The clouds had a few flashes among them that were shortly followed by rumbles, and the wild ones (save for a few scattered Caterpie and a lone Budew) had long since retreated to their crevices or hideaways. The rocky ground past the meadow was a bit slick, but it wasn't all that unfriendly to the four traversing it. Jax in particular seemed to rather enjoy the rain on his Dry Skin, and while none of the others (especially the two Water-types) seemed to mind the rain at all, Ace's feathers began clumping together in ways that made his otherwise imposing figure look a bit less than… majestic. Nonetheless, the terrain was largely empty, which lifted some of the need to be on guard.

The Staraptor piped up a bit, shaking a few water droplets from his face. "Say. Niles, Kaminari, I want to ask you two something, but I don't want to sound like the bad guy for asking it," Ace mused, brushing his crest a bit with the tip of one wing.

"Go on," Niles wasn't bothered.

"That Astrid girl… She's not involved with Salem, is she? That timid nature isn't just an act?"

Jax looked surprised at the words leaving Ace's beak for a moment, but evidently didn't deem it necessary to voice such. Neither the Greninja or Inteleon seemed all that bothered, on the other hand, while the Staraptor seemed just a bit apprehensive after he finished his thought.

"That kid? The one my Trixie plays with and talks about?" the Toxicroak mused with a laugh.

"She is a fine actor if that's case, but I highly doubt that she is," Niles answered, considering Ace's inquiry for just a moment. "It is odd that such strange happenings have accompanied her, but based on specifics that she has shared, and that I unfortunately can't repeat, it seems far more likely she's merely caught up in a nasty situation involving Salem and that beast."

The Staraptor seemed understanding, but still he inquired, "So there's no chance that she's actually an underling that can't remember her past? It's just that she must be valuable if they're targeting her, and I'm sure none of us want to be on the receiving end of Salem's wrath if Astrid somehow gets her memories back and that's what she was doing before…"

"You're absolutely right, Ace- she is very valuable, but for unrelated reasons," Niles affirmed. "Those reasons are classified and she would likely be extraordinarily uncomfortable if they were repeated, otherwise I would say."

Kaminari wasn't fazed at all. "If it turns out this is an elaborate ruse, she's not getting very far," she declared. "But you've seen her- she freaks out at the mention of the beast and Salem. Even if she was involved somehow, it's safe to say she isn't anymore and probably wouldn't be if the chance came up."

Jax piped up again, wearing a questioning grin and giving Ace a playful nudge. "Damn, Ace! You and Toko were showing her how to fix her feathers when she first rolled up, and now you're being all suspicious~?!"

Ace chuckled, appearing more put at ease by the information. "I'm not suspicious, I'm just concerned. I've got nothing against an amnesiac stray Rowlet- er, Dartrix, it's just that I want the bases covered," he replied to the contrary. "And if you say so, I believe it," he said to the other two.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning dropped down into the cliffs rising up to their west, perhaps attracted to a Rhydon's Lightning Rod or just touching the nearest tall object. It garnered a few glances, though none of concern… right away, anyway. The rain made visibility among the rocky edges limited; however, one thing was visible- a brightly glowing orb that seemed to be hurriedly bobbing up and down in another direction. The bolt seemed to rain down straight onto it as if it had been attracted to it.

"Hold it," Niles said quickly, his eyes becoming shrouded by a black membrane on either one.

The other three paused.

"What's up? We got company?" Jax inquired, grinning just a bit at the thought.

Kaminari perked up at Niles' apprehension and turned her attention to the cliffs to study them too, although she couldn't get as good of a look.

"… Maybe," said the Inteleon, still eyeing the glowing orb.

The black lenses definitely made on thing clear about the orb bobbing along- that it wasn't an orb but rather a spiked ball, and that it was attached to a body seemingly made of black wires that sparked with electrical energy. It seemed to be running the opposite direction of Overgrown Crevice, but rather towards the meadow, in a fairly haphazard stride.

