and carefully descending to the next floor.
At the bottom of the stairs, Shadow emerged into a dimly lit chamber, a far cry from the pitch-blackness that had consumed the previous two floors. As he cast his gaze cautiously around the room, his stomach dropped when he saw two humans standing near the opposite end of the room, their backs to him, but each clutching a small, club-like instrument that was producing a beam of light from one end. The lighting of the room seemed to dim and flicker as the two humans directed these light beams to different sections of the room, but even from across the room, the beams were bright enough to illuminate most of the chamber.
The water trail was definitely beginning to recede, and Shadow isolated the source of the tracks almost at once, his gaze pausing on a pair of vaguely familiar quadrupeds. One had a distinct, light-blue body with a frilled ruff around its neck, and a ridge running down its back and along its tail, which ended in a fin similar to that of a fish. Seeing another Vaporeon caused a pang of sorrow with Shadow's chest, although even without seeing its face, Shadow had no difficulty identifying it as a female, simply by the sleekness of its body and the way she carried herself.
The second of the two quadrupeds was undoubtedly the same Sylveon from the other day. The primarily cream-colored fur, but pink ears and tail, as well as the ribbons flowing around its body, made identifying its species a cinch.
In addition to those two, Shadow spotted the unpleasantly familiar form of a quadruped with blue-grey and black fur, with a thin black tail ending with a large yellow star. Beside the Luxio stood a tall, bipedal Pokemon with dark brown fur and bizarrely oversized ears. It had a slender figure with distinct, feminine curves, while simultaneously sporting powerful muscles in her legs. Leaf tensed from beside Shadow, causing the Espeon to snap out of his daze, his cheeks growing hot as he realized he had been borderline gawking at the bunny Pokemon.
The last two Pokemon, however, were unfamiliar in their entirety. They were both bipedal lizards, with the taller of the two having smooth green scales along its back, with a number of vibrant leaves sprouting along its spine and its tail. Its belly was covered in white scales, and it had a peculiar yellow crest of some sort forming a V-shaped collar at its neck. The smaller Pokemon had bright orange scales, and an active flame burning from the end of its tail, further helping to light the room.
Raze and Astrid reached the bottom of the stairs behind them, and the Absol paused to survey the collection of different Pokemon. So far, their arrival had gone unnoticed, but Shadow doubted that this would last much longer.
Almost as if Shadow's unspoken thought was his cue, Raze strode past him and Leaf, walking towards the group, his twin tails flicking cheerfully.
"Hey guys, who had the bright idea to explore this maze?" the Buizel asked loudly. The Buizel's shout caught the attention of his trainer, who turned towards them, casting his light beam onto the Buizel. There was no mistaking that youthful face and untidy brown hair, and even Leaf growled quietly at the familiar sight of the trainer who had previously attempted to capture Shadow.
"There you are, Raze," Marcus said, smiling slightly. "You really shouldn't wander off like that, though," he continued, adding a scolding tone to his words.
"Sorry," Raze answered, shrugging nonchalantly. Marcus seemed content with the mere acknowledgement, and his eyes drifted past the Buizel, lingering briefly on Astrid, who was watching him closely, before moving on to rest on Shadow. Blank shock registered upon the human's expression, slowly giving way to sudden recognition.
"Oh my god...Adrian, Adrian, it's that shiny Espeon I told you about!" Marcus squealed, reaching behind himself and frantically tapping at the other human's arm.
"What?" the older trainer asked, turning to see what the sudden fuss was about, and the rest of the Pokemon followed suit, until all eyes were on Shadow. The Espeon bristled, shifting into an aggressive stance.
"See? See? Black fur, but totally an Espeon!" Marcus insisted, pointing at Shadow with child-like enthusiasm.
"Huh...I better Dex-scan it just to be sure," Adrian said skeptically, pulling a small red device from his pocket. Leaf and Shadow both tensed, but Raze and Astrid were seemingly unconcerned, even when the device was pointed towards the group. "Well, you're right that it's an Espeon," the older human conceded, after a brief pause. "Can't explain the fur color, but Eevee are said to have unstable genetics, so it could be caused by a quirk in his DNA."
"So, before anyone gets too excited, let me start off by saying that Shadow here is a friend of mine," Raze said, gesturing to the Espeon. "Ladies, I realize he's young, single, and unbelievably attractive, but if you could refrain from openly drooling over him, the other males in the room would really appreciate it."
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Sparky demanded, sparks flying from his fur, but his glare was directed at Shadow more than Raze. Both he and Laura had tensed upon noticing the ebony Espeon, but they remained where they were, awaiting their trainer's command before making any move to attack. It took Shadow a moment, but he soon realized that while Sparky was focusing upon him, Laura was watching Leaf, her expression wary. Leaf's fur was bristled, and he was growling very quietly, exposing one of his fangs to the Lopunny.
"Kind of self-explanatory, really," Raze chuckled. "It's really hard to compete with Shadow for female attention. Isn't that right, Blaze?" he continued, flashing the Sylveon a teasing grin.
"Shut up," Blaze retorted, but the words lacked sincere aggression. The Fairy-type inched closer to the Vaporeon, and affectionately coiled one of his feeler ribbons around one of the Water-type's forelegs, earning a momentary glance from her. If anything, the Vaporeon was the female in the room that seemed the most indifferent to Shadow's presence, whereas the grass lizard was studying him with obvious fascination, and the fire lizard was blatantly gawking, the flame on her tail flaring up slightly as she studied him.