"You see that glowing orb bouncing around? If my eyes don't deceive me, that's Astrid's beast," Niles clarified. "And heavens, she was not lying."

That perked the other two up, Jax's fingers clenching up just a bit in half of a fist. Kaminari too formed just a little Water Shuriken in one hand.

"You can see it?!" Jax exclaimed.

"Clear as day," Niles answered, "It's got a spiked glowing head that's showing up even to us down here, it looks to be slightly under three meters tall, and its body is made of black wires bound together to make it bipedal. It fits her description exactly."

"Does it look like a Pokémon at all?" Ace wanted to know, likewise eyeing the glowing ball in vain.

"None that I've ever seen," said the Inteleon.

"Should we go after it? There's four of us; we can probably take it," mused Jax.

"It better hope those wires are strong if it comes down here," Kaminari remarked, a small Water Shuriken forming in her hand.

Niles shook his head, still keeping a watch on it. "It's running off somewhere else and doesn't seem to be concerned with us. We should prioritize Zariel for now- she's the one that's easiest to deal with as it currently stands."

That seemed reasonable to all of them present.

Nonetheless, everyone kept their guard up just in case it or anyone else showed. The glowing ball bobbed up and down a few more times before vanishing behind another rock face with the rest of its glow obscured in the rain. The only indication of its location came from another bolt dropping from the sky that seemed to connect with it again.

. . . . .

Another cracking sound filled the air closer to town when Lila's Thunderbolt shot off into the clouds, the Jolteon skittering about with fur sticking straight up like needles.

"Gyahhh! Scatter!" she shouted at the puffy shapes overhead.

A few Magikarp jumped about in the water, apparently enjoying the droplets dripping down from overhead. The youngsters on the land weren't protesting the rain, though Charlie's fur began to look a bit clumped together and the feathers of Astrid and Rina started bunching up too. The Dartrix, though, thought it felt nice on her leafy ornaments.

"If a Gyarados comes out and Hyper Beams you, you're on your own," Charlie remarked at the Jolteon.

"H-has that ever happened?" Astrid wanted to know.

Lila didn't seem to care much if a Gyarados aimed a Hyper Beam at her or not, for her fur was still sparking and she was grinning. Veeko seemed a bit unnerved at the loud sounds that kept booming out whenever lightning filled the clouds, but Rina seemed to think the flashes were pretty (from a distance, of course). Astrid, Arashi, and Charlie kept their distance, while Trixie had her eyes glued to the sky and pointed out every avian creature that flew over with a mischievous smirk. (Lila, though, did not attack them.)

"Only once, a long time ago," Arashi brushed it off. "Just don't accidentally drop a Blast Seed on one, and you'll be fine!"

Astrid certainly hadn't been planning on it. She almost wanted to ask 'Has that happened?' but figured that indeed it had if her comrade was bringing it up.

"So how was it?" the Aipom inquired of the Dartrix, "Evolving, I mean. Did it feel weird?"

Astrid ruffled up a bit, and Arashi too started looking a bit uncertain at having it brought up. They both pretended that absolutely nothing out of the ordinary had accompanied it.

"I-is it supposed to?" Astrid inquired.

"Well, Lila said it's a little odd having your body morph so fast and so suddenly, but it's fun at the same time," Charlie clarified.

"W-well… I didn't think it was fun, that's for sure…" Astrid said to the contrary, knowing that much at least was true. "N-not that I'm p-protesting being a Dartrix, but…"

Her eyes shifted aside to Arashi for a second, whom she could easily tell was thinking the same thing she was- that no, it had not been fun. The only one having any fun there had been Zariel and definitely not the Starstorm duo.

"… Guess I'll have to wait and see," Charlie mused. "Having two tail-hands might be nice…"

"I call dibs on the next evolution spot, though!" Trixie declared, shooting them a glance backwards, "And if it gets Mega Punched, somebody's getting Sucker Punched!"

"You don't even know Sucker Punch," Lila playfully chided.

"I'll learn it fast!" the Croagunk shot her down.

Nonetheless, a few Wingulls went flapping over the water and grabbed Trixie's attention, to which Lila and Charlie both got hapless looks while Rina too squawked a few protests. The Jolteon nonchalantly waited for them to fly over before shooting another bolt off at the clouds with glee.

Astrid got a slight grin to her beak and tilted her head sideways while musing, "Is… is this what Electric-types do for fun?"

"It sure is!" Lila called back to her, then up at the sky, "Are you gonna drop one on me or not?! It's fun to Volt Absorb a few too, y'know!"

"Oh, c'mon, you sure like nestling up in a basket way more than anyone else I've ever seen," Arashi jested. "Y'know what? Come to think of it, that basket's probably too small for you now, aha!"

Astrid had to admit, that much was also true.

Nonetheless, watching the clouds wasn't all that bad of a way to unwind (except for Veeko and his drooping ears at the sound of thunder), and Lila certainly seemed to enjoy yelling at them (even if it was utterly futile). So long as more unwanted visitors didn't turn up, it seemed like the trouble was past and things would indeed get taken care of… at least, if all went well.

. . . . .

However, at the crevice, while three figures poked about in the cave while a Staraptor gave the surroundings a look from above…

"Oh, hot damn!" Jax cried. "What happened here?!"

The congealed blood had started to blend in with the brownish tones of the rocky cave, but its sticky feel was still there when the unsuspecting Toxicroak stepped on it while glancing at the shattered crystalline shards. The tan-colored feathers and two halves of a Rowlet's leafy bow left little to the imagination on who it belonged to, and Jax quickly stepped back from it.

"What's wrong?" Kaminari inquired, strolling over the cracked rubble of the broken wall. Then, shortly on noticing what was wrong, called, "Niles!"

The Inteleon darted over from inspecting the burnt surface of the cave floor and likewise was surprised.

Kaminari carefully picked up one half of the red-covered leafy bow and looked at the feathers mixed in among the half-dried pool with her mouth slightly open. "They didn't mention this!"

"Maybe they just didn't wanna talk about it…? I mean, that looks pretty nasty, ehe," Jax awkwardly mused, shrugging with a hapless grin.

Niles studied the leafy bow and the pool it came out of, a bit wide-eyed for a moment. "It isn't a splatter, so it's more in line with a stabbing or gashing sort of attack…" he mused, looking it all over. "But it's all isolated in one place with no streaks across the ground, which means she would have been stationary…"

He looked over the shards littering the ground and instantly noticed one with a red trickle along its length, and his face fell as he picked it up. The Inteleon's gaze drifted up to a portion of the cave wall with some crystalline remnants clinging to the otherwise unremarkable stone making up the rest of it.

"What're you getting?" Kaminari inquired.

"… Arceus above, that is downright unfortunate," Niles remarked flatly, then turning back to the other two present, "They said the evolution spot was Mega Punched by Zariel, yes? Well, it definitely was, but clearly, Astrid was Mega Punched along with it, and these shards here would indicate that she somehow was impaled on it going off of the shapes of the streams… which is why there would be only one pool of blood. Judging by the color of these feathers, since Dartrix's plumage is different, she had not yet evolved, so that would likely put evolution shortly after the injury, meaning the spot also had to have broken around the same time. In other words… what a way to reach the next form."

Jax blinked. "Well, that's one hell of a Mega Punch…"

Kaminari's eyes grew narrower and narrower at the explanation while she glared down at the reddish-brown pool. "I shouldn't be surprised at one of Salem's cronies, but that just pisses me off…"

"Me too, dear," Niles remarked coolly in spite of his words.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps and wings flapping from outside grabbed their attention, where Ace landed outside the cave opening and strode in before shaking some of the water off of his plumage.