Shadow turned his attention back to the two humans, certain that Marcus was on the verge of commanding his Pokemon to attack him. The younger human was fidgeting, barely able to contain his excitement, but he kept glancing towards Adrian, an indication that he was reluctant to act without the older trainer's approval. Picking up on the youth's hesitation, Astrid stepped to the front of the group and fixed the two humans with an intense stare. Even without the Absol's gaze directly upon him, Shadow felt an unmistakable vibe of confidence and strength radiating from the disaster Pokemon, powerful enough that it felt like the room's gravity had increased, and that the air itself was exerting additional pressure upon their bodies.
"Marcus, back off and let them through. Give them space," Adrian said sharply. The second youth blinked in confusion for a moment, but then hastily backpedaled, gesturing for his Pokemon to do likewise. Laura and Sparky refused to take their eyes off the opposing group, even as they moved to the side, providing an unobstructed path to the stairs.
"But Adrian..." Marcus protested weakly, sounding almost like a child whose parent had just denied them a privilege of some sort. Shadow eyed the trainers' group skeptically. He had expected at least a little more resistance than this, and couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was being lulled into a false sense of security. If the humans allowed them to pass, it left the risk of them later attacking from behind, or otherwise blocking their escape route. In fact, he had the strong impression that the reason the older trainer had backed off was because he recognized the strategic disadvantage of having hostile Pokemon between him and the exit.
"I don't like this," Shadow growled, nevertheless inching closer to the stairs, watching the other Pokemon warily. Laura and Sparky had moved aside, as according to their trainer's wishes, but the Eeveelution couple hadn't bothered, since they weren't obstructing the path in the first place, and the fire lizard was reclining against the wall directly beside the stairs. "I feel like they're trying to trap us."
"Not likely," Raze answered, his tails flicking nonchalantly. "Backing someone into a corner only guarantees them fighting back when attacked, and I don't think they're dumb enough to risk provoking Astrid. I'll stay back and keep an eye on things here, while you guys go on ahead."
"You and Leaf can go first, and I'll watch your back," Astrid suggested brightly. Shadow considered this for a moment and then nodded, gesturing with his tail for Leaf to come with him. The Leafeon eagerly started towards the stairs, but then stopped in his tracks, cringing away when he noticed the fire lizard's tail. Despite the Charmander not even being in his way, the sight of the active flame seemed to terrify him.
"Shadow!" he whimpered. The Espeon fought back the urge to scream in frustration. It was awkward enough that they had lingered for so long after being allowed through, but now Leaf was holding things up just because a small fire was nearby.
"It's fine, just don't touch it," he urged the Leafeon seriously. When Leaf still cringed away from the stairs, he sighed in exasperation. "You realize we're probably going to run into Cece later on, right? You shouldn't have come along if you still can't go anywhere near fire without freaking out."
"Oh, come on!" the Lopunny blurted from the across the room, earning her several bemused looks from the other occupants, Shadow included, but Laura just crossed her arms and pouted, giving no explanation for her outburst.
"Cece?" the Charmander repeated blankly. "You know Cecilia?"
Shadow blinked at the Fire-type uncertainly, but nodded. "Yeah, Raze said she came through here," he answered blandly.
"She did," the Charmander confirmed, idly examining her claws. "Any idea what they're looking for?" she asked.
"No, but I can't afford to ignore their activities," Shadow answered solemnly. "Excuse me, please, but your tail is making my brother nervous."
The fire lizard snorted, emitting a wisp of smoke from her nostrils, but obligingly slid along the wall, moving further away from the stairs. Leaf still looked a little apprehensive, but at Shadow's urging, he started down the stairs, moving slowly so as not to trip. Shadow started to follow, but then paused, giving the Charmander a puzzled look.
"How do you know they're looking for something?" he wondered.
The Charmander snorted again. "Because the last time I saw Kaito examining Ruins, he was looking for something. I doubt this time is any different, even if he won't tell me what it is."
"Kaito?" Shadow repeated blankly. "Kaito's here, too?" Raze hadn't said anything about who he had seen Cecilia with, merely mentioning that she hadn't been alone, so Shadow had just assumed that she was accompanied by one of the other Pokemon he knew to be associated with her or Diablos. His gut instinct leaned towards Lin, although he supposed that Iris or even the bizarre Rotom from the Eterna Forest were equally probable guesses.
He had even considered the notion of an unknown party accompanying the Quilava, in which case it might very well be Diablos himself, possessing another Pokemon, but that was his worst-case scenario. Cecilia was unlikely to come back to the Solaceon Ruins for the sake of leisure, but she was just as unlikely to willingly escort Diablos around.
Kaito's presence was a different matter entirely. They had never met, but Shadow had heard of him, back when Cecilia explained the situation to him. From the way Cecilia had described him, Kaito was the one who had masterminded Diablos' unsealing. It had been his idea, supported by his research, and Cecilia seemed to consider him the unofficial leader of the group, or at least a higher authority. With that in mind, Kaito was bound to be the most knowledgeable about the extent of Diablos' abilities and power, and what it was the group intended to accomplish by unsealing the Spiritomb. It meant Shadow might have to approach the situation differently than if it had just been Cecilia and another familiar face, but that was enough to cement his resolve to continue into the heart of the Ruins, no matter how unpleasant the prospect may be.
"You've met Kaito before?" the fire lizard wondered, sounding slightly surprised.
"No, but I would very much like to," Shadow murmured absently, starting down the stairs. "He has a lot of explaining to do..."