"She's in the cliffs slightly northwest from here, and she's still down and alone," said the Staraptor. "Her tail is still burning, but it's faint."

"And I'd love to put it out," Kaminari remarked, immediately making for the cave opening.

Jax giggled mischievously, cracking his knuckles. "Oh, me too~"

"You didn't get sight of the beast anywhere close by, did you?" Niles inquired of Ace.

The Staraptor shook his head.

"I'll slice that one apart, too," the Greninja wasn't bothered in any case.

She certainly seemed intent on doing just that, and Jax wasn't all that far behind.

Whatever the case, Kaminari set to quickly scaling the crevice and the cliffs with no trouble while Ace allowed Niles on his back and clutched up Jax in his talons before flying off in the same direction. A few more cracks of lightning lit up the blackened sky, and further off a few bolts seemed to be coming from the ground, but that could be surmised as Lila's doing easily enough. It wasn't a friendly environment for a Fire-type to be hanging around in, that was for sure.

Nonetheless, it shortly became apparent that indeed there was a Charizard slumped on the rock faces higher up with a tail just smoldering above a slight ember, definitely not indicative of good health. She still wasn't moving, though it appeared her expression was stuck in a glare, perhaps the face she had been making before falling out of consciousness. She didn't look outright threatening, but the reputation that preceded her made all four of the ones approaching her take a bit of caution as they came closer.

"Are we gonna finish her or drag her back with us~?" Jax inquired, not seeming all that bothered by either one of those options.

Both seemed equally feasible, but it shortly appeared that neither would be happening as easy as they had thought when a slight snarl and a puff of smoke came from the Charizard's maw and made everyone pause. Kaminari prepared to throw her attack, Niles pointed a single finger at their target with his thumb pointed upwards, Jax balled up his fists, and Ace crouched down a bit with his wings slightly spread.

"Are you Zariel?!" Niles quickly called.

The Charizard's eyes shot open at the sound of her name, and she began to stir. "You know who I am, but who the fuck are you?" she coldly but slyly replied, picking herself up and turning her gaze on the entourage, then to no one in particular and looking up at the sky in what looked like an aimless call, "Thanks for waking me! I just hate missing company!"

Even if her tail was dim, she started smirking and flashing her claws again. Her call to seemingly no one put them on edge as to who it might entail.

"You really aren't in a good position to be asking questions, you know that?" Ace shot back.

The Charizard laughed, a few tiny black clouds of smoke coming from her nostrils without a hint of flame attached. She looked them over, one eye narrowing and her fangs glinting even in the subdued light. "Let me guess. This is about those two little runts, isn't it? That grinning little Froakie, at least.~ I know that scared little ball of feathers doesn't belong to anyone, and if it was up to me, she'd be a pile of ash right now."

"The Froakie and the Dartrix are both ours," said Niles, still keeping a finger pointed at her. "And we know why you want Astrid. There's absolutely no way you can spin your motives that make them anything less than malicious."

Zariel chuckled, her other eye narrowing and her fangs getting bared even more as her smirk spread. She wasn't up for battle, they could tell, but the way her claws were twitching indicated that she just might try to start one regardless. "You know why we want her, Wise Guy?" she taunted without a care. "Do you really~? Because unless you've seen the other world, which you obviously haven't, then you don't. Cut the bluffing, it's pathetic."

At the mention of 'the other world,' all four of the ones confronting her had to pause for a second.

"What other world? The Distortion World? You seem like you'd be right at home there," Jax remarked, eyes narrowing at the Charizard.

Kaminari wasn't dissuaded either. "It's not a bluff," she shot back. "You're trying to upset the world's balance again, plain and simple. That's what's pathetic."

Zariel laughed again. "Of course we are," she brushed it off. "That much should be obvious. If you were smart, you'd realize how useless it is to go after me and my comrades."

Niles' eyes narrowed next. "And just who are your comrades and what is this 'other world?' Do you and that beast have connections?"

Zariel looked as blissful as blissful could be while still having wild eyes and flashing claws just begging to rip into someone's throat. "I'm not gonna tell you a damn thing.~ Hopefully you're smart- go figure it out. Matter of fact, go and tell the sparky motherfucker that zapped the little ball of feathers I said hi. I'm sure they'll zap you all to hell and back too."

However, the Charizard started to turn away from them as if she were going to fly away, even though she seemed in no shape to be doing so. One of Kaminari's Water Shurikens sped past Zariel's head and just barely scraped her cheek, clearly intended to miss from the start.

"Where do you think you're going?" said the Greninja. "You can't outrun us in that shape."

And again, the Charizard was cackling, glancing backwards. "I don't have to outrun you, Slicey! Feel free to pray to your gods, but they can't save you!"

At that moment, something besides the clouds lit up, for the air itself behind Zariel seemed to fracture with brightly glowing cracks that gave way to what looked like a portal… a wormhole of sorts. Zariel's face practically lit up with malicious glee at the sight of it.

"What the fu-!" Jax cried, shielding his eyes from the brightness.

"What is that?!" Ace was likewise surprised. "That's no Teleport!"

Niles loosed a Snipe Shot at the Charizard and Kaminari sent a flurry of Water Shurikens, but their effects were something no one could see before Zariel was swallowed up. The glowing rift closed and the air pieced itself back together, leaving their surroundings with absolutely no trace of the snarling draconian figure that had been there moments before.

"Is she gone?!" Ace cried, his gaze darting around their surroundings.

She wasn't present, that was for sure.

Four sets of eyes scanned their surroundings for any trace of Zariel or the wormhole, but none could be found. She had simply up and disappeared.

"That's not normal, is it?!" Jax said uncertainly.

"Absolutely not," Niles said flatly, eyes narrowing at the space she'd disappeared. "The closest that comes to mind is a Gardevoir summoning a small black hole, but even then, that's not even remotely similar to what we just saw."

"So Salem's underlings have abnormal capabilities too," Kaminari remarked with a slight snarl to her voice. "Good to know."

"But they're beatable," Ace added.

"We've got more questions, but we've also got answers, and none of us are in grave condition," said Niles. "That's progress. We should take it for what it is."

All four of them could agree on that, and shortly the entourage was heading back down the cliffs and back to town, nonetheless keeping their guard up in case any of Zariel's 'comrades' decided to show themselves in her absence. The glow of the Beast was nowhere to be found, either.


One thing was certain, the Starstorm duo got a well-deserved rest the following night and woke up chipper the next day. Try as she might to wedge herself in her basket, Astrid couldn't quite fit and had to settle for the shelf itself (which made Arashi giggle as she twisted and turned in all sorts of ways), but it didn't bother her too much. One way or another, she ended up roosting peacefully, and Arashi curled up with no trouble.

Thankfully, the Dartrix didn't hear any more strange voices calling while she slept, full of static or not.

"You awake?" came the quieter freshly-awake voice of Arashi when the two of them started rustling around the next morning.

"Yeah," was Astrid's subdued answer as she rubbed her eyes just a bit with the tips of her wings.

Shortly the Froakie hopped up and turned the lantern on, and the Dartrix jumped down from her perch. As usual, Arashi was already grinning.

"Sheesh, that was a ridiculous day yesterday, wasn't it?" Arashi mused.

"Absolutely ridiculous…" Astrid agreed.

"You up for another expedition today?"

"Y-yeah. You?"

"Always!"

The two of them strolled out through the room's curtain door, and as usual, Niles and Kaminari seemed to have been up and stirring for quite some time. Niles organized the contents of a bag, while Kaminari had a set of papers in one hand that she looked over.

"Morning, dears," said the Inteleon.

"Morning!" Arashi chirped back.

"M-morning," said Astrid.

"You two, get over here. I've got something you'll want to see," said Kaminari.

The two youngsters did so, quickly hopping up on the table to see what was up. She put the pages down flat so they could see it, and Arashi's eyes were lighting up almost instantly. Astrid didn't see anything grandiose save for a simple (albeit pretty) letter and started reading it from the top, but her comrade squealed in happiness and grabbed one of her wings before she could get past the first sentence.

"Look at this! Look at who signed it! Astrid, we gotta frame this and keep it forever! Maybe even build a shrine to it!" Arashi cried happily.

"H-hm?" she was confused.

Niles laughed while stowing a few seeds in his bag. "You might try reading it first, Arashi. Then you can build a shrine to it."

Astrid was already doing so.

"I send my greetings and I thank you for your message.

"First, I must apologize for the delay in my response. As I'm sure you are aware, Team Aeroslash had a run-in with the wanted criminal Salem and were left in critical and questionable condition for quite some time. Immediately after the fact, I spent a considerable duration attempting to get information from their memories, and this task occupied me for quite a while. As if that weren't enough, I was also needed to calm one of the so-called 'crazy Pokémon' that have been cropping up, and this too occupied me with gleaning information from their minds. However, I did receive your letter, and I fully intended to reply to it as soon as possible.

"That being said, though I am sure you are also privy, humans-turned-Pokémon are extremely rare occurrences and this information should be contained as best as possible, both for this former human in question and for whatever purpose she is now a Pokémon for. There will always be those with ill intentions, and a simple stray Rowlet is far less likely to attract those than a Rowlet claiming to be a human, especially in this time with mounting concern over Salem's syndicate. I cannot say for sure that any factors are linked, but going off of previous incidences, it certainly seems likely that the human in your care was turned into her current form in response to, or as a result of, the happenings of late. We are working to get to the bottom of this as well, and if Astrid happens to recall or come across any specific details, do let us know. We would love to hear from her.

"I should note, my psychic abilities allow me to scan the minds of those even not in my immediate vicinity, and I have been doing just that to gauge this conundrum. Aside from Astrid, Nez, and those inhabiting Brushwood Tangle, I can see no one else having an encounter with this 'beast.' I can also confirm that indeed, it is no known species of Pokémon, but what it truly is, is another matter. This creature is hiding itself very well, and seems to have another keeping it shrouded from my observation, for I cannot read its mind (assuming it has one to read). Had you not alerted me, I likely would not have known, and I will certainly be keeping watch for any more of its antics. I should also note, on a similar topic, that although I can scan minds, I will likely be no help in regaining Astrid's memories. More often than not, they are gone for a reason, and even I cannot help recalling those that are locked away by beings outside of my power (whatever 'being' that may entail- there are quite a few that are applicable). Alas, I cannot give her instruction to reclaim them, either, as that too is a complicated subject.

"All that said, if you need help in any way, please do contact us. As for the two small ones, Rush too saw your letter while I was writing this reply and sends his regards to 'Little Blue' and 'Little-little Green' (yes, he knows their names, but for whatever reason, is choosing not to use them). I will not include his exact words since they are laced with profanity.

"With regards, Adnea the Researcher, Expedition Coalition.

"P.S.: I now see that the Rowlet is a Dartrix as I go to mail this. Send her my congratulations; I'm sure it is a lovely form. Also, their feat against Zariel was impressive."

The bottom portion of the last page did indeed bear the Expedition Coalition's name, which Astrid guessed was what Arashi had been so worked up over. The 'Adnea' that had authored the letter incorporated a small star into the text making up her signature, and below it was a small doodle of an Orbeetle that seemed to be casting the star like a magical spell. Likewise, the whole thing was quite pretty with fancy and wispy writing making up the letter's message.

Arashi barely seemed to skim over it and instead just gazed at the signature on the bottom with sparkling, entranced eyes. It was as if the little drawing of the Orbeetle had used Hypnosis.

Kaminari gave Astrid a slight pat on the wing. "I knew they wouldn't be forgetting you."

"A-ah, s-so…" Astrid was slightly uncertain about the whole thing, "The beast is hiding from them, too… And… I'm… O-oh, Arceus above…"

"This! Is! Awesome!" Arashi cried, clapping his hands together in glee, "I knew it! Just think about it, Astrid! Team Starstorm, saving the world from Salem and the crazies! This is great!"

She ruffled her feathers out. "D-don't you think it's a little soon for that?!"

Arashi beamed, throwing his arms around her. "Nope! Not at all! We beat one of Salem's underlings, my heroes remember us, and one of them called us impressive! Yesterday and today are ranking in like, my top three favorite days behind seeing my heroes in action in Tranquil Tunnel!"

"D-did you even have a favorite day before all that?!"

"Nope! Guess I picked the right time to start, aha!"

The Dartrix wasn't so sure about that. It seemed as though every time her comrade started celebrating something, it was always accompanied by something god-awful happening. She couldn't make sense of it no matter how hard she tried, but in any case, she couldn't help but haplessly deflate again.

"Adnea's the smart one, so if she says it, it must be true," Arashi mused happily, letting go of his comrade.

Kaminari chuckled. "Well, if the Orbeetle species is known for one thing, it's intelligence." She turned to Astrid. "At the very least, that's another set of eyes keeping watch for you."

"If no one else can get to the bottom of this, they can," Niles added. "One way or another, it will get solved."

Astrid nodded. "I'm glad about that, at least…"

Arashi was certainly glad, for he began gently poking at the last page as if to see if it was real and beaming when it didn't disappear. Astrid couldn't help but be a bit amused at his mannerisms- there was a fanboy in front of her if she'd ever seen one, and amnesia or not, she was sure she probably hadn't seen such a flagrant one in her human life.

"I am keeping these pages forever," the Froakie declared, tucking them under one arm and jumping down off the table. "This is too good!"

Astrid blinked as he bounded off in into their room with them, probably to paste them to the wall somewhere to admire them or tuck them under his cushion to cuddle them at night. Both of his parents grinned haplessly.

"… Where does he get it from? It isn't from me," Kaminari remarked in jest.

"Certainly not me; the Sobble line is known for the opposite of enthusiasm," Niles chuckled.

Sure enough, Arashi returned without them, and Astrid didn't bother figuring out if he had somehow built them a shrine in thirty seconds or not. (She assumed the answer was no.)

"Well, I'm off," said Niles, "You two be careful out there; I don't want to see my son and his friend in the headlines if any more of Salem's comrades come your way."

"Don't worry, Dad! We'll be fine!" Arashi brushed it off.

Kaminari and Niles exchanged a hug, and the Inteleon set off to whatever secretive business he had to attend to.

Astrid and Arashi were setting off before long too, the Froakie looking happy as they strolled across the sand.

"Alright! Third day of being Team Starstorm!" the Froakie exclaimed. "Yesterday was a success; we gotta keep the streak going!"

Astrid chuckled. "You're keeping count?"

"Of course!"

She wasn't protesting it, though she did wonder at what point Arashi would lose count.

The sky was clear unlike the day before, and no Croagunk was waiting to Astonish them at the top of the steps (nor was anyone else, for that matter). Nez of course gave them a wave and a happy greeting, and the two youngsters returned it.

"S-so, are we using the bulletin board today?" Astrid inquired.

"Yup! Unless something comes up!"

The Dartrix's beak curled up just a bit at the edges. "So does that mean if you go trying to pick a request in a 99-floor dungeon, I get to yell at you?"

Arashi gave her a playful nudge. "I'm not that dumb!"

"I didn't actually think you were," Astrid noted with another playful nudge.

They shortly saw the three familiar faces of Lila, Trixie, and Charlie, the Jolteon giving a pointed look at the Croagunk and the Aipom shrugging.

"Morning, guys!" Arashi called.

Lila gave them a nod and Charlie a wave while Trixie shot them a shifty grin.

"Setting off again today?" Lila inquired.

"Yep!" Arashi said with no trouble.

"Then there's one request you might wanna see," said the Jolteon. "It'd probably be right up your alley."

"And if you feel like taking a buddy with you, feel free~" Trixie chirped.

Charlie gave her a side-eye, to which the Croagunk giggled mischievously. Astrid tilted her head to the side while Lila gave Trixie nudge with one paw.

"Really? Show us which one!" Arashi wasn't protesting.

The Jolteon strolled over to the board with the others close behind, then stood up on her hind legs to retrieve one sheet which she set down on the ground for the others to look at.

"You should take meeeeee~" Trixie chirped, sticking her arms around both Astrid and Arashi.

"Hold on just one second," Arashi brushed her off, grinning nonetheless.

Astrid carefully looked this one over, too. The top of it read "Someone get this crazy Clefable out of here!" along with a location of "Chasm Edge 14F."

Both she and the Froakie carefully read the letter below it.

"Me and my friends tried to venture into Chasm Edge to collect some Dusk Stones, since we quite like the dark essence they give off. Normally, this would not be a problem, but when we reached the final floor, this Clefable outright tried to kill us! She waggled her finger to use Metronome, and of all the moves she could've used, she used Fissure and knocked us out! We lost all of our Dusk Stones, but we can't go back to get any more since she's been camping on that last floor and kicking everyone out before they can clear the dungeon! Please, someone get her out of here- I don't care who! Just come see me at the black cottage overlooking the hillside in Crescent Ridge after you're done giving her the thrashing she deserves, and I'll give you something nice. Signed, Niko the Houndoom."

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other.

"That… sounds a little precarious," Astrid mused.

"So was Zariel, and we did just fine!" Arashi said with a grin.

"You're not wrong…" the Dartrix acknowledged.

Trixie started grinning and stuck her arms around them again. "You know what type Clefable is, right~? And you know what type is good against those pretty fairies~? And you also know what type I am~?"

Her eyes kept growing wider and wider with shifty happiness as the words left her mouth. They both knew exactly what she was angling for, but Lila stepped in before they could say anything.

"Hey, didn't we already agree we'd go battle some Deinos and Boldores in Tranquil Tunnel today? That's way more accessible than venturing off to Chasm Edge," said the Jolteon.

"Wouldn't you rather see a dungeon full of baby dragons and sentient rocks?" Charlie added.

Apparently, that did indeed seem more attractive to the Croagunk, for she eased up and said, "Well, when you put it that way…~"

Arashi chuckled. "You guys have your fun, and we'll see you when we get back!" he said, then turning to Astrid, "You up for this one?"

The Dartrix nodded.

Trixie, however, gave them both another pointed look. "If there's more than evolution stones there, I'm Poison Stinging the both of you if you don't tell me!"

Arashi laughed. "Don't worry, Trixie!"

Arashi folded up the paper that Lila had retrieved and stowed it in the bag, giving a gleeful clap of his hands afterwards. Astrid smiled a bit too, though she had to wonder about the logistics of getting into a battle with a furious finger-waggling Clefable. The Rhyperior hadn't been fun, but… surely this one couldn't be that bad. At least, she definitely hoped so.


Author's note: I am just going to note this as a heads-up. I am not currently in class, thus I will be working on this story a bit more outside of the 'weekend' designation. However, I am a few months away from a VERY important examination, and I do need to prioritize studying for that over basically everything else at the moment. I would certainly like to continue my schedule thus far of completing a new chapter each week, as I am still having great fun working on this story, but due to my academic commitment, I cannot make any guarantees. Therefore, if things begin to slow down, that is the reason why.